The Holy Spirit

 Once we accept Jesus as our Redeemer, we are filled with the Holy Spirit.  This indwelling by the Holy Spirit in us, convicts us of our sins.

Suddenly we start recalling when and where we have sinned.  And this brings about repentance.  Once we have repented of our sins, GOD forgives us.  And our sins are removed from us.

This gives us a new found freedom.  Suddenly, although we know and accept that we sinners and will always be sinners, we no longer have to carry the burden of our sins. Jesus has taken them all to the cross and paid the price for us.

This does not mean that we can carry on sinning.  Because sin separates us from GOD.  So the Holy Spirit convicts us before we sin.  

In order to have the Holy Spirit living in us, we need to be in a living relationship with GOD.

This means communing with GOD about everything.  This means knowing the will of our FATHER in Heaven.

Prayer:  ABBA FATHER, thank YOU that I am filled with YOUR Holy Spirit.  Thank YOU FATHER that YOU have forgiven my sins.  FATHER show me how to sin less and less.  I pray this in the Holy Name of Jesus Christ.  Amen.

Stay truly GOD blessed today!

Our free will versus the Will of GOD!

 We were each born with free will.  This is our gift from GOD.  We are free to choose to serve GOD and believe in Jesus.  Or we are free to disown our Heavenly FATHER.

For GOD loves us so that HE gave to each one of us the choice to love HIM too.

GOD loved us first.  And GOD loves each one of us.  However, before the world began GOD devised a Holy Plan to be able to bring us into fellowship with HIM.

I believe that this is the predestination spoken of in the book of Paul's letter to the Ephesians.  What Paul is explaining here is that GOD loves us all.  But we can choose to be a believer in GOD.  We can choose to accept that we are sinners and that sin has separated us from the love of GOD.

We can choose to believe that GOD sent HIS only Son to take our place on that cross of Calvary and to die for the wrath of GOD to be poured out on Jesus for our sins.

The GOD we serve is pure and Holy and righteous and cannot be in the presence of sin.  Sin has broken our bonds with GOD.  The only way for us to be in the presence of GOD is to be a believer in Jesus Christ.  Without Jesus, even if we somehow managed to live in the Law, we can never be pure enough or Holy enough to be in a relationship with GOD.

But GOD predestined us to have our Messiah and to be able to accept that we are sinners and that through faith and the grace of GOD we can enter back into fellowship with GOD.  The only way for us to do this is to accept Jesus Christ as our Redeemer.

Do this today!  Do not delay, we know not what tomorrow brings!

Prayer:  ABBA FATHER, thank YOU that through my faith in Jesus Christ and by YOUR grace, I can call myself a child of GOD.  Co heir with Jesus Christ.  My Lord and my Saviour.  I thank YOU in the Holy Name of Jesus Christ.  Amen.

Stay truly GOD blessed today!

Changed in the Holy Spirit!

 When we are filled with the Holy Spirit, we will be changed.  There is no way that we can stay the way we were before.

A change looks like something.  We begin to question our motives, our ways and our lives.

And that is the Holy Spirit convicting us to be more and more like Jesus.

Paul speaks of this in his second letter to the Corinthians.  This letter, I feel, is more of an admonishment to the Corinthians.

If we do not change when we are believers in Jesus, we are not truly faithful to Jesus.  Jesus would not tolerate worldliness.  We need to separate ourselves from the things of this world and to look forward to our lives in eternity with Jesus.

Prayer:  ABBA FATHER, I cry out to YOU, make me more and more like Jesus each and every day.  I pray this in the Holy Name of Jesus Christ.  My Lord and my Saviour.  Amen.

Stay truly GOD blessed today!

The Will of GOD and the Holy Spirit!

 When Jesus elected to be baptized by John the Baptist, the will of GOD was done. And the Holy Spirit was poured out on Him.

That is how we know if we are living in the will of GOD.  The Holy Spirit is poured out on us.

If we do not feel the Holy Spirit living in us and convicting us of the Will of GOD, we are not doing the Will of GOD.

To claim to be a born again Christian, we need to be following Jesus.  We need to be in a living prayerful, close relationship with our FATHER in Heaven.

Today, accept Jesus Christ as the Lord and Saviour, pray for the forgiveness of sins and feel the Holy Spirit poured out in you.

Prayer:  ABBA FATHER, I want to feel the Holy Spirit living and working in me.  I pray this in the Holy Name of Jesus Christ.  Amen.

