BAPTISM OF THE HOLY SPIRIT AND FIRE
January 15, 2023
RECEIVE THE CONSUMING FIRE
January 18, 2023
God constantly teaches us the fruit of endurance with whatever challenges we might come across in life, often we see that many people fail to attain that fruit because they are looking to put the blame on someone. For instance, whenever something goes wrong in a life of a believer, it is either because the pastor is no longer anointed or they no longer have power. However not even one person has taken the time to pray for the very same Pastor.
Similarly to marriage, most partners fight because one is trying to blame the other for whatever has went wrong and not stop for a minute to think if they prayed for that partner before they can blame them. Many are like that in marriage, they never introspect themselves but they always want to deal with the issues that another partner has.
God is speaking to you and wants to convey a message yet you are failing to understand. You lack money, then, you start looking at who is causing that. People like blaming others for their shortfalls even though they know it’s their choices. People do not introspect and that is not the character of God.
We have been speaking about Moses and the anger that he had(See Exodus 32). The journey that the Israelites went through in the desert, they were not supposed to go through it. The desert was meant to deal with their weaknesses and not kill them. God did not want them to enter the promise land with Egypt. Similarly to one taking their short-temper to a new job.
God takes you into a dry season to deal with you. With that said, if there are still people who usher without love, then God had to deal with them. Moreover, when God deals with a certain weakness in a certain individual and the weakness does not go away, then God removes the person.
We speak about the Revival and people are not aware that for 9 years God has been dealing with them individually. When Revival comes, He deals with your character. There is a different Peter after resurrection compared to the one before resurrection. Peter was taught for 3 years and yet still failed to lose what Jesus wanted him to lose. No matter how tough it was for Peter, he did not resort to going back to fishing.
In whatever you do or the character you have, you have the power to decide who you want to be. Therefore make a sound decision if you want to be a Christian or not. You quote the scripture that says, “When they slap you on your right cheek, turn the other side” (See Matthew 5: 39), yet you do not want to fulfill it. You quote it when it is about other people and not about you. We do not turn the other cheek because it is pleasant. We enforce a character of God in us.
[Romans 12: 17]
Repay no one with evil for evil but regard for good things in the sight of all men. Never repay evil with evil, the character of God needs to kick in. Tongue-talking people do the opposite of who God is. The character of God is not there. We like to be like God in all the other things yet not His character. We want to walk on water, and we even judge men of God for the miracles that they do but not the character.
We ought to seek the character of God and seeking material things like cars and houses must be an addition. Therefore, do not repay evil with evil. Love is not for those who practice vengeance, or for those who wish bad things to happen to other people. You loving me or your brother, does not make you to have love. Love is tested when people hate us. We are not incapable of hating but we are taught not to hate because the love of God has compelled us not to hate. The love of God is what must drive us, and not what we feel. Real love is the Word. God is giving us a revival of character.
[Luke 6: 32-33]
The church created another world [system] in the church. We think we are Spiritual but yet we are not, we just segregated ourselves from the world and we have become a domination. Even sinners love those who love them. If we only love those who love us and are with us, then we are just another world and we are no different than the unbelievers out there. They love those who they walk with, whom they agree with and can benefit from.
You have taken the system and brought it to the church. Love is not for exchange. A tree bears fruit despite who comes to harvest. You repay evil with evil not only with bad things, but also with doing good. Evilness does not have a level. Do not look at the level and think you are better. Jesus showed us that character is a weapon that can either destroy, kill or edify and encourage.
Jesus said, if you hate your brother, you are a murderer. Hence character is a weapon that is bigger than a gun. We are here because we are refining our Spirit and not our body. We need to be conscious of our Spirit. You are no longer serving because your body is tired, but your Spirit is not tired. We don’t go to work because we love it. Yet you do not understand the credit of your soul.
Often it is very easy to let go of the things that harm the body but not your Spirit. Most of you determine the spiritual by the physical. You know that you are harming the Spirit. The problem is that when your Spirit cries, your body cannot hear. You think you are fine but your Spirit is crying for you to save it. When you are sad it is your body and not your Spirit. People would come and say that when they read the Word of God, it is not a pleasant thing for them and not that there is no truth in it.
Goosebumps may lead you and you become deceived without being aware. You can move from deception to another. What makes you a son of God is not because of what you can receive. We do not pray so as to get something. For instance, guys don’t date because of love but because they want something from ladies and whenever one wants something from someone, they would become whatever and even be good listeners, even though it is not their character. That is an exchange and not love!
Many people get married to wrong characters. They think they are marrying someone but they turn to be something else. God can’t be fooled and He knows when you love because you need something. Many fall when they do not get what they believe they were supposed to get, then they deem it as not genuine. To them it was a transaction. They pray and expect and answer. When they do not get it, they think that God is not with them.
