Fountains springing into everlasting life

He left Judea and departed again to Galilee. ⁴ But He needed to go through Samaria. ⁵ So He came to a city of Samaria which is called Sychar, near the plot of ground that Jacob gave to his son Joseph.

- John 4:3-5

It seems like just yesterday when we were counting down into 2009, and behold, a year just flew past like the wind! As we enter into 2010, celebrating a decade into the new millennium, I would like to share with you a familiar passage which I believe will really shape and impact the course of our lives this year.

 

Now Jacob’s well was there. Jesus therefore, being wearied from His journey, sat thus by the well. It was about the sixth hour.
⁷ A woman of Samaria came to draw water. Jesus said to her, “Give Me a drink.”

- John 4:6-7

As Christians, we are blessed with many great gifts, talents and abilities from the Lord to live a purposeful life and to be successful in all that we do, for the Glory of God.

But sometimes, we get too carried away by what we can do on our own (common grace), and we forget to rely on God, who is our source of strength. The “well” in verse 6 represents the Samaritan people’s livelihood and source of provision for their people

(John 4:12 – “sons” = inheritance, “livestock” = businesses)

We cannot serve God just by relying on our own abilities and resources alone

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Note:

Zechariah 4:6 goes a long way to show that common grace ALONE isn’t enough

Hebrews 11:6 tells us that without faith, it is impossible to please God, and faith in itself is a gift from the Lord (Romans 12:3 and 1 Corinthians 12:9)

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Then the woman of Samaria said to Him, “How is it that You, being a Jew, ask a drink from me, a Samaritan woman?” For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans. – John 4:9

Ever since King Solomon’s death, Israel had been divided into the northern and southern regions, with Samaria being the capital of the north, and Jerusalem being the capital of the south.

So in the days of Jesus, the Jews were considered as first class citizens, and when they have to travel from Judea to Nazareth in Galilee, they would often take a much shorter route through the Jordan Valley. But Jesus took a long detour (John 4:4 – notice this small yet significant detail gets an entire verse for itself) for the sole purpose of going into Sychar in Samaria to meet this woman.

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In today’s society, this story represents the world’s view on us Christians. While almost every other religion has an object of worship that people can touch and see, Christianity has no fixed object in a fixed location at a fixed time.

We worship a God whom we can neither see nor touch* with singing and Tongues (known as a strange and unknown language to the world), and when asked about our beliefs, Christians often share about the love of God.

And what is the love of God? John 3:16 tells us that God loved His people so much that He would send His only Son to leave eternity for this earth to spend 33 years, finally ending with Him orchestrating His own death on the Cross, followed by His burial and resurrection, and ascension to the right hand of God. Not exactly the type of redemption story you and me would write, huh?

*Note: With the exception of believers who have seen and touched the Holy Spirit (John 14:17)

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And to this, the general response from the world would be:

“but we preach Christ crucified, to the Jews a stumbling block and to the Greeks foolishness” – 1 Corinthians 1:23

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Stumbling Block: This represents people’s fear of change. The Jews were to used to their religious ways and doctrines, that they were afraid to change their way of thinking and to accept something new.

Foolishness: Fear of the unknown. The Greeks in the days of Jesus were known to be some of the most intellectual people of their time, and to accept something that they could not comprehend with their own human wisdom was out of the question for them. (Read Acts 17:16:23)

Three reasons why people reject the Gospel:

Fear of change, pride and unbelief

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Jesus answered and said to her, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you, ‘Give Me a drink,’ you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water.” – John 4:10

Many people refer to the “gift of God” in this Scripture as receiving salvation. Though this is in a sense true, I would like to look at it from a different timeline – one in which salvation has already been received.

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Why do I say that? Let’s look at the next few versus.

Jesus answered and said to her, “Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again, ¹⁴ but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life” – John 4:13-14

Being spiritual beings, all humans will have a void in their hearts that only God can fill. When Jesus talks about water that will make you thirst again, He’s referring to the things that people seek to gratify their souls and to fill that void, but it will only last for a while.

But when we drink the water that He gives, we will never thirst again. What then is Jesus referring to?

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You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask the Father in My name He may give you. – John 15:16

Now to theologians, this Scripture actually refers to the Holy Spirit remaining with us even when we are in Heaven.

So if salvation is something that we receive once and for all (Romans 6:10), why does Jesus say in John 4:14 that we will have a “fountain of water springing up into everlasting life”?

 

He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.” – John 7:38

The Holy Spirit is given to fill the void in the heart of every believer

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The second reason for why the Holy Spirit was given can be seen a little bit further in John 4:20-22

Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, and you Jews say that in Jerusalem is the place where one ought to worship.”
²¹ Jesus said to her, “Woman, believe Me, the hour is coming when you will neither on this mountain, nor in Jerusalem, worship the Father. ²² You worship what you do not know; we know what we worship, for salvation is of the Jews.

Worship is one of the easiest ways for us to physically experience the love of God by feelings His Presence.

