stirring up the holy spirit

8/2/2019 Stirring Up the Holy Spirit

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Stirring up the Holy SpiritSteve Sampson

One of the most misunderstood principles in Scripture is that although the Holy Spiritis available to the believer,

He waits to respond to our level of hunger and expectation, not just because wehave a particular need.

In fact, the Holy Spirit in our lives will remain in a dormant state unless we learn todraw upon Him. A good exampleof this is when Jesus invited the disciples to get in the boat with Him and go to theother side of the lake. But ratherthan a peaceful voyage a violent storm broke out. "And suddenly a great tempestarose on the sea, so that theboat was covered with the waves. But He was asleep." Matt.8:24

He Responded to the Disciples, Not the Storm!

"Then the disciples came to Him and awoke Him, saying;, 'Lord, save us! We areperishing!" So often we thinkthat the Lord knows our need and will automatically take care of our problem. But Hewaits for us to "wake" Him up.He slept through their circumstance. It was only their finding Him and stirring Himfrom sleep that caused Him to getup and deal with their storm. Our God doesn't respond to storms and circumstances,He responds to us! It is our

prayers that stir Him.

It is not enough to know that He dwells in us, but we have to live a life of continuallystirring up our expectation ofHim. Hosea told us, "Break up your fallow ground." Hosea 10:12 We have to stir ourhearts out of dullness and lowexpectation and break up that ground of unbelief, stirring ourselves with expectationand anticipation of God.

Paul told Timothy, "Therefore I remind you to stir up the gift of God which is in youthrough the laying on of my

hands. For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of asound mind." II Tim. 1:6-7 Peterwrote to stir the believers to remember the words of God. "of which I stir up yourpure minds by way of reminder."I Peter 3:1

We Can Stir Another

The writer of Hebrews exhorts us to stir and provoke one another. "And let usconsider one another in order to stirup love and good works." Heb. 10:24 We can stir the Spirit of God in one another, by

acts of kindness and acts oflove. Sometimes a phone call, or sending someone a card, or giving him a word of


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encouragement will stir thatperson's life out of discouragement into faith toward God.

Hannah was provoked by Penninah(I Samuel 1), and this extremely unwelcome anduncomfortable chiding,

provoked and stirred Hannah, until she cried out to God for a son. Because she wasprovoked to pray, the greatprophet, Samuel, was born.

Recipe

When my youngest daughter was around five years old, she learned to makebrownies. She would get the mixingbowl, put in the ready mix, add an egg, a little water, and a little oil. Then she wouldsay, "Daddy, please stir this forme." Recently it occurred to me how ridiculous it would be to declare that since all

the ingredients are in the bowl, Icould just put it in the oven. What an ugly picture that would be, if the unmixedingredients were cooked that way. Itdoesn't matter how right the ingredients are, it still must be stirred!

In the Kingdom of God, we often have all the right ingredients in our lives. We havethe gift of salvation, the baptismin the Holy Spirit, the gifts of the Holy Spirit, perhaps some testimonies of the powerof God in our lives, and evensome prophetic words given to us. Yet even with all these precious ingredients, ourresponsibility is to begin to stirup all of this with expectation and desire and faith. "For indeed the gospel waspreached to us as well as to them;but the word which they heard did not profit them, not being mixed(stirred) with faithin those who heard it."Hebrews 4:2 James said, "Thus also faith by itself, if it does not haveworks(corresponding action) is dead."James 2:17

How Can We Stir Up the Holy Spirit?

We can stir Him up by:

1. Prayer. Intense, fervent prayer, both individually and corporately will cause theHoly Spirit to be stirred. "Andwhen they had prayed, the place where they were assembled together was shaken;and they were all filled with theHoly Spirit, and they spoke the word of God with boldness." Acts 4:31

2. Remembering. When Jehoshaphat was under attack by three armies, he began topray, calling to mind pastvictories. "Are you not our God, who drove out the inhabitants of this land before

Your people Israel, and gave it tothe descendants of Abraham Your friend forever?" II Chron. 20:7


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3. Dialogue. Getting together with a spouse, or a friend, or any believer and talkingabout the Lord, and declaringHis goodness, always stirs up the Holy Spirit within us. It is amazing how Hispresence begins to be felt, and youknow He Himself is involved in the conversation.

4. Praise. God inhabits the praises of His people(Ps. 22:22). Anytime we praise Him,He is enthroned on ourpraises and His presence is stirred up. You can be discouraged or distracted, but yetwhen you begin to praiseHim, He arises and your perspective quickly changes.

God is waiting on us!

So many believers are waiting on God to do something, yet according to Scripture,God is waiting on us. He is

waiting on us to stir up the Holy Spirit, by inviting Him in our lives, and stirringourselves with expectation. He iswilling and desires to manifest Himself in awesome ways, but just as the disciplesstirred Him from sleep, we muststir up our inner man. "But you, beloved, building yourselves up in your most holyfaith, praying in the Holy Spirit."Jude 20

Faith is Seeing the UnseenSteve Sampson

Faith is nothing more than seeing the invisible.

