Grow(Holy Spirit? Remixed and Reposted)

Just before I posted my last blog somebody I really care about and miss did and said something that really hurt me, I was left feeling numb and SPEECHLESS. As I began to think about the situation one morning my worst fear occurred, my left arm began to throb and burn like when you hit your funny-bone and it's not funny. I immediately parked my car and ran upstairs to my bedroom. I remember lying on my bed, looking at the ceiling as I cried. The warm tears streamed down my face while the crisp, cool Fall air drifted in my window as I pleaded with God, "no, not this. I trusted You. Why is this happening to me. I know Your voice and I listened to You. I have followed you and trusted You for far too long to let it end like this. Why is she hurting me. Why are they talking about me? SO HELP ME GOD."

I felt so alone and powerless. The first step in the Celebrate Recovery 12 steps is, "We admitted we were powerless over our addictions and compulsive behaviors, that our lives had become unmanageable." Chuck Swindoll writes in his book Embraced by the Spirit, "Child of God, you are never alone. God gave you His Spirit to be with you. When you came to know Christ, He took up His residence and began living inside you. The very word helper (parakletos) means 'one called alongside to help."

After about 20 minutes my heart rate and blood pressure dropped. My arm was fine and I was able to COOL RELAX. A seizure didn't take place, instead I had a mini-stroke. The whole incident left me doubting my sanity and my salvation. Until I read my weekend devotional that Saturday and got my BATTERY recharged. I had peace as I listened to Solomon's words(Proverbs 29:25-27) which later Jesus echoed in the gospel of Luke(Luke 12:4-7) as well in the gospel of John( John 12:42-43.) In the Message version of Proverbs 29: 25 it uses the word "disables." Given my disability, I can relate more to this Scripture than most. I share this story with you; because WE ARE CHRISTIANS, we BELIEVE in a triune God.

J. B. Phillips once wrote, "Every time we say, 'I believe in the Holy Spirit,' we mean that we believe that there is a living God able and willing to enter human personality and change it." When we are told to trust God that means we are to trust the Holy Spirit. Listen to what Jesus says in the Gospel of John( John 16:13-15.) Not some truth, all truth. So wherever You lead, I'LL GO. If God is leading me, how can I LOOSE MYSELF? A friend of mine recently posted a picture on Facebook that said it best, "never ignore a person that loves you, cares for you, and misses you. Because one day, you might wake up from your sleep and realize you lost the moon while counting stars." I can personally attest to that, I had to learn it THE HARDWAY.

By no means did I intend to deny the person or the work of the Holy Spirit in my last blog. I'll be the first to say, "YEAH, THAT REAL." The Bible is clear that would be blasphemy against God Himself(Matthew 12:31-32, Mark 3:28-29, Luke 12:10.) The apostle Paul is firm in his letter to the church in Rome that if a person does not possess the Holy Spirit, he or she does not belong to Christ( Romans 8:9.) Going further in his letter to the church at Ephesus(Ephesians 1:13-14.) It is by His Spirit that we know we are NOT ALONE and have power; of which the apostle Paul warns us not to deny(2 Timothy 3:5-7.)

The apostle Paul clearly taught that we receive the Holy Spirit the moment we receive Jesus Christ as our Savior(1 Corinthians 12:13.) He explains to the church in Ephesus this is a guarantee and brings glory to God( Ephesians 1:14.) So the moment we ask Jesus into our lives, He sends the Holy Spirit to every SAVED SOUL. You have the Spirit of God in your heart and as I discussed in a blog last year, God can change our hearts. Once we are saved and belong to God, the Spirit takes up residence in our hearts forever, sealing us with the confirming, certifying, and assuring pledge of our eternal state as His children. Up to this point the Bible is clear there is nothing good in us(Romans 7:5,18-19,) until God put the light in us(John 3:6, Romans 8:3, Galatians 5:17-24.)

