Healing in Starbucks & Lesson Learned

Last Monday I met with some friends at a Starbucks in Phoenix to encourage one another. One of the guys shared that he was struggling through a cold. Holy Spirit welled up in me, so I asked our friend if we could pray with him for healing (yes, in a Starbucks!). He accepted, so the four of us placed a hand on him and began praying.

First, we reminded each other that God is our personal physician and heals every manner of sickness and disease. Then we prayed that powerfully simple prayer which seems to always get God's attention - "HELP!" How long should you pray? Are there any special words you're suppose to say for healing? Is there a formula that we need to make this happen? These are all the questions that naturally rise in me every time I pray with someone for healing. I've learned the only way to pray is to wait for Holy Spirit's guidance. He is the healer. He is ALWAYS faithful to share what Jesus is saying and doing in any situation, so we wait, listening intently for his voice, ready for his gentle nudging, anticipating his movement. Then, we take risks, sharing aloud what we think he is saying or doing, and we obey whatever he reveals.

After 20-30 minutes of listening and sharing what we sensed Holy Spirit showing us, we received a picture of a wall that separated us from our friend. He confirmed that he felt a barrier between us and him. He wanted to be healed, but felt shut off from us. Holy Spirit then revealed to us two scriptures. The first was the story of how God delivered Jericho into the hands of Joshua and the Israelites. The second was from Luke, when after having delivered a man from a demon, Jesus taught, "When a strong man, fully armed, guards his own house, his possessions are safe. But when someone stronger attacks and overpowers him, he takes away the armor in which the man trusted and divides up the spoils (Lk 11:21-22)."

I have learned before that Holy Spirit is the "stronger man", who attacks the enemy's strongholds in our lives and sets us free. But this night, Holy Spirit had something new to show me. He pointed my attention to the word "spoil" and said very clearly - Jeff is the spoil. You are so focused on getting a healing and overcoming the enemy in his body that you have lost focus of your part in healing - loving your friend.

I repented of my misdirected zeal and for having in my heart turned him into a "test subject". I asked Holy Spirit to fill me with love and guess what? He did. I was overwhelmed with ooey-gooey Jesus love for my friend and in a matter of minutes the wall came down and Jeff was overwhelmed with the presence and power of God. He was healed. The cold was gone.

Later, as I reflected on this event, I learned that I easily try to take over God's part in healing. My part is to love people and lay down my life for them. God's part is to attack the enemy, overcome him, take away his armor, so that we can go in and take back the spoil - the person.

You and I are the spoil of God. We are his valuable possession. The enemy has laid up strongholds in our lives and as we learn to love each other we become a humble vessel through which the presence and power of God's love can go forth to "heal all who are under the power of the devil (Acts 10:38)." This was Jesus' work on the earth. This is our work on the earth.

LOVE ONE ANOTHER AS I HAVE LOVED YOU - Jesus

Anyone want more POWER?

Jesus had just calmed a storm on the Sea of Galilee by the command of his words and we read in Matthew 8:27 - "The men were amazed and asked, 'What kind of man is this?'"

Many have attributed this wonder to Jesus on the basis that he was God. Was Jesus God? Yes. Is that why he was able to calm the storm? No. The apostle Paul was clear to explain that Jesus had abandoned all his power in heaven and himself to his Father on earth (Phil. 2:6-7). Then how did Jesus calm the storm? WHAT KIND OF MAN IS THIS?

1) Jesus was a man of clear IDENTITY. Jesus knew who he is and whose he is. Luke 3:21-22 tells us, "When all the people were being baptized, Jesus was baptized too. And as he was praying, heaven was opened and the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven: 'You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased." The fabric of the kingdom of God is relationship. Jesus learned right relationship with his heavenly Father, demonstrating for us the pathway of righteousness. Right relationship with the Father prepared Jesus with a great responsibility - representing that relationship.

2) Jesus as a man under AUTHORITY. Luke 4:1-2 tells us, "Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the desert, where for forty days he was tempted by the devil." The devil knew the only way to undermine Jesus' destiny on the earth was to attack the very foundation or source of his destiny - his identity. Three times Luke records the devil attacked Jesus' identity - 'If you you are the Son of God...prove it.' Jesus did something remarkable; he chose not to defend himself or protect himself or even justify himself. Instead he chose to entrust himself fully to his relationship with the Father. Jesus SUBMITTED himself under his Father's authority, TRUSTING his Father to be his provision in every way and OBEYED his Father's words. This submission revealed a humility worthy of being entrusted with the very authority he was submitted under. The Father had found someone he could entrust his very words; words which would release the power of heaven on the earth.

