John Wasserman Podcast John Wasserman
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- Religion & Spirituality
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Our mandate is to be a church in revival, reaching the world and resourcing them to maturity. #GraceTalk
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Simplicity Our Formation In Christ Part 11
we are in union with Christ and need to practise the spiritual disciplines to help us stay in communion with him. The next discipline we are looking at, is simplicity. Life can sometimes be exceptionally complicated. Biblically simplicity is getting back to a pure devotion to Jesus. We must in no way be distracted from the simplicity of our relationship with him by getting so involved in the mechanics of our walk that we lose the dynamics of it. Social media, for instance, has become a distraction and complication in our lives. The stuff of life can be overwhelming, and then priorities become the issue. The first thing which lies at the heart of a lack of simplicity often is our own flesh, not other people, situations in life or even the devil. That is the reason why so many of the disciplines are geared toward dealing with the flesh-life in a fiercely practical way by teaching self-control. The flesh has voracious appetites, especially in finding satisfaction out of the acquisition of all kinds of stuff. However value and self-worth are not attached to the things we own. We can have everything we need when we seek the Kingdom and its righteousness first. Seeking the Kingdom first means to give it priority in everything you do through implicitly obeying the instructions of the Holy Spirit, and righteousness speaks of every righteous act which the Kingdom requires. The second thing that complicates our lives, is the insecurities of our hearts. These insecurities often demand that we have distractions, because it takes the attention off from our pain and lack of self-worth. The discipline of simplicity is getting rid of, or re-adjusting the things in our lives that hinder our walk with God. We need to throw off the things that are not necessarily sinful, but also not beneficial to our relationship with God. Sin in itself, is a major complication in our lives and destroys the simplicity of pure devotion to Jesus. The discipline of simplicity is not only all about organizing your outward lifestyle by decluttering or re-organizing, although that is also necessary, but the most important thing is to maintain your first love for Jesus because then even the mundane things you have to do are done as if unto the Lord and filled with joy. A conscience which is clear before God because of instant and constant repentance is also conducive of a life which is simple and uncomplicated. We need to learn how to rejoice in everything, develop an attitude of gratitude, stop comparing yourself with others as well as learn how to not take yourself too seriously, all of which will result in a heart at rest, running your race with success.
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Stillness, Silence And Solitude Part 2 Our Formation In Christ Part 10
The Church of today is not in danger, as it was in the day of Paul, of returning to the strictures of the Law. Today the danger is that Christians, instead of serving the Lord in full accordance with all of God’s requirements, are picking and choosing what to adhere to, and thus following an impure gospel. The spiritual disciplines described up to now have been all about the spiritual things which we can do to enter into the communion side of our union with Christ. In this union we, as Christians, are linked and participating by the Spirit in his crucifixion. We are also in a mystical, unfathomable way linked to his life, where He is seated at the right hand of the Father right now. This union is likened unto marriage, something which is lived, but hard to describe. We need the discipline of stillness, solitude, and silence because the busy-ness of this life can cause us to become human doings instead of human beings. The purpose of this discipline is not to go to sleep, but to awaken our spiritual senses unto the Lord. What we acquire in the times of stillness, solitude, and silence is the ability to step back or withdraw, even at the busiest of times, and take control of our actions or reactions. It also teaches us to be at ease with ourselves. There are times when we need this discipline for the Lord to heal us of all the stuff going on around us. Practical ways to practise this discipline are: schedule a time, find a place, deal with- and remove as many external distractions as possible, set a timer, relax, and become comfortable, become still silent and present, quieting your mind by managing inner distractions and dealing with a condemning conscience. Learn to return to a peaceful experience in your mind as a starting point. One of the main reasons for this discipline is to recover the gentle voice of God. This is the way to experience the communion and vision which comes out of our union with God, seek the will of God with clarity and align yourself therewith. It is to quieten your mind to hear God’s voice and have your strength revived, and to receive power. It is to gain interpretation of dreams and find the context and perspective for circumstances and situations. Stillness, silence, and solitude enables one to meditate on who you are in such a way that you can produce more of the fruit of the Spirit.
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You Are Anointed | JD (Johan Dormehl)
People in the Old Testament got anointed with oil to fulfil a specific task, purpose, or office, for instance, that of a King, Priest, or Prophet. Because we are children of God we are also anointed. We have to remind ourselves of the fact that we have been anointed, enabling us unto what God has called us for, whether it be in our jobs, studying, whatever the case may be. The realization of our deep need at times when we fall short of our full potential is the driving force to tap into this anointing. Because we have received the Holy Spirit, we are anointed, and He is the one who enables us in every area of our lives. The Holy Spirit’s anointing is God with us, giving us his power. The anointing has a purpose, which is to fulfil a calling. Whatever causes a stirring and interest in a person’s heart is the way to define what their godly calling is. To fulfil our calling we also have a part play, and that is to co-operate with the Holy Spirit and actually physically equipping ourselves by taking courses, going on outreaches, etc. depending on what the calling may be. Walking in unselfish love will result in an increase of the anointing. There is also a price to pay for the anointing, and it consists out of living according to the principles in the Word of God, sacrificing time by spending it in the Word and going to church services and prayer meetings, serving wherever there is a need, and be ready to be persecuted. We need to return to the initial heartfelt stirring and hunger for more and enquire of the Lord what we can do to walk into our destiny and also keep going when things become tough, for the sake of the anointing.
