Father in Jesus Name I pray that You help me. Lord, teach me about You and may this give me a newfound revelation of the Holy Spirit. Lord, I thank You so much for prayer and how the Holy Spirit helps us pray and gives us a knowledge not only of prayer, but what to pray about. Lord, teach me Your will and Your ways and may the Spirit be evident and active in my life in Jesus Name! Thank You! AMEN!
The Holy Spirit, who is He?
Is this a Person? Is He some magnetic force, an electrical socket, a
vessel for spiritual power or is He just God? There are tons of questions that
can be asked from the newest Christian to the oldest and most mature saint on this
planet about the Holy Spirit. The truth
of the matter is the understanding of the Holy Spirit is simple, but so
complex. The Bible talks about the Holy
Spirit from Genesis to Revelation. As a
matter of fact the Bible gives us a glimpse of the Spirit in the beginning:
“And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of
the deep. And the Spirit of God moved
upon the face of the waters.” (Gen. 1:2)
God was instructing us before time giving us hints towards the Holy Spirit, His
deity, who He was and if He was relevant for true Biblical teaching. Many people question the Holy Spirit, some
say this and some say that, but the Word of God has to be our final authority
over any person’s concepts, ideas or philosophies. The Holy Spirit in His simplest form is God.
The Bible says “in the beginning God.”
(Gen. 1:1) The word “God” in Hebrew
is “elohim.” The word elohim is God in a plural sense, making
reference to two or more, before embarking on that, it’s important to know that
it doesn’t mean that God is two different things or there are multiple “God’s.”
The Bible paints a picture of the Trinity in the first four verses of the Book
of Genesis. It tells us that God (plural) created the world, the Holy Spirit moved across the face
of the waters and then God spoke (the
Word; Jesus Christ) and Light appeared.
All of these give us references to the Trinity, but let’s focus on the Holy Spirit. In the Old Testament the Bible says that “the
Spirit of the LORD came upon him” in multiple places, but that’s the
problem! The Holy Spirit in the Old
Testament just made visits to us, sort of like how we do God, we just make regular
visits. The Holy Spirit would empower a
person to do a work for God and then after the work was done leave them. However, once Jesus Christ came on the scene,
He promised that something else was going to take place. He promised that after He was to die, be
buried and raised from the dead on the third day, He would send the Holy Spirit
and this time, that same Spirit that often departed would not depart but abide forever. The Bible says:
“And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another
Comforter, that he may abide with you
for ever;” ~ John 14:16
In order to receive the Holy Spirit all you have to do is
become a Christian. In order to become a
Christian, you just have to confess with your mouth and believe in your heart
that Jesus is real, He is living and He died for your sins, past, present and
future. Once you accept Christ for-real,
when you truly do it asking for sincere forgiveness
for your sins the Holy Spirit “seals you.”
The Bible says:
“In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of
truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with
that holy Spirit of promise,” ~ Ephesians 1:13
The Bible tells us that immediately after we believe we are
sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise.
In other words, when we come to believe in Jesus, immediately we are
indwelled by the presence of God, yup, that’s right God Himself is in you if you are a believer. It makes no sense though right? How can I be
bound to some little addiction if
God is alive inside of me? Have you ever thought about your current
issue or addiction in the light of God being alive and present with you at all
times, not only being around you, but in
you, knowing all that you are dealing with and struggling with? Jesus Christ has made His presence known in
your life through the Holy Spirit and He has the capability to free you from
all forms of addictions and bondages when we allow Him to do so. The deepest of hurts and pains are searched
out by the Holy Spirit and can be healed because
of the Holy Spirit but we have to yield
to His will and plan. Many of us face
catastrophic problems daily, some in finances, some in marriage, but the truth
is God is there for you. He is with you
and in you. There’s nowhere you can go to get “away from
God.” Speaking of the Holy Spirit again,
King David wrote:
“Whither shall I go from thy
spirit? or whither shall I flee from
thy presence?” ~ Psalm 139:7
The Holy Spirit is everywhere, God is everywhere, but most
importantly He is with you. He knows your trials and problems. He knows
what stresses you out and what doesn’t make you very grateful or
appreciative. Most of the time the will
of God isn’t something that we are always pleased with, because it involves us
having to do what Jesus told us to do:
“Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his
cross, and follow me.” ~ Mark
8:34
Jesus compels us today through the Holy Spirit to take up
that thing in our life that we want
so bad and sacrifice it. He wants us to
leave it all behind and follow Him. One
of the hardest things in my own
personal life was to let go of people.
