Servias Ministries Blog

How do I “die to the flesh”?  This question causes one to think that they must take certain steps to evoke death to their flesh but we must focus on the positive aspect of living unto Christ.  Paul wrote by THE SPIRIT in Romans chapter 12:

1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. 2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.

If I pursue full acceptance to FATHER, my flesh is not being fed in any manner and is weakened to the point of dying.  I am removing any and all sustenance to my flesh.  As I present my body as a living sacrifice to FATHER’S perfect plan, will, and purpose for my life, I am being transformed by the renewing of my mind.  This renewal is accomplished by reading, studying, and hearing FATHER’S Word consistently thus removing unbelief from my midst.

If I change my focus to worldly matters and events, my mind ceases to be renewed and I lose my first Love.  The categories of worldly matters are found in the Beloved Disciple’s writing by THE SPIRIT in 1 John chapter 2:

15 Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.

16 For all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not of the Father but is of the world.

17 And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever.

Each one of us has a decision to make on a daily basis- pursue FATHER and HIS Word or pursue “all that is in the world” and lose our first Love.  The battle for our focus is in our mind and thus we must discipline our mind by building up our spirit.  The most direct way I know of is found in Jude 1 given to us by THE SPIRIT:

20 But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit, 21 keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life.

This is why I emphasized praying in THE SPIRIT daily for this will keep us in the Love of Our Heavenly Father.  What a simple solution!  When I pray in THE SPIRIT, I build up my faith and at the same time, remove unbelief and die to the flesh… little by little until I arrive at full maturity.

The Old Testament cannot transform our minds in the manner Romans 12:2 refers to.  Paul wrote by THE SPIRIT in 2 Corinthians chapter 3:

12 Therefore, since we have such hope, we use great boldness of speech—

13 unlike Moses, who put a veil over his face so that the children of Israel could not look steadily at the end of what was passing away.

14 But their minds were blinded. For until this day the same veil remains unlifted in the reading of the Old Testament, because the veil is taken away in Christ.

15 But even to this day, when Moses is read, a veil lies on their heart.

16 Nevertheless when one turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away.

17 Now the Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. 18 But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.

Transformation is accomplished by focusing on the New Testament hence that is why I believe FATHER has me focus on the Gospels and Epistles.  We need full transformation and this is primarily done by studying the New Testament.  Don’t get me wrong, the Old Testament metaphors and parables primarily point to Jesus Christ and thus we should not discount the Old Testament in any way.  However, let us focus on the Words of Jesus Christ and the Epistles given by The Holy Spirit to accomplish the transformation.

Saul was an expert on the Old Testament and he killed.  When his mind was transformed and became Paul, he became a man of Agape Love.  I trust that each of us has the desire to be transformed where we become mature Sons and Daughters and walk in Agape Love as well.  When we have become fully transformed, our flesh will have shriveled up and died.

Isaiah wrote by THE SPIRIT in chapter 5:

20  Woe (judgment is coming) to those who call evil good, and good evil;

Who substitute darkness for light and light for darkness;

Who substitute bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter!  AMPL

And in Proverbs chapter 17:

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15  ​​He who justifies the wicked, and he who condemns the just,

​​Both of them alike are an abomination to the LORD.

There are many social groups of various types who are attempting to redefine the Truth and the facts.  These passages are quite clear concerning the ramification of these movements. 

The term “perverse” means to alter (something) from its original course, meaning, or state to a distortion or corruption of what was first intended.  FATHER formed each of us in the womb with a specific Divine Intent.  Any alteration is rationalized by individuals through redefinition to satisfy their lusts and/or pride.  Their darkness will only be removed when The Light arrives in their midst.  Selah!

Wisdom speaks to us in Proverbs chapter 16:

24 ​​Pleasant words are like a honeycomb,

​​Sweetness to the soul and health to the bones.

And in chapter 21:

21 ​​Death and life are in the power of the tongue,

​​And those who love it will eat its fruit.

