Author: Hal Hollister Ministry

Where sin abounds the grace of God abounds more! Romans 5:20

From the very beginning the human race could not overcome sin. It is impossible to be like God because your natural life at birth wants to satisfy self and defy God’s precepts. This disposition is deeply ingrained in your personality and genetic makeup. 

The Ten Commandments were given by God and they are perfect. They prove the infallibility of a human to please God. 

Many people attempt to justify what is right or wrong by worldly or their own moral standards. This is nonsense with God.

God never changes his attitude about sin. He hates sin but he knows we can never be perfect or come close to matching up to His standards. Jesus is not looking for perfection but a willing heart to change.

We tend to define our own boundaries with God rather than submitting our will to Jesus.

The battle is fought in Heaven over the conflict between God’s will and self independence 

Jesus died on the Cross for your sins. The blood of Christ cleanses an individual from all sin. But this does not create change.

The change comes when someone makes a decision for Jesus. This will give you a new identity in life and old things will fade away.

The Cross seals a believer with the Holy Spirit. He is the life of Christ.

The purpose of the Holy Spirit is to transform a person into the character of Jesus. This new creature is created by the baptism of your natural life into the death of Jesus.

This transformation is nurtured through calamities engineered by God and the conviction and teaching of the Holy Spirit. 

God looks at your motives and actions and teaches believers how  to operate under the authority of the Holy Spirit. 

The only way you can please Jesus is to submit to the authority of the Holy Spirit. This happens by walking in oneness with Jesus and living by faith in His promises. 

Jesus is not a story book character who lived in the past. He is alive and wants to leap out of the Bible and come into your life.

The God on Mount Horeb is not Jesus or the Holy Spirit. He is God, the creator of the world. The presence of God brings terrifying fear.

The Jesus in the Bible comes across like a gentle lamb without a volatile or angry temperament but when Jesus comes back to claim His church He will be like a roaring lion.

Meet Jesus and your life will never be the same. He will speak to you and demonstrate His greatness and glory. 

Jesus will give you a new life and transform you into His character.

Jesus relates to a human being through the Cross. Make a decision to live for Him and He will crucify your natural life and begin the process of making you Christlike. 

Jesus will forgive every sin in your life with His blood and restore you to God. This will enable you to stand blameless before God without condemnation. 

Jesus operates by faith and you have to ask and then you will receive. He is very approachable.

The difference between God and a human being is God is perfect, without sin or any ego and we are self driven people who desire to live for self.

God created a solution to this conflict. He seals a believer with the Holy Spirit who is the life of Christ. If you live under the authority of the Holy Spirit you can do the will of God on earth as it is done in Heaven. 

The difficulty is we go in and out with the Holy Spirit. We allow the temptations of the world or our fleshly desires to influence our behavior. This conflict is the story of mankind and God.

Jesus knows you better than you know yourself. He is omniscient and sees every detail in your life from the past to the future. He desires to protect you from evil and keep you safe.

Jesus doe not think or act like you so it is important to get to know Him and how to walk in oneness with Him.

The compelling reason for Jesus is He can give you a life you can never achieve on your own!

Jesus answered, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.” John 3:5

The natural life at birth of a human being can never think or act like God. This life is consumed with living for self.

It is impossible to know Jesus and walk in oneness with Him unless you are born again. This happens by making a decision to live for Jesus above all else.

A human being cannot dictate the boundaries in a relationship with Jesus. It’s all or nothing. 

Jesus states that you must be born of the water and the Spirit to enter the kingdom of God. Jesus has no interest in your natural life from birth. It is tainted with corruption and is defiant to the ways of God.

To enter the kingdom of God refers to beginning a new life with Jesus and has nothing to do with death. Salvation is a personal and embracing lifestyle walking with Jesus.

The born again experience requires a person to be baptized by water. Jesus washed the disciples feet to make them clean of sin. The baptism by water immersion causes you to resurface as a new creature in Christ Jesus with a clean slate.

The Spirit baptizes you into the death and resurrection of Jesus. You die to self and God seals you with the Holy Spirit. He begins to crucify your old life and transform you into the character of Jesus.

The wind (Holy Spirit) blows you where Jesus wants to take you. The believer can hear the sound of the wind but cannot tell where it comes from or where it goes.

The Christ follower can hear the voice of God and is guided by the Holy Spirit. This is the characteristic of every one born of the Spirit. 

Religion contradicts the Holy Spirit. Most churches focus on keeping laws and doing works. This inhibits the power of the Holy Spirit and the ability to know the Living Christ.

Phillip was taken by the Spirit to meet the Ethiopian riding in his chariot. Phillip explained scripture to him and he became a believer and was baptized. 

After making a decision for Jesus your life no longer belongs to you. Jesus can do with you as He pleases.

To walk in oneness with Jesus the believer must be submitting to the authority of the Holy Spirit and praying for the will of Jesus.

