Monday, December 17, 2018

Tongues - The Purest Thanksgiving, The Greatest Victory

Hello everyone,

Have you ever wished you could be ‘like a fly on the wall’ to secretly witness something pricelessly spectacular, without actually intruding in on the moment?  One of my favourite portions of scripture where I feel like we can do this, is found in John 17:21-24.  This is where a very personal, heart to heart conversation between Jesus and His Father is revealed. It takes place in the moments leading up to Jesus being betrayed and going to the cross to fulfil His purpose.  It’s one of the most beautiful illustrations of their hearts concerning us, I like to call it a moment where the core of their intentions are revealed or unveiled. 

Now, before we go to that particular place in the Bible, I want to explain that in the preceding verses, Jesus is praying for those who walked closely with Him while He was on earth, as well as for us, who have subsequently come to personally receive and know Him as our Lord and Saviour today.  That means you can take this for yourself!  

He prayed...That they all may be one, [just] as You, Father, are in Me and I in You, that they also may be one in Us, ...
I have given to them the glory and honor which You have given Me, that they may be one [even] as We are one:
I in them and You in Me, in order that they may become one and 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.”

Wow....just take a moment to let that sink in.  “I in them and You in Me, in order that they may become one and perfectly united, that the world may know and recognise that...You have loved them [even] as You have loved Me.”

This oneness and inseparable unity Jesus is talking about between Him and us and His Father, through the Holy Spirit, is the very same ‘partnership’ we find Paul speaking about in Ephesians 2:5-6, where he says, He (the Holy Spirit) made us alive together in fellowship and in union with Christ; [He gave us the very life of Christ Himself, the same new life with which He quickened Him, for] it is by grace (His favour and mercy which you did not deserve) that you are saved (delivered from judgment and made partakers of Christ’s salvation). And He raised us up together with Him and made us sit down together [giving us joint seating with Him] in the heavenly sphere [by virtue of our being] in Christ Jesus (the Messiah, the Anointed One).” AMPC

So, again, another glorious piece of scripture highlighting the inseparable connection every believer has with the Lord.  According to this scripture in Ephesians 2, we have been made partakers of the full extent of God’s salvation and victorious, resurrection life - through the Holy Spirit.  In other words - we have been made to be completely, and to the fullest measure - one with Him, loved by Him, made righteous through Him, and alive with His resurrection life - seated with Him in Heavenly places!

Now, let’s take this one step deeper.  In 2 Corinthians 13:14 it says, “The grace (favour and spiritual blessing) of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the presence and fellowship (the communion and sharing together, and participation) in the Holy Spirit be with you all. Amen (so be it).”AMPC

The phrase ‘fellowship in the Holy Spirit’ means communion, and participation in Him.  The English dictionary defines the word ‘communion’  as the sharing or exchanging of intimate thoughts and feelings, especially on a spiritual level.  The Greek word for ‘communion’ is koinonia, it is the idea of taking responsibility for someone.  

So, when Paul says “... the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all.”  He was saying, in our partnership with the Holy Spirit, He will share and exchange intimate thoughts and feelings with you and in doing so becomes the One that takes the responsibility of your life for you. 

That doesn’t mean we just throw our hands up and live as we please - expecting the Holy Spirit to run our lives for us.  No, it means becoming so intertwined with His thoughts and emotions and will, that as we follow after what He has influenced our hearts and minds with - we will see Him move supernaturally on our behalf, in every area of our lives.  He even moves behind the scenes bringing all things into line with His perfect will for us.  This is our partnership with Him!

So as we pray in the Holy Spirit, it stirs up, fine tunes, enhances and amplifies this communion we have with Him.    

Now it’s easy to see how the spirit of heaviness and fear, and any evil influence can’t hang around a believer who is constantly stirring themselves up, praying in the Holy Ghost.  This is where Romans 8:13 comes into play: “For if you live according to [the dictates of] the flesh, you will surely die. But if through the power of the [Holy] Spirit you are [habitually] putting to death (making extinct, deadening) the [evil] deeds prompted by the body, you shall [really and genuinely] live forever.”

