Our expectations for the Christian life matter and those expectations tend to create a gulf in the body of Christ. On the one hand, a major stream of theological thought holds that Jesus came, lived a life of miracles to prove that he was the Son of God, and purchased the forgiveness of our sins through his sacrifice on the cross.  His intent for us is that we come to faith in Him and his completed work on the cross, live a moral life, teach others the tenants of our faith, and do good to the people around us.  The expectations of these believers keep them from ever seeking more.

A second stream of thought is that Jesus came and lived a life of miracles to not only demonstrate that he was the Son of God but also that the Kingdom of God had come with power. His intent is not only that we would come to faith in Him but that we would also continue to demonstrate his reality and the power of the kingdom of heaven by doing the miracles he did as we lead others to Christ while doing good to those around us.

Perhaps, it seems like a small difference but in practice it is not.  The first stream of thought believes in the historic miracles of Jesus and the early church but holds that the historic record is sufficient for belief.  No current miracles are necessary to bring others to Christ and, therefore, the Holy Spirit no longer distributes gifts of prophecy, tongues, healings, miracles, and so forth.  Moral living, loving others, and preaching the gospel are the defining marks of the church.

The second stream of thought would echo moral living, loving others and doing good but would add the element of miracles not only for the purpose of evangelism but also as an ongoing expression of the love and compassion of God for hurting people.  Jesus did public miracles in order to establish who he was but he also did many in private telling the person who was healed to tell no one.  His motivation for healing as much out of compassion as it was to prove that he was the Son of God.  He is still compassionate.

There are all kinds of religions and religious groups who claim to have revelation from God concerning salvation.  They also point people to living a moral life, loving others, and doing good.  They nearly all have some form of historic miracles on which their doctrines and stories stand.  So…how will a Muslim, a Hindu, a Buddhist, a Scientologist, or a Satanist determine that Jesus is the real God versus the one they have been taught to worship since birth?

Moses seems instructive in this matter.  Remember when he had his showdown with Pharaoh and the false gods of Egypt (Ex. 7-12).  Pharaoh called on his magicians to match the miracles of Jehovah….and they did….for a while.  Moses had Aaron throw down his staff and his staff turned into a snake, but so did theirs by “secret arts”.  The snake from Aaron’s rod ate the snakes of the magicians, but both displayed impressive power.

Moses then commanded the waters of Egypt to turn to blood.  Pharaoh’s magicians did the same by their “secret arts”.  Moses called up a plague of frogs. The sorcerers of Egypt matched that as well.  However, Jehovah through his servant Moses continued to display his power and when a plague of gnats was called out, the magicians could not match it nor any of the plagues that followed. Then those same magicians declared to Pharaoh, “This is the finger of God.”

There came a point when the works of darkness could not compete with the works of God and those who saw the miracles began to believe.    Since our struggle is not against flesh and blood (Eph. 6:12), we need to understand that miracles were not just to impress men, but also to demonstrate the superiority of the Kingdom of Heaven over the kingdom of darkness.  Jehovah declared that his plagues were not just judgments on the men who had enslaved his people but also were judgments on all the gods of Egypt (Ex. 12:12).  In most parts of the world, men still do not need to be convinced that a spiritual realm exists.  Their question is not whether there is a god but only whether the God we serve is more powerful than the god they serve.  That can only be demonstrated by the miraculous hand of God.

Jesus reflected that same reality when he said to the Pharisees,  “But if I drive out demons by the finger of God, then the kingdom of God has come to you” (Luke 11:20). A demonstration of power was always at the center of Christ’s ministry as well as those he sent out.  When he sent out the twelve and the seventy he gave them power and authority to heal and cast out demons. When he gifted the church, he gave gifts that demonstrated the power of the Kingdom of God through prophecy, healing, miracles and so forth.

Throughout the book of Acts we see the supernatural move of God through miracles, angelic activity, and moves of the Holy Spirit.  That is the model of evangelism and church growth that we see in the New Testament. Interestingly, many of the churches that reject the miraculous move of the Holy Spirit today claim to model themselves after the New Testament church and yet omit the very things that demonstrated the reality of Jesus over the demonic spirits that were being worshipped throughout the New Testament world.

Jesus made an interesting comment about John the Baptist in the gospel of Luke.  He declared, “I tell you, among those born of women there is no one greater than John; yet the one who is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he” (Lk.7:28). How could a brand new Christian or even a mature Christian be greater than John the Baptist?  Certainly, he would not be greater than John in character and faith but he would be greater in capacity because the baptism of the Holy Spirit makes a lifestyle available that not even John had access to.

By Old Covenant standards, John was the culmination of the prophets although we have no record of him doing any miracles.  But Jesus said that the least New Covenant follower would be greater than John. He said that because he was going to send the Spirit for all of his followers after he returned to the Father. Why would Jesus give us such capacity for power through the Holy Spirit, but not want us to exercise that power just as he did?  After all, he promised that anyone who had faith in him would do the works he had been doing and even greater things (John 14:12).  That sounds like an expectation for all who have faith and he did not put an expiration date on that promise.

In a world where no one knows who to believe or what to believe, it will take authentic demonstrations of the reality of the Kingdom of Heaven and the finger of God to convince the world that Jesus is who he says he is. Living a moral life and doing good is praiseworthy but it does not set us apart from others who claim to have God’s seal of approval and who live relatively moral lives and do good. Even Satan appears as an angel of light.  It will take miracles that outstrip what others can produce even by their secret arts just as in the days of Moses so that the truth of God’s word and the reality of Jesus become undeniable. My hope then and my prayer is that the church in America and each of us will begin to embrace the power of the Holy Spirit in order to duplicate the ministry of Jesus that will once again turn the world upside down.  The apostle Paul summed it up when he said, “The kingdom of God is not a matter of talk, but of power” (1 Cor. 4:20).  The question for each if us then is, “How is that power being displayed in our lives or our churches?”

Blessings in Him.

Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership has righteousness with lawlessness? Or what fellowship has light with darkness?  What accord has Christ with Belial? Or what portion does a believer share with an unbeliever? What agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God; as God said, “I will make my dwelling among them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. Therefore go out from their midst, and be separate from them, says the Lord, and touch no unclean thing; then I will welcome you, and I will be a father to you and you shall be sons and daughters to me, says the Lord Almighty. 2 Corinthians 6:14-18.

