One On One #18

    Too many believers are trying to live by the Law and not by grace. Jesus taught His followers in Matt.5:17(Amp) saying, "Do not think that I have come to do away with or undo the Law of the prophets. I have come not to do away with or undo it but to complete and fulfill them." If you are in Christ Jesus, then in Him you have already fulfilled and completed the Law and the prophets. We are accounted as having done nothing against the Commandments of God, by Grace. Through Jesus, we're accounted as sinless and worthy of the entire Blessing of Abraham.

    Under the new covenant, we are the Blessed of the Lord by Christ Jesus. When we partake the Bread at the communion table, we now see that Jesus' body was broken and by it we are made whole. When we see the cup of the covenant, we're to see His Blood poured out for our healing and our wholeness as one body, the Body of Christ. Is.53 tells us how "Jesus bore all of our pain, punishment, chastisement, and the Curse on the cross." In Is.54 we see where God has said that Jesus' Sacrifice on the cross would remove all of God's wrath and rebuke from us forever. God said that this would be like "the waters of Noah," and He will never again do these things to us. Adam's transgression in the Garden brought spiritual separation from God. Jesus' Spiritual separation and His death on the cross and Resurrection made us new and born again from death. Now we have new Life with Jesus and the Father, as His Own family again.

    We now live our lives before God as if sin never has been. We remember the Blood that gives Life and healing to our natural bodies, until we receive our new body at the Resurrection. Gen.6:3(Amp) says, "Then the Lord said, My Spirit will not forever dwell and strive with man, for he also is flesh, but his days shall yet be 120 years."

    Under our new covenant, we have the Life of God living in our spirit and we have the Blood o Jesus to give Life to our flesh. This Promise is to all who will accept it and live by God's Word of Love. His Grace is more than enough and His Life within us by Jesus' Blood is more than enough. Lev.17:11-14(Amp) says, "The life of all flesh is in the blood." We now have the Blood of Jesus on the Mercy Seat in the Holy of Holies. It speaks on our behalf with health, healing and life for our natural bodies.

    Do Christians still get sick and even die, like non-Christians do? Yes, but it's mostly because we don't know or understand what the communion table is about. Paul wrote in 1Cor.11:30(Amp) "This is why some are sick, some are weak, and many have fallen asleep in death, because we didn't understand and judge by the cross our deliverance." 

    God made the way for us to live free and He doesn't get angry and punish us even when we miss it. His Grace and Mercy will always be available and ready every time we "come boldly to the Throne o Grace to receive Grace and Mercy in our time of need." We're like children who are still learning and growing in His Grace. We still make mistakes that only the Cross could remove. God's Grace is always there to help, according to 1John1:7(Amp) which says, "But if we are really living and walking in the Light, as He Himself is in the Light, we have true unbroken fellowship with one another and the Blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleansed us from sin in all its forms and understandings."

     "Walking in the Light as He is the Light, means we're learning and doing as God's Word of Light and the Love commandment instructs. We're to learn how to walk out God's Love walk, which is the Light as He is in the Light. Jesus' Blood will keep us out of and from everything else that the Light hasn't yet revealed to us. Ps.119:130(Amp) says, "The entrance and unfolding of Your Word gives Light, their unfolding gives understanding, and comprehension to the simple." We're children of God through Jesus and our new birth. We have only two commandments to follow. We're to love the Lord our God and love our neighbors as we love ourselves. Jesus said that everything else hinges on these two commandments. 1John1:7(Amp) tells us that even when we sin, "Confession and changing will restore fellowship with one another, and the Blood will still keep us and set us free."

    We're to practice the Love walk and everything else, from the Blessing and healing, will work in that Light. It will even prolong our days on this earth, if we want to live 120 years. I believe Jesus will be back way before that, but if not, we still have work to do down here.

One On One #17I

    Healing , the Blood and the Curse of the Law. How are these things tied together in our new covenant? We've heard about the Blood of Jesus and we've heard about our redemption, but what does this all mean to me in my personal walk with the Lord? 

    Lev.17:14(Amp) tells us, "As for the life of all flesh, the blood of it represents the life of it." The life of a lamb and the blood of it, could be received for the life of a man and cover him from death or the Curse of the Law, under the old covenant.  In the new covenant, Jesus' Blood and Sacrifice is received by the Father and not only covers but eradicates the Curse and its many applications on our behalf.

    The Spirit and its separation from the Father at Calvary, gave us Eternal Life and a new birth from death unto Life in Jesus. Our mortal bodies are still left vulnerable to the effects of the Curse. In Deut.28:15(Amp) God tells those in the old covenant, "Bu t if you will not obey the Voice of the Lord your God, being watchful to do all His commandments and statutes which I command you this day, then all these curses shall come upon you and overtake you." The rest of the chapter, is about how God will curse them. If the people violated God Laws, then the penalties would bring separation from the Blessing.

