It’s A New Year: HAPPY 2018

28 Thursday Dec 2017

Posted by Rev. Nadine Drayton-Keen in Spiritual

Tags

2018, afresh, anew, blessed, Children of God, Christ followers, courageous, faithful, gift, godly, Holy Spirit-Filled, looking back, looking forward, loving, New Year, obedient, overcomers, powerful, saints, spiritually mature, start over, surrendered, victorious life

Christ arrives right on time to make this happen. He didn’t, and doesn’t, wait for us to get ready. He presented himself for this sacrificial death when we were far too weak and rebellious to do anything to get ourselves ready. And even if we hadn’t been so weak, we wouldn’t have known what to do anyway. We can understand someone dying for a person worth dying for, and we can understand how someone good and noble could inspire us to selfless sacrifice. But God put his love on the line for us by offering his Son in sacrificial death while we were of no use whatever to him. ~ Romans 5:6-8, MSG

Looking back can be intimidating,
Frightening, discouraging, but the
Same is true about looking forward;
Since alive in Christ believers get to
Start over let’s be ready to face what
Lies ahead with high heads, high spirits,
High hopes for a victorious life that
Overcomes the world, Devil, flesh—a
Life that matures spiritually in this
New Year.

Stay in the Word of God, stay filled
With the Holy Spirit, stay surrendered,
Obedient, faithful, and loving children
Who trust in the Father for strength, for
Power, for authority, for peace, for grace,
For the fulfillment of all promises He says
He will do for all Christ followers in this
New Year.

Each New Year the Father lets us see is
Him sharing His Gift that keeps on giving
Us refreshed lives filled with new hope;
So, let us press forward grateful for this
Chance to become everything He intends
For us to be in Christ, settling for nothing
Less than courageously, powerfully, godly
Living to the fullest the lives He blessed us
To have at such a time as this—that’s best
Way to thank Him for letting us see this
New Year.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!
2018

Fearing End-Times Signs vs. Fearing the State of Your Spirit, Soul, and Body

10 Sunday Sep 2017

Posted by Rev. Nadine Drayton-Keen in Spiritual

≈ 5 Comments

Tags

Body, Bride of Christ, cooperative, empowered, end-times signs, faithful, form of godliness, glorified bodies, God lovers, Holy Spirit-Filled, in denial, justified, obedient, powerless, preoccupied, rapture, raptured, reborn, resting on laurels, reverence, saintly overcomers, salvation, Sanctification Process, sanctified, saved, soul, Spirit, submissive, victorious, work out your salvation

So then, my dear ones, just as you have always obeyed [my instructions with enthusiasm], not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence, continue to work out your salvation [that is, cultivate it, bring it to full effect, actively pursue spiritual maturity] with awe-inspired fear and trembling [using serious caution and critical self-evaluation to avoid anything that might offend God or discredit the name of Christ]. ~ Philippians 2:12, AMP

But understand this, that in the last days dangerous times [of great stress and trouble] will come [difficult days that will be hard to bear].For people will be lovers of self [narcissistic, self-focused], lovers of money [impelled by greed], boastful, arrogant, revilers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy and profane, [and they will be] unloving [devoid of natural human affection, calloused and inhumane], irreconcilable, malicious gossips, devoid of self-control [intemperate, immoral], brutal, haters of good,traitors, reckless, conceited, lovers of [sensual] pleasure rather than lovers of God, holding to a form of [outward] godliness (religion), although they have denied its power [for their conduct nullifies their claim of faith]. Avoid such people and keep far away from them. ~ 2 Timothy 3:1-5, AMP

Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven.Many will say to Me on that day [when I judge them], ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, and driven out demons in Your name, and done many miracles in Your name?’ And then I will declare to them publicly, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me [you are banished from My presence], you who act wickedly [disregarding My commands].’ ~ Matthew 7:21-23, AMP

Too many professed believers in Christ are resting on their laurels—are living like they are satisfied with their past achievement (salvation), so much so that they refuse to consider additional effort from them is necessary. They have assumed that their salvation automatically made them the Bride of Christ—made them saintly Overcomers. As a result, they either overlooked the Scripture that commands them to work out their own salvation, or they read and studied said Scripture but concluded it does not pertain to them.

