1 John 2:27 says,”And as for you, the anointing which you received from Him abides in you, and you have no need for anyone to teach you, but as His anointing teaches you about all things, and is true and is not a lie, and just as it has taught you, you abide in Him” (NASB).

“Now Jabez was more honorable than his brothers, and his mother called his name Jabez, saying, ‘Because I bore him in pain.’ And Jabez called on the God of Israel saying, ‘Oh, that You would bless me indeed, and enlarge my territory, that Your hand would be with me, and that You would keep me from evil, that I may not cause pain.’ So God granted him what he requested” (1 Chronicles 4:9-10). Who was Jabez? There is no mention of him anywhere else in the scriptures. From the context, it does appear that he was of the tribe of Judah, and some think that he was a son of Koz (cf. v. 8). There are other theories as to who and what he was, but our purpose here is simply to see what lessons we can learn from this passage of scripture.

First, consider the attitude of Jabez. He was honorable. Why he was more honorable than his brothers we are not told, but it may have to do with the nature of his prayer. There are two characteristics that are needed for one to be honorable in prayer. One of them is being earnest, which means intense, zealous, sincere, and determined. We are told that “the effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much” (James 5:16). The second of these characteristics is humility. “Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you” (1 Peter5:6-7). The earnest, fervent prayer that is prayed in true humility is honorable before God.

Another aspect of the attitude of Jabez is that he directed his prayer to God. Because we are to worship the Lord our God and serve Him alone, Jesus taught us to address our prayers, saying, “Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name” (Matthew 4:10, 6:9). To direct such a prayer to God demonstrates that one is trusting in and thus dependent on Him for everything that is needed. “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God” (Philippians 4:6).

Second, consider the character of Jabez’s petition. He requested a personal blessing. To ask God’s blessing is to ask Him to bestow divine favor. There is nothing wrong with requesting God to bless us specifically. The Psalmist did. He prayed, “Save Your people, and bless Your inheritance; shepherd them also, and bear them up forever” (Psalm 28:9). Jabez also asked God to enlarge his borders. This seems to relate to material prosperity. Thus, it is certainly scriptural for us to pray that God will bless us materially (note Matthew 6:11). However, the Bible offers no “quid pro quo” promise that if we do certain specified things for God then He will materially prosper us a certain specified amount, as some who hold the “Abundant Life–Health and Wealth” gospel teach. Rather, the Lord has simply said that if we serve Him faithfully, He will provide for us (Matthew 6:33).

Then Jabez beseeched that God’s hand would be with Him, no doubt to provide protection and guidance. Should we not pray with the Psalmist, “Lead me in Your truth and teach me, for You are the God of my salvation; on You I wait all the day” (Psalm 25:5)? Finally, Jabez expressed a petition that God would keep Him from evil. Jesus also indicated that His disciples should pray for God’s preservation and deliverance, as He taught them to say, “And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one” (Matthew 6:13). Of course, God’s protection, guidance, preservation, and deliverance are all provided for us through the scriptures (2 Timothy 3:16-17).

The reason why Jabez thus prayed was so that He might not cause pain. One commentator expressed it this way: “Let me not experience the grief which my name implies, and which my sins would well produce.” Another phrased it, “Grant that the grief implied in my name may not come upon me!” And likewise, it should be our prayer, “I cling to Your testimonies; O LORD, do not put me to shame!” (Psalm 119:31). Finally, consider the response of God, who granted Him what he requested. The Lord has promised us, “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knock sit will be opened” (Matthew 7:7-8). God has said that He will hear and respond to the prayers of His people. Oh, He may not always give us what we ask for, when we ask for it, in exactly the way that we asked. But He is the source of every good and perfect gift (James 1:17). Therefore, we can trust Him to answer our prayers by providing what He knows best that we need in harmony with His will, just as He did with the prayer of Jabez.

There’s no bond quite like that between mother and child. You know me in ways no one else ever will. You also see in me all the things I can still become and continue having faith that I can do and be whatever I want, no matter what my age. You are my biggest fan, my mentor, my confidant, my hero, my turn-to person when my world comes crashing down and the first person I call to tell when things are going great. The comfort that comes from our friendship, the confidence that your faith in me instills, and your unquestioning support of whatever I do, is irreplaceable. The kind of there-for-me that you are is the very essence of what makes a great mother. I wear your unconditional love and support around me like a big hug every single day.

I am so blessed to have you in my life. I’ve probably said it before — you are my angel on earth. Thank you for always, always being at my side and having my back. No one is in my corner quite the way you are. I treasure you, mother, and love you more than life itself. You are an amazing soul ever ready to learn something new, always open to differing opinions, and so compassionate and kind. You have always taught by example. I hope you break 100 with good health and a strong mind. There’ll never be a day in my life when I won’t need you. I’m here for you too. Please remember that.

Happy, Happy, Happy Birthday, mom. You make the world a better place.

love always,

AKINNOLA ABAYOMI

Today is really a great day for me, most importantly, for my Mother.

The love of a mother for her children can never be explained, the love is so unconditional.

It is my mother who had me in her womb for 9 months and I know how painful it is when women are in labour, still, my mother held the pain, so that her little son can come to earth.

It is my mother who breast-fed me even when I didn’t have a tooth, not alone to think about eating, it was this same mother who made sure I am alive till this moment (through the help of God) – by making sure I don’t lack food.

When I needed strong advice, my mother was there for me, when I was doing what was wrong thinking it was right, it was this same mother who stood there to make me know that what I am doing is right.

