How Can We Operate in His Power, Love, Etc?
Pastor Jerry Wilhite,
author
What you are about to read, that is if you have an open mind, is how we can be of the Lord, and be sure about it and how we can operate in His love, faith, power, etc.
Romans 12
2. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.
Paul warned in Romans 12:2 that if we want to prove what is the good, acceptable, and perfect will of God we must renew our mind daily in Him. Only from Him can you know any of this, and it is by renewing in Him that we are transformed.
2 Corinthians 10
5. Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;
Paul went on to warn those of Corinth that they must examine every thought, imagination, and idea; then cast down all that are not in line with the knowledge of God. Then take the remaining into captivity to the obedience of Christ.
There are three things you should get here, but first understand that Christ is the Spirit of God, in us, on us, and through us.
1 John 2
27. But the anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you: but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in him.
John said basically the same thing that Jesus said in John 14:26 and Paul said II Cor 10:5–that we are not to be taught by man, but to be taught everything by God through the Spirit.
Hearing is part, but the main part is His love, having His love in us and living by His love. This is why the two main commandments we should follow are:
Matthew 22
36. Master, which is the great commandment in the law?
37. Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.
38. This is the first and great commandment.
39. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
40. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.
If we have the love above we will also follow His other commandments.
Matthew 6
4. That thine alms may be in secret: and thy Father which seeth in secret himself shall reward thee openly.
5. And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.
6. But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.
7. But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking.
Our giving and our prayers are done in private between us and God, not us and man, or us, man and God.
Matthew 6
14. For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you:
15. But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.
Forgive everyone (including yourself) everything. From unforgiving comes anger, revenge, strife, offense, etc. From forgiveness comes peace, kindness, release from bondage, etc. Those who do not forgive could spend a long period (months, years, decades) being eaten up with the unforgiving while the ones responsible are not the least bit bothered by whatever they did.
When we forgive we release bondage that otherwise would twist and pervert our life. The path of unforgiving leads one down a path of destruction.
Matthew 6
33. But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.
When we truly seek His kingdom and His righteousness for the right reasons we will find it.
Matthew 7
1. Judge not, that ye be not judged.
2. For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again.
3. And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye?
4. Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye; and, behold, a beam is in thine own eye?
5. Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother's eye.
Those who judge do not forgive; so judging also will lead us down a path to unforgiving and eventually to destruction. No one can truly judge another. I read about a man who killed a woman. By all accounts he was guilty and should have been punished. From the point of view the press showed of the incident it appeared as he just stabbed her. What was missing from the opposite point of view was that she was holding his child with a knife to the child's throat threatening to kill the child. The father was defending his child. Two different viewpoints with two different reasons based on what was seen for the incident. When we judge another we have lowered ourselves below them.
What you need to consider is this, is it worth spending eternity in Hell for being unforgiving or judging another?
A parent who loses their child to a rapist/murderer has two choices; one is to forgive and one is to not forgive. If they forgive a huge burden would be lifted from them. Plus, if they are of the Lord, they will spend all eternity with the child with God. On the other hand, if they do not forgive, the unforgiving will eat at them like a cancer consuming them. 99 times out of 100 the one responsible has much less of a burden and until they know the Lord they more than likely will even forget all about it. If they come to know the Lord unforgiving the self could cause them to fall away. The one who has not forgiven is still being affected day by day by what someone did that day long before.
Luke 23
34. Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do. And they parted his raiment, and cast lots.
Remember what Jesus said on the cross, "Forgive them, for they know not what they do." If anyone had a reason to not forgive it was Jesus at that moment. Think about the torture, abuse, nailing to the cross, etc, but He forgave them. That’s because He knew if they had known what they were doing they would not have done it.
The same is true for the rapist if he really had known what he was doing he would not have done it.
Think about this–that rapist was once a baby, another parent’s child. So what went wrong? He did not know how Satan forces thoughts on us so he did not know to cast them down. To have achieved this level of perversion he more than likely started with pornography that in time drove him further and further down the road he was on until one day he became a rapist.
I have dealt with men and women on line who started out normal (not into pornography) then one day they saw an image of a man or woman that caught their eye and they looked more and more. After a while they realized they were hooked on pornography. They went from a simple somewhat nude picture to spending hundreds monthly on X-rated movies, web sites, publications, etc.
Matthew 15
2. Why do thy disciples transgress the tradition of the elders? for they wash not their hands when they eat bread.
3. But he answered and said unto them, Why do ye also transgress the commandment of God by your tradition?
4. For God commanded, saying, Honour thy father and mother: and, He that curseth father or mother, let him die the death.
5. But ye say, Whosoever shall say to his father or his mother, It is a gift, by whatsoever thou mightest be profited by me;
6. And honour not his father or his mother, he shall be free. Thus have ye made the commandment of God of none effect by your tradition.
