ON APRIL 24, 2018, WHILE MY WIFE AND I WERE SITTING QUITELY IN WORSHIP, THE HOLY SPIRIT, AS HE OFTEN DOES AND SUCH A BLESSING, SHARED 7 COMMANDS (NOT SUGGESTIONS) THAT IF WE WOULD FOLLOW ON A DAILY BASIS WOULD ENABLE US TO WALK IN HIS PEACE AT ALL TIMES! THERE IS A CONDITION, HOWEVER, AS THERE ARE IN GOD'S COMMANDS, AND THAT IS THE "HUGE LITTLE" WORD IF! FOR EXAMPLE, IN JOHN 15:7 (WOULD YOU BELIEVE, NUMERAL 7 AGAIN) "IF YOU WILL ABIDE IN ME, AND MY WORDS ABIDE IN YOU, YOU WILL ASK WHAT YOU DESIRE, AND IT SHALL BE DONE FOR YOU."
NOTICE THERE ARE 7 COMMANDS....AND WHAT DOES THE NUMERAL 7 SIGNIFY IN SCRIPTURE? COMPLETION! CONSIDER GENESIS 2:2 "AND ON THE SEVENTH DAY GOD ENDED (COMPLETED) HIS WORK WHICH HE HAD DONE, AND HE RESTED ON THE SEVENTH DAY FROM ALL THE WORK WHICH HE HAD DONE."
THIS IS AN OPPORTUNE TIME TO TAKE A FEW MINUTES AND EXAMINE THE "CONFUSION" CONCEPT OF WORK! SOME OF YOU MIGHT DECLARE...."BUT THESE ARE WORKS" WHICH WE HAVE BEEN TAUGHT ARE NO NOs!! THANKFULLY HOWEVER, THESE ARE CRUCIAL WORKS, TO BE SURE. LET'S VISIT THIS CRITICAL AND TO SOME A MOST CONFUSING TOPIC....I ENCOURAGE YOU TO READ WHAT IS WRITTEN IN JAMES 2:14-26 CONCERNING "WORKS". VERSE 14 IS THE BEGINNING OF THE IMPORTANCE OF WORKS: "WHAT DOES IT PROFIT, MY BRETHERN, IF SOMEONE SAYS HE HAS FAITH BUT DOES NOT HAVE WORKS? CAN FAITH SAVE HIM?" ALSO IN JOHN 4:34 (JESUS TALKING) "....MY FOOD IS DO THE WILL OF HIM WHO SENT ME, AND TO FINISH HIS WORK". IN JOHN 9:4, AGAIN JESUS SPEAKING: "I MUST WORK THE WORKS OF HIM WHO SENT ME WHILE IT IS DAY; THE NIGHT IS COMING WHEN NO ONE CAN WORK."
AND "THE MIRACULOUS ACOMMOMPLISHMENTS AND DEEDS OF JESUS ARE WORKS OF GOD IMPLYING POWER AND MIGHT" (NEW SPIRIT FILLED NKJV WORD WEALTH 9:4) WORKS OF THE SPIRIT!
LET'S TAKE A LOOK AT THE NEGATIVE SIDE OF "WORKS" - GALATIONS 2:16: "KNOWING THAT A MAN IS NOT JUSTIFIED BY THE WORKS OF THE LAW, BUT BY THE FAITH IN JESUS CHRIST...FOR BY THE WORKS OF THE LAW, NO FLESH SHALL BE JUSTIFIED." PLEASE KEEP IN MIND THAT THE WORKS OF THE LAW (OLD TESTAMENT) HAVE BEEN SUPERCEDED BY THE COVENENT OF GRACE IN THE NEW TESTAMENT, THANKFULLY!
ONE LAST COMMENT IS FOUND IN "TRUTH IN ACTION - (GALATIONS 3:1-11) AGAIN IN THE NEW SPIRIT FILLED NKJV BIBLE: "UNDERSTAND THAT IT IS JUST AS IMPOSSIBLE TO MAINTAIN YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD THROUGH W0RKS (ITALICS BY THE AUTHOR) AS IT WAS TO EARN IT IN THE FIRST PLACE."
TO SUMMARIZE WORKS (OT) AND WORKS(NT)...IF A CHILD OF GOD IS PERFORMING WORKS IN THE FLESH THINKING HE IS EARNING "BROWNIE POINTS" IN GOD'S EYES, HE/SHE IS IN SERIOUS ERROR/DANGER. HOWEVER, IF HE/SHE IS PERFORMING WORKS ACCORDING TO GOD'S DIRECTIONS AS JESUS DID, HE/SHE IS FOUND IN GOD'S EYES AS OBEDIENT.."FOR THE SON OF MAN WILL COME IN THE GLORY OF HIS FATHER WITH HIS ANGELS, AND THEN HE WILL REWARD EACH ACCORDING TO HIS WORKS." (MATT. 16:27) FLESH WORKS OR SPIRIT WORKS!
NOW TO THE PROPHETIC WORD THE HOLY SPIRIT SHARED WITH US CONCERNING EXPERIENCING GOD'S PEACE ON A DAILY BASIS:
1. "SURRENDER YOUR EARTHLY CARES TO ME
2. WORSHIP ME KNOWING THAT I CARE FOR YOU
3. EXALT MY NAME
4. RECOGNIZE MY POWER
5. RECEIVE MY LOVE
6. FOCUS ON ME, NOT YOUR CIRCUMSTANCES, ALLOWING ME TO TAKE CARE OF CIRCUMSTANCES AND
7. REST IN MY PRESENCE AND IN MY CARE KNOWING THAT YOU ARE LOVED."
IF THERE ARE ANY OF YOU WHO HAVE NOT BEEN INTRODUCED TO THE HOLY SPIRIT WHO IS PART OF THE TRIUNE GOD (THE FATHER, SON, AND HOLY SPIRIT, KNOWN AS THE TRIUNE GOD - ELOHIM), MAY I ENCOURAGE YOU TO READ MATTHEW 3:13-17; 4:1-11, THE BOOK OF ACTS, AND 1 CORINTHIANS 13,14. IN ORDER FOR A BELIEVER TO BE EMPOWERED TO TRULY FUNCTION IN THE FULLNESS OF THE GIFTS/FRUIT OF THE HOLY SPIRIT, HE/SHE MUST BE BAPTIZED "IN THE HOLY SPIRIT" AS JESUS WAS IN MATT. 3:16! KEEP IN MIND FOR "AS HE WAS, SO MUST WE BE"! OTHERWISE IF A BELIEVER HAS NOT BEEN BAPTIZED BY THE HOLY SPIRIT, HE/SHE IS NOT EMPOWERED TO FULLY FUNCTION AS A CHILD OF THE LIVING GOD. TAKE PETER FOR EXAMPLE IN ACTS 2:1-21. I HAVE HEARD SO MANY BELIEVERS TRAGICALLY DECLARE, "WELL, IF THE LORD GOD WANTS ME TO BE FILLED (BAPTIZED) IN/WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT, HE WILL HAVE TO DO IT! SORRY SAINTS, THAT IS NOT WHAT THE SCRIPTURES DECLARE, AS WITH OUR BEING BORN AGAIN...WE MUST ASK TO BE BORN AGAIN AS IN JOHN 3:16 TO BEGIN WITH. THUS WE MUST ASK TO BE FILLED/BAPTIZED WITH THE HOLYSPIRIT! FOR AS THE SCRIPTURE DECLARES...."WE HAVE NOT BECAUSE WE ASK NOT."JAMES 4:2
BE GLORIFIED ALMIGHT GOD, BE GLORIFIED
