Devotions from Judy’s heart
Sometimes the best thing is to wait. Sometimes we may not know what to do and we jump ahead and really mess things up. When Jesus spoke to his disciples after His resurrection, he ordered them not to leave Jerusalem but to wait to be baptized with the Holy Spirit. I’m sure they must have had questions but they obeyed and gathered together in an upper room and waited. Good thing they did what Jesus asked of them and spent time praying and didn’t run ahead before they received the Holy Spirit. If they had gone out in their own power, they would have quickly become discouraged and probably given up. But after waiting 10 days after Jesus ascended, the Holy Spirit suddenly came like the rush of the wind and tongues of fire and filled them, and they began to speak in different languages. What an awesome experience and time of purifying and empowering them to go and be His witnesses. Peter stood up and began preaching and 3,000 people were saved and baptized that day. Those that knew him as a fisherman must have recognized it could only be the power of God!  From that day on, the disciples went forth and preached and taught and healed; the message reached beyond Jerusalem out to the world. We can say wow, we wish we were present at that time, but that same Holy Spirit power is available to all who know the Lord. Too often we don’t wait for the Holy Spirit to instruct us and we run ahead before He has readied the hearts of others. Our part is to surrender and ask the Holy Spirit to fill us with His power to enable us to do what God wants in our lives and through us. He also begins the work of changing us from the inside out to become more like the Lord. In the days to come, I believe it is going to be harder for all of us as Christians and we will experience persecution. Our need will be great for the Holy Spirit power. Let us be like Peter who quoted David in Acts 2:28 (The Message), “I saw God before me for all time. Nothing can shake me; He’s right by my side. I’m glad from the inside out, ecstatic; I’ve pitched my tent in the land of hope. I know you’ll never dump me in Hades; I’ll never even smell the stench of death. You’ve got my feet on the life-path, with your face shining, sun-joy all around.”
Challenge for today: Ask for a fresh inflowing of the Holy Spirit and wait for His timing before launching out. 
Blessings on your day and prayers and love, Judy