How to Grow in the Power and Fire of the Holy Spirit
I’ve been reading Acts, and it’s remarkable the great power released through the apostles and any other believer when they were baptized in the Holy Spirit. So I’ve been thinking, “Lord, how can we increase, because Your promise to them is the same as a promise to us. And in Acts 1:8, Jesus said, ‘You shall receive power when the Holy Spirit comes,’ and in Luke 24:49, He said, ‘You will be clothed with power from on high.’” So, how do we increase in the power of the Holy Spirit and the fire of God? After all, Jesus Himself said, “He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire” (Matt. 3:11). When I asked the Lord about this, I immediately was drawn to Deuteronomy. In Deuteronomy 9:3, God is described as a consuming fire who will go before them so they can easily destroy the enemy. In Deuteronomy 11:13–17, Moses tells them they must love the Lord their God with all their heart, soul, and mind. If they don’t do that, then He won’t give them rain, the crops won’t grow, and they won’t prosper. God wants it to be easy for them because of the rain. As we know, rain is a symbol of the pouring out of the Holy Spirit, and Moses clearly tells them if you love the Lord wholly, God will give you the rain. In Deuteronomy 11:22–25, Moses goes on to say the enemy can’t stand before you, and that everywhere your feet tread shall be given to you. This is because of the fire of God, but the principal is the same—love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, and mind. So how do we increase in Holy Spirit in power and fire? Simple. Set your heart on loving the Lord more and more. Here are two simple steps. First, spend time with him. In Psalm 27:4, David says what he longs for the most is to dwell in the Lord’s presence—so spend time with Him. If you love someone, you want to be with them. Spend time in His presence. Second, ask and inquire of Him. Again, that’s what David said in Psalm 27:4. He said he wanted to behold the beauty of the Lord and inquire of Him. Begin asking the Lord questions. Ask him about things in your life. Ask him to give you revelation and insight, and He will. We are now in the time of great harvest, and this is very true in Oklahoma. We need more of the Holy Spirit’s power and fire so the enemy can’t thwart us or hinder us. That everywhere our feet tread, the Lord would give to us—and that as we share the Good News, there will be many signs and wonders. God Bless.
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Adar 1: Blessings for the Hebrew MonthAdar 1—The Twelfth Hebrew Month of 5784
February 10–March 10, 2024 Please note this is a leap year. In leap years, Adar becomes Adar 1, and is followed by Adar 2 (March 11–April 8). Purim (March 23–24) will be celebrated in Adar 2. Speaking Truth in Your Heart One thing He has shown me clearly is to think and speak only what lines up with Him and His word. Psalm 15:1–2 states, “Lord, who may abide in Your tabernacle? Who may dwell in Your holy hill? He who walks uprightly, and works righteousness, and speaks the truth in his heart.” This simply means I can’t entertain thoughts that are against what He says. For example, God says, “I am with you. I will take care of this. You don’t need to worry. I hear your prayers.” Those truths are very clear—very clear. But it’s easy to wonder if God really is in charge—if He really is going to take care of me. I must not allow those thoughts to get into my heart. I must not entertain them in my thinking. As I safeguard my thoughts, there is incredible peace and joy because I know God is in charge. Let me reiterate: whenever worry or negative thoughts come, we must take those thoughts captive because really that’s part of spiritual warfare. It’s through our thinking that the devil gains and keeps footholds in our lives. We must not allow this. So in these two months of Adar 1 and 2, ask the Holy Spirit to continually help so that we are only thinking and speaking truth in our inward parts. The result will be incredible fellowship with Jesus! Psalm 15:1 asks: “Who may abide in Your tabernacle? Who may dwell in Your holy hill?” And 15:2 responds: “He who walks uprightly, and works righteousness, and speaks the truth in his heart. This incredible truth fits every single blessing for the months of Adar. Don’t accept any falsehood or any lie. Believe that God is good and He has all these blessings for us. 1. Month of the tribe of Naphtali, which means “sweetness to me.” Deuteronomy 33:23 states, “Naphtali is abounding with favor of the Lord.” Think this truth in your heart, and speak it and watch it come to pass in your life. Declare: I am abounding with the favor of the Lord. 2. Month of eloquent communication and expressions of joy and laughter. Genesis 