Posts Tagged ‘spirit of god’

Operation Obedience

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Ephesians 6:17

[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, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;

Hebrews 4:12

[12] For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.

1 Peter 1:23

[23] Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever.

1 Corinthians 12:13

[13] For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit.

One of the great missions of the spirit of God is to lead us into obedience. Before we can ever realize obedience, we must lay off the sin in our life, right? We must bring to life the part of Christ that is in us and living and more than ready to come alive! For by that one spirit He not only baptized us as an individual to do a work to bring all of our personal fears and doubts under subjection but to do this on a greater scale for the church as well!

Galatians 5:22-23

[22] But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,
[23] Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.

As we all know and admire about God, He is that great source of grace to each and every one of us. And with that grace we should be doing all that we can and not be still. Grace was not brought for us to be free for us to still feel in bondage! Since the day I was made free I can literally feel the difference in my life as the spiritual part of me rises to dominate and sanctify the other! This is my own testimony; Jeremiah said that it was as a fire shut up in His bones (the desire to obey). When you abide in the spiritual things of God, obedience will only amplify the things we read of above.

2 Corinthians 3:17

[17] Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.

One of my personal favorite things about the spirit of God is that when it is time for when He calls for your obedience that there will be spiritual freedom to do it! There has never been a time that I felt the urgency to mind the Lord that I did not have the opportunity to do it. And if there was the unique case that I was being held back intentionally, I know that God was moving on my behalf to open the door for another way or another time! God will make sure that there is an opportunity for you to feel His wonderful presence!

Romans 8:14

[14] For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.

Obedience is led by the spirit, and the spirit is sent from God. I love that. It is easy for me to understand and to never try to work it any other way other than God’s way. Let us always remember to be led by God and never stray to what we would feel is best; for what we would sometimes think is best may help temporarily but not spiritually fulfill the need as God could do!

Romans 8:26

[26] Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.

Ah, intercession! I thank God for the veil being torn in the temple and that I have the ability to have access to pray to God today! There is nothing to hold you back from opening your mouth even now and calling out for the help that you (or others) need this very moment.

The intent of this message is to get your mind wrapped around one concept: follow the spirit of God to lead you to obedience, and when you get there take your liberty and follow what God leads you to do. In doing so, people’s lives will be changed forevermore!

A Must Have Scripture Checklist For Every Ministry

2 Timothy 3:1-5

[1] This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come.
[2] For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy,
[3] Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good,
[4] Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God;
[5] Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.

As we read from the text here, we are reminded that as time lingers on that we as people will become more consumed with ourselves than we will with God. It is very easy to find one’s self in any of these sorts of qualities when we are lovers of pleasures more than of God. Some people settle to the point and just tell me, “that is just the kind of world that we live in”. I will admit that in moments that I have seen and observed this part of the word of God literally coming into truth. This does not mean, however, that we that are lovers of God should be within this kind of position! I refuse to believe that we as people are not capable of living above these sorts of things! With the power of God helping us to do overcome you are able to do all things!

Romans 12:1-14

[1] I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.
[2] And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.
[3] For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith.
[4] For as we have many members in one body, and all members have not the same office:
[5] So we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another.
[6] Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, whether prophecy, let us prophesy according to the proportion of faith;
[7] Or ministry, let us wait on our ministering: or he that teacheth, on teaching;
[8] Or he that exhorteth, on exhortation: he that giveth, let him do it with simplicity; he that ruleth, with diligence; he that sheweth mercy, with cheerfulness.
[9] Let love be without dissimulation. Abhor that which is evil; cleave to that which is good.
[10] Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love; in honour preferring one another;
[11] Not slothful in business; fervent in spirit; serving the Lord;
[12] Rejoicing in hope; patient in tribulation; continuing instant in prayer;
[13] Distributing to the necessity of saints; given to hospitality.
[14] Bless them which persecute you: bless, and curse not.

As you read this, think on the word “soberly” and consider being in a place of good standing with a clean heart and mind before God. If we are living in the world and doing any old thing, I cannot expect the power of God to begin to bless in abundance every part of the ministry that it makes reference to here. We must think clearly and have our desires in check with God being first! We do this by presenting something before God that is living, or continual. If I never waiver from praying and having a God-fearing lifestyle, then the probability for me to willingly volunteer myself to my own struggles is drastically reduced! When you are working continual and are thinking clearly before God, He will bless you with the ability to see your ministry flourish!

