Spirit Spoken

Ephesians 6:11  Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. Putting on the whole armor of God! Paul writes this wonderful metaphor of putting on armor, that is "spiritually speaking" the armor of God. In reading this godly message to the saints of Ephesus Paul actually created a very unique tool of symbolism that help Christians acknowledge the God given gifts in our lives. The belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, shoes of the Gospel of peace, the shield of faith, the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the spirit. This combination is our spiritual defence and attack toward the spiritual forces of evil. The whole armour of God cannot be lacking. We cannot have a weak spot or the whole armor will becomes deficient. We must continuously tune up our gear, also learning to properly use and understand our gear. For my application I will listen to a sermon about the whole armor of God to have a deeper understanding of ...

James 1:2-5 "Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds"(ESV).   "If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him." (KJV). James, the brother of Jesus, which took on a huge roll in the early church write this letter that later becomes a book in the new testiment. This book is written after the death and resurrection of Christ, furthermore when James becomes a believer. James begins with counting trials as joy. I don't think he means praising trials but praising during a trial knowing that God is testing us. Not that God is out to harm us but the testing will hurt and that will produce patience and steadfastness. See God wants to perfect us yet that can be an unpleasant process because trials can be unbearable. It's important to remind ourselves of the scripture and not to lash out against God. We may feel like His plans are harmful because we're hu...

Psalms 144:1-15  Blessed be the LORD my strength, which teacheth my hands to war, and my fingers to fight: My goodness, and my fortress; my high tower, and my deliverer; my shield, and he in whom I trust; who subdueth my people under me. A psalm of David that starts with a very personal view of what God is to man. David praising God with "my" being used multiple times in the first couple of verses. Many are the things God is to man but what of man to God? David then heads in the reverse direction of what man is to God basically saying but a mere vapor, vanity. That it's such wonder how God involves himself with man. That not only does God look upon feeble mankind but is intimently concerned of each life, seeing all our problems and enemies. We are the creation of his hands, will God then let us be without His holy love? We need God! David crying out "deliver me" and "stretch out your hand". We still yet need God bottom line to save us from falsehood....

2 Kings 4:2  And Elisha said unto her, What shall I do for thee? tell me, what hast thou in the house? And she said, Thine handmaid hath not any thing in the house, save a pot of oil. In this chapter of 2 Kings we find this small story of a widow and her children whom having nothing called upon the Lord. Small yet an encouraging gem of a story that represents how God can provide when we feel that we have nothing left. Elisha the prophet of God is presented with the widows problem and gives her directions to fill borrowed containers full of the little bit of oil she had left. The woman obeyed and did exactly what the prophet had said to do. Afterward she turn out with many containers full of oil just from one pot of oil. It was a miracle! She sells the containers and pays her debts with even some oil left for the family. We may ask... So what can I take from this as a Christian? Well let's see in our own lives we find times where we feel completely drained. Just then God presents u...

2 Timothy 2:3-4  Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. No man that warreth entangleth himself with the affairs of this life; that he may please him who hath chosen him to be a soldier. Paul writes final words to young Timothy in a very emotional yet authoritive exhortation. Paul saw Timothy as his own child and taught him in all things, especially in the things of God. Paul felt his time was near and missed Timothy for Paul was in prison at this time, even so he felt he needed to give his last words of encouragement and instruction. In a sense this was Paul stepping out for Timothy to step foward to his own calling. We see in relay races the racers hand off the baton to the next racer. For Paul this moment was exactly that, he even says in chapter four of this book "I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith". Paul's ministry would now continue with Timothy. So we get to the section where Paul begins to use...

John 14:6  Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. In John's gospel during a supper Jesus speaks about the hour of His that has come, also of betrayal and denial from two disciples, and giving a new commandment. Just after saying those things He speaks these words "I am the way, the truth, and the life." which is a very important statement from the Son of God unto His disciples. Basically giving the map, the guide, and the key to His disciples. The map being that they know Jesus; the guide being Jesus his spirit with them, the key that in Christ's name we have life. This applies for us all!  We don't need to search any further than knowing Jesus, believing Jesus, living in Jesus. There is no other options to finding God the father "I am in the Father and the Father in me". All is in vain if not in Jesus. Further on He says "If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it" Jesus sa...

Uganda IBS 18 John 4:13-14 "Jesus said to her, everyone who drinks of this water will be thristy again, but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thristy again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life." In John's gospel we read about the story of Jesus and the woman at the well. During Jesus' ministry travels He crosses through Samaria and resting at a well in a town called Sychar He meets a woman drawing water. This woman is known as an outcast among the samaritain people because of her many marriages and now being with a man out of wedd-lock. Jesus of course knew these things about this woman and asked for a drink from the well. Like most of us, she was too ignorant by not knowing the gift of God and the one who gives it, and denied his request. Many often make this mistake of spiritual ignorance toward not truly knowing the gift of God and the One who gives it. Jesus answered back to he...

