Tag Archive: religion


Jesus Teaches by way of Parables

Filed under: Jesus, Ministry, Spirituality — 1 Comment
September 6, 2009

Jesus Teaches by way of Parables

An interesting part of the ministry of Jesus is that He taught by way of parables. The word parable means to compare, and is most often presented in the form of a short story that demonstrates a moral or religious principle. Jesus used these techniques to communicate the spiritual messages that the Father gave Him to deliver.

Jesus Speaks to the Multitude

Jesus Speaks to the Multitude

These messages were delivered as parables because people have difficulty understand the spiritual realm. By using parables Jesus could communicate a story in earthly terms and yet communicate a spiritual truth. Let’s take a look at what Jesus said about His use of parables:

And the disciples came and said to Him, “Why do You speak to them in parables?” He answered and said to them, “Because it has been given to you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given. For whoever has, to him more will be given, and he will have abundance; but whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him. Therefore I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand. And in them the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled, which says: ‘Hearing you will hear and shall not understand, And seeing you will see and not perceive; For the hearts of this people have grown dull. Their ears are hard of hearing, And their eyes they have closed, Lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears, Lest they should understand with their hearts and turn, So that I should heal them.’“ (Matthew 13:10-14)

We have discussed this concept previously in our dissertation on who Jesus claimed to be. So, for example, Jesus said: “I am the Bread of Life that has come down from heaven.” The term Bread is used to describe a staple food source capable of supporting life. So, in this statement Jesus communicates that He is the spiritual food that leads to everlasting life. This means that if we take Jesus into our spirit and He becomes a part of us, that we will have achieved everlasting life. So, this statement is a parable because it uses the words “bread” and “life,” which are easy to understand, as an illustration to communicate the spiritual truth of who Jesus is.

Another interesting point is the frequency to which Jesus talked in parables. The disciples were constantly taking Jesus’ words literally (not spiritually) and misunderstanding His message. For example:

Now when His disciples had come to the other side, they had forgotten to take bread. Then Jesus said to them, “Take heed and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the Sadducees.” And they reasoned among themselves, saying, “It is because we have taken no bread.” But Jesus, being aware of it, said to them, “O you of little faith, why do you reason among yourselves because you have brought no bread? Do you not yet understand, or remember the five loaves of the five thousand and how many baskets you took up? Nor the seven loaves of the four thousand and how many large baskets you took up? How is it you do not understand that I did not speak to you concerning bread?; but to beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees.” Then they understood that He did not tell them to beware of the leaven of bread, but of the doctrine of the Pharisees and Sadducees. (Matthew 16:5-12)

The bottom line here is that Jesus was a teacher who communicated in an easy to understand manner. In addition, His words were supported by miracles that directly reinforced the truth of His message. For example:

And Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst.” (John 6:35)

The miracle of the five loaves and two fish that fed the multitude reinforces His “I am the Bread of Life” statement.

And they said to Him, “We have here only five loaves and two fish.”  He said, “Bring them here to Me.”  Then He commanded the multitudes to sit down on the grass. And He took the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to heaven, He blessed and broke and gave the loaves to the disciples; and the disciples gave to the multitudes. So they all ate and were filled, and they took up twelve baskets full of the fragments that remained. Now those who had eaten were about five thousand men, besides women and children. (Matthew 14:17 – 21)

Miracle of the Loaves and Fishes

Miracle of the Loaves and Fishes

In addition, this miracle is a parable in itself as it demonstrates that we will have everlasting life in Jesus, who is the bread of God.

For everyone who seeks to be like our Savior Jesus, please understand that we may have to use parables to communicate the things that God has given us to communicate. In addition, we should expect that our words will be supported with power from on high, the way that they were for Jesus.

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The Last Temptation of Jesus

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September 3, 2009

The Last Temptation of Jesus

Today we will address the last temptation of Jesus and will hopefully help to dispel a popular belief that the last temptation was Mary Magdalene.

Jesu and the Adulterous Woman

Jesu and the Adulterous Woman

In this post we will continue our series of presentations addressing the temptations of Jesus. Remember that our aim here is to gain insight into the realm of spiritual warfare and our goal is to help you to adequately prepare for the battles that surly will come your way.

