Temptation and Jesus

What can you tempt God with when He is a man. Jesus came to earth and His temptation is fascinating really as it gives us understanding of who He was. I would think probably the largest thing you could tempt Jesus with is the desire to be God while being a natural man. In other words in Spirit He is God first and man second but if submitting to temptation He would have been man first and God second.

Look at the temptation of Christ and the devil said, bow down and worship me and I will give you the kingdoms of the earth. It may sound like a stupid thing to say but in reality to our natural man what temptation is not stupid. Temptation is always stupid to someone who has no desires in that area. Jesus was walking on earth as a man and the devil tried to tempt Him to have Godly rule but from carnality which is demonic not form Holy Spirit. Of course we know Jesus did not and ultimately said away with you satan.

But look at the next passage, this comes up in Luke 5. Jesus was casting out demons and they came out crying out “this is the Christ”. Jesus silenced them but you have to ask why do that? I used to think it was blowing his cover but it goes deeper. The devil was having a cheap shot at trying to tempt Jesus again. Had Jesus done the religious thing and fled from temptation He would have been running the rest of eternity. Remember the Holy Spirit led Him into and out the other side of temptation. He won and lived from Holy Spirit in His life. So here are the demons trying to get people to worship Jesus. You can ask what is the problem with that? I see one immediate problem being His carnal man would have loved recognition of being God but He stayed in Holy Spirit and focused on the life before Him. He could have stepped out and allowed people to glorify Him but if it was done in a carnal way all he would have got in return was what the devil offered Him during his wilderness temptation.

Jesus won again but it is so encouraging to see He understands what we go through. He was tempted but never gave in, an awesome man who lived form Holy Spirit default. Now He is in us we can do the same in the power of the Holy Spirit. Jesus was not manipulated by the devil when temptation came around. When we are in the Holy Spirit through Christ then like Jesus temptation becomes nothing.

How Jesus did church, baptism etc

So as we journey through the book of Luke some amazing Spirit observances come to the forefront. Really the bible has become a new book and continues to be new. It really is an amazing occurrence that a book we have read so much is constantly alive and changing in the revelatory rhema of what it means to our lives. Probably one of the greatest contrasts of Holy Spirit life in religion we read a verse and gain knowledge of it and understand it hoping something deeper arrives. But in Spirit we read as rhema because a Holy Spirit being is living rhema. As the bible says we are a living epistle known and read by all men. As living epistles the word is in our hearts and what a wonderful act of intimacy to read bible to reveal who we are not what we should be.

But back to our Luke journey. What a fascinating example of true Holy Spirit church to see the life of Jesus. Now in chapter 4 of Luke He flows into and with the new Holy Spirit default in His life. It may be troubling for some to read but Jesus was simply being what we are to be. He was baptized in the Holy Spirit and then was led into temptation by the Holy Spirit to pass through the other side and come out a Holy Spirit defaulted being on this earth. Remember religion has us run from temptation but Holy Spirit leads us into and out the other side of temptation. Then carnality cannot hold us as Holy Spirit men an d women. You see because of this Holy Spirit work his natural or carnal man was living as dead. He now was walking in the Holy Spirit and being true to Himself, true to who the Holy Spirit enlightened and enabled Him to be. It was in this power of the Holy Spirit He goes to the synagogue and as his first act of Spirit He incites the religious. Not to be a trouble maker but to be Holy Spirit life and the first people that will be offended at Holy Spirit life will always be the religious. As it is the religious that seek to be like God, the same sin Adam and Eve fell into. They seek to attain what a Holy Spirit being has already attained. Religion repeats the self righteousness of the Garden of Eden. Eating fruit to be like God. Where Holy Spirit beings are co-joined with Christ and as such are God. If you think that is to create worlds and walk around in white robes with a beard and have people pray to you, there is a distinct possibility you may not be the smartest individual and don’t understand what is going on here.