    Jesus said in Matt.5:16-17(Amp), "Do not think that I have come to do away with or undo the Law of the prophets; I have not come to do away with or undo but to complete and fulfill them. For truly I tell you, until the sky and the earth pass away and and perish, not one smallest letter nor one little hook (identifying certain Hebrew letters) will pass from the Law until all things it foreshadowed are accomplished."

    Gal.3:13(Amp) tells us, "Christ purchased our freedom (redeeming us) from the Curse (doom) of the Law, (and its condemnation) (by Himself) becoming a curse for us, for it is written in the scriptures, cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree (crucified). To the end that through their receiving Christ Jesus, the Blessing promised to Abraham might come on the Gentiles so that we through faith might all receive the realization of the Promise of the Holy Spirit."

    Yes, but what about the Law? In Matt.22:36-40(Amp) Jesus speaks about the Law, saying that we are to "Love the Lord our God with all of our heart, soul, mind and strength, and love our neighbors as ourselves. These two commandments sum up and upon them depend all the Law and the Prophets." Jesus fulfilled the Law and by faith in what He did, we only have these two laws to walk in now. The Blood and Sacrifice have born the Curse and sickness, the Spirit gave us our new creation Life and restored us back to God. We're clean and pure in spirit, soul and body.

    We must believe what Jesus has done for us and live in and through Him in love. If we get our of love and sin, then we have the Ever Living Blood of our Sacrifice Lam, which continually gives us Life. Remember, "the life of all flesh is in the blood." We're still flesh and maintain life in the flesh, by the Life in Jesus' Blood. 1John1:7(Amp) says, "But if we really are living and walking in the Light, as He Himself is in the Light, we have true unbroken fellowship with one another, and the Blood of Jesus Christ His Son (cleanses and removes us from all sin and guilt, keeps us from sin in all its forms and manifestations."

    This is the healing and redemption from the Curse, given because Jesus became the Curse for us. He gave us His Blood to keep us clean and well. If we do sin, then His Blood and faith in it, will now cleanse us  If we confess our sin before Him, then His Blood will keep us clean and well, so we can walk and live in THE LIGHT (the Light of His Word and Love).

One On One #16

    Spending quiet time alone with the Lord, is one of the greatest times in the believer's life. It's not just reading and hearing the Word that builds up our faith and trust in Him, but it's fellowshipping and spending quiet time with Him. Jesus gave the "Parable of the Sower," in Mark 4:18-22(Amp) where He spoke about different soils (hearts). Verse 18 tells us that the seed is sown among the thorns that choke it out. Jesus never said that this didn't happen to believers. He said that the seed is being choked out by all the cares of the world. In the world we're living in today, there are so many things happening around us and in our daily lives, that we can't find time to think. This doesn't always mean that the cares are sinful. 

     The politics of America and all the things happening in our lives can cause more cares than we need. The price of food, gas, heat, rent, insurance and so many other things, are causing many to work two jobs. We're worn out by the time we get home, so we don't spend time with God. This isn't accidental, but is the enemy's plan. He doesn't want us to bear fruit. We might still be holding onto our salvation, but aren't bearing fruit in the lives of others. Jesus says in Verses19-22, "Then the cares and anxieties of the world and distractions of the age, and the pleasure and delight and false glamour and deceitfulness of riches, and the craving and passionate desire for other things creep in and choke and suffocate the Word, and it becomes fruitless. And those sown on the good (well adapted) soil are the ones who hear the Word and receive and accept and welcome it and bear fruit-some thirty times as much as was sown, some sixty times as much, and some (even) a hundred times as much. And He said to them, Is the lamp brought in to be put under a peck measure or under a bed, and not (to be put) on the lampstand? [Things are hidden temporarily only as a means to revelation.] For there is nothing hidden except to be revealed, nor is anything (temporarily) kept secret except in order that it may be made known."

    The things that seem to be hidden from us today, can and will be revealed to us in our quiet time of fellowship with the Lord. I truly recognize how difficult it is sometimes to find the time for fellowship with the Lord. We're saved and love the Lord, but it's still hard to find the time for one on One with Him. When we hear the Word about certain things, it might ring true, but before we can receive it into our hearts satan comes to steal it from us. The things around us steal the Word, before it can take root in our hearts.

    Meditating on God's Word is something that must be developed in us. It doesn't just happen, but must be learning and accepted on an individual level. Some seem to grasp it easier than others, but it's a discipline we must each develop. It's not just reading the Word, but it's spending time meditating on what we read and allowing the Holy Spirit to reveal the hidden truths of the Word to us. Jesus continues in Mark 4:26-27(Amp) saying, "The Kingdom of God, is like a man who scatters seed upon the ground then continues sleeping and rising night and day while the seed sprouts and grows and increases, he knows not how."

