BREAKING FREE FROM THE BONDAGE OF GUILT AND SHAME

By: Norm Rasmussen

When we do wrong, God wants us to realize we’ve done wrong. Not only does He want us to realize we’ve done wrong, but He also wants us to admit to Him that we’ve done wrong. God wants us also admitting to others we were wrong, when we’ve hurt them and it was not called for, whenever it’s possible to do so.

Guilt is a healthy emotion God has given us to have a sense of right and wrong. However, lingering guilt can be a pathway to tormenting mental and spiritual bondage, and God wants us to be extremely aware and wise in how we deal with guilt.

Guilt is God’s way of telling us we have stepped off His pathway of peace. The Holy Spirit convicts us to admit our wrongdoing, then asking for and receiving God’s forgiveness to get back on God’s path of peace.

Let’s say it a different way. When we’ve done wrong, because the emotion of guilt tells us we’ve done wrong, Satan doesn’t want that guilt leaving you or I. He wants us to stay under a thick cloud of guilt (which can include shame) just as long as he can keep us under it. He is able to get away with it if we don’t know our rights as disciples in Christ, or we don’t believe those rights.

Let us always remember something that is very important: Satan condemns – the Holy Spirit convicts. There is a HUGE difference, but it is often difficult to discern condemnation verses conviction for a new born babe in Christ.

Satan wants us to feel condemned when we miss God’s mark. The Holy Spirit convicts us of our wrongdoing, thereby allowing our guilt to be a positive means to motivate us to quickly acknowledge our wrongdoing, and executing forgiveness as quickly as possible as needed, thereby being free from guilt to move forward spiritually.

SATAN’S GUILT HAS NO HOPE TIED TO IT

Satan’s guilt has no hope tied to it. Never forget that. He also likes to tell us, “Forgiveness is never enough! You need to suffer to prove to God you are worthy of being forgiven!” Satan will take our guilt and twist it into a means of accusing us in any number of different ways. He is able to do this if we don’t know our legal rights as disciples of Jesus Christ, nor operate in Godly wisdom.

One of Satan’s most ruthless ways of locking a person into guilt and shame is to have a young person sexually abused repeatedly by an adult – preferably the child’s father. If the child refuses to cooperate, the father (or whoever the perpetrator is) will usually use fear to keep the child silent, and then even try to convince their victim it is his/her fault in the matter. Some children can be so starved for love and acceptance and physical affection that they may even show a willingness to be abused, just to receive some “quality” attention. (So will some adults, unfortunately. A crippled child that never heals emotionally usually becomes an emotionally crippled adult. Most addictions stem from being crippled emotionally in various ways during our earlier years, as does rebellion in us, which is why it can be so hard to want to please and obey God). Then when the time comes when the abused person tries to escape from future abuse, demons will either speak through their abuser, or speak directly into the mind of that child, that THEY were the one who was mostly responsible, or fully responsible, for this all happening in the first place. When the abused victim believes that lie, they will carry and bury that lie deep within … sometimes their whole lives, sadly – crippling them emotionally, spiritually and possibly even physically, without them even realizing the poisonous effects of believing Satan’s lies.

If you are holding onto guilt and shame from your past, even if you were partly guilty for whatever happened … please let God free you from it. It is a spiritual poison designed by Satan to kill you, my friend, and in one way or another, I can promise you it WILL, if you keep it buried, as Satan would want you to do.

The most common way of being freed from it is to tell a trusted person about it. Usually a trusted Christian, who the Holy Spirit can use to help guide you into wholeness.

God has given disciples of Jesus Christ this precious declaration in His Word, nailing condemnation before it can have a chance to bear demonic fruit:

There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. (Romans 8:1)

What God wants us to receive from Him regarding this declaration of warning on one hand - yet the means by which we can be freed from condemnation on the other - is that when we deal with guilt by our fallible human reasoning, (which is how Satan tricks us), condemnation will not leave us. But when we walk according to the Holy Spirit’s way of dealing with guilt, we will be set free from condemnation before it can get it’s demonic claws in us, and we are then utilizing God’s means of being set free from condemnation.

How then, do we walk according to the Spirit, when guilt is telling us we missed the mark; when we’ve sinned, or sinned one too many times? We use our legal rights as disciples of Jesus Christ. We use the “legal contract” – the “book of the law” God has given us to be freed. What is this “legal contract” God has given us to be freed from the snares of Satan? The Holy Bible. Proper understanding and proper application of God’s Word.

Let’s lay a solid sound foundation for applying the Word of God when we address the issue of sin and guilt, through a couple of questions and answers, and then give some follow-up afterwards to support our answers:

Q: Does God forgive all past, present and future sin concerning a disciple of Jesus Christ?
A: Yes!

What scripture assurance/s do we have to make such a claim? 1 John 1:9 is the key scripture passage that assures us that we can guarantee ourselves that if we acknowledge our sin to God – ask His forgiveness for it - He will forgive us for it – instantly.

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. (1 John 1:9).

Q: Can I commit the same sin one too many times, no matter how many times I’ve committed it in the past, and is it possible God might choose to stop forgiving me for it?
A: No!

Nowhere before or following 1 John 1:9 does it state that God will quit forgiving us “if we’ve sinned one too many times.” You cannot find one place in the scriptures where God clearly states that He can reach a place where He chooses to stop forgiving born again Christians. Satan wants to try to twist scripture out of it’s intended context and meaning to refute this fact. (I’ll address that a little later).

God wanted to make certain we get a proper understanding of 1 John 1:9 by giving us Matthew 18:21-22, which reads:

Then Peter came to Him and said, “Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? Up to seven times?”

Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven.”

Jesus isn’t talking about math here. He’s not saying that once you’ve forgiven someone 490 times, you can stop forgiving them. The implication in Jesus’ answer is that we never STOP forgiving someone, no matter how much they sin against us. He’s implying that we keep forgiving 490 times 490 times 490 times …

But in this answer, Jesus is saying the same thing about God. God never stops forgiving us, as long as we keep asking Him for forgiveness when we sin, and acknowledge to Him (and others when necessary) that we were wrong for what we did.

Putting it just in a little different light, God does not tell you and I to do something He isn’t willing Himself to do. Meaning, if God tells you and I that we should never stop forgiving someone who sins against us, when they ask us for forgiveness, then we can expect the same out of God regarding ourselves. If I have to forgive those who offend me a bazillion times bazillion, He must too, otherwise He would be putting demands on us that even He would not do, which truly would make Him a hypocrite, God forbid.