Jesus said He would send the Spirit to us to be our Helper, Comforter, and Guide(John 14:16-29.) The Greek word, parakletos is also translated here as “Counselor” and has the idea of someone who encourages and exhorts. When the Holy Spirit takes up permanent residence in the hearts of believers (Romans 8:9: 1 Corinthians 6:19-20, 12:13.) Jesus gave the Spirit as a “compensation” for His absence, to perform the functions toward us which He would have done if He had remained personally with us it is through the Spirit Jesus is still ALIVE.

This is part of the LOVE PURSUIT of God for us. At this point my life, I find this comforting; Knowing God is always with me, the Spirit is INDESTRUCTIBLE and undeniable. IF I DON'T WAKE, He WILL BRING US HOME, before you even BURY ME. Once YOU GOT IT, He is always WITH YOU. COME WHAT MAY, we are never WITHOUT GOD, that is why this is a Thanksgiving blog. It is why I have never understood the concept of revivals. If God and His Spirit never leave us, why do we feel that we must BRING IT BACK? If a revival is needed, it isn't because God has left us, it's because we have left or become numb to Him.

Here is where most new believers get BRAINWASHED, YOU KNOW THE DEAL. Churches or traveling prophets, I mean evangelists trying to GET FAMOUS set up a date or period of time to hold a meeting and hopefully the Holy Spirit will move and if we are lucky, we can trap Him. Then some will get footloose and emotional, singing HALLELUJAH. We cannot manipulate the Holy Spirit or Grace, we have allowed Satan and his false prophets to get this twisted. REPENTANCE leads us to the Holy Spirit (Matthew 3:2, Mark 1:15, Acts 2:37-39.)John Piper says, "grace is not simply leniency when we have sinned. Grace is the enabling gift of God not to sin. Grace is power, not just pardon."

When the Spirit moves in our hearts, it is about so much more than getting emotional like when I'M IN LOVE and it's getting HOT IN HERE. It's about more than some creepy GLOW and plastic smile. Chuck Swindoll writes , "these are traits you and I can claim when the Spirit is in control: you have an inner dynamic with which to handle life's pressures, you are able to be joyful … regardless, you have the capacity to grasp the deep things of God that He mentions in His Book, you have little difficulty maintaining a positive attitude of unselfishness, servanthood, and humility, you have a keen sense of intuition and discernment; you sense evil, you are able to love and be loved in return..." When the Holy Spirit is leading us, we and our wants take the background. Church reformer Cardinal Leon Joseph Suenens declared, "I believe in the surprises of the Holy Spirit. If you don't believe in the Holy Spirit or Resurrection or life after death, you should leave the Church.

These twisted religious acts prompt ENVY, which is a fruit of what? This type of religious NONSENSE or spiritual role-playing is what makes the world think and say, "OH MY AHH, IT DON'T MAKE SENSE." Don't forget the church has the RESPONSIBILITY of being God's representatives and the Temples of the Holy Spirit(1 Corinthians 3:9,16-17, Romans 6:16, 8:9) to the world, we are commanded to LOOK OUT for false prophets(Matthew 7:15, 24:11, 24:24, Mark 13:22, Luke 6:26, Romans 16:17.) Author Jerry Jenkins shared with me earlier this year, "there is a difference between being Spirit-led and Spirit-breathed. Many writers feel led while writing. But that doesn't mean it's sacred." That is what this remixed blog will be about, how God grows us and leads us through the Holy Spirit.

Grow (Holy Spirit?)
Alright, ARE YOU READY to continue this series of blogs about how God grows and leads us? HERE WE GO, John tells us that just after Jesus gave his sermon about the vine and the branches, Jesus told his disciples, "I am about to leave you and go to Him who sent Me." Jesus goes on to say, BEHOLD THE SPIRIT, which is the third member of THE GODHEAD will guide you into all truth."Billy Graham once said, "The Holy Spirit illuminates the minds of people, makes us yearn for God, and takes spiritual truth and makes it understandable to us." And that is what this blog is about.

