Jesus is stating it is possible to do the will of God as an imperfect believer living in the darkness of the world.
The Christ follower cannot live in fleshly desires or entertain dark thoughts if he wants to do the will of God.
Your salvation is in the blood of Christ. Pray for the blood of Jesus to cover your sins and ask the Holy Spirit to baptize you into the death and resurrection of Christ Jesus.
The secret is doing the will of God through the Holy Spirit dwelling within you. This requires serious concentration on God and vigilant prayer.
The Holy Spirit is the life of Christ and He always brings glory to Jesus.
You and I can’t be Jesus but we can emulate His character and works.
Commit your works each day to God and pray for His thoughts to be established within you.
The Christ follower does not isolate himself from darkness; he walks into darkness. This is where ministry takes place.
For I, the Lord, love justice; I hate robbery and wrongdoing. In my faithfulness I will reward my people.
Jesus hates sin and He holds you accountable for your every action. He loves justice and rules by His precepts.
The character of God is retribution. He blesses and He curses. This theme is consistent in the Bible.
The justice of God can range from a warning, to punishment or to a reward.
Jesus dispenses His justice according to your actions. He is omniscient and sees everything in your life. Jesus looks at how serious you are about Him, your motives, and all your imperfections. He measures you by the precepts of God.
Jesus is faithful to those who live by His values and will reward loyal believers abundantly.
Here’s how to gain the favor of God’s justice?
Jesus is very jealous. His jealousy is like a consuming fire. He wants all of a believer and will not tolerate those who worship false gods or idols.
You must seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness above all else.
Commit your works each day to God and submit to the authority of the Holy Spirit.
Listen for the voice of God. You have the mind of Christ and Jesus desires to have a dialogue with you.
Be open to the conviction and correction of the Holy Spirit. Your sin doesn’t just go away.
Learn about the justice of God by prayer and meditating on the Word of God.
God is not looking for perfection just an open heart to change.
Without faith you cannot please God. Walk by faith believing in the promises of God and not what you see with your eyes. Look to God for your every need and reject the ways of the world.
God wants your complete obedience to His voice regardless of the cost or lack of logic. Your obedience is a very important influence in determining His justice.
The Israelites were God’s chosen people but their worship of false gods and failure to listen to God led to their downfall and destruction.
The justice of God is immutable. We do not think or act like God and cannot judge our soul. The Holy Spirit desires to refine you into the character of God but you must live for Jesus and submit to His authority.
God desires for you to be a powerful light for Him in all your words and actions. This will bring the honor and justice of God into your life.
He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.
This narrative deals with choosing to enter into a relationship with Jesus through the wide or narrow gate. Jesus is the only one who can determine the gate you have entered or your destination.
We do know most people enter through the wide gate which is less threatening and very few enter through the narrow gate which is very difficult.
Jesus is omniscient and knows you better than you know yourself. He sees all your motives and the condition of your heart. Jesus will determine your future.
We know Jesus is at work today whether you seek Him out or not!
Jesus looks at all human beings and determines who will live with Him forever and who will burn up with unquenchable fire.
You cannot be a Christ follower without becoming baptized by the Holy Spirit and fire.
This is not something that just happens to every believer. The seriousness of your decision and heart commitment for Christ influences your standing with God.
The lukewarm believer risks the unquenchable, burning fire of God. And, he will never share in the glory and greatness of the transfigured Christ.
If you enter through the narrow gate you have made a decision “Not my will but Yours be done”. The Holy Spirit will baptize you with the fires of God to prepare you to do the works of Jesus.
There will be pain and suffering at times as you identify with the death and resurrection of Jesus.
The Holy Spirit will equip you with the gifts of the Spirit and anoint you for a tailored ministry.
The Christ follower enters into a war between light and darkness. This will be the overwhelming challenge of your ministry.
Your foundation must be built on prayer, intercession and abiding in the power of the Words of Jesus.
The Holy Spirit is a must if you desire to walk in oneness with Jesus. He lives in you and will keep you on a pathway with Jesus and protect you from evil.
Your safety net is the blood of Christ. He will cover all your sins and refine you into the character of Jesus.
The narrow gate allows you to see the greatness and glory of God. You will be awestruck by His presence!
