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Equipping the Saints – Lesson 4 – Job Description
In this lesson, we will explore the characteristics, abilities, qualifications, duties and responsibilities of a fully equipped saint. We will use a familiar format that everyone understands: job description. Job descriptions and resumes are fundamental in the professional world. They're like the building blocks of our careers, guiding us in our roles and helping us present our skills and experiences effectively.
A job description is a written statement that outlines the essential duties, responsibilities, qualifications, and expectations for a specific role within an organization. It serves as a guide for both employers and employees, providing clarity on what is expected from someone in that position.
Applying for the Job
We have a habit of thinking God will accept anything. When in fact He is the first employer to set requirements of what He expects of His employees, or as we term it, Saints. God gave Adam and Eve a job description of tend the garden and keep it. He gave him a list of what was acceptable as on the job behavior and what the termination policy was. As we know Adam and Eve failed their first evaluation and were fired on the spot. Their termination has affected all of us since that time.
Genesis 2:15-17 (NKJV) 15 Then the LORD God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to tend and keep it. 16 And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, “Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; 17 but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.”
As we read through the Bible, we find many more job roles defined and the job seekers failing or succeeding the tasks at hand. So, why do we get to the year 2025 and suddenly expect God to lower His standards and decrease His requirements? He hasn’t and He won’t. God never changes. In fact, time is a requirement of change. For a thing to change it must be one way at this time, then a different way at that time. God doesn’t have time. God is time. He is from everlasting to everlasting and in that there is no place for anything to change because there is no time. God can’t lie. Whatever He says comes to pass. So, at any point, if He said it, it would then be. Therefore, it is impossible for God to lie.
The point of all of this is that if God required a thing 6000 years ago then He still requires it. What about Grace you say? What God called sin 6000 years ago He still calls sin. However, 2000 years ago God robed Himself in flesh, then humbled Himself to present that flesh to the will of man. Who proceeded to beat Him beyond recognition and crucified Him on a cross. From that humiliation God made a way for our sins to be covered and forgiven.
The fact we had sin did not change. The fact we had a way to cover those sins with the blood of Jesus was now possible. Grace and Mercy were also applied. However, we need to pay very close attention to the fact that God had a master plan that He drew up personally before the foundation of the world and He will fulfill that master plan with or without you. God offered us a way of escape, but we must choose to take a hold of that lifeline. If we decide to make up our own way out, He will let you do that, because it is your choice.
Revelation 13:8 (NKJV) 8 All who dwell on the earth will worship him, whose names have not been written in the Book of Life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.
We now have grace and mercy applied to our lives if we choose to. However, grace and mercy are not a free ticket to continue in your sin. Continuing to commit that sin is spitting on grace and mercy. When we choose to commit the same sin over and over it then becomes iniquity. Iniquity is doing your own thing your own way. When sin becomes iniquity, you have made another choice, the choice to be your own God.
Ezekiel 28:15 (NKJV) 15 You were perfect in your ways from the day you were created, Till iniquity was found in you.
Iniquity was the reason Satan was cast out of heaven before the world was formed. Satan, whose job it was to stand in front of God and reflect His glory, was forever kicked out of heaven, with no hope of repentance or forgiveness. Satan was perfect until iniquity was found in him. What makes you think God will look the other way when you decide to be your own God, make your own decisions, and live your way? He won’t and all those who choose iniquity as their path will spend eternity in hell with Satan asking him why he was so stupid.
With all of this in mind, God does have expectations of His saints. Since God has these requirements, it is only fair that He give us a full list, in detail, of what those expectations are. He did. It is plainly spelled out in His Word, what He requires in His bride.
Matthew 20:15-16 (NKJV) 15 Is it not lawful for me to do what I wish with my own things? Or is your eye evil because I am good?’ 16 So the last will be first, and the first last. For many are called, but few chosen.”
Key Components
The following is a brief list of the key components of a saints job description. This specific job description is for the highest role on earth. Saint. There has never been a more highly paid job with more retirement benefits. The hardest part of applying for this job is that everyone on earth wants the same job. However, most are not willing to meet the requirements. Some still think He doesn’t have requirements, and they think they already have the job. When pay day comes, they will be sadly mistaken.
Since so many people are applying for this job, you need to understand that those chosen will be the best of the best. Not because they have more or better skills but because they are willing to let the boss dictate exactly how they will live their lives. They are willing to pass full control over and become a conduit for the bosses will to flow through them to work toward completing His master plan. The job title is saint.
Key components of a job description include:
Job Title: The official name of the position.
Summary: A brief overview of the role and its primary purpose.
Duties and Responsibilities: Detailed list of tasks and responsibilities associated with the role.
Qualifications: Required education, experience, skills, and certifications.
Work Environment: Description of the work setting and any physical demands.
Reporting Structure: Who the position reports to and any supervisory responsibilities.
Compensation and Benefits: Information on salary, bonuses, and benefits (sometimes included).
Company Information: Brief description of the organization and its culture (optional).
Creating a clear and detailed job description helps attract the right candidates, sets expectations, and ensures a better match between the job and the employee.
The job title is saint. With the church system we have today there are many different titles for the position those in the church have taken on. We have apostles, prophets, evangelists, and teachers then we add to the list preachers and bishops. Some add assistant pastors, youth leaders, music ministry, men ministry, and the list goes on and on.
Ephesians 4:11-16 (NKJV) 11 And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers,
The most important point, in all of these positions, is that they have to fulfill the job qualifications of saint first. They are all just saints. In today’s world we need to put a title on things. Our pride demands that we be respected for all our gifts, callings, and all the things we have worked so hard to achieve. Therefore, we must be addressed by our proper title. Such as doctors or judges or those with a PHD, or military generals. God doesn’t agree with that.
Matthew 23:4-12 (NKJV) 4 For they bind heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on men’s shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers. 5 But all their works they do to be seen by men. They make their phylacteries broad and enlarge the borders of their garments. 6 They love the best places at feasts, the best seats in the synagogues, 7 greetings in the marketplaces, and to be called by men, ‘Rabbi, Rabbi.’ 8 But you, do not be called ‘Rabbi’; for One is your Teacher, the Christ, and you are all brethren. 9 Do not call anyone on earth your father; for One is your Father, He who is in heaven. 10 And do not be called teachers; for One is your Teacher, the Christ. 11 But he who is greatest among you shall be your servant. 12 And whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.
Rabbi means my master. No human on earth is to be our master. Father means the one who gave you life. In this case it would be against the Catholic tradition of calling their priest father, not against you calling your dad, father. A teacher is meant here to be the guide for your life. Only Christ is to be our guide for how we live, where we go, and what we do. No human will ever be qualified to fulfill any of these positions.
For the job role of saint, God will use whoever is willing to make themselves available at the right time in the right place. Your pedigree doesn’t count for anything. God can use a nasty scumbag from the gutters if that person is willing to be used. Then you have to consider that God using that scumbag doesn’t stamp him as something wonderful that we should all strive to be like.
God using him doesn’t mark him as a saint or even sin free. Our lack of sin or worthiness doesn’t pre-qualify us for God’s use. Which by the way you will never be worthy and the fact we are sinless was due to His blood not some accomplishment we managed on our own. You could be the worst of low-down sinners but be willing for God to use you to heal this person’s blinded eyes. We have a tendency to think because God used us for something He approves of us. You need to get that out of your head. God is going to put His plans into action, and He will use any willing vessel He can find. Be that a donkey, a whale, a chicken, a worm, or you. Never limit God. He can use whoever He wants, whenever He wants, and God is no respecter of persons.
Take heed to yourselves that the intent of your heart is not looking for the approval of men. Are you working to get a greater title? Are your efforts focused on getting attention, fame and fortune in this world or in the world to come? Are you seeking to please God or are you trying to get others to think your life is pleasing to God? Motive is everything. The one we are trying to please is our God.
Deuteronomy 11:16-17 (NKJV) 16 Take heed to yourselves, lest your heart be deceived, and you turn aside and serve other gods and worship them, 17 lest the LORD’s anger be aroused against you, and He shut up the heavens so that there be no rain, and the land yield no produce, and you perish quickly from the good land which the LORD is giving you.
When it comes down to the bottom line, the only title that matters is "saint" in God’s eyes. This is the most important and necessary recognition.
Summary
In a job description the summary is a brief overview of the role and its primary purpose. This does get a bit confusing because we already established the fact that God can use anyone, at any time, to satisfy the need at hand. So, what are saints striving to achieve? God uses His saints to act in His authority. To do things on His behalf. To spread His love. To deliver His message. To achieve His goals.
Anybody can be used by God, but God doesn’t pick those who are still too immature to listen to His voice to carry out His plans. If you are cooking a gourmet meal you aren’t going to hand the spoon over to a 6 year old. You would only trust a sous-chef who had hours in the kitchen and experience with all kinds of dishes they had made on their own. You would want someone who has confidence in exactly how much salt is needed. Not someone who doesn’t know what a pinch is.
God feels the same way. Anyone can boil eggs but only a master chef can make a Beef Wellington. God isn’t going to choose that scum in the gutter to take authority over the demons in your city. God won’t use just anybody to lead His prayer warriors on a charge to bring down strong holds. When you haven’t fully committed to allowing God’s will to work in your life you are vulnerable to Satan. Just as with the seven sons of Sceva, Satan would tear the man in the gutter apart. Satan doesn’t have the power or authority to battle one of God’s chosen fully equipped saints. When you walk in God’s authority Satan knows you too.