If you remember, John tells us that Jesus said to Nicodemus, "you must be BORN AGAIN", Jesus goes on to tell Nicodemus that he had to be born of water and the Spirit. “The apostle Paul told the church in Corinth that,"we were all baptized by one Spirit. So as to form one body- whether Jews or Gentiles, slave or FREE- and we are all given one Spirit to drink(1 Corinthians 12:13.) Paul goes on to tell the church in Ephesus, "that they received the Holy Spirit when they heard the WORD of THE TRUTH and believed and now they CAN'T TAKE IT AWAY(Ephesians 1:13-14.)" There is a lot of confusion in regard to the Holy Spirit.

Or as Joshua Harris says in his book, Dug Down Deep, "the Holy Spirit has gotten a lot of bad press. A good bit of tacky, strange and just plain wrong things have been done in His name. Maybe Because He Is Spirit, it easier to blame weird stuff on Him. Or maybe because not enough is said about Him outside the charismatic circles, some people are left with mainly negative impressions. This isn't a healthy state of affairs. Whenever we live some part of our faith in reaction to anything other than God's Word, we become unbalanced and misguided. We shouldn't neglect the person and work of the Holy Spirit just because other people have misrepresented Him. Making the decision to give careful thought and attention to the Holy Spirit isn't a decision to become a charismatic. It's a decision to be a faithful Disciple of Jesus Christ and a Student of God's Word." Even though there are numerous commentaries out there, for now I am going to take a friend's advice and stick to what Scripture says about how we receive the SWEET SPIRIT, what the fruits of the Spirit and the gifts of the Spirit are.

I have already explained how and when we receive the Holy Spirit. Paul was little firmer in his letter to the church in Rome(Romans 8:9.) Therefore, the possession of the Spirit is an identifying factor of the possession of salvation. Further, the Holy Spirit could not be the “seal of salvation”, Paul spoke of in his letter to the church at Ephesus, if He is not received at the moment of salvation. Many scriptures make it abundantly clear that our salvation is secured the moment we receive Christ as Savior. And this is where the confusion starts. I was saved when I was 15, so according to Scripture I received all of the Holy Spirit I ever will at that moment. However, it wasn't until after my six years living in sin and nearly dying that I became fully able to sense the presence of the Holy Spirit. I had promised God, if He would give me the ability to walk again, I wouldn't have sex again until after I got married.

After I got out of the hospital, I ended up naked in bed with my new girlfriend (an old college friend.) I can remember that night like it was yesterday. I remember looking up at the ceiling and saying to God, "I know the deal I made with you to not have sex. But, I didn't say anything about fooling around!" Then, in an instant I felt the Holy Spirit say, "After all I have done for you, this is how you are going to treat me?“ I knew then I had to keep my promise, so I put my clothes back on and told my girlfriend she needed to go. Trust me, I didn't want to, we both knew I didn't. But by the power of the Holy Spirit, I did.

Since then, I haven't had a problem with hearing God's voice. Like while I was driving back from Colorado last year, and felt led to stop and take pictures of the oil wells and windmills. I was pretty tired from driving and just wanted to get to Sanjay’s house. But like I said in an earlier blog, I couldn't shake that feeling to take pictures. And then after I got home from Colorado. I felt God leading me to move back to Colorado (and still do!) But, I was scared of making a mistake. So I decided to visit my old friend Jubba and ask him to pray for me.
While I was explaining to Jubba what I was feeling he shared with me that every time he gets ready to take the stage and perform, "I get scared." He went on to say, “Whenever we get ready to obey and glorify God. The Devil attacks us, just trust God." I left there so encouraged. Then I went to get some lunch. Honestly, there still was a little bit of fear in the back of my mind. Until I sat down to eat lunch and opened a book that I got for Christmas from my mentor's oldest daughter and her husband.