2 Corinthians 8:7-14

[7] Therefore, as ye abound in every thing, in faith, and utterance, and knowledge, and in all diligence, and in your love to us, see that ye abound in this grace also.
[8] I speak not by commandment, but by occasion of the forwardness of others, and to prove the sincerity of your love.
[9] For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich.
[10] And herein I give my advice: for this is expedient for you, who have begun before, not only to do, but also to be forward a year ago.
[11] Now therefore perform the doing of it; that as there was a readiness to will, so there may be a performance also out of that which ye have.
[12] For if there be first a willing mind, it is accepted according to that a man hath, and not according to that he hath not.
[13] For I mean not that other men be eased, and ye burdened:
[14] But by an equality, that now at this time your abundance may be a supply for their want, that their abundance also may be a supply for your want: that there may be equality:

As we learn to live before God soberly (cleanly) and to put God first and to not have a more dominant desire for the world, there will begin to grow a great love and compassion in your heart. With more of the presence of God in your life, it cannot help but manifest within you and bring all of the fruits of the spirit! One of the hardest parts about the love of God once we have the mind to realize we have it is to use it (or as it reads to perform the doing of it). The difference-making power is neither in how flashy things are to the eye nor how great they sound to the ear; for it is simply by how people are drawn by the power of God that lives within you! And as each and every one of us learns to work together in a church as a body, it truly presents equality and a lifting of the heavy burdens from just a few to creating a situation where everyone walks with lighter loads!

2 Timothy 2:3-15

[3] Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ.
[4] No man that warreth entangleth himself with the affairs of this life; that he may please him who hath chosen him to be a soldier.
[5] And if a man also strive for masteries, yet is he not crowned, except he strive lawfully.
[6] The husbandman that laboureth must be first partaker of the fruits.
[7] Consider what I say; and the Lord give thee understanding in all things.
[8] Remember that Jesus Christ of the seed of David was raised from the dead according to my gospel:
[9] Wherein I suffer trouble, as an evil doer, even unto bonds; but the word of God is not bound.
[10] Therefore I endure all things for the elect’s sakes, that they may also obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory.
[11] It is a faithful saying: For if we be dead with him, we shall also live with him:
[12] If we suffer, we shall also reign with him: if we deny him, he also will deny us:
[13] If we believe not, yet he abideth faithful: he cannot deny himself.
[14] Of these things put them in remembrance, charging them before the Lord that they strive not about words to no profit, but to the subverting of the hearers.
[15] Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.

Another translation says to give diligence to present yourself approved by God, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and properly handles the Word of Truth. As we read this, it is important to remember when we begin to apply all of these great things into our lives to not mishandle the word of God by deliberately going against it. There are other scriptures that point out that for a person to know right and to stray from it that to them it is sin. So I say this in all sincerity: let us not pretend that we do not know how to live for God when we have been living “religion” for so long. When you perform the doing of it, this part comes easy. It is when we stray from God that we will know to help our brother and neglect the duty of it, right?

1 John 3:16-21

[16] Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.
[17] But whoso hath this world’s good, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him?
[18] My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth.
[19] And hereby we know that we are of the truth, and shall assure our hearts before him.
[20] For if our heart condemn us, God is greater than our heart, and knoweth all things.
[21] Beloved, if our heart condemn us not, then have we confidence toward God.

So what is it at the end of the day that should keep us continually going? First of all, the presence of God should keep the parts of you that fall weak going strong. The knowledge of the Word of God will teach you to stray from things that will harm you and lead you to help others in the same way. The desire in your heart will stay as long as you are continual present something to God often. And most importantly, the compassion can stay in your heart if you stay humble and put the needs of others before yourself. It is hard to do when we could so easily be selfish at the drop of a hat! People need us in deed and truth and not just in a “I will be there when you need me” catchphrase! Show someone you love them today! Operate in the calling God has given you. Do not stray in trials and pray for strength in tough times. Do not settle for the religious opinions. Seek for the wisdom of God to keep you! It works every time!

The Spiritual Experience

I remember when I was growing up and how I used to daydream of being a spectacular musician. There were so many long days and nights of practicing and learning that I never thought that I would be able to play anything at all! After such a long time (or at least it seemed like it anyway) there began to be a steady progression and I learned to love the overall experience of working on myself to be better at music. It is still something that I have to work on each day and without the effort I would eventually be in lack or without the proficiency to play like I could.

With that said, I also remember the day the spirit of God entered into my life. I never thought my life was going to get better from where I was, but after getting saved I began to follow what the spirit would lead me to do. These sorts of things could be a thought to yourself in the moment or an audible voice when you least expect it, leading you down a path of righteousness. I assure you the only time that God is leading is when it is right and fair and in love for your neighbor.

Learn to allow God’s spirit to lead and guide you each and every day. There is something to be said about the spiritual experience, especially when we do not have it. It is your lifeline for leadership and knowledge in applying what you need to do and how to abide in the rest of God when you have no solution. In order for it to be fluent, keep in practice and work in it every day through prayer and close humble devotion to God. It is well worth the practice to succeed at life!

