Why being filled with the Holy Spirit is important: Part Two

Chapter Seventeen:

 

What we need to realize is that the filling of the Holy Spirit wasn't just for Jesus' disciples so they could spread the Gospel, but it's for every believer, today.  Acts 2: 1-4  does describe how the Holy Spirit fell upon those that were there in the upper room (referred to as Pentecost), but if you go on and read Acts 10: 44-48, you'll see that it also fell later on those who were Gentiles at Cornelius's home.  Then, in Acts 11: 1-18, Peter went to Jerusalem to report this amazing event that happened at Cornelius' home to the Jewish Christians who thought it was impossible for uncircumcised Gentiles to become Christians.  

Note that in Acts 11: 15 - 17 Peter uses such expressions as "the Holy Spirit fell upon them"..."the same gift"... and "baptized with the Holy Spirit".  Since all of these verses describe what happened in the upper room and then at Cornelius's home, and Peter describes both of these events as being alike, it seems clear that what happened at both events is that Jesus poured out the Holy Spirit on them all, regardless of whether they had been one of his close disciples. Therefore, following Pentecost, the power and the filling of the Holy Spirit has now become available to all who accept Christ.  

To be filled with the Holy Spirit all you have to do is believe and pray...pray not only to be filled with the Spirit but also for the Spirit to guide your life and teach you.  Pray and ask the Holy Spirit to come in and fill you with His presence, allowing yourself to become a vehicle for God to work through.  In order for the Holy Spirit to be able to work through us, we must endeavor to walk by our spirit, and not our fleshly, carnal nature.  If we walk in the spirit, our attitude and behavior will produce the fruit of  love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control (Galatians 5:22-23).  However, if we walk by our flesh nature it will interfere with our relationship with God and hearing from Him. The Scriptures warn us of what it's like to give in to our flesh nature in Galatians 5:19, "The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies and the like."  So, make every attempt to walk by your spirit or it will prevent the Holy Spirit from working through you. 

You'll notice that I Corinthians 12: 4-10 outlines the 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.^"

Note that the next verse, verse 11, says that the Holy Spirit distributes to each one of us individually, as He wills.  It is up to God as to what gifts He gives to each of us.  Sometimes it is easy to get caught up in wanting more than what God has in mind for us, so while we need to pray earnestly for the gifts, we need to also keep in mind that God makes the final determination of what gifts He wants us to have.  The gifts of the Spirit are not for our own gratification, but are given to us so that we may use them to bring glory to God, reach others for Him, and for our own personal, spiritual protection. 

Being filled with the Holy Spirit will change your life in many ways.  It will transform you, daily, into the image of Christ.  It will help you better understand things spiritually and it will also give you the ability to minister to others in order to help bring those that are lost into the Kingdom of God.

Why being filled with the Holy Spirit is important: Part One

Chapter Sixteen:

Being filled with the Spirit may be a concept that is new to you.  The first role of the Holy Spirit was to convict you of your sins and your need to repent and accept Christ when you were an unbeliever.  When you became a believer your body literally became the temple of God.  You are now separated from this world and have been restored to your rightful place as His child.  But after becoming a believer and disciple of Christ, the Holy Spirit now wants to take on a different role in your life.  Being filled with the Holy Spirit means that as a believer you are also to be empowered by the Holy Spirit to do things on the Lord's behalf.  So, the Holy Spirit not only transforms us into a new creation, but gives us power to do God's work on this earth.

In the Old Testament, and before Pentecost (as described in the Book of Acts), the Holy Spirit was selective in whom He indwelt and it was not meant to be permanent. He would work temporarily through people (i.e., Joshua, David and Daniel) so that the Lord's work could be done.  However, after Jesus came to earth to atone for mankind's sins in order to close the chasm between man and God , that all changed...the Holy Spirit's role was also about to change.   For you see, only with the eternal sacrifice of Christ could the Holy Spirit now dwell eternally with humanity, rather than temporarily.  

The very last words Jesus spoke as He met with his disciples on the Mount of Olives only moments before He ascended into Heaven were very important after having commissioned them to go into all the world and preach the gospel and to make disciples of all nations.   He had told them not to leave Jerusalem until they were filled with the power of the Holy Spirit.  He told them, "You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth" (Acts 1:8).  What He was telling them was that even though they had spent the past 3 years or so with Him, it was not enough for them to have heard Him preach, or witness His many miracles or even see Him raise the dead.  He was telling them that they needed to be empowered by the Holy Spirit in order to be effective and fruitful in their endeavors for the Kingdom and in their own personal walk with God.

