Author: Hal Hollister Ministry

This is about the contrast between a believer and a disciple of Jesus. The difference relates to the seriousness of your commitment to God.

The believer has made a decision to believe in Jesus and is assured of the gift of salvation. The disciple has given up everything to follow Jesus. His only goal is to know Jesus and fulfill His purposes.

The believer is going through the motions while the disciple is a living sacrifice to Jesus.

The disciple has no competition in His life. He lives for Jesus not for human relationships, the luxuries of the world or to satisfy self. He can drop everything in a moment’s notice to obey Jesus.

The disciple belongs to Jesus. He no longer has a life of His own.

The disciple has no intentions except to know Jesus.

The disciple is not concerned with doing things for Jesus. He wants to be a perfect delight in the eyes of the Lord.

The disciple understands he was made by God and created for His purposes.

How can you cross over the line to become a disciple? There has to be an encounter with the Living Christ. You have to accept in the depth of your heart Jesus has power and dominion over the heavens and earth. This has to be experiential and not intellectual.

You have to see the greatness of God and your insignificance in the scheme of life. The reality of the Living Christ will shatter your every belief about religion. Your only desire will be to know Jesus and walk in oneness with Him.

This decision is too costly for many believers. Very few are willing to give up everything in order to gain the fullness of Jesus.

Jesus is bigger than you can ever imagine. You will find the Living Christ when you participate in His death and the power of His resurrection.

This subject deals with the power of God to change lives. As a believer, Jesus wants you to be a strong witness for Him with all those people in your life.

The question is how do you accomplish this goal? First of all, the Christ follower cannot rely on human wisdom or an intellectual understanding of biblical principles.

The Holy Spirit wants to anoint you with the demonstration of the Spirit and power in your ministry. This means you have to get out of the way.

The starting point is you have to be a clean vessel covered with the blood of Jesus. You also have to be living for Jesus with a genuine desire to seek His will.

There cannot be any impediments between you and God. This doesn’t mean you are perfect but your motives are to please God.

You have to be walking in oneness with Jesus and living under the authority of the Holy Spirit.

The Holy Spirit knows all about the people in your life. In fact, He knows the people better than they know themselves. The Holy Spirit knows exactly how to reach someone with the truths of Jesus. Remember, most people are turned off by religion but the Holy Spirit can get through with the authenticity of Jesus expressed with unconditional love.

The Holy Spirit wants to work through your demeanor, words and actions to touch those people in your life. You must be yielding to the Holy Spirit and allowing Him to work through you. This can be as simple as expressing kindness and concern or becoming a good listener. The Living Water is a powerful witness and influence in the life of a non believer.

There will be instances when God will empower you with wisdom or the gifts of the Holy Spirit. This might be prophesy or words of knowledge like Jesus shared with the woman at the well.

The Holy Spirit can changes lives because He introduces the reality of Jesus. He pierces the heart and soul with the words of Jesus. This is what changes lives. And, the Holy Spirit works in a myriad of ways to save souls.

Redemption is the action of God taking your life out of your natural condition at birth and transforming you into a new person. This is accomplished through the work of Jesus on the Cross.

The reality of redemption happens when you come into personal contact with the Living Christ.

You have to make the first step which is a decision to live for Jesus above all else. You can throw out religion, doing works, and keeping laws. You won’t get there by just going to church, reading the Bible or prayer. You have to make a decision of the heart to seek the will of Jesus above all else. No one can do this for you. It is a voluntary action on your part.

You cannot conjure up what this will look like or the purpose of God in your life. You are giving up your life to Jesus to do with you as He pleases.

You cannot find Christ through an intellectual approach or submitting to religion. Jesus is not a historical figure in the Bible. He is the Living Christ and wants a personal and embracing relationship with you.

The cornerstone to a relationship with Jesus is living by faith and believing in the promises of God and not what you see with your eyes.

Jesus wants to walk with you through every detail of your life. He wants to speak to you and enhance the quality of your life.

