Stop what you are doing and listen

A modern disciple is called to believe without having seen. This requires trust and conviction. It may even be a higher degree of faith than those who saw, and believed. Today's follower is also given the responsibility to investigate His Word and find the facts, then to transfer the fictional and unlikely imaginations of men, to their proper place…in the trash bin.

In John 15 Jesus describes discipleship, thinking not to elevate his own position; He elevates the Father's position. Why? Because that is how you are to present His message. Throughout His ministry, He does not glorify Himself, but glorifies the Father. This is one of the lessons a follower learns. Do not seek glory for yourself, but glorify only the Father which is in heaven. You, as a follower of Christ, testify that the Son brought forth the Father's message of Good News and that freedom from sin had arrived. Until then, sin had remained. No matter what the sacrifice was, it was no good before God who is fully Righteous and perfect. Therefore, a perfect sacrifice was necessary. A sacrifice of flesh, in that the flesh must be eliminated (fleshly pursuits rejected) in order to gain righteousness and forgiveness of sin. Mortal man could never ever attain this.

So the Truth stepped out of His dwelling and entered human environment to become the penalty for sin, Gods son being the perfect sacrifice in the flesh which God required. What did The Father say when Jesus went to John to be baptized? "This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased." Likewise, you must also give a sacrifice: a giving of time, compassion, understanding, assistance, alms to the truly needy... "You have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that you should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever you shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you". John 15:16

How much love do you have for your neighbor? How faithful are you, if you deny service to others? What is service? Personal giving is not something that restricts you, or is a burden to you, but rather it is a freedom that most people today do not know. Your life is so complex and busy, that you forget how to give unselfishly. But the Lord watches you, without blinking!

The next time someone calls with or speaks to you of a need, be a follower of Christ and stop what you are doing and listen. HELP your neighbor, friend, relative or even a stranger. It will be counted to you for righteousness to bring the Love of Christ into another person's life......and you never know; that one act of random kindness and love can make all the difference in someone's life. It is the Lord's Presence within you that seeks those you may help....and He will bring them to you in your path, so that you may demonstrate your testimony before others.

The Ripple Effect of sin short-circuits the work of the Holy Spirit

Feb 29, 2012 10:40 am                                                                  

The Ripple Effect of sin short-circuits the work of the Holy Spirit

The Ripple Effect is a series of effects or consequences that are the result of a single event or action. You’ve taken a stone and you’ve thrown it into a pond, and you see the circles that are rippling outward from the center where you threw the stone. That’s not the only effect that throw might have had. It’s very possible that the sound of it going in may have scared a duck that was on the pond or the weight of it going down through the water, disturbed fish that were swimming there.

You are tied to all of that. You’re tied to the stone. You’re tied to the water. You’re tied to the ducks, and you’re tied to the fish by the ripples. You have caused change through a single and simple act. That can be change for good, or that can be change for bad. Sometimes your actions create unintended consequences through the ripples, the rogue ripples that go out from the center.

What if you’re in a restaurant and somebody is choking on some food and you know the Heimlich. Somebody said, "You know the Heimlich. They’re choking." You say, "I don’t know if that’s my place. I really don’t want to get involved." Would that be wrong?

Maybe somebody is trapped in destructive behavior. Maybe they’re drinking too much or there are drugs or sexual immorality. Or maybe it’s a friend you work with that seems to be forming an emotional attachment with someone other than their spouse. I don’t want to get involved in that. They’re dying! Wouldn’t it be wrong not to get involved?

Galatians 6:1 says, "Dear brothers and sisters, if another believer is overcome by some sin, you who are godly should gently and humbly help that person back onto the right path." Listen, godly doesn’t refer to some elite spiritual class. Godly refers to you. You’re just a page ahead. You’re not doing what they’re doing, okay. You’re a page ahead. You ought to restore them humbly and gently, willing to help someone out because their life depends on it. You’re a hope dispenser. You’re a life dispenser. That’s why you are filled with the Holy Spirit.

In your life every decision you make has a Ripple Effect. The ripple effect of sin will short-circuit the work of the Holy Spirit in Your life. That’s why it’s a big deal. Be involved in The Ripple Effect that changes things for the good.  Your Ripple Effect is from a single event or action and effects the consequences that are from you.

Being a Disciple today, and serving others.

Offer the Truth in service to others because of the love He inspires within you, and because of the Love that He has for you; show that your love is an eternal vocation and worthy of your personal sacrifice. By believing in the Lord God and His Son, YOU are called to be His disciple! Jesus said, "…If you continue in my word, then are you my disciple indeed. And you shall know the truth and the truth shall set you free." John 8:31-32

This is one of the greatest comforts and affirmations in all of Scripture. You can find the way to everlasting peace in His Glory with the Father through this concept. But along with it comes critical responsibilities. To be a disciple of Christ is to assume a most reverent position and obligation to His sheep. Remember that no one "belongs" to each other, for God is no respecter of persons. This means that in your works you should not "boast of yourself". It is the Holy Spirit that inspires a duty and it is the duty as a disciple to foster and bring that new creature in Christ along His way, and to never deviate from His Truth; at all times your service is the example and your witness of His Power over you, and also, through you.“You have received Grace and Apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith in you for His Name sake. " Romans 1:5

In order that YOU, as a disciple of Christ’s, may shepard the Lord's children, whether it be one or hundreds, you as a disciple must be inerrant and faithful to God's Holy Word and His scriptures. If not, then you are teaching a false doctrine, one not of God, and you will receive substantial condemnation for it. There are hundreds of those kinds of "teachers" in the world today, as the scriptures foretold you that there would be. The Lord warned you "For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many ", Matt 24. He also reminded us to "come out from the world and be separated, for His name's sake...

See, there are conditional requirements to being His disciple. You must remain faithful to Him and His Cause. You must abide in the truth as He does and ISthe Truth. If these conditions are met, then you have the absolute confidence of knowing the Truth and this knowledge and perception will cause you to be relieved of the mortal burden of imprisonment (in lies) and will be liberated from death into immortality, through Him. What a glorious thought!

