Unaware
Do you know?
On June 4, 2021, Cathy Boone, a homeless woman, died in a warming shelter, unaware that she had inherited $884,000. Her mother had passed in 2016 and left it to her daughter, but it was never claimed.
That is a sad story, no doubt. But even sadder is that many miss out on the fullness of the inheritance Jesus left for them.
Let me frame it a little differently. Most believers I meet have no issue with believing that Jesus died to pay for their sins and provide salvation. They will easily say that by the blood of Jesus, they were forgiven and cleansed of their sins. This is very true, too! Praise God for the sacrifice of Jesus and for the blood that cleanses us from all unrighteousness. I know my past, present, and future sins have been paid for at the cross. I too rejoice when someone comes to know Jesus and is water baptized and has their name written in the Lambs Book of Life. Jesus made sure that we knew the importance of that and rejoice in it.
But is that the totality of what Jesus accomplished at the cross and in His resurrection and ascension?
Is it possible He gave His life to provide even more to us as an inheritance so we can live effectively here and now?
If you read the devotional before this one, you will notice that Jesus taught us to ask for the Holy Spirit.
Luke 11:13 If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!”
He was not teaching us to ask to be saved at that moment; He was instructing us to ask for the Holy Spirit and expect to receive Him.
Because of what I see in Scripture, I believe Jesus’ death was for far more than just saving us, delivering us, and getting us into heaven. I believe a big part of what He was willing to give His life for involved the Promise of the Father which is the Holy Spirit.
When the Law Covenant was issued, certain amazing promises were attached to keeping it—promises of abundance, health, peace, prosperity, victory, long life, etc. The only problem was that the Law relied on the power of the flesh, and thus, all the benefits of inheritance from it were restricted by the weakness of the flesh. Israel failed to benefit from all the fullness of blessing promised in the Law because they failed to keep it as they should. At least they were aware of the promise of inheriting blessing and hope. They just could not consistently comply with the conditions to receive it.
The sad thing today is that many believers are unaware of what all was covered by the death, resurrection and ascension of Jesus. They are ignorant of the scope of His completed work. because they are unaware, they stop short of all that is meant to be supplied to us as a result of the faithfulness and sacrifice of Jesus. Jesus communicated one of the primary reasons why He was going to die, resurrect, and then ascend back to the Father. It was so that the promise of the Father could come to us.
John 16:7 Nevertheless, I tell you the truth. It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send Him to you.
This matter of being filled with the Holy Spirit is not a side issue to Jesus, who is the one who baptizes us with the Holy Spirit and with fire. It is of great importance in the scope of our inheritance, and it is something Jesus greatly desires that we take full advantage of. But like the homeless woman Cathy Boone, it will be missed if we are unaware. Are you aware as Jesus desires you to be aware?
Why Ask?
Have you asked for it?
Every week, money goes into my bank account. But to access that money, I have to utilize a tool like a debit card, check, or withdrawal slip, akin to asking for what is already mine. I do not know anyone who thinks it strange that they do these things.
Jesus said something that I believe is worth considering today regarding asking.
Luke 11:13 If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!”
I have a question here. If receiving the Holy Spirit is automatic at salvation, why is Jesus teaching His disciples to ask for it?
Why didn’t Paul speak and behave like everyone saved is already filled with the Holy Spirit?
Why did the apostles send Peter and James to Samaria to ensure believers were baptized with the Holy Spirit?
Jesus is speaking specifically about the Holy Spirit. He is not referencing a salvation experience in Luke 11:13.
When speaking to the church at Ephesus, Paul said the following,
Ephesians 5:17 Therefore, do not be unwise but understand what the will of the Lord is. 18 And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit, 19 speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord, 20 giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, 21 submitting to one another in the fear of God.
It is unwise not to know what the will of God is for you personally and for the fellowship of believers He has joined you with. It is unwise to seek to feel good using too much wine or a drug of some kind. If you want to be full of joy and feel good in your soul, then be filled with the Holy Spirit. First, be a New Creation in Christ by being born again. If we believe with our hearts that Jesus is the son of God and that God raised Him from the dead and then confess with our mouths that Jesus is Lord, we are saved. Once that is done, we are ready to be filled with the Holy Spirit. How? Ask for it!
Jesus made this matter a simple one. If you believe that Jesus isn’t a liar, that Jesus is the baptizer with the Holy Spirit and fire, and that Jesus would never offer you anything that is not to your advantage, then asking for this should come easy, and receiving it is simple.
Your only hindrance is that you believe there is a hindrance. Questioning the goodness of God and doubting that whatever He prescribes is for your good is what hinders you from receiving all the good God wishes to do in and through your life through the work and power of the Holy Spirit.
Why is it we can see a doctor we hardly even know, and he or she can prescribe a medication that gives warnings of all kinds of side effects, yet we will spend good money to get it and take it as instructed, trusting it will do us good, but when God has prescribed to believers the Holy Spirit and His power some struggle with the idea of it?
My grandkids know I have things for them at my house like great refreshing filtered water and some drink drops to add if they like. They also know they will get water and drink drops if they ask for them. Why are they so confident? They know they are loved, believe that I am good to them, and desire to bless them every chance I get. They do not wonder if I will give them something dangerous or harmful to them.
There is still a need to ask to be filled with the Holy Spirit, or it would not be found in the Scriptures under the New Covenant writings. The real question is, are you asking for it?
Your Advantage
Have you received?
Have you ever been told by someone that something you least desire in a moment will be to your advantage?
Usually, when we hear such a thing, we deem it something we do not wish to pay much attention to.
But what if it involves something of great importance?
John 16:5 “But now I go away to Him who sent Me, and none of you asks Me, ‘Where are You going?’ 6 But because I have said these things to you, sorrow has filled your heart. 7 Nevertheless, I tell you the truth. It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send Him to you. 8 And when He has come, He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: 9 of sin, because they do not believe in Me; 10 of righteousness, because I go to My Father and you see Me no more; 11 of judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged.
The men following Jesus did not wish to think of Him ever departing from them. Jesus would remain with them in the flesh if they could have had their way. But Jesus knew that something they would need could not come to them until He left.
Jesus even describes what will happen when the Holy Spirit comes.
He will convict the world of sin, righteousness, and judgment. What will this look like?
Conviction of sin - Because they do not believe in Jesus
Righteousness - Because Jesus ascended to His Father and is no longer here on earth.
Judgment - Because the Ruler of this world is judged.
The Holy Spirit did not come to convict believers of sin because if they believe they are no longer in sin but are instead made righteous with the very righteousness of God. Jesus nailed to His cross everything that was against us. He paid for our sins, past, present, and future.
But what is this help that will be to our advantage that Jesus referred to?
Luke 24:46 Then He said to them, “Thus it is written, and thus it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead the third day, 47 and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. 48 And you are witnesses of these things. 49 Behold, I send the Promise of My Father upon you; but tarry in the city of Jerusalem until you are endued with power from on high.”
