Finding Jesus

When “Ask” is More Than a Request….

~ kathrynspen ~ Leave a comment

“Ask” is such a small word… But when we understand what it sometimes refers to – the effect can be a powerful thing.

Now what I mean by that.. is the fact that the little word “ask” in the New Testament .. has more than one use or meaning!… So let me explain when the original Greek word for “ask” has such a powerful effect: ….

To begin this explanation – I will tell you that there are at least five different Greek words used in the New Testament..  all of which are very often translated “ask.”  Here are 5 different Greek meanings for the word “ask” ….

  • Ask..  as a question (to ascertain by inquiry)
  • Ask..  as a request or favor
  • Ask..  as a search for something hidden; investigate
  • Ask..  as a petition for help; beseech
  • And finally the “ask” we are going to focus on here – which is “to call for something due; to require  (see #154 & #4441 in Strong’s Concordance)

In Matthew 11:12,  Jesus gave voice to some very interesting words….”From the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of Heaven suffereth violence (to crowd into); and the violent (a forcer) take it by force”  (to seize, catch away by force, to take for oneself.)  It is the taking by force – the seizing that the “ask” (Strong’s Greek #154) refers to… “calling for what is due” – from the Kingdom of God.  You are not resisting God, but the forces of darkness – the “authority and jurisdiction of darkness” from which we’ve been delivered (Colossians 1:12-14) !

Why “seize” it?… You must actively take hold of what God has promised – because “your adversary the devil” (I Peter 5:8) will not sit passively while you receive all the things that belong to you as a believer in the Kingdom of God!... The Word of God is very clear about that in Matthew 13, Mark 4 and Luke 8 – in the parable of the sower – which tells us that any time we have a promise from God, the enemy comes immediately to snatch the word of promise away from us – to keep us from receiving it.  That is where we must not be passive!  But we must stand (which is an active upright position) – holding forth the word of promise in faith – against the wiles of the devil (Ephesians 6:10-13).  It is an active resistance – not as those who lie stretched out passively under his influence while the enemy takes their goods….

And thus, we are back to the scripture on seizing the Kingdom of God by force – which does not mean that we are to be forceful and demanding with God! … No, indeed .. “for it is His good pleasure to give us the benefits of belonging to His Kingdom  (Luke 12:32)… What we are being told is to “ask” (#154) – call for what is due!  It is like when you are writing a check on an account that belongs to you… You don’t get nasty with the bank – and they aren’t upset with you for “calling for” what belongs to you!  Indeed the bank is working with you… And so is God!!  It’s all for the increase of His Kingdom – and His plan is to increase you too – i.e. “blessed to be a blessing”… That’s how God the Father operates… He would like to touch a lot of people through you that aren’t open to Him any other way!

We are talking about a whole lot more than money here.. because we are co-laborers together with God in establishing His Kingdom on earth.  We have a part to do.. because He has “given (assigned or appointed) the earth to man – for a season of time.  (Psalm 115:16)   Indeed, in Genesis 1, God the Father – in His sovereignty – chose to give the authority over the earth to man.. Then after man “fell” from his place of relationship and fellowship with God – God made a way to get man’s authority.. directed by God.. back into the earth  – i.e. He made a way to reconcile man back to Himself by Jesus Christ.

Now we know that when any man receives Jesus, that man becomes a citizen of God’s Kingdom – but as a man – he still has God given authority on the earth…to the end that he can co-labor with God to establish the kingdom of God on the earth.  This is the place where we must “call for what is due.” God is the powerful one that set everything in place (Is God sovereign or what!!)… But He needs us to use our God given authority in the earth to “call for” the things that we need to live according to His will and do His bidding….

This is when and where it is right to 154 – “Ask” – call for what He has promised – so that He can “supply all our needs” in and through our relationship with Christ Jesus.  He doesn’t count it as a request, but as a call for what is due His sons and daughters who live to please Him and see His will done on the earth.  This is when “ask” is more than a request!

________________________________________________________________

Note: The Greek word for “Ask” #154 – is used more in the New Testament than any of the other Greek words for “Ask”.  Here’s just a few examples of the 154 Ask ….

John 16:23,24,26,30      James 1:5,6    James 4:2,3      I John 3:22

“Hitherto have you asked nothing in My name – ask (154) and you shall receive – that your joy may be full.”   John 16:24  !!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Lamb of God… Love’s Perfect Sacrifice

~ kathrynspen ~ Leave a comment

Lamb of God… love’s true story.. brought the Lamb down from glory…

Love divine.. Jesus made it yours and mine

God so loved – His holy Word says…

That He gave His Son to redeem mankind…

He came to redeem us… from the effects.. of the law of sin and death…   (Romans 8:1,2  &  Romans 5:12-21)

Indeed, Jesus came not to condemn..

but to redeem – to buy us back – from sin’s default…

Even the deepest kind of poverty and lack .. manifested in spirit and soul…

Never enough of any good thing and always searching for that missing part.. something that would light up and bring hope and comfort to a man’s heart…

That’s why Jesus came – and even as the scripture says… “the law of the spirit of life in Christ Jesus.. will set you free… It can deliver any man.. from the law of sin & death”! …

And that truly means something .. because there’s nothing on earth you can “buy”.. that will allay the effects of that darkness which doth reside…

In the spirit of the one who has never in some way cried “Lord Jesus forgive my sins…Come in and heal my life…and with me forever reside.”

That’s why Jesus came… the Lamb of God…  love’s perfect sacrifice….

Jesus came and laid down His life..