While we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are notseen. For the things which areseen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal. (2 Cor 4:18 NKJ)

Every child of God has two sets of ears and two sets of eyes. We have the naturalset that we are born with, andwe have a spiritual set that weve been given upon being born again. As we growspiritually, we begin to see withour spiritual eyes and hear with our spiritual ears.

Jesus is our example. He stated plainly that He was able to see what the Father wasdoing, and hear what theFather was saying. Like us, He had to allow the Holy Spirit to let Him see and hear.The success of Jesusministry was based on the time He spent with the Father and hearing Him

accurately.


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Then Jesus answered and said to them, "Most assuredly, I say to you, the Son cando nothing of Himself, butwhat He sees the Father do; for whatever He does, the Son also does in likemanner. (John 5:19 KJV)

"I can of Myself do nothing. As I hear, I judge; and My judgment is righteous,because I do not seek My own willbut the will of the Father who sent Me. (John 5:30 NKJ)

As Christians, we must see from Gods perspective and hear His direction andcommand. Our walk must be oneof total openness to Him and a willingness to obey.

Natural Eyes and Ears dont Always Tell The Truth

Without recognizing the Holy Spirit, most of us let our natural eyes and ears and our

other senses dictate to us andrecord it as reality. God never promised to lead us by our physical senses or ourmental faculties. In everysituation, we have to take note not so much what our natural (physical) senses aretelling us, but rather what theHoly Spirit is revealing. What we see through the eyes of the Spirit is usually in greatcontrast to what the naturaleyes are representing as fact. Our physical senses deceive us and are unreliable.

What He does reveal, in the unseen realm, has far more reality than what weobserve in the seen realm. When wesee through the eyes of the Spirit, everything changes.

This type of praying is exciting and extremely effective, because it is praying in theperfect will of God.

What God speaks, it brings things from the unseen realm into reality.

The exciting part about hearing God is that the Holy Spirit will enable believers tocross over by the Spirit into theeternal realm.

It is seeing the unseen (eternal) realm where we perceive the will of God. Once wesee the will of God and whatexists from His perspective, we can cross back over and announce what God wantsto perform in the natural,temporal world.

Noah was another one who peered into the unseen realm and watched God pullback the curtain of future events.Then he came back to the temporal (seen) realm and announced the mind of God.Building the ark was a

response to the heavenly reality.


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As Christians in the New Covenant, the Holy Spirit will let us see beyond things inthe natural, and look into theeternal if we choose to see through His eyes. When we see, it becomes a reality,and we can announce whatalready exists in Gods mind and it will then be a reality in the temporal (seen).

In prayer, we can cross that bridge and see as God sees. Faith is that bridgebetween the eternal (the unseen)and the temporal (the seen). Prayer is so exciting. Real prayer is not just words, butintently waiting on God untilwe, by the Spirit, see what He is seeing.

The gifts of the Spirit operated through those who choose to see into the eternal. Asthe word of knowledge isgiven, or prophecy comes forth, then that which is unseen can be received andaccepted and become manifest to

us.

Turning Off The Faucet

When Elijah stood before Ahab, he declared, "As the LORD God of Israel lives,before whom I stand, there shallnot be dew nor rain these years, except at my word." (I King 17:1 NKJ)Elijah proclaimed that it would not rain according to his word, not Gods word. Whycould he make such astatement? He had already crossed the bridge of faith from the temporal to theeternal, and in seeing the mind ofGod, he turned the water faucet off! The eternal realm was such a reality that he notonly turned the water off, butknew that he had the authority to turn it back on. I think he carried the water faucethandle in his pocket!

He was speaking with audacity before King Ahab, because he had been there, in theeternal realm.

Three and a half years later, he had to turn the water faucet back on. He went up ontop of Mount Carmel.

Then he bowed down on the ground, and put his face between his knees (I King18:42 NKJ)

Why did he put his face down between his knees? In real prayer, in order to see intothe eternal (unseen) realm,the mind has to come under subjection to the Holy Spirit. Elijah kept his mindsubjected in that position, while hecommanded his servant to check for results.

And said to his servant, "Go up now, look toward the sea." So he went up and

looked, and said, "There isnothing." And seven times he said, "Go again." Then it came to pass the seventh


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time, that he said, "There is acloud, as small as a man's hand, rising out of the sea!" So he said, "Go up, say toAhab, 'Prepare your chariot,and go down before the rain stops you.'" (I King 18:43-44 NKJ)

His servant represented faith. When we are praying with expectation, we have tocommand our faith (as a servant)to go check to see what God has done. Every time the servant when to check, it wasan act of expectation.

In prayer, New Covenant Christians can press into God and see into the eternalrealm. This is where Godreveals His will, and shows us how to pray and what to pray for.

