Author: Hal Hollister Ministry

If you are a Christ follower there will be times when it seems like God is dormant in your life. The reality is your exterior life has been shut down or put on hold by God but He is very much at work in molding you into His character. And, like Moses, this can take many years.

The conflict is between your individuality and desire to control your life and the purposes of God.

Every great work of God begins with Jesus in His perfect timing.

He does need or want your help. It is not by might nor by power but by the Spirit.

The Holy Spirit equips and sends you out to do God’s work. He anoints you with the Holy Spirit enabling you to do the works of Jesus. Until this happens you have to forget about a ministry or new direction in life.

When God puts you on hold this is a perfect time to pray, listen for His voice, and work on yourself. Learn to be patient and respond to God with praise and a thankful heart.

This is a time to make your faith a reality in your life. Walk with God believing in His promises and not what you see with your eyes.

Live in the reality of God’s love, wisdom, healing power and strength. You need to experience the efficacy of God before you are ready to work for Him.

God tests believers to the ends of the earth. Jesus wants your obedience without questioning His instructions or motives. They probably won’t make any sense to you anyway because He is God.

Develop a closeness with God and learn to think like Him.

Look for God in your dreams, visions and the vagaries of life.

Pray for the gifts of the Spirit like words of knowledge and prophesy.

The preparation of God is a time to learn how to trust Him and walk in oneness with Jesus. He hasn’t forgotten you or His priorities for your life.

The Holy Spirit spoke to me today about short sighting God. This is the practice of accepting Jesus without a desire to change or give up your independence.

Salvation can be achieved by confessing with your words and believing in your heart Jesus is Lord. But Jesus is asking for a much deeper commitment.

Jesus wants you to live for Him above all else and zealously seek His will for your life. There is no room for complacency in the life of a believer. Jesus wants all of you.

Salvation is not an end of life gift. It is the beginning of a new and vibrant chapter of life with God that lasts forever. Salvation is a life changing experience.

Unfortunately, the gift of salvation translates in most believers to religion, works, and keeping laws. This is not the purpose of God.

Jesus wants to have a personal and embracing relationship with you.

This is like meeting a new friend. You enter into the reality of the Living Christ in every aspect of your life.

You walk with Jesus yielding to the Holy Spirit. He transforms you into the character of God.

Jesus speaks to you and shares His supernatural attributes with you. He fills you with strength, wisdom, joy and protection.

Jesus teaches you His values and helps you to excel in all your endeavors. He wants you to have an abundant life.

Jesus wants to build a deep friendship with you through prayer, reading the Bible under the auspices of the Holy Spirit and listening for His voice.

Jesus asks you to walk by faith believing in His promises and not by what you see with your eyes.

I AM WHO I AM!

God spoke the word egregious to me in the middle of last night.

Egregious is defined as something very bad or shocking. This is what Jesus sees when He looks at the world. The world is the antithesis of God’s kingdom.

We have to make a choice virtually every moment of our life to choose God or the darkness of the world. Most people play both sides. It is very difficult to stay clean living in a polluted world.

The truth is no one can avoid the contamination of the world including Christians. You can pray, go to church, read the Bible but this will not give you the purity of Jesus. Self control will fail you time and again. You were born into the world to live for self. It’s in your genes.

The Christ follower lives in the world but He is not of the world. There is only one way you can personally experience this truth in your life.

Make a decision to live for Jesus above all else and invite the Holy Spirit to have authority over your life. And, you will have to be open to the conviction and correction of the Spirit of Christ.

Repentance is a discipline which must be integrated into every aspect of your daily life. This is confessing your sins and turning away from every form of darkness.

Walk by faith yielding to the Holy Spirit. God will give you a life you can never achieve on your own.

He lives so you can live!

This narrative deals with the relationship between the love of God and His blessings! We question the love of God during the trials of life but we should never blame God for His actions. He is perfect and offers unconditional love and the ability to live with Him forever.

The love of God in your life was not influenced by your actions. It started before you were born. You did not initiate the love of God in your heart. It came directly from God.

The love of God is never ending. There are no contingencies to the love of God. There is no relationship between the love of God and His blessings. There is no action you can take to engender the love of God. In the darkest moments of your life the love of God endures to the fullest.

The love of God is a one way expression of Jesus coming directly from heaven to intercede for you. He loved you before you were born.

The love of God has nothing to do with religion, keeping laws or works.

The love of God can be reciprocated by your faith, loyalty and obedience to Jesus.

The adversities of life never change the flow of the unconditional love of God into your heart. And, the adversities are not a tool of punishment used by God.

The adversities are designed to develop you into the character of Jesus. They strengthen your faith and teach you patience.

The love of God is manifested in your life to comfort and encourage others in a walk of faith.

The love of God is all consuming!

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Now as He drew near, He saw the city and wept over it, saying, “If you had known, even you, especially in this your day, the things that make for your peace! Luke 19:41-42

Jesus wept on his entry into Jerusalem. As He looked at the people He knew they were facing a disastrous future.

