What are We Willing to do to Get Closer to God—R Fritz
I have had people tell me that I have changed over the years. They ask how that has happened. What I tell them is I made the decision and keep making decisions to serve Jesus. The reason was I saw the things God did for people using other people who were committed and sold out to Jesus. I believe in Jesus and wanted to be a part of the things that through people and eventually myself God would use. First, God gave me what at the time I would call a small part which was praying for the other people involved. Later God revealed to myself how important praying was. I now say prayer is the most important part of anything. It takes the spiritual battle away from the people who are providing help to other people.
We are taking the fight to Satan and his minions who are fighting in the spirit so we must fight in the spirit also. When we are fighting, we are not doing it ourself, the Holy Spirit is giving us words or advice as we go. I noticed when I asked men questions, I would get the answers before they answered, a little at a time until the Holy Spirit answered my questions as I asked them. That is when I was fighting a spiritual battle with people’s health or spirit involved. It becomes our training as we go until we are sent out by ourself where the Holy Spirit gives us what we need as we need it. The Holy Spirit told me that he would teach me. John 14:26 says and this is Jesus speaking “But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.” The Holy Spirit does not lie and the verse says “he shall teach you all things” which means what it says. That is not just for myself it is for everyone.
The question is why my relationship with the Holy Spirit is different than most and why other people do not hear him? We make a choice everyday who we will serve. This is not in words alone but also our actions. The Holy Spirit speaks through our thoughts. Are we listening or are we discerning where our thoughts are coming from. Are our thoughts holy or righteous. John 15:14-16 says and this is Jesus speaking “Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you. Henceforth I call you not servants, for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you. Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you.” We choose if we will be Jesus’s friend by us doing what Jesus commands us. The servants will listen to their lord (not Jesus). Because of being Jesus’s friend, we are given access to the Father and the ability to ask for anything. We have been chosen by Jesus but have we truly chosen Jesus ourself or are we too busy to see what he wants from us. A relationship is a two-way proposition in other words both participants both give something. Does our relationship with the Holy Spirit have that give and take and a conversation through our thoughts. Before I retired, I gave the first hour before I went to work to God the first and best part of my day, that was at 2:30 in the morning. I tried spending time before I went to bed but I would fall asleep. The result was when I was awake the Holy Spirit was speaking to me through my thoughts, this was before my eyes were open. We need to find time, our best time to be familiar with the Holy Spirit not trying to fit God into our schedule where we have a little time. In the Old Testament God asked for the first of everything, to God that was the best. This is what I do, I am going to give God my best. We must decide if we want to give God our best because he will give us his.
Every word we speak will be judged by God. If we have surrendered our will, our heart then our words will line up with God. That can only happen if the Holy Spirit lives in us. If we are completely surrendered, we become one with the Holy Spirit and our words are judged already. Matthew 12:36-37 says, and this is Jesus speaking “But I say unto you, that every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgement. For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned.” Our freedom of speech comes from the Holy Spirit where our words will not need to be judged when we are one.
True wisdom comes from God through the Holy Spirit. 1 Corinthians 3:16-20 says “Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you? If any man defiles the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are. Let no man deceive himself. If any man among you seemeth to be wise in this world, let him become a fool, that he may be wise. For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. For it is written, he taketh the wise in their own craftiness. And again, The Lord knoweth the wise, that they are vain.” If we have the Holy Spirit, we are the temple of God and holy. The world’s wisdom is foolishness and vain and he knows those people. With God and his wisdom, we become the person we were meant to be and we know God through the Holy Spirit.
We know the choices I made and why. Most people will never know what I went through, it was not free. There is always a price to be paid. What I have now fills the spot in my life and in my spirit that was missing. It is each one of us that can have more than myself from God through the Holy Spirit. Everybody that reads this knows the possibilities if they only surrender their will. I am not talking about surrendering our money, family members or friends, it is the inner you, our spirit, the real you. It is our decision alone and we will never know what we are missing if we do not surrender self and see the results. God Bless.
