Christenings and baby dedications are generally done as a substitute for full immersion infant water baptism. The general notion is that because infants have not yet committed sin, and will not be held guilty of sin until after age twelve, they do not yet need to be washed by the blood of Jesus. While this is true, the immersion of infants in the waters of baptism cleanses them not from sins that they have committed, but rather, from the sins of their ancestors.
Every cell in our body, including the reproductive cells, carries in its nucleus a memory of the past. That memory includes every sin that was ever committed by each person in the ancestral lineage. Thus, the infant is born with thousands of years of history recorded in its genes. When that infant is baptized by full immersion, the historical record is erased in regard to sin. The infant may not be guilty of the sins of its ancestors, but the record of those sins exerts a powerful influence as the child grows and he may unwittingly commit some of the same sins that his ancestors had committed. Baptism by full immersion frees him or her from that compulsion. Of course, even if the parents choose not to baptize the infant by full immersion, at the very least, the christening or dedication must include giving the infant the indwelling Holy Spirit in order to mark him or her as a legitimate child of God. In fact, the indwelling Holy Spirit can be given to a child even after the christening or dedication ceremony.
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When the going gets tough, the cheaters start cheating, and the righteous begin to pray.
Charity is an essential characteristic for anyone who desires to be part of God's kingdom. Charity is not donating millions of hard-earned dollars to an organization that will spend 80% of it on administrative costs. Biblical charity is giving a glass of water to a thirsty individual; promoting an employee who is hard working, a single parent and needs additional income; purchasing a new home for a family whose home was fire bombed; or paying tuition for a child whose father was killed. If everyone practiced this form of biblical charity, the world in which we live would be unrecognizable.
Where will you spend eternity, and where will you spend the next one thousand years. The question must be asked despite the fact that it often provokes debate about the propriety of discussing religion and religious preferences. Religion as a topic of conversation is off limits even for those who regularly attend religious services and religious activities. Priests and pastors also loathe discussions of religion unless they are on the pulpit, at a conference, or at a meeting.
When the shofar is sounded and the last trumpet is blown, that will signal the end of the church age. All churches will close their doors forever. They may not want to do so, but the antichrist will ensure that they are rendered obsolete. Christian clubs on college campuses already are being rendered obsolete and it is only a matter of time before the same fate befalls churches. After the churches have closed their doors, the next target will be synagogues, mosques, and other religious entities. It may seem incredulous that there would be a time when churches and other religious institutions no longer exist. As of now, they are flourishing on virtually every street corner in Manhattan. However, the process of shuttering every church can happen in as little as four months. The determining factor as to the speed of closure would be whether it is pursuant to U.S. federal law, international law, or state law, and the reason that the law was deemed necessary for the protection of U.S. citizens or international human rights. A system deemed dangerous to society would be hastily dismantled. Having had the experience of attempting to elucidate Christian doctrine for non-Christians as well as for the throngs of Christians who remain confused about the doctrine of redemption, I am very familiar with the danger that churches can pose. Giving the Holy Spirit to someone or directing them on properly receiving the Holy Spirit is a very simple matter that takes less than two minutes. Any confusion they may have regarding doctrine would quickly disappear if they allowed themselves to be led and guided by the Holy Spirit Yet, every Sunday churches throughout the nation and throughout the world continue to make altar calls during which at least a couple hundred thousand people approach the altar ostensibly to give their lives to Christ, but walk away having been deceived into thinking that the Holy Spirit of God now dwells in their heart. Some churches do this as a custom without understanding that they can see the light of the Holy Spirit in the heart. Others simply refuse to alter the status quo and prefer to engage in deception. Still other churches continue to baptize infants and adults and announce that they now have at their disposal the power of the indwelling Holy Spirit, despite evidence to the contrary. When we all know that it is the indwelling Holy Spirit that identifies a person as a child of God, such deception can only be labeled heresy. Although the antichrist's reasons for wanting to dissolve religious entities, and especially churches, differ from the above list of issues, how a change in the status quo is achieved is generally irrelevant. When Godly change is necessary, it either can happen seamlessly, or as a result of Satanic opposition. Furthermore, religious leaders, especially Christians, are well aware that while God is patient and long suffering, he always must balance the status quo against the consequences of failing to change course, and failing to heed the cries from the status quo's victims. The soul of each person who spent a majority of their life faithfully serving God in a religious setting cries out to him when they cross over into the spirit realm and learn that their soul was never cleansed, and the Holy Spirit does not know them. Being known by the Holy Spirit is as essential as being known by one's purported husband or wife. If they claim not to know you, it means that you probably have never even spoken to them. All of the reasons that have been offered for the churches' failure to act in response to repeated prodding pale in comparison to the human toll. No one should have to escape through the fire if all they needed was a mark of the Holy Spirit on their soul to grant them access to a peaceful eternity. Moreover, no child of God should have to sit in front of an open door to hell, dreading the irony that despite having lived a relatively decent life, he must spend an eternity with Satan and his demons. At the very least, he should expect to be rewarded for his decency. So, if any of this concerns you, get filled today with God's Holy Spirit. One of the most egregious violations of spiritual law is failing to do unto others what you would want done to you, or doing to others what you would not want done to you.