It was extremely tough letting go of people in my past life and it will
be later on when I am faced with that decision again. In short, every sacrifice you make for Christ
has the ability to crush you, you feel terrible, you moan “oh God, why me? God,
I don’t want to let go of this thing, why would you want me to leave this
behind?” We cry out to God, upset and angry at Him because finally after
resisting for so long come to the point in our life where we stand face to face
with our problem. When we know what God
has pin-pointed in our life, it’s best for us to just let it go then and
there. God has ways of placing pressure
on our lives to get us to release those things that hinder us. So many times the very things we want to hold
on to the most are the things that God wants us to get rid of before He can do
a new thing in our lives. Yes, God wants
to do a new thing in your life, but you have to get rid of the old
thing. One great defining moment in my life as a Christian was a time where I had to
sacrifice an Xbox 360, for some reason I was extremely addicted to it, I
suppose Facebook games could be the same today as well, Farmville? The thing is, I didn’t care personally about the
game, but I talked to people online, some for over five years, so again it was
people. I looked at God and knew He wanted me to do it, but it was people! I
cried to God knowing He wanted me to get rid of it, but I wanted to rebel and
stand away from His will and do my own thing.
Interestingly, when I pray I sort of rock back and forth for some reason
and (this is Aug. 2010) I was playing this game and I started rocking back and
forth and it struck my heart like no other thing imaginable, I knew right then
it was over. I noticed myself rocking
and that to me was a sign I was worshiping a false god, an idol. I had placed this thing over Gods plan for my
life, I knew immediately, this thing had to go.
Sometimes God has to reveal to you what it really is before you let it
go. I agreed with God and immediately
the Holy Spirit stepped in and helped the process to happen, why would I place
this on here though? It’s all about the Holy Spirit, but the Holy Spirit is all
about Gods will being done in you. Is there something God is speaking to you
about right now, quietly in your heart you can feel Him tugging at you asking
you to get rid of that “thing” in your life that you know isn’t of God? What is stopping you from doing it? What’s keeping you from letting go of that
thing? If God is speaking to your heart,
don’t reject Him, don’t resist Him! There’s a reason why you are reading this
right now at this very moment of your life, God ordained it. Before you were
born He knew you would read this and He knew this was the breaking point for
that “thing” in your life. Will you
accept God’s plan? I’ll be the first to
tell you, it’s hard to do anything of significance for God, but its well worth
it. If I didn’t get rid of that “thing”
I had, I would never be where I am in
Christ today. God’s call required me to
sacrifice it. We all come to valleys of decision where we stand face to face with a
HUGE God and a small person (you and me) but He is waiting on your
decision. There’s no mistake, there’s no
mishap, you’re feeling that nudging for a purpose, God knows what it is and you
do too. Whatcha gonna do?
Father in Jesus Name, I pray that You teach me about You. Thank You for the Holy Spirit and the gifts of the Spirit. I pray that You help me to walk in the Spirit and for the Spirit to open my eyes to new-found revelations in Your Word. Holy Spirit enlighten me to the things of God. Holy Spirit may my witness and testimony in Your power bring my family to Christ and people from all over the world. Lord, please teach me about Your Spirit and how to walk in Him. I thank You for prayer in Jesus Name! AMEN!
_____________________________________________________________
Have you accepted Jesus Christ as
your personal Lord and Savior?
If not, here’s what you are missing.