Stay prayerfully GOD blessed today!

The Power of the Holy Spirit

 The Holy Spirit is sent to live in each one of us when we accept Jesus Christ as our Saviour.  The Holy Spirit comes upon us and dwells in us.

This is the power of the Holy Spirit, by which, if we sin, once we are saved, we are convicted of our sins.  In other words, we know when we are sinning and the Holy Spirit guides us and helps us to grow in our faith so that we sin less and less.

If you do not feel the power of the Holy Spirit, perhaps it is time to reflect if you are indeed convicted.  It is time to reflect if we are sinning and whether we need to spend more time with GOD and Jesus in prayer and reflection.

The Holy Spirit is our guide, our helper and our comforter.  The Holy Spirit also helps us to see the good works which our FATHER has prepared for us to do in advance.  

So if you are not seeing a way to do good works, if you do not feel helped or comforted, it is again time to do some inner reflection and see whether we are living as Jesus would do on earth or whether we are exercising our will over that which our FATHER wants for us.

Today, take some time and reflect on these things.  Perhaps go back to basics and go down on our knees and ask GOD to fill us anew with HIS Holy Spirit.  Remembering to ask for forgiveness of our sins while we are praying.  Because we are sinners!

Prayer:  ABBA FATHER, today I humbly ask that YOU forgive my sins as I forgive those who sin against me.  I ask FATHER that YOU fill me anew with YOUR Holy Spirit as I acknowledge Jesus as my Lord and my Saviour.  I pray this in the Holy Name of Jesus Christ.  Amen.

Stay truly GOD blessed today!

Christ living in me!

 When we accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and our Saviour, we also need to accept that Jesus took all of our sins onto that cross.  Past, present and future.

However, through our acceptance of the Saviour, Christ Jesus, we should try our very best to no longer sin.

Each sin was carried onto that cross.  So, if after our conversion, we continue to sin, we crucify Christ again and again.

Therefore, our conversion or rebirth, needs to look like something.  It needs to show our spiritual walk in Jesus.  We need to modify our language.  We need to modify our thoughts.  We need to modify the company we keep and the things we read and watch.   Everything we do from now on, should be to the glory of our FATHER in Heaven or we are not truly born again.

Prayer:  Heavenly FATHER convict me today of my sins.  Show me how to live with Christ in me and how to shine HIS light on earth.  I pray this in the Holy Name of Jesus Christ.  Amen.

Stay truly GOD blessed today!

GOD gives us life!

Isaiah 42:5

King James Version

5 Thus saith GOD the Lord, HE that created the heavens, and stretched them out; HE that spread forth the earth, and that which cometh out of it; HE that giveth breath unto the people upon it, and spirit to them that walk therein:

All life is given by GOD and only GOD can take our lives.  As such it is our responsibility on earth to cherish the life we have been given.  But not only our lives, the lives of all people are to be cherished.  

That is why Jesus said that the greatest commandment is to love the LORD our GOD with all our hearts and all our minds and all our strength. GOD is the one who gifted us our lives. Without HIM we would not be here.

 But Jesus went on to say that we need to love one another just as we are to love ourselves.

Matthew 22:36-40

New King James Version

36 “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?”

37 Jesus said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ 38 This is the first and great commandment. 39 And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbour as yourself.’ 40 On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.”

One day we are all going to be called to give an account of lives to GOD  when we die and go to our FATHER.

Today, are we living our lives as if it is a gift from GOD?  

Prayer: ABBA FATHER, I thank YOU for the life you have given me to live.  Help me to live the best way I can on earth in order to bring honour and glory to YOU.  I pray this in the Holy Name of Jesus Christ.  Amen.

Stay graciously GOD blessed today!

Walk for the LORD and grow in HIS knowledge!

 Once we are filled with the Holy Spirit, we need to walk worthy of GOD.  This means that our lives should now be dedicated to GOD and not to the things of this world.  We should desire in all that we think, say and do to glorify GOD.

It is no use saying that we born again Christians and walking in our old ways.  Our new birth should signify our walk with our FATHER and towards an everlasting life with HIM.

Therefore we need to spend much more time thinking about pleasing GOD than pleasing ourselves.  We need to pray about everything before we do it and not just when things are not going as we want.

We need to have a living relationship with our FATHER.

