Category Archives: Gifts of the Spirit

The Jews Response and Peters Teaching

In my previous teaching in the Book of Acts we just learned about the powerful Filling of the Holy Spirit the disciples received. The Jews have just witnessed the powerful gift of Tongues. Now we are going to begin to look as to how the Jews reacted to this powerful movement of the Holy Spirit. My teaching is going to be based from Acts 2:12-36, I would encourage you to take some time after reading this teaching, and really dive into these scriptures yourself.

Acts 2:12-13 (KJV) says us “And they were all amazed, and were in doubt, saying one to another, What meaneth this? Others mocking said, these men are full of new wine.”. The Jews were confused, and they also thought that the disciples were drunk. They did not know how to take any of this, we know from Jesus’ time on earth that the Jews had a hard time understanding Jesus because He spoke in the Spirit, and they were stuck in the natural realm. The disciple Peter then takes time to explain Pentecost to the Jews. As Peter was speaking to the them, he quoted two prophets form the Old Testament, Joel and David. In Acts 2:16-21 (KJV) Peter said, “But this is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel; And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams: And on my servants and on my handmaidens I will pour out in those days of my Spirit; and they shall prophesy: And I will shew wonders in heaven above, and signs in the earth beneath; blood, and fire, and vapour of smoke: The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and notable day of the Lord come: And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved.”. This prophecy from Joel, can be found in Joel 2:28-32 in the Old Testament. If we look at Acts 2:19-20 we can see that the power of the Holy Spirit is still available to us today, until the return of Jesus Christ. We also know from what Joel tells us is that anyone who calls on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ will be saved. Romans 10:13 (KJV) tells us, “For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.”. Joel wrote about salvation in Joel 2:32. Too often churches only focus on the New Testament, and we often forget the importance of the Old Testament. I would highly encourage a new born again Christian to read the four Gospels, and then start reading in order from the Old Testament and work your way up through the whole New Testament.

After Peter referred to the words of Joel, he then quoted the prophet David from what he wrote in Psalms 16:8-11. In Acts 2:25-28 (KJV), Peter spoke saying, “For David speaketh concerning him, I foresaw the Lord always before my face, for he is on my right hand, that I should not be moved: Therefore did my heart rejoice, and my tongue was glad; moreover also my flesh shall rest in hope: Because thou wilt not leave my soul in hell, neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption. Thou hast made known to me the ways of life; thou shalt make me full of joy with thy countenance.”. Peter reminded the Jews of something the prophet David once wrote, and there is much in this scripture that is important to us today. There are four key things that David said in this passage, that every true believer needs to be reminded. First, we must know that we are to rejoice truly from our hearts. When you become born again as a true believer, you know that your joy comes from the Lord. Philippians 4:4 (KJV), “Rejoice in the Lord always: and again I say, Rejoice.”. Secondly, we know that Jesus is our true hope, 1 Peter 3:15 (WEB) says, “But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts; and always be ready to give an answer to everyone who asks you a reason concerning the hope that is in you, with humility and fear:”. Thirdly we know that the Word of God teaches us how to live our lives, Psalms 119:105 (WEB) reminds us, “Your word is a lamp to my feet, and a light for my path.”. When you are not sure on what to do in your life, turn to God in prayer and read His Word. Lastly, we know David told us that we will have full joy when we are in the presence of God. Therefore, we need to spend as much time as we possibly can in Gods presence. James 4:8 (ESV) reminds us, “Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.”.

Peter then tells the Jews something very important, and that is in Acts 2:36 (KJV) which says, “Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made the same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ.”. Peter told the Jews that Jesus is both Lord and Christ, this is something everyone needs to know truly in their hearts. Luke 2:11 (KJV) tells us, “For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.”. Also, Romans 10:9 (KJV) instructs us, “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.”. I would really like to dive into the word ‘saved’. If we investigate the Greek, we find the word saved comes from the Greek word sozo. Some definitions for the word sozo from the Thayer and Smith Greek Lexicon are:

  • To save, keep safe and sound, to rescue from danger or destruction.
  • To save a suffering one, one suffering from disease, to make well, to heal, restore to health.
  • To save from the evils which obstruct the reception of the Messianic deliverance.

Once we are true born-again believers and know the Word of God, we really need to drill down on what we have in Jesus Christ, through the promises in God’s Word. Most importantly we need to know how much God loves us. Some people suffer from a lot of buried emotional and physical wounds, I feel so strongly in my Spirit that many believers need to really know and accept how much God loves us. Some people have rejection in their life, and maybe self-rejection. John 3:16 (KJV) tells us, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”. Also Psalms 139:13-14 (ESV) reminds us, “For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well.”. God loves you so much, that He took the time not only to form your physically but to make the plans for your life here on earth. God has a plan for each of our lives, you might have been born with a medical condition or a physical abnormality. Just remember that God never says oops.

My next teaching in this series will be on what Peter instructs the Jews to do. Before my next teaching I encourage you to take some quite time with God, and really soak into His presence, and begin to realize how much He loves you. Also take some time and ask God what barriers in your life are blocking you from receiving what He has in store for you.

