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God wants us to enter into deeper communion with Him, through the Holy Spirit, who will lead us into knowing more of the truth of His Word, and who will guide and empower us in our lives. The Holy Spirit opens our heart to believe and receive the extravagant, amazing and eternal love of God, which heals and restores our heart.
God wants us to enter into deeper communion with Him, through the Holy Spirit, who will lead us into knowing more of the truth of His Word, and who will guide and empower us in our lives. The Holy Spirit opens our heart to believe and receive the extravagant, amazing and eternal love of God, which heals and restores our heart.
Psalm 37:4-5: “Seek your HAPPINESS in the LORD, and He will give you your heart's desire. Give yourself to the LORD; trust in Him, and He will help you.” The love that God has for YOU is unconditional, He will never stop loving YOU. You are of infinite worth and value to Him, because He loves you. Just think about it - the greatest, the most powerful, the most important Person ADORES YOU. He prizes YOU as His most valuable treasure. You hold such value in His sight that He sent His most precious Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, to the earth to die in your place, to pay for your sins, all for the purpose of bringing you back to Him, so He could manifest His love to you, as He longs to do. Our wonderful Heavenly Father desires a very CLOSE relationship with all His children. He is calling and leading each one of us into a closer love relationship with Him, and He wants us to seek our happiness in Him, rather than in things. Psalm 27:8: “When You said: “SEEK My FACE (Presence)”: My heart said to You: “Your FACE (Presence) Lord, I will SEEK.” “My heart has heard You say: “Come and talk with Me.” And my heart responds: “Lord, I am coming” (NLT). To SEEK is to crave and search earnestly, until the object of your desire has been found. None of us is perfect, or ever will be in this life. But even though you may be struggling with some things in your flesh, or soulish realm, do not cut your self off from worshiping God. Do not deprive God of the very thing Jesus suffered & died to give Him - your love, worship and your intimate fellowship with Him (John 4:21,23-24). God is prodigal in His love for us. Prodigal means excessive, plenty too much, over the top. The Parable of the Prodigal Son, is not so much about the son, who was prodigal in his sinning, but it is mostly about the father, who was prodigal in his great love for his sinning son. This is a picture of God's love for us. Luke 15:20: “He arose and came to his father. But when he was still a great way off, his father saw him and had compassion, and ran and fell on his neck and kissed him.” God longs to fellowship with us. When David cried out to the Lord (Ps 27:7), the Lord replied by saying: “SEEK My FACE” (v8). Ps 27:8: “When You (Lord) said: “Seek My Face (in prayer, require My Presence as your greatest need],” my heart said to You: “Your Face (Presence), O Lord, I will seek.” God is the all-sufficient One, so He can never be lonely. From eternity, there has been perfect love, unity & fellowship between the Father, Son and Holy Spirit – the Triune Godhead. God has NO NEEDS, but He has VERY STRONG DESIRES, such as His desire for our love. He loved us so much, that He sent His only begotten Son to die for us, and redeem us from our sins, and purchase us for Himself, so we might belong to God forever as His children (John 3:16). Ephesians 2:4-7: “God, who is rich in mercy, for His GREAT LOVE wherewith He LOVED US, even when we were dead in sins, has quickened us together with Christ (by grace are you saved), and has raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus. So that, in the Ages to come (for all eternity) He might show (demonstrate) the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us through Christ Jesus.” God is a Giver, not a Withholder! Seeing how much He loves us should make us want to worship Him. Isn't it breath-taking that we have the ability to bless such a loving Creator, the All-Sufficient One. How amazing that our love and worship can minister to God and give Him great pleasure! God has given us free will, so LOVING God is our CHOICE. He will never force us to love Him. WORSHIPING GOD is a CHOICE. God has placed within each one of us the ability to love, bless & minister to Him in return. But He will never force you to love Him. By giving us free-will, He has made Himself vulnerable to us. We can choose to love Him in return, or turn our back on Him, and break His heart. Hosea 11:3,8: “It was I who taught Israel how to walk, leading him along by the hand. But he does not know or even care that it was I who took care of him... Oh, how can I give you up Israel? How can I let you go? My heart is torn within Me, and my compassion overflows.” Will you break His heart by withholding your love from Him? Our loving worship BLESSES God immensely. It brings Him tremendous pleasure. He DELIGHTS in our worship. It brings Him JOY. If you knew what God really wanted from you, would you do it? Will you give Him your love? God LONGS for intimacy with us, more than we will ever understand in this life. He DESIRES sweet communion with us, more than we desire intimacy with Him. It is so amazing that Almighty God makes Himself available to us every moment of every day! We must EXPECT that He is giving us His undivided attention, when we come to worship Him. Hebrews 13:5: “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”
Psalm 37:4-5: “Seek your HAPPINESS in the LORD, and He will give you your heart's desire. Give yourself to the LORD; trust in Him, and He will help you.” The love that God has for YOU is unconditional, He will never stop loving YOU. You are of infinite worth and value to Him, because He loves you. Just think about it - the greatest, the most powerful, the most important Person ADORES YOU. He prizes YOU as His most valuable treasure. You hold such value in His sight that He sent His most precious Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, to the earth to die in your place, to pay for your sins, all for the purpose of bringing you back to Him, so He could manifest His love to you, as He longs to do. Our wonderful Heavenly Father desires a very CLOSE relationship with all His children. He is calling and leading each one of us into a closer love relationship with Him, and He wants us to seek our happiness in Him, rather than in things. Psalm 27:8: “When You said: “SEEK My FACE (Presence)”: My heart said to You: “Your FACE (Presence) Lord, I will SEEK.” “My heart has heard You say: “Come and talk with Me.” And my heart responds: “Lord, I am coming” (NLT). To SEEK is to crave and search earnestly, until the object of your desire has been found. None of us is perfect, or ever will be in this life. But even though you may be struggling with some things in your flesh, or soulish realm, do not cut your self off from worshiping God. Do not deprive God of the very thing Jesus suffered & died to give Him - your love, worship and your intimate fellowship with Him (John 4:21,23-24). God is prodigal in His love for us. Prodigal means excessive, plenty too much, over the top. The Parable of the Prodigal Son, is not so much about the son, who was prodigal in his sinning, but it is mostly about the father, who was prodigal in his great love for his sinning son. This is a picture of God's love for us. Luke 15:20: “He arose and came to his father. But when he was still a great way off, his father saw him and had compassion, and ran and fell on his neck and kissed him.” God longs to fellowship with us. When David cried out to the Lord (Ps 27:7), the Lord replied by saying: “SEEK My FACE” (v8). Ps 27:8: “When You (Lord) said: “Seek My Face (in prayer, require My Presence as your greatest need],” my heart said to You: “Your Face (Presence), O Lord, I will seek.” God is the all-sufficient One, so He can never be lonely. From eternity, there has been perfect love, unity & fellowship between the Father, Son and Holy Spirit – the Triune Godhead. God has NO NEEDS, but He has VERY STRONG DESIRES, such as His desire for our love. He loved us so much, that He sent His only begotten Son to die for us, and redeem us from our sins, and purchase us for Himself, so we might belong to God forever as His children (John 3:16). Ephesians 2:4-7: “God, who is rich in mercy, for His GREAT LOVE wherewith He LOVED US, even when we were dead in sins, has quickened us together with Christ (by grace are you saved), and has raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus. So that, in the Ages to come (for all eternity) He might show (demonstrate) the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us through Christ Jesus.” God is a Giver, not a Withholder! Seeing how much He loves us should make us want to worship Him. Isn't it breath-taking that we have the ability to bless such a loving Creator, the All-Sufficient One. How amazing that our love and worship can minister to God and give Him great pleasure! God has given us free will, so LOVING God is our CHOICE. He will never force us to love Him. WORSHIPING GOD is a CHOICE. God has placed within each one of us the ability to love, bless & minister to Him in return. But He will never force you to love Him. By giving us free-will, He has made Himself vulnerable to us. We can choose to love Him in return, or turn our back on Him, and break His heart. Hosea 11:3,8: “It was I who taught Israel how to walk, leading him along by the hand. But he does not know or even care that it was I who took care of him... Oh, how can I give you up Israel? How can I let you go? My heart is torn within Me, and my compassion overflows.” Will you break His heart by withholding your love from Him? Our loving worship BLESSES God immensely. It brings Him tremendous pleasure. He DELIGHTS in our worship. It brings Him JOY. If you knew what God really wanted from you, would you do it? Will you give Him your love? God LONGS for intimacy with us, more than we will ever understand in this life. He DESIRES sweet communion with us, more than we desire intimacy with Him. It is so amazing that Almighty God makes Himself available to us every moment of every day! We must EXPECT that He is giving us His undivided attention, when we come to worship Him. Hebrews 13:5: “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”
