Category: the Holy Spirit


The Gifts of the Spirit

Filed under: spiritual warfare, Spirituality, spirtual warfare, the Holy Spirit — Leave a comment
August 30, 2025

The Bright Morning Star Rising on the First Day

A VISION OF A JESUS-FILLED WORLD COMING TO PASS

The gifts of the Holy Spirit, as presented by the Apostle Paul in his letters to the Corinthians, are spiritual abilities bestowed upon believers by the Holy Spirit for the edification of the church and the advancement of God’s kingdom. This report provides a detailed examination of these gifts, their purpose, and their application as outlined in Paul’s writings, with a focus on their significance in a Christian context.

Context of Paul’s Teaching in Corinthians

In 1 Corinthians, Paul addresses a divided and spiritually immature church in Corinth, where believers were misusing spiritual gifts, leading to pride, disorder, and factionalism. Paul emphasizes that the Holy Spirit bestows these gifts for the “common good” (1 Corinthians 12:7) and that they must be exercised in love (1 Corinthians 13) and with order (1 Corinthians 14). The gifts are diverse but unified in purpose, reflecting the triune God’s work through the body of Christ (the church). Paul lists nine specific gifts in 1 Corinthians 12:8-10. These gifts are supernatural endowments, distinct from natural talents, and are distributed sovereignly by the Spirit (12:11).

Below is a detailed breakdown of each gift as presented:

    • Word of Wisdom (1 Corinthians 12:8): The ability to apply divine insight or godly perspective to complex situations, reflecting God’s wisdom, which surpasses human understanding (1 Corinthians 2:6-7). They can offer biblically sound counsel to resolve disputes or guide the church in decision-making, ensuring that decisions align with God’s will.
    • Word of Knowledge (1 Corinthians 12:8): Supernatural insight into specific facts or truths, often revealed by the Spirit without prior human knowledge. It may involve understanding scripture or discerning spiritual realities. Used to edify the church through divine revelation, frequently complementing the word of wisdom.
    • Faith (1 Corinthians 12:9): An extraordinary, Spirit-given confidence in God’s power and promises, beyond ordinary saving faith. It enables bold trust in God for specific outcomes.
    • Gifts of Healing (1 Corinthians 12:9, 28, 30): The ability to heal physical, emotional, or spiritual ailments through God’s power, often through prayer or laying on of hands.
    • Miraculous Powers (1 Corinthians 12:10, 28): The ability to perform supernatural acts beyond healing, such as casting out demons or altering natural events. Also translated as “working of miracles.” Sometimes used to authenticate God’s message and glorify Him through extraordinary signs and wonders.
    • Prophecy (1 Corinthians 12:10, 28; 14:1–5): Speaking forth a message from God, often for encouragement, exhortation, or conviction. It may include foretelling future events or foretelling God’s truth. Used to edify, encourage, and console the church (14:3), with a focus on clarity and order (14:29–33).
    • Distinguishing Between Spirits (1 Corinthians 12:10): The ability to discern whether a spiritual manifestation, message, or influence is from God, a human source, or an evil spirit. Identifying a false prophet or demonic influence in a teaching, and to protect the church from deception and maintain doctrinal purity.
    • Speaking in Tongues (1 Corinthians 12:10, 28, 30; 14:2–28): Speaking in a language unknown to the speaker, either a human language (as in Acts 2) or a spiritual one (1 Corinthians 14:2). Tounges can either be spoken to the church, to commune with God (14:2) or, when interpreted, to edify the church (14:5).
  • Interpretation of Tongues (1 Corinthians 12:10, 30; 14:13, 26–28): The ability to translate or explain a message spoken in tongues, making it understandable to the church, while edifying the community, not just the individual (14:5, 12).

Key Principles from 1 Corinthians 12–14

    • Unity in Diversity (12:4–6, 12–27): The gifts are diverse but come from the same Spirit, Lord, and God, reflecting the unity of the Trinity. The church is like a body with many parts; each gift is essential for the well-being of the whole body (1 Cor. 12:12-27). No gift is superior; all serve the common good.
    • Love as the Foundation (1 Corinthians 13): Paul emphasizes that gifts without love are meaningless (13:1–3). Love is the “most excellent way” (12:31), ensuring gifts are used selflessly to build up others.
    • Order and edification (1 Corinthians 14): Paul prioritizes gifts that edify the church, like prophecy, over those that primarily benefit the individual, like uninterpreted tongues (14:4–5). He instructs that worship be orderly, with tongues limited to two or three speakers, requiring interpretation, and prophecy judged for accuracy (14:27–33).

References in 2 Corinthians

While 2 Corinthians focuses less on spiritual gifts, Paul indirectly references them in the context of his apostolic ministry:

  • Signs and Wonders:  In 2 Corinthians 12:12, Paul mentions “signs, wonders, and miracles” as marks of a true apostle, aligning with the gifts of miraculous powers and healing.
  • Empowerment: In 2 Corinthians 3:3–6, the Spirit’s transformative work in believers’ lives suggests ongoing empowerment, possibly tied to gifts like teaching or prophecy.

Theological and Practical Insights

  • Sovereign Distribution: The Spirit assigns gifts as He wills (12:11), not based on merit.  
  • Christian Values: The gifts align with values like unity (working as one body), love (prioritizing others’ edification), and stewardship (using gifts faithfully). Gifts are for God’s glory, not personal status.

Conclusion

Paul’s teaching in 1 Corinthians 12–14 outlines nine core gifts of the Holy Spirit—word of wisdom, word of knowledge, faith, healing, miraculous powers, prophecy, distinguishing spirits, tongues, and the interpretation of tongues—alongside additional roles such as apostleship, teaching, helping, and administration. These gifts are given for the church’s edification, to be exercised in love and order, reflecting the unity of the body of Christ.

