Mensa Otabil - A Fresh Outpouring
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This is day number 33 of our 40 days of power. It is the beginning of the final stretch in our 40 days of prayer and fasting, and I trust that you’ve been part of this and that you are receiving renewal from the Lord. Our theme for the week is going to be increase, and we’re going to talk about increasing in different areas of our lives. So today, we go to the prophet Joel, chapter 2, verse 28: «And it shall come to pass afterward that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh; your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions.»
If you remember, we started our devotions for these 40 days of power from the prophet Joel, who calls for a fast, and now we are winding down with the prophet Joel as well. As a result of the people fasting and praying, these are some of the things that Joel said God would do for them. There are four things that he says would come to pass.
First, he says God is going to pour out His Spirit on all flesh. The outpouring of the Spirit of God on all flesh- what does it mean, all flesh? It simply means all people. And why does it say all flesh here? Because in the Old Testament, Israel only allowed a few people to receive the work of the Holy Spirit: the priest, the prophet, the king, and people who were called by God to be deliverers or to perform special tasks. They would be filled with the Holy Spirit. But now God says that a new era has come where His Spirit is coming upon all flesh, upon men and women, and all kinds of people.
I believe that we are in this era because the Apostle Peter quoted this verse when he spoke on the day of Pentecost. May the Lord pour out His Spirit upon you, and may you receive an outpouring of the fullness of the Spirit of God in every area of your life.
The second thing he said is, «Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy.» In the Old Testament, only a few people could hear from God and speak the word of God. But He says in this era, the Spirit of God will so rest upon people that your sons and daughters, ordinary citizens, shall declare the word of the Lord. That’s one of the things that happens when we wait on the Lord: there is an outpouring of the Spirit, and in the outpouring of the Spirit, we have the capacity from the Holy Spirit to declare the word of the Lord. This promise is for everybody, not just special people or just pastors but for everyone receiving the ability to declare the word of the Lord.
The third thing he said will happen is, «Your old men shall dream dreams.» Old people are not left out of this visitation of the Lord. When God visits us by His Spirit, God is no respecter of age. You don’t have to disqualify yourself just because you say time is against you- I’m old, my time has passed. Your time has not passed; this is your time. The one who makes all things meaningful is the Holy Spirit, and He says He will rest upon you, so you will do in your old age what you couldn’t do in your youth. Your older men and women shall dream dreams. May the Lord give you new dreams; may the Lord give you new ideas. May the Lord inspire you to do mighty things in this season.
Then he ends by saying, «Your young men shall see visions.» Both young men and women shall be visionary; they shall be purposeful. They shall have a sense of the will of God, a sense of the purposes of God, a sense of clarity about their lives. The young men are not going to waste their lives; they will live visionary lives. So Joel promises that if we wait on the Lord, this will come upon us, and I declare that all these words declared by the prophet Joel, recorded in the Scriptures, are our portion. I declare it over your life too, in the name of Jesus: the Spirit upon all flesh, sons and daughters prophesying, old men dreaming dreams, young men seeing visions-it’s our time.
Let’s pray. Say with me: Heavenly Father, pour out Your Spirit upon me. Lord, do mighty works with me and through me, in Jesus' name. Amen and amen.