dailywordofdestiny

“And Jesus, when He was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto Him, and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon Him: And lo a voice from heaven, saying, ‘This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.’ Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil” (Matthew 3: 16, 17- 4: 1).

“Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send Him unto you… Howbeit when He, the Spirit of truth, is come, He will guide you into all truth: for He shall not speak of Himself; but whatsoever He shall hear, that shall He speak: and He will show you things to come. He shall glorify Me: for He shall receive of mine, and shall show it unto you…” (John 16: 7-16).

“And, behold, I send the promise of My Father upon you: but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high” (Luke 24: 44- 53).

“And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting… And they were ALL FILLED WITH THE HOLY GHOST, and began to speak in other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance…” (Acts 2: 1-24).

I feel we must begin at the beginning, for to have understanding and revelation of God’s Word, you MUST BE BORN AGAIN (John 3: 3-7). SALVATION, receiving Jesus as LORD of our life BY FAITH, is God’s greatest gift to mankind; “That in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His GRACE (unmerited favor) in His kindness toward us through Christ Jesus. For by grace are ye saved THROUGH FAITH; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast” (Ephesians 2: 8, 9).

When one is “born again”, his/her testimony will often be “look what the Lord has done for me; He saved me from eternal death, He delivered me from my life of drugs, He brought joy into my life, He healed my illness, etc.” It can also be a time when the “new believer” feels no different and questions whether anything of significance has even happened. The key component in our salvation though, is not FEELING DIFFERENT as much as a CHANGE OF MIND and HEART. Before I gave my life to Christ, I used to swear, a lot. I remember the night I went to my knees before the LORD and asked Him to TRULY save me; to give me “new life in Him”. There were no rockets blazing when I rose from my knees; in fact I felt ZIP. As I got ready for bed that night I remember thinking, “Nothing has changed; I am not forgiven.” The next morning was no different; my thoughts centered on, “This is so stupid, I don’t feel anything. I am just the same.” Later that afternoon I was in the kitchen getting supper ready. My teenage son walked in and said something to me and when I responded to his question, he turned and said, “J___C___!” It was like he had run his fingernails across a black board; it set my nerves on fire. In a heartbeat, I turned and said, “Do NOT EVER use the LORD’S name in vain in this house again!” I was so HAPPY…I KNEW I was saved; the LORD showed me in that instant that I was forever changed! Hallelujah!

Jesus & Pharisee dinner I think the disciples early days with Jesus really illustrate how our walk begins. We recognize Him and accept by faith that He is the Messiah. We look expectantly to all the many VICTORIES we will have because of our “relationship” with the soon-to-be King of the Jews, right? Everything in our life; all situations, all problems, all worries, ALL are FIXED because we have a “new beginning”. Bills will be paid, addictions gone, there will be a new job with great benefits, all the family members will be fixed, there will be love and appreciation for the pastor (rabbi) and all the church (synagogue) members have become lovable and part of “the family”. God is good and He’s going to make everything bright and shiny, right? Furthermore, you KNOW that in Jesus you have every good thing, you have faith to move mountains, all things are possible, there is continual joy bubbling up like a perpetual fountain within you, there is peace over your life, there are blessings falling on you and around you, the enemy trembles at your prayers, AND, you see results from your prayers. You are daily LIVING IN HEAVENLY PLACES AS A JOINT HEIR WITH JESUS; THE ENEMY IS UNDER YOUR FEET… RIGHT? smile Well PRAISE THE LORD if you are at this place! However, it was not the reality of what the disciples experienced in the beginning, it’s not what I saw in my early life, or even what I experience at times in this season.

I think that the greatest spiritual blessing we receive is when we come to the knowledge that in and of “ourselves” we are nothing (John 15: 5). Until we get there, our LORD is powerless. He can do nothing for us as long as we think we are sufficient in and of ourselves. The Spirit of God has set a great many people free from their sin, YET, they are experiencing NO FULLNESS in their lives – no true sense of freedom or victory. The kind of “religious life” we see around the world today is entirely different from the vigorous holiness of the life of Jesus Christ. We are to be in the world but NOT OF IT; to be separated INTERNALLY, not externally (John 17: 15, 16). The disciples walked with Jesus for about three years; and believed (by FAITH) He was the Messiah. We are responsible for our conscious life (CONSECRATION…dedicated to God’s service) and our life is to be regarded as a “temple”. Holy Spirit looks after the unconscious part in us (SANCTIFICATION…set apart from sin and being made holy).

It is ONLY WHEN WE GET HUNGRY AND THIRSTY SPIRITUALLY (Psalm 42; John7: 37-39) that we receive the gift of the essential NATURE of God; placed in and made effective in us by Holy Spirit. He IMPARTS to us the quickening LIFE of JESUS, making us truly ALIVE. In the first few months after I rededicated my LIFE to Jesus, I began reading His Word. It seemed that the more I read, the more I wanted to read. There would be many mornings I would get up at 4:00 A.M. to have 3 hours of studying His words while it was quiet and there was just Him and I together. It was an awesome time. I asked Him to give me SEVEN times ACCELERATION in His revelation and understanding because the enemy had taken so much of my life. God has honored that request and I give Him GLORY and PRAISE! He takes that which was “beyond” us and places it “within us”. Immediately, once the “beyond” has come “within,” it rises up to “the above,” and we are then truly lifted into the kingdom where Jesus lives and reigns, at the right hand of the Father (John 3: 5).

John 4: 13, 14 says, “Jesus answered and said unto her, ‘Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again: But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall NEVER THIRST; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.’ “