Tag: Holy Spirit

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Valedictions.

Reading Time: 2 minutes

Peace be with you, dear brothers and sisters, and may God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ give you love with faithfulness. May God’s grace be eternally upon all who love our Lord Jesus Christ. ‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭6‬:‭23‬-‭24‬ ‭NLT‬

I have always loved the Apostle Paul’s grand greetings from his letters to churches and individuals. I never realized in signing off, in his salutations, Paul posted some powerful theology.

▫️Romans, “All glory to the only wise God, through Jesus Christ, forever. Amen.”
▫️ 1st Corinthians, “May the grace of the Lord Jesus be with you. My love to all of you in Christ Jesus.”
▫️ 2nd Corinthians, “May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.”
▫️ Galatians, “Dear brothers and sisters, may the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit. Amen.”
▫️ Philippians, “May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit.”
▫️ Colossians, “Remember my chains. May God’s grace be with you.”
▫️ 1 Thessalonians, “May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.”
▫️ 2 Thessalonians, “May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all.”
▫️ 1 Timothy, “May God’s grace be with you all.”
▫️ 2 Timothy, “May the Lord be with your spirit. And may his grace be with all of you.”
▫️ Titus, “May God’s grace be with you all.”
▫️ Philemon, “May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit.”

Paul’s phrase, “May the grace…” is the most used, twelve out of thirteen letters. Also noted is the Lordship of Christ. A few times, Paul closes with encouragement that Jesus “be with your spirit.” And uniquely writes “and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit,” to the Corinthian churches! However, as far as titles go, to the churches in Ephesus he gives proper titles to “God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.”

I’ve always wondered if we could see growth or changes in the Biblical writers as they age. I compare John’s gospel to his letters to churches and I see a lifetime of wisdom and tremendous growth as a result of suffering.

If you are interested in the chronological order of Paul’s letters, you can use this link: https://bit.ly/PaulChrono. Thessalonians was his first letters, and 2 Timothy was his last. Seven out of thirteen letters were written from Roman imprisonment or house arrest. Paul wrote Ephesians about 15/16 years into his missionary journeys. It just strikes me that Paul uses the powerful full titles of both God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ to the churches in Ephesus. Robin and I have been to the ancient city of Ephesus. It is amazing, but sad. There are virtually no churches left there and very few followers of Jesus. There are a few Catholic buildings, but they are more touristy than anything else. Did we lose both salutations and valedictions in fast-paced texting? Who hand writes letters anymore? I still hand write birthday cards, hundreds a year. Let’s not lose the art of a well spoken or written greeting and valediction!

Valediction:

May God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, through the power of the Holy Spirit, bless you, keep you and give you peace. Amen.

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Friends who beg Jesus.

Reading Time: 3 minutes

Jesus left Tyre and went up to Sidon before going back to the Sea of Galilee and the region of the Ten Towns. A deaf man with a speech impediment was brought to him, and the people begged Jesus to lay his hands on the man to heal him. Jesus led him away from the crowd so they could be alone. He put his fingers into the man’s ears. Then, spitting on his own fingers, he touched the man’s tongue. Looking up to heaven, he sighed and said, “Ephphatha,” which means, “Be opened!” Instantly the man could hear perfectly, and his tongue was freed so he could speak plainly! ‭‭Mark‬ ‭7‬:‭31‬-‭35‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Jesus, making his way through very “Gentile” populations, on his way to the Decapolis (Ten Cities). Sidon is far north of Israel near modern Lebanon today. Mark lets the reader know that Jesus traveled and became popular even in non-Jewish territories. What strikes me is that while Jesus is in town, friends of a deaf and mute man, bring him to Jesus.

The stories of miracles had spread all the way to the far reaches of Roman empire, and clearly it was possible to safely travel because of the Roman road infrastructure. And, there were regular occurrences of soldiers making their way back and forth between the cities. God had prepared the path before the news of Jesus and future news of the gospel would travel on these roads.

This story doesn’t have the same drama as the man lowered through Peter’s mother-in-law’s roof, but it still has the element of urgency and importance of a caring community. Do you see the obvious? Alone, this man would have never heard the stories of Jesus or the miracles he performed! His friends were the eyes and ears of a caring network. They brought and begged on behalf of their unabled friend. This man, who struggled with sound and speech had friends who watched out for him.

