"But just as it is written,
'Things which eye has not seen and ear has not heard, and which have not entered
the heart of man, all that God has prepared for those who love Him.' For
to us God revealed them through the Spirit; for the Spirit searches all things,
even the depths of God. For who among men knows the thoughts of a man
except the spirit of the man, which is in him? Even so the thoughts of God
no one knows except the Spirit of God. Now we have received, not the
spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the
things freely given to us by God, which things we also speak not in words taught
by human wisdom, but in those taught by the Spirit, combining spiritual thoughts
with spiritual words." 1
Corinthians 2: 9-13
I remember when the Bible and Christian talk didn't make any sense to me at
all. Someone would read to me a Scripture and try to explain it but it was
so foreign to me - I just didn't comprehend. Then, shortly after
surrendering my life to Jesus - my Lord and Savior, the Bible opened up to me
and I could truly - for the first time - understand what I read. The Holy
Spirit taught me, straight from the Word, about the deity of Jesus and what I
was to do now that I belonged to Him. And when I spoke with other
Christians I could understand most of what they spoke or taught (some teachings,
I soon discovered, are not biblical and the Lord protected me from these
false teachings).
Ephesians 1:13-14 tells us, "In Him
(Jesus), you also, after listening to
the message of truth (also see Rom. 10:17), the gospel of your salvation - having also believed, you were sealed in
Him with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is given as a pledge of our
inheritance, with a view to the redemption of God's own possession, to the
praise of His glory." The Holy Spirit is our seal, a pledge of
our inheritance. And it is His fruit (love, joy, peace, patience, goodness, kindness, faithfulness,
gentleness and self-control, see Gal. 5:22-23) we bear (He's the
producer) and it is His fruit in our lives that is the evidence of our complete
surrender to Him ("If we live by the Spirit,
let us also walk by the Spirit." Gal. 5:25).
Johann Peter Lange had this to say
about worship and the Holy Spirit, "In all true worship that
is honorable to God and beneficial to His children, the Holy Spirit is the
reason that it is so. It is only so far as He helps our infirmities and
teaches us how to pray, only so far as He gives us an insight and understanding
into divine truth, only so far as He inspires our songs and praises, that our
worship is truly spiritual and edifying. So what is most needed in
preparation for worship is to seek His presence and aid. No amount of
learning, natural gifts, acquired skills, or refinements of art can compensate
for that anointing of the Holy One that is promised to the believer to teach him
all things."
Jesus said, "But an hour is coming, and
now is, when the true worshipers shall worship the Father in spirit and truth;
for such people the Father seeks to be His worshipers. God is spirit, and
those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth." (John 4:
23-24) True worshippers are those who belong to the Father
through Jesus. When we worship the Father in spirit and in truth we are
guided and regulated by the word of God, not our emotions; for they can be
deceitful like our hearts.
Heavenly Father, what an honor it is to come before Your throne to
worship and adore You - for You are worthy of all honor and praise. May we
always come before You worshiping in spirit and in truth; Your word, O Lord
our God, is truth. May we seek Your presence and direction on a daily
basis, remembering that nothing can compensate for what You have promised to us
through Your word. In Jesus name we pray. Amen.
Have a most joyous day in our Lord!
April
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!!ATTENTION LADIES!!
Dear Friends,
If personal revival is your heart's cry... If you seek
a firm foundation of faith in the living God... If you long for an intimate
relationship with Jesus... please join Jill Briscoe, Kay Arthur, Fernando Ortega
and me as we too seek a fresh touch from God. Jill will guide us in prayer. Kay
will direct us in Bible study, Fernando will lead us in worship, and I will
present messages from God's Word. Each presentation will focus on the exultation
of Jesus Christ alone.
In His Joy,
Anne Graham Lotz
For
information about the upcoming "Just Give Me Jesus" revivals, visit:
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The above message is sent
to you as an encouragement. Please pass this on to friends and
family. To add yourself or a loved one to the mailing list reply to
[email protected] Subject:
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Encouragement From The Heart Website updated March 17,
2000 (note: web address changed).
http://www.geocities.com/correiaville/encourag.html
there's a new page, "The Master's Garden" stop by and check it out!
Scripture references (unless noted otherwise): The Open Bible, New American
Standard
copyright The Lockman Foundation 1960, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975,
1977
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