The Benefits of Abiding In Him – Rick Bagwell

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THE ACTIVITY OF THE HOLY SPIRIT

THE HOLY SPIRIT IS A GREAT PART OF THE EVERYDAY LIFE OF THE BELIEVER. HE IS VERY ACTIVE IN ALL WE DO OR SAY IF WE WELCOME HIM. HE WANTS TO BE ACKNOWLEDGED, FOR HE IS THE THIRD PERSON OF THE GODHEAD: GOD THE FATHER, GOD THE SON, AND GOD THE HOLY SPIRIT, THE TRINITY. HE WAS ALWAYS GOD.

WHEN HE WAS ACTIVE IN THE OLD TESTAMENT, IT WAS FOR A SPECIAL OCCASION.

THIS IS ALSO TRUE IN THE NEW TESTAMENT, BUT THE DIFFERENCE IN THE HOLY SPIRIT IN THE NEW TESTAMENT FROM THE OLD, IS THAT WHEN JESUS CAME TO EARTH AND COMPLETED HIS WORK HERE, HE THEN WENT BACK TO THE FATHER AND SENT THE HOLY SPIRIT TO ABIDE (LIVE) WITH US FOREVER, AS HE PROMISED IN JOHN 14.

CONSCIOUSNESS OF THE REALITY OF THE HOLY SPIRIT PERVADES (SATURATES) THE ENTIRE BIBLE FROM GENESIS TO REVELATION.

MANY OLD TESTAMENT WRITERS REFER TO THE SPIRIT, AND ONLY THREE OF THE NEW TESTAMENT BOOKS DO NOT ALUDE TO HIM (AND THESE ARE VERY SHORT – PHILEMON AND 2ND AND 3RD JOHN).

IT IS TRUE THAT JESUS CHRIST IS THE KEY FIGURE OF ALL GOD’S PLAN. THE HOLY SPIRIT HIMSELF FOCUSES ATTENTION ON CHRIST AND SEEKS TO GLORIFY HIM (JN. 15:26; 16:14). BUT THIS DOES NOT MEAN THAT THE HOLY SPIRIT IS EVER IGNORED IN THE BIBLE OR THAT HE IS EVER TREATED AS SOME VAGUE INFLUENCE OR IN PERCEPTABLE ENERGY. HE IS RECOGNIZED AS A REAL PERSON WITH INTELLIGENCE, FEELING, AND WILL.   1

1. What The Bible Says About The Holy Spirit, p.10.

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WHAT IS THE ANOINTING?

CHRIST MEANS “THE ANOINTED ONE.”

TO UNDERSTAND THE ANOINTING, WE MUST INVESTIGATE THE “ANOINTED ONE” – JESUS CHRIST.

LETS LOOK AT JOHN 1:32-34. WHEN “JOHN THE BAPTIST” BAPTIZED JESUS IN THE RIVER JORDAN  …THE SPIRIT DESCENDED AND REMAINED ON HIM…(I JOHN 1:33).

JOHN 3:34 DECLARES THAT JESUS HAD THE SPIRIT WITHOUT MEASURE. (WE DO NOT HAVE THE SPIRIT WITHOUT MEASURE.)

LUKE 4:1,2 – SAYS …AND JESUS BEING FULL OF THE HOLY GHOST RETURNED FROM JORDAN, AND WAS LED BY THE SPIRIT INTO THE WILDERNESS, BEING FORTY DAYS TEMPTED OF THE DEVIL…

          JESUS WAS TEMPTED HERE WITH: THE LUST OF THE FLESH, THE LUST OF THE EYE, AND THE PRIDE OF LIFE, THE SAME WAY THE FIRST ADAM WAS, AND FAILED.

JESUS BEING THE SECOND ADAM DID NOT FAIL.

WE SEE HERE, AS SOON AS JESUS WAS FILLED WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT HE FACED THE DEVIL HEAD-ON.

WE CALL THIS THE “TEMPTATION OF JESUS.”

THIS WAS IN PREPARATION FOR HIS MINISTRY TO BEGIN.

JESUS WAS ALWAYS SUBMITTED TO THE WILL OF THE FATHER.

AFTER DEFEATING THE DEVIL ON HIS OWN GROUND, VERSE 13-21 READS – AND WHEN THE DEVIL HAD ENDED ALL THE TEMPTATION, HE DEPARTED FROM HIM FOR A SEASON.

          AND JESUS RETURNED IN THE POWER OF THE SPIRIT INTO GALILEE: AND THERE WENT OUT A FAME OF HIM THROUGH ALL THE REGION ROUND ABOUT. AND HE TAUGHT IN THEIR SYNAGOGUES …

HE NOW GOES BACK TO NAZARETH WHERE HE HAD BEEN BROUGHT UP, …AND AS IT WAS HIS CUSTOM, HE WENT INTO THE SYNAGOGUE ON THE SABBATH DAY, AND STOOD UP TO READ.

(WE SEE HERE HE WENT TO CHURCH WHERE HE TOOK AN ACTIVE PART.)

SOMEONE HANDED HIM THE BOOK OF ISAIAH.