My mother bore my shame and my pain, my mother has an unconditional love for me…

 

There is nothing else that makes me more happy than my mother being happy.

It was my mother who sent me to school, just to make sure I have the best, just to make sure I am not a slave to my equals – Her love is just unconditional.

Today is a very glorious day for me and remembering that over 50 years is not a child’s play.

I will really appreciate if you could just say in a word or two HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MY MOTHER – Remember, Her joy is mine.

John Lennon (Singer):

Some years ago, during his interview

with an American Magazine, he said:

‘Christianity will end, it will disappear.

I do not have to argue about that.. I

am certain.

Jesus was ok, but his subjects were

too simple, today we are more

famous than Him’ (1966).

Lennon, after saying that the Beatles

were more famous than Jesus Christ,

was shot six times.

Tancredo Neves (President of Brazil ):

During the Presidential campaign, he

said if he got 500,000 votes from his

party, not even God would remove

him from Presidency.

Sure he got the votes, but he got sick

a day before his inauguration as

President and he died.

Cazuza (Bi-sexual Brazilian composer,

singer and poet):

During A show in Canecio ( Rio de

Janeiro ),

while smoking his cigarette, he

puffed out some smoke into the air

and said:

‘God, that’s for you.’

He died at the age of 32 of LUNG

CANCER in a horrible manner.

The man who built the Titanic

After the construction of the Cruise

Ship, Titanic, a reporter asked him

how safe the Titanic would be.

With an ironic tone he said:

‘Not even God can sink it’

The result: I think you all know what

happened to the Titanic

Marilyn Monroe (Actress)

She was visited by Billy Graham

during a presentation of a show.

He said the Spirit of God had sent him

to preach to her.

After hearing what the Preacher had

to say, she said: ‘I don’t need your

Jesus’.

A week later, she was found dead in

her apartment

Bon Scott (Singer)

The ex-vocalist of the AC/DC. On one

of his 1979 songs he sang:

‘Don’t stop me; I’m going down all the

way, down the highway to hell’.

On the 19th of February 1980, Bon

Scott was found dead, he had been

choked by his own vomit.

Campinas (IN 2005)

In Campinas , Brazil, a group of friends,

drunk, went to pick up a friend…..

The mother accompanied her to the

car and was so worried about the

drunkenness of her friends and she

said to the daughter holding her

hand, who was already seated in the

car:

‘My Daughter, Go With God And May He

Protect You.’

She responded: ‘Only If He (God)

Travels In The Trunk, ‘Cause Inside

Here…..It’s Already Full ‘

Hours later, news came that they had

been involved in a fatal accident,

everyone had died.

The car could not be recognized what

type of car it had been, but

surprisingly, the trunk was intact.

The police said there was no way the

trunk could have remained intact.

To their surprise, inside the trunk was

a crate of eggs, none was broken

Christine Hewitt (Jamaican Journalist

and entertainer) said the Bible (Word

of God) was the worst book ever

written.

In June 2006 she was found burnt

beyond recognition in her motor

vehicle.

Many more important people have

forgotten that there is no other name

that was given so much authority

the name of Jesus.

Many have died, but only Jesus died

and rose again, and he is still alive….

“J-E-S-U-S”

 

JOHN 6:5-13
“When Jesus then lifted up his eyes, and saw a great
company come unto him, he saith unto Philip, Whence
shall we buy bread, that these may eat?
6 And this he said to prove him: for he himself knew what
he would do.
7 Philip answered him, Two hundred pennyworth of
bread is not sufficient for them, that every one of them
may take a little.
8 One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother,
saith unto him,
9 There is a lad here, which hath five barley loaves, and
two small fishes: but what are they among so many?
10 And Jesus said, Make the men sit down. Now there
was much grass in the place. So the men sat down, in
number about five thousand.
11 And Jesus took the loaves; and when he had given
thanks, he distributed to the disciples, and the disciples
to them that were set down; and likewise of the fishes as
much as they would.
12 When they were filled, he said unto his disciples,
Gather up the fragments that remain, that nothing be
lost.
13 Therefore they gathered them together, and filled
twelve baskets with the fragments of the five barley
loaves, which remained over and above unto them that
had eaten.”
PSALM 100:4-5
“Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his
courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his
name.
5 For the Lord is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his
truth endureth to all generations.”
1 THESSALONIANS 5:18
“In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in
Christ Jesus concerning you.”
One of the most important disciplines that a believer must always
undertake is the discipline of “giving thanks.”
Being thankful is the key to being “tank-full.”
Thanksgiving is not a feeling it is not a mood but a requirement in response
to the fact that you are indebted for His unconditional love, grace, mercy
and provision that He has continually loaded you with.
David says in Psalm 103:2-5
“Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his
benefits:
3 Who forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy
diseases;
4 Who redeemeth thy life from destruction; who
crowneth thee with lovingkindness and tender mercies;
5 Who satisfieth thy mouth with good things; so that thy
youth is renewed like the eagle’s.”
God has done so much for you and I that even if He was not to do anything
else what He has done already is enough for us to thank Him for eternity.
The reason why believers complain and murmur is because they FORGET
what God has done for them and where He has brought them from.
No wonder God told the children of Israel that when you get into the
promised land that they shall “remember the Lord your God, for it is He
who gives you power to get wealth, that He may establish His covenant
which He swore to your fathers.” – Deuteronomy 8:18
Every time you forget the past victories and the things that God brought
you through, you automatically start to complain for what you are going
through or you become proud if you think you became successful by your
own ability.
The words “thank you” raised to your heavenly Father, clear the ground in
your life for further future blessing.
No matter what you are facing today you still have a reason to thank God.
If you have lost something God is the reason you have not lost everything.
So quit complaining and murmuring and start THANKING GOD.
The bible teaches us that in everything give thanks for this is the will of God
in Christ Jesus concerning you.
In this season of prayer and fasting, please load your prayers with heavy
amounts of gratitude.
Philippians 4:6
“Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and
supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made
known unto God.”
Don’t allow for prayer session to be a complaining session but a
thanksgiving session.
Your complaining and murmuring turns God off and robs you an
opportunity for a future miracle.
Anyone who claims that he can manage your life better than God is an agent
of the devil sent to destroy your destiny.
No one can handle your life better than God.
Our gratitude to God pleases Him – when you have a thankful heart you
make a statement to your Father that you recognize His hand on your life
and that you appreciate Him for it.
When you are thankful you are actually giving God credit for all the
wonderful things that He has done.
Where I am today is not a function of luck or good sense or good
connections where I am today is a function of God’s goodness mixed up
with His grace plus His mercy plus His loving kindness all put together to
ensure that the devil did not kill, steal or destroy my destiny.
That is why I am so grateful.
Ladies and gentlemen every time you open your mouth to give God thanks
in the hearing of other people you are witnessing to them that God is able.
The bible teaches us in Psalm 100:4-5
“Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his
courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his
name.
5 For the Lord is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his
truth endureth to all generations.”
The only acceptable way to come before God is with thanksgiving and then
you stand in His courts with praise.
Listen, thanksgiving and praise is not an emotional charismatic, Pentecostal
expression but a biblical scriptural requirement that gives you access into
the presence of God.
You must decide that is doesn’t matter what is going on in my life right now
– I make a deliberate choice to thank God and rejoice before Him for He has
been so good.
Habakkuk 3:17-19
“Although the fig tree shall not blossom, neither shall
fruit be in the vines; the labour of the olive shall fail, and
the fields shall yield no meat; the flock shall be cut off
from the fold, and there shall be no herd in the stalls:
18 Yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the God of my
salvation.
19 The Lord God is my strength, and he will make my feet
like hinds’ feet, and he will make me to walk upon mine
high places. To the chief singer on my stringed
instruments.”
In every thing give thanks for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus
concerning you.
Points of thanksgiving.
1. Thanksgiving breaks the power of the enemy.
Whenever you give thanks to God despite the most difficult situations, the
enemy loses the big battle in your life.
2. Thankfulness destroys negativity in your life.
Every time you start to remember what God has done for you, you lose
negativity and bitterness that can easily creep into your heart because of
tough circumstances.
Thanksgiving brings contentment.
3. Thanksgiving opens a way for ever-increasing prosperity in your
life.
“When you are thankful for what God has done already, you create a
platform for Him to bless you more tomorrow.”
4. When you stop appreciating God, you start depreciating.
That means when you stop appreciating God and start complaining even
what you have in your hand starts to lose value.
Complaining and murmuring is the hotline to the destroyer.
1 Corinthians 10:10 “Don’t complain as some of them also complained
and were destroyed by the destroyer.”
5. Thanksgiving magnifies God and minimizes the problem.
Stop taking about the problem all the time and talk about the goodness of
God – that magnifies God and makes the problem look minute.
6. Always take time to count your blessings in the presence of God.
Just count the blessings; a good health, a good family, a good church, a good
pastor.
7. Always remember that “the Lord is good and His mercy endures
forever.”
Never ever allow pain, rejection, betrayal, problems, sickness, height, depth,
molestation, loss, abuse, trauma, failure etc make you think that God is not
good.
“GOD IS GOOD.”
There are so many things that make me know that God is good but this one
beats them all “Romans 8:32”
“He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for
us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all
things?”
Lets get to the text in John 6.
“When Jesus then lifted up his eyes, and saw a great
company come unto him, he saith unto Philip, Whence
shall we buy bread, that these may eat?
6 And this he said to prove him: for he himself knew what
he would do.
7 Philip answered him, Two hundred pennyworth of
bread is not sufficient for them, that every one of them
may take a little.
8 One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother,
saith unto him,
9 There is a lad here, which hath five barley loaves, and
two small fishes: but what are they among so many?
10 And Jesus said, Make the men sit down. Now there
was much grass in the place. So the men sat down, in
number about five thousand.
11 And Jesus took the loaves; and when he had given
thanks, he distributed to the disciples, and the disciples
to them that were set down; and likewise of the fishes as
much as they would.
12 When they were filled, he said unto his disciples,
Gather up the fragments that remain, that nothing be
lost.
13 Therefore they gathered them together, and filled
twelve baskets with the fragments of the five barley
loaves, which

The more someone is with Jesus, the more that person becomes like Christ, in purity, holiness and love. In turn, his pure walk produces in him a great boldness for God. Scripture says, “The wicked flee when no man pursueth: but the righteous are bold as a lion” (Proverbs 28:1). The word for bold in this verse means “secure, confident.” That’s just the kind of boldness the synagogue rulers saw in Peter and John as they ministered (see Acts 4:1–2).

 

 

 

In the previous chapter (Acts 3), Peter and John prayed for a crippled beggar and he was instantly healed. The healing caused a great stir around the temple, and in an attempt to stop the disciples from sharing their faith in Christ, the religious leaders had them arrested and put on a public trial.

 

 

 

Peter and John met with the synagogue rulers but the Bible doesn’t go into much detail about this scene in Acts 4. Yet I can assure you, the religious leaders orchestrated it to be all pomp and ceremony. First, the dignitaries solemnly took their velvety seats. Then the high priests’ relatives followed. Finally, in a moment of hushed anticipation, the robed high priests strutted in. Everyone bowed as the priests passed by, walking stiffly up the aisle toward the seat of judgment.

 

 

 

All of this was meant to intimidate Peter and John. But the disciples were not intimidated at all. They’d been with Jesus for too long. I imagine Peter thinking, “Come on, let’s get this meeting started. Just give me the pulpit and turn me loose. I’ve got a word from God for this gathering. Thank you, Jesus, for allowing me to preach your name to these Christ-haters.” Acts 4:8 begins with: “Then Peter, filled with the Holy Ghost…” and this tells me he wasn’t going to deliver a lecture. It wasn’t going to be quiet or reserved. Peter was a Jesus-possessed man, bursting with the Holy Ghost.

 

 

God’s servants are secure in their identity in Christ. And they stand confident in Jesus’ righteousness. Therefore, they have nothing to hide; they can stand before anyone with a clear conscience.

These two terms being baptized in the Spirit and filled with the Spirit  have become synonymous with each other but they are distinct in the Scripture and should not be confused.

 

Scripture shows that the baptism of the Spirit happens as our salvation experience.

 

John came baptizing in water but said, “There is one who will come after me. . . He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit” (Mk. 1:7-8 Mt. 3:11: Jn. 1:33). In Acts 1:4-5, after His resurrection Jesus states, “you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.” In John 14:16, Jesus told us that the Father, “He will give you another helper, that He will be with you forever.”

 

The phrase “Baptized in the Holy Spirit” is not used in Scripture but baptized “with” the Holy Spirit is used twice; Acts 1:5 and Acts 11:16 (which refers to Jesus’ statement in Acts 1:5). The phrase “with” -Greek- en; a primary preposition denoting (fixed) position (in place, time or state).

 

In Acts 2, the 120 in the upper room were baptized by the Spirit, which is what Jesus told them to wait for in Acts 1:5.

 

Some people were filled with the Holy Spirit before the New Testament: Num. 11:16-17 God had the Spirit put upon the 70 elders to empower them for service. V.17 “Then I will come down and talk with you there. I will take of the Spirit that is upon you and will put the same upon them.” The prophets, such as Ezekiel. 2:1-2 “And He said to me, “Son of man, stand on your feet, and I will speak to you.” Then the Spirit entered me when He spoke to me”

 

Before there was a baptism with the Spirit in the New Testament. Speaking of John “He will also be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother’s womb” (Luke 1:15); his mother “Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit” (Luke 1:41)

 

John’s father “Zacharias was filled with the Holy Spirit, and prophesied” (Luke 1:67).

 

Even “Jesus, being filled with the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness” (Luke 4:1).

 

Is the Baptism of the Spirit a salvation experience or a separate experience of the Spirit after one is saved? The Bibles consistent teaching is that there is only one Spirit baptism – at salvation, but there are many fillings. This Spirit baptism occurs once for every believer; it is the new birth. The baptism of the Spirit is given to all believers alike, (1 Cor. 12:13 ALL believers are baptized by the Holy Spirit; Gal. 3:27 ALL believers have been baptized into Christ.) What is available to all of us are subsequent fillings that keep us walking in the Spirit’s power to live a life pleasing to the Lord and pursue serving Him and doing His will.

 

“And he (Christ) is the head of the body, the church” (Col. 1:18), Jesus is the baptizer, making every believer today part of the Body of Christ. The Holy Spirit is given to bring believers into the “one body” (1Cor. 12:13). Galatians 3:26-27 “For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ.” Meaning to wear him to be seen on the outside like a garment; we are to be living epistles.

 

On the day of the Pentecost the apostle Peter promised unsaved Jews that they would receive the Holy Spirit as a gift when they repented and were baptized. It was promised to people who had not YET been born again! Acts 1:5 said they would “be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.” Acts 2 does not mention Spirit baptism but shows the result, v.4 says “they were all filled with the Holy Spirit,” Acts 2:4 ‘And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.” This is why tongues or prophecy accompanied the baptism of the Spirit, to show a group pf people were saved, that they received the Holy Spirit. Each time a different people group received the Holy Spirit in their salvation they exhibited a manifestation to validate them.

 

The Jews who first received the Spirit and spoke in tongues preached to other Jews at Pentecost. Acts 2:38 Then Peter said to them, “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” They, (the 3,000 recipients) received the Spirit from hearing the word and believing, but they did not speak in tongues.

 

The Samaritans that Peter and John came to already received the word of God, were baptized and still did not have the Spirit. Acts 8:17 Then “they laid hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit.”

 

Later to Peters amazement in Acts 10, Peter saw firsthand the Gentiles come into the covenant of grace. Acts 10:44-45: ”While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit fell upon all those who heard the word. … the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out on the Gentiles also.” The gift was the Spirit came from above, and produced the new birth before Peter could finish his sermon.

Acts 11:16 Peter states that by Spirit baptism, salvation began for the Gentiles; both groups were saved and put in the body the same way.

If you are not baptized in the Holy Spirit then you are not “in Christ.” Rom. 8:9 states: “if any man has not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.” 1 Cor. 6:19-20, the Holy Spirit’s indwelling makes the body of the believer his temple (Eph. 2:21-22), individually and collectively.

