Joel 2:28-29 – “It will come about after this that I will pour out My Spirit on all mankind; And your sons and daughters will prophesy, Your old men will dream dreams, Your young men will see visions. 29 “Even on the male and female servants I will pour out My Spirit in those days.”

As I prayed, read, and pondered the Word of God today, I heard, “The Outpouring that is needed.” Then the Holy Spirit directed my heart to the Book of Joel 2:18-29

Let me take an approach that hopefully you can agree with, regardless of your particular theology regarding the ministry and manifestation of the Holy Spirit in this hour. Maybe you do not believe our world is in moral decline, but I do believe you realize that an infusion of God’s love, presence, and power would not be a bad thing, right? I hope so!

Regardless of your views on the timeline of this passage or when or if this has transpired in human history, we need an infusion of God’s Spirit in the hearts and lives of people today. That would be true of any generation, but as I see it, it is especially true of this generation. This passage is reflective of God’s Redemptive Heart and Nature. He wants mankind to be restored to right relationship with Him.

What would our world be like if there were a spontaneous and widespread outpouring of God’s Spirit into the hearts and lives of people everywhere? What was it like in your life when you first came to Christ? Some have told me that they came to Christ so young in life that they have never really known anything but being a Christian.

That was not the case for me. I went to Vietnam believing in God (not a Christian but believed God existed), but now I am walking with God (born-again). I had observed people in church doing and saying things that were so out of character with what I understood God to be that I allowed the deception of the devil to prevail, and my attitude was, “If those people are going to heaven, God cannot send me to hell.” That is a very wrong philosophy! But then that was a judgment that came out of youthful observation of people attending church regularly and professing to be Christians.

When the Holy Spirit arrested my heart and brought me to the conclusion that I was lost and headed to Hell, I was mortified, and depression became the norm of my thought processes. I was convinced I had broken too many commandments and done too much to be forgiven. I was lost and knew it, but I was convinced I had no hope.

Thankfully, there were those who knew better, engaged in intercession, and continued to chip away at the hard outer layer I had developed. God used them to break the granite of my heart, and through a simple passage of Scripture and the outpouring of God’s Spirit and Love, I was brought to the place of repentance and reception of Christ.

The moment I received Christ, I felt a weight of epic proportions lifted off my shoulders, and I felt lighter than air. Some testified that hearing my testimony made them feel the same way. It was not me; it was the Spirit of God! Things dropped out of my life and out of my language that I gave no thought to or effort to remove, but the Holy Spirit took them away.

I know what it is to have the Holy Spirit poured out into my life and the immediate and long-lasting impact that it has. So, I cry out for God to pour out His Spirit upon All Flesh! I pray for a revival and renewal to transpire in this world. I long for GOD!

Lord help us to receive what we need!