The Bright Morning Star Rising on the First Day

A VISION OF A JESUS-FILLED WORLD COMING TO PASS

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The Lord’s Prayer – The Meaning of Thy Kingdom Come, and Why it Matters

Filed under: spiritual warfare, Spirituality, the Holy Spirit — 5 Comments
June 23, 2024

The Morning Star Rising on the First Day

A VISION OF A JESUS-FILLED WORLD COMING TO PASS

When Jesus’s disciples asked Him how they should pray, He gave them what is now called the Lord’s Prayer. It has endured for over two thousand years and is still prayed and reflected on today.

I have often prayed this prayer myself; still, in doing so, I often find myself seeking the meaning of the phrase “Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” So, I searched the Bible for answers and was surprised at what I found. You might be surprised where this leads us as well.

Therefore, this post will clarify the verse”Your kingdom come.” It will present New Testament scriptures and my spiritual experiences and observations to illuminate the meaning of this prayer passage. In a future posting, we will address the second part of the passage, “Thy will be done on Earth as it is in heaven.”

Thy Kingdom Come

We start with Luke 17:20-21

Jesus Confronting the Scribes and Pharisees

Now, when He was asked by the Pharisees when the Kingdom of God would come, He answered them and said, “The kingdom of God does not come with observation; 21 nor will they say, ‘See here!’ or ‘See there!’ For indeed, the Kingdom of God is within you.”

Therefore, the Kingdom of God is not a physical location, political regime, government, or power but rather the presence of the Holy Spirit dwelling within us. The gifts of the Holy Spirit are evidence of this dwelling of the Kingdom of God in His people.

The Gifts of the Spirit Identified

Paul identifies the gifts of the Spirit in 1 Cor: 12 4-11.  

Jesus heals the man at the pools.

There are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit. 5 There are differences of ministries, but the same Lord. 6 And there are diversities of activities, but it is the same God who works all in all. 7 But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all: 8 for to one is given the word of wisdom through the Spirit, to another the word of knowledge through the same Spirit, 9 to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healings by the same Spirit, 10 to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another discerning of spirits, to another different kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. 11 But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually as He wills.

When thy Kingdom comes, these gifts of the Spirit will manifest and be demonstrated in the power of the gifts of the Spirit. But is this the condition being demonstrated by God’s people today? We see long lists of sick people to pray for in our church bulletins every week. So, where is the gift of healing? Some churches have led their members to take the COVID-19 vaccines despite knowing that they contained the blood of aborted babies. This vaccine then proved to be unsafe and ineffective, killing hundreds of thousands and harming millions worldwide. So, where is the gift of wisdom and knowledge? Where is the gift of the prophetic? Why were we led by our own ministers to take what many believe is a bioweapon?

Why Do Spiritual Gifts Matter?

We live in a world where evil has been allowed to thrive, where the devil launches spiritual warfare campaigns against God’s people as if they are powerless. I know because I have been the victim of spiritual attacks, knowing nothing about spiritual warfare, and never realizing that I was even in such a war. Because of my ignorance, I became a human punching bag for the forces of evil.

The reality is that many evil people are running the world by doing the devil’s dirty work by way of spiritual warfare. They are lovers of money and power; they hate people, even advocating the killing of babies and using boys and girls as sex toys, then offering them up for Satanic sacrifice. They believe that they are superior to the rest of us. They seek to destroy our way of life, our freedoms, and our belief in God because they are in the way of their agenda. Therefore, their goal is to eliminate them, including our freedom of religion and speech, and to bear arms. They seek to end democracy by taking down America while destroying our constitution, thereby enabling them to rule over us and the world.

Think of Hitler’s Germany around the time of World War 2. Many people do not know that Germany had a democracy before Hitler took power. They did it by deploying a number of strategies. One was that they took control of the media and published propaganda designed to divide the people. Another was building political armies to force their will on the people, persecuting truth-tellers, and punishing political opponents. Their main target was the Jews, who were removed from their homes and businesses, placed in concentration camps, subjected to forced labor, and eventually killed. Those who objected to these practices were severely punished or killed such that after a while, no one dared say a word; their guns had been removed long before. Think of all the people who were involved in the persecution and killing of the Jews and decenters. Think of everyone who knew the horrors of what was happening but did not dare say or do anything. Think of how many churches and Christians knew of the injustice but remained mute.

These things are important to think about because the same strategy deployed by the German Nazis to overthrow democracy and freedom appears to be rolling out in America. Our mainstream news has become the propaganda organization for a political party at the behest of the so-called elites and the deep state. These news agencies heavily support political agendas which mirror the Nazi tactics of lies and deception. They shape the news to subtly turn truth into lies, to make good look evil and evil look good. Their biggest lies are the items they refuse to report because they implicate them and the agenda of their sponsors.

But then, they are not the only ones lying. Our politicians are telling lies constantly to support their political narratives that, in many ways, are anti-American. Pharmaceutical companies are lying to us, as are most government agencies like the FDA, the FBI, the IRS, and many others. Why are they lying to us? Because they do not want the people to know about their plan to take over your country and your liberty and eventually the rest of the world. Our government publishes over a million top-secret documents a year. What are these things that are denied to the public? Why is it that they, in some cases, vote in private? Who knows how many of these private or classified items are to cover up their illegal and immoral actions designed to take down America so that they can rule over you? Why? Because your values are in the way of their plans to extend their evil satanic practices.

Unelected employees in deep state government agencies have placed Christian organizations on the US terrorist list. Therefore, Christians are to be persecuted like the Jews were under the Nazis as the plans for a takeover are seemingly the same. The result is that evil flourishes as it goes unchecked in America today.

