THE HOLY SPIRIT AND SPIRITUAL WARFARE

IN BLOG 7, THE INFILLING/BAPTISM OF THE HOLY SPIRIT WAS INTRODUCED AND AS WELL, HIS SPIRITUAL SIGNIFICANCE.

THE QUESTION NOW NEEDS TO  BE ASKED: "WHY DO WE NEED TO SPEND TIME CONSIDERING THE PERSON OF THE HOLY SPIRIT- WHO IS HE AND WHAT HIS PURPOSE IS HERE ON EARTH?"

 PLEASE NOTE IT IS STATED "WHO IS AND WHAT IS HIS PURPOSE..PRESENT TENSE!  THUS HE IS!

FIRST OF ALL, WHERE DO WE FIRST EXPERIENCE THE HOLY SPIRIT IN SCRIPTURES?

GENESIS 1:1 "IN THE BEGINNING, GOD CREATED THE HEAVENS AND THE EARTH." (NKJV) AT FIRST GLANCE, ONE COULD WELL ANSWER.."WHY, GOD DID"!  AH...THIS IS WHY IT IS SO CRUCIAL THAT WHEN WE ARE READING AND HOPEFULLY STUDYING THE SCRIPTURES, THAT WE NOT JUST SKIM THE SCRIPTURES, BUT GO DEEPER AND DISCOVER WHAT THE ORIGINAL HEBREW (OT) OR THE GREEK (NT) IS SAYING......OTHERWISE, WE WILL MISS THE SIGNIFICANT TRUTH OF WHAT THE SCRIPTURES ARE REALLY DECLARING!.

MAY I ENCOURAGE YOU TO BE LIKE THE BEREANS (ACTS 17:11)  "TO FIND OUT WHETHER THESE THINGS WERE SO".

"GOD" IN GENESIS 1:1 IS NOT SINGULAR, BUT PLURAL - "ELOHIM", MEANING "GOD THE FATHER, THE SON, AND THE HOLY SPIRIT, i.e, THE TRIUNE GOD - THE TRINITY.

 IT HAS BEEN SAID THAT "THE EXECUTIVE IS THE FATHER, THE ARCHITECT IS THE SON, AND THE CONTRACTOR IS THE HOLY SPIRIT". (PAUL WALKER, NKJV -HOLY SPIRIT GIFTS AND POWER)

ONE WILL FIND IN AN EXCELLENT STUDY SOURCE, EXEGESES - A LITERAL TRANSLATION AND TRANSLITERATION OF SCRIPTURE,THAT ALL THROUGH
GENESIS 1, IT IS NOT GOD IN THE SINGULAR, BUT ELOHIM ,THE FATHER, SON, AND HOLY SPIRIT WHO ARE  INVOLVED IN THE CREATION..THUS, AS WE READ GENESIS 1, IT NOW GIVES US A NEW REVELATION JUST WHO WAS INVOLVED IN CREATING THE UNIVERSE. WHAT A MIGHTY TRIUNE GOD WE SERVE...AMEN?

I NEED TO ASK AT  THIS JUNCTURE, "JUST WHERE ARE YOU, IN YOUR RELATIONSHIP TO THE TRIUNE GOD"?  REMEMBER IN BLOG 7,  WE READ  FIRST AND FOREMOST..... THAT ONE MUST BE BORN FROM ABOVE (BORN AGAIN) AS JESUS TELLS NICODEMUS IN JOHN 3:3, AND AS WRITTEN IN ROMANS 10:9,10 - "THAT IF YOU CONFESS WITH YOUR MOUTH, THE LORD JESUS AND BELIEVE IN YOUR HEART THAT GOD RAISED HIM FROM THE DEAD, YOU WILL BE SAVED.  FOR WITH THE HEART ONE BELIEVES UNTO RIGHTEOUSNESS,  AND WITH THE MOUTH CONFESSION IS MADE UNTO SALVATION (BORN AGAIN). WHEN THIS HAPPENED TO ME, I WAS ASKED THE PROFOUND QUESTION..."IF YOU WERE TO DIE RIGHT NOW, DO YOU KNOW BEYOND A SHADOW OF DOUBT WHERE YOU WOULD END UP...HEAVEN OR HELL?" IF YOU DON'T KNOW, I ENCOURAGE YOU TO PRAY THIS SALVATION PRAYER. AND SETTLE THE MATTER HERE AND NOW:

