The nature of The Holy Spirit

A person’s nature is his inherent character or basic constitution. To discover the nature of the Holy Spirit is to discover the nature of God because he is God just as much as the father and the Son. To this end, we must refer to His word. God wants us to know him in experience. He wants us know how he thinks and acts and how to relate with him. God wants us to know him because our lives depend on it. In Jer.29:11-13 He said through the prophet:

“For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.

Then shall ye call upon me, and ye shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto you.

And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.” 

Also, in Jer.33:3. He promises:

“Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and shew thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not.”

He even went the extra mile to send Jesus Christ His only begotten son to reconcile us back to Him so we can be reconnected to Him who is the source of our lives and live and be sustained with His life again.

1.     He is spirit. The first appearance of God we see in the bible is the Spirit of God. This is in Gen.1:2 where we are told:

“And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.”

In Jn.4:23-24 also, the Lord Jesus Christ said:

“But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him.

God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.”

I like the way the living bible puts it:

“It is not where we worship that counts, but how we worship, is our worship spiritual and real? Do we have the Holy Spirit’s help? God is Spirit and we must have his help to worship him as we should. The father wants this kind of worship from us.”

2.     He is love: In 1Jn.4:7-8, we read:

“Beloved, let us love one another for love is of God and everyone that loveth is born of God and knoweth God; he that loveth not, knoweth not God for God is love.”

This scripture text reveals two things to us namely: first; God’s love nature and second; His expectation of us as His children.

In Ex.34:4-7, God speaks of himself to Moses in answer to his prayer to reveal Himself to him thus:

“And the LORD descended in the cloud, and stood with him there, and proclaimed the name of the LORD.

And the LORD passed by before him, and proclaimed, The LORD, The LORD God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth,

Keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, and that will by no means clear the guilty; visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, and upon the children's children, unto the third and to the fourth generation”.

From here, we gather that: First, God is merciful and as such does not punish us as we deserve. Second, God is gracious and therefore benevolent, giving to people things they do not deserve. His mercy is also reflected in the length of time it takes him to reward righteousness as against the length of time it takes Him to punish iniquity. In Ez.18, he even went further in His mercy to specify that the righteousness of a son would protect him from the consequences of the iniquity of his father. He deliberately allows mercy to prevail over judgment. Third, He is longsuffering; this means that He has the ability to be very patient and to endure without complaining. This is part of the description of love Apostle Paul gives to us in 1Cor.13:4-8. In Isaiah 53:7, we are told in the prophecy of what God the Son would undergo for our sin:

“He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth.”

Fourth, He is abundant in goodness and truth. [see Jn.13:34-35 and 1Jn.3:9.]

3.     He cannot lie: This is reflected in the eternal nature of his word. In fact, when the Lord was to define truth in Jn.17:17, he said God’s word is truth and in Mt.24:35, the Lord said: “Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.” In fact Apostle Paul revealed a very sublime truth in his letter to Titus when he called him the God who cannot lie in Titus 1:1-3. It reads:

“Paul, a servant of God, and an apostle of Jesus Christ, according to the faith of God's elect, and the acknowledging of the truth which is after godliness;

In hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began;

But hath in due times manifested his word through preaching, which is committed unto me according to the commandment of God our Saviour;”

As a result of His truthfulness, His word cannot fail. This is why you can stake your eternal destiny on the word of God and be safe. In Isaiah 55:8-11, this truth is brought out clearly thus:

For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD.

For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.

For as the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater:

So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.

We are also told in Numbers 23:19 that God is not man that He should lie. Finally, Heb.6:18 also make us understand that it is impossible for God to lie. This explains why in 1Kings 18; at the context organized by Elijah between Him and false gods, He was the only one who could answer by fire.

4.     He is faithful: You can count on Him to always be there for you. In Gen.3:15; in spite of man’s sin, God promised that the seed of the woman shall bruise the head of the serpent and at the fullness of time, He sent Jesus Christ His only begotten son to saved us from our sin. In Deuteronomy 7:9, we are told:

“Know therefore that the LORD thy God, he is God, the faithful God, which keepeth covenant and mercy with them that love him and keep his commandments to a thousand generations;”

Even in our trials, He remains faithful to see us through and help us out. In 1Cor.10:13, we are told:

“There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.”

 In the introduction of this book I told my experience of how The Holy Spirit faithfully wakes me up at 3:20 am every day and how on one occasion when I thought He did not keep to time I felt so bad until I realized He did and concluded that God is matchlessly faithful.

