There are many voices in the world the Bible states (1Cor. 14:10). These voices are constantly trying to be heard. They are continually trying to input into our lives; trying to establish our thinking. The subject matter is varied. But, one ongoing arena is the identity of man. There are voices that are constantly trying to define what a man is. There are voices trying to define what a woman is. What does the Bible have to say in these areas?
The Bible is full of ‘big’ words, words like revelation and inspiration. What’s the difference between revelation and inspiration? It is important to know what these big Bible words mean. In this post, we will break these two words down and how these words impact our understanding of what the Bible is.
How badly do you want to know God? Tim Hansel in his book “When I Relax I feel Guilty,” writes some insights of what most people want from God. “I would like to buy $3.00 worth of God, please. Not enough to explode my soul or disturb my sleep, but just enough to equal a cup of warm milk or a snooze in the sunshine. I don’t want enough of Him to make me love someone racially different or someone who is an immigrant. I want ecstasy, not transformation; I want the warmth of the womb, not a new birth. I want a pound of the Eternal in a paper sack. I would like to buy $3.00 worth of God, please.” How much of God do you want?
Many times we are tempted to bug God about changing things in our lives and we pray over and over again but I want you to know today and understand how faith works – faith is a rest – you don’t have to worry; you don’t have to fret because God wants you to know that He has Already heard you and though the manifestation seems to be NOT YET, I am here to prophesy to you today that God is going to change your NOT YET to IT’S HERE because with Him it’s ALREADY!
Life is all about growth and development. Life is about striving to become more than what you are today. If you are not growing, if you are not increasing, you are just existing. Jesus grew and developed and He is our example (Lk. 2:52). Growing is a process and the process must be respected. Here are is one way you can intentionally engage the process.
It is one thing to hear someone teach a book of the Bible. It is another thing entirely to study it yourself. Many are intimidated by the Bible, as a whole, and are quite content to let others tell them what it means. This should never be. God’s Word is a book meant to be understood by everyone. But how do you do it? Where does one begin? How can you study an entire book of the Bible? Learning the fine art will pay rich dividends in your life. So, here are some basic thoughts about how to study God’s Word on your own.
The Lord put certain people in your life in order to help you navigate through and fulfill your destiny. These relationships are God ordained relationships. They are not after the flesh. They are Spirit-led and Spirit orchestrated encounters. There is much talk of ‘relationship mechanics’ in the world today and you can find such talk easily on the internet. The difference between Spirit-led, God ordained, relationships and what the world has to offer is like the difference between the 1st Temple that Solomon built and the 2nd Temple that was rebuilt after the Babylonians came in and destroyed the first one.
“The issue of God speaking was a major concern for me when I first came to know Jesus as my Savior. Countless times I heard people say these words “God spoke to me.” I wanted to hear God too. After month’s of wrestling with it, the first words God said in my spirit were, ‘You have not learned how to listen’. Learning how to listen is a journey. Learning to know His voice is a process. It is not a fast-food put it in the microwave for 60 seconds kind of thing. There are Bible truths that will help make the journey easier.”
Being led by the Spirit of God is both and blessing from the Lord (Rom. 8:14) and a vital part of the Christian walk Romans 8:14. In learning to be led in our everyday life, there are three areas in scripture we should take note of. Three individual words mentioned in the scriptures that allude to and give us insight into the Spirit Led Life. These words are ‘peace’, ‘conscience’ and the ‘inward witness ‘.
Hearing What the Spirit is Saying unto the Church! In 1Corinthians 12, the Apostle Paul lays out for the church an explanation of Spiritual Gifts. If you read the list, you will see that three of the gifts are vocal. Prophecy is words inspired by the Spirit in a known language. Tongues are words inspired by the Spirit in an unknown tongue. Interpretation of tongues is a Spirit given rendering of an unknown tongue. Below is an example of the gift of prophecy.
The following excerpt is taken from a prophecy that was given by Kenneth E. Hagin on September 22, 1996.
Do Americans have a comfortable gospel, compared to the rest of the world? Lack of hunger for the things of God is an early warning signal of a Christian life that is not reaching its full potential. You should have an appetite for His things. You should have a craving for His Word. You should have a strong desire for His Presence. You should have an intensity about you to do His will. You should have a zeal to know Him better.