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comforter

Ezekiels Vision Of The Waters

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John 7:37-39

[37] In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink.
[38] He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.
[39] (But this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive: for the Holy Ghost was not yet given; because that Jesus was not yet glorified.)

The rivers of living water are representative to the spirit of God that fills the inner dwelling of our fleshly temples. It is the connection that will not only prove your love for others but for God above all. The promise of the comforter is come and here for whosoever will receive this great blessing!

Ezekiel 47:1-9

[1] Afterward he brought me again unto the door of the house; and, behold, waters issued out from under the threshold of the house eastward: for the forefront of the house stood toward the east, and the waters came down from under from the right side of the house, at the south side of the altar.
[2] Then brought he me out of the way of the gate northward, and led me about the way without unto the utter gate by the way that looketh eastward; and, behold, there ran out waters on the right side.
[3] And when the man that had the line in his hand went forth eastward, he measured a thousand cubits, and he brought me through the waters; the waters were to the ancles.
[4] Again he measured a thousand, and brought me through the waters; the waters were to the knees. Again he measured a thousand, and brought me through; the waters were to the loins.
[5] Afterward he measured a thousand; and it was a river that I could not pass over: for the waters were risen, waters to swim in, a river that could not be passed over.
[6] And he said unto me, Son of man, hast thou seen this? Then he brought me, and caused me to return to the brink of the river.
[7] Now when I had returned, behold, at the bank of the river were very many trees on the one side and on the other.
[8] Then said he unto me, These waters issue out toward the east country, and go down into the desert, and go into the sea: which being brought forth into the sea, the waters shall be healed.
[9] And it shall come to pass, that every thing that liveth, which moveth, whithersoever the rivers shall come, shall live: and there shall be a very great multitude of fish, because these waters shall come thither: for they shall be healed; and every thing shall live whither the river cometh.

* A note on verses 3-5

When we stay on the bank, we will never believe receive the salvation of the Lord. When we are in ankle deep, we receive the sweet initial spirit of God (mixed with the faith we stepped out with of course) drawing us to have salvation. There is more though! When we are in knee-deep, we do the best we can with the Holy Spirit as it was given with salvation, but without the fullness of the Holy Ghost. There must be more of the spirit of God and anointing in your life to be able to overcome and have dominion over the influence and temptations of the world today. When we are waist-deep we have that fullness and can feel the potential for more but yet have a fear of going deeper. God wants us to be more faithful and launch out into the deeper things in Him. He did not put within us the spirit of fear, but of sound mind! Take off out into the next step of your life with a deeper anointing. How much confidence could you have (good question!) with a stronger anointing? As we step out more and begin to be in over our heads, we are no longer in control and the spirit is in complete control!

Acts 1:4-5

[4] And, being assembled together with them, commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which, saith he, ye have heard of me.
[5] For John truly baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence.

The promise of that power is what we need to use to sustain our every day victory!

The Word Of The Hour Is: Press On My Friends, Press On

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I send a word of encouragement and power to our everyday readers and new visitors today: Press on!

Press on when others are telling you just to “hang on”. It is easy to just grab your seat on the ride of life and just coast, but God wants you to propel into forward motion! Coasting eventually comes to a halt when you reach the hills, right? When it becomes tough around you is when God is looking for you to be propelled by His presence!

Press on when others would discourage you. One of the greatest blessings that I have personally experienced in my entire life was when I could not have felt more alone. In the poor state that I was in I had no vision of holding on, let alone pressing forward. I was just trying to “exist”. However, the sweetest move of the spirit of God came for me and let me know just how real the word that we read about the promise of the comforter is. Now? Whether I am discouraged, rejected, or even to the magnitude of persecuted I NEVER have to fall that low ever again. I can stand confident in the comfort in the spirit of God!

Press on in your obedience. If I could emphasize one act more than the rest, I would say that this emphasis needs to be on prayer. We simply are not praying enough (none of us). There might be a few of you out there that are on the Daniel plan (3 times a day), and I commend you for it! But I hope that we know that it is not so much in the number as much as it is what you pour out and dedicate during the times that you do. Remember this: 5 minutes of heartfelt humble surrender to God goes so much further than 2 hours of requests for “stuff”.

Most of all, press on for the mark. There is a place that God wants us to aim for. It is a place that in more depths of study reveals the perfect love of God within us. It shows the like-mindedness of Christ within our thoughts. It shows through our acts the charity that came out on its own that no one had to beg out of you. It’s a mark that once someone strives for that others begin to be drawn by. In other words, press on to put down our doubts and fears that lead us not to believe in the living spirit of God within us! Live and let live the word of God within you!

Living From The Provision Of Christ

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John 4:13-14

[13] Jesus answered and said unto her, Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again:
[14] But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.

We have the promise of living water with the keyword “springing” up, or trying to bring life to you. Considering this, I have learned that by the waters of the spirit that I have in my life that I am continually refreshed and never have to be in a state where I walk in a desert without water. The benefits of the spirit and the comforter which is the Holy Ghost is there to provide your immediate help and refuge in your time of need!

John 6:32-51

[32] Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Moses gave you not that bread from heaven; but my Father giveth you the true bread from heaven.
[33] For the bread of God is he which cometh down from heaven, and giveth life unto the world.
[34] Then said they unto him, Lord, evermore give us this bread.
[35] And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst.
[36] But I said unto you, That ye also have seen me, and believe not.
[37] All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out.
[38] For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me.
[39] And this is the Father’s will which hath sent me, that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day.
[40] And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day.
[41] The Jews then murmured at him, because he said, I am the bread which came down from heaven.
[42] And they said, Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? how is it then that he saith, I came down from heaven?
[43] Jesus therefore answered and said unto them, Murmur not among yourselves.
[44] No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day.
[45] It is written in the prophets, And they shall be all taught of God. Every man therefore that hath heard, and hath learned of the Father, cometh unto me.
[46] Not that any man hath seen the Father, save he which is of God, he hath seen the Father.
[47] Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me hath everlasting life.
[48] I am that bread of life.
[49] Your fathers did eat manna in the wilderness, and are dead.
[50] This is the bread which cometh down from heaven, that a man may eat thereof, and not die.
[51] I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever: and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.

Jesus is the bread of life and the very word that we live by, and if we partake of it we can live and bring life to a lost and starving world! In reading this, when I eat of the bread of life of the word of God (which is Christ), my spiritual self begins to grow. As my spiritual self begins to grow, I am able to overpower the parts of me that would have normally fallen to weakness of flesh. That is the beauty of the fellowship of the word of God and the spirit that dwells in your life!

John 10:27-30

[27] My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me:
[28] And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.
[29] My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father’s hand.
[30] I and my Father are one.

We have the promise of eternal life and no man can pluck that away from you! When we seem to walk away from the cupboard of the waters and bread of life, there will be opportunities for you to be able to turn back to God and to feed that malnourishment. How? Recalling our salvation by restoring the joy of it! And if you have never established that first acknowledgement and relationship in belief through Christ and the crying out for the forgiveness of your sins, it is there for you also!

John 14:26-29

[26] But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.
[27] Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.
[28] Ye have heard how I said unto you, I go away, and come again unto you. If ye loved me, ye would rejoice, because I said, I go unto the Father: for my Father is greater than I.
[29] And now I have told you before it come to pass, that, when it is come to pass, ye might believe.

Through the promise of what came to pass we can believe, we can hold fast and not be moved! We can begin to learn to use each and every aspect of Jesus Christ: the sacrifice for salvation, the word for the building up of our ability to resist sin, and the spirit to comfort us in the hard times in our lives!

Learning To Let Go And Let God

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One part of life that everyone must face that may be considered the worst is when we go through times of transition. This could be when you are changing jobs, moving between homes, losing and gaining friends, or the many cases of the unknown. However unfamiliar the case may be, change is always hard to face when the time comes for it. It seems like that no matter how much a person can prepare for something that there is always going to be room for some kind of emotional baggage or breakdown. I’ve heard all the classic wisdom that people have tried to tell me on how you can be “almost” prepared. I’ve also read just about every single thing you can that would try to lead you in the right direction for having the right perspective. The fact of the matter is that when it comes to change, there is never enough preparation on ones’ own.

I am so thankful today, and will forever continue to be for the great comforter of the spirit of God. I have found that in the best and worst of times that the spirit is my all in all. My prayers have sometimes been in desperation or in faith, but the spirit of God comes to lift up the weariness that I am in. It’s as if God comes to fill the void of uncertainty. It makes me understand in tough times that wholeheartedly God is truly the strength in my weakness. We need to always be bold enough to acknowledge that we cannot take life on alone.  As we continue through the obstacles of life, let us learn to let go in times of weakness and let God take control!

I encourage you today to allow the presence of God take your tears and worry and lead you by comfort into joy and peace in Him.

The Strength Of The Spirit

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Ezekiel 36:24-29

[24] For I will take you from among the heathen, and gather you out of all countries, and will bring you into your own land.
[25] Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean: from all your filthiness, and from all your idols, will I cleanse you.
[26] A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh.
[27] And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them.
[28] And ye shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers; and ye shall be my people, and I will be your God.
[29] I will also save you from all your uncleannesses: and I will call for the corn, and will increase it, and lay no famine upon you.

Ezekiel speaks on the blessings that were being spoken to Israel, speaking on the transformation of the heart. That spirit we have today is used to cleanse us, to walk in the statutes, and do them!

