Author: Hal Hollister Ministry

“Christ is all and is in all” Colossians 3:11

The definition of jurisdiction is the sovereign power to make decisions and judgments.  It communicates a sense of authority and dominion.

Jesus has jurisdiction over all things in the heavens and the earth. He has jurisdiction over your life whether you invite Him to be your God, reject Him, or give Him partial jurisdiction and hold on to the things dear to your heart.

The jurisdiction of God is a stumbling block to many because they fear losing their independence and autonomy. They can’t grasp the idea that losing your life for God will give you something far superior to anything on the earth.

Jurisdiction is about boundaries. You draw the boundaries or allow Jesus to superimpose His boundaries in your life.

If you choose to withhold the jurisdiction of Jesus you will lose out on the fullness of His abundant life and jepardize your security and protection in the Son of God. And, you will be unable to experience the reality of the Living God. You will also fall under His judgment and have to face the consequences of your actions.

Here are some thoughts about the jurisdiction of God:

Jurisdiction is for your protection from the evils of the world

Jurisdiction is accepting God knows you better than know yourself and His ways are perfect.

Jurisdiction brings the prosperity of God

Jurisdiction is not limiting. It sets you free.

Jurisdiction is refusing to yield to the temptations of Satan. It is living in obedience to the voice of God.

Jurisdiction recognizes you have sinned and fall short of the glory of God and can never be right with God. It offers repentance and restoration to God

Jurisdiction allows you to live in the reality of God and experience the greatness and glory of Christ Jesus.

Jurisdiction is living by faith in the Son of God. It is a recognition the priority of life is to seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness.

Jurisdiction is seeking God out for your every need. It is a steadfast faith believing God will supply your every need according to the riches of His glory in Christ Jesus. It is looking to God for help when troubles arrive and rejecting the solutions of the world.

Jurisdiction is abiding in the rest of God and ceasing from your works. It is understanding it is not by might nor by power but by the Spirit of God.

Jurisdiction allows Jesus to become alive and vibrant in your life through the power of the Holy Spirit. You experience the transfigured life and live with Him forever.

Accept the jurisdiction of Christ Jesus. This is the best decision you will ever make in your life!

“Are you the teacher of Israel, and do not know these things? Most assuredly, I say to you, We speak what We know and testify what We have seen, and you do not receive Our witness.” John 3:10-11

Jesus desires to share with you what He knows and what He has seen. The question is are you open and willing to accept His witness?

Nicodemus came looking for an exclamation from Jesus. He could not understand how Jesus performed mighty signs and wonders.

Nicodemus was a well educated man and a teacher of the laws of Israel. His approach to God was through an intellectual process and by keeping the laws and rituals of the Old Covenant.

Nicodemus did not understand Jesus was the Son of God and was sent from the Father to the earth to offer the gift of salvation to lost souls. He was unable to accept the witness of Jesus because he was not born again of the Water and Spirit. He was blind to the truths of God.

Jesus said if I tell you earthly things and you do not believe me how will you understand the deeper things of God. The ability to grasp the deep truths of God comes from the Holy Spirit. He takes what belongs to Jesus and shares it with you.

The first step in coming to Jesus is believing He is the Son of God and has authority over the heavens and earth. He is the way, the truth, and the life and no one comes to God except through Him. This truth shattered the perspective of Nicodemus about the reality of God.

Secondly, you have to be born again to accept the witness of Jesus. Christianity is not about accepting Jesus. It is about inviting Jesus to give you new life through the work of the cross.

This happens when you are baptized in the Water and the Spirit. The Water cleanses you from sin and you die to your old life. You become a new creature in Christ Jesus. The Spirit baptizes you into the life of Jesus and gives you the ability to grasp the things of God. You can now look at life through the eyes of Jesus.

You accept the witness of Jesus when you worship Him in Spirit and Truth. Jesus is a spiritual being and He lives in you.

Come to Jesus today by faith and with an open mind to the deeper things of God. Give Jesus the right to establish His reality in your life. He wants to be a vital part in all the details of your life.

