What does Holy Spirit Mean To Us?

God is spirit according to John 4:24:

24 God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.

 God has given us a gift of what he himself is. We receive the gift of holy spirit when we recognize Jesus Christ as Lord and believe God raised him up from death. It gives us access to the throne of God and his wonderful son. We become sons of God through the spirit.

So what does that mean? I Corinthians gives us some amazing information in  chapters12, 13, 14 and it is something God does not want us to ignorant about. We must understand how that spirit works in us.  The profit that result from our utilization of the gift manifests itself as we rely on God:

7 But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal. 

8 For to one (profit) is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom; to another(again referring to the profit and in all the rest of the list) the word of knowledge by the same Spirit; 9 To another faith by the same Spirit; to another the gifts of healing by the same Spirit; 10 To another the working of miracles; to another prophecy; to another discerning of spirits; to another divers kinds of tongues; to another the interpretation of tongues: 

11 But all these worketh that one and the selfsame Spirit, dividing to every man severally as he will. I Corinthians 12:8-11

How do these benefits profit us?:

1. Word of wisdom - it is no accident that this is listed first. God's wisdom supersedes all other wisdom.  We have access to that wisdom spiritually. God can inform us what to do about a given situation.
2. Word of knowledge -  It also applies to what is specifically going on around us. God can provide us knowledge about what is happening above what we know by our five senses.
3. Faith is our spiritual believing so necessary to enlist the power of God. Our minds may be shaky but our innermost being can rise to God's level of carrying out what seems impossible.
4. Gifts of healing - healing is a gift of God.  We are surrounded by things that man created that are not the best for our health. God is the true healer and can pull us out of whatever challenge we face.
5. Working of miracles - the energizing of things that happen that are beyond our natural man ability. When healing takes place instantaneously, working of miracles has been energized by God.
6. Prophecy - speaking forth the heart and word that God wants spoken. There are many examples of this in the Old Testament with individual men and women upon whom the spirit of God rested on.  There were even times in the Old Testament when the spirit rested upon others, not just the leaders (Numbers 11:25-29).  God's will is that he can communicate with any believer and that believer can speak forth the words of God. The New Testament provided this access.
7. Discerning of spirits- separating good from evil. God does not want us to be fooled.
8. Speaking in tongues- This refers to praying in the spirit. Sometimes we don't know what to pray for or maybe we don't have to know the details of what is going on. Maybe it is none of our business. We can still pray in the spirit. Praying is our business. Praying spiritually is so much easier than praying with our understanding sometimes.
9. Interpretation of tongues - when in a gathering, this explains what is spoken in a tongue so that all can be edified and built up.

God may give us a word of knowledge about something and then not tell us to do anything about it. Also, God doesn't have to give us information on everything. The important thing to understand is that he's the one who is the source and knows what is best.  Great lessons in life are learned when we rest in God's wisdom.  Our brains were designed by God and we can think. To see spiritually, which is to see things that are hidden behind what we see, we need the spirit of God informing us. Something may appear so wonderful on the surface, but God may show us something totally different.

In I Corinthians 14:1, Paul writes that we are to follow after the love of God (I Corinthians 13) and desire spiritual matters and especially that we may prophesy.  Speaking God's heart and word is what we all need. The gift of holy spirit is what inspires and reveals God's solutions.

7 As ye also learned of Epaphras our dear fellowservant, who is for you a faithful minister of Christ; 8 Who also declared unto us your love in the Spirit.9 For this cause we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to desire that ye might be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; Colossians 1:7-9

Confusing Weakness and Strength

There is an inordinate amount of confusion in this world as to what is strength and what is weakness. Weakness is confused with strength and strength is confused with weakness. The apostle Paul had many challenges. He was strong and knew where his strength came from:

8 For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me. 9 And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient (be content enough) for thee: for my strength (dunamis- potential power) is made perfect (complete) in weakness(lack of strength. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.

10 Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities (frailty), in reproaches (insolence, insults and injury), in necessities (needs), in persecutions, in distresses (narrowness of room) for Christ's sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong(capable). II Corinthians 12:8-10

Recognizing weakness in one's own life has the potential to produce true strength in an individual. It takes guts to stand up for what one learns and believes. It doesn't take adamance and loud proclamations either as we see so frequently around us.  Paul said he would rather glory in his challenges. The word 'glory' represents confidence in a godly solution. It is the word 'kauchaomai' which means 'to hold one's head up high'. It is always found in the middle voice which means the person does this for himself. One can hold his/her head up high if he/she puts confidence in God and the resurrection power of Christ.

