Man is a trinity. He is created with a body, soul and spirit. Having been born with a body ,which is the only visible part of us, we are limited in our understanding of the unseen, intangible, complete self, the real self, the soul and the spirit.
Yet, the eternal you is not your body, but your soul and spirit. It is time to get to know your soul and spirit.
Many Christians are confused and do not understand the difference between the soul and spirit. Even we ourselves do not often know what part of ourselves is our soul realm and what part is our spirit, “the real me”! The Word of God says there is a difference.
This difference is vital because we must nourish the spirit and prepare it for eternity.
Hebrews 4:12 says, “For the Word o f God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder o f soul and spirit, and o f the joints and marrow, and is a discerner o f the thoughts and intents o f the heart. ”
There is such a close resemblance between the soul and spirit of man that only God’s Word, as it is wielded by the sword of the Holy Spirit, can divide asunder and clarify the difference between the soul and spirit.
It is so important, as the coming of the Lord draws nigh, that our spirits are prepared for their eternal ministries. There is no more time for delay.
Yet many who think they are preparing their spirits by their much religious activity are really only blessing their souls. This soulish realm of us enjoys much attention. It feeds itself on emotions and feelings, while the spirit is left barren.
And because there is such a “fine line” between the soul and spirit, we do not even know the difference between blessing our souls and nourishing our spirits.
We need to see the needs of our spirit and hear its cry, deep within us, for the real thing. Your spirit is tired of religion. It is crying out inside of you for truth and reality.
It is time to walk away from the emptiness of your religious activity into the solitude of God and to minister to your spirit within you.
There is a walk in the spirit that most of us have never arrived at. Yet, it is there for us, waiting from the time of our birth; and even before that, from the foundations of the earth.
Why Do We Call God Father?
We have been taught since birth to call God “Father” ; and even before that, Jesus also taught us to address the Almighty as “Father,” when He led us in the greatest of all prayers, “Our Father which art in Heaven.”
The Father of Spirits
The Word of God tells us very clearly that the Almighty is the “Father of spirits.” Hebrews 12:9, “Furthermore, we have had fathers o f our flesh which corrected us, and we gave them reverence: shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of spirits, and live?”
What Makes a Father?
A father is a person who has sired an offspring. You have come out of your father’s loins. One half of the 42 chromosomes that go to make you what you are come from your father.
When God created our human race, He left a record of His great act of creation. “And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness:…So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.” (Genesis 1:26a, 27)
The word “image” is tselem (tseh-lem) in Hebrew. It is from an unused root, meaning, “to shade, a phantom, i.e. illusion, resemblance, a representative, figure.” This same word tselem is used in Genesis 1:26, 27, 5:3, 9:6.
The word “likeness” is translated from the Hebrew demuwth (dem-ooth), “likeness, resemblance, model, shape, like-fashion, like-manner, similitude.” This is true of the original creation of your spirit.
In What Way Are You Like God?
If you, the child of Adam, who was created in the likeness and image of God, then there must be a close resemblance. Yet the Bible tells us that God is not flesh and blood. He is a Spirit. Numbers 16:22 says, “…God, the God of the spirits o f all flesh,…” This is repeated in Numbers 27:16. Because God is spirit, and not flesh and bones as we are, and we are created in His image, then the resemblance must be of a higher order .
Yet we are in God’s image! Where then lies the resem blance? It must be in the fact that it is not our carnal, temporal body which is created in His image, but our spirit.
Even as your body resembles the features and characteristics of your earthly father, so your spirit resembles your “Spiritual Father.” And even as your natural body came out of the loins of your natural father, so your spirit came out of the “loins” of your heavenly Father.
You were first of all originally a spirit, beautifully fashioned in the very likeness of your heavenly Father. That’s why your spirit is the part of you that understands God and is able to communicate with the Father better than any other part of you.
Developing the Spirit-Relationship with the Father
The prophet Malachi has given a prophecy that in the last days, “before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord,” the Lord was going to do a new work of restoration between relationships; “And He shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart o f the children to their fathers,… ” (Malachi 4:5, 6).
Many of us blame our weaknesses and faults on our heredity. That we inherited certain traits from our natural parents.
The greater part of you is your spirit. The original part of you is your spirit. So you have a closer and greater allegiance and relationship to your Father God than to your earthly father.
It is only in your temporal carnal body that you are like your earthly father. The evil spirits that were in him do not need to be in you.
Greater is He that is in you, than he that is in the world. You need to look to the heredity that is yours in your spirit through your Heavenly Father.
“Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you….” (James 4:8) Let His nature become your nature, His character your character.
You can and you shall rise higher than your earthly father. Fear not, child of God. The power of the Blood of Jesus has forgiven you all your sins and He has set you free.
Now walk in the spirit, and you shall never fulfill the lusts of the flesh, not even those that you have seen in your parents. Remember your spirit within cries, “…Abba, Father.” (Romans 8:15) And the power of the Blood of Jesus is greater than your natural, carnal blood.
This great work of restoration of relationships takes place between us and the Father and will also affect the relationships between us and our children or other Christians?
The only way that we can be restored to each other and forgive each other of the hurts and the pains we have inflicted on one another is by finding each other in the spirit. We need to rise into a higher dimension of communication than the one we now use.
Our bodies and souls cannot continue to communicate any longer; they have hurt each other and offended one another too deeply. There are too many scars.
And even if you are ready to forgive, the other one is not ready to forgive you, so the painful experience of a broken relationship continues. Besides, there are those who continually ignite the fires of separation by feeding negative fuel to the fire of dissention, for there are always those who are jealous of a relationship between two people. It is a threat to their power over a person and their position.
But, as the Holy Spirit quickens us and gives us discernment, we are able to rise above the hurts and see why our brother, our father, our friend has offended us, and this is the most important ingredient in forgiveness. We are“finding them in the spirit.”
Jesus was able to do that when He hung on the cross and prayed, “Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do… ” (Luke 23:34).
Can you, by your own spirit, rise that high until you, too, can see into the spirit of the one who has offended you, and know that that one, too, “does not know what he or she does”?
If you can, you have the great key of forgiveness; and forgiveness is healing, healing of the spirit within you first, then the soul, and finally the body.
But this great work of forgiveness cannot take place in your spirit without the help of the Holy Spirit. You must humbly ask the Holy Spirit to help you, and He surely will gladly come to you and help you.
He is the “Elijah” of restoration who has been promised to us in the last days. Elijah was endued with Him, Elisha had a “double portion” of Him, John the Baptist had the renewal of Him, and there is coming an “Elijah Company” whom God is raising up in the last days who shall indeed be indued with this same anointing of power, glory and authority, which, according to Malachi, will cause a mighty work of restoration between the father and child relationships.
If this is true, and we believe Malachi’s prophecy to be truth, then we shall surely see the same restoration take place in the spiritual relationship between our spirits and the Spirit of God, our Father.
We can never know God through our body’s senses, for God has limited them. Our eyes cannot see, our ears cannot hear God. But our spirit is the part of us that can communicate with God, for it was made in the likeness and image of God and is the closest resemblance there is to God on earth.
We need to learn how to relate more closely to our Heavenly Father and to find Him through the senses of our spirit with the help of His Holy Spirit.*
And not only can we know God in the spirit, we also can know each other by the spirit as it says in II Corinthians 5:16, ‘‘Wherefore henceforth know we no man after the flesh:… ”
IN WHAT WAY DOES THE SPIRIT OF MAN RESEMBLE GOD?
The Spirit of Man Is Made in the Likeness of God
There are three ways in which the spirit of man truly resembles, or is a “similitude” (demuwth) of, God.
1. It Is Spirit Form.
It is created out of the same substance – intangible to the touch and invisible to the natural eye.
Ecclesiastes 12:7 says, “Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it.” The Preacher, or writer of Ecclesiastes, is speaking about the death of the righteous man.
The spirit came out of God, just like your body came out of your natural father, and the spirit will return to its Father, for your spirit loves God, even though you may have hindered it in its growth and development during the time it has been imprisoned in your body.
But when the body returns to its origin, even the dust of the earth, your spirit will return to its origin, its Father.
A father is a creator. Your natural father participated in the creating of your body and imparting his life to it. So your heavenly Father also is the Creator of your spirit, and the source of its life.
Even as God intended that man should be conceived by an act of love, so the heavenly Father caused the conception of your spirit through an act of divine love.
Everything in the natural is a picture or symbol of the original which was in the spirit-world of the Father.
2. The Spirit Is Eternal.
Daniel tells us that at the time of the last judgment, “…many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt.” (Daniel 12:2)
The spirit is eternal. The spirit of man within cries out for his Heavenly Father, but the flesh hinders it in its homeward journey, even as Paul explained so realistically in Galatians 6:8, “For he that soweth to his flesh shall o f the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting. ”
The spirit of man, because it is made in the image and likeness of God, has the same quality of eternal existence. How tragic then, that we do not work at perfecting it, that it might become a beautiful spirit, full of light and glory!
And how tragic that the flesh-life, or the body in which the spirit lives, is so perverse, evil, rebellious and often demon-controlled that it contaminates the spirit consistently until it corrupts it and destroys its original God-like innocence and beauty!
The spirit of man is like a beautiful innocent child who is forced to live in an evil family. Slowly it will become contaminated, unless it is set free by the power of God through the Blood of Jesus Christ.
3. The Spirit Is Able to Communicate with God.
It is the spirit within you which communicates with God and receives information and revelation which it imparts to the brain and thereby enables you to communicate with God.
Paul said in Romans 8:16, “The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God:” And again in Galatians 4:6 he says, “And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit o f his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father. ”
Because of the Father and son relationship between the Father of spirits and your spirit, there should be continuous communication between you and God. It should never be cut off.
WHAT INFLUENCES THE SPIRIT OF MAN?
The Spirit Is Influenced by the Body, the Soul and the Holy Spirit
Your spirit has a very difficult time maturing. Its growth is constantly being thwarted and stunted by the powerful influence of the soul (the intellect and the emotions) and the body’s needs or lusts.
The spirit needs someone to help it grow into maturity, greatness and glory that it might return to its original design, even the heavenly blueprint of being in the “image and likeness of God.”
Thank God, Our Heavenly Father has provided us with this covering, this influence. He is even the Holy Spirit of Promise whom Jesus promised that the Father would send to be in us, that by His nearness He can indeed influence our spirits to good because He influences them with godliness.
“But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you. ” (John 14:26)
“But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, that one shall testify of me:” (John 15:26) “Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send that one unto you….Howbeit when that one, the Spirit of truth, is come, that one will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will show you things to come. He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall show it unto you. All things that the Father hath are mine: therefore said I, that he shall take of mine, and shall show it unto you. ” (John 16:7, 13-15)
The True Covering
Under the influence of the Holy Spirit, your spirit becomes an influence for good to your soul and body, bringing Divinity into these areas of your existence. Because the Holy Spirit is all Divinity (all God), His impact is very great upon us, causing us to come back into the likeness and the image of God.
Why the Church Has Not Prevailed
It is not enough that you be filled with the Holy Spirit but then continue to go on existing and walking in your soulish and intellectual realm, being constantly under the hindering influences of your brain, your physical desires and your emotions. No!
This is why the church has not yet been triumphant. That is why, 2,000 years after the resurrection morning, the gates of hell still stand barred against the church of the living God, and very few captives have been set free, though we have been commissioned to loose the bands of wickedness, undo the heavy burdens, let the oppressed go free, and break every heavy yoke. (Isaiah 58:6)
1. Your Spirit Is Influenced by Your Body
Your spirit is influenced by your body, your soul and the Holy Spirit. Let us look into this truth more closely. First of all, let me remind you that you are a spirit – you are a spirit which is clothed upon with a body. Your body is very powerful in its effect upon your soul and thereby your soul also affects your spirit.
Your body knows pain, comforts, discomforts and desires for water, food, sleep and sexual gratification. All this affects the soul.
These are ordinary, basic physical needs that affect the body and eventually the soul, because everything that influences the body affects the soul. (See Judges 15:19,1 Samuel 14:27-30)
Your spirit has very real emotions.
