On the journey of life, we can never go back. Even if we try to live in the past, it never works out. We have only one direction, that is forward. People are meant to move in and out of our lives, only a select few are meant to be there for a lifetime.
Think about all the people you have helped over the years and you no longer even know where they are now. It is not like you had any breech in your friendship. It is just hard to keep track of everyone with life being so busy.
There are some people that you meet and you know will be lifelong friends. These are the ones that God has placed in our lives to help us or for us to help along all the bumps in the road of life. Life is all about going one step further each day on the road of life.
We have a destination; we will never reach it unless we keep going. When life tries to stop us in our tracks, we must press on. God has given us light for our path. He has given us a guide. We must take the authority over the enemy when he tries to put obstacles in our path.
Matthew 17:20 –If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you.
When our problems seem the size of mountains, we can say to the mountain be moved and it will move. God has given us authority. As believers we must start using the authority he has give us. He didn’t say come to me and beg for me to move it. He said you will say to it be removed.
2 Timothy 1:7 –For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.
Fear is the opposite of faith. When we come against obstacles, we cannot allow the enemy to speak fear into our lives. Fear will tear us down and destroy us if we let it. However, we know the spirit of fear is not from God, it is from our enemy. This is why we cannot allow fear to control us. God has given us power over the powers of the enemy. He has given us love and a sound mind.
We must determine in that sound mind that we will not be slowed down or stopped by the traps of the enemy.
Prov 3:5-6 Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. 6) In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.
Proverbs tell us to acknowledge God and he will direct our path. Leaning on him and looking to him will keep our feet on the right road. But we cannot allow our hearts to get distracted by fear. It says trust in the Lord with ALL of our heart. Fear will keep us from trusting with our whole heart.
Galatians 6:9 –And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.
Staying consistent in our faith walk will go a long way. Persistence in showing good works will have the outcome of reaping good things, unless we stop. Every step we take gets us one step closer to our goal. It is up to us, no matter what happens we must keep pressing on to the goal. You can do it, I know, because God will never leave us to walk alone.
The word Joy inspires many ideas of what it means. It is a strong emotion of happiness, bliss or delight. When I stand in the sunshine and feel the peace of God that is when I feel joy. We all want to experience Joy in our lives. The best way to accomplish that is to stay in God’s presence.
Miriam Webster’s dictionary defines joy as a feeling of great pleasure or happiness that comes from success, good fortune, or a sense of well-being : gladness
Psalms 16:11-Thou wilt show me the path of life: in thy presence is fullness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures forevermore.
In the presence of God is fullness of joy. This is why we are told to worship. Because our praise and worship bring God’s presence. In his presence is the fullness of joy. Which means the full range of joy.
Nehemiah 8:10- Then he said unto them, Go your way, eat the fat, and drink the sweet, and send portions unto them for whom nothing is prepared: for this day is holy unto our Lord: neither be ye sorry; for the joy of the Lord is your strength.
The end of this verse is the one that always comes to mind when thinking about joy. Our strength comes from the Lord. Depression and anxiety are the opposite of joy. They will drag us down and make us weak. In God’s presence it is hard to have depression. That is why the presence of the Lord gives us joy and strength.
John 15:10-11 If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father’s commandments, and abide in his love. 11 These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full.
Jesus said if we keep his commandments and abide in his love that his joy will remain in us and be full. We do not have joy outside of being in God’s love. The enemy doesn’t want us to have joy. He wants us beat down, full of hate, self-doubt and depression. We are in a battle with our enemy. We must stand strong against his attacks.
James 1:2-4 My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; 3 Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. 4 But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.
James tells us to have joy when we fall into temptation because when our faith is tried it will develop the fruit of patience. Which helps us to be complete. We want to develop fruit in our lives, because the more fruit we have, the more we become like Jesus.
Take some time today to find joy in the little things. Stop and let the sunshine on your face and thank God for his love, joy and peace that goes beyond anything we could ask and believe.