In understanding Satan’s tactics, Immediately Satan will bring to mind three other passages of scripture to try to negate 1 John 1:9. The first one is found in Mark 4:28-29 (NKJV):

Assuredly, I say to you, all sins will be forgiven the sons of men, and whatever blasphemies they may utter;

But he who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is subject to eternal condemnation” – because they said, “He has an unclean spirit.”

What is the accurate meaning of blasphemy of the Holy Spirit? Most Bible scholars say that it addresses two areas:

1) It is outright rejecting the truth of what God accomplished through the death of Jesus Christ on the cross, and His subsequent death, burial, and resurrection. It is simply saying up to the point of one’s death, “I’m not interested in what Christ did on the cross. It has no relevant meaning for me.”

2) It is possibly offending the Holy Spirit by trying to convince others that what is truly the workings of the Holy Spirit through a dedicated vessel of Jesus Christ is the working of demonic powers. This was what many accused Jesus of doing: operating under the power of Satan, which was what triggered Jesus to make the statement He made in Mark 3:28-29. (Nevertheless, God does want us discerning accurately good from evil, and in Christian circles, there is a lot of spiritual perversion that is not getting discerned accurately. Accusing the Holy Spirit of engaging in evil is a great offense to Him. Relying upon Him to enable one to discern evil is a whole different arena, and God wants us fully relying on Him to discern evil when it is in our midst, or in the midst of others).

Another passage of scripture that Satan tries to twist out of context is found in the book of Hebrews. This is one of Satan’s favorite scriptures to quote to unknowledgeable Christians when it comes to forgiveness of sins in their life. Hebrews 10:26 (NKJV) reads:

For if we sin willfully after we have received the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins.

To receive accurate understanding of this passage of scripture, one must start reading all the way back to the second chapter of Hebrews. By the time we reach chapter 8, we see that God is addressing issues of the Old Covenant verses the New Covenant.

Hebrews 10:26 was primarily addressing people who clearly reject the truth of the Cross once they’ve heard it. At the time it was recorded, it was addressing Jews who still wanted to remain under the Old Covenant law as a means of having their sins covered. (The Old Covenant law never promised Jews that their sins would be forever forgiven. It made provision to cover their sins with a degree of God’s grace, but not totally: not like the sacrifice of Christ on the cross fully accomplished for them, nor for you or I).

However, I believe Hebrews 10:26 was also a warning to Christians as well at that time, and a warning to Christians today. Anyone who believes that the New Covenant is God’s acceptable way to be saved from our sins, but then starts adopting Old Covenant practices (either again, or for the first time), to “enhance one’s salvation” – or “to make one’s salvation more assured and/or secure,” or “more pleasing to God in some way” … is in serious danger of having the grace of God lifted from their life and the possible losing of their salvation (if they were ever truly saved in the first place, and only God knows that). Acts 15:5-11 & 21:17-26; Galatians 2:21; The whole of Galatians 3; 5:1-4 – just to mention a few key scriptures addressing this matter.

You have become estranged from Christ, you who attempt to be justified by law; you have fallen from grace. – Galatians 5:4

An impart key to helping see that Hebrews 10:26 is addressing matters of Old Covenant verses New Covenant is found in final wording of Hebrews 10:29, which is: “…And insulted the Spirit of grace?” When a person adamantly refuses to accept the truths of the New Covenant and continues to refuse to accept them, they are in serious danger of insulting the Spirit of grace.

What God wants us to understand about this above portion of scripture in Hebrews 10:26 is that the context in which it is being used centers around the Old Covenant law verses the New Covenant grace of God. Regarding people who were aware of the Old Covenant law given by Moses and believed that was STILL the only way one’s sins could be covered … once they had heard the Good News of the Gospel, (that the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ was now the only acceptable way to have one’s sins covered and forgiven, and the Old Covenant way was now made obsolete, because the new Covenant had replaced it ), and they refused to believe the New Covenant truth replaced it … they were now guilty of a sin God would not forgive them for on the Judgment Day, if they didn’t admit their wrong before dying and agree with the New Covenant truth that the shed blood of God (Jesus Christ) on the cross is the only way now God will declare us: “Not guilty! My Son Jesus paid the full penalty for all your past, present and future sins by taking My wrath for your sins upon Himself when He went to the cross! You’re a free person. Enter into the eternal joy of the Lord!”

I feel to say this again: Hebrews 10:26 was not given to us to address present and future sin in a disciple of Jesus Christ, with one exception of course. That exception is if one turns either to, or back to, adopting Old Covenant practices and beliefs, and eventually rejects the New Covenant completely – this is what God is warning us of.

Regarding all other sins a Christian can commit, if it somehow was addressing those kinds of sins … not ONE of us would ever make it to heaven!The reason being, that would mean we would have to somehow reach a place of never sinning again while here on earth before dying, and that is not reality!

Every Christian will be committing sins of one kind or another right up until their death, for the most part. (Hopefully fewer tomorrow than yesterday, and not serious sins at that, but that’s not the point). There is no such thing as sinless perfection in this life, (though some will disagree with me, which is their right). We’re all to strive to be Christ-like, but none of us this side of eternity will stand before God and tell Him we’ve attained sinless perfection by our own striving. The only thing God is going to look for when we stand before Him is whether there is any paint on us -- Red paint! It is the shed blood of Jesus that saves us; nothing else.

Here is another favorite scripture verse of Satan. He loves to have other Christians quote it to us, out of context:

Whoever has been born of God does not sin, for His seed remains in him; and he cannot sin, because he has been born of God. (1 John 3:9)

Let’s use a little common sense in understanding this scripture passage. Go to any church on this planet on a Sunday morning and ask if there is anyone there who believes they can’t sin, and if so, to stand up and identify themselves. Everyone will remain seated, if you have a church full of honest people.

Do you consider yourself a Christian? If so, do you believe YOU can sin, or do you believe it’s impossible for you to sin?

Through just some common sense logic and reasoning, we should quickly see that the wording used here in 1 John 3:9 needs to be understood in the context that a person who is truly born again does not make it a regular practice to sin. He won’t because he or she is walking too close with the Holy Spirit – knowing how much it will grieve God if we do sin. However, that in no way precludes that we can’t sin, or will never sin. It simply means that we don’t continue practicing sinning – we don’t continue engaging in sinning - like we did before we were truly born again.

Yet we must also realize that it sometimes takes years before one or more major strongholds of sin can be put to death in the life of a born again Christian. Just because a drug addict is delivered of his/her addiction once they become saved does not mean that they won’t give into temptation to fall back into that sin ever again. If you’ve dealt much with Christian addicts, once delivered from one’s addiction no way assumes one will never fall back into that addiction ever again. God gives grace for situations like this, and we must never become too judgmental or so predisposed to doctrinal stances that we forget that “mercy triumphs of judgment.”