In the book of Acts we see where the disciples waited in the upper room, as instructed by Jesus, and were then filled with the Holy Spirit.  This indwelling gave them divine, supernatural power that changed the course of how they would go about fulfilling the Great Commission Jesus had entrusted to them.  They were now able to do things in His strength, not in their own natural, human strength.  They were used to do mighty works that they could not have done without the help of the Holy Spirit.  And it also helped each one of them grow closer to their Lord.

 

To be filled with the Holy Spirit is to be filled with Christ. You are to be directed by Christ so that you do His will and fulfill His purpose for you in this life and become like Him.  The fact that Christ lives in you and can operate through you is one of the awesome truths of the Scriptures.  He was not just a man who spoke wisely or just a prophet of God, but He actually indwells every believer.  He wants you to live the same kind of supernatural life that He lived and accomplish great things for the Kingdom.

The Holy Spirit has several purposes in our lives.  It is to be our teacher and our guide.  John 14:26 says, "But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, He will teach you all things, and bring to you remembrance all things I said to you."

The Holy Spirit intercedes on our behalf.  Romans 8:26-27 says, "Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses.  For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.  Now He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God."

The Holy Spirit gives us joy and peace.  Galatians 5:22-23 says, "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.  Against such there is no law."

The Holy Spirit gives us boldness to witness.  Acts 4: 31 tells of how "And when they had prayed, the place where they were assembled together was shaken and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and they spoke the word of God with boldness."

The Holy Spirit gives us power.  Ephesians 3:16 says, "...that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the (your) inner man."

The Holy Spirit gives us power to live godly lives.  Ezekiel 36:27 says, "I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will keep My judgments and do them."

The Holy Spirit helps us to pray.  Ephesians 6:18 says, "...praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for the saints."

The Holy Spirit gives us wisdom and revelation.  Ephesians 1: 17-18 says, "...that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him, the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints."

God our Father, speaks through us by the Spirit.  Matthew 10:20 says, "...for it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father who speaks in you."

The Holy Spirit, who dwells within us, not only changes us on the inside, but gives us power to do things and believe things, if we will only allow Him.

And finally, The Holy Spirit gives us gifts for ministry.  I Corinthians 12: 4-7 says, "There are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit.  There are differences of ministries, but the same Lord.  And there are diversities of activities, but it is the same God who works all in all.  But the manifestations of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all."

Next time we will look at how one becomes filled with the Holy Spirit and how it will change your life forever.

How to deal with temptation...

Chapter Fifteen:

If you're a believer and follower of Christ, you'll eventually discover that your life has probably become more difficult than you thought it would be when you first asked Christ into your heart.  Anyone who follows Christ is not going to have a trouble-free life.  In fact, the challenges of following Christ is the main reason many walk away and go back to their old way of living.  Dealing with temptation is one of those challenges.

So what exactly is temptation?  Webster's dictionary describes temptation as "the act of tempting or the state of being tempted, especially to evil; enticement".  Enticement is further described as "to attract artfully or by arousing hope or desire."  Temptation usually comes from one of  two places:  your own carnal, fleshly nature or Satan trying to stop you from following Christ.  We will focus on the first type of temptation that comes from us having a carnal, fleshly nature, because if we learn  this lesson and walk by the Spirit, then Satan will have a much harder time getting us to give in to his traps of temptation.

When we read the Bible, we see that even the greatest characters struggled with personal weaknesses.  David knew the Lord and was greatly loved by the Lord, yet he gave in to the temptation of adultery and eventually murder in order to get what he desired. The Scriptures warn us in Hosea 4:6 that, "My people are destroyed from lack of knowledge...".  Not understanding temptation and how to deal with it can make your life very difficult, and greatly affect your walk with the Lord and your ability/effectiveness in doing His work.  Many wonder why they can't overcome sin in their life,  and why they are a slave to their appetites. They struggle with guilt, anxiety, doubt and oftentimes disillusionment that they will ever be able to overcome their struggles.  They feel like they'll never be free.

