I pray today that someone “hears” this. My heart’s desire is never to cause fear, but instead a stirring of the soul, that will cause another to run to Jesus, especially in this hour.
Jesus Christ died once for all so that you and I could be set free FROM sin, not to remain in sin and continue living as we once did. Not sinless perfection but the power to overcome its dominion.
Jesus came to preach the gospel to the poor, to heal the brokenhearted to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those that are oppressed.
The blood of Jesus Christ is more than enough.
We have obtained the grace of God through faith to the saving of our souls. We do not have to remain bound by the chains of addiction, alcoholism, pornography or any other sin that the enemy of our soul desires to hold one captive. Through Jesus Christ, we are no longer slaves to sin and those chains broken.
Have you made your calling and election sure?
Have you believed on Jesus Christ?
Belief is only the beginning.
There is more, as Paul asked in Acts 19, “Have you received the Holy Ghost since you believed?”
Some prefer to say Holy Spirit - take your pick, either way, this is the Spirit of the Living God taking up residence within your “temple”…. We are the church…The temple of God. The Spirit of God dwells in those who are His. He abides in us and we in Him.
Do you know it is this very Holy Ghost that will give you the power to overcome the sin that wants to hold you bound?
It is this same Spirit that raised Jesus Christ from the dead and He who raised Christ from the dead, will also “quicken” or give life to… your mortal bodies by His Spirit that dwells in you…
He will raise those that are dead in Christ first and then all those “which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air…”.
It is the Holy Ghost that will keep you in the hour in which you face weaknesses, distresses, persecutions, sufferings…..
It is the Holy Ghost that will provide you with the power to overcome every obstacle in which you face, because you and I will face them. That is a guarantee in this life.
The question is will you do so without the power of the Holy Ghost that equips us to overcome and for ultimate victory?
It is the Holy Ghost, our Advocate, that will teach us all things and remind us of everything He has told us (in His Word).
It is the Holy Ghost that will allow us to discern and know “the things of the Spirit of God…” These things are foolishness to the “natural man” and he cannot know them…” because they are spiritually discerned.”
We who are Holy Ghost filled can know the mind of Christ…For “who has known the mind of the Lord that he may instruct Him?” But we have the mind of Christ.”
“We” being those that are filled with His Holy Spirit. This same Chapter of 1 Corinthians 2 tells us something precious:
“But as it is written:
“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.” But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God.”
So why then would anyone want to go another second without being filled with the Holy Ghost? Why would anyone forsake this gift so freely given, and as evidenced in speaking in unknown tongues…that Heavenly language, again so freely available to “whosoever will?”
This gift is given to the repentant heart…translated as “metanoia” in the Greek…(metanoia, changing one's mind) ”a turning away from” sin and towards God.
Are you struggling with the desire to give something up?
Go to God earnestly and honestly with this weakness and confess it before Him alone and allow Him to work in you … through His power … (the internal workings) of your inner man… to no longer desire this thing for which holds you bound as well as the power to give it up entirely.
You can rest assured that 1 John 5:4-5 tells us, “For everyone born of God is victorious and overcomes the world; and this is the victory that has conquered and overcome the world, our [continuing, persistent] faith [in Jesus the Son of God]".”
God can and will meet you where you are.
He loves you too much to leave you as you are.
Only be a willing vessel.
Pick up your cross daily, and to die to SELF … follow after Him.
In Jesus Christ mighty name!
Supporting verses below!
Scripture:
Romans 8:9 But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His.
Hebrews 9:
But when Christ came as high priest of the good things that are now already here, he went through the greater and more perfect tabernacle that is not made with human hands, that is to say, is not a part of this creation.
12 He did not enter by means of the blood of goats and calves; but he entered the Most Holy Place once for all by his own blood, thus obtaining eternal redemption.
13 The blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkled on those who are ceremonially unclean sanctify them so that they are outwardly clean.
14 How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God!
15 For this reason Christ is the mediator of a new covenant, that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance—now that he has died as a ransom to set them free from the sins committed under the first covenant.
Ephesians 2:8-9 For it is by grace you have been saved,through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9 not by works, so that no one can boast.
Acts 19:2 He said unto them, Have ye received the Holy Ghost since ye believed? And they said unto him, We have not so much as heard whether there be any Holy Ghost.
Acts 2:38 Then Peter said unto them, 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.
Romans 8:11
But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you.
1 Thessalonians 4:16-17
16 For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:
17 Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.
John 14:26 But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.
1 Corinthians 2:
But as it is written:
“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.”
10 But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God. 11 For what man knows the things of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so no one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God. 12 Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God.
13 These things we also speak, not in words which man’s wisdom teaches but which the Holy Spirit teaches, comparing spiritual things with spiritual. 14 But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. 15 But he who is spiritual judges all things, yet he himself is rightly judged by no one. 16 For “who has known the mind of theLord that he may instruct Him?” But we have the mind of Christ.