It makes one wonder if the body of the church has been empowered with the gifts of the spirit identified above. Is the body even seeking them? I wonder how many of us even know that we are in a spiritual war designed to eliminate us and our loved ones from the face of the earth. What spiritual gifts do you have in which to enter into the battle for Christianity, your nation, community, and family? If you don’t know, you are unprepared for the spiritual battles ahead. If you are not being attacked by the forces of evil, it may be because you have already been defeated. It takes purity to become a component of the bride of Christ (THE BRIDE OF CHRIST AND HER VISION.) More than this, we must take action against these forces of evil. Therefore, more than ever, the bride of Christ must put on the whole armor of God.

When “Thy Kingdom Come(s)” and dwells in you, you will be empowered by God’s Holy Spirit to do His will and engage in spiritual warfare. What does it mean to put on the whole armor of God before engaging in spiritual warfare?

The Whole Armor of God

10 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. 11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.

We can defeat those who seek to enslave us as they did in the Crossing the Red Sea

14 Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, 15 and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; 16 above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. 17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; 18 praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints— 19 and for me, that utterance may be given to me, that I may open my mouth boldly to make known the mystery of the gospel, 20 for which I am an ambassador in chains; that in it I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.

Therefore, seek the Kingdom of God that is the infilling of the Holy Spirit. Identify and exercise the gifts of the Spirit that God has given you. Put on the whole armor of God and engage in the battle against God’s people for the dominion of the Earth.


In my next posting, I will present the second part of this verse, “Thy will be done on Earth as it is in heaven,” where we will learn what we are to do that has already been done in heaven.

Until then, may God bless, and remember to:

The Morning Star Rising on the First Day

A VISION OF A JESUS-FILLED WORLD COMING TO PASS

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The Work of the Holy Spirit in Ministry – Modern Day Miracles

Filed under: Faith, Jesus, Ministry, Possess the Vision, Spirituality, spirtual warfare, the Holy Spirit, Unity — 2 Comments
June 24, 2011

The Morning Star Rising on the First Day

The Work of the Holy Spirit in Ministry – Modern Day Miracles

When our church decided to launch a program to increase membership, they secured speaking engagements from a number of well-known evangelists and pastors and offered special church services over a single weekend. To ensure that the public knew about the opportunity, they invested in an advertising campaign.

The church wanted everyone who attended these special events to get the message of our church out to our community. Therefore, they set up a number of tables just outside the church to sell books, videos, audiotapes, and other religious items. I had been asked to work the table that offered videotapes of a famous evangelist. In the course of the assignment, I struck up a conversation with an interesting man who came by the table. He mentioned that he had a food distribution ministry and had connections with several salmon companies in Alaska. These companies had a unique situation.

 

Due to government regulations, the fishermen had to collectively limit the amount of fish they sold each day. If they caught more than the legal limit on any given day, they had to dispose of the excess fish. This typically resulted in taking the excess fish back out to sea and dumping them in the ocean. As a result, the fishermen were dumping large volumes of fish back into the ocean on a regular basis. Now, this is where the opportunity came in. Although they could not sell the excess fish, they were allowed to donate it to a charitable organization. This was where his ministry came into play. He said that he worked with a number of people who would process and freeze the fish and others who would deliver it, all for free. I thought that this could be a great opportunity for our church food distribution program. This man seemed like a nice person, but I decided to check him out before doing anything. I asked him if he had worked with anyone else in our area. He mentioned two organizations, one about which he had many great things to say. He indicated that this organization was led by the Holy Spirit, and that the anointing there was unbelievable. The name of this organization is Friend Ships.

 

I was very impressed with what he told me about Friend Ships, so I called them and set up an appointment to meet one of their representatives. I also arranged for Johnnie, Wanda, and two other couples to see this organization with us. One day after work we drove over to the Friend Ships’ warehouse on the Long Beach docks. We entered the office area but found that the person we were scheduled to meet with was not there for some reason. However, there was another man there who seemed very interested in us. He introduced himself as Don Tipton. We were soon to find out that he was founder and leader of the Friend Ships organization. What an amazing and rare organization Friend Ships turned out to be.  At that time they did not ask for money. In fact, they operated very well with little money because every worker was a volunteer. No one was paid a salary, including Don and his wife, Sondra.

 

One thing that we noticed while we were there was that there was a lack of any organizational structure and minimal planning activities. I thought that anyone who came here from corporate America would be amazed at how this group got anything done at all. The irony of all of this was their tremendous ability to deliver food, supplies, equipment, and all sorts of other things to people who really needed it. This was all explained by the fact that they had a secret weapon—their faith in Jesus Christ. They simply stepped out in faith and trusted in God for what they needed. Time after time they watched in awe as God came through again and again.

 

Remember: Peter Walked on Water until he Doubted

Let me give you an example. They had a food distribution program in which they collected and distributed food for the poor each Saturday morning. Amazingly, they did not make any arrangements for people to bag the food into distribution packets so that the food could be easily passed out to the poor and needy. People just showed up. The right number of people showed up at just the right time to get the job done. They trusted in God, and God delivered.

 

The entire operation was run this way—on God power. There was something special about Don that I liked right away. He was a no-nonsense kind of guy. He had seen it all, and he was serious about his commitment to God. He told us a story of how he brought his wife to Jesus prior to their marriage. They had read the entire Bible together, and once they did, the call of God became clear to them, and they went into full-time ministry.

 

They sold their Beverly Hill’s polo field and other businesses and started their ministry by simply stepping out in faith. Their vision was to collect surplus food from the wealthiest country in the world—the United States of America—and distribute it to the poor and the hungry people of the world.

