Know your enemy.

 Meditation John chapter 8:41-50

 Today's meditation John chapter 8:41-50

1. Jesus said to them they are doing the deeds of their father. For which they replied they are not born of fornication but God is their Father. (V41)
2. Jesus said to them if God was their father they will listen to him because he came forth from his father. He did not come by himself but was sent by his father. (V42)
3. He said they cannot understand him because they cannot hear his word. (V43)
4. Christ said that their father is the devil.  The lusts of their father they will do. He was a murderer from the beginning and he did not abide in the truth because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie he speaks it of his own for he is a liar and father of lies. (V44)
5. Christ said because he tells them the truth they do not believe in him. (V45)Christ said nobody can convince him of sin but still they do not believe in him. (V46)
6. He that is of God hears God's voice but they do not hear because they are not of God. (V47)
7. For this they said that he was a Samaritan and he has a devil (V48))
8. Jesus replied to them that he does not have a devil and he honours his father, but they dishonour him. (V49)
9. Jesus said he never seeks his own glory and it is God who seeks and judges. (V50)

LIFE APPLICATION:

Today we are going to meditate on the topic
KNOW YOUR ENEMY.

The WORD of GOD says,

 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.
Ephesians:6:12

Dear Child of God, I
Want you to realise today that there is a unseen world around us that always wage a war against our members.

It is not the neighbour or the boss whom we see, our enemy. But there is something more deeper... there are unseen principalities, powers, spiritual wickedness that wrestle with us.... they rub on our bodies and our souls.

This is the kingdom of darkness and they have a king... the Devil. This is what CHRIST refers in V44,

Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.
John:8:44

Once we have accepted Christ as our Lord and our God we are transformed into a marvellous new life and the enemy has lost his authority over our us.

But still, as long as we are in the flesh... we will have to fight him as the children of God. So it will be better for us to KNOW The ENEMY as Paul said,

I therefore so run, not as uncertainly; so fight I, not as one that beateth the air:
1 Corinthians:9:26

Let us see some attributes of the Devil in our meditation today:

A. He works in the children of disobedience:

The Prince of air is the spirit that works in children of disobedience.

Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience:
Ephesians:2:2

B. The Devil is the Father of lusts. (V44)

Devil operates in lust. God operates in love.
Let me explain a little on lust and love.

* the word of God says,

For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.
1 John:2:16

Lust is of the eyes and of the flesh. It uses the eye gates. But Love is divine and is of God, poured into our spirits.

Let us see some biblical examples for lust:

1. Devil lusted the throne of God.

By thy great wisdom and by thy traffick hast thou increased thy riches, and thine heart is lifted up because of thy riches:
Ezekiel:28:5

Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; Because thou hast set thine heart as the heart of God;
Ezekiel:28:6

2. The Devil made Eve to lust after the forbidden fruit.

And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat.
Genesis:3:6

3. Lust makes us want things at whatever cost even if it is forbidden, even it is illegal and even if it mean to murder someone.

But Love is patient and submits to God's will and time.

And it came to pass, when Jezebel heard that Naboth was stoned, and was dead, that Jezebel said to Ahab, Arise, take possession of the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite, which he refused to give thee for money: for Naboth is not alive, but dead.
1 Kings:21:15

Wherefore hast thou despised the commandment of the LORD, to do evil in his sight? thou hast killed Uriah the Hittite with the sword, and hast taken his wife to be thy wife, and hast slain him with the sword of the children of Ammon.
2 Samuel:12:9

There are many more examples of how the devil operates in lust. Dear Child of God! Commit yourself to walk according to the spirit and you will not fulfil the lusts of the flesh.

I would suggest to keep every one of our wants and wishes to be kept at the altar. If it burns and gone forever it is lust...
 But it stays with you it is love.... painful but safe.

C. The Devil is a liar and a FATHER of lies: (V44)

Here the enemy works through our ear gates. He speaks lies in our ears till the truth of CHRIST Is obscured in our hearts.

One of his mighty weapon is slander. He makes people slander against us and he makes us slander against others too.

For I have heard the slander of many: fear was on every side: while they took counsel together against me, they devised to take away my life.
Psalm:31:13

He that hideth hatred with lying lips, and he that uttereth a slander, is a fool.
Proverbs:10:18

And the men, which Moses sent to search the land, who returned, and made all the congregation to murmur against him, by bringing up a slander upon the land,
Numbers:14:36

2. He condemns:
It can be people condemning us or we condemn ourselves. CONDEMNATION and ACCUSATIONS are not of God.

And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night.
Revelation:12:10

With lies he makes the heart of the righteous sad:

Because with lies ye have made the heart of the righteous sad, whom I have not made sad; and strengthened the hands of the wicked, that he should not return from his wicked way, by promising him life:
Ezekiel:13:22

With lies he can put fear in our hearts; with lies, he can disturb our peace.; with lies, he can bring enmity among brethren...

Dear Child of God! Are you a victim of lies of the enemy ? Recognise and fight it with truth and the truth will set you free.

