Obey and Ask: How to Be filled with the Spirit

If you believe that Jesus died for your sins and rose from the dead, you are a child of God.  And as a child of God, only two things are necessary for you to be permeated by God's Spirit and power.

OBEY GOD.
According to the Apostle Peter, "God gives the Spirit to those who obey Him."  And according to the Apostle Paul, we are actually commanded to "be filled with the Spirit" instead of "being drunk with wine."  So the first thing to do is simply, completely, and unconditionally yield to the Spirit, giving Him complete and absolute control over you.  That's what it means to "be filled with the Spirit."  That is the command to obey.  Once you've obeyed, you only need to do one more thing.

ASK GOD.
The Lord Jesus said, "If you, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him."  So, if you are a child of God, and you've yielded to the Spirit, all you have to do is ask God to fill you with the Spirit, and He will do it.  Right now.

Obey God. (Yield to the Spirit.)
Ask God. (To fill you with the Spirit.)

That's all that's required to be filled with God's Spirit, if you are a child of God through faith in Jesus.

When the Spirit came to Me

I remember the night God's Spirit came to me.  I sat alone, in the dark, in my room, wanting to die-- because I kept on doing the things I hated.  But I remembered something I heard in church about death, sin, and punishment: 

Jesus died for me.

He died for all of the bad things I'd done,

the things I should be punished for. 

Jesus died for me. 

Jesus was punished for me. 

I don't know how I remembered this, but I did.  And so I said these words: 

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

I felt peace cover me like a blanket. 

I no longer wanted to die. 

The Spirit was with me and in me, giving me life and peace.

The next time the Spirit came to me was when I shared Jesus with my whole class.  I wanted them to experience the life and peace the Spirit gave me through believing in Jesus.  So I planned a message for my class.  And on the day that I spoke to them, the Spirit covered me, like he did on that night.  But on that day it was very different.  It was like warm water I couldn't see being poured slowly on my head. 

The invisible water gave me a super power to think, see, and hear like God does.  My words flowed easily and powerfully.  No one talked while I spoke, and at the end everyone stood up and clapped their hands.  God was with me while I spoke.  He gave me power to speak, and everyone who heard me felt it and knew it.  The Spirit was with me when I spoke, giving everyone who wanted it life and peace.

The Spirit is with me now as you hear these words.  Just as He was with me on the night I believed in Jesus, and on the day I shared Jesus with my class, He's with me now. 

He can be with you if you want Him to. 

(All images are from google images.)

How to know you are following God's Spirit

Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. 2 Corinthians 3:17

 

The preacher hit me in the stomach. "Yield to the Spirit of JESUS!" she yelled.  "Yield.  YIELD."  I tried to keep from falling, but couldn't regain my balance.  I lay on the ground, supposedly "slain in the Spirit."  I threw up.  "It's the devil coming out of you!  Let him out!  Let him out!!"  I got up and ran to the bathroom to clean the vomit from my bright red face. 

 

"God, why are you letting this happen?"
"Ben, why are you letting this happen?" the Spirit responded.

 

The truth hit me harder than the preacher's punch in the stomach.

***

 

How free are you?

How free are people when they are with you?

• If you and they are free--truly free--then the Spirit is leading you.
• If you or they are passive in mind or will, then you are following the devil, directly or indirectly.

 

Choose liberty.  Refuse slavery.

 

"It is for freedom that Christ has set us free.  Stand firm then, and do not let yourself be burdened again by a yoke of slavery."  Galatians 5:1

Something you HAVE to know and DO (Part 2)

Imagine you got a bonus check from your job for $2000 dollars.  The check is in your bag or purse or pocket.  It's on your person.  Think of how different your consciousness is.  Instead of 20 dollars on your person, you have 2000.  Your awareness and thoughts and actions are very much different.  You have more respect for 2000 dollars than 20 dollars.  Now imagine, for some reason, you forgot you had that 2000 dollars in your pocket or purse or bag, and somehow I knew it.  Say I'm your boss, the one who gave you the bonus.  One day I ask you, "So, how'd you enjoy your 2000 dollars?" 

