Session 13 –Ask and you shall receive. This session will be a bit different and much longer. With this session you are entering your last week of the course. Looking back over previous sessions, do you believe you have a solid relationship with the Holy Spirit at this point, or do you feel you need to go back and start from session 8 again? Continue forward if you feel confidant or advance to the *** in the left margin if you have gone back and repeated sessions 8 – 12 … but please do not rush forward if you are not sure. Remember that everyone grows in grace and knowledge at a speed pre-set by God when He created you! This is not grade school. You need not feel bad or unworthy by taking a refresher, or two or ten! Knowing that you are diligently seeking His righteousness has its own rewards! You are being like the Bereans, studying to prove the word is true. No one is grading you. The journey so far has been about laying a foundation. Grade School lays the foundation for a lot of different subjects. This course is laying a foundation to a relationship that will last for eternity. What can be more important? Ask yourself, seriously, is your foundation solid? You are more than likely a bit overwhelmed by all of the supportive scripture. We want you to know that seeking God, learning how to see and hear Him in many ways is as important for you learn as they are for the work that God has planned for your future. Up until now, if you have been a typical Christian, most of your prayers, if you prayed at all, were occasionally over meals, sometimes at bed time, and almost always when you needed God to help you with a problem. We are not putting you down. We know that is how you were trained. We all were. This concept, this way of communicating with the Holy Spirit is not new. It has not been taught in this format before that is all. School teachers go to school, college, and university, to learn certain subjects and to learn how to teach those subjects in a school setting. You cannot teach a thing that was not taught to you. You are God’s child, being trained in the way you should go. When the course is over, and others are asking for someone to teach them, you will be equipped to point them to this foundational course. You will be able to say… “Here I am, send me”! (Read Isaiah 6:8) You are and will be blessed by taking this free course and will see the results when you can use ‘Mystery’ in every area of your life and be able to share your new knowledge with others (Read Matthew 28:18-20). God desires very much to be more than just your friend. Our relationship with God is the most personal relationship we can ever have. God is a jealous God; we are not to let anyone or anything comes between God and us. (Read 1 Timothy 2:5) “For there is one God, one Mediator, between God and men: Christ Jesus”. We are to be in Christ as Christ is in God, it is the Holy Spirit that unifies us together. God has given us His Holy Spirit to counsel, teach, and comfort us. Jesus said in (John 14:26) “But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you”. Through baptism the Holy Spirit is yours, residing in you, and your name is written in the Book of Life, unless you are an unrepentant sinner. Remember too that it is God’s will for you to ‘hearken’ unto Him. What are your motives for wanting this? Is it to draw closer to Him, to do his will, to be His ambassador? If you are absolutely certain you have no ulterior motives, are willing to comply when he calls you to action, and will put your id aside for the glory of God, be also sure that He will provide a way for you be renewed, to resist temptation, and be safe in His hands. (Now read 1 Corinthians 10:13 and 1 Corinthians 10:31). Ask Him to bless you in this endeavor to bring the results that will change your life into the reflection of Him, if it be His will. Unfortunately not everyone taking this course is doing so to draw closer to God. Some want to pick this course apart and are misguided by the wrong spirits. If this is you take a look at what James 4:2-3 has to say to you… ‘You desire but do not have, so you kill. You covet but you cannot get what you want, so you quarrel and fight. You do not have because you do not ask God. When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures’. However, for truth seeking Saints 1 John 5:14-15 has this to share: ‘This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask… we know that we have what we asked of Him. The catch there was twofold; ‘IF’ and ‘according to His will’. First we must actually ask for whatever it is that we want or need. He knows what we our need and will take care of those needs. (Read Philippians 4:19) Our wants on the other hand are another matter. In Matthew 6:31-33 we are instructed: So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear? For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well’. And in Psalm 14:2 ‘The LORD looks down from heaven on all mankind to see if there are any who understand, any who seek God’. Attending services regularly, tithing a part of your money, helping others, praying and witnessing are all wonderful… but are you really in a personal relationship with our creator, our Father? That is what this course is all about. You must live every moment of your life in the Spirit because that is what others will see and know; that your walk is real. That walk, that foundation, that relationship is what you are building here in this course. That is the ‘Mystery”! Pew warmers and heathens will never understand unless we share His love with them. Even though the Holy Spirit knows everything about you even before you have a thought or utter a word, there is something about the Holy Spirit you do not know. He sees you as God does, without a spot or wrinkle (Read Ephesians 5:25-27). You are a joint heir with Christ (Read Romans 8:16-17). You are clothed in Christ (Read Romans 13:14). Your sins have been washed away (Read Acts 22:16). Now you need to start living like it! Again we ask you, is your foundation firm? Do you believe you have a solid relationship with the Holy Spirit at this point, or do you feel you need to go back and start from session 8 again? *** Continue forward if you feel confidant or if you have gone back and repeated sessions 8 – 12 … but please do not rush forward if you are not sure. Knowing these things, it is now time to go a little deeper into the training. Before this course you probably have not had many if any times when the Holy Spirit spoke to you as a teacher in your everyday life as He did with the apostles, even Paul, but it is possible that you remember times when He has comforted or protected you. We know that He has many ways to help you. We will help you to fine tune your ‘Holy Spirit Antenna’, so to speak, so you may hearken unto God. Exercise 13 – Always repeat sessions 8 by asking God, in Jesus name, as you send love out to your thoughts, for the Holy Spirit to come freely to you each time you desire and for Him to share what He feels like. When you get that feeling ask a simple question or one of these: Father, in Jesus name, allow me to ask the Holy Spirit, what would He like to tell me now? Father, in Jesus name, allow me to ask the Holy Spirit, is there something I need to work on? Father, in Jesus name, allow me to ask the Holy Spirit, can you share with me about agape love? Then just sit back, wait, eyes closed, and listen. Be open to all the ways that the Holy Spirit may communicate with you. Linger there. Silently listen, feel, and smell, whatever comes into your thoughts. What do you hear, think, feel, or smell that could possibly be an answer to your question. Once you know in your heart of hearts that the Holy Spirit did answer you, rejoice with unrestricted love! Thank the Holy Spirit, thank the Lord, and praise Jesus. Allow this experience to consume you. To be filled with the love of the Holy Spirit is no small thing! As the feelings and emotions begin to fade open your eyes and give the Holy Spirit a big hug. If you asked to learn something, or work on something… then your work is cut out for you. Focus on that. Spend as much time as you can dedicating yourself to that matter. If you asked about agape love… think of as many ways that you personally can express that love to others, then act on it often! If you believe there was nothing imparted to you, wait. The Holy Spirit is not in a rush… in fact… at this point in your journey silence may be your answer. He could be telling you that He has nothing to tell you yet, or that you are not ready for what it is He wants to relate to you, or that agape love is so much more than words can relate. In that case we urge you to stop this session after about 10 minutes, get a drink of water, look at the clouds, walk around a few moments and then start over with this exercise. After three attempts stop for the day and work on this again, day after day, until you have a breakthrough. Some people take up to a week or so… for others it happens instantly. There is no perfect timing other than what is perfect for you. You may need to wait upon the Lord. You may need more time in loving prayer, thankful fellowship, and even quiet self-preparation. Sometimes the waiting makes the event even more than words can express. What effort you put into a thing is proportionate to what you will receive from it; pressed down, shaken together and running over! (Read Luke 6:38)
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Michael & Judy Peck Archives
February 2020
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