Jesus was speaking about the promise of the FATHER! That promise made by the Father involves power that comes from on high! It is supernatural empowerment.
This is a power with no earthly origins. There is nothing natural about it. It does not originate with human beings. It originates with God, and it comes from the same source that brought into existence everything that was created. it is no ordinary power! It comes packaged in a person too! The person of the Holy Spirit.
Whenever we see the Holy Spirit involved in something and at work, there are things that exceed the ability of human effort transpiring. It is to our advantage because the will of GOD is greater than our human ability to accomplish. The Holy Spirit is needed! Jesus said so Himself! If Jesus says it is needful, I believe with all my heart that He knows what He is talking about. Jesus laid down His life for our advantage of being filled with the Holy Spirit. Have you taken advantage of your advantage?
What Happened?
Have things changed?
Do you ever find yourself amazed at how much something has changed?
Do you ever recall something that now is no longer given the same level of consideration even though it was a value of great importance at one time?
Do you know what it means to be marginalized? Marginalization happens when someone or something is not mentioned, given much attention, or asked to participate in things of importance. It is akin to sitting in a dark corner of the dugout in a baseball game and never called on or thought of as being essential to winning the game.
Is it possible that, in many ways, the church at large has done this to the Holy Spirit? After all, He is seldom mentioned. He is not often called upon to participate or allowed to have His way. Sadly, He is more than often just an afterthought. This is unlike what we find in the New Testament Scriptures.
WHAT HAPPENED?
A man was not allowed to do something as practical as serving widows food in the early church unless he had a good reputation and was full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom. Acts 6
Today, men can serve as pastors and elders who bear the responsibility of teaching and leading the saints without believing that there is such a thing as being baptized in the Holy Spirit.
WHAT HAPPENED?
The Scriptures admonish believers to walk according to the Spirit, and they will not fulfill the lust of the flesh (Galatians 5:16). Today, many believers are told the difference between what is right and wrong from a Law perspective and expected to simply choose from their own power and strength to get free from it. Sadly, they are not encouraged by the grace of God to turn to the Holy Spirit for help and to rely on His power. Is it possible that much of the continual struggles with sin in believers’ lives is tied to their perspective regarding the Holy Spirit, or should I say the lack thereof?
WHAT HAPPENED?
Is it possible that by marginalizing the importance of the Holy Spirit through the establishment of religious strongholds of thinking rooted in deductive reasoning as opposed to Holy Spirit revelation, the enemy has successfully kept many in the church from the freedom that is meant to be theirs in Christ?
Paul’s reaction to men claiming to be disciples was to ask a question. Have you received the Holy Spirit since you believed? Acts 19 KJV 54-55AD at least 22 years after Pentecost!
The apostles in Jerusalem heard how many were saved in Samaria and water baptized when Phillip had gone down and preached to them. However, they were concerned because it was not reported that anyone who had been saved and water baptized had been baptized in the Holy Spirit. So they intentionally sent Peter and John to Samaria to lay hands on all who had believed for the sole purpose of making sure they were all baptized in the Holy Spirit. Being filled with the Holy Spirit was important!
Today, the church is content with just getting someone into the waters of baptism. It’s as if that’s the final thing. More often than not, there isn’t even a mention of the gift of being filled with the Holy Spirit, receiving power, and becoming a witness for Christ. It’s like water baptism is a starter in the game, and the Holy Spirit sits in a dark corner of the dugout as though He isn’t even present.
WHAT HAPPENED?
When it came to Gentiles being included in the plan of salvation and it being acceptable to the Jewish Apostles and elders in Jerusalem, Peter had to witness the only examples in Scripture where the Holy Spirit filled believers as soon as they believed in Jesus, even before they were water baptized. It led Peter to say, “Can anyone forbid water, that these should not be baptized who have received the Holy Spirit just as we have?” Acts 10:47 AD 37 at least 4 years after Pentecost.
Peter witnessed them speaking with other tongues and prophesying just as the 120 had done in that upper room long before. The Holy Spirit was not an afterthought in the minds and hearts of the Apostles who laid the foundations for the church. Should He now be an afterthought?
WHAT HAPPENED?
I submit this thought to consider on this day. Do you really think you can accomplish God’s will for your life in your own power and strength? Do you really believe that the things God has for us to do and to be are so small that it would only require human initiative and strength to accomplish? I say emphatically, absolutely not! I need the power of the Holy Spirit always so that I might do the will of God and advance His kingdom on this earth until Jesus comes again or I pass on to heaven. It’s time that the Holy Spirit, the third person of the Holy Trinity, be respected and given His rightful place in the church.
Just as at creation, the Father imagined and willed, the Son was the word spoken, and the Holy Spirit was the power that made it all happen, so it is still today. Scripture testifies that Jesus baptizes with the Holy Spirit it was how John the Baptist described His ministry. Should we not also then emphasize the importance of the Holy Spirit?
Unmistakeable
Did you know?
When I was just a boy, sometimes my four brothers and a cousin or two would do something dumb. Using a modified fork, we would hold hands and form a line, and then the first boy would stick the fork in an electrical socket. We all felt the electricity in our bodies, but whoever was on the end really felt it.
Now, that was something we all experienced, so if someone had tried to tell us we were not electrocuted and felt the surge of electricity in our bodies, we would have said they were the ones who were crazy because we know what we experienced. It was real, felt, and has not been forgotten over the years. There’s something about the experience of power that marks us. It was crazy what we did, but it is even more crazy for someone to try to tell us it never really happened.
I know the day I first was filled to overflowing with the Holy Spirit. It forever marked me, and there have been many more times in my journey. He has freshly filled me to overflowing, including recently. I often get filled because I enjoy His company and empowerment to do God’s will for my life.
If all I had was an intellectual idea to stand on, then a superior debater of a higher intellect than my own might be able to persuade me to forfeit what I thought I first knew. If all I had was information to convince me, then information could also rob me of my confidence. But when I have a real, tangible experience with God where His supernatural nature invades my ordinary life and changes me dramatically, that cannot easily be shaken. I know what I experienced, and I know He is real.
In Muslim nations, people have supernatural visions of Jesus and are getting born again. As a result of it and then filled with the Holy Spirit. We know their experience is powerful and real because they are kicked out of their families, and some face the threat of death. They were not intellectually convinced of who Jesus is; they had an experience with Jesus that convinced them and now empowers them to endure the persecution they now face as a result of believing in Him. They were not just born again; they experienced the power of the Holy Spirit.
Many today argue to defend their lack of experience, and as a result, many have fallen away. It is the responsibility of the Holy Spirit to empower us and keep us steadfast in the faith when we receive Him and rely on Him. The New Covenant is a Blood and Spirit Covenant. It is not a Law Covenant.
The New Covenant is about walking according to the Spirit. It is not about getting a list of do’s and don’ts to follow and then setting out in one’s own strength to comply.
Romans 8:1 There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.
Romans 8:4 that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.
