Saturday, November 29, 2014

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.

Saturday, November 22, 2014

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.

 

Saturday, November 15, 2014

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.

Saturday, November 8, 2014

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)

Saturday, November 1, 2014

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)