Beyond understanding all God wants to reveal to us regarding forgiveness to deal with guilt and shame, another key to helping stay free from the bondage of guilt and shame is to learn all one can about God’s nature, and all one can about Satan’s nature. God’s nature is love, mercy, compassion, kindness and forgiveness, (though He’s also the God of justice and wrath against evil, and we must never forget that). He’s the God of second, third and fourth chances in this dispensation grace we currently are in. No matter what we’ve done after we’ve become a disciple of Jesus Christ, God will restore us back to Him in good standing if we’re willing to admit our wrong to Him and do everything we can to not let it happen again. Even if it should happen again, He’ll never stop taking us back. (Satan of course never wants you believing that to be the truth, especially if you’re in a severe backslidden state with Christ).

Satan’s nature is to take a hardened sinner and help them become totally dead to guilt and shame. It is possible to obtain. God tells us in scripture that we need to be very, very careful about what we believe and do, because if we continue to remain hell-bent on sinning, He might well let our heart become so hardened to guilt and shame that it no longer convicts us of wrongdoing when we engage in it. That’s a very scary state to be in, because indications are, that person may be destined for hell upon death, without having a clue. Becoming deadened to what sin is and the consequences of sin is not a good state of mind to enter into.

Though I can’t prove it scripturally, I have to believe there is no demon who feels remorseful – guilty – for making disciples of Jesus Christ miserable. Certainly Satan wouldn’t. Any capability to experience guilt for offending God in any way had to have died in those fallen angels a long, long time ago.

Satan’s nature is also to rob, steal and destroy, as Jesus tells us in John 10:10. Satan’s nature is to focus his greatest attention on true Christian believers, and find ways to rob, steal and destroy their relationship with Jesus Christ in some fashion. The bondage of guilt has robbed disciples of Jesus Christ of more peace and joy than probably any other tactic Satan has used against Christians, simply because they either weren’t aware of the promises of God for them in the Bible, or didn’t believe them if they were aware of them.

If you’re going to stand before the earthly judge who has the power and desire to rob, steal and destroy your quality of life, you BETTER have a lawyer representing you who knows the law well, otherwise the prosecutor will use that lawyer’s ignorance to gain advantage of you. Satan does the very same thing.

The Holy Bible is the source for Christians to know what their legal rights are when dealing with God. In an earthly court, when the judge tells you just prior to be sentenced to imprisonment, “Sorry, but your ignorance of the law is no excuse” – the same analogy can also be applied to Christians.

The one thing you can take to the bank regarding Satan: He wants to keep you as ignorant and/or confused about the Holy Bible as He can. All scripture passages contained in the Holy Bible need to be properly interpreted before they can be properly applied. Satan is a master at assisting people in misapplying scripture passages. From his perspective, he has everything to gain and nothing to lose by doing so. I can’t encourage newborn Christians enough to use this writing to help them learn how to more wisely understand and apply the Word of God: http://www.jesus-jesuslove.blogspot.com

Don’t let Satan baffle or confuse you when it comes to guilt and forgiveness. Outside of the very Word of God itself, forgiveness is the most potent weapon God has given us to break the bondage of guilt and shame. Use this weapon as often as is required, like 7 times 70 times …

Before concluding, we need to also understand that forgiving someone who has hurt us does not necessarily absolve them from being punished for their wrongdoing. If you kill my child in cold blood, God wants me to forgive you for doing so, but that doesn’t assume I’m to try to convince the judge you should not have to go to prison for it, and even receive the death penalty for it, if the judge so decides to give it to you.

You may be the wife of a husband who takes out his anger on you and beats you time and time again. God wants you to forgive him for doing so, but that does NOT mean you’re to keep allowing your husband to keep beating you after that. (God’s wisdom dictates that you get away from a husband like that, and also get your children away if he’s doing the same to them). Remember, God is a God who forgives, but He’s also a God of justice, and also a God of wrath against evil.

In conclusion, God clearly wants us desiring to remain free from sin. To not make that our constant daily goal is in reality saying to God, “It’s too hard for me to walk in the Spirit. I’ll just settle for walking in the flesh.” Yet on the other end of the scale, the reality is, to think that we will walk in total obedience to God all the time like Jesus did is deceiving ourselves as well. If it were possible, we would then never need Jesus after that, would we?

LET THE CHURCH BE THE CHURCH

By: James Robison

“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)

People often ask questions when difficult circumstances overcome our world. With the crumbling economy, multiple wars and new direction in political leadership, Christians must understand the proper role of the church to impact our world.

Though Christians can and should be involved in the political process, the church was never meant to be a partisan power base. Our role transcends earthly structures. We are to lift up the light of the world, Jesus Christ, not the hatchet of the political party. When the church attempts to play the role of the government, it tends to corrupt one or both of the institutions. Even Israel failed as a theocracy. Modern theocratic regimes are actually controlled by mullahs and similar men who claim the divine mantle, but frequently abuse it for personal gain. Likewise, when the government attempts to supplant the role of the church, it becomes a perverse imitation of the real thing, mocking prosperity, peace and the principles of God.

For example, the Christian concept of charity involves a sacrificial giving in order to help meet the needs of someone else. But when the government forces you to take what you’ve earned and give it to the poor, it is vastly different. God loves a cheerful giver, not a cheerful taxer! Without a connection of love and concern between the giver and the recipient, the meaning of charity is lost. Instead, it is man’s counterfeit, which we call socialism. The church must demonstrate to the world how God’s principles work, so that they can witness the power of His ways.

Christians should seek to penetrate society, not polarize it. There will be a level of polarization when we stand up for what we believe those who were not “for” Jesus were “against” him and crucified Him for it but if you receive the love that Jesus offers, your life has the power to transform the world. Light penetrates darkness. When the church is a light, it dispels darkness. Changed people change the world, so we must first allow God’s light to drive the darkness out of our own lives before we can shine His love into the lives of those around us.

Our country will only change when the people change. Government does not legislate morality so much as it reflects the morality of the people. Right now, our government desperately needs change. So does the media, Wall Street, Hollywood and everywhere in between. But practices and policies will only change when people change. That is the role of the church.

I am not suggesting that Christians stay out of political matters, but understand that politics are meaningless without a transformation of the heart, mind and spirit. We can make every form of abortion illegal, but it won’t go away until every pregnant woman values the life of her child. Government focuses on people’s actions, but God focuses on people’s hearts. In the same way, the church should move beyond legislating people’s actions and strive to transform their hearts and inspire them to respect and value all life.

