It's Raining on Pentecost: Five Day Devotional

Here are a few additional resources to guide your quiet time this week:

• Watch the replay of "It's Raining on Pentecost" by Dexter B. Upshaw Jr.

• Use this small group discussion guide with family, friends, and co-workers.

• Join us for our 6 AM Prayer Call, Monday through Friday (EST)

Day 1: The Strategic Rain of God

Based on the Message: “It's Raining on Pentecost” by Pastor Dexter B. Upshaw Jr.

“So rejoice, O sons of Zion, and be glad in the Lord your God. For he has given you the early rain for your vindication, and he has poured down for you the rain, the early and latter rain, as before" - Joel 2:23

Devotional: Sometimes what appears to be an inconvenience is actually God's intervention. Joel 2:23 reveals that God sends both early and latter rain for specific purposes, not just to water the ground, but for our vindication and restoration.

The early rains soften hardened ground, making it easier to plow and sow seed. When life feels impossibly hard, or when the soil of your circumstances seems impenetrable, God can send strategic rain to soften what seems unchangeable. He breaks up the fallow ground in our hearts, relationships, finances, and dreams.

Latter rains come before harvest time, swelling the ground and providing the final moisture needed to mature the crops. If you've been faithfully sowing seeds through difficult seasons, the latter rain signals that harvest time is approaching. What looked like a delay was actually development.

Don't despise the rainy seasons of life. What you're tempted to complain about might be exactly what God is using to prepare you for a breakthrough. Ask the Lord what He is preparing for His people in the unseen realm through this season of strategic rain.

Quote: "I believe today's rain is strategic and prophetic. There's a reason why it's raining on Pentecost." - Pastor Dexter B. Upshaw Jr.

Question: What area of your life feels like hardened ground that needs God's strategic rain to soften it for new growth?

Prayer: Father, help me recognize your strategic work even in seasons that feel inconvenient. Thank you for your rain that comes both to soften hard ground and to prepare the harvest. I trust that what seems like a delay is actually the perfect development of your purposes in my life. Open my eyes to see your hand at work. Amen.

Day 2: God Wants to Use You

Based on the Message: “It's Raining on Pentecost” by Pastor Dexter B. Upshaw Jr.

"And it shall be in the last days, God says, that I will pour out my Spirit on all mankind. And your sons and daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions."- Joel 2:28

Devotional: The day of Pentecost changed everything about how God works through His people. No longer is His Spirit reserved for those with official titles or special credentials. Joel's prophecy declares that God will pour out His Spirit on "all flesh", regardless of age, gender, or social status.

You don't need to be ordained to prophesy God's truth in your workplace. You don't need a pulpit to preach hope to a broken friend. You don't need seminary training for God to give you wisdom that transforms lives. If you're yielded to God, the same Holy Spirit that empowered the apostles lives within you.

Stop making excuses about why God can't use you. We say things like, "I'm too old" or "I don't have the right background." These are limitations you've placed on yourself, not limitations God has placed on you. He specializes in using the overlooked, the underqualified, and the unlikely.

The question isn't whether you're qualified, it's whether you're available. God's power works best through surrendered vessels who know they can't do it in their own strength. Today, step into the reality that the Holy Spirit wants to work through you.

Quote: "Wherever you are, whoever you are, and whatever stage of life you're at, you need to know that God wants to use you." - Pastor Dexter B. Upshaw Jr.

Question: What excuses have you been making about why God can't use you, and how can you surrender those limitations to His power today?

Prayer: Holy Spirit, I surrender every excuse and limitation I've placed on myself. You don't need me to be perfect; you just need me to be surrendered. Fill me with your power and use me to speak your truth, show your love, and advance your kingdom wherever you've placed me. I trust your ability to work through my weakness. Amen.

Day 3: From Task to Total Transformation

Based on the Message: “It's Raining on Pentecost” by Pastor Dexter B. Upshaw Jr.

"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come."- 2 Corinthians 5:17

Devotional: In the Old Testament, the Holy Spirit rested upon people for specific tasks. After Pentecost, the Holy Spirit now indwells believers permanently: not just to empower us for ministry, but to bring inner transformation. His main goal is to make you more like Christ.

True transformation happens when the Spirit of God begins to renew your mind, change your desires, and realign your priorities with heaven's values. If you yield to the Holy Spirit, you will find yourself naturally responding differently to situations that used to trigger you. You discover supernatural love for people you couldn't stand before. You experience supernatural peace that doesn't make sense given your circumstances.

