DAILY DIET

MEASURES & DIMENSIONS IN THE HOLY SPIRIT! (DAILY DIET E-BOOK SERIES 02 DAY 12)

Extreme Teachings in the Church

There are some extreme teachings in the church today. When I speak of the church, I am not speaking of any particular group or denomination. I am speaking of the church world as a whole. I began my ministry as a denominational preacher, and I know what that particular denomination teaches. And I have been among Full Gospel people for a great number of years now, and I know what they teach.

I have found that we have extreme teaching that is unscriptural, even among Pentecostals. Does One Receive the Fullness of the Holy Spirit in the New Birth? The denominational church that I belonged to taught me that if you are born again, then you have the Holy Ghost — and you have all the Holy Ghost there is to have.

They are partly right, but mostly wrong in that assertion. They are right in that if you are born again, you do have the Holy Ghost because there is a work of the Holy Spirit in the new birth (John 3:5-8; Rom. 8:16). It is the Holy Spirit who imparts eternal life to the unregenerated spirit of the sinner (Titus 3:5- 7).

It is the Holy Spirit who recreates the sinner's spirit and makes him a new creature in Christ Jesus (2 Cor. 5:17). It is the Holy Spirit who bears witness with the spirit of the born-again one that he is a child of God (Rom. 8:16). But this is not the same as the infilling of the Holy Spirit (Acts 1:8), or the enduement of power from on High, even though the Holy Spirit is present in the life of the born-again believer.

Jesus illustrated the work of the Holy Spirit in salvation for us very beautifully in the Gospel of John. In chapter 4, Jesus was talking to the woman of Samaria at the well about salvation. Salvation: The Well of Water JOHN 4:13,14 13 ... Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again: 14 But whosoever drinketh of THE WATER that I shall give him shall never thirst; but THE WATER that I shall give him shall be in him A WELL OF WATER springing up into EVERLASTING LIFE. Here we see that Jesus was speaking of the well of water or the work of the Holy Spirit in salvation. Jesus referred to salvation as the well of water.

The Baptism in the Holy Spirit: Rivers of Living Waters

In the following verses, Jesus was talking about the rivers of living water which characterize the work of the Holy Spirit in the infilling or the baptism of the Holy Spirit. JOHN 7:37-39 37 In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink. 38 He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow RIVERS OF LIVING WATER. 39 (But this spake he of THE SPIRIT, which they that believe on him should receive; for the Holy Ghost was not yet given; because that Jesus was not yet glorified.) The water in both John 4:13,14 and John 7:37-39 is a type of the Holy Ghost.

But notice that two different experiences are mentioned: salvation and the infilling of the Holy Spirit. First, to the woman at the well of Samaria, Jesus said, ". . . the water that I shall give him shall be in him a WELL OF WATER springing up into EVER-LASTING LIFE" (John 4:14). This is referring to the work of the Holy Spirit in salvation or the new birth. In John 7:37-39, the reference is to "rivers of living water." Jesus said, ". . . out of his belly [or innermost being] shall flow rivers of living water" (John 7:38). This is referring to the experience of the infilling of the Holy Ghost in the life of the born-again child of God.

FFT: WELL OF WATER; signifies the Holy Spirit at salvation. RIVERS OF LIVING WATER; signifies the Holy Spirit in baptismal measure.

ACTION POINT: Press for more of the Holy Spirit!

INTERACTIVE SESSION: Describe the function of the Holy Spirit at salvation and the function of the Holy Spirit in baptismal measure? (in the comment section below)

THE HOLY SPIRIT IS A PERSON! (DAILY DIET E-BOOK SERIES 02 DAY 11)

The Holy Spirit Is a Person

Jesus refers to the Holy Spirit as a Person in John 14:16: ". . . I will pray the Father, and he [the Father] shall give you another Comforter, that HE [the Comforter, the Holy Spirit] may abide with you for ever."

The Holy Spirit is a Person. In other words, when we receive the Holy Spirit, we receive Him, the third Person of the Godhead, not an "it." Jesus said, ". . . that HE may abide with you for ever" (John 14:16). Some people say it like this: "I received the baptism." But they didn't receive the baptism, they received the Holy Spirit.

Sometimes folks say, "I am filled with the baptism." But they are not filled with the baptism; they are not even filled with the baptism of the Holy Spirit. That is not a scriptural statement. No, they are filled with the Holy Spirit Himself— the third Person of the Godhead. Receiving the Holy Ghost is more than just an experience. When you receive the Holy Ghost, a Divine Personality, He comes to live in you, to dwell in you, and to make His home in you.

Receiving the Holy Spirit Is Just the Beginning Also, we must not be so concerned with the outward initial experience that we miss the reality of the indwelling Presence of the Holy Ghost. If we have been filled with the Holy Ghost, we should be conscious of His indwelling Presence at every waking moment. We shouldn't have to look back to some experience that we had at an altar years ago as our only contact with this Divine Person — the Holy Spirit.

The Holy Spirit should become more real to us every single day. I received the infilling of the Holy Ghost more than fifty-five years ago. When I first received the Holy Spirit, I spoke in tongues for an hour and a half, and I sang three songs in tongues. But that experience was the least part of this fifty-five years of being filled with the Holy Spirit because that initial experience was just the beginning.

But to hear some people talk, the initial experience of receiving the Holy Spirit was the greatest thing that ever happened in their lives. Of course, in one sense that may be true, because that was the beginning. But some people haven't experienced anything since then! However, if the Holy Ghost is living in you, you can have scriptural experiences with God and in His Word every day. You don't have just one experience and that's the end of it. No, when you receive the baptism in the Holy Spirit, a Divine Personality — the Holy Spirit — comes to live within you! Every day you can experience His indwelling Presence.

The infilling of the Holy Ghost is not for sinners; it is for believers. Referring to the infilling of the Holy Spirit, Jesus said, "Even the Spirit of truth; WHOM THE WORLD CANNOT RECEIVE. . ."(John 14:17). The world cannot receive the promise of the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Truth. The world can receive eternal life, however. The Bible says, "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have EVERLASTING LIFE" (John 3:16). Jesus Christ is God's Gift to the world. The world can receive Christ as Savior. A sinner can be born again. But a person has to be born again before he can receive the baptism of the Holy Ghost.

FFT: The Holy Spirit is the third person in the trinity.

