What is God's Name?

Moses said to God, “Suppose I go to the Israelites and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ Then what shall I tell them?”  God said to Moses, “I am who I am.  This is what you are to say to the Israelites: ‘I am has sent me to you.’”
Exodus 3:13-14 NIV

Your name is who you are, or it should be.  In our culture we don't value names as they did in Bible times.  But we should.  God does.  He especially values His own name, as it is written,

“You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God, for the Lord will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name."

God's name encompasses who and what He is.  If someone asked you God's name, if someone wanted to know who and what God is, what would you say?  Moses wondered the same thing; he received the answer to the question. 

WHAT IS GOD'S NAME?
This is the question of all questions, the question behind every question.  The name of God is the origin of every name.  If we don't know His name, how can we know anyone else's name, including our own. Who God is defines who we are; His name defines what everyone and everything is.  But the name of God remains unknown to many, as it was unknown to those in Athens in the days of the Apostle Paul.  Listen to Paul's words:

“Men of Athens, I observe that you are very religious in all respects.  For while I was passing through and examining the objects of your worship, I also found an altar with this inscription, ‘TO AN UNKNOWN GOD.’ Therefore what you worship in ignorance, this I proclaim to you." 
Acts 17:22-23

Who is the unknown God, the one you may or may not know as you read my words? 
God gave Moses His name when Moses asked. 
I will proclaim to you the God you may or may not know.

GOD'S NAME

He is. 

God is the one who simply is who He is. 

This is God's name, and His name alone. 

There is no one else who simply is. 

We all come from someone.  Everything comes from something...except God.  He is.  He is who He is.  The unborn and undying, beginning-less and endless.  Without father or mother, unborn undying.  God. 

Unless you know that He alone exists alone, your entire life is based on a lie; your whole world is based on the lie.

He comes from no one, but you come from Him.

What is God's name?  The answer to this question is the answer to every question in your life.

The bully, the boy, and his victory (Now)

I am a man.  The image of God.  The likeness of God. 
It is written, "The LORD is a warrior, the LORD is His name." 

I am like God.

A man. 

Man is a warrior.  Man is his name. 

I feel the solidness of the decision I made as a boy. 
What is it? It is a decision to resist the first bully:  the devil.

"I'm going to resist you until the Lord Jesus returns."

Satan is bigger and stronger than me.  I can not handle him. 
Jesus can.  Jesus did.  I am one with him.

By the word of God, the sword of the Spirit, I strike a single blow of truth to the father of lies.

Truth is my weapon.
Faith is my shield.

The certainty of God's decree is my identity.
I submit to God.  I resist the devil.  He flees.

The LORD fights for me, or the LORD fights through me.

Click here to find out what this means for  you.

The bully, the boy, and his victory (Then)

I called the bully the wrong name, and the bully hit me.  In the eye.  Then it happened.  To understand the power of the situation, you need to know a little bit more about me.  I'm shy, weak, and scared.  A coward really.  Skinny.  Sensitive.  I don't know how to fight, but I want to know.  But I don't.  That's why what happened is a miracle.  It was for me at least.

The bully hit me.  I saw things differently after that, literally.  My vision changed.  Things seemed slower, the voices of the children faded away, and only one voice could be heard:  mine. 

"I'm going to get you when I get off of the bus."

I had never heard my voice sound like this before.  It was calm and clear.  The certainty with which I spoke was past tense.  It's like my decree happened yesterday.  I said those words with something beyond mere confidence.  I said it with authority.  I don't know where it came from, but something or someone had taken charge of me. 

Blurry voices that cheered the upcoming defeat of the coward were barely remembered.  The boy walked down the aisle of the bus with single minded focused fierceness....yet a quiet fierceness.  A decision.  One that had been decreed from eternity past.

The bully stood fully over me;  my head was below the bully's chin.  Taunting me, the bully towered in anticipated victory and glory.  Then it happened.  I hit the bully in the neck.  A single blow that choked the bully.  Children cheered me, and I walked home in the same slow motioned perception I had when I decreed the decision. 

Click here for what happens now.

The bully, the boy, and his victory (You)

"What is in your hand?" God asked Moses.
"Go in the strength that you have." God said to Gideon.
"Not by power, nor by might, but by my Spirit," says the LORD.