2. The Spirit Is Influenced by the Emotions of the Soul
a. Pharaoh: Genesis 41:8 says concerning Pharaoh, “And it came to pass in the morning that his spirit was troubled;… ” When God wanted to communicate with King Pharaoh of Egypt, He could not communicate directly like He can with His spiritual sons. Pharaoh was a sinner, an idolator, so God communicated with his spirit in a dream.
b. Jacob: Genesis 45:27 tells us how the good news that Joseph was alive revived the spirit of his father Jacob. “And they went up out o f Egypt, and came into the land o f Canaan unto Jacob their father. And told him, saying, Joseph is yet alive, and he is governor over all the land of Egypt. And Jacob’s heart fainted, for he believed them not. And they told him all the words o f Joseph, which he had said unto them: and when he saw the wagons which Joseph had sent to carry him, the spirit of Jacob their father revived. ” (Genesis 45:25-27)
The sorrowful emotions of the soul realm will crush the life of the spirit. This is why some people literally “die of a broken heart.”
Happy and joyful news will also revive the spirit. “A merry heart maketh a cheerful countenance: but by sorrow of the heart the spirit is broken.’’ (Proverbs 15:13)
c. The Queen of Sheba: In I Kings 10:4, 5 an amazing story is told about the Queen of Sheba, when she saw the magnificent riches and protocol of King Solomon’s palace. “And when the queen of Sheba had seen all Solomon’s wisdom, and the house that he had built, And the meat of his table, and the sitting of his servants, and the attendance of his ministers, and their apparel, and his cupbearers, and his ascent by which he went up unto the house of the Lord; there was no more spirit in her.” The queen was truly overwhelmed by the splendour and riches of what she saw.
So we see that the spirit has very strong and powerful emotions which are affected by the emotion of the soul.
Those whom we love, those who give us joy or who hate us send strong positive and negative influences upon our soul which are immediately transferred to our spirits.
Dreams
God finds it easier to communicate with us in dreams than directly. This is because, while we are asleep, our spirits are more free to receive instruction from God than when we awake, because we are not hindered by the physical needs of food, discomforts or pains, etc. Neither are we hindered by the second biggest hindrance of the spirit – the intellect, or by the third – the emotions.
God doesn’t talk only to sinners in dreams; He also speaks to His children in dreams, such as He did with Joseph.
Music affects the soul and transfers its power to the spirit. Some music makes us happy and brings us into an attitude of worship towards God, the Father. It also can cause depression and melancholy.
“Music” which is demonically inspired will cause demon possession or oppression and all kinds of violence.*
Beautiful scenery, the sea, mountains, rolling plains and forests all inspire the soul, which leaves its imprint on the spirit. Scenes of evil, cruelty, wretchedness and uncleanness also leave their evil mark upon the soul and the spirit.
Going to church and watching religious T.V. programs leave an impact on the soul which transfers its effect upon the spirit according to the quality of the ministry that is imparted to us.
If it is mostly in the soulish realm, it will not affect much more than the soul. It will not reach the level of the spirit. You can spend much time in religious activity and not mature in the spirit. The spirit longs for the things of the Spirit, and nothing else will satisfy that longing. “Deep calleth unto deep… ” (Psalm 42:7)
The depth of your spirit’s need can only be satisfied by the ministry that is of the same depth and caliber as your spirit’s experience in God.
The soulish realm of religious activity will leave you empty and unfulfilled, and you will come away from the biggest church service or T.V. program empty. To you, it will be nothing more than religious “show business.” Only the theme is different; the players have nothing more to give you than any other Broadway star. It is like giving chicken-feed to the connoisseur of good food.
Anger, hatred and jealousy will affect the soul and thereby leave an evil, negative and destructive impact upon the spirit. That is why “He that is slow to anger is better than the mighty; and he that ruleth his spirit than he that taketh a city.” (Proverbs 16:32)
Wrong thoughts, unclean thoughts are harmful to the spirit, for they “eat away” the virtue and the peacefulness of the spirit. All these are the emotions of the soul. That is why Paul warns us, “Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are o f good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things. ” (Philippians 4:8; see II Corinthians 10:5)
To be able to forgive is to be able to walk with saints and angels. In fact, it enables you to walk with God.
Unforgiveness in the heart will make you bitter. It puts a shell around your heart. It is so negative that it can cause the destruction of your physical body.
People who cannot forgive never heal in their soul, spirit or body.
Because our intellect has been so sadly neglected or so wrongly taught with false theories, it has become even a greater hindrance to the growth and development of the soul and therefore also of the spirit.
Our intellect is a wonderful gift from God. It is never to be despised. Yet there is a “fine line” where the intellect becomes a ruling force in a life and then it has become an “idol.” It hinders the spirit from growth and development in God.
The carnal mind has to be “put to death” by the crucified Christ. He died to set you free from all chains of bondage, including your reasoning.
If you can trust Him and lay your constant reasoning aside, you will live a very high life in the spirit. He will show you things, reveal things to you, warn you and protect you from dangerous situations and dangerous people. But you must stop arguing with the Spirit.
Many times He speaks to you, warns you and shows you things, but your enemy, the intellect (not necessarily the devil, but nevertheless influenced by him) tells you differently. It says, “Oh, that’s just your imagination.” So you disregard the communication of His Spirit to your spirit, a thing you always regret later.
Even the intellect that has not been wrongly developed can become a hindrance. Sincere and good people, who work hard at pleasing God, find that they “miss God” many times. Perhaps it is because they “work” so hard at it, and don’t just rest in the Spirit and let Him do it for them.
Others, because they have only been born again a short while, have never had a chance to develop the life in the Spirit, where their spirit easily receives instruction and guidance from the Father through the Holy Spirit.
The closer you are to God the easier it is for you to communicate in the spirit.
Pride hinders many from this high realm of walking in the spirit. Many times a wife will have direct guidance from the Lord, but the husband’s pride will not permit him to accept her advice. The more intellectual he is, the higher his I.Q., the harder a time he has. He cannot believe that his little “housewife” companion, who doesn’t have his great education and capabilities of running a business, could have a higher source of wisdom and knowledge than he has. He makes no allowance for the Holy Ghost I.Q. This often causes a painful separation. It is not a separation of the body or soul, but of the spirit. Husbands and wives are meant to be one in more ways than in the flesh or even in the soul realm.
Flesh union
Some couples have a wonderful relationship in the flesh. Their bodies are drawn to each other like two magnets. Their sexual life leaves nothing to be desired. They have fulfillment in the marriage bed, but that is where it stops. There is no real companionship, so both seek it elsewhere — she with her friends, and he with his drinking buddies or golfing and bowling pals.
Soul Union
This is very beautiful. It comes about when two people love the same things. They both enjoy the same music, hobbies, colours, art, life-style, sports, and sometimes they both enjoy the same religious experience. If God has given you all that in your marriage, you have much to be grateful for.
But still there is something missing. Even two good friends can have that soul union. A soulish friendship will never correct each other.
Spirit Union
This is the highest level of oneness there is. Paul spoke of it in Philippians 2:1, 2, and said that the result of it would be that it would cause us to be like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind. “If there be therefore any consolation in Christ, if any comfort o f love, if any fellowship o f the Spirit, if any bowels and mercies, Fulfil ye my joy, that ye be likeminded, having the same love, being o f one accord, o f one mind.”
This is the wonderful thing about this level of life in the spirit – it unites! It makes accord and not discord.
You have one mind with your partner because the Spirit is speaking the same things to both of you, and you both have the same ability to hear. You are not “out of tune.”
It is on this high plane that all of heaven moves and communicates. The saints and angels never, for one moment, step out of this perfect life with its perfect synchronism and harmony.
When we are truly filled with the Spirit of God and walk in this same spirit realm, we will have the same oneness. Neither is it a case of one person always submitting to the other. It is rather a flowing together with one heart and one mind because the spirit hears the same drummer’s beat. This is the fellowship that comes with “walking in the light,” which John mentioned in I John 1:7, “But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood o f Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin. ’’
There is no way we can live a sinless life, pleasing to God, unless we walk in the light. This is the true life of the spirit that is under the covering and control of the Holy Spirit.
THE EFFECTS OF THE HOLY SPIRIT UPON THE SPIRIT OF MAN
He Is Our Helper Because He Comes Directly from God
The Holy Spirit has a great and good impact upon the spirit. Thank God for His purity and goodness. Coming directly from the throne of God, and knowing the will of the Father and your weakness, He knows just how to intercede and travail through for you.
1. He Intercedes through Our Spirits
Paul describes this work of the Holy Spirit in Romans 8:26, 27, “Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will o f God. ”
It is this all-knowing wisdom and influence of the Holy Spirit upon our spirits which lifts us into a special and higher dimension with God.
2. He Is Our Memory Bank
Jesus gave us the key to a perfect memory in John 14:26, “But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.”
Your natural memory is limited, but the memory bank of your spirit is as unlimited as the Holy Spirit. He can remind you of things you have forgotten and reveal things to you which you still do not know.
3. He Is Our Source of Revelation and Truth
The Lord also said that the Holy Spirit would give us revelation into the heavenly truths. John 15:26, “But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit o f truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify o f me:”
4. He Convicts Us of Sin
One of the most important influences of the Holy Spirit upon your spirit is that it is He who will convict you of sin. Jesus said in John 16:7, 8, “…I will send him unto you. And when he is come, he will reprove the world o f sin, and o f righteousness, and o f judgment:” Without the Holy Spirit convicting our spirits, we would never be restrained from sin.
5. He Bears Witness to Your Standing in God
Thank God every day for the Holy Spirit who has been given to you. John said in I John 4:13, “Hereby know we that we dwell in him, and he in us, because ne hath given us of his Spirit.”
So the Holy Spirit in us, and his working influence upon our spirits, is the greatest evidence we have that we are dwelling in God and He in us. This communication of the Holy Spirit with our spirits is expressed in Job 32:8, “But there is a spirit in man: and the inspiration o f the Almighty giveth them understanding.” Some men rise to greater prominence than others and we wonder why. It is because they have a special spiritual communication with the Lord through their spirits.
6. Your Spirit Receives Instruction through the Holy Spirit .
The spirit within you can also receive explicit instruction in designing and building, etc. It is said of David that he gave Solomon the instruction for building the temple which he had received of the Holy Spirit. “Then David gave to Solomon his son the pattern of the porch, and of the houses thereof, and o f the treasuries thereof, and of the upper chambers thereof, and of the inner parlors there of and of the place of the mercy seat, And the pattern of all that he had by the Spirit,… ”
(I Chronicles 28:11, 12) It was his spirit which received the instruction; then he gave it to Solomon. There is absolutely nothing that you cannot do.
Your spirit can receive instruction, blueprints and guidelines in everything God calls you to do, whether it includes building a church, a hospital, a school, a factory, putting together or fixing any kind of machinery, composing a symphony, writing a book, driving and flying, medical or scientific work, cooking, handwork, painting or anything. Don’t limit the ability of your spirit to be able to learn and to receive instruction.
7. He Inspired All Holy Scriptures.
It was through this kind of Spirit to spirit communication that the entire scriptures were penned by the scribes of Israel and the Apostles of the New Testament.
Through this high way of communication and revelation Noah received instruction of how to build the ark and Moses was instructed in the construction of the tabernacle, the furnishings of it, the laws of Israel, rules for battle and sacrificial ordinances.
Many of the laws of the western nations are still based on this original revelation which God gave Moses. It is likely that he was also given the history of creation at that time. The account of creation in the book of Genesis was given to Moses because God wanted man to know about creation and the flood.
By this high level of communication we can be told the secrets of the past and also the future. The Messianic prophecies and the futuristic prophecies of Daniel, and John in his writing in Revelation, all came when the spirits of these men were able to receive instruction from the Spirit of God. II Timothy 3:16, “All Scripture is given by inspiration o f God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:”
Not only did the prophets write by their high level of revelation, they also spoke by it.
