Archive for October, 2024

Understanding The Ministries Of The Holy Spirit: Part 20

Sunday, October 6th, 2024

The Holy Spirit abolishes neutrality!

Each of us will be judged when we pass from time on earth to eternity of Heaven.  There is no neutrality in judgment for it will either be positive or negative.

David recorded by THE SPIRIT in Psalm chapter 103:

17 But the mercy of the LORD is from everlasting to everlasting On those who fear Him, And His righteousness to children’s children,

18 To such as keep His covenant, And to those who remember His commandments to do them.

Many believers focus only on the characteristics of the Lamb of GOD and disregard His characteristics as the Lion of Judah Who executes judgment.  That is why most do not walk in the reverential fear of THE LORD.  As well, they disregard the vital ministry of The Holy Spirit.

The way we relate with GOD not only affects us, but successive generations- our children’s children.

It is written by THE SPIRIT in Ezekiel chapter 18:

4 “Behold, all souls are Mine (says THE LORD); The soul of the father As well as the soul of the son is Mine; The soul who sins shall die.

5 But if a man is just And does what is lawful and right;

9 If he has walked in My statutes And kept My judgments faithfully- He is just; He shall surely live!” Says the Lord GOD.

If we seek to be led by The Holy Spirit, we will walk according to FATHER’S Divine Intent and we will surely live… even if we are imperfect and mess up (which includes all of us).  HE looks at our motives in our hearts.

THE LORD clarifies:

19 “Yet you say, ‘Why should the son not bear the guilt of the father?’ Because the son has done what is lawful and right, and has kept all My statutes and observed them, he shall surely live.

20 The soul who sins shall die. The son shall not bear the guilt of the father, nor the father bear the guilt of the son. The righteousness of the righteous shall be upon himself, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon himself.

21 “But if a wicked man turns from all his sins which he has committed, keeps all My statutes, and does what is lawful and right, he shall surely live; he shall not die.

Repentance from wickedness leads to life and that is truly comforting to all of us!  Your condition when you die, determines your condition through eternity.  This is eternal judgment, a very, very solemn thought.  It is not how you start the race; it is how you finish.

Paul wrote by The Holy Spirit in Romans chapter 2:

2 But we know that the judgment of God is according to Truth against those who practice such things.

6 who “will render to each one according to his deeds”:

And Peter wrote by The Holy Spirit in 1st Peter chapter 1:

17  And if you call on The Father, Who without partiality judges according to each one’s work, conduct yourselves throughout the time of your stay here in fear (Holy reverence and awe);

Both Paul and Peter emphasized that all of us will be judged by our individual works, or lack thereof.

Back to Romans chapter 2:

7 Eternal life to those who by patient continuance in doing good seek for glory, honor, and immortality;

8 but to those who are self-seeking and do not obey the Truth, but obey unrighteousness-indignation and wrath,

9 tribulation and anguish, on every soul of man who does evil, of the Jew first and also of the Greek;

10 but glory, honor, and peace to everyone who works what is good, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.

11 For there is no partiality with God.

No matter what your station in life is, you will be judged according to what you have been given to do and the opportunities presented to you.  Those who are self-seeking will suffer wrath.  You will not be judged by being compared to someone else.

If you are led by The Holy Spirit in all areas of your life, you will be rewarded with Eternal life and blessing.  If you resist The Holy Spirit, you will suffer the consequences whatever they may be specific to you.  There is no neutrality, only the positive and the negative in FATHER’S judgment.

Understanding The Ministries Of The Holy Spirit: Part 19

Saturday, October 5th, 2024

The Holy Spirit bears testimony to the Truth of the Gospel!

By The Holy Spirit, Paul wrote in Hebrews chapter 2:

3 Then how would we expect to escape punishment if we despise the very Truths that give us life? The Lord Himself was the first to announce these things, and those who heard Him firsthand confirmed their accuracy.

4 Then God added his witness to theirs. He validated their ministry with signs, astonishing wonders, all kinds of powerful miracles, and by the gifts of the Holy Spirit, which he distributed as he desired.

The term validate means: to confirm, corroborate, to recognize, establish, illustrate the worthiness or legitimacy, approve.

These signs shall follow those who believe.  How many ministries are being validated by The Holy Spirit today?