That you and I might know the love God has for us…

To know Jesus is to know the God kind of love…

And to follow Him  (learning to listen to the direction the Spirit of God gives) is to know the God kind of peace…and the abundant life that only He can give

That’s why Jesus came… to be the Lamb of God… love’s perfect sacrifice.

 

 

God’s Divine Supply… Exercising Faith to Receive

~ kathrynspen ~ Leave a comment

When the woman with the issue of blood (Mark 5:24-34) – touched the hem of Jesus’ garment – virtue (miraculous healing power) went out of Him and into her… Jesus had not sought her out to pray for her – neither had she requested that He pray for her…. Rather it happened because she believed (and voiced what she believed)… that if she could only touch His clothes, she would be healed….  And thus it happened that when she touched His clothes – healing virtue went out of Him and healed her.  Her faith “drew out” the healing virtue that was/is resident in Him.  We know this is so because Jesus turned to her and said “Daughter, your faith has made you whole.”….

Even so – your faith and my faith – draws on and receives from God’s divine supply of grace and provision sufficient to fill every need..  The divine supply for all our needs is already there….He made this provision for us because of.. and according to.. what Jesus paid for and did for us in God’s redemption plan for man…. And Hebrews 4:15,16 tells us that He can indeed be touched with the feeling of our infirmities….That means that He WANTS to help us and to supply our needs!

Our part is FAITH…. And as Jesus said to His disciples.. we only need “faith the size of a mustard seed” in order to receive from God.. or to do the things that He asks us to do…  You might ask  “How can I get this little bit of faith that I need to receive from God?” 

Faith is the gift of God to us… It comes as we get to know Him and trust Him – through His Word and taking time aside from other things to spend with Him (as you would with any person that you want to get to know.)   It’s for all those who choose to receive Jesus.. and exercise faith to believe….

The real answer to all of this .. is found in your continued fellowship with God …. For as you get to know Him, the things of His Spirit and of His Kingdom – begin to get into you and affect all that you think and do.  And with each answered prayer, you will find that trusting Him becomes more and more the “natural” thing for you….

God’s divine supply of healing virtue in Jesus – was available for the woman with the issue of blood…. And that same divine supply is there for you… It’s held in trust for all those who choose to receive Him – and exercise faith to believe.

The Capacity of the Born Again Spirit to Know God

~ kathrynspen ~ Leave a comment

News Flash…. You and I can not “MAKE” God do anything….But the “good news” is…. that because He loves you and me – He made a way for us to come to Him..and to connect with Him – if we choose to….

In John 3, we see a man who DID choose to…. Indeed, Nicodemus did want to know….He wanted to know so badly – that he risked losing his standing as a ruler among the religious crowd of his day – by coming to Jesus to inquire “Who” Jesus was –  and about the connection Jesus had with God….. (To be honest with you, there are many people today that ought to take a little bit of a risk – in order to inquire “Who Jesus Is” and about His connection to God….!)  It’s worth everything in the world to know the real answer to that…

But then – as it would be now – Jesus wasted no time in answering Nicodemus’s questions about the Kingdom of God and who He was….He began by letting Nicodemus (as well as you and me) – know that the natural man cannot understand the Kingdom of God…. “You must be born again,”  Jesus explained…” Except a man be born again, he cannot see/have knowledge of the Kingdom of God.”  (John 3:3)

When Jesus told Nicodemus “You must be born again” – Jesus was speaking of a SPIRITUAL BIRTH…. And until you and I can understand that, we will continue to equate “religion” in it’s various forms with “knowing God” – but yet not understanding God’s Kingdom or being born again into the family of God…..i.e. Being born of the Spirit – as Jesus told Nicodemus in the discourse between the two there in John 3:1-16 …. And as surely as Nicodemus had trouble seeing (v9-12) just what it was that Jesus was trying to tell him – so it always is with the natural mind of man… there is not in him the “capacity” to understand the things of the Kingdom of God –  because they are “spiritually discerned”…

The natural man neither sees or knows the things of the spirit….Those things are actually foolishness unto him…..Indeed,  the things of God knoweth no man  (I Corinthians 2:11-14)- But the moment we receive Jesus as our Savior, we are born again – a spiritual rebirth into the Kingdom of God…. And from that moment, we have the “capacity” to see and be taught the things of the Kingdom of God – and to truly  get to know who He is and what He has done for us to bring us into right relationship with Him……

That- in a nutshell- is what happens to us when we get born again….But that’s just the beginning…..We have our birth/ our beginning in the Kingdom of God in the spirit…. But as the Apostle Paul asked of and explained to the Christians in Galatians 3:3….”Having begun in the spirit, do you now think that you can fulfill your place and walk in the things of God by the flesh”?… The answer to that is obviously “no”…. But the born again spirit of a man is .. READY.. is WILLING… and even PREDISPOSED  to follow after God to know Him.  Indeed, that born again spirit cries after God the Father to know Him….. But as long as you’re still living in your “earth suit” – you WILL have choices to make.  Your born again spirit was designed by God to feed on the things of God – His Word, time apart from other things to worship God and taste His presence so that you can grow strong in the spirit.

The born again spirit  (YOUR born again spirit!) – has an amazing CAPACITY  to fellowship with and grow in knowing God – and in understanding the things of the spirit….

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  FYI  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Continue reading →

The True Meaning of Christmas and It’s Gifts

~ kathrynspen ~ 1 Comment

In the wonderful country in which I live – as well as in some other countries around the world, we have the freedom to celebrate Christmas and other holidays in our homes pretty much as we each choose to…. but because I’ve been hearing quite a bit of rhetoric lately about “the real meaning of Christmas”… I thought it good to share both some thoughts – and some facts on that subject.