When you understand the importance and power in words we speak, we can speak health over ourselves.  As we walk in the pureness of our heart and are led by THE SPIRIT, our words reflect the righteousness of Our Heavenly Father.  We will not ask amiss but will ask according to HIS plan, will, and purpose for us.  If our particular calling requires certain resources to fulfill our mandate, we are not to hesitate in asking FATHER for them.  Jesus spoke in Mark chapter 11:

22 So Jesus answered and said to them, “Have faith in God.

23 For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be removed and be cast into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says.

24 Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them.

Isn’t that the essence of the prayer of a righteous man as James wrote in chapter 5:

“The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.”

Those who grew up in the “faith movement” of the 1970’s and 80’s focused on using the formula of “name it and claim it” in order to obtain finances and possessions.  They were compelled to give to the ministry as the necessary seed for their harvest.  Those ministries financially flourished but many people ended up with less money and possibly regret that they failed to follow the formula properly. 

The evangelist did not emphasize walking in righteousness and being led by THE SPIRIT.  Some of those same evangelists were caught up in sin and lawlessness themselves.  However, this does not negate the Gospel of the Words of Jesus.

Jesus never spoke words of unbelief and neither should we.  Words of pride are any words which deviate from who we are in Christ.  Those who are arrogant are full of pride.  Also, those who attempt to demean themselves as worthless are full of pride for they are not accepting who they are in Christ by their own words.  Wisdom wrote in Proverbs chapter 16:

18 ​​Pride goes before destruction,

​​And a haughty spirit before a fall.

When we hear ourselves speak words which do not line up with FATHER’S Word, we are promoting a life of unbelief and we continue to convince ourselves of being separated from The Holy Spirit within us.  We are effectively allowing our self interest to grow stronger thus becoming spiritually weaker.  I urge you to reverse this process for you are a child of GOD and HE makes no mistakes.

Jesus spoke in Mathew chapter 10:

32 “Therefore whoever confesses Me before men, him I will also confess before My Father who is in heaven.

 33 But whoever denies Me before men, him I will also deny before My Father who is in heaven.”

Our confession confirms what is in our hearts.  We must speak words of blessing over ourselves and others, not demeaning words.  Words of encouragement bring forth hope and life, biting words bring forth destruction.  As I mentioned months ago, confessing Colossians 1:10-11 will help build you up and strengthen your spirit:

I walk worthy of FATHER, fully pleasing HIM, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of FATHER;  strengthened with all might, according to His glorious power, for all patience and longsuffering with joy.

Amen!

David wrote by THE SPIRIT in Psalm 139:

1 O LORD, You have searched me and known me.

2 ​​You know my sitting down and my rising up;

​​You understand my thought afar off.

3 ​​You comprehend my path and my lying down,

​​And are acquainted with all my ways.

4 ​​For there is not a word on my tongue,

​​But behold, O LORD, You know it altogether.

And Wisdom wrote in Proverbs chapter 15:

26 ​​The thoughts of the wicked are an abomination to the LORD,

​​But the words of the pure are pleasant.

FATHER knows every thought we have even before we speak.  There is nothing hidden from HIM thus we must deal with our thought life if we are to become mature Sons and Daughters of GOD.  We must get rid of those selfish thoughts, thoughts of revenge, and condescending thoughts toward others.  We can no longer hold bitterness or anger within.  What is the solution?  We must renew our minds as Paul wrote by THE SPIRIT in Romans chapter 12:

1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. 2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.

When our minds are renewed, our thoughts align with The Word and our hearts become pure.  The result is that we die to the flesh and speak the Truth in Love.  Jesus revealed in Matthew chapter 5:

8 ​​Blessed are the pure in heart,

​​For they shall see God.

Proverbs 23: 7 tells us “As a man thinks in his heart, so is he.”  Our thoughts precede our actions as Jesus spoke in Matthew chapter 12:

33 “Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or else make the tree bad and its fruit bad; for a tree is known by its fruit.

34 Brood of vipers! How can you, being evil, speak good things? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.

35 A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good things, and an evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth evil things.

36 But I say to you that for every idle word men may speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgment.

37 For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.”

When you think wrong, you act wrong and then wonder why your life is not being blessed by FATHER.  The Word has all the answers to life’s problems if we will only pursue a life of living according to the precepts given to us in FATHER’S Word.