But we know that love is a language, and in order for us to communicate that love back to God, we need a means of reaching the spiritual realm of Heaven.

 

 

²³ But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. ²⁴ God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.” – John 4:23-24

The Holy Spirit is given for us to worship the Father in Tongues

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There are many powerful effects of praying and singing in Tongues which we won’t go through in this article, but one of it is for us to worship God in the Spirit, singing mysteries of love and praise to the King of all Kings.

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I really encourage you my brothers and sisters, let 2010 be a year of the manifestation of the Holy Ghost in your life, as you learn to pray and worship God in the spirit, experiencing Him at a whole new level like never before.

 

”Speaking in Tongues is the doorway into the supernatural!”

– Rev Choong Tsih-Ming, Zone Pastor/Bible School Lecturer, City Harvest Church

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God Bless you and have a supernaturally anointed new year ahead!

Ruben Potter

The Word, The Spirit, The Light, The Life

John 1:1-2

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. ²He was with God in the beginning.

Scripture introduces the Holy Spirit to us in the new testament as The Word. We know that God is the source of the Word, and Jesus was the Word made flesh. (John 1:14)

But the Holy Spirit is different in many ways, though an equal member of the Trinity, and we’re gonna study more about Him in this blog.

 

The Light and the Life

1. The Holy Spirit is GOD

John 1:3

Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.

 

The Holy Spirit is the ultimate creator, He is God, the one with no beginning and no end. Everything we see around us, all that is in existence right now came from Him and was made by Him.

Nothing comes into this earth and into your life without His permission, He is sovereign and He reigns over all things.

 

2. The Holy Spirit is our SOURCE OF LIFE

John 1:4

In him was life, and that life was the light of men.

 

It is through Him that we live and have our being. (Acts 17:28) Again, everything in creation was created by Him, and is sustained by His power alone.

Light is basically a medium that allows us to either see visually or understand mentally something that previously could not be seen or understood. The fact that we can see and understand that we are alive is “light” or revelation.

Your word is a lamp to my feet
         And a light to my path. – Psalm 119:105

 

3. The Holy Spirit is our DELIVERER from darkness

John 1:5 (NKJV)

And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.

 

Darkness in the Bible is often associated to satan and hell. The light of God represents the very nature of God, which is His radiance and His light! The Glory of God is a manifestation of God’s unlimited supernatural power, which He, being the creator processes.

satan can never comprehend or understand this power, and he fears this power with all of his being because it’s the only power in all of creation that can destroy him. And the light of the Holy Spirit is the very force that will enable us to drive satan out of our lives daily.

Friends, stay close to the Holy Spirit and draw from Him daily, only He can protect you from the devil.

 

 

The Light is IN YOU!

Isaiah 60:1-2

"Arise, shine, for your light has come,
       and the glory of the LORD rises upon you.

² See, darkness covers the earth
       and thick darkness is over the peoples,
       but the LORD rises upon you
       and his glory appears over you.

The light of God being the manifestation of the Holy Spirit lives in YOU.

You are a vessel, a carrier of that great power (2 Corinthians 4:7) and when you have the power of God within you, no weapon formed against you shall prosper (Isaiah 54:17) and satan can never harm you with spiritual attacks.

 

 

Deliverance from darkness

 

This is the main reason why I wrote this blog, because I sensed in my heart that many of God’s children, even myself, have been facing spiritual attacks from demons and some of us have been gripped by great fear.

But I have a Word for you from the Lord this day, that He wants us to know that it is never His Will for us to live in darkness.

for the LORD will be your everlasting light,
       and your God will be your glory. – Isaiah 60:19

 

And if you are being oppressed by fear right now, I pray my brothers and sisters, for the Blood of Jesus to cover you, and to remind you of why Jesus came and died for you on that Cross, it was for this Scripture to be fulfilled and to be established into your life right this moment.

to proclaim freedom for the captives
       and release from darkness for the prisoners – Isaiah 61:1

 

There are three things that will set you free from the spirit of fear and darkness, and that is;

1. TONGUES – Pray in the Spirit, demons tremble at the utterance of the Holy Ghost

2. SCRIPTURE – Read & Study the Bible DAILY, the Word of God becoming flesh in your life is the manifestation of God’s Spirit in your life, there’s nothing more powerful on earth

3. WORSHIP – Bring down the Presence of God, the river of life will flow into your spirit and set you free

 

“And having been set free from sin, you became slaves of righteousness”

– Romans 6:18

“Then the seventy returned with joy, saying, “Lord, even the demons are subject to us in Your name.”
¹⁸ And He said to them, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven.¹⁹ Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you.”

– Luke 10:17-19

Living ‘in’ the moment, or living ‘for’ the moment?

1 Kings 17:12

So she said, “As the LORD your God lives, I do not have bread, only a handful of flour in a bin, and a little oil in a jar; and see, I am gathering a couple of sticks that I may go in and prepare it for myself and my son, that we may eat it, and die.”

