Author: Hal Hollister Ministry

“The law of his God is in his heart; none of his steps shall slide.” Psalm 37:31

This is a powerful promise from God. You have the ability to walk through life with confidence knowing your footsteps will not stumble.

The question is how do the truths of God move from printed words on a page in the Bible into your heart?

The Word of God is alive and powerful. It is life changing to those who read the Word with an open heart and ask the Holy Spirit to bring wisdom and spiritual discernment to the scriptures.

The desire of God is to imbed His truths into your heart through the work of the Holy Spirit. Pray each day the Word of God will dwell richly in you with all wisdom and understanding.

The purpose of reading the Word is to appropriate the teachings and values of Jesus into your life. This will allow you to navigate through life utilizing the sign posts of God.

The Lord is a lamp unto your feet and a light unto your pathway. However, this can only actualize when you are walking with God through His Spirit.

The reason you and I stumble is we succumb to worldly temptations or give power to our fleshly indulgences. We disconnect from God and live through our fleshy desires.

God knows all your strengths and weaknesses. In fact, He knows you better than you know yourself. Also, God is omniscient and knows every detail of your life including your future. He wants to act as a powerful beacon to direct you into a safe and healthy pathway.

The life of Jesus dwells in you in the essence of the Holy Spirit. He does not want you to stumble or slip away from His protection. And, the Holy Spirit is perfect!

The law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and death. So you have to yield (or submit) to the Holy Spirit to avoid the pitfalls of life.

The discipline of yielding to the Holy Spirit begins each morning when you commit your works to God and ask Him to establish His thoughts in your mind. In reality, you are submitting your day under the authority of the Holy Spirit.

You have the mind of Christ and God’s method of communicating is to place His thoughts into your mind. Just be open to hear and accept His words by faith.

The Holy Spirit is alive and readily available so come to Him anytime you have doubt or confusion about making a decision.

God lives in the moment! Learn to praise Him and pray to Him during the course of your day. This will help you keep connected to the Spirit of God.

Remember, the Holy Spirit will never lead you astray. He is the life of Jesus and wants to be your best friend!

“For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” Matthew 6:21

This deals with the relationship between what you treasure in life and your heart condition to God.

Jesus is challenging you to examine your priorities! Are you living for self, sold out for God or somewhere in between?

The real question is what causes someone to treasure God above all else?

A good place to begin is with your commitment to God. Are you just along for the ride or are you serious about living for Him?

Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God. You hear the gospel in a sermon, read a book, or through the counsel of someone. You accept by faith what you hear and make a decision for Christ. Or, you experience a tragedy or crisis and reach out to God.

Many people hear the gospel and accept the gift of eternal life and forgiveness of sins. This is a no brainer.

The issue then becomes how much of the gospel do you accept and where do you draw the lines to protect your treasures.

Most believers have difficulty in letting go of the treasures closest to their heart. This is a sign of their lack of faith in God.

They doubt the efficacy of God and replace Him with self preservation measures. This action deprives believers of sharing in the fullness of God.

The reality about your earthly treasures are they come from God and can be added to or taken away at anytime. You have no control over the propensity of God.

God is not a pauper. He wants to give you more than you ask or think. There is nothing wrong with seeking prosperity if your motives are pure with God.

What is most important to God is your priorities in life!

God is very jealous! He wants all of your attention. He does not want to compete with your work, money matters, lifestyle pursuits, special interests (like sports, fitness and the arts) or a desire for success.

There is nothing wrong with any of the things above as long as they come under the authority of God and are subordinate to your relationship with Him.

To make it very clear, we are not talking about works or religion. We are talking about Christ centered living.

How do you make a decision to treasure God above all other things? This happens when you understand the reality of the character of God. He is a God of greatness, power, glory, victory, and majesty. He has authority over the heavens and earth and nothing is impossible for Him. Your destiny is in His hands.

The only way you can experience the Living God is to draw near to Him with an open heart.

God is very approachable. Come to Him with praise, prayer, and live in His Word. Listen for the voice of God.

You will discover the grandeur of God and see how insignificant you are compared to God. This is the turning point where you can start to treasure God above all other things.

You see the value of God and the hopelessness of living without Him. It then becomes very easy to adopt a pattern of living grounded in Christ.

For in Him we live and move and have our being.

 

“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 act of worshipping God does not require you to go to a church service or any specific holy place. God is ubiquitous and present everywhere. You do not have to go looking for God. If you are a believer, He lives in you.

