The baptism with the Holy Spirit and speaking in tongues are important aspects of the Christian faith. The Holy Spirit is the third person of the Trinity and is the source of power and comfort for believers. And we need to know Him personally. He is an incredible and exciting person who loves to glorify Jesus and talk to us. And He gives us spiritual gifts, distributing them to His kids as He wills (1 Cor. 12:11). Speaking in tongues, or "glossolalia," is a manifestation of a spiritual gift from the Holy Spirit within an individual and is a sign of being filled with the Spirit. And the Bible has a lot to say about the Holy Spirit and speaking in tongues.
The stores are stocked with school supplies and kids are ready to go back. Some are anxious, and some are excited. Even if you don't have kids, you likely have nieces or nephews, neighborhood children or grandchildren. I happen to believe the kiddos of our nation need prayer and blessing as they go back to school. The power of praying scriptural blessings over your kids is huge, especially as they head back to school where they will be spending countless hours each day. How can you cover them as they go?
Exposure has begun but it may not be quite as we expected it to be. Earlier this summer, the Holy Spirit told me, "Exposure by the Holy Spirit has begun. I am speaking of the exposing of what is being done in the hidden recesses of the heart. That which is done in the dark will be exposed by the Light. Did you not know that Light and darkness cannot dwell together? Therefore, My people, do not walk in such ways that you serve yourself as a dwelling of co-habitation of darkness and light.
I heard the Lord say, "I am giving My people new strategies for this new season." I pondered this word in my heart as I prayed in the Spirit. I looked up the word "strategy" and one of the definitions I found was "A careful plan or method." Another definition referred to the science or art of combining and employing the means of war in planning and directing large military movements and operations. There is a spiritual military operation in the heavenly realms. There are various ranks of angels and heavenly hosts in the atmosphere around us.
Faith in God took Enoch into another realm of reality. Enoch agreed and walked with God. His mind was so transformed by the presence of God, that Enoch was no longer recognizable, he was not found. He became a new being by the renewing of his mind. Enoch was no more. God took Enoch up into the heights of heaven because he was found pleasing in God's sight. Enoch was able to avoid our last enemy, death. Enoch learned the ways of eternal life by walking in God's shadow.
The Lord is my light and my salvation - whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life - of whom shall I be afraid? Psalm 27:1 NIV The Lord is bringing His guidance and breaking off fear. This is a time in which the Lord is renewing our strength and bringing protection and encouragement to us. There is new authority and angels from the Lord are continuing to increase. The Lord is contending for us and battling right now. Rest assured, the Lord has our best interest at heart, no matter how things might look or feel. Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding.
And God said, "Let us make man in our image, after our likeness..." So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them. Genesis 1:26-27 And the LORD God said, "Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil." Genesis 3:22 In Genesis 1:26 God says, "Let us make man in our image, after our likeness." There is much debate as to the literal meaning of image and likeness in this verse. My intention is not to look into that debate in this teaching, but instead to share revelation I have been given on the subject.
The Bible is full of stories of men and women who waited and waited for God's promises to be fulfilled. Abraham and Sarah waited 25 years for Isaac's birth. Hannah endured years of barrenness waiting for her baby. David spent years in the wilderness before he became king. God calls each of us to join Him in His work but accomplishing anything spiritual, such as building a church, engaging in missions work or influencing secular culture for Christ, is impossible in human terms. We can't accomplish anything for God without faith.
When it comes to sickness and disease there are so many Christians that are confused about where it comes from and what is the purpose of it in their lives. Some have even been taught that everything that happens to them in life is the will of God for them. But nothing could be further from the truth. Let's look at it from this angle using the Word of God as our benchmark. If sickness was the will of God for you, then why did James say, "Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise him up..." (James 5:14-15)
What are you building your foundation on right now? Is it your ability to know His Word? Is it your ability to hear His Voice? Are you seeking to learn from others, or do you feel that you are grounded enough to teach others? Can you define the goals in that? Are you working on finding peace in yourself, or are you working to get the favor of man? It's good to be honest with your emotions and see if your energy is really pointing you towards where you want to be. It's good to ask yourself WHY you want what you do. I do that often and it helps me realize just how well that I am hearing His Voice of direction.
Follow Up
