May 15, 2005

• I had a wonderful gift given to me this morning. We had gone to mass last night due to the kids’ religious education classes, so today was to be a day of rest. When I woke up, Jim put a cup of coffee in my hand and told me to go of to Living Word Chapel for services. He offered, so I took him up on it. I got there a few minutes late, but it was a service definitely meant for me. I got filled with three hours of blessing, I was so grateful to Jim. And the other bit of good news is that because the 7th grade ccd classes are so small, they may combine 7th and 8th next year and give both grades confirmation. I am praying that happens, because that is something Jim really wants the kids to have, and it would free up a lot of time that I could then spend at Living Word Chapel. Pray hard.

  
  

  I will share what I wrote from the sermon, but it is not as thorough as what notes I can take at a Bible study.

  
  

  This is Pentecost Sunday, when the Holy Spirit came down on the apostles and those in the upper room.

  
  

  First Pastor Don was talking about how satan can beat a person down. He said that when the devil beats us in a certain arena of our life, he keeps working on that area. When we begin to make changes in the area where we used to succumb, then the devil keeps trying to beat us down in that area, he only has a few tricks and keeps repeating them over and over.

  
  

  God in the heavenlies has set us free, and he have to begin to realize that we are free. Sometimes we wonder how come an adictive personalit doesn’t have a challenge when they decide to give up an addiction. When you are a slave, and decide to give up an addiction, to get free you need supernatural help. You are in a spiritual battle. Sometimes satan will leave you alone at first, until you let your guard down, and then in a moment of weakness he will come in to attack you at that point. So it is important to keep your spiritual armour on.

  
  

  If you recall, Pastor Don said, when satan tempted Christ in the wilderness, he left him alone until a more oppurtune time. Satan didn’t give up and wanted to catch Jesus at a moment of weakness. satan did not succeed in that with Jesus, but often we let our guard down.

  
  

  Changes don’t have to be hard, they have to be a faith decision in the heavenlies. And it doesn’t need tons of faith either. When satan comes to remind you that you are a slave, you have to remind him who you are in Christ. Your body is your body, and it must obey what you tell it to do.

  
  

  Then we went to Acts (for Pentecost) Acts 1:4 The promise of the Father when he first set the feast of pentecost was to set people free. And that is why at Pentecost the Father sent the Holy Spirit, to be a helper, comforter, encourager, and to set us free.

  
  

  There is a baptism of the Holy Spirit, for in John 3, Jesus told Nicodemus that he needed to be baptised with water and the Spirt. The Spirit of GOd births you. When Jesus came, all mysteries are revealed. So do not let people tell you that they have a handle on mysteries, or that things are not clearly spelled out in the Word of God.

  
  

  Water is the Word of God, Spirit is the Spirit of God.

  
  

  Acts 1:5, when people are baptised today, they receive the Spirit of God, but even though they have the Holy Spirit within, doesn’t mean that they are acting with the full power that having the Holy Spirit gives them. Some Christians are wandering around in their spiritual lives on a starvation diet.

  
  

  Acts 1:7-8 Jesus is speaking to people who are already born again (they recognize the savior in their lives), they have the Holy Spirit which came upon them, and now they are receiving the Holy Spirit power.

  
  

  We were asked to say the following, “I do have the Holy Spirit, I’m born again, I do have sufficient power. I do not have to beg or plead, just ask in the name of Jesus. We ask and we will receive the Holy Spirit with power from God.

  
  

  We need to be living above the level of existence of our unsaved friends. That does not mean necessarily having more money, or tangible things, but it means the fruit of the spirit. That the quality of life, is large, and when a person sees you, they see the love of God expressed through you.

  
  

  *****

  
  

  I heard a new praise song to me called “Use Me”. It was awesome and during the praise song the thoughts came to me, as the lyrics said, “If you can use anything Lord, you can use me.” It caused me to realize that I often sell God short. If I feel unworthy or unable to do what God wants me to do, than I would have no problem realzing that it is God who does the good thing through me. Then if God could use a donkey, then he most certainly can use me.

  
  

  It was an awsome revelation. Then Pastor Don’s brother Jerry Moore spoke. He was visiting from California. I will share that later, but am being kicked off computer by my husband. sigh.

  
  

  Have a great day.

  
  

  Heather

  • 8:41 pm
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