Servias Ministries Blog

Jesus walked in the power of The Holy Spirit and so should we!

Luke recorded by The Holy Spirit in Luke chapter 4:

1 From the moment of His baptism, Jesus overflowed with the Holy Spirit. He was taken by the Spirit from the Jordan into the wilderness of Judea to experience for forty days the ordeal of testing by the accuser. He ate no food during this time and ended His forty-day fast very hungry.

Afterward, Jesus was tempted by the devil and overcame all the temptations with the Word of GOD.  He did not allow His flesh or His soul to take control, He was fully led by The Holy Spirit.

14 Then Jesus, armed with the Holy Spirit’s power, returned to Galilee, and His fame spread throughout the region.

15 He taught in the synagogues and they glorified Him.

Notice that it was only after He was tested that He walked in the power of The Holy Spirit.  This detail has not been emphasized in the past when ministries have taught on receiving the baptism of The Holy Spirit with the evidence of speaking in Tongues.  They left the testing aspect out. 

It is one thing to have the right to walk in power, but it is another to manifest the power of The Holy Spirit.  FATHER requires us to walk in and be tested in righteousness before we will walk in the power of The Holy Spirit.  We must fully surrender ourselves to The Holy Spirit.

The Beloved disciple wrote by The Holy Spirit in John chapter 1:

12 But as many as received Him, to them gave He power (right, authority) to become the Sons of God, even to them that believe on His Name:

FATHER is committed to fulfilling HIS promises, but HE is not committed to fulfilling your potential!

Jesus spoke in Luke chapter 4:

18 “The Spirit of the LORD is upon Me, Because He has anointed Me To preach the Gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives And recovery of sight to the blind, To set at liberty those who are oppressed;

19 To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD.”

20 And He closed the book, and he gave it again to the minister, and sat down. And the eyes of all them that were in the synagogue were fastened on Him.

21 And He began to say unto them, This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears.

The promise found in Isaiah chapter 61 was fulfilled and became a reality before their eyes and ears. 

Luke recorded by The Holy Spirit in Acts chapter 10:

38 how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power, Who went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him.

This verse is a summary, or review, of the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.  This verse summarizes how Jesus impacted the world.

Jesus walked the earth as a man, and it required that He be anointed by FATHER.  Before He came to the earth, He needed no anointing or power from Heaven.  As a man, He was subject to everything that we are subject to, without exception.

As a man, Jesus needed the baptism of The Holy Spirit to bring forth Heaven to earth.  In addition to simply receiving The Holy Spirit, He needed the power of The Holy Spirit just like we do.  He provided a perfect template for us to follow in order to bring forth Heaven to earth.

If I want to walk in the power of The Holy Spirit, I must successfully walk in righteousness and Holiness.  You can be assured that you will be tested by the adversary.

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.

In order to do greater works, we must at a minimum do the same works.  This requires us to walk in the power of The Holy Spirit.  We must take the necessary steps to walk in such power to bring forth The Kingdom to earth.

When we enter into HIS Presence, nothing else matters!

As you and I pursue entering in HIS Presence, our priorities become fully aligned with HIS.

King David understood this when he recorded the revelation by The Holy Spirit in Psalm chapter 27:

4 One thing I have desired of the LORD, That will I seek: That I may dwell in the House of the LORD All the days of my life, To behold the beauty of the LORD, And to inquire in His Temple.

This is the one thing David craved from YAHWEH, the one thing he sought above all else: he wanted to live with HIM every moment in HIS House, beholding the marvelous beauty of YAHWEH, filled with awe, delighting in HIS glory and grace.

Moses had this revelation as well.

Moses recorded by The Holy Spirit in Exodus chapter 33:

7 Moses took his tent and pitched it outside the camp, far from the camp, and called it the Tabernacle of meeting. And it came to pass that everyone who sought the LORD went out to the Tabernacle of meeting which was outside the camp

9 And it came to pass, when Moses entered the tabernacle, that the Pillar of cloud descended and stood at the door of the Tabernacle, and the LORD talked with Moses.

