What does God require of you?

Perfection.


God requires you to be perfect.


Jesus said it: "Be perfect as your heavenly father is perfect."


As God loves His enemies, His children are to love theirs. 
As God the Father is, His heavenly children should be.


The Apostle Peter said it, "Be holy as God is holy."
We are to be as perfect and holy as God.


How?


Our faith should express itself in love, and our love should express itself in obedience.
Our faith should express itself in obedience to God's commands.


What are His commands?


Love God supremely.
Love people impartially.


According to Jesus, those two commands summarize and epitomize God's law, or God's will, for you and me. Our faith in Jesus should express itself in supremely loving God and loving people impartially, even our enemies.


These two commands are reasonable and aren't burdensome.
They make sense, and they aren't hard to obey, once you believe in Jesus.


God wants you to love Him with all of your heart and soul and strength.  He doesn't expect more because He can't expect more.  You can't give more than you have, but you shouldn't give less than you have.


God wants you to love people like you love yourself, to treat people like you want to be treated.
He doesn't expect you to love people more than you love yourself, but He also doesn't expect you to love them less than you love yourself. 


All God requires is love as expression of your faith.


If you meet His requirement, not striving for more, nor settling for less, you will be perfect.


Let no one deceive you.
God accepts nothing less. 

How to hear the voice of Jesus

Pilate said to Him, "So You are a king?" Jesus answered, "You say correctly that I am a king. For this I have been born, and for this I have come into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice." John 18:37 NASB

You can hear the voice of Jesus, if you want to.
Do you want to?
If you want to hear the voice of Jesus, meet two conditions, summed up in one sentence:

Seek the truth.

When you decide to seek the truth, meet two conditions:
1.  Seek the truth impartially.
2.  Seek the truth reverently.

If you do these two things, you will hear and know the voice of Jesus.

SEEK THE TRUTH IMPARTIALLY.
Do you want to know the truth, no matter what it is, no matter what the consequences?  Do you want to know the truth even if it means you must change your beliefs and your entire life?   Put it this way.  I believe Jesus Christ is the Son of God, that He died for my sins, and that He rose from the dead.  But if my beliefs were proven false beyond all doubt, I would change my beliefs.  Again, if someone disproved beyond all doubt the incarnation and resurrection of Jesus, then I would change my beliefs and life.  What about you?  If you are an atheist, and you had a supernatural experience with Jesus that disproved your naturalistic, scientific, atheistic beliefs, would you change your beliefs and life?  This is the only way to find and know the truth, and in doing so find the voice of Jesus.  But you must supremely respect the voice you seek.  You must revere what you are about to hear.

SEEK THE TRUTH REVERENTLY
Pilate asked Jesus if He were a King.  Jesus agreed that He was (and is) a king, The King.  The Voice of the King should not be taken lightly or disrespectfully.  What you seek is not for your entertainment, but is the voice that holds your atoms together.  The voice of Jesus is The Reality that holds together every reality and personality.  To take his voice lightly is to take your life lightly.  The truth deserves our fullest attention and respect.  If we don't give it these, we don't really want the truth. And we will get what we want:  a life built on lies and deceptions.  The choice is ours.

Seek the truth impartially and reverently. 
In doing so you will hear the voice of Jesus.

How to resist every temptation (part 4)

You're too sensitive!
Usually Diane's face reddens when Jenna says that. Not today.
You are!  I can barely make a suggestion without you getting all defensive.  I'm just trying to help.
Diane's pale, freckled skin remains unchanged.
Jenna waits with squinted eyes, but nothing happens. What's different about Diane?

I can choose or refuse to respond to Jenna.  I can escape her anger traps.  My lips are doors.  I alone have the key to open them.  My words are safe inside.  My ears are windows.  Locked windows.  Only encouraging words can shine through.  The blinds are shut to everything else.

Oh, so you're giving me the silent treatment?  Real mature Diane.  Real mature.
Excuse me.
Yeah, right. 

Diane goes to the bathroom.  She stands with her back against the closed bathroom door.

God, please help me. 

Diane takes a deep breath and feels her blood flow slowly and smoothly through her body.  She leaves the bathroom and goes back to the living room and sits down.

Jenna, please don't give me unsolicited advice.

Whatever Diane.  You never seemed to mind before.

You're right, I didn't seem to mind because I didn't tell you how I felt.  The reason I don't want you to give me unsolicited advice is because I don't feel like we're friends when you do it.  I feel like you're talking down to me, like a mother talks to a foolish daughter.

After a minute of silence...

I don't mean it like that.  I really don't.  It's just who I am.  I'm just being myself.  Why can't you accept that?

Here's what we can do.  If you ask me whether I want your advice, I can tell you if I do or don't.  But if you give it to me without asking, then I'll leave the room if I can, or ignore you if I can't.

Oh, so you'll ignore me or leave me?  Fine.  If that's what you feel like you need to do.

Is there anything else I can say to work this out with you, Jenna.  I really hope so.  I love you and I need you as my friend, but not as my mother or counselor.

Jenna cries. 

I love you too Diane.  I'm sorry.  I don't know how to stop giving advice.  It's like I hear a problem and feel like I have the answer to it, so I just say it.  But I don't want to treat you like you're a foolish little girl.  Please don't ignore me or leave me.  Tell me when I'm doing it and I'll try to stop.

Alright, I'll do that, if you really agree to try and stop counseling me.

I do agree to that. I love you Diane.

I love you to Jenna.

How to resist every temptation (part 3)

they accidentally touched hands, reaching for a straw for their coffee, at the Starbucks's counter with spices and sugars.  he felt fire desire in his chest, breathing faster and harder.  he looked into her eyes after the touch and saw dark brown invitations.  so soft and warm, her fingers melted into his.  her skin and breath are vanilla.  his heart beats as he comes to see this reality:  she wants him, and he wants her.  he knows it.  "Take me if you want me; I want you to take me."  these words are heard in his mind, a translation of her passion expression through physical connection.  her touch. 

if he accepts her invitation, then he will no longer be a virgin. all of these years he's saved himself for "the one." but where is she?  maybe she just touched him.  no.  "the one" would help him wait.  he didn't touch the one.  he touched fire.  he must find water, the escape from his desire.

"what are you thinking about?" she asked with a voice lulling him into a sensuous dream.
"what are you thinking about? he responded.
"you...and me...together..."
the way she said "together" made him want her then and there and now...where was the water for the fire? 

it's all happening so quickly.  all he wanted was to relax and enjoy some jazz at his favorite coffee shop.  he didn't come to lose his virginity.  and he never thought the possibility could happen so quickly.  or maybe it's all fantasy.  he'll test it out.

"what do you mean 'together'?"
"after our coffee, we leave, and we're alone...at your place or mine...on your couch or mine...doing whatever you have in mind."

and there it was.  it wasn't just in his head.  what he felt coming from her was real.

