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.

Uncategorized

Knowing God

I want to talk about how one truly knows God. This teaching is something that I myself must be reminded of, I am far from perfect. Many people claim to know God simply because they go to church or have read so many books. Now both of those have their place in the Christian walk. But I want to ask you a question. Have you ever had an encounter with God? Now I am not talking about something that is completely birthed out of emotions and enthusiasm, while emotions and enthusiasm can be a result of encountering God, we must know that we do not live according to what we feel or see (2 Corinthians 5:7, Romans 8:12, Proverbs 28:26, and Proverbs 12:15).


In many of my teachings, I have talked about how the Christian must have an intimate relationship with the Father. We can spend all the time we want reading books from other people who knew God, but still never have a genuine encounter with God. You can spend all the time and money you want obtaining all the seminary degrees you want, and still never have an encounter with God. Now let me be clear I believe God has ordained people to write books for His Glory, and seminary has its place. However, there is a whole other aspect of the Christian walk that is tragically neglected and that is knowing God by having a genuine encounter with Him.Sadly, most people who profess to be Christian have had more of an encounter with religion than an encounter with God. Most people do not realize this but when you get born again and receive the new nature inside of you(2 Corinthians 5:17), the Kingdom of God is birthed inside of you. You see the Kingdom of God is not something that is far away from us, it is within us as new creations in Christ Jesus. Jesus answered the Pharisees in Luke 17:20-21 (ESV), “The kingdom of God is not coming in ways that can be observed, nor will they say, ‘Look, here it is!’ or ‘There!’ for behold, the kingdom of God is in the midst of you.””.


This is why it is so vital we learn to be led by our new nature, rather than being led by the desires of the flesh. So many believers have never come to the knowledge of who they are through Jesus Christ. We need to get to the place where we get into the Presence of God daily and let Him teach us. When Jesus promised the Holy Spirit, He said the Holy Spirit would lead us into all truth (John 16:13). We should not have to rely on Study Bibles and Commentaries to teach us, we have everything we need to grow in godliness within our new nature. Study Bibles and Commentaries have their place, but we need to know God based on an intimate relationship with Him and leaning on His Spirit to teach us and reveal things to us from the Word of God. 2 Peter 2:18 (ESV) says, “But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be the glory both now and to the day of eternity. Amen.”.


So many people only want to give God fifteen or thirty minutes a day, just so they can put a checkmark on their Bible reading plan. Now there is nothing wrong with having a consistent devotion time. But I want to challenge all of us, myself included, let us get some alone time with the Father and wait on Him. I mean truly wait on Him, whether it be one hour or longer, wait on Him. We need to cry out to Him daily to know Him more. We need to saturate in the Presence of God daily. Jesus tells us in Matthew 6:6 (ESV), ““And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites. For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.”. This will play a vital role in us putting away the things of the flesh. When you encounter God, the sin that is in your life will become so clearly known to you. Now, this is not meant to hurt you, this is meant to help you grow in godliness because we are to walk after the things of our new nature, and not the things that passed away from our spiritually dead old man. Additionally, when you are in the presence of God, you will have joy that is unspeakable, a type of joy that this world cannot simply give you. Psalm 16:11 (ESV) tells us, “You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.”.


We need to be men and women of God who have the mark of God placed upon our lives. This is only something that can happen when one truly gets into the Presence of God and waits patiently on God day and night. James 4:8 (ESV) tells us, “Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.”. Let this be the year that believers are not marked by their fleshly abilities but become people who have the mark of God upon their life and when you come in contact with unbelievers they will be able to smell the aroma of the Kingdom of God upon you and will want to know what it is you have that they so desperately need.

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.

