Jesus told his disciples after he would rise from the dead and he would ascend into heaven that he would send the comforter or the Holy Spirit to be with them and even for us. The Holy Spirit of course we know is a figure of peace and security. He usually speaks softly and he’s what is considered a pleasant personality. Of course don’t get me wrong he can move with extreme power while speaking softly. I know the kids can sense the presence of the Holy Spirit. Many times I go into stores to buy food for the gangs and I’m always having young kids, especially those from Christian homes, come up to me and say, “Could I please have a hug?” It almost happens every time I’m in a store. The most gratifying moment was in a Walmart store. This kid comes up to me while his mom is nearby. He points to me and he says, “Mom, that’s the guy that’s supposed to pray for us.”
Looking bewildered she asked, “Do you know this guy?” The little boy responds, “No, but I know he is the one to pray for us.” She looked at me and asked, “Do you know my son?”
I said, “This is the first time I’ve ever met your son.” I continue talking to her until her husband came around the corner with a case of beer. We informed him on everything that just happened. I began praying for the family. As I was praying, the Holy Spirit began convicting the man’s heart. I gave them one of my ministry cards after I finished praying. The husband immediately took the beer and put it back on the shelf. She called me later and said, “My husband went home and got rid of all the liquor. He has given up drinking. Thank you so much for praying for us that day.” Her son, being sensitive to the Holy Spirit and wanting prayer, changed the lives of the entire family.
Can an animal sense the Holy Spirit? We, of course, all know the story of Balaam and the donkey in the Old Testament. When the donkey spoke to him, we know it is possible for the Spirit to use animals to get a point across. But can they sense the Holy Spirit in someone else? I believe they can.
I was witnessing to a gang in one of the parks. As I was talking to them, I noticed a animal about 2/3 of a mile away that started running towards my direction and I couldn’t tell for sure what it was. The Holy Spirit said it was going to be a dog. I told the guys, “There is a dog coming toward us. Please don’t shoot the dog?” They all looked in the direction I was looking and noticed the dog coming towards them. The dog kept running towards us until it got near me. Panting heavily, he sat down right by my feet and just waited. The gang members were cool about the situation. The were amazed on how a dog I did not know would come directly to me and lay down by my feet. They did not draw their weapons on the dog to shoot it. After the dog cooled off a little bit, I got a bottle of water and gave him something to drink. I found out later that the dogs owner was watching her dog take off. But because of fear of the gangs in the park, she was hesitant about coming towards us to pick the dog up. She continued watching everything that I did and she was so pleased that I stopped and took care of her dog by giving it a bottle of water. Up until that moment, she was not sure what might possibly could happen to her dog. This action of mine gave her the courage to come forward to pick her dog up. You can say it’s coincidence but the Holy Spirit in my life is the only way I can reach the gangs. Without his strong presence, I could not reach them. The dog picked me out of the crowd of people because it sensed what the Holy Spirit offers – security and peace. I am sure that there may have been another people in this park who also had the power of the Holy Spirit present but that dog could be a teaching tool for the gang members and that too may be a reason why the dog picked me over anyone else.