In this type of praying, we receive strategies from God. Many times when in ameeting, Ill ask the Lord what evil

spirits we will be battling. As he shows me, I bind them, and turn off their faucets ofinfluence. Also, the Lord willoften show me specific things He desires to do in each meeting, such as healings Heis going to manifest. Thistype of praying is exciting and extremely effective, because it is praying in the perfectwill of God.

Faith is seeing what is going on in the heavenlies, and declaring it a reality.


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Hunger & DesireSteve Sampson

The greatest possession we have as believers is hunger! Jesus said, Blessed arethey that hunger and thirst afterrighteousness, for they shall be filled. Mt. 5:6

It does not matter how big God is or how willing God is, but rather how great ourhunger is. GOD IS LIMITED TOOUR LEVEL OF HUNGER!

Over the years, I have noticed that Sunday morning meetings are often more difficultto experience a move of theHoly Spirit. For a long time I never understood this that there would seem to be astruggle and sluggishness in thatSunday morning meeting more than any other time of the week. In fact, I used tothink I was having a battle with thedevil, but finally I realized that it was more a battle with God. Too many people arepresent on Sunday morningsthat are attending because it is Sunday, than with a desire to seek God and knowGod. They are attending out ofduty rather than desire! God is not pleased because He does not respond to duty,

but desire!

One word for desire means, de(of) and sire(the father). As we commune with God,He births desire in our hearts.

God is putting hunger pangs in us. It is not enough to be curious, to be interested, oreven to appreciate the Lord.We must be hungry!

The Syrophonecian woman had a demon-possessed daughter. Because of her greatneed, she came to the Lord

with a tremendous passion and desire. At first, the Lord totally ignored her. Perhapsthis stirred up even moredesire. He was provoking her to a higher level of hunger. She evidently approachedthe disciples as well, becausethey entreated the Lord to send her away. Then He called her a dog, It is not goodto take the childrens bread andthrow it too the dogs. He offended her! But the offense caused her desire to becomeeven greater! Her responsewas a classic. Yes, Lord, but even the little puppies eat the crumbs which fall fromthe table. I believe His attitudeat that point was, I wasnt going to help you, but you got me there! Her hungercaused her to receive an amazinginsightcrumbs will always fall off the table, and there is enough power in a crumb


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desires, and has nothing. This word, desire, means to wish for. It is not enough towish for something, but it mustbe sought for with passionate desire. To say, I wish I could play the piano, or Iwish I had a better job is notenough.

James said, Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed earnestly that itwould not rain; and it did notrain on the land for three years and six months. And he prayed again, and theheaven gave rain, and the earthproduced its fruit. James 5:17-18James was appealing to us to pray with more fervency. Elijah was subject to thesame weaknesses and humannature as us, yet his prayers caused great things to happen. We cant just pray, wemust pray with passion anddesire.

One Thing!

We know we are maturing when our desire gets down to one thing. David said, Onething I have desired of theLord, that will I seek: That I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life,to behold the beauty of theLord and to inquire in His temple. Psalm 27:4Jesus told Martha, Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled(distracted) aboutmany things. But one thing isneeded, and Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away fromher. Luke 10:41-42Paul passionate desire for the Lord was evident. Although God had already used himin tremendous ways, hisdesire was for more. Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended: but onething I do, forgetting thosethings which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead. Ipress toward the goal for the prizeof the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. Philippians 3:13-14God honors prayers of desire and passion. Seek ye first the Kingdom of Godmeans a specific seeking(Greek

zeteo).

You Cant Get Strong Watching Someone Else Exercise!

Probably the strongest rebuke in the New Testament is from Hebrews 5:12-14 Forby this time you ought to beteachers, you need someone to teach you again the first principle of the oracles ofGod; and you have come toneed milk and not solid food. For everyone who partakes only of milk is unskilled inthe word of righteousness, forhe is a babe. But solid food is for those who are of full age, that is, those who by

reason of use have their sensesexercised to discern both good and evil.


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We have to have our own desire, our own passion and our own experiences. Wecannot live on another personstestimony or experience.

Dont Be a C Student

A student who receives C grades is not failing, but neither is he excelling. He isjustmaintaining a mediocreplateau. It is a lukewarm position, which carries little honor. In fact, the lukewarm arethose who God indicates Hedesires to spit out of His mouth. So then, because you are neither cold nor hot, I willvomit you out of my mouth.Rev. 3:16It is interesting that if you are fervent and passionate for God, you will most likely becriticized. And if you are coldtoward God and His Kingdom, you will be condemned. However, if you are neither of

those(right in themiddlelukewarm) you will not be criticized or condemned. Yet that is the positionthat God hates the most.

You Cant Get Fat on Samples

The lady who stands in a grocery store offering samples, has no intention to fill youup. She is hired to give yousamples in order to provoke you to desirein order that you make a purchase. Goddoes the same thing. Hemoves in our lives, wooing us with His presence and stirs us. When we taste Hispresence or feel His stirring, itdoes not mean we have receivedit only means that we have tasted. Weve tasteda sample of His presence. Heis stirring us to desire. Now we must respond and passionately seek Him for more.