The model for the modern church is found in the book of Acts. When Jesus appeared after his death and resurrection, he appeared to His followers in Jerusalem. They asked, "Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?"

Isn’t this typical of people in the church? After everything they had heard and seen, they wanted Jesus to set up an earthly kingdom. If Jesus lived in the flesh today, we’d probably want Him to run for president! But we could have a perfect president and as long as we still have rotten, rebellious people, we will have problems. Jesus’ purpose was and is beyond such earthly things. Instead, he told them to wait until the Holy Spirit empowered them so that they could be witnesses all over the world. They wanted to conquer Jerusalem with force, but Jesus wants to envelop the earth with love, joy and peace.

This is still His desire. Our world will never be perfect until He comes, but he can perfect His will in our individual lives, if we will allow it. So ask the Holy Spirit to empower you to care about others, reach out, be involved and pray…in essence, be the church.

Be the church. Set aside political battles and engage in spiritual warfare. Focus not on others, but on yourself. A light does not have to be forced to shine; simply allow yourself to be filled with God’s light, then release it.

The Baptism in the Holy Spirit (Subtitled: Seeking for the fullness of The Holy Spirit)

Introduction

It is now time in our series of foundational studies to consider the Holy Spirit, and especially, the Baptism in the Holy Spirit, also referred to by some as "the Baptism of the Holy Spirit" although this is not technically correct. This subject forms part of the foundational doctrine of baptisms (See: Hebrews 6:2). It is important for every Christian not only to correctly understand what is this baptism in the Holy Spirit so as to be able to explain it to others correctly, but also to actually experience this baptism in the Spirit, and thus enter into a dimension of life full of the power of God. Christians need the power that comes with the Baptism in the Spirit in order to do their part in continuing the supernatural ministry of Jesus Christ. Jesus promised the believers that they would do greater works than He (John 14:12). How can this be done unless the Holy Spirit is with us as He was with Jesus? Truly the church today needs the power that comes through the Holy Spirit and ought to remain in fellowship with the Holy Spirit so as to maintain this power and ability to minister the reality of Christ to a world in trouble.

WHO IS THE HOLY SPIRIT?

As we have seen before, the Bible teaches that the Holy Spirit is God. (Acts 5:3,4). The Holy Spirit is not a power, a force or an energy; He is a person. As a person, He has feelings (Ephesians 4:30), a mind of infinite knowledge (Romans 8:26,27) and a will. He speaks. (Acts 13:2; John 16:13). A force or power does not have these attributes and abilities.

The Holy Spirit is called "the Spirit of Truth" (John 16:13). He always speaks truth. He doesn't like lies. He loves to bless people of truth and honesty.

The Holy Spirit is also called "the Comforter" (John 14:26). He communicates the comfort and healing love of the Father to our hearts, giving us encouragement, joy and spiritual pleasure especially in times of trial and difficulty.

Also known as "the Spirit of God" and "the Spirit of the Lord", the Holy Spirit is the one who gives and inspires wisdom, understanding, counsel, might, knowledge and the fear of the Lord (Isaiah 11:2).

THE WORK OF THE HOLY SPIRIT

As well as those things mentioned above, the Holy Spirit is at work to do the following:

1. He convicts the world of sin, righteousness and judgment (John 16:8). Without this special work of the Holy Spirit people would not be deeply convinced of their sinfulness, God's righteousness or the coming judgment. Therefore in communicating the Word of God to others we must depend on the Holy Spirit to convince people of these truths. We may say what the Word says on these issues but it is the Holy Spirit who will do the convicting.

2. He guides us into all truth (John 16:13). If we allow ourselves to be guided by Him, He will indeed show us what the truths from the Bible we need to understand. Being the author of the Bible, He is best qualified to interpret it to us. He will show us many things both directly from the Word but also through other means. What He shows cannot be the mere product of logic and reason, although it is not illogical. We must realize that the Holy Spirit never guides us in any way contrary to the Holy Scriptures. We must not believe every spirit claiming to be from God, but test the spirits according to the standard of the Holy Scriptures.

3. He regenerates (John 3:5,6). When a person turns to Christ for salvation and trusts Christ from the heart, the Holy Spirit is involved. At this time, the Holy Spirit causes the spirit of that person to be made new. (2 Corinthians 5:17). The human spirit, once dead in sin, is regenerated or made new by the power and working of the Holy Spirit. This is what it means to be born of the Spirit.

4. He glorifies Christ (John 16:14). The Holy Spirit always works to bring glory and honor to Jesus Christ. He does not seek His own glory, but the glory of Jesus. He does this by revealing who Jesus is to us and through us so that all may praise Jesus. He makes Jesus real to people, by bringing the resources and reality of Jesus to the people on earth.

5. He reveals Christ to us and in us (John 16:14,15). Jesus said, "He will take of what is mine and declare it to you". It is the Holy Spirit who communicates to our soul the knowledge of who Jesus is and what He is like. At the same time He works to form the nature of Christ in us also. Being filled with the Holy Spirit in our body and soul, our nature is changed into the nature of the Son of God.

6. He is our leader - willing to lead us (Romans 8:14). "For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are the [mature] sons of God". The word for son here is the word for a mature son. Indeed, the only way to Christian maturity is to be led by the Spirit. It is not following a path determined by ourselves and our understanding of God's laws that will make us mature Christians, but the path in which He, the Spirit, leads us. We need the Spirit to be mature. Maturity is more than knowledge, it is fruit that comes from relationship with the Spirit of God.

7. He sanctifies. The Holy Spirit is given that we might be holy. It is the Holy Spirit who, working together with the word of God in our minds, sanctifies us. This means He sets us apart for God, cleanses us and puts us in order so that we can more truly show forth the love of God and the nature of Jesus. Holiness is the work of the Spirit. It is not a work based on self- effort or "trying harder". Our part is to believe God's word, and to yield to the leadings of the Spirit. It is by the Spirit however that our sanctification is achieved. This process of sanctification occurs mainly in the soul - the mind, the will and the emotions. "Sanctification is possessing the mind of Christ, and all of the mind of Christ." - John Wesley. It happens more or less rapidly depending on how we learn to yield to God, to change our thinking so that it centers on God's love and God's Word, and persist in prayer.

8. He empowers. "But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you; and you will be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth." (Acts 1:8). The power we receive from Him is power to preach and demonstrate the gospel of the kingdom of God, not in word only, but in power. (1 Corinthians 4:20). Paul said that his message and preaching were not with the persuasive words of human wisdom, but with the demonstration of the SPIRIT and of POWER, that your faith should not rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God. (1 Corinthians 2:4). There are many kinds of demonstrations of the power of the Spirit. They are sometimes unexpected. Certainly the Spirit wants to give us power to heal the sick and cast out demons. (Matthew 10:1; Mark 16:17,18; John 14:12). This power of the Spirit is often referred to as "the anointing". It is the anointing which enables us to do what Christ wants us to do as sons of God. And that is, to destroy the works of the devil. (1 John 3:8b).