 

Often people live their lives to gratify the flesh for that moment, without thinking of the consequence of their actions that tomorrow will bring.

Then again, there are people who work so hard for their future, without taking the time to live ‘in’ the present.

Do these two scenarios conflict, or is there a balance?

 

In 1 Kings 17:8-15, we see the story of a Zarephathian widow and her son, who were facing a crisis in their generation, in the form of a famine, and how she chooses to handle the situation.

 

“And as she was going to get it, he called to her and said, “Please bring me a morsel of bread in your hand.”” – Verse 11

When the servant of the Lord asked her for a morsel of bread, her answer in verse 12 reflected on how she perceived the entire situation.

 

Your response to the present will determine the outcome of your future

There were three issues with the Zarephathian widow’s attitude that prevented her from receiving her breakthrough.

 

1. Lack of faith in God

“So she said, “As the LORD your God lives…”

When we acknowledge the servant of God, we acknowledge God Himself. (Matthew 10:40) And by this widow’s response, it clearly shows how much faith she has.

 

2. Living for herself

”and see, I am gathering a couple of sticks that I may go in and prepare it for myself and my son,”

The more you hold on to something, the more you will loose it. When we read about God’s supernatural multiplication in the Bible like the story of the ‘five loaves & two fishes’ in Matthew 14, we expect the Lord to do the same thing for us.

But by refusing God the very little that He asks from you, even if it could be everything you literally own, there is no way that He can multiply ‘nothing’ into ‘something’! You follow?

 

3. Focusing on the negative

”that we may eat it, and die.” – Verse 12

Again, when you respond to the present circumstances of your life negatively, you will reap negative results in your future. (Galatians 6:7)

 

Perspective

“Blessed is he who blesses you,
      And cursed is he who curses you.” – Numbers 24:9

“Assuredly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. – Matthew 18:18

“For he who is not against us is on our side.” – Mark 9:40

 

These three Scriptures are basic illustrations of the parallel perspectives of the human mind. Everything in your life is a result of what YOU perceive them to be.

I recently attended a course by a great coach and multi millionaire by the name of T. Harv Eker, and he said something that I felt was really in line with Dr. Yonggi Cho’s teaching on the Fourth Dimension.

Harv said that everything we have around us and in our lives, is a manifestation of what came forth first from the invisible world (Fourth Dimension) of our minds.

Your outcome is created by your perspective of your circumstances (also known as the PRESENT)

 

The Reason for the Third Dimension

Heaven has no space and time. (Psalms 19 – I will share more about this in future)

There are three main reasons why the Lord created the third dimension and placed us here.

 

1. To teach us patience

“Rest in the LORD, and wait patiently for Him;
         Do not fret… Do not fret—it only causes harm.” – Psalm 37:7,8

 

2. To teach us not to procrastinate

For God says,

   “At just the right time, I heard you.
      On the day of salvation, I helped you.”

   Indeed, the “right time” is now. Today is the day of salvation.

– 2 Corinthians 6:2 (New Living Translation)

 

3. To teach us perspective

“He is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.” – James 1:8

I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth. – Revelation 3:15-16 (New Living Translation)

 

Living in the moment

In closing, the point of the matter here is really about how we should live our lives for eternity. Our lives right now is really nothing more than a rehearsal for eternity.

How then do we live a life that balance the past, the present and the future? These are the words of King David on how he lived a balanced life and walked in God’s constant blessing.

 

Past

“Who am I, O Lord GOD? And what is my house, that You have brought me this far?” – 2 Samuel 7:18

Present

Therefore You are great, O Lord GOD. For there is none like You, nor is there any God besides You, according to all that we have heard with our ears. – 2 Samuel 7:22

Future

“And now, O Lord GOD, You are God, and Your words are true, and You have promised this goodness to Your servant. – 2 Samuel 7:28

 

To conclude, I want to leave you with a psalm that has really touched my heart, and I pray that even as you enjoy the Lord’s blessings and council every single day, may you come to a place where this becomes your purpose in life, and the reason why we need to continue living our lives for God’s Kingdom.

“My soul yearns, even faints,
       for the courts of the LORD;
       my heart and my flesh cry out
       for the living God.” – Psalm 84:2

The Love in Worship

Just a thought…

Why do we worship God? Why do you worship the Lord?

What are some of the things that go through your mind when you worship Him?

 

Recently the Lord told me to meditate on a certain Psalm, and as I started to ponder over its meaning, I realized something…

Worship is a two way thing.

 

We worship the Lord because He is Holy and great, and He is worth all our praise and adoration.

Now Jesus doesn’t worship us, because we are created beings. However, in our worship of His greatness, He shows Himself strong to us by His Presence and through His divine intervention over our lives.

And when we put these two together, we see that there is a driving force in worship… and that is love.