This is a really lovely episode, where Agustina shares her two pregnancies and births, alongside her experiences as a Canadian living far away from her family. She opted for private obstetric care because she wanted extended follow-up care in the days after birth. She stayed really active in pregnancy, moved with the contractions and laboured relatively quickly, birthing both her babies with ease. Breastfeeding was a different story and if you've ever wondered exactly how profound and helpful a one-on-one session with a lactation consultant is, listen to Agustina's experience - it speaks volumes! --------------------- Hilary Walker documents people and places with an informal documentary style, capturing mood and authenticity. Once a month she shoots maternity, newborn and family mini sessions in her cosy bedroom style studio in Brunswick East at affordable rates. Sessions are 20 minutes and they are a breeze. The result is a collection of beautiful images capturing your family as they are in that moment. Hilary also offers shoots at home and around people's neighbourhoods and she loves documenting families in their natural habitat. She's really good at making people feel comfortable and bringing out the best in everyone. I should let you know that Hilary is my sister, so she's paying me to say all this. But if you don't believe me, you can take a look at her work at www.hilarywalker.com.au and let her pictures speak for themselves. I have been lucky to have Hilary photographing our family all through my kids lives, but I also choose to have her photograph me for my business too. Most of the images you see of me throughout ABS have been taken by Hilary. She shoots portraits, still life, product, interiors and architecture too. Check out her website and see how you could make use of her skills! www.hilarywalker.com.au She's offering listeners 15% off for those that make a booking for a shoot at home before the 30th of November 2024, just use the code ABS15 at checkout.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
There are many kinds of PRAYER. One kind is INTERCESSION or TRAVAILING in prayer: “My little children, for whom I LABOUR in birth again until Christ is formed in you” (Galatians 4:19). We need to YIELD to the HOLY SPIRIT, for Him to pray through us as He wants. We want to yield our hearts & bodies to Him, to pray God's will into people's lives: “It is not by (human) might, and not by (human) power, but by My SPIRIT, says the Lord” (Zechariah 4:6). We need to let God fill us with His love, so that we pray from a heart of love. Everywhere Jesus went, He was MOVED with COMPASSION to meet the needs of people, and God's POWER was manifested through Him (Matthew 9:36, 14:14, 15:32, 20:34, Mark 1:41, 6:34, 8:2, 9:22, Luke 7:13). Romans 5:5: “The LOVE of God has been SHED ABROAD in OUR HEARTS by the HOLY SPIRIT, who was GIVEN to us.” Thus, the same compassion (love) that moved Jesus is in us. But we have to learn to yield to it. When we are moved with COMPASSION, we not only recognise their need and feel for the one who is suffering, but God also EMPOWERS us to MEET their NEED. One way to do this is to PRAY in the SPIRIT for them (Romans 8:26-27). We also need to pray in faith. Faith does not depend on fickle feelings. It is a matter of believing God and His Word, and then we need to exercise our faith by obeying His Word, acting as if it is true. We become STRONG in FAITH by (1) MEDITATING in God's WORD, and (2) EXERCISING our FAITH, by corresponding actions. We build up our FAITH MUSCLES, when we EXERCISE our FAITH (put it into action). All prayer, when prayed in faith to God the Father in the Name of Jesus, is powerful. One area where you can BUILD up your FAITH by EXERCISE is in the area of PRAYER, especially PRAYING in TONGUES. If you never exercise your faith by praying in tongues, trusting the Holy Spirit to give you the utterance (Acts 2:4), then your faith in that area will never grow! When you receive the Baptism in the Holy Spirit, you automatically receive the ability to pray in tongues. But you must exercise this gift to activate it, so it is fruitful in your life. It's the same way with God's LOVE. He has already given us His LOVE (Romans 5:5). We must believe this truth and put His love into action in our lives, by walking in love. God wants us to agree with His Word, that He has already given us His love – and start exercising it! He says to you: “I have shed My love abroad in your heart by the Holy Spirit” (Romans 5:5). You are a love child of a love God. We still have the flesh, but God's love in our heart is more powerful than our flesh. God has given us free-will, so we can choose to love or not to love. If you are born again, you are His child, and so you have His nature in your spirit, you have His LOVE in you, but by not exercising His love, you are allowing your flesh to take control of your life. But if you do EXERCISE the LOVE of God in you by faith (not feelings), for example by PRAYING for someone when you do not feel like it, then His love will fill you, and flow through you, and you will grow in love and become a lover of mankind, full of mercy and compassion. You become a person MOVED with COMPASSION to DO something, for example, YIELDING to the SPIRIT, asking Him to take control of your lips, to PRAY through you God's perfect will for that person. Matthew 9:36-38: “When He saw the multitudes, He was MOVED with COMPASSION for them, because they were weary and scattered, like sheep with no shepherd. Then He SAID to His disciples: “The harvest truly is plentiful, but the labourers are few. Therefore, PRAY the Lord of the harvest to send out labourers into His harvest.” Jesus was moved with COMPASSION, and His next thought is to PRAY. Therefore, there is a linking together of LOVE and PRAYER. When you have COMPASSION for someone, you want to reach God on their behalf. Today, God is calling His people to lay down our lives and PRAY. In the days to come, IF we will lay down our lives and PRAY, we will be entering into God's call for our life, and we will begin to become unselfish. The nature of GOD is to GIVE (John 3:16). The greatest joy in the world is for us to love others, for example, to help someone in trouble. Jesus wants us to be known for our LOVE (John 13:34-35). Standing in the gap for someone else is an act of love. INTERCESSORY PRAYER is an ACT of LOVE. As you sow to the Spirit by doing good, such as interceding for others, you will REAP everlasting LIFE (Galatians 6:7-9). YIELD your tongue to the HOLY SPIRIT, and pray in unknown tongues, trusting in the Spirit to give you the words (Acts 2:4): “for he who speaks in an unknown tongue does not SPEAK to men but TO GOD, for no one understands him; however, IN the SPIRIT he speaks MYSTERIES” (1Corinthians 14:2).
There are many kinds of PRAYER. One kind is INTERCESSION or TRAVAILING in prayer: “My little children, for whom I LABOUR in birth again until Christ is formed in you” (Galatians 4:19). We need to YIELD to the HOLY SPIRIT, for Him to pray through us as He wants. We want to yield our hearts & bodies to Him, to pray God's will into people's lives: “It is not by (human) might, and not by (human) power, but by My SPIRIT, says the Lord” (Zechariah 4:6). We need to let God fill us with His love, so that we pray from a heart of love. Everywhere Jesus went, He was MOVED with COMPASSION to meet the needs of people, and God's POWER was manifested through Him (Matthew 9:36, 14:14, 15:32, 20:34, Mark 1:41, 6:34, 8:2, 9:22, Luke 7:13). Romans 5:5: “The LOVE of God has been SHED ABROAD in OUR HEARTS by the HOLY SPIRIT, who was GIVEN to us.” Thus, the same compassion (love) that moved Jesus is in us. But we have to learn to yield to it. When we are moved with COMPASSION, we not only recognise their need and feel for the one who is suffering, but God also EMPOWERS us to MEET their NEED. One way to do this is to PRAY in the SPIRIT for them (Romans 8:26-27). We also need to pray in faith. Faith does not depend on fickle feelings. It is a matter of believing God and His Word, and then we need to exercise our faith by obeying His Word, acting as if it is true. We become STRONG in FAITH by (1) MEDITATING in God's WORD, and (2) EXERCISING our FAITH, by corresponding actions. We build up our FAITH MUSCLES, when we EXERCISE our FAITH (put it into action). All prayer, when prayed in faith to God the Father in the Name of Jesus, is powerful. One area where you can BUILD up your FAITH by EXERCISE is in the area of PRAYER, especially PRAYING in TONGUES. If you never exercise your faith by praying in tongues, trusting the Holy Spirit to give you the utterance (Acts 2:4), then your faith in that area will never grow! When you receive the Baptism in the Holy Spirit, you automatically receive the ability to pray in tongues. But you must exercise this gift to activate it, so it is fruitful in your life. It's the same way with God's LOVE. He has already given us His LOVE (Romans 5:5). We must believe this truth and put His love into action in our lives, by walking in love. God wants us to agree with His Word, that He has already given us His love – and start exercising it! He says to you: “I have shed My love abroad in your heart by the Holy Spirit” (Romans 5:5). You are a love child of a love God. We still have the flesh, but God's love in our heart is more powerful than our flesh. God has given us free-will, so we can choose to love or not to love. If you are born again, you are His child, and so you have His nature in your spirit, you have His LOVE in you, but by not exercising His love, you are allowing your flesh to take control of your life. But if you do EXERCISE the LOVE of God in you by faith (not feelings), for example by PRAYING for someone when you do not feel like it, then His love will fill you, and flow through you, and you will grow in love and become a lover of mankind, full of mercy and compassion. You become a person MOVED with COMPASSION to DO something, for example, YIELDING to the SPIRIT, asking Him to take control of your lips, to PRAY through you God's perfect will for that person. Matthew 9:36-38: “When He saw the multitudes, He was MOVED with COMPASSION for them, because they were weary and scattered, like sheep with no shepherd. Then He SAID to His disciples: “The harvest truly is plentiful, but the labourers are few. Therefore, PRAY the Lord of the harvest to send out labourers into His harvest.” Jesus was moved with COMPASSION, and His next thought is to PRAY. Therefore, there is a linking together of LOVE and PRAYER. When you have COMPASSION for someone, you want to reach God on their behalf. Today, God is calling His people to lay down our lives and PRAY. In the days to come, IF we will lay down our lives and PRAY, we will be entering into God's call for our life, and we will begin to become unselfish. The nature of GOD is to GIVE (John 3:16). The greatest joy in the world is for us to love others, for example, to help someone in trouble. Jesus wants us to be known for our LOVE (John 13:34-35). Standing in the gap for someone else is an act of love. INTERCESSORY PRAYER is an ACT of LOVE. As you sow to the Spirit by doing good, such as interceding for others, you will REAP everlasting LIFE (Galatians 6:7-9). YIELD your tongue to the HOLY SPIRIT, and pray in unknown tongues, trusting in the Spirit to give you the words (Acts 2:4): “for he who speaks in an unknown tongue does not SPEAK to men but TO GOD, for no one understands him; however, IN the SPIRIT he speaks MYSTERIES” (1Corinthians 14:2).