Acts 19:13-16 (NKJV) 13 Then some of the itinerant Jewish exorcists took it upon themselves to call the name of the Lord Jesus over those who had evil spirits, saying, “We exorcise you by the Jesus whom Paul preaches.” 14 Also there were seven sons of Sceva, a Jewish chief priest, who did so. 15 And the evil spirit answered and said, “Jesus I know, and Paul I know; but who are you?” 16 Then the man in whom the evil spirit was leaped on them, overpowered them, and prevailed against them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded.
While it is still true that nothing, we can do will ever make us worthy, there are many things we can do that will disqualify us from taking on these jobs that require authority. The first disqualifier is taking part in any iniquity of any kind. If you are doing your own will, you will never be trusted to do God’s will. Only those who have humbled themselves to the point of saying, believing, and living in a state of whatever your will is Father, no matter what, can be trusted to carry out God’s plans to build His kingdom.
Anyone who tries to take credit for God’s work is disqualified. If you have a need to make sure everyone knows you had a part in what God did, you have not matured, you are still a toddler. If you are quick to make sure everyone knows that you prayed for that guy that was healed, foul. Out of bounds. If you feel the need to jump really quickly and say, “well you know I said that same thing a week ago”. Strike. If you give money on a food basket for the poor then make sure everyone knows how big your check was, fumble. You loose. You are shown the red card, and you are out of the game. Silly metaphors but you get the point.
To be one of God’s fully equipped saints, God must be able to completely trust you. There can’t be any hidden sins you don’t want to let go of. There can’t be any bitterness or unforgiveness in you. Because Satan will use those things to lead you around by the nose.
There can’t be any fear because fear will control you. If you fear a thing you have not handed control of that over to God. To be one of these chosen few you must be completely submitted to God in all things, at all times. We can’t keep this little thing over here just for ourselves and hope God won’t notice. He does.
The fully equipped saint has surrendered every part of their life to the single goal of building God’s kingdom. Not our kingdom but His kingdom. Not our will. His will. Not our vision of what it should all look like but His vision. Not speaking our words but His words. This is His definition of a conduit. We become an open pipe for the love of God to flow through. We don’t try to turn the pipe or funnel to flow into a different direction. We let God determine where that pipe will open today and exactly how much of the river of living water God will pour out on this place now. There is no glory in being the pipe.
If your house was on fire and the fire truck came. The firemen got out and rolled out the hoses and worked diligently to put out the fire. You are very thankful. To who or what are you thankful? You are thankful to the firemen. Nobody runs up to hug the hose, to say thank you. The goal of the saint is the be the hose, not the fireman. God gets the thanks and glory. We just do the work by allowing Him to flow through us to do His work.
Duties and Responsibilities: Detailed list of tasks and responsibilities associated with the role.
Duties and Responsibilities
Grow in Grace and Knowledge
God assigns tasks to His saints as they mature and are positioned to use His authority. Our first duty is to be continually growing in grace and in the knowledge of the Lord and His love for us.
Just in case it is sounding like I believe I have obtained all the goals, and I am standing on the balcony looking down on all the peons… Nothing is farther from the truth. I have spent more than 30 years in deep study of the word. I know enough to know how much I don’t know. However, I have learned that if you wait until you think you have learned enough before you share what you have learned the hard way, you will never share anything. We will know everything there is to know about 440 years into the millennium. Then there will be new things we have never heard of before, to learn.
Philippians 3:12-16 (NKJV) 12 Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me. 13 Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, 14 I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. 15 Therefore let us, as many as are mature, have this mind; and if in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal even this to you. 16 Nevertheless, to the degree that we have already attained, let us walk by the same rule, let us be of the same mind.
No one on this earth has obtained all the knowledge of our Lord. God teaches us line upon line and revelation to revelation. We must learn the 1st thing before we can understand the 3rd thing. God will never throw you into the deep end. Our everyday experiences train us up in the way He wants us to go. Remember that when we fail a test, we take the whole class over. In this way God makes sure we are confident in what we know and who we are.
2 Peter 3:17-18 (NKJV) 17 You therefore, beloved, since you know this beforehand, beware lest you also fall from your own steadfastness, being led away with the error of the wicked; 18 but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory both now and forever. Amen.
Knowledge makes us confident. Being confident in what God can and will do is vital. We can’t wait until we have great faith before we do anything. If you have faith that God can heal a headache or child’s fever than build on that until God gives you more faith. Say in your mind and out loud, “God if you can heal that headache then you can heal this woman’s back”. Speak that faith and let God make it real to you. This is part of growing in God. Learning by doing. Being bold in our prayers and what we say because we know God is backing us up.
1 John 4:16-17 (NKJV) 16 And we have known and believed the love that God has for us. God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God in him. 17 Love has been perfected among us in this: that we may have boldness in the day of judgment; because as He is, so are we in this world.
I am not saying do this name it and claim it junk. That stuff is a lie from hell that was invented to kill the faith of innocent people who don’t know any better. The whole Prosperity Gospel is junk. God didn’t come to this world and die on a cross to be your genie in a bottle. God wants you to be a part of His plan to build His kingdom. If our only focus is what we can have and how we want it our way now, then we are not fit to be a saint.
Our duties include seeking the will of the Father and the kingdom first and foremost. God will give you the desires of your heart but when your heart is right with God your desires will line up with His plans for the kingdom and for your life. Do you really want something that God believes would destroy you down the road? You can’t know what will happen next week, but God does.
Matthew 6:31-33 (NKJV) 31 “Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. 33 But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.
Know the Word
A saint must be committed to knowing the Word of God. If you don’t know the Word of God, you can’t know the voice of God. God will never speak against or outside of His word. If you know the Word people or bad spirits can’t tell you a thing is true when it is not.
We have a habit of quoting well known scriptures but not reading the scriptures before or after them. Such as this scripture in 2nd Timothy about rightly dividing the word. Why should we be able to rightly divide the word? Because there are people out there who are speaking stuff that is nonsense, such as the prosperity gospel. That kind of false teaching grows like cancer and deceives many. Not because those who believe it are bad people; they are just looking for hope in a bad situation and some charlatan gives them false hope and takes their offering money. That false hope will soon prove to be false, and the person loses faith in God. God never said such a thing, but they are convinced He did, and they think God failed them in some way.
2 Timothy 2:11-18 (NKJV) This is a faithful saying: For if we died with Him, We shall also live with Him. 12 If we endure, We shall also reign with Him. If we deny Him, He also will deny us. 13 If we are faithless, He remains faithful; He cannot deny Himself. 14 Remind them of these things, charging them before the Lord not to strive about words to no profit, to the ruin of the hearers. 15 Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. 16 But shun profane and idle babblings, for they will increase to more ungodliness. 17 And their message will spread like cancer. Hymenaeus and Philetus are of this sort, 18 who have strayed concerning the truth, saying that the resurrection is already past; and they overthrow the faith of some.
It is necessary for us to die out to our flesh for us to live with Him. Believing that God will give us only good things is false doctrine but some of us have in the back of our mind if bad things happen to us then God is mad at us. Once we reach maturity, we understand that life happens. Nothing can happen to us that God doesn’t allow. Be that bad or good. God never promised to make this earth heaven for us. These bodies are dying from the day they are born. Tragedy happens in every life. God never said He would take those things away. He said He would hold us through them.
If we endure, we will live with Him in the New Jerusalem and rule and reign as kings and priest. When it comes down to the sticking point of keeping yourself alive will you deny Christ? If you do, He will deny you. If you decide to save yourself, you will lose your eternity.
Cast Our Cares
Which leads to the next skill of casting our cares on Him. One of the first signs of maturity is the ability to cast your cares on Jesus. If I care about it then it can be used against me. If I care about it, I am going to worry about it. If I worry about it, then I don’t trust God to take care of it. Worry is fear and fear has no place in the will of God. It really is possible to reach the place of perfect peace where you have no concern about bills, your job, your boss, what people think of you, or how things will work out with your child. We experience those things but not the fear most people deal with. The peace comes from the fact that I know my Father is going to do what is best for me. That may not be what I would have done but it will be what is best. What will keep me in His will and following His plan that will lead to my salvation in the end.
1 Peter 5:5-7 (NKJV) 5 Likewise you younger people, submit yourselves to your elders. Yes, all of you be submissive to one another, and be clothed with humility, for “God resists the proud, But gives grace to the humble.” 6 Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, 7 casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.
When we can cast all our care on Him there is no need to pray for personal things anymore. Such as praying for God to supply the money to pay my electric bill. I just trust the fact that when I need the money it will be there.
Be a Good Steward
Which leads into the next skill, being a good steward of what God has blessed us with. If I have been a good steward, paid my tithes, given offerings and missions and consulted Him on how I should spend the rest of His money, that He lets me use. Mature saints understand that it is all Gods money. We consult Him about everything we buy. If you are not being that good steward, then God owes you nothing. You are robbing Him.
Malachi 3:8-9 (NKJV) 8 “Will a man rob God? Yet you have robbed Me! But you say, ‘In what way have we robbed You?’ In tithes and offerings. 9 You are cursed with a curse, For you have robbed Me, Even this whole nation.