God asks you the same question He asked Moses.  What do you have in your hand?  What can you do?  What is the weapon He gave you?  A sword.  Your words.  The truth that you know.  A shield.  Your faith.  The truth that you know and believe.  These are in your hands.  These are your weapons. 

God says to you what He said to Gideon.  Go in the strength that you have. What strength do you have?  The strength that you know you have.  Use the word of God that you know.  Believe the word of God that you know.  If you only know two verses, use and believe in those two verses.  Jesus often said, "Let it be so according to your faith."  The Apostle Paul spoke of a measure of faith God gives believers.  Even if your faith is small, the size of a mustard seed, the smallest seed, Jesus said you can move mountains.  Go in the faith that you have and fight the battles in your life.

God will either fight for you, or God will fight through you.

You don't have to be powerful or mighty in your own view of yourself. 
You have the Spirit of God.
God's Spirit will come upon you in power, and the Fear of the Lord will terrorize your enemies.

Child of God, son of God, daughter of God, listen to me.
You are guaranteed victory.
God is with you.
God is in you.
God loves you.

What does God see when he sees you?

"God saw all that he had made, and it was very good."  Genesis 1:31a, NIV

In the beginning, God made everything.  He still makes everything, as it is written, "You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they were created and have their being."  Rev. 4:11 NIV.  God made you.  As David said to God by the Spirit, "...you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb." 

God made you, but are you what God made you to be?  When he sees you, what does he see?

In the beginning, God made all, and then he looked at all that he had made.  Because it was just as he intended it to be, what God saw was very good.  Look at the verse at the top again. God saw all that he had made, and it was very good.  What was very good?  All that He had made.  Only what originates from God is very good.  This applies to you and me.  When God looks at our lives, only what came from Him in our lives is very good, nothing else. 

God creates.  God critiques what he makes.
God created you.  God critiques you.

We live in a society that hates the idea of being judged.  Yet ironically we are a very judgmental society.  If you watch TV you will see many reality shows that do just that.  Some famous celebrity, actor, or singer sits as judge over contestants who desperately want to be deemed worthy by a celebrity.  But no one dares submit to God's judgment.  We give glory to celebrities and not to our Creator.  Is this true of you?

Do you submit to celebrity judgment?  Do you assume the authority to be your own judge?
If a celebrity looked at you and said "You are very good," would you cry because of his or her approval?  Or do you look at yourself and say about yourself, "I am very good.  I deserve it.  I'm worth it!"

If you submit to human judgment instead of our Creator's judgment, or to your own self-critique instead of our Creator's critique of you, then you are prideful and you need to repent.  You did not make yourself, therefore you have no authority to critique yourself.  I did not make you, and no other human being made you.  God alone made you, and He alone ultimately critiques you.

Now don't misunderstand.  If you accept our Creator as your Master, as the One who owns you, defines you, and determines your actions, then you can say of yourself exactly what the Creator says of you.  You can accept compliments from anyone, including yourself, if those compliments are echoes of the Creator's compliments of you.  In other words, as it is written, our destiny is "to be conformed to the likeness of God's Son". 

Therefore, if you are like Jesus, having placed your faith in Jesus, then when God looks at you, He sees you as very good.  But if you are not like Jesus, if you are not a reflection of what God Himself is like, then you are not very good, nor should you feel good about yourself. Why should you?  You were made by God and for God; He made you to be like Him.  When people see you, they should see what God Himself is like in that situation.  Is that what people see?  Is that what God sees?

Stop right now and acknowledge the truth about yourself, about what God sees when he sees you. 

If you are living to honor and obey God, living to be like him and act exactly as he does, then thank God for the privilege of the knowledge and likeness of God.

But if you are living for human approval, and for your own approval, admit this in the prayer below:

"God, you made me, but I am not living for you.  I am not like you.  I focus on what people think about me, and I focus on my own self-esteem instead of your honor and approval alone.  I exalt myself and focus on myself instead of you.  I focus others on me and my opinions instead of on your Son.  I'm sorry for this.  Please forgive me.  From now on, I live only to serve and please you."

From now on, when God sees you, may what he sees be very good.

Are you ignoring God?