Ecclesiastes 2:24  There is nothing better for a man, than that he should eat and drink, and that he should make his soul enjoy good in his labour. This also I saw, that it was from the hand of God. The book Ecclesiastes is said to be written by King Solomon, whom also wrote a major portion of the Proverbs. Some who have studied this book say that this was an exhortation from the King from all that he had come to learn in his experience of wisdom, wealth and power. Through all of his extreme wealth, extraordinary wisdom, and power beyond belief he finally comes to the depressing conclusion that all is vanity. Vanity in a manner of frustration through application. King Soloman finds himself without satisfaction in all this wealth, power, wisdom. The more he searched for this fulfillment the more he found all was vanity and being lead astray further from God as he searches he finds himself bored with life. I think we've found ourselves conducting the same experiments with life, tryi...

Proverbs 3:12 "For whom the LORD loveth he correcteth; even as a father the son in whom he delighteth." For every new believer there comes the time where God begins to cut things out of our lives which at first being the prideful and stubborn humans we are, isn't always a pleasant process. Proverbs gives this sort saying to us about God's love and with that love is discipline just as loving father raises a son. A loving father will discipline his son with thorough correction part of which is setting boundaries. By setting boundaries the father can protect the son from things he doesn't fully understand because he loves his son. For example, children are tought not to play in the street and to be cautions around street traffic which is something children don't fully acknowledge the danger of but when they grow older they understand. God is the same way with us, he corrects us when we're to close to danger because he can see the danger clearly when we do n...

Hebrews 13:5  "Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee." In the last chapter of the letter to the Hebrews the writer, which is unknown, writes about sacrifices pleasing to God. That brotherly love be continued, showing hospitality to strangers, keeping in mind those who are in prison and have been mistreated, holding honorable marriage, that these acts of good should continue within the body of Christ. A healthy verse to keep in mind when reading chapter 13 is Hebrews 13:16 "Not to neglect to do good and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to the Lord". The piece I mostly want to focus on is verse 5, reason being that it's talks about contentment. In ESV it's pretty clear about covetousness "keep your life free from the love of money". I think that us alone being content with the things we have can be a pleasing sacri...

Luke 3:14  "And the soldiers likewise demanded of him, saying, And what shall we do? And he said unto them, Do violence to no man, neither accuse any falsely; and be content with your wages." In Luke's gospel, as it is prophesied by Isaiah that one would begin to prepare the way, John begins his baptism. John does this by teaching  a biptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sin. With his teachings the people heard, from tax collectors to soldiers, all could come to be baptized. In John's teaching he touches on the subject of contentment. Contentment is a valuable virtue to have and can be very rewarding. In my opinion contentment is often mistaken for happiness and it can confuse a lot of us from the very start. Happiness is a temporary emotion and is not the solution for fulfillment in Christ. For example if we just got the raise we wanted and we're happy about that, yes it's great to be financially stable but that doesn't lead us to contentment; a f...

Proverbs 3:7 "Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the LORD, and depart from evil." What this means is that we should find no confidence in the flesh through the knowledge of the world. As Christians we cannot not be influenced by wisdom from the world because it generally tells us that we don't need God or we don't always have to answer to Him. We end up being motivated by self causing us never to rely upon nor fear the Lord. When fearing the Lord we learn the wisdom of the Lord. Wisdom is what reproves us and brings discipline into our lives. If I were to choose never to listen to the Lord's reproof I'd be a fool leading to self-destruction. In Hebrews the scripture in chapter twelve tells us not to be weary when the Lord reproves us but to recognize that the Lord disciplines us because He loves us. A house without discipline is a house without love. Discipline allows us to have discernment and power to depart from evil. I pray that I may have discernment t...

1 Timothy 6:6-8 "But godliness with contentment is great gain, for we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world. But if we have food and clothing, with these we will be content." In this section of Pauls letter he writes to Timothy about false teaching and teaching that accords with godliness. Reading from the text you can conclude that at this time there might have been teachers that taught godliness was a way of gain, or a way to become rich. The Christian walk isn't for material gain but spiritual fulfillment. Sometimes we can be so distracted by what we don't have that we lose focus on what we do have. The calling Christians have is a calling full of sacrifice and service to God. How can we then be in desire of things that aren't apart of God plan? We can't justify the wants of the flesh and trying would be a sin. God knows our needs and will provide for his people. David expresses his experience in Ps. 37:25 "I ha...

Genesis 41:52 "The name of the second he called Ephraim: for God has made me fruitful in the land of my affliction."  Here Joseph has just risen to power in Egypt because the Pharaoh saw that the Spirit of God was with him. Joseph went from prisoner to second in command over all of Egypt. Entering into his plentiful years Joseph married and had two sons. The first was Manasseh which means "making forget" and the second was Ephraim which means "making fruitful". The meanings behind their names represented God's faithfulness in Joseph's life. Joseph saw that God's Spirit stayed with him through all his afflictions. First his brothers wanted to kill him but then they decided to sell him. As a slave he's brought down to Egypt and sold to a an Egyptian officer that finds favor with him being that the Spirit was with him. Joseph is then framed for a crime that he didn't commit and put in jail. Through all of this Joseph still trusted in God...

