The Ultimate Decisionholy_spirit_1.JPG
July 14, 2014
I want to thank the Lord for opening my eyes and heart to the power of His Holy Spirit. So many of you have written in with changed lives. Let me explain changed. Allowing the Holy Spirit to teach and lead you has nothing to do with your salvation but it has everything to do with the abundant life of having the fruit of the Spirit spoken about in Galatians. Many Christians do not have peace and joy that is not based upon great circumstances. For years that bothered me as I was one of them. But through much prayer and pleading with God for an answer He gave me the insight into How to pray IN The Spirit.
I just saw from Facebook that the devotional we did last week “How To Live IN The Holy Spirit” is now one of the top devotionals on Facebook. It is on The Ultimate Decision homepage. With this one devotional the Lord has allowed us to
1. Reach over 100,000 people
2. Over 4,500 people have clicked “Like”
3. Over 400 people have “Shared” this
4. We have over 52 people that have “Commented”
That is because most Christians would agree that not much teaching is done about the Holy Spirit and even less teaching is done on how to live IN the spirit. This Facebook post has show that this topic is the number one interest among believers. MANY now desire to know how!!! Living IN the Spirit is where change will come, strongholds will be broken, a humble Spirit will develop and all the great fruits of the spirit will come forth.
Who gives the Holy Spirit and why? First of all the Holy Spirit is the third part of the Trinity. God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. All three work together as One for what purpose? To bring all fallen people to a saving knowledge of Jesus. Then the Holy Spirit teaches us how to live, it can allow us to do amazing things and have an abundant life here on earth before we are called home. The Holy Spirit also teaches and gives much revelation knowledge.
John 14:26 “But when the Father sends the Advocate as my representative—that is, the Holy Spirit--he will teach you everything and will remind you of everything I have told you."
Teach us EVERYTHING! So what is revelation knowledge? It is knowledge given by God that WE can have when we pray. All we have to do is ask the Lord for this. Lets review the story of Elizabeth who was John the Baptist’s mother. Mary was told by the angel that she would give birth through the power of the Holy Spirit. Then the angel Gabriel told Mary that her relative Elizabeth was pregnant. So Mary set off and went to see Elizabeth. This next verse is very important.
Luke 1:39-42 "At that time Mary got ready and hurried to a town in the hill country of Judea, where she entered Zechariah’s home and greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. In a loud voice she exclaimed: “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the child you will bear!”
At the time Mary came to see Elizabeth, Elizabeth did not know Mary was pregnant. So how could Elizabeth say, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the child you will bear!”? Because in the preceding verse “Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit”.
The Lord has allowed me to not only write about the Holy Spirit but I receive e mails every day saying, “How did you know what I was thinking”? Of cousre that is not me but the Holy Spirit. Listen to what Jesus says about what we can do.
Luke 14:12-17 "Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it. “If you love me, keep my commands. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever—the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you.”
Mark 15:15-18 “He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned. And these signs will accompany those who believe: In my name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new tongues; they will pick up snakes with their hands; and when they drink deadly poison, it will not hurt them at all; they will place their hands on sick people, and they will get well.”
The Greek word for Tongue is Glossa or “Language”. It is the language that the Holy Spirit speaks in and through us.
If Jesus says that we can do even greater things than He did while on this earth then why do many believe that we cannot? While there have been some books written recently that have said that the gifts of the Spirt have ceased that is an opinion as they take this verse as truth when it is opinion.
1 Coritnhians 13:8-10 "Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when completeness comes, what is in part disappears. “
Now it is my opinion that “ completeness” will come when the Lord comes back forever. Some take that to mean in the first century but why on earth would the Lord take our most important gifts away? Until that time that the Lord comes back the church needs the gifts of the Spirit now more than ever. What we have to guard against is fanaticism. That is being all the Holy Spirit without knowing the word of God. A church service needs to be orderly and if there is no one to interpret tongues then that person should be silent. There is a large church where I live that even if someone has a prophetic word in tongues then an elder will take them to the back and they will go over what he or she has said. If it is to be true then they will talk about this word of revaltion from the pulpit.
But make no mistake if you follow the teaching that all the gifts of the Spirit have ceased then you will be missing out on a wonderful abundant life, revelation knowledge to share your faith and the hope that God has in His fullness. On the other hand since this does not have to do with our salvation we need to treat every one who either believes or doesn’t believe in the gifts with respect AND love.
But if you desire the gifts of the Spirit please pray this with me.
“Lord please search my heart and bring up to me all that is hindering my walk with you. Please give me your gifts so that I may help encourage others in the faith. Please help me to love my brothers and sisters no matter what they say to me. Help me to feel so loved by you that I do not need any affirmation from man again. Please forgive me for discounting the gifts of the Holy Spirit as I know that must grieve You. But please help me to use these gifts as You see fit Lord for me to help build up your Kingdom not my own little kingdom. I now know that I cannot stop any addiction or be humble in the flesh. It is only by living through the power of your Holy Spirit that I will truly change to be more like you.” Amen
Go forth today not in your power but in the gentleness and power of the Holy Spirit which God has given to us who ASK. He has given to us the mighty counselor so please desire this great part of the Trinity.
Brad