    Most of us know that Jesus shed His Blood for us, but don't really know what that means. When we meditate on this Truth, even while we're working or driving or at home, and stay in constant fellowship with the Holy Spirit, then He will reveal the Truth of Jesus' Blood to us. He will reveal what the effect Jesus' Blood means to our natural man/woman. This is one on One time where we will see the seed sprout and grow, but we "know not how." The seed knows how to grow, if it's in good soil. Meditating on the Word causes the soil (our hearts) to be fertile, so the seed can grow. 

    Every seed or Word of God is self-fulfilling in itself. God tells us in Is.54:11(Amp), "My Word will not return unto Me void, but will accomplish that which I have sent it to do."

 

 

One On One #15 with

      While spending one on One time with the Lord, He revealed things from the Word to me about the Power of the Blood of the Lamb, Jesus.  Most of us are familiar with Is.53:3-5(Amp)  says, "He was despised and rejected and forsaken by men, a Man of sorrow and pains, and acquainted with grief and  sickness; and like one from Whom men hide their faces. He was despised and we did not appreciate His worth or have any esteem for Him. Surely He has borne our griefs (sicknesses, weaknesses, and distresses) and carried our sorrows and pains (of punishment) yet we ignorantly considered Him stricken and smitten and afflicted of God (as if with leprosy); But He was wounded for our transgressions. He was bruised for our guilt and iniquities, the chastisement (needful to obtain) peace and well-being for us was upon Him, and with the stripes (that wounded) Him we are healed and made whole."

     Our healing was the result of the stripes that ripped the flesh of Jesus and poured out His Blood. 1Peter2:24(Amp) says, "He Personally bore our sins in His Own Body on the tree (as on an altar and offered Himself on it) that we might die (cease to exist) to sin and live to righteousness. By His stripes you have been healed." 

    Luke22:20,19(Amp) tells us that at the Last Supper, "Jesus in like manner took the cup after supper saying, This cup is the new testament or covenant (ratified) in My Blood which is shed and (poured out) for you." Earlier in Verse 19, Jesus said that His Body was the Bread and His Blood was the wine of communion and when we partake of it, we must "Do this in remembrance of Me."

    Most of us keep the crucifixion of Jesus in mind when partaking of communion, but do we truly understand what Jesus was saying? We get insight into the full meaning of the communion supper in 1Cor.11:29-30(Amp) which says, "For anyone who eats and drinks without discriminating and recognizing with due appreciation (that it is Christ's) Body, eats and drink a sentence (a verdict of judgment) on Himself. (For careless and unworthy participation) is the reason that many of you are weak and sickly, and quite enough of you have fallen into the sleep of death."

    Jesus' Blood was shed on our behalf for healing and length of life. Lev.17:14(Amp) tells us that, "As for the life of all flesh, the blood of it represents the life of it." We aren't covered by the life blood of bulls and goats. The Life of the Blood of our Lamb is now the life of our flesh and blood body, bringing us healing and longevity of life. 

    Jesus said in Luke22:20, "This cup is the new testament or covenant (ratified) in My Blood." He was telling the disciples that the blood of animals will no longer be shed, in order to heal, cover or give life from the animal. Jesus' Blood is now our Life, bringing healing and deliverance from sickness and disease to us and is for eternity.

    Most of us believe that Jesus can heal us, but few understand that by His Blood, He has and still is the Life in our flesh and blood bodies. Remember, "The life of all flesh is in the blood." We're still in our flesh and blood bodies and the same devil that brought sickness and disease before, isn't changing his strategy, Instead of animal's blood that needed to be renewed daily, the Life in Jesus' Blood keeps us healed and redeemed from the Curse once and for all time.

    Paul told us in the above scripture that, "By not judging and understanding what the Power of Jesus' Blood means for our healing, many of God's people are sick, weak and prematurely die." When partaking of communion, we must discern and remember the Lord's Body and Blood.    

One On One #14

      Most of us know that "By Jesus' stripes we were healed," according to Isaiah 53:(Amp). This tells us that the healing of our mortal bodies were healed by the Same Sacrifice that made our spirit man/woman new creations. We know too that many Christians aren't made whole, even though they recognize that the stripes and whippings that Jesus took, were the shedding of His Blood for our healing.