[Proverbs 20: 22]
Do not say, “I’ll recompense evil”; wait for the Lord, and He will save you. You are not saved because you repay evil. You are trying to save yourself. When you read in Isaiah 12, the bible says that you will trust in the Lord for He gives you strength and He saves you. God gives you power not to fight.
The authority we have been given is to heal the sick, deliver the possessed, and to set the captives free. The thing is we do not understand why power is given to us. We know that we have been given power and authority and we use that in our advantage to control and to do all those things. God will save you. Even when things are not going well, do not use power to fight! Power is not for scoring points.
[Ephesians 4: 31-32]
As long as every time you think of someone and these things come in your mind, you still need deliverance. Evil speaking is seen when every time you think of someone is evil and there is nothing good. The goodness is written off and the evil will be what you see. A Christian must be able to forgive regardless of what has happened. Many ministers are challenged by this.
Many great generals of God cannot sit together. Just because they rejected you or the church capacity is lesser than theirs and that makes you not to be together as ministers of the Gospel or even forgive them. We must go deeper not in prophecy but in character. Even sinners are able to love those who love them.
[James 4: 11]
Do not speak evil of one another, brethren. He who speaks evil of a brother and judges his brother, speaks evil of the law and judges the law. But if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law but a judge. There are some people you spoke evil and you need to repent. Speaking evil about someone in this context, it is not addressing whether the evil you speak of is true or not. Even when it is true or not, do not speak evil.
The law here is not the commandments but the Word. When a person becomes born again; do not speak about their evil. When you speak evil, then it means you speak evil of the law (Word). By so doing you are not becoming a doer of the Word but you are becoming a judge.
You speak evil of your brethren, you are judging the Word and not the brethren. God is teaching us extreme love. Once a person is born again, their mistakes are to be dealt with by God. But speaking about them is not actually helping because you are judging the Word. Speaking evil about someone is not addressing the actual person but you are judging the Word.
The disciples speak about the woman who was a prostitute and that her act of anointing Jesus with an expensive perfume, they could have sold it and used the money to give(See Matthew 26:6-13). Jesus answered them and said that they have been with Him yet they couldn’t even do what she did. Jesus did not address the woman but dealt with the disciples thoughts; they did not even have to speak.
You think you mess up when you start speaking, but in actual fact you messed up by thinking. This has been a character in people of judging one another. A habit grows and takes your perception of things. A person does not just start smoking because they are compelled to, but it is a habit that is deciding for them.
[Mark 11: 25-26]
If someone sins against you, forgive them and ask for forgiveness. Forgive so that God may forgive your trespasses. “Search me inwardly, Lord…”; that is the prayer David offered to the Lord. He is not asking that God shows him his sin but that he searches him. For there are sins that we cannot see but God can.
Therefore for God to forgive us for what we do not know that we have done, we need to forgive as well. Some of you these scriptures are new to you. It means you have been sinning against these scriptures unaware. If you are able to forgive your mother who abandoned you, then that is the same measure you will receive. Forgiveness is measured according to how you measure it.
This man might have raped you but when you forgive him, they are no longer a rapist to you. We need to forgive in such a way that you sit with them. Jesus saved His murderer when He was on the cross. No one can receive the Holy Spirit unless Jesus releases it. No one can believe except through Jesus.
Jesus saved the soldier that pierced Him, the man received salvation and was able to say that indeed it is the Son of God. Let us stop assessing the situation. Forgiveness is spiritual. You cannot forgive a person who has all along mistreated you, yet spiritually you can. We must not change because of the things that happen to us. If someone takes advantage of you, give them more.
[Luke 6: 27-29]
Bless those who spitefully use you or do you wrong. We think we have love but we realize that we do not. Let love not be a burden but let it be in Spirit. Give even when people hurt you. Love let go and chooses to lose battles. Love chooses to come as though it’s weak and is a fool. Love does not come powerfully so. Let this be a revival of hearts.
When Lazarus resurrected, how many changed their hearts? Jesus healed the woman with the issue of blood, how many changed their characters and it was of love? Judas in the midst of all these miracles and teachings, still betrayed Jesus. Therefore, signs and wonders do not give you the holiness that God requires. We need God’s heart.
Whenever we go out, people must feel love. We must change and not be like the world is. Love always wins. No one is born rapist or a thief, something happened to them. Why when people do bad things to you, they experience the same things that they would with unbeliever? They are bewitched when it is someone who is not a believer. But it is the same with a believers because they can bewitch someone indirectly for the bad they have done. It is because the Word is not in them.
Let us introspect. God is able to forgive and change everyone. Let our lives not be the same again because they encountered a believer. The devil must be scared because everyone who hurts you, you are able to pray for them. The devil cannot kill Jesus for He saw that even though Jesus died in that manner, people were saved. Forgive them for what they have done to you. Your deliverance will come because of the character of God in you.
Your father through the Gospel
Revivalist Abraham Unknown
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