The challenge is to ask yourself “Do you seek out Jesus for help with all your needs and troubles?” Is this a consistent lifestyle or a random practice? Or, is Jesus just there for calamities?

David’s lifestyle was to seek out God for every need. He believed God was his keeper and would preserve him from all evil. He believed God would preserve his every step going out and coming in each day.

This passion for God has to be deeply implanted in your heart and soul. The passion comes from knowing God, hearing His voice and witnessing His greatness and glory. 

David explains God never sleeps and is always your keeper. He shall preserve you from all evil. He states the Lord is your shade at your right hand and the sun shall not strike you by day nor the moon by night.

The powerful protection of God is expressed in the Bible by “No weapon formed against you shall prosper.” 

These promises come true to those who seek the will of Jesus and walk by faith believing in His promises. 

Taking Jesus seriously will change your life and you will experience the presence of the Living Christ.  

Jesus can do for you what you can never do for yourself!

“And when He has come, He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment”

John 16:8

Jesus will be departing shortly to be reunited with His Father and no one asks Him where He is going. 

The disciples and those around Him are sad to lose Jesus and His greatness and glory. They are beginning to feel abandoned.

Jesus explains that it is to their advantage that He leaves the earth. If He does not leave the Helper (Holy Spirit) will not come to His followers but if He departs Jesus will send the Holy Spirit to all His followers.

The Holy Spirit is the life of Jesus so His followers will be able to live in the presence of Jesus because the Holy Spirit will be sealed in all believers. 

Jesus explains the purpose of the Holy Spirit. He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment.

The sin is not seeking the will of God above all else and failing to walk by faith believing in the promises of Jesus. 

Jesus will be with His Father and they will see Him no longer. They don’t understand that the righteousness of God does not disappear because Jesus is gone. The Holy Spirit transforms a believer into the character of God.

The death of Jesus on the Cross created the judgment of God to fall on Satan, the ruler of the world. The judgment of God is over all those who seek the riches of the world or attempt to live by the values of the world.

The Holy Spirit is the perfect solution for a believer to live with Jesus who is in Heaven.

The Christ follower who submits to the authority of the Holy Spirit will hear the voice of Jesus and live in His presence. He will be able to draw upon all the powerful attributes of Jesus. He will be protected from evil by the omniscient wisdom and guidance of Jesus.

The Holy Spirit brings glory and honor to God!

“Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father. And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask anything in My name, I will do it.” John 14:12-14

The words of Jesus in this excerpt from the Book of John are very difficult for a human mind to understand. It is easy for a believer to accept “That he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also.” We have factual evidence in our own lives and the lives of others beginning with the apostles at Pentecost and through history with Christ followers.

The next statement by Jesus is almost impossible to grasp “And greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father.”

The possible explanation might be the greater works have not happened yet but will take place in the future. 

The better explanation is the greater works will take place because Jesus is in heaven with His Father and a believer can pray to Jesus for a miracle and He will make it happen. Elijah prayed many hours for God to stop the rain and then after three years he prayed for rain. God honored both prayers. 

Always pray in the name of Jesus so the Son may be glorified in the Father and ask the Holy Spirit to frame the prayer in the will of Jesus. 

Make your prayers bold and ask for big things that conform to the prophesies of Jesus.

Prayer is a lifetime conversation with Jesus and has no limits. Praying is essential for a Christ follower.

Commit your works at the start of each day to Jesus and ask for His wisdom and protection.

Be sure to listen for the voice of Jesus. He speaks to believers through the mind of Christ. And, remember one day is like a thousand years with God so learn to be patient.

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.” 2 Corinthians 5:17

It depends.

The change in your life is in direct relationship to your commitment to Jesus. 

If you are a Christian who defines the boundaries with Jesus and desires to live for self don’t expect a dynamic change.

The Christ follower who zealously seeks the will of God and makes Jesus the centerpiece of his life will become a new creature in Christ. He will be “born again” and transformed into the character of Jesus.

This has nothing to do with religion, keeping laws or doing works. It is about building a personal and endearing relationship with Jesus. The goal is to get to know Jesus, hear His voice and live in His presence.

The new creature in Christ will die to self and live for Jesus. All things become new and his old life fades away. He thinks differently and has a new perspective on life. He becomes a strong witness to those around him.

The new creature in Christ walks by faith and not by what he sees with his eyes. He understands God calls things that don’t exist as if they did. This is how God created the world and every living creature.

The Christ follower understands without faith it is impossible to please God. He accepts without any doubt that Jesus has power and dominion over the heavens and earth and nothing is impossible for Him. 

The Christ follower is willing to lay down his life for Jesus. He walks by faith believing in the promises of God. He is obedient to Jesus regardless of the personal cost or lack of logic. He believes Jesus is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him out. 

