The church today does not recognize the Holy Spirit like it should. People speak of Him, they sing of Him, they pray for more of Him, but do they really rely on Him?
A faithful quote by Billy Graham to reckon with is, "Ninety-five percent of today's church activities would continue if the Holy Spirit were removed from us; in the early Church, ninety-five percent of all her activities would have stopped if the Holy Spirit were removed."
The lack of recognition of the Holy Spirit who lives inside those who have given their life to Jesus remain immature in their faith; entangle themselves with themselves; find boredom in their Christian life; limit their ability to see God's miracles; rarely serve God's people, and are blinded to the needs of the lost and the poor that live around them.
Jesus was outward focused; He was selfless, completely obedient to His Father; miraculous in all His ways; taught with authority, and had deep compassion for others. What made this possible for Jesus? He relied fully on the anointing of the Holy Spirit. In this reliance He was able to live a life without sin and be in complete submission to the Father. He says this about Himself and His Father, "I and the Father are one" (John 10:30). This oneness was so tightly woven that there was no room for error; no room for selfishness; no room for lazy follow through; no room for fear; no room for faithlessness; no room for anxiety; no room for the evil one to win at temptation. Jesus lived a free life because the Spirit of God was His ticket to freedom, for Paul says, "...where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom" (2 Corinthians 3:17).
Jesus in is full humanness chose to lay down His human life as sin's sacrifice , yet, He offered up his humanness for heaven's glory through the Spirit of God.
It's a daily endeavor to ask for the anointing of God's Spirit. Even though we may not ask for Him, we still have Him, however, when we intentionally ask for His fullness, we are doing two things: we are submitting ourselves to His power and control and we ask for His activity in our life. We allow ourselves to see Him work through us. But sadly, He is often neglected. And when neglected, regretfully, we are the ones who lose out; overlooking God's anointing causes us to miss His audible impressions, therefore, we pass up God-given supernatural encounters with Heaven's riches.
Monday, July 4, 2011
Don't Hope it! Pray it!
The battle of sin and the incessant injustice we see around us can cause us great anxiety, anger, and worry. As we battle for our very own souls and the souls of others, it can cause us to succumb to its prison. But I am telling you, we can finally, be dead to sin, its injustice and its nagging anxiety!
We no longer need to walk in the deeds of our flesh. Paul tells us so in Colossians 3:5, “Therefore, consider the members of your earthly body as dead…” Did you hear that? DEAD. We are dead “…to immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and greed, which amounts to idolatry.” Evil desire gives way to anger, anxiety and more injustice. Why? Because evil desire is about us! It’s about our ability to solve our problems. It takes our minds off of God’s riches in Heaven, and puts it on this world and its wisdom.
God calls us to “set our minds on the things above, not on the things that are on earth” (Colossians 3:2). This is to be every day, every hour, every minute, and every second. We are to never have our minds set on the things of earth. NEVER! Our life is hidden with Christ in God. That means that we have the mind of Christ in us (1 Corinthians 2:16).
It is in this mind we live our life.
Living with the mind of Christ and in the power of His Spirit we are able to walk our days without sin and materialize the justice needed where sin injures the innocents. Our battle against sin has been won and we need to live in that victory, but most often we live in defeat. Why? Because we feast on the wisdom of men and we dine at earth’s table. We partake of the hors d'oeuvres of doubt, delight in the dessert of reasoning, and divulge in the entrée of man’s limitations. When, instead, we are to feast on the wisdom of God and dine at Heaven’s table. God can and will bring the feast to us if we pray. He says so in His word, “Thou dost prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; Thou hast anointed my head with oil; My cup overflows. Surely goodness and loving-kindness will follow me all the days of my life…” (Psalm 23:5-6). David is talking about his life here on earth, not heaven. This table from heaven comes down to a reality here where we abide. The feast comes filled with the extravagances of justice, honor, peace, grace, mercy, and love. Its main course is power. Its pastries are baked with the finest of spices: healing, liberty, and virtue.
