Stirring up the Holy Spirit

Steve Sampson One of the most misunderstood principles in Scripture is that although the Holy Spirit is available to the believer, He waits to respond to our level of hunger and expectation, not just because we have a particular need. In fact, the Holy Spirit in our lives will remain in a dormant state unless we learn to draw upon Him. A good example of this is when Jesus invited the disciples to get in the boat with Him and go to the other side of the lake. But rather than a peaceful voyage a violent storm broke out. "And suddenly a great tempest arose on the sea, so that the boat was covered with the waves. But He was asleep." Matt.8:24 He Responded to the Disciples, Not the Storm! "Then the disciples came to Him and awoke Him, saying;, 'Lord, save us! We are perishing!" So often we think that the Lord knows our need and will automatically take care of our problem. But He waits for us to "wake" Him up. He slept through their circumstance. It was only their finding Him and stirring Him from sleep that caused Him to get up and deal with their storm. Our God doesn't respond to storms and circumstances, He responds to us! It is our prayers that stir Him. It is not enough to know that He dwells in us, but we have to live a life of continually stirring up our expectation of Him. Hosea told us, "Break up your fallow ground." Hosea 10:12 We have to stir our hearts out of dullness and low expectation and break up that ground of unbelief, stirring ourselves with expectation and anticipation of God. Paul told Timothy, "Therefore I remind you to stir up the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands. For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind." II Tim. 1:6-7 Peter wrote to stir the believers to remember the words of God. "of which I stir up your pure minds by way of reminder." I Peter 3:1 We Can Stir Another The writer of Hebrews exhorts us to stir and provoke one another. "And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works." Heb. 10:24 We can stir the Spirit of God in one another, by acts of kindness and acts of love. Sometimes a phone call, or sending someone a card, or giving him a word of

encouragement will stir that person's life out of discouragement into faith toward God. Hannah was provoked by Penninah(I Samuel 1), and this extremely unwelcome and uncomfortable chiding, provoked and stirred Hannah, until she cried out to God for a son. Because she was provoked to pray, the great prophet, Samuel, was born. Recipe When my youngest daughter was around five years old, she learned to make brownies. She would get the mixing bowl, put in the ready mix, add an egg, a little water, and a little oil. Then she would say, "Daddy, please stir this for me." Recently it occurred to me how ridiculous it would be to declare that since all the ingredients are in the bowl, I could just put it in the oven. What an ugly picture that would be, if the unmixed ingredients were cooked that way. It doesn't matter how right the ingredients are, it still must be stirred! In the Kingdom of God, we often have all the right ingredients in our lives. We have the gift of salvation, the baptism in the Holy Spirit, the gifts of the Holy Spirit, perhaps some testimonies of the power of God in our lives, and even some prophetic words given to us. Yet even with all these precious ingredients, our responsibility is to begin to stir up all of this with expectation and desire and faith. "For indeed the gospel was preached to us as well as to them; but the word which they heard did not profit them, not being mixed(stirred) with faith in those who heard it." Hebrews 4:2 James said, "Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works(corresponding action) is dead." James 2:17 How Can We Stir Up the Holy Spirit? We can stir Him up by: 1. Prayer. Intense, fervent prayer, both individually and corporately will cause the Holy Spirit to be stirred. "And when they had prayed, the place where they were assembled together was shaken; and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and they spoke the word of God with boldness." Acts 4:31 2. Remembering. When Jehoshaphat was under attack by three armies, he began to pray, calling to mind past victories. "Are you not our God, who drove out the inhabitants of this land before Your people Israel, and gave it to the descendants of Abraham Your friend forever?" II Chron. 20:7

3. Dialogue. Getting together with a spouse, or a friend, or any believer and talking about the Lord, and declaring His goodness, always stirs up the Holy Spirit within us. It is amazing how His presence begins to be felt, and you know He Himself is involved in the conversation. 4. Praise. God inhabits the praises of His people(Ps. 22:22). Anytime we praise Him, He is enthroned on our praises and His presence is stirred up. You can be discouraged or distracted, but yet when you begin to praise Him, He arises and your perspective quickly changes. God is waiting on us! So many believers are waiting on God to do something, yet according to Scripture, God is waiting on us. He is waiting on us to stir up the Holy Spirit, by inviting Him in our lives, and stirring ourselves with expectation. He is willing and desires to manifest Himself in awesome ways, but just as the disciples stirred Him from sleep, we must stir up our inner man. "But you, beloved, building yourselves up in your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit." Jude 20

Faith is Seeing the Unseen

Steve Sampson Faith is nothing more than seeing the invisible. While we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal. (2 Cor 4:18 NKJ) Every child of God has two sets of ears and two sets of eyes. We have the natural set that we are born with, and we have a spiritual set that weve been given upon being born again. As we grow spiritually, we begin to see with our spiritual eyes and hear with our spiritual ears. Jesus is our example. He stated plainly that He was able to see what the Father was doing, and hear what the Father was saying. Like us, He had to allow the Holy Spirit to let Him see and hear. The success of Jesus ministry was based on the time He spent with the Father and hearing Him accurately.