The new creature takes sin seriously and seeks repentance and the blood of Jesus to make him clean. He asks Jesus every day to show him anything he is doing that grieves the Holy Spirit.

The new creature recognizes he is just a pilgrim or foreigner passing through the world. He has severed the ties to the world and lives under the authority of the Holy Spirit.

The walk with Jesus is unpredictable and will be controversial about the attitudes of the world.

God can make radical changes in the life of a believer. He told Abraham to leave his homeland and travel to an unknown destination. He lived in tents with Sarai and Lot.

The new creature belongs to Jesus. He can do with him as He pleases!

Where sin abounds the grace of God abounds more! Romans 5:20

From the very beginning the human race could not overcome sin. It is impossible to be like God because your natural life at birth wants to satisfy self and defy God’s precepts. This disposition is deeply ingrained in your personality and genetic makeup. 

The Ten Commandments were given by God and they are perfect. They prove the infallibility of a human to please God. 

Many people attempt to justify what is right or wrong by worldly or their own moral standards. This is nonsense with God.

God never changes his attitude about sin. He hates sin but he knows we can never be perfect or come close to matching up to His standards. Jesus is not looking for perfection but a willing heart to change.

We tend to define our own boundaries with God rather than submitting our will to Jesus.

The battle is fought in Heaven over the conflict between God’s will and self independence 

Jesus died on the Cross for your sins. The blood of Christ cleanses an individual from all sin. But this does not create change.

The change comes when someone makes a decision for Jesus. This will give you a new identity in life and old things will fade away.

The Cross seals a believer with the Holy Spirit. He is the life of Christ.

The purpose of the Holy Spirit is to transform a person into the character of Jesus. This new creature is created by the baptism of your natural life into the death of Jesus.

This transformation is nurtured through calamities engineered by God and the conviction and teaching of the Holy Spirit. 

God looks at your motives and actions and teaches believers how  to operate under the authority of the Holy Spirit. 

The only way you can please Jesus is to submit to the authority of the Holy Spirit. This happens by walking in oneness with Jesus and living by faith in His promises. 

Jesus is not a story book character who lived in the past. He is alive and wants to leap out of the Bible and come into your life.

The God on Mount Horeb is not Jesus or the Holy Spirit. He is God, the creator of the world. The presence of God brings terrifying fear.

The Jesus in the Bible comes across like a gentle lamb without a volatile or angry temperament but when Jesus comes back to claim His church He will be like a roaring lion.

Meet Jesus and your life will never be the same. He will speak to you and demonstrate His greatness and glory. 

Jesus will give you a new life and transform you into His character.

Jesus relates to a human being through the Cross. Make a decision to live for Him and He will crucify your natural life and begin the process of making you Christlike. 

Jesus will forgive every sin in your life with His blood and restore you to God. This will enable you to stand blameless before God without condemnation. 

Jesus operates by faith and you have to ask and then you will receive. He is very approachable.

The difference between God and a human being is God is perfect, without sin or any ego and we are self driven people who desire to live for self.

God created a solution to this conflict. He seals a believer with the Holy Spirit who is the life of Christ. If you live under the authority of the Holy Spirit you can do the will of God on earth as it is done in Heaven. 

The difficulty is we go in and out with the Holy Spirit. We allow the temptations of the world or our fleshly desires to influence our behavior. This conflict is the story of mankind and God.

Jesus knows you better than you know yourself. He is omniscient and sees every detail in your life from the past to the future. He desires to protect you from evil and keep you safe.

Jesus doe not think or act like you so it is important to get to know Him and how to walk in oneness with Him.

The compelling reason for Jesus is He can give you a life you can never achieve on your own!

Jesus answered, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.” John 3:5

The natural life at birth of a human being can never think or act like God. This life is consumed with living for self.

It is impossible to know Jesus and walk in oneness with Him unless you are born again. This happens by making a decision to live for Jesus above all else.

A human being cannot dictate the boundaries in a relationship with Jesus. It’s all or nothing. 

Jesus states that you must be born of the water and the Spirit to enter the kingdom of God. Jesus has no interest in your natural life from birth. It is tainted with corruption and is defiant to the ways of God.

To enter the kingdom of God refers to beginning a new life with Jesus and has nothing to do with death. Salvation is a personal and embracing lifestyle walking with Jesus.

The born again experience requires a person to be baptized by water. Jesus washed the disciples feet to make them clean of sin. The baptism by water immersion causes you to resurface as a new creature in Christ Jesus with a clean slate.

The Spirit baptizes you into the death and resurrection of Jesus. You die to self and God seals you with the Holy Spirit. He begins to crucify your old life and transform you into the character of Jesus.

The wind (Holy Spirit) blows you where Jesus wants to take you. The believer can hear the sound of the wind but cannot tell where it comes from or where it goes.

The Christ follower can hear the voice of God and is guided by the Holy Spirit. This is the characteristic of every one born of the Spirit. 

