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Alcoholism is a socially inept, deaf and dumb spirit. It doesn't mix with humanity well. It feasts on your insecurities to make itself "pumped up". And is prowling about like a lion to take charge. Here are the mission, alcoholics do not blend in well. This family has deep Christian roots since the 1940s, systems of service and following King Jesus have been established. It's also the best place for people who struggle to get rooted in King Jesus's government through service, faith + good works. Beyond a question of a doubt!

Shalom, everyone. I think I may have started something like this a year or so ago, but I still feel that it is important to explore and correct, if possible. Down through the last 2,000 years or so, we have made some MAJOR changes to terminology that I believe we as a people once knew and now have changed the meanings of those words into something that is now totally foreign to the first century meanings. Among these words that are so foreign to their original meanings are the following: I believe that we should work toward a paradigm shift back to the original meanings of these words. There are others, of course, that could have been listed, as well, but these are the fundamental ones. And, I believe they are fundamental because to some they are especially "holy words" that "one should not touch" as far as trying to correct their meanings. The major six are the ones in the circle: salvation, gospel, kingdom, Christ, church, and heaven. I started with angel and heaven, but one could start anywhere, because it is truly a "state function." That is, it doesn't matter how you get from point A to point B; it will take you the same amount of time and effort to make the journey. Let me start with a few basics: Will = want. When one asks, "What is God's will for my life?" he or she is actually asking the same thing as "What does God want for my life?" This may break down into more particular questions, like: "What does God want me to do for a living?" "What job does God want me to have?" "Who does God want me to marry?" "Where does God want me to live?" Faith = trust. "To have faith in God," one must learn "to trust God." Connected to this is the adjective and adverb forms of the words: "To be faithful" = "to be trustworthy." When we say, "God is faithful," we are saying that "God is trustworthy!" that is, "He is worthy of our trust!" A "faithful" spouse is a spouse we can trust to be consistently devoted to us. A faithful person or a trusty person is one we can count upon. Faithfulness = trustworthiness. There are certain words that are used in church or in synagogue on Sunday or Shabbat that have SYNONYMOUS COUNTERPARTS in life during the weekdays in other scenarios and workplaces. Let's start with some fun. What are some other words that you use in church that have a different word you've noticed using in secular areas of your life? Let's see how many we can come up with.

God's Tri-Unity, often called the Trinity The idea here is that while there is only one God, God exists eternally in three persons. This is confusing to many people. If you are one of them, don't feel too badly, perhaps no one understands fully what that means. Don't worry though, just because we do not understand something, that does not mean that it is not true, or that we need to understand it before we can believe it. When I was a child, I believed that when I threw a light switch, the light would come on. That did not require me understanding how or why it worked. It also did not require me to experience it before I believed it worked. Had one of my parents told me that if I threw the switch that the light would come on, I would have believed simply because I trusted the source of the information. It is often said "The word trinity is not in the Bible"! That is true, and we are not claiming that the Bible uses the word. We ARE claiming that the Bible teaches the concept, even though at times it is not obvious that it is attempting to do so. Here is how we come to the conclusion. The Bible tells us, that there is only one God. The Bible tells us of a person it calls "the Father", and that He is God. The Bible tells us of another person called the Son, or Jesus, or the Word, and that this person is God. The Bible tells of of yet another person (the Holt Spirit) who the Bible also refers to as God. Therefore the math is 1 + 1 + 1 = 1 : Three divine persons are the one God. Don't get hung up on the language. We tend to think of a person as another person like us, fellow humans. What we mean here, is that these persons, have traits of persons, such as they have wills, thoughts, emotions, the communicate, they take actions, etc., in other words they are personalities. God is God. For lack of a better theological term, He is divine, and only He is divine, made of "God stuff", so to speak. Three persons of one divine substance, distinct in personhood, yet sharing a will in unity. People try to come up with analogies, such as an egg is made of a white, a yolk, and a shell, yet they are all one egg. Another common one, is water, it can exist as a gas (steam or water vapor), liquid, or solid (ice). I am not fond of these analogies (though I will use other lame analogies in a moment anyway). I don't like them, because they always fall short. That is to be expected, because we are using analogies made from the creation, which is an entirely different classification from that of creator, so of course it falls short. There is also the limitation, that we have limited information from words in the Bible, and the limitations of our own minds, with which we are attempting to comprehend a being infinitely more complex than out minds are capable of understanding. The Father is called God 2 Thess 1:2 To the church of the Thessalonians in God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ The Son is called God John 1:1-5, John 10:30-33, John 20:27-28, Heb 1:8, Phil 2:5-11 1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. 4 In him was life, and the life was the light of men. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. 30 I and the Father are one.” 31 The Jews picked up stones again to stone him. 32 Jesus answered them, “I have shown you many good works from the Father; for which of them are you going to stone me?” 33 The Jews answered him, “It is not for a good work that we are going to stone you but for blasphemy, because you, being a man, make yourself God.” 27 Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here, and see my hands; and put out your hand, and place it in my side. Do not disbelieve, but believe.” 28 Thomas answered him, “My Lord and my God!” 8 But of the Son he says, “Your throne, O God, is forever and ever, the scepter of uprightness is the scepter of your kingdom. 5 Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, 6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. 9 Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, 10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. The Holy Spirit is called God Acts 5:3-4, 2 Cor 3:15-18 3 But Peter said, “Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and to keep back for yourself part of the proceeds of the land? 4 While it remained unsold, did it not remain your own? And after it was sold, was it not at your disposal? Why is it that you have contrived this deed in your heart? You have not lied to man but to God.” 15 Yes, to this day whenever Moses is read a veil lies over their hearts. 16 But when one turns to the Lord, the veil is removed. 17 Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. 18 And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit. Then there are passages, the mention the three persons in the same breath so to speak. We know from Johns gospel. that the Son (as the pre-incarnate Word of God) was there in the beginning of creation, and in fact, created everything. Looking back in Genesis, we see a glimpse of that - God there is called in the Hebrew, Elohim (a plural word). We pretty much assume that God, later called the Father in the New Testament. Of the beginning, Genesis says: 1 In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. 2 The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters. There you have God, and the Spirit of God in one sentence, and in verse 26 it says "Then God said, “Let US make man in OUR image, after OUR likeness." That is the 1st example. if you like, you can look up Matt 3:16-17, Matt 28:19, 2 Cor 13:14 for a few more. Not to belabor the point, but there are over 60 such instances in the Bible. Then there are people who have difficulty just because the believe there is a conflict between something being singular and plural at the same time. They think it is logically impossible. How can something(s) (or someone(s)) be both singular and plural? I can be one or the other, but not both, they say! Again, I point out, that our experience in the physical world we know and experience, need not limit our thinking about the spiritual realm where things might be different in ways we do not (and perhaps cannot) imagine. People also fail to recognize how common it is in our language, to have both singularity and plurality represented, and we do not give it a second thought. What is a team, or a pair, or a committee? What about words like consensus, or union, agreement. Ever hear of a congress of one? Ironically in my country we have a congress, which is made two bodies, the House of Representatives, and the Senate, and each of those also has many members. Again, these are flawed analogies because they are physical things, but they do demonstrate that something can be plural and single at the same time. Supposedly, my country is ONE nation, under God (330,000,000 people are ONE nation.) U.S. coinage has printed on it "E pluribus unum" - our of many, one! The concept is all around us.

John 17:3- And this is eternal life, that they know Thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom Thou hast sent.