 

Don told us all about their ministry, and how they got started. For example, he told us a story of how their first ship was donated to them. Soon after they had entered full-time ministry, they found their heart was for the poor and starving people all over the world. But to care for them, they would require a ship to transport goods they had collected to the places where people needed them. So, they started praying for an ocean-going ship, but nothing happened at first. Consequently, they said to themselves, we must step out in faith and start looking at ships that are for sale.

 

One day Don went to look at a 300-foot ocean transport ship. The owner took him on a tour of the ship showing him everything it had to offer. After the tour, the owner invited Don to have a cup of coffee with him, and they sat down to talk. The owner was obviously very interested in selling the ship, and he immediately started to negotiate the price with Don. This, however, made Don uncomfortable because he did not know how to tell the man he didn’t have the money to buy it. Eventually, he told the owner that he ran a food distribution ministry and hoped that he would donate the ship to them. The owner agreed immediately. All he had to do was to come over the following day and sign the papers. That is how Friend Ships got into the shipping business. They stepped out in faith, and God delivered.

 

But now they had to find a place to store the items to be shipped when the ship was out to sea making deliveries. They found a warehouse that was not being used and got permission from the owner to use it rent free until he could sell it. That owner sold the property after six months, but the new owner extended the agreement with them until he could lease the warehouse to someone else. The result was that they were able to use the warehouse for an additional eighteen months prior to finding their next warehouse in Los Angeles.

 

Again, they stepped out in faith and God delivered. This kind of thing was the norm for this ministry. There are so many stories like this about Friend Ships. Miracles prevented disaster, money was given just when they needed it, and skilled people like retired naval officers showed up saying that God sent them.

 

Don explained that their food collection depended on what the local businesses gave them. They also worked with church groups and other individuals to distribute the food locally to the poor. Clearly, God was blessing this ministry. Don explained all of this as he escorted us through the warehouse. We got to see, first hand, all the items that they had collected and eventually would be shipped overseas. The items consisted of all of the things that are needed to support a community including —school desks, fire fighting equipment, and medical equipment. The Holy Spirit was overseeing it all. Pat and I broke off from the group for a while and walked through all three floors of the warehouse, crying like babies most of the time. We were humbled how God had supported this ministry.

 

Don took us out to the dock where the newest of their three ships was being renovated for duty. The ship was longer than a football field and more than five stories above the water line. The ship was being renovated to become a floating hospital. Their plan was to bring the ship into various ports around the world to deliver medical attention to the poor. As they brought people aboard ship for treatment, there would be opportunity to tell them about Jesus. We walked through the ship and found a great number of people working to convert it for her new mission. I thought: the ship is huge, what a job it is going to be to make her ready for the mission.

 

The Holy Spirit was on the ship as well. Don brought us to one of the finished meeting rooms and led us in prayer. I believe that every one of us had tears in our eyes in the midst of the anointing of the Holy Spirit. What a pleasure to find a ministry working under the pure guidance and direction of God. I guess that you could say that we got more than we bargained for, but somewhere along the way we did manage to ask Don about the man who had the salmon fish distribution ministry. He indicated that he knew him, and he had been there to visit with them but they had only gotten a couple hundred pounds of fish from him.

 

Subsequently, this information did not sway us one way or the other. We did not get what we went for, but God delivered what He wanted us to have. He was providing information once-again. This time it was to see how He worked with His people. He showed us a ministry that was His ministry. It ran with volunteer help and required very little money. It was a ministry that was directed by the Holy Spirit with little planning and organization. This ministry just stepped out in faith and learned to depend on Him. He showed us that miracles are still happening today. God has a heart for the poor and the needy. He showed us a ministry focused on building communities and enabling people to better care for their families. If you would like to know more about the Friend Ships ministry, read the book entitled, Jesus and Company—Part 1 by Don and Sondra Tipton. Information on how to order the book or learn more about the ministry is on the Internet. Simply go to http://friendships.org/

 

Thank you, Don and Sondra, for being such a true example of what it means to be a Christian.

 

Subsequently, this information did not sway us one way or the other. We did not get what we went for, but God delivered what He wanted us to have. He was providing information once-again. This time it was to see how He worked with His people. He showed us a ministry that was His ministry. It ran with volunteer help and required very little money. It was a ministry that was directed by the Holy Spirit with little planning and organization. This ministry just stepped out in faith and learned to depend on Him. He showed us that miracles are still happening today. God has a heart for the poor and the needy. He showed us a ministry focused on building communities and enabling people to better care for their families. If you would like to know more about the Friend Ships ministry, read the book entitled, Jesus and Company—Part 1 by Don and Sondra Tipton. Information on how to order the book or learn more about the ministry is on the Internet. Simply go to http://friendships.org/

 

Thank you, Don and Sondra, for being such a true example of what it means to be a Christian.

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A VISION OF A WHITE DOVE

Filed under: Bride of Christ, Messages from God, Spirituality, the Holy Spirit — 4 Comments
February 22, 2011

The Morning Star Rising on the First Day

A VISION OF A JESUS-FILLED WORLD COMING TO PASS

How My Visions Began – A Review 

The messages from God began immediately after I surrendered to Jesus, expressing my willingness to follow His guidance. A day later, God showed me a vision of the Earth evolving into a perpetually blossoming flower. After being awestruck by the beauty of this sight, God pulled me inside the Earth through a portal, where I saw a gigantic Jesus that filled the Earth from pole to pole, holding out His arms such that I believed He was giving blessings to the people of the Earth (The Revelation: Earth Blooming into a Jesus-Filled Flower.)