"but we don't know each other..."
"do we need to?  do you need to know me to enjoy me, to enjoy my body?"

if it wasn't explicit before, it is now.
where is the water, the escape from fire? 

water.

fire.

exit.

these three words came to his spirit, his intuition, combined.  each word flowed into the other.  literal and metaphorical.  spiritual and physical.  he knew.  he knew his way of escape.

"excuse me."
he went to the counter...and bought some water.  he took a drink, giving him time to think.
"God, help me."

"is everything ok?" she asked, now with him at the counter.
"yeah.  I have to go."
"are you sure?"
"i'm sure."
"maybe we can hook up another time?"
"i'm sorry. I've gotta go."
"alright.  nice to meet you."
"you too."

he left quickly.
he drove to another coffee shop about 20 minutes away.
sitting.
drinking.
thinking.

God makes a way of escape from every temptation.  Maybe the escape is literal.  When I felt the heat of passion, I drank cold water, which was available.  It literally cooled me off.  I could leave. I could leave her at that coffee shop.  I could literally escape that coffee shop, literally "flee from sexual immorality," like Paul said.  Joseph literally ran away from Potiphar's wife.  He wouldn't sleep with her or be with her.  Joseph wouldn't be with her.  He could leave.  He had a way to leave, a way to escape. 

I actually noticed her coming in...her walk sparked interest...her sway ignited intrigue...what if I left then...what if I prayed right then, "Lead me not into temptation, but deliver me from the evil one?"

Avoidance would've been better than escape.  Next time, I'll avoid "her."  It's better to avoid her than to escape her or flee from her.

after he thought, he felt stronger, wiser, and more secure. 
he finished his coffee and enjoyed the jazz.

click HERE for part four

How to resist every temptation (Part 2)

Every temptation has a God given way of escape.  The primary escape from temptation is avoidance, as the Lord's prayer says:


"Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one."


Avoid all known areas of temptation.
Run from them.
Permanently remove every known cause of sin in your life.


Run.


Don't walk.


Avoid.


Sometimes we think we should grit our teeth and bear situations of temptation, staying around tempting people or places. 


No.


We should avoid everyone and everything that tempts us if we can.
If we can't, then we know it is a temptation we can bear and escape. 
But the first way of escape God gives us is the ability to avoid most temptations.

If you agree, pray with me:

Our Father in heaven,

Lead us not into temptation.

Deliver us from Satan.

Amen.

 

 

 

click HERE for part three

 

How to resist every temptation

If you want to resist every temptation, you need to know something and find something:


1.  Know the truth about every temptation.
2.  Find the escape from every temptation.


It is written,


No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it. 
1 Corinthians 10:13 NIV


NO TEMPTATION IS NEW
This is the truth about every temptation:

Every temptation is common to every human, every man and every woman. 

You will NEVER experience a NEW AND IMPROVED temptation. 

Never. 

Ever. 

Someone in the present, past, and future is experiencing, has experienced, or will experience the same kind of temptation you are experiencing.  It won't have a new power or technique.  It won't be unheard of and undefeated.  This is what you need to know:  There is no new temptation. 


NO TEMPTATION IS INESCAPABLE
You can resist it.  It has been resisted before, it is being resisted right now by someone in the world, and it will be resisted in the future....by you.  God, the almighty, all knowing, has made it so that EVERY temptation has a built in escape.  The skill you and I need to develop is seeing the temptation exit signs...the temptation fire escapes.  Every temptation has an exit sign written in red light letters.  Every temptation has a fire escape with a loud alarm. 


There is no new or inescapable temptation.



click HERE for part two

How to be invincible against evil

Light defeats darkness by simply being itself.  You turn on the light, and the darkness leaves.  Light and darkness can't coexist.  Neither can good and evil.  Neither can the truth and the lie.  Opposites can't coexist.


You can't be positive and negative at the same time.  You can't speak gently and speak harshly at the same time.  These are polar opposites.  To choose one is to refuse the other.  Herein lies the secret to your victory in every area and every relationship in your life: 


Choose the specific opposite whatever is wrong in your life. 
In doing so, you will expose and eradicate that wrong.


Think of a difficult relationship you're in, one where you feel like someone is treating you wrong.  Say he's disrespecting you, or she is insulting you.  You can defeat disrespect with respect.  In fact, disrespect exposes and eradicates disrespect.  I'll give you an example from my own life. 


One morning I drove to a new job, not knowing what I'm doing or where I'm going.  I approach a man who worked there and said, "Good morning."  "What do you want?" he yelled.  "Is this the right building for the recycling plant?"  "Over there!" he yelled again.  "Thank you sir."  He didn't respond.  Later that day, when I saw him again, he said, "I'm sorry for being so short with you this morning.  I was in a bad mood because of all the work the guys left me to do." 


Do you see how my respect defeated his disrespect?  I said, "Good morning," and asked for his help.  He responded rudely, but I thanked him respectfully.  My respect overcame his disrespect.  I didn't condone his disrespect, nor did I condemn it.  I turned on the light of respect which exposed and eradicated the darkness of disrespect.  So can you.  Whatever is wrong in your life, in whatever area or whatever relationship, you can do the opposite of that wrong, and in doing so you will expose and defeat the wrong doing.


"Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good."  Romans 12:21 NIV

Why you have to stop sinning.

This is what the Lord God says,
"The soul that sins will die." 


That's why.
This is why you and I must stop sinning.


We will destroy our relationship to God and those we love.
Yes, God forgives.  So do our loved ones.  But this doesn't change the death that comes from sinning.


Let's make sin real.  Practical.  Let's take it out of the theological hypothetical philosophical realm.


I'm married. 
I've been married for 12 years.
I've never committed adultery, nor has my wife.
But what if I did?  What if I broke the commandment, "You shall not commit adultery?"
What if my wife caught me, on our bed, with another woman, screaming in sexual pleasure.
Graphic you say?  Yes, it is.  Which is why my wife would most likely divorce me.  How would she ever get that image out of her head?  How would I if I caught her enraptured in another man's arms?


That sin would kill our marriage.
Sin kills.
Each sin kills.
Every sin kills.


Why don't we see this?
Why do we say things like, "We all sin every day, and we're going to keep sinning until Jesus comes back?" 


Can I tell my wife that?  Can I tell her that I'm going to keep committing adultery, or fantasizing about adultery, until Jesus comes back?  Could I have told her that at the altar, where we were making our vows to each other, vows to forsake all others until death separates us?  Because death separates us, and sin leads to death. 


This is why you and I have to stop sinning.

Getting what you pray for

"If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer."  Matthew 21:22

Is it possible to get whatever you ask for in prayer?  According to Jesus, it's possible.  He said,"If you an believe, all things are possible to those who believe."  This includes answers to your prayers.  Three things are necessary for you to get what you ask God for.  Three conditions must be met for you to receive exactly what you ask.

ASK FOR GOD'S WILL
If you ask for God's will in prayer, God hears and answers your prayers.  (1 John 5:14)  So whatever you ask must of course agree with God's will, or at least it must not contradict God's will.  For example, it's God's will for you to love the people in your life.  If you pray for strength to love them, you can be certain that God will give it to you.

