Monthly Archives: October 2022

The Anointing

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But you have an unction from the Holy One, and you know all things.”

1 John 2:20

The anointing oil has taken on a religious meaning to the point of some mystical phenomena that has happened. Throughout history items of Christ have been known to carry some kind of spiritual power like the holy grail. The holy grail is the cup that Jesus drank out of at the Last Supper. It was said to have healing powers, but for the knighthood it was a spiritual journey towards eternal life. The journey to know more about God and His son Jesus Christ, but most of all it was a journey in learning how to gain immortality. The quest itself was a test of the character of a knight. It was to see if a knight was worthy of service to their King. The quest was the search for spiritual enlightenment, but it also revealed the weaknesses of the human heart of man to which they had to overcome.

Every human being is on some kind of quest either for good or bad. That quest is a revelation in who they are as a person. The quest builds character in who they become as an individual knight. Some will find the light, and some will not see it. The quest to see the light are those who are seeking the kingdom of God. Walking in light speaks to the fellowship we have with the Father and his Son Jesus Christ. That fellowship only speaks to the truth of who we are in Christ and that we are sinners who are forgiven because we confess our sins to God and each other. We know that we are weak, but through Christ we have become strong. The blood of Christ is the divine provision for our atonement. Our walk should reveal the character of Christ within us. There should be no hatred in the body of Christ.

He that loveth his brother abided in the light, and there is no occasion of stumbling in him.”

1 John 2:10

Those who walk in love will not cause a brother or sister to stumble. Those who walk in love will help their brother or sister by edifying them and building them up in the Lord. They will be doing the work of Jesus. What did Jesus say to his disciples after he washed their feet?

For I have given you an example, that you should do as I have done to you.”

John 13:15

Jesus is our example, and we should heed his call and not our own individual calling. We are not greater than our Lord Jesus Christ even though some may think they are. This was in the very next verse [16] of John chapter 13. He that is sent is not greater than the person who sent him. There is no competition for a position in Christ or even a special service that a person may be called to. Have you heard about Stephen, a man full of faith and the Holy Spirit who was chosen to serve tables and the widows. Stephen had done great wonders and miracles among the people. Stephen went out in a blaze of glory seeing the glory of God and Jesus standing at God’s right hand [see Acts chapter 6 & 7]. Stephen a man who not only helped the widows but preached to the Sanhedrin about the prophets of God and how the people always resisted the Holy Spirit. He had the unction from the Holy One and spoke the truth to the Sanhedrin. In the Old Testament only the Kings, prophets, and priests were anointed with oil, but in the New Testament something has changed.

But the anointing which ye have received of him abides in you, and you need not that any man teaches you; but as the same anointing teaches you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, you shall abide in him.”

1 John 2:27

Who was John referring to when he said, “but the anointing which you have received?” Who is it that teaches us? We must go back to the gospel of John chapter 14, verse 26, which states that the “Comforter” who is the Holy Spirit whom the Father will send in Jesus’ name shall teach you all things. We must remember that the Holy Spirit will testify of Jesus. A lying spirit will deny that Jesus is the Christ, but not the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is the anointing that is sent by the Father to each person who believes that Jesus is the Son of God come in the flesh. This is the love of God to reconcile the world back to God.

Having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself; by him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven.”

Colossians 1:20

Christ has reconciled us back to God. What a glorious action of God to bring us back into fellowship with him. This should stir your heart to have the anointing, the unction from the Holy One who will teach you all things and that you will walk in it. The unction that will teach you the ways of God, the wisdom of God, that you may be made perfect in Jesus Christ. We must be settled in the Holy Spirit and the gifts of the Spirit. If we are not, we cannot become perfect in Christ. We are walking in unbelief, for we are not willing to receive the Holy Spirit. The hope of the gospel is Jesus Christ who prayed that the Father would send the Holy Spirit. Do not become stiff-necked and resist the Holy Spirit like the Sanhedrin. We need that anointing oil to flow in us and to perfect us in Christ Jesus. We need that anointing oil to abide in us and help us in our weaknesses. We need that anointing oil in order that we may be bold like Stephen who was full of the Holy Spirit. The unction is also for service.