We all have met them, they are not sold out to Christ. They say they are Christians but there is not any fruit. They have the Jesus bumper sticker, they attend church. But deep down you know that the only time they touch their bible is when they pick it up to come to church. Instead of judging them, it is our job to encourage them in their faith walk. Because if this is not currently us, we need to be thankful that God has grown us. This lukewarm state is dangerous to the body of Christ. Judging them is also dangerous and could tip the scales so that they decide they are better off cold instead of being on fire.
Proverbs 27:17 Iron sharpeneth iron; so a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend.
This means that having a friend that will be honest with you and call you out in love. A true friendship is a mutual growth process, based on compassion, encouragement and sharing the good and bad times. Judgmental attitudes do not sharpen anyone, they cut them. Sometimes to the point that people want to stop following Jesus.
I have bible study with a group of women who empower me to be better. They all are prayer warriors and love the word of God. I am thankful that God put me with them. I am encouraged every time we have a conversation. I would not know much about what is going on in the world, if I didn’t have them. They have led me to some people online that I follow their channels. They too are deep in faith and I grow weekly because of their teaching.
I said all of that to say, God didn’t call us to judge the lukewarm, the overly critical, the judgemental or the sinner. He called us to lift them up and encourage them to come up a little higher. Not to where we think we are, on our level, but up higher to be closer to Jesus.
ROMANS 14:1-5 Him that is weak in the faith receive ye, but not to doubtful disputations. 2 For one believeth that he may eat all things: another, who is weak, eateth herbs. 3 Let not him that eateth despise him that eateth not; and let not him which eateth not judge him that eateth: for God hath received him. 4 Who art thou that judgest another man’s servant? to his own master he standeth or falleth. Yea, he shall be holden up: for God is able to make him stand. 5 One man esteemeth one day above another: another esteemeth every day alike. Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind.
How many people split hairs over man-made doctrine? That is the reason for so many denominations today. God is wanting unity in his body. We are not to judge one another, it is displeasing to God. Notice verse four, 4 Who art thou that judgest another man’s servant? to his own master he standeth or falleth. How would you feel if you had a servant that you were pleased with, but people in the neighborhood went around talking about what a bad job they did. It would make you upset. When we judge one another, it displeases God. That we are judging is his servant. He loves them and understands what they are walking through. He knows what they will become, but judgment of others makes their journey even harder.
The last thing we want to do is satan’s job for him. We are supposed to stand united against him, not help destroy one another. We are being called to higher ground. God is wanting us to pray more and judge less. Compassion is what we should be walking in, instead of judgment. Truly Jesus is the only one who is qualified to judge any of us. Let’s do what we are supposed to do and leave the hard stuff to our wise judge.
When faced with difficult situations do we stand still and wait or do we move? That will depend on what God says. He has perfect timing. We must discern that timing in order to be obedient.
Impossible odds were facing the children of Israel. They were at a place that they had no choice except to stand still. They couldn’t go forward and they couldn’t go back. The enemy was closing in fast. Fear gripped them as they stood there in the sun. Some of them began to complain and wanted to return to bondage. No one could have imagined what God was about to do to deliver them.
We are often the same way. Sometimes we face a sea one way and the enemy is closing in fast. It is time for God to make a bold move on our behalf. We cannot see how God is going to work out our problems, but he will open the sea if we trust and not fear.
Exodus 14:13 And Moses said unto the people, Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord, which he will shew to you to day: for the Egyptians whom ye have seen to day, ye shall see them again no more for ever.
I have often wondered what would have happened to the children of Israel, if they had not moved when the sea parted. Sometimes God gives us opportunities to get out of situations and we stand still. The sea is parted and the land is dry, yet we stand staring at the enemy in fear. We cannot see the deliverance when we are focused of the fear.
The enemy loves to cause us to have fear. Which is false evidence appearing real or lies that sound like truth that will cause us to fall, if we don’t trust. Their freedom depended on their ability to move away from the fear caused by the enemy. Their freedom depended on their trust in God and their ability to move at the right time.
As children of God, we must pray to know when to move and when to stand still. Moses told them to stand still and see the salvation of the Lord. They had to wait on God to part the water. We often have to stand still and wait on God’s timing. However, there came a time that God parted the water.