When the friends HEARD, Jesus was in town, they knew what they had to do – get him to Jesus. Mark uses this interesting word for the friends who “begged, or implored” Jesus to heal him. The word, “parakalousin” comes from the word, “parakaleó.” Why make such a big deal of these Greek words? Because “parakaleó” is two words meaning “come alongside.” Parakalousin is used twice and only in Mark’s gospel. The beautiful idea behind this word is the concept of advocacy. Someone to come along to encourage, strengthen and comfort. In these friend’s efforts to help, they became advocates to get him to the one who could solve his physical ailments!

I personally love the word “parakaleó,” because it’s one of the words describing the character of the Holy Spirit. THE parakaleó, who comes alongside us. When these friends made their move to get this man to Jesus, it was if they had been waiting and watching for some way to help him, even heal him. This is the posture of prayer we can have when we hear the struggles of our friends, when we know they need far more than we can provide! We cannot heal them or fix them, but we can be constantly on watch and listening to God for the moment when Jesus might show up to restore them. We can implore God on their behalf, we can come alongside and remind them that we are with them. It means so much to know that you are not alone in your suffering!

Jesus led the man away from the crowds to a quiet place. He put his fingers in the man’s ears. He spit on his own fingers and touched the man’s tongue! Can you see the moment? Can you feel the Genesis phenomenon of God creating life out of the dust of the earth. Jesus simply recreated whatever was missing or wrong with his ears and tongue.

Do you have friends who are physically disabled? Are you broken in some way? Are there body parts that don’t function properly or are missing? Jesus is still available to touch you and your friends, recreating what is lacking!

Prayer

​Dad,
Being the same yesterday, today and forever, the miracles, the love grace and mercy extended to people is still available today, right? There are so many hurting and broken. Our “healthcare” systems are overwhelmed with urgencies and emergencies! Yet, you are the great physician, the creator of our bodies and souls. We are more in need of you than ever! Help us in our faith. Help us with our faith for others, our friends and families. Thank you for your Holy Spirit the parakaleó! Come alongside us today! Amen.

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Satan goes to Church?

Reading Time: 3 minutes

”Jesus and his companions went to the town of Capernaum. When the Sabbath day came, he went into the synagogue and began to teach. The people were amazed at his teaching, for he taught with real authority—quite unlike the teachers of religious law. Suddenly, a man in the synagogue who was possessed by an evil spirit cried out, “Why are you interfering with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are—the Holy One of God!” But Jesus reprimanded him. “Be quiet! Come out of the man,” he ordered. At that, the evil spirit screamed, threw the man into a convulsion, and then came out of him.“ ‭‭Mark‬ ‭1‬:‭21‬-‭26‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Mark’s gritty gospel tells us the harrowing experiences that Peter went through while following Jesus. Who would ever expect something as crazy as this particular day. On the Sabbath, the God-given, God-commanded, day of rest. In the synagogue, similar to a local church, in Capernaum, Jesus and his team show up to worship God, pray and hear the Word of God taught. Jesus began teaching and it was amazing to all who heard.

However, there was also someone else there that day. There was an infiltrator, an incognito presence masquerading as a God follower. But he was not at all there for the same things as the others. Folks are always shocked that the Bible shreds many stereotypes and superstitions we make up over time because we’ve “heard” what we believe to be truth. One of those fabricated, fake news fallacies – Satan can’t enter a Holy place! Well, Mark would tell us – that’s NONSENSE. In fact, it happens quite often as believers gather, even today! People seem quite put off believing that somehow it’s the local church’s fault when weird and wacky things take place. Hello – there’s a real enemy out there, remember? Don’t blame a church, don’t hold it against a pastor for some creepy experience disrupting your religious “beliefs!” People be people and more terrifying is…Satan be EVIL!