Then Jesus answered and said to them, "Most assuredly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, but what He sees the Father do; for whatever He does, the Son also does in like manner. (John 5:19 KJV) "I can of Myself do nothing. As I hear, I judge; and My judgment is righteous, because I do not seek My own will but the will of the Father who sent Me. (John 5:30 NKJ) As Christians, we must see from Gods perspective and hear His direction and command. Our walk must be one of total openness to Him and a willingness to obey. Natural Eyes and Ears dont Always Tell The Truth Without recognizing the Holy Spirit, most of us let our natural eyes and ears and our other senses dictate to us and record it as reality. God never promised to lead us by our physical senses or our mental faculties. In every situation, we have to take note not so much what our natural (physical) senses are telling us, but rather what the Holy Spirit is revealing. What we see through the eyes of the Spirit is usually in great contrast to what the natural eyes are representing as fact. Our physical senses deceive us and are unreliable. What He does reveal, in the unseen realm, has far more reality than what we observe in the seen realm. When we see through the eyes of the Spirit, everything changes. This type of praying is exciting and extremely effective, because it is praying in the perfect will of God. What God speaks, it brings things from the unseen realm into reality. The exciting part about hearing God is that the Holy Spirit will enable believers to cross over by the Spirit into the eternal realm. It is seeing the unseen (eternal) realm where we perceive the will of God. Once we see the will of God and what exists from His perspective, we can cross back over and announce what God wants to perform in the natural, temporal world. Noah was another one who peered into the unseen realm and watched God pull back the curtain of future events. Then he came back to the temporal (seen) realm and announced the mind of God. Building the ark was a response to the heavenly reality.

As Christians in the New Covenant, the Holy Spirit will let us see beyond things in the natural, and look into the eternal if we choose to see through His eyes. When we see, it becomes a reality, and we can announce what already exists in Gods mind and it will then be a reality in the temporal (seen). In prayer, we can cross that bridge and see as God sees. Faith is that bridge between the eternal (the unseen) and the temporal (the seen). Prayer is so exciting. Real prayer is not just words, but intently waiting on God until we, by the Spirit, see what He is seeing. The gifts of the Spirit operated through those who choose to see into the eternal. As the word of knowledge is given, or prophecy comes forth, then that which is unseen can be received and accepted and become manifest to us. Turning Off The Faucet When Elijah stood before Ahab, he declared, "As the LORD God of Israel lives, before whom I stand, there shall not be dew nor rain these years, except at my word." (I King 17:1 NKJ) Elijah proclaimed that it would not rain according to his word, not Gods word. Why could he make such a statement? He had already crossed the bridge of faith from the temporal to the eternal, and in seeing the mind of God, he turned the water faucet off! The eternal realm was such a reality that he not only turned the water off, but knew that he had the authority to turn it back on. I think he carried the water faucet handle in his pocket! He was speaking with audacity before King Ahab, because he had been there, in the eternal realm. Three and a half years later, he had to turn the water faucet back on. He went up on top of Mount Carmel. Then he bowed down on the ground, and put his face between his knees (I King 18:42 NKJ) Why did he put his face down between his knees? In real prayer, in order to see into the eternal (unseen) realm, the mind has to come under subjection to the Holy Spirit. Elijah kept his mind subjected in that position, while he commanded his servant to check for results. And said to his servant, "Go up now, look toward the sea." So he went up and looked, and said, "There is nothing." And seven times he said, "Go again." Then it came to pass the seventh

time, that he said, "There is a cloud, as small as a man's hand, rising out of the sea!" So he said, "Go up, say to Ahab, 'Prepare your chariot, and go down before the rain stops you.'" (I King 18:43-44 NKJ) His servant represented faith. When we are praying with expectation, we have to command our faith (as a servant) to go check to see what God has done. Every time the servant when to check, it was an act of expectation. In prayer, New Covenant Christians can press into God and see into the eternal realm. This is where God reveals His will, and shows us how to pray and what to pray for. In this type of praying, we receive strategies from God. Many times when in a meeting, Ill ask the Lord what evil spirits we will be battling. As he shows me, I bind them, and turn off their faucets of influence. Also, the Lord will often show me specific things He desires to do in each meeting, such as healings He is going to manifest. This type of praying is exciting and extremely effective, because it is praying in the perfect will of God. Faith is seeing what is going on in the heavenlies, and declaring it a reality.