In Scripture, the Gospel is supernaturally attested.  The whole Bible indicates when GOD sends somebody with a message, HE bears supernatural testimony to that message.  We are totally dependent on The Holy Spirit.  Without The Holy Spirit, we cannot successfully do our job of bringing forth The Kingdom of GOD on earth as it is in Heaven.  We can go through the motions, we can make the plans, we can form our programs, but it is The Holy Spirit Who gets the job done.

Paul wrote by The Holy Spirit in Romans chapter 6:

4 Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the Glory of The Father, even so we also should walk in newness of Life.

Jesus did not raise Himself from the dead. He totally trusted Father to raise Him by THE SPIRIT.  The Holy Spirit Who is the Glory of The Father raised up Christ from the dead.

Just as Jesus was raised by The Holy Spirit, we should walk in the newness of Life given to us by The Holy Spirit.  We should be as totally dependent on The Holy Spirit as Jesus did for His resurrection.  We cannot walk this new Christian Walk in our own strength, we cannot do it in our own wisdom.  Education won’t do it; finance won’t do it.  They can be useful but they only function to serve us.

The only power that will enable us to live the kind of life that GOD expects and that will accomplish HIS purposes is the Supernatural power of The Holy Spirit.

The Book of Acts represents the formation and growth of the early church.  Of the 28 chapters, how many chapters contained Supernatural manifestations of The Holy Spirit?  All of them!

Some examples:

Acts 1:1 The former account I made, O Theophilus, of all that Jesus began both to do and teach,

2 until the day in which He was taken up, after He through the Holy Spirit had given commandments to the apostles whom He had chosen, [3] to whom He also presented Himself alive after His suffering by many infallible proofs, being seen by them during forty days and speaking of the things pertaining to the Kingdom of God.

Acts 2:4 And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.

Acts 3:4 And fixing his eyes on him, with John, Peter said, “Look at us.”

5 So he gave them his attention, expecting to receive something from them.

6 Then Peter said, “Silver and gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk.”

7 And he took him by the right hand and lifted him up, and immediately his feet and ankle bones received strength.

Acts 4:8 Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, “Rulers of the people and elders of Israel:

9 If we this day are judged for a good deed done to a helpless man, by what means he has been made well,

31 And when they had prayed, the place where they were assembled together was shaken; and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and they spoke the Word of God with boldness.

Acts 5:12 And through the hands of the apostles many signs and wonders were done among the people. And they were all with one accord in Solomon’s Porch. 13 Yet none of the rest dared join them, but the people esteemed them highly.

14 And believers were increasingly added to the Lord, multitudes of both men and women,

15 so that they brought the sick out into the streets and laid them on beds and couches, that at least the shadow of Peter passing by might fall on some of them. 16 Also a multitude gathered from the surrounding cities to Jerusalem, bringing sick people and those who were tormented by unclean spirits, and they were all healed.

Acts 6:3 Therefore, brethren, seek out from among you seven men of God reputation, full of the Holy Spirit and Wisdom, whom we may appoint over this business;

4 but we will give ourselves continually to prayer and to the ministry of the Word.” 5 And the saying pleased the whole multitude. And they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and the Holy Spirit, and Philip, Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolas, a proselyte from Antioch,

8 And Stephen, full of faith and power, did great wonders and signs among the people.

Acts 7:55 But Stephen, being full of the Holy Spirit, gazed into Heaven and saw the Glory of God, and Jesus standing at the Right Hand of God,

56 and said, “Look! I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing at the Right Hand of God!”

We see that the early church totally relied on The Holy Spirit in all areas.  Shouldn’t the church in the end times operate in the same manner?

Understanding The Ministries Of The Holy Spirit: Part 18

Friday, October 4th, 2024

Are we known by the Fruit of The Holy Spirit operating in our lives?

Jesus was challenged by the Pharisees when He freed a demonized man by casting out the demon by The Holy Spirit.

By The Holy Spirit, Matthew recorded this event and what Jesus spoke in Matthew chapter 12:

22 Then a man was brought before Jesus who had a demon spirit that made him both blind and mute. Jesus healed him instantly, and he could see and talk again! 23 The crowds went wild with amazement as they witnessed this miracle. And they kept saying to one another, “Could this man be the Messiah?”

24 But when the Pharisees overheard what the people were saying, they said, “He casts out demons by the power of satan, the prince of demons!”

