Word for Today

The time came when the inheritance of the children of Israel were being divided among the different tribes. It is interesting to note that the land which Caleb is asking Joshua to give him was yet to be possessed. It was an unclaimed territory, but existed in the spirit with its signed deeds. Caleb in this picture of Joshua 14 is a representation of the Spiritual Man, the thrice born again believer.

We have the born unbeliever; we have the unbelieving believer; and we have believing believer.
This man Caleb was among the twelve (12) spies that God sent out to see the land of Canaan (Numbers 13), while others brought an evil report (report of fear, unbelief and doubt) to the congregation, Joshua and Celeb brought a good report (a report of faith, power and abilities).

Moses swore to him that,
“Surely the land whereon thy feet have trodden shall be thine inheritance, and thy children’s forever, because thou hast wholly followed the LORD my God,” Joshua 14:9.

If there is anything that is robbing God’s children from claiming their inheritance whether in health, finance, marriage, children, ministry, job, business, home, car, righteousness and holy walk, it is fear and unbelief. The bible says,
“For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he,” Proverbs 23:7.

Ten of the spies that went up with Caleb said, “and we were in our own sight as grasshoppers, and so we were in their sight,” Numbers 13:33. See the odds, Caleb was now eighty-five years old, the age at which many people will be retired or thinking of retiring. He was intent on cashing in on a promise made 40 years before. To do this he had to conquer the children of the giants in the surrounding lands and do battle in areas where the terrain was dangerous with thick vegetation, mountains and valleys.

But Caleb saw differently. In other words, his thinking and imagination was different. How?
Caleb saw the way God saw. He had the same vision that God has. His thinking and that of God was the same. Faith is seeing things from God’s point of view. God told him that the land was his. So it was, he believed. If God said it, that settles it. He doubted his doubt. He relied on God’s strength. Caleb said, “if so be that the LORD will be with me, then I shall be able to drive them out, as the LORD said,” Joshua 14:12

He took his eyes off himself; he took his eyes off man; he took his eyes off what assistance the nation will offer, and he focused on Jesus, the author and finisher of his faith. (Hebrews 12:1-3) Caleb was willing to count the cost and was ready to pay the price.

Imagine the risk he took. No wonder the Lord Jesus said, “He that findeth his life shall loose it: and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it,” Matthew 10:39

When the timing and season came for him to possess his inheritance, Caleb boldly walked up and claimed what was given him: “GIVE ME THIS MOUNTAIN,” and the Mountain became the stronghold of Celeb.

“Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ.
No man that warreth entangleth himself with the affairs of this life; that he may please him who hath chosen him to be a soldier,” 2 Timothy 2:3-4 (KJV)

The enemy you are fighting with is battle ready and fiercely prepared. But you are a soldier. You are more than battle ready and fiercely prepared in Jesus Christ. The Lord Jesus described him well,

The thief cometh not but for to steal, to kill and to destroy; but I am come that they might have life and that they might have it abundantly,” John 10:10 (KJV)

One the greatest happening of this life is the encounter the Lord Jesus Christ had with Satan. Satan himself told The Lord, “All this power will I give thee, and the glory of them: for that is delivered unto me; and to whomsoever I will I give it,” Luke 4:6.

For a long time, Satan ruled over man with the life of death—sickness and disease, poverty, pain, sorrow, disappointments, fear, intimidation, lack, unforgiveness, inferiority complex, shame, fornication, adultery, fighting, unrest and life in everlasting tormenting hell, etc. On the cross, the Lord Jesus overcame Satan and his authority or rule of death.

“Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself like-wise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil; And deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage,” Hebrews  2:14-15.

ohn through the Holy Spirit states, “He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil,” 1 John 3:8.

The word abolish, means to make an end; to erase; to cause to cease; to completely destroy the root cause.
“Who hath abolished death” is a powerful statement. This act may suggest something the Lord achieved for man in the future age, that is, the life after death.