We start with what might be a startling revelation to many people. You will not get help in the times of your testing. Why do I say this? Because even Jesus was alone when He hung on the cross:

And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?” that is, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” (Matthew 27:46)

The Crucifixion of Jesus

The Crucifixion of Jesus

This passage clearly demonstrates that Jesus was alone on the cross as He took the punishment of us all upon Himself. It is here on the cross that the final temptation came to Him. Let’s look at the scripture:

Then two robbers were crucified with Him, one on the right and another on the left. And those who passed by blasphemed Him, wagging their heads and saying, “You who destroy the temple and build it in three days, save Yourself! If You are the Son of God, come down from the cross.” Likewise the chief priests also, mocking with the scribes and elders, said, “He saved others; Himself He cannot save. If He is the King of Israel, let Him now come down from the cross, and we will believe Him. He trusted in God; let Him deliver Him now if He will have Him; for He said, ‘I am the Son of God.'” Even the robbers who were crucified with Him reviled Him with the same thing. Then two robbers were crucified with Him, one on the right and another on the left. (Matthew 27:38 – 44)

This was in fact the last temptation of Christ; to come down from the cross, to deny His identity and mission. The last temptation of Christ proposed that He give up on the forgiveness of our sin and our destiny in the kingdom of heaven. The last temptation of Christ was to ignore what the Father told Him about who He was and what He was to do. It taunted Jesus to give up on us as it was more trickery by the devil to defeat the mission of Jesus and to keep us in bondage.

In looking at this last temptation of Christ we must ask, what have we learned? First of all, we are responsible for not giving in to the temptation of the devil. In addition, we learned that we will be all alone when tested and that we are responsible for our choices. After all, how will God know that He can trust us if we do not make the choices that demonstrate the truth that Jesus has placed in us? Jesus had to be obedient to the Father even unto death. In being faithful to the Father Jesus proved that He was obedient and worthy to go on to the next level (to sit at the right hand of the Father).

The Ascension of Jesus

The Ascension of Jesus

Remember, resist the devil and he will depart from you.

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The Second Temptation of Jesus

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September 1, 2009

The Second Temptation of Jesus

In this post we continue with our presentations addressing the temptations of Jesus. Remember that our aim here is to gain insight into the realm of spiritual warfare and our goal is to help you to adequately prepare for the battles that surly will come your way. Today we will address the second temptation of Jesus in the wilderness.

jesus-tempted-on-the-mountain

We will start by looking at a writing of Luke:

And he brought him to Jerusalem, and set him on a pinnacle of the temple, and said unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down from hence: For it is written, He shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee: And in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone. Luke 4:9-11

Again, this is more cunning trickery from the devil, who is not above using the Word of God to deceive Jesus into aborting His life as well as His identity and purpose. One key thing to remember is that God has always given us the freedom to choose. This is because love requires choice. God know that we can love Him only if we have choice. Everything else would be slavery. It was for this very reason that God gave us choice in the Garden of Eden. Unfortunately, we were decieved and our poor choice led to our seperation from God and our loss of our domain in the Garden. In the above scripture the devil was hoping that a poor choice by Jesus would result in His defeat as well.

So if the above scripture is true then what did Jesus have to lose by complying. First of all, it is never a good idea to do anything at the suggestion of the devil as he seeks to destroy you. Jesus came to the earth as a man with the intention of regaining what was lost in the Garden.

Adam and Eve in the Garden

Adam and Eve in the Garden

Since the dominion of man was lost by a man it would require a victory by a man to restore what was lost. The assistance of angels would not prove that man could resist the temptation of the devil and therin defeat him in spiritual warfare. Therefore, angels could not fight for Jesus. Jesus had to win the victory on His own initiative.

This axiom applies to us as well. When we are tested we will be totally alone also. There will be no help from angels, God or anywhere else. Think about it, If you’re not alone then who is being tested? How will God know that you are ready to go to the next level or not? Also consider that the angels only came to the support Jesus after His temptation, not during it. Jesus came to the earth as a man to defeat the devil. This battle was not one that could be won by angels but only by Jesus the man. Do not choose the trickery of the devil but rather, choose the truth of the word of God. This is exactly what Jesus did when He answered:

And Jesus answering said unto him, It is said, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God. And when the devil had ended all the temptation, he departed from Him for a season. Luke 4:12-13

It is up to us to defeat the devil and pass the test. Ever wonder why all of us are still here on earth if in fact, Jesus redeemed us from our sin? The answer is that we still have to choose. We have to choose between God and the devil, our own interests or the welfare of others, to love or to hate, life or death, light or darkness, and between good or evil. These are choices that we make everyday. Do not be fooled, stay the course to the end. The good news is that Jesus gave us power over all the evil of the enemy.

