In the fourth chapter of James he describes the two parallel life styles of walking
in the Spirit verses walking in the flesh. He states that; if you are involved and entangled with the world rather then walking
in heavenly places as a passionate God seeker; God‘s grace which is His unmerited favor is always ready to deliver a
person from this bondage of being controlled by their fleshly cravings.The
Holy Ghost who lives in us yearns over us and wants us to welcome Him because; His type love intensely craves our fellowship
to the point of pining over us due to us harming our self and throwing our life away on frivolous pursuits of worldly accolades
and earthly pleasures in our attempt to find peace and contentment.
Once
a person makes a commitment to accept Christ death on the cross and becomes a born again child of God; they will never escape
the urgings of the Holy Ghost and where ever they go in life; the Holy Ghost will go with them and be constantly reminding
them that; He wants to be their friend and will always be there for them should they decide to be delivered from what ever
thickets of life they have got caught up in.
However; a person can fight
against God wanting to be involved in their life to the point that; they can be given over to a reprobated mind meaning; a
person can be brain washed by the devil to believe that; God has changed His mind about them and He is sending them to hell
for their deviant behavior. Now there are degrees to this type of thinking and when this spirit is not recognized and checked;
a born again believer can remain a crippled Christian their whole life.
The
real issue is this; a person who is doing their own thing and is not experiencing God's holding power of love in their
life; live with a self judging mentality and living under as I have said a LAW DRIVING TASK MASTER of rules and obligated
works in their attempt to find their own identity. With out a child of God living in a true loving relationship with the
Holy Ghost; he becomes a slave and can do nothing else but judge himself and believe that; he is a law breaker and which causes
them to sin against them self because; they have set up laws to live by in their seeking freedom and they have become a god
unto them self.
This is the automatic out come when we do not swim in the
love of God and let Him be a loving Father to us. There is no twilight zone a person can live in. Your either a passionate
God seeker or in bondage to the world and become a prime subject of the devil to harass and torment you as a child of God.
A born again believer who sins against them self; can not enjoy their inheritance given to them by God the day they became
a member of the family. God our Father gave all good gifts to us for all our needs and we are a storehouse of His love and
blessing.
It is the Holy Ghost's responsibility to now teach
us how to use this inheritance so we can live like a King's kid and raid God's ice box for our needs and for the needs
of others. People who sin against them self really live like paupers and alms people who used to stand out side the temple
in the New Testament begging for money and food. It truly grieves me over these many years when I meet so many of God's
kids living in this paralyzing tedious condition having a expectation of God showing up and delivering them however; it is
on the wrong information. We will now go on and talk about; those that have tasted of the good word of God.
David in Psalms says; "taste and see that the Lord is good." When a person
has really tasted; he lives with a heavenly perspective. Only a living healthy relationship with the Holy Ghost gives us this.
A person must have a deep rooted conviction that; "God is a rewarder for them that diligently seek him." A person
who tastes some thing comes to enjoy it and becomes addictive to it's' persuasions. This concept of tasting is an
example that we have the privilege to sit at God's table with Him and eat as much of His presence and blessing till it
is running over and it is freely given to us as our inheritance from Him at no cost other then allowing Him to make us die
to self and let God be a loving Father to us.
Jesus told His disciples
that unless; "they eat His flesh and drink His blood they could have no part with Him." His own disciples said;
this is a hard saying and we can not understand it. This caused many of them to walk away and follow Him no more. Even to
this day the Catholic Church teaches that at their communion table; the host they take in is the actual body and blood of
Jesus Christ which is utter nonsense and this is nothing more then man making God into his own image. Communion is to bring
us into remembrance of what Christ Jesus did for us at the cross and everything we are entitled to including the divine healing
of our bodies.
Jesus went on after making that statement to describe his
meaning when He said this. "It is the quickening of the spirit and not the antics of our fleshly thinking because flesh
profits us nothing. The words I speak to you are spirit and they will bring you life." Scripture tells us that the word
of God under the influence of the Holy Ghost represents the rhema of God's word. When we cooperate with the Holy Ghost
and hear His rhema words; it nourishes our inner man and our understanding of God's thoughts sets us to resting in God
and we are released from our endeavors to succeed in our own attempts to prosper.
The blessing of the Lord is indeed sweet and there is no toiling in it. On the other hand those who live under the
influence of trying to add to their life through their toiling efforts live under some thing called the Logos of the word.
In most Christian circles these two words are not truly understood and that's if they are being explained at all. Logos
is man leaning towards his own understanding and making up his own commandments and lives with un-righteous works. He might
have good heart intentions however; they do not understand that; they have no obligated rules to follow and no command by
God to measure up or if they don't; He is going to get even. Logos represents this task master mentality.
Rhema represents a patient and loving God influencing our inner man who has a tender
heart for his children and wants to come along side and relieve them of their cares of the world and supply them with their
needs and wants. A person who is eating and drinking at the Lord‘s table; constantly lets the Holy Ghost confirm and
reinforce his all around security as being a child of God. Is God this alive to you and do you know Him with this intimacy?