II Peter 1:21, “For the prophecy came not in old time by the will o f man: but holy men o f God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.” Today there are many books that have been and are being written by this same special anointing of revelatory knowledge.
Daily Preparations for Perfection.
I know what this “flow” of revelatory knowledge is. I depend on it for writing, preaching and teaching. Without it I am nothing.
My human intellect is insufficient to reach the spirit of man. I must reach into the resources of God’s Spirit to feed my hungry spirit and the hungry spirits of the advanced children of the Lord.
It is wonderful to see how the Lord confirms truths which His Spirit has revealed to us.
7. The Holy Spirit Gives Supernatural Faith Based on the Revelation He Gives to Our Spirits .
Numbers 14:24, “But my servant Caleb, because he had another spirit with him, and hath followed me fully, him will I bring into the land whereinto he went; and his seed shall possess it.”
What was the difference between Caleb and the other leaders of the twelve tribes who were sent by Moses to spy out the Promised Land? The difference was that the Holy Spirit had infused his spirit with faith and courage. Joshua had this same induement of the Holy Spirit upon his spirit.
That is what made these men different. They could see the will of God in their spirits. They could be led by God.
The others couldn’t see God’s will and great power because they had seen the giants. Their intellect told them it was militarily impossible for Israel to overcome such a powerful adversary, and their tears fed their emotions and kept them from going in.
But Caleb did not have their doubts and fears, because he had received communication from the Spirit of God that told him God’s will clearly and showed him that which the others could not see – even the greatness of God!
Faith Is Increased
When You Live in the Spirit: When you walk in the spirit, it lifts you into a greater dimension of faith. You find yourself way up ahead of people and you wonder why they can’t keep up with you.
You can pull yourself up after being knocked down and you can run another mile, and you can even run faster because your spirit has waited upon the Lord and it has laid hold on
Isaiah 40:31, “But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.”
9. The Holy Spirit Stirs up Our Spirits to Do All God’s Will .
When it came time for the remnant to return from Babylonian captivity, God began to stir up the spirits of important people who would be used to accomplish this great feat.
The first was Cyrus.
Ezra 1:1 says, “Now in the first year o f Cyrus king o f Persia, that the word o f the Lord by the mouth o f Jeremiah might be fulfilled, the Lord stirred up the spirit o f Cyrus king o f Persia, that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom, and put it also in writing,… ” He knew that God charged him to build a house of God in Jersualem. He called for the people to return to Jerusalem, and commissioned those who would not go to help by giving silver and gold, goods and beasts, besides freewill offerings for the house of God to be built in Jerusalem.
The Bible says, “Then rose up the chief o f the fathers of Judah and Benjamin, and the priests, and the Levites, with all them whose spirit God had raised, to go up to build the house o f the Lord which is in Jerusalem.” (Ezra 1:5) God’s Spirit stirs up our spirits to do the will of God. Every time you feel your spirit burning within you, you stir up to do God’s will, it makes it easier to do what He wants you to do.
In Ezekiel 3:14, 15 we read how Ezekiel was lifted up and carried to the captives of Judah who were at the river of Chibar. He went in bitterness (violently) and in the heat of the Spirit to minister to the captives at the river of Chibar.
THE DANGERS CONNECTED WITH THE LIFE OF WALKING IN THE SPIRIT
Pride
As wonderful as this walk in the spirit is, I have to also warn that there is danger involved. I have seen people who thought they had “heard from God.”
There is a terrible temptation that comes to those who walk close to the Lord; it is the sin of spiritual pride.
Rebellion in the Heart Can Deceive Us into Believing God Has Told Us to Do Something Wrong
Another sin is rebellion.
Some who cannot hear the truth anymore have allowed rebellion against God-ordained authority to enter their hearts. They rebel against God’s will and insist God has told them to do what they themselves want to do. It leads to familiar spirits.
Besides these two sins there are many others, too numerous to mention.
But if God’s child falls into any sin, it opens the way for him to fall into deception (hearing familiar spirits).
You cannot mix good and evil.
If your life is not in order with God’s holiness and purity or if there are angers and unforgiveness or sins of lust in your life, do not try to walk in this realm until you have repented to Jesus and cried out for His precious Blood to cleanse you and make you clean as the newly fallen snow.
The Danger of Private Interpretation of Scripture
Another danger is that of private interpretation of the scriptures. II Peter 1:20, “Knowing this first, that no prophecy o f the Scripture is o f any private interpretation.” God’s leadings will never be contrary to sound doctrine. Neither will God lead you in a way that is other than the purest of holiness and godliness.
“And also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things; in which are some things hard to be understood, which they that are unlearned and unstable wrest, as they do also the other Scriptures, unto their own destruction. ” (II Peter 3:16)
How to Avoid Error
If you are not sure, then take counsel with someone whom you respect and who you are confident knows God in a real way.
Do nothing contrary to God’s Word. When you are in the spirit, and God speaks to you, there is no confusion, but complete peace.
THE POWERFUL CAPABILITIES OF THE SPIRIT OF MAN
The Greatness of the Spirit
I don’t believe that we can measure the full capacity of our spirits. They can be crushed and oppressed until they become dwarfed and dried up, or they can be encouraged to be enlarged and to grow into a greatness that we have never realized.
The Impartation of Moses’ Spirit upon the 70 Elders
When Moses was almost overcome by the burden and responsibility he had for the children of Israel, God told him to gather together the 70 elders of the tribes of Israel, so He could take of the spirit that was upon Moses and put it upon them. (Numbers 11:17)
When God did that they all began to prophesy.
There was an immediate impartation of the spirit from Moses to the elders. This kind of thing happened twice in the Old Testament; once with Moses and once when Elijah imparted a double portion of his anointing to Elisha.
Impartation Is Possible Today
I believe that we can impart (give a share of) what we have to others by the laying on of our hands.
That’s why Paul said to Timothy in II Timothy 1:6, “stir up the gift of God, which is in thee by the putting on o f my hands.”
In I Timothy 4:14, Paul reminds Timothy, “Neglect not the gift that is in thee, which was given thee by prophecy, with the laying on o f the hands o f the presbytery. ” Here Paul is inferring that there is also an impartation of the gifts of God by the word of prophecy.
Anointing and gifts can also be imparted by the transferring of a garment (like Elijah’s mantle). (II Kings 2:13, 14)
That is why people were healed and spirits went out of them when handkerchiefs and aprons were brought to them from Paul’s body. “And God wrought special miracles by the hands of Paul: So that from his body were brought unto the sick handkerchiefs or aprons, and the diseases departed from them, and the evil spirits went out o f them. ” (Acts 19:11, 12) The evil spirits could not stand that powerful anointing which was upon Paul when the believers moved in faith and obedience to the revelation of impartation.
This truth is being restored to the church one more time.
Translocation of the Spirit
As our spirits grow in greatness, they are able to reach out and touch the lives of others and minister without barriers, walls or limitations. No barriers stop the spirit from ministry in Russia or Red China or any other place.
The spirit can be translocated any time to minister and bring comfort and healing and even to speak words that will lead to salvation.
Paul writes of instances when his spirit was with the body of believers:
1. To the church in Colosse he writes, “For though I be absent in the flesh, yet am I with you in the spirit, joying and beholding your order, and the steadfastness of your faith in Christ.” (Colossians 2:5)
2. To the church in Corinth he writes, “For I verily, as absent in body, but present in spirit, have judged already, as though I were present, concerning him that hath so done this deed. In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, when ye are gathered together, and my spirit, with the power of our Lord Jesus Christ,… ” (I Corinthians 5:3, 4)
We see here that Paul knew in his spirit what was going on in his churches even while he sat in prison in Rome thousands of miles away. You, too, know instances when you have felt that all was not well. You did not know how you knew it — you just knew it. Someone has turned against you, a love has grown cold, a friend is in danger, sin has crept into the midst of a church, a son is in temptation, a daughter is going through great trials.
You have “felt” all these things and more. How? By the communication of Spirit to spirit. That loved one is reaching out to you for help and the Holy Spirit is stirring up your spirit like He did with Paul and Cyrus and many others.
Don’t think this is just imagination. Do something! Pray! Phone that one, write a letter! Hurry! Maybe if you ask them if something is wrong, they will deny it. They do not want to worry you, or they are embarrassed or ashamed, or they don’t really want to accept it themselves, but you already know in your spirit by the Spirit that there is an urgent need. Then pray, pray, pray! Pray in the spirit by using the language of the Spirit and you will break through the barriers of reasoning, understanding and carnal flesh.
There are more and more testimonies coming to us of God’s anointed and elect being translocated in the spirit.
THE MIND
There are four different “minds” mentioned in scripture.
1. The Mind of the Body: This is the brain that we can see and touch.
2. The Mind of the Soul: This is the unregenerate mind that contains the emotions and the will. It is not visible, but still very powerful. (Colossians 1:21) This is the area where we harbour vain imaginations and romanticizing. It is fed by romantic music, poetry, etc.
3. The Mind of the Spirit: This is the mind that knows and experiences the things that are in the invisible realm.
The minds of the spirits of the unsaved also function and this is the part that receives psychic phenomena — such as fortune telling and occult messages from demonic and familiar spirits. Demon spirits can control and possess any of the above three areas.
4. The Renewed Mind: This is the regenerate, spirit filled and spirit-controlled mind which is also called “the mind of Christ.” Demonic spirits have no evil effect on it.
Paul mentions this mind in Philippians 2:5: “Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus.” Paul is speaking here of the renewed mind which is Christ-like in its humility. There is no pride in the Christ like mind. Ephesians 4:23, 24: “And be renewed in the spirit of your mind; And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.” This Christ-like mind is one that is righteous and holy. It is created in the likeness of God.
The Renewed Mind Brings Transformation of Character.
Paul wrote the Romans in 12:2, “And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect will o f God. ”
The renewed mind, the mind of Christ, transforms us, causing us to be “…renewed in knowledge after the image o f him that created” us. (Colossians 3:10) That is why Paul spoke truth in II Corinthians 5:17, “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. ”
The Renewed Mind Brings Healing
The healing for humanity will begin in the mind of the spirit. As the spirit is healed, it will send its healing rays to the mind of the soul, and as the soul is healed, it will send its healing rays to the mind of the body. As the body is healed, it will be transformed into Divine health. With that kind of body, we can step over into the Millenium. “So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory. 0 death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? The sting o f death is sin; and the strength o f sin is the law.” (I Corinthians 15:54-56)
When the spirit is sinless, there will be no death sting. And the spirit can become perfect. “There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. For the law o f the Spirit o f life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law o f sin and death. ” (Romans 8:1,2) Jesus died “That the righteousness o f the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.” (Romans 8:4)
The Renewed Mind Gives life
“For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.” (Romans 8:6)
There is a supernatural quickening that comes to the body through the walk in the Spirit. “But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you. ” (Romans 8:11)
There is resurrection life available for us through the Holy Spirit. This word “quicken” comes from the Greek zoopoieo (dzo-op-oy-eh-o) It means “to vitalize, make alive, give life, quicken.”
“For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds o f the body, ye shall live. ” (Romans 8:13)
It is our carnal flesh-life that is destroying us. Our minds are filled with worry, anxiety, fears and unhappy memories that embitter the soul. We must mortify the deeds of the flesh. We must bring every destructive thought into captivity, no matter how legitimate it is, and we must cast down vain imaginations. These are the things that exalt themselves against the knowledge of God. “Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge o f God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience o f Christ;” (II Corinthians 10:5)
The Renewed Mind Edifies our Spirit
The God-knowledge that comes through the Spirit to the mind of my spirit will edify me and build me up in the most holy faith. That is why it is so valuable and important to pray in tongues. It is the co-operation of the body with the mind of Christ, and it is the highest response that the body can make to the Spirit of God. Therefore it is the most powerful.
Again I say, that is why “tongues” are the most hated by demons. The devil wants to separate man from God. When I pray in tongues, my spirit is in direct communication with God, praying the purest will of God.