5.     He is omnipotent: This means that the Holy Spirit is all powerful and has all ability. In Genesis 18:14, when Sarah laughed in disbelief at God’s promise to give her a son at the age of ninety, God asked Abraham if anything was too hard for the Lord, then affirmed that He would surely visit them the next year and in Genesis 21:1-2, we read:

“and the Lord visited Sarah as he had said and the Lord did unto Sarah as He had spoken. For Sarah conceived and bare Abraham a son in his old age, at the set time of which God had spoken to Him.”

In Luke 1:37, we are told that with God, nothing shall be impossible.

Also, Jeremiah says concerning Him in Jeremiah 32:17:

“Ah Lord GOD! behold, thou hast made the heaven and the earth by thy great power and stretched out arm, and there is nothing too hard for thee:”.

This explains why He could call things which are not as though they were. Isaiah the prophet brought this out clearly when by divine inspiration, he said in Isaiah 45:1-14:

Thus saith the LORD to his anointed, to Cyrus, whose right hand I have holden, to subdue nations before him; and I will loose the loins of kings, to open before him the two leaved gates; and the gates shall not be shut;

I will go before thee, and make the crooked places straight: I will break in pieces the gates of brass, and cut in sunder the bars of iron:

And I will give thee the treasures of darkness, and hidden riches of secret places, that thou mayest know that I, the LORD, which call thee by thy name, am the God of Israel.

For Jacob my servant's sake, and Israel mine elect, I have even called thee by thy name: I have surnamed thee, though thou hast not known me.

I am the LORD, and there is none else, there is no God beside me: I girded thee, though thou hast not known me:

That they may know from the rising of the sun, and from the west, that there is none beside me. I am the LORD, and there is none else.

I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I the LORD do all these things.

Drop down, ye heavens, from above, and let the skies pour down righteousness: let the earth open, and let them bring forth salvation, and let righteousness spring up together; I the LORD have created it.

Woe unto him that striveth with his Maker! Let the potsherd strive with the potsherds of the earth. Shall the clay say to him that fashioneth it, What makest thou? or thy work, He hath no hands?

Woe unto him that saith unto his father, What begettest thou? or to the woman, What hast thou brought forth?

Thus saith the LORD, the Holy One of Israel, and his Maker, Ask me of things to come concerning my sons, and concerning the work of my hands command ye me.

I have made the earth, and created man upon it: I, even my hands, have stretched out the heavens, and all their host have I commanded.

I have raised him up in righteousness, and I will direct all his ways: he shall build my city, and he shall let go my captives, not for price nor reward, saith the LORD of hosts.

Thus saith the LORD, The labour of Egypt, and merchandise of Ethiopia and of the Sabeans, men of stature, shall come over unto thee, and they shall be thine: they shall come after thee; in chains they shall come over, and they shall fall down unto thee, they shall make supplication unto thee, saying, Surely God is in thee; and there is none else, there is no God.

 Hannah, the mother of Samuel describes Him in 1Sam.2:1-10 thus:

“And Hannah prayed, and said, My heart rejoiceth in the LORD, mine horn is exalted in the LORD: my mouth is enlarged over mine enemies; because I rejoice in thy salvation.

There is none holy as the LORD: for there is none beside thee: neither is there any rock like our God.

Talk no more so exceeding proudly; let not arrogancy come out of your mouth: for the LORD is a God of knowledge, and by him actions are weighed.

The bows of the mighty men are broken, and they that stumbled are girded with strength.

They that were full have hired out themselves for bread; and they that were hungry ceased: so that the barren hath born seven; and she that hath many children is waxed feeble.

The LORD killeth, and maketh alive: he bringeth down to the grave, and bringeth up.

The LORD maketh poor, and maketh rich: he bringeth low, and lifteth up.

He raiseth up the poor out of the dust, and lifteth up the beggar from the dunghill, to set them among princes, and to make them inherit the throne of glory: for the pillars of the earth are the LORD'S, and he hath set the world upon them.

He will keep the feet of his saints, and the wicked shall be silent in darkness; for by strength shall no man prevail.

The adversaries of the LORD shall be broken to pieces; out of heaven shall he thunder upon them: the LORD shall judge the ends of the earth; and he shall give strength unto his king, and exalt the horn of his anointed.”

6.     He is Almighty: God’s ability is reflected in His miracle to Abraham. In Gen.17:1 He revealed Himself to Abraham as the Almighty God. Again, in the red sea when he caused His people to walk on dry land and finished their enemies in Exodus 14, he proved himself as being almighty. When He raised Jesus Christ from the dead, he was also proving himself as the almighty God. No one else has ever been raised from the dead never to die again. In Romans 8:11, Apostle Paul refers to Him as the Spirit that raised Christ from the dead. Also, His almightiness is displayed in causing two people to scale over death namely; Enoch and Elijah and very soon, He is going to show his almightiness and omnipotence again when He causes multitudes of people to disappear from this world at once without tasting physical death. This is the phenomenon that is popularly called the rapture of the Church.