It is a Spirit baptism that buries us with Christ into his death (Rom. 6:3-7). Individuals could not be considered believers before they received the baptism in the Holy Spirit, as is evident from Paul’s question, to those in Acts 19:1-7..“Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?” Therefore the presence, the indwelling of the Holy Spirit is essential to proving salvation. Paul’s question in Acts 19:2 is significant, “Into what then were you baptized?” Paul makes it clear that it is necessary for the Holy Spirit – what is called the baptism with the Holy Spirit: “When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. And when Paul had laid hands on them, the Holy Spirit came upon them, and they spoke with tongues and prophesied.”

At Pentecost Christ was the Baptizer, with the Spirit (Acts 1:5). When they received the Holy Spirit they possessed the new life in Christ through being born again! This is repeated in Acts 8 and Acts 10 for the Gentiles. There is no command in Scripture that tells us to be baptized by the Holy Spirit because it is what takes place in salvation. Teaching another baptism with the Holy Spirit for those who are born again is not correct; the Bible teaches to be filled and refilled as a continual and necessary process. We do not lose the Holy Spirit in us, nor do we get more of Him. What this means is that He gets more of us. We give him control of our lives daily; we present our bodies as a living sacrifice to the Lord each day, and he fills us with himself and has control over our lives.

Being Filled

Eph. 5:18-19: “And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord”

This is the tense of being continually filled, meaning often; it is not a one time event as the baptism of the Spirit is. In contrast, the filling of the Spirit is a continuous activity. Paul makes a CONTRAST that our being filled with the Spirit does not have the same effect as drinking alcoholic beverages, but is the opposite. A Spirit filled Christian has his Bible in his heart. As David said, “thy word I have his in my heart that I may not sin against you.” It is essential to KNOW the word to live a spiritual life.

Being filled with the Spirit means one is self-control The fruit of the Holy Spirit is self-control (Gr. egreitei), not lacking it. The Holy Spirit is given to believers so that they might have the power to live like Jesus and be different than they were before. It is a matter of giving up areas of our lives over to the Holy Spirits control to have him fill it with the Spirit. As we walk with the Lord and obey, He continually fills us with His Spirit so we are progressing in the sanctification process and can be more effective in other people’s lives. “He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water” (John 7:38). The filling of the Spirit is a command not an option (Eph.5:18). Being filled has to do with allowing the Spirit to be the dominating influence over our life, not letting self or the world influence our lives. It is about yielding, allowing His control to influence and affect our character which will have others see Christ through our lives.

Paul prayed for the Colossians is related to them being filled with the Spirit: Col.1:9-10: “[We] do not cease to pray for you, and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; that you may have a walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God.”

There is no command in Scripture that tells us to be re-baptized by the Holy Spirit. Why? Because it is something that immediately happens when one is born again. Teaching another baptism with the Holy Spirit for those who are born again is not correct; the Bible teaches to be filled and refilled as a continual and necessary process.

When faith is exercised at the moment one believes, the Holy Spirit indwells us (Gal. 3:2).

The Greek perfect tense is used in I Jn. 2:29; 3:9; 4:7; 5:1, 5, 18. It emphasizes an action that was completed in the past but continues unchanged into the present. It means it is instantaneous, regeneration is not a process, but its effect continues to the present. We are justified and are presently being sanctified and will one day be glorified.

In the book of Acts, the endowment of power was for their witnessing, by preaching of the Word. The power was seen in transforming lives when people’s sins were forgiven through the gospel being preached. Boldness, not just tongues, was the common denominator of being filled with the Spirit. “Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit said to them…when they saw the boldness of Peter…” (Acts 4:8,13). “They [the believers] were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and they spoke the word of God with boldness” (4:31). “Brother Saul…was filled with the Holy Spirit…. Immediately he preached the Christ in the synagogues… (9:17, 20). “And the disciples were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit…speaking boldly in the Lord (Acts 13:45-46,52, 14:3; 1 Thessalonians 2:2). A Spirit filled person or church will be bold in proclaiming the truth, the gospel and standing against error. “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind” (2 Timothy 1:7).

What many believe as a separate baptism should more accurately be called a filling of the Spirit. To be filled with the Spirit is a daily thing, to be baptized with the Holy Spirit (baptized into the Body by the Holy Spirit) happens only once. So the baptism with the Spirit is what takes place at salvation which places us in the body of Christ and He indwells us. The filling of the Spirit is part of our sanctification, our discipleship, as give over the areas we need to for his control. Once we understand this we can pursue the right thing.

 

 

You cannot study the New Testament long without seeing that there is a dichotomy between what we are responsible to do as Christians and what has already been done on our behalf. To understand the distinction is to get a grip on the basics of our faith.

 

On the one hand, Scripture makes clear how we are to live, act, think, and speak. We are enjoined to be this or to commit ourselves to do that.

 

But on the other hand, much of the New Testament emphasizes what Christ has already done for us. It says that we are called, justified, sanctified, and kept in the faith through no effort of our own. We learn that Christ and the Holy Spirit are continually interceding on our behalf. And we discover that we have an inheritance that cannot be measured in human terms.

 

The Coming of the Comforter

 

Most of Jesus’ final discourse to His disciples consists not of commandments they were responsible to obey, but of promises He would fulfill on their behalf. John 14:15-26 is the heart of His message of comfort–that after His departure, the Holy Spirit would come in His place:

 

“If you love Me, you will keep My commandments. I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may be with you forever; that is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it does not see Him or know Him, but you know Him because He abides with you and will be in you. I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. After a little while the world will no longer see Me, but you will see Me; because I live, you will live also. In that day you will know that I am in My Father, and you in Me, and I in you. He who has My command­ments and keeps them is the one who loves Me; and he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and will disclose Myself to him.” Judas (not Iscariot) said to Him, “Lord, what then has happened that You are going to disclose Yourself to us and not to the world?” Jesus answered and said to him, “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our abode with him. He who does not love Me does not keep My words; and the word which you hear is not Mine, but the Father’s who sent Me. These things I have spoken to you while abiding with you. But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remem­brance all that I said to you.