ASK WITH FAITH.
When you pray, ask according to what you genuinely believe God can do.  Paul calls this your "measure of faith."  You can receive whatever you believe.  Think about what you can imagine, then ask with only the limitation of your imagination.

ASK SPECIFICALLY
How do you know if your prayer is answered?  How do you know if it was going to happen whether you prayed for it to happen or not?  Pray specifically.  You have to ask for something that wouldn't happen without prayer.  You don't need to pray that the sun will rise, but you may need to pray that the sun won't rise!  That's very specific, undeniable, and irrefutable.  It's something that only God can do. 

Specifically and faithfully ask God for His will in your life. 
When you do this, you will get exactly what you ask for.
If you want, pray with me right now.

Father God,
Show me exactly what you want me to do after I read this blog.
In Jesus name, Amen.

Let me know in the comments how God answered your prayer.

 

How to KNOW GOD'S WILL for YOUR LIFE (3): How to follow the Holy Spirit

This is how you follow the Holy Spirit:

1. Ask the Holy Spirit to specifically lead you, to tell you what to do.
2. Listen for His answer.
3. Obey His answer.

Step two is the one that challenges some believers.  I'll focus on listening to the Spirit's answer.

When the Spirit leads you or answers you, you sense the answer in two deeply internal ways:

• Deep, indescribable, perfect peace.  (This means NO confusion, whatsoever.)
• An intuitive absolute certainty of what to say and do. (This means NO doubt or uncertainty, whatsoever.)

You know that these two sensations are the Holy Spirit because they will focus you on Jesus and you will have perfect control of your mind and will. 
--If you are passive in mind and will, it is not the Holy Spirit.
--If the Jesus isn't the focus, it's not the Holy Spirit.

For example, say I ask the Holy Spirit if I should choose or refuse to accept a job offer in which I can use a God given ability.  After asking Him to lead me, I feel perfect incomprehensible peace and absolutely certain that I should take the job.  This is from the Holy Spirit and I should follow Him.

But if the job is not one that I can use a God given ability, and I feel confused uncertainty, then I know the Spirit is not leading me to take the job.

Or suppose I'm asking if I should marry someone.  This person distracts me from Jesus.  That alone is enough to refuse marriage.  But say she is a Spirit filled believer.  This doesn't mean I should marry her, because there are other Spirit filled women I could meet.  So I pray for the Spirit to lead me.  I feel uncertain and no peace at all.  This is the Spirit telling me not to marry her.

Whatever the case or situation may be, the Spirit will answer with perfect peace and perfect certainty for the Lord's glory, and you will know this with an active mind and will. 

This is how you follow the Spirit.

How to KNOW GOD'S WILL for YOUR LIFE (2)

Our Father who is in heaven,

you are is supremely unique,

different from everyone and every thing.

You should be respected because no one is like You,

Unborn and Undying,

Perfectly good, perfectly powerful, and perfectly wise.  

Control earth now.  Be completely in control on earth now, just as you are in perfect control in heaven.

(My paraphrase of the prayer Jesus taught His followers.)



The new age is here, right now. 

The Spirit of God is on earth,

right now, in me and in all who follow Jesus. 

We don't need to wait any longer. 

God is here, on earth, right now, in my body,

and your body if you follow Jesus.

This is the good news:

The time has come. 

God's new world order has already begun. 

 



All people should therefore change what they think about life and accept the good news.

If you follow Jesus, you are a witness of this.  You bear witness to this.  The Spirit of God is in you. 

 

Follow the Spirit of God.

Speak as He leads you to.

Act as He leads you to.

 

This is the new age of God, God's new world order: 

The Kingdom of God.

 

To follow God's Spirit is to do God's will,

on earth as it is done in heaven.

 

 

Images from:

ucg.org

sacredportals.blogSpot.com

How to find GOD'S WILL for YOUR LIFE

"Anyone who chooses to do the will of God will find out whether my teaching comes from God or whether I speak on my own."  The Lord Jesus Christ.

"Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus." 
The Apostle Paul

You don't find God's will, you do it.  In doing it, you will experience this revelation: 

Jesus is God, and His words are the very words of God. 

So what is the will of God for you? 
Three things are always God's will: 
Continually enjoy God.  Continually pray to God.  Continually thank God.

CONTINUALLY ENJOY GOD.
Find happiness in God who created you, Jesus who saved you, and the Spirit who lives in you.  How?  Acknowledge the goodness of being made, being created, and existing.  You are alive and well, able to read my words with a sound mind.  You live because of God, your Creator.  Your sins are forgiven and forgotten as if they never happened because of God your Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.  The Spirit of God Himself lives inside of your body, right now, affirming the truth of the words you now read. These things are real and satisfying.  Enjoy them.  This is God's will, and in doing this you will know God's will.

CONTINUALLY PRAY TO GOD.
Talk to God about everything, everywhere, all the time.  You experience peace and sanity by telling God everything you are thinking, feeling, and wanting.  You feel Him listening and paying attention to you, and you hear Him responding to you in your spirit.  When you pray like this, you will know God's will with certainty because you are certain that you are doing God's will right now.

CONTINUALLY THANK GOD.
Thank God for creating you, Jesus for saving you, and the Holy Spirit for living inside of you.  This is God's will, and in doing this He reveals His will.  When you thank God for life, salvation, and union with Him, He reveals your purpose in life, salvation, and the Spirit's leading.  Try it now with me and tell me your experience of God's will is revealed to you. 

Our Father in heaven, we thank you for creating us, saving us, and living in us.  We enjoy knowing You, we enjoy your listening ear to our prayers.  We know it is Your will for us to rejoice always, pray continually, and give thanks in every situation.  We are doing Your will.  By this we know your will for us right now. 

Tell me in the comment section how you experience God's will revealed to you.
God bless you.  I love you.  Olatunde.

Satan: The Christian's First Mission (Part 2)

The Spirit filled Jesus.
He then led Jesus into the wilderness.
The Spirit led Jesus to encounter, resist, and defeat Satan.
As Christians, we must imitate Christ.

BE SPIRIT LED
When the Spirit permeated Jesus' life, the very first thing He led Jesus to do was to encounter Satan.  How did Jesus know the Spirit was leading Him to the enemy, and how can we?  Look at what happened with Jesus at His baptism:

1.  The Father Himself affirmed Jesus as His beloved Son.
2.  The Spirit descended upon Jesus in a tangible way.
3.  John the Baptist not only saw the Spirit descend upon Jesus, but identified Jesus by the Spirit.

The same must be true of me and you. 



 



When God affirms you as His child, and when the Spirit is filling you in a way that is tangible, undeniable, irresistible, and irrefutable, the next person, key word person, you will encounter is Satan.  He is always in opposition to God and His children.  From the garden of Eden until now, you can know that where God speaks, so will Satan in contradiction:

• God said to Adam (and Eve), "From the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat.  The day you eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, you will surely die."
• Satan said to Eve (and Adam who was with her), "You will not surely die, for God knows the day you eat of the tree of knowledge you will be like God, knowing good and evil."

