TRANSFORMED TOPOGRAPHY - PART 1

THURSDAY 17 AUGUST 2023

I am bigly captivated by the thought-provoking inspiration of the Spirit, as I introduce a new topic known as transformed topography: a proclamation of restoration, as well as transformation of anything that seems like dryness and barrenness into a state of fruitfulness. More below!

Reference: Isaiah 32:15 New Living Translation (NLT) "Until at last the Spirit is poured out on us from heaven. Then the wilderness will become a fertile field, and the fertile field will yield bountiful crops."

In this Scripture, the Holy Spirit is a figure denoting restoration and overflowing abundance. The Holy Spirit is a very important personality and empowering factor in the life of a born again Christian. He cannot be overcome by wilderness, meaning that those who have Him can never be dry. The word "wilderness" is an invitation to reflect on the photographic account of any unfortunate or unfavourable circumstance or disfavoured condition.

The wilderness doesn't seem to make any sense because it is a dry, uninhabited wasteland. It could come across as a domain of unfruitfulness, a feeling of great physical distress or discomfort. It could represent a ground of agony, an air of melancholy surrounding a person, a complete loss or absence of hope, a low spirit as a result of prolonged lack of courage, a state of deep dejection or being choked in desolation, a surge of anxiety, a state of distress with an uncertain outcome, and more of such negative feelings and situations.

Now who is the Holy Spirit? The only Spirit who can suddenly turn any wilderness around! The Holy Spirit is from Jesus' neighbourhood in heaven. That's why you'll notice that in our referenced Scripture, the Spirit is poured out on us from heaven. He is the third person of the trinity. He is God's Spirit; He is not married to God and does not have children, although He fathered Jesus on earth through Mary's conception (Luke 1:35 NIV). He is from the beautiful family of God in heaven. He is quite authentic, and that's the reason He is popularly known as the Spirit of truth (John 16:13 KJV). He is full of God's love and compassion, which is why the power of God is made manifest through Him. Once you experience spiritual birth, regardless of your location on earth, you can receive Him with open arms and then spend the rest of your life on earth, mingling with Him, so as to gain a flood of divine encounters as He guides your path.

Jesus said to His disciples, "And now I will send the Holy Spirit, just as my Father promised. But stay here in the city until the Holy Spirit comes and fills you with power from heaven" (Luke 24:49 NLT). So the Holy Spirit is a strong, powerful presence in our Christian lives; our ever present help (John 14:26 NASB). He holds the key to our glorious destiny in Christ and so He can open closed doors, turn barren land into a fertile environment, as well as transform anyone from the state of discomfort to a permanent state of overwhelming joy. He is the only instrument that God uses to turn a desert into pools of water and a dry land into flowing springs (Psalm 107:35 NIV).

The outpouring of the Spirit is a prophetic term that ushered in "the church age" and the "new covenant." It is emblematic of the unique and stable arrival of the Spirit on planet earth, and through this outpouring, the church or body of Christ was built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus Himself as the chief cornerstone (Ephesians 2:20 NIV). However, for any wilderness to become a fertile field, and the fertile field to yield bountiful crops, there has to be a "never ending" intimate encounter with the Holy Spirit.

In a nutshell, it's not just about God pouring out the Spirit on us, which has already happened, we must entertain a continuous infilling of the Spirit. That's the window that must remain constantly open because He is the Spirit that reveals and understands the mystery of establishing provision in the wilderness. And we must ensure that we have a strong, inexhaustible, inextricable, inexplicable and intense association with His guidance through constant fellowship.

Scripture Reading - Jeremiah 17:7-8; John 15:5; Matthew 3:8; John 15:16.

Exuberant Declaration: The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of fruitfulness and the grand channel of God's manifold grace to those who are in Christ Jesus. Through my unwavering trust in divine providence and grace, I engage Him for guidance, support, preservation, restoration and for the supply of all my needs. Hallelujah!