“For in him we live and move and have our being.” Acts 17:28
Complacency is the word from God for today. It is defined as finding uncritical satisfaction in one’s achievements. It is living with a sense of self preservation.
Most people find security in their marriage, work, material possessions, or health. This attitude engenders complacency through self efforts and neglects the values of God.
Complacency is also pervasive in religion. You pray, go to church, and try to be a good person. You are finding your security through your own efforts to please God and not through your faith in Christ.
Complacency is accepting half truths about God. It is easy to accept the gift of salvation and the goodness of God. But it is a different story to accept the fullness of the Cross.
The security of Christ is the antithesis of complacency.
This security comes from the Word of God and is not based on what you see with your eyes. This security is mostly invisible and is detached from your emotions or experiences in life. It is an unyielding belief in Christ grounded in His Word.
Complacency is a lackluster attitude about God. You are placing your security in self efforts and judging God as a failure in your life.
The security of Christ is in His Word and never relates to the conditions of your life. In fact, God takes away your security because He wants you to live through Him.
Faith is an up and down experience for most people because of the influences of fear and doubt. Our feelings grieve the Spirit of Christ and drown out His promises.
Our faith is reflected in the good moments of life and never in the agony of dying on the Cross with Jesus. Faith brings the life of Christ. Complacency brings death and destruction.
Today, invite this truth of God to dwell richly in your heart and to replace your fear and doubt. “All the promises of God in Christ are yes and amen.”
I am impervious to change. You will find Me in My words and through the teaching and influence of the Holy Spirit. He will take what belongs to Me and share it with you. There is no one like Me.
“I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” Galatians 2:20
The biggest fallacy in Christianity is the failure to understand or teach the significance of this statement above concerning the Cross.
The Cross asks you to give up all your rights to God and live for Him. There are no ands, ifs, or buts. You lay down your life for Christ without any expectations.
You will never know the reality of Christ until you give God your independence, your goals, and your self motives.
The misconception is doing what you think will please God and forgetting it’s not what you think is important but what God wants in your life. He knows you better than you know yourself.
God does not think or act like you. He is a perfect spiritual being without any ego. He is an omnipotent God and your destiny is in His hands.
Meeting Christ on His terms embodies the words of Jesus; “Not My will but yours be done.”
Christ operates in unpredictable ways.
Human logic cannot define the reality of God.
Christ wants your loyalty above all else. This has to be built on His Word and never on the conditions in your life.
God will test you to the ends of the earth to get this point across. I am God and will do with you as I desire.
Religion seriously impedes your ability to know Christ. You find Christ by abandonment to Him not by works, rituals, or keeping laws.
Christ wants to bless you abundantly but you have to accept His Word without compromise.
We are facing the judgments of God today because we have accepted secular beliefs and the hypocrisy of religion.
Jesus wants you to accept Him for who He is and not define Him by the standards of religion. He lives so you can live!
The Holy Spirit is the only way you will come to know the Living Christ. He will bring the life of Jesus into your reality. You will see Christ for who He is and live in respect and awe of His greatness and glory.
How can I please you today Christ Jesus? Show me your ways and help me to conform to your thinking patterns.
“Your relationship with Christ is give and take. I give My life to you and take away your sins. You give yourself to Me without limitations and take My promises by faith.”
“Most assuredly, I say to you, a servant is not greater than his master; nor is he who is sent greater than he who sent him. If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them.” John 13:16-17
The word from God today is about living in a symbiotic relationship with Christ. This is defined as a close and mutually beneficial relationship between two parties.
In this relationship, you and I are a servant and not the master. We live in submission to Christ and this how we experience His life and become a powerful witness for Christ.
Your decision for Christ opens the door to a personal and embracing relationship with the Living God. You live for Christ and He promises you the gift of salvation and shares His life with you.
As a new creature in Christ Jesus you are born again. All things become new.
The sanctifying work of Christ is not for you. It is to draw people to Him. You should not strive to be righteous; you should strive to follow in the footsteps of Christ.
The purpose of life for Jesus was to be obedient to His Father. As a disciple of Jesus, your purpose is to be obedient to Christ.
Jesus dined with His disciples near the end of His ministry on this earth. After the meal, Jesus washed the feet of the disciples. This act was designed to show the disciples they were clean in the eyes of God.
