The Holy Spirit in the Believer's Life: Understanding His Many Roles and Functions

1.He regenerates the believer.
2.He births the believer.
3.He seals the believer.
4.He adopts the believer.
5.He fills the believer.
6.He is the author of the scripture.
7.He interprets the scripture.
8.He guides the believer.
Rm 8:14, Act 8:29, Gal5:16
9.He annoints the believer. 1john 2:27
10.He sanctify the believer. 1peter 1:23
11.He provide fruits in human life.
12.He empowers the believer.

The Importance of Worshiping in Spirit and Truth: Understanding the True Meaning of Christian Worship

The meaning of “worship” is “to fall down before” or “bow down before.” Worship is a state (an attitude) of spirit. Since it’s an internal, individual action, it could/should be done most of the time (or all the time) in our lives, regardless of place or situation (John 4:21). Therefore, Christians worship all the time, seven days a week. When Christians formally gather together in worship, still the emphasis should be on individually worshiping the Lord. Even in a congregation, participants need to be aware that they are worshiping God fully on an individual basis. The nature of Christian worship is from the inside out and has two equally important parts. We must worship “in spirit and in truth” (John 4:23-24). Worshiping in the spirit has nothing to do with our physical posture. It has to do with our innermost being and requires several things.
1) We must be born again. Without the Holy Spirit residing within us, we cannot respond to God in worship because we do not know Him. “No one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God” (1 Corinthians 2:11b). The Holy Spirit within us is the one who energizes worship because He is in essence glorifying Himself, and all true worship glorifies God. 2) Worshiping in spirit requires a mind centered on God and renewed by Truth. Paul exhorts us to “present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind” (Romans 12:1b, 2b). Only when our minds are changed from being centered on worldly things to being centered on God can we worship in spirit. Distractions of many kinds can flood our minds as we try to praise and glorify God, hindering our true worship. 3) We can only worship in spirit by having a pure heart, open and repentant. When King David’s heart was filled with guilt over his sin with Bathsheba (2 Samuel 11), he found it impossible to worship. He felt that God was far from him, and he “groaned all day long” feeling God’s hand heavy upon him (Psalm 32:3,4). But when he confessed, fellowship with God was restored and worship and praise poured forth from him. He understood that “the sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart” (Psalm 51:17). Praise and worship toward God cannot come from hearts filled with UN confessed sin. The second part of true worship is worship “in truth.” All worship is a response to truth, and that which is truth is contained in the Word of God. Jesus said to His Father, “Thy word is truth” (John 17:17b). Psalm 119 says, “Thy law is truth” (v. 142b) and “Thy word is true” (v. 160a). To truly worship God, we must understand who He is and what He has done, and the only place He has fully revealed Himself is in the Bible. Worship is an expression of praise from the depths of our hearts toward a God who is understood through His Word. If we do not have the truth of the Bible, we do not know God and we cannot be truly worshiping. Since external actions are unimportant in Christian worship, there is no rule regarding whether we should sit, stand, fall down, be quiet, or sing praises loudly while in corporate worship. These things should be decided based on the nature of the congregation. The most important thing is that we worship God in spirit (in our hearts) and in truth (in our minds.)

Message by: Mw . Daniel Munyithya

How to Change Your Life through the Power of Words

Who hasn’t spoken jokingly or playfully at some time or another? We’ve all done it. How differently would people speak, though, if they truly believed in their words? Statements like, “That makes me sick.” or “This is what kills me.” would quickly disappear from our lips. New statements like, “I am a millionaire!” and “I am out of debt!” would be spoken with conviction and heard for miles around!
However, one saying remains true, whether people choose to believe it or not, and that is: “Words have power.” For the origin of such power, let’s begin with the source, God.
We’ve heard the stories of Genesis. Throughout its pages, runs a central and constant theme: God spoke and a corresponding action or manifestation occurred. “And God said, Let there be light: and there was light” (Genesis 1:3.) Ultimately, the elements of everything we can see, and also those things that we cannot see, like oxygen and electricity, originate from the voice of God—even you and I!
Mankind was made in God’s image and in the image of the Word of God, who was present with God when creation occurred. “Let us make human beings in our image, make them reflecting our nature” (Genesis 1:26, MSG). More importantly, we don’t just look like God, we are like God! “Jesus said, ‘I’m only quoting your inspired Scriptures, where God said, ‘I tell you—you are gods’ ” (John 10:34, MSG). That means we possess within us God-like qualities, such as the ability to love and even the ability to create through the power of speech. Examples of such life-changing occurrences are throughout the Bible. Here are a few:

• “Words kill, words give life; they're either poison or fruit—you choose” (Proverbs 18:21, MSG).
•  “For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith” (Mark 11:23).
• “Damsel, I say unto thee, arise. And straightway the damsel arose, and walked” (Mark 5:41, 42).
• “So will the words that come out of my mouth not come back empty-handed. They'll do the work I sent them to do, they'll complete the assignment I gave them” (Isaiah 55:11, MSG).