Paul wrote this section of scripture to the church at Corinth.  The believers at Corinth had come out of a culture that was famous for it’s sin.  It was a center of greed, sexual immorality, pagan worship, partying, and worldliness in the worst sense. If you read through Paul’s two letters to the church at Corinth, you will see that there was a great deal of spiritual immaturity and worldliness in the church. Interestingly, the church at Corinth displayed an amazing number of spiritual gifts including healing, miracles, tongues, prophecy, and so forth and yet was identified by Paul as immature and unspiritual.  Sometimes, spiritual gifts run ahead of Christian character so don’t let yourself be influenced by someone with amazing gifts, but rather by someone with amazing character.

In the midst of all their immaturity, Paul commanded them to avoid being “unequally yoked” with unbelievers. The term comes from the Old Testament law in which the Jews were forbidden from yoking an ox and a mule together for plowing. “Unequally yoked” doesn’t mean that one has more influence or power than the other, but it is a term implying that two things with different natures have been tied together.  An ox was considered a clean animal while the mule was considered unclean.  Clean animals could be eaten and offered as sacrifices while unclean animals could not be used for sacred purposes.

Paul goes on to make a point that there are two kinds of people in the world – saved and unsaved, redeemed and unredeemed, holy and unholy, and those with the Spirit of Christ in them and those who serve Satan knowingly or unknowingly. Paul points out the difference in those who have the Spirit of Christ and those who don’t when he says, “Or what fellowship has light with darkness?  What accord has Christ with Belial? Or what portion does a believer share with an unbeliever? What agreement has the temple of God with idols?”

Too often, we fail to see is that there is a huge difference in the very nature of people from the perspective of the spiritual realm.  The “unsaved” may be very talented, influential, enjoyable and even given to worthy cause, but they are still not sons and daughters of God.  Not only that, but they are still in a relationship with Satan as either slaves to sin or willing participants in the things of Satan. Most will have some kind of demonic spirit operating in his or her life because they are legally bound to Satan until rescued and redeemed by Jesus.

The danger of being yoked together with an unbeliever is not just influence but that the relationship opens a door for the enemy.  When you marry someone, that person is not just connected to your family but, suddenly, you have a legal connection with his or her family.  The parents of each spouse will not only have influence in your home, but may also have a legal claim on your children as grandparents. God says, because we are his children, we are essentially different from all other people on the planet and we are not to join or yoke the sacred with the profane or the clean with the unclean.

This is not a call to self-righteousness nor a call to isolate ourselves from unbelievers – otherwise how could we reach the unsaved for Jesus?  But it is a warning about yoking ourselves in covenants, marriages, allegiances, partnerships, treaties, and relationships with those who do not belong to God. We were ministering deliverance a few days ago to young Chinese Christian and one of our team was led to ask if she had sworn allegiance to the nation of China and it’s atheistic leadership.  Of course, she had done so as every “good citizen” would, but declaring her allegiance to a nation that disavows God and arrests believers, is to join with the spiritual ruler whom the leaders of China represent – Satan. She had to renounce her declaration of allegiance to that nation to shut the door which that “yoking” had opened.

We must be careful about our covenants and even participation in things that God would not sponsor. Promises, vows, contracts, covenants, or declarations of allegiance – not just to nations but to individuals or organizations that are not submitted to God –  can create open doors for the enemy to camp out in our lives and in the lives of our families.  Remember…you are made different and separate by the Spirit of Christ living in you. Treat yourself as holy and sacred because that is who you are.

In Part 1 of this study, we found that faith, obedience and a willingness to battle the enemy would be requirements for securing the promises of God in our own lives.  In Chapter 2, we find that intentionality and strategy are often needed to enter into everything that God has for us.  The chapter begins, “Then Joshua, son of Nun, secretly sent two spies from Shittim. ‘Go, look over the Land,’ he said, ‘especially Jericho.’”

We need to remember that the last time Israel sent spies into the land, the outcome was less than spectacular. Moses sent twelve spies into Canaan and ten came back convinced that the tribes were too powerful for them to overcome.  These unfaithful reports won the day and caused Israel to wander in the wilderness for forty years due to their unbelief. I am certain that Joshua sent proven men of faith this time and he sent them secretly. The text could mean that the people of Jericho would be unaware of the spies, but it may also mean that the Israelites were unaware that spies had been sent. This secrecy may have been to insure that Joshua would hear the report first so that no seed of unbelief would be sown even unintentionally.

Sometimes the faith we have is fragile and a lack of faith most often insures victory for the enemy.  An essential principle here is that we should be careful to surround ourselves with people of faith when we seek to secure a promise from God.  Cynics, doubters, and unbelievers can undermine our faith and, consequently, rob us of our promise. Someone once suggested that Jesus told some of those he healed to tell no one because the doubt of those they told might undermine the faith of the one who had received healing, so his healing might be lost. I’m confident that Joshua did not send the spies to determine if Jericho could be taken, but rather to determine the best way it could be taken. Sometimes we wonder if God will keep a promise rather than wondering how he will keep it. One perspective questions God’s faithfulness while the other affirms it.  The difference is significant.

An essential principle for all warfare is that a wise person should know the enemy he or she is about to face.  Paul told the church at Corinth, “I have forgiven in the sight of Christ for your sake, in order that Satan might not outwit us. For we are not unaware of his schemes” (2 Cor. 2:10-11). He tells us in Ephesians that we are to put on the full armor of God so that we can stand against the devils schemes (Eph.6:11). Satan is strategic concerning his attempts to undermine our faith, keep is from being effective, or lead us away from God.  We should be strategic as well in our battles against him.  In other words, we should know how to engage in spiritual warfare because our struggle is not against flesh and blood but against spiritual powers in heavenly realms. (Eph. 6:11-12).

Too many of us live our spiritual lives haphazardly.  We tend to react to spiritual challenges rather than being proactive and preparing for what the enemy will certainly send our way sooner or later. We wait for the crisis to come and then try to build our faith in the midst of that crisis rather than having established a foundation of faith for the storms that will inevitably come.  At other times, we quickly repent of all our sins that we have not been dealing with to that point. When we do, we may be going through the motions of repentance in a last ditch effort to win God’s favor without godly sorrow truly being in our hearts.  These are reactive ways to face the enemy rather than strategic ways. These ways are less than effective.

A wise general not only knows the enemy and his strategies but also knows his own strength and weaknesses. Satan is a predator.  He will always attack our weakness rather than our strength. He will always attack the stragglers rather than those firmly in the herd. We should know and acknowledge our vulnerabilities so that we can strengthen our defenses around our weakness through prayer, time in the Word, and accountability with others.  We should steer clear of places where temptation will be amplified.  A man struggling with alcoholism should not attend a party where everyone will be drinking.  A man who struggles with lust should be very careful about what he watches or reads and the beaches or swimming pools he frequents. A wise man builds walls and guard rails around his vulnerable zones.

