18 BOCNEWS.com MAY 2018 The Holy Spirit will encourage you and tell you, “Don’t worry. Don’t worry about it; just do your stuff.” He’s an encourager. He’s not just there to comfort you when trouble comes; He also provides comfort for you so you live a comfortable life. Are you get- ting me? When you become the friend of the Holy Spirit, your life becomes comfortable. The Holy Spirit is the one that encourages us in our faith. He makes us to say, “Yes!” to the word of God. Did you listen to my radio pro- gram today? Say, “Yes,” to the word of God. What an encouragement that will be, that it shall end in praise. When we are encouraged then the church is enlarged and it grows. 8. The Holy Spirit Calls us for Service The Holy Spirit calls us for serving. Acts 13:2 (NKJV): 2 As they ministered to the Lord and fasted, the Holy Spirit said, “Now separate to Me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.” Who called them to service? The Holy Spirit. “I have called them.” The Holy Spirit said, “I called them.” Hear me: nobody puts his neck out, espe- cially if you are truly called. Nobody says, “Yes. Holy Spirit, You just saw me. What have You been looking at? I mean, You called people like Ade Ajala, what about me? What’s wrong with You? Change Your glasses.” Everyone that God calls always runs. Do you get me? Everyone that God truly calls, the first time they always run away from it. “I can’t do this. I can’t do this.” When I see people that are strug- gling to get into ministry, I know God didn’t call them. They are the victim of ambition. If you are truly called, you will first of all run, because the respon- sibility and the challenges of ministry that you face daily, if you know it, you won’t want to get in. 9. The Holy Spirit Fills Us with Boldness The Holy Spirit fills us with bold- ness. Acts 4:31 (NKJV): 31 And when they had prayed, the place where they were assembled together was shaken; and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and they spoke the word of God with boldness. When you have received the Holy Spirit, one of the signs that the Holy Spirit is with you is that you receive boldness. You are bold. Not to be saying all the nonsense that people say; you are bold to declare the word of God. You know it’s so easy for us to be talking mundane things, and we won’t mind, but when it is time to speak the word of God, then we are ashamed. Then we are afraid. Is that not true? One can stand in front of people and be jiving and making fool of oneself and be enjoying it. But then let them stick the Bible in their hand and say, “Preach.” “Eh. That’s not my…can we do something else?” It’s a sign that they are not filled. When you are filled with the Holy Spirit, when it is time for the word of God, the boldness comes. It just comes. 10. The Holy Spirit Gives Us Inner Strength The Holy Spirit gives us inner strength. Ephesians 3:16 (NKJV): 16 that He would grant you, accord- ing to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man, His Spirit is the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit gives us inner strength— ability. He says, “And you shall receive power.” When your faith is lagging, or you are just worn out spiritually, the Holy Spirit is the One that will give you the inner strength. Are you with me? If your faith is lagging and you are tired and you feel like quitting, it is the Holy Spirit that will come. In the Old Testament in 1 Kings 19, Prophet Elijah, after he had just faced the prophets of Baal and destroyed them, Jezebel said, “I will kill you. I’m going to kill you.” So he ran. He ran to a cave in the wilderness, and he was hiding in the cave—a prophet that has killed 450 prophets of Baal—but here was a woman threatening him, and he ran. Then God woke him up as he was sleeping in the cave. God said, “Elijah!” He said, “Uh huh.” “Elijah!” Just like John will say to me, “Huh?” And God said, “What are you doing here?” He said, “Eh, Jezebel wants to kill me, and I’m running. I don’t want Jezebel to kill me. You kill me.” God said, “If you want to die, go back to Jezebel.” God didn’t say that. God said, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” Elijah said, “I am no better than my fathers! I am tired; I am discouraged; I don’t want to go on—get Your calling back. Just kill me and let me come home.” And God said to him, “You are worn.” And He set food in front of him. He said, “Eat.” Elijah didn’t ask where the food came from—you know the brother was hungry. He got up and began to eat. He ate and said, “I’m ready!” And God said, “No, the journey is long—eat more.” And Elijah sat down again, and he ate again. What was he getting? Inner strength. He said, “Arise, eat. You will go in the strength of this food for forty days and forty nights.” Can you imagine having just one meal for forty days and forty nights? That’s a big meal. The Holy Spirit gives you inner strength. When you are tired, when you are weak, when you don’t know what to do, when it looks as if things are not working, and you call on the Holy Spirit, and you say, “Spirit of the Living God, fall afresh on me. Renew my strength. You are all that I needed.” And as you begin to pray that prayer, and as you wait on the Lord, the strength will begin to come. THE ACTIONS OF THE HOLY SPIRIT, PART II ... continued from page 15