Author: Hal Hollister Ministry

“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

This is the word from the Holy Spirit today. There is a huge fire coming from God because of His anger over the evil in the world. 

This judgment will touch every human being on the earth. The fire will destroy the wickedness in the world. 

God has said “enough is enough”. He is irate over sexual immorality, greed, and the defiance and arrogance against God.

No one will be untouched by this sweeping fire. God is omniscient and sees every detail of your life. He looks into your heart and measures your faith and devotion to Him.

Now is the time for all to turn away from a callous attitude towards God. This dire warning does not exclude believers who tend to hide in religion.

There will be many calamities and people will perish. There will be wars, diseases, economic woes, and food shortages.

The demon named Leviathan will be stripped of His power. This demon described as a wicked sea creature cannot be defeated by man. You can read about Leviathan in Job 41. He controls the life of many here on earth. He is very devious and many times impersonates himself as a believer. In God’s perfect timing Jesus will destroy the wicked sea monster.

There is hope for a Christ follower who is committed to Jesus and walks by faith anchored to the Holy Spirit. 

Pray for the blood of Christ to cover you and seek repentance from Jesus. Be open to the conviction of the Holy Spirit. 

Jesus is your only hope!

“For in Him we live and move and have our being.” Acts 17:28

Most believers pray, study the Word and go to church. They receive blessings from Jesus but they never really know Him. 

It is important to understand the symbolic relationship between Jesus and a believer. This bond must be mutually beneficial for both parties. God fulfills His promises and you are obligated to be obedient to His requests and seek His will for your life. It is not just a take from Jesus scenario.

Knowing Jesus is developing a personal and embracing relationship with Him. It is hearing His voice and understanding His thinking patterns. The purpose is to create a deep and intimate relationship with Jesus.

This bond of friendship is endearing and brings the reality of the Living Christ into your life.

How can you really know Jesus? This kindred friendship must be grounded in faith and commitment to Jesus.

Faith is believing in the promises of Jesus and reaching out to Him for your every need. Faith is not based on what you see with your eyes but what comes by the invisible hand of Jesus. Without faith you cannot please God.

Commitment is putting Jesus first in your life above all else. Your relationship is strengthened by vigilant prayer, seeking the will of God, and living under cover of the blood of Jesus.

Jesus desires your obedience to Him. When Jesus issues instructions He wants your immediate compliance without wavering or second guessing.

Knowing Jesus comes by giving the Holy Spirit authority over your life. Commit your works each day to Jesus and walk in oneness with the Holy Spirit. This replaces selfish motives with the order and simplicity of Jesus. He lives in you and desires to protect and enhance your life. 

This prayer will release the power of the Holy Spirit into your day. He will fill you with His thoughts and be present in all the moments of your life.

“I have called you friends, because I have told you everything I have heard from my Father”

“Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven” Matthew 6:10

In the past I have read this verse and said to myself this is impossible. No one can ever match up to the standards of Jesus living in the darkness of this world. And, Heaven is perfect without any sin.

However, God corrected me. He said “The Christ follower can do my will in the darkness of the world without being perfect.”

Jesus explained the Christ follower who is working under the authority of the Holy Spirit can do His will. 

The Holy Spirit is the life of Jesus and is sealed in every believer. The disciples were imperfect servants operating in darkness doing the works of Jesus. They were anointed by God and equipped with the gifts of the Spirit.

To be an effective disciple for Jesus requires these spiritual qualities!

The believer must be committed to Jesus above all else and vigilantly seeking His will. 

He commits his works each day to Jesus and walks by faith. 

He must have a strong discipline of prayer, reading the Word, and listening for the voice of God.

He must be walking in oneness with Jesus yielding to the Holy Spirit. 

He must be covered by the blood of Jesus seeking repentance and correction from God.

He must have pure motives and not be looking for personal glory or praise.

He must be obedient to the voice of God regardless of the personal cost or lack of logic.

He must be a prayer warrior and intercessor for those living in the bondage of sin.

Not my will but Yours be done!

“And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.”

“For where there is a testament, there must also of necessity be the death of the testator. For a testament is in force after men are dead, since it has no power at all while the testator lives.” Hebrews 9:16 

Jesus established a covenant with God by His death. He was sent to the world to be a sacrifice for sin. 

While Jesus was alive the gift of salvation was not available for anyone. It was impossible to be born again with the character of Jesus or restored to God.

The death of Jesus activated the Cross for all mankind. 

Where sin abounds the grace of God abounds more!

God created perfection in the creation of man and woman which was then ruined by Satan. 

God saw the sexual immorality and rebellion of mankind. This made Him very angry. 

God created a flood to destroy all humanity except for eight people. This was just a temporary fix. 

God established the Ten Commandments and told the Israelites to obey them. The Israelites failed God. No one could obey the biblical precepts. 

God knew from the very beginning there was only one solution to redeem His people. They were all unworthy to Him in their natural life from birth. They needed a new life filled with the values of Jesus. 