In order to be strategic, we must take stock of ourselves, our strengths, our weaknesses, our resources, and the known tactics of the enemy before we wake up one morning to find ourselves in his crosshairs.  Many of the promises of God will require an invasion of enemy territory to remove the barriers that the enemy has erected that stand between you and the blessings the Father has for you. Preparation before the battle is essential.

In addition, what the two spies discovered was that those in Jericho were full of fear. They found an unlikely ally whose heart God had prepared for that very moment.  Another principal for securing the promises of God is that we should be open to unexpected vessels that God has placed in our path to help us on our way.  In this case, the prostitute Rehab became a key element inthe victory of Israel because her testimony confirmed that God had already prepared the way for Israel’s victory.

The “faith boosters” the Lord supplies are also helpful as we move to secure the promises of God.  Sometimes those boosters are progress we are beginning to see after months of prayer. It may be a prophetic word assuring you of God’s involvement or a scripture that the Holy Spirit highlights as you spend time in the Word.  Receive those things as encouragement from the Lord as you press in for your promise. God wants you to secure his promises. Jesus died that you might receive them. Be strategic, intentional, and prepared as you remove the enemy from your path.

Most mainline churches in America today still seem to fear an over-emphasis on the Holy Spirit. They certainly believe in the Holy Spirit as that part of God or that part of the Trinity that resides in God’s children, gives life to the spirit of man, and who shapes our character as Christians (fruit of the Spirit). However, the idea of power, revelation, prophetic words, words of knowledge, gifts of healing, visions, dreams, etc. are not on the menu in these churches. They seem to believe that if Christians pursue these supernatural manifestations of the Spirit, they will be led astray by the enemy into all kinds of deception and a faith focused on miracles rather than Jesus.

At the same time, there is a frustration in these churches, or at least among some of the people and leaders, that what we have in our faith is insufficient to truly meet the needs and challenges of the day. What do you do when your members suffer for years with depression, anxiety, fear, suicidal thoughts, addictions, doubts, gender confusion, or vaguely diagnosed illnesses and your prayers and Bible study only seem to give them temporary relief but no real victory?

Typically, churches that do not operate in the “supernatural” gifts of the Spirit, either conclude that these people have insufficient faith to be set free or send them out to secular doctors and psychologist for treatment. Even if they go to Christian counselors or therapists, most of them have been trained in secular approaches to treatment…so our people only get what the world offers with the simple addition of a prayer and a scripture. A theology then arises from our inability to help our people that declares that it is God’s will for his people to suffer in this fallen world, just as those who have no faith but the promised healing and freedom will come as we enter the presence of Jesus in heaven.

At the same time, we have the presence of Jesus within us already here on earth. Why shouldn’t that presence (the Holy Spirit) provide healing and freedom here as well as in heaven? In addition, Paul declares in 2 Corinthians 10, that we are not to wage war as the world wages war, but are to use divine weapons to pull down strongholds. He states this need for divine weapons because he also declares that our real struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against spiritual powers in heavenly realms. What doesn’t touch the spiritual realm will not set us free, if there is a spiritual component to our physical illness or emotional torment. And Paul suggests that most of the time, there is a spiritual component. Churches who don’t want to “over-emphasize” the Holy Spirit leave their people in the grasp of dark spiritual forces because secular treatment doesn’t touch the spiritual realm.

Of course, all churches pray for the healing of physical illnesses and emotional torment. Typically, however, the prayer is more of a wish than an expectation because if God doesn’t operate supernaturally in his church any more, then we can’t really expect more than secular doctors, science, and therapy can deliver. More than that, if God has provided solutions for infirmity and emotional distress through supernatural gifts of the Spirit, then he expects us to exercise those gifts as his primary source of healing and freedom and not just keep calling on him to do what he has equipped his church to do.

Sometimes we act like a policeman who has graduated from the academy and has been given authority and power to go make arrests and bring criminals to justice, but every time he sees a crime in progress, he calls the chief of police to come and do something. The chief will say, “ You have authority and power. You make the arrest. That is your job. If you can’t, then resign from the force.” If we keep calling on God to do what he has anointed and appointed us to do, then much will go undone. A heavy and healthy emphasis on the Holy Spirit in the church that stays consistent with biblical guidelines is the answer.

Before you push back, think about what an emphasis the first century church placed on the Holy Spirit beginning with Jesus himself. Jesus declared that the Holy Spirit would live in us, counsel us, teach us, lead us into all truth, reveal the heart and mind of God to us, heal us, free us, shape us, and give us power for ministry…to do what he had been doing. He didn’t tell the disciples to wait in Jerusalem until the Holy Spirit shaped their character or delivered sound doctrine so they could be effective witnesses. He commanded them to wait for power, which immediately manifested in tongues, revelation, and boldness. Can “supernatural” spiritual gifts be abused? Sure. They were widely abused in Corinth. Paul, however, did not tell them to quit exercising the gifts but to exercise them with love and a sense of order. When the church was looking for qualified leaders, they did not search for seminary graduates or successful businessmen, but looked for those who were full of the Spirit…which also manifested in miraculous works. The church was ordered to be filled with the Spirit at all times and to pray in the Spirit at all times. They were to earnestly desire spiritual gifts and to bear the fruit of the Spirit in their lives. When Ananias and Sapphira were disciplined unto death in Acts 5, it was because they had lied to the Holy Spirit. That suggests the prominence the Holy Spirit held in the church.

We could go on, but it would be heard to emphasize the Spirit more than the early church did or the New Testament does. I believe there is more danger in under-emphasizing the Spirit rather than over-emphasizing him. The truth is that the church needs much more of the Spirit rather than less if we are to fulfill our mandate of discipling nations and bringing heaven to earth.

I was browsing through the third chapter of John again this week.  It’s is one of those chapters that, no matter how many times you have studied it, you always know it contains so much more than you understand.  But one thing was evident to me as I read the words of Jesus again as he spoke to Nicodemus.  We should never underestimate the role of the Holy Spirit in the life of a believer and in the Kingdom of God.  When you say it, it sounds trite – as if everyone knows that.  My experience, however, is that most believers don’t know that because they treat the Spirit as a minor player in the Godhead.  He gets an honorable mention on Sundays as one who, perhaps, played a significant role 2000 years ago but since then has been rather tame.