This narrative discusses the fear of the Lord and how to respect God. The fear of the Lord is a learned truth. It does not come naturally to a human being.
The fear of the Lord is not an emotion. It is a heart commitment to please God.
God does not want you to live in fear. He wants you to draw near to Him.
God knows you can never match up to His standards. He is not looking for perfection but a willing heart to change.
God wants you to walk by faith believing in His promises and not what you see with your eyes. Your faith and obedience to God will fill you with His righteousness.
Let all the earth fear the Lord; Let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of Him.
The fear of the Lord is understanding who God is and desiring to seek His will for your life. Jesus has power and dominion over all things. He controls your destiny.
The fear of the Lord is believing God brings judgment and vengeance on those who do not respect Him.
The fear of the Lord becomes real to those who walk with the Living Christ in a personal and embracing relationship.
The fear of the Lord becomes anchored in your heart by prayer, listening for the voice of God and meditating on His word.
The fear of the Lord is understanding Jesus is a jealous God and His jealousy is like a consuming fire. He wants all of you and will not share you with false gods or idols.
The earth trembles under the presence of God!
The fear of the Lord is a positive attribute to the Christ follower. The terrifying presence of God can melt mountains like wax. It is not by strength nor by might but by My Spirit. Nothing is impossible for God!
Develop a healthy fear and respect for God and the Holy Spirit will fill you with His wisdom. Jesus desires for you to walk in oneness with Him and protect your pathway.
Submit to the authority of the Holy Spirit and He will convict and correct you.
The fear of the Lord is to approach God with an open heart recognizing you are a self driven person desiring to live for self. Pray for the blood of Christ to cover you and lead you in the ways of Jesus.
God sees everything about you. Nothing is hidden from His eyes.
Behold, the eye of the Lord is on those who fear Him, on those who hope in His mercy, to deliver their soul from death, and to keep them alive in famine.
I look at your heart to see how serious you are about Me. David was a doer of the Word and was willing to give up his life for Me.
Praise is endearing to God but it must be followed by obedience. Dwelling in darkness as a believer will bring judgment and the vengeance of God upon you.
God wants a believer to reflect His renown, praise and glory in all his words and actions.
David made many mistakes and he paid dearly for them. But the difference between David and most believers is David tried to honor God in all his actions and when David failed he turned to God seeking repentance and forgiveness.
There was a strong thread of deep love, commitment and respect for God in David’s life. David yielded everything he had been given to God.
David would not condone darkness in his presence. He put men to death who acted with impure motives.
David spent endless hours praying and worshiping God through music.
David meditated on scripture and listened for the voice of God. The psalms of David help millions of people every day.
David understood God was not pleased with offerings and sacrifices. He wants believers to walk by faith believing in the promises of Jesus.
David said my help comes from the Lord who has power and dominion over the heavens and earth. David lived by this truth and looked solely to God for his every need. As believers we talk about faith but we are a poor example of exhibiting a lifestyle of faith.
God is omniscient and sees everything in your past and in your future. We are accountable to God for our every action. The Christ follower must be living under the authority of the Holy Spirit with pure motives and a clean heart.
As a believer, we are going to make mistakes but the Christ follower does not live in them or make them a pattern of life.
Come to Jesus seeking His will for your life with an open heart to conviction and correction.
And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.
Religion likes to paint a beautiful picture of the life of a believer. Unfortunately, this is not true. Believers face many calamities and heart breaking events.
Many believers will question the validity that all things work together for good. What about death, tragedy, divorce, wars? You cannot rationalize good out of bad.
The better way to interpret this truth to a believer is “Where sin abounds, graceabounds more.” The world is full of evil and Satan desires to steal, kill and destroy. God is stating My love abounds more. I take the bitter events of life and bring inner healing and restoration. I turn the destruction of Satan into a blessing of God.
God is not to blame for the evil in the world. Jesus cited the example of the eighteen people who were killed when the tower of Siloam fell on them. Jesus said do you think they were worse sinners than all the other men in Jerusalem? Jesus said no but unless you repent you will all likewise perish.
The morality of a man may not have anything to do with a tragic accident.
At times we all make mistakes that lead to destruction and misery. This happens when we make decisions out of our emotions or fleshly desires. The Bible reminds usthere is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death.
Bad things happen in the world. All we can do is pray for the blood of Jesus to cover us, turn away from darkness and walk in the light of Jesus.