    "LORD GOD ALMIGHTY, I AM TOLD IN THE BIBLE, THAT I MUST CONFESS THE LORD JESUS AS THE SON OF GOD., AND AS WELL, IT STATES THAT "I AM THE WAY AND THE TRUTH, AND THE LIFE. NO ONE COMES TO THE FATHER EXCEPT THROUGH ME". (JOHN 14:6)
 AND JESUS TOLD NICODEMUS THAT IN ORDER TO INHERIT THE KINGDOM OF GOD, ONE MUST BE BORN AGAIN.  LORD, I SO DESIRE TO BE BORN AGAIN AND INHERIT THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN. LORD JESUS, I SURRENDER MY LIFE TO YOU.  I WANT TO BE YOUR CHILD.   MAY MY LIFE BE USED TO SERVE, HONOR, GLORIFY, A.ND PRAISE YOU ALL THE DAYS OF MY LIFE.  THANK YOU FOR FORGIVING ME OF ALL MY SINS, PAST, PRESENT, AND FUTURE BECAUSE OF YOUR SHED BLOOD ON THE CROSS. HOLY SPIRIT, I AM ALSO TOLD THAT I CANNOT 'WALK THIS WALK' BASED ON MY OWN EFFORTS', THEREFORE, I ASK AS IT DECLARES IN BLOG 7 THAT YOU FILL ME/BAPTIZE ME AND EMPOWER ME AS YOU DID JESUS AT THE RIVER JORDAN. THANK YOU FOR SAVING ME.  IT IS IN THE PRECIOUS NAME OF JESUS THE CHRIST THAT I PRAY THIS PRAYER. AMEN AND AMEN."

IF YOU PRAYED THIS PRAYER, PLEASE SHARE WITH SOMEONE (CONFESS WITH YOUR MOUTH)  WHAT JUST TOOK PLACE IN YOUR LIFE.  PRAISE GOD.

WE WILL CONTINUE WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT IN BLOG 9.

                            BE GLORIFIED, LORD GOD ALMIGHTY, BE GLORIFIED
                                 

HOLY SPIRIT EMPOWERMENT AND SPIRITUAL WARFARE - BLOG 7

                                     

                                                
                           JESUS BEGINS HIS MINISTRY
 SOME TIME AGO, WE BEGAN TALKING ABOUT SPIRITUAL WARFARE . IN BLOG 5, YOU WILL RECALL,WE LISTENED IN AS JESUS WAS TALKING WITH HIS DISCIPLES CONCERNING HIS UPCOMING DEATH ON THE CROSS. IN JOHN 14:16, JESUS ASSURES THEM THAT HE WOULD NOT LEAVE THEM COMFORTLESS, IN THAT THEY WERE SORELY DISTRESSED THAT HE WAS LEAVING THEM!  WHAT WAS GOING TO HAPPEN TO THEM, THEY LAMENTED!  JESUS KNOWING THEIR THOUGHTS, SAID

TO THEM, "AND I WILL ASK THE FATHER AND HE WILL GIVE YOU ANOTHER COMFORTER (COUNSELOR, HELPER, INTERCESSOR,, ADVOCATE, STRENGTHENER AND STANDBY) THAT HE MAY REMAIN WITH YOU FOREVER!"  (AMPLIFIED BIBLE)

OF COURSE, WE CAN ANTICIPATE THEIR WONDERMENT AS TO HOW HE COULD POSSIBLY MAKE THIS COME TO PASS! WHAT DOES HE MEAN WHEN HE DECLARES "ANOTHER COMFORTER, ADVOCATE, ETC.? TRAGICALLY, THEY REALLY HAD NO CONCEPT JUST WHO JESUS TRULY WAS/IS!

