Daily bread

*NGAT DAILY BREAD*

*DATE:* *WEDNESDAY 5TH OCTOBER 2016*
*THEME:* *WISDOM OF GOD IN MYSTERY*
*TEXT:* *1COR 2:7-10*

*But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, the hidden wisdom which God ordained before the ages for our glory, which none of the rulers of this age knew; for had they known, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. But as it is written: "Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him." But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God.*

We want to use this medium to appreciate our readers out there. Thanks for you amazing comments and questions. A lot of questions came up after yesterday's series, of which through liberty from the Holy Spirit I shall be dedicating today's series to answering those questions.

First, I will like to appreciate you for not arguing, but rather asked for more explanations on the subjects. We are all students in the school of the Spirit, and we are free to ask questions and to share our own points of view. Thanks a lot once again. Indeed His words are meeting targets in the hearts they're directed to.

Before I go to the two questions asked by our readers concerning yesterday subject, I will like to say two key things here. I was actually expecting questions yesterday.

1. The wisdom of God is in mystery, and it has to be exploited by the thirsty and the hungry. We are of the spirit, not of the letters. We dig deeper, and not merely surface feeders.
2. The Word of God must be taken with simplicity. Apostle Paul said in 2Co 11:3 "But I fear, lest *somehow,* as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, so your minds may be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ." The word of God should not be interpreted by following some theological discuss, but by His spirit alone.

Now to the two questions/suggestions

*QUESTION/SUGGESTION ONE*

One of our readers writes, *"Thanks be unto God for His wisdom on all sides. I appreciate your unquenchable love for the Lord and His words. I follow NGAT daily by God's grace. It has been a blessing so far including today's own (3rd Oct). Glory to God. Amen But there is a part I want to clarify according to my growing knowledge sir. You wrote that every believers firstly start with a selfish motives. I don't think that's applicable to every believer sir. I believe selfish desires comes into a believer who stops KNOWING the word to grow after his genuine conviction about his new love for God through Christ. Selfish desires flows in the heart of every believers always, but not every believers allows a ground for them to stay. And that's what earnest abiding with the Lord through His Word and Spirit comes in. Selfish desires does not vanish but it is banished by the power of God each time it surfaces. You remember Jesus Christ our Lord and master's laborious prayer in the garden of Gethsemane, how selfish thought tried to creep in, but by that he taught us another beautiful lesson by clearly putting God's will first, subjecting the flesh quickly to the obedience to the Spirit. May God help us with more revelations and much more, expression of His grace. Amen Eku ise naa."*

*QUESTION TWO*

*Give more explanation on the differences between 'salvation and being born again'*

NOW TO THE CLARIFICATIONS

1. what I meant by saying all believers starts their Christian pursuit from selfishness is this:

- It is not the day we gave our lives to Christ that we started leaning on His strength for living. We still believed in our abilities and strengths to carry out the Christian lifestyle. We walked by sight then and not by faith. Apostle Peter for instance; he said to Jesus, 'even if all are made to stumble because of You, *I* will *NEVER* be made to stumble'. Then Jesus answered him, *"assuredly, I say to you (the flesh in peter) that this night, before the rooster crows, you will deny Me three times."* Then Mr peter replied again, 'even if I have to die with You, *I* will not deny you'. And so said ALL the disciples. Matt 26:33-35.

When I said SELFISHNESS, I wasn't talking of selfish ambitions, but MR Flesh himself.  You have been saved from his acts, but we still need to be delivered from him (the noun), the Adamic nature. Or else he will still be manifesting his other acts through us.  That's why many believers will still be saying, 'if not for my prayers and fasting.' They do God's works so people could see them (Mr flesh) and not Jesus in them. That's what I meant by saying the word SELFISHNESS.

When you study through the book of Romans, you will discovered that it was only once that sin was mentioned as Verb. The rest Noun, the Adamic/Inherited Nature.