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Jesus is our Model for Victory in Spiritual Warfare

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August 27, 2009

Jesus is our Model for Victory in Spiritual Warfare

For those of us seeking to conform our lives to Jesus, it is imperative that we know who we are and what our mission is. This concept is reinforced by looking at the life of Jesus and discovering that He definitely knew the answers to these questions. In fact, Jesus so believed in them that He even went to His death rather than deny them.

Jesus on the Cross Sheds His Blood

This was not an act of faith on His part but rather a resounding knowing that came from hearing the words of the Father. Therefore, it is imperative that we hear the Fathers voice and that we live and act on it in accord to what we hear.

As we have discussed in our prior postings, Jesus was immediately led into confrontation with the devil (spiritual warfare) after His baptism in the Jordan by John the Baptist, where He heard the Father proclaim Him to be His beloved Son.

And suddenly a voice came from heaven, saying, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” (Matthew  3:17)

John Baptizes Jesus in the Jordan River

John Baptizes Jesus in the Jordan River

In a like manner we must also be ready to enter into the battle that will erupt when we initiate our God given purpose and mission.

Since Jesus used scripture in defeating the devil it is critical that we also know the scriptures and can leverage them in response to any attack against us. For most people this requires a substantial investment of time. It also requires time in prayer to find the answers to the questions: “Who did God create me to be and what does He want me to accomplish in my life time?” While the details will vary from person to person, the answers will fall inside the following two general categories: Firstly, you are a son or daughter of God. Secondly, your mission is the mission of Jesus.

Through out the ministry of Jesus which started with His baptism in the Holy Spirit, and completed with His crucifixion on the cross, the devil continually tried to trick Jesus into denying that He was the Son of God and therein, defeat His mission on this earth. Why should we think that it will be any different with us?

Here is a scripture that presents the last temptation of Christ, the one that occurred as he hung on the cross:

And those who passed by blasphemed Him, wagging their heads and saying, “You who destroy the temple and build it in three days, save Yourself! If You are the Son of God, come down from the cross.” Likewise the chief priests also, mocking with the scribes and elders, said, “He saved others; Himself He cannot save. If He is the King of Israel, let Him now come down from the cross, and we will believe Him. He trusted in God; let Him deliver Him now if He will have Him; for He said, ‘I am the Son of God.’“ Even the robbers who were crucified with Him reviled Him with the same thing.  (Matthew 27:39-44)

Sounds like more of the same temptations from the devil to me. Deny who you are and give up the reason you came and we will believe you. Right!

In fact, isn’t this exactly what the crucifixion was all about? If Jesus would only change His mind about who He said He was, then everything would have been fine. I suspect that at any point on His way to crucifixion that the Jews may have relented, if He would have only lied and said, “I am not the Son of God.”

But Jesus would not deny the truth about who He was and He would not abort what the Father had given Him to accomplish. The crucifixion was all about getting Jesus, the Savior of the World, to give in to the pressures of crucifixion.

Jesus Nailed to the Cross

Jesus Nailed to the Cross

Those who crucified Him tried everything to get Him to recant but they failed. They could not trick it out of Him by way of integration and false witnesses.

Now the chief priests, the elders, and all the council sought false testimony against Jesus to put Him to death, but found none. Even though many false witnesses came forward, they found none. But at last two false witnesses came forward and said, “This fellow said, ‘I am able to destroy the temple of God and to build it in three days.'”  And the high priest arose and said to Him, “Do You answer nothing? What is it these men testify against You?”  But Jesus kept silent. And the high priest answered and said to Him, “I put You under oath by the living God: Tell us if You are the Christ, the Son of God!”  Jesus said to him, “It is as you said. Nevertheless, I say to you, hereafter you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Power, and coming on the clouds of heaven.” (Matthew 26:59 -64)

They could not beat it out of Him with forty lashes with a Cat of Nine Tales.

Then he released Barabbas to them; and when he had scourged Jesus, he delivered Him to be crucified. (Matthew 27:26)

They could not embarrass it out of Him by dressing Him up in royal clothing and mocking Him as a false God. They could not shame it out of Him by having a legion of men spit into His open wounds.