God created a covenant with Jesus that would come alive with His death on the Cross. 

There is only one way a human being can get right with God. He must be baptized into the death and resurrected life of Jesus.

The Cross offers the blood of Jesus to forgive all your sins and restore you to God. 

The Cross seals a believer with the Holy Spirit. He is the life of Christ and transforms you into a new identity with the character of Jesus.

The Cross guarantees a believer all the promises of Jesus. 

The Cross provides supernatural protection and the omniscient wisdom of Jesus.

The Cross brings an abundant life filled with the goodness of Jesus!

The goal of Jesus is to bring you into an uninterrupted relationship with Him.

This is impossible when you put personal desires or compulsive behaviors ahead of Jesus.

The man who insists on maintaining his rights and independence will be unable to experience the fullness of Jesus.

This behavior grieves the Holy Spirit who is your portal to the Living Christ.

The reality of a Christ follower is that he has no rights but to walk in oneness with Jesus.

When you make decisions for yourself this breaks up fellowship with Jesus. You are declaring your human nature is above the wisdom and protection of Jesus.

Jesus knows your needs better than you do; there is no reason to take matters into your own hands.

Jesus is a God of order and simplicity if you live under the authority of the Holy Spirit. However, many times we make impulsive decisions on our own and they usually lead to misery.

Fellowship with Jesus has no time outs. We pray, listen for His voice, read the Bible and obey His instructions. 

The Lord desires to be a lamp unto your feet and a light unto your pathway. 

But you have to let go and allow God to take the lead!

God revealed His heart when He created the Ten Commandments.

This moral law does not care about your human imperfections or genetic dispositions. God tells all to honor these commandments without exceptions. And, if you violate one of the commandments you have violated all of them. There is no mercy from God.

The non believer is free from these laws and can do as he pleases. However, once you come to God you are convicted by these commandments and see there is no hope for you. 

The moral law causes a believer to see it is impossible to get right with God.

He is plagued by his natural life at birth which desires to live for self and defy God. 

This validates the contrast between God and mankind. God is perfect, without sin and has no ego. Mankind is self driven and desires to please self.

God designed the moral law to show the weaknesses and vulnerability of mankind.

There is only one way to become reconciled to God. You must be baptized into the death of Jesus.

This baptism by fire and the Holy Spirit provides you with a new life as you learn to die to self and live for Jesus. Your sins are covered by the blood of Jesus and you are restored to God and can face Jesus without blame or condemnation. 

The new life is created by the work of the Holy Spirit. He is the life of Christ who lives in all believers. He transforms a believer into the character of Jesus.

This sounds like a perfect solution but there is a catch. You must take Jesus seriously and seek the will of God for your life. 

The challenge is denying the desires of the flesh and the temptations of Satan. This is very difficult living in a world of darkness which is influenced by Satan. The Christ follower must focus on prayer, reading the Bible and listening for the voice of God. 

Commit your works each day to Jesus and walk in oneness with Him under the authority of the Holy Spirit.

The most startling fact about Jesus is discovering He is alive and wants a personal and embracing relationship with a believer.

Jesus has power and dominion over the heavens and earth. Nothing is impossible for Him. Jesus wants to give you a life you can never achieve on your own.

Jesus keeps His promises!

God never changes! We have to change and conform to His values.

I was reading the Bible today and God brought up this topic. There are so many powerful promises of Jesus but it seems impossible or unreal for a believer to receive all of them.

What makes God tick in releasing His promises to His people? God told me this has nothing to do with religion, works or keeping laws.

And, reading the Bible and going to church will not stir Him to action.

The answer to this question goes back to your decision to live for Jesus.

Did you accept Jesus wholeheartedly without compromise or was this like a token commitment?

Jesus looks at how serious you are about loving Him above all else. The love of Jesus is measured by obedience not emotions.

Is your faith strong and unyielding dealing with the trials in life? Without faith you cannot please Him.

Jesus tests believers with trials that seem impossible to overcome. Do you praise God in the darkest moments of life?

Are you obedient to the voice of God or do you run away from His instructions? He will ask you to do things that make no sense or defy human logic.

Jesus wants absolute obedience to His instructions without any wavering. Just look at the example of Abraham.

Jesus releases promises in His perfect timing. This might be after a long drought or a season of intense spiritual warfare. Sometimes you might have to wait many years.

Jesus is omniscient and sees every detail of your future. He knows your every need and asks you to trust Him.

Jesus delivers those who have steadfast faith and are obedient to Him.

Jesus blesses those who walk in oneness with the Living Christ and are not just looking for hand outs.

The Christ follower is thankful for the gift of salvation and the ability to live with Jesus forever. He accepts the work of the Cross providing forgiveness for all of his sins through the blood of Jesus. 

He is thankful for the indwelling Holy Spirit who transforms him into the character of Jesus. 

He lives for Jesus!

