[ecko_quote source=" 2 Corinthians 1:20"]For all the promises of God in Him are Yes, and in Him Amen, to the glory of God through us[/ecko_quote]
God’s Promises Are “Yes” Some of the promises in the Bible were spoken to specific people or groups, yet Jesus made these promises accessible to everybody. “No matter how many promises God has made, they are ‘Yes’ in Christ” (2 Corinthians 1:20).
However, you have to qualify in the same way they had to qualify—by faith. Once you know the promise, you don’t have to say, “If it is God’s will.” A person says that only when he’s unsure. God doesn’t go against His promises. That’s why praying the Word is so important. Sometimes God will back you into a corner and remove all your alternatives to show you His miracle-working power. If God’s Word is all you have to go on, you’re about to receive a miracle!
As long as you have a scheme to fall back on, you won’t see the miracle. However, when you say, “I can’t do anything else. If God doesn’t come through, I’m finished,” then God gets involved because He loves to do the impossible! If you have faith in His Word, God will take what seems impossible and accomplish it like an everyday task.
He enabled Sarah in the Old Testament and Elizabeth in the New Testament to bear sons when they were barren and past childbearing age. He enabled Mary to become the mother of Jesus when she was an unwed virgin. I like Mary’s response to the angel who told her God had chosen her for this honour: “I am the Lord’s servant.…Let it be to me according to your word (Luke 1:38). In other words, “Lord, do whatever You want to do.”
Prayer: Father, you have so many wonderful promises in Your Word, and they are “yes” for me in Christ Jesus. Please help me to surrender the “impossible” to You and watch for miracles in my life. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Thought: God gives you the promise ahead of the blessing so that when it comes, you’ll know it came from Him.
References: Myles Munroe
[http://jonah.uec.nz/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/quill-promises.jpg]
[ecko_quote source=" Jeremiah 33:3"]Call to Me, and I will answer you, and I will show you great and mighty things, which you do not know[/ecko_quote]
In today's society, fast food is making billions of dollars. Some of the popular slogans include, "Have it your way" and "Have it hot and Have it now". How easy it is for us to fall into this 'fast food mentality'? It's at a stage where we are very much defined by it.
But in God's kingdom, there's no fast food. We can't always have it our way and have it now. When we are caught up in this fast food mentality, we lose the true meaning of patience. True patience is the ability to wait on the Lord through the trials without complaining and worrying; it is to be tested and to persevere through trials that come our way.
Have you prayed fervently and waited patiently with no manifestation? Are you tired of seeing nothing move in your life? Are you at the point of giving it all up? Perhaps you have not waited in the right way? This would take you out of the right place - the place where He can meet you.
The Word of God says, “With patience wait” (Roman 8:25). Patience takes away worry. He said, He would come, and His promise is equal to His presence. Patience takes away your weeping. Why feel sad and disappointed? He knows your needs better than you do. His purpose in waiting is to bring more glory out of it all. Patience takes away self-works. The work He desires is that you “believe” (John 6:29) and when you believe, you may then know that all is well. Patience takes away all the wants. Your desire for the things you wish is perhaps stronger than your desire for the will of God to be fulfilled in its arrival.
We need to be patiently waiting on the Lord to answer us in a new way! We cannot shortcut the things of God. If we want a deeper anointing of the Spirit in our lives, we need to avoid this fast food mentality. We cannot have a deeper walk with the Lord without spending time in His Word, in intimate prayer, in repentance and humility, and practising a life of holiness. Is this a tall order? Yes, but when we are focused on God and patiently waiting on Him to answer - He will bring it to pass. He is preparing a blessing beyond our imagination. You can count on it.
Friend, let's not settle for hamburger, fries and coke - when the Lord has a delicious, heavenly feast prepared for us all.