Nothing could be further from the truth.  I am reminded of that when Jesus cuts to the chase with Nicodemus.  Nic was a Pharisee as well as a member of the Sanhedrin.  But to his credit he was a truth seeker, although he still cared a great deal about his position and what other members of the  “good old boys” club thought of him.  He came at night so that he would not be seen with this “questionable” Rabbi. He represented another group within the Pharisees or the ruling council who were not quite ready to condemn Jesus because Nicodemus said, “We know you are a teacher who has come from God…” He came with a list of questions representing this little group.

We must speculate on where he was going with his questions because Jesus sidetracked his dialogue and began to speak about his own agenda.  However,  I feel confident that Nic was going to ask a series of questions about the Messiah and about the nature of miracles and so forth. That would have been an amazing discussion to hear and a spiritual discussion at that.  However, Jesus knew it would have been a futile discussion because this brilliant theologian and descendant of Abraham would not get it.

Jesus simply said. “No one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again.” Clearly, for Nicodemus, that must have seemed like a hard left turn that, perhaps, was leading to nowhere.  What an enigmatic statement that seemed to just come out of left field.  Nic tried to track with Jesus a bit and so protested that a man could not be born again when he is old. Then Jesus added to the confusion by saying that no one could even enter the kingdom unless he was born not only of water but of the Spirit. Here was a man who all his life had been taught that knowledge of the Torah, love for the word of God, and good works would gain him entrance into the kingdom. Jesus simply said that entrance was not based on anything we could do but solely on the basis of what the Spirit would do.

When Jesus said that a man could not see the kingdom,  he meant that a man could not understand, perceive, or experience the kingdom without being born again.  An equally valid translation would be that he could not see the kingdom unless he was “born from above.”  That birth from above was by the Holy Spirit.  In the same way that Jesus was born by the Holy Spirit coming on Mary, we can only be born again by the Holy Spirit coming on us and we cannot see, perceive, understand, or experience the kingdom without the work of the Holy Spirit. If our initial realization of the kingdom comes only by the ministry of the Holy Spirit, then all other experiences and insight into the kingdom can come only by the Spirit as well.

If we place limits on the Spirit, we place limits on our understanding and experience of the kingdom.  In an effort to make God understandable, we miss out on understanding.  In our efforts to keep the Holy Spirit and spiritual gifts from being abused, we abuse our own experiences with God.  In order to enter the kingdom, we must be born from above.  In other words, it is not just an intellectual exercise of acknowledging who Jesus is, but God has to do something to us. A new creation (2 Cor.5:17) means that suddenly, we are different and distinctive from the rest of creation. I believe that someday science will be able to measure a shift in brain function, DNA, or genetics that occurs the moment someone is born again.

I do not believe that being born again, being born from above, or being born of the Spirit is simply a metaphor for us as we somehow take on a new philosophy of life. When the Spirit comes power is imparted.  Radical transformation is initiated. Positions shift in the heavenlies as we are seated with Christ. The same power that raised Jesus from the dead is rumbling around in us waiting to get out.  All of that begins with the Spirit of God and continues with him until the Spirit himself raises us from the dead. The Spirit is immeasurable power and wisdom and can only be capped or quenched by us.

In too many places, the church still quenches the Spirit in the name of doing everything “decently and in order.”  In my Bible, when the Holy Spirit showed up, fire erupted, people spoke in tongues, people went out and preached in the streets, buildings shook, everyone had a revelation or a tongue or a prophecy, people got healed, and demons got cast out. Some even dropped dead in church for lying to the Spirit.  All that doesn’t seem to fit our definition of  “decently and in order.” Many of our churches could benefit from a little disorder orchestrated by the Spirit.

We have even elevated intellect over spiritual gifts and spirituality.  If you don’t think so, check out the classifieds in a Christian journal where churches are looking for staff members and pastors. The qualifications are rarely based on spiritual gifts, spiritual maturity, intimacy with Jesus, or how many people a person has led to the Lord.  They are most often based on degrees earned in an accredited university or business experience in the corporate world. Jesus himself nor his apostles should even bother to apply. They would not meet the qualifications.

Although the Spirit points us to Jesus, Jesus points us to the Holy Spirit.  The Holy Spirit is God along with the Father and the Son.  We should pursue Him with as much passion as we do the other members of the Trinity.  If we fail to do so, we may enter the kingdom as a newborn, but we will remain in that same condition for years to come.  Our problem is not that we don’t know enough scripture, but that we haven’t experienced God enough.  That experience comes through the Holy Spirit.  Maybe we should make a real effort to get to know him.

Spirit-Led is one of the most common terms batted around in the modern church today. We even have it in our Mid-Cities Community Church Mission Statement. It has become part of our Christian jargon to the extent that we may say it without really having much understanding of the term. It is a biblical term. Paul wrote, “but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live, because those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God” (Rom. 8:13-14).

There is an encouraging move in most denominations today toward an understanding and acceptance of the ministry of the Holy Spirit. More Christians are becoming comfortable with the idea of God speaking to us through his Spirit (The View not withstanding), not just through the written word, and many are opening up to the possibility that all the gifts of the Spirit may be in operation today. So the term Spirit-led is gaining wider usage…which I think is a very good thing.

However, we need to be clear about what it means to be led by the Spirit. I sense that what many mean by Spirit-led is that they are responding to a voice or impression they have received in their mind or emotions. I agree that the Spirit does lead us by those expressions and others, but not every voice or impression we experience is from the Spirit. Because of that, John cautions us, “Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God” (1 Jn.4:1).

We should all want to be Spirit-led but we should also rigorously test what we are hearing or feeling. It is helpful to have a grid by which you can test the spirits so I want to offer a few bench marks for testing those things we hear, sense, or feel.

The first question should always be whether or not what I believe to be the leading of the Spirit lines up with scripture? All scripture is God-breathed (2 Tim.3:16) and the breath of God is his Spirit. Since the Spirit “inspired” the writers and since God is unchanging, then whatever we hear from him now will not contradict or disregard scripture. Everything we need to know for living a life pleasing to God is written in scripture. The first facet of being Spirit-led then is to live a life consistent with biblical principles and commands. If we are not willing to obey what is clearly written, we may not hear from the Spirit at all since only those who are faithful in little will be given more.

The written word is always our plumb line and first test for authenticity. Of course, we must know scripture in order to determine if what we are hearing lines up with it. If we don’t know scripture, then we should find someone who does. We should also remember that although God will never contradict his word, he may contradict our understanding of his word. If we are to be Spirit-led, we may need to be open to a fresh understanding of his word and his ways from time to time.