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Christ's Empowerment Through Love | Chris Lindberg
There are times when God will take us on adventures beyond what we could think or imagine. He really wants to make an impact in the real circumstances of our lives. Although it may at times seem as if God is absent when we experience adverse circumstances, when we can log into the fact that He is always with us we can become aware of his blessing in every circumstance. We need to be in a relationship with God and each other, to stir up the flame inside of us, that of power, love, and a sound mind, replacing fear. We love to move in power, but it should be balanced by love – even loving those from whom you differ – and a sound mind, and a sound mind means discipline and character. Walking and operating in this balance, makes us effective in bringing the true gospel of Christ. We need to, through faith, have our lives established, rooted, and grounded in the love and things of God to avoid withering and dying when difficulties come. Becoming rooted is a process of laying down our lives and having Christ revealed in us. In this process we are strengthened and empowered by the Holy Spirit, through love. We need to not listen to the humanness inside which says it cannot be done, and in humility let our spirit-man come forward to accept that God wants to fill us with all of his limitless fulness. That is what Christ died for. The measure of God’s fullness within us is conditional, which is that it is in accordance with the power at work within us. This means that we need to work with God to enlarge his power within, to remove the limits to his fullness being manifested through us. This is done by exercising faith, having a trusting relationship with God, and faithfully walking in your calling, while desiring and asking for the gifts of the Spirit from God, and exercising them in and through love. Love is powerful. It opens the door to operate in the power of the Holy Spirit. Love keeps us rooted and steadfast to grow in Christ. Love changes our perspective on people, helping us to forgive a wrong done to us.
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Christ Formed In Me | Andre Blignaut
One can set up a goal for oneself and that goal would then become a judge to measure up yourself against. Our goal is to have Christ formed in us. The Apostle Paul had achieved the highest level of authority possible for him in the nation in Israel, yet he reckoned all of that to be of no value compared to knowing Jesus Christ. According to the Apostle John, we can know Jesus, if we know grace and truth. When we examine grace, it consists out of two sections – a past, as well as a future portion. The past portion is God’s unmerited favour bestowed upon us towards our salvation, and the future part of grace comes as a promise giving us faith, enabling us to labour towards our goal, i.e. Christ formed in us. This labour is by faith and enabled by the Spirit. Having received a promise, we believe it, obediently do the works, and thereby activate the faith towards miracles, revealing the glory of Christ. Truth leads us to the Father and sets us free. We are set free by truth by it destroying everything in us that is not worthy of us. This is usually a painful process because pride, ignorance, wilful blindness, and laziness cause us to hold on to these unworthy things. Living out a lie, is equal to being possessed, because satan is the father of lies. Living a life of lies prevents a person from reaching their goal in life. Speaking the truth to one another is respecting the sanctity of the Body of Christ. We need to do our part in following the spiritual disciplines by the grace available to us, to put to death that which is unworthy in us so that God can form Christ within us.
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Our Formation In Christ - Part 9 | Stillness, Silence And Solitude
In the discipline of stillness, silence and solitude, there is an abstinence from the stimulus by which we are surrounded. The issue in our modern world is one of busy-ness, wherein our minds are always busy and experiencing high-voltage stress. We live in a world full of noise, people, and circumstances. We have, unfortunately, gotten to the place where being busy is attached to our sense of worth. As a result we have become dull and unaware of the presence of God all around us. Stillness and silence are a prelude to hearing God’s voice more clearly. Stillness is learning to quieten yourself, still your heart and mind and become awakened and attentive to Him. We can learn, even in the busy-ness of life, to step back into ourselves and be quiet and at peace, whereupon we are helped by him to focus and meet challenges with passion, because of your living a life of being attuned to God. Silence is obviously to abstain from speaking enabling you to hear. Solitude is to be alone, cut off from outside stimuli. Stillness is not a time for praying, problem-solving or planning, but a time of preparation to hear from God and get his opinion and wisdom. More is accomplished in these times, than in the times of busy-ness when you are operating on your own strength and wisdom. Solitude and quiet is deeply spiritual, creative, liberating, it is where we find God. Peaceful stillness involves waiting for the Lord, which is followed by blessing. The results of silence and stillness are wisdom, a renewed revelation of Jesus’ redemptive work on the cross, peace, deep sleep at night, a new awareness of the greatness and sovereignty of God, as well as rest and healing.