Holy Spirit

A New Creation: Preparation

May 10, 2021 by David Noland Leave a Comment

And God said, “Let the earth sprout vegetation, plants yielding seed, and fruit trees bearing fruit in which is their seed, each according to its kind, on the earth.” And it was so. The earth brought forth vegetation, plants yielding seed according to their own kinds, and trees bearing fruit in which is their seed, each according to its kind. And God saw that it was good.
Genesis 1:11, 12

It will probably come as no surprise to anyone that knows me that I’m a bit of a sports nut. You can probably blame that on my grandfather and my parents. Growing up in rural South Louisiana, summers were filled with farm work and baseball. Fall weekends were harvest and LSU football. It has been said that the two state religions of Louisiana are Catholicism and LSU sports, with the New Orleans Saints a close third. You’d be hard pressed to prove me wrong.

Every spring and summer until the middle of high school, I would gather with the same basic group of friends on our local little league baseball team and three times a week we would gather in a field behind one of the coaches homes to practice. Typically practice would last for 2 hours a day, but it wouldn’t start until everyone had a chance to get their homework done and then would be done in time for dinner, bath, and bedtime. In the summer we would play our league games three nights a week and in some seasons, when there were odd numbers of teams, there would be the occasional doubleheader for one of the teams.

All of those games, you could tell who came prepared, even as young as we were. The teams that prepared well and learned the game and played the fundamentals were typically the teams that would win the league that year. The teams that played around and didn’t execute and didn’t prepare typically would find themselves at the bottom of the standings by the end of the season.

In college, I still participated in intramural sports. Softball, flag football, basketball. Even tennis. I really started to get into tennis during my junior year of college. I love the aerobic aspect of the game, the adrenaline rush of running back and forth after a yellow ball with an aluminum Wilson racket. One of the greatest tennis stars I can recall in recent years made an amazing quote that has stood by me for a number of years and it’s true of all athletes or competitors of any kind:

In the sports arena, I would say there is nothing like training and preparation. You have to train your mind as much as your body.
Venus Williams

I would dare say that this truth extends beyond the realm of sports, but into the realm of business as well. However, perhaps the most important application of this truth is in matters of spiritual growth. There is nothing like proper training and preparation for you put into practice the truths of Scripture so that you can properly understand the value of the Word of God as it applies to your life and how to live out the gospel in your daily walk.

The Battle for Soul

One of the many overarching themes of the Scriptures is the theme of transformation. Transformation in the life of the believer begins when we start changing the way we think about our reality and our lives in the grand scheme of the Kingdom of God. And to complicate matters, there is a war of the will that continuously rages in the hearts and minds of believers – a war that will never abate until we reach the golden shores along the crystal sea of Heaven.

The world we live in seeks conformation to the ways of the flesh. The world is constantly trying to get us to think in a manner that is the antithesis of what the Word of God teaches. The world teaches that it is okay to occasionally tell a lie in order to protect someone’s feelings. Now the world teaches us that the standards of behavior prescribed by God’s Word are antiquated and they attempt to support these truth with so-called “science” when in reality the truth is far from scientific. In fact, denial of the truth of God’s Word is what God the world in the shape it is in to begin with.

“He said to the woman, ‘Did God actually say…'” (Genesis 3:1) It is the first inkling that there was something wrong in the realm of the spirit. A creature spreads the seed of doubt in preparation for the rebellion against the King of Creation. But it is the seed of the accurate knowledge of the Word of God that combats the seed of doubt. The woman’s response was not only to repeat God’s Word, but her first error was to add to it: “neither shall you touch it, lest you die.” (Genesis 3:3) It is one thing to know the Word of God, but it another thing entirely to add our own “wisdom” to it. But the serpent’s lie gave the woman confidence in her flesh: “So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave to her husband who was with her, and he ate.” (Genesis 3:6)

This is the same appeal to the flesh that we wrestle with every day – appeals to fleshly appetites, personal pleasure, and self-importance. It is the same battle that is waged today, but to win the battle, we must be prepared for the attacks to come. Throughout the epistles of Paul, we find him appealing to the battle of the mind, the struggle for obedience to the Word of God against the wisdom of the world. It is here that the transformation begins by filling the emptiness of the heart through transformation of the mind.

