Tag Archives: holy-spirit

GOD IS SPIRIT: Day 5 of 5

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“Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good.” (1 Corinthians 12:7 NIV)

Have you ever thought about the idea that the manifest presence of God is working through us as we display the miraculous gifts of the Spirit? God, the Creator, is present and demonstrating His power and authority, as we speak in tongues, perform miraculous gifts of healing, bring a prophetic word or word of knowledge, discern between spirits, and more. If you have experienced that power and presence of God, you have no doubt that He is real. Even if the rest of the world doesn’t believe you, you have no other explanation for that power except that God is absolutely present. You can feel Him take over when you yield yourself to Him.

Let’s look at the Scripture passage about the manifestation of the Spirit in the miraculous gifts (which differs from the service gifts).

“Now about the gifts of the Spirit, brothers and sisters, I do not want you to be uninformed. You know that when you were pagans, somehow or other you were influenced and led astray to mute idols. 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. There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them. There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. There are different kinds of working, but in all of them and in everyone it is the same God at work. Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. To one there is given through the Spirit a message of wisdom, to another a message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues, and to still another the interpretation of tongues. All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he distributes them to each one, just as he determines.” (1 Corinthians 12:1-11 NIV)

That passage has much to unpack. “The same Spirit distributes them”; “the same Lord”; “The same God”; “by means of the same Spirit”; and “All these are the work of one and the same Spirit … just as he determines”. Is there ANY mention of more than one Spirit?

Do you believe, with the evidence and proof texts that I provided this week, that God is Spirit and that there is only one Spirit of God? What questions do you have about this topic? Are you willing to study this to please God?

God is Spirit: Study: John 4:23-24; Genesis 1:2; Isaiah 11:2; Isaiah 61:1; 1 Colossians 1:15; Acts 7:48-49; Acts 17:24-28; 1 Corinthians 2:10-11, 6:11; 1 Timothy 1:17.

Native Language Tongues

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If you have ever had the Lord speak through you in the gift of tongues, this will not be a foreign concept for you. Evidently, some of the pastors that I’ve been asking to seek God about the trinity doctrine, don’t know how to assess if they are hearing their own internal silent prayer voice, the spirit voice of the enemy, or the voice of God. So, God asked me to write about how they can be sure when God is the one answering their questions about doctrine.

There are two ways to be sure that you’re hearing from God.

1) Test the spirits. (1 John 4:1-3) I’m not going to elaborate on this method for today because I believe the second way is the most effective way for those who can yield themselves to the Holy Spirit. If you want to know more about testing the spirits, I am happy to answer questions.

2) Allow the Lord to speak aloud through your voice just as He does in speaking in tongues. God can speak in your native language just as He can speak in tongues of angels or foreign languages of men. The devil cannot speak through your voice only God can. I do recommend that you do this in a private space where you and God are alone. Below is my conversation with God asking Him the questions that I provided to dispute the trinity doctrines to give a glimpse into how He answers these questions. He spoke these answers aloud through me.

Me: “God, is there more than one God in the Christian religion?”

God: “No, child. I am the Lord, your God. There is no other.”

Me: “What is your name, God?”

God: “I am Jesus. My name is revealed through the Scriptures.”

Me: “God, what do you think of the trinity-of-Gods theology?”

God: “It is garbage theology that has been used to deceive many.”

Me: “Is Jesus a separate God from the Father?”

God: “Child, you don’t need to ask that question because you know Me.”

Me: “It was awkward asking it because it seems so foolish, but this is supposed to be a role-playing question and answer session. How would you answer one of the pastors asking that question?”

God: “I would answer it differently based on their level of understanding. This is where I would let them get to know me more intimately. Each of them comes from unique perspectives including areas of false doctrines that they have not yet overcome.”

Me: “The final question that I listed in my suggested questions is: ‘Is the Holy Spirit a separate Spirit from the Spirit of God?’ How would you answer that question?

God: “I am the Lord, there is no other.”

So, if those pastors are reading this, please allow the Lord to answer those same questions through your voice. Let Him speak aloud through you so that you know that it is not an enemy spirit voice speaking to you in the spiritual realm.

