FIRED UP WITH FRESH ZEAL IN YOUR POTENTIAL
We are in a spiritual battle like no other. We are starting off to discuss the Principles of how the spiritual world works. In that everything visible and physical is controlled by and results from that which is invisible and spiritual. Everything that occurs in the visible, physical world is directly connected to the warfare being waged in the invisible and the spiritual world.
Our biggest problems are spiritually rooted, and our answer is to invite the Holy Spirit to help us unmask areas in our lives and Churches that still need victory and in turn freedom. As the Spirit of God reveals His plan we begin to see a completely different picture on how the enemy comes to steal, kill and destroy (John 10:10).
Scripture is clear, (2 Corinthians 4:4), and tells us there are evil spirits in the world that interfere in people’s lives. These evil forces influence and control the minds of individuals causing bad behaviour.
We read in Ephesians 6:11 “Put on the whole armour of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles [scheming’s] of the devil.”
WHAT IS GOD’S ANSWER?
The answer to fix the visible and physical problems, that we are experiencing in our lives and communities, is to address the spiritual and invisible issues behind them and release and realize the promises and commandments of God over our lives.
The Holy Spirit’s ministry using the gifts will help us address the spiritual and invisible scheming of the enemy. With the operation of the “Gift of Discerning of Spirits,” we can recognize whether or not something is truly from God and in accordance with His righteousness. This will help us make a long-term difference on the earthly level.
We read in Ephesians 6:12, “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.”
Our archenemy, Satan, does not want us in prayer warfare and he would prefer us to ignore God’s divine perspective. Satan knows that we will never be able to solve the visible and physical problems until we address them according to the divine realm, seated with Christ.
HEAVEN RULES EARTH
We must recognize that anything that causes us to be influenced outside the will of God is the influence from Satan and his demons or our wilful disobedience. This can be direct or indirect deception.
But we must remember what Scripture tells us in 1 John 4:4 “because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.”
What happens in the spiritual realm determines what goes on in the earthly realm. We are to remain in contact with our heavenly Father through the Holy Spirit. God’s plan has always been that man should be God’s visible representative, created specifically to live in this visible realm to represent Him.
The keys He gave the Church represent authorization. This means we have been given the authority to act in His name. Possession of keys means that you are authorized to act in the name and authority of the one who owns the keys. By giving us the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven, Jesus gives us the authority to influence Heaven. Jesus has authorized us to act in His name and on His authority to request whatever we wish that is in accordance with His will and His purpose.
God, who is unseen, has put His Spirit into the unseen spirit of man inhabiting a visible physical body, that lives on the visible earth. Through man’s spirit God created man to communicate with the invisible world of God as God desires us to see and understand the spiritual realm in our relationship with Him.
We read in 2 Corinthians 5:18 “So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.”
WE ARE IN A BATTLE
We need to understand our spiritual weapons are through God.
(2 Corinthians 10:4 KJV), “For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds;
Our spiritual weapons are “mighty through God” meaning: in His strength – not our strength. We tap into the strength of the Holy Spirit, enabling us to do what we otherwise could not do. Our victory is through His weapons:
- The Word of God
- Prayer
- Worship
- The name of Jesus
- Fasting
- Our testimony
- Thanksgiving
WE ARE TO UNDERSTAND HOW MUCH POTENTIAL WE POSSESS
We are to understand the source of our potential comes, through the very Spirit of God and that all manifestations of the Holy Spirit will harmonize with the truth about Jesus. The Holy Spirit is our Comforter, Helper, Intercessor, Advocate, and Counsellor.
In the Greek the word for Holy Spirit is…Parakeltos: “para” – beside and “kalo” – to call. We are called to be subject to the Holy Spirit as good stewards to operate within the grace and anointing He has given us. God designed us to function by faith and by love. Fear, hatred and un-forgiveness can short-circuit our potential.
There are many Scriptures that help fuel us to walk successfully in this spiritual life: “The just live — operate — by faith” (Romans 1:17). “Without faith, it is impossible to please God.” (Hebrews 11:6); “Faith works through love (Galatians. 5:6). “Because God is love.” “Those who operate in love abide in God and God abides in them” (1 John 4:16).
OUR POTENTIAL IS LIKE A SEED.
Your hidden ability needs to be cultivated; this is where our environment should be a place of encouragement. We need to drench our potential with the Word of God and soak it in the light of personal prayer. Our Potential must be carefully guarded and protected. The Bible calls our potential, in Christ, a treasure in an earthen vessel. We read this in (2 Corinthians 4:7) “But we have this treasure (Christ) in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us.”