The blasphemy of the Holy Spirit is known to be the unforgivable sin. Question: But what is the only sin that cannot be forgiven? Answer: It is the sin of not believing in the truth of the gospel. And consequently not receiving it. From the Holy Spirit comes absolute truth, all things that are said by the Holy Spirit are truth, ALWAYS. The Holy Spirit only produces good fruits, ONLY good fruits. "This is the message which we have heard from Him and declare to you, that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all." - 1 John 1:5 "For there are three that bear witness in heaven: the Father, the Word, and the Holy Spirit; and these three are one." - 1 John 5:7 The gospel of Jesus Christ is the love of the truth that saves all those who believe. "For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek." - Romans 1:16 "Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth." - John 17:17 The only reason for someone to resist and do not repent of his evil ways is: To love darkness rather than light. "The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders, and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved." - 2 Thessalonians 2:10 All those who did not receive the love of the truth, that is the gospel of Jesus Christ will not receive forgiveness of sins. The first step is the person must repent, in truth, according to the gospel. "and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem." - Luke 24:47 "...unless you repent you will all likewise perish." - Luke 13:5 "But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves." - James 1:22 The condemnation for the sin of blasphemy of the Holy Spirit is eternal. The condemnation for the rejection of the truth presented in the gospel of Jesus Christ is eternal. "but he who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is subject to eternal condemnation" - Mark 3:29 "He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned." - Mark 16:16 "And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil." - John 3:19 Jesus said that all sin will be forgiven men, except the blasphemy of the Holy Spirit. "but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven him, either in this age or in the age to come." - Matthew 12:32 This is speaking against the truth, in this case, the gospel of Jesus Christ. "the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you." - John 14:17 Because if anyone does not receive the truth of the gospel they will be condemned, and it is a sin. "He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned." - Mark 16:16 And all sin will be forgiven, except the sin of blasphemy of the Holy Spirit... Which means it is talking about the same sin. "Assuredly, I say to you, all sins will be forgiven the sons of men, and whatever blasphemies they may utter but he who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is subject to eternal condemnation" - Mark 3:28-29 "He who believes in the Son of God has the witness in himself; he who does not believe God has made Him a liar, because he has not believed the testimony that God has given of His Son." - 1 John 5:10 The hardest thing for the people to do is to repent of their evil ways and to embrace the truth of the gospel. "Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth." - John 17:17 This is only possible through love, which means that only God can make the person to repent, in deed and in truth. "No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up at the last day." - John 6:44 "He who does not love does not know God, for God is love." - 1 John 4:8 And we all know Satan has produced several counterfeit of the gospel of Jesus Christ that has no effect of the truth in the person's life. And this is very dangerous, because the person does not accept truth and as a result is never sanctified through it. They believed a lie that at the end will not save them. People must enter through the narrow gate of truth. It is the only way that actually saves. "Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it." - Matthew 7:13 "Jesus said to him, I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me." - John 14:6 Yes, many will reject the love of the truth... Many will believe a lie, many will be deceived. "Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’" - Matthew 7:21-24 For this reason: Make sure you have believed and received The Truth. Otherwise, The Truth will tell you: I never knew you.

When we compare the descriptions of Himself Jesus gives John to write in the letters to the seven churches (ekklesias), with the observations and mentions John makes of his initial experience in the Spirit with the ascended Christ, we notice how readily they match, along with some other passages for the sixth and seventh letters. Rev 2:1 (1) Unto the angel of the church of Ephesus write; These things says He that holds the seven stars in his right hand, who walks in the midst of the seven golden candlesticks; Rev 2:8 (8) And unto the angel of the church in Smyrna write; These things says the first and the last, which was dead, and is alive; Rev 2:12 (12) "And to the angel of the church in Pergamos write, 'These things says He who has the sharp two-edged sword: Rev 2:18 (18) "And to the angel of the church in Thyatira write, 'These things says the Son of God, who has eyes like a flame of fire, and His feet like fine brass: Rev 3:1 (1) "And to the angel of the church in Sardis write, 'These things says He who has the seven Spirits of God and the seven stars: " Rev 3:7 (7) "And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write, 'These things says He who is holy, He who is true, he that has the key of David, he that opens, and no man shuts; and shuts, and no man opens; Rev 3:14 (14) And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write; These things says the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God; I hope you have enjoyed these matching passages as much as I have, especially in contemplating the differences between Christ as John observed and experienced Him whilst He was on earth, and as we read of Him after He ascended. Blessings from Michael37.

I was saved in 1979 and soon after, I was attending an adult Sunday School class at Melodyland in Anaheim, CA, taught by Walter Martin. I had been doing some Bible study on my own on the topic of being filled with the Spirit. In that, I had noticed that the idea of "boldness" was very frequently associated with Spirit filling. I was very privileged to hear Dr. Martin speak to how boldness can be used in our lives as Christian. I really miss this man, but really was blessed to watch him speak passionately again in this video, about things the should matter to Christians who love the people for whom Christ died! This is Part 1, Part 2 will follow in a separate post in this thread.