You also do not need a minister to worship God or enable you to come into His presence.

Jesus said the hour is coming when you will not worship God on a mountain or in Jerusalem. The Cross shattered the established forms of worship and provided for the true worshippers of God to worship in Spirit and Truth. Jesus explained it is the desire of His Father for all to worship in this manner.

The analogy is comparing the spirit of a man to the Spirit of God. How can you understand the depth of a man’s personality and feelings without being connected to his spirit. Likewise, you cannot understand the deeper things of God unless you are connected to His Spirit.

Jesus said the Holy Spirit will take what belongs to Jesus and share it with you. He is the conduit to the life of Jesus.

As believers, we worship God in truth by reading scripture and applying His values into our life. This can become alive by praying the Word of Christ will dwell richly in you in all wisdom and knowledge.

We worship God in Spirit through praise for who He is and by yielding to the Holy Spirit who resides inside you. You can literally walk with God through His Spirit.

The Holy Spirit offers you the mind of Christ enabling you to have conversations with God. It is your responsibility to be still and listen for His voice.

The Holy Spirit brings the reality of Christ Jesus into your life. Jesus becomes a Living God and your best friend.

 

“That they may be one, even as we are one.” John 17:22

Jesus lived in oneness with His Father throughout His entire life. He was born in the form of a human being and was subjected to all the temptations from Satan that you and I face everyday of our life.

The difference is Jesus never succumbed to any temptation or fleshly desire. He was perfect!

Jesus prayed that you and I can live in oneness with Him like Jesus was to His Father.

The question is “Can you really live in oneness with Jesus?” And, if this is so “How do you maintain oneness with Him?”

The reality is Jesus wants you to be one with Him and it is very possible to have this spiritual connection.

However, it is impossible for you to live at all times in perfect oneness with Jesus because you are a human being filled with many frailties.

The good news is you can live in oneness with Jesus for a significant part of your life. And, it gets easier as you grow in maturity with Him.

The first step is to examine yourself and determine if you really have a desire to live for God and deny yourself. Without a serious commitment to Jesus, you are probably wasting your time.

God knows you better than you know yourself and all it takes is a willing heart! God will accept you just the way you are with all your blemishes.

Once you make this commitment to God you can forget about trying to please God through your own efforts. You will fail God unless you are operating under the influence of the Spirit of Jesus.

It is God’s responsibility to teach you how to walk with Him and keep you away from the temptations of the world.

This is accomplished by the Holy Spirit who lives in all believers.

The Holy Spirit is the life of Jesus. He will share the essence of Jesus with you and guide you into living in oneness with Him.

Think of this like making a choice each day (or sometimes by the moment) to do what pleases you or to yield to the Holy Spirit.

You may think you are pursuing a path that seems logical and good but the end result could be destruction.

This is why the Holy Spirit is so important. He is omniscient and knows every detail of your life. He wants to protect you and guide you into the abundant life of Christ Jesus.

Walking with God is a learning process. It will eventually flow without a lot of conscious thought.

Take timeouts during you day and check in with the Holy Spirit when dealing with an important decision or questioning some action. This will keep you on track with God.

The Holy Spirit offers you the mind of Christ. He desires to speak with you and He is your conduit to developing an intimate and close relationship with Christ Jesus.

Are you connected to Jesus today?

“Let us therefore be diligent to enter that rest, lest anyone fall according to the same example of disobedience.” Hebrews 4:11

This deals with the relationship of rest to disobedience looking through the eyes of Christ Jesus and affects every believer in the kingdom of God.

What is disobedience to God? The best definition is you hear the voice of God but you harden your heart. You fall into rebellion against God and doubt the veracity of His Word.

The primary example used throughout the Bible is the Israelites rebellion against God. They heard the voice of God but they fell into unbelief. They complained bitterly about their circumstances and chose to worship other gods.

God has provided a rest for His people so you can cease from your works as God did from His and live by faith in the promises of God. You can enter into this rest by accepting Christ Jesus and walking with Him by faith.

This rest is acknowledging the greatness of God who created the heavens and the earth in six days and rested on the seventh day. You rest in the works of your Creator!

It is accepting the work of the Cross and living by faith and not by sight. This where the struggle begins.

What happens to most believers is they hear the voice of God with excitement and fervor but then the trials of life bring hardships and suffering. And, they fall into unbelief! They don’t believe Jesus is who He claims to be.

