Thoughts on Worship: Perfect Love, The Absence of Fear

I just finished listening (again) to a teaching by Gary Carpenter entitled "Free From Worry and Fear" available via this link: http://www.iktusnetmedia.com/c/Audio_-_Gary_Carpenter.html
I HIGHLY recommend it. While listening to it, the Holy Spirit confirmed so much of what He has been sharing with me over the past few months. Many of us are familiar with the passage of scripture in 1 John 4:18:

There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love.

Perfect Love casts out Fear. The Father has placed His Love in us. The Truth is, Jesus Himself has stepped in on the inside of us. We have the Life of God -- the Spirit of Christ -- resident on the inside of us. The Holy Spirit has been sent to ABIDE with us, and He's not going anywhere. His Ministry is to help us enforce that authority that we have received as sons and daughters so that we can operate in our dominion in this earth realm. The Father's Love in us is what we return to Him in our worship. His Love in us is perfected (matured) in us as we abide in His Word, doing His sayings:

But whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that we are in him. [1 John 2:5]

As this love is perfected, that perfect Love that we give to Him in adoration then communes with Him Who is Perfect Love, producing Divine Intimacy. Intimacy between Godhead and us, His creation. In that Divine Love is total absence of fear. Fear cannot inhabit that Love. Circumstances and everything that accompany them are totally absent in that secret place of Divine Love. This is the Holy of Holies. the place of Miracles. The place of "Rest" from fruitless "Works". These works are a by-product of fear (Gary mentioned in his teaching that "works" is the opposite of Faith - more confirmation - I love it when the Holy Spirit shares the same thing with so many across the Body!) The Book of Hebrews deals a lot with the "rest" that we have entered into as believers, especially in chapter 4. Our faith is based solely on the "finished work" of Jesus on the cross. The Faith of God operates in His rest. Labor to enter into that rest. Oh, by the way - worship can produce the Faith to get your prayers answered - I truly believe that.

A teaching series I'd like to recommend is by Pastor Dave Roberson entitled Private Worship (CD 612) it's available at his website for FREE streaming or download: http://www.daveroberson.org/series.aspx . A lot of what I'm sharing here is covered there in much more depth.

We were created to worship God. Worship should be our lifestyle. Daily koinonia (one definition of this Greek word is "communion by intimate participation") is what the Father desires from us. I often think about someone like Smith Wigglesworth "The Apostle of Faith". He operated in so many miracles: raising the dead, limbs growing out, etc. His credo was "only believe". He KNEW His Father, and he spent much of his life in Divine fellowship. He spent enough time in the Holy of Holies to receive the faith for miracles, healings and everything that is produced by the Father's Love.

Your earthly tabernacle was created to worship the creator who made it. Worship Him out of your spirit - the eternal part of you that will survive this present earthly realm. Your spirit is the true you. In your human, born-again spirit is Life, Light, Love, Joy, Peace, Prosperity, Faith - everything that is eternal. Throughout all of eternity we will worship Him in Heaven - you might as well start now. The Father lends His ear to all that worship Him in spirit and in truth and he hears their petitions. SPIRIT: Your born-again spirit in communion with the Godhead. TRUTH: His Word is Truth. His Word, spoken to Him in adoration - in Faith - is what He responds to (see Isaiah 55:11). If He has heard those petitions, consider them answered!

Now we know that God heareth not sinners: but if any man be a worshipper of God, and doeth his will, him he heareth. [John 9:31]

And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask anything according to his will, he heareth us:
And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitons that we desired of Him. [1 John 5:14-15]

May we all operate in the Grace that is necessary to walk in that place of daily fellowship with Him so that His Will may be accomplished in our lives.

Are You Being "Shifted"?

Over the past few months I have been sensing in my spirit  that many of those who have been "displaced" from jobs and careers (some after many years) are really being re-directed, or "shifted". What do I mean by this? Some of us (I include myself because I'm also a part of that number) should really seek to find out what the purpose of the Father is in all of this.

A lot of folks are looking at this from a different perspective. They will think that "I have lost (or ''am losing'') my job." It is not a matter of losing. Don't think of it as a loss. Rather, it might just be a season of promotion, out of a place of SELF-directed provision into a place of GOD-directed provision. This is the place where we are free to serve Christ alone--not a job--every day. A place of resting in His promises of provision.

It is vital that we hear His instructions regarding this, however. If you feel that you're called to full-time ministry, don't quit your job because you feel that's what you should do. No decision should ever be made based on emotions. You will almost always regret it. If it's His Will, the transition will be smooth, and His timing is always impeccable. Remember, the Father desires that many remain in the workplace for the purpose of financing the Kingdom through where He has placed them, and also to harvest the souls of the lost that you work alongside. You must determine with the help of the Holy Spirit if your ministry is in the marketplace or elsewhere. That is your responsibility as God's steward.