Hunger & Desire

Steve Sampson The greatest possession we have as believers is hunger! Jesus said, Blessed are they that hunger and thirst after righteousness, for they shall be filled. Mt. 5:6 It does not matter how big God is or how willing God is, but rather how great our hunger is. GOD IS LIMITED TO OUR LEVEL OF HUNGER! Over the years, I have noticed that Sunday morning meetings are often more difficult to experience a move of the Holy Spirit. For a long time I never understood this that there would seem to be a struggle and sluggishness in that Sunday morning meeting more than any other time of the week. In fact, I used to think I was having a battle with the devil, but finally I realized that it was more a battle with God. Too many people are present on Sunday mornings that are attending because it is Sunday, than with a desire to seek God and know God. They are attending out of duty rather than desire! God is not pleased because He does not respond to duty, but desire! One word for desire means, de(of) and sire(the father). As we commune with God, He births desire in our hearts. God is putting hunger pangs in us. It is not enough to be curious, to be interested, or even to appreciate the Lord. We must be hungry! The Syrophonecian woman had a demon-possessed daughter. Because of her great need, she came to the Lord with a tremendous passion and desire. At first, the Lord totally ignored her. Perhaps this stirred up even more desire. He was provoking her to a higher level of hunger. She evidently approached the disciples as well, because they entreated the Lord to send her away. Then He called her a dog, It is not good to take the childrens bread and throw it too the dogs. He offended her! But the offense caused her desire to become even greater! Her response was a classic. Yes, Lord, but even the little puppies eat the crumbs which fall from the table. I believe His attitude at that point was, I wasnt going to help you, but you got me there! Her hunger caused her to receive an amazing insightcrumbs will always fall off the table, and there is enough power in a crumb

to make my daughter well. Jesus was overwhelmed with her insight and declared, Woman, great is your faith, let it be done to you according to your desire. Mt 15:28 The word, desire, is thelo, which means, as you have previously determined. Jesus recognized and honored her desire. She had made up her mind ahead of time that her daughter would be healed and delivered. Think about Hannah. God used Penninah, her rival, to provoke her to desire! This other wife agitated her so severely that she was depressed and couldnt eat. Her husband tried to encourage her saying, Am I not better to you than ten sons? But she could not be comforted. She was provoked to desire for a child. Her desire was so passionate that it was pure. In effect, she asked the Lord just to use her as an instrument to bring a man-child into the world, vowing she would give him to the Lord to live in the temple. What an unselfish request. Finally, Eli the priest saw her praying and rebuked her for being drunk. He was partly right. She was drunk with desire! Then God put a word in Elis mouth, promising her the child. (I Samuel 1:17) Samuel, one of the greatest prophets who ever lived, would not have been born without Hannahs prayer. But Hannah would have never prayed for him, if her rival had not provoked her, stirring up desire. Enemies of Hunger and Desire The greatest enemy of hunger is self-satisfaction. It is what ties Gods hands. This is an enemy we all face. The reality is that God will do little in us when we are self-satisfied. Most came to God out of a great need, that provoked us to seek Him and find Him. However, once God meets us and blesses us, we have a tendency to slide back into a less-than-desperate need of Him. Another enemy is that of distractions. Although many of us have good intentions, we are easily distracted with things that attract(and seem to require) our attention. Multitudes of believers are distracted with all kinds of activities(including religious). We have to learn to discipline ourselves to keep priorities in order. Fellowship(intimacy) with God must be a priority. All power and fruit comes out of our relationship with Him. Passion, Not Passive We need passion. Gods people are in need of more passion. Proverbs 13:4 says, The soul of a lazy man

desires, and has nothing. This word, desire, means to wish for. It is not enough to wish for something, but it must be sought for with passionate desire. To say, I wish I could play the piano, or I wish I had a better job is not enough. James said, Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed earnestly that it would not rain; and it did not rain on the land for three years and six months. And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth produced its fruit. James 5:17-18 James was appealing to us to pray with more fervency. Elijah was subject to the same weaknesses and human nature as us, yet his prayers caused great things to happen. We cant just pray, we must pray with passion and desire. One Thing! We know we are maturing when our desire gets down to one thing. David said, One thing I have desired of the Lord, that will I seek: That I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord and to inquire in His temple. Psalm 27:4 Jesus told Martha, Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled(distracted) about many things. But one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her. Luke 10:41-42 Paul passionate desire for the Lord was evident. Although God had already used him in tremendous ways, his desire was for more. Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended: but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead. I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. Philippians 3:13-14 God honors prayers of desire and passion. Seek ye first the Kingdom of God means a specific seeking(Greek zeteo). You Cant Get Strong Watching Someone Else Exercise! Probably the strongest rebuke in the New Testament is from Hebrews 5:12-14 For by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the first principle of the oracles of God; and you have come to need milk and not solid food. For everyone who partakes only of milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, for he is a babe. But solid food is for those who are of full age, that is, those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.