25 Jesus supernaturally perceived their thoughts and motives, so He told them this parable: “Any kingdom that fights against itself is reduced to ruins. And any family or community splintered by strife will fall apart.

26 So if satan casts out satan, he is making war on himself. How then could his kingdom stand?

27 So if satan empowers Me to cast out demons, who empowers your exorcists to cast them out? Go ask them, let them be your judges.

28 But, if I drive out demons by the power of the Spirit of God, then the end of satan’s kingdom has come!

29 Who would dare enter the house of a mighty man and steal his property? First he must be overpowered and tied up by one who is stronger than he. Then his entire house can be plundered.

Jesus acknowledged the ministry of the Jewish exorcists, so the Pharisees were not ignorant of such deliverance.  Further, Jesus was operating in a Word of knowledge and discerning of spirits.  Thirdly, Jesus explained the importance of The Holy Spirit’s ministry of casting out demons.  A demon was the source of the man’s affliction of being both blind and mute.  His problem was not physical but instead spiritual in nature.

Why are most churches inadequate in dealing with those who are afflicted in some manner?  Could it be due to their unwillingness to focus on The Ministry of The Holy Spirit given to us by Our Lord Jesus Christ?  Are they simply holding onto what happened two thousand years ago and now rely on the world’s solutions to man’s problems?  Isn’t this the same fundamental issue that the Pharisees revealed when they were relying solely on the Law of Moses rather than the solution for mankind revealed before their very eyes?  Their pride and lust for power prevented them from seeing Who stood before them.  If this the issue today as well?

Jesus confronted their blindness as He spoke the above parable.  He then issued an Eternal warning for all of us to pay close attention to:

31 This is why I warn you. God will forgive people for every sin and blasphemy except one. There is no forgiveness for the sin of blasphemy against the Holy Spirit.

32 If anyone speaks evil of Me, the Son of Man, he can be forgiven; but if anyone speaks against the Holy Spirit, it will never be forgiven, now or ever!”

I must underscore the importance of the Ministry of The Holy Spirit!  He should be at the forefront of our walk in every aspect of our life.

Jesus wasn’t done.  He continued:

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.”

Our words are the evidence of what prevails in our hearts, and we will be judged accordingly.  The acts of Jesus proved His fruit to be good.  We should endeavor to walk in the same power and authority of The Holy Spirit.  Jesus authorized us in Mark chapter 16:

15 And Jesus said to them (and us), “Go into all the world and preach the Gospel to every creature.

16 He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned.

17 And these signs (fruit) will follow those who believe: In My Name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues;

18 they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.”

How could we produce such fruit?  It is because Jesus sent us The Holy Spirit to operate in us and through us for His glory!

Understanding The Ministries Of The Holy Spirit: Part 17

Thursday, October 3rd, 2024

The Holy Spirit is THE Treasurer/Administrator of the total wealth of THE GODHEAD!

Jesus revealed this Truth when He spoke in John chapter 16:

13 However, when He, the Spirit of Truth, has come, He will guide you into all Truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you (prophetically of) things to come.

14 He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine and declare, reveal, impart, share it with you.

15 All things that the Father has are Mine. Therefore I said that He (The Holy Spirit) will take of Mine and declare it with you.

In other Words, everything that belongs to the Father belongs to Jesus, and The Holy Spirit will receive what is possessed by Jesus and impart it to us.  Everything The Father has, HE has committed to The Son.  But everything The Father and The Son have together, Their total wealth, is under the control of The Holy Spirit.  He is the administrator of the total wealth of The GODHEAD, effectively The Treasurer.

The One with the Key to all the Treasures of GOD IS The Holy Spirit!  A treasurer manages and faithfully administers the disbursements out of the treasury.

The Holy Spirit is The Teacher, He is the One Who reminds us, He’s our guide, He is our revelator, He is the administrator of the wealth.  Those are five good reasons for cultivating a close relationship with The Holy Spirit.

Jesus spoke in Acts chapter 1:

8 But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”

We are meant to be fully reliable witnesses on the earth.  Who is the best witness to testify of Jesus Christ?  One who walks in the power of The Holy Spirit!

The disciples were already born again, they were saved, they already knew Jesus, but they didn’t have the power that they needed to get the job done.  After the resurrection of Jesus, the disciples were in the temple every day praising and blessing GOD, but the rest of Jerusalem didn’t know what was going on.  But when The Holy Spirit came, within a few hours the whole of Jerusalem knew something had happened.  That is how it is when The Holy Spirit begins to move.

