Religion likes to paint a beautiful picture of the life of a believer. Unfortunately, this is not true. Believers face many calamities and heart breaking events.

Many believers will question the validity that all things work together for good. What about death, tragedy, divorce, wars? You cannot rationalize good out of bad.

The better way to interpret this truth to a believer is “Where sin abounds, grace abounds more.” The world is full of evil and Satan desires to steal, kill and destroy. God is stating My love abounds more. I take the bitter events of life and bring inner healing and restoration. I turn the destruction of Satan into a blessing of God.

God is not to blame for the evil in the world. Jesus cited the example of the eighteen people who were killed when the tower of Siloam fell on them. Jesus said do you think they were worse sinners than all the other men in Jerusalem? Jesus said no but unless you repent you will all likewise perish.

The morality of a man may not have anything to do with a tragic accident.

At times we all make mistakes that lead to destruction and misery. This happens when we make decisions out of our emotions or fleshly desires. The Bible reminds us there is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death.

Bad things happen in the world. All we can do is pray for the blood of Jesus to cover us, turn away from darkness and walk in the light of Jesus.

When bad things do happen, the love of God will heal and restore a believer. The disclaimer is that we love God and are called according to His purpose for our life.

We love God walking by faith believing in His promises and seeking His will for our life.

It is so important to submit your life to the authority of the Holy Spirit. The omniscient wisdom of God will protect you from Satan. Inquire of the Lord in making important decisions. He will never fail you!

Right now we all live in this story about broken humanity.

Abraham’s son was Issac. He was married to Rebekah who was barren but finally got pregnant with twins.

The twins struggled inside Rebekah and she went to inquire of the Lord as to why she was so uncomfortable.

God spoke to Rebekah about the twins. He said two completely different nations are in your womb. Two people shall come out of your body. One of the people will be stronger than the other and the older shall serve the younger.

God is the creator of life. He is omniscient and sees everything. He created two uniquely different sons with different genealogies.

God chose Jacob who was a man of many sins but walked by faith to fulfill the promises God made to Abraham and inherit the genealogy leading to Christ.

Esau did not respect God or His birthright as the elder son. He rebelled against the laws of God and even married foreign wives who came from a culture that worshipped false gods.

The twins were born and Esau came out first. He was red and looked like a hairy garment. Jacob followed and his hand was holding on to the heel of Esau.

The boys grew up and Esau was a skillful hunter but Jacob was a mild (or complete) man dwelling in tents.

The parents contributed to the conflict between the twins because Issac loved Esau for eating his wild game and Rebekah loved Jacob.

The conflict escalated one day when Esau came in from the field and was tired. Jacob had cooked a stew and Esau asked for a bowl of stew. This incident caused Esau to be called Edom.

Jacob said sell me your birthright as of today. Esau was very tired and about to collapse without food so he agreed to sell his birthright to Jacob. He despised the birthright which would entitle him to the promises of God and most of Abraham’s estate.

The Hebrew word for Edom is red. Esau later founded the kingdom of Edom which defied God and was eventually destroyed over their lack of respect for God.

Choosing Jacob or Esau?

What is the significance of this story today? Every human being is born with an inner nature to defy God and live for self. This story is filled with deception and impure motives in the lives of all the family members. Jacob was a man of many imperfections just like you. But he was different! He believed in God.

Regardless of your genealogy or belief system there is only one way to change your destiny. You must fear and respect God and make a decision to live for Christ Jesus. This will change your genealogy and you will become a citizen of heaven and inherit all the promises of God.

It is very possible to live in oneness with the reality of the Living Christ. Jesus wants to be your best friend and dwell in every moment of your life.

Jesus lives in heaven so it is impossible to personally meet with Him. Jesus is a sight not seen.

The Bible is a historical document about the life of Jesus and His teachings. There is no power in the Bible unless you are a Spirit filled believer. Then the Word will become alive, powerful and life changing.

You can listen to thousands of sermons and read the Bible every day of your life but this will not give you the Living Christ.

Jesus cannot be found through your intellect or commentaries written by Bible scholars.

Jesus desires to have a personal and vibrant relationship with a believer.

Jesus wants to give you the gift of salvation.

Salvation is how you become a new creature in Christ Jesus.

Salvation begins with your decision for Christ and gives you the ability to live closely with Jesus. Salvation has nothing to do with time.

