The Crucified Life

“Your dreams are about to come true."

“Your breakthrough is on the way.”

"The toughest times come just before the greatest blessings.”

“God is getting ready to catapult you into greatness.”

Statements like those find their power by pulling on a person’s deep longing to be successful, wealthy, put-together, respected, and otherwise well-positioned in life. In fact, the Word “breakthrough” has become a Christian code word that means “The day I never have any more struggles.” We have sermons that give you steps to a better you and keys to success in this area or that area. It seems that every message you hear is about how your dreams are just within arm’s reach. But the reason we have so much preaching on climbing mountains is because we don’t have the faith or power to move mountains. And we lack faith and power because we lack the preaching of the cross.

Sadly, many are promising a life without troubles, trials, sacrifice, or commitment. Honestly, that’s just contrary to what Jesus told us:

John 16:33

In the world you shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.

Sure, the blessings of God abound in the life of every believer. He prospers, provides for, protects, and loves His people. God does not despise the prayer request. God does not become angry with His child’s request for a blessing. But one thing we should all remember is this: God’s cause takes precedence over the believer’s comfort. So let me just be real with you - many are deceived by a false gospel that requires nothing of them.

Mark 8:34-35

34 Then, calling the crowd to join his disciples, he said, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross, and follow me. 35 If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake and for the sake of the Good News, you will save it.

Jesus spoke those challenging words just after prophesying His own death. His disciple Peter was resistant to the idea of Jesus giving His own life on the cross. The Lord rebuked Peter, saying, “Get away from me, Satan! You are seeing things merely from a human point of view, not from God’s.”

Get away from me Satan? Those harsh words exposed the source of Peter’s resistance to the cross. Resistance to the cross is Satanic. Think of how the Devil tempted Jesus in the wilderness. Satan offered to Jesus a cross-less path to glory. Yet Jesus, filled with both the Word and the Spirit, overcame the temptation to deny the cross. He chose instead to deny Himself.

A cross-less gospel is a Christ-less gospel. The gospel is not about self-improvement; it’s about self-abandonment. It’s not about our dreams; it’s about God’s will. We must stop trying to build what the Word of God has told us to crucify.

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10 Reasons Why You Should Give to the Gospel

1. Win Souls

When you invest financially into this ministry, you’re helping us to spread the gospel message and win more souls. Your sacrifice could change someone’s eternity.

2. Give Efficiently

Because our ministry spreads the gospel through newer, more effective and more exciting forms of media, every dollar of your investment goes further. This ministry is excellent soil for sowing.

3. Impact Generations

By supporting this ministry, you are ensuring that the gospel message will thrive and spread throughout future generations - no matter how dark the world gets.

4. Preserve Uniqueness

This ministry is a uniquely anointed ministry. Through events and media, this ministry both builds the believer and wins the lost. This ministry has a rare balance of both the pure gospel and demonstrations of power.

5. Demonstrate Love

Money is a test of your heart. That’s why many become offended at requests for offerings. But when you give to the gospel, you are demonstrating your love for the Lord. (Matthew 6:21)

6. Grow Faith

By stepping out in giving by faith despite the season, you are putting fear in check. As you grow in your giving, you grow in your faith. Don’t consider the season; just step out in faith. (Ecclesiastes 11:4)

7. Store Treasures

By investing your finances into the gospel, you are storing up for yourself eternal treasure that can never be corrupted. (1 Timothy 6:19)

8. Please God

Faith pleases God, and giving sacrificially is an act of faith. (Hebrews 11:6)

9. Overcome Mammon

Many complain when Christian leaders raise finances for the gospel. But by choosing to obey the Lord in your giving, you overcome the spirit of mammon and destroy greed in your life. (Matthew 6:24)

10. Receive Blessings

Though you don’t give just to receive, the scripture does promise that God will meet the needs of the giver - and bless them with enough left over to share with others. (2 Corinthians 9:8)

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Only Believe

A man approached Jesus’ disciples. The man was distraught, scared. His son, who was possessed by a demonic spirit, was tormented. The father was desperate for his son’s deliverance. He explained to Jesus:

One of the men in the crowd spoke up and said, “Teacher, I brought my son so you could heal him. He is possessed by an evil spirit that won’t let him talk. And whenever this spirit seizes him, it throws him violently to the ground. Then he foams at the mouth and grinds his teeth and becomes rigid. So I asked your disciples to cast out the evil spirit, but they couldn’t do it.” (Mark 9:17-18, NLT)

Imagine how disappointed the man had become once he realized that the demon wasn’t going to obey the commands of the disciples. I speculate that the disciples were, in his mind, the very last hope of his son ever living a normal life. 

He had likely, up until that point, visited numerous physicians, spiritualists, and so-called experts. However, his son remained bound by chains of darkness. He had been disappointed time and time again. With every failed attempt to make his son well, his faith diminished just a bit more. 

He must have heard the stories about how the disciples were able to work miracles and cast out demons. Yet what little hope he could have mustered was suffocated under the weight of yet another disappointment. The disciples, the man learned, were not able to free his beloved son.

But that’s when Jesus approached him. When you read the narrative in the gospel of Mark, you’ll notice that the man did not approach Jesus - Jesus approached him.

Possibly still glowing with Heavenly glory from his transfiguration, Jesus asked about the boy’s suffering:

“How long has this been happening?” Jesus asked the boy’s father. He replied, “Since he was a little boy. The spirit often throws him into the fire or into water, trying to kill him. Have mercy on us and help us, if you can.” “What do you mean, ‘If I can’?” Jesus asked. “Anything is possible if a person believes.” (Mark 9:21-23, NLT)

I love the Master’s straight-forward approach. With an almost indignant tone, Jesus asked, “What do you mean if I can?” I believe the emphasis was on the “if”. Jesus certainly knew His own identity. “Anything is possible if a person believes.”

All things are possible; Only believe. 

The man had tried all that he knew to try. He had gone to every expert. He had tried every remedy. He had looked at every potential solution. But, when it came down to it, all he needed to do was believe. And I love his honest response.

The father instantly cried out, “I do believe, but help me overcome my unbelief!” (Mark 9:24, NLT)

After the man’s candid prayer, the Lord delivered his son completely. The boy was freed from the demonic spirit that tormented him.

