Many great men and women of God have had deep and powerful experiences with God, can we expect the same?

Some believe that the special anointing and intimate relationship with the Holy Spirit that D.L. Moody, Evan Roberts, Rees Howells and many other servants of the Lord had were unique and are impossible for us to have. But this is not true.

Our callings are different, but we can all be as close to the Holy Spirit as we choose to be. We can know the Holy Spirit possessing us, in a similar way as Rees Howells etc., when we too are prepared to pay the same price they paid to draw aside and be crucified with Christ. We don’t need any more wishbone – ‘I wish I had a relationship with God like them,’ we need backbone – ‘I will seek and obey God like they did.’ What about you?

After Jesus’ resurrection, He commissioned His followers to “make disciples of all nations” (Matthew 28:19). Then Jesus explained what a disciple is. According to Christ disciples are people who have been taught “to observe all things that I have commanded you” (Matthew 28:20).

A disciple of Jesus Christ is not someone who believes in Him, but someone who obeys Him! How strange it must be for God to listen to our worship songs declaring how much we love Jesus, whilst we ignore much of what He has taught about how to live our lives (Matthew 16:24-26, Luke 14:26-35, Acts 11:26).

This is an excerpt from the book ‘Holy Spirit Power! Knowing the Voice, Guidance and Person of the Holy Spirit’ by Paul Backholer and is used by permission.