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Living With EvidenceSteve Sampson

Do you remember the slogan, "If you were arrested for being a Christian, would therebe enough evidence toconvict you?"

The longer I live, the less I am impressed with words, and the more I look forevidence of a lifestyle. Jesus said youwill know the tree by the fruit(evidence). Even John the Baptist rebuked the

Pharisees, telling them to bring forthfuit, "bear fruits worthy of repentance." Mt. 3:8

When Peter and John were arrested after God healed the crippled man, the peoplesaw even more evidence intheir lives. "Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived thatthey were uneducated anduntrained men, they marveled. And they realized that's they had been with Jesus.And seeing the man who hadbeen healed standing with them, they could say nothing against it." Acts 4:13-14

The strategy from hell against the church is for us to be tied into a belief systemrather than a lifestyle. This gospelis not about going to church, it is about being the church! It is not about hearingsermons or attending meetings, itis about touching lives. We are to be committed to truth, not just in verbal agreement,but in a life style! Attendingchurch, hearing sermons means nothing unless something changes within us andthere is evidence of lives beingchanged around us. "Let your light so shine before men, that they may see yourgood works and glorify your Father

in Heaven." Matthew 5:16

Peter was continually rebuked and corrected by Jesus, yet at the end of three shortyears so powerful was the gloryof God in him that anyone under his shadow would be healed. "So that they broughtthe sick out into the streets andlaid them on beds and couches, that at least the shadow of Peter passing by mightfall on some of them." Acts5:15 The only Bible the majority of people will read is you. Paul declared, "You areour epistle written in our hearts,known and read by all men." II Corinthians 3:2

Belief System or a Life Style?


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Many churches claim to believe the doctrine of the baptism of the Holy Spirit and thegifts of the Spirit, yet if youattend them there is absolutely NO EVIDENCE of the gifts of the Holy Spirit beingmanifested.

When young David came to the battle lines and heard the spewings of Goliathe, hewas appalled and desired tobe the man to conquer him. When he was brought before Saul, the king commentedthat he was only a youth andthe other men had been fighting since their youth. But David had a resume! "Yourservant used to keep his father'ssheep, and when a lion or a bear came and took a lamb out of the flock, I went afterit and struck it, and deliveredthe lamb from it's mouth; and when it arose against me, I caught it by its beard, andstruck it and killed it." I Sam.17:34-35

David had evidence in his life! He had dealt with lions and bears on a personal leveland now was ready to defeatGoliathe. Lions can represent those things in us, such as rebellion, stubbornness,lust and anger. Bears canrepresent habits, discouragement, fear, and unbelief. Before we conquer hugeenemies, God wants us to haveevidence that we have dealt with the personal ones.

The bottom line is that there must be evidence in our lives that we are yielding to theKing of Kings and Lord oflords. Paul declared, " You are our epistle written in our hearts, known and read byall men." Unbelievers do notread the Bible, they read us! Is their evidence in your life for them to see? This worldneeds to see evidence of thepower of God in our lives and the character of God(the fruit of the Spirit). God's lightmust shine through us asevidence. " For it is God who commanded light to shine out of darkness who hasshown in our hearts, to give theglory of God in the face of Jesus Christ." II Cor. 4:6

This gospel has to become more than mere talk. People must see the power andnature of God in us. " Let us notlove in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth." I Jn. 3:18


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Overcoming Discouragement

Steve Sampson

Discouraged people exert no demand on the presence of God.

And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony,and they did not love theirlives to the death. (Rev 12:11 NKJ)

The blood of Jesus is all encompassing. All physical health, all mental health, allemotional health has beenpurchased by the blood of Jesus. His precious blood not only paid for our sins, butfor every possible sickness aswell. In fact, Jesus paid for our sicknesses with His blood before He paid for our sins.

by His stripes you were healed. (1 Peter 2:24 KJV)

He paid not only for our sins, but for our mental health. His blood covers theoppression that comes against ourminds. His blood covers those distorted emotions because of things weve gonethrough. We dont have to buyunbelief, we dont have to buy the lies of depression, we dont have to succumb to

anything, because the blood ofJesus has paid it all.

The devil is a liar. Presumably the most effective weapon he uses against the saintsis discouragement. There isnothing more diabolical than those stifling feelings of heaviness that border onhopelessness. But the good newsis that we have already been given authority over him. The accuser of ourbrethrenhas been cast down. (Rev12:10 NKJ)

Stop Trying To Defeat The Devil

You cannot defeat the devil! He has already been defeated. His time has alreadycome. He has been stripped ofhis power and authority. He only has the power to lie and oppress. We have theauthority through the blood ofJesus to resist his lies, and to not buy the defeat he tries to sell us.

