You don’t have to go looking for an atmosphere; you are an atmosphere. You are the dwelling place of the Holy Spirit, a habitation of Heaven, a carrier of the glory. Because you have the Holy Spirit, you don’t have to follow signs; signs follow you. You don’t have to beg for a divine encounter; you live in a divine encounter.
When Adam had life breathed into him, he became the steward of the earth. When Abraham heard God, he was called as a father of many nations. When Moses saw the burning bush, he was called as a deliverer. Isaiah saw God in the temple. Jeremiah felt fire in his bones. Ezekiel saw Heaven opened. The apostles sat with Jesus. The early church heard the wind and saw the fire of the Holy Spirit. Truly, encounters lead to callings.
Because our joy is rooted in the Eternal Spirit, our joy lasts. When you find your joy in that which is temporary, the joy itself is temporary. For nothing can outlast its source. The things of the world fade, change, and become uncertain. But the Holy Spirit never leaves us, never changes, and is never unreliable.
The more I knew of Him, the more I wanted to know. There was a beautiful and energizing grace that compelled my every spiritual act. There was a flow to my prayer and devotion. But then, seemingly out of nowhere, I felt a growing distance between God and myself. The clear image of Jesus, that the eyes of my heart had so clearly beheld, began to fade.
Now many often quote that verse and assert that “Peter’s shadow healed people!” But that’s not exactly what the scripture says. The scripture tells us that the people were the ones who brought out the sick. Peter didn’t tell them to do this; this is something they did on their own. And why would they do this? What odd occurrences might have led these people to believe that Peter’s shadow could heal? It’s because the healing presence of Jesus was so intense on Peter that people were healed just by being around him!