 

Back to the question on why we worship God… do we do it out of fear, or out of want, or out of guilt? Or have we come to a place where we can throw aside everything else including our very own lives on the alter, and say “Jesus, I do it out of Love… for You”

 

I heard this song couple of months ago, and I just want to share it with you. To me, it’s a love song between me and my Savior, where in the midst of a very ‘busy’ and hectic earthly life, I just want to stop and remind myself of how important worship really is…

Because when I pause and look back, there’s only one thing that will ever matter… my relationship with my Lord and my Savior, Jesus, the Love of my life (:

 

This is for You Lord… I Love You, always (:

Anointed Authority

Psalms  84:1

How lovely is Your tabernacle,
         O LORD of hosts!

 

In the old testament, the tabernacle in the wilderness was the place where the Lord would appear in His glory and manifest His presence to the people (Ex 29:43, 50:34).

Later on in 2 Chronicles 5, where the cloud of God’s glory fell upon Solomon’s temple, the manifestation was referred to as Shekinah, and this term is commonly used in our day in reference to the mighty anointing of the Holy Spirit.

 

God’s Anointing comes with His Authority 

Jesus was the most anointed man who ever walked on this earth, having a powerful anointing of the Holy Spirit in Him. And the reason for the effectiveness of His ministry was because of the authority that the Spirit gives to those whom He anoints.

Matthew 7:28-29

And so it was, when Jesus had ended these sayings, that the people were astonished at His teaching, ²⁹ for He taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes.

 

 

Anointed Authority can give us the following two results:

1. Effective Leadership

Matthew 7:28-29

When He had come down from the mountain, great multitudes followed Him.

If you are a leader in Church or in the marketplace, the only way to be effective is to move with God’s anointing and His authority.

In Jesus’ time, many of the Scribes and the Pharisees knew Scripture by heart, but they didn’t have a heart for Scripture. And so the people were sick of their hypocrisy.

  But when Jesus came, He was different because He had love and compassion for those He ministered to (Mt 9:36). God commands us to love people fervently (Mt 22:39) and Paul teaches us to bear the fruits of the Spirit, of which the greatest is Love (Gal 5:22-23 and 1 Cor 13:13). And when you minister having such a heart, the Lord will anoint you with His anointing and the Authority that comes with His anointing.

 

2. Confidence

Matthew 8:7 – And Jesus said to him, “I will come and heal him.”

Matthew 8:16 – When evening had come, they brought to Him many who were demon-possessed. And He cast out the spirits with a word, and healed all who were sick,

Matthew 8:29, 31 – And suddenly they cried out, saying, “What have we to do with You, Jesus, You Son of God? Have You come here to torment us before the time?” … So the demons begged Him, saying, “If You cast us out, permit us to go away into the herd of swine.”

  Jesus never doubted what He could do. When the multitudes came to Him, He healed them. He didn’t try to heal them, He didn’t pray about healing them, HE JUST DID IT. Even demons knew who He was (ie: His authority) and they pleaded with Him!

When we come to a place where we can realize the power that God has given to us in Matthew 28:18-19, we will have the confidence that Jesus had, where faith is more than just believing, it’s about knowing the power of God and His anointing in our lives.

 

 

In closing, I would like to share with you with the NIV translation of Psalms 84:1

How lovely is your dwelling place,
       O LORD Almighty!

 

When Jesus died, the veil before the holy of holies where the tabernacle of the Lord was kept tore into two, from top to bottom (Mt 27:51), and “top to bottom” tells us that this was an initiation from God, and not men.

Where then, did the glory of God go to when it had escaped from the holy of holies on the day of Jesus’ death?

 

I leave the explanation to the Apostle Luke, the author of the Book of Acts.

Acts 2:1-4

When the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. ² And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. ³ Then there appeared to them divided tongues, as of fire, and one sat upon each of them.

⁴ And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.

4 Patterns of Angelic Visitations

In the Gospel of Matthew, we see a familiar scene of the start of a believer’s new life, and the challenges that they have to go through along with the encounters they experience in their walk with the Lord.

 

Matthew 1:18

Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows: After His mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Spirit.

Emphasis given to the words “of the Holy Spirit”. As Christians, many of the fruits that we bear for Christ are of the spirit, and the things of the spirit are foolishness to the world (1 Cor 1:18-25), until the people of the world have had an encounter with the most High themselves.

 

This was the case of Joseph, after finding out that Mary was pregnant, and Scripture in verse 19 hints to us that the real reason that he wanted to divorce her was because he was;

1. “a just man” – Being righteous by your own efforts can lead to pride and boastfulness

2. “not wanting to make her a public example, was minded to put her away secretly” – He was ashamed of Mary, just as many people, even Christians, are ashamed of the Holy Spirit in today’s world.

 

But God never gives up on them. In verse 20,

But while he thought about these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take to you Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit.

Notice that most of this verse in stated in the present tense, telling us that even while the spirit of unbelief is working in us, God is already making a way of escape by convicting people of how real He is.