When this truth settles inside us spontaneous thanksgiving and praise begins to well up!  When we sing and praise the Lord from the depth of our spirits, singing and praying in the Holy Ghost because our own human language simply can’t express the gratitude and elation we feel in our hearts - we offer up thanksgiving of the purest and highest level!  Do you know why?  As we begin to praise and thank and worship the Lord, through His Holy Spirit, His presence and power is intensified in us and the situation we are praying about.  

Psalm 22:3 says the Lord dwells in the praises of His people.  He actually makes Himself at home in our praise.  The New King James Version says He is enthroned in our praises.  That means no matter what has raised itself up against His perfect will for our lives - He has dominated and ruled over it through our praise.  You see, that intimate communion we spoke about earlier, where His thoughts and feelings have so filled and influenced our own, making us one with elevates Him to a place in our lives where He truly is king.  Where He dominates and rules and takes responsibility for our lives as we are completely and wholeheartedly yielded to His will.  Our spontaneous thanksgiving through the Holy Spirit while praying in tongues seals and amplifies His active presence in our lives; at the same time, empowering us with whatever is necessary to overcome!

Our purest thanksgiving brings us our greatest victory!

As you spend time meditating on this truth, I pray the Holy Spirit will fill you up and flood your soul with His overwhelming goodness and power, and as you begin to thank and praise Him from your spirit - you will experience what it is to truly know the precious communion we have in Him.

All my love,

Jenny


Sunday, December 9, 2018

When God Prays

Hello Everyone,

Prayer is a very powerful tool that directly connects us to the heart of God.  It’s the way we communicate with Him and it transports us right into His throne room where we can hear and receive from Him in our time of need.  Hebrews 4:16 says, “Let us then fearlessly and confidently and boldly draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy [for our failures] and find grace to help in good time for every need [appropriate help and well-timed help, coming just when we need it].”  

The idea of us approaching God and speaking to Him is not uncommon at all, but you may be as shocked, as I was, to hear how many people struggle with the concept of God speaking to us.  Now, anyone who reads the Bible knows and understands that from the very beginning, God has always wanted to have a meaningful relationship with man.  He created us for fellowship and to be inseparably connected to Him in a partnership where we are completely loved and filled with His Spirit and carry out His  purpose for our lives.  This purpose is one He predestined for us to walk in before the foundation of the earth - one that we were created to flourish in.

Hearing God’s voice is exactly what He expects us to do.  Look at what John 10:27, says, "The sheep that are My own hear and are listening to My voice; and I know them, and they follow Me."  Jesus said when we belong to Him, we are listening to His voice.  That phrase is written in the continuous tense - conveying the idea that this is what is an expected, on-going practice for a child of God - to constantly be listening for and to the voice of our Good Shepherd. We do this so that we can follow Him and walk in His ways - which are always perfect!  In fact, His Word ensures us that He will always lead us into safety, provision and victory - as we listen to and follow His voice.

Now let’s take this communication and connection we have with Him one step deeper.  Acts 17:28 says, “For in Him we live and move and have our being;... For we are also His offspring.”  It’s pretty obvious that the relationship we have in the Lord Jesus is far more than a religious, one sided dialogue, where we offer up religious prayers to a far-off being who is relatively uninterested or unconcerned with our day to day lives.  No, we are completely know by Him, we are cherished by Him and He calls us His very own treasured possessions.  We were created by Him to live and move and exist vitally connected to Him - through His indwelling Holy Spirit!

Now take a look at what 1 John 1:3 says, “What we have seen and [ourselves] heard, we are also telling you, so that you too may realise and enjoy fellowship as partners and partakers with us. And [this] fellowship that we have [which is a distinguishing mark of Christians] is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ (the Messiah).”   Being vitally connected to God is a distinguishing mark of Christians!

In saying all this, I’m trying to explain and emphasis how when our lives are yielded to the Holy Spirit, we can enjoy such a oneness or unity in Him, where even our desires are directly in sink with His, and our agendas become aligned with His kingdom agenda. And this is extremely important when we pray!  Why? Because when we pray in tune and in harmony with the Holy Spirit, our prayers are in perfect line with His will.  Now mix faith in with that and God’s creative power is released - calling those things that are not seen in the natural, but are in line with His Word - as though they already exist in our natural lives!