Maybe when we who claim to be believers in Christ finally get it right—finally understand that Christ isn’t coming back for any “church,” but rather He is coming back for His genuine Bride—we’ll begin to cooperate with His Holy Spirit and allow Him to transform us into Christ’s victorious Bride—into the saintly OVERCOMERS who have been faithfully and obediently defeating their flesh, defeating this world’s corrupt systems, and defeating the lying devil. Only then will we start using, and keep using, what time we have left on this planet to prepare for Christ’s coming instead of wasting our time being preoccupied with end-times signs.

There are numerous videos in which believers list all the things that are happening in this world that correspond with prophetic end-time signs. The truth is that the signs in those videos are pure HYPE (fear used to excite us and motivate us into being ready for Christ’s return—used as nothing more than some preachers’ forms of emotional blackmail). Because the people who are unnerved by the presented signs will more than likely spend too much time studying and interpreting the Scriptures that have end-time signs in them, they will overlook the Scriptures that tell them how to get right with God. As a result, they will end up doing all the wrong things they THINK are the right things that will get their spirit, soul, and body SANCTIFIED, but the things they will be doing only will obtain them “forms of godliness.”

There is a big difference between fearing the end-time signs and then taking action, and fearing the state of our soul, spirit, and body to the degree that we start choosing to do what we should have been doing to get the proper results God always wanted us to obtain. This truth is why those of us who know the signs of the end times and can recognize the ones that are happening right before our eyes already will have determined that we don’t want Christ to come back and say to us—I know you not; depart from me you workers of lawlessness (you folks who act wickedly by disregarding My Commands; see Matthew 7:21-23). Instead of staying busy seeking more and more information about end-times signs that only temporarily frighten us into wanting to live holy and righteous lives, we will stay busy preparing for Christ’s return. That is to say, we will focus on the main thing, which is happily surrendering our whole soul, spirit, and body to Christ so that His Spirit can make us Christlike.

When we are thinking, speaking, and doing the things Christ thought, spoke, and did, we will be living Christlike. The more Christlike we become the more we will know that we are His true Bride—His Overcomers—the saints He is coming back to rapture before the Tribulation Period begins. Selah . . . Shalom . . . . .

BTW: Just because we are saved believers our salvation doesn’t mean we are living like reborn, saved, justified, filled with the Holy Spirit, and being sanctified in spirit, soul and body (becoming fully Christlike) believers who will be glorified in our bodies when we are raptured. We must work out our own salvation with fear and trembling, which means we must continually work to bring our sanctification to fruition by faithfully choosing to cooperate with the Holy Spirit’s Sanctification Process, AND we must revere Father God by continually showing Him that we love Him too much to offend Him by disobeying His Commands (see Philippians 2:12). Selah . . . Shalom . . . . .

My Spirit’s Musings

29 Sunday Jan 2017

Posted by Rev. Nadine Drayton-Keen in Poetry

≈ 3 Comments

Tags

better Baptism, book trailer, Christlikeness, free verse, God's characteristis, holy living, Holy Spirit-Filled, image of God, lyric poems, musings, poetry collection, reflection, righteous living, third book

Now if the ministry of death, which was engraved in letters on stone, came with such glory that the Israelites could not gaze at the face of Moses because of its fleeting glory, will not the ministry of the Spirit be even more glorious? For if the ministry of condemnation was glorious, how much more glorious is the ministry of righteousness! Indeed, what was once glorious has no glory now in comparison to the glory that surpasses it. For if what was fading away came with glory, how much greater is the glory of that which endures!

Therefore, since we have such a hope, we are very bold. We are not like Moses, who would put a veil over his face to keep the Israelites from gazing at the end of what was fading away.

But their minds were closed. For to this day, the same veil remains at the reading of the old covenant. It has not been lifted, because only in Christ can it be removed. And even to this day when Moses is read, a veil covers their hearts. But whenever anyone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away.

Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into His image with intensifying glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit. ~ 2 Corinthians 3:7-18, Berean Study Bible

For those of you who may not know me, I have never really been someone who likes to promote herself. Actually, it makes me uncomfortable just mentioning that I published some books, which is why I didn’t promote my previous books.

When I told Avis Ward—my beautiful sister in Christ—that I was thinking about starting an author page on Facebook for My Spirit’s Musings (2017) and my other books, she immediately went to work creating the majority of the graphics, the banner, and the trailer that are on my Facebook author page. Her infectious interest in helping me promote my books sweetly compelled me to follow through with my plan to create the page I primarily would use for promoting my latest book.