References: George Whitten
[http://smokeybones.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/smokehouse-burger.jpg]
[ecko_quote source=" 1 Peter 5:7"] Casting all your cares upon Him, for He cares for you [/ecko_quote]
One day after a service, a woman came up to me and said, "Brother, I want you to pray for me." I said, "What for?" She looked surprised and said, "Do I have to tell you?" I said, "Well, I can not pray unless you do because I would not know what we are praying about otherwise. I cannot believe for something I do not know about, and I cannot agree on something unless I know what I am agreeing on. What is your request?" She began to cry. She said, "Brother, the burdens of life—the cares, the worries of life—are just so heavy I cannot bear them. I wanted you to pray that the Lord would do one of two things: He'd either take about half of them away because I can carry half of them—I just can't carry all of them—or else He would give me the grace to carry them."
My heart went out for her. I did my best to help her. I said, "Sister, I cannot pray either way. That would be unscriptural. You see, the prayer of faith will not work in that case. In fact, there is only one kind of prayer that will work in this case: the prayer of commitment. Isn't it wonderful, Sister, that you and I already have the answer?" She looked startled. I said, "We already have information on the subject." (i.e. inside-the-Bible) I said, "You see, the Word of God tells us exactly what to do with our worries, our concerns, our anxieties." I quoted to her from the King James Version first. I said, “In First Peter 5:7, the Holy Spirit said through the Apostle Peter, 'Casting all your care upon him; for He cares for you.' And The Amplified Bible says, 'Casting the whole of your care—all your anxieties, all your worries, all your concerns, once and for all— on Him; for He cares for you affectionately, and cares about you watchfully.'” I told her, "You do not have to do it every day. You do it once and for all. From then on, you are free from all burdens."
She looked up at me and said, "You are hard-hearted. You are just hard-hearted!" I put all the kindness in my voice I could, and I said, "Dear Sister, I am not hard-hearted. I did not write the Bible! I was not the One who said that. That's God's Word, and God loves you." "Yeah," she replied, "but you do not know what I have got to worry about!" I said, "Dear Sister, I'm sure do not know what you are worrying about, but God knows—He knows everything—and it's God's Word that says, 'Cast the whole of your care—all your anxieties, all your worries, all your concerns, once and for all— onto Him.'" She said, "I just can't do it." I said, "Yes you can. God is just and kind and good, and He did not ask you to do something you cannot do." It seemed to me that anybody would be glad to find that verse in the Bible and would be thrilled to act upon it. But she turned, walked away, and said, "I could not give up worrying.
When you turn it over to Him, you do not have it anymore. He is got it. Then you can say, "I am care-free," even when it is still there from the natural standpoint. Because you are not carrying that load; He is. We used to sing a song that went, "Take your burden to the Lord and leave it there." The trouble with most people is that they come to the altar, or wherever they pray, take their burdens to the Lord all right, tell Him about them—and then when they get up from that place of prayer; they pick their burdens up again! It helps to imagine your burdens as a 100-pound sack. People put it on their backs and carry it home with them from their place of prayer. No! Leave it there! Leave it there! "Casting the whole of your care ... ONCE AND FOR ALL on Him," that verse says. So I refuse to worry.
Sources: Pastor Jonah Ravinder -devotion- Stress Management; Pastor Kenneth Hagin
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[ecko_quote source=" wheel chairsActs 3:6"] Then Peter said, Silver and gold have I none; but such as I have give I thee: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth rise up and walk[/ecko_quote]
This story was narrated by Pastor Kenneth E Hagin in his book titled “What Faith Is”. He said in this way; I remember a few years ago a friend of mine telling me of a lady evangelist (I think probably Kathryn Kuhlman) in the earlier days of Pentecost who was ministering to four people in wheelchairs. To all four she said in a very quiet tone “Arise and walk in Jesus name” And they all got up and walked except the fourth one. I can’t walk, the fourth one said. The others could not walk either, the evangelist said, but they did. To which the fourth one replied, I know they did, but I cannot walk. I have not walked in years; I cannot walk. And the evangelist had to walk away and leave the fourth one sitting there.
You see, when the first three began to ACT on what was spoken to them the results were forthcoming. When you ACT upon what God’s Word says, or ACT upon what the Holy Spirit may speak to your heart, then results are forthcoming. That is faith!