This evil spirit had the audacity to show up in church on a holy day! And, as I have witnessed, they do what demons often do. They intentionally INTERRUPT what God is doing! This one had the cajones to ask Jesus a direct question. “Why are you interfering with us?” Whoa. What a twisted view of reality, right? Who’s interfering with who? The NLT (New Living Translation) takes great liberty in trying to translate the phrase, “what do we have to do with you.” The demonic world obviously knew who Jesus was far sooner than humans. But still, this demon spoke an odd accusation, almost saying, “what business do you have with our agenda?” “Our” agenda? Yeah, Satan and his fallen angels still think they are in charge! One commentator wrote, “if Jesus cast him out, he would use an improper interference.” As if Jesus had no right to meddle in the dark world of the prince of darkness! Oh, but Jesus did have the right, He is the light of the world.

Then the demon switched its thought to something far more terrifying for them – have you come to “apollumi” utterly destroy us? Their end has already been determined. Hell, the abyss, the eternal lake of fire – all designed for Satan and the angels who followed the rebellion against God. Hell was designed for Satan, but it can accommodate all who truly want to join this rebellion against God!

Jesus directly addressed the demon with two commands – be quiet and come out. This is early in Mark’s gospel and Jesus is just getting started; showing the world who he is and what he has come to accomplish. However, Mark wants us, the reader, to know – Jesus is God and has power over all things! Power over darkness and demons is just the beginning, because we discover that Jesus has ultimate power and authority over ALL things.

What a great time to go to church that day, right? When someone asked one of Jesus’ followers, “so how did synagogue go today?” They would have to reply, “you wouldn’t believe it if I told you – you should come and hear this Jesus for yourself!”

Prayer

Dad,
For sure, I would never go looking for demonic episodes like some kind of evil-spirit seeker! But I have seen things and I know it’s real. I do find it interesting that folks seem uneasy when the Holy Spirit does something wonderful, but certainly out of the ordinary. We fear the things we do not understand. There is a huge difference in experiencing the Spirit of God and your life-giving ways verses a spirit of darkness, filled with fear and oppression. It’s like day and night – light and darkness. Thank you for your Word bringing truth to reveal and compel us to see reality. Thank you for grace and mercy to not be completely controlled by evil! Amen.

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Just another extraordinary day.

Reading Time: 3 minutes

One day as Jesus was walking along the shore of the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew throwing a net into the water, for they fished for a living. Jesus called out to them, “Come, follow me, and I will show you how to fish for people!” And they left their nets at once and followed him. A little farther up the shore Jesus saw Zebedee’s sons, James and John, in a boat repairing their nets. He called them at once, and they also followed him, leaving their father, Zebedee, in the boat with the hired men. Mark‬ ‭1‬:‭16‬-‭20‬ ‭NLT‬‬

The calling of the first followers. Mark’s gospel has Jesus seemingly, randomly, asking men to join him in mission. We know this mission would be exciting at first, but eventually move towards a frightening, grief-stricken ending. We also know that each one of these first followers would later be called to martyrdom!

I don’t know if Jesus knew every detail of his life ahead in these first moments, or if he found out as he went along. If you’re wondering about Jesus’ omniscient ability as God, the Apostle Paul tells us in Philippians 2, that Jesus laid that down to fully live as a human being.

I do believe that Jesus received guidance, inspiration and power through the Holy Spirit, just as he would expect his followers to do (us as well). Maybe it was just a morning stroll, talking with God and enjoying the stunning vista of the Sea of Galilee- it is amazing. I find that God often speaks and leads in all kinds of situations. An S.S.A. (situational Spirit awareness) is required.

As God guided Jesus, he still had to SEE Simon. Jesus still had to SEE the Zebedee boys. And once he did, he called them out. Somewhere in there, I believe the Holy Spirit said “There they are. That’s them. You know what to do!” or something similar. Of course, we’re not told any of this, I just want you to know God moves in both very spiritual AND very ordinary ways at the same time.

Jesus saw them, he called them and they left everything to follow Him. Do you think maybe the Holy Spirit had been at work in their lives before that morning moment on the beach? I do. I am learning that God is ALWAYS at work (the Bible says so – John 5:17, Rom 8:28). God handles the hard part of working in the human heart! God also handles the providential details that astound us. When Jesus listened and obeyed the Holy Spirit, He was showing us that this is how easy it is to join God in His mission! Yeah, Jesus had to call them out – okay, that part is challenging for many of us. But God had already set the entire situation up for each one of those “yeses” to happen.

