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In order to give International School of Kabul (ISK) transcripts full validity with the Afghan government and other educational institutions, I needed an official seal to accompany my administrator’s signature. I ordered an expensive embosser when home in the U.S. which gave a unique imprint containing the school’s name and location. This met requirements for Western institutions but meant nothing in the Afghan education/ government world. I learned I needed a second seal, a simple rubber stamp with ISK’s name and an ink pad. This seal seemed less pristine than the embosser but met the needed authentication in Afghan culture.
As a suspect school in Afghanistan, coed and run by Westerners (infidels), we needed to prove in every way possible that our students and their academic achievements deserved acceptance. In the same way, the seal of the Holy Spirit given by God once we choose faith in Christ, is given to validate our sonship. We are marked, as in the Old Testament by circumcision for males, as belonging to God, entitled to the benefits of being in His family until eternity (Eph 1:3).
The two seals gave our ISK students protection as well as validity, not necessarily avoiding all harassment and challenges for attending a foreign-run school, but security in the knowledge of what the official documents truly represented in their lives. The Holy Spirit seal protects us from judgment in the final days, plus protection from Satanic attack that would steal our eternal inheritance (Rev 7:2-3). Temptation, chaos, and trouble still come our way, but as we remain steadfast in the authority of our Christ-earned salvation we are kept secure.
In truth, the seal from God is so much more than a mark. It opens the way for the person of the Holy Spirit, a source of transforming power to take up residence in our human spirit, making it alive to God. As we cooperate, He sanctifies and changes us from the inside out, causing us to live securely with our God-given seal and revel in the deliverance we enjoy as God’s chosen children.
How are you able to recognize the work of the Holy Spirit’s seal in your life? When was a time you were challenged to stand firm in your faith, behave like a true Believer, and saw strength beyond your own?
In everyday challenges in my marriage, with others close to me, and opportunities to share faith, I recognize I need the work of the Holy Spirit to help me fend off selfishness, impatience, and stinginess. When I respond with love and grace in tough times, I know it is God’s seal to protect me from myself and I am grateful.