When bad things do happen, the love of God will heal and restore a believer. The disclaimer is that we love God and are called according to His purpose for our life.
We love God walking by faith believing in His promises and seeking His will for our life.
It is so important to submit your life to the authority of the Holy Spirit. The omniscient wisdom of God will protect you from Satan. Inquire of the Lord in making important decisions. He will never fail you!
“Two nations are in your womb, Two peoples shall be separated from your body; One people shall be stronger than the other, And the older shall serve the younger.”
Right now we all live in this story about broken humanity.
Abraham’s son was Issac. He was married to Rebekah who was barren but finally got pregnant with twins.
The twins struggled inside Rebekah and she went to inquire of the Lord as to why she was so uncomfortable.
God spoke to Rebekah about the twins. He said two completely different nations are in your womb. Two people shall come out of your body. One of the people will be stronger than the other and the older shall serve the younger.
God is the creator of life. He is omniscient and sees everything. He created two uniquely different sons with different genealogies.
God chose Jacob who was a man of many sins but walked by faith to fulfill the promises God made to Abraham and inherit the genealogy leading to Christ.
Esau did not respect God or His birthright as the elder son. He rebelled against the laws of God and even married foreign wives who came from a culture that worshipped false gods.
The twins were born and Esau came out first. He was red and looked like a hairy garment. Jacob followed and his hand was holding on to the heel of Esau.
The boys grew up and Esau was a skillful hunter but Jacob was a mild (or complete) man dwelling in tents.
The parents contributed to the conflict between the twins because Issac loved Esau for eating his wild game and Rebekah loved Jacob.
The conflict escalated one day when Esau came in from the field and was tired. Jacob had cooked a stew and Esau asked for a bowl of stew. This incident caused Esau to be called Edom.
Jacob said sell me your birthright as of today. Esau was very tired and about to collapse without food so he agreed to sell his birthright to Jacob. He despised the birthright which would entitle him to the promises of God and most of Abraham’s estate.
The Hebrew word for Edom is red. Esau later founded the kingdom of Edom which defied God and was eventually destroyed over their lack of respect for God.
Choosing Jacob or Esau?
What is the significance of this story today? Every human being is born with an inner nature to defy God and live for self. This story is filled with deception and impure motives in the lives of all the family members. Jacob was a man of many imperfections just like you. But he was different! He believed in God.
Regardless of your genealogy or belief system there is only one way to change your destiny. You must fear and respect God and make a decision to live for Christ Jesus. This will change your genealogy and you will become a citizen of heaven and inherit all the promises of God.
It is very possible to live in oneness with the reality of the Living Christ. Jesus wants to be your best friend and dwell in every moment of your life.
Jesus lives in heaven so it is impossible to personally meet with Him. Jesus is a sight not seen.
The Bible is a historical document about the life of Jesus and His teachings. There is no power in the Bible unless you are a Spirit filled believer. Then the Word will become alive, powerful and life changing.
You can listen to thousands of sermons and read the Bible every day of your life but this will not give you the Living Christ.
Jesus cannot be found through your intellect or commentaries written by Bible scholars.
Jesus desires to have a personal and vibrant relationship with a believer.
Jesus wants to give you the gift of salvation.
Salvation is how you become a new creature in Christ Jesus.
Salvation begins with your decision for Christ and gives you the ability to live closely with Jesus. Salvation has nothing to do with time.
Salvation invites you to have a symbiotic relationship with Jesus. He will speak to you, refine you into His character, and share all of His attributes with you.
Salvation seals you with the Holy Spirit. He is the life of Jesus and your portal to walking in oneness with Jesus.
Jesus desires for you to seek His will above all else and live with Him by faith believing in the promises of God.
Faith is trusting Jesus for your every need and not accepting what you see with your eyes. Faith is a lifestyle of seeking help from Jesus who has power and dominion over the heavens and earth.
Salvation frees you from all laws, religion, and doing works to appease God.
The relationship between a believer and Jesus is defined by sin. Jesus wants you to see you are self driven with many character defects. Jesus wants to forgive your sins with His blood and at the same time teach you to turn away from darkness and walk in the light. Jesus knows you will never match up to His standards but you can live a life pleasing to Him.