Jesus made it clear before He ascended,
Acts 1:8 But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”
When the Holy Spirit comes upon us, we receive power! Unmistakeable power! That power enables us in all kinds of ways to fulfill the will of God for our lives. It is the power that separates us from this world and binds us to the will of God. It is the power that enables us to do things that are bigger than our natural talents and abilities. The will of God will always exceed our own abilities and talents. It will always require the empowerment of the Holy Spirit to realize. The Holy Spirit’s power is unmistakable and very vital to every believer. No man-made doctrine will ever do away with this truth or our need for the Holy Spirit. A Spirit-based Covenant will always require a Spirit-based resource.
Were There Not Ten?
Are you thankful?
A lack of gratitude and giving honor where honor is due is unpleasant. The enemy delights in it because it withholds a testimony of the goodness of God at work on the earth. All it takes to stir up excitement in hell is for a believer who receives something from God to withhold their testimony of his goodness and love from others.
Jesus encountered this during His own time here on earth.
Luke 17:11 Now it happened as He went to Jerusalem that He passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee. 12 Then as He entered a certain village, there met Him ten men who were lepers, who stood afar off. 13 And they lifted up their voices and said, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!” 14 So when He saw them, He said to them, “Go, show yourselves to the priests.” And so it was that as they went, they were cleansed. 15 And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, returned, and with a loud voice glorified God, 16 and fell down on his face at His feet, giving Him thanks. And he was a Samaritan. 17 So Jesus answered and said, “Were there not ten cleansed? But where are the nine? 18 Were there not any found who returned to give glory to God except this foreigner?” 19 And He said to him, “Arise, go your way. Your faith has made you well.”
Ten lepers received the mercy and goodness of God through the ministry of Jesus, but only one, a Samaritan, returned to give glory to God for what he had received from Him. Maybe he had no sense of entitlement due to being a Samaritan; I can’t say for certain, but it sure seems that way.
This is one miracle during Jesus’ ministry that, although it was meant to glorify God, it appeared that the enemy was the winner. The enemy successfully robbed God of the testimony that the other nine were meant to bring in that moment and time. Of course, we now, down through the ages, have the testimony of what took place because of the gospel writings. So, God still triumphs. But I believe He would prefer that this story have included the testimony of the other nine.
Bearing witness to the work of God and giving thanks so that others may see and know of His goodness is not a small thing. It is very important. Withholding gladdens and pleases the enemy.
Whenever God moves in a person’s life, and He is made real to them through their encounter with Him, it is important that they testify to His goodness and His mercy and return and give thanks to Him for the abundance of His love and compassion.
The Holy Spirit uses these occasions to help someone’s faith rise above their doubts. He uses it to turn their eyes to Jesus and what He can do and has already done. The enemy wants it silenced for this reason.
Our Father is not going to feed one of our brothers and then withhold from us and let us starve. He is no respecter of persons. He invites all His children to the table to dine. He is not going to love one child and hate the other. He loves all who are His by grace through faith in Christ. But it can appear to onlookers that such is not the case when the testimony of His love and goodness are withheld, and glory isn’t given to Him as it should be for His activity in one’s life.
We can be like the one leper who returned to give glory to God and offer His thanks, or we can choose to be reserved and keep it to ourselves like the other nine. The other nine, mind you, do not appear in a good light within the Scriptures, which should register with us as something unpleasant to God. However, The former leper appears before us in a good light as having brought pleasure to Jesus and glory to God. I think I prefer being of that sort. I hope you do as well and will make it your aim and practice to find ways to always give glory to God for His work in your life.
Power
Ever encountered His power?
What comes to your mind when you hear this word, Power?
This word can apply to so many things in so many ways. Jesus spoke this word to His first disciples.
Acts 1:8 But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”
Jesus said they would receive power. Dunamis means ability, abundance, power, strength, mighty wonderful work, and violence.
When the Holy Spirit comes on a believer in Jesus, He enables that believer to do things beyond their natural abilities. He imparts boldness to move believers beyond their limitations into the possibilities of God’s will.
If a believer is hampered by intimidation and fear, they are not walking filled with the Holy Spirit as they should. Being filled with the Holy Spirit enables boldness, confidence, and enablement to do, say, and be something greater than our natural selves might otherwise imagine saying, doing, or being.
God has a plan for every believer. His will and purpose will always exceed our natural abilities and talent. He is not limited to our natural abilities because He empowers us to do according to His good will and pleasure.
We limit ourselves when we think of ourselves only according to who we think we are in the natural. Thus, when He reveals His will, it seems too ridiculous to imagine doing to us, and we shrink back from it. His will is according to whom we have become in Christ Jesus and the empowerment of the Holy Spirit given to work in and through us.
If we fail to believe the gospel and its message of becoming a new creation made fit to receive the Holy Spirit, we will struggle concerning the will of God for our lives. We will struggle because we only see our own natural abilities and talents and measure what comes to our minds and hearts based on those limitations. But according to the gospel, we are capable of anything God says is ours to do and to be.
Natural-based thinking will limit us to doing life according to the flesh as opposed to the Spirit, and that leads us to desire to only measure ourselves based on morality standards and with comparison to others. If we are a good boy or girl compared to most, we think we must be walking with God. But such thinking is very off base with the truth of the gospel. The gospel is not about being good boys and girls strictly in a moral sense. It is about being supernatural children of the living God equipped by the Holy Spirit to be and to do according to His good pleasure. It transcends merely being morally astute and on point. It goes further to the place of His divine purpose for our lives, fueled by His supernatural power at work in us in the person of the Holy Spirit.
You can go to church every Sunday, sing the songs with feeling, pray the prayers, and search the Scriptures in a powerless reality. When the reality of the gospel and the promise of the Holy Spirit are left off the table, all you are left with is religious practices meant to make you feel better about yourself but powerless to affect change on this earth. God gives power! Jesus offers us power! He intends that we affect things in the direction of His will. Powerless Christianity is dangerous; it is like a useless drug that prevents those under its spell from gaining any real advantage from the operation of the Holy Spirit and the power that He brings with Him. Powerless Christianity cannot truly bring anyone to the place of realizing the will of God for their lives with the awareness that even though it is bigger than they are, they are enabled to embrace it with confidence and faith, assured of success based on the help of the Holy Spirit. We need His power! Many need to break off the shackles of powerless Christianity and step into the supernatural reality where they are empowered by the Holy Spirit to do and to be.
Drunk?
Ever been mistaken as being drunk?
When I was around nine or ten, I remember riding with my family from Indiantown, Florida, to Stuart, Florida. Along the way, my dad pulled over and picked up three hitchhiking young people: two girls and one boy. The boy had a strange-sounding cough. I still remember that after my dad let them out, he commented how they must be on dope. He said that the boy’s cough wasn’t a sick cough but rather a cough someone develops when they are smoking dope. He also deduced that their behavior and language were that of young people smoking pot. He never asked them if they were on drugs or smoking pot. He just assumed so based on what he had observed about them.