The Bible tells us that before we were redeemed by Christ  we were ruled by our fleshly nature, which insists on pleasing itself.  The word "flesh" is a comprehensive word that involves our intellect, emotions and body.  It is all that a person is through their natural birth into this sinful world, which was polluted at its very source when Adam and Eve first sinned.  The Lord Jesus explained we have two natures when He told Nicodemus, "That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit" (John 3:6).  God, knowing that the sin nature that we were born with could not be reformed or removed,  provided the only solution: salvation by faith in Jesus Christ through His substitutionary death on the cross.  Therefore, our only hope is accepting Christ's atonement for our sins, which you have done if you are now a follower of Christ.

However, now that our spirit has been awakened through accepting Christ's sacrifice, we sadly discover that there is a constant battle between our spiritual nature, which desires to be unselfish and do the will of God, and this old fleshly nature, that still exists and unfortunately will always be a part of us.  In Romans 7:18 - 20, Paul describes this battle that goes on within a believer when he says, "I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature.  For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out.  For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do-this I keep on doing. Now, if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it."  Each nature wars against the other, seeking to dominate our intellect, emotions and body.

The old nature, that is godless, unbelieving, selfish and linked to the world, wants control of us for its own fleshly gratifications.  Our new spirit nature, which desires to be conformed to the likeness of Christ, to be unselfish and live a holy life so we can have a close relationship with God, also wants control of us. It is a battle where neither side is willing to surrender.  Galatians 5:17 says, "For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh and they are contrary to one another, so that you cannot do the things that you would."

Have you discovered that one moment you can be a nice, compassionate, patient person and the next moment you become someone you yourself are disgusted with?  Simple problems in life, someone treating us the wrong way, or even dwelling on ungodly things can allow our fleshly nature to rise up within us.  The result is we do or say things that go against how we want to live.  We lose our temper, think bad thoughts about another person, use foul language that we haven't used in years, or fall temptation to a sin that we promised ourselves we would never do again.  The root of all our ungodly thoughts, words and actions is our fleshly nature.  The conflict between our two natures can be brutal and relentless. If we don't get control of our flesh, it will most definitely affect our walk with God, affect how we treat others and make a big difference in how successful we are at dealing with temptation.

So, what is the answer to this inner struggle?  How do we put down our flesh and cause our spirit to become stronger?  We need to take deliberate action by gaining inner strength from studying and applying the Scriptures to our life, and through a strong prayer life where we seek God's will and not our own personal desires.  There's a poem I came across once (author unknown) that says:

         "Two natures beat within my breast,

           One is foul, the other blessed.

           One I love, the other I hate,

           The one I feed will dominate."

     

Unfortunately we will have this battle rage within us until we die and go to be with the Lord.  The good news is that when we became believers we were given the power to overcome our fleshly nature.  If we make our spirit strong, it will give us the power to keep our flesh subdued, but only if we take the initiative to do what we need to in order to keep it weak within us.  So, the next time you feel yourself being tempted or realize that you are walking in your fleshly, carnal nature, make the choice of strengthening your spirit by going to God in prayer and reading the Word.  It may take several times of doing this before you begin to see results as the flesh doesn't give up easily, especially if it's a temptation that you've given in to many times in the past.  But if you keep pressing in and don't give in to the temptation, your spirit will eventually overcome your flesh.  A word of caution:  the flesh will always try to regain its foothold, so you must stay on your guard and keep your spirit strong.  Remember...the one you feed will dominate! 


P.S.  Computer not cooperating today, so last paragraph may look different from rest of the teaching...sorry!

What is "The fear of the Lord"?

Chapter Fourteen:

When I first heard the phrase "The fear of the Lord" I was unsure as to what it really meant.  Since I knew God was a loving and kind Father, it puzzled me as to why I was to fear Him...was I being told to be afraid of Him?  I decided to find out for myself what this phrase really meant because it seemed to be at odds with my idea of what God was like and it confused me.