"They knew God but did not praise and thank him for being God." Romans 1:21a GWT

If you say you know God and claim to be in a relationship with Him, you should frequently and freely praise and thank Him.  Do you do this?  Do you act as if you know God?

Or do you ignore Him?

DO YOU KNOW GOD?
To know someone in the scriptures is to be in intimate connection with that person.  Adam is said to have "known Eve," which meant he had sex with her, the most intimate physical act a husband and wife can have.  With a connection closer than sex, God knows us intimately and personally, knowing the number of hairs on my head and yours, as Jesus said.  Do you know God intimately?  If you know Him, you will effortlessly praise Him.  Do you?  If you are intimate with Him, you will consistently thank Him for who He is to you, and what He has done for you.  Do you?

DO YOU PRAISE AND THANK GOD?
After you see a very good movie, you can't stop talking about it.  When you go to a good restaurant and enjoy a delicious meal, you want to take people to this restaurant, singing its praises.  You personally saw and experienced the powerful drama of the movie; you tasted the scrumptious flavors of the food in the awesome restaurant. As a result, you just had to tell someone.  You had to praise the movie.  You had to find the chef and thank him for the meal.   In the same way, we should praise the beauty that is God, as it is written, "Taste and see that the LORD is good."

If you aren't naturally and effortlessly praising and thanking God, it's because He is less real to you than a good movie or a good restaurant.  How can you say you have a "personal relationship with Christ," who died for you, who rose for you, and who lives for you by His Spirit, and rarely praise and thank Him from your heart?

If this is true of you, repent right now. 
Face God your Creator and Savior and Master, the one who lives inside of you and loves you so much He gave you His very self.  Tell Him you are sorry for neither praising nor thanking Him as He deserves...Tell him you are sorry for ignoring Him.  Do that now with me:

Dearest God, my Creator and Father, I love you and like you and need you.  Forgive me for any way and every way that I ignore you.  I won't ignore you any more.  I love you God.  I need you God.  I must have you.  Take me completely.  Amen.

Write me in the comments and let me know about your renewed relationship with our God.

How to be conscious of the Spirit's Power in your life (Part 2)

"God brought this man Jesus back to life. We are all witnesses to that." Acts 2:32 GWT

Throughout the book of Acts I continue to see these words:  We are witnesses. 

• "But God brought him back to life, and we are witnesses to that.  Acts 3:15b"
• "Peter and John answered them, 'Decide for yourselves whether God wants people to listen to you rather than to him.  We cannot stop talking about what we've seen and heard.'"               Acts 4:19-20

The apostles and early followers of Jesus, as you may know, spent 3 years with him.  They saw him preach, teach, heal, and cast out demons.  They themselves healed and cast out demons, and saw Jesus perform many other miracles.  They saw Jesus risen from the dead, and they saw him ascend into heaven.  All they were supposed to do is tell people what they had seen, heard, and experienced.  But Jesus specifically commanded them not to say anything until the Holy Spirit gave them power--supernatural boldness and effectiveness.  Why would they need this?  Because they were bearing witness to something supernatural--that Jesus rose from the dead. How, or why, would anyone believe that a man rose from the dead? 

The Spirit of Jesus was in them and with them, bearing witness that He is still alive.

When the early followers told people that Jesus is the son of God and that he died for their sins and rose from the dead, they spoke with supernatural power and did supernatural things.  We are supposed to be the same way.  The least we should experience is supernatural boldness and effectiveness as Jesus' witnesses.

How does that feel, and how do we experience it?
Click here for part 3.

How to be conscious of the Spirit's Power in your life (Part 1)

Jesus told (the apostles), "You don't need to know about times or periods that the Father has determined by his own authority.  But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes (upon ) you. Then you will be my witnesses to testify about me...to the ends of the earth." 
Acts 1:7- GWT, parentheses mine.

You can have power from the Spirit and know it; you should feel it and be aware of it.  In fact, you should be aware of the Spirit's power before you say or do anything. 

You need to be.  You have to be.  You're supposed to be. 

I know this because I see this in scripture, and I am experienced it right now as I write to you.

Power:  Ability to accomplish a specific goal you set out to accomplish. 

You can have that power as soon as you finish reading my blogs.  I'll show you how right now.