A Promise Made, A Promise Kept

dove flying in blue sky

I recently discussed the promise of the Holy Spirit, and then some lessons we can learn from the disciples in the Upper Room as a part of my series in the Book of Acts. As I continue this series, I would like to begin teaching on Chapter Two, which shows us what happened on the Day of Pentecost. Some people often confuse the Day of Pentecost to only be historically significant to the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, however, there is more to the Day of Pentecost. The disciples filling of the Holy Spirit just happened to occur on the Feast of Pentecost or also known as the Feast of Weeks. This was one of the three required feasts of the Jews. This celebrated the beginning of the early weeks of harvest. A historic event tied to the Feast of Pentecost was when Moses received the 10 Commandments from God. The Feast of Weeks or the Feast of Pentecost occurs this year on June 9, 2019, it usually occurs on our calendar at the end of May or beginning of June. If you would like to look further into the Feast of Pentecost in the Old Testament, I would like to encourage you to read into the following scriptures:

•    Exodus 34:22

•    Leviticus 23:15-22

•    Deuteronomy 16:16

•    2 Chronicles 8:13

Now that we have some Old Testament background on the Feast of Pentecost, we can now dive into what happened on the Day of Pentecost with the disciples. In Acts 2:1 (KJV) it says, “And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place.”. The disciples were all gathered together in one place, based on what took place in the previous chapter, I believe the disciples were praying together. Acts 1:14 (KJV) tells us, “These all continued with one accord in prayer and supplication, with the women, and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brethren.”. If you remember from my previous teaching, I discussed the importance of us praying together as followers of Christ. Continuing to Acts 2:2-4 (KJV) it tells us, “And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.”. There is so much here just in these three verses to digest. As the disciples were gathered together praying, they heard the sound of a strong wind from heaven that filled the whole room. Right, when this happened, they had tongues of fire, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit. I would like to dig deeper into what happened in this scripture. First, the disciples were praying together, then all the sudden a sound of a powerful wind filled the room, and then they became filled with the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit goes where He is invited, the disciples wanted the Holy Spirit and they wanted the moving of the Holy Spirit. We as the church need to truly invite the Holy Spirit into our church services, there are so many churches dry right now of the Holy Spirit. The enemy is succeeding at oppressing people with sickness, depression, anxiety, addiction, pride, and much more. We need the Holy Spirit flowing in our churches not only for people to be delivered but for people to receive the Holy Spirit in their lives too. Jesus said in John 14:16 (KJV) “And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever”. The Comforter Jesus is talking about is the Holy Spirit. Jesus promised His disciples that they would receive the Holy Spirit, I believe they were praying for this as they were gathered together. Jesus told them in Acts 1:8 (WEB) “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you. You will be witnesses to me in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the uttermost parts of the earth.”. Not only was the Holy Spirit promised by Jesus it was also prophesied in the Book of Joel. Joel 2:28 (KJV) tells us, “And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions”. In my next teaching, I will go more in-depth on the prophecies of the Holy Spirit.

Lastly, I would like to touch upon the Gift of Tongues, which are still available to us today! Acts 2:6 (KJV) says, “Now when this was noised abroad, the multitude came together, and were confounded, because that every man heard them speak in his own language.”. When the Jews saw this they were first confused because they heard each of the disciples speak in a language of the Jews who were all from different nations as mentioned in Acts 2:5. Reading further, Acts 2:7-8 (KJV) says, “And they were all amazed and marveled, saying one to another, Behold, are not all these which speak Galilaeans? And how hear we every man in our own tongue, wherein we were born?”. The Jews were amazed to see the disciples speaking different languages that they clearly did not learn. The Jews were able to understand what the disciples were speaking, because each of the disciple’s gift of tongues from the Holy Spirit, was a language of the Jews. You might ask how did the disciples speak a language they did not learn? The answer is the Holy Spirit gave them utterance. Acts 2:4 (KJV) again says, “And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.”.  A reason why people have difficulty beginning with their Gift of Tongues is that they let their mind get in the way. We must realize that the Gift of Tongues is from God, and the Holy Spirit will give us what to say. The Type of Tongues the disciples had was the Tongues for Public Administration, which I will go into more detail on in one of my next teachings, along with the two other Types of Tongues that you can receive from the Holy Spirit.

I would like to encourage you to subscribe to my blog so you can be notified on when new teaching is posted. My next teaching will be on how the Jews responded to the Gift of Tongues. After that, I will break off shortly from the Book of Acts and we will take a look at the three Types of Tongues one can receive from the Holy Spirit, along with the other Spiritual Gifts as listed in the First Book of Corinthians.  

Lessons from the Upper Room

bible opened on table with a notepad next to it and pencil.

As I continue my series in the Book of Acts, I would like to pick back up at Acts 1:9 and go all the way to the end of the first chapter. You can click here to read this section in the Bible online.  There are some lessons that can be learned from the disciples in the upper room but first, I would like to touch upon the ascension of Jesus Christ and His second coming. Acts 1:9 begins to tell us about the ascension of Jesus Christ. The scripture tells us, “Now when He had spoken these things, while they watched, He was taken up, and a cloud received Him out of their sight.”. The ascension of Jesus was already promised to the disciples in John 7:33-34 (NKJV) which says, “Then Jesus said to them, “I shall be with you a little while longer, and then I go to Him who sent Me.  You will seek Me and not find Me, and where I am you cannot come.””. We know that God was the one who sent Jesus to Earth, and as scripture says He will return to who sent Him, which is God. The Book of Acts tells us Jesus was received by a cloud, the cloud was the presence of God in this case. We also have examples in the Old Testament when God appeared as a cloud. Moses wrote in Exodus 13:21-22 (NKJV) “And the Lord went before them by day in a pillar of cloud to lead the way, and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, so as to go by day and night.  He did not take away the pillar of cloud by day or the pillar of fire by night from before the people.”.  We also know from the Book of Acts, that Jesus will one day return to us, Acts 1:11 (NKJV) tells us, “who also said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will so come in like manner as you saw Him go into heaven.””. I believe today that we are in the last hours before the rapture. I do promise you that I will do a teaching series on the end times after my current series on the Book of Acts. It is also confirmed that Jesus will return in a cloud in Luke 21:27 (NIV), “At that time they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.”.

