Category: Discipleship

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Discipleship Gifts Holy Spirit Learning Prayer Prophecy

Practice Using Your Spiritual Gifts

Actively Practice using Your Spiritual Gifts

A friend, who believes she has gifts as a prophetic seer and gifts of healing, asked some important questions. This may answer some of your questions, too. We need to practice using our Spiritual Gifts to we become more skillful; just like we need to practice playing an instrument even if you are gifted at music. Here’s our dialogue, lightly edited for clarity.

Q. Will be for Questioner, A. for Answerer.

Q. Will there be anything happening soon in my life?


A. Yes.


Q. Like?


A. You are learning to ask Jesus questions, and pay attention to Holy Spirit for answers.
As you learn to do this, and to act on what you learn, your life will transformed hugely.
This opens whole new worlds of doing and ministry for you.
And you will be adding even more love to your ministry. The generous, God kind of love: agape. As in 1 Corinthians 13.


Q. Amazing


A. When you minister and if someone experiences love, that is successful ministry! This is an important standard to learn.
As you learn and do this, your life transforms even more.
And sometimes you will see or learn that healing has happened (not all healing is instantaneous). You will learn to listen to Holy Spirit for how to love and how to minister; how to use your gifts more and better.
This changes everything!
And you can apply asking Jesus and paying attention to and learning to hear and see answers, and acting on them — then our Lord himself is tutoring you. Your Helper is your Teacher.
He is already in you.


Q. Amen 🙏


A. And you can ask for more of him in you. I find this makes hearing God much more practical and better. When I do this, I hear God so much more and more easily and better. Even though I don’t feel a thing – I can experience the difference, having asked for more of Holy Spirit.
And I can ask for Holy Spirit to be on me more. On me for ministry for others.
Holy Spirit can transform the atmosphere of where you are, the room you are in.
Ask how, and do as you are shown. It’s a wonderful thing to do – for yourself as well as others.


Q. I will


A. People will gradually learn that the atmosphere is better where you are. Some people will learn more quickly, others more slowly. Yet many will learn.
And this opens doors.
For more ministry.


A. People who come to my house report that the atmosphere is full of peace. That’s the Presence and Spirit of God doing that.


Q. Wow.


A. You will do this, also. You will transform the atmosphere of where you live and work. The Presence of God and Holy Spirit will transform the atmosphere of places you go. People will notice and be helped. Some even heal without your doing anything, as Holy Spirit ministers in the place where you are.
You get to be an active participant in all this!


Q. Glory to God!!
Interesting


A. You invite more of Holy Spirit. You are transformed, and Holy Spirit will do what Holy Spirit does in that place and with the people there.
Invite more of Holy Spirit. And receive with faith.
So simple; easy to forget to do. Yet Holy Spirit is literally our Helper. Your Helper.


Q. Got it


A. The same Helper that raised Jesus from the dead lives in you and will help you. Invite and call on and receive more of Holy Spirit.


Q. Ok


A. I find this stunning, I am amazed, and when I remember these things I want to call out to God in praise or even song. (Considering how much I love worship in silence, that’s amazing.)


A. And when you find a partner who will pray for you as you do these things or minister, ministry results will improve even more. And later, you can pray for them as they minister. And talk to each other about how it went. What you are learning. Encourage one another.
Jesus always sent out his disciples in pairs.
When I have no partner, I look for someone who will pray for me when asked. Then I have prayer support while ministering.
They and I can talk about it afterwards, what happened, what we’re learning. It can be exhilarating and joyous.
This is what I want for you; these very things.


Q. Oh how I want this for myself


A. Good!
This is what our Lord wants for you.


Q. God will send me some really special
A. Yes.
You can copy and paste from these notes into your prayer journal, or start one. Or other notes in a file or notebook.
Then start practicing these things and learn as you go. Learn as you ask your Helper to help you learn these things and to help you do these things.
And give you even better ideas, from Jesus. Who knows so much more than you or I.
Here’s an interesting principle, not well recognized: how much you seek God with your heart – is how much God will make himself known and present to you. And even more. He will always do the same or more, as you. (I think more; yet the more you do, the more he multiplies the grace he gives you.)
If he made himself totally known to us, our brains would fry.
So he is gentle and careful. And gives of himself in proportion to how much and how strongly you seek with your heart.