FORGIVENESS is the Christian's WEAPON to destroy the plans and works of satan in our life. Walking in FORGIVENESS is a major key to overcome the evil in this world, rather than coming under its power. God forgives and forgets our sins, when we repent, for He does not remember our sins any more (Isaiah 43:25, Jer 31:34, Heb 8:12,10:17), for He casts them into the depths of the sea (Micah 7:19), where they can't be retrieved. So, we need to do the same by forgiving others and forgetting their sins, when they repent. We need to dump, delete and destroy our unforgiveness (our remembrance of their sins), just as God totally blots out our sins, when we confess them to Him (Psalm 51:1,9, Isaiah 43:25, 44:22, Acts 3:19). We must FORGIVE one another from our HEART (our will). That is, we must make a DECISION to FORGIVE (Matthew 18:35), and we should affirm it by SPEAKING it out loud (Matthew 12:34). Even if they are unrepentant, we should still FORGIVE them and give them to God (for our own sake). However, their lack of repentance means we cannot FORGET their sin. It may mean that we modify our view of them, and our behaviour toward them, because we cannot trust them as much now, as we did before. When we forgive them and pray that they receive God's forgiveness and blessing (Luke 23:34), we free them to receive the love of the Lord. FORGIVENESS is NOT a FEELING, but a QUALITY DECISION - an act of our WILL, with the help of the Holy Spirit, who lives inside of us. Forgiveness is NOT pretending that what they did was acceptable. Forgiveness says: “God has forgiven me so much more than this sin that I need to forgive. So, I will obey His command to forgive others.” Jesus said: “If you love Me, keep My commandments” (John 14:15). Ephesians 4:30-32: “Do not GRIEVE the HOLY SPIRIT of God... let all bitterness, wrath, anger, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice... FORGIVING one another, even as God in Christ FORGAVE you.” Unforgiveness is like taking poison, hoping it will kill the other person! Having bitterness in your heart will make you physically & mentally sick. Walking in unforgiveness will separate you from intimate communion with your loving Heavenly Father: “if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses” (Matthew 6:15, 18:35, Mark 11:26). When we refuse to forgive, we are not hurting the other person, but ourselves, for we are hardening our heart toward God, which cuts us off from His grace and leads to many negative consequences. We must remember that God's PRIMARY concern is our HEART ATTITUDE. If we have a wise and willing heart, enthusiastic for God's will and we refuse to take offence, and persist in forgiving, then the devil's plans for our destruction (John 10:10) will be destroyed, as nothing now can stop us from being filled by God and used by God. Stephen is a classic example of forgiveness, even though his enemies were stoning him to death (Acts 7:54-60). He FORGAVE them all, including the future apostle Paul, and asked God to FORGIVE them. God used Stephen's PRAYER for their FORGIVENESS to help bring about Paul's conversion. This is the POWER of FORGIVENESS. Although Saul was involved in his murder, Stephen FORGA VE Saul and PRAYED God's blessing upon him, releasing him to become the man God intended him to be. In answer to his prayer, Paul received FORGIVENESS from God, and on that basis, he was also able to FORGIVE HIMSELF. Knowing that God is satisfied with the Blood of Jesus as the full payment for our sins, we should trust in God's promise of forgiveness, and on that basis, we can also forgive ourselves. Our forgiveness can open the door of their heart to the Lord, allowing Him to change and bless them. Let us remember the price our Lord Jesus paid for our FORGIVENESS. He prayed for all those, whose sin took Him to the Cross (including us): “Father, FORGIVE them.” His prayer for our forgiveness was effectual. Likewise, Stephen's prayer for his persecutors was effectual, as proved by Paul's conversion. Hilary gives another example of the POWER of FORGIVENESS working through a woman, who forgave the man who killed her son. Her love and forgiveness were effectual in transforming that man.
FORGIVENESS is the Christian's WEAPON to destroy the plans and works of satan in our life. Walking in FORGIVENESS is a major key to overcome the evil in this world, rather than coming under its power. God forgives and forgets our sins, when we repent, for He does not remember our sins any more (Isaiah 43:25, Jer 31:34, Heb 8:12,10:17), for He casts them into the depths of the sea (Micah 7:19), where they can't be retrieved. So, we need to do the same by forgiving others and forgetting their sins, when they repent. We need to dump, delete and destroy our unforgiveness (our remembrance of their sins), just as God totally blots out our sins, when we confess them to Him (Psalm 51:1,9, Isaiah 43:25, 44:22, Acts 3:19). We must FORGIVE one another from our HEART (our will). That is, we must make a DECISION to FORGIVE (Matthew 18:35), and we should affirm it by SPEAKING it out loud (Matthew 12:34). Even if they are unrepentant, we should still FORGIVE them and give them to God (for our own sake). However, their lack of repentance means we cannot FORGET their sin. It may mean that we modify our view of them, and our behaviour toward them, because we cannot trust them as much now, as we did before. When we forgive them and pray that they receive God's forgiveness and blessing (Luke 23:34), we free them to receive the love of the Lord. FORGIVENESS is NOT a FEELING, but a QUALITY DECISION - an act of our WILL, with the help of the Holy Spirit, who lives inside of us. Forgiveness is NOT pretending that what they did was acceptable. Forgiveness says: “God has forgiven me so much more than this sin that I need to forgive. So, I will obey His command to forgive others.” Jesus said: “If you love Me, keep My commandments” (John 14:15). Ephesians 4:30-32: “Do not GRIEVE the HOLY SPIRIT of God... let all bitterness, wrath, anger, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice... FORGIVING one another, even as God in Christ FORGAVE you.” Unforgiveness is like taking poison, hoping it will kill the other person! Having bitterness in your heart will make you physically & mentally sick. Walking in unforgiveness will separate you from intimate communion with your loving Heavenly Father: “if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses” (Matthew 6:15, 18:35, Mark 11:26). When we refuse to forgive, we are not hurting the other person, but ourselves, for we are hardening our heart toward God, which cuts us off from His grace and leads to many negative consequences. We must remember that God's PRIMARY concern is our HEART ATTITUDE. If we have a wise and willing heart, enthusiastic for God's will and we refuse to take offence, and persist in forgiving, then the devil's plans for our destruction (John 10:10) will be destroyed, as nothing now can stop us from being filled by God and used by God. Stephen is a classic example of forgiveness, even though his enemies were stoning him to death (Acts 7:54-60). He FORGAVE them all, including the future apostle Paul, and asked God to FORGIVE them. God used Stephen's PRAYER for their FORGIVENESS to help bring about Paul's conversion. This is the POWER of FORGIVENESS. Although Saul was involved in his murder, Stephen FORGA VE Saul and PRAYED God's blessing upon him, releasing him to become the man God intended him to be. In answer to his prayer, Paul received FORGIVENESS from God, and on that basis, he was also able to FORGIVE HIMSELF. Knowing that God is satisfied with the Blood of Jesus as the full payment for our sins, we should trust in God's promise of forgiveness, and on that basis, we can also forgive ourselves. Our forgiveness can open the door of their heart to the Lord, allowing Him to change and bless them. Let us remember the price our Lord Jesus paid for our FORGIVENESS. He prayed for all those, whose sin took Him to the Cross (including us): “Father, FORGIVE them.” His prayer for our forgiveness was effectual. Likewise, Stephen's prayer for his persecutors was effectual, as proved by Paul's conversion. Hilary gives another example of the POWER of FORGIVENESS working through a woman, who forgave the man who killed her son. Her love and forgiveness were effectual in transforming that man.