10 All the people saw the pillar of cloud standing at the Tabernacle door, and all the people rose and worshiped, each man in his tent door.

11 So the LORD spoke to Moses face to face, as a man speaks to his friend. And he would return to the camp, but his servant Joshua the son of Nun, a young man, did not depart from the tabernacle.

The LORD treated Moses as a friend!

12 Then Moses said to the LORD, “See, You say to me, ‘Bring up this people.’ But You have not let me know whom You will send with me. Yet You have said, ‘I know you by name, and you have also found grace in My Sight.’

13 Now therefore, I pray, if I have found grace in Your Sight, show me now Your way, that I may know You and that I may find grace in Your Sight. And consider that this nation is Your people.”

14 And HE said, “My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.”

Moses wanted nothing less than to have the Presence of THE LORD with him at all times while traversing the wilderness toward the Promised Land.

King David recorded by The Holy Spirit in Psalm chapter 103:

7 He (THE LORD) made known His ways (relationship) to Moses, His acts (activity) to the children of Israel.

There is a clear distinction between knowing HIM and seeing HIS acts.  It is all about relationship.  How are we to pursue a closer relationship with THE LORD?

It is written by The Holy Spirit in Psalm chapter 100:

4 Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, And into His courts with praise. Be thankful to Him, and bless His Name.

The gates represent the doorway or entrance into His courts.

We give HIM thanksgiving for what HE has provided for us, whether healing, restoration, finances, etc.  In praise, we honor HIM for being The Provider, HIS personality, HIS nature.  When GOD reveals an aspect of HIS nature, it always comes with an invitation for an encounter with HIM.

My deepest desire is to be in HIS Presence, and I trust it is yours as well.  All of the answers to life’s challenges are found in HIS Presence.

We are to be thankful and trustworthy so that we will see more and greater works!

You and I are meant to be examples to those around us as being led by The Holy Spirit.  Also, we are to surrender to Jesus’ commands concerning our walk.

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.

In other Words, Jesus said, “I tell you this timeless Truth: The person who follows Me in faith, believing in me, will do the same mighty miracles that I do—even greater miracles than these because I go to be with my Father!”

Jesus set the standard that we are to seek and obtain.  The requirements include faith and expectation, an absence of unbelief.  Jesus did not mention any exceptions to the greater works we should expect.

Jesus further said:

15  “Loving Me empowers you to obey My commands.

16-17 And I will ask the Father and He will give you another Savior, the Holy Spirit of Truth, Who will be to you a friend just like Me—and He will never leave you. The world won’t receive Him because they can’t see Him or know Him. But you know Him intimately because He remains with you and will live inside you.

If we truly Love Jesus Christ, Our Lord and Savior, we will not be hesitant to exalt Him to others.  We are to be humble and not draw attention to ourselves.  Our greater works are not due to the number of believers, that would be pointless.  Each believer is to bring forth greater works.

The following is a comparison of works:

Matthew recorded by The Holy Spirit in Matthew 9:20-22 NKJV

And suddenly, a woman who had a flow of blood for twelve years came from behind and touched the hem of His garment.

21 For she said to herself, “If only I may touch His garment, I shall be made well.”

22 But Jesus turned around, and when He saw her He said, “Be of good cheer, daughter; your faith has made you well.” And the woman was made well from that hour.

Luke recorded the greater works of Paul as he recorded by The Holy Spirit in Acts chapter 19:

11 God kept releasing a flow of extraordinary miracles through the hands of Paul. 12 Because of this, people took Paul’s handkerchiefs and articles of clothing, even pieces of cloth that had touched his skin, laying them on the bodies of the sick, and diseases and demons left them and they were healed.

I have personally participated and witnessed the same miracle of praying over a handkerchief and sending it to a girl in a hospital where she was immediately healed.  We are to hunger for more.