And they clothed Him with purple; and they twisted a crown of thorns, put it on His head,  and began to salute Him, “Hail, King of the Jews!” Then they struck Him on the head with a reed and spat on Him; and bowing the knee, they worshiped Him. And when they had mocked Him, they took the purple off Him, put His own clothes on Him, and led Him out to crucify Him. (Mark15:17 – 20)

They could not exhaust it out of Him by forcing Him to carrying His cross until total exhaustion.

Now as they led Him away, they laid hold of a certain man, Simon a Cyrenian, who was coming from the country, and on him they laid the cross that he might bear it after Jesus. (Luke23:26)

Via Dolorosa Station 5 - Roman soldiers instruct Simon of Cyrene to carry the Cross

Via Dolorosa Station 5 - Roman soldiers instruct Simon of Cyrene to carry the Cross

They could not disgrace it out of Him by nailing Him to His cross, or by taking His close or by hanging Him openly with criminals.

Jesus laid down His life for us.

Jesus laid down His life for us.

They could not get Him to change His mind about who He was or His mission on earth even under the threat of death on the cross. For Jesus knew the scripture. He knew what the Father said about Him and He knew why He came to earth. Nothing, not even death, humiliation or suffering was going to overcome that, and nothing did.

What does all of this teach us who seek to conform ourselves to the life model that Jesus left us? Know who you are in God and what He wants you to accomplish on this earth (be like Jesus) and never compromise it, no matter what testing comes your way. This blog is designed to help you get insight into these things but I will tell you that the answers to this question are already inside of you. You were born with them. God created you with a purpose in mind. Learn to hear the voice of God through the Holy Spirit and be obedient to His voice and never compromise.

Secondly, know that the devil is here to defeat us. He hates us and wants to have dominion over us forever. His weapons are lying and deceiving. He will try to trick you into denying your true identity in God and your true purpose. Never let the lies and trickery of the devil deceive you into denying your true destiny. Choose the calling of the Holy Spirit and reject the call of the world.

If you seek to model your life after Jesus you should know that the devil will pull out all the stops in getting you to deny your identity, purpose and mission. In addition, the devil will use the things of this world to attract you away form the leading of the Spirit. To defeat the devil you will have to turn you back on money, power, fame, recognition, influence, appetites, adultery and the lust for all the things of the world. Those that can will recieve the victory of Jesus.

The Resurrection

The Resurrection

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Jesus and the Ultimate Temptation

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August 24, 2009

Jesus and the Ultimate Temptation

In our previous posting we presented how Jesus was tested prior to entering His ministry.

 

Jesus Tempted in the Wilderness by the Devil

Jesus Tempted in the Wilderness by the Devil

 

We looked at how the devil attempted to trick Jesus into denying His purpose in this world and to forfeit His identity as the Son of God. We then provided a high level summary that communicated how the devil had previously been successful in deceiving Adam into forfeiting his purpose (of having dominion over the earth) and his identity (as the son of God). We concluded that with the serious consequences associated with our choices that we must be on guard for similar trickery by the devil who wants us to also give up our identity (sons and daughters of the living God) and our purpose in life.

 In today’s posting we will continue to look at the testing of Jesus that occurred just prior to His entering into ministry. In that regard we are picking up where we left off, with more trickery by the devil. Satan was now going to attempt to bribe Jesus with everything he had; all the kingdoms of the world in a moment in time. Here is the scripture for your review:

Then the devil, taking Him up on a high mountain, showed Him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. And the devil said to Him, “All this authority I will give You, and their glory; for this has been delivered to me, and I give it to whomever I wish. Therefore, if You will worship before me, all will be Yours.” And Jesus answered and said to him, “Get behind Me, Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the LORD your God, and Him only you shall serve.’“ (Luke 4:5-8 KJV) 

 

For Jesus to defeat the devil He had to remain free from sin and therefore, free from all lust for the things of the world. After all, Adam’s desire for the fruit of the Tree of Good and Evil exposed man’s desire to know evil since everything good was already available in the Garden of Eden. This desire to know evil was the opening needed for the demonic attack which was capitalized upon by the devil. But Jesus had no desire for the things of this world. He was victorious over the temptation and His victory defeated all the evil in our world. He took dominion of the earth back from the devil. His victory is that He never once disobeyed the Father and He continuously challenged the evil of this world with the truth that only comes from the Father.