It takes a little practice to hear the whisper of the Holy Spirit leading and guiding us to be used of God. It takes a little practice to see God at work. And it does require the response that pleases God more than anything else – FAITH! But, come on, look at what happened when Jesus was obedient – those guys helped change the world. Jesus didn’t turn these ordinary men into extraordinary men. Jesus taught them to do just as he did, SEE, LISTEN AND OBEY. God did the supernatural, phenomenal miracles through them!

Next time you take a stroll, shop for snacks or get stuck in a line at the DMV, look around, listen for the Holy Spirit and wait to see if God might have a supernatural assignment for you. Then make God smile by believing and obeying his offer to join Him on mission. Just do it!

Prayer

Dad,
I get giddy watching you weave a plan together and marvel at watching you work! Sometimes I look around and see a sea of people and remind myself, you are working in that life, and that one, and another one over there, buying lottery tickets. Oh how I love it when a good God plan comes together. It’s like I am peeking into a whole other realm, an other-world experience that happens on the heart level in every human. It gives me Spirit chills to think that you invite us into that kind of Holy mission. Thank you for not just working in me, but working through me as well. Heaven will be filled with glorious stories of our great God! I can’t wait to see it all come together. Amen.

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Two Baptisms?

Reading Time: 4 minutes

”John announced: “Someone is coming soon who is greater than I am—so much greater that I’m not even worthy to stoop down like a slave and untie the straps of his sandals. I baptize you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit!” ‭‭Mark‬ ‭1‬:‭7‬-‭8‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Mark writes that John, the baptizer, comes on the scene with the fire and fury of an Old Testament Prophet. But this announcement of “someone coming,” would bring excitement and frustration to his original audience and to every believer and every denominational tribe still today! Who was John referring to, when he said one is coming? John clearly said that he was authorized by God to do the dippin’ in the physical and symbolic act of going under the water, submerging into death as it were, and coming up clean, alive and ready to live the life of a follower of Jesus. Water baptism IS a big deal, not just because it is a commandment, “be baptized,” (Mark 16:16, Matthew 28:19, Acts 2:38) but also it is a physical experience and expression of the believers declared faith in Christ.

But John just had to push the baptism object lesson/illustration even further. John said, “but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.” Who will baptize? And, what will he baptize with?” Mark uses the same Greek word here for both baptism with water and with the Spirit – baptízō – properly, “submerge”. One is a water experience, the other a Spirit experience.

I just have a few questions for you, the reader. One, when does Jesus do this? Hint: you’ll find it in the gospels. Two, HOW does Jesus do this? (also in the gospels). And three, does this still happen today in every believer’s life? Obviously, water baptism is a sacrament (a regular practice) still today. What about John’s other promise/proclamation?

I encourage every believer to answer that question for themselves! Search the scriptures, ask God the questions. Don’t get all caught up in denominational or even interpretative theological arguments. You have the Word of God for yourself! That battle of having, reading or listening to the Bible yourself was resolved over 500 years ago. Don’t even get all hung up over the myriad of translations of the Bible, just pick a solid one and study. Be like the Bereans that search the scriptures for themselves! (Acts 17:11).

This is important for every believer to know and settle for themselves! Does Jesus still baptize with the Holy Spirit? When and how does Jesus baptize you with the Holy Spirit?

Before I became a believer I would randomly go to church, a few times by myself as a child. Then, later with my mom, attending my sister’s church. It was a wild, loud, very active pentecostal church. The pastor yelled his sermons with a lot of passion. The congressional worship was also loud, demonstrative and also very emotional. Every bit of it scared me. I sat in the balcony just observing, but I did not want anything to do with whatever they were all doing. I did not know anything about spiritual things, but I was not drawn to, nor desired or impressed with anything I saw happening. It was flat out scary to me.

Fast forward to when I was fifteen. I had a supernatural experience with God when I answered His challenge to give Him my life and in exchange He would be my Dad. I did not believe I deserved such a thing. Many of my life decisions flashed before my eyes. I felt the guilt and shame of those decisions. I told God how awful I had been and couldn’t figure out why He still wanted me. After crying over and contemplating such an offer, I said “yes.”