3) Jesus was a man who released POWER. Many wait for some magical wand to bestow upon them the power of heaven. Others believe power comes from acquiring enough knowledge. Still others suggest Jesus was the only person who would ever walk in such power (he was God, right?). The truth is many walked in extraordinary signs, wonders and miracles before after Jesus walked the earth. The Old Testament is full of stories of people just like us who walked in the power of heaven. The book of Acts tells us many of the first disciples walked in heaven's power after Jesus ascended. And there have been many Christians in every generation since who have believed heaven's power is the children's inheritance, and have walked in various expressions of that power.

Whether it was Moses, Elijah, Jesus, Peter, Aimee Semple Mcpherson or John Wimber, heaven's power always flows through the same pathway - right relationship with God (IDENTITY), which brings us into alignment with the will of God through humility (AUTHORITY); and as we obey the will of God, Holy Spirit backs his will up with heaven's POWER. As Jesus took this pathway, so we are invited daily to submit ourselves to the Lord, learn the humility of being under his authority in each area of our lives, and obey his words. This will release heaven's power and establish God's reign and rule in the earth.

Jesus was a man full of the Holy Spirit. Holy Spirit led Jesus into his identity as a Son, under the Father's authority to release heaven's power.

The Grace of Giving

(What follows is a teaching I shared with our OHM community given to me by the Lord as I asked for clarity of how our community was to share in the financial end of the God's OHM ministry. I believe the principles are biblical and effective for understanding how to move from the law of tithing to the grace of giving.)

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“For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ (John 1:17).”

Under the old covenant the law was given to the people of God as a tutor, in order to help the Israelites learn to walk in right relationship with God, themselves and the world around them. Jesus did not come to abolish the law, but to fulfill it so that we wouldn’t have to. Jesus has set us free from the requirement of the law and has invited us to live by a new way – grace and truth. Truth is the life we aim for as Christians and grace is God’s empowerment to hit the target. Grace without truth misses the mark, as truth without grace does the same.

Francis Frangipane spoke the phrase – “What God’s truth demands, God’s grace supplies.” This is the secret to understanding a relationship with Jesus. Whatever life Jesus leads us into we can be assured God will provide the grace for us to obey. We are free from striving to live a good life. We are free from the shame, guilt and condemnation that accompanies our many failures. Instead, we are invited to follow God’s leading while asking for the grace to DO IT!

God is inviting us as a community to get on board with financially supporting the leaders of the OHM ministry - the Pfeiffers. The best way of doing this is to allow the cross-hairs of grace and truth to point us toward the appropriate target – getting on board with what Jesus is saying and doing! God has set us free from the law of tithing so we can live in the freedom of grace and truth. Remember, what his truth demands, his grace supplies.

TRUTH - Sowing and Reaping

The apostle Paul teaches, “Anyone who receives instruction in the word must share all good things with his instructor (Galatians 6:6).” Paul is applying Jesus’ principle of sowing and reaping to the Christians in Galatia, reminding them that as their leaders invested into them, they in turn had the honor of investing into their leaders. When this principle is at work in a community, everyone is looking for how to invest what God has entrusted to them into those who do not have. In this way, each shares what he does have and all are cared for.

Paul goes on to say “A man reaps what he sows. The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life (Galatians 6:7-8).” The question: Are we sowing financially where we want to reap? Are we sowing into those who are sowing into us?

Jesus teaches us in Matthew 6:21, “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” It’s amazing to see this principle at work in our lives. Those who rent homes rarely invest in the home like the owners. Homeowners often spend endless hours cleaning, fixing and upgrading their homes. You’re lucky if a renter cuts the grass! Consider the stock market. It’s amazing to see how the hearts of investors rise and drop with the fortune of a company. Is it any different in the kingdom? Those who sow financially into the work of God on the earth experience greater ownership and concern for its affairs. And because the kingdom is always advancing, our hearts are sure to be always rising!

What God’s truth demands, His grace supplies!

