Those who trust in God will know the truth, and those who are faithful in love will remain with him. For grace and mercy dwells with his saints, and he saves his elect. (Wisdom of Solomon 3:2)
With these words, our almighty God encourages us. Only by trusting in God will we be able to follow the path of Jesus, our Savior and King, into the kingdom. In the coming years we need courage, confidence and deep faith. The LORD encouraged Joshua and the people of God, saying:
Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go. (Jos 1,9)
These words also apply to us. We, followers of Jesus Christ (Yeshua Ha Mashiah) also belong to this chosen people of God.
For a time like this
Our God has specially prepared this time and everything is going according to his time and construction plan. He created us for a time like this and made us ready to take the Kingdom of God with His help. Are you prepared enough? Have you spent time with God and read His Word?
Especially in the last few years, God has chosen and called people, trained them and prepared them to help and stand by other believers now. This is nothing new, because in the Bible we see again and again that the LORD gives special ability and provision to the chosen ones. Noah, for example, took a long time to build the ark; one even assumes 120 years. Queen Esther spent a year preparing for the coronation. (Esther 2:12) Moses was house taught for 40 years as an adopted son in the house of Pharaoh and after that he spent 40 years in the desert learning about the desert and how to feed and guide sheep. He also learned patience and perseverance. Joshua learned under Moses by following him everywhere, listening carefully and observing.
How can you be sure that you are preparing or have prepared enough for this time? As a believer in following Jesus Christ, spending time in God's presence is important. In this way, we learn to understand, hear, and obey His commands closely. In silence and adoration he communicates with us and we learn to follow his commissions, his commandments, his words exactly.
The intensive time with our God (Father, Son and Holy Spirit), which is often also known as desert time, is usually very exhausting and challenging. But on the other hand it is very encouraging and empowering. During this time we learn to understand God's voice, to interpret his images (visions and dreams), to take in the word and to trust him. We become more and more like Jesus, our brother and king. He is our example in everything. He leads us back to our heavenly and eternal Father and God.
We learn the truth. Jesus Christ, the Son of God, is the truth (John 14:6) If we faithfully follow His way; submitting us to his leadership, he will be our Savior and King, educating and guiding us - the just and the chosen - in love. He dwells in us in grace and mercy - we are his temple - and he leads us into the promised land, into the kingdom of God.
What do you think? Did you prepare intensively for this time?
What does preparation involve?
1. Following Jesus, baptism in water and in the Spirit
Jesus commissioned the disciples:
Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, Tteaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age. (Mt 28: 19-20)
It is important to turn to God, to repent and to accept Jesus Christ as your Savior, to believe in his crucifixion and resurrection and above all that he completely freed you from all guilt and sin through his sacrificial death.
Accept that only Jesus is the way, the truth and the life and only he can lead us to eternal life. (John 14:6). And we know that no one can come to God the Father unless he has accepted Jesus as his Savior and Redeemer (Joh 14:6) God YHWH (Hebr. יהוה), our Father, loves us so much that he gave his only begotten Son as a sacrificial lamb for us (Joh 3:16). Jesus suffered for our guilt, bled, was mocked, suffered and was crucified for us. Only through his death and resurrection have we been redeemed from Satan's slavery. Just as Moses led the Israelites out of slavery to Pharaoh, so Jesus now leads us out of bondage to Satan. Jesus leads us into the kingdom of God.
With baptism in water, which comes with a conscious decision to follow Jesus, we are washed clean of all our sins and immersed in new life under the Lordship of God. Our past selves (our ego) die and we are reborn as new people in Christ. We become a new creature.
Two of the main purposes of the baptism with the Holy Spirit are:
To receive power and 2) to become witnesses of Jesus.a" ... But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth." (Acts1,8)
The power of the Holy Spirit is not only to make us feel good, but to ENABLE us to be obedient, to obey the Lord's command to believers, to go into all the world and preach the gospel; be his witnesses. When a person receives the Holy Spirit, a river will flow out of him like a river of living water (see also John 4 - the woman at Jacob's well). We can draw and drink from the living water again and again; i.e. the infilling (anointing with) of the Holy Spirit is not just a one-off event, it must become a way of life.
With the baptism of the Holy Spirit we also receive the gifts of the Spirit (please click on the link) and grow in faith. One of the signs that we are filled with the Holy Spirit is that we speak in tongues or in other tongues, i.e. in a language unknown to us. When we pray in other tongues, we are praying in the perfect will of God. The Holy Spirit supports our prayer.
Summary
This was the first part of the preparation, but in the next posts I would like to go into the following topics. · Fellowship with God · Spiritual armor · Clothing · Food or supplies · Transportation · Become more like Jesus · Baptism with fire · Baptism in suffering
I am passing onGod's blessings on all paths.
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