John Paul Jackson*
John Paul Jackson is the founder of Streams Ministries International, an in-depth prophetic teaching ministry. A popular teacher and conference speaker, John Paul travels around the world teaching on "The Art of Hearing God," on dreams and visions, and on the realm of the supernatural. He has authored many books, developed numerous training courses and has appeared on Pat Robertson's The 700 Club, Benny Hinn's This Is Your Day broadcast, Cornerstone Television, Daystar Television, God Digital, and the Trinity Broadcasting Network and many other television broadcasts.
"Going 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea of the Holy Spirit"
You cannot go any deeper in God than into His Holy Spirit.
Venturing into His mysterious, consuming depths is very similar to venturing into an ocean. For some people, the beach is just fine. They like the openness, specifically the sunshine and warm sand. Safe upon the shore, you don't have to worry about losing control or being pulled out farther than you wanted; you're completely safe and nothing can get you--a very important option for some people.
For others, the best part is the snorkeling. What an adventure! You get to be fully submerged in the water. . . at least, as fully as a flimsy piece of plastic in your mouth will let you. Swimming only a foot or two beneath the waves, you are able to see a hundred things beneath the surface that you never would have seen otherwise. When compared to staying on the beach, snorkeling can seem to be pretty daring.
Living in the Spirit
But then, there are the people who go deep--way deep, beyond what is humanly possible.
You cannot go any deeper in God than into His Holy Spirit. Some people are content to just be by Him, soaking up the rays. Others only want to get their head wet or have the rush of being momentarily submerged in Him. But others, desperate to find Him or die in the attempt, take a flying leap off the side, with nothing to keep them afloat, nothing to keep them alive beneath the surface--except Him.
It's like stepping off a boat with nothing beneath your feet but the Mariana Trench. Suddenly, you are just plain gone, and all that remains is Him.
This is what living in the Spirit means.
The Power of the Holy Spirit
Jesus told His disciples that it was to their advantage for Him to go back to the Father so that the Holy Spirit would come to them. In other words, He was saying, "Everything I do is by the power of the Holy Spirit; now I'm leaving so that He can come. And you are really going to like what the Spirit does. You're going to be empowered. You're going to have more authority than you have ever had before."
Jesus did signs and wonders because of the power of the Holy Spirit within Him. Through that same Spirit, the mysteries of God are revealed to you, both the large mysteries that are heralded by angels and the small mysteries that are whispered by children.
You are able to bless and glorify God with your words and hands only because of the Holy Spirit. He is the same Spirit who brooded over the chaos of the earth in Genesis 1, and He is the same Spirit who raised Jesus from the dead. You are intricately, intimately connected with God.
All or Nothing
Many of us think that the coming of the Holy Spirit is like a Christian nirvana, but this isn't always the case. Drowning can be a scary experience. We cannot take precautions with God. We can't prepare a Route B just in case He doesn't come through. Having a back-up plan isn't true faith.
With God, it's all or nothing. No scuba gear. No snorkel. And definitely not an umbrella for the beach.
The secret to living in the Spirit of God is this: You can have as much of Him as you want. If you want the beach, then you'll have the beach. But if you want the depths of Him, then the bottom of the sea is also available. Which do you prefer?
In this new year of 2006, may your heart's cry be for all of Him--for the deepest depths of the sea.
John Paul Jackson
Streams Ministries International
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