IN MATTHEW 3:4, WE READ OF THE  DISCOURSE BETWEEN JESUS AND JOHN THE BAPTIST CONCERNING HIS BAPTISM IN THE RIVER JORDAN. "AND WHEN JESUS WAS BAPTIZED, HE WENT UP AT ONCE OUT OF THE WATER, AND BEHOLD, THE HEAVENS WERE OPENED AND HE (JOHN) SAW THE SPIRIT OF GOD (HOLY SPIRIT)  DESCENDING LIKE A DOVE AND ALIGHTING ON HIM; AND LO, A VOICE OUT OF HEAVEN SAID THIS IS MY SON, MY BELOVED, IN WHOM I DELIGHT!" JESUS WAS NOT ONLY EXPERIENCING WATER BAPTISM, BUT HE WAS BAPTIZED, (FILLED) WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT.

"THEN JESUS WAS LED (GUIDED) BY THE HOLY SPIRIT INTO THE WILDERNESS
(DESERT) TO BE TEMPTED - THAT IS TESTED AND TRIED - BY THE DEVIL!"

WHY WAS THIS A NECESSITY ENDEAVOR? AFTER ALL, WASN'T JESUS GOD ALMIGHTY? WHY WOULD HE HAVE TO BE BAPTIZED IN THE HOLY SPIRIT?
REMEMBER, HE WAS WALKING THE EARTH AS MAN AND WAS/IS A MODEL FOR "THOSE WHO WILL", I.E BELIEVERS.

JESUS WAS ABOUT TO BEGIN HIS MINISTRY (ABOUT AGE 30) THUS,  IT WAS IMPERATIVE THAT HE ESTABLISH IN NO UNCERTAIN TERMS WITH THE FOUL SPIRIT WORLD, JUST WHO HE IS, AND AS WELL,TO BE EMPOWERED BY THE HOLY SPIRIT, SO AS TO ACCOMPLISH ALL THAT HIS FATHER HAD PURPOSED FOR HIM ON EARTH AND HE COULD DECLARE THE LAST THREE WORDS WHILE ON THE CROSS "IT IS FINISHED"   (JOHN 19:30)

AS IT MUST BE EVERY CHRISTIAN WHO IS PASSIONATE/DESIROUS IN ACCOMPLISHING ALL THAT THE LORD HAS FOR HIM/HER!  PLEASE KEEP IN MIND WHAT JESUS DECLARED IN JOHN 15:4,5, "ABIDE IN ME, AND I IN YOU, AS THE BRANCH CANNOT BEAR OF ITSELF,  UNLESS IT ABIDES IN THE VINE, NEITHER CAN YOU, UNLESS YOU ABIDE IN ME. I AM THE VINE AND YOU ARE THE BRANCHES.  HE WHO ABIDES IN ME AND I IN HIM BEARS MUCH FRUIT; FOR WITHOUT ME, YOU CAN DO NOTHING." 