Then Jesus charged His disciples to do the same thing in their lives. Reach out to those living in darkness with the love of Christ and demonstrate how they can come clean before God.
The cleansing of the feet was a symbolic gesture on the part of Jesus. The disciples were not free from sin or anointed with the Spirit of God but they all belonged to Jesus except for Judas.
The disciples would stumble and face many hardships in their lives but they were assured of the gift of salvation.
The challenge is how can you and I wash the feet of those around us? This can only happen if you are living in oneness with God through the Holy Spirit.
Only God knows who is willing to accept the gospel and the perfect timing for this to take place. He also knows the most effective way to touch someone with the love of Christ. This why it is so important to be tuned into God through His Spirit.
Another important aspect of ministry is intercession. This is the most powerful method of bringing down strongholds and setting people free to accept the gift of salvation. This is accomplished between you and God through the work of the Holy Spirit.
Jesus said “He who believes in Me out of his heart will flow rivers of Living Water.” The Living Water is the life of Christ dwelling within you and is manifested in your words, actions, and demeanor.
The Living Water is given freely to all those who have an open heart to God and seek Him out through diligent prayer, living in the Word, and yielding to the Holy Spirit.
The goal of a believer is to be filled with the Living Water and free from any sin that grieves the Holy Spirit. This will enable you to walk confidently with God and be a powerful witness for Christ.
Your ministry with Christ will only be as effective as your oneness is with Him. He wants a symbiotic relationship built on love, devotion, trust, and friendship.
“Shame is recognizing you have a flawed personality and lack the ability to please Me. I offer double honor to those who wear My garments and seek Me out above all else.”
“Instead of your shame you shall have double honor” Isaiah 61:7
The salvation of the Lord is a decision to live for Christ.
You are clothed with the garments of salvation and the robe of righteousness. Jesus has anointed you with His Spirit for good works.
The response to the gift of salvation is to rejoice with God and be joyful in all things.
You belong to Christ and are a member of the “set apart” people of God. You are a light shining in darkness.
The role of a disciple is to be a servant of God living out the values of Christ. You are a priest of the Most High and entitled to the double honor of God.
The question is how can you and I receive the double honor of Christ? You have to take Christ seriously. He died for you!
The upmost priority is to be clothed with the garments of Christ. You will find these clothes in Christ crucified. They are repentance from sins through the blood of Christ and the resurrected power of Christ living in you through the Holy Spirit.
You cannot wear the garments of Christ through your works, abiding in laws or practicing religion. This will only bring condemnation, hypocrisy and self pride.
You lack the ability to be “Christ like” but your faith in the promises of God will mold you into the character of God.
Christ wants your loyalty above all else. “Not my will but Yours be done” should be the goal for every believer.
Knowing the Living Christ will teach you the values of God and equip you to be a powerful witness for Him.
“You cannot have a private life and walk with Me. I want all of you! The secret to finding the life of Christ is to approach Me with an open heart, humility, and honesty. Accept Me for who I am and I will share the abundant life of Christ with you.”
Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the Lord God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the Lord God among the trees of the garden. But the Lord God called to the man, “Where are you?” Genesis 3:8-9
The word from God today is clandestine which is defined as “kept secret or done secretly”.
It is impossible to keep secrets from God or hide things from Him. God is omniscient and sees everything. He knows every detail of your past, present, and future.
You cannot practice clandestine living and expect the favor of God.
God exposed the sin of Adam and Eve. They were unable to hide this from the Lord God.
You and I were born to live for self. We want to satisfy our fleshly indulgences whether for sex, food or alcohol, drugs, immoral activities, money, or success.
This desire to live for self can only be harnessed by submitting to the Holy Spirit who dwells within you. This is why God teaches “He who is within you is greater than he who is in the world”.
You will succumb to the temptations of the world without the power and restraint of the Spirit of Christ.
The reality of humanity is you and I are weak and unable to live a life pleasing to God. So we choose to act in clandestine ways.
God is like an X-ray machine. He not only sees everything; He examines your motives. You can’t get away with anything dealing with God.
God exposes your inner nature for the purpose of showing the contrast between who He is and who you are.
The epiphany of Christ is seeing yourself through the eyes of God and then seeing the greatness and glory of God. This creates a decisive action to meet the Living Christ.