7.     He has features like a man: He has eyes that see, ears that hear, mouth that speaks, hands that can lift up. [See Jn.8:12; Ps.94:7-13; 135:15-18.]

8.     He is all knowing. This is why He is described as omniscient, Ps.139:1-6 tells us:

“O LORD, thou hast searched me, and known me.

Thou knowest my downsitting and mine uprising, thou understandest my thought afar off.

Thou compassest my path and my lying down, and art acquainted with all my ways.

For there is not a word in my tongue, but, lo, O LORD, thou knowest it altogether.

Thou hast beset me behind and before, and laid thine hand upon me.

Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high, I cannot attain unto it”.

In Heb.4:13, we are told: 

“Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight: but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do.”

9.     He does not change: In Mal.3:6; He said of Himself; “… I am the Lord, I change not…”

Also, in Numbers 23:19, we are told:

“God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good?”

To repent is to turn around; to change. The Holy Spirit is God and not man and is therefore perfect and does not need to turn around or change.  

10.                     He cannot faint or be tired: In Isaiah 40:28-31, we are told:

“Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the LORD, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary? there is no searching of his understanding.

He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength.

Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall:

But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.”

This is what gives the Lord the audacity in Matthew 11:28-30 to throw a blank cheque invitation to all who are weary and burdened to come to Him and that they shall find rest for their souls. Psalm 121 also makes us understand that God neither sleeps nor slumbers.

11.                     He is the Eternal self-existing one: He has no beginning and no ending. [Gen.1:1; Col.1:16-17] Jn.5:26 says: “For as the Father hath life in himself; so hath he given to the Son to have life in himself”. In Daniel 4:34-35, after humiliating Nebuchadnezzar to teach him a lesson in pride, here is his testimony about God:

“And at the end of the days I Nebuchadnezzar lifted up mine eyes unto heaven, and mine understanding returned unto me, and I blessed the most High, and I praised and honoured him that liveth forever, whose dominion is an everlasting dominion, and his kingdom is from generation to generation:

And all the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing: and he doeth according to his will in the army of heaven, and among the inhabitants of the earth: and none can stay his hand, or say unto him, What doest thou?

12.                     He is creative: In fact, this is the first of his nature revealed to us in the word of God. Gen.1:1 says: “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.” Also, col.1:16-17 says: “for by him were all things created visible or invisible whether they be thrones and dominions, all things were created by Him and for him”. The strength of His creativity, vests in the integrity of his word. The bible says in Ps.33:6, 9: “by the word of the Lord were the heavens made and all the hosts of it by the breath of his mouth… for he spake, and it was done; he commanded and it stood fast.” In fact in John 1:3, we are made to understand that all things were created by the word of God and that without him is nothing made that was made.

13.                     He is Holy: In Isaiah 6:3, Isaiah had a vision where God was revealed to him in His holiness. The word translated holy here is the Hebrew word “qadosh” and it means sacred. In a similar encounter by John in Rev.4:8, the Greek word “hagios” meaning sacred was used. The definition of both words boil down to describing God as physically pure, morally blameless and consecrated. It can also be defined as God’s sacred personality. Holy also means to be set apart; to be distinguished. Holiness therefore, is the quality or state of being set apart, exalted or worthy of complete devotion as one perfect in goodness and righteousness. This definition of holiness applies only to God. Indeed, this is who God is and that is why He has the ability to influence people to become pure no matter what their states were when He found them.  He is not like any other. In 1Sam.2:2 Holy is used to mean exalted, worthy of complete devotion and one perfect in goodness and righteousness.  In exodus 34, He describes himself as being abundant in goodness. His goodness has been greatly expressed in Calvary.

14.                     He loves righteousness and hates wickedness: [Ps.45:6-7; Heb.1:8-12]. This is why he could not and can never be dethroned as God. His throne is established on righteousness. He is the only one who is incapable of breaching His word.

15.                     He is omnipresent: This means that He is equally present everywhere at the same time. Psalm 139:7-12 reads:

“Whither shall I go from thy spirit? or whither shall I flee from thy presence?

If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there.

If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea;

Even there shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me.

If I say, Surely the darkness shall cover me; even the night shall be light about me.

Yea, the darkness hideth not from thee; but the night shineth as the day: the darkness and the light are both alike to thee.”

This nature of God is what gives us the confidence to pray anywhere knowing he hears us. In fact, He heard Jonah when He prayed from the belly of the whale and caused the whale to vomit him on a sea shore without hurting him.  Apostle Paul describes this nature if God this way in Eph.1:22-23

“fills all in all” and in Acts17:27-28, he says:

      “he is not far from us all. For in him we live and move and have our being”.