 

And this is where we begin on how the Lord manifests Himself to us in four key areas of our lives.

1. In a time of Unbelief

This is the area where God always begins, in order to bring us into His Salvation (Mt 1:20). Even after we are saved, there will be trials that will always tempt us to forsake God, and it’s in this time that the Lord will show Himself strong to you, that you may never doubt Him again.

 

2. In a time of danger

Matthew 2:13

Now when they had departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream, saying, “Arise, take the young Child and His mother, flee to Egypt, and stay there until I bring you word; for Herod will seek the young Child to destroy Him.”

When King Herod heard that there was going to be a new Messiah in Israel, he feared for his position as king, and planned to kill the child. Thus the Lord protected baby Jesus by warning Joseph to depart from the land.

 

3. To test your obedience and faith in God

Matthew 2:19-20

Now when Herod was dead, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt, ²⁰ saying, “Arise, take the young Child and His mother, and go to the land of Israel, for those who sought the young Child’s life are dead.”

We can see from verse 22 onwards that this was actually a test from God, because God’s original intention was for Jesus to go back to Nazareth and be raised as a Nazarene (Vs. 23)

 

4. God’s Divine intervention and deliverance

We know that God is faithful, and this is the final manifestation of God’s supernatural power we will receive, either in the form of an Angel or the Holy Spirit Himself.

Matthew 2:22

But when he heard that Archelaus was reigning over Judea instead of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there. And being warned by God in a dream, he turned aside into the region of Galilee.

 

Now I want to cross reference points 3 and 4 to a familiar story in Genesis 22 on the reason why Abraham became the father of our faith and was found righteous before God.

 

(3. To test your obedience and faith in God)

The Test:

Genesis 22:2

Then He said, “Take now your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you.”

Abraham’s Obedience

Genesis 22:3

So Abraham rose early in the morning and saddled his donkey, and took two of his young men with him, and Isaac his son; and he split the wood for the burnt offering, and arose and went to the place of which God had told him.

And it carries on all the way up to Verse 10.

 

(4. God’s Divine intervention and deliverance)

Genesis 22:11

But the Angel of the LORD called to him from heaven and said, “Abraham, Abraham!”
So he said, “Here I am.”
¹² And He said, “Do not lay your hand on the lad, or do anything to him; for now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your only son, from Me.”

 

In our Christian walk, we experience encounters with God in many forms, not necessarily by literally seeing Angels, although some of us do have such encounters. All the earth is the Lord’s, and He uses His creation, be it people or circumstances, to guide us, warn us, guard us and make Himself so real to us.

 

And that is the ultimate purpose of the Holy Spirit.

So as we yield to the Lord and desire to solely walk in His ways, I wish you brethren that you will have encounters with the Lord of the highest kind.

Love, Pride and Forgiveness

LOVE

What is LOVE and where is its origin?

 

When we open our Bibles to the very first verse of the very first book, we find in Genesis 1:1 the introduction of Scripture: “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.”

So we can see that before the heavens and the earth, GOD was already present. And the Bible tells us that He is alpha and omega, has no beginning, and has no end. (Rev 1:8)

GOD = BEGINNING and BEGINNING = GOD

When we look back at one of the very first few introductions of GOD in the new testament, we read in John 1:1 that “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”

WORD = BEGINNING and BEGINNING = WORD

WORD = GOD and GOD = WORD

 

Fast forwarding a bit, the first epistle of John, as theologians date back, was written when the Apostle John was in his older age, having walked with Jesus, experiencing His death and resurrection, His ascension into Heaven, and being involved in the growth and ministry of the first new testament Church, had this to say in 1 John 4:8 -

“He who does not love does not know God, for God is love.”

GOD = LOVE

LOVE = GOD

 

So having built our foundation on the origin of Love, which is in God, and God Himself, let’s now look at the purpose of Love.

Love in the Defensive

Jesus tells us to abide in His Love (John 15:9) and that His Love has already been perfected in our lives (1 John 4:12). And like a vine tree, being branches, we cannot grow on our own, which is why we need to cling on to the vine, which is the Lord.

 

Love in the Offensive

“And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God” – Eph 6:17

In the context of the full spiritual armor of God in Ephesians 6, the Sword of the Spirit is the only “offensive” weapon that we are to “use” against the enemy.

From our study above, we can relate the Word of God to God Himself, therefore attributing “God” to “LOVE”. This is the second instance in which LOVE is used as a weapon! Against who?

 

The Victory on the Cross

The reason Satan fell from Heaven was not just for challenging God, there was a deeper reason involved, and that reason is simply PRIDE.

Pride simply comes about as a result of the lack of love. When you love someone unconditionally, you will never do anything to harm that person. What pride does is that it causes a person to think highly of himself, therefore causing selfishness and self-centeredness – even if it causes direct harm to the other party.

 

The Key to Humility and Forgiveness

Most often, pride comes out of unforgiveness. Jesus knew that the only solution to pride or to unforgiveness is simply LOVE.

