WHICH SPIRIT?

There are so many voices today, and they all claim to be true.  Some people ignore the Holy Spirit, and others seemingly talk only about the Spirit, but when they speak they contradict the comprehensive book written by inspiration of the Holy Spirit - it is called the Bible!  So, did you ask Jesus into your heart?  Does Christ live in you?  Does the Spirit live in you while Christ is simply sitting in heaven at the right hand of the Father?  Does the Father indwell you?  All questions that deserve to be answered.   I'll start off sharing a brief piece  from the Institute for Creation Research written by Henry M. Morris, PHD:

"That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man; That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God." (Ephesians 3:16-19)

This prayer of the apostle Paul applies to us as well as "to the saints which are at Ephesus" (Ephesians 1:1). Paul directs his prayer "unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ" (3:14), and he requests both that "Christ may dwell in your hearts" and also that the Holy Spirit would strengthen our "inner man." We know elsewhere that Christ is at the right hand of the Father in heaven (Ephesians 1:20), so that the Holy Spirit is the person who actually indwells our bodies as believers. And yet, because God is a triune God, if the Holy Spirit indwells us, so also must "the Spirit of Christ," or else "he is none of his" (Romans 8:9).

But the prayer doesn’t end with Christ dwelling in our hearts. He further prays that "ye might be filled with all the fullness of God," and thus the Father is there too! When we accept Christ, we accept also the Father and the Holy Spirit, for the three are one, and God in all His tri-une fullness thenceforth lives in our bodies.

The Lord Jesus Himself had prayed essentially the same prayer. "I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever; Even the Spirit of truth; . . . and my Father will love |you|, and we will . . . make our abode with |you|" (John 14:16-17, 23). What a priceless privilege and responsibility is ours as believers, that our triune God of creation and redemption and direction is with us always!  

As I thought about the subject. I talked to the Lord about it, and I will share what I heard the Lord telling me:

 

Christ in you is the hope of Glory – you pray in Jesus’ name. You identify with Christ – your life it to be patterned after Jesus. The Holy Spirit is given to enable us to do so.  He prompts us and gives direction. However, his goal is to direct you in following Christ. He does not draw attention to himself, He simply equips and empowers. The problems come when people do not understand either me or the Spirit (or the Father for that matter).

I came to break down the veil. Your communication is to be to the Father in my name.  Since I and my Father are one, you can prayer directly to me if you wish, but I have NO problem if you only pray to the Father.  People like to put words into my mouth. I am the Word of God.  If those words do not agree with my words, they are not from God.  The same is true of the Holy Spirit.  So many want to bypass the Father and me and communicate directly with the Spirit.  The problem is, they misunderstand the role of the Spirit, and most often they get led astray.  They are often communicating with their OWN spirit. Their own will and emotions then take on the imprimatur of GOD in their minds. You will frequently see people proclaim new revelation and truths they attribute to my Spirit, but those are damnable lies. They contradict the scriptures.  The Holy Spirit takes of ME and discloses it to you.  He does not make up stuff on his own. He moved on men of God to WRITE the truths of God. Those are eternal and unchanging truths.

When you hear someone attribute something to my Holy Spirit that is not consistent with the Word or the character of God, do not entertain it, but reject it immediately and totally. Otherwise you will entertain a mixture.  Those who entertain a mixture will surely favor the “WORD” that comes from their own spirit, and not the Holy Spirit of God.

So often throughout history, men and women have done things in my name that have brought death, destruction, and grievous error. They are now doing that in the name of the Holy Spirit and in the name of “prophecy”. So much “prophecy” comes by the will of man, but the ONLY prophecy that matters comes from the Holy Spirit. When someone from the dark kingdom says something similar to what is emanating from a person’s own spirit (NOT the Holy Spirit),  the person sees it as confirmation. The confirmation here is simply that the world, the flesh, and the devil all agree. 

Know that only those who endure to the end will be saved. It is critical to endure in the word. So many want to fill in the blanks or address an issue or situation I have not addressed.  Be patient and ask me when we are in glory together.  Until then, be led by the Spirit of God in accordance with the word of God.

It is so critical to understand that you are indwelt by all three persons of the Trinity. There is a reason for this – though it is a great mystery.  I want man to be my bride, and there is no way that mere man can be in that level of communication with Almighty God. However, with God indwelling man through his Spirit, it is not only possible, but the express plan of God.  I breathed into Adam life, and I want to breathe into you Spiritual life.  I am not satisfied with anything less.  When my life is in you, you will not go to the right or the left, because you will be directed by me.  Using any touchy-feely GPS will not work.  Only the precise direction of the Word of God as interpreted by my Spirit to you will keep you from going to places that will not lead to eternal life and satisfaction in me.

Now it is time for you to share with me what the Lord is showing you!  Leave your comments!

