Living in the Holy Ghost River
Psalm 103
1 Bless the Lord, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless his holy name.
2 Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits:
3 Who forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases;
4 Who redeemeth thy life from destruction; who crowneth thee with lovingkindness and tender mercies;
5 Who satisfieth thy mouth with good things; so that thy youth is renewed like the eagle’s.
Hallelujah Life
- You must choose this wonderful life
- Our God will never make a robot out of you.
- Free will/free choice is one of the grandest ideas.
- Hallelujah living is God’s plan.
- Don’t let anyone make you thing small.
- Bible: Psalm 103:1-5; Psalm 1:1-6; Galatians 3:14; Hebrews 6:6-14; Proverbs 8: 18-19; Matthew 5:3; Isaiah 40: 29-31; Proverbs 17:22, 20:27, 23:7
I know by experience that you cannot live a Biblical life and not be blessed. Looking at the multitude around us almost everything is dark and gloomy. Just watching what is happening can cause you to panic. But simply believing the Bible is the opposite. Look at these three verses of Psalm 1: 1-3: “Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. But his delight is in the law of the Lord; and in his law doth he meditate day and night. And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.”
Hallelujah living has to be a choice. I will not be brought down by the lies of Satan and his destroyers. You first choose to trust the infallible Bible and then you start believing what it says. I have lived by Psalm 103: 1-5 for the best part of 2019. I started out very sick but I trusted God and kept quoting the words “Bless the Lord, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless his holy name. Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits: Who forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases; Who redeemeth thy life from destruction; who crowneth thee with lovingkindness and tender mercies;Who satisfieth thy mouth with good things; so that thy youth is renewed like the eagle’s.” (Psalm 103: 1-5)
The Word of God is emphatic! God our Father delights to multiply His believing and obedient children and to increase their life to supernatural proportion. He wants to bless our children, our children’s children, and us. The Abraham blessing has never ceased to constitute the ultimate result of truly believing the gospel. We are not speaking of a “Name It, Claim It” theology, but a simple life lived in the fullest of the Holy Bible. A Cross-bearing Christians is one that lives a life under the Lord’s sufficiency and His unfailing Covenant. His servants are a blessed people with blessings far above worldly wealth
The Abraham Blessing of Multiplication! The Apostle Paul said it in these words, “That the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ.” (Galatians 3:14). “For if the inheritance be of the law, it is no more of promise: but God gave it to Abraham by promise.” (Galatians 3:18). “Saying, Surely blessing I will bless thee, and multiplying I will multiply thee.” (Hebrews 6:14). These Scriptures make it clear that the gospel of faith was first given to Abraham as a basis of God’s blessings and promises. This has never been changed. We have the right to claim what the Bible calls the Abrahamic blessing and to claim it by faith.
This blessing is not a quick fix. We are not talking about an ecstatic moment or an occasional shower of blessings. It certainly does not suggest selfish pursuits into lavish living. We must separate this beautiful promise from a carnal, flesh-centered lifestyle. It is, rather, a life lived in the full tide flow of biblical blessings. The things of God are far superior to worldly wealth. Only a carnal mind would elevate things to the same level as God’s righteous blessings. Solomon, speaking with inspiration, made the following statement, “Riches and honour are with me; yea, durable riches and righteousness. My fruit is better than gold, yea, than fine gold; and my revenue than choice silver.” (Proverbs 8:18, 19).
We are talking about blessings and multiplication that is worlds above what we are prone to equate with success. The Abrahamic blessing deals with successful family life, beautiful marriages, children who know themselves, and children’s children who become the crown of old age. We are talking about influence that pervades entire communities—towering saints who are like an army of strength against the tides of evil. This lifestyle will lead to many enjoyable experiences that involve things, places, positions, and even honor from men; but these are never the real goals or delights. The blood-washed children of Abraham are looking for a city, which has foundation, whose builder, and maker is God (Hebrews 11:10). Anything we experience on the freeway to that city deserves our gratitude, but it must never cloud our ultimate vision of spiritual success.
THE FOUNDATION PRINCIPLES OF MULTIPLICATION! “Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. But his delight is in the law of the Lord; and in his law doth he meditate day and night. And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper. The ungodly are not so: but are like the chaff which the wind driveth away. Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous. For the Lord knoweth the way of the righteous: but the way of the ungodly shall perish.” (Psalm 1:1-6).
It’s fitting that the Book of Psalms begins with the word, “Blessed.” The idea undergirding this chapter is conveyed by the word, blessed. It means “fortunate, happy, complete in one’s person, someone to be envied and respected.” Hidden in this meaning are several powerful things: self-love without haughtiness, clear directions for life, and a wholesome set of priorities. It is a picture of an individual in absolute harmony with the God of this universe and sensitive to walking harmoniously to His will. What a towering picture of successful living! Blessed!
There are three negative principles which are easily translated to positive ones and two positives in this first chapter of Psalms. These five principles provide the basis for a life that refuses to be diminished. A wayfaring man, though a fool, can walk this highway of holiness (Isaiah 35:8) and reach the ultimate, personal presence of Jesus Christ. He can also be happy and fulfilled along the way. Let’s look at the principles one by one.
“BLESSED IS THE MAN THAT WALKETH NOT IN THE COUNSEL OF THE UNGODLY!” Worldly wisdom has never been so available as it is today. Bookshelves are lined and magazines are available covering every subject, Counselors, workshops, and seminars provide advice and instruction. Sometimes it takes more wisdom to choose a good source of counsel than it would take to solve the problem itself. There is a family crisis today because we have established our marriages and family techniques on questionable instruction. Liberal sex therapists have led us to believe that anything goes in the marriage relationship. Balanced discipline has been replaced with “new ideas,” and we wonder why they do not work.
Every area of life must come under the scrutiny of divine wisdom. Our counsel must not come from questionable sources. It doesn’t matter how philosophical it sounds, how acceptable to our modern thought—if it cannot stand the test of the Book, it is powerless and will breed death, not life. Human wisdom can sound highly intellectual and right to the fleshly mind, and yet be void of life-giving substance.
Matthew 5
3 Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
4 Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.
5 Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.
6 Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.
7 Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.
“NOR STANDETH IN THE WAY OF SINNERS!” Our generation of believers has come to view any lifestyle of caring, biblical living as suspect. Words like “straight-laced,” “puritanical,” “pharisaical,” “suppressed,” “legalistic,” and others are used to describe any group or individual who stands apart from the loose and free crowd. There is certainly a danger in either direction and the consequence deserves carefulness. Yet, we need a return to the clear standards of the Word of God. The commandments of God are not less right than when inscribed by His finger. The wