Our Power for Ministry

“But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.” [Act 1:8 KJV]

When Jesus gave this commission to His disciples it was sealed with a promise with the anticipation of the coming Holy Ghost. God has given us this precious gift to abide with us forever, “Peter said…repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ, for the remission of sins and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost” (Acts 2:38). The disciples were instructed to “…wait in Jerusalem until ye be endued with power from on high” (Lk. 24:29). Before the disciples started their ministry (or commission) they were instructed to wait for the power to come upon them, and if you remember, even Jesus had received the Holy Spirit before He went into His ministry and we too, need the Holy Ghost before we do what God has called us to do.  For He, the Holy Ghost is our companion, our teacher, our guide our help and our closes friend. He helps us to remember God’s Word, He bears witness with our spirit, that we are children of God (Rom.8:16), He is available to all believers, there is no condemnation with Him, and when we don’t know how or what to pray He prays for us – the list is limitless.

This commission is also our directive to follow and receive the gift of God “…how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask Him?” (Lk. 11:13).  Now many of Christ followers today, may not be able to become a traveling evangelist, or stand amongst thousands preaching the gospel, or have a large T.V. ministry, but with the advancement of technology we can now reach nations world-wide and as close as our own family.  We need the Holy Ghost help since we have accepted this commission, we need His help in witnessing, preaching the gospel, healing the sick, casting out devils, and an array of other skills that He possesses. We don’t have to do this alone or in our own strength or power, and we don’t walk alone any longer. The Holy Ghost is with us even when we forget that He is there, and even when we forget to call for His help.  

I pray that the information below will be helpful in how to receive the Baptism in the Holy Spirit. God says “Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you” (Mt. 7:7). Remember the Holy Spirit is a gift from God, receive this precious gift with great love, search the Bible concerning the Holy Spirit, for He is a wonderful person to know.

How does one receive the Baptism of the Holy Spirit?

*Conversion must come first – “A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you a hear of flesh. And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them.  (Eze. 36:26-27)”.   “Jesus answered and said unto him, verily, verily, I say unto thee. Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God…Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God (Jn. 3:3,5)”.

*You must become converted and as little children – “…Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the Kingdom of heaven (Mt. 18:3)”.  “Verily I say unto you, whosoever shall not receive the Kingdom of God as a little child, he shall not enter therein (Mk.10:15)”.

*Obey the great commandment – “Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself (Mt. 22: 37-39)”.  “And he answering said, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbor as thyself (Lk. 10:27)”.

*Obey God – “And we are his witnesses of these things, and so is also the Holy Ghost, whom God hath given to them that obey him (Acts 5:32)”.  Obedience is better than sacrifice according to (1 Sam. 15:22).  

*Have Faith to receive – “And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place…there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house…And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance (Acts 2:1-4)”.

*Let your faith stand in the power of God, and not in the wisdom of men – “And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man’s wisdom but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power. Than your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God (1 Cor. 2:4-5)”.

*Determine to know only Christ crucified – “For I determined not to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified (1 Cor.2:2)”.  “Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved (Acts 4:12)”. “For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ (1 Cor. 3:11)”.

*Relax and surrender every bit of yourself to God, especially your mind and your pride in intellect and worldly wisdom, for they mean nothing to God and are foolishness to Him – “For Christ sent me not to baptize, but to preach the gospel: not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of none effect. For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God.  For it is written, I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and will bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent (1 Cor. 1:17-19)”.  “But he giveth more grace.  Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble. Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you, cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded (James 4:6-8)”.

*The laying on of hands sometimes helps but is not always necessary – “Then laid they their hands on them, and they received the Holy Ghost (Acts 8:17)”. “While Peter yet spake these words, the Holy Ghost fell on all them which heard the Word (Acts 10:44)”. “And when Paul had laid his hands upon them, the Holy Ghost came on them; and they spake with tongues, and prophesied (Acts 19:6)”. “wherefore I put thee in remembrance that thou stir up the gift of God, which is in thee by the putting on of my hands (2 Tim 1:6)”.

*Finally, ask the Father, and He will give you the baptism in the Holy Spirit – “If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto you children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirits to them that ask him? (Lk. 11:13)”.

We have been given this wonderful gift of God and He comes to live in every believer forever.  He gives us the power to stand courageous when rebuking sin “but truly I am full of power by the Spirit of the Lord, and of judgment, and of might, to declare unto Jacob his transgressions, and to Israel his sin” (Micah 3:8). He’s mightier than any physical force “…this is the word of the Lord unto Zerubbabel, saying, Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, saith the Lord of Host” (Zech. 4:6). The Spirit enables us to speak with authority “And with great power gave the apostles witness of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus and great grace was upon them all” (Acts 4:33).

