Watch Your Shadow!

The other day, I was speaking to the pastor on our church staff who conducts the majority of the funerals for our church. I jokingly told him that I don't officiate too many funerals because the funeral homes have forbidden me to get anywhere near a casket. I continued by telling him that due to the supernatural power on the inside of me the funeral directors are fearful that the church lighting might cause my shadow to fall upon the deceased laying in the casket and cause the deceased to spring back to life.

While I was only joking with my friend, the Holy Spirit later reminded me of the conversation and challenged me in an area of my personal life and ministry. Doesn't Acts 5 tell of people waiting alongside the street just for Peter's shadow to fall upon them so that they might be healed? Peter wasn't preaching or teaching. He didn't walk down the street laying hands upon those standing alongside the road.

Here is what the Holy Spirit told me. We can be so full of the presence of the Holy Spirit that our body can't contain all of His presence. As Peter walked down the street there was the "ooze" or "splash" factor with the overflow that affected all those nearby.

Thank God for the lesson preparation that you and I do each week. Thank God for the extra preparation to make the lesson leap off of the page and become a rhema word from God to our kids. But, there is another factor that we might be overlooking. The filled-to-overflowing presence of the Holy Spirit of the Spirit-prepared teacher will bring about supernatural ministry to "ooze" or "splash" on all those around.

Let's not neglect the teaching preparation. Let's continue to find all of the tools and props that will captivate the listener's attention. Let's continue to feast upon the meat of God's Word so that we can serve our children a solid, balanced spiritual meal. But, now with this new knowledge, let's add the "ooze" or "splash" factor so that the children will be touched by the Holy Spirit from just walking into our rooms and being in our presence! Let's be FILLED to overflowing with His presence. I guarantee that adding the "ooze" or "splash" factor will cause your ministry to never ever be the same again.