Hilary teaches on the Parable of the Unforgiving Servant, which Jesus gave His disciples, when they asked Him how many times should they forgive someone (Matthew 18:21-35). God, our Master and King, has forgiven us a massive un-payable sin-debt, so we ought to forgive one another. We should always be aware of just how much God has forgiven each one of us through the shed Blood of His Beloved Son, Jesus our Messiah. We should always be aware of just how much it cost God to forgive us. The servant who had been forgiven so much, refused to forgive his fellow servant (v29-30), and as a result his master was angry with him, and delivered him over to the torturers (v32-34).We will be separated from intimate fellowship with our Heavenly Father, if we refuse to forgive others. Jesus suffered and died to pay the price for their forgiveness, as well as for our forgiveness. He paid the price for their sins, as well as for our sins. He was punished in our place, and He released FORGIVENESS from the Cross, including for those who crucified Him, saying: “Father, FORGIVE them” (Luke 23:34). If our Lord forgave even those who tortured Him to death, then as His disciples, we must also forgive those who sin against us. When you forgive them, you are putting them into the Hands of God. You release the judgment to God, because you are refusing to be their judge, and they will now have to answer to God. He is the only Just Judge. If we do persist in judging (condemning) them, then our sin of unforgiveness is now worse than their sin against us, because we are now in pride and rebellion against God's Word, which tells us to: “forgive one another, even as God in Christ forgave you” (Ephesians 4:32). Harbouring unforgiveness puts a barrier between us and our Heavenly Father, hindering our fellowship, and it can result in physical sickness, mental sickness, depression and self-hatred (Matthew 18:35).
Hilary teaches on the Parable of the Unforgiving Servant, which Jesus gave His disciples, when they asked Him how many times should they forgive someone (Matthew 18:21-35). God, our Master and King, has forgiven us a massive un-payable sin-debt, so we ought to forgive one another. We should always be aware of just how much God has forgiven each one of us through the shed Blood of His Beloved Son, Jesus our Messiah. We should always be aware of just how much it cost God to forgive us. The servant who had been forgiven so much, refused to forgive his fellow servant (v29-30), and as a result his master was angry with him, and delivered him over to the torturers (v32-34).We will be separated from intimate fellowship with our Heavenly Father, if we refuse to forgive others. Jesus suffered and died to pay the price for their forgiveness, as well as for our forgiveness. He paid the price for their sins, as well as for our sins. He was punished in our place, and He released FORGIVENESS from the Cross, including for those who crucified Him, saying: “Father, FORGIVE them” (Luke 23:34). If our Lord forgave even those who tortured Him to death, then as His disciples, we must also forgive those who sin against us. When you forgive them, you are putting them into the Hands of God. You release the judgment to God, because you are refusing to be their judge, and they will now have to answer to God. He is the only Just Judge. If we do persist in judging (condemning) them, then our sin of unforgiveness is now worse than their sin against us, because we are now in pride and rebellion against God's Word, which tells us to: “forgive one another, even as God in Christ forgave you” (Ephesians 4:32). Harbouring unforgiveness puts a barrier between us and our Heavenly Father, hindering our fellowship, and it can result in physical sickness, mental sickness, depression and self-hatred (Matthew 18:35).
There is a cry coming from Heaven, calling us to PASSION and INTIMACY with the Lord in worship, and we must begin to respond to Him. Psalm 27:4: “The one thing I ask of the LORD, the thing I seek most, is to live in the House of the LORD (in His Presence) all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty (sweet attractiveness and delightful loveliness) of the LORD, delighting in the LORD's perfections and meditating in His Temple.” Jesus said: “I am the Vine, you are the branches. He who ABIDES in ME, and I in him, bears much fruit... As the Father loved Me, I also have loved you; ABIDE in My LOVE” (John 15:5,9). JESUS deserves our undying DEVOTION (John 3:16). One way we LOVE the LORD is spending time with Him in His Presence (Psalm 73:28). GOD is the fulfilment of the deepest longings of the human heart (Psalm 73:25). When we have GOD, we have EVERYTHING! Experiencing God's Love and Presence makes our life so worthwhile.The time we spend with the LORD in private changes us. He shapes the kind of people we become. Our individual personal worship brings the LORD great delight. When we are enjoying regular, intimate fellowship-time with the Lord, He becomes our Source of TOTAL FULFILMENT and we have an INWARD JOY, in spite of bad news, unfavourable circumstances, and personal disappointments. Deep, satisfying communion with the Lord gives us an unshakeable confidence in Him. If we have a regular devotional time with the Lord, we will no longer be dependent on what other people think of us, and whether they like us or not, for we will find our significance, security, and self-worth in God's love for us. Your worth comes from knowing that God LOVES YOU. He chose you. He delights in you. He passionately pursues you – after all He paid such a great price to have you for Himself. God LOVES you. He delights in you. He passionately pursues you. Our word PASSION comes from the Greek and Latin words to SUFFER. So, God's passionate love for us means that He is willing to suffer for us. He proved His love for you by paying such a great price to have you for Himself. That's how much He values you. As you WORSHIP Him in your special private time with Him, as you TELL Him how much you LOVE Him, you will begin to SEE your true VALUE, through His eyes. You will begin to see that your true value as an individual does not rest in your personal achievements, popularity or even your spiritual maturity. It does not depend on people, and what they think of you. It depends on the Lord's love for you. Your sense of self-worth rests entirely upon knowing deep inside you, that God DEEPLY LOVES you, and this will cause you to return His love and to be deeply in love with Him (1John 4:19). As God pursues you, will you respond to God's call? He is calling you to Himself, saying: “Come closer to Me.” Let us respond to the Lord by saying: “I will love You LORD, with all my HEART, with all my SOUL, with all my MIND, and with all my STRENGTH.” God passionately wants you to know Him more intimately - more than you have ever imagined possible. When we WORSHIP God, we are blessing and enjoying Him. This is the greatest privilege of every believer. DEVOTIONAL WORSHIP is being in the SECRET PLACE with the LORD. This is available to all of God's children. It is our private time with the Lord, when no one else is around or listening. We can WORSHIP as an act of FAITH. We enter into the Secret Place by purposefully pushing past all the barriers in our thoughts and emotions, by choosing to praise and thank God, for all He is and all He does for us. We do this by FAITH, and not by our fickle feelings. God is calling you to intimate fellowship with Him, which will satisfy the DEEPEST YEARNINGS of your HEART, and it is available to anyone who DESIRES it. You can ENTER into the SECRET PLACE whenever you want to. The Secret Place is the place of exclusive, personal, whole-hearted devotion to the Lord your God. The SECRET PLACE is your very own private HOLY of HOLIES in the heart of God, where You delight in God (your Maker, Redeemer and Lover of your soul), and He delights in you, and you revel in your love for one another. A special blessing of the SECRET PLACE is that whatever happens there is SECRET, confidential, personal, private, sacred and holy. It is as individual, as the relationship between each human being and God. The Greek word for worship is proskuneo, pros = towards, kuneo = to kiss (Luke 7:37-38).
