The Holy Spirit of Jesus

Consider the fact that The Word of God was inspired by the Holy Spirit.

All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. – 2 Timothy 3:16, NLT

…No, those prophets were moved by the Holy Spirit, and they spoke from God. – 2 Peter 1:21, NLT

If the Holy Spirit was the overseer of the writing of the very Word of God, then it stands to reason that the writings were masterfully done, for excellence is a hallmark of the Spirit. The Holy Spirit of God wasted not a single word when speaking to those who would scribe the Old Testament and the New Testament. Every detail was carefully considered. It is this careful attention to detail that inspires me to read the Word of God with as much attention to detail as it took to write it.

The Holy Spirit helped men of God write the Word, and the Holy Spirit helps us to read the Word. When we reverence the care with which the Word of God was written, we are more likely to find treasures of revelation. One such revelation came to me as I slowly read the book of Acts. While carefully reading the Word, I stumbled across this portion of scripture:

Next Paul and Silas traveled through the area of Phrygia and Galatia, because the Holy Spirit had prevented them from preaching the word in the province of Asia at that time. Then coming to the borders of Mysia, they headed north for the province of Bithynia, but again the Spirit of Jesus did not allow them to go there. - Acts 16:6-7

 Did you see that? It would be missed if not read with care.

Verse six makes mention of the Holy Spirit. Then verse seven makes mention of Him again only by a different name.

… “the Spirit of Jesus”

Think about that.

Dear reader, do you realize that the Holy Spirit within you is the reality of Christ? The Holy Spirit wants to make Jesus real to you. The Holy Spirit’s primary focus is to glorify, magnify, and emphasize the Son. In that regard, He is Heaven’s greatest evangelist! The Holy Spirit always emphasizes Jesus.

He is the Spirit of Jesus. He is the One Who reveals Christ. He is the One Who vivifies the Savior. They are One in the same. What does this mean? Dear reader, you’ll love this.

This means that the Holy Spirit will do anything for you that Jesus would and could have done standing before you in physical form. The Holy Spirit is Jesus without physical limitation; He is Jesus everywhere. Meditate on that truth, and believe God for something miraculous. The Holy Spirit makes Jesus real, because He is the Spirit of Jesus!

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Jesus Said to Go!

And then he told them, “Go into all the world and preach the Good News to everyone.” – Mark 16:15

We often wonder about the perfect will of God. Should we? The mandate is clear. Our Lord has commanded us to go into the world and spread the gospel. Use every gift. Use every resource. Use every moment. Go! The Father wants souls. He sowed His Son that He might receive sons and daughters; and Jesus deserves to reap the reward of His suffering.

To preach the gospel, God has called you.

You may be asking the Lord, “What is your will for my life? What am I supposed to do?” You’ll be happy to know that the answer is quite simple. It’s not complicated or difficult to understand. God’s agenda in the earth is the spreading of the good news about His Son.

So it stands to reason that God’s will for your life is the participation in this global evangelistic effort. You may not know what job you should work at, what region you should live in, who person you should marry, or what school you should attend. But you do know that whatever it is that God reveals concerning those details of your life that you are to aid in the spreading of the gospel.

What should we do while we wait for answers concerning the specifics of our lives? We should involve ourselves with the spreading of the gospel. Do what is the clear will of God (spread the gospel), and, in time, God’s will for your life concerning the details will be revealed. In other words, while you wait to hear from God on the uncertain, involve yourself in the certain. You may not have all of the answers or every direction from God. But, in the meantime, you do have this clear command: Go into all the world and preach the Good News to everyone.

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Great Faithfulness

“If we are unfaithful, he remains faithful, for he cannot deny who he is.” - 2 Timothy 2:13

I just want to give you a simple reminder this week: God is faithful.

You may be troubled by the thought that your mistakes may have cost you the call of God upon your life. And while our disobedience toward God can certainly slow His work in our lives, our disobedience does not mean God’s inactivity.

Even when you are stubborn, He is faithful. Even when you are fearful, He is faithful. Even when you are not keeping up with all of the things that you know you should be doing, He is faithful. God’s grace supplements our disobedience.

Should we abuse that grace? By no means!

This just means that when you think you’ve gone too far, when you think you’ve messed everything up, He remains faithful. No matter how far you’ve gone or how long it took you to get that far, a single moment of repentance can bring you all the way to righteousness.

Look to the future, and be empowered by God’s grace, which is brought about by His faithful nature. Be encouraged today!

You’ve not been counted out. You’ve not been overlooked. God still wants to use your life.

He is merciful – not because we deserve it, but because He is faithful, and He cannot deny Who He is.

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The Conviction of the Holy Spirit

“And when he comes, he will convict the world of its sin, and of God’s righteousness, and of the coming judgment.” - John 16:8

The conviction of the Holy Spirit is not a punishment; it’s a gift. His faithful and guiding voice obstructs the plans of the enemy over our lives. His corrective instructions free us from the snare of distraction, prevent destruction, and bring about the perfect will of God in our lives.

I’ve seen the believer become discouraged by the conviction of the Holy Spirit. Such discouragement comes about because, firstly, the believer has trouble distinguishing between the voice of the Holy Spirit and his own anxieties. The Holy Spirit doesn’t tediously critic every decision we make, and He certainly doesn’t beat us down with shame. The flesh and the enemy do that! The Holy Spirit yearns to draw us to repentance, and, once we repent, He wholly desires that we experience the joy of forgiveness. Think about this: God so wanted you to experience the joy of His forgiveness that He sacrificed His only Son. Once you’ve repented on a matter, let the matter be settled. Don’t hear what the Spirit isn’t saying. Don’t confuse His voice with your anxious thoughts.

Secondly, the believer becomes discouraged at the conviction of the Holy Spirit, because he keeps a record that God Himself doesn’t keep. When God corrects us, we often become frustrated with ourselves, noting all of our faults. But God isn’t counting our faults against us. He doesn’t keep any sort of record of our wrongs. Conviction is an opportunity for improvement, so be encouraged when the Holy Spirit brings correction to your life. Don’t keep your mistakes on a list.

That you are being convicted by the Holy Spirit is a sign that you are still able to hear the Lord, and that’s a good thing.

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The Potential of a Moment

Jesus saw the huge crowd as he stepped from the boat, and he had compassion on them because they were like sheep without a shepherd. So he began teaching them many things. Late in the afternoon his disciples came to him and said, “This is a remote place, and it’s already getting late. Send the crowds away so they can go to the nearby farms and villages and buy something to eat.” But Jesus said, “You feed them.” “With what?” they asked. “We’d have to work for months to earn enough money to buy food for all these people!” “How much bread do you have?” he asked. “Go and find out.” - Mark 6:34-38

In later verses you’ll read about how Jesus miraculously fed the masses of people who were present. The story is quite famous. But what stood out to me upon this time reading was what the disciples said about their own ability to feed the thousands who were gathered.

When told by Jesus to feed the people, the disciples defensively quipped, “We’d have to work for months to earn enough money to buy food for all these people!”

Before you judge them for having “little faith”, it’s important to note that they weren’t exactly wrong for thinking so. In fact, it’s true that the disciples would have to had worked for months to feed the people. In their own effort, within the limitations of their own ability, time needed to pass in order for the disciples to meet the need.

But what Jesus famously did was miraculous! Not only did He multiply the small amount of food that was provided; He also provided that food in supernatural timing. What should have taken man months to earn took Jesus only moments to create.

Yes, the Lord allows for time to pass for the processing of our character. There is no substitute for long periods of waiting. That’s the only way we can be processed. And, no, there are no shortcuts in life or ministry. God will not do a “quick work” by raising a novice minister to places he or she is not ready to occupy. But God will, when His timing is right, supernaturally accelerate certain events and situations.

