Spirit, Breath, Wind

Compare oxygen to the Holy Spirit, and you will find that spirit, breath, and wind are vital for physical life and for spiritual life. In a previous blog entitled "Life Giving Blood", I pointed out (based on Leviticus 17:11) that blood is vital to both physical and spiritual life. Oxygen is similar. Physical life and spiritual life rely on oxygen. Due to a GI bleed I had this summer, which caused low hemoglobin, I’ve been pondering oxygen. Hemoglobin is the protein contained in red blood cells that delivers oxygen to the tissues.

Oxygen sustains physical life. We breathe without even thinking about it. We inhale and we exhale. We inhale and we exhale. We inhale and we exhale over and over again. Life started when “God breathed the breath of life into Adam.” The word “breathed” from Genesis 2:7  is naphach, which means “to cause to breathe”, while “breath” (from the same verse) is nshamah, which means “wind, breath, or spirit”.  The miraculous gift of breathing sustains life and is from God. Every time we inhale, filling our lungs with oxygen, we’re fortifying our blood, making it rich with oxygen. This oxygen is carried in our bloodstream to support life and health in our organs, muscles, joints, etc. The lack of oxygen causes brain fog, achy muscles & joints, low energy, and other maladies. When we exhale, we release toxins and carbon dioxide, which are harmful to our bodies. We are truly fearfully and wonderfully made. Our physical lives are dependent on oxygen.

God breathed physical life into Adam. Breath also sustains spiritual life. Jesus appeared to His disciples after His resurrection, breathed on them, and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit.” The Greek word for “Spirit” is pneuma, which means “breath.” They were already saved. They believed Jesus was the Son of God, that He died, and was resurrected. Now,

they were given the opportunity to receive the Holy Spirit. They were told to tarry or wait for it. Jesus provided it with His breath. It’s a gift for us. We all need to receive this vital gift.

Like oxygen supplies life to the body through the blood, the Holy Spirit provides life to our spirit man through the blood of Jesus. Holy Spirit helps us connect to God’s presence, power, and voice. He is our teacher in spiritual matters and our comfort in times of need. He gives us revelations of truth, which bring freedom to our souls.  He supplies wisdom, understanding, counsel, might, knowledge, the fear of the Lord, and Godly discernment (judgment). These things are required for spiritual health. The Holy Spirit's breath is vital for a healthy, fruitful spiritual life.

None of this is surprising when we realize that the Hebrew word for LORD, GOD is YHWH or Yahweh. When pronounced correctly, YHWH sounds like taking a breath, like inhaling and exhaling oxygen. We find His name, "LORD, GOD", in Ezekiel 37:1-10, where the words "breath" and "wind" are both ruach, meaning spirit, wind, breath. I encourage you to study this passage thoroughly, as it contains rich and vital truths. Personally, my big takeaway is that Ezekiel had to prophesy (speak by inspiration of the Holy Spirit) to the dry bones. Did you know that speaking requires breath? Oxygen in the lungs pushes the voice out, giving it strength and amplifying it. We cannot prophesy without the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, and we can’t speak without oxygen. Due to low hemoglobin and the lack of oxygen getting to my diaphragm, the enemy has tried to hinder my own voice as a prophetic teacher and intercessor. No weapon formed will prosper!

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