Sunday, January 28, 2007
Why Spirit Fellowship?
I have found through the years that the Holy Spirit will lead us into a deep and rewarding friendship, and fellowship with Himself, Lord Jesus And Father. The goal of this Blog is to simply share that friendship with you and encourage you to seek a deeper walk in the Spirit. There are unending heights and depths in God yet to be discovered by us all. He beckons. Let's go!
Do Christians Have A Split Personality?
The temple of God, as described in the bible, was divided into three distinct areas. The outer court where anyone could enter, the holy place where the priests enter and make sacrifices, and the holy of holies where only the high priest was permitted to enter, and then only once a year in order to make a sacrifice for all the people. It is the most holy part of the temple, the place where the Ark of the Covenant was kept, and the presence of God met and communicated with man. There is a trinity to the make up of the temple.
Our body is the temple of the Holy Spirit and there is a trinity to our make up as well. We are a spirit; we possess a soul, and live in a body. Our body is like the outer court of the temple. It is there for the entire world to see. It is our connection to the world, without which, we could not be in nor communicate with the world.
Our soul is like the holy place in the temple. It’s between our spirit and body. It’s our connection between spiritual and physical, heaven and earth.
Our spirit is like the holy of holies, the innermost sacred part of the temple. It’s the place where God is, where heaven is, where we meet God.
Our spirit, soul, and body are in a constant rivalry. We determine in our soul if we are going to be more body oriented or spirit oriented. This is the struggle we endure. The pull and tug between our fleshly body, which craves the things of the world, and our spirit, which craves the things of God, can become fierce unless we keep our body under control and seek God through our spirit. Our body will rule us unless we die to self and embrace the presence of God through our spirit.
We become born again by asking Jesus Christ to forgive our sins and come into our heart. Our spirit becomes alive to God when this happens and we have a new relationship with Him through our spirit. The split personality we were born with becomes one in Christ, and we are accepted by God as a temple He can dwell in through the Holy Spirit.
Our body is the temple of the Holy Spirit and there is a trinity to our make up as well. We are a spirit; we possess a soul, and live in a body. Our body is like the outer court of the temple. It is there for the entire world to see. It is our connection to the world, without which, we could not be in nor communicate with the world.
Our soul is like the holy place in the temple. It’s between our spirit and body. It’s our connection between spiritual and physical, heaven and earth.
Our spirit is like the holy of holies, the innermost sacred part of the temple. It’s the place where God is, where heaven is, where we meet God.
Our spirit, soul, and body are in a constant rivalry. We determine in our soul if we are going to be more body oriented or spirit oriented. This is the struggle we endure. The pull and tug between our fleshly body, which craves the things of the world, and our spirit, which craves the things of God, can become fierce unless we keep our body under control and seek God through our spirit. Our body will rule us unless we die to self and embrace the presence of God through our spirit.
We become born again by asking Jesus Christ to forgive our sins and come into our heart. Our spirit becomes alive to God when this happens and we have a new relationship with Him through our spirit. The split personality we were born with becomes one in Christ, and we are accepted by God as a temple He can dwell in through the Holy Spirit.
A Salesman's Prayer
Dear Father,
I pray you grant me wisdom, strength, and love to share with my customers today. Bless them with your favor, as you bless me through them. Help me to meet their need with my product, and them to recognize that need and seek my help. Rebuke the devourer for our sakes. All honor, praise, and thanksgiving go to you, dear Father. Amen.
I pray you grant me wisdom, strength, and love to share with my customers today. Bless them with your favor, as you bless me through them. Help me to meet their need with my product, and them to recognize that need and seek my help. Rebuke the devourer for our sakes. All honor, praise, and thanksgiving go to you, dear Father. Amen.
Wednesday, January 24, 2007
Growth
Why does growth usually hurt? Remember how when you were a kid, you'd have a growing spurt which were accompanied with pains or soreness in your legs? When our bodies grow they stretch, and stretching hurts. It's a fact of life.