We have to have our own desire, our own passion and our own experiences. We cannot live on another persons testimony or experience. Dont Be a C Student A student who receives C grades is not failing, but neither is he excelling. He is just maintaining a mediocre plateau. It is a lukewarm position, which carries little honor. In fact, the lukewarm are those who God indicates He desires to spit out of His mouth. So then, because you are neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of my mouth. Rev. 3:16 It is interesting that if you are fervent and passionate for God, you will most likely be criticized. And if you are cold toward God and His Kingdom, you will be condemned. However, if you are neither of those(right in the middlelukewarm) you will not be criticized or condemned. Yet that is the position that God hates the most. You Cant Get Fat on Samples The lady who stands in a grocery store offering samples, has no intention to fill you up. She is hired to give you samples in order to provoke you to desirein order that you make a purchase. God does the same thing. He moves in our lives, wooing us with His presence and stirs us. When we taste His presence or feel His stirring, it does not mean we have receivedit only means that we have tasted. Weve tasted a sample of His presence. He is stirring us to desire. Now we must respond and passionately seek Him for more.

Living With Evidence

Steve Sampson Do you remember the slogan, "If you were arrested for being a Christian, would there be enough evidence to convict you?" The longer I live, the less I am impressed with words, and the more I look for evidence of a lifestyle. Jesus said you will know the tree by the fruit(evidence). Even John the Baptist rebuked the Pharisees, telling them to bring forth fuit, "bear fruits worthy of repentance." Mt. 3:8 When Peter and John were arrested after God healed the crippled man, the people saw even more evidence in their lives. "Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated and untrained men, they marveled. And they realized that's they had been with Jesus. And seeing the man who had been healed standing with them, they could say nothing against it." Acts 4:13-14 The strategy from hell against the church is for us to be tied into a belief system rather than a lifestyle. This gospel is not about going to church, it is about being the church! It is not about hearing sermons or attending meetings, it is about touching lives. We are to be committed to truth, not just in verbal agreement, but in a life style! Attending church, hearing sermons means nothing unless something changes within us and there is evidence of lives being changed around us. "Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in Heaven." Matthew 5:16 Peter was continually rebuked and corrected by Jesus, yet at the end of three short years so powerful was the glory of God in him that anyone under his shadow would be healed. "So that they brought the sick out into the streets and laid them on beds and couches, that at least the shadow of Peter passing by might fall on some of them." Acts 5:15 The only Bible the majority of people will read is you. Paul declared, "You are our epistle written in our hearts, known and read by all men." II Corinthians 3:2 Belief System or a Life Style?

Many churches claim to believe the doctrine of the baptism of the Holy Spirit and the gifts of the Spirit, yet if you attend them there is absolutely NO EVIDENCE of the gifts of the Holy Spirit being manifested. When young David came to the battle lines and heard the spewings of Goliathe, he was appalled and desired to be the man to conquer him. When he was brought before Saul, the king commented that he was only a youth and the other men had been fighting since their youth. But David had a resume! "Your servant used to keep his father's sheep, and when a lion or a bear came and took a lamb out of the flock, I went after it and struck it, and delivered the lamb from it's mouth; and when it arose against me, I caught it by its beard, and struck it and killed it." I Sam. 17:34-35 David had evidence in his life! He had dealt with lions and bears on a personal level and now was ready to defeat Goliathe. Lions can represent those things in us, such as rebellion, stubbornness, lust and anger. Bears can represent habits, discouragement, fear, and unbelief. Before we conquer huge enemies, God wants us to have evidence that we have dealt with the personal ones. The bottom line is that there must be evidence in our lives that we are yielding to the King of Kings and Lord of lords. Paul declared, " You are our epistle written in our hearts, known and read by all men." Unbelievers do not read the Bible, they read us! Is their evidence in your life for them to see? This world needs to see evidence of the power of God in our lives and the character of God(the fruit of the Spirit). God's light must shine through us as evidence. " For it is God who commanded light to shine out of darkness who has shown in our hearts, to give the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ." II Cor. 4:6 This gospel has to become more than mere talk. People must see the power and nature of God in us. " Let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth." I Jn. 3:18