What do you do when you’ve done all there is to do? What can be attempted when all of your ideas have already failed? What do you do when you need a miracle?

It’s that place of frustration and waiting. Though beneficial to your character, it can be painful. Truly, a miracle is only needed when all other ways have proved to be ineffective. When you’ve come to the end of yourself - talent, intellect, resources, emotion, energy - that’s when the miracle can happen. 

Like that father, perhaps you too face a situation that cannot be overcome with human effort alone. Don’t worry; this is when Jesus steps in. You may have doubt, but He can help your doubt. You may be weary of having your hopes crushed. He won’t disappoint you. You can trust Him. 

Leave it to Him. When you’ve done what you can, rest and trust. Relax. Only believe. He’ll take it from here.

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How to Speak with Power and Authority

I tell you the truth, you can say to this mountain, 'May you be lifted up and thrown into the sea,' and it will happen. But you must really believe it will happen and have no doubt in your heart. (Mark 11:23, NLT)

What incredible power the Lord has given to us. There is power in your words. When you, by faith, declare a thing, it is so. But from where does that power come? Are we able to simply will anything we desire into existence? Concerning what we speak in prayer, this is what the Scripture says:

And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us: (1 John 5:14, KJV)

As we should, we celebrate the reality of our ability to “ask anything”, but we mustn’t forget “according to his will.”

We have the tendency to stray into superstition. Indeed, many believers live under the bondage of superstition. Perhaps you have heard the threatening phrases: “Don’t speak that! There’s power in your words. Be careful what you say; you might speak death upon yourself.”

And while I am fully committed to speaking life over myself and those around me, I don’t live ruled by the paranoia of unintentional curses.

Is there power in our words? Yes. Can we declare things to be so? Certainly. Do our words affect us and our situations in profound ways? Absolutely. But you can thank God for the limitations that He has placed within the power of our Words.

When God speaks, He speaks with unquestionable, unlimited authority. When we speak, we have the authority “according to his will.” When God speaks, He creates. When we speak, we shape. And aren’t you glad that not everything you declare manifests as reality? God speaks as the Creator. You and I speak as influencers, shapers of the creation. We cannot will worlds into existence, but we can will worlds into alignment with God’s Word.

For example, a police officer cannot legally come to your house and rob you of your valuable possessions. If he attempted to even enter the premises, he would legally need a warrant. If for some unfortunate reason he decided to step outside of the law and rob you, he would legally need to return whatever was taken, even if he wore a badge and claimed authority while robbing you. You see, the police officer has been given the power to enforce the law, not his own will. The law limits his authority. He can only make demands, as far as the law allows.

In the same sense, we are given power in our words according to God’s will and Word. We can declare healing, deliverance, salvation, and blessing. Why? Because that’s God’s will. You cannot expect your words to have power if they contradict God’s Word or if they are born of your own will. We cannot simply will anything we desire into existence, because the power is not in human will. We can speak, but God must first will.

When we obey God, we position ourselves in a place of authority and our words become as certain as the will of God itself. Our authority comes from submission to God’s authority. When we submit to that authority, we align ourselves with the power of Heaven. The power in our words comes from our obedience to His Word. Therefore, speaking in faith does not obligate God, it positions us.

You’ve heard it said, “We can speak things into existence.” However, perhaps it might be more helpful, more accurate even, to say, “We speak things into order.” If something contradicts the Word or will of God, we can speak it into order. We can command all things to bend to the will of God.

The power of your words is directly proportional to the depth of your surrender.

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Don't Quench the Holy Spirit

I was ministering at a church in Southern California, and the service was prophetically anointed. I mean the prophetic was activated with such intensity that I was shocked at some of the things that were coming out of my own mouth! People’s very thoughts were being revealed, and I could see and hear into the spirit with an unusual clarity.

I continued to prophesy over people, and each person receiving a word would either break down into tears or gasp at the detailed words of knowledge. I said something like, “I’m in a whole different place in the spirit now! I can see so clearly.” The people were captivated by the Spirit, and the room was silent with anticipation.

As I scanned the crowd with my eyes, I noticed a woman walking in from the very back of the church. She walked all the way from the back, moved down the aisle, and sat directly in the front row, right in front of me. The way she entered was so distracting that I watched her take her seat. Then, as if my eyes were released from a locked position, I readjusted my vision. Right at that moment, I felt normal again. The weight of power lifted from my shoulders, and I could no longer see with that astonishing clarity. The flow was broken. Immediately, I said, “Well, that’s it. I’m done.” Then I handed the microphone back to the pastor and left.

That woman disrupted the move of the Holy Spirit. She came in and distracted me—as well as the people.

I learned a long time ago that nothing breaks the flow of the anointing like distraction. It’s possible to disrupt a move of the Spirit.

Quench not the Spirit. (1 Thessalonians 5:19 KJV).

The Holy Spirit is a fire, and He can be quenched. Remember, in us, He only goes as far as we allow Him to go.

I’m not suggesting that the Holy Spirit is a weak and easily frightened Person. We are the ones who can be easily distracted. Distraction doesn’t stop the Holy Spirit from moving; distraction stops us from recognizing and receiving that move.

We can stifle Him with distraction, rejection, and foolishness. Be careful to reverence and embrace the Holy Spirit. Don’t disrupt His moving. Don’t despise His ways.

Don’t quench the Holy Spirit.

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False Prophets & Heretics

The Bible is perfectly clear. If anyone perverts the gospel or preaches another Christ, let that individual be cursed.

But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed. (Galatians 1:8, KJV)

When it comes to the gospel, we must be unwavering. Salvation is found in Christ alone. There is no other way to the Father but through Jesus. We cannot change the gospel for the sake of anyone’s preference.

Jesus is God.

Jesus came to earth in the flesh.

Jesus died on the cross for sin.

Jesus rose from the dead and achieved victory over death, over all.

To be saved, we must put our faith in Him.

We must repent of sin.

Those are some of the fundamental doctrines of the faith. From those, we cannot waver.

But what happens when a believer disagrees with another believer on, let’s say, divine healing? Speaking in tongues? Financial prosperity? The sabbath?