That is why He chose to die on the Cross, when He could have done otherwise (Mt 26:53). It was His choice, because even if He chose not to die on the Cross, He would still be the Son of God today, as He was from the beginning! But He didn’t, and that is why you and I are saved and sanctified by the Blood of Jesus today.

 

The Cross has given us two victories today

1. The Blood of Jesus brings us forgiveness of our sins

2. The Blood of Jesus brings us back into a LOVE relationship with GOD

 

And this is our daily Christian walk, Loving God wholeheartedly, and Loving People fervently, the Great Commandment (Mt 22:37-38), and the pillar of our Church.

The Power of Love is even greater than simply living our lives on faith and hope (1 Cor 13:13). It is the driving force that will keep us going on for the Lord until eternity.

 

So how do we love one another? Jesus left us the perfect model – Himself.

“just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.”” – Matthew 20:28

Giving a ROCK-SOLID Testimony

As Christians, we are the busiest ‘sales people’ in the world, always going out to win souls for the Kingdom of God. But if we want to learn the ‘secret’ to how the ‘top dogs in our industry’ do it, let’s look at one of the greatest Apostles that ever lived, and what he has to say in that matter.

 

1 Corinthians 2:1-2

And I, brethren, when I came to you, did not come with excellence of speech or of wisdom declaring to you the testimony of God. For I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified.

1. DO NOT rely on your own strength or understanding, but on the Wisdom of Christ

Paul the Apostle realized where power lies, and that power is not our human wisdom or abilities, but in the knowledge of Jesus Christ our Lord. (Ephesians 1:17 and Philippians 3:8)

 

1 Corinthians 2:3

I was with you in weakness, in fear, and in much trembling.

2. RELATE to the people you are reaching out to

There’s no better way to put it than in Jesus’ own words in Mt 22:39, “…You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”

As Christians we are called to bear the reproach of our Lord and of those around us. (Heb 13:13)

 

1 Corinthians 2:4-5

And my speech and my preaching were not with persuasive words of human wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, that your faith should not be in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.

3. Minister in the SPIRIT

One of the conditions for “Genuine Salvation” by world renowned Healing Evangelist Rev. Benny Hinn is that the new believer must have an “experience” with the Holy Spirit in order to be saved.

An encounter with God is always better than a thousand words of persuasive preaching, because one touch from Heaven is enough to last that believer for their entire lifetime, and that they will know that our God is REAL!

 

In closing, here’s an additional point that Paul mentioned that will help us greatly in learning how to move in the Spirit.

1 Corinthians 2:4-5

“ Eye has not seen, nor ear heard,
Nor have entered into the heart of man
The things which God has prepared for those who love Him.

 

The root of our Salvation is always to Love Jesus and to acknowledge Him as our Lord and Savior, thus offering us forgiveness of our sins & eternal lives. (Rom 10:9)

We know that to love Jesus also means to love the Father who sent Jesus (John 16:27), and to love the Holy Spirit that dwelled in Jesus when He was on earth, and now dwells in us! (John 15:26)

Loving God = Loving the Holy Spirit

Mark 16:17

And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues;

Loving the Holy Spirit means to be unashamed of the manifestations that He brings into our lives, such as speaking in Tongues and carrying out Signs & Wonders.

When we do that, the Anointing of the Holy Spirit will increase tremendously in our lives (of course along with the amount of time we spend waiting on Him and in His Word) and with His Anointing, we are geared up to be effective witnesses for Christ, testifying the Risen Lord in SPIRIT & IN TRUTH.

It is well with my soul

Just a thought about this beautiful worship song we were singing earlier this week in Church, as I was meditating on the lyrics, I just started to see the picture of why many people fail to see the manifestation of God’s blessings in their lives.

Words from the chorus…

 

Jesus Loves me, calls me His own

To be called “His own” shows that we have an obligation and a responsibility as HIS CHILD, and like all earthly families, a child spends time with his parents. A child waits upon his parents. A child depends on his parents, sometimes even unconditionally and shamelessly!! But that is the closeness and the bond between a parent and a child.

And that is the exact same relationship that the Lord has called us into, whether in the area of spending time in prayer, or meditating on the Word, or even simply just the lifestyles that we live day to day, does it give glory or even acknowledge the omnipresence of the Holy Spirit in our lives?

 

Jesus Loves me, He makes me whole

When we receive Jesus into our lives, Salvation in His Name brings us wholeness in our spirits, for we are saved, and we no longer have that void in our spirits. Salvation in His Name also brings Healing to our physical bodies when we confess it and receive it by faith.

As Christians, when we partake in the Holy Communion, the bread that signifies the Lord’s Body brings healing and wholeness into our physical beings as well.

 

Jesus Loves me, Heart overflows

The Holy Spirit is like a River of Joy that flows out of God’s heart into our own, and when we receive the Baptism of the Holy Spirit and speak in tongues, Rivers of water will flow out of our bellies, and our hearts will overflow with the Joy of the Lord.