The takeaway? You’re closer to your miracle, your breakthrough, than you might think. God’s promise is coming sooner than you believe. The destination is closer than it looks.

Jesus can do more in a moment than we can accomplish in a lifetime.

Lock yourself away in His presence. Abandon the selfishness of the flesh, and let God perform His supernaturally efficient work in you.

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The Divine Challenge

Dear reader, I want to give you a simple challenge, a practical and immediately applicable truth that will help you to become more like Christ each day. King David understood this simple principle:

“But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night.” - Psalm 1:2

God’s Word is the law, and Jesus is God’s Word.

We must fix our minds upon Christ. The eyes of your heart must lock a gaze upon the majestic countenance of Christ.

For all our toil and strain, we so often come up empty. It’s not complicated. It’s beyond human effort and exhaustion. Stop struggling. Be still. Just think upon the Word of God. Be still and look at His face by meditation on the Word.

“For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he:” - Proverbs 23:7

Think about Christ, meditate upon Him, and you will become more like Him.

“But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.” - 2 Corinthians 3:18

We are changed in His presence as we behold Him.

You can’t get more of God. All that God was, is or ever shall be abides within you. When the Holy Spirit comes to dwell in you, He comes in fullness. If you’re hungry for that ‘something more’, you will discover it when you realize this: it’s not about how much you have of God; it’s about how much God has of you. And one of the many ways that we can surrender more of ourselves to Him is our thoughts.

I am being completely honest with you when I tell you that, when I am awake, not more than 5 minutes can usually go by without me giving a thought to the Lord. I live in an awareness of His presence. I am looking forward to the day when I can get that down to 1 minute.

It’s possible to surrender the mind to the beauty of Christ. I encourage you to take up this challenge today: Think of Christ more today than you did yesterday. Do that everyday and you’ll see transformation.

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Rejecting Superstition

In order to become a real threat to hell and a real help to others, we must be loosed from the distracting nature of superstition and learn how to engage in true spiritual warfare. In the introduction to this book, I presented a caution about our approach to spiritual warfare and warned against the extremes of both skepticism and superstition. I now want to focus on avoiding superstitious thinking that can keep you from overcoming the enemy.

Before I go any further, I want to be clear. It is not my intent to be dismissive of demonic activity. My goal is to keep you from becoming bound to superstitious thinking that can make you fearful of casting out or confronting demons. If you can understand the liberating truth I seek to present here, you will approach spiritual warfare with the peace of God and not become inordinately concerned about demonic activity.

This is about becoming a threat to the enemy—defeating him. To become that threat, we must consciously avoid superstitions that make us paranoid about being influenced by demons.

What kinds of superstitions am I talking about? While doing my research for this book, I read a lot of material, carefully studied the Scriptures, and spoke with several people. Through those conversations and materials, I discovered many people were living in fear of demons despite their vast “knowledge” of Scripture. They were fixated on “rules” to keep demons from “attaching” themselves to them.

They had been told that they should pray when walking into buildings so demons wouldn’t latch onto them and then to pray when leaving so no demons would follow them home. In a few extreme instances some even came to believe that they should pray before loading every web page they visited lest a demon jump off the page and into their lives. They even feared rebuking demonic spirits lest they jump onto them.

They were constantly on guard. If they got angry, they’d pray against the demon of anger that may have entered their lives. If they came into contact with a drug addict, they believed that if they didn’t rebuke the demon they might become its next victim. If they accidentally touched a trinket from the occult, they’d think they had opened a door for an evil spirit to torment them.

Instead of living in the light of Christ, these believers were tediously working to counter every possible assault that could arise from almost any possible scenario. Though they were trying to remain vigilant against demonic attack, they were actually giving demons too much of their time and living in bondage to fear instead of in the freedom Jesus purchased for us on the cross.

This isn’t how we are supposed to live as followers of Christ. Of course, the Bible tells us to “be sober and watchful, because your adversary the devil walks around like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour” (1 Peter 5:8). So we should guard against temptation and opening doors that would give the devil legal access to influence our lives. For many of us, this means there are certain places we should not go. And obviously we should not participate in occult rituals. But greater is He who is in us than He who is in the world (1 John 4:4)! There is a difference between vigilance and paranoia. Vigilance in spiritual warfare is rooted in confidence in God and His Word and the authority we have in Him. Paranoia is rooted in fear. Vigilance is offensive; paranoia is defensive.

If you allow yourself to become paranoid about demons, you’ll constantly be looking around for demonic stalkers. We don’t see Jesus worrying about demons, and we don’t see the disciples living in that kind of fear. In fact, the apostle Paul allowed a demon-possessed girl to follow him around for several days before finally casting the demon out of her. And when he did cast it out, he took only an instant to do so.

“On one occasion, as we went to the place of prayer, a servant girl possessed with a spirit of divination met us, who brought her masters much profit by fortune-telling. She followed Paul and us, shouting, ‘These men are servants of the Most High God, who proclaim to us the way of salvation.’ She did this for many days. But becoming greatly troubled, Paul turned to the spirit and said, ‘I command you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her.’ And it came out at that moment“ - Acts 16:16–18, MEV

Whenever you form a belief or embrace a concept, ask yourself this: Does this idea help me better live the lifestyle of Christ that we see reflected in Scripture? If it doesn’t, don’t embrace it. I want to see you operate in the authority that has been given to you through Christ.

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Demons & Fallen Angels

Through my observation and study of Scripture, I have come to believe, quite confidently, that demons cannot be fallen angels.

Now, I know that idea will be rather jarring for some people. It may seem that I am not only challenging a widely held traditional view but also contradicting very clear teachings of the Bible. Well, the idea that demons are not fallen angels certainly contradicts tradition. But in no way does it contradict Scripture.

The Bible speaks of demons, and it speaks of the fall of Lucifer and the co-rebellion of a third of the angels, but no verses actually link the two and define demons as fallen angels. The idea that demons are fallen angels is simply a long-held tradition. The Bible actually gives three subtle distinctions between demons and fallen angels, and I want to explore each one here.

Demons Need Bodies

Demons seek to possess bodies and seem rather uncomfortable being outside of them. Take for instance the story of a man possessed by an entire legion of demons. While being cast out, the demons in that story begged Jesus to send them into a herd of pigs:

There happened to be a large herd of pigs feeding in the distance. So the demons begged, “If you cast us out, permit us to go away into the herd of swine” - Matthew 8:30–31, MEV

Fallen angels, however, can appear in physical form and even interact with mankind. In Genesis fallen angels even procreated with women. The bizarre procreation resulted in the birth of giants.

“There were giants in the earth in those days; and also after that, when the sons of God came in unto the daughters of men, and they bare children to them, the same became mighty men which were of old, men of renown” - Genesis 6:4, KJV

For that procreation, God punished the “sons of God” by binding them in “everlasting chains” until the day of judgment (Jude 6). Keep in mind that every reference to “sons of God” in the Old Testament was a reference to supernatural beings or angels. Only in the New Testament does “sons of God” refer to the redeemed children of God. So we know that it wasn’t ordinary men, as some might suggest, who procreated with the “daughters of men.” Had those referred to in Genesis 6:4 been mere ordinary men, there would be no clear reason their procreation would produce giants.

Some also suggest that perhaps “sons of God” referred to a select group of people who were forbidden to procreate with a certain other group. Still, that would not explain why their union produced giants or why God punished their actions so harshly.

There are others still who say angels cannot breed, citing Matthew 22:30: “For in the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like the angels of God in heaven” (MEV). But that verse tells us only that angels do not marry. Angels can still have a gender and appear to mankind in earthly bodies. The book of Hebrews tells us that angels can actually walk around among us without being noticed.