Also, in Jer.23:23-24, we read:

“Am I a God at hand, saith the LORD, and not a God afar off?

Can any hide himself in secret places that I shall not see him? saith the LORD. Do not I fill heaven and earth? saith the LORD.”

This does not mean God is in everything because God condemns idolatry in very strong terms.

DECEMBER 2012 OUR MONTH OF HARVEST

As November; Our month of Refreshing wound to a close, I began to rummage through my spirit in search of what to say to God’s people for the month of December. The Lord already told me that December shall be our month of Harvest. He also gave me some texts of scripture to meditate on in connection with harvest and as I looked through the texts in Gen.8:22, Gal.6:7-9 and Matthew 12:33-37, I could not help thinking of the many people around the world who often experience disappointments in life as a result of the operation of this law of seed time and harvest. To appreciate what I am about to talk about, let us see the text of scriptures:

“While the earth remaineth, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease.” Gen.8:22

“Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.

For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting.

And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.” Galatians 6:7-9.

Either make the tree good, and his fruit good; or else make the tree corrupt, and his fruit corrupt: for the tree is known by his fruit.

O generation of vipers, how can ye, being evil, speak good things? for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh.

A good man out of the good treasure of the heart bringeth forth good things: and an evil man out of the evil treasure bringeth forth evil things.

But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment.

For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned. Matthew 12:33-37

Recently, while listening to John Maxwell review his latest book “The 15 Invaluable Laws of Growth, I heard him make a very profound statement about laws that I do not think I have ever consciously averted my mind to even though I know it is there and have always tried to live by it. He said the interesting thing about a law is that it cuts across every sphere of existence whether we are aware of them or not. In other words, laws work for or against you whether you are aware of them or not depending on whether you obey them or not.

In school, we were taught that ignorance of the law is no excuse. I believe our teachers learnt it from God in Hosea 4:6 where He said through the prophet that His people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. Therefore, contrary to the belief in the world that what you don’t know cannot hurt you, what you don’t know may just be your undoing because the truth is that ignorance is not a virtue but a vice.

Consequent on the foregoing, your ignorance of the law of seed time and harvest may be the reason why another year has ended again for you in disappointment. I am sorry if this statement hurt you, but sometimes for you to be healed and make progress in life, you will have to get out of a comfort zone or two; to experience a little pain or inconvenience through exposure and application of the balm of truth. But believe me; this is in your best interest.

If you look deeply at all there texts of scripture quoted above, you would glean the following realities about life among others:

1.     Harvest is preceded by a planting season known as seed time.

2.     Following from one above, you cannot get out of life what you have not put into it. This explains why in our third text of scripture, the Lord said we should either make a tree good and it’s fruit good or make it corrupt and its fruit will be corrupt. In other words, the quality of seed sown will determine the quality of harvest reaped. This was reiterated by Apostle Paul in our second text where he said anyone who sows to the flesh shall reap corruption and anyone who sows to the spirit shall reap life everlasting.

3.     The harvest is usually more than the seeds sown so what you do not want to see in abundance in your life, ensure you do not sow to it. This would help to guard our tongues as we must have what we say [Mk.11:23]. So say what you want to see in your future always.

4.     In our fast paced mammon ruled world, many people have forgotten this precious virtue of sowing precious seeds of the right words and character which gender towards godliness and protect against corruption as well as provide the much sought after wealth. In a bid to get ahead, they have neglected the substance which is the cultivation of the right seeds in the right environment to produce the finished products. Instead, they are putting the cart before the horse seeking the fruit which represents the harvest at the expense of investing time to sow the seeds that guarantee the harvest they desire. The result is that they end up sowing to the flesh and reaping corruption in the process. As I look around me today, I see many chasing after money and fame while neglecting godly values in the process and the result in all the cases is disappointment. Some are disappointed in that they never get either of these things while others are disappointed in that they get them with leanness to their souls. By this I mean they get the mundane and lose the substance like love, joy peace in the Holy Ghost. Then they begin to envy those who were smart enough to recognize that godliness with contentment is great gain. As a result, such people walk in the blessing and end up with the fruit which is the harvest and they are the ones who determine the way things really play out in life; even though they do not have to run around and compromise their godly standards like others. To these kinds of people, little becomes much and small becomes great and wisdom is common place because their affections are set on things above and not on things of this world. Whereas, to the other kind of people, much become little or zero in their hands because by their life styles, they have subjected themselves to the forces of the waster.