Luke 10:38-42 contains a story that describes two sisters' interaction with Jesus. One sister named Mary sat at Jesus' feet and was focused only on hearing from God and on gaining wisdom. The other sister named Martha was focused primarily on cleaning the house and preparing the meals so that Jesus would feel welcomed. Mary understood the urgency of the times and the need for her to become wiser in the things of God, but Martha was more focused on the physical issues.
While God cherishes a heart that wants to have a beautiful home or sanctuary in which to welcome him, he is much more concerned with us having a clean heart and a pure mind. Of course, he wants us to have a beautiful, welcoming home or sanctuary, but not at the expense of our spirituality and growth. When God has given every indication that he wants to speak to us, we must demonstrate the eagerness and willingness to listen that Mary exhibited, set aside our personal and congregational agendas, and simply listen. There can be nothing more important or more urgent than seeking God's guidance during this time of global turmoil. When our agendas occupy 80% of our time, it is a sign that we are merely marking time and are not moving forward and growing spiritually as we are required to do. It also is a sign that we are more concerned with meetings and personal plans than with preparing for the kingdom of God. God is chagrined that his people are making the same mistake that was made 2,000 years ago when the Jews ignored the message of redemption and were more concerned with maintaining the status quo. The status quo has brought us to this point of global turmoil. If we insist on continuing the status quo, the turmoil will increase, perhaps exponentially in the days ahead. Imagine what our world would become if the wars, the refugee crises, the mass murders, the suicide bombings, the earthquakes, and the political turmoil all increased exponentially. Imagine also the human toll, and the emotional havoc that will be wreaked. Imagine further the economic ruin that will befall countries and cities that are forced to deal with the exponential increases. The God of Creation has pledged to establish a kingdom that will never be destroyed. He will have in his kingdom individuals who believed the promise, prepared their hearts, and lived into their spiritual purpose. Living into your spiritual purpose is essential to establishing your role in the kingdom of God. If you fail to prepare and to build your part of the kingdom, you will have no role in the kingdom (Matthew 25:14-30). Building your part of the kingdom may be as simple as donating some furniture to a hospital or to a family in need, or it may be as complex as Paul's mission. When you have the indwelling Holy Spirit, he will direct you as to your mission and purpose. God's kingdom will include as its members individuals who never attended church, but nonetheless made a decision to surrender to God, as well as devout Christians who attended every church service. The key distinguishing factor will be that they all lived into their purpose by the power of the indwelling Holy Spirit of God. They also will all have been baptized by full immersion in water. When the Lord God gave Saul of Tarsus the new name "Paul" (the Roman derivative of Saul) it was because he wanted him to forge a new path through establishing Christianity and the message of redemption among the Gentiles. Paul was required to do what no one had previously done, and what no one had dared to do. With the full authority of God, he turned his world upside down.
If God has renamed you "Paul" in preparation for his kingdom, it means that he has appointed you to a high calling, one that requires you to forge a new path forward into unchartered territory. You cannot wait for God's instructions on how to move forward. You must simply move innovatively toward the goal he has set for you, applying creative solutions to the earth's problems as they are encountered. When you feel blocked or stopped, he will show you how to move forward, with the guidance of the Holy Spirit. When you feel weak or tired, he will lift you up out of the miry pit. And when all has been said and done, the victory will be yours, the reward will be yours, but the glory will be his. Having a goal is not unlike being a lifeguard at a beach. You must remain in a constant state of watchfulness to ensure that you do anything and everything necessary to achieve the goal or to protect the lives of those whose lives have been entrusted to you. Although the two scenarios are very different, they remain alike in three specific ways.