Secondly, does the message you are hearing reflect the Spirit of Christ who is humble, gentle, and loving…even in a rebuke? If the voice you are hearing as you attempt to be Spirit-led is angry, demeaning, threatening, or abusive in any way, it is not the Holy Spirit. If the voice is troubling rather than depositing peace in your heart, it is not from the Lord because Jesus said, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid” (Jn.14:27).

Another test is whether the voice is calling you to holiness or is giving you permission to satisfy the desires of your flesh. I have known too many believers who have determined that God told them to leave their spouse for someone they had developed an emotional relationship with at work, church, or the gym. Their rationale was that God wants them to be happy and the other person is what would make them happy. However, God is much more interested in our holiness than our happiness. I have also known too many who were “told by God” to find another church as soon as they experienced some disappointment or relationship problem in their current church. And I have seen too many take the higher paying job although it would leave them no time for their family – confident that they were being Spirit-led. All of those scenarios turned out badly so we need to be sure that if we do whatever we are hearing, it will honor God, draw us closer to Jesus, and call us to a righteousness based on God’s standards not the standards of the world.

Another important test is confirmation. God is fine with us asking him for confirmation that what we have heard is from him and not from ourselves or the enemy. When you are hearing a voice that is calling you to significant life change or risk, you may want to have other godly people who regularly hear from the Lord pray for that confirmation as well. You may experience that confirmation as peace in your heart or an unusual experience that clearly points you one way or the other. Gideon asked God for confirmation that what he was hearing was from God rather than his own fantasy about being a hero for Israel. He set out a ram’s fleece twice asking for a different sign each time. God provided the confirmation without rebuke. He will do the same for us. Asking for confirmation is not doubting God, but is rather the recognition that we are fallible.

To be Spirit-led we must be sensitive to his voice or promptings. It is not so hard to hear his voice in our quiet times, when journaling, or in worship. But for most of us, it is much more difficult to sense his promptings in the crowd, in the midst of a busy day, or in the heat of crisis. At those moments, we may not have time to search the word, call others to pray for confirmation, or scan our hearts for selfish motives. When we feel prompted to pray for a stranger, share what we hope is a prophetic word with someone, stand up and speak out in a meeting, or share the gospel in the checkout line at HEB we will have to respond quickly. The basic question then is whether what we are about to do might be something Jesus would do. If the answer is “Yes,” then do it. Willingness to act on the prompting of the Spirit is more important in heaven then whether you heard The Spirit accurately or not.   A willingness to risk embarrassment for obedience is highly valued in the Kingdom of Heaven. As long as you act in love, you probably can’t go wrong. As we “experiment” with those spur-of-the-moment promptings, we will learn better how to discern the Spirit’s leading in those moments.

Spirit-led is our goal. It begins by allowing the Spirit to lead us through the written word and then comes to maturity as we learn to hear his voice and know it so well that we no longer need to question what we are hearing or even seek confirmation. Jesus said that he would send us the counselor, the teacher, the one who would lead us into all truth, and the one who would reveal the secrets of the Father’s heart to us. What an amazing gift. I’m thankful that more and more believers are beginning to discover that life can be Spirit-led and when it is, it is amazing. Blessings in Him.

Have you ever known or been a double-minded person? Many believers try to live with one foot in the kingdom and one foot in the world, never quite giving themselves fully to either one – obeying the commands of God that are comfortable, but participating in the values and ways of the world that satisfy the flesh. The truth is that all of us have to fight the battle against double-mindedness because the natural man (the flesh) wars against the spirit and constantly pulls us in the direction of the world while Satan provides every justification for ignoring or putting off the things of God.

King Saul is a classic study in double-mindedness. Anointed by God and made king by no effort of his own, he served God from time to time but served himself more consistently, while all the time convincing himself that he was being perfectly obedient to the God of Israel. His tendency is never more apparent than in his dealing with the Amalekites.

We are told, “Samuel said to Saul, ‘I am the one the Lord sent to anoint you king over his people Israel; so listen now to the message from the Lord. This is what the Lord Almighty says: ‘I will punish the Amalekites for what they did to Israel when they waylaid them as they came up from Egypt. Now go, attack the Amalekites and totally destroy everything that belongs to them. Do not spare them; put to death men and women, children and infants, cattle and sheep, camels and donkeys’” (1 Sam.15;1-3). Through the prophet Samuel, God gave a very clear directive to Saul. He was to be the instrument of God’s judgment on the Amalekites for their attacks on Israel. The command was to attack and leave nothing alive or standing.

We are told that Saul mustered his troops, attacked the Amalekites, and routed them. “Then Saul attacked the Amalekites all the way from Havilah to Shur, to the east of Egypt. He took Agag king of the Amalekites alive, and all his people he totally destroyed with the sword. But Saul and the army spared Agag and the best of the sheep and cattle, the fat calves and lambs—everything that was good. These they were unwilling to destroy completely, but everything that was despised and weak they totally destroyed” (1 Sam.15:7-9).

Notice that Saul did much of what God had commanded, but held back on some things that stirred the desires of their flesh. The king of Amalek, Agag, was spared. I have no doubt that Saul spared him because he too was a king (professional courtesy, so to speak) and because it made Saul feel powerful and exalted for Agag to be indebted to him. They also spared the best sheep and cattle. I sense that they thought some of those animals might end up in their pens as spoils of war. The text says that they were “unwilling” to destroy them completely, even though God had given a very clear command. They were not willing to destroy the things they desired but did destroy “everything that was despised and weak.”

In the same sense, in serving God we are often unwilling to give up the things of the world that give us pleasure, but freely give up the things we don’t particularly value. In doing so, we convince ourselves that we are obedient servants of Christ. When confronted about his disobedience, Saul was confident that he was pleasing to the Lord. But the scripture says, “Then the word of the Lord came to Samuel: ‘I am grieved that I have made Saul king, because he has turned away from me and has not carried out my instructions…When Samuel reached him, Saul said, ‘The Lord bless you! I have carried out the Lord’s instructions.’ But Samuel said, ‘What then is this bleating of sheep in my ears? What is this lowing of cattle that I hear?’ Saul answered, ‘The soldiers brought them from the Amalekites; they spared the best of the sheep and cattle to sacrifice to the Lord your God, but we totally destroyed the rest’” (1 Sam.15:10-15). Saul’s first declaration was that he had totally fulfilled God’s command. When confronted, he blamed the miscue on his soldiers but imputed “godly” motives to them. “We spared the best for sacrifice.” In other words, Saul determined to serve God in ways that might profit him and on his terms while convincing himself that he had done all that was asked.