How can you serve God without the unction [the Holy Spirit]. You can’t. If you do it is done in the flesh and not in the Spirit of God. “The flesh lusted against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would,” [see Galatians 5:17]. We must have the outworking of the Holy Spirit which is Christ in us the hope of glory. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. There is no glory in man, for all glory goes to God in what He has given unto us. He has given unto us His Son, and the Holy Spirit. The Christian character is produced by the Holy Spirit. It is from glory to glory that we are being changed into His image. Where the Spirit of the Lord is there is liberty, [see 2 Corinthians 3:18]. Why did Jesus say, “if any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink, [John 7:37]?” What would we be drinking? If we believe on Jesus as the scripture has said, Jesus stated that out of his or her heart shall flow rivers of living water. Are you thirsty?

If you are thirsty then come to Jesus for the living water that flows down from the Father. This is the Holy Spirit that gives us life and the way to fellowship within the body of Christ. This is the mystery of the power of God. The working where great wonders and miracles will happen among the people. God will bless those of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones, [Isaiah 57:15]. If you need your spirit revived and your heart, come to Jesus and pray for it. “Will thou not revive us again; that thy people may rejoice in thee, [Psalms 85:5]?” Let us not go back to being foolish, He will show us mercy and grant us salvation. “Truth shall spring out of the earth; and righteousness shall look down from heaven,” [Psalms 85:11]. Let us walk in his steps and see His glory. Let the unction from the Holy One come and fill us forever. Let us walk in it and speak in boldness of the coming of our Lord. Let us become His trees of righteousness.

Trees of Righteousness

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I Have Overcome the World

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These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.”

John 16:33

These things were spoken in the world, life isn’t a bed of roses. I get it that we are all stressed out. To bite the bullet and do something about it. Starting over again is so hard to do. I am sure you have heard one of these spoken words. When things in your life are turned upside down and you find yourself on the bottom, how can you go on in life. It is bad enough when you lose someone, but to have your car stolen or broken into, or to have your things lost due to a storm or fire, is devasting. Believe me I know, for I lost everything in a house fire. No amount of dry cleaning could get the smell out of the clothes when smoke invaded it. I was at the height of my performing artist career and in the process of completing a gospel album. It is an empty feeling when you have no place to go home to and lay down in your own bed to sleep. An individual’s welcome is worn out quickly when you are staying at a friend’s house and its true even if it is a relative. It took two years to get our house built, yet I can remember a man telling me at the Bread of Life Mission how he walked away from his home and family, for he just could not take it anymore. The stress and responsibility were just too much.

The “stress factor” is real since it is a physical, mental, or emotional factor that causes bodily or mental tension. Everyday can be stressful if we allow it to consume us. God knows that as humans we need that vacation and a break to rest from the everyday grime. Even missionaries that come home from the field are in need of rest from bodily and mental tension. We are in need of renewal for our body and spirit. Maybe that is why God talked about the sabbath day in where you rest on the seventh day. We need our minds renewed along with our tired bodies. These words were written in Hebrews.

There remained therefore a rest to the people of God.”

Hebrews 4:9

There remained therefore a rest to the people of God and just like God rested on the seventh day so should we rest and cease from our own work. Have you heard the words of Jesus say, “the sabbath was made for man, and not man for the sabbath,” [Mark 2:27]. The very next words out of Jesus are “therefore, the Son of man is Lord also of the sabbath.” Our Lord Jesus Christ is Lord of the sabbath. This refers to the deity of Christ where He is our high priest and has the right to heal and eat out of the storehouse of God. Only those of the priesthood could eat out of the storehouse of the temple. Jesus was called a high priest after the order of Melchizedek [see Hebrews chapter 5]. This is important in that we as Christians must enter into that rest. To enter in is to identify with Christ. That is why we labor to enter that rest [see Hebrews 4:11]. It is because of unbelief or disobedience that we have not entered that rest. How can we become overcomers if we cannot even discern between good and evil.