• God said to Jesus, "This is my beloved Son, with Him I am well pleased."
• Satan said to Jesus, "IF you are the Son of God, turn these stones to bread.   IF you are the Son of God, throw yourself down from the temple."

What is God saying to you right now?  Whatever it is, expect Satan to respond in contradiction.  More than this, expect the Spirit TO LEAD YOU TO SATAN to resist and defeat him.  Having resisted and defeated the devil, you can begin your mission, just as Christ began His mission.

You will be as sure of the Spirit driving you as Jesus was sure of the Spirit driving Him.  And how will you know the difference between the Spirit influencing you and the devil influencing you?  Easy.  The Spirit will lead you TO RESIST THE DEVIL.  In other words, the very distinction you fear is the very way you will know the distinction between God and Satan.  God always leads you to resist Satan, and Satan always leads you to resist God.  Again, easy!  As it is written,

"Submit to God, resist the devil and he will flee from you."

If you agree, please pray with me:

"God I submit to Your Spirit and resist the devil and every demonic spirit.  Please fill me and lead by your Spirit to resist the devil.  In Jesus' name, amen."

May God bless you always by the Spirit filling you and leading you as the Spirit led Jesus Christ.

Satan: The Christian's First Mission

"Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, left the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, where for forty days he was tempted by the devil."  Luke, a companion of the Apostle Paul.

According to the Apostle John, Jesus came to destroy the works of the devil.  His people were under Satan's oppression, not the oppression of the Romans.  In the same way, our war isn't against democrats, republicans, men, or women.  We resist Satan.  It is the Christian's first mission because it was Christ's first mission.  Before he preached the kingdom of God, taught kingdom principles, healed those who were sick, or cast out any demons, He resisted and defeated Satan.  This was the first thing the Spirit filled Him, led Him, and empowered Him to do. 

For about 30 years, Jesus lived as the son of a carpenter, with Mary His mother, and his sisters and brothers.  When the time came, He, along with others in Israel who believed the time had come, was  baptized by John the baptizer.  God the Father spoke to Jesus from heaven, and the Spirit of God descended from heaven in the likeness of a dove.  The Spirit came upon Jesus, preparing Him for Satan in two ways, the same two ways He prepares us for Satan.

 



BE SPIRIT FILLED

The Spirit permeated Jesus' life from that moment on, permeating Jesus' life with Spirit presence and power.  Jesus was born of the Spirit like we are born of the Spirit.  He was born of the Spirit by His mother Mary's faith, and we are born of the Spirit by our faith.  But being Spirit born and Spirit filled are not the same.  The Spirit indwells all who believe in Christ, but only permeates the lives of those who want Him to.  This comes from simply asking and yielding, as Jesus said:

"If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”

If you believe in Jesus, you are a child of God.  Therefore, ask God to fill you with His Spirit, and He will, right now, as you read.  You can do it now.  Pray these words out loud:

"My father in heaven, as one of your children through faith in Jesus Christ, I ask that you fill me with the Holy Spirit.  Thank you for filling me with your Spirit.  Amen."

That's it!  You are now filled with the Spirit.  How do you know?  Well, how do you know that you are a child of God?  By faith in Jesus, by believing what the scriptures say through Paul the apostle,

"You are children of God through faith in Christ Jesus."  Galatians 3:26, NLT.

If you have faith in Christ Jesus, you are a child of God. 

You know you are filled with the Spirit in the same way:  by believing what Jesus said.  Do you believe Jesus ever lied?  Of course not. Jesus said that our Heavenly Father gives the Spirit to His children who ask Him.  If you are His child, which you are if you have faith in Jesus, and you have asked Him to fill you with the Spirit, which you just did by praying with me, then you are right now, at this moment, filled with the Spirit, permeated by His presence and power.  But some of you still may want more proof, something tangible or experiential.  Here it is:

Use your spiritual power for the purpose for which God gave it, to do what God has given you to do today.

Power is for a purpose, it is the energy and ability to act.  So whatever your job or duty is today, you now have new spiritual power to do your job or duty for God's glory.  That is how you will know and experience being filled with the Spirit. 

Yet I dare say, the first thing you very may well have to do is defeat Satan....(to be continued in part 2)

(Image from bryandavenport.me)

The power of every believer

 

Prayer is the power of every believer. 

It's how we connect with God and receive from God.  Both the connection and provision are supernatural.

DIVINE CONNECTION
It is written, "The LORD is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth."  When you pray, God listens, in the room, with you, right then.  You have a connection because you have God's attention.  Do you realize what I'm saying?  You have the very attention of the God of all creation.  He focuses on what you are saying and why you are saying it.  This is your power as a believer.

DIVINE PROVISION
This is what the Lord says, "Ask, and it will be given to you.  Seek, and you will find.  Knock, and the door will be opened to you.  For everyone who asks receives, and everyone who seeks finds, and to everyone who knocks, the door is opened."  Not only do you have God's attention, you have his response.  He answers you every time you ask Him for something.  I didn't say He always gives you what you ask for.  But He does respond to you.  He will respond to you.  He is responding to you.

If you want to, please pray with me right now:

God, I'm praying with Olatunde just for the enjoyment of your attention and connection.  Thank you for the honor of talking to you, and for the honor of your attention.  Thank you for this power as a believer. 

You do have power as a believer, the power of prayer.  Use it today.  Use it now.  See the power of God in your life.


(image from freebiblestudiesonline.org)

The Power of Your Words (Part 2)

How do you speak with power?  How do you determine how your words make people feel?
I'll give you two things to consider when you speak:


1. Intent
2. Content


Your words can make people feel how you intend to make them to feel.  First decide how you intend people to feel when they listen to you.  If you intend to make people happy, then consciously choose to bring happiness through your words.  If you intend to make people feel peaceful, then consciously choose to make them feel at peace.


But your intent must be matched by your content.  What you say and how you say it should logically lead to the feeling you want your listener to have.  Good news makes people feel good.  Peaceful news makes them feel at peace.


Here's an example.
I feel honored by you reading my words.  Thank you.


What did I want you to feel?  My honor and appreciation.  I intended to give you those feelings, and I used words to match those feelings.


You can do the same.  Every time you speak, choose wisely your intent and content.


Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. 
Ephesian 4:29 NIV

The Power of Your Words (Part 1)

I read one blog that gave me nightmares about ebola.  I heard one reporter that gave me hope about ebola.  One wrote, the other spoke.  Both used words.  One used her blog as an instrument of hopelessness.  The other used his news report as an instrument of hope. 


What about you?  What have you said today?


I'm thinking about how I felt after reading her blog. 
Fear.  Helplessness.  Hopelessness.
I'm thinking about how I felt after hearing his report. 
Courage.  Power.  Hope.
I'm thinking about how my words are making you feel right now as you read them.
What do I want you to feel?


I want you to feel the power of your own words and how they have energy to hurt or heal.  You know how words feel.  You know the difference between good news and bad news.  One minute your life is as it always is; the next minute the wind is knocked out of you, all because of a phone call, text message, a blog, or a news report. 