     Our eternal salvation, the new birth, was complete when we accepted Jesus as our Lord and Savior. In the old covenant, goats and lambs were sacrificed and their blood was sprinkled to cover the people's sins. God accepted the life of the animal's blood and used it to give life to the natural man/woman. The blood of animals though, wasn't enough to sustain life, so they needed to continue making offerings. Lev.17:14,11(Amp) says, "As for the life of all flesh, the blood represents the life of it." Verse 11 says, "For the life (the animal soul) is in the blood, and I have given it for you upon the altar to make atonement for yours souls."

     The blood of animals is inferior to that of man's, so it could only cover the flesh or soulish part of men/women for a short period of time. The Life in the Blood of Jesus never diminishes or need to be replenished. Should Jesus tarry in His coming, our natural bodies will die, but our spirits are alive unto God, through Jesus' Sacrifice. The Lord says in Gen.6:3(Amp), "My Spirit shall not forever dwell and strive with man; but his days shall yet be 120 years."

     The Blood Jesus shed for us at His beatings and crucifixion, was to sustain and prolong our natural bodies, so we could carry out our mission here on earth. Most of us know that Jesus shed His Blood for us, but don't know what it truly means on this side of the cross. Those living under the Law were instructed to offer up blood sacrifices for the sick, knowing that God would accept the life blood of the animals and heal the sick. The life of the animal's blood gave life to the man/woman in need, but it had to be renewed over and over.

     We read what God's first actions were, when confronting Adam and Eve after they sinned in Gen.3:21(Amp) which says, "For Adam and also his wife, the Lord God made long coats (tunics) of skins and clothes them." The only way of fashioning coats from skins is to first kill the animal, after which the blood and skin are removed. The day Adam and Eve transgressed in the Garden, God said, "This day you will surely die," so the life of the animal's blood was needed to cover their sin.  

     Adam and Eve taught their children to offer sacrifices, according to Gen.4:3-4(Amp) which says, "And in the course of time Cain brought to the Lord an offering of the fruit of the ground. And Abel brought the first born of his flock and the fat portions. And the Lord had respect and regard for Abel and his offering." Cain's offering came from the earth, which was now cursed because of Adam and Eve's sin in the Garden. Gen.3:17(Amp) says, "And to Adam He said, 'Because you have listened and given heed to the voice of your wife and have eaten of the tree which I commanded you, saying, You shall not eat of it, the ground is under a curse because of you.'" Abel offered the first born of his flock, along with the fat portions and blood, so God accepted his offering. Cain killed his brother because of this. Gen.4:10(Amp) says, "The Lord said, What have you done? The voice of your brother's blood is crying out to Me from the ground." The life of all flesh is in the blood.

     Heb.13:10-12(Amp) says, "We have an altar from which those who serve and worship in the tabernacle have no right to eat. For where the blood of an animal is brought into the sanctuary by the high priest as a sacrifice for sin, the victim's bodies are burned outside the limits of the camp. Therefore Jesus also suffered and died outside the city's gate in order that He might purify and consecrate the people through the shedding of His Own Blood and set them apart as holy for God."

     We still sin in our natural bodies and the "wages of sin is death." Our spirit has been cleansed once and for all time, by His Resurrected Spirit and the body is cleansed by His Blood, which gives it life for 120 years. The Blood of Jesus washes us daily and keeps us whole and sin free, even in the flesh and extends the life of our natural bodies. 3John1:2(Amp) says, "Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in every way and that your body may keep well, even as I know your soul keeps well and prospers."

     1John1:7(Amp) says, "But if we really are living and walking in the Light, as He Himself is in the Light, we have true and unbroken fellowship with one another, and the Blood of Jesus Christ, His Son, cleanses, removes us from all sin and guilt, (keeps us cleansed from sin and all its forms and manifestations." While we're constantly learning how to walk in the Light, we still make mistakes that would take our natural lives. The healing and Life Giving Blood of Jesus will give us His Life and maintain our life and healing, if we will accept it.

     

One On One #13

    So many things we've been taught about our Heavenly Father are not really true. Because he/she didn't understand the Truth of what God's Word said, he/she taught what they though it said. When we spend one on One time with the Father, He will reveal the depth of His Truth to us. 

    If I was a math teacher who didn't know or understand the laws or principals of math, then I would be fired and hopefully, I didn't teach errors to the students. There are laws of principals of math that can't be changed. Two plus two will always equal four. I can believe that two plus two equals five, teach that to my students and have them believe that it's true. They will probably believe that until someone tells them then truth. The errors I taught them could affect their entire futures, unless the truth is revealed to them.