Today many have done the same by their traditions. They have moved their followers into legalism.
Matthew 15
7. Ye hypocrites, well did Esaias prophesy of you, saying,
8. This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me.
9. But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.
10. And he called the multitude, and said unto them, Hear, and understand:
11. Not that which goeth into the mouth defileth a man; but that which cometh out of the mouth, this defileth a man.
It is not what goes in that defiles a man/woman, but what comes out.
Matthew 12
35. A good man out of the good treasure of the heart bringeth forth good things: and an evil man out of the evil treasure bringeth forth evil things.
36. But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment.
37. For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned.
There are three ways we can be judged in the next life.
From the heart comes the love, power, faith, of God, and from the mouth comes how we will be judged.
If we believe, seek God, listen to hear from Him in time as we hear He will speak to us via His Spirit to our spirit, up to our soul (mind, will and emotions) and out of our mouth. Those who hear God do not speak whatever was forced on their mind by the world. That is usually judging, unforgiving, strife, hate, etc.
Galatians 5
17. For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would.
18. But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law.
19. Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness,
20. Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies,
21. Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.
Above you read what some of the fruit of the flesh is. When speaking of the flesh we are speaking of all that is not of the Spirit. Can you see any evidence of or fruit of love in the above?
Those taught by man, and man alone are carnal and not of the Spirit.
Galatians 5
22. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,
23. Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.
I do not know of anyone who does not want love, joy, peace, etc. The reason most can not get them is pride or arrogance. They can not humble themselves to receive the Spirit or its fruit.
How many of us would love to have any one of the fruit of the Spirit work for us much less all of them.
How many of you would like to operate in the power and wisdom of God?
1 Corinthians 1
24. But unto them which are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God.
How many of you would like to have and know for sure that in all things Christ is strengthening you?
Philippians 4
13. I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.
How many of you would like to have all of your needs in all areas supplied for you by His riches in glory by Christ Jesus?
Philippians 4
19. But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.
How many of you would like to know without a doubt that when any sickness, injury, illness, etc comes that you are already healed by His Stripes?
1 Peter 2
24. Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed.
How many of you would like to know, actually know that whatever you ask for you get it?
Mark 11
22. And Jesus answering saith unto them, Have faith in God.
23. For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith.
24. Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.
25. And when ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have ought against any: that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses.
26. But if ye do not forgive, neither will your Father which is in heaven forgive your trespasses.
We should be flowing in all of the above verses based on the Bible. So if we are not having any or all the blessings then what is wrong? What is broken and how do we fix it?
John 14
12. 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.
Jesus told us in the verse above that all He did we would do and more. So why is it that we are not or have not?
John 14
13. And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.
14. If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it.
Here He says it again–that anything we ask in His name He will do for us. All that is asked for, as long as it will glorify the Father, He will do. Yes, a big part is that it has to glorify the Father. That means whatever we ask in His name, if it does not glorify the Father or undoubtedly come from the Father and no other way, will not be done for us. There is a precursor that is needed before we can even get to this point.
John 14
15. If ye love me, keep my commandments.
Here are two other elements other than glorifying the Father that are needed, love and keeping His commandments. What are His commandments?
Matthew 22
37. Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.
John 13
34. A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.
Matthew 5
16. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.
If we are of the Lord we are of the Light and the light should shine from us before men, this light is not that of the sun, moon, or stars. Neither is it of a manmade source, but of God in which is life.
John 1
4. In him was life; and the life was the light of men.
5. And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.
Darkness means evil and darkness/evil can never comprehend nor overcome the light/good. Wherever any light shines it overcomes darkness, but the light of God does not even leave shadows.
Matthew 10
18. No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This commandment have I received of my Father.
Jesus had one commandment from the Father that we do not have and that was to die for us.
John 12
49. For I have not spoken of myself; but the Father which sent me, he gave me a commandment, what I should say, and what I should speak.
50. And I know that his commandment is life everlasting: whatsoever I speak therefore, even as the Father said unto me, so I speak.
One of the commandments of the Father to Jesus that is the same for us is that we do not speak of our words and ability but allow Him to speak through us.
John 13
34. A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.
35. By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.
This love is a love so strong that it would sacrifice itself for others. In it there is no need to know if the others love it as much as it needs to love all others.
John 15
10. If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father's commandments, and abide in his love.
By keeping His commandments we remain in Him and in His love.
John 15
12. This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you.
13. Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.
14. Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you.
15. Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you.
We become heirs and friends of His as we follow and are obedient to the Father as He was.
Acts 1
2. Until the day in which he was taken up, after that he through the Holy Ghost had given commandments unto the apostles whom he had chosen:
Here is where some will start to have problems that we are still supposed to receive commandments from Him.
