RELYING ON THE HOLY SPIRIT

Over dinner with close friends, I learnt the thrilling news that their third baby was on the way! Still a secret at the time, they were waiting for the 12-week scan before officially announcing it.

Two weeks later, armed with a clear scan, they excitedly shared the news with all their friends. “There’s no reason to be cautious now!” they thought. But it was a phone call a few days later that threatened to change this. Blood results had indicated a ‘very high risk’ of Down Syndrome, a 1 in 16 chance. After a more comprehensive blood test was done, the agonising wait began…

My friend texted me with the news, and as I read it, I INSTANTLY knew in my spirit that the baby was fine - this was wrong, it was a ‘lie’! I also heard the Holy Spirit say, ‘It’s a boy!’. I prayed immediately that the results would align with what we already knew God had promised for this sweet boy’s life - health and wholeness. I responded to my friend and encouraged her to stay strong because all WAS well, and the results were going to prove that! I went to sleep that night at peace and confident of what I had felt in my spirit.

Then suddenly, in the middle of the night, I had a dream of a baby boy with Down Syndrome. In my dream, I was wrestling with what I could see - “How could this be?!” The dream was so vivid, I even remember the moment I decided this was a ‘lie’ from the devil and started coming against it in prayer. Somewhere between the start and end of my prayer, I woke up, finished praying and went back to sleep.

The next morning, I opened You Tube and a short clip by Bill Johnson started playing. He was speaking about how sometimes we are led into a situation where the promise that God has just spoken will be challenged by the devil. He gave the example of Jesus being led into the desert by the Spirit after His baptism, and how the devil challenged the very thing God had just spoken over Jesus’ life. The timing was profound. This was the first confirmation.

At 4:55pm that very day, the second confirmation came. My friend forwarded an audio recording to me - it was a voicemail from the clinic. “Just calling to say congratulations…” Well, before I even heard another word, I jumped straight off the couch into the air with joy! “Thank you, Jesus!” The nurse continued to say the test was 99% accurate so there was nothing to worry about, and it also revealed the gender of the baby if they wanted to find out.

I saw my friend two hours later at dinner - we had planned it weeks ago not knowing how significant that day would be. We celebrated God’s goodness, and decided it was only fitting to have a gender reveal party! Tasked with making the cake, the pressure was on for me to keep the “big” secret.

Two days later, in a room filled with so much excitement and anticipation, it was revealed to my friends they were having a son!!! With two girls already, it was the icing on the cake for them, and the third confirmation for me.

But it was not until I was on my way home that night, that I realised how profound this testimony was for my own life.

I heard the Holy Spirit whisper, “You realise this is not the first time…?”

He then reminded me how I had prayed for two other babies. In both instances, the Holy Spirit revealed the genders and what I specifically needed to address in prayer, and the outcomes were spot on.

“Oh, yes, wow Lord!”, I said.

“You asked me to cultivate in you a greater sensitivity to my Spirit, didn’t you?”

One week later, still riding on a ‘high’ and processing the week’s events, a sermon from Bill Johnson pops up again on my YouTube feed titled, “Relying on the Holy Spirit”. Speaking on how King Solomon responded to God in his dream by asking for “an understanding heart” (1 Kings 3:9), he says, “When you are possessed with purpose, He trusts you with decisions you make in your sleep, and you find yourself doing things even while you sleep that can contribute to your destiny.”

“WOW!” I thought. I was in complete awe of how our Heavenly Father works through the power of His Spirit in our lives - if only we are prepared to listen and trust in Him!

~ Amber.