    1Cor.2:9-13(Amp) says, "But on the contrary, as the scripture says; What eye has not seen and ear has not heard and what has not entered into the heart of man, (all that) God has prepared (made and keeps ready) for those who love Him (who hold Him in affectionate reverence, promptly obeying Him and gratefully recognizing the benefits He bestowed) Yet to us, God has unveiled and revealed them by and through His Spirit, for the Holy Spirit searches diligently, exploring and examining everything even sounding the profound and bottomless things of God (the Divine counsels and things hidden and beyond man's scrutiny) For what person perceives (knows and understands) what passes through a man's thoughts except the man's own spirit within Him? Just so no one discerns (comes to know and comprehends) the thoughts of God. NOW we have not received the spirit (that belongs to) the world, but the Holy Spirit Who is from God that we might realize and comprehend and appreciate the Gifts (of Divine favor and Blessing so freely and lavishly) bestowed on us by God. And we are setting these Truths (faith in Words not taught by human wisdom) but taught by the Holy Spirit, combining and interpreting Spiritual Truths with Spiritual language (to those who possess the Holy Spirit)." 

    Paul goes on to tell us that, "The unspiritual man doesn't accept or welcome these teachings and the Revelation of what the Truth of the Word has revealed." God hasn't held back or left us in a place where we're guessing what is or isn't His will and His inheritance for us. He has revealed them to us by the Holy Spirit, Who is now Living in our own spirits. He is God and He is a Spirit and has given us the Mind of Christ. 

  Paul tells us in 1Cor.12:1-8(Amp) that he was taken into into the "third heaven" and received Revelation directly from the Lord. The Revelation God gave to Paul was about the new creation man/woman who has been born into the Kingdom, through Jesus' Sacrifice. Paul writes in 1Cor.14:2(Amp), "For one who speaks in an (unknown) tongue, speaks not to men, but to God, for no one understands or catches his meaning, because in the Holy Spirit, he utters Divine secrets and hidden Truths (not obvious to the understandings)."

    These aren't hidden things or secrets to God, but hidden and secret to the carnal mind of man. In his own wisdom, man doesn't comprehend the things of the Spirit of God. Jude encourages the Church and child of God in Jude1:2(Amp) saying, "Build yourselves up, founded on your most holy faith, (make progress rise like an edifice higher and higher), praying in the Holy Spirit."

    This is left to the individual child of God to receive Revelation and strength, by the Truth and understanding of the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. So many things which man believes to be not important and dismissed by the natural mind, could have improved his/her relationship and walk with God. The Power of His Blood didn't just cover our sins, but eradicated them. The sins of our old man/woman n don't exist in the new creation. Our natural minds might not yet understand this Truth, but the Holy Spirit will reveal this and how our healing is in the Blood. Lev.17:14(Amp) says, "As for the life of all flesh, the blood represents the life of it." The life of our flesh and blood bodies is now the Life that the Blood of Jesus represents. We've been redeemed from the Curse of the Law and have come into a place where the life of our flesh is now the Blood of Jesus, which gives us life in this natural realm on earth. The Blood of Christ isn't a temporary covering for us, but now God's Own Blood removes our sin and brings us healing, deliverance, protection from disease. 

One On One #12

     Gen.1:26(Amp) tells us, "And God said, Let Us (Father, Son and Holy Spirit) make mankind in Our Image, after Our Likeness, and let them have complete authority." Gen.2:7(Amp) says, "Then the Lord God formed man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath or life, and man became a living being." 

     After God formed and brought forth all the vegetation and life on the earth, He said that, "There was no man to till the ground." Adam and Eve were spirit beings, made in God's Own Likeness and God is a Spirit Being, they needed a natural body to till the ground. 1Cor.15:45(Amp) says, "Thus is is written, the first man Adam became a living being (an individual personality), the Last Adam (Christ) became a Life Giving Spirit), restoring the dead to life." 

     Adam was first created a spirit being like God and was an eternal being, then God formed a body in which to function in the natural realm. Adam and Eve would not have died, except for the sin in the Garden. Jesus wasn't born from the seed of man, which was already dead by sin. He was born by the Seed of God and submitted Himself to death. Jesus told Pilate in Matt.26:53(Amp), "You could have no authority over Me at all; I could call down twelve legions of angels to deliver Me, if I choose."

     Sin entered Adam and Eve when they committed the sin of high treason in the Garden. They didn't just die in the flesh, but in the spirit too. Adam's spirit was cut off from God, Who is the Source of Life, and joined together with satan, who is against God and is death itself. A spirit being doesn't die, but is eternal because God is eternal and we're made in His Image. 

     Lev.17:14(Amp) says, "As for the life of all flesh, the blood of it represents the life of it." Now it's easy to understand God's order to sacrifice animals to cover and retain life in the flesh. God accepted the life of animals to cover man's trespasses and continue the life to man. The blood of animals couldn't give life, unlike the Blood of Jesus, but could only extend the life and cover man's sins. So, daily sacrifices needed to be performed in order to maintain life to God's people, until He could bring Jesus into this world and eradicate all sin and death.