Any one of these is powerful enough to change your circumstances or your life! The Bible contains numerous instances of Word power. It is a book of seeds—Word seeds. You can take your pick!
Because God’s creative force is within us all, it is so important that we consciously choose the words we speak. Words have consequences. Through what you say, you have the ability to bring to pass either good or bad. In addition, words are spiritual containers that can produce physical things. All they need in order to reproduce is the fertile ground of a believing heart. This works either purposely or not on purpose.
As a Christian, there is authority available to you through the words you speak in the name of Jesus. We call forth His name when we pray, and He backs what we say, when it agrees with what God has said.
Know that the Word of God is alive and effective! As a result, you can speak it with confidence over your finances, or more particularly, concerning a light bill. You can declare it for a body to be healed! You can call into existence a job, a spouse, well-behaved children—whatever you need! With the Word of God consistently on your tongue and in your heart, along with the dynamic power of the name of Jesus, you can rearrange your life. Change will come. Expect it to eventually show up!

Unveiling the True Purpose of Jesus' Mission: From the Law of Moses to Eternal Salvation

Jesus’ objective on the earth was to initially save His people from their sins. His people were the Jews, who were trying to obey the Law of Moses. The Law of Moses was the Ten Commandments, which later included 613 laws that derived from the original ten.

Although it sounds like an oxymoron, when God gave the Ten Commandments, it wasn’t intended to make the people good. The Law’s ultimate objective was to show people their sins, and demonstrate their need for a Savior (Romans 3:20, Galatians 3:19, AMP).  In doing so, it brought sin to the forefront, amplifying the sinfulness of the people. The Law illustrated a glaring separation between God—Who is perfect—and human beings, who are not (2 Corinthians 3:7, 8). The Law was impossible to obey.  For instance, if a person broke just one of the laws, he was guilty of breaking them all (James 2:10). And when he did, curses, death, guilt, condemnation, and various punishments followed (Deuteronomy 28:15-68). The Jewish people sacrificed animals as sin offerings, which temporarily atoned for sin, but it did not permanently bridge the gap between God and mankind (Hebrews 9:11-29).  

The Law is good, perfect, and just because it came from God, Who is good, perfect, and just (Romans 7:7-14). However, the problem with the Law is that it cannot make people good. It constantly shows people their weaknesses, sins, and flaws. Thank God for Jesus being our Savior! “But when the fullness of time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, to redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons”(Galatians 4:4-5).
Jesus laid down His life as the final and eternal sacrifice for sin (Hebrews 9:13-14). He took upon His body all the wrath and judgment due to mankind. In other words, He traded places with us. Now, we are eternally loved and forgiven because of Jesus. He serves as the bridge between a perfect God and us. Jesus walked the earth as the personification of grace and truth. When He was born, sin and death reigned upon the earth, but now because of His sacrificial death, grace and truth reigns!

Does this truth give us liberty to continue in sin with no consequences? (Romans 6:1-2, AMP). Of course not! Sin brings upon us all kinds of natural consequences, and causes us to lose confidence in our relationship with God. Sin makes us feel guilty and condemned. It causes us to want to hide from Jesus. However, His grace is sufficient. It gives us the strength to not sin. Ultimately, God’s love and grace turns us away from sin. 
Another powerful benefit of the eternal sacrifice of Jesus is the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. Once we are saved, the Holy Spirit dwells within us and sheds abroad the love of God in our hearts (Romans 5:5). He is our Guide, and when we yield to His leadership, we will no longer have the desire to sin (2 Corinthians 3:18). 

Jesus’ eternal sacrifice freed us from the Law forever! And whom the Son sets free is free indeed!

Navigating Singleness: Finding the Right Spouse through Trusting in God

If you’re a single person, you need to understand something. The word “single” does not mean that you’re not whole; it means separate, unique, and whole. You’re whole and complete in Christ. “So you have everything when you have Christ, and you are filled with God through your union with Christ” (Colossians 2:10, TLB). You are not a “half” looking for your other “half.” You don’t want some needy, single person who thinks his or her life is going to be better just because he or she is with you. It takes two “whole” people to make a ‘whole’ marriage.