First, they require that the lifeguard or the goal setter have an elevated viewpoint. Just as lifeguards generally are seated in a high chair, goals generally aim toward a higher purpose. Second, they require that both the lifeguard and the goal setter be flexible. Flexibility in goal setting is necessary because goals rarely materialize in the manner in which they were planned. Similarly, lifeguards never know when an unsuspecting person will cry for help or the type of help they will need. Third, and most important, is that lifeguards and goal setters must be fully human. Non-humans, and especially demonic beings have no capacity to set goals, and also don't need to establish goals. They merely implement Satan's goals. Thus, goal setters are always human. In addition, lifeguards must be human because demonic beings, even when they have human bodies, and appear to be human, cannot float in water. They always will sink to the bottom. They also cannot be resuscitated. When God answers your fervent prayers, you should thank him with the same degree of fervor. A fervent thank you sets the stage for the next fervent prayer, and empowers you with the fuel of gratitude.
The most important human characteristic that determines whether or not you will survive adversarial conditions is a heart full of love. A heart that loves always will endure because love always protects, always trusts, always hopes, and always perseveres. Love never fails.
When all has been said and done, the Lord God Almighty will reign, his Kingdom will be eternal, and man himself will be eternal, and everything the Lord has stated in his Word will have come to pass. Amen.
Israel during the time of Nebuchadnezzar had one major desire and that was the desire to be free. They daily cried out to God asking him to release them from Babylonian enslavement, and they longed to be back in their homeland. Today, individuals pray just as fervently, but the difference is that they are not connecting with God or with his Holy Spirit.
When Israel prayed during the time of Nebuchadnezzar, there was no interception of their prayers. Israel as a nation had the covering of the Holy Spirit of God who ensured that every prayer they prayed was submitted directly to God. In sharp contrast, today the relationship with the Holy Spirit of God is muted at best, but largely non-existent. The Holy Spirit of God must be in you and must be acknowledged in order for him to be of benefit to you. When the covering of the Holy Spirit is over a nation, its spiritual and religious leaders bear responsibility for ensuring that the covering remains intact. For the past two thousand years we have lived in a time when God has sought to pour out his Holy Spirit individually on all people. While the religious leaders can seek to ensure that the spiritual covering is intact, ultimately, each person bears individual responsibility for maintaining the connection with the Holy Spirit of God for themselves and for their minor children. The problem of connecting with God is compounded by the fact that certain individuals who have the indwelling Holy Spirit are in fact aligned with Satan. Thus, Satan not only has authority to block every prayer that is prayed by someone who does not have the indwelling Holy Spirit, but also, he gains added power from these individuals. Human beings have unlimited power and authority, especially when connected to God's Holy Spirit. Everyone with access to the Holy Spirit of God has access to the unlimited power and authority of God. If they misuse that authority and give their power to Satan, the result can be catastrophic. It is equivalent to a government official committing treason. When the covering of the Holy Spirit was over the nation of Israel, they often acted quickly to excommunicate anyone who dared to violate God's commands. When the nation as a whole went astray and violated God's commands, their intense suffering and persecution as a nation eventually motivated them to repent. It is for that reason that the Holy Spirit of God will be blocked from entering certain individuals who refuse to align with the purposes of God and deliberately continue to perpetuate evil practices (Acts 8:9-25). The Holy Spirit of God indwells individuals when they request him to do so for the specific purpose of teaching them how to align with spiritual truth. Spiritual truth is that which allows the universe to function. If instead they are seeking to destroy what spiritual truth would have them build, they have created an inherent conflict of interest. One cannot align with spiritual truth yet do what is destructive to that truth. Alignment with truth requires that we uplift and embrace every aspect of that truth. If you choose to follow the dictates of a Shaman while ignoring the advice and counsel of the Holy Spirit of God, you should know that you are not being led toward heaven or toward the Kingdom of God.
Baking a cupcake can be as simple as pouring cake batter into cupcake holders. The same batter thus can be used to bake a large, decorated birthday cake, a three-tier wedding cake, or a tiny cupcake. The same is true of the Holy Spirit who indwells various sizes and shapes of human receptacles, who possess varying degrees of creativity. Some use him to bake the equivalent of a tiny cupcake, others use him to create the equivalent of a decorated birthday cake, and still others reach to the height and depth of their power and creativity, and create the equivalent of a three, four or five-tier wedding cake.
The Scriptures state that nothing is impossible with God. The only limitations to what the Holy Spirit can accomplish are in our faith, in our imagination, and in our level of creativity. Identify one of the most cherished desires of your heart. Ask the indwelling Holy Spirit to show you how to fulfill that desire if it is in accordance with the will of God. Pray in the language of the Holy Spirit until you are confident that the Holy Spirit of God can show you, step by step, precisely what you need to say and do, and how you need to think in order to fulfill that desire of your heart. Some time ago, I wrote about elevator speeches and the requirement that they be rehearsed. What I did not mention is that they also need to emanate from the heart. If an elevator speech does not connect with the core of who you are, it rarely is effective. If you have in your heart the indwelling Holy Spirit of God, ask him to dictate to you an elevator speech that you can use in your business or profession. It will probably be the best and most effective elevator speech you have ever written. Others are likely to view it as one of the best elevator speeches they have ever heard.