A. – The principle above is courtesy of Al Mack (Nor’west Prophetic).


Q. Amazing and wonderful!
.
A. Yes. So just practice. Look for people who need healing, ask how to heal them, and do as Jesus tells you through Holy Spirit. You will be ministering like Jesus, who only did what he heard and saw.

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Conversation with God Discipleship Hearing God Jesus's Communication Prayer

The Voice of Jesus Plays “Hide & Seek”

You hear the voice of Jesus. You may not always recognize that it’s his voice. Part of the maturing process is learning to hear his voice in more ways – and recognizing that it is his voice you are hearing. That may sound a bit odd. Let me explain.

Jesus says that his sheep hear his voice. That’s us: we hear him.

The paradox is that he speaks in many ways.

And we hear his voice. And we don’t always recognize that it is Jesus who is speaking to us. And there’s more.

The more we learn to hear his voice in more ways, the more often we know we are hearing him.

A result is that we recognize we are hearing Jesus more, and we discover he is already speaking to us in more ways and more often than we had previously realized.

We are learning to recognize our Appointed Lessons.

There’s more.

He continues to surprise us, as we learn not only to hear him, but to recognize that it is him talking to us – and talking to us in more and different ways.

It’s almost like a game: There’s more.

“Hide and Go Seek” – is Jesus playing with us this way? Hiding and challenging us to find him?

Yes!!

Jesus speaks to us in a stream of surprises. His answers often surprise us. His methods of speaking and answering us often surprise us.

We are being drawn in to look and listen in more and more ways, more and more deeply. And our relationship with God is always deepening.

Always becoming…something more.

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Calling Discipleship Gifts Hearing God

Your Gifts and Calling

Where is your sphere of influence, your “metron”? It’s probably larger than you have noticed or expect. Good idea is to do a review of this and ask some good friends you trust.

Who is called to receive through you? Who makes you seem smarter? Who receives well through you – probably one or more people-groups, different kinds of people.

Who are you called to serve? Gifted to serve? Who receives really well through you? Who is smarter when you are with them?

What do people tell you that you are gifted at? (Many of us have a habit of not taking such things told to us seriously. So you can do a careful review of this, too.)

What sorts of people do you love being around? You may have similar gifts and callings or you may have ones that compliment and complete or help balance the gifts of those you serve.

What do you have energy to do? And who do you have energy to do such things with, or for?

I encourage you to experiment and explore. Make mistakes, great ones that you can learn a lot from. 

Let your audience teach you what they need that you offer. And what they want. (Wants and needs do not always overlap.)

I encourage you to review and learn from your mistakes. Especially your big ones. Painful ones. Mistakes you don’t even want to think about. Learn enough through these, and your life will change in wonderful ways.

I’d love to hear from you. And to learn what else you want or need. What I’m missing here and not saying that could be helpful. Any thoughts, ideas or musings that you will share.  

Thanks!

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Discipleship Intercession Key Article Kingdom of God Ministry Prayer

Ministry Size & Fame

Public Ministry is Like Being on a Stage

Most of us are called to minister in our sphere of influence. There is a deep satisfaction to ministering where we are to people we can touch with the Kingdom of God.

This is a safe place to practice, learn, and minister in. Your ego will be tempted far less than in some other spheres. It’s a good idea to start where you are, and to follow Holy Spirit as in Galatians 5. The Fruit is good!

I notice that when I minister in my sphere of influence, Holy Spirit often noticeably helps. I feel safe, secure, helpful. Inspired. Temptations of my ego and flesh are minimal. Holy Spirit moves.

Please notice for yourself what it is like for you when you minister in your sphere of influence.

