ATMOSPHERE MATTERS

In 1 Samuel 19, Saul hunted for the life of David. He ran to Samuel at Ramah. When he told Samuel what Saul did to take his life, they moved to Naioth. News reached Saul that David had taken refuge in Naioth. Saul sent men to capture David but when they got there, they met a band of prophets prophesying with Samuel standing in their midst, the Spirit of God came upon them and they prophesied with the prophets. When Saul heard what happened, he sent the second batch of valiant men to capture David but the same thing happened to them even to the third batch. The Holy Spirit came upon them and they prophesied. He decided to go to Naioth by himself. On getting there, he met the same atmosphere, a band of prophets who were prophesying with Samuel standing in their midst. In verse 24, we were told that he stripped off his garments and prophesied lying naked on the floor all night. When the people saw what happened, they said, "Is Saul also among the prophets"? Of course, he had no prophetic calling but he prophesied because he found himself in an atmosphere where the Spirit of prophecy pervaded. Surprisingly, he was backslidden at that time.

There's a spiritual truth about that incident and it applies to you and me today. The truth is that you become your atmosphere. Our spirit is wired to tap into whatever is in the spiritual atmosphere where we find ourselves. This has both good and bad sides to it. The good side of it is that if you find yourself in an atmosphere where the Spirit of God is moving, you can easily contact whatever the Spirit of God is doing at that time. Also, if you stay in an atmosphere where the devil is at work, you become whatever the enemy is doing at that moment. Sin thrives in an atmosphere and in environment where it pervades. Lot became immoral because the atmosphere of Sodom was immoral. No atmosphere leaves us thesame. The bible calls the devil " the prince of the power of the air"(Eph2:2) because he operates using the instrumentality of the atmosphere. The Greek word translated "air" in that text literally means atmosphere. Many years ago as an undergraduate, my next door neighbour in the hostel played lewd songs often and the volume of his CD player sometimes shakes the building. Do you know that those songs kept playing in my mind even after his CD player has been switched off. It was so bad that the songs played out in my mind when I want to pray. I fought hard to bring my mind back to sanity. I was soaked in that atmosphere where lewd songs filled the air.

I have interacted with graduates who attended campus fellowships in their days on campus. Almost everyone of them kept telling me that the spiritual atmosphere under which they were in school was reviving and fire-filled but that can't be said of their churches at home. Inability to create thesame atmosphere has made some to backslid. So many churches have lost their useful youths to this syndrome because of dull atmosphere. The few pastors or churches who understand this secret are attracting some of these youths. Today onward, I want you to take advantage of the power of the right atmosphere for your spiritual life. If your prayer life is weak, simply go to a place where they are praying, in no time, you'll be soaked with the Spirit of prayer operating in that atmosphere. I noticed that I easily contact a fresh unction to pray the moment I find myself in an atmosphere of prayer. That's why I go to prayer mountain or camps. I may not pray along when they give their prayer points but that atmosphere help me to pray anyway. If you're down and depressed, simply find an atmosphere of worship and stay there until heaviness leaves you. As a minister, create the kind of atmosphere that makes room for the Spirit of God to flow in your meetings. Bad music can kill something in the atmosphere before your ministration. A carnal atmosphere can prevent the flow of the Spirit.