May 19, 2010

  • Authority of the Believer to Cooperate with and work with the Holy Spirit by Pastor Don Moore

    This is a longer than usual posting, but I am trying to get the Bible studies up to date and decided not to break it into two entries. Praying this blesses you, it was a remarkable question and answer session.  It always amazes me how Pastor Don can answer a question off the top of his head. I want to know the Bible that well!

    Who is doing what?  In ministry we can get to the point where we are operating so fast that we are outside of what the Holy Spirit is doing. People pray not realizing that they have to operate with the Holy Spirit in their prayer life. Too often we want and ask God to approve what we are doing and it is hard for us to realize that we need to change what we are doing to line up with the Holy Spirit.

    Romans 8:12-14 Therefore, brethren, we are debtors–not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. For if you live according to the flesh you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.

    The second death is die physically and obey the spirit. This text is defining “sons of God” as being led by the Spirit. We get confused by people who talk the talk, but don’t walk it. You can tell you are being led by the Spirit by the way you love the brethren. We do not hate the people of God.

    The Holy Spirit is ahead of us, leading us. If we encounter a phony or difficult challenge in our field of life and can’t get anywhere, He hasn’t led you to that field. There will be work, but the Holy Spirit prepares the ground for you. When you get to people He will have people ready for you.

    We are LED – which means we are following and He has prepared the field.

    Romans 8:15 For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out “Abba, Father.”

    Abba- Father

    Romans 8:16 The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God.

    How do we know we are led? The Spirit Himself bears witness with our Spirit, manifests in us, in the follower, and what we do will bear fruit. The sign in us is the fruit bearing that is caused by following the Holy Spirit, listening to our INWARD WITNESS. The witness testifies or manifests.

    How do we do stupid?  We don’t consult Who’s in us. The Holy Spirit will lead us the right way, and our flesh tries to cancel what we are being told to do by our inward witness.  We are sheep and we are dumb. You won’t become smart or be fully used by God until you realize how stupid you are. Give the flesh an opportunity to lead and you will fall. Go back, look at the mistakes made and you will see that it was a fleshly decision that caused them. If we are following our flesh we will end up with big problems. Our pride can get in the way.

    Make an intelligent, spiritual decision that you are going to be led by the Holy Spirit in this situation. When you are led by the Spirit and committed to obeying the Spirit others cannot push your buttons to get you to react.

    The Spirit bears witness with OUR SPIRIT. Our spirit hears from the Holy Spirit even before it registers on our brain. Our ego and pride can cause us to not want to yield to our spirit. Our spirit will correct us and we don’t like correction for we feel it is a put-down. But correction is good so that we don’t fall into someone’s hole. Our spirit has to be developed so that we learn how to yield  our spirit. When we yield our spirit we are going to change. The enemy, satan, walks into a room and it gets darker. But hope and light emanates from our inner man. We begin to recognize, here comes old slewfoot to bring everybody down.

    Ask for discernment. Do you have a yielded spirit? David prayed that God would not take the Holy Spirit from him.  King Saul’s disobedience caused the Spirit to be removed from him, and King Saul lived in dark despair. For awhile David’s singing brought some ease, but ultimately the enemy took control and King Saul repeatedly tried to kill David, the very thing that brought ease to King Saul.

    Our spirit is under construction. Jesus told the disciples that He taught in parables because only the disciples were to know, the others had shut the door to the teaching.

    Some are so victimized that the can’t get out of victim mentality. We need to begin healing the inner man. We will grow and heal quicker from the inside out, from the spirit to the flesh.

    Pastor Don shared a song called “Jesus on the inside working on the outside, oh what a change in my life.”

    Luke 6:45 A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heartb]’> with groanings which cannot be uttered.

    Without the Holy Spirit we don’t know how to pray or what to pray about a situation.

    Smith Wigglesworth’s wife died and he prayed to bring her back. God rebuked him, for God knew that the next part of his ministry his wife couldn’t go with him. Derek Prince’s wife died and he ended up marrying an older woman that he was not particularly attracted to, but God led him to this marriage and Derek Prince’s ministry expanded quickly. We think we know what we want, but often we do not know what or how to pray for a circumstance. The Holy Spirit wants to lead us.

    The Body of Christ is ineffective because they haven’t learned how to pray or be led by the Spirit in prayer. Many denominations have rejected the Baptism of the Holy Spirit and shut themselves off of the guidance of the Holy Spirit for their prayers. The Holy Spirit intercedes for us with groanings that cannot be uttered.

    The SPIRIT PRAYING for the heart of man. The Spirit of God interceding for us through the spirits of man. The Spirit of God knows the Mind of God. David had the Holy Spirit resting on him, but because of the New Covenant we have the Holy Spirit within us, and we have the choice to yield our flesh to the Spirit or not. The Holy Spirit will not force us.

    Pastor Don was asked a question about the end times. He replied that the angels will not preach until God calls the end of the contract – turns it null and void. Satan’s time is short, so he is trying to do as much damage as possible in the time remaining. There will be 144,000 pure Jews who will assist in the spreading of the Gospel and the work. The Holy Spirit will lead us as to what to do.

    When asked about someone who is not listening to the truth, Pastor Don suggested praying for the person, putting their name in the appropriate places in the following prayer from Ephesians 1. 

    Ephesians 1:15-23 Therefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints, do not cease to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers: that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him, the eyes of your understandinga]’> saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.

    Bride of Christ

    Revelation 21:3 And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God.

    God with man on earth, a new earth.

    Revelation 21:4 And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.”

    The former has passed away.

    Revelation 21:5-7 Then He who sat on the throne said, “Behold, I make all things new.” And He said to me,c]’> I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. I will give of the fountain of the water of life freely to him who thirsts. He who overcomes shall inherit all things,e]’> abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.”

    BUT – there is the lake of fire, the second death, the end of an era, and the beginning of a new aeon.

    Revelation 22:12 “And behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to give to every one according to his work.

    Judgment

    Revelation 22:13-14  I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End, the First and the Last.”g]’> that they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter through the gates into the city.

    Those who pass judgment will have the right to eat from the tree of life and enter in the gates of the city, but there will be those outside the city gates.

    Revelation 22:15 But