Many are looking to get back in the marketplace via networking on the Internet, looking at the classifieds, etc. I believe that those that have been praying in the spirit (in the case of some, years and years) will come to the realization that they have prayed themselves into the very place spiritually--and maybe sometimes geographically--that the Father has reserved for them. Romans 8:28 says "all things work together for our good". In context, this is based on what the Apostle Paul shares in the preceding verses (I won't get into that here--that will be for another time--maybe. Suffice it to say that it has to do with praying in tongues). We should always bear in mind that as His sons and daughters, Father always provides for us. It is the Fruit of His Love manifesting in our lives. Worrying is fruitless. Take no thought for the future, but patiently wait in His presence with fasting,worship and praying in the spirit. Constantly study and speak His Word (His Will) over your life and it will come to pass. It is His guarantee to you. Remember, Father knows best.

The Renewing of the Mind, Part 2 - The Weeds in Your Garden

More often than not, my temptation will not be the same as yours. Why? Simply because of what the enemy has planted in the garden of my soul before the moment of my New Birth. However, because the Holy Spirit knows each of us so well, we have been given a spiritual deposit of Grace to overcome whatever trial or temptation comes our way. The devil knows us by way of observation. Our God knows us from the DNA that He has given us. we have been created in His Image - all the way from the lineage of Adam to now, the Fall notwithstanding. We carry the body inherited from Adam, but we have the spirit which is of Christ. The spirit man on the inside is His creation, whether the spirit is dead and needs to be quickened to life, as in the unbeliever, or life as in the born-again believer.

In the period of time before we were born-again, the enemy had planted various seeds of despair in the garden of our soul. This is done in many ways. Words might have been spoken over our lives. Words of death, curses of varying degrees ("You'll always be like your mother/father", "You'll always have ___________ disease/addiction for the rest of your life", "You'll never amount to anything", etc.) These are the weeds produced by those seeds.

At the point of our new birth, the Life of God enters into our spirit. However, the soul needs a complete overhaul. memories, emotions, addictions (legal and illegal) need to be healed. That's where the Holy Spirit comes in. fasting, Praying in Tongues, Worship, Speaking, Studying, Meditating and Assimilating the Word continually is the antidote. This is where the healing process begins. Deliverance from addictions and every other stronghold that torments is the end result.

I resolve to walk in the freedom and all the benefits that I have obtained as a son of my Heavenly Father.

How about you?

The Renewing of the Mind and Learning How to Exercise Your Authority (It's a Process...)

First spirit, then soul, then body. At the New Birth, our spirit was quickened from death to life. That was instantaneous. The second, and the hardest process, is the sanctification of our soul. The truth of the matter is, this process isn't hard at all. It's only because of the way we have always been trained to think - by our soul (the mind, the will, the emotions, the intellect) that causes this stage of growth to be so difficult. Enter the Holy Spirit, our personal Tutor - to expedite the process. How can we speed up this stage of our spiritual growth? By turning ourselves over to the Third Member of  the Godhead. This is the ministry, the assignment, that He has been sent to perform in the earth in each and every one of us as believers.

Through the Baptism of the Holy Spirit with the evidence of praying in tongues, we are able to shut off our minds and our spirit does the praying (Romans 8:26). To the believer, our mind - our natural thinking - can be our own worst enemy. Because we have been trained to think a certain way by the world's system, we have to "un-learn" everything that we have learned previously through the tutelage of man. We cannot operate with the Mind of Christ otherwise. This Mind is part of the inheritance that we have been given freely as sons and daughters of the Most High. It is only by operating in the Mind of Christ that we are able to fully obey the instructions that are given to us during daily fellowship with the Holy Spirit. This is a requirement of every son and daughter - our "reasonable service" (Romans 12:1-2; Proverbs 8:34). Total life prosperity is the end result (Psalm 1:1-3; Joshua 1:8).

Satan has tried to counterfeit this operation of the Holy Spirit through various forms: Transcendental Meditation (TM), Zen Buddhism and other Eastern religious practices are just a few. Even the Church of Scientology uses the term "clear" to describe what its followers do in order to de-clutter their minds so that they are able to receive the brainwashing that this cult utilizes.

The reason why this process of renewing of  the mind remains such a challenge to the believer is because that is the primary area that the enemy attacks. His assignment is always to entice you to make the wrong decision. This is done through emotions that are empowered by circumstances and the systems of thoughts that drive those emotions. The only way to to combat this assault is to employ 2 Corinthians 10:3-5. Nothing else. You don't reason with the devil. That is a fight you will never win. You use the Word of God ONLY -- and while you're at it, remind him of his rightful place -- under your feet. Then you tell him to SHUT UP, and COMMAND him to leave. He has to. You have that kind of authority through your new nature, the position of right standing that you have with the Father through the finished work of Jesus the Son on the cross. This is the position that your Comforter/Helper has come to help you to enforce.

The whole Truth is this: maintaining the position that you have attained through the shed Blood of Jesus on the cross is not hard at all. It's easy. Religion has lied to us long enough, and we don't have to listen anymore. This is an "open book" test. All you have to do is open The Book. The answers are all right there. If you don't know how to find them, ask the Holy Spirit. After all, He wrote it! (2 Timothy 4:16-17)