“Honest weights and scales are the Lord’s; All the weights in the bag are His work.” Proverbs 16:11

The Holy Spirit spoke this proverb to me and said He is admonishing (reprimanding) those who practice evil tactics in the workplace.

Unfortunately, there is a lack of honesty and integrity in the Christian community. This is evident in work ethics of many who are operating with self serving and dishonest motives.

This verse uses the analogy of God having a work bag of tools including weights and scales. The tools are for the purpose of measuring the truth and justice of people working in the business world. Are they serving mankind with the values of Jesus?

Jesus measures many different ethical and spiritual values in believers.

Are you living by faith and reaching out to Jesus for your every need? Or, are you scheming with evil tactics to benefit yourself?

Are you speaking honestly with your customers or using lies to cover up your actions?

Are you acting with justice in the workplace in all your dealings?

Are you giving your customers excellent products at a fair price or are you taking shortcuts to benefit yourself?

Jesus sees everything. Nothing is hidden from him. He sees your motives and hears your every word.

This spiritual principle is how God judges your work ethics. Wealth gained by dishonesty will be diminished, but he who gathers by labor will increase.

If you employ dishonest tactics in your work God will diminish your wealth. However, the man or woman who labors under God will increase. 

The success of a believer in the workplace will come to those who commit their works each day to Jesus and invite the Holy Spirit to have authority over their life. 

Here is some excellent advice!

“Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward.” Colossians 3:23-25

“But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body.” Philippians 3:20-21

The Holy Spirit spoke to me last night about how important citizenship is to a believer. It is your anchor to Jesus and His promises.

Citizenship refers to your heritage and allegiance to a homeland. If you are a believer you have a dual citizenship.

The Bible teaches that those who have their citizenship in the world are driven by pride, by what they eat and the things of the world. 

If you become a follower of Jesus your ultimate citizenship is in heaven. 

The citizenship of Jesus offers a glimpse of your home in Heaven and your transformation into a glorious body. 

The heavenly citizenship is in constant conflict with the world’s citizenship. The world will deprive you of the greatness and glory of Jesus. The world has a powerful attraction to lure you away from God.

The Bible teaches that we live in the world but we are not of the world. This is almost impossible to achieve without a mediator. This is why God gave all believers the Holy Spirit. He is the life of Christ and is sealed inside God’s people.

The Holy Spirit will help you navigate through life making decisions that honor Jesus. He will convict you of sin and guide your pathway. He will allow you to prosper in the world without endangering your heavenly citizenship. 

The Christ follower must commit his works each day to Jesus and invite the Holy Spirit to have authority over his life. This will fill the believer with the thoughts of Jesus and provide wisdom and strength to deal with the challenges of life. 

Citizenship with Jesus is life saving!

Citizenship forgives all your sins through the blood of Jesus and restores you to God.

Citizenship will provide a powerful buttress of support in your life. No weapon formed against you shall prosper.

Citizenship will bring the promises of Jesus into fruition in your life. 

Citizenship transforms you into a new identity with the character of Jesus.

Citizenship allows you to live in the reality of the Living Christ every day of your life!

“But on Mount Zion there shall be deliverance, and there shall be holiness; the house of Jacob shall possess their possessions. The house of Jacob shall be a fire, and the house of Joseph a flame; but the house of Esau shall be stubble; they shall kindle them and devour them, And no survivor shall remain of the house of Esau.” Obadiah 1:17-18

This is a true story in the Book of Obadiah concerning the outcome of those people who believe in God and those who live for self.

You can read the entire story in just a few minutes about the consequences of the nations of Edom and Israel. 

God never changes. He judges all people about sin whether they lived several thousand years ago or are alive today. 

Choosing your destiny!

Deliverance, holiness and the fire of God or stubble and destruction!

We all have to make a choice in life concerning God. Is He worth the time and effort?

If you are determined to live for self and doubt the sovereignty and efficacy of Jesus, then you are on your own.

Jesus did not disappear in heaven. He is very accessible but you must reach out to Him by faith.

Jesus is alive today and desires to have a personal and embracing relationship with you. This has nothing to do with religion, mandated works, or keeping laws.

Imagine having the reality of the Living Christ in your life every day. This happens when you make a decision for Jesus and are sealed with the Holy Spirit. He is the life of Jesus and transforms you into a new identity.

The gift of salvation entitles you to all the promises of Jesus and the ability to live with Him forever. 

Jesus speaks to you and is present in all the moments of your life.

Jesus shares His powerful attributes with you which come directly from Heaven.

Jesus has power and dominion over the heavens and earth. Nothing is impossible for Him. He becomes your refuge and fortress against the evils in the world.

Jesus wants to give you an abundant life filled with the supernatural qualities of God.

Seek out Jesus and ask Him to show you who He is. It is impossible to live an abandoned life for Jesus without experiencing the transfigured Son of God.

The glory and greatness of Jesus will give you a passion that can never be quenched. 

Check out Jesus! He wants to live with you.