Have your words knocked the wind out of someone, or have your words been a breath of fresh air in a suffocating world of fear and falsehood?


"The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its fruit." 
Proverbs 18:21 NIV

The Source of Power and Perfection

"Complete self-confidence is not merely a sin; complete self-confidence is a weakness."
G.K. Chesterton


I'm sitting in the dark, wanting to die.  I tried to resist her, but continued to lose the battle of lust.  "I can't resist you," I whisper as she attempts to seduce me.  I escape her, but unwillingly.  I longed for defeat; I longed for her victory over my body.


I'm holding on the barely existing virginity, wanting to die.  No matter how hard I try, it is inevitable.  I will fall as my fathers fell.  I can't escape hell, or so it seems, until these words unlock my cell of sin:


"I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and that He died for my sins."


I feel peace cover me like a blanket.  I no longer want to die.


With my sins forgiven, I experience perfection.  My new life begins.  I no longer place my confidence in my good intentions, but in my salvation, in my Savior. 


In His Presence, I experience power.  Faith in Him is power.  Faith in myself is weakness, as G.K. Chesterton said above.  I know better than anyone my limitations.  But He is unlimited in knowledge and ability.  Completely trusting Him is power, perfection, and sanity. 

Why you should STOP seeking God's will

God's will is not a mystery.
It's a choice.

You choose to do as He chooses, right now, right where you are.

His will is just that, His will.  His authority.  His right to choose and refuse.

As His creature, His son, or His daughter, you choose to be what He made you to be and do what He made you to do.  This is God's will.  A choice.  Not a place.  Not a mystery.

It's easy.
Not so much in the sense that doing His will always feels good.
But it's easy to simply decide to submit.
Unless you don't accept who He is and thus who you are.

Who is He?
Who are you?

He is the Creator, perfectly good, perfectly powerful, perfectly wise.
You are His creature, good only when you are what He made you to be.
Powerful when you submit to and receive His power.
Wise when you accept your ignorance and receive His omniscience.

If you accept who He is and who you are, then you accept your purpose, which is to submit to His will for you.

God's will is not a mystery.
It's a choice.

Choose to submit to His will, and you will have found His will for your life.

How to have AUTHORITY wherever you go (Part 2)

AUTHORITY IS USING THE NAME ABOVE YOU.

Jesus said, "He who speaks from his own authority seeks his own glory, but he who seeks the glory of the one who sent him is true, and there is nothing false about him."

 

In other words, we tend to trust people who aren't acting in their own name or for their own pleasure.  When the mail carrier comes, he is simply the messenger; she is simply delivering messages; he has no self-centered agenda.  The police officer has a badge that represents his governmental authority.  He is acting in the name of the law or the government, not his own name.

 

You use authority by using the name above you, or the name of the one who authorizes you. 

 

I'm at the library typing these words.  I have 33 minutes left on this computer.  This means I have authority over computer number 13 for 33 more minutes.  I have "command" over this computer, the ability to command it and it to obey me.  I received this authority from the librarian who told me where the adult computers are.  I typed in my library card number, given to me by the librarian.  If anyone tries to use this computer, I can tell him or her in the name of the librarian that I now have 31  more minutes on this computer.

 

Authority is actually easy to experience.

 

Wherever you are, or wherever you go, find the one who is in authority and submit to his or her authority.  Then you will have authority, the ability to command and be obeyed.  You can use the name of the authority figure above you to enforce you.  This is true no matter where you go.

 

In your house, if you are an adult who owns or rents, or someone who lives with that adult, the lease, given by the owner, gives you authority in that house.  The keys are your power.  You can command people to leave your house and expect them to obey, or law enforcement officers to enforce your authority. 

 

You want authority.  You have it by submitting to the authority where you are.

You want powerful influence.  You have it by using the name of the authority over you.

Your freedom to speak and act comes from the authority above you.

Your respect comes from respecting the authority above you.

 

How to have AUTHORITY wherever you go

You want authority. 
You want powerful influence.
Freedom to speak and act.
Respect.

How can you have these wherever you go?

To have authority, you must be under authority.

 

 

But first we must answer three questions:

1. What is authority?

2. Where does it come from?

3. How do we use it?

 

AUTHORITY IS THE POWER TO COMMAND AND BE OBEYED.

Once a soldier (a "centurion" in this historical context) wanted the Lord Jesus to heal one of his beloved servants.  Here is what happened according to Matthew, one of Jesus' chosen ambassadors:



 

When Jesus had entered Capernaum, a centurion came to him, asking for help.  “Lord,” he said, “my servant lies at home paralyzed, suffering terribly.”Jesus said to him, “Shall I come and heal him?”

The centurion replied, “Lord, I do not deserve to have you come under my roof. But just say the word, and my servant will be healed.  For I myself am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. I tell this one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and that one, ‘Come,’ and he comes. I say to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.”

 

Notice what the centurion says.  He felt confident that Jesus had authority to heal diseases, and he believed authority meant the power or ability to command and be obeyed.  In other words, because Jesus had authority over diseases, he had the ability to command diseases in the same way that the centurion had the ability to command soldiers under his authority.  The centurion would say, "Go," and his soldiers would go; he would say "Come," and his soldiers would come; he would say, "Do this," and his servant would do it.  That's authority:  The ability to command and be obeyed.  The ability to have happen what you want to have happen.  But where does authority come from?  Jesus and Paul tell us.

 

AUTHORITY COMES FROM GOD.

This is what Jesus said after he rose from the dead: 

"All authority is given to me in heaven and on earth."

 

Paul, Jesus' ambassador to all who were not of Hebrew descent (Gentiles) said this:

"Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities.  For there is no authority except from God.  The authorities that exist have been appointed by God."

 

The centurion we've been focusing on said he was "a man under authority."  And he assumed Jesus was under the authority of God, and thus had the ability to command diseases to leave and they obey him. 

 

To have authority, you must be under authority.

God's authority.

Directly or Indirectly.

 

This means you are either in authority, from God, or under the authority of someone who has authority from God.

 

For example, I am a father, and fathers have God given authority from their God given identity, as Moses said,

 

"Honor your father and mother, so that your days may be long on the earth."

 

Paul also says, "Children obey your parents in all things, for this is well pleasing to the Lord."

 

As a father, I have the right to command my children and expect obedience from them.  I have authority over them because I am in authority.  They have authority when they act under my authority. 

 

Authority comes from God.

You are either in authority right now, as you read my words, or you are under someone's authority as you read my words.  When you act under the authority over you, you have authority. 

 

If you are at work, and your manager or supervisor tells you to do something, you have authority to do it.  This means you do it in the name of your manager.  You can say, "My manager says to do this," to whom every you must interact with.  Your manager is your enforcer.  If you are resisted, he or she is the one being resisted, and he or she is the one to enforce his or her authority, given to you. 

 

Authority is the ability to command and be obeyed.

Authority comes from God.

You use authority by speaking and acting in the name of authority.