Having disarmed principalities and powers, He made a public spectacle of them,triumphing over them in it.Col 2:15 NKJ)


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A mistake commonly made by many Christians is that they are still trying to fight anenemy that has already beendefeated. Nowhere does the Scripture tell us to defeat the devil, but rather to resisthim, and to exercise theauthority that we have already been given over him.

Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. (James 4:7 NKJ)

Gaining Strength By Resisting

But may the God of all grace, who called us to His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, afteryou have suffered a while,perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you. (1 Pet 5:10 NKJ)

It isnt always Gods way to rescue us from some type of persecution or suffering.Sometimes He wants us to

simply walk through it. As a result, He will perfect us, establish us, strengthen us,and settle us.

Frankly, resisting the devil is what makes us steadfast in the faith.

God has a far greater purpose for us as individuals than we realize. He desires tomake us strong in spirit. StrongChristians have gained strength by resisting the lies of the devil and by exercisingtheir faith in God.

It is good to remind yourself when you are feeling satanic opposition and oppression,that you are worth beingresisted! God has His hand on you!

Begin To Speak The Language Of Faith

Many dont see victory because they refuse to embrace the language of faith.Speaking the language of faith issimply agreeing with Gods vocabulary, andnot the devils.

It isnt enough to know the promises of God and the goodness of God. We must

come to a place of choice. Wecan either stay in the rut we are in, or we can say Enough is enough and begin tospeak what God says.

To be discouraged, God says, Choose life. Begin to agree with God. Rather thandeclare your circumstancesand what your emotions dictate, begin to declare the greatness of God!

It takes no faith (or character) to agree with your emotions. Emotions change by theminute. Anyone can declarethe negative. Anyone can complain. Anyone can let his mouth spew out what his

emotions feel at that givenmoment. Many spend their entire lives letting their vocal chords record what their


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emotions feel. But God hasgiven you and me a choice.

I call heaven and earth as witnesses today against you, that I have set before youlife and death, blessing and

cursing; therefore choose life, that both you and your descendants may live; (Deut30:19 NKJ)

God will wait for you to get tired of the old habitual rut you are in. He will politely wait,and not stop you fromwasting years. You can let it be your choice to continue plodding down the road ofdiscouragement anddespondency, and defeat. Or you can rise up in faith and begin to speak Hislanguage. Without faith, it isimpossible to please God. This is your choice.

The language of faith agrees with God. Faith declares Gods faithfulness, anddeclares everything else a lie. Youmust not be concerned about what natural circumstances dictate, because from nowon, God is your source. Ifthings get worse at first, it doesnt matter, because God is seated on the throne ofyour life. Because you havebegun to align your speech with His Word (speaking the language of faith), there willinevitably be results.

It is of necessity to repent. Repentance is not shedding a bucket of tears, but itsimply means about face! Youmust make a quality decision such as, I repent of agreeing with the devils lies, I amchoosing to agree with God,and speak His language.

Whoever offers praise glorifies Me; and to him who orders his conduct aright I willshow the salvation of God."(Ps 50:23 NKJ)

Fear is abnormal. God didnt create us to live in fear. Worry is abnormal. God didntcreate us to live with worry.

Joy is normal! Peace is normal! The gospel is good news which dictates ourstandard of living. Refuse toembrace fear and worry and discouragement. Embrace the promises of God! It isyour choice.

Most all suicides and suicide attempts can be traced back to the thought life. Achoice was made. A personbegan to entertain thoughts from the devil. The more the thoughts were listened toand entertained, the morethoughts the devil added. Soon the thoughts multiplied until the person could nolonger control his own thoughts

and tried to find a way of escape by suicide. The problem began


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long before the suicide. The problem began when the person began to entertain thelies of the devil.

God has given you and me authority over all the power of the enemy.

Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over allthe power of the enemy, andnothing shall by any means hurt you. (Luke 10:19 NKJ)

Nothing Makes You Grow Faster Than Seeking The Lord

Human nature, including Christian human nature, gravitates to seeking the advice oropinion of people, rather thanGod. We find it easier to relate to someone we can see, rather than He Whom wecannot see.

Of course it is not wrong to seek out counsel and encouragement from other people,but true change and growthcomes when we seek the Lord.

Making an investment of time in uninterrupted prayer creates an unexplainablestrength to the human spirit.Finding another person to unload the problem on will bring a temporary supportand relief, but will not necessarilymake you any stronger as a Christian, any more than you would gain strength bywatching that person pray.

If You Are Resisted, Then Rejoice!

When the enemy of your soul resists you, it usually means one of two things. Eitheryou are on the verge of abreakthrough, or you are on the right track with God and the devil is trying todiscourage your efforts.

Rather than embracing discouragement, we can rejoice that the devil is worriedabout us.

No wonder James tells us to rejoice when we are going through trials!

My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testingof your faith producespatience. (James 1:2-3 NKJ)

God is allowing trials to being forth a permanent result of character in your innerman.

It is similar to taking final exams. Students usually complain when they are facingfinals, but the exciting thing is

that if they pass, they will be promoted! They will never again be tested in thoseareas.