Almost immediately after saying yes, I was still crying and just started exploding with emotion and thankfulness. I believe my life had instantly changed. In those moments of gratefulness, I ran out of words to express what I was feeling. And that’s when I felt this overwhelming presence of God come over me. I heard words come out of my mouth but I could not understand them. I was speaking but the words were not making any sense. That’s when I realized, I was speaking in tongues and it terrified me! I remembered the experiences of being in that pentecostal church and not liking what I was hearing. I immediately stoped speaking the unknown words and told God, “I’m not sure I want to do this.” That experience, those unknown words and unfamiliar feeling overwhelmed me. In the same gentle way that God offered to be my Dad in exchange for my life, I heard God say, “trust me.” For the second time I said yes, and continued to cry, pray, praise and speak in an unknown language. There was no one close by, and no one knew what was happening under that little table in the foyer of Oak Knoll Lodge in Big Bear, California. I know it sounds odd, but I knew virtually nothing about the Bible or how God works. It happened, it was real and I discovered it is Biblical! By the way, I wasn’t baptized in water for several months after I became a believer. That’s how I found out there are two baptisms.

Prayer

Dad,
You are amazing! I will never forget what you have done in my life. I am beyond grateful for saving me, changing me and teaching me yours ways. I love you and absolutely love Your Word! All I can say is thank you.

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Situational Awareness.

Reading Time: 2 minutes

“A prudent person foresees danger and takes precautions. The simpleton goes blindly on and suffers the consequences.” ‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭22‬:‭3‬ ‭NLT‬‬

It seems that every year we seem to pick up more words and understanding of some kind of awareness. A quick search yields the history of the phrase “situational awareness.” It appears early in military history and in engineering with Douglass Aircraft. Endsley’s models in the 1980’s address the psychology of attention.

This proverb, teaching wisdom and practics to young Jewish men, seems to address this kind of awareness in ancient days. Doesn’t wisdom dictate a certain aptitude for awareness? Proverbs mentions a prudent person, using the word, arum: crafty, shrewd, sensible. It then gives the contrasting word for the foolish, pthiy: simple. It comes from the word, pethiy: seducible or foolish. This word for foolish is often used to express an overly-open person – accepting anything and everything as good. The wise, the situationally aware, see the possibility of danger and hides to avoid, the foolish boldly walks into danger or adversity and pays the price or are penalized for their naivety. The Hebrew word for punished (consequences, here in NLT) is anash: to fine or pay a penalty.

Jesus, being the personification of Wisdom, gives us the advantage to not just be aware, not to live in fear, but to be able to take in our surroundings, a “read the room,” skillset. This same wisdom can give us more than just a situational awareness. It can give us a spiritual, even emotional awareness of what is happening around us. Jesus displayed these qualities of spirit-awareness often in the gospels. When he spoke with the lonely, five-time marriage, woman at the well. When he walked onto the pool-deck and asked just one man, among dozens, if he wanted to be healed. When a woman, having a genetic bleeding disorder, simply touched the end of Jesus’ prayer tassel. All these conversations and miracles display the wisdom and awareness of God.

God, the Holy Spirit, leads and directs us in wisdom and in perfect synchronization of God’s will. The Spirit can give us far more than this ability to see danger. The Holy Spirit can give us the ability to see opportunities as well. The wise sees and understands, the foolish ignore and blindly blunder about in life. Which do you want? How do you want to lead your life? Instead of growing in my capacity to be situationally, socially or emotionally aware, maybe I can grow in Godly wisdom and learn to listen to the Spirit and obey.

Prayer

Dad,
I am painfully slow at learning how to respond, and not react in all kinds of difficult situations. From being uncomfortable, caught off-guard or flat out in conflict, I am can’t think straight while under emotional stress. I need your wisdom. I need to pause, breathe, and take a moment to listen to the quiet voice of the Holy Spirit and be bold to obey! Help me continue to grow in wisdom. Help me play the fool far less than I often do. Thank you for your guidance and patience. Amen.