Are those doctrines worth dividing over?

The Bible is the Word of God, the final authority. And what if, like Peter and Paul, two believers find themselves in a doctrinal disagreement? None of us would dare to call Peter or Paul a heretic, yet those two men had doctrinal disagreements.

We so easily throw around terms like “False Prophet” or “Heretic”. But the definition of heretic is not “anyone who disagrees with me on anything.” A heretic is one who teaches a direct contradiction to the fundamentals of the faith.

Finances are important, but finances are not the gospel. Divine healing is important, but divine healing is not the gospel. The sabbath is not the gospel. Bible version preference is not the gospel.

So long as we agree on Christ and the essentials of salvation, there is room for unity.

I’m not preaching relativism; I’m preaching truth. I know it’s difficult for some to accept, but not every doctrinal disagreement is cause for division or name-calling. My encouragement to all believers: don’t stone your brothers and sisters in Christ.

Call out the false prophets. Call out heresy. But don’t major on minors. It doesn’t matter your stream, so long as you are in the river of Christ.

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Guard the Secret Place

Prayer is not a means to acquire something; prayer is itself the reward. Spending time with Jesus is the reward.

After these things the word of the LORD came unto Abram in a vision, saying, Fear not, Abram: I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward. (Genesis 15:1, KJV)

Prayer brings power, transformation, blessing, and results - that’s the truth. But prayer is much more than answered requests. Prayer can impact more than just the temporary. When you pray, you step into eternity Himself. He is all you need.

Only the presence of Jesus satisfies the deepest longing of the heart. There is no substitute for spending time with Him. It would be better to lose anything and everything else than to lose His presence.

We so easily drift away. We are so easily distracted. Too often, our fragile minds and emotions can become agitated with clutter. However, we don’t need to allow the distractions and cares of this world to take us away from that precious time with the Lord.

Guard the secret place. Stubbornly refuse to lend Jesus’ time to anyone or anything else. Cling to Him; fix your eyes on Him. Seek Him.

He is your reward. His presence is your Heaven. Take a moment today, now even, to spend time with the Lord. No one has ever left their prayer closet regretting the time they spent with the Lord. Get away from it all - even if just for a few moments.

You are given the privilege and the joy of spending time with Jesus. Don’t let the time slip away. Don’t trade the precious moments that belong to Him.

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The Touch of Healing

And whithersoever he entered, into villages, or cities, or country, they laid the sick in the streets, and besought him that they might touch if it were but the border of his garment: and as many as touched him were made whole. (Mark 6:56)

I love that portion of scripture - as many as touched Him were made whole! When it comes to miraculous healing, there really is nothing more to it. It really is simply the touch of God.

There's no natural way to manufacture such power. There's no set of rules to follow, no system to apply. It's just the healing power of God. With just one touch, in a single moment of time, Jesus can make you whole. All you need is one touch.

How does one touch Jesus? It's by faith. You reach out and touch the hem of His garment by faith. You receive of His healing virtue by faith. Be confident in His promises, and be calm in your approach.

They begged for a touch, but you don't have to. You don't need to beg or plead. You just need to receive. Faith is confidence in what God has promised, and confidence is calm. It's difficult to receive from the Lord when we're all worked up with emotion, pleading, and doubtful desperation.

Whenever I minister to the sick, I try to bring people to the posture of faith. Rarely have I ever seen someone, who was so worked up with the fear of not receiving, actually receive. Many times, people are too panicked to receive.

The key to calm and confident faith is focusing on Jesus. His gentle and loving countenance will bring peace to your troubled mind and emotions. The sense of His power brings reassurance. Kathryn Kuhlman put it this way: "When Jesus becomes more real to you than your sickness, you'll be healed."

Trust the Lord. Trust His willingness. Trust His ability. Trust His timing. And know that it takes just one touch to change everything, to make you whole.

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The Power of Pentecost

But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere--in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. (Acts 1:8, NLT)

The power that has been given to us from on high is for the purpose of worldwide evangelism. Jesus promised that we would be witnesses. Whatever we lack in witness is made up for by the power of the Spirit. To the timid, He gives boldness. To the weak, He gives power. To the overlooked, He gives authority. The power that comes upon us makes us persuasive and magnetic proclaimers of the gospel.

No believer can say, “I don’t have what it takes to win the lost.” Every believer has been empowered to share the gospel with effectiveness.

While the Spirit’s power within us enables many spiritual manifestations and acts, the Spirit’s power upon us has been given primarily for the winning of the lost.

Allow Him to work through you. Look for an opportunity today to be a witness.

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The Anointing

“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, for he has anointed me to bring Good News to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim that captives will be released, that the blind will see, that the oppressed will be set free, and that the time of the Lord’s favor has come.” (Luke 4:18-19, NLT)

It is the anointing that makes the difference. Without the anointing, preaching is just motivation, churches are just gatherings, ministry is just charity, and people are powerless. If you truly want to walk in power, you need the anointing.

It was the anointing upon Jesus that empowered Him to preach the good news, proclaim freedom to the captives, and heal the sick. When it comes to operating at that level of ministry, there are no gimmicks or techniques that can be applied, no methods to manufacture results. It really is just the anointing. There are no substitutes or counterfeits for the anointing; either you walk in it or you don’t.

We need the anointing of the Holy Spirit. Methods cannot replace miracles. The systematic cannot replace the spiritual. Programs cannot replace power. Don’t try to do it in your own strength. Cry out for a fresh anointing. Abandon the cares of this world and enter into the deepest places of prayer. There, in the presence of God, you will find the power of the Spirit - the anointing.

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Holy Spirit: The Breath of Breakthrough

Wind and breath can be symbols of the Holy Spirit. In the book of Acts, the coming of the Spirit was accompanied by the sound of a mighty rushing wind. In the book of John, Jesus breathed upon His disciples and instructed, “Receive the Holy Spirit.”

It was the wind of Heaven that opened an impossible path for the Israelites to move through the red sea.

At the blast of your breath, the waters piled up! The surging waters stood straight like a wall; in the heart of the sea the deep waters became hard.
(Exodus 15:8, NLT)

It was the breath of God that was released through the shouts of the Israelites - causing the walls of Jericho to fall.

