More on Motivations

More on motivations: when you are helping a person whose wants are godly and legitimate, do you know the difference in doing what they want and doing what you decide they need. Furthermore, what is motivating those who do things without staying in touch with the one they are doing them for to make sure that they are doing what the person wants? As blood is to life, humble communication is to carrying out someone’s godly wants.

Those who act contrary to this are not only acting contrary to the person involved, but to God. All aspects of self must be denied and the flesh must be reckoned crucified with Jesus the Christ. Heaven is recording everything and heaven sees the motivation behind what looks good to the untrained eye. No one can have real victory over Satan and his forces until self and the flesh are under the Spirit's control. Most of modern Christianity (Christians) falls way short in these areas. But a faithful remnant is coming forth that has Christ living within and only lives to do the will of God. Self and flesh be gone! Jesus, come forth within a people! Amen and Amen.

What Motivates People?

                                              

     
Who or what can motivate a person that does not fit into the following five categories?

   1.      The Spirit of God

        2.       Satan and his demonic forces

           3.       The world
   4.       The flesh

           5.       Self

       One of the hardest things for Christians to do is to discern and/or admit their own motivations. If they do internally acknowledge that their motivations are not of the Spirit of God, often they try to cover them up or justify them with works and/or blame on others. It is called self deception!

God’s will is for Christians to glorify Christ by uniting in true faith and fulfilling His will for them on earth. To do this their only motivation must be the Spirit of God which always includes the will of God in any and all matters. For this to take place each true Christian must come to the place of it is not I who live but Christ who lives within me… (Galatians 2: 20). This is so important!

       We must come to the understanding that no two people, much less larger numbers, can be in unity of faith until it is only Jesus Christ that lives within each. Jesus lives only to do the will of His and our heavenly Father. When it is Jesus and Jesus only that lives within us then His will is done on earth as it is in heaven. 

       Furthermore, Satan and his demonic forces were defeated by Jesus at the cross, but He has not been put away yet. He is a real and viable foe. We, as Christians, cannot deal effectively with him and His forces, demonic or human, or any other motivation until Christ Jesus and Christ Jesus only lives within us.

 

       There are people all around us that are not motivated and/or led by the Spirit of God. They are motivated by one or all of the other means of motivation. Until their only motivation becomes the Spirit and will of God there is no way that one can be equally yoked with them in any matter. A little leaven always leavens the whole lump. God does not want us to be yoked with them; He wants us to be a witness to them. Never confuse the two!  When there is confusion about this, havoc takes place at some point (storms are always brewing).  

The psychologists of the world often call these people dysfunctional and they call those family members and others who keep them in their dysfunctional state as enablers. (The Word of God has other ways of describing both groups).  Christians often think they are being a witness when they are actually enabling the person. Other Christians that are not totally motivated by the Spirit of God will even manipulate and use these people to accomplish certain things.  For example, one who wants to be viewed as a “good cop” will let the “bad cop” do his thing if it accomplishes what the “good cop” wants.  One description in the Word is the blind leading the blind.

      We need true unity of faith to accomplish God’s overall purpose(s) for us on earth. It cannot and will never will never real humility and repentance takes place. Let judgment begin and let it begin with Christians!  Those who willingly submit to the judgment of God will not suffer the judgment of God. Selah!

 

 

True Godly Restoration Accompanied by Persecution or Devilish Storms Like You Have Never Seen

God did not call the world to be salt and light. He called His people, believing Jews and Gentiles, to be salt and light to the world. He did not call His people to be salt and light by their own might and power (human abilities). He called them to be baptized in the Holy Spirit, to have Jesus formed within, and to go about doing good, as Jesus did while He was on earth (Acts 10: 38).  

This country will continue to fall apart as long as the Church in America is divided, immature and for the most part spiritually impotent due to its various religious ways, doctrines and lack of true spiritual character and power.  There may be temporary respites, but they will not last long! Jesus is making intercession, and His eyes are looking for those who will awaken out of their religious sleep. He is looking for those who will repent not only of their fleshly ways but their religious ways. He is looking for those who will totally depend on the power of the Holy Spirit and not their human abilities. He is looking for those who will forsake their religious man-made doctrines and beliefs and will become sanctified by His truth and His truth only.  

Jesus will have a faithful remnant before He returns, but the cost is going to be high until that faithful remnant comes forth in the unity of the faith. Who will step up and not only forsake the ways of the world but the ways of man’s religion and will follow Jesus and Jesus only? Then and only then can one go about doing the good that is really needed.  

We haven’t seen anything yet!  The “anything yet” can go one of two ways. It can go in the direction of  devilish storms that make anything seen presently seem minor, or it can go to a real spiritual awakening, the likes of which this country has never seen. (I am fully aware of earlier spiritual awakenings). If it goes to the latter, there will be tremendous persecution but with great results that will glorify Jesus. The persecution will be better in God’s eyes than reaping what we are presently sowing, and it will be better than the devilish storms that are the only other alternative.

The Sword of the Spirit or Cake

Too many Christians in America are heating cake, as it were, while the overall Church in America deteriorates from within resulting in the loss of personal and spiritual freedoms and the eventual total collapse of America as we once knew it. Wake up to the truth that this is a spiritual battle, not a political battle, etc. No spiritual battle has ever been won by the arm of the flesh. This battle can only be won by putting on the armor of God and standing against the wiles of the devil! So wake up, learn how to use the true sword of the Spirit and march on as Christian soldiers or keep doing what you are doing and eventually there will be no more cake to eat.