There is a cry coming from Heaven, calling us to PASSION and INTIMACY with the Lord in worship, and we must begin to respond to Him. Psalm 27:4: “The one thing I ask of the LORD, the thing I seek most, is to live in the House of the LORD (in His Presence) all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty (sweet attractiveness and delightful loveliness) of the LORD, delighting in the LORD's perfections and meditating in His Temple.” Jesus said: “I am the Vine, you are the branches. He who ABIDES in ME, and I in him, bears much fruit... As the Father loved Me, I also have loved you; ABIDE in My LOVE” (John 15:5,9). JESUS deserves our undying DEVOTION (John 3:16). One way we LOVE the LORD is spending time with Him in His Presence (Psalm 73:28). GOD is the fulfilment of the deepest longings of the human heart (Psalm 73:25). When we have GOD, we have EVERYTHING! Experiencing God's Love and Presence makes our life so worthwhile.The time we spend with the LORD in private changes us. He shapes the kind of people we become. Our individual personal worship brings the LORD great delight. When we are enjoying regular, intimate fellowship-time with the Lord, He becomes our Source of TOTAL FULFILMENT and we have an INWARD JOY, in spite of bad news, unfavourable circumstances, and personal disappointments. Deep, satisfying communion with the Lord gives us an unshakeable confidence in Him. If we have a regular devotional time with the Lord, we will no longer be dependent on what other people think of us, and whether they like us or not, for we will find our significance, security, and self-worth in God's love for us. Your worth comes from knowing that God LOVES YOU. He chose you. He delights in you. He passionately pursues you – after all He paid such a great price to have you for Himself. God LOVES you. He delights in you. He passionately pursues you. Our word PASSION comes from the Greek and Latin words to SUFFER. So, God's passionate love for us means that He is willing to suffer for us. He proved His love for you by paying such a great price to have you for Himself. That's how much He values you. As you WORSHIP Him in your special private time with Him, as you TELL Him how much you LOVE Him, you will begin to SEE your true VALUE, through His eyes. You will begin to see that your true value as an individual does not rest in your personal achievements, popularity or even your spiritual maturity. It does not depend on people, and what they think of you. It depends on the Lord's love for you. Your sense of self-worth rests entirely upon knowing deep inside you, that God DEEPLY LOVES you, and this will cause you to return His love and to be deeply in love with Him (1John 4:19). As God pursues you, will you respond to God's call? He is calling you to Himself, saying: “Come closer to Me.” Let us respond to the Lord by saying: “I will love You LORD, with all my HEART, with all my SOUL, with all my MIND, and with all my STRENGTH.” God passionately wants you to know Him more intimately - more than you have ever imagined possible. When we WORSHIP God, we are blessing and enjoying Him. This is the greatest privilege of every believer. DEVOTIONAL WORSHIP is being in the SECRET PLACE with the LORD. This is available to all of God's children. It is our private time with the Lord, when no one else is around or listening. We can WORSHIP as an act of FAITH. We enter into the Secret Place by purposefully pushing past all the barriers in our thoughts and emotions, by choosing to praise and thank God, for all He is and all He does for us. We do this by FAITH, and not by our fickle feelings. God is calling you to intimate fellowship with Him, which will satisfy the DEEPEST YEARNINGS of your HEART, and it is available to anyone who DESIRES it. You can ENTER into the SECRET PLACE whenever you want to. The Secret Place is the place of exclusive, personal, whole-hearted devotion to the Lord your God. The SECRET PLACE is your very own private HOLY of HOLIES in the heart of God, where You delight in God (your Maker, Redeemer and Lover of your soul), and He delights in you, and you revel in your love for one another. A special blessing of the SECRET PLACE is that whatever happens there is SECRET, confidential, personal, private, sacred and holy. It is as individual, as the relationship between each human being and God. The Greek word for worship is proskuneo, pros = towards, kuneo = to kiss (Luke 7:37-38).
Jesus is the Baptiser in the Holy Spirit. John 1:33: “I did not know Him (John did not know that Jesus was the Messiah), but He who sent me to baptise with water said to me: ‘Upon whom you see the SPIRIT descending, and remaining on Him, this is He who BAPTISES with the HOLY SPIRIT.'” The Holy Spirit is vital in our fellowship with the Heavenly Father and the Lord Jesus Christ: *1. The HOLY SPIRIT is the Spirit of POWER. He enables us to receive and fulfil God's Plan and Purpose for our life. *2. The HOLY SPIRIT is our wonderful COMFORTER. *3. The HOLY SPIRIT is the One who ENABLES us to RECEIVE God's LOVE. *4. The HOLY SPIRIT is the One who STRENGTHENS us, when we are weak and weary. *5. The HOLY SPIRIT is the One who opens our heart to believe and receive God's amazing, extravagant, eternal love, which heals our wounded hearts. *6. The HOLY SPIRIT is the One who FELLOWSHIPS with us (2 Corinthians 13:14). *7. The HOLY SPIRIT is here on earth to HELP us in our weaknesses, and to HELP us PRAY God's will into the earth. Romans 8:26-27: “The SPIRIT also HELPS (sun-anti-lambano = ‘takes hold together with us') in our WEAKNESSES. For we do not know what we should PRAY for as we ought, but the SPIRIT Himself makes INTERCESSION for us with groanings, which cannot be uttered... He makes INTERCESSION for the saints according to the WILL of GOD.”
Jesus is the Baptiser in the Holy Spirit. John 1:33: “I did not know Him (John did not know that Jesus was the Messiah), but He who sent me to baptise with water said to me: ‘Upon whom you see the SPIRIT descending, and remaining on Him, this is He who BAPTISES with the HOLY SPIRIT.'” The Holy Spirit is vital in our fellowship with the Heavenly Father and the Lord Jesus Christ: *1. The HOLY SPIRIT is the Spirit of POWER. He enables us to receive and fulfil God's Plan and Purpose for our life. *2. The HOLY SPIRIT is our wonderful COMFORTER. *3. The HOLY SPIRIT is the One who ENABLES us to RECEIVE God's LOVE. *4. The HOLY SPIRIT is the One who STRENGTHENS us, when we are weak and weary. *5. The HOLY SPIRIT is the One who opens our heart to believe and receive God's amazing, extravagant, eternal love, which heals our wounded hearts. *6. The HOLY SPIRIT is the One who FELLOWSHIPS with us (2 Corinthians 13:14). *7. The HOLY SPIRIT is here on earth to HELP us in our weaknesses, and to HELP us PRAY God's will into the earth. Romans 8:26-27: “The SPIRIT also HELPS (sun-anti-lambano = ‘takes hold together with us') in our WEAKNESSES. For we do not know what we should PRAY for as we ought, but the SPIRIT Himself makes INTERCESSION for us with groanings, which cannot be uttered... He makes INTERCESSION for the saints according to the WILL of GOD.”
1Corinthians 12:1: “Concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I do not want you to be ignorant.” 1Cor 12:31, 14:1: “Earnestly DESIRE the best gifts... Pursue love and DESIRE spiritual GIFTS.” We need to KNOW what God's Word teaches about these gifts, and this will cause us to DESIRE these gifts to operate in our lives, so that the Spirit may flow through us to bless others. When we DESIRE to be used in the gifts, we will make ourselves AVAILABLE to the Spirit, for Him to manifest Himself through us. “The Manifestation of the SPIRIT is given to EACH ONE for the profit of all. To one is given (1) the WORD of WISDOM through the Spirit, to another (2) the WORD of KNOWLEDGE through the same Spirit, to another (3) FAITH by the same Spirit, to another (4) GIFTS of HEALINGS by the same Spirit, to another (5) the WORKING of MIRACLES, to another (6) PROPHECY, to another (7) DISCERNING of SPIRITS, to another (8) different kinds of TONGUES, to another (9) the INTERPRETATION of TONGUES. The SPIRIT works all these things, distributing to each one individually as HE WILLS” (v7-11). *The 3 REVELATION GIFTS (Spirit of knowing): (1) The WORD of WISDOM, (2) the WORD of KNOWLEDGE, and (3) DISCERNING of SPIRITS. These involve supernaturally KNOWING things by the Spirit, that we could not know otherwise. *The 3 POWER GIFTS (Spirit of doing): (1) Special FAITH, (2) GIFTS of HEALINGS, and (3) WORKING of MIRACLES. These involve doing things by the supernatural power of the Spirit, that we could not do by our own faith or ability. *The 3 VOCAL, INSPIRATION or UTTERANCE GIFTS (Spirit of speaking): (1) Different kinds of TONGUES, (2) the INTERPRETATION of TONGUES, and (3) PROPHECY, when the Spirit speaks supernaturally thru someone, a message from God, under the Spirit's inspiration. CESSATIONISM is a false teaching that says these supernatural gifts are no longer for today, for God stopped giving them once all the apostles died and Scripture was completed. But the Bible says these gifts will continue until Jesus' Return. 1Cor 1:4-8: “you were enriched in everything by Him in all UTTERANCE (the utterance gifts) and all KNOWLEDGE (the revelation gifts), even as the testimony of Christ was CONFIRMED in (among) you (by the power gifts in signs, wonders and miracles), so that you come short in no GIFT, eagerly waiting for the Revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ.” Thus, all the GIFTS will continue to enrich the Church until the END of the Church Age, when JESUS will be REVEALED to us in the Rapture. Jesus said: “these (supernatural) SIGNS will follow those who BELIEVE: in My Name they will cast out demons (a POWER gift); they will speak with new tongues (an UTTERANCE gift); they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover (all examples of POWER gifts)” (Mark 16:17-18). He also said: “he who BELIEVES in ME, the WORKS that I DO he will DO also; and greater works than these he will do” (John 14:12-13). He promises as we go in obedience to fulfil the Great Commission, He will be WITH US providing supernatural confirmation of the Gospel, and will continue to do this until the END of the CHURCH AGE (Matt 28:18-20). The Last Days started at Christ's Resurrection and continue throughout the Church Age into the Millennium. Acts 2:16-19: “This (outpouring of the Spirit) was spoken by Joel: “It shall come to pass in the LAST DAYS, says God, that I will POUR out of My SPIRIT on ALL FLESH; your sons and daughters shall PROPHESY (an UTTERANCE gift), your young men shall SEE VISIONS, your old men shall DREAM DREAMS (these are REVELATION gifts). And on My menservants and maidservants, I will pour out My Spirit in those days; and they shall PROPHESY. I will show WONDERS in Heaven above and SIGNS in the earth beneath (POWER gifts).” The purpose of this outpouring and associated supernatural Signs is given in Acts 2:21. He then explained how Joel's Prophecy came into fulfilment in Acts 2:32-33, and how they could receive this promise of the Spirit and His gifts in their own lives in Acts 2:38. Based on Joel, he declared this Promise of the Spirit and His gifts is for ALL BELIEVERS in the LAST DAYS, including all future generations in the Church Age (Acts 2:39). So, to say the gifts are not for today contradicts God's Word. 1Corinthians 13:8-12: “Love never fails. But whether there are PROPHECIES, they will FAIL; whether there are TONGUES, they will CEASE; whether there is (a WORD of) KNOWLEDGE, it will VANISH away (the GIFTS will pass away one day). For we know IN PART and we prophesy IN PART. But WHEN that which is PERFECT has come, THEN that which is IN PART will be DONE AWAY....For NOW, we see in a mirror dimly, but THEN FACE to FACE. NOW I know IN PART, but THEN I shall KNOW (perfectly) just as I also am known.” As far as we are concerned, the gifts will only pass away WHEN we enter into PERFECTION (v10), which is defined as being when we see the Lord FACE to FACE at His Return - then we will have perfect knowledge (v12).
