Here are four eclectic thoughts on the ministry of the Holy Spirit in the life of a born again believer. They are, the relationship between being led and hastiness. The relationship between integrity and being led. How the Holy Spirit leveled the playing field for mankind. And finally, the importance of the group or ‘body’ mentality in the church.
This stuff of betrayal, and wounding and being deserted and being stabbed in the back has been going on since the fall of man. It is not a new thing under the sun. It is an old thing that has always been. The fact that the Bible teaches forgiveness indicates that trespasses against your person can occur. It is not fun, it is not cool but it does happen. People have been abused, hurt, let down, wounded, deserted, betrayed by a spouse, stabbed in the back by a fellow church member, and rejected by friends, family and even parents. 1 You can overcome it though. You can overcome all of it through the power of God’s love and by operating in forgiveness.
God has a good plan for your life, of that much we can be sure. The plan is complex and will take you to specific places and specific points all at specific times. We see these factors at work in the life and ministry of John the Baptist. John ,who came in the spirit of Elijah, was a ‘wilderness’ soul . The wilderness was a prepared place for him. As we look at this today, remember the God of John the Baptist is your God and He has prepared places for you.
Following God, reading His Word and hearing His voice, will keep your life on a razors edge. He will keep you trusting Him. He will keep you leaning on Him. He is going to give you assignments that require you to give up your security blanket and come out of your comfort zone. The faith lifestyle requires a full commitment. It requires a giving of everything to Jesus.
The Bible declares in Numbers 14:21 that all the earth will be filled with the glory of the Lord. No matter what it looks like on planet earth. No matter what the news media may report or how dark the times maybe, you can rest assured that the Bible is true. The last stop on this ‘train track’ is all the earth will be full of the glory of God. Here are some verses that reference this subject.
Jesus told us in John 15:5 that apart from Him believers would not have the ability to produce results. Jesus said these words in the same breath as He spoke of the ministry of the Holy Spirit that was coming into view on planet earth. The Holy Spirit was coming, Jesus said, to be our Comforter and Helper (John 14:16), our teacher (John 14:26) and our guide (John 16:13). Learning all you can about working with the Holy Spirit will help you produce results; for it is in conjunction with His ministry through the believer that we can produce fruits fit for the kingdom of God.
Isaiah 40:3-5 speaks of preparing a highway for God. This prophecy concerns the first coming of Jesus. According to Jesus, John the Baptist was of the instruments God used to prepare this highway for the Messiah. But, there is another coming of Jesus, a Second Coming. Another highway has to be built for the return of Jesus. How can we cooperate with God in this area? God’s heart has always been to flood the entire earth with His glory. How can we help prepare a highway for our God?
There are multiple ways to be led by the Spirit of God. Here are two ways you might ponder in this area of being led by the Lord in your everyday life. Area one, by the Spirit of God directly; area two, by interpreting situations in the light of the love of God. With that being said, there are some valuable lessons that one can learn in this arena of hearing the Lord. Some of these lessons may help accelerate the learning curve. Consider the following.
There are three characteristics that are evident in a person that is full of the Spirit. They speak in psalms, hymns and spiritual songs, singing to the Lord; they give thanks always and for everything; they submit to one another out of respect for Jesus. If this is the criteria for being filled, then I want to submit to you that mainly half-empty people are doing the work of God in the earth. Now if the work of God has gotten as far as it has with half-empty people – what would happen if we all were filled and stayed full?
Have you ever noticed the words ‘Holy Spirit’ and ‘power’ in the Bible? They are actually synonymous terms meaning when you have one you have the other. When the Holy Spirit comes, there is power. How did Mary, the mother of Jesus, become pregnant by herself without following the normal course of nature? By a manifestation of the anointing. The virgin birth is a ‘power’ manifestation by the Holy Spirit. Let’s look further into this anointing and look at it at work in the life of Jesus.
There are different dimensions of the anointing of God. There is the anointing within a believer, and the anointing that can come upon a believer. There is an anointing connected to spiritual gifts and an anointing connected to the Word of God. Are you hungry for the anointing and the move of God in your life? But, how does the anointing come?
Nice site with good testimonies on faith and healing. I especially enjoyed this testimony on the miracle of fire in the furnace.