Now, if you’re single and desire to be married one day, there’s a definite criteria that you should be looking for in a mate. Back in the day, the Church used to preach that God has the perfect mate for you. I don’t believe that, and now I know that’s not true. Joshua 24:15 says, “Choose you this day whom ye will serve… but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”

If you have a choice about whom you’re going to serve, you definitely have a choice about whom you’re going to marry! I don’t believe there’s a perfect choice (meaning the only choice you can make) but I do believe there’s a good choice.

The first criteria set by the Bible is that the person be born-again. If you’re a Believer, you should marry another Believer in order to avoid being unequally yoked. “Stop forming inappropriate relationships with unbelievers. Can right and wrong be partners? Can light have anything in common with darkness?” (2 Corinthians 10:6, GW).

Secondly, don’t look for somebody you can live with; look for somebody you don’t want to live without. My wife was somebody I didn’t want to live without. To this day, I tell her, “Baby, you know you all I got!”
A lot of men pray for somebody pretty. “She got to be fine!” But “pretty” and “fine” might turn out to be “ugly” on the inside! The Bible says a man should be asking God for a prudent (wise and understanding), intelligent, wife (Proverbs 19:14, AMP), a woman who can benefit you because of her intuition. Men reason a lot, but women are built with a lot of intuition. There are some things she knows without having to go through the reasoning process. You don’t need a “yes” woman; you need a woman who can talk to you about you! What are you going to do with a woman whose only thing going for her is a weave and makeup? How is that going to help you? That’s going to frustrate you one day.

If you’re a single woman, you need to pray for a husband who is merciful, gracious, and kind. Don’t ask God for a light-skinned or fine man! Even if he’s not all that good looking, he’ll begin to look good to you when he’s merciful, gracious, and kind. A lot of women are single right now because they’re looking for what “looks good” instead of what they need. You want to marry “tall, dark, and handsome,” and when you do, he turns out to be the same way in his spirit—dark!

You can’t go wrong when you put Jesus in the center of everything you do. You’re under the covenant of grace, which is your assurance that the Holy Spirit guides you in all of the affairs of your life—He knows everything about you. He’s your Helper (John 14:26, AMP). When you place your total trust and reliance on Him, He’ll lead you to make a good choice when choosing a marriage partner for life.
“Delight yourself also in the Lord, and He will give you the desires and secret petitions of your heart” (Psalm 37:4, AMP)

Unlocking the Power of Praise: How Giving Thanks to God Can Transform Your Life

As Christians, we should make praise a central part of our lives. Why is this important? Praise is one of the ways we thank God for His unfailing love and mercy, and it helps us focus on His goodness rather than negative circumstances. Praise also builds our faith, defeats the enemy, and brings us into God's presence.

There is always something to worry about, but there is also always something to praise God for. Even small things like waking up in the morning or having a roof over our heads are worth praising Him for. God loves to be praised and appreciated, no matter how big or small the thing we are praising Him for is.

Praise is also a powerful weapon against the devil's attacks on our joy. The devil wants us to focus on problems instead of solutions and to live in fear instead of faith. But when we give God praise in spite of our circumstances, we defeat the enemy's tactics and cultivate a deeper relationship with God.

One example of this is found in the story of King Jehoshaphat and the people of Judah in the Old Testament. When a great multitude rose up against Jehoshaphat, he was afraid and sought God's help. He proclaimed a fast throughout Judah (2 Chronicles 20:1-25) and the Lord's reply came through one of the prophets, "Hearken, all Judah, you inhabitants of Jerusalem, and you King Jehoshaphat. The Lord says this to you: Be not afraid or dismayed at this great multitude; for the battle is not yours, but God’s” (2 Chronicles 20:15, AMP). After receiving this message, the situation improved for Jehoshaphat and the people he governed. He appointed singers to praise the Lord and "when they began to sing and to praise, the Lord set ambushments against the children of Ammon, Moab, and mount Seir, which were come against Judah: and they were smitten” (2 Chronicles 20:21, 22). Their enemies were defeated while they were praising God, and they spent three days gathering the spoils!