2021, Book of Acts Series 2019

Acts 27-28: Paul’s Faith When Shipwrecked

I would like to briefly talk about Acts 27-28. As your ready through the Book of Acts, we see the Apostle Paul knows that he is supposed to appear before Caesar at Rome. Paul has faced much opposition and persecution, yet he continues to fight the good fight of faith.
In Acts 27:1-8 we see the voyage begins to Italy from Adramyttium on a grain ship, a seaport of the Roman province of Asia. Luke was likely with them during this voyage since verse 2 says “we were put to sea”. As they start their journey, we see they face difficult winds. In verses, 9-12 Paul warns the crew of the ship that there would be danger ahead since they just finished the Day of Atonement Feast (September/October).
In Acts 27:13-38 we see a great tempest of wind arises and they face many difficulties. The crew realizes they are in trouble. Acts 27:21-26 (NKJV) says, “But after long abstinence from food, then Paul stood in the midst of them and said, “Men, you should have listened to me, and not have sailed from Crete and incurred this disaster and loss. And now I urge you to take heart, for there will be no loss of life among you, but only of the ship. For there stood by me this night an angel of the God to whom I belong and whom I serve, saying, ‘Do not be afraid, Paul; you must be brought before Caesar; and indeed God has granted you all those who sail with you.’ Therefore take heart, men, for I believe God that it will be just as it was told me. However, we must run aground on a certain island.”.
Paul explains to them the vision he had from an angel which told him they would make it to Italy so he could appear before Caesar. While the crew on the ship was worried about the present circumstance, Paul stood in faith for God’s promise. Paul could have questioned the angel about God’s promises with doubt based on the present circumstance, but he did not. He walked by faith and not by sight. Paul knew who the God he served was because Paul clearly had an intimate relationship with the Father like every believer should.
In Acts 27:38-44, we see they become shipwrecked in Malta, an island south of Sicily and Italy. Did Paul stop and say, “oh no, the angel of the Lord was wrong.”, no he continued on holding steadfast to God’s promise. We need to get to the place where we are not weighed down instantly by our circumstances. Paul could have easily been weight down and given up, but he did not.
In Acts 28:1-6 we see when they arrive at the island of Malta they are treated with “unusual kindness”. As they were on the island, we see Paul gets a viper on him and shakes it right off and it did not harm him at all. There was not any evidence he got attacked by this viper. Why is this the case? Jesus tells us in Mark 16:17-18 (NKJV), “And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues; they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.”. Then if we look at what Jesus said in Luke 10:19 (NKJV), “Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you.”. This shows us that Paul knew his authority as a believer. Paul didn’t have authority because he was an apostle, he had it because he was a believer and he had revelation knowledge of his authority through the finished work of Jesus Christ.
Ephesians 1:19-20 (TPT) tells us clearly Paul had the revelation of his authority as a believer, “I pray that you will continually experience the immeasurable greatness of God’s power made available to you through faith. Then your lives will be an advertisement of this immense power as it works through you! This is the mighty power that was released when God raised Christ from the dead and exalted him to the place of highest honor and supreme authority in the heavenly realm! And now he is exalted as first above every ruler, authority, government, and realm of power in existence! He is gloriously enthroned over every name that is ever praised, not only in this age, but in the age that is coming!”.
The situation of the viper was not the only example of supernatural gifts flowing in the very last chapter of the Book of Acts. We see in Acts 28:7-10 that they came across a sick man named Publius. Paul laid hands on him, and he recovered. This is an example of Mark 16:17-18 being fulfilled in the early church. Divine healing still occurred in the very last chapter of the Book of Acts despite the fact Luke, the great physician was present. Many people like to say that the supernatural gifts of the Holy Spirit passed away with the Apostles. If these gifts were something that was fading away, why then in the very last chapter of the Book of Acts were there healings taking place? Hebrews 13:8 (TPT) tells us, “Jesus, the Anointed One, is always the same—yesterday, today, and forever.”. If the gifts of the Holy Spirit faded away then it would make Hebrews 13:8 invalid, and I know the God of the Bible is no liar.
Acts 28 ends with Paul finally arriving at Rome and he preaches the Gospel to Rome. This is when the Gospel message officially reaches the Gentiles. We see some people believed the message and some did not. Romans 11:11 (NKJV) tells us, “I say then, have they stumbled that they should fall? Certainly not! But through their fall, to provoke them to jealousy, salvation has come to the Gentiles.”. Paul knew from the beginning that when he got to Rome, he would bring the Gospel message to the Gentiles. Could Paul have given up on his mission as an Apostle? Sure, but he did not. He pressed on to the reward. Hebrews 11:1 (NKJV) tells us, “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.”. Paul did not know how the whole path to Rome would go, he could not rely on what he saw in the natural he had to stand in faith for what he knew was promised.
The Book of Acts should encourage us to press on in faith. Paul did not waiver in doubt, he pressed on. Too many believers today want to throw in the towel when a small trial comes their way. We need to get away from looking at things with our worldly eyes and get ourselves in agreement with what the Word of God says and press on in faith.

2021, Faith, Inspiration

Faith – Seeing it Through

In this blog post, I want to talk about faith. The best definition of faith is found in Hebrews 11:1 (AMP), “Now faith is the assurance (title deed, confirmation) of things hoped for (divinely guaranteed), and the evidence of things not seen [the conviction of their reality—faith comprehends as fact what cannot be experienced by the physical senses].”. In this particular chapter of Hebrews, we see the great men of God and how they worked with faith in the Old Testament.