 

The promises Jesus made in that brief passage are staggering. To whom are they made? In context, Jesus is speaking to His eleven disciples, but the scope of His promises is broader than that. In verse 15 He says, “If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.” That implies the promises that follow apply to all who love Jesus Christ. Thus they apply to all believers in Christ, whose love for Christ is characterized by their obedience.

 

We cannot miss Jesus’ clear statement here that the proof of genuine love for Him is obedience to His commands (a subject I explain in great depth in my book The Gospel According to Jesus [Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1988, 1994]). The New Testament repeats that truth a number of times. John 14:21 says, “He who has My commandments and keeps them is the one who loves Me; and he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and will disclose Myself to him.” Verses 23-24 repeat the same truth: “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word…He who does not love Me does not keep My words.”

 

To those who are obedient, the Lord extends a number of promises. They fall into the category of things that have been accomplished on our behalf without effort on our part. They all are tied to the coming of the Holy Spirit, the Comforter, Teacher, and Helper who would minister to the disciples when Jesus left. Together these promises constitute a legacy left by our Lord to all who love Him.

 

The Indwelling Spirit

 

The promise of the Holy Spirit is the culmination of all that Jesus said to comfort those eleven troubled men. In that hour of turmoil, they feared being left alone. However Jesus assured them that they would not be left to fend for themselves; they would have a supernatural Helper. The Greek word translated “Helper” (parakletos) literally means “one who is called alongside.” The King James Version translates it “Comforter,” which is one of its meanings.

 

The Greek word translated “another” may provide a helpful clue in understanding Jesus’ meaning in John 14. There are two Greek words frequently translated “another”: heteros and allos. Sometimes the biblical authors used those words interchangeably, but sometimes they used heteros to speak of another of a different kind and allos to speak of another of the same kind (e.g. the “different” [heteros] gospel vs. “another” [allos] gospel in Galatians 1:6-7).

 

Allos is the word Jesus used to describe the Holy Spirit: “another [allos] Helper.” That could be His way of saying, “I am sending you One of exactly the same essence as Me.” He wasn’t sending just any helper, but One exactly like Himself with the same compassion, the same attributes of deity, and the same love for them.

 

Jesus had been the disciples’ helper for three years. He had helped them, comforted them, and walked alongside them. Now they would have another Helper–One exactly like Jesus–to minister to them as He had.

 

The Holy Spirit is not a mystical power; He is a person just as Jesus is a person. He is not a floating fog or some kind of ghostlike emanation. It is unfortunate that the translators of the King James Version used the term Ghost instead of Spirit. For generations people have had the idea that the Holy Spirit is an apparition, something like Casper the Friendly Ghost, the 1950s and 60s comic book and cartoon character! But He’s not a ghost; He’s a person.

 

All believers have two paracletes: the Spirit of God within us and the Son of God in heaven. First John 2:1 says, “If anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.” The Greek word translated “Advocate” is parakletos.

 

The disciples must have been greatly encouraged and comforted to hear Jesus say that He would send another Helper to minister to them when He left. But Jesus’ promise extended beyond that. His next words beautifully culminate the message of comfort: “that He may be with you forever” (John 14:16). Not only would the Holy Spirit come to dwell with them, but also He would never leave.

 

The apostle Paul said that Christ in us is the hope of glory (Colossians 1:27), and Christ promised His Spirit would reside in us (John 14:17). And He will reside in us permanently. Jesus didn’t tell the disciples He would come back and leave again. Nor did He say He would leave and be back in two thousand years. He said He would leave, then come back and be with us as long as we live, and throughout eternity. In Matthew 28:20 Christ says, “Lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” He will never leave or forsake us (Hebrews 13:5).

 

The fulfillment of Christ’s promise came on the Day of Pentecost (Acts 2:4). The Spirit came and dwelt within the disciples, teaching them all about Christ, as John 14:26 says He would.

 

Christ was saying, “I’m going away to My Father, yet I’ll come to you in the form of My Spirit to dwell within you.” That’s a wonderful promise every believer has. There’s no such thing as a Christian who doesn’t possess the indwelling Christ (Romans 8:9). Some people think they have to search for the Holy Spirit, but He dwells in every believer. Paul said to the Corinthians, “Do you not know that you are a temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?” (1 Corinthians 3:16).

 

Spiritual Perception

 

Notice that the Spirit is called “the Spirit of truth” in John 14:17. Apart from Him, men cannot know or understand truth. Jesus said, “The world cannot receive [the Spirit of truth], because it does not see Him or know Him” (v. 17). When the academic minds of Jesus’ day came to their conclusion about who He was, their pronouncement was that He was from the devil (Matthew 12:24). They totally ignored the hundreds of prophecies from their own Scriptures that Jesus fulfilled. Since the world didn’t recognize the first Comforter, Jesus, for who He was, you can’t expect it to recognize the second One, who is exactly like the first.

 

So Jesus told His disciples that when the Holy Spirit came, the world would not accept the message any more than it did from Him. And He was right. In Acts 2, when the Holy Spirit came on the day of Pentecost, the unbelievers who witnessed the miraculous manifestation thought the disciples were drunk. The Holy Spirit was just as foreign to the stubborn, rejecting world as Jesus had been.