On January 9^th, I published my third book—My Spirit’s Musings (2017)—which is my second collection of poetry. The poems in My Spirit’s Musings emphasize the importance of living a life that reflects godly characteristics or the image of God. Essentially, my poems describe God’s image or His characteristics as holy and righteous living—true Christlikeness in action.

The following video is the book trailer for My Spirit’s Musings:

Special thanks to my sister in Christ, Avis Ward—the creator of my book’s trailer. She really makes my book look interesting.

reflecting-gods-image

The Holy Spirit’s Baptism (Infilling) Transforms

24 Tuesday Jan 2012

Posted by Rev. Nadine Drayton-Keen in Faith and Wisdom

≈ 5 Comments

Tags

Baptism of Holy Spirit Transforms, Baptism of the Holy Spirit, dunamis power, eyes opened conversion, Holy Spirit's fullness of life, Holy Spirit-Filled, initial conversion, primary evidence, secondary evidence, successful continuous conversion

The Power from the Holy Spirit’s Infilling Transforms Believers

Do not be conformed to this world [age], 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 [or, discern what is the good and acceptable and perfect will of God]. ~ Romans 12:2, ESV; the inserted bracketed words are this blogger’s emphasis

And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord [or, reflecting the glory of the Lord], are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit. ~ 2 Corinthians 3:18, ESV; the inserted bracketed words are this blogger’s emphasis

If we are still living that old sinful life we lived before our conversion process began, then our souls are desperately in need of being changed for the better (need to be renewed). As mentioned in Paul’s Damascus Road Conversion Revisited, there are two kinds of conversions. There is the initial awakening or converting to the Gospel’s Truths—a turning away from embracing the darkness to embracing the LIGHT. Secondly, there is the successful kind of conversion process, which leads to salvation. However, we need to note here that this successful conversion process does not ALWAYS lead to the Baptism (infilling) of the Holy Spirit.

In other words, the successful kind of conversion process happens when our initial “seeing” of the LIGHT is responded to appropriately, in such a way as to activate our faith in Jesus the Christ. This preliminary trusting in the Lord is what causes the Grace of God and the power of the Holy Spirit to regenerate us—to give us our “new” man or “new” woman status, our born again from above rebirth. Our rebirth then leads us to confessing our sins, repenting of our sins, accepting Jesus the Christ as our Lord and Savior, and being water baptized. If, however, we have believed, confessed, accepted, and been water baptized, yet we continue to live unholy and unrighteous lives, then even though we have had the successful kind of conversion process that leads to salvation, we have not received the Baptism (infilling) of the Holy Spirit!

For sure, ONLY the Baptism (infilling) of the Holy Spirit can change our souls from the inside out—can change our mind, intellect, emotions, desires, determination, conscience—so that we no longer conform to (become so well-adjusted to) our worldly cultures and societies that we don’t stop to think about how our cultures and societies are affecting who or what receives our undivided attention. Furthermore, only the Baptism (infilling) of the Holy Spirit can change our souls for the better—can focus our minds on God so that we not only swiftly recognize what God wants from us but also quickly respond in godly ways to His Perfect Will. In essence, the Baptism (infilling) of the Holy Spirit gives our “new” man or “new” woman a sound mind (cf. 2 Timothy 1:7)—a mind that focuses on the God-kind of virtues and morals that the Holy Spirit makes known to us—and the Holy Spirit’s infilling gives us the power and authority to live a life that does not habitually sin.

Most believers agree that the Holy Spirit of God is an integral part of every believer’s life—that is, He is an integral part in the lives of everyone who doesn’t just have an initial awakening or an eyes opened only conversion, but also completely continues the conversion process by ultimately becoming a joint-heir with Jesus the Christ. However, what most believers do not understand is that the initial filling AND continual fillings of the Holy Spirit are not automatically given. Bottom line: Being filled with the Holy Spirit is conditional, which means, depending on our relationship with God, we can or cannot be filled!

Nevertheless, the Scriptures tell us that in order for us to live a Spirit-filled life, we must allow the Holy Spirit to work with and through us beyond His immediate indwelling. More important, the Scriptures are clear about the difference between being saved and being filled with the Holy Spirit.