Overcoming Discouragement
Steve Sampson Discouraged people exert no demand on the presence of God. And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death. (Rev 12:11 NKJ) The blood of Jesus is all encompassing. All physical health, all mental health, all emotional health has been purchased by the blood of Jesus. His precious blood not only paid for our sins, but for every possible sickness as well. In fact, Jesus paid for our sicknesses with His blood before He paid for our sins. by His stripes you were healed. (1 Peter 2:24 KJV) He paid not only for our sins, but for our mental health. His blood covers the oppression that comes against our minds. His blood covers those distorted emotions because of things weve gone through. We dont have to buy unbelief, we dont have to buy the lies of depression, we dont have to succumb to anything, because the blood of Jesus has paid it all. The devil is a liar. Presumably the most effective weapon he uses against the saints is discouragement. There is nothing more diabolical than those stifling feelings of heaviness that border on hopelessness. But the good news is that we have already been given authority over him. The accuser of our brethrenhas been cast down. (Rev 12:10 NKJ) Stop Trying To Defeat The Devil You cannot defeat the devil! He has already been defeated. His time has already come. He has been stripped of his power and authority. He only has the power to lie and oppress. We have the authority through the blood of Jesus to resist his lies, and to not buy the defeat he tries to sell us. Having disarmed principalities and powers, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them in it. Col 2:15 NKJ)

A mistake commonly made by many Christians is that they are still trying to fight an enemy that has already been defeated. Nowhere does the Scripture tell us to defeat the devil, but rather to resist him, and to exercise the authority that we have already been given over him. Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. (James 4:7 NKJ) Gaining Strength By Resisting But may the God of all grace, who called us to His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a while, perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you. (1 Pet 5:10 NKJ) It isnt always Gods way to rescue us from some type of persecution or suffering. Sometimes He wants us to simply walk through it. As a result, He will perfect us, establish us, strengthen us, and settle us. Frankly, resisting the devil is what makes us steadfast in the faith. God has a far greater purpose for us as individuals than we realize. He desires to make us strong in spirit. Strong Christians have gained strength by resisting the lies of the devil and by exercising their faith in God. It is good to remind yourself when you are feeling satanic opposition and oppression, that you are worth being resisted! God has His hand on you! Begin To Speak The Language Of Faith Many dont see victory because they refuse to embrace the language of faith. Speaking the language of faith is simply agreeing with Gods vocabulary, and not the devils. It isnt enough to know the promises of God and the goodness of God. We must come to a place of choice. We can either stay in the rut we are in, or we can say Enough is enough and begin to speak what God says. To be discouraged, God says, Choose life. Begin to agree with God. Rather than declare your circumstances and what your emotions dictate, begin to declare the greatness of God! It takes no faith (or character) to agree with your emotions. Emotions change by the minute. Anyone can declare the negative. Anyone can complain. Anyone can let his mouth spew out what his emotions feel at that given moment. Many spend their entire lives letting their vocal chords record what their

emotions feel. But God has given you and me a choice. I call heaven and earth as witnesses today against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life, that both you and your descendants may live; (Deut 30:19 NKJ) God will wait for you to get tired of the old habitual rut you are in. He will politely wait, and not stop you from wasting years. You can let it be your choice to continue plodding down the road of discouragement and despondency, and defeat. Or you can rise up in faith and begin to speak His language. Without faith, it is impossible to please God. This is your choice. The language of faith agrees with God. Faith declares Gods faithfulness, and declares everything else a lie. You must not be concerned about what natural circumstances dictate, because from now on, God is your source. If things get worse at first, it doesnt matter, because God is seated on the throne of your life. Because you have begun to align your speech with His Word (speaking the language of faith), there will inevitably be results. It is of necessity to repent. Repentance is not shedding a bucket of tears, but it simply means about face! You must make a quality decision such as, I repent of agreeing with the devils lies, I am choosing to agree with God, and speak His language. Whoever offers praise glorifies Me; and to him who orders his conduct aright I will show the salvation of God." (Ps 50:23 NKJ) Fear is abnormal. God didnt create us to live in fear. Worry is abnormal. God didnt create us to live with worry. Joy is normal! Peace is normal! The gospel is good news which dictates our standard of living. Refuse to embrace fear and worry and discouragement. Embrace the promises of God! It is your choice. Most all suicides and suicide attempts can be traced back to the thought life. A choice was made. A person began to entertain thoughts from the devil. The more the thoughts were listened to and entertained, the more thoughts the devil added. Soon the thoughts multiplied until the person could no longer control his own thoughts and tried to find a way of escape by suicide. The problem began