“Do not forget to entertain strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unknowingly” - Hebrews 13:2, MEV

Consider also the angels at Christ’s empty tomb. “While they were greatly perplexed concerning this, suddenly two men stood by them in shining garments“ (Luke 24:4, MEV).

Also, the men of Sodom desired to have sex with the angels that appeared to Lot. How could that be unless the angels had bodies and looked like human beings?

“... the two angels came to Sodom in the evening, and Lot was sitting at the gate of Sodom. When Lot saw them he rose up to meet them, and he bowed himself with his face toward the ground. … Before they lay down, the men of the city, the men of Sodom, both old and young, all the people from every quarter, surrounded the house. 5 They then called to Lot and said to him, “Where are the men who came to you tonight? Bring them out to us, so that we may have relations with them” - Genesis 19:1, 4-5, MEV

From Scripture, we see that both fallen angels and holy angels have bodies. In contrast, demons greatly desire bodies because they do not have them. Demons are clingy, needy, angry, tormented creatures. That is the first distinction between fallen angels and demons.

Demons Wander the Earth

Demons are cursed to wander the earth while fallen angels still have the ability to stand before God in heavenly places. Though they were banished from heaven, the fallen angels still gave an account of their doings.

“Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and the Adversary also came among them“ - Job 1:6, MEV

I’ll give you a few good reasons to believe fallen angels, and not just heavenly angels, were among those who stood before God in the story recorded in the Book of Job. First, the devil was no longer Lucifer, for the Book of Job refers to him as “Satan.” Second, we also know that Satan was in his fallen state because later in the story of Job he sought to steal from, kill and destroy Job.

As Jesus said, “The thief’s does not come, except to steal and kill and destroy … “ - John 10:10, MEV

Third, we know from the following verse that Job’s story took place after the great flood, which means it definitely took place after the fall of both man and Satan.

“Will you keep to the old way, that wicked men have trod? They were cut down before their time; their foundations were swept away by a flood” - Job 22:15–16, MEV

So if Satan in his fallen state was among the angels who had to give an account in Job, it is consistent to believe that other fallen angels were called upon as well. Fallen angels can appear in heavenly places. Therefore, fallen angels are not completely bound to earth. Demons, however, can only wander the earth or live in a body, as Jesus explained:

“When an unclean spirit goes out of a man, it passes through dry places seeking rest, but finds none” - Matthew 12:43, MEV

Nowhere in Scripture do we see demons moving from the earth to God’s presence. Those accounts are always referring to fallen angels.

Demons Are Called ‘Devils’ and ‘Unclean Spirits’

When referring to fallen angels, New Testament scriptures do not use the terms demons, devils or unclean spirits. Instead, the Bible makes reference to fallen angels by simply using a negative description or context. For example, these verses clearly describe fallen angels:

For if God did not spare the angels that sinned, but cast them down to hell and delivered them into chains of darkness to be kept for judgment …” - 2 Peter 2:4, MEV

“Likewise, the angels who did not keep to their first domain, but forsook their own dwelling, He has kept in everlasting chains under darkness for the judgment of the great day” - Jude 1:6, MEV

“Then He will say to those at the left hand, ‘Depart from Me, you cursed, into the eternal fire, prepared for the devil and his angels'” Matthew 25:41, MEV

In these verses there is no mention of demons or devils. Instead, to make a distinction between God’s holy angels and fallen angels, the New Testament simply calls them the angels “that sinned” or “which kept not their first estate.”

Apart from the simple use of negative descriptions, the New Testament also uses context to draw distinctions between fallen angels and holy angels. An example of this is when, in Matthew 25:41, hell is described as a place prepared for the devil and his angels. The angels in that verse were said to belong to the devil, so it is obvious that they were fallen.

Furthermore, in the following verse, while making a strong point about the need to avoid false gospels, Paul the Apostle mentions angels “from heaven.”

“Although if we or an angel from heaven preach any other gospel to you than the one we have preached to you, let him be accursed” - Galatians 1:8, MEV

Of course, it’s obvious that one should reject the gospel of a fallen angel, but it might not have been as obvious to the Galatians that they should reject a different gospel from even a holy angel. To drive his point home, Paul essentially warns, “Even if one of the angels from heaven should preach to you another gospel, do not be deceived.” In other words, “Don’t be swayed even if one of the good guys starts to preach a different gospel.”

Paul’s warning is an example of how the New Testament contrasts both fallen and holy angels. No special term is used to describe fallen angels; they are simply described in a negative way and/or placed in a negative context. Demons, on the other hand, are referred to as “devils,” “unclean spirits” and “demons.”

Excerpted from Truths About Demons and Spiritual Warfare by David Diga Hernandez (Charisma House, 2016).

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Dominion Over Demons

Just as I was preparing for a much-needed night’s sleep, I received an unexpected (and somewhat unwelcome) phone call. Tempted to ignore the relentless ringing of my cell phone, I glanced at my phone to assess the call’s importance. Despite my lack of enthusiasm, I reached out, perhaps by impulse, and answered the call. I immediately recognized the caller’s voice. He was a friend and fellow Christian leader. I could tell by his tone that he knew his call was an imposition. He was sincerely apologetic but frantic and panicky.

“Hey can I tell you something please?” he asked timidly. Still trying to commit my mind to conversation, I answered, “Yes, sure.”

He explained, “Well, I’m here at the home of a friend. I was ministering to the family who lives here, and this lady started acting very strange. She appears to have a manifesting demon. I think she is demon-possessed.”

“What makes you say that?” I asked.

“Well, when I started to pray for her, she started screaming, saying weird things, and shaking. And she—or maybe the demon—is mocking me. What should I do?”

I pulled the phone away from my face so I could sigh without the caller hearing me. I was frustrated that he was calling me because he was a Spirit-filled believer. Had it been a new convert or an inexperienced believer who asked me that question, I would have been more understanding of his nervousness. Internally I was praying for the Lord to give me patience. I mustered all the kindness I could in that late hour of the night, and I gently said, “Well, brother, you should cast the demon out of her.”

He paused for a moment. “I can do that? Are you sure you don’t want to do it? We’d rather have you do it. Can you come over? Am I allowed to do that? I don’t need a special anointing for that or something? Won’t the demon get on me? What about everyone else here?”

His frantic questions didn’t leave me even a second’s opportunity to respond. I waited for him to calm down. “My brother,” I replied, “you can cast the demon out yourself. The same Holy Spirit who lives in me lives in you.”

There was another moment of pause. His tone was one of both excitement and concern as he replied, “OK. Thank you. … but are you sure?”

My tone tipped slightly toward irritated. “Yes, my friend. You can cast the demon out.”

After reiterating that point for about a minute more, I ended the call with my friend. Then I began to think about what had just occurred. I thought to myself: How is it possible that a fellow Christian leader doesn’t know how to cast out a demon?

Say what you will about my frustration, but Jesus Himself expressed this sort of aggravation toward His disciples when they were unable to cast out a demon of a little boy (Mark 9:19). I know that some demonic beings rank higher in power and are more difficult to deal with. But I was astonished that my friend didn’t even attempt to cast out that demon.

Most believers have the same state of mind my late-night caller had. He was living righteously. He was filled with the Holy Spirit. He was walking with the Lord. Yet he hesitated to confront the powers of darkness.

If one is living a spiritually compromised life, then hesitancy in the face of demonic activity is expected. But just as the compromising Christian can be too confident, so the battle-ready believer can be too doubtful. I don’t care what anyone says; the Bible tells us that “those who believe” the gospel message will be endued with the power to drive away demonic forces from enslaved souls.

“He said to them, “Go into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. He who believes and is baptized will be saved. But he who does not believe will be condemned. These signs will accompany those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues” - Mark 16:15–17, MEV

Who will the signs follow? He who believes! He who believes what? He who believes the gospel message preached by the disciples of Christ. The moment you believed is the very moment you received authority over demonic forces.