How are we to get Heaven’s table on earth to where we are? How do we share in the feast of God’s riches? Through PRAYER! Prayer opens up heaven’s treasures and pours it down on us like manna in the desert.
I have heard all my life to rebuke satan with these words: “In the name of Jesus, flee from me, satan.” And certainly this statement is true, but God wants us to rebuke satan with not only the powerful name of Jesus, but also the supremacy of His Spirit. In light of this truth, it is effective to say, “In the name of Jesus and through the power of His Spirit, satan disintegrate from my presence; for there is only room for God’s Spirit in this place where I stand, because where I stand is holy ground!”
When we speak with this power, the light of God enters our presence and darkness cannot contain it. The darkness annihilates in the veil of God’s authority. Unfortunately, people often see prayer as “meditation” much like yoga. They see it as a way to calm the soul and dissipate the anxiety for a time, but prayer is an active force that brings the dominance of heaven to earth so that its light assaults the darkness and discloses God’s invisible qualities to a tangible reality. People then listen, they watch, they hear, and through the conviction of the spirit of God, they give themselves to Him. So, my dear friends, don’t hope for the feast of heaven, pray it down!
We no longer need to walk in the deeds of our flesh. Paul tells us so in Colossians 3:5, “Therefore, consider the members of your earthly body as dead…” Did you hear that? DEAD. We are dead “…to immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and greed, which amounts to idolatry.” Evil desire gives way to anger, anxiety and more injustice. Why? Because evil desire is about us! It’s about our ability to solve our problems. It takes our minds off of God’s riches in Heaven, and puts it on this world and its wisdom.
God calls us to “set our minds on the things above, not on the things that are on earth” (Colossians 3:2). This is to be every day, every hour, every minute, and every second. We are to never have our minds set on the things of earth. NEVER! Our life is hidden with Christ in God. That means that we have the mind of Christ in us (1 Corinthians 2:16).
It is in this mind we live our life.
Living with the mind of Christ and in the power of His Spirit we are able to walk our days without sin and materialize the justice needed where sin injures the innocents. Our battle against sin has been won and we need to live in that victory, but most often we live in defeat. Why? Because we feast on the wisdom of men and we dine at earth’s table. We partake of the hors d'oeuvres of doubt, delight in the dessert of reasoning, and divulge in the entrée of man’s limitations. When, instead, we are to feast on the wisdom of God and dine at Heaven’s table. God can and will bring the feast to us if we pray. He says so in His word, “Thou dost prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; Thou hast anointed my head with oil; My cup overflows. Surely goodness and loving-kindness will follow me all the days of my life…” (Psalm 23:5-6). David is talking about his life here on earth, not heaven. This table from heaven comes down to a reality here where we abide. The feast comes filled with the extravagances of justice, honor, peace, grace, mercy, and love. Its main course is power. Its pastries are baked with the finest of spices: healing, liberty, and virtue.
How are we to get Heaven’s table on earth to where we are? How do we share in the feast of God’s riches? Through PRAYER! Prayer opens up heaven’s treasures and pours it down on us like manna in the desert.
I have heard all my life to rebuke satan with these words: “In the name of Jesus, flee from me, satan.” And certainly this statement is true, but God wants us to rebuke satan with not only the powerful name of Jesus, but also the supremacy of His Spirit. In light of this truth, it is effective to say, “In the name of Jesus and through the power of His Spirit, satan disintegrate from my presence; for there is only room for God’s Spirit in this place where I stand, because where I stand is holy ground!”
When we speak with this power, the light of God enters our presence and darkness cannot contain it. The darkness annihilates in the veil of God’s authority. Unfortunately, people often see prayer as “meditation” much like yoga. They see it as a way to calm the soul and dissipate the anxiety for a time, but prayer is an active force that brings the dominance of heaven to earth so that its light assaults the darkness and discloses God’s invisible qualities to a tangible reality. People then listen, they watch, they hear, and through the conviction of the spirit of God, they give themselves to Him. So, my dear friends, don’t hope for the feast of heaven, pray it down!
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