5.     The kinds of seeds sown are not money only; you can sow your life (which is what God treasures most), your time, your efforts, your skill etc to enlarge the Kingdom of God and God will see to it that you get back a hundred percent what you give. When you sow your life for instance, you reap a harvest of long life, peace, safety, health, wisdom, joy and in many cases fame and money. God is not a man that He should lie! When I look through history and the present day, the trend has always been the same. Those who sow their destinies to please God never end their journeys small or in shame! You may want to do a little exercise and read through the bible from Genesis to Revelation as well as any history book you can find. Then take an objective look at the most outstanding men and women of God in our generation, you will find this assertion to be the truth.   

Let me close this little message by saying that the law of seed time and harvest has separated the people of this world into two categories. They are the seed minded people and the fruit minded people.

The former are the cultivators who immediately recognize good seeds and find the best ways to plant and nurture them to produce a rich harvest of good things eventually. To these people, little becomes much in their hands and small become great. They do not go around pressuring others for what others can do for them; rather they go around looking for how to add value to others. In the process, God blesses them because the law of seed time and harvest must be enforced and the only person who can enforce this law is God. This is why Apostle Paul affirms that he planted and Apollos watered, but God gave the increase [harvest].

On the other hand, the latter or fruit minded people are always looking for short cuts to get what they want without paying attention to the rule of seed time and harvest. They want the fruits of others and they are not interested in cultivating their own. They are never there for anyone else but for themselves. They would only maintain a relationship from which they benefit regardless of the feelings of the other party to the relationship for instance and wonder why they always experience broken relationships. In life, you cannot eat your cake and have it. You cannot expect what you have not put into life. The fact that you give money in Church for instance, does not guarantee that you will be rich because becoming rich involves a lot more than giving your tithes and offering. From my experience as a minister of the gospel, I have found out that obedience to God is the foundation for playing in this field with excellence. This explains why not every minister of the gospel commands equal attention.

In a bid to reducing the number of people in the latter category, God has sent this word at this crucial time of the year to enable us prepare for His visitation next year. So this month, we shall be looking at the law of seed time and harvest and how best we can engage this law to our advantage to the glory of God.

As I draw the curtain, I want to quickly say here that God has sown the greatest seed anyone could sow and you reading this message could become one of the harvest of this seed if you are not yet one by receiving His precious Son Jesus Christ into your life. If you do so, you receive the right to become a child of God and enjoy the entire benefits and privileges attendant therewith. If you want to reciprocate God’s affection in giving up His all for you, please say the following prayer out loud to God in faith and the Holy Spirit will take you up from there and give you the most pleasant journey through destiny.

            Heavenly father,

Have mercy on me a sinner. I repent of my sin and receive the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on Calvary’s cross for my salvation. I believe He died for me and on the third day, you raised Him from the dead for my salvation. From today, I receive Him as the Saviour and Lord of my Life.

Thank you father for forgiving me and writing my name in the book of life with the blood of Jesus. I pledge allegiance to the Lord Jesus Christ from this day forever in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Amen!!!

If you just said this prayer, congratulations! You are now born again.  Please let me know by emailing flourishinggirl@gmail.com and I will send you an e copy of our “Believers’ Guide to Growth” to enable you take off on this glorious adventure of the new creation. You can also log on to my blog on www.flourishinggirl.blogspot.com or follow me on face book at www.facebook.com/flourishinggirl   for more resource materials to enrich your Christian life. God bless you!!!

  

The University Student Who Went by the Cross Roads.