We Christians have two natures one utterly corrupt the other totally divine Eph 4:22-24 (Written to Christians) That you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man (human nature) which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts… and that you put on the new man (divine nature) which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness. What the old man, human nature really looks like, The truth about the characteristics of my human nature, this is what the Bible refers to as my flesh, and this was the nature I lived in until I was born again. This nature is inherently selfish, self absorbed, self promoting and self pitying. It’s most dominant characteristic is pride, which man defines as boastful but which God broadens to mean a rebellious independence from Him. This nature secretly envies, covets and lusts after what others have. It lives entirely in the material visible realm, living by faith in God is foolishness. It makes all it’s choices and decisions by physical senses, human intellect and reasoning abilities, therefore it can only be content when all its circumstances are favorable. It falsely assumes that the accumulation of much stuff will result in happiness. Since these desires are seldom achieved it is prone to constant worry and anxiety over the potential lack of things. Even when they are achieved it is prone to worry and anxiety over the loss of those things. This nature, since it can’t find contentment within itself, is touchy and irritable about many trivial things; it is very easily angered and offended by others, and virtually incapable of truly forgiving them. It will bear grudges for a lifetime. It struggles to keep its basic animal wants in check and they often become compulsive or addictive. It tends to be lazy unless motivated by gain or glory, it is deceitful and manipulative. Because its core nature is so rotten it becomes a master at concealing and camouflaging itself with all manner of outward false airs and graces, that mask its true inner motives. If you ask me did God make me with this horrible nature? The answer is no. Where then did I get it? I got it from my parents who in turn ultimately got it from Adam and Eve. And they in turn got it from Satan when they believed his words – that’s how his nature got into them – instead of believing God’s words to them, so that His divine nature could have remained in them. We all, if we’re honest would agree that even if these characteristics don’t always manifest themselves outwardly, they are alive and well in our thoughts, Eph 2:2-3 In which you once walked according to the course of this world, NKJV/AMP according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience, [the careless, the rebellious, and the unbelieving, who go against the purposes of God]. Among these we as well as you once lived and conducted ourselves in the passions of our flesh, our behavior governed by our corrupt and sensual nature, obeying the impulses of the flesh and the thoughts of the mind. We were by nature children of wrath like the rest of mankind. Rom 7:18 For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) nothing good dwells… Rom 7:21 I find then a law, that evil is present with me… Jer 13:23 Neither are you able to do good—you who are accustomed to doing evil. As a Christian I will live in and continue to be controlled by this evil human nature, unless: (1) I consciously and very deliberately choose to live in, that is, for my will continually to be controlled by, my new nature. This nature is my spirit or heart, and it was created in Christ the moment that I was born again. However to live in this new divine nature requires that I remain in continuous submission to God’s Holy Spirit, as He directs all of my steps. Eze 36:26-28 I will give you a new heart…put a new spirit in you. I will take out your stony, stubborn heart and give you a tender, (God) responsive heart…I will put my (Holy) Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes (words), and you keep my judgments (words), and do them. NKJV Rom 8:9 But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if…the Spirit of God dwells in you. Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His. Acts 5:32 …The Holy Spirit whom God has given to those who obey Him. Gal 5:16 So I say, walk in (every step directed by) the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. (2) I consciously and very deliberately allow God to grow my new nature with more of that nature, by daily feeding me more of His words, by His Spirit, which words are that nature. However for this to happen I must continue to live in my new nature and to fully believe with that nature, my spiritual heart, the words that God personally brings to me each day. The genuineness of my belief will always be evidenced by my own words and actions being consistent with those words of God. A mere mental acknowledging or memorizing of His words keeps their life from my heart and makes me falsely assume that I know them. Jer 15:16 Your words were found, and I ate them (believe them in my heart), and your words became to me a joy and the delight of my heart… ESV 2 Cor 4:16 …The inward man is being renewed day by day (or God intends it to be). Jam 1:21 …Receive with meekness the implanted word (from God), which is able to save your souls (your will from being captive to your flesh and so to sin). 2 Pet 1:4 …There are given us exceedingly great and precious promises (God’s words), that by these you may be partakers of the divine nature… Unless I choose to do both (1) and (2) above I will remain, that is, my will or soul will remain, under the continuing dominance of my corrupt human nature. This is what the Bible refers to as a Christian who is carnal, born of the Spirit but has returned to his flesh, 2 Pet 2:22 But it has happened to them…“A dog returns to his own vomit," and, "a sow, having washed, to her wallowing in the mire.” What our inward man, new divine nature looks like, If I do consciously and very deliberately choose to do (1) and (2) above I will be living in my new and ever growing divine nature, in which Jesus Christ, by His Spirit and by His words, ever increasingly lives. Let me share with you what this new nature is like: It is always forgiving just as it is forgiven; it is loving, but with a purer divine love rather than a highly conditional and often impure human love. It is increasingly patient and considerate of others and constantly thinks about their spiritual and eternal welfare. It is humble, in the sense of knowing its total dependence on God, therefore it isn’t envious of what others have, even what they have spiritually; instead it is charitable without any need to be given credit. It is not easily angered but rather seeks peace as it keeps getting stronger in faith toward God and bolder in its witness of Jesus Christ to others. Because it trusts God it is free from worry, it always wants to please God so it doesn’t sin. It is immensely joyful often for no apparent visible reason. This nature is “supernatural” it is the very nature of Christ, Col 1:27 …God willed to make known…this mystery among the Gentiles: which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. John 15:7-8 (Jesus) If you abide (live) in Me, and My words abide (live) in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you. By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples. 1Cor 15:49 …just as we have borne the likeness of the earthly man, so also shall we bear the likeness of the Heavenly Man (Jesus Christ). KJV To live permanently in my new nature requires my becoming dead to my human nature, If I consciously and very deliberately choose to do (1) and (2) above then the Spirit of truth, the Holy Spirit, will guide me to certain specific truths in God’s word. Truths that tell me Christ, by dying to His flesh on the cross, has already provided a way for me to die, in Him, to my flesh. As with the initial gospel truths, this deeper truth of the gospel simply needs to be revealed to my inquiring heart, and then just believed, so as to become mine, Rom 6:6 Knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin. Rom 6:11 Likewise you also, reckon (believe) yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord. Then in order to stay dead to my corrupt human nature I simply need to continue to believe, each day, that I am dead, in Christ, to my flesh. This is taking up my cross daily, Luke 9:23 Then He (Jesus) said to them all, "If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me”. My human nature will not want me, that is, for my will, to be dead to its sinful influence; nor will the devil; and nor will unconverted people and fleshly Christians around me. But my love for and gratitude to God, my knowledge of just how evil my human nature is, and the powerful growing nature of Christ in me, will both motivate and easily enable me to overcome my enemies and to be made conformable to Christ’s death - which was for me, Phil 3:10 That I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death, Gal 5:24 And those who are Christ's have crucified the flesh… These two natures of ours, one evil and one good, are in total conflict with each other. The conflict ends when we choose to die to our evil human nature and live with our will under the continuous influence of Christ’s nature within our hearts. This is what it means to be a disciple of Christ, now we will bear much fruit, through our words, into the lives of others. And our heavenly Father will be glorified and our eternity will be secure, Gal 5:17 The sinful nature wants to do evil, which is just the opposite of what the Spirit wants. And the Spirit gives us desires that are the opposite of what the sinful nature desires. These two forces are constantly fighting each other, NIV 2 Pet 1:8 For if these things are yours and abound, you will be neither barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 2 Pet 1:10-11 Therefore, brethren, be even more diligent to make your call and election sure, for if you do these things you will never stumble; for so an entrance will be supplied to you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Thank you Father, You keep us, You water us every moment, so nothing harms us, and all this by faith!

I think that as Christian's, we too can be "in the spirit" like John in the book of Revelation. It is when you have a lot of faith and in this time a lot of God's revelations (things that will happen) come to us. The book of Revelation has this title because of this - it was revealed to John how things will be. A good way to get a lot of faith is to read your bible for a long period of time maybe an hour on an occasion - you cannot do this all the time but you should daily read your bible for shorter periods. Get an enjoyable version that is fun to encourage you to do this (I like the Message and/or the ESV - English Standard Version): Faith is our link to God so having a link in faith enables Him to reveal things to us through what is like a telephone line that has been setup. Read your favourite bible version and pray to God like you are having a conversation with Him whilst you are having a coffee - who knows, you might end up having a chat, coming closer to someone who loves you more than you could ever know and therefore making Him very happy. Make sure you use wisdom with your faith though so you can discern away mis-leading spirits that may effect the conversation. This is noise and interference on the telephone line. Shalom

