Category Archives: 2021

2021, Christianity, Faith, Inspiration, Uncategorized

Childlike Faith

Why does Jesus say that we must have faith like a child to enter into the Kingdom of God? Do we really know as believers what it means to truly act in childlike faith? The subject of faith is so critical in the Christian walk, you cannot even receive Salvation of sins without faith! We must not only understand the subject of faith, but we must act according to our faith as founded upon Scripture.

Religion vs. Kingdom of God

Too many people today rely on head knowledge of God’s Word and mental ascent. Many people think that great faith is just agreeing mentally with the Word of God or reading a bunch of commentaries. We really need to get back to what the Bible says about faith, rather than going along with the man-made religious system of the world. There is a difference between the Kingdom of God and religion. Jesus was against religion, but yet today we cannot let go of traditions in the average church. Jesus did not come to preach a religious system; He came and preached the Kingdom of God!

Childlike Faith Defined

Jesus said in Matthew 18:3 (AMP), “I assure you and most solemnly say to you, unless you repent [that is, change your inner self—your old way of thinking, live changed lives] and become like children [trusting, humble, and forgiving], you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.”. Jesus also stated this in Luke 18:17 (AMP), “I assure you and most solemnly say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God [with faith and humility] like a child will not enter it at all.”.

Childlike faith is first founded upon repentance, which is a result of when the Holy Spirit convicts us of sin. We must have godly sorrow when we repent. Godly sorrow always results in a desire to change, when this happens, we humble ourselves and we place our trust in Jesus Christ.  Childlike faith is a place of humility, it is a place of the believer realizing their total dependence on Jesus Christ. Too many people take pride in themselves, and never truly enter into a place of childlike faith.

Childlike faith also means placing our complete trust in Jesus Christ. John 1:14 (AMP) tells us, “And the Word (Christ) became flesh, and lived among us; and we [actually] saw His glory, glory as belongs to the [One and] only begotten Son of the Father, [the Son who is truly unique, the only One of His kind, who is] full of grace and truth (absolutely free of deception).”. Jesus is the logos, the Word of God. We are to place our trust in the Word of God. Our actions should bear the fruit of us trusting in God’s Word.

Our Inheritance as Citizens

I would like to quote what Jesus said in Matthew 18:3 from the Youngs Literal Translation, “Verily I say to you, if ye may not be turned and become as the children, ye may not enter into the reign of the heavens;”. We do not enter into the Kingdom of God after we die and go to Heaven, we enter into the Kingdom of God the moment we become born again. I have talked about how the believer has authority through the name of Jesus Christ, and how we are seated with Christ in Heavenly places (Ephesians 2:6). When we enter into the Kingdom of God, we must yield to the teaching of the Holy Spirit so that we can come to the knowledge of who we are in Christ Jesus and the authority we have inherited. We are called to be ambassadors of the Kingdom of God, going about doing God’s business on the earth either until we have lived out our length of days or until the Second Coming.

We must enter into the Kingdom of God fully surrendered with childlike faith. We need to be teachable under the teaching of the Holy Spirit and under the teaching of those who God has called and anointed to minister His Word. We must make it a lifestyle of getting into the Word of God daily and meditating upon the Scriptures so that we can come to the knowledge of who we are as citizens of the Kingdom of God.

2021, Christianity, Faith, Inspiration

Where is Our Faith?

I want to forewarn you that this is a heavy word concerning faith. Please understand I do not wish to condemn or spread hate, my goal is to speak the truth so that a slumbering church will awaken to truth and righteousness I do not care what your doctrine is because if God’s Word says it then it is true, it does not matter what your denomination says. 

James 2:14 (NKJV) poses an important question, “What does it profit, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can faith save him?”. We see the answer in the 26th verse, “For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.”. Where is the faith today among believers? For too many, we have operated under fear with this man-made “pandemic”. Let me be clear we should always exercise common sense, there is a difference between Biblical boldness and foolishness. This is why we must get the Word of God into our hearts, not just our heads. If you only get the Word of God into your head and lack getting it into your heart you will not receive the fullness of the power of the Word of God. Faith comes by hearing, and by hearing the Word of God (2 Corinthians 5:17).