When the people heard the sound of the rams’ horns, they shouted as loud as they could. Suddenly, the walls of Jericho collapsed, and the Israelites charged straight into the town and captured it.
(Joshua 6:20, NLT)

Rest assured, it was not the shouts of the Israelites that caused the walls to crumble. The mere breath of men cannot accomplish such a thing. Nor was it the wishful thinking of Moses that caused the Red Sea to open. It was the breath of God, the wind of Heaven - it was the Holy Spirit.

The Holy Spirit caused the water to rise like walls and the walls to fall like water.

When the Holy Spirit begins to breathe upon your life and ministry, everything changes. What seemed before impossible, what seemed before too difficult, becomes easy. He makes a way where there seems to be no way.

Just when you think it’s over, just when you feel like quitting - that’s when the Holy Spirit’s power is best displayed.

He works beyond your ability; He even works beyond your timeline. He accelerates the timeline! The Holy Spirit can accomplish more in a single moment than can your best efforts in 100 years. The miracle that seems so distant, so far away, is closer to you than you think.

The wind of the Spirit is blowing afresh upon you. Your breakthrough is just an act of faith away. Lift your hands and say, “Breathe upon me, breath of God.”

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Resisting the Devil

Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded.
—James 4:7–8, KJV

We focus far too much on ourselves when we are tempted. Because self is the problem, relying on your own strength to secure victory over sin guarantees defeat. When we are tempted, we try to reason and rationalize. We try to enact disciplines, and we attempt to will ourselves all the way to holiness. But such battling only makes you linger in the place of temptation. Remember this: the longer you battle a tempting thought, the more likely you are to take an action that will fulfill it. There is a better way to battle sin than to bargain with oneself. The bargaining over whether or not to sin will occur in split seconds, and demonic beings will make full use of those split seconds. Demonic beings will debate with you, presenting the supposed benefits of sin—and that hides their tactic.

You see, when you’re weighing the pros and cons of sin in your mind, you are actually imagining the pleasure of the sin. Sure, seconds after considering the pleasure of sin, you counter such thoughts by considering the benefits of holiness. But the internal battle continues to nag at you. It is this back-and-forth contemplation that leads to a sinful fall. You may be genuine about your intentions to convince yourself into choosing holiness, but eventually your resilience will wear down. The sin itself will gradually dominate your thoughts as will the pleasures of that sin. And then you give in.

This is why demonic beings love a good debate in the moment you’re being tempted. They are like salesmen, answering your objections with convincing counter points. They know what you want and will pressure you to indulge.

How then can the believer successfully battle temptation? Jesus prayed, “Lead us not into temptation” (Matt. 6:13). He did not pray, “Give me strength when I put myself in a tempting situation.” Sure, there are times when temptation surprises you, but the Bible has one policy on temptation: flee from it! About this, Scripture is quite clear:

The temptations in your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you can endure.
—1 Corinthians 10:13,NLT

So flee youthful desires and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart.
—2 Timothy 2:22,MEV

When you regularly flee from temptation, resisting sin becomes a reflex, a seemingly involuntary action. Over time, the reflex to flee from temptation (rather than the habit to bargain over sin or holiness) becomes natural and well-developed.

Resistance, not confrontation, is the key to overcoming sin. We are supposed to flee from temptation, not linger to fight temptation. Willpower diminishes over time, and the strength of discipline is fleeting. God wants to give you a way out, not a battle. When it comes to temptation, the Holy Spirit prioritizes extraction—getting you out of the battle. We develop our resistance—our manner of fleeing—by drawing near to God. Therefore, drawing near to God, not exercising willpower, is the key to freedom.

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Symbols of the Holy Spirit: Wine

While a life of drunkenness is clearly and adamantly condemned in the Scripture, wine can represent prosperity, joy, and the Holy Spirit. In the Book of Ephesians, Paul the apostle instructs the Church to avoid drunkenness and instead to experience the infilling of the Holy Spirit:

Don’t be drunk with wine, because that will ruin your life. Instead, be filled with the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 5:18).

The believer does not need wine to experience joy. Wine can only give unfulfilling counterfeits of what the Holy Spirit offers. The Holy Spirit is the wine of Heaven.

In the Book of Acts, when the Holy Spirit came upon the New Testament Church, those who saw the Holy Spirit’s influence on the believers assumed that they were drunk.

But others in the crowd ridiculed them, saying, “They’re just drunk, that’s all!” Then Peter stepped forward with the eleven other apostles and shouted to the crowd, “Listen carefully, all of you, fellow Jews and residents of Jerusalem! Make no mistake about this. These people are not drunk, as some of you are assuming. Nine o’clock in the morning is much too early for that” (Acts 2:13-15).

Of course, the Holy Spirit does not come to make us senseless and silly; He makes us sharp and bold. Many have abused those verses in Acts to defend bizarre and ungodly behavior. I believe in the joy and power of the Holy Spirit, but much of what we see on display today is just the flesh. So what was it that made the onlookers assume that the believers were drunk? It’s because they were acting under a new influence. They were behaving abnormally. They were speaking and moving in a way that was different. No, they weren’t belligerent, but they were bold! They weren’t incapacitated, but they were joyful.

The Holy Spirit is compared with wine, not because He brings foolishness and chaos, but because He brings boldness and joy. Just as people receive wine in celebration, so are we to receive the Holy Spirit with gladness. His presence, like wine, marks the occasion. Wine represents the joy, prosperity, and boldness brought about by the Holy Spirit. It too can be symbolic of the Holy Spirit.

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Symbols of the Holy Spirit: Water

We all, from time to time, enter into the place where we find ourselves spiritually tired and drained. The demands of living, paired with a waning prayer life, can produce a dryness of the soul. Sometimes we wander into dry places because we tend to neglect spiritual matters. You may find yourself in places that are dry, like the desert. In the spiritual desert, you become tired, frustrated, weak, and apathetic. Responsibilities and needs, like the intense heat from the beaming sun, drain you of vitality.

Life can sometimes be like a desert, but the Holy Spirit is always like a river.