Then there is the Normal Christian Pattern of Ministry Growth. That Jesus taught, his disciples followed, and ministry and church growth – Kingdom of God spreading – was rapid and overcame the Roman Empire. (Until Constantine when they started using expensive buildings and stopped Christians from ministering and turned most of them into passive participants. That’s another story.)

Jesus sent disciples out in pairs. See Mathew 10 & Luke 10. Go. Go minister. Jesus even gives directions on how to do this without money or buildings. Sent people go out in pairs. Take little with them. Depend on resources to live from where they stay, in houses of peace. Ministering to the people who know and are in contact with a house of peace is easy. As healing happens, as people are set free, you become busy.

Be not burdened with seeking fame, money, or expensive buildings that eat up resources for ministry. Follow the pattern in the Gospels. Share the Good News of the Kingdom. Heal the sick. Free the bound. Some people will be eager to learn more: make disciples, of all sorts of people. Disciples that meet together are the start of an ecclesia – often translated as church.

(A church is a gathering of believers, not an expensive building.)

Doing these things will cause increasing numbers of people being ministered to, healed and set free. You will become busy as word gets out – the need is great and there are many in great need. Disciples who plant ecclesias will multiply, and multiply, and the numbers can become amazing before too long.

This is a simple and powerful pattern that Jesus demonstrated, taught, and that his Disciples followed. This pattern still works today.

A few are called – a few – to larger and more public ministry. These are few, and the traps and dangers are many: various temptations. Big expenses and big egos are rampant. Selling the current culture of entertainment works, and becomes part of ministries – too often without Holy Spirit. Tricks of theater can become ineffective substitutes for Holy Spirit, as can enlarged egos of people who seek fame.

Theater skills and lessons can be used well in ministry. Some do this on a full time basis, some part of the time. Too many are distracted by worldly fame and worldly methods – this is not a path that is safe or good for everyone! Take care. Follow Holy Spirit, always; and you will be doing well. For Jesus sends us Holy Spirit for such reasons as these.


The most successful ministers and ministries have intercessors – before, during and after ministry. (This is true whether ministry be large or small; is part of the the Normal Pattern of Ministry Growth that Jesus gave us. Jesus sent people out in pairs. One prays while the other ministers, I was taught early on – and this works amazingly well.)

Teams of intercessors leads to more effective and powerful ministries.

Best is to always minister where God calls you to minister. If you are not clear, ask for more of Holy Spirit. Then ask for where you are to minister. Usually you will not be given a grand plan or a grand assignment. Usually you will be given a single step to follow and do, where you will learn what you need for future next steps.

You will make mistakes and run into obstacles. Holy Spirit will show you what’s next, as you continue to learn. We love our successes and learn most from our failures. After five or six good failures, your ministry will likely be taking off.

You may become famous or have acclaim. If this is for the glory of God, you and your ego and flesh may be safe from temptation.

Seek first the praise of God.

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Discipleship Gospel Heaven Jesus

Experience a bit of Heaven – Now!

Experience what heaven is like, now. You can do this.

It has been explained to me that the essence of heaven is being face to face with God. Even more near God and God more fully present to us than we have experienced yet here on earth. (Sounds to me like more close than we could experience here and live.)

And yet, we can experience more of our Lord. Being with us and near us; which is the start of how Jesus preaches the Gospel of the Kingdom: the Kingdom is at hand (literally within reach).

We can experience more of this now. By faith.

Let us take seriously such promises, and seek to experience more of them now.

When the New Heaven and New Earth come about, God will literally be our Light, all the time. This is how close we will be: our Light and ability to see is from our Lord. On a daily basis, regularly.

This means that as we go about our business, doing what we do…God is our Light. God is experienced more vividly by us.

So when we read such things as this in the book of Revelation, let us take it seriously; meditate on such verses. Appropriate them and know them as true, by faith.

Then, in such faith, you will experience more of God – even during ordinary life and events. While you are busy and doing things, God is our Light in the New Heaven and New Earth.