“Christmas” is composed of two words: “Christ” and “mas’….”Christ” being defined in your standard dictionary as “the anointed Messiah”- and “mas” is defined as “a specified festival or celebration”.  When you put those two words together into the one word “Christmas”.. Christmas obviously means “a celebration of Christ, the anointed Messiah.” It has meant that since the first time it was celebrated – and it still means that today….

So, why would people who do not even believe the gospel of Jesus Christ enjoy celebrating Christmas?.. It’s really not that hard to understand… People like to give…Giving feels good! ..It IS good! ..And who among us does not like to be on the receiving end of that giving?.. We all do – because giving is good and receiving is fun!….Maybe that is why that in Luke chapter 2, the angelic host proclaimed  “tidings of great joy to all people”.. peace on earth and good will toward men” – as they announced the birth of the Savior, which is Christ the Lord.”…..

God gave us this Savior for a reason… He loved.. so He gave.. He gave His Son to be the mediator between God and man… He so loved that He made a way for man to be reconciled to right relationship with Him.  God gave this gift of love to all men – but to those who reach out and receive this gift of God in Jesus Christ the Anointed One/Savior/Messiah – there is a very special joy as we celebrate Christmas… For truly knowing Jesus has never been a disappointment to anyone… He is the ultimate gift – the one that truly “keeps on giving”… He came that you might have a new birth in Him – and life eternal… And He made it simple – you just ask for this new life in Him… It is 
“the gift of God to you.” 

The bottom line is this: We can all celebrate Christmas the way that we choose  – but nothing can change the true meaning of “Christmas.”

_________________________________________________________________

To all who read this, I wish good things to you and those you love as you gather to celebrate the Christmas season…And if you’ve never done so – I greatly encourage you to call upon this Messiah, Jesus to become your personal Savior…. For as you do, you will understand like never before – the true meaning of Christmas.

Daily Bread – What Will You Choose to Pursue?

~ kathrynspen ~ Leave a comment

The spirit of a born again individual….. is READY, is WILLING, and even “predisposed” to follow after and worship God… That simply means that it is inherent – in the new nature of your born again spirit – to cry out to God….. and to seek to know Him.  God designed it that way…. and He birthed it so in your spirit the moment you received Jesus as your personal Savior… In the time it takes to “blink an eye” you were transferred out of darkness into the Kingdom of God/light when you received Jesus Christ into your life  (Colossians 1:13,14).

You entered into “newness of life”… still flesh and blood – a human being – but you’ve had a “new dimension” added to your life… even life in the spirit….

“If any man be in Christ he is a new creature/creation…. Old things are passed away, behold all things are become new” (II Corinthians 5:17,18) … It is right here at this “starting point” that it is good and very helpful for you to understand that this monumental change took place in your spirit – NOT in your mind or emotions nor in your physical being.. (all three of which the bible refers to as “the flesh”).

If you read John 3:1-8, you will see that there is the natural birth that brings every man into this world…. AND…. there is the “regeneration” (Webster’s defines this as a spiritual rebirth) – which immediately ushers the brand new believer in Christ into the Kingdom of God…. You’ve just been “born again” (the spiritual rebirth into God’s Kingdom)

….But if you expect to immediately see great change in your life – and nothing remaining of your old self/the old man of the flesh – you will likely suffer some bewilderment and disappointment….(Because)… You do have a new life in Christ… but you still have a choice…. the choice to walk after the demands of the old flesh man who is still very much alive …OR… you can choose to follow after the cry of your born again spirit which has the capacity to begin to understand the things of the Kingdom of God – and to follow after Him…. The choice is yours – and mine – to make!  God designed it this way…. because He desires fellowship and kinship with you and me – not robotic relationship!

So…. He gave us the choice – to walk after the old flesh man – or to pursue after the pull in our born again spirit to follow after Him…. and learn of Him, be taught and led by His Spirit.  It is first a choice .. and then a pursuit….

 

 

Daily Bread – Sent to Reconcile Man to God

~ kathrynspen ~ Leave a comment

He was conceived in the womb of a virgin – who dared to believe God – that it could be done even as He had told her…… “Be it unto me according to Your Word,” she had said……  (Luke 1:38)

So this “Life” was sent from Heaven – God’s person to reveal…He came out of the bosom of the Father (John 1:1-18) – this “outlet” of divine mercy and grace……. sent to reconcile and heal – all the broken places “in man apart from God.”

He came to “seek and to save that which was lost  (Luke 19:10)… And although God the Father gave this gift to man at great personal cost….. He so loved the world that He took upon Himself the loss – of His only begotten Son – that you and I might – through the Spirit – also become one….. even a son of the Living God!

This is truly not so hard to believe – if you really stop to ponder – the miracle of the world itself – how incredible it all is…… With everything all put together to reproduce themselves….. from the fruit trees and herbs to the animals that roam the earth…… And then man himself…. so loved by God that He desires our fellowship… We worship Him because He IS God….. He is God alone – and truly no man (or “accident” of nature?) – could do the things that He does!…..

So we worship You – God the Father and God the Son – our Lord Jesus Christ.  We worship You because – through You and Your life – we’ve been reconciled to God!…

Daily Bread…… As Ambassadors for Christ

~ kathrynspen ~ Leave a comment

Now you and I as believers are ambassadors for Christ (II Corinthians 5:18-20). We are His representatives/His agents – urging all men – to be reconciled to God.