On the last day, the climax of the festival, Jesus stood and shouted to the crowds, “Anyone who is thirsty may come to Me! Anyone who believes in Me may come and drink! For the Scriptures declare, ‘Rivers of living water will flow from His heart.’” (When He said “living water,” He was speaking of the Spirit, who would be given to everyone believing in Him. But the Spirit had not yet been given, because Jesus had not yet entered into His glory.) (John 7:37-39)

The presence of the Holy Spirit brings life. His nearness is refreshing and restores the vitality of your soul. Because the waters flow from your spirit within, you never have to worry about emptying your source.

The Holy Spirit is not only represented by refreshing rivers of living water; He is also represented by rain (side note: this is also why the cloud is a symbol of the Holy Spirit; the cloud brings the rain).

The prophet Joel prophesied the coming of rain. He was referring to natural rain, but he went on to prophesy that God would “pour out” His Spirit. The mentioning of the Spirit and rain together creates this clear symbolic parallel—the Holy Spirit is the rain of Heaven.

Be glad then, ye children of Zion, and rejoice in the Lord your God: for He hath given you the former rain moderately, and He will cause to come down for you the rain, the former rain, and the latter rain in the first month.... And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out My spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions: And also upon the servants and upon the handmaids in those days will I pour out My spirit (Joel 2:23,28-29 KJV).

Water cleanses, quenches, refreshes, and gives life. The Holy Spirit cleanses your soul, quenches your spiritual thirst, and refreshes your being.

Wherever the rivers and rain of the Holy Spirit touch, there is life.

Jesus replied, “Anyone who drinks this water will soon become thirsty again. But those who drink the water I give will never be thirsty again. It becomes a fresh, bubbling spring within them, giving them eternal life” (John 4:13-14).

Water represents the Holy Spirit’s ability to refresh us, quench our spiritual thirst, cleanse us, and bring forth life wherever He flows. He is the rain of Heaven, and He is the living river that flows from within. Water can be symbolic for the Holy Spirit.

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Symbols of the Holy Spirit: The Seal

Sadly, many Christians are afraid of losing their salvation. For now, at least in this book, I will avoid the debate about whether or not one can lose his or her salvation. What I’d rather focus on here is the fact that many believers just simply do not understand the work of salvation.

Often, I receive very specific questions from very fearful people who are wondering if they have done something to lose their salvation. The questions vary in specifics but are exactly alike at the core. “Brother David, I listened to a worldly song, and I felt bad—have I lost my salvation?”

“David, I spoke ungodly words in anger toward my spouse, and now I feel a weight of guilt on me. Did I lose my salvation?” “Brother David, I don’t feel God near me anymore. Am I still saved?”

Not a single believer should live under the paranoia, the constant fear, of being cast away from God’s salvation. We place much faith in the power of our misdeeds and not enough in God’s ability to secure that which He has purchased.

What’s even sadder is the fact that most people I try to counsel out of such paranoia are much too busied in the mind to pay any attention to the truth. The truth can liberate them from the religious weight of performance-based faith, but they don’t pause to really receive that truth. They obsess over the details about their own specific errors and ignore the principles of truth that apply to all. They long for a specific assurance that what they have done in particular has not disqualified them from the family of God.

So, dear reader, please read this carefully: salvation is quite simple. Jesus did the work, and He just asks that you believe in His accomplishment. Of course, we must live righteously thereafter, but not in order to gain salvation. We don’t live holy to be saved; we choose to live holy because we are saved.

Still, even knowing this information about the simplicity of salvation, many Christians live their lives in misery. They carry the weight of their sins and live in fear. They live in fear because they think their salvation depends on their performance, when it doesn’t. Again, I must emphasize that I believe in holy living, and I believe that there are consequences to sin.

But that doesn’t mean that the believer isn’t going through a transformation. Perfection is a process.

Thankfully, we have the Holy Spirit to help us defeat the religious paradigms that can so easily infect the mind. He is the One who assures us that we belong to God. I daresay that convincing you of your new identity is one of His most important works.

The Holy Spirit is the “down payment” on your heavenly inheritance. Yes, Jesus paid the price in full for your salvation when He gave His life upon the cross. However, the Holy Spirit is God’s guarantee that we will receive the salvation for which Christ died to give us. The day of redemption is a certain reality for you and me because we have the Holy Spirit.

And He has identified us as His own by placing the Holy Spirit in our hearts as the first installment that guarantees everything He has promised us (2 Corinthians 1:22)

Because we have the Holy Spirit, we can be assured that we belong to God, and because we belong to God, we can be assured of all He has promised to give us and do for us through Jesus Christ. The Holy Spirit is your mark and guarantee. He is God’s pledge and seal of promise upon you.

In Jewish wedding culture, the father of the groom would usually be the one who picked the bride for his son. After the father of the groom found whom he believed to be the choice bride, he would approach the bride and her family. There would be a written marriage agreement made. After the written agreement was finished, it was customary for the father of the groom to give a gift to the father of the bride. That gift acted as a deposit for the bride. It was a promissory note, a guarantee of the groom’s intentions to marry. Once that deposit was made, the intent to marry would become official.

The Jewish wedding traditions, like many of the Jewish traditions, mirror the spiritual realm.

Just as the father of the groom selects the bride, so God the Father has chosen to give the Church to His Son. And just as the father of the groom leaves a gift representing a promise, so God fills you with His Holy Spirit, His divine promise.

While here upon the earth, we receive many things from the Lord. And many people, when they get to Heaven, will be saddened to discover what they could have experienced while here on earth. Still, not everything that God has promised us concerning our salvation can be experienced here and now. For example, the new glorified bodies we will receive cannot now be obtained. So, the Holy Spirit is God’s seal of promise in you, guaranteeing that you will eventually receive it all!

For we will put on heavenly bodies; we will not be spirits without bodies. While we live in these earthly bodies, we groan and sigh, but it’s not that we want to die and get rid of these bodies that clothe us. Rather, we want to put on our new bodies so that these dying bodies will be swallowed up by life. God Himself has prepared us for this, and as a guarantee He has given us His Holy Spirit (2 Corinthians 5:3-5).

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, which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of His glory (Ephesians 1:13-14 KJV).