I remember one time responding to an emergency involving my mother. She was staggering around and saying things that made her come across as being delusional. Her neighbors were accusing her of drinking too much and being drunk. Once I got her to the hospital, she was diagnosed as being severely dehydrated and low on sodium. They immediately put her on an I.V. within a couple of hours, she was normal again. The assumptions of her neighbors based on the behavior they witnessed could not have been more wrong. She had not been drinking.
The wrong assumption issue has been around for a long time. The first disciples of Jesus experienced it on the day of Pentecost. The Holy Spirit came as promised by Jesus at the appointed time and had manifested to them, on them, and in them. After all John the Baptist had declared clearly that Jesus would baptize with the Holy Ghost and fire. One of the manifestations of the Holy Spirit that day was cloven tongues of fire resting on each one of their heads. The second manifestation was them praising God in other tongues, which I believe were heavenly tongues.
Acts 2:1 When the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. 2 And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. 3 Then there appeared to them divided tongues, as of fire, and one sat upon each of them. 4 And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.
At this time, people from many other regions and places were present in the area, and they heard the praises of God being spoken in their native tongue. This, to me, was the Holy Spirit gifting them with the interpretation of tongues. When that happens, a heavenly language is heard as if it were your native language. But what I find interesting here is what some said mocking this event.
Acts 2:13 Others mocking said, “They are full of new wine.”
There’s that common occurrence of blaming drunk. Sometimes, when there is a manifestation of the power of the Holy Spirit, people behave differently than they normally would. Have you ever been so happy it made you giddy? Have you ever seen a child get the giggles just because they were experiencing a happy moment that overwhelmed them? We refer to these manifestations as uncommon behavior. This often occurs when the Holy Spirit fills and overflows a believer in Jesus. I call it being overwhelmed with the joy of the Lord and saturated with the oil of gladness. They are not drunk but could easily be accused of being so simply because they act differently than they normally would, and with good reason. When the Holy Spirit comes upon us in overwhelming measure, we powerfully experience the goodness of God and often receive revelations concerning Him that spark gladness and rejoicing within and without. It often unveils the love of Jesus to us in a tangible manner.
I’ve had such experiences in my journey with Christ, and I can testify that I have sometimes felt so at ease, so carefree, so at peace, and so full of joy. I sometimes found it hard not to feel weak in my knees and just laugh and giggle and rejoice in Jesus. I wasn’t drunk on an alcoholic beverage and was not on a drug. But I am sure someone who does not know any better might assume I was. Drunk? Not as one might suppose, overwhelmed with goodness and power? Absolutely! I will never want to be afraid of being overwhelmed by the Holy Spirit, as each time I have experienced it, I have come away from that encounter transformed by a revelation of Christ I did not before possess. I want to be being filled always!
The Holy Spirit And Miracles
Do you have the Holy Spirit and miracles?
The idea of not earning favor and experiencing the benefit of wonderful things is very foreign to us in the natural. Under the system of this world good things are earned and require diligent effort and sacrifice to obtain.
Whether we like it or not, we often carry this ideology into the kingdom when we are born again. Our minds are not instantaneously and totally renewed to agree with the ways of God and of His kingdom. We need to hear Him speak and have our minds washed with the water of His word.
Take, for instance, the availability of the Holy Spirit and the blessing of miracles. Many in churches believe this is obtained by way of sacrifice and diligence. They are, for whatever reason, unaware of what it says in the Scriptures about this.
Galatians 3:1 Oh, foolish Galatians! Who has cast an evil spell on you? For the meaning of Jesus Christ’s death was made as clear to you as if you had seen a picture of his death on the cross. 2 Let me ask you this one question: Did you receive the Holy Spirit by obeying the law of Moses? Of course not! You received the Spirit because you believed the message you heard about Christ. 3 How foolish can you be? After starting your new lives in the Spirit, why are you now trying to become perfect by your own human effort? 4 Have you experienced so much for nothing? Surely, it was not in vain, was it?
5 I ask you again, does God give you the Holy Spirit and work miracles among you because you obey the law? Of course not! It is because you believe the message you heard about Christ.
Paul is clearly instructing these believers to return to the foundation of faith that first brought them the experience of the power of transformation and the Holy Spirit working among them.
I did not have it all together when I was baptized in the Holy Spirit. I was still unaware of some things, and bit by bit, He was working them out of my life. There are still things He reveals and removes from me to this day, and he replaces them with what is Christ-like and kingdom-based. But amazingly, He was and is still powerfully moving in and through my life.
The gift of the Spirit is not a law-based conditional matter. As long as someone is born again and believes they can receive what was promised by the Father, they will receive it. Belief is the key.
When Paul says the meaning of Christ’s death was made clear to them, He is saying they were made to understand they did nothing to earn anything from God. Jesus did it all at the cross. He took their sin at the cross and gave them His righteousness. Our receiving from God all the things promised are premised on this foundation of work accomplished by Christ. Nothing is received based on keeping the law of Moses. False teachers had ventured into Galatia and were teaching that in order to complete their salvation, they needed to keep the Law of Moses. They were being deceived into embracing false instructions, which hindered their continuing transformation according to the work of the Holy Spirit.
When we get back to the real gospel, the right gospel, the Holy Spirit is free to work in and through us as He wishes. We then get to experience all that He brings with Him. Miracles, healing, gifts of the Spirit, revelation concerning Jesus, and so much more are a part of the package. Believing the right gospel is the key to it all. Faith in Jesus, as it is meant to be, unlocks everything Heaven offers. Heaven has been open since the cross, but it seems closed to those who doubt that Christ took care of everything for us. The law will strengthen doubt every time. Look to the cross and understand what was done on it by Jesus. Believe He completed the work needed, and it is applied to you. Then, let your faith come alive to receive all the Holy Spirit is and desires to do in and through you!
It Is Finished
Are you convinced you are complete?
Have you ever had a debt paid in full by someone else? I mean, they learned that you were in trouble and unable to pay a bill that had gotten behind, and they just took care of it and cleared it for you?
Jesus paid a debt we could not pay. Jesus cleared us of all wrongdoing. Jesus made us into something we had never been before, and Jesus established us in a right relationship with God the Father. Jesus did all this for us. We did not do anything to earn any of it.
Colossians 2:6 And now, just as you accepted Christ Jesus as your Lord, you must continue to follow Him. 7 Let your roots grow down into Him, and let your lives be built on Him. Then your faith will grow strong in the truth you were taught, and you will overflow with thankfulness. 8 Don’t let anyone capture you with empty philosophies and high-sounding nonsense that come from human thinking and from the spiritual powers of this world, rather than from Christ. 9 For in Christ lives all the fullness of God in a human body. 10 So you also are complete through your union with Christ, who is the head over every ruler and authority. 11 When you came to Christ, you were “circumcised,” but not by a physical procedure. Christ performed a spiritual circumcision—the cutting away of your sinful nature. 12 For you were buried with Christ when you were baptized. And with Him you were raised to new life because you trusted the mighty power of God, who raised Christ from the dead. 13 You were dead because of your sins and because your sinful nature was not yet cut away. Then God made you alive with Christ, for He forgave all our sins. 14 He canceled the record of the charges against us and took it away by nailing it to the cross. 15 In this way, He disarmed the spiritual rulers and authorities. He shamed them publicly by his victory over them on the cross.
