According to Romans 8:14, if you are a son of God, you should never lack direction, never be confused, never be unsure of the will of God for any situation, because God leads His sons. Are you at crossroads? Do you need to make a critical life decision about where to live, who to marry, what schools to send your kids to, your next steps, your purpose in life? You have the Spirit of Christ. You are God’s son. And God leads His sons.
You know it is very tempting to read Psalm 110 and think in futuristic terms, because David was speaking of the manifestation of the Christ in the future. Well, that future is NOW. Today is the Day of His Power and your situation can turn around for good if you believe.
If you are ever in doubt of what makes the list of Acts of God, John 10:10 would help you…
“The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.”
Good Seed Sown on Good Soil is one article I will not forget in a hurry. Yes it is an anointed and edifying piece, but more importantly I encountered Jesus differently during it’s writing. All of a sudden, in the middle of my writing, I was seated right at the feet of Jesus as He taught on the Parable of the Sower. It was as though I was writing the blogpost as Jesus taught. How long this lasted, I do not know, my period of awareness was very brief, what I remember is jumping out of my seat and almost running out of my patio as soon as I realized what I just experienced.
I also remember my early days of blogging. One night, I’d written for such a long time, well past my bedtime. My entire household had gone to bed and yet I had so much more to write. Suddenly, I felt a tap on my shoulders and I heard Jesus say; ‘Grace, go to sleep, there’s so much more for you to write‘.
Just like the Bible recorded that Mary kept her experiences with young Jesus to heart (Luke 2:19), I keep these experiences in my heart. I trust and follow The Lord to where He is leading me. One thing these encounters do for me though is they assure me that I am not alone. The Lord Is My Helper!!!
What has God called you to do? In your career, your community, your family, your school environment, or your ministry. Does it sometimes seem daunting or almost overwhelming? Do you sometimes wish you had more support than opposition from people? Never forget as a Child of God that you are not alone. The Lord is your Helper.
“Fear not [there is nothing to fear], for I am with you; do not look around you in terror and be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen and harden you to difficulties, yes, I will help you; yes, I will hold you up and retain you with My [victorious] right hand of rightness and justice. [Acts 18:10.] Behold, all they who are enraged and inflamed against you shall be put to shame and confounded; they who strive against you shall be as nothing and shall perish. You shall seek those who contend with you but shall not find them; they who war against you shall be as nothing, as nothing at all. For I the Lord your God hold your right hand; I am the Lord, Who says to you, Fear not; I will help you!”
Isaiah 41:10-13 AMPC
Hebrews 13:1-6 is a call for Christians to exhibit Godly conducts in their dealings by being hospitable, charitable and contented rather than being covetous or vainly. Verses 5 and 6 particularly zeros in on being content with what one has. Not a sense of contentment that is prideful, vainful or arrogant, but that which is confident of the Lord’s presence and help…
“Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” So we may boldly say: “The Lord is my helper; I will not fear. What can man do to me?”
Hebrews 13:5-6 NKJV
Yeah, the Lord Himself has said; “I will never leave you nor forsake you“. I pray you read this over and over to yourself until you understand the weight of what is being said…. The Lord will Never leave nor forsake You, He is Your Helper!!! Be confident of this. Halleluyah!
Jesus never forgot who and whose He was while on earth, He always referenced the Father’s ability and influence at work in Him (John 14:10, John 10:25, John 8:38).
Jesus understood that no ordinary man can fulfil purpose and deliver on a given divine mandate on earth without a divine help and presence (John 5:19, John 5:30). Oh! that’s why after completing His own mission, He did not leave us alone, no, He took permanent residence in us; sending us the Holy Spirit; our Helper.
“And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper (Comforter, Advocate, Intercessor—Counselor, Strengthener, Standby), to be with you forever”
John 14:16 AMP
So you don’t need to see Jesus physically, it’s His prerogative how He manifests Himself to anyone. However, you can be sure of this; God is for you, God is with you and God is in you.
Oh! You are not alone. No, the Lord is Your Helper. Yes, you can boldly declare, shout and scream- …….what can man do to me? Nothing.
We are safe in the Father’s unconditional and everlasting love.
Halleluyah!!!
