Separated Unto the Holy Spirit
What a wonderful blessing comes when the Holy Spirit is allowed to lead and to direct the work, and when it is carried on in obedience to Him!
Absolute Surrender, Andrew Murray
Acts 13: 2 While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.” 3 Then after fasting and praying they laid their hands on them and sent them off.
The Holy Spirit is God’s director of His work on earth. If we are to work rightly for God, our right relationship with the Holy Spirit is paramount.
We see, even from this passage in Acts, that God, through the Spirit, has His plans for His kingdom, and this includes His plans for us. Even when we do not see all of it or understand all of it, when we are right with the Holy Spirit, we walk in God’s plans.
How many examples of this are offered in both the Old and New Testament; a willingness to obey God in the first step even when the next step was unclear, even when understanding was lacking.
We also see from this passage that God reveals His plans – He is willing and able to do so. Do we have the desire for Him to do so for us? Is it our first desire?
It is easy for those who are in a right fellowship with Heaven, and who understand the art of waiting upon God in prayer.
Note the disposition of those to whom the Spirit revealed God’s will in this verse: they were worshiping and fasting; they were waiting on the Lord. They shut out all distractions – all business, all pleasures, all family matters. They were alone with God – they were separated unto the Holy Spirit. It was only then that the will of God was revealed.
Has that been your longing desire? Has that been your surrender? Has that been what you expected through faith in the power of our risen and almighty Lord Jesus?
Spend less time talking to men and more time talking to God. This is desire put into action.
It was with new prayer and fasting, with more prayer and fasting, that this company of disciples carried out the command of the Holy Spirit….
Conclusion
These sent apostles went from place to place with large blessing. The same is available to us: God has a blessing for us, if we learn to believe this, if we worship, fast, and pray in search of His will.
It is the Holy Spirit that will open in us what needs to be opened to receive God’s desire for us.
Thank you for your excellent post. Even in the Old Testament (under the Old Covenant) the Holy Spirit was at work. When they repented and confessed their sin "Thou gavest also thy good spirit to instruct them, and withheldest not thy manna from their mouth, and gavest them water for their thirst." Nehemiah 9:20. But when they were disobedient and rebelled against God "Yet many years didst thou forbear them, and testifiedst against them by thy spirit in thy prophets: yet would they not give ear: therefore gavest thou them into the hand of the people of the lands." Nehemiah 9:30
There is only one Holy Spirit. If a person rejects the Holy Spirit, all other spirits are connected to demonic spirituality. Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience: Ephesians 2:2. Thus, Jesus explains that although we all have a physical (flesh and water birth through our human mother) we must be born a second time / born again (through/by God's Holy Spirit) John 3:3-8, otherwise we cannot see or enter into the kingdom of God.