Is knowledge of the truth what saves you? Yes and no. Yes, in that HE is the Truth; but no, in that knowledge, in and of itself, is not the salvation of you. Faith in the Grace found in Christ is what saves you. How do you know this? Because Jesus said an interesting thing to Thomas after His Resurrection…when Jesus appeared to the disciples in the upper room, Thomas had been absent the first time, but was present the second time. Jesus, knowing that Thomas was given to doubt, said to Thomas, "Reach your finger and behold my hands; and reach your hand and thrust it into my side; and be not faithless, but believing." Upon this Thomas believed. Jesus then said, "Thomas, because you have seen me, you have believed; Blessed are they who have not seen yet have believed."

Give careful thought to your ways.

What does the LORD Almighty want to say to His people? Check out the second half of verse (Haggai 1:5): “Give careful thought to your ways.” This is really the major message of the book and is unique to Haggai, occurring five times in two chapters: in 1:5, in 1:7, in 2:15 and twice in 2:18. It means, you’re to think about why things are going crazy in your life. OR: “Look at what’s happening to you!” “Now this is what the LORD Almighty says…”they had lost their view of God as big and mighty. They, and you, need to recapture how mighty and majestic He really is. You see, when your understanding of God’s supremacy slips, you allow other things to overshadow Him. That’s what happened to them. Instead of praising Him, they were living for their own pleasure.  “What you think about God is the most important thing about you.”

God wants you to look at your mind and do a serious inventory. If you don’t, you’ll default to living for yourself and not for the Almighty. “The unexamined life is not worth living.” many Christians today believe in God but live as if He doesn’t exist.

Be honest about something. It’s easy to be an expert in considering the ways of others around you but not so easy in considering your own ways. It’s easy to slam others while excusing yourself. Lamentations 3:40: “Examine your ways and test them, and return to the Lord.” Luke 15:17: “When he came to his senses, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired men have food to spare, and here I am starving to death!’” 2 Corinthians 13:5: “Examine yourself to see whether you are in the faith; test yourself. Do you not realize that Christ Jesus is in you – unless, of course, you fail the test.”

God can use all sorts of things to get your attention. Once you pause and ponder your life you will hear God calling you to go deeper by looking at what’s been happening and then you’ll learn from it.

Look and Learn. (Haggai Verse 6): shows you what happens when you don’t put God first. “You have planted much, but have harvested little. You eat, but never have enough. You drink, but never have your fill. You put on clothes, but are not warm. You earn wages, only to put them in a purse with holes in it.” God hit their agriculture and their economy. The message is clear – you will never find satisfaction until your priorities are right. They had a lot of action but they could get no satisfaction. A sense of dissatisfaction should lead you to find your satisfaction in God alone. God was causing their afflictions in order to get their attention.

Jesus, is teaching you to walk, not by sight, but by faith.

Jeremiah 1:5: When Jeremiah was called to be a prophet to Israel, God declared that even before he was conceived, he was known by God and set apart for His divine purposes.

The strength to continue to walk out your destiny, even in the darkest of times, Know that it is God who knew you, and formed you, and called you into life, He is the bedrock of your existence. When everything else around you is not making sense, this truth can give you the grounding that you desperately need to go on.

When you’re looking for a sense of meaning and purpose in life Know it wasn't your parents who knew you before you were conceived, but God. It was God who formed you in your mother's womb and called you to life. It was God who set you apart for His divine purposes and plans.

Before an architect constructs a building, he meticulously puts every detail on paper, every component needed to make his dream into a reality. The idea is first conceived in his mind then is transferred on paper, and then when everything is just perfect, he starts the process of building his creation. This is with God with you. He first conceived you in His mind, and with great thoughts of love, He began to chart every detail of your DNA in preparation for the time when he would form you in your mother's womb. What a wonderful thought, to know that the God of the universe knew you intimately and set you apart for His purposes even before you were conceived!

Are you needing to see God's timing come to pass? Are you in need of Him to step in and "make things right? He's reminding you today as you walk through the week, that He knows the right time to bring things to pass. What may look like a huge disappointment; something that just cannot be "fixed" or made right to you; He is in control of. He knows the days and times. He knows your needs and desires. He doesn't leave you alone. He's there; working it out. What you see with your own two eyes in the "natural", He has His hand on in the "supernatural".

The disciples were devastated at His crucifixion. They just didn't understand the timing...it was to be "a little while" then it would all be clear. Jesus' death on the cross made it possible for your salvation; all mankind's salvation. What you see now is temporary; what you cannot see is eternal. Jesus, is teaching you to walk, not by sight, but by faith.

DISCIPLINE is the key element in seizing a lasting happiness.

You can fall into the rut of ingratitude, when you’re seriously impacted by the stresses of the world. Hardships test your strength for endurance.  Scripture speaks of the importance of maintaining an attitude of thankfulness and to recognize your weaknesses. Be aware that the power of life’s difficulties can turn a child of God into a forgetful, complaining and doubting person.

External circumstances constantly change, usually unexpectedly. If you allow your satisfaction to be dependent on the changing conditions of your life, which often come in the form of problems and disappointments rather than in benefits and promotions, you quickly leave yourself open to dissatisfaction, discontentment and ingratitude.

He wants it to be clear that DISCIPLINE is the key element in seizing a lasting happiness in this imperfect world. The only way you can make a healthy acceptance of whatever happens to you is by focusing your hope in Christ with gratitude, joy and contentment as a State Of Mind, which then will not depend upon how well things go for you.

Complaining takes no special skill. Anybody can do that. But maintaining your joy in an imperfect world requires a spiritual DNA to allow pure, true and good things to permeate your thinking and lifestyle (Php 4:8).

Achieve a positive state of mind by being thankful, content and joyful. Get use to finding the positive from everything by disciplining yourself to be consistently thankful. Entertaining a healthy outlook of gratitude leaves no room for discontent and resentment. “You’ll find that it is hard to be depressed and grateful at the same time. Therefore, discipline your mind to be thankful for the blessings of today.

Make it a practice to remember the many countless times when God has seen you through your difficulties. Write a list of God’s favors in your life and post them where you can see them often. When you remember the goodness of God, you’ll reduce the tendency to be doubtful, complaining and overly critical.