Whenever I have any doubt about what I’m hearing in prayer from God, I ask Him to speak through me so that I have all assurance that I know His will before moving forward. The enemy does not have the power to speak through you in tongues. It is a manifestation of the Spirit*. Also, remember that you can ask as many questions of God as is needed until you have peace and until you can speak with authority about those answers. Don’t come away from the conversation feeling vague. Keep asking questions until you are certain of the truth. God has all the time in the world to spend with you. Don’t rush the conversation.

*See manifestation of the Spirit gifts in 1 Corinthians 12:4-11; See also Mark 16:17; Acts 2:1-4; Acts 19:6; 1 Corinthians 13:1; 1 Corinthians 14:39.

To those same pastors, I will not publicly humiliate you if you privately contact me with questions on hearing God. You asking the questions shows a humility that God honors. It’s when you don’t bother to ask the necessary questions that I mock you and your false theologies. I can forgive being blocked on Facebook and your earlier refusals to respect me appropriately.

The Pharisees had “book” learning. In contrast, the disciples were able to learn at the feet of Jesus. Which are you: a Pharisee or a disciple? I want you to learn at the feet of Jesus which means hearing His voice. If I can assist you with learning to discern His voice, I want to do exactly that. I hope this post helps.

Church Assessments 1/14/25

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Rapid-Release Spiritual High

Disclaimer: you might not be ready for this! If you have ever experienced a spiritual high with God, you know that there is nothing in the physical realm that can duplicate that freedom of body and soul. There is no chemical or biological release to compare to a true move of the Spirit of God. Every move of the Spirit is precisely intimate. God knows you better than any human partner could.

What I often see in the charismatic churches is a pursuit of a quick spiritual fix. While that eagerness to feel God’s Spirit is understandable, the lack of it is very evident in the robotic mechanisms of the non-charismatic churches. Again, the Lord wants me to talk about the cameras in the sanctuary. This is a big deal for God. Would you want cameras recording your intimate naked moments with your spouse? (That was intentionally carefully worded. But you get the picture … right?) Will you ever catch a move of the Spirit on camera or will He stay away because your need to record His presence is anticlimactic? Why bother if you miss the point completely?

“Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.” (Acts 2:2-4 NIV)

The Biblical encounters with God were obviously never caught on camera. The belief in those moves of the Spirit require faith. Without faith, it is impossible to please God. God doesn’t want disconnected, low-investment voyeurs trolling His activities looking for proof of His existence. But perhaps, that is what the church has become. Or, is it a place where you can momentarily hide yourself from God? Because you are in a corporate gathering, God certainly won’t approach you to open your heart for inspection. He wouldn’t embarrass you that way, would He? Joining in on religious events allows you to fake a more robust pleasure by association with the “saints”. Pretty much anyone can spot a fake orgasm, especially the faker. (Remember the disclaimer in the first paragraph.) Do you know what it is like to be in the Spirit, or not?

“On the Lord’s Day I was in the Spirit, and I heard behind me a loud voice like a trumpet, which said: “Write on a scroll what you see and send it to the seven churches: to Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia and Laodicea.” (Revelation 1:10-11 NIV)

Other Scriptures to Consider:

  • “You, however, are not in the realm of the flesh but are in the realm of the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, they do not belong to Christ.” (Romans 8:9 NIV)
  • “God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth.” (John 4:24 NIV)
  • “Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.” (Galatians 5:25 NIV)
  • “In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans.” (Romans 8:26 NIV)
  • “At once I was in the Spirit, and there before me was a throne in heaven with someone sitting on it.” (Revelation 4:2 NIV)

POWERFULLY!

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For those of us who have experienced the unmistakable presence of God, we know when we have stepped outside of His will. The only way that we can be comforted is to once again feel His presence. It’s what prompts us to enter back into covenant relationship. He requires that we humble ourselves and regain an in-sync posture.

The nearness of God is security, safety, and calm. But for those who haven’t experienced His presence, they can’t understand the apparent “addiction” to being right where we belong. As we learned to walk in lockstep with God, we also learned when we stepped outside of the intentional path. We were taught by the closeness or absence of His presence.

Are you right where you belong? How do you know?