BAM!

You remember! 

You've got 2000 dollars that you totally forgot about.  That knowledge alone changes your life at that moment.

It's the same with simply knowing what you now have in your possession:  The Spirit of God!

Do you really know and believe this?  If you do, then there is something you must do. 

The first thing you needed was a revelation.
The next thing you need is consecration.

Now that you know that the Spirit of the Lord God is in you, keywords, the Lord, meaning The Supreme Ruler Creator, it naturally follows that you would submit your entire life to Him at this very moment and from now on.  Let's review the revelation Paul gave the Corinthians, with the consecration he urged them to act out as a result:

"Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies."

Because the Spirit of the Lord is in you, having "purchased you" by the blood of Jesus, you are no longer your own.  Your life is not yours; your life now belongs to your Creator and Savior, to His Spirit in you.  You are not just aware of His Presence, you are now aware of what His presence practically means. 

For example, when you're driving and the police are following your car, you experience a revelation leading to consecration!  Now that you know the police are following you, you submit to their authority.  Their presence, red and blue lights, and sirens summon your submission.  The same is true with the divine person in you, the Spirit of God.

If the Spirit in you doesn't shape everything you think, say, and do, then either you don't know He's in you, you don't believe He's in you, or worst of all, you don't care.  It would be like you running from the police instead of stopping when they follow.  You would be deliberately disrespecting the authority of the law.  The Lord in you is now in authority over you.


The Spirit of the Lord is your Lord.  What will you do with His presence from now on?



You have a choice:
Acknowledge Him and submit to Him.
Ignore Him and rebel against Him.

There is no neutral ground with what you now know.

If you choose to acknowledge and submit to the Spirit of God who is in you, pray this prayer with me:

"Our Father in heaven, in the name of Jesus I acknowledge and totally surrender to Your Spirit who is in me.  I no longer live for myself.  I live totally for Him.  Amen."

From this moment on, you are aware of the Spirit of God who is in you.

Your life will never be the same, nor will anyone else who encounters God in you and with you.

Jesus is Lord.
Amen.

Something you HAVE to know and DO (Part 1)

You have to know one thing by the end of this blog.
You have to do one thing with what you will know.

The first thing you need is a revelation.  The same revelation Paul gave the Corinthian Christians is the revelation you have to have by the end of this blog.  Here it is:

Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God?
I Corinthians 6:19a NIV

If you believe that Jesus is the Son of God and that He died for your sins, you have to know this:
The Holy Spirit is in you.
The Holy Spirit is God.
Therefore, God is in you.

God is in you.
God.
In.
You.

Not a power or influence.  Not an "it."  Not a "force."
God, a person, The Person, with a mind, emotions, and will, is inside of your body right now as you read, acknowledging His presence as you read my words.

Ponder it with me.
(Click here for part two)

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.

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.

How Does It Feel to Be Filled With The Spirit? (Part 1)

Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit...
The Apostle Paul

I heard a man who claimed to be a Christian refer to himself as a "spiritual bartender," who got believers "spiritually tipsy."  He said this in relation to being filled with the Spirit.  This is straight foolishness.  I write to expose it and replace it with the truth. 

Drunkenness is a "work of the flesh," according to the Apostle Paul.  The works of the flesh and the fruit of the Spirit are opposed to each other.  So being filled with the Spirit is not like being drunk on wine.  To be drunk on wine takes away your self control.  To be filled with the Spirit gives you complete self-control.  This principle is what distinguishes the Holy Spirit from Satanic spirits. 

• Satan wants you passive in mind and will.  In a trance.  Under hypnosis.  Mindless.  "Open."  Controlled. 
• The Holy Spirit wants your mind and will active, for you to be free, as it is written, "Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom."

So how does it feel to be "filled with the Spirit."