The seal represents the certainty that we receive from the Holy Spirit. Despite what our emotions tell us, despite what the lies of the enemy tell us, despite what our own human reasoning tells us, we know that we belong to God because of the Holy Spirit, the seal of the promise of salvation. The seal, the Holy Spirit, is God’s fear-defeating, peace-giving promise to us, the assurance of our own salvation. The seal can be symbolic of the Holy Spirit.

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Symbols of the Holy Spirit: The Cloud

Then Moses climbed up the mountain, and the cloud covered it. And the glory of the Lord settled down on Mount Sinai, and the cloud covered it for six days. On the seventh day the Lord called to Moses from inside the cloud. To the Israelites at the foot of the mountain, the glory of the Lord appeared at the summit like a consuming fire. Then Moses disappeared into the cloud as he climbed higher up the mountain. He remained on the mountain
forty days and forty nights (Exodus 24:15-18).

It was in that cloud that Moses received, among many other instructions, commands on how to build the tabernacle. While in the cloud, Moses shared such a close relationship with God that his face would often shine.

Then all the people of Israel approached him, and Moses gave them all the instructions the Lord had given him on Mount Sinai.

When Moses finished speaking with them, he covered his face with a veil. But whenever he went into the Tent of Meeting to speak with the Lord, he would remove the veil until he came out again. Then he would give the people whatever instructions the Lord had given him, and the people of Israel would see the radiant glow of his face. So he would put the veil over his face until he returned to speak with the Lord (Exodus 34:32-35).

Reading and hearing of the manifested glory of God stirs within my heart a desire to know God in a deeper way. So often I cry, “Show me Your glory, Jesus! Reveal Yourself to me. I want to know You more. Let Your cloud surround me too.” Dear reader, I know that you too desire to draw closer to God.

Now, here’s the wonderful news! The same cloud that enveloped Moses dwells in you. For that cloud is the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is God’s abiding presence. He was the cloud that guided the children of Israel through the wilderness.

The Lord went ahead of them. He guided them during the day with a pillar of cloud, and He provided light at night with a pillar of fire. This allowed them to travel by day or by night (Exodus 13:21).

In the same way that the Holy Spirit guided the children of Israel through the wilderness, so He guides you today. To stay within the will of God, simply follow the Holy Spirit. There’s a saying I have that I use whenever I sense God changing my direction in life or ministry. I say, “The Cloud is moving.”

This same cloud also filled the temple where the priests were ministering. The power of the glory of God was so overwhelming that the priests were unable to stand in it.

It came even to pass, as the trumpeters and singers were as one, to make one sound to be heard in praising and thanking the Lord; and when they lifted up their voice with the trumpets and cymbals and instruments of music, and praised the Lord, saying, For He is good; for His mercy endureth for ever: that then the house was filled with a cloud, even the house of the Lord; so that the priests could not stand to minister by reason of the cloud: for the glory of the Lord had filled the house of God (2 Chronicles 5:13-14 KJV).

The presence of the Holy Spirit also manifested in the form of a cloud at the transfiguration of Jesus.

But even as he spoke, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and a voice from the cloud said, “This is My dearly loved Son, who brings Me great joy. Listen to Him.” The disciples were terrified and fell face down on the ground (Matthew 17:5-6).

It was in the cloud that Jesus ascended (Acts 1:9), and it is on a cloud that Jesus will return (Mark 13:26). The Holy Spirit, the cloud, reveals the presence of Jesus.

The cloud represents the Holy Spirit’s guidance and glorious presence in your life. He surrounds you and reveals the glory of God. He rests on His new tabernacle, you. The cloud can be symbolic of the Holy Spirit.

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Symbols of the Holy Spirit: Light

I once had a prayer team visit my house to pray. While praying over my desk (where I studied the Word), an anointed woman of God saw a vision. She said, “I was praying over your room when I saw your Bible sitting open on your desk. So I started to anoint your desk and Bible. Then I saw the verses in the Bible begin to illuminate. In the spirit, I saw you studying.
And as you studied, the verses were being illuminated.”

What that woman saw in the spirit was the work of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit illuminates the Word, and that illumination is not just for me—it’s for you, dear reader.

Before I began to know the Holy Spirit as a friend, when I didn’t even truly consider Him as a Person, I struggled to understand the teachings of God’s Word. I was able to comprehend biblical doctrines, memorize Bible passages, and even appreciate the beauty of the Scriptures. Yet I lacked in how I received the revelation of God’s Word. There was no life to my devotion. Because my mind would so easily wander, I would read long portions of Scripture only to stop and have to start again. I would often forget the context, misunderstand the ideas, and struggle to find any application for the truth I received.

Even knowing the Word, my spiritual mood would often shift as I failed to grasp the nature of God. Reading the Word of God was more of a discipline than anything else. Though discipline in the Word is certainly needed, I didn’t want my devotion to the Word to be just a discipline. Sure, reading the Word benefited me. And yes, it helped me to grow. But some- thing wasn’t quite right. Something was missing, and I knew there had to be more.

One day, while reading the Word, I came across a portion of Scripture in the Book of James. I’ll never forget the moment I first read it. It was life altering. I read this verse:

If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and He will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking (James 1:5).

Dear reader, I know that to most that verse may not appear all that thrilling, but when I read it, for me, that verse became alive! Something about it just pulled my soul. I felt God speaking to me.
Through that verse, the Lord was offering to me understanding of His precious Word. He was inviting me to ask for His wisdom. The very moment I read that passage, I stopped to pray. “Lord,” I spoke softly, “Your Word says that if I lack wisdom, I can ask You for it. So I’m asking You to give me wisdom. Help me to understand Your Word.” That was the day the Holy Spirit introduced me to Himself as the Teacher.

But when the Father sends the Advocate as My representative— that is, the Holy Spirit—He will teach you everything and will remind you of everything I have told you (John 14:26).

On that day, the Holy Spirit offered me His help in knowing the Word, and everything changed.

