When one is equipped, they are prepared to accomplish something: with the necessary education, training, or experience to succeed at a task or role in life. This is accomplished by us being influenced by another authority rather then our own plans and strategies in our own thinking. I recently visited a church that had a wonderful anointed love and joy atmosphere in the service. The pastor in his sixties preached like a man in his twenties meaning with great passion and enthusiasm. It was obvious that he lived with passion the things he taught in his assembly. The message that he had been teaching on for the last four weeks was, what we the body of Christ were given when we became born again and adopted into God’s family. We received God’s inheritance and all that He possesses is ours as His sons and daughters.

Scripture tells us that for a lack of vision and knowledge God’s people parish. It is absolutely uncomfortable and unfulfilling to give God’s people a vision of what they can expect from God our Father and then not equip them by not giving them the knowledge how  to operate in God’s power and authority in our arenas of life, so that they can take back what the devil has stolen of God’s creation.

A Pastor called by the Lord to nurture God’s children has to not only give God’s children a vision of their potential of God’s purpose in thought and action but, they must disciple God’s children and show them what their weapons of warfare are and how to operate in the Spiritual Kingdom of God. This equipping can not be done by a one man authority with in a born again assembly. If the Holy Spirit is having full control in a body of believers, there must be Prophet Teachers functioning in their assembly. These ministries are foundation builder type ministries.

In the church of Antioch in the New Testament there were three or four Prophets operating in their midst. It was from this group of believers that Paul and Barnabas were called by the Holy Spirit in a worship service to be Apostles or sent ones to start other churches through out the world of that day. Apostles are sent ones. We are living in a day where it is a matter of life and death for the body of Christ to awake from a slumber they have been in for centuries. Rather then the body of Christ knowing their authority and their purpose in the earth, they have turned into itself or pulled back into four walls on Sunday and have withdrawn from their call by God to go through out the world to proclaim the gospel of the kingdom as His ambassadors.

It is time for the body of Christ to be trained for battle and leave the play pen of forever learning and never coming to the knowledge of what a powerful army they are in Christ. There is nothing wrong with church assembling, worship and prayer. However, we need to go out and destroy the giants in the land that have taken over in all areas of society. This has not taken place because, God’s kid have never grown up and been equipped for battle. Leading people to Christ is important but, this is not which will usher Christ back to the earth as it is being preached through out the world in the churches of today.

Scripture tells us that when the kingdom is preached through out the world, the Lord will return. Salvation is not the kingdom. This only ushers us into the kingdom.

When the born again believer matures and is discipled and knows the kingdom laws and how to operate in them, this is what will usher in the return of the Lord.

This mentality with in Christian assemblies that continues to harp on Christians getting sin out of their lives rather than how to operate in the Righteous Spirit given to us by Christ the day we became saved is really becoming stagnate and beginning to stink in the nostrils of God. The born again church must come to understand that our sin and shame base nature that we were born with was nailed to the tree and was crucified with Jesus and we were raised from the dead the same as Jesus was and we were given a new nature. When we preach from any pulpit and refer to our sin and shame based nature, we dig up that smelly old unregenerate corpse over and over again.

Jesus died for the sins of mankind. We the body of Christ must be doing the work as an evangelist in our market places of life to win the lost. However, scripture tells us that God has been working a long time and even now and it is his priority to mature and chastise His church as a Father. We need to realize that, we are His Sons and Daughters and not His slaves with a servant hood mentality of trying to be good little obedient baby boys and girls who fight with one another and  tryng to obey all the rules. This is ugh, un-challenging, boring and living as a wet noodle.

The word from God today to the born again church is to repent for the days are evil. When one repents, they become teachable, recognize that they need a wisdom higher than their own and make a decision to dedicate as a first priority all of their efforts which is the reasonable thing to do because, Jesus died on the cross for our wholeness. They also need to stop conforming to the extreme pressures of demonic influences surrounding and operating in the world and the church assemblies of today. We are to do this by having our minds come under the influence of the Righteous Spirit of God so that we really come to recognize the Holy Spirits voice and begin to operate as Kings and Priests by becoming His ambassadors in the earth.