GRACE – Grace of Giving/Spirit of Generosity

The Lord has been setting us as a community free from the spirit of poverty, which is a hoarding, clinging and withholding of our resources for FEAR that we won’t receive more. God used manna to tutor the Israelites in generosity (Exodus 16:11-32). They received a generous portion of manna for each day they traveled through the desert and double on Fridays so they could rest on their Sabbath. But if they kept any manna overnight it would rot. No need to hoard manna, no need to fear. God’s generosity releases us to be generous. Distrusting God’s generosity chokes generosity in our lives. Generosity is the overflow of grace; receiving God’s grace releases us to flow in that same grace!

In 2 Corinthians, the apostle Paul teaches the Corinthian church how to live from grace as they consider how to financially support their Christian brothers and sisters in Jerusalem. I will provide the scripture references and then outline the significant lessons of grace below:

Lessons of Grace & Generosity:

(2 Corinthians 8:1-15)

· Grace is best expressed in generosity – “For I testify that they gave as much as they were able, and more and entirely of their own accord (8:3).”

· Grace serves as an honor/privilege, not as a chore – “…they urgently pleaded with us for the privilege (honor) of sharing in this service to the saints (8:4).”

· Grace seeks to honor what God is doing on the earth – “…but they gave themselves first to the Lord, and then to us in keeping with God’s will (8:5).”

· Grace is a gift, which comes from God through Holy Spirit to those who ask! – “…see that you also excel in this grace of giving (8:7).”

· Grace perseveres through willingness to accomplish God’s work on the earth – “Now finish the work, so that your eager willingness to do it may be matched by your completion of it (8:11).”

· Grace is faithful with the little, in order to be entrusted with more – “For if the willingness is there, the gift is acceptable according to what one has, not according to what he does not have (8:12).”

(2 Corinthians 9:6-15)

· Grace always sows generously – “Remember, whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously (9:6).”

· Grace overflows with joy and cheer – “Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver (9:7).”

· Grace loves to sow generously – “You will be made rich in every way so that you can be generous on ever occasion (9:11).”

· Financial generosity causes thanksgiving - “The service that you perform is not only supplying the needs of God’s people but is also overflowing in many expressions of thanks to God (9:12).”

· Financial generosity is tangible fruit of maturing faith – “Because of the service by which you have proved (evidence/fruit) yourselves, men will praise God for the obedience that accompanies your confession of the gospel of Christ, and for your generosity (9:13).”

· Financial generosity causes others to praise God - “…men will praise God for the obedience (9:13).”

The FOUNDATION for healing power

(An introductory email sent to a young mom learning to pray healing in for her babies)

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L,

Please know that we understand and appreciate your pain and frustration and confusion more than you can imagine. Kandi and I have been on this journey for over a year and have experienced more heartache, frustration, confusion, pleading and weariness than in previous seasons, but along with all the struggle there have been countless, numerous breakthroughs that have made the suffering pale in comparison. As with child birth, the joy of the child in your arms always overshadows the pain of the process. But I will tell you right now, the journey your heart is longing to be on is not without sacrifice or pain or frustration. Jesus gave his life so that we could again share in the fullness of God's kingdom on earth; you will have to give up everything if you want to share in what Jesus shared in. The cost is real, but if you lose it all you will gain everything!

With that said, let me introduce you to a truth that needs to become the foundation of your understanding...ready? Here it is - GOD IS GOOD. THE DEVIL IS BAD. I can't tell you how much this simple statement turned Kandi and I upside-down. We've learned in the church for so many years that God tests us and strengthens us by causing/allowing bad things to happen to us. This is a LIE. God is good. God can only do good. The devil is responsible for everything bad...everything! But Christians have reinterpreted all this to fit their experience. They prayed and people weren't immediately healed. They asked God for His promises and they weren't immediately received. So guess what? Instead of understanding that something in them needed to change, they changed God. The began to develop theories of how God causes bad things to grow us, and how he allows the devil to mess with us so that he can strengthen us. That simply is not true. God is good, the devil is bad...period.

Let me say it this way - Would you ever break your kids arm to grow their trust in you? Would you ever cause them to have a disease to grow their character? How do you think CPS (Child Protection Service) would respond if they found out you infected your kids with the flu in order to help them develop their faith? Quite frankly, they would put you in jail and call it child abuse! As Christians we've developed an understanding of the world that makes God someone who inflicts us with all kinds of suffering (or allows it) so that we can grow in faith. This is ludicrous! Why would we suggest anything of God that we ourselves know is evil? God, your heavenly dad, hates to see you or your children suffer anything. He didn't create the world for suffering. He didn't create us to endure sickness, disease, poverty, brokenness, etc. He created us to live in the fulness of his life and peace. It's in his presence, not disease, that we grow in faith and intimacy with God. Jesus came to forgive and cleanse us of all our sin and to destroy the power the devil has through sin, which is every bad thing you see on the earth. Remember, God is good, the devil is bad. Everything good is from God. Everything bad is from the devil.

