“Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.” Romans 8:26

This narrative is about the travailing (or laboring) of God to create new life. 

If you are a believer, God is laboring inside you like a mother groans and suffers prior to childbirth.

As a believer, you are in a state of transition changing from a natural condition of corruption into the glorious liberty of a new creature in Christ Jesus.

The travailing work of God for humanity was initiated through Jesus who suffered and died on the Cross for your salvation. The work of the Cross was an act of obedience by Jesus. He was willing to become an intercessor to set you free from sin and give you the gift of eternal life.

At this very moment, the Holy Spirit is laboring deep within your soul to transform you into the likeness of Jesus. The groans of the Holy Spirit cannot be uttered and are impossible to understand. They are the work of God to prepare you for heaven.

The Holy Spirit also labors within you through intercession to bring down strongholds and set people free from the bondage of sin to receive the gift of salvation. 

The whole creation groans with anguish for the glory and magnificence of God. We are living in a depraved world but our spirit and soul are crying out to live in the perfect creation of God.

This is about returning to a world like the Garden of Eden where every living creature and all the trees, flowers, rivers, and mountains praise God. 

The gift of salvation begins inside you as God touches your heart, personality and soul with His Spirit. Then gradually your salvation becomes integrated into your thoughts, words and actions.

The challenge is learning how you and I can participate in the travailing work of Jesus. 

You must accept the reality of God about prayer. As believers, we don’t know how to pray effectively and according to the will of God. We tend to pray guided by our emotions and natural sympathy for others. This will never bring down strongholds or set people free from the bondage of sin.

Ask the Holy Spirit to show you how to pray and who or what to pray for. 

Come before God in prayer without an agenda and have an open mind to listen and learn.

Give the Holy Spirit the freedom to teach you how to pray. 

Be patient and let God bring up what is important on His mind and then show you how to pray according to His will. The Holy Spirit will lead you into perfectly designed prayers. 

The travailing (or intercession) work of God can be exhaustive and draining because you are in the middle of a battle between light and darkness.

The Holy Spirit gives you the ability to actually pray like Jesus and attain powerful results.

“For it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose.” Philippians 2:13

God woke me up today with the topic and Bible verse for this narrative. 

At this very moment God is at work to shape your will to be in accord with His purposes for your life. 

This gravitational pull of God is designed to draw you into oneness with Jesus.

The disposition of God is motivated by unconditional love to cause you to accept and live out the gift of salvation. 

God works to refine you into His nature so you can fulfill His purposes.

God works through His Word to teach you His values.

God teaches you the importance of living by faith and trusting in the promises of Jesus. Without faith you cannot please God. 

God gives you dreams and visions. 

God speaks to you. 

God convicts you of sin and makes you look at your destitute nature without Him.

God orchestrates circumstances in your life to draw you into His will.

God works through your prayers to show you His priorities for your life.

The gravitational pull of God is designed to cause you to die to self and live for Christ.

The gravitational pull keeps you centered in Christ and operating with pure motives.

The gravitational pull is nurtured through the Holy Spirit. He is the life of Christ and abides inside you. Listen and obey the Holy Spirit. He speaks for Christ. 

“After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him.” John 13:5

I would like to start off by asking you to pray these words. “I pray Jesus you would pour your blood over me and cleanse me of all my sins. Create within me a clean heart and purify my motives. Search me and correct me of anything not pleasing to you.”

The miracle of salvation is after this prayer you can stand blameless before Jesus and look Him in the eyes without any guilt or condemnation. 

This is a daily ritual you must perform and sometimes repeat during the course of a day.

The question is how long can you stand blameless before God until you relapse into sin?

For most believers it may be for a few minutes, a couple of hours or maybe a handful of days. 

We all have to face the conflict between walking in the Spirit and living through our natural desires.

God has judged you and found you guilty. He has sentenced you to eternal doom. 

God is holy and will not allow you to come close to Him because you are unclean.

Thankfully, God has provided an appellate court presided by Jesus. It cost Jesus his life but He has purchased all of your sins with His blood. Jesus has forgiven you and restored you to God.

Find your refuge in the blood of Jesus and your strength in the resurrected power of the Cross.

Christ crucified gives you the freedom to do the will of God on earth as it is done in heaven.

The Christ follower is an imperfect person living in an upside down world. 