In Romans 12:2 Paul the Apostle says, “Do not conform to this world with its external, superficial customs. But, be transformed by the entire renewal of your mind, so that you may prove for yourselves what is the good and acceptable and the perfect will of God. Especially what His will is for your life alone. Webster’s Dictionary defines mind as the total conscious and unconscious process originating in and associated with the brain. It controls what is given out in our understanding of life’s experiences that determines our character or our temperament. There is and old saying that says, “The mind is a terrible thing to waste.”

Our minds are constantly being affected daily by the environment in which we live, where we go, who we are talking to and things we read. These things once they are implanted or seeded into our souls meaning, (the essence or entity of the human person, which is immortal, invisible and the source which governs our spirituality, emotions and will) eventually shows up in our behavior or character in our relationships with others. In addition, what really is important, it will govern the way we look at ourselves and affects our creativity, prosperity and our love of self.

Therefore, we come to see that what a man thinks in his own heart is what he becomes. This process that we are talking about is the natural evolution of God’s plan for mankind. Let me ask you, what do you think about during the day? Are you God conscious and are you endeavoring to plant good and healthy seed thoughts into your soul or being. Unless mankind acknowledges that they are a created being and their life after death goes back to the creator of all life, their can be no God consciences. I am not talking about church or denominational beliefs. God wants a personal and intimate relationship with mankind, which keeps us healthy and complete as He originally created us.

It is only mankind absorbing and meditating on un-God like thinking that corrupts their souls. It’s a no brainier, if you are living in the awareness of the world environment today. War and rumors of wars, the economy in a fretful condition, TV programming with filth and violence, the institution of marriage be manipulated and redefined and abortion which is flat out murder and grotesque to hear about, in its methods of surgery. What is happening? Have we Novocained our minds and have our emotions strayed to the unconscious level of sickness?

From a scripture perspective, it is obvious that we are living in the last days of the world, as we know it. It is a great concern to me when I think, will Jesus find any faith and confidence left in man in Him, when He returns to this planet. When was the last time you picked up a bible and planted any healthy God seed thoughts in your mind? How much time during your daily activities is your ear tuned to that still small voice of the Holy Spirit encouraging you as to your potential and His undying love for you.

Scripture tells us the harvest is white and ready to be harvested. Unless we begin to follow our Commander and Chief and allow Him to strengthen us which will enable us to get out of our diaper stage and be able to put our armor on for battle, God’s purposes will not rule in the earth.  People who have no understanding how to meditate on the word of God day and night and have no daily prayer life, can be born again, have God’s anointing in them and be gifted people for spiritual warfare.   If they die they go to heaven only because of what Christ did at the cross and them accepting His sacrifice however, they end their lives as crippled people never reaching God’s ordained call for their lives. It’s like having millions of dollars in the bank and living like a pauper. The body Christ is full of children who love God, but have no clue as to their potential in Christ and how to be fully armed soldiers to do battle in the heavenly atmosphere.

We have compounded situations that exist with in the body of Christ. In some assemblies we have a mixture of bruised dysfunctional children who need a healing before they can be brought up in the admonition of the Lord. These are curses that have been passed down on them from one generation to another. Then we have those who are starving spiritually because there is no one there who sees the need to disciple them. The perfect example I can give is one that God showed me many years ago. First, there are very few that walk in the inner circle with Jesus. Then there are those that walk in the outer circle looking in and wanting to walk in the inner circle but feel unclean and unworthy to get close and wrestle and play with him. Then there are those that walk in the outer circle that are totally ignorant and have no clue as to what is going on in life.

Peter, James and John walked in the inner circle with Jesus. This caused them to see more spiritual revelation and go places with Jesus where the others could not go. There is only one way to walk in the inner circle with Jesus. That is to walk with Him in His Spirit and His Truth.

