Always

Since creation, God has been extremely nurturing of His children. He has wanted to provide the bet things for those who were faithful and correct those who made decisions about which He did not approve. YHWH was extremely happy when His children would listen to His instructions via the Holy Spirit. God and Jesus do not change (Heb. 13:8 '... yesterday, today, forever ...'); His pleasure in the time of Moses can be replicated now, when we follow His instructions. "Now Joshua son of Nun was filled with the Spirit of wisdom because Moses had laid his hands on him. So the Israelites listened to him and did what the LORD had commanded Moses." Deut. 34:9 (NIV)

Love

Today, we use the word "love" to describe many things and levels of feeling. When Jesus spoke, He intended "love" to indicate more than thoughts, but actions. When we reach out to help other people with the same concern as for ourselves, we mirror God's efforts for us. He loved us so much He came to earth and suffered a cruel sacrifice for us. How should this realization affect our view of other people? "And the second command is like the first: 'You must love other people the same as you love yourself.' All of the law and the writings of the prophets take their meaning from these two commands." — Matthew 22:39-40 (ERV)

Sharing

As far back in time as Moses, God's focused servants who had the Holy Spirit have wanted this Spirit to be distributed to more people. This sharing would mean they could be closer to God. Those who accept Jesus' gift, possess what Moses wished for so long ago. "Moses replied, "Are you jealous for my sake? I wish that all the LORD's people were prophets and that the LORD would put his Spirit on them!" Numbers 11:29 (NIV)

New Creation

We think a great deal about people, be it family, friends, or strangers near Christmas time. It is important how we view other people since we are only declared sinless. Jesus' sacrifice provides two choices, to view them as spiritual brothers and sisters which we might encourage or a person whom we might influence to look toward Jesus in some way. Brothers and sisters will likely disappoint us at various points, however, if we will allow, the Holy Spirit can motivate us to consider them in a different way, valued beyond their earthly existence and actions. "For the love of Christ controls us, because we have concluded this: that one has died for all, therefore all have died; and he died for all, that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised. From now on, therefore, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we once regarded Christ according to the flesh, we regard him thus no longer. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come." — 2 Corinthians 5:14-17 (ESV)

AntiChrist

While the meaning of the word AntiChrist is simple (Christ rejected), for those who do not believe in Jesus Christ, the ramifications are paramount - and certainly it is an individual choice. Without Jesus, means a present and future life away from Jehovah God. "Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God: Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God. This is the [spirit] of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming and even now is already in the world." 1JN 4:1-3 (NIV)

Preaching

 Perhaps a good way to think of a "prophet" in the Old Testament is a 'preacher.' Many generally think of "prophecy" as having a predictive element. This can be true, but when God's word is preached to people who are living in a sinful world, it is relatively easy to predict that corrective events will occur at some point. So long as the preacher shares the Word of God, he is following the guidance of the Holy Spirit. "For prophecy never had its origin in the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit." 2Peter 1:21 (NIV) 

King's children

Pointing out our lack of understanding of our God's (or indwelling Holy Spirit's) work in our surroundings, Sarah Young wrote, "I AM TAKING CARE OF YOU. Feel the warmth and security of being enveloped in My loving Presence. Every detail of your life is under My control. Moreover, everything fits into a pattern for good, to those who love Me and are called according to My design and purpose. Because the world is in an abnormal, fallen condition, people tend to think that chance governs the universe. Events may seem to occur randomly, with little or no meaning. People who view the world this way have overlooked one basic fact: the limitations of human understanding. What you know of the world you inhabit is only the tip of the iceberg. Submerged beneath the surface of the visible world are mysteries too vast for you to comprehend. If you could only see how close I am to you and how constantly I work on your behalf, you would never again doubt that I am wonderfully caring for you. This is why you must live by faith, not by sight; trusting in My mysterious, majestic Presence. {Romans 8:28 (amp); Job 42:1–3; 1 Peter 5:7; 2 Corinthians 5:7} We must remember we are children of the King, the creator and maintainer of the universe.