Acts 1:12 (NKJV) tells us, “Then they returned to Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet, which is near Jerusalem, a Sabbath day’s journey.”. The disciples have just returned to Jerusalem and if you read the first part of the next verse it mentioned they went to the upper room of the place they were staying at. I would like you to notice in verse 12 where it uses the term Sabbaths Day, which is the distance that Jews could walk on the Sabbath, which is roughly less than a mile. Verse 13 also provides a listing of all the current disciples in the upper room. In the next verse, there is an important lesson that we can learn from the disciples, and that is as Christians to come together with the same purpose, to seek God, and pray in the name of Jesus. Acts 1:14 (NKJV) says, “These all continued with one accord in prayer and supplication, with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with His brothers.”. The disciples prayed together in the Name of Jesus, whatever your need is ask for it in the name of Jesus. Jesus told us in John 14:13 (NKJV), “And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.”.  Some synonyms for the word disciple are a follower, believer, and admirer. If you think about it every true Christian is a disciple, we need to come together and pray as one. I have been in several churches in my years of being a Christian, I recall one that had a prayer service every Sunday evening were people that came prayed together as a group. There were not many people that came, and sadly the attendance for that service dwindled down so much, that it got discontinued. Let me first say I understand that some people must work certain hours, and children have school activities that they participate in, but what about the Christians who do have the time to go to a church service, other than Sunday morning. I feel every church, regardless of denomination could benefit from having a prayer night throughout the week along with its Sunday and mid-week Bible Study service. Does Sunday football rank higher than God? Does your favorite TV Show rank higher than God? Do you put God first, or do you put entertainment from the world first? Did we not forget Romans 12:2 (KJV) which says, “And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.”. God should and must be our priority in our life, and everything else can follow and He will provide for us. Matthew 6:33 (GNT) reminds us, “Instead, be concerned above everything else with the Kingdom of God and with what he requires of you, and he will provide you with all these other things.”.

Continuing through Acts 1:15-26, the disciples had a decision to make, they had to find another person to join them and take the spot of Judas Iscariot. As many of you know Judas was the disciple who betrayed Jesus. Acts 1:17 (NKJV) tells us, “for he was numbered with us and obtained a part in this ministry.”. Because he betrayed Jesus, he was just a ‘member’ of the disciples, but he was not truly saved. We should really drill down on Judas as Christians. There are many people in the church who are ‘members’, but they are just going through the motions. There are many Christians who get saved and do not have the desire to discontinue their sinful life. They go up to the altar say the sinner’s prayer and go back to their sin, but they still attend church every week, and they might read their devotion sometimes, but they never get serious with God. I’m not saying that when you become born again that you will never sin again, but you should have a strong desire not to sin and should correct yourself when you do fall short and seek God continually. When you become born again as a follower (synonym for disciple) of Jesus Christ, and you go back to your sinful life you are betraying Jesus Christ as your savior. I say that boldly after taking some time to study the word betray. Some synonyms for the word betray are break faith, break a promise, and break trust. When you proclaim Jesus as Lord of your life that is a promise to Him, that is putting your faith in Him. When you go back to your sinful nature you are betraying him by breaking that faith you proclaimed when you gave your life to Jesus Christ. If you read Acts 1:18 you can see that Judas died a shameful death in which he hung himself. In this part of Acts, it talks about the disciples having to appoint to someone to take the spot of Judas. If you read verses 21 and 22 you will see whoever they pick must be a man who was with the disciples during Jesus’s earthly ministry. In verse 23 they proposed two men, Justus and Matthias. Another important lesson we can learn from the disciples is to turn to God for guidance in decision making. I have taught on several times before on the topic of making decisions, as Christians, we must turn to God in all the decisions that we make. Acts 1:24-26 (NKJV) tells us, “And they prayed and said, “You, O Lord, who know the hearts of all, show which of these two You have chosen  to take part in this ministry and apostleship from which Judas by transgression fell, that he might go to his own place.” And they cast their lots, and the lot fell on Matthias. And he was numbered with the eleven apostles.”. The disciples knew that they had a decision to make, they looked to God and prayed and asked Him to reveal who was the one to pick to be among them as a disciple. If you notice in verse 26, it mentions that while they prayed, they cast lots. Casting lots was a custom of the Jews to put names on stones and place them in a container and shake it until one fell out, this was an acceptable method used to decide with prayer before the Holy Spirit came to them. Isn’t it great that we don’t need to cast lots like they had to?  We can pray in the Spirit and seek God on what the best decision is for us, and He will reveal His answer to us in a unique way for our own individual situation.

I would like to encourage you to follow these examples I have outlined from the disciples which are one to pray together as the church, and second to seek God in every decision you make by praying in the Holy Spirit. We must also keep in mind once we turn to Jesus Christ, and fully surrender our lives to Him, we must not go back to our old sinful nature. I would like to encourage you to click the subscribe button on this page so you can receive email alerts for when a new blog post is made available. My next teaching will be on the Day of Pentecost, please stay tuned for more!