The word of God is living and powerful. It is the two-edged sword that pierces and divides the soul and spirit. Our God knows all about the human condition.

All the ways of a man are clean in his own eyes, but the Lord weighs the spirits.

Proverbs 16:2

The Lord determines man’s spirits. The Lord discerns the thoughts and intents of the heart of man. We struggle to enter in because we are dealing with our own human nature, or because we do not fully believe the word of God, or something is holding us back from entering in. That is why our senses are not able to discern because we have not fully identified with Christ that we are his child. We have not been taught the full meaning of the word of God and so we are still babes only drinking the milk. In order to overcome we must progress towards maturity. If we fall away from God, we will lose the blessings of God and fall under judgement. Do not presume anything but receive his truth for your actions. Remember that whatever is not of faith is sin. Repent, read the word of God, and listen to his voice. Take seriously your position in Christ and put all things under him including your body.

Put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts.”

Romans 13:14

Are we putting on the Lord Jesus Christ? Or are we fulfilling the lust of the flesh? These are questions that we should be asking. We do this daily in surrendering our life to the Lord, to follow him, and obey him by reading the word. If Jesus used the word of God to overcome the devil, then we must do the same in order to become overcomers of this world. We must enter into that rest and cease from our own ways in order to find the way of God. Let go of what is holding you down and by the grace of God seek him with all of your heart. We must become likeminded with Christ and have the unity of the spirit of Christ. Listen to what John said in 1st John chapter two in verse 14, “I have written unto you, young men, because you are strong, and the word of God abides in you, and you have overcome the wicked one.” Does the word of God abide in you? Have you overcome the wicked one? It is by the blood of the lamb and word of our testimony that we have overcome the accuser who is the devil. John tells us not to love the world and the things in this world. For if anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him [see 1 John 2:15].

This world system is under Satan’s control where greed, selfishness, and pleasure abound, and it is kept there by force. That is the reason why there is suffering in this world. That is the reason why Jesus came that we might have life. That is the reason why Jesus has overcome until all his enemies are under his footstool. Christ has made us alive and to sit in heavenly places in Christ Jesus, for we are his workmanship created in Christ Jesus unto good works [ see Ephesians 2:6,10]. Even though we shall have tribulation in this world, Jesus states, “be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.” It is Jesus who has overcome the world. But if we stand in Christ in faith, we too have overcome the world. Whatever kind of trouble we may be in, if we belong to Christ, we have overcome. We may need a time out to meditate and think it through and even wrestle it out with God through prayer. Telling God how we feel and what is stressing us. The end result should be one of peace and seeing yourself as overcomers in Christ Jesus. That man who left his wife and children got saved and renewed in the spirit of his mind and went back home to his wife and children.

Being an overcomer is knowing your position in Christ. The son of God came to demonstrate that He might destroy the works of the devil, [see 1John 3:8]. Sometimes we have to shake off the devil by refusing the devil entrance into our own mind. Remember Jesus said, “get thee behind me Satan.” We can do the same. We rebuke Satan’s control in our life. Our life now belongs to the Lord, and we now live unto the Lord. That is why John stated in 1st John 4:4, “You are of God, little children, and have overcome them; because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.” I praise God that Christ has overcome the world, and that he is greater in me then Satan in this world. Let us know our position in Christ and its importance in the fact that we are now overcomers in this world. Keep the faith and be of good cheer, for we have put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and we are victorious through him. Walk in His peace. In Jesus’s name, Amen.

anointing oil
Anointing Oil

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Have you received the Holy Ghost?

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He said unto them, have ye received the Holy Ghost since ye believed? And they said unto him, we have not so much as heard whether there be any Holy Ghost.”