ACTION POINT: There is more in the Spirit beyond speaking in tongues, seek for more discovery!

INTERACTIVE SESSION: Is the Holy Spirit real to you?

THE HOLY SPIRIT IS NON-DENOMINATIONAL, HE'S A PROMISE TO ALL! (DAILY DIET E-BOOK SERIES 02 DAY 10)

Denominational Differences Don't Matter!

We should share this wonderful experience of being filled with the Holy Spirit with everyone who is hungry for God. For example, if someone fell overboard and I had a lifesaver, I wouldn't ask him what church he belonged to before I threw him the life-saver! And if he didn't belong to my church, I wouldn't refuse to throw him the lifesaver either! If people are drowning, they need help.

If people are lost, they need salvation. And if Christians are hungry for a deeper walk with God, they don't have to become a member of any particular church before they can be filled with the Holy Spirit! The Holy Spirit is a Gift.

We should just get believers who are hungry for more of God filled with the Spirit. And, thank God, we are doing that. Of course, we should always encourage believers who are not members of a local body to join a good church and become faithful members, so they can grow in their Christian walk. But joining a church is not a prerequisite to receiving the Holy Spirit.

In just four services of a local chapter of a Full Gospel group, I once saw 143 people filled with the Holy Ghost. That's a real revival in itself, isn't it? And some folks think God is not on the move! Thank God, He is. It is not what you think the Bible says that counts. And it's not what someone told you the Bible says. It is what you know for yourself about God's Word that counts. And God will confirm His Word with signs following.

The Holy Spirit: God's Promise to You

ACTS 1:5,8 5 For John truly baptized with water; but YE SHALL BE BAPTIZED WITH THE HOLY GHOST not many days hence. ... 8 But ye shall receive power, AFTER THAT THE HOLY GHOST IS COME UPON YOU: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.

ACTS 2:32,33 32 This Jesus hath God raised up, whereof we all are witnesses. 33 Therefore being by the right hand of God exalted, and having received of the Father THE PROMISE of the Holy Ghost, he hath shed forth this, which ye now see and hear. Notice that in Acts 1:5 and 8 Jesus spoke of the promise of the Holy Ghost to the Church — the Body of Christ. He said, "... ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost..." (Acts 1:5). And in Acts chapter 2, we see the fulfillment of that promise: ". . . he [Jesus] hath shed forth this, which ye now see and hear" (Acts 2:33).

Then in Acts 2:38 and 39, Peter told the people that the promise of the Holy Spirit was given to as many as believed. ACTS 2:38,39 38 Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive THE GIFT OF THE HOLY GHOST. 39 For THE PROMISE is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even AS MANY as the Lord our God shall call din other words, those who are born again].

FFT: The Holy Spirit in nondenominational, He's a promise to every hungry believer.

ACTION POINT: Be filled with the Holy Spirit!

INTERACTIVE SESSION: Have you received the Holy Spirit since you believe?

WOMEN CAN TRANFER THE ANOINTING! (DAILY DIET E-BOOK SERIES 02 DAY 09)

In times past, it has been my privilege to speak on the subject of the infilling of the Holy Spirit, or the baptism of the Holy Spirit, to Full Gospel groups and to conduct special services all over the country. A great number of people have always been filled with the Holy Spirit in these services. A move of God that we now call the Charismatic Movement took place during the '60s and '70s. That move of God was characterized by thousands of believers in denominational churches being filled with the Holy Spirit.

In my own ministry, this was a time when I saw hundreds of denominational people receive the Holy Ghost. For instance, in just three Bible classes I conducted once at a convention in Texas, more than one hundred people were filled with the Holy Spirit. In these classes, a denominational minister and his wife received the Holy Spirit and upon returning to their church in Florida, they sent me their church bulletin. In it they openly announced they had received the Holy Ghost and spoke with other tongues.

I also noticed in the bulletin that the chairman of the board of their church had also given his testimony about being filled with the Holy Ghost and speaking with tongues. There were more than five hundred people attending Sunday school in this church. And the people were telling the full-gospel story! Another denominational minister and his wife also received the Holy Ghost at this convention. And a minister from Chicago from still another denomination also received the infilling of the Holy Spirit.

Two ministers from a very conservative denomination also attended that convention. There are several different branches of this particular denomination, just as there are in other denominations and among Pentecostals. All of the different branches of this particular denomination were conservative, but some were ultraconservative. One of these two ministers attending the convention in Texas was from an ultra-conservative branch. The one who was conservative received the baptism of the Holy Spirit right away, but the ultraconservative minister didn't receive until the last day of the meeting.

What bothered this ultraconservative minister and hindered him from receiving the baptism of the Holy Spirit was that he didn't believe in women preachers. And the first time he came forward to receive the Holy Ghost, two women preachers approached him to pray with him. (Many times it seems to work that way, doesn't it? God doesn't want us to be prejudiced about anything! He wants us to be in agreement with His Word.)

Because of this minister's preconceived ideas that women shouldn't be preachers, this took him aback and hindered him from receiving the Holy Spirit. He asked me, "Do I have to believe in women preachers before I can receive the Holy Ghost?" I said, "No, you don't. At one time, I didn't believe in women being preachers either. But if you let it bother you, it can hinder your faith and therefore hinder you from receiving the Holy Spirit."

And we must remember, too, that when we do receive the Holy Spirit, that doesn't mean we know everything. In some of these areas, the Holy Spirit will change our thinking because the Bible says He will guide us into all truth (John 16:13). For example, Peter and all of the apostles had been filled with the Holy Ghost for ten years, but they still didn't know the Gentiles could get saved.

They didn't receive that revelation until Peter saw the vision while praying on the housetop, and God spoke to him and said, ". . . what God hath cleansed, that call not common" (Acts 10:15). Then Peter was sent to preach the gospel to Cornelius and his household, who were Gentiles (Acts 10:1-45). So I said to this minister, "As long as you let women being preachers bother you, it will hinder you.

The devil will use anything he can to get your mind off of God and on something else to try to bring you into confusion. Just stay open to God and let Him tell you whatever He wants to tell you. If you knew everything you should know and if you were everything you should be without the Holy Ghost, what would you need Him for?" This minister finally received the baptism in the Holy Spirit. And, sure enough, when he was filled with the Holy Spirit, it was a woman preacher who prayed with him! After he was filled with the Holy Ghost, he said, "Now I believe in women preachers!" It didn't take him long to change his mind.