Indeed, since the Lord commanded His disciples to wait in Jerusalem until they “…receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon [them]…” (Acts 1:8, ESV; cf. Acts 1:4-5; inserted bracketed word is this blogger’s emphasis), His command makes it obvious that, although the Holy Spirit automatically indwells every born again and saved believer, the Holy Spirit does not automatically infill every believer. Be that as it may; there can be no doubt that Jesus is telling His disciples that the Baptism (infilling) of the Holy Spirit not only brings the fullness of God’s power to each believer but also releases the gifts of the Holy Spirit in every believer’s life so that each believer can be a witness for Jesus the Christ while doing God’s Perfect Will. In fact, the same power that makes it possible for the Lord’s disciples to be His witnesses in this world also enables every Holy Spirit-filled believer to be what God wants him or her to be in this life, as well as makes it possible for every believer to go into eternity as an overcomer.

That’s why the infilling of the Spirit is not about our salvation, which results in the Holy Spirit of God immediately dwelling inside of us at the moment we receive salvation. As already mentioned, every person who is a truly born again and saved believer receives the Holy Spirit inside of him or her, BUT the Holy Spirit does not always immediately fill every born again and saved believer! For this reason, since our spiritual rebirth only involves our human spirit being renewed, the challenge then is for us to have our individual soul’s mind renewed, daily. To make sure that our soul’s mind is being renewed daily, Paul tells us that we must continually “…be filled with the Spirit” (Ephesians 5:18b, ESV).

Now it should be obvious that Paul is making an important point in Ephesians 5:18, when he presents a contrast between being “drunk” or filled with the Holy Spirit and being “drunk” or filled with wine. His point is that unlike the power of wine, which is only evident when we see the external actions of people who have become intoxicated from alcohol, the infilling power of the Holy Spirit is evident in our internal spiritual relationship with God, Jesus the Christ, and the Holy Spirit AND in our external physical and spiritual deeds that we do for Christ. Paul’s point also is that the external actions of “drunk” individuals become the primary evidence that supports the power of imbibed alcohol. However, even though for people who are “drunk” with the power of the Holy Spirit there also is external evidence, this visible outward evidence is merely the secondary evidence that proves believers INTERNALLY have been indwelt and subsequently infilled by the Holy Spirit.

Put differently, the indwelling of the Holy Spirit establishes an internal relationship between the Holy Spirit, God, Jesus the Christ, and the person in whom the Holy Spirit has indwelt. However, unlike with alcohol, the primary evidence that supports the dunamis power of the Holy Spirit’s Baptism (infilling) is a believer’s internal intimate relationship with the Godhead and NOT the evidence that flows outwardly, as a result of that infilled individual’s internal intimate relationship. The outpouring of the Holy Spirit’s inward Baptism (infilling) is external secondary evidence.

Once again, external secondary evidence is the result of a believer’s internal relationship with Father God—meaning, how well a believer communicates with God through prayer (cf. Luke 18:1; Romans 12:12; Ephesians 6:18; 1 Thessalonians 5:17), and whether or not any believer has quenched the Holy Spirit, because quenching the Holy Spirit harms a believer’s relationship with God (cf. Ephesians 4:30; Romans 8:23-27; 1 Thessalonians 5:19; 1 Timothy 4:14; 2 Timothy 1:6). Thus, whether or not a believer has an intimate, loving, caring, and obedient relationship with God will determine if that believer also has yielded to the mighty workings of the Holy Spirit and, consequently, received the Baptism (infilling) of the Holy Spirit. The external secondary evidence that supports the power of the infilling Holy Spirit, thus, flows out of a believer ONLY when the surrendered believer is allowing the Holy Spirit to work through him or her so that God can use him or her to minister to others—so that Spirit-filled believer is voluntarily and obediently doing the Perfect Will of God (producing much fruit, a great harvest, for the Kingdom).

For these reasons, not only are we to be filled but also continually filled with the Holy Spirit. Indeed, the verses that follow Ephesians 5:18 are those Scriptures that deal specifically with the ways that believers can keep on receiving their Holy Spirit infillings. Each of these ways Paul mentions clearly underscores this biblical Truth: When we repeatedly surrender our lives to the Holy Spirit, He continues to fill us.

