Hosanna Restoration Church

It struck me as I read this scripture that what they experienced was an outpouring; at least that is what we call it today when there is a sudden awareness of who God is and the people begin to flow in the river of life. This thought was a perfect fit for what I believe the Lord showed me this morning.

I saw in my spirit a bag like I usually carry with me. One of the things I almost always have is bottles of water and in this picture there was a bottle with the lid off. My instant response was to wonder what had spilled and to find the lid, but the Lord said, “The lid is off.” With this I knew that I should leave it that way, but was not sure what was up. Then I began to consider the purpose of a lid and how leaving it off applied.

You cannot fill something with the lid on. We need to be wise and not seek God with a lid that protects what we already think we know. If we do, we can and will miss revelations that God is trying to get to us. Lids are also used to preserve things from going bad as well as to keep things from spilling. In our attempt to preserve, things could actually turn rotten; and if we keep a lid on it prevents us from pouring out what we have.

I believe the Lord has always wanted His people to live with open lids. I also feel like He was saying the lid of His presence is off and pouring out on all who will lift up their heads to receive from Him. This of course is nothing new; Jesus gave us many examples of what it would look like with the lid off, and when the Holy Spirit was given it would seem the Lord’s lid was thrown away. It is the lids we cling to that stop the flow.

In this outpouring as Jesus entered the city, all the folks were excited and declaring the truth, but somehow they put a lid on it by the next day and joined in chants to crucify Him. There will always be resistance when God pours out on His people.

When there are outpourings of His Spirit, people flock to the place where it began and that is good, but it seems we forget that God can and does pour out on all flesh. The localized outpourings are a glimpse of what God wants and they have lasting effects on some and not so much on others. What if when God was happening somewhere, people everywhere lifted up their heads and sought God to spread the fire. Life up your heads oh ye gates and the King of glory will come in.

Jesus life was meant to be a preview of what God had in mind. He desires to have a people full of the Holy Spirit and power. We cannot get full with a lid on. Sometimes we have lid that is like a watering can. We have a few holes in it so that a little can drip in, but much more just runs off. Let the celebration begin and let the overflow never cease. Praise Him! Run to Him! Tell Him He’s the one!