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| Fiery Faith for God |
John
the Baptist spoke this in: Matthew 3:11 I indeed baptize you with
water unto repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose
sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit
& fire. Jesus would appear and He
would be fire for the “things of God”!
Holy
Spirit fire was sent to us: But do we call on Him to help us…do we talk with
Him about what is next in our lives?
John
the Baptist continued to give this: Matthew 3:12 His winnowing fan is in
His hand, and He will thoroughly clean out His threshing floor and gather
His wheat into the barn; but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.
We
are kings and priests to His God and Father: Revelation 1:4-6 Grace to you and
peace from Him who is and was and who is to come and from the seven Spirits who
are before His throne, 5 and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the
firstborn from the dead, and the ruler over kings of the earth. To Him who
loved us and washed us from our sins in His own blood, 6 and has made us kings
and priests to His God and Father, to Him be glory and dominion forever and
ever. Amen.
We
are designated "kings and priests" in the kingdom of our Lord Jesus
Christ. As "kings" we are newborn into God's kingdom rule, to whom we
have been given authority to extend and administrate the powers of His rule.
These are faithful to Him, to His authority and give witness of the gospel in
the power of the Spirit with a loving service to mankind. Of “kings’ and
priests”, we confront the dark, the powers of hell in an assertive manner of
prayer in warfare! “Kings and Priests” expect the miraculous power of God to
prevail when they pray and give voice to His words of truth. They contend by
faith, are faithful to continue to advance the kingdom and they continue in
worship to the Lamb and exalting in the Holy Spirit praise to confound the
enemy.
Today
I call you “kings and priests” of the Lord!
Acts
4:13 Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they
were uneducated & untrained men, they marveled. And they realized that they
had been with Jesus.
The
Holy Spirit initiates the grace of sanctification…that is the changing of our
desires from carnal to spiritual, from the flesh creature and its thoughts to
the spiritual thoughts of Christ Jesus. For who has known the mind of the Lord
that we might instruct Him, but we have the mind of Christ. We grow in the
grace and knowledge of God and exercise the gift of praying in the Spirit. The
Holy Spirit of God expands our vision, enlarges our tents, and increases our
possibilities as the Helper from heaven is now within us and directing our
steps.
Matthew
5:3 NKJV 3 "Blessed are the poor in spirit, For
theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
It
is God Who prepared the groundwork through the beatitudes because of the human
nature with its pride is always standing in the way to guard its territory, its
place in our thinking and decision-making and frequently to demand OUR RIGHTS!
There
are many who are demanding "rights" but it is only God Who has the right!
He is El-Elyon the Most High God Who
is the first cause of everything, the possessor of the heavens and earth. He is
living, mighty, faithful, merciful, everlasting, perfection forever! He is empathy,
tender, responsive and compassionate. His word is to be imprinted on our
hearts, inscribed on our minds, where we have His thoughts for us and to
understand His ways that are good for us and to us!
Christ
Jesus required the anointing for teaching and ministry. Luke 12:49 -53 I came
to send fire on the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled! 50 But I
have a baptism to be baptized with and how distressed I am till it is
accomplished! 51 Do you suppose that I came to give peace on earth? I tell you,
not at all, but rather division. 52 For from now on five in one house will be
divided; three against two and two against three. 53 Father will be divided
against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter
against mother, mother-in-law against daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law
against her mother-in-law.
The
Gospel separates and it is seen as a division among family members! Lines are
drawn and those committed to God’s kingdom required truth! Commitment to Jesus
and the kingdom will separate. Jesus told those who followed Him that those
with Him were His mother, brothers and sisters: Matthew 12:47-50 NKJV 47 Then
one said to Him, “Look, Your mother and Your brothers are standing outside,
seeking to speak with You.” 48 But He answered and said to the one who told
Him, “Who is My mother and who are My brothers?” 49 And he stretched out His
hand toward His disciples and said, “Here are My mother and My brothers!” 50
for whoever does the will of My Father in heaven is My brother and sister and
mother.”
The
“faithful”, those who are God’s family are those who operate spiritually in the
kingdom. Jesus valued His spiritual relationship with His disciples above His
physical relationship with His own family. His family would come to the “light”
in time, and have faith in Him and value what God sent Jesus to deliver! John 12: 23-26 NKJV But Jesus answered them
saying, “The hour has come that the Son of Man should be glorified. 24 most
assuredly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and
dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much grain. 25 he who loves
his life will lose it, & he who hates his life in this world will keep it
for eternal life. 26 If anyone serves Me, let him follow Me, & if anyone
serve Me, him My Father will honor.
Jesus
went the way of the cross and each of us must lay down our lives and take up
His and live for that which is one as that “king and priest” where authority
rule of that kingdom is seen and heard through us! Following Jesus is being a
servant-follower. It will take a personal qualification to lead in authentic
ministry that reveals truth always.