FFT: Wrong mindset can hinder your access to the Holy Spirit.

ACTION POINT: Open up yourself to the Holy Spirit.

INTERACTIVE SESSION: Do you believe in women ministry?

TARRY WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT & NOT FOR THE HOLY SPIRIT (DAILY DIET E-BOOK SERIES 02 DAY 08)

I said all that to say that the problem is never on the sending end — with God. If there is a problem, it is always on the receiving end — with us. We must just learn to receive freely the blessings God has so graciously bestowed upon us in our redemption, which includes the infilling of the Holy Spirit.

So as I knelt in that Full Gospel parsonage in April 1937, I said to the Lord, "Lord, the Holy Ghost is a Gift. I received salvation by faith. I received healing for my body three years ago by faith. Now I receive the gift of the Holy Ghost by faith. And I want to thank You now, Heavenly Father, because I receive the Holy Spirit." Then I said to the Lord, "By faith I have now received the Holy Ghost. Thank God, He is in me, because Jesus promised that in His Word.

And I say it with my mouth because I believe in my heart that I have received the Holy Ghost. Now I expect to speak with tongues because believers spoke with tongues on the Day of Pentecost. And thank God, I will, too, as the Holy Ghost gives me utterance." After I had prayed that, because I was grateful for the Holy Ghost that I had just received and for the speaking with tongues that God was going to give me, I said, "Hallelujah, hallelujah." But I had never felt so "dry" in all my life saying that word.

Feelings and faith are far removed from each other; in fact, sometimes when you feel as if you have the least faith, that is when you have the most faith because you do not base your faith on feelings. So I said, "Hallelujah" about seven or eight times, even though it seemed as if that word was going to choke me! About the time I had said "Hallelujah" seven or eight times, way down inside of me, in my spirit, I heard these strange words. It seemed as if they were just going around and around in there. It seemed to me that I would know what they would sound like if they were spoken, so I just started speaking them out! So about eight minutes from the time I first knocked on that pastor's door, I was speaking with tongues!

The pastor had said, "Wait," but instead of waiting, I spent that hour and a half before the church service speaking in tongues! It is much better to wait with the Holy Ghost than to wait without the Holy Ghost! I believe in waiting on God, of course. We should have tarrying meetings for people who are Spirit filled. It is more wonderful to tarry and wait in God's Presence after you've been filled with the Holy Ghost than it is to wait in God's Presence before being filled with the Holy Spirit.

Also, notice that you don't speak in tongues, and then know you have the Holy Ghost. No, you know you have the Holy Ghost first, and then you speak in tongues. Notice Acts 2:4: "And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost. ..." If we stop reading there, we would know that they were all filled with the Holy Spirit. But if we continue reading, we find, ". . . and [they] began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance" (Acts 2:4). Speaking with other tongues was a result of those believers having received the Holy Ghost. You receive the Holy Ghost first; then you speak in tongues.

During that hour and a half that I was speaking in tongues, I had a glorious time in the Lord. You see, speaking in tongues edifies you. First Corinthians 14:4 says, "He that speaketh in an unknown tongue edifieth himself . . ." Therefore, speaking in tongues is a means of spiritual edification or building up. Linguists tell us that there is a word in our modern vernacular that is closer to the meaning of the Greek word than "edify" and that is the word "charge." We charge a battery; we build it up.

JUDE20 20 But ye, beloved, BUILDING UP YOURSELVES on your most holy faith, PRAYING IN THE HOLY GHOST. In other words, when a person prays in the Holy Spirit, he charges himself up. He builds himself up like a battery that is charged or built up. Edifying yourself by speaking in other tongues is just one of the many blessings that God has provided through the baptism in the Holy Ghost. And this wonderful blessing, this glorious gift of the Holy Ghost, is available to every born-again believer.

FFT: Wait on the Holy Ghost and not for the Holy Ghost. He is given already!

ACTION POINT: Tarry with the Holy Ghost! Charge your self with tongues daily!

INTERACTIVE SESSION: Do you know you have the Holy Spirit already? Do you speak his language?

POSITIONING YOURSELF FOR DIVINE HEALING AND INTERVENTION! (DAILY DIET E-BOOK SERIES 02 DAY 07)

The Sending End or the Receiving End?

A number of years ago, a minister friend of ours was going out West to visit a relative who was dying of cancer. She was the wife of another minister. My wife and I felt led to go out there with him to pray for her. After we arrived, we all prayed for two days and nights for this minister's sick wife. We ate only one meal a day. We slept only three or four hours a night, getting up early in the morning to go into the room to pray where the woman was bedfast.

On the second night I said to my friend, "Something is wrong. I have been saved for sixteen years and healed for fifteen years, but never have I prayed this long for anything without getting an answer, and I hate to start now. "Something is wrong with our praying," I said.

"What I mean is this: In this little town there is only one radio station. If the radio in your car failed to pick up the local station, you wouldn't phone or write a letter to that station and say, 'You'd better have your radio station fixed. My radio won't pick up the broadcast.' "Nothing would be wrong with the sending end.

You would have to work on the receiving end. So in the morning when we go into that room, let's concentrate on the receiving end." The next morning when we gathered at the woman's bedside for prayer again, I told everyone that we were missing it somewhere — that the fault was with us and certainly was not with God.

The woman on the bed began to cry and said, "Oh, the trouble is with me. I have failed." I said, "Wait a minute, Sister. Don't condemn yourself, because if you do, you can talk yourself right out of faith. Maybe you have failed. Who of us hasn't? But you asked the Lord to forgive you, didn't you?

And First John 1:9 says, 'If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.' So if you've repented and have asked God to forgive you, He has forgiven you and cleansed you from all unrighteousness. You can stand in the Presence of God as though you have never done anything wrong." I explained,

"When I say something is wrong on the receiving end, I don't mean there is some terrible sin. I just mean that somehow we have not gotten in a receptive 'mood,' so to speak, for it is a matter of receiving the healing that is already yours.

"In other words," I continued, "your healing was already paid for on the Cross; therefore, we don't have to talk God into the notion of healing you." After explaining a little more about her redemptive rights in Christ, we began to pray. The woman who was dying with cancer was saved, filled with the Holy Ghost, a pastor's wife, and a Sunday school teacher.

