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| Holy Spirit Power |
I had
gotten a number of thought processes of some scriptures this past weekend for a blog. And in them all, some
were definitely mine and one was for prayer for a family we know, but I kept on
reading through Proverbs and other passages. Then I heard this testimony that
forever changed a young man’s life early this morning. He was not saved till he was a teenager in
the early 1960’s and the couple of who had prayed for him was neighbors and not
of his own family. This devout couple prayed for this young man to preach the
word as God had called him to do. And today I had seen his going home to be
with Jesus. Oh my, how many have passed on to glory with Jesus just in these
last months. And many yes, we know have been those about eighty years of age and older.
Still, we think of those who are still among the living, and have a new year to encounter. If we
truly lead, may we lead others to be strong in this hour and to finish strong
by the end! And for this gentleman, he had a great going home adventure. His testimony was that this couple had told him that he would preach God's word. And he said no to that when he had been saved. He continued to tell the woman who told him he was that coming preacher whenever she saw him, but his answer remained the same till one day. It was later in the 1960's when he was going to someone's home but as he got to the shallow creek, the creek had become a river and was swollen even though it was a sunny day. He could not drive his car over the fast moving river. He would not be stopped! He got out of his car, rolled up his pants legs and proceeded to remove his socks and shoes and march across that river. Well, with great faith and patience to move slowly across the rocks in swift water, he reached the bank and started to climb. Then a "voice" was heard: "Are you the preacher I have been praying for?" AND his reply: Yes, I am that preacher!" And he went to preach the word of God!On his headstone: Strong!
I know
people use this word as their focus for their community either from a terror
attack like seen in Boston, Massachusetts just a few years ago or those
overseas in other nations like Paris, France and abroad. A school uses it for
Sandyhook Strong where young children were killed in their school rooms
targeted by a person not in their right mind for life. Another like Boston
Strong, that represents those who were killed or maimed by the shrapnel that was poised against those who ran
marathons. Sad that many innocent always find their end when they are targeted as in this tragedy by the
whims of a madman. But our focus is finishing STRONG! People use this slogan to enforce their community and it is good. Still we are to be strong every day, every hour whether day or night, peace or tribulation, we are to be strong in the Lord!
Ephesians
6:10-18 NKJV 10 Finally, my brethren, be
strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. 11 Put on the whole armor of
God that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 12 For we do
not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against
powers, against rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of
wickedness in the heavenly places. 13 Therefore take up the whole armor of God,
that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to
stand.
WE put on
the divine nature of God to stand against the enemy who can and will use others
to terrorize.
Ephesians
6:14 Stand, therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the
breastplate of righteousness, 15 and having shod your feet with the gospel of
peace; 16 above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to
quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. 17 And take the helmet of
salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; 18 praying
always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this
end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints---19 and for me,
that utterance may be given to me, that I may open my mouth boldly to make
known the mystery of the gospel, 20 for which I am an ambassador in chains;
that in it I may speak boldly as I ought to speak.
NOT Against
Flesh and Blood: To discern between the spiritual struggle and culture with the
social, the personal and political difficulties: Romans 8:37-39 Yet in all
these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. 38 For I am
persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor
powers, nor things present nor things to come, 39 nor height, nor depth, nor
any other created things hall be able to separate us from the love of God which
is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
The
DEFENSIVE is the Armor: Ephesians 6:14 Stand, therefore, having girded your
waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, 15 and having
shod your feet with the gospel of peace; 16 above all, taking the shield of
faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked
one.
But the
DEFENSIVE is :Ephesians 6:17 And take the helmet of salvation and the sword of
the Spirit, which is the word of God; 18 praying always with all prayer and
supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance
and supplication for all the saints---19 and for me, that utterance may be
given to me, that I may open my mouth boldly to make known the mystery of the
gospel, 20 for which I am an ambassador in chains; that in it I may speak
boldly as I ought to speak.
The sword
of the Spirit which is the word of God: Hosea 6:5-6 NKJV Therefore I have hewn
them by the prophets, I have slain them by the words of My mouth; and your
judgments are like light that goes
forth. 6 For I desire mercy and not sacrifice, and the knowledge of God more
than burnt offerings.
God had
sent His prophets to shape the nations but by rejecting them, the people called
upon themselves the penalty that now must follow. God desires our relationship
with Him more than He desires our service for Him. Hebrews 4:12 For the word of God is living and powerful, and
sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and
spirit and of joints and marrow and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents
of the heart. 13 And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things
are naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account.