     Those in covenant with the Father, like Abraham, his descendants and many others, didn't die like we know death, but they were destined to enter Heaven. The natural body is yet to be made new according to God's Word and will be immortal and eternal through Jesus. 1Cor.15:49-50(Amp) says, "Just as we have borne the image of (the man of dust), so shall we and so let us also bear the Image of (the Man of Heaven), But I tell you this brethren, flesh and blood cannot become partakers of eternal salvation and inherit or share in the Kingdom of God; nor does the perishable (that which is decaying) inherit or share in the imperishable (the immortal)."

     John3:1-3,6(Amp) says,"Jesus answered him (Nicodemus) and said; I assure, most solemnly I tell you, that unless a person is born again (anew, from above) he cannot ever see (know, be acquainted with, and experience) the Kingdom of Heaven." He continues in Verse 6, saying, "What is born of (from) the flesh is flesh (of the physical is physical; and what is born of the Spirit is spirit."

     Religion and tradition can't do what needs to be done, in order to inherit the Kingdom. We must be born again from on High, by faith in Jesus as our Lord and Savior. The term "born again" isn't just a term used by so many people, but is an actual experience with the Holy Spirit and a personal relationship with the Father, by covenant of the Lamb of God, Jesus Christ. One on One. 

One On One #11

     God made Adam and Eve in His Image, before He created a natural body.  John 4:24(Amp) tells us, that God "is a Spirit," so Adam was a spiritual being before he had a flesh and blood body for his spirit to live in. God formed Adam's body  from the dust of the earth, but before the transgression in the Garden, Adam and Eve dwelt in spirit with God. 

     God saw that it was important to create a body for His son Adam to inhabit this world, so God made him from the dust of the earth and gave him dominion over it. Like his Heavenly Father, Adam needed someone to share his kingdom with, so God made a helpmate for Adam to fellowship with, enjoy and love.

     When Eve fell to satan's temptation, sin entered into her spirit and then into Adam's, after he accepted satan's lies. God had told both of them, "If you eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, then you will die." Death entered their spirits at the moment they disobeyed God and they were separated from Him instantly. Adam died in the natural body, 930 years after he sinned.

     Rom.5:17(Amp) says, "For if because of one man's trespass (lapse, offense) death reigned through that one (Adam), much more surely will those who receive (God's) overflowing Grace (unmerited favor) and the free Gift of Righteousness (putting them in right standing with Himself) reign as kings in life through the One Man Jesus Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed One)." Adam's sin caused his separation from God and could only be restored by a Spiritual Life. 

     Many Christians don't believe that Jesus Christ was separated from the Father, while paying for our spiritual penalty. Jesus suffered the cost of Spiritual death, which separated Him from the Father, Who is Life. Jesus' Spirit was made sin with our sin, which caused the same separation from God, just like Adam's did. Jesus said to the Father on the Cross, "It is finished." His physical body died and His Spirit was actually take into the belly of the earth, because the wages of our sin was death.

     By the shedding of innocent (Blood), Jesus' Own Sinless Blood, He cleansed us from the results of that that sin, bringing healing and life again to our natural man/woman. Jesus' Blood represents healing and deliverance from sickness and the Curse of the Law, while we're still in these flesh and blood bodies, if we will accept it. We are healed by the stripes of Jesus. His Blood didn't just cover us, but cleansed us and gave healing to our bodies. Gen.6:3(Amp) says that, "Man's life will be yet 120 years."

     Those who lived before Jesus' Sacrifice shed the innocent blood of bulls, goats and doves, but could never fulfill the Curse of the Law, according to Deut.28. Jesus paid for the life in our flesh and the Life that is in His Own Blood. His Spirit paid for our eternal life and His Body also paid for our natural lives.

     We are now alive unto God and can do the work He has called us to do. When Jesus calls us to Heaven, we will receive new bodies which will never die. 1John3:2(Amp) says, "Beloved, even here and now God's children, it is not yet disclosed and made clear what we shall be hereafter, but we know that when He comes and is manifested, we shall as God's children resemble and be like Him, for we shall see Him just as He really is."

One On One #10

      Few of us see ourselves as the Lord has already mad and formed us to be, while we're still in this body. 2Cor. 5:16-18(Amp) says, "Consequently, from now on we estimate and regard no one from a (purely) human point of view (in terms of natural standards of value). No, even though we once did estimate Christ from a human point of view and as a man, yet now (we have such knowledge of Him) that we know Him no longer (in terms of the flesh). Therefore if any person is (ingrafted) in Christ (the Messiah) he is a new creation (a new creature altogether; the old previous moral and spiritual condition) has passed away. Behold, the fresh and new has come."