But NO, right NOW, we are to enjoy this freedom. For the following word underscores this; “hath brought life and immortality to light through the gospel.”

This word LIFE is a Greek word “ZOE” meaning the God kind of life—the life of power, peace, joy, faith, holiness, fruitfulness, prosperity, abundance, self-control, love, forgiveness, health, sound mind, dominion , authority, etc.

When Jesus erased Satan’s rule and spirit of death, He replaced it with the LIFE of God; not only that but the crushing defeat of Satan also secured man’s eternal life and being with God forever-that is what the word immortality means.

Man has been given an indestructible life. Dying, to the born again man or woman is a transition to a timeless life with God.

‘ Then he looked, and there by his head was a cake baked on coals, and a jar of water. So he ate and drank, and lay down again. And the angel of the Lord came back the second time, and touched him, and said, “Arise and eat, because the journey is too great for you.” So he arose, and ate and drank; and he went in the strength of that food forty days and forty nights as far as Horeb, the mountain of God.” 1 Kings 19:5-8 (NKJV)

It is wonderful to see the Space Shuttle Atlantis or the Space Shuttle Voyager dock at the space station after being in orbit for weeks and sometimes months on space exploration. You can hear the excitement in the voice of the space director as he says “welcome home!”
The reason for this expression are due to couple of things:

1. The space crew as well as the craft have been out on dangerous and sometimes hazardous mission;
2. The space craft may have sustained damages due to heat, accident or malfunction, therefore needs maintenance or repairs;
3. And more so the data gathered needs to be processed and analyzed.
The believers life is like the space craft and our living involves being out there on mission of survival, making a difference, construction, building, counseling, involve in family/marital relationships, etc., every minute, by the hours and each days we out there on dangerous and sometimes unfamiliar territories.

I watch with fascination, the jet bombers landing on the USS Carrier ships after a successful or sometimes hazardous mission. Question, Why is this coming back to base necessary? Answer – Because that is the place for refurbishing, reloading, carburetion repairs and overhaul.

What a blessing to come home after the day’s work and labor, to eat, drink, relax and sleep, giving the body the opportunity to recuperate, reenergize, invigorate and strengthen.

There is a home base as well for the believer’s spirit, a place of docking for fresh impartation, fire and touch; a time with God, The Lord Jesus and precious Holy Spirit for resizing, reshaping, cleansing/washing and uniting.

The Lord Jesus had several moments of docking at spiritual stations both for reporting, debriefing, reprogramming and fine tuning. It was time used for refreshing in his father’s presence.

Just read this days itinerary: Mark 1:29-34 (NKJV). Q – How did the Lord Jesus keep up with this kind of business schedule and remain vibrant and solid in Ministry and life?

A – The answer is found in the next verse of same scriptures.“Now in the morning, having risen a long while before daylight, He went out and departed to a solitary place; and there He prayed,” Mark 1:35 (NKJV);

What a blessing to recognize that there is only one and only one resting place for your spirit, and that is at the bosom of the Holy Spirit. There is no other platform or base that can fit or connect with our spirit for a perfect landing or docking except the docking station of the Holy Spirit.“For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, “Abba, Father.” The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God,” Romans 8:15-16 (NKJV).

Every morning, afternoon and night Daniel docked before his God and that no man can take away from him.
Daniel 6:6-10 (NKJV).

Now that we are Born Again; now that we are in Jesus Christ; now that our lives are new, WHAT IS NEXT?
This is what growing in God’s grace means—THE UPGRADE. This is moving to another level, and climbing higher in the things of God.

“And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth, Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen,” Matthew 28:18-20.

It is important we understand what BAPTISM is so as to eliminate doctrinal (teaching) errors as portrayed or presented by some teachers or churches in our time. But more so, our understanding baptism releases us to benefiting and fulfilling God’s grace and blessings of the Holy Spirit.

