Hal’s Blog

“Awake! Why do You sleep, O Lord? Arise! Do not cast us off forever. Why do You hide Your face, and forget our affliction and our oppression?” Psalm 44:23-24

This happens to every believer who walks with God. The absence of God might be for a day, a week or several years.

To get a better feeling for this characteristic of God you might want to read Psalm 44 and see how God crushed the hearts of the Sons of Korah.

The perception is the Living Christ who can move mountains changes to a figurehead lacking power.

God not only seems to disappear but He causes you to look like a scourge (or eyesore) of society.

In reality, God is present in every moment of your life but He chooses to distance Himself from you and allows you to become scorned and despised by those around you.

Do not interpret this action of God as punishment for your sins. He is at work to refine you into His character. 

The purpose of God is to strengthen your faith and prepare you for future battles between light and darkness.

During the times when God seems absent walk by faith understanding God hears every word you speak to Him.

Cast your feelings of anger, bitterness and depression on the shoulders of God. Don’t allow them to lead you into darkness.

Seek the blood of Christ to cover your sins and be open to the conviction of the Holy Spirit. 

Finally, put your hope in these words; “I would have lost heart unless I had believed I would see the goodness of God in the land of the living.”

“The glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory” Colossians 1:27

God woke me up last night with the words in this narrative.

The appellation (or name) of Christ lives in all believers. The appellation begins and ends in Heaven.

The decision for Christ by faith places the seed of Christ within you.

The seed is the gift of salvation and has to be watered and nourished.

The seed is the Living Christ who wants to speak to you and become your very best friend. 

The seed will be severely tested to determine your loyalty to Christ.

The seed grows to maturity through prayer, the Word, and worshipping God in Spirit and Truth.

The seed must be covered with the blood of Christ to deal with the retardants.

The seed becomes a powerful light for Jesus touching those living in darkness.

The seed needs the protection of Christ to grow and thrive into a beautiful tree of righteousness.

The seed lives to glorify God in your words and actions.

The seed multiplies the life of Christ within you.

The seed experiences a growing season with pain and sorrow.

The seed grows by faith in the promises of the Son of God.

The seed overcomes the storms of life through the strength of Christ.

The seed magnifies God in your words and actions.

The seed groans for the creation of Christ.

The seed is Christ in you through the efficacy of the Holy Spirit.

“Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness; and all these things will be added to you.” Matthew 6:33

God spoke to me today about abandonment using the analogy of barnacles on a rock to illustrate what He does to those who yield to Him.

Abandonment is giving God permission to do with you as He pleases. You live in the presence of God without expectations.

Abandonment is building a personal relationship with God through prayer, the Word and listening for His voice. 

Abandonment is living in obedience to the voice of God even when it makes no sense to you.

Abandonment is living under the blood of Jesus confessing your sins and seeking repentance. 

Abandonment is not about personal holiness or sanctification; it is walking in oneness with God.

Abandonment is making God your priority above all the things in the world. 

Abandonment is not about giving things up for God; it is receiving the abundant life from God.

Abandonment is vigilantly seeking the will of God. 

Abandonment is walking by faith believing in the promises of God. 

Abandonment is resting in God and allowing the Holy Spirit to help you meet every challenge in your life. 

Abandonment is understanding your unworthiness and depravity will never leave you and the righteousness of God is a gift from Heaven. 

Abandonment is an open heart to God. 

“The LORD said to Hosea, Go, take to yourself a wife of whoredom and have children of whoredom.” Hosea 1:2

This narrative deals with unabashed devotion to the reality of God. It is about turning away from your cherished religious beliefs and convictions and entering the world of the Living Christ.

God told Hosea to marry a prostitute and ordered Abraham to sacrifice his son.

What is God asking you to do?

Many believers hide in the comfort of religion and never experience the sometimes harsh and controversial reality of the Living Christ.

You and I have to be completely devoted to the Living Christ and turn away from cursory practices of worship.

Worship Jesus in Spirit and Truth. Invite the Holy Spirit to have authority over your life. Listen for the voice of God and respond with obedience.

What you think might please God is usually far from the heart of Jesus.

If you are one with God He will take you out of the bubble of religion and lead you into the sewers of life. This is where He does His work. 

God is looking for your undivided loyalty to Him regardless of the cost or repercussions from others.

Invite the Holy Spirit to crush your unfounded beliefs and traditions about Jesus and show you the purposes of His heart. 

You will be amazed about the unconditional love of God and how Jesus works to draw those living in abject poverty to receive the gift of salvation.

“There is a way that seems right to a man but its end is the way of death.” Proverbs 14:12

Last night God spoke to me through a dream. There was a man who changed his identity in an attempt to protect himself and his family. He was pretending to be someone whom he was not. He was deceiving himself and those around him. Finally, he faced God and those in his life and confessed his real identity.

God told me what happens to all of us is that we start out with good intentions but our motives become twisted. We end up perverting the gospel and diminishing the power of the Holy Spirit working within us.

Your intentions and plans have to originate through and be submissive to the Holy Spirit. He will keep your motives on track with God. We attempt to think for God in planning our goals. This will always lead you astray.

The challenge is living in your new identity in Christ and not relapsing into a false identity.

This happens when you make decisions from the flesh which may seem like they are good but they do not reflect the purposes of Jesus.

There has to be an integration of the Spirit and Truth in all your decision making. This will allow you to do the will of God on earth as it is done in Heaven.

Live in your new identity in Christ through vigilant prayer seeking His will for your life. Walk with God by faith yielding to the authority of the Holy Spirit. Listen for the voice of God and respond with obedience to His instructions.

“Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.” Matthew 5:16

The word from God today is the adornment of Jesus in a believer.

The definition of adornment is an action of decoration or embellishment to make someone more attractive to others.