The book was Deadly Viper (character assassins) by Mike Foster and Jud Wilhite. You have probably never heard of it, nor had I. But when I opened the book and read the foreword, the hairs on my arms stood up and I felt like hitting the floor on my knees. It wasn't what the foreword said that struck me, but who said it. When I read, "I am a second chance person, and like Mike and Jud, I am in the second chance business. Check out deadly Viper (character assassins) for a powerful look at radical character and grace. Get a second chance for yourself."Signed Duane Chapman, a.k.a. Dog the Bounty Hunter. Alright here is the deal, not only had I never heard of the book, I had never heard of Dog the bounty hunter. That is, until I went to Colorado. My friends, that I stayed with are huge fans of the show. If you know anything about Dog, you know he is originally from Colorado. So to my friends he is like a local hero.
I don't think all of this was a coincidence. I don't believe in coincidence, it was like the Holy Spirit was affirming what Jubba had just told me. I am sure that there have been times when you have felt the Holy Spirit work through your conscience as well. Like when you have been scared or worried, and a particular verse or scripture came to mind. Often, this is how the Holy Spirit works. Dudley Hall once said, "when you're more father-conscious than people-conscience, more than things-conscience and self-conscience- you've got your secret(inside) Life in order." Martin Luther once said, "My conscience is captive to the Word of God."

However, like Joshua Harris says in his book Dug Down Deep, "I believe the Spirit can move in those ways. But defining His work to those moments is like thinking that a fork can be used only to eat peas. It's not that our knowledge about the Holy Spirit is false; it is just woefully incomplete." Author Edward Bulwer-Lytton said , "The conscience is the most flexible material in the world. Today you cannot over a mole hill; while tomorrow it can hide a mountain." I have been told that if I was "full of the Spirit", I would speak in tongues and prophecy. Some Christians look at the gift of tongues and prophecy as a sign of spiritual maturity. Which is not what the Bible calls the fruit(evidence) of the Spirit. Matthew tells us in his letter to the Greek speaking Jews that Jesus warned us to, “watch out for FALSE PROPHETS(Matthew 7:15-17.)"

I recently read a church sign in the community which I live that says it best, "men are like trees, they are known by the fruit that they bear." Matthew continues to say that in the LAST DAYS false Messiahs and false prophets will appear to perform great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect(Matthew 24:10-12.)" Remember what the apostle Paul wrote in his letter to the church in Corinth (1 Corinthians 13:8-12,) which is the primary Scripture used in the cessationist position; which states that the miraculous gifts ended with the last apostles. Because the Bible is complete and thanks in part to our Gideon brothers the Bible has been translated into over 26 different languages; thus why the need for tongues and prophecy? Whereas the continuationist viewpoint believes the miraculous gifts continue today.

In their book, Leadership Lessons of Jesus, coauthors Bob Briner and RAY RICHARD write, “Jesus teaches us that good seed will always produce good fruit." Listen as apostle Paul explains in his letter to the church in Galatia what the fruit of the Spirit are(Galatians 5:22-24.) No prophecy or tongues listed here, don't worry, we'll talk about those later. However, Paul first warns us what the acts of the sinful nature are(Galatians 5:19-21.) Listen to Jesus just before he was arrested in the gospel of John(John 17:20-23,) the Spirit of God brings UNITY. I have already covered this in an earlier blog and I will talk more about it later in my next blog.

The same friend that advised me to follow Scripture, recently shared with me that the reason he left our old church was because they weren't a "full Gospel “church, which I find odd seeing there is only one gospel. As his niece later pointed out God is the same today as He was when the disciples wrote the Bible. My first friend went on to say that he did not agree that our old church didn't believe in speaking in tongues and prophecy. This belief goes directly against what Jesus prayed to the father before he was arrested, anything that gives a we/they or us/them mentality within the body is not of God. The Apostle Paul makes it clear that dissensions and factions are of the sinful nature.

Don't forget what the Apostle Paul wrote in his letter to the church in Corinth (1 Corinthians 12:11-31.) Since Paul starts off with apostles, and prophets, let's talk about prophecy. I find it interesting that there are so many people around claiming to be prophets, they come to town one week and set up shop. Then a few months later, they are gone. Recently, I visited my mentor's church for Wednesday night Bible study, where the question was asked, "Is Pat Robinson a modern prophet?" Since he recently said that God told him that the earthquake in Haiti was their judgment for a pact they made with the devil, long-ago. Pat Robertson has been known for saying God told him this and that after-the-fact. Like he once said that God told him to run for president, which we all know he didn't become. He also said God told him that the State Department needed to be done away with. These are but a few statements by Pat Robertson. Scripture tells us that a true prophet is right all the time.