John 14
16. And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever;
17. Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.
He sent us the Spirit of truth. From the Spirit He will speak to us and through us.
John 14
18. I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you.
19. Yet a little while, and the world seeth me no more; but ye see me: because I live, ye shall live also.
20. At that day ye shall know that I am in my Father, and ye in me, and I in you.
21. He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him.
22. Judas saith unto him, not Iscariot, Lord, how is it that thou wilt manifest thyself unto us, and not unto the world?
He will manifest Himself to us through the Spirit, but first one must be one with the Spirit.
John 14
23. Jesus answered and said unto him, "If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him.
24. He that loveth me not keepeth not my sayings: and the word which ye hear is not mine, but the Father's which sent me."
By now you should realize that He is talking about speaking to us through the Spirit.
Jesus addressed the seven churches in Revelation 2-3 and said that only one of the seven was of Him. Then as He completes the letters He tells how they can be of Him and how all can be of Him.
Revelation 3
19. As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent.
Revelation 3
20. Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.
For Him to be able to do as we read above in verse 19 we must hear from Him. We hear His voice and open the door for Him to enter.
Revelation 3
21. To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne.
22. He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.
If you are of Jesus and the church you are supposed to hear what the Spirit says, not man, but the Spirit.
John 14
25. These things have I spoken unto you, being yet present with you.
26. But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.
We are to be taught all things by the Spirit, not just things concerning God, the church, etc–but ALL things.
John 14
27. Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.
There are two ways to know for sure that we are saved, and of the Lord. One is His peace in us. That is important, but it is a reaction to the action we took when we opened the door for Him to enter.
Romans 8
16. The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God:
The main and most important way we know we are saved is when we hear God call us His child.
Matthew 4
4. But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.
We are to live by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God. It does not say all that He has already said, nor all that He has written, but all that He did say and is saying now–current tense.
2 Corinthians 9
7. Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver.
Most do not receive what they are taught from giving because they give for the wrong reason such as giving just to get. They do not receive because they are not cheerful givers.
Luke 6
38. Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again.
Below is where we start wrapping up this study and learn about what is missing in us, what we need, and how we get it.
1 Corinthians 13
1. Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become as sounding brass or a clanging cymbal.
2. And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing.
3. And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, but have not love, it profits me nothing.
4. Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up;
5. does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil;
6. does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth;
7. bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
8. Love never fails. But whether there are prophecies, they will fail; whether there are tongues, they will cease; whether there is knowledge, it will vanish away.
9. For we know in part and we prophesy in part.
10. But when that which is perfect has come, then that which is in part will be done away.
11. When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child; but when I became a man, I put away childish things.
12. For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am known.
13. And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love.
Above you should have gotten that Paul was saying that without love nothing we do or say of ourselves can work and when it does it means little if anything at all.
We are saved because He loved us first.
We should decide that no matter what, no matter if anyone loves us, or how anyone treats us that we are going to love as He says. We are going to love Him and all others with no concern if any return of our love. Our love is forgiving never judging.
Even if we spend 100 years and see no results, and it does not seem to be working we will stand even longer, not allowing what we see with our physical eyes or what our physical senses tell us to sway us one way or another.
Philippians 4
1. Therefore, my beloved and longed-for brethren, my joy and crown, so stand fast in the Lord, beloved.
So what keeps us from having and doing all we read above? First not having and being of the love of God. The way we can tell is whether or net we judge, and whether or not we forgive. If we do not judge and truly forgive we forget the transgression as well.
All who seek God, all of His righteousness and His kingdom will find it. All who ask for His help in hearing from Him and will stand daily listening to and for His voice in time will hear it. All who cast down anything that is not of God, taking the remaining into captivity to the obedience of Christ, while renewing their mind in His written word until they hear from Him, and are obedient to Him forgiving all, judging none, and loving all with Him first and foremost will do all that is stated above and more.
Other studies we have will teach you why we are to love and not be taught by mankind. Read Matthew 7:20-23 where Jesus condemns those who have done many wonderful works in His name; he tells them to depart and says they are workers of evil because He did not know them. Of course He knew of them, He just never actually knew them because they never took the time to know Him. Then in Matthew 7:13-15 He tells how most are on a path to destruction while few are on the path to life. In Mark 4:1-20 He tells how most will fall away due to different reasons and then Revelation 2-3 He states only one of seven churches are of Him. At the end of Revelation 3 He tells us that the problem is that are not listening to Him, not just reading His word, praying, and attending church. All of that does not matter if we do not have a relationship with Him first.
It is your choice. If you think we teach this to increase our numbers and to get more involved think about this–basically our teaching is that you go out, learn from Him, and teach others. From that we get no increase of any kind, but when I stand before God I will hear that I did not teach falsely and that I made a difference.