When everything you wanted and needed has been provided without question, and continues to be provided without question, you know that you are dealing with the devil. God always ensures that whatever he gives to you always will be capable of keeping you pointed toward heaven. If something you need or desire has the potential to derail your spiritual walk, God will withhold it for your protection.
Mentally, human beings have two things in common with apes--they are both stubborn, and they are both cruel.
The Lord God Almighty reigns when the world recognizes that everything they have been told about him is subject to question, and that they will need to get to know him on their own in order to determine the truth or falsehood of the various pieces of information that have been circulated about him during their lifetime. The best methodology for getting to know someone is speaking with them on a regular basis, sharing information about yourself, and asking questions about them. Do the same with God by first inviting his Holy Spirit to dwell in your heart. When his Holy Spirit dwells in your heart, you can speak with him all day long, sharing information, asking questions, and receiving advice and guidance.
Many of us have been victims of the most vile forms of gossip and slander. If we were to listen to some of the interactions, we might think that the individuals involved were discussing an entirely different person because the information being exchanged is so far removed from who we are. The worst thing about slander is that some people choose to believe it and to act on it without ever asking you to confirm or deny the vicious allegations. The same is done in our relationship with God. We maintain a long list of all of the evils he is purported to have visited on various individuals or groups during the past centuries, without ever taking the time to decipher truth from falsehood. Choose, today, to discover and believe only what is true about God. Wellness, like fitness, is a word that is relatively new to english vernacular. It embodies the concept of health in every aspect of our being. One may be in good health physically and still not be at the epitome of wellness. However, reaching that epitome of wellness begins with a foundation of physical health. When you are healthy physically, you have the energy and the motivation to strive to achieve emotional health, as well as spiritual health.
Wellness as concept is virtually unattainable unless you reach for a place beyond your current existence. Wellness is not attainable for someone confined to the earth's ether. Only be reaching into heaven's ether can you arrive at the point at which it becomes attainable. Yet, one cannot simply reach into heaven's ether, one also must be anchored there. Only the Messiah can cleanse us so as to remove the obstacles that would prevent us from anchoring securely to heaven's ether. We anchor to heaven's ether not by placing something of ourselves in heaven, but rather, by placing something of heaven in us. When a part of heaven is anchored to us, not only is the anchor infinitely more secure, but also, we are drawn relentlessly into a higher dimension of existence. We begin to vibrate at the higher energy levels of heaven, and we are drawn into the plane where wellness becomes attainable. Ask God now to anchor you to heaven's ether by placing his indwelling Holy Spirit in your heart. You will be on your way to achieving wellness. Naming a child is probably the parents' first real joy after experiencing the birth. They want a name that seems to match the child's personality, as well as their hopes and dreams for who the child will become. Each time they call the name in the years to come, they will be reminded of their hopes, dreams and expectations for the child, while subtly laying the foundation for his or her future. The child is likely to live up to the name and to the expectations that accompany it, and his or her life becomes a manifestation of those expectations. Essentially, they eventually embody the name.
When God gives someone a new name, the reasons are very different. He looks to see who you are, and gives you a name that matches the present you. When God gave me the name Rebekah Isaac, it was because he saw that I had the fortitude, resilience, and commitment to truth of both Isaac and Rebekah combined. He saw that I had embodied the names even before he had given them to me (see Genesis 24; Genesis 22). He saw in me a reaching toward the stars that was relentless. Each person who serves in the millennial Kingdom of God will be given a new name. It will be a name that befits who you are, and most importantly, it will be a name that you love. You will want your name to encircle and embrace the earth many times over. You will want it to bathe the earth with kindness and compassion. You will want it to say to every person who hears it, "God loves you with an undying love." Humility is knowing and recognizing that those who cannot see what will occur in the next ten seconds should not try to take responsibility for planning the next ten hours, the next ten days, or the next ten years. When you know that your vision is limited, it becomes easy to embrace the indwelling Holy Spirit of God as your guide and protector. The Holy Spirit of God can see into all eternities, past and present.
God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble. Pride is one of the most destructive of sins because it causes spiritual blindness. One becomes incapable of seeing God or the things of God when pride is prevalent. Being proud of a well-behaved child is very different from spiritual pride. Spiritual pride is a refusal to substitute your opinion or your judgment for God's opinion and God's judgment. When spiritual pride is present, the mind is controlled by Satan who causes the person to believe that they are in control and that they are making the necessary decisions.