You are missing satisfaction in life. You are missing the blessings of
God in and through your life. You are missing the blessing of being able to
know God intimately and know Him for the pardoning of your sins. You are missing the blessing of being able to
serve God and impact your community and the world around you. You are missing the beauty of God revealing
Himself to you and helping you in your daily life. You are missing out on such
great things. God wants the best for you
and His best starts with you admitting you have sinned against Him and that you
need a Savior for your sins, that Savior is Jesus Christ. Like me, will you rebel against God’s plan
and will for your life? Will you submit to Gods will so He can save you and
redirect your life? God can get you off
any drugs, any habit or addiction, nothing can stop God and God will stop at
nothing to stop it from stopping you from reaching your full potential for
Christ. God loves you so much, why wait
and why reject His message. If you want
to be saved for-real, just pray this prayer:
“Lord Jesus, I have sinned, I am a sinner, I have sinned and will sin, but I
have sinned only against You. Lord, I am in need of Your forgiveness. I believe
You died for my sins and You rose from the dead. I believe You are God and that
You have the capability to forgive me of my sins and cleanse me from my
unrighteousness. Lord, please save me and draw me to You by Your grace. Fill me
with Your Spirit. Baptize me in Your power and help me to live a lifestyle that
is pleasing in Your sight. Give me victory over temptation, Lord, strengthen me
to be all who You want me to be please in Jesus Name! AMEN!”
"God loved the world this way:
He gave his only Son so that everyone who believes in him will not die but will
have eternal life." ~ John 3:16 (God’s Word Translation)
"That
if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart
that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; for with the heart a
person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting
in salvation. For
the Scripture says, “Whoever believes in Him will not be [disappointed.” For
there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord
of all, abounding in riches for all who call on Him; for “Whoever will call on the
name of the Lord will be saved.” ~ Romans 10:9-13 (NASB)
These links may help you in your walk with Jesus Christ. I urge you to take a look at some and
remember to draw closer to God through studying His Word and praying daily for
yourself and most importantly, others.
God Bless!
[List of Bible Promises!
http://www.intouch.org/resources/gods-promises?page480=2 ]
"So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God."
~ Romans 10:17 (King James Version)
http://www.cbn.com/spirituallife/PrayerAndCounseling/index.aspx [Prayer
Request; Have someone online pray for you!]
"The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces
wonderful results." ~ James 5:16 (New Living Translation)
http://www.OurPrayer.org [Prayer Request; People from all over the world can
pray for YOU, simple, fast, free and beneficial.]
http://www.Bible.cc [Great site for searching through the Bible and
comparing each version, also charts, commentaries and dictionaries]
"Don’t get drunk on wine, which leads to wild living. Instead, be
filled with the Spirit." ~ Ephesians 5:18 (Gods Word Translation)
http://www.biblegateway.com [Great site for Bibles of various kinds and
various languages]
"A heart at peace gives life to the body, but envy rots the
bones." ~ Proverbs 14:30 (New International Version)
http://www.Christianword.org [Great site for prayers; affirmations,
scripture references etc.]
http://www.e-sword.net [Great site to download Bible software; commentaries,
dictionaries, maps, charts, various Bibles]
"A patient person [shows] great understanding, but a quick-tempered one
promotes foolishness." ~ Proverbs 14:29 (Holman Christian Standard Bible)
http://www.twft.org [Pastor Chuck Smith's Through The Bible audio sermons]
http://www.c28.com [Christian Clothing, etc.]
http://www.intouch.org/itrn?utm_source=ITM&utm_medium=Web&utm_campaign=Home_top_slider
[In Touch Ministries 24/7 Radio Broadcast Online; Free Streaming]
http://www.intouch.org/resources/gods-promises?page480=2 [List of Bible
Promises! (Easy to Print)]
"In the fear of the LORD there is strong confidence, And his children
will have refuge." ~ Proverbs 14:26 (New American Standard Bible)
http://www.wmpress.org [FREE Christian Tracts] [Shipped to your doorstep for
free.] [Pass out, leave somewhere (school, bus stop, grocery store, mall,
shopping center, etc.), send in a Birthday, Holiday or Christmas Card; Simple
ways to plant seeds of faith in people, even without speaking.]