Right now, is a test of faith for all believers. Will we put our faith and trust in the Word of God that never fails or in a vaccine funded by wicked men that has zero studies on long-term health effects? This specific vaccine is a false light! The wicked men of the world will point the world to a false light, but the church needs to take a stand and point the world to the True Light of Life! True faith is not just a matter of reading the Word of God and gaining a bunch of head knowledge. True faith is not reading a bunch of commentaries. True faith is reading the Word of God, soaking it into your heart, and living your life like it is so.

Jesus said in Luke 10:19 (AMP), “Listen carefully: I have given you authority [that you now possess] to tread on serpents and scorpions, and [the ability to exercise authority] over all the power of the enemy (Satan); and nothing will [in any way] harm you.”. Jesus said this to His Disciples before He went to the Cross. Today we are under the New Covenant, and as New Covenant believers this same authority has been given to us, the church. Ephesians 2:6 (AMP) tells us, “And He raised us up together with Him [when we believed], and seated us with Him in the heavenly places, [because we are] in Christ Jesus”. We are already seated with Christ Jesus as born again; blood-bought believers. This verse is not saying we will be seated, it says we were seated with Him in heavenly places.

Dear believer, you are being given two choices right now. You can go with the flow and put yourself in alignment with man’s agenda right now, or you can humble yourself and put yourself in agreement with God’s Word. The true church, when she takes her stand during this wicked spiritual attack in America, will see a revival as there has never been seen before. It is time we place our trust in someone that never fails, and that someone is God, and He is the God who never changes and will not lie to you!

2021, Christianity, Faith, Fruit of Spirit

Our Source of Joy and Peace

Today there are many methods that people of the world achieve joy and peace. We must ask ourselves are we turning to the Lord for our source of joy and peace or are we turning to the things of this world? While there are certain resources on earth that we can turn to we must be certain that our number one source is God first.

Romans 15:13 (ESV) tells us, “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.”. As believers, it is God who fills us with joy and peace. We must realize that our only source of hope is within God. So many people in the world right now are worried and caught up with all the current events taking place and are worried about how much worse things could get. We should rest assured that God’s plan will be carried out till the very end.

I personally believe that joy and peace will go hand in hand. If you are lacking in the fruit of joy, then you are likely lacking in the fruit of peace. Many people often wonder why they go through difficult seasons in their lives. Sadly, many pulpits teach that when you become a Christian that everything in life will be smooth sailing, however, this type of preaching contradicts Biblical and historic Christianity. While God will provide for us according to His Word, He also tells us that we will face trials and that we will even be hated by the world.

However, anything that the enemy has intended for evil, the Lord will use it for our good. James 1:2-3 (AMP) tells us, “Consider it nothing but joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you fall into various trials. Be assured that the testing of your faith [through experience] produces endurance [leading to spiritual maturity, and inner peace].”. As we go through trials, we are to fully put our faith in the Lord. We are to be fully submitted to His Word. When we are submitted, we will begin to see a growth in spiritual maturity. Meaning that our understanding of God’s Word will grow, our level of holiness and sanctification will grow, and the fruits of the Spirit will produce more in our lives. Furthermore, as we go through trials and fully rely on God, we will notice an increase in true Biblical peace within ourselves, and this, in turn, should also result in joy.

Romans 8:28 tells us, “And we know [with great confidence] that God [who is deeply concerned about us] causes all things to work together [as a plan] for good for those who love God, to those who are called according to His plan and purpose.”. No matter what it is in life you are going through we must rely upon God and His Will for our lives. We must be believers as the Word of God calls us to be, this means studying and meditating on the Word of God, worship, and praying.

2021, Christianity, Faith, Inspiration, Old Testament

He is Risen

A few days ago, many of us remembered the day in which Christ was crucified, today we are reminded of the fact that He is Risen, and He is alive! Luke 24:6-7 (ESV) tells us, “He is not here, but has risen. Remember how he told you, while he was still in Galilee, that the Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men and be crucified and on the third day rise.”.