Jesus knows you better than you know yourself and He has a plan to transform you into His character.

Jesus will never leave you stranded. God seals you with the Holy Spirit when you commit to Jesus. The Holy Spirit is the life of Christ and His mission is to teach you the values of Christ and how to operate as a Christ follower. He will fill you with the attributes of Jesus including His strength, wisdom, protection and joy.

The Holy Spirit will convict you of sin and impure motives. Your role is just to be open to correction and change.

Jesus desires to give you more than you ask or think and He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him out. He releases His goodness gradually as you learn His ways. This is for your own protection and to keep evil away from you.

Salvation does not relate to time. It starts with a decision and never ends.

“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 word from God today is incredulous referring to the lack of belief or misunderstanding regarding the journey with Jesus.

This verse in Philippians is an excellent description of the journey with Jesus. It is unvarnished and speaks to the reality of the Cross in the life of a believer. And, it is not sugar coated to appeal to believers.

Initially it is very easy to get to know Jesus. You make a decision to live for Him and you draw near to Jesus through prayer, reading the Bible, and fellowship with other believers. Religion paints a beautiful picture of Jesus which makes Him even more attractive. Unfortunately, they leave out most of the agony of the Cross.

The difficult part of the journey is participating in the sufferings of Christ. This will happen to all believers who are serious about Jesus. God will engineer trials and circumstances in your life that will cause you to die to self. The gradual death of your natural life will be replaced with the resurrected life of Jesus.

Jesus shares His resurrected life with believers so you can draw upon His strength, wisdom and protection to meet the challenges in life. Who would not want the supernatural attributes of Jesus?

Jesus is at work to replicate His life in a believer. This process called sanctification is taking place every moment of your life.

The purpose is to glorify God in your thoughts, words and actions. The Holy Spirit fills you with Living Water to flow into the lives of those around you.

There is a steep cost to be a disciple of Jesus. You have to give up your life and independence to Jesus. This is an internal death to self and does not relate to religion or works. You are giving Jesus the right to do with you as He pleases.

Jesus wants you to live in oneness with Him without a vision or plan for the future.

This narrative deals with the subject of sanctification which is defined as to be set apart for God’s special use and purpose.

Let’s begin with Jesus who sanctified Himself for the sake of His disciples. Jesus taught the disciples the truths of God which sanctified and prepared them to introduce the Living Christ to the world.

The deep sanctifying work of God cannot take place until you have abandoned yourself to Jesus with a desire to live for Him above all else. This commitment will draw you into the reality of the Living Christ as He transforms you into His character.

Most believers experience a cosmetic or superficial sanctification because they are not sold out for Jesus or serious about the Cross.

The process of sanctification happens by the power of the Word of God.

Sanctification makes you “Christ like” in how you think and act.

We are sanctified for the purposes of Jesus.

This is mostly the unconscious work of the Holy Spirit to mold you into a new creature in Christ Jesus.

Sanctification is not for you. It is to bring glory to God.

Sanctification cannot be accelerated by human effort or doing works for Jesus.

Sanctification teaches you what is unconscionable (not right) and what is pleasing and acceptable to God.

Sanctification is preparing you for the purposes of God.

Sanctification removes your ego or need for personal glory.

Sanctification is the unfolding of God’s plan for your life. This is hidden from most believers until the plan is put into action.

Sanctification is dying to self and learning to live for Jesus.

Sanctification exposes the falsehoods religion and teaches you how to be a Christ follower.

There is no guess work for a Christ follower who is being sanctified by Jesus. He lives and breathes the work of the Cross every day of His life.

“For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” Ephesians 6:12

The ministry of Jesus is tough work. You are in the middle of a war between light and darkness.

This ministry is not about living in the bubble of religion or attempting to project yourself as a holy person.