Behavior modification focuses on external changes, trying harder, doing more, and following rules. However, true transformation starts from within and works its way out through the regenerative work of the Holy Spirit.

You cannot force righteousness. Yield to the Spirit's power. Let Him do the deep work only He can do. True transformation leads to right actions from a changed heart.

Quote: "We can't simply get ourselves together. We need to be transformed by the Holy Spirit. After God transforms us, He begins to work within us. Now we do stuff under his power, moving beyond behavior modification to total transformation" - Pastor Dexter B. Upshaw Jr.

Question: In what areas of your life are you relying on willpower instead of allowing the Holy Spirit to bring true transformation?

Prayer: Lord, I confess that I've often tried to change myself through sheer effort and willpower. I invite your Holy Spirit to do the deep work of transformation in my heart and mind. Change me from the inside out so that righteousness flows naturally from a heart that's been made new. I surrender to your transforming power. Amen.

Day 4: God's Restoration After the Locust Years

Based on the Message: “It's Raining on Pentecost” by Pastor Dexter B. Upshaw Jr.

"Then I will make up to you for the years that the swarming locust has eaten, the creeping locust, the stripping locust and the gnawing locust, My great army which I sent among you." - Joel 2:25

Devotional: Some seasons of life feel like a series of locust invasions, where everything you've worked for gets systematically destroyed. Just when you survive the swarming locust, the creeping locust shows up. Once you overcome the stripping locust that removes resources, relationships, and opportunities, the gnawing locust appears out of nowhere, attacking your faith, hope, and peace.

We serve a God who can "make up to you" for the years the locust has eaten. Not only can God give back what you lost, but He can also restore beyond what was taken. If He can give Job "double for his trouble," imagine what God can do for you!

In the response to the locust attack in Joel 2:25, God promised to send His "great army" on behalf of His people. He then told them, "You will have plenty to eat and be satisfied and praise the name of the Lord your God, who has dealt wondrously with you."

Don't let the locust years define you or discourage you. Instead, position yourself for the restoration that God has promised. He's not just planning to give you back what you lost, He's preparing to exceed your expectations with His goodness!

Quote: "It was God who was keeping me in the locust season, and it's God who's going to fill me in the satisfaction season."- Pastor Dexter B. Upshaw Jr.

Question: What "locust years" in your life need God's promise of restoration? How can you position yourself to receive His restorative work?

Prayer: Father, I acknowledge the locust years where much was stripped away from my life. But I also believe your promise to restore and make up for lost time. I position myself to receive your restoration with expectation and faith. Let your great army work on my behalf to bring breakthrough and blessing. I trust your ability to exceed my expectations. Amen.

Day 5: Never Put to Shame

Based on the Message: “It's Raining on Pentecost” by Pastor Dexter B. Upshaw Jr.

"Thus you will know that I am in the midst of Israel, and I, the Lord, am your God and there is no other; and My people will never be put to shame." - Joel 2:27

Devotional: One of God's most tender promises is that His people will never be put to shame. This doesn't mean you'll never face difficult circumstances, public criticism, or unrighteous slander. It means that ultimately, God will vindicate those who faithfully represent His name and walk in integrity.

When you feel like your reputation is under attack, your character is being questioned, or circumstances make you look foolish, remember that God sees the whole story. He knows your heart, motives, and commitment to honor Him, even in less than flattering circumstances.

True shame only comes from being exposed as fraudulent or hypocritical. But when you're walking in integrity and representing God faithfully, any temporary embarrassment will ultimately work for your good. God has a way of turning around situations so that what was meant to discredit you actually displays His power and faithfulness.

The key is to ensure you're walking in integrity and responding to God's voice with quick obedience. When your heart is right before God, you can trust Him to protect your reputation and vindicate your character in His perfect timing. He'll make sure people remember how He delivered you more than what you were delivered from.

Quote: "My people who call on my name, if they represent me, if they love me, if they're walking in integrity, if they recognize my voice and make adjustments, I will never put them to shame." - Pastor Dexter B. Upshaw Jr.

Question: How can you better trust God to protect your reputation as you walk in integrity?

Prayer: Lord, I want to represent your name with honor and integrity in every aspect of my life. When I face situations that threaten my reputation or make me feel ashamed, I trust you to vindicate me in your perfect timing. Help me respond to your voice with quick obedience and live in a way that glorifies your name. Thank you for your promise that your people will never be put to shame. Amen.