Today the people of the world will continue on with their pagan rooted traditions but let us mediate on the fact that our Savior is alive! Many people will argue the validity of the Bible and even the death and resurrection of Jesus. Anyone who studies the New Testament and Old Testament will see the many prophecies that Jesus fulfilled.

Hosea 6:1-2 (ESV) tells us, “Come, let us return to the Lord; for he has torn us, that he may heal us; he has struck us down, and he will bind us up. After two days he will revive us; on the third day he will raise us up, that we may live before him.”. In the context of these verses Hosea is talking about Israel, but at the same time this is also alluding to what Jesus Christ will accomplish because He is the only hope for an unrepentant Israel and every other person.

Hosea 6:1-2 is related to what Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians 15:3-4 (ESV), “For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures,  that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures.”. 

Christ died for our sins so that we may get a free ticket to Heaven, right? Sadly, this is the mentality that many people who are in the church seem to have. The finished work of Jesus Christ has such a greater significance than just getting a hell insurance card.

Exodus 34:7 (ESV) tells us, “keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, but who will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children and the children’s children, to the third and the fourth generation.”. This verse shows us the two attributes of God that often get out of balance in the modern church. We see the love of God in this verse, at the same time we see the wrath of God in this verse.

Exodus 34:7 tells us that God will by no means clear the guilty, God cannot ignore sin. Every sin must be punished. Isaiah 53:4-6 (ESV) tells us, “Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned—every one—to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.”.

We must realize that Christ took our place to save us from the wrath of God. Jesus did not just suffer from the Romans beating Him up, He more importantly suffered the wrath of God the Father. This was the only way for our sins to be atoned for. There is nothing you can do yourself to save yourself from the wrath of God, there is nothing in our own strength we can do to overcome the sin in our lives.

If you ever told a lie, even a white one you are destined to the lake of fire according to Revelation 21:8. But there is Good News! No matter what sin you committed whether you are a liar, an adulterer, homosexual, thief, or drug addict, God provided a Way for us to be saved from His wrath against sin and iniquity.

Today if the Holy Spirit has revealed to you the sin in your life you can simply cry out to God and repent and put your faith and trust in the finished work of Jesus Christ. Not only this but the work of the Holy Spirit is so powerful that you will rise forth as a New Creation in Christ Jesus. As the 2 Corinthians 5:17 tells us when we are born again, we have a new nature inside of us. We have a power source inside of us that if we fully rely upon the finished work of Christ and the power of the Holy Spirit in our lives we can walk in righteousness. Sure, we will slip up from time to time, but the Holy Spirit will convict you and you will run to the Father in repentance.

You might think that it is impossible for God to forgive you because of all the wrong decisions you have made in your life. Simply look at the work God did with the finished work of Christ. Jesus not only died in the flesh, but He rose again. Look at how God delivered the Israelites in the Old Testament. I can assure you that if you truly repent and truly trust in Christ that God will  forgive you, deliver you, and give you the strength to walk the walk of faith. I cannot promise you ‘Your Best Life Now’, there will still be trials and tribulations in this life, but I can tell you that walking this walk of faith is worth it and that there is nothing else in this world that can compare to being put in right standing with God.

2021, Christianity, Discipleship

What is Biblical Discipleship?

Two Plagues in the Church

There are two great tragedies in the American church. One is the preaching of another gospel, the second is many churches do not teach or demonstrate what Biblical discipleship is. I personally believe these two issues go hand in hand. The most well-known example of another gospel being preached is the ‘prosperity gospel’. The ‘prosperity gospel’ continually gains popularity in America because it is simply a gospel that focuses on self rather than focusing on Christ alone, and it is a gospel that does not save. Now let me say something first I believe 100% that we are to have faith in God’s promises according to His Word and that God will bless His people according to His Word. Too many people want God to heal them and nothing else. I fully believe it is God’s Will for healing and that we should lay hands on the sick, while at the same time we cannot let the focus of us seeking God be just for the earthly benefits. The Gospel of Jesus Christ is not about living “Your Best Life Now”, it is actually about dying of self and putting away the old nature and rising fourth as the new creations we are in Christ Jesus. If the gospel message is distorted in America on average, then there will be a lack of Biblical discipleship.