There is a connection between what Paul is saying about wine and the Spirit.  But remember, he uses the word "instead."  And remember, drunkenness is opposed to the Spirit's influence in your life.

Yet the word "influence" is the connection between wine and the Spirit.  Instead of being under the influence of wine, be under the influence of the Spirit.

Again, how does it feel to be under the Spirit's influence, versus under the influence of wine? 
Here is the difference:

• Wine is a substance.
• The Holy Spirit is A Person.

Substances like wine or drugs may alter your mind, emotions, body, and will.  Yet they do so impersonally.  But what is it like when a person influences your mind, emotions, will, and body, a person who wants to liberate and empower you? Click HERE to find out.

How To Be Led By the Spirit in 5 MINUTES

Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.  And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.  Philippians 4:6-7

After you read this post, you'll know how to follow the Spirit every day of your life, for the rest of your life.

Daniel prayed three times a day.  That's the first thing for you to do:

1. Divide your day into three parts:  Beginning, Middle, and End.
For example.  Say you work a 12 hour job.  There are three 4 hour segments in your work day.  You get to work in the first segment.  You most likely take a break by the second segment, and you are getting ready to get off in the third.  These are the sections of your work day.  Having divided your work day, go to the next step.

2.  Take 5 minutes at the beginning of these 3 segments to pray.  When you pray, tell God what you have in mind to do, what your plans are.  NOT HIS PLANS, FOR NOW.  Yours.  I'll explain this later.

3.  Having told God YOUR plans (NOT ASKING FOR HIS), see if you sense "the peace of God, which transcends all understanding."  If you do, then you know you are in agreement with God's will, and you should proceed with your plans.  If you don't feel perfect incomprehensible peace that can only be described as from God, then go to YOUR "plan b," and c, and d, until you do sense God's peace.

Take at least 5 minutes of uninterrupted time in prayer to seek God's perfect incomprehensible peace at the beginning, middle, and end of your day, whether it is your work day, or your time at home.

Now, why did I focus you on what YOUR plans are and NOT God's plans? 

In this "stage," it's easier to know what you want to do.  Some believers try to "discern God's will" and they can't...because they are so distracted by their own will.  God knows this.  You know this.  So instead of trying to act like you're trying to find God's will at the time, be honest.  God knows what's plaguing your mind.  I'm not saying to disregard God's will, or to not seek His will.  I'm saying start where you are in your maturity with Christ.  If you are at a place where you can silence your mind, spirit, and emotions and genuinely seek God's will, do that. 

But if you're learning to follow the Spirit, the beginning stage is like with young children.  At first, you just say "yes," and "no" to their requests. Young children aren't usually going to come to their parents and say, "Daddy and Mommy, let your kingdom come and your will be done in my life. Not mine will but thine be done!"  They are immature and thus, to a certain extent, self-centered.  But parents work with them from where they are.  God does the same.

You know what you have in mind, and you also know that you do want God's will to be done in your life, even if its' not your will.  So start with your will, and see if it agrees with His will through Him giving you peace in prayer.  As you grow, you will begin to be "neutral" spiritually. This means when you do already have something in mind, you won't be hell bent on it.  You can go either way.  Or, you really won't have any preference at all because you've come to know that God's will is so much better than yours. 

You know where you are in your relationship with Jesus. 
Everything I've written can help you, no matter the stage of your walk with Him.

If you agree, pray this prayer with me:

"Father in heaven, I plan to seek your will, three times a day at least for five minutes at least.  Starting now.  In Jesus name.  Amen."

Now take 5 solid minutes to pray to God. 
Let me know how it went.

Your Truest Ministry (Part 4)

Pursue love and desire spiritual gifts....The Apostle Paul

USE YOUR SPIRITUAL GIFT
The most loving and powerful thing you can do for your fellow believers in Christ is you use your spiritual gift, and to ONLY use your spiritual gift.  Nothing else you do is helpful or beneficial, because only what the Spirit empowers you to do will cause them to grow in faith in Christ.

Hear that again.

