Author: Hal Hollister Ministry

This narrative deals with impropriety which covers a wide range of sinful conditions. The world today condones almost any behavior. The attitude is anything goes!

We have been born with an inner nature to defy God and live for self. This impropriety distances a human being from God.

The idea of trying to be squeaky clean will never work. Don’t even try. You will just create an artificial personality and a superior attitude towards others.

The natural man can never overcome sin regardless of how hard he tries to be clean. 

Jesus does not want you to attempt to change for the better with self discipline techniques because He knows they will fail.

Jesus teaches we are to be righteous people and powerful lights for Him.

So how we get from our natural life at birth to wearing a crown of glory.

To understand this we have to examine the death of Jesus on the Cross. He died so you can be “born again” with a new identity and transformed into the character of Jesus.

The decision for Jesus causes a man to die to self and live for Jesus. He becomes a new creature in Christ and old things fade away and are replaced by new things.

The believer thinks differently, has a new set of moral values, and a spiritual perspective on life. The world becomes less important to him as he matures into a Christ follower.

This does not happen through human ability or discipline. God seals a believer with the Holy Spirit. He is the life of Jesus and does the work of sanctification in a believer.

The believer just needs to have an open heart to change and a willingness to submit to the authority of the Holy Spirit. The Spirit will teach, correct and transform the believer into the character of Jesus.

Commit your works each day to Jesus and yield to the authority of the Holy Spirit. This will give you intimate contact with Jesus and build a life of faith and obedience.

Ask Jesus each day to reveal anything you are thinking or doing that grieves the Holy Spirit. This is your safety belt in walking with Jesus.

Concentrate on Jesus through prayer, reading the Bible and listening for His voice.

Develop these spiritual disciplines and you will hear Jesus say “Well done good and faithful servant”!

“That they may be one just as We are one” John 17:22

The ultimate goal for a believer is to walk in oneness with Jesus.

Unfortunately, a human being is not wired to do the things of God. He has an inner nature to live for self and his personality is opposed to the principles of God.

The future ahead will be chaos for all humanity. God is bringing judgments that will wipe out two thirds of the population and cause many catastrophic disasters.

The only hope for a man is to surrender to Jesus, let go of the world and seriously seek the will of Jesus. This seems too drastic for most to take seriously. But it is the only hope for survival.

This is further complicated because most of Christianity operates with twisted motives and whitewashes the truths of God. The churches are not relevant to non believers and fail to introduce the reality of Jesus to society.

In the past a man could make a decision for Jesus and breeze through life retaining his individuality and pursing his goals. 

This option is now closed. It is all or none.

The decision for Jesus is serious and life changing. If a man (or woman) comes to Jesus he must be willing to surrender all to Him and seek the will of God with all of his heart and soul. There can be no more wavering between light and darkness. It is all for Jesus or face the consequences of the wrath of God.

Jesus wants nothing to do with your natural life at birth. It is contaminated. 

Jesus died an ugly death on the Cross to forgive all your sins and give you the gift of salvation. 

If a man makes a decision for Jesus he will be “born again” with a new identity and set of values.

Jesus offers a believer a new life filled with His goodness but this only comes with hard work and concentration on Jesus.

He must pray zealously, read the Bible and listen for the voice of God. 

He must develop a personal and symbiotic relationship with Jesus built on faith and obedience. 

He must give the Holy Spirit authority over his life and yield to the wisdom and correction of the Spirit.

He must repent from his sins and ask Jesus to cover him with His blood. 

He must be obedient to the voice of God and respond promptly to His instructions. Like Abraham, he acts by faith to fulfill the requests of God and is rewarded with His righteousness.

Jesus knows you better than you know yourself. He wants to give you a new life you can never achieve on your own.

The wind (Holy Spirit) blows where it desires. You cannot tell where it comes from or where it goes. This is the life of a Christ follower!

Jesus is trying to show you His priorities. The gift of salvation provides eternal life, deliverance from sin and transformation into the holiness of Jesus. This work of sanctification will continue all of your life on earth.

The most important priority is learning how to walk in oneness with Jesus.

Jesus is not looking for works, asking you to keep laws or to be involved in religion. Jesus wants you to have intimate contact with Him and build a symbiotic relationship based on faith and obedience.