 

It is well, it is well with my soul

A soul is different from a spirit, whereby a soul actually signifies the thoughts and emotions of a person. Now most often our emotions are always tied with the things that we experience in our earthly realm.

For instance, money. The Bible strongly emphasizes that our emotions are strongly moved by our material processions, for it says in Matthew 6:21, “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

But many people fail to understand that the Lord is not only concerned with our spiritual well being, but He is also in fact very concerned over our physical well being as well! (Read Mt 6:25-34)

But they key to having material blessings is not to chase after them or become obsessed with worldliness. (Mt 6:19-20)

Jesus gives us the key to having an abundance not just in Heaven, but here on earth. And going back to the basics, it’s all about the Parent-Child relationship that we ought to have with our Heavenly Father…

 

But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. – Mt 6:33

 

Be Blessed

Trust is an ACT, not a feeling

¹⁸ He delivered me from my strong enemy,
      From those who hated me;
      For they were too strong for me.

¹⁹ They confronted me in the day of my calamity,
      But the LORD was my support.

²⁰ He also brought me out into a broad place;
      He delivered me because He delighted in me.

2 Samuel 22:18-20

 

2 Samuel 22 holds a very popular psalm that King David wrote to the Lord during his kingship over Israel (Psalms 18). These few versus often describe the trials that we go through in our own lives, and the “Goliaths” that we face each day (1 Sam 17).

 

Characteristic of the Enemy: STRONG, “too strong for me”, and often we are tempted to flee from the battleground or like King Saul, to jump ahead of God (1 Sam 13). But God tells us in verse 19 very specifically when He will come to our rescue.

“They confronted me in the day of my calamity,
      But the LORD was my support.”

We know the promises of God. Most Christians often have their Bibles less than a foot away from them at all times, some of us even have PDA Bibles or online Bibles that we have access to any time of the day, BUT most of us forget what God is able to do and we go into panic mode.

But King David says, “As for God, His way is perfect; The word of the LORD is proven; He is a shield to all who trust in Him. – 2 Samuel 22:31

 

Once we trust in the Lord, verse 20 tells us that God brings us out into a broad place and that God delivered King David because He (the Lord) delighted in him (David)!

Now if we want to know what we must do in order for God to delight in us, let’s look at David’s own life and what exactly he did to please God.

 

But now your kingdom shall not continue. The LORD has sought for Himself a man after His own heart, and the LORD has commanded him to be commander over His people, because you have not kept what the LORD commanded you.” – 1 Sam 13:14

There are two things in David which delighted the Lord.

 

1. A man after His own heart

Having a heart after God’s heart is not easy because it requires the laying down of one’s pride, desires and even lifestyle, for obedience to God must be unconditional.

There is an old song in our Church, that goes like this.

Create in me, a new heart, one that follows You… Place in me, a deep desire, to know You as I’m known… Set my feet, in Your ways, to be worthy of Your call… Draw me near, to You Lord, every single day…

And that’s what it takes to have a heart after God – complete obedience.

Trust is an Act of OBEDIENCE to the VOICE of God.

 

2. A man who kept His commandments

Throughout the history of King Saul’s reign, he repeatedly broke God’s commandments and was not at all remorseful of them.

In 1 Sam 13:11, Saul went ahead of the Prophet Samuel and offered up the burnt offering to the Lord, and when Samuel appeared, Saul pushed the blame to the PEOPLE, instead of being sorry.

In 1 Sam 15, Saul, having been given a clear and direct instruction from Samuel to “utterly destroy ALL that they have" (talking about the Amalekites that Israel were to attack), went against the Word of God and spared the best of the land for himself!

And yet again in verse 21, he blamed it on the people!

 

Now let’s look in comparison to King David.

In 2 Samuel 11, David commits adultery with Bathsheba, and in 2 Sam 12:7, the Prophet Nathan confronts David with a Word from the Lord, and look at what David does.

In verse 13, David replies “I have sinned against the Lord.” And following that is what is well known today as the Psalm of Penance in Psalms 51, where David comes before the Lord with a broken and contrite spirit and pleads the Lord’s forgiveness.

 

Friends, God does not expect us to live a perfect life without sin, which is why He gave us His Grace in Jesus to wash away our sin continually until eternity (Rom 5). But what God wants is a repentant heart, one that always strives to be one with God, that even when sin gets in the way, a faithful heart is not one that never falls, but it is one that will always get up and walk again when it falls.

Trust is an Act of OBEDIENCE to the WORD of God.

 

In closing, let me just summarize this post. Being human beings in this world, we will always face the temptation to compromise on our spiritual values and follow the way of the world. But Psalms 37 tells us,

Do not fret because of evildoers,
         Nor be envious of the workers of iniquity.
² For they shall soon be cut down like the grass,
         And wither as the green herb.