The only help you can give your fellow believer is your spiritual gift.
Or even an unbeliever for that matter.

How do I know?

Because Jesus told His very own followers to wait in Jerusalem to be clothed with power from on high.  These men had been with Jesus for 3 years and only had to go and tell what they had seen and heard.  How hard was that?  They learned from God Incarnate for three years.  They saw Him risen from the dead.  They saw him ascend into heaven. And they were commissioned to simply go into all the world and tell everyone the good news: 

Jesus Christ is the Son of God.  He died for your sins.  He rose from the dead.  He ascended into heaven.  He is Lord, and He's coming again.  We are eyewitnesses of this.

They were to preach this gospel and make disciples, simply teaching those who believe to do what Jesus taught them to do for three years. 

Yet they were commanded by Jesus to stay in Jerusalem and NOT fulfill the great commission until they had power from the Spirit.  For 10 days the world waited for the believers in Christ to be clothed with power and to hear the message, a message that they were commanded NOT to preach until they received power from the Spirit.

In the same way, you dare not attempt to glorify God and help people without God's power in you, without your spiritual gift. 

Now that you know what your spiritual gift is, make it your first and foremost priority to use it in everyway, to shape your life so that your job, your friendships, and every relationship and thing you do involves the use of your gift.

If your spiritual gift is the ability to give "messages of wisdom" according to 1 Corinthians 12, then take every opportunity on your job, at home, or in your relationships to in fact give messages of wisdom to those who lack it, or those who want to increase their wisdom.  There is no where you can go, and no relationship you can be in, where someone doesn't need wisdom.  Because the Spirit has gifted you with wisdom, it stands to reason that He has placed people in your life, or placed you in someone's life, who desperately needs your spiritual gift.  Find them and help them.  If you agree, pray this prayer with me:

"My God and Father, show me the people in my life who need my spiritual gift.  In Jesus name, amen."

Now actively look for the people in your life who need your spiritual gift. Then by faith, follow the Spirit in using your spiritual gift in his or her life.  God is with you.  I'm with you.  Jesus is Lord.

Your Truest Ministry (Part 3)

Walk in the Spirit, and you will not fulfill the desires of the flesh.  The Apostle Paul

 

These are the steps in fulfilling your truest ministry:

1. Know how the Spirit leads you.

2. Know how to use your spiritual gift.

3. Follow the Spirit's leading.

4. Use your spiritual gift.

 

Today we are focusing on step 3.

 

FOLLOW THE SPIRIT'S LEADING.
As master martial artist Bruce Lee once said,

 

"Knowing is not enough, you must apply.  Willing is not enough, you must do."

 

Or as James, the brother of Jesus, said, "Faith without works is dead," or useless.

 

Now that you know how the Spirit leads you, being taught this in my first blog of this series, you have to do it. 

 

Actively choose to follow the Spirit's leading, step by step, day by day.  Today.  Right now.

 

As a child of God, this is your obligation.
Everything hinges on this, and this alone.

 

• Before you read the scriptures, stop and pray that the Spirit leads you in your reading.  When you do this, certain scriptures or passages will stand out to you.  This is His revelation, meant for your inspiration and application.
• Before you talk to someone, pray that the Spirit leads the conversation.  He will help you to listen and hear insights into the person's heart, and He will give you words that will draw him to Christ, words that will conform her to the image of Christ.

 Before you say or do anything, pray this prayer, if you agree with it:

 

"My Father in heaven, in the name of Jesus, please lead me by your Spirit. Amen."

 

It's an easy prayer to remember and pray.

 

After you pray it, present to the Lord what you have in mind to do to serve Him.  If you have in mind to read the Bible, ask Him where to begin, or what to read.  If you have in mind to encourage a brother or sister in the Lord, tell Him what you have in mind to say, and see if you have the incomprehensible perfect peace of God in those words.  If not, the Spirit will give you different words to say.  He will lead you if you follow Him.  The choice is yours.