For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.
Ephesians 6:12

Renewal of the Mind

The world seeks to conform us to its will. To seek after our own appetites. To seek after our own desires. To seek after our own wisdom. But it is the wisdom of God that makes the transformational difference in our world. “Do not be conformed to the world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.” (Romans 12:2)

Our world is constantly inundated with new philosophies that promise deliverance, but fail miserably because it is grounded in appeals to the self and to the flesh. Critical race theory is grounded in the search for vengeance, masquerading as an appeal for justice and equality. Modern interpretations of “separation of church and state” seek to guarantee freedom from the influence of religion in the public square, instead of the original intent to prevent government from imposing a state-mandated religion. The list goes on and on, but none of these new philosophies are have any roots in the God of Creation.

Paul constantly reminds his readers to “Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.” (Colossians 3:2). ” To the Roman believers, he writes “For those who live according to the flesh, set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit.” (Romans 8:5) It is the “things of the Spirit” that make a difference in the world. It is only the things of the Spirit that can bring transformation in the hearts of every believer.

Things of the Spirit

But what are these “things of the Spirit” that we are to set our minds upon? Well, Paul explains to the church at Philippi: “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.” (Philippians 4:8) There is only one source of truth that meets these specific standards and that is the truth of the Holy Word of God.

However, it can be quite a daunting challenge for a new believer to start to understand the Scriptures. Transformation takes time, but it more importantly it takes humility and submission to the Holy Spirit. It means laying aside our preconceived notions of what is true and taking Him at His Word. As a believer, you have access to the Holy Spirit living in you to guide you in understanding the truth of His word. “When the Spirit of truth comes, He will guide you into all the truth, for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak, and He will declare to you the things that are to come. He will glorify me, for He will take what is mine and declare it to you. ” (John 16:13, 14)

As a point of practical application, I would recommend beginning your exploration of the Word of God in the beginning. Starting in Genesis 1 and slowly, with an open heart, seek His truth about who you are and the world around you. I would also recommend studying the Gospel of John alongside Genesis. Both begin at the beginning and together you can see the intricate weaving of the truth of who Jesus is and His role in Creation and His role in recreating you into His image.

Fruitfulness of the Spirit

As you pour yourself into the study of Scripture and seek to absorb all that you can about who God is, who Jesus is, and how the Holy Spirit transforms the landscape of your life, you will begin to see changes in your heart and behavior that will draw others to want to know more about this transformation. “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.” (Galatians 5:22-24)

The fruit of the spirit are those characteristics that your heart will begin to take on that will demonstrate a change in your motivations and your behaviors. “If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another.” (Galatians 5:25, 26) It is this fruitfulness that will multiply within your own heart and fill the emptiness that was once characterized by submission to your flesh instead of submission to the Word of God.

Remember, from the beginning, God has always been about the work of illuminating darkness, organizing chaos, and filling the emptiness. In order to fill the emptiness, He must create an environment that is conducive to supporting that which He intends to create. In the process of recreating you into the image of His Son, He will illuminate the darkness that has kept you blind to the truth of who you were created to be, set you a foundation upon which to build your new life, and begin preparing you for what He has in store by transforming your heart and mind through the power of the Holy Spirit living in you. Only then will you have the vision to see the future and all of the joy that it will contain as you walk with Him from day to day.

Breath of Life

January 7, 2021 by David Noland Leave a Comment

And He said to me, “Son of man, can these bones live?” And I answered, “O Lord God, you know.” Then He said to me, “Prophesy over these bones, and say to them, O dry bones, hear the word of the Lord. Thus says the Lord God to these bones: Behold, I will cause breath to enter you, and you shall live. And I will lay sinews upon you, and will cause flesh to come upon you, and cover you with skin, and put breath in you, and you shall live, and you shall know that I am the Lord.”