The problem comes when we are overwhelmed, or distracted by the circumstances around us.  Or when our own human nature gets in the way of us clearly hearing and speaking God’s perfect will in our prayers.  That’s when we can apply the powerful gift of praying in tongues where God’s Spirit prays His perfect will, into and through our own spirits.  As we open our mouths and pray in the Holy Spirit - our words (inspired by Him) become the conveyer belt of His truth and power.  He prays through us.  As this happens, it immediately cuts off the influence of our natural, fleshly thoughts; and like a switch - fine tunes us into focusing in on, sensing and receiving God’s heart and perfect will - while He prays through us. 

If you remember, in previous letters we drew reference from Romans 8:26 with regards  to having God Himself pray on our behalf when we are at first unable to do so.  

Romans 8:26 says, “So too the [Holy] Spirit comes to our aid and bears us up in our weakness; for we do not know what prayer to offer nor how to offer it worthily as we ought, but the Spirit Himself goes to meet our supplication and pleads in our behalf with unspeakable yearnings and groanings too deep for utterance.”

When God prays through us, the supernatural presence and power of God dominates the natural world around us - and the impossible becomes possible.  Our own faith is stimulated and energised; and just like an athlete is warmed up and has stretched out his muscles, preparing them for a race - our spirits as well as our faith are being stirred up and made ready for supernatural action.  We are ready to hear and receive God’s perfect will for us to speak into any situation we are praying over.

Next week I’d like to spend some more time speaking about the special partnership we have with the Holy Spirit and how praying in tongues is our special, supernatural prayer language known only to God - that can become our highest level of thanksgiving - bringing astounding results!

Until then, treasure your relationship with the Holy Spirit and practice having Him pray through you!

All my love,

Jenny


Monday, December 3, 2018

Refresh Your Soul - Part 2

Hello everyone,

There is nothing more powerful on this earth than a Christian who is full of and controlled by the Holy Spirit.  He has spent time in the Presence of God and has received revelation knowledge from His Word. His spirit has been built up and is literally bursting with power packed faith, and he is energised and fired up to declare God’s Word over his circumstances and operate in the gifts of the Holy Spirit. He remains acutely in tune to the Spirit’s voice and is not moved by what he sees in the natural.  

Sound too good to be true?  Well, it’s really not.  Every born again, child of God - who has received the baptism of the Holy Spirit is well able to remain in a place of abundant, spiritual overflow by choosing to power himself up by praying in the Holy Ghost and meditating on the truth of God’s Word!

Even when circumstances get rough, and the enemy of our souls attacks our minds with negative thoughts, or our bodies complain with symptoms of sickness and pain, we can be refreshed in our souls as our supercharged spirits minister life and peace and healing to us.

And when we are weak in the natural and faced with challenges that are seemingly impossible to overcome, and we don’t know how to pray as we ought - that’s when we pray in the Holy Spirit and stand our ground in God’s Word.

Romans 8:26 says, “So too the [Holy] Spirit comes to our aid and bears us up in our weakness; for we do not know what prayer to offer nor how to offer it worthily as we ought, but the Spirit Himself goes to meet our supplication and pleads in our behalf with unspeakable yearnings and groanings too deep for utterance.”

As we begin to pray in the Holy Spirit and submit our minds to Him, He prays the perfect will of God into our situation. From our spirits, He begins to energise us with His power and gives us a word, that springs up like a spontaneous thought inside us.  Whatever that word is, whether it’s an instruction, or word of comfort, a word of knowledge, or wisdom, even a vision or dream - it will always come with a surge of life and peace that floods our souls and the refreshing process has begun!

Psalms 119:107 says, “I am sorely afflicted; renew and quicken me [give me life], O Lord, according to Your word!”