Look at John 10:10 - "The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life , and have it to the full." Jesus is teaching us here how to know what is from Jesus and what is from the devil. He calls the devil a thief. The devil's only desire is to steal, kill and destroy. So anything in our lives that steals, kills or destroys that which God created for life is from the devil. Colds steal, kill and destroy. Flues steal, kill and destroy. Cancer steals, kills and destroys. Bi-polar disorder steals, kills and destroys. Fear steals, kills and destroys. You see? So many of the things we suffer from are simply disguises for the devil. As long as he can hide behind these words (cancer, flu, fear, etc.) then we don't address the real issue - the devil. Most of us spend much of our time fighting the wrong battle. We're fighting these disguises with natural remedies when Jesus wants to teach us that he came to destroy the works of the devil (every one of them) with spiritual power and he wants to do that through you and me! The Holy Spirit of Jesus is powerful to destroy every sickness, disease, dysfunction, brokenness, etc. There is nothing the devil works in our lives or in this world that Jesus' Spirit cannot overcome and bring life to (Romans 8:11). He who lives in you is greater than he who lives in this world.

Could you imagine if your kids blamed you every time they got sick or experienced anything bad? That's how God feels. It breaks his heart because he hates the presence of evil and brokenness in our lives more than we could ever imagine. Remember, He is perfectly loving. The devil's greatest strategy is LIES. He has lied to us for so long and we bought it! He's convinced us that some how sickness is good for us, suffering is good for us. That's a LIE. From this point on, you are free to expose the devil for who he is. Wherever you see anything that steals, kills or destroys, you can call it for what it is - a work of the enemy. We've been fighting God for too long. It's time to let God begin the work of destroying the devil's works through us. This is the right, privilege and responsibility of every Christian (even mothers of young children). Be aware: this is not a popular teaching amongst many Christians, so be wise with whom you process this stuff in these early stages.

I do want to share more with you about praying effectively to destroy every work of the devil, but first things first - It's time to repent. Remember, repentance is an invitation to let God bring your thoughts, emotions, inner spirit and your body into alignment with his own (now that's not so scary ; ]). Repentance is always the beginning of receiving more from God. This is how simple it is. You can say these words or use your own (take your time):

"God, I repent for any way I have blamed you for anything evil or bad in my life or anyone else's life.

I repent for believing the lies of the enemy that you would ever harm me in order to teach me something.

I ask you to fill me with Holy Spirit.

I receive forgiveness, mercy and peace.

Bring my thoughts, emotions, inner spirit and physical body into alignment with your heart.

I confess - GOD IS GOOD and longs to give me life to the fullest. THE DEVIL IS BAD, he is a thief whose works steal, kill and destroy.

I confess - you desire to bless me with every good thing in heaven while I am on earth.

I confess - you desire to bless my children and family with every good thing in heaven while we are on earth.

I invite you to teach me how to walk in your authority to destroy the work of the devil on the earth. I accept this is my inheritance, privilege and responsibility as your daughter. I trust you to lead me."

Well done, sister. You are entering into an entirely new way of seeing life. Holy Spirit will begin to help you see things for what they really are. You will begin to see clearly the work of the devil and you will also begin to see the work of God. Remember, the work of God always, always, always trumps the work of the devil.

One last thing - "God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and power, and how he went around doing good and healing all who were under the power of the devil, because God was with him." (Acts 10:38) L - THIS IS ALSO YOUR DESTINY.

If you want good FRUITS, gotta have good ROOTS

We also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has give us. - Romans 5:3-5

Paul speaks these words to encourage his readers to HOLD ON to the promises of God. God speaks his promises to us as the farmer scatters his seed (Mark 4:3-8) and those seeds grow in the soil just as God's promises do in our hearts - it's a PROCESS. The evil one will do anything he can to discourage us, so that we might abandon the hope of a harvest. Many kingdom crops have been lost on the earth because while we waited for the seeds to show forth, many Christians believed the lie that nothing was happening, that God could not be trusted with the seed he sowed. What the evil one does not want you to know is all that happens beneath the surface before we ever see the first sproutling break through the invisible into the visible realm. Understanding the process of growth will equip us to hold on until GOD'S PROMISES bear HEAVENLY FRUIT.