The first scripture I read was Psalm 111:10 which says, "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; all who follow His precepts (a commandment or instruction) have good understanding."  Proverbs 1:7 goes on to say, "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline."  Proverbs 2:1 - 5 says, "My son, if you accept my words and store up my commands within you, turning your ear to wisdom and applying your heart to understanding, and if you call out for insight and cry aloud for understanding, and if you look for it as for silver and search for it as for hidden treasure, then you will understand the fear of the Lord and find knowledge of God."  What I was seeing was that the fear of the Lord doesn't mean I'm to be afraid of Him.  It actually turned out to be a good thing for me to have in my life because it would help me grow in my relationship with Him and find wisdom.  Having the fear of the Lord helps us to become wiser when we follow what we are taught in the Scriptures.  

 The fear of the Lord also means that we're to be in reverent awe of Him and who He is.  We're to fall upon our knees before a mighty and holy God.  It means we submit to Him and give Him the respect, praise and adoration that He deserves.  Psalm 30: 4  tells us to "Sing to the Lord, you saints of his, praise his holy name."  Psalm 11:4 goes on to tell us that "The Lord is in his holy temple, the Lord is on his heavenly throne.  He observes the sons of men; His eyes examine them."  Our God is indeed a Holy God that is to be worshiped!

Then I read Proverbs 8:13, which says, "The fear of the Lord is hatred of evil..." Again, the phrase doesn't mean we're to be afraid of God, but that we should have the same intolerance for sin that He does.  God will not compromise with sin as it goes against His very nature.  Just knowing this caused me to pause and remember the great sacrifice He has made for all of us by sending Jesus to the cross to die for our sins.  Sin is that abhorrent to God...He hates what it does to us and how it separates us from Him.  

If we live with the fear of the Lord in our own lives, it should produce in us that same attitude towards sin, which is to hate it.  It also gives us a deeper respect for the power of God to overcome sin, and a greater understanding of the holiness of God.  But it doesn't stop there.  Leviticus 19:2 says, "You shall be holy, for I the Lord your God am holy."  God wants us to live holy lives, too.  Living a holy life means not tolerating or allowing sin in your life, being totally obedient to Him, and being more concerned about what God thinks of you than of what others think of you.  It means we're living a prayerful, consecrated life because we want Him to trust us.  It means we're set apart for God's purpose so He can use us here on earth. We're to live a life of submission, availability, dependence and faith.   We are to chose holiness not only in our thoughts but also in our words and our deeds. 

Since mankind no longer seems to fear God, they do whatever they want, without any second thought. The concern of consequences do not enter their mind and does not stop them from going against that which God would disapprove.  Therefore, if sin holds any fascination or enjoyment for us in any form, we must realize we need the fear of God in that area of our lives so that we can repent of it.  Repentance means a change of mind, a change of heart and a change of life toward sin.  Proverbs 28:13 says, "He who conceals his sins does not prosper, but whoever confesses and renounces them finds mercy."  

Living a holy life before God means we must not  conceal our sin but confess it and allow God to help us fight it, if it continues to bother us or tempt us.  In order to get free of it, we must hate it as much as God hates it.  Otherwise, we will have a difficult time trying to live a holy life before God.  In the next few chapters, we will look at where temptation comes from and how we can overcome it with God's help.

Have you become deceived?

Chapter Thirteen:

When I first became a believer and a follower/disciple of Christ, I was challenged by a friend to make sure I really studied my Bible in order that I would not be deceived or gradually led away from what I believed.  My initial thought was that my friend was being a little paranoid as I felt sure that I could never be led astray given my strong love for Jesus and my desire to serve Him and be used by Him. 

However, some twenty years later, I have seen how it can and has happened to people I have known, and this makes me very sad.  I feel that it has been put upon my heart to warn you, lest you, too, be led astray...or perhaps, to encourage you to return to the unchanging Word of God by enlightening you on how you have been slowly and unknowingly led astray by false teachings that are going on in the Christian church today.

Some years ago I began to notice a gradual change in my church.  It was becoming more politically correct, and in the pretext of trying to reach more people for Christ, was watering down the gospel message, making the church service what they called "seeker sensitive".  I remember watching with sadness how the church singing was forced to stay within a confined time frame.  The pastor's sermon was whittled down to a short, brief message so as not to offend any possible visitors and to make sure those in attendance could get home in a timely manner.  What I saw happening was man's rules being put on what God wanted to do during the service, and if what God wanted to happen during the service wasn't able to be accomplished during the time frame allotted to Him, then we all missed out.  It was more important that we follow those new guidelines set in place so as not to offend anyone.  I began to feel like going to church was less fulfilling, but couldn't quite figure out why.