The Renewed Mind Is the True “Covering” This is the covering over the mind. Man has lost this truth, and he has sought out another “covering,” as it says in Isaiah 30:1, “Woe to the rebellious children, saith the Lord, that take counsel, but not of me; and that cover with a covering, but not of my Spirit, that they may add sin to sin:” When flesh is your covering, you will never become more spiritual than flesh. When the Spirit of God is your covering, there are no bounds, no limitations to the heights that God can lift you into.
Let the Spirit of God be your covering.
This is the true covering, even the mind of Christ within your spirit.
THE RENEWED MIND
The Effects of a Renewed Mind on the Spirit
When the spirit mind is renewed into the mind of Christ, it affects the spirit and transforms it into a beautiful spirit of light. (Ephesians 4:23, 24)
The Effect of a Renewed Mind on the Soul
It also affects the soul and causes the soul and the emotions to become transformed into the likeness of Christ, thus reproducing in us the fruit of the Spirit instead of the deeds of the old nature. (Galatians 5:22, 23)
The Fruit of the Spirit Comes from a Pure Spirit
Galatians 5:25 says, “If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. ”
It is through the walk in the Spirit that we can have the fruit of love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness and temperance.
There is no way that you can produce these wonderful “fruit” characteristics by your own efforts. The soul is incapable of such high perfection without the strength of the perfected spirit that is controlled by a renewed mind.
The fruit of the Spirit can only become a part of our nature as we are enabled to perform and produce them through the healthy and quickened Christ-mind which has transformed our souls into the likeness of Christ.
When your soul is filled with the Christ-light, it will become a beautiful soul of light that always does good automatically, just like the reflexes of the natural brain affect the natural body and cause it to work in perfect co-ordination.
Then Romans 7:19 {‘‘for the good that I would, I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do. ”) no longer applies to you because Romans 8:1 {“There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.”) has taken over in your life.
The Effect of the Renewed Mind on the Body
As the spirit is transformed by the Holy Spirit, so the soul is transformed through the Holy Spirit working through the spirit, and so the body is also transformed into light and glory by the same influence of the Holy Spirit.
The trinity of man (body, soul and spirit) is under the covering of the Holy Spirit, and therefore greatly and easily influenced by Him. But this is only possible when we can say with John the Baptist, “He must increase, but I must decrease.” (John 3:30)
Everything in man’s life centers around his spirit.
As his body is attacked by demonic forces, the connected result is that the soul, and then the spirit, will suffer the consequences.
Satan has no right to attack the spirit directly.
The curse God put upon him was, “…and dust shalt thou eat all the days o f thy life:” (Genesis 3:14) It is our flesh, only, that was made out of the dust of the earth. (Genesis 2:7, “And the Lord God formed man o f the dust o f the ground,… ”) Satan has been limited, then, to only “eat the dust.” He cannot touch our spirits.
But he knows he can get at our spirits by attacking our bodies.
Our soul is a gift from God to our eternal spirit. It needs to be dedicated to God. But because it is so closely linked with the body, the body has great influence on the soul. It can influence it in a constantly negative way until the soul becomes corrupted through the deeds of the flesh. “The soul that sinneth, it shall die….” (Ezekiel 18:20)
It is only when we live in the spirit that we conquer all negative works of Satan.
The Fruit of the Unregenerate Mind
In Romans 1:28 we read about the sinner whom God has given over to a reprobate mind to do those things which are not convenient.
You see people who are perverse in all these ways and who have absolutely no conscience of sin; they are those whom God has given over to a reprobate mind even while they are still alive.
Their bodies are used like animals in every kind of perverse sexual sin. They are “…filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full o f envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers. Backbiters, haters o f God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors o f evil things, disobedient to parents, Without understanding, covenantbreakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful: Who, knowing the judgment o f God, that they which commit such things are worthy o f death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them. ” (Romans 1:29-32) What a terrible list of sins! And yet you do not need to go to the hovels of sin to find them. Some of these terrible sins are found right in the church and even in the ministry. How can the blind lead the blind?
How can the sheep rise higher than these so-called “coverings” which are of the flesh and contaminated with many of the above sins? It is impossible.
Beloved, these things are going to have to be dealt with in our lives. We absolutely must rise into the likeness of Jesus. Satan will attack us in every way to hinder us. He will even use the ones whom we admire the most. How then can we escape such destruction? You Must Co-operate With the Holy Spirit. You can escape it by the renewing of your mind.
A great key to help is found in Isaiah 26:3, “Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee. ” You, yourself, must co-operate with the Lord to live in this attitude of peace.
You must, with the help of your Covering, even the Spirit of God, stay in a peaceful attitude of mind, not allowing the doubts, fears and evil thoughts, sad memories or satanic lies to get hold of you.
You can rise above all the perversion, all the storms, all the swift and treacherous currents of life by being seated in heavenly places in Christ Jesus. (Ephesians 2:6)
As your mind is stayed on Christ and the things of Christ, it will send messages of healing and restoration to the members of the body, causing them to be restored and renewed and recreated into the image of the original heavenly blue-print.
This renewed mind will also enable the body to become totally spirit-form (transformed, transfigured, translocated) like Christ was at different times.
Christ Could Transform His Body
In Luke 4:30, John 8:59 and 10:39 we read how His enemies sought to seize Him, but couldn’t. “But he, passing through the midst of them, went his way.” (Luke 4:30) He actually slipped through the crowd untouched.
“Then took they up stones to cast at him: but Jesus hid himself, and went out o f the temple, going through the midst o f them, and so passed by.” (John 8:59)
Jesus “hid himself” means in the literal Greek “Jesus was hidden.” This happened right after Jesus had bore witness to His Deity, “… Verily; verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, l am. ” (John 8:58) “Therefore they sought again to take him; but he escaped out o f their hand,” (John 10:39)
The reason no one could capture Jesus was because “…his hour was not yet come” to lay down His life. (John 7:30) That is why they could never kill Him. “No man taketh it [my life] from me, but I lay it down o f myself... ” (John 10:18) were true words. He GAVE His life.
The True Martyr
Many of the overcomers who could have escaped death have and will continue to seal their testimonies with their Transformation of the Body blood because they will follow in the footsteps of Jesus to lay down their lives willingly.
These are mentioned in Hebrews 11:35, “…and others were tortured, not accepting deliverance; that they might obtain a better resurrection:”
When you live in the spirit, your spirit is stronger than your body. The body cannot rule the spirit. Even torture cannot make the spirit submit to surrender.
Many who have died as martyrs have experienced no pain even in the flames. Because their spirits were in complete control, they were detached from the physical.
I can step into the pulpit sick and weak, full of pain, and as I begin to preach the anointing of the Spirit comes down on me and I can minister for an hour without any pain or weakness whatsoever. But when the message is over and I sit down, I can feel the pain slowly return. I know there is a place where we can live constantly in the anointing, and God is going to bring us into it as we are willing to surrender ourselves to it.
Yes, Jesus could not be killed. He gave up His spirit to the Father. Luke 23:46, ‘‘…into thy hands I commend my spirit:…” The word “commend” in Greek is paratithemi (par-at-ith’-ay-mee), “to place alongside of, to present, to deposit (as a trust or for protection), to commit (the keeping of), to put forth.”
Jesus released His spirit from His body, knowing He would return to claim it and raise it up, transformed and glorified. But even before that, He lived in such a high realm that His body could become transfigured into glory, like at the scene of transfiguration. (Matthew 17:2, Mark 9:2, Luke 9:29) Matthew 17:2, “And he] was transfigured before them: and his face did shine as the sun, and his raiment was white as the light. ”
Jesus, because of the change in His body, could be translated:
1. to the high mountain (Luke 4:5);
2. to the pinnacle of the temple in Jerusalem (Luke 4:9);
3. across the Sea of Galilee (Matthew 14:25, Mark 6:48, John 6:25). He even translated the ship from the middle of the lake to the shore. (John 6:21) John 6:19-21, “So when they had rowed about five and twenty or thirty furlongs, they see Jesus walking on the sea, and drawing nigh unto the ship: and they were afraid. But he saith unto them, It is I; be not afraid. Then they willingly received him into the ship: and immediately the ship was at the land whither they went.” Twenty to thirty furlongs is 3 1/8-3 3/4 statute miles. The Sea of Galilee is 13 miles long and IVi miles wide at its widest point. This gives us an approximate idea of how far the little ship was translated across that stormy sea.
When we live in the spirit, everything we touch becomes blessed and anointed. All our works are beautiful. Ask any woman who has been anointed to cook and bake. It is easy for her. For the one who is not anointed for it, it is a terrible thing to have to cook and bake. The same is true of cleaning house, running marchinery, driving cars, operating big or small machines, performing surgical or dental work.
There are doctors who are anointed for surgery. His work is beautiful. There is an anointing of the Spirit for everything God calls you to do.
Do your work, fulfill your life’s calling with the Spirit’s anointing upon your spirit — this will be transferred to your soul and body, and you shall be content and not seek to be and do something God did not call you to be and do.
Moses Had a Touch of this Transformation
Moses had this same transfiguring glory upon his body when he came down from Mount Sinai where he had been so long (40 days) in the presence of God. Exodus 34:29, 30, “And it came to pass, when Moses came down from mount Sinai with the two tables o f testimony in Moses’ hand, when he came down from the mount, that Moses wist not that the skin o f his face shone while he talked with him. And when Aaron and all the children o f Israel saw Moses, behold, the skin o f his face shone; and they were afraid to come nigh him. ” This is the same transfiguring Spirit-glory that Jesus had on the Mount of Transfiguration.
I believe that the witnesses of Revelation 11:1-12 will have this same glorious work upon their bodies because no one will be able to hurt them until they have finished their testimony. Revelation 11:7, “And when they shall have finished their testimony, the beast that ascendeth out o f the bottomless pit shall make war against them, and shall overcome them and kill them. ”
Anointed to Fast
Moses was anointed by the Spirit to fast 40 days. Don’t try to fast 40 days in the carnal flesh realm. It is dangerous. If you live through it, you will probably get a religious spirit or a spirit of religious pride.
The mind has to be renewed with the mind of Christ for you to go on a true long water-fast and not suffer irreparable physical damages!
THE END-TIME RULING SAINTS
The Elijah Company
There is a wonderful end-time prophecy in Isaiah 1:26, “And I will restore thy judges as at the first, and thy counsellors as at the beginning:… ”
This word “judges” in the Old Testament can also be interpreted as “deliverers.”
The sixth book of the Bible, Judges, is really the history of the mighty deliverers whom God raised up to restore Israel and redeem her from the hands of her enemies.
God has promised to raise up a mighty “Elijah Company” who shall do the works of Elijah of old.
God is going to give them “Angel Food” like He gave Elijah. I Kings 19:5-8, “And as he lay and slept under a juniper tree, behold, then an angel touched him, and said unto him, Arise and eat. And he looked, and, behold, there was a cake baken on the coals, and a cruse o f water at his head. And he did eat and drink, and laid him down again. And the angel o f the Lord came again the second time, and touched him, and said, Arise and eat; because the journey is too great for thee. And he arose, and did eat and drink, and went in the strength o f that meat forty days and forty nights unto Horeb the mount o f God. ”
The spiritual minds of this Elijah Company are going to be renewed and they shall walk in this new Spirit-strength “40 days and 40 nights.”
Forty is the number that symbolizes tribulation.
So they shall receive a quickening in the spirit from the angel who has been appointed to prepare them spiritual nourishment. Not only will there be a supernatural strengthening of their bodies, but there will come an anointing to:
1. Hear and communicate with God (I Kings 19:12);
2. Anoint others to leadership — as prophets (as Elijah anointed Elisha, I Kings 19:16, 19) and kings (as he appointed Jehu as king over Israel and Hazael as king over Syria, I Kings 19:15-16); 3. Finish their work until their translation (II Kings 2:9-11).
The Three Hebrew Children
God always has His glorious ones in difficult times. They are His mountain peaks untouched by the fiery lava that flows from the lower volcanic craters. They will be like the three Hebrew children who walked through the fire and came out of it without the smell of smoke upon them.