We are ambassadors for Christ – and the things which we have seen and heard of Him – we share with you that you also may have that same fellowship with Him ….. And truly our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son, Jesus Christ…. which brings great joy to our lives…

As ambassadors, we make known these things to others that their joy also may be full by knowing Jesus Christ and tasting His presence in their lives…… Thus we urge all in Christ’s stead…… Receive Jesus as Savior today – receive Him and thereby be reconciled to God!…….

“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son – that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish – but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16)

I’ll finish this little post with the part we seldom quote – the very next verse –“For God sent not His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.”  (John 3:17)…..  This part is “the rest of the story/good news” – which all of us truly need to hear….. and as ambassadors we certainly should more often share!

Running Your Race to Win! …..

~ kathrynspen ~ Leave a comment

If you have been a Christian very long, you have probably heard Hebrews chapter 11 referred to as being “the roll call of the heroes of faith”- of whom it was said (v 34,35) that these…….”through faith subdued kingdoms, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions (that was Daniel!) ….. ie. Out of their own weakness – and dependence upon God,  these were all made strong.” Each one of them was running a race – and running it to win!

What race?….  the one that is set before you and me! The race being a course to run,  a fight to be fought – more explicitly – the “good fight of faith.” God set this race before us – to again give man a choice – ie. the first man Adam chose life apart from God….. but God so loved all of us that He called man back to Him. The only requirement being that we believe His word/His plan…..: “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son -Jesus – that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.  God did not send His Son to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.” (John 3:16,17).   It would be (and it is) OUR CHOICE – the choice of each individual man and woman – our choice whether we would choose Jesus/Life or choose to live as we please – apart from God and His reconciliation plan.

But for those who do choose Jesus ….. there is a race set before you – a course that each of us are given to run……And the Word of God tells us HOW to run it – to win!…… (Heb 12:1,2 – Paraphrased)  “Seeing then that we have the testimonies of so many men and women of faith – that lived – and ran the race that was set before them……each one bearing witness – that what they did – you and I can do!… Okay, just please tell me how….. ie.  I remember wanting so very much to know how to run and how to grow in getting to know God…..

Well –  this is how the Word of God instructs us to successfully  run that race

1.”lay aside every weight”-a weight being something that holds you down…. and like the runner described in I Corinthians 9:24-27,  we understand that a runner who wins – is one that is first determined to move forward, and is willing to apply disciplines to their life that make their run more certain – restraining the flesh  where its excesses hinder their run – thus they/we comply with the instruction to “lay aside every weight”

2. … and the sin which does so easily beset us”   (notice that it says “sin”- in the singular case)….. So what then is the “sin” that easily besets us?….. Could it be the sin of “unbelief”….. ie. “Did God say?  (That is the very thing that the enemy – aka Satan –  used on Eve to get her to begin to question what God had said – Genesis 3:1)……

“Did God say”?…..  Not very often, but occasionally in my first years after being born again, I would KNOW that I had heard something from God – but it was very easy for doubt to set in in just a day or two….. and it would be like “I did hear from Him – but now I’m not sure somehow” – that type of uncertainty and doubt……

But I have learned that as we get to know God and to recognize His voice, we can set a “standard” for holding on to what we know we heard from God.  That “standard” I refer to is something a Godly woman told me years ago – which is simply this:  “Don’t doubt in the dark what God gave you in the light.” ….. When I heard her say that – I KNEW –  I had just heard something that I could use as an “anchor” to help me  hold on to the things that I would hear from God……

From that time forward, I began to hold that standard/principle forth whenever I would hear something from God and then begin to have doubts about what I had heard.   I would….. ask myself the question – “DID I hear this and know that I heard it?”  Immediately the admonition “Don’t doubt in the dark what you heard in the light” would rise up in my spirit – and with it would come the peace and the assurance that “Yes” – I did hear that from God.” …..And that would settle the matter for me right then and there.  It was also clear to me that the enemy was at work seeking to get me to doubt what I had heard from God…..For you see, if we give over to doubt and turn loose of the word that God has given to us – we have nothing to base our faith on – because “faith comes by hearing (and understanding that we heard) the word(s) of God.  It is by faith that you and I receive anything from God……So learn to mind this rule that you “don’t doubt in the dark what you heard in the light!                    

3. …. And let us run with patience the race that is set before us”……. for it is through faith and patience that we receive the promise(s)!      (Hebrews 6:12)

4. “looking unto Jesus – the author and finisher of our faith”….. keep your eye on Jesus – not on the difficulties that may come to cause you to doubt….. but if you do sense doubt or feelings of discouragement trying to come in – remember that giving thanks and entering into personal worship or speaking God’s Word – will get you back on track and on the right course again!

And those my friends, are the instructions that God gave us in His word to help us to stay on course and run our race to win! 

Getting to that Place of Rest – a Place Called “Trust”

~ kathrynspen ~ Leave a comment

There is a place in God – where storms will calm and winds be still …..                    That place is in Jesus ….. It is the place called “Trust”- where we can rest from the problems that assail us.  We are not denying that the “problem(s)” exist – rather we are looking beyond all our reason – looking for His help….. asking for His answers.  I’ve been “there” – any number of times – and it’s quite likely that you who read this have been there too…… So, even though this that I am now writing may be a little “poetic” in wording, I hope to share here with you what I have learned over the years to do.

In everything we see or face we will find our Answer in that place – where storms are calmed and winds are stilled – because that’s where He IS – and we do not want to be found where He is not!….. He is not in strife, in turmoil, in reasonings.  Still,  He is available to us, but He does not walk in those things – they are not a part of who He is – (Recall that He was not in the earthquake, wind, or fire – but His voice was heard…..when Elijah got still!!  –  I Kings 19).