 

Follow the Spirit's leading to achieve your truest ministry.

 

Your Truest Ministry (Part 1)

As many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are the children on of God.  The Apostle Paul 

What do you as a follower of Christ need to be doing, all day, everyday?

The answer to this question determines your effectiveness, or ineffectiveness, in God's purposes.

Look at the question again.

What key words do you see?
There should be two:

• Follower
• Doing

Followers follows. 
They do what their leaders command and empower them to do.

As a follower of Christ Jesus, you should follow the His Spirit

in using the spiritual gift He's given you. 

This is your truest ministry. 

 

These are the steps in fulfilling your ministry:

1. Know how the Spirit leads you.
2. Know how to use your spiritual gift.
3. Follow the Spirit's leading.
4. Use your spiritual gift.


Let's focus on number one.

KNOW HOW THE SPIRIT LEADS YOU.
The first level of the Spirit's leading is Spirit led conscience, or a sense of the peace of God as you are about to make a decision.  It's like a "red, yellow, or green light" that you sense when you think through what to do.  For example, you pray and ask God if you should or should not take a job offer.  You express your thoughts, feelings, and desires about the job offer.  You then wait to sense the Spirit's leading.  You feel a "red light," a sense that you should not take the job, even though it "makes sense for you to do so."  Or you sense a "green light" to take the job, even though it does not make sense to do so.  Or maybe you feel a "yellow light" to wait and pray more. 

In the beginning of following the Spirit, He will lead you with the peace of God, which is incomprehensible and perfect. It "surpasses all understanding," and it is a complete deep down sense of peace.  This is how the Spirit leads you in the beginning, and is a basic way to sense and know His direction in your life.  As you mature, the red/yellow/green lights will become more specific--you'll receive more specific intuitive revelations. You won't simply present things to the Spirit for Him to approve or disapprove through peace, or a lack of peace.  As you grow in your faithfulness in following your Spirit led conscience, He will initiate revelations and directions through your Spirit led intuition.  And the more faithful you are to Spirit lead intuition, the more specific the revelation, until it become a conversation--spiritual communion.  In other words, you will come to know the very voice of God. 

Know how the Spirit leads you by being faithful to your Spirit led conscience, to peace of God, to the red light/yellow light/green light.

(To be continued.)

Your Only Goal. Your Single Purpose.

Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own;  you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies. 1 Corinthians 6:19-20

If you believe in Jesus, you have one goal:  Obey the Holy Spirit.
If you believe in Jesus, you have one purpose:  Honor the Holy Spirit.

Nothing else matters.
Everything is encompassed in this.

If each of us who believe in Jesus Christ, the Son of God, our Lord and Savior, obeyed His Spirit to honor His Spirit, we would have everything God intended us to have on earth:

1. We would have The Perfect Unity Christ prayed for in John 17.
2. Non-Believers would experience conviction leading to salvation.
3. Believers would experience edification leading to sanctification.
4. Believers, individually and collectively, would understand the Bible as each read it alone, and through Spirit led Bible teachers and pastors.  The Spirit inspired the scriptures, so He, the author, would give us true and unifying revelation.
5.  We would bear the fruit of the Spirit and use the gifts of the Spirit, manifesting the Spirit to believers and non believers.
6. The gospel, empowered by the Spirit, would reach the entire world, and then the end would come.

If we would only obey the Spirit as our only goal, and honor the Spirit as our only purpose, the Name of Jesus would be glorified on earth, and the Father would send His Son for His church.

The Spirit and the Bride say, "Come."

What about you?

What is your only goal and purpose as a follower of Jesus?

Right now, commit to one goal:  Obeying the Spirit of Christ.
Right now commit to one purpose:  Honoring the Spirit of Christ.

Jesus is alive.  Risen.  Ascended.
He is on earth by His Spirit.  Alive.  In you.

Obey Him.
Honor Him.

Read the prayer below, and if you agree, pray it with me.

