highly contagious?
"When Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting, the baby leapt in her womb. Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit." —Luke 1:41
The old saying is true: "Faith is caught more than it is taught." If you have the Holy Spirit very active in you, you will have a brief encounter with others, and many of them will give their lives to Jesus, receive the Holy Spirit, and be transformed. This is what happened when Mary visited Elizabeth. At the first Christian Pentecost, three thousand people heard just a little about Jesus, and within a few hours they were baptized into Him. Paul went to city after city and saw conversions take place very quickly, as quickly as his own conversion on the road to Damascus occurred. This also happened through Peter, Philip, and other disciples of Jesus. The faith of those in the Spirit is highly contagious. Even a brief exposure to it can result in many conversions.
How many people have caught the faith from you recently? If not many, don't look at the hardened hearts of those you meet but look into your heart to see whether you are quenching the Holy Spirit (1 Thes 5:19). Repent and receive a new Pentecost through which the Spirit will "renew the face of the earth" (Ps 104:30).
Prayer: Father, on this second day of the Pentecost novena, increase in me the love and zeal to be a highly contagious Christian.
Promise: "The Lord, your God, is in your midst, a mighty Savior; He will rejoice over you with gladness, and renew you in His love, He will sing joyfully because of you." —Zep 3:17
Praise: Wearing a crucifix has given Joy many opportunities to witness — in the checkout line, at the bus stop, etc.
Reference: (For a related teaching, order our tape A Prophetic Life-Style on audio AV 75-3 or video V-75.)
Nihil Obstat: Reverend Giles H. Pater, October 17, 2002
Imprimatur: †Most Reverend Carl K. Moeddel, Vicar General and Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati, October 21, 2002