What is Discipleship?

So, what is Biblical Discipleship? Let us look at what Jesus said in Luke 14:27 (ESV), “Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple.”. So, what does ‘picking up our cross’ really mean? Some people think that dealing with a poor job, sickness, or emotional issues is what this means, that could not be further from the truth! Picking up our cross daily simply means that we are willing to die for Christ, we must die to ourselves and live our lives fully surrendered to the Lordship of Jesus Christ. Picking up our cross has nothing to do with how often we go to church or how many conferences we go to. Jesus also said in Luke 9:24-25 (ESV), “For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it. For what does it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses or forfeits himself?”. So many people’s attention is easily drawn to the things of this world that have no eternal value. We must fully surrender ourselves to Jesus Christ, not just on Sundays.

Abide in Him!

Look at John 8:31-32 (ESV), “So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed in him, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.””. To be His disciples, we are to fully abide in and follow His Word. This is why it is so vital to feed upon the Word of God daily. Study the Word, meditate upon the Word of God, as much as you can! We must get the Word of God into us so we can abide in it.

Bear Fruit

fruit bowl

Not only is discipleship about giving time over to the Word of God, prayer, worship, and fasting, but there must be Biblical fruit that is a result of this. Jesus told us in John 15:8 (ESV), “By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples.”. This fruit includes the Fruit of the Spirit and also the works we do that are a result of our Salvation. How are we both individually and collectively bearing fruit? When was the last time we Biblically evangelized someone or prayed for someone who was sick? When was the last time we wept because we see people every day that we care about, who we know that are not saved and are on the broad way to Hell? Do we have the burden of the Lord upon our heart? We really need to seek God where we are lacking in our fruit-bearing, I myself could be yielding moreover and I am sure many of us could. We need to realize that the Gospel of Jesus Christ is not about glorifying ourselves, but it is about glorifying God.

A Fully Surrendered Life

When we walk in Biblical discipleship, we should also be edifying each other as fellow believers. Proverbs 27:17 (ESV) tells us, “Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another.”. We are to be encouraging our fellow brothers and sisters in the Lord and building each other up so that we can walk this walk. This is just a portion of what Biblical Discipleship is about, there is so much more to be covered. I encourage you to make this the year that you fully give yourself over to being a fully surrendered disciple. We have many people in both the world and in America who have not heard the True Gospel. Let us go forth and make disciples as Jesus commissioned us!

2021, Christianity, Gifts of the Spirit, Salvation

The River of Life

This year I have really been touching on walking in faith and the importance of coming to the knowledge of who we are as new creations through Christ Jesus.

I would like to draw your attention to the Book of Ezekiel when he describes the vision the Lord gave him of The Temple. We see him describe the glory of the Lord in Ezekiel 43:2 (ESV), “And behold, the glory of the God of Israel was coming from the east. And the sound of his coming was like the sound of many waters, and the earth shone with his glory.”. We then see the reaction of Ezekiel to the glory of the Lord filling the Temple in verses 4-5, “As the glory of the Lord entered the temple by the gate facing east, the Spirit lifted me up and brought me into the inner court; and behold, the glory of the Lord filled the temple.”. Ezekiel in this very passage was given a vision of the Temple of the Lord that was to come. I want you to look at this passage with the mindset that as new creations in Christ Jesus that we are all individually a Temple of the Spirit of the Living God (1 Corinthians 6:19).

Let us take this a step further and look at some keys in Ezekiel 47:9-12. In this very chapter Ezekiel describes a river that is flowing from the Temple.