Praying With the Spirit and With the Understanding

When Paul said to pray with the understanding, he was saying pray with the language or languages that you have learned naturally. I know a few words of Spanish but when praying with my understanding I pray with English. Multilingual Christians can pray with any of their known languages. In public they would probably pray t...he main language known by those present. If I was in another country and was asked to pray in public, they would need a translator or interpreter to understand what I was praying unless they too knew English. Any born again person has the privilege of praying with any and all languages that they have been taught.

When Paul said to pray with the spirit, he was not talking about praying with a language that one has learned. He was talking about praying with a language that was supernatural, as it were. On the day of Pentecost the disciples prayed with a language that had been given them when they were baptized in the Holy Spirit. For the purpose of witness some or all of them prayed with a language not learned but known by some that were witnessing what was taking place. That still happens at times, but 1st Corinthians makes it clear that this is not always the case. In 1st Corinthians we learn about other gifts of the Spirit, one being the interpretation of tongues.

There is a difference in translating or interpreting natural languages and the supernatural gift of interpreting tongues. I do speak a few words of Spanish as stated above but my neighbor speaks Spanish fluently as does my daughter-in-law who actually teaches Spanish. There are times when I call on my neighbor to help me communicate with a man that does some work for me and doesn’t know much English. The difference in this interpretation and the gift of interpretation is that the one moving in the gift of interpretation does not know the language he or she is interpreting. Therefore when one speaks publicly in tongues he or she is speaking in a language that they do not know and the interpretation comes from the Spirit to someone’s spirit and then on to their mind in a language known by that person and most or all of those present. The person then speaks to those present what the Spirit of God has said.

Scripture teaches and encourages prayer with the spirit and with the understanding. Any born again believer can pray to our heavenly Father in the name of Jesus with any and all learned languages. Believers who have been baptized in the Spirit can also pray with the spirit. Both kinds of prayer are biblical! Scripture does say that praying in devotional tongues builds up the one praying and the gift of tongues along with the gift of interpretation of tongues builds up those that are present.

Although closely related there is a slight difference in the prayer language of tongues for devotional purposes and the gift of tongues for the church meeting. Any person that has been born again and baptized in the Spirit can pray with tongues in their devotion at their will. Not all Spirit baptized members of a local church will move regularly if at all in the gift of tongues. There are nine supernatural gifts that the Holy Spirit divides as he wills among Spirit filled churches.

Paul was a mighty man of God and his conclusion was pray both ways. He did say that he prayed in tongues more than all. He had learned how to build himself up by praying privately in tongues. I often say that tongues are to a believer as weight lifting is to athletes. Actually it is better and more important!

In conclusion, devotional tongues are to build up the individual disciple so that he or she may be spiritually strong to do the Lord’s work. Church meeting tongues and the accompanying interpretation are to build up the Christian members of the Church for doing the work of the Lord Jesus. Concerning devotional tongues Paul said that he prayed more than all. Concerning tongues in Church meetings he said do it and forbid not.

What is the Difference in Matthew 3: 11 and John 3: 16?

                                                        

John 3: 16 tells any and all the only way to be restored to God; it is by being born again by faith in the finished work of Jesus the Christ (Jesus and Him crucified). One should be baptized in water as soon as possible after being born again, but John 3: 16 is not talking about being water baptized and neither is Matthew 3: 11. In Matthew 3: 11 John the Baptist is talking about the same thing that Jesus refers to in Luke 24: 49 and Luke writes about in Acts 1: 4. Jesus is the One and only One who baptizes in the Holy Spirit and fire. The Promise we learn about in Luke 24: 49 and Acts 1: 4 is what John the Baptist prophesied about Jesus in Matthew 3:11.

There is spiritual darkness in Washington D. C. and throughout our beloved country. The main reason for this is the lack of spiritual light emanating from the various parts of the Church. This light is hindered by the lack of sanctification of truth within the various parts of the Church. Another result of the lack of truth within the Church is lack of unity within the Church. Jesus addressed this in His high priestly prayer found in John 17. John 17: 20, 21 will never take place without John 17: 17 which is also referred to in Ephesians 5: 26. God help us by sending true and mature ministers as found in Ephesians 4: 11 who will bring about what is found in Ephesians 4: 12-16 and 5: 27. Jesus is waiting for the bride to make herself ready (Revelation 19: 7). He is building His Church (Matthew 16: 18).

Another key point is that we must not only preach about Jesus, we must preach what He preached. He preached the “good news” of the kingdom of God (Matthew 4: 23) as well as preaching about Himself (John 14: 6).  Many parts of the Church don’t do either properly. We must get the real subjects with the real substance. For example, some preach Jesus as a way and not the Way and the few who do preach about the kingdom often make it a political kingdom, etc. Presently, too many parts of the Church are overly caught up with Matthew 24: 3-6 and have missed the truth and importance of Matthew 24: 14. Look how Matthew 24: 6 ends and contrast it with how Matthew 24: 14 ends.

I have faith and hope that truth is coming forth and enough Christians will hear, repent and unite in faith.  Jesus is going to have His Church with Him formed within (Matthew 24: 6 and Galatians 4: 19). The Church, His bride, will make herself ready (Revelation 19: 7). Let’s unite in faith and get about the Father’s business!