First, as I said, power assumes a purpose; it assumes a specific goal that you have the ability to accomplish.  What is our goal?  To be a witness of the Lord Jesus.  What does a witness do?  He or she simply tells what he or she has seen, heard, or directly experienced.  So what kind of power do you need to be a witness, any kind of witness? 

• You need to know something or someone by direct experience.
• You need to be able to communicate effectively what you have experienced. 

This means your words need to be convincing and convicting.  Compelling.  Those who listen to you may accept or reject what you say, but they won't be able to resist or refute you because of your powerful words. 

Jesus promised his first followers and us that we will be his witnesses throughout the world, and that he would give us power from the Spirit to do so.  The early followers experienced the Spirit's power, and it was manifest in two ways:

• Boldness
• Effectiveness

These two things encompass the power of a witness of Jesus.
These two things are the power of which you should be conscious.

Click here for part 2.

How to be conscious of the Spirit's Power in your life (Part 3)

"Lord, pay attention to their threats now, and allow us to speak your word boldly.  Show your power by healing, performing miracles, and doing amazing things through the power and the name of your holy servant Jesus."  When the apostles had finished praying, their meeting place shook. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and continued to speak the word of God boldly. 
Acts 4:29-31 GWT, emphasis mine.

How does it feel to be conscious of the Spirit's power in your life?

It feels like two things:

1. Boldness
2. Effectiveness.

SPIRIT POWER CONSCIOUSNESS IS BOLDNESS
When the Spirit fills you, when the power of God comes upon you, you will feel bold, fearless, and confident in your relationship with Jesus.  You know that Jesus is the son of God as you read my words.  Are you afraid to tell people this?  You know that Jesus died for your sins and rose from the dead.  You know His Spirit lives inside of you, as it is written, "The Spirit bears witness with our spirit that we are the children of God."  You know that you feel like a child of God, and that you feel God's Spirit in you.  Are you afraid to tell anyone this?  When you are filled with the Spirit, you won't be afraid to tell people about Jesus in you, and you will do it effectively.

SPIRIT POWER CONSCIOUSNESS IS EFFECTIVENESS
I learned that effective communication is when the message you send is the message the listener receives.  For example, my name is Olatunde.  What is my name?  Yes, it's Olatunde.  That was effective communication.  (It was also bold communication.  I know my name, and I'm not afraid to tell you what it is.)  In the same way, you know how you came to follow Jesus.  You can tell that story boldly and effectively, and the Spirit's power will be in your words as you tell your story.  You know how God has answered your prayers before.  You can boldly and effectively tell people how God has answered your prayers.

Now that you know what Spirit power consciousness is, how do you get it?
You get it the same way the early church got it: you pray for it.

Ask God to give you power to speak his word boldly.  Ask Him to fill you with the Holy Spirit so you can be a bold and effective witness of the Lord Jesus.  And He will do it. And you will feel it when you do it. 

You will feel God's power when you speak and act based upon God's purpose.

"But what if I'm not in a position to talk directly about Jesus?" you may ask.

Listen to Jesus' own words that he spoke to Pilate before he was crucified:
"For this purpose I was born and for this purpose I have come into the world—to bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth listens to my voice.” John 18:37, emphasis mine.

The Apostle Paul said we were "predestined to be conformed to the likeness of Jesus."  Jesus was born and came into the world for this purpose--to bear witness to the truth.  Therefore, you were born again, and came into the world again, to bear witness to the truth.  Jesus called the Holy Spirit "The Spirit of Truth."  So even in situations where you can't talk directly about Jesus, you can bear witness to the truth.  There is never a time or place where you can't tell the truth.  And when you tell the truth, the Spirit of Truth will give you power to boldly and effectively do it.

If you want to be conscious of the Spirit's power as a witness, pray this with me:

God, I come to in the name of Jesus as a witness of the Lord Jesus.  Please fill me with the Spirit that I may be a witness of the Lord Jesus with supernatural  boldness and effectiveness, bearing witness to His resurrection and ascension, and bearing witness to the truth.  Thank you for filling me with the Spirit.

Now leave the computer and go tell someone about Jesus, or go tell someone the truth.  Let me know in the comments sections how it felt to experience the Spirit's power.