From 4:12
powerful, energes ( en—er---gace) Strong’s #1756 energetic,..it is the opposite
of “ineffective”
Spiritual
Warfare is Victorious Based on the Provision of the Cross and Christ’s Blood:
Colossians 2:13-15 and you being dead in your trespasses and the
un-circumcision of your flesh, He has
made alive together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses, 14 having
wiped out the handwriting of requirements that was against us, which was
contrary to us. And He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the
cross. 15 Having disarmed principalities and powers. He made a public spectacle
of them, triumphing over them in it.
Grounds of
Authority: Jesus triumphed over sin: Ephesians 2:13-16 NKJV 13 But now in
Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of
Christ. 14 For He Himself is our peace, who has made both one, and has broken
down the middle wall of separation, 15 having abolished in His flesh the
enmity, that is, the law of commandments contained in ordinances, so as to
create in Himself one new man from the two, thus making peace, 16 and that he
might reconcile them both to God in one body through the Cross, thereby putting
to death the enmity.
Galatians 3:13-14 NKJV 13 Christ has
redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us (for it is
written, “Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree.”) 14 that the blessing of
Abraham might come upon the Gentiles in Christ Jesus that we might receive the
promise of the Spirit through faith.
2 Corinthians 5:14-17 NKJV Do not be
unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what fellowship has
righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has light with darkness? 15 And
what accord has Christ with Belial? Or what agreement has the temple of God
with idols? For you are the temple of the living God. As God has said: “I will
dwell in them and walk among them. I will be their God, and they shall be My
people.” 17 Therefore “Come out from among them and be separate says the Lord.
Do not touch what is unclean, and I will receive you.”
Revelation 12:10-11 NKJV Then I heard a
loud voice saying in heaven, “Now salvation, and strength and the kingdom of
our God and the power of His Christ have come, for the accuser of the brethren,
who accused them before our God day and night, has been cast down.” 11 “And
they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony,
and they did not love their lives to the death.”
Entering
Conflict: Know what side you are on! Right now, our faith is to be unwavering,
the result of an abiding relationship in Christ Jesus.
Faith’s confession: Matthew 5:3 blessed
are the poor in spirit for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
The beatitudes belong to those only of
the kingdom of God: fulfilled in prophecy in Luke 4:16-21 was first given in
Isaiah 61:1 The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon Me, because the LORD has
anointed Me to preach good tidings to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the
brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the
prison to those who are bound.
Jesus on the cross, giving up His body
and by shedding His blood completely satisfied God’s requirement: Hebrews
10:12-14 NKJV But this Man, after He had offered one sacrifice for sins
forever, sat down at the right hand of God, 13 from that time waiting till His
enemies are made His footstool. 14 For by one offering He has perfected forever
those who are going sanctified.
Opened up the gates of Heaven for anyone
that would believe in Him John 3:16: For God so loved the world that He gave
His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have
everlasting life. 17 For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the
world, but that the world through Him might be saved.
In HIM, we have the benefit of life
eternal. 1 John 5:10-12 NKJV 10 He who
believes in the Son of God has the witness in himself; he who does not believe
God has made Him a liar, because he has not believed the testimony that God has
given of His Son. 11 And this is the testimony; that God has given us eternal
life, & this life is in His Son. 12 He who has the Son has life; he who
does not have the Son of God does not have life.
Romans 2:6-11 Amp. Bible 6 for He will
render to every man according to his works [justly, as his deeds deserve]. 7 To
those who by patient persistence in well-doing [spring from piety] seek [unseen
but sure] glory and honor and [the disobedient to the Truth but responsive to wickedness, there will be
indignation and wrath. 9 [And] there will be tribulation & anguish &
calamity & constraint for every soul of man who [habitually] does evil, the Jew first & also the [Gentile].
11 For God shows no partiality [undue favor or unfairness; with Him one man is
not different from another. Our answer is in Jesus from Matthew 11:29-30 He
said “take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle &lowly in
heart….you will find rest for your soul. 30 For My yoke is easy and My burden
is light.”
The Holy
Spirit Prepares Us for Kingdom Victories Today: Praying always with all prayer
and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all
perseverance and supplication for all the saints---
This is any prayer directed by, energized
by and sustained by the Holy Spirit. It is prayer prayed in the Spirit. It
falls in the category of being in the Spirit, speaking by the Spirit of God and
singing in the Spirit. Praying in
the Spirit: according to God’s will which is His word: 1 John 5:14-15 NKJV Now
this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according
to His will, He hears us. 15 And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask,
we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him.
It will glorify the Father through His
Son: John 14:13 and whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the
Father may be glorified in the Son.
Always based on God’s character, Gods,
ways and His Word: John 15:7 NKJV If you abide in Me, and My words abide in
you, you will ask what you desire and it shall be done for you.