  • In verse 9: “ And wherever the river goes, every living creature that swarms will live, and there will be very many fish. For this water goes there, that the waters of the sea  may become fresh; so everything will live where the river goes.”.
    • Jesus told us in John 7:38 that those who believe in Him will  “Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water”.
  • In verse 10: “Fishermen will stand beside the sea. From Engedi to Eneglaim it will be a place for the spreading of nets. Its fish will be of very many kinds, like the fish of the Great Sea.”.
    • In Matthew 4:18-19, Jesus called two fishermen, Simon Peter and Andrew to come follow Him and that He would make them “fishers of men”.
    • Additionally, Galatians 3:28 (ESV) tells us, “There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.”.  The Body of Christ will be composed of both men and women, and people from many different ethnicities and cultures around the world.
  • In verse 12: “And on the banks, on both sides of the river, there will grow all kinds of trees for food. Their leaves will not wither, nor their fruit fail, but they will bear fresh fruit every month, because the water for them flows from the sanctuary. Their fruit will be for food, and their leaves for healing.”
    • Jesus told us in Matthew 7:15-20, that we “would know a tree by its fruit”. He is talking about believers here. It is not about how long ago we prayed a prayer, but the fruit that we bear as disciples of Jesus Christ.
    • We also know that through the finished work of Jesus Christ we have Salvation from sins, healing from all sickness and disease, and deliverance from every type of demonic oppression.

Too often when we read about the Temple of God as in the Old Testament, we may be quick to brush over it. However, we should pay attention to this, because as New Covenant believers we are each a temple of the Holy Spirit. This is just one example of how the Temple in the Old Testament relates to us as believers today. I pray that you will study these passages for yourself, and that the eyes of your understanding would be enlightened to know who we are as new creations in Christ Jesus.

2021, Christianity, Faith, Inspiration, Wisdom

God’s Ways vs. Our Ways

So often as Christians we can get stuck looking at our circumstances with a worldly standard, rather than God’s standard. We might think a certain situation looks impossible, or that we might not be enough to do what God has called us individually to do. Isaiah 55:8-9 (NKJV) tells us, “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways,” says the Lord. “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways, And My thoughts than your thoughts.”. One of the problems in the American church is we are so brainwashed with the things of this world that the average Christian does not reach his or her full God-ordained destiny. Now before I go any further let me say that when God blesses us, it is to bring Him the glory and not us. God’s plan is to bring glory to His Name. If it is a plan that brings glory to self, then it is not of God. We must be careful not to lose focus.

Look at Jerimiah 1:4-10 (NKJV), “Then the word of the Lord came to me, saying: “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you; Before you were born I sanctified you; I ordained you a prophet to the nations.” Then said I: “Ah, Lord God! Behold, I cannot speak, for I am a youth.” But the Lord said to me: “Do not say, ‘I am a youth,’ For you shall go to all to whom I send you, And whatever I command you, you shall speak. Do not be afraid of their faces, For I am with you to deliver you,” says the Lord. Then the Lord put forth His hand and touched my mouth, and the Lord said to me: “Behold, I have put My words in your mouth. See, I have this day set you over the nations and over the kingdoms, To root out and to pull down, To destroy and to throw down, To build and to plant.””.

In this very passage, we see God officially calling Jerimiah to be a prophet of God. We see right away that Jerimiah immediately looks at his self through a worldly view, rather than coming into alignment with God’s view. In the Old Testament, we see that God only anointed certain people to be used mightily by Him. Today we are under a New Covenant. When we become truly born again and filled with the Holy Spirit, we have everything we need to walk in the destiny God has called us to walk in for His Glory. However, too many believers have not gotten themselves filled with the Word of God enough to realize they must walk in the newness of life. Too many people think that the Christian walk is simply repeating a prayer, getting dunked in water, and becoming a member of a church. However, the true Christian walk is more than that. It is about a lifestyle of discipleship and living your life for the glory of God.

Jesus tells us in Acts 1:8 (AMP), “But you will receive power and ability when the Holy Spirit comes upon you; and you will be My witnesses [to tell people about Me] both in Jerusalem and in all Judea, and Samaria, and even to the ends of the earth.””. So many believers fail to realize the fullness of what was accomplished through the full complete work of Jesus Christ. 2 Peter 1:3 (NKJV) tells us, “as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue”. If only we could live according to Scripture instead of being given over to doubt and everything else involved in the world’s way of things.