Opposite our front gate lived a university student who was to have graduated from the
university that year. After moving here I talked with him, asking him to come over and
discuss the Bible and Christianity in a friendly way. He came a few days, and I felt
certain he was convinced of the truth of what I said. The questions he raised seemed to
be answered to his full satisfaction.
Through him I managed to get a chance to talk with some of the other university
students during their vacation. I had been going to their rooms ten days, when there came the mighty outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon Adullam. The students were friendly, and I felt that the student I have mentioned saw clearly the truth of the gospel.
I could see that, although he was polite, he was not disposed to accept the truth and did
not seem to like the friendly way the other students responded to the Bible discussions.
One morning when one of our girls was out at our front gate it happened that this
young university student was out there too. The girl began telling him he ought to be a
Christian, in a simple way urging him to believe in Jesus to save him from his sins,
make him a good man, save him from hell, and lead him to heaven.
"What's the use of my being a Christian ? I do not need to be saved."
"You might die suddenly in your sins, and you would go to hell."
"Who are you?" scoffed the student. "You are a little snip of an ignorant girl, just a sort
of useless beggar. What do you suppose you are trying to do? You are trying to teach
me something when you are not worthy to even talk to me. I am a university student. I
am wise. I have read many books. I have been many years in Peking. I can speak and
read English as well as Chinese." He then spat in her face and told her to mind her own
business.
Two weeks later hearing a funeral commotion in the front alley, I was surprised to learn that they were carrying this university student to his burial; I had seen him on the
street a few days before. One of the boys said that as we were going out to preach, a
few days previous, he had offered this young man a tract, but he would not take it.
I knew nothing of this conversation with the girl. About a month later this girl was in a
trance under the power of the Spirit. After seeing visions of heaven and the glories of
the redeemed she stood still and bent over as though looking into hell. This is what I
heard: "Ah! There is hell. No, I cannot; I have no power to help you now. You certainly
are in an awful plight. It is you who are worse than a beggar now, all dirty, all filthy,
and suffering in the lake of fire. In fact, you look worse now than any beggar I ever
saw. I thought you told me you were rich and that you had a great education. Where is
your education now? Well, I cannot help you now even if you do apologize. That may
be, but I have no power. No, only Jesus can save you, but when I told you about Him
you made fun of Him and cursed me.
"Look what we beggars who believe in Jesus have received in heaven: all is joy, all is
happiness; all is love in the city of golden streets with its wonderful Paradise of God."
You can act wiser than this foolish undergraduate today by saying the following prayer out loud to God if you are yet to do so and living the rest of your life to please Him:
The sinner’s prayer
Heavenly father,
Have mercy on me a sinner. I repent of my sin and receive the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on Calvary’s cross for my salvation. I believe He died for me and on the third day, you raised Him from the dead for my salvation. From today, I receive Him as the Saviour and Lord of my Life.
Thank you father for forgiving me and writing my name in the book of life with the blood of Jesus. I pledge allegiance to the Lord Jesus Christ from this day forever in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Amen!!!
If you just said this prayer, congratulations! You are now born again.  Please let me know by emailing flourishinggirl@gmail.com and I will send you an e copy of our “Believers’ Guide to Growth” to enable you take off on this glorious adventure of the new creation. God bless you!!!

Who is a False Prophet?

False Prophets

A false prophet is anyone who pretends to be a man or woman of God when they are not. They claim to be called of God and sent to help mankind whereas, they are either doing that for covetous purposes or directly on behalf of the devil with the intent to deceive people and turn their hearts from God to the devil. They either never heard the call of God or heard at some point but later deviated into apostasy.

The definition of a false Prophet is brought out clearly in this statement of the Lord in Matt.7:15-23:

“Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.

Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles?

Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit.

A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit.

Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.

Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.

Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.

Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?

And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.”

From this text of Scripture, we learn the following truths about false Prophets:

False prophets are described as ravening wolves that come to us in sheep’s clothing. This is a figurative expression describing a hypocrite. A friend of mine, who is a Pastor now, once told me a story of a Church his wife took him to when he was still a young convert. The lady pastoring the Church according to him came up with a very funny “revelation”. According to him, this lady pastor told him that from that day, he was to start treating her like his wife. That whatever he did for the wife, he should also do for her. He said he could not take it alone, so he called the wife to hear it and this “lady Pastor” had the effrontery to repeat he “revelation”! He said his wife did not say anything to this lady pastor that day. Then one day, the lady pastor came to their house; presumably to implement the “revelation”. This brother’s wife gave her a sound beating and threw her out of their house!

While this may sound funny, it is not something to be taken lightly at all because they later discovered that this same lady Pastor was committing adultery with another man in the same Church. Her ridiculous explanation for this adultery was that that was the means through which she transferred the man’s “blessings” to him! Sadly, this is not an isolated case. It is a common occurrence in the African Continent. Many people due to poverty and a desire to get something for nothing have become preys to these ravening wolves (greedy and voracious agents of the devil).

Interestingly, these occurrences are not new. In the book of Revelation, Jesus warned the Church in Thyatira of his impending judgment of a false prophetess luring His servants into adultery and feeding them food sacrificed to idols. In Rev.2:20-23, Jesus Christ said to the Church:

“Notwithstanding I have a few things against thee, because thou sufferest that woman Jezebel, which calleth herself a prophetess, to teach and to seduce my servants to commit fornication, and to eat things sacrificed unto idols.

And I gave her space to repent of her fornication; and she repented not.

Behold, I will cast her into a bed, and them that commit adultery with her into great tribulation, except they repent of their deeds.

And I will kill her children with death; and all the churches shall know that I am he which searcheth the reins and hearts: and I will give unto every one of you according to your works.”

From this text, we can see that this so called prophetess is the one who calls herself so; the Lord did not call her a prophetess but Jezebel. This refers to a spirit in some women who seek to gain undue control over a congregation (over which they have no spiritual authority) mostly through their lying dreams and visions. You would recall that Jezebel in the Old Testament was the wife of Ahab; a king who once reigned in Israel. She was so domineering that she controlled the affairs of the kingdom of Israel during their reign through her sorceries and witchcraft. You will find her account in 1Kings 16-22.

