Author: Hal Hollister Ministry

“And let the beauty of the Lord our God be upon us, And establish the work of our hands for us; Yes, establish the work of our hands.” Psalm 90:17

Believers get in trouble when they overstep the boundaries of God. This can happen quickly and most likely is caused by allowing your emotions and fleshly desires to dictate your actions. In reality, you choose to make a decision without inquiring of the Lord. You believe you know what is best for you and not God.

Moses prays the beauty of the Lord will fall upon you. And, then he explains how this can happen. Ask God to establish the work of your hands. Moses is implying do not strive or act out of your emotions or lean on your own understanding.

Moses is instructing you to commit your works each day to God and His thoughts will be established within you. When you pray this from your heart you are no longer working for self. You are working for God and will see the beauty and splendor of Christ.

God wants to be intimately involved in all the details of your life. He wants to live with you through the big and little decisions you make each day. Invite the Holy Spirit to live with you today!

You have the mind of Christ and God desires to fill you with His thoughts and the perfect wisdom that comes from heaven. This is the essence of life for a believer. For in Him we live and move and have our being.

 

“So I will break down the wall you have plastered with untempered mortar, and bring it down to the ground, so that its foundation will be uncovered; it will fall, and you shall be consumed in the midst of it. Then you shall know that I am the Lord.” Ezekiel 13:14

If you build a wall of protection with untempered mortar the wall will eventually crumble away. This is what happened to the Israelites and is coming to all those who live in a religion of fabricated truths.

The winds of God’s judgment is blowing on all those who have taken liberties in teaching the oracles of God. And, this includes those who have accepted and live by a watered down version of God’s truths.

God is perfect and He never changes. Heaven and earth may fade away but the word of God endures forever. The Word cannot be compromised or interpreted to satisfy the motives of a changing society or religion’s self centered goals.

The true disciple of Christ stands in the gap to build a wall for the Body of Christ that cannot be penetrated by sin or destruction. He has one motive in life which is to satisfy Christ Jesus.

Do not be seduced by false teaching in the Body of Christ. There is no peace in the world and our perfect God rules with retribution. He blesses and He curses according to His Word and no one is immune from the judgment of God.

The wall of eternal protection will come to those who do not succumb to false teaching and truly live by the words of Jesus; “Man shall not live by bread alone but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.”

In the coming days God will shake the earth with His anger and all will know that He is the Lord!

 

“You did not choose Me, but I chose you” John 15:16

This scripture is very difficult to understand and appropriate in your life. The truth is God chose you for His purposes—not what you would like to do or to fulfill your expectations as a disciple of Christ.

God thinks and acts differently than you and I. He is a spiritual being without an ego. You and I are ego driven people and think we can determine how best to serve God. This is foolishness in the eyes of God.

When you make a decision for Christ you lose ownership of your life. It now belongs to God to do as He pleases.

There is no striving in walking with God. You are called to enter into the rest of Christ and cease from your works.

God will usually not disclose how He plans to use you in His kingdom. And, as you grow in spiritual maturity it becomes even more puzzling.

The trap is trying to do something for God when He is just asking you to walk with Him by faith. If God wants you to do something specific He will speak directly to you and there will be no doubt.

As an example, God spoke to Abraham and he was obedient to His calling. Abraham gave up his homeland, security, and inheritance to venture into a foreign land.

You will be surprised to learn God’s priority in dealing with you. It is not so much about what you do but how you do it. It is inviting God to live in the moment.

God wants you to be grounded in Him through prayer, His Word, and the Holy Spirit. This will allow you to take His values into your everyday life.

Make you priority living in oneness with Jesus and let Him establish the direction and goals for your life!

There is no one like Him!

“The Lord is in His holy temple,
The Lord’s throne is in heaven;
His eyes behold,
His eyelids test the sons of men.
The Lord tests the righteous,
But the wicked and the one who loves
violence His soul hates.” Psalm 11:4-5

The definition of a litmus test is a decisively indicative test.

You and I have to undergo this test which is ordained by the hand of God. It takes many different forms and can happen often in your life. You may face what seems like rejection by God, suffer financial loss or ruin, encounter serious health issues, or face betrayal from a loved one. The list goes on and on.