One can not even have the ability to walk in God’s Spirit unless one is born again from above. Scripture tells us that unless one possesses the Holy Spirit and He lives with in them, they do not belong to the Lord. If you have committed your life to the Lord, you will have a witness with in you that you have become born again. If you do not have a witness of this I would doubt your salvation. I have over the years talked too many that have said that they received Jesus when they were a lot younger however; their words and thought life were not functioning as them being born again believers. I have also met those that read the word and had a good foundation of Christianity but needing to be told about the Holy Spirit who was leading them into understanding their purpose and relationship in the Lord.

The first step to being equipped as warriors in God’s Kingdom is to focus our attention on what Jesus said in Matthew 5:6 & 6:33. “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst after righteousness and seek it first in their lives. In so doing this, their purposes in God will be fulfilled.”

Righteousness is the living essence of God himself having His full way in our mind and hearts influencing and commending us as being His children in whom He is well pleased with at all times.

When a born again believer is being lead In God’s righteous Spirit it is then that, he or she will have the power to have their behavior changed by God’s power and not by their own striving for perfection. Paul the Apostle to the Ephesians in chapter 2:18-22 writes “ For it was through Jesus that we were brought from near or far and now have access and can approach the Father through the Holy Spirit. Therefore, we are no longer out-siders, aliens and are excluded from the rights of being citizens in God’s family and we have now become consecrated and set apart for His pleasure. You are being built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets with Christ Jesus being the chief Cornerstone. In Him the whole structure is joined and bound together harmoniously; and it continues to rise and increase into a holy temple in the Lord. It is becoming a refuge dedicated, consecrated and sacred to the presence of the Lord. In Christ and in fellowship with one another, we are being built into a structure to form a fixed abode for God to live in but only by the Holy Spirit.”

People who love God do not want to veer from the faith. Once a person becomes born again, the only way for him to grow is by being influenced and nourished by the Holy Spirit and this in turn will allow God to work in our life. Born again people even in their ignorance have a witness of the Holy Spirit and they are automatically drawn by his leadings. When God’s anointing and righteous Spirit is not being taught in assemblies today, we end up with malnourished warriors of God and mediocrity becomes the standard for perfection. Once we are saved and in God’s family our instincts and God’s D.N.A in us gives us the power to not only live as overcomers but also be come aggressive and adventures in our proclaiming the kingdom in our daily travels of life.

Jesus tells us in Matthew 5:20, “Unless our righteousness goes beyond the righteous positions of the scribes and Pharisees we will not be able to enter God’s kingdom.” The Pharisees were the people who taught the rules of the Torah which embodied the Jewish teachings and spelled out God’s laws to the people. The scribes were like letter writers who put the laws down on paper so the law of God would be documented. Jesus said here that, if we did not go beyond a concept of the Pharisees standard of having a righteous position with God, they could not enter His kingdom.

This word enter is a verb and an action word of participation. Now just common sense tells me, if I have a desire to love the Lord and follow His leadings, and Jesus in scripture warns me of a condition that can take hold in my life that can hurt me in my relationship to getting to know him better, I‘d better stand up and take notice and understand how his righteousness works in my life.

The Pharisees were living by trying to obey the Ten Commandments. Now that seems like a good thing to do and the majority of born again and none born again assemblies are teaching this today. It doesn’t make sense in our own understanding of anything being wrong with teaching this concept. However, Jesus said we have to go beyond that, if we want to participate in His Kingdom.

In Matthew 6:10 Jesus told the people what type of attitude they had to have when appealing to God and the understanding they needed to have in knowing their rights and the confidence they need for God to move on their behalf. He said pray, “God thy kingdom come thy will be done on earth as it is already being done in heaven”

The day we received Jesus into our hearts, the kingdom of God came into our very being and we became citizens of heaven right now and forever. We need to come to understand that the born again experience was a miracle of receiving all of God’s characteristics and our total inheritance from Him. It was also a promise from Him that, we will receive the last part, being our new glorified body when we are raptured off this planet.

This awareness must be deep rooted in our understanding if, we are going to enter or participate in God’s kingdom right now. Kingdom rule is not a democracy or an individual concept of people praying and calling on God to bless their own endeavors of what they thing is the right way of following God. Most church assemblies believe and teach that after we die we will be living in God’s kingdom if, we have done enough good works or haven’t died with sin in our lives. That is totally contrary to scripture.