long before the suicide. The problem began when the person began to entertain the lies of the devil. God has given you and me authority over all the power of the enemy. Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you. (Luke 10:19 NKJ) Nothing Makes You Grow Faster Than Seeking The Lord Human nature, including Christian human nature, gravitates to seeking the advice or opinion of people, rather than God. We find it easier to relate to someone we can see, rather than He Whom we cannot see. Of course it is not wrong to seek out counsel and encouragement from other people, but true change and growth comes when we seek the Lord. Making an investment of time in uninterrupted prayer creates an unexplainable strength to the human spirit. Finding another person to unload the problem on will bring a temporary support and relief, but will not necessarily make you any stronger as a Christian, any more than you would gain strength by watching that person pray. If You Are Resisted, Then Rejoice! When the enemy of your soul resists you, it usually means one of two things. Either you are on the verge of a breakthrough, or you are on the right track with God and the devil is trying to discourage your efforts. Rather than embracing discouragement, we can rejoice that the devil is worried about us. No wonder James tells us to rejoice when we are going through trials! My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. (James 1:2-3 NKJ) God is allowing trials to being forth a permanent result of character in your inner man. It is similar to taking final exams. Students usually complain when they are facing finals, but the exciting thing is that if they pass, they will be promoted! They will never again be tested in those areas.

God desires to promote us. He wants to take us to higher and higher levels and dimensions in Him. But no promotion takes place without an exam. Blessed is the man who endures temptation; for when he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him. (James 1:12 NKJ) Promotion is on the way! Be encouraged!

Reaching Your Maximum Potential

Steve Sampson One of the greatest travesties of the Christian life is that we fall far short of the potential that God sees in us. It is said that the scientist, Einstein, at the end of his life had only utilized ten percent of his brain. Will it be said of believers on judgment day that only a small portion of our spiritual potential was fulfilled? As Christians, we must realize that God is thinking bigger than we are about our lives, and we need to call upon Him to bring our lives to their full potential. Jesus taught a lot about fruitfulness. "I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.By this My father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples.You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain" John 15: 5, 8, 16 In the parable of the sower, Jesus taught that there would be those who would bring forth a crop. "Some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty." Mt 13:8 One hundredfold does not mean one hundred percent, but rather maximum potential. God wants our individual lives to reach their full potential. One undeniable attribute of God is that He is on-going. He always desires to take us to higher and higher levels. "But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord." II Cor. 3:18 Each of us needs to aim higher. It is interesting that the Scripture says, "All have sinned and come short of the glory of God." Rom. 3:23 It does not say

short of good teaching a good church, or a good Bible study, but rather short of the glory of God! Room for Improvement There was a Jew named Apollos who had high credentials, yet still had room for improvement. "Now a certain Jew named Apollos, born at Alexandria, an eloquent man and mighty in the Scriptues, came to Ephesus. This man had been instructed in the way of the Lord; and being fervent in spirit, he spoke and taught accurately the things of the Lord, though he knew only the baptism of John. So he began to speak boldly in the synagogue. When Aquilla and Pricilla heard him, they took him aside and explained to him the way of God more accurately." Acts 18:24-26 The prophet Elisha was approached by a widow whose husband had left her with debt, and the creditors were coming to take her two sons as slaves. His response to her seemed less than compassionate. "What should I do for you? Tell me, what do you have in the house?" II Kings 4:2 Her answer was, "Your maidservant has nothing but a jar of oil." As her, we often emphasize nothing, and minimize the jar of oil(the Holy Spirit in us). The prophet's concern was not to send her more, but to use the jar of oil and gather vessels to pour into. Vessels represent people. "Then he said, 'Go, borrow vessels from everywhere, from all your neighbors-empty vessels, do not gather just a few. And when you have come in, you shall shut the door behind you and your sons' then pour into all those vessels, and set aside the full ones.'" Vs. 3-4 Each of us have oil in our "house" namely the Holy Spirit, which we have failed to pour out. The prophet set her free by giving her the vision to pour out. In the pouring out her own need was met. "Then she came and told the man of God. And he said, 'Go, sell the oil and pay your debt; and you and your sons live on the rest.'" Vs.7 Self-satisfaction The most strangulating effect on every believer is that of self-satisfaction(not the devil). "A satisfied soul loathes the honeycomb, but to a hungry soul every bitter thing is sweet." Proverbs 27:7 When we are satisfied, we tie God's hands from manifesting Himself more in our lives. "And no one, having drunk old wine, immediately desires new; for he says, 'The old is better(sufficient).'" Luke 5:39

God moves in our lives according to our level of our hunger and desire. Our personal hunger is the most precious commodity we possess as believers. It is noteworthy that if you are on fire for God you will no doubt be criticized. If you are cold toward God, you will probably be condemned. Yet, if you are right in between, man will neither criticize nor condemn you. Yet that is just where the Laodecian church was-right in between. "I know your works, that you are neither cold or hot. So then, because you are neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of My mouth. Rev. 3:15-16 He then pleads with them as one who is outside the door, " Behold I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with me." Vs. 20 He was not speaking to sinners, but rather to Spirit-filled, tongue praying believers. Believers who once had Him at their table and in fellowship with Him but had "pushed" Him outside the door of their lives. We must stay on fire and remain desperate for Him in order to reach our maximum potential. Our expectation and hunger exerts an awesome demand on His presence-and He does not disappoint!