The Process:

1. The difficulties, hardships and challenges that come against God's promises are theSUFFERINGS that soften the outer shell of the seed (John 12:24). As the seed endures the harsh winter of life, the outer shell gives way to the first growth of the stem and roots. Mind you, none of this can bee seen from the surface.
2. Through PERSEVERANCE and patience in suffering, the roots grow deeper and stronger. The integrity of a tree is found not in the size of its leaves, but in the depth and breadth of its roots. I heard a friend say, "If you want to have good fruits, you gotta have good roots." We often want to skip straight to the fruits in our microwave, "have-it-now" culture, and many Christians are paying the price with their marriages, families and selves. Perseverance produces proven CHARACTER, the integrity of our lives, without which everything crumbles. Mind you, none of this can bee seen from the surface.
3. This GODLY CHARACTER produces HOPE, which "does not disappoint." What is it about hope that does not disappoint? Hebrews 11:1, says, "Faith is an assurance of what we hope for, a confidence of what we do not yet see." Maintaining an atmosphere of hope, the result of a love relationship with God, gives birth to faith, which bears kingdom fruit. Mind you, none of this can be seen yet from the surface.

Eventually, this process will give rise to the first sproutlings that burst through the surface of the soil on their journey toward fulfilling their promise. These original seeds, having gone through the process of growth, will multiply themselves 30, 60 and 100 times. This is God's promise to each of us, as we learn to receive the seed of his word and persevere through the growth process. We will slowly, but surely move from fruit consumers to fruit producers.

"If you want good fruits, you gotta have good roots." Endure the process.

Maintaining an Atmosphere of Hope

"Hope is the atmosphere that faith grows in." - Bill Johnson, (ibethel.org)

Jesus gives us his vision for our lives when he says, "Still other seed fell on good soil. It came up, grew and produced a crop, multiplying thirty, sixty, or even a hundred times (Mark 4:8)." I describe this process in greater detail in a previous post - Soil Preparation. In short, Jesus prepares the soil of our hearts to receive the seed of his promise, which, when nurtured in the composition of HOPE, breeds faith and fruit (Romans 5:3-5, Hebrews 11:1). We Christians are called to move beyond being fruit consumers to fruit producers; therefore, it is essential we learn to cultivate and maintain an atmosphere of hope. How do we do this?

First, I'd like to speak to that thing which seems to rob many of us regularly from this atmosphere of hope - Depression. Often we have spoken of and handle depression as though it were a 20-foot demon, who seems to have our number. As I've wrestled often with depression, the Lord spoke a powerfully simple word to me - "Moss only grows where the sun doesn't shine." In other words, the moss of depression only grows in the absence of the light and heat of God's words. Time and time again I have found myself overwhelmed with depression only to have God graciously remind me that depression has no power over me except the power I give it by CHOOSING to remain in the shadows of fear, doubt and insecurity. We have a choice whether we will stay in the shadows or move into the light. Either way, Jesus has put the power in our hands.

Second, I'd like to address practically how we move into the light of God's words, which foster HOPE and FAITH. The Lord said it to me like this - "If fruit comes from faith, and faith comes from hope, then hope comes from being ALIGNED with God's words - both the logos and rhema words." Holy Spirit is our heavenly chiropractor and as we learn to SURRENDER to his work in our lives, he brings us (body, soul and spirit) into alignment with God. As we surrender to Holy Spirit, he first brings our spirits into alignment with himself, then our thoughts, emotions and actions follow suit. God always transforms us from the inside-out. Chiropractors will tell you that all kinds of physical, emotional and mental problems are the result of misalignment. Holy Spirit will tell you the same.

As when working with a chiropractor, we have a part to play as Holy Spirit brings us into alignment. We cannot resist, quench or grieve Holy Spirit and expect him to get much work done on us. Often Holy Spirit will lead us into unfamiliar positions as he seeks to bring us into alignment with God's promises for our lives. As Romans 5:5 tells us, "Hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us." Holy Spirit causes the seed to grow roots, stem and eventually bear fruit. As the apostle Paul reminds us in 1 Corinthians 3:6 - People plant and people water, but GOD causes the growth! Our work is SURRENDER - surrendering to Holy Spirit's leadings, promptings, and stirrings.