Identify and cast down every imagination that are sowed in you by the enemy that you will not be an easy target for the enemy.

Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;
2 Corinthians:10:5

Let us learn to bring every thought of ours under captivity to the obedience of CHRIST and we will walk over the enemy in this area too.

D. The other important character of the Devil is that He is a Murderer. 
He kills and destroys.

He can carry out this mission in the form of diseases, or in the form of witchcraft or in the form of hatred or any other.

 We thank God for the blood of Christ that has been shed as an atonement.

This blood of Christ protects us from such viles of the enemy.

For the LORD will pass through to smite the Egyptians; and when he seeth the blood upon the lintel, and on the two side posts, the LORD will pass over the door, and will not suffer the destroyer to come in unto your houses to smite you.
Exodus:12:23

There is a secret and a quiet place where we can hide into.
That is the shadow of the almighty even his sanctuary.

He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.
Psalm:91:1

He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust: his truth shall be thy shield and buckler.
Psalm:91:4

This is the place the eyes of the enemy can never find us.

Seeing it is hid from the eyes of all living, and kept close from the fowls of the air.
Job:28:21

Destruction and death say, We have heard the fame thereof with our ears.
Job:28:22

God understandeth the way thereof, and he knoweth the place thereof.
Job:28:23

The Lord himself shall keep us from all evil. He will deliver our souls... He himself will keep us safe from the snares of the enemy.


The LORD shall preserve thee from all evil: he shall preserve thy soul.
Psalm:121:7

Let the Lord's prayer be ours today.... that we will be safe each day...

And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever. Amen.
Matthew:6:13

May God bless you!

Rivers of living waters

Today's meditation John chapter 7:31-40.

1. Many people believed in Christ for his miracles.  (V31)
2. When the Pharisees heard this of the People they sent officers to take Christ. (V32)
3. Jesus told them in a little while they will not find him as he will go to the father who sent him. (V33)
4. Jesus said they will seek for him but will not find and where he goes they cannot go either. (V34)
5. The Jews started murmuring where he will go... why is he saying about going to a place where they cannot find him. If he will go to preach among the gentiles. ( v35, 36)
6. In the last day of the feast, Jesus told them that if anyone is thirsty to come to him for a drink. ( v37)
7. He told them that rivers of living waters will flow from the belly of the one who believes. ( V38)
8. He spoke about the HOLY SPIRIT whom they will receive. The Holy Spirit was not given to them as CHRIST was not glorified yet. (V39

LIFE APPLICATION:
He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.
John:7:38

I am going to take you into the deeper waters as the spirit of God was leading me.

Jesus said in V34, that where he goes nobody will be able to find him and then he talks about the outpouring of the holy spirit. I have dealt with it in my previous post, a meditation on John 4:5-14 about the living waters.

But what does that to do with Jesus going to heaven...  Jesus said he will go and send us his comforter.

Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you.
John:16:7

Halleluyah! We have a comforter with us who is going to come with us in our journey.  He will be with us and guide us into all truth.

Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come.
John:16:13

The Spirit Of God is the spirit of Jesus himself. When the spirit of God comes into our hearts it simply means Jesus coming into our hearts. He is another person of the Trinity.
You can read my post on trinity to know more.

Holy Spirit is a Person, though he can be metaphors as water, fire, dove and so on.

Today let me explain You a little of the attributes of the Holy Spirit.

A. He is a great comforter:

Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you.
John:16:7

B. He is the Spirit of truth:

Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come.
John:16:13

C. He glorifies Christ as he is the spirit of CHRIST.

He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall shew it unto you.
John:16:14

D. He fights our battles:

So shall they fear the name of the LORD from the west, and his glory from the rising of the sun? When the enemy shall come in like a flood, the Spirit of the LORD shall lift up a standard against him.
Isaiah:59:19

E. He is omnipresent.

Whither shall I go from thy spirit? or whither shall I flee from thy presence?
Psalm:139:7

F. He is the power behind creation.

Thou sendest forth thy spirit, they are created: and thou renewest the face of the earth.
Psalm:104:30

What does GOD have in store for us when it comes to the Holy Spirit.?

Let me explain it crisply from Ezekiel 47.  Christ said from the belly of those that believe, rivers of living waters will flow.

A. The ankle experience:

Many of us are happy with the water hitting our ankles. But God calls us deeper.

And when the man that had the line in his hand went forth eastward, he measured a thousand cubits, and he brought me through the waters; the waters were to the ankles.
Ezekiel:47:3

B. The knee and the loin level:

As the spirit of God takes us deep... We get into the knee and loin of water. Don't stop there dear child of God... there is a river that is coming.

Again he measured a thousand, and brought me through the waters; the waters were to the knees. Again he measured a thousand, and brought me through; the waters were to the loins.
Ezekiel:47:4

C. As the spirit of God takes us deeper in there is a vast river in which our feet cannot stand and could not be passed over. Such beautiful is it to be filled in the Holy Spirit to the brim.