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Following the voice of God

Reading Time: 4 minutes

“But you belong to God, my dear children. You have already won a victory over those people, because the Spirit who lives in you is greater than the spirit who lives in the world. Those people belong to this world, so they speak from the world’s viewpoint, and the world listens to them. But we belong to God, and those who know God listen to us. If they do not belong to God, they do not listen to us. That is how we know if someone has the Spirit of truth or the spirit of deception.” 1 John‬ ‭4‬:‭4‬-‭6‬ ‭NLT‬‬

John uses his position and authority to help us, warn us, about who we should be listening to and who we should not be listening to.

In the earlier verses John writes clearly, “DO NOT listen to those who believe that Jesus wasn’t a real human being.” Jesus was fully God and fully human. The early Church not only argued several positions about Christ’s divinity and his humanity, but the Church did so for about 500 years after his death!

John was laying down a baseline – any denial of both divine or human is not worth listening to – period (‭‭1 John‬ ‭4‬:‭2‬). But wait, there’s more.

John takes a position and helps us build a decision-grid, not only of truth, but of following the voice of God. God gave you and me His own Spirit, living and active in our lives because we have made a declaration of faith in Jesus. This Spirit of truth is enough to help us lean in and listen to God about ANYTHING we struggle with, any question we may have about faith and obedience. John writes, “The Spirit within is GREATER than the spirit of the world.” This is helpful in knowing the truth and yielding to Christ. I’m not sure how effective it is in knowing the truth and telling other nonbelievers of Jesus how they should live their lives.

John doesn’t really use the phrase, “those people,” that’s a clarification found in the NLT version of the Bible. John simply writes, “they” referring to those who do not believe nor yet belong to God. “They,” belong to this world. They speak from the world’s viewpoint and it is the world that listens to them. At this point it sounds like John is describing an “us versus them” situation, like one of us are aliens! Well, that’s not too far off.

There is a spirit of the world (kosmos) and it is different and from the Spirit of Christ. The world order is not only based on the idea of “original sin,” where there was a chasm created between God and humans based on disobedience and the knowledge of good and evil (Genesis 2:15-17). There is also a real enemy, the slanderer (liar, deceiver) who was thrown out of heaven and down to earth’s domain (Isaiah 14:12–14, Ezekiel 28:12–18, Luke 10:18 & Revelation 12:7–12). The Apostle Paul tells us that satan is in fact the god of this world and has blinded the minds of those who don’t believe (2 Corinthians 4:4).

Here’s the summary: There are quite a few voices to listen to and it’s important to know the difference between them and make decisions based on only one of them! There’s a voice inside our head which gets pretty loud and often confusing. There’s the voice of others Godly or worldly. There’s the voice of the slanderer himself, thwarting and twisting everything. And there is the voice of the Holy Spirit, God himself. Wow. Simple, right?

John’s advice, which is Godly wisdom, is to listen to the voice of the Holy Spirit, who WILL LEAD US (and is greater – mega good). He also says we can, and should, listen to the voice of the Spirit of God coming from a trusted believer. Paul uses this helpful phrase in Romans 8:16, “The Spirit of God bears witness with our spirit,” Saying, it’s a match and it’s trustworthy. That same principle is applied when we are speaking into one another’s lives in helpful ways with affirmation, encouragement and sometimes even admonishment (gentle correction). We CAN hear from God and from one another. Clearly, John wants us to know that this whole idea of hearing from God and listening to the Holy Spirit is helpful, but it becomes critical when deciding about TRUTH. Is it the Spirit of truth or is it the spirit of deception? Spirit of God or spirit of the world? I also believe that God has given every living soul a conscience of right and wrong, that’s a topic for another time. Know this: you can hear and be led by the voice of God through the Holy Spirit!

Prayer

Dad,
The only way I discovered how to listen and discern your voice was to read Your Word, listen and obey your Holy Spirit! Both took discipline and practice. It was not simple at all. It took time and patience. It was filled with joy and grief. Getting it right, learning to be obedient and trusting you was not easy. Yet through years of practice (and still today) it has helped me to truly discern your Spirit from the spirit of deception. And oftentimes, in hindsight, I discovered I had been thrown off by my own desires, voices of others and flat out lies when trusting the wrong person! It has not been a perfect process, but it has built trust and faith in you. It has also built some confidence and boldness when I had to choose you over all other voices. I am thankful that your Spirit in me is greater than the spirit of this world.

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Are you using your gift?