According to Paul, we have yielded the control of our lives to the Holy Spirit when we are:

addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with [our] heart, giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ. ~ Ephesians 5:19-21, ESV, inserted bracketed word is this blogger’s emphasis

Bottom line: It is evident in all of the Scriptures that pertain to believers who are full of the Holy Spirit that being filled with the Holy Spirit means surrendering completely to Him by allowing Him the exclusive spiritual occupation of their minds so that He simultaneously can infuse them with God’s Gospel Truth about Jesus the Christ. Additionally, the Scriptures that pertain to believers who are full of the Holy Spirit also prove that the primary purpose of being filled with the Holy Spirit (filled with the power of God’s Gospel Truth) is so that believers can be empowered to become witnesses for Jesus the Christ.

Contrary to popular opinions, being filled with the Holy Spirit IS NOT about us receiving a specific amount or “quantity” of the Holy Spirit. Being filled with the Holy Spirit just means that God has chosen and designated His Holy Spirit to be the One who causes us to live a Christ-like lifestyle—God has chosen and designated His Holy Spirit to be the supernatural influencing factor that causes us to do what we do for Jesus the Christ, like witnessing to others, as well as ministering to others, edifying (building up) others, exhorting (encouraging) others, speaking in tongues, prophesying, performing miracles, and so forth. Put differently, God decided that the Holy Spirit would be the One who would transform us into the image of Christ; thus, when we are living Spirit-filled lives—when we are living lives that have been surrendered to the mighty workings of the Holy Spirit—we are living lives that are reflections of the kind of life our Lord lived (cf. John 14:16-17, 26; John 16:8-15; Romans 8:14-17; 1 Corinthians 14:3; 2 Corinthians 3:18; Ephesians 4:4-7, 11-16).

Therefore, if we are not experiencing the God-kind of Spirit-filled lives that are producing abundant harvests (if we are not the better “soil” or “heart” into which the Gospel has been sown so that we hearers of the Word can thrive; see the Parable of the Sower in Matthew 13:1-9, 18-23; Mark 4:3-8, 13-20), and if our Spirit-filled lives are not undergoing a supernatural transformation (if we are not being changed into the image of Jesus the Christ, which is verified by how much our lifestyle mirrors or reflects our Lord’s life and His character), then one or both of the following two scenarios might be the reason(s) why. First, it could be that we honestly haven’t been successfully converted, meaning we haven’t received anything from God (His saving Grace and measure of Faith), from the Holy Spirit (His supernatural workings of regeneration, justification, and sanctification), or from Jesus the Christ (His forgiveness from sin and His imputed righteousness). Or, secondly, it could be that we honestly haven’t surrendered our lives totally to Jesus the Christ’s Lordship, a surrendering which would indicate that we have yielded ourselves to His Holy Spirit—the One our Lord tells us God is sending to us for Him to perform mighty works in and through us (cf. John 14:16-17, 26; John 16:8-15).

For those believers who are interested, changing these two “haven’t” scenarios from a hasn’t happened status to a done deal would involve surrendering to the complete supernatural workings of the Holy Spirit, including the Holy Spirit’s Baptism (infilling). That is to say, in order for those believers who are not Holy Spirit infilled to receive the Holy Spirit’s infilling, they first must have successfully completed their conversion process in which they genuinely have accepted Jesus the Christ as their Lord and Savior, AND they must have totally submitted (yielded or surrendered) to His Lordship!

Lastly, contrary to popular opinions, a Holy Spirit-filled life can be experienced on a daily basis. When all is said and done, a Holy Spirit-filled life always will be an obedient and abiding in Christ life. Therefore, if we truly want to have a Holy Spirit-filled life, then in addition to being born again, saved, Holy Spirit indwelt, and totally submitted (yielded or surrendered) to Jesus the Christ’s Lordship, we daily must show that we love God with all of our heart, mind, and strength; we daily must spend time in prayer and in Bible study; we daily must obey God’s commands; we daily must abide in Christ, and His teachings and sayings must remain in us; and we daily must witness for Christ. Then we can ask what we will of the Lord, even for us to be Holy Spirit filled, and He surely will give to us what we ask (cf. John 15:7)!

Have you been born again, saved, and Holy Spirit indwelt? Have you totally surrendered to the Lord Jesus the Christ? Have you been baptized with the purifying fire of the Holy Spirit, as evidenced by the external display of the infilling Holy Spirit’s fullness of life and power (cf. Ephesians 3:19)? If you answered NO to any one of these three questions, then you are not being transformed into the image of Christ, because you are NOT filled with the Holy Spirit!