You Are A Rembrandt

Steve Sampson Most of us have the same problem of feeling unworthy and believing what God says about us. But this Scripture gave me much clarity and understanding. But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us. (2 Cor 4:7 NKJ) God knew what He was doing when He chose to put the precious treasure of the Holy Spirit in these earthen vessels. Notice that it does not say perfect vessels, or golden vessels, or diamond vessels, but rather earthen vessels! Why would God take such a risk? Because He is glorified when His Person shines through us and His presence is manifested through an imperfect vessel. God would get no glory if we were flawless and created as robotic followers. Recently I heard about a man at a flea market who purchased a painting for just twenty dollars. A few weeks later, it sold at the famous Christies auction for 1.4 million dollars! After the man had made the purchase of the old painting, he recognized that there was another painting underneath the surface artwork. He took it to a professional who meticulously peeled off the cheap latex surface paint. Underneath

this cheap paint was this valuable Rembrandt painting. This is the way we are. When God saved us, He placed a Rembrandt within us, within these imperfect vessels. Our inner man is flawless. The spirit of a man is the lamp of the LORD, searching all the inner depths of his heart. (Prov 20:27 NKJ) The problem is that this inner lamp must shine through. We are housed in flesh, i.e., that cheap latex that needs to be peeled away so that the glory of God might shine through. For it is the God who commanded light to shine out of darkness, who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. (2 Cor 4:6 NKJ) God wants to manifest His light through us so that the world may see His glory. Consider when Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead and declared, Lazarus, come forth! Lazarus came out of the grave alive, but he still was bound. And he who had died came out bound hand and foot with graveclothes, and his face was wrapped with a cloth. Jesus said to them, "Loose him, and let him go." (John 11:44 NKJ) Many of us in the body of Christ are indeed alive, but the problem is that were still wearing graveclothes. What are graveclothes? They are unbelief, fear, doubt, depression, discouragement, and so forth. God wants us loose from this old clothing. He wants this cheap latex peeled away. The work of sanctification often is described as the work of the Holy Spirit making us what He wants us to be. But sanctification could more accurately be described as the working of the Holy Spirit, stripping away all that hides and eclipses who we already are! God wasnt taken by surprise at our condition when He saved us. He wasnt caught off guard seeing the flaws, lies, habits, and inconsistencies in our lives. But He has confidence in His treasure that He has placed within our earthen vessels. He knows that His presence will manifest through us more and more as we let Him peel away the excess. We are in good company when we see the struggle Paul experienced.

For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) nothing good dwells; for to will is present with me, but how to perform what is good I do not find. For the good that I will to do, I do not do; but the evil I will not to do, that I practice. (Rom 7:18-19 NKJ) Gods plan is that this flesh part of us disappears. The Bible says that Enoch walked with God and He was not, because God took him (Gen. 5). Just like Enoch, God wants us to walk with Him until we are not, that the will of our flesh no longer exists. Just like little children who ultimately turn into adults, God wants us to grow into maturity. Then the true Rembrandt is revealed!

Living From The Tree Of Life

Steve Sampson We have two choices. We can live from the tree of life perspective or from the perspective of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. In the garden, God gave specific command: And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, "Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die." (Gen 2:16-17 NKJ) When Adam and Eve sinned by eating from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, their eyes were opened and they lost their innocence, becoming embittered with the problem. But if we choose to live from the tree of life, we leave the judgment and consequences up to God. When Paul and Silas were in prison for casting a demon out of a woman in Acts 16, they could have eaten from the tree of knowledge of good and evil and become full of hatred, complaining, and bitterness. They would have become victims, blaming everyone else. But instead, they chose to live from the tree of life, beginning at midnight to sing praises to God! God delivered them from the prison and the jailer was won to the Lord. When the Pharisees brought a woman to Jesus who was caught in the act of adultery, both the Pharisees and Jesus had the same goal. They wanted her to stop sinning. But the religious Pharisees chose to stone her according to her actions with the guilt of the law. Jesus also wanted her to stop sinning, but He offered her the tree of life and offered her forgiveness. Someone said, Jesus didnt go around making