Jerusalem would be destroyed, families killed, and many scattered into desolations.

All this would happen because the people were blinded from the peace offered by Jesus to those who live for Him.

The Israelites wanted a king not a savior.

The religious leaders of the day rejected the teachings of Jesus and plotted to kill Him.

How do we translate this spiritual moment of Jesus into our lives today?

How can we find the peace and protection of Jesus in this muddled world?

Jesus is omniscient and know every detail of your future. He promises you His peace which is not of the world.

The key to living in the peace of God is repentance. Seek out God and ask the Holy Spirit to show you where you are blinded in your relationship with Jesus.

We are human beings engineered to live for self and persue our own desires and needs. We are unable to understand the depth of our personality and corrupt inner nature. God sees everything about you. Nothing is hidden from His eyes.

Christians believe the answer comes from religion, works, and keeping the laws of God. But this will never bring the peace of God.

Many people don’t take God seriously or fear and respect Him. The priority of a Christ follower is to seek the will of God and live in harmony with Jesus.

Today we are living on a sinking ship and it will eventually disappear into the depths. The judgments of God are all over the world. The future is not bright; it is bleak.

The peace of God will come to those who enter into a personal and embracing relationship with the Living Christ. You must lay down your life for Jesus and give up all independence and control.

This is not a call to religion. It is a decision to seek the will of God above all else and turn away from all forms of darkness. You must be open to the conviction and correction of the Holy Spirit.

The promise of the peace of Jesus will come to you even while living in tumultuous conditions.

The peace of God comes to those who walk in oneness with Jesus under the authority of the Holy Spirit.

As a believer you must live by faith not by what you see with your eyes. The Christ follower doesn’t talk about Jesus; He emulates the teachings of Jesus in every aspect of his life.

Things might look good today but are you prepared for adversity tomorrow?

“Yes, and if I am being poured out as a drink offering on the sacrifice and service of your faith, I am glad and rejoice with you all.” Philippians 2:17

The decision for Christ ignites a transformation from your natural condition at birth to a new creature in Christ Jesus.

God’s aim is to make your life a sacrifice for Christ. This begins with a deep and at times painful work of God. There will be suffering and loss. This is the preparation to be poured out touching others with the life of Christ.

Everything thing that takes place after conversion is designed so you can pour out the Spirit of Christ on those around you. The moments with the transfigured Christ, the revelations of truth, the testing, and the challenges of life are all arranged to equip you with the ability to pour out the Living Christ on others.

Jesus emptied Himself for you. He poured out everything so you could receive the gift of salvation and be restored to God. And, He is preparing you to walk in His footsteps.

Your priority is to seek the will of God and walk in oneness with Jesus. God doesn’t care about religion because it will cause you to stray away from the authenticity of Jesus.

God ordains ministry. You do not have to look for your role or strive to be a light for God. If you are pushing to start a ministry your motives are wrong.

The ministry of Jesus works through the Holy Spirit. As a believer, you are sealed with the Holy Spirit. He is the life of Christ and the source of wisdom and the gifts of the Spirit. He will anoint you and equip you for His perfect ministry.

Most believers are called by God into a lifestyle ministry. They are a light for God in their work, with family and friends, and in all the pursuits of life. This might be a training ground for a more formal ministry in the years ahead or just His plan for your life.

The New Testament definition of poured out is to be a sacrifice for Jesus operating under the power of the Holy Spirit. You become willing to give up your life so others can experience the life of Jesus.

The great works of God are done in the ordinary moments of life. Jesus was thirsty after walking all day and sat down beside a well. He saved a woman with an immoral past and this led to the conversion of many of her companions.

Jesus will guide you into the dark places of the world to do His work. You cannot hide in religion if you want a powerful ministry.

All the experiences in your life are orchestrated to develop you into the character of Jesus. Self seeking has to die if you want to be a powerful vessel for God.

Thus He showed me, and behold, the Lord was standing by a vertical wall with a plumb line in His hand. The Lord said to me, “What do you see, Amos?” And I said, “A plumb line.” Then the Lord said, “Behold I am about to put a plumb line in the midst of My people Israel. I will spare them no longer.”

The plumb line was created by God and was installed to teach believers how to navigate through life.

The plumb line defines the truths, righteousness, and justice of God. These everlasting standards will never change and are to be followed by the Body of Christ.

God looks down from Heaven to see if you are operating within His plumb line. He is a God of retribution and punishes those who stray outside of His boundaries.

God is talking to me today about licentiousness which is a lack of moral restraint. This has infiltrated every thread of our society.

This immoral quality lives in most people to some degree whether they admit it or not.

Your moral compass must be under the authority of the Holy Spirit. If the Christ follower creates his own boundaries he will displease God and suffer greatly.