“Let your character [your moral essence, your inner nature] be free from the love of money [shun greed—be financially ethical], being content with what you have; for He has said, “I will never [under any circumstances] desert you [nor give you up nor leave you without support, nor will I in any degree leave you helpless], nor will I forsake or let you down or relax My hold on you [assuredly not]!” So we take comfort and are encouraged and confidently say, “The Lord is my Helper [in time of need], I will not be afraid. What will man do to me?”
Hebrews 13:5-6 AMP
While it may seem like our momentary subconscious negligence of the all-time workings of grace in us is a bad thing, we can actually rejoice with the realization that we are all-time champions
Friends, in the day of the Lord’s power, things, situations, circumstances, turn around for good
A vessel of honor and grace therefore is that disciple of Christ who studies to show himself approved, who reads, studies and meditates on the Word, and whose life/work is powered by the Holy Spirit.
Do you believe God has called you to minister His Word but somehow you are not exactly sure if you are ready? Whether your call is as an Apostle, Prophet, Evangelist, Pastor and/or Teacher (Ephesians 4:11), I believe that after becoming aware that you have a call, the next important thing is to know when you are ready. To be ready, you have to have gone through a preparatory process.
God is the One who calls us, He is the One who assigns each of the 5 ministry gifts.
“But to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ’s gift. Therefore He says: “When He ascended on high, He led captivity captive, And gave gifts to men.”
Ephesians 4:7-8 NKJV
“And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers,“
Ephesians 4:11 NKJV
As we see in Ephesians 4:12-13, God gives these gifts for the good of the Body of Christ.
“for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ;“
Ephesians 4:12-13 NKJV
These gifts are actually offices and roles. So God doesn’t just give us the gifts, He prepares us to function effectively and efficiently in the different offices. I believe though, that God chooses how best to accomplish this, depending on the assigned office. For example, Peter did not have the same preparatory experience as Paul.
Through the Gospels, we find that Jesus walked His disciples through a preparatory process. Teaching, Coaching, Mentoring, Field Work (sent them out 2/2), Faith Exploits, etc, then He Breathed on them before the actual baptism in Acts 1:8. So Jesus groomed the 12 disciples Himself, they went through stages of preparation. Paul had a different preparatory experience.
Preparation for ministry cannot be by-passed. We just have to be sensitive as to how God is leading us by working closely with and obeying the Holy Spirit.
Sometimes really, we may not know what stage of preparation we are in and whether it is Time. In this blogpost, drawing from Acts 10:38, I share 5 signs that indicate readiness to function in these offices. Note that these may not be the only indicators, but I believe they are key.
Acts 10:38….
“how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power, who went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him.” Acts 10:38 NKJV
The Holy Spirit is God’s SPECIAL Gift to the Church (the body of Christ).
“I am writing this letter about those who are trying to lead you into the wrong way. Christ gave you a special gift. You still have this gift in you. So you don’t need anyone to teach you. The gift he gave you teaches you about everything. It is a true gift, not a false one. So continue to live in Christ, as his gift taught you.”
1 John 2:26-27 ERV
The first evidence of being filled with the Holy Spirit is Speaking in tongues.
“And those of the circumcision who believed were astonished, as many as came with Peter, because the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out on the Gentiles also. 46. For they heard them speak with tongues and magnify God.”
Speaking in tongues is not the only job of the Holy Spirit in us.
The Holy Spirit is our;
Helper (John 14:16, 15:26), Teacher (John 14:26), Guide (John 16:13), Companion (John 14:16), Comforter (2 Corinthians 1:4), Intercessor (Romans 8:26). He Witnesses Christ (John 15:26).
The Holy Spirit manifests the Fruit of the Spirit in us (Galatians 5:22).
The diversity of Manifestations we see in the Body of Christ are from the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 12: 8-11).
In a recent blogpost “When God Anoints You” I shared some major things that happen when someone becomes anointed of God.
To be anointed, as used in Acts 10:38 is to become consecrated for an office or for a service. To consecrate, is to become formally dedicated or ordained for a purpose.
Notice from Acts 10:38 that this anointing is administered directly by God…..it says…..”how God anointed Jesus”
Traditionally, sometimes a priest, prophet or a dedicated vessel carries out the physical act of pouring oil on someone.
Acts 10:38 says God anointed Jesus with the Holy Spirit; the Special Gift we received from Jesus. This is the only form of anointing recorded of Jesus in the Bible. There is also no mention of the disciples being anointed with oil into service. They were simply prayed for by laying on of hands (Acts 13, Acts 6).