Moreover, listen to the prophet Moses’ warning (Deuteronomy 18:20-22) later the apostle Paul addresses this in his letter to the church in Corinth (1 Corinthians 14:20-23.) I will talk more about this in my next blog. True prophecy produces peace within the church, not CHAOS (1 Corinthians 14:31-33.) Joshua Harris puts it this way, "When prophecy is genuine, it points people to Jesus, reminds them of his faithfulness and directs to His priorities. True prophecy always confirms in accordance with God's word." Remember, the apostle Paul states that all parts of the body are necessary(1 Corinthians 12:20-24.) By saying this, it would make more sense not to draw attention to gift of prophecy. Yet, in today's society, churches come close to having INFOMERCIALS boasting of prophecies and speaking in tongues. The gift of tongues is another area that has been exploited.

Go back with me to the first occurrence (Acts 2:2-8) of tongues (languages.) What was spoken was not some CHANT or Gibberish or SPEAKING A DEAD LANGUAGE, but actual languages. That is how the gift of tongues worked in the Bible, it drew people to Christ, if anything it would at least be a joyful noise!

While today it alienates the church. A few years ago, I was at Promise Keepers in Atlanta, when they had a Pentecostal emcee. During dinner, my best friend Mike asked me what the Pentecostal church believed and I simply explained that they believed in speaking in tongues and laying on of hands. To which he responded, "If you came to my church and spoke in tongues. The priest would perform an exorcism on you, sounds funny. But sadly, that is how most people both in and out of the church view the gift of speaking in tongues.

If you notice Luke says that the Spirit came like a violent wind. It is important to note that we don't control the Holy Spirit, if it enabled the apostle's to speak in foreign tongues (languages.) Who was in control? The Holy Spirit, which means that we can't decide when we will speak in tongues. That would be like saying; we control God, since the Holy Spirit is God. I can even attest to this from my experience in writing. There have been times that I've set aside day or a period of time to write, only to just sit behind my desk staring out my window. And other times when I am trying to do something else when the Holy Spirit begins to reveal things to me and open my eyes. But, when I plan to write and express what He has taught me, I go blank. I wish I could tell when the SPIRIT OF GOD would move. Recently, I was talking on the phone with a friend when she started speaking in tongues. I wanted so badly to ask her, what language is that? And remind her that I'M A BELIEVER! Ironically, the ones that rant and rave about their gift of speaking in tongues are the first to criticize my FUNKY JESUS MUSIC. Apparently, this exploitation of the Holy Spirit is nothing new.

In his letter to the church Corinth, the Paul states clearly that the gift of tongues (which is Greek for language) is used for unbelievers not the church. As Paul wrote in his first letter to the church in Corinth (1 Corinthians12:20-22.) Apparently, the apostle Paul had to address some believers that decided to SHOW OFF and ACT OUT. Because, he goes on to give rules and instructions for speaking in tongues to the church in Corinth ( 1 Corinthians 14:26-31.) Joshua Harris says in his book Dug Down Deep, " maybe your bad experience was just watching a few minutes of an oily-haired evangelist wearing pancake makeup, who broke into tongues and claimed to heal people over the airwaves (for a small donation.) Even the apostles didn't have a gift that ensured hearing on every occasion."

Because of my near-death experience, I agree with Joshua Harris that,"God still heals, although I'm less concerned about identifying a particular person as having the gift of healing. Obviously, I believe God can and does heal, because he is glorified when we do. Listen to Jesus' half-brother James( James 5:14-16.) In closing this blog, I have to mention that I have never heard a pastor handle spiritual gifts as well as I did while I was visiting new life Church in Colorado Springs. Pastor Brady Boyd said, "who am I to say, what you're spiritual gifts are or how God can use you? But, I can say this, if it glorifies you and doesn't glorify God by edifying His church. There is no place for it here." Because John tells us that helping us to grow as a body of believers and glorifying God is the purpose of the Holy Spirit(John 14:26.)