To live in this world takes work. The hard part often is in accepting God's help. Sadly, many people accept the world's solutions rather than the word's solutions. Some don't know God, some mock, some just don't take the time to patiently wait for a solution. However, once a person sees how eager God is to help, it builds to trusting him again and again and again.

Whatever challenges arise can be dealt with in confidence when we trust God and apply his word to the situations. We just have to find out what God has to say about whatever problem arises. We can believe to get out of debt, be a blessing to others and live a free life, Whatever gets in our way can be dealt with effectively if we trust God and act. 

Effectual Fervent Prayer

Yesterday I  decided to catch up with the news and not to my surprise, nothing had changed. The news echoed the same ole same ole drone of futility and negative banter as usual. It offered the fullest range of conspiracy, blame, shame, accusation, and defamation it could conger up and then repeated it from program to program, hour to hour.

Enough is enough! Life should not be as complicated or as sinister as is danced out in front of us in every newspaper, commentary and media presentation. People need to stand up and call it what it is. It is not about hiding our heads in the sand, nor is it about swimming with the sharks.  It is about telling the truth. It is only within truth that answers come.

James 5:16: Confess your (added by translators- leave it in or take it out) faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.

The world is full of things that are wrong; things that God never intended for this world.  By openly agreeing and acknowledging what is off the mark, we open the doors to putting things right. We should do this together and cleave to what is right for one another other. Hiding is not 'effectually fervent'. Prayer is to be 'effectually fervent' and full of energy to get things done. Prayer is openingly acknowledging God's power and love.

'Healing' is the result. the first use of 'healing' is used in Genesis 20 in the Old Testament. It is a great example of this verse in James.  Abraham had gotten into a bad situation in Gerar because of some second guessing peppered with fear. To may a long story short (Read the record! It is exquisite) Abrahams wife ended up in the Philistine ruler's  (Abimelech) harem and things started going awry.  No more children were being born in Abimeleh's household and Abimelech spoke openly to Abraham (a prophet) about it. It was open acknowledgement of the truth and will of God. In the end, Abraham prayed and things were set right and everybody benefited.

A 'righteous man is one who has been justified by Christ and can stand in the presence of God without fear, shame or guilt.  What a privilege! What a comfort! It is very powerful in our lives. We can do this together and make a difference!

Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need. Hebrews 4:16

The Refreshed Mind

Recently I read Romans 12:2 and it seemed like I was reading it for the first time. God encourages us to think outside the box of this world's thinking (which is not a bad idea these days) and experience the transformation that happens in your mind when it is refreshed by the word in any given situation.

And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing (refreshing) of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God. Romans 12:2

The world's ploys and scheme of things can drop a gloomy veil over our surroundings. We can't see it, but we can feel it.  The very second God's word crosses our mind everything seems to lift. It is just like the morning fog that lifts as the light from the sun burns it off.

The word of God is refreshing! God challenges us to prove it to ourselves. Try it you'll like it! The word buoys our hearts and lifts us so often beyond what we ask or think! We have decisions to make about many things. A while back I was tentative about where we were planning to go to get away from the snow.  My husband was eager to go to a certain place and I just hadn't thought about it. I felt like I lacked the enthusiasm to do the things necessary to do it but decided to just give it to God. I just didn't worry about it; neither did I dive in and work at it to overcome my lack of enthusiasm. Well, as the days went on I started looking forward to the getaway. I didn't have to work hard or long in preparation, things fell into place so beautifully. I was abundantly blessed by it all. The whole thing turned out better than I could have expected.

There is so much in our lives that God can influence and bless. We just have to let him. Many people are afraid of God because of things they've been taught, or things they've done or experienced. They may be just afraid of things they don't really know about or are just plain afraid of everything.

Several months ago I decided to select a verse to think about for a month at a time and when something came up I really leaned in on the particular verse during that time. The verse quickly became my harbor and safe haven! God will not knock us over the head with the word, but God is very eager to prove his word when we apply it. All that is required is a willing heart. That is really not a tough thing to do.

The Genuine Example of Leadership

Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.As thou hast sent me into the world, even so have I also sent them into the world.And for their sakes I sanctify myself, that they also might be sanctified through the truth.

 Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word; That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me.

And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one: I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me.

 Father, I will that they also, whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am; that they may behold my glory, which thou hast given me: for thou lovedst me before the foundation of the world.

O righteous Father, the world hath not known thee: but I have known thee, and these have known that thou hast sent me And I have declared unto them thy name, and will declare it: that the love wherewith thou hast loved me may be in them, and I in them. 

John 17:17-26

Clothed in Righteousness

Often what you put on can determine how you feel.  When you have just the right dress, suit, shirt, shoes or hat, it adds something to your overall demeanor. By the same token, you could put something on that is very uncomfortable or isn't suitable for an occasion, it can make you feel less than you should.

What if you had worms and clods of dust all over your body?  How would you feel.? In Job 7:5, Job describes this very condition. He had so many negative things hit him all at once.  By all worldly standards he could have felt very badly about himself and in an irrecoverable funk. Righteousness was on his side:

I put on righteousness, and it clothed me: my judgment was as a robe and a diadem. Job 29:14

The word 'clothed' in this verse is use seven times in the book of Job. This is the 5th use.  Righteousness put his mind in a different place. It was a grace place, gave him confidence and guarded his heart.

And that ye put on (clothe with) the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness. Ephesians 4:24

Under the New Testament covenant,God has given us something to clothe us that is permanent. It works from the inside out. It is God's wonderful gift of holy spirit. Righteousness is confidence, assurance and access to God without worrying about where we have failed or fallen short.  God's love is so much bigger that we can ever imagine. When we get to the place of really believing it, we are released from anything that pulls us down. Job lived in the Old Testament time; we live in the New Testament time after the resurrection  and ascension of Jesus Christ. We are connected in a unique way to our God. There are plenty of negative things going on on around us, but God's gift informs us and equips us to handle what ever comes up and produce fruit of the spirit when we utilize that gift and trust him:

22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering (slow to anger), gentleness, goodness, faith, 23 Meekness(coachable), temperance (self-control): against such there is no law. Galatians 5:22-23

These qualities don't need to be legislated like the works of the flesh. It is great to be around people who understand the spirit of God as it works in each of our lives. It is 'church' in the true Biblical sense of the word.

What Are We afraid Of?

God is so good to us:

7 For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind. 8 Be not thou therefore ashamed of the testimony of our Lord.......2 Timothy 1:7-8

The word for 'fear'  is translated from the greek word 'deilias' (Strongs #1167). It is used in this form only here in 2 Timothy.  There is a relative of this word found in 4 other places: Matthew 8:6, Mark 4:40, Hebrews 12:28, Revelation 21:8. This word for fear has been defined as the fear of losing, dread and timidity that causes one to stand back from God.

The fear of losing is rampant today. People constantly compare one another to each other. Ambitious rivalry is everywhere. People are so afraid of losing that they lie, gossip,  and demean each other just to get ahead or get to the top of I don't know what. I wonder how many people really know how serious it is to call good evil and evil good.

The more you have confidence in God and how he really sees us despite our warts and failings, the the greater the capacity to love becomes.  We are not in competition with anyone.  The competition is in our own minds for our own minds.  Sometimes it is such a good thing to say to God, 'Hey God keep me posted on where this is from or where I am going with this in my mind' when we start thinking about something or even when we evaluate what is going on around us. The ultimate goal in any situation is power, love and sound thinking. These three qualities work together for good. Love is center-stage to both power and sound thinking.

We need not be ashamed, politely correct, reticent or scared to share how good God is. The love he has planted in our hearts will facilitate the power needed and the sound thinking to help others even if they are enemies. When David dealt with Saul the word says:

14 And David behaved himself wisely in all his ways; and the Lord was with him. I Samuel 18:14

How much God can help each one of us is easy to see when we look in the New Testament . God is so, so good to us!

Ideology, Fact, Truth and Freedom

An ideology is the specific collection of a body of men's ideas, that are connected. Ideas come from the human mind. An ideology usually develops within a group and becomes the central core of its beliefs. In our country, we can look at the 'isms' to see examples. Liberalism, republicanism, nationalism,  and conservatism are examples in the political field. In the religious field we have, denominationalism, non-denominationalism, taoism, buddhism, catholicism, trinitarianism, unitarianism, and protestantism to name a few. Each of these examples have a body of ideas built around a common ideological belief system.