When we talk about awareness, we are talking about an awakening and having knowledge within oneself of their identity and surroundings. The most important goal in life is that, we must have a total resolve and clear course of action of how to live as God’s children in our short dispensation of time on this planet. As I have written these articles, it has been an adventure and a pleasure to receive new revelation that the Lord has given me on the subjects for my own personal growth.

It is knowing God as a father image that keeps us focused and still as we experience the security of our relationship with him. Jesus made it possible for us to enter the kingdom and now the Holy Spirit will guide us through it. It’s so important that, you know His voice and are walking in obedience to His leading. Let me remind you that we are eternity people who will live and walk with God for eternity.

In the book of Exodus chapter 2: Moses had an encounter with God, when he came upon a burning bush that could not be consumed by fire. God talked to him from within the bush and gave him the direction and calling on his life. Moses asked God what his name was and God said in verse 14, “I am who I am and I will be what I will be.” God when on to say “You say this to the Israelites, I am has sent me to you and this is my name forever, and by this name I am to be remembered to all generation.” We need to realize that we all need to have a burning bush experiences with God. He is not a respecter of persons. God has millions of children and we as his children all have a distinct calling and gifts in our lives for service. When God said I am to Moses. He was trying to tell him that there is no other name or power greater then Him.

Romans 8:28-30 Tells us that, “ God is a partner in our everyday experiences and that all things work together and are fitting into a plan for good to us who love God and are called according to (His) design and purpose. Because he loved us and had us in mind from the beginning of time, his plan was to mold us into the image of His first-born son Jesus and share his likeness. Since he called us, He put us in right standing with Himself. ”

Since Jesus is to be our role model. Let’s look at what he said in Luke chapter two. It was the custom of the Jews to go Jerusalem for the Passover feast. When Jesus was 12 years old, he and his parents attended the feast. After the feast was over his parents left to go home, not noticing that he wasn’t with them, they became afraid because they thought he was lost.

They found him talking to the teachers in the temple and asking them questions. When his parents found him they asked him why he made them worry about him being lost. His reply “didn’t you know that must be about my Father’s business.” Do you have a clear-cut vision of what part you have in doing your Heavenly Fathers business? Maybe you have a void in your life and feel lost. Many people I have talked to over the years, feel like they really have no calling on their lives. They can’t imagine being as important to God as Jesus or Moses.

It’s so very important that we understand our position and how we relate as God’s children. We need to know our identity! The word identity means absolute sameness. We need to identify with God our Father because of our born again relationship with his son Jesus. Our two spirits have been joined and we have become inseparable. We have been adopted into God’s family forever.

Ephesians 2:6 tells us that “God raised us up to sit together with Jesus and we have joint seating with Him now in the heavenly sphere.” Why? Because of our born again experience in Christ. We need to understand that heaven is a real place that we will live in for eternity, but now because the spirit of God lives in us through the Holy Spirit, we can have a very real relationship with him now as we will have when we meet Him face to face. If you’re not aware of this fact, then living the Christian life has no meaning. There is no life and it becomes nothing more than living in a survival mode mentality. I ask you as I ask myself, how much time do we spend daily having our thought life focused on talking and reasoning with the Holy Spirit on how He would deal with our everyday decision-making.

1 John 2:6 tells us “that anyone who says that Jesus Christ lives in him, has a personal debt to Him, and needs to walk and conduct himself in the same way Jesus did when he walked on the earth.” This word walk has some revealing interpretations, let’s define them.

1.) To live and have Jesus as a constant companion in all of our everyday surroundings with all the people we come into contact with daily.

2.) To be in God’s employment and totally have an awareness of our position as God’s ambassador, knowing that we have the privilege and the right to give a word of encouragement to those people, that are just weary of their everyday battles.

3.) Having a hunger, hope and awareness from within ourselves, that we are receiving new revelation and insight of God as He shares His plan with us on his purposes for our lives daily.