If I have been a good steward and I would like to have a new monitor, I will ask, “Lord is it okay if I get this”? If I don’t feel anything negative and I have peace about the purchase, I will get it. This is what is called following your peace. At the same time if I have been saving for that new monitor when I find out that someone needs a new tire to be able to go to work. The Lord lays it on my heart to give them the money to buy their tire. Not a loan but a gift. Never hesitate, hand over the money with no strings attached. God always, and I mean always, blesses that kind of open hand. That is the definition of being a good steward. It is not that God wasn’t willing for me to have that monitor but it was a ”nice to have” thing. Helping this person buy a tire was spreading the love of God and helping to build the faith of someone else. They had a need and God used you to supply that needs.
Live a Life of Prayer
Next, we must live a life of prayer. That doesn’t mean we schedule time to pray each day. To live a life of prayer means you are in a spirit of prayer all the time. Under your breath or quietly when no one is listening. Talking God about everyday things. People think I am talking to myself, but I just talk to God about everything. Keeping that connection of communication open.
Psalms 16:11 (NKJV) 11 You will show me the path of life; In Your presence is fullness of joy; At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore.
Acts 6:2-4 (NKJV) 2 Then the twelve summoned the multitude of the disciples and said, “It is not desirable that we should leave the word of God and serve tables. 3 Therefore, brethren, seek out from among you seven men of good reputation, full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom, whom we may appoint over this business; 4 but we will give ourselves continually to prayer and to the ministry of the word.”
It is also important to pray in the Spirit. When we pray in the Spirit, we are letting God pray through us. We don’t know what is best in any situation because we can’t see what will happen tomorrow. The Spirit always knows the end from the beginning. When we pray in the Spirit, we are speaking the will of God through the language of God. We will never know exactly what we are praying for, but God has put something, for someone, into action through the words we have spoken. We will stand before Jesus someday and learn of all things that God accomplished because we were willing to spend some time praying in the Spirit.
Romans 8:26-28 (NKJV) 26 Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. 27 Now He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God. 28 And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.
Praying without ceasing and praying in the Spirit is how we reach the point of living in the Spirit. Being constantly connected to God and communicating with Him. Yes, we must work, take care of the house, drive the kids around, go to the market, and all the other things that make up today’s life. But it is possible to live in communication with God. I have and I know many others who live the same way. There is peace and true joy in knowing the Father is right there and taking part in your life while you seek ways and places to do His will.
1 Thessalonians 5:15-24 (NKJV) 15 See that no one renders evil for evil to anyone, but always pursue what is good both for yourselves and for all. 16 Rejoice always, 17 pray without ceasing, 18 in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. 19 Do not quench the Spirit. 20 Do not despise prophecies. 21 Test all things; hold fast what is good. 22 Abstain from every form of evil. 23 Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely; and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. 24 He who calls you is faithful, who also will do it.
Qualifications
The next section on a Job Description is the Qualifications section. This section defines the minimum requirements. These would include the minimum level of education, experience, skills, and certifications required to be successful in this position.
The Qualifications for a fully equipped saint are stated to set the expectations of all applicants. A saint needs to understand what will be expected of them on the job. This includes knowledge, skills and other relevant competencies.
At the same time applicants who choose not to meet the stated expectations will understand when they are rejected for the job.
Able to Walk in the Spirit
Paul tells us in Galatians 5 that if we are led by the Spirit we are not under the law. Those who tried to live by the law failed because it is not humanly possible to live by every letter of the law on our own. Our flesh wants what it wants and what the flesh wants is always a contradiction to what the spirit wants. The flesh and spirit are in constant battle. Without the help of the Holy Ghost the flesh will overpower our human spirit. So, we want to do good, but we just can’t seem to manage it. When we walk in the Spirit of God, we are building up inner strength to withstand the pulls of the flesh to do those things we shouldn’t. We aren’t just keeping a bunch of rules. We have an inner desire to do what is pleasing to God and that grows each day as we learn to Walk in the Spirit. When the Spirit has control within you the Spirit empowers you to obey the will of God according to the Word of God. Which is the operation of Grace.
There is an old native American tale of a grandfather teaching his grandson about evil. He tells the boy that there are two wolves living inside of you. One is a good wolf that will lead you to do good and the other is an evil wolf that leads you to do evil. The grandson asks which wolf wins? The grandfather says the one you feed the most. This gives a good picture story to remember the point. If I feed the evil in me, it will grow and overpower the good. However, if I feed the good in me every day the evil has no chance of growing.
Galatians 5:24-26 (NKJV) 24 And those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. 25 If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. 26 Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another.
This point of starving the evil in us is what Paul means by crucifying our flesh. We can’t give in to the desires of flesh, even if those desires are very small or not really a sin by themselves. Prophet T.W. Barnes once told that he loved Dr. Pepper but he practices flesh control by limiting himself to one Dr. Pepper per day. In this way he taught his flesh that the spirit was the boss, and the flesh was not going to rule his life.
Colossians 3:1-17
As Paul tells us in Colossian 3, we have to set our thoughts on the things of God and then we will walk pleasing to God. Showing mercy, kindness, humbleness, meekness, and long suffering. As he said in Galatians 5 we don’t seek to provoke each other or envy each other. Which means our goal is to help our brothers and sisters to be stronger in the Lord than we are. Not act jealous of them because God used them and not us. To walk in the Spirit means we don’t have jealous thoughts, or anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, or a filthy mouth. Keep in mind that how you speak to people matters. No matter who they are. I suggest reading all of Colossians 3:1-17 as a refresh of what we should and should not do.
Romans 12:1-2 (NKJV)1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. 2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.
The phrase reasonable service always intrigued me. The fact that presenting our bodies to God and keeping them acceptable is very least thing we can do. What He did for us is so great and so beyond powerful there aren’t words to describe it. However, the very smallest of things we can do for Him is trying to live holy and acceptable. The wording implies that because of His grace and mercy it is only fitting that we offer this small thing back to Him. Reasonable also suggests that conscience thought goes into this action. This isn’t a one-time event or even a yearly event. This isn’t something church attenders can accomplish. It takes forethought and a knowledge of God and what He considers acceptable.
Achieve Purified Motives
Motive is everything. You can do all the good possible in this world but if your motive is wrong God doesn’t receive any glory for your actions, you do. If you receive glory, fame, or fortune for your works in this world there will not be any reward waiting for you in heaven. If your goal is receiving a pat on the back from the people around you, then you may achieve your goals, but you lose God’s respect. Your motives are not pure.
Matthew 6:13 (NKJV) 13 And do not lead us into temptation, But deliver us from the evil one. For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.
Anything and everything we do must be done with the purpose of building God’s kingdom ONLY! Not only must we do the things in God’s will but also by God’s power. Not in our might but God’s might.
One of the best examples of how God feels about this is when He told Moses to speak to the rock. When God first called Moses, he tried to back out saying that he couldn’t speak well. Moses felt that God couldn’t use him because he stuttered. Obviously, Moses was self-conscious about his speech problem. God gave him Aaron to speak to the people.
In the wilderness when they ran out of water God told Moses to hit the rock once and water would gush out. That didn’t require Moses to say anything. He just hit the rock with his staff and water came out. People could see this as Moses’ own power or that there was some special power in the staff itself.
However, speaking to the rock was a different story. Aaron was there and could have spoken the words, but Moses chose to hit the rock again. Was he protecting himself, from the people seeing his weak spot? Was he afraid to step out into unchartered territory? Did he let his anger get the better of him? Was he putting on a show? Whatever their motives were his actions disgusted God. Because of this one bad action Moses or Aaron were not allowed to go into the promise land. Notice that God gave the people water. Moses and Aaron probably received all manner of praise from the people for the great miracle, but they lost God’s respect because their motives were wrong.
Numbers 20:7-12 (NKJV)
Notice that Paul tells us that the mighty, wise, and noble are not usually called by God. This is because they tend to trust in their own abilities to get things done.
1 Corinthians 1:26-29 (NKJV) 26 For you see your calling, brethren, that not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called. 27 But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty; 28 and the base things of the world and the things which are despised God has chosen, and the things which are not, to bring to nothing the things that are, 29 that no flesh should glory in His presence.
In 1 Samuel 9:2 King Saul was described as head and shoulders above the rest. He was a mighty man of valor with the best set of armor in the kingdom. David on the other hand was a ruddy youth with a sling shot. King Saul was cowering in his tent while David went out to face Goliath. King Saul wanted glory for himself, but he wasn’t about to put his life on the line in what he thought was a losing battle.
1 Samuel 17:42-43 (NKJV) 42 And when the Philistine looked about and saw David, he disdained him; for he was only a youth, ruddy and good-looking. 43 So the Philistine said to David, “Am I a dog, that you come to me with sticks?” And the Philistine cursed David by his gods.
David on the other hand had spent years tending to his father’s sheep alone in the fields. David knew that God had helped him defeat the lion and a bear. David had tried and proven faith that God had power he did not possess himself. David didn’t trust in his own skill to do the job. David trusted in God’s ability to fight the battle. David acted and God won. God left Saul and he died in his sins. David became the man after God’s own heart and God promised David that his ancestors would sit on the throne for eternity.
2 Samuel 7:12-16
None of us possess the power to heal someone or cast out a devil on our own. No one can make themselves righteous, holy, or even sin free. None of us can save ourselves. When the fully Equipped Saint reaches maturity their motives are completely pure because they understand that nothing whatsoever can be done by their own power and they give God full glory for all the work He does through them.