The Holy Spirit impacts people, He impacts situations.  The Holy Spirit stirs people up.  He eliminates indifference.  How many churches do you see where the members of the church are fundamentally indifferent?  Can you see the problem?  The ministry of The Holy Spirit is suppressed in some form or fashion.

You cannot be friends with the world and friends with GOD at the same time.  You can’t sit on the fence.  The Holy Spirit will electrify that fence, and you cannot sit on it any longer!  You will go to one side or the other.

Why don’t some churches want the ministry of The Holy Spirit.  They don’t want their neutrality attacked.

Jesus warned us when He spoke in Matthew chapter 12:

25 But Jesus knew their thoughts, and said to them: “Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation, and every city or house divided against itself will not stand.

26 If satan casts out satan, he is divided against himself. How then will his kingdom stand?

27 And if I cast out demons by beelzebub, by whom do your sons cast them out? Therefore they shall be your judges.

28 But if I cast out demons by the Spirit of God, surely the Kingdom of God has come upon you.

29 Or how can one enter a strong man’s house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man? And then he will plunder his house.

30 He who is not with Me is against Me, and he who does not gather with Me scatters abroad.

Jesus cast out demons by The Holy Spirit and we should do the same.  What happens when this occurs?  The Kingdom of GOD has come and the end of satan’s kingdom has arrived.

31 “Therefore I say to you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven men.

32 Anyone who speaks a Word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him; but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven him, either in this age or in the age to come.

If you say anything negative, injurious, or in disregard of The Holy Spirit, you will not be forgiven.  This is a direct warning from Jesus!

The Treasures of Heaven are available to those who fully align themselves with The Holy Spirit in speech and action.

Another Kids In Need Update

Wednesday, October 2nd, 2024

From one of the school counselors:

 I used some of your cards to help feed a family that was kicked out of their apartment and buy them pull ups for this special needs child. I used another gift card to buy a student shoes who was wearing his older brother’s shoes to school which were about 3 sizes too big. And today, I am sending home some Crest cards to a family whose main breadwinner suffered a stroke and cannot work. The child says the food supply is low. These cards have been such a blessing to our students and families!

Understanding The Ministries Of The Holy Spirit: Part 16

Wednesday, October 2nd, 2024

The Holy Spirit is our Source of revelation, understanding, and knowledge!

The Internet is full of people who want you to believe their predictions of the future, understanding of things, and for us to pay for their products, services, and/or books.  The question is: “Is there lasting benefit to me?”.  How often have you regretted spending time and/or money in pursuit of what they offer?

Jesus revealed this Truth when He spoke in John chapter 16:

13 However, when He, the Spirit of Truth, has come, He will guide you into all Truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you (prophetically of) things to come.

14 He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you.

15 All things that the Father has are Mine. Therefore I said that He will take of Mine and declare it to you.

In other Words, everything that belongs to the Father belongs to Me—that’s why I say that the Divine Encourager will receive what is Mine and reveal it to you.

The Holy Spirit will share knowledge with us that we could not know otherwise.  I can look back over the last 52 years and see where He led me in all aspects of my life, personal and professional.  When I disregarded His direction, I suffered.  When I acted under His direction, I prospered.

The Holy Spirit shares with us the secrets of Heaven.  He will also tell us of things to come for we live in very dangerous times.  He knows what the evil and violent forces are at work in the world and they are now manifesting more evil and more violence every day.

Paul wrote by The Holy Spirit in Hebrews chapter 11:

7 By faith Noah, being Divinely warned of things not yet seen, moved with Godly fear, prepared an ark for the saving of his household, by which he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness which is according to faith.

And in Romans 10:

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

In other Words, faith, then, is birthed in a heart that responds to God’s anointed Utterance of the Anointed One.

Noah did not listen to those around him.  They had no idea what would happen in the earth.

Moses recorded by THE SPIRIT in Genesis chapter 6:

8 But Noah found grace in the Eyes of the LORD.

9 This is the genealogy of Noah. Noah was a just man, perfect in his generations. Noah walked with God.

We too effectively walk with GOD as we are led by The Holy Spirit Who is in us.  As we submit to Him, He will fully prepare us for the times ahead.  The sooner this happens, the more prepared we will be.  Noah was not surprised when judgment finally manifested, and the rain began.  He prepared the ark despite the ridicule of wicked men.