Dear reader, you don’t need to be a “demon expert” to be a threat to hell. Should you know the dynamics of spiritual warfare and demonic activity? Absolutely. But how much more do you really think you need to learn before you begin to exercise your authority over them? The ability to cast out demons and destroy the works of hell is not necessarily about how much you know about demons; it’s about how much demons know about Christ in you.

While the “inexperienced” believer may not always be able to discern the difference between a genuine demonic manifestation and emotional hype, that individual still has the ability to cast out demons. Might the one who is unfamiliar with casting out demons do some foolish things? Of course. But his ability to cast out demons is still there.

For example, I’ve heard of some believers who, while trying to perform deliverance, smack the demon-possessed individual in the face with a Bible. The enthusiasm is good, but the actual act of hitting a person in the face is not. We know that while there is power in the Word of God, there is no actual power in a book’s leather, paper or ink. We also know that we “wrestle not” against the flesh or against people themselves. So smacking the flesh with a leather-bound book serves no actual spiritual purpose. You may even be able to expel a demon while using such silly methods, but the exorcism would have to succeed despite the foolishness, not because of it.

As believers grow, they will move beyond hype, bizarre methods, unhealthy fear of demons and superstitious thinking. But regardless of any need for growth, every Spirit-filled believer has the power to cast out demons. How effectively they exercise that authority depends upon their spiritual maturity.

My caution here would be to tell you that if you are compromising in sin, demonic beings will be able to resist your commands. They may even retaliate against your attempts to expel them. However, I am compelled to remind you that there are limitations to a demon’s attacks on a believer.

 The Believer’s State of Being

Authority flows from the top down, so you need to be positioned under authority in order to exercise authority. For example, a police officer has authority to enforce certain laws. He can command you to do many things, but the moment he commands something outside the scope of what the law allows, he loses legal authority to give orders. An employer has the authority to make demands of his employees, but if that employer steps into the home of one of his employees, he loses the right to make certain demands.

Government leaders have the authority to enact laws upon their citizens, but the moment those leaders step foot outside sovereign soil, they lack the authority to command the people of that different country. If you want spiritual authority, then you need to remain in your spiritual place of authority. Once you step out of the Spirit, you step outside your jurisdiction.

Speaking analogously, a police officer with a California badge can’t enforce the laws of Florida. A police officer with a U.S. badge cannot enforce American laws in the country of Japan. It doesn’t matter if you have a badge if that badge isn’t used in your place of influence. Jurisdiction is the key to having authority.

In the spiritual realm for the believer jurisdiction isn’t found in a physical place—it’s found in a state of being. The believer has jurisdiction in the state of righteousness, in the state of peace, in the state of faith and so on. When you live a lifestyle of compromise (the state of unrighteousness), you step out of the state in which you have dominion. You don’t lose your badge (your authority), but you do leave the state where that badge works.

How can you command a spirit of perversion to leave when you’re in the state of perversion? How can you rebuke a spirit of fear when you live in the state of fear? When you leave your jurisdiction, it’s not that you don’t have authority; it’s that you’re walking in the wrong state.

When you walk in holiness, everywhere you go is God’s dominion—and when you live in dominion, your authority works to its fullest. Simply put, this dominion, this full realization of authority, is found in the state of submission to the Lord. Our authority is fully realized in submission to God. And that submission to God precedes our ability to resist the enemy.

”Therefore submit yourselves to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you” - James 4:7, MEV

God’s authority upon you will always work when you’re living in the right state of being. This is why you can have authority everywhere you go: Dominion goes with you! Your authority over fear works in the jurisdiction of faith. Your authority over demonic beings works in the jurisdiction of righteous living, and so on. The key is in remaining in the right jurisdiction.

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All My Nothing

When it comes to surrendering self to God’s masterful use, many believers become anxious. The stubborn believer is another topic for another time. I’m writing about the believer who wants to be used for the glory of God but can’t seem to break through to the next phase of ministry. Perhaps the greatest fear, the biggest hindrance to being used by God, is this nagging idea: I’m not fit for God’s use.

It is that negative thought which causes the aforementioned anxiety.

When I was eleven years old, I used to read of how God used people like Kathryn Kuhlman, Oral Roberts, and Smith Wigglesworth. You don’t need to know who they are. I can tell you that they were people who were used mightily of God. Millions of people have been impacted by their lives in either a direct or indirect way.

Specifically, I used to watch Miss Kuhlman. She had such a divine energy about her demeanor, such a profound and genuine spirituality. I wanted that for my life and ministry. But, deep within, there was this thought: I’m not fit for God’s use.

I would read of Bible characters – Moses, King David, John the Baptist, Paul the Apostle. Everything within me would cry out for God to do in our modern day what He did in the Old and New testaments. I would think, “Why can’t God move now as He did in the book of Acts?” I would become stirred at that radical notion. My passion would become stirred, but then it would be immediately stifled into despair the very moment that I recalled the intrusive and discouraging thought, “I’m not fit for God’s use.”

I would check off a list of things I lacked: no notoriety, no charisma, no strong gift, no powerful sermons, and no idea how to start in the ministry.

But, dear reader, I would soon learn the source of these things I lacked. Everything – from the charisma about your person to the power that backs your preaching – is not given in a single moment. Sure, all of it is deposited at salvation. But a great anointing is like a seed. When it is planted in you, it lacks nothing, but you must tend to it in order for it to take on a useful form.

And nothing can tend the anointing like this one key – this one key that is found in the following portion of scripture:

Jesus soon saw a huge crowd of people coming to look for him. Turning to Philip, he asked, “Where can we buy bread to feed all these people?” He was testing Philip, for he already knew what he was going to do. Philip replied, “Even if we worked for months, we wouldn’t have enough moneya to feed them!” Then Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, spoke up. “There’s a young boy here with five barley loaves and two fish. But what good is that with this huge crowd?” “Tell everyone to sit down,” Jesus said. So they all sat down on the grassy slopes. (The men alone numbered about 5,000.) Then Jesus took the loaves, gave thanks to God, and distributed them to the people. Afterward he did the same with the fish. And they all ate as much as they wanted. After everyone was full, Jesus told his disciples, “Now gather the leftovers, so that nothing is wasted.” So they picked up the pieces and filled twelve baskets with scraps left by the people who had eaten from the five barley loaves.  – John 6:5-13

In the natural, what was offered by the young boy wasn’t enough to finish the job. It was, by all natural accounts, lacking, unfit, and useless. As an eleven year old boy, I used to look at that young boy in the scripture and think, “If Jesus can take his nothing and use it, then Jesus can take my nothing and use it too!”

I use the word “nothing”, because, compared to what the world needs, we have nothing to offer. It isn’t enough – it’s relatively nothing. But that’s what Jesus does: He uses nothing. God spoke to nothingness and caused all of time, matter, and space to come forth into existence. It’s in the nothing that God moves. The “not” in “I’m not fit for God’s use” is where the “I AM” finds a place. Thus, you can say, “I AM fit for God’s use.”

God uses broken vessels. When it comes being used by God, it’s not about how gifted you are, it’s only about how surrendered you are. The key to the anointing is surrender. Put your nothing in the hands of Jesus, and it will soon become all that you need.

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Divine Rescue

Perhaps you are now in a situation that seems to be more than you are able to bear. Maybe there is a God-given vision in your mind, an inspired dream within your heart, that doesn’t seem to be possible. Or maybe you are just living under the frustration of a stubborn situation.

You trust the promises of God, but until the promises come to pass, it can be a challenge to press through.