After the weeks and months that followed, God was actively putting things in place to move us to where He wanted us to go. He then moved us halfway across the country, leading us to better employment and a Holy Spirit-filled church. We participated in a prayer group meeting where I had the experience of being a member of the bride of Christ, hearing her thoughts and reflections on her love for Jesus and the victory over Satan. In a recent post, I shared the details of this experience and conveyed insights about THE-BRIDE-OF-CHRIST-AND-HER-VISION, highlighting her attributes, nature, and mission.

So, God had me on the fast track, so to speak. In two of my prior postings, I wrote about hearing the audible voice of God calling my name and then giving me a vision of a straight path leading to the glory of God. An artist’s rendition of the straight path is displayed at the top of this page.

 

 

 

The Vision of a White Dove that Flew Toward Me

One day, an evangelist (Rodney Howard-Browne, pastor of The River Church in Tampa Bay) came to minister to our church (Melody-Land.) My wife and were rather impressed with his message that Sunday, and we were very excited to hear that he would extend his stay to preach several more days that week. I wanted to attend each of his services, but since I worked in Burbank and the church was located in Anaheim, I would have to drive 50 miles across the heart of downtown Los Angeles. The commute time alone would be an hour in each direction. Yet, I had some flexibility in my schedule, so I planned to take an early lunch, attend the service for about an hour, and then return to work stay late to make up for the lost time, which I set out to do.

I never thought such an effort to grow closer to Goe would result in marvelous or miraculous consequences. Yet, something glorious was about to happen as I drove down US Interstate 5 that day.

As it happened, my mind wandered as I drove in heavy traffic. I suddenly I noticed a white dove flying against the traffic in the distance over the highway. It seemed very strange that a bird would be flying along the path of such a busy throughfare, so I look for clues that may explain this.  It was flying straight toward me, coming directly down the lane in which I was driving. I noticed that the bird seemed to be flying directly toward me, down the lane where I was driving, and coming very quickly. As far as I could tell, it was pure white. As it neared, I saw its eyes focused on me as its wings flapped rapidly as if it had somewhere crucial to go. 

I then discerned that the dove was flying directly toward my windshield. When a collision seemed imminent, I braced myself and turned my face away to protect myself from breaking glass, but as it turned out, there was no impact and no breakage. Perhaps the dove swooped away at the last second, just inches from the windshield. But, reflecting on this event now, the Holy Spirit let me know He was with me and was pleased by my efforts to find Him and develop a personal relationship with Him. This is the way that the Holy Spirit manifested Himself to me that day.

One thing is sure: the Holy Spirit will be the helper of everyone who earnestly seeks Him. 

The Morning Star Rising on the First Day

A VISION OF A JESUS-FILLED WORLD COMING TO PASS

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Seek God and He Will Lead You to Find Him

Filed under: Possess the Vision, Spirituality, spirtual warfare, the Holy Spirit — Leave a comment
January 5, 2011

The Morning Star Rising on the First Day

Review of Prior Postings

In prior postings I have communicated how a life threatening illness sent me to the emergency room near death. My spirit left my body and I experienced the truth of our spiritual reality, of heaven and hell, and the Judgment God. 

If you would like to read the details of these postings, please use the following hyperlinks:

The-Initial-Attack

The-Intensive-Care-Unit-and-the-Initial-Prognosis

Entering-the-Spiritual-Realm-of-Death

A-Journey-to-Golgotha

Inside-the-Lake-of-Fire-the-Second-death

Confronting-Satan-in-Hell

Judgment-Day

Reliving-my-sins-before-the-Judgment-Seat-of-Christ

Gods-Question-on-Judgment-Day

Opening-the-Books-on-Judgment-Day

Repentance-Brings-Salvation-Even-on-Judgment-Day

The Last Judgment by Michelangelo

 I lived through the Judgment as I made a promise to God to change. I returned to the physical world and underwent several calamities that also brought me close to death. What I did not know was that I was under spiritual attack, an innocent victim of spiritual warfare.

If you would like to read the details of these postings, simply click on the following hyperlinks:

 Back-from-Death

The-Physical-Impacts-of-Spiritual-Attack

The-Stench-of-Death

The-Aftershocks-of-Spiritual-Attack

Spiritual-Attack-Brings-a-Hopeless-Outlook

A-Catheter-in-the-Aorta

A-Healing-Miracle-Follows-Meager-Attempt-to-Find-God

Standing-Firm-for-What-God-put-into-my-Heart

The-Spiritual-Attacks-Continue

Spiritual-Warfare-Changes-Everything       

Satan-Calls

Seek God and He Will Lead You to Find Him

In the past few postings my life has changed significantly. It all started when I surrendered to God (I-Finally-Surrender-to-God) and told Him that I would do what ever He wanted me to do. Immediately afterward I have this awe inspiring vision of Jesus filling the earth (Surrender-is-Followed-by-a-Glorious-Vision). The next thing that I knew was that all of my worries about my job were resolved in a miraculous way. I got a job offer in California with a substantial raise, while at the same time accepted an early retirement program from my current employer that included a year’s salary, medical benefits and flight privileges for life (Gods-Plans-Begin-with-Blessings).

 So we moved to California not realizing that it was God pulling all the strings for us. We soon moved into a new apartment and shortly afterward had a visit from our daughter who had just graduated from college and had the summer off. One day, I came home from work and found the two of them in the living room talking about God. They were laughing and having a great time but for some reason, I could not relate to what they were saying. Then for some unknown reason I blurted out, “I don’t know what it is that the two of you have, but I want it!” They just stared at me in a daze, seemingly totally surprised at what I had just said. Now this was the second time that I had verbally exercised my need for God. I should have known that He would honor my request.