The HOLY SPIRIT, who dwells in us, is our HELPER (John 14:16-17, 26, 15:26, 16:7, 1Corinthians 3:16). He is the Spirit of Truth, who reveals God's Word to us and enables us to hear and know the will of God for us, and He wants to help us to live our life to the glory of God (John 16:13-14). He fills our hearts with God's love (Romans 5:5), and helps us to WORSHIP God (John 4:23-24, Philippians 3:3), and pray effectively, including praying in tongues (Ephesians 6:18, 1Corinthians 14:2,4).
We are Temples of the Holy Spirit (1Cor 6:19-20). He indwells us and reveals and transmits God's grace to us: “He (the Holy Spirit) will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine (including healing) and declare (communicate, transmit) it to you. All things (such as healing) that the Father has are Mine. Therefore, I said that He will take of Mine (healing) and declare (communicate, transmit) it to you” (John 16:14-15). He is our COMFORTER (com-fort = with-strength), and HELPER. He STRENGTHENS us within to help us stand firm and do God's will, as Jesus said: “He (the Father) shall give you another Comforter (Helper), that He may abide with you for ever, the SPIRIT of truth; you know Him, for He will be IN YOU” (John 14:16-17). He wants to fill us and empower us for ministry (Acts 1:5, 2:1-4). We must cultivate a close fellowship with the Person of the Holy Spirit.
We are Temples of the Holy Spirit (1Cor 6:19-20). He indwells us and reveals and transmits God's grace to us: “He (the Holy Spirit) will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine (including healing) and declare (communicate, transmit) it to you. All things (such as healing) that the Father has are Mine. Therefore, I said that He will take of Mine (healing) and declare (communicate, transmit) it to you” (John 16:14-15). He is our COMFORTER (com-fort = with-strength), and HELPER. He STRENGTHENS us within to help us stand firm and do God's will, as Jesus said: “He (the Father) shall give you another Comforter (Helper), that He may abide with you for ever, the SPIRIT of truth; you know Him, for He will be IN YOU” (John 14:16-17). He wants to fill us and empower us for ministry (Acts 1:5, 2:1-4). We must cultivate a close fellowship with the Person of the Holy Spirit.
Hilary shares about the Person of the Holy Spirit, our Comforter and Counsellor, who lives in us (John 14:16-17), who enables us to receive God's love, and to give our love to God: “the COMMUNION (fellowship) of the HOLY SPIRIT be with you all” (2Corinthians 13:14). He inspires and empowers our fellowship with God, and enables us to receive God's grace and to fulfil God's plan and purpose for our life.
Hilary shares about the Person of the Holy Spirit, our Comforter and Counsellor, who lives in us (John 14:16-17), who enables us to receive God's love, and to give our love to God: “the COMMUNION (fellowship) of the HOLY SPIRIT be with you all” (2Corinthians 13:14). He inspires and empowers our fellowship with God, and enables us to receive God's grace and to fulfil God's plan and purpose for our life.
God has already provided healing for us in the Atonement of Christ, so now it is not a matter of trying to get God to heal us, but of learning how to RECEIVE our HEALING. We need to RECEIVE our HEALING by FAITH in the Word of God. Mark 11:24: “Whatsoever THINGS you desire (such as HEALING), when you pray, BELIEVE that (1) you RECEIVE them (your HEALING), and (2) you will HAVE them (in manifestation).” In order to have the confidence to believe we receive our healing from God when we pray, we need to embrace some BELIEFS about HEALING from the Word of God. There are 4 key STEPS we need to take in order to get into position, so that we can believe that we receive our healing when we pray. These 4 STEPS are 4 BELIEFS from the Word of God that we need to embrace. *STEP 1: We first need to know that it is God's WILL to HEAL us, otherwise it is impossible for us to believe we receive our healing when we pray (Mark 11:24). The Bible reveals it is God's WILL to HEAL us. Healing was purchased for us by the great sacrifice of our Lord Jesus Christ on the Cross. *STEP 2: We must BELIEVE that God is a rich and liberal Giver of Healing. He gives us healing when we pray. He is the God of the immediate response. We must BELIEVE that He is our HEALER today: “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, TODAY and forever” (Hebrews 13:8). He WANTS to HEAL us now. LOOK to the LORD for your HEALING, rather than being preoccupied with the problem. If we are overly preoccupied with the problem, we will fail to receive the solution (healing). Hebrews 11:6: “Without FAITH it is impossible to please Him, for he who COMES to God MUST BELIEVE that (1) HE IS (our Healer), and that (2) He is a REWARDER (a generous giver of healing) of those who diligently SEEK Him (in prayer).” These 2 BELIEFS are the first 2 STEPS of FAITH. *STEP 3: God gives us HEALING POWER when we pray and ask Him to heal us, which then works mightily in us to drive out all sickness and to restore our health. *STEP 4: God ordained the Method of the Laying on of Hands to impart Healing Power. Romans 10:10: “(1) With the HEART one BELIEVES unto righteousness (right standing in the promise), and with the MOUTH, CONFESSION is made unto SALVATION (the manifestation of the promise).” So believe you receive your healing and keep SPEAKING God's WORD: “By His STRIPES I am HEALED. Jesus Himself BORE my SICKNESSES and CARRIED away my PAINS” (Isaiah 53:4-5, literal translation, Matthew 8:17, 1Peter 2:24). Hilary completes her study by a look at the healing of Blind Bartimaeus (Mark 10:46--52).
God has already provided healing for us in the Atonement of Christ, so now it is not a matter of trying to get God to heal us, but of learning how to RECEIVE our HEALING. We need to RECEIVE our HEALING by FAITH in the Word of God. Mark 11:24: “Whatsoever THINGS you desire (such as HEALING), when you pray, BELIEVE that (1) you RECEIVE them (your HEALING), and (2) you will HAVE them (in manifestation).” In order to have the confidence to believe we receive our healing from God when we pray, we need to embrace some BELIEFS about HEALING from the Word of God. There are 4 key STEPS we need to take in order to get into position, so that we can believe that we receive our healing when we pray. These 4 STEPS are 4 BELIEFS from the Word of God that we need to embrace. *STEP 1: We first need to know that it is God's WILL to HEAL us, otherwise it is impossible for us to believe we receive our healing when we pray (Mark 11:24). The Bible reveals it is God's WILL to HEAL us. Healing was purchased for us by the great sacrifice of our Lord Jesus Christ on the Cross. *STEP 2: We must BELIEVE that God is a rich and liberal Giver of Healing. He gives us healing when we pray. He is the God of the immediate response. We must BELIEVE that He is our HEALER today: “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, TODAY and forever” (Hebrews 13:8). He WANTS to HEAL us now. LOOK to the LORD for your HEALING, rather than being preoccupied with the problem. If we are overly preoccupied with the problem, we will fail to receive the solution (healing). Hebrews 11:6: “Without FAITH it is impossible to please Him, for he who COMES to God MUST BELIEVE that (1) HE IS (our Healer), and that (2) He is a REWARDER (a generous giver of healing) of those who diligently SEEK Him (in prayer).” These 2 BELIEFS are the first 2 STEPS of FAITH. *STEP 3: God gives us HEALING POWER when we pray and ask Him to heal us, which then works mightily in us to drive out all sickness and to restore our health. *STEP 4: God ordained the Method of the Laying on of Hands to impart Healing Power. Romans 10:10: “(1) With the HEART one BELIEVES unto righteousness (right standing in the promise), and with the MOUTH, CONFESSION is made unto SALVATION (the manifestation of the promise).” So believe you receive your healing and keep SPEAKING God's WORD: “By His STRIPES I am HEALED. Jesus Himself BORE my SICKNESSES and CARRIED away my PAINS” (Isaiah 53:4-5, literal translation, Matthew 8:17, 1Peter 2:24). Hilary completes her study by a look at the healing of Blind Bartimaeus (Mark 10:46--52).
