John 12:24 "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit."
I'm convinced that if we learn to listen to God's prompting, then not only will we become a blessing to others, but we'll also be blessed in the process.
After all, it's not the mighty things that necessarily count at the end of the day; it's the little things that touch others. Just like that still, small voice when He talks to us ...
From Dutch Sheets:
Jesus said it was actually advantageous for Him to leave earth, in order that Holy Spirit could be sent to us. Whereas Jesus, in His human body, could be in only one place at a time; Holy Spirit can be everywhere at once, and is IN us, not just with us. I ended the post by saying that the single greatest key to biblically-defined success in any Christian endeavor is allowing the full work of Holy Spirit in and through us. This is most certainly true with prayer.
If we are to become skilled watchmen, we must become increasingly led and instructed by Holy Spirit. He was Christ’s helper, and He must be ours as well. Jesus was filled with, led, empowered, and anointed by Holy Spirit (see Luke 4). Acts 10:38 again says Christ derived His power from Holy Spirit, and our power must flow from the same source - the Holy Spirit (see Acts 1:8).
In a seminary missions class, Herbert Jackson told how, as a new missionary, he was assigned a car that would not start without a push and popping the clutch.
After pondering his problem, he devised a plan. He went to the school near his home, got permission to take some children out of class, and had them push his car. As he made his rounds, he would either park on a hill or leave his car running. He used this procedure for two years.
Ill health forced the Jackson family to leave, and a new missionary came to that station. When Jackson proudly began to explain his arrangement for getting the car started, the new man began looking under the hood. Before the explanation was complete, the new missionary interrupted, “Why Dr. Jackson, I believe the only trouble is this loose cable.” He gave the cable a twist, stepped into the car, pushed the switch, and to Jackson’s astonishment, the engine roared to life.
For two years, needless trouble had become routine. The power was there all the time. Only a loose connection kept Jackson from putting the power to work.
J.B. Phillips paraphrases Ephesians 1:19-20, “How tremendous is the power available to us who believe in God.” When we make firm our connection with Holy Spirit, His life and power flow through us. (1)
There are two references in Scripture to Holy Spirit being our Helper. One is John 16:7: “But I tell you the truth, it is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper shall not come to you; but if I go, I will send Him to you.” Here, the word is parakletos, which literally means “called to another’s side to aid, help or support.”(2) While often used to describe a legal advocate or attorney, it is not limited to this but includes any and every means of helping.
I’ve often marveled at Holy Spirit’s humility. He could demand from us, assert His dominance, or force Himself on us. However, He postures Himself as an aide, a helper, waiting for the invitation to be all that He is. And oh, how we waste His availability and offer of help!
One of the areas in which Holy Spirit wants to help us is spiritual warfare. This was another interesting use of the term parakletos. “Greek soldiers went into battle in pairs so that when an enemy attacked, they could draw together, back-to-back, covering each other’s blind side. One’s battle partner was his paraclete.”(3)
Yes, our greatest partner in battle is Holy Spirit! As Samson of old, we become more than conquerors when He is our strength. The same anointing of Holy Spirit that gave Samson physical power gives us spiritual power. Don’t waste it! Acts 1:8 says we receive power (the Amplified Bible says “power and ability”) when Holy Spirit indwells us. He wants to release His power from us into situations to heal, transform, bind demonic powers, dethrone principalities, and more.
The Amplified Bible, Classic Edition, uses no less than seven terms to describe/translate the concept of Holy Spirit as our paraclete: “Comforter, Counselor, Helper, Advocate, Intercessor, Strengthener, Standby.” Incredible! That’s a lot to meditate on. Holy Spirit has been sent to help us in EVERY aspect of our life and ministry. He is the key to success! As watchmen, we must lean heavily on Him.
The second passage that refers to Holy Spirit “helping” us is Romans 8:26: “And in the same way the Spirit also helps our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words” (emphasis mine). The Greek word is sunantilambanomai. It is a compound word made up of three words. Sun means “together with”; anti, “against”; and lambano, “to take hold of.”(4) Putting them together, a very literal meaning of the word is, “take hold of, together with, against.”
How’s that for help?!
In situations where we’re experiencing difficulty in obtaining results, Holy Spirit wants to take hold of the situation with us, adding His strength to ours. One of the ways in which he takes hold with us is by directing us on how to pray, “for we know not what we should pray for as we ought” (Romans 8:26, KJV).
His strength is made complete in our weaknesses (2 Corinthians 12:9). When we realize our weaknesses and inability to produce results, this causes us to look to Him for help. If we allow Him to pray through us, He will take hold together with us. We must believe that when Holy Spirit takes hold, something is going to move!