Further Pastor Hagin also shared the following incident on faith and about Acting upon the Word of God. A lady in one of the churches he pastored was in a wheelchair. She had arthritis. The doctor had told her some years before that her body would eventually become rigid, and that she would not be able to move, she would become confined to a wheelchair. Since then she was in that state. However, she and her husband never missed a service whether the services were on weekdays or weekends. Now he could pray for this woman, and she would receive instant healing for anything such as the flu, or a cold.
But it bothered Pastor Hagin she never once asked to be prayed to receive healing from arthritis although there were many others in the church who had been healed of very serious ailments. And he was bothered because he knew it was God’s will to heal her.
Some people would say, “well, it may not be God’s will” But I know it is God’s will to heal people! That does not mean that those Christians who do not get healed are not going to heaven. It just means they are robbed of a blessing while living on this earth.
To continue above story, one afternoon Pastor Hagin gathered a small group from the Church and went to this lady’s house to pray with her. And as they prayed, Pastor Hagin saw exactly what God would have him to do. He said, to everyone, “Get back away from her”. He got across the room from her, and since they were in a large room, he asked “everybody watch, but not touch her. Stay away from her, he said”. Then he pointed his finger at her and said, “now my sister, arise and walk in the name of Jesus Christ”.
He was a witness to the fact, the prayer group is a witness to the fact and his wife is a witness to the fact that an unseen power lifted her out of the chair. And she just sat up in mid-air away from the wheelchair! She could move her arms, and immediately she reached down for the wheelchair. The moment she did, she just fell back down into it. The instant she did that, he said, “Sister, you do not have a bit of faith, do you? You do not believe you’ll ever be healed of this arthritis, do you? Immediately she spoke out, “No”, Pastor Hagin, I do not. I will die and go to my grave with it”... And she did.
You cannot receive from God beyond actual faith. Do you know what would have happened if she had cooperated with God and with that power which was upon her? She would have begun to walk. She’d have been healed right then.
Too many people think that God’s power- healing power. Holy Spirit power- is just going to move in on them and make them do something whether they want to do it or not. No! Because then that would be the evil spirit, not the Holy Spirit. Evil spirits force, drive and make do. Holy Spirit urges, prompts, or gives a gentle push, and then it is up to us to respond. It is up to you to obey. Moreover, when an individual will act and cooperate with the Holy Spirit, in that very moment impossible will become possible.
[http://www.themindfulword.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/healthy-cure-healing.jpg]
[ecko_quote source="Jeremiah 17:7"]Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, And whose hope is the Lord [/ecko_quote]
The Bible is primarily not a book which can be explained; it is first and foremost a book which needs to be believed in and obeyed. Whether you understand it or not, God says it! You simply obey it. Just consider when taking a medicine or flying in an aircraft or driving a car, do we have to understand the entire technology and formulas before we use those services and products. Absolutely not! we take medicine as prescribed, board the plane and drive the car having full faith in those created matters. However, we often struggle to put our trust and believe in our Lord who created everything.
Moreover, don't substitute human reasoning for obedience. So many times we like to tell God how He ought to do things. I can imagine those early disciples when Saul was making havoc of the church and carrying Christians off to prison and death. I imagine there were many praying, “Oh, God, do something about Saul. Strike him dead.” However, God did not want to strike him dead. God struck him alive! And aren't you glad He did?
Obedience to God’s commands comes from within your heart. When you are begining to struggle in obeying God, that is clear indication that your heart has shifted away from Him. Some claim “I love God, but I am having difficulty obeying Him in certain areas of my life. That is a spiritual impossibility. For example, if you told your spouse that you loved her at certain times but that you struggled to love her other times, your relationship would be in jeopardy. Yet we assume that God is satisfied with occasional love or partial obedience. He is not. Obedience without love is legalism, and there are many pagan religions that fall into this category.
Our Lord never insists upon obedience because he gave free will to choose or not to choose. He tells us very emphatically, what we ought to do, but He never takes means to make us do it. We have to obey Him out of our discipleship. He prefaced it with an IF- we do not need to unless we want to. The Lord does not give me rules. He makes His standard very clear, if my relationship with Him is that of love, I will do what He says without any hesitation. If I hesitate, it is because I love someone else in the competition. Jesus Christ will not help me to obey Him; I must obey Him; and when I do obey Him, I fulfil my spiritual destiny.