If I am thankful without being hungry for more, I will become complacent and return to the past.  If I am hungry for what is possible but I’m not thankful, first of all, I can’t be trusted with more, secondly, I will frustrate myself and become anxious.  It is the combination of the two, to be trustworthy with the more that GOD desires to release.

Do not grieve The Holy Spirit and do not quench The Holy Spirit!

You and I are meant to be examples to those around us as being led by The Holy Spirit.  Paul qualifies this walk by explaining what grieving The Holy Spirit entails.

Paul wrote by The Holy Spirit in Ephesians chapter 4:

25 So discard every form of dishonesty and lying so that you will be known as one who always speaks the Truth, for we all belong to one another.

26 But don’t let the passion of your emotions lead you to sin! Don’t let anger control you or be fuel for revenge, not for even a day.

27 Don’t give the slanderous accuser, the Devil, an opportunity to manipulate you! 28 If any one of you has stolen from someone else, never do it again. Instead, be industrious, earning an honest living, and then you’ll have enough to bless those in need.

29 And never let ugly or hateful words come from your mouth, but instead let your words become beautiful gifts that encourage others; do this by speaking words of grace to help them.

30 The Holy Spirit of God has sealed you in Jesus Christ until you experience your full salvation. So never grieve the Spirit of God or take for granted his Holy influence in your life.

We grieve Him when we have wrong desires, wrong actions, wrong attitudes, when we participate with the inferior, or when we participate with evil in any way.

Paul wrote by The Holy Spirit in 1^st Thessalonians chapter 5:

19 Do not quench the Holy Spirit.

In other Words, never restrain or put out the fire of the Holy Spirit.  The word quench means: to extinguish, of fire or things on fire, to suppress, stifle of Divine influence.

You and I have the ability to suppress, stop the flow, the operation of The Holy Spirit in our lives, so don’t!  We are to walk in full surrender of The Holy Spirit.  In essence, we are to walk in both the character and power of The Holy Spirit.

Jesus never grieved or quenched The Holy Spirit during His earthly ministry.  He lived as a man dependent on God.  What was the result?

The Beloved Disciple recorded by The Holy Spirit in John chapter 21:

24 I, John, am that disciple who has written these things to testify of the Truth, and we know that what I’ve documented is accurate.

25 Jesus did countless things that I haven’t included here. And if every one of His works were written down and described one by one, I suppose that the world itself wouldn’t have enough room to contain the books that would have to be written!

Jesus expects a similar impact of the New Testament believer.  He stated in John chapter 14:

11 Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father in Me, or else believe Me for the sake of the works themselves.

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.

15 “If you love Me, keep My commandments.

16 And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever-

17 the Spirit of Truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you.

As we walk in the character and power of The Holy Spirit, we will do the greater works IN HIM and our works will glorify THE FATHER.

We are called to give ourselves completely to THE LORD!

Often times, fear becomes our teacher, and we actually take comfort in fear because it keeps us from the risk that intimidates and scares us.

However, Paul wrote by The Holy Spirit in 2^nd Corinthians chapter 1:

19 For the Son of God, Jesus Christ, Who was preached among you by us-by me, Silvanus, and Timothy-was not Yes and No, but in Him was Yes.

20 For all the promises of God in Him are Yes, and in Him Amen, to the glory of God through us.

In other Words, for all of God’s promises find their “yes” of fulfillment in Him. And as His “YES” and our “amen” ascend to God, we bring Him glory!

GOD declares a promise but HE’S waiting for human agreement.  GOD can do everything on HIS own, by HIMSELF, better than all of us combined.  That’s not what HE is looking for.  HE designed for HIS Will to be done on earth through human agreement.  What is the point of being a Son or Daughter who does nothing?  How boring would that be!  We are to be fruitful in our daily life.

FATHER intended to join with Adam and Eve to co-labor with them so that HIS Will and purposes could be done on an entire planet.  HIS Intent was to have an intimate fellowship with mankind to express HIS Love to us and through us.