Prayer:  ABBA FATHER, today, I pray that I become more worthy of YOUR grace.  I pray that YOU guide me in all that I think, all that I say and all that I do.  I pray this in the Holy Name of our Lord and our Saviour, Jesus Christ.  Amen!

Stay graciously GOD blessed today!

The Holy Spirit working in us!

 Filled with the Holy Spirit

1 Corinthians 6:19

19 Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own;

Once we accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and our Saviour, and we truly repent of our sins, GOD sends the Holy Spirit to come and live in us.

Therefore, once we accept Jesus, we are no longer living our lives in our own will.  Our bodies become the temple in which the Holy Spirit is dwelling.  This means, that we will change.

It is a metamorphosis.  The things of the world should begin to grow strangely dim.  Our focus is now on creating a long, enduring relationship with our FATHER in Heaven.

This change needs to manifest in some ways.  Our choice of the company we keep, the books we want to read, the movies we want to watch, the language and talk that we no longer wish to hear should all take place.  But the greatest change will be that we want to pray about everything.  Nothing is our decision to make.  We want to involve our FATHER in Heaven in our lives.  This means a living close relationship.  Fellowship daily and reading our Scriptures daily.  Attending Church, being with like-minded people. 

If you are contemplating accepting Jesus as your Lord and Saviour, do not delay any longer.  Your life may depend on it.

Prayer:  ABBA FATHER, I thank YOU that YOU have sent the Holy Spirit to dwell in me.  FATHER I pray that our relationship deepens day by day.  I pray this in the Holy Name of Jesus Christ.  Amen.

Stay truly GOD blessed today! 

Our hope is in Jesus!

 Ephesians 1:18

New King James Version

18 the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints,

Our hope is in the risen Jesus.  If Jesus did not rise from the dead, everything we believe is of no value.  However, if Jesus did indeed rise from the dead, all the promises are fulfilled.
Our Saviour, came to earth, added humanity to His deity.  He was born of a virgin, lived a sinless life, performed signs and wonders and miracles on earth.  He was tempted but never succumbed to temptation.  Was sinless and was tortured and crucified for our sins on that cross.  He died and was buried for three days and three nights, thereby fulfilling the Scriptures.  And He rose from the dead, and conquered death.  That brought us back to GOD.  The promises that were made have been fulfilled.  In that through a man, sin became flesh on earth - Adam.  And through a Man - Jesus - sin was dealt with, once and for all on that cross.
Therefore we have salvation in Jesus Christ.  If we will but believe.  So today, take Jesus as Lord and Saviour of your life, accept the promise and have hope in your future.  When you die, Jesus is the mediator between you and GOD.  Repent of your sins and unburden your life today.
Prayer:  ABBA FATHER, I thank YOU that the promise of salvation through Jesus has been fulfilled.  I thank YOU in the Holy Name of Jesus Christ.  Amen.
Stay faithfully GOD blessed today!

 The Risen Christ.

1 Corinthians 15

King James Version

15 Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand;

2 By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain.

3 For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures;

4 And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:

5 And that he was seen of Cephas, then of the twelve:

6 After that, he was seen of above five hundred brethren at once; of whom the greater part remain unto this present, but some are fallen asleep.

7 After that, he was seen of James; then of all the apostles.

8 And last of all he was seen of me also, as of one born out of due time.

9 For I am the least of the apostles, that am not meet to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God.

If Jesus did not conquer death, our hope is in vain.  But Jesus did indeed conquer death and through this, we are able to have hope in our life after death.

Sin separates us from GOD, and only with Jesus standing in our place and taking our sin, can we ever hope to be in the presence of GOD.  Our GOD is Holy and pure.  HE cannot be in the presence of sin and evil.  This is the justification by GOD through Jesus our Lord and our Saviour.  When we believe in Jesus, we are just as if we had never sinned.  Our sins are forgiven and removed from us as far as East is from West.

Today, if you have not done so, accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour.  Believe in Jesus as the Risen Son of GOD.  Ask for forgiveness of your sins, and accept an eternity with GOD our FATHER in Heaven. 

Prayer: Heavenly FATHER, I humbly accept Jesus Christ as my Lord and my Saviour.  I know that Jesus suffered through the pain and torture for me.  Forgive my sins today, FATHER,  I humbly pray this in the Holy name of Jesus Christ.  Amen.

Stay truly GOD blessed today!