MAKE A CONSCIOUS EFFORT TO BE GENUINELY THANKFUL. Use your mouth to confess God’s goodness and make it a habit. There is always something good and beautiful about your circumstances, no matter how ugly or disagreeable they may appear to be. Keep in mind that it is the attitude that counts. So have a heart of Gratefulness and a willingness to endure whatever happens.

The Day of the Lord

The day of the Lord will come not merely like a thief, but like a thief in the night. A thief in the day won’t scare anybody not in the house, but a thief in the night will scare the daylights, the pants and socks out of family members – when lights are dimmed, when eyes are sleepy and when resistance is weak.

The Day of the Lord is a Day of Decision
You are of the light and a person of the day. You do not belong to the night or to the darkness. So then, do not be like others, who are asleep, but be (alert and self-controlled).  For those who sleep, sleep at night and those who get drunk, get drunk at night. But since you belong to the day, be self-controlled, putting on faith and love as a breastplate, and the hope of salvation as a helmet. (1 Thess 5:5-8)

Alert is “watchfulness” not merely seeing. Watch and see is different. See is merely with the eyes, but watch is with all the senses – eyes, ears and mind. Seeing is the ability, watching is the attitude. Watchfulness has to do with awareness, attentiveness and anticipation. Alert has to do with external surrounding, but self-control with internal restrains, usually in the context of drunkenness. Self-control is to have clarity of thought and is not being confused in your thinking.. It is sensibility in a senseless world, level-headedness in a shrewd world, survival in a lost world.

The Day of the Lord is a Day of Deliverance
For God did not appoint you to suffer wrath but to receive salvation through the Lord Jesus Christ. He died for you so that, whether you are awake or asleep, you may live together with him. Therefore encourage one another and build each other up. (1 Thess 5: 9-11)

The day of the Lord for those who are Saved, is not doomsday, distress or doubt day, disgrace or dishonor, discard, destruction or desolation, defeat and despair, but a day of deliverance, decoration and distinction for believers.

While there are troubles, trials and tribulation at His coming, His intention was for the deliverance of His people. The good news in His coming is He did not come to sentence you in wrath but to save you from wrath. The coming of the Lord is not about God’s wrath, but His salvation – not about His rage but His redemption, not about dread but deliverance, His fury but His fellowship, not about His anger but His assurance.

Change will begin with weeping, and the Holy Ghost will fill your heart.

God wants you to be separate from the world; you are called to come out from the world that hates God. Come out for God, and say: "Lord, anything for Thee." If you say that with prayer, and speak that into God's ear, He will accept it, and He will teach you what it means.

I say again, God will bless you. You have been praying for blessing. But remember, there must be absolute surrender. When a cup is full then how can you fill it? The same with you when your life is so full, how can God fill it? God will bless you if you are surrendered to Him. God has wonderful blessings for you, if you will but stand up for God, and say, be it with a trembling will, and a believing heart.

Tell Him: "O God, I accept Thy demands. I am yours and all that I have. Absolute surrender is what my soul yields to Thee by your divine grace."

You may not have such strong and clear feelings of deliverances as you desire to have, but humble yourselves in His sight, and acknowledge that you have grieved the Holy Spirit by your self-will, self-confidence, and self-effort. Bow humbly before Him in your confession, and ask Him to break your self-will and to bring you into the dust before Him. Then, as you bow before Him, just accept God's teaching that in your flesh "there is nothing good," and that nothing will help you except A Life Change Experience which must come in. You must deny self once and for all. Denying self must be every moment’s choice in your life, and then Christ will come in and take possession of you. When was Peter delivered? When was the change accomplished? The change began with Peter weeping, and the Holy Ghost came down and filled his heart.

God the Father loves to give you the power of the Spirit. You have the Spirit of God dwelling within you. Come to God confessing and praising God for it, and confessing how you have grieved the Spirit. As you bow your knees to the Father ask that He would strengthen you with all might by the Spirit in your inner person, and that He would fill you with His mighty power. And as the Spirit reveals Christ to you, Christ comes to live in your heart forever, and the self-life will be cast out.

How much of your work is being done in the spirit of the flesh and in the power of self! How much work, the day by day things, in which you toil in human energy -- your will and your thoughts continually manifested, in which there is but little waiting upon God, and upon the power of the Holy Ghost! Make confessions. Confess the state of your feebleness and sinfulness. Desire to be delivered from the power of the self-life, acknowledge that you have been living by the power of self and the flesh, and that you’re willing to cast all of your self-effort at the feet of Christ. There will be deliverance.

Do not ignore God's open doors.

Do you live in a state of regret over how your life has turned out? Do you wonder how things would be different today if you had only followed God's path yesterday? If you have missed God's opportunities in your life because of fear, timidity, lack of faith, or even lack of concern, you may be tempted to keep punishing yourself for your mistakes. But God does not want you to feel constant regret and misery. He wants you to be forgiven, restored, and renewed. With God, it is never too late to be used for His kingdom. The same specific opportunities may no longer be available to you, but you can still be effective for Christ. He wants you to serve Him willingly and obediently today—no matter how you may have failed in the past.

You can find inspiration in the believers in your life, who wholeheartedly pursue God's opportunities for themselves. They faithfully serve God's kingdom, and Jesus commends them for their commitment: "I know your deeds. See, I have placed before you an open door that no one can shut. I know that you have little strength, yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name" (Revelation 3:8).

As a believer in Jesus you have many obstacles and weaknesses, but instead of neglecting your opportunities, you must embrace them. Do not miss out on anything that God places before you. Do not ignore God's open doors. You must not trample upon or squander the rare opportunities that Jesus has giving you. You’re in a unique position in Gods end time plan, and do not take that privilege lightly.

As a follower in a world that’s infected, know that serving God is not a chore or a burden—it is a gift and a blessing. When you commit to faithfulness and loyalty, Jesus will give you opportunities to do great things and He has promised great rewards. Jesus is calling you today to serve Him. He wants you to share your faith with others. He will provide you with the right people with open hearts who are ready to hear the Gospel message. He will open doors that no one else can shut.