Praise and worship served as weapons on the frontline of battle, in the same way, when we focus on the goodness of God instead of worrying in the midst of trouble, we will find that praise and thanksgiving expands our capacity to receive from Him. Our praise has many dynamic effects, that's why it should be established as part of our everyday lives. Praise is also one of the ways we acknowledge God’s grace. When we praise God and allow Him to do what we cannot do, we experience His complete and perfect work in our lives.

Embracing the Wait: Understanding the Power of Trusting in God's Timing

We all want good things to happen in our lives, but too often we want it now...not later. When it doesn't happen that way, we are tempted to ask, "When, God, when?" Most of us need to grow in the area of trusting God instead of focusing on the "when" question. If you're missing joy and peace, you're not trusting God. If your mind feels worn out all the time, you're not trusting God.

The tendency to want to know about everything that's going on can be detrimental to your Christian walk. Sometimes knowing everything can be uncomfortable and can even hurt you. I spent a large part of my life being impatient, frustrated and disappointed because there were things I didn't know. God had to teach me to leave things alone and quit feeling that I needed to know everything. I finally learned to trust the One who knows all things and accept that some questions may never be answered. We prove that we trust God when we refuse to worry. 

God wants us to live by discernment—revelation knowledge, not head knowledge. It's difficult to exercise discernment if you're always trying to figure out everything. But when you're willing to say, "God, I can't figure this out, so I'm going to trust You to give me revelation that will set me free," then you can be comfortable in spite of not knowing. Trusting God often requires not knowing how God is going to accomplish what needs to be done and not knowing when He will do it. We often say God is never late, but generally He isn't early either. Why? Because He uses times of waiting to stretch our faith in Him and to bring about change and growth in our lives. 

Wait With Patience

We spend a lot of time in our lives waiting because change is a process. Many people want change, but they don't want to go through the waiting process. But the truth is, waiting is a given—we are going to wait. The question is, are we going to wait the wrong or right way? If we wait the wrong way, we'll be miserable; but if we decide to wait God's way, we can become patient and enjoy the wait. It takes practice, but as we let God help us in each situation, we develop patience, which is one of the most important Christian virtues. Patience is a fruit of the Spirit (see Galatians 5:22). It's developed only under trial, so we must not run from difficult situations. But let endurance and steadfastness and patience have full play and do a thorough work, so that you may be [people] perfectly and fully developed [with no defects], lacking in nothing (James 1:4).

As we develop patience, the Bible says we finally feel completely satisfied—lacking nothing. Even our relationship with God involves progressive changes. My relationship with God is so much different now than it was in the early days of my Christian experience. It is not nearly as emotionally exciting...and yet it is better. Every change I've gone through has made me more mature, solid and well-grounded. We learn to trust God by going through many experiences that require trust. By seeing God's faithfulness over and over, we let go of trusting ourselves, and gradually we place our trust in Him. Looking at it like this, it is easy to see how timing plays an important part in learning to trust God. If He did everything we asked for immediately, we would never grow and develop. Timing and trust work side by side. 

Accept God's Timing

God gives us hopes and dreams for certain things to happen in our lives, but He doesn't always allow us to see the exact timing of His plan. Although frustrating, not knowing the exact timing is often what keeps us in the program. There are times when we might give up if we knew how long it was going to take, but when we accept God's timing, we can learn to live in hope and enjoy our lives while God is working on our problems. We know that God's plan for our lives is good, and when we entrust ourselves to Him, we can experience total peace and happiness.

The book of Genesis tells the story of Joseph, who waited many years for the fulfillment of the dream God had given him. He was falsely accused and imprisoned before the time came for him to do what God had shown him he was to do. Exodus 13:17-18 tells us that God led the Israelites the longer, harder way on their journey to the Promised Land because He knew they were not yet ready to go in. There had to be time for their training, and they had to go through some very trying situations. They wasted a lot of time wondering about God's timing, but God never failed to take care of them and show them what He wanted them to do. The same is true in our lives. It was many years after I received my call from God in February of 1976 before I finally began to see major fulfillment of what God had called me to do. God's training period simply requires us to do what He tells us to do when He tells us to do it...without questioning or trying to figure everything out. 