If anyone tries to say that what Jesus did for us is not quite enough and that we need to come under the law to make certain it is complete, they are teaching error.
Galatians 2:17 But suppose we seek to be made right with God through faith in Christ and then we are found guilty because we have abandoned the law. Would that mean Christ has led us into sin? Absolutely not! 18 Rather, I am a sinner if I rebuild the old system of law I already tore down. 19 For when I tried to keep the law, it condemned me. So I died to the law—I stopped trying to meet all its requirements—so that I might live for God. 20 My old self has been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So I live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. 21 I do not treat the grace of God as meaningless. For if keeping the law could make us right with God, then there was no need for Christ to die.
What Jesus has done took care of everything required to make us the very righteousness of God and put us in right relationship with God. We are at our clearest, purest best when we stand in faith in what Jesus has done and trust fully in Him for all that is required to be right with God. When Jesus said from the cross, “It is finished,” He wasn’t speaking metaphorically. It was literal. Some get nervous about this kind of teaching. They have more confidence in self-management based on keeping the law and moral initiatives than they do in the supernatural work of Christ. Thus it makes them uncomfortable to hear such things as what I am saying here. But there is no denying the power of God on display in Christ at the cross and in His resurrection and ascension!
We are complete in Jesus! Jesus eliminated the ability of the powers and principalities to shame us and condemn us by taking the charges against us due to the law and its perfection, and He nailed those charges on His cross, taking them upon Himself on our behalf. He took them out of the way, and by doing so, He disarmed our enemies! We need to become more aware of what Jesus did than we are of what we are doing. We need to be more persuaded of the completeness of His work than we are of our ability to undo it. We need to take to heart what He spoke from the cross when He declared, “It is finished.” I encourage you to rest your hope on the fact that it is finished, and in Christ, you are complete.
Not A Stranger
How well do you know Him?
There have been many people over the years that I have met, but I could not tell you a lot about them except for what I have been told about them. I did not spend time with them, getting to know them, having vulnerable conversations, sharing laughs and dreams, and recounting experiences together.
I might have been introduced to them by someone, but without spending time with them, I cannot say much about their likes, dislikes, dreams, aspirations, experiences, etc. In such a case, that person is more of an acquaintance than a close friend.
When it comes to an acquaintance, one can say yes, I’ve met them, but it would be deceptive to carry on as though they knew them well. An acquaintance may not be a stranger, but they aren’t very much above one.
I say all this because of something Jesus said,
John 10:25 Jesus answered them, “I told you, and you do not believe. The works that I do in My Father’s name, they bear witness of Me. 26 But you do not believe, because you are not of My sheep, as I said to you. 27 My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. 28 And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand. 29 My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of My Father’s hand. 30 I and My Father are one.”
When someone doesn’t believe it is evidence, they are not one of His sheep. As a result, they will struggle with the truth concerning Jesus. Another characteristic of not being one of His sheep is not hearing His voice and thus refusing to follow Him.
I love the promise that is attached to being a sheep. Sheep have eternal life, sheep will never perish, and no one can snatch a sheep away from Jesus, nor can they snatch them away from God. In other words, Jesus’ sheep are very secure! Jesus is not a stranger to His sheep!
John 10:14 I am the good shepherd; and I know My sheep, and am known by My own. 15 As the Father knows Me, even so I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep.
To a true believer, Jesus is not an acquaintance. He is a friend, a Shepherd, a Lord, a Savior, a Deliverer, and definitely not a stranger. Jesus did not give His life on the cross to occupy the role of acquaintance in our lives. He desires intimacy, closeness, involvement, and the ability to speak to us regularly to lead us, instruct us in His ways, and reveal the unlimited goodness of His character and nature to us. The ministry of the Holy Spirit in our lives is to reveal Jesus to us and eliminate the sense of His being a stranger.
Jesus’ endurance on the cross and His suffering its shame were not so He might be a stranger. There’s no joy in being a stranger or mere acquaintance in the life of someone you place a value on. Jesus was all about a full-on, wide-open, rich, and complete relationship with Himself and with the Father. He desires to be known, and He knows those that are His. He hasn’t made it difficult to know Him. He pioneered the way for this and made it as simple as believing. It is by grace through faith in Him that we are brought near. Jesus is no stranger to those who truly believe. He is always near and present and very real, and His voice is not foreign or weird. He made all this possible by His sacrifice made for us. I encourage that we take full advantage of what He has made possible and enjoy the intimacy so freely offered to every sheep of His pasture. Enjoy Him today and always.
Good Stewardship
What are you doing with what you’ve been given?
In His goodness, God has seen to it that each of His children receives gifts. The Father gave us gifts in Romans 12, which we refer to as motivational gifts; the Holy Spirit gives gifts in 1 Corinthians 12, which are referred to as spiritual gifts, and then the Son gives gifts to the church in Ephesians 4, which are the equipping gifts. In other words, we are very well-gifted as followers of Jesus Christ. God has not withheld anything from us.
So what are we to do with these gifts?
1 Peter 4:10 As each one has received a gift, minister it to one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.
To have a gift and not minister it to others is to reject the calling of a good steward. God, by His grace, gave us gifts for a purpose. To withhold these gifts from blessing others is to ignore the calling of stewarding the grace we received.
By His grace, He gave us gifts. We do not earn these gifts. These gifts are truly gifts.
But these gifts are given with purpose. They are not given to us as individuals for selfish purposes.
They are given to add to our abundance of grace so that we have something to give to others.
“Such as I have give I unto you.” You cannot offer to others what you do not know you possess.
But here, it is made clear that every believer possesses a gift of some kind from God. We have all received grace.
Grace kept to ourselves is wrong stewardship. Grace generously on display towards others is proper stewardship. In other words, we did nothing to merit the gift of His grace, and we shouldn’t expect others to perform to get it. God wants to minister to others through us according to the gift we were given.
Do you know your gift? Better yet, do you know the gift that you are to others?
There’s no such thing as a bankrupt believer in Jesus. It isn’t possible that God would leave out even one of His dearly loved children. he does not have trouble knowing who belongs to Him, and he does not suffer memory loss when dispensing gifts to His children. You have a gift, and you are a gift for the benefit of others.
Hebrews 13:20 Now may the God of peace—who brought up from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great Shepherd of the sheep, and ratified an eternal covenant with his blood—21 may he equip you with all you need for doing his will. May he produce in you, through the power of Jesus Christ, every good thing that is pleasing to him. All glory to him forever and ever! Amen.
I pray you will be encouraged to be a good steward of the gift you have received and that many will be blessed, enriched, and encouraged in their journey in Christ because of it.
What About My Body?
Does your body matter?
Does what I do in my body matter to God?
If my righteousness comes from faith in Christ alone, why should I care about my body and what happens in it and to it?
Should I consider it important to take care of my body?
What would taking care of my body look like?