1 Corinthians 1:30-31 (NKJV) 30 But of Him you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God—and righteousness and sanctification and redemption— 31 that, as it is written, “He who glories, let him glory in the LORD.”
Execute the Great Commission
I have been in church all my life and I have heard many people say they can’t teach a Home Bible Study because they don’t know the scriptures. These are not new saints. These are people who have been on a pew 10, 20, or 30 years. I don’t understand that concept. Neither does Jesus. There is no acceptable excuse at all for not knowing the scriptures in this day and time. Even if by chance, you don’t have the ability to read, the scriptures are available in audio and video format. If you can learn to work a job for a paycheck then you can learn the word of God well enough to share it with someone else.
Matthew 24:14 (NKJV) 14 And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come.
God didn’t call us all to be pulpit preachers, but He did call everyone of us to be a witness and a laborer in His fields. The last words Jesus spoke to His disciples was for them to go wait to be filled with the Holy Ghost then go out and preach the gospel. There were 120 people in that upper room who were first filled with the Holy Ghost and another 3,000 the same day. Everyone of those who received the Holy Ghost were commanded to go and preach the gospel too. Not just the twelve. Not just preachers. Every single person who receives the Holy Ghost is expected to be a witness and spread this message to the world.
Mark 16:15-20 (NKJV) 15 And He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. 16 He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned. 17 And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues; 18 they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.” 19 So then, after the Lord had spoken to them, He was received up into heaven, and sat down at the right hand of God. 20 And they went out and preached everywhere, the Lord working with them and confirming the word through the accompanying signs. Amen.
The Great Commission is for all those who have taken part in the New Covenant.
Luke 22:20 (NKJV) 20 Likewise He also took the cup after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood, which is shed for you.
Those filled with His Spirit have been given a new heart. This new heart causes us to walk in the ways God has defined for us. The fact that you are a part of the New Covenant means you have been enabled to fulfill the Great Commission.
Ezekiel 36:26-27 (NKJV) 26 I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. 27 I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will keep My judgments and do them.
Jeremiah 31:33 (NKJV) 33 But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the LORD: I will put My law in their minds, and write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people.
If you are a partaker of the New Covenant, your sins are covered by the blood, the Holy Ghost has empowered you to teach or preach repentance and remission of sins in Jesus’ name. THIS is the great commission. Every one of us has been charged with this one single task. Tell the whole world that repentance and remission of sins is only possible when it is done in Jesus’ name. Nothing else is acceptable.
Luke 24:46-49 (NKJV) 46 Then He said to them, “Thus it is written, and thus it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead the third day, 47 and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. 48 And you are witnesses of these things. 49 Behold, I send the Promise of My Father upon you; but tarry in the city of Jerusalem until you are endued with power from on high.”
Yield to the Apostles teachings
The fully equipped saint understands the difference between manmade traditions and the absolute gospel taught by the Apostles. Manmade religion is made up of rules someone, at some time in history, thought sounded good. If you go back to even 100 years ago preachers or church organizations were not required to show any proof at all that what they said was found in the Bible. They made up their own rules and because most of the people could not read or were not able to purchase their own Bible, they didn’t have the means to verify it themselves. They took what was said as the gospel and lived by it. For the past 40 years people have started asking why? They also want to see where that is in the Bible.
This new information generation has forced the old religious lies out in the open. Today’s world can’t be fooled by lies. They have every tool imaginable at their fingertips to check the truth personally. They can also check to see exactly what the Apostles taught. Look for yourself. Dig deep and find out if what you believe is based on the Book or based on the traditions of men.
In the past 15 years or so, in the United States, we have been bombarded with fake news. The news media has worked overtime to convince us green is red and red is blue. They make up some of the most ridiculous lies. It worked for a few years but as of 2024 the people got wise to their ways, and they no longer believe the junk they are putting out.
Starting with the Council of Nicaea in 325 AD manmade religions have been putting out fake news about the gospel of Christ. For almost 2000 years the people didn’t have the skill or ability to fact check these lies. Now we all do. There are many books, Bible versions, Bible apps and Bible study tools available for you to read the word yourself and cross reference the original languages. Find out what God said and forget what churchianity says.
Matthew 28:18-20 (NKJV) 18 And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.
Trust God in all Times
We have this human tendency to think when things are going great that God is blessing us because He is happy with us. On the flip side of that we think God is mad at us because things are going wrong. If that is so what did Job do wrong? Job didn’t do anything to deserve his blessing, and he didn’t do anything to deserve all his worldly possessions being taken away. What Job did was keep his integrity and his trust in God through all his blessings or his calamity. God was not upset with Job. God was bragging on Job’s faith and trust in Him.
Job 1:22 (NKJV) 22 In all this Job did not sin nor charge God with wrong.
The story of all that happened to Job stands as a strong example for us. When we have a flat tire, and we don’t have the money for a new tire or the washer breaks down. We start asking God what did I do wrong? Why are you punishing me? THAT is charging God with wrong.
While it is true that we should self-check and repent often it is wrong for us to feel that God is pushing us anytime something goes wrong in our life. Life happens. Our trust in God should have nothing at all to do with our circumstances, good or bad.
Philippians 3:7-14 (NKJV) 7 But what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ. 8 Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ 9 and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith; 10 that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death, 11 if, by any means, I may attain to the resurrection from the dead. 12 Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me. 13 Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, 14 I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.
Paul tells us in Philippians 3 that he lost everything for Christ, and he counted what he lost as trash. Paul was one of the most respected of the religious leaders of the temple in Jerusalem before Jesus met him on the road to Damascus. Paul went from one of the most respected to one of the most hated me in Jerusalem. He gave up everything he worked all of his life for and counted all that nothing compared to the glory that he saw in Jesus. Paul suffered constantly through his ministry. He was shipwrecked, stoned, beaten, chained in jail, he went hungry, and mocked. Friends turned against him. We are told in the scriptures that everything that happened to Paul was apart of the plan of God. There isn’t much good to speak of when you look at Paul’s life, but he did more to build the kingdom of God in his day than any other. Paul’s writings are still building the kingdom today. If Paul could retain his trust in the Lord through all his sufferings, we would have no excuse when we compare our lives to his.
Operate in the Gifts
God has given us many Gifts of the Spirit. Several of the gifts are named specifically. Romans 12 tells us of Prophecy, Ministry, Teaching, Exhortation, Giving, Leadership, and Mercy.
Romans 12:6-8 (NKJV) 6 Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, let us prophesy in proportion to our faith; 7 or ministry, let us use it in our ministering; he who teaches, in teaching; 8 he who exhorts, in exhortation; he who gives, with liberality; he who leads, with diligence; he who shows mercy, with cheerfulness.
Ephesians 4 add Apostles, Evangelists, Pastors to the list. 1st Corinthians 12 gives us the longest list and adds Wisdom, Knowledge, Faith, Healing, Miracles, Discerning of spirits, Tongues, Interpretation of tongues, Helps, and Administration. 1st Peter 4 adds Authority and Stewardship or a manager of the things of God.
God has given gifts to each of us according to our faith. You may not be aware of your gift, but it is there none the less. God may use each of us as a need arises. For example, God may use you to heal someone or give a word of prophecy in a situation. God using you in one of these ways doesn’t necessarily mean you have that gift. You proved yourself willing and God used you. When someone has the gift of healing, the faith needed to pray for healing comes naturally to them. God will work on them for years building their faith to pray for others.
The same is true of the gift for discerning of spirits. God will show you something, perhaps while you are praying with someone, then later you will find out what God said was correct. This happens to build your faith that what you are hearing is from God. For example, if you are praying for someone and God tells you they have a spirit of fear. The reason you have been told is for you to pray against the spirit of fear for this person. This gift can also work to tell you the spirit of a person is not right so be wary of them, perhaps you shouldn’t trust what they say.
1 Corinthians 12:1 (NKJV) 1 Now concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I do not want you to be ignorant:
1 Corinthians 12:4-11 (NKJV) 4 There are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit. 5 There are differences of ministries, but the same Lord. 6 And there are diversities of activities, but it is the same God who works all in all. 7 But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all: 8 for to one is given the word of wisdom through the Spirit, to another the word of knowledge through the same Spirit, 9 to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healings by the same Spirit, 10 to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another discerning of spirits, to another different kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. 11 But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually as He wills.
As Paul wrote here, we all have the same Holy Ghost. We are all filled with the same spirit, but the spirit chooses to work a different way in some. Those different ways are defined as gifts of the Spirit. Gifts are given to those who will use them to edify the body of Christ. Each of us should have at least one of the gifts but most have several of them.
The gifts can be broken down into three categories. Gifts of knowing, Gifts of doing, and Gifts of Speaking. The gifts of wisdom and knowledge work together just as the gift of Faith and Healing will work together. Pray and ask God to show you what your gift is and then learn to use it to build the kingdom.
1 Peter 4:10-11 (NKJV) 10 As each one has received a gift, minister it to one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God. 11 If anyone speaks, let him speak as the oracles of God. If anyone ministers, let him do it as with the ability which God supplies, that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom belong the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen.
Some people seek for gifts because they think having the gift will make them seem important in other peoples eyes. Be very careful that your motives are pure when you start seeking gifts. It is absolutely possible to entertain the wrong spirit. Meaning, there are false prophets and fake faith healers. These people are producing a form of a miracle, but it is not of God. These people will draw big crowds and use a demonic spirit to appear to heal someone. Such as a spirit of infirmity may agree to leave a person for a month but then it comes back. The person thinks they were healed but they were not. The fake faith healer gets praise, and big offerings, but the person who was fooled loses faith in God for a true healing.
