40 Days of Prayer - Day 7
DEVOTIONAL
It is vital that we daily experience the early rain baptism of the Holy Spirit in order to spiritually grow to the point that we will benefit from the latter rain of the Spirit, which prepares the Christian for the final crisis
and Christ's return. However, many don't realize
this and feel that they must wait for the latter rain of
the Spirit if they are finally to have the victory over
their besetting sins and spiritual immaturity. Such a
view will end in disaster for the one who holds it. Ellen
White warns:
"I saw that many were neglecting the preparation
so needful, and were looking to the time of 'refreshing'
and the 'latter rain' to fit them to stand in the day of the
Lord, and to live in His sight. Oh, how many I saw in
the time of trouble without a shelter! They had neglected
the needful preparation, therefore they could not
receive the refreshing that all must have to fit them to
live in the sight of a holy God".
We must have victory over all temptation and sin in
our life if we are to benefit from the latter rain outpouring
of the Spirit. It is a deception of Satan if we
believe we do not have to take seriously the sin problem
in our lives:
"Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your
sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing
shall come from the presence of the Lord" (Acts 3: 19).
"Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with
him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that
henceforth we should not serve sin. . . . Likewise
reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin,
but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord. Let
not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye
should obey it in the lusts thereof. Neither yield ye your
members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin:
but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive
from the , and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God; For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace (Romans 6:6,11-14).
Ellen White confirmed this with these words:
"I saw that none could share the 'refreshing' [latter
rain], unless they obtained the victory over every besetment,
over pride, selfishness, love of the world, and
over every wrong word and action" (Ibid., p. 113).
This may sound impossible to you right now. However,
the key to victory over temptation is in learning
how to let Jesus live out His life of victory in, and
through, us. That wonderful biblical truth will be presented
later in this devotional series.
The early, or former rain of the Spirit, which is the
baptism of the Holy Spirit, began on the day of Pentecost.
Peter pointed this out when he said to the crowd
on that day:
"But this is that which was spoken by the prophet
Joel; and it shall come to pass in the last days, saith
God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh: and
your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your
young men shall see visions, and your old men shall
dream dreams: and on my servants and on my handmaidens
I will pour out in those days of my Spirit; and
they shall prophesy" (Acts 2: 16-18).
Spirit baptism, or the early rain of the Spirit, brings
us to the spiritual maturity required so that we can benefit
from the latter rain:
"The latter rain, ripening earth's harvest, represents
the spiritual grace that prepares the church for the coming of the Son of man. But unless the former rain has
fallen, there will be no life; the green blade will not
spring up. Unless the early showers have done their
work, the latter rain can bring no seed to perfection"
(The Faith I Live By, p. 333).
Full spiritual growth under the early rain baptism of
the Spirit is necessary for us to be able even to recognize
the latter rain ofthe Spirit when it is falling. Ellen
White pointed this out when she wrote:
"Unless we are daily advancing in the exemplification
of the active Christian virtues, we shall not recognize
the manifestations of the Holy Spirit in the latter
rain. It may be falling on hearts all around us, but we
shall not discern or receive it" (Testimony to Ministers
and Gospel Workers, p. 507).
If you have not received the baptism of the Holy
Spirit don't delay another day. His reception should be
first and foremost in our lives, for this Gift will bring
all other gifts to us. The Spirit's infilling will enable
Christ to live in us and to change our lethargy to excitement,
our weakness to strength, and our witness will
be with a power not seen since the day of Pentecost:
"I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet
not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now
live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God,
who loved me, and gave himself for me" (Gal. 2:20).
"But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy
Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto.
me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria,
and unto the uttermost part of the earth" (Acts 1:8).
It is vital that we daily experience the early rain baptism of the Holy Spirit in order to spiritually grow to the point that we will benefit from the latter rain of the Spirit, which prepares the Christian for the final crisis
and Christ's return. However, many don't realize
this and feel that they must wait for the latter rain of
the Spirit if they are finally to have the victory over
their besetting sins and spiritual immaturity. Such a
view will end in disaster for the one who holds it. Ellen
White warns:
"I saw that many were neglecting the preparation
so needful, and were looking to the time of 'refreshing'
and the 'latter rain' to fit them to stand in the day of the
Lord, and to live in His sight. Oh, how many I saw in
the time of trouble without a shelter! They had neglected
the needful preparation, therefore they could not
receive the refreshing that all must have to fit them to
live in the sight of a holy God".
We must have victory over all temptation and sin in
our life if we are to benefit from the latter rain outpouring
of the Spirit. It is a deception of Satan if we
believe we do not have to take seriously the sin problem
in our lives:
"Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your
sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing
shall come from the presence of the Lord" (Acts 3: 19).
"Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with
him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that
henceforth we should not serve sin. . . . Likewise
reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin,
but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord. Let
not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye
should obey it in the lusts thereof. Neither yield ye your
members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin:
but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive
from the , and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God; For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace (Romans 6:6,11-14).
Ellen White confirmed this with these words:
"I saw that none could share the 'refreshing' [latter
rain], unless they obtained the victory over every besetment,
over pride, selfishness, love of the world, and
over every wrong word and action" (Ibid., p. 113).
This may sound impossible to you right now. However,
the key to victory over temptation is in learning
how to let Jesus live out His life of victory in, and
through, us. That wonderful biblical truth will be presented
later in this devotional series.
The early, or former rain of the Spirit, which is the
baptism of the Holy Spirit, began on the day of Pentecost.
Peter pointed this out when he said to the crowd
on that day:
"But this is that which was spoken by the prophet
Joel; and it shall come to pass in the last days, saith
God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh: and
your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your
young men shall see visions, and your old men shall
dream dreams: and on my servants and on my handmaidens
I will pour out in those days of my Spirit; and
they shall prophesy" (Acts 2: 16-18).
Spirit baptism, or the early rain of the Spirit, brings
us to the spiritual maturity required so that we can benefit
from the latter rain:
"The latter rain, ripening earth's harvest, represents
the spiritual grace that prepares the church for the coming of the Son of man. But unless the former rain has
fallen, there will be no life; the green blade will not
spring up. Unless the early showers have done their
work, the latter rain can bring no seed to perfection"
(The Faith I Live By, p. 333).
Full spiritual growth under the early rain baptism of
the Spirit is necessary for us to be able even to recognize
the latter rain ofthe Spirit when it is falling. Ellen
White pointed this out when she wrote:
"Unless we are daily advancing in the exemplification
of the active Christian virtues, we shall not recognize
the manifestations of the Holy Spirit in the latter
rain. It may be falling on hearts all around us, but we
shall not discern or receive it" (Testimony to Ministers
and Gospel Workers, p. 507).
If you have not received the baptism of the Holy
Spirit don't delay another day. His reception should be
first and foremost in our lives, for this Gift will bring
all other gifts to us. The Spirit's infilling will enable
Christ to live in us and to change our lethargy to excitement,
our weakness to strength, and our witness will
be with a power not seen since the day of Pentecost:
"I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet
not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now
live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God,
who loved me, and gave himself for me" (Gal. 2:20).
"But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy
Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto.
me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria,
and unto the uttermost part of the earth" (Acts 1:8).
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