Beware, many people are falling prey to this spirit. Make sure you are not following it. "And no wonder! For Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light." - 2 Corinthians 11:14 The spirit of anti-Christ is known to pose as Christ, but denying His power and all its supernatural abilities to work against evil. Some versions are so deceptive, that they even offer forgiveness of sins through His blood, but as this is not done in truth... There is no effect in the spiritual realm, and the sinner never receives forgiveness. "but he who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is subject to eternal condemnation" - Mark 3:28 This deception causes the believer to think they have received forgiveness of sins, but in truth, this never happened. Why?! Because the believer lives according to the flesh... And cannot deny it, no matter if they try to appear as they are overcoming it; without the Spirit of Christ in them it is never possible. In practice, they are deceived, are wolves inwardly (do not have the Spirit), and sheep outwardly (profess to know Jesus). Their only choice is to repent in truth and welcome the real Christ, because... "Whoever commits sin also commits lawlessness, and sin is lawlessness." - 1 John 3:4 "Most assuredly, I say to you, whoever commits sin is a slave of sin... ...Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed." - John 8:34+36 "Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’" - Matthew 7:22-24 Or we are for Christ, or we are against Him. The third option is to be deceived you are for Christ, but inwardly, your heart is not for Him. In other words, the third option is a deceit produced by Satan. "Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles?" - Matthew 7:15-16 First, let us see what we have learned from the Lord Jesus Christ: "You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men." - Matthew 5:13 "You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden." - Matthew 5:14 "Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven." - Matthew 5:16 "whoever says, 'You fool!' shall be in danger of hell fire." - Matthew 5:22 "But I tell you not to resist an evil person. But whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also." - Matthew 5:38 "Give to him who asks you, and from him who wants to borrow from you do not turn away." - Matthew 5:42 "Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father." - John 14:12 "For to this you were called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that you should follow His steps" - 1 Peter 2:21 "For this is the will of God, that by doing good you may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men" - 1 Peter 2:15 "But let your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No,’ ‘No.’ For whatever is more than these is from the evil one." - Matthew 5:37 "But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses." - Matthew 6:15 We cannot even do those things sincerely and consistently, if the love of God, His Holy Spirit is not in us. Then, for we to be able to practice those things in truth, we must have Him in us. "that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height— to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God." - Ephesians 3:17-19 But how do we have His Spirit in us? We must repent, in truth, receive forgiveness of sins from the Lord, and then receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. "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." - Acts 2:38 After that, you are His, and the fruits must follow to confirm. Unless you believed in vain. "I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me..." - Galatians 2:20 Strategies of the spirit of anti-Christ: "He who is not with Me is against Me, and he who does not gather with Me scatters." - Luke 11:23 The spirit of anti-Christ will cause the person to work against Christ, in two ways: Lukewarmness, or openly. Lukewarmness is evident when the person lives in the flesh and for the flesh. They boast in their flesh, and their inability to overcome it. This clearly shows the person is founded on self-righteousness (flesh). "For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) nothing good dwells..." - Romans 7:18 The desire of the Spirit is to overcome the flesh, not to accept its ways. "For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish." - Galatians 5:17 The solution is to repent, receive forgiveness, receive the Holy Spirit, and consequently overcome it. "And if Christ is in you, the body is dead because of sin, but the Spirit is life because of righteousness." - Romans 8:10 Those who are in the flesh cannot receive, in truth, the things and desires of the Spirit: Holiness, faithfulness, sanctification, war against flesh, fruits of the Spirit. And the spirit of anti-Christ will use those who are in the flesh to stop those who are working for the Spirit. The spirit of anti-Christ will not, and cannot encourage the person to be dead indeed to sin, as this is only possible by God given knowledge of truth and repentance. In other words: It is not you that choose, is God Himself. "We love Him because He first loved us." - 1 John 4:19 And the flesh can't comprehend it. "But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God." - John 1:12-13 "He who does not love does not know God, for God is love." - 1 John 4:8 Again, those who are in the flesh cannot comprehend it... Because, the flesh cannot receive or understand the things of the Spirit of God... In this case: Love. "...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." - 1 Corinthians 2:14 How can one truly love God?! If you do not have the Spirit, you do not know how to answer. "We love Him because He first loved us." - 1 John 4:19 Those under the spirit of anti-Christ will work against all those who are in the Spirit, and will never take a position against the flesh. Why can't they take a position against the flesh?! Because they do not have the Spirit. "If Satan casts out Satan, he is divided against himself. How then will his kingdom stand?" - Matthew 12:26 The spirit of anti-Christ will put fear in the person, so they do not work for Christ: Sanctification, faith in His name, prayer, war against flesh, and strive to cultivate the fruits of the Spirit. The spirit of anti-Christ will heavily discourage people to keep obeying the Spirit; and only Satan, the devil, and the flesh (self) will work against the Holy Spirit of God. The spirit of anti-Christ will cause fear, doubt, and make the person feel condemned for striving to be holy and to please the Lord by practicing His commandments by faith. The spirit of anti-Christ will cause the person to sin here and there, or even full time, with the excuse of being more dependent on Christ's sacrifice... And boast about it. "It is written again, You shall not tempt the Lord your God" - Matthew 4:7 As the pharisees, they are never free from sin, but are regularly sinning on purpose and choosing sacrifice over mercy to become clean. And never truly repent. "Blind Pharisee, first cleanse the inside of the cup and dish, that the outside of them may be clean also." - Matthew 23:26 "always learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth." - 2 Timothy 3:7 "Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth." - John 17:17 The spirit of anti-Christ will, obviously, twist all scriptures to contradict anything that is to work for the Spirit. It indeed comes with a full doctrine package. The spirit of anti-Christ will come with a very deceiving, full of craftiness, and methods of interpretation, and claim to have superior carnal methods to correctly discern scriptures. "But I fear, lest somehow, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, so your minds may be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ." - 2 Corinthians 11:3 The spirit of anti-Christ will cause the person to feel worthless, and never encourage them to be victorious of the world and the flesh (self), in His name. The spirit of anti-Christ will deceive people to stay founded in self-righteousness, and consequently the Word of God will have no effect in their lives. The spirit of anti-Christ will give them little to no authority in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, and never encourage it; but they will feel condemned if they do so. "Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you." - Luke 10:19 "Until now you have asked nothing in My name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full." - John 16:24 "And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues;" - Mark 16:17 And as a result the below scriptures will never be fulfilled in the life of him who follows the spirit of anti-Christ: "...it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me..." - Galatians 2:20 "Imitate me, just as I also imitate Christ." - 1 Corinthians 11:1 "Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock." - Matthew 7:24-25 And the spirit of anti-Christ will deceive them by making they believe they are born again, without ever receiving His Spirit. "...The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life." - John 6:63 "But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves." - James 1:22 A common practice of the spirit of anti-Christ is to threaten people of losing salvation while obeying Jesus commandments and His Holy Spirit, by faith working through love (Him in us). "Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us." - Romans 8:34 "...it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me..." - Galatians 2:20 Would the Spirit of Christ fight against Himself? Obviously, no. "He who is not with Me is against Me, and he who does not gather with Me scatters." - Luke 11:23 You shall know them by their fruits. Please, learn this: The Holy Spirit will not cause you to fear and threaten you for doing what the Lord Jesus Himself commanded, by faith. "Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go." - Joshua 1:9 Another thing the spirit of anti-Christ will do is to deny the existence of the Holy Spirit and His works in a person. As a result, it will not receive testimony of those who have been miraculously delivered from the evil desires of the flesh and spiritual forces of the darkness. People who are in the flesh cannot understand the supernatural power of the Holy Spirit in the life of a true believer. The only thing they do is to work hard against those who walk by the Spirit; and they preach a false, superficial repentance and a superficial trust in the blood of Christ. "having a form of godliness but denying its power. And from such people turn away!" - 2 Timothy 3:5 In other words, they believe the blood of Jesus cleanses from sin, but they deny the sanctifying work of His Holy Spirit, and His supernatural power. Consequently, denying its effect and the Lord Himself. "...If we deny Him, He also will deny us." - 2 Timothy 2:12 Conclusion: Those following the spirit of anti-Christ will pass their entire lives fighting against Christ, and those who are indeed His, and their supernatural testimony. As they are deceived, in the flesh, and cannot see the truth, they will in that Day, question why they will not enter heaven: "Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’" - Matthew 7:21-24 There is no such thing of being a genuine follower of Christ and being condemned for it. It is a common accusation from the spirit of anti-Christ. "Who shall bring a charge against God's elect? It is God who justifies." - Romans 8:33 "Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us." - Romans 8:34 Your only choice is: To trust in the Lord Jesus Christ, and obey Him. He knows of your problems, sins, and everything about you... And He calls you to repent, receive forgiveness, and receive a new life. "Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord..." - Acts 3:19 What?! Just because I said to you: Obey the Lord you are resisting?! Obedience is by faith, through love. Or you obey the Lord Jesus by faith, or you obey Satan, the devil and yourself. "...that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life..." - Deuteronomy 30:19 Or do you think your ways and plans are better than the Lord's? "And if it seems evil to you to serve the Lord, choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord." - Joshua 24:15 God bless you in Jesus' name. Amen!