1 John 4:1 (NKJV) 1 Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world.
1 Corinthians 12:27-31 (NKJV) 27 Now you are the body of Christ, and members individually. 28 And God has appointed these in the church: first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, administrations, varieties of tongues. 29 Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Are all workers of miracles? 30 Do all have gifts of healings? Do all speak with tongues? Do all interpret? 31 But earnestly desire the best gifts. And yet I show you a more excellent way.
1 Corinthians 14:1 (NKJV) 1 Pursue love, and desire spiritual gifts, but especially that you may prophesy.
Understand this about the gift of Tongues. Paul does not mean to say here that we all should not seek to speak with Tongues. When the Holy Ghost is poured out on a person they will speak with Tongues as the Spirit give them utterance. This means they will speak in a language that they have never been taught. Tongues are a language.
However, there are different types of tongues. There are tongues of warfare, which are used to fight spiritual battles. Tongues of travail, which are intense emotional prayers for someone. These prayers are compared to labor pains. There are tongues of intercession, which are prayers to intercede for someone else’s needs.
There are also tongues of praise and worship. Tongues of personal edification. Tongues of rejoicing. Tongues of refreshing that are prayed quietly to restore yourself after exerting all your strength praying in one of these other tongues.
Then there are tongues used for evangelism such as in the book of Acts when all the people heard them speak with their native tongue the wonderful works of God.
Romans 8:22-23 (NKJV) 22 For we know that the whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs together until now. 23 Not only that, but we also who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, eagerly waiting for the adoption, the redemption of our body.
While each of the types of tongues are a gift, we should seek to grow in our ability to allow the spirit free reign with our mouth. If you are filled with the Holy Ghost the only thing stopping you from speaking in tongues often, is you. We have to learn to yield ourselves to the spirit and allow the spirit to speak through us. That is all tongues is. You open your mouth and allow God to talk through you.
Participating in His Kingdom
What is the Kingdom of God? In the kingdom of God, Yehovah sits on the throne. He has all power and authority. God makes all the decisions. God makes all the laws. God passes judgment on who is acceptable and who is not. There is one focus for the kingdom, and everyone must be a worker toward that main goal. To be qualified as an equipped saint you must be apart of the kingdom of God. Therefore, you must be baptized in His name and filled with His spirit.
John 3:5-6 (NKJV) 5 Jesus answered, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. 6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.
If you have been born again then how do you seek the kingdom of God? Being born is the first step of every living thing. After you are born you must learn and grow until you reach a point of maturity to be able to function on your own. You are not a mature adult until you are able to work a job, support yourself, feed yourself and make sensible decisions about your everyday life. The same is true for a fully equipped saint.
A saint must grow to be self-sufficient in their knowledge of the word. They must be able to listen to the voice of God and determine it is God speaking to them. The only way to hear the voice of God is to know the word of God. To seek the kingdom of God means that you have chosen to build your faith and knowledge of God by living in His presence. Everyday you look for ways to spend time in His word or in prayer. Everyday you look for ways to improve your walk with God. Building day by day on what you have until your relationship is greater than you could have imagined possible on this earth.
Matthew 6:33 (NKJV) 33 But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.
Matthew 6:9-13 (NKJV) 9 In this manner, therefore, pray: Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. 10 Your kingdom come. Your will be done On earth as it is in heaven. 11 Give us this day our daily bread. 12 And forgive us our debts, As we forgive our debtors. 13 And do not lead us into temptation, But deliver us from the evil one. For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.
God wants us to seek to know Him for who He is, not for what He can give us. We are the bride of Christ. As the bride we should be in love with the bridegroom and do everything possible to spend time close to him. God wants us to feel that way about being with Him. He doesn’t want scheduled prayer time or daily obligation chapter reading. He wants real quality time spent enjoying each other’s company. This is what Jesus meant when He said seek the kingdom first. Seek to know the king and fall in love with Him.
When you have reached that point of loving the king and wanting to build His kingdom you are ready to participate in His kingdom. The focus of the kingdom is the harvest. The workers are laborers in the harvest field.
Matthew 9:37-38 (NKJV) 37 Then He said to His disciples, “The harvest truly is plentiful, but the laborers are few. 38 Therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.”
However, learn to know and love the king before you run out to try to harvest the field. The field has wheat and tares in it. If you are not participating in the kingdom, you won’t know which is which. God doesn’t bless those who harvest the wrong crop.
Matthew 13:24-30 (NKJV) 24 Another parable He put forth to them, saying: “The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field; 25 but while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat and went his way. 26 But when the grain had sprouted and produced a crop, then the tares also appeared. 27 So the servants of the owner came and said to him, ‘Sir, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then does it have tares?’ 28 He said to them, ‘An enemy has done this.’ The servants said to him, ‘Do you want us then to go and gather them up?’ 29 But he said, ‘No, lest while you gather up the tares you also uproot the wheat with them. 30 Let both grow together until the harvest, and at the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, “First gather together the tares and bind them in bundles to burn them, but gather the wheat into my barn.” ’ ”
Work Environment
The world has changed greatly in the past 6 years. The drama of COVID showed the world that the government can shut down our churches any time they wish. Many thought this was some trick of the devil but that isn’t true. God allowed the churches to be shut down to confirm who was His and who was not. The fully equipped saint will have a relationship with God that doesn’t depend on the church at all. Church building attendance is not a requirement to be a saint of God. Man developed everything to do with a church service.
If you go back to the book of Acts and the Epistles you will see that they didn’t meet in a church building, they met house to house. They weren’t dependent on a building or even going to one place to meet God there. They didn’t define their relationship with God on whether they had “Good Church”. Their connection to the Spirit of God wasn’t conditional to which song the cheerleaders sang or how great the band played. The fully equipped saint understands that they can meet anywhere and should meet often, because iron sharpens iron. Where any two or three agree together God is in the midst. Two can be overpowered but three are easily broken.
Proverbs 27:17 (NKJV) 17 As iron sharpens iron, So a man sharpens the countenance of his friend.
Matthew 18:19-20 (NKJV) 19 “Again I say to you that if two of you agree on earth concerning anything that they ask, it will be done for them by My Father in heaven. 20 For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them.”
Ecclesiastes 4:12 (NKJV) 12 Though one may be overpowered by another, two can withstand him. And a threefold cord is not quickly broken.
In these last days the saints will be working in the field, not in the barn. God never said bring everyone into the barn and I will save them. He said go into the field and collect the harvest. If you want to bring that into the barn later that just fine but you don’t harvest crops in the barn. Harvesting is done in the fields.
Therefore, the work environment for today’s saint is your workplace, the grocery store, your neighborhood, the kids ball game, wherever you come in contact with people who need God. The hours are any time you are awake. From morning to bed time the saint should be available for God to send them to speak to someone or to pray for someone.
The tools for job include an overflow of the Holy Ghost and your knowledge of the word of God and the voice of God. We can’t heal anybody or cast out evil spirit or bind controlling spirit by our own power. Only God can do those things. For us to be used in these ways we must be filled to overflowing with the Holy Ghost. Our lamps must be full enough for us to share our oil with those who have none. Our example of this is in Acts 5 where sick people were brought and laid in the street in a hope that Peter’s shadow would touch them. Just his shadow healed them.
Acts 5:14-16 (NKJV) 14 And believers were increasingly added to the Lord, multitudes of both men and women, 15 so that they brought the sick out into the streets and laid them on beds and couches, that at least the shadow of Peter passing by might fall on some of them. 16 Also a multitude gathered from the surrounding cities to Jerusalem, bringing sick people and those who were tormented by unclean spirits, and they were all healed.
The saint will have the best team to work with. The team is collaborative, supportive, innovative and driven. God supplies His laborers with a multitude of skills. Each of us has been empowered with skills that not only help us do our part, but they will also complement the skills of our fellow laborers. If I am weak in one area, then another will be strong to take up that slack. Understand this, Jesus sent all the disciples out two by two. No one will be required to work alone. Jesus will supply everything you need to complete job.
Mark 6:7-9 (NKJV) 7 And He called the twelve to Himself, and began to send them out two by two, and gave them power over unclean spirits. 8 He commanded them to take nothing for the journey except a staff—no bag, no bread, no copper in their money belts— 9 but to wear sandals, and not to put on two tunics.
The physical demands of the job will vary depending on where you live and what God is trying to do in that area. Some will be required to pray warfare or intercession for many hours, while others may only be sent to pray for people to be healed at Walmart. Some may be required to lay down their life while others may only be required to lay down the pleasures of this world to spend time in prayer for those who will be forced to die for their faith. Either way the flesh is not allowed to be in control of anything. The spirit must have full control and be ready at the blink of an eye to do the will of the Father.
2 Timothy 4:1-5 (NKJV) 1 I charge you therefore before God and the Lord Jesus Christ, who will judge the living and the dead at His appearing and His kingdom: 2 Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching. 3 For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; 4 and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables. 5 But you be watchful in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.
Pray all Kinds of Prayers
The fully equipped saint must be able to pray in the spirit with several different tongues. It is unusual for someone to be able to pray in all tongues. For example, those with the gift of intercession are usually empathic to others when they are in pain. They are easily moved to pray intensely for someone who is hurting. That same empathic person is not usually gifted with warfare tongues.