He did his part, but the enemy would have over taken them if they had not moved. Knowing when to move is crucial to our spiritual walk. It takes time to learn when to stand and when to move. We have to be led by the Holy Ghost. He will lead us into all truth and righteousness. The word is a lamp unto our feet and a light for our path. But God’s Spirit will lead us on that path.
God cannot destroy our enemy in the sea, if we are in his way. Praying to be led by the Spirit is something we must pray daily. Look at Lot, God told him he could not destroy Sodom and Gomorrah until he was gone.
God will not be able to deliver us in our times of enemy attack if we allow Fear to paralyze us. Having courage to move, when we hear God say the word, is what will see us through.
Many times, in life’s situations we say we give them to God. Then we continue to try to work things out the way we want them to turn out. We stick our hands into the situation even though with our mouth we have prayed and told God it was his to work out. Jesus is trying to shape us on the potter’s wheel and we are trying to jump off because we get dizzy going around. Instead, we keep on going around and around the same trial. Sort of like Israel kept going around the same mountain. The reason they had to keep walking around the same mountain was because of unbelief and disobedience. Let that sink in for a moment.
Imagine clay on the potter’s wheel. If clay was like we are, it would be trying to become a bowl, while the potter is trying to make it a pitcher. It ends up being an unusable mess. So, the potter has to start over with the lump of clay. This is why we stay in situations for too long. God is trying to use the situation to grow us into what he wants. Learning to ask for his help and then allowing him to help takes growth in trust.
Learning to be obedient to God’s nudging and gentle pressure will grow us into the bold, brave children of God we are called by God to become.
Jer 18:1-6 The word which came to Jeremiah from the LORD, saying, 2 Arise, and go down to the potter’s house, and there I will cause thee to hear my words. 3 Then I went down to the potter’s house, and, behold, he wrought a work on the wheels. 4 And the vessel that he made of clay was marred in the hand of the potter: so he made it again another vessel, as seemed good to the potter to make it. 5 Then the word of the LORD came to me, saying, 6 O house of Israel, cannot I do with you as this potter? saith the LORD. Behold, as the clay is in the potter’s hand, so are ye in mine hand, O house of Israel.
God told Jeremiah that he was trying to do something with Israel, but they were not allowing him to shape the direction of their path. God desired repentance, he knew if they did not turn their hearts toward him, they would harden like clay and be unmoldable.
Can you see the clay of the wheel with its own hands sticking out in the way of the potter? Yet this is what happens in our life, every time we pray about a situation and then hold on to it.
This topic reminds me of a situation years ago, I had been in a battle for about a year. One day I was reading this passage of Jeremiah and it spoke to my heart about letting go. I prayed, “Lord, I cannot do this, I need you to fix it.” From that point on I had tried to keep my hands out of it. I had already seen a major turnaround in this situation.
A few days later, I was pretty frustrated because it seemed like things were getting worse. The enemy will always turn up the pressure before he has to let go. I was tempted to try to fix it, but instead I prayed, “Lord even though it looks worse, I know you are in control and however you work it out, I know it will be for my good. Your word says so.
Romans 8:28 And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.
The next morning, I was crossing the parking lot, at work and a sparrow landed on the back of a truck. I was reminded of the old hymn which goes, “his eye is on the sparrow and I know he watches me.” It gave me a sense of peace. It was like God spoke to me in that moment and said, “I have you in my hand.” So, I kept reminding myself that God is in control. He didn’t need my hands he needed my obedience and trust.
We often hear people talking about opportunities as open doors. They talk about closed doors too. I want to cover this subject from a Christian perspective.
REV 3:20 Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.
Jesus waits patiently for us to yield to him, and open our hearts. He is a gentleman and will not force his way in the door to our lives. He longs for a relationship with us. By allowing Jesus access he will help clean out everything that is ungodly. He will take the empty space and fill it with the things of God. He offers salvation, companionship, peace, joy, freedom, and so much more.
In this life we often suffer because we have opened the door to the wrong things. The enemy has many traps waiting. We cannot trust every door. Not every opportunity is the right option.