Please notice that both the word “helps” and its literal definition “takes hold together with against” imply - not that Holy Spirit is doing it for us - but with us. In other words, this isn’t something Holy Spirit is simply doing in us, with or without our participation. No, we involve Him by praying as He leads, which is actually allowing Him to pray through us. His power is released through the prayers, and mountains are moved.
This reminds me of the mouse and elephant who were best friends. They hung out together all the time, the mouse riding on the elephant’s back. One day they crossed a wooden bridge, causing it to bow, creak, and sway under their combined weight. After they were across, the mouse, impressed with their ability to make such an impact, said to the elephant, “We sure shook that bridge, didn’t we?”
Yes, Holy Spirit is the source of power, the weighty One, but He allows us to participate and share in the victories. In fact, He won’t cross the bridge without us.
Pray with me:
Father, we thank You again for Your Spirit, Holy Spirit, being sent to us as our Helper. Just as Jesus was filled with, led, empowered, and anointed by Holy Spirit, we have been promised the same help. We receive this now by faith. We ask and are trusting You to bring a fresh infilling of Holy Spirit to the Ekklesia, to sharpen our discernment, to mature us in being led more accurately by our Helper. Just as Jesus was anointed by Holy Spirit (Acts 10:38), so we draw near to You and ask for a stronger anointing, in order to more effectively release Christ into the earth.
Prophets have told us through dreams and prophecies that this month of July is significant for Washington, DC. In a dream, You showed angels with battering rams tearing down the protection afforded the spirit of Baal in and around the White House. We lay hold of those words now and decree them into our nation’s capital: “America, Washington, DC, White House, be free from the spirit of Baal! His roots have been destroyed. They will no longer bring forth fruit! Washington DC, receive the significant operation spoken of by the Spirit of God this month of July.”
We trust You, Holy Spirit, as our great Paraclete. We know You are our protector in this battle. You are also the One who takes hold with us against our enemies. Take hold of our nation this month. Take hold of Baal this month. Dislodge him from Washington DC and the White House.
And Father, just as with Israel under Elijah‘s prophetic ministry, we declare that as a nation we will no longer limp between two opinions (1 Kings 18:21). We declare, “The Lord, He is God! Yahweh is God!” (1 Kings 18:39). Now, we ask You for the rain of Holy Spirit to fall upon our land, just as it did in Elijah’s day. Send a deluge of Holy Spirit life to our land. Pour Holy Spirit out on us! We ask for all of this in the holy name of Jesus, amen.
Our decree:
We decree that with Holy Spirit’s help, we are turning America back to God!
On Monday we talked about allowing Holy Spirit to reignite us, preparing us for the “new” that is coming. In the New Testament, two Greek words are translated “new,” and have different meanings. Understanding the difference is important.
The word neos means numerically new, but not qualitatively different. For instance, if you buy a new car of a certain make and model, and like it so much you buy another one for your spouse, that would be neos. It’s new, but not different. I’ll give you a reference in a moment.
The other Greek word for “new” is kainos, which also means numerically new, but includes qualitatively new, as well. For example, a new car manufactured today is obviously quite different from a new Model T in its day. Today’s version would be not only numerically new, but also qualitatively new (kainos).
Distinguishing the difference between these two words—neos and kainos—is very important to our proper understanding of Scripture. For example, 2 Corinthians 5:17 says we are new (kainos) creations. We’re not just duplications or replicas of the former, which would be neos. We’re new in the sense of being different—kainos - qualitatively new. When we’re born again, God transforms us, gives us a different nature, and fills us with His Spirit. We’re not just forgiven, the same sinful people with a few changes; we are kainos, completely new on the inside.
A very important passage in which these distinctions are significant is Matthew 9:17. Jesus used both Greek words in one statement when He referred to the importance of putting “new wine” into “new wineskins.” His choice of words was that new (neos - numerically new) wine had to be put into new (kainos - qualitatively new) wineskins. Wineskins, made of leather, become dry and hard between uses. Before being used again, they have to be soaked in water, then rubbed with oil to soften them. If this does not occur, the fermentation process expands the skin and it breaks. The application for us is that we must allow the water of the Word and oil of Holy Spirit to prepare us for new seasons of wine.
The neos wine Jesus spoke of is another outpouring of Holy Spirit. He, the wine, won’t change. Holy Spirit can’t change - no improvement is possible or necessary. He simply pours more of Himself into us.
However, we, the wineskin must change, progressively transformed (kainos) from glory to glory and faith to faith. In order to have another measure of Holy Spirit poured into us, we are renewed, changed, metamorphosed. If we do not allow and cooperate with this change, we won’t be able to contain the new wine He pours out in subsequent revivals. But if we do embrace the change in our lives, He can pour neos wine into our kainos wineskins.