Luke 4:18
The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, Because He has anointed Me To preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives And recovery of sight to the blind, Toset at liberty those who are oppressed;
1 John 4:4 (NIV): "You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world."
1 John 5:4-5 (AMP): "For everyone born of God is victorious and overcomes the world; and this is the victory that has conquered and overcome the world—our [continuing, persistent] faith [in Jesus the Son of God]".
Ephesians 6:10-13 (ESV): Encourages being "strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might," putting on the full armor of God to stand firm against spiritual evil.
Romans 8:37 (NIV): "No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.
2 Corinthians 12:9 (ESV): "But he said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.'"
Revelation 21:7 (NASB): "He who overcomes will inherit these things, and I will be his God and he will be My son"
Story of Cornelius and the Holy Ghost infilling as evidenced in speaking in unknown tongues in Acts 10:34-48
Acts 10:34-48
¶“34Peter began his speech by saying, 'I truly understand that God does not show favoritism. 35Rather, in every nation whoever fears God and acts rightly is acceptable to him. 36He sent the word to the children of Israel, preaching good news of peace by Jesus Christ who is the Lord of all nations.' ” (Acts 10:34-36).
¶“37'You yourselves know what happened throughout all Judea, beginning from Galilee, after the baptism which John preached. 38You know how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power. You know how he went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him.' ” (Acts 10:37-38).
¶“39'We are witnesses of everything he did both in the country of the Jews, and in Jerusalem. And then he was killed and hung on a tree. 40God raised him up the third day, and allowed him to be revealed 41—not to all the people, but to witnesses who were previously chosen by God, us included, who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead.' ” (Acts 10:39-41).
¶“42'Jesus himself commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that this Jesus is the One appointed by God as the Judge of the living and the dead. 43All the prophets testify about him, that through his name everyone who believes in him will receive forgiveness of sins.' ” (Acts 10:42-43).
¶“44While Peter was still speaking this message, the Holy Spirit fell on all those who heard the word. 45The Jews who believed, all who had come with Peter, were amazed that the gift of the Holy Spirit was poured out also on the Gentiles. 46For they heard them speaking in other languages and magnifying God.” (Acts 10:44-46).
¶“47Then Peter said, 'Can any man forbid the water to prevent these people from being baptized who have received the Holy Spirit as well as we?' 48So he commanded them to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Then they asked him to stay for some days.” (Acts 10:47-48).
Story of Apollos and the infilling of the Holy Ghost
Acts 18:24–19:20 (NKJV)
Apollos at Ephesus
24 Now a certain Jew named Apollos, born at Alexandria, an eloquent man and mighty in the Scriptures, came to Ephesus.
25 This man had been instructed in the way of the Lord; and being fervent in spirit, he spoke and taught accurately the things of the Lord, though he knew only the baptism of John.
26 So he began to speak boldly in the synagogue. When Aquila and Priscilla heard him, they took him aside and explained to him the way of God more accurately.
27 And when he desired to cross to Achaia, the brethren wrote, exhorting the disciples to receive him; and when he arrived, he greatly helped those who had believed through grace;
28 for he vigorously refuted the Jews publicly, showing from the Scriptures that Jesus is the Christ.
Paul in Ephesus
Acts 19:1–20
1 And it happened, while Apollos was at Corinth, that Paul, having passed through the upper regions, came to Ephesus. And finding some disciples
2 he said to them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?”
So they said to him, “We have not so much as heard whether there is a Holy Spirit.”
3 And he said to them, “Into what then were you baptized?”
So they said, “Into John’s baptism.”
4 Then Paul said, “John indeed baptized with a baptism of repentance, saying to the people that they should believe on Him who would come after him, that is, on Christ Jesus.”
5 When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.
6 And when Paul had laid hands on them, the Holy Spirit came upon them, and they spoke with tongues and prophesied.
7 Now the men were about twelve in all.
8 And he went into the synagogue and spoke boldly for three months, reasoning and persuading concerning the things of the kingdom of God.
9 But when some were hardened and did not believe, but spoke evil of the Way before the multitude, he departed from them and withdrew the disciples, reasoning daily in the school of Tyrannus.
10 And this continued for two years, so that all who dwelt in Asia heard the word of the Lord Jesus, both Jews and Greeks.
11 Now God worked unusual miracles by the hands of Paul,
12 so that even handkerchiefs or aprons were brought from his body to the sick, and the diseases left them and the evil spirits went out of them.
13 Then some of the itinerant Jewish exorcists took it upon themselves to call the name of the Lord Jesus over those who had evil spirits, saying, “We exorcise you by the Jesus whom Paul preaches.”
14 Also there were seven sons of Sceva, a Jewish chief priest, who did so.
15 And the evil spirit answered and said, “Jesus I know, and Paul I know; but who are you?”
16 Then the man in whom the evil spirit was leaped on them, overpowered them, and prevailed against them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded.
17 This became known both to all Jews and Greeks dwelling in Ephesus; and fear fell on them all, and the name of the Lord Jesus was magnified.
18 And many who had believed came confessing and telling their deeds.
19 Also, many of those who had practiced magic brought their books together and burned them in the sight of all. And they counted up the value of them, and it totaled fifty thousand pieces of silver.
20 So the word of the Lord grew mightily and prevailed.