 It is interesting to note that in the above scripture that the devil admits that the entire world had been delivered to him. This is a direct substantiation of his victory over Adam. Man had made his choice for evil in the Garden and as a result became mortal, having to live under the domination of the devil. He therefore would know and do evil. As a result, man’s destiny was that he would die in sin and suffer the bondage of the devil in hell. It is from this fate that Jesus came to save us. His victory in spiritual warfare is to save us from the devils grip. Prior to Jesus every person who died went to hell and suffered the torment of Satan. The fact that Jesus descended into Hell is communicated in the following verse:

Therefore He says: “When He ascended on high, He led captivity captive, And gave gifts to men.” (Now this, “He ascended”; what does it mean but that He also first descended into the lower parts of the earth? He who descended is also the One who ascended far above all the heavens, that He might fill all things.) (Ephesians 4:8-10)

 Jesus came to earth to set the captives free by being the price of our salvation. By setting the captives free we mean that all the righteous people who had died prior to Jesus were previously held in Hell by the devil.

 

Jesus descended into Hell and was victorious over Satan and set these people free. That meant that David, Daniel, Samuel, Isaiah and all the profits of the Bible who lived prior to Jesus died and went to hell and were only released after the victory of Jesus on the cross.

The Crucifixion of Jesus

The Crucifixion of Jesus

And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice, and yielded up His spirit. Then, behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom; and the earth quaked, and the rocks were split, and the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised;  and coming out of the graves after His resurrection, they went into the holy city and appeared to many. (Matthew 27:50-53) 

Jesus rebuked the devil after he had offered Him the entire world and everything in it. If the devil had been successful then Jesus would have forfeited His God given identity, His mission on earth, and the world of mankind would have been lost. This is exactly what the devil wants from you. To rob you of your God given identity, your mission on this earth and the impact God wants you to have on the world.

In our next posting we will discuss how to prepare for spiritual warfare and the testing of the devil.

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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 Demonstrates Spiritual Warfare

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August 19, 2009

Jesus Demonstrates Spiritual Warfare

In our previous posting we presented the baptism of Jesus by John in the Jordan River.

The Holy Spirit at the Baptixm of Jesus

The Holy Spirit at the Baptism of Jesus

As this event transpired, God’s voice was heard proclaiming Jesus to be His son. In addition, the Holy Spirit was visibly seen descending upon Him and then immediately led Him into the wilderness for testing. Interestingly, these activities were the precursors to Jesus’ public ministry. Therefore, anyone seeking to enter into the ministry of Jesus should play close attention to the sequence of activities that follow.

By reviewing the devil’s temptation of Jesus, we will obtain insight into the strategy and tactics of the enemy in spiritual warfare.

Jesus is Tempted on the Mountain

Jesus is Tempted on the Mountain

Understanding these strategies and tactics is critical as they are the very ones that the devil will deploy against us as well. Therefore, this knowledge will help us prepare for the battles ahead. Prior to getting into specific examples however, we will provide you the big picture of what the battle is all about.

Fundamentally, the devil wants to rule over you because he hates you with perfect hatred. He hates you with a passion and wants to see you suffer in pain under his dominion of torture. As he is extremely sadistic, your downfall and pain will bring him a demented sense of pleasure.

However, in order to achieve his demented plans, he must separate you from God and the promises that God has given you. His goal is to separate you from the purpose for which God created you, because he knows that the achievement of your purpose will bring about his defeat. In this regard he does everything he can to get you to choose the evil of this world (which is all he has to offer) over the good that God has stored up for you. In his attempt for victory the devil deploys trickery, lies and deception to trick you into abandoning your identity, destiny and mission.

The point of all this is that if the devil attempted these things with Jesus then he certainly will try them against you as well. In this regard God has given us a model of what to expect when we seek to enter into the mission that He gave us.

Next we will present the scriptures that demonstrate how the devil tried on several occasions to get Jesus to forfeit His destiny as the Son of God, as the Christ, and His mission to reunite us with the Father. To do this Jesus had to break the dominion that the devil had won over us in the Garden of Eden. So, as we delve into the scriptures regarding spiritual warfare, please take note of the devils tactics as they are likely to be deployed against you when the time comes to enter into the ministry that God created you for.

So, with that said, let us start by looking at the Bible reference that identifies how the Holy Spirit led Jesus into the wilderness for testing. This testing was designed to validate His worthiness for ministry.

