Hal’s Blog

“He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers.” Colossians 1:15-16

This is a powerful statement about Jesus. He is the mirror image of God and the first born over all creation. God created all things through Jesus including what you can see and spiritual mysteries invisible to the human eye.

The angels were created by Jesus and all the powers of darkness. 

On a more personal perspective, every human being was created by God in His image. This means you!

How do we live in the presence of this powerful and all consuming God?

Jesus is very approachable to a human being. He is a God of unconditional love without any biases. He desires to have a personal and endearing relationship with a believer. Jesus wants to speak to you and be present in all the moments of life.

The first step is to make a decision to live for Jesus above all else and vigilantly seek His will for your life.

Jesus is holy and without sin. It is impossible to live in His presence in your natural condition at birth. The essence of a human is contaminated and not acceptable to Jesus.

Last night Jesus kept showing me the malfeasance in the world which is wrongdoing. The darkness is everywhere.

To live with Jesus the believer has to confess his sins, seek repentance and be covered with the blood of Jesus. He has to have an open heart to correction by the Spirit of God.

The secret to living in the presence of Jesus is the Holy Spirit. He is the life of Jesus and sealed in every believer.

It is crucial for a believer to live under the authority of the Holy Spirit. Pray each morning inviting the Holy Spirit to have authority over all your thoughts and decisions. You will be amazed to hear Jesus speak repeatedly to you and guide your footsteps with His omniscient wisdom. 

Jesus is a powerful God and wants the very best for a believer!

“Cast your cares on the Lord and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous be shaken.” Psalm 55:22

The Holy Spirit spoke the word misgiving to me today which is defined as feelings of doubt or apprehension about the outcome or consequences of something.

We all tend to worry about problems and how they will create adversity in our lives. This is a sign of weak faith and lack of belief in Jesus to deliver a believer.

The problems are real but the outcome is projection. As a Christ follower we are trained to trust in Jesus and not react to what we see with our eyes.

There is a very powerful promise from Jesus which will work for anyone dealing with feelings of misgiving. 

The biblical solution to feelings of misgivings is to cast them on the shoulders of Jesus. This is releasing them to Jesus and receiving His sustaining power, comfort and peace. Jesus promises He will not allow a believer to be shaken away from the gift of salvation. 

The believer must let go of the feelings and allow them to remain with Jesus. They now belong to Him.

This will turn your day from gloom and worry to joy in the power of Jesus!

Jesus has your back!

“For it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure.” Philippians 2:13

We all encounter a season when we feel totally defeated and abandoned by Jesus. Why does this happen to a believer trusting in the powerful promises of Jesus?

This is the life pattern of a Christ follower. There are ups and downs and God can seem cruel and harsh at times. 

We don’t know why Jesus allows utter defeat to shatter a believer. Jesus does not think or act like a human being so it is impossible to understand His logic and actions.

What we do know is Jesus transforms a believer into His values and character. And, this can be painful and gut wrenching.

We also know that a believer who has made a decision to live for Jesus is under the effects of the Cross. Jesus is creating a new creature in Christ and causing him to die to self and live for Jesus.

The believer must learn to live by faith trusting in the promises of Jesus. Judge Jesus by His Word and not by what you see with your eyes.

Jesus engineers troubles and adversity to strengthen the faith of a believer. The Bible is filled with stories of God’s people suffering personal defeat. Why should a believer think he should be immune from defeat? 

The response to suffering defeat and agony is to concentrate on Jesus through prayer, reading the Bible and listening for His voice.

Release feelings of anger, depression and lack of faith to Jesus and pray for inner healing.

Pray for the omniscient wisdom of Jesus and seek His protection. 

The safety net for a believer is Jesus keeps His promises and will deliver and restore His people!

“Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” Luke 6:31

We like to think stardom but Jesus says ministry is about the boring details of life. 

The ministry for Jesus takes place in the lifestyle He has created for you. In other words, the ministry of a believer starts at home. 

We have to learn the principles of Jesus and how to operate in oneness with Him. We need pure motives and humility. 

God will bring the ministry to you. Relax and wait for Him. The ministry will be mostly mundane tasks and seem unimportant.

This is where you learn how to live with the character and values of Jesus. This preparation will give you a bigger and more public role in the future.