Jesus tells them of His uniqueness by giving a few examples of how when in Spirit it is because God selects individuals, He predestines. Jesus talks of Elijah and widow and Elisha and Naaman. It was an example of how God selects with no natural logic and it was a slap on the face of religion that teaches we can all follow a knowledge path to God that looks the same. They hated Him and tried to kill him as all religious people today do the same. What they don’t understand they either persecute or isolate from. But always in carnal love which really is hate to the Spirit. If you demonize an individual it excuses treating them like a devil, such is church today with people who differ from the pastor in his attained religious knowledge. But let’s get back on topic.

Jesus then stops demons proclaiming He is the Christ. There are multiple reasons for that I am sure but one was any Spirit being is not looking for earthly recognition they are here to glorify God and His will. A spirit being cannot take credit for a righteous life or act as they are the flow of the Holy Spirit life. Co-joined with Christ how can they take glory to themselves, they are co-joined glory. If any man had the right to take glory it would have been Jesus and He did not. Really it was an extension of why He was led by the Holy Spirit to be tempted. Remember He passed through temptation and this immediately highlights why. If He was religious and had run from temptation he would never have stopped running. The devil again tried to bring His temptation back. A little cheap test by the devil to try and get Him to take glory to his carnal man again. If any deserved it , Jesus did but he knew the futility of carnal recognition and brushed it aside. His default was Holy Spirit now, not carnal recognition. Sure there was aspects of timing and purpose as there is with all Holy Spirited beings. There never is a time on this earth to be exalted by this world system that is carnal and demonic. We are here to be life and as life, Holy Spirit IS.

So the next fascinating Spirit revealing in the life of Jesus again points us to how we are to BE Holy Spirit church. Jesus just went about life and people started to flock to Him for healing and life. In religion I used to think that was because they followed the miracles and I missed the spirit truth, happening here. Jesus did not do miracles He was a miracle. Just as we don’t do miracles we are a miracle and what carnal men will call miracles, Spirit men will call Holy Spirit life. Jesus just lived and people were drawn to the Holy Spirit life in Him. As mentioned previously in writings one obvious revealing in a Holy Spirit being is the fact people are drawn to the person. They have no reason and often stand next to the Spirit person with not a lot to say they just want to be there. Holy Spirit church is such and keeps us real. Paul says to Timothy to test yourself and see if you are in the faith. One great test of Holy Spirit in us is people being drawn to us without us advertising. A Holy Spirit person just lives life and is a fool if they think people are drawn to their charisma , talents or knowledge. People are attracted to life and the bible reveals to us we are life when co-joined with Christ and filled with the Holy Spirit. Corinthians tells us mortality is swallowed up by life.

This was Jesus church. He lived Holy Spirit life by just being Jesus and peoples mortality sensed that life and caused them to seek Him out. A sobering example of Acts church. After Pentecost the example Jesus gave us of Holy Spirit church was made available in greater ways to you and I. As now Jesus went to the Father and intercedes for us. You have to love John 14 and 17 where Jesus talks of us being one with the Father because we are one with Him. Jesus then talks of how it is better that He goes as the comforter will come and lead us into all truth and teach us what He says. The Holy Spirit had already arrived as a dove on Jesus but now as the Holy Spirit entered Jesus they moved as one complete koinonia called the Godhead. Now because of Jesus sacrifice on Calvary we enter the Holy Spirit and the Holy Spirit enters us. As Jesus fulfilled baptism in the Jordan he then died at Calvary and led us into new life by revealing unless we are baptized into Christ by repentance and remission of sins then we can never have the Holy Spirit baptism through the Holy Spirit entering Him. Do you follow what is happening here the water changed. We still get baptized but now when we enter Christ who fulfilled baptism in the Jordan we are open to the baptism of Pentecost water and the requirement is we what Ephesians 4 translates. Lets “be being filled” I am baptized by being Holy Spirit because I am co-joined with Christ and filled with the Holy Spirit as promised by Jesus Himself from Pentecost.

