Spiritual Awakening: What a Beautiful Mess We Are In

October 3rd, 2023

By: David Hoskins

We must be very careful in this season of awakening that we do not grieve, quench, slander or reject the move of Holy Spirit. Regardless of our discomfort, we must learn to move and walk by the Spirit.

There is no plan B.

Many struggle with the supernatural gifts of Holy Spirit moving in and through the body of Christ. The fire scares them. The effect of the the fire makes them nervous. The fact is that even hell itself is nervous about the fire of God. The power of Holy Spirit has the ability to undermine all darkness and set the earth free. It is no wonder that those ensnared by iniquity would reject their own liberation due to deception and fear.

Matthew 3:11 (NASB)

11 “As for me, I baptize you with water for repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, and I am not fit to remove His sandals; He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.

Christians have issue with the move of the Spirit because of several reasons such as fear, uncertainty, a lack of authentic experienced spirituality and even bad experiences. As a result they can develop apprehension and disdain for the move of the Spirit of God.

The Manifestations of the Spirit

1 Corinthians 12:4-11 (NASB)

4 Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit. 5 And there are varieties of ministries, and the same Lord. 6 There are varieties of effects, but the same God who works all things in all persons. 7 But to each one is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. 8 For to one is given the word of wisdom through the Spirit, and to another the word of knowledge according to the same Spirit; 9 to another faith by the same Spirit, and to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, 10 and to another the effecting of miracles, and to another prophecy, and to another the distinguishing of spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, and to another the interpretation of tongues. 11 But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually just as He wills.

Because of ignorance, bad experiences or just good ole fashioned fear, many choose to give up on the move of Holy Spirit because He does not operate according to their religious framework and limitation.

Several Things to Remember During This Awakening Season.

1. Do not Slander the Spirit

Matthew 12:25-36 (NASB)

25 And knowing their thoughts Jesus said to them, “Any kingdom divided against itself is laid waste; and any city or house divided against itself will not stand. 26 If Satan casts out Satan, he is divided against himself; how then will his kingdom stand? 27 If I by Beelzebul cast out demons, by whom do your sons cast them out? For this reason they will be your judges. 28 But if I cast out demons by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you. 29 Or how can anyone enter the strong man’s house and carry off his property, unless he first binds the strong man? And then he will plunder his house. 30 He who is not with Me is against Me; and he who does not gather with Me scatters. 31 “Therefore I say to you, any sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven people, but blasphemy against the Spirit shall not be forgiven. 32 Whoever speaks a word against the Son of Man, it shall be forgiven him; but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit, it shall not be forgiven him, either in this age or in the age to come. 33 “Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or make the tree bad and its fruit bad; for the tree is known by its fruit. 34 You brood of vipers, how can you, being evil, speak what is good? For the mouth speaks out of that which fills the heart. 35 The good man brings out of his good treasure what is good; and the evil man brings out of his evil treasure what is evil. 36 But I tell you that every careless word that people speak, they shall give an accounting for it in the day of judgment.

2. Do Not Grieve Holy Spirit with Your Words and Your Attitude

Ephesians 4:29-32 (NASB)

29 Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth, but only such a word as is good for edification according to the need of the moment, so that it will give grace to those who hear. 30 Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. 31 Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. 32 Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you.

3. Do Not Quench the Spirit

1 Thessalonians 5:19-22 (NASB)

19 Do not quench the Spirit; 20 do not despise prophetic utterances. 21 But examine everything carefully; hold fast to that which is good; 22 abstain from every form of evil.

1 Thessalonians 5:19-22 (NIV)

19 Do not quench the Spirit. 20 Do not treat prophecies with contempt 21 but test them all; hold on to what is good, 22 reject every kind of evil.

Contempt- noun

1. the feeling that a person or a thing is beneath consideration, worthless, or deserving scorn.

Contempt is an attitude towards individuals, social groups and eventually ideologies, that evokes a sense of superiority and the right to judge, amid feelings of disgust and anger. This set of emotions generally produces maladaptive behaviour. Wikipedia

4. Beware of an Antichrist/Religious Spirit

Disagreement and discomfort are challenging but having contempt for that which is genuinely spiritual is driven by an antichrist spirit which some call a religious spirit.

1 John 2:18-24 (NASB)

18 Children, it is the last hour; and just as you heard that antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have appeared; from this we know that it is the last hour. 19 They went out from us, but they were not really of us; for if they had been of us, they would have remained with us; but they went out, so that it would be shown that they all are not of us. 20 But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and you all know. 21 I have not written to you because you do not know the truth, but because you do know it, and because no lie is of the truth. 22 Who is the liar but the one who denies that Jesus is the Christ? This is the antichrist, the one who denies the Father and the Son. 23 Whoever denies the Son does not have the Father; the one who confesses the Son has the Father also. 24 As for you, let that abide in you which you heard from the beginning. If what you heard from the beginning abides in you, you also will abide in the Son and in the Father.

5. In the Last Days Mockers Will Come

2 Peter 3:3-7 (NASB)

The Coming Day of the Lord

3 Know this first of all, that in the last days mockers will come with their mocking, following after their own lusts, 4 and saying, “Where is the promise of His coming? For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all continues just as it was from the beginning of creation.” 5 For when they maintain this, it escapes their notice that by the word of God the heavens existed long ago and the earth was formed out of water and by water, 6 through which the world at that time was destroyed, being flooded with water. 7 But by His word the present heavens and earth are being reserved for fire, kept for the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men.

Jude 1:17-25 (NASB)

Keep Yourselves in the Love of God

17 But you, beloved, ought to remember the words that were spoken beforehand by the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ, 18 that they were saying to you, “In the last time there will be mockers, following after their own ungodly lusts.” 19 These are the ones who cause divisions, worldly-minded, devoid of the Spirit. 20 But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit, 21 keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting anxiously for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to eternal life. 22 And have mercy on some, who are doubting; 23 save others, snatching them out of the fire; and on some have mercy with fear, hating even the garment polluted by the flesh.

24 Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, and to make you stand in the presence of His glory blameless with great joy, 25 to the only God our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen.

It is a beautiful mess we find ourselves in.

The body of Christ is in a state of reform and development. We have not surely arrived. There is work to be done. We are experiencing spiritual excesses and breaches of scripture on every turn during this time of Holy Spirit awakening. People have no good framework for spirituality and so they tend to revert to their lifeless, powerless religion or they are letting go of the trappings of the word of God while dabbling in the occult and new ageism. Both of these extremes have no anchor in them. We have been given everything we need in the word of God to bring a a stabilization without a stifling to this awakening season.

We must allow heaven and earth to align so that the fulness of His Glory and Kingdom will continue to manifest in and through our lives

Romans 8:18-19 (NASB)

18 For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us. 19 For the anxious longing of the creation waits eagerly for the revealing of the sons of God.