Sunday, December 31, 2017
Sunday, December 24, 2017
Are you Spirit-Filled?
SPIRIT-FILLED BELIEVERS
SPIRIT-FILLED BELIEVERS – Have you ever thought of yourself as an “artesian well” for Jesus? Probably not. But if you are obeying Paul’s command to continually “be filled with the Spirit.” (Ephesians 5:18–note), you are functioning spiritually much like an artesian well functions geophysically! How so? Paul reminded Timothy “You have not been given a spirit of fear but of power and love and sound mind.” (2 Ti 1:7–note). The word for “power” is dunamis which gives us our English words dynamo, dynamic, etc. Dunamis speaks of power which is residing in believers by virtue of our new nature – new creations in Christ (2 Cor 5:17–note). The “effecting Agent” of that power is of course the Holy Spirit (Acts 1:8–note) Who dwells in us now and forever throughout eternity! (1 Cor 3:16, John 14:16) Hallelujah! Paul was telling Timothy in essence “you are to live this new life in Christ not in dependence on your own natural strength, but in dependence on the power (dunamis) provided by the Spirit Who dwells in you!”
C H Spurgeon put it this way regarding our power versus God’s power:
Power in the creature is like water in the cistern.
Power in the Creator is like water in the fountain.
Spurgeon’s comment reminds me of the geophysical dynamics which give power to an artesian well (see diagram below). The artesian well flows freely because of the power of pressure from water at higher levels. What a practical picture of the power of the Holy Spirit flowing to us and through us “with power from on high.” (Luke 24:49).
What does an artesian well have to do in order to function effectively?
TWO THINGS:
(1) Stay low! Spiritually this is not even subtle – “God is opposed to (“stiff arms”) the proud, but gives grace (cp “Spirit of grace” in Heb 10:29–note) to the humble.” (James 4:6–note). So the message is “Stay humble!” Understand that in order to daily experience His power to live a supernatural life (e.g., to break the chains of addiction – Ro 6:11-note, Ro 7:6-note, Ro 8:13-note, to love our wife continually as Christ loved the Church – Eph 5:25-note, to continually let no unwholesome word proceed from our mouth – Eph 4:29-note, etc, etc), we have to continually humble ourselves under the mighty hand of God (1 Peter 5:6-note).
(2) Stay “open!” We have to allow the flow of the Spirit to keep flowing. Sin impedes the flow of the Spirit (grieves Him – Eph 4:30–note, quenches Him – 1Thes 5:19–note), so we need to be sensitive when we have offended Him by our thoughts, words or deeds, and we need to confess and repent (1John 1:9–note). Proverbs 28:13–note says “He who conceals his transgressions will not prosper, but he who confesses and forsakes (~”repents of”) them will find compassion.”
AND WHAT IS THE RESULT?
Amazing grace flows down from on high and as our Lord Jesus Christ promised, from our “innermost being shall flow rivers of living water” as the Spirit’s flow of power is unimpeded and unhindered! ( Jn 7:37-39–note).
Hudson Taylor, the great missionary to China, affirmed this axiomatic truth declaring
“Depend upon it. God’s work done in God’s way will never lack supplies. All God’s giants have been weak men (and women) who did great things for God because they reckoned on His being with them. God uses men (and women) who are weak and feeble enough to lean on Him.” (cp 2 Cor 12:9-10–note)
THIS BEGS TWO QUESTIONS:
(1) Am I daily leaning on Him, humbling myself before God, yielding myself to Him as a living and holy sacrifice (Romans 12:1–note), fully cognizant that it is not by my power or my might, but by His Spirit (Zech 4:6), that I will be enabled to live a supernatural, abundant life in Christ? (John 10:10)
(2) Am I “keeping short accounts?” We all sin daily, and just as we need to bathe daily to cleanse the dirt from our body, we need to confess daily to cleanse the sin from our soul. (cp John 13:10)
John promises that “if we walk in the light as He Himself is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin.” (1 John 1:7–note) Thank You Jesus!