In 2Cor.11:13-15, Apostle Paul describes these false Prophets as false Apostle. He said:

“For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ.

And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light.

Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works.”

In my Country, you have some of these title crazy people who are not really servants of God, but pretend to be. There is a notorious one whose chief activity is adultery and extortion. As this nefarious activity persisted, his associate Pastors who really wanted to serve the Lord began to resign one after the other.

If a lady goes to a pastor for counseling for instance and the man’s prescription is sex as a means of transferring the ‘blessing’, she should escape for her life because it is a hallmark of false prophets to “renew” their evil powers through sexual intercourse with unsuspecting victims. They are aptly described by Apostle Peter in 2Pet.2:1-3, 12-19:

“But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction.

And many shall follow their pernicious ways; by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of.

And through covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise of you: whose judgment now of a long time lingereth not, and their damnation slumbereth not.

       … But these, as natural brute beasts, made to be taken and destroyed, speak evil of the things that they understand not; and shall utterly perish in their own corruption;

And shall receive the reward of unrighteousness, as they that count it pleasure to riot in the day time. Spots they are and blemishes, sporting themselves with their own deceivings while they feast with you;

Having eyes full of adultery, and that cannot cease from sin; beguiling unstable souls: an heart they have exercised with covetous practices; cursed children:

Which have forsaken the right way, and are gone astray, following the way of Balaam the son of Bosor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness;

But was rebuked for his iniquity: the dumb ass speaking with man's voice forbad the madness of the prophet.

These are wells without water, clouds that are carried with a tempest; to whom the mist of darkness is reserved for ever.

For when they speak great swelling words of vanity, they allure through the lusts of the flesh, through much wantonness, those that were clean escaped from them who live in error.

While they promise them liberty, they themselves are the servants of corruption: for of whom a man is overcome, of the same is he brought in bondage.”

Here, Apostle Peter describes them as false teachers peddling damnable heresies denying the Lordship of Jesus Christ all for covetous motives. Their conscience has become so desensitized by sin that the Apostle describes them as blemishes in their feasts with eyes full of adultery and are so given to vanity that they cannot speak of anything else but vanities. When you hear them speak, you could hardly hear any edifying words flow through them because they are empty. They cannot give what they do not have. He also describes them as wells without water and clouds without rain. This describes a people who can make many promises and deliver on none of them because they are incapable of deliveries due to carnality. Spirituality is the fertile soil for spiritual productivity and they are not spiritual at all; they are carnal like the devil. He sums their description by pointing out that they promise liberty while they themselves are the agents of corruption! What a paradox!

Welcome to November 2012 Our month of Refreshing

Our text scripture for the month is Acts 3:19-21 and I will quote from both the KJV and Amplified bible. That text reads:

“Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord;

And he shall send Jesus Christ, which before was preached unto you:

Whom the heaven must receive until the times of restitution of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began.” KJV

The Amplified Bible puts it this way:

“So repent (change your mind and purpose), turn around and return [to God], that your sin may be erased (blotted out, wiped clean), that times of refreshing (of recovering from the effects of heat, of reviving with fresh air), may come from the presence of the Lord:

And that He may send [to you] the Christ (the Messiah). Who before was designated and appointed for you even-Jesus.

Whom heaven must receive [and retain] until the time of the complete restoration of all that God spoke by the mouth of all His holy prophets from ages past [from the most ancient time in the memory of man].”

As I awoke this morning, my heart was ringing with this song by Panam Percy Paul:

Few years turning into few months; in just few days

Jesus will come

No more crying; we shall be rejoicing

In just few days we will go home.

When I woke up fully, I added my favorite song by Pastor Andrae Crouch:

“Soon and very soon we are going to see the King 2ice

Halleluiah, halleluiah we are going to see the king

No my dying there we are going to see the King

No more weeping there we are going to see the king.

Halleluiah, halleluiah we are going to see the king!

Should there be any river we must cross

Should there be any mountain we must climb

God will supply all the strength that we need

Give us grace till we reach the other side…”

As I meditated on these lyrics together with the word of the Lord which came to me from Joel 2:18-26 when we were praying in Church yesterday putting it together with our text scripture for the month, I cannot help but feel a sense of excitement that the Church is in her greatest period in time.

Jesus Christ is coming soon to fulfill all that God has spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets preceding us from the farthest time in the memory of man. The bible says He is coming for a glorious Church – without spot or wrinkle. As the days progress more, I understand better now why the Lord has been so emphatic on our getting rid of carnality and living spiritual lives.