Wisdom tells us in Proverbs chapter 15:

8 ​​The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to the LORD,

​​But the prayer of the upright is His delight.

9 ​​The way of the wicked is an abomination to the LORD,

​​But He loves him who follows righteousness.

The Amplified Version expresses:

9 The way [of life] of the wicked is hateful and exceedingly offensive to the Lord,

But He loves one who pursues righteousness [personal integrity, moral courage and honorable character].

10 There is severe discipline for him who turns from the way [of righteousness];

And he who hates correction will die.

Yes, Agape Love brings for “severe discipline” as needed.  Unconditional Love does not passively accept sin and lawlessness as some groups want to believe and convince us to accept as Truth.  It is our responsibility to control our thoughts and not allow lawlessness and perversion to be found in us.  Paul wrote by THE SPIRIT in 2 Corinthians chapter 10:

4 For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds,

5 casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ

Do not take these words lightly or else correction is on the horizon.  Its severity may be tied to how much needs to be cleaned out of one’s mind.  Each of us has been given the ability to control our thoughts so let’s exercise that ability beginning today.

Paul wrote by THE SPIRIT in 1 Corinthians chapter 14:

18 I thank my God I speak with tongues more than you all;

FATHER gave Paul tremendous revelation as evidenced by his epistles to the brethren.  Paul explains:

1 Pursue love, and desire spiritual gifts, but especially that you may prophesy.

2 For he who speaks in a tongue does not speak to men but to God, for no one understands him; however, in the spirit he speaks mysteries.

When we speak to FATHER in the spirit, are there any idle words spoken?  Absolutely not!  A mystery is a revelation affecting the person and is yet to be revealed but is applicable to that person’s well being.  When we speak in tongues, we are speaking the pure Word to FATHER without any self interest attached to It. 

As we hear ourselves speak in THE SPIRIT, our faith is positively impacted even though our soul has no understanding at the time.  We can ask FATHER to interpret what we are praying for our own understanding but we must not allow ourselves to be caught up with self-imposed restrictions.

Paul wrote by THE SPIRIT in Romans chapter 10:

17 So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

Our faith increases as we speak in tongues when we understand the reality of our spirit communicating via The Holy Spirit to FATHER.  It is an act of faith to speak in tongues and as each Word is spoken, our faith increases.

In Jude, it is written by THE SPIRIT:

20 But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit,

21 keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life.

What simplicity in building ourselves up in faith to the point of walking in great faith!  Let us no longer downplay FATHER’S gift to us in any way.  Jesus spoke in Luke chapter 11:

9 “So I say to you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.

10 For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.

11 If a son asks for bread from any father among you, will he give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent instead of a fish?

12 Or if he asks for an egg, will he offer him a scorpion?

13 If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!”

FATHER has made it possible for every one of us to pray perfect prayers to HIM thus allowing HIM to respond to our situations in the perfect, applicable manner.  As we pray with this understanding, our faith will be energized even to a greater degree and expectation.  We must not set this gift aside but instead exercise this gift daily as we also pray with understanding.

Wisdom adds to this understanding in Proverbs chapter 18:

20  ​​A man’s stomach shall be satisfied from the fruit of his mouth;

​​From the produce of his lips he shall be filled.

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21 ​​ Death and life are in the power of the tongue,

​​And those who love it will eat its fruit.

Selah!

Here are two prophecies to consider.  When I hear the word “rapture”, I have a different understanding but I don’t discount everything else due to a difference in understanding of one verse.  Each of us must discern what to accept by THE SPIRIT and what to place on the “shelf” until FATHER provides clarity and deeper understanding.  As always, I focus on the message of Agape Love.

Economically speaking, perception is propping up the various economies around the world and they are at the precipice of collapse… I too am convinced that President Trump is well aware of it.  As the darkness grows worse around the world, even more so, the Sons and Daughters are being fully prepared in a much greater manner to overcome the darkness with the Light.