And many people are doing this, and they do not even know they are doing it. And this is very, very serious because those who deny Him are anti-christs. "I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you." - John 14:18 That is why those who do not believe in the power of the Holy Spirit, as written in Scriptures, cannot see the truth. "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 things that I said to you." - John 14:26 All those who trust in themselves to find the truth, in their own abilities and wisdom will not find the truth. Why?! Because they are denying the spirit of truth. And we cannot find the truth while denying it. "Jesus said to him, I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me." - John 14:6 Then I cannot say the Holy Spirit does not teach and reveal, because He does, and I have been experiencing it. "Yet you have not known Him, but I know Him. And if I say, ‘I do not know Him,’ I shall be a liar like you; but I do know Him and keep His word." - John 8:55 And it is written as well: "Thus says the Holy Spirit, ‘So shall the Jews at Jerusalem bind the man who owns this belt, and deliver him into the hands of the Gentiles.’" - Acts 21:11 "for to one is given the word of wisdom through the Spirit, to another the word of knowledge through the same Spirit" - 1 Corinthians 12:8 "And there are diversities of activities, but it is the same God who works all in all." - 1 Corinthians 12:6 And He gives me joy and peace as well. It is very, very pleasant! And if I asked the Holy Spirit from the Father, then how do you say I have received another spirit?! "If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!" - Luke 11:13 "I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will keep My judgments and do them." - Ezekiel 36:26 You shall know them by their fruits. And the Father will not give a serpent to those who asked Him a bread. I see people finding excuses to keep in their sins, but I tell you that if you do not repent then your heart is not for Him. If you know something is not right, and you want to love the Lord Jesus... Then you have to trust in Him by faith. How do you trust in Him?! By doing what He said: Ask, seek, knock. "but declared first to those in Damascus and in Jerusalem, and throughout all the region of Judea, and then to the Gentiles, that they should repent, turn to God, and do works befitting repentance." - Acts 26:20 You do not want to keep in your bad habits, you want to be free. But if you do not ask, it will not happen. I am not saying you will become free overnight, but if you insist and keep asking, you will surely become more and more free each day. "For whoever has, to him more will be given, and he will have abundance; but whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him." - Matthew 13:12 For to this you were called, once you have accepted Jesus as Lord and Savior of your life... Forget the old life completely; unless you have believed in vain. From this point all you want, by grace, is to turn from the flesh and its evil desires. Now we desire to become more and more like Him, and more in the Spirit. This is REPENTANCE. God is not mocked, if you do not repent you will not receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. Your heart has to turn to Him, completely. "Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life." - Galatians 6:7-8 Repent indeed, embrace, and receive the Lord Jesus for real in your life. He wants you 100%. Ask to be immersed and fully baptized in His Holy Spirit. Desire to be His. "I indeed baptized you with water, but He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit." - Mark 1:8 You do not want to look back, you do not want to stay in the flesh... Flesh is death. If you are offended by any of the fruits of the Holy Spirit, if holiness offend you, if sanctification offends you, if hating all sins offends you then you do not have His Spirit. "Therefore he who rejects this does not reject man, but God, who has also given us His Holy Spirit." - 1 Thessalonians 4:8 Only those who are in the flesh can be offended by the fruits of the Holy Spirit. "For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish." - Galatians 5:17 "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." - Romans 8:9 "If God were your Father, you would love Me, for I proceeded forth and came from God; nor have I come of Myself, but He sent Me." - John 8:42 Those who deny Him will be denied. Or you love Him, or you do not. All you have to do is: Repent, and ask for His love. "If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!" - Luke 11:13 I am not here to speak what carnal men want to hear, I am not here to please the flesh. If I wanted to please the flesh, I would have to go against the Lord Jesus. "So then, those who are in the flesh cannot please God." - Romans 8:8 But if you do not hear me, if you insist in denying His Holy Spirit, if you love your sins more than Him. To love sin is a sad end, and is much more painful than denying ourselves. To deny ourselves is a pain that goes away sooner than we expect and is replaced by peace and joy. "For godly sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation, not to be regretted; but the sorrow of the world produces death." - 2 Corinthians 7:10 But the pain and suffering of hell is everlasting. "And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil." - John 3:19 And I am not telling you to do this on your own effort. You will find it is impossible to be done by your own effort. You have to seek, and keep seeking, and ask Him. His power, His love will be shed in your hearts and you will love Him, indeed. "If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him." - John 14:23 "Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth." - John 17:17 And He will set you free indeed. "If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free." - John 8:31-32 "Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed." - John 8:36 Do not give up, do not deny His power, do not deny His love. Trust in Him, seek Him, and you will find Him. "if My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land." - 2 Chronicles 7:14 The Lord Jesus paid a high for this: His blood, His life. He loved you. "And those who are Christ's have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires." - Galatians 5:24 Glory to God! Amen. "We love Him because He first loved us." - 1 John 4:19

.Thought I would offer this, since it comes up from time to time. This is not at all unique to me nor even an unusual understanding, and shared here because other understandings can be very stressful, and even if they were to be true, they would be of little or no use. Some wonder if they have committed blasphemy of the Holy Spirit. The concern comes from this passage: 30 “Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters. 31 And so I tell you, every kind of sin and slander can be forgiven, but blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven. 32 Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but anyone who speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come. There we see that there is a sin, a type pf blasphemy which will never be forgiven, a very sobering thought. It seems to me, that a look at the context of these verses, may help us to understand what is going on. 23 Then they brought him a demon-possessed man who was blind and mute, and Jesus healed him, so that he could both talk and see. 233 All the people were astonished and said, “Could this be the Son of David?” 24 But when the Pharisees heard this, they said, “It is only by Beelzebul,the prince of demons, that this fellow drives out demons.” That name there (Beelzebul) comes from a transliteration of the Hebrew "Baal Zebub" or "Baʿal Zəvûv ", which occurs in 2 Kings, chapter 1. There he is referred to as the god of Ekron. Baal, meaning lord or god, and Zebub, meaning "of flies" or "of fliers". Common belief was that demons, and angels, had wings. The lord of the flying ones (demons) would of course, be Satan. The name Baal Zebub, is the name of a Philistine god. This is what is in the minds of Jesus' critics in verse 24. So, just before Jesus said that there is a sin which is not forgiven, we have the Pharisees saying that it is by the power of Satan, that Jesus was able to cast out demons. Since it was the power of God that Jesus did His miracles, these Pharisees were in essence, saying that the Holy Spirit was an unholy spirit, Satan himself. From this we see what is so blasphemous. Some will say, that the only unforgivable sin, is dying without having accepted Jesus as Lord. I understand their thinking, and certainly they are right that those who refuse God's grace, will not be forgiven, but I think their understanding is a bit off. Dying is not a sin, so dying without accepting Jesus, is not the unforgivable sin. The text says, all manners of sin, except one, will be forgiving. What is important, is that any sin, separates us from God, and we are destined for eternal separation from God, if our sins are not forgiven. So, looking back at the text again we see: every kind of sin can be forgiven, except one, blasphemy against the Spirit. It says nothing about dying, it does not even mention faith, though faith is missing from those who blaspheme. it simply says there is only one sin, a specific blasphemy, which will never be forgiven. So, while it is true that refusing Jesus all ones life is an eternal death sentence (in as much as all sinners are already headed for destruction apart from God's saving grace), repentance is possible the whole time until we run our to time, when life ends. It is remarkable, and reassuring even, that the test says that we can even speak against Jesus Himself, and still find forgiveness. The only unforgivable sin, according to Jesus, is to slander the Holy Spirit by equating Him with Satan. It seems likely, that we will never encounter a person who has committed the sin of blaspheming the Holy Spirit. God has a habit of searing the conscience (the Bible often calls this a hardened heart) of those who steadfastly refuse to accept Him. When a person comes to us, and expresses that they think they might have committed blasphemy of the Holy Spirit, chances are great, that this has not happened. This person is still concerned about the things of God, and is acknowledging His existence. That is a form of faith, even if that faith is weak, and underdeveloped, under exercised. If God has abandoned them, they would likely have ceased to be concerned about God. To worry about being unforgiven, is to acknowledge God is real, and that sin is real, and that the solution to the eternal consequences of sin, if found in the forgiveness of God. A person seeking God, seeking to please God does so, because the Spirit of God is drawing that person. No one comes to God, that the Spirit has not drawn first. John 6:44 “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws them, and I will raise them up at the last day. I don't think that God is going to draw people to Himself, that He has no intention of forgiving, and the promise is that the one who comes to Him, He will raise up, on the last day. That promise does not have conditions or limitations. It is a sad thing, that some believers worry, are despndent, that they will be lost because they discovered this verse about unforgivable sin. If a person has truly come to God, they have been saved, and will not be lost - God does not take back, what He has given,and no one can snatch a beleiver out of His hands, God's grip if firm, no power in the universe, exceed His power, and His love is extreme towards those He treasures. 1 Cor 12:3 Therefore I want you to know that no one who is speaking by the Spirit of God says, “Jesus be cursed,” and no one can say, “Jesus is Lord,” except by the Holy Spirit.

