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Helen
Calder
“I am going to send you what my
Father has promised; but stay in the city until you have been clothed with
power from on high.” (Luke 24:49 NIV)
I have always imagined
being ‘clothed in the Spirit’s power’ to be like wearing a
physical garment, for example:
· Elisha had a mantle
(cloak) that formerly belong to Elijah
· People reached to
touch Jesus’ physical garments and were healed
However, a physical item of
clothing is limited. Its fabric
can be felt and touched; it can be pulled at, or torn. Its properties cannot be
transferred to another person.
In order to be given to another
person, the wearer must remove it first.
In Luke 24, Jesus is not
speaking of physical garments, but a spiritual mantling.
Vision of a Mantle
A few days ago, I had a vision of a
mantle that challenged and intrigued me.
I saw a person clothed in a garment
of many colors.
These were not set in distinguishable
patterns; instead, the mantle shimmered with various colors at once. And it was
translucent, filled with light.
This mantle did not have the
properties of physical clothing but appeared to be fluid, as though made of
liquid.
I saw people reach to touch the
garment, and the substance of that robe flowed out like water to those who
stretched towards it.
It was dynamic, full of life and
power.
What I saw challenged my
perspective and — as all prophetic insights should do — sent me back to God’s
Word.
7 Ways to Make the
Most of Your Mantle from God
Jesus is speaking of a
spiritual clothing of power that is available to each of us through the baptism
of the Holy Spirit (Luke 24:49). [1]
Here are some Biblical insights
I’ve been meditating on over the past few days.
If you believe God is stirring
you about your own ‘mantle’, I encourage you to take time to study and pray
further over each of these:
1. Know Your Mantle is Personal and Unique
The father in Jesus’ story of the
prodigal son ordered his servants to clothe the son in the best robe (Luke 15:22).
It was a long-fitting gown of
great distinction.
What God has for you is a gift of His
grace; the very best He has to give.
Just as Jacob gave his son
Joseph a coat of many colors, your Father has given you unique and colorful
gifts.
Peter wrote, ‘As each one has received a gift, minister it to one
another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God’ (1 Peter 4:10, NKJV).
That word translated “manifold,” which
is poikilos in the Greek, means various or diverse
colors (Strongs G4164). [3]
Don’t be intimidated by another
person’s gift or calling, and don’t let your light be dimmed.
Embrace and honor the unique
spiritual gifts God has given to you; wear them and shine brightly.
2. Be a Steward
of Your Spiritual Gifts
‘As each one has received a
gift, minister it to one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of
God.’ (1 Peter 4:10, NKJV)
The Greek word translated ‘steward’
is oikonomos (Strongs G3623). [4]
It means the manager of a
household affairs, who has the power to distribute the owner’s resources as
needed.
What a powerful truth!
You are the ‘manager’ of your
gifts from God and can choose to release the spiritual gifts God has
entrusted to you.
You have the power to develop and
grow those gifts, and faithfully distribute them, in the context of the church
body (1 Corinthians 12) as well as your everyday life. [5]
3. Walk in Qualities that Release the Spirit’s Anointing
‘She said to herself, “If I
only touch his cloak, I will be healed” (Matthew 9:21,
NIV).
‘Then Peter said, “Silver or
gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ
of Nazareth, walk.” Taking him by the right hand, he helped him up, and
instantly the man’s feet and ankles became strong’ (Acts 3:6-7, NIV)
The power of the Spirit is released
through faith on the part of the receiver, the giver, or both.
Faith is intentional. Faith
acts.
The power of the Spirit
can be released in a word of
declaration, through prayer, a touch or an act of obedience.
Compassion is also
related to the release of God’s power. ‘When Jesus landed and saw a
large crowd, he had compassion on them and healed their sick’. (Matthew 14:14)
So, foster the qualities of
compassion, love and faith in your life. By faith, receive these from the Holy
Spirit and practice walking in them.
4. Have a Vision of Walking in Increasing Power
‘As a result, people brought
the sick into the streets and laid them on beds and mats so that at least
Peter’s shadow might fall on some of them as he passed by.’ (Acts 5:15 NIV)
Peter walked and his shadow healed
the sick. The mantling of the Spirit was upon him in a powerful way,
surrounding him in a wide area.