As Christians, we can waste our lives standing on faith’s shoreline, never venturing beyond ankle-deep water. There we have little need for God; after all, we are safe on the beach, far from the danger of high waves and storms. However, believers who release themselves into deeper waters of obedience need the Lord desperately. The Christian life becomes exciting when we wade into the water so deep that our feet no longer touch the bottom. Then we must stand on God’s promises.
Isn't it strange how God works? You see, our ways and God's ways are very different. It is why we have to say, “I will trust You and obey. “Trust and obey, for there's no other way, to be happy in Jesus- But to trust and obey
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[ecko_quote source="3 John verse 2"]“Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers ” [/ecko_quote]
We have examined the man’s three-fold nature (spirit, soul and body) in our previous devotion series. Our spirit has been born again when we received Lord Jesus into our hearts. In relation to our soul, the Scripture states it must prosper and be renewed with the Word of God. Our soul has four faculties, mind, will, intellect and emotions. God’s desire is to prospers us in all of these parts. This would enable our soul to flourish so that we may have good health and prosperity in every area of our life. Soul prosperity is the greatest blessing on this side heaven. The health of the soul came first in the Apostle’s mind and when there is that; he can wish for bodily health to support it.
It is God’s will to prosper, and the prosperity does not mean money alone. But prosperity in the Christian lifestyle includes character, attitudes, personality and other physical and monetary areas. Prosperity without health is irrelevant. If you are terminally ill then what good does prosperity do to you? Further, what good will it be for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? (Matthew 16:26). Therefore, my dear one our soul must prosper in all faculties of a soul (mind, will, intellect and emotions). The Scriptures says in Proverbs 17:22” A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones. There is a direct connection between our soul prosperity to our health and wellbeing. Let us examine each of the soul's faculties briefly and how they would contribute to the holistic prosperity of our soul.
Mind: Webster defines mind as "the intellectual or rational faculty in man, consciousness, intelligence, memory, soul." This is not exactly true. In the Greek language, for mind, we have the noun "dianoia" and the verb "dia-nooumai." Both are composite words from the preposition "dia," which means through, by way of, by means of, and "nous," which is the thinking agent, or that which thinks in man, the human soul. Therefore, "dianoia" for mind in the Greek language means the substance or the instrument through which the soul of man functions in thinking. Mind is a thinking agent and whatever it thinks it acts accordingly. The Scripture says “Do not conform to the pattern of this world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve; what God's will is--his good, pleasing and perfect will (Roman 12:2). Therefore, we must renew our mind through the Word of God. Read the Word, meditate and apply, this will enable our soul to prosper.
Will: The Will, generally, is that faculty of the mind which selects, at the moment of decision, the strongest desire from among the various desires present. Will does not refer to any particular desire, but rather to the capacity to act decisively on one's desires. Our will must align with God’s will. Remember of our Lord’s agony in Garden of Gethsemane, Saying, Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless, not my will, but thine, be done (Luke 22:42). We must submit our will to God’s Will obediently. Further, we have to do it willingly and obediently as the Scripture says, God loves who are willing and obedient, and they will eat the good things of the land (Isaiah 1:19).
Intellect: Intellect is a term used in studies of the human mind, and refers to the ability of the mind to come to correct conclusions about what is true or real, and about how to solve problems. The Scriptures says “my people are destroyed from lack of knowledge. "Because you have rejected knowledge, I also reject you as my priests; because you have ignored the law of your God, I also will ignore your children (Hosea 4:6). But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. We should not be ignorant but read the Word, understand it and apply to our lives. Ignorance is no excuse (Roman 1:18). God is not questioning your knowledge of the stock market, economy or engineering but about Him. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge and wisdom (proverb 1:7). Our intellect-faculty will prosper when we depend on God’s intellect that is the Word of God.
Emotions: Emotion, in everyday speech, is any relatively brief conscious experience characterised by intense mental activity and a high degree of pleasure or displeasure. Jesus felt compassion; he was angry, indignant, and consumed with zeal; he was troubled, greatly distressed, very sorrowful, depressed, deeply moved, and grieved; he sighed; he wept and sobbed; he groaned; he was in agony; he was surprised and amazed; he rejoiced very greatly and was full of joy; he greatly desired, and he loved.