Peter, on several occasions, found himself in impossible situations. With confidence, he could tell you this: an impossible situation is the perfect setting for a miracle. Peter was divinely rescued from a prison cell:

The night before Peter was to be placed on trial, he was asleep, fastened with two chains between two soldiers. Others stood guard at the prison gate. Suddenly, there was a bright light in the cell, and an angel of the Lord stood before Peter. The angel struck him on the side to awaken him and said, “Quick! Get up!” And the chains fell off his wrists. Then the angel told him, “Get dressed and put on your sandals.” And he did. “Now put on your coat and follow me,” the angel ordered. So Peter left the cell, following the angel. But all the time he thought it was a vision. He didn’t realize it was actually happening. They passed the first and second guard posts and came to the iron gate leading to the city, and this opened for them all by itself. So they passed through and started walking down the street, and then the angel suddenly left him. ~ Acts 12:6-10

I want to focus on certain peculiar words of scripture. The Bible says, “But all the time he thought it was a vision. He didn’t realize it was actually happening.”

Think about that.

Peter, while experiencing the divine rescue of God, was not aware that He was being rescued.

During the difficult times, it can seem as though the divine rescue of God is just a vision, a hope, or a dream. But God’s divine rescue is happening now! Whether you see it or not, God is getting you out of this situation. God is bringing the vision to pass.

You may not know how the dream is going to come to pass. You may not know from where your breakthrough will come. But God has dispatched Heavenly help – your miracle is coming. Hold on. Have hope. Don’t surrender to doubt.

He makes a way where there seems to be no way. He shows Himself strongest in the times that seem to be the most challenging. And when the miracle has finally come to pass, you’ll know that it was God and God alone Who performed it.

Divine rescue is coming.

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How to Change the World

Begin to talk about changing the world, and you’ll be met with cynicism, skepticism, mockery, and disdain. But be totally convinced of this: it’s possible to change the world.

“For I am not ashamed of this Good News about Christ. It is the power of God at work, saving everyone who believes–the Jew first and also the Gentile.” – Romans 1:16

Look around at everything that is happening in our world. How does it make you feel? Fearful? Grieved? Powerless?

Observing all of the global ills that infect mankind, it is easy for one to become frustrated, hopeless. What can be done to solve these complex and intensifying issues?

The answer, as it has for centuries, remains the same: the gospel of Jesus Christ.

The gospel of Jesus Christ is God’s power in the earth. It is His method of global transformation. The gospel is more powerful than most believe it to be, and the world is smaller than most believe it to be.

Let’s not get caught up in the debate, rhetoric, anger, and confusion. Instead, let us boldly and lovingly proclaim the truth that can change the hearts of men and women. Don’t get sidetracked. Preach the gospel. Support the message. Make disciples. That’s how to change the world – that’s how to truly change the world.

The answer is not in historic quotes, political strategy, social programs, passionate debate, or acts of unjust violence. The answer has always been and will continue to be Jesus. Pray? Sure. Better yet, preach! Proclaim the truth. Declaration of the gospel is God’s method of changing the world. Continue to preach the gospel – it is God’s power to save souls. What can wash away our sins? What can make this world whole again? Nothing but the blood of Jesus!

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The Secret to Anointed Ministry

Unless you’ve gone out of your way, you’re reading these words on a digital screen. Your eyes are scanning across these letters that are presented upon a plain backdrop. What you don’t see, and what you’re not currently thinking about is this: behind this simple-looking display of words is a complex combination of technology that works to achieve the visual. This display shows up on your computer or device screen, and you don’t have to understand it to benefit from it.

That’s the nature of ministry. People come and receive without knowing what it took for you to become God’s display. The public’s benefit was cultivated in your private struggle

God does His most effective work in you in the secret place.

“He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.” – Psalm 91:1

What is the secret place? It is privacy. It is seclusion.

The secret to anointed ministry is how you treat the secret place, your private time. There must be a place and a time that you set aside for worship, prayer, and devotion to God’s Word. There is no substitute for what you do in the secret place.

I often marvel when someone asks me, “So how do you prepare for a service? Do you pray an extra hour or two before the service?” I answer by telling them, “Before each service, I rest, because I live in preparation. You can’t live an unhealthy lifestyle, exercise for a few minutes and expect to get a good report from a medical checkup. I’d be in trouble if I depended upon an hour or two if I wasn’t living in this daily.”

Last-minute study spurts can’t replace a lifestyle of devotion to God’s Word in the secret place. A quick prayer before you preach cannot do what a lifestyle of private prayer can do.

All true ministry is an overflow of the secret place. We must fill as many private moments as we can with prayer and the reading of God’s Word. If instead the secret place is filled secret sin and secret laziness, how can one expect to walk in public power?

There is no shortcut. There is no formula. There is no practice of skill that can bring about the anointing. Either you carry the power upon you or you don’t. And whether or not you carry the power is entirely dependent upon whether or not you walk in the presence. And the presence of God is known in its greatest depths in the secret place. Therefore, the anointing on your life comes from the secret place.

Sound too simple? Sound too easy? Good! Like salvation, being anointed is not dependent upon our effort but upon our surrender to the Lord. That’s really it. That’s really the key.

The secret to anointed ministry is the secret place of prayer and devotion. It’s that simple. All else flows from there.

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I Will Not Be Moved

The demonization of Christianity is an important aspect of the secular culture’s “progress”. Disagreement will be labeled as intolerance. Truth will be labeled as hate. Reason will be dismissed as callousness. And adherence to the scripture will be criticized as ignorance. Even so-called believers have begun to participate in the agenda. They critic a caricature of what the Church is, while embracing their own special form of lunacy.

I promise you – I will not be moved. Every day I am seeing believers in my generation convert from the madness and commit to sound Biblical truth. Every week, I witness the multiplied, accelerated expansion of the Kingdom of God. And, more importantly, we are taking the gospel to tens of thousands of people via media and television every single week. I am seeing young and old respond to it. And I’m only one of millions of God’s servants.

The message is simple: Because of His love, Christ died to save you. Therefore, repent of your sins and put your faith in Jesus.

I won’t stop preaching it. If I should become a lone voice in the desert, I won’t stop declaring it. I will take a stand for righteousness, love and truth. Will you stand with me for Christ?

“For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.” – Romans 1:16

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3 Keys to Befriending the Holy Spirit

When I first learned the wonderful truth of the Holy Spirit’s personal nature, I desired to cultivate a friendship with the mysterious third Person of the Trinity. I found everything about His essence to be alluring, magnetic. As I examined the scriptures, I sought for clues and insights to His nature and personality. I wanted to understand His every nuance, familiarize myself with His every quality.

In search of the Spirit, I turned the pages of the Bible. My inner being would become lit with joyful anticipation. My eyes enjoyed the glimmer of every truthful word. In the Old Testament, I saw the Spirit hovering over the face of the deep and so gloriously displaying His power that men trembled in fear, in awe. In the New Testament, I saw this same Spirit gently descend upon Christ as a dove, raise Jesus from the dead and assist the Apostles in the book of Acts.

As many do at that point, I cried, “Lord, I want more of you!”

I would soon be encouraged by this revelation: The believer does not need more of God. All that God was, is and ever will be came to dwell in the believer at the very instant of salvation! When the Holy Spirit comes, He comes in fullness, not in partiality. For how can the eternal be divided? Half of infinity is, after all, infinity. It is both a logical absurdity and an anti-scriptural error to conclude that the Spirit is given in portions.

The issue is not how much the believer has of God but how much God has of the believer. At salvation, we surrender the will, and we spend the rest of our natural lives giving away and dying to self.

Therefore, it is our goal, not to obtain the Holy Spirit but to fellowship with Him – to befriend Him. And when we are given to this friendship, everything changes and progressively becomes as it should. The entirety of our spirituality is summarized in our interaction with God’s Holy Spirit.

