http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DamSxSkJDBU
Month: April 2015
“Father, Son, and Holy Bible???” Mark Virkler,
“Father, Son, and Holy Bible???” Mark Virkler, Cheektowaga, NY
Does the Church Have a Problem With the Holy Spirit?
If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. Galatians 5:25 NKJV
Since the historical Church has minimized the role of the Holy Spirit, and replaced living by the Spirit (see Galatians 5:25) with living by the Bible, we need to restore Him to His rightful place in our lives.
Note the first part of the “Apostles’ Creed” below [used by much of the Western Church for centuries], (source: spurgeon.org):
– I believe in God, the Father Almighty, Creator of Heaven and earth.
– I believe in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord. He was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit, and born of the virgin Mary. He suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried. He descended to the dead. On the third day He rose again. He ascended into Heaven and is seated on the right hand of the Father. He will come again to judge the living and the dead.
– I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy Church…
Notice that those who wrote this creed have absolutely nothing to say about the Holy Spirit other than He exists! Is the Bible itself really that silent about the Holy Spirit, or do we have a problem here? (Photo via Pixabay)
Well, we have written an entire book in which we guide the reader in looking up every Scripture verse about the Holy Spirit, and journaling about it, with the goal of discovering WHO HE IS and what He does and how we are to relate and interact with Him. This book is called Intimacy with the Holy Spirit.
I have condensed the five-page summary prayer at the end of the book (pages 209-214), to the following simple prayer you can hang on your mirror and pray every morning and evening:
Holy Spirit, come.
I come to You.
I welcome You.
I will not grieve You.
I look to see You, and You show me Your perspective.
You give me Your thoughts.
You tell me what’s on the heart of God.
I feel You.
You release God’s emotions within me.
You guide me.
You anoint my lips, my mind, my heart, my hands.
You make me creative.
You sanctify me for my life’s work.
You release Your personality through me.
You release in me the power to be holy.
You release the power of God to me.
Let Your words flow through me.
Authenticate Your words with Your power.
You take me away…
Holy Spirit, come.
How to Remove the Number One Block to a Prophetic Lifestyle: Value the Holy Spirit
Wouldn’t this be a good time to prayerfully explore every verse in the Bible on the Holy Spirit? This would allow you to discover all that He desires to do for you. Also, you will learn how you can effectively interact with Him every day, all day, thus ascending to your Biblically commanded posture of living and walking by the Spirit (see Galatians 5:25). You will be allowing the God of Scripture to guide your daily walk rather than displacing Him with a book He has written which describes other people’s experiences with Him.
I love what Bill Johnson says, “It’s hard to have the same fruit as the early Church when we value a book they didn’t have above the Holy Spirit they did have.” (Photo by Linda Harris-Iorio “Keeper of the Flame” via elijahshopper.com)
What are your insights on Holy Spirit and your experiences with Him? Let your testimony bless others and encourage them in their walk in the Spirit!
What it Feels Like to Walk by the Spirit
The testimony below is from Alexey, who only a few weeks ago learned to do two-way journaling as he worked through our Communion With God Course with a Personal Spiritual Trainer. Alexey is in the process of breaking away from the Communist heritage of his ancestors. The journaling below is an example of living by the Spirit, or out of the voice of God. Alexey has lived out of the Word for years and now is finding life in the Holy Spirit, and experiencing what it feels like to walk by the Spirit.
Alexey and Orshi Bogdanov
Nationality: Russian and Hungarian
Location: Ireland
Original language of journaling: Russian
Translated into: English
(My two-way journaling workshop with Jesus)
Good evening, Lord. I haven’t enough words that I could thank You enough, that You are calling me into Your actions. What does this mean, Lord? I am ready to hear and receive. Do You wish to tell me something? Today I lost focus, forgive me. I would like to learn to find You in my spirit.
“I would like to live through you. Would you like to give Me this opportunity?”
Yes, Lord, I would.
“Then don’t limit Me with your decisions that are controlled by fear.”
How to destroy this spirit of fear? Lord, I have no faith.
“Then ask from Me, I’ll give it to you.”
I am asking now for Your faith to defeat this fear. Are there steps I should take to remove this fear?
“Unconditional love chases out fear.”
What does this practically mean? I know it’s written in Your Word. How does it work?