Whatever doubts that come to your mind about receiving the Holy Spirit, cast them out immediately. The adversary – the devil, will cause you to think that nothing has happen. You receive your salvation by faith and therefore you receive the Holy Spirit by faith in what God has promised us in the Word. When the devil comes to make you doubt, do as Jesus did by saying; “it is written” (Mt. 4:3-11) use the sword of the Spirit that is the Word of God.  Humble yourselves into His hands so that He can help you in every area of your life, it is in our surrendering to Him that we are strengthened to live and walk in this darken world. Keep God’s Word before your eyes daily and in your ears, worship and praise Him for every victory, live each day expectantly, love one another and cast all your care upon Him for He cares for you.

Father, thank you for your perfect gift of Jesus Christ, who gave His all for us. Thank you for the promise of the Holy Spirit who will be our comforter and constant companion forever. I ask you to come Holy Spirit, have your way in my life, lead me, guide me, teach me, strengthen me and help me to be an effective witness for Jesus Christ. Teach me to worship God for it is written “but the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in Spirit and in truth; for the Father seek such to worship him. God is a Spirit and they that worship Him must worship Him in Spirit and in truth” (John. 4:23-24).  Show me how to have a full and effective ministry that will reach millions for Christ and that I may boldly proclaim the gospel of God in the power of the Holy Ghost with signs following. Thank you, Father, for loving me and all your children. In the name of Jesus Christ, I pray amen.

Chosen2Prayer

Promises and Power of God

Jn. 3:27 “…a man can receive nothing, except it be given him from heaven.”

Rom. 8:25 “…then do we with patience wait for it.”

“According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that [pertain] unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue:” (2Peter 1:3). All that we will ever need is in Him, for He is our source for strength, ability, might, and power and He has given to us these thigs where we draw strength, endurance, faith to work the work He has given for us to do. His Word is His promise that we can trust completely in: “for all the promises of God in him are yea (yes) and in him amen (truly, so be it), unto the glory of God by us” 2 Cor:1:2.  What a wonderful blessing to know that in God His promises are sure, His Word is sure, and that not one promise of God is “no” to those who will believe. If He said it will he not do it?

As we look in Matthew 17:20 we see Jesus speaking; “… if you have faith as a grain of mustard seed, you shall say unto this mountain, remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove...” this is a powerful statement, the story here was that the disciples were unable to cast out a demon from a young man and the father went to Jesus to see if He could help his son. Of course, Jesus was successful but He told the disciples "But this kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting" Mat. 17:21 (NASB). unbelief or doubt is a killer to faith, it hinders our prayers from being answered, it stops the Word from producing fruit when we speak it because our faith is mixed with doubt.

If you have faith it will be done – whatever you say – but if you do not have faith it will not be done. We need this mustard seed of faith that which is pure and unmixed with doubt, to know that we can move every mountain, every obstacle, every road block that tries to hinder what God has given us to do. As you begin to search the Bible for the promises of God your faith will awaken, there will be a knowing that is birth within that is indescribable because faith has been stirred.  Never should doubt or fear come in us when God has called us to do something, in fact just kick those out of your vocabulary right now and know that “…nothing shall be impossible unto you” (Mt. 17:20).

Our Mustard seed faith is very powerful, if you have ever seen an actual mustard seed you will know that, that tiny seed is like an atom bomb waiting to be connected with your belief and what God’s Word says we have. And when it is released, it becomes the power of God, and the faith of God that will move the mountains and all that stands in our way.  There is great power even in a little faith when we trust in God’s power to act. The next time you feel weak or powerless, examine your faith, make sure you are trusting God’s power and not your own ability to produce fruit. 

A good example of this is in 1 Samuel 15, here you will find Saul who was anointed King over Israel, who was victorious over many of the enemies of Israel because of God’s hand upon him. But something went wrong in his thinking, he didn’t follow God’s command completely, he disobeys God in the taking of the king and the best of the animals (1 Sam.15:8-9).  Then, he intruded into the priest office by offering a burnt offering (1 Sam. 13:8-15), If men could only learn to obey God and be patient until He sends help in times of need, it would be a great lesson learned. Then he sought guidance from one with a familiar spirit, the same people he had vanquished and destroyed he was now seeking their help (1 Sam. 28:7-25).  

 Saul chose to do these things because he feared the people more than God, he was prideful and then in desperation he totally disobeyed the laws of God, the one who had given him victory over many of his enemies. But he never realized that disobedience to what God called him to had such a dire consequence.  You see, when God has given you a word, a task or a calling, and you fail in obeying or you half-heartily follow it or you are fearful of what people would say, the one at fault is you. Saul did not see himself as one at fault, he thought it was the people he feared, it was his impatience, and it was Samuel who had died and left him. He was the king the people followed him, as his faith weakened and an evil spirit rested upon him the people’s faith was lacking and as he disobeyed the people followed.