Reading Time: 2 minutes

“There are different kinds of spiritual gifts, but the same Spirit is the source of them all. There are different kinds of service, but we serve the same Lord. God works in different ways, but it is the same God who does the work in all of us. A spiritual gift is given to each of us so we can help each other.” ‭‭1 Corinthians‬ ‭12‬:‭4‬-‭7‬ ‭NLT‬‬

I don’t think the early church was quite as shocked as the modern church that the Apostle Paul would write about these Spirit enabled gifts (grk: charis) to the church in Corinth. Corinth was the wild-child city in those days. Wealthy, cocky, well educated and oh so hip and cool with all the latest cultural advances. The believers had come from deep greek roots that included all kinds of multi-god or pantheistic practices. There is more “Spirit-talk” packed into Corinthians than all the other Pauline epistles! If it wasn’t for 1 Cor 13, I think most would like to ignore the teachings all together! There’s plenty of mentions of speaking in tongues and other mysterious movements of the Spirit. Sad that many of today’s pastors and teachers, dismiss these words from Paul saying, “the gifts” died with the last living apostle. God’s ways have always been above ours and even seem strange to us – He is full of mystery.

Paul lists the nine helpful graces to be distributed to EVERY believer – “each of us.” Do an internet search, you’ll find many that only list seven! Chickens they are!

Here they are: word of wisdom, word of knowledge, extraordinary faith, healing, miracles, prophecy, discerning of spirits, tongues and interpretation of tongues.

The more “charismatic” gifts are often watered down to almost being useless and the two missing from most lists are of course, speaking and interpreting tongues. Why would people mess with God’s word by diluting it or removing it altogether? They’re not comfortable with things they can’t control! I believe these gifts are helpful to the body of Christ as well as helpful in sharing the gospel with those who are not believers in Jesus!

You may be scared off by abuses and misinformation, but you would be missing the amazing work of the Holy Spirit in our lives TODAY. Plus, the Spirit of God is not about chaos but order. By dismissing the work of the Spirit today, you would be denying miracles and supernatural works of God. And to call the work of the Holy Spirit, as it is written in the New Testament, a work of the Devil… well that’s just blasphemy! We need MORE, not LESS of the Holy Spirit’s power, grace and transforming work today more than ever!

Prayer

Dad,
I could not deny the Holy Spirit and the work that’s been done in my life. I cannot deny the gifts given to help us live the life of faith, to help us love and serve those who do not believe in you. I need to yield more, not less. I need to lean in and towards, not away from the moving of the Spirit. Breath on us, our country, our planet once again. Bring yet another revolution to raise up those who come to you, return to you.

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Spirit auto-tuning.

Reading Time: 2 minutes

“And the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness. For example, we don’t know what God wants us to pray for. But the Holy Spirit prays for us with groanings that cannot be expressed in words. And the Father who knows all hearts knows what the Spirit is saying, for the Spirit pleads for us believers in harmony with God’s own will.” ‭‭Romans‬ ‭8‬:‭26‬-‭27‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Anyone that doesn’t recognize that we, as humans, are weak at so many things, hasn’t taken inventory of self and others lately. Oh, we are not weak in bravado, opinions and endless chatter. We are weak in follow through or belief translating into behavior. We think we know A LOT, which really, we don’t. And, even though we desire more knowledge, more information, it is definitely the curse of knowing good and evil without the wisdom to live it out and give it out to others. There’s a disconnect – that’s truly our weakness.

So when the Apostle Paul tells the citizens of Rome, the gathering of the saints in the city – the Holy Spirit HELPS us, we should pay attention. How does the Spirit help? We are so enamored with ourselves and unaware of the plans and ways of God, we don’t really know what to pray for! The Holy Spirit helps as a translator of deep griefs, yearnings, even joy to cry out to God. Even when we do, it just sounds like heavey, greavey, groans. Our prayers go out, now in sync with the Spirit, but sound unintelligible! Yet, the Father knows what our heart is crying out for because the Spirit is translating our groans into requests and pleadings to be in harmony with God’s will. Then, through the Spirit of God turning moans into melodic music! This is amazing! Who would not want a full time translator taking our chaotic feelings and frustrations, then auto-tuning them into something beautiful, even useful? We cannot undervalue nor underestimate the power of the Spirit of God nor the gift of praying in the Spirit. Keep calm and pray on!