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God desires to promote us. He wants to take us to higher and higher levels anddimensions in Him. But nopromotion takes place without an exam.

Blessed is the man who endures temptation; for when he has been approved, he will

receive the crown of lifewhich the Lord has promised to those who love Him. (James 1:12 NKJ)

Promotion is on the way! Be encouraged!

Reaching Your Maximum PotentialSteve Sampson

One of the greatest travesties of the Christian life is that we fall far short of thepotential that God sees in us. It issaid that the scientist, Einstein, at the end of his life had only utilized ten percent ofhis brain. Will it be said ofbelievers on judgment day that only a small portion of our spiritual potential wasfulfilled? As Christians, we mustrealize that God is thinking bigger than we are about our lives, and we need to callupon Him to bring our lives totheir full potential.

Jesus taught a lot about fruitfulness. "I am the vine, you are the branches. He whoabides in Me, and I in him, bearsmuch fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.By this My father is glorified, that youbear much fruit; so you will beMy disciples.You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that youshould go and bear fruit, andthat your fruit should remain" John 15: 5, 8, 16

In the parable of the sower, Jesus taught that there would be those who would bringforth a crop. "Some a

hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty." Mt 13:8 One hundredfold does not mean onehundred percent, but rathermaximum potential. God wants our individual lives to reach their full potential.

One undeniable attribute of God is that He is on-going. He always desires to take usto higher and higher levels."But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, arebeing transformed into the sameimage from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord." II Cor. 3:18 Each of usneeds to aim higher. It isinteresting that the Scripture says, "All have sinned and come short of the glory of

God." Rom. 3:23 It does not say


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short of good teaching a good church, or a good Bible study, but rather short of theglory of God!

Room for Improvement

There was a Jew named Apollos who had high credentials, yet still had room forimprovement. "Now a certain Jewnamed Apollos, born at Alexandria, an eloquent man and mighty in the Scriptues,came to Ephesus. This man hadbeen instructed in the way of the Lord; and being fervent in spirit, he spoke andtaught accurately the things of theLord, though he knew only the baptism of John. So he began to speak boldly in thesynagogue. When Aquilla andPricilla heard him, they took him aside and explained to him the way of God moreaccurately." Acts 18:24-26

The prophet Elisha was approached by a widow whose husband had left her withdebt, and the creditors werecoming to take her two sons as slaves. His response to her seemed less thancompassionate. "What should I dofor you? Tell me, what do you have in the house?" II Kings 4:2 Her answer was,"Your maidservant has nothing buta jar of oil." As her, we often emphasize nothing, and minimize the jar of oil(the HolySpirit in us). The prophet'sconcern was not to send her more, but to use the jar of oil and gather vessels to pourinto. Vessels representpeople. "Then he said, 'Go, borrow vessels from everywhere, from all yourneighbors-empty vessels, do not gatherjust a few. And when you have come in, you shall shut the door behind you and yoursons' then pour into all thosevessels, and set aside the full ones.'" Vs. 3-4

Each of us have oil in our "house" namely the Holy Spirit, which we have failed topour out. The prophet set her freeby giving her the vision to pour out. In the pouring out her own need was met. "Thenshe came and told the man ofGod. And he said, 'Go, sell the oil and pay your debt; and you and your sons live on

the rest.'" Vs.7

Self-satisfaction

The most strangulating effect on every believer is that of self-satisfaction(not thedevil). "A satisfied soul loathes thehoneycomb, but to a hungry soul every bitter thing is sweet." Proverbs 27:7 Whenwe are satisfied, we tie God'shands from manifesting Himself more in our lives. "And no one, having drunk oldwine, immediately desires new;for he says, 'The old is better(sufficient).'" Luke 5:39


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God moves in our lives according to our level of our hunger and desire. Our personalhunger is the most preciouscommodity we possess as believers. It is noteworthy that if you are on fire for Godyou will no doubt be criticized. Ifyou are cold toward God, you will probably be condemned. Yet, if you are right in

between, man will neither criticizenor condemn you. Yet that is just where the Laodecian church was-right in between."I know your works, that you areneither cold or hot. So then, because you are neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you outof My mouth. Rev. 3:15-16 Hethen pleads with them as one who is outside the door, " Behold I stand at the doorand knock. If anyone hears Myvoice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with me."Vs. 20 He was not speaking tosinners, but rather to Spirit-filled, tongue praying believers. Believers who once hadHim at their table and in

fellowship with Him but had "pushed" Him outside the door of their lives.

We must stay on fire and remain desperate for Him in order to reach our maximumpotential. Our expectation andhunger exerts an awesome demand on His presence-and He does not disappoint!

You Are A RembrandtSteve Sampson

Most of us have the same problem of feeling unworthy and believing what God says

about us. But this Scripturegave me much clarity and understanding.