God has done an enormous amount of work in the church the past few years, preparing us for another move of His Spirit (more wine). Some of the change we all experience is obviously character related. We are consistently being transformed into the image of Christ (2 Corinthians 3:18). Other changes, however, are in our thinking - both theologically and practically. Many in the church have gone through theological adjustments over the past few years regarding the 5-Fold ministry gifts of Ephesians 4:11, the meaning and calling of the church (ekklesia), understanding marketplace ministry (which we discussed yesterday), maturing in prayer and more.
And yet, we must be willing to change more than just our theology. Our wineskins must become flexible in a practical sense. We all become comfortable with certain ways, methods, customs, traditions, etc. This is true in every area of life, both naturally and spiritually. Cultural “norms” are present in homes, businesses, age groups, society as a whole and, yes, churches. This isn’t wrong; it is normal.
However, just as businesses must adapt to new products and tastes, innovating to succeed in a new season, we in the church must also. When Holy Spirit is poured out in a new season, He is ministering to a new generation with new tastes and styles, that experiences new and different problems, and that processes everything through a new set of paradigms. When Holy Spirit is poured out on this generation, He is wise enough to know what they need and how they need it delivered to them. The key for us is twofold: remain flexible enough to adapt our methods; and follow Holy Spirit’s guidance in doing so without compromising the message - innovate without ignoring or violating truth. Truth is sacred and unchanging; methods and preferences are not.
“From time to time, lobsters have to shed their shells in order to grow. They need the shell to protect them from being torn apart; yet when they grow, the old shell must be abandoned - it can’t grow. If they did not abandon it, the old shell would soon become their prison and, finally, their casket.
The precarious time for the lobster is the brief period between the discarding of the old shell and the forming of the new. During that terribly vulnerable period, the transition must be scary to the lobster. Ocean currents gleefully cartwheel them from coral to kelp. Hungry schools of fish are ready to make them a part of their food chain. For a while at least, that old shell must look pretty good.
We are not so different from lobsters. To change and grow, we must sometimes shed our shells—a structure, a framework—that we’ve depended on.”(1) Becoming a new wineskin means shedding the old in order to embrace the new. It’s uncomfortable, but necessary.
It’s worth pointing out that the two Greek words for “new” - neos and kainos - are also used to describe “renewal.” By adding the prefix ana to them, which is equivalent to the English prefix “re,” we have two different concepts of renewal. Ananeoo is being renewed to what we previously were or possessed; God restores to us something we once walked in. What He restores isn’t qualitatively new or different, yet there is renewal or refreshing. Perhaps He restores to us our joy, health, first love, or a state of faith we previously walked in.
The other word, anakainoo, means that the renewal process has changed us. God has brought to us another stage of maturity; we are different. This type of renewal transforms us from glory to glory, into the image of Christ (2 Corinthians 3:18). When finished, we are more mature, more knowledgable, more like Him. This is the word for renewing the mind (Romans 12:2), the way we think, enabling us to operate more in the mind of Christ (1 Corinthians 2:16).
God is doing new things on the earth, both in the sense of neos and kainos. He’s beginning to pour another round of wine, another rain of Holy Spirit. To prepare for this, He’s also making radical changes in the church. Ready yourself to receive these changes by being a kainos wineskin.
Shed the shell!
Pray with me:
Father, we position ourselves before You, asking for the ability to change in whatever ways necessary to receive the new wine of Holy Spirit. We want to experience the ongoing transformation into the image of Christ, from glory to glory. We are expecting new wine and we intend to be new vessels.
Show us any areas of our lives needing change or adjustment. Show us any way of thinking that would keep us from receiving the new wine. And grow us in our understanding of Your word and ways so that we can be used to reveal Christ as never before. You speak of the church coming to a place where we reveal the fullness of Christ (Ephesians 4:13). We want this!
So transform us. Transform our minds. Move us into a greater understanding of You, which will release greater authority and power. Move us into a new expression of Your gifts and will in the earth. You said we would do the same works Christ did and greater works. We release our faith for this now. In His wonderful name we ask, amen.
Our decree:
We decree that we are becoming new, in order to receive the new!
“SEPARATE TO ME.” A STRANGE MIRACLE IS HAPPENING TO A MASSIVE NUMBER OF BELIEVERS.
A massive number of Christians are experiencing a strange miracle. And we are discovering that this was predicted—in detail.
The Holy Spirit is separating them. He has selected them for special grace and power to accomplish mighty acts at the edge of history. They will be uniquely equipped to face the sophisticated evil of our time. But it all begins by making peace with the Holy Spirit and restoring His rightful place in our hearts and in the church.
Take a close look at the book of Acts and you will see the disarming down-to-earth way they related to the Holy Spirit. While they revered Him deeply, they had a sense of His nearness and His involvement in their day to day operation. They behaved as if He was close by and they could almost see Him. Most of all, they anticipated His instructions.
