New Year's resolutions . . . .
New Year's commitments to try harder . . .
Good intentions . . . .to right the wrongs . . . . change habits . . . .
The truth is, we can NEVER walk it out right on our own. To try . . .to even think that we can . . .is lethal, and "smelly" and we fall from the Grace of God.
Today, the Lord showed me a picture of a "Flounder." (the fish) And He said to me, those who attempt to resolute themselves to Me in their flesh (in their own strength) will flounder --"
Now the definition of flounder is: to flap, splash through mire, flounce . . . . To fling the limbs and body, as in making efforts to move; to struggle, as a horse in the mire, or as a fish on land; to roll, toss, and tumble; to flounce.
HOWEVER! The GOOD NEWS IS: He has sent us a HELPER, the precious Holy Spirit. Who gives us His fruit and His liberty from the flesh by faith, thru grace.
The "just" shall live by faith (Galatians 3:11)
Jesus said it was "expedient" that He went Home to the Father, because then the Helper could come and freely change us from glory to glory . . . without our own striving . . . by faith alone.
Why is it we forget and neglect the One Who is here now. . . the Holy Spirit. He is God. Jesus paid a high price for the Holy Spirit to come and indwell believers. In the Old Testiment, when our Holy God was on top of the mountain and told Moses NOT to let the people or even their animals touch that mountain or they would die . . .is because He's holy and we're not. On our own, we can never be holy. But, because of the Blood of Jesus, because of His perfect life lived here and His redeeming sacrifice that same Holy Spirit that was dangerous and even deadly for us to go near, can now reside within us when we are born again. Then, it is Christ IN you living thru the power of the Holy Spirit that changes you from the inside out.
In the book of Acts, the believers were told to wait until the Holy Spirit came upon them to empower them to witness and preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We can do nothing without the Holy Spirit's help. He gives us the personal power (fruit) to live the Christian life, He gives us the ministering power to proclaim liberty to the captives AND He gives us the power to do signs and wonders . . . miracles. These supernatural acts of God, the greater works Christ said Believers would do, are our tools and implements for the building up of the Body of Christ and for the unbeliever to come to Christ. Jesus said, some won't believe except they see miracles. And God knows each individual heart and what needs to be done and said in order to deliver salvation to them. We NEED the Holy Spirit . . . the Helper!
Jesus' whole life here was lived in the power of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit gave Jesus the ability from His birth (the incarnation) to the miracles and deliverances and healings, to His Death (Hebrew 9:14) and Resurrection.
Who changed Peter? He really "floundered." Who changed him from a fearful, intimidated man into the bold, passionate man on Pentecost? The Holy Spirit. Even after living with Jesus for three years, Peter fearfully denied Christ . . . BUT after the Holy Spirit came upon him, he was a NEW CREATURE from within. No resoluting or committing can ever do this work.
Jeremiah 13:23 says, "23 Can an Ethiopian change the color of his skin? Can a leopard take away its spots? Neither can you start doing good, for you have always done evil."
But herein lies the Good News as presented by Matthew Henry, commentator:
"We cannot alter the natural colour of the skin; and so is it morally impossible to reclaim and reform these people. Sin is the blackness of the soul; it is the discolouring of it; we were shapen in it, so that we cannot get clear of it by any power of our own. But Almighty grace is able to change the Ethiopian's skin. Neither natural depravity, nor strong habits of sin, form an obstacle to the working of God, the new-creating Spirit. The Lord asks of Jerusalem, whether she is determined not be made clean. If any poor slave of sin feels that he could as soon change his nature as master his headstrong lusts, let him not despair; for things impossible to men are possible with God. Let us then seek help from Him who is mighty to save."
NOW . . ."The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with you all." (2 Cor. 13:14)
New Year's commitments to try harder . . .
Good intentions . . . .to right the wrongs . . . . change habits . . . .
The truth is, we can NEVER walk it out right on our own. To try . . .to even think that we can . . .is lethal, and "smelly" and we fall from the Grace of God.