For a born again Christian, the normal path to receiving this power involves at least three (3) things.

a. The Baptism (immersion) in the Holy Spirit. (Acts 1:5; John 7:37- 39). This is the normal introduction of the believer into the realm of personally flowing in the power of God.

b. Total dedication to God.Dedication to prayer, dedication to love, dedication to win souls for Christ, dedication to focus on the Word and on the voice of the Spirit. This dedication involves self-denial (usually including fasting - going without food for a time), a constant dedication to humbling oneself, understanding the authority we have as believers, learning to hear the voice of the Spirit, faith and boldness.

c. Brokeness. We realize that our own self-will, selfishness, stupidity and pride are the main reasons for our failures in God. We realize in ourselves (not in Christ, but in ourselves) we are rotten, corrupt and unable to do anything of value. (Romans 7:18; John 15:5b). We therefore learn to surrender quickly to the Spirit's voice, not trusting our own minds, nor caring about our own reputation. When we make mistakes, we receive correction meekly. When we have success, we give all the glory to God.

9. He fills us (Ephesians 5:18). We are commanded to be filled continually with the Spirit. This being filled effects our whole personality, our ministry for Christ, and the focus of our minds. It affects our body also. (Romans 8:11; Luke 11:36).

10. He teaches us to pray (Romans 8:26,27; 1 Corinthians 14:15). The Spirit of God knows what we should pray and how. We don't. That is why we must let Him help us here. One way is through the special prayer language He gives us when we are baptized in the Spirit. Another way is by inspiring our minds with the prayers that get results. Yet another way is through the deep groanings of intercession He produces in us.

11. He tells us that we are children of God (Romans 8:16).

The Holy Spirit is wanting to bring us to the place where all these things are part of our lives.

12. He produces in us the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22,23). As part of our sanctification, the Holy Spirit produces in us love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self- control. These characteristics are formed in us by continual yielding to the Spirit of God.

13. He gives special supernatural gifts (1 Corinthians 12:8-10). These gifts are given as the Spirit decides. However, we are not passive in the reception and operation of these gifts. To use the gifts requires faith, boldness and a degree of sensitivity to the Spirit. These gifts are given to help people by the supernatural wisdom and power of God. They are not the product of the rational mind. Rather they are supernatural operations of the Spirit which occur through those who are open to them. They are useful in evangelism and in every part of Christian ministry. In neglecting them, the church has neglected an important God-ordained means for achieving God's work in the world.

Born of the Spirit -- Baptized in the Spirit

Every true Christian is born of the Spirit. As such they have experienced the work of the Holy Spirit in a number of important ways. These ways include but are not limited to: conviction, regeneration and the witness of the Spirit in our lives that we are children of God. However, the dimension of power that God wants for His children can only be reached through the Baptism in the Holy Spirit. It is God's will that every Christian be baptized in the Holy Spirit. (See: Acts 2:38,39). Even though some Christians achieve results without the actual baptism in the Holy Spirit, they would achieve more if they yielded to God so as to receive the Baptism in the Spirit. It is possible for a Christian to recognize many aspects of the Holy Spirit's work and enjoy a measure of His blessing in life and ministry, without ever being baptized in the Spirit in the Biblical way.

Some say that the Baptism in the Holy Spirit no longer exists today. Others take another approach and say that EVERY born again Christian was baptized in the Spirit at his conversion. Both kinds of teaching have the effect of robbing believers of something very important that Christ provided for them as part of their necessary inheritance in this life.

We will see from the Bible that the baptism in the Spirit is not the same as regeneration. It is important that we do not allow tradition - even "evangelical tradition" - to take a higher place than the Word of God in our doctrine and in our lives.

Biblical proof that these are often separate works

Although the Bible does give examples of people who were baptized in the Spirit at the same time as their regeneration, we will see that this is not always what happens. The Book of Acts reveals that repentance, baptism in water and the baptism in the Holy Spirit, although all part of our salvation package, do not necessarily happen in the same order all the time. It is interesting to note that in Acts, where the Baptism in the Spirit happens to believers at the time of their conversion, the Bible puts emphasis on the fact that the apostles knew they were baptized in the Spirit "for they heard them speak with tongues and magnify God" (Acts 10:46; Acts 11:15- 16). We certainly do not believe that speaking in tongues is the proof of being born again. However, we can see that consistently it is the sign accompanying the New Testament Baptism in the Holy Spirit

For WHOM Did Jesus Taste Death?

By: John Piper

Hebrews 2:9

But we do see Him who has been made for a little while lower than the angels, namely, Jesus, because of the suffering of death crowned with glory and honor, that by the grace of God He might taste death for everyone.

For Those He Came to Save

Yesterday I marched for Jesus along with thousands of others in the Twin Cities and with millions of others around the world. As I turned from Nicollet Mall onto Sixth Street we were singing the second stanza of "Crown Him with Many Crowns." I am probably the only one who was thinking at that moment of this morning's message. The title of the message this morning is, "For Whom Did Jesus Taste Death?" The second verse of "Crown Him with Many Crowns" goes like this:

Crown Him the Lord of life,
Who triumphed o'er the grave.
Who rose victorious in the strife
For those He came to save.

His glories now we sing,
Who died and rose on high.
Who died eternal life to bring,
And lives that death may die.

He triumphed over the grave and rose victorious in the strife for those he came to save. "For those he came to save." These words seem to signal that the writer of this hymn believes that Christ had a design to really save a particular group of people by his death. He triumphed over the grave for those he came to save. It sounds like there are some he came to save, and that for these the grave is defeated and eternal life is given.

For Everybody?

So my question this morning is this: "For whom did Jesus taste death?" Ask 100 evangelical Christians in America that question and 95 will probably say, "Everybody." And there is something healthy about that answer—and something unhealthy. What's healthy about it is that it is not cliquish or elitist or sectarian. It has an eye on the world. It wants others to enjoy the forgiveness of sins that believers enjoy. It is not narrow and confined in its affections.

It tries to express the biblical truth that God so loved the world that he gave his only Son that whoever believes might not perish but have eternal life (John 3:16). It is healthy and right to believe that everyone who has faith—no matter what race or education or intelligence or social class or former religion—everyone who puts faith in Jesus Christ is justified and accepted with God on the basis of Jesus' shed blood. It's healthy and right to believe that no one can say, "I really want to be saved by believing Jesus, but I can't be because he did not die for me." No one can say that. There is no one who truly believes for whom Jesus did not taste death.