Salvation invites you to have a symbiotic relationship with Jesus. He will speak to you, refine you into His character, and share all of His attributes with you.

Salvation seals you with the Holy Spirit. He is the life of Jesus and your portal to walking in oneness with Jesus.

Jesus desires for you to seek His will above all else and live with Him by faith believing in the promises of God.

Faith is trusting Jesus for your every need and not accepting what you see with your eyes. Faith is a lifestyle of seeking help from Jesus who has power and dominion over the heavens and earth.

Salvation frees you from all laws, religion, and doing works to appease God.

The relationship between a believer and Jesus is defined by sin. Jesus wants you to see you are self driven with many character defects. Jesus wants to forgive your sins with His blood and at the same time teach you to turn away from darkness and walk in the light. Jesus knows you will never match up to His standards but you can live a life pleasing to Him.

Jesus is omniscient. He sees everything in your life from the past into the future. How can you deny the omniscient protection of God?

Jesus wants your obedience and loyalty to Him. Like Abraham when Jesus instructs you He wants your compliance without argument or procrastination.

All the promises of God in Christ are yes and amen!

The secret to walking with Jesus is giving the Holy Spirit authority over your life. Commit your works each day to Jesus and ask Him to give you the mind of Christ. Jesus will amaze you with His reality. He will speak to you, give you supernatural wisdom and protect you from the evils of the world.

Jesus wants to enhance the quality of every aspect of your life. He desires to fill you with His goodness and unspeakable joy.

Jesus is very exorbitant. He wants all of your life. The fullness of Jesus comes to those who let go and zealously seek the will of God above all else.

Salvation will bring many challenges and trials. This is the fire of God refining your faith and teaching you patience.

Jesus keeps His promises and delivers His people. There is no one like Jesus. Nothing is impossible for Him!

Jesus wants you to be a fragrance of His knowledge touching all those around you with Living Water!

Religion lies to a believer. It has hidden motives and attempts to instruct believers through laws and works. Religion tells believers God only works through a church which is an outright myth. Religion wants to strangle you but God wants to set you free.

The gift of salvation comes from the unconditional love of Christ and faith in His promises. Salvation comes without rules or the requirement to appease God through keeping laws or doing works.

Salvation sets you free to walk with the Living Christ. The Christ follower draws near to God by seeking the will of Jesus above all else.

The example in the Bible explaining this principle is Abraham. He had two sons. One son came from a bondwoman; the other son came from a freewoman. Hagar gave Abraham a son through the flesh; Sarah gave Abraham a son from God.

The law is composed of weak and beggarly elements. No one has ever been able to keep the laws of God. This is why God shattered the laws and replaced them with Christ.

God desires for you to live in the liberty of Christ. If you attempt to live with Jesus through laws you have fallen away from the love of God and faith in Jesus which brings His righteousness.

Religion is built on instructing believers to keep laws. This will bring condemnation and failure because nothing will change you except faith in Jesus.

The starting point is to make a decision to live for Jesus by faith and seek His will for your life. Pay attention because this decision will seal you with the Holy Spirit. He is the life of Christ and your freedom from religion.

The Holy Spirit will teach you the truths of God unvarnished by religion. He enables you to walk in oneness with Jesus and hear His voice.

The Holy Spirit will give you a new belief system built on the death and resurrection of Jesus.

Jesus died on the Cross to shatter religion and the violations of the laws. He wants to give you an abundant life and the freedom of the Cross.

God was very angry with the Israelites and said ‘They always go astray in their heart, and they have not known My ways.’

This is why God led the Israelites on a 40 year zig zag journey that actually should have taken just a few days. He was angry because they refused to trust Him and turned to other gods.

All the Israeli adults died in the wilderness and never entered the Promised Land. And, this included Moses who spent more time in the presence of the Lord than any other human being.

If you want the favor of Jesus you must walk by faith trusting in the promises of God and not what you see with your eyes. Without faith you cannot please God.

God despises believers who complain and grumble about their circumstances. He killed several thousand Israelites with poisonous snakes in the wilderness. Jesus takes faith seriously.

Jesus is perfect and without sin. He came from Heaven in a human body and was obedient to His Father to give up His life on the Cross.

Jesus endured this agony because He was loyal to His Father.

The Christ follower is given the gift of salvation by faith in Jesus. The decision for Jesus causes you to be baptized into the death and resurrection of Christ.