Before you can share the Good News you must have the spiritual sensitivity to perceive those open doors. You must be ready to act in faith when God gives you an opportunity. You must have the spiritual eyes to watch for His open doors. You must be willing to serve God wholeheartedly in whatever He calls you to do.

What open doors has God placed in your life? What spiritually starving people live on your street or work with you? How long will those doors be open to share the Gospel with them? If you have neglected God's opportunities, turn back to Him, it is not too late to serve Him.

"Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord."
Romans 12:11

Recognize the opportunity when it comes.

“Pay attention to how you live.” There is a right way to proceed in life and there is a wrong way to proceed in life. You can accidentally do it wrong. You can drift with the current of society and mess up your life without much planning. But if your life is going to be meaningful and wholesome and rewarding you will have to exercise some thought and diligence.

In Ephesians 2:10 the Bible says, “For you are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for you to do.” Did you catch the significance of those last few words concerning the good works God has for you to do? It says, “…which God has prepared in advance for you to do.” God already knows the opportunities He is going to give you. He’s made all the preparations for it to happen. He is preparing you. You are His workmanship. He has prepared the opportunities.

Recognize the opportunity when it comes. God provides the opportunity. It is your responsibility to be alert, watchful, to see it for what it is and step out into it. You don’t want to miss any God-given opportunities. You want to be awake spiritually. You want to pay attention to what’s happening. You want to grab the opportunity while it is still an opportunity!

The Bible tells you “…because the days are evil.” There are evil influences at work in the world you live. If you’re not careful you can be turned aside, derailed, from your true purpose. “How shall you escape if you neglect so great a salvation…?” (Heb.2:3)? Spiritual lack of concern is dangerous in the world you live. Without some due care and diligence you can miss the will of God for your life. You can miss out on important opportunities.

In your circumstances do you see an excuse or an opportunity? Every season of life is an opportunity or an excuse depending upon how you look at it. You will find what you’re looking for. Can you look at the circumstances of your life and see the hand of God at work? Can you see the big picture of God’s purpose and put your immediate circumstances in that context?

So, a difficulty arises. What do you see? Do you see trouble? You’re offended that it is there. You’re discouraged. No! Look beyond the difficulty. See the big picture. See God working all things together for your good—orchestrating events and circumstances to build your character and faith in Him.

Trusting who you are because of what He did.

When you trust Christ your sin is credited to Christ’s account and his righteousness is credited to your account. He takes your debt and you get his credit. He paid what you owed (and could never pay) and he gives you what he has.

God faces the sinner and begs him to be reconciled. “Won’t you come home?” God calls out to the guilty sinner. That is God’s message to the world–Be reconciled to ME!

There was nothing except sin that stood between you and God. God’s wrath was turned away in the death of his Son, his justice has been satisfied, his love is poured out to you. You had to choose–your sins or Jesus Christ! Damnation or salvation! When you came to God through Christ, you were accepted. When you did, you could not, be turned away.

Jesus died on the cross for your sins, He took your place. You should have died there. But he died in your place, as your substitute, and by his death He paid the price for all your sins.

That’s a lot to think about, and you don’t have to fully understand it (no one fully understands it), but you do have to believe it. That’s what trusting is. You believing, in your heart that what God did by sending his son Jesus is the only way of salvation. Trusting is what you do when you get on an airplane. You trust your life to the fact that the airplane will safely take you up in the air and then safely get you back to the ground again. That’s trust. It’s staking your life upon something you believe to be true.

Trusting Jesus meant staking your life upon the fact that when he died on the cross, he really did pay the price for your sins and he really did take your place. Thank Jesus for dying on the cross for you. Thank him for taking all your sins away. Ask him to please help you to live a life that will be pleasing to him.

If you have the slightest desire to know the Lord even more, run to the cross. Do not hesitate, do not delay, and do not wait for a better moment. Christ died for you. He took your place and bore your penalty.

When you’re giving out, you’ll find that God is giving to you

"Whatsoever you do, do it all to the glory of God" (I Corinthians 10:31). Don't neglect that gift that is in you. Don't neglect that work that God began in your life. Timothy was evidently neglecting it. Scripture said, "Stir up the gift of God, which is in you" (II Timothy 1:6). Stir it up! Sometimes you grow a little cold or stale. Start stirring up those things again - those expressions of love and praise unto the Lord.

Through magazines, newspapers, television, and other media, it has become possible to know a little bit about everything. To become somewhat versed in everything. You know a little bit about nuclear science, medicine, politics, - a little bit about everything. But in reality, no one knows much about anything. All have become very broad but not very deep. Depth is something that is developed through meditation, and meditation is almost a lost art.

Spend a moment in meditation of God. With the accompaniment of the most beautiful music in the world, begin to think of the greatness, the love, and the goodness of God to you. As you begin to think about your life, God's Spirit will begin to talk to you concerning your life, good things and those areas where you’re failing and falling short. As the Spirit brings them up say: "Lord, strengthen me and help me in that area to be an example for Thee."

As you meditate on God's Word, God's truth, the greatness of God, and the work of God's Spirit within your life, God begins to work within you. He will enable you to be an example of the believer that He would have you to be. You're to be an example to those in your life - wholly giving yourself over to purity, faith, righteous conduct, clean speech, and the love of God working in you.

Paul describes the results of being an example of other believers: in saving others you will also be saving yourself. This is the truth of God. Mark it carefully. You cannot minister to other people without God ministering to you also. You cannot give without God giving to you. "With what measure ye give, it shall be measured to you again" (Matthew 7:2). You cannot help others without God helping you. You cannot seek the blessing of others without God blessing you. So many times while your praying for God to heal someone else, God will heal you; or to strengthen someone else, God will strengthened you; or to comfort someone else, God will comforted you. When you’re giving out, you’ll find that God is giving to you. That is a glorious fact of God!

If you sow sparingly, you'll reap sparingly. If you sow bountifully, you'll reap bountifully. You reap what you sow (Galatians 6:7). That is God's law of nature. You want a huge harvest? Plant a huge crop of seeds. You want a few ears of corn? Drop a few grains of corn into the dirt. It's a law of life. You're so interested in God ministering to you that you get self-oriented. "What's God going to do for you? If you minister to others, you won't have time to take care of your own needs." HE DOES

You receive communication from God’s heart into your heart.