Spiritual growth can hurt as well. There are trials of faith, growing spurts, which are accompanied with pain. However with spiritual growth, there is no medicinal pain reliever we can take. No, we must ride it out and pray that the Lord will ease the pain until we get through yet another trial of our faith.
The good news is that we do make it through, and come out stronger, taller, and more developed into the maturity of our faith. Then get ready for the next level of growth. When someone says pray the Lord to take you to a new level, I brace myself and pray, "According to thy will Lord. According to thy will." There is a cost for each new level, but the rewards are really worth it. Just trust Him to give the growth when He knows we can handle it. Selah!
Spiritual growth can hurt as well. There are trials of faith, growing spurts, which are accompanied with pain. However with spiritual growth, there is no medicinal pain reliever we can take. No, we must ride it out and pray that the Lord will ease the pain until we get through yet another trial of our faith.
The good news is that we do make it through, and come out stronger, taller, and more developed into the maturity of our faith. Then get ready for the next level of growth. When someone says pray the Lord to take you to a new level, I brace myself and pray, "According to thy will Lord. According to thy will." There is a cost for each new level, but the rewards are really worth it. Just trust Him to give the growth when He knows we can handle it. Selah!
Monday, January 22, 2007
The Tip Of God’s Spear
Today, while in prayer for our troops in Iraq, God gave me a vision. In the Spirit, I saw an aerial view of Iraq and the surrounding countries. There appeared a giant spear stuck in the city of Baghdad. It was as large as the city and the shaft extended out high into the sky.
As I surveyed the scene, I heard the voice of the Lord say, “Your nation is the tip of my spear. I am using it as a stopgap to hold back the tide of what is to come. I do this so that others might have time to find my grace.”
This vision was quite unexpected because it came to me during a Sunday school class prayer over the needs of the class. Someone requested prayer for our troops and God responded.
I have learned that there are three aspects to a vision such as this. First, is the visual image shown by the Spirit. Second is the verbal expression, the words that the Spirit says. And third, is the aspect which is the most difficult to describe. It is the feeling you have as you discern the emotion and feelings of the Lord, which comes through as the Spirit speaks.
In the Spirit, I could feel the strength of His determination and control over this situation in Iraq. We Americans debate over how to conduct the war on terrorism depending on our political, religious, or social perspectives. But we Christians must pray for God’s will in Iraq. Our nation is not only the tip of God’s spear in the natural world, but we are the tip of God’s spear in the spiritual world. We must pray, pray, pray!
We are not only in a war on terrorism in the physical realm; we are in a war on terrorism in the spiritual realm. As our nation fights this war in the physical realm, let us fight this war, in prayer, in the spirit realm.
We are the tip of God’s spear!
As I surveyed the scene, I heard the voice of the Lord say, “Your nation is the tip of my spear. I am using it as a stopgap to hold back the tide of what is to come. I do this so that others might have time to find my grace.”
This vision was quite unexpected because it came to me during a Sunday school class prayer over the needs of the class. Someone requested prayer for our troops and God responded.
I have learned that there are three aspects to a vision such as this. First, is the visual image shown by the Spirit. Second is the verbal expression, the words that the Spirit says. And third, is the aspect which is the most difficult to describe. It is the feeling you have as you discern the emotion and feelings of the Lord, which comes through as the Spirit speaks.
In the Spirit, I could feel the strength of His determination and control over this situation in Iraq. We Americans debate over how to conduct the war on terrorism depending on our political, religious, or social perspectives. But we Christians must pray for God’s will in Iraq. Our nation is not only the tip of God’s spear in the natural world, but we are the tip of God’s spear in the spiritual world. We must pray, pray, pray!
We are not only in a war on terrorism in the physical realm; we are in a war on terrorism in the spiritual realm. As our nation fights this war in the physical realm, let us fight this war, in prayer, in the spirit realm.
We are the tip of God’s spear!
Saturday, January 13, 2007
The River Of God's Will
Being in the will of God is like being in the
center of a fast flowing river.
In the center of the river is where
the flow is strongest and fastest.
The further away from the center you drift,
the slower and less directed the flow.
You still flow, but not as strong nor as sure.