I want to focus on one great example of faith and that is the faith of Moses. In the book of Exodus, we see the deliverance of the Israelites from Pharaoh’s hand. God and Moses both knew Pharaoh was oppressing the people of Israel.  In Exodus chapter 3 Moses has a miraculous encounter with God at the sight of the burning bush. God told Moses in Exodus 3:9-10 (NKJV), “Now therefore, behold, the cry of the children of Israel has come to Me, and I have also seen the oppression with which the Egyptians oppress them. Come now, therefore, and I will send you to Pharaoh that you may bring My people, the children of Israel, out of Egypt.”.  Right here Moses was commissioned to submit to God’s plan to be used to bring the children of Israel out of Egypt.

Moses responds in Exodus 3:11 (NKJV),  “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh, and that I should bring the children of Israel out of Egypt?”. Right here Moses begins by expressing his doubt to God. How often do we know God has commissioned us to do something or called us to something, and yet let our minds get filled with doubt? It happens all the time, even to the best of us.

God responds to Moses in the next verse, “I will certainly be with you. And this shall be a sign to you that I have sent you: When you have brought the people out of Egypt, you shall serve God on this mountain.”. We see throughout the deliverance of Israel that Moses keeps going back and forth with God. As each sign is performed Pharaoh’s heart is hardened more. Moses saw what was going on in front of him, each sign that he performed through Gods anointing Pharaoh’s heart got hardened. It was not after the first plague that the children of Israel were delivered, it took ten plagues.

Moses could have given up after the first two plagues. But both he and his prophet Aaron kept their focus on God’s promise for deliverance. God promised deliverance for the children of Israel. Too often we focus on what is going on before our eyes, rather than what God is doing. We won’t know how it will always play out, but we do know what God’s promises are according to His Word.

Hebrews 11:23-29 (NKJV) tells us, “By faith Moses, when he was born, was hidden three months by his parents, because they saw he was a beautiful child; and they were not afraid of the king’s command. By faith Moses, when he became of age, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter,  choosing rather suffer affliction with the people of God than to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin, esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt; for he looked to the reward. By faith he forsook Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king; for he endured as seeing Him who is invisible. By faith, he kept the Passover and the sprinkling of blood, lest he who destroyed the firstborn should touch them. By faith, they passed through the Red Sea as by dry land, whereas the Egyptians, attempting to do so, were drowned.”.

We see here how Moses put his faith in God alone. Moses trusted God to be with him, to strengthen him, and to empower him to be used to carry out the deliverance of the children of Israel. It was not because of Moses’ own strength that the children of Israel were delivered, it is because he put his faith in God alone, they were delivered. Aaron and Moses were completely dependent on God during the 10 plagues with Pharaoh.

If we are going to stand on the promises in God’s Word, we must not get focused on what we see before us, but what God’s Word says. Isaiah 40:31 (NKJV) tells us, “But those who wait on the Lord Shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint.”. We need to realize what the Word of God promises us rather than depending on the things of this world to fix our problems.

It is time that we as believers learn to stand up and proclaim the promises in God’s Word.  We must fully put our trust in God’s sovereign Will, and we can know His Will for our lives if we read His Word. We need to be spending time day and night in God’s Word, in prayer, and in worship. The more we have meditated on the Word of God and feed upon it the greater our faith in His promises will be. You can be a master in the academics associated with God’s Word, however, it is not just head knowledge that matters it is let the Word of God get into your spirit-man and letting your spirit-man dominate the soul and flesh.

2021, Wisdom, Word's of Wisdom

A Warning for 2021

As we bring in the New Year many people are making New Year’s resolutions to better themselves. 2020 has been without a doubt, a year unlike any other. 2020 has revealed many people’s true colors, whether for better or for worse. When it comes to the churches in America there is much to learn from 2020.

When the “COVID-19 Pandemic” hit the United States, we began to see the shipwrecked state the church at large is in, especially in the Charismatic circles. Churches that statement of faith states they believe in divine healing and the authority of the believer closed down immediately when ordered to by the government. If you genuinely believe in divine healing and protection, then why close your doors over a virus with a 99% survival rate for most people? I grant that some ministry groups may not own their building they meet in and may have had no other way to meet. However, there are many churches that failed to truly stand for what they believe.

I myself believe in the continuation of all the Gifts of the Holy Spirit, along with divine healing. However, I do not like to label myself as a Charismatic or Pentecostal because of how much abuse of the Gifts takes place in these circles. This is not just true when it comes to divine healing, but when it comes to other Spiritual Gifts and Spiritual Warfare. For instance, many churches who believe in deliverance ministry still celebrate Halloween in some way in their congregation or in their personal lives. How can we say we do spiritual warfare when we sleep with the devil at the end of October?

