Do you feel a calling by God and want to know his will for your life?
Isaiah 11:1,2 KJV
And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots: (2) And the Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him, the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord.
Isaiah is prophesying about our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ in this verse. These seven Spirits are the same as those mentioned in the book of Revelation.
Revelation 5:6 King James Version (KJV)
6 And I beheld, and, lo, in the midst of the throne and of the four beasts, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God sent forth into all the earth.
Matthew 3:16 King James Version (KJV)
16 And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him:
In Matthew 3:16 we see the fulfillment of Isaiah’s prophesy. The seven Spirits of God rested upon Jesus. Immediately after this Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, where he fasted forty days and forty nights. The devil came to tempt him and when this time of tempting was done, Jesus returned and began his ministry. Why was it necessary for Jesus to go through this forty days and forty nights of fasting, and then be tempted by the devil? This time was set aside to prepare Jesus for his ministry. Fasting and prayer bring the spirit and soul of a person into obedience to God’s will. When a person’s spirit is completely submitted to the Lord, then the person can be used to effectively do God’s will. The time of testing or tempting reveals to God if our heart and character are ready for the assignments he has for us.
I have spent the last couple of years in the wilderness, being tempted and tested. I know this time is necessary because the Lord has an important assignment for me. Only after we complete our time of testing in the wilderness are we ready to carry out God’s plan for our lives. As the book of James says;
James 1:2-4 King James Version (KJV)
2 My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations;
3 Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience.
4 But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.
You need to emerge on the other side of the wilderness, having passed through these challenges before you are ready. Don’t try to get ahead of yourself and skip this important preparation time. Jesus knew how important this preparation time was and the Holy Spirit led Jesus through this wilderness experience. It is so important to do things in the proper order for anything to be successful. God is a God of order and we need to follow this order, step by step.
1. First step is to pray for God to pour out the seven Spirits of God upon you.
2. Number two is complete 40 days of fasting and praying.
3. Number three is complete the time of tempting and testing
If you feel a calling by God, I urge you to set aside 40 days of fasting and prayer to prepare you for the ministry God is calling you into. My 40 days is starting today December 1, 2018.
Be encouraged, God has a plan for each of us. He knows what you need to prepare you for what lies ahead. Stop walking in the flesh and begin walking in the Spirit. Live the life God has planned for you today!
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