49:21 states, “Naphtali is a deer let loose; he uses beautiful words.” The Holy Spirit will help us find words to fully express God’s goodness. This not only solidifies our faith, but also opens the eyes of others to the goodness of God. Declare: The Holy Spirit continually gives me good things and words of grace to say. 3. Month of Pisces, the fishes. Find your supply in the “hidden” world (e.g., the coin in the fish’s mouth). Provision is more than just finances. It also has to do with identity. There is an identity for you in the invisible world and you must find it. The angels recognize it. So do the demonic forces, who want to hide it and keep you from entering into it. Fully embrace and step into that identity. Declare: I embrace my identity as God’s warrior. God provides for me. 4. God has cycles to help us come into our identity. What we are in our spirit will be reflected physically. Some of God’s tools to help us enter our identity include celebration, expressing our thankfulness, and family. The more I find my place in His family, the more my true identity emerges. It’s also why God wants to restore our natural families. Declare: The more I celebrate, the more I enter into my true identity. 5. The month of the letter kaf (כ), which looks like a mask. It’s a time to remove any masquerade and enter into laughter; enter into the true joy of who you are. We need to remove any mask and be ourselves. Rejoicing is one of the most important tools for “mask removal.” Declare: The more I rejoice, the more “masks” fall off. 6. A month to overturn anxiety over your supply. If you remove anxiety, then you can see your supply. But if you are ruled by anxiety, then you can miss the provision God has for you (Phil. 4:6–7) [1]. Every time you feel anxiety rising, just remind yourself that God is your source and He is always faithful. Declare: The moment I feel anxious about supply, I will immediately declare God is my provider. 7. The month of laughter, abounding joy, the witnessing of life entering into darkness, the advantage of light over darkness, the power of barrenness being broken. No matter what the darkness is, laugh and watch God permeate it. Light permeates darkness. When we see this, barrenness will break. Begin to laugh at fear (Ps. 34:4–6) [2]. Try it. Is some fearful thing oppressing you? Laugh at it. Declare: The joy of the Lord is my strength. My laughter breaks barrenness and activates God’s promises to come to fulfillment. 8. The month of the spleen. Pull out any roots of depression and despair so that faith can break through into our thought processes. Declare: Depression and despair have no place in me. 9. The month Moses was born. Your deliverance is forming. Take a look at whatever is holding you captive and declare God’s truth. Declare He is already forming deliverance and freedom for you, and that it is on the way (Exod. 2:10) [3]. Declare: Jesus has made me free. For any remaining bondage in my life, deliverance is already under way. 10. A month to develop your war strategy against the anti-Christ spirit. Don’t let the giants produce fear in you; guard against idolatry. Amalek will try to come. See Exodus 17:8–16. Note that Amalek attacked from the rear. Be sure you are not “holding back.” Also, when Moses’s hands were held up, Israel prevailed. For us, this means we can keep our “hands raised” by staying in faith and joy. This will keep us in the victory of the Lord. Declare: Whenever I sense fear or worry come, I will raise my hands in faith and declare all things are in His hands. 11. A time for wrong decrees to be broken off of you. If wrong decrees are heeded to, they will encircle you and will cause others to say the same negative things about you. You need to break off the negative things decreed about you. I suggest praying and asking the Holy Spirit to reveal some wrong decrees, both self-made and “others-made.” Forgive those who uttered them, put the blood of Jesus on those wrong decrees, and then break them in His name. Declare: I forgive those who have “cursed” me. I break off every wrong decree over my life. 12. A time for leadership to awaken. Next month they go to war. Declare: I am a leader, and I am arising. References [1] “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus” (Phil. 4:6–7). [2] “I sought the Lord, and He heard me, and delivered me from all my fears. They looked to Him and were radiant, and their faces were not ashamed. This poor man cried out, and the Lord heard him, and saved him out of all his troubles” (Ps. 34:4–6). [3] “And the child grew, and she brought him to Pharaoh’s daughter, and he became her son. So she called his name Moses, saying, ‘Because I drew him out of the water’” (Exod. 2:10). |
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