Those who pray in warfare generally feel righteous anger. It is not the person praying anger, but it is God’s anger. Warfare tongues are loud and boisterous. They can be scary and will send chills down you back.
All my life I have heard that travail prayer means there will be a new birth in the church. Prayers of travail are intense groanings that the person feels deep within. I have heard of people who prayed such deep travailing prayer that they did physical damage to their own body.
This type of physical exertion is why we all need to pray rest and refreshing tongues. This can also be the self-edification tongues. It bring peace to your heart and mind and allows God to fill you with joy.
Isaiah 28:11-12 (NKJV) 11 For with stammering lips and another tongue He will speak to this people, 12 To whom He said, “This is the rest with which You may cause the weary to rest,” And, “This is the refreshing”; Yet they would not hear.
It cannot be stressed strongly enough how important it is to pray in the spirit. However, it is just as important to be able to pray in your language as well. When someone with cancer is standing in front of you, you need to be able to speak directly to that cancer to bind it and demand that it leaves this body, in Jesus Name. While all of that may be said in tongues the person you are praying for didn’t understand what was said. The person with cancer needs to understand the words to believe and receive what was prayed.
1 Corinthians 14:14-15 (NKJV) 14 For if I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays, but my understanding is unfruitful. 15 What is the conclusion then? I will pray with the spirit, and I will also pray with the understanding. I will sing with the spirit, and I will also sing with the understanding.
In this same fashion we can give God wonderful praise in tongues, but we also need to be able to give God praise in our own language. When we speak words of faith and praise it builds us up, but it also sends out radio waves of glory that flow all the way to heaven. Every time we magnify Jesus name the kingdom of God grows.
Pray prayers of “Father, I believe that you created the heavens and the earth out of nothing”. “Father, I believe that you destroyed the word the first time with water, and I believe you will destroy it again with fire”. “Father, I believe that you robed yourself in flesh and came to this earth in body of Jesus Christ to die on a cross, to offer me a way of salvation”. “Father, I believe that you will split the eastern sky and come back to this earth in victory.” These types of prayers build your faith and the faith of anyone who hears you pray them.
Ephesians 6:10-20 (NKJV) 10 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. 11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. 13 Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. 14 Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, 15 and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; 16 above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. 17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; 18 praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints— 19 and for me, that utterance may be given to me, that I may open my mouth boldly to make known the mystery of the gospel, 20 for which I am an ambassador in chains; that in it I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.
Share Our Testimony
People can argue doctrine with you all day long. They can tell you what you believe in the Word is wrong. They can say you don’t know what the Bible says. But one thing no one can argue with you about is what God has done for you. Your own testimony is the greatest sermon you will ever share. No one can take away what you experience for yourself. No one can tell you that didn’t happen or that you understood it wrong. You know what God did for you. Share your testimony often.
Isaiah 43:10-13 (NKJV) 10 “You are My witnesses,” says the LORD, “And My servant whom I have chosen, That you may know and believe Me, And understand that I am He. Before Me there was no God formed, Nor shall there be after Me. 11 I, even I, am the LORD, And besides Me there is no savior. 12 I have declared and saved, I have proclaimed, And there was no foreign god among you; Therefore you are My witnesses,” Says the LORD, “that I am God. 13 Indeed before the day was, I am He; And there is no one who can deliver out of My hand; I work, and who will reverse it?”
Eyewitness testimony is considered extremely important in legal matters, historical documents and in journalism. You are an eyewitness to the facts of how great God is. Share your first-hand account of the truth.
Luke 24:46-49 (NKJV) 46 Then He said to them, “Thus it is written, and thus it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead the third day, 47 and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. 48 And you are witnesses of these things. 49 Behold, I send the Promise of My Father upon you; but tarry in the city of Jerusalem until you are endued with power from on high.”
You are a walking example of who repentance can turn a person’s life around. Share the felling of being totally clean for the first time in your life, when you came up out of that water after being baptized in Jesus’ name. Share the joy and wonder of being filled with the Holy Ghost and feeling God touch your heart and clear you mind of past hurt and torment. Share how wonderful it is to live knowing that God is your friend and He cares about what happens to you every day. Share how awesome it is to pray for some on and watch God heal them.
Acts 1:8 (NKJV) 8 But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”
Explain the Doctrine
Study until you are able to answer every question on how a person should be saved. Be convinced first, then be able to share that knowledge. You don’t have to memorize all the scriptures. You have a cell phone. Make a note of where the main scriptures are and then install a Bible app on your phone.
As the writer states in Hebrews, we need to be mature enough to teach other the basics. We should be able to set someone on a firm foundation by explaining why God says they are a sinner, how they should repent, why they should be baptized in Jesus name, how and they should be filled with the Holy Ghost, how to seek the kingdom of God, and that Jesus will be returning for those who are His.
Hebrews 5:11-14 (NKJV) 11 of whom we have much to say, and hard to explain, since you have become dull of hearing. 12 For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the first principles of the oracles of God; and you have come to need milk and not solid food. 13 For everyone who partakes only of milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, for he is a babe. 14 But solid food belongs to those who are of full age, that is, those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.
Most church goers have never progressed past the foundation. The saint’s goal should be help others begin to climb higher to reach for the mountain tops too. If I don’t know there is more then I don’t know I need to reach for it.
Hebrews 6:1-3 (NKJV) 1 Therefore, leaving the discussion of the elementary principles of Christ, let us go on to perfection, not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God, 2 of the doctrine of baptisms, of laying on of hands, of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment. 3 And this we will do if God permits.
Go Out and Teach
Now that you know the doctrine and can explain it, go out and share it. If is your responsibility to share this gospel with those who are around you. God won’t hold you responsible for souls in Australia if you live in Missouri. But will hold you responsible if He told you to witness to your neighbor and you didn’t do it.
Acts 2:46-47 (NKJV) 46 So continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they ate their food with gladness and simplicity of heart, 47 praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved.
It is hard for us to grasp that not everyone will be saved. You hear people say a loving God wouldn’t send people to hell. This is true but God isn’t sending them to hell, they chose to go to hell. God gave all of us the same chance to choose heaven or hell. We have free will to make that choice.
But the fact is that some have made the choice that they don’t want any part of God or His kingdom. While others haven’t made the choice because no one has explained to them they had a choice to make. Those are people God sends us to. Some will choose God and some won’t. But when they stand before the throne, they can’t say no one ever told me. They were told but they chose not to hear. Then hell is their own fault, not Gods.
Acts 5:41-42 (NKJV) 41 So they departed from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for His name. 42 And daily in the temple, and in every house, they did not cease teaching and preaching Jesus as the Christ.
In these last days we will suffer persecution for Jesus’ name. Jesus said we would be hated for His name. It may get to the point that we must teach in whispers behind closed doors. We probably won’t have access to a Bible; therefore, it is all the more important to put the Word in your heart.
When our churches are closed down, we will need to go house to house to teach the gospel and to bring in that harvest. Practice explaining the gospel as often as possible before it is the only option available.
Acts 20:18-21 (NKJV) 18 And when they had come to him, he said to them: “You know, from the first day that I came to Asia, in what manner I always lived among you, 19 serving the Lord with all humility, with many tears and trials which happened to me by the plotting of the Jews; 20 how I kept back nothing that was helpful, but proclaimed it to you, and taught you publicly and from house to house, 21 testifying to Jews, and also to Greeks, repentance toward God and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ.
Minister to People’s Needs
In this day and time there are multitude of hurting, confused, and tormented people. Evil is so prevalent that people are bombarded with oppressive spirits. They don’t understand that what they are fighting is demonic. They only know they are drowning in fear. They only know they feel like the world is sitting on their shoulders. They are so stressed that nothing can help them rest or sleep. They take pills to go to sleep, pills to wake up, and pills not to feel the deep depression that is killing them day by day.
Mark 16:15-20 (NKJV) 15 And He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. 16 He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned. 17 And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues; 18 they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.” 19 So then, after the Lord had spoken to them, He was received up into heaven, and sat down at the right hand of God. 20 And they went out and preached everywhere, the Lord working with them and confirming the word through the accompanying signs. Amen.
In the book of Acts and through the Epistles we see that the power of the Holy Ghost was so strong that everyone the disciples prayed for was healed. Anyone tormented by a demonic spirit was released. We have power and authority in the Holy Ghost today but it nothing like the strength they had in Bible. Saints today don’t live their lives completely focused on the kingdom of God either. But in these last days God will allow the saints to do greater works than the disciples did.
Only those who have reached full maturity will be called to walk in this multiplied overflowing power. God will hand pick those who are able to be used in this mighty way and still manage to be saved themselves. God isn’t going to give you power or authority that will cause you to be lost because you loved the glory from it too much. Consider how hard it will be to stay humble and grounded when everyone one you lay your hands on is instantly healed. Only the very mature will be able to handle it.
Pray for People
A person can go to heaven with cancer but if they haven’t been filled with the Holy Ghost they aren’t going. It is vital for every saint to be able to pray for people to receive the Holy Ghost. Not in a church altar service but in your living room or at the park. Wherever there are people who are in need of salvation.
If you have not had the experience of praying with someone who is seeking the Holy Ghost, you need to ask God to teach you. Always get as close as you can to help pray for someone seeking. God will help you learn what to say and how to pray to instill faith in the person trying to reach out to God.