So how does one go about the cultivation of this friendship? How can such a lofty idea become a present reality by means of practical application? How can we reduce this to everyday living? Though I am certain there are many more, I have discovered at least five keys, which I first wrote about in my book, “Carriers of the Glory”. But for the sake of this article’s length, I’ll go over just three keys.

#1 – Dependency

I travel across America and other nations preaching the gospel and praying for the sick. A couple of years ago, I received a phone call from an enthusiastic pastor. The pastor had called me in order to invite me to minister at his church. We spoke the usual chatter that finds itself in such a conversation. But, while nearing the end of our call, the pastor said something that shook me!

He spoke casually, “Brother David, I’m glad to be finally having you at my church. We’ve been waiting to bring you in.” My curiosity moved me to ask, “And for what specifically were you waiting?” He replied, “Well, I know you minister the presence of the Holy Spirit, and I wanted to wait until my people were ready for that next level.”

I don’t imagine that my response was entirely appropriate, but I guess I would, in this case, plead “Righteous Indignation”. I was forward when I asked, “And why on earth do you think the people shouldn’t hear about the Holy Spirit until they’re at the ‘next level’?”

He replied, “Well, brother David, I don’t want to freak people out.”

Dear reader, think about that.

Much of what we do in life and in ministry requires no spiritual power. Much of what we start is founded upon the natural. So if we don’t need the Holy Spirit to start it, we don’t need the Holy Spirit to sustain it; and that’s not a good thing.

The Holy Spirit is not a reward for the spiritually elite (if ever there was such a faction). He is not a prize for those who become spiritual; rather, He is our only hope at ever becoming, at ever even desiring to become spiritual.

The Holy Spirit is not a special guest speaker or a special event. The Holy Spirit is not a private prayer partner Who prays for the sick in back rooms, as to avoid frightening the visitors. The Holy Spirit is not a style of ministry; He is the cornerstone of all ministry.

If we are to befriend the Holy Spirit in a more meaningful way, we must become dependent upon Him – I mean desperately dependent upon Him.

“But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead lives in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit that lives in you.” - Romans 8:11

I love that verse, and it’s of popular use. Yes, we have the Holy Spirit within us. However, think about what the verse implies in passing: the Holy Spirit raised Jesus from the dead. Jesus depended upon the Holy Spirit to raise Him from the dead. If Jesus depended upon the Holy Spirit, how much more should we?

We must move from treating the Holy Spirit like a liability and move to depending upon Him as our source. Depend upon Him; He knows best how to build a church, how to raise disciples and how to win the lost. We don’t know better; He does.

#2 Reverence

Now, to be fair, I’ll grant this: many have good reasons to become nervous when people use cliche suggestions like this:

“Let the Holy Spirit have His way.”

“We can’t be so structured.”

“We need to leave room for the Holy Spirit.”

Those points are valid. But different people mean different things when they say such phrases. In fact, people often just really mean to say, “I’m going to get wild and you’re a religious bigot if you try to stop me.” We must note that, spiritually speaking, being free is not the equivalent of being loony.

Now don’t misunderstand me. At my miracle services, whether you attend in person or watch via television, you’ll see people speaking in tongues, trembling under God’s power and even being slain in the Spirit (often even in the crowd, out of my sight). Believe me; I love the presence of the Holy Spirit, and I love when the glory of God manifests in tangible ways.

But if those who shy away from the Holy Spirit need to learn dependency, then those who insist on hand stands and dog barking need to learn reverence.

Reverence in any friendship is key.

So we must understand this: The Holy Spirit did not come to make you senseless and silly; He came to make you spiritually sharp. He came to empower world evangelism.

“But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you shall be My witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” - Acts 1:8

The Holy Spirit’s power can be ministered with class. There’s a beautiful, gentle air of Heavenly elegance about a move of God. He is not chaotically bizarre.

He is both classy and unifying. Sure, there are things that He does that will make you uncomfortable. But, in the church overall, there needs to be more reverence for the Holy Spirit.

#3 Trust

The Holy Spirit has helped me to grow in my trust for Him.

I recall a challenging week where I was fretting over lack of ministry finances. I did extra fundraising, but I wasn’t even getting close to what was needed. So, after I had exhausted all effort, I became anxious. The ministry’s financial needs were rising, and, at least for that week, the donations were dropping.

It was one of those “Lord, how are you going to do this?” moments.

I prayed and paced – paced and prayed. Suddenly, the Spirit spoke to my heart, “I’m going to take care of this need. Just trust me.” Those words were comforting, but I didn’t have the faith, in that moment, to receive them.

Thankfully, the Lord showed Himself able. One of my ministry donors was willing to help with the dip in donations and promised to send a check. I was immediately relieved. Despite my wavering, God was faithful.

But there was a deeper issue. The Holy Spirit again spoke to my heart, “Why did you have peace when a man promised to meet your needs but continue to worry when I promised to meet your needs? When you can trust in my promise more than you can trust in a man’s promise, I will be able to trust you with a greater measure.” “Lord”, I wondered, “How will I know when I trust you this way?” I heard in my spirit, “When you are just as relieved in hearing my promise as you are when you see a check.”

Since then, I’ve grown in my trust of the Holy Spirit. And, dear reader, He wants you too to grow in this kind of trust. And in trusting Him, you will experience a greater level of friendship with Him than ever before.

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A Shadow of Healing

Years ago, I traveled to the State of Indiana to conduct a 3 night Healing Service. Those meetings were filled with the presence of the Holy Spirit in a very special way. The services in Indiana had a unique and divine “feel” to them. I celebrate the reality that God puts His creative signature on each gathering.

Yet as wonderful as the services were, what happened after the meetings were over was probably most memorable.

The last service had ended. The people had mostly disbursed. And the pastor and I were talking in the sanctuary. I finished the conversation, turned away and began heading to the parking lot when I heard a commotion in the sanctuary.

One of the church members, who had yet to leave the building, had gone to pick up their child from the church nursery. Upon picking up the child, the parent had noticed something amazing. The baby, who had crossed eyes when dropped off at the nursery, now had eyes that were perfectly straight.

The commotion I heard was the celebration of that miracle.

Nobody had laid hands on that baby. In fact, that baby was in the nursery the entire time I was ministering. So what happened?

The healing presence of Jesus had so filled the atmosphere of that church that miracles simply occurred – all throughout the property.

When thinking back on that interesting event, I am reminded of this peculiar verse found in the book of Acts:

“Insomuch that they brought forth the sick into the streets, and laid them on beds and couches, that at the least the shadow of Peter passing by might overshadow some of them.” - Acts 5:15

Now many often quote that verse and assert that “Peter’s shadow healed people!” But that’s not exactly what the scripture says. The scripture tells us that the people were the ones who brought out the sick. Peter didn’t tell them to do this; this is something they did on their own. And why would they do this? What odd occurrences might have led these people to believe that Peter’s shadow could heal?

It’s because the healing presence of Jesus was so intense on Peter that people were healed just by being around him!

Miracles followed him wherever he walked.

And, dear reader, you too can see miracles wherever you walk. You are God’s habitation, the temple of the Holy Spirit. You are an atmosphere, a dominion, a little walking piece of Heaven on earth. You are a carrier of the Glory of God. Know that wherever you go, the Holy Spirit goes with you – healing, freeing and touching people.

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The Holy Spirit: Heaven’s Greatest Evangelist

I had just finished presenting what most would consider to be a typical evangelistic invitation. All across the room, heads were bowed, and eyes were closed. Adding to the cliche call to repentance, I stoically instructed, “I don’t want anyone looking around the room right now. This moment is just between you and God.”