The Promise of the Holy Spirit

acts 1:8 bible verse

New Series Intro: Book of Acts

I have been seeking God recently as to what my next series will be on, as I have just finished my teaching series on decision making. My last two posts dealt with a prophetic word I received from God. I don’t know about you, but I strongly believe the Gifts of the Spirit are available to all who ask for it today. I have felt led to start a new teaching series on the Book of Acts. Some people give this book the title of ‘The Acts of the Holy Spirit through the Apostles’. Officially the Book of Acts author is unknown, but many believe it was written by Luke. The main purpose of the Book of Acts is to show how God worked through the Holy Spirit in people who were truly devoted to Christ. If you want to have the Holy Spirit work in your life, and outpour in your life, then I suggest that you become truly devoted to Christ 100 percent.

Acts 1:1-8

In this teaching I am going to cover Acts 1:1-8, you can read the full text by clicking here. I would first like to point out a few items in verses 2-3 (KJV), which say: “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: 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”. Jesus gave instruction to his apostles through the Holy Spirit, the Holy Spirit was the power behind the earthly ministry of Jesus. In the King James Version of these two verses, it uses the word passion, if you dig deeper into this the passion it is talking about is when Jesus died on the cross. Why did Jesus die on the cross? To save us and give us eternal life. John 3:16 (NKJV) tells us, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.”. Also, Romans 5:8 (NKJV) tells us, “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”. After Jesus arose from the dead, He stayed with the apostles for 40 days before he ascended to be with the Father. 

Acts 1:4 (NKJV) tells us, “And being assembled together with them, He commanded them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the Promise of the Father, “which,” He said, “you have heard from Me;”. So what is it that God promised them? Let’s look back at John 14:16 (NKJV) where Jesus said to His disciples, “And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever—”.  The word comforter comes from the Greek word Parakletos, which means an advocate or helper. Now let’s jump down a few verses to see what Jesus told His disciples in John 14:26(NKJV), “But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you.”. The Greek word Parakletos refers to the Holy Spirit which is our advocate, who tells us what is to come. The Holy Spirit is our helper who teaches us everything. If you are struggling to understand something in the Word of God, ask the Holy Spirit to guide you. The Holy Spirit is also the mediator that glorifies Christ.

If we read Acts 1:5 (NKJV) it says, “for John truly baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.”. This scripture tells us about how John the Baptist baptized people with water, which was symbolic of repentance. Repentance is still important today, we all need to repent of our sins, and sin no more. However, we know Jesus baptized with the Holy Spirit. When we become born again the Holy Spirit makes our spiritual being new. We are to sin no more after our second birth when we become born again. However, going away from sin 100 percent is not an overnight process, and there is no quick way to do it. This requires us to spend time in the Word of God, in prayer, in church and fellowshipping with other Christians. Once we are born again our Spirit knows not to sin, but often our soul and body get in the way. Our soul is our mind, and our body is the flesh. We must renew our mind with the Word of God and apply it so that our newborn Spirit can overtake our soul (mind), and then our body (flesh). Romans 12:2 (ESV) tells us, “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.”.  Many people are religiously, and worldly brainwashed and do not accept the fact us having a Spirit, soul, and are inside a body. I would encourage those people to read 1 Thessalonians 5:23 (NKJV), which tells us, “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.”

I would next like to skip to Acts 1:8 (NKJV) which says, “But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”. When we receive the Holy Spirit, we receive a power inside of us, therefore we must allow the Holy Spirit to overflow in us so that we can receive which Gifts of the Spirit God has for you when you ask to receive them. Often, we become too busy to truly overflow with the Holy Spirit. We need to be constantly sensitive to the moving of the Holy Spirit. Often in church, you look back at the clock. We should not limit the Holy Spirit. Ministers should not be concerned about the timing. If a church service goes longer than expected, then it was meant to be, someone might have needed to hear a word or maybe someone needed prayer. We need the Holy Spirit to run our churches, not the world. When we let the Holy Spirit in our churches and in our lives, we can expect a breakthrough to happen in our lives, and in other people’s lives inside our churches. If we keep trying to run on a restrictive time schedule, then we put a limit on the Holy Spirit. It is wrong to limit the Holy Spirit because it is given without measure. John 3:34(NKJV) confirms this, “For He whom God has sent speaks the words of God, for God does not give the Spirit by measure.”. I felt God tell me as I was writing this to not limit the Holy Spirit, the Holy Spirit knows how to do His job and He does His job perfectly. Furthermore, in Acts 1:8 it discusses the disciples being a witness of Jesus Christ to people all over the known world at that time. That applies to each of us today, we must take the Word of God to all the world. Mark 16:15 (NIV) tells us, “He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation.”. God told me that someone will read this teaching and that God is calling you into going on the mission field. If God is calling you to do something, He will make a way for you to do it if you stay faithful to Him. Philippians 1:6 (NIV) reminds us, “being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.”. However, you may not be able to go on a mission’s trip to another country, or that may not be your calling. But what about spreading the Word of God in your own town, city, state, our country. There are many people who live near you who need to hear the Good News!