Galatians 3:1-5 (NKJV) 1 O foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you that you should not obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ was clearly portrayed among you as crucified? 2 This only I want to learn from you: Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith? 3 Are you so foolish? Having begun in the Spirit, are you now being made perfect by the flesh? 4 Have you suffered so many things in vain—if indeed it was in vain? 5 Therefore He who supplies the Spirit to you and works miracles among you, does He do it by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?—
Reporting Structure
The reporting structure for this job is very simple. Jesus is the head of the church; we are the body. Jesus is in control of everything. He makes all the decisions. This is not a democracy; we don’t get a vote or a say in how things are done or when they are done. It doesn’t matter if you like it or not. It is not acceptable to go on strike or sit in the corner and pout because you didn’t get your way. No appeals to change things are allowed. The boss is 100% right all the time. We don’t have a complaints department. To be considered for the job you must be able to accept these basic facts.
Be a Conduit
A conduit is defined as a channel or pipe used to protect and route electrical wiring in a building or structure. Our goal as saints is to be a conduit for the power of God to flow through the structure of His church body. That means we act as a funnel. We are directly connected to God, through the Holy Ghost. We hear His words and repeat them, verbatim.
Back in Lesson 2, we talked about the Progress of Growth in our Prayer Character. The last step before full maturity is for the believer to pray to be a conduit for what God wants to say. That can mean speaking to the whole church or just one person. A conduit doesn’t add anything to God’s words or take anything away. Even if what God has to say are not nice words of edification. Sometimes God sends us to rebuke someone or tell them they need to repent. In those cases, be absolutely sure that is God’s message and not your own. Ninety percent of the time God will send you a word of edification to encourage someone or to build their faith.
Whatever the message is make sure you deliver it in the tone and with the words that God gave you to say. Once a prophet told my aunt that God said to tell her He could hear through the ceiling. To the prophet that made no sense, but it meant a lot to her. She was in a low time in her life and she had prayed that morning, “God are my prayers even making it past the ceiling”, the word from the prophet was exactly what she needed to hear. He was acting as a true conduit, delivering exactly the message God gave him.
Jeremiah 2:12-13 (NKJV) 12 Be astonished, O heavens, at this, And be horribly afraid; Be very desolate,” says the LORD. 13 “For My people have committed two evils: They have forsaken Me, the fountain of living waters, And hewn themselves cisterns—broken cisterns that can hold no water.
The word of God is living waters. God’s words are relevant to the time, the situation, and to the person they are meant for. A word can go forth to a room full of people and two or three people receive a personal word that no one else even heard. Those exact words spoke to their heart while others never noticed them. As Jeremiah spoke in chapter 2 the people have forsaken the one true and living God.
Today people are looking to hear a cheerleader style message that sends cold chills down their back and has them jumping to their feet to whoop and holler. These messages are full of emotion, but they are broken cisterns that hold no water. The trumped-up emotions don’t even last until you are out the church door. They aren’t living water. They are stagnant. Poured out from vessels with holes in them. They are words borrowed from someone else’s message, not words directly from God.
When a word directly from God is spoken it will change your life in some way. You won’t leave the same way you came in. You will have a deeper desire to know Him. You will feel the need to be more dedicated or the conviction to put away that thing you knew was wrong. A true message from God doesn’t leave you in the condition it found you in. Don’t settle for drummed up emotion. Seek the living water.
John 4:13-14 (NKJV) 13 Jesus answered and said to her, “Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again, 14 but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life.”
When Jesus was talking to the Samaritan woman at the well, He tells her the water He will give her will be a fountain of water springing up. Nothing stagnant and full of holes will have the power to take you to everlasting life. Jesus has called us to be the conduit to pour out living waters on those who are lost and dying with no help and no hope. Jesus has been glorified, and the saints are the vessels He has filled with rivers of living water.
John 7:37-39 (NKJV) 37 On the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. 38 He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.” 39 But this He spoke concerning the Spirit, whom those believing in Him would receive; for the Holy Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.
We must focus on being a conduit for the Lord to flow through and minister to His body.
Submitted to God
Paul tells us that we should not quench the Spirit. The word quench means to suppress or put an end to something. We have heard the term quench the Spirit in church services when God wants to do something, but the people want to continue with their programs or prescribed service order. When this happens, they have quenched the Spirit of God. They have stopped what God wanted to do because their order of service was more important to them.
In the same manner we can personally quench the Spirit by doing our own will. If we choose to do what we want to do and not what God wants us to do, we have chosen to quench the Spirit of God. Living submitted to God means we allow God full reign in our lives to work through us as He chooses. God is the King on the throne in our lives, not us.
Ephesians 4:30 (NKJV) And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.
1 Thessalonians 5:19 (NKJV) 19 Do not quench the Spirit.
Saints must be submitted to God every day, in every way. Complete submission will require denying the flesh. Denying the flesh means that you don’t sit for hours wasting time looking at Facebook. You spend time with God. It means you don’t seek the pleasures of this world you seek the kingdom and what the Father wants you to do today. It means you let the Holy Ghost direct your path and you don’t quench the Spirit.
Galatians 5:16-18 (NKJV) 16 I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. 17 For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish. 18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.
The more you walk in the spirit the easier the path becomes. When we give in to the lust of the flesh sin goes stronger and stronger. When we spend time in the spirit the lust of flesh is drowned out. It doesn’t have a chance of getting out attention because we are focused on God’s plan and hearing His voice.
Submitted to Authority
We must be submitted to the oversight God has placed in our lives. Authority only works when it follows the chain of command correctly. If that chain is broken the power can’t reach from point A to point B.
This is the foundation point of all the ministries of the saints. No one stands as an island alone. We are a body of people. Within that body there is only one head. The foot can’t decide to be the head, and the hand can’t decide to be the heart. The body must function as it was designed to do by God.
Hebrews 13:7 (NKJV) 7 Remember those who rule over you, who have spoken the word of God to you, whose faith follow, considering the outcome of their conduct.
Those who have the gifts of an Apostle, Bishop, Prophet, Evangelist, Pastor, Teacher, or Elder have been given a special authority from God. I don’t necessarily mean those who carry that title in the local church, but those who have the gift from God. God will place one of these people in our life. We must be submitted to this authority. If this person can’t tell you “No” then you are not submitted.
Hebrews 13:17 (NKJV) 17 Obey those who rule over you, and be submissive, for they watch out for your souls, as those who must give account. Let them do so with joy and not with grief, for that would be unprofitable for you.
The centurion who came to speak to Jesus was a soldier. He understood how authority worked. He told Jesus I am a man under authority and I know that all you have to do is speak the word and my servant will be healed. Jesus said he was a man of great faith because he understood the authority of Jesus.
Matthew 8:5-13 (NKJV) 5 Now when Jesus had entered Capernaum, a centurion came to Him, pleading with Him, 6 saying, “Lord, my servant is lying at home paralyzed, dreadfully tormented.” 7 And Jesus said to him, “I will come and heal him.” 8 The centurion answered and said, “Lord, I am not worthy that You should come under my roof. But only speak a word, and my servant will be healed. 9 For I also am a man under authority, having soldiers under me. And I say to this one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and to another, ‘Come,’ and he comes; and to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.” 10 When Jesus heard it, He marveled, and said to those who followed, “Assuredly, I say to you, I have not found such great faith, not even in Israel! 11 And I say to you that many will come from east and west, and sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven. 12 But the sons of the kingdom will be cast out into outer darkness. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” 13 Then Jesus said to the centurion, “Go your way; and as you have believed, so let it be done for you.” And his servant was healed that same hour.
Luke 7:1-10
The fully equipped saint must be respectful and submitted to the “men” God has placed in authority over them. If you are not submitted, then you have no authority. You must be under authority before you can be in authority.
That means, that you can pray in “Jesus’ name” all you want to, but nothing is going to happen. Nothing good anyway. To use the power and authority that comes with the name you must be in line with the word of God. You must follow God’s designed chain of command. If you are praying in the name of Jesus and you have not aligned your life to the word of God, then you are taking the name of God in vain. I understand those are strong words to say but it doesn’t stop them from being true. Just ask the 7 sons of Sceva.
We don’t make disciples by teaching them facts. People don’t follow the philosophy of do what I say and not what I do. The truth is that we teach what we know, but we reproduce what we are.
So, if you haven’t aligned your life to the word of God (which includes being faithful, living a holy and separated life, praying daily, reading the word, paying your tithes, giving in offering and to missions, as well as being submitted to the man of God….) Then you are not required or expected to go out and make disciples. Rotten apples don’t produce good fruit.
Luke 10:17-20 (NKJV) 17 Then the seventy returned with joy, saying, “Lord, even the demons are subject to us in Your name.” 18 And He said to them, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. 19 Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you. 20 Nevertheless do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rather rejoice because your names are written in heaven.”
Jesus is the ultimate authority over all of us. Notice that even a pastor needs to be accountable and submitted to someone over them. Jesus passes authority down to us through this proper channel. We are to use that authority to trample on evil and nothing evil will be able to hurt us, if we are walking in the correct place in the line of authority. If you have pulled yourself out from under the authority God placed over then you have no authority or covering. You are on your own against all hell has to throw at you. Never forget those seven sons.