I show you a mystery, flesh will never seek to glorify God in anything. He gets offended when he preached and no one to stand to clap. He always want to be known for all things. This is exactly what Paul was addressing in the churches in Galatian. Note, he was talking to believers (the saved), not unbelievers. Gal 1:2. We can check Gal 5:16-26 for more clarity. Until you realized and experienced the power of The Cross, you're yet to be free from Mr flesh and his fruits.

2. Difference between salvation and born again.

- Salvation: deliverance from sin (acts), through believing and confessing Jesus Christ as your Lord and Saviour. I show you a mystery, if the plan of Jesus was to save us alone, then He did not need to die, because before His death He was already bleeding. And His blood is what atoned for our sins. Atonement for our sin was necessary for us to receive the life of God. The blood make you blameless before the throne. At that moment God says, 'I cannot see a sinner, all I'm seeing is a replica of My Son Jesus.' And to prove to you that you have been saved, He gives you His Spirit that begins your journey of born again.

- The word of the Lord must also be spoken, He will declare you NON-GUILTY. Jude 24, Jesus presents you faultless as having His own righteousness, then the spirit of adoption comes upon you, and now you  can cry Abba Father.

- The condition for salvation is that you call upon the Name of Jesus; and the condition for being born again is that you allow the Word to build you until the Life of God is fashioned and framed in you. Being born again is the product of your walk with the Word and the Spirit. The Word is building you, and there is an outworking that demonstrate to people around you that you're born again.

- Healings, miracles, signs and wonders are not really the proves of born again, but proves of salvation. Jesus has been performing all these before He died, and even His disciples.  Many signs and wonders were also performed in the old testament before Jesus was born. Jesus said many will come at the last day saying, we heal the sick in Your Name, we raised the dead in Your Name, and so on........ but I will say to them, depart from Me, for you're workers of iniquity. Why? Because they do not allow the life of God to be formed in them.  They love the work than the Owner of the work. They are yet to be born again. These two things must happen to show you're born again:
1. You will be consumed with God's love. You can lay anything down for His sake. You will love Him more than miracles, signs and wonders. You will love Him with all your mind, heart, strength. His will becomes your will.
2. You will love others just has Jesus loved you. You won't call anything unclean anymore. You will have compassion and sympathy on sinners. You won't desired anymore to go to hell. You will begin to render selfless services to your neighbour on the basis of Jesus' sacrificial love for you.

- The question that Peter asked Jesus and Jesus' reply in Matt 18:21-35 shows that Peter was only saved, but not yet born again. He could loose his salvation by going back to fish. Peter was still fellowshipping with the Word (Jesus) to get Him born again. That is why Jesus couldn't use the disciples for great assignments until their experience in Acts 2.

- The evidence that the Holy Spirit is at work in your life is that your life begin to conform to the principles of the Kingdom, both the principles you know and you no not. Do you know that the Apostles did not know that what they were walking in is called the gifts of the Spirit? The name did not matter, they all walk with the Holy Spirit and found themselves walking in the principles of the Word.

- The gifts were documented so we can identify the dealings of God and test spirit.

- The Holy Spirit is the only One who can bring a man to the conformity of the word of God and the principles of the Kingdom. The word of God is not an issue of cramming; it is the Holy Spirit that bring you to that reality

- Jesus was born because the Holy Spirit overshadowed Mary. Jesus was raised from the dead because the Holy Spirit came and quickened His mortal body. The finish work of Christ talks about all that was accomplished on account of the death, the burial and the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ.  Everything we do in the kingdom is on the account of the finished work of Christ. Making the finished work of Christ a practical experiential reality in your life is not just by confession alone, but by walking with the Spirit. It is by walking in the Spirit that will make us not to gratify the desires of the flesh anymore. Gal 2:20, Gal 5:16-26.

MAY THE HOLY SPIRIT EXPAND THESE MORE IN OUR HEARTS IN JESUS NAME.

Thanks and God bless.

#New Generation Agents of Transformation - NGAT