Know the truth of this now. And in your heart, with such faith, even to just understand a little bit, such verses and such promises, you will find yourself experiencing some of this – more than has been normal for you.

On earth, these days, when we get busy we get distracted, usually, from thoughts, experience and realization of the reality of God and the Kingdom. In the New Heaven and New Earth, God is the center and literally our Light. We can have awareness of God at all times.

Begin to experience this now, with faith. How wonderful and unusual, experiencing God as close and as our Light even as we go about our business.

Such is the Kingdom of God, for us. Appropriate and receive and experience this in your heart now, with faith, simply by taking his Word seriously. With faith.

And your heart will know and experience the Light of God always with you now….

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Discipleship Father Holy Spirit Jesus Key Article Purpose

Your Purpose in Life

Jesus Sitting on a Mountain by the Sea of Galilee Matthew 15:29

You have a Purpose in Life.

Father always knew what is is. Jesus knows what it is. Holy Spirit can help you find out.

You can discover your Purpose in Life. You can have such clarity. You can have certainty. Suddenly, many things become clear.

It is simple. Oh, so very simple. And not always easy!

I will tell you what it is, your Purpose in Life. Yet, you will, at best, need your own revelation from God. Then you will understand your Purpose in greater depth. And probably in a way different than I put it, though this way is certainly correct and true.

So be prepared to Ask Jesus, and listen to and listen for what Holy Spirit shows or tells you. Or what thoughts or feelings or memories come to mind. Remember, God’s first language is not English. So be alert and pay sharp attention, notice what you experience. Ask for greater clarity.

Ask, seek, and take actions, such as knocking at a door. (See Mt. 7:7-8)

Your Purpose grows out of being a sincere disciple. A disciple is someone who takes action and does what they are shown. They learn to do what their teacher demonstrates and shows and tells about and teaches.

Your Master and master teacher is Jesus. You are, I certainly hope, a disciple; if you are not sure – please pray and ask for forgiveness and make a new and deeper decision to learn to be a good disciple.

So you can grow into the character and ministry of Jesus (start with the Fruit of the Spirit, see Gal. 5; and go on to the Gifts of the Spirit so you can minister more like Jesus does, see 1 Cor. 12).

Your Purpose in Life is to learn and grow into being more like Jesus. Having the character and ministry of Jesus, becoming more and more like Jesus. In how you are, who you are, and in what you do. Express more and more of Jesus in your life.

And you get to these things with your own unique gifts and abilities – all given by God. You get to do this in your own way, learning from others, yes – but being your unique self in your own sphere of influence.

I encourage you to pray, to ask, seek and yes, to knock – and let Holy Spirit impart a revelation to you of this, a revelation Father saw for you from before time, let Jesus model and teach you through scriptures and in your life, and Holy Spirit will give you access to the character and ministry of Jesus in your own time and place and in your own unique way.

“But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.” (2 Cor. 3:18, NKJV)

Pause in the Presence of God.

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Discipleship Healing Holy Spirit Jesus Joy Kingdom of God Ministry Presence of God

New Person – New in Christ, Heals Easily

New Person – New in Christ, Heals Easily. aaron-burden-lW79kLuvl8E-unsplash

You are fully restored, in Jesus Christ, when you are born again.

Your New Person, New in Christ, Heals Easily.

So…you can heal easily. Just being restored to who you really are, in Jesus.

So…you can heal others and minister to their needs, easily, because of who you already are, in Jesus.

Your New Person, in Jesus Christ, has no wounds or injuries.

Your New Person, in Jesus Christ, follows Holy Spirit, is full of Holy Spirit, and ministers powerfully, effectively and easily.

Your New Person – is the preferred way to be living.

Your New Person – is the preferred way to minister.

This is simple. Easy, when you are doing it – hard when you are not living out of your New Person.

Why would you live any other way?