³ Trust in the LORD, and do good;
         Dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness.
⁴ Delight yourself also in the LORD,
         And He shall give you the desires of your heart.
⁵ Commit your way to the LORD,
         Trust also in Him,
         And He shall bring it to pass.

 

Let us always remain steadfast in our faith, trusting the Lord BY Obeying His Voice and His Word, always remembering that when He delights in us, He will help at exactly the right moment, for He is God, and He knows how to deliver His people who call upon His Name.

Entering into the Cloud of Glory through Praise

 

In 2 Chronicles 5, King Solomon dedicates the House of God, and in the original Hebrew text, the Glory of God that fills the house is known as “Shekinah", which simply means the manifestation of God’s Glory in our earthly realm.

Praise brings about the Shekinah Glory of God, and in order to experience this level of spiritual encounters, there are several things we must observe in Scripture, as the people in the time of Solomon did above.

 

2 Chronicles 5:13 tells us that the musicians and the people “were as one”, showing Unity in the Church of God.

Then Scripture tells us that their purpose was to “make one sound to be heard”, and this requires great humility for people to gather, and throw aside their own interests and laying down their desires for the Body of Christ (1 Cor 12:20-26).

Finally, in order to praise God till His Glory falls, we must be gathered together as a congregation, as a body, in other words, as a Church, for “the house of the LORD, was filled with a cloud”

 

Enjoy the experience, and always remember that the Glory of the Lord is not to be treated lightly, but to be dealt with utmost reverence, respect and awe, for the things of the Holy Spirit.

“so that the priests could not continue ministering because of the cloud; for the glory of the LORD filled the house of God.” – 2 Chronicles 5:14

Be Blessed

Ruben

Entering into the Realm of Breakthrough

 

God always works according to the level of your faith. But faith without works, ie: ACTIONS, is dead (James 2:20). Although faith is a gift of the Holy Spirit, freely given by grace to those that believe in the Son of God (1 Cor 12:9 and Eph 2:8), it is to be acted upon, and not complacently portrayed by shallow Christians whose intent is plainly self-glorification.

Jesus despises complacency, or laziness so much, that He says in the parable of the talents, “‘For to everyone who has, more will be given, and he will have abundance; but from him who does not have, even what he has will be taken away.” (Mt 25:29)

Stepping into the fourth dimensional realm of breakthrough requires the Activation of Faith, and the Bible shows us two simple steps in doing so. However with simplicity also comes effort and diligence in seeking the things of the Kingdom.

 

(i) Confessing the Word

When God speaks to you in a particular scripture, you need to repeat that scripture over and over again, because the Word of God is LIFE (John 1:4), and you are actually breathing life into that particular promise of God!

 

(ii) Speaking in Tongues

Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? - 1 Cor 3:16

The most powerful being in the entire universe, dwells in us. He is the Holy Spirit, He is GOD. Speaking in Tongues is the new testament evidence of the Holy Spirit dwelling in us (Acts 2:4). When you speak in Tongues, you are not only speaking the language of the Holy Spirit, you are also allowing Him to intercede and to pray for you and through you (Rom 8:26).

In order to activate our Spiritual Gifts, we need to step into the supernatural, and the easiest way for us to do that is by speaking in Tongues.

In order to release your faith once you have that scripture embedded into your heart, you need to pray in the Spirit, and this releases faith and allows you to step into the spirit realm and incubate the desires of your heart until its manifestation in the natural.

 

Be Blessed!

Ben Love

The Anointing of the Holy Spirit

Hello!  (:

Welcome to my blog, this is my first official post since way back in 2006!! Boy has it been a long long time!! Haha

My name is Ruben, most of you know me as Ben, and I’m an executive with 2 businesses and am also on my way to becoming a full time Christian minister in the next 5 years.

Like many social entrepreneurs, my dream is to be a marketplace apostle and evangelist, preaching the Word of God and planting Churches in Asia.

As CEO and as a future Pastor, the important thing is to always know where Power lies, and the Power of God that I need to build a business and to grow a Church is in the Holy Spirit, the third crucial member of the Holy Trinity.

Shekinah

Now I met the Holy Spirit at a much later date in my Christian walk, somewhere around late 2008. The discovery of Him as a person was made clear to me through one of the most Charismatic Church planters I’ve ever met, Dr. Phil Pringle, Senior Minister of Christian City Church, Sydney Australia.

Ever since then, I began a different Christian walk, not one that was controlling and contained, but one which was Dynamic and Liberating, because the Holy Spirit is someone who can set your personalities FREE!!!

And in the next couple of months, that’ll be the main topic that I’m gonna be blogging about, other than my Daily Devotionals and Daily Interact® columns, because in John 1:4, the Bible says that the Holy Spirit is LIFE!

And without this life we cannot operate and function as successful spiritual beings. Keeping Heaven in mind while running this race on earth, let us always have the end in mind and be good finishers.

God Bless You guys, and may His anointing increase in your lives!

Ruben Potter