The Holy Spirit is designed to harness your fleshly desires and keep you away from temptations. This is why it is so important to be linked to God through the Holy Spirit.

The Christ follower has been “set apart” by God. He is called to be a fountain of Living Water reflecting the renown, praise and glory of God. You cannot move back and forth between God and the world.

We live in the world but we are not of the world. We belong to God and must walk in the light.

The danger is developing a superfluous attitude about life. This is seeking extravagance and not accepting what is sufficient. The attitude is “I deserve more from life.”

This behavior is attempting to take control and reject the provisions of God. You are guided by your emotions and worldly views not by the Spirit of God. This will only bring destruction and misery into your life.

The plumb line is for your own protection. It has nothing to do with religion, laws, or works. You simply agree to live with God under His authority.

You can’t think like God in understanding His purposes or relate to His global initiatives.

However, you can ask God for His thoughts relating to your daily life and decision making. This happens when you abide in the Holy Spirit and give Him authority over your life.

You learn the values of Jesus through the routine moments of life. Abiding in God is taking every thought captive to the obedience of Jesus. This is how you walk in oneness with Jesus.

Are your thinking patterns in accordance with God? The Holy Spirit hears all your thoughts and will point out those that are self seeking or initiated by the wrong motives.

Thinking like Jesus is nurtured through prayer, reading the Bible, and listening to the voice of God.

You and I are self driven people with a big ego. God has no ego and operates with perfect motives. We are in a process of transformation into the character of God but will never achieve perfection here on earth.

God creates checks and balances to keep us in harmony with Him. The Christ follower must be sensitive to the Holy Spirit and open to correction and change.

We falter by taking a timeout from God to satisfy our compulsive needs. If only we could understand God wants to give us more than we ask or think in His perfect timing.

The Holy Spirit will show you when to put on the breaks and abide in the patience of God.

The order of God will never comply with humanistic logic. We want action today but God wants you to rest and wait upon Him.

The Holy Spirit speaks to the life of Jesus residing in a believer. He does not speak to your human logic or what you think Jesus should do in your life. The Spirit speaks to your Spirit.

If you want the witness of the Holy Spirit you have to be living in submission to God and yielding to the authority of the Holy Spirit.

You cannot barter with God. The transaction with God is “I give all of myself to you Jesus without any expectations.”

Redemption is accepting the life of Jesus without compromise and allowing God to crucify your natural life.

You cannot debate or argue with God. The Christ follower lives in submission to God and accepts the will of God.

The Holy Spirit never speaks to your natural thinking process or what seems like common sense to you. God is not interested in what you think He should do in your life. God is unpredictable and thinks and acts in ways beyond your understanding.

Religion teaches many ill conceived ideas about how God operates in the life of a believer. God works on the principle of faith not laws, works or predicted outcomes.

When you give your life to Jesus you lose your independence and the ability to control your life.

The goal of a believer is to live in oneness with Jesus yielding to the Holy Spirit. You walk by faith and live in obedience to the voice of God.

The priorities of God will become very clear when you live in abandonment to Jesus with no priorities except to seek His will for your life.

Expect the unexpected with Jesus!

It is very simple to engage Jesus. This begins with today. Jesus lives in the now. He does not want you to dwell in the future.

Jesus is alive and wants to be real in all your endeavors today. Forget about religion if you want to engage Jesus. Come straight to Jesus with an open heart to hear and obey His voice.

Remember, God knows you better than you know yourself and He is omniscient and sees the future. It is pretty dumb to think you can supplant your judgement and ideas over the sovereignty of God. This is what causes troubles in life whether you are a believer or not.

Jesus wants to show you the good, acceptable and prefect will of God in the context of today. This not about learning big spiritual revelations but simply about how you should go about today. What you eat, how you spend your money, relationships with family and friends, bringing order to you life and helping you to excel in your work.

I just heard Jan, my incredible wife, ask God to show her the best jogging or walking route for today. This is what I mean. God wants to enrich your life and protect you in all the moments of your today. They may seem trivial to you but not to God.

If you are a believer, the Living Christ dwells in you in the essence of the Holy Spirit. He wants to speak to you and infuse you with His thoughts. He wants to make you aware of both light and darkness and steer you into the acceptable will of God.

Walking with Jesus is not complicated.

Come to Jesus and ask Him to forgive you for your mistakes and cover you with His blood. Everyone falls into this category. There are no perfect saints.

Reach out to God with all your needs.

Commit your works each day to God and invite the Holy Spirit to have authority over your life. This for your own good and protection. He is not interested in making you into a religious robot.

Make a decision to trust God implicitly and believe in all His promises. Faith is believing in God and not what you see with your eyes. Without faith you cannot please God. You will just end up walking in circles.

Listen to the voice of God and learn to be obedient to His instructions.

Spend a few minutes each day reading the Bible. The words are powerful and life changing. Jesus will come off the pages and enter into the reality of your life.

Jesus wants to be your best friend and give you an abundant life!