We are to take what has come up from our spirits, from the Spirit of God, and do whatever He says to do.  It may be to turn to a particular passage of scripture He has reminded us of, or directed us to. It may be a specific detail we need to attend to in our lives - some kind of adjustment to our attitude or lifestyle.  It could even be a message He has impressed on your hearts to give to someone.  Whatever it is, we must move swiftly in obedience because it has our soul’s salvation attached to it!  I don’t mean our entrance to heaven, I mean getting out of a state of worry, fretting and defeat, into a place of peace, joy and victory!

One vitally important key we cannot ignore during this process, where we have prayed earnestly in the Holy Ghost and received that spontaneous word from the Lord, is to harbour an attitude of praise and thanksgiving that rises up inside us!

Acts 2:28 says, “You have made known to me the ways of life; You will enrapture me [diffusing my soul with joy] with and in Your presence.”

As the Spirit of the Lord prays God’s will over your life and into your situation, you can literally feel His power go to work in and through the words you speak, because your spirit becomes supercharged and your soul (mind, will and emotions) is washed over by the presence of God and His Words of truth and... refreshing comes!

Praying in tongues and meditating on the Word of God most certainly refreshes your soul, bringing it peace and infusing it with supernatural life as the Holy Spirit washes His perfect Word over the recesses of your mind. Because this process is supernatural, it is able to correct any thought patterns that are contrary to His will and set you on a path of victory. You will receive the direction and comfort you need, and confidence to move forward in His ways as the Holy Spirit fills your thoughts with the truth you have paid attention to. 

To end this letter, I’ve chosen the words of Paul in Philippians 1:19, where he says, “For I am well assured and indeed know that through your prayers and a bountiful supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ (the Messiah) this will turn out for my preservation (for the spiritual health and welfare of my own soul) and avail toward the saving work of the Gospel.”  

May a bountiful supply of the Holy Spirit be what preserves the spiritual health and welfare of your soul as you spend time praying in the Holy Ghost and filling yourself with the truth of His Word this week.

Much love,


Jenny

Monday, November 26, 2018

Refresh Your Soul - Part 1


Hello everyone,

When worrying thoughts bombard your mind and threaten to pull you down into despair, you have a powerful weapon that will abruptly interrupt their course and declare the perfect will of God directly into the situation that is overwhelming you.  That weapon is praying in the Holy Ghost and as you use it, God’s Spirit prays through your spirit and redeems your soul out of all distress.

1 Corinthians 14:4 says that when we pray in unknown tongues we edify and improve ourselves. That means we build up and improve the current state of our souls.  Now the soul is made of three distinct parts: The part of the mind where we think and reason; the part that acts as our will and the part where our emotions operate from.  All these areas are positively affected when we pray in the Holy Ghost.

Jude 1:20 says, “But you, beloved, build yourselves up [founded] on your most holy faith [make progress, rise like an edifice higher and higher], praying in the Holy Spirit;”.

Why would a born again believer need to have their souls built up and encouraged?  Well, the Word of God teaches us that we have an enemy, the devil, who has made it his business to steal, kill and destroy every bit of faith, hope, peace and joy we have in this life (John 10:10).  

Now we know the finished work of the cross has disarmed him and prevented him from harming us - take a look at Colossians 2:15, “[God] disarmed the principalities and powers that were ranged against us and made a bold display and public example of them, in triumphing over them in Him and in it [the cross].”  

The fact is, even though the devil has been defeated, he has a deceptive and criminal nature, and will not stop trying to destroy the life and victory we have in Christ Jesus.  While he can distract our minds with negative, worrisome thoughts, he can keep our souls in a place of troubled anguish and defeat.

But the devil isn’t the only cause of our souls being troubled.  When we make wrong choices in life or react incorrectly to circumstances through shock or hurt, or disappointment, we can cause a ripple of events that lead to our minds being trapped in turmoil, resentment and bitterness.

So how do we pull our souls out of this downward, destructive spiral and into refreshing peace?  The answer is simple - we must get them into a place where the truth of God’s Word is more dominant than any other voice we are hearing.  We have to choose to cast out all thoughts that bring anxiety and panic before fear has a chance to neutralise our faith.  