WORDS FOR THE WEARY

Many people today are weary of the way the world is.  They see discord. They see lying, They are unhappy with their job if they have one.  They are disappointed in their church and in Christian leaders. They are tired of being shouted at, put in a category or stereotype.   They feel too weary even for God.

My friends, that is not the description of a handful of unfortunate people in therapy for depression.  It is an epidemic in our world today.  People have been wrung out. They feel used and abused. Their song is "Hold The Fort" because they are hoping and praying that Jesus will come quickly and get them out of this mess.

I understand, my friends.  Life has been tough for a few years now.  The revival seems to have gone into reverse, with more and more Christians falling into universalism, into phony science, phony psychology, and phony health and wealth schemes.  I talk to a LOT of people. They are discouraged because so few really seem enthusiastic for the things of God. They buy the books, the tapes, the CD's, but find it difficult to simply sit back and lean on the arms of Christ.  They believe they have to sing and dance and make incantations to enter into the presence of the Father when the veil that separated God in the Holy of Holies from man in the outer court has been torn from top to bottom.  All we have to do is walk into that throne room and enjoy a lifelong conversation with God.   What is so hard about that?

Well, it is like the illustration, "My Heart, Christ's Home".  Most people keep Christ out on the porch. Even "Christians",  Remeber Revelation 3 and the discourse on the Church of Laodicea?  They thought they had it all.  They actually had a prosperity gospel that worked!  They had need of nothing!  Nothing, that is, except Christ.  Christ was out their knocking and then calling out in case they did not hear him.  He wanted to come in and eat with them.  You know, the Lord told be quite a while ago that he had an infinite amount of information to share with me.  He is more talkative than I am, and believe me, people think I am REALLY talkative! Our God created man to fellowship with him and to reflect his glory.  He makes it easy to relate to him.

So many people make it so hard. They have to sing three songs four times each. They have to be whipped into a frenzy. They need to feel in the mood. They think God has a clock on them because of everyone else who wants in. They are afraid to verbalize their deepest thoughts, their most pressing fears, their present anxieties.  They want God to read their minds, which of course he already knows. Yet he says, CALL UPON ME, AND I WILL ANSWER YOU, AND SHOW YOU GREAT AND MIGHTY THINGS THAT YOU DO NOT KNOW.  

My friends, God wants to spend some significant time with you.  The problem simply boils down to love.  No on his part - but on ours. When you love someone, you do not want to leave them.  My first date with Verileah was 9 hours long. Her mother kicked me out at 2:30 in the morning.  All we were doing was talking - nothing physical.  We just had so much to talk about.  We called each other a lot, and every chance we got, we shut out the world to be together.  Other times we would be together with others - at church or other events.  It was love that compelled each of us to make the time needed to be with each other.   Well, God has that level of love. He sent Christ to suffer and die for us.  HE has indicated many times how much he wants us to be IN him.  Our Lord met Moses for 40 years in the Tent of Meeting.  He lives among us, and now he has imparted his precious Holy Spirit to live INSIDE of us and live through us. He is amazing.  He is a gift of God for he IS God.

Yet many marginalize the Lord.  If they let him in the door at all, it is usually in the Foyer for a quick couple of minutes. We don't want him in the dining room, where we would sit around the table with him enjoying his fragrance while he enjoys ours!  Many keep him out of the bedroom because their marriage bed is not undefiled.  He is not in the laundry because we so often prefer to wear soiled garments rather than pure white linen.  The kitchen is roped off because we don't want him to be Lord our our appetite.  And for real, many keep him out of the TV room because they figure he would not enjoy a PG-13 or R or TV14 program.  Guess what, he WOULDN"T!    Do you think Jesus would like to hear his name taken in vain, or people engaged in fornication, adultery, or uncleanness? Of course not.

That means that if WE ever engage in those ungodly behaviors, he will be grieved and excuse himself and not communicate with us. If we never grieve him, if we never partake in what we cannot share with him, we will be best buds and he will NEVER leave us or forsake us or make himself scarce.
We simply have to adore him and go into HIS world.  He is the husband, we are the wife. No matter what we think is great, it doesn't matter.  It is all about what HE thinks is great.  Now he respects our personalities and our likes and our wants, but ultimately, it is US who must decrease, and it is HIM who must increase.

Try this and see if all of a sudden you feel encouraged.   Try it with friends from your church, and see if your church gets better.   Don't wait. Get intimate with Christ tonight.


P.S.
If your marriage is in trouble, try these things with your mate.  Be interested in what they are interested in. Snuggle for long periods of time.  Bask in each other's love. And my all means, express your love frequently and creatively with the tools God has endowed you with.  The Biblical  proverb talks about how hard it is for one to stay warm alone.  Believe me,  God intended there to be heat - so take advantage of all the ways God wants to bless you through your mate!  Take time, put out effort, and by all means tell him or her how you feel about them!