When you get out of the river,
you must make your own way.
On your own way,
you find it more difficult to move forward.
There are obstacles.
You may move parallel to the river,
but because of obstacles
that you must move around,
you usually end up moving in a different direction than the river.
You could go back
to the place where you left the river,
but that is not practical.
Your place in the river has moved on without you.
Maybe your place was filled with another,
or maybe your place in the river remained unfilled.
Do not fret,
for there is another place in the river for you.
Make your way to the river
at whichever point along your journey you are now.
Wade out from the shore and into the flow.
Don’t be satisfied with an ankle deep,
knee deep, or waist deep place in the river.
Abandon yourself, head over heels,
to the center of the river
where the flow is strongest
and most sure.
Flow
In the
Will of
God.
center of a fast flowing river.
In the center of the river is where
the flow is strongest and fastest.
The further away from the center you drift,
the slower and less directed the flow.
You still flow, but not as strong nor as sure.
When you get out of the river,
you must make your own way.
On your own way,
you find it more difficult to move forward.
There are obstacles.
You may move parallel to the river,
but because of obstacles
that you must move around,
you usually end up moving in a different direction than the river.
You could go back
to the place where you left the river,
but that is not practical.
Your place in the river has moved on without you.
Maybe your place was filled with another,
or maybe your place in the river remained unfilled.
Do not fret,
for there is another place in the river for you.
Make your way to the river
at whichever point along your journey you are now.
Wade out from the shore and into the flow.
Don’t be satisfied with an ankle deep,
knee deep, or waist deep place in the river.
Abandon yourself, head over heels,
to the center of the river
where the flow is strongest
and most sure.
Flow
In the
Will of
God.
Monday, January 8, 2007
God Is The Same
God is the same today as he was yesterday. He does not change. He is the same as he was two thousand years ago. He will be the same tomorrow and two thousand years from now. His word remains true. His ways remain above our ways. We have not achieved to the level of his excellence nor shall we ever. He is God. We are not god. We are not in control, He is. His word is law. His word is truth. We can dilute it, pollute it, try to explain it away, and disbelieve it, but none of that changes the truth of Gods word.
Never has a man been so foolish as when he believes his intellect is superior to the intellect of God. God is the creator of all things. Man has not created anything outside the realm of God. Man has taken his god given talents and perverted them, fooling himself into believing in his own deity. Even good men have fallen prey to their own success. Men who used to bow the knee to God now order Him around like a servant. They expect their will to be supreme and God to work His will into their plans. Oh stupid man! Who do you think you are! Do you not know that God has your very breath in the palm of his hand, and yet you are so audacious as to try to manipulate the creator and sustainer of life?
Is it any wonder that god destroyed almost all man and creatures on earth once before through the great flood. He promised Noah that He would not do that again, but he must want to. The very offences of man that caused God to flood the earth once before, and repent of ever making man, have not only resumed, but they have been taken to the level of an art form. Woe unto man! Woe unto us who dwell on the earth and do not reverence He who has all power and might.
He who created uncountable stars in un-chartable galaxies is the one whose word we reject. How dare we not believe, when He is good enough to provide us with his Word? How dare we not obey, when he is so good as to give us chance after chance to repent and follow his son Jesus Christ into His presence and divine fellowship. How dare we not follow his commandments and precepts?
Any wisdom, truth, and knowledge worth having comes from him. He has not changed, we have. He is the same. We're not. To God be the glory, the honor, and the praise! And may He have mercy on our souls.
Never has a man been so foolish as when he believes his intellect is superior to the intellect of God. God is the creator of all things. Man has not created anything outside the realm of God. Man has taken his god given talents and perverted them, fooling himself into believing in his own deity. Even good men have fallen prey to their own success. Men who used to bow the knee to God now order Him around like a servant. They expect their will to be supreme and God to work His will into their plans. Oh stupid man! Who do you think you are! Do you not know that God has your very breath in the palm of his hand, and yet you are so audacious as to try to manipulate the creator and sustainer of life?