Because you are unified with God through the Holy Spirit you receive communication from God’s heart into your heart. But the Holy Spirit also witnesses to you; He said: "This is the covenant that I will make with you in those days, says the LORD: I will put My laws into your heart, and in your mind “(Heb 10:15-16)

The Holy Spirit communicates the deep things of God to you. But as it is written: "You had not seen, nor your ear heard, the things which God had prepared for you until you loved Him." But God has revealed them to you through His Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, the deep things of God. For who knows the things in you except the spirit which is in you? And it is the same with God who knows the things of God except the Spirit of God. You have received the Spirit that is from God, so that you might know the things that have been freely given to you by God. (1Cor 2:9-12)

It is through the Holy Spirit that you have been given the “mind of Christ”. Christ is the head, you are the body, and you receive instruction from Him through the Holy Spirit. But the natural person does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to them; nor can they know them, because they are spiritually discerned." But you have the mind of Christ. (1Cor 2:13-16)

That word “mind” means that you have inside of you Christ thoughts, Christ’s will, and the emotions of Christ. You are not to be guided by your physical mind, which is your thoughts, your will, and your emotions; but you are to be guided by the Holy Spirit who communicates to you the thoughts of God, the will of God, and the emotions of God. There are times when the Holy Spirit communicates to you things that are too deep for human language, but you can sense the emotions of God. You are not to be led by your “feelings”, but you can be led by God’s feelings and His emotions.

Spiritual maturity progresses as you become more Holy Spirit conscious and less self-conscious. For before you lived according to the flesh and set your mind on the things of the flesh, but now live according to the Spirit, set your mind on the things of the Spirit. You are in a process of dying to yourself so that Christ may become manifested in you; the more you die to yourself the more His life is in you. Jesus said, “If you do not take your cross and follow after Me you are not worthy of Me. You’ll find your life when you’ve given up your selfish life for Him, and if you lose your life for His sake you will find it.” (Mat 10:38-39)

Jesus said: the Spirit of truth 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. He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you. All things that the Father has are mine. Therefore He will take of mine and declare it to you.” (John 16:12-15)

God used times of silence to change you.

After floating silently for five months without being able to see where he was going, having no idea of the conditions outside the boat, wondering if it would ever come to an end....things finally began to happen....the Bible says, "God remembered Noah." He sent a wind to move the ark and the waters receded and the ark came to rest in the mountains of Ararat. You can imagine Noah's relief to know that the ark was not going to be his home forever. The first thing Noah did was to remove the covering and saw that the ground was dry. This was ten and a half months after the flood began. He saw that the water had receded but Noah didn't come out yet. Then a month and 27 days later he could see that it was growing increasingly dry. But Noah still did not come out of the ark....not until God finally spoke again and invited him out.

Now what effect did this time of God's silence have on Noah? Think about the "before and after". Before the flood Noah was the only righteous person on the earth. II Peter 2:5 says he was "...THE preacher of righteousness." With all the corrupted half-demon people running around, he must have felt that he was pretty special. But when he floated in the boat....when he seemed forgotten by God, he was able to notice the tension that existed between him and his sons and their families. He understood his capacity for to be angry with God, and to feel sorry for himself. The awful realization dawned on Noah that he was going to start the world again, and his heart was as much in need of the grace of God as anyone else. He saw that he was not a good specimen on which to build a new earth. He found out that he was as capable of tawdry and angry and embarrassing and had godless behavior as anyone else. This time of silence showed Noah all this. God often teaches you lessons like this when He's quiet? You see, as long as you can compare yourself to other people, you can fool yourself. But when you are put in some kind of wilderness and there's nothing but the spiritual reality of who you are on the inside to occupy your thoughts, the awful discovery begins to take place: You see that you are capable of sin. You see that you are not as great and courageous and godly as you think you are. You discover your weakness and shortcomings.

So, God used this time of silence to change Noah....to mature his faith and make him into a man who realized how much he needed God....the type of person on whom God could rebuild humanity. And that is how it is with you. In fact, the kind of faith that God values most develops in these times when He seems to be silent.

Real faith.... requires times of silence from God to test it and make it stronger. And the stress of silence can make your faith in God stronger. Noah's experience shows you that your faith is strengthened and matured in times of crisis when God seems to be silent.

God is calling you to be like Him in giving.

Although you might be able to financially reach the American dream in your life, God could say to you, “You fool. This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself.” Realize that you never fully own anything. Everything you get is on a lease. Nothing you have is going to last forever, so even when you pay for it, you’re only paying to get to use it for a certain amount of time, until you sell, trade it, give it away, or it falls to pieces. You never own anything. Even if they put it in the coffin and grave with your body, you still can’t take it with you into the life that is to come. Naked you came into this world and naked you go out.

You put things into heaven, by fully and completely giving away things here on earth. But you will not give until you satisfy the question of what do you owe yourself. There is no single answer to this question, because greed affects each one in different way. Jesus said there are many kinds of greed. The problem with having much is not the wealth, but selfishness. Are you praying that God will bless you with more, so that you can be more selfish once you get it?

Jesus wants you to get back to what the real needs in life are. He tells you that life does not consist of an abundance of possessions. Then he tells you something that you really do not want to hear in Luke 12:32-34
32 "Do not be afraid, for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom. 33 Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Provide purses for yourselves that will not wear out, a treasure in heaven that will not be exhausted, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys. 34 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

Now Jesus is not saying to go out and sell all that you have. He is saying you need to learn how to trust God and be content. He’s challenging you to be a blessing to those who really have needs. Before you add another this or another that, why not give one that you already have away before it becomes useless or is stolen. Why not really do something like Christ, like give away the new one and keep on using the old one?

You can start being a blessing, by surrendering possessions in the attic, the garage, the basements, and the closets with things that you probably will not use again. God is not asking you to become poor. God is showing you how to become free.

You can quit trying to keep up with the Jones’. You can escape the idea that your possessions make you. You are God’s child, and God blesses some, so that they can bless others and demonstrate they truly are like God. The most important thing God did for you was God gave. God is calling you to be like Him in giving. Ask for God to help you to learn to be content where you are.