Jesus referred to Noah when He spoke in Matthew chapter 24:

36 “But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of Heaven, but My Father only.

37 But as the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be.

38 For as in the days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark,

39 and did not know until the flood came and took them all away, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be.

Many who have not submitted to The Holy Spirit will be caught unaware of what will soon take place.

Jesus then focuses on the faithful servant who responds to The Holy Spirit:

45 “What would qualify a servant to manage his Master’s House? He would be a wise servant who is both faithful and dependable. The master would commission him to oversee others, for he would lead them well and give them food at the right time.

46 What joy and blessing will come to that faithful servant when The Master comes home to find him serving with excellence!

47 I can promise you, The Master will raise him up and put him in charge of all that He owns.

Servias Ministries and its partners faithfully help the poor, especially the kids in need.  The Holy Spirit had us set up this ministry in 2006, it was definitely not my idea.  FATHER continues to bless this outreach, and we are truly thankful to those who are able to give.

In Genesis 6:5 THE LORD saw how extremely wicked humanity had become, for they imagined only evil, for all they thought about was doing evil all the time.  Look around, are we seeing a replay of what was happening then?

It is vital that you and I walk by revelation, understanding, and knowledge given to us by The Holy Spirit.  Men’s opinions will not prove reliable in the days ahead.

Understanding The Ministries Of The Holy Spirit: Part 15

Tuesday, October 1st, 2024

The Holy Spirit is our Personal Guide to lead us throughout life!

Jesus revealed this Truth when He spoke in John chapter 16:

12 “I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now.

Why couldn’t Jesus share any more revelation with the disciples?  They were full of anxiety concerning His departure.  Here you have The Son of GOD Who is full of revelation, but cannot teach them anything else because of their fear and uncertainty about their future without Him.  He addresses their future:

13 However, when He, the Spirit of Truth, has come, He will guide you into all Truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you (prophetically of) things to come.

14 He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you.

15 All things that the Father has are Mine. Therefore I said that He will take of Mine and declare it to you.

In other Words, everything that belongs to the Father belongs to Me—that’s why I say that the Divine Encourager will receive what is Mine and reveal it to you.

It is critical that we understand the ministry of The Holy Spirit Who was given to us and would never leave us or forsake us.  His ministry is essential for our walk as believers toward full maturity.  We are not meant to walk aimlessly and without purpose.  As we seek to be led by The Holy Spirit, He will direct us in all aspects of our life.

Jesus continued:

25 “I have spoken to you using figurative language, but the time is coming when I will no longer teach you with veiled speech, but I will teach you about the Father with your eyes unveiled.

As we are led by The Holy Spirit, our eyes will begin to see clearly what is going on in the spiritual realm.  This will allow us to navigate our walk through the challenges that we will face in the world.  We will walk in peace while the world is in turmoil.

Because The Holy Spirit speaks to us prophetically, we will alter our plans so that we will not be placed in a threatening situation.  My wife and I pray before a trip that The Holy Spirit directs us to the right place at the right time.  We no longer look at delays with impatience.  Instead, we view delays as protecting us from harm.

26 And I will not need to ask the Father on your behalf, for you’ll ask Him directly because of your new relationship with Me.

27 For the Father tenderly Loves you, because you Love Me and believe that I’ve come from God.

We now pray to Our Heavenly Father since we are Sons and Daughters.  We pray in Jesus’ Name to establish by what authority we can approach FATHER.  The Holy Spirit will guide our prayers in all Truth so that we no longer pray amiss.

28 I came to you sent from the Father’s Presence, and I entered into the created world, and now I will leave this world and return to the Father’s Side.”

Jesus revealed to us that He existed with FATHER prior to His ministry here on earth.  He agreed to His mission on earth so that we could be fully reconciled to FATHER as well as bringing forth the ministry of The Holy Spirit upon His departure.

What Jesus initiated is to be completed by The Holy Spirit.  Many yearn to have been a part of the earthly ministry of Jesus.  Would I trade a lifetime ministry of The Holy Spirit for 3 ½ years for being in the physical presence of Jesus? 

Ultimately, we will be in His Presence for eternity.  In the meantime, let us fully embrace the ministry of The Holy Spirit as we walk the earth.  Who better to guide us?