The Lord Jesus mentioned two types of Baptism. Can you identify them in the following scripture?

 “Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God,” John  3:5.

John the Baptist identified two forms of Baptism. Can you identify them in the following scripture?
“I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance: but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire. Matthew  3:11.

WATER BAPTISM AND HOLY GHOST BAPTISM

Before we go any further, let’s understand what Baptism is: According to the New Strong’s Concise Concordance, the word Baptism is taken from the Greek word “Baptisma” meaning the process of immersion, submersion and emergence. This definition provides clarity as to the How of the baptism language.

When I was a little kid, probably about one year old, my parents presented me to the Church Pastor who took some water in a small bowl container, in the palm of his hands and sprinkled it on my head and over my body and declared me baptized. But how does this square up with the Spirit baptism as a child? Where is the relevance of this baptism for a new born?

This takes us to the next question. Why Baptism?
I believe in finding answer to the question why baptism, provides the divide as to the two types of baptism Water Baptism and Spirit Baptism. Many have argued about the preference; which one comes first; and many denominations have built their foundation on what they think comes first.

For example, the Baptist church claims that since the Lord Jesus mentioned “Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.”—he said “born of water” first before “born of the spirit”; according to the Baptist church, it implies water baptism precedes spirit baptism. The Church of Christ also propagates this doctrine.

Church of Christ believes that if you are not baptized by water you cannot be saved or born again.
But I like a story that a brother shared with me when he asked a Church of Christ minister, what happens when a person accepts the Lord Jesus Christ and he had no chance to be baptism in water before his death, what happens to that believer? Where does he go? The minister replies, “he goes to hell.” 
I believe this is an error. It is not true.

Why?  Because SPIRIT BAPTISM PRECEDES WATER BAPTISM. Luke 23:39-43; Acts 8:26-39; 10:34-48

Today, we will closely examine the awesome work of the Holy Spirit after Salvation.
“And, being assembled together with them, commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which, saith he, ye have heard of me; For John truly baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence. Acts 1:4-5.
“When they therefore were come together, they asked of him, saying, Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel? And he said unto them, It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power. But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth,” Acts 1:6-8

Sometimes as a prophet of God, something, a word, a meaning and a direction, is dropped inside of your spirit and you just wonder if this makes sense, or if it is a figment of your imagination, or your flesh or senses speaking? Or you are just making this up? Or it is really God speaking. Such as:

ENLARGEMENT IS COMING TO THE PEOPLE OF GOD; Especially in the midst of a famine, depression and economic downturn, such as the one the world or our nation has been for these past two years.

But then you seek and look for confirmation from God’s Word and you search the mind of the Father, the Lord Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit for validation or confirmation of the Word. “But ye have an unction from the Holy One, and ye know all things. 1 John 2:20.

How can a word like this from Prophet Elisha, “Then Elisha said, Hear ye the word of the LORD; Thus saith the LORD, To morrow about this time shall a measure of fine flour be sold for a shekel, and two measures of barley for a shekel, in the gate of Samaria.

Then a lord on whose hand the king leaned answered the man of God, and said, Behold, if the LORD would make windows in heaven, might this thing be? And he said, Behold, thou shalt see it with thine eyes, but shalt not eat thereof,” 2 Kings 7:1-2.

Be received in the midst of a horrific famine, depression and siege by the enemy. 2 Kings 6:24-29.
With the world mindset and understanding of the flesh, it is difficult and impossible to conceptualize and accept divine revelation of God. 1 Corinthians  2:9-14.

1 John  2:26-27. A time of harvest is coming to God’s people, as the Lord prepares his comeback.

Jabez had a period of famine, a time of leanness and dryness in his life, when nothing worked and everything was at a dead end or stand still. But in the realm and plan of God, there was blessing, peace, prosperity and abundance awaiting him. And he saw it. He had a clear vision of God’s plan and purpose for his life. This changed his whole life and direction.
The Lord said,
The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.” John  10:10.