KNOW YOUR PURPOSE
God created you and gave your life a purpose. Whatever your purpose is, you possess the potential to fulfil it. That desire in your heart, that dream – God gave it to you. Your potential is equal to that assignment and your purpose gives birth to responsibility. Responsibility makes demands on potential, however your human potential also needs a positive environment. That is fellowship, relationship, love, and challenges in order to maximize your purpose. Jesus came to redeem us to the Father and He sent the Holy Spirit to restore our internal communication with Him.
WE MUST GUARD OUR POTENTIAL
We must guard our desires, visions, dreams and calling from discouragement; procrastination; failures; opinions; distractions; traditions; compromise and sin. Satan is after our potential so be on your guard. We read in 1 Peter 5:8 “Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.”
Your potential can only be fulfilled when it serves others. God created the heavens and the earth to operate on this principle. The true measure of fulfilled potential is not only what is accomplished, but also in how others benefit from the outworking of your potential. Your deposit of potential was given to enrich and inspire the lives of others. As we commit ourselves to obey God, and as our life unfolds we will discover the hidden potential and ability that has always been within our lives.
HIDDEN TREASURE
We read in Matthew 13:44 “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and hid; and for joy over it he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.”
God wants to provide this life-giving field. We have those treasures buried in our lives, because of Christ in us, which needs to be joyfully recovered. The Holy Spirit is showing us His treasures in these earthen vessels. To enable us to dig around in the spiritual realm, realizing this is part of His redemptive plan for us.
We read in Psalm 107:2 “Let the redeemed of the Lord say so, whom He has redeemed from the hand of the enemy.”
Let God’s redeemed people agree with His word about the treasures in their lives.
THERE IS TREASURE IN YOUR LIFE
Heaven uses a different language, as God speaks to your potential and gifting. When God speaks He reminds us who we are to become. God does not speak to the earthen vessel, but He speaks to the treasure that is in it. God talks to you about your destiny.
His destiny (why am I here?); His image (thoughts, feelings, experience); His identity (who am I?)
As God blesses your life, which is His primary mechanism for imparting His love deep into your hearts, God then talks about our Inheritance and about who we are in the spirit realm.
WE READ ABOUT GIDEON’S POTENTIAL IN JUDGES 6
Israel had done evil in the sight of the Lord and God and this allowed the Amalekites to come against them and after a long season of humiliation, fruitless labour, poverty, and domination by this oppressive enemy Israel finally cried out to God. Prayer was their last resort instead of their first action.
The LORD sent a prophet – an unnamed prophet to remind Israel of all He did for them in the past. Reminding them of His love and His power to deliver them, just as, when they were still in Egypt. God reminded them that He was still powerful enough to deliver them from the Midianites. Not that the Midianites were so strong; it was that Israel had been so disobedient.
WE FIND GIDEON
We see Gideon he is angry, depressed, frightened, hiding in a wine press, and as he is making bread, he is asking God why have all these things happening to Israel? Gideon has low self-esteem he is bitter and resentful. God has another plan He sends His angel. The angel of the Lord appears to Gideon and says, ‘the Lord is with you mighty man of valour’ (Judges 6:12).
Gideon turns around to look. To whom this angel is speaking too. The Angel says: ‘The Lord is with you, you mighty man of valour I have called you – to deliver Israel from Midianites have I not?’ (Judges 6:12).
Gideon has all these issues. He is the youngest in his father’s house and he is resentful.
But God ignores all those issues and speaks to ‘Gideon about God potential’ in his heart, and to whom he really is. “The Lord is with you – you might man of valour” (Judges 6:12).
The words by the angel reflected Gideon’s potential through divine enablement and he now receives his commission.
GIDEON REPLIES TO THE LORD
Gideon says (Judges 6:13) “O my Lord, if the Lord is with us, why then has all this happening to us? And where are all His miracles which our fathers told us about, saying, did not the Lord bring us up from Egypt? But now the Lord has forsaken us and delivered us into the hands of the Midianites”.
The Lord inspires him with all necessary qualifications for the execution of his commission and assures him of success, for if God is for us, who can prevail against us.
(The name for Midianites means: strife; contention; to divide; this is what the nation of Israel was up against).
WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?