Then the message began to change.  We heard less and less about what I believe are very important topics...how we need to become more like Christ... how we need to become stronger spiritual beings and walk less by our carnal, fleshly nature...what it means to sacrifice things in this life for the sake of the Kingdom...how to talk to others about their need for Christ in their lives...how to deal with adversity and problems, with God's help.  I could go on, but you get the idea.  We were no longer being instructed on how to live as believers, but were slowly being taught how to be more open-minded, less judgmental, more accepting of others beliefs, even if they didn't align with the Word of God.  We were admonished to be nice to others so that they could see Christ working in our lives, but to not cross the line and explain to them that they needed to repent and receive salvation in order to enter the Kingdom of God when they died in case we offended them.

I changed churches in the hope that it was just my church that was going down the wrong path.  But, alas I found that it, too, was incorporating a lot of the same methodology.  Gone were the sermons on how one needs to be in right standing with God and how salvation is a gift from God.  Different things were being incorporated into the church service or offered at after-hours small groups, things which actually had their roots in mysticism or in the occult or New Age, but were "Christianized" in order to make them acceptable and to put a new spin on them because people were looking for new and exciting things to happen in their spiritual lives.  We began to be taught that denominational differences were actually hindering the work of God and that we needed to put aside "our petty differences"  in order to accomplish the greater good of helping a hurting world.   In essence, we were being taught that the greater good was more important than sticking to what we knew was right and wrong as is taught by Scripture.  

I began to wonder...what price is this new desire for unity going to cost the Church?  The main reason there are denominational differences (ie, Protestant and Catholicism) is because we DON'T believe the same things.  For instance, Catholics are taught that there are two types of sin, "mortal" and "venial", thus categorizing one's sin... and depending upon which one you commit may require you stay in "purgatory" longer in order to be purified.  The Protestant church says sin is sin, there are no separate levels of sin, and  it also does not believe in a place called purgatory.  But we were being told to put aside our differences for the sake of this greater good.  I'm afraid this is where many of  the Christian churches are today, and it scares me.  Many leaders in the Evangelical church and in the Protestant church, are putting aside their differences of opinion on vital, critical Biblical issues in exchange for unity.  We're even being told that we need to unite with people's of other religions (ie, Muslim or Buddhism) who don't even believe that the Bible is the one and only Word of God!  What my friend had warned me about was not his paranoia, after all.  He was warning me about events to come.

While coming together as one and helping the needy, the downtrodden and the hurting in the world is a noble and worthy endeavor, I pause when I consider the cost.  I believe that cost is turning our backs on what Scripture teaches in order for us all to "just get along".  Yes, it's unity...but at what cost?   First Timothy 4: 3 - 4 says, "For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths."

This Scripture warns us that in the latter days many shall depart from the faith and follow false teachers (the teachings of leaders who I believe appear very knowledgeable and sincere, who say they only want to help the hurting and the needy in the world, and who come across as being very noble, caring people).  We're continually being told to not get caught up in our doctrinal differences to the detriment of those suffering in the world who need our help. We may even have been told that some parts of the Bible are really not relevant for today ("it was meant for the time in which it was written, not for today") or that it's a barrier between us working together across denominational lines.  We're basically being asked (or told, depending upon what church you attend), to walk away from our core Christian beliefs for the greater good of humanity.  And I'm afraid many have done just that.  Some who used to be strong in the church and stood up for Scripture regardless of the cost, have slowly been drawn into this deception.

  

You need to ask yourself if you have allowed yourself to be led astray,  believing it is for the greater good of mankind.  Pray and ask the Holy Spirit to show you what deceptive teachings, wrong practices or erroneous beliefs you have allowed yourself to adopt.  Do you still feel as strongly as ever about the need to evangelize the world in order to bring people to Christ or has that become lukewarm in your heart?  Do you still believe that the Word of God is for today, that ALL of it is relevant to today?  Or have you become caught up in the belief that we all need to put aside our differences for the greater good of mankind, even if it means only believing and following parts of the Bible?  You need to ask yourself, have you unknowingly allowed yourself to become deceived. 