I have seen big names like Bethel cancel healing services over this pandemic. If there would be a time to have a healing service, it would be in the middle of a pandemic. We must really discern these big names. Do they really believe what they profess? Or do they operate with a counterfeit Holy Spirit?

Jesus warned us, 1 John 4:1 (NASB) “Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.”. The church at large has zero sense of discernment. Just because you see a book in a Christian bookstore or someone on Christian TV, does not mean that their message agrees with Scripture.

Sadly, too many people only go to church to only receive something from God. While it is Biblical to pray for people for healing, deliverance, and provision, we cannot neglect people’s greatest need. When we are born we automatically inherit the sin nature from Adam. Sin is what separates man from God. We must make it a priority to deal with the sinner problem. Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians 1:23 (NKJV), “but we preach Christ crucified, to the Jews a stumbling block and to the Greeks foolishness”. Jesus Christ paid the price for sin, disease, poverty, and death when He was crucified on the Cross and rose from the grave. (Romans 6:23, Ephesians 1:7, 1 Corinthians 6:20, 1 Corinthians 7:23, 1 Peter 2:24, Galatians 3:13, and Titus 2:14).

There are probably far too many people in healing lines who have never truly been born again. If we are going to preach healing and pray over people for healing, we better be sure we also preach about their greatest need. Far too often Charismatics and Pentecostals accuse other denominations of having no move of the Holy Spirit in their churches. You often hear them say if you do not have people praying in tongues or getting healed there is no move of the Holy Spirit. While I agree there is truth to that, at the same time if you only preach about healing and the miraculous and never preach about repentance and the Cross, your church is just as dead if not deader. The full move of the Holy Spirit not only includes the miraculous signs and wonders it also includes ministers being full of the Holy Spirit and preaching messages that bring conviction and cut the heart of both sinners and believers.  Jesus tells us about the Holy Spirit in John 16:8 (MSG), “When he comes, he’ll expose the error of the godless world’s view of sin, righteousness, and judgment: He’ll show them that their refusal to believe in me is their basic sin; that righteousness comes from above, where I am with the Father, out of their sight and control; that judgment takes place as the ruler of this godless world is brought to trial and convicted.”.

Ministers when you preach include the Full Gospel. Preach the Bible in its context. Yes, there is a place for doing a sermon series on healing or on the Gifts of the Spirit. However, we must stay focused and in balanced. Jesus warned us in Matthew 7:13-14 (NKJV), “Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.”. I believe this is one of the reasons Jesus warned us the way is narrow, and that few find it. Our culture makes it so easy to get off balanced. Too often people who profess Jesus Christ live a life just like the world. The Christian walk is about constant devotion to prayer, mediating the Word of God, Biblical confession, fasting, worship, and growing in sanctification. We cannot over focus in one area and neglect the other. If you are truly filled with the Spirit of the Living God, then you should have a desire to run from the sin you once loved and run toward the righteousness you once hated. It is nothing in our own strength but relying on Christ in us the moment we become born again.

May 2021 be a year that either we as believers stand up for what we believe in. Do we really believe that Jesus was the same yesterday, today and forever? If so, lets open back up our churches. Why on earth would we sit in the house of God with masks on our faces? What did the Apostles do when government leaders told them to stop preaching in Christ name? Did they submit to the government authorities? No, they continued. I don’t know how any church can properly preach the Full Gospel of Jesus Christ while at the same time shut down in person services for months at a time and/or require wearing masks when in the sanctuary.

If we want a fresh outpouring of the Spirit of God in 2021, then we need to stand for what we believe. Our nation needs the Full Gospel brought forth. Not some watered-down seeker friendly Gospel. The true Gospel that saves souls and heals and delivers people I pray that 2021 is the year of clarity for many churches. I pray that churches that continue to preach a false gospel with a counterfeit spirit either repent and turn from their wicked ways or that their ministries crumble. America can not afford another year with false prophets on Christian TV. We need well-balanced preachers on the mainstream! Are you going to stand for truth or you going to keep going along with the flow? Are you going to need peace of mind by getting a shot in your arm this year, or you going to trust in true peace that surpasses all understanding? This year will reveal who is a genuine believer and who is not. I pray that many will truly repent and believe this year!

I pray that God gives you a fresh outpouring of His Spirit today. I pray He sets your heart on fire for Him like never before. I pray that He strengthens you to seek Him daily in all areas of the Christian walk. I pray that He gives you Biblical boldness. I pray that His Spirit strengthens you to be a fruitful believer bearing much good fruit.

God Bless and Happy 2021!