So I prophesied as I was commanded. And as I prophesied, there was a sound, and behold, a rattling, and the bones came together, bone to its bone. And I looked, and behold, there were sinews on them, and flesh had come upon them, and skin had covered them. But there was no breath in them. Then he said to me, “Prophesy to the breath; prophesy, son of man, and say to the breath, Thus says the Lord God: Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe on these slain, that they may live.” So I prophesied as he commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they lived and stood on their feet, an exceedingly great army.
Ezekiel 37:3-10

The events of the last several years have escalated to become frighteningly similar to the events in the history of Israel prior to their Babylonian exile. Abandonment of God. The people given to idolatry. Ungodly political leaders. Destruction, disease, and death all around. For seven years during the Babylonian exile, Ezekiel prophesied hopelessness and judgement against Judah and her enemies. Judgement because Israel did the very thing that Adam and Eve did all the way back in the Garden.

First they allowed temptation to sow a seed of doubt of God’s Word in their hearts. Then their vision was enticed by their own appetites. They rejected God’s commandments and ultimately hid from Him as they were exposed before the world. As a result, they were taken out of the “land flowing with milk and honey” into slavery once again. And true to pattern, the hearts of the people of Israel were dead as a result of their sin. Dry as a result of their abandonment. Scattered as a result of their own ambitions.

But Ezekiel comes along with a message of hope. God’s judgement would not last forever, because His mercies are everlasting. His promises must be preserved for the hope of the world. And He gives Ezekiel a vision to the valley of dry bones.

On the surface, the vision begins with a feeling of hopelessness. The army lay defeated and dead in the low ground of the valley. And God asks Ezekiel a seemingly rhetorical question: “Can these bones live?” The natural man would of course say “No. What is dead is dead.” But we are talking with the Almighty Creator of Heaven and Earth. The God of miracles. The God who breathes life into dead, decayed bones. The God who breathes hope into dead, withered hearts.

There are a few things that the reader should notice in this passage:

The prophet is only commanded to do one thing – speak the Word of God. Nothing more, nothing less. No commentary. No exposition. Simply speak over the bones the Word of the Lord.
The prophet had to obey the command of God in the vision in order to see what God was doing. Obedience to God’s commandments is paramount if we are to experience the miracles of God’s presence.
It is the work of the Holy Spirit that restores, not the words of the prophet. Without the intent and willful working of the Holy Spirit to restore, the bones would have remained dead and withered in the valley of desolation.
There was no life in the restored bodies until the Holy Spirit resided within the bodies. Appearance of godliness is still dead without the Spirit of God animating and living within the people. It wasn’t until “the breath came INTO them” that “they lived and stood on their feet.”

God’s Kingdom is not a social club. It is not an organization for political activism. It is not a non-profit, do-good charity. The Kingdom of God is “an exceedingly great army.” We are called to be ambassadors for Christ, representatives of the King – the ekklesia. Without the Holy Spirit of God residing in us, we are impotent and weak. Dead and withered. Lifeless and hopeless.

My friends, to speak the Word of God, you must know the Word of the Lord. It is imperative that you dive into the Scriptures and absorb every detail. The scriptures are the standard by which God expects us to live. It is the standard by which we will be judged. It is the standard by which we will be held accountable.

Speak the Word of God over your life. Speak His Word over your family. Speak His Word over your workplace. Speak His Word over your friendships. Speak His Word over your school. Speak His Word over your marriage. Speak His Word over your own heart. But be forewarned, it is not the Word itself that holds power. It’s the Holy Spirit of God breathing over the dried bones of your environment. It’s the Holy Spirit of God breathing into restored lives that brings hope to a people in exile from the presence of the Almighty God.

Return to Him today. Open your heart and receive His grace and His power and His authority in your life. And witness a miracle as new life begins fresh in you and the world around you.