What is the Will of GOD?  On earth as it is in Heaven.

Luke recorded Peter’s address to the people as he spoke by The Holy Spirit in Acts chapter 2:

16 But this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel:

17 ‘And it shall come to pass in the last days, says God, That I will pour out of My Spirit on all flesh; Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, Your young men shall see visions, Your old men shall dream dreams.

18 And on My menservants and on My maidservants I will pour out My Spirit in those days; And they shall prophesy.

19 I will show wonders in heaven above And signs in the earth beneath: Blood and fire and vapor of smoke.

20 The sun shall be turned into darkness, And the moon into blood, Before the coming of the great and awesome Day of the LORD.

21 And it shall come to pass That whoever calls on the Name of the LORD Shall be saved (sōzō).’

The Plan of THE LORD is so much greater than every one of us could possibly imagine and be able to explain.  Our minds cannot grasp the magnitude of what was prophesied.  For the most part, the Body of Christ has greater faith in the return of THE LORD than in the power of the Gospel here and now.

If our faith were in the power of the Gospel, we wouldn’t expect Jesus to return to rescue us but it would be the crowning touch on a victorious church.  The Gospel is enough to transform an individual life, therefore It’s enough to transform a family, therefore It’s enough to transform a community, therefore It’s enough to transform a city, therefore It’s enough to transform a state…  The Power of the Gospel is enough!

The cross is enough.  Within that is the promise of GOD for us to live a fulfilled life.  The Promised Land is a representation of us stepping fully into what we were born for, why we are alive.  You and I are designed to work but not out of stress.  We are meant to be productive, creative, and fruitful unto good works.  It is never too late to correct our individual journeys and zero in on our callings.

How do we accomplish such a correction?  We are to walk in a surrender, a yieldedness of HIS Word, a dying to self-will at all times, and embracing every Word spoken by HIM.

We are called to give ourselves completely to THE LORD!

However, it is our choice. When you say Yes to FATHER, expect a fight from the enemy to dissuade you from this choice.  By faith, we will prevail.

We are to reign in life and promote the good news of Jesus Christ, not ourselves.  Entering the Promised Land in the Old Covenant was a type, pattern, and shadow of us taking possession of The Kingdom of earth.

We are to take what GOD has said and prevail.

It is written by The Holy Spirit in Joshua chapter 1:

5 Joshua, no one will be able to defeat you for the rest of your life! I will be with you as I was with Moses, and I will never fail nor abandon you.

6 You must be strong and brave. You will lead the people to acquire and apportion the land that I promised their ancestors I would give them.

7 You must remain very strong and courageous! Be faithful to obey all the teaching that My servant Moses commanded you to follow. Do not deviate from him to the right or to the left, so that you will have overwhelming success in everything you undertake.

8 Recite this Scroll of the Law constantly. Contemplate it day and night and be careful to follow every Word It contains; then you will enjoy incredible prosperity and success.

9 I repeat, be strong and brave! Do not yield to fear nor be discouraged, for I am YAHWEH your God, and I will be with you wherever you go!”

FATHER has not changed HIS Mind nor HIS directives.  We are to take what FATHER has said.  It’s declaring It, it’s praying It, it’s confessing It, it’s singing It, it’s whatever I need to do to remember It, whether memorizing It, or writing It on 3×5 cards, to keep It in front of me at all times.  This is so that I don’t lose track of what FATHER says is to happen in my life.

We are to walk in a surrender, a yieldedness of HIS Word, a dying to self-will at all times, and embracing every Word spoken by HIM.

Paul wrote by The Holy Spirit in 2^nd Corinthians chapter 1:

19 For the Son of God, Jesus Christ, Who was preached among you by us-by me, Silvanus, and Timothy-was not Yes and No, but in Him was Yes.