But we discovered she had much doubt and fear. In fact, doubt and fear was hindering her from receiving the healing that God had already so graciously provided for her in redemption. When we prayed and believed God and dealt with the real problem, we got results.

In this case, God directed me to cast a spirit of doubt and fear out of the woman. (The evil spirit was not in her spirit because she was a believer, but it was affecting her mind — her thinking.) When I cast that evil spirit out of her mind, the woman immediately raised up in bed and began to praise God. She got up and went into the living room and knelt down and praised and thanked God. That afternoon she ate dinner with us.

FFT: Cast out the spirit of doubt and fear from your mind!

ACTION POINT: Position yourself in faith to receive the divine provisions.

INTERACTIVE SESSION: Do you believe in divine healing?

SECRET TO RECEIVING THE HOLY GHOST!(DAILY DIET E-BOOK SERIES 02 DAY 06)

The Ephesian Disciples

We see another example of man receiving what God has already provided — the Holy Spirit — in Acts 19 ACTS 19:1,2 1 ... Paul having passed through the upper coasts came to Ephesus: and finding certain disciples, 2 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. When Paul came to Ephesus, he didn't ask the question, "Has God given you the Holy Ghost?" He asked, ". . . Have ye RECEIVED the Holy Ghost since ye believed?. . ." (Acts 19:2). The Samaritan Christians We see in the account in Acts chapter 8 that after the Samaritans were born again, it was only a matter of their receiving the Holy Spirit. ACTS 8:14,15 14 Now when the apostles which were at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God[ concerning salvation ], they sent unto them Peter and John: 15 Who, when they were come down, prayed for them, that they might RECEIVE the Holy Ghost. Notice that it says ". . . that they might receive the Holy Ghost" (v. 15). Peter and John didn't pray that God would pour out the Holy Ghost on them. They prayed that the Samaritans might receive the Holy Ghost. Acts 8:17 says, "Then laid they their hands on them, and they received the Holy Ghost.

" Saul of Tarsus Saul was born again on the road to Damascus (Acts 9:4-8). God sent Ananias to lay hands on Saul that Saul might receive his sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit. ACTS 9:17 17 And Ananias went his way, and entered into the house; and putting his hands on him said, Brother Saul, the Lord, even Jesus, that appeared unto thee in the way as thou tamest, hath sent me, THAT THOU MIGHTEST receive thy sight, and BE FILLED WITH THE HOLY GHOST. Ananias didn't say, "God has sent me to pray for you that He would give you the Holy Ghost." And Ananias didn't say, "God has sent me to pray for you that He would pour His Holy Ghost out upon you." Ananias said, ". . . [JesusI hath sent me, that thou mightest . . . be filled with [receive] the Holy Ghost" (Acts 9:17).

You don't pray that God would send salvation and save someone; God has already done that through Jesus' death, burial, and resurrection. You pray for that person to receive salvation. You don't pray that God would send healing and heal someone. You pray for that person to receive healing. There is nothing wrong with the sending end. If people fail to receive something God offers, the problem is not with God; something is wrong on the receiving end.

FFT: Receive ye the Holy Ghost!

ACTION POINT: You cant afford to be powerless in this last days go for the Holy Ghost.

INTERACTIVE SESSION: Have you receive the Holy Spirit since you believe?

WHY WAIT TO RECEIVE A GIFT? THE HOLY SPIRIT IS GIVEN ALREADY! (DAILY DIET E-BOOK SERIES 02 DAY 05)

Thank God, God showed me His Word on the subject, so I knew I didn't have to wait or tarry before I could be filled with the Holy Spirit. I saw in God's Word that if believers in the Book of Acts didn't have to wait to receive the Holy Spirit, then I didn't have to wait either. I also knew that when I received the Holy Spirit, I would speak in tongues. When I told this Full Gospel pastor, "I've come here to receive the Holy Ghost," and he said to wait, I blurted out, "But it won't take me long to receive!"

The church was having a revival service that night, and it was then already 6:00 in the evening, so he wanted me to wait and seek for the baptism of the Holy Ghost in the service. But I knew I would have to wait until after 7:00 when the service started. Then I would have to wait until the preliminaries were over. And then I would have to wait until the preaching was over. In other words, it would have been about 9:00 that evening before I could have gotten to the altar.

But why wait to receive a gift? I have now been associated with Full Gospel folks for many years, and in all that time, I have never told anyone to wait to receive the Holy Spirit, or for that matter, to wait for anything that God freely offers us in His Word. If someone says he wants to get saved, you don't say, "Wait and come to church Sunday and then seek salvation." If someone wanted you to pray for his healing, you wouldn't say, "Wait." No, sick people want to get healed immediately, especially if their bodies are in pain. Salvation is a gift; healing is a gift; and so is the baptism in the Holy Spirit.

Because of my obvious eagerness, the pastor said reluctantly, "Well, come on in then." I stepped in the door and the pastor said to me, "I know you can receive the Holy Ghost right away because we read about it in the Acts of the Apostles. But when you have to wait a long time before you receive the Holy Spirit, the experience means so much more to you." The pastor continued, "Take me, for instance. It took me three years and six months to receive the Holy Ghost. Oh, I waited and I waited; I tarried and I sought. Now that I've finally received, the Holy Ghost really means something to me." I said, "Well, poor old Paul didn't know that. I wish you could have gotten to him and told him about waiting. He didn't know that, because he received the Holy Ghost immediately when Ananias laid hands on him

[Acts 9:17,18]. Paul didn't wait or tarry or seek." I continued, "But then, all Paul ever did was write about half the New Testament! Of course, he did more single-handedly in the years of his ministry than any denomination has done in five hundred years put together. But if you could have gotten to him and told him to wait for three years and six months to receive the baptism in the Holy Spirit, then maybe the Holy Ghost would have meant something to him too!" I went into the living room and knelt down in front of a large chair. I just closed my eyes and shut out everything around me, and I lifted my hands to God. No one told me to do it, but I just lifted my hands (that's pretty good for a denominational boy).

I said, "Dear Lord, I've come here to receive the Holy Ghost." I repeated in my prayer what I had just learned from Acts 2:39 and Acts 2:4. Then I said, "Your Word says that the Holy Ghost is a Gift. Therefore, I realize that the Holy Ghost is received by faith. I received the gift of salvation by faith. I received healing for my body by faith. Now I receive the gift of the Holy Spirit that You offer by faith too." God Has Already Given the Holy Spirit: Believers Need Only To Receive This Gift There is something here that folks need to see: The Holy Spirit was given on the Day of Pentecost, and He has been here ever since! God hasn't given Him to anyone since the Day of Pentecost. God gave the gift of the Holy Ghost once on the Day of Pentecost, and He never took back that gift.