There are lots of reasons why this answer (that Jesus tasted death for everyone) is a sign of spiritual health. One of the most obvious reasons is right here in our text, Hebrews 2:9:

But we do see Him who has been made for a little while lower than the angels, namely, Jesus, because of the suffering of death crowned with glory and honor, that by the grace of God He might taste death for everyone.

The answer that 95% of evangelicals would give is a healthy sign of desire to say what the Bible says.

But to say what the Bible says and to mean what the Bible means are not necessarily the same thing. Which is why I said that there is something unhealthy about answering the question, "For whom did Jesus taste death?" by simply saying "everybody." What's unhealthy about it is not, first, that it's wrong. It might not be wrong. It depends on what you mean by saying that. What's unhealthy is that it stops short of asking what Jesus really accomplished when he died. It assumes that we all know what he accomplished and that this he accomplished for everybody in the same way. That is not healthy, because it is not true. My guess is that most of those 95% who say Jesus died for everybody would have a hard time explaining just what it is that the death of Jesus really, actually accomplished for everybody—especially what it accomplished for those who refuse to believe and go to hell.

Then Why Is Not Everyone Saved?

In other words, it's unhealthy to say that Jesus tasted death for everyone and not to know what Jesus really accomplished by dying. Suppose you say to me, "I believe that Jesus died for everyone," and I respond, "Then why is not everyone saved?" Your answer probably would be, "Because you have to receive the gift of salvation; you have to believe in Christ in order for his death to count for you." I agree, but then I say, "So you believe that Christ died for people who reject him and go to hell in the same way that he died for those who accept him and go to heaven?" You say, "Yes, the difference is the faith of those who go to heaven. Faith connects you with the benefits of the death of Jesus."

There are several problems here. I will only mention one. And I dwell on this because, if this is what you believe, then you are missing out on the depths of covenant love that God has for you in Christ by understanding it to be the same as the love he has for those who reject him. And you are, in one serious way, "neglecting your great salvation," which, we saw in Hebrews 2:3, we must not do. There is a greatness about being loved with Calvary love that you will never know if you believe that those in hell were loved and died-for the same way you were.

It would be as though a wife insisted that her husband loved and sacrificed for her no differently than he loves and sacrifices for all the women in the world. But in fact Paul, the apostle, says in Ephesians 5:25–27:

Christ loved the church and gave Himself up for her; that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, that He might present to Himself the church in all her glory, having no spot or wrinkle or any such thing; but that she should be holy and blameless.

That's what we mean when we say he died for the church, his bride. In other words there is a precious and unfathomable covenant love between Christ and his bride that moved him to die for her. The death of Jesus is for the bride of Christ in a different way than it is for those who perish.

Here's the problem with saying Christ died for all the same way he died for his bride. If Christ died for the sins of those who are finally lost, the same way he died for the sins of those who are finally saved, then what are the lost being punished for? Were their sins covered and canceled by the blood of Jesus or not? We Christians say, "Christ died for our sins" (1 Corinthians 15:3). And we mean that his death paid the debt those sins created. His death removed the wrath of God from me. His death lifted the curse of the law from me. His death purchased heaven for me. It really accomplished those things!

But what would it mean to say of an unbeliever in hell that Christ died for his sins? Would we mean that the debt for his sins was paid? If so, why is he paying again in hell? Would we mean that the wrath of God was removed? If so, why is the wrath of God being poured out on him in punishment for sins? Would we mean that the curse of the law was lifted? If so, why is he bearing his curse in the lake of fire?

One possible answer is this: one might say that the only reason people go to hell is because of the sin of rejecting Jesus, not because of all the other sins of their life. But that is not true. The Bible teaches that the wrath of God is coming on the world, not just because of its rejection of Jesus, but because of its many sins that are not forgiven. For example, in Colossians 3:5–6, Paul refers to "immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and greed," and then says, "On account of these things the wrath of God will come." So people who reject Jesus really will be punished for their specific sins, not just for rejecting Jesus.

In What Sense Did Jesus Taste Death for a Person in Hell?

So, we go back to the problem: in what sense did Christ taste death for their sins? If they are still guilty for their sins and still suffer punishment for their sins, what happened on the cross for their sins? Perhaps someone would use an analogy. You might say, Christ purchased their ticket to heaven, and offered it to them freely, but they refused to take it, and that is why they went to hell. And you would be partly right: Christ does offer his forgiveness freely to all, and any who receives it as the treasure it is will be saved by the death of Jesus. But the problem with the analogy is that the purchase of the ticket to heaven is, in reality, the canceling of sins. But what we have seen is that those who refuse the ticket are punished for their sins, not just for refusing the ticket. And so what meaning does it have to say that their sins were canceled? Their sins are going to bring them to destruction and keep them from heaven; so their sins were not really canceled in the cross, and therefore the ticket was not purchased.

The ticket for heaven which Jesus obtained for me by his blood is the wiping out of all my sins, covering them, bearing them in his own body, so that they can never bring me to ruin—can never be brought up against me again—never. That's what happened when he died for me. Hebrews 10:14 says, "By one offering He has perfected for all time those who are sanctified." Perfected before God for all time, by the offering his life! That's what it means that he died for me. Hebrews 9:28 says, "Christ also [was] offered once to bear the sins of many." He bore my sins. He really bore them (See Isaiah 53:4–6.) He really suffered for them. They cannot and they will not fall on my head in judgment.

If you say to me, then, that at the cross Christ only accomplished for me what he accomplished for those who will suffer hell for their sins, then you strip the death of Jesus of its actual effective accomplishment on my behalf, and leave me with what?—an atonement that has lost its precious assuring power that my sins were really covered and the curse was really lifted and the wrath of God was really removed. That's a high price to pay in order to say that Christ tasted death for everyone in the same way.

I don't think that the Bible commands us or, in fact, lets us say that Christ died for everybody in the same way. And the context of Hebrews 2:9 is a good place to show that the death of Christ had a special design or aim for God's chosen people that it did not have for others.

What Does "Everyone" Mean?

At the end of verse 9 the writer says, "By the grace of God [Christ] tasted death for everyone." The question here is whether "everyone" refers to every human without distinction, or whether it refers to everyone within a certain group. As when I say at staff lunch, "Is everyone present?" I don't mean everyone in the world. I mean everyone in the group I have in mind. What is the group that the writer has in mind: all of humanity without any distinction, or some other group?