So to walk closely with Him in the midst of our need or the problems that we face – we must learn to “separate” ourselves from the turmoil, the strife, and the unrest that comes with the problem – even though those things may be waging a war in us and all around us….. and find our rest in Him….. For He IS our resting place….

But yet again – the winds (of adversity) and the turmoil, strife and unbelief come  against me, to take me out of that resting place….. Do they succeed?  In all honesty – Yes! – but their success is only temporary – because I see quickly that I do not like that place they take me to!!  So, like Jonah – remember? – I will tell you…..

So like Jonah – he was in the belly of that whale……. a circumstance more desperate and seeming impossible than anything I’ve seen in a long long while (and then some!)   But it says (Jonah 2:5-10 paraphrased)  “when my soul fainted within me, I remembered the Lord….”  and my prayer went up to Him – even with the voice of thanksgiving – (to Him who hears and answers prayers).  Salvation is of the Lord I said…..  And the Lord heard me and spoke to the fish” –  and thus He delivered me – out of the midst of a deep sea and on to the dry land – where I could breathe again – out of the belly of that whale!

It is God’s heart that we remember Him when trouble shows up in some form in our life – even if we had a part in bringing it…… He cares for us -. and wants us to learn to cast our care on Him – and ask/seek  to know His solution.  We can turn to Him in all kinds of trouble….. It’s a choice – our choice – to turn to Him  – best of course to do before we stir up and muddy the waters….. But even so, He can “fix our messes” – but the time can be made a lot shorter – and for us much easier – to ask Him into the situation in the first place.

There is a place of rest in Him – some call it “the secret place”…..  another name could just be “Trust”.….   “trust in the Lord with all your heart – and lean not to your own understanding….. call on Him and He will direct your paths” – (aka He will give you the answers and direction that you need)!

There is a place in God where storms will calm and the winds be still – a place of safety and rest….. That place is in Jesus.   Turn to Him, call on Him – and He will be there – there as your place of safety and rest.

 

Seek to Know the Realities of God’s Kingdom

~ kathrynspen ~ Leave a comment

Is your life about striving to get the “accolades” that come when one is an “overnight success” …. and the popularity/fame that may come with it…. ?  Those things alone are often fleeting – and empty at the end – as things and people more “relevant” take that place…..

Therefore, why not rather seek to know the realities of God’s Kingdom – which will never end – and each one has a place reserved for them…..And although all these things are hidden to the natural eye of man , yet God’s invitation to receive Jesus – the Door to knowing Him…… to all men, this invitation God does extend….

The invitation accepted….. and the journey begins.  There are challenges, yes – but you can be sure that deep within…                                                                                   you will find much satisfaction, contentment and confidence – when your heart is to do the Lord’s bidding – ie. walk out the plan that He put together especially for you!  Because walking upon that path is the greatest success any person can know or even think to do – for when you choose to walk God’s path, He will walk there with you …… and ever stay close…..

….. as you give Him the praise and worship that He deserves, always looking to Him for the things that you need and what is best to do – learning to keep the eyes of your spirit on the horizon – where He purposes to open up new venues for you!

There’s nothing boring about walking His way you see ….                                              for the spirit of a man can hold more strength, more joy than the flesh ever can. And that is because…..it is by the spirit that you are “connected” to Him      –  when you are born again (John 3:1-8) –  and by way of this Spirit to spirit connection that you then have with Him,  He can impart peace and many other things that you pray for and need.  He can answer your questions – and inform you of His plans. (John 16:12-15)

So stay close to Him and learn to live more aware of this Spirit to spirit relationship you have with Him.  (John 4:22-24). … *spending time in His word, giving thanks and worshiping Him – and finally praying in the spirit – (as well as in words that you understand) …..  For *these things all lend to developing that ear that He gave you to hear – those things that He would say and impart to you……

… . So that at the end of this life, you can depart with peace because you know Him – the Giver of that life that is so much better than the accolades of men.  Glory be to God – my goal then – will be to seek to know and walk with Him!  For as the scripture says ….

“Godliness is profitable unto all things – having promise for the life that now is, and of that which is to come.”  (I Timothy 4:8)   Amen!

Available to All – the Door to Fellowship With God

~ kathrynspen ~ Leave a comment

There I was – so many years ago – “pondering” how this could be…                Someone so “big” – and so “mighty”- as to bring all this about – even all of  creation that we can see …. It stymies the mind! …… just to try to figure it all out!

But our mind has it’s limits – ie. there is “a stopping place”……..                               Where reason can take us no further –                                                                                 than the proof we have from tasting and seeing……. Who God IS …… when we fellowship with Him! …. and the miracles that happen when we “believe and pray.”

Miracles that come in all  “sizes and shapes” – and far too many – (and too accurate as they are seen to fit the need) – for it to just be circumstance or chance – all these miracles that I have seen…                  And that “taste” that I just mentioned – nothing on earth carries that kind of atmosphere! …..  like that when you sit or stand in His presence.  Indeed – something that tastes so wonderful is definitely there!…….  No other way to explain it – God’s presence – with the aura it carries – so incredibly   unique and certainly “unforgettable”…. it astounds me – that the God of all the earth – the great Creator – who so loves us, would meet you and I there!

What else, Father – (Father of my born again spirit) – could I tell them? …….          How can I explain ‘YOU’ to someone who doesn’t know You – and thinks they don’t want to …. are even “bent” on not believing!  But it is even as Your Word says – the “natural man” cannot know – has no way of receiving – the things of Your Kingdom and of Your Spirit …….