At the point where you give up is often when God shows up.

You meet God when you come to the end of your resources. When you’ve done all you can do, when you’re at the end of what you can do. When you’re resources are spent. That’s when God shows up. At the point where you give up is often when God shows up.

The disciples had been fishing all night. Simon Peter was certainly at the end of his resources. He had boasted that if everyone else left Jesus, he would still be faithful, but he wasn’t. He had failed. He played the coward. He fell when he boasted he would stand. He failed Jesus. When he first met Jesus he was very aware of his sinful heart. The Bible says, “Simon Peter fell at Jesus’ knees and said, ‘Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man!’” (Luke 5:8).

When Peter stood warming himself after the arrest of Jesus in the courtyard, it was there that Peter denied the Lord and saw Jesus look at him as the cock crowed. Peter realized that he was at the end of his resources. He knew now that there was nothing good left in him. If anything good was going to come out of him it had to be through Jesus. It was good for him to give up thinking that he was someone special and realize that he could fail like everyone else, because that is when he really began to understand his weakness, the forgiveness of God and the power of a new life. It was in his brokenness that he experienced Jesus in a new way.

It is good to come to the end of your resources and realize your weakness, so that you give in to God. It’s when you just turn the control completely over to him, and you forget about personal success. You realize you can’t do anything on your own anyway, so you ask Him to completely take over, and determine that you will do whatever it is He wants you to do. You stop trying to make things happen and let him have His way. And, amazingly, that is when things begin to happen. When you come to the end of you, you come to the beginning of God. When you come to the end of what you can do, that is when you are ready to see what God can do.

When everything you have tried in life turns out to be nothing, He can make something out of it. He gives health where there was only sickness. He gives strength when there was only weakness. He gives life where there was only death. He gives hope where there was only despair. He gives forgiveness where there was only shame. When you reach the end of yourself, you come to the beginning of Jesus.

Without a relationship, there is no faith.

When your past mighty acts of God in your life are completely forgotten: You get Faith Amnesia. Thats when your current situation is so overwhelming that you forget about how God has come through for you in the past. And then the Flesh draws you into living for the moment. And the next sign of trouble; all that God has done for you in the past is now forgotten.

Jesus speaks of corruption. It’s a corruption in the life of those who don’t believe the TRUTH. Listening to Lying Spirits their mind becomes disillusioned, to the point where their judgment has been infected and the TRUTH doesn’t matter. And those infected don’t get it; they are blind to (Gods Truths).

So “Remember” what has happened in the past? “Remember” how God has taken care of you? “Remember” how you felt the presence of my Spirit. “Remember”! Faith is not about stuff. Faith is not about things happening or things not. Faith is not about things coming together. Faith is not about a happy feeling or a secure moment or even knowledge. It’s Not things or emotions or events or stuff. Faithfulness is in your relationship with Him. If there is no relationship, there is no faith.

Those who don’t believe refuse to have a relationship with Jesus, and so they have little or no faith. If you are struggling to believe …perhaps the reason might be that you have a “Here and There relationship” with Jesus Christ. For faith without a relationship is a curiosity.

For faith is about your relationship and your faith is all about relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ. Heb. 11:1 Now faith is being sure of what you hope for and certain of what you do not see.

You can be sure of what you hope for. You can be sure that you will be with the Lord Jesus at the end of all things. You can be certain of what you do not see. With the sureness that the Spirit of the Lord is with you even though you cannot see Him. You can believe all of this based upon the full reliable information you receive in the revelation of God in His Holy Word.

The definition of a living faith is from Dan. 3:16-18: Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego replied to the king, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter. If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to save us from it, and he will rescue us from your hand, O king. But even if he does not, we want you to know, O king that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up.”

See, your faith is about trusting in The Lord God. It is simply, and purely about your relationship with Him. Without a relationship, there is no faith.

Could it actually be possible to meet Jesus & not know it

"But they were kept from recognizing Him." Ask yourself: "Could it actually be possible to meet Jesus & not know it?" (Luke 24:16) THEY WERE TALKING ABOUT JESUS: as they were walking, Vs. 17 says that He asked, "What are you discussing together as you walk along?" Cleopas answered, "Are you the only one living in Jerusalem who doesn’t know what things have happened there in these days?" "What things?" Jesus asked. "About Jesus of Nazareth," they replied. "He was a prophet, powerful in word & deed before God & all the people. The chief priests & our rulers handed Him over to be sentenced to death, & they crucified Him; but we had hoped that He was the one who was going to redeem Israel."

Here you are as they were, traveling down the road of life. Maybe hopes & dreams are broken & shattered, your prayers seem unanswered.  Trying to deal with everything all by yourself, & suddenly Jesus comes. He walks beside you, & encourages you.

As they were walking together they finally arrive at their home, & Jesus takes a step, ready to leave them, but they stop Him from going. "They urged Him strongly. `Stay with us, for it is nearly evening; the day is almost over.’ So He went in to stay with them." "It doesn’t take much to get Jesus to stay." All you have to do is invite Him. Open the door, for He’s knocking. He went inside with them, THEIR EYES WERE OPENED: Vs. 30 says, "When He was at the table with them, He took bread, gave thanks, broke it & began to give it to them. Then their eyes were opened & they recognized Him, & He disappeared from their sight."All this time they had been with Jesus, looking at Him, but never seeing Him. Now suddenly, as they ate together, their eyes were opened & they actually saw Him for who He was. After He left, Scripture says that they asked each other "Were not our hearts burning within us while He talked with us on the road & opened the Scriptures to us?"

Ask God that you would experience this burning deep inside of you, never to be content to look & not see, to listen & never hear, to be motivated & never respond.

Have you been traveling on that road to Emmaus with your dreams maybe shattered? The Spirit of Truth says: "I didn’t come to take the road away. I just came to walk with you. I’m going to walk with you until you’re home. In the meantime, open the Word so that your eyes can be opened & your heart warmed."

It’s easy to slip into neutral, spiritually, & just allow things to come & go, never experiencing the stirring of God’s spirit in your life, the warmth of His love, looking but never seeing, listening but never hearing. Ask the Lord to wake you up. Give you eyes that see & a heart that burns to give you a soul that yearns to serve, & to tell the world to OPEN their eyes.