The only way you can do the will of Jesus on earth as it is done in Heaven is through the Holy Spirit who lives in you. He is the life of Jesus!

“You, who have shown me great and severe troubles, Shall revive me again, And bring me up again from the depths of the earth. You shall increase my greatness, And comfort me on every side.” Psalm 71:20-21

Paul, an apostle of Jesus, is a perfect example of experiencing the yo-yo effect. He went from a king with royalty to living in the wilderness and eating like an animal.

The yo-yo effect touches every believer. It is induced by two factors. Jesus looks at your life and decides to engineer trials to strengthen and purify your faith. Secondly, a believer makes mistakes that bring crisis and turmoil in his life. 

Actually, the underlying reason is sin whether presumptuous or character defects that inhibit you from becoming Christlike.

Jesus promises to deliver you from the stranglehold of deprivation and depression. He also promises to increase your greatness and comfort you in every aspect of your life.

Walking with Jesus is a zig zag journey without predictably or consistency.

Jesus does not think or act like a human. At times, we feel like time is running out. Jesus does not function on a human timeline. He simply says one day is like a thousand years and why worry because there is no end in the life of a believer.

“You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of Me. But you are not willing to come to Me that you may have life.” John 5:39-40

Jesus was confronting the religious leaders over how to find eternal life.

He said you can search the scriptures endlessly looking for eternal life but will not find the answer. 

Jesus said the scriptures testify of Me but you are not willing to come to Me. 

The enigma is Christians will read and respect the Bible and do all kinds of religious work but they are not willing to seek the Living Christ.

Jesus said “I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to God except through Me.” This means God is off limits to one seeking eternal life. God has delegated salvation to His Son.

The Jesus in the Bible desires to come personally into your life. He wants to speak to you and be present in all the moments of your life. He wants to establish a symbiotic relationship with you built on faith.

This can happen when you make a decision to live for Jesus with no strings attached. He wants all of you and is not willing to share you with other gods or idols.

The decision for Jesus will seal you with the Holy Spirit. He is the life of Jesus.

The Holy Spirit will cause you to die to self and live for Jesus. He will transform you into the character of Jesus. 

This relationship is not about pursuing works. It is getting to know the reality of Jesus and walking by faith not by sight. The Holy Spirit will convict you of compulsive behaviors and impure motives. He will teach you how to walk in oneness with Jesus.

Jesus will become alive in your prayers, reading the Bible and your thought and actions.

Jesus wants you to be obedient to His instructions regardless of the cost or lack of logic. Jesus wants to build your loyalty and trust in Him.

Jesus will teach you how to live by faith and reach out to Him for all your needs. He will remove the importance of the world and fill you with His omniscient wisdom and protection.

Jesus lives so you can have an abundant life filled with His presence!

Meet the Living Christ you will be astonished by His power and glory!

“By which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.”

2 Peter 1:5

Peter wrote this while living in a tent and approaching end of life. He was a loyal disciple and learned many spiritual truths in his time with Jesus. 

The same presumptuous sins that led to the ruin of the Israeli nation are present today in our society.

The culprit is lust which desires to satisfy self. This behavior makes Jesus angry and grieves the Holy Spirit.

We all have this corrupt inner nature to defy God and live for self. The only way to overcome the lusts of the flesh and be transformed into the divine nature of Jesus is through His promises.

The precious promises of Jesus are life changing and help a believer to turn away from lust and the corrupt ways of the world.

The Bible teaches that anyone who makes a decision for Jesus will be “born again” and receive the gift of salvation. They will have a new identity built on the personality and values of Jesus. The old life will fade away and all things will become new.

Like Peter, we have the blood of Jesus to cleanse us from all sin and the indwelling Holy Spirit to transform us into the character of Jesus.

Invite the Holy Spirit to have authority over you life and He will fill you with His thoughts and guide your footsteps.

The Bible teaches the righteousness of Jesus comes to those who walk by faith and not by what they see with their eyes. 

For example, Abraham obeyed God and was credited with the righteousness of God.

Seek out Jesus through prayer, reading the Bible and listening for His voice. He is alive and wants a personal and embracing relationship with a believer.

Make Jesus the centerpiece of your life and commit your works each day to Him. He will be alive and present in all the moments of life.

Jesus wants to give you a better life than you can ever achieve on your own!

“That the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ.” 1 Peter 1:7

The Bible teaches a Christian can’t avoid trials which are designed to make you Christ like.

The decision for Jesus triggers the action of the Cross. The Holy Spirit causes a believer to identify with the suffering of the Cross. The trials create a genuineness and purity to your faith. 

Faith is no longer an intellectual or spiritual concept. Faith becomes ingrained into the living reality of a Christ follower. 

Faith causes a believer to turn away from the world and place his hope and faith in the promises of Jesus.

