Born through water and the Spirit

“In all truth I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God without being born through water and the Spirit. What is born of human nature is human; what is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not be surprised when I say: You must be born from above. The wind blows where it pleases; you can hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is of everyone who is born of the Spirit.” (John 3: 5-8)
We are born of water and the Spirit when we are baptized and confirmed in the Spirit. This is the first necessary step. When we allow the indwelling Spirit to control our thoughts, words and deeds, we come to taste and see that the Lord is good. The indwelling Spirit is a most welcomed Guest in our soul. He provides us with inspiration and power. I experience His constant guidance in my work of graphic design. Frankly I do not know what I would do without Him. He is the always present and infallible Guide. When I call, He answers. Thank you O Most Holy Spirit.

Jesus Christ is my prosperity

"Blessed is the man who delights in the law of the Lord.......Whatever he does, he prospers." (Psalm 1)

When I read the above again this morning, I asked myself the point blank question: Do I feel prosperity in whatever I do? By the way, what is prosperity? The Merriam Webster Dictionary defines prosperity as "the condition of being successful or thriving ; esp.: economic well-being." In other words, prosperity and success are one and the same thing. God's word which is true tells us that Jesus Christ is our peace, that is, our shalom. Shalom is the sum total of prosperity and success. I now see clearly that Jesus Christ is my prosperity, my security, my stability and my success. Not in the way the world calculates but in the way the word of God teaches.
• My own peace I give to you.
• Seek for genuine riches.
Gather treasures that last.

The testimony of John the Baptist

“And John declared, ‘I saw the Spirit come down on him like a dove from heaven and rest on him. I did not know him myself, but he who sent me to baptize with water had said to me, ‘The man on whom you see the Spirit come down and rest is the One who is to baptize with the Holy Spirit. I have seen and I testify that he is the Chosen One of God.” (John 1: 32 – 34)
This is John’s testimony. What is mine?
“I have chosen you from the world to go and bear fruit that will last.” (John 15: 16, 19)
“I will bear a witness to you in the world, O Lord. I will spread the knowledge of your name among my brothers, alleluia.” (Psalm 17: 50; 21: 23)

Keep on asking

“And so I tell you, keep on asking, and you will be given what you ask for…….. You fathers – if your children ask for a fish, do you give them a snake instead?.....If you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him.” (Luke 11: 9-13) – New Living Translation
On how to pray, Jesus tells us above to ask and keep on asking. How do we know when to stop asking since we know from experience that not every request is granted? It is easy to know when to stop, when we are completely detached as to the outcome of our desire. This is not something that is easy to do for most of us. When you believe that you know more than God what you need, it becomes impossible to let Him decide when to grant the desire, how to grant the longing and if to grant the desire at all. The cardinal rule of effective prayer is to align our desires to the mind of God. If we do this, we become totally detached as to the outcome of our desire. When we become truly children, God become a Father to us.
We stop asking for the object when the desire for that object is taken away from you. When we rest in the arms of God like a weaned child in its mother’s arms, God knows the perfect time to take away that toy that we cling to so jealously.

Anointing Produces Abundant Harvest

“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, for he has appointed me to preach Good News to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim that captives will be released, that the blind will see, that the downtrodden will be freed from their oppressors, and that the time of the Lord’s favor has come.” (Luke 4: 18)
The Spirit of the Lord anointed Jesus to:
• Proclaim Good News to the poor
• Proclaim liberty to captives
• Make the blind see
• Free the downtrodden from the grasp of their oppressors
Where the Spirit of the Lord anoints, there is abundant harvest.