As a Christ follower you agree to seek the will of God above all else.

The new creature in Christ Jesus lives in the world but he is not of the world.

Most believers cannot let go of worldly thinking and values. This attitude will bring calamities and the judgment of God because you are rejecting your inheritance in Christ.

Commit your works each day to God and submit to the authority of the Holy Spirit and God will be pleased with you.

The gift of salvation enables a believer to live in the reality of the Living Christ.

Jesus desires to have a symbiotic and deeply personal relationship with a believer. He wants to be in all the moments of your life!

Many self professed Christians live in a yo-yo effect with God. They are up and down depending on the conditions of their life.

Believers tend to waiver back and forth depending on their emotions. If life is good, Jesus is good.

Another factor causing the yo-yo effect is living out of your natural desires and dismissing God from interfering with your decision making.

And, there are those who are in the bondage of a stronghold of Satan and have no control over their lives.

The yo-yo effect creates troubles and misery for a believer. If you disregard Jesus, He will disregard you. This causes you to lose the omniscient wisdom and protection of Jesus and you will face many calamities trying to live in the evil world of Satan.

If you are a believer the Holy Spirit is sealed inside you. He is the life of Christ and He never changes. There is no yo-yo in Jesus. He is the same yesterday, today and forever.

Do you really want to play games with Jesus who has power and dominion over the heavens and earth?

Jesus wants a believer to walk in oneness with Him anchored to the Holy Spirit. This is your safety net against disaster.

Jesus wants to speak to you and guide your pathway but you must reach out to Him.

You can avoid the yo-yo effect through prayer committing your works each day to God. Be serious about God and He will give you a life you can never achieve on your own.

Jesus lives inside you! Give the Holy Spirit authority over your life and the reality of the Living Christ will be in all the moments of your life.

God spoke to me last night about His intrinsic quality in a believer. The definition of intrinsic is belonging to the essential nature or constitution of a thing (or in the context of God this refers to the Holy Spirit). We belong to God through His Spirit.

The Holy Spirit is the life of Christ and is sealed inside every believer. He is the portal to the power and glory of Christ.

The Living Christ desires a personal and embracing relationship with all believers. He wants to be in all the moments of your life.

The Holy Spirit does not like sin and those who pretend to be believers but dwell in darkness. This grieves the Holy Spirit. He will remove the anointing of God and block His promises on those who live out of their flesh and do not respect God.

This is a powerful promise from God!

I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him and honor him. With long life I will satisfy him, And show him My salvation.

The Holy Spirit has been speaking to me about this awesome promise for several days. He desires for every believer to receive and benefit from this valuable promise from Jesus.

The key to unlocking this powerful promise is loving God.

Loving God has nothing to do with your emotions, religion, keeping laws, or doing works to please God.

This is how to demonstrate your love for God!

We fear and respect Him. Jesus has power and dominion over the heavens and earth.

We pray, read the Bible and listen for His voice.

We zealously seek His will for our life above all else.

We yield to the authority of the Holy Spirit.

We repent from sin and pray for the blood of Christ to cover us.

We are open to the conviction and correction of the Holy Spirit.

We walk by faith believing in the promises of God and not what we see with our eyes.

We commit our works each day to God and pray for the mind of Christ.

We pray for wisdom and inquire of the Lord in all our decision making.

We are obedient to the voice of Jesus regardless of the lack of logic or the personal costs.

In Jesus, we live and move have our being!

Walking with Jesus is not a metaphor; it is a reality for a Christ follower.

The prerequisite to walk with God is you must be born of the Spirit.

The process begins with your commitment to Jesus.

The gift of salvation comes to all those who confess with their lips and believe in their hearts that Jesus is Lord.

If you have made this commitment you are saved and the Holy Spirit is sealed inside you.

Jesus looks at your heart to determine if are you serious or lukewarm about living for Him.

Pray you can let go of worldly living and abandon yourself to Jesus in every aspect of your life.

This is very important because it will dictate the power of the Cross to baptize you into the death and resurrection of Christ.

If you want to walk with Jesus you must be living under the authority of the Holy Spirit and seriously seeking the will of God for your life.

There can be no impediments blocking you from receiving the fullness of the Spirit.

This does not mean you are without sin but you are living under the blood of Jesus and asking for the Spirit to convict and change you into the character of Jesus.