So we, too, will come through terrible fiery trials unharmed but translated into His glory and likeness. King Nebuchadnezzar said in Daniel 3:25, “Lo, I see four men loose, walking in the midst o f the fire, and they have no hurt; and the form o f the fourth is like the Son o f God. ” “And the princes, governors, and captains, and the king’s counsellors, being gathered together, saw these men, upon whose bodies the fire had no power, nor was a hair o f their head singed, neither were their coats changed, nor the smell o f fire had passed on them. ” (Daniel 3:27) Great and powerful men will see the glory of the Lord upon His great ones who refuse to yield to the anti-Christ powers of the last days.
Samson, a Type of the End-Time Deliverer
Even as Samson had supernatural strength when the Spirit of God came upon him (Judges 14:6, 15:14), there will be no physical limitations when the Holy Spirit is in full control of the body. We will be able to say with Paul, “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me. ” (Philippians 4:13) But this enabling will only come about as His anointed ones yield their bodies that they might not serve nor worship any god, except their own God. (Daniel 3:28)
The spirit within must be in tune with the Holy Spirit and have that perfect confidence that there is a source of supernatural strength to do all God’s will.
Daniel saw this great company rise up in tribulation times. He bore witness to them in Daniel 11:32, “…but the people that know their God shall be strong, and do exploits. ”
Joel’s Army
Joel saw them as the Lord’s mighty army: “…a great people and a strong…A fire devoureth before them; and behind them a flame bum eth:” (Joel 2:2, 3) “They shall run like mighty men; they shall climb the wall like men o f war; and they shall march every one on his ways, and they shall not break their ranks: Neither shall they thrust another; they shall walk every one in his path: and when they fall upon the sword, they shall not be wounded.” (Joel 2:7, 8)
God is preparing and raising up this army now. He is about to sound the tumpet and call them forth.
LIVING AND WALKING IN THE SPIRIT
How Can We Live in the Spirit? Peter:
No one had a more difficult time escaping from the soulish realm than the Apostle Peter. He was always doing or saying the wrong thing. He caused himself much grief. And he also grieved Jesus.
We always grieve the Lord and others by our soulish ways. It wasn’t until shortly before he knew he must “put off this my tabernacle” (II Peter 1:14) that he finally broke through into the high realm of living in the spirit.
He found that this grace and mercy was given to him just like forgiveness and salvation.
In II Peter 1:3, 4 we read, “According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge o f him that hath called us to glory and virtue: Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers o f the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust. ” He testifies that there is an “escape” from the corrupt life o f the carnal flesh realm.
Paul meant the same thing when he said in Colossians 1:12, ‘‘Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers o f the inheritance o f the saints in light: Who hath delivered us from the power o f darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom o f his dear Son. ” Peter called it an “escape,” Paul called it “translation.”
This word, translation, in Greek is methistano, which means to transfer, i.e. carry away, depose.
Both Peter and Paul said that this grace was a result of God’s divine act which He has predestined for us. It is part of our eternal inheritance, But we have a significant part to play in striving to work it out by co-operating with the Holy Spirit in all that He wants to do in us. “Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, y e shall never fall:” (II Peter 1:10)
What Part Can You Play in Co-operating With God to Walk in the Spirit?
Prayer and Praise
We must constantly be in holy communion with God.
Start now to practice the presence of God in your life. Begin to talk to Him.
Don’t only pray — praise and worship. Spend more time in praising and thanking than in asking, and your prayers will be answered quickly.
Fasting
Fasting breaks bondages in your life. Be sure you spend time in fasting. Fasting is powerful because it puts to death the deeds of the flesh. It is one of the quickest ways to step out of the bondages o f camalty into the glorious liberty o f the sons of God. (Romans 8:21) “For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die; but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds o f the body, ye shall live. ” (Romans 8:13) “And they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts. ” (Galatians 5 :24)
Seek God With All Your Heart Isaiah 55:6 says, “Seek ye the Lord while he may be 61 found, call ye upon him while he is near: ” Jeremiah 29:13 says, “And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.” Deuteronomy 4:29 gives the promise that no matter where you are, “…if from thence thou shalt seek the Lord thy God, thou shalt find him, and if thou seek him with all thy heart and with all thy soul. ” The successful key to finding God is in this verse, “ …seek him with all thy heart and all thy soul. ” There is a kind of seeking God with the carnal mind. It is the natural inquisitiveness of man to try to know more about the mystery of the Godhead. But this does not really permit us to know God. He is not going to reveal Himself to the inquisitive, but to the sincere, hungry, searching heart. Do you feel a hunger in your heart to know God better? Is there a yearning and a longing in your heart for God? Then please take time to call upon Him and seek for Him, and He shall surely be found of you.
Open Your Heart to God
We have been so hurt and disappointed by even our nearest and dearest that we have become fearful of more painful experiences which have become ours as a result of confiding in a friend whom we loved and trusted.
As a result we have put a “shell” around our hearts, trying to protect ourselves from even more painful experiences.
But you can love God and never ever be neither hurt nor disappointed in Him.
Sure, there will be tragedies in your life – life is life! There will be disappointments and griefs, but you must never allow yourself to blame God.
He is your loving Father and will only do you good all the days of your life.
There may be times when He will appear to be an “adversary” to you, but it is only for your good. He is trying to deter you and keep you from doing something that would destroy you.
So take that barrier away.
Remember, the veil of the temple has been rent in twain. In Hebrews 10:19, 20 we read, “Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood o f Jesus, By a new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh. ” In these two verses we see that the flesh, the body of Jesus, is referred to as the veil. The rent veil of the temple that hung between the Holy and the Holiest, was a symbol of the broken body of Christ in His death on the cross. Matthew tells us that when Jesus died, “…the veil o f the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom ;…” (Matthew 27:51)
The writer of Hebrews describes “flesh” as a veil of hindrance or separation between man and God. This is true in your life, too. The thing that hinders you the most from being close to God is the “veil” of your own flesh — your carnal understanding, even your intellect.
It is true that “…God hath chosen the foolish things o f the world to confound the wise;…” (I Corinthians 1:27). Don’t be afraid to open your heart to God. Tell Him everything — your hopes, your fears, your longings, your desires. He will surely bring you into a new relationship with Himself, and you will wonder why you tried to do it all by yourself, without having God as your dearest confidant.
Have a Teachable Spirit
One of the most prevalent and obnoxious traits in people is that of disagreeableness. No matter what you say to them, they disagree. I believe it is a spirit of variance. Someone called it a spirit of negation.
These people even pride themselves in the fact that no one can influence them in any way.
They don’t realize that they themselves are being constantly influenced by the devil.
Always keep a teachable attitude. Don’t be a “know-it all.” Never, for one minute, be foolish enough to believe like the friends of Job whom Job rebuked with the words, “No doubt but ye are the people, and wisdom shall die with yo u .” (Job 12:2) Remember the words of Jesus in Matthew 18:3, “… Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom o f heaven.” A child does not doubt everything you tell him — that’s why he can learn. The reason a child can learn three to four languages perfectly before he is five years old is because he does not try to reason out the languages. He just mimics what he hears.
As we get older, our intellect gets in the way of learning, our tongue becomes unyielding to the different ways of pronouncing things and speaking them out.
The ear cannot “hear” the different tones of the Chinese language and the brain is too moulded to accept what it hears.
Moreover it cannot convey it to the tongue, lips, teeth and throat. As a result, it is almost impossible to teach an older person to speak a new language without an accent.
The only time you can speak a foreign language perfectly is by the Holy Spirit speaking through you with the gift of “tongues,” and then it bypasses the mind completely. If this is possible to do without the use of the carnal brain, then is it not also possible to be taught directly from Spirit to spirit without the interjection of the human brain, the carnal intellect? Moments after you are dead, you shall still be able to communicate with God. Your physical brain will be dead, but your spirit will still be alive, all-seeing, all-knowing.
Dr. Richard Eby tells us that when he died his mind was even more perceptive and quickened than in natural life. He calls it, “my lightning-fast mind.”
Can we not allow God to reveal Himself to our spirit’s mind now, even while we are still in the flesh? Then we shall know as we are known, even when we stop being limited by our carnal knowledge and human understanding.
Waiting Upon God
What is wrong with waiting upon the Lord? Today we mock the precious saints o f yesterday who used to spend hours in the prayer rooms tarrying for the Holy Ghost. We somehow think we have advanced beyond them in this age of instant coffee, instant tea, instant pudding, instant tongues.
In order to “get the job done,” so we can hurry the seeker through the “experience,” we even show them how to speak in tongues. God help us! We give them a few words to start on, and as soon as they copy our three words, we shout, “You’ve got it!” and add it to the list of those who “received” under our ministry. Let’s face the truth — some only got instant babble! And so they babble all through life, and then we wonder why we have confusion in the church of Jesus Christ. Are you really wasting time when you wait upon the Lord, i.e. “tarry” until you are endued with power from on high? Jesus told His followers to tarry until they were endued with this power. (Luke 24:49, Acts 1:4)
It is because we have never been taught to wait upon the Lord that we impatiently rush into a thing and make such a fiasco out of it.
Isaiah 26:8 says, “Yea, in the way o f thy judgments, O Lord, have we waited for thee; the desire o f our soul is to thy name, and to the remembrance o f thee.”
Communicating With God
Talk to God. Don’t just pray your requests and wants. Don’t just report for duty with a new list of things you want God to do for you.
Communicate like you communicate with a dear friend. If you live alone, talk out loud. You are not crazy! Driving down the road by yourself, talk out loud to God. If you find it difficult to talk out loud to God, then make up a little song and sing your thoughts to God.
The Bible is full of stories of men who talked and communicated with God when they were alone. Enoch communicated so closely with God that one day, as he was walking with God, he just stepped one step farther than is humanly possible.
But because of the presence of God upon him, he was enabled to step into the light and “…he was not; for God took him.” (Genesis 5:24)
Meditation and Contemplation
Meditation is a lost art in the church. In fact, because certain religions practice meditation, the Christians are afraid of it. But certain unacceptable religions also pray and worship; however, we do not stop praying and worshipping just because they practice it.
There is a wrong way to pray and worship and meditate, and there is a right way also.
Let us grow into maturity. Many secrets are revealed when we take time to meditate. The great inventors received much of their information and instruction through meditation.
The great spiritual mystics of old spent hours in meditation. The Bible mentions it often. Isaac, David, Joshua and Paul were some of God’s great men who meditated.
Isaac meditated in the field. “And Isaac went out to meditate in the field at the eventide: and he lifted up his eyes, and saw, and, behold, the camels were coming. ” (Genesis 24:63)
Joshua was told by the Lord, “This book o f the law shall not depart out o f thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.” (Joshua 1:8)
David wrote, “Stand in awe, and sin not: commune with your own heart upon your bed and be still.” (Psalm 4:4; see also Psalm 1:2, 19:14,63:6, 104:34, 119:15,23,48,78, 9 7 ,9 9 ,1 4 8 , 143:5) Paul said to Timothy in I Timothy 4:15, “Meditate upon these things; give thyself wholly to them; that thy profiting may appear to all.” The word “meditate” in Hebrew means “to ponder, to study, to talk.”
In Greek it is meletao (mel-et-ah’o), to revolve in the mind, imagine, meditate, to be of interest to, i.e. to concern. In I Timothy 4:15 it means continuous, repeated action. God calls us to continually meditate upon Him. He should be our first thought in the morning and our last one at night. We should never begin the day with any other thought than Jesus, nor should we give ourselves to the “unconscious” state of sleep with our minds on anything other than the Lord.
Cutting Oneself Off From All Activity that Diverts Away From God, Both Secular and Religious
Jesus said, “…seek ye first the kingdom o f God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. ” (Matthew 6:33)
God’s people are either so busy working to support their life-style, or involved in pleasure and hobbies, or running to the various religious meetings, that they have no time left for spiritual devotions and prayer.
Church cannot and must not take the place of your personal time spent with the Lord. But do not make excuses about not going to church by saying you want to stay at home and seek the Lord. Don’t miss meetings where there is truly anointed preaching.