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Calling Conversation with God Discipleship Father Holy Spirit Jesus Trinity

Greeting Members of Trinity

Prague – The baroque painting of Holy Trinity in church kostel Svatého Tomáše by Karel Škréta (1610 – 1674).

In the morning, you can say, “Good morning, Father. And pause. Good morning, Jesus. And pause. Good morning, Holy Spirit. Pause.

When you do this, you can feel the difference. And you are in touch with a Holy Community, a Community of the Three Persons of the Trinity: (One) God.

God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. Each a different person, yet each fully and completely God. A mystery….

Throughout the day and evening, you can greet the members of the Trinity, one at a time. Pausing each time.

When you pause, you can often feel or otherwise notice a response. Stay with that. No need to rush!

When you go to sleep, say, “Goodnight…” to each of the three members of this Holy Community of Oneness — three Persons, One God.

Expect to sleep more easily and well. I do. I believe you can, too.

Pause after each time you speak. Notice and feel the response; notice how you are being made different.

This is your genuine family. In this family, I am a brother of yours. You have many sisters, many brothers, in Christ. All connected to our genuine family, the Trinity.

Greet each other. Pause, listen, look and feel. Notice what you experience, and how you are different.

Keep doing this and you will notice transformation taking place. Others will notice, too, “18 And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord,[a] are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another.[b] For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.” 2 Corinthians 3:18, ESV

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Create Discipleship Faith Getting Help Hearing God Holy Spirit Intercession Joy Prayer Purpose

Intention & Intuition

Intuition reveals what or how, intention helps you accomplish your target

Here’s an interesting and fun way to look at Intention & Intuition.

From the point of view of how we humans experience things, intention and intuition are the same thing, but going in different directions. Let me explain. And try to put this into words.

Especially when experienced as the Still Small Voice of God, we experience deep intuition as something that comes into us from outside. We receive it on the inside, but it doesn’t really come from us.

We experience intention as something inside us with which we want to use to change the world outside of us.

Intuition comes from outside of us into the deep center of us, often transforming us. Intention goes out through our deep center into the world outside of us, changing the world.

(I’m trying to put into words things that are far deeper than words. Not everyone will describe these experiences the same way.)

Intuition is heard or experienced through our Still Center, a place of stillness that feels like the very center of our being. This is where we experience the Small Still Voice of God. We experience intuition as coming from outside of us into the inside.

Intention is felt or experienced through our Still Center, as something that is already inside of us and with which we intend to affect the universe outside of us. We experience intention ad coming from the inside of us and going out into the world.

It’s an odd and unusual thought, but intuition and intention have far more in common than has been recognized. They might even be the same thing, just coming from and going to opposite directions.

In terms of how humans experience two-way conversation with God, intuition is vital for hearing from God. Praying in the Spirit may be related to intention. I have often prayed with intention, especially after hearing from God.

Hearing from God and praying to God seems very much related to intuition and intention, at least sometimes.

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Discipleship Discipleship, Getting Help Faith Worship

Rest, Resting – Made Easy

Rest in in the Arms of Jesus

The art of resting in Jesus is important and appealing; yet some of us find this harder to do than expected.

We are so used to doing things, being active, being busy – the reality of just resting in Jesus Christ is hard for many of us. Some of us wonder, “What are we supposed to do while resting?”

And it can a jolt when you suddenly shift or transform your way of being.

Yet worship is simple. Awe quiets us down automatically.

And there is a simple solution that Jesus gives us; it’s easy to do and powerfully effective. Based on Matthew 11:29:

NASB: “Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and YOU WILL FIND REST FOR YOUR SOULS.”

Choose: decide to be gentle. Humble of heart. Doing this is wonderfully easy and simple. Very quieting. Don’t let pride get in the way. Give up the burden. And find rest for your soul.

Yoke with Jesus, who is stronger and who can carry more – let him help you carry your burden. This is a relationship, not a problem.

This sounds simple – yet this is powerful and effective. Act on this and do it. If you need help to do this, just sincerely ask Holy Spirit, your Helper, to help you. Please!