HE OPENED THE BOOK AND FOUND THE PLACE WERE IT WAS WRITTEN IN ISAIAH 61:1,2:

          “THE SPIRIT OF THE LORD GOD IS UPON ME” BECAUSE HE HATH ANOINTED ME TO PREAH THE GOSPEL TO THE POOR: HE HATH SENT ME TO HEAL THE BROKEN-HEARTED, TO PREACH DELIVERANCE TO THE CAPTIVES, AND RECOVERING OF SIGHT TO THE BLIND, TO SET AT LIBERTY THEM THAT ARE BRUISED, TO PREACH THE ACCEPTABLE YEAR OF THE LORD (LUKE 4:18-19).

VERSE 21,32 – AND HE BEGAN TO SAY UNTO THEM, THIS DAY IS THIS SCRIPTURE FULFILLED IN YOUR EARS.

          AND THEY WERE ASTONISHED AT HIS DOCTRINE; FOR HIS WORD WAS WITH POWER.

IMMEDIATELY, THROUGH THE ANOINTING, HE CAST OUT AN UNCLEAN DEVIL, AND HIS MINISTRY “TOOK-OFF.”

NOW, WHAT ABOUT US, AS SPIRIT FILLED BELIEVERS?

          WHEN JESUS ASCENDED BACK INTO HEAVEN, HE SENT US THE HOLY SPIRIT, WHO ARRIVED HERE TO ABIDE WITH US FOREVER, AND GIVES US POWER (JOHN 14:16; ACTS 1:8).

JOHN 14:12 – VERILY, VERILY, I SAY UNTO YOU, HE THAT BELIEVETH ON ME, THE WORKS (GREEK, ERGON – TOIL {AS AN EFFORT OR OCCUPATION}; IMPLIES AN ACT, DOING, LABOUR OR WORK.)  THAT I DO SHALL HE DO ALSO: AND GREATER WORKS THAN THESE SHALL HE DO; BECAUSE I GO UNTO MY FATHER.

JESUS SENT US THE HOLY SPIRIT ANOINTING: TO CHANGE US INTO THE IMAGE OF CHRIST, WHO IS OUR PATTERN, AND THAT WE MIGHT DO THE WORKS OF CHRIST. 

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THE SECRET PLACE

PSALM 91:1-4 – HE THAT DWELLETH IN THE SECRET PLACE OF THE MOST HIGH SHALL ABIDE UNDER THE SHADOW OF THE ALMIGHTY.

I WILL SAY OF THE LORD, HE IS MY REFUGE AND MY FORTRESS: MY GOD; IN HIM WILL I TRUST.

SURELY HE SHALL DELIVER THEE FROM THE SNARE OF THE FOWLER, AND FROM THE NOISOME PESTILENCE.

HE SHALL COVER THEE WITH HIS FEATHERS, AND UNDER HIS WINGS THOU SHALT TRUST: HIS TRUTH SHALL BE THY SHIELD AND BUCKLER.

BELOVED, DO YOU FEEL ALONE TODAY? LONGING FOR A TOUCH OF GOD IN YOUR LIFE? TODAY IS THAT DAY FOR YOU. GOD MADE THIS DAY, AND HE WILLS THAT YOU REJOICE AND BE GLAD IN IT.

NO. YOU CAN’T CHANGE THINGS THAT ARE GOING ON AROUND YOU, BUT OUR HEAVENLY FATHER CAN, AND WILL. HE WILL GIVE YOU GRACE AND JOY YOU NEED FOR THE DAY.

BELOVED, BEGIN YOUR DAY IN THE SECRET PLACE OF THE ALMIGHTY, AND I CAN PROMISE YOU WILL DEFINATELY ABIDE UNDER HIS SHADOW.

YOU WILL NEVER BE ALONE AGAIN.

YOU WILL NEVER FEEL FORSAKEN AGAIN.

TELL HIM HOW YOU FEEL.

TURN YOUR DAY OVER TO HIM.

DON’T WASTE YOUR DAY WITH DOUBTS AND FEARS.

WHEN WE ABIDE UNDER THE SHADOW OF THE ALMIGHTY, WE WILL BE ABLE TO SAY, “HE IS MY REFUGE AND FORTRESS.”

NOTHING WILL EVER COME YOUR WAY THAT GOD CAN’T TAKE CARE OF. HE NOT ONLY WANTS YOU TO GIVE YOUR TROUBLES OVER TO HIM; HE ALSO WANTS YOU TO LEAVE THEM WITH HIM, AND NOT TAKE THEM BACK AGAIN.

GOD’S PRESENCE IS THE ONLY REFUGE FROM TROUBLE.

HE ALONE HAS YOUR ANSWER.

…IN HIM WILL I TRUST OR CONFIDE… TELL HIM YOUR SITUATION. IT’S GOOD AT TIMES TO CONFIDE IN PEOPLE; BUT SOMETIMES THEY WILL BETRAY YOUR CONFIDENCE, BUT YOUR HEAVENLY FATHER WILL NEVER BETRAY YOU.