As I close this teaching, I would encourage you if you have not done so already, to accept Jesus Christ as your savior. As you begin to develop a personal relationship with Him, you need to ask God to baptize you with the Holy Spirit as they were in the Book of Acts. Everyone will have their own unique gifts. Also, allow the Holy Spirit to overflow in your life, don’t try to manipulate the working of the Holy Spirit, otherwise you will get stuck in a rut. Not letting the Holy Spirit overflow is what causes constipated Christians, it lets the enemy put pebbles in living water that is flowing within us from Jesus Christ.

The Realness of God

light on path road.

If you haven’t read my previous blog post, I encourage you to do so (click here to read it).I gave a prophetic word that I received from God, I am trusting in God to continue to give me more to share in the future. I would like to teach you about the importance of realizing how real God is to you as an individual person. 

As many of you know from some of my previous posts, I have begun to answer the call that the Lord has placed on my life. I have had multiple confirmations from people about this calling on my life. Four years ago, I was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes. Since then, I have sought after God more than ever before in my life. You might ask why did you begin seeking the Lord more after this diagnosis? Many people would assume it would be for healing. While that is part of the reason, there is another reason that is more important to me than that. When I first saw my primary care doctor at that time, she misdiagnosed it as a virus. I took a day and rested. The next morning, I felt a little bit better and decided to go to work. About halfway through my shift, things took a turn for the worst. My mother ended up calling the doctor and the doctor told my mother that she would call an inhaler in for me to the pharmacy. As my parents were still at their work, I had one of my friends pick me up from work and take me to the pharmacy so I could pick up the inhaler. Something was telling me “no, you need to get to the hospital now”. I first ignored that feeling and proceeded to the counter. They told me that nothing was called in for me from my doctor. My friend then took me to urgent care that was right down the road. They did a urine test, which showed high amounts of ketones. This led them to check my blood sugar, which was too high for their meter to read. I ended up being taken to the hospital, they admitted me, got my blood sugar back in range, and showed me the basics of managing type 1 diabetes. Upon being discharged from the hospital, my mother went to the pharmacy to pick up all my insulin and diabetic supplies. She asked the pharmacist if they ever got that inhaler, and they told my mother they never saw that prescription come through. One of my doctors told me that if I would have gotten that inhaler, I would not have made it that night. From the beginning of this trial with Type 1 Diabetes, God has proved himself real to me. He was already at work from the beginning. He could have not intervened and could have let that prescription make it to the pharmacy, but He didn’t let that happen. God has bigger plans for me.

For God to start working in you, you need to realize how real God has been to you in your life. The story I have told you is what really showed me how God proved himself real in my life. Often in life, we become too busy to really realize what God has done for us individually. As Christian’s together we know God sent His only Son to save us and give us eternal life. Hebrews 11:6 (NKJV) tells us, “But without faith, it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.”. We must have faith to be able to draw near to God. Building our faith can come from reading the Word to praising God, to hearing other people’s testimonies, and going through trials in life. Each trial you go through and seek God will build your faith. As God continues to provide for us and work in our lives in different ways, we have more testimonies to back up how real God is to us. In order to seek God, we must believe he is real. How real is God to you? It’s a question we all should really ask ourselves because unbelievers will question us also. We can quote scriptures to unbelievers, but more importantly, we should be able to tell unbelievers what God has done for us in our lives. We are reminded in Mark 5:19 (NKJV), “However, Jesus did not permit him, but said to him, “Go home to your friends, and tell them what great things the Lord has done for you, and how He has had compassion on you.””. Also 1 John 5:11 reminds us, “And this is the testimony: that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son.”. You are only for real with God, as He is real to you.

If you read my previous post, which was a prophetic word, you will notice the importance of intimacy with God. When getting real with God, we must realize how real he has been to us. When we get to the place when we realize how real God has been to us in our own unique life, we will begin to truly seek God from our heart. Jeremiah 29:13 tells us, “You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.”. 

I would like to encourage you to take some time, and really look at how much God has done for you in your life. Once you realize that, give Him thanks and praise from the bottom of your heart. You can only seek God when you seek Him with all your heart. You can’t only just seek God when trouble comes, you need to be seeking God every day. As you do this you will build intimacy with Him, and you will become more equipped in your faith for when trouble comes knocking at your door.

A Word from God: To My Hurting People

clouds in blue sky

I usually have not made this type of blog post, but this is the first time I will be doing this. In my time with the Holy Spirit, the Lord gave me a word. I first thought the word was just intended for me, but I felt to share this on here. I strongly believe in the power of the Holy Spirit. The Gifts of the Spirit are available today, to those who seek and ask God for it. 1 Corinthians 12:8-10 (ESV) tells us, “ For to one is given through the Spirit the utterance of wisdom, and to another the utterance of knowledge according to the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another the ability to distinguish between spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues.”.

The Lord spoke and inspired me to write this:
To my people hurting.
You are hurting in your bodies, minds, and souls.
You cry to me day and night, wondering when a breakthrough will come.
You ask, why am I still suffering?

You are asking is this not over with today?
Why am I not healed?
Why is my mind not restored?
Why is this hurt still haunting me?

You have Christ and the Holy Spirit in your life.
You pray daily.
You read my word daily.
But you are still sick and are still hurting.

You think your symptoms or diagnosis are the real problems, they are not really the problem.
You have some unfinished business to take care of.
This unfinished business has opened the door for the works of the enemy.
There is something deep down inside of you that is still hurting.