Afterward he measured a thousand; and it was a river that I could not pass over: for the waters were risen, waters to swim in, a river that could not be passed over.
Ezekiel:47:5

Along this river we have nourishment; along this river we have life; along this river we have healing.

And it shall come to pass, that every thing that liveth, which moveth, whithersoever the rivers shall come, shall live: and there shall be a very great multitude of fish, because these waters shall come thither: for they shall be healed; and every thing shall live whither the river cometh.
Ezekiel:47:9

And by the river upon the bank thereof, on this side and on that side, shall grow all trees for meat, whose leaf shall not fade, neither shall the fruit thereof be consumed: it shall bring forth new fruit according to his months, because their waters they issued out of the sanctuary: and the fruit thereof shall be for meat, and the leaf thereof for medicine.
Ezekiel:47:12

Let me take you further deep,
This river flows right from the throne of God.

There is a river, the streams whereof shall make glad the city of God, the holy place of the tabernacles of the Most High.
Psalm:46:4

Not only that, when we get into these deeper waters we will win many to CHRIST... as we become fishers of men.

And it shall come to pass, that the fishers shall stand upon it from Engedi even unto Eneglaim; they shall be a place to spread forth nets; their fish shall be according to their kinds, as the fish of the great sea, exceeding many.
Ezekiel:47:10

Now when he had left speaking, he said unto Simon, Launch out into the deep, and let down your nets for a draught.
Luke:5:4

Dear Children of God! Being filled in the spirit is a marvellous experience. It is deep calling the deep, which the physical mind can never comprehend.  This is what David writes about this adorable experience.

Deep calleth unto deep at the noise of thy waterspouts: all thy waves and thy billows are gone over me.
Psalm:42:7


Let us ask of God with such great thirst and he will fill us with his Holy Spirit to overflowing.

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?
Luke:11:13

Our heavenly father will definitely fill us with His Spirit if we can ask of him with an unquenchable thirst. May God reveal more as you thirst for him more. Amen.

Worship God in Spirit and in truth

 MEDITATION John 4:15-24

1. The woman asked Christ for the living waters( v15)
2. Christ asked her to bring her husband (v16)
3. She said she does not have a husband. Jesus read her life and told her about her marital status. (V18)
4. The woman perceived Christ to be a prophet (v19)
5. Then she wanted to know how to and where to worship God. (V20)
6. Christ answered  that there comes a time when people will worship God in spirit and in truth. (V23)
7. God is spirit and Christ said that we must worship him in spirit and in truth. (V24)

LIFE APPLICATION:
Yesterday we meditated on the living waters. We can see various steps of how CHRIST led this woman to the living waters ie, the infilling of the Holy Spirit.

Dear reader, I would recommend you to check your life deep inside who you are where you are standing  when compared to this Samaritan woman. Continue  reading to know more about how to be filled with the Holy Spirit.

1. The woman recognised her need for the living waters and asks it  from Christ.  (V15)

Many of us are thirsty for the living waters. Our soul is like a parched ground, empty inside. We go back to physical help, or temporary solutions as this woman going to the well to draw water every time, only to thirst again and for more. We try to fix it with medications. We try to fix it with drugs.  We try to fix it with food. We try to fix it with Yoga and exercise and why not, even with sleep, but in vain.  The vacuum in us is growing more and more. Basically we are looking out for the right thing in a wrong place. We are looking out for spiritual need in the physical realm. This is why we end up feeling more empty  and drained. So let us ask CHRIST the giver of the living waters today to fill us that we thirst no more, spiritually.

Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.
Matthew:5:6

2. The first thing Christ does to anyone who wants this living waters is to deal with their sins. (V16)
Are you struggling with hidden  sins?  Bring it to the light of Christ.  Are you Holy in your thoughts regarding your spouse? If you are not married, how is your LIFE? Trust me BROTHER, Trust me sister, DO not cheat yourself that you can walk away with your sins and still enter heaven, because the word of God says,

Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind,
1 Corinthians:6:9
Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God.
1 Corinthians:6:10

If God is speaking to you today of any of these sins deal with it in God's presence.  This is the second  step to be filled with the Holy Spirit.

3. The next step comes the revelation about Christ.  We have meditated in my previous post, that a person who had an encounter with Christ can never be the same. The Samaritan woman perceived him to be a prophet.  (V19)

How do you perceive Christ? Have you ever tasted and seen him to be good. Is he your healer? Is he your delivered? Is he the one to give you peace? Do you walk with God? Do you want to know more of who he is?

Oh, my dear brothers and sisters, if you are in this stage, you cannot stop but worship God. (V20) you can simply not stop but worship God when you really know who he is. And this is where is the breakthrough as we start worshipping him in Spirit and in truth. (V23,24) the living waters flow through us and our Spirit man becomes more alive and flowing. All these starts with salvation (v22)

This is how the Samaritan woman received the living waters...that she went and told about Christ to everyone and brought many to CHRIST, being a powerful testimony for him.

Let us also ask of this living waters... and God will fill us with more....