Is it any wonder that god destroyed almost all man and creatures on earth once before through the great flood. He promised Noah that He would not do that again, but he must want to. The very offences of man that caused God to flood the earth once before, and repent of ever making man, have not only resumed, but they have been taken to the level of an art form. Woe unto man! Woe unto us who dwell on the earth and do not reverence He who has all power and might.
He who created uncountable stars in un-chartable galaxies is the one whose word we reject. How dare we not believe, when He is good enough to provide us with his Word? How dare we not obey, when he is so good as to give us chance after chance to repent and follow his son Jesus Christ into His presence and divine fellowship. How dare we not follow his commandments and precepts?
Any wisdom, truth, and knowledge worth having comes from him. He has not changed, we have. He is the same. We're not. To God be the glory, the honor, and the praise! And may He have mercy on our souls.
Thursday, January 4, 2007
Angels Study God
Angels in heaven worship God continually. They sometimes focus their worship on the different attributes of God. Once an attribute of God is studied, they model it through their own person. How much more should we, His children, study His attributes and try our best to model ourselves after God and His ways.
Wednesday, January 3, 2007
Is Your Faith Worth Squat?
The tensions of this earthly life become unbearable in disobedience to the word of faith. But simple submission into obedience relieves the stress that the world, and disobedience impose. Doubt is crippling. Faith is empowering. Faith in action is victory! The Bible says that faith without works is dead. I have learned that faith with works (action) is alive. Faith without works (action) becomes an unfulfilled fantasy. For if I have faith that God is leading me but do not follow, my faith becomes doubt and my inaction leads to death, the death of my faith and the death of my dream. This is a horrible state in which to exist.
Unfulfilled faith creeps into one’s life like oil into water. It pollutes, leaving a nasty film, which ruins the purity of the water. Doubt solidified by inaction covers the purity of faith and renders it polluted, unfit, unusable, and something to be avoided. Faith activated by works (action) skims the doubt that covers the water of life, cleans it, and recovers the purity of the gift that obedience brings to fruition.
We must be doers of the word and not just hearers. It is so human to hear the word, rejoice in what we hear, then…. ponder. Pondering grows into procrastination, the tree that bears the poisonous leaves of inaction.
We must be like good soldiers and jump to attention, springing into action at the orders of our commander, the Lord. But what do we do? We hear the order, then squat to jump, but inaction and hesitation causes us to get caught in the squat and we fail to jump. What a sad sight, to see the army of the Lord squatting before Him! How undignified!
Better to jump and fall than be stuck in the squat. The squat is a horrible place to stay. You can’t sit down. You can’t rise up. You can neither rest in your success nor stand in the knowledge of a job well done. Go ahead and jump! You can ask how high on the way up! Better to relieve the tension and stretch in the jump than the constant strain of being stuck in the squat. Obedience in the jump is the better way. Disobedience isn’t worth squat!
Unfulfilled faith creeps into one’s life like oil into water. It pollutes, leaving a nasty film, which ruins the purity of the water. Doubt solidified by inaction covers the purity of faith and renders it polluted, unfit, unusable, and something to be avoided. Faith activated by works (action) skims the doubt that covers the water of life, cleans it, and recovers the purity of the gift that obedience brings to fruition.
We must be doers of the word and not just hearers. It is so human to hear the word, rejoice in what we hear, then…. ponder. Pondering grows into procrastination, the tree that bears the poisonous leaves of inaction.
We must be like good soldiers and jump to attention, springing into action at the orders of our commander, the Lord. But what do we do? We hear the order, then squat to jump, but inaction and hesitation causes us to get caught in the squat and we fail to jump. What a sad sight, to see the army of the Lord squatting before Him! How undignified!
Better to jump and fall than be stuck in the squat. The squat is a horrible place to stay. You can’t sit down. You can’t rise up. You can neither rest in your success nor stand in the knowledge of a job well done. Go ahead and jump! You can ask how high on the way up! Better to relieve the tension and stretch in the jump than the constant strain of being stuck in the squat. Obedience in the jump is the better way. Disobedience isn’t worth squat!
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