Today, the Lord showed me a picture of a "Flounder." (the fish) And He said to me, those who attempt to resolute themselves to Me in their flesh (in their own strength) will flounder --"
Now the definition of flounder is: to flap, splash through mire, flounce . . . . To fling the limbs and body, as in making efforts to move; to struggle, as a horse in the mire, or as a fish on land; to roll, toss, and tumble; to flounce.
HOWEVER! The GOOD NEWS IS: He has sent us a HELPER, the precious Holy Spirit. Who gives us His fruit and His liberty from the flesh by faith, thru grace.
The "just" shall live by faith (Galatians 3:11)
Jesus said it was "expedient" that He went Home to the Father, because then the Helper could come and freely change us from glory to glory . . . without our own striving . . . by faith alone.
Why is it we forget and neglect the One Who is here now. . . the Holy Spirit. He is God. Jesus paid a high price for the Holy Spirit to come and indwell believers. In the Old Testiment, when our Holy God was on top of the mountain and told Moses NOT to let the people or even their animals touch that mountain or they would die . . .is because He's holy and we're not. On our own, we can never be holy. But, because of the Blood of Jesus, because of His perfect life lived here and His redeeming sacrifice that same Holy Spirit that was dangerous and even deadly for us to go near, can now reside within us when we are born again. Then, it is Christ IN you living thru the power of the Holy Spirit that changes you from the inside out.
In the book of Acts, the believers were told to wait until the Holy Spirit came upon them to empower them to witness and preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We can do nothing without the Holy Spirit's help. He gives us the personal power (fruit) to live the Christian life, He gives us the ministering power to proclaim liberty to the captives AND He gives us the power to do signs and wonders . . . miracles. These supernatural acts of God, the greater works Christ said Believers would do, are our tools and implements for the building up of the Body of Christ and for the unbeliever to come to Christ. Jesus said, some won't believe except they see miracles. And God knows each individual heart and what needs to be done and said in order to deliver salvation to them. We NEED the Holy Spirit . . . the Helper!
Jesus' whole life here was lived in the power of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit gave Jesus the ability from His birth (the incarnation) to the miracles and deliverances and healings, to His Death (Hebrew 9:14) and Resurrection.
Who changed Peter? He really "floundered." Who changed him from a fearful, intimidated man into the bold, passionate man on Pentecost? The Holy Spirit. Even after living with Jesus for three years, Peter fearfully denied Christ . . . BUT after the Holy Spirit came upon him, he was a NEW CREATURE from within. No resoluting or committing can ever do this work.
Jeremiah 13:23 says, "23 Can an Ethiopian change the color of his skin? Can a leopard take away its spots? Neither can you start doing good, for you have always done evil."
But herein lies the Good News as presented by Matthew Henry, commentator:
"We cannot alter the natural colour of the skin; and so is it morally impossible to reclaim and reform these people. Sin is the blackness of the soul; it is the discolouring of it; we were shapen in it, so that we cannot get clear of it by any power of our own. But Almighty grace is able to change the Ethiopian's skin. Neither natural depravity, nor strong habits of sin, form an obstacle to the working of God, the new-creating Spirit. The Lord asks of Jerusalem, whether she is determined not be made clean. If any poor slave of sin feels that he could as soon change his nature as master his headstrong lusts, let him not despair; for things impossible to men are possible with God. Let us then seek help from Him who is mighty to save."
This leads me back to the "flounder" the Lord showed me today. We will struggle, we will flounder, we will be stuck in the mire whenever we attempt to remove our own "spots" or blemishes. NOW, by the power of the precious Holy Spirit, as we believe in His ability, we can and will become THE KING'S SALMON! Able to leap and swim against great obstacles, able to miraculously fly in beauty and freedom and "multiplication" . . .some thirty-fold, some sixty, and some 100 fold! to the Glory and Honor of God. Here's an encouraging video of a salmon who is supernaturally going against all odds because the Creator has given him the ability . . . .
NOW . . ."The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with you all." (2 Cor. 13:14)
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