Ruach Unbound 

Recovering the Power, Purity, and Purpose of the Holy Spirit

“And I will put My Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you shall keep My judgments and do them.” Ezekiel 36:27

The Church of Jesus Christ stands at a crossroads.  Many in the Body of Messiah have inherited a faith long on doctrine but short on power; abundant in programs but impoverished in Presence.  Our theology proclaims a Triune God, yet our practice often lives as though the Spirit were an optional accessory rather than the very breath that animates our witness.

The Scriptures remind us that the Spirit is not a New Testament innovation but the ancient and eternal Ruach of God, brooding, breathing, empowering, and sanctifying since the beginning.  Yet when we examine the text closely, we discover something fascinating: though nearly three-quarters of the Bible is the Hebrew Scriptures, roughly three-quarters of all references to the Spirit occur in the New Testament.  Of these, around ninety percent concern the numinous, the power, presence, and prophetic operation of the Spirit, while only about ten percent deal with soteriology, salvation and regeneration.

This imbalance between emphasis and application exposes a wound in modern Christianity.  We have come to associate the Spirit primarily with salvation rather than vocation; with inward renewal rather than outward empowerment.  The early believers, however, understood that the same Spirit who seals us for redemption also sends us into the world as agents of the Kingdom.

It is time we rediscover the Ruach, not as a doctrine to study, but as a Person to whom we yield our lives.

The Spirit Across the Covenants: Grace from Beginning to End

Grace did not begin at Calvary.  It began in Eden.  The God who clothed Adam and Eve after their rebellion, who preserved Noah, who called Abraham out of idolatry, who revealed Himself to Moses on Sinai; this is the same God who revealed His nature most fully in Yeshua the Messiah.  The unbroken thread that binds the Testaments is chesed, covenantal grace, expressed through the empowering presence of the Spirit.

The Spirit’s work has always been to bring divine life into what is lifeless, to animate dust with breath, and to transform wilderness into habitation.

When the earth was ‘tohu va-bohu’ - formless and void - the Spirit of God hovered over the face of the waters (Genesis 1:2).  The first mention of the Ruach is as a creative force, a brooding life-energy that births order from chaos.  From that moment onward, the Spirit’s work has always been to bring divine life into what is lifeless, to animate dust with breath, and to transform wilderness into habitation.

Moses knew the Spirit’s enabling power when the seventy elders were anointed to share his burden (Numbers 11:25).  Bezalel, the artisan of the tabernacle, was filled with the Spirit of God, with wisdom and understanding, with knowledge and all craftsmanship (Exodus 31:3).  The prophets, from Samuel to Ezekiel, were men and women upon whom the Spirit rested to speak the words of YHWH.

Dwight Pryor often taught that the Hebrew word ruach does not only mean “spirit” but also “wind” and “breath.”  The Spirit is not static but kinetic, unseen yet undeniably real.  The Ruach signifies movement, life, animation.  When the psalmist declares, “When You send forth Your Spirit, they are created, and You renew the face of the ground” (Psalm 104:30), he is proclaiming a theology of renewal through divine breath.

Grace and Spirit are inseparable realities across the covenants.   Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord because the Spirit of God strove with man.  David could plead, “Take not Your Holy Spirit from me,” because he knew that only divine presence could restore his fallen soul.  The prophets foresaw a day when this same Spirit would not just rest upon individuals but would dwell within all of God’s people.

That promise finds its climax in Joel 2:28:
“And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out My Spirit upon all flesh; your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions.”

The same grace that covered Israel under the blood of the lamb now empowers the Church through the blood of the Lamb of God.

This was not the invention of a new religion, but the expansion of an ancient covenant, the democratisation of the prophetic.  Grace, once mediated through a nation and a temple, would become embodied in a person and shared by all who believe.

Thus, the New Covenant did not replace the old; it fulfilled it.  The marker of that fulfilment is not merely forgiveness but indwelling.  The same grace that covered Israel under the blood of the lamb now empowers the Church through the blood of the Lamb of God.

