David Diga Hernandez - Symbols of the Holy Spirit: Wine

Anyone who believes in me may come and drink, for the scriptures declare that rivers of living water will flow from his heart. I was ministering in Southern California, holding a miracle service. Now, at our miracle services, when the people get healed, they line up and come up to the platform to testify about how God has healed them. I saw miracle after miracle. People came up testifying about their blind eyes being opened, their deaf ears now hearing. Some people put down crutches; others testified that tumors had disappeared. Those with skin disorders saw their skin become perfectly smooth. One testimony stood out to me, and I don’t really know why, but to this day I remember it. A woman came to the platform and began to explain to me that for several years, she had suffered from crippling depression. She described how her every day was emotional torment, and she just didn’t know what to do to see that breakthrough. But this woman came on the platform and explained that as she stood there in that worship service, calling upon the name of Jesus, the power of the Holy Spirit touched her, and she experienced breakthrough. It was a transformative day in her life; that depression was turned to joy. As the woman stood on that platform testifying, she began to laugh, filled with a spiritual euphoria, explaining that she now sensed and understood joy overflowing. Now, the scripture gives us a symbol of the Holy Spirit, and that symbol is wine. We understand that a lifestyle of drunkenness is sin, and we know that people who live such lifestyles will not inherit the kingdom of God. So why would God use such an unholy thing as a representation for the Holy Spirit? Remember this: the world will always try to counterfeit what God offers to us. The world will always try to provide a cheap alternative to what God has given to us, and this is no different. You see, people drink alcohol and get drunk because they want that sense of invincibility; they want that boldness. They want to be that brave person, that socially outgoing individual. They also drink because they want to experience joy; they want at least a moment of happiness—at least a moment when their troubles aren’t troubling them. This is why I believe the scripture gives us this symbol of the Holy Spirit. In Ephesians chapter 5, verse 18, the Bible says this: «Don’t be drunk with wine, for that will ruin your life. Instead, be filled with the Holy Spirit.» The world has that cheap counterfeit in alcohol or wine, and God has given us the real thing—the real source of joy, the real source of boldness: the presence and power of the Holy Spirit. Now, I want to show you something in the book of Acts, chapter 2. This is interesting: those who saw the Holy Spirit’s influence on the believers assumed they were drunk. Now, before I read this, let me make this very clear: I by no means advocate for belligerent behavior. I’m not saying that the crazier you act, the more Spirit-filled you are. In fact, self-control is a fruit of the Holy Spirit, and though sometimes the manifestations of God’s power can make people a little nervous, that doesn’t necessarily mean that it’s not God’s doing. So we have to have balance in all things. Sometimes God does things that don’t necessarily meet our criteria for understanding. We are left going, «Why did God do it that way?» He has his own way of working. On the other hand, we mustn’t try to force those moves of God, and we must be discerning, ensuring that we’re not participating in acts of the flesh that degrade the power of the Holy Spirit. When the Holy Spirit moves, there’s a reverence about it; there’s a class and an elegance about the way the Holy Spirit moves. But look at what the Bible says here in Acts chapter 2, verses 13-15: «But others in the crowd ridiculed them, saying, 'They’re just drunk, that’s all.' Then Peter stepped forward with the eleven other apostles and shouted to the crowd, 'Listen carefully, all of you fellow Jews and residents of Jerusalem—make no mistake about this: these people are not drunk, as some of you are assuming. Nine o’clock in the morning is much too early for that.'» He goes on to explain that they are receiving the promise of the Father, which is the power of the Holy Spirit. So what made them think that they were drunk? What made those onlookers look at those believers and say they were acting and behaving like drunkards? Some have suggested that the believers were acting belligerently and silly, but remember: the Holy Spirit does not make you senseless and silly; He makes you sharp. What was it they saw in these believers? They were different for sure; they stood out from the crowd. They had the boldness to declare words inspired by the Holy Spirit, and they were filled with joy. So boldness and joy are traits of the Spirit-filled. When someone is filled with the Holy Spirit, there’s a boldness for evangelism, and there’s a joy that cannot be taken away. When I am filled with the Holy Spirit, there’s a boldness that rises in me. Now, more than ever, we need bold believers who are filled with the Holy Spirit—bold believers who will say, «I don’t care if the world cancels me. I don’t care if the world comes against me. I don’t care if the world persecutes me, hates me, mocks me, tells lies about me, or rejects me. I want to please God.»