Mary, sister of Lazarus, gives us a wonderful example of someone who loves Jesus with all her heart. She sat Jesus feet to hear His words (Luke 10:38-42), and she anointed Jesus with costly perfumed oil shortly before His death to express her pure devotion to Him (Matthew 26:6-16, Mark 14:1-10, John 12:1-7). In John's account, Mary took a pound of ointment of spikenard and anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped His feet with her hair, and the house was filled with the perfume of the ointment. Matthew and Mark tell us that Mary also poured this very costly ointment on Jesus' head. The costly ointment represents the great value that she put upon Jesus (it was worth 300 denarii - about 1 year's wages, Mark 14:5). His disciples thought it was a waste pouring all this expensive oil over His head and feet, for they did not value Him as highly as Mary did. She had seen Jesus raise her beloved brother Lazarus from the dead (John 11:44), and her heart was overflowing with gratitude, love and worship. The outpouring of the oil upon Jesus was symbolic of the outpouring of her spirit to Him. The disciples were looking at the outside, but Jesus was looking at her heart (1Samuel 16:7). He saw her PURE and devoted LOVE for Him. Mary demonstrated how much she valued Jesus by pouring out all this precious oil upon Him. If we put the Gospel accounts together, she anointed His head and feet, which is why He said: “she has poured this perfume upon My BODY to prepare Me for BURIAL” (Matthew 26:12). What a contrast between the murmuring disciples and Mary's extravagant outpouring of love and deep gratitude to Jesus! It is good for us to be passionate (generous) towards our Lord Jesus. She poured the whole of the contents of the vial (not just a drop) over Jesus (Mark 14:3). Despite all the criticism and opposition, she would not allow them to stop her pouring out her heart in this wonderful, extravagant action. She refused to be intimidated by them, but was determined to pour out her whole soul before the Lord and to give Him all of her love. In His death, Jesus was about to POUR OUT His life and His blood for their sakes, and they were criticising her about the waste of this perfume POURED OUT on Him! He explained the significance of what she had done: “She has poured this ointment on My body for my BURIAL” (Matthew 26:12). It was appropriate that He received this selfless act of worship in view of the fact He was about to give up His body for death and burial, for our sake. Someone with a deep love and devotion to the Lord (like Mary) will know and perceive spiritual things that others who have less love for Him would miss. God showed her that it was needful for her to perform this act, for when He died the women wanted to anoint His body, but they could not because the Sabbath was about to start, and they had to wait until it was over. Then when they came to the tomb, Jesus had already risen from the dead, so it was important Mary anointed Him for burial in advance. We see from Jesus' response to Mary's act that He highly esteems and values PURE LOVE that is poured out upon Him. Her heart was so full of love and gratitude to Jesus that nothing was too much of a SACRIFICE. She wanted to show Jesus her deep, heartfelt, passionate LOVE by a GIFT and a DEED, and not just by WORDS.
Mary, sister of Lazarus, gives us a wonderful example of someone who loves Jesus with all her heart. She sat Jesus feet to hear His words (Luke 10:38-42), and she anointed Jesus with costly perfumed oil shortly before His death to express her pure devotion to Him (Matthew 26:6-16, Mark 14:1-10, John 12:1-7). In John's account, Mary took a pound of ointment of spikenard and anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped His feet with her hair, and the house was filled with the perfume of the ointment. Matthew and Mark tell us that Mary also poured this very costly ointment on Jesus' head. The costly ointment represents the great value that she put upon Jesus (it was worth 300 denarii - about 1 year's wages, Mark 14:5). His disciples thought it was a waste pouring all this expensive oil over His head and feet, for they did not value Him as highly as Mary did. She had seen Jesus raise her beloved brother Lazarus from the dead (John 11:44), and her heart was overflowing with gratitude, love and worship. The outpouring of the oil upon Jesus was symbolic of the outpouring of her spirit to Him. The disciples were looking at the outside, but Jesus was looking at her heart (1Samuel 16:7). He saw her PURE and devoted LOVE for Him. Mary demonstrated how much she valued Jesus by pouring out all this precious oil upon Him. If we put the Gospel accounts together, she anointed His head and feet, which is why He said: “she has poured this perfume upon My BODY to prepare Me for BURIAL” (Matthew 26:12). What a contrast between the murmuring disciples and Mary's extravagant outpouring of love and deep gratitude to Jesus! It is good for us to be passionate (generous) towards our Lord Jesus. She poured the whole of the contents of the vial (not just a drop) over Jesus (Mark 14:3). Despite all the criticism and opposition, she would not allow them to stop her pouring out her heart in this wonderful, extravagant action. She refused to be intimidated by them, but was determined to pour out her whole soul before the Lord and to give Him all of her love. In His death, Jesus was about to POUR OUT His life and His blood for their sakes, and they were criticising her about the waste of this perfume POURED OUT on Him! He explained the significance of what she had done: “She has poured this ointment on My body for my BURIAL” (Matthew 26:12). It was appropriate that He received this selfless act of worship in view of the fact He was about to give up His body for death and burial, for our sake. Someone with a deep love and devotion to the Lord (like Mary) will know and perceive spiritual things that others who have less love for Him would miss. God showed her that it was needful for her to perform this act, for when He died the women wanted to anoint His body, but they could not because the Sabbath was about to start, and they had to wait until it was over. Then when they came to the tomb, Jesus had already risen from the dead, so it was important Mary anointed Him for burial in advance. We see from Jesus' response to Mary's act that He highly esteems and values PURE LOVE that is poured out upon Him. Her heart was so full of love and gratitude to Jesus that nothing was too much of a SACRIFICE. She wanted to show Jesus her deep, heartfelt, passionate LOVE by a GIFT and a DEED, and not just by WORDS.
Hilary shares her testimony of how God dramatically healed her and transformed her life.
Hilary shares her testimony of how God dramatically healed her and transformed her life.
In these 2 videos, Hilary testifies to the supernatural ways that God has moved in her life. You will be inspired and encouraged by these manifestations of the grace of God.
In these 2 videos, Hilary testifies to the supernatural ways that God has moved in her life. You will be inspired and encouraged by these manifestations of the grace of God.
In these 2 videos, Hilary testifies to the supernatural ways that God has moved in her life. You will be inspired and encouraged by these manifestations of the grace of God.
In these 2 videos, Hilary testifies to the supernatural ways that God has moved in her life. You will be inspired and encouraged by these manifestations of the grace of God.
In these 2 videos, Hilary testifies to the supernatural ways that God has moved in her life. You will be inspired and encouraged by these manifestations of the grace of God.
In these 2 videos, Hilary testifies to the supernatural ways that God has moved in her life. You will be inspired and encouraged by these manifestations of the grace of God.
Hilary shares from the story of the forgiven sinful woman, who responds by worshipping and loving Jesus extravagantly (Luke 7:36-47). She is given as an example of the truth that the one who is FORGIVEN much, LOVES much. A big reason that we don't love Jesus more and deeply appreciate His forgiveness is because we don't know how just how much we've been forgiven ourselves. We need to understand the magnitude of our un-payable sin-debt (represented by the 10,000 talents in the Parable of the Unforgiving Servant in Matthew 18:21-35), that we owed the Lord, which He has forgiven; then we will be able to forgive the much smaller sin-debt that others owe us. This Parable also reveals that if we will not forgive others, we cut ourselves off from God's forgiveness, life, blessing and grace, and as a result, we come under the power of sin and the curse. We then feel oppressed, imprisoned and suffer torment (Matthew 6:15, 18:34-35, Mark 11:26).
Hilary shares from the story of the forgiven sinful woman, who responds by worshipping and loving Jesus extravagantly (Luke 7:36-47). She is given as an example of the truth that the one who is FORGIVEN much, LOVES much. A big reason that we don't love Jesus more and deeply appreciate His forgiveness is because we don't know how just how much we've been forgiven ourselves. We need to understand the magnitude of our un-payable sin-debt (represented by the 10,000 talents in the Parable of the Unforgiving Servant in Matthew 18:21-35), that we owed the Lord, which He has forgiven; then we will be able to forgive the much smaller sin-debt that others owe us. This Parable also reveals that if we will not forgive others, we cut ourselves off from God's forgiveness, life, blessing and grace, and as a result, we come under the power of sin and the curse. We then feel oppressed, imprisoned and suffer torment (Matthew 6:15, 18:34-35, Mark 11:26).