Jesus wants to meet you today and share what He knows and has seen. This will be a life changing experience and will enrich you with the special treasures of our majestic God.

He lives so you can live!

 

“I will punish the world for its evil,
And the wicked for their iniquity;
I will halt the arrogance of the proud,
and will lay low the haughtiness of the terrible.” Isaiah 13:11

The Holy Spirit spoke to me last night about an insolent attitude which has become pervasive in our society. This is an arrogant lack of respect for God and placing oneself above God.

This has been instigated by the work of Satan who wants to invalidate the power and authority of Jesus and weaken His influence in our society. We now live in a culture of greed and lust where the priority is living for self.

The idea of accountability to God has been replaced by self sufficiency. The fallacy in this belief is not recognizing the qualities of the Living God. He is a God of greatness, power, glory, victory, and majesty. He has power and dominion over everything in the heavens and earth. Your life is in His hands!

Jesus rules with justice and retribution. He blesses and He curses. You cannot escape the wrath of God.

This insolence has provoked God to unleash a series of harsh judgments upon the world. No one is immune from the wind of judgments. The haughty and arrogant will fall and lives will be destroyed by God.

There is only one option available to humanity. Repent of your sins and wicked attitudes and return to God. The love of Jesus will cover your sins and restore you to Himself.

Jesus is orchestrating a powerful revival which will sweep around the world. This merciful act of God will restore the supremacy of Christ in the hearts of both ambivalent believers and non believers.

The invitation to come to Jesus will be accompanied by the power of the Holy Spirit and all will see the glory and greatness of our God!

No one can compare to Him!

Jesus answered, “Are there not twelve hours in the day? If anyone walks in the day, he does not stumble, because he sees the light of this world. But if one walks in the night, he stumbles, because the light is not in him.” John 11:9-10

Jesus was with his disciples in a safe location away from the threat of the Pharisees. They were avoiding the area of Jerusalem because of the danger of being stoned or killed by the Pharisees.

Jesus heard that Lazarus, his close friend, was sick and told his disciples they were going to travel to Judea to see Lazarus, and his sisters Mary and Martha.

This caused one of the disciples to say “Rabbi, lately the Jews sought to stone You, and are You going there again?”

Jesus responded and told the disciples there are twelve hours of light in the day and if anyone walks in the day they will not stumble because they see the light of the world. But if you walk at night you will stumble because the light is not in you.

This admonition from Jesus is perfect wisdom for all believers. Walk in the light as Jesus is in the light and you will have safe travels and protection from the evils of the world.

There are all kinds of threats around you which you cannot see or anticipate without the light of Jesus. You are only one step away from falling into trouble.

If you attempt to walk through life without seeking the light of Jesus you will be stumbling in darkness and fall into all kinds of trouble.

This is why it is so important to commit your works each day to God and seek out His wisdom and protection. Jesus is omniscient and knows your every thought and the steps you will take today before you wake up in the morning.

Come to Jesus and live with Him in Spirit and Truth. For in Him we live and move and have our being.

“Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.” Ephesians 6:9-10

You and I live in a world filled with evil and strife. There is an invisible war taking place between light and darkness. You are a combatant in this war and a target for Satan to lash out at with vengeance and hate.

Jesus wants you to be unflappable and impervious to the arrows of Satan. He offers you protection, peace, and victory to overcome the attacks of Satan.

Jesus desires to place a mighty buttress of support around your life. This will come to fruition when you agree to live for God and deny self. You have to reject the urges of self and the temptations of Satan. If you open the door to Satan you wil lose your buttress of support. This happens when you override the authority of the Holy Spirit and make decisions not in accordance with the will of God.

There are some variations to the work of Satan. You can be in the perfect will of God and still be attacked by Satan. Look at the lives of the apostles and the work of Satan to deter their ministry. Also, God can choose to remove his support from you and allow you to suffer from the attacks of Satan. This is the testing of God to prove you will be faithful to Him under the duress of the work of Satan.