Ultimately, God removed the kingdom from Saul and gave it to David. The idea is not that David was perfectly obedient in all he did. Bathsheba comes to mind. The difference was that David did not justify his sins, ignore them, or blame others. Whatever God called sin, David called sin. He failed to live up to those standards at times, but he didn’t dilute the standards and when he failed he took personal responsibility and felt genuine sorrow. Saul only feigned sorrow when he was caught. In fact, David was so concerned about the deceptive capacity of the flesh that he prayed, “Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting” (Ps. 139:23-24).

We all live in danger of slipping into the double-mindedness of Saul. God’s blessings are very limited in that direction and he will be able to trust us with very little because we will want to do it our way and call it good. That approach to life is also an open door for the enemy because placing ourselves, our will, and our desires ahead of God’s commands constitutes idolatry in which we give ourselves greater standing than God. Some of our personal idolatry is subtle and hard for even us to detect, but the Holy Spirit is glad to make us aware if we truly want to know. David’s prayer is a great prayer for us to offer on a regular basis. Uprooting double-mindedness in our own lives is an essential key to seeing God do great things through us. It might be a valuable joint project between us and the Holt Spirit for 2018.

To many, Holy Spirit baptism is still a mystery and to others it was an experience confined to a few years in the life of the early church that went the way of miracles and apostles at the end of the first century. Yet, Jesus made it clear that effective ministry was impossible with out it…at least the kind of ministry he came to demonstrate.

Someone once challenged the churches in America to remove anything from their weekly slate of ministry that could not be accomplished by driven, talented people without the Spirit of God and see what was missing. For many churches, nothing would be missing. The world can provide amazing music that stirs the soul through Broadway shows and even Vegas productions. Many non-Christian organizations do amazing things for the poor and third world nations that churches have yet to match. Men and women can stir people to frenzied action, to give huge sums of money, and have even moved nations to go to war with only their natural abilities of persuasion and oratory. Secular production companies such as Sesame Street can produce children’s programming that is second to none and that can generate love and loyalty for multiple generations. Secular therapists can provide counseling that enables troubled marriages to stay together and secular research is providing drug therapies that help people cop with depression and suicidal tendencies. So what is the church doing that the world cannot?

We can certainly offer Jesus and the security that comes from a knowledge that our sins are forgiven in him, but the gospels seem to promise much more. Even Pharaoh’s magicians could match the signs that Moses performed for a while, but at some point he offered signs that went far beyond what the sorcerers and tricksters could offer. In his ministry, Jesus did not offer great entertainment but offered truth that was backed up with supernatural power. He did not teach coping skills to enable people to manage their issues but instead set them free and gave them complete victory over their issues. He didn’t provide drug therapies to minimize depression and anxiety but cast out spirits of heaviness and fear. Instead of offering grief counseling, he simply raised the dead. Instead of funding a lifetime of twelve step meetings he broke the power of addiction and set men and women free. Jesus not only preached forgiveness but also healed the sick, gave sight to the blind, enabled the lame to jump, restored hearing to the deaf, cast out spirits that tormented God’s people, raised the dead, and removed the fear of death.

Is your church doing that? If not, there is a severe gap between what we are doing and what Jesus did and those who followed him did. The difference is in the baptism of the Spirit. Jesus told his followers to wait in Jerusalem until they received power from the Holy Spirit to go out and minister in his name. That power came when the Holy Spirit fell on them at Pentecost long after they had believed and submitted their hearts to Jesus.

If you carefully read the gospels and the Book of Acts you will discover three baptisms. The first occurs when the Spirit baptizes us into the body of Christ at the moment we believe. At that moment we are added to the household of God and the Spirit takes up residence within us to give us faith along with spiritual understanding and to begin conforming our character to the character of Jesus. The second baptism is baptism in water which produces a divide between our old lives and the new life we will be living in Christ. But then there is another baptism which empowers us for ministry and activates spiritual gifts that the world cannot emulate. That is the baptism or “filling” of the Spirit.

Although the gospels represent a transition period between covenants, patterns begin to be established for us that point to New Covenant realities. Jesus clearly walked with God before he was baptized by John. After all, his mother became pregnant by the power of the Spirit. And yet, at his water baptism, the Holy Spirit descended on him and remained   there in an unusual way. It was after that experience that Jesus was said to be filled with power and began to do miracles. As the little group of disciples followed Jesus they came to faith that Jesus was indeed the Messiah, the Son of God. After his resurrection there was no doubt. In John 20, the episode is described in which the twelve and a few others were gathered in a room with the doors locked when Jesus materialized in the room. He commissioned them by saying, “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.” And with that he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit” (Jn.20:21-22).

The followers of Jesus were already believers. Jesus then imparted the Spirit to them to live in them and begin his ministry of transformation. But we are told, however, that there was more. A few days later, Jesus gave another command concerning the Spirit. “On one occasion, while he was eating with them, he gave them this command: ‘Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about. For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit… But 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 1:4,8).

Although his disciples had believed and had already received the Spirit, there was yet another dimension of the Spirit they needed before they could be effective witnesses for him throughout the world. The baptism of the Spirit imparted power for ministry. It still does.

The Holy Spirit baptizes us into the body of Christ (1 Cor. 12:13). Believers baptize new believers in water. And Jesus baptizes us in the Holy Spirit. These are separate baptisms that each provide a step in our sanctification process after coming to faith. That is why the author of Hebrews writes, “Therefore let us leave the elementary teachings about Christ and go on to maturity, not laying again the foundation of repentance from acts that lead to death, and of faith in God, instruction about baptisms, the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment. And God permitting, we will do so” (Heb. 6:1-3). Notice that he speaks of instructions about baptisms (plural).

The instructions of Jesus to his followers about waiting on the baptism of the Spirit before attempting to be his witnesses throughout the world still applies to us. We can tell people about Jesus without this power but we can’t demonstrate him. We are somewhat like a vacuum cleaner salesman who comes to your home and tells you all about his amazing product but never plugs it into a power outlet to demonstrate that what he just told you is true. Some may buy the vacuum without the demonstration, but how many more would grab hold of one if they could actually see its amazing performance?

Francis MacNutt, who was ordained as a Roman Catholic priest, has ministered healing and deliverance for years on the basis of what non-Catholic friends taught him and on the basis of having been baptized in the Spirit. Speaking about Catholics and deliverance ministry (exorcism) he writes, “Perhaps this is why there is such a strong conviction in the Catholic tradition that exorcists usually get chewed up spiritually and physically in their ministry. Without a release of the Spirit’s power, we are out of our spiritual depth…I think the problem with the fearful approach to exorcism is that too much confidence is placed in the faithful recitation of the words of the formal rite. If we made sure everyone who attempted exorcism was baptized in the Spirit, the exorcists would have much less to worry about” (Francis MacNutt, Deliverance from Evil Spirits, Chosen Publishers, p.274-275). By the way, if you have questions about deliverance, I really recommend his book.