You and I can only ever be one with God if we are co-joined with Christ. Christ did it all and completed it all that is why when crucified His last words were “IT IS FINISHED” There is nothing left to do. Do we get that? When I enter Christ, IT IS FINISHED! Through Him my baptism is complete but only when I live through Him. He is our hands and feet and eyes and ears. Something that can only happen as we are the living baptism lived in and through Him. As I live inside him and He lives inside me my baptism is fulfilled because it was fulfilled by Him. Now Pentecost is freely available to all men who live in Christ and Christ live sin them. A simple act of surrendering the carnal natural man to a Spirit God to awaken our Spirits that was once dead in sin as the bible says. Now as I enter the Holy Spirit of Pentecost I understand it is not about manifestations as any true Spirit being is a manifestation of life. The bible reveals how from glory to glory He is changing me. Christ in me the hope of glory, I am the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus. For one reason when Christ is one with me, I stood in the Jordan with Him and the Holy Spirit flew onto our head as a dove. But only because of Calvary and Pentecost, a testament to the fact there is no time in the Spirit.
The creation of man is complete as now we can be one with the Godhead through the life of Christ in us. Koinonia with the Godhead is new testament church.

Music of heaven is us

A quickish thought for your night. And Jesus returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness being tempted for 40 days. The arrival of the Holy Spirit at the baptism of Jesus was as we have talked in previous emails a change of eras. Now the first act if the Holy Spirit after arriving as a dove is to lead Jesus into the wilderness to be tempted. My friend as offensive as this is I have to say it. Religion does the contrary, it teaches us to flee from temptation but today lets see this Holy Spirit principle. When the Holy Spirit fills us we no longer flee from what may be a temptation to us. The Holy Spirit leads those He fills toward temptation and through the other side. So religion tries to deny temptation and is in fear of temptation but Spirit beings no longer fear temptation they have a new strength a new resolve in the Spirit and yes they don’t see sin.

Jesus must have missed the intimacy of heaven and His position in heaven. Jesus was hungry and so here the devil tempted him with two things that potentially could have been an issue. Look at the temptation to be God. The devil says worship me and I will give you the kingdoms of this world. This is a great understanding of Spirit life. The devil and our carnality that is aligned with him can never give you power. It creates the illusion of power but as we walk in the Spirit true life is revealed. Jesus lived Spirit just as we live spirit.

It leads me into the next observance of Jesus. We think the church was formed after the day of Pentecost and here was Jesus giving us the first example of new testament church. Everywhere Jesus went he had a rolling church meeting. Now we think people followed him to observe miracles and yes some were like that. Others just followed the crowd maybe. But I submit the primary group of people followed Jesus just because Holy Spirit life was Him, just as it is supposed to be you and me. I am sure they walked in the crowd and talked with each other about the life they were sensing. It must have been a lot like some of what we are starting to see. People drawn to the fire and have no idea why they are there. They walk out on the work they walk out on their commitments and lose interest in the world just because Holy Spirit is there. They don’t know it as that but when they hear the resonance of the Spirit coming from a life that is one with the Spirit they can do nothing but listen to the harmonic music it creates. A music they have never heard before a music that is so enthralling they have cause to be near it and it causes life to come up as the longer they are near it the more beautiful the resonance. Such is Holy Spirit in us.

Such was the example Jesus gave us for Holy Spirit church. When we resonate Spirit by just being revealed the world comes to see. The religious come to see as they always like manifestations of God and just like the religious did with Jesus they will ask dumb questions and try to understand Spirit in their head. I can appreciate the Pharisee’s and the stupid questions they asked as I once aligned with the exact same questions when trying to be religiously smart. The crowd around who were hearing spirit resonance must have thought the Pharisees so dumb with some of the stuff they asked. The religious love Spirit they love being near Jesus the difference is they are not coming to humble themselves they come to take and come to teach and come to set straight. After all when in religion the Spirit is such an enigma.

So too today as we walk Spirit life as Jesus did, the sinners of the world the tax collectors and prostitutes and such hear a sound of peace they have no idea what it is and are drawn to it. The more we cease striving and relax and know He is God the more they come. While at the same time the religious act as the Pharisees and try to control, try to witness for Jesus, try to win the lost etc. They know there is something going on but cannot lay aside their religious identity long enough to hear the harmony. To the religious the music is the words but to a Spirit man the music is life.

Jesus showed us how to do new testament church, but who is interested anyway when it is so disorganized and dependant on Spirit. Dear God let us relax and BE spirit. Cease striving and know that I am God!