(Part 2) Today’s theme with God is about HIS PRESENCE. I woke up this morning feeling the presence of God around me powerfully. It wasn’t just His gentle whisper or usual morning humor, it was His unmistakable presence that could not be denied. He wanted me to know that He was near.

I remember early on in my walk with the Lord, that I wondered if I was just imagining the subtle voice and presence of God. Maybe I suddenly had a greater imagination than ever before in my life. Do you know how it is when you see someone else yawn, and you find yourself yawning? I wondered if maybe those little nuances were my mind playing tricks on me. Until … God made Himself too obvious to deny.

In the years of walking with the Lord, the subtle reminders of His presence are greatly welcome. But at times, I want to feel His Spirit come powerfully on me. Not for the power so much as the intimacy of Spirit. It’s a reminder that I’m right where I belong at exactly the time when I belong.

“So Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the presence of his brothers, and from that day on the Spirit of the LORD came powerfully upon David. Samuel then went to Ramah.” (1 Samuel 16:13 NIV)

“The Spirit of the LORD came powerfully upon him so that he tore the lion apart with his bare hands as he might have torn a young goat. But he told neither his father nor his mother what he had done.” (Judges 14:6 NIV)

“Then the Spirit of the LORD came powerfully upon him. He went down to Ashkelon, struck down thirty of their men, stripped them of everything and gave their clothes to those who had explained the riddle. Burning with anger, he returned to his father’s home.” (Judges 14:19 NIV)

“When Saul heard their words, the Spirit of God came powerfully upon him, and he burned with anger.” (1 Samuel 11:6 NIV)

“With great power the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. And God’s grace was so powerfully at work in them all” (Acts 4:33 NIV)

“The Spirit of the LORD will come powerfully upon you, and you will prophesy with them; and you will be changed into a different person.” (1 Samuel 10:6 NIV)

“As he approached Lehi, the Philistines came toward him shouting. The Spirit of the LORD came powerfully upon him. The ropes on his arms became like charred flax, and the bindings dropped from his hands.” (Judges 15:14 NIV)

Are There Still Prophets of God Today?

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Recently, a woman commented on one of my social media posts insisting that there are no prophets of God today. I know where she gets her false doctrine having been brought up in the same non-charismatic religious beliefs where God is mute, distant and is confined to the pages of a book unable to communicate with us except through Scripture.  Below are Bible proof texts to help her and others have better understanding. My preference would be that each person would learn to hear God for themselves, then they wouldn’t need to believe me or receive a prophetic word from God through me.

“The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them because they are spiritually discerned.” (1 Corinthians 2:14 NIV)

Spiritual gifts are an anointing from God. Some gifts are embedded in our spiritual DNA. Those gifts reside in us and will be used by God when we are yielded to Him. Other gifts require a manifestation of the Spirit of God. The gift of prophecy is in both the service gifts and the miraculous gifts.

Spiritual Gifts of Service: “For just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us. If your gift is prophesying, then prophesy in accordance with your faith; if it is serving, then serve; if it is teaching, then teach; if it is to encourage, then give encouragement; if it is giving, then give generously; if it is to lead, do it diligently; if it is to show mercy, do it cheerfully.” (Romans 12:4-8 NIV)

Miraculous Gifts of the Spirit: “There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them. There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. There are different kinds of working, but in all of them and in everyone it is the same God at work. Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. To one there is given through the Spirit a message of wisdom, to another a message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues, and to still another the interpretation of tongues. All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he distributes them to each one, just as he determines.” (1 Corinthians 12:4-11 NIV)

I’m not sure when the woman mentioned thinks that the Holy Spirit became unable to manifest power to speak words of prophecy to or through believers, but the Bible clearly says that we should expect to hear God if we belong to God (Reference John 8:47). God doesn’t need permission from anyone to supernaturally empower believers as He chooses.

In all seven letters to the churches in the book of Revelation we are told “Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches.” Why would we need ears to hear what the Spirit says to the churches, if we were not supposed to bring a message forward to the churches when false doctrine is being taught?

“Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet’s own interpretation of things. For prophecy never had its origin in the human will, but prophets, though human, spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.” (2 Peter 1:20-21 NIV)