 



(Click HERE for part 2)

How To Be Angry Without Regret (Part 2)

3.  DON'T GO TO BED ANGRY.
God isn't just slow to anger, but His anger is short termed.  He gets angry, judges those who sin against Him, and then it's over. He doesn't hold grudges or let his anger linger.  Neither should we.  God's anger lasts a moment, and so should ours.  We should get angry slowly.  We should be and express anger quickly.




4.  DON'T GIVE SATAN AN OPPORTUNITY.
The devil loves to be angry and to provoke anger.  He loves conflict and harm.  He wants us to get angry quickly and to stay angry indefinitely, expressing our anger violently and harmfully. 




When we are quickly, uncontrollably, and unjustly angry, we give Satan an opportunity to express himself through us and with us. 




But when we our anger is slow, controlled and just, God's Spirit will empower our anger to bring justice and peace. 




How can we practice this?




By remembering anger's purpose:  justice. 
To practice justice, we must first practice wanting justice by wanting the truth. 
In other words, we have to put ourselves in a state in which we want to know the facts....all the time.  We don't quickly make up our minds about things or people without hearing all the facts. 
We become people of truth who are committed to perceiving things as they actually are.




Perception creates emotion.  What we perceive affects what we believe, and thus how we feel. 




For example:
You receive a phone call.  You're told that someone you love has been in a fatal accident.
How do you feel?


You receive another phone call moments after the first one.  You're told that your loved one is completely unharmed.
How do you feel?




Within moments, your emotions shift from anxiety and fear to complete peace and relief, based on your perception of the situation.  Based on the truth.




If we become people of truth, we can indirectly control being angry, and all of our other emotions through our truth perception. 




It's up to us.
If you agree, pray with me:


God, help me to see as you see, and to be angry like you are angry.  In Jesus name, amen.


May God help you by His Spirit to be angry without regret.

 

How To Be Angry Without Regret (Part 1)

Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and give no opportunity to the devil.
The Apostle Paul to the church in Ephesus

 

God gets angry. 
But His anger is sinless. 

 

I envy this about God.

 

It seems to me that God can be angry freely and sinlessly.  He can express it without the fear of going too far, or being wrong like we often are when we are angry.  Sometimes we get angry too quickly and find out that what we thought was happening wasn't happening at all.  We've misunderstood yet once again. 

 

What if we could be as free in being angry as God is? 
I believe we can. The Apostle Paul shows us the way in four steps.

 

1. BE ANGRY.
Imagine what Paul is saying, even commanding.  Imagine the freedom to be angry, and where this freedom comes from.  It comes from an understanding of what anger is and what anger's purpose is.


Anger is intense displeasure towards evil or wrong doing. 
It's purpose is justice, to expose and undo unrighteousness and establish righteousness. 


Isn't this why God gets angry?  If He sees a baby being abused, doesn't this make Him angry, and doesn't He want to stop the abuse?  This is the proper place of anger.  In this way, and in this way only, are we encouraged and even commanded by Paul to be angry. 

 

2.  DO NOT SIN.
This is the difference between sinful and sinless anger:

Sinful anger is quick, uncontrolled, and unjust.
Sinless anger is slow, controlled, and just.

We are commanded by James, the  brother of Jesus, to "be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to become angry."  God is "gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness."  God's anger "is for a moment, but His mercy endures forever." 


Yes, God gets angry, and His anger is intense, but He is not immediately or quickly angry. He is not rash or reactionary when He is angry.  His anger is slow, controlled, and just.  In other words, it is an informed anger.  His dealings with Sodom and Gomorrah is an example. 




God told Abraham that He had come down to see if the outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah that had come up to Him was true.  If so, then He would know.  So before God became angry and expressed anger, He sought to be informed. Before He judged, He investigated.




Another example is how He dealt with Nineveh through the prophet Jonah.  He gave Jonah this message:  In 40 days, Nineveh will be destroyed.  Why 40 days?  Because God is patient, and gives us the way to be slow to anger through this example.


The key to being slow to anger, or patient, is to set a limit on our patience.   God's patience is not indefinite, but has a limit.  So should ours.  In setting a limit on our patience, and in being informed about situations of wrong, we can be angry without sin, and we can avoid another danger of sinful anger. (Click HERE for part 2)

The Consciousness of Sinlessness

I'm writing to Christians who want to be sinless, and who want to be conscious of this.  If you are a not a Christian, or you don't want this, I'm not writing to you.  If you don't believe this is possible or probable, I'm not writing this to you.  I'm not writing to debate or prove anything. I assume it is possible to be what God wants us to be:  As Holy As Christ Himself.  So here I go.




To be conscious of sinlessness involves two things:
1. Forgiveness
2. Harmlessness




The first step in being conscious that you are sinless, indeed without sin, is to be forgiven.  You must know that a beautiful exchange has taken place, the exchange of your sin for Christ's sinlessness.  When Jesus died for your sin, He "became sin," your sin.  It was as if He committed every sin you ever committed or would commit, and it was if you never sinned from the point of accepting Jesus' death for you, and thus His sinlessness in exchange for your sin. 


So when you "confess your sin, God is faithful and just to forgive your sin and cleanse you from unrighteousness."  He "separates your sin as far as east is from the west."  He "casts your sin into a sea of forgetfulness."  God "blots out your transgressions for His own sake and remembers your sin no more."  He "keeps no record of your wrongs."  It is as if you've never sinned and never been a sinner. 


This is the first step in the consciousness of sinlessness.  If you know that you have confessed and forsaken your sin, you can know that you are forgiven, and that at the very moment after your confession, you are in fact sinless.  Now the issue is remaining in that state, living without sin.  To understand the next step, we must define what sin is at it's core.  Sin's essence.  I'll define it with one word:  HARM.




To do harm to God's glory, and those who reflect God's glory, man and woman, is sin. 


HARM.




The Apostle Paul said, "Love does no harm to a neighbor, therefore love is the fulfillment of the law."  He said that the commandments, and every commandment, could be summed up in one commandment:  Love your neighbor as yourself.  Or put another way, "Do no harm to your neighbor."  Every moral code in every society in every time period acknowledges this basic ethical principle:  Do no harm. 




Now of course, we as Christians seek more than this, but we should seek no less.  And by seeking to be harmless, we can have the consciousness of sinlessness. 




As I thought about this last night, or rather at 3:00 this morning, it felt most practical and applicable.  I can measure my thoughts, words, and actions by whether they are harmful or harmless.  I can have the consciousness of harmlessness and sinlessness.  I can know whether I have intentionally thought, said, or done anything that would harm anyone. 




So can you, if you want to.
If you do, pray this prayer with me:


"God, help me to be as sinless as Jesus."


Confess your sin.
Do no harm.


Let me know how this goes in the comment box.

Your God Given Responsibility

Kenaniah the head Levite was in charge of the singing; 

that was his responsibility because he was skillful at it. 

1 Chronicles 15:22

 

Your God given responsibility is to use your God given abilities.

This is God's will for you.

This is your calling.

 

You don't need to wait for anything else to be revealed to you to know what God wants you to do.