Another key to beating addiction, religious and other

The greatest trap anyone could fall into with a move of the Holy Spirit is canalizing it. We all understand as God reveals in us and moves by His spirit amazing changes happen. The challenge then becomes to leave Spirit as Spirit. As God reveals in our lives we should just live that spirit consciousness. It is then we obviously will have limited knowledge of what is being revealed through and in us.
If I go beyond that and thirst to obtain knowledge, maybe because it was such a blessing or so life giving or freeing, liberating or … Really in so doing all I am doing is trying to make knowledge I can replicate. If I can replicate my approach or the revealing of life then immediately I have diminished it to my level and made Spirit carnal.

I think we can see modern church as a perfect example of this. God moves by his Holy Spirit and men see this as a validation of who they are and what they are doing. They put patterns in place to try and replicate and teach what had been such a blessing to them. So in a spirit filled church they take a manifestation of Spirit and teach it. So now we have prophecy classes or the right song to bring it back. In more mainstream churches their pattern comes from the fact the word of God became rhema (living) to them at some point. They read a bible passage and came alive so now they chase the manifestation of knowledge. They are control freaks who limit their life to their finite knowledge. The most stupid thing these people arrogantly say is I need a good bible believing church. These folks would be better to say I need a church that derives its self righteousness from its ability to have knowledge. That knowledge may have started good but once I live it as knowledge I am a humanist for Jesus, no matter even if it is the written and inspired word of God. Probably why there are so many doctrines and of course everyone is equally convinced they are right. The problem is their whole default is a fraud and the greatest deception is the one they present themselves.

Both are equally just as wrong, both have been validated by Spirit manifestations the only trouble is the validation is only for themselves and to themselves. When God starts revealing all we can do is allow ourselves to be who He is in us. Now we have no idea what that means as our religious systems and friends have superimposed systems and ideals of righteousness on us. They mostly would say righteousness looks like them and their methods of worship. These methods always involve works to better oneself and therein lies the problem. Any thought of self betterment is based in self righteousness as when the Holy Spirit does a work in us we are better, we are free, we are delivered and we lose desire for the world.

If I struggle with addiction or sin or lust then all that is being revealed is that I am self righteous. OUCH! How can I say such a thing to folks who work so hard to be righteous. They read where the bible says “work out your salvation ” and they read that from the wrong end. To the religious it means work harder at failing while thinking you are winning. To a spirit individual it reads relax and let the Holy Spirit be revealed in who you are. You can never fail or win in Spirit as to think such immediately reduces a move of God to carnality. In Spirit I am “life” the life of Christ and everything that encompasses. A spirit person is complete they don’t win or lose as they are not manifestations they are life. If I look to win I am carnal in default, I must just BE spirit and in that consciousness comes Jesus life and can we ever define such. Every day Jesus life takes new life as life is revealed in me. In what the world calls failure Spirit reveals and is life. Not so I can now win, again if I am that level I am in the wrong default.

Remember in Spirit church I do not prophecy I am prophecy. A spirit person does not have knowledge they are all knowledge, they are just on a journey to discover what that translates to in us. When the Spirit reveals life in you then just sit in the life and relax, cease striving and know that I am God the bible says and what better. God gave us a spirit key right there and He is saying stop trying to be righteous and relax and be righteous. That can never make sense to a carnal defaulted person as it will always have to involve actions to gain identity. A spirit person needs no action for identity they are the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus as the bible says and have no idea what that means other than relax and righteousness is.

So yes this is disturbing as it reveals the verse in the bible in us that says “nothing good exist in the heart of man.”Nothing good is in any of us independent of what God put there. If we foolishly think the good we see comes from us we reveal our self righteousness that separates us from God. In that self righteousness sin will always follow as sin hides self righteousness. Struggling with sin? The issue is not the sin that religion wants to make it, the struggle is self righteousness. Remember that’s why God took sin away. He totally destroyed sin to a Holy Spirit co-joined being. Religion makes Calvary and Jesus dying on the cross about forgiveness of sin as that keeps us locked into knowledge of sin. Romans in the bible makes it about living lawless. When I live lawless my heart is revealed. If self righteous I will party hard in my new found freedom. If God righteous I will not use this grace as a license to sin as the apostle Paul says.