Acts 19:2

Have you received the Holy Spirit after you believed in Jesus Christ? I wonder how many Christians who profess that they believe in Christ have not yet received the Holy Spirit. Throughout history the subject of the Holy Spirit may be one of the most debated topics. For most church leaders it is a matter of control in the body of Christ. Are we missing something that God intended for our life as a Christian? We may sing about the Holy spirit, but not allow His movement within the congregation. The Holy Spirit is a mystery for many, yet it is the vehicle in which God moves to bless his people within the congregation. It is the Holy Spirit who brings conviction within our heart to change the way we are living. What did Jesus say about the Holy Spirit. Is the Holy Spirit our comforter? Yes, the comforter is the Spirit of truth, and who testifies of Jesus [see John 15:26]. Let us look into the gospel of John in chapter 16.

And when the Spirit [he] is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment.”

John 16:8

This is known as the threefold ministry of the Holy Spirit. Read on to the next three verses in John chapter 16. The Spirit convicts us of sin because there are those who do not believe in Jesus. The Spirit convicts us about righteousness, for Jesus goes to the Father and the Father see us only through his son who is our righteousness. The Spirit convicts us about judgment for the prince of this world is judged who is the devil.

If we do not have the Spirit, who will guide us into truth? Jesus said it is the Spirit who will guide us into all truth, for he shall not speak of himself, but whatever he shall hear, that shall he speak, and he will show us things to come, [see John 16:13-14]. It is the Spirit that helps us to glorify Christ. Jesus said, “if I be lifted up from the earth, I will draw all men unto me,” John 12:32. How can we draw close to him without the Holy Spirit’s guidance. Jesus also said, “And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you forever;” John 14:16. We will never be alone if we have the Holy Spirit living within our heart. Will you give your heart to the Lord?

Will you give the Lord your heart?

We surrender our heart and ourselves to the Lord so He can create in us a new clean heart. We must have our stony cold heart changed.

“A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you a heart of flesh.”

Ezekiel 36:26

Ah, yes, a new spirit will He put within you, and He will give you a heart of flesh. A heart of flesh for He has awakened you spiritually to the love of God. Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God the apostle Paul said in Ephesians 4:30, whereby you are sealed unto the day of redemption. We are sealed with the Holy Spirit of God to which Jesus prayed that he would send to each person who believes in Him. The apostle Paul was asking those who were disciples of John the Baptist in Acts chapter 19, “to whom where you baptized.” To whom where you baptized into? Paul said that John baptized unto repentance, but it is Jesus who you should believe in who came after John the Baptist. Paul than laid his hands upon them and the Holy Spirit came on them and they spoke with tongues and prophesied. Glory to God they got the baptism in the Holy Spirit. All we have to do is ask for the Holy Spirit to come upon us. Jesus provided the way, and He gives us the comforter who is the Holy Spirit. The Jews were astonished as to the words of Jesus when he said, “how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him,” Luke 11:13.

This is that which was spoken through the prophet Joel, [see Acts:2:16]. This is that, meaning to what was spoken previously. The prophet Joel prophesied that God would pour out His Spirit upon all flesh. This would happen in the latter days in the church, but it also relates to when Israel will return to the Lord. Yet, the Holy Spirit has been poured out upon those who believe. The outpouring of the Holy Spirit has brought the charismatic movement through the centuries, and it is still happening around the world.

Would God that all the Lord’s people were prophets, and that the Lord would put his Spirit upon them.”

Numbers 11:29

This is Moses’ desire and what the prophet Joel declared. All will prophesy and have visions and dreams as the Spirit falls down upon them. Be sure that God will fulfill all what Joel prophesied. These are exciting times for those who are charismatic Christians who have placed their faith in Christ Jesus and are baptized in the Holy Spirit. How can you hear his voice if you do not have the Holy Spirit as your comforter. It is the Spirit that searched all things and the deep things of God. This is not man’s wisdom, for who can know the things of God. It is what the Holy Spirit teaches and through the Spirit we are able to compare spiritual things with spiritual as Paul stated in 1 Corinthians 2:10-13. You do not have to fear the Holy Spirit when you ask the Father for the baptism of the Spirit.