As Christians, our emotions should be balanced. We should not be carried away by our emotions but stand firm on the Word of God.
The Scriptures says, “Rejoice with those who rejoice and weep with those who weep” (Romans 12:15). There is a wedding and a funeral every day at the same time all over the world. And if you are in a large church, you will always know somebody weeping, and you will always know that there is also someone on tiptoe happiness, which means that 2 Corinthians 6:10 is true. We are “sorrowful, yet always rejoicing.”. The fruit of the Holy Spirit shows us to have self-control. Christians must be self-controlled, who has to control? We have to control our emotions. As our emotions prosper with the Word of God, our soul would also prosper accordingly.
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[ecko_quote source=" Psalm 41:9 "]“Even my close friends, whom I trusted, he who shared my bread, has lifted up his heel against me.” [/ecko_quote]
The spiritual journey is not the one that we are meant to walk alone. God intends us to travel in the company of other believers. It appears that for some this is a wonderful arrangement while for others, it may not seem so pleasant. People can be helpful, or hurtful; they can bless us, or harm us.
Over the years I have met a countless number of Christian people who have been hurt by other Christians. People have admitted to me that they have received more hurt from the fellowships/Churches/Cell groups than they have ever been by the world. Of course, there is some truth in it. I admit that I also have gone through some similar experiences in my Christian journey, in fact, it happened to me right after I accepted our Lord Jesus. As we see from the above Scripture, King David knew this pain, and even Jesus quoted this verse when He said, “He who shares my bread has lifted up his heel against me – John 13:18.
What's the solution then? The question we need to start thinking about is that how do we deal with relationships? It is because the way we deal with difficult relationships will determine whether we advance or withdraw in the Christian journey. God does not call us to live in distrust, but to live by faith in Jesus Christ. We are disciples of the One who knows what it is to be betrayed. Moreover, through His Grace/Power, we can be victors and not victims. Therefore, do not dwell on those hurts but instead move on by looking unto the Jesus the author and finisher of our faith (Hebrew 12:2). Satan always keeps our focus on the problems and people but not on the Lord Jesus. I consider this is the great trap and many people in it.
God commands us not to judge others, but He does want us to be discerning. Jesus said we would know people’s spiritual condition by the fruit of their lives (Matthew 7:16). He said,” Thorn bushes do not produce grapes”. If a person’s life produces thorns, we can assume that the person is not a grapevine! Are we judgmental? No, we are discerning. Scripture commands us to avoid associating with mockers or fools (Proverb 22:10; 17:12). Unless we can identify mockers and fools, we cannot obey God’s command. As Christians, we have been instructed to observe the lives of others so that we can help them while avoiding any sinful influence.
God is not interested in how right you are. He is interested in how obedient you are. God’s command is not that you win arguments, but that you are kind and forgiving when others mistreat you. You bring God no honour by winning a dispute, but you reflect a Christ-like character when you demonstrate patience to those who mistreat you or misunderstand your motives. Arguing may never win people to your view, but loving them just how Christ does will win you many friends over time!
Many offences could be immediately resolved by confronting the offending party and hearing their explanation. You would be surprised how many people are so immature that they do not even bother to investigate the facts or hear the other side of the story. Don't ever forget, "There are always two sides to a story," and never assume you know the entire truth of a matter until you have heard both sides.
I can guarantee that there would be far fewer misunderstandings in the body of Christ if people would be firmly devoted to love for their brethren. Love for the brethren gives us a desire to believe the best in our brother, giving him the "benefit of the doubt," instead of jumping to conclusions and always expecting the worst. The Bible says "If you love someone... you will always believe in him, always expect the best of him" (1 Cor. 13:7 TLB).