My point is that power received when we are baptized by the Spirit is still essential in demonstrating the reality of Jesus in healing, preaching, deliverance, prophecy, and so forth. Jesus clearly stated that all who had faith in him would not only do what he had been doing but would do even greater things (Jn.14:12). The promise was not just for a few or just for a few years,but for anyone and everyone who had faith in him.

I must admit that the baptism of the Holy Spirit has often been sensationalized and misunderstood. Many who begin to seek Holy Spirit baptism expect (or hope) to get thrown thirty feet across a room with feelings like electricity surging through their bodies for hours. I’m not saying that such moments don’t happen. They do. But I believe they are the exception and not the rule. Sometimes, the experience is more like being overwhelmed with joy or love or peace – which makes sense because those are fruits of the Spirit. Many say that the only evidence of being baptized in the Spirit is to speak in tongues. That is one evidence and seems to be a normative response in scripture, but scripture nowhere says that it is the definitive proof of the baptism. Scripture also suggests that prophecy or boldness in sharing the gospel are also responses to Holy Spirit baptism. However, it is always risky to judge what is happening in the spiritual realm by what we see in the natural realm. Some experience physical or emotional sensations when they are saved, but most simply take it by faith and the proof comes in a changed life. Baptism in the Spirit can be the same.

What we do know is that Jesus baptizes with the Spirit and that the Spirit subsequently empowers us for ministry in ways that cannot be duplicated by those operating in their own strength and natural talents. We know that in the heavenly realm, we receive things by faith and not by sight. Therefore, we simply need to ask and believe that Jesus will baptize us. Sometimes we receive it through others laying hands on us and sometimes it comes directly. We may experience something immediately that we believe is evidence of our “baptism,” but we may not. The proof of the pudding is in ministry and boldness and, I believe, a hunger to begin to function in certain gifts. Even after baptism in the Spirit, many gifts will need to be developed rather than suddenly operating in a fully developed mode.

In addition, if you read carefully through Acts, you will see that even after initial baptism in the Spirit there are subsequent “fillings or refillings” by the Spirit. The proof is in effectiveness. Jesus said that the power was given for becoming a more effective witness for him. If we are becoming more effective in our ministries and witness, then there is the evidence and that should also be our motive for asking. Every believer should ask for Jesus to baptize them in the Spirit. He is certainly willing. If you want Spirit-filled people to lay hands on you and pray with you for the baptism, that is fine. The main thing is your desire and your motive. Ask and expect Jesus to keep his promise and then expect to minister in ways you have not known before.

Therefore let us leave the elementary teachings about Christ and go on to maturity, not laying again the foundation of repentance from acts that lead to death, and of faith in God, instruction about baptisms, the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment. Hebrews 6:1-2

I have always found this section of Hebrews to be interesting and instructive. The writer seems to provide a list of foundational teachings in the early church that he considered essential but elementary. Most churches teach these topics over and over as if these doctrines constitute spiritual maturity but the writer of Hebrews would disagree with that. There are two things in this list that should raise an eyebrow for most evangelical Christians in America: instruction about baptisms and the laying on of hands.

Most churches in western Europe and the U.S. teach a great deal about baptism but not baptisms (plural). Hardly any church teaches anything about the laying on of hands although in the Hebrew letter that doctrine carries as much weight as repentance, faith, baptism and end times (resurrection and judgment). Since these are foundational principles of the church, when these are neglected the church is built on an inadequate foundation and the body suffers as a result.

There are several views of the idea of baptisms but, whatever the view, they should include water baptism which Jesus modeled himself at the hands of John the Baptist and Holy Spirit baptism which Jesus himself promised and delivered after his own resurrection. Just about every denomination practices water baptism in some form. Most believe it is an outward expression of an internal faith and symbolizes cleansing, being born again, death to our old selves, and resurrection to a new life.   It is also serves as a public confession of our faith in Jesus. Through our faith and confession we are granted forgiveness of sins and receive the Holy Spirit to live within us. The primary purpose of the Spirit living within us is transformation. He gives life to our spirits, gives us understanding of spiritual truth, and changes our character and thought processes by bearing his fruit in our lives. All of that is amazing and if that were all we received from the Spirit it would be enough.

However, both John and Jesus spoke of another baptism and commanded his followers to wait in Jerusalem, after his ascension to the Father, until they received power from on high as they were baptized in the Spirit on Pentecost. That power was to equip them for ministry, to do the things that Jesus did to demonstrate the Kingdom of God, and to overcome the power of the enemy. The followers of Jesus were commanded to preach the gospel, heal the sick, cleanse lepers, cast out demons and raise the dead. In addition, Jesus made it clear that he had come to heal broken hearts and set captives free. The gifts of the Spirit have been given to the church to do all that. That flows from an experience the gospels called being baptized in or by the Spirit and was a separate experience from salvation. In John 20:22, we are told that after his resurrection, Jesus breathed on his disciples and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit.” At that moment the Spirit took up residence within the disciples but afterwards that Jesus told them not to leave Jerusalem until they received power from the Spirit which he said was the baptism that John the baptizer had spoken about.

The church universally practices water baptism but the majority have yet to receive power from another baptism in the Holy Spirit. Because of that, the church is effective at dispensing grace and leading people to initial salvation, but is much less effective at operating in power, healing the sick, setting people free from demonic affliction, prophesying, and demonstrating the Kingdom on earth. Yet, the early church thought that the teaching and practice of baptisms was essential.

The second gaping hole in the practice of most churches is the practice of the laying on of hands. Laying hands on others is typically related to two things: the impartation of spiritual gifts and the power that goes with those gifts and commissioning believers for specific tasks and offices. In that regard, the laying on of hands demonstrates a transfer of authority.