This Special anointing with the Holy Spirit is what prepares us for every good work/service.
“As for you, the anointing [the special gift, the preparation] which you received from Him remains [permanently] in you, and you have no need for anyone to teach you. But just as His anointing teaches you [giving you insight through the presence of the Holy Spirit] about all things, and is true and is not a lie, and just as His anointing has taught you, you must remain in Him [being rooted in Him, knit to Him].”
1 John 2:27 AMP
When anointed with the Holy Spirit, we operate fully in the Spirit of the Lord.
“The Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon Him, The Spirit of wisdom and understanding, The Spirit of counsel and might, The Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord .”
Isaiah 11:2 NKJV
Power is inherent strength (ability) and expressed strength (might). Jesus’ power came from the Holy Spirit.
“how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power, who went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him.” Acts 10:38 NKJV
And Jesus said that’s how his followers, disciples are to receive power.
“But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”
Acts 1:8 NKJV
He relinquished His authority to His disciples.
“Jesus came and told his disciples, “I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth. Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”
Matthew 28:18-20 NLT
Power is therefore very necessary for fulfilling your call; …
To witness boldly.
To teach
To make disciples
To perform miracles, signs and wonders.
You will never know how much power that is at work in you until you put your faith to work (selah).
Having a job title/description appropriately identifies you and also clarifies your role. It gives you focus. Jesus came as Saviour/Messiah of all and He went about doing good and healing all.
“how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power, who went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him.” Acts 10:38 NKJV
“For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.”
Luke 2:11 NKJV
Paul was an apostle, there is no doubt about that. His various letters to different Churches/groups attests to this (Colossians, Thessalonians, Ephesians, Hebrews, etc).
“Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ, by the commandment of God our Savior and the Lord Jesus Christ, our hope,“
I Timothy 1:1 NKJV
One of Jesus’s admonitions to Peter was to ‘feed my sheep‘ (John 21:17). That wasn’t about physical food, but the Spiritual food of the Word. Peter’s office was to teach about Christ-The Word.
Which of the 5 Ministry Gifts is yours? Have you located your office? Be a good steward of the gifts and talents entrusted to your care (Luke 19:11-26). Trust God enough to launch out. Don’t bury your talents.
“how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power, who went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him.” Acts 10:38 NKJV
Paul was sent to the Gentiles.
“For I speak to you Gentiles; inasmuch as I am an apostle to the Gentiles, I magnify my ministry,”
Romans 11:13 NKJV
You may be sent to a local Church, to a nation, tribe, people or on a global mission. Who is your target audience?
Secondly, what area of grace are you primarily appointed to operate in?; faith, love, hope, prosperity, leadership, etc. (I think this kind of connects with who you are).
Thirdly, each of these 5 Ministry Gifts is a leadership role. Have you ever thought about that? Are you ready to lead? If you want followers then you have to be ready to lead. Are you ready for influence and responsibility?
Jesus having come on earth as man, could only accomplish His work because “God was with Him”
“how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power, who went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him.” Acts 10:38 NKJV
“I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.
John 15:5 NKJV
As for you, the anointing [the special gift, the preparation] which you received from Him remains [permanently] in you, and you have no need for anyone to teach you. But just as His anointing teaches you [giving you insight through the presence of the Holy Spirit] about all things, and is true and is not a lie, and just as His anointing has taught you, you must remain in Him [being rooted in Him, knit to Him].”
1 John 2:27 AMP
Without the Vine, the branch can do nothing.
So, what stage of preparation are you in right now? ?.
That is the same question I am asking myself? ?
May The Lord Bless and Keep you ❤
When people ask; “how are you going to make it?”
Tell them; “The Lord God will do it“.
“I will make you a great nation; I will bless you And make your name great; And you shall be a blessing.”
Genesis 12:2 NKJV
“I will open rivers in desolate heights, And fountains in the midst of the valleys; I will make the wilderness a pool of water, And the dry land springs of water.”
Isaiah 41:18 NKJV
“Behold, I will do a new thing, Now it shall spring forth; Shall you not know it? I will even make a road in the wilderness And rivers in the desert.
Isaiah 43:19 NKJV
I, The Lord God Almighty, will do it.
In 2 Corinthians 1:21, we find that Believers are an anointed group by reason of the Holy Spirit.