Now it is just a matter of folks receiving Him. I can't find in the Acts of the Apostles where the disciples ever asked anyone, "Has God given you the Holy Ghost?" But I do read where Paul asked, "Have you received the Holy Ghost?" (Acts 19:2). In other words, the emphasis is not on God's giving because He has already done that. The emphasis is on man's receiving. In the life of Jesus, we see an example of man receiving what God has already provided — the Holy Spirit: "Therefore [Jesus Christ) being by the right hand of God exalted, and having RECEIVED of the Father the promise of the Holy Ghost..." (Acts 2:33). Jesus received of the Father ". . . the promise of the Holy Ghost. ..." And after Jesus received the promise of the Holy Ghost, the Bible says He "... hath shed forth this, which ye now see and hear" (Acts 2:33).

FFT: The Holy Spirit is given already! He is a gift to you!

ACTION POINT: Reach out for Him in faith now!

INTERACTIVE SESSION: Have you received the Holy Spirit since you believe?

'TARRYING' IS NOT A FORMULA FOR POWER! (DAILY DIET E-BOOK SERIES 02 DAY 04)

I then walked over to the parsonage and knocked on the door. The Full Gospel pastor came to the door. I said to him, "I've come to receive the Holy Ghost." He said, "Son, you need to wait." (From that day until this I have never been able to figure out why anyone would ever tell someone to wait to receive the Holy Ghost!)

Someone may ask, "Haven't you ever read in the Bible where it says to tarry? And everyone knows that 'to tarry' means to wait." Yes, but that is not a formula for receiving the Holy Ghost, because Jesus actually said, ". . . TARRY YE IN THE CITY OF JERUSALEM, until ye be endued with power from on high" (Luke 24:49). It was just as necessary for that group, the 120 who gathered in the Upper Room, to be in Jerusalem as it was that they wait or tarry.

So if waiting were a formula for receiving the Holy Ghost, then why take the word "Jerusalem" out of this verse? In other words, if it's still necessary for us today to wait or to tarry in order to receive the baptism in the Holy Spirit, then it must be necessary for us to go to Jerusalem to do it! Also, the 120 people in the Upper Room weren't waiting in the sense that they were getting ready and preparing themselves to be filled with the Holy Ghost.

No, they were waiting for the Day of Pentecost to come. The Holy Ghost could not be given until then. If they had been waiting and preparing themselves before they could receive the Holy Spirit, the Bible would have read, "When they were ready, they were all filled with the Holy Ghost." But it doesn't read that way. In Acts 2:1 and 4, the Bible says, "And when THE DAY OF PENTECOST WAS FULLY COME . . . they were all filled with the Holy Ghost. . . ." (We will cover whether it is scriptural to tarry to receive the Holy Spirit in greater detail in Chapter 6 of this study course.)

Someone said, "But waiting gets you ready to receive the Holy Ghost." No, it doesn't. Getting saved gets you ready. The Bible mentions the only requirement for receiving the Holy Ghost. It says, ". . . the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call" (Acts 2:39). In other words, the promise of the baptism in the Holy Spirit is for as many as have received Jesus Christ as their Savior. Any Believer Can Receive the Holy Spirit.

By saying a person has to wait in order to receive the Holy Spirit, people are really saying a person has to clean himself up first. But you can't clean yourself up except through repentance of unconfessed sin (1 John 1:9). The blood of Jesus Christ is what cleanses believers from all sin (1 John 1:9). If you are blood washed, you are ready right now to receive the Holy Spirit.

If a person who is saved is sincerely seeking the baptism in the Holy Spirit, he can receive. LUKE 11:9-13 9 And I say unto you, Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you. 10 For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened. 11 If a son shall ask bread of any of you that is a father, will he give him a stone? or if he ask a fish, will he for a fish give him a serpent? 12 Or if he shall ask an egg, will he offer him a scorpion? 13 If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your Heavenly Father give THE HOLY SPIRIT to them that ask him?

...To be continued

FFT: 'Tarrying' is not a formula for receiving the Holy Spirit.

ACTION POINT: Have you received the Holy Ghost since you believe? You can NOW!

INTERACTIVE SESSION: What is your take on this topic?

IS SPEAKING IN TONGUES A MUST? (DAILY DIET E-BOOK SERIES 02 DAY 03)

The Work of the Holy Spirit in the New Birth

There is the work of the Holy Spirit in the new birth, as we can see by the following scriptures. JOHN 3:5-8 5 Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of THE SPIRIT, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. 6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is BORN OF THE SPIRIT is spirit. 7 Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be BORN AGAIN. 8 The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is BORN OF THE SPIRIT.

ROMANS 8:16 16 THE SPIRIT itself I Himself ] beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God.

The Work of the Holy Spirit In the Baptism of the Holy Spirit

From these scriptures, we can see the work of the Holy Ghost in the new birth. But there is also a work of the Holy Spirit that God desires to perform in the life of every believer subsequent or following the new-birth experience, and that is called the infilling of the Holy Spirit or the baptism in the Holy Spirit.

That is what Jesus was talking about in Luke 24:49 and Acts 1:8. LUKE 24:49 49 And, behold, I send THE PROMISE OF MY FATHER upon you: but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be ENDUED WITH POWER FROM ON HIGH. ACTS 1:8 8 But ye shall receive power, AFTER THAT THE HOLY GHOST IS COME UPON YOU: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.

I had told the Lord that I believed in the baptism of the Holy Ghost, but that I wasn't sure about the tongues part. The Lord spoke to me again, "What does Acts 2:4 say?" Of course, I could quote these scriptures from the Book of Acts, but just because you have the Word in your head does not mean that you really know what it means. In other words, you need to have the revelation of God's Word in your spirit to really know and understand what it means.

I quoted Acts 2:4: "And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance." I got that far and said again, "And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak. .. ." Then I exclaimed, "Oh, I see it! I see it! It says, '. . . they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak WITH OTHER TONGUES' [Acts 2:4]. And when I get filled with the Holy Ghost, I will begin to speak with other tongues too! Lord, that settles it. I am going right down to the Full Gospel preacher's house and receive the Holy Ghost."