John 14:16-28

[16] And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever;
[17] Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.
[18] I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you.
[19] Yet a little while, and the world seeth me no more; but ye see me: because I live, ye shall live also.
[20] At that day ye shall know that I am in my Father, and ye in me, and I in you.
[21] He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him.
[22] Judas saith unto him, not Iscariot, Lord, how is it that thou wilt manifest thyself unto us, and not unto the world?
[23] Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him.
[24] He that loveth me not keepeth not my sayings: and the word which ye hear is not mine, but the Father’s which sent me.
[25] These things have I spoken unto you, being yet present with you.
[26] But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.
[27] Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.
[28] Ye have heard how I said unto you, I go away, and come again unto you. If ye loved me, ye would rejoice, because I said, I go unto the Father: for my Father is greater than I.

Jesus was speaking about the spirit that would be there for us in our time of need, that what was being left behind would keep us until we get to Heaven!

Romans 8:9-10

[9] But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.
[10] And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness.

So when we are in the spirit, He is with us, and without it we are our flesh and the part that is sin. We need the spiritual things to keep us each and every day while we live!

1 John 2:27-29

[27] But the anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you: but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in him.
[28] And now, little children, abide in him; that, when he shall appear, we may have confidence, and not be ashamed before him at his coming.
[29] If ye know that he is righteous, ye know that every one that doeth righteousness is born of him.

The spirit will teach you, not man, not tradition, not doctrine, not religion, not what you had always thought you knew, but the spirit will!  We need not be ashamed!

Even When We Cannot See, God Is There

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There are so many days when we are in question of what we deal with as well as what we go through. Often times it is truly hard to understand and grasp the true knowledge of the “why” and “what” on everything we face. I am reminded every day that when it does not feel easy that those are the days that we have to allow God to begin to be our strength. Those are the times that we have to allow God to build our faith. Most importantly, we have to remember that God is there.

It would be easy for me to sit down and give up on my faith. Or so we think…I say that because faith is the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen. How many times has God came through for us in our lives even when we were not aware of a way to be made through something? I could not begin to count!

It’s by His grace and mercy that we still stand today, and it’s by the blessings that He pours upon us that we continue to strive forward as servants of Him! And remember, that God will never leave your, nor forsake you; especially in a time when you are calling on Him to be near. When Jesus was on the earth, He spoke of a comforter that would come when He would go. That comforter is ever-so-present with us now, and is more than able to help us through the days that are hard!

God is there! He is with you! Remember that, and do not waiver from how far that you have come! You have came too far and done so many great things in your life to simply lay down from a few hard times here and there! Let’s face them together and believe in faith! By the Lord God above, we shall prevail in victory!

Break The Mold, Step Out Of The Trendy Fold

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I love God! I praise Him today for everything that I have in my life. He has done so much that could not even begin to start telling you in words through any media or venue! I did not always have this excitement about God in my life. I know, you might be thinking, “what?!?”. You see, I have been saved for a long time and it has been wonderful to accept Jesus Christ and to have salvation in my soul. However, I had been essentially in a place in my life where I was in a state of mind to not explore what the spirit of God can perform in my life. For many, this is a touchy subject, and I get that.

I encourage you to read on with me.

You see, the spirit of God is a wonderful thing. It’s the part of the ministry that does what we cannot do for others. It’s the part of worship and your love for God that gives you strength for another day. It’s the comforter to your heart and mind in a time of trouble in your life. After I got saved, there were many trials of my life that began to start to overwhelm me (far more than I could handle for sure). I started becoming someone that was in need of those things we read of that we know as the fruit of the spirit.

When I began to pray to God for more of Him in my life, the hunger and thirst for God began to be fulfilled. I know you might be wondering, “how did you know?” There was a day that came after allowing the spirit to work through me that I stood and gave a testimony like I never had my entire life. It shocked me. I didn’t know that it was possible. At first, it even felt wrong simply because it was not what I was always used to, you know?

Over the next period of time as I allowed God to shape me, I began to sing in a greater way (and I previously thought it couldn’t get any better!). And after I began to allow my lifestyle to be what God wanted it to be, my life was truly transformed by the Holy Spirit in a way that could not begin to explain. I started beginning to exhort which eventually led into preaching. The preaching has led into outreach and publishing, and still I seek more!

The great thing about it all is that a long time ago when I was in desparate need for a change that the Holy Ghost began to perform a miracle in my life. It changed my mind, body, and heart truly for the better. Each day as I allow the spirit to lead and teach me I become a better witness of God and servant to God.

My excitement is unwavering! I cannot say this excitement was always met with acceptance everywhere that I have been, nor can I say that it has always been easy to stand where you know people would consider that kind of excitement frowned upon.

