Matthew 3:16-17 says, “16And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him: 17And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”

As Jesus was being baptized in the Jordan River by John the Baptist, the Holy Spirit descended upon him like a dove. Dove signifies “one true lover”, as well as the peace of God! The Holy Spirit through the spirit of adoption will also affirm whose you are! When the Holy Spirit descends upon you, He should remain on you! People are use to having encounters with Jesus and then never sustaining those moves of God. The same Holy Spirit upon and within Christ is the same Holy Spirit on and within you!

 

Can the Holy Spirit leave? David prayed “take not your Holy Spirit from me” (Psalm 51:11). What David witnessed with Saul he did not want happen to him for the Spirit of the LORD left Saul and an evil spirit troubled him (1 Samuel 16:14). This is the evidence the Holy Spirit can leave. Hebrews 13:5 (NASB) does say, “Make sure that your character is free from the love of money, being content with what you have; for He Himself has said, “I will never desert you, nor will I ever forsake you,” so that we confidently say, “The Lord is my helper, I will not be afraid. What will man do to me?” When the love of money does not dominate our lives, but we are content with how God has blessed us, God will not leave or forsake us. He is with us so that we do not live in the fear of man and can face adversity and persecution with confidence knowing that He is there! People often quote John 10 to say that because they prayed at an altar one time there is nothing else left for them to do, but we need to read in context! John 10:26-30 says, “26But ye believe not, because ye are not of my sheep, as I said unto you. 27My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: 28And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. 29My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father’s hand. 30I and my Father are one.” We are not plucked out of God’s hand IF we are His sheep, those who know and recognize His voice, denying who we are to follow Him. If you are not in relationship with God, you do not know His voice, and if you are not follow Him, then you are not in the Father’s hand!

In the Old Testament, the Holy Spirit moved upon the prophets, but in the New Testament, the Holy Spirit fills God’s people, for without the Spirit of Christ we are none of His (Romans 8:9). I believe we need to live our lives in such a way that the Holy Spirit doesn’t want to leave! It is no longer about chasing a move. It is about becoming the move!