The Christ follower has to be prepared for ministry and equipped by the Holy Spirit. You will fall flat on your face and fail God unless you are fully concentrated on Jesus through prayer and living in abandonment to Him. There can’t be any impediment in your relationship with Jesus.

Jesus will bring the challenges of ministry directly to you. You do not have to go looking for ministry.

You must be grounded in the Word of God and the Holy Spirit.

When Jesus brings you the challenges of a new ministry His goal is to use you to break the bondage of sin over the individuals involved.

Ministry is always about the war between light and darkness. The first step is vigilant prayer seeking wisdom and strength for your ministry.

Most likely, God will instruct you to enter into a social relationship with those individuals God has assigned to you. This will enable you to be a light for God and make a powerful impression demonstrating the values of Jesus. This usually happens without any preaching or attempting to convince someone to turn to God.

The Holy Spirit knows the personality and mind set of the individuals He brings to you for ministry. And, He knows what will be most effective in touching someone with the love of God.

Most people will be influenced by a believer who expresses a genuine friendship and desire to enter into their life. Remember, religion turns most people off but the authenticity of Jesus working through the Holy Spirit saves lives.

The unconditional love of God working through a believer is a powerful weapon in your ministry. This is non discriminatory and without any motives to benefit yourself.

Jesus doesn’t think or act like you. And, He is perfect. He doesn’t want companionship with your old life.

The miracle of salvation is Jesus creates a new life. The baggage from the past is of no value to Jesus. Your old life has been tainted with sin and the ways of the world. Jesus offers you the gift of salvation and the ability to be become born again by the Spirit and Water.

Imagine a steady stream of Living Water transforming your personality, thoughts, decision making and moral compass.

God wants His originality to shape your life. You might think God wants to use your strengths, education, and experiences to draw people to Christ. This is an incorrect analysis of how God works.

Jesus wants to stamp your life with His originality. He changes how you think and gives you a new perspective on life.

Jesus gives you supernatural wisdom and knowledge in all your endeavors. You have the mind of Christ.

Jesus makes it very clear you have nothing to offer to Him but He can give you a new life filled with the character of Jesus.

The originality of Jesus comes through prayer, listening for His voice and meditating on His Word. The Holy Spirit convicts you of sin and teaches you the values of Jesus.

The contrast between Jesus and a human being is almost impossible to understand. This is about light and darkness. Jesus is holy, pure and without any sin. Humanity is depraved, lives for self and defies God.

The point of no return in walking with Jesus is the Cross. Very few accept the personal sacrifice of the Cross and get to experience the majesty and glory of God.

The Cross is about surrender and resting in Jesus. You have to agree to be crucified with Christ and die to self. Jesus won’t make this decision for you or force you to surrender to Him. It is an act of your will.

There is a strong spiritual correlation between surrendering your will to God and resting in Him. Your surrender is a decision to seek the will of God above all else and give up the rights to your life. This is an internal decision of the heart and does not relate to your external life. The heart has to change first before the sanctification of the Cross begins in your life.

Your surrender will probably lead to changes in your external life but God is most concerned about your commitment to live for Him. This is a crisis of the will. Most people are not willing to give up everything and die to self. It is fearful and sometimes painful.

Once you get get past the point of surrender the believer is called to rest in God by faith. Jesus becomes responsible to meet your every need while you live in oneness with Him. You walk by faith believing in His promises.

Surrender is not about religion but most believers gravitate to religion and works. God desires for you is to live in communion with the Living Christ and get to know His ways.

The Israelites are a perfect example of failing to surrender to God and resting in Him. They rebelled against the plans of God and complained about the lack of provisions to meet their needs.

This made God angry and He swore the Israelites would never enter into His rest. The Israelites were not willing to surrender their will to God and all the adults died in the desert without entering the Promised Land.

After you reach the point of no return, God begins what seems like the torturous process of making you Christ like. He tests you severely, engineers trials in your life and examines all your decisions and motives by the standards of the Cross.

You live in the reality of Christ and enter into a supernatural lifestyle. The privilege of the Cross is Jesus shares His life and authority with you.