Jesus is omniscient. He sees everything in your life from the past into the future. How can you deny the omniscient protection of God?
Jesus wants your obedience and loyalty to Him. Like Abraham when Jesus instructs you He wants your compliance without argument or procrastination.
All the promises of God in Christ are yes and amen!
The secret to walking with Jesus is giving the Holy Spirit authority over your life. Commit your works each day to Jesus and ask Him to give you the mind of Christ. Jesus will amaze you with His reality. He will speak to you, give you supernatural wisdom and protect you from the evils of the world.
Jesus wants to enhance the quality of every aspect of your life. He desires to fill you with His goodness and unspeakable joy.
Jesus is very exorbitant. He wants all of your life. The fullness of Jesus comes to those who let go and zealously seek the will of God above all else.
Salvation will bring many challenges and trials. This is the fire of God refining your faith and teaching you patience.
Jesus keeps His promises and delivers His people. There is no one like Jesus. Nothing is impossible for Him!
Jesus wants you to be a fragrance of His knowledge touching all those around you with Living Water!
But now after you have known God, or rather are known by God, how is it that you turn again to the weak and beggarly elements, to which you desire again to be in bondage?
Religion lies to a believer. It has hidden motives and attempts to instruct believers through laws and works. Religion tells believers God only works through a church which is an outright myth. Religion wants to strangle you but God wants to set you free.
The gift of salvation comes from the unconditional love of Christ and faith in His promises. Salvation comes without rules or the requirement to appease God through keeping laws or doing works.
Salvation sets you free to walk with the Living Christ. The Christ follower draws near to God by seeking the will of Jesus above all else.
The example in the Bible explaining this principle is Abraham. He had two sons. One son came from a bondwoman; the other son came from a freewoman. Hagar gave Abraham a son through the flesh; Sarah gave Abraham a son from God.
The law is composed of weak and beggarly elements. No one has ever been able to keep the laws of God. This is why God shattered the laws and replaced them with Christ.
God desires for you to live in the liberty of Christ. If you attempt to live with Jesus through laws you have fallen away from the love of God and faith in Jesus which brings His righteousness.
Religion is built on instructing believers to keep laws. This will bring condemnation and failure because nothing will change you except faith in Jesus.
The starting point is to make a decision to live for Jesus by faith and seek His will for your life. Pay attention because this decision will seal you with the Holy Spirit. He is the life of Christ and your freedom from religion.
The Holy Spirit will teach you the truths of God unvarnished by religion. He enables you to walk in oneness with Jesus and hear His voice.
The Holy Spirit will give you a new belief system built on the death and resurrection of Jesus.
Jesus died on the Cross to shatter religion and the violations of the laws. He wants to give you an abundant life and the freedom of the Cross.
Where your fathers tested Me, tried Me, and saw My works forty years.
God was very angry with the Israelites and said ‘They always go astray in their heart, and they have not known My ways.’
This is why God led the Israelites on a 40 year zig zag journey that actually should have taken just a few days. He was angry because they refused to trust Him and turned to other gods.
All the Israeli adults died in the wilderness and never entered the Promised Land. And, this included Moses who spent more time in the presence of the Lord than any other human being.
If you want the favor of Jesus you must walk by faith trusting in the promises of God and not what you see with your eyes. Without faith you cannot please God.
God despises believers who complain and grumble about their circumstances. He killed several thousand Israelites with poisonous snakes in the wilderness. Jesus takes faith seriously.
Jesus is perfect and without sin. He came from Heaven in a human body and was obedient to His Father to give up His life on the Cross.
Jesus endured this agony because He was loyal to His Father.
The Christ follower is given the gift of salvation by faith in Jesus. The decision for Jesus causes you to be baptized into the death and resurrection of Christ.
As a Christ follower you agree to seek the will of God above all else.
The new creature in Christ Jesus lives in the world but he is not of the world.
Most believers cannot let go of worldly thinking and values. This attitude will bring calamities and the judgment of God because you are rejecting your inheritance in Christ.
Commit your works each day to God and submit to the authority of the Holy Spirit and God will be pleased with you.
The gift of salvation enables a believer to live in the reality of the Living Christ.
Jesus desires to have a symbiotic and deeply personal relationship with a believer. He wants to be in all the moments of your life!
Hal Hollister Ministry 