You were born in the image of God but you are incomplete in the eyes of Jesus.

The adornment begins with your decision for Jesus. You are sealed with the Holy Spirit. He is the life of Christ.

You are born again by the action of the Water and Spirit. The Water makes you clean in the eyes of Jesus and the Spirit baptizes you into the death and resurrected life of Jesus.

Sin diminishes the power of the Holy Spirit so you and I have to live in continual repentance and ask to be covered with the blood of Jesus.

This is a lifelong process and requires you to have an open heart to the conviction of the Spirit of Christ.

People see the Living Water through your demeanor, words, and actions. This is mostly a subliminal action by God for those who walk in oneness with Him.

The powerful anointing of the Holy Spirit comes upon those who walk by faith and are obedient to the voice of God.

The Holy Spirit equips you with spiritual gifts to do the work of ministry. The gifts are designed to increase the Body of Christ and bring counsel to believers in the knowledge of God.

The purpose of the Living Water is to glorify God and draw unbelievers to Him.

“So all Israel shall hear and fear, and not again do such wickedness as this among you.” Deuteronomy 13:11

The disposition of Jesus today deals with judgment and is reflected in these words: “I will take vengeance; I will not arbitrate with man.”

God is angry and His judgment is terrifying and severe.

The Israelites were tempted by the teaching of false prophets and many were seduced into worshipping false gods. 

God spoke very clearly about this situation. He ordered the Israelites to kill all the false prophets and to kill every family member worshipping false gods.

This is how serious God feels today about the conditions in our society. And, He never changes.

Satan is at work everywhere in our world. Sin abounds with sexual immorality, deviant gender behavior, and greed for worldly living. 

In Christianity, Satan has seduced the Body of Christ into worshipping a spirit of religion impersonating himself as Jesus.

The leaders in the Body of Christ whitewash the truths of God.

They compromise the standards of Jesus to appease our changing society and to fulfill their own purposes. 

Walking with Jesus begins with an internal transaction. You agree to live for Jesus above all else. There can no compromise in this heart transaction with God. 

Worship Jesus in Spirit and Truth. 

Commit your works each day to God and invite the Holy Spirit to have authority over your life.

Listen for the voice of God and respond with obedience.

Open your heart up to the conviction of the Holy Spirit.

Do not start your day until you have faced God and humbled yourself before Him. 

This solidarity with God will strengthen your faith and give you the confidence to deal with any challenge in your life. 

Today on my walk God spoke the words “Your soul is the essence of God’s creation”.

You were created by God and given a soul. Your soul belongs to God and has a final destination. Your soul is empty of God at birth.

There is a battle for your soul between God and Satan. 

Your soul is a reflection of God. It can be light or darkness. 

We all have to make a choice about how we fill our soul. Your soul groans for the righteousness of God. 

Salvation comes by the Spirit of Christ piercing your soul with the words of God. You either accept the words by faith or live blinded to the love of God.

The decision for Christ seals you with the Holy Spirit. He is the life of Christ and the guardian of your soul.

Your soul thirsts for God. You can fill this void with the Living Water. 

Your soul is nourished through prayer, the Word, listening to the voice of God and giving praise and adoration to Jesus.

Your soul is a precursor to your final resting place!

“He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” Philippians 1:6

Jesus wants you to take your birthright seriously. He died to give you everlasting life.

There is no ending to the work of Christ for a believer living on earth. And, it can be very painful at times.

The perfecting work of Christ requires a believer to walk by faith and have an open heart to seek the will of God.

This begins with your decision for Christ which triggers the gift of salvation. This gift has to be worked out every day of your life on the journey to your final destination with God.

The salvation of God gives you a new birthright. You become a new creature in Christ Jesus born of the Water and Spirit. You are now entitled to all the promises of God.

Jesus takes on the task to refine you into His character. It is impossible for you to change from your natural condition (at birth) into the character of God. 

The Holy Spirit who is the life of Christ does the handiwork of God. He lives in you and is working at all times to teach you the values of Christ and to transform you into the likeness of Jesus. 

This deep surgical procedure covers your entire lifetime. The Cross causes you to die to self and live for Christ. At times, this creates pain and sorrow.

God engineers adversities and trials to demonstrate how weak and incapable you are of functioning without Him. 

God wants you to have a lifestyle of unyielding faith and total dependence on Him for your every need regardless of the circumstances in your life. 

Your new birthright was created to give you the ability to cease from striving and enter into the rest of God. This rest is the result of the work of Jesus on the Cross. 

You enter into this rest by faith and asking the Holy Spirit to empower you with the resurrected power of Christ to meet all the challenges in your life. 

He lives so you can live!

God spoke to me last night about bargaining with Jesus.

Bargaining is defined as negotiating the terms of a contract.  

There is no negotiation in your relationship with God. The decision for Christ is to live for Him by faith. You agree to make Jesus the centerpiece of your life and seek out His will for your life.

The mindset of most believers entering into a covenant with God is you must do works and keep laws to obtain the favor of God. 

This is an impediment to walking with God. There is no obligation on the part of God to bless you because of your works. The blessings of God come to those who walk by faith believing in the promises of God and are obedient to the voice of God. 

This is the terms of your salvation contract with God. You become a new creature in Christ and old things fade away and all things become new. Your life is in the hands of God. 

Seek God through prayer, the Word, and the Holy Spirit.

The love of God is your motive for doing good works and becoming a fountain of Living Water touching others. 

The reason to make a decision for Jesus who has power and dominion over the heavens and earth is you can look into His face and be accepted as blameless and innocent from all sin. There is no shame or embarrassment over you in the eyes of Jesus.

You will impress Jesus by your unyielding faith and coming to Him as an utterly unworthy and broken individual who can never match up to the standards of God.