You realize all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God and your only hope for life is in Christ. You have reached your “born again” moment.
You are now on a journey of becoming a new creature in Christ Jesus and old things begin to fade away and all things become new. Clandestine living habits are crucified and slowly disappear.
You live in oneness with Christ through the power of the Holy Spirit. For in Him, we live and move and have our being.
“For if the inheritance is of the law, it is no longer of promise; but God gave it to Abraham by promise.” Galatians 3:18
Attaining Christ by His promise!
Thousands of years ago God made a promise to you and me. This promise was made to Abraham for all those who want to live with God.
The promise is the favor of God will come to those by faith. It cannot be attained by works or laws.
Your faith in Christ will bring His promises into your life. Nothing can be added or amended to this promise from God.
God never changes and this promise is eternal. If you want the favor of God, you must accept Him by faith. God wants your obedience and loyalty. Nothing else really matters.
Abraham heard the voice of God and obeyed the instructions of the Lord. Abraham had no idea what was ahead for him. He was asked to give up his security and venture into uncharted waters.
Abraham was no different than you and me. He was a mere mortal filled with many character defects and fearful over his future.
The deciding difference in Abraham is he believed God without understanding Him or questioning His logic.
Abraham made a decision; He is God and who am I to doubt His authority. He obeyed God.
So Abraham walked by faith and accepted the promise of Christ.
This is the essence of attaining the promises of Christ. They come you by faith. Nothing else matters.
Build your life on the promises of God. Walk by faith when Christ calls you to step out of your comfort zone.
“I am interceding to restore My Church. The strongholds of religion and the moral decay in society will be dealt with by My firm hand. People will see Me for who I am. Those who resist Me will face retribution. Come to Me by faith and I will share My greatness and glory with you.”
“Then all Israel will hear and be afraid, and no one among you will do such an evil thing again.” Deuteronomy 13:11
The word from God today is vindication. “All will see My greatness and glory. There is no one like Me.”
God can be very harsh at times as evidenced by Deuteronomy, chapter 13.
God displayed no pity to those who attempted to lead His people away from the Lord. He said, “Put them to death”. The character of God never changes! God is the same yesterday, today and forever.
God wants everyone to know that He alone is God. Christ Jesus, the Son of God, is holy and rules over all things.
He has power and dominion over the heavens and earth and will no longer tolerate the wickedness and apathy in our world.
The Lord is testing all humanity through His judgments today. He wants you and I to love Him with all of our heart and soul. The calling is to be obedient and dedicated to the principles of Christ.
The world is filled with secular teachings and most people live for self. The moral compass of Christ has been compromised with new laws and interpretations. Christ has been ridiculed and His influence has been outlawed or minimized by our society.
The Body of Christ has made religion their god and have abandoned the values of Christ. Hypocrisy is rampant in our churches.
God is dealing with this bleak picture. Jesus is purging the evil out and a mighty revival is coming.
Reach out to Christ today with an open heart to learn His ways! He loves you!
“I will heal those who repent from their sins and have a genuine desire to know My ways. The bronze snake for today is to walk by faith believing wholeheartedly in My promises. Your faith in Me will make you whole. There is no other way.”
“So Moses made a bronze snake and put it up on a pole. Then when anyone was bitten by a snake and looked at the bronze snake, they lived.” Numbers 21:9
The pandemic is a judgment of God. It has come upon us because we do not fear or respect Christ. In fact, we defy His teachings and have compromised His Word.
The question is how can you and I find protection and healing from Christ?
This situation is similar to the Israelites journey with God towards the Promised Land. They rebelled against God and complained bitterly about their conditions.
God became angry and afflicted them with poisonous snakes and many died.
The people repented and asked Moses to intercede on their behalf with God.
God told Moses to make a bronze snake and mount it on a pole. Anyone bitten by a snake could look at the bronze snake anointed with the healing power of God and they would live.
The solution to the pandemic today is to seek out God with a heart of repentance and make a commitment to follow Christ without compromise or a complaining attitude.
The bronze snake for today is to walk by faith dedicated to the principles of God. Accept Christ for who He is and come under His authority through the Holy Spirit.
The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and His ears are open to their cries.
The Cross of Christ is your bronze snake. Come by faith and be healed!
Hal Hollister Ministry 