If you have been struggling with first knowing what God has called you to do and carrying it out, I encourage you to get into the Word of God more. It is so vital we get into the Word of God. We must make sure our mindset and heart’s desires are in line with God’s Word.

As we spend time in prayer, worship, fasting, and in God’s Word we should see God increasing in our lives and less attention drawn to our self-desires. As you give yourself over to the true discipleship process you should also see the sinful desires in your life decreasing. As we go on in this year more, let us put ourselves in more alignment with God than the world.

2021

What Do You Crave?

David writes in Psalm 27:4 (TPT), “Here’s the one thing I crave from God, the one thing I seek above all else: I want the privilege of living with Him every moment in his house, finding the sweet loveliness of His face, filled with awe, delighting in His glory and grace. I want to live my life so close to Him that He takes pleasure in my every prayer.”. So much truth in this verse for the Christian walk. I must point out that David wrote this before the temple was built. David longed for being in God’s presence frequently.

David craved a good thing, he craved being in the presence of God at every moment. What more could we really want? Keep in mind, David was under the Old Covenant when this was written. To be put in right standing with God a blood sacrifice was required. Thank God we are under a better Covenant now, because of what Jesus did on the cross.

But as we are believers under the New Covenant, do we really understand the depth of what it means to crave being in communion with God at every moment?  So many believers have not come to the knowledge of who we are as a result of the finished work of Jesus Christ. My Bible says that the moment we repent and accept the finished work of Jesus Christ by faith we are New Creations.

We not only are New Creations, but we also have the Holy Spirit dwelling within us. 1 Corinthians 6:19 (AMP) tells us, “Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is within you, whom you have [received as a gift] from God, and that you are not your own [property]?”. Read that verse again and again. The very presence of the living God is within us as believers, the Spirit of Truth dwells within us Who will lead us into all truth. We don’t have to wait for a temple to be built as David did, the Bible says we as New Covenant believers are the temple of the Holy Spirit. We must recognize this truth here, there is a power source that is within us and that is the Holy Spirit. The same Holy Spirit that fell on those in the upper room in the Book of Acts.

If we could just rely on the source of Power that is poured out into us as believers how our very existence would change. Jesus told His disciples in Acts 1:8 (NKJV), “But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you…”. 2 Timothy 1:7 (TPT) tells us, “For God did not give us a spirit of timidity or cowardice or fear, but [He has given us a spirit] of power and of love and of sound judgment and personal discipline [abilities that result in a calm, well-balanced mind and self-control].”.

Too often we believers rely on the things of this world to strengthen us rather than the Holy Spirit. We must ask God every day to fill us up a fresh and a new of His Spirit so that we can be poured out for His Glory. Since we are temples of the Holy Spirit we can be in total communion with God at every moment if we just yield to the Holy Spirit fully surrendered. David craved for this very lifestyle that we all can walk, but sadly not many believers want to fully surrender to the Holy Spirits leading. It is one thing to get into the presence of God during a corporate service, but it is a whole other thing to do this in private. We must be developed in the secret place. Jesus during His earthly ministry would go into the secret place and seek the Father.

If you can set aside just 20-30 minutes a day to get alone with God and yield to His leading you will not be the same. Don’t just read the Word to mark off your Bible reading plan, cry out to God for Him to teach you and reveal truths to you. If you can yield yourself to this for 20-30 minutes a day, He will change your total existence. We make huge lifestyle changes to move across the country for a new job, go to a better school, or even lose a few pounds, but why don’t we take this same level of dedication when it comes to our walk of faith for the Glory of God?

I pray that you will begin to crave this more and more to be in communion with the Father so frequently. I pray that the church’s focus this year would be taken off the things of this world and that the church this year would cry out to God for greater manifestations of His Glory. I pray that everything that is worldly that has infected the church would be ripped out and that there would be a call to repentance for loving the things of this world which are passing away. It is time for us believers not to have the aroma of the world, but to have the aroma of the Kingdom of God. Let the people who are lost in darkness be able to immediately tell something is different with us, rather than us quietly just blend in with the rest of the world. Let us crave things that are above and be more Kingdom-minded!

