John 14:15-17  –  “If you love me, you will obey my commandments.  ¹⁶ Then I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate to be with you forever— ¹⁷ the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot accept, because it does not see him or know him.  But you know him, because he resides with you and will be in you.”

As I read, prayed, and pondered the Word of God today, several things gripped my heart.  One was having an incomplete provision from God.  What am I talking about?   Many things, actually.   But one in particular ties them all together.

Would you think it is normal or desirable to attend a banquet where the host serves some guests with meat but provides others with silverware and some with none?   Would you consider it normal for a trucking company to fill some trucks with gas but not others, and yet expect all the drivers to reach their destinations?

Would you consider it normal for a parent to give their children an assignment but only provide some of them with the necessary tools to complete the task?   Say it was a garden, and some were given hoes, and some were given hoe handles, but no hoes or handles?

John 14:16-17, Jesus said that one of the results of His ascension was the coming of the Holy Spirit in fullness to equip, teach, empower, and guide.  In verse 17, He makes an interesting statement, “He (Holy Spirit) abides WITH you and will be IN you.”

There is a dimension of the Holy Spirit received at salvation.  We are born of the Spirit.   However, there is more, as revealed in the teachings of Jesus and the New Testament.   Several significant events occurred when Jesus ascended to the Father.   It testified that the sacrifice was accepted and sin atoned for.   It opened the door for man to become sons of God.   Also, it released the Holy Spirit to come and fulfill THE PROMISE of the Father.

The outpouring in Acts 2 revealed that the sacrifice had been accepted and divine justice had been satisfied.   The Father sent the Holy Spirit to be IN them and, as Peter then preached to all who would come later.

The Holy Spirit, in His fullness and ministry, enables us to transcend the limitations of the natural and talk to God in the language of heaven.  That enables us to receive divine downloads not possible via natural ability.  He has direct and unlimited access to the throne room of heaven, and we can enter through Him in the language of heaven.  Also, tongues expand our capacity to receive from God.

If we have God’s infilling but not complete, shouldn’t we ask why?  Does that serve God’s purpose?  Is it God withholding or us resisting in some way?

The love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Spirit.  In John 13:34-35, Jesus said He was giving a new commandment to love.  New?  Love was not new, but to love just as He loved was.  We need the fullness of the Holy Spirit to fulfill God’s purposes on earth.  Don’t be satisfied with a banquet without silverware, a truck with no gas, or a hoe handle without a hoe.

God wants us to be saturated with Him!   Abide in Him!   One with Him!  Who knows the mind of the Father better than the Holy Spirit?  God, give us All of You!  All your provisions!  Search me, prune me, equip me.  I want to be totally one with you!  I surrender all.

May your day be full of the provisions of God!

Job 32:20 – “Let me speak that I may get relief.”

As I read, prayed, and considered the Word of God today, two words resonated deeply within me.  Surrender and Self.   Surrender can never be fully known as long as the self reigns in the heart.  A sign of the reign of self is self-righteousness.

When Elihu, the fourth man in Job’s ordeal, reveals his true heart, we see this.  Job 32:20 – “Let me speak that I may get relief.”   Sometimes, our words of judgment, criticism of others, and trying to be corrective are more about us than truth or restoration.   Self is being elevated – “I am right!”

In Job 33:3, he further reveals this: “My words are from the uprightness of my heart, and my lips speak knowledge sincerely.” Surrender seeks to cover (not hide or justify sin) and restore, not condemn, and judge.  The woman in John 8 is a prime example.

Adultery is wrong!   Self-righteousness set up the scene.  The woman, not the man, was brought to Jesus.  She did not commit adultery by herself.   The desire to elevate self-produced this scene.  

Jesus exposed the motives by saying, “He who is without sin, throw the first stone.” Some translators suggest that His words conveyed the thought (without the same sin).   Since adultery is both an act and a thought, according to Jesus, that could be the meaning.  Self-justification never seeks surrender and restoration.  It seeks to elevate self – “Look at me, see how right I am!”

In John 8:31-36, Jesus provides the answer to the self.   Surrender to Him. Abiding in Him is the key.  Abiding is not hiding.  Abiding is becoming one with Him.  Abiding opens the floodgate of revelation.  Abiding unblocks the river that is within.  Abiding crucifies the flesh and relegates self to the bottom.   If we want His fullness, we have to experience our emptiness.

Lord, help us to surrender our entire selves to You!

Job 22:23-25 – “If you return to the Almighty, you will be built up; if you remove wicked behavior far from your tent, ²⁴ and throw your  gold in the dust—your gold of Ophir among the rocks in the ravines—²⁵ then the Almighty himself will be your gold, and the choicest silver for you.”

As I read, prayed, and meditated on the Word of God today, the process of growing into the promise, filled my heart.   