I remember a worship leader who asked me to give him the Holy Spirit. I told him I could not give him the Holy Spirit, for he must ask the Father for the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit only comes from the Father and Jesus prayed to the Father that he would give the comforter to those who would ask. He got it in a parking lot. Yes, the Holy Spirit came down upon him in a parking lot as he was trying to get into his car. Amazing. We receive it through faith and God answers our prayer.

“Wherefore I give you to understand, that no man speaking by the Spirit of God calleth Jesus accursed: and that no man can say that Jesus is the Lord, but by the Holy Ghost.”

1 Corinthians 12:3

Anyone who curses Jesus and who confesses not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God. That person is not of the Spirit of God. Those who are baptized in the Holy Ghost will point to Christ as Lord overall and believe that Jesus came in the flesh and has died for our sins. If they do not confess this, then they are of the spirit of antichrist [see 1 John 4:1]. John tells us that the antichrist is already in the world. That is why we must have the Holy Spirit as our comforter. But we must also test and try the spirit to see if it is of God. John gives us instruction to try the spirits whether they are of God. We need never fear as to what spirit we have when within our heart we confess Jesus as Lord who came in the flesh, died and arose from the grave. We can ask the spirit this question to see if it is of God. We must remember that we are the temple of God and that His Spirit dwells within us.

It is written “be ye holy for I am holy,” [1Peter 1:16]. Our hearts are purified for the service of the Lord. That is why the apostle Paul stated, “we are laborers together with God; you are God’s cultivated field, you are God’s building,” [1 Corinthians 3:9]. Our foundation is built upon Jesus Christ, and He has called us friends. His love now reigns, and He instructs us to walk in love. Receive the Holy Spirit in the name of Jesus and walk in love every day.

Overcome Evil

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I am the Door

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Behold, I stand at the door, and knock; if any man hears my voice, and open the door, I will come into him, and will sup with him, and he with me.

Revelation 3:20

Do you hear Him knocking at your door? Are you safe within the sheepfold of God? Jesus said, ‘I am the door of the sheep,” [see John 10:7]. How can Jesus come and sup with us? If anyone claims to be Christ, we know it is not true, or do we? Jesus told us in verse 8 of chapter ten of John that all that ever came before him were thieves and robbers. Thieves and robbers! These days, it is all about who you trust. The door has a lock, and you have the key to unlocking it. He is knocking at the door every day. Will you open the door? The door is your relationship with God. Your communication with the almighty God. Is it open or closed? Only you yourself can answer that question. But to know God you must open the door. There are two doors that the priest goes through to the mercy seat and between the two cherubim is where God communes with the priest, [see Exodus 25:22]. This is the same place where God spoke to Moses in the tabernacle in Numbers 7:89. God desires a place to commune with His people.

Mercy Seat
Mercy Seat

The open door speaks to not only communication, but relationship. One must communicate in order to have a relationship. For many, God is distant because they do not know how to communicate to the Almighty one. Yet, Jesus said, “I will come into him and sup with him.” We must know the importance of the door that Jesus claims to be. What does it mean to hear his voice and have him [sup with us]. We can read about Jesus and the Father’s relationship in the Bible. But we must first go back to the day of atonement where the priest had to make sacrifices not only for himself but for the people as well for all their sins. This sacrifice opens the door for communications with God. But God did not take pleasure in these sacrifices for sin [see Hebrews 10:6]. He made a new covenant where only one sacrifice for sins was made forever, [see Hebrews 10:12]. It is the offering of the body of Jesus Christ who become the final and only sacrifice for sins. In this final sacrifice was God pleased. That is why Jesus is the shepherd because He laid down his own life for the sheep [see John 10:11].

I am the door; by me if any man enters in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture.”