     Most of us still see ourselves after the flesh, even after being born again. If we look into a mirror, we see the flaws and scars of the flesh. Everyone sees these things too. Paul goes on in Verse 18, saying, "And all of us, as with unveiled face (because we) continue to behold (in the Word of God) as in a mirror or in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are constantly being transfigured into His Very Own Image in ever increasing splendor and from one degree of glory to another (for this comes) from the Lord (Who is) the Spirit."

     God's Word is like a mirror that shows us who we really are now, in the eyes of our Father. The natural mirror only reflects who the flesh is, as our earthly house. James also says this in James 1:23-25(Amp), writing, "For is anyone only listens to the Word without obeying it and being a doer of it, he is like a man who looks carefully at his (own) natural face in a mirror; For he thoughtfully observes himself, and then goes off and promptly forgets what he was like. But he who looks carefully into the faultless Law of Liberty, and is faithful to it and perseveres in looking into it, being not a forgetful, being not a heedless listener who forgets but an active doer (who obeys), he shall be blessed in his doing (his life of obedience)."

     We're a three-fold being. We're a spirit, we have a soul and we reside in a body. Jesus came to recreate a new and living spirit within us, and by His Spirit and Word we grow. Rom. 12:1-2(Amp) says, "Therefor I appeal to you brethren, and beg of you in view of all the mercies of God, to make a decisive dedication of your bodies (presenting all of your members and faculties) as a living sacrifice (holy, devoted, consecrated) and well-pleasing to God, which is your reasonable (rational, intelligent) service and spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world (this age, fashioned after and adapted to its external (superficial custom), but be transformed (changed) by the (entire) renewal of your mind (By its new ideals and its attitude), so that you may prove (for yourself) what is the good and acceptable and perfect will of God (in His sight for you)."

     When we spend one on One time with God in His Word, we'll see what He has made us to be in Christ Jesus. Most of us are afraid of seeing ourselves as being righteous in God's eyes, because of who we once were. The enemy will constantly remind us of who we were, when we were in the world. We, within ourselves) can never be righteous, but because of what Jesus did, we're no longer in ourselves, but in Him and He is Righteous.

     This is the mirror of God's Word that reflects back to us who we are now in the new creation. Begin seeing yourself as the Father sees you in His new creation family. Don't let the enemy hold you down in the old man/woman. Spend much of your worship time one on One with the Father and live by the new man/woman who has been made righteous, holy, sanctified, consecrated and brand new in Him.    

One On One #9

     We've been learning how important it is for God's children to spend time listening and hearing from our Heavenly Father. When we spend personal one on One time with Him, then we will learn His will and the direction of His leading in our lives. God wants every one of His children to know Him on a personal on a  personal basis.

     When we spend personal time in God's Word and His Presence, our faith in His Word will allow us to receive His instruction and Guidance. Jesus said in John 10:14 (Amp), "I Am the Good Shepherd and I know and recognize My Own, and My Own know and recognize Me." Do we know and  recognize His Voice or do we listen to the voices of others? 1Cor. 14:2(Amp) tells us, "For one who speaks in an unknown tongue speaks not to men but to God, for no one understands or catches his meaning because in the Holy Spirit he utters secret truths and hidden things not obvious to the understanding."

     These "secret truths and hidden secrets" aren't unknown to God, but to us. The Holy Spirit is revealing things that our understanding doesn't directly to our spirits one on One. Jesus was close to the cross when He told His followers in John 14:16-17(Amp), "And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Comforter (Counselor, Helper, Intercessor, Advocate, Strengthener, and Stand-By) that He may remain with you forever. The Spirit of Truth, Whom the world cannot receive (welcome, take to heart) because it does not see Him or know and recognize Him. But you know and recognize Him, for He lives with you constantly and will be in you."

     In John 8:63(Amp) Jesus said, "It is the Spirit Who gives Life (He is the Life Giver); the flesh conveys no benefit whatsoever (there is no profit in it). The Words (Truths) that I have been speaking to you are Spirit and Life." When we spend one on One time with the Father, through His Word and speaking to Him in the spirit, it builds up our spirits. It also gives us more faith in God and brings Life (Truth) into us, in a way that strengthens our entire life.

     In John 4:23-24(Amp) Jesus says, "A time will come however, indeed it is already here, when the true (genuine) worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth (reality); for the Father is seeking just such a people as these are His worshipers. God is a Spirit (a Spiritual Being), and those who worship Him must worship Him in spirit and in truth (reality)." 

     1Cor. 14:2(Amp) tells us, "When a man speaks in an unknown tongue, he speaks not to men but unto God." When we spend one on One time with the Father and pray in unknown tongues, the enemy doesn't know what we're speaking and can't interfere or block our prayers. God shares the Mysteries and secrets of the Spirit when we do this. Through the Holy Spirit, we receive directions, Revelations and instructions from the Father. The enemy has no defense for and can't stop or hinder our prayers, because he can't understand what we're praying. 