Jesus had to take a towel and a bowl of water and clean the disciples feet. The commonplace routines in life are where you will find Jesus.

Your training field is washing the car, doing lawn work, paying bills, and cleaning the garage out.

God will bring the people into your life. He might bring the dregs of society or misfits. He may bring people who are very similar to your past. The role of a believer is to be a witness for Jesus and serve the needs of others.

God takes us on a journey where we cannot see the future or the plans of Jesus.

This is all part of becoming a Christ follower with no goals or ambitions but to wake up and do the will of Jesus today.

The Holy Spirit told me last night that “Seeing is Believing” refers to what causes many unbelievers to come to Jesus.

Jesus performed many signs and wonders and drew thousands of people to Him. The followers saw miraculous healing, the dead brought back to life, and the feeding of five thousand with five loaves of bread and two fish.

They came to Jesus because they wanted His power, protection and abundance. They did not come to receive the gift of salvation or to live by the essence of the teachings of Jesus.

They saw and believed that Jesus was sent by God. 

The non believer population is motivated by how God will personally help them and they need confirmation of the authenticity of God. 

Christianity is not relevant to most unbelievers. They see a religion with many laws and rules and plagued with hypocrisy and impure motives. 

Jesus is very approachable. He comes into the heart of those who accept Him by faith and have a desire to seek His will for their life. Jesus favors those who live for Him above all else.

Jesus tells a believer he must seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all the other things will be added to him.

The priority is developing a personal relationship with Jesus built on faith and obedience. The blessings of God will follow to those who walk in oneness with Jesus anchored to the Holy Spirit.

We live by faith and not by what we see with our eyes. Jesus reveals His authenticity to all believers through signs and wonders. He speaks through dreams and visions and gives believers glimpses of the transfigured Christ.

Jesus gives generously to those who live for Him above all else!

“Nothing is impossible for Jesus!” Luke 1:37

The Holy Spirit told me today that many people are living in a quagmire. I looked up the definition of a quagmire and it is a soft morass of land like a swamp. It is also referred to as an awkward, complex, or hazardous situation. 

It is difficult to walk in a quagmire. There is a sinking feeling with no stability in sight.

How does this happen to a believer? There are a number of reasons. We make mistakes because we do not inquire of God. Satan attacks with a vicious plan to destroy a believer. Or, God has created the quagmire to test your faith in His promises.

The challenge to getting out of a quagmire begins with Jesus. The believer must be clean with the blood of Jesus and confessing his sins and seeking repentance. He has to release the feelings of anger, defiance and disappointment to Jesus.

The quagmire will end in God’s perfect timing which might take a while.

The quagmire might be the perfect will of God. Job Daniel, and Joseph faced some very difficult challenges and were all delivered by God.

The most important goal is to be right with God. This can be accomplished by prayer, reading the Bible and listening for His voice. The believer has to be in personal contact with Jesus and abiding in His presence.

This happens with a very simple and powerful step taken by a believer. If you are a Christ follower the Spirit of Jesus is sealed within you. The Holy Spirit is the life of Jesus. He is how you can live in the presence of Jesus. Invite the Holy Spirit to have authority over all the details of your life. He will respond with omniscient wisdom and you will hear His voice guiding your decision making and protecting your pathway. This is a very important spiritual disciple and you must learn to stay in oneness with the Holy Spirit at all times.

God is a promise keeper. He will deliver you out of the quagmire and fill you with His goodness!

“Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” Hebrews 1:11

Faith is pure and undefiled belief in Jesus without any borders defining expectations or outcomes. Jesus controls your destiny and can do with you as He pleases. 

We must learn to trust Jesus regardless of the circumstances in our life. Faith does not have ups or downs. Faith is a steadfast belief in Jesus. The evidence comes as an outgrowth of your faith.

Faith is reaching out to Jesus for your every need and believing in His promises and not what you see with your eyes.

Without faith you cannot please God. What happens is we walk by faith with Jesus and suddenly have to face disastrous troubles. We react with anger and blame God. 

Faith is not a shield from troubles. Faith is believing Jesus will deliver you in His perfect timing.

The troubles come from our mistakes, the evil work of Satan, and the actions of Jesus. We have to seek the forgiveness of Jesus and pray for inner healing. 

Faith is responding to Jesus with obedience and without any caveats. This is how Abraham became the father of many nations.