You have covered it up with your worldly habits, and may have forgotten about it.
You are still hurt from it, but you just can’t get yourself to truly deal with it.
It is like something in a box, that if you open up it will become the worst pain ever, unbearable to think about.
That is why you have it buried.

Why did you burry this problem?
Because you haven’t truly sought intimacy with me.
You think just by reading my word, praying, and singing along to worship songs is enough.
It’s not, singing along to other people’s words is where you got it all wrong.

You need to create the environment for my Holy Spirit to overflow in you.
Don’t worship with someone else’s words, but your words from your own heart.
Seek intimacy with Abba Father.
Get some quiet time and soak yourself in my presence.

Come to me empty handed my child.
Let’s heal your soul, so your new born Spirit can overtake your soul, and then overtake you on the outside.

James 4:8 (ESV) reminds us, “Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.”.

How is Your Goodness

basket of fruit

It is hard to believe this is the last fruit of the Spirit for me to cover in my current series. I am hoping that these teachings have blessed you and helped you grow in your relationship with God. The last fruit of the Spirit for me to cover is goodness. Galatians 5:22-23 (KJV) says, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.”. As I have said previously the fruits of the Spirit go hand in hand with each other. Applying them all in your life should result in goodness and will let you be of the Spirit and not of this world.

God expects us to walk in goodness, because of the goodness he provides to us. Psalms 31:19 (WEB) “Oh how great is your goodness, which you have laid up for those who fear you, which you have worked for those who take refuge in you, before the sons of men!”. As true followers of Christ, we must fear God. Proverbs 8:13 (KJV) tell us “The fear of the Lord is to hate evil: pride, and arrogancy, and the evil way, and the froward mouth, do I hate.”. As this scripture tells us to fear God, we must hate pride, arrogance, the evil way, and perverted speech. My question to you is do you truly hate those things I just listed? Many of those things I listed are deemed “okay” in our society. Or they are labeled as “the way to be”. We can all be guilty of these things at times, I will admit that I myself am not perfect either. But we must recognize our flaws so that we can apply as much goodness to our life so that we can walk in the Holy Spirit.

In America’s society today, we are dealing with a culture war, it has been going on for years. However, this culture war has gotten stronger with evilness. In my lifetime so far, I have seen so many perverted movies and entertainment come out, and yet people that call themselves Christian indulge in this type of content. There are many people who indulge in the evil way, one of the parts of the evil way is witchcraft. In the early 2000s, a woman by the name of J.K. Rowling started releasing the Harry Potter book series. These books are easy for anyone, especially children to access at the bookstore or the school library. These books make their way home with children. Little do people know these books teach witchcraft but appear in the form of entertainment to make it look innocent. There are many Christian parents who permit this content to enter their homes. I am going to say something very bold here, these books have an evil Spirit about them, bringing this book into your home opens the door for the enemy to work in your life. Leviticus 19:31 (KJV) tells us, “Regard not them that have familiar spirits, neither seek after wizards, to be defiled by them: I am the Lord your God.” If we want to walk in the fruit of goodness, we must be careful of what we watch, listen to, read, speak, and think. Even the best Christians can fall short of this (even I myself fall short at times), but we must constantly analyze what we bring into our lives. If we tolerate evil, it will dominate our life! I don’t know about you, but I want the promises of God to dominate my life and not the evilness of this world.

Walking in goodness does not only apply to what we allow into our lives but how we treat others. Matthew 12:35 tells us, “A good man out of the good treasure of the heart bringeth forth good things: and an evil man out of the evil treasure bringeth forth evil things.”. As followers of Christ, we want to bring forth good things, at times because we are never perfect, we can sometimes fail at this. When we fail at this, we must recognize our error and improve upon it. 2 Corinthians 12:9 (WEB) reminds us, “He has said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Most gladly, therefore, I will rather glory in my weaknesses, that the power of Christ may rest on me.”. I would like you to take some time and reflect on the following questions:

  1. Am I lacking in goodness? If so, where?
  2. Am I allowing the evilness of the world to come into my life by any means (literature, music, entertainment, words, thoughts)?
  3. Does my goodness reflect all the time?

Once you ask yourself these questions, work on improving. That might involve giving up the music you always listen to, instead listen to Christian music, or have the bible read to you from your phone. Have you participated in any evilness in your life? f so that means you must remove that evil activity and spend more time in prayer and in the Word of God. You may also want to revisit my previous teachings on the fruits of the Spirit and determine if you are weak in any of those. Remember that God is your strength, and nothing is impossible.

God is the Source of Our Peace

mountains picture with sun reflecting on clouds.

As I continue with my discussion on walking in the Spirit, I would like to talk about another fruit of the Spirit which is peace. The listing of the fruits of the Spirit can be found in Galatians 5:22-23 which says, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things, there is no law.”. So how do you apply peace to your life when walking within the Holy Spirit?

Peace is defined as having “harmony and accord brought about by cordial relationships. It has its source in God through Christ and the Holy Spirit” (Barbour’s Bible Dictionary & Concordance.). In John 14:27 (ESV), Jesus said “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.”. When you face a troubled time in your life do you turn to something to give you peace or do you turn to the Lord? If Jesus is offering us peace through Him, I would want that than something of this world. We all know this world is full of darkness. Often times we consume ourselves with things of this world that influence a negative culture on us that can hinder our peace that comes from the Lord. In John 16:33 (ESV) Jesus said, “I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world, you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”. This world will give us trouble, it is unavoidable, but with what Jesus did on the cross and through rising from the dead he overcame the world for us. How does one benefit from this peace within Christ? You must believe in Him and have accepted Him as your savior.  Titus 2:11-12 (NIV) says, “For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people. It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age,”.