"Our Father in Heaven, In the name of Jesus, I ask you to lead me by Your Spirit that I may honor the Presence of Your Spirit on earth.  From now on I have one goal:  To obey your Spirit.  From now on I have one purpose: To honor your Spirit.  In the name of Jesus, Amen."

Two Tips for Being Led By The Spirit (Part 1)

...if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.  ...the fruit of the Spirit is...peace...and self-control.  Galatians 5:18, 22-23


How can you know without doubt you are being led by the Spirit of God?  After all, this is the essence of the life a disciple:  to follow the Spirit of Christ wherever He leads you.  You must know.  You can know.  By the end of my words, you will know.

The Lord Jesus affirmed the words of Moses when He said, "Let everything be established by two or three witnesses."  So let's establish the certainty of following the Spirit with two witnesses:

1. Peace

2. Self-Control.

You can know without a doubt you are being led by the Spirit of Christ if you experience perfect, incomprehensible peace and complete self-control. 

Let's explore both.

BEING LED BY THE SPIRIT RESULTS IN PEACE.

Not just any kind of peace, mind you, but what the Apostle Paul calls "the peace of God."  God's peace has two characteristics:

• It's perfect.
• It's incomprehensible, or "surpasses all understanding."

This means that it is complete and can't be explained any other way than being from God.  For example.  You pray about whether you should take a job offer or not.  The job doesn't seem quite right for you.  It's not in the location you wanted, and it doesn't pay what you think you need. But for some reason, you feel complete peace about the job, and the peace doesn't make any sense at all to you.  Yet deep inside, you have a deep sense of inner tranquility when you consider the job offer.  That peace is the peace of God, surpassing all understanding.  When you feel that, you can know that you are following the Spirit.

Now imagine you are in a different job situation.  You have a job opportunity that seems absolutely perfect in every way.  Perfect location. Perfect pay.  Perfect responsibilities.  You like the people, the boss, the office.  Yet for some reason, you just don't feel right about the job, and it makes no sense to you why you don't.  No matter how you try to rationalize your decision to take this perfect job, you feel deep inside you shouldn't, though there is no physical evidence against the job.  This is the Spirit leading you away from the job, if you will listen.  The Spirit will lead you by the Peace of God, one of the fruit of the Spirit.  He will also lead you through self-control.  Find out how.  Click here.

How People KNOW You are God's Child

For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God.  Romans 8:14

 

Did you know that you can control whether people know you are God's child?  There is a way for you to do it.  Two ways to be exact.

 

I learned these ways from a book called "The Power of Presence," by Kristi Hedges.  The point of the book is that your presence is a powerful source of your success in life, and that you have direct control over it. 

I applied this to scriptural truth, and saw how God's presence is the essence of His Kingdom, salvation, eternal life, reality.  His presence in His children is the distinction between true and false religion.  Kristi Hedges speaks of presence in ways that agree with the word of God.  (Where she doesn't, or if she doesn't, I ignore it.)  But where she does, she speaks two significant truths, or gives two types of presence that we determine in our relationships:

 

1. Our Personal Presence
2. Our Situational Presence.

 

You determine by deliberate intention your personal and situational presences.  This is how people know that you are God's child.

 

Your personal presence is how you want to be defined, or known.  What words you want to come to mind when people think of you.  For example, let's say you want to be known as intelligent.  When people think of you, they think, "He's very intelligent."  You want intelligence to define you.  That would be your personal presence, and everything you think, say, and do would need to be congruent with intelligence.  You first intend this deliberately, then you do nothing to contradict it.  This actually fits scripture by the way.  Let's substitute "intelligence" with "wisdom."  If you wanted your personal presence to be one of wisdom, meaning you wanted to be known as a wise man or woman, the scriptures give specific ways to "come across" as wise.