The challenge for a believer is understanding how to defeat Satan in your everyday life. God employs the analogy of becoming fitted with the armor of God to stand firm against Satan.

You stand firm with the belt of truth around your waist. This truth is accepting Jesus has defeated Satan and has power and authority over all spiritual forces of evil. It is a recognition in your heart that Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life. He has overcome the world and desires to give you an abundant life.

Wear the breastplate of righteousness by abiding in the Law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus which will set you free from the law of sin and death. Live in oneness with Jesus through the Holy Spirit. The righteousness of God will come to you through your unyielding faith and obedience to the voice of Jesus.

Make sure you footsteps walk in the pathway of the gospel of peace. Seek peace and pursue it in every aspect of you life. Do not leave a door open for Satan to exploit you.

Take the shield of faith which will extinguish the arrows of Satan. Faith is believing in the promises of God and rejecting the lies of Satan. Find your hope in the salvation of the cross. The resurrected power of Christ is your strength and security in life.

Wear the hemet of salvation. This is your eternal protection and gives you the ability to live with God forever. Rejoice in the salvation of the Lord. You belong to Jesus and no weapon formed against you will prosper.

Defeat Satan with the sword of the Spirit. This is dwelling in the Word of Christ and living by faith in the promises of God. Remember, He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.

Ask Jesus for His authority to overcome the attacks of Satan. Speak boldly to Satan and tell him he has been defeated by the blood of Jesus. Command him to flee from your life.

Pray constantly and ask the Holy Spirit to keep you alert to the devious ploys of Satan.

 

“Uphold my steps in Your paths,
That my footsteps may not slip.” Psalm 17:5

Today you will walk through life making decisions, encountering different challenges and conducting your affairs. Can you really live in the footprint of God?

The secret is understanding God’s way is better than your way. Your way is easily influenced by the urges of self and the temptations of the world. This is where your footsteps will cause you to slip and you will fall into trouble.

To walk with God you have to begin your day with prayer and fellowship with the Holy Spirit. Present your body to God as a living sacrifice. Seek His perfect will and ask Him to keep your motives pure.

Commit your works each day to God and He will establish your thoughts. You have the mind of Christ so listen to God and abide in Him.

Walk by faith with confidence and assurance that your footsteps will not slip. If you have any doubt or confusion, take every thought captive to the obedience of Christ Jesus.

Live in oneness with the Holy Spirit and He will uphold your footsteps.

The ways of God are perfect!

“So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” Romans 10:17

Last night God impressed me with the importance of living with Him by faith and how this truth is misunderstood by so many believers and is a stumbling block for non believers.

Faith is justifying yourself to Jesus for who He is and not by doing works or fulfilling laws. You draw near to Jesus by faith without requiring any sign or miracle to accept the gift of salvation.

Faith is believing in the the Living Christ and never judging Him by the circumstances in your life.

You cannot build your faith in God through experiences or your emotions. They will come and go but the truths of God will endure forever.

Faith is understanding the character of God and appropriating the life of Jesus into your thoughts, words, and actions.

Faith is centering your life in Christ Jesus. Your existence belongs in God.

Faith is finding your security in God. You live in the world but you are not motivated or influenced by the ways of the world. You reject living for self and invite Jesus to have authority in every aspect of your life.

As you walk by faith, Jesus will take you up to the Mount of Transfiguration. He will allow you to witness His greatness and glory. This faith building experience is intended to remove any doubt in your heart about His power and dominion over all things.

Faith is hearing the voice of God and acting in obedience to His calling without any proof or evidence.

Faith is understanding God calls things that don’t exist as if they did and accepting this reality into your life.

Without faith you cannot please God!

“For to you it has been granted on behalf of Christ, not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for His sake” Philippians 1:29

You make a decision for Jesus and this changes your priority from the world to the kingdom of God. The concern of Jesus is for you to know Him personally and lose your life for His sake. Jesus will cause you lose interest in the glamour and appeal of the world as you experience His greatness and glory.