“Where I am there is no fear. When My presence is manifested there is only love there, which remains. Where there is love, be there, abide in it. Everything that is won over by love will not pass away. This is the fruit that remains.”
I understand. Wonderful! How do I experience this in my life?
(Note: At this moment I experienced such an intense presence of God that I forgot everything.)
“You are just now experiencing it. I am with you, don’t you feel it?”
Absolutely! There – I feel fire inside of me…
“Don’t quench it, it is a standard, sign of My presence, don’t pour on it your own actions. Go after this, and you will know My presence in a practical way.”
Oh, Lord, it is so wonderful to worship You. I have no words now, they’re not enough… I now understand that it’s not as important to know answers to my questions as it is to realize Who is with me in this moment. The question will always be, “Am I living in an awareness of You, or am I living in self-awareness?”
“My Holy Spirit is the indicator that shows, teaches, leads, and creates through your human spirit. You can know Him by sensing Him in your inner man. Remember that I am in your heart. The sensation inside of you is the indicator of faith. Remember that the language of faith is different than the language of the mind. Protect this sensation inside of you; don’t let the seducing spirits injure your heart.” (Photo by Lillis Boyer “Set Me as a Seal upon Your Heart” via elijahshopper.com)
I want to worship You, Lord Jesus.
“I know that. This kind of worshippers does My Father look for, and you are one of them.”
Thank you.
“You want to ask Me how to follow Me, right?”
Yes, Lord.
“You see that My presence takes away all your questions. Where there are no more questions, there are no more problems.”
Then what is left?
“You and I…our fellowship together…this is a time of joy in our union. This is the culmination of all: My union with My creation. This is the celebration of love. This is better than money. Do you agree?”
Yes, Lord.
“My life swallows up everything. Literally everything! Celebrate the feast of My Life!”
Dr. Mark Virkler
President, Christian Leadership University (CLU)
Communion With God Ministries
Email: cwg@cwgministries.org
Website: cwgministries.org | cluonline.com
Report From Baja Mission
Blessings of every manner to our friends around the world today,
Brother Frank and I wanted to take a minute to say hello and let everyone know what’s been happening around here in our little corner of Mexico.
It’s been an action packed time here with the indigenous field workers organizing and for the first time in two administrations actually going through with a full out strike. To this day hardly any of the strikers very few requests have come to fruition.It is reported there have been multi millions of dollars of crops lay rotting in the fields between and around Ensenada and San Quintin one of the most fertile agricultural areas in all of Mexico. So the price of strawberries will be sky high this summer as will cucumbers and tomatoes.I understand the workers plight but it is sad in a country so literally starving to see any food rotting on its vine.
Here of course it speaks eloquently of the spiritual hunger of the idigenous and the population in general.
We have been set here in a country that is at war with itself and the demonic forces that are the lust of the flesh. And not only is it spiritual but it is REALLY SPILLING OVER INTO THE PHYSICAL REALM.
Just a few weeks ago, we,Frank,myself and several
Indigenous women riding in our vehicle were stopped at an army road block and detained for over 24 hours while being interrogated by armed masked soldiers with regard to our suspected involvement with the uprising of which at that time we were unaware was happening and that it had indeed led to looting, lychings, shootings, stonings and all manner of violence! THANKFULLY and boy am I thankful, we were released unharmed. In years past our brushes with the government hadn’t been so painless. Not to glorify that first trial, but I now see it in a totally different liight knowing it was preparing me for victory in this passing tribulation.duh! I was supposed to be learning!
As for what it has to do with all of you who support us especially those who pray for us we want to thank you for your prayers. You need to know that they are very effective and serve us when we are in a situation where we personally CANNOT pray ! So we want to thank you all so much.Thank you!
Your continued spiritual & physical financial help touches many many lives. We are currently serving 50 hot meals everyday. How Yahweh stretches the food I haven’t a clue & have long since quit trying to figure it out because my little brain can’t wrap around the daily miracles He does. I Just know it needs doing and if I show up and start cooking H’ell provide the financials. BUT, I KNOW it takes you mixing your faith with your gift then me mixing my faith in and voila we have lots of beans! It’s the faith you mix with your gift that starts the Yahweh chain reaction that leads to feeding 67 folks when you only had 2 pounds of chicken! So again THANK YOU ALL! For with whatever you can or even better you think you can’t ,but you do it anyway that’s what will put hot fóod in a hungry persons belly and that’s the real deal
And now something else I think y’all need to hear because its not just about the feeding.
