THE HOLY SPIRIT AND SPIRITUAL WARFARE BLOG 9

FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO HAVE BEEN FOLLOWING THE LAST TWO BLOGS, I HAVE BEEN FEATURING THE TRIUNE GOD...THE FATHER, SON, AND HOLY SPIRIT AND WHERE WE FIRST MEET THEM (ELOHIM) IN THE BIBLE.  GENESIS 1:1.

YOU WILL REMEMBER THAT EACH HAS HIS UNIQUE KINGDOM FUNCTION - AND IT HAS BEEN SAID THAT THE FATHER  IS THE EXECUTIVE, JESUS THE SON IS THE ARCHITECT, AND THE HOLY SPIRIT IS THE CONTRACTOR - THE ONE RESPONSIBLE FOR "PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER", FOR THOSE WHO WILL ALLOW HIM TO "BUILD THEIR SPIRITUAL LIVES", IF YOU WILL!  THE CRUCIAL QUESTION NOW BECOMES...JUST HOW MUCH WILL WE LET HIM BUILD OUR SPIRITUAL LIVES? THEREIN LIES THE BASIS OF OUR ENHANCED CHRISTIAN WALK.

WHY IS IT THAT WE NEED TO FOCUS SO MUCH ON THE HOLY SPIRIT?  LET'S LOOK AT WHAT SCRIPTURES SAY CONCERNING HIM:

     "BUT WHEN THE HELPER COMES WHOM I WILL SEND TO YOU FROM THE
      FATHER, THE SPIRIT OF TRUTH WHO PROCEEDS FROM THE FATHER,  HE
      WILL TESTIFY OF ME" (JOHN 15:26; 16:5-15)

 IN ADDITION, CONSIDER OTHER NAMES FOR WHICH HE IS KNOWN:

• THE COMFORTER, THE CONVICTOR OF SIN, OUR WISDOM, THE SPIRIT OF GOD, THE SPIRIT OF CHRIST, THE HOLY SPIRIT OF PROMISE, THE SPIRIT OF GRACE, THE SPIRIT OF HOLINESS, AND THE EMPOWERER.  THE HOLY SPIRIT IS ALSO THE PERSON WHO PROVIDES SPIRITUAL GIFTS FOR THE BUILDING UP OF THE BODY OF CHRIST
• THERE ARE SYMBOLS WHICH ARE ASSOCIATED WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT*: 
• FIRE, WIND (ACTS 2:1,2)
• WATER (JOHN 7:37-39)
• A SEAL (EPH. 1:13)
• OIL (ACTS 10:38)
•  A DOVE (ACTS 1:32)

 *(PAUL WALKER - "HOLY SPIRIT GIFTS AND POWER", SPIRIT FILLED BIBLE -NKJV)

YOU MIGHT WELL ASK, "WHY DO I  NEED TO BE 'PERFECTED' IN THE FIRST PLACE?  I BELIEVE I AM DOING QUITE WELL IN MY CHRISTIAN WALK JUST AS I AM?"

IF THIS IS TRULY YOUR BELIEF, THEN TRAGICALLY, YOU HAVE BEEN DECEIVED BY THE LIAR SATAN, AND SADLY, YOU WILL NOT BE ABLE SERVE ALMIGHTY GOD AS HE SO DESIRES YOU TO SERVE HIM, FOR YOU WILL BE STAGNANT IN YOUR CHRISTIAN GROWTH/EFFECTIVENESS!

HOWEVER, THIS IN NO WAY WILL HINDER YOUR ENTERING HEAVEN WHEN HE CALLS YOU HOME AS LONG AS YOU DON'T DEPART FROM THE FAITH!

"NOW THE SPIRIT EXPRESSIVELY SAYS THAT IN LATTER TIMES SOME WILL DEPART FROM THE FAITH, GIVING HEED TO DECEIVING SPIRITS AND DOCTRINES OF DEMONS, SPEAKING LIES IN HYPOCRISY, HAVING THEIR OWN CONSCIENCE SEARED WITH A HOT IRON...." (1 TIMOTHY 4:1-3)  THIS IS KNOWN AS THE GREAT APOSTASY OR "THE FALLING AWAY" WHICH DESTROYS ANOTHER LIE OF SATAN, "ONCE SAVED ALWAYS SAVED"! (HEBREWS 6:6; MATT. 24:12,13, AMONG OTHER SCRIPTURES)

SATAN HAS TRULY DONE A POWERFUL WORK IN CAUSING SUCH CONFUSION IN INDIVIDUAL CHRISTIAN LIVES, RESULTING IN DIVISION WITHIN THE BODY OF CHRIST...FOR HE HAS BEEN MOST DIVISIVE!  AND WHY DO YOU THINK HE WORKS HARD AT DOING SO?  HE IS SO OUT TO DESTROY THE BODY OF CHRIST, INDIVIDUALLY AND THUS COLLECTIVELY! BUT THANKFULLY, "YOU ARE OF GOD, LITTLE CHILDREN, AND HAVE OVERCOME THEM, BECAUSE HE WHO IS IN YOU IS GREATER THEN HE THAT IS IN THE WORLD" (1 JOHN 4:4)

SATAN WILL BE THE TOPIC OF ANOTHER BLOG, FOR IT IS CRITICAL FOR US TO KNOW OUR ENEMY!

TRAGICALLY, CHURCHES HAVE DIVIDED OR DESTROYED, BECAUSE OF SATAN'S WORK.  THAT'S HIS JOB...."THE THIEF DOES NOT COME EXCEPT TO STEAL, AND TO KILL, AND TO DESTROY".  (JOHN 10:10)

IN SO DOING, SADLY, MANY CHURCHES ARE IMPOTENT, BECAUSE THEY DO NOT KNOW WHO THE HOLY SPIRIT IS RESULTING IN THE HOLY SPIRIT NOT BEING ABLE TO FUNCTION IN THESE CHURCHES,  FOR HE WILL NOT GO WHERE HE IS NOT INVITED! TRAGICALLY, THIS SO GRIEVES AND QUENCHES HIM. (EPH. 4:30; 1 THESS. 5:19) THUS THOSE CHURCHES BECOMES POWERLESS, BECAUSE OF HIS ABSENCE! AND IN ADDITION, THE SPIRITUAL GIFTS ARE NOWHERE TO BE FOUND!

PLEASE DO NOT READ INTO THIS THAT I AM ANTI-CHURCH!  GOD FORBID!  BUT MY HEART ACHES FOR THOSE BELIEVERS WHO ARE ATTENDING DEAD OR LUKE WARM CHURCHES THAT IGNORE THE EMPOWERMENT OF THE HOLY SPIRIT AND ALL THAT HE HAS TO OFFER THE BODY, ESPECIALLY THE GIFTS/FRUIT OF THE SPIRIT.

I LEAVE YOU WITH THIS PERTINENT QUESTION FOUND IN ACTS:19:2...."HAVE YOU RECEIVED THE HOLY SPIRIT SINCE YOU BELIEVED?"

BLOG 10 WILL FOCUS ON:

• THE WORK OF THE HOLY SPIRIT IN THE OLD TESTAMENT AND HIS WORKING IN THE NEW TESTAMENT
• THE SPIRITUAL GIFTS...THOSE  OF THE FATHER, THE SPIRITUAL GIFTS OF JESUS AND THE SPIRITUAL GIFTS/FRUIT OF THE HOLY SPIRIT AS WRITTEN IN 1 COR. 12-14.

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

                        * BE GLORIFIED, LORD GOD ALMIGHTY, BE GLORIFIED*