To help with these questions, I recall a moment when I was very young. I had a friend who had a Starsky and Hutch-styled Gran Torino. He let me borrow it to go somewhere. He was so proud of that car. The tire tread was not too great on it, as he had been doing burnouts. It had begun to rain, and while making a right turn, I gave it too much fuel, lost control, and hit a small earthen bank on the side of the road. I had no job to pay for it at the time, so I had to give him my stereo system to try to compensate for it. That car was special to him. It was his. He bought and paid for it. So, for me to take it out and damage it was grievous to him.
When I got my first car, I began to understand the importance of caring for what is mine. The Bible refers to such behavior as stewardship. In stewardship matters, we realize that something does not belong to us; another owns it, but we are given management. This is how we are advised to think of our bodies. While the body is not all-important, it still carries much significance with God.
1 Corinthians 6:12 All things are lawful for me, but all things are not helpful. All things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any. 13 Foods for the stomach and the stomach for foods, but God will destroy both it and them. Now the body is not for sexual immorality but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body. 14 And God both raised up the Lord and will also raise us up by His power.
Who is the body for? According to this truth shared here, the body is for the Lord. That means the body is not in charge of all its appetites and desires. It is to be kept in check so that it can serve the purposes of God. For all who have come to Christ in faith for a new life, their bodies become the temple of the Living God, and God now inhabits our bodies. This is why it goes further to say,
1 Corinthians 6:18 Flee sexual immorality. Every sin that a man does is outside the body, but he who commits sexual immorality sins against his own body. 19 Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? 20 For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s.
Sexual sin is against the body. It is akin to someone borrowing a good friend’s new car and then intentionally going out and bashing it into things to damage it, diminish its image, and affect its performance.
It is indeed your body, but it is equally true that it is the temple of God. God lives in you. Therefore, he desires that we steward the body we have been given well. It is meant to be for His service, and to do that, it needs to be cared for and treated with respect. It is not given the first place of attention in life. But it is not disregarded as having no significance at all. For this reason, I do not wish to use my body carelessly or treat it as though it has no importance. To maintain my body with integrity, I must change my view of it to match what God has said concerning it. Our body matters. You only get one during this temporary life on Earth. I say let’s treat it well, make sure it is capable of accomplishing His will for us, and function as optimally as possible without the hindrances of reckless living. What say you? What about your body?
God With Us
Feeling alone?
Matthew 1:23 “Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,” which is translated, “God with us.”
The idea is simple. The presence of God is here and now with the believer. Jesus did not suffer and die the way He did so that we would only have hope in one day being in the presence of God.
Jesus secured the presence of God here and now for us in our daily lives.
John 1:16 And of His fullness we have all received, and grace for grace.
I love that the word received is used in the past tense here. It is not used in a future-on-the-horizon way. It is put in the past tense, indicating it is done, and the realization of it is now.
This here-and-now reality of His fullness, which is His presence, was made possible when we received favor from God to get the favor of God.
Sometimes, when I listen to someone speak about God, it is as if I am listening to closet deists. Their language mirrors that of a distant God but will one day show up again and be close. Any language that comes across as anything other than a God who is present and very involved in the lives of His children is false and full of error.
Jesus secured the closeness, the intense involvement, and the profound privilege of intimacy with God for us forever. He took away the separation and distance that once existed.
Ephesians 2:13 But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.
We are not brought near by anything that we do. We were brought near, and we kept near through what Jesus did. It is by faith that we enter into a relationship with God, and by faith, we remain fully aware of the ongoing relationship with God.
Hebrews 13:5 Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”
Jesus promised never to leave us nor ever to forsake us. He has bound Himself to us in His love. He has imparted new life to us; He has committed Himself to be faithful even when we are found to be faithless.
2 Timothy 2:13 If we are faithless, He remains faithful; He cannot deny Himself.
Christ in us the hope of glory! God is with us! He is presently intentionally, committedly, and faithfully with us! Once you come to Christ, you can never be alone again. God is with you!
Demonstration Of The Spirit And Of Power
What do you rely on?
1 Corinthians 2:2 For I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified. 3 I was with you in weakness, in fear, and in much trembling. 4 And my speech and my preaching were not with persuasive words of human wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, 5 that your faith should not be in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.
From what I am reading here, the most brilliant of the apostles, educationally speaking, refused to put any confidence in persuasive words of human wisdom. Instead, he felt it was important to rely on the Holy Spirit, and that reliance came with demonstration.
This would not have been all that interesting had he not used the word demonstration. It is a Greek word that means manifestation or demonstration. It comes from a root Greek word that means to prove, to show off, set forth.
In the natural, Paul was weak among them and afraid, so much so that he was trembling. In other words, this well-accomplished man was without confidence in his flesh to step up to the plate and make anything happen.
According to Paul, his preaching was nothing remarkable, and his speech lacked something. Paul was not a pulpiteer. He was not someone who could blow your mind with his handling of words when speaking. I marvel that this did not bother Paul. Instead, it worked in his favor because it meant that if people were to get anything worthwhile from his ministry, they would have to experience the demonstration of the Holy Spirit and of power.
Why would Paul rejoice in such a thing? Why would he not rather be better understood intellectually?
He gives us the answer to this question. He wanted their faith to be in the power of God as opposed to the wisdom of men—my how we have this backward in our day and time. Today, the purpose is to be intellectually understood and a pulpiteer with such prowess that we can entertain and hold the attention of those listening. If someone stands before a congregation in an unassuming way and speaks in trembling, many would lose their attention span in a hurry. But in Paul’s case, this was a plus. It meant God would have to show up and substantiate the truth Paul was speaking. It meant the people would not be mesmerized by Paul’s excellent word skills but rather captivated by God’s power and the Holy Spirit’s demonstration.
Today, the quest for the wisdom of men to become a minister of the gospel is like a contagious disease. Many would prefer to be polished more than be a weak vessel demonstrating His power.
In the quest to see hearts established in Christ according to the working of His Mighty Power, then His presence must have center stage, and reliance upon the Holy Spirit is not merely icing on the cake; it is an essential ingredient to seeing the work of God taking root in the lives of Christ’s disciples. I am not convinced there is too much demonstration of the Spirit and of Power in the churches today. I believe there is a great need for more of it. It is my prayer to be used as Paul was used and not to fall into the snare of self-confidence based on my handling of the truth but rather to be reliant on the Holy Spirit all the more! Without the working of His mighty power, hearts are not readily changed, and people are not aptly equipped for the work of the ministry. Holy Spirit, we need You to be the One who produces fruit for His kingdom through our partnering with You! There is no revelation or understanding without Your power, and there is no evidence of presence without a demonstration of Your activity among us. Please move and reveal Jesus as only You can!
Wrong Emphasis
What is most important about the gospel?
Whenever the emphasis of something is changed, it redirects attention.
One of the greatest distractions is redirecting attention in a way that seems right and good but redirects a person’s attention away from the most important thing.