Daily Reading 68 If you prefer, you can look up the following verses in your own Bible, or by whatever means and in whichever version you choose. Matthew 12:22-50 Leviticus 15-16 Proverbs 27 Audio 6:41 Audio 4:59 Audio 2:43 The above verse addresses are linked to Bible Gateway. That is an easy way to read (or listen to) the Bible verses, and choose your version. Personally, I prefer written, that way I can go at my own pace, and think about it, before moving on. Nothing wrong with doing either or both. The Bible says faith comes by hearing. See the picture below to get an idea of what to expect if you follow the above links. Note: The audio will not play the exact verses, it will play the whole chapters, in which the verses exist. Thank you Lord for making the your word so accessible for us in these times. Amen

After I came. To Christ God gave me "eyes to see and ears to hear" I would have a series of dreams. He was showing me some of the things he wants me to operate in. 1. I saw about 10 or so angels surrounding me as I cast a demon out of a man in the street and he grew wings 2. I went into a car parts shop and was ministering to someone in Spanish by gift of the holy Spirit 3. I'm standing on a stage preaching to teens about overcoming the ways of the world and walking. Like Christ on the earth. That's just an example of what he has shown me. But it's starting to get. Intense. For instance when I first came to Christ I would be dreaming about being tempted to sin then I would speak the word of God in my dream and call out the lie then the face of the person would change to a demon I would wake up search the Bible pray and worship call on the Lord. But now it's different it's like if a spirit is trying to come in our home god will show me the spirit realm and I can see the demon then I "wake up" and can feel the spirits energy and I cast it out. This last expierence was even more different I was asleep then I woke up. I tried to go back to sleep but couldn't I was laying down but I could see me go out side I live on a second floor apartment I floated through my window it was like everything was sperated. If I looked straight ahead it looked normal like what I see everyday if I looked down it looked like ground went to the core of the earth and I saw fire I didn't look up but I saw this bright light shining behind me. There was a group of 8 demons trying to attack me they rushed me and I started speaking the word of God casting them out of my neighborhood and this forced pushed out of my body kind of like strong wind and pushed all those demons away to keep them from touching me and 3 angels came from behind me and bound those demons and cast them into that fire pit another wave of demons came at me and attacked I fought with the word and that force kept pushing them off me and those angels bound them and cast them down all of a sudden I grew wings big huge white wings that looked like eagles wings and I flew up towards that bright light which was the precense of God and hugged the bottom of a huge leg then the verse in Isaiah 40:31 was put in my spirit i was suddenly back in my room looking at my dresser....the whole day I felt where those wings are in my spirit. Has anyone expierenced stuff like that. I realize that I'm a warrior in God's army but has anyone done that and more??

The Three Parts of the Spirit - #3 Fellowship With God Fellowship is our worship to God. The mind, the emotions, and the will are the organs of the soul and cannot worship God. God does not come through the mind, emotions or desires. God is known directly through the spirit. Man worships God and communicates with God through the spirit or ‘inner man’ and not through the soul or outward man. Luke 1:47 And my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior. Romans 1:9 For God is my witness, whom I serve with my spirit in the gospel of his Son, that without ceasing I make mention of you always in my prayers; Romans 8:15-16 For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. 16The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: Revelation 21:10 And he carried me away in the spirit to a great and high mountain, and showed me that great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God. Affirmations: GOD IS A SPIRIT; AND THEY THAT WORSHIP HIM MUST WORSHIP HIM IN SPIRIT AND IN TRUTH. (John 6:63) I DWELL IN HIM, AND HE IS IN ME, BECAUSE HE HAS GIVEN ME OF HIS SPIRIT. (1 John 4:13) THE HOLY SPIRIT SHOWS ME WHAT I SHOULD PRAY FOR AND MAKES INTERCESSION FOR ME. (Romans 8:26) ALBERT FINCH MINSITRY

2 Corinthians 3:18 - "But we all, with unveiled face beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit." WE ARE TO BE TRANSFORMED "FROM GLORY TO GLORY." THIS INDICATES AN UNFOLDING PROCESS TO CHANGE US INTO HIS IMAGE. THIS IS NOT A PROCESS THAT WE CAN ENGINEER OR CONTROL, BUT IT IS "FROM THE LORD, THE SPIRIT." WE SUBMIT TO IT BY "BEHOLDING THE GLORY OF THE LORD." AS WE BEHOLD HIS GLORY, WE WILL BE CHANGED INTO HIS IMAGE. WHEN WE FALL INTO THE TRAP OF TRYING TO CHANGE OURSELVES, IT RESULTS IN LOOKING AT OURSELVES INSTEAD OF HIM. THIS WILL INEVITABLY LEAD TO THE BLACK HOLE OF SELF-CENTEREDNESS. EVEN AFTER WE ARE BORN AGAIN INTO THE LORD TRANSFORMATION NEEDS TO TAKE PLACE IN OUR LIVES. AS WE KEEP OUR ATTENTION ON HIM, WE WILL CHANGE, EVEN IF WE ARE OFTEN UNAWARE OF IT. Matthew 22:29 - "You are wrong because you know neither the scriptures nor God's power." In this passage Jesus rebukes the Pharisees for their ignorance of the scriptures and God's power. What was the cause? They didn't allow the scriptures to lead them to God. They didn't understand......not really understand. The word "know" in this passage speaks of "personal experience." They tried to learn apart from such an experience. Their study didn't lead them to an encounter with God. It became an end in itself. We must seek until we find. How? Christianity is not a philosophy; it is a relationship. It's the "God encounter" that makes the concepts powerful. We must require this of ourselves. They didn't allow the scriptures to lead them to God. They didn't understand......not really understand. The word "know" in this passage speaks of "personal experience." They tried to learn apart from such an experience. Their study didn't lead them to an encounter with God. It became an end in itself. Jesus rebukes the Pharisees for their ignorance of the scriptures and God's power. What was the cause? moved with the love of God to the point that we seek His face until we are "clothed with power from on high!" Luke 11:10 - "For everyone who asks and keeps on asking receives; and he who seeks and keeps on seeking finds; and to him who knocks and keeps on knocking, the door will be opened." AMP Psalm 141:3 - "Set a watch, O Lord, before my mouth; keep the door of my lips." Affirmation: THE WORLD IS LIKE A RUSHING RIVER, PULLING AT ME, TRYING TO GET ME TO FLOW WITH IT. I MAKE THE DECISION TODAY TO PADDLE UPSTREAM AGAINST THE CURRENT BY SPEAKING GOD'S WORD INTO MY LIFE. Proverbs 4:20 - "My son, attend to my words; consent and submit to my sayings." ALBERT FINCH MINISTRY

James 1:2-4 - "Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect result, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing." EVERY TRIAL IN OUR LIVES IS ALLOWED FOR TWO PURPOSES: THE FIRST IS TO CONFORM US TO THE IMAGE OF JESUS CHRIST, WHICH IS THE FRUIT OF THE SPIRIT. THE SECOND IS TO BRING US TO A PLACE OF MATURITY WHERE HE CAN TRUST US WITH MORE AUTHORITY TO DO THE WORKS THAT HE DID, WHICH ARE THROUGH THE GIFTS OF THE SPIRIT. THEREFORE, WE MUST SEIZE OUR TRIALS AS JAMES ENCOURAGES, COUNTING THEM AS JOY, BECAUSE THEY ALWAYS LEAD TO THE DAWN'S LIGHT. Zechariah 12:1 - "Thus says the Lord, Who stretches out the heavens and lays the foundation of the earth and forms the spirit of man within him." God is Spirit, and Zechariah 12 tells us that God formed the spirit of man within him. The human spirit is what makes relationship and fellowship with God possible at all. Through his spirit, man can walk in step with God. In the Spirit he is one with God. Through his spirit he knows of God and receives everything God wants to communicate to Him. It is in Man's spirit that Christ takes up residence. He who puts on Christ is one spirit with Him. 1 Corinthians 6:17 - "But he who is united to the Lord becomes one spirit with him." Psalm 5:3 -- 'In the morning, O Lord, you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait in expectation.' Hearing from God is living with expectation toward Him because expectation places a demand on the Holy Spirit. We should live with expectation toward God twenty-four hours a day, for He abides within us at all times. God does talk. He is speaking continually. Christians need to develop their receivers (their human spirits) which will enable them to tune in to the voice of the Holy Spirit. If we start our day by thinking of all that needs to be done, our minds will attempt to figure things out, and we'll shut God out of our thoughts. If we focus on Him, He will talk to us and direct our day. AFFIRMATIONS: I live with expectation, I pray with expectation, I listen with expectation -- I hear HIS VOICE. I take time to listen to the Lord to hear strategies for myself, my family, and the needs of the Kingdom. ALBERT FINCH MINISTRY