2021, Wisdom, Word from God, Word's of Wisdom

Have We Fully Surrendered?

This is going to be a different post than usual, not fully a teaching, but also a bit of a word mixed in the Lord has given me. I gave a teaching recently about the importance of surrendering the carnal mind. I do not know about you, but I am honestly sick of the casual and powerless Christianity. Go to church once or twice a week, and then blend in with the rest of the world the other days of the week. Are we sitting under preaching that is developed with man’s made methods or is the preaching we sit under led by the Holy Spirit?

So many profess to be Christian, but yet their lives do not reflect the working of the Holy Spirit. If we are new creations then why are we still in love with the things of this world, the things of which are passing away (1 John 2:17). We do not realize how much time we spend focusing on things that do not really matter. Do not get me wrong we all have various obligations in life such as school, work, and family. However, many of us and myself included have fed off carnality rather than spending more time feeding off the things of God.

The Lord wants His people to take worship more seriously this year, and the years to come. This is both in corporate worship and private worship. Too often we have become too led by our man-made devices rather than by the Holy Spirit. In Leviticus 10 we see what happened to Nadab and Abihu when they brought strange incense to the Lord, they were consumed with fire and died. Why? Because they went against what the Lord had commanded them to do when it came to worship.  Nadab and Abihu brought innovation to God’s altar rather than what God had already ordained. How often do we get wrapped up in our man-made programs in the church rather than being totally led by the Spirit? Now I am not saying all church programs are bad, I am saying we really need to be careful not to get all wrapped up in programs and our own strength.

Too many people in church pews are more religiously developed than they are spiritually developed. Too many people know how to follow a dead religious system rather than the true leading of the Holy Spirit. Are we to be filled with religion or are we to be filled with the Holy Spirit? I think the New Testament makes that clear. (Ephesians 5:18)

Biblical Christianity as found in the Early Church was not about religion, it is about being in relationship with the Lord. When we are born again, we are put in right standing with God. This is only through the finished work of Jesus Christ. Go back to the Old Testament and look at all the rules that had to be followed with all the sacrifices. Thank God for sending His only Son to be the only final Sacrifice.

We must take the Sacrifice of Jesus Christ seriously. So many people do not understand the depth of what Jesus accomplished on the Cross and through His resurrection and ascension. He paid the penalty for our sins; without Him, we would be deserving of eternal death. Because of His finished work we have authority over sickness and demons. (Mark 3:15, Matthew 10:1, Mark 6:7, Luke 9:1, 1 John 2:13-14, Ephesians 6:11, and Romans 16:20)   When we get saved, we do not receive a hell insurance plan. When we get saved, we do not get a pass to live our life however we want, our life is not our own! (1 Corinthians 6:19-20) The Bible tells us to work out our Salvation with fear and trembling. (Philippians 2:12)

The Bible says when we get saved, we are a new creation. (2 Corinthians 5:17) This is spiritually speaking, we were once spiritually dead, but now we are alive. We must learn to surrender to the new creation we are through Jesus Christ, rather than continuing in the sickness of the old dead self we were before Christ.  This is why the Baptism of the Holy Spirit is so essential, we must continually be filled with the Holy Spirit. Not only is being filled with the Holy Spirit evidenced by your own private prayer language and other spiritual gifts as the Spirit wills, but it is also about walking in all the Fruits of the Spirit, holy living, and most importantly walking in the love of Christ.

It is time that the body of Christ as a whole and individually begins to surrender to the leading of the Holy Spirit.

2021, Faith, Inspiration, Wisdom

A Common Roadblock to Faith

I recently posted a teaching called “Faith – Seeing It Through”. The Lord instructed me to address an issue that many believers including myself struggle with. This is often a roadblock for all of us at some point as we walk by faith. The Bible tells us that we all have been given our own measure of faith, I believe the more we get into the Word and seek God diligently the greater our faith should become. However, many people have gotten in God’s Word and sought Him but still do not have a breakthrough. The reason for this lack of breakthrough is not because a person is not truly seeking God, it is because they have neglected to address this common roadblock. 