In regard to impartation, several verses give us the flavor of that operation. Paul wrote, “Do not neglect your gift, which was given you through a prophetic message when the body of elders laid their hands on you” (1 Tim.4:14). In this verse, Paul is telling Timothy to exercise some spiritual gift that had been imparted to him through a prophetic message as elders had laid hands on him. My sense in this passage is that elders were commissioning Timothy as an evangelist for the church and as a prophetic word was being spoken over him regarding his ministry, the Holy Spirit released a spiritual gift in him that was necessary for his ministry. Where there is an appointing there is an anointing. In this case, the Holy Spirit had directed elders to commission Timothy and then equipped him for the task. In 2 Timothy 1:6, Paul exhorts Timothy to fan into flame a second gift that Paul had imparted to him by the laying on his hands. In the book of Acts we are told, “When Paul placed his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they spoke in tongues and prophesied. There were about twelve men in all” (Acts 19:6-7).

There are numerous other scriptures, but it is clear that God and the Holy Spirit often operate through leaders in the church not just directly. When appointed and anointed leaders sense that God wants a person to receive a spiritual gift, God often prompts leaders to lay hands on that person. As they do, there is an impartation or a passing of both power and authority. We are also told in another place, “While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, ‘Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.’ So after they had fasted and prayed, they placed their hands on them and sent them off” (Acts 13:2-3).

Someone might argue that laying hands on others is purely symbolic and cultural, but the writer of Hebrews saw it as a foundational practice of the church. The Kingdom of Heaven operates through lines of spiritual authority. The laying on of hands is an expression of that. In 1 Timothy 5:22, Paul warned Timothy not to be hasty in the laying on of hands. In other words, the impartation of power and authority is a real thing so that you do not want to impart gifs or power that to a person or commission a person prematurely. When spiritual gifts run ahead of character and authority runs ahead of maturity a train wreck can be in the making.

Both of these practices – Holy Spirit baptism and the laying on of hands – were foundational to the early church. They were also ways of receiving and distributing power and authority in the church and maintaining lines of spiritual authority so that the faith could be guarded and transmitted. We sometimes cringe at the idea of anyone having authority over us. Certainly, spiritual authority can be abused but so can a lack of accountability. Spiritual authority is a very biblical principle and I believe the axiom is true that to have authority, you must be under authority. Any reading of the New Testament and, especially, the Book of Acts testifies to the fact that God desires to empower his church with supernatural power because the kingdom is not a matter of talk but of power (1 Cor. 4:20). However, the power that God intended to bestow on his church will continue to be limited until these “elementary” practices are renewed universally. Just reflecting on these few verses today.

I live in a world where spiritual warfare is considered a normative part of the Christian life. I believe that is a very biblical perspective. After all, Paul clearly believed that our struggle is push back against the reign of God. He also believed in divine weapons that were essentially not against flesh and blood but against spiritual powers and principalities that different from the weapons of the world and that are laced with supernatural power.

Because of that reality, the church was granted gifts that display power in the spiritual realm – gifts of healing, prophecy, words of knowledge, miracles, and so forth that have the capacity to dismiss demons, declare God’s will and authority over situations, heal the sick, and even raise the dead.

All of these gifts and the authority that goes with them are amazing and – let’s say it – they are fun and exciting. They get the adrenalin pumping and open our eyes to a realm we can typically only see by faith. Once you experience these gifts you become hungry for more because they display the heart and power of God. Suddenly we are drawn to books and conferences that promise growth in these gifts and areas of spiritual warfare – prophecy, healing, deliverance, hearing God, baptism in the Spirit, and so forth. I’m all for these conferences and I will certainly attend some. However, I have also noticed that in the rush to grow in the gifts and experience more, we sometimes neglect the essentials that actually support and nurture the gifts.

One of those areas is the essential practice of prayer and spending extended times with the Father. Maybe this is my personal struggle but I find that pursuing the gifts is exhilarating as well as getting in the trenches with deliverance and praying for healing. But those are also sporadic. Like football, the intensity of game time comes around once a week. It’s fun. It’s intense. It produces great stories and we get to see God do his stuff. The practice that prepares us for the game is daily and sometimes tedious. It doesn’t get the hype of the game but without practice, games are lost.

Our American lifestyles compete with this need to spend time with God because our lifestyles are comprised of getting up early to begin our ridiculously busy schedules and going all day until we fall into bed. We try to pray on the run. We listen to a sermon in rush hour traffic. We grab a YouTube sermon somewhere and hope that we are somehow spiritually nourished. The truth is that to be filled with the Spirit and operating in “the gifts” as we want to requires more. Great athletes don’t train on fast food. They are intentional and consistent with their diets and exercise. Fast food is okay once in a while, but if that is the norm, their performance will suffer. No gold medalist that I know of trains exclusively on Big Macs.

Somehow, in the midst of our busy-ness, we must find consistent time with God in prayer and meditation on his Word. These are the essentials that support game days. I’ve always been amazed at Jesus. He had only three years to save the world – three years to demonstrate his credentials as Son of God, to establish his mission, and to train those who would carry out his mission after his departure. Preaching, healing, training, confronting. Day after day that was his schedule and he had to do it all through personal appearances. The future of the world hung on those three years and yet he never seemed hurried or frantic. He found time for it all and found time for private, extended periods with the Father. He found time for it all because he first found time for the Father. We all want to be Spirit-filled, but we get filled by spending time Him. We all want to be empowered, but we receive power by spending time with Him as well. We all want to hear God more clearly but we learn that by spending extended, consistent time with him in prayer, meditation, and listening.

Bill Hybels wrote a book a few years go entitled Too Busy Not to Pray. It’s a good read but his point was that we often forgo prayer because we think we have too much to get done and yet, when we do take time to pray, God orders our days so that we get much more done. He makes the case that the busier your are, the more imperative it is to take an hour with the Father or you will never get it done and your stress levels will stay redlined. I have found that to be true.

So…while we are chasing a greater anointing in the Spirit and while we are basking in the glow of supernatural breakthroughs, we need to maintain the essential practices that got us there in the first place. We need to discipline ourselves to the relationship and not just the bi-products of the relationship. Renee York, the wife of our former senior pastor at Mid-Cities and a friend of mine, once summed up our prevailing attitude in the church. We were talking about prophetic gifts and growing in those and she said, “Hey, I don’t want to have to work for this, I just want an impartation.” We laughed, but underneath it all, I think we all want that. That’s why conferences that offer impartations do so well. The problem with an impartation is that I may get the gift before I have the relationship to sustain it.

We all look forward to game days, but without practicing the essentials on a day-to-day basis, we will fall short in the heat of competition. We will not have the strength or the stamina to finish the game nor the instincts to defeat the opposition unless we have done the homework. I’m writing this as much as a reminder to me as for anyone else, but in case you have slipped into the mode of pursuing the gifts more than the giver, I just wanted to remind us all. Without constant contact with the giver of the gifts, these gifts will fade or morph into something unintended. So…be blessed and find the time.