The Spirit of Prophecy and the Marks of True Power

In the world of the Bible, prophecy was not a job title, it was a calling marked by trembling.  The prophets were not celebrities but burden-bearers, voices crying out under the weight of the divine word.

When Yeshua stood in the synagogue of Nazareth and read from Isaiah 61, “The Spirit of YHWH is upon Me, because He has anointed Me…”, He declared Himself to be the fulfilment of that prophetic tradition.  Every act of power, every healing, every confrontation with darkness flowed from the same Ruach who hovered over creation and inspired the prophets.

The Spirit’s purpose has never changed: to reveal the glory of God and to empower His people to bear witness to His reign.  At Pentecost, tongues of fire descended not to entertain but to equip.  The disciples spoke in languages they had never learned, not for spectacle, but for mission.  This was the moment when the promise of Joel erupted into history.

The true mark of the Spirit’s presence is not just supernatural display, but supernatural character, love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.  

Michael Miller of Remnant Radio has observed that the modern Church often treats the Spirit as a feeling rather than a force.  We pursue experiences without transformation, manifestations without maturity.  Yet in Scripture, the outpouring of the Spirit always leads to mission, boldness, and holiness.

Power divorced from purity is counterfeit. Emotion without obedience is noise and sentimentality.

The true mark of the Spirit’s presence is not just supernatural display, but supernatural character, love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.  These are not personality traits but evidences of divine indwelling.
The early believers moved in signs and wonders because they were surrendered to the Spirit’s government.  They did not ‘use’ the Spirit; they were used by Him.  Their authority flowed from alignment, not ambition.

The Spirit of prophecy is the testimony of Yeshua (Revelation 19:10).  The prophetic is not an industry but an intimacy, hearing the heart of God and declaring it to His people.  When the Church recovers that reverent fear, we will again see the Ruach manifest as in days of old: convicting, empowering, uniting, and glorifying the Lord Jesus.

The Modern Misuse of ‘Prophet’ and the Call to Discernment

We live in a time of prophetic inflation.  Titles abound, but true voices are rare.  The modern charismatic world often confuses visibility with anointing, charisma with calling, and prediction with prophecy.  Yet Scripture reminds us that the prophet’s first task is not to foretell the future but to forth-tell the heart of God.

In ancient Israel, prophets were not entrepreneurs, but intercessors.  They carried burdens before they carried words.  Jeremiah wept before he warned.  Ezekiel lay on his side for months as a living sign.  Isaiah walked naked to dramatise Israel’s shame.  The prophetic office was marked by suffering, not status.

A true prophet points not to himself but to the Lamb. He does not say, “Look at my revelation,” but “Behold, the glory of the Lord.”

Today, however, “prophet” has too often become a brand, a platform to gain followers, sell courses, or issue grand pronouncements untested by Scripture or community.  The Spirit of truth cannot coexist with the spirit of self-promotion.

Paul warned the Corinthians against an immature fascination with gifts divorced from love. “Though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries… but have not love, I am nothing” (1 Corinthians 13:2).  The antidote to prophetic abuse is not cessationism, but cruciform humility.

A true prophet points not to himself but to the Lamb. He does not say, “Look at my revelation,” but “Behold, the glory of the Lord.”

The Church must recover the discipline of discernment.  Paul’s command “Let two or three prophets speak, and let the others weigh what is said” (1 Corinthians 14:29), implies community accountability.  Prophetic words must be tested by Scripture, confirmed by the Spirit, and submitted to the Body.

Dwight Pryor reminded us that Israel’s prophets were embedded within the covenant community; they were never independent freelancers.  Their authority came from obedience, not charisma.  Likewise, the New Covenant prophetic movement must be rooted in the fear of the Lord and the fellowship of believers.

Michael Heiser’s insights into the unseen realm help us here: the prophetic is participation in divine counsel, not domination by human will.  The true prophet listens before he speaks, waits before he moves, and trembles before he declares.