The Reward of Repentance

May 29, 2020 by David Noland Leave a Comment

“I baptize you with water for repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing fork in in His hand, and He will clear His threshing floor and gather His wheat into the barn, but the chaff He will burn with unquenchable fire.” (Matthew 3:11-12)

I grew up in the country, the grandson of a beefmaster farmer, so I know a little bit about agriculture. I remember nummerable summers hauling hay bales onto the back of a truck and trailer, stacking them high and building forts. I remember picking a long stemmed grass with wheatlike fruit on the end and chewing on it while we worked the fields. The green stem of the grass was the chaff and the seeds would branch off near the top of the chaff in multiple directions but looked like wheat, but it was not. When this grass would age, it would even look like wheat at first glance, with its beige hue. This would eventually be cut down with the rest of the hay field and included into the bales that we would provide for the cattle to eat. It was a good source of protein for them, but not really something fit for human consumption. This was what is commonly known in scripture as tares.

When harvesting wheat for the grain stores in Biblical times, once the wheat was brought into the storehouse, a worker would take what is called a winnowing fork to harvest the grains of the wheat and separate it from the chaff so that it might be processed into flour for bread and other wheat-based products. A winnowing fork is essentially a primitive form of pitchfork where the harvester would pick up wheat, toss it into the air, and the wind would then separate the smaller wheat grains from the chaff. Once the wheat grains were separated, then the chaff was removed from the harvesting floor and thrown out into the fire since it was no longer of any use.The fruit of the wheat chaff – the grain – would then be used for multiple purposes, but primarily it would be ground into flour and then used for making bread.

In our Scripture today, we begin with the baptism of water. In the ministry of John the Baptist, the immersive baptism was symbolic of the washing away of our sins as a result of individual confession and repentance. The act was a total immersion within the water as a means of ensuring complete cleansing from head to toe so that no part of the body was left dry and unclean. The symbolism of baptism changed after the crucifixion and resurrection of Christ to represent believers being buried with Christ and raised again to new life (Romans 6:4).

But John mentioned a different baptism by Jesus whereas He would baptize us with the person of the Holy Spirit and with fire, a spiritual fire that will burn away the chaff, the useless parts of our lives that are no longer needed once the fruit of the Spirit has ripened for harvest – the fruit of repentance.

Additionally, in keeping with the context of John’s criticism and condemnation of the hypocritical religious leaders in the Pharisees and Sadducees, the Holy Spirit would in effect be the “winnowing fork” that would separate the good wheat from the tares. He would separate the good fruit from the waste.

The heart of repentance is one that demands and inspires holiness. Grace also demands and inspires holiness. Grace by definition is the imparting unto us that which we do not deserve. This definition implies that we deserve something much worse. Romans 6:23 declares “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

The old Hebrew word for death and even the Greek word represent a separation from life. The root definition implies a separation in relationship, but the context implies a deeper separation – a broken relationship with our Creator. A relationship broken by our sin. But a relationship that can be restored supernaturally as a result of the sacrifice of Christ on Calvary.

It’s not enough to simply pray a prayer of forgiveness and then go about your life unchanged. If you still bear no fruit of the transformative power of grace, it is because repentance has not taken root in order to bear that fruit. In which case, when the time of harvest comes and the grains of wheat are sifted from the chaff, which pile will your life end up on?

Will you remain on the threshing room floor so that you might undergo the transformation from wheat to bread? Sure, it’s going to be a painful grind, but the end product is what provides nourishment to a world starving for the Bread of Life.

Or will you be tossed in the wind with the remainder of the chaff, separated into the pile of waste, to be burned away and forever separated from the saving knowledge of a relationship with the harvester of souls? Yes, hell is a reality. The lack of belief is not evidence for the lack of existence. Like Pascal, I’d rather gamble on the reality of spending eternity in the arms of my Savior. For if I am wrong, and there is no hell, then I have lost nothing. But if I am right, and I choose to reject Him, then I have lost everything.

Holy Spirit

The Battle for Soul

Renewal of the Mind

Things of the Spirit

Fruitfulness of the Spirit

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