The Urban News - Asheville, NC - The Holy Ghost Hook-Up

Or maybe you went through a period of desperation because of financial trouble. You needed quick cash. When you asked Mama, she told you “No.” Pay Day Advance was closed. So you went to the shady character who stands on the corner and asked him for a loan hook-up until your next paycheck. Unfortunately, the hook-up came with some strings.

The problem today is that folk are looking for a hook-up around every corner: an alcohol hook-up, a drug hook-up, a physical relationship hook-up. This world has a lot of hook-ups to offer. There are hook-ups that look good, smell good, taste good, sound good, and feel good. But the kind of hook-up the world offers is a hook-up that won’t last long. If you want a hook-up that feels good forever, you better grab the Holy Ghost hook-up.

The high from drugs wears off in the morning. The Holy Ghost is the Energizer Bunny. The Holy Ghost high keeps going and going. Drugs kill your brain cells. The Holy Ghost can strengthen your mind. That alcohol will leave a bad taste in your mouth, but the Holy Ghost is like a high-priced coffee. The Holy Ghost is good to the last drop.

What kind of hook-up is important to you? Think about this: God won’t ask what kind of car you drove. He will ask how many people did you drive who couldn’t make it on their own? He won’t ask how much square footage your house had. He will ask how many people did you welcome into your home? God won’t ask how big your salary was. He will ask if you sold your soul to get it? If you have the Holy Ghost hook-up, the things that are important to God will be the things that are important to you. Only the things of God will last.

In the 8th verse of the first chapter of Acts Jesus said, “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you and you will be my witnesses.” What kind of power does the Holy Spirit have? Jesus said after you receive the power you will be His witness. If the power of the Holy Spirit transforms us into witnesses, what kind of power do we gain?

Let’s put this into perspective. Pretend that you are back at your high school dance. You see that fine 12th grader across the room. You are nervous about approaching her. Your hands are sweating and your heart is beating like a cheap drum. You just don’t have enough courage to walk across that gym floor to make your move.

You turn to your friends with the hope that they can help you through this situation. Your friends end up talking you into approaching the young lady on the other side of the gym. Your friends gave you the power to make your move. You got power from your friends.

If you can get power from a friend who flunked the 8th grade twice, if you can get power from a friend who thinks detention is an after-school program, if you can get power from a friend who thinks a cell phone is what you use in jail, then how much more power can you get from the Holy Ghost?

The disciples received power. They received confidence. They received authority. They received courage. All that power was necessary because telling folk about Jesus isn’t an easy job. Walking in the footsteps of Jesus is not easy. You are supposed to be a disciple too. The power you need to be able to live a life pleasing to God comes from the Holy Ghost. You need that kind of power to make it through.

You will find the power to do right when all your friends are acting crazy. You will have the power to live right when times get tough and the way gets rough. You will have the power to talk right when your parents tell you something you don’t want to hear. You will find the power to walk right when your hanging partners slide that illegal package your way.

The Holy Ghost power is real, but you can’t get the Holy Ghost hook-up unless you believe. In the 11th chapter of Hebrews it says, “Without faith it is impossible to please God. For whoever comes to God must believe that He is God and that God will reward those who diligently seek Him.” The Holy Ghost hook-up means nothing if you don’t believe.

What is important to you? It should be your relationship with your Heavenly Father. If God is real to you your power is guaranteed. Power from anywhere else will fade. Power from anywhere else will be forgotten, but the Holy Ghost power shall last forever.

Pastor Rod Whiteside can be reached at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it