What I am talking about is God’s people who live in these cities where there is a lot of religious activity, and they think they have to be in every meeting in every church every day of the week. A lot of it is only soulish preaching and soulish religious music. The church has its jet-set; religious, high-priced entertainers, and that’s all they are – entertainers.
They will stir your emotions at the time and you will clap and applaud them, but you will leave the meeting with a hollow, let-down feeling.
It is true that when we want to seek the Lord, we need to seek Him with all our hearts. We need to cut ourselves off from all unnecessary activity. There is no need to continue to go through all the soulish activity and formulas of religion that we go through in our search for God, when we are already in His presence.
It is time to cut yourself off from the “blessing” in order to seek the “ Blesser.” Many of us are so busy running after the “loaves and fishes” that we have forgotten the One who is the source of all the “loaves and fishes.”
Sinlessness in the Life
It is time to call the Christians back to holiness. Holiness is one of the most feared, maligned and misunderstood words in the Christian vocabulary. True holiness is purity of the heart, walking in the imitation of Christ. Yes, it will affect your manner of dressing and way of living. There are many things we have done which we can do no more when He begins to live in us His life of purity and holiness. Do nothing that would displease the Lord; it is not worth it. God is calling His children back to holiness. It is time we listen. There is going to be a price to pay. And you had better start paying it now or you will miss God.
We need to spend time Reading the Bible
We need to spend time in Worship and Praise
High worship and praise lifts us into the immediate presence of God. Only recently has this high worship and praise been partially restored to the church. Much of our charismatic worship and praise is limited to a time schedule.
There needs to be a flowing in the Spirit. If the Holy Ghost is in control nothing unseemly can happen, because when He is in control, He is in control.
Let us break through into true worship and praise. It may mean we praise and worship all morning and don’t have time to preach or teach at all. But after we have left the place of gathering together, we will know we have been in the presence of the Lord.
Seeking for the Anointing
It is the anointing that breaks the yoke. Isaiah 10:27, “…the yoke shall be destroyed because o f the anointing.” There are many yokes and bondages in our lives (hang-ups) which we need to be broken. When the mighty anointing comes down upon us, we are set free. These yokes of bondage just snap off in the presence of the glory of God. All inhibitions are broken instantaneously, and we “see” into the Throne Room of the King of kings and Lord of lords, and behold the Father, our Father, in the high seat of authority; and we know, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that He and He alone is in complete control of everything that concerns our lives because we have committed them unto Him and know that He is able and faithful to keep us through every trial, every onslaught of Satan.
THE RESULTS OF LIVING AND WALKING IN THE SPIRIT
What Happens When You Live and Walk in the Spirit?
1. You Have a New Consciousness of God
You live in a “new world” which has a new consciousnes of God.
Your spiritual intellect is in communion with the Divine and you supernaturally receive instruction (like Joseph before Pharaoh and Daniel before Nebuchadnezzar and Belshazzar) and revelation (like John on the isle of Patmos and Paul in the wilderness of Arabia).
2. The World Loses Its Appeal to You and Its Threat over You
The natural world, the devil, the fears and the intimidations lose their power to make you fearful. You don’t care what somebody thinks about you or says about you. You stop trying to please man and you don’t care whether you are misunderstood or not. It doesn’t matter to you at all. Neither do the things o f the world have any appeal to you because you see they are transitory. 3. You Are Not Hindered by Circumstances
No matter how dark the outlook or impossible the situation may seem, you know you have heard from God, and no one and nothing can hinder you. You will obey Him.
4. You Have New Strength
There is great strength imparted to all who walk in the spirit. Flesh is our greatest hindrance — either our own flesh or somebody else’s; but it loses its power and authority to rule over us when we walk in the spirit.
5. Relationships Come Into Their Rightful and True Focus
There are many relationships and friendships that are inordinate. We are so afraid of losing our friends and our popularity that we do not face difficult situations rightly. We live a life full of pretence. We go to churches where we are not accepted, eat with people who criticize and mock us. And we are always trying to be “friendly” and please those who are the thorn in our flesh. Moreover, they have much power over us, (because of our past relationship with them), to hurt us, intimidate us and offend us.
But when we live in the spirit, they lose all that influence. We see them for what they are and we know them after the spirit, not after the outward charm that captivated us in the beginning.
6. You Come Under Holy Ghost Discipline
Our human spirits have never been truly disciplined. That is why we are so carnal and lacking in understanding. We do not know God’s will. Because of our undisciplined spirits we cannot know God, nor His will. Do you think God will reveal Himself and His secrets to those who rebel against His will? The first act of disobedience is a sign of strong, assertive self-will. The Bible says, “For rebellion is as the sin o f witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry….” (I Samuel 15:23) Rebellion comes from the chief rebel, Lucifer, and therefore it is a type of witchcraft or of being “bewitched.” Stubbornness is the adulation of self, putting one’s own will before the will o f God, and therefore it is the worship of self, another form o f idolatry.
Because our human spirits are lacking in discipline, we are carnal and can never understand or know God’s Word or His will for us. His Spirit will not always strive with us, and He will leave us to do our own thing. We will never grow into maturity.
7. You Are as Unlimited as the Spirit of God
The human mind is limited and forgetful, but the spirit mind is as unlimited as the Spirit o f God. Of course, you can limit Him, too; but if you don’t limit Him, there are no boundaries o f wisdom and knowledge in God. I Corinthians 2:9, 10, “But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart o f man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him. But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things o f God. ” “Deep calleth unto deep…” (Psalm 42:7) The depth of your spirit cries out for the deeper things o f God. God will reveal to you secrets never yet known to man, and in your soul will echo the chord o f the great AMEN!
He will show you where lost things are. He will find lost children, He will tell you what is in people’s hearts; He will solve difficult problems, tell you how to fix things and He will show you His sovereign will. It is a glorious life, this life of the Holy Spirit unlimited.
8. You Will Be Given Words of Wisdom
Yes, He even told us He would answer our inquisitors on the day we are called up before the “councils,” “…they will scourge you in their synagogues; And ye shall be brought before governors and kings for my sake, for a testimony against them and the Gentiles. But when they deliver you up, take no thought how or what ye shall speak: for it shall be given you in that same hour what ye shall speak. For it is not y e that speak, but the Spirit o f your Father which speaketh in yo u .” (Matthew 10:17-20) As the days of persecution draw nigh, we will learn the value of these.words o f our Lord, even as our persecuted brothers and sisters have already learned it before us.
9. A Holy Spirit Ministry Will Be Yours in Place of a Soulish or Carnal Ministry
There are three kinds of ministry:
1. The Carnal which garnishes the intellect. It is a kind of social Gospel that is accepted by the world and the devil because it never shakes his kingdom; in fact, it helps him out because it helps to placate the in-bred search for God that is in the heart o f man. “Everyone is your brother and every person is God’s child. Even the devil is not such a bad old chap as we have made him out to be. He gives us a good time. As for demons, there are none. Miracles ceased a long time ago, though most o f them were the result of someone’s overactive imagination.” If that is the kind of church you belong to, get out!
2. The Soulish Ministry:
This is one step higher in the plane of existence. The meetings are lively, emotional, moving. The music is light and breezy with even a little dancing these days (it is permitted now in some places), chairs adorned in crimson, royal blue or brilliant gold to match the carpeting (black is too somber). The trios, quartets and quintets all match with the ties of the men and the bows or skirts o f the ladies. Even the hymn books are the right colour — blue for a blue church, red for a red church. It would never do to have a blue hymnal in a red church with a red carpet! Stained glass windows are back in. They match, too. And then the sermon — with just enough humour and pathos to please every member of the congregation; for the women a few tears, for the men a few jokes. Not too long, 20-25 minutes at the most. All stand for the closing hymn, sung with emotion because they have been “worked up.” The benediction with upraised hands, everyone closing their printed Sunday programme, and they rush out the door to get to the restaurant for the Sunday dinner before the crowd arrives. Some churches purposely “let out” at five minutes to twelve, so they can beat the rush. After all, everyone hates those long line-ups at their favourite cafeteria.
3. The High Ministry in the Spirit:
First of all, let me warn you. You will not find the crowd there. If you want the crowd, you will have to go to the first two places. But here you will find true seekers — those who are hungry for God. Some will have arrived an hour early just to pray. They greet each other at the door with true joy and genuine love. The Holy Spirit is already in the place.
The pastor is on his knees in his study, not preparing his sermon, but his heart, so he can stand before the people with a pure heart. The minstrels are there in their Sunday-best — guitarrists, accordionists, the pianist and the organist if there is one) don’t even know what song they will sing next. There is no programme. There is only a flowing together, a beautiful, anointed flowing. They sing, standing for one hour or more, forgetting to sit down. Hands raised, eyes weeping, the glory cloud is resting over them. There is spontaneous singing in the Spirit, interspersed with solos and duets, often in other tongues. The glory becomes greater. No one even thinks to look at the clock.
Finally, the Spirit changes the flow. God wants to speak to His people. He has given the pastor a Word for His sheep. This Word from the Lord is burning so heavily on the pastor’s heart that he forgets the announcements and goes right into his text and message. Before he is finished, the people are already coming to the altar. It was not the flowery oratory of a well-read sermon. It wasn’t even so much the message that touched their hearts. Some o f them had heard almost the same words from their favourite T.V. preacher that week; it was the Spirit in which the message was given and the anointing, the sincerty and the purity of the man of God who stood before them that had touched their spirits. It was a case of “ deep calling unto deep” — the spirit of a spiritual man, endued with the power o f the Holy Spirit, reaching into the spirits of the hearers.
This is the kind of ministry that changes lives. This is the thing that will usher in the revival we will have in the last days. This is the final revival. It is the only thing that will get us ready for the Great Day o f the Lord. This will change people.
II Corinthians 5:17 says, “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. ” This scripture is often misunderstood. It doesn’t say, “if any man confesses his sins, he is a new creature.” Nor does it say, “if any man gets converted, he is a new creature.” It says, “If any man be in Christ, he is a new creature.” Paul is writing about living in the spirit. In the preceding verse he says, “…henceforth know we no man after the flesh:… ” This is talking about the life of walking and living in the spirit. Why do some people not change when they get saved? Neither their character, nor habits, nor life-style changes. They have no more consciousness nor conviction of sin than they had before they “went forward.” They still talk the same untrue, dirty, blasphemous, gossipy talk. Something is wrong when they do not become “a new creature in Christ Jesus.” Could it just happen to be that he who “went forward” and wasn’t changed is still not “in Christ”? I am convinced that this is the sad truth. I am also convinced that our churches are full of so-called “saved” but unconverted, unregenerated sinners who have never truly been bom again. If they were, there would be the evidence of a Christ-life. There would be fruit. They have only received a religious spirit. The preaching has touched their intellect, so they have an intellectual “experience” with God.
10. The Ministry of the Spirit Will Change Lives
Or their emotions have been affected by the evangelist, so they came forward, cried three tears and signed up. They are no better than the first group, only they do show more emotion. This group can clap hands when they sing lively choruses in church, but when they walk out the church door their conduct is no more changed than that of the first group. What has happened? There is a preaching and teaching that reaches the natural intellect. It comes through study, natural talent and hard work. Then there is a preaching and teaching that reaches the soulish realm. It also is based on study, natural talent and some preparation, but added to it there is a lot of drama and sensationalism. It inspires, lifts and “blesses,” but doesn’t transform lives.
Finally, there is the ministry of the spirit.
It is direct from God through revelation given by the Holy Spirit to the spirit of the pastor, speaker or teacher, and it goes straight to the spirit of the hearer, where it takes root instantaneously because it is good seed that falls on good ground. It transforms lives.
I believe that those who have been truly born again by the Spirit and transformed completely will never fall away nor backslide. A 100-fold work of grace has been done in their lives. This is what John meant when he wrote in I John 2:19, “They went out from us, but they were not o f us; for if they had been o f us, they would no doubt have continued with us: but they went out, that they might be made manifest that they were not all o f us. ”
Maybe our Baptists friends are right when they say that if someone is truly saved, he cannot fall away from the Lord! Could there be different degrees of experiences in Christ? Maybe your backslidden son isn’t backslidden at all. Maybe he has never ever been born again. It is very possible to be a religious person and even live a religious life for a while without having any true, genuine change of heart. We see this in the Jewish faith, the Moslem, Hindu, Buddhist religions – why not in the Christian religion also?