YOU CAN TRUST HIM TO SILENTLY BEGIN TO SOLVE YOUR PROBLRMS, AND GIVE YOU JOY ALL ALONG THE WAY THROUGH THEM: THE JOY IN KNOWING HE HAS IT ALL UNDER CONTROL.

…SURELY HE SHALL DELIVER THEE FROM THE SNARE OF THE FOWLER… DO YOU KNOW THAT THE ENMY OF OUR SOUL, SATAN, HAS A SNARE OR TRAP FOR ALL OF US?

AS WE ABIDE UNDER THE SHADOW OF THE ALMIGHTY, HE WILL MAKE US AWARE OF (REVEAL TO US) THE TRAPS AND SNARES SATAN HAS PLANNED FOR US, PERSONALLY, SO WE CAN AVOID THEM.

SOME OF MY AUDIENCE ,POSSIBLY, IS INCARCERATED. YOUR BODY MAY BE LOCKED-UP, BUT YOUR SPIRIT CAN BE FREE, AND STAY FREE!

…HE SHALL DELIVER THEE FROM THE NOISOME PESTILANCE(RAGING EPIDEMIC)…

SARS IS THE MOST FEARED EPIDEMIC IN OUR SOCIETY TODAY, AND WE KNOW TERRORISM IS A GREAT POSSIBILITY.

WE NEED NOT FEAR. WE NEED ONLY TO ASK GOD FOR PROTECTION.

THE PROPHETS FORTOLD THE EPIDEMICS WOULD COME, AND WARS AND RUMORS OF WARS ARE ALL INEVITABLE.

I FEEL JESUS’ COMING IS SO SOON WE CAN ALMOST FEEL HIS BREATH SURROUND US.

…HE SHALL COVER YOU WITH HIS FEATHERS…

HAVE YOU EVER WATCHED A MOTHER HEN COVER HER CHICKS WITH HER FEATHERS?  IT IS A PRECIOUS SIGHT TO BEHOLD TO SEE HER LITTLE ONE’S RUN FAST TO GET UNDERNEATH HER FEATHERS. SHE DOES THIS WHEN DANGER IS NEAR.

WHEN YOU SEE TROUBLE COMING, DON’T RUN FROM GOD, BUT RUN TO GOD. GET SNUGGLED-IN UNDER HIS FEATHERS.

…AND UNDER HIS WINGS THOU SHALT TRUST…THERE IS NO GREATER LOVE THAN A PROTECTING, SAVING LOVE.

GREATER LOVE HATH NO MAN THAT THIS, THAT A MAN LAY DOWN HIS LIFE FOR HIS FRIENDS (JOHN 15:13).

WE NOT ONLY HAVE PROTECTION FROM ENEMIES, BUT SO MUCH MORE THAN THAT.

PICTURE TO YOURSELF WHATWHAT THE SHELTER OF THE WING OF THE MOTHER HEN IS TO HER YOUNG, AND IT WILL TELL YOU WHAT THE PRECIOUS PROMISE OF OUR TEXT MEANS TO THE BELIEVER.

IT MEANS HAPPINESS, CONTENTMENT, AND COMFORT.

THEE SOUL IS HAPPY IN GOD.

OUR LIFE IS HIDDEN WITH GOD.

SEE HOW THE YOUNG BROOD ARE ARE HIDDEN UNDER THEIR MOTHER’S WINGS?  THE YOUNG BIRDS CAN FEEL THE BEAT OF THEIR MOTHER’S HEART.

THERE IS A NEARNESS TO THE HEART OF GOD.

SO THE HEART AND SOUL OF THE SHELTERED ONE, BEHOLDS AND FEELS THE HEART AND LOVE OF GOD.

THIS IS NOT PROMISED TO EVERYONE, BUT ONLY BELIEVERS WHO DWELL IN THE SECRET PLACE OF THE MOST HIGH.

YOU WHO ARE NOT A BELIEVER, AND YOU DESPERATELY WANT TO KNOW THIS KIND OF LOVE AND PROTECTION, PRAY THIS PRAYER WITH ME:   “JESUS, COME INTO MY HEART, AND SAVE MY SOUL. FORGIVE ME OF ALL MY SINS. I DESIRE TO SERVE YOU. I TURN MY LIFE OVER TO YOU. THANK YOU FOR SAVING ME, AND I ASK YOU TO DELIVER ME FROM ALL UNFORGIVENESS OF OTHERS, AND FROM EVERY STRONGHOLD IN MY LIFE. I WILL NEVER BE ALONE AGAIN. THANK YOU, LORD, FOR SAVING AND DELIVERING ME. I AM SAVED!!! IN JESUS’ NAME.”

IF YOU PRAYED THIS PRAYER WITH ME, I NOW ASK YOU TO TAKE ANOTHER STEP, AND MAKE A COMMENT ON THIS WEBSITE. YOU DO NOT HAVE TO GIVE YOUR NAME OR ANY OTHER INFORMATION ABOUT YOURSELF. I JUST WOULD LIKE TO KNOW.

WELCOME TO THE FAMILY OF GOD. YOU TOO ARE NOW GOD’S OWN. GOD BLESS YOU.

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