Religion contradicts the Holy Spirit. Most churches focus on keeping laws and doing works. This inhibits the power of the Holy Spirit and the ability to know the Living Christ.

Phillip was taken by the Spirit to meet the Ethiopian riding in his chariot. Phillip explained scripture to him and he became a believer and was baptized. 

After making a decision for Jesus your life no longer belongs to you. Jesus can do with you as He pleases.

To walk in oneness with Jesus the believer must be submitting to the authority of the Holy Spirit and praying for the will of Jesus.

The only way you can do the will of Jesus on earth as it is done in Heaven is through the Holy Spirit who lives in you. He is the life of Jesus!

“You, who have shown me great and severe troubles, Shall revive me again, And bring me up again from the depths of the earth. You shall increase my greatness, And comfort me on every side.” Psalm 71:20-21

Paul, an apostle of Jesus, is a perfect example of experiencing the yo-yo effect. He went from a king with royalty to living in the wilderness and eating like an animal.

The yo-yo effect touches every believer. It is induced by two factors. Jesus looks at your life and decides to engineer trials to strengthen and purify your faith. Secondly, a believer makes mistakes that bring crisis and turmoil in his life. 

Actually, the underlying reason is sin whether presumptuous or character defects that inhibit you from becoming Christlike.

Jesus promises to deliver you from the stranglehold of deprivation and depression. He also promises to increase your greatness and comfort you in every aspect of your life.

Walking with Jesus is a zig zag journey without predictably or consistency.

Jesus does not think or act like a human. At times, we feel like time is running out. Jesus does not function on a human timeline. He simply says one day is like a thousand years and why worry because there is no end in the life of a believer.

“You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of Me. But you are not willing to come to Me that you may have life.” John 5:39-40

Jesus was confronting the religious leaders over how to find eternal life.

He said you can search the scriptures endlessly looking for eternal life but will not find the answer. 

Jesus said the scriptures testify of Me but you are not willing to come to Me. 

The enigma is Christians will read and respect the Bible and do all kinds of religious work but they are not willing to seek the Living Christ.

Jesus said “I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to God except through Me.” This means God is off limits to one seeking eternal life. God has delegated salvation to His Son.

The Jesus in the Bible desires to come personally into your life. He wants to speak to you and be present in all the moments of your life. He wants to establish a symbiotic relationship with you built on faith.

This can happen when you make a decision to live for Jesus with no strings attached. He wants all of you and is not willing to share you with other gods or idols.

The decision for Jesus will seal you with the Holy Spirit. He is the life of Jesus.

The Holy Spirit will cause you to die to self and live for Jesus. He will transform you into the character of Jesus. 

This relationship is not about pursuing works. It is getting to know the reality of Jesus and walking by faith not by sight. The Holy Spirit will convict you of compulsive behaviors and impure motives. He will teach you how to walk in oneness with Jesus.

Jesus will become alive in your prayers, reading the Bible and your thought and actions.

Jesus wants you to be obedient to His instructions regardless of the cost or lack of logic. Jesus wants to build your loyalty and trust in Him.

Jesus will teach you how to live by faith and reach out to Him for all your needs. He will remove the importance of the world and fill you with His omniscient wisdom and protection.

Jesus lives so you can have an abundant life filled with His presence!

Meet the Living Christ you will be astonished by His power and glory!

“By which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.”

2 Peter 1:5

Peter wrote this while living in a tent and approaching end of life. He was a loyal disciple and learned many spiritual truths in his time with Jesus. 

The same presumptuous sins that led to the ruin of the Israeli nation are present today in our society.

The culprit is lust which desires to satisfy self. This behavior makes Jesus angry and grieves the Holy Spirit.

We all have this corrupt inner nature to defy God and live for self. The only way to overcome the lusts of the flesh and be transformed into the divine nature of Jesus is through His promises.

The precious promises of Jesus are life changing and help a believer to turn away from lust and the corrupt ways of the world.

The Bible teaches that anyone who makes a decision for Jesus will be “born again” and receive the gift of salvation. They will have a new identity built on the personality and values of Jesus. The old life will fade away and all things will become new.

Like Peter, we have the blood of Jesus to cleanse us from all sin and the indwelling Holy Spirit to transform us into the character of Jesus.

Invite the Holy Spirit to have authority over you life and He will fill you with His thoughts and guide your footsteps.

The Bible teaches the righteousness of Jesus comes to those who walk by faith and not by what they see with their eyes. 

For example, Abraham obeyed God and was credited with the righteousness of God.

Seek out Jesus through prayer, reading the Bible and listening for His voice. He is alive and wants a personal and embracing relationship with a believer.

Make Jesus the centerpiece of your life and commit your works each day to Him. He will be alive and present in all the moments of life.

Jesus wants to give you a better life than you can ever achieve on your own!