The gift of salvation gives you the ability to walk in oneness with Jesus through the efficacy of the Holy Spirit. 

This is possible because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.

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

God spoke to me again about the widespread action of vilifying the Word of God. 

It is very easy to be deceived and led astray by the leaders in the Body of Christ. This is because many are not born of the Spirit. They are a product of religion with twisted motives.

God is at work today exposing corruption and punishing many of the leaders in the Body of Christ.  Many more leaders and churches will fall in the days ahead. 

You can identify false teaching by anyone who relaxes the Word of God to accommodate our changing culture.

Another sign is substituting works for faith and making believers feel guilty for not living up to the requirements of religion.

The biggest tragedy in the leadership of the Body of Christ is rejecting the Holy Spirit or minimizing the importance to a believer. The leaders tend to discount or manipulate the Holy Spirit to accomplish their own goals. 

How can you deal with this deceit as a Christ follower?

First, you have to trust God who is at work to clean up this mess.

The only hope for a Christ follower is to be deeply anchored in the Holy Spirit. He is the life of Christ and will always bring glory to God. He will teach you the values of Christ and dispel the lies of religion.

Do not accept every word you hear from a teacher concerning the gospel. Take every word captive to the obedience of Christ Jesus. The Spirit will confirm the truths of God and expose the whitewashing of religion.

The other outrageous action taking place in the Body of Christ is false prophesy. This tends to take place in a pentecostal setting. You have leaders pretending they are speaking for God when in fact they are speaking to bring glory to themselves. This has been very damaging to many innocent believers. 

Your safety net is living in the Word of God anchored to the Holy Spirit. 

God is the same yesterday, today and forever!

The Holy Spirit added this postscript: “Do not become a victim of ideology. It does not exist in the kingdom of God and will corrupt your soul!”

This is not just about your final destination; it is about what you will face in life interacting with God. And, this narrative relates to both Christ followers and non believers. 

God warned me last night about the prejudicial (detrimental) outcome of those who deny Jesus and live for self.

You can have some short lived moments of success without acknowledging God but you are on an eventual path leading to destruction and death.

The act of committing treason against God is the worship of false gods and idols. This makes God very angry and is a road to disaster. 

Subterfuge is attempting to hide your actions from God. This is impossible because God knows you better than you know yourself. 

Last Sunday I saw many Christ followers in church praising God with raised hands. The question is what will they do when they wake up today.

The hypocrisy of religion is putting on a show for God in public but living privately like there is no fear of God.

What are the rules of life for a Christ follower?

Make a decision to seek the will of God in your life above all else.

Walk by faith believing in the promises of Christ.

Listen to the voice of God and respond with obedience.

Give God permission to do with you as He pleases.

Pray vigilantly and meditate on His Word.

Invite the Holy Spirit to have authority over your life.

If you are a believer you belong to God. He has etched your name in the Book of Life. 

Salvation is living moment by moment with the Living Christ every day of your existence on earth. 

Let the Spirit of Christ engulf your life today with a plethora of love, wisdom, joy, protection and the goodness of God. 

Jesus is faithful to those who worship Him in Spirit and Truth.

He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him out.

There is no supposition about Christ. He is the reality of God and He keeps His word.

The proof of Jesus is not what you read in the Bible; it is the power of God working in your life. 

“Now therefore, if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, then you shall be a special treasure to Me above all people; for all the earth is Mine. Exodus 19:5

Most believers listen to the things they want to hear from God but discard the more difficult words of Jesus.

The difficult words always relate to the Cross and deal with your personal sin. 

The failure to listen and obey God led to the destruction of the Israelites and caused them to be scattered into desolation.

Salvation is the process of dying to self and living for Christ. 

The Holy Spirit examines your thoughts and actions to remove the impediments blocking the fullness of God in your life.

This lifelong scrutiny of God is designed to protect you from evil and give you a healthy and abundant life. 

The voice of God teaches you about the significance of your covenant with Jesus and how to live in oneness with Him.

Most importantly, your obedience to the voice of God will make you a powerful witness for Jesus. 

“Work out your salvation with fear and trembling!” Philippians 2:12

The Holy Spirit spoke to me this morning about taking Jesus as a foregone conclusion. 

Before I get into this discussion l want to reassure you that Jesus keeps His promises to those who live for Him. 