Note that the scripture says "if your brother has something against you." In other words, you might not feel that you have legitimately violated your brother or sister. However, if you are aware that "they" harbour an offence against you, you still are obligated to go and try to resolve the issue. Be willing to be humble and submissive to others, even when you do not consider yourself to be at fault. Don't be so rigid and self-righteous that you stand in the way of a brother or sister's reconciliation with you or with God (Rom. 15:1-3). Offer your humble, sincere apology for any unintentional offence and make every effort to reconcile, so that your relationship with God will not be hindered. Whether or not they pardon you, you have done your part and released your soul from blame
Source: Pastor Jonah Ravinder from blessings or blisters; Henry T Blackberry and Dr Dale A. Robbins
[http://heidilynne91.blogspot.co.nz/2014/08/when-friends-become-enemies.html]
[ecko_quote source=" Proverbs 18:21 "]Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof [/ecko_quote]
For 6,000 years, history had been written and rewritten by the victor. Throughout the ages, as battles were fought and won, the surviving army recorded history from their viewpoint. Today we live in a different world. Our lives are recorded. Our texts and voice messages are digitally recorded and stored indefinitely. Because of the threat of terrorism against innocent people, most schools, churches, and public buildings have security cameras and recorders, inside and outside, recording every action and word.
Years ago, if you had a fit of anger and lashed out with your words, you could possibly get away with it because it was only recorded in the minds of those who've heard it. However, in the last few years of recorded history, you cannot. Times have certainly changed.
When telephone answering machines were considered as new technology, I had a friend who would talk through them. If someone made him angry, he would return their call. If they did not answer when the answering device picked up, he would let loose on them, and his message full of anger was recorded. Later, when he calmed down, he would regret what he had said. However, it was too late. The words were recorded in that answering machine.
Recently, I met a couple who was having marital problems. It all came to light when the husband accidentally left a message for his girlfriend on his wife's phone. Of course, he did not intend for his wife to hear the message, but his words were recorded whether he wanted them to be or not. He went to great lengths to keep his wife from finding the message, but he could not erase his words.
What many Christians do not understand is that their words contain power whether they are recorded or not. Because words are spirit (John 6:63), they can produce life or death. Heard or unheard, words are recorded in the realm of the spirit. The Bible tells us very clearly that death and life are in the power of the tongue (Proverbs 18:21). Thus, the words spoken from the heart by a believer can create or destroy fellowships and families. I have seen in recent times believer including Church leaders, and Pastors spoke harsh and inexcusable words with believers, and they were deeply heart and stopped coming to the fellowship. I cannot understand this, being Christians how could they speak such destructive and aching words. These words are registered forever in the hearts and minds of those who experience such ordeal. Even our forgiveness leaving the matter aside would not avail anything.
Somebody once said, "I am a good enough person to forgive you, but not stupid enough to trust you again". It's just like once lost is lost forever situation. Joel Osteen once said, "Be careful what you say, you can say something hurtful in ten seconds, but ten years later, the wounds are still there".
The Word of God states in Colossians 4:6, “Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt so that you may know how to answer everyone”. Let your speech be always with grace, "In grace, or concerning grace": let grace be the subject matter of your speech and conversation.
When saints meet together they should converse with each other about the work of grace upon their souls, seasoned with Salt - Salt, among the Greeks, was the emblem of wittiness. Here the meaning seems to be, that our conversation should be seasoned with piety or grace in a way similar to that in which we employ salt in our food. It makes it wholesome and palatable. So with our conversation. So it should be with our conversations. If it's not filled with the spirit of piety, it is flat, insipid, unprofitable, injurious.
[https://alternativesunnydays.files.wordpress.com/2015/06/words_are_weapon.jpg]
[ecko_quote source=" Jeremiah 33:3"]Call to Me, and I will answer you, and I will show you great and mighty things, which you do not know[/ecko_quote]
In today's society, fast food is making billions of dollars. Some of the popular slogans include, "Have it your way" and "Have it hot and Have it now". How easy it is for us to fall into this 'fast food mentality'? It's at a stage where we are very much defined by it.
But in God's kingdom, there's no fast food. We can't always have it our way and have it now. When we are caught up in this fast food mentality, we lose the true meaning of patience. True patience is the ability to wait on the Lord through the trials without complaining and worrying; it is to be tested and to persevere through trials that come our way.