The music played while I pleaded, but after the passing of several awkward minutes, not a single person responded to my heartfelt invitation. I was tempted to dismiss the matter and transition to another portion of the service. However, before I made the switch, the Holy Spirit gently nudged me in a different direction.

In my spirit, I sensed His desire for the people to begin praying in the spirit – praying in tongues.

Following the leading of the Holy Spirit, I instructed the people to begin praying in tongues. They lifted their hands and began to do so.

While the people prayed, just after the first minute or so, I was bombarded with negative thoughts, bothersome lies of the enemy.

The first thought that assaulted my mind was this one: “This will only terrify the unbeliever! You’re not supposed to pray in tongues in front of unbelievers.”

Whether that suggestion was directly from the enemy or from some misguided theologian I had heard, there was still a disruption within me. But the Bible says this concerning the gift of tongues:

“So you see that speaking in tongues is a sign, not for believers, but for unbelievers. Prophecy, however, is for the benefit of believers, not unbelievers.” - 1 Corinthians 14:22 (NLT)

I overcame that worry and encouraged the people further, “Keep praying in the Holy Ghost.” It was my way of pushing back against the inner conflict.

Another thought rushed at me: “Believers shouldn’t all pray in tongues at once. This is disorder!”

But the Bible says…

“And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.” - Acts 2:4 (KJV) Emphasis Mine

We continued to pray in tongues.

About two minutes had then passed, and we were all still praying in tongues. Still the enemy resisted what God was trying to do and attempted a final deception.

“This is bizarre. How are you going to reach people if you’re allowing something so odd to take place?”

It was right around this time that a man about my age came walking down the aisle and toward the stage upon which I stood. He was visibly shaken. With tears streaming down his face and his mouth shaking with prayers, he walked right up to the platform, fell to his knees, and began to weep.

At this point, I calmed the crowd and stepped down to converse with the man. I said, “Hey there, look up at me for a second. I’d like to talk with you.” When he looked up at me, his eyes were still filled with tears, and his face was red from sobbing.

I asked him, “Can you tell me why you’re crying?” I put the microphone to his mouth and waited for his response. What he said touched my heart.

“Because”, he explained, “I’ve been trying to find God for so long. And tonight, he found me.”

The church began to cheer and worship the Lord. And right there, in front of us all, that man gave his heart to Jesus and was born again.

What couldn’t be accomplished by human effort was accomplished by the work of the Holy Spirit. That happened several years ago, but the lesson I learned in that service has been cemented into the foundation of my faith and ministry.

Dear reader, I had, at that point, been in ministry for a few years and had grown accustomed to the almost systematic approach to evangelism. Thankfully, I have a friendship with the Holy Spirit that guided me to embrace a more effective flow of ministry.

“And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man’s wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power:” - 1 Corinthians 2:4

I believe in speaking in tongues, but this article isn’t about speaking in tongues. I believe that the Holy Spirit is Heaven’s greatest evangelist (as was exemplified through my story), but this article isn’t just about His evangelistic grace. This article is about choosing to depend upon the Spirit’s ability over our own.

When I write that we must never rely upon systems and programs, I am certain that you, dear reader, will enthusiastically affirm such a truth.

But ministry and spiritual living can become so familiar to us that we enter a place of human effort, often, without realizing it. In fact, almost everyone who is relying upon human effort for ministry and spirituality is doing so without realization.

After all, who really decides, “I think I’ll do it my way instead”?

No, most believers wouldn’t so much as dare to so blatantly reject or stifle the work of the Holy Spirit. So if one does stop depending upon the Spirit, he does so unknowingly. I would even go as far as saying that most believers would become offended at the suggestion that they have moved away from the Spirit’s method of ministry approach. But many have. None of us would do so willingly, so we must open ourselves to the question, “Have I begun to rely upon my efforts instead of His?”

In that Church service, I was battling very subtle, very nuanced suggestions of the enemy – or possibly of my own flesh. Yet, I, in all of my practiced presentation and expended effort, couldn’t present Christ in a way that compelled the lost to surrender in humble repentance at His feet.

I may have worn the title of “evangelist”. Furthermore, I may have even led several hundreds to Christ at that point in my ministry.

Who cares? That didn’t matter.

What mattered was my surrender to His leading. What always matters is obedience to His gentle, guiding voice. He is, after all, Heaven’s greatest Evangelist. No one can present the Glory of the Person of Christ like He can. No one can convict a soul of sin as the Spirit does. In matters of ministry, He is masterful.

The Holy Spirit is not just the greatest evangelist; He’s the greatest pastor, teacher, prophet and apostle. When we carry out our ministry tasks with His aid and conscious of our need for His enabling, a profound and powerful grace comes upon us. There is a certain, unique dynamic to Spirit-led ministry. So we must model our approach, not after the approach of men and women who have gone before us, but after His unique and responsive direction as it pertains to each moment.

Without the Holy Spirit, we begin to rely upon systems and strategies. Yesterday’s revival can so easily become today’s religion. Men have a way of systemizing everything.

But there is no substitute for the genuine power and presence of the Holy Spirit. You cannot duplicate His craftsmanship. We have to stop limiting His timing to our Church calendars and schedules. We need to stop confining His power to back rooms and “special services”. Methods cannot replace miracles. Programs cannot replace power. Structure cannot replace Spirit. And our pursuit of attendance should never become more important than our pursuit of the anointing.

The truth is that the world is hungry for the very thing from which much of the church has shifted away. People want the supernatural, and only the Holy Spirit can bring it to the Church.

The Holy Spirit is the greatest Church builder. Nobody can win souls, build a church, or expand God’s Kingdom better than He. If we will embrace His leading, humbly submit to His expertise and seek His guidance, then we will embrace a better way to be God’s Kingdom. For He is not a liability; He’s our only hope at drawing men to salvation. He’s our only hope of building disciples. He’s our only hope at properly presenting Jesus.

Be practical, yes. Gain wisdom from leaders, yes. Be organized and orderly, yes. But never prioritize any of that over what the Spirit of God can do.

Want to build people in the faith? Follow the greatest pastoral anointing in the earth – the Holy Spirit.

Want to draw crowds? Obey the enabler of the miraculous, the Holy Spirit.

Want to build a church? Consult with the One who built the Church of Acts which is the model Church. Consult with the Holy Spirit.

Want to win souls? Be graced by the Holy Spirit, Heaven’s greatest evangelist.

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Simply the Gospel

There are those who think that all Christians are fakes, that we don’t really care about souls, that we don’t really obey God. I strongly disagree with those lies.

I know that you care about souls and the state of the world.

And, when looking at all that is happening in our world, it’s quite easy to become discouraged and concerned. All of it seems to add up – the political unrest, the economic instability, the moral decline.

Think of all that has been discussed in the last few weeks alone: ISIS, the “Gender Debate”, the persecution of the Church. Add those problems to the long list of issues that are pressuring the Church, and you might feel overwhelmed.

And, as it goes for being overwhelmed, perhaps you’re facing troubles that are all your own. Perhaps you’re facing financial trouble, the sort that never seems to end and makes you wonder, “How long is this going to last?” It may seem like one thing after another.

Maybe you’re having problems in your ministry, your church, your health, your emotions or even your own home.

It’s so easy to become distracted…

It may seem like there are just too many problems to address.

This isn’t so.

Jesus said, “Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.” - Matthew 6:33

While watching a news broadcast with my wife the other day, I became stirred in my soul. I looked at all that was happening, all that seemed to be changing for the worse.

Every time a new topic or problem would get talked about on the news broadcast, I would say, “I should do an episode on that!” My wife could see that I was eager to make a positive difference for the Kingdom. (this has happened a couple time with us)

But I’ll never forget what she said to me in my moment of frustration.

She looked right at me and said, “You’re not called to address all of those problems specifically; you’re called to just preach the gospel!”