 

• Even a fool, when he keeps silent, is considered wise; When he closes his lips, he is considered prudent. Proverbs 17:28
• When there are many words transgression is unavoidable, but he who restrains his lips is wise.  Proverbs 10:19

So according to Solomon, the wisest man to ever live, second only to Christ in wisdom, if you wanted  your personal presence to be wisdom, one way to make that happen is restrain your lips.  We all know this intuitively.  Those who are careful with their words "come across" as wise, or intelligent.  How you want to come across is your personal presence.  And how you want people to feel in different situations when they experience you is your situational presence, the second deliberate choice you make about how you want to be known.

 

If you want people to feel excited when you come around, you should be "exciting."  If you want them feel encouraged, you should be encouraging.  Depending on the situation, and the needs of the situation, your "situational presence" may change, but it will never contradict your personal presence, who you are at your core.  Again this agrees with scripture:

 

Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. Romans 12:15

 

Even God has "situational presences":
To the faithful you show yourself faithful, to the blameless you show yourself blameless, to the pure you show yourself pure, but to the devious you show yourself shrewd. Psalms 18:25:26

 

Now that you know what personal and situational presence is, and how to bring them about, you can apply them to being known as a child of God.  What better personal or situational presence can you and I have?  Paul tells us how to be known as children of God, so that when people think of you, the word that comes to mind is "child of God."  When people are around you, no matter the situation, they feel like they are in the presence of a child of God.

 

It is by the Spirit of God in you that gives you the personal presence of a child of God; the presence of the Spirit, in  you and with you, as you follow Him, gives you the situational presence of God's children.

 

You were born of the Spirit through faith in Christ Jesus.  This is who you are.  This never changes.
You are led by the Spirit in every situation; you walk in the Spirit; you are led by the Spirit. 

 

Remember, this is intentional and deliberate, and Paul shows us how in very practical words, words that define my life:

• "Do you not know that to whom you present yourselves slaves to obey, you are that ones slave, whom you obey?"
• "Those who live in accordance with the Spirit set their minds on what the Spirit desires

I am a slave of the Spirit; I've presented myself to the Spirit as His slave to obey Him; therefore I am His slave because I obey Him. This is my personal presence.  It is also my situational presence, because there is never a situation where I am not His slave of obedience.  I want to be known as a slave of the Spirit, as one who obeys the Spirit. I want people to feel that I have only one master, only one will that I submit to, that I am under orders.  Now the beauty of this identity is liberty for me and all who are around me.  In other words, I no longer live according to my will, but only the will of the Spirit of the Lord Jesus Christ.  As it is written, "Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty." 

If I'm only focused on the Spirit's will, then not only am I not controlled by any other will, but I don't want any body else to be controlled by my will!  As it is also written,

"Who are you to judge someone else's servant? To their own master, servants stand or fall. And they will stand, for the Lord is able to make them stand." Romans 14:4

All I want for me, and for you, is to follow the Holy Spirit. He alone is my master.  And He alone is your master.  This is my personal and situational presence.

What is yours?

Two Ways To Know The Spirit in Your Life

The mind governed by the flesh is death, but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace. Romans 8:6

What were you thinking about before you started reading my words?  Right before.  The beauty about that question is that you know, or should know.  It's easy to know.  You have complete control over what you choose or refuse to think about. 

Was it your plans for today?  A conversation you just had or anticipate having?

Whatever you were thinking about was governed by one of two sources:
1. The flesh.
2. The Spirit

Of course, if you believe in the Lord, you want your mind governed by the Spirit of God.  You know your mind is governed, or led, or influenced, by the Spirit in two ways:

• Life
• Peace.

THE MIND GOVERNED BY THE SPIRIT IS LIFE.
What is life?  It is more than mere existence and breathing.  It is the energy of intimacy between God, you, and me, as Jesus said, "Now this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you sent."  When you focus your mind on following the desires of the Spirit, you will feel the energy of God's intimacy. God listening and responding to you.

THE MIND GOVERNED BY THE SPIRIT IS PEACE
God is not your enemy, nor does He consider you His enemy.  Jesus removed all hostility between us and God, so our relationship with Him by His Spirit feels like a harmonious union of two friends with one purpose. 