TO REITERATE, ONE IS BORN AGAIN BECAUSE OF THE HOLY SPIRIT DRAWING HIM/HER. .NO ONE CAN COME TO THE FATHER WITHOUT THE WOOING OF THE HOLY SPIRIT. SOME DECLARE THAT ONCE ONE IS "BORN AGAIN, THAT IS ALL THERE IS,,WE HAVE ALL OF THE HOLY SPIRIT WE ARE GOING TO GET"! HOW TRAGIC AND SUCH DECEPTION FROM SATAN !  HOW MANY TIMES HAVE I HEARD BELIEVERS DECLARE,"WELL IF GOD WANTS ME TO HAVE THE BAPTISM OF THE HOLY SPIRIT, HE WILL GIVE HIM TO ME"!  THAT IS AS NONSENSICAL AS DECLARING :"IF GOD WANTS ME TO BE 'BORN AGAIN', HE WILL MAKE IT HAPPEN"! NO, WE HAVE TO ASK  THE LORD TO BE BORN AGAIN, AND AS WELL, ASKING TO BE BAPTIZED IN THE HOLY SPIRIT. ONCE WE BECOME "SPIRIT-FILLED", AGAIN, TO REITERATE, IT IS THEN WE ARE EMPOWERED, AS WAS JESUS, TO BE FULLY USED BY GOD!  THE GIFTS OF THE HOLY SPIRIT AND THE FRUIT OF THE HOLY SPIRIT ARE THEN RELEASED.  THESE WILL BE ADDRESSED IN BLOG 8.

IF YOU ARE INTERESTED IN PURSUING THIS TOPIC ON YOUR OWN, MAY I ENCOURAGE YOU TO READ THE BOOK OF ACTS AND 1 CORINTHIANS. I CLOSE BY INCLUDING A SIMPLE HEART-FELT PRAYER THAT WILL ASSIST YOU IN BECOMING "FILLED WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT", THAT IS, IF YOU HAVE BECOME "BORN AGAIN, OR BORN FROM ABOVE" AS JESUS DECLARES IN JOHN 3:1-21.      

             "MOST GRACIOUS HEAVENLY FATHER, I THANK YOU THAT WHEN
             I ASKED YOU TO BECOME BORN AGAIN, YOU DREW ME TO YOU AND I
             BECAME YOUR CHILD, TO BE CARED FOR AND LOVED BY YOU FOR
             ALL ETERNITY.  I KNOW THAT I AM UNABLE TO TRULY ACCOMPLISH
             ALL THAT YOU HAVE FOR ME AS YOUR CHILD, WITHOUT THE
             INDWELLING HOLY SPIRIT TO EMPOWER ME, HOLY SPIRIT, I SO DESIRE
             NOW, THAT YOU FILL ME, BAPTIZE ME  I SURRENDER TO YOU NOW, HAVE
             YOUR WAY IN MY LIFE. LORD,  I SO LOOK FORWARD TO THE SPIRITUAL                          GIFT/GIFTS YOU HAVE FOR ME SO AS TO BUILD UP THE BODY OF CHRIST.                        AND IT IS IN THAT PRECIOUS NAME ABOVE ALL NAMES, JESUS THE CHRIST                    THAT I PRAY THIS PRAYER. AMEN AND AMEN."
         
 




                                                                           
                                                                                 
                                                                             

                                                  






                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 

 

SPIRITUAL WARFARE PART 6

              SPIRITUAL WARFARE BLOG 6 – FEAR (CONTINUED)

     ONE OF THE MOST 10 TERRIFYING ROPE BRIDGES IN THE WORLD

 IF YOUR FRIENDS WERE CROSSING THIS BRIDGE AND WANTED YOU TO         

                        JOIN THEM…….WOULD YOU?

NOT LONG AGO WE WERE WATCHING A MOVIE WITH  SCENES SHOWING A MOTHER, FATHER WITH THEIR DAUGHTER AND HER WEDDING PARTY APPROACHING A VERY LONG ROPE FOOT BRIDGE HIGH OVER A SWIFTLY RUNNING RIVER. IT WASN’T LONG BEFORE THE GROUP WAS ON THE BRIDGE MOVING ACROSS…ALL EXCEPT THE MOTHER…SHE HAD BEEN LAST IN LINE…ON PURPOSE! SHE WAS PETRIFIED TO EVEN APPROACH THE BRIDGE, LET ALONE CROSS IT! 