Gideon pulls down the strongholds of the enemy in his hometown. Gideon blows the trumpet calling the nation to war. Where has this frighten man gone? Somewhere in the transaction with The Lord and in the language of the Spirit, and the heart of God for Gideon, he discovers his divine potential in God. The language of the Spirit causes Gideon’s hopelessness to turn, and potential to arise in his heart.
God speaks to his potential and also speaks to who Gideon is in the spirit. God does not speak to who you are not, but speaks to who you are to be. Gideon becomes who God said he was to be.
GIDEON’S CALL TO GOD’S SERVICE
We read in (Judges 6:14-16) Then the LORD turned to him and said, “Go in this might of yours, and you shall save Israel from the hand of the Midianites. Have I not sent you?”
Gideon said to God: “O my Lord, how can I save Israel? Indeed my clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father’s house.”
The LORD’S Encouragement, “And the LORD said to him, ‘Surely I will be with you, and you shall defeat the Midianites as one man’”.
GO IN THIS MIGHT OF YOURS
Gideon had NO might of his own to go on. But the Angel of the LORD encourages Gideon when he told him, “Go in this might of yours.”
Gideon did have the might of his humility, threshing wheat on the winepress floor.
Gideon did have the might of concern, because he cared about the desperate place of Israel.
Gideon did have the might of the knowledge of God, because he knew that God would do great things again as in the past.
Gideon did have the might of the spiritually hungry because he wanted to see God do great works again.
Gideon did have the might of a teachable heart, because he listened to what the Angel of the LORD said.
Gideon did have the might of the weak, because God’s strength was perfected in his weakness.
We also read about the Apostle Paul’s encouragement in (2 Corinthians 12:9) “And He said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness. Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me’”.
Gideon could not see himself as someone who could do great things for God, he thought of himself as a nobody, the smallest clan in his tribe, and the least in his own family.
Gideon knew he could not save Israel. But a POWERFUL GOD could use a weak Gideon. God’s encouragement, SURELY I WILL BE WITH YOU. You shall defeat the Midianites as ONE MAN.
God’s assurance to Gideon was that God was indeed with him. Gideon did not need more self-confidence he needed more God’s-confidence.
HERE IS A SPIRITUAL PRINCIPLE
Whatever you speak to rises up, IF YOU SPEAK to: Honour, Nobility, Courage, Destiny, Calling, Potential and Purpose – these will emerge and rise up.
If you speak to the flesh in someone – the flesh rises up and will probably assault you in someway. God is not concerned with who we are not, God’s heart is full towards you because He knows who you are going to be. God knows the plans He has for you to give you a future a hope. God wants to give us life and life more abundantly.
When Jesus comes to us He wants to connect us with who we are supposed to be. He connects us with our destiny and our inheritance. When the Holy Spirit speaks to your destiny we understand our purpose in life. We then want to get rid of our own issues and bondages and turn to God for help.
WELCOME THE HOLY SPIRIT TO SPEAK TO THE TREASURE IN YOUR LIFE
The ministry of Holy Spirit speaks to the treasure that is in you and this treasure rises up in your potential and we are willing get rid of our own issues. Most times the prophetic word can bring breakthrough where people’s lives are resisting counselling.
The prophetic word says, ‘excuse me, this is who you are’, we then say ‘yes I want to be that person’. It is about exchange and displacement. We all have things we don’t need or want. Things we need to get rid of. Life in the spirit is about exchange, what we want and need the most.
What we do need right now in our life is to hear what the Holy Spirit is saying? If you let Me have that, if I can take that… I can give you this… We are learning about heavens priorities, and what is the most important thing on God’s heart for us?
ARE YOU ONE OF THE 300?
In Judges 7:8-22 Gideon gets his instructions to retain only the three hundred men that put their hand to their mouth. “Go in the strength that you have, I am with you – I am sending you to battle an overwhelming strong enemy! ”
At this point Gideon had sent away all the other men but he had kept the three hundred men. The men blew the trumpets and smashed the pitchers that were in their hands, they held the torches and they cried out, “A sword for the LORD and for Gideon!” The entire Midianite army ran, crying out as they fled.
God wants a very committed group for Him to do something extraordinary with them. Courage looks fear in the eye and refuses to obey its demands. Courage tells the fear to be silent and instead rises up to do what is required, no matter how scary it may be.
God is looking for men of courage and faith, men who are devoted to Him. We will be amazed what God can do with a small band of obedient fearless warriors!
ARE YOU ONE OF THE 300?