bad people good. He went around making dead people live. Innocence To live by the tree of life, we must return to our innocence and childlikeness. Jesus told us to be wise as serpents and harmless as doves (Mat 10:16) and that we must come to Him as little children (Mat 18:3). We must learn to protect and maintain our innocence. Keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it spring the issues of life. (Prov 4:23 NKJ) If we live by the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, we will always be blaming others. Whoever you are blaming takes Gods place. Now this person that you blame, is your lord and has all your attention. And youll always be a victim. Choosing to live from the tree of life confuses the forces of darkness. The devil can find no scenario to get you to react to, because youre refusing to be controlled by the knowledge of good and evil. When Martha was working hard in the kitchen to prepare a meal for Jesus, she became angry at her sister Mary as well as at Jesus Himself. She scolded Jesus by saying "Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Therefore tell her to help me." (Luke 10:40 NKJ) Martha was trying so hard to serve the Lord (by her own standards) that she was angry and frustrated with her sister who didnt jump into the strife with her. She was eating from the wrong tree. Jesus brought life and clarity to the situation saying, "Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things. But one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her." (Luke 10:41-42 NKJ) Mary was eating from the tree of life. She had her priorities in order and was choosing to stay in tune with Jesus. Avoid Negative Relationships Avoid people who refuse to talk about anything but injustices, things they are bitter and angry about, and things that want to steal your innocence. Stay connected to the tree of life. Let life flow and let God be the judge, releasing things and people to Him.

How do you read the Bible? Do you see God bringing judgment and condemnation on everyone? Youre eating from the wrong tree. Or do you read it feeling the compassion and love of God who is reaching out to mankind and calling everyone to Himself? How do you react when someone you know has fallen in a sin? Do you pronounce judgment on them and tell them how disappointed you are in them? Or do you plug into the tree of life not condoning their sin but offering them your help and a way out of their sin? How do you react when your children dont measure up to your expectations? Do you tell them how disappointed you are in them and emphasize their failure? Or do you eat from the tree of life and minister to them in a way which offers them an escape and the knowledge they can do better? From which tree are you eating?

Are You Still Coveting Legs?

Steve Sampson A family has a dog that has bitten the legs of several passers-by. Not wanting to deal with lawsuits, they put the dog in a large cage and, to be extra sure, put a large chain on his neck. Now the problem is solved externally, because no ones legs are being bitten. But, although chained and within a fence, the dog is still coveting legs. The dog hasnt changed at all, but has only been restrained. This is what the law does; it doesnt change us, it only restrains us. Although we are not committing the act of sin, our hearts are still filled with the desire to do that which is not lawful. Paul (whose company Im glad to be in) expressed the same frustration, as he found himself helpless in dealing with his old nature. For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) nothing good dwells; for to will is present with me, but how to perform what is good I do not find. For the good that I will to do, I do not do; but the evil I will not to do, that I practice. Now if I do what I will not to do, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me. (Rom 7:18-20 NKJ) How many times have we heard about a child growing up in a Christian environment, then running headlong into rebellion? The heart was never changed. Only the exterior pressure kept the child in line. When the gate was opened, it was obvious that the heart was never changed.

Then I will give them one heart, and I will put a new spirit within them, and take the stony heart out of their flesh, and give them a heart of flesh, that they may walk in My statutes and keep My judgments and do them; and they shall be My people, and I will be their God. (Ezek 11:19-20 NKJ) From Rules To Relationship The Old Covenant was rooted in rules. The Ten Commandments were clear-cut commands of dos and donts for a lifestyle acceptable to God. When Jesus arrived on the scene, He didnt come to do away with the Law (the rules), but to fulfill it. Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill. (Matt 5:17 NKJ) Through Jesus, we have been called into relationship with God. No longer do we serve God out of fear, but out of love. 'You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind,' and 'your neighbor as yourself.' (Luke 10:27 NKJ) It becomes a heart covenant, a relationship that far supersedes the keeping of rules. It is based on love, not fear and dread. Now when I sin, it is no longer breaking a rule, it is violating a relationship. Since it is now a love relationship, hearts are involved, not just actions. From Actions To Motives The Old Covenant scrutinized our actions, but the New Covenant scrutinizes our motives. Under the Old Covenant, the believers responsibility was just to keep his actions in line with the law. But the New Covenant, although filled with mercy, searches our motives continually. For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account. (Heb 4:12-13 NKJ) From Performance To Response

Coming from most evangelical and liturgical backgrounds is a mindset that attempts to gain Gods acceptance by performance. Confusing religion with relationship, we often fall back into religion, which is nothing more than man trying to please God and find acceptance through what we regard as what God wants. Many -- if not most Christians -- are still bound to performance, still trying to gain brownie points with God through their efforts. There is enough religion and Phariseeism in most of us that needs to be rooted out. But God doesnt want out performance; He wants our response. No longer are we living by our own initiative, conjuring up actions or self-denials to please God. Now we are to desire to be sensitive to His initiative. To have eyes and ears dedicated to paying attention to the promptings and impulses of the Holy Spirit. For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. (Rom 8:14 NKJ)