 If so, you may need to leave the church you are attending immediately, and if you cannot find one that follows the entire Word of God and is unwilling to make the compromises to fit into today's unity agenda, then you're better off not going to a church at all.  I certainly hope that it doesn't come down to this for you, but being in right standing before God and standing up for the Scriptures is much more important that going along with the crowd, even if you do find everyone else is doing it.  Remember...you may live in a crowd, but you stand before a Holy God alone!

Spending time alone with God...

Chapter Twelve:

Our relationship with God is built during our quiet time with Him.  As spiritual beings, we need to have an intimate and personal relationship with Him.  It gives us joy more than what we can get from anything else.  I Peter 2:2,3 says, " Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, now that you have tasted that the Lord is good."

God intended for us to be in a relationship with Him.  He does not want us to just go through the motions of going to Church, attending meetings and saying what we think we need to say to impress others and appear religious. He wants more from us as He has called us to be His sons and daughters.  He wants to spend time with us and show us His love.  Sometimes we just need to sit back and let Him love us.  There is nothing that can or will fulfill us as much as spending quiet time with Jesus.  Time spent in the Word and in prayer are the most important things you can do. 2 Timothy 3: 16,17 says, "All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work."

Seek God's face, not just His blessings or what He can do for you.  His desire is to have an intimate relationship with you. The most important thing is who we are personally in our relationship with Jesus Christ, not what we are doing or what we have.  We need to recognize where we are in our relationship with God.  

 

Our personal time with Him is where we get our strength and encouragement.  We need to look at our priorities and spend more time with the Lord.  We need to discipline ourselves to spend time with God by ourselves.  Meeting with fellow believers and attending church can be useful, but our main focus needs to be on our one-on-one relationship with God.  

Our zeal and enthusiasm will fade away if we spend more of our time just trying to attain head knowledge rather than spending intimate time alone with Him.  Learn to persevere despite the cost.   The pressures and concerns of life try to distract us from spending time in God's presence.  Success doesn't depend on money, positions of power, material objects or accomplishments...success is when we have a close walk with God.  Commit yourself to spending time with Jesus.  Make it a priority in your life.  Hebrews 4:12 says, " For the Word of God is living and active.  Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart."

If we lose our joy, we need to spend more time with Jesus.  We need to seek Him more.  There's a saying that if you don't feel close to God, guess who moved...you!  The answer to any problem we have in this life is found in getting closer to Jesus and asking Him for His strength and guidance.

Christianity isn't just a list of things we are allowed to do and things we're forbidden to do.  God forbids us from certain things because He knows they are ultimately bad for us and He is trying to protect us from those things that hurt us.  Allow yourself to become emotionally attached to Jesus...spending time alone with Him will strengthen you emotionally as well as spiritually.

Be real with God about how you feel.  Let Him know what you struggle with.  Talk to Him as you would any other person.  Although God is Holy and Almighty, you don't need to approach God as though He's sitting on His throne, looking at you through judgmental eyes.  He wants you to feel that you can simply approach Him and talk to Him, as you would a loving father.  Don't give up or lose sight of the fact that you can have intimacy and friendship with Him.

 Oswald Chambers said, "The lasting value of our service for God is measured by the depth of the intimacy of our private times of fellowship and oneness with Him.  Rushing in and out of worship is wrong every time--there is always plenty of time to worship God....it is a discipline that must be developed; it will not happen overnight."

That God is to be worshiped is generally known, but to have real fellowship and communion with Him, is known only to those who spend their time and energy actively pursuing Him. There are many who profess to be Christians, but are merely acquaintances with the religion.  They do not desire or make time to spend in the presence of God.   However, those who are eager to spend time in prayer, and have a deep desire to be in His presence, are the  ones who will be changed by Him.  Hebrews 5:12 - 14 Paul states, "In fact, though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God's word all over again.  You need milk, not solid food!  Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness.  But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil."  This is Paul's warning to believers that there comes a time when we should be past needing milk and be at the point where we are mature enough to evangelize and disciple others.