Prayer

Dad,
There is so much going on in my head and heart. And, there is an abundance of noise and hecticness surrounding me. I am thankful for the moments where groans and unintelligible emotions are given to you through the Holy Spirit. I am thankful for the gift and the opportunity to not only pray requests, but also pray with intercession of things I feel, but to not understand and things I understand but can’t do anything about! I am so grateful for the Spirit auto-tuning my prayers to you.

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Just another new trick up his sleeve.

Reading Time: 3 minutes

“Then Simon himself believed and was baptized. He began following Philip wherever he went, and he was amazed by the signs and great miracles Philip performed.” ‭‭Acts ‭8‬:‭13‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Simon the Sorcerer. What a nickname, what a title to carry around. Luke admits that Simon was a big deal in Samaria. He had a big following of people that called him “The great one – the power of God.” Interesting right? Simon was earnestly flamboyant. Then SHOCKER, he becomes a believer and is baptized. He was a formerly a great magician, a crowd pleaser. Now he’s a Christian following Philip around, learning the ropes of this new religion along with signs and wonders. Curiosity must have got the best of him. Simon must have thought, hmmm, Philip was a believer and so was he. Then how or why could Philip perform these feats of great power with miracles. Could he do the same?

The answer would soon arrive with Peter and John’s arrival. When the apostles heard what had been happening in Samaria (of all places), they sent a couple of guys down to see what was happening. Doing a little follow up, they “they prayed for these new believers to receive the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit had not yet come upon any of them, for they had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. Then Peter and John laid their hands upon these believers, and they received the Holy Spirit.” I’ll let you sort out the truth of this moment. Luke says that the Holy Spirit had NOT YET come upon them even though the belief in Jesus and Baptism meant the Holy Spirit would take up residence in them just as Jesus had promised. What? How is that possible? Yeah, there’s a second and critical “in filling, outpouring” of the supernatural work of the Spirit. Peter and John were just following the instructions that God had given them.

What were the results for the Samaritan believers being filled? Luke doesn’t say, but clearly Old Simon the Sorcerer saw something! He saw something they had that he did not have. Was it speaking in other tongues? Probably. Was it prophesying, boldly proclaiming the works of God? Sure. It was clearly something Simon had not received. And, he wanted it desperately! But, not for the right reason.

He tells Peter and John, “Let me have this power, too,” he exclaimed, “so that when I lay my hands on people, they will receive the Holy Spirit!” Wow! He wanted more “power” than his former theatrical performances could possibly possess. That’s just what the show needed, a new trick to bring in more people, possibly more money! Simon tries to cut a deal with the two apostles and Peter quickly rebuked him, immediately revealing Simon’s motives, “But Peter replied, “May your money be destroyed with you for thinking God’s gift can be bought!” Whew. I never thought about people trying to buy the power of God. I’ve heard of people trying to buy salvation. Well there have been long dark seasons in history where the “church” was selling salvation as well!

Peter, who is full of the Holy Spirit and has the gift of discernment because of this, tells Simon far more about himself that we would have ever known, “for I can see that you are full of bitter jealousy and are held captive by sin.” Whoa. Wasn’t Simon just some street performer trying to make a little more money? Where did Peter get all that from? From the same Spirit that Simon was trying to bribe! Jesus, through the Holy Spirit, wanted to lovingly and quickly judge this new believer’s heart and motives by exposing his sin and giving him opportunity to repent of his wickedness, this controlling sin of bitter jealousy. The light of Jesus Christ shines in darkness exposing sin to make us or allow us to get rid of it. We don’t know what happened to Simon or his sideshow after that. But all his new friends, who were believers, all knew what Simon was really struggling with.

Prayer

Dad,
As powerful as this scene is, it’s also a little creepy and convicting. Creepy because it is so mystical and outside of our understanding of how Christianity or certainly religion is supposed to work. Convicting, because it really hits home with my own sin and your desire for me to be completely free of things that I hold onto. Thankfully it’s not bitter jealousy or obsession with money, but I’ve got other problems to deal with. I am thankful that when I confess and turn away from my sin that you forgive and clean me up.