1 Kings 18:38 "Hear me, O LORD, hear me, that this people may know that thou art the LORD God, and that thou hast turned their heart back again." In the book of 1 Kings, Elijah the prophet of God stands against the prophets of Baal, an Idol. In this section Israel has put an Idol before the one true God. God uses Elijah to bring the hearts of His people back unto Him. Before I get to the big lesson of this scripture, which is Idols. I want to point out first another important message in the scripture. Elijah stood alone before the people of Israel and the 450 prophets of Baal. They all made him out to be a bad person and a trouble maker in the land. The world will always be against God's  people, the world makes good look bad and bad look good. Still we must follow Elijahs example. and not give in to the majority's opinion and stand for what we know is right. Israel chose to follow an Idol therefore sinning against God. Elijah proves to them that there is only one ...

Philippians 4:5-6 "Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God." In Paul's letter to the Philippians he encourages the people to stay focused, to stay true to the truth, and rejoice in the Lord always. I think an important thing to notice is the fact that Paul, while in chains, is writing about rejoicing in all things. He proves that it's not only important that we rejoice in the good things but also in the bad things. The importance is his behavior towards the trouble he faces. It speaks loudly of his God, testifying the faith he has in his God. As Christians having a savior we should always be content knowing the power and might of our God. Our Lord protects us, aids us, and has his hand upon us. That is why we call him the Good Shepherd because He gives us the strength to endure the elements of this fallen ...

Genesis 4:4-5 "And Abel also brought of the firstborn of his flock and of their fat portions. And the Lord had regard for Abel and his offering," "but for Cain and his offering he had no regard. So Cain was very angry, and his face fell." In this section of the bible we read of Cain and Able, the sons of Adam. Cain worked the land, and Able kept sheep. Now reading chapter four we see God choosing to regard Abel's offering but having no regard for Cain's offering. Abel's offering is good and respected by God. Abel recognized that the first fruits of his labor were good, and the best for God. God never saw the firstfruits from Cain, which would have been a good offering to God. Cain kept the first fruit for himself but for God he gave the fruit that remained. God should always be first in our lives. By offering God the first fruits of our labor we honor the one who truly deserves boasting. For it was God who provided all that we needed and it should be ...

Commitment or apostasy? Hebrews 6:12 "That you do not become sluggish, but imitate those who through faith and patience inherit the promises." In the letter to the Hebrews we observe the author writting about apostasy in chapter 6. Which by definition, apostasy is the abandonment of a former loyalty. The message in this chapter is about staying true to your commitment to God. The full assurance of hope in better things. It's possible for people to fall away from God. It's better to mature as Christians then to allow doubt to bring us down, and then having to relay the foundation of repentance. Let us not bear worthlessness but usefulness. Confident of better things in salvation, through patience and faith. Amen. Before allowing faith to be weakened, hope to fade, love become forced, assurance be questioned. These things that have happened, even now. I will let go and let God. Giving my father a chance to speak to me through my leaders and ministry team. I will gath...

Romans 7:21 "So I find it be a law that when I want to do right, evil lies close at hand." Romans 8:5 "For those who live according to the flesh, set their mind on things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit." Paul in his well structure letter to the Romans is acknowledging the powerful techniques of sin. We have known sin through the law, but then become dead by sin, sin then is shown to be sin. Read (Romans 7:13). By reading this we can almost say sin's techniques are pre-destined for man's redemption. Through the law we acknowledge sin to be bad, and we find we are nothing of good since we do what is bad. We being sold under sin (Rom. 7:14) are in the flesh since after the fall of Adam. The law is holy, righteous and good but the law proves man to be sinful in the flesh. Therefore we cannot amount to the law, we desire to do what's right but only do what we hate. We are sinners who a...

Proverbs 16:1-3 "The plans of the heart belong to man, but the answer of the tongue is from the Lord." "All the ways of man are pure in his own eyes, but the Lord weighs the spirit." "Commit your work to the Lord, and your plans will be established." Found in the short meaningful sayings of King Solomon, Prv 16:1-3. These verses captured my attention over the last couple days. They specifically gaze over man's plans. We as men are always having plans, idea's and hopes flying endlessly throughout our minds. It is not wrong for us to have plans. I believe its Gods desire for us to be creative in the ministry he gives us. Whatever the ministry is, first we must ask ourselves a few important questions. What is your heart's "spirit" motive in such plans? Is it motivated by self? Pure only in your eyes and not the Lord's. "God weighs the spirit" he knows what's truly in our hearts. If our purpose is for Him, he will know ...