OBVIOUSLY, FEAR HAD HER IN ITS GRIP!  THE FURTHER THE GROUP PROGRESSED ACROSS THE BRIDGE THE MORE INTENSE THE FEAR BECAME.  THE GROUP WOULD LOOK BACK FROM TIME TO TIME ENCOURAGING HER TO FOLLOW THEM….EVEN HER HUSBAND.  BUT SHE REFUSED TO BUDGE.  FINALLY HER HUSBAND TURNED AROUND, CAME TO HER AND TOGETHER THEY HEADED BACK TO THE HOTEL.

TRAGICALLY, SHE HAD BOWED TO FEAR! WAS THIS THE SPIRIT OF FEAR, OR JUST PLAIN SOULISH FEAR? THERE IS A SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCE!  THIS WAS NOT A CHRISTIAN COUPLE IN THE FILM. UNFORTUNATELY,  FEAR CAN OVERCOME EVEN THE STRONGEST OF CHRISTIANS….IF  WE ACQUIESCE!

IF YOU WERE TO CROSS THIS BRIDGE, JUST HOW WOULD YOU DO SO? WOULD YOU WALK ACROSS IN GREAT CONFIDENCE, FULLY ASSURED  THAT YOUR HEAVENLY FATHER, EL  SHADDAI, OUR GREAT POWERFUL SHEPHERD  IS  PROTECTING YOU  ALL THE WAY (JEHOVAH ROI), OR WOULD YOU WALK ACROSS HESITANTLY, WITH FEAR AND TREPIDATION, HOLDING ON THE ROPES FOR DEAR LIFE, OR EVEN  CRAWLING ACROSS, PERSPIRING PROFUSELY?  OR JUST PLAIN REFUSING TO CROSS, AS WAS THE CASE OF THE WIFE IN THE FILM, LETTING FEAR DICTATE YOUR DECISION ?

THE CRUCIAL QUESTION BEFORE FOR US: “IS THERE A BRIDGE OR ARE THERE BRIDGES IN OUR LIVES THAT WE ARE AFRAID TO CROSS BECAUSE OF FEAR?” WE MUST ALWAYS KEEP IN MIND THAT THE ENEMY OF OUR VERY BEING, SATAN, IS PERSISTENTLY STALKING US, MORNING, NOON AND NIGHT! THAT’S HIS JOB, “ SEEKING  WHOM HE CAN KILL AND DESTROY (JOHN 10:10). HOWEVER, WE MUST ALWAYS KEEP BEFORE US  GOD’S  ASSURANCE THAT “GREATER IS HE (GOD) WHO IS IN YOU THEN HE (SATAN) WHO IS IN THE WORLD!” ( 1 JOHN 4:4)

IT IS CRUCIAL TO KEEP IN MIND, THAT FEAR IS NOT ALWAYS THE RESULT OF SATAN AND HIS MINIONS HARASSING US….THE WORLD AND OUR FLESH CAN BE INSTIGATORS AS WELL! 

A WORD OF CAUTION….SOME BIBLE VERSIONS WILL USE “SIN NATURE” TO DESCRIBE THE FLESH.  THIS CAN NOT BE SUBSTANTIATED IN SCRIPTURE ,FOR WE HAVE BEEN GIVEN A “DIVINE NATURE” ( 2 PETER 1:4.)  THANKFULLY, BECAUSE OF THE POWERFUL WORK OF OUR SAVIOR AND LORD JESUS ON THE CROSS, WE HAVE BEEN SET FREE FROM SIN, FOR IT HAS NO DOMINION OVER US ANY LONGER, THANKFULLY!  ( ROMANS 6:14)

IN ADDITION, HOW MANY TIMES DO WE HEAR CHRISTIANS DECLARE : “I AM A SINNER, SAVED BY GRACE”?  REALLY? WHERE IS THIS FOUND IN SCRIPTURE?  WE SIN IN OUR FLESH , BUT TO REITERATE, WE HAVE BEEN SET FREE FROM SIN, AS STATED IN ROMANS 7:1-25; 8:1-37. JESUS DECLARED IN JOHN 9:31, “GOD DOES NOT HEAR SINNERS, BUT IF ANYONE IS A WORSHIPER OF GOD AND DOES HIS WILL, HE HEARS HIM.”