Once I was frustrated with my current job. It felt like I was in a rut. I was approached by someone with a great opportunity. It sounded perfect. The job was mine if I wanted it, the interview was just a formality. When I walked into their showroom it was gorgeous, marble floors, beautiful light fixtures, not the standard office squares of fluorescent light. To look at it, it spoke the word success. But as I looked around God said to me, “all that glitters is not gold.”
The interview went well; I was offered more money and benefits than my current job. I told them I had to give notice to my current employer. On the way home I couldn’t shake what I knew God had said. I called the next day and told them I changed my mind. In less than six months they were out of business. I often think of that when an opportunity looks too good to be true. The enemy can open doors too.
I often pray for God to open doors of anointing and wisdom for me. I pray I will be able to recognize the doors that are mine. I also pray for God to show me when an open door will open me up to the enemy’s trap or attack. We can sometimes hear a song or watch something on TV that will open a door to a demonic attack or a witchcraft attack. We need to pray to keep these doors shut.
Rev 3:8 I know thy works: behold, I have set before thee an open door, and no man can shut it: for thou hast a little strength, and hast kept my word, and hast not denied my name.
This verse is written to the Philadelphia church age. He is saying he has given them an opportunity to spread the gospel and serve others. He has given them favor, the door is open and no man can close it. Even today, the door of salvation is standing open and is moving toward a time it will be closed. Until then we have an opportunity to lead as many as possible to that door, so they may walk through to salvation. Jesus is that door of salvation. We can not be saved except we come through Jesus, the door.
Matt 7:7-8 Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: 8 For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.
Jesus said to ask, seek and knock. When we ask him in faith he will give us what we have prayed. When we seek him in prayer and seek his wisdom in the word he says we will find that in which we seek. If we knock it will be opened.
All of these steps take patience there is a time from the ask to the answer. When you knock on a door, it takes time for the person inside to answer. We all know when seeking or searching for something that also takes time. That time with Jesus is about cultivating our relationship with him. Jesus is that door of salvation. We can not be saved except we come through the door
So be careful about what doors you walk through. If it is closed ask God if you should even knock on that door. Remember not every opportunity is from God. “All that glitter’s is not gold.”
THE TITLE FOR TODAY’S EPISODE: THE WIND OF GOD – NEW BIRTH
The past couple of days I have been speaking to you about the wind of God or the Spirit of God. We have discussed that Adam was just a well-formed pile of dirt until God breathed the breath of life into him. It is important to understand the significance of the wind of God or the Spirit of God. Without the Holy Ghost there is no spiritual life.
Every Christian denomination believes that Jesus died on the cross to set us free from our sin nature. This came through Adam’s fall in the garden. After that there are many different beliefs on what it takes to save your soul. On Monday I discussed how Jesus told Nikodemus he must be born again. That was found in John Chapter 3.
The fleshly bodies we have, are born of flesh. But we are spiritually dead until the breath of God, the wind of the Holy Ghost blows over us. The Old Testament is types and shadows of things to come. Adam was not alive without the wind of God. We not alive spiritually without the Holy Ghost.
Acts1:1-5 Until the day in which he was taken up, after that he through the Holy Ghost had given commandments unto the apostles whom he had chosen: 3 To whom also he shewed himself alive after his passion by many infallible proofs, being seen of them forty days, and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God: 4 And, being assembled together with them, commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which, saith he, ye have heard of me. 5For John truly baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence.
After Jesus came out of the grave, he walked with his disciples and taught them, then he ascended into heaven. That ended the old covenant and he was about to start a new one. No longer would his spirit be with man, but would come and dwell within man.
He told them to stay in Jerusalem, go into the upper room and wait until they be endued with power from on high. They were waiting for their spiritual birth. The baptism of the Holy Ghost is a total immersion of God’s spirit. He surrounds us and creates in us a right spirit before God. We are a new creation in Christ.
He didn’t do away with what John had done, he built on that foundation. Because John preached repentance and water baptism to show that you died out to self and was buried with Christ in death. When you come out of the water that shows the resurrection of something new, but it still doesn’t have life until the breath of God (the Holy Ghost) fulfills his role of creating a new birth. He breaths spiritual life in us.