Let's let him answer as we trace his thought in the next verses. Verse 10 is the support for verse 9: Christ tasted death for everyone "for it was fitting for him, for whom are all things, and through whom are all things, in bringing many sons to glory, to perfect the author of their salvation through sufferings." In other words, immediately after saying that by the grace of God Christ tasted death for everyone, the writer explains that God's design in this suffering of Christ was to "bring many sons to glory." So verses 9 and 10 go together like this: Christ tasted death for everyone, because it seemed fitting to God that the way to lead his children to glory was through the suffering and death of Christ.

This means that the "everyone" of verse 9 probably refers to every one of the sons being led to glory in verse 10. In other words the design of God—the aim and purpose of God—in sending Christ to die was particularly to lead his children from sin and death and hell to glory. He had a special eye to his own elect children. It's exactly what the gospel of John says in 11:52—that Jesus would die to "gather together into one the children of God who are scattered abroad." These "children of God" that Christ died to gather are the "sons" that God is leading to glory through the death of Christ in Hebrews 2:10.

You can see this in the next verses too. Verses 11 and 12:

For both He who sanctifies [i.e., Christ] and those who are sanctified [the sons he is leading to glory] are all from one Father; for which reason He is not ashamed to call them brethren, saying [in Psalm 22:22], "I WILL PROCLAIM THY NAME TO MY BRETHREN, IN THE MIDST OF THE CONGREGATION I WILL SING THY PRAISE."

In other words the sons that God is leading to glory through the death of Christ are now called Christ's brothers. It was for every one of these that Christ tasted death.

Verse 13 goes on now to call them, not only brothers, but in another sense children of Christ:

And again, "I WILL PUT MY TRUST IN HIM" [Christ's own confession of faith in his Father along with his brothers]. And again, "BEHOLD, I AND THE CHILDREN WHOM GOD HAS GIVEN ME."

Notice, the sons that are being led to glory through the death of Christ are now called children that God has given to Christ. They don't just become children by choosing Christ. God sets his favor on them and brings them to Christ—gives them to Christ. And for every one of these he tastes death and leads them to glory. This is exactly the way Jesus spoke of his own disciples in the prayer of John 17:6: "I manifested Thy name to the men whom Thou gavest Me out of the world; Thine they were, and Thou gavest them to Me." So the picture we have is a chosen people that the Father freely and graciously gives to the Son as his children.

Then notice how verses 14–15 connect the aim of Christ's incarnation and death with this chosen group of children:

Since then the children share in flesh and blood [in other words, since those whom the Father gave to the Son have a human nature], He Himself likewise also partook of the same [human nature], that through death He might render powerless him who had the power of death, that is, the devil; and might deliver those who through fear of death were subject to slavery all their lives [namely, every one of those children and brothers that God had given him to lead to glory by his death].

So here the reason given for the incarnation and the death of Jesus (in verse 14) is that the "children" share in flesh and blood. That's the reason Christ took on flesh and blood. And the "children," according to verse 13, are not humans in general, but children God has given to Jesus. And so the whole design and aim of the incarnation and death of Jesus was to lead the sons, the brothers, the children, whom God gave to Jesus, to glory.

Your Belief Was Purchased by the Death of Christ

Now I will stop here in our text, even though we could keep right on going through the rest of this chapter showing that the aim of God in the sending and death of Jesus was to accomplish something definite for his brothers, his children, those whom God has given him out of the world. But I will stop and make a closing application.

I am not the least bit interested in withholding the infinite value of the death of Jesus from anyone. Let it be known and heard very clearly: God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son so that whoever believes on him—I say it again: whoever believes in him—should not perish but have eternal life. Christ died so that whoever (in this room this morning) believes might not perish but live.

And when you believe as you ought to believe, you will discover that your belief—like all other spiritual blessings—was purchased by the death of Christ. The sin of unbelief was covered by the blood in your case, and therefore the power of God's mercy was released through the cross to subdue your rebellion and bring you to the Son. You did not make the cross effective in your life by faith. The cross became effective in your life by purchasing your faith.

So glory in this, Christian. Glory that your sins really were covered when Jesus tasted death for you. Glory that your guilt really was removed when Jesus tasted death for you. Glory that the curse of the law really was lifted and that the wrath of God really was removed, and that the precious faith that unites you to all this treasure in Christ was a gift purchased by the blood of Christ.

Christ tasted death for everyone who has faith. Because the faith of everyone who believes was purchased by the death of Christ.

For further reflection see:

1 Timothy 4:10
Ephesians 5:25–27
Titus 2:14
John 10:15; 11:52; 17:6, 9, 19
Acts 20:28
Revelation 1:5; 3:9; 5:9
Romans 8:28–32
1 John 2:2 (compare John 11:52)
2 Peter 2:1

WALKING BY THE SPIRIT

By: Leon De Haan, International Bible Teacher
President, Thrive Ministries International

We live in a day when so much emphasis is placed on how we feel. Many times we lose sight of the fact that we as Christians shouldn't live by our feelings or emotions. There is a saying that goes this way, "If it feels good, do it!" Christians have changed that to say, "I have peace about it." My concern as one called by God to equip the people of God is that we have become much like the world. We live by how something makes us feel. That was never God's intention! We are to live by the Spirit.

In Galatians 5, the Apostle Paul exhorts the church in Galatia to walk by the Spirit. Here is what he said in verses 16-18: "But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh. 17: For the flesh sets its desire against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; for these are in opposition to one another, so that you may not do the things that you please. 18: But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the Law." Paul begins here with giving us a guarantee. He says, "But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh." What Paul is trying to get across to us here is that first of all, you don't have to give in to the desires of the flesh.

If we were to continue reading in verse 24 of this chapter, we would find that our flesh has already been crucified. Now that may be shocking news to you, but it is true. You don't have to give in to the desires of your flesh. Galatians 2:20 says that we have been crucified with Christ. That is past tense. It is already done. Our problems come from the area of our lives called our will and our mind. If your will isn't completely surrendered to Christ, your flesh - even though it has been crucified - will dominate your life. Have you ever seen a dead man dominate the lives of others? I have. His name was Joseph Stalin. Long after his death, he enslaved the lives of thousands of people through his teachings. And just like Joseph Stalin, your flesh can only control you through your thinking, but if you think or consider that you are dead to sin, you will be free to walk by the Spirit. (See: Romans 6:11)

Again looking at Galatians 5:16-25, Paul teaches us a few things about the works of the flesh. First, he teaches us that the desires of the flesh are opposite of the desires of the Spirit. They are actually in opposition to each other. In verse 19, Paul begins to list the works of the flesh, but before we go into them, I want to call your attention to the first phrase that he uses. He says, "Now the deeds of the flesh are evident." It isn't hard to disguise between the flesh and the spirit. The works of the flesh are evident; or another way to translate that word "evident" is shining brightly. Paul then lists the works or deeds of the flesh. Here they are: immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions, envying, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these. There is one thing that I want you notice about this list. All of them can be displayed as emotions! Now I know some of you are saying, "You know - Leon is against emotions." No I am not! What I want you to understand is that you can't trust your emotions! You can't build a secure life on emotions.