FFT: Tongues is not just the initial evidence of Spirit' baptism but a spirit-builder and edifier.

ACTION POINT: Receive the baptism in the Holy Spirit now!

INTERACTIVE SESSION: Do you believe in spirit-inspired tongues?

THE PROMISED POWER IS FOR YOU! (DAILY DIET E-BOOK SERIES 02 DAY 02)

God Is Not Nervous! I wasn't used to church services where everyone would pray all together at one time, and this bothered me at first. I started to say something about it a time or two to straighten these Full Gospel folks out. In fact, I once heard someone else tell them, "Now God's not hard of hearing, you know." But the Full Gospel folks just replied, "He's not nervous either!" When these Full Gospel folks invited Christians to come and pray at the altar, I would go forward to pray with them. But I would get as far away from them as I could because they bothered me all praying at the same time like that. I would get off in the corner somewhere and pray quietly.

However, after a while the thought occurred to me, These folks knew about divine healing and my church didn't. They might know something more here in this area of praying than I do too. So I decided I would read through the Book of Acts and see how the Early Church prayed. As I read, I couldn't find one place where they called on "Deacon Brown" or "Sister Jones" to lead in prayer while everyone else remained silent. Instead, I found to my utter amazement that the Early Church all prayed at the same time!

ACTS 4:23,24 23 And being let go, they went to their own company, and reported all that the chief priests and elders had said unto them. 24 And when they heard that, they lifted up their voice to God WITH ONE ACCORD.... The thing that cinched it with me was when I got down to Acts chapter 16 where it says that Paul and Silas were in jail. Their backs were bleeding; their feet were in stocks. Yet at midnight they prayed and sang praises to God. And the Bible says, ". . . and the prisoners heard them" (Acts 16:25). Until that time, I had believed in praying to God, but I believed in being quiet about it. But then I saw that Paul and Silas didn't pray quietly, not even in jail.

The next time I went to the Full Gospel service and they called us to the altar to pray, I got right in the middle of them and lifted my voice just like they did. When I did, I felt a release in my spirit. The Word of God will set you free. Jesus said, ". . . ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free" (John 8:32). God's Word is truth, and it will set you free.

The Baptism in the Holy Spirit

These Full Gospel folks preached something else I couldn't quite accept — the baptism of the Holy Ghost with the evidence of speaking in other tongues. I believed in the Holy Ghost and in the baptism of the Holy Ghost. I knew I hadn't received the baptism in the Holy Ghost, but I believed in it. But that "tongues" business — that was a bitter pill for me to swallow. I had been warned against speaking with tongues.

But fellowshipping with Full Gospel people who did speak in tongues was kind of like one fellow down in East Texas said: "It's like a slippery creek bank. You keep fooling around it long enough and you'll slip in." As a young boy preacher and pastor of a community church, I meditated and thought on the scriptures concerning the Holy Spirit, and I came to the conclusion that these Full Gospel folks were wrong about tongues. I concluded that tongues weren't necessary; they weren't for us today.

I decided that believers could receive this enduement of power — the baptism in the Holy Ghost — without speaking in tongues. That was my own opinion, of course. It certainly wasn't Scripture. I said to the Lord in my heart, "Lord, I know these folks are good people. They are thoroughly saved — born again — and they knew about divine healing when my church didn't. I certainly do believe in the Holy Ghost. And I believe in the infilling of the Holy Ghost, the enduement of power from on High.

Then I said to the Lord, "I sense a lack of power in my own life, and I know I need the infilling of the Holy Ghost. And I expect to receive, all right. But I am of the opinion that tongues don't go along with the baptism in the Holy Ghost, and that they are not for us today." Immediately the Lord spoke to my heart. I knew it was the Holy Spirit speaking through the Word of God. That same still small voice that had brought me off a bed of sickness and into divine healing asked me, "What does Acts 2:39 say?" I quoted the scripture, "For THE PROMISE is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call" (Acts 2:39). Then the still small voice said, "What promise is that?" I said, "The last part of Acts 2:38 says,'. . . and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.' So the reference here is to the promise of the gift of the Holy Ghost."

Then I hastened to add, "But, Lord, I believe in the Holy Ghost. It's tongues I am not sure about." (I had changed it a little bit this time to "I'm not sure.") The Holy Spirit always leads us in line with the Word of God. The Word and the Spirit agree (1 John 5:7,8). I am not in favor of just following voices, because you can go wrong following voices; you can follow the wrong voice (1 Cor. 14:10). But you can never go wrong following the voice or the leading of the Holy Spirit because He will always lead you in line with the Word of God (John 16:13; 1 John 5:6-8).

Jesus said, ". . . he [the Holy Spirit] shall receive of mine, and shall shew it unto you" (John 16:14). And ". . . he shall not speak of himself [But, thank God, He does speak!]; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak . . ." (John 16:13). Every born-again believer has the Holy Ghost in a measure through the new birth (John 3:5-8; John 4:14). But this is not the same as the baptism in the Holy Spirit — the enduement of power from on High that Jesus talked about in Luke 24:49, Acts 1:8, and John 7:38. Just because someone is born again doesn't mean he is filled with the Holy Spirit.

FFT: The promised power is for you!

ACTION POINT: Believe & Receive!

INTERACTIVE SESSION: Have you been baptized in the Holy Spirit since you believe?

RECEIVE THE HEALING POWER IN THE WORD! (DAILY DIET E-BOOK SERIES 02 DAY 01)

Raised From the Bed of Sickness I was born again on April 22, 1933, at twenty minutes to eight o'clock in the south bedroom of 405 North College Street in McKinney, Texas. I was raised up from the bed of sickness on the second Tuesday of August 1934, after spending sixteen long months flat on my back with two terminal organic heart conditions and an incurable blood disease. And my body was almost totally paralyzed.

When I first started reading the Word of God on the bed of sickness, Grandma would prop the Bible up in front of me as I lay there on my bed. I could only read for about ten minutes at a time — after that I could hardly see. Then that was all I could read for the day. The next day I would read for another ten or fifteen minutes. After a few weeks of reading like that, I got so I could read for an hour at a time; eventually I could read for as long as I liked.