This is what I leave you with today. We have to be an example to show that the spirit of God can be and is fluent in the day we live in. We show that by stepping out of the mold set before us and being who God has called us to be. Let it be shown and let God be glorified! For when you step out for God in obedience by the spirit, the spirit will reach out even when you have done all that you can! It makes the difference!

Step out and be a brave obedient vessel today!

Forgotton God – Reversing Our Tragic Neglect Of The Holy Spirit

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If you need a book to completely refresh your frame of mind and get you out of your selfishness with God, you have to read this book! I had never read anything by Francis Chan before, but it gives a very clear perspective and real approach to how the spirit of God should be an everyday integral part of our life.

It’s a powerful read, and I will not spoil much, but there are some powerful pieces that talk about why we need the spirit, the spirit as the comforter, putting our attitudes and reputations in their place, and learning to follow the leadership of the spirit.

This was great for me, and was definitely worth it. I’m gonna look up the first book now, Crazy Love! It has a tidbit of it in there as well!

And always remember when you are done with one, pass it on or recommend! That helps the ones who work so hard to write them!

Check out: Forgotton God – ISBN 978-1-4347-6795-0

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Working Through The Hurt

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THE WORD

I John 4:7, 11, and 12 – Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God. Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another. No man hath seen God at any time. If we love one another, God dwelleth in us, and his love is perfected in us.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

There are many guarantees that life tries to give but it can never promise that you will never be hurt. Trust me, if anyone knows this it would be me. I have made a lot of mistakes in my life, but I have finally realized through trials throughout my life and in the past year that I will be hurt sometimes but I always have the comfort of God to move on. We must all choose to move forward regardless of what we are dealing with. We read in the word of God about that comforter and I am so glad it is real. In times when I am down and count all my mistakes, the comfort of the Holy Spirit comes to encourage me.

Do not be disappointed when people let you down; for at some point they always do. The only constant that we have that can help us in our time of hurt is God! He can heal the broken hearted and place forgiveness within you that you never thought you could possess. You will be able to stand and fight on another day! I wish I could say that the church you attend is always going to see when you are hurt, but sometimes it will be missed. Remember that the presence of God will stick to you closer than a brother and will be whatever you need in your life. It WILL fill the empty voids that you feel inside! This breaks my heart to write as a minister but it should remind us that there should never be an opportunity slip by where we can perform outreach for hurting people. The next time you are at church may be the last time to do it. I just hope and pray in the times ahead of us that we learn to come together regardless of our differences and remember the true meaning of being “fishers of men”!

PUT INTO PRACTICE

When you recognize someone that is hurting from a situation, offer to pray with them. I am challenging you to call on the comforter to help in ways we cannot do ourselves!

Find The Good In What You Can

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Proverbs 12:25 – Heaviness in the heart of man maketh it stoop: but a good word maketh it glad.

Philemon 1:4-8 – I thank my God, making mention of thee always in my prayers, Hearing of thy love and faith, which thou hast toward the Lord Jesus, and toward all saints; That the communication of thy faith may become effectual by the acknowledging of every good thing which is in you in Christ Jesus. For we have great joy and consolation in thy love, because the bowels of the saints are refreshed by thee, brother. Wherefore, though I might be much bold in Christ to enjoin thee that which is convenient

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With everyday shocks and surprises around the corner, it is very easy to get frustrated at everything going on. It is also easy to simply throw your hands up and give up on your walk with God. In fact, this is the behavior that we are seeing in churches right now in all walks of life. If I thought about it long enough, I am sure I could say that there are plenty of reasons for me to be justified about being upset at situations or even people for that matter. I (as we all have to at some point) have to remind myself that I definitely know better than that. We that are attuned to the leadership of the spirit of God know that we must be faithful even in times of peril and distress.

Consider those individuals in the bible who faced perilous times and that could have given up easily, yet you read that they continued on for the cause of God and made it through. It inspires me to realize what is of more worth to me now. People that get mad at you for no reason whatsoever are just upset people upset for a reason you cannot change regardless of what you do to alter it. Objects that break cannot be fixed are just objects broken regardless of the glue we use to mend them. Ultimately, we must realize that our emotions cannot fix everything and in an upset or distressed state leave our walk with God spiritually disabled. God can fix every circumstance and does not need me to get angry and try to always intervene on my own behalf.

I have to be reminded to be thankful for what I have, for what is going to come, and that things are not worse than they are. When I begin to do that, I take a deep breath and step away from the situation, and finally just let God have my emotions and let him transform me (via the comforter of the spirit) to a person he can use. Big subject matter, but useful if we only but apply it!

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Put Into Practice:

Get out of the habit of thinking of the negative first. Begin to think of the spiritual positives right off the bat, and allow God to unlock a witness through your faith and endurance through tough times. Every time you make it, it is another testimony to find out how good God is!