Jesus desires for you to live in total surrender to Him by appropriating His words; “Not my will but Yours be done.” Jesus wants all of you.

The  Christ follower needs to experience the awesome nature of God and see his power and glory. The presence of the Living Christ shows you how insignificant you are compared to Him.

Meeting the Living Christ is a terrifying experience. There is no one like Him. Jesus can shake the earth and turn the sun into darkness. Nothing is impossible for Jesus!

The reality of Jesus creates a strong desire to be in fellowship with Him at all times. He becomes your best friend and a powerful fortress of protection.

Jesus hears your every thought and knows every detail of your life from the past, present and future. How can you not be filled with awe and respect for Him?

The goal is to live in perfect union with Jesus by yielding to the authority of the Holy Spirit. Jesus isn’t looking for perfection just a willing heart to change.

Ask Jesus to reveal anything you are doing which grieves the Holy Spirit. Then ask Jesus to cover you with His blood and help you remove any sinful behavior from your life.

There can be nothing standing between you and Jesus if you want the fullness of His presence in your life!

“Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all the other things will be added.” Matthew 6:33

The covenant with Jesus is a “two way street.” It is a symbiotic partnership that benefits both parties.

Unfortunately, many believers attempt to take from Jesus without paying the price. The priority is Jesus comes first and a believer’s needs follow. This order can never be reversed.

The believer must zealously seek the will of God above all else. He must submit to the authority of the Holy Spirit who dwells inside all believers.

Jesus desires fellowship with a believer. This happens through prayer, reading the Bible, singing hymns or Psalms and listening for His voice.

Jesus wants obedience to His instructions without delay or questioning Him. Obedience to Jesus is regardless of the personal cost or lack of logic.

Jesus is not interested in works, keeping laws or religion. He just wants all you.

The believer is not free to do as he pleases. He must come under the authority of the Holy Spirit.

He must come to Jesus with an open heart for correction and repentance through the blood of Jesus. 

 Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal anything you are thinking or doing that grieves the Holy Spirit. Then act immediately to seek forgiveness and to make the changes to please Jesus in your life.

As you employ these spiritual principles in your life Jesus will honor your prayers and pour out His goodness upon you.

Walking in symmetry with Jesus will make you a powerful witness for Him and you will be empowered to do the works of Jesus.

“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.” John 14:27

We all desire to wake up in the morning and have a peaceful and productive day. 

Jesus views peace differently from the perspective of the world. He is stating there is no lasting peace in the world. This is because the world is under the influence of Satan and he desires to steal, kill and destroy believers. The world operates on self seeking motives and pleasing self.

So when you wake up to start a new day there will be darkness around your at every step.

Jesus instructs believers to seek the peace of God and not to be troubled or afraid of the worries in the world.

Jesus died to seal a believer with the Holy Spirit. He is the life of Jesus and promises to give a believer peace regardless of the conditions in his life. Pray by faith for the peace of Jesus to envelop you. Jesus keeps His promises.

Reach out to Jesus and cast every concern that causes worries or fear on the shoulders of Jesus.

Put on the armor of Christ to protect you from evil. Pray, read the Word, and listen for His voice.

Jesus does not operate with worldly solutions; He creates Godly solutions built on the Word of God to protect and deliver believers. 

Jesus instructs believers to walk under the authority of the Holy Spirit and commit your works each day to Him. This will produce a steady flow of wisdom from Jesus to create order and simplicity in your day.

You can be living in a whirlpool with no way out and experience the peace and joy of Jesus.

The Cross is your ticket to an abundant life filled with the goodness of Jesus.

“For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.” Hebrews 4:12

The Bible was written by many authors who were anointed by God with the Holy Spirit. The Spirit spoke through the authors as they wrote the words in scripture. This is why the Word of God is alive and powerful. God is speaking to you. 

It does not mean that every word is accurate in recording the words and actions in the Bible because there are differences in what was said and took place in the books of the Bible. 

The Bible is made up of stories passed down by word of mouth through many generations. There are some differences in reporting history but not in spiritual truths.

The Word is alive and powerful and acts like a two edged sword in piercing a human being with conviction over sinful actions. The believer is exposed and examined with scrutiny by the Word. Nothing is hidden in this examination by God. The Holy Spirit discerns every thought and motive in the life of a believer.