We have not because we ask not (James 4:2)…
Brothers and sisters in Christ, in light of the growing spiritual darkness in America, the Church of Jesus Christ needs to experience a flowing river of Biblical Holy Spirit power!
So take a few minutes to allow God to move and ask Him in song to “Let the River Flow.”
Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen. (1 Timothy 1:17)
Recommendation: Check out our newly rebuilt website – Preceptaustin.org– which has the equivalent of over 50,000 “8 x 11 sized” pages of conservative, “Bibliocentric” resources (commentaries, sermons, verse by verse exposition, sermon illustrations, devotionals, etc).
Tuesday, December 19, 2017
Wednesday, December 6, 2017
Could the USA still fall?
Maybe, it all depends upon it's people. Or, have we crossed the line to no return? Read this fine article from Pastor Jeffries.
http://www.gospelherald.com/articles/71516/20171023/robert-jeffress-warns-americas-collapse-inevitable-implosion-coming.htm
Monday, December 4, 2017
Prayer for your Mind (Do not listen to the Lies in the World)
Heavenly Father,
We honor and bow to you this morning. We give you our deep heartfelt thanks for your love, your faithfulness, never leaving us. Always hearing us when we come to you. We love you Lord.
Your word reminds us that you have not given us a spirit of fear, but you have given us a spirit of power, love and a sound mind. So many times Lord, you have told us not to fear, not to worry but to trust in God! We choose to lean on you above all else. Above the worries and lies in the world, above what man says. We choose not to conform ourselves to what we hear in the media, we choose not to agree with their negative statements or propaganda. We choose to rest in you. We choose your perfect peace instead. We thank you for the renewing of our minds, so we can discern that which is right and good, we know your will. You have said that we have the mind of Christ. How we rejoice in this! We deliberately pull our minds up and choose to rest upon the grace that has been given to us and brought to us by the revelation of your son Jesus Christ. Thank you for your hope. We praise you with all of our spirit and souls oh Father!
We thank you for the power of your love! For it is this love that casts out all fear! We forgive any offenses that we see and hear and put down all anger and choose to seek you first. We choose not to even give them room in our minds or hearts. We choose life over death! We choose love and faith over fear and forgiveness over torment.
We thank you for your never-ending revelations of discernment given to those who love you. We thank you for your Word, for never giving up on us. We thank you for your strong arms, your insight, your word that will never pass away.
We ask Father that you would continue to renew our hearts and our minds. We ask that your word would continue to go deep down inside of us and give us your spirit of remembrance in time of meditation and need. Father, we ask in these times we would glorify your name. Oh Father your word says you are a Spirit. You are love. Help us to love in the way your Son does. Give us your strength to give ourselves with your power and might. To give with your love, to give unselfishly. Help us Father to put our priorities in proper order.
We choose to look at everything through your Spirit and Truth. With your help we will hear your voice in a clearer and more precise way. We willingly stir up the gifts that you have given to us inside as we continue to step out in faith, in your will. Thank you Father.
We thank you for sending many counselors our way to speak your direction and will. We ask that you would strengthen their hearts as they continue on in their journey.
We praise you for your Holy Spirit and the Comfort He continues to give to us and those we love. We ask that He never leave us. We ask that He would prepare us to be stronger for the battles up ahead. Thank you Father.
We choose to meditate upon those things that are just, pure, lovely, good report, virtue and those things that are praise worthy. We choose to put all lies, all propaganda, worldly affairs buried under our feet!
We deliberately choose to keep our minds totally stayed upon your goodness because we trust in you completely and accept your perfect peace.
We ask that you minister to all the gentle seeking hearts that have prayed this prayer and give them a renewed encouragement of hope, faith and love they need. Bring them up and out to be those mighty Warriors of Faith you have called them to be. Keep their families safe and fill their hearts with your joy, so they can glorify you wherever they go and whatever they do.
In Jesus I pray Amen
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