Let us today praise Our Heavenly Father and acknowledge HIS majesty, especially in our lives.  Let us speak words of gratitude and thank HIM for Our Lord Jesus Christ Who has shown us The Way, The Truth, and The Life; Who has made us free.  Let us read aloud the following Psalm:

It is written by THE SPIRIT in Psalm 148:

1 Praise the LORD!

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​​Praise the LORD from the heavens;

​​Praise Him in the heights!

2 ​​Praise Him, all His angels;

​​Praise Him, all His hosts!

3 ​​Praise Him, sun and moon;

​​Praise Him, all you stars of light!

4 ​​Praise Him, you heavens of heavens,

​​And you waters above the heavens!

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5 ​​Let them praise the name of the LORD,

​​For He commanded and they were created.

6 ​​He also established them forever and ever;

​​He made a decree which shall not pass away.

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7 ​​Praise the LORD from the earth,

​​You great sea creatures and all the depths;

8 ​​Fire and hail, snow and clouds;

​​Stormy wind, fulfilling His word;

9 ​​Mountains and all hills;

​​Fruitful trees and all cedars;

10 ​​Beasts and all cattle;

​​Creeping things and flying fowl;

11 ​​Kings of the earth and all peoples;

​​Princes and all judges of the earth;

12 ​​Both young men and maidens;

​​Old men and children.

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13 ​​Let them praise the name of the LORD,

​​For His name alone is exalted;

​​His glory is above the earth and heaven.

14 ​​And He has exalted the horn of His people,

​​The praise of all His saints—

​​Of the children of Israel,

​​A people near to Him.

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​​Praise the LORD!

Wisdom writes in Proverbs chapter 11:

24 ​​There is one who scatters, yet increases more;

​​And there is one who withholds more than is right,

​​But it leads to poverty.

25 ​​The generous soul will be made rich,

​​And he who waters will also be watered himself.

26 ​​The people will curse him who withholds grain,

​​But blessing will be on the head of him who sells it.

FATHER has given us Wisdom to live by and it is as relevant today as it was when first revealed to Solomon.  Jesus spoke in Luke chapter 6:

38   “Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you.”

Jesus also spoke in Mark chapter 10:

29 So Jesus answered and said, “Assuredly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or lands, for My sake and the gospel’s,

30 who shall not receive a hundredfold now in this time—houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions—and in the age to come, eternal life.”

Jesus was not hesitant to speak concerning Kingdom economics, neither should we.  Givers flourish, hoarders lead to poverty.  FATHER is concerned with all aspects of our life including our financial needs.  I can testify of this Truth many times over.  It goes against the world’s logic of scarcity and hoarding thus it appears to be illogical to the world.  Let us not omit this aspect of walking according to HIS Word.

Jesus spoke in John chapter 14:

12 “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father.

13 And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.

14 If you ask anything in My name, I will do it.”

We as maturing Sons and Daughters are given a directive by Our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.  Let us not claim ignorance or rationalize away what He said in the above passage.  We are to do the same and even greater works than He did when He walked the earth.  This is the expectation each of us should have as we come into full understanding and agreement with The Word.

Why should we focus on anything else when we have not fulfilled this directive?  Why should I seek out a multitude of prophecies when this directive is not being fulfilled in my life?  If you are currently fulfilling this directive, let me know and I will come and join you.

Why should I seek out knowledge of the nuances found in Scripture when the works that I do don’t meet the minimum expectation of Jesus’ directive?  Yes, it is great to study topics such as numerology in Scripture but if we are not following and experiencing the above directive, what does it matter that I know the underlying meaning of various numbers found in Scripture?  Yep, I’m guilty.

The issue is belief versus unbelief for Jesus said “he who believes in Me” as the basic qualification to do greater works.  Each of us must fully cleanse our hearts of any unbelief… including me! 

It takes serious, committed focus on The Word, especially the Gospels.  We must remove outside sources of unbelief from our midst as we fully cleanse the deepest crevices of unbelief in our hearts.  Let us not be denied the expectation of a pure heart.