By having salvation through the grace of God through His son, Jesus Christ, we can have and walk in peace. This does not guarantee that we will live a trouble-free life. Romans 8:28 (NKJV) tells us, “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.”. As true Christians, we are to have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ our Lord. When we love our God and serve Him with all our heart, all things will work for good when we are in troubled times. During prayer in troubled times speak the scripture Romans 8:28 and say that it is written. When the Lord works through in a situation give thanks to Him and remember what he did for you in that situation. In the book of Deuteronomy chapter 8, it talks about remember what God has done for you, in the context of chapter 8 it refers to when God lead the people out of Egypt. Deuteronomy 8:15-16 (NKJV) says, “who led you through that great and terrible wilderness, in which were fiery serpents and scorpions and thirsty land where there was no water; who brought water for you out of the flinty rock;  who fed you in the wilderness with manna, which your fathers did not know, that He might humble you and that He might test you, to do you good in the end”. I would like to challenge you to keep a small journal and jot down all the provisions God has provided for you through troubled times. As you continue listing more items, refer back to them periodically and give thanks for those items. Also refer back to the blessings the Lord has given you when you are going through troubled times.

During troubled times when we might be lacking peace, it might be due to fear, worry or anxiety. This world can definitely tear us down from the stresses of work, finances, and our health. When you are dealing with fear and worry take your circumstances to the Lord in prayer both as a request and thanking Him in advance for what He will do in the situation. Philippians 4:6 (AMP) says, “Do not be anxious or worried about anything, but in everything [every circumstance and situation] by prayer and petition with thanksgiving, continue to make your [specific] requests known to God.”. When talking about having peace through the Lord by walking in the Holy Spirit, we know we have reassurance in our hearts through our savior Jesus who has overcome the world. Philippians 4:7 (ESV) says, “And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”.  We have the reassurance of peace because God is the source of our peace. Philippians 4:9 (ESV) says, “What you have learned[a] and received and heard and seen in me—practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.”.

In troubled times we also must apply our faith, which is through God’s promises within His word. Hebrews 11:1 (CSB) reminds us, “Now faith is the reality of what is hoped for, the proof of what is not seen.”. In troubled times worry often finds us and hinders our peace because we cannot see what is ahead of us, but God sees what is ahead and He has the final say. I am sure there is one spot in your life where you could be lacking peace in whether it is with your job, health, or finances, seek the Lord for peace because he is the source of peace. As you apply the nine fruits of the Spirit to your life, I challenge you to find one area in your life where you are lacking peace. Once you identify that area in your life, seek God to give you peace for it and to provide provisions according to His will. As the Lord provides peace for you along with His other provisions keep a journal of how He has been moving in your life, revisit it often and reflect upon it. Also, use this as encouragement for yourself and others.  

Are You Lacking Love

cross in middle of snow covered hill.

As I continue my series on the fruits of the Spirit, I would next like to discuss the fruit of love. Let’s first look at our main scripture for the fruits of the Spirit, Galatians 5:22-23 says, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things, there is no law.”. God loves every single one of us, whether or not we are a true Christian. John 3:16 says, “For God so loved the world,  that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.”. God loves everyone no matter who you are, this is why he gave us His only son so that if we stay true to Him we can have eternal life. Mark 12:30 says, “And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.”. Since God loves us so much and has given us all His best, which is our savior he expects us to love Him back to the best of our ability. If you read the next verse in Mark 12 it says, “The second is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.”. As followers in Christ, we are to show love to others, even though it can be challenging at times.

You might ask what difference will it make if I show everyone love or not? The answer can be found in John 13:34-35 where Jesus said:  “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this, all people will know that you are my disciples if you have love for one another.”. In this scripture Jesus is talking to his disciples, the word disciple has the following synonyms: adherent, believer, admirer, devotee, and follower. If you are a follower of Christ then you should show love to the people around you along with walking in the other fruits of the Spirit. In order to be successful followers in Christ, we must lead by certain characteristics, which one of those is love. 1 John 4:8 says, “Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love.”. God is love, so we must show love to others.

Aside from loving a family member or a spouse, the Bible provides a very clear definition of love. 1 Corinthians 13:4-8 says, “Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends. As for prophecies, they will pass away; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away.”. This scripture gives us a great definition of how we are to act with love. We can all take away one thing if not more from this scripture that we can improve upon. Colossians 3:14 says, “And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony.”. Love keeps us together, many families fall apart often because of lack of love, because they have fallen short of something mentioned in 1 Corinthians 13:4-8.

The main reason families start lacking love is because of works of the enemy. John 10:10 says, “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.”. Sometimes we will have an aspect in our life that opens the door for the enemy to work. For instance, if you are in any sin, this opens the door for the enemy to work in your life. If you are thinking negative thoughts, this opens the door for the enemy. If you are listening to music that has lyrics that promote sin, that also can open the door for the enemy in your life. Even as followers of Christ we can open the door for the enemy to try to oppress us which can hinder our walk with God. When our walk with God becomes hindered we can start to lack the fruits of the Spirit, which include love. When we do this we will often have problems with our family or friends.  Often when families fall apart because of a lack of love, it is because one or more people in the family have an open demonic door for the enemy to work. This is why as followers of Christ we must stay true to His word and commandments. This is why by reading the word of God daily and walking in the Spirit will help us keep demonic doors closed. Romans 12:2 tells us, “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.”. Do not worry about what the world says is the trend, worry about what God’s word says the trend should be for every follower of Christ. God loved us so much, that He gave His only son to undo the works of the enemy. 1 John 3:8 says, “Whoever makes a practice of sinning is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil.”.

