Craig T. Owens

Undoubtedly you have a favorite place. It might be a special friend’s house, or a summer cabin. Perhaps it’s your favorite wooded path around a lake, or even a comfy chair in your home where you find rest.

In our favorite places we might hear from God or reconnect with friends. Maybe in our favorite place we de-stress and get re-energized for life’s challenges. Wherever the place is, and whatever happens there, one thing is certain: We cannot stay there forever. At some point we’ll have to leave that favorite place.

But we can take that favorite place with us. That energizing, affirming, consoling, encouraging feeling we gained in our favorite place can go with us in our hearts and minds.

The people of Bethany and the disciples had a favorite Person in Jesus Himself. Jesus, too, had a favorite place—the village of Bethany—and favorite people—a special family in Bethany and His disciples—but He said, “It is for your good that I go away, so that I can send the promised Holy Spirit to you” (see John 16:7). Just before He ascended to Heaven, Jesus took His followers with Him to Bethany and instructed them to wait for the baptism of the Holy Spirit (Luke 24:49 and Acts 1:4-8). This time of waiting was the only time that Jesus instructed His followers to wait, after this we were to GO!

Indeed, this empowerment of the Holy Spirit was for us to go into all the world with the message of Jesus; it was not for us to hunker down in our favorite place. So the empowerment of the Holy Spirit helps us take our favorite place and Person with us. When we GO, we GO with a message of hope for the world.

We become God’s favorite place on earth, as we GO with an invitation for others to know this favorite relationship as well!

Being baptized in the Holy Spirit means that you’ve given Him unlimited access to your thoughts, your talents, your personality, your opportunities—your all—so that He can show the love of Jesus to others through you.

If you haven’t experienced this empowerment of the Holy Spirit, remember that it is a promised gift God wants to pour out on you (see Luke 11:11-13; 24:49; and Acts 1:4). All that is needed is for your willing heart to wait on Him to pour out this gift on you. What are you waiting for?!