In Job 22, Eliphaz was attempting to correct Job and point out Job’s sins.  He offered a truth that was rooted in a misguided premise, yet it was still a truth.  In vv.  23-30, he declares that if we turn back to God, we will be restored.  That is the truth!  If we reject unrighteousness and put our confidence in God, He becomes our sustainer.  He made an interesting statement in v.25 that God will become our gold.  God will become priceless!

In John’s Gospel, during the encounter with the woman at the well, Jesus said in John 4:34, “My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me and to finish His work.” I see the connection to Job’s statement.  If our passion becomes pursuing His purpose, God satisfies us completely and becomes our source (like gold).

John the Baptist used a Law of Physics to explain this truth: “He must increase, but I must decrease.”  Until we empty ourselves of self, we cannot be filled with Him.  As we are filled with Him, He becomes our gold!  Our lives become a testimony of Him, and the kingdom is manifested.

As we become the sons and daughters of God, sin is defeated, disease is destroyed, and lack is blocked.  We are being transformed, and if we proceed in the process, we will possess the promise!  If we possess the promise, we will see the power flow out of purity and reach our potential.

He must increase in importance to us for us to decrease and empty ourselves of all that hinders.  The emptier we become, the more full we are!  The question is, what is our passion?  Whatever we treasure holds our hearts.  What holds our hearts determines our destiny.

Lord, help us to empty out of ourselves so we can be filled with You!

Job 14:1 – “Man, who is born of woman, is short-lived and full of turmoil.”

As I read, prayed, and mused on the Word of God today, the thought of the revelation of Christ filled my consciousness.    The Revelation of Christ?  Yes, when we see Him in His fullness, we are liberated and empowered.

Job made a declaration that seemed fatalistic in Job 14:1 – “Man, who is born of woman, is short-lived and full of turmoil.”   His view of life, in the midst of unimaginable difficulty, was – “Life is short and hard.”  There is not much wiggle room there.   It sounds fatalistic, but upon reading the entirety of Job’s discourse, we see something inspiring.

Life is hard, but in Job 13:15, we see a commitment and understanding that surpasses his comforters and fleshly thinking.   I will trust God and refuse to buy into the fleshly philosophy that all bad things that happen to us are punishment.

Later, Job declared, “I know my Redeemer lives (The Living God) AND in my flesh (Resurrected Body).  I will see God!”   A Revelation of Christ enables us to endure all storms.  It inspires Hope.  It gives Peace.  It Empowers.

If we SEE the fullness of the Cross, life in the flesh (though difficult) is livable.  As I muse on the Revelation of Jesus, eternity fills my heart, and the reality that He is ALL I NEED!

I believe it would be better said, “Having Him enables me to tap into all that is needed to be all He said I am.  I can love, believe, receive, give, and live His life while in the flesh!  Love unconditionally and forgive without reservation, just as He does!”   Why?   Christ, the Living LORD, lives in me and through me.  Because He lives, I live!

Lord, help us to live every moment of every hour of every day to the fullest!

Luke 19:24-26 – “And he said to his attendants, ‘Take the mina from him, and give it to the one who has ten.’ ²⁵ But they said to him, ‘Sir, he has ten minas already!’ ²⁶ ‘I tell you that everyone who has will be given more, but from the one who does not have, even what he has will be taken away.”

As I read, prayed, and pondered the Word of God today, I heard an old saying connected to a passage in Luke’s Gospel – “Use it or lose it.”  That comes from Luke 19 in the story of the ten minas.

Faith unused is theory and produces man-made doctrines and lifestyles that are form, not substance.

In Job 1, the devil accused God of placing a Hedge about Job to protect him.  God did not deny it.   Then, in Job 3:23, Job referred to God’s hedge as a restraint.  How we progress is contingent upon our vantage point.  If we see things as restrictions, we won’t use our gifts, and if we don’t use what we have, we go backward (lose it because we don’t use it).

The older brother in Luke 15 is an example.  He was in the house.  He was the rightful heir of all his father possessed, but he failed to access what was available.  He lost out on blessings because he failed to use them.  Use it or lose it.

Authority is ours by decree of Jesus and through the New Birth.  If we fail to use it, the demonic hordes run rampant.  In that sense, we lose our authority.  Use it or lose it.

Luke 19:26 – “I tell you that to everyone who has, more shall be given, but from the one who does not have, even what he has shall be taken away.” USE IT OR LOSE IT!

Consider the natural aspect, regarding proficiency.  We gain more proficiency by regular use and practice.  We lose proficiency by not using it.  In everything, USE IT OR LOSE IT!   Let us utilize what God has provided and bring the past into the present!   The kingdom, according to Luke 18:21, is in our midst because it is IN us.   Kingdom Authority must be exercised to be maintained.  Use it or lose it!

Lord, help us to use what You have given us and become better equipped and more proficient!