Acts 13:2 “As they ministered to the Lord and fasted, the Holy Spirit said, “Now separate to Me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.” 3 Then, having fasted and prayed, and laid hands on them, they sent them away. 4 So, being sent out by the Holy Spirit, they went down to Seleucia, and from there they sailed to Cyprus.”
Millions are now hearing the same call: “SEPARATE TO ME!” The Holy Spirit told David Wilkerson about this coming separation, and how pockets of prophetic people would huddle together across our nation.
He said, “God-hungry people are saying among themselves, “This is not it. There is something more. The bigness and the sensationalism of it all has left us empty and dry. We want more. More than entertainment. More than big, showy buildings. More than a shallow celebrity gospel. We want deeper values. We want to see Jesus. We want spotless robes of righteousness. We want to go back to doing things in total dependence on God.”
Many of these people were chased out of churches that were once fiery, Spirit-filled churches that had taken on a new ‘seeker-friendly’ format. They saw their church now focused on church growth, down-playing the presence of the Holy Spirit, and only designed to attract outsiders. They felt punished for wanting a move of God.
They are fed up with the world system—especially when they see it operating in the church. They can’t stomach the glitzy entertainment centers anymore. They believe we have no time to play games. They are frustrated that church is catering to the lukewarm members.
They are done with egocentric preachers with grandiose, expensive and carnal visions that having nothing to do with soul winning or revival. They accuse these preachers of being distracted—even derailed from their first love. Disciples are abandoning “attraction” churches, and something revolutionary is happening inside them. God is starting a fresh movement.
David Wilkerson explained more of what he saw coming: “God is revealing to all praying people that a glorious new work of the Spirit is about to break forth. God is going to shake everything that can be shaken. He will tear down the old political, backslidden, ecclesiastical system. He will disown the formal, super-church structure. He will chase out of His presence all who are engaging in self-promoting ministries.”
The praying people he mentions will force changes. They are a new breed for a new need. They are frustrated, hungry, and their numbers are growing fast. They are coalescing around certain truths: fasting, repentance, and holy surrender to Christ.
Smith Wigglesworth saw this separation coming way back in 1927. He predicted the same group of people that David Wilkerson described: “All the people which are pressing into and getting ready for this glorious attained place where they shall not be found naked, where they shall be blameless, where they shall be immovable, where they shall be purified by the power of the Word of God, have within them a consciousness of the very presence of God within, changing their very nature and preparing them for a greater thing, and causing them to be ready for translation.”
Both men believed that this gathering unto the Holy Spirit would begin after a great falling away.
Wigglesworth said, “We have to see that these days have to come, before the Lord can come. There has to be a falling away. There are in the world two classes of believers. There are believers which are disobedient, or I ought to say there are children which are saved by the power of God which are disobedient children. And there are children which are just the same saved by the power of God, who all the time are longing to be more obedient.”
I know that the moment predicted by these two men is upon us. Every day, I receive another account of frustrated saints who have been suddenly driven to hours of prayer. Many are fasting. A vast number are about to find each other in a true outbreak of holy fire. Millions of believers across America feel they are being separated to the Holy Spirit for some amazing, yet unknown, reason. David Wilkerson talked about a “work” within us. Smith Wigglesworth talked about “pressing in.” The image is clear…the Holy Spirit is stirring souls across the nation. They are done with the overuse of big screens, skinny jeans, and fog machines.
The weapons of our warfare are not carnal! But mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds!
These frustrated saints are being pulled away from fleshly things, even as a spirit of prayer is overtaking them. They are surrendering to a special work of the Holy Spirit. A fresh work of the Holy Spirit has begun, and the impact will soon be widespread in all the earth!
But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.
1 Corinthians 2:14 KJVThe unspiritual self, just as it is by nature, can’t receive the gifts of God’s Spirit. There’s no capacity for them. They seem like so much silliness. Spirit can be known only by spirit—God’s Spirit and our spirits in open communion. Spiritually alive, we have access to everything God’s Spirit is doing, and can’t be judged by unspiritual critics. Isaiah’s question, “Is there anyone around who knows God’s Spirit, anyone who knows what he is doing?” has been answered: Christ knows, and we have Christ’s Spirit.
1 Corinthians 2:14 MSGAnd we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him.
This is how we know we’re living steadily and deeply in him, and he in us: He’s given us life from his life, from his very own Spirit. Also, we’ve seen for ourselves and continue to state openly that the Father sent his Son as Savior of the world. Everyone who confesses that Jesus is God’s Son participates continuously in an intimate relationship with God. We know it so well, we’ve embraced it heart and soul, this love that comes from God.