John 10:9

Jesus is the door to which we can enter into the Holy place where the mercy set is. We can enter in by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way, [see Hebrew 10-19-22]. When we enter the door of Jesus, we enter into the mercy seat of God. Jesus is the blood sacrifice for our sins, and therefore, we are able to commune with God. We can come boldly to the throne of grace because of Jesus. That is why we can draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith. Because we have had our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience through faith in Jesus Christ. Let us hold fast our profession of faith. Let us not waver in our faith in Christ Jesus. We enter in by faith and that is believing and receiving what God has revealed to us in the Scriptures. Do we trust in God and in Jesus Christ whom God sent? That is a question that each of us must answer for ourselves. Each person must answer the question if they believe in that “God so loved the world that He gave us His only son in that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting life,” [see John 3:16]. One cannot come to the God any other way but through Jesus Christ who is the propitiation for our sins.

I say unto you, He that entered not by the door into the sheepfold, but climbed up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber.”

John 10:1

There is that thief and robber again. There is only one way to come to God, and that is through Jesus Christ. Jesus is the door to eternal life. All other methods are considered as a thief or robbers of your soul and life. Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life; no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” [John 14:6]. We have a heavenly Father who is merciful.

I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more.”

Hebrew 8:12

The heavenly Father will be merciful to us, and He will not remember your sins anymore. He will not remember your sins. He sees you through the eyes of Jesus. Jesus and the Father had a personal relationship with each other. Jesus knows the Father and that speaks to an intimate relationship. Jesus said, “as the Father knoweth me, even so know I the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep,” [see John 10:15]. Take a look at the very next verse of John chapter ten. In verse 16, Jesus speaks about the other sheep he has, and those other sheep hear his voice. The other sheep are those who are not of the Jewish fold. These are the Gentiles who were aliens from the commonwealth of Israel having no hope and without God in the world, but now are a part of the commonwealth through the blood of Christ, [see Ephesians 2:12-13]. How exciting is that? Jesus is our peace who hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us. We are all one in Christ and the Father receives us because of Christ sacrifice. Our faith and confession are a testimony to God and to others.

Our confession of faith is very important because it speaks to where we stand. We are either in the fold of the shepherd or we stand outside of the gate/door. Jesus tells us to fear not because we are more valuable than the all the sparrows. If we confess Christ before men, then Christ will confess us before the Father who is in heaven, [see Matthew 10:32]. But look at verse 33 of Mathew chapter ten, for it states that if we deny Christ, He will deny us before the Father in heaven. We must remember that He is always faithful, but mere man stumbles in his own belief. We must repent in order to revive our soul and have the door open to the pastures again whereby we may communicate. At the end of this age the church who is in revival are those who hear his voice and God knows of their works, for he has set before them an open door and no man can shut the door that He opens. God opens the door unto those who have kept His word and who have not denied His name [see Revelation 3:8]. Those who are His know that of themselves they are nothing, but with God they have become strong. They know their position in Christ and all things become possible because of their faith.

You must know the father and the son. Jesus said, “I and the Father are one.” Are you one with Christ? If you are one with Christ, then you are His followers and listen to His voice. This means you get acquainted with him and his ways. You read his will and testament to become familiar with his way. The Holy Spirit will teach us and guide us into its meaning [see John 14:26]. This means whatever you do, you do as unto the Lord and not unto yourselves. This means that we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works and not evil, [see Ephesians 2:10]. Jesus himself said he could do nothing of himself, but what he sees the Father do, He does. He had an intimate relationship with the Father and the Father revealed to Jesus what he should do. Let him teach you what you should do. Read his word daily and pray for understanding. Jesus exclaims that if you know him, you know the Father. This is such an amazing statement, and we many just gloss over it without giving it careful thought.

When you are reading any book, do you not look at the “characters” of the book? To know the characters is to know something about them. Thus, the Bible explains the character of God in who he is and what he has done. If you believe in God, you must also believe in Jesus Christ. If you do not, then how can He prepare a place for you in heaven. Remember that Jesus is the door, the way, the truth, and the life.

How much more shall your heavenly Father give you the Holy Spirit

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