We now come to "tasting of the powers of the world to come."
When
we talk about powers; we mean miracle working power of signs and wonders following our steps being demonstrated by the Holy
Ghost with in us. Now a God seeker does not have a hunger for God because they want miracle working power to do the same miracles
Jesus did when he walked the earth. These miracles happen because; we are learning by Holy Ghost teaching and example in
our fellowship with Him to believe we have this power given to us by God because as He is so are we. Since Christ lives in
us; it is by His works and His authority we have been given the same Spirit of restoration that Jesus had when he walked the
earth.
In Isaiah chapters 60&61 God said. "My people will all
be righteous and shall inherit the land forever however; it must be by my planting and the works of mine hands so that; I
can get the glory." He then goes on to explain this miracle working power in us who are the born again church of God
and gives us a vision of what He intended us to do as we walk the earth in our different arenas of life.
He says, "The spirit of God is upon me because the Lord has anointed me to preach the good tidings
to those who are meek; He has sent me to bind up the broken hearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and the opening of
the prison to them that are bound. To proclaim the acceptable year of the lord and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort
all those who mourn. To specifically empower God's people to make them see them self as beautiful because they are living
in shame. He will give them joy in place of their sadness. A spirit of praise to take the place of the weights they carry
of life. That they may see them self as tall righteous trees that are flourishing because; they are letting the Lord being
the planter of their life and not their own efforts because; God wants to get the glory.
In turn; this will make them capable to build up the waste land and they shall rise up the formal desolation and
will be able to repair the waste cities that have been desolate over many generations."
I personally believe because for some time I have been pregnant with a spiritual baby in my inner man that wants
to birth it self with the anointing with in me to do the same things Jesus did when He walked the earth. I have had some taste
of this miracle working power in my life time however; I feel God has told me; "son you have not truly seen any thing
yet." I have come to be persuaded that the body of Christ is in labor pains and God wants to fully birth the Joshua
generation to the world. Joshua people are those that operate in a prophetic Holy Ghost anointed wisdom and when they speak
the oracles of God miracles happen.
We have had a taste of this kind of
power. Over the years; God has raised up individuals to function in these miraculous gifts however; now God wants all of
His children to involve them self in a ministry to those who cross their path daily. For me thirty five years ago; I found
my self unfulfilled and asking God is there any thing more then going to church and following what became a mundane routine
of a Christianity that had no Godly vision or newness of life and constantly working at stuff to become more holy. "Who
am I talking to?"
Just in us attempting to believe scripture when
it tells us that; the day we received Christ into our heart; we became the righteousness of God and received the God head
representing God the Father, God the Son and the Holy Ghost and we became the tabernacle that God lives in and can now daily
walk in heavenly places with Christ Jesus.
This is the vision that God
gave me many years ago and I had to first ask Him; what does that mean and can I truly believe this and how does it work.
My natural mind couldn't understand how a person could walk in heaven while still being in their earthly body. It is
the inquisitive mind that God gave me and all of us that must be operating to its full capacity that leads us to hunger after
Godly mysteries that the flesh can not subscribe to. We need to believe scripture and understand that; what is flesh is one
way of thinking and what is spirit is another way of thinking.
I said earlier
that; there are many demonic spirits at work in the world as never before because; the power of God that should be operating
in God's kids has been stunted and I am sorry to say that the church has not passed on to their children the true gospel
with power to this generation. Paul was not making idle conversation when he said that God‘s kids were unusual unconventual
people called on by God to do miraculous works by the power of the Holy Ghost at work in us.
In the arena that God has put me; I have to stay focused and cast my care on God my Father as never before. I pray
that if you are a new born again believer or have been around for a few years; God will bring some truly anointed soldiers
of Christ into your life and equip you to fight the good fight of faith with Holy Ghost anointed power and be the light and
salt God called you to be in this dispensation of time. In part 4 we will talk about how we were sealed by God unto the day
of redemption. **
A person who has been sealed by the Holy Ghost can not
be unsealed no matter what they do with their life. It's like a King putting His seal on a parchment decree he wants to
put in place in his kingdom. Scripture tells us that God has tattooed our life in the palm of his hands. This represents
a protective hedge that God puts around us that can keep us from all harm. We all must have a sure witness of what I have
just said.
Paul tells us in Eph. 1:13 "In Christ when we heard the
Word of Truth, which was the glad tidings (Gospel) of our salvation; it happened by us believing in and relying on Jesus and
we were stamped with the seal of the long promised Holy Spirit"
It
has been said thousands of times and it bears being continually said. "Only Jesus is the way, the truth and the life."
Our redemption became final the day we had our born again experience. Redemption represents a person being separated from
their fallen nature and being ransomed by a person paying a price for them. Having a sure Holy Ghost revelation of this miracle
is the only way a child of God will be able to rest in Christ and live free from fear which causes them to experience agitating
passion and moral conflicts.