But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power maybe of God and not of us. (2Cor 4:7 NKJ)

God knew what He was doing when He chose to put the precious treasure of theHoly Spirit in these earthenvessels. Notice that it does not say perfect vessels, or golden vessels, or diamondvessels, but rather earthen

vessels! Why would God take such a risk? Because He is glorified when His Personshines through us and Hispresence is manifested through an imperfect vessel. God would get no glory if wewere flawless and created asrobotic followers.

Recently I heard about a man at a flea market who purchased a painting for justtwenty dollars. A few weeks later,it sold at the famous Christies auction for 1.4 million dollars! After the man had madethe purchase of the oldpainting, he recognized that there was another painting underneath the surface

artwork. He took it to aprofessional who meticulously peeled off the cheap latex surface paint. Underneath


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this cheap paint was thisvaluable Rembrandt painting.

This is the way we are. When God saved us, He placed a Rembrandt within us,within these imperfect vessels.

Our inner man is flawless.

The spirit of a man is the lamp of the LORD, searching all the inner depths of hisheart. (Prov 20:27 NKJ)

The problem is that this inner lamp must shine through. We are housed in flesh,i.e., that cheap latex that needsto be peeled away so that the glory of God might shine through.

For it is the God who commanded light to shine out of darkness, who has shone inour hearts to give the light of

the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. (2 Cor 4:6 NKJ)

God wants to manifest His light through us so that the world may see His glory.Consider when Jesus raisedLazarus from the dead and declared, Lazarus, come forth! Lazarus came out of thegrave alive, but he still wasbound.

And he who had died came out bound hand and foot with graveclothes, and his facewas wrapped with a cloth.Jesus said to them, "Loose him, and let him go."(John 11:44 NKJ)

Many of us in the body of Christ are indeed alive, but the problem is that were stillwearing graveclothes. Whatare graveclothes? They are unbelief, fear, doubt, depression, discouragement, andso forth. God wants us loosefrom this old clothing. He wants this cheap latex peeled away.

The work of sanctification often is described as the work of the Holy Spirit making uswhat He wants us to be. Butsanctification could more accurately be described as the working of the Holy Spirit,

stripping away all that hidesand eclipses who we already are!

God wasnt taken by surprise at our condition when He saved us. He wasnt caughtoff guard seeing the flaws,lies, habits, and inconsistencies in our lives. But He has confidence in His treasurethat He has placed within ourearthen vessels. He knows that His presence will manifest through us more andmore as we let Him peel awaythe excess.

We are in good company when we see the struggle Paul experienced.


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For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) nothing good dwells; for to will is presentwith me, but how to performwhat is good I do not find. For the good that I will to do, I do not do; but the evil I willnot to do, that I practice.(Rom 7:18-19 NKJ)

Gods plan is that this flesh part of us disappears. The Bible says that Enoch walkedwith God and He was not,because God took him (Gen. 5). Just like Enoch, God wants us to walk with Him untilwe are not, that the will of ourflesh no longer exists. Just like little children who ultimately turn into adults, Godwants us to grow into maturity.Then the true Rembrandt is revealed!

Living From The Tree Of LifeSteve Sampson

We have two choices. We can live from the tree of life perspective or from theperspective of the tree of theknowledge of good and evil. In the garden, God gave specific command:

And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, "Of every tree of the garden youmay freely eat; but of thetree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat ofit you shall surely die."(Gen 2:16-17 NKJ)

When Adam and Eve sinned by eating from the tree of the knowledge of good andevil, their eyes were openedand they lost their innocence, becoming embittered with the problem. But if wechoose to live from the tree of life,we leave the judgment and consequences up to God.

When Paul and Silas were in prison for casting a demon out of a woman in Acts 16,they could have eaten from thetree of knowledge of good and evil and become full of hatred, complaining, andbitterness. They would have

become victims, blaming everyone else. But instead, they chose to live from the treeof life, beginning at midnightto sing praises to God! God delivered them from the prison and the jailer was won tothe Lord.

When the Pharisees brought a woman to Jesus who was caught in the act ofadultery, both the Pharisees andJesus had the same goal. They wanted her to stop sinning. But the religiousPharisees chose to stone heraccording to her actions with the guilt of the law. Jesus also wanted her to stopsinning, but He offered her the tree

of life and offered her forgiveness. Someone said, Jesus didnt go around making


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bad people good. He wentaround making dead people live.

Innocence

To live by the tree of life, we must return to our innocence and childlikeness. Jesustold us to be wise as serpentsand harmless as doves (Mat 10:16) and that we must come to Him as little children(Mat 18:3). We must learn toprotect and maintain our innocence.

Keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it spring the issues of life. (Prov 4:23NKJ)

If we live by the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, we will always be blamingothers. Whoever you are

blaming takes Gods place. Now this person that you blame, is your lord and has allyour attention. And youllalways be a victim.

Choosing to live from the tree of life confuses the forces of darkness. The devil canfind no scenario to get you toreact to, because youre refusing to be controlled by the knowledge of good and evil.