Traversing the distance from pride to humility may seem to be the equivalent of going from one side of the Grand Canyon, USA to the other. It also can be treacherous at times, but at the end of the journey, every willing traveler reaps enormous benefits. A spiritually humble person never makes important decisions with their mind. They always seek the guidance of the indwelling Holy Spirit by listening to their heart where the Holy Spirit dwells. If your heart seems to be silent, block your ears and listen intently to your heart, or focus on the solar plexus at the center of your chest. If you still cannot hear the Holy Spirit speak to you in your native language, it may mean that you do not have the indwelling Holy Spirit. Ask the Holy Spirit to come into your heart, and prepare to be guided. Waking up after a long, restful sleep is preferable to waking up after a short nap. A restful sleep enables the body to heal and repair itself, whereas a short nap gives a brief respite to the brain. When the only part of the body that is being rested and repaired is the brain, the remainder of the body begins a slow decline. That is not true, however, if someone is sealed with the Holy Spirit of God. For a sealed person, the lack of sleep is invigorating to the brain, as well as to the spiritual and physical body.
When the brain is sealed, it releases different types of chemicals than an unsealed brain. These chemicals need to be used, and can only be used if the brain is active and engaged. If a sealed person sleeps for long hours each day, these chemicals are not used efficiently, and the brain becomes lethargic. Although the individual may think that they need sleep, the opposite is true. Thus, a sealed person operates at the height of their brain power if they sleep at most two hours each day during the two years after being sealed. Subsequent to that time, their sleep pattern can become normalized. Nature conspires with the Holy Spirit of God in order to ensure that the sealed men and women of God get as little sleep as possible in the first two years after being sealed. The absence of sleep may be a source of frustration, anger or envy, until they begin to realize that they are able to function as though they had had a full night's sleep. At the completion of the two-year cycle, everything the brain needs for long-term survival has been implemented. In order to survive long-term, a brain needs to become plasticized so that it is absolutely impervious to foreign substances. It also needs to become more rubbery and malleable. The released chemicals play a critical role in this transformative process. When the sealed brain has been fully transformed, only then can the person's spirit be awakened to the Supreme Holy Spirit of God. The Supreme Holy Spirit of God is the Spirit of El Shaddai, the Ruler of all the universes. The Holy Spirit of God is the Spirit of El Elohim, the Creator of our universe. When your spirit has been awakened to the Supreme Holy Spirit of God, it is a sign that you have become one with God. And when your spirit has been awakened to the Supreme Holy Spirit of God, it also is a sign that you have become one with the universe. When you are one with God and one with the universe, you are one with all universes. You are one in that you think, act, and speak like God--you do and say only what God would do and say. Your spirit and your ego are in full and complete submission to God when you are one with Him. He can speak through you, knowing that there would be absolutely no contamination of His message to His people. Having the indwelling Holy Spirit of God and being fully surrendered to God is just the beginning of the Christian walk, or the walk as a disciple of Jesus. The work begins in earnest when you make a decision to fully and completely surrender to God. The image of our surrender grows in complexity as God begins to reveal to us all of the areas of our life and the nuances of our existence that have not been surrendered to him. Therefore, the months and years subsequent to the initial decision to surrender to God should be a time of explosive spiritual growth, because each level of growth brings with it an awakening as to the other areas of our spiritual walk that require transformation.
The Scriptures state in 2 Peter 1:5-8 that you should "make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self control; and to self control, godliness; and to godliness, mutual affection (kindness); and to mutual affection, love. For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ." If your church or congregation is not experiencing explosive growth spiritually and numerically, it is a sign that the members are not actively seeking to grow in the listed qualities. Wanting to know God and wanting to be known by God are two very different things. Many of us desire to know and understand the things of God, but few of us desire to be known by God. The notion of being known by God generates varying degrees of feelings and emotions. We can experience fear, trepidation, anxiety, guilt and other emotions when we contemplate being known by God. But God is not interested in knowing our sinful nature and all the actions and thoughts that generate feelings of guilt and anxiety. God wants to know the new you. He wants to know the person who has successfully crucified their sinful nature, and has been resurrected to a new life in Christ.
As the apostle Paul stated in Galatians 2:20, we also should be able to say: "I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me." When your relationship with God encompasses your new resurrected self, there is no anxiety, no guilt and no trepidation because the new you is as spotless as the Son of God, our Messiah and King. Prior to engaging in any prayer or communications with God, you first should confess and repent of all sin and transgression, and quickly forgive those who need your forgiveness. Only then can you approach the throne of God with boldness and confidence, and in humility, wanting to know and be known by God. |
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