When I opened up the back door this morning this was in the slot folks stick things in because we don’t have a mailbox. It was written in pencil in child’s script though a child didn’t write it as you’ll come to know.
I sat down in the still cold morning sun and read,-
“Dear Pastors Didí and Fran,
i don’t have a good way with writing words or expressing my feelings but I couldn’t wait the sun to come rise before I had to walk up her and leave you this I know its not much of nothing but hope you’ll be able to use it. I wish I could given you more for all give done for my family and me.thank you for always helping us gibving us food and clean water but mostly thsnk you for calling on your god to save my husbands life thank you for coming all the way to the hospital to be with me when he was dying,when not one of our family was there you two was there and all I can say is that when you walked in the hospital room that I knew what the doctors said about javier jhad lost too much blood and wouldn’t live the night well when I saw you I knew they’d lied right to my face.something embarrassing happened inside and my eyes started to make water and I couldn’t stop my eyes.and then you both prayed so quiet and from then I knew my javi would not die the doctors lied because well you know he’s home and can walk around and he’s really happy and quiet. Thanks to you for bringing us home together and both alive.”
I read the pencil letter (it must of been down to a stub because the writing in it got lighter and lighter ) I read it two times and cried for joy that the Lord had let us pray for this man our neighbor. I had to repent some , cause honestly ,
before I hadn’t liked him much,I hadn’t liked the “macho” ways he treated his wife and all women including me, I guess. And to be perfectly honest ,when word came to us that he was in critical condition at 2am I REALLY REALLY didn’t want to get up get dressed and go visit a man I didn’t hold on high esteem. Looking back at it, I am pretty darned selfish when it comes to being in my jammies in my warm bed. I m not the kind of person you’d think The Lord in all His Wisdom would make a pastors wife. I don’t fit the mold. But He’ll flow where and when and through whatever He wants and I am living proof of that. But anyway I looked up at the bag hanging on the doorknob after I finished leaking all over the stool and in the bag was a hand crocheted tortillawarmer, a pretty pink dainty one that I know her now deceased mama had given her as a wedding gift because I’d seen it holding pride of place in her kitchen and id asked her about it & its provenance. It humbled me pretty sore to get that gift I’ll tell you. And my eyes got to leaking again.
ANYWAY, yes Javier was healed and saved and yesterday Frank took him to hospital for the check up to see if they might need to remove his spleen which had been really deathly enlarged on that night in the hospital. Yesterday we were told his spleen seemed that of a 21 year old and they mumbled a lot while sending him on his way,pronounced healthy as a horse.
Before leaving him at home yesterday Frank asked him if he might want us to come visit and have a little quiet prayer sometime. Javier answered, ” Brother, you can come to this and pray as long as you want and as LOUD AS YOU CAN anytime. He said your God is the one I want if hell have me.”And so, Don Javier was born again in the front seat of the Excursion.
What’s is got to with you all??
Without you we could not pay for gas or maintain that vehicle that takes us on those nighttime healing trips and that’s just a part of why a thank you is again in order.
Today I met a new neighbor. She’s here from the state of Zacatecas trying to make money to raise her brood of 4,aged 3-9. Just as a matter of course I asked her about the childrens father. In a very sad soft voice she matter of factly said,” Oh well ,6 months ago he was kidnapped. She paid the asked ransom, $1 million pesos. ($100k approx. in US) the kidnappers took the money and returned her husband to her restaurant in small pieces in a trash bag. Now, imagine I stood in my home talking about this atrocity just today. Somehow I managed to pray for her, Holy Spirit did anyway because I was in shock. But this is what our life is like and this is why we thank the Lord that you all stand by and at times for us.
I share these things not to shock or frighten you bút because I see other missionaries touring the safety of their host country, because they don’t want people to know the truth and stop visíting.
But this is the truth of the way things are and I am proof that if I order my steps by what Holy Spirit directs me Every time, ill be okay and the same goes for us all. It can be as simple as taking one way to the store instead of another because your listening to the King of Kings,then you will always come out more than better!
So, love,blessings and eternal gratitude from Detra,Frank and His Bride in Baja