As Jesus Is, So Are We In The Earth

For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also. [James 2:26]


A wise man once said to me, "If the Spirit of God has not moved, no ministry has taken place." It really struck me the first time I heard that statement 7 years ago, and it has stayed with me ever since. The ministry of the Holy Spirit is all about permanent change. A dead Body of Christ will produce dead, faithless works. This is the spirit of religion's entire agenda. However, our new nature is Life. Coupled with the Holy Spirit, it will bring the life that orders permanent change. Deliverance, healing, miracles and so on, manifest when the Life of the Holy Spirit is imparted.


This may come as a shock to most Christians, and the religious spirit has fed this lie to the church for decades, even centuries: Jesus never performed a miracle, a healing or cast out a devil by himself. Devils were cast out by the finger, or the Spirit of God. Jesus understood that as his Father's authority in the earth, he spoke the Word and the Holy Spirit performed it! Take note also that Jesus never spoke anything that his Father didn't tell him to speak. He only did and spoke the Father's will. Just as in the beginning, Jesus, the logos, spoke while the Holy Spirit performed what the Word spoke. This is recorded all throughout Genesis chapter 1.


We have that same authority in the earth today. Jesus said "Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father." [John 14:12]


Now we will not speak Heaven and Earth into existence like Jesus did at the moment of creation, but we have the same creative power in the words that we speak. Remember, we do have the power of death and life in our mouths. Whatever we say, we will reap the fruit of it. Jesus ascended to the Father, and gave the authority to us, along with the Holy Spirit to help us to exercise it...why aren't we using it? We are expected to minister just as Jesus did during his earthly ministry...nothing less. We have the anointing - and the authority - of the believer.


And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.[Mark 16:17-18]


It is time for us as a Body - HIS Body - to mature into his image. The image of the faith-seed that was planted in our spirit at the new birth. Until Christ be formed in us.The just shall live by faith.


Be encouraged!

The "Genesis" Of False Doctrine

The entire realm of sin and death that we inhabit right now was birthed through these simple words: "Ye shall not surely die" [Gen. 4:3b]. Once Adam and Eve received and acted upon these words, sin entered in and changed the entire planet. Sin's partner, death - both physical and spiritual - entered in also. This was the first lie; the genesis of all false doctrine, spoken out of the mouth of the father of all lies. The purpose was to turn Adam and Eve away from Truth. This they did by eating of the tree that they were commanded not to eat from. Since then, the enemy has used every tool at his disposal in this realm of the senses to keep mankind from the Truth, the very person of Jesus Christ. Without Jesus, yes, you shall surely die. The wages of sin is spiritual death.

When Mary was visited by the Archangel Gabriel, she received his word as truth. Her response was this: "Behold the handmaiden of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word." [Luke 1:38b] This opened the door for Truth to be manifested on this planet. Truth to counteract and defeat the lie that was first manifested in Genesis 3. Grace and Truth has set us free from the law of sin and death.

The spirit of religion is influenced by Satan himself. There are so many instances in the gospels where Jesus confronted that spirit when dealing with the scribes and Pharisees. The intent of this spirit is to minimize the completed work of the Cross. In the early church, the way this spirit operated was to try to convince Jewish converts that faith in Jesus alone was not enough. It was the Cross plus keeping the law. Today, it's the Cross plus your "works"- things that you do for God in order to make your salvation complete. In some cases even that might not be enough. Don't fall for this deception...the Cross is enough!

I believe that today there exists another "tree". This tree is what I like to call the Tree of Religion and False Doctrine, planted by the devil. Psalm 1 describes the man who is like a tree that is planted - firmly rooted and grounded - by the rivers of water, which represents the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Truth. This man is spending time fellowshipping with his Teacher, God the Holy Spirit. He is the antidote to false doctrine, the One sent to guide us into all Truth. Employing Him on a consistent basis by praying in the Holy Ghost will eradicate any and all wrong teaching and wrong believing in our lives. Only those that are listening to the Voice of the Holy Spirit in these endtimes will have the proper fruit to feed the Body. 


What I'm seeing lately is what appears to be a small forest. This "tree" of Religion and False Doctrine is in the center. There are other smaller trees all around it, feeding from it's root system. I'm not quite sure how that makes sense in the natural, since there's no water present for nourishment-which is precisely the problem. NO WATER. These lesser trees are yielding fruit that unsuspecting Christians are eating from, because these trees and the fruit that they bear "look good". Sound familiar? 


Along with the natural disasters that are now prevalent in the earth, there is an assignment of the enemy to draw away mankind from Truth. Yes, we are living in the age of many signs, some visible and some not so visible. The ones that are not as visible require discernment that only praying in the Spirit can accomplish. The great falling away by many in the Church will be the sign as to which "tree" they are eating from. Don't fall for the enemy's trap. His methods have not changed. Be careful what tree you eat from. Eating from the wrong tree can kill you.

Soul vs Spirit: The Hearer and the Doer

But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves. For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass: For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was.  But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed. [James 1:22-25]


The Hearer and the Doer: The Hearer does not understand that He has been born of the Word. Doing the Word activates the Faith that he is to live by. The just shall live by Faith. The Hearer is carnal; soulish. He is like the man that Jesus describes as the one whose house is built on sand:


And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it. [Matt. 7:26-27]


The Word has not become a part of him enough to withstand the storm that will inevitably come. Because his house is not built upon the Rock of Jesus' sayings, his house is destroyed. His house has no foundation because of a lack of the Word. That house signifies his life and everything that he is. It's not limited to a physical structure. It has to do with provision, healing and everything that has to do with our inheritance in this realm; what sustains us.


The Doer is the opposite. He receives the Word in his spirit, meditates it, allows it to "settle" in him and becomes a disciplined follower. He is the man in Psalm 1:1-3 and Joshua 1:8:


Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night.  And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper. [Psalm 1:1-3]
This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success. [Joshua 1:8]


By becoming intimately involved with the Word, the Doer begins to show the fruit that the Word produces in his born-again spirit. The spirit and the Word are in agreement and more Life is produced in him.When the storm comes, he speaks the Word that is a part of him. The Word is the foundation of His Life. He understands that he is of incorruptible, eternal Seed. He knows that the Incorruptible defeats the corruptible, that the Eternal has dominion over the temporal. By the Faith that the Word in him produces, he will speak to the storm and it will obey him, just like Jesus did. 


Nothing is impossible to him, because his faith has matured from spending his time in doing Jesus' sayings. He understands that he is the just, justified by Faith; justified by the Word. That Faith is his Life, his source and he cannot survive without it. The hearing of Word-producing Faith saved him, and speaking the Word of Faith sustains him. He speaks the Word, and He does what the Word says.


We are not what we appear to be on the outside. We are the very Image of Jesus, the Seed on the inside of us. As He is, so are we in this earth. NOW.


The carnal, soulish Christian lives in what I like to call a "back and forth" existence. We come and go. Some days, we are on fire for God; some days we're not. Like that double-minded man, we're unstable, undisciplined. Rather than looking into the mirror and stepping away, only to have to come back to take a second and a third look, let's do this: Abide. Abide in the pure Love of God. Abide in that place of refining, in the fire of that altar of sacrifice. Let's look into that perfect law of liberty that we have in Him--the Law of the Spirit of Life in Christ Jesus that has set us free. Only then can true spiritual maturity take place.








But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord. 
[2 Cor. 3:18]


Be Blessed!

The New Covenant: From Two Into One

I find it hard to believe that in this day and age, many of us Christians still don't have a full understanding of the difference between serving God from our soul as opposed to our spirit. I am learning this myself as layers are being peeled off me as I meditate the Word and pray in the Spirit. The truth is this: our Heavenly Father sees us so much differently from how we see ourselves. I know--some of you may say that's a no-brainer, but it is only now beginning to "settle" in my spirit. Thank God for the Teacher!


For every house is builded by some man; but he that built all things is God. And Moses verily was faithful in all his house, as a servant, for a testimony of those things which were to be spoken after; But Christ as a son over his own house; whose house are we, if we hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm unto the end. [Heb. 3:4-6]


The above passage of scripture is an example of the difference between service under the Old Covenant and the New Covenant. It shows Moses, who was a type of Jesus. Moses brought the Law (from God), but Jesus is the fulfillment of the Law, the Word Incarnate. Moses operated solely in the role of a servant. As a man that was led by his soul, he could not enter into Spirit fellowship with God and he, like all of mankind before the Cross, could only serve God as best as he could by obeying the Law and offer animal blood sacrifices continually through a high priest. This high priest was the intermediary through which man interacted with God. Sadly, many would rather interact with God nowadays in the exact same manner--religion reinforces this (without the "blood sacrifice" part, of course). In many cases, the intermediary is still there, in the form of a Pastor, or Priest or some other "mentor" type figure. Jesus, our example, is the serving Son. The"service" is different. The son chooses to lay down his life in order to fulfill his Father's Will (that is what is expected of us). It is not based on "works" for works sake, but the righteousness and the authority that we have as sons in our Father's House. The redeeming work has already been done at the Cross.

Our Faith is based on what Jesus has already done--not on what we, of ourselves, could ever do. All we are required to do is to learn of Him (Mat. 11:29); this in the "entry way" into His rest. That can only be accomplished through fellowship with the Teacher - the Holy Spirit who has been sent to reveal Jesus to us. knowing Jesus will reveal the Father's Will to us. In knowing Jesus, we know the Father.

Many of us fail to obey the Word of God as it pertains to this current dispensation of Grace. We stubbornly continue in a "works" mentality apart from true Faith in God. This is unbelief. What do I mean by "works"? Simply doing anything except what the Word of God says "do". For example, thinking that we can "give" our way out of debt, or "sowing a seed" to get our healing. That is false teaching. Jesus bore our sicknesses and carried our pains, and became poverty so that we may be supplied with every need, large or small. Failing to put our trust in Jesus is classified as unbelief. As the just, we are required to live by Faith. This is the only way to please God. The Law is not of Faith (Gal. 3:12a). It just exposed sin for what it was.


There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God. For he that is entered into his rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from his. Let us labour therefore  to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief. For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.
[Heb. 4:9-12]

The Word of God is the dividing line. It was the Word that translated us from death to Life, and from darkness to Light. From "soul" service to Spirit and Truth worship and daily fellowship--rest in Him. There is no longer "soul" service when it comes to our relationship with God. We don't serve with our "head". "Head" knowledge did not get us saved. The Word of God entered into our heart, our innermost man, which is the spirit, and quickened it from death to Life. This is the New Nature from which we worship God through our service to Him daily.

The Law, on the other hand, was given to man for the sole purpose of establishing the fact that He had a death nature - it was never intended to save him. It really saddens me to see so many in the Body of Christ operating and serving God from an Old Covenant mindset. God is a loving Father - not someone who is angry with us and can't wait for us to mess up so that the curse from not obeying His Word can be activated (certain teachings on the tithe come to mind here). I know that's a rather extreme example, but that's how it's coming from my spirit. We've been redeemed from every curse through Jesus!


The New Covenant consists of one new species. We are one Body, and we are required to speak the same thing. We are one family. No more "favored" status after the flesh. No more "client nation". No more Jew and Gentile. Out of two, ONE NEW MAN. The new man is Spirit-born, Spirit-trained. The fathers of our flesh taught us to be led by our mind. Jehovah, under the Old Covenant, could only "lead" man by his mind through the Law; he could not "father" him. The old, spiritually dead man had no way of understanding the way of the Spirit. Now through the establishment of the New Covenant, comes the New Nature. Now, true Spirit to spirit communication can take place. Before it was Spirit (God) to mind (man). Man served the law through his natural mind. Only through the Spirit can permanent change take place.

The Law had to be fulfilled through Jesus, thereby establishing the New Testament--the last Will and Testament.


And for this cause he is the mediator of the new testament, that by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions that were under the first testament, they which are called might receive the promise of eternal inheritance. For where a testament is, there must also of necessity be the death of the testator. For a testament is of force after men are dead: otherwise it is of no strength at all while the testator liveth. [Heb.9:15-17]





The Testator (Jesus) died and rose again in order to enforce that Will. That Will has your inheritance built in with all of its promises. Now that we have been quickened from death to Life, we no longer give credence to the flesh and the mind but to the Spirit. We have been resurrected, born from spiritual death to Life. If we are born of the Spirit, why is there such a backlash to praying in the Spirit? Here's the answer: Praying in the Spirit brings revelation, and sets us free from false doctrine and every form of bondage that the enemy will bring. The ministry of the Holy Spirit--our Teacher--comes with the New Nature so that we may worship in Spirit and in Truth. That did not exist under the Old Covenant. Before Jesus came, there were TWO: God on one side, man on the other--total separation. Now, through Jesus we are ONE with our Heavenly Father, free to spend time in fellowship and communion with Him every day.

In closing, I'd like to share a few links dealing with teachings along the same vein. The first three are from Gary Carpenter. Gary teaches at The Family Prayer Center in Tulsa, OK.  I've received a lot of confirmation through listening to these messages. A lot of it is exactly what the Holy Spirit has been sharing with me, but it's so great to hear it from another perspective...very encouraging to me, and I hope, to you as well:

http://www.iktusnetmedia.com/c/recommendedmessages.html

Here's a link to a written teaching titled "The Works of The Father":

http://www.garycarpenter.org/FaceToFace/F980902-WorksOfTheFather.html


This is a confession (or declaration) based on the teaching above, called "Agreeing With the Mind of Christ". My wife and I speak this over our lives on a daily basis. This is vital in the process of transformation of the soul according to Romans 12:2:

http://www.garycarpenter.org/FaceToFace/F980902B-AgreeingWithTheMindOfChrist.pdf


These last two links are from Alan Taylor, who also teaches at the Prayer Center. He really breaks down the subtlety of serving with your soul. We are family and our sonship is not based on performance...great Truth!
Here's a link to his website.

Scroll down to the message entitled "Your Soul Keeps You From Being Fathered" Dated: 06/10/10

http://www.alantaylorministries.org/atm/index.cfm/media/audio/

This one is from the IktusNet media site. It might be a little long, but well worth the listen. I would suggest listening to it at least twice. It is titled "God Is The Father Of Your Spirit" dated November 21, 2010. Scroll down the page until you get to it.

http://www.iktusnetmedia.com/c/Audio_-_Alan_Taylor.html


Be Blessed!

The Word of God...The Source of Your Life

What I have been noticing about myself lately is that I seemed to have entered a season during which, almost like clockwork - just about every night - the Holy Spirit begins to speak. This has been going on now for the past 3 or 4 months. It always happens around 9:30 or 10:00. Why? I have no earthly idea. However, being no fool, I keep a pad handy. Whenever He begins to speak, I write.

One night in late October (the 28th to be exact) sometime around 10:45, He began to speak, and naturally, I started to write. Of course, our Heavenly Father knows exactly what we need at exactly the time we need it. Based on what I have been experiencing in my life, and in order to prepare me for the next level, the Holy Spirit shares from the Father's Heart. I am so thankful to Jesus that He has paved the way for me to enter into true fellowship with the Godhead!

What follows is sort of a "Faith Confession" based on what the Holy Spirit shared that night. I have purposed to make this my own and to speak it over my life frequently...daily even. I find it to be very beneficial to me and I'd like to share it with you. I hope that you find it to be helpful as well.

****************************


THE WORD OF GOD


I am born of Incorruptible Seed - The Word of God. Every promise belongs to me. The Word of God transcends the natural realm and all of its circumstances. Because I am born of the Word, His Truth resides in me. I speak it continually. The Creative Truth that is the Word of God enables me to manifest every promise in it that pertains to me from the realm of the spirit to the realm of the natural; from the unseen to the seen, to birth it into the natural realm. 


The Word of God does not lack - it is abundant. It existed before the world was. It is the very Essence of God. This is the Word-Seed that has been deposited in my spirit. As I release it into the natural realm, it carries creative power. It defeats my enemy. In fact, the enemy has already been defeated by the Word of God before the worlds were ever formed. 