IMPOSSIBLE?
In closing this blog on one us to listen to the apostle Paul in his letter to the church in Ephesus ( Ephesians 3 :20-21.) Founder of the Salvation Army, William Booth once stated, "The greatness of a man's power is the measure of his surrender." When we surrender to the Holy Spirit, His POWER is what makes us not so average, He gimme dat power to show the CRAZY LOVE like Jesus did on the cross while they murdered Him; to forgive those who hurt us, give grace to those who don't give, love the unlovable, and thanks(Ephesians 1:15-22) for whatever we have or go through, over and over.
This isn't just the amazing love that I want to show my future wife, whoever that may be. This is the kind of love the Holy Spirit enables and compels me to give to all who hurt me, now. My best friend, Aaron is always telling me, "people do crazy, stupid things." It's like I told you brother Steve," there's a whole lot of GRACE AND MERCY in love." They are what make true love last forever. Maybe this is why the Bible uses the analogy of marriage to the relationship between the church and Jesus. I've had "trustworthy" friends and pastors that have abandoned me for left me to fend for myself; however, God and the Holy Spirit will never leave me alone. Maybe Saint Teresa of Avila said it best, "We can only learn to know ourselves and do what we can—namely, surrender our will and fulfill God's will in us."

One of the benefits of trusting God is knowing that He can do anything, even what is impossible for us to do ourselves. Maybe this is why the apostle Paul urged the church in Ephesus to be DRUNK IN THE SPIRIT and be thankful for it. D. L. Moody once noted, "God commands us to be filled with the Spirit; and if we are not filled, it's because we are living beneath our privileges." Recently, I heard a message by James Merritt where he explained, "one of the main elements every human needs to survive is nitrogen. The only problem is there is an abundance of nitrogen in the atmosphere and we can't get to it on our own. So God sends LIGHTNING to separate the nitrogen from the atmosphere and allow it to rain down to earth. Since we can't absorb enough nitrogen through our skin or mouths like we do oxygen, God puts bacteria into the air that breaks the nitrogen DOWN into nitrates that are absorbed by plants and when we eat the plants or animals that eat the plants with the nitrates, we get all the nitrogen we need to survive. So every time you see lightning, just think about how God is doing what you can't do for yourself."

Listen to Jesus' half-brother James in his letter to early Jewish Christians who were scattered by persecution (James 4:4-10.) J.C. Ryle has stated, "Never was there an eminent saint who was not full of thankfulness." That's why I am so thankful for God's FORGIVENESS. It is why I trust God and I let the Holy Spirit give me HOPE and COURAGE. Although my flesh tells me one thing, His Spirit will LET ME KNOW when I CAN'T QUIT(Galatians 6:8-9,) to keep HOLDING ON to my dreams. In my last assignment for writing course that I am taking through the Christian Writer's Guild I came across this quote by author Jo Berry, "I don't want any of you who miss God's best because you expect too little or because you ignore the obvious-- those wonderful holy dreams and ambitions the Holy Spirit has placed in your heart."

Aristotle wrote, "wicked men obey from fear; good men, from love." I have learned it is far better to listen to God, His Spirit and His word than to listen to a sinful man. For I know how Jacked up they are. And I know how jacked-up I am. While writing this blog, my inspirational dance screenplay won a contest and I was invited to Atlanta to meet with studio executives to pitch it to them for consideration for development, after seven years of trusting God. I know I'm NOT ALONE and I'll LIFT UP THE LIGHT. Remember, being alone was never part of His plan because it is not good ( Genesis 2:18) and I don't mean some DANG GIRL, even if she is crazy beautiful . God, I JUST WANNA LOVE YOU, I've always had someone to love. That is why I let God lead me by His Holy Spirit.








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