Daily Word

Dealing with the Tough Stuff

Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. —2 Timothy 2:3

You have been called, you have been chosen, and you are now a son of the living God and a citizen of the kingdom of God. In this verse, Paul tells Timothy to live as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. Everyone who is born again now has a purpose and a position in God’s kingdom. To live as a good soldier will mean enduring hardness. A soldier is a person who is pursuing an enemy, who is advancing. We do it for the Kingdom’s sake. But when you do, you will run into hardness. This “hardness” may include others who are not as serious about their position and privilege as you are; it may include family members; it may include friends; it may even include other Christians who do not want to get involved. People will avoid you, they may even talk about you, but it does not change the fact that you are called to reflect and manifest the love and power of Jesus Christ. When Paul was first saved, his own people could not stand him, and the believers were afraid of him, so he went to the Gentiles to “take ground.” Look for and find a group of people who want what you have—who desire to be free, to be on fire, to belong to God, and who will endure hardness from those who do not understand their commitment. Do not complain, criticize, or back down, but endure.

Follow His Lead

If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. —Galatians 5:25

The Church of this generation will not possess any more author- ity than any other generation; they will not have more of the Holy Ghost; they will not have a greater anointing than the others who preceded them. They will just be taught and trained to use what they already have. They will become efficient in the “all authority” Jesus gives to us in His name (Matthew 28:18; Luke 10:19), and they will become skilled in the “ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you” (Acts 1:8). When God poured out His Spirit at Pentecost, He poured upon all flesh the whole Holy Ghost. We did not get part of the Holy Ghost or some of the anointing, but we received all the power heaven has to offer. Since that time, the Church has continuously prepared for a move of God, prepared for an invasion of the kingdom of God, prepared to be used of God. Some have prepared their whole Christian lives, only to die and never make any impact on spiritual things. Now is not a time of preparation, but a time of cooperation with the Spirit and with the authority God has already provided. We do not need more power— we need to learn to cooperate with the power we already have. God’s Church will be taught to minister the life and power of God, not by systems or formulas, but by God Himself (2 Corinthians 3:5–6).

Spiritual Training

And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ.
—1 Corinthians 3:1

Just because you were born again does not mean that you are spiritual. In order for you to live a life in the Spirit and be effective, you must mature as a Christian. Paul called the Corinthians “carnal,” babies in the Spirit. He could not get across to them the revelation they needed in order to cooperate with the Holy Ghost. Spiritual growth is not an automatic experience. It is not dependent on the number of years you have been saved, but on what you did with those years. Growing is a process; it is work; you have to nurture and exercise your spirit. If your spirit man is not built up and strong, you will not function as a mature believer. If your heart’s desire is to be successful in the Spirit, to see the miracles of God and the power of God manifest in your life, then you will have to take the time to train your spirit man to flow and cooperate with God. Your growth comes by renewing your mind and your thought life to come in line with God’s mind and thought life, which is found in His Word. If you remain carnally minded, living by only what you can see, hear, feel, taste, and smell, you will fail to flow with the plan and purpose of God. You cannot be conformed to this world by a natural mindset and still flow with the Spirit of God. This is no time to be carnal and live as a mere power- less person (1 Corinthians 3:3)! Divorce your five husbands (your five senses, which cause you to live in the natural realm only) and learn to walk by the Spirit of God instead (Galatians 5:16, 22–25).

Your Act of Faith in His Word

To open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me. —Acts 26:18

Your sanctification is a turning of your thought life from the old (natural) to the new (spiritual). It will take you from the power of Satan into the power of God. It will enable you to receive your inher itance from God, which will provide you with all you need in this life. If you are struggling in sickness, sanctification will change that. If there’s trouble in your marriage, sanctification of your soul will help that. To repent means to change your attitude and your thoughts, to turn from one way of thinking and acting to another. This is done by sanctification through faith in the Word. How are you sanctified? By faith in Him. Faith is to hear the Word and to act on the Word. As I hear the Word and act on the Word, I will be separated from Satan’s power to the power of God. Many people have spent their whole lives hearing and hearing, but they have never acted on what they have heard. So, because they see no change in their lives, they get frustrated and quit. But hearing the Word alone will not cause you to be sanctified—hearing and acting on the Word will bring you light, power, and an inheritance. You can claim and confess sanctification all you want, but you will never become sanctified in your soul and body without hearing and acting on the Word. You can be born again and live unsanctified, in darkness, without power, and with no inheritance—just put your faith in something other than the Word.