Facts can be subjected to and manipulated by ideology using the tools of context and time. Here is an example. Let's say January has been a warmer month than usual. That could be a fact if you live at the equator, Miami beach or even in Chicago (not this year). Someone who believes that the globe is heating up might use these facts to support a theory on global warming (whether right or wrong). Facts can change; so can theories about facts.

Absolute truth does not change. It is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow.

8 Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever. Hebrews 13:8

The truth about Jesus Christ never changes since God first spoke about him as the promised seed in Genesis 3:15. He is the mediator today between God and man (I Timothy 2:5) In Revelations 19, he is the King of kings and Lord of lords.   

So, 'What is truth?' This is a question that has been asked throughout the ages. Jesus said that 'we shall know the truth and the truth shall set us free.'(John 8:32) Truth is the antidote to worry, fear, bondage, compulsion, oppression, depression, insecurity, loneliness and every other negative the world has to offer. It is the only thing that really works and continues to work when it is believed.  Big negatives started plaguing humanity when the first man and woman doubted the warning of God to not partake of the tree of knowledge of good and evil. All the remedies man has come up with to get lasting peace fails. Drugs, alcohol, man-constructed religion, entertainment, money and yes, ideologies all fall short, very short of what God's infinite love and wisdom has given us.
God has provided so much to man to see the truth. The natural world that God created, formed and made teaches us about the truth (Genesis 1:20). The word of God is truth. Jesus Christ lived the truth. He is the way, the truth and the life. The spirit of God at work in the hearts and lives of those who have seen the truth and the gift of holy spirit and it's enablements confirm the truth.

My belief that God exists does not come from an 'ism' or man's ideas about God.  God is the source of all truth. When I started seeing that, freedom started to become a reality for me and I am still growing in that freedom. Absolute freedom comes from God. Until the entire human world understands this, the negative things of this world will not change. Individuals gain the freedom Jesus talked about as they develop a relationship with God. Romans 10:9-10 says it so simply:

⁹ That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. ¹⁰ For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.

Marriage and Family Life -It's Complicated - David

David was a great man. As he rose up to help deliver Israel from its enemies, he gained in stature.  At the same time, his family expanded and so did the complications. From the Old Testament, we know that David had more than 8 wives, more than 20 children.  As I read on in II Samuel, the rivalries and pressure seem to come more and more from the family.

I am reminded of the disfunction in Jacob's family. Polygamy causes problems and was not part of God's original creation. It was initiated into culture by one of Cain's offspring. It became part of the culture in succeeding generations. It was part of the culture at David's time. Polygamy was not in God's design when he put Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. Whenever something isn't the best in a given situation, it gets 'complicated' carrying with it burdens and pressures.

God placed Adam in the garden to work and enjoy. He made Eve to be a 'help meet' as a strong support, under-girder and companion. The marriage relationship is a unique godly arrangement. God made men and women to be different, yet equal.

'Different, yet equal' is a big deal.  It is not 'same and equal'; it is not 'different and unequal'.  In the feminist movement we see a blurring of 'different and same' and the other side of that is the blurring of 'equal and unequal'. In addition to this, every individual, male or female, has distinct traits, abilities and upbringing. The bottom line for all relationships is love and respect if it is going to be a genuine relationship.

33 Nevertheless let every one of you in particular so love his wife even as himself; and the wife see that she reverence her husband. Ephesians 5:33

We should certainly not let the confusion of the world determine our definitions of love or respect. Hollywood or even Hallmark movies should not be defining love for us. God is the author of love. Respect or reverence is for the person. We should be respectful to one another in all our dealings.  This does not include respect for beliefs and ideologies if we disagree. Every person has a right to believe whatever they want to believe, but no one has a right to force us to believe what we don't think is right. This goes for marriage relationships and adult family relationships. In fact it is the standard for all adult relationships.

If verse 33 in Ephesians 5:33 is to be the standard for marriage, polygamy would obviously put a strain on a marriage.  Raising 20 kids with 8 different mothers would definitely be tough. God made things so simple because he loves us. Man has complicated things throughout the ages with his own inventions and excuses.

Nathan the prophet

The word 'prophet' congers up many images to the modern mind.  Many years ago, I used to think of a prophet as the guy with a beard standing on the corner yelling "Repent!" Haven't seen one of those guys in a while and my understanding of the ministry of a prophet has changed quite a bit.