You have to know what time it is for you.

You can't control time. You can't speed it up. You can't slow it down. You can't make it do anything different other than what time does. You can't say to time, "I'm really enjoying this. Slow down." You can't say to time, "I am really hating this. Speed up." In fact, it works the opposite. If you're having a real good time and say, "Oh, I want to save this moment forever," zip…it goes by.

What you can control is you. You can manage you. What you do with your time is determined by your priorities, by what matters to you, and that's where you make the investment. You can't do everything, but you have to know what time it is to do what you think is important.

You have to know what time it is for you. Just as there are seasons in nature, there are seasons in your life. Now the challenge is, these seasons don't necessarily line up with the seasons on the calendar; but there are seasons in your life.

You live in a culture that tells you it is always spring. It's always an opportunity for growth. You should always be growing. That's not true. You live in a culture that says you always should be busy, always growing, always starting something new, and always anticipating, always in this anxious kind of effort to make something new happen.

It may be summer, which is hard, hard work—a busy time. It may be fall. If it is, celebrate. Something has come to an end. If you've finished a project, ended a time of mission, celebrate. This has been a good time, and some good things have happened. Celebrate the harvest and get ready for winter. You have to know what time it is for you.

Winter does some important work. The roots go deep in winter. The earth is replenished and prepares for spring, catches its breath and nourishes itself; and things die in winter. That's hard and you’d like everything to keep on going all the time. But it can't. There’s not enough space in your life; there's not enough time in your life. There's a necessary time in your life to let things go.

Let winter do its work. Don't try to start anything new; don't try to make something happen. Winter is the time when God, through His Spirit, calls you to be quiet. He calls you to a time. He calls you to a time of nourishment and preparation. You need to know what time it is for you. It may be winter; and if it's winter, good. Important things happen in winter. Let winter do its work. Scripture calls you to be effective in the use of your life the time He has given to you, and you get to choose how to invest it. So Invest in those things that make a difference, those things that last?

If I just knew what God's will was?

It's a hard moment, to realize something that has been part of your past can no longer be part of your future? It doesn't necessarily have to be a bad thing. There are some things that have been painful; there are some things that have been hurtful that you need to let go of. You don't need to carry that burden or grudge around anymore. You can't keep carrying that and be ready for what God wants to do in your life. You have to let it go. Sometimes it's a good thing. Sometimes it's been fun and helpful and has made you stronger; but you have to let that go so you can do something that works now. You're a different person than you were. You have different challenges, opportunities and needs.

"In order to know what time it is, you have to know what the will of God is." You have to know what God is doing in and around you—in situations around you—so you can align your life and put your life in the center of God's will. As God is working in situations, He will make you part of His work. As part of His work, there will be a time for you to speak and a time to be quiet. There will be a time to embrace and a time to refrain based on what God is doing in the moment.

That means the first thing you have to do to begin to understand what time it is, is to start aligning your life with God's will. Now, everybody has the question. "If I just knew what God's will was…" as if this is some deep and mysterious secret—as if you have to climb some mountain or go on some great adventure or pilgrimage.

Begin today, Here are three things You know right now God wants you to do.. Just start with these: 1. Repair a relationship;  2. Get into Bible study;  3. Call a person you know is hurting.  You now have three things. Do those, and God will tell you the next step.

 It’s not always going to be this big flash of light and God's going to say, "Here's the end of the chapter; here's the end of the book; and here's how you're going to get there." It's not that way. It's one step at a time. Its one day at a time.

God says: "Follow Me." That's it. Not where, not how long you’re going to be gone, not what you’re going to do. His simple question is, "Are you going to follow Me? If you follow Me, then you'll find out the answer to all the questions and more; but first, you have to decide to follow Me."

The first question—answers that one, and then you'll know the next one. Step by step, day by day, staying in the center of God's will, you will arrive at the place, the destination to which He is taking you. It's never the big moment when you understand everything. It's always step-by-step and day-by-day. You get the manna you need for the day.

Regeneration of the spirit is absolutely necessary.

Satan's fall came before humans; you therefore can learn about your fallen state from Satan's plunge. Satan was created as a spirit that he might have direct communion with God. But he fell away and became the head of the powers of darkness. He now is separated from God and from every godly virtue... the Human spirit still exists but is separated from God, powerless to commune with Him and incapable of ruling. Spiritually speaking, the Human spirit is dead. Nonetheless, as the spirit of the sinful archangel exists forever so the spirit of sinful man continues too. Because humans have a body their fall rendered them a being of the flesh (Gen 6:3). No religion of this world, no ethics, culture or law can improve this fallen human spirit. Humans have degenerated into a fleshly position; nothing from them can return them to a spiritual state. Therefore regeneration or regeneration of the spirit is absolutely necessary. The Son of God alone can restore each to God, for He shed His blood to cleanse your sins and give you a new life.

God had to first renew your darkened spirit by imparting life to it, because then your spirit is in the Spirit Realm where God has originally designed for you to receive His blessings and for you to commune with Him. The cross grants you position for the Holy Spirit to give you understanding. For whatever you as a Flesh human knew came through your brain but without the Holy Spirit regenerating your spirit it was merely wisdom. So your knowledge will not help you one bit if your belief rests in human wisdom and not in God's power, you are merely a soul that exists for judgment.

Many look into their soul to determine whether they have peace, grace or spiritual progress. This is most harmful and is not of faith. It diverts them from gazing upon Christ and look to self for answers. Your inner being is continually free and fresh and discerns everything with the transparent sight of heaven. But how radically different this life of heaven on earth is from one that is swayed by your emotions. Only as you cease to seek anything by yourself and only as you take the position of the teachable can you be taught by the Spirit the truth which you are then able to digest. “God’s Spirit dwells in you?" (1 Cor. 3:16). The opposite of sight and feeling is faith. The Fleshly soul gains assurance by grasping the things which can be seen and felt; but the person who follows The Holy Spirit lives by faith, not by sight. You will not be troubled by the lack of human assistance, nor will you be moved by human opposition. You can trust God even in utter darkness for you will have faith in God. Because you will not depend upon yourself, you can trust the unseen power more than your own visible power.