Learn to Rely on God

Proverbs 16:9 says, A man's mind plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps and makes them sure. Proverbs 20:24 says,Man's steps are ordered by the Lord. How then can a man understand his way? When God directs our paths, He sometimes leads us in ways that don't make sense to us so we're not always going to understand everything. If we try to reason out everything, we will experience struggle, confusion and misery—but there is a better way. Proverbs 3:5-6 says, Lean on, trust in, and be confident in the Lord with all your heart and mind and do not rely on your own insight or understanding. In all your ways know, recognize, and acknowledge Him, and He will direct and make straight and plain your paths. This sounds so simple, yet too many people make the mistake of trying to figure everything out themselves. Most of us have spent our lives trying to take care of ourselves, but when we accept Christ as our Savior, we must learn to trust our lives to His care. When we do, we can say with the psalmist, ...I trusted in, relied on, and was confident in You, O Lord; I said, You are my God. My times are in Your hands...(Psalm 31:14-15).

First Peter 5:5 tells us that ...God sets Himself against the proud (the insolent, the overbearing, the disdainful, the presumptuous, the boastful)—[and He opposes, frustrates, and defeats them], but gives grace (favor, blessing) to the humble. Anyone who thinks they're a self-made man or woman has a rude awakening coming because Jesus said, ...apart from Me [cut off from vital union with Me] you can do nothing (John 15:5). Humility is a covering that draws the help of God into our lives to protect us. When we humble ourselves by saying, "God, I don't know what to do, but I'm trusting You," God gets in gear to help us. God won't allow us to succeed at anything unless we're leaning and relying on Him. But when we humble ourselves under the mighty hand of God, in due time, He will exalt us (see 1 Peter 5:6). "Due time" is God's time, when God knows we're ready, not when we think we're ready. The sooner we understand and accept that, the sooner God can work His plan in our lives. 

From Seedtime to Harvest

Ecclesiastes 3:1 tells us: To everything there is a season, and a time for every matter or purpose under heaven. This lets us know that we all don't live in the same season at the same time. You should never be jealous of someone who is enjoying harvest while you're still in the planting season. Remember, they had to go through a season of planting just as you are. Seeing the results they are enjoying should be an encouragement to you. Understand and trust that God is doing the very best for you in your present season. Seedtime represents learning the will of God. Each time I choose God's will instead of my own, I'm planting a good seed that will eventually bring a harvest in my life. If you want to be victorious, you cannot afford to get pulled into the world's system, doing what you feel like doing. James 1:21 tells us what we should do: ...get rid of all uncleanness and the rampant outgrowth of wickedness, and in a humble (gentle, modest) spirit receive and welcome the Word which implanted and rooted [in your hearts] contains the power to save your souls. 

Your soul is your mind, your will and your emotions. When the Word gets rooted in there and begins to change your mind, it begins to heal your emotions and turn your will away from self-will and onto doing the will of God. Living out of one's own soul is equivalent to staying in the wilderness. When my flesh is finally crucified and I get out of my soul and into doing the will of God, that's when I enter the promised land. The promised land is knowing who you are in Christ, knowing how to fellowship with Him, enjoying His presence, and having peace, contentment and joy. Between seedtime and harvest comes a time of waiting. After a seed is planted, the heat, moisture and pressure of the ground finally cause the outer hull to crack open. Then roots shoot down, digging their way through the ground. It takes time for this to happen, and it takes place underground. Above the ground, you can't tell anything is happening. That's the way our lives are. After we plant seeds of obedience, we feel like nothing is happening, but all kinds of things are happening inside where we can't see. And like the seed that finally bursts through the ground with a beautiful green shoot, our seeds of obedience finally break forth into a beautiful manifestation of God in our lives. 

When harvesttime comes, the desires of your heart begin to manifest—bondages fall off of you and you see your dreams come to pass. You see your kids changing and your family getting saved. Prosperity, favor, promotion, honor, and all kinds of good things come out in the open where they can be seen. In harvesttime, more than ever before, you hear from God, you enjoy His presence, and you're led by the Spirit. Blessings begin to chase you down the street, and joy and calm delight become your normal mood. Are you tired of waiting for harvesttime in your life? Are you frustrated, crying out, "When, God, when?" Then you need to understand that God's timing is often a mystery. He doesn't do things on our timetable. Yet His Word promises that He will not be late, not one single day. But these things I plan won't happen right away. Slowly, steadily, surely, the time approaches when the vision will be fulfilled. If it seems slow, do not despair, for these things will surely come to pass. Just be patient! They will not be overdue a single day! (Habakkuk 2:3 TLB).

God causes things to happen at exactly the right time! Your job is not to figure out when, but to make up your mind that you won't give up until you cross the finish line and are living in the radical, outrageous blessings of God! The more you trust Jesus and keep your eyes focused on Him, the more life you'll have. Trusting God brings life. Believing brings rest. So stop trying to figure everything out, and let God be God in your life.