As a child, I had been brought up going to Sunday school; I can't remember the first time I went to church. Nor can I remember the first time I ever read the Bible. It seemed I had prayed all of my life, yet I had never been born again until April 22, 1933. You see, you can be religious and yet not really be a born-again child of God. But when you are born again, the very same Bible that you have been reading looks different.

The Bible becomes clear and easy to understand when you are born again. And as I read Grandma's Bible, I found that Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever (Heb. 13:8). The doctors had said I could die at any time, so when I began reading the Bible, I began reading in the New Testament. I reasoned, I might not be alive ten minutes from now, so I will utilize this ten minutes, or whatever time I have, and I will start reading in the New Testament. I began reading in Matthew 1:1. When I got to Mark 11:24,I read, ". . . What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them."

From the first time I read that verse, I never forgot it. I didn't take time to memorize it; it just branded itself on my mind, so to speak, because Mark 11:24 was my answer for healing. MARK 11:23,24 23 For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith. 24 Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.

However, immediately after I read Mark 11:23 and 24, the devil hopped on my shoulder and said, "Yes, but divine healing has been done away with, you know." I said, "Well, thank God, faith hasn't been done away with! This scripture says, '. . . What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe . . .' (Mark 11:24). I have never heard anyone say that believing and faith have been done away with." "Yes, but healing has. You know all that healing business has been done away with." I said to the devil, "What about Mark chapter 5? In Mark chapter 5, Jesus said to the woman with the issue of blood, '. . . Daughter, thy faith hath made thee whole . . .' [Mark 5:34]. Mr. Devil, if her faith made her whole, my faith will make me whole." And, thank God, it did!

At that time, I didn't know of anyone else in the whole world who believed in divine healing besides me. There was no Full Gospel church in my town at the time, and I had never heard healing preached. There weren't any Christian radio programs such as we have today; at least, if there were, I didn't know about them. After my healing, I began my ministry just as a young Baptist boy preacher. When I heard that Full Gospel people preached on healing too, I began to fellowship with them because fellowshipping with those of like-precious faith was just like getting a spiritual shot in the arm. It built up my faith. The Full Gospel folks preached some things I didn't quite understand or altogether agree with at that time, such as the baptism in the Holy Spirit, but I put up with that to have a little fellowship around the doctrine of healing!

FFT: There is tremendous power in the word of God.

ACTION POINT: Believe His word! Hold on to His word at all times! Your miracle is certain!

INTERACTIVE SESSION: Share your experience of the healing power in HIS word:

THE POWERFUL PRAYER YOU MUST PRAY (DAILY DIET E-BOOK SERIES 01 DAY 16)

Paul says several things that give us a clue about how to pray for others and about our attitude in prayer. This is what he wrote to the Romans: ROMANS 1:9-12 9 For God is my witness, whom I serve with my spirit in the gospel of his Son, that without ceasing I make mention of you always in my prayers; 10 Making request, if by any means now at length I might have a prosperous journey by the will of God to come unto you. 11 For I long to see you, that I may impart unto you some spiritual gift, to the end ye may be established; 12 That is, that I may be comforted together with you by the mutual faith both of you and me.

From verse 9 we see that Paul never forgot to pray for the Romans. (It is so easy to forget, isn't it?) When he prayed for them, he mentioned one of his requests was that "I might have a prosperous journey by the will of God to come unto you." He wanted to be made a blessing to them; he wanted to impart spiritual things to them.

Then again, we have Paul's prayers in Ephesians. These are the longest prayers Paul prayed; they are more detailed than prayers in his other letters. EPHESIANS 1:16-23 16 [I] cease not to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers, 17 That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him: 18 The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints,

19 And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to usward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power. 20 Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places, 21 Far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come: 22 And hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church,

23 Which is his body, the fullness of him that filleth all in all. Paul prayed that the Ephesians might receive a revelation of the knowledge of God in their hearts; in other words, that the inner man might be enlightened. One translation says, "The eyes of your heart, or your spirit...." (Eph. 1:18). Paul didn't pray for their mental understanding, because we know it's beyond human (mental) comprehension to grasp the meaning of what Paul said here under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit.

We know the Word Paul at Prayer 37 means what it says, but we need to get the revelation of it in our hearts. I made giant strides in my spiritual life when I began to pray this Ephesian prayer for myself. At my last pastorate in Texas, I shut myself up in my church during the winter of 1947-48 for hours and even days, never coming out. I left my Bible open to this chapter on the altar, and nearly every time I went in, I got on my knees and prayed this prayer for myself. I would say, "Now, Lord, Paul was inspired by the Spirit of God to pray this prayer, and he was inspired by the Spirit of God to write it.

I am praying it for myself." Every place Paul said your, I would insert I. Where he said, "I pray that the eyes of your understanding ...." I would say, "I pray that the eyes of my understanding ... ." Then I would turn to the next prayer, in Ephesians 3:14-21, and I would pray for myself again. Since I would be there for hours at a time, I would pray those prayers every two or three hours—perhaps half a dozen times a day.

The Lord spoke to me one day while I was at the altar praying. He said, "I am going to take you on to revelations and visions." Immediately after that, revelations in line with the Word began to come. In fact, they came so fast I said to my wife, "What in the world have I been preaching the last 15 years?" I learned so much and got so much new knowledge from the Bible, praying these prayers on my knees before God, it seemed as if I didn't know anything before.

When the eyes of your understanding—your spirit—are enlightened, you can make more spiritual progress in a few days or weeks than you can in 15 years of studying the Bible and preaching. That doesn't mean we shouldn't study; I still study! But I'm saying these are good prayers to pray for yourself.

END OF DAILY DIET E-BOOK SERIES 01. (PRAYING TO GET RESULTS by Kenneth Hagin)

FFT: Revelational knowledge is the key to rapid spiritual progress!

ACTION POINT: Pray Paul's prayer!

INTERACTIVE SESSION: What have you learnt so far in this DAILY DIET E-BOOK SERIES 01? kindly share it below for the benefit of others:

JOYFUL IN JAIL! THANKFUL IN TIMES OF TEST! (DAILY DIET E-BOOK SERIES 01 DAY 15)

Paul had decided to go into Asia Minor, but said he was forbidden to go by the Spirit. So Paul and Silas went over into Macedonia, and thus the first time the Gospel was preached on the European continent was in Philippi.