The purpose of the test is to determine your faith in God and belief in His promises. God wants you to have a living faith which is established and strengthened in the wake of disaster or adversity.

The only way you can demonstrate your faith to God is through the difficult challenges of life. You have three choices. Walk by faith, seek worldly solutions, or reject God entirely.

God knows how you will respond to adversity. The test is not for Him. It is for you. The test will be decisive. The result will determine your standing with God. It will be indicative of how you react to the challenges of life.

The test will answer the question “Will I believe in God regardless of what happens in my life?”

The moment of truth happens when God is no longer an intellectual or esoteric being. He is your God for life!

 

“Eye has not seen, nor ear heard,
Nor have entered into the heart of man
The things which God has prepared for those who love Him.” But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit. 1 Corinthians 2:9-10

The only way you can find God is through His Spirit. There is no other option! The Holy Spirit dwells inside you and He is the path to discovering the reality of God.

The question is why does Christianity refuse to accept and teach this truth?

The leaders in Christianity want to protect their importance and influence with believers.

Secondly, they do not want any interference with their religious plans or activities. They do not want the Holy Spirit to reveal motives that have nothing or little to do with God.

The Holy Spirit is a serious threat to religion because He reveals deceit, corruption, and hypocrisy.

Finally, the leaders do not want their value diminished by the Holy Spirit. In actuality, the Holy Spirit is your teacher and confidant above any human being.

The Holy Spirit wants Christ Jesus glorified above all else. The role of a leader in the Body of Christ is to direct people to Jesus and teach how to know Him. This supercedes all other priorities.

The Holy Spirit speaks the truths of God and defines with clarity the intentions of God. The Bible is filled with a lot of messages which are impossible or very difficult to understand without the illumination of the Holy Spirit.

Think of the Holy Spirit as a person who is alive and desires to share the life of Jesus with you. The goal of the Holy Spirit is to lead you into living in a consciousness with God.

The Holy Spirit embodies all the characteristics of Christ. He is your source for strength, wisdom, joy, and healing.

The Holy Spirit is Truth and Life!

 

“Because he has set his love upon Me, therefore I will deliver him; I will set him on high, because he has known My name. He shall call upon Me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him and honor him. With long life I will satisfy him, And show him My salvation.” Psalm 91:14-16

The definition of valor is great courage facing the perils of the world.

Where can you find supernatural courage to overcome the challenges of living in this world?

The natural tendency is to look for help in the ways of the world. Unfortunately, worldly remedies are short lived and will always fail you.

Christ Jesus is the only source who can give you sustaining courage and hope to deal with the demands of life. He has an inexhaustible character and desires to share this ability with you.

This promise in Psalm 91 is the source for endless courage for those who love God and seek to know Him. Call upon the Lord and He will answer you. God promises to be with you in the midst of your problems.

He will deliver you and honor you for your faithfulness in His promises. God will satisfy you with long life and show you His salvation.

“Perhaps the reason he was separated from you for a little while was that you might have him back forever—no longer as a slave, but better than a slave, as a dear brother.” Philemon 1:15-16

Onesimus was a slave under the authority of Philemon. He was given to Paul while in prison at Rome. Onesimus was a dear friend and comforter for Paul and became converted to Christ.

At one time, Onesimus was a useless person but when he became a believer he became very useful.

Paul is sending Onesimus back to Philemon as a free man even though he may continue to do the work of a slave. He is now a believer and a dear brother in Christ. He is free from the bondage of the world and is now a slave for Christ.

Onesimus is above all reproach and has been covered by the blood of Christ for all his sins. He has to be accepted without stigma or disrespect. He is as worthy as any believer in the world.

The point of this story is the moment you make a decision for Christ you are set free from all bondage and immoral living.

You are a new creature in Christ Jesus dedicated to live for Him and are no longer a slave to anything in the world. Now you are a slave seeking the will of Christ.

Onesimus now has the scruples of Christ living within him through the Holy Spirit. This causes him to hesitate and turn away from sinful actions.

The transformation of Onesimus was a change from having little utility in Christ to becoming a disciple of Christ filled with the power of the Holy Spirit.

Onesimus is now a vessel of God spreading light to those living in darkness!