The psalmist King David said it best. “O taste and see that the Lord is good. The man who trusts and takes refuge in Him is to be envied.” 

In Peter 2:5. He says, “Come as living stones and be yourselves built into a spiritual house for a holy concentrated priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices that are acceptable and well pleasing to God through Jesus Christ.” Peter was trying to impart to these Christians, that Christianity is based on the foundation that Jesus is the center and cornerstone of our walk with God. In Matthew 16 Jesus asked His disciples “Who do men say that I the Son of man am.” There answers were, “John the Baptist, Elijah or Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” Jesus went on to say, “Who do you say that I am.” Peter answered, “You are the Christ the son of the living God.” Jesus’ answer was “Peter, you’re to be envied, because you didn’t come to this conclusion in your own thinking, but you had a spiritual revelation from my Father who is in heaven.”

Jesus went on to say, “Peter based on this revelation that you have had, I will build my church.” Peter became a living stone when he received a spiritual revelation from God on who Jesus was. We all need a spiritual revelation from God on who Jesus is. Then we will be part of the spiritual house of children that God is raising. Only born again believers have the ability to become holy and consecrated in God’s service. Why? Because they have the mind of Christ himself in them.

In the Old Testament only the Levitical Priests had the right to enter into the temple to worship God and offer sacrifices for the sins of the people. Now because we are God’s children we can enter his courts with praise and a thankful heart. God expects us to and it pleases Him when we have fellowship in His courts every day. As his children He has given us this right and we must learn how to enjoy doing it. The revelation we need from God to do this can only take place as we spend time and allow Him to show us how much He really cares about our lives.

God set in motion His way with His word from the beginning of when ever, and we need to seek His face and stop living in ignorance by following man made concepts of what they think kingdom living is all about. If we are going to make Jesus our Lord and Master, we are going to have to do it his way. That is, God ruling His kingdom not a democracy and all these denominations coming up with their own rule of law. Now I have been asked at times “aren’t we supposed to be living by the Ten Commandments”? Let me answer that and define from scripture how Jesus wants us to go beyond this concept of Law.

If you remember, Jesus was always talking about the heart. The religious leaders always dealt with the physical seen acts of men (the outward). Based upon what they saw by a person’s do or didn‘t do‘s, they executed judgment if a person violated the Levitical Law of Moses or the Ten Commandments. When we concentrate in our thought life and endeavor to live holy and try to live by obeying the commandments in our own strength, we live in guilt and condemnation and frustrate God’s grace in our lives of letting go and letting God be our righteousness for us.

The law was to minister death to those who were kept under it, until Christ would come to reveal the true heart of God the Father. The law said, “The person or soul that sins and breaks one of God’s laws will die!” God the Fathers heart said, “I HAVE COME TO GIVE YOU LIFE (MY QUALITY AND QUANTITY OF LIFE, WITH THE JOY OF LIVING WHICH IS ETERNAL AND EVERLASTING NOW ) and because I am a jealous God who loves you I do not want you to condemn yourselves because, you find you are having a hard time trying to obey me.

The law of God can only be kept by us experiencing God’s love. The law was our stern schoolmaster to bring us to love. A schoolmaster is a type and shadow of a hireling. All hirelings want is blind obedience. This type of attitude was what the Pharisees were inflicting on the people in their judgments of their behavior. Their attitude was doing what you’re supposed to do or else suffer the consequences. Don’t make any waves or trouble for me I’m here for the paycheck and nothing else. If you need a friend, here’s a quarter to call somebody who cares. Any interaction with a hireling is usually initiated by the one who is under their subjection and domination.

People who oppose themselves do so because, they need to understand how to let God hold on to them and not try to hold on to Him and be dominated by a person putting conditions on them in order to belong to any group or sect. Our intrinsic sense of dominion from God, struggles to be free from another persons control. This is what fighting the good fight of faith all is about.