20 For all the promises of God in Him are Yes, and in Him Amen, to the glory of God through us.

This Gospel was not given to us as a “maybe this will happen.”  It is given as an absolute “Yes!”.  This is GOD’S Purpose, this is HIS determination, this is HIS commitment to us, It is an absolute YES, it’s not a maybe.  The “Amen” is provided by us to the glory of GOD.

There are over 7,700 Promises of GOD in the Bible.  There were no “maybe’s”,

What will derail you concerning HIS Promises?  Unbelief.

It is written by The Holy Spirit in Hebrews chapter 4:

1 Now the promise of entering into God’s rest is still for us today. So we must be extremely careful to ensure that we all embrace the fullness of that promise and not fail to experience it.

2 For we have heard the Good News of deliverance just as they (the children of Israel) did, yet they didn’t join their faith with the Word. Instead, what they heard didn’t affect them deeply, for they doubted.

3 For those of us who believe, faith activates the promise and we experience the realm of confident rest! For He has said, “I was grieved with them and made a solemn oath, ‘They will not enter into My rest.’ ” God’s works have all been completed from the foundation of the world,

4 for it says in the Scriptures, And on the seventh day God rested from all His works.

5 And again, as stated before, They will not enter into My rest.

6 Those who first heard the good news of deliverance failed to enter into that realm of faith’s rest because of their unbelieving hearts. Yet the fact remains that we still have the opportunity to enter into the faith-rest Life and experience the fulfillment of the promise!

The children of Israel did not join their faith with The Word of THE LORD.  Instead, they heard the Word of THE LORD and joined It with fear and said, “No, there are giants in the land.”  There is no giant who can stand up to the “Amen” sons of GOD!

We are called to reign in life!

We are to reign in life and promote the good news of Jesus Christ, not ourselves.

Anything you obtain through self-promotion; you have to sustain through self-promotion. 

Paul wrote by The Holy Spirit in Romans chapter 5:

17 For if by the one man’s (Adam) offense death reigned through the one, much more those who receive abundance of grace (enablement) and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ.

The word proverb comes from a word that means to reign.  HIS Wisdom enables us to reign in life.

Wisdom recorded by THE SPIRIT in Proverbs chapter 1:

1 Here are Kingdom revelations, Words to live by, and Words of Wisdom given to empower you to reign in life, written as proverbs by Israel’s King Solomon, David’s son.

2 Within these sayings will be found the revelation of Wisdom and the impartation of spiritual understanding. Use them as keys to unlock the Treasures of True knowledge.

3 Those who cling to these Words will receive discipline to demonstrate Wisdom in every relationship and to choose what is right and just and fair.

4 These proverbs will give you great skill to teach the immature and make them wise, to give youth the understanding of their design and destiny.

5 For the wise, these proverbs will make you even wiser, and for those with discernment, you will be able to acquire brilliant strategies for leadership.

6 These Kingdom revelations will break open your understanding to unveil the deeper meaning of parables, poetic riddles, and epigrams, and to unravel the words and enigmas of the wise.

7 We cross the threshold of True knowledge when we live in obedient devotion to God. Stubborn know-it-alls will never stop to do this, for they scorn True Wisdom and knowledge.

For any problem on the planet, GOD already has the solution in HIS Mind.  HE is not caught unaware.  HE simply looks for one of HIS children to pursue the answer of the breakthrough.  HE has the answers and wants HIS answers and solutions to be released into the earth.  Reigning in life is where we take HIS answers for earthly problems, and we illustrate, and display them.  We implement the superior into the inferior.

First of all, by reigning in Christ, you and I owe people a Divine encounter with GOD.  We will accomplish this as we stay full of The Holy Spirit. 

Secondly, we owe people Divine Solutions, Heavenly answers for earthly problems.  Consider the current healthcare system.  As we enter these realms and serve effectively, we actually bring Heaven’s solutions to earthly problems.  When we do this, we enable people to taste and see that GOD is good.  Taste is experience, seeing is perception. 

Thirdly, we have a responsibility to live a blessed life.  We are to be blessed in order to be a blessing to others.