Jabez asked the Lord for an ENLARGEMENT OF HIS COAST. Not because of who he is, but because of what God will make out of his life. He requested for an upgrading of his heritage, expansion of his ministry, possession and territory or field of influence. And he got it.
It is our Father’s good pleasure to give us the Kingdom.

You have no choice but to be blessed and walk in God’s end time blessing in righteousness, holiness, faith, meekness, love, finances, health, peace, joy and longevity of life.

I admire the way Apostle Paul, through the Holy Spirit, drove home his points of emphasis on the believer’s position in the Lord Jesus Christ. The doctrine of eternal security has its balanced in the sovereignty of God and His power to secure and save you and me to the uttermost who has been redeemed by the blood of the lamb.

In Ephesians chapter one, “In Him” or “In Whom” is mentioned is mentioned almost six times. The characterization of these verses points uniquely to the awesome ministry of God towards us His children and our ministry towards Him as our father and our Lord.

“Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, To the saints who are in Ephesus, and faithful in Jesus Christ,” Ephesians 1:1.

Faithful here conjures adherents, followers, those whose beliefs have been impacted, changed and transformed by the life and gospel of Jesus Christ and are now daily living and walking in that life and belief. We are in a world and time of confused Christianity and dogmas, when it is so difficult to differentiate genuine believers from the fake ones; a time when the people of the world are repudiating the church of Jesus Christ for lack of coherence, assisted by Satan and his cohorts who are attempting everything to make the church irrelevant an distasteful.

What a blessing it is to know that there are still some believers who are loyal to the cause and following strong on the heels of the Apostles and the Lord Jesus Christ. We echo the prayer of the Psalmist David. “Help, Lord for the godly man ceases! For the faithful disappear from among the sons of men,” Psalms 12:1. Faithfulness is not easy to come these days since the world has become more self serving. In other words most people are ready to go along as far as everything goes right and conforms to their way.

“Most men will proclaim each his own goodness, but who can find a faithful man?” Proverbs 20:6.

But God has called us to faithfulness. Following through with God has its blessings. We think like humans when we present God as unfaithful as we are. Many a times when the blessing is almost at the door, we back off and compromise our walk and faith. For others, as soon as God’s blessings come through and their hearts desires are met, the love, fire and commitment to God’s word, prayer, holiness and the church is no longer there and starts to suffer.

“A faithful man will abound with blessings, but he who hastens to be rich will not go unpunished,” Proverbs 8:20.

God desires faithfulness in our time. Would you be the one He finds?

And, behold, the angel of the Lord came upon him, and a light shined in the prison: and he smote Peter on the side, and raised him up, saying, Arise up quickly. And his chains fell off from his hands.” Acts 12:5-7.

Why God waits till the last minute sometimes to rescue, deliver, promote and bless His children is beyond our reasoning and incomprehensible to the natural man.

“But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.” 1 Corinthians 2:14.

We read about Abraham waiting for 25 years for a promised child, and when he was 100 years old and his wife 90 years, God fulfilled that promise; we read about Moses thinking he was ready for ministry at age 40, but had to wait for another 40 years, making a total of 80 years when some would have retired, before God called him to deliver the children of Israel; we read about the deliverance of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego while they were inside and at the mercies of the tormenting flames:
Daniel 3:21-26.

And now we read about Apostle Peter who was apprehended by Herod, who set a date for his execution.

The Church was praying all the while and nothing seem to be happening; and earlier, James another Apostle was killed by the same King Herod, which pleased the people who saw the Christians as fanatics, heretic, confusionist and disruptive of their religion.

The very night that Apostle Peter was to be brought out and killed like his counterpart Apostle James, God sent a rescue mission and delivered him from the maximum prison.

This operation of God is tagged to his sovereignty as God. We cannot question it, but it works according to His purpose or pleasure. HE IS FAITHFUL, he can deliver without fail and he is true to the task. Romans 9:14-16.