It’s akin to needing a reliable vehicle, but the salesman you are dealing with keeps drawing your attention to cosmetic details and away from the noise you hear under the hood while running. You need this car for traveling, so mechanical reliability is a must, but the salesman is artfully distracting you from disturbing engine noises to the beauty of the ride itself. He is not lying to you; he is telling you the truth; the car is beautiful, the bodywork is great, the paint job is great, and it looks good going down the road with you in it, but that is not your primary concern. The primary need is reliability mechanically.
I use this illustration to highlight the need to get the gospel right. When a true but misplaced emphasis is placed on the reason for the gospel, it distracts from its highest aim and purpose.
That is why multitudes in many places worldwide think the gospel is merely about getting to heaven. While it is true that faith in the gospel will render the promise of heaven, that is not the primary aim of the gospel. The highest goal of salvation is not a mansion in heaven.
Jesus did not allow Himself to be beaten and then bleed and die on the cross so that we could get the keys to our mansion in heaven.
2 Corinthians 5:18 Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation, 19 that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation.
The high goal of the gospel is the work of reconciliation to God. The emphasis of the gospel is meant to be a relationship with God. Unfortunately, in many circles, it has become other lesser important matters.
Jesus endured the cross, suffering the shame for the joy that was set before Him. What joy? The joy of reconciling man to God. The joy of a restored intimacy between God and man. The joy of being one in unity and experiencing the beauty of being one with God. The joy of bringing many sons into glory!
The presence of God is the glory glory of God. To be in His presence is to be in His glory. We have been invited into the very fullness of God through the love of Christ.
Ephesians 3:14 For this reason I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, 15 from whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, 16 that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man, 17 that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, 18 may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height— 19 to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.
The gospel’s emphasis is far more than just escaping judgment, getting a pass into heaven, and having the keys to a mansion there. The real ultimate goal of the gospel is to reconcile us to God in unhindered fellowship so we might behold His glory by partaking in His presence and be filled with all His fullness. This is what Jesus died, rose from the dead, and then ascended into heaven to provide. If we get the emphasis of the gospel wrong, we tend to miss out on some glorious perks here and now that are meant to equip and empower us to be His ambassadors to our generation.
2Corinthians 5:20 Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ’s behalf, be reconciled to God.
New Creation
Born again?
When I was young, I played a lot of baseball. I was a pitcher and a shortstop. I got to be a pitcher for one reason only. I could throw strikes. The coach did not care how fast I could throw the ball or how much junk I could put on a throw. All he wanted was a pitcher who could throw strikes across the plate. Had I been able to throw it hard and fast and with all kinds of movement on it but not throw strikes, he would not have put me on the mound.
That was a single-minded coach who knew exactly what he was looking for. It would have done me no good to bring a lot of other stuff to try out. The coach knew what he was looking for. That’s what today’s passage reminds me of.
Galatians 6:15 For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision avails anything, but a new creation.
God knows what He is looking for. God knows exactly what interests Him. God is not double-minded about this either.
Eternal life is not about what I bring to the table. It is about what God does. Either I have believed in Jesus and become a New Creation supernaturally by the work of the Holy Spirit, or I haven’t. The number of years I have spent going to church, attending Sunday School, going on short-term mission trips, reading my Bible, attending vacation Bible school, or participating in any other religious exercise will never be used by God to determine my legitimacy spiritually.
God is only interested in my birthright. He is interested in what species I am. He is looking for His DNA in me. What matters to God is whether or not I have been born again from above. He is looking to see if I have Christ living in me. He is looking to see if I have been hidden with Christ in God. He is looking to see if I am seated in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus.
I could do everything else right, and it would not be enough. Because what I do is not what makes a New Creation. I have no supernatural power to make myself alive unto God. I cannot will myself into being a New Creation in Christ. Paul, as an apostle, knew this all too well. He had been super zealous for God; he had been a Pharisee of Pharisees; he had been devoted to the law, and he had a strong commitment to holiness and all the important things. But he discovered that all those supposed accomplishments meant nothing to God. Paul considered them worthless in comparison to knowing Jesus intimately.
The only way anyone can know Jesus intimately is to start with being born again and becoming a New Creation with Christ’s DNA. Imposters will not be welcomed. They will not be able to deceive their way in. A person is either genuinely born again, and a New Creation in Christ, or they are not.
2 Corinthians 5:17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.
There’s no mistaking this event. A person knows when they have become new in Christ. It is a supernatural reality that forever changes who they are on the inside and works its way out of them as they grow in Christ. God relates with New Creations, not religious devotees. God deals with New Creations, not merely good people who try their hardest to better themselves. It’s all about New Creations with God.
Because Of Him
What makes you different?
In the Marvel Superhero comic and movie series, Iron Man is a superhero created by scientist Tony Stark. It is a super high-tech metal and mechanical suit that the scientist gets in, enabling him to do extraordinary things. In the suit, he can fly, has superhuman strength, can shoot rockets and flares, and has a super high-tech onboard computer AI friend named Jarvis, giving him real-time information and fulfilling commands. Outside the suit, he is just Tony Stark, a scientist and multi-billionaire. He’d lose a fight fairly easily, But he becomes invincible in the suit. It makes for a good fiction storyline entertaining for young and old alike.
But there’s something in this storyline that, as believers, we should take note of. You see, without Christ, we are just whoever we are with whatever talents and abilities we have been blessed to possess, and some come out below average, some right at it, and others a little above it, and so on. But no matter where we land on the scales of human achievement, the glory is fleeting, and the ability to stay in that place is temporary.
You can choose to be remembered for your natural achievements in this life and enjoy the accolades for them, or you can set your goal for the accolades of heaven and eternity by determining you will put on Christ and stand in His accomplishments as opposed to your own.
1Corinthians 1:27 But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty; 28 and the base things of the world and the things which are despised God has chosen, and the things which are not, to bring to nothing the things that are, 29 that no flesh should glory in His presence. 30 But of Him you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God—and righteousness and sanctification and redemption— 31 that, as it is written, “He who glories, let him glory in the LORD.”
Unlike Ironman, Jesus, the supernatural Lord and Savior who reigns over all and has been given all authority in heaven and here on earth, steps into our human suit and performs miraculous things throughout our lives. Because of Christ, we become something that never existed on this earth until He came and made it possible. Now, we who believe have been made into something supernatural, a new species, a new creation equipped to house the all-powerful person of the Holy Spirit and to be a dwelling for Christ Himself so He might work through us to accomplish His purposes here on this earth.
We who were nothing ordinary human beings like everyone else at one point in time have now been brought near and made new by Jesus Christ and the work of His blood at the cross, and we are now something and someone extraordinary because of Him. So, it is not something we can boast about, as though we did something to attain it on our own. It is purely a gift, and all glorying belongs to Him.
I love how it says in the passage, Jesus became for us, wisdom from God-and righteousness and sanctification and redemption! Because of Him, I am holy! Because of Him, I am accepted! Because of Him, I am a new creation! Because of Him, I have the Holy Spirit living in me and filling me with His power. Because of Him, I can do all things! Because of Him, I already have everything pertaining to life and godliness! Because of Him, I can make a positive difference in the lives of others. Because of Him, I have peace, joy, love, and a sound mind.