 

When I first studied John 14, I was puzzled about why in this context Jesus told the disciples that the world in general would not respond to the Holy Spirit. Then I realized that with all the promises Jesus was giving them, they might have succumbed to overconfidence. He told them they would do greater things than even He had done (v. 12), and He promised to answer every prayer they asked (v. 14). They might have been feeling invincible. If they proclaimed the gospel without knowing that the world would not understand, they might have been crushed. So Jesus was tempering their enthusiasm.

 

An Eternal Union with God

 

In verse 17 Jesus says to His disciples, “But you know Him.” They knew of the ministry of God’s Spirit from the Old Testament. In Old Testament times, we see the Holy Spirit coming upon certain people for a specific service, and then departing after it was accomplished (cf. 1 Samuel 16:13-14; Ps. 51:11). At Jesus’ baptism, the Spirit had descended on Him like a dove. So the disciples were not ignorant of the ministry of the Holy Spirit.

 

At the end of verse 17 Jesus says, “He abides with you and will be in you” (emphases added). From now on the Holy Spirit would not just assist them but be in them. The Greek text suggests a permanent, uninterrupted residence–something that never happened in Old Testament times. What the Lord promised in Ezekiel 37:14 would come to pass: “I will put My Spirit within you and you will come to life.”

 

What a privilege it is that God in His grace plants His very essence in us! We have a supernatural Helper, not just with but in every one of us who believes.

 

The Presence of Christ

 

Our Lord expands the promise in verses 18-19: “I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. After a little while the world will no longer see Me, but you will see Me.” Jesus would die the next day, so He wanted to reassure His disciples that they could nevertheless count on His presence after that.

 

He was guaranteeing that He would rise from the dead. His dying on the cross would not be the end of His existence. But beyond that, He promised, “I will come to you.” Indeed He sought out His disciples after the resurrection, but the context implies He was speaking of something more: His spiritual presence in every believer through the agency of the Holy Spirit.

 

That is the mystery of the Trinity: the Holy Spirit abides in us (v. 17), Christ indwells us (Colossians 1:27), and God is in us (1 John 4:12). That abiding presence is the source of eternal life. Jesus added, “Because I live, you will live also” (v. 19).

 

Eternal life refers not just to quantity–to life that goes on forever–but more to quality. It’s the kind of life that makes you sensitive to what God is doing. The essence of spiritual life is walking with God, sensing the Holy Spirit in your life, communing with Christ, and participating in the spiritual realm.

 

The Holy Spirit’s ministry is to show us Christ. He assures us that Christ really exists. In John 16:15 Jesus says, “All things that the Father has are Mine; therefore I said that He takes of Mine and will disclose it to you.” When Jesus told the disciples to believe in Him just as they believed in the invisible God, He said He would send the Holy Spirit, who would remind them of His presence. Any ministry that centers on the Holy Spirit is dangerous because the Spirit’s ministry is to point to Christ.

 

Full Understanding

 

Those who love Christ are not only indwelt by the Holy Spirit, Christ, and the Father, but also enjoy a supernatural union with them. Jesus illustrated that union by comparing it with His relationship to the Father: “In that day you will know that I am in My Father, and you in Me, and I in you” (John 14:20). We are one with God and Christ. That’s why sin is so out of place in the believer’s life.

 

At this point, the disciples still didn’t understand the mystery of the relationship between the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit–let alone how they would be able to relate to all three. That’s why Jesus said, “In that day you will know,” a reference to the day of Pentecost.

 

As soon as the disciples received the Holy Spirit in Acts 2, they began to understand. On the very day that the Spirit of God came to dwell within him, Peter preached a powerful sermon clearly delineating who Jesus Christ is, who the Father is, how they are related, why Jesus came, why He died, why He rose, and what it all meant in reference to Israel.

 

The Manifestation of the Father

 

In John 14:21 Jesus says, “He who has My commandments and keeps them is the one who loves Me; and he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and will disclose Myself to him.” The Father loves anyone who loves His Son. That’s not difficult to understand: I find I like people who like my children. How much more must God, whose love is perfect, love those who love His Son?

 

Jesus also promises to love us and to disclose Himself and the Father to us. I am sure all the disciples were dumbfounded at that point. Judas–not Judas Iscariot, but the disciple who is also called Lebbaeus and Thaddaeus–spoke out: “Lord, what then has happened that You are going to disclose Yourself to us and not to the world?” (v. 22). Apparently he thought Jesus would physically manifest Himself and the Father. He reasoned that if he and the other disciples could see Jesus, everyone else should be able to as well. Furthermore, since Christ was to be the Savior of the world, why would He not manifest Himself to the world?

 

Jesus answered, “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our abode with him” (v. 23). Thaddaeus might not have been satisfied with that answer; it sounds exactly like verse 21, which sounds exactly like verse 15. They all say the same thing: “If you love Me, you will keep My commandments, and I will manifest Myself to you.” We begin to get the idea that this is an important concept.

 

The point Jesus was making to Thaddaeus is that He would manifest Himself in a spiritual sense. An unsaved person doesn’t have spiritual perception (1 Corinthians 2:12-14), so only those who love and obey Christ can comprehend the manifestation He was talking about.