Learning To Let Go And Let God

One part of life that everyone must face that may be considered the worst is when we go through times of transition. This could be when you are changing jobs, moving between homes, losing and gaining friends, or the many cases of the unknown. However unfamiliar the case may be, change is always hard to face when the time comes for it. It seems like that no matter how much a person can prepare for something that there is always going to be room for some kind of emotional baggage or breakdown. I’ve heard all the classic wisdom that people have tried to tell me on how you can be “almost” prepared. I’ve also read just about every single thing you can that would try to lead you in the right direction for having the right perspective. The fact of the matter is that when it comes to change, there is never enough preparation on ones’ own.

I am so thankful today, and will forever continue to be for the great comforter of the spirit of God. I have found that in the best and worst of times that the spirit is my all in all. My prayers have sometimes been in desperation or in faith, but the spirit of God comes to lift up the weariness that I am in. It’s as if God comes to fill the void of uncertainty. It makes me understand in tough times that wholeheartedly God is truly the strength in my weakness. We need to always be bold enough to acknowledge that we cannot take life on alone.  As we continue through the obstacles of life, let us learn to let go in times of weakness and let God take control!

I encourage you today to allow the presence of God take your tears and worry and lead you by comfort into joy and peace in Him.

What Moves You? God Does, Right?

When you begin to read of certain events in the bible, the sad ones to me start to reveal the defeat or downfall of people. There is always a direct correlation in the lack of either the belief in or stirring up of God within. Even as I personally go through things from week to week, it is very easy to lose sight of what we are striving for. With our best of intentions we are always aiming to do our best to help others by default.

As life continues to come with new surprises, many of these things will try and delimit the amount of time and level of passion that we hold in our hearts for God, thus eventually bringing our talents and gifts to help to a grinding halt. Staying in a halt state after a while will lead to a point where we try to assume full control and things become unglued and beyond our ability.

What I would like to address is that part of us that gets “moved”. Typically we are emotionally driven with most of what we do. A very big problem with that is too often our emotions get skewed by one event which adjusts us for the rest of everything else. I know (even to me at times) it seems impossible to keep our emotions in check, but it is vitally necessary to not let your emotional self overdrive or overpower the spiritual self. Life will not always be driven by feelings; for life has little guarantees or the types of emotional victories you can achieve. Being spiritually grounded always guarantees and presents the qualities of the spirit of God, which at baseline produces peace, love and joy. As you grow with the basics, you are able to add unto your faith many more virtues that can build your character and help you to reach out to others on a more continual constant level.

Be spiritually moved and driven for your motives, goals and intentions. Let go of yourself and let God be your guide and lead you to the impossibles you never thought you could do on your own!

Carrying The Message Of God

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Luke 12:48-50

[48] But he that knew not, and did commit things worthy of stripes, shall be beaten with few stripes. For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required: and to whom men have committed much, of him they will ask the more.
[49] I am come to send fire on the earth; and what will I if it be already kindled?
[50] But I have a baptism to be baptized with; and how am I straitened till it be accomplished!

It binds the calling to our heart, the soul to its task, and keeps us striving for what has already been done in our lives and for what is to come!

John 9:4-5

[4] I must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day: the night cometh, when no man can work.
[5] As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.

It urges us to hurry and make haste while the spirit (light) is about you to be able to carry out the good works that God has placed in you to carry out!

Acts 4:19-20

[19] But Peter and John answered and said unto them, Whether it be right in the sight of God to hearken unto you more than unto God, judge ye.
[20] For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard.

It makes the message that is within your heart so imperative to carry forth! I’m telling you, when the spirit of God flows about you, you cannot help but do what is bid unto you! You will want to help and reach out to this world and the abundance of needs about us.

1 Corinthians 9:14-17

[14] Even so hath the Lord ordained that they which preach the gospel should live of the gospel.
[15] But I have used none of these things: neither have I written these things, that it should be so done unto me: for it were better for me to die, than that any man should make my glorying void.
[16] For though I preach the gospel, I have nothing to glory of: for necessity is laid upon me; yea, woe is unto me, if I preach not the gospel!
[17] For if I do this thing willingly, I have a reward: but if against my will, a dispensation of the gospel is committed unto me.

As we read this, it should sound a warning deep in our hearts especially if we have been idle. We cannot make a difference being idle or disobedient! To make a difference takes action!

Amos 3:3-8

[3] Can two walk together, except they be agreed?
[4] Will a lion roar in the forest, when he hath no prey? will a young lion cry out of his den, if he have taken nothing?
[5] Can a bird fall in a snare upon the earth, where no gin is for him? shall one take up a snare from the earth, and have taken nothing at all?
[6] Shall a trumpet be blown in the city, and the people not be afraid? shall there be evil in a city, and the LORD hath not done it?
[7] Surely the Lord GOD will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets.
[8] The lion hath roared, who will not fear? the Lord GOD hath spoken, who can but prophesy?

The spirit of God calls like the voice of a lion, with boldness into your life, so be bold and proud of who you are in the Lord! Have power and confidence in your walk and calling and be not moved by things that would try to destroy it!