Hilary shares from the story of the forgiven sinful woman, who responds by worshipping and loving Jesus extravagantly (Luke 7:36-47). She is given as an example of the truth that the one who is FORGIVEN much, LOVES much. A big reason that we don't love Jesus more and deeply appreciate His forgiveness is because we don't know how just how much we've been forgiven ourselves. We need to understand the magnitude of our un-payable sin-debt (represented by the 10,000 talents in the Parable of the Unforgiving Servant in Matthew 18:21-35), that we owed the Lord, which He has forgiven; then we will be able to forgive the much smaller sin-debt that others owe us. This Parable also reveals that if we will not forgive others, we cut ourselves off from God's forgiveness, life, blessing and grace, and as a result, we come under the power of sin and the curse. We then feel oppressed, imprisoned and suffer torment (Matthew 6:15, 18:34-35, Mark 11:26).
Jesus Christ gave His Divine Blood to pay the price in full for all of mankind's sin, offering us His full forgiveness as a free gift. In the light of His amazing grace and mercy toward us, it is a serious sin for believers to harbour unforgiveness and bitterness toward others. It cuts us off from the grace and blessing of God and opens the door to sickness, mental torment, oppression and bondage, and we can only be set free through forgiving those who have sinned against us. Hilary shares from the Parable of the Unforgiving Servant (Matthew 18:21-35), the great importance of forgiveness and the serious dangers of unforgiveness. Our sin took Jesus to the Cross. Our forgiveness didn't come cheap, it cost God everything. In taking our place, Jesus bore the punishment we deserved and paid the price for our sins. If we meditate on the Cross, seeing what He suffered for our forgiveness, it makes it easier for us to forgive others. Since we've received such mercy, we must show mercy, and forgive others fully and freely. Christ is saying to us: "Look how much I'm willing to forgive you, therefore what right do you have to be bitter and unforgiving with your fellow servants, when I have so fully and freely forgiven you?"
Jesus Christ gave His Divine Blood to pay the price in full for all of mankind's sin, offering us His full forgiveness as a free gift. In the light of His amazing grace and mercy toward us, it is a serious sin for believers to harbour unforgiveness and bitterness toward others. It cuts us off from the grace and blessing of God and opens the door to sickness, mental torment, oppression and bondage, and we can only be set free through forgiving those who have sinned against us. Hilary shares from the Parable of the Unforgiving Servant (Matthew 18:21-35), the great importance of forgiveness and the serious dangers of unforgiveness. Our sin took Jesus to the Cross. Our forgiveness didn't come cheap, it cost God everything. In taking our place, Jesus bore the punishment we deserved and paid the price for our sins. If we meditate on the Cross, seeing what He suffered for our forgiveness, it makes it easier for us to forgive others. Since we've received such mercy, we must show mercy, and forgive others fully and freely. Christ is saying to us: "Look how much I'm willing to forgive you, therefore what right do you have to be bitter and unforgiving with your fellow servants, when I have so fully and freely forgiven you?"
Jesus Christ gave His Divine Blood to pay the price in full for all of mankind's sin, offering us His full forgiveness as a free gift. In the light of His amazing grace and mercy toward us, it is a serious sin for believers to harbour unforgiveness and bitterness toward others. It cuts us off from the grace and blessing of God and opens the door to sickness, mental torment, oppression and bondage, and we can only be set free through forgiving those who have sinned against us. Hilary shares from the Parable of the Unforgiving Servant (Matthew 18:21-35), the great importance of forgiveness and the serious dangers of unforgiveness. Our sin took Jesus to the Cross. Our forgiveness didn't come cheap, it cost God everything. In taking our place, Jesus bore the punishment we deserved and paid the price for our sins. If we meditate on the Cross, seeing what He suffered for our forgiveness, it makes it easier for us to forgive others. Since we've received such mercy, we must show mercy, and forgive others fully and freely. Christ is saying to us: "Look how much I'm willing to forgive you, therefore what right do you have to be bitter and unforgiving with your fellow servants, when I have so fully and freely forgiven you?"
Hilary shares from Isaiah 53:1-5 how Divine Healing was purchased for us on the Cross, confirmed by Matthew 8:5-17, for: “He took our sicknesses and bore our diseases." The risen Christ has poured out the Holy Spirit for us all to receive. The Spirit dwells within the spirit of every believer and wants to flow out through our hearts as rivers of life-giving water (John 7:37-39), bringing us health and healing (Rev 22:1-3, Ezekiel 47:9,12, Romans 8:11). When we pray in tongues (Acts 2:4), we are allowing this River of Life to flow more abundantly through us. This is confirmed by medical studies that show the positive effects on our bodies of extended praying in tongues. Hilary shares the results of these studies to encourage you to be more faithful in using your God-given prayer language.
Hilary shares from Isaiah 53:1-5 how Divine Healing was purchased for us on the Cross, confirmed by Matthew 8:5-17, for: “He took our sicknesses and bore our diseases." The risen Christ has poured out the Holy Spirit for us all to receive. The Spirit dwells within the spirit of every believer and wants to flow out through our hearts as rivers of life-giving water (John 7:37-39), bringing us health and healing (Rev 22:1-3, Ezekiel 47:9,12, Romans 8:11). When we pray in tongues (Acts 2:4), we are allowing this River of Life to flow more abundantly through us. This is confirmed by medical studies that show the positive effects on our bodies of extended praying in tongues. Hilary shares the results of these studies to encourage you to be more faithful in using your God-given prayer language.
Hilary shares from Isaiah 53:1-5 how Divine Healing was purchased for us on the Cross, confirmed by Matthew 8:5-17, for: “He took our sicknesses and bore our diseases." The risen Christ has poured out the Holy Spirit for us all to receive. The Spirit dwells within the spirit of every believer and wants to flow out through our hearts as rivers of life-giving water (John 7:37-39), bringing us health and healing (Rev 22:1-3, Ezekiel 47:9,12, Romans 8:11). When we pray in tongues (Acts 2:4), we are allowing this River of Life to flow more abundantly through us. This is confirmed by medical studies that show the positive effects on our bodies of extended praying in tongues. Hilary shares the results of these studies to encourage you to be more faithful in using your God-given prayer language.
When we pray in tongues, a river of life flows out of our spirit (where the Holy Spirit dwells) through our mouth: “out of his heart will flow rivers of living water” (John 7:38). This divine river carries life, healing, supernatural power and gifts. Hilary shares the results of medical studies showing that extended praying in tongues activates areas of our brain which release hormones, resulting in increased immunity from sickness, and health for our minds and bodies.
When we pray in tongues, a river of life flows out of our spirit (where the Holy Spirit dwells) through our mouth: “out of his heart will flow rivers of living water” (John 7:38). This divine river carries life, healing, supernatural power and gifts. Hilary shares the results of medical studies showing that extended praying in tongues activates areas of our brain which release hormones, resulting in increased immunity from sickness, and health for our minds and bodies.
When we pray in tongues, a river of life flows out of our spirit (where the Holy Spirit dwells) through our mouth: “out of his heart will flow rivers of living water” (John 7:38). This divine river carries life, healing, supernatural power and gifts. Hilary shares the results of medical studies showing that extended praying in tongues activates areas of our brain which release hormones, resulting in increased immunity from sickness, and health for our minds and bodies.
Hilary shares her Testimony of how she became seriously sick in body and hardened in heart through her involvement in the occult, but despite that, Jesus wonderfully saved her, and delivered her from the power of satan, and completely healed her body. You too can be saved, healed and delivered by the Lord Jesus Christ, for: "ALL who call upon the Name of the Lord (Jesus) shall be saved (delivered, healed)" (Romans 10:13).
Hilary shares her Testimony of how she became seriously sick in body and hardened in heart through her involvement in the occult, but despite that, Jesus wonderfully saved her, and delivered her from the power of satan, and completely healed her body. You too can be saved, healed and delivered by the Lord Jesus Christ, for: "ALL who call upon the Name of the Lord (Jesus) shall be saved (delivered, healed)" (Romans 10:13).
Hilary shares her Testimony of how she became seriously sick in body and hardened in heart through her involvement in the occult, but despite that, Jesus wonderfully saved her, and delivered her from the power of satan, and completely healed her body. You too can be saved, healed and delivered by the Lord Jesus Christ, for: "ALL who call upon the Name of the Lord (Jesus) shall be saved (delivered, healed)" (Romans 10:13).
“If you are WILLING and OBEDIENT you shall eat the good of the Land” (Isaiah 1:19). The first key to blessing is a submitted heart, WILLING to do the will of God, whereas unwillingness always produces failure. Hilary illustrates this in the experiences of (1) Caleb and Israel, (2) Jesus' disciples, and (3) Jonah.