This usually begins with feelings of anger, fear, and doubt. Then you speak disparaging words about the lack of God’s sustenance in your life.

The unbelief changes to action when you substitute something to replace God like self sufficiency, fleshly indulgences, worship of idols, or the pursuit of worldly living.

The penalty of unbelief is usually associated with some form of punishment. God afflicted the Israelites with poisonous snakes and several thousand died.

The action of disobedience makes God angry and raises the concern He might disallow you from entering into His rest. He did this with most of the Israelites who died in the desert.

The rest of God is simply walking by faith and judging God by His Word and never by the circumstances in your life.

The most important question you can ask God today is “Am I in obedience to your voice?”

 

“What are you doing here, Elijah?” 1 Kings 19:9

This is about questioning your motives in dealing with God looking through the life of Elijah.

Elijah was fleeing for his life and finally fell down in the wilderness and prayed to God to take him to Heaven. Elijah was scared, felt defeated, and lacked any strength to go on with life. He believed he had failed God like his ancestors.

Then the Angel of the Lord appeared twice and fed Elijah food and water and told Him to travel to the mountain of God. Elijah traveled 40 days and arrived to hide in a cave.

The next morning God said “What are you doing here, Elijah?” This question seems ambiguous because God knew why Elijah had come to the mountain. Was He asking Elijah why he was hiding in a cave? Or, doubting His faith in God?

Elijah replied “I have been very zealous for the Lord God Almighty. The Israelites have rejected your covenant, torn down your altars, and put your prophets to death with the sword. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me too.”

Elijah’s response did not answer God’s question. Why didn’t Elijah tell God why he came to the mountain? He was evasive and gave God a circumspect response. Was Elijah looking for protection or assurance from God?

God knew all the circumstances of Elijah’s life and was testing Elijah to find out what he was really looking to receive from Him.

Evidently, Elijah needed to see the power of God even though He had performed mighty signs and wonders in his ministry. As a matter of fact, Elijah was the first human being appointed by God to bring someone back from death to life.

God told Elijah to go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the Lord. Then God demonstrated His greatness and created an earthquake, a powerful wind, and a fire. God was not in these cosmic disturbances but He made them.

Then Elijah heard the still small voice of God and hid his face from God.

Then the sequence happened again with the same question from God and the same response from Elijah.

It sounds like God didn’t get the response He was looking for from Elijah.

After this, God instructed Elijah on the actions for him to take as he prepared to depart alive from the earth and go to Heaven.

The truth in this story is to come before God with honesty and be straightforward with Him. God knows all the circumstances in your life. In fact, He knows future challenges that are hidden from you.

So think about your motives before you approach the throne of God! Remember, you are coming before your Creator who has power and dominion over all things in heaven and earth.

Speak openly to God sharing your feelings and needs. Is your faith wavering in the challenges of life? Does God seem illusive or failing to respond to your prayers?

Ask the Living God to meet you today at your point of need and share His life with you. He died so you can live!

“You will not need to fight in this battle. Position yourselves, stand still and see the salvation of the Lord, who is with you, O Judah and Jerusalem!’ Do not fear or be dismayed; tomorrow go out against them, for the Lord is with you.” 2 Chronicles 20:17

King Jehoshaphat was the ruler of Judah. He was a man of God steeped in Jewish laws and culture. He created reforms in his country causing people to turn away from the worship of idols and return to the Lord. He also appointed judges to rule over the people with honesty and the fear of the Lord.

What happened is three warning nations came to battle against Jehoshaphat.

The King heard this news and immediately inquired of the Lord and proclaimed a fast among the people. The people of Judah came together to seek help from the Lord.

In the assembly of the Lord, the Spirit came upon the prophet Jahaziel. God spoke “You will not need to fight in this battle. Position yourselves, stand still and see the salvation of the Lord, who is with you”

The King positioned his army according to the instructions of God and then stood still and watched the enemies destroyed by the hand of God.

The lesson in this story deals with the battles of life. Jehoshaphat was a human being just like you and me. He was a god fearing man but was far from perfect.

When trouble was looming, the first thing he did was inquire of the Lord and seek Him out through worship. The King fasted and called out for his people to join him.

The King praised God for His mighty works and then became still and waited for the Lord. God spoke and the king was obedient to the instructions of the Lord.

The victory came from God and He received all the glory.