As impossible as this may seem, we really can do it. Jesus said He has already overcome every opposing force or stressful trial we will ever face in this life, regardless of its source.  Take a look at  John 16:33, “I have told you these things, so that in Me you may have [perfect] peace and confidence. In the world you have tribulation and trials and distress and frustration; but be of good cheer [take courage; be confident, certain, undaunted]! For I have overcome the world. [I have deprived it of power to harm you and have conquered it for you.]”

In order to rescue our troubled souls and bring them into a place of refreshing and victory, we must have the Word of God dominate them.  And not just any word, the most appropriate word for our situation is what will give our minds victory over distress.  Take a look at what Psalms 119:81 says, “My soul languishes and grows faint for Your salvation, but I hope in Your word.”  

Psalms 94:19 says, “In the multitude of my [anxious] thoughts within me, Your comforts cheer and delight my soul!”

You may wonder what this has to do with praying in the Holy Spirit. Well, understand that praying in the Holy Spirit stops our prayers from being influenced by our own limited intellect, that has certainly been negatively affected by our anxious emotions.  

Instead, we are having the Spirit of God speak His perfect will, peace and power over us and into our situations.  It’s perfect because it has no trace of fear or doubt, only creative power to speak into existence what His Word has promised us.  What’s more, our own spirits are in complete harmony and agreement with God’s, which energises and stirs up a mighty inner strength inside us.

That’s what Ephesians 1:19 & 20 speaks about, “And [so that you can know and understand] what is the immeasurable and unlimited and surpassing greatness of His power in and for us who believe, as demonstrated in the working of His mighty strength,...Now to Him Who, by the [action of His] power that is at work within us, is able to [carry out His purpose and] do superabundantly, far over and above all that we [dare] ask or think [infinitely beyond our highest prayers, desires, thoughts, hopes, or dreams]...”

Until next week, spend time praying in the Holy Spirit and let His Presence which is at work within you refresh and restore your soul. 

Much love,

Jenny











Sunday, November 18, 2018

Evidence of His Power in You

Hello everyone,

The baptism of the Holy Spirit is a precious gift for every born-again believer and is essential for us to live out our Christian faith purposefully and victoriously.  As we study the scriptures, we see how speaking in tongues, which is a personal, heavenly, prayer language is available for every Believer who is baptised in the Holy Spirit.  There are such amazing benefits for those who regularly spend time praying in their heavenly language, in fact they are so wonderful that we simply cannot ignore the importance of this precious gift.  

Regardless of the denomination to which you belong or what you have been taught to believe, it is an irrefutable fact that Jesus said believers would speak with new tongues.  Jesus said in Mark 16:17, “And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues;”.

Today we are going to look at one of the benefits of praying in tongues which is the fact that it provides evidence that we are filled with the supernatural power of God!

As a born-again child of God, your body has become the dwelling place of the Holy Spirit!   1 Corinthians 6:19 says, “Do you not know that your body is the temple (the very sanctuary) of the Holy Spirit Who lives within you, Whom you have received [as a Gift] from God? You are not your own,”.

1 Corinthians 6:17 says, “But the person who is united to the Lord becomes one spirit with Him.”  This means your spirit and His Holy Spirit have become one!  At the point of your conversion, the Holy Spirit took your human spirit which was lost to sin, and recreated it in Himself!  2 Corinthians 5:17 says, “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!”

Then, as I explained in the previous letter, every child of God can receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit.  This is where we ask the Holy Spirit to fill us up and activate us with His power.  It’s important to note that when we become born again, the Holy Spirit does take up residency in us, and promises to remain in us.  He doesn’t leave us.  However, to activate His power to flow in and through us - to do what is naturally not possible to do, we need the baptism of the Holy Spirit.  

Look at what John the Baptist said about Jesus,  John 1:32-34, “John gave further evidence, saying, I have seen the Spirit descending as a dove out of heaven, and it dwelt on Him [never to depart].  And I did not know Him nor recognize Him, but He Who sent me to baptizein (with) water said to me, Upon Him Whom you shall see the Spirit descend and remain, that One is He Who baptizes with the Holy Spirit. And I have seen [that happen—I actually did see it] and my testimony is that this is the Son of God!”  
The Holy Spirit empowered Jesus to operate supernaturally from that moment on.  His power flowed through Jesus as He worked signs, wonders and miracles.  It also gave Him the power to withstand the temptation and attack of the enemy.  

