Sunday, January 16, 2011

DO RESOLUTIONS WORK?


On the first day of January every year, we hear a lot of commitments from people popularly called ‘New Years’ resolutions’. Everyone’s got a new resolution for the year. However, by 31st of January, the resolution is already compromised – defeat and shame is everywhere – and then we wait for the next year to make another New Years’ resolution. When are we really going to get tired of this madness, at least for the fact that it doesn’t just work! The New Year itself has got nothing to offer – it can neither make you better nor worst. It is God who changes the times and seasons. It’s quite amazing that at the end of every year no one dares to mention how far he or she went with their resolutions. It’s so clear that it was just a flop!

Paul the Apostle said in Rom.7:18 “For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) nothing good dwells; for to will is present with me, but how to perform what is good I do not find.” (NKJV). Resolutions don’t work because they are based on human efforts or will power (the flesh) and no man can conquer himself by mere human will power. Besides, the Lord never receives anything that is of the flesh. If it must glorify God or be acceptable before Him, then it’s got to be by the Holy Spirit. Rom. 8:6,7 read “For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Because the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be.” (NKJV). Many people fight with various bad habits and addictions to no avail. It takes a higher force to conquer one’s self. It’s the Holy Spirit who releases that force into our lives when we invite Him into the matter.

Friend, the good news is that change is possible! What you need is not a new resolution but a revolution – a radical change! If you are born again, it’s time to ask the Holy Spirit to take over the matter. Let Him destroy the yoke. Today is the best day for it. Isaiah 10:27 says “And it shall come to pass in that day, that his burden shall be taken away from off thy shoulder, and his yoke from off thy neck, and the yoke shall be destroyed because of the anointing.” (KJV). Just get into the Word and see that that desired change is possible. See the liberty you have in Christ and appropriate it to yourself for “…'Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,' Says the LORD of hosts.” (NKJV) and if you are not born again, YOU MUST BE BORN AGAIN! Just read and act on Romans 10:9-10.

Wednesday, January 5, 2011

THE SUPERNATURAL LIFE


Are you really hungry for the Supernatural in your life? Do you want to live a life dominated by the influence of the Holy Spirit? It’s possible! The word ‘supernatural’ is derived form two different words ‘super’ meaning beyond and ‘natural’ meaning the sense realm. It simply means ‘beyond the sense realm’. When something which is not normal in this physical world happens, it is said to be supernatural. This refers to the event where the spiritual realm dominates the physical realm or when the activities of the spirit realm become visible in the realm of the natural. A man is said to live the Supernatural life when he has the spiritual factors dominating the physical factors of his life – that’s right, when the recreated human spirit influenced by the Holy Spirit is in charge. When a man has the touch of the supernatural, his life suddenly becomes extraordinary and the miraculous becomes a trend. The Supernatural ought to be the normal experience of the New Creature in Christ. If we dare to believe this and walk in this consciousness, there is not going to exist one impossibility in our lives – no limits! The Born Again child of God has got the zoe-life of God – the Supernatural life. Anything imaginable is possible unto him! “But Jesus looked at them and said, "With men it is impossible, but not with God; for with God all things are possible."” Mark 10:27 (NKJV). Life in Christ is life in the supernatural!

The Supernatural life simply means life in the Spirit. The Holy Spirit is the One who manifests the Supernatural world to us. Jesus, speaking in John 16:13 said “Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth [reality]…” Thank God He has come. And Zechariah 4:6 says “… 'Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,' Says the LORD of hosts.” (NKJV). The Believer in Jesus Christ has been dipped into the supernatural. Everything about the New Creation in Christ is supernatural. The natural life is for the sense-ruled man. We are ruled or controlled by the Holy Spirit of God. It is actually a choice for the Believer in Christ to live the supernatural life or to live as natural (mere) men. The supernatural life is the life dominated by faith in the Word of God. Faith is the link between the natural and the Supernatural worlds! The Words of God are the seed for the supernatural. Walking in the Word is walking in the supernatural. The supernatural speaks of the miraculous!

It is important you understand that when I speak of the Supernatural, I’m talking about the activities of the Holy Spirit and not of evil spirits because the term ‘supernatural’ in general doesn’t only refer to the activities of the Holy Spirit, but also to the activities of the spirit world – positive and negative. But thank God, Jesus is the head over all principalities and powers – that’s good news! We’re not talking about what the devil can do – he’s not a factor! All the devil does is fakes, counterfeits and magic to deceive men, he can’t go any further than that. I’m talking about what our Father God can do. Why go for the counterfeit when you can have the genuine! We’ve got the genuine in Christ! We must be very careful not to be carried away by the spectacular. The spectacular means visible or physical manifestations. The supernatural is always in the spirit even though it is spectacular in manifestation. In fact, we should expect the physical manifestations of the work of the Holy Spirit – we need it! We only need to be very careful because the devil also manifests the spectacular. The Supernatural work of the Holy Spirit appeals to our spirit while the spectacular appeals to our senses. The point is, always see through the eyes of the Spirit and not through the senses lest you be deceived. In these last days we are seeing and we would continue to see the increase of false prophets who use the spectacular as a tool to deceive men. Jesus warned against these fellows in Matthew 24 and we must be very sensitive by the Holy Spirit.

Jesus came to the earth to show us what the New Creation in Christ can accomplish here on earth through the Holy Spirit. We are not to live anything short of the quality of life that Jesus lived while He was on earth. Jesus lived on earth as a man anointed by the Holy Spirit. If you are born again and filled with the Holy Spirit, it means you don’t have any reason to drop the standard or quality of what Jesus did while on earth. In fact, Jesus told His disciples and us (the New Creatures) by extension that we would do greater works. We see that in John 14:12 “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father.” (NKJV). I strongly believe that in these last days, as Believers in Jesus Christ begin to discover who they are in Christ and take there place in the agenda of God, we shall see a multiplied manifestation of the Supernatural like never before. 1Peter 2:9 tells us “But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God's own possession, that you may show forth the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light:” (WEB). God keeps searching for available vessels all over the world through whom He can display His mighty power. His purpose is to bring in the great harvest before the end of this age. This is the time for us to step out from the crowd and begin to labour in the Word to understand the Father’s heart and the season which we are in.

The Supernatural will become a trend for us when we make God’s priority our priority. The Church was birthed in fire and it must be sustained by that same holy fire of the Holy Spirit. Make no mistake about this! It’s when we start going into all the world (at least starting from our worlds – our sphere of influence) we would begin to see that long awaited manifestation. Then we would lay hands on the sick and have them recover, then we would cast (kick) out devils, then we would talk with Holy Ghost inspired tongues. But we must GO first! Mark 16:20 says “But they set out, and made the proclamation everywhere, the Lord working with them, and confirming the Message by the signs which attended it.” (TCNT). Remember, “For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God.” Romans 8:19. So what are you going to do about this? Manifest!