How long will the process take?  Who cares?  The result is worth the commitment to walk in complete and total submission to The Word with no unbelief found anywhere among us.  When will the fruit come forth of this endeavor?  When FATHER is pleased and empowers us by HIS Holy Spirit.  HE is not reluctant to fulfill HIS Word given to HIS Son Who gave us the above directive so the problem lies with us if we are not walking in the fullness of the above directive.

What will be the fruit of fulfilling Jesus’ directive?  Mark wrote by THE SPIRIT in chapter 6:

53 When they had crossed over, they came to the land of Gennesaret and anchored there.

54 And when they came out of the boat, immediately the people recognized Him, 55 ran through that whole surrounding region, and began to carry about on beds those who were sick to wherever they heard He was.

56 Wherever He entered, into villages, cities, or the country, they laid the sick in the marketplaces, and begged Him that they might just touch the hem of His garment. And as many as touched Him were made well.

Do not say “I don’t see myself fulfilling Jesus’ directive.”  That is your flesh speaking and we must die to the flesh, submit to The Holy Spirit, and expect to fulfill what Jesus called us to do in His Name.  As Paul wrote by THE SPIRIT in Philippians chapter 4:

13 I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.

Don’t sell yourself short, only believe!

The Beloved Disciple wrote by THE SPIRIT in 1 John chapter 3:

1 Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God!  Therefore the world does not know us, because it did not know Him.

2 Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is.

3 And everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure.

As Sons and Daughters of FATHER we have hope to walk in the full maturity and see Him as He is without any hindrance.  Our hope is to walk in the fullness of His power and authority in order that we may effectively bring forth the Kingdom of GOD on this earth and reclaim everything given up by Adam.

There are many Sons and Daughters who are dealing with their own issues which require their full attention.  I understand this fully for I have had to overcome the very same issues as well thus I don’t discount the situation in the least.  This is why I wake up early in order to spend time with FATHER, before the issues of the day present themselves.

Many of the issues our brethren are dealing with center around finances.  I understand the pressure caused by finances first hand.  When we were married in 1972, we lived on “Hamburger Helper” and my wife learned fifty different ways to prepare hamburger for dinner.  FATHER delivered us out of that era by directing my path to the various jobs HE instructed me to take.

Fast forward to April of 1995.  My business revenue went to zero and there was no expectation that the situation would improve.  We were clearly headed to bankruptcy so I went to FATHER and HE said “Son, you are in the financial wilderness.”  I said, “Get me out!”  HE responded “You will be there for eighteen months.”  That is not what I wanted to hear. 

HE had led me to pray each morning before work for an hour each day since 1990 and I thought things were moving along in a reasonable fashion until this event.  My wife was distraught because of the lack of funds.  Every morning I had to fight fear attempting to grip my heart.  My prayer time would often exceed one hour until peace replaced the fear in my heart.  During this time, HE provided for us from unexpected sources.

At the end of eighteen months, revenue began to flow again and I was totally relieved that we overcame the financial wilderness.  Why am I sharing this with you?  It is important for you to know that FATHER will not leave us or forsake us even in the most challenging times and there is a reason for such challenges.  I came out stronger at the end of the wilderness journey and my trust in FATHER’S provision is at a much greater level.

The Word purifies us and when we pray in THE SPIRIT, that too is an integral part of purification.  During those eighteen months, I relied heavily on “praying in THE SPIRIT” because I did not know what else to pray.  I can relate with Joseph when he suffered extreme lack at the hands of his brothers.  However, FATHER had a plan for him just like FATHER has a plan for you and me.

When I write these blogs, they are meant to encourage you to overcome the challenges set before you.  I write from experience and trusting FATHER no matter how dismal the future appears to be.  HE is not some distant GOD WHO is unaware of our situations.  On the contrary, HE never left me or forsook me.  HE explained the situation even though it was not what I wanted to hear.  In looking back, I needed to go through that wilderness for the sake of cleansing my heart. 

I am thankful for that period but I assure you I would not be excited about doing it again.  I am now more determined than ever to proceed to full maturity as a Son and fulfill all that I am called to be.  Don’t be discouraged but join me on the path called “The Way” and together we will destroy the works of the devil.