Many people think that a prophet only foresees the future. A prophet speaks for God (present past or future). His job is to speak what God wants spoken to his people and warn people as to the consequences of their actions. An example is found in I Samuel 20. The people had rejected God and asked for a king.  Samuel was charged by God to listen to them and 'protest solemnly' (warn) by telling them the down side of of having a king rule over them. God wanted Samuel to listen first then warn them.

In my trek through the Old Testament I have gotten to know several prophets.  The first use of the word prophet comes in Genesis 20 referring to Abraham and it is an interesting story for it first use. Key words in that record are prayer, restoration, and healing (this is the first use of the word 'healing').  Abraham got into a serious situation because of fear. Prophets are not perfect. It is an interesting study to read.

During David's reign, Nathan, the prophet, appeared on the scene. The name 'Nathan' means 'a gift of God'.  Prophets are truly a gift in that they relate the truth from God's heart. It is a loving ministry which genuinely looks after God's people by listening to God.

In II Samuel 7 we read that David wanted  to build a house for God and at first Nathan told him to do what was on his heart.  As it turns out Nathan was speaking from his own thinking. That same day, God told Nathan to tell David that he would not be building the temple. Nathan went back to David and related God's words to him. It was God who would make this decision and it was David's son Solomon who built the house.

Nathan appears next in the famous record of David and Bathsheba. David had inappropriately exerted his power over a married woman and further complicated the matter in trying to solve his indiscretion by having her husband sent to the front lines of a battle where he was killed. Nathan was sent by God to confront David. He didn't yell at him to "repent". He told him a story about a single lamb belonging to a traveler that was slaughtered by a wealthy livestock owner to illustrate God's heart on the matter and David woke up as to what he had done. David recognized his own untoward actions and repented. Psalm 51 shows his heart in his recognizing his sin and that of going to God for help to heal him and restore him:

10 Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me. Psalm 51

David eventually married Bathsheba and they had more children, two of which appear in the genealogies  in Matthew and Luke.  Bathsheba (as wife of Urias) herself, is listed in the Matthew genealogy (one of four women listed) and is part of the Christ line genealogy.

Nathan appears again at the death of David to help protect Bathsheba and her children and to make sure the right descendant of David inherited the throne.

Prophets don't have X-Ray vision, they have God vision. Nathan didn't read David's mind as he was trying to clear up his mess and making more of a mess. At that point, maybe David would not have listened. He went to David to get him to see what he had done. Prophets don't see right through you. They hear from God and then act. It is a very loving ministry because what's right comes from God's heart.

The Lesson of Kudzu

When I went to visit my parents in South Carolina, I noticed a strange vine growing up and over the tops of trees, houses, fences and anything else it could grow on top of. My Dad who knew a lot about botany, told me it was a plant called Kudzu that came from Japan and had been planted in areas that had trouble with erosion. It has been planted along the and overpowers everything quickly. Kudzu is very oppressive stuff!  It steals the light of the sun from everything! It destroys everything it it path. I saw many broken down shacks where it had grown over the tops of, covered and destroyed.

The thing is that Kudzu seemed like a good idea to solve a problem and make agricultural work easier, but it is a monster in disguise, a wolf in sheep's clothing!  Many, many things in life are like the Kudzu plant. I often have had grand ideas to do something that seem so perfect and when all was said and done, they turned into dragging doldrums.

So much in this world is full of hype! So many things and ideas are pushed at us. We fall prey to the latest rage, fads and the desire to be 'with it'!  The outtake many times on following what goes on around us and not our heart, in the end, oppresses us. All that we experience in life can be evaluated by the peace in our heart.

7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Phil 4:17

The mind in the above verse is the intellect. Understanding is what we do with our minds.  God's peace goes way above and beyond all that we think. Sometimes our minds seem so over-jammed  with what we perceive is going on around us and what we have to do, it is hard to get up and out from under all that pressure.  We just have to let go  and let God's peace get us up. That is when we become ready to rock and roll!

The peace of God is so real.  We don't just act peaceful, doing peaceful things, we are inwardly peaceful. God loves us even in our scrambled yucky moments.  He doesn't want anything stealing the light  of his son away from us or have anything overpower us. He wants us to live free. Sometimes we just need to chill and let God's light warm us and let him guard us from something overshadowing our peacefulness!