The ones in the upper room believed in Christ. They had been baptized under John’s baptism, yet they had to tarry for the promise of God’s spirit coming into them and creating a new life.
Acts 2:1-2 And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. 2 And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting.
Notice, we have been talking about the wind of God. There came a sound from heaven as a rushing mighty wind. This was God’s spirit coming to earth for the first time to dwell within the believer.
Acts 2:3 And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. The word cloven means divided tongues. People often say that tongues is just different earthly languages. But not when it comes to the infilling of the spirit unto salvation. God can use tongues to be an interpreter of earthly languages if necessary. But that is not what happened here. That gets much deeper into the gifts of the spirit and types of interpretation. That is a video for another day.
Acts 2:4 And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance. God’s breath, the might wind, his Spirit came into them. During the process of creating the bond of the Holy Ghost to their spirit, he created a language within them. Notice it says the spirit gave them utterance or helped them to speak. Unless God breaths on us, we are not Spiritually alive, just like Adam was not physically alive.
Jesus promised to send another comforter if he went away. He ascended and that comforter was sent on the day of Pentecost to lead and guide us into all truth. But we have to not allow our flesh to rise back up. We must allow the Holy Ghost to lead us.
Jude tells us that we build up our faith by praying in the Holy Ghost.
Jude 17-19 But, beloved, remember ye the words which were spoken before of the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ; 18 How that they told you there should be mockers in the last time, who should walk after their own ungodly lusts. 19 These be they who separate themselves, sensual, having not the Spirit.
Notice this lists those who are not part of the body of Christ. They walk after the things of the flesh. Living ungodly by their own lusts. They do not have the Spirit of God.
JUDE 20-21 But ye, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost, 21 Keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life.
He tells those who are walking after God to build up themselves on their most holy faith by praying in the Holy Ghost. This is our prayer language or speaking in tongues. But it is not the end all be all of being a Christian. It is the first fruits; we are to build up our faith, to make us more like Christ. Not to be judgmental and self-righteous.
Acts 3:19 Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord.
We go from death unto life when we repent and are converted. Which means we don’t repeat bunch of words after a preacher and then go on living like the devil. But we make a change of what is within our power to change and allow God to make changes. Then the time of refreshing will come from the presence of the Lord. This means he will fill us and re-fill us with his spirit.
The word refreshing comes from refresh, which means to give new strength or energy to something. God gives us that new strength and energy. A good example is often when hosting someone for dinner you refresh their coffee or drink. Refresh in that sense of the word means to pour out more or refill. That is what God does, he refills us so that we always have oil in our lamps.
I hope this past three days has helped in answering some questions you may have had about the Holy Ghost and his role in our salvation and preservation. If you have further questions, feel free to email me.
THE TITLE FOR TODAY’S EPISODE: THE WIND OF GOD ON DRY BONES
In yesterday’s episode we made a connection of wind or the Hebrew word Ruach to being born of the Spirit or as Jesus said to Nicodemus, being born again. When God’s Spirit or wind blows something always happens. Take the story of Ezekiel for an example.
Ezekiel 37:1-8 The hand of the Lord was upon me, and carried me out in the spirit of the Lord, and set me down in the midst of the valley which was full of bones, 2 And caused me to pass by them round about: and, behold, there were very many in the open valley; and, lo, they were very dry. 3 And he said unto me, Son of man, can these bones live? And I answered, O Lord God, thou knowest. 4 Again he said unto me, Prophesy upon these bones, and say unto them, O ye dry bones, hear the word of the Lord. 5 Thus saith the Lord God unto these bones; Behold, I will cause breath to enter into you, and ye shall live: 6 And I will lay sinews upon you, and will bring up flesh upon you, and cover you with skin, and put breath in you, and ye shall live; and ye shall know that I am the Lord. 7 So I prophesied as I was commanded: and as I prophesied, there was a noise, and behold a shaking, and the bones came together, bone to his bone. 8 And when I beheld, lo, the sinews and the flesh came up upon them, and the skin covered them above: but there was no breath in them.
Notice there was a noise and a shaking, and the bones came together but there was no breath in them. They didn’t have life without the breath. Just like we do not have spiritual life without the breath of God or the Holy Ghost.
Ezekiel 37: 9-10 Then said he unto me, Prophesy unto the wind, prophesy, son of man, and say to the wind, Thus saith the Lord God; Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe upon these slain, that they may live. 10 So I prophesied as he commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they lived, and stood up upon their feet, an exceeding great army.
The wind of God blew and restored breath to the bodies and they lived and stood up upon their feet a great army. As children of God we are a part of a great army. But we do not fight with conventional weapons, but be fight with prayer and the power of the Holy Ghost within us.
Notice until the wind blew, there was no life. Just like we do not have spiritual life until the spirit of God breathes or blows over us.
This vision of Ezekiel has significance in showing that God can restore even that which is dead. Jesus came out of the grave with power over death, hell and the grave. But it also can show the significance of how God’s power is needed to bring spiritual life to our dry bones and give us new life. His Spirit puts us in the family of God, the body of Christ, or the army of God. It takes the breath or wind of God to create within us a spiritual life.
Gen 2:7 And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.
God formed Adam from the dust of the earth. But until God breathed into him he was just dirt. He had no life. Notice he formed man then breathed into him the breath of life. All other creation on the planet he spoke into existence. But man was different, he was special he breathed into him and made him a living soul.
The wind or breath of God, The Spirit of God, The Holy Ghost is also needed to breathe spiritual life into us. Just as Adam was not alive without God breathing life into him in the natural. We are not alive until God breaths his Holy Spirit into us. Watch tomorrow for part three of this subject of wind of the Spirit.
Our automobiles will not run for very long without oil to lubricate the parts and make the work smoothly. Our spiritual lives can be this way also. All the parts of our faith walk will not go smoothly without the oil of anointing. It takes the oil in our lives to keep us in the flow of God and what he wants to accomplish in us and through us.
In order for our light to shine we must have the oil and anointing of the Holy Ghost. He is the oil. Without oil we are an empty vessel of no use. Just as an oil lamp is of no use without the oil. The Holy Ghost is what gives us a new spiritual life the oil that allows the light to burn. This is what it means to be born again.
John 3:3-4 Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.4 Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother’s womb, and be born?
Nicodemus was high up in the ranks of the Pharisees. He was puzzled by Jesus. He felt like there was more to him than meets the eye. He went to Jesus and talked to him about his ability to heal people. Nicodemus explained that he believed the power came from God.
Jesus told him that he must be born again or he could not see the kingdom of God. Nicodemus being carnally minded wanted to know how he could enter his mother’s womb and be born.
John 3:5-6 Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. 6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.
God’s spirit has to move on our innermost being and create a right spirit within us. This is what happens when we are born again. The Holy Ghost overshadows us, sort of like it did Mary. But instead of creating a fleshly baby to be born and walk the earth, he creates within us a spiritual baby that will grow and mature to be more like Christ. This is Jesus in us, or the anointing of God’s Spirit that makes us Children of God.
Notice verse six, that which is born of flesh is flesh. This flesh will one day return to the dust of the earth. But that which is inside, the soul of a person will end up in hell for the sins it committed. If it was never converted to be born of God’s Spirit. The rest of verse six says that which is born of Spirit is spirit. The part of us that is God in us, or His Spirit will take the soul of those who have obeyed God’s ways to be eternally in heaven with Him.
John 3:7 Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again. We should not think it strange that Jesus told him we must be born again. We must have the Spirit of God inside of us. The Anointing of God.
John 3:8 The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit.
The Greek word for wind is pneuma. It is also the same as the word for spirit. The word listeth means where it wishes or desires to go. Showing there is a freedom to the Holy Ghost. He will work in whosoever will let him. We have to be born again and then yielded to him for him to use us. In other words, we must be willing vessels.
In the Hebrew the word for wind is Ruach. This word is found first in Genesis 1:2 when God’s spirit hovered over the waters at creation and brought forth life on the earth. The wind or Spirit brings for life.
Tomorrow I will continue to show you examples of The Wind of God.
THE TITLE FOR TODAY’S EPISODE: A WARNING TO THE CHURCH
I normally come to you on Fridays with something light and encouraging. But sometimes God deals with me to do something else. What the Lord has been speaking is a heavy weight and I want to share this warning with you.
It is about the future of the church. Not all members are on fire for God. Those that are lukewarm cause more harm to the kingdom than they help. The lukewarm are normally judgmental to make themselves feel better. They end up hurting and running off those who are new to the gospel and those who have not decided if they want to be a Christian. This is one reason why it is dangerous to be lukewarm. Another reason is that if you are lukewarm you end up dabbling with sin, this is being a bad light. Our God is a jealous God and wants us to not create little gods in our lives.
Then you have entire congregations that attend services and are more like a country club than a church. They never do true outreach, they are about building their kingdom bigger. This type of greed will not stand before God. He is about to bring it all down.
REV 3:15-16 I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot. 16 So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth.
If someone is hot, they are an on fire Christian, full of zeal and desire to follow Jesus. They are a good light because fire produces light.
Someone who is cold, has turned their back on God completely or has never made a start to live for Christ. The light of God is not in them.
In the middle is the lukewarm, full of apathy and going through the motions. God says he would rather we be hot or cold. If we are lukewarm, he will spue us out of his mouth. I think that explains it. We will be cast out like tares. The lukewarm have just enough light to do damage to the kingdom of God.
REV 3:17-19 Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked: 18 I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see. 19 As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent.
Many say this is about the church today. They will tell you that they have need of nothing. They may give God credit for what they have, or maybe not. We are poor, blind and naked without God’s light in our life. If we are sold out to God and allow him to shape us, he will cover our nakedness or sin with his garment of grace.
The next verse is something that I kept hearing, hell hath enlarged. For a couple of days God dealt with me about these verses in Isaiah.
ISAIAH 5:14-16 Therefore hell hath enlarged herself, and opened her mouth without measure: and their glory, and their multitude, and their pomp, and he that rejoiceth, shall descend into it. 15 And the mean man shall be brought down, and the mighty man shall be humbled, and the eyes of the lofty shall be humbled: 16But the Lord of hosts shall be exalted in judgment, and God that is holy shall be sanctified in righteousness.
God gave warning to the prophet Isaiah for the people of Jerusalem. They were full of pride, self-righteous, judgmental, covetous, not yielding fully to God. God warned that his judgment was going to fall. That so many were going to be swallowed up by hell that it would have to expand to take them all in, because of their disobedience. This passage depicts hell as a giant creature with its mouth wide open devouring everyone in sight.
This was a warning of being lukewarm and being morally corrupted. It was a warning to the proud and morally bankrupt. Hell is making room for everyone that is not on fire for God.
These people instead of following God they chose their own way, but wanted people to think they were obedient to God. He is patient and long suffering. But he will only allow evil to reign for a season, especially in a group of believers. In order for him to bring judgment on the evil of this world first he has to clean up the church.
I feel that the warning God gave Isaiah about Jerusalem could apply to the modern day church. There is a parable about wheat and tares and how God will divine the two.
I Pet 4:17 For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God?
Peter was calling for the people to examine themselves to see that they were on a solid foundation. To see if they were on fire for God. Were they living in a way that honors God or were they lukewarm?
This is a serious thing. I am sure most of us have experienced a time of being lukewarm. I know I have several times in my life. But God’s long suffering toward the church is wearing thin. In order for us to step over into the glory of God we need to have clean hands, pure hearts and be on fire for Jesus. He is about separate the wheat from the tares.
I have been doing some soul searching this week. I don’t want to be found lacking. I shared this today to give you something to think about over the next few days. Ask God to show you if you have anything in your life that would cause him to think you are a tare and not wheat.
Because the tares are gathered and thrown into the fire to be burned. That is not the type of fire we want, hell fire is torment. God’s fire is pure and holy. This is a serious thing, so meditate on it and pray about it before you dismiss it.