 One evening not long after, I was in the loft trying to find something to watch on television and was rapidly flipping through the channels. I flipped right past this man in a white suit who was talking about God. Something about what he said in that half second caught my attention. By the time that it hit me, I had already flipped down three additional channels. So, I flipped back to hear more and the more the man talked, the more I liked what he had to say. I called my wife into the room, and she liked him as well. More interesting, he was going to be at a church near Los Angeles, California that week. We did not know anything about this church but were excited about what we heard. So, we decided to see this man in person. I had never before attended a charismatic church service and was not sure what to expect. Apparently, this pastor was famous and he demonstrated signs and wonders in his ministry.

We had to drive half way across Los Angeles to get to this church which was approximately fifty minutes away from where we lived. When we got there, we had to wait in a line that wrapped all the way around this very large church building. Everyone was talking about this man’s visit. They made it seem like a really big deal. We hurriedly grabbed a seat to the side of the choir. The service started with music and song. They had an excellent musical group and a large choir. They played and sang the loudest church music I had ever heard. In addition, all the songs were new to me. Everyone else seemed to know the words by heart. I noticed that people were raising their hands while singing. They were praising God so I decided to join them by raising my arms as well. I was trying very hard to get connected with God.

 Then a minister came out to lead the people in prayer. I remember hearing the people next to me pray in a language that I thought was Latin, and I wondered what this might mean. I thought that perhaps they were foreigners. But then, they spoke such good English prior to the service. This is extremely strange, I thought.

Then the visiting evangelist came out, dressed in a white suit. He started to preach and after the message, led the people in praising God with music and song. This continued for some time. The program slowly progressed into spiritual praise and worship. Then suddenly and without any warning, he coiled his right arm all the way around to the left side of his body. Then he swung it back around, past the audience in front of him, and across his right side. The momentum then extended it back toward the choir behind him while he shouted, “Choir, receive your anointing.” To my amazement, the entire choir that had been standing behind him fell to their chairs in unison. I couldn’t believe my eyes. This was astounding. They fell as if they were an integrated unit. They fell in such precision. It appeared as if someone had released a trap door where they were standing. I remember thinking that this could not be faked. It was executed so perfectly. Even if they had practiced for months, they would not have been able to achieve this degree of synchronization.

 But even more importantly, we were hit by it as well. No, I did not fall to my seat along with the choir but I got hit with what seemed to me to be a bolt of electricity that ignited my heart. Because of its impact I had to catch my breath. This powerful charge to my heart started a pleasant warming sensation that lasted for the rest of the church service. I did not know what was going on inside my body, but there was something real working in my heart.

 I then looked all around the church to see what was going on around me. I saw people down in their seats in all sections of the building. It would seem that they also had been affected as I had. There was no doubt that God was working at this church. I was really searching God, and I found Him that night. I had said that I wanted Him in my life and He led me to the place where I could do so. He had taken us to where He wanted us to go. He blessed us for earnestly seeking Him and the blessings were not to going to stop. Just like the ever blooming flower in the vision that He showed me, the goodness of God goes on forever.

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PREMONITION OF AN AUTOMOBILE ACCIDENT

Filed under: Covenant, ESP, Faith, Ministry, Possess the Vision, Spirituality, spirtual warfare, the Holy Spirit — 5 Comments
June 4, 2010

The Morning Star Rising on the First Day

PREMONITION OF AN AUTOMOBILE ACCIDENT

In my previous posting (Possess-the-Vision) I communicated that I was going to present the spiritual experiences of my life that led to the creation of the Possess the Vision Mission Statement (PTV Mission-Statement.)

The experience I am about to communicate to you took place while I was in grade school. It will prove to be quite unbelievable to most people, and to be perfectly honest, would have been disregarded by me as well if it were not for all of the other unexplained spiritual experiences of my life. It is the story of a warning that comes from God in the form of a dream and then is followed up by an intervention from God.

My mom and dad would take us to visit my aunt’s family from time to time. We looked forward to these trips because we got to play with cousins our age.

Their house was about an hour’s drive across town and we were driving home late one night after one of our visits. I was tired and was trying to get some sleep in the back seat of our car. I had my head propped up against the interior wall on the driver’s side when I started to doze off. Then suddenly, I quickly awoke with a start sensing that another car was about to crash into us at the precise point where my head was resting.

Thinking about my feeling for a moment brought me to the conclusion that I was just imagining things and so I ignored the sensation and tried to get back to sleep.

But when I did I found that the experienced just kept happening over and over again and so I told my mother about it. She reaffirmed that I was in fact just imagining things and recommended that I dismiss these thoughts from my mind and try to go back to sleep.


So, I made another attempt to suppress my fear and get some sleep but the fact was that the sensation of an impending crash became very strong again and I could not help but pull my head away from the side of the car. This time the result was different however, as an auto came crashing into our car exactly at the point where my head had been resting just a second before. The accident turned out to be minor, and thankfully no one was hurt.

Still, I had to wonder about what the outcome may have been if I had not pulled my head away at the last second. The jolt of the collision was substantial so who knows what had been avoided. I suppose I could have sustained major injury to my head or neck, or perhaps even worse.

In this case, I heeded the warning and made the right choice. Still, at the time I can remember about wondering about where these warnings were coming from and why.

Just to make things clear, I now know that these were warnings from God who was protecting me from harm. I know that each of us is born with a purpose and that the devil will try to abort that purpose in any one of a multitude of ways. So please pay attention to these messages from God and act on them. Your immortal life may depend on it.