When the Church embraces that posture again, the voice of YHWH will once more thunder in purity and power.  But until then, we must guard against flattery disguised as prophecy and entertainment masquerading as revelation.

The true prophet listens before he speaks, waits before he moves, and trembles before he declares.

The Ruach haQodesh is holy.  He will not anoint vanity or ambition.  He rests where there is surrender, humility, and truth.

The Indwelling Presence: A Call to Humility and Glory-Centred Faith

The distinguishing mark of the New Covenant is not merely forgiveness, it is indwelling.

In the Old Covenant, the Spirit came upon chosen individuals for specific tasks.  In the New, He comes within all who belong to Messiah.

At Pentecost, the disciples did not receive a new religion; they received the very presence of God inside human vessels.  What had been external in Sinai’s fire became internal at Zion’s upper room.  The mountain moved from stone to soul.

This is grace upon grace.  The same Spirit who empowered prophets and kings now inhabits ordinary believers, fishermen, tax collectors, students, mothers, and labourers.  The Ruach is no respecter of status; He fills the willing.

And yet, with this gift comes great responsibility.  The indwelling Spirit is not given for self-advancement, but for sanctification and service.  Paul reminds us, “Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you?” (1 Corinthians 6:19).  If we truly grasped this, we would approach life with awe and trembling.

The indwelling Spirit is not given for self-advancement but for sanctification and service.  

The presence of the Spirit in all believers fulfils Moses’ ancient longing: “Would that all YHWH’s people were prophets, that YHWH would put His Spirit on them!” (Numbers 11:29).  That prayer found its answer in Acts 2, and yet, many believers live as though Pentecost never happened.

We have been sealed but not surrendered, filled but not yielded. We have the form of godliness but often deny its power.

The Spirit-filled life is not an event but a lifestyle, a continual yielding to the breath of God.  It is walking in the awareness that every moment, every decision, every relationship is a potential altar for His glory.

When believers once again live conscious of the indwelling Ruach, the Church will recover her radiance.  The presence of God will return to the centre, and lesser idols, ego, performance, entertainment, will fade in the light of His glory.

This is the path of revival: humility, holiness, and habitation.  The Spirit is not seeking superstars but surrender.  He fills the lowly, empowers the meek, and glorifies Yeshua alone.

But there remains a remnant, a people who hunger not for platforms but for presence, who measure ministry not by applause but by alignment with the Spirit.

The glory-centreed life is one that echoes John the Baptist’s cry: “He must increase, but I must decrease.”  It is a life that measures success not by crowds or influence but by obedience and intimacy.

The same Spirit who hovered over the waters now hovers over the Church again, brooding over chaos, longing to birth new creation.  He is searching for those who will not merely talk about revival but become its dwelling place.

A Final Exhortation: The Wind Still Blows

The modern Church stands in danger of trading wonder for comfort, discernment for display, and holiness for hype.  But there remains a remnant, a people who hunger not for platforms, but for presence, who measure ministry not by applause but by alignment with the Spirit.

To this remnant, the Lord whispers: “Return to the wind.”

Let the Spirit that hovered over the deep now hover over our hearts.  Let the fire that fell at Pentecost consume our apathy.  Let the breath that raised Yeshua from the dead breathe again upon dry bones.

We are not called to manage the Spirit but to move with Him.

We are not called to manage the Spirit but to move with Him, to live as those animated by divine breath, governed by divine wisdom, and sent by divine commission.

The Ruach is calling us to recover the prophetic heart of the Church:  A people of humility, who tremble at His Word; a people of discernment, who test every spirit; a people of glory, whose highest aim is that Yeshua be magnified in all things.

When we return to this posture, the world will again see a Church alive with divine power, not for spectacle, but for transformation; not for control, but for communion.

The wind still blows where it wills. May it find in us willing sails, not rigid anchors.

“The Spirit and the Bride say, ‘Come.’ And let the one who hears say, ‘Come.’” Revelation 22:17

(Image by Holger Schué from Pixabay)