The faithfulness of God implies, he is always right on times; not according to ours but according to His. The faithfulness of God implies, he is always right on times; not according to ours but according to His. The story is told about a woman whose son was accused of murder which he said he never committed. He was just at the right place at the wrong time.
He was on death row for eleven years. But he had a praying mother who never gave up on him. On the day of his execution, strapped to the bed, IV in place, everything was ready to 12 midnight execution watch. By 11:30 pm, a man called the police and confessed to the murder. By 11:55 pm, the execution was stopped just before the lethal dose of poison was to be injected into him. I don’t know what you may be in or going through right now, but one thing I know, God can never fail.

Faithful is he that called you and faithful is he that will do it.

The tragedy with many men and women who have become victims of the flesh, is that they are very sincere, honest, hardworking, conscientious, nice and good looking people. They are individuals with possibilities and potentials.

There are three things Satan is using greatly to bring men and women down; they are money, pride and sex.

The fear HIV/AIDS is no longer a threat to many of our young. Losing one’s virginity is no longer considered a taboo. In fact Hollywood now teaches how you can have good first date.

Engaging in illicit and promiscuous sex is not only the immoral equivalent of prostitution or whoring, but a deep spiritual problem.

Sex goes beyond just sleeping with a man or woman; on top of the scandal, there’s the shame and your stolen preciousness.

When you are joined in a sexual union with another, you empty your life and burdens into each other. When you walk out of that room it is not only the pleasure and guilt you leave with, but you leave with the challenges (generation curse, inabilities, and burdens), etc.

You wonder why there is so much confusion in individuals who have lived the promiscuous life. Something dies in you anytime sin is committed.

But you will say, “what about the grace? What about the blood washing us from all sins? What about repentance?

Yes these have their places and ministries. But know, that every act committed has its consequences, there is a price tag. You will live with it forever.
“Know ye not that your bodies are the members of Christ? Shall I then take the members of Christ and make them members of an harlot? God forbid. What know ye not that he which is joined to an harlot is one body? For two saith he, shall be one flesh. But he that is joined unto the LORD is one spirit.Flee fornication. Every sin that a man doeth is without the body; but he that committeth fornication sinneth against his own body.” 1 Corinthians 6:15-18.

There comes a time in everyone’s life when the evitable comes and there you are idling away, lonely, helpless and abandoned. It is a moment that no one wants to be in not even the Son of God Jesus Christ as he faced an excruciating moment of abandonment in his life. We read about Jacob, “And Jacob was left alone; and there wrestled a man with him until the breaking of the day. Genesis 32:24. This was a dare moment in Jacob’s life when he must embrace his destiny, but standing in the way was the fear of his brother Esau whom he has terribly hurt; journeying with his family, servants and cattle, although God has assured him, yet he felt outnumbered, helpless and despaired for life. We read about Joseph request in Genesis 40:14-15, 23.

You could imagine what desperation Joseph was in; he was sold as slave by his very own brothers; while a slave boy, he was lied upon by the master’s wife and cast into maximum prison; he had an opportunity while in jail, a ray of hope shined, but this was soon dashed as him who he trusted to bail him out forgot him and there he was rotting away.

We read about Moses what happened in Exodus 2:15. For almost 40 years, Moses has lived in the court of prominence, wealth and fame. He had everything at his beckon call; he was surrounded with friends, relatives as well as foes. But one day all that changed and he found himself running for his life, all support systems failed and he became a fugitive. “—and he sat down by the well.” This is a statement of abandonment and being left alone.

Many seniors go through periods of abandonment by their children, loved ones and families. Some are left to fend for themselves and some are left at the mercy of evil nurse assistant or care workers who abuse and take advantage of them.