THINGS THAT HINDER THE PERFECTING OF THE SPIRIT OF MAN
How Is the Spirit’s Development into Perfection and Light Hindered? There are so many things that hinder the spirit from coming into perfection. Some of these things are not evil in themselves, but when even a good thing hinders you from perfection, it is used by the enemy of your soul in an evil way.
I Corinthians 6:12, “All things are lawful unto me, but all things are not expedient: all things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power o f any. ” A good person can be used by Satan to destroy you if you allow your relationship with God to be put out of focus because of that one. Here are some of the hindrances we need to watch out for:
1. Living Too Much in the Natural Mind Through the Experience of Others
So many Christians are easily influenced by others. It is almost as if they have no mind of their own. They are swayed back and forth, up and down like the waves of the sea beating against the shore. It is very difficult for the Holy Spirit to get through to our spirits when we are always listening to man’s advice. The Spirit will show us something, and we run to someone we think is spiritual and share it with that person. When that one doesn’t agree with us because God has not revealed the same truth to him, we right away accept what he says as truth and believe we can’t hear from God.
2. Lack of Hunger, Desire and Knowledge That This Kind of Life Is Possible and That It Is God’s Will
There is a lack of teaching on the difference between the soulish realm and the life of the spirit.
How can carnal teachers teach spiritual truths? There is a spiritual dearth in the land in spite of the millions of churches, synagogues and temples. People don’t know these truths. They are written in the Bible, but they don’t read the Bible enough to find the truth, or if they read, they cannot understand because they try to read the Bible with the carnal mind and understand it with the unregenerate mind. And they have no appetite or spiritual hunger for the things of God. Hosea 4:6 says, “My people are destroyed for lack o f knowledge:…” Matthew 22:29, “Ye do err, not knowing the Scriptures, nor the power o f God. ”
3. Fear of Being Offended, Misunderstood or Thought To Be Some Kind of Religious “Nut”
We are so afraid of not being thought well of and of being unaccepted by others that we shun away from some of the greatest truths and blessings the Lord has for us, just like the Pharisees in the days of Jesus. “For they loved the praise o f men more than the praise o f God.” (John 12:43) “The fear o f man bringeth a snare: but whoso putteth his trust in the Lord shall be safe. ” (Proverbs 29:25)
4. A Negative Attitude That Constantly Negates and Disagress with Everything Just Out of Habit
This attitude I also called a spirit of variance on page 64.
It is impossible for the spirit to break out of its prison and bondage into the truths of the Spirit-life because the negative attitude never permits anything positive to be accepted.
5. Being Hard to Break and Unteachable
I already mentioned unteachableness, but I want to say a few words on being broken before the Lord. It is a very precious quality, this brokenness. Don’t be afraid of it. There is healing in tears. Allow God to break your heart, if that’s what you need to escape the soulish carnal life.
Cry to God sincerely that you want His best at any price, and remember, “His best” is not a new car, home, beautiful family, good job, successful ministry, etc.
His best, that “high calling” that Paul wrote about, is “knowing God.” I see God breaking hearts and lives all over the world — but out of the ruins I see new lives of dedication and love for God in exchange for the former selfish, self-centred lives they once led.
So, all I can say is, God knows best, and all things will work out for the best for those who are called according to His purpose. (Romans 8:28)
6. Sins and Impurities in the Life
This is so important that it deserves a second mentioning and reminder. May God help us to cast aside all weights and the sin that doth so easily beset us. (Hebrews 12:1) Paul said to Timothy in II Timothy 2:21, “If a man therefore purge himself from these (impurities and sins of the flesh), he shall be a vessel unto honour, sanctified, and meet for the master’s use, and prepared unto every good work. ” Don’t you want to be a vessel o f gold, a vesse) that is used by God? Then pay the price! It is worth it.
7. Lack of Repentance
The lack of a repentant heart is caused by pride and self dominance.
We are too proud to confess and admit we are wrong or we made a mistake, or that the devil got the best of us. Our attitude plays such an important part in the spirit’s life.
THE RESULTS OF THE TRANSFORMED CHRIST-LIKE SPIRIT
It Will Affect Self and Others in a Higher Way
When the spirit is transformed, it will affect all around you, but first of all, it will affect you, yourself. You will be the first to be blessed, uplifted, edified, purified and glorified as the Holy Spirit transforms your spirit into the likeness of God’s Son. If a man can preach great sermons, but doesn’t live the life of a true child of God, he is preaching in the soulish realm. His ministry is appealing to the emotions of men. He will have a big following and be popular, and even have people respond, but it will all be on the soul-level, both subjectively and objectively.
When “soulish” seed is planted, it will yield a “soulish” harvest.
But when the man who teaches in the spirit realm will not only teach, but LIVE, in heavenly places, his followers will be limited, but the work done in them will be unlimited.
Rulership in the Kingdom
We are facing startling, dramatic, world-changing events in the near future — the rapture, tribulation and the Kingdom o f God on earth are imminent, with only a handful of years between all three great happenings; and we are not ready for them. How will we rule and reign with Christ, when we can’t rule our emotions? How will God prepare us for world rulership? This great honour will only come as the King lives in us. There must be “the shout o f a king” among them. (Numbers 23:21) Without His authority we have no authority. His authority must completely control us. The world will only be as subject to us as we are subject to God. Even demons won’t obey you if you don’t obey God. (Acts 19:14-16) God’s people have never taken their rightful place in God. Their rights are to live and rule and reign with Christ. (Revelation 5:10, 20:6, 22:5)
But the time has come when we must now prepare ourselves for all that God has for us.
We must step out of the grave of carnality into the abundant life of the Spirit.
The Influence of the Spirit upon the Soul and Body Should Be Greater than the Influence of the Soul and Body upon the Spirit
Let us look again at the diagram in Chapter Three. Holy Spirit O spirit of man body There we see how the spirit of man is influenced by the body, the soul and the Holy Spirit. The effect that these three have on the spirit depends on the degree of influence we permit them to have.
A sick and crippled body can cripple a spirit if bitterness is allowed to enter.
An emotional, soulish person can mould his spirit into the image of his soulish pattern.
When death comes, his spirit will be an exact replica of what he was in life.
I know a young man who took illegal drugs since the age of 12. Through all of his high school years, and even in his four years in the Navy, he still was on heavy drugs. Then, one day as he looked in the mirror, he suddenly didn’t see himself as he appeared to be on the outside; he saw himself as he was on the inside.
He saw his spirit. “It was terrible!” he told me. “I was old, wrinkled and ugly. It frightened me so terribly because I knew I was seeing my spirit and I realized what I was doing to myself.
Immediately I stopped taking drugs.” Soon after that he gave his heart to the Lord. Without any good influence, man is born for destruction, for as the psalmist says in Psalm 51:5, ‘‘Behold, I was shapen in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive m e.” ‘‘The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?” (Jeremiah 17:9) But God, in His mercy, has sent the Holy Spirit to convict us of sin and to influence us in a godly way, and draw our lost, wandering spirits back to God, the Father.
Every good and godly thing that happens in our lives is a result of the Spirit of God working in our lives. I want to repeat this little diagram to bring out another vital truth.
Holy Spirit soul body spirit of man
Even as the spirit of man is influenced by his body and soul and the Holy Spirit, so, in like manner it can be the other way around. His spirit can influence his soul and his body through an enduement of grace, glory and power by the Holy Spirit upon his spirit.
Light can be transmitted, in this way, from God to man’s body and soul. This will affect the emotions and also the physical parts of man, for it will bring restoration and healing into the inward parts of his being. In this diagram we see something wonderful. We see the spirit of man ministering to the Holy Spirit and influencing Him. This is a long neglected Bible truth. This is what Jesus meant when He said to the woman at the well, “But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him. God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.” Worshipping God in the Spirit (John 4:23, 24) The word “him” has been inserted by the translators, thus demeaning a great truth which Jesus revealed to the Samaritan woman.
He revealed that, in order to please God and really make contact with Him in perfect communication, it must be in the spirit-realm – spirit-to-Spirit – that man must worship.
How wonderful that, with my spirit, I can minister to God, the Father! Again, let me remind you of the law of giving. “It is more blessed to give than to receive.” (Acts 20:35) There is more blessing for you when you minister unto the Spirit of God than when you only seek for what He can do for you and how He can bless you. Try it!
Praying in the Spirit
The greatest prayer power available to us comes only through the influence of the Holy Spirit as He infills our spirits with the great burden of the Lord.
He knows the heart of the Father and He prays the Father’s will through us, causing our souls to receive the great burden of the Father and to enter into His compassion and grief for the lost and wayward, as well as His joy.
And so our spirits affect our souls; and our bodies respond by giving themselves to prayer with tears, strong cryings and groanings. This is the highest intercession available to the saints. It is not emotionally originated, but it will affect the deepest emotions of the soul as the soul responds to the spirit. And then we shall pray like Jesus prayed in the Garden. (Hebrews 5:7) So you see, the spirit of man is both subjective and objective in nature. When the Holy Spirit is in control by yielding to His influence, the spirit can transmit the same Divine qualities to the soul and the body, bringing in light, glory and godliness.
When the Holy Spirit Will Be in Control
When the Holy Spirit will finally be allowed to take complete control of one’s spirit (and there will be no satanic interference), the body will never get sick and die, and the soul will suffer no emotional imbalance. There will be no mental institutions nor hospitals in the millenium.
Most suicides are a result of a sick soul — a soul that has become dispondent, discouraged, depressed and so full of despair that it sees no way out other than death. It can be long planned, or it can happen in a moment of sudden decision.
People who suffer soul-sicknesses receive little understanding or compassion even from Christians. If the body is broken and hurting, one receives much sympathy and help. You can see a broken leg. But when it is the soul of man that is sick, he is avoided, criticized and even hated.
Oh, for God to give us a spirit of understanding for the sin-sick soul! How we need compassion!
I believe that the last spiritual awakening that will come will be just this same wonderful visitation.
God’s Spirit will come down mightily upon the spirit of man — causing restoration of the whole man, even as Ezekiel saw in his famous vision of the boneyard. (Ezekiel 37:14)
The “Transplanting”
What your spirit receives from God, it will “transplant” into your soul. And your soul will send out the overgrowth of goodness into your body, but your body must co-operate by believing, receiving and obeying the impulses of the spirit through the soul. Your soul will become renewed under the influence of God indwelling your spirit in His fulness.
When the soul (the emotions, the mind and the will) is renewed, it, too, is endued with the life of the Holy Spirit, causing the body to become Divine with spiritual life as the Holy Spirit fills every cell of your being with light and glory. When this takes place, we will indeed do the very same works as Jesus. John 14:12, ” Verily, verily, Isay unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father. ” When the whole man is saved, the spirit, soul and body become Divine with spiritual life. This is what Paul prayed in I Thessalonians 5:23, “And the very God o f peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless (faultless) unto the coming o f our Lord Jesus Christ.”
Let Us Clarify the Spirit, Soul and Body
1. Your Spirit is the real you, the eternal you. Ecclesiastes 12:7, “Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it. ” It is the part of you that came out of your Heavenly Father. It receives the renewed mind, even the “mind of Christ.” It has personality and character, which is eternal.
2. Your Soul: This is your emotions, your mind (unregenerate) and your will.
3. Your Body: This is the tabernacle in which your spirit dwells. This is the only part of you that you can ever “put o f f ’ and still continue to exist. But when your spirit is perfected, it will reclaim your body in resurrection life.
It happened when Jesus died and the veil of the temple was rent in twain (Matthew 27:52, 53), “And the graves were opened; and many bodies o f the saints which slept arose, And came out o f the graves after his resurrection, and went into the holy city, and appeared unto many. ” And it will happen again.