A hireling or a person with a legalistic attitude cares nothing about the person as a unique individual. Did you ever notice how, cowboys or cowpunchers as they’re called in Texas drive and herd cattle together as if there is no distinction from animal to animal. A shepherd on the other hand, leads and calls his sheep and even names them. They know the sound of His voice and follow Him. A hireling or hired hand is incapable of relating to another’s weaknesses because, his pride of being right prevents the transparency needed to create the bond of peace needed to create healthy relationships.

Everybody is the same to him without any distinction. All they care about is being right and getting the cattle to obey because, all they seek is what they want. God on the other hand is the exact opposite. Everything He does is for the benefit of another. His holiness demanded justice because of sin. So, on our behalf He offered up Himself in the form of His own Son to satisfy the demands of the schoolmaster we were under subjection to.

Jesus fully satisfied the demands and legal requirements once and for all and as we walk in the understanding of this concept, we do not have to work so hard at trying to be good and feeling guilty when we miss God at times. Judgment was executed and wrath was satisfied when Christ was resurrected. He was now free to love us unconditionally because there was no longer anything in front of him that legally had rights of judgment against us.

The court was satisfied and adjourned. Christ’s work was complete and He was so intent on making sure of our security that His office as a High priest is one that’s always open, never in recess and always steadfast and sure. He always identifies himself with us and imputes his righteousness to us without measure. All who have put their trust in Him for righteousness sake have never been disappointed.

We have now become the workmanship of God in Christ as God created in us, a new species of man with a spirit created in True Righteousness and Holiness.

In John 8:31 Jesus said, “if we would continue in HIS WORD than you will be my disciples indeed (visibly evident for all to recognize, even the lost) and are (Guaranteed) to know the Truth and the Truth shall make you free!” If we our going to be Jesus disciple, we need to stop having our behavior being controlled by us trying to obey God’s laws, not because of its intended purpose, but because of the fear of the consequences if we don’t.

The Eternal security of the believer is central and core to walking in a healthy relationship with God. Unless we have a revelation of it in our spirit that goes beyond our intellect, we will walk as crippled and defeated believers who doubt the faithfulness of our King concerning His love and goodwill of heart towards us. We have become performance oriented in our relationship towards Him because; we have been seeking to earn His graces. All this while, we have been ignorant of His free gift of grace that empowers us in our weakness by living on the faith of Christ Himself because, He was willingly to pay with His death the penalty for the consequences of our sinful nature.

God has credited His righteousness to all of us already and it is already a done deal as far as He is concerned. The word of God tells us that we do not fight against physical opponents, but we fight against spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly (supernatural sphere.)  Let’s get real and realize that if we’re living in our own self-righteousness, we will have no power to fight spirits at work behind the scenes. These evil spirits are causing pain, suffering and lack in our lives. The number one concern in our lives and minds has to be focused on God’s spiritual perceptions of how pure we are in His sight, in spite of any type of blemished behavior.

Psalms 45:6 tells us, “God’s scepter or measuring stick in his kingdom is righteousness.” A scepter is something that endows a person with authority. The born again believer actually receives all of God’s characteristics the day He becomes born again through Jesus Christ. Therefore, if we do not understand and function in God’s characteristics or Righteous Spirit, we’re living in a self- righteous life style contrary to God’s will. Isaiah 64:6 tells us, “our own righteousness is like dirty filthy rags.”

In our ignorance of not having a true knowledge of God’s love for us, we in our own efforts end up substituting and mimicking God’s Spirit in our own emotions and fleshly soul. It is my firm belief though scripture and my experiences of life, that if we are ignorant of God’s word, we’re committing spiritual suicide.

Psalms 119:130 says, “The entrance of God’s word into our hearts brings light and understanding to the straightforward and ordinary man.” Living and functioning in God’s righteousness makes us pliable and able to flow with God in the new life which He gave us when we became a born again believer. We now have the freedom to explore our relationship with Him, and the fear of the consequences if we don‘t, will be put away because, we will no longer mistrust him. This tells me we could be lulled into a lethargic condition in our seeking of God, if we do not continue to continue. The word of God tells us that living in righteousness is like a farmer planting a crop. We need to sew our lives in righteousness and we can only do this as we seek the Lord with passion. Continued in part two

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