Faith believes Jesus calls things that do not exist as if they did. This is how He works in the life of a believer.

Faith is believing your life is in the hands of Jesus and He knows exactly what He is doing. 

Rejoice in the Lord always! Philippians 4:4

At times, we all become filled with unspeakable joy for Jesus. The challenge is what do we do with the intense feelings of love and joy for Jesus.

Jesus appreciates your joy and love for Him. But we cannot make decisions for Jesus through emotions because they will betray a believer. The journey with Jesus is filled with many ups and downs. And, if you are serious about Jesus, expect severe testing and adversity.

Jesus has one priority for a believer. He wants you to develop a personal and embracing relationship with Him built on faith and obedience. Jesus desires for a believer to get to know Him, hear His voice and live in His presence.

Doing works for Jesus is not on the calendar for a believer unless the ministry is created and anointed by the Holy Spirit.

Jesus wants you to live under His authority through the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is the life of Jesus and sealed in all believers. 

The Holy Spirit will purify your motives and decision making. He will reveal your hidden dispositions and compulsive behaviors. 

The decision for Jesus causes a believer to die to self and live for Jesus. The Holy Spirit transforms a believer into the character of God. There can be no ego or pride in the personality of a Christ follower.

Faith is trusting Jesus for your every need and believing in His promises and not what you see with your eyes. Faith is a discipline of life for a believer.

Jesus is looking for loyal and devoted followers. He develops obedience through His instructions which can be very costly and lack any form of human logic. We are to respond with complicity to Jesus without doubt or hesitation.

Channel your joy for Jesus in prayer, reading the Bible and listening for His voice. Praise Him for His powerful attributes and protection.

The joy of the Lord is expressed in your demeanor and personality to all those you encounter in life. They are touched by the Living Water!

I am with you always! Matthew 28:20

The word from the Holy Spirit today is intimidation which is defined as a frightening or threatening feeling.

We all face the intimidation that comes from the darkness in the world and the evil attacks of Satan. Intimidation is worrying about something that has not happened but shadows over you.

Jesus does not want you to be intimidated by anything in the world. He has power and dominion over the heavens and earth. 

We live in the end times and will face many difficult challenges engineered by God. 

The solution to living in these intense times is to be Christ centered. He is your only hope. 

Pray for the will of Jesus, read the Bible and listen for His voice. Do not step out into the world without inquiring of Him for protection and omniscient wisdom. The advantage to believers is the omniscient ability of Jesus. He sees every detail of your future and is your only refuge for protection. 

Satan hates believers and wants to steal, kill and destroy. Pray that no weapon formed against you shall prosper. 

The powerful promises in Psalm 91 are not freely given out. They happen to those who dwell in the secret place of the Most High. You have to be serious about Jesus and concentrating on Him above all else.

Dwell with God by submitting to the Holy Spirit. He is the life of Jesus. Invite the Holy Spirit to have authority over your life.

Do not say yes to the desires of your flesh or leave any door open for Satan to enter. 

Stand firm with Jesus walking by faith and believing in His promises.

He who is in me is greater than he who is in the world!

This is the most important thing a human being can ever do in his life. 

The Holy Spirit spoke the word affinity to me today which is defined as a spontaneous or natural attraction for Jesus. It is characterized by the qualities of empathy and rapport.

The affinity is not built on intellect or emotions, it is built on the unconditional love of Jesus and faith in His promises.

It is an action of opening up your heart to accept Jesus without compromise.

It is developed by taking Jesus seriously and zealously seeking His will for your life.

Developing an affinity with Jesus happens through prayer, reading the Bible and listening for His voice.

The affinity becomes stronger by learning to be obedient to the instructions of Jesus regardless of the personal cost or lack of logic. Obedience is saying yes to Jesus by faith.

The affinity is built on repentance from sin and the blood of Christ. The devoted believer sees his natural condition at birth and realizes Jesus is the only way to become clean. 

The affinity is deepened by submitting to the authority of the Holy Spirit. He knows you better than you know yourself and desires to guide your decision making and create the order and simplicity of Jesus in your life.

Jesus is not easy to follow. He engineers difficult trials in the life of a believer. The affinity with Jesus allows a believer to have peace and protection knowing Jesus delivers His people from troubles and adversity.

Build your affinity with Jesus today by praying “Not my will but Yours be done.”