That is – except a man should ponder who You are – (and “if” You are) –       For in such a case, Father God – You are not far from any one of us –                       When we become open to know the truth – about You – and Your Kingdom …..   For You set  “a Door” there in that place – a door for the truth to come through!     We can try another way – God gave you and I that choice – but Jesus is the  door that God set in place – to which Jesus testifies – “I am the way,  the truth,  and the life.”  (John 14:6)

Why then does a man “fight”? ….. and even vehemently oppose ….. the very life that God chose – to make a man whole?

Indeed it is time – time to “be still and know”- to ponder His existence -Even whether it be so!! …….. Then end it all by asking “if You are real, please let me know – dear Jesus – if You be the Son of God – reveal to me that it is so” … Lest I resume this long search …. and finally come to my end – empty and void of all the life that You, Father God, did intend.

But here today – with all my heart I give you to know – that He is as real as the bible tells us so……  and that door to fellowship with Him is available to all men!

The Word and the Spirit – Awakening Your Ear to Hear

~ kathrynspen ~ Leave a comment

In this beginning post  (and the ones to follow) about the value of the Word of God in developing the ear of your spirit to hear, I will be sharing both the practical side of this issue and the spiritual aspects ……. because it requires some of both in order to live a victorious Christian’s life.

You and I can set and listen to,  or read the Word of God – that’s practical –  it’s “our part,”  but because it is “spirit and life” (John 6:63) you will need to hear what the Spirit of God is saying even as you read – in order for faith to come.  That is because faith is a gift and even “a part of God” that is  resident in His word.  With a careful reading or study of John 14 and John 16 you will easily see that God intended our primary teacher of His word to be the Holy Spirit (aka the Spirit of Truth). Without Him as our teacher, we have dry letter of the law…. but Jesus came to give us something much better – a new covenant – a living word – “full of grace and truth”  (John 1:1-17).  What we hear may bring a much needed miracle to our life – or it may simply be instruction about which way to go with something.  One is supernatural….one is practical.  Sometimes we need both!

Do you recall the account of the two disciples on the road to Emmaus – which I shared with you in the March 26 post?  (Developing Your Capacity to Hear and Recognize God’s Voice)…..  When was it  that those two realized that it was Jesus Himself who had joined them as they walked and wondered aloud about all the things that had come to pass since they had seen Jesus taken and crucified?  When did they realize it was indeed Jesus whom they listened to as He walked with them and opened the scriptures to them?

Verses 30-32 (Luke 24) tell us that it was in the”breaking of bread together” that their eyes were opened and they knew Him. The “breaking of bread” represents the Word of God broken for them……  Several times in John 6:47-51 Jesus refers to Himself as the “bread of life”….. ” I am that bread of life……. which come down from Heaven that a man may eat thereof and not die”  (spirit food for spirit life) …..  I am the living bread which came down from Heaven”…..  And their hearts “burned” they said – as He shared the scriptures concerning Himself to them….. and then as He “brake the bread” and gave of it to them – that was when they realized who Jesus was…..  A quickening took place in their hearts – and revelation came as they were finally quiet enough to get past their own reasonings about seeing Jesus die -and now to listen to what was in their hearts as they had spent time listening to Him.

…… And so it is much the same with you and I as we draw aside to spend time in the Word of God with Him…..  We have His Word – and God is eager to speak to us – to show and tell us the things that we need to hear.  He gave us the Spirit of Truth to quicken the words to us that He wants us to hear – and with that quickening we “hear” and we see (by revelation) what we did not see  before.  This “quickening” of the Word has to do with “life” – for when the Spirit of God quickens something from God’s Word to us there is an “imparting” of the life that is in God’s Word into our spirit – and with that quickening there is revelation – a revealing of things in our spirit.

The revealing of these things brings in God’s light on the matter…… Does not Proverbs 20:27 tell us that “the spirit of man is the candle of the Lord” – through which He intends to give us light to see by…….  and  Psalm 112:4 says  “Unto the upright there arises  light in the darkness – because God is gracious and full of compassion for us.”    He wants us to hear what He has to say – so we can see what we need to see.

___________________________

In the next posts about the value of God’s Word, I would like to share some things concerning the character and the supernatural effects of God’s Word in the ordinary affairs of life as we come to understand the practical application of what He has given us.

“Recapping” of Some Things Important to Hearing in the Spirit

~ kathrynspen ~ Leave a comment

 

If you and I are going to learn to hear His voice – as Jesus, “the Good Shepherd” told us we could  in John 10:4,11,14  – then it is important that we understand some things about what happened to us when we received Jesus as our Savior….as we see in this recap of some things from my January 15 & 22 posts about our beginnings in Him …..

The first important thing that you must understand is that new life came into your spirit – in the form of a spiritual rebirth which the bible refers to as being “born again” (John 3:1-8).  In that spiritual rebirth you and I received eternal life and a new nature in our spirit. ….. Inherent within that new nature is the desire to know and follow after God – the father of our born again spirit… and Jesus His son, who paid the price to redeem us back to God. John 17:3  explicitly tells us that …….” this is life eternal – that they might know You, the only true God,  and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.”  Now we can come to know Him because He gave us that capacity with the new birth that took place in our spirit.the moment we received Jesus.

All of this adds up to the fact that we had a new dimension added to our life when we received Jesus –  giving you and I the capacity to begin to see and understand the things of the Kingdom of God – including “an ear to hear” in our born again spirit – so that we can learn to hear and recognize the “voice of God” – and be led by the Spirit of God.   Being born again is the start of this Spirit to spirit relationship with God – the beginning of our capacity to hear and know “His voice.”