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Do We Have the Love of Jesus in our Heart

Filed under: Christian Love, Covenant, Faith, Jesus, Ministry, Prayer, Spirituality, the Holy Spirit, The Meaning Of Life — 1 Comment
April 6, 2010

Do We Have the Love of Jesus in our Heart

Continuing our discussion from our past posting we now address another important point. Based on the scriptures presented in that posting, we suggest that the law of the Jews is replaced by the love in the hearts of the true followers of Jesus. To illustrate the case in point, the law states: “Thou shall not commit adultery,” but Jesus teaches us that it is a matter of the heart:

You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.

Clearly this is a higher standard that simply refraining from the act alone. This higher standard requires a change in heart, something that the law could not provide.

After all, what kind of heart will not resist an evil person but turn the other cheek? What kind of heart will give a thief both the cloak as well as the coat? What kind of heart will give to those who ask and not turn away? What kind of heart gives love their enemies, blesses those that curse them, does good to people that hate them and prays for those who despitefully use and persecute them?

Disciples Carry Jesus Down From The Cross

It takes a perfect heart. What kind of heart does it take to pray to truly seek and worship God rather than pray for our own selfish desires? What kind of heart will fast simply to shed the bonds of the flesh so as to move closer to God? What kind of heart will turn aside the treasures of the earth in favor of the treasures of Heaven? What kind of heart will sell all they have and follow Jesus? Whose heart will trust Him in all things?

Hearts can only be changed by the infilling of the Holy Spirit.

The Holy Spirit

This infilling comes only when we seek to move closer to God, to change our lives and to become more like Jesus. The Holly Spirit comes only to those who seek Him. It is our choice to do so and our actions and commitment reaffirm this desire. God will not come to us uninvited.

The Baptism of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost

So seek Him with all of you mind, body and spirit.  And pray!

The Power of Prayer

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Jesus Enters Spiritual Warfare

Filed under: Jesus, Ministry, Spirituality, spirtual warfare, the Holy Spirit — 1 Comment
August 21, 2009

 

Read the truly amazing life story about how the forces of good and evil battle over a man and the vision that God gives him. Joseph W. Gordon’s Possess the Vision (Xulon Press, $12.95, 140 pages, ISBN 1-59781-205-6)

The Morning Star Rising on the First Day

Jesus Enters Spiritual Warfare

 

In our previous posting we looked at the sequence of events precededing the ministry of Jesus. We started by presenting His baptism in the Jordan River.

baptism

As He was baptized He was empowerment by the Holy Spirit and God’s voice proclaimed Jesus to be His Son.

 

Immediately after the baptism the Holy Spirit leads Jesus into the wilderness where He is abstains from food and water for 40 days and nights. We commented on how this fasting weakened His flesh but on the other hand brought Him closer to God in the spiritual realm. We concluded that perhaps we all could rely less upon our physical abilities and focus more on the spiritual side to enable communication with God.

  

The point of all of this is that the devil is attempting to deceive Jesus into denying His identity and purpose and we can expect that he will do the same to us. So let’s pick up where we left off to see how the devil attempted to trick Jesus in this way:

 

And the devil said unto him, If thou be the Son of God, command this stone that it be made bread. Luke 4:3

  

The devil’s statement is both an insult and a direct challenge to Jesus’ identity as the Son of God (as recently declared by God at His baptism). The devil’s strategy here is to place Jesus into a no win situation. The statement above sets a trap for Jesus because of the following facts.

 

  • Man lost his dominion in the Garden of Eden as he was tricked by the devil into disobeying God’s only commandment.

Adam and Eve in the Garden

Adam and Eve in the Garden

  • For man to regain what was lost he would have to defeat the devil himself.
  • This defeat would require that a man live a sinless life. A man would have to live in a world filled with evil and yet not fall to the temptations of the devil. This is something that man was unable to do.
  • Therefore, Jesus had to come to the earth as a man, (not God) to defeat the devil and regain dominion for man.

 

These conditions set the trap. If Jesus doesn’t turn the stone into bread as the devil suggests (doing what the devil suggests is always a bad idea) then how can Jesus be the Son of God as He claims? On the other hand, if He does then He has come to the earth as God and is disqualify Him from His mission. Seemingly in a trap, Jesus replies with a spiritual answer in defeating this temptation:

  

But He answered and said, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.’ (Matthew 4:4)

The key word in Jesus’ response is  “man.” Effectively Jesus is stateing that He is man. In quoting scripture He is a man empowered by the Holy Spirit and is victorious in this spiritual battle by deploying the Word of God as His weapon.

jesus-pulls-adam-and-eve-from-hell

Jesus pulls Adam and Eve from Hell

The stakes for Jesus in this battle were high. In the balance were His identity (as the Son of God) and His mission (to free us all from the bondage of the devil). Jesus was able to resist this temptation because He knew the Father proclaimed Him to be His son and that the Holy Spirit had led Him into the wilderness for testing. This testing that was necessary to determine if He was ready to move forward in His ministry.

This story gives us much to ponder. If the devil will temp Jesus in this way then he will do the same to us also. Therefore, it is critical that we know who we are in the Lord and what our mission is. It is critical to know scripture and what the enemies’ strategy is as well. This information can be found by moving into the Truth, the passageway into the Holy Place of God. It is a place of prayer where God enlightens us with this information and prepares us for spiritual warfare.