When Martha was working hard in the kitchen to prepare a meal for Jesus, shebecame angry at her sister Mary aswell as at Jesus Himself. She scolded Jesus by saying "Lord, do You not care thatmy sister has left me to servealone? Therefore tell her to help me." (Luke 10:40 NKJ)

Martha was trying so hard to serve the Lord (by her own standards) that she wasangry and frustrated with hersister who didnt jump into the strife with her. She was eating from the wrong tree.Jesus brought life and clarity tothe situation saying, "Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about manythings. But one thing is needed,and Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her." (Luke

10:41-42 NKJ)

Mary was eating from the tree of life. She had her priorities in order and waschoosing to stay in tune with Jesus.

Avoid Negative Relationships

Avoid people who refuse to talk about anything but injustices, things they are bitterand angry about, and things thatwant to steal your innocence. Stay connected to the tree of life. Let life flow and letGod be the judge, releasing

things and people to Him.


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How do you read the Bible? Do you see God bringing judgment and condemnationon everyone? Youre eatingfrom the wrong tree. Or do you read it feeling the compassion and love of God whois reaching out to mankind andcalling everyone to Himself?

How do you react when someone you know has fallen in a sin? Do you pronouncejudgment on them and tell themhow disappointed you are in them? Or do you plug into the tree of life notcondoning their sin but offering themyour help and a way out of their sin?

How do you react when your children dont measure up to your expectations? Doyou tell them how disappointedyou are in them and emphasize their failure? Or do you eat from the tree of life andminister to them in a way which

offers them an escape and the knowledge they can do better?

From which tree are you eating?

Are You Still Coveting Legs?Steve Sampson

A family has a dog that has bitten the legs of several passers-by. Not wanting to dealwith lawsuits, they put the dogin a large cage and, to be extra sure, put a large chain on his neck. Now the problem

is solved externally, becauseno ones legs are being bitten. But, although chained and within a fence, the dog isstill coveting legs.

The dog hasnt changed at all, but has only been restrained. This is what the lawdoes; it doesnt change us, it onlyrestrains us. Although we are not committing the act of sin, our hearts are still filledwith the desire to do that whichis not lawful. Paul (whose company Im glad to be in) expressed the same frustration,as he found himself helplessin dealing with his old nature.

For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) nothing good dwells; for to will is presentwith me, but how to performwhat is good I do not find. For the good that I will to do, I do not do; but the evil I willnot to do, that I practice.Now if I do what I will not to do, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me.(Rom 7:18-20 NKJ)

How many times have we heard about a child growing up in a Christian environment,then running headlong intorebellion? The heart was never changed. Only the exterior pressure kept the child in

line. When the gate wasopened, it was obvious that the heart was never changed.


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Then I will give them one heart, and I will put a new spirit within them, and take thestony heart out of their flesh,and give them a heart of flesh, that they may walk in My statutes and keep Myjudgments and do them; and theyshall be My people, and I will be their God. (Ezek 11:19-20 NKJ)

From Rules To Relationship

The Old Covenant was rooted in rules. The Ten Commandments were clear-cutcommands of dos and donts fora lifestyle acceptable to God. When Jesus arrived on the scene, He didnt come todo away with the Law (therules), but to fulfill it.

Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come todestroy but to fulfill. (Matt 5:17

NKJ)

Through Jesus, we have been called into relationship with God. No longer do weserve God out of fear, but out oflove.

'You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all yourstrength, and with all yourmind,' and 'your neighbor as yourself.' (Luke 10:27 NKJ)

It becomes a heart covenant, a relationship that far supersedes the keeping of rules.It is based on love, not fearand dread. Now when I sin, it is no longer breaking a rule, it is violating arelationship. Since it is now a loverelationship, hearts are involved, not just actions.

From Actions To Motives

The Old Covenant scrutinized our actions, but the New Covenant scrutinizes ourmotives. Under the Old Covenant,the believers responsibility was just to keep his actions in line with the law. But the

New Covenant, although filledwith mercy, searches our motives continually.

For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword,piercing even to the divisionof soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts andintents of the heart. And thereis no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are naked and open to the eyes ofHim to whom we must giveaccount.(Heb 4:12-13 NKJ)

From Performance To Response


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Coming from most evangelical and liturgical backgrounds is a mindset that attemptsto gain Gods acceptance byperformance. Confusing religion with relationship, we often fall back into religion,which is nothing more than mantrying to please God and find acceptance through what we regard as what God

wants.

Many -- if not most Christians -- are still bound to performance, still trying to gainbrownie points with God throughtheir efforts. There is enough religion and Phariseeism in most of us that needs to berooted out.

But God doesnt want out performance; He wants our response. No longer are weliving by our own initiative,conjuring up actions or self-denials to please God. Now we are to desire to besensitive to His initiative. To have

eyes and ears dedicated to paying attention to the promptings and impulses of theHoly Spirit.

For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. (Rom 8:14 NKJ)

stirring up the holy spirit

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