Even when we may not have open doors for the enemy trouble can still arise. This is when we must use our faith and seeking God to overcome the situation. During troubled times we must show love to others because as it is written in 1 Corinthians 13 ‘love bears all things’. We might need to show love to others who are going through a difficult time. Helping others in difficult times is a great way to help build their faith up or even lead them to Christ. One of my favorite scriptures for when you are going through a challenge is Romans 8:28 which says, “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good,[a] for those who are called according to his purpose.”. I leave you with a couple of challenges.

  1. Are there any open doors for the enemy in your life?
  2. Are you lacking showing love to others as Christ commanded?
  3. Are there any parts of the definition of love in which you are weak in as listed in 1 Corinthians 13:4-8?

Once you go through these questions, spend time with God in prayer on the next steps of walking more in the Holy Spirit.

Overcoming by Faith

clouds in sky with sun shining through

As I continue my series on the fruits of the Spirit, I would like to discuss another fruit of the Spirit which is, faithfulness. Previously I have discussed joy, kindness, and gentleness. I am not going in any order, I am simply going in the order in which the Holy Spirit guides me. The listing of the fruits of the Spirit can be found in Galatians 5:22-23 which says, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things, there is no law.”. So, what is faithfulness? And how should we apply faithfulness to our daily lives?

John 3:16 says, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.”. Notice John 3:16 does not use the word faith it uses the word believe. Looking at Ephesians 2:8-9, it says “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast.”. Unlike John 3:16 this scripture uses the word faith. By accepting the message of salvation through Christ as true, we can be saved by grace through having our faith in the Lord. However, we cannot become saved or born again by just our works alone, many religious people will argue with that. I believe doing good works is important, by walking in the fruit of the Spirit. Having faith in someone involves trust. One of the ways we build a relationship with others is through a foundation of trust. This applies the same with faith, by having faith we trust in Christ as our savior. Therefore, by becoming saved through faith we must begin and maintain a personal relationship with Him. Titus 3:5-6 says, “He saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior,”. Again, this confirms we are not saved by our own works, but by the work of Christ. When we accept Him as our savior with full faith, we are washed clean of sin.

When we are dealing with sickness we are to turn to God for a healing. Isaiah 53:5 says, “But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds, we are healed.” Notice this scripture says, ‘we are healed’, NOT ‘we might be healed’. How do you apply faith to receive a healing from Christ our healer? Proverbs 3:5 says, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding.”. Often when we receive a bad diagnosis, our initial understanding of the situation is what the doctor tells us, because it is the first thing we hear when we receive the bad news. Right before my nineteenth birthday, I was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes. When I was admitted to the hospital the doctor came into the room and explained to me what Type 1 Diabetes is, which is an autoimmune disease in which the body makes antibodies that perversely attack the insulin-making cells in the pancreas. The doctor explained to me that I would daily insulin injections for the rest of my life along with frequent blood sugar monitoring and very careful meal planning. In this situation, the first thing I was learned how to inject myself with insulin, check my blood sugar, and count carbs. I was more busy learning how to manage this disease than what the word of God has to say about my situation. Over time I have learned if I want to beat Type 1 Diabetes, I must understand the promise of healing and apply faith to the situation. Right now, I am still battling this disease, but I know what the word of God says, and God has the final say. After applying more faith to my situation my insulin need has decreased by almost 50% in the last year. I have to speak with authority to my body that all my hormones and immune cells will be in perfect alignment, and that there will be a full resurrection of my pancreas.

Much of condition is based off my blood sugar levels on what my glucose meter tells me. Even though I might see some high and low numbers, I know one thing is true and that is 2 Corinthians 5:7, “For we walk by faith, not by sight.”. I know I see where my levels are and what the doctors report shows, but with faith, I know what the word of God says. Even though the blood work shows I am a Type 1 Diabetic by antibodies and pancreatic levels, I know that God’s hand is at work in this situation. Hebrews 11:1 says, “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.”. I might not have seen a report stating I am no longer a Type 1 Diabetic, but by my faith, I am expecting one. I also know Isaiah 53:5 says ‘we are healed’. Jesus never said we would be healed instantly, but we will be healed. A healing might be instant, or it might take time, therefore we must apply Hebrews 11:1. You might know someone who recently died of cancer who had strong faith but still died. One verse I would like to remind you of is Job 1:21, “And he said, “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return. The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.”. Though we might experience a loss or a troubled time, God is still with us and blessed is His name.

Walking in faith can be challenging, therefore we must always be in the word and seeking God daily. Knowing the word of God prepares us for when trouble comes our way. When you are struggling in faith, I would like to remind you of two scriptures which are 2 Timothy 1:7, “For God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.”. We often let fear decrease our faith, therefore we must let our faith overtake the situation and not let our fear overtake us. Also, one of my favorite verses is Philippians 4:13, “I can do all things through him who strengthens me.”. Turn to God in full faith for strength for whatever you are going through in life and remember nothing is impossible with God.