It is recorded by The Holy Spirit in Psalm chapter 67:

1 God, keep us near Your mercy-fountain and bless us! And when you look down on us, may Your Face beam with joy!

2 Send us out all over the world so that everyone everywhere will discover Your ways and know Who You are and see Your power to save.

3 Let all the nations burst forth with praise; let everyone everywhere Love and enjoy You!

4 Then how glad the nations will be when You are their King. They will sing, they will shout, for You give True justice to the people. Yes! You, Lord, are the Shepherd of the nations!

5 No wonder the peoples praise You! Let all the people praise You more!

6 The harvest of the earth is here! God, the very God we worship, keeps us satisfied at His banquet of blessings.

7 And the blessings keep coming! All the ends of the earth will give him the honor He deserves and be in awe of Him!

My prayer: FATHER, cause Your Face of favor and blessing to shine on our lives so everybody around us will know Your Ways, they will be known throughout the earth, so that Your salvation will truly come to the nations.

The real message of WHO HE is should be tangible, visible, and measurable to the world.  It is not theory, It is measurable.  People should see HIS mark of favor on our lives as we reign here on earth.

Call HIM FATHER!

THE LORD GOD ALMIGHTY invites us to call HIM FATHER.

It is written by The Holy Spirit in Jeremiah chapter 3:

19 “I, YAHWEH, said: “ ‘What bliss would fill My Heart to treat you like an honored son! What joy would fill My Heart to give you a land of delights, the most glorious and beautiful inheritance among the nations.’ I longed for the day when you would call me ‘Father’ and not turn away from ME.

The term FATHER indicates a personal and intimate relationship with OUR LORD.  As we accept this Truth, we will see ourselves as true sons and daughters who are the inheritors of HIS Kingdom with all its benefits.

And in chapter 29:

11 Here’s what YAHWEH says to you: “I know all about the marvelous destiny I have in store for you, a future planned out in detail. My intention is not to harm you but to surround you with peace and prosperity and to give you a beautiful future, glistening with hope.

12 When you call on Me and come to Me in prayer, I will listen to your every word.

13 If you reach out to Me, you will find Me when you search for Me with all your heart.

When we fully align ourselves with FATHER’S Divine Intent, expect to be fully surrounded by peace and prosperity in all areas of your life.  You will embrace a bright future filled with hope and expectation.

It is written by The Holy Spirit in Psalm chapter 25:

12 Who is the man that fears the LORD? Him shall He teach in the way He chooses.

13 He himself shall dwell in prosperity, And his descendants shall inherit the earth.

14 The secret of the LORD is with those who fear Him, And He will show them His covenant.

We are to reign in life.  That does not mean that money masters you, you master money.  It means that relationships don’t manipulate and control you, but you actually navigate through the ups and downs of our journey with people, and we use it in such a way that GOD is glorified.

FATHER has called us to reign in life and it is one of the vital things that illustrates a relationship with Jesus Christ that would cause others to be drawn to Him.

Jesus spoke in Matthew chapter 5:

14 “You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house.

16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in Heaven.

As Sons and Daughters, we have a responsibility to let our lights shine before men which will draw them closer to GOD.  This is the life of a Believer.  We are not to draw them to us, but to THE LORD HIMSELF.  We are simply the lamp, not the Fire.

Paul wrote by The Holy Spirit in Romans chapter 5:

17 For if by the one man’s (Adam) offense death reigned through the one, much more those who receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ.

In other Words, death once held us in its grip, and by the blunder of one man, death reigned as king over humanity. But now, how much more are we held in the grip of grace and continue reigning as kings in life, enjoying our regal freedom through the gift of perfect righteousness in the one and only Jesus, the Messiah!

We are to use the authority, the grace (enablement) that FATHER gives us, for the benefit of people in need around us.  This is what Servias Ministries does with your contributions.  Authority is always to be used to speak on behalf of those who have no voice or very little voice.