Provision

A simple reflection: God always provided the means necessary to accomplish His desires. "I will come down and speak with you there, and I will take of the Spirit that is on you and put the Spirit on them. They will help you carry the burden of the people so that you will not have to carry it alone." NU 11:17 (NIV)

Emotions

Emotions are very powerful for motivating and convicting people. Spirit filled Jesus displayed several emotions handled in a manner honoring the Father. Jesus showed great sadness over how His people treated His messengers, symbolized by Jerusalem; in anger, He overturned the tables of money changers at Passover; He wept because of Lazarus' death; He was greatly distressed before being arrested and crucified. An encouragement for us is that all this happened while indwelled by the same Holy Spirit that indwells us. It is unlikely any of us will ever experience something like crucifixion, but the Holy Spirit was constantly there. No matter how stressful or emotional our struggles become, the Holy Spirit will not leave us, He will attempt to strengthen us as much as we will allow. We must make the choice; only we can open up ourselves to Him and His guidance or push Him away. "Those who obey his commands live in him, and he in them. And this is how we know that he lives in us: We know it by the Spirit he gave us." 1JN 3:24. (NIV)

Clothing

Those who attempt to follow Jesus' teaching need to walk very carefully, because our surroundings may be physically and spiritually dangerous; some people will be affected differently. Our appearance (clothing) should reflect wisdom and concern for others. We must depend on the indwelling Holy Spirit to guide us correctly. "Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil." Ephesians 5:15-16 (NIV); "Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience." Colossians 3:12 (NIV) This is evidence the Holy Spirit guides us.

Conscience

How often do we think about our consciences? A good description of one's conscience is: "a part of our thought process which helps us make decisions based on personal understanding of our core beliefs." It may also constantly remind us of any poor choices; it may seem like a constant thought about something that 'just won't go away.' Without a God-centered base, one's conscience may consider ungodly actions as normal and expected. When one accepts God's plan and the Holy Spirit lives within them, their conscience also undergoes a cleansing transformation; actions that displease God are no longer considered as acceptable. "Just think how much more the blood of Christ will purify our consciences from sinful deeds so that we can worship the living God. For by the power of the eternal Spirit, Christ offered himself to God as a perfect sacrifice for our sins." Hebrews 9:14 (NLT)

Eating

A prominent discussion in our society is eating, both for health and weight management. For a balanced life, we need to pay as much attention to the words we speak as the food we eat. The words we speak reflect the spiritual food we have consumed. The words we speak communicate our beliefs, feelings, and attitudes. Jesus said "Not that which goes into the mouth defiles a man; but that which comes out of the mouth, this defiles a man...what comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart, and this defiles a person. (Matt. 15:11, 18) We must carefully guard what we say, because it can be so easily misinterpreted. "Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. — Ephesians 4:29 (NIV)

Discerning

There is a real difference between listening, hearing, and understanding. While these Jews struggled, people with the indwelling Holy Spirit, find hearing and understanding and easier task. We should learn from history: when the Paul proclaimed news of the Kingdom to people in Rome, unbelieving Jews started arguing with each other, Paul interrupted: "Being in disagreement with one another, they were dismissed after Paul had said one word: “The Holy Spirit accurately spoke to our fathers through Isaiah the prophet, 26 ‘Go to this people and say: You shall certainly hear, but never understand; and you shall certainly see, but never perceive; 27 for the heart of this people has grown dull. Their ears are hard of hearing, and they have closed their eyes, lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears and understand with their heart and turn, and I would heal them.[a]" Acts 28:25-27 (Modern English Version)

Advocate

Some of the guidance provided by Jesus to honor the Father seems foreign and difficult for us to understand and do. God calls (invites) believers to do things that He has designed to help ourselves and others. Those of us who are indwelled by the Holy Spirit will find great help, "For we are God's handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do." (Eph. 2:10). We must admit WE don't know the best ways to reach out to others an depend on the indwelling Holy Spirit to guide us; He will lead us to do the proper things (good works or actions). "If you love me, obey my commandments. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, who will never leave you. He is the Holy Spirit, who leads into all truth." John 14:15-17a (NLT)

Careful Competition

Competition is almost a law of nature. Struggles for domination are observed as part of the life cycle of living organisms. They compete to survive; they compete for sustenance, they compete for life itself, they compete to reproduce. In order to survive they must overpower other organisms seeking the available sources of nourishment. Plants and animals compete for sunlight and water. Animals compete for the ability to reproduce. Many of Jehovah’s crowning creation find themselves in competition regularly, some is friendly banter and some is brutal aggression. Adam and Eve were told to “subdue creation.” The intention was to work together not in competition with each other. To balance the desire to subdue, YHWH gave this greatest of His creation a desire to consider other organisms of life respectfully. They were not only valuable as His creation, but even more as a builders of the future. Most things are best understood related to the spiritual realm. If the competition is with Satan for the souls of people, the competition is worth the investment; but remember this is a battle already won if the person so chooses, and one should not trade their own salvation trying to win another, this is the responsibility of the Holy Spirit. "Brethren, even if anyone is caught in any trespass, you who are spiritual, restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness; each one looking to yourself, so that you too will not be tempted." Galatians 6:1 (NASV)