Jesus wants to fight your battles while you stand still and see the greatness and the glory of God. Just follow the example of Jehoshaphat!

God is with you! It is not by might nor by power but by the Spirit of God.

But the people grew impatient on the way; they spoke against God and against Moses, and said, “Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? There is no bread! There is no water! And we detest this miserable food!” Numbers 21:4-5

The Israelites are a microcosm of your life today. They became impatient and complained to the Lord. They spoke disparaging words about their journey with God, the lack of a homeland, and the absence of water and food.

They were unable to accept the provisions of God because they did not meet their expectations. The lesson to learn is to accept your life as it is today. It is God’s perfect plan.

God became very angry with the Israelites and sent poisonous snakes among the people. Many died and the Israelites realized they had sinned against God and repented.

The reality is sin manifested in the form of anger or bitterness will bring troubles into your life. God will get your attention and cause you to repent from your words and actions. How can you and I rebel against the Creator of the heavens and earth?

The unrest with God usually begins with impatience. You get tired of waiting for God and complain and turn bitter towards the lack of sustenance in your life. You fall into unbelief.

The Israelites asked Moses to pray to God for relief from the snakes. So when the afflictions from God fall upon you pray for patience, renewed faith, and help from God to overcome your troubles. Nothing is impossible with God!

God told Moses to make a staff with a bronze snake mounted on the top. Moses complied with God and anyone bitten by a snake who looked at the staff lived. How great is our God!

You and I have to accept God on His terms and live with thanksgiving in our hearts regardless of how dire or hopeless life might seem to you.

God is merciful and forgiving. He is a God of eternal life and His purposes are perfect!

Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life!

“I live, you also will live.” John 14:19

The challenge is understanding how Jesus can change from a figure in the Bible to become alive in your life.

The starting point is to evaluate your commitment to Christ Jesus. Is He your God on Sunday or have you invited Him to live with you every moment of your life?

Have you opened up your heart to God without reservations or limitations? God wants all of you and will not share you with other gods or idols.

Jesus will become alive when you agree to live for Him and give up your independence and self sufficiency.

This commitment is not about religion or works. It is making a decision to know Christ Jesus and live by faith believing in His Word.

The Cross is not something illusive. It is the reality of life for a believer. You live in the Cross everyday of your life and experience conviction of sin, forgiveness, and the filling of the resurrected power of God.

The kingdom of God is not in word but in power. And, the power of God comes from the Holy Spirit.

You have been sealed with the Holy Spirit so you have to make a decision to live through your flesh or yield to the Spirit of God. You will find the Living Christ through His Spirit. He will fill you with the life of Jesus and empower you to do the works of God.

This won’t happen until you take the initiative and invite the Holy Spirit to have authority over every aspect of your life.

This will transform Jesus from a storybook God to your best friend. He will come alive in your life and you will experience His greatness and glory.

He lives so you can live!

“A highway shall be there, and a road,
And it shall be called the Highway of Holiness.” Isaiah 35:8

The Highway of Holiness was created by God. It is an eternal pathway to the kingdom of God.

The 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 and walk down this highway.

The entry to this highway comes by confessing your faith in Christ Jesus. There is no other way. The Cross entitles you to the treasures of Jesus. You are ransomed by the blood of Jesus and will live with Him forever.

No one can enter this highway by offering sacrifices or offerings. And, your works are of no value.

You enter this highway by the grace of God. It is Christ Jesus who chose you to live with Him before you were born. You have nothing to do with this decision.

The highway of holiness transforms you into a new creature in Christ Jesus. You die to self and live for Christ. Your life is no longer yours. It belongs to Christ.

All those who walk down this highway will experience the reality of the Living Christ. You will walk by faith praising God for His work of Creation.

Your eyes shall be opened to see the greatness and glory of God and your ears shall hear the life changing power of the Word of God.

There will be healing for those with physical afflictions.

The strength of God will overcome your fears and all will live in the promises of God.

The desert and wilderness will come alive with bubbling waters filled with the glory and splendor of God.

The efficacy of Christ will surround you with His beauty and prosperity.

The unclean will not journey on this road and no evil creatures will be found here.

You cannot go astray from God on this road. The hand of the Lord is over you. He is your Keeper and will preserve your going out and coming in.

There will be singing, the presence of joy and gladness, and sorrow shall fade away.

Come by faith and enter the Highway of Holiness. Christ is all and in all!