Expect the unexpected with Jesus!

Now you are ready to walk with Jesus. Commit your works each day to Jesus and ask for the wisdom of God.

You will be unable to predict where the wind (Holy Spirit) is coming from or where it is going.

Jesus will speak to you and guide your pathway. Give the wind (Holy Spirit) the freedom to blow you where He wants to take you.

Be obedient to the instructions of God even though they may not make any sense.

God will give you glimpses of the future but you must walk by faith believing in the promises of Jesus.

Walking with Jesus is a new way of living and experiencing the reality of the Living Christ.

Jesus will be alive in all the moments of your life!

This narrative is about letting go and giving Jesus control over your life. He wants to be in all your thoughts, words, and actions.

Jesus has power and dominion over the heavens and earth and controls your destiny whether you believe in Him or not.

Jesus wants to be the centerpiece of your life and have a symbiotic and personal relationship with a believer.

If you surrender to Jesus you will abide in the presence of the Living Christ. He will speak to you, provide wisdom, and protect you. Jesus will bring quality to every aspect of your life. He will be with you always.

The lackluster believer will never experience the reality of the Living Christ and will suffer greatly.

You cannot find God through listening to sermons or reading the Bible. There has to be a heart commitment to live for Jesus above all else. There can be no “hands off” attitude toward the things you value in the world.

As a believer, you are asked to give up your independence and freedom and yield to the supremacy of Christ.

This is scary and uncomfortable for most people. God asks you to walk by faith with very little vision of your future.

It is virtually impossible to surrender to Christ unless you know who He is and have experienced His greatness and glory.

Here is why you can have confidence in our great and awesome God!

Yours, O Lord, is the greatness, The power and the glory, The victory and the majesty; For all that is in heaven and in earth is Yours; Yours is the kingdom, O Lord, And You are exalted as head over all.

The gift of salvation seals you with the Holy Spirit. He is the life of Christ and refines you into the character of God. You become a new creature in Christ and entitled to all the promises of God.

Jesus forgives all your sins and covers you with His precious blood.

Submit to the authority of the Holy Spirit and Jesus will be a living reality and your best friend!

The jurisdiction of Christ is your safety net and pathway to the fullness of God!

The judgment of God is over the Body of Christ. Many pastors will be replaced and churches will continue to decline.

Christianity attempts to focus on keeping laws and doing works to appease God. They want believers to immerse themselves into religious activities.

Most Christians do not listen for the voice of God and are not serious about obeying the precepts of God.

Israel was God’s favored nation. They were brought down by pride. They refused to honor God’s words and lived according to the desires of their flesh.

God delivered the Israelites from slavery and gave them a beautiful homeland. Beginning with Abraham God blessed Israel and caused the Israelites to cling to Him.

The Israelites worshipped other gods and idols. This was profitable for nothing and angered God.

The desire of God was that the Israelites would be a “set apart” people filled with the renown, praise and glory of God but they failed to reflect His character.

The Israelites did not listen to the voice of God.

Christianity is failing because believers don’t take the word of God seriously. They are more content and less intimidated by pursuing religion.

Jesus asks His people to walk by faith believing in His promises and not what they see with their eyes. In Christianity faith is mostly an intellectual concept and not a lifestyle of seeking out God for your every need.

Jesus wants a personal and vibrant relationship with a believer. Religion wants your attention to be on duties.

Jesus wants a believer to give up his freedom and self sufficiency and zealously seek the will of God for his life. Christianity pushes a church life.

Jesus asks a follower to come to Him through the narrow gate but very few are willing to make this commitment. It is just too costly.

Jesus desires for a believer to walk in oneness with Him yielding to the Holy Spirit. This is not taught or supported in most churches.

Religion wants very little to do with the Holy Spirit because He exposes the hypocrisy and corrupt practices of our churches.

Christianity attempts to manipulate the Word of God to achieve their own motives and please the changing culture of society.

Jesus transforms believers into the character of God and instructs them to walk in the light and turn away from darkness. This can only happen by those who live under the authority of the Holy Spirit and have an open heart to the conviction and correction of God.

The difference between a Christian and a disciple of Christ is the commitment to God. The disciple lives for God above all else and is loyal and obedient to the voice of Jesus.

Christianity is a religion. Jesus is a way of life.