Jesus becomes so much bigger than anything in the world and makes your life so insignificant compared to His greatness!

The Holy Spirit wants you to look at this subject with the discretion (or discernment) of Jesus. This will help you navigate through difficult trials and understand Jesus doesn’t break the heart of a believer just to make him suffer. He is preparing you for bigger things in His kingdom.

If you are a Christ follower your life belongs to God and was purchased with the blood of Jesus.

Your life is now an open book for God to use as He pleases. There is no propriety or autonomy for a believer. The standards of society are crushed by the act of Jesus on the Cross.

The purpose of God is to get a believer anchored in the reality of the Living Christ. This will cause you to let go of your personal desires and plans and seek the will of Jesus regardless of where it takes you or how disruptive it is to your lifestyle.

Jesus breaks your heart to sanctify you with His life. If you personally experience the Cross your brokenness will make you a powerful witness for Jesus. And, you will enter into a deep fellowship with Jesus.

Your ego has to be crushed if you are planning to serve God. Jesus wants you to operate with the purity of His motives. Most importantly, you have learn to be completely dependent on Jesus to meet your every need. Faith is an action or expression of your lifestyle.

God tests believers for one purpose. He wants you to be obedient to His words regardless of the outcome in your life. Don’t look for results; just please God with your obedience.

Jesus shares his authority with believers who have been crucified and live wholly for Him without expectations.

The words “Not my will but yours be done” are engraved in the heart of a believer sold out for Jesus. The will of God is to live in oneness with Jesus in the common and ordinary moments of life. This is where you will find Jesus today.

Most Christ followers want the highs of the transfigured life and the blessings of God. This is just a fraction of life with Jesus.

The spiritual journey is about walking with Jesus by faith and obedience to His voice. And, the Christ follower lives under the authority of the Holy Spirit.

The upside of the Cross is to operate with the resurrected power of Jesus and to be filled with the love, strength, joy and protection of God.

God ways are perfect even though they are very hard to accept with a broken heart.

Expect the unexpected with Jesus! The outcome will be better than you can ever imagine!

God reminded me today sin is inevitable for every human being. The challenge is how do you deal with sin which defines your relationship with God.

The subject about sin started with God in the Old Testament.

God spoke from Mount Sinai with the laws concerning sin. The law is a black and white declaration from God. It does not care about your genetic disposition for sin or your human frailties.

God knew that no one can keep the laws of God. If you attempt to live by the law you will fail and bring condemnation upon yourself.

The laws of God convict you about your inner nature. You realize the need for something greater than yourself to please God.

God knew about this conflict from the beginning of creation. He created Adam and Eve in His image. They were without sin until they were deceived by the Serpent and disobeyed God.

From this point on, all humanity was born with a desire to live for self and defy God.

God is holy and saw the despicable nature of humanity. He destroyed all humanity except for eight souls but this did not solve the problem of sin.

God desired to keep His integrity unblemished and provide a method for human beings to be restored to God. Jesus was the perfect solution.

The sacrifice of Jesus provided atonement for all sin through His blood. Your sins are forgiven and you can stand blameless before God.

However, the act of the Cross did not provide a human being with moral dominion over sin. The Cross allows you to live a life pleasing to God and to be free from the bondage of sin but you will be a sinner until you go to Heaven.

God created a method to help humanity overcome sin. The gift of salvation offers the ability to be born again and sealed with the Holy Spirit who is the life of Jesus.

The Holy Spirit convicts you of sin and transforms you into the character of Jesus. He teaches you how to by live the values of Jesus.

The Holy Spirit is your moral compass. He keeps you on track with God and examines all your motives and decision making.

It is important to make the Holy Spirit your best friend and invite Him to have authority over your life. He is the only way you can stay untarnished from the world.

Spend time with the Holy Spirit each day. He wants to speak to you and teach you how to walk in the footsteps of Jesus!