It isn’t any fun to encounter suffering or go through severe testing in your journey with God but unfortunately it is a reality in the life of a believer. You cannot escape this in your walk with God. I have suffered greatly at times as God has stripped away all the things that seemed important to me.

The dilemma is God promises an abundant life and to bless the desires of your heart but at times you look at your life and see pain, suffering, and deprivation. How can a loving God justify these actions?

The answer is you have to accept the totality of the cross. Your life will mirror the life and death of Jesus. You die to self and are born again as a new creature in Christ Jesus. This is the miracle of salvation.

The testing and difficult times are for a season and will strengthen your faith. In His perfect timing, Jesus will rise up and deliver you from your adversities and flourish you with the riches of His kingdom.

Jesus wants you to experience the reality of “My cup runneth over” but this cannot be your end goal with Him.

Jesus said man cannot live by bread alone but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God. Find your security in the words of the Living God and walk with Him by faith. Your hope is in God and never in the world.

Live one day at a time with Jesus and pray for unyielding faith in the promises of your Creator. Jesus will supply your every need. In fact, He will give you more than you ask or think.

“I am the way the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” John 14:6

I was in distress most of last night over people making the wrong decisions about God. I saw a road that looked like the perfect route to my destination. However, when I went down this road and came to the end I found out this was not the road leading to God. To make the situation worse, it was impossible to leave this place. I was stuck in doom and misery.

It is so important to accept Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life and that no one can come to God accept through Him. This is an irrefutable statement and comes with eternal consequences.

Do not be fooled by false prophets or teachers. They are of the antichrist and will burn up in a fire of God.

There is no liberal interpretation to the truths of God and they are not subject to change.

Jesus Christ is the Son of God and rules over everything in the heavens and earth. He is your only hope for life. There is no other alternative to find God.

Satan is the great deceiver. He wants to destroy the influence of Jesus Christ and deny His deity. You cannot compromise God.

Come to Jesus and accept all of Him into your life. He offers you the gift of eternal life and fills you with Living Water. There is nowhere else you can drink the Living Water. This Living Water is the life of Christ and will flourish you with the strength, wisdom, and joy of God.

Jesus will lead you down the perfect road to salvation. He is the first and last God and will do for you what you can never experience from any other source. He is a God of greatness, power, glory, victory, and majesty. There is no one like Him!

“Fear God and keep His commandments,
For this is man’s all.” Ecclesiastes 12:13

This truth in Ecclesiastes seems almost impossible to accomplish for a mere mortal. And, if you attempt to appropriate this truth into your life without living by faith in Jesus Christ you will fail.

It seems almost insurmountable to please our holy and majestic God. Many believers set out to keep this commandment through works and good deeds. This just causes condemnation and failure.

The reality of God is you cannot keep this commandment so don’t even try. And, God knows you don’t have the moral fiber to please Him.

God understand the fallacy of mankind and He knows you better than you know yourself. He created you and called you to live with Him before you were even born.

God created the perfect solution to overcome the depravity of man. He sent Jesus Christ, the Son of God, to the earth to die for sin and to be resurrected to live with Him forever.

This act of faith allows you to receive the gift of eternal life. Most importantly, God places the life of Jesus in the form of the Holy Spirit to live in your inner being.

The Holy Spirit is your only hope to understand how to fear God and keep His commandments. The Spirit is at work to transform your inner being into a new creature in Christ Jesus. You learn to die to self and live for God.

The laws of God which are impossible to keep move from words written in the Bible to live in your heart. So now it just becomes a matter of abiding in the Holy Spirit.

You abide in the Holy Spirit by giving Him authority over every aspect of your life and seeking out His will for your life.

As a believer, you require the nourishment of God to grow spiritually and live in oneness with God. This is accomplished through praise, prayer, and dwelling in the Word. Also, learn to be still and listen for the precious voice of God.

This difficult task of trying to please God now becomes effortless because you are allowing God to live through your life.

By yielding to the Holy Spirit, it is now God who works in you both to will and to do His good pleasure.