So to a Spirit filled being, sin no longer exist it is impossible to exist and if I live the knowledge of the sin in my life that does exist, all I am revealing is the self righteous areas of my life where I am in control and probably religious. Religion separates people from God. When it teaches repentance and sanctification it locks or traps people into knowledge of sin that Romans tells us only comes from law. The exact same law Jesus decimated and vaporized on Calvary. Yes the religious will always say “well what about the wrong I do and the bible talking of sin” A Holy Spirit being will just BE revealed Spirit and the sin drops off as the Spirit is revealed in them. They understand the verses in the bible that say things like. Be Holy as I am Holy. To the religious a challenge, to Spirit a statement of identity that a sanctified life flows out of. A spirit identity that causes a Holy Spirit being who entered Calvary to understand I repented and came to Christ now as the Holy Spirit filled me I am repentance. Call my life repentance as Christ is in me and I am in Christ. Cease striving and know that I am God the bible says, remember!

Christians who repent only ever reveal self righteousness. They don’t get Spirit, can’t get Spirit, and won’t get Spirit, as long as they are in a sin default. How can they when the default is all wrong. What I see I worship! See sin, the lack of, or fullness of and all I see is my idol. “BE”, spirit relax and let Holy Spirit life be revealed in me and all I will get is LIFE as I am LIFE.

When in carnality as a default I will always be competitive. It is what we call eros love. Erotic comes from this love and is all about lust and selfish desires being fulfilled. Inside religion eros is active and always causing us to compete with ourselves and others for recognition, validation and position. It is under the covering of agape love we discover Sspirit. Agape is not about doing it is about being and there is no self gratification in agape love. It is unconditional giving and agape is not a conscious state it is all about just being “the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus” If I try and be tat righteousness all I am revealing is masked eros, greedy and self flagellating love.
So to finish if my business my gifts my life is about doing I am exhibiting eros but if I am co-joined with Christ I can relax and let God show me who I truly am. Now it is about gifting called life.

ADDICTION to drugs, sex, alcohol etc some tips on freedom

In over 30 years of working with people from all walks of life I wanted to write a few observations about addiction.
One week here in the Boston area we had 9 drug addicts come and receive Christ. It was within a month they were all back to their life of drugs and despair. It started me to think what are we missing, if the power of God is so real why is it these people choose to walk away from it?

Now there is a lot written on this blog on some of this but I do want to highlight a few positives to help. It was with a man I had the privilege of praying with that God showed me the road to deliverance in a new way. This man had struggled with adultery, pornography or let’s just say sex. He later told me he could never say he was truly free. He had been in churches for over 30 years and had suffered much by the religious who meant well and wanted him free. He had confessed in front of church group, he had accountability partners and fasted and prayed and lots more but still the struggle defined him in some way.
Now when I prayed with this man I had no idea of any of this but I prayed he would be filled with the Holy Spirit however God wanted that to happen and look like. A few days later the power of God fell on this man while driving in his car and his life was changed forever. It was months later he came and told me of his struggles and with joy expressed for the first time in his life he could say he was truly free. Now 2 years later he has remained free. So what is the difference?

Many today enter Jesus as a fix and when the high runs out so do they. An addicts mentality is for the next bit of pleasure and for a time church life can satisfy this urge. Ultimately the struggle continues or it mutates and condemnation, guilt and isolation follows.
So the difference was in the surrender, yielding and opening to the Holy Spirit. Then as this man lived from the Spirit default the control of lust did not drive his life anymore. I invite you to read other entries on this blog in relation to sin and how God does not see sin once we enter Christ and He enters us.

Friend your answer does not lie in religion it is in surrendering your self righteous life to Jesus as you allow His Holy Spirit to get your attention and live from that default. Forget about religion telling you formulas of freedom and making promises they can’t keep. It is only as you allow Jesus to romance you through His Holy Spirit that life truly follows. Sounds hard but it could never be more simple. Just be true to the Jesus in you and forget learning to be good. You can’t learn or earn freedom it has to be given and entered.