Luke 4:1, “THEN JESUS, full of and controlled by the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led in [by] the [Holy] Spirit.”  Jesus was then led by the Holy Spirt into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.  Because the Holy Spirit gave Him the appropriate word to respond every time, He stood up to the devil and overcame every temptation and trap he had laid out for Him.  This is important for us to pay attention to, because when we are baptised in the Holy Spirit, we are given the same power to overcome every trap and temptation the enemy has laid up for us.

Look at what happened next:  
Luke 4:14, 17-19, “Then Jesus went back full of and under the power of the [Holy] Spirit into Galilee, and the fame of Him spread through the whole region round about....And there was handed to Him [the roll of] the book of the prophet Isaiah. He opened (unrolled) the book and found the place where it was written,
The Spirit of the Lord [is] upon Me, because He has anointed Me [the Anointed One, the Messiah] to preach the good news (the Gospel) to the poor; He has sent Me to announce release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to send forth as delivered those who are oppressed [who are downtrodden, bruised, crushed, and broken down by calamity],
To proclaim the accepted and acceptable year of the Lord [the daywhen salvation and the free favors of God profusely abound].”

Just as the Holy Spirit empowered Jesus to do all this, the baptism of the Holy Spirit we receive empowers us to do the very same!

A wonderful way to understand this is by looking at what the Word baptism means.   It comes from the Greek Word baptizo meaning to fully submerge.  It gives a picture of a piece of cloth being fully submerged into a container that is filled with a solution of water and dye.  Once that cloth is completely soaked in that solution, it has been baptised in it.  When that cloth is lifted out of that solution, it has taken of the exact colour, and even smell of what saturated it. 

When we are baptised with the Holy Spirit, our spirits are literally saturated and soaked in His power.  We are full of and activated by power to do the very same supernatural works Jesus did.  In John 14:12 Jesus said, “I assure you, most solemnly I tell you, if anyone steadfastly believes in Me, he will himself be able to do the things that I do; and he will do even greater things than these, because I go to the Father.”  Jesus knew that only once He left the earth to go to His Father, the Holy Spirit would be able to inhabit the lives of those who believed in and accepted Jesus as their Saviour.

Once we are baptised in the Holy Spirit, being filled with His power is something that is not just done once and never again.  In fact the Bible tells us to continue being filled with His power.  Ephesians 5:18 says, “And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery; but ever be filled and stimulated with the [Holy] Spirit.”  Every time we need a fresh empowerment of the Holy Spirit’s power to spiritually strengthen and energise us, we can use our faith and ask the Holy Spirit to fill us full of a fresh empowering of His supernatural power.  In fact it’s something that is expected of us, not just suggested.  

Speaking in tongues is evidence that we have been baptised and filled with the power of God.  It’s proof that our bodies are wholly filled and flooded with that power. 

Ephesians 1:19 says that we can know and understand the, “...immeasurable and unlimited and surpassing greatness of His power in and for us who believe, as demonstrated in the working of His mighty strength,...”.  

Ephesians 3:19 speaks of how we are, “...filled [through all our being]unto all the fullness of God [may have the richest measure of the divine Presence, and become a body wholly filled and flooded with God Himself]!”  

Every time we pray in tongues we are reminded of and have evidence of how our frail human bodies hold within them a treasure that is so powerful and glorious, it cannot be kept for just ourselves!  The power of God that is in us empowers us to do His will and carry out His purpose supernaturally while we are on this earth.

2 Corinthians 4:7 says, “However, we possess this precious treasure [the divine Light of the Gospel] in [frail, human] vessels of earth, that the grandeur and exceeding greatness of the power may be shown to be from God and not from ourselves.

What a glorious gift we have to constantly remind us of the power that resides inside us.  This heavenly language is pure evidence of that resident power.  

Next week I’ll speak about another benefit Speaking in Tongues holds for us.  Until then, pray in the Holy Spirit and be reminded of that power that is flowing in and through you!

Much love,

Jenny