 

This is comforting for us because we are not called to do or be anything beyond or other than what we are.  In fact, we have a moral obligation to be what God made us to be and do what God made us to do, which means we also have a moral obligation to refuse to be what we are not.

 

I'm experiencing this vividly.

 

In seeking a job, my first inclination is to simply do whatever job I find, whether I'm skilled at it or not.  After all, I have a family, a responsibility to provide for them.  Does it really matter how I do it as long as it do it?

 

I'm learning that it does.

 

To take care of my family does not negate God's glory.  In fact, I believe the only real way to take care of my family is to seek first God's glory, to seek first God's kingdom.  Seeking this first, God will add the provision of my family's needs--through giving me a job!  But not just any job. He will give me my God given vocation, the job by which I will glorify Him by doing what He made me alone to do.

 

The same is true for you.

 

 

 

How Reasoning Increases Your Faith

Abraham reasoned that God could even raise the dead, and so in a manner of speaking he did receive Isaac back from death.  Hebrews 11:19

True faith is never blind or unreasonable. 

Because faith comes from hearing and believing what God says, and because what God says is truth, you can draw certain conclusions about your life based on what God has promised you.

For example, God promised Abraham a son, Isaac.  He promised Abraham that through Isaac Abraham would be the father of nations.  So when God commanded Abraham to kill Isaac as a sacrifice, Abraham reasoned like this:

1.  God promised that through Isaac I would be the father of nations.
2.  God commanded me to kill Isaac.
3.  Therefore, God, who cannot lie, will raise Isaac from the dead.

Notice how Abraham's reasoning assumes two things:
1.  God's faithfulness.
2.  Abraham's obedience.

In other words, Abraham assumes that he will actually go through with killing his son. He expects Isaac to actually die, and thus for God to actually resurrect him.  This is reasonable, if it is a given that God cannot lie. 

True faith is never blind or unreasonable.

Let's take another example.

Jesus said that if you seek first God's kingdom and righteousness, God will provide your needs.  Say you are seeking God's will for a trip you need to go on.  You need to repair your car in order to make the trip, or so you believe.  God reveals to you that it is His will for you to make the trip, and that you will indeed make it to your destination.  Now these things must follow reasonably:

1.  God will provide you with the money you need to repair your car and make the trip.
2.  The money you already have is enough to repair your car and make the trip.
3.  If you have no money, and God does not provide the money, then your car will make the trip without being repaired (or he will provide another car.) 

One of these three things has to be true if God indeed promised you would make the trip. 

True faith is never blind or unreasonable.

If you start with what God says, commands, or promises, knowing that God cannot lie, you can draw certain conclusions from His words, and those conclusions are expressions of faith.

What has God promised you?  As a result, what must be true in your life?

You Confidence and Assurance

"You're destroying your life!  Think about what you're doing son.  It doesn't make any sense!"


"Mom, I know you don't understand.  Trust God and trust me."


"I do, but I want what's best for you, and I don't know if you've thought this through."


"I've not only thought it through, but I've prayed about my decision and I have peace about everything I'm doing."


"How can you be so confident?  What assurance do you have?"


"What Jesus said gives me assurance of what I hope for:   Do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.  This is the assurance of what I hope for, and the evidence of what I don't see at the moment.  I know I only want God's will, so I also know that He will not only reveal His will, but provide for me to do it."


"I understand son.  I'm with you and will pray that God blesses your faith in Him."


Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see. Hebrews 11:1

The Key to Your Power (In One Word)

"Be quick to listen, slow to speak, slow to anger..."
James, the Brother of Jesus


Your phone rings. You look at your caller ID.  It's your boss, who usually calls you on your day off to ask you to come in.  It's your decision.  He can't make you, but you usually yield to his manipulation.


The caller ID gives you the key to your power, expressed in one word:


PAUSE.


Because you see whose calling, you have that precious moment of decision, to answer or not answer.  To let the answering machine pick up the call, or you can pick up the phone.  It's up to you.


These moments, these pauses, are experienced throughout your day, if you allow them, if you choose them.  The pause is your choice, a God given ability.


How can you choose the pause when you feel rushed or pressured to act or speak?


When do you feel rushed or pressured?  What situations or persons rush you or pressure you?


You know them.  You can probably list them right now if you wanted to.


Now imagine the beginning of your day.  Is your boss, or whoever it is that pressures you, in your bedroom with a gun to your head?  Of course not.  Your day begins with you and your Lord, and He never pressures you. 


Prayer is the first act of pause for your day. 


At the beginning of your day, if you pray against all sources of pressure, against everything that rushes you to speak or act before considering the will of God, then you will deal with the spiritual enemies who seek to block your liberty.


Having prayed at the beginning of your day, you may practice pausing in little things throughout the day:
1. Pause and thank God before you eat your breakfast, before you take one sip of coffee or one bite of cereal.
2.  Pause before you leave the house, just a moment, as you make sure you lock the door, say a prayer of submission to the Spirit.
3.  Pause before you drive to your first destination of the day, just a moment, to think and pray, or adjust your music to a song that focuses you.


These small practices of pauses will put you in the mindset of pausing before you speak to difficult people, or before you face difficult situations.


Pausing is the key to your power, the power to choose, the power to decide.


If you choose to use this power, you will protect yourself from regret.
If you refuse to use this power, you will act without thought or prayer.

How To Know God Will Provide For You

Jesus give you a guarantee of God's provision if you meet this condition:


Seek as your first priority God's rule on earth, God's will in your life.


The Lord promised that God would add to this the food and clothing that your Father already knows you need.  You need not run around in anxiety like those who don't believe, like those who live as if food and clothing are very points of life.  Jesus made it clear they are not.  Life is more than food and clothing, and he feeds the birds who don't work, as well as clothing the lilies that are here today and burned tomorrow.  You're worth more than both. 


And God will not only feed you, but feed you well and daily, like He does the birds.  Our Father won't just clothe us, but He'll clothe us with splendor that surpasses the glory of King Solomon...if we meet this condition: 


Seek as our first priority God's kingdom and will.


If you know you want nothing more, less, or other than God's will, then you can know with absolute certainty that your needs are as met as the birds you see eating every day, and the flowers you see in their beauty.


Please pray with me if you agree:


God, I want one thing: Your will.  Because of this, I know you have provided all of my needs, already knowing them before I ask.  Thank you for this assurance.  Amen.

How To Release The FIRE in YOU

Do not quench the Spirit.  The Apostle Paul

Your fire burns naturally and effortlessly...unless you suppress it.  Unless you refuse or fail to express it. 

What is your fire?

It is the presence and power of the Holy Spirit, manifest when you use your spiritual gift.

Every reference to "quenching" that I found in the New Testament had to do with fire, extinguishing a fire.  John the Baptist said he baptized with water, but that Jesus would baptize with the Holy Spirit, and with fire.  When the Spirit came on the day of Pentecost, flaming tongues of fire hovered over each of the 120 believers, and they were filled with the Spirit.  Paul told Timothy to "fan into flame" his spiritual gift, to do the opposite of quenching the Spirit.  Paul also said that our "shield of faith" would "quench the fiery darts of the wicked one," extinguishing the burning accusations and temptations of Satan.