Submitted to the Word
How many times have you heard, “Is that a heaven or hell issue?” I certainly hope you haven’t ever said it yourself. If you have, repent. The saint must be submitted to the Word. That means if the word says it you do it. We don’t argue or look for loopholes.
Romans 8:12-14 (NKJV) 12 Therefore, brethren, we are debtors—not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. 13 For if you live according to the flesh you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. 14 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. Psalms 119:10-12 (NKJV) 10 With my whole heart I have sought You; Oh, let me not wander from Your commandments! 11 Your word I have hidden in my heart, That I might not sin against You. 12 Blessed are You, O LORD! Teach me Your statutes. Psalms 119:105-106 (NKJV) 105 Your word is a lamp to my feet And a light to my path. 106 I have sworn and confirmed That I will keep Your righteous judgments.
There are things in the word that we don’t want to hear but they are truth just the same. For example, the Bible teaches that man should cut his hair, and that woman should not cut her hair. I have heard all the arguments on these scriptures. The point is that God said He likes it this way. So, when I questioned it, God ask me, “who are you trying to please, me or you?” That was enough for me. May grandfathers favorite saying was if you doubt don’t do it.
Follow your peace. If you feel convicted about something, ask God for help to understand what He is saying to you. There may be something that isn’t specifically spelled out in the Bible, but it could still fall into the category of something that is, such as lust.
Joshua 1:8 (NKJV) 8 This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success. James 1:21-22 (NKJV) 21 Therefore lay aside all filthiness and overflow of wickedness, and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls. 22 But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.
Sensitive and Obedient to the Spirit
Why is it that when God tells us to do something we ask, “God is that you? Did you say that me? Of course, that usually happens when God has asked us to do something we are not comfortable with. Such as asking us to go over to that person and tell them God has heard your prayers. One thing is for sure, the devil isn’t going to tell you to deliver that message. We know it is God but we try to talk ourselves out of believing it so we don’t have to do it.
The fully equipped and mature saint doesn’t try to wiggle out of doing what the spirit has directly told them to do. When we practice every day listening to the spirit and following what we are told then then spirit has control in our life, not the flesh.
Galatians 5:16-18 (NKJV) 16 I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. 17 For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish. 18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.
The law of life is that everyone born will die. Everyone born has sin. Everyone with sin will not be apart of the kingdom of God. Those who are not part of the kingdom of God will cast into the fire. These are the stone-cold facts of life.
Hebrews 9:27 (NKJV) 27 And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment,
Each one of us has a choice to walk after our fleshly lust and live our lives doing all we can to satisfy the flesh. If we do this then we will die and stand in judgment before being cast in the fire. However, we have the choice to choose to walk after the spirit. When we walk after the spirit that law of sin and death has no power all over us. When we close our eyes on this earth, we will open them to see Jesus. We won’t stand in judgement and we won’t see that second death.
Romans 8:1-10 (NKJV) 1 There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. 2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death. 3 For what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, on account of sin: He condemned sin in the flesh, 4 that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. 5 For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. 6 For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. 7 Because the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be. 8 So then, those who are in the flesh cannot please God. 9 But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His. 10 And if Christ is in you, the body is dead because of sin, but the Spirit is life because of righteousness.
Those who live by the flesh are the enemy of God. Those who live by the Spirit, according to the Spirit, have their focus on things of God.
Compensation and Benefits
Heaven is glorious and a wonderful thing to look forward to. Living in eternity as priest and kings is more than the human mind can comprehend. Just the thought of living with no sickness or pain is enough of a reason to want to go to heaven. There aren’t enough words to express how wonderful heaven will be. But heaven is the retirement plan. What about now?
God never promised to make this earth heaven for you, but He did promise a lot of great things that are available to us now. We can walk in the fullness of joy in the Holy Ghost. We can live in peace. We don’t have to tolerate the evil spirits of this world that attach themselves to sinners. We don’t have to drown in depression, shame, sorrow, or grief.
For those who have chosen to live the life of a blood bought fully equipped saint, have picked the best gifts God has to offer in this life. No everything won’t be coming up roses but God does supply rose colored glasses.
Rose colored glasses is an idiom that means seeing things in an overly positive or optimistic way, often ignoring the negative aspects of a situation. It's as if the person is viewing the world through lenses that tint everything with a rosy hue, making everything appear better than it actually is.
What that means to the saint is that we don’t look at things the way the world does. We don’t see a small hurdle as a mountain that is too big to climb. We don’t make mountains out of mole hills either. We don’t let the things of this world control our emotions or devastate us. We aren’t crushed because 15 people disliked what I said, and I only got 10 likes. We aren’t working ourselves to death to keep up with the Jones’es. We don’t look at the things of this world the same way anymore. We see the world and things around us through the spirit. Our flesh no longer has control so we don’t want the things of the world anymore. We are seeking the things of God and His righteousness. With God all things are possible.
We must be righteous, but righteousness is impossible for us to obtain ourselves. Jesus has covered us with His robe of righteousness. Because of Jesus we have righteousness.
Isaiah 61:10 (NKJV) 10 I will greatly rejoice in the LORD, My soul shall be joyful in my God; For He has clothed me with the garments of salvation, He has covered me with the robe of righteousness, Romans 14:17-18 (NKJV) 17 for the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. 18 For he who serves Christ in these things is acceptable to God and approved by men. 1 John 3:7 (NKJV) 7 Little children, let no one deceive you. He who practices righteousness is righteous, just as He is righteous.
We must seek to live an empowered life. To be empowered we must be submitted and abide in Jesus. Abide means that we life faithful to God with a dedicated ongoing relationship with God. Once we are empowered then we will become fruitful. An Empowered Life does NOT “live FOR God and/or work FOR God”! To say you are living for God or working for God implies that you are doing this yourself, by your own power. Therefore, there is something in that for you to receive some glory.
God lives THROUGH An Empowered life and works THROUGH an Empowered Life! In this way God is the only one who make this happen and therefore the only one that can receive any glory of any kind for it.
John 15:4-8 (NKJV) 4 Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me. 5 “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing. 6 If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned. 7 If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you. 8 By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples.
God has placed HIS faith, Spirit, and power in us, without measure. The more we use the more we have. We are to be good stewards of HIS property and put it to use by sharing it with others. The more we share it the more it grows in this world. We have been empowered to do anything according to the will of God. There are no limits. The only limits come from our inability to comprehend exactly what God can and will do.
Ephesians 3:14-21 (NKJV) 14 For this reason I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, 15 from whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, 16 that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man, 17 that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, 18 may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height— 19 to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. 20 Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, 21 to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.
1 Corinthians 15:9-11 (NKJV) 9 For I am the least of the apostles, who am not worthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. 10 But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me was not in vain; but I labored more abundantly than they all, yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me. 11 Therefore, whether it was I or they, so we preach and so you believed.
Philippians 2:12-13 (NKJV) 12 Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; 13 for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure.
It will not be possible to make it through these last days if you do not have true peace within your heart. We will not be able to stand what God is going to allow to happen, for purposes of the kingdom, in these last days without true peace. This is peace from God not peace from this world. Not what this world calls peace but what God calls peace.
Some people believe they have peace but what they call peace doesn’t stand in a test. If everything is going along okay, they have what they call peace but as soon as a problem arises or trial of any kind, their lack of true peace is obvious. The panic and fear begin to set in. Then they get a bad attitude toward God.
The saints will only have peace to the degree that they believe God is Lord of ALL. This peace comes from the knowledge that God is in full control of everything and nothing at all can happen in your life that God doesn’t instigate or allow to happen for His purposes to build His kingdom. If you are going through a test, then that test will build you up in some way or teach you a lesson that you could not learn any other way. Most of the time those tests come around 3 or 4 times before you manage to get the point.
Once you really accept the fact that nothing can happen to you that God did not will for it to happen, you lose all fear. No matter how bad the circumstances are God will hold you through it, and you will come out the other side of it stronger than you were going in.
Psalms 90:1-2 (NKJV) 1 Lord, You have been our dwelling place in all generations. 2 Before the mountains were brought forth, Or ever You had formed the earth and the world, Even from everlasting to everlasting, You are God.
Everlasting to everlasting is a definition of infinite. Yehovah is the infinite God. Once you see God as bigger or more than just the being that occupies all time and space it changes everything. It is impossible to believe in more than one God because only one being can exist from everlasting to everlasting. There is no such thing as two infinite beings occupying the same infinite space at the same time. But within infinite there is no time and no space. There is no conceivable beginning and no ending. Before there was a universe there was God. Any problem compared to infinity equals zero. There is no problem or situation beyond the infinite one. It does not exist.
Acts 15:18 (NKJV) 18 “Known to God from eternity are all His works.
If I believe he is Lord, then I believe He is in control. If I trust the one in control, then I understand that whatever happens to me is within His will for my life because He has control, and no one can take me out of His hands.
Offer Letter
After learning all this job entails if you would like to apply for the job then you’re hired. There isn’t a hiring manager for the job of saint. No one will send you an offer letter. You may not even receive a new employee orientation. When it comes to the job of a fully equipped saint you hire yourself. You are the only one who can commit to fulfilling all the requirements and qualifications. You are the only one who can say if you are truly determined to walk this path or not.
You don’t have to possess all the skills to start the job. God will give you on the job training and you will learn as you work in the kingdom. How far you go and what you achieve is up to you. The rest of the team will be praying for you. See you in the field.