 

“But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.” John 4:23-24

The words of Jesus in this scripture are the most neglected and overlooked in Christianity. The worship of God has to be in symmetry with the Truth and Spirit. They work together to bring the harmony of the Living Christ into your life. You cannot be grounded in God without both of these manifestations of Christ.

The Holy Spirit lives in you and is the key to understanding God. The Spirit illuminates the scripture so you can grasp the values of Jesus and appropriate them into your life.

The Spirit desires to have a personal relationship with you and speak to you from the heart of God. You can hear the voice of God because you have the mind of Christ.

The Spirit convicts you of sin and reveals the depth of your personality. He know you better than you know yourself.

The Spirit brings the richness of God into your life. He takes what belongs to Jesus and shares it with you.

The Spirit brings clarity and reality to the characteristics of Christ. The greatness, the glory, the power, the victory, and the majesty of God are no longer words. They live in your life.

You no longer have to wander through the Bible or pray endlessly to find God’s direction for your life.

Very simply, just recognize God lives in you and desires to be your best friend and have conversations with you every day of your life. Be still and listen for the voice of God. You will be amazed and filled with awe when you encounter the Living God! There is no one like Him.

The Holy Spirit gives you the ability to live through the life of Christ and experience His strength, wisdom, and joy.

Invite the Holy Spirit to live with you today! Your life will never be the same!

 

“Christianity calls you to action. I call you to rest in Me and walk by faith.”

The definition of redacted is to censor or obscure part of a text. This is what Christianity is doing with the truths of God.

Christianity promulgates a works doctrine and minimizes teaching the importance of knowing Christ.

Christ wants you to live in oneness with Him in a vibrant and personal relationship. This will lead to doing authentic works for Him.

The fundamental teaching of Christ Jesus is to rest in Him and live by faith in His promises. This is the beginning and the end of life for a disciple. There is no middle ground. This truth cannot be superseded by keeping laws or doing works.

You will never impress Christ with your works but your unyielding faith in who He is will bring rewards and praise from your Savior.

The calling from God is to know Christ and live in obedience to Him. The priority of Christ is for you to install His values into your lifestyle.

You will never be able to do the works of God but the Living Christ can work through you to perform miracles. The ministry of Christ will start by your expression of faith and the leading of the Holy Spirit.

Ministry has to originate in the work of the Cross. Your ego and self determination has to die on the Cross before you can be effective for Christ.

Jesus wants those around you to see Him in you. This is the core of a powerful ministry. You share the life of Jesus to others without a motive to benefit self.

“My purpose is to give you an abundant life and equip you to become My disciple giving light to those who do not know Me.”

 

How do you think God is praying for your New Year’s resolution?

You and I pray to lose weight, earn more money, buy a home, or find the perfect mate to marry. There is nothing wrong with desiring these things and praying to God for help in achieving your goals.

However, there is something much deeper and more important in the heart of God as you prepare for the New Year.

The challenge in making a resolution is God knows you better than you know yourself. He understands all your strengths and weaknesses and is an omniscient God. He will show you His priority in making your resolution if you allow Him.

God wants you to start 2020 with a clean slate. He wants you to ask Christ Jesus to forgive you for all your sins–past, present and future. Then ask God what you need to change in your life? Be patient and wait until you hear His voice!

God wants you to forgive Him or others who have hurt you in the past. This requires you to release all your bottled up hurts and feelings from the past and give them to God. So when you wake up on January 1st you will be free from those deep hurts that prevent you from living in the fullness and joy of God.

Finally, God wants you to know Christ Jesus above all else and live in oneness with Him each day of your life.

Unfortunately, you will not be able to achieve any of these goals on your own. You might make some progress than you will lapse back into your old habits.

You and I face many barriers in knowing Christ and finding a new outlook for 2020. The world is not your friend. Your fleshly indulgences can easily lead you astray from God. And, Satan is at work to tempt you into wrong doing.

Religion does not have the ability to make you into a new person or set you free from past feelings or habits. And, you will never know Christ through works or keeping laws.

You have to become a new person in Christ Jesus living with God through the authority of the Holy Spirit. This happens when you make a decision to be baptized into the death and resurrected life of Christ.

This is your only hope for 2020!