 LET’S REVIEW THE SCRIPTURE “FOR GOD HAS NOT GIVEN US A SPIRIT OF FEAR, BUT OF POWER AND OF LOVE AND OF A SOUND MIND.” (2 TIM. 1:7)

 IN ORDER TO UNDERSTAND THIS SCRIPTURE THOROUGHLY, WE NEED TO UNDERSTAND THE MEANING OF FEAR  AS IT RELATES TO THIS SPECIFIC SCRIPTURE IN 2 TIMOTHY 1:7 , FOR WORDS CAN BE TRANSLATED DIFFERENTLY DEPENDING UPON THE CONTEXT OF  THE SCRIPTURES. UNFORTUNATELY, SO MANY READ A SCRIPTURE SUPERFICIALLY WITHOUT GOING DEEPER AS TO JUST WHAT THE HEBREW OR GREEK TRANSLATION IS . FOR EXAMPLE, FEAR IN THIS SCRIPTURE IN THE GREEK TRANSLATES ”TIMIDITY”! (1167 STRONG’S CONCORDANCE). CONSIDER THE GREEK FOR FEAR IN LUKE 1:65 “AND FEAR CAME UPON ALL….” WHICH IN THE GREEK MEANS “TERROR/ALARM. (5401 STRONGS). THIS WOULD BE THE CASE OF THE LADY AT THE BRIDGE…SHE WAS TERRIFIED, NOT TIMID!

LET’S RETURN TO THE ORIGINAL QUESTION: “WHAT BRIDGE OR BRIDGES  ARE YOU TIMID, TERRIFIED OR REFUSE TO CROSS IN YOUR LIFE?

MAY I ENCOURAGE YOU TO SEEK THE WISDOM OF THE LORD AS TO FEARS THAT COULD WELL BE HIDDEN IN YOUR VERY BEING.  ONCE EXPOSED, THEY CAN BE DEALT WITH, FOR YOU DO NOT HAVE TO LIVE IN FEAR, WORRY, FRETFULNESS, OR ANXIETIES..THIS IS CERTAINLY NOT THE WAY GOD WOULD HAVE US LIVE…AMEN?  IN FACT, HE DEALS WITH THIS VERY SUBJECT IN MATTHEW 6:25-34….MEDITATE IN THESE TRUTHS AND SEE HOW YOUR LIFE BECOMES LESS AND LESS FEARFUL/WORRISOME. 

THE LORD HAS PROVIDED STRATEGIES FOR DEALING WITH FEAR IN OUR LIVES AND WE WILL CONSIDER THESE MORE IN DEPTH IN THE NEXT BLOG, ESPECIALLY HOW TO DISCERN  WHERE FEAR COMES FROM…THE FLESH OR SATAN.

UNTIL THEN, BE COMFORTED AND ENCOURAGED WITH GOD’S WORDS IN 1 JOHN 4:18 “PERFECT LOVES CASTES OUT FEAR”; 2 TIMOTHY 1:7 “BEING FILLED WITH GOD’S SPIRIT WILL CAUSE YOU TO BECOME FEARLESS”!

PLEASE KEEP IN MIND GOD’S COMMAND: “BUT BE DOERS OF THE WORD, AND NOT HEARERS ONLY, DECEIVING YOURSELVES. FOR IF ANYONE IS A HEARER AND NOT A DOER,HE IS LIKE A MAN OBSERVING HIS NATURAL FACE IN A MIRROR; FOR HE OBSERVES HIMSELF, GOES AWAY,AND IMMEDIATELY FORGETS WHAT KIND OF MAN HE WAS.” (JAMES 1:22-24)

                             BE GLORIFIED LORD, BE GLORIFIED