Yet if you feel disconnected and conflicted, look at what you are thinking about.  It will be obvious.  The Spirit's desires will be the farthest thing from our mind, and you will be conflicted within yourself because you have contradictory and self centered desires, none involving Christ, none involving His Spirit's leading. This is what it means for your mind to be governed by the flesh--by self centeredness instead of God centeredness.

But You do have a choice.

Whatever you were thinking about before you read these words, from this moment on you can let the Spirit govern your mind, and experience the life and peace that Jesus died and rose to give you by His Spirit.

Is It Possible To Perfectly Obey God's Commands? (Part 2)

Moses did everything just as the LORD commanded him.  Exodus 40:16


In verses 19, 20, 22, 24, 27, 29, and 30 of chapter 40 in Exodus, these words are repeated:


"As the LORD commanded him."


God gave Moses specific commands, then Moses did everything just as the Lord commanded him.


What makes Moses different from us? Didn't he resist the call of God on his life at the burning bush, so that God's anger burned against Moses?  Didn't God forbid Moses to enter the promise land because Moses misrepresented God in anger?


Moses was a human being just like you and me, yet at this point in his life, in Exodus 40, "Moses did everything just as the LORD commanded him."


How? 
By faith.


The commands of the LORD are not too difficult.  They are not beyond your reach.  They are not burdensome.  And by commands I don't mean the 10 Commandments, or the "630 laws."  I mean the commands given by the Spirit of Christ to you today, and even right now.  We are to follow the leading of the Spirit, and to do everything just as He commands. This is ultimately what our lives are about, everyday and every moment, as we will see...click here for part 3.

Is It Possible To Perfectly Obey God's Commands? (Part 3)

In all the travels of the Israelites, whenever the cloud lifted from above the tabernacle, they would set out; but if the cloud did not lift, they did not set out--until the day it lifted.  So the cloud of the LORD was over the tabernacle by day, and fire was in the cloud by night, in the sight of all the house of Israel during all their travels.  Exodus 40:36-38




The Israelites had done all the work just as the LORD had commanded Moses.
Moses did everything just as the LORD commanded him.




Then the cloud covered the Tent of Meeting, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle.




We see two things from the word of God:


1. When we perfectly obey God by faith, God will manifest His presence with us. Jesus affirmed this to the 12 apostles:




"Whoever has my commands and keeps them is the one who loves me. The one who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love them and show myself to them." John 14:21


2. God's manifest and leading presence will be not only normal, but objectively visible. For us the church, this is the case.  We walk in the Spirit.  We are led by the Spirit.  This is the normal state of our lives, and should be as tangible as the pillar of cloud by day, and the pillar of fire by night with Israel. 


The Israelites did not travel or make a move until the cloud of the LORD led them.  This was  normal for Israel.  It should be normal for the church to follow the Spirit in the same way, everyday, in all of our travels.


But we don't experience this as normal because we don't obey God.  We don't do everything just as the Spirit commands us.


We stumble over the word "perfect."  We dismiss and dishonor this word, as though the word itself is a burden of sin.  This is a deception.


When you go to a restaurant and place an order, you expect the order to be "perfect."  You expect to get what you pay for.  You ask for steak, salad, and potatoes.  You expect to get these three items, cooked to your specifications.  You expect the cook to do everything just as you commanded.  And that's what happens.  The waiter says, "How is everything?" If you're eating what you ordered, everything is fine.  But if not, you tell the waiter what is missing, or imperfect.


So it is with following the Spirit.  The Spirit is leading me to write this blog.  I'm writing it.  I'm writing everything He's giving me, just as He's leading me to write it.  It isn't burdensome, too difficult, or beyond my reach to use the gift He's giving me.  In fact, I enjoy it. To follow the Spirit is the joy of my life.


When we follow the Spirit by faith, we can do everything just as He commands us.  And we will experience His manifest presence with us.  This is normal.  May we accept it as our reality.