Here are some practical ways Holy Spirit leads us into ALIGNMENT:

• Repentance & Receiving - Holy Spirit will help us see where we are NOT aligned with God's promises for our lives. He gently leads us to turn away from these poor alignments and receive God's promises for our lives. Often we aren't even aware how much of our thinking, emotions and actions are aligned with the lies, deceit and trickery of the evil one. God's words always breathe life and peace.
• Recording & Remembering - How many times have we heard a good sermon, an encouraging word from a friend, or even a thought while we're driving down the freeway that breathes life and peace into us, but only to forget the word after a few hours of dealing with life's challenges? We need to make a habit of recording or writing down the words God speaks to us that breathe life and peace, so that we can remember them tomorrow! Remembering literally means to "re-attach oneself to the whole". When we remember God's words to us we are reconnecting ourselves with HIS plans for our lives, not the enemies'.
• Rejoicing & Reward - We must rejoice/celebrate what God's words say about our lives. God's words are not just to bring us peace in the present, but JOY for the future! We must choose to embrace God's words over our lives as a declaration about the future. Remember, Jesus purchased the right to decide your future, and a great one it will be! Being future-oriented keeps us holding on to the reality which God promises us. We've been tricked and let down so many times by other people's promises that we project that same suspicion on God's word. But God isn't like us, he keeps his promises. He is a God of his word! "And without faith is is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that HE REWARDS those who earnestly seek him (Hebrews 11:6)."

Our part in coming into alignment with God is surrender to to the work of Holy Spirit.

"For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To him be the glory forever! Amen (Romans 11:36)."

Am I dividing God's kingdom?

"If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. If a house is divided against itself, that house cannot stand...I tell you the truth, all the sins and blasphemies of men will be forgiven them. But whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven; he is guilty of an eternal sin (Mark 3:24-25, 28-29)."

Jesus is speaking these words today to many of us Christians. We have, much like the teachers of law in Jesus' day, become suspicious, distrusting and even overtly derogatory of Holy Spirit. We are dividing God's kingdom within ourselves, our homes, our churches and in our ministry to the degree we hold the person of Holy Spirit at a distance, resisting his place in our lives and relationship with God. This is not an "all-or-nothing" issue. God will bless us even when we resist aspects of himself, but we must understand that we are significantly diminishing the power of God in and through us when God's kingdom in us is divided. We cannot have Father without Son, nor Son without Holy Spirit. God is not a menu from which we can choose that which we feel safe with while ignoring the rest. God is God. He longs that we receive all of who He is, the whole Trinity.

It should not be too difficult to accept the three-fold nature of God for we as humans, created in God's image, are also three-fold in nature. "Do not put out the Spirit's fire...May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole SPIRIT, SOUL, and BODY be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ (1 Thessalonians 5:19, 23)." We, too, are like God - 3 in 1. God can no more deny a part of himself than we can. It is in our best interest that we consider how we may be resistant to this third part of God - Holy Spirit.

Are we familiar with what the bible says about Holy Spirit, his person, his presence, his power, his role in our lives and his role in the Godhead? Do we know that Jesus died, spilt his blood, so that we could receive Holy Spirit as a gift from Father, so that God could live inside us? Is it possible that we have not honored this precious gift appropriately? Is it possible that our Christian lives are frustrated largely because we have neglected to receive and/or nurture our relationship with God, Holy Spirit? We cannot expect to receive God's abundant promises for us when we have not received the first and most precious promise of Holy Spirit. "Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the GIFT my Father PROMISED, which you have heard me speak about. For John baptized you with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit (Acts 1:4-5)."

When Jesus spoke these words to the teachers of law, he was pointing at the same problem the people of God have faced in every generation. We naturally (carnally) prefer rules to relationship. Being baptized, sealed and regularly filled with Holy Spirit is the only way we can maintain the kind of relationship with God that he desires. Jesus demonstrated this Spirit-filled life and relationship with Father and now that same relationship is ours by the blood of our Savior. He purchased this gift for you and me. Holy Spirit, the presence and power of God, wants to dwell in us as the glory filled the temple of old. In this way, and only in this way, can we fulfill God's destiny for each of us on earth.

Jesus' prayer - "My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be ONE, Father, just as YOU ARE IN ME AND I AM IN YOU. May THEY ALSO BE IN US so that the world may believe that you have sent me (John 17:20-21)."