Author: Hal Hollister Ministry

“Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.” 2 Corinthians 5:17

This discussion is about the value of Jesus to a human being.

Jesus changes from a historical figure in the Bible to a Living Christ to all who reach out to Him. 

Jesus is not about religion, keeping laws or doing works. 

Jesus died an ugly death on a Cross. He is the Son of God and has power and dominion over the heavens and earth.

Jesus is alive and lives in heaven. He is the only way a man can be reconciled to God. He is very accessible but you must take the first step and reach out to Him. 

Jesus knew you before you were born. He is omniscient and knows every detail of your life from birth through the present. He desires to protect His people from evil and provide a refuge for safety.

The value of Jesus is He will forgive every sin in your life through His blood from the Cross. You can face Jesus blameless without shame or condemnation. 

Jesus offers the gift of salvation to all. This allows a human being to live forever. Death has no fear for a Christ follower. 

The gift of salvation comes to anyone who makes a decision to live for Jesus and seek His will. 

The decision for Jesus is about giving up your rights and surrendering your life to Jesus. The believer belongs to Jesus and He can do with him as He pleases.

Salvation creates a new life for a human being. Jesus said a human being is “born again” by the Spirit and Water and becomes a new creature in Christ. This causes him to identify with Jesus.

The new creature in Christ thinks differently, has new moral values, and a spiritual perspective on life. The old things fade away and the world becomes less attractive.

The believer is sealed with the Holy Spirit. He is the life Jesus and the portal to the powerful attributes of God.

Jesus desires a personal and embracing relationship with a believer. He wants a believer to get to know Him, hear His voice and live in His presence. 

Jesus offers supernatural strength, joy, wisdom and protection. These attributes come from heaven and are not available in the world.

Jesus wants a believer to be successful in all his endeavors. He will provide wisdom and knowledge to overcome weaknesses and lack of ability.

Jesus asks a believer to pray, read the Bible and walk in oneness with Him yielding to the authority of the Holy Spirit. 

Jesus builds a relationship with a believer by faith. The Christ follower must trust the promises of Jesus and not what he sees with his eyes.

Jesus desires for a believer to build his life around Him and not a church. The church is a filling station not a home.

Jesus transforms a believer into His character through the work of the Holy Spirit. This just requires a willing heart open to God.

The Christ follower will experience trials and troubles at times. They are engineered by God to purity your character, strengthen your faith, and teach you the importance of patience and waiting on God.

The  Christ follower can wake up every morning with Jesus and be enamored with His presence.

“And no one puts new wine into old wineskins; or else the new wine bursts the wineskins, the wine is spilled, and the wineskins are ruined. But new wine must be put into new wineskins.” Mark 2:22

Christianity has a lot of fakes in their movement. To become a Christ follower is a serious decision and cannot be taken lightly. Either you are all in or you are out!

Jesus explained there is a wide gate and a narrow gate to enter into the kingdom of God.  The wide gate is easier and less demanding but you will never meet the Living Christ. The narrow gate is difficult and few enter it.

Most believers enter the wide gate to maintain an orderly life without pain or suffering. The cost of Jesus is just too big of a sacrifice. 

The wine skin refers to the physical body and relates to a believer’s commitment to Jesus.

Jesus declares an individual must be “born again” to be a new creature in Christ. The believer makes a purposeful decision for Jesus and identifies with the work of the Cross. This causes him to die to self and live for Jesus. He is a new creature and entitled to all the promises of Jesus.

The new believer is sealed with the Holy Spirit. He is the life of Christ and the portal to the powerful attributes of Jesus. 

If a believer has not made a life changing decision for Jesus the Holy Spirit (like the wine) will leak out of his body and he will not be transformed into the character of Jesus. And, his life will eventually be ruined. 

Jesus desires to give a believer an abundant life filled with the goodness of God but you have to take Him seriously!

“What shall I render to the Lord for all His benefits toward me?” Psalm 116:12

Many Bible scholars think this Psalm was written by King David but there are other opinions.

The psalmist with a burning passion for God asked the question what could he give to God for all the blessings he received from Him. 

The Psalmist was close to death and reached out to the Lord who delivered him and promised to give him the gift of salvation.

The Psalmist expressed a thankful heart for God and desired to repay Him for all His benefits.

As believers we live in a symbiotic relationship with Jesus. This is a mutually beneficial partnership between God and a believer. 

God offers an abundant life and many spiritual blessings and a believer is obligated to serve Jesus with all his heart. He lives by “Not my will but Yours be done”.

The question is what does Jesus want from a believer?

Jesus wants a believer to live for Him above all else.

Jesus desires for a believer to zealously seek the will of God for his life. 

Jesus asks a believer to live by faith trusting in His promises and not by what he sees with his eyes. 

Jesus desires for a believer to be obedient to His voice regardless of the personal cost or lack of logic.