May you ever desire to grow and the
fullness of what God has for you.
With the eye of faith, see the
Spirit upon you and surrounding you. See God’s power touching others wherever
you go.
No atmosphere is untouched or
immune to God’s power upon your life.
5. Highly Value
Commissioning
‘They presented these men to
the apostles, who prayed and laid their hands on them… Now Stephen, a man full
of God’s grace and power, performed great wonders and signs among the people.’ (Acts 6:6,8, NIV)
Something powerful takes place
in commissioning.
Timothy also received gifts of the
Spirit through the laying on of the Apostle Paul’s hands (2 Timothy 1:6) and through a time of presbytery (1 Timothy 4:14).
Be positioned in faithful
service to others.
Recognize the power of having the
gift and call of God on your life affirmed by leaders, both personally and as
part of a group or church body (1 Corinthians 12).
6. Stay Full of
the Holy Spirit
‘And do not be drunk with wine,
in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit’ (Ephesians 5:18,
NKJV)
The Apostle Paul exhorts us to ‘be filled with the Spirit’, using the present
continuous tense of the Greek verb pleroo, ‘to be
filled’ [6].
On one hand, the Bible tells us that
we are filled with all the fullness of God (Ephesians 1:17-23, 3:18-19) and that He gives the Spirit ‘without measure’ (John 3:34).
But we also learn in Scripture that
God wants us to pursue encounters with Him, and to seek more of His Spirit and
His power. [7]
Both are true!
So rejoice in the fullness of
the Spirit that you already have — and
stay positioned for fresh encounters with Him.
Your Father is a God of
liberality, and ‘without measure’ means there is no end to the
supply of His Spirit to you.
7. Choose a Wardrobe that Honors God Every Day
‘… put on the new self, created
to be like God in true righteousness and holiness’ (Ephesians 4:24b,
NIV)
In receiving the baptism of the Holy
Spirit, God has supernaturally clothed us with His power (Acts 2).
The New Testament also makes clear
that we have a responsibility to cast off our ‘old self’ with its sinful
ways and to wear (put on) our new life in Christ (Ephesians 4:20-32, Romans 13:12).
When we operate in the gifts and
power of the Spirit, people are receiving from God through us, so walking in integrity is
vital.
Make it your heart’s desire to
be sensitive to the person of the Holy Spirit and to live a lifestyle that is
compatible with His holiness.
This is not through your own
strength, but through the grace which He freely supplies (Romans 8).
See yourself walking in that colorful
and powerful garment that is the Person and Presence of the Holy Spirit and His
anointing on your life.
And choose a wardrobe that
honors Jesus every day.
Notes:
[1]The Greek word translated ‘clothed’ or ‘endued’ (NKJV)
in the Holy Spirit is endyo (G1746).
It is used in other parts of the New Testament to describe putting on physical clothing,
including the story of the prodigal son, and is also used in the symbolic
sense. Matt 6:24, 27:31, Mark 1:6, 6:9. Luke 15:22. For more examples, see
https://www.blueletterbible.org/lang/lexicon/lexicon.cfm?Strongs=G1746&t=KJV
[2] See ‘How to Receive the
Mantle God Has Destined for You’ for more on this
[3] Strongs G4164 (I recall learning this from John Paul
Jackson)
[4] Strongs G3623
[5] In 1 Tim 4:14-15 and 2 Tim 1:6-7, Paul holds Timothy personally responsible for the growth and
stewardship of his gifts and ministry. See the article ‘Break Out of Limitations
and Grow Your Spiritual Gifts’
[6] Strongs G4137
[7] Acts 4 is an example of this. See ‘Pentecost and the
Language of Hunger for God’
Enliven Blog is authored by Helen Calder of Enliven Ministries.
We are a prophetic ministry based in Melbourne, Australia, in the
David McCracken Ministries family.
Helen Calder began writing blog posts in July 2009. Today,
Enliven Blog is helping to empower, inspire and mentor thousands of people
globally.
The purpose of Enliven Blog is
to help prophetic people grow in their gifts of prophecy, discernment and
prayer.
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