Ever since then, when I read the Word, I can sense the Holy Spirit standing alongside me, and I can hear Him teaching me. I’m telling you—only He can truly reveal His Word. The Holy Spirit has helped me move beyond comprehension and into revelation. Comprehension and revelation are very different. One is received in the natural mind, the other in the mind of the spirit. My personal time in the Word is no longer dry and tedious; it’s refreshing and exciting.

The Holy Spirit’s guidance in the Word has even changed my ministry. The teaching of the Word, aside from the miracles, is what drew the crowds to Jesus (see Luke 5:15). I model my ministry after His. So this ministry is built on God’s Word and the Spirit’s teaching. So much can be built on the foundation of solid teaching and revelation. With the Holy Spirit as your Teacher, you can become filled with the Word to where it begins to pour out of you, and that will attract people to your ministry. Why? Because people are so hungry to know the deeper things of God. They want substance, and substance is hard to find. True substance of the Word, true knowledge of the Bible, is a rare treasure. So few ever take the time to get into the Word.

The illumination of the Holy Spirit can become the magnet of your ministry. That is one of the reasons why it’s so important that we rely upon the Holy Spirit to teach us.

And that’s what I’ve learned to do—just yield to my Teacher. Since the moment I read that verse in James until now, the revelations haven’t ceased. The Holy Spirit is faithful to reveal His Word. It’s purely supernatural. The ability to know the truth is beyond human reasoning. We need the illumination of the Holy Spirit.

When I think of such illumination, I’m reminded of apostle John. What awe and wonderful terror must have filled the yielded being of John as he stood in the realm of the Spirit to witness the majestic sight of God’s throne room. Like the deep sea or the ever-expanding cosmos, the presence of the Lord can be so beautiful that it’s frightening.

Then as I looked, I saw a door standing open in heaven, and the same voice I had heard before spoke to me like a trumpet blast. The voice said, “Come up here, and I will show you what must happen after this.” And instantly I was in the Spirit, and I saw a throne in heaven and someone sitting on it. The one sitting on the throne was as brilliant as gemstones—like jasper and carne- lian. And the glow of an emerald circled His throne like a rainbow. Twenty-four thrones surrounded Him, and twenty-four elders sat on them. They were all clothed in white and had gold crowns on their heads. From the throne came flashes of lightning and the rumble of thunder. And in front of the throne were seven torches with burning flames. This is the sevenfold Spirit of God (Revelation 4:1-5).

The Book of Revelation describes the sevenfold Spirit of God as “seven lamps of fire burning” (Rev. 4:5 KJV). The lamps themselves are said to be the seven-fold Spirit of God, not the fire. Lamps give light, guidance, and clarity. In the same way, the Holy Spirit brings about illumination in the life of the believer. The Holy Spirit gives illumination through:

Revelation of the Word of God (see John 14:26)
Revelation of the ways of God (see 1 Corinthians 2:10-12)
Revelation of the will of God (see Acts 16:6-7)

The Word of God contains the written foundational truths concerning God’s will (desires, plans) and God’s ways (nature, character). However, there are certain aspects of God’s will that only the Holy Spirit can reveal to you—especially when those aspects have to do with specific things in your life and ministry. The same goes for the ways of God. God’s ways—or
nature—can only be truly understood by the Holy Spirit.

The more that the Holy Spirit illuminates the Word of God, the more you can see the ways and will of God. The Holy Spirit illuminates your mind and your spirit. As a guiding lamp, the Holy Spirit enables you to see with your spiritual sight.

But you are not like that, for the Holy One has given you His Spirit, and all of you know the truth (1 John 2:20).

The lamp speaks to the illuminating nature of the Holy Spirit. Lamps or light can be symbolic of the Holy Spirit.

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Symbols of the Holy Spirit: The Dove

What does the Holy Spirit look like? We are given descriptions of Jesus and the Father, but rarely do we see a description of the Holy Spirit. Today, His body is your body, but the Holy Spirit appeared in physical form in the Gospels. Yes, the Bible gives a physical description of the Holy Spirit!

The Gospels each record the spectacular events in the life of Christ. Although they will often vary in the way they describe an event, they do not ever contradict one another. Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John each describe the event of Jesus’s baptism in the same way. During the baptism of Jesus, the Holy Spirit descended upon Him like a dove. This agreement upon the way they described the Holy Spirit indicates to me that what they saw was a literal description and not a figurative description. Those who witnessed the heavenly display literally saw the Holy Spirit, in the shape and likeness of a dove, descend upon Jesus.

After His baptism, as Jesus came up out of the water, the heavens were opened and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and settling on Him (Matthew 3:16).

As Jesus came up out of the water, He saw the heavens splitting apart and the Holy Spirit descending on Him like a dove (Mark 1:10).

Then John testified, “I saw the Holy Spirit descending like a dove from heaven and resting upon Him” (John 1:32).

Luke’s Gospel confirms the literal way in which the Holy Spirit came upon Jesus. He makes it clear that the Holy Spirit took on the form of a dove bodily:

and the Holy Spirit, in bodily form, descended on Him like a dove. And a voice from heaven said, “You are My dearly loved Son, and You bring Me great joy” (Luke 3:22).

Other Scriptures in the Bible symbolically speak to the pure, innocent, and undefiled nature of the Holy Spirit:

I sleep, but my heart waketh: it is the voice of my beloved that knocketh, saying, Open to me, my sister, my love, my dove, my undefiled: for my head is filled with dew, and my locks with the drops of the night (Song of Solomon 5:2 KJV).

I am sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves (Matthew 10:16 NIV).

Like the dove, the Holy Spirit is elegant, pure, and gentle. As such, the dove can be symbolic for the Holy Spirit.

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Symbols of the Holy Spirit: Oil

What does it mean to be anointed?

In the Old Testament, when an individual was being anointed, oil was poured upon them (usually upon the head). This ceremonious applying of oil was known as “being anointed.” When someone was anointed, they were understood to be positioned, placed in authority, and ultimately set apart for a specific purpose.

The oil was a mark of power, of God’s call.

Kings were anointed.

Now the Lord said to Samuel, “You have mourned long enough for Saul. I have rejected him as king of Israel, so fill your flask with olive oil and go to Bethlehem. Find a man named Jesse who lives there, for I have selected one of his sons to be My king.” …So as David stood there among his brothers, Samuel took the flask of olive oil he had brought and anointed David with the oil. And the Spirit of the Lord came powerfully upon David from that day on. Then Samuel returned to Ramah (1 Samuel 16:1,13).