I realized that she was right.  (And the women said, “Amen”)

We don’t need to go around trying to fix every moral problem. We don’t need to complain, debate, boycott or get angry. We just need to un-apologetically preach Jesus with the power of the Holy Spirit.

We need to stop trying to trim the branches and get right to the root of our world’s issues – the problem of sin.

For that, there is only one cure. The gospel is the cure-all. Wherever it is received, the gospel changes everything.

Sure we should work to make practical change in our world, but our primary focus must be the preaching of the gospel.

The preaching of the gospel is the greatest cause of all time!

The gospel is the only cause with eternal effects. If we’ll focus on preaching the gospel, everything will be made right, as people repent and turn to Christ.

Just preach Jesus!

Does our world have troubles? Of course.

So preach Jesus.

Are you concerned about the economy? Just preach Jesus, and prosperity will follow righteousness.

Are you worried about radical Islam? Just preach Jesus, and Truth will prevail.

Are you saddened by our nation’s moral decline? Just preach Jesus, and He will bring deliverance.

Don’t worry about your future. Don’t worry about your needs. Don’t worry.

Seek first the Kingdom of God, and everything else will be alright.

Don’t worry about your personal struggles. Just focus on your job here in the earth – the spreading of the gospel.

When we focus on the gospel, God takes care of the rest.

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He’s Near to You

We don’t need to wait to die until we can begin to experience Heaven here upon the earth. For the very mention of the name of Jesus has the power to transform the atmosphere. When you describe Jesus, you think about Jesus. And it is the thought of Jesus that is the awareness of God.

Such awareness is a key to a fulfilled Christian life. If we can be mindful of Him – from moment to moment – our every second can be Heavenly. Your every hour can be filled with the sense of His nearness.

“I can never escape from your Spirit! I can never get away from your presence!” - Psalm 139:7

I first began to apply the power of this awareness in my personal relationship with the Lord when I was 11 years old. Prayer became more simple. Instead of begging God to hear me, I simply accepted that He already did. Since then, I have also learned to apply this reality in my times of ministry.

When I begin to describe Jesus or retell a Bible story, a spiritual picture is being painted by the Holy Spirit. He takes the Word and makes it flesh. He takes truth and makes is apparent in our reality.

Jesus is the Word (John 1:1;14).

“…but whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and who meditates on his law day and night. That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season…” - Psalm 1:2-3

When we meditate upon the Word, with revelation by the Holy Spirit, we experience Jesus.

This is why, when I talk about Jesus the Healer, people get healed. When I talk about Jesus the Savior, people get saved. And so on.

Focus on Him today. Let your mind be filled with His Word.

He is real. He is near. He is here with you, right now. His eyes are fixed upon you. He can hear your every whisper, your very thoughts. Talk to Him. Call upon His name. Experience His presence in this moment now.

Lift your hands and say, “Jesus”.

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3 Keys to Clearly Hearing God

In scripture, when looking at the God’s mighty prophets and anointed ministers, you’ll notice that it was rare for any of them to doubt that they were hearing God. Sure, they sometimes doubted situations, and they were met with many of the same inner struggles that we face today. But those men were confident in their ability to hear God. Compare that confidence with the uncertainty of many of today’s believers, and you’ll be forced to ask yourself this important question: why do believers today struggle to hear God?

Dear reader, I want you to know this: it’s possible to hear God with such certainty, such clarity, that there will be hardly any room for doubt. The Christian is not supposed to struggle to hear God, yet that struggle is widely accepted as normal.

Hearing God is simple, and don’t ever let anyone tell you otherwise. His voice is unmistakable, completely unique.

In fact, the most shocking reality about God’s voice is this: He is already speaking to you.

“My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me:” - John 10:27

Jesus made it clear. If you belong to God, you hear His voice. So the real question you should be asking is not, “Can I hear God?” but rather, “Am I a sheep?”.

Even Samuel, when growing and being trained as a prophet, heard God’s voice without realizing that it was God speaking (See 1 Samuel 3). Samuel heard God’s voice, but he didn’t recognize it. And that, believer, is the key: recognizing the voice. You already hear it.

So how does one come to hear God clearly, to recognize when He is speaking?

So here are three basic Biblical keys to hearing God’s voice.

#1 Silence and Stillness

There are three voices that speak to you – the flesh, the demonic and the godly. That is the secular, the Satanic and the Spiritual. The secular includes your own flesh, worldly people and worldly thinking. The Satanic includes demonic lies, actual demons and manipulative influences (example: people who control you by guilt). The Spiritual includes scripture, the voice of the Holy Spirit and counsel from godly people.

To distinguish these voices from one another, we must submit ourselves to Silence and Stillness.

“But when you pray, go away by yourself, shut the door behind you, and pray to your Father in private. Then your Father, who sees everything, will reward you.” - Matthew 6:6

Jesus instructed us to pray in private for two reasons. Firstly, praying in private eliminates the focus on the praises of men. Secondly, the privacy of prayer helps to cultivate an atmosphere of silence.

Silence is the putting away of outer distraction – turning the phone off, getting alone and removing distractions. Comparatively speaking, silence is the easy part.

The difficult part is stillness.

“Be still, and know that I am God!…” - Psalm 46:10

Be still… and know. Stillness precedes revelation.

If silence is the putting away of outer distraction, then stillness is the quieting of the soul.

Stillness is the silencing of inner noise – depression, fear, anxiety, worry, doubt, guilt, anger – and all forms of chaotic inner distraction. To find this stillness, one must look away from the troubles and concerns of this world and fix a gaze upon the countenance of Christ. Whatever has been revealed of Christ to you – let that be your focus, and you will find the stillness that brings about clarity.

#2 The Word

If I were to ask you to describe the voice of a friend or loved one, you might be able to lend me a few descriptions of their voice’s quality and cadence. However, despite what information I might be able to gather from your description, I would not be able to pick your friend’s voice from a crowd of speakers from your description alone. But you would be able to do so.

Because you hear them regularly, you become familiar with how they sound. And you wouldn’t just know how they sound. You would be able to find clues based upon the content of what is being spoken – the words and the ideas. Your familiarity with the sound of their voice and the content of their voice gives you a distinct advantage in identifying their voice.

So how might one become familiar with God’s voice?

This familiarity comes about through the reading of God’s Word.

“All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness…” - 2 Timothy 3:16

As you read the Word, you will become more familiar with God’s voice – in quality, tone and content.

#3 Obedience

This is probably the most effective key I can give you when it comes to hearing God. Obedience to God actually causes you to become more keen on hearing His voice.

“The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD: and he delighteth in his way.” - Psalm 37:23

All throughout scripture, God speaks to sinners and even disobedient men. But they failed to obey God because they did not recognize God as Lord in their lives. Cain, after He slew his brother Abel, was immediately confronted by the presence and voice of God. But from God’s presence, Cain was banished. You see, God is everywhere at all times, but you must become aware of Him if you are to experience Him. The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord. In other words, God guides the obedient. So, simply obey the written and moral laws of God, and you will find your mind more clear. Sin blinds, but obedience clarifies. As you obey what you already know to be God, you will find yourself more able to receive personal communication from the Lord.

God offers His guidance to those who are godly, those who walk in obedience toward Him.

“The Lord directs the steps of the godly.He delights in every detail of their lives.” - Psalm 37:23

God will not tell you about step 3 if you haven’t obeyed Him in taking step 1. Sin doesn’t keep God from speaking; it keeps us from hearing.

Are you struggling to find direction at this point in your life?

Then obey what you definitely know to be the Lord for right now – whether you heard it through the Word or through the Holy Spirit directly to your heart. His next word of guidance will come after you’ve obeyed what He’s already spoken.

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