We need to hear the voice of God – His Spirit  speaking to us (He is the One that Jesus promised to send to us to be our teacher and guide –  and to bring to our remembrance the things that He has already said to us (John 14:16,17,26)  Also in John 16:12-15  Jesus tells us: “I have many things to say unto you, but you cannot bear them now – but when He, the Spirit of Truth is come, He will guide you into all truth. He will take what He hears from God the Father and show it unto you.  All things that the Father has are Mine – these things He will show unto you that I may be glorified ….. and He will show you things to come.”  These are things we need to hear!  And…….

To recap what I have just shared, I would say this – God gave us ears to hear in our born again spirit – and in His word,  He tells us clearly that He wants us to hear – hear what the Spirit is saying!….And these few things that I have spoken to you about today are some things important to that hearing in the spirit…. (Matthew 13:9;  Luke 14:35;  Revelation 2:7,  11, 17, 29 & Revelation 3:6, 13, 20, 22.)

___________________________________________

On March 7th, I began sharing about the things I have found to be most helpful in developing our ability to hear in the spirit – and pertaining to that I shared several posts about the value of personal worship – and now in the next posts I purpose to begin sharing some things about understanding the true value of God’s word and how that very much plays a  part in developing our hearing in the spirit.

 

THE HEART OF OUR CREATOR

~ kathrynspen ~ Leave a comment

This is a special writing to me because I so see God the Father’s heart in this …. and I ask you to remember as you finish reading it – that even as Jesus gave the invitation to any who would hear “Come (to Me)whosoever will”  – the invitation still stands.

THE HEART OF OUR CREATOR

As I gave my Heavenly Father an hour just to “be with Him” and worship -almost immediately – I began to sense and to understand that He wants  to touch and to fellowship  with every single person in the world!  And that no one – NOT ANYONE – can stand in another person’s place with God!

I felt His love for,  and desire to fellowship with the multitudes of people around the world who do not know Him …. so many who do not know He is their Creator and Savior.  Yet there is a place with Him  for each one of them – a place that no other person can ever fill!

God our Creator so desires that fellowship with each one of us that He is “jealous” over just one hour …. so much so that He would say to those who do know Him as Savior – “Could you not take just one hour of your day and spend that time with Me?”  (Because) there will never again be an opportunity  like we have now in this time to CHOOSE  to fellowship with Him.

…… And to each one of the multitude of people that give their lives to so many other things – and live their lives with so many “unanswered ” needs – would He not say  (out of a heart of love) to each of them –  “How oft would I have gathered you “as a hen gathers her chicks and holds them close under her wings …. but you would not turn to Me so that I could take you there.”

I also understood this – that even as no one can ever stand in our place with God – even so,  neither can you or I ever give that fellowship that belongs to Him to someone or something else. But it is, and will remain an “unanswered” and “unsatisfied”  empty place in our life –  that we both live and die with – without Him.

THE BEST BEGINNING OF ALL (1/15/15 Posts Continued)

~ kathrynspen ~ Leave a comment

As I ended the 2nd January 15 post, I told you that I would continue the subject of our beginning in Jesus by sharing some scriptures that “relate to or describe” what happened to you that moment you were born again.  There are more of those scriptures than most people would think – so I can’t bring in all of them on this post today, but I will try to make a good start on it – okay?

When you were born again – a new dimension was added to your life.  That new dimension being the capacity  to know and fellowship with God.  This fellowship is the desire of His heart for you and I – and the reason we were created.  In this new birth that took place when you received Jesus – His life, even that same life that came from God the Father – overshadowed and enveloped you, came into your spirit – producing the new birth.  That’s what the bible calls being “born again.”  (I Peter 1:23;  John 3:1-8).  This brought you into a “living relationship” with God.  That is why Jesus (in I Timothy 2:5) is  called “the mediator between God and men.”   Thank you Jesus!

Our interaction/relationship/fellowship with God and His Son Jesus Christ began in the spirit – and that is where God tells us in Galatians 3:3 that it not only started there, but we are foolish to think we can continue by just obtaining head knowledge of Him.   WHY?  Man’s head knowledge is in the flesh (natural) man as opposed to what we can hear and know by what God shows us by the Spirit.  In addition to that,  I Corinthians 2:14 tells us that “the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God because those things are foolishness to him/his understanding – neither can he know them because they are “spiritually discerned.”

Our relationship with God began in the spirit and that is where it will continue – and “flow out into our natural mind from.” And, YES, it will have effect on the whole of our being  – because we are a triune being – spirit, soul, and body  (I Thessalonians 5:23); and just like what happens to one of your body parts , such as a broken leg or back will have some effect on the other members of your body – even so, the rest of our being beyond just our spirit will be affected somewhat by our new relationship with God when we are born again.  But the degree to which you or I will be overall affected by this new relationship will  depend on what we choose to do  with this incredible thing that has happened to us.  Please don’t be offended – but it’s going to take more than just sitting on a church pew to go on with God. We have been given the privilege, right, and capacity  – John 1:12 says –  to go on and progressively get to know  God the Father, our Creator and Jesus Christ, our Savior and Redeemer. That privelege comes with being born again – and although I could have done better with what has been given to me in this, yet I can honestly tell you that – there is no amount of money or earthly prestige that I would trade this relationship for!.  Now you decide what it’s worth to you – because that is  what each one of us will sooner or later do.

Even before you or I received Jesus, we were already spirit, soul, and physical body – but there was nothing “alive” or “working” in our spirit that we could know God – until we “bowed the knee” and asked Jesus to forgive our sins and come into our life. Then we were born again.  That was the whole point in His coming to earth – to give all men the opportunity to get reconnected to God – get that light back on in man’s spirit!