The enemy must bow to the Word of God. The Word of God is my authority. The Word of God created everything that was ever created - every form of creation - living and inanimate. The Word of God is my source. The Word of God is my Life. The Word of God is my victory. The Word of God is the Faith that I live by, wrapped in the Father's Love. The Word of God is my inheritance. The Word of God is my Father's Will and I choose to make it my will. 


There is nothing greater than the Word of God. The Word of God is Jesus manifested in the earth. I am one with the Word of God because I am one with Jesus and the Father.




Be Blessed!

The Proper Focus: Your "Church," Your "Denomination," or Jesus?

And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ.  I have fed you with milk, and not with meat: for hitherto ye were not able to bear it, neither yet now are ye able.  For ye are yet carnal: for whereas there is among you envying, and strife, and divisions,  are ye not carnal, and walk as men?  For while one saith, I am of Paul; and another, I am of Apollos; are ye not carnal? [1 Corinthians 3:1-4]


For first of all, when ye come together in the church, I hear that there be divisions among you; and I partly believe it. [1 Corinthians 11:18]


For quite some time, I have been seeing a lot of division among the Body of Christ, and it saddens me. I will admit that growing up, my family was part of a denomination that taught a particular doctrine (I will not divulge either the denomination or the teaching -- I don't believe that it's relevant to the point I'm trying to make here). At the time, as a young boy, I was neither born-again nor was I (obviously) mature in the things of the Spirit (and I'm still learning, as we all are, the ways of the Kingdom). This particular denomination held itself in high esteem, to the point where it was almost as if they were the only ones that were truly following Jesus. It was debatable to them whether or not any other Christian could even make Heaven if they didn't belong to this particular denomination...scary, isn't it? Thankfully, since then I've been born-again, baptized in the Holy Ghost with the evidence of speaking in tongues (this denomination believed in speaking in tongues, by the way) and can now safely say that I do not consider myself part of any denomination.


Now don't get me wrong. This is not intended as a criticism of denominations, (there's carnality in many congregations that consider themselves "non-denominational" as well) but sometimes too much "structure" brings bondage. My point here is the level of carnality in the Body. Carnality causes division. Maturity brings unity. Carnality turns the focus on "me" and causes "me" to esteem "myself" better than others. This should really call for a closer examination of our Love walk, because Pride is the root here. Until we begin to realize that the focus is Jesus, we will never grow up into the place of maturity that the Father has planned for us both individually and corporately. Individually - because each member needs to understand his/her worth to the Body as a whole. This is most important. Without the "Individual" there is no "Corporate". The entrance into this reality is that first and foremost, we must utilize the Teacher that has been sent from Heaven in the Name of Jesus - the Holy Spirit. He has been sent to guide us into ALL TRUTH, show us things to come, and to HELP us to take our rightful place in the Body. Pray in the Holy Ghost...OFTEN. It is the ONLY way to rise above those things, such as false teaching, that will hinder us from fulfilling our calling. 


Sadly, there are many in the Body who are not in their rightful place, causing confusion. This is very dangerous. Ministering, or serving from a position of carnality will have disastrous results. The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of Revelation. It is He that knows what the Father's Will is for each and every one of us and to ignore Him would be foolish. After all, isn't He the Spirit of Wisdom?


Praying in the Holy Ghost, and abiding in the Mature (Agape) Love of God will keep us on the right path. The Love of God keeps us humble, takes our eyes off ourselves and brings us to the realization that it's not about a denomination...we are all called to be disciplined followers of Jesus Christ. The key here is to choose to be chosen. 


Let's ask ourselves this question: "Am I chosen?" Now this has nothing to do with whether or not you will make Heaven, but will have EVERYTHING to do with the reward you will receive when you get there. The disciplined follower of Christ, who has given his/her life for the Gospel...the one who chooses to serve the Master rather than him/herself by serving others, is the one who will receive the greater reward. This is how greatness in the Kingdom is measured.