 

In verse 24 Jesus says, “He who does not love Me does not keep My words; and the word which you hear is not Mine, but the Father’s who sent Me.” How can He manifest Himself to someone who is disobedient? People in the world don’t want Christ. They don’t want to obey His words. They don’t love Him. And since the words Jesus spoke came from the Father, the world doesn’t want Him either. He manifests Himself only to those who want Him. There’s not a soul in the world who wants Jesus Christ to the point of loving obedience who doesn’t receive Him (cf. John 1:12-13).

 

A Supernatural Teacher

 

Jesus had spoken only the Father’s words, but thedisciples always had trouble understanding Him during His earthly ministry. For example, John 12:16 says, “These things His disciples did not understand at the first; but when Jesus was glorified, then they remembered that these things were written of Him, and that they had done these things to Him.” In John 16:12 Jesus says, “I have many more things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now.”

 

Now He was turning over His teaching of the disciples to the Holy Spirit, who would dwell in them: “These things I have spoken to you while abiding with you. But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you” (John 14:25-26). For three years Jesus had been teaching them the Father’s truth, but they never understood much. Now He would send a Teacher that would dwell within them.

 

Because of that wonderful promise, the disciples were later able to recall the precise words Jesus had spoken to them. Once they recorded them as Scripture, those words would be perfect and error free. In addition, the Spirit revealed new truth to them. Those whom God chose wrote it all down, resulting in the Word of God as we have it today. To deny the accuracy or the integrity of the Bible is to deny this crucial aspect of the Spirit’s ministry.

 

The Holy Spirit’s main role to us is that of teacher. Verse 26 says that the Spirit teaches “all things.” That does not mean He imparts to us some kind of omniscience. “All things” is used here in a relative sense. It speaks of “all things that pertain to life and godliness” (2 Peter 1:3, New King James Version).

 

How does the promise that the Holy Spirit will instruct us and bring all things to our memory apply today? The Spirit guides us in our pursuit of truth through the Word of God. He teaches us by convicting us of sin, affirming truth in our hearts, and opening our understanding to the depth of God’s revealed truth. As you’ve probably experienced many times, He often brings to mind appropriate verses and truths from Scripture at just the night moment.

 

First John 2:27 says, “The anointing which you have received from Him [Christ] abides in you…as His anointing teaches you about all things, and is true and is not a lie, and just as it has taught you, you abide in Him.” Why does a Christian continue in Christ and not follow after cults and false doctrine? Because of the teaching ministry of the Holy Spirit. God has so endowed the Christian with discernment that he ultimately will not be deceived by lies. He may become confused at times, but he will always abide in Christ.

 

Verse 27 speaks of the anointing that the believer “received”–past tense. You received the Spirit when you were saved, and He continues to abide in you. The Spirit never leaves any Christian; the true believer will never depart from the faith. If one ever did, the Holy Spirit would have failed in His teaching ministry.

 

The Power of the Spirit in You

 

Prior to receiving the Holy Spirit, the apostles were powerless to carry out Christ’s unfinished work. So in Acts 1:8 Jesus promised, “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you.” The Greek word translated “power” (dunamis) is the source of the English word dynamite. Every Christian is packed with power–the Holy Spirit.

 

Some Christians feel they are lacking in power. If you feel that way, it’s not God’s fault. The power is within you–all you need to do is turn on the ignition switch!

 

Ephesians 5:18 says to “be filled with the Spirit.” To live a Spirit-filled life means to yield yourself to the control of the Spirit. The way to do that is to “let the word of Christ richly dwell within you” (Colossians 3:16). Being filled with the Spirit and letting the Word dwell in you are synonymous because they produce the same results: a song in your heart, a thankful attitude, and loving relationships at home and at work (Ephesians 5:19–6:9; Colossians 3:16–4:1).

 

To let the Word of Christ dwell in you richly is to be preoccupied with the presence of Christ. The more you saturate your mind with what you learn about Him from the Bible, the more He controls your thoughts. By yielding yourself totally to the Word of God and letting it permeate your life, you’ll be controlled by the Spirit’s desires.

 

God can do great things through you. Ephesians 3:20 says He “is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us.” The power is in you; it just needs to be released. That happens when you yield every aspect of your life to the Spirit’s control.

 

Conclusion

 

Nothing cantake the place of the Holy Spirit’s work in the life of the believer. Through Him we are “heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ” (Romans 8:17). We are infinitely richer than all the billionaires of the world put together because what we possess is an eternal inheritance.

 

Paul, quoting the prophet Isaiah, wrote, “Things which eye has not seen and ear has not heard, and which have not entered the heart of man, all that God has prepared for those who love Him” (1 Corinthians 2:9). Christians are rich beyond imagination. And the greatest resource of all–the Holy Spirit–dwells in us and is with us forever.

 

I saw a statement written on a T-Shirt and after reading i was inspired. This is d statement: I’M SO BROKE THAT I CAN’T EVEN PAY ATTENTION. Read on: I’m so BROKE that i can’t even pay ATTENTION. I discovered when people don’t ve money they say they are broke, it is either money do not pay attention to them or they re not paying attention to what can fetch them money. Do u know dat wen u start not paying attention to ur wife or husband u re breaking ur relationship, soon it will b referred to as broken. Wen u stop paying attention to a friend u re breaking friendship, soon it will b broken. Wen u stop paying attention to ur studies u re breaking ur life career, soon ur academic will b broken. Wen u stop paying attention to ur job u re breaking ur commitment, soon d oath u sworn will b broken… Wen u stop paying attention to Jesus u re definately breaking ur life, soon ur destiny will b broken. Don’t get broke on some important aspect of ur life, pay attention to them so dat dis things won’t make u broke.

Posted from WordPress for BlackBerry.