Another reason we need to spend time in His presence is to receive guidance for our lives.  He has given us the written Word to be a lamp to our feet, and it encourages us to pray for the Holy Spirit to teach us, so that we may understand it and apply it to our lives.  Those who study Scripture, with a humble attitude, are quickly made aware of their own weaknesses.  They have an attitude of submission to the will of God and discover the road to which He calls them to travel.  It is a daily guidance that they follow and they are assured they are doing the Lord's will.  The word of God dwells richly in them and can be a light unto their feet, a spring of strength and consolation in troublesome times.  It also helps them discern when they are starting to follow along the wrong path or are being deceived by the enemy.  They are willing to follow wherever God leads and they do not become impatient because they know that they must wait daily upon Him in prayer.  They are satisfied that He is and will be their guide.

Memorizing Scripture is extremely important!

Chapter Eleven:

Previously we looked at several ways one can learn  the Bible (ie, reading it, hearing it, or choosing subjects or people to study).  However, I strongly believe that the most important thing that a Christian needs to do is memorize Scripture.  If there ever comes a day that you don't have your Bible, you will already have verses memorized in your head and they will be deep in your heart. You can find great joy in memorizing the word of God if you want to become more like your Lord.  The freedom and riches that it can bring are immeasurable.

We often worry about problems in our lives and wonder how to handle them.  Memorizing the word of God can help set you free from those things that trouble you.  For example, I personally struggle with the trials and set-backs that I encounter in life.  So I decided to memorize James 1: 2-5.  I have memorized these verses and now, when I'm facing a difficult time or questioning "why, God?" I speak these verses either quietly to myself or even out loud, reminding myself that God has His reasons for what I'm going through.  It encourages me to know that the ultimate goal of it all is for me to become a stronger, more mature Christian, who is closer to God.  James tells us that we will go through many various trials, but it also gives us hope that it is all for our benefit, even if it doesn't feel like it at the time.

 I'll write down a scripture on a piece of paper or note card and carry it with me so that when I begin to worry, I'll have it close by to pull out, read and remind myself what God's word says about the situation.  It can take a while to memorize Scripture, so you may want to just start off with a few verses that will encourage you.  I have heard of some people who have memorized the entire Bible and I have such admiration for them...that took a lot of time and hard work, but it's now buried deep in their heart and no one can ever take it from them.  You may even find that when you're talking to someone who is struggling,  you'll remember  a scripture verse that can help them...this can be God's way of using you to help that person.  So, memorization isn't just for ourselves...it's also to be used to minister to others.

The Bible gives us many verses we can use for encouragement and sustaining strength whenever we face difficulties.  Ask the Lord to show you what verses He wants you to meditate on so you can do your best to live above the trials we face here on earth.  It gives us encouragement and hope that things will get better...maybe not right away, but they will eventually improve...it may take us waiting until we reach Heaven but that is such a worthy focus of our attention!  No more pain, no more tears, no more worries...just rejoicing and enjoying the presence of our Father God.

Some samples of Scriptures you can memorize for specific situations or difficulties in your life:

Difficulties with your thoughts:  Romans 12:2;   2 Corinthians 10:5;   John 8:36;  James 4:7 

Difficulties with anxiety and worry:  Matthew: 6:25, 34;  Philippians 4:6,7;   Matthew 7:11;  James 1:12;  I Peter 5:7;  Proverbs 3:5,6;  Hebrews 13:5;  Isaiah 55:9

Difficulties with anger:  Ephesians 4:26;  Colossians 3:8;  Proverbs 22: 24,25;   Galatians 6:7

Difficulties with unforgiveness:  Matthew 6:14, 15;  Ephesians 4:31,32;  Isaiah 55:7,8;  Matthew 18:25

Difficulties with bitterness: Ephesians 4:31;  Galatians 5:16;   Romans 6: 11,12

Difficulties with hurt or depression: Psalms 25:5;  Hebrews 4:15;  Matthew 12:29;  John 10:10;       Mathew 28:20

Difficulties with fear: Proverbs 29:25;  I John 4:16;  Jeremiah 29:11;  James 1: 2-5;  2 Peter 1:3;       2 Timothy 1:7;  Joshua 1:9

Difficulties with mental health:  Isaiah 26:3;  Matthew 6: 34;  Galatians 6:7;  Romans 12:2;         Philippians 2:5-8;  Philippians 4: 6-8;  Philippians 4: 11-13;  I Timothy 6: 6-8.

This may seem like a lot of time and effort, but remember...Christianity that costs nothing is worth nothing!