Let me first say this teaching is not meant to put people down, that is never my intention. I want believers to recognize this roadblock as it applies to their life and address it according to the Word of God. Many have said that 2021 is to be the year of faith, and I agree with that, but we must address this if we are going to walk in full faith this year as the Body of Christ. 

The roadblock to faith for almost every believer is not fully surrendering the carnal mind to the Lord Jesus Christ. The Bible tells us we are a three-person being, “Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely; and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.” (1 Thessalonians 5:23 NKJV). As many of you already know when we get born again it is our spirit man who is regenerated, however, we are still left with the flesh (our body and soul). Our soul is where our mind, will, and emotions lie.

Now, what is a carnal mind? A short summary would be it is a mindset that is set on any or all the lust of the flesh and not lined up with the walk of the spirit as we see in Galatians 5 where the Apostle Paul differentiates the walk of the flesh vs. the walk of the spirit.  We must all continually examine ourselves; we live in a world where the mainstream entertainment media will put propaganda before us that promotes sin. I pray that each person reading this begins to develop a habit of searching their heart daily and examining themselves.

Aside from the sinful lust of the flesh, there is another area of carnality that can become a roadblock to our faith. I really want you to pay attention closely to this one and hear what I am saying. I believe that standing for Biblical truth and sound doctrine is the duty of every believer for defending the faith. We must be careful of where our source of knowing God is coming from. There is a dangerous path one can fall privy to where they only rely on head knowledge and neglect being developed spiritually by the Holy Spirit.

Jesus said in John 6:63 (NKJV), “It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life.”. The teachings of Jesus cannot be properly understood by the human mind alone, no matter how good your academic skills are. When Jesus promised us the Holy Spirit he said in John 16:13 (NKJV), “However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He 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.”.

Many people think they have sound doctrine because they have studied a bunch of Greek and Hebrew, maybe even learned to read the Bible in the original language. Now learning Greek and Hebrew for Biblical studies has its place. But we must be careful not to go academically overboard. If we go academically overboard, we will only know God based on head knowledge, rather than seeking Him intimately in the secret place. Psalm 1:2 (TPT) says, “His pleasure and passion is remaining true to the Word of “I Am,” meditating day and night in the true revelation of light.”.

The Apostle Paul did not sit in a Survey of the Old and New Testament course, he sought after God and received great revelation knowledge, and had a fruitful ministry as an apostle. You can have all the degrees you want in theology and apologetics you want, but still have zero intimacy with the King of Kings. Now I am not rebuking people who have gone to seminary who seek after God. There are many ministers out there that have gone to seminary, and sought God in the secret place, and sat in the classroom of Holy Spirit. I am sure there are schools that teach their students about keeping this area balanced. Head knowledge has its place with the Word of God, however, there is a whole other level when it comes to developing spiritually when you are continually walking in communion spirit to Spirit daily.  We must keep everything balanced and avoid going from one extreme to another.

Not only is being carnally minded about being given to the lust of the flesh, but it is also when one only operates in head knowledge of God, rather than truly personally coming to knowing God intimately. This can only be accomplished by daily prayer, worship, and meditating on the Word of God.

Romans 8:5-8 (MSG) tells us, “Those who think they can do it on their own end up obsessed with measuring their own moral muscle but never get around to exercising it in real life. Those who trust God’s action in them find that God’s Spirit is in them—living and breathing God! Obsession with self in these matters is a dead end; attention to God leads us out into the open, into a spacious, free life. Focusing on the self is the opposite of focusing on God. Anyone completely absorbed in self ignores God, ends up thinking more about self than God. That person ignores who God is and what he is doing. And God isn’t pleased at being ignored.”.

Have you been given over to one of these pitfalls of carnality? Or maybe both? I know I have from time to time. It is time for us as believers to truly submit our mind to the Lord, and take diligent time to meditate on His Word. We must begin to make it a priority to rely on the teaching of the Holy Spirit over our head knowledge. As I said academics has its place when it comes to theology, but we must be spiritually developed in God’s Word so that we have a firm foundation and do not get off balance.