Proverbs 20:27 says that “the spirit of man is the candle of the Lord” …  Psalm 18:28  goes on to say that God will light our candle – and in so doing, He lights up the darkness that has been there.

The more that we understand these things that pertain to the new birth, the more we will be able to begin to understand many other things about God – and about our relationship with Him while we live on the earth.  I hope you will return to check out the next post and in the meantime that you will be looking in God’s word and asking questions yourself to God – as He loves to share and interact with us.

THE BEST BEGINNING OF ALL (Part 2 of Jan 15, 2015 Post)

~ kathrynspen ~ Leave a comment

We’ve been talking about what it means to be “born again” – and in this post, I will continue sharing where I left off in my January 15 post which I named “A Post About Beginnings.” It is pretty important that you read that before going further into this.

I would like to start here by addressing “an unspoken question” that some of you that read my January 15 post likely already are asking – at least to yourself. I know that – because I used to ask the same question myself after I read John 3.  The Question:  Does being “born again” mean the same thing as “being saved”? Yes,  yes it does refer to the same thing.  So, why then did I not use the term “be saved” in the post yesterday – seeing that the word “saved” is used many times in the New Testament while the words (or the term) “born again” appears in only two places in the New Testament.   First in John 3:1-8, which we looked at in my last post – and once in I Peter 1:23 we see the term “born again” where it obviously speaks of a supernatural birth of the spirit as well – and not a physical birth.  Yes, this amounts to the same thing as “being saved”- but the importance in making a distinction between the two terms is this:  both are one and the same in the end result – but the term “born again” IS WHAT ACTUALLY HAPPENED  TO YOU  the moment that you believed and invited Jesus into your life.  It sheds a very descriptive light on what actually took place in me and in you when we received Jesus as Savior.  That we see this – and so understand that we generally speaking, need to understand the things of the spirit  more than we do  – is important to our personal growth in the things of God’s Kingdom.  It is equally important to the increase of God’s Kingdom as well,  because people do not generally advance very far in things that they do not understand very well.

After I was born again, I sure knew that something “way out of the ordinary” had happened to me – but what it was, I couldn”t tell you,  and no one around me had a real answer either – so I continued to ask God what it was that happened to me and to others when we are born again.  You can’t teach a baby that is still in diapers about “trigonometry,” but even so, He did answer me and  I grew enough to begin to understand the beginnings of things of the spirit over the years.  And of course, this learning involved God’s word and taking a little time aside to spend time with Him regularly – praying and listening when the Holy Spirit quickened something to me.  Then over time, these things begin to unfold in meaning together as He shined light on one scripture with another the more explaining.  This is a major way that the Holy Spirit teaches us – and when this is taking place in your life, there will  be “a change” – a transformation of your life from the inside out that takes place – but like renovating a house, it isn’t done in one afternoon!  The plans can be drawn up and the contract signed, but the process that lies ahead takes some time!  After all, we’re talking about “the best beginning of all!”

I will finish this on my next post where I have a number of scriptures to share with you that specifically relate to or describe what happens to you at the moment  you are born again.  Have a great evening and I hope to visit with you here again.

A POST ABOUT BEGINNINGS

~ kathrynspen ~ 1 Comment

In this beginning post, what shall I say?  Should I tell the people who come here – that tomorrow is my spiritual birthday?  It has been 37 years tomorrow since I was “born again.”  I would like to share that with them – because it’s a very special day to me – but even more importantly, I want each one of them to know what it means to be “born again”….. Such were my thoughts as I started this day.

Well, you  can see what won out in my thinking – for here I am writing to share with you about being born again.  The main thrust of this blog is to share with people who are already born again, but hungry for more help and information on how to go deeper in this life with Jesus Christ which they have begun; but there is nothing more important than mentioning to everyone that for one and all there is that beginning – a starting place – when our heart begins to want to “know Jesus” and we know  that we are in need of this Savior.  We’ve deeply realized that we’re not perfect – our faults, our “imperfections,” and some things even worse -* the word of God, the bible, calls these things “sin.” And it tells us that this applies to all men.  But the “invitation” is also to all – for the call goes out to us “Come, whosoever will”….. and “No one that comes to Me will I cast out,” *Jesus says.

What you do with this invitation is your choice, but I implore you to open your heart, and ask Him to come in – because I can assure you  that Jesus is who the bible says that He is.  For me, these 37 years (tomorrow!) of getting to know Him and God the Father, have more than sufficiently borne that out!  I’ll leave this part now about how to have your beginning in Him with these scriptures : Romans 6:23;  John 3:16,17;  John 6:37  to refer to for the things I mentioned from the bible between the two *  (in the last paragraph).

There are many things said in the  scriptures that can help you and I to better understand what the bible means when it says “you must be born again.”  Jesus said that to Nicodemus when Nicodemus came seeking Jesus one evening to inquire of Jesus who He was.  (John 3:1-8)  The explanation that followed Nicodemus’ question is so beautiful that it quiets our fears that anything and everything from the spirit realm is eerie and spooky, dark and haunting. Not so!  For Jesus made it clear that a man/human  must also be “born of the spirit” to enter into the Kingdom of God, or for that matter to even “see” the Kingdom of God (verse 3-5). He went on to further explain that there is the natural birth by which every man comes into this world – and there is a spiritual birth that comes to a person when they receive God’s plan of redemption in Jesus Christ.  “That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit (of God) is spirit “ ( verse 6)– making a clear distinction between the two births a man can experience and the fact that “You must be born again ” to enter into the Kingdom of God!

I have more to share about this –  and I will take it up again in a post tomorrow. I hope to see you here then.