The
apostles were instructed to wait for the power from on high. (Luke 24:49) and
it was both Peter and Paul who emphasized the Holy Spirit baptism in Acts 8:19.
You and I must experience that same baptism of power in our lives! For the Lord
is a consuming fire. The true presence of God is felt or actually seen
through manifestations. And the reactions vary from excitement to a believer, a
questioning attitude to one seeking God and His presence, and another is that
of a total resistance to him with an unbelieving spirit.
Our
Culture will not have a holy fire in it nor was there a holy fire in the
culture where the apostles gave the Gospel. What is given is that of Jesus
Christ. God will use His word to encourage our hearts. For I know the
plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans for welfare and not for evil, to
give you a future and a hope. Jeremiah 29:11
The
Lord God is about encouraging those who walk with Him! Allow the Holy
Spirit to surge through you to pray…allow Him room and see the fire burn
brightly for the Lord’s glory and to his praise. Keep the light burning and dig
into that authority of the Lord. See Him
coming for you, and speak of His coming for you…for spiritual growth will
appear… and the earth is expecting Him, it is warming up to receive the heat He
will send out….2 Peter 3:10 “fervent heat”……. But the day of the Lord will come
as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great
noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the
works that are in it will be burned up.
Be
guided by the fire of His word: I will instruct you and teach you in the way
you should go; I will counsel you with my eye upon you. Psalm 32:8 ...... We will not be surprised when Jesus appears.
We are expecting Him.
Mark
the blameless and behold the upright, for there is a future for the man of
peace. Psalm 37:37
He
who did not spare his own Son but gave Him up for us all, how will he not also
with him graciously give us all things? Romans 8:32
Let
not your heart envy sinners, but continue in the fear of the LORD all the
day. Surely there is a future, and your hope will not be cut off.
Proverbs 23:17-18
In
Him, we are to be set for the course of obedience. That also contains within
it, a wisdom, an abundance, contains health and a great joy! Our walk is one
that clearly reveals our salvation in Jesus. Our mouth and heart diligently acts
on His guidance, to see spiritually and act physically now in this hour!
Delivered
from the power of darkness, we are translated into the Kingdom of heaven that
is of Jesus, for the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made us free
from the law of sin and death. We humble ourselves to God. We commit to His
care for us affectionately. The old is done away with and we live for God! We
bring every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ Jesus. We daily
lay aside every weight and the sin of worry and distress which tries to beset
us. We run this day and within this hour with patience, looking unto Jesus Who
is the author and finisher of our faith!
The
Lord is our victory in this day! His banner over us is His love. It is in the
name of Jesus, that we are not conformed to this world, but we are transformed
by the renewing of our minds, that we may prove what is that good, acceptable,
perfect will of God. For this is the will of God that we should be
consecrated--separated and set apart for pure holy living; that we should
abstain from all sexual vice. We should know how to possess our own body in
purity and in consecration and honor, not to be used in the passion of lust,
like the heathen who are ignorant of the true God and have no knowledge of His
will.
The
Fire in Jesus stills burns brightly to this day…..Read Revelation 1 and you
will see a description given by John of the visual of Christ! He has white
hair, flaming eyes of fire and feet appear as brass. He is still Jesus who
loves, but He is also Jesus Who Judges!
Christ
is intolerant to the things of the world! Jesus told the
religious that He was God and they crucified Him! Luke 22:66 As soon as it was
day, the elders of the people, both chief priests and scribes, came together and
led Him into their council, saying, 67 “If You are the Christ, tell us.” But He
said to them, “If I tell you, you will by no means believe. 68 And if I also
ask you, you will by no means answer me or let Me go. 69 Hereafter the Son of
Man will sit on the right hand of the power of God.” 70 Then they all said,
“Are You then the Son of God?” So He said to them, “you rightly say that I am.”
71 And they said, “What further testimony do we need? For we have heard it
ourselves from His own mouth.
Jesus
voiced an affirmation that He is the “Son of God” a title expressing His
exclusive and unique oneness with God! Jesus came to separate the holy of God
from the profane. He gave an affirming word of God: Luke 23:3 then Pilate asked
Him, saying, “Are You the King of the Jews?” he answered him and said, “It is
as you say.”
Jesus
lived by the Spirit of God! Holy fire burns chaff. Abide in the Spiritual
of the Holy Spirit and His power to never adopt the world’s way of thinking nor
doing. Keep a relationship with God, and choose to stay within the boundary of
His Word, keep your ear open to hear the Holy Spirit speak……….and keep looking
for restoration in your life! He will return! May He find that our faith burns as a holy fire on the earth when He returns.
Amen!
New teaching at: Voice of Prayer