In fact, it may be happening already in some places. Reports are coming in o f graves breaking open and bodies not found in coffins that are still sealed shut. (If the reader has heard any such report, please share it with us.) Seeing that all these wonderful things are about to take place shortly, let us go on to perfection.
The Resurrection of the Body
This is why there will be a resurrection. Paul said, “…and the dead in Christ shall rise first:” (I Thessalonians 4:16) “It (the body) is sown (buried) in dishonour (death), it is raised in glory: it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power: It is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body.” (I Corinthians 15:43, 44) “And as we have borne the image o f the earthy, we shall also bear the image o f the heavenly.” (I Corinthians 15:49) God will not allow our bodies to forever be separated from our spirits. “And many o f them that sleep in the dust o f the earth shall awake,…” (Daniel 12:2) “…neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption.” (Psalm 16:10) “Jesus said unto her, l am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, y e t shall he live:” (John 11:25) “Knowing that he which raised up the Lord Jesus shall raise up us also by Jesus, and shall present us with you. ” (II Corinthians 4:14) Even as Jesus’ body was resurrected and glorified, so our bodies shall be resurrected in glory. This hope which we have is the reason that we do not cremate our loved ones when they die. We put their bodies to rest (in the grave), in anticipation of the resurrection morning.
The Resurrection Life Begins in the Spirit
Ephesians 4:23, 24, “And be renewed in the spirit o f your mind; And that y e put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness. ” Romans 12:2, “And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing o f your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will o f God.” Philippians 3:21, “Who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself. ” Luke 11:34, “The light o f the body is the eye (pure vision, perceptiveness): therefore when thine eye is single, thy whole body also is full o f light: but when thine eye is evil (sinful), thy body also is full o f darkness. ”
The Power of the Light of God
God is doing a new thing. By the power of the Holy Spirit, He is sending light into every area of our beings. Satan has wrecked and ruined our lives. We are like the world as it is described in Genesis 1:2, “And the earth was without form and void; and darkness was upon the face o f the deep….” God is looking over this shipwrecked humanity and He is doing now what He did then. “…And the Spirit o f God moved upon the face o f the waters. And God said, Let there be light:…” (Genesis 1:2, 3) He is sending His light into the lives of those who will receive it; and where they won’t, it is because they love darkness. God is going to divide the light from the darkness. The children of Light will become more light and the children of darkness will become more dark as demons enter into them and begin to possess and control them.
Resist the Devil
Evil spirits hate the light of God’s presence. They cannot abide in it. As you ask God to turn His light on in your soul, He will fill you more and more with His creative light and glory until you are translated into His glory at His coming. These days are days of preparation. We must get rid of every demon’s activity in our lives. Give no place to the devil. Resist him and he will flee from you. (James 4:7) Can A Christian Have a Demon? This is one of the most controversial questions in the church. Some say yes, some say no. Both are right. It just depends on the amount of light there is in the Christian. Is he walking in absolute purity and holiness with God? Is he filled with light and glory? Is he abiding in the vine? If all your answers are in the affirmative, the answer is “NO.” If the Christian is not living in victory, loves the world and the things of the world, spends no time in fellowship with God and His saints, has no hunger for God, is bound by habits, sins, lusts, angers, etc., then that Christian can have evil spirits in his life that are dominating and controlling him. Let us not be ignorant. Let us face the facts. There are different degrees of demonic control. In some cases the demons control the body, in some the soul, in extremely bad cases they keep even the spirit in subjection. Demon spirits cannot “possess” a born-again believer. If he has given his heart and life to God, even though he is not wholly cleaned up, he is still possessed of God. It is impossible for God and demons to “possess” the same person. But demons can take control o f a person who yields to them and submits to them. Just like a person can control another person’s life, demons can also control a person’s life. They do not readily leave someone whom they have possessed a long time. They still seek control over him although they no longer have rights to stay there because that Christian has accepted redemption through the Blood of Jesus for his body, soul and spirit, and has been delivered from the power of darkness and translated into the Kingdom of His dear Son. (Colossians 1:13) But we must not yield to the evil spirits or allow ourselves to become their subjects. People who have a deliverance ministry often cast evil spirits out of Christians. Many times the demons re-enter. The only way they cannot re-enter is if the spirit of man is fully filled and controlled by the Holy Spirit at all times. No demon will abide in that life any more than they will in heaven, because it is God’s dwelling place, and they are unauthorized intruders.
THE SPIRIT THAT HAS COME INTO PERFECTION
What Happens when Your Spirit Reigns Supreme over Your Soul and Body?
1. Your Spirit and Soul Enters into a Perfect Rest
Your spirit and soul enter into a perfect rest which affects the nerves and the cells of the body.
This rest is based on the Divine knowledge which you have received through Divine revelation, and you know that all is well. “…This is the rest wherewith y e may cause the weary to rest; and this is the refreshing: y et they would not hear. ” (Isaiah 28:12) See also Hebrews 3:15-4:16.
2. Your Life Becomes Glorified and Transformed
Your life becomes glorified and transformed by the influence of the Holy Spirit, because now He is in complete control.
“For God, who commanded the light to shine out o f darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light o f the knowledge o f the glory o f God in the face o f Jesus Christ. But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency o f the power may be o f God, and not o f us. ” (II Corinthians 4:6, 7)
3. Your Health Is Restored and Your Spirit Renewed
“But if the Spirit o f him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that 102 dwelleth in you. ” (Romans 8:11) “But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.” (Isaiah40:31)
4. You Have Perfect Unity with Those who Have the Same Mind of Christ
“And the multitude o f them that believed were o f one heart and o f one soul: neither said any o f them that aught o f the things which he possessed was his own; but they had all things common. ” (Acts 4:32) “And by the hands o f the apostles were many signs and wonders wrought among the people; (and they were all with one accord in Solomon’s p o r c h . . (Acts 5:12) “Thy watchmen shall lift up the voice; with the voice together shall they sing: for they shall see eye to eye, when the Lord shall bring again Zion. ” (Isaiah 52:8) “That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent m e.” (John 17:21)
5. You Will Not Be Offended, Angered, Jealous Nor Grieved by what Anyone Says or Does to You
“Great peace have they which love thy law: and nothing shall offend them. ” (Psalm 119:165) “If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. Let us not be desirous o f vainglory, provoking one another, envying one another. ” (Galatians 5:25,26)
6. You Will Be Seated in Heavenly Places in Christ Jesus “And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:” (Ephesians 2 :6)
7. You Will Not Be Able to Grieve over Many of the Sorrows of Life.
God Will Literally Wipe Away All Your Tears. “He healeth the broken in heart, and bindeth up their wounds.” (Psalm 147:3) “For thou hast delivered my soul from death, mine eyes from tears, and my feet from falling.” (Psalm 116:8)
8. You Never Lose Hope.
You See the Fulfilment of God’s Promise Ahead. “For we are saved by hope: but hope that is seen is not hope: for what a man seeth, why doth he y et hope for?” But if we hope for what we see not, then do we with patience wait for it. ” (Romans 8:24-25)
9. You Know that God Has a Plan and That If You Trust Him All Things Will Work Out for Your Best
“And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. ” (Romans 8:28)
10. You Have the Fruit of the Spirit in Your Life “
But the fruit o f the Spirit is love, joy, peace, 104 longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.” (Galatians 5:22,23)
11. You Never Fret Nor Worry
“Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed?” (Matthew 6:31) “Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.” (Philippians 4:6)
12. You Receive Revelations from the Spirit into Many Wonderful Truths
“But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things o f God. ” (I Corinthians 2:10)
13. You Have Constant Communion with God, the Father “For ye have not received the spirit o f bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit o f adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. The Spirit itself bear eth witness with our spirit, and we are the children o f God: And if children, then heirs, heirs o f God, and joint-heirs with Christ, if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together. ” (Romans 8:15-17)
14. Your Faith Becomes Perfect
“And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if 105 we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us:” (I John 5:14)
15. You Have Authority over All o f God’s Creation — Angelic, Earthly and Demonic
“And when he had called unto him his twelve disciples, he gave them power against unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all manner o f sickness and all manner o f disease.” (Matthew 10:1) “Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power o f the enemy; and nothing shall by any means hurt you. ” (Luke 10:19) “Thus saith the Lord, the Holy One o f Israel, and his Maker, Ask me o f things to come concerning my sons, and concerning the work o f my hands command ye me. ” (Isaiah 45:11) “Let all mine enemies be ashamed and sore vexed: let them return and be ashamed suddenly.” (Psalm 6:10) “Who is gone into heaven, and is on the right hand o f God; angels and authorities and powers being made subject unto him. ” (I Peter 3:22) “Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father. ” (John 14:12) 16. You Can Do Anything God Wants You to Do You can do anything God wants you to do. His Rhema is in you. When the Rhema is quickened in the mind, confessed with the m outh, it becomes the Logos of God (the Creative Word), causing the invisible to become visible and the intangible tangible. “The centurion answered and said, Lord, I am not worthy that thou shouldest come under my roof; but speak the word only, and my servant shall be healed.” (Matthew 8:8) “And Jesus said unto them, Because o f your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain o f mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove, and nothing shall be impossible unto you. ” (Matthew 17:20)
17. God’s Divine Presence Fills Your Whole Body, Perfecting You
“According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation o f the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love: Having predestinated us unto the adoption o f children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure o f his will, To the praise o f the glory o f his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved. In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness o f sins, according to the riches o f his grace;… That we should be to the praise o f his glory, who first trusted in Christ….That the God o f our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father o f glory, may give unto you the spirit o f wisdom and revelation in the knowledge o f him: The eyes o f your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope o f his calling, and what the riches o f the glory o f his inheritance in the saints, And what is the exceeding greatness o f his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working o f his mighty power. ” (Ephesians 1:4-7, 12, 17-19)
18. You Have the Answer to Every Problem “For who hath known the mind o f the Lord, that he may instruct him? But we have the mind o f Christ. ” (I Corinthians 2 :1 6 ,1 John 3:20) 19. You Have Perfect Guidance in All Decisions “And thine ears shall hear a word behind thee, saying, This is the way, walk ye in it, when ye turn to the right hand, and when ye turn to the left. ” (Isaiah 30:21) “For this cause we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to desire that ye might be filled with the knowledge o f his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding;” (Colossians 1:9) “Howbeit when he, the Spirit o f truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak o f himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will show you things to come. ” (John 16:13)
20. You Will Be Spared from Error
You will be spared from error because the Spirit of God never makes mistakes. He knows the perfect will of God. He will keep you from ijiaking mistakes as you let Him lead your life. “And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind o f the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will o f God.” (Romans 8:27)
21. Your Service to God Is Perfect Because All of Your Motives Will Be Pure
“For God is my witness, whom I serve with my spirit in the gospel o f his Son, that without ceasing I make 108 mention o f you always in my prayers;” (Romans 1:9) 22. You Have Prayer Power “But ye, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost, ” (Jude 20) 23. You Are Renewed “And be renewed in the spirit o f your mind; And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.” (Ephesians 4:23-24)
24. You Become Like Jesus “And the very God o f peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming o f our Lord Jesus Christ. ” (I Thessalonians 5:23) “Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day o f judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world. ” (I John 4:17) “For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image o f his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. ” (Romans 8:29) “But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory o f the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit o f the Lord. ” (II Corinthians 3:18) And beloved, in the end, that is what our hearts desire more than anything else.
CONCLUSION
And so we come to the Conclusion of this important, long waited-for Bible study. Many o f the Lord’s elect are waiting for these truths. After you have read and studied it, pass it on to those whom the Spirit of God will point out to you.
Many “baby” Christians are not ready for it, even though they have been saved for years.
A person’s maturity is not determined by his years of religious activity, but by his ability to be taught and led by the Holy Spirit.
My prayer for you is that your spirit will grow into the beauty of the Father out of whom you came. It will give me great joy to know that God used this humble Bible study to help you become like our loving Father in Heaven.
May the Holy Spirit anoint it to this purpose.