Jesus summed it up in Matthew chapter 23:

8 “But you are to be different from that. You are not to be called ‘master,’ for you have only one Master, and you are all brothers and sisters.

9 And you are not to be addressed as ‘father,’ for you have one Father, Who is in Heaven.

10 Nor are you to be addressed as ‘teacher,’ for you have one Teacher, the Anointed One.

11 The greatest among you will be the one who always serves others.

12 Remember this: If you have a lofty opinion of yourself and seek to be honored, you will be humbled. But if you have a modest opinion of yourself and choose to humble yourself, you will be honored.”

Unbelief is a result of fear!

Fear and humility never work together.  Fear and humiliation will.  Fear masquerades as wisdom.  Anytime we take on a dysfunction in our life and we give it a virtuous name, we give it permission to stay.  The ten spies were afraid of the giants in the land, so they embraced man’s wisdom to stay in the wilderness.  They did not embrace the promise of GOD.  Instead, they trusted what they saw.

It is written by The Holy Spirit in Joshua chapter 1:

6 Be strong and of good courage, for to this people you shall divide as an inheritance the land which I swore to their fathers to give them.

7 Only be strong and very courageous, that you may observe to do according to all the law which Moses My servant commanded you; do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may prosper wherever you go.

Both Joshua and Caleb were not intimidated by the giants who dwelled in the Promised Land.  Their convictions translated into bold actions and they were ready to take the land now that the generation of fear and unbelief had died in the wilderness.

You know how much THE LORD trusts you by what HE entrusts you with.  The enemy will use fear against you to promote unbelief and failure.

Mark recorded by The Holy Spirit in Mark chapter 9:

17 Then one of the crowd answered and said, “Teacher, I brought You my son, who has a mute spirit.

18 And wherever it seizes him, it throws him down; he foams at the mouth, gnashes his teeth, and becomes rigid. So I spoke to Your disciples, that they should cast it out, but they could not.”

The demon moved upon the son to intimidate the disciples by promoting fear and unbelief when they saw the boy in an uncontrollable state.

19 He answered him and said, “O faithless generation, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I bear with you? Bring him to Me.”

20 Then they brought him to Him. And when he saw Him, immediately the spirit convulsed him, and he fell on the ground and wallowed, foaming at the mouth.

21 So He asked his father, “How long has this been happening to him?” And he said, “From childhood.

22 And often he has thrown him both into the fire and into the water to destroy him. But if You can do anything, have compassion on us and help us.”

23 Jesus said to him, “If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes.”

24 Immediately the father of the child cried out and said with tears, “Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!”

25 When Jesus saw that the people came running together, He rebuked the unclean spirit, saying to it: “Deaf and dumb spirit, I command you, come out of him and enter him no more!”

26 Then the spirit cried out, convulsed him greatly, and came out of him. And he became as one dead, so that many said, “He is dead.”

27 But Jesus took him by the hand and lifted him up, and he arose.

Afterward, the disciples were perplexed by their inability to cast this powerful demon out of the boy.  They had already been successful in casting out demons.  They needed to understand what caused them to fail.

28 And when He had come into the house, His disciples asked Him privately, “Why could we not cast it out?”

29 So He said to them, “This kind can come out by nothing but prayer and fasting.”

Taking our Promised Land requires us to be strong and courageous.  We will not take it by hanging out in the wilderness.  Instead, we will deal with conflict by using the weapons of our warfare for the pulling down of strongholds. 

The man’s son had been plagued by the demon for years which meant that the demon had built up a stronghold.  Jesus operated in the superior realm and had no problem in defeating the inferior realm and tearing down the stronghold.

We must not be intimidated by any challenge we confront, allowing unbelief to take hold.  We are to be bold!

The Beloved Disciple wrote by The Holy Spirit in 1^st John chapter 5:

14 Since we have this confidence, we can also have great boldness before Him, for if we ask anything agreeable to His will, He will hear us.

15 And if we know that He hears us in whatever we ask, we also know that we have obtained the requests we ask of Him.