This is how to respond to the whisperings of Satan.

Satan will attack you at your weakest points. He will try to convince you of something in your life that God has had no victory over or you have been powerless to give to Him. It’s something that you’ve been holding, then you stop praying and asking God to deliver you and you come to believe what Satan has been feeding you.
You see the devil knows that if you, a child of Gods, is living in fear, you cannot be living by faith. One cancels out the other. Those two principles cannot coexist. Satan knows that if you live in fear, your defeat is an inevitable certainty.

But remember: Satan is a liar. Jesus said, “He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies” (Jn 8:44).

This is how to respond to the whisperings of Satan as he tries to destroy your fragile faith. (Silence) – “There are times when silence is the most powerful testimony of God’s people. Silence may be the best response to insult. (In your humility) you must recognize that Satan is picking on specks of truth about you. In fact, when he speaks about your weaknesses, he speaks the truth. However, when he speaks about God and His strength, and your position in Christ, he always lies. The Bible says, “…greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world” (I John 4: 4b). Don’t argue with the devil about your weaknesses. He wouldn’t have power over you if there wasn’t some truth in his accusation. But the fact is, if you face trials and temptations relying on the Lord and His strength, your weaknesses have nothing to do with the outcome.
Be humble about your weaknesses. Don’t deny them or mourn them. Just admit them. “Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he will lift you up in due time” (1 Peter 5:6).

Satan’s purpose in your trials is to get you to focus on you. God’s purpose in your trials is to get you to focus on Him. This is what you are to do when faced with personal attacks of Satan. This is what you are to do when the enemy infiltrates your families and relationships and sets about to divide you with his lies. Spread out the matter before God.

Present it to the Lord acknowledging that he is Supreme, that he is Almighty, that he is more than able to handle all that you present to him in prayer. If you ask anything according to his will, he hears you. And if you know that he hears you – whatever you ask – you know that you have what you asked of him” (1 Jn 5:14-15).

You have the ability to speak things into existence just like God.

God has given you a powerful method to obtain His promises, and it is up to you to use it. That method is confession. Confession, as it pertains to the Bible, is when you speak the Word of God out loud. Words are spiritual containers that release either fear or faith. Every time you speak, you are activating spiritual forces that will affect your life. This is why it is so important to be mindful of the words you speak and to make sure you are only saying what God has said in His Word.

Similar to the law of gravity, the law of confession will work for anyone who will get involved with it. Many Christians who have been defeated in life are defeated because they believe and confess the wrong things. They don’t realize that their words are activating a spiritual law that is working against them. You must understand the law of confession if you want things to work for you. You have been given access to the power of God through your words, which are weapons against the enemy. Satan is constantly applying pressure to your mind in order to get you to quit in these last days; however, you do not have to allow hard times or pressure to defeat you. You can use the Word of God as a weapon against the enemy, and win.

In order to be victorious over the attacks of the enemy, you must think, believe, and speak in line with God’s Word. In fact, believing the Word in your heart is the requirement for your confessions having a significant impact in your life. Mark 9:23 says, “Jesus said: If you can believe, all things are possible those that believeth.” Faith is the force that must be in operation in order for your confessions to come to pass. Sometimes people confess God’s Word religiously, mechanically, and out of fear; however, these types of confessions don’t accomplish anything. You must believe that the things you confess from the Bible are coming to pass as you pray and speak them.

You can look to God as an example of how faith-filled words cause things to manifest in the natural realm. In the biblical account of how God created the earth, the Word says that He spoke and whatever He spoke came into existence (Genesis 1). God’s words are full of faith, which is what caused them to become actual physical substance. The things you see in this earth today, from the sky to the trees, are the result of words that were spoken by God.

The same creative power that God possesses has been invested in you. As a spiritual being you have the nature of God, you have the ability to speak things into existence just like God did. This isn’t some mystical, New Age idea; it is scriptural. When Jesus walked the earth, He imitated His Father by speaking what the Father spoke. As a result, He had results everywhere He went. Likewise, you must be an imitator of God, who thinks, acts, and speaks like Him. When you speak His Words, you release His creative ability into the earth, and something always happens.When you believe beyond a shadow of a doubt that the words you speak will come to pass, you will see what you are speaking (Mark 11:22-23).

Salvation it’s more than just believing facts about Jesus.

“For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing” (I Corinthians 1:18). The cross strikes at the heart of human pride. It announces in blood-red letters that you cannot save yourself – only God can save you. No doctrine is harder to accept then the doctrine of human inability. That doctrine teaches you that there is nothing you can contribute to your salvation. You were so lost in your sins that you have no idea how sinful you really were. When you look into your own soul and see yourself, you see only the sin that lies on the surface, but God sees to the bottom – and what he sees is a foul pit of iniquity. You were so lost that unless God took the initiative to save you, you would never have been saved at all.

The cross proclaims that you have to come God’s way – or you don’t get to come at all. Many cling to the filthy rags of their own righteousness and then wonder why God won’t take them in. The cross stands in judgment over the sinful pride of the human race. Just as Christ was stripped of his robe before he died, even so must you be stripped of yours.

When Christ died, he didn’t die alone. Two thieves died with him. We often focus on the thief who cried out, “Remember me when you come into your kingdom.” We know that man was saved because Jesus told him, “Today you will be with me in paradise” (Luke 23:43). But don’t forget there was another man hanging beside Jesus. He cursed and swore and blasphemed the Son of God. He died as he had lived, a wretched sinner, unforgiven.

Salvation depends on trusting Jesus Christ. It’s more than just believing facts about Jesus. Even the demons believe in Jesus (James 2:19), but they are not saved. God says that when you trust Jesus Christ you are saved from your sins. It means to trust Jesus so completely that if he can’t take you to heaven you aren’t going to go there. All you have to do is trust Christ completely and you can be saved. “Wow! That’s amazing.” In this life there are many roads you may travel, but only one that leads to heaven. “You must go home by the way of the cross, there is no other way but this.” Just keep walking in the blood-stained path of the crucified Savior and that road will take you safely home at last.