I indeed baptize you with
water…but He…will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. —Matthew 3:11
“Jesus cannot come and do His
work in me as long as there is anything blocking the way, whether it is
something good or bad. When He comes to me, am I prepared for Him to drag every
wrong thing I have ever done into the light? […] When I repent, I realize that
I am absolutely helpless, and I know that through and through I am not worthy
even to carry His sandals. Have I repented like that, or do I have a lingering
thought of possibly trying to defend my actions? The reason God cannot come
into my life is that I am not at the point of complete repentance.” CHAMBERS
When John the Baptist was
baptizing people in the Jordan River, it was a baptism of repentance. The people had a desire to turn from their
sins and draw close to God. But that baptism
did not bring salvation. It was not permanent. Baptize means to be identified
with. When we are baptized by the Holy
Spirit we are identified with Jesus. (John
14:16-17) “I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that
He may be with you forever; that is the Spirit of truth, whom the world
cannot receive, because it does not see Him or know Him, but you know Him because He abides with you and
will be in you.” The Spirit was part
of God’s plan. Something happened in the
Garden, the spiritual nature in man, died.
To be properly restored to God, there needed to be a sacrifice and there
needed to be a Spiritual rebirth, a restoration if you will. While we walk this earth, we need the Spirit
in us to maintain spiritual life which enables us to connect spiritually with God. By the Spirit, through the Son. On the day of salvation, we are sealed by the
Spirit. (Ephesians 1:13-14) “In Him, you also, after listening to the
message of truth, the gospel of your salvation—having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit
of promise, who is given as a pledge of our inheritance, with a view to the
redemption of God’s own possession, to the praise of His glory.”
When Nicodemus came to Jesus seeking
answers about eternal life, what did Jesus say to him? (John
3:5-6) “Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of
water and the Spirit he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. That which is
born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.” Christian, do you understand what an amazing
thing happened to you when you were born again?
What was broken in the Garden by Adam, was restored on the cross by Jesus,
established by faith and sealed through the Spirit. Oh that we would live each
day with an awareness of our new life. Don’t
be content with living the way you formerly did before Jesus. You have been
saved to a much greater life. But you
can only live it successfully by the power of the Spirit in you. He is our Helper. Why would God give us a Helper? Because we need one. Stop trying to live your new life on your
own. You were never intended to. It’s an impossibility. CHARLEY
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