The idea of a foregone conclusion implies certainly and an inevitable result. Salvation is an irrevocable gift from God.

The question is what you are going to do with this gift?

God operates under the principles of judgment and retribution. He blesses and He curses. 

You and I are accountable to God for our every action. 

As a believer you have to choose between the wide or narrow gate leading to Jesus.

Very few enter the narrow gate and the journey is difficult. 

The wide gate is chosen by most because it seems like the path of least resistance. 

Jesus wants you to work out your salvation with fear and trembling respect for what He has done for you. 

Jesus wants you to stand in awe and admiration of Him. He has power and dominion over the heavens and earth.

I have been in the presence of God. He creates terrifying fear unlike anything on the earth. 

God is so powerful and intense I did not want to be anywhere near Him. I felt like I was going to be incinerated by His greatness and glory.

The Lord God can turn the sun to darkness, shake the earth or destroy a powerful nation in a split second.

This is the same God who offers you the gift of salvation. He never changes!

You cannot sleep walk through life and expect anything good to come to you from God. 

Come to Jesus by faith and make a declaration to live for Him above all else. Then give the Holy Spirit authority over your life.

You will meet the God of Mount Sinai and your life will never be the same.

“That they may be one even as we are one” John 17:21

You can never be like God but you can become merged with His personality. This is the miracle of the Cross.

God has a spiritual personality and a range of emotions just like you. 

The personality of Jesus is built on obedience to His Father even though it cost Jesus his life.

There is a direct relationship between your willingness to live for Jesus and becoming one with Him. Jesus shares His life with those who are willing to live for Him above all else. Death is not a deterrent for a Christ follower.

It is impossible to match up to the standards of God. Don’t even try!

Jesus is looking for those who walk by faith believing in His promises. 

Jesus admires those who have an open heart to zealously seek His will.

Jesus asks you to listen to His voice and respond with obedience. The voice of Jesus is powerful and life changing.

Draw near to Jesus through praise, prayer and meditating on His word. He will respond with unconditional love, wisdom, joy and protection. 

Most importantly, Jesus will let you come into His transfigured world and share His feelings and thoughts with you. 

Jesus transforms believers into the character of God. 

You can live in oneness with Jesus today by giving the Holy Spirit who dwells inside you authority over your life.

“Not by might nor by power but by My Spirit” Zechariah 4:6

The precipice is a very high place and can be hazardous to your well being.

At times, God will put you in this position. It is frightening and causes anxiety and depression.

The challenge is to wait on God by faith and not panic. He will not let you fall into the abyss of doom. 

Pray for patience and the protection of God.

God delivers His people. He does not need your help. The secret is to stand still and see the salvation of the Lord.

How you deal with standing on the precipice will effect your future with God. You will either be a powerful witness for Jesus or drift away as just another lackluster believer. 

The precipice reveals the quality of your faith and trust in God. Do you speak words of faith or live out your faith through all the adversities of life?

Daniel was willing to risk his life in the fiery furnace because he trusted the Living God.

The character of God is greatness, power, glory, victory and majesty. He has power and dominion over the heavens and earth. He is exalted as the head over all. 

Nothing is impossible for God!

I would have lost heart unless I believed that I would see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living!

“Not My will but Yours be done” Luke 22:42

Salvation is the beginning of an embracing and vibrant relationship with God.

The gift of salvation is a commitment to give your life over to Jesus to do with you as He pleases. You no longer have ownership of your life. You give up the rights to yourself. 

Salvation is learning to live with God on His terms. 

Salvation is submitting to the will of God.

Salvation is not about works or finding a role in the Body of Christ. It is living in oneness with God through the Holy Spirit. 

Salvation is understanding you have nothing of value to offer to Jesus. You are a bankrupt individual living in spiritual poverty.

Salvation entitles you to all the promises of Christ in His perfect timing. 

Salvation is living through the life of Christ. He is the source of strength, joy, wisdom and protection. 

Salvation is hearing the voice of God and learning to obey Him.

Salvation is living moment by moment with the Living Christ through the power of the Holy Spirit. 

Salvation is understanding it is not by might nor by power but by the Spirit of Christ. You rest in God and rely on the resurrected power of Christ to meet your every challenge.

Your priority should always be centered on living in oneness with Jesus not on the outcomes in your life.

You belong to Jesus. Walk with Him by faith trusting in His promises.