Honoring Your Saul
My point is this: Saul is one of the worst examples of leadership, yet David served him. This means that we are without excuse when we don’t honor the men and women of God who have preceded us. I often hear critical believers making unkind remarks about the mothers and fathers of our faith. Quick to pinpoint every error and slow to forgive, the conspiracy theologians blame our predecessors for every problem in the church, claiming that they themselves will redeem the name of Christ among this generation.
Cleansed and Called
Before God will use you, He will cleanse you. Of course, one mustn’t be perfect before becoming useful in God’s hand. However, there is a standard God has set before us at the threshold of each promotion. The promotion upon your life is directly proportional to the purity within your life. As you allow God to cleanse you, you become more able to cooperate with His agenda for your life.
Abiding in the Vine
“Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing.”
– John 15:5
Making the mistake of doing things in your own strength is as deceptively easy as living without prayer.
The Futility of Worry
Anxiety, paranoia, fear, and all kinds of phobias are deeply rooted in man’s desire (not “need”) to control everything. Worry is man’s useless attempt at control. Somewhere within our minds we believe that if we can assess, analyze, and consider a matter thoroughly enough, long enough, and intensely enough that we can prevent or solve the problem.
Only One Nature
You’ve often heard it said that the believer has two natures, two identities that battle for the foreground his being. An intense, inner struggle between sin, self, and spirit rages deep within the soul. However, I contend, based upon what the Bible says, that the believer is not dual-natured. Rather, the believer has only one true nature – the spirit.
The Holy Spirit: Masterful Teacher
The Holy Spirit is a Masterful Teacher of the Word of God, because He doesn’t just give you information; He brings forth revelation. He doesn’t just help you to process the information; He helps you to appreciate the revelation. Information is the depositing of facts into your mind, but revelation is the impartation of truth into your spirit. Information informs. Revelation transforms.
Divine Brokenness
We don’t want to find ourselves in the place of challenge, pressure, loneliness, and heartache. But that is the very place where God will meet us and deal with the flesh. That is the place of brokenness where we receive true transformation from a true encounter with God.
Praying “Our Father”
The Holy Spirit helps us to truly pray, “Our Father”. He helps us to stand in the collective sense of “Our” by helping us to live free of offense and in unity with one another. And He helps us to identify God as our “Father” by convicting us of Sonship.
The Holy Spirit is a Person
The Holy Spirit is a Person – just as divine as the Father and the Son. I don’t mean that He is a human. I mean that He is a personal Being. As simple of a thought as this may be (that the Holy Spirit is a Person), I still believe that it’s important to demonstrate it through scripture. The scriptures I am sharing with you in this post demonstrate that the Holy Spirit is both personal and divine.
Prayers of the Holy Spirit (2 of 2)
So let’s continue now to together meditate on the Word of God and sincerely pray. We will pray that we might be people who…
Believe His Truth…
Embrace His Gifts…
Be Aware of His Presence…
Bear His Fruit…
Prayers of the Holy Spirit (1 of 2)
Prayer is potent. It can accomplish much. But while prayer can certainly affect the world around you, it is most effective on the one who prays. Prayer is a force that can change the outer world, but it is most trans-formative toward the inner man. Prayer causes you to become its own answer. There are many things for which we can pray, but I want to help you focus your prayer on your friendship with the Holy Spirit.
The Law of Persistence
The scripture is perfectly clear. If you don’t quit, you will reap a harvest. The seeds that you have sown will grow. Just don’t faint. Stand firm in faith. It is an irrefutable, immovable law of scripture: persistence in well doing produces the harvest of blessing. The laws of God’s Word are more certain than the physical laws under which our world operates.
He Healed Them All!
The touch of the Lord’s hand healed each and every person who approached Him for healing. (See also: Acts 10:38; Matthew 4:23; Matthew 9:35; Matthew 12:15; Luke 6:19) He healed them no matter what their diseases were. Both serious and minor illnesses alike were completely healed. Jesus never rejected a single person who approached Him in child-like faith. He has not changed.
The Holy Spirit of Jesus
Dear reader, do you realize that the Holy Spirit within you is the reality of Christ? The Holy Spirit wants to make Jesus real to you. The Holy Spirit’s primary focus is to glorify, magnify, and emphasize the Son. In that regard, He is Heaven’s greatest evangelist! The Holy Spirit always emphasizes Jesus.
Jesus Said to Go!
We often wonder about the perfect will of God. Should we? The mandate is clear. Our Lord has commanded us to go into the world and spread the gospel. Use every gift. Use every resource. Use every moment. Go! The Father wants souls. He sowed His Son that He might receive sons and daughters; and Jesus deserves to reap the reward of His suffering.
Great Faithfulness
“If we are unfaithful, he remains faithful, for he cannot deny who he is.” - 2 Timothy 2:13
I just want to give you a simple reminder this week: God is faithful.
The Conviction of the Holy Spirit
The conviction of the Holy Spirit is not a punishment; it’s a gift. His faithful and guiding voice obstructs the plans of the enemy over our lives. His corrective instructions free us from the snare of distraction, prevent destruction, and bring about the perfect will of God in our lives.
The Potential of a Moment
You’re closer to your miracle, your breakthrough, than you might think. God’s promise is coming sooner than you believe. The destination is closer than it looks. Jesus can do more in a moment than we can accomplish in a lifetime.
The Divine Challenge
It’s possible to surrender the mind to the beauty of Christ. I encourage you to take up this challenge today: Think of Christ more today than you did yesterday. Do that everyday and you’ll see transformation.
Rejecting Superstition
In order to become a real threat to hell and a real help to others, we must be loosed from the distracting nature of superstition and learn how to engage in true spiritual warfare. In the introduction to this book, I presented a caution about our approach to spiritual warfare and warned against the extremes of both skepticism and superstition. I now want to focus on avoiding superstitious thinking that can keep you from overcoming the enemy.