Prophets were anointed.

Then anoint Jehu grandson of Nimshi to be king of Israel, and anoint Elisha son of Shaphat from the town of Abel-meholah to replace you as My prophet (1 Kings 19:16).

Priests were anointed.

Clothe your brother, Aaron, and his sons with these garments, and then anoint and ordain them. Consecrate them so they can serve as My priests (Exodus 28:41).

Special holy items and places, such as altars, were anointed.

Each day you must sacrifice a young bull as a sin offering to purify them, making them right with the Lord. Afterward, cleanse the altar by purifying it; make it holy by anointing it with oil (Exodus 29:36).

In the New Testament, God marked and anointed Jesus, not just with oil, but with the Holy Spirit.

And you know that God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power. Then Jesus went around doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him (Acts 10:38).

The anointing oil was a foreshadowing of the Holy Spirit. Just as oil was poured from above and onto the head of those appointed, so the Holy Spirit is poured out from above onto the head of the Church—Jesus Christ.

The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, for He has anointed me to bring Good News to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim that captives will be released, that the blind will see, that the oppressed will be set free (Luke 4:18).

You and I today are not anointed with oil but with power and the Holy Spirit. He sets us apart and empowers us for God’s use.

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4 Benefits of the Blood of Jesus

There is power in the blood of Jesus. I believe it’s time for the Church to begin talking about the blood of Jesus once more and for the world to know what it is to be washed in the blood of Jesus.

The blood of Jesus is eternal. Within it is the very life of God. What is divine is full of purpose, and the blood of Jesus is no different. The precious blood of the Lamb, which was shed for the atonement of our sins, brings about more than just the cleansing of sins – though the cleansing of sins is magnificent all its own.

We can receive all of the benefits of the blood by faith, for faith is how we enter the New Covenant with God. Just as Abraham entered into a covenant with God by faith, so we also enter into a new covenant with God by faith.

Abraham was, humanly speaking, the founder of our Jewish nation. What did he discover about being made right with God? If his good deeds had made him acceptable to God, he would have had something to boast about. But that was not God’s way. For the Scriptures tell us, “Abraham believed God, and God counted him as righteous because of his faith.” – Romans 4:1-3

1. The Blood Brings Protection

Christ is referred to as our Passover Lamb.

Get rid of the old “yeast” by removing this wicked person from among you. Then you will be like a fresh batch of dough made without yeast, which is what you really are. Christ, our Passover Lamb, has been sacrificed for us. – 1 Corinthians 5:7

The acknowledgment of the Passover finds its origins on the night when the angel of death visited the land of Egypt. Pharaoh stubbornly refused to release the Jewish people, God’s uniquely called nation, from slavery. Because of the stubbornness of Pharaoh, death came upon the first-born son of every household in Egypt.

However, God provided special protection for His people. God instructed the Israelites to place blood around the doors of their homes. When the angel of death saw the blood of the lamb, it would pass over the household, leaving the first born and everyone in the home unharmed.

Then Moses called all the elders of Israel together and said to them, “Go, pick out a lamb or young goat for each of your families, and slaughter the Passover animal. Drain the blood into a basin. Then take a bundle of hyssop branches and dip it into the blood. Brush the hyssop across the top and sides of the doorframes of your houses. And no one may go out through the door until morning. For the Lord will pass through the land to strike down the Egyptians. But when he sees the blood on the top and sides of the doorframe, the Lord will pass over your home. He will not permit his death angel to enter your house and strike you down. – Exodus 12:21-23

The blood of Jesus brings about protection for you and your household. This doesn’t mean that nothing bad will ever happen to you. It simply means that nothing outside of God’s will can touch you when you walk in obedience.

The Children of Israel were instructed to remain in their homes – remain under the blood. So long as we remain under the blood, we have divine protection.

2. The Blood Brings Authority and Deliverance

And they have defeated him by the blood of the Lamb and by their testimony. And they did not love their lives so much that they were afraid to die. – Revelation 12:11

The “him” referred to in the verse above is Satan or “The Adversary”. We overcome him completely by the blood of the Lamb and our testimony. What does that mean? I like the way this man of God worded it:

“We overcome Satan when we testify personally to what the Word of God says [and to what] the blood of Jesus does for us.”
– Derek Prince

With His blood, Jesus purchased our authority and deliverance. The blood breaks addictions, breaks spiritual bondages, and subdues the work of the enemy. When we testify of the Word and of the blood, we exercise, by faith, our authority over and deliverance from demonic influence.

Everything the enemy does is reversed by the blood of Jesus.

3. The Blood Brings Healing

Of course, the blood of Jesus also purchased your healing.

But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. – Isaiah 53:5

In fact, forgiveness and healing are mentioned alongside one another.

Let all that I am praise the Lord; may I never forget the good things he does for me. He forgives all my sins and heals all my diseases. – Psalm 103:2-3

The same Jesus Who forgives sins is the same Jesus Who heals diseases. Lay hold of this promise of healing by faith.

4. The Blood Brings Peace of Mind

When meditating upon the following verse, the Holy Spirit spoke something very powerful to me:

The soldiers wove a crown of thorns and put it on his head, and they put a purple robe on him. – John 19:2

As we know, Jesus was given a crown of thorns. He bled upon His head. The soldiers were mocking the Lord, but they were actually doing something quite prophetic. While meditating on the Lord receiving the crown of thorns, the Holy Spirit drew my attention to this verse:

For a child is born to us, a son is given to us. The government will rest on his shoulders. And he will be called: Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. – Isaiah 9:6

Then the Holy Spirit spoke to me. He said, “You see, it was with the crown of thorns that Jesus was crowned the Prince of peace.”

The blood of Jesus brings us peace of mind, because it cleanses the conscience. It doesn’t just cleanse the sin; it cleanses the power of the memory of sin. It brings us peace with God.

Therefore, since we have been made right in God’s sight by faith, we have peace with God because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us. – Romans 5:1

…how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without blemish to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God? – Hebrews 9:14

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