The trials of the Cross crush the stereotype of a Christian who has been trained and influential by religion. He awakens to the Cross and the reality of Jesus. The epiphany is “Why have I wasted my time doing frivolous works when I could have lived in the presence of Jesus every moment of my life?”

Trials draw a believer closer to Jesus. He becomes enamored by the love and compassion of Jesus. The values of the world become less important as Jesus takes center stage. 

Jesus forms a close fellowship with all those going through a trial. 

Jesus gives believers glimpses of His greatness and glory which draws them into oneness with Him.

Trials create a deeper respect, praise and honor for Jesus. The Christ follower gets a deeper sense of appreciation for what Jesus encountered in His life.

Trials are not fun or easy but they make you Christ like!

“That I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death, if, by any means, I may attain to the resurrection from the dead.” Philippians 3:10-11

The will of Jesus is not something mysterious or puzzling to figure out. The Holy Spirit will unveil the will of God for you each day.

The biggest mistake believers make is to get ahead of the Holy Spirit. Rest in God and He will guide your footsteps.

Remember, it is not your will but God’s will to be done. The will of Jesus is to walk in oneness with Him anchored to the Holy Spirit.

The will of God can be blocked by sins such as living for self, compulsive behaviors, refusal to obey God or the worship of idols. Jesus wants you to flee from all forms of darkness.

Every day pray the blood of Jesus over you and ask Him to show you anything you are doing which grieves the Holy Spirit.

It is impossible to do the will of Jesus unless you know Him personally. He is alive and very approachable. The believer must get to know His ways and learn to live in His presence.

The only way to know the reality of the Living Christ is to abandon yourself to Him without any strings attached.

Jesus is very jealous and He does want to share you with other gods.

The next step is to develop a personal and embracing relationship built on prayer, reading the Bible and listening for His voice. 

The decision for Jesus will trigger the work of the Cross in your life and you will identify with the death and resurrection of Jesus. You will develop a close fellowship with Jesus as you experience the trials and sufferings of the Cross. 

The Cross will cause you to give up your independence, sever your ties with the world and live by unwavering faith reaching out to Jesus for your every need.

Jesus will come alive when you invite the Holy Spirit to have authority over your life. The Holy Spirit is the life of Jesus and is sealed in all believers. He is your portal to the powerful attributes of Jesus and will fill you with His perfect and omniscient wisdom.

The Cross is very difficult for a human being to follow because we do not think or act like Jesus. We are self driven people and Jesus has no ego.

Commit your works each day to Jesus and seek His will for your life.

Jesus wants to be involved in both the big and little things of your life. The routines of life is where you will learn the values of Jesus.

As a believer, you have the mind of Christ. Jesus desires to have a consistent dialogue with you and guide you into His perfect will.

The Lord is a lamp unto your feet and a light unto your pathway.

Jesus will reward the doers of the Word with the gift of resurrection from death. 

“For in that He Himself has suffered, being  tempted (tested) He is able to aid those who are tempted.” Hebrews 2:18 

Jesus is a perfect role model for dealing with temptations. He was tempted by Satan, many of the religious leaders and followers wanting to exploit His powers. Jesus remained true to God and walked in obedience to Him.

Temptations happen to every human being. They are not sin.

Temptations cannot be escaped. It is part of the human nature of man.

Temptations come from inner dispositions formed in your personality and through your genetic ancestry. 

Temptations usually relate to the strongest dispositions in your personality.

Temptations can also be a short cut to the plans of God. We have ideas about how God wants to use a believer in a ministry and get ahead of the Holy Spirit.

Temptations become a problem and can turn into sin when we do not yield them to God. 

The Christ follower should flee from all temptations. 

If you choose to entertain or become preoccupied with a temptation it will become a desire and then acted out. And, they can easily lead to a stronghold and then you are in big trouble.

Learn to deal with a temptation by taking captive every thought to the obedience of Christ Jesus!

“Cast your burdens on the Lord and he will sustain you; He will never let the righteous be shaken.” Psalm 55:22

This revelation from God will work for anyone and will never fail you. God has stamped His ironclad guarantee on this promise.

There is a caveat required to making this promise happen for you. Asking God to comfort you with a flippant attitude or not understanding He is alive and all powerful will weaken or nullify your request for help. Come to God with respect for who He is.

God desires for you to cast your burdens upon Him and He promises to sustain you with His strength and peace. He will never allow you to be shaken away from His righteousness.

This promise doesn’t mean your burdens will disappear immediately but you can be confident God will deliver you in His perfect timing. 

When you cast your burdens on God, do not take them back. This is a lack of faith. They are in the hands of God who died on the Cross for you.

Jesus said His yoke is easy and His burden is light. It is easy to yield to Jesus because He is very approachable. His burden is light because He has overcome the world. Ask and you shall receive!

The life of Jesus is available to anyone. He died on the Cross for all humanity and was delivered by His Father who gave Him power and dominion over all things.

The resurrected power of Jesus will comfort and strengthen you as you wait upon Him.