The Word is a perfect checklist for staying tuned in with Jesus and learning how to walk with Him.

The Word fills a believer with the strength, wisdom and protection of Jesus.

The Word is the life of Jesus and brings peace and joy to a believer.

The Word is alive and endearing! The Christ follower can can hear the words of Jesus and live in oneness with Him!

“We have the mind of Christ” 1Corinthians 2:16

It is impossible to have a spiritually healthy relationship with Jesus if you do not listen to Him.

The goal of Jesus is to develop a personal and embracing relationship with a believer built on fellowship and consistently hearing His voice.

The Bible is filled with stories of disciples who listened to God and performed miracles, defeated enemies, and were protected from evil. It is impossible to do the will of Jesus if you are not in oneness with Him.

Jesus desires to give a believer omniscient wisdom to protect his pathway and make good decisions but if he does not listen the troubles will come.

Many don’t listen because they want to continue living for self and enjoy the pleases of the world. They do want their life disturbed by Jesus.

This is ridiculous logic because Jesus has power and dominion over the earth. And, sin leads to destruction and death. Jesus sets people free from genetic dispositions and compulsive behaviors. 

It is easy to hear the voice of Jesus. He is very approachable. Come to Jesus with an open mind and faith to hear His voice. Praise Jesus for His greatness and glory. Pray for your needs and those of your family.

Quiet your mind of all the clutter and concentrate on Jesus. He speaks thoughts into the mind of a believer. Ask Jesus to show you His priorities and what you need to let go of in your life. 

Ask Jesus to reveal anything you are thinking or doing that is grieving the Holy Spirit.

The dialogue with Jesus can go on every day of your life with one simple prayer. Commit your works each day to Jesus and invite the Holy Spirit to have authority over your life. 

This will create a steady flow of wisdom coming from Jesus. He will create order in your life and show you His priorities. He will help you accomplish the routine tasks of life with His simplicity. He will show you how to be productive in your work and improve your skills.

“The Lord is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my pathway”.

 

“Work out your salvation with fear and trembling!” Philippians 2:12

Jesus is serious about obeying His instructions. Failure to obey can cause anything from getting a dent in your new car to loss of life. 

Satan can descend upon you and create havoc by not heeding the instructions of Jesus. The Lord wants to be a powerful fortress of protection against all evil.

God is very jealous and His jealousy is like a consuming fire. He wants consistent devotion and obedience from a believer and is not willing to share you with other false gods or idols.

As a believer, we must take the wrath of God seriously and make sure we are doing nothing to grieve the Holy Spirit. 

We are accountable to Jesus for all of our thoughts, words and decision making.

If you are not right with Jesus it is impossible to experience the fullness of His Spirit.

God tests believers to measure their faith and obedience. If you comply with God expect miracles to flow into your life.

Here are some examples in the Bible of disobedience to God and the results!

Adam and Eve disobeyed God and were punished with lifelong woes. They were both evicted from the Garden of Eden.

God killed all humanity except for eight souls with a torrential flood for illicit sexual immorality.

Uzzah was struck dead for touching the Ark of the Covenant. He disobeyed the specific instructions of God.

The man of God who was a prophet was punished for disobeying God and eating a meal with a King in Bethel. God sent a lion to kill him on his journey home. 

The Israelites disobeyed God by building and worshipping false images while complaining about their circumstances. God extended their journey out of Egypt from a few days to forty years. The Israeli adults all died in the desert and never entered the Promised Land.

Ananias and his wife Sapphira sold a piece of property and kept part of the money hidden from the church leaders. They lied to Peter and were both struck dead by the Holy Spirit.

The point of this discussion is when God speaks to you with instructions obey Him and do not delay or question His purposes. 

At times, Jesus may not make any sense to you but He makes perfect sense in His plan to transform you into His character.

Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and forever. He never changes. He is a God of judgment.

We cannot think or act like Jesus but we can obey Him and be showered with His blessings!

“For he who has entered His rest has himself also ceased from his works as God did from His.” Hebrews 4:9

Resting in Jesus is a powerful gift but we tend to dismiss this attribute in the reality of our lives. 