Will always come from a clean heart:
James 5:16 Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another,
that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails
much.
Prayed in full assurance of Faith: James
1:6 But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a
wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. 7 For let not that man suppose
that he will receive anything from the Lord.
Asked in Jesus’ name: John 14:14 If you
ask anything in My name, I will do it.
Whatever
our focus at this moment whether to what may occur in the year ahead, the loss
of a loved one, or what health crisis that might appear, but direct our focus really at this moment is to be on Jesus our Lord and Savior and remember He sent the Holy Spirit to
us: not for a dress code, not for arranging big hair or flat hair, not for the
weight or a specific height of a person, not about that certain leader of a
business or ministry, but about Jesus. And Jesus said he was sending us His
Holy Spirit for purpose. The Holy Spirit for power in our lives!
John 14: 16 And I will pray the Father, and he will give you another Helper, that he may abide with you forever.
That means the Holy Spirit will do what Jesus did when He is absent from the scene with the disciples. It is continuity of what Jesus did and taught!
You could speak
to any number of people in any nation right now and find them grieving over the
loss of a leader of their country, a loved one passed on, they lost their job
over a virus or they feel like the world has gone off its course! But these all
have the Holy Spirit available if they are the saved ones who called on Jesus
with a repentant heart.
Let’s
choose the present and forget the past! That is a hard one but we can do it!
That listening to the lies of the enemy instead of resisting them by the Holy
Spirit will only bring us into more grief and worry from what occurred in 2020.
We push back by inviting the power of the Holy Spirit to cleanse our mind with
Christ’s thoughts. We have been given authority: we command in Jesus’ name that
all lying spirits have to leave our minds. We will not adulterate our souls to
live in confusion…we will live in clarity…We will not be tormented with impure,
evil, negative or sinful thoughts but transformed by the renewing of our minds.
We prove what is that good, acceptable and perfect will of God. (Romans
12:2) WE are Enabled “be strong in the
Lord and in the power of His might.” (Ephesians 6:10) ….
WE are not to
be anxious for nothing; but in
everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, we let our requests
be made known to God, and His peace, which surpasses all understanding, guards
our hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:6-7) and finally,
whatever things are true, noble, just, pure, lovely, of a good report, having
virtue or anything praise worthy, we think on these things. (Philippians 4:8)
So should
you and I live in a country or region where the culture throws an agenda of discord against the righteous,
or there is one who initiates an attack with fear mongering concerning the
welfare of your body, your family or community, or when someone throws you
under a bus to save their own flesh, what will come out of your mouth should be a heart that is filled with God’s word. Life & death are
in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruit. Proverbs
18:21
The LORD is
the “good” to those who find and take refuge in Him. Sickness is not of God but
of the devil who came to steal, kill & destroy. The adversary is the
unrepentant, who chooses to kill by spilling blood, by destroying one’s health, determining our outcome. BUT We are
not the cursed, but the blessed of God! We confess: we are the redeemed of the
Lord, that He is our light /our salvation, whom shall we fear, He is the
STRENGTH of our life of whom shall we be afraid? Whatever the obstacle, God delivers to set
us free for good. And this will be for His glory and to His praise. We are God
STRONG! WE are set as warriors with our armor in place and the Holy Spirit
guiding us through paths that are narrow and sometimes bumpy, the path we walk
has many sounds like munitions firing, but peace holds us, we take not a glance
to the right nor to the left, we keep our gaze on the beauty of the Lord WHO
spoke “It is Finished.”
He took it
all so we could finish strong! He took our sin so that we could be with Him forever.
For you and I, we run this race, through the smoke of the enemy, and through the
close sounds of whizzing arrows, but we run, for God set the course for us. He
set that standard of the Gospel to build us up in Christ Jesus with the same actions and motives that
have eternal value. For eternal life started long ago when we accepted Christ
as Savior and Lord.
Jesus’ walk was to a Cross
on Calvary. Many things have occurred we did not see coming and we in that
sense feel like we have been badly wounded or even destroyed by the hateful
intent of others. But we remain alert. John 16:13 However when He the Spirit of truth has come, he will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears he will speak; and he will tell you things to come. We are Holy Spirit enabled.
We are to remember that we are the righteous
and as such will suffer persecution and face trouble of those against God and
His plan but we will also be vindicated by God Himself. WE are strong in the Lord, and in the power of
his might. WE are strong to stand against the wiles of the devil. We are strong
because we have taken up the whole armor of God, that you and I may be able to
withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand……yes, strong…in the
power of His might! Amen.
New teaching at: Voice of Prayer
The Faithful Church, The Lukewarm Church
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New teaching at: Life Giving Wells
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