[ORDER FORM for WMPRESS.ORG] http://www.wmpress.org/booklet_order.php [BOOKLETS/STUDY GUIDES/ GOSPEL TRACTS
AVAILABLE TO ORDER FROM WMPRESS.ORG] http://www.wmpress.org/bksavail.shtml
http://www.intouch.org/about/in-touch-messenger/messenger-downloads
[Download 35 POWERFUL sermons from Charles Stanley in less than five minutes,
compressed ZIP FILE.] [3 Languages; Pray for the Ministry of donating, giving
and supplying these handheld devices to spread the Gospel to the remote areas
of the world and throughout the 'known' world.] [Pray!]
"For, Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be
saved." ~ Romans 10:13 (American Standard Version)
http://www.thruthebible.org/site/c.irLMKXPGLsF/b.4104233/k.BFE1/MP3_Download_of_5Year_Series.htm
[Dr. J Vernon McGee's Through The Bible 5 Year Series; Free downloads]
[THREE Great Biblical Prayers Ephesians 3:14-21, Ephesians 1:16-20 &
Colossians 1:9-14, pray them for you and others!]
http://www.biblegateway.christianbook.com [Buy Christian Bibles, great
selection of Study Bibles, commentaries, audio sermons, books, clothing, music,
gifts, art; etc.]
http://www.intouch.org/broadcast/today-on-radio [Charles Stanley's daily
radio broadcast; also clicking 'Audio Archives' can allow you to search years
back and download more of his radio broadcasts]
"I pray that the God who gives hope will fill you with much joy and
peace while you trust in him. Then your hope will overflow by the power of the
Holy Spirit." ~ Romans 15:13 (New Century Version)
http://www.intouch.org/broadcast/this-week-on-tv [Charles Stanleys 'This
Week on TV' site; clicking 'Video Archives' can allow you to search back and
find older Television shows; He also has sermon notes available on each
show/segment]
"And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured
into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us." ~
Romans 5:5 (English Standard Version)
http://www.twft.com/?page=C2000 [Pastor Chuck Smiths c2000 Through The Bible
series; free downloads of book by book, verse by verse Bible study/commentary]
"May God give you more and more grace and peace as you grow in your
knowledge of God and Jesus our Lord." ~ 2 Peter 1:2 (New Living
Translation)
http://twft.com/?page=Radio.Main [Pastor Chuck Smiths Radio Broadcast; 25
minutes of study on the Word of God. c3000 edition]
[Study Bibles I suggest looking at; at CBD.com] 'Life in The Spirit Study
Bible' 'Zondervan Study Bible' Nelson KJV Study Bible' and 'ESV Study Bible.'
Christian Books; "Disciplines of The Holy Spirit" by Tan/Gregg;
"How to Listen to God" by Charles Stanley; "Living Waters"
by Pastor Chuck Smith; "Handbook for Christian Living" by Charles
Stanley;
"That I may KNOW Him" ~ Philippians 3:10
Start your day off with a Word from God; Prayer and a Song of Praise/Worship
THE ROYAL PRAYER LINE
Every Wednesday Morning
6:15 a.m. - 6:30 a.m.[EASTERN USA TIME]
Dial-in# (712) 432-1001
Access Code: 491276491#
Just Listen and Be Blessed!!!
http://www.ustream.tv/channel/royal-baptist-sunday-services [PAST SERVICES
OF ROYAL MISSIONARY BAPTIST; SUNDAY SERVICES 8 AND 11 AM; Special Events and
Bible Study as well] Enjoy!
http://royalmbc.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=58&Itemid=109
[My Churches Live Streaming; Sunday's at 8 AM & 11 AM. Thursdays for Bible
Study 7 PM; Enjoy, there IS a Word from The LORD!]
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