This freedom from these entities is by allowing
the Holy Ghost to so move by His spirit with in us that; we see our self as God sees us being righteous meaning pure in His
sight and the constant reminder of this by the Holy Ghost gives us great joy as we live in a Godly peace that only He can
give us. Fear is the main spirit of the devil; that causes us to lose our peace.
When I was a child living with my parents; I never had a fear of not having any thing to eat or a place to sleep
or not having spending money to buy things. This is why it is imperative that our family settings are healthy and operated
as a husband and wife working together to raise their children in the admonition of the Lord. So it must also be in our daily
walk with the Lord.
There is no such thing as being forsaken by God our
Father. If our earthly fathers gave good gifts to their children; how much more does God our Father want to give good gifts
to His children? A born again child of God MUST have this security deeply planted on the fleshly table of their heart. This
area of our heart is where the Holy Ghost wants to sit as a supreme guard and anchor where the issues of life are planned,
thought over and enacted.
Only the anointing of the Holy Ghost can fight
the devil's fear tactics coming to steal, kill and destroy us in some area of our life. Our anointing in Christ came
with our born again experience and God never takes it away from us. We may have never been taught how to flow in our anointing
however; it is always there to calm the storms of life. Our anointing is a seed of God planted in us at our second birth
from heaven that as we allow the Holy Ghost to constantly water it; it grows and a boldness to do Christ related works become
the out come of our walk with Him.
For years I have heard from pulpits
every where that; God in these last days was going to pour out His spirit on all flesh. And he was going to do a new thing
and this is the year of this happening and every year some one makes up a promise to encourage us for the time being to temporarily
cope with life issues. We were never called to cope and put our faith on some private interpretation of God's truth.
God is not a coping mechanism. The shame that we all have to deal with in life increases when we live with this understanding.
That's why at the cross He said "Father forgive them for they do not know what they are doing." For me; I
in desperation long to know that Jesus that gave His life for me when I was a slave to my sins with a guilty conscience.
Let's be honest and transparent and tell it like it is. The last days started the
day Jesus went back to heaven. These things may be new to some people because they are coming out of a life long spiritual
stupor of not truly experiencing the love of God and have not rightly interpret the scripture which is God's last will
and testament to the world and his born again children. Paul tells us that we all look through a glass darkly which means;
as we mature and do not continually grieve the Spirit; that darkness begins to disappear and we begin to live more comfortably
in the light of God's counsel and goodness.
God set His wisdom and
truth in motion while He was creating the universe by the power of the Holy Ghost. God's mercies and wisdom must be illuminating
our life on a continual daily basis. We will for eternity experience his love and fullness that's why; we will spend
eternity with Him to constantly learn about Him. This was always his hearts intent to share His goodness and wrap around
love for his creation.
Jesus brought and bought us back by His death on
the cross and our focus must be on that cross when the Holy Ghost brings it back to our remembrance. However; for us who
are saved; we serve a risen Christ and God wants us to go on and mature and complete our race that he ordained for our life.
Yes; we are to be doing the work of an Evangelist in the areas that we live and be leading people to Christ Jesus. I was
once told that I needed to attend Christian classes to be a true witness for Christ. I am not against being educated as to
the leadings of the Holy Ghost. However; I have found that experiencing God's love for me has ignited a river of anointed
power and excitement that as my wife and I go about our arena of life our heart is to magnify Jesus in all the opportunities
God gives us to give a word of wisdom to those who are weary.
For me the
Holy Ghost satisfies a need I have and makes me rise above the mundane frivolous things that are going on in the days we are
living. Don't misunderstand what I am saying. We have plenty of excitement and confusion going on at this time and it
all represents the anti-christ spirit at work to lead a person away from the grieving Holy Ghost who comes in the name of
God to comfort all those who mourn and struggle with their incompleteness. The harvest of souls is becoming more plentiful
then ever because; due to the worlds condition; people are fainting under the pressure in trying to survive and turning to
all alternatives other then God.
Just this morning I was reading on the
internet about two beautiful young fourteen year old girls who were friends who committed suicide because; they were being
bullied at school by other students. It's like they made a pact to strength each other to do this act. I could not help
thinking about and grieving over the mother's of these two children. There isn't a day that goes by that there is
some person missing or some murder or increased storms and devastation as God's creation suffers under the attack waiting
for God's children to take their rightful place with His power to calm the face of the earth which was given to them by
God.
It has become a war zone on this planet and the devil is in a rage
to totally destroy every thing God made for good because; he knows his days are numbered. It is my prayer that God wakes
up the mighty men and woman he has called for this generation to bring back a God sanity perspective.
It is my prayer that as you have read this; it motivates you as never before to be the light and salt
for the arena that God has put you. You are not an accident waiting to happen but a God anointed warrior for Christ and called
to stand in the gap for God for those who are opposing them self and falling into the crevices of life and not fulfilling
their destiny.