It might appear that on the human scale of things, you are nothing, but when someone comes to Jesus and is born again, they become a new creation fitted for the outpouring of the Holy Spirit who empowers them to become who God says they are and to do all that God desires for them to do. Why? So that Jesus may receive glory for His great accomplishment at the cross, raising from the dead, and ascending on high triumphantly over all His enemies. It is all because of Him! Let Him make you into who He says He wants you to be so that all your boasting is in Him and because of Him.
The Exceeding Greatness Of His Power
Do you know the power at work in you?
I like to let the Holy Spirit highlight passages to me and then lead me in a time of meditation upon them until I sense I am seeing something that was once hidden from my vision. I want to do more than just read them. I want to own them. I want them to become a part of me.
Here’s this morning’s consideration. It is the prayer of a mighty apostle of Jesus crying out to God for the believers at Ephesus.
Ephesians 1:17 that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him, 18 the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, 19 and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power 20 which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, 21 far above all principality and power and might and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in that which is to come.
Paul’s desire here is not that believers will possess intellectual knowledge of Scripture. He wants them to have the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Jesus! He wants them to experience what Christ knows and to know Christ very intimately. He wants their intimate knowledge of Christ to increase all the more.
He goes on to detail what this would look like.
The eyes of your understanding being enlightened? Why? So that you may know something important!
It is important that you know the hope of His calling. Apart from His calling, you and I are no different than anyone else. But when you put the hope of His calling into place, it separates us unto Him and His purpose and gives us importance for our time here on earth. It sets us apart from others and gives us meaning beyond ourselves. It is important to know this.
It is also important that we know what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints. Jesus has an inheritance in the saints that it is important for us to know about. This inheritance is filled with the riches of glory! When the saints are together in unity of purpose to Tabernacle with God in their fellowshipping together, there is a riches of the glory experienced and released. These riches of the glory are reserved for the saints, not individuals alone. Certain things are meant to be experienced only when we are together. Paul desired that we know and understand this.
Then, we are brought to this amazing promise of possibility and opportunity. To know what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, far above all principality and power and might and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the age to come.
This is huge! This is so incredibly important, yet sadly, so little is it meditated upon. When we were born again, the supernatural power of Christ made us into something that had never existed. We became New Creations in Christ! This is a work that requires His mighty power. He made us into something brand new. His greatest display of power is this new creation work, which was exhibited towards us who believe! If you think it took much power to raise Jesus from the dead, then consider this fact. It took the same amount of power to make you and I a new creation in Christ!
The same power that it took to raise Jesus from the dead, then to seat Him at the right hand of God in the heavenly places, and then to make certain Jesus is far above all principalities and powers and might and dominion not just in the here and now but for all eternity, that same power was and is at work in us who believe! Jesus, who is the expression of that power, the owner of that power, the authority of such power, is living in those who believe! We have not been shortchanged or had anything kept back from us that belongs to Christ Jesus and is part of the inheritance of the saints. But we cannot take advantage of what we do not know we have in Him.
Suppose you do not meditate and let the Holy Spirit illuminate your understanding and revelation. In that case, you will read right past this amazing prayer of Paul and all that it reveals regarding the exceeding greatness of His power at work in you! There’s something at work in you that can redefine your whole existence and elevate your purpose to such a degree that nothing can hold you back. It is all discovered in knowing Jesus for who He is and for all He has done. Not just knowing about Him, but truly knowing Him and understanding the scope of all He has done! It is truly incredible to get into and explore, and I challenge and encourage you to do so. Ask the Holy Spirit to open your spiritual eyes and heart to see and to know as Paul prayed.
Small Thinking
How do you see yourself?
As a dad, whenever I would tell one of my kids what they were capable of, and they questioned me as though I was crazy, it was unpleasant. I knew they could do far more than they realized, and I desired that they experience more and realize their fullest potential. To do that, they would need to believe what I told them and be able to imagine themselves as capable according to what I was saying to them. If not, they could never realize the possibilities and opportunities before them.
What would have the power to hinder them would be their small thinking resulting from rejecting a more reliable and objective source’s opinion and words outside themselves.
This happens a lot to believers in Christ regarding calling and spiritual possibilities. It happens even more regularly when small thinking is allowed to be equated with humility in some way. When someone adapts the idea that by thinking small, they are being humble and pleasing God, it can set up a roadblock in their imagination that hinders the flow of faith for just how far the Holy Spirit wants to take them in their calling and purpose.
God does not make us do what He desires for us to do. We are invited into the purpose He has called us to. God is at work in us both to will and do for God’s good pleasure, which is true. At work in us in the operative key here. But we must bring our faith and submission to His call.
Philippians 2:13 for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure. 14 Do all things without complaining and disputing, 15 that you may become blameless and harmless, children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, 16 holding fast the word of life, so that I may rejoice in the day of Christ that I have not run in vain or labored in vain.
You can be placed in a situation where you receive an abundance of spiritual equipping for faith and practice and still end up not fulfilling what God has specifically for you due to small thinking.
In his first encounter with God (Exodus 4), Moses stumbled over this matter of small thinking. He argued with God about his perceived insufficiencies despite God demonstrating supernaturally how He would equip Moese for what He asked him to do.
God anointed the shepherd’s staff in Moses’ hands to be an instrument of demonstration of the authority Moses was being given to do what he was being asked to do, but Moses was allowing his low opinion of himself to interfere with what God was instructing him. So Moses debated with God concerning His choice of using him. Moses argued why God might be mistakenly asking him to go to Pharoah and the children of Israel.
Whenever God speaks to our hearts and reveals His desires, it means that if we allow our imaginations to embrace what he says so that we see it in our imagination to prepare ourselves for action, we can do whatever He has asked us to do. But suppose we allow ourselves to think it is humble to debate with God as though He could not possibly know our limitations and lack of abilities and, therefore, has missed it in selecting us. In that case, we will hinder the flow of obedience in faith.
God never asks us to partner with Him without equipping us for the task and resourcing us accordingly. He does not call us based on what we bring to the table regarding talents, skills, and abilities in the natural. He calls us according to His divine power and ability to empower us and enable us to be and to do according to His good pleasure.
Humility is best defined as agreeing with God in everything He reveals to be true, both in His word and in His speaking to our hearts. Humility should not be defined as small thinking on our part. Humility should be seen as relying on God to speak to us and to show us what we are truly capable of when we walk with Him in full assurance of faith according to what He desires of us in this life. It allows Him to awaken our imaginations to all that is possible in Christ Jesus according to the flow of the Holy Spirit in our lives.
Do you know what God desires from you? Has He tried to reveal it and encountered a debate with you about it? Did you question whether it was God because it seemed bigger than you see yourself capable of being? Do not measure it based on who you think yourself to be, but rather see it based on who He is and what He is capable of in your life. Reject small thinking and let God be God in your life.