Paul finishes this teaching on the desires of the flesh by warning us that if we do the desires of the flesh, we will not inherit the Kingdom of God. In order to live the life of the Kingdom of God, we must walk by the Spirit and not by the desires of our flesh. By the way, there is a big difference between inheriting the Kingdom of God and going to heaven. The Kingdom of God belongs to us now. The Kingdom of God is righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit right now. (See: Romans 14:17)

How do we walk in the Spirit? The only thing you need to do to walk in the Spirit is yield yourself to the Spirit of God. That means making a decision to follow the desire of the Spirit and deny the desires of the flesh. This all starts in your mind. The way you think will determine what you yield to. It is much like a computer. If you put good things into your computer, then good things will come out. Romans 8:6 says, "For the mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace." Many Christians have difficulty in walking in the Spirit because they fill their minds with things that are set on the flesh. If we will set our minds on the things of the Spirit, we will naturally walk in the Spirit.

It isn't difficult for an apple tree to yield apples. All it needs is the right conditions and apples will appear naturally. Walking in the Spirit will come naturally to anyone who will make sure that they live in the right conditions. What are those conditions? First, you need a mind that is filled with the Word of God. Setting your mind on the Word is setting your mind on the Spirit. Second, consider yourself as dead to the flesh. That means you don't think about your selfish desires. Instead, you are conscious of the desires of God. Those desires are summed up in two commands: Love God and love your neighbor as yourself.

The fruits of the Spirit are also emotions, but they come from a totally different source with different outcomes. The outcome of walking in the Spirit is life -- real life the way God meant for us to live -- with lives in abundance of peace, joy, love, righteousness, and all the good things that God has destined for us to enjoy. (See: 1 Tim. 6:17

PRAYER WAS NEVER MEANT TO BE BORING OR DISCOURAGING (Prayer was meant to be your most intimate connection with God!)

By: Norm Rasmussen

I am fully persuaded that Satan desires born again believers in Jesus Christ to ever-struggle with prayer. I speak from great personal experience! Yet it is my unwavering belief that God truly desires for us to experience intimacy with Him in prayer that nothing else outside of praise and worship may bring in this life, and He truly wants disciples of Jesus Christ to have confidence when they pray. I know someone who wants just the opposite of that!

We are told in God's Word to pray without ceasing, aren't we? (See: 1 Thes. 5:17). Satan wants us to perceive this scripture as a "chore" - our endless, religious duty that we simply must constantly do, and if we don't, we will disappoint God and come up losers. Bunk!

God wants us enjoying praying. God wants us to delight in having conversation with Him. God wants us to constantly be diligent in learning how to pray prayers ... however short they may be ... that when we pray to God, we are confident that He hears, and we are confident that He will respond to them according to His wisdom and will. That is called praying prayers with faith, which is consistent with what the Holy Spirit tells us regarding prayer in the New Testament.

I'll share a little reminder with you that might help in your prayer life. Satan works without ceasing to frustrate your prayer life. He constantly wants you to believe you aren't praying enough; you're praying incorrectly; there must be a better, more effective way to pray ... even when you might well be praying the most effective way already!

The Holy Spirit will never make you feel discouraged regarding prayer. Your flesh will though. And guess who works through your flesh? Satan.

One of the vital keys in having a more confident and enjoyable prayer life is to tell your flesh to "Shut UP!" and allow the Holy Spirit to do your thinking for you regarding prayer. Continue to constantly ask and trust God to reveal to you how you can more wisely function in cooperation with the Holy Spirit regarding your prayer life. It will supercharge your prayer life like little else can or will!

For many years I was dissatisfied with my prayer life. I was committed to praying every morning, but I always felt something was missing. I finally asked God what was wrong, and He responded in my heart by, saying, “Joyce, you don't feel that your prayers are good enough.” I was not enjoying prayer because I had no confidence that my prayers were acceptable.

Prayer is simply conversation with God

Too often we get caught up in our own works concerning prayer. Sometimes we try to pray so long, loud, or fancy that we lose sight of the tact that prayer is simply conversation with God. The length or loudness or eloquence of our prayer is not the issue. It is the sincerity of our heart and the confidence that God hears and will answer us that is important. We must develop the confidence that even if we simply say, “God help me,” He hears and will answer. We can depend on God to he faithful to do what we have asked Him to do as long as our request is in accordance with His will. We should know that He wants to help us because He is our Helper (Hebrews 13:6).

Simple, believing prayer comes straight out of the heart and goes straight to the heart of God.

God's Word For You

Two men went up into the temple [enclosure] to pray, the one a Pharisee and the. other a tax collector.

The Pharisee took his stand ostentatiously and began to pray thus before and with himself: God, I thank You that I am not like the rest of men--extortioners (robbers), swindlers [unrighteous in heart and life], adulterers--or even like this tax collector here.

I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I gain.

But the tax collector, [merely] standing at a distance, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but kept striking his breast, saying, O God, be favorable (be gracious, be merciful) to me, the especially wicked sinner that I am!

I tell you, this man went down to his home justified (forgiven and made upright and in right standing with God), rather than the other man; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but he who humbles himself will be exalted.

Luke 18:10-14

Humble Prayer

For prayer to be sincere, it must come from a humble heart. In this lesson on prayer taught by Jesus Himself, we see that the Pharisee prayed “ostentatiously,” meaning that he prayed pretentiously, making an extravagant outward show. There was nothing secret or even sincere about his prayer. It even says that he prayed “before and with himself.” In other words, his prayers never got two inches away from himself; he was all caught up in what he was doing.

The second man in the story, a despised tax collector and a “wicked sinner” in most people's eyes, humbled himself, bowed his head, and quietly, with humility, asked God to help him. In response to his sincere, humble prayer, a lifetime of sin was wiped away in a moment. This is the power of simple, believing prayer.

Build your faith on the fact that humble, believing prayer is powerful. Believe that you can pray anywhere, anytime, about anything. Believe that your prayers don't have to be perfect or eloquent or long. Keep them simple and full of faith.

We receive the grace of God by humbling ourselves before Him, casting all our cares upon Him, and trusting Him to take care of them as He has promised in His Word.