Saul is an example that shows us how life can become when we walk in our own ways and thoughts. Remember, we have the power of God in us, that is, those who have truly received the atoning work of Jesus as Lord of their lives. We have been given a precious gift when Jesus said; “I will pray the Father, and He shall give you another comforter, that He may abide with you for ever” (John 14:16). This comforter, is the precious Holy Spirit, He is living in us, He is that power behind the mustard seed faith, He is that power that raised Jesus and Lazarus from their grave, and He is that power that worked when God said “Let there be…” When God calls us, we should let nothing stop us from going forth to do the will of God. And as we walk in obedience to God’s will good fruit will come forth.

Accessing the promises of God requires that we “have faith in God” and doubt not. For when we meet this condition we can thus know and believe that “…what things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them” (Mark 11:24). We must ask according to God’s will our desires, what is your desire you ask? God’s will is God’s Word and God’s Word is your desire.  Ask in faith, believing and never doubting, for the deeper we get into Gods Word, and the more time we spend in His presence a relationship develops, an intimacy that you have never known is being formed.  And suddenly, all that you thought was vital to your existence no longer has priority, and every trial or situation has lost its urgency because now you know what it means when God say’s “but seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you” (Mt. 6:33).

The desires of your heart are no longer worldly, for God does see the condition you’re in, He knows what you are facing, He has promised never to leave you or forsake you. So, let your faith stand strong knowing that he is an on - time God, let God handle the issues of your life and let Him work everything out according to His plans for you – in the meantime, continue to praise him, to pray unto Him, to seek Him, to study His Word and to love His presence, for He is faithful.

One other condition I want to mention is that “if ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will and it shall be done unto you” (Jn. 15:7). Abiding in Christ, means living free from condemnation, knowing we are no longer bound to our sins, for Christ has freed us, he has washed us white as snow and we are now adopted into the family of God.  And therefore, we have the privilege of coming to the Father in prayer at any time with our desires, needs and wants. And with unwavering faith, God will do nothing in our favour without faith. It is right that we should have confidence in him; and if we have confidence, it is easy for him to help us, and he willingly does it. (Barnes' Notes on the New Testament) Because we understand that “…all things are possible to him that believeth” (Mk 9:23). Because “without faith it is impossible to please God for when we come to God, we must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him” (Heb. 11:6). For God, cannot deny His word or Himself.

Chosen2Prayer

The God who sees...

“…the God who sees me, for she said “I have seen the One who sees me!” (Gen 16:13 NLT)

El-roi – The God who sees

Sometimes it’s hard to grasp the idea that God does see all things, for many times we ask the question “God don’t you see what is happening?” At these moments our state of mind is not clear and neither can it remember any scriptures.  Hagar was in a precarious situation, she was running away from Sarai her mistress, because Sarai’s actions had cause her to be jealous of her handmaiden, who now was carrying her husband’s child.

You must remember this, that God sees even our mistakes, our evil hearts, our wrong motives and even our wrong attitudes as well as our ways and actions. Even our thinking is not hidden from Him:

            “The Lord knows the thought of man…” (Ps.94:11)

You see, sometimes our actions for the better good, (our own way) of solving a problem, only causes the problem to get worse, thereby causing our decision to bite us in the end. God also sees that we are not following His instructions when things happen:

            “Casting all your care upon him…” (1Peter 5:7)

He does see that we are trying to fix something that we are not qualified to fix. Know this, there is no problem too complicated for God to fix, but you must be willing to give it to Him completely and let Him work it out.  You never know what blessings God has in store for you, until you walk-it-out, walk out the pain, walk out the disappointment, walk out the frustration, walk out the anger and walk into blessings.

Now does God see you and all that is going on? I say emphatically YES, He sees and He is ready to help you walk through.  What must we do? Take every problem, every situation, and every negative event to God in Prayer, be comforted in knowing God is in control, be faithful to God and His promises, be strong to stand upon the Word, be grateful for the love God has for you and be sure that He will never leave you nor forsake you.

Prayer:

Father God, I thank you that you see and know what I am going through. Help me Lord to cast this burden upon you for you care for me. I release all my concerns, all my anxieties, all my fears and all my stresses and because you see, I can rest knowing that you are completely in control.  Thank you for your answer to my prayers and thank you for your loving care in my life. In the name of Jesus Christ I pray, amen.

Chosen2Prayer