This is what happened: ACTS 16:13,14 13 And on the sabbath we went out of the city by a river side, where prayer was wont to be made; and we sat down, and spake unto the women which resorted thither. 14 And a certain woman named Lydia, a seller of purple, of the city of Thyatira, which worshipped God, heard us: whose heart the Lord opened, that she attended unto the things which were spoken of Paul.

Lydia was converted to Christianity and invited Paul and Silas to stay in her home. While in that city, Paul would often go into the synagogue and discuss the Scriptures. On the streets of Philippi, a little maiden with a spirit of divination, or fortune-telling, would follow along behind Paul and Silas and say, "These men are servants of the most high God, which shew unto us the way of salvation" (Acts 16:17).

She knew who they were because the evil spirit in her knew. (But who wants the devil testifying for him?) Finally, one day Paul turned around on the street and cast the devil out of her—making it impossible for her to tell fortunes any more. Her masters became angry and had Paul and Silas arrested. They were stripped, beaten, and thrown in jail. At midnight they prayed and sang praises to God, as we studied earlier.

This Church at Philippi was born in persecution, yet Paul says, "I thank my God upon every remembrance of you" (Phil. Paul at Prayer 35 1:3). When you have the right perspective, you can thank God for every test. I always thank God for them. I thank God when I am in the midst of them, and I thank God when they're over; not because they are over, but because I had the privilege of proving Him faithful.

Believers should be full of joy and love, like a sponge is full of water. Then when the devil puts pressure on you, all that oozes out is joy and love instead of griping and complaining! ".. .Making request with joy, For your fellowship in the gospel from the first day until now " (Phil. 1:4,5).

When Paul and Silas were in jail at Philippi, they prayed and sang praises to God. Anyone can sing praises to God after he has been delivered; it doesn't take faith to do that. But Paul and Silas sang praises to God at midnight while they were in the midst of trouble. That's the way it should be!

...To be continued

FFT: Faith; Joyful in Jail! thankful in testing times!

ACTION POINT: Rejoice in the Lord always!

INTERACTIVE SESSION: Is it possible to be joyful in jail and thankful in times of test? (share your comment below)

INTERCESSION; THE HIDDEN SECRET OF SPIRITUAL GROWTH (DAILY DIET E-BOOK SERIES 01 DAY 14)

Let's look at more scripture where Paul said something about prayer. Paul at Prayer Second Corinthians 1:11 isn't exactly his prayer for the Corinthians, but Paul is asking their help in prayer: "Ye also helping together by prayer for us...." Paul already had said in the 10th verse, concerning his difficulties, "Who delivered us from so great a death, and doth deliver: in whom we trust that he will deliver us." And then he said, "Ye also helping together by prayer for us, that for the gift bestowed upon us by the means of many persons thanks may be given by many on our behalf" (v. 11).

He is talking here about the prayer of the church "helping together." The church had prayed for him, hadn't they? The Bible says, "The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much" (James 5:16). We are encouraged to pray one for another. When people are in trouble, or if their lives are in danger—like Paul's was—we need to remember to pray.

In Second Corinthians 9:14, Paul said, "And by their prayer for you, which long after you for the exceeding grace of God in you." Here he is talking about other people in his company who also had prayed for the Corinthians. They prayed one for another; they were concerned one for another. We are selfish many times in our praying. Really, we should put others first in our prayer life. Most of the time, all we do is pray for ourselves and our own little group or family—our own needs. We are much like the farmer who said, "God bless me and my wife, my son John and his wife, us four and no more."

We wouldn't say it that way, but if you analyze it, that's about the extent of many of our prayers! For an individual to grow spiritually, he's going to have to reach out and help others. You can't put yourself first. For a church to grow and develop, it's going to have to do the same thing. In Philippians, Paul makes mention of praying for the Church at Philippi, "I thank my God upon every remembrance of you..(Phil. 1:3). This is quite a statement, isn't it? Do you remember what happened at Philippi? Do you remember when Paul first went down there? In a night vision, a man stood up and said, "Come over to Macedonia, and help us " (Acts 16:9).

...To be continued

FFT: The mastery of all ministries is the ministry of intercession.

ACTION POINT: Join yourself to this chariot of intercession ministry today!

INTERACTIVE SESSION: Are you an intercessor? (share your experience and testimony below)

PAUL; UNVEILING MYSTERY OF PREVAILING PRAYER (DAILY DIET E-BOOK SERIES 01 DAY 13)

And this I pray, that your love may abound yet more and more in knowledge and in all judgment. —Philippians 1:9

Many times when praying for Christians we say, "God bless Sister So-and-so" and "God bless Brother So-and-so," yet we don't find where Paul ever prayed that way. That kind of praying really doesn't do much good; it only salves our conscience and makes us feel we've prayed.

Paul was specific when he said, "I pray, that your love may abound more and more." That's a good way to pray for Christians, isn't it? Paul is praying for believers. Notice Colossians1:9 For this cause we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to desire that ye might be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding.

This is Paul's prayer for the Church at Colosse. If you are filled with the knowledge of His Will, then you're going to know what all these blessings are with which the Father has blessed you. In Ephesians 1:3, Paul prayed: Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ. That means He already has provided everything we need— all the blessings we will ever need. They are all wrapped up in Jesus.

"God bless So-and-so" would cause God to say, "I can't answer that prayer. I've already done that, but they don't know it." Instead of Paul's saying, "God bless them," he said, "[My] desire [is] that ye might be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding." That would be a good way to pray for Christians.

That's what most Christians need, isn't it? Paul wrote this prayer under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. Since it's Spirit given, it would be a good prayer for you to pray for yourself. You can say, "Lord, I'm going to pray this prayer for myself. It's my desire and prayer that I might be filled with the knowledge of your will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding."

I think these prayers Paul prayed for the Christian Church will give us insight on how to pray for other believers as well. For example, Paul wrote in Second Thessalonians 1:11 Wherefore also we pray always for you, that our God would count you worthy of this calling, and fulfil all the good pleasure of his goodness, and the work of faith with power: that the name of our Lord Jesus Christ may be glorified in you, and ye in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ. I particularly like where Paul said, "fulfil all the good pleasure of his goodness, and the work of faith with power." (That's what God wants fulfilled in us.) I also like the phrase, "that the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ may be glorified in you." Whoever thought of praying for a whole church that the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ might be glorified in them? Are you praying that way?

This is a clue for us. I'm convinced we need to be specific in our praying one for another. Paul was very specific and very definite in his praying.