Hebrews 4:12 - "For the Word of God is living and powerful.........." For one who has faith in the Word of God, there is nothing impossible. There are no impossibilities when there is faith..........and there are no exceptions....... Our faith in God's word is not just an abiding faith; it is active -- it is aggressive by nature. It has focus and purpose. Faith grabs hold of the reality of the kingdom and forcefully and violently brings it into a collision with this natural one. An inferior kingdom cannot stand. Matthew 11:12 - "And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force." Romans 10:17 - "So then faith comes by hearing and hearing, by the Word of God. Philippians 1:28 - "Don't be afraid of your enemies; always be courageous, and this will prove to them that they will lose and that you will win because it is God who gives you the victory." PEACE IS SPIRIT POWER. YOUR PEACE, YOUR IMMOVABLE STAND UPON THE WORD OF GOD IS A SIGN THAT YOU ARE POSITIONED CORRECTLY IN PERFECT SUBMISSION TO THE WILL OF GOD. THE VERY FACT THAT YOU ARE NOT FRIGHTENED BY YOUR ADVERSARY IS A SIGN THAT YOU HAVE AUTHORITY OVER HIM. Isaiah 54:2 -- "Enlarge the place of thy tent, and let them stretch forth the curtains of thine habitations; spare not, lengthen thy cords, and strengthen thy stakes." To walk in our DESTINY we must learn new ways and walk out of the old ways and comfort zones of the past. Now is the time to enlarge, stretch, lengthen, strengthen, spread abroad, resettle, inherit and inhabit the new places. It is time to let go of the old and reach for the new, embracing the high calling of God in our lives, to win souls and DISCIPLE new believers. The Holy Spirit has a divine plan. He will lead and guide us into the new by teaching us how to walk in resurrection power. Like Esther, we were created for such a time as this. AFFIRMATION: I ask largely so that my joy may be full. John 16:23,24 -- "In that day you will not question Me about anything. Truly, truly, I say to you, if you ask the Father for anything in My name, He will give it to you. Until now you have asked for nothing in My name; ask and you will receive, so that your joy may be made full." ALBERT FINCH MINISTRY

Hebrews 5:11 - "Concerning this we have much to say which is hard to explain, since you have become dull in your (spiritual) hearing and sluggish (even slothful in achieving spiritual insight)." They were not in need of hearing aids; rather their inward man had digressed to become insensitive to spiritual things. The Holy Spirit does not communicate to our head but to our spirit. You can be a believer for years and not develop your spirit. Scripture tells us that John the Baptist "grew and became strong in spirit". Regarding spiritual development, Paul told Timothy to give himself entirely to it "that your progress may be evident to all." Luke 1:80 - "And the little boy grew and became strong in spirit." Mark 9:23 - "What do you mean, 'If you can'?' said Jesus. "Everything is possible for him who believes." Faith is having a knowing on the inside. Faith knows you are healed even when you don't feel it yet. Faith knows you're safe even when tragedy happens nearby. Faith knows you have peace even when everyone around you is afraid. Faith doesn't deny the circumstances. Faith believes in the higher truth of God's word in spite of the circumstances. John 12:28,29 - "'Rather, I will say, Father, glorify Your name!' Then there came a voice out of heaven saying, I have already glorified it, and I will glorify it again. The crowd of bystanders heard the sound and said that it had thundered; others said, An angel has spoken to Him!" Jesus taught us to pray for earth to manifest what is already in Heaven. How is it to be done? God will use spiritual sound - sound that will be unintelligible to spiritual wickedness and hidden from man's natural mind. Spiritual sound is not random indefinite noise. It is a sound which speaks and reveals knowledge to those with ears to hear. We are like instruments that resonate the sound coming from heaven - the approaching rule of the King of Kings. John 3:8 - "The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit." Affirmations: THE SOUNDS OF HEAVEN HAVE FALLEN TO ME IN PLEASANT PLACES; YES, I HAVE A GOOD INHERITANCE. I REVEAL SPIRITUAL THOUGHTS WITH SPIRITUAL WORDS, AS THE SPIRIT LEADS ME. I AM GROWING IN MY CAPACITY TO RELEASE SPIRITUAL SOUND ALIGNING WITH THE HEART AND NATURE OF GOD. ALBERT FINCH MINISTRY

"The Lord said, "I am Jesus whom you are persecuting.......for this purpose I have appeared to you, to appoint you...to open their eyes so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the dominion of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who have been sanctified by faith in Me." - Acts:26:15,16,18 Paul had first to come to this time of crying, weeping, contrition, and yieldedness. He had done all he could in the natural but the natural had only brought him to a broken place, to blindness, to helplessness, and this must come out of Paul's life before he could have the life of God. HIS LIFE FLOWING AS A RIVER When we have altogether parted with our own plans, as it were, then there is a possibility of God's likeness, being made manifest in us, of the water of life filling us, and not only enriching our own life but FLOWING FROM US AS A RIVER that will touch others; and no one can tell what a river can do when it is set aflow by God, because when God is in the plan, everything works mightily and harmoniously. The living touch of the river of the life of God is that which brings a celestial glory into the human heart, and speech that meets the kindled desire therein. RECEIVING OUR CALLING IN CHRIST When we are filled with the Holy Spirit we go forth to see things accomplished that we could never see otherwise: First of all, Paul had a CALLING. But CALLINGS are no good to us unless we make them real. Except We claim them as they come, Except we make them our own, And your whole desire is to carry out what the Spirit has revealed to you in regards to your CALLING -- it will surely come to pass. A CONTINUOUS BURNING ON THE ALTAR Many believers lack the power because they do not keep their CALLING in the forefront of their life -- they do not allow the fire which has come to infuse into them to continue to burn. There must be a continuous burning on the altar. Holy Spirit power in a man is meant to be an increasing force, an enlargement. God has never anything of a diminishing type. He is always moving forward. QUESTIONS TO ASK MYSELF: Am I moving forward? Am I stopping in the plains when there are greater things waiting for me on the hilltops? ALBERT FINCH MINISTRY

2 Corinthians 4:13 - "We having the same spirit of faith, according as it is written, I believed, and therefore have I spoken; we also believe, and therefore speak." OBSERVATION: Sometimes I have to speak the Word to myself until I believe it -- then I can use that word to speak to my situation. The abiding word produces the spirit of faith within me; so I spend time with God and permit that word to abide in me. I confess that word and meditate in that word and abide in Jesus. Then the spirit of faith is produced in me. Romans 10:17 - "So then faith cometh by hearing and hearing, by the word of God." Romans 6:4,5 - "Therefore we are buried with Him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so, we also should walk in newness of life. For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection." The cross of Golgotha utterly crucified us. Our natural being no longer has a place in God's thoughts. The death of Jesus on the cross put an irrevocable end to what we are by nature and what we could ever be. What we are in Christ has nothing more to do with what we were before we were crucified. InChrist we find ourselves in the province of resurrection, and resurrection is only possible if there is first a death. In the resurrection there is only one reality -- Christ all and in all! l Corinthians 3:18,19 - "Make no mistake about it: if any one of you thinks of himself as wise, in the ordinary sense of the word, then he must learn to be a fool before he really can be wise. Why? Because the wisdom of this world is foolishness to God....God is not convinced by the arguments of the wise." On our own we cannot comprehend how to grow and live in oneness with God. Live every day in the knowledge that every bit of spiritual insight is a pure gift from God. The only way to receive wisdom from God is to come before Him (SUBMITTING YOUR SPIRIT TO HIM), pushing away every bit of understanding you think you have gained, and each day, offer yourself as a servant who is willing to do the lowest job. As long as you allow the spirit of "superior knowledge" to secretly overtake you -- that is, to be master of you of your own soul -- you will be as powerless in spirit as a slave -- always subject to your lower nature. ALBERT FINCH MINISTRY