 And he [Jesus] said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: but whosoever will lose his life for my sake, the same shall save it. [Luke 9:23-24]


Be Blessed!

Worrying Is Not A Part Of Your New Nature

A few months ago in my quiet time, I distinctly heard the Holy Spirit say, "Stop Worshiping at the Altar of Worry!"  Boy, talk about something that will get your attention...I never knew such a place existed! I was engaging in the wrong kind of worship! Truth be told, I have been known to worry from time to time (I know you have never had that problem, but I have - after all we're not talking about you - at least I don't think we are). Anyway, this is what I have discovered: whenever I give myself over to worry, I have given the enemy access to bombard my soul (mind, will, emotions) with all types of distraction. After all, worry leads to more worry. To choose to remain in unbelief (that's what worrying is) and give one's self over to meditate on circumstances gives the enemy a legal right to torment. Unbelief pleases the enemy, giving him something he can work with, in the same manner that Faith pleases God.

The Word of God has equipped us to combat any and every onslaught from the enemy. Whenever we open the door to any thought contrary to the Father's will for our life, the enemy rushes in. The devil is legalistic and he will take what you give him, but that's all he can take. He cannot take what is not legally his. Here's an example: If we choose to meditate on the present circumstances, that gives the devil room to give you more thoughts of despair, to show you and to tell you how hopeless things are and how they will never change. His mission is to destroy your hope. Hope is the bridge from Love to Faith. The enemy knows that we have received a taste of the Father's Love at the New Birth. If we continue to move forward into the place of the Agape of God where mature Love is, we will abide in Faith. His plan is to get you to abort - to stop before you get there. He knows what the result will be because he has seen it so many times from observing the many heroes of Faith over the course of human history.

This sounds strange to hear or to say, but our enemy "believes" more than we do! He knows the power of the Word, Worship, praying in the Spirit and Fasting. He knows the potential of the seed planted within us. So we combat him through praying in the Spirit, Fasting, Worship and the Word. Why do you think the trials and temptations come? To steal the seed! What is the seed? The Word of God that we have received! You see, the Word of God was planted in our spirit at the New Birth, translating that part of us - our spirit - from spiritual Death to Life; from darkness to light:

The entrance of thy words giveth light; it giveth understanding unto the simple. [Ps. 119:130]

It is at that point that saving Grace through Faith becomes a part of our life:

So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. [Rom. 10:17]

Now the Faith that comes, or enters, has to work so that we may operate as true sons and daughters:

...faith which worketh by love. [Gal. 5:6b]

Remember the Word of God says the just - that's you - live by Faith (Hab. 2:4; Rom. 1:17; Gal. 3:11; Heb. 10:38). If we operate in worry or torment, our Faith is stifled. Therefore we are encouraged to remain rooted and grounded in the Word of God:

That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love [Eph. 3:17]

and to keep ourselves in the Love of God (Jude 21). Otherwise, Faith cannot be fully operational. That's why we count it all joy (James 1:2) when trials come - it shows us that we're on the right path! Have you ever noticed why there's such a fight in our lives before a great spiritual breakthrough? The devil doesn't want to give up any ground! Keep moving forward - remember, the devil is a defeated foe!

In closing, I'll leave you with this thought - something I heard recently in a message from Gary Carpenter (he's someone I reference a lot - I highly recommend his teachings - here's two links where you can listen to his teachings for free: http://www.garycarpenter.org/ and http://iktusnetmedia.com/c/Audio_-_Gary_Carpenter.html ). It's not a direct quote, but he said something to this effect: "Not all believers are Christians." Sobering, isn't it? Be aware that the devil himself and all the other fallen angels are also "believers" (James 2:19). Also bear in mind that a true "Christian," one who is considered "Christ-like" is a disciplined follower of Christ. We are called to be disciplined followers. Another must-listen series is by Pastor Jim Martin from Dayton, OH. He's currently teaching on discipleship. Here's the link: http://www.winterlive.com/grace/ (they're archived videos).

Keep pressing towards the mark - Jesus Himself, the author and finisher of our Faith. Be encouraged!