Blessings and Glory! Oh, Lord that you will work through this blog. That You will enable others to see something they have not yet seen. That they will experience a hunger for your Word. That a curiosity will spark in their being, a craving for Truth.
Let me tell you of wonderful deceased preachers/authors so you may hunt down these inexpensive books or view Youtube sermons to see the unchanging wisdom, some of it from our previous century. Check out Andrew Murray, Francis Schaeffer, C.H. Spurgeon and Chuck Colson just to name a few.
Hanging around with people that keep warning you of the impending danger, being a Christian? People reminding you of a possibility of God deciding to hide Himself from you, Job moments to come, Holy Spirit hide and seek? How about spiritual warfare just on the horizon?
Well, yes these are all realities to some degree. First question to ask is: "What is going on in THEIR life?"
There is a depression bug that seems to plague Christians. This is historically seen in prophets and evangelists. The outspoken for Christ are under incredible warfare. Martin Luther's biography is amazing. He was pursued by demons and depression, yes. Modern day Perry Stone is pursued by demons. Most of us that God chooses to be bold for the kingdom will battle this. It is a won battle, daily. I can attest to that. I have victory in Christ and there are very, very few people I can share intimately what I encounter. If you do not experience spiritual warfare, that actually is not a good signal of your taking part of God's plan to spread the Gospel. You are left alone because you are not a threat. Many do not speak out for the Kingdom because they are aware of the challenge of the unseen world. What they do not understand is that the victory in Christ as we win each and every one of these battles actually propels us higher into realms of fearlessness that few can understand. As I put it recently, "I step on the heads of the demons so I may reach higher ground". But, also understand Jude vs. 9:
"But even the archangel Michael, when he was disputing with the devil about the body of Moses, did not dare to bring a slanderous accusation against him, but said, "The Lord rebuke you!"
I had a friend point out that we are to respect the underworld of demonic spirits. I now am more careful of my terminology towards them. I have used abusive statements about and to them. If you are under attack, just as Jesus did, you need to quote Scripture. No conversations, no nothing but Scripture.
We live our Christian life moment by moment. We do not wring our hands about the future. We do not "wait" for the other shoe to drop. We read God's Word daily and pray and praise Him daily on our knees. Our alarm goes off in the morning and we rise and say, "Oh, Lord, thank you for protection in my sleep. For another day. For my breath that I may praise you. Something good is going to happen today, thanks to you, Lord".
If your clique includes downers, I suggest you migrate towards the light, as you are treading on dangerous ground. Limit your time with Christians who seem to seep of jealousy of your joy, who seem to be self elevated due to their "decades of walking in the Lord". True leaders are servant leaders. True elders should be servant elders. There is a muzzle on the Holy Spirit in many churches and man attempts to put the muzzle on the Holy Spirit. John 3:6-8: "Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. You should not be surprised at my saying, You must be born again. The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit".
You see, the Holy Spirit will not be muzzled. But it will blow where it wishes. I would HATE to limit It! I see this so much, in so many. Jesus wept so much, and I weep so much for the Spirit is limited by man. I am simply a born again, Holy Spirit filled woman. God blows me where He wishes. This is true submission to the One who saved my soul. Why would you continue to not submit? This is not a game. You can't win if you win in this life.
Also, read the book of Job, but read it with anticipation of great things. Through study, I have found that Job's dealings of loss were actually over a period over about 11 months. It was not a lifetime of tragedy. It was an intense, short period of a loss of his health, his children and his occupation and belongings. As another test, God let him "keep" his wife and friends, who actually were the devil's advocates to further test and torment him. If you think you have had a "Job" moment, think again. Job was as spotless a sinner as they come. I don't know of anyone who had lived a more obedient life as Job. So, no, you are not having a "Job" season. You are simply having a loss, so look around and see what God is doing in your life. You may need to make some changes. To say you lived an experience like Job appears to be pride in your life.
Let's also discuss the filling of the Holy Spirit. Do you fear that the God that created all of the universe wants to torment you? Good fathers do not torment their children. Good Father (Heavenly Father) will take good care of His children. (Are you His child or are you of the world?) Do you think He would just fill you partially with His Self (Holy Spirit) and then yank it away? If He did do such a thing, it would only be to teach you, to prepare you, to enable you to do greater things. Let this be of comfort: Andrew Murray, author and preacher puts it this way in his book, Experiencing The Holy Spirit: "The full pentecostal blessing is for all the children of God. Christ is not divided; He that receives Him receives Him in all His fullness. God does not give a half portion to any of His children.
Romans 8:14: As many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.
So, please, beloved: God is not mad at you, He is mad about you! There will be no shoe to drop because you already should have surrendered your children, grandchildren, profession, hobbies, health, spouse, schedule, lifestyle and earnings to Him! So, this puff of smoke time on the earth will vanish in such a minuscule period of time, as you should comprehend to a greater degree, eternity, as a recreated in Christ creature!
Decide: Are you so in love with this world that you will pace back and forth and wear the carpet out about what may happen here? Look to the heavens! Live in the heavenly realms, now! The Lord Almighty has given you this ability. Fill with the Holy Spirit. It is not automatic. You must submit your life to Christ, after giving your life to Christ. You may have missed the submit part. There are no works to do. That will push you farther into the pit. Get on your knees, ask the Lord to examine your heart, and realize you are a sinner in need of a heart "transplant". Let the sanctification begin!
May you that have the Holy Spirit dwelling in you continue to take "heart". Find those other butterflies out there that weep over the ones lacking. Find those others that have a joy unmatched on this earth. No wonder the church of America looks at them with confusion.
May you that are not sure, please, please: You will know if the Holy Spirit dwells in you! It will be the light suddenly turned on in the cellar, the 40 lb weight lifted off of your neck, the winning of the lottery feeling. Unmistakable!
Glory to God on High! Keep heart, my friends. Keep praying. Keep submitting further and further as you let go of this world and its treasures that will soon fade away. Our Savior Jesus is at the helm of this ship, He has you covered in all ways. His blessings on earth cannot compare with the tactual things you have shed.
Revelation 22:17 The Spirit and the bride say, "Come!" And let him who hears say, "Come"! Whoever is thirsty, let him come; and whoever wishes, let him take the free gift of the water of life.
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