     It's the most precious time when we come boldly before God's Throne of Grace and we spend in God's Presence. This has always been the Heart of God, that we spend time in fellowship with Him. Many Christians only call on God when we need something, instead of spending time learning, growing and honoring Him for Who He is. Jesus instructed, "But seek (aim at and strive after) first of all His Kingdom and His Righteousness (His way of doing and being right) and all these things taken together will be given you besides."

 

One On One #8

      We've been discussing the importance of spending one on One time with our Heavenly Father and the Holy Spirit. Too many things have been lost to God's people, because we lack understanding how important spending time in God's Word and in fellowship with Him. I go to the feed store on a weekly basis and talk about God with a friend of mine there. He's a Lay preacher at his local church and sometimes we ask each other what are you going to speak about this Sunday. This week I told him I had some things lined out, but I was waiting on the Holy Spirit to guide me.

     He told me that he was going to preach about the pearl of Great Price. I asked, "Who is the pearl of Great Price" and he answered,"Jesus is." I suggested that if he reread the Parable, then he would find the rich man saw a field which contained a pearl of Great Price. The rich man purchased the field, for the pearl. The rich man in the Parable was God, the field was earth, the pearl is us  and the Great Price was Jesus. 

     We must understand how valuable we are to our Father. John 3:16(Amp) says, "For God so loved the world, that He gave His Only Begotten Son, that whosoever believed would be saved." Jesus prayed to His, saying in John17:23(Amp), "I in them and You in Me, in order that they may become one perfectly united, that the world may know and (definitely) recognize that You sent Me and that You have loved them (even) as You have loved Me." It's hard to understand with our own minds, but we have the Mind of Christ, so we can see how valuable we are to the Father.

     The world has dimmed our eyes, with its way of thinking, so we don't know how much God truly loves us. Religion constantly reminds us that we're "old sinners who are saved by Grace." We were old sinners and were saved by faith in God's Grace. We're now sons and daughters of God. We are heirs of God and joint heirs with Jesus. Jesus said, "Father show them that You love them even as You love Me." This breaks down unbelief, lack of faith and confidence in our prayers, letting us know that God hears us and answers our prayers. All doubt and fear that God will deny our requests, fall away when we know that God loves us so much that He gave His Only Begotten Son to save us.

     Read the "Parable of the Pearl of Great Price" again, then spend one on One time with God in quiet fellowship, so the Holy Spirit can explain it. This will change your entire attitude about Who He is and who we are in Christ Jesus. Put faith in what god has said about you and how important you are to Him. If He was willing to send Jesus to take our place on Calvary's Cross. Know too that everything Jesus endured was meant for us. God loves us more than we love ourselves.

     We cannot allow anything contrary to God's Word to penetrate our hearts and minds. If God said it, then it is Truth and God won't change His Word. Believe what God says above what others tell you, so you can have the Peace Jesus spoke of in John 14:27(Amp) where He said, "Peace I leave you; My (Own) peace I now give and bequeath to you. Not as the world gives do I give you. Do not let your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid. (Stop allowing yourselves to be agitate and disturbed; and do not permit yourselves to be fearful and intimidated and cowardly and unsettled)." Having peace with God is the peace that overcomes the world.

     You're so valuable to God that He sent Jesus to the cross, so that we wouldn't be separated from, but united with Him once again. You are the pearl of Great Price and were of such worth that Jesus sacrificed Himself for us. Never underestimate the Power of God's Love for us. Don't stop daring to believe that He will never leave or forsake you. Galatians 5:6(Amp) tells us, "For (if we are) in Christ Jesus, neither circumcision nor uncircumcision count for anything, for only faith activated and energized and expressed and working through love." Understanding that faith works by love, will lift your faith to a higher level.

     We won't understand how God's Kingdom works, until we understand His love for us. God's entire Kingdom is based on His love for us and is Jesus has prepared a place for us there, by His Sacrifice. 1John 4:18(Amp) says, "There is no fear in love (dread does not exist), but full-grown (complete, perfect) love turns out of doors and expels every trace of terror! For fear brings with it the thought of punishment and he who is afraid has not reached the full maturity of love (is not yet grown into love's complete perfection)."

     God wants us to understand the depth of His love for us, so we won't fear that He will hear and answer our prayers. God wants to spend one on One time with us. He wants us to "Come boldly before His Throne of Grace." My children know they can approach me at any time in boldness and have confidence that I will not only hear their supplications, but help them. My children know that I love them, so they come boldly to me. How much more should God's children trust in His love and come boldly to Him?