The Israelites refused to rest in God and spent forty years wandering in the desert. All the adults died and did not enter the Promised Land. 

The Bible teaches a believer to cease from striving (or works) and enter the rest of Jesus. The subject of rest refers to the work of God in creating the world and every living being in six days and resting on the seventh day. The seventh day is our rest just like God rested.

Jesus died to give a believer His heavenly rest. The Cross causes a believer to die to self dependency and rely on Jesus for his every need. The whole relationship with Jesus is built on faith and trusting in the powerful promises of Jesus.

Resting in Jesus does not mean doing nothing. We pray to Jesus for wisdom and guidance in our lives. We walk by faith in the footsteps of Jesus.

The believer is instructed in the Bible to live by this spiritual precept: “It is not by strength nor by power but by My Spirit.” As a new creature in Christ we are sealed with the Holy Spirit. He is the life of Jesus and our reservoir of strength to navigate through life. 

If a believer attempts to live through his natural life from birth he will encounter stress, fatigue and eventually failure.

The strength of Jesus is supernatural and comes from heaven. We can overcome any challenge by resting in Jesus and functioning through His strength.

Strength comes with resting in Jesus. We wait upon Jesus for His promises. Moses waited forty years in preparation for his ministry to the Israelites.

The great works of God are done by Christ followers who rest in God and allow the Holy Spirit to accomplish the results!

Many people have made a decision for the world because they believe Jesus lives in fantasy land and is not relevant to their needs. They attempt to find comfort and security in the world. 

There will never be a “normal” again in the world like it was at one time. The values of God have continued to decrease while sin has increased. 

Nothing is like it use to be. The work structure is completely different, we buy what we want online, and groceries are delivered to our door steps. 

Sexual immorality is appropriate and acceptable for anyone. There are no boundaries. Anything goes. 

Body art is popular for all ages even though it defaces the creative work of God. 

The public schools are teaching diversity and amoral standards. They are poisoning our youth with lies.

There are new laws proposed that will permit the government to take your children away from your home. 

The unbeliever lives and dies with nothing to look forward to in the after life. He takes from the world and pleases himself until death.

The world is under the control of Satan. He desires to steal, kill and destroy believers. 

The schools in our country are being attacked by mentally crazed individuals who want to kill our kids.

Judges set law breakers free or offer liberal sentences to evil criminals. 

Sports have been a cherished symbol in our country for both athletes and fans. Now sports is driven by money making, greed and achieving personal success. There is very little loyalty to belonging to a team.

Wars are raging and people are dying all over the world. But peace seems non existent.

There are economic pressures like never before. Very few can afford to buy a home.

This is the world you and I live in today! And, it’s going to get a lot worse.

The better choice is to seek out Jesus over the world.

Many are opposed to Jesus because He seems aloof and distant. And, most people today don’t want anything to do with religion. They view the churches as religious organizations seeking members and money. Most of the churches are not relevant to the needs of society and are riddled with hypocrisy and twisted motives.

Jesus is the perfect decision for the world we live in today. Jesus plays by the rules of God. He is alive and very approachable. Unlike the world Jesus keeps His promises.

Jesus desires to give every human being the gift of salvation. He doesn’t care about your past. The gift of salvation allows a man or woman to live with Jesus forever. 

Make a decision for Jesus and things will begin to change quickly. Jesus will be alive in your life. He desires to build a personal and symbiotic relationship with a believer. He wants you to understand the reality of God and the hypocrisy of religion.

Jesus wants you to get to know Him, hear His voice and live in His presence. He seals believers with the Holy Spirit. He is the life of Christ and will pour out His attributes upon you.

The decision for Jesus will transform you into a new creature in Christ. This will literally cause you to be “born again”. All things will become new and your old life will fade away. You will identify with the death of Jesus and die to self and become transformed into the character of Jesus.

Jesus promises to forgive every sin in your life and make you clean through His blood. This allows a believer to face Jesus without any shame or condemnation. 

Jesus has power and dominion over the heavens and earth. Nothing is impossible for Him. Jesus can do for you what you can never do for yourself.

Jesus wants to give you an abundant life filled with His goodness but you have to live by His words “Not my will but Yours be done”.

Commit your life to Jesus by faith and the world will no longer be your friend!