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. And in those days he did eat nothing: and when they were ended, he afterward hungered. Luke 4:1-2

Jesus is Tempted by the Devil

Jesus is Tempted by the Devil

Jesus fasted to strengthen himself spiritually for the battle. While this weakened Him physically it also severed His attachment to the things of the flesh and as a result, heightened His spiritual awareness and closeness to the Father.

In patterning our lives after Jesus we should also separate ourselves from our flesh in times of testing. This is very important because your testing will make you to choose between the desires of the flesh and the leading of the Spirit. Therefore, if you are in a fleshly state how will you resist the temptations of the flesh? However, if you are in a spiritual state through fasting and prayer, you can resist the temptations of the flesh.

And Jesus rebuked the demon, and it came out of him; and the child was cured from that very hour. Then the disciples came to Jesus privately and said, “Why could we not cast it out?”  So Jesus said to them, “Because of your unbelief; for assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you. “However, this kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting.” (Matthew 17:18 – 21)

In our next posting we will look at the devils attempt to get Jesus to turn a stone into bread, and gain an understanding of what this meant and why this is so important.


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In Jesus we are Prepared for Battle

Filed under: Jesus, Ministry, Spirituality, spirtual warfare — 2 Comments
August 17, 2009

In Jesus we are Prepared for Battle

We can achieve victory over evil when the power of God is supporting us.

Saint Peter Healing the Cripple - Raising Tabitha - Masolino

Saint Peter Healing the Cripple - Raising Tabitha - Masolino

This means that we must be following the lead of the Holy Spirit and this requires that we chose to remain pure in all that we do. We must eliminate all evil from our own actions because they seperate us from God.

This is particualrily difficult becasue evil choices are all around us and God has give us the ability to choose our own path. He gives us the ability to choose between good and evil, light or darkness, love or hate, to save a life or to kill. In fact, choice is the reason that we are here on this earth. Our choices will ultimately determine where we spend our eternity, with God or the devil.

This posting is directed at the people who choose to do God’s will. Your choices will require that you confront evil in ways similar to the way that Jesus did. It is certainly important for you to make your choices based on the leadings of the Holy Spirit. Knowing that your steps are ordered by the Lord will ensure that the support and empowerment of the Lord will be with you. Of course this all takes time in prayer as we discussed in our postings the Holy Place. Taking on the forces of evil without God’s direction is not recommended. I offer the following scripture as support for this statement:

Then some of the itinerant Jewish exorcists took it upon themselves to call the name of the Lord Jesus over those who had evil spirits, saying, “We exorcise you by the Jesus whom Paul preaches.” Also there were seven sons of Sceva, a Jewish chief priest, who did so. And the evil spirit answered and said, “Jesus I know, and Paul I know; but who are you?” Then the man in whom the evil spirit was leaped on them, overpowered them, and prevailed against them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded. (Acts 19:13 – 16)

We need the power of God that comes by way of the Holy Spirit to successfully engage in spiritual warfare. The passage below identifies how Jesus was empowered by the Holy Spirit:

It came to pass in those days that Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee, and was baptized by John in the Jordan. And immediately, coming up from the water, He saw the heavens parting and the Spirit descending upon Him like a dove. Then a voice came from heaven, “You are My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” Mark 1:9-11

John Baptizes Jesus - Making Straight The Way Of The Lord

John Baptizes Jesus - Making Straight The Way Of The Lord

In being baptized, the identity of Jesus is revealed as the Son of God, and as a result His mission is confirmed. He is empowered by the Holy Spirit and is fully prepared for the battle with Satan that He will enter into immediately.

In our next posting we will find that the Holy Spirit leads Jesus into the wilderness where He will be tested for 40 days and nights.


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Jesus Gives His Life for Others

Filed under: Jesus, Ministry, Spirituality — 1 Comment
August 14, 2009

Jesus Gives His Life for Others

Jesus did not come to be worshiped or exalted, but rather, to give His life in saving others.

The Crucifixion of Jesus

The Crucifixion of Jesus

His pathway led to everlasting life, glory and honor forever. Therefore, the life and actions of Jesus are our roadmap to finding everlasting life, glory and honor. The following scripture supports this proposition:

Then He said to them all, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will save it. For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and is himself destroyed or lost? For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words, of him the Son of Man will be ashamed when He comes in His own glory, and in His Father’s, and of the holy angels.” (Luke 9:23-26)

Each one of us must ask ourselves: “What is our cross?” Going to the cross and sacrificing His life was the payment that Jesus made to redeem us from our sins. Ironically, giving up His life in this world guaranteed Him everlasting life in heaven. His death was required to achieve His mission. But death has no hold on anyone who gives up everything in achomplishing the will of the Father. As we know, Jesus was raised from the dead and then ascended into heaven where He lives forevermore at the right hand of the Father.