Jesus desires for a believer to know Him personally, hear His voice and commit to prayer and reading the Bible. 

Jesus died for your sins. He asks a believer to repent from all sins and seek forgiveness through His blood.

Jesus does not want a believer to do anything that grieves the Holy Spirit who lives in all believers. He must be clean before the Lord.

Jesus wants a believer to walk in oneness with Him under the authority of the Holy Spirit.

Jesus warns a believer to reject the world and be transformed into His character and values.

Jesus declares the priority of a believer is to be focused on building a personal relationship with Him and not on keeping laws, doing works, or religious activities. 

The works of Jesus come by the Holy Spirit in the perfect timing of God.

Jesus wants a believer to be a fountain of Living Water touching all those around him.

“Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full.” John 16:24

Finding the joy of Jesus will work for any believer but requires a lot of spiritual discipline and concentration. The best time to start is after you awake to begin a new day. Another option is to begin your time with God while in bed.

This is a time of prayer, bible reading and worship with Jesus. You are meeting with the Living Christ who knows you better than you know yourself. I sing some hymns to Jesus to help set the atmosphere and concentrate on Him.

Begin with praise acknowledging the attributes of Jesus. Here is a perfect example from 1 Chronicles 29:11. My suggestion is to memorize and pray this scripture every day. This defines our amazing God!

Yours, O Lord, is the greatness,

The power and the glory,

The victory and the majesty;

For all that is in heaven and in earth is Yours;

Yours is the kingdom, O Lord,

And You are exalted as head over all.

Next ask Jesus to cover all your sins with His blood and remove any shame or condemnation over you.

There cannot be anything standing between you and Jesus that grieves the Holy Spirit. Listen to the voice of Jesus. He will navigate you through this process and reveal habits or actions that displease Him.

Be anxious for nothing!

Think about all the worries and fears that occupy your mind and one by one release them to Jesus. This will free you of stress and anxiety as long as you don’t take them back. They are in the hands of Jesus and He will deliver you with His greatness and glory.

At this point you should be free of worldly concerns and can pray and receive the joy of Jesus.

The joy of Jesus comes from heaven and does not relate to the circumstances in your life. 

The goal is to have a free mind and healthy emotions so you can have a productive day functioning in a state of surrender and trusting Jesus for your every need. The Christ follower has learned to let go of the world and walk in oneness with Jesus.

Remember, you are not perfect and never will be on earth. There will be slip ups. When this happens pause from what you are doing and ask Jesus to forgive you with His blood and place what caused the slip up back on the altar with Jesus. 

Pray for the mind of Jesus to be over all your thoughts and actions. This will happen by inviting the Holy Spirit who lives inside you to have authority over your life. You will be amazed at hearing the voice of Jesus off and on during the day.

If you are experiencing confusion or doubt ask Jesus for wisdom and wait upon Him.

The joy of the Lord is your strength to overcome all your troubles!

“O Death, where is your sting? O Hades, where is your victory?” 1 Corinthians 15:55

No one wants to face the fear of death or have to deal with the unknown of the after life. 

Jesus has replaced the fear of death with the sacrifice of His life. He has conquered death and desires to give you the promise of eternal life.

The changes required to overcome death are the corruptible nature of man must be replaced with the incorruptible nature of God. And, the mortal man must be replaced with the immortality of God.

This will happen when a decision is made to live for Jesus above all else and the believer becomes a new creature in Christ. This activates the work of the Cross to die to self and become transformed into the character of Jesus. 

When these two changes are completed death becomes victory. Jesus takes the sting out of death and wins a victory over Satan. 

The sting of death is sin and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks to God who gives us the victory through Jesus.

The sting of death is the work of Satan to corrupt your inner nature and lead you into evil actions.

The strength of sin is attempting to live by laws, works, or religion. This negates the spiritual principles of walking with Jesus by faith and submitting to the authority of the Holy Spirit. 

Come to Jesus and your outlook on life will change dramatically!

The death of Jesus is the only hope for mankind. The Bible explains no one can come to God except through Jesus.

The estrangement of man from God can only be broken by entering into the death of Jesus. An individual can plead to God endlessly but He will not open the door.

Jesus is perfect and without sin. He was obedient to His Father to die on the Cross so all mankind could receive the gift of salvation and be made clean by the blood of Jesus. 

The Cross causes a person to identify with Jesus and die to anything inside him that was never in Jesus. This process begins with a decision for Jesus and culminates in Heaven.

The sanctification of God makes a person Christlike. This work happens through the power of the Holy Spirit dwelling inside a believer combined with faith in Jesus. Without faith you cannot please God or benefit from His promises. 

Jesus is not looking for perfection just an open and willing heart to seek Him out. 

The death of Jesus is your only hope for an abundant life filled with the righteousness of God. The Cross gives you the ability to do the will of Jesus on earth as it is done in Heaven. 

“Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.” 1 John 2:15

The decision for Jesus changes your citizenship from the world to Heaven. Where the world was once your comfort zone it is now your enemy. Satan controls the world and desires to steal, kill and destroy. He is at work to deceive and destroy a believer. 

The world is built upon the values of greed and self sufficiency. There is no stability or hope in the world. It will always betray you.

The world will attempt to poison you with amoral standards and false claims. The world promotes worldly solutions to bring success but they will only bring disappointment and failure. 

Do not build your allegiance or dependence upon the world or lust after the things of the world. 

The believer can only find hope and peace in Jesus. He must learn to walk with Jesus under the authority of the Holy Spirit. This is where he will find protection from evil. 

Develop a mindset Jesus is your provider for all things and seek Him out for your every need. 

The gift of salvation will happen by declaring you will live for Jesus above all else. This decision is just the starting point because a new believer needs to be transformed with the wisdom, strength, knowledge and values of Jesus.

The act of salvation converts a human being into a new creature in Christ. The fullness of this transformation will not happen unless you take Jesus seriously. Develop a personal and embracing relationship with Jesus. Get to know Him and hear His voice.

Learn the disciplines of prayer, reading the Bible, and submitting to the authority of the Holy Spirit.

Commit your works each day to Jesus and pray for His thoughts to be established within you. 

Walk by faith in oneness with Jesus. Believe in the promises of Jesus and reject all worldly thinking!

You and I are mere mortals and wake up every day with anxiety, fears and worries over life.

God may not bring physical or material changes in your life today but Jesus desires to give you an inner peace and a joyful heart regardless of your conditions.

This happens by starting your day off with the Living Christ who died on the Cross for you. He is alive, wants to be present in your life and speak with you.

Pray to Jesus and cast your burdens upon Him. Pray for your needs. Lay your requests before Him. Pray for wisdom and the order and simplicity of Jesus.

Pray for the strength of Christ to deal with all the challenges of life today.

Pray for unyielding faith and trust Jesus who keeps His promises.

Pray for a thankful heart and praise Jesus for His powerful attributes. 

Pray for Jesus to cover you with His blood and reveal anything you are doing that grieves the Holy Spirit.

Pray for the peace which surpasses all understanding. Ask the Holy Spirit to guard your heart and mind from the evils of the world.

Pray for the will of Jesus and ask Him to show you His priorities. 

Pray for the discipline to walk in oneness with Jesus yielding to the Holy Spirit. 

The Lord is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my pathway! Psalm 119:105

We all wake up and have to deal with the subject of what is on God’s mind today. Some things like work, paying bills, and dealing with children are mandated by life.

But there is the big unknown about filling in the rest of life or getting out of troubles.

The Christ follower must understand the difference between the providential and permissive will of God. 

The providential will is ordained by God and is unchangeable. This might refer to a specific season of life chosen for you by God, or relate to where you live or work, or dealing with trials or troubles engineered by God. 

Don’t try to fight God or strive to get out of the providential will of God. Accept this is God’s plan and pray for a strong faith and the ability not to react out of emotions. This season or condition of life will be changed by God in His perfect timing.

The permissive will of God provides the believer with the freedom to make decisions under the authority and direction of the Holy Spirit.

Commit your works each day to Jesus and pray for wisdom to make good decisions. God speaks to believers so listen for His voice.

Making decisions start by faith. The Holy Spirit will speak clearly and show you the right pathway. If the Holy Spirit is silent this is usually a go ahead signal from God.

If you feel confusion do not make a decision. Pray and wait on God.

The Christ follower has to accept that he belongs to Jesus and He can do with a believer as He desires.

Most believers define the terms of a relationship with Jesus.

The terms of Jesus are extreme and seem almost impossible for a human being.

No human being has been able to meet the terms of the Ten Commandments created by God.

Jesus is not looking for perfection because He knows it is impossible for a human being.

Jesus has set the bar high to demonstrate He is perfect, righteous and holy.

The Bible teaches the righteousness of Jesus comes to those who walk by faith and are obedient to the voice of Jesus.

The only way a believer can do the works of Jesus is through the Holy Spirit.

The natural life at birth is tainted with sin and cannot please God. 

The Holy Spirit is the life of Jesus and lives in every believer. So a believer can be righteous and do the works of God by yielding to the Spirit. 

The believer who walks by faith anchored to the Holy Spirit does not need to worry about falling short of Jesus.

The Christ follower needs to concentrate on these disciplines:

Pray vigilantly and seek the will of Jesus.

Read the Bible daily.

Listen for the voice of Jesus.

Commit your works to Jesus each day and ask Him to guide your footsteps.

Pray for the blood of Jesus to cover you and ask Jesus to reveal anything you are doing that grieves the Holy Spirit.

Give the Holy Spirit authority over your life and be attentive to His thoughts and actions.