The work load on us as a ministry this year has been huge in spite of the strength of the work force, but God has made up for us by supplying all our needs. He has enabled us to broadcast the gospel on television, internet and radio and the print media this year more than ever before. He has also enabled us to take on building projects beyond our human capacity and is blessing the work with His favour beyond our wildest dreams.

And now, the compassionate God that He is has shown up again, He wants us to clean up and come and be refreshed and recover from the effects of heat brought on us through labour and self-inflicted stress due to missing the mark or not going by divine direction.  He indeed wants us rejuvenated for our own good; what a good God we serve!!!

In light of this, our focus this month shall be on the most important person on earth right now. So I shall be teaching on the gifts and the Ministry of the Holy Spirit from one of my latest books so titled. The reason is that it is His job to bring us this much needed refreshing and we would do well to tune in by knowledge. The more of Him we know, the more refreshing we can enjoy! You can keep up with these teachings by logging on to www.facebook.com/flourishinggirl and www.flourishinggirl.blogspot.com or www.jointheirsfamily.blogspot.com.

If you are not born again and you are reading this piece, I would like you to know that you are not reading by accident. Events were orchestrated from the realm of the spirit that caused you to be reading now. Jesus wants to give you rest from all your troubles. In Matthew 11:28, He said: “come unto me all ye that labour and are heavy laden and I will give you rest.” To receive that rest, please say the following prayer out loud and mean it with all your heart to God and a new day will dawn for you:

            Heavenly father,

Have mercy on me a sinner. I repent of my sin and receive the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on Calvary’s cross for my salvation. I believe He died for me and on the third day, you raised Him from the dead for my salvation. From today, I receive Him as the Saviour and Lord of my Life.

Thank you father for forgiving me and writing my name in the book of life with the blood of Jesus. I pledge allegiance to the Lord Jesus Christ from this day forever in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Amen!!!

If you just said this prayer, congratulations! You are now born again.  Please let me know by emailing Flourishinggirl@gmail.com and I will send you an e copy of our “Believers’ Guide to Growth” to enable you take off on this glorious adventure of the new creation. God bless you!!!

A Major Feature Heralding the Lord’s Return

A major feature heralding the Lord’s return as shown by the Lord Jesus Christ is the advent of false Christs and false Prophets deceiving many. In Matthew 24:4-5, 11 & 24 Jesus Christ said:

“… Take heed that no man deceive you.

For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many.

… And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many.

… For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect.”

This explains why an understanding of the contents of this book cannot be overemphasized.  If we understand how to identify false Prophets and false Christs, the likelihood of our falling prey to their deception will be greatly minimized or eliminated altogether.

It would interest you to know that while the anti-Christ has not yet manifested physically, his spirit is already in operation on earth and is using false prophets. In his letter to the early Church, the Apostle John took the time to explain this to the early Church in 1John 2:18-21 thus:

“Little children, it is the last time: and as ye have heard that antichrist shall come, even now are there many antichrists; whereby we know that it is the last time.

They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would no doubt have continued with us: but they went out, that they might be made manifest that they were not all of us.

But ye have an unction from the Holy One, and ye know all things.

I have not written unto you because ye know not the truth, but because ye know it, and that no lie is of the truth.”

From these texts of Scripture, we have some consolations. Jesus made it clear in Matthew 24:24 that it would not be possible to deceive the elect. Who is the elect? You! If you have made Jesus Christ the Lord of your life and are continuing in His word [Jn.8:31-32]. The reason why you cannot be deceived is that you have the Holy Spirit in you directing you as Apostle John lets us know here. That is the reason you are reading this book now because He has orchestrated the events that brought this book about and put it in your hand.

In our Country Nigeria for instance, we have one claiming to work for the Lord and has built a “Church” that has branches in some other nations. He is even purportedly working miracles. However, from the fruits he is bearing, people began to question his authenticity. So the Pentecostal Fellowship of the Country refused to recognize him. When he was interviewed by Time Magazine, he was asked when he got saved and he gave the ridiculous reply that he was saved from his mother’s womb! He was also unable to point to a pastor who mentored him. Only gullible and covetous people are caught in this man’s web in a Country where there is so much light in the Church of Jesus Christ.

As simple as these criteria may seem, they are important pointers to his impersonation. Everyone who has ever been called of God to do His work since the Church was founded had references. Jesus personally mentored the first disciples and through them, the gospel has passed from generation to generation

As powerful as the ministry of Apostle Paul is, you would recall that in Acts 9 the Lord referred Him to Ananias to be baptized and filled with the Holy Spirit after He had acknowledged the Lordship of Jesus Christ when He encountered Him on his way to Damascus.