The sorrow, pain and disappointments that becloud these seniors cannot be overemphasized.
The Lord Jesus, during the last days of his mission on earth predicted his suffering and death,
“Ye know that after two days is the feast of the Passover, and the Son of man is betrayed to be crucified,”

Matthew 26:2. As the days drew near for the inevitable to occur, the burden and weight of what Jesus Christ will go through weigh heavy on him; for he must fulfill the purpose and plan of God to die on man’s behalf, for the word of God declares,

Isaiah 53:3-5. He reached out to his disciples to share and support him is his grief and pain, but he found none:
“And he cometh, and findeth them sleeping, and saith unto Peter, Simon, sleepest thou? couldest not thou watch one hour?

Mark 14:37. Jesus encountered disappointment when he saw his disciples sleeping when they could have used that moment to join him in prayer. Then came the moment when one of his disciples, Judas, betrayed him before his enemies, and as they got hold of him, we read, “Then all the disciples forsook him, and fled.” Matthew 26:56.

The worst moment was after he has experienced the gruesome and wrenching torture, shame and crucifixion, while on the cross, looking up to his Father in heaven for support and assistance, but his Father himself turned His back on him. This was the straw that broke the camel’s back. His heart was broken. “Jesus, when he had cried again with a loud voice, yielded up the ghost.” Matthew 27:50; Do you feel forsaken and abandoned? are you lonely and no one seems want to listen and care? The Lord Jesus, the Son of God experienced the same.

But all these he suffered and experienced for your sake; he was despised, rejected, forsaken and abandoned so that you will not be forsaken, despised and abandoned by God. King David said this, “When my father and mother forsake me, then the LORD will take me up. Psalm 27:10.

THE BENEFIT OF UPGRADING OUR SPIRITUAL LIFE.

Those who are thinking or operating the upgrade concept or anointing are more blessed; Move faster in life; They are head of curve or game; They are not depressed or stranded in life; They have qualitative and quantitative ministry; They are agents of change; and they are the seers of the time. The Lord Jesus made a statement about the children of this generation. “For the sons of this world are more shrewd in their generation than the sons of light.” Luke 16:8 (NKJV)

They use their given power of memory and imagination to create a better world or society; unfortunately this cannot be realized because god is left out of the equation. But can you imagine what will happen when we unite this with the Holy Spirit?

Most lives and ministries are like the dead sea, or machines that are worn out and slugged up; The nuts, bolts and wall panels are rusty, corroded and warn out, just crying for servicing, gressing, oiling, painting and new parts, etc.

The Answer Is FRESH MANNA—Upgrading Your Spirit Daily With His Word

The children of Israel were told to eat fresh manna. (EXODUS 16:14-21)

We know what this manna represents in the new covenant. John 6:31-35 (NKJV)

God said further on this subject, “So He humbled you, allowed you to hunger, and fed you with manna which you did not know nor did your fathers know, that He might make you know that man shall not live by bread alone; but man lives by every word that proceeds from the mouth of the LORD.” Deuteronomy 8:3 (NKJV)

Why did God institute and insist on a daily collection or gathering? Exodus 16:16-19 (NKJV)

We are not to live on yesterday’s anointing, but to upgrade our lives each day; the believers life, like the WORD (JESUS) (John 1:1), is living, breathing and growing, (Hebrews 4:12, 1 Peter 2:2); God’s steadfast love never ceases, they are new every morning; God is constantly upgrading (revealing things) to his people; this is the Habakkuk’s call. (Habakkuk 2:1); What happened when some did not want fresh manna?

“Notwithstanding they did not heed Moses. But some of them left part of it until morning, and it bred worms and stank. And Moses was angry with them. So they gathered it every morning, every man according to his need. And when the sun became hot, it melted,” Exodus 16:20-21 (NKJV)

Disobedience often leaves us with disappointments, dryness, failure and difficulties.

Obedience is to be receptive to God’s orders or ways of doing things, and when we walk in his word, the blessings follow.