Violence in Heaven

Violence in Heaven

It requires a deeper relationship with God to develop than most ever achieve. If you care to learn more please follow the link provide here and and browse through the subcomponents found there: Passing-from-the-way-and-into-the-Truth

Read the truly amazing life story about how the forces of good and evil battle over a man and the vision that God gives him. Joseph W. Gordon’s Possess the Vision (Xulon Press, $12.95, 140 pages, ISBN 1-59781-205-6)

The Morning Star Rising on the First Day

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Jesus is the Son of God

Filed under: Jesus, the Holy Spirit — 2 Comments
July 8, 2009

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Jesus is the Son of God

When He had been baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water;

Water comes from the Holy Spirit at the Baptism of Jesus
Water comes from the Holy Spirit at the Baptism of Jesus

and behold, the heavens were opened to Him, and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting upon Him. And suddenly a voice came from heaven, saying, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” (Matthew 3:16-17)

For more details click on the link below:

https://possessthevision.wordpress.com/2009/07/07/jesus-is-the-mercy-seat-where-god-dwells-2/

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Read the truly amazing life story about how the forces of good and evil battle over a man and the vision that God gives him. Joseph W. Gordon’s “Possess the Vision” (Xulon Press, $12.95, 140 pages, ISBN 1-59781-205-6) tells about the spiritual experiences that occur throughout his lifetime, including demonic attacks that take him to spiritual Golgotha, the place of death. Read about how he teeters near death for months before turning his life back over to God. Read about the subsequent miracles, circumstances and prophetic experiences that lead him to discover God’s desire for His people, namely to work together toward improving the lives and living standards of all people in His name. This book challenges you to possess the vision.

For a limited time you can get a free electronic copy of “Possess the Vision” by simply initiating a comment to this post asking for one.
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Jesus Is The Reward Of The Spirit Filled Warrior Nation

Filed under: Covenant, Jesus, spirtual warfare, Tabernacle, The Ark Of The Covenant, The Holy Of Holies, the Holy Spirit, The Life, The Manna, The Most Holy Place — Leave a comment
March 17, 2008

Jesus Is The Reward Of The Spirit Filled Warrior Nation

The rewards promised to Israel for taking the Promised Land are prophetic of the rewards we will receive for taking down the evil strongholds in spiritual warfare under the new covenant. To understand our spiritual rewards better we must first summarize the rewards promised to Israel.

Israel’s rewards included peace, prosperity and possession of the Promised Land and everything in it:

But when you cross over the Jordan and dwell in the land which the LORD your God is giving you to inherit, and He gives you rest from all your enemies round about, so that you dwell in safety, (Deuteronomy 12:10)

In addition, God would abide with them in the land such that their offerings could be made:

Then there will be the place where the LORD your God chooses to make His name abide. There you shall bring all that I command you: your burnt offerings, your sacrifices, your tithes, the heave offerings of your hand, and all your choice offerings which you vow to the LORD. (Deuteronomy 12:11)

They also received favor from the Lord that came in the form of the early rain as well as the latter rain for their crops. Through this rain they would then derive their new wine and their oil:

Then I will give you the rain for your land in its season, the early rain and the latter rain, that you may gather in your grain, your new wine, and your oil. And I will send grass in your fields for your livestock, that you may eat and be filled. (Deuteronomy 11:14 – 15)

Again, these physical rewards are prophetic of our spiritual inheritance. In place of the land of Canaan the Christian Nation will enter into the New Jerusalem that will come down from heaven. The New Jerusalem is also referred to as the Lamb’s wife in the Bible. We will cover the New Jerusalem and the Lamb’s wife in greater detail later in this document. For now, suffice it to say that each true Christian is a component of the Bride. After Christ comes again, the Bride will become one with Jesus in marriage and as a result, Jesus will love and care for us as a perfect husband loves and cares for his wife. In addition, since Jesus is in the Father and the Father is in Him, then we will become one with God as well.

Until the time that Jesus comes for His Bride, she is to be working preparing the way for His return. This would be a similar mission to that of John the Baptist:

Then they said to him, “Who are you, that we may give an answer to those who sent us? What do you say about yourself?” He said:I am ‘The voice of one crying in the wilderness: “Make straight the way of the LORD,” as the prophet Isaiah said. Now those who were sent were from the Pharisees. (John 1:22 – 24)

The work that we do as members of the bride comes with the blessings of the Holy Spirit that empowers our work. The harvest of our grain is prophetic of the spiritual seeds that we sow and in turn, the spiritual fruit that we reap. Our new wine is the new covenant which is based on the shed blood of Jesus that is effective in setting us free from sin. Finally, our oil is the anointing of the Spirit that enables us to achieve His purpose.

This is the essence of the new covenant. We enter into it symbolically by eating the body and drinking the blood of Jesus as He taught us at the last supper:

And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to the disciples and said, “Take, eat; this is My body.” Then He took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you. For this is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins. (Matthew 26:26 – 28)

However, this physical act of communion that we practice today is only symbolic of the transformation of our nature to that of Christ Jesus through the leading of the Holy Spirit. It is in eating His body and drinking His blood that we become like Him. In encouraging and fostering this transformation we must prepare ourselves, the bride of Christ, for the Bridegroom. We do this by carrying on the mission and the works that He did here on this earth:

He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk just as He walked. (1 John 2:6)

In addition, let us not forget that gifts and blessings come from God washed with the blood of Jesus. As we have discussed previously, we have open access to the Holy Place that brings with it the blessings of becoming enlightened to know our purpose, our mission and our direction. We can commune with the Father and are empowered to be victorious in spiritual warfare, which in turn brings safety, protection salvation and peace to the loved ones that we pray for. In this regard, we take up our cross and follow in His footsteps. We cling to the promises of God with all of our being and remain steadfast to our purpose, our dream and the mission that He created us to achieve.

All of this is to say that in Jesus we have a perfected Manna in that He sustains us as we walk in our desert place toward the fulfillment of the new covenant. This covenant will be fulfilled when the bride takes possession of the spiritual Promised Land, which is in heaven, and the bride is united in Christ Jesus and the two become one.

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