The Ascension of Jesus

The Ascension of Jesus

This is exactly the way it will be with us if we take the same course and lay down our lives to achieve the will of the Father. While this cross may be different for each of us, one thing is certain. Our mission will be in the service of others, and will help to establish, maintain or mature a relationship between the Father and the people of this earth.

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Jesus is the Miracle Worker in Us

Filed under: Jesus, Ministry, Spirituality, spirtual warfare — 2 Comments
August 11, 2009

Jesus is the Miracle Worker in Us

Jesus was asked if He was the “Coming One” by the disciples of John the Baptist. Here is how He responded:

Jesus answered and said to them, “Go and tell John the things which you hear and see: The blind see and the lame walk; the lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear; the dead are raised up and the poor have the gospel preached to them. And blessed is he who is not offended because of Me.” (Matthew 11:4-6)

Jesus Heals the Leper

Jesus Heals the Leper

Jesus came into this world to deliver a series of messages from the Father, and He proclaimed these messages by the power of the Holy Spirit. In addition, His words were reinforced by miraculous actions that demonstrate the truth of what He spoke (we have demonstrated this repeatedly throughout in our postings.)

Jesus the Light of the World is Transfigured before His Disciples

Jesus the Light of the World is Transfigured before His Disciples

For example, Jesus’ statement, “I am the the Light of the World” is demonstrated in His Transfiguration that is pictured above. However, Jesus also charges us with being the light of the world as well.

Therefore in a like manner, we who follow in the footsteps of Jesus are also charged with the responsibility of communicating the words and thoughts that God places in our hearts and to do the things that He shows us to do. Therefore, when we do them we should also see our actions reinforced in miraculous ways by the power of the Holy Spirit.

The Holy Spirit

The Holy Spirit

This is what separates us from false doctrines, false profits, sham artists and all forms of false religions. Anyone can make a false claim or be seriously mistaken about the truth. Many intelligent people can study the Bible and preach the Word in front of thousands of people and move them emotionally. But Jesus empowers His followers with His Spirit. So then we should walk just like Jesus did.

In the case of Jesus the bottom line was and always will be; does God support the words and actions of His ministry with miracles? So then it should be the same with His followers. It sure was true in the lives of Jesus’ apostles. Therefore, we must ask ourselves if people blessed by God after the delivery of our message? Are the hearts of the people changed to conform with God’s will? Has the impossible transpired? Are bodies healed, curses broken or the lost saved? Remember, those who believe in Jesus will do the things that He did, and greater that these will they do. So speak the things that God has given you in boldness and without fear, knowing that God will support the things that He has given you to do. Also realize that it is up to you to speak the Word and to demonstrate your faith by initiating action no matter how impossible the action may seem.

Saint Peter Healing the Cripple - Raising Tabitha - Masolino

Saint Peter Healing the Cripple - Raising Tabitha - Masolino

Also understand that God’s support often comes only when things are impossible for us or when we give up on doing them. When we initiate an activity that we know is impossible and it gets done then there can be no doubt that it is God doing the work and as a result, getting the glory. The actions of Moses provide a good example of what we are discussing here.

Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea; and the LORD caused the sea to go back by a strong east wind all that night, and made the sea into dry land, and the waters were divided. (Exodus 14:21)

Crossing the Red Sea

Crossing the Red Sea

Moses stretched out his hand in faith over the Red Sea, knowing full well that the Lord would support his action and part the Red Sea. In fact, if we look at the books written by Moses, we find that he stretched out his hand quite often in expectation of God’s action. Interestingly, these actions were often in response to a request from God. It is also interesting that God never took unilateral action but required Moses to initiate the activity. Time after time, Moses had to demonstrate faith in God by taking action in faith so that God could do the impossible. So, Moses demonstrated faith with actions and God supported his actions with miracles.

This is exactly what we are to do. Set a direction that is based on God’s communication. Ignore the impossible and with absolute faith (without doubting) stretch out our arm and know with certainty that God will take action in support of what He has given us to do.

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