FIRE

YOUR FIRE

To release your fire, the presence and power of the Spirit, the spiritual gift Jesus gave you, do two things:

1.  Recognize the burning passion God gave you to honor Him and help others.
2.  Express that passion today.  It will take great effort to suppress it or keep it in.

For example, when I read a scripture, certain truths or words jump out at me.  I feel inspired to either write about those words, or to tell someone what God just showed me, namely YOU.  My fingers flow, or the words flow out of my mouth.  Flow.  Burning truth from the Spirit.  My fire.

Yours may be a desire to pray for someone or something that you simply can't get off your mind or out of your heart until you pray.

The fire is burning.  You feel it or you have felt it.  God gave it.  Let it out.  Let it burn.

If you agree, pray with me:

God, in the name of Jesus, let the fire of your Spirit burn in me and from me and through me.  Show me my fire, or remind me what it is, so that from this moment forward, I many never quench the Spirit again.  Amen.

How To Have Unity In the Church (Part 1)

There is only one way to have unity in the church.

By "the church," I mean those who gather together under the Lord's authority, for his glory, with Him actually among them.  His presence alone, in this way, unifies.  Yet there is a specific condition that must be met for there to be unity. 

There must be a divine commander giving a divine command to bring unity to the church.

Follow me from Acts chapter one to Acts chapter two.

In the first book, O Theophilus, I have dealt with all that Jesus began to do and teach, until the day when he was taken up, after he had given commands through the Holy Spirit to the apostles whom he had chosen. Acts 1:1-2 ESV

Here Jesus is obvious The Divine Commander giving His divine command, through the Holy Spirit.  This is very significant.  Jesus was born of the Spirit, then at the age of 30 He was filled, led, and empowered by the Spirit for His ministry.  Now, after rising from the dead, by the Spirit (according to Paul,) Jesus is still dependent on the Holy Spirit to give commands to His apostles. 

We who are born of the Spirit through faith in Christ must be just as dependent on the Spirit as Jesus was, even after He rose from the dead.  This dependence on The Spirit will reveal Christ as our Divine Commander.  Following His Spirit is what reveals the Lord's divine commands.  The divine command of the Lord Jesus to his apostles and followers was to wait for the coming of the Holy Spirit.  Remember this command, and from whom it came.

All these with one accord were devoting themselves to prayer, together with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and his brothers.  Acts 1:14 ESV

Notice the words "with one accord." You will see these words again.  They mean complete unity in purpose.  No divisions.  No dissentions.  No separate opinions.  One mission expressed in one action:  prayer.  If the church knows nothing else, it should be prayer.  If there is nothing else we can agree to do, at the same time and place, it's pray.  This is the easiest unifying action we can take.  But to take this unifying action, we must have a divine commander unifying the followers by a divine command from the Lord.  They all were unified by obedience to the command of the Lord: Wait for the Spirit.  So they waited, devoting themselves to prayer until the time of waiting was over.  But notice something else that happens:

In those days Peter stood up among the brothers (the company of persons was in all about 120) and said, “Brothers, the Scripture had to be fulfilled, which the Holy Spirit spoke beforehand by the mouth of David concerning Judas, who became a guide to those who arrested Jesus.  Acts 1:15-16

This will happen again and again.  Peter, or Paul, or some other leader in the church, will stand up, and in doing so, unify the body, under the Lord's authority.  He will speak words that unify everyone listening. 

Now stay with me as we move to Acts Chapter 2. (Click here.)

How To Have Unity In the Church (Part 2)

When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. Acts 2:1

All together.
In one place.

Unity.

One command:  Wait for the Spirit.
One commander:  The Lord Jesus Christ.

Now, the Spirit comes, just as Jesus promised.  The crowd watches in amazement, but some mock what they see.  And who stands up to speak?  Read and see:

Peter stood up with the Eleven, raised his voice and addressed the crowd: “Fellow Jews and all of you who live in Jerusalem, let me explain this to you; listen carefully to what I say."Acts 2:14

Again, Peter as a leader stands up and speaks on behalf of Christ and His church.  There wasn't a fight over who would address the mockers, with believers interrupting each other.  No.  When the Spirit filled them, He unified them.  And in doing so, He chose Peter to be the one, key word:  ONE, who would speak on the Lord's behalf in the church.  Now look at this:

They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.  Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles.  All the believers were together and had everything in common. 
Acts 2:42-44

Notice three things:
1. Devotion to the apostles teaching and fellowship
2. Awe of the apostles because of signs and wonders.
3. The believers were together with everything in common.

What unified the believers was the apostles, or leaders, of the church, those divinely appointed by the Lord Himself, evidenced by the supernatural power they displayed.  In the book of Acts we'll see the same thing continually happening:  Peter will stand up as a spokesperson.  Later in Acts we'll see Paul as the primary leader, speaker, and unifier, backed by the authority of the Lord. 

The reason the church is so divided is because of a lack of Spirit led and empowered leadership.
The Spirit led and Spirit empowered leader will unlock the gifts in each member of the church so that they are no longer spectators, but participators in the mission of Christ: 

Preaching the Gospel and Making Disciples.

One leader, one representative of the Lord, filled with His Spirit, brings unity in the body so that everybody, using his or her gift, manifests the Spirit of Christ. 

This is better and higher than "democracy," yet it is not a democracy at all.  It is the Kingdom of God.

There is but one King:  The Lord Jesus.  One Father and Creator.  One Holy Spirit and Master.

The leader is indeed a follower, a follower of the Spirit of Christ.

This is the only way to have unity in the church.

Your role is to follow a Spirit filled leader, or to be a Spirit filled leader.

What It Means for YOU To Be HOLY

It is written: Be holy, because I am holy.  Peter, apostle of the Lord Jesus Christ

I thought about holiness at two extremes:
1. A kind of spooky kooky weirdness, where you walk around moaning and groaning
2. A samurai warrior seriousness, where you remain silent unless ordered to speak

The first extreme involves the otherworldly nature of holiness, which is true.
The second extreme involves the dedication and focus of holiness, which is also true.

Yet what the Spirit showed me is a picture of a husband and wife talking freely and intimately.  There is something heavenly and thus otherworldly about this.  There is also a dedication and focus on each other that this man and woman have with no other person.  Their love is exclusive, set apart. They belong to each other. 

This is what it means for you to be holy.

It means an exclusive and set apart relationship with God that is the most intimate relationship you have and can have.  Who else can live in your body?  Who else is with you always, all day, everyday?  The Spirit of God is the Holy Spirit.  Your body is His temple.  You are not your own.  You are one spirit with the Lord, as a husband is one body with his wife.  This is holiness.

To experience this, you need only to believe in Jesus and enjoy the wonder of His Spirit in your body.

If you agree, pray with me:

"Holy Spirit, I honor You. You are God, and my body is Your temple.  I welcome You.  I love You.  I am one with You, both now and forever.  In the Father.  By the Son.  Amen."