Zechariah 12:1 -- "Thus says the Lord, Who stretches out the heavens and lays the foundation of the earth and forms the spirit of man within him." God is spirit, and Zechariah 12:1 tells us that God formed the spirit of man within him. This human spirit is what makes relationship and fellowship with God possible at all. Through his spirit, man can walk in step with God. In the spirit he is one with God. Through his spirit he knows of God and receives everything God wants to communicate to him. It is in Man's spirit that Christ takes up residence. He who puts on Christ is one spirit with him. 1 Corinthians 6:17 -- But he who is united to the Lord becomes one spirit with him. INTO ACTION: How do I stay in touch with God's Spirit during the day? What am I presently not doing? ALBERT FINCH MINISTRY

Ephesians 3:19 - "And to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fulness of God." THERE IS A PLACE GREATER THAN KNOWLEDGE WHERE WE ABIDE IN CHRIST'S LOVE. THIS IS, INDEED, THE STRONGHOLD OF GOD. IT IS A PLACE WHERE OUR KNOWLEDGE OF GOD IS FULFILLED WITH THE SUBSTANCE OF GOD. WE CANNOT TRULY KNOW GOD WITHOUT, IN SOME WAY, ALSO EXPERIENCING HIS PERSON. WE MUST SEEK HIM UNTIL WE PASS THROUGH OUR KNOWLEDGE INTO AN ENCOUNTER WITH THE ALMIGHTY. WE MUST LEARN HOW TO LISTEN TO HIM; AS WE HEAR, OUR CALL IS TO THEN ASCEND HIGHER TO THE DWELLING PLACE OF LOVE THAT FLOODS OUR BEING WITH HIMSELF. 1 Thessalonians 5:23 - "May the God of peace Himself sanctify you wholly; and may your spirit and soul and body be kept sound and blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ." Observation: WHEN THE WORD OF GOD IS ABIDING IN ME AND FUNCTIONING PROPERLY, IT WORKS ON ME FIRST BEFORE IT WORKS ON MY CIRCUMSTANCES, "SEPARATING" MY SPIRIT, MY SOUL (MIND, WILL, AND EMOTIONS), AND MY BODY AND GETTING MY SPIRIT INTO A POSITION WHERE I CAN HEAR GOD WITHOUT THE INFLUENCE OF MY SOUL OR BODY. Ephesians 1:17,19,20 - "That He may grant you a spirit of wisdom and revelation in the deep and intimate knowledge of Him. And so that you can know and understand what is the immeasurable and unlimited and surpassing greatness of His power in and for us who believe, as demonstrated in the working of His mighty strength. Which He exerted in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His own right hand in the heavenly places." The Holy Spirit within the believer ministers truth by revelation. In other words, it is revealed, not figured out. God does not talk to our brains! He speaks to the spirit of man. Jesus never said that water would flow out of your head, but that, "Out of your innermost being would flow rivers of living water." John 7:36 This is the ultimate Christianity -- communication and communion with the Holy Spirit, knowing more and more about Jesus, the Author and Finisher of our faith. Affirmation: I KNOW THE MIRACLE OF RESURRECTION FOR ME IS -- JESUS IS THE POWER AND THE POWER IS ALWAYS PRESENT -- THAT SAME POWER THAT RAISED JESUS FROM THE DEAD, ENABLES ME TO RISE OUT OF MY ADVERSE CIRCUMSTANCES AND STEP INTO THE PURPOSES OF GOD FOR MY LIFE. ALBERT FINCH MINISTRY

Luke 12:10 - "Everyone who will speak a word against the Son of Man, it shall be forgiven him." Observation: JESUS WAS PREPARED IN HIS HEART TO FORGIVE MEN BEFORE THEY EVER SINNED AGAINST HIM. HE KNEW HIS MISSION WAS TO DIE FOR MEN, NOT CONDEMN THEM. I AM TO DO THE SAME. Romans 8:13,16 - "For if I live after the flesh, I shall die; but if I through the spirit to mortify the deeds of the body, I shall live. The Holy Spirit bears witness with my spirit, that I am a child of God." Affirmation: I DOMINATE MY MIND AND MY BODY WITH MY SPIRIT SINCE I MAINTAIN MY SPIRIT PROPERLY - FEEDING, STRENGTHENING, AND DOMINATING MY INNER MAN WITH THE WORD. LET US DECLARE: 1. That I will come into a greater revelation of the restored relationship I have with our Heavenly Father (Gods PURPOSE for my life - my CALLING in Christ) and His Kingdom through the Cross! 2. That in revelation of my sonship I will occupy the full authority I have in the earth and bring all of creation back into subjection to the dominion of the King! 3. My environment will be forever changed as I pray, say and do what the Father shows me and I see Heaven invade every place I go and everyone I meet. Song of Solomon 4:3 - "Your lips are like a scarlet thread, and your speech is sweet. Your cheeks are like a piece of pomegranate, besides that which is hidden within." "YOUR CHEEKS ARE LIKE A PIECE OF POMEGRANATE." THE POMEGRANATE HAS MANY SEEDS ALL CONTAINED IN ONE SINGLE RIND. LIKEWISE, ALL YOUR THOUGHTS ARE RE-ORDERED IN GOD BY A PURE AND PERFECT LOVE. ALL THAT HAS BEEN DESCRIBED HERE IS NOTHING COMPARED WITH ALL THAT IS YET CONCEALED IN THE DEEPEST DEPTHS OF YOUR SPIRIT. ALBERT FINCH MINISTRY

Proverbs 20:27 - "The spirit of man is the candle of the Lord, searching all the inward parts of the belly." As we begin to cry out from a deep engaging of the Spirit of the living God within our spirits, we experience the communion of the Holy Spirit, which is a place of deep to deep fellowship with the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit searches out the deep counsel of God for you and reveals it to you. OBSERVATION: If I am sensitive to my spirit, the Lord will tell me what to pray about. He will alert me to those things that need to be addressed in prayer. I become sensitive to my spirit by meditating on spiritual things at all times -- by meditating on the Lord, on His goodness, on His greatness, and on His Word. AFFIRMATIONS: Out of His glorious riches He strengthens me with power through His Spirit in my inner man. (Ephesians 3:16) I receive the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him. (Ephesians 1:17) The same Spirit that raised Christ Jesus from the dead dwells in me. So therefore I walk in His Kingdom power. I walk in the Presence of the Lord, in step with Him. His fire surrounds me and His Glory dwells within me. My speech demonstrates the power of God’s Spirit in my life. (I Corinthians 2:4) "God put His stamp of ownership (seal)on you by giving you the Holy Spirit he had promised...so that your minds may be opened to see His light, so that you will know what is the hope to which he has called you...and how very great is his power at work in us who believe. This power in us is the same as the mighty strength which he used when he raise Christ from death." - Ephesians 1:13,18-20 To be sealed means to be stamped with an image. That means, when we were born again, we were stamped with the likeness of the Anointed One. We were made to look like the Lord Jesus Christ on the inside. OBSERVATION: Shall we stop short of what He says we ought to be -- shall we cease to come into line with the Mind which is always thinking for our best -- shall we cease to humble ourselves before him who took the way of the cross for us -- shall we cease to withhold ourselves from Him. Can a true believer come to God today without a cry to God to make them, as it were, flames of fire? God shall endue you in that you won't be satisfied until you feel the very members of your body on fire with a Spirit-kindled PURPOSE. Song of Solomon 3:10 - "He made the pillars of silver and the couch of gold. the ascent is of purple and the middle of it is decorated with love for the daughters of Jerusalem." THE PILLARS OF THE HUMANITY OF JESUS CHRIST ARE OF SILVER. HIS COUCH, WHICH IS THE DIVINE NATURE OF CHRIST, IS MADE OF GOLD. THE ASCENT, OR THE ENTRY WAY, SPEAKS OF THE JOURNEY OF JESUS CHRIST. THE MIDDLE OF THE ROYAL CHARIOT IS DECORATED WITH GOLD ORNAMENTS; THIS SHOWS THAT LOVE IS THE CROWNING GLORY OF ALL THE FRUITS OF THE SPIRIT. JESUS CHRIST CONTAINS ALL THE TREASURES OF WISDOM AND KNOWLEDGE IN THE FULLNESS OF THE GODHEAD. ALBERT FINCH MINISTRY