Have you prayed fervently and waited patiently with no manifestation? Are you tired of seeing nothing move in your life? Are you at the point of giving it all up? Perhaps you have not waited in the right way? This would take you out of the right place - the place where He can meet you.
The Word of God says, “With patience wait” (Roman 8:25). Patience takes away worry. He said, He would come, and His promise is equal to His presence. Patience takes away your weeping. Why feel sad and disappointed? He knows your needs better than you do. His purpose in waiting is to bring more glory out of it all. Patience takes away self-works. The work He desires is that you “believe” (John 6:29) and when you believe, you may then know that all is well. Patience takes away all the wants. Your desire for the things you wish is perhaps stronger than your desire for the will of God to be fulfilled in its arrival.
We need to be patiently waiting on the Lord to answer us in a new way! We cannot shortcut the things of God. If we want a deeper anointing of the Spirit in our lives, we need to avoid this fast food mentality. We cannot have a deeper walk with the Lord without spending time in His Word, in intimate prayer, in repentance and humility, and practising a life of holiness. Is this a tall order? Yes, but when we are focused on God and patiently waiting on Him to answer - He will bring it to pass. He is preparing a blessing beyond our imagination. You can count on it.
Friend, let's not settle for hamburger, fries and coke - when the Lord has a delicious, heavenly feast prepared for us all.
References: George Whitten
[http://smokeybones.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/smokehouse-burger.jpg]
[ecko_quote source="1 Peter 1:16"]For the Scriptures say, "You must be holy because I am holy[/ecko_quote]
There are three fundamental principles/truths that every Christian should get the revelation from the Holy Spirit God. Otherwise, your understanding of the Bible will be skewed. Last week we examined one of the principles related to “man’s three-fold nature (spirit, soul, and body). Today let us look at the second aspect - righteousness and holiness. By the way, righteousness and holiness are not the same. In brief, righteousness is what God does for you and holiness is what you do for God. Righteousness is a result of your acceptance of His work, and holiness is a result of Him accepting your works.
Under the New Covenant anyone one who believes and confesses with their mouth that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and believes in their heart that God raised Him from the dead, they will be saved (Roman 10:9). The moment a person chooses to believe and confesses the Lordship of Jesus Christ, a supernatural miracle takes place. The Word says “Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new (2 Corinthians 5:17). This person becomes a new creature or a new person and their spirit is born again. At this point, this born-again person is cleansed from all unrighteousness (1John 1:9). If they are cleansed from all unrighteousness, how much unrighteousness do they have? None! Because they are totally cleansed by the blood of Jesus.
The Holy Spirit God dwells in the heart of a born again Christian and is sealed by the Holy Spirit Himself until the day of redemption (Ephesians 4:30). Further, 1 John 1:5 says” God is light and in Him, there is no darkness at all” That is why an unclean spirit can not possess a Christian. It is because they already have the Holy Spirit God within them. The re-born Christian’s body becomes the home of the Holy Spirit, and He does not share His home with demonic spirits (1Corithians 6:19). The born again Christian cannot sin because God's seed remains in him as he has been born of God (1 John 3:9). I will reiterate once again that a man is a spirit, soul, and body. We can see how our spirit is cleansed through our born again experience and our spirit does not sin. For example, we will not accept and worship other gods even if it costs our lives. While the flesh (body) and soul are still subject to the temptations and addictions of the world.
In this regard, Apostle Paul said a war is taking place between spirit and soul/flesh. While our spirit man is righteous, our flesh (disobedient nature) must be brought into subjection and become holy. “flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit desires what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other so that you are not to do whatever you want" (Galatians 5:17 NIV).
We will grow in the nature and stature of our Lord Jesus Christ and mature through daily meditation on the word. This will result in an increase of holiness in the Lord. However, we are never any more righteous than the day of our salvation. Righteousness is what we are, and holy is what we become. Righteousness is established and is constant. However, holiness increases through obedience. We are saved by grace through faith (Ephesians 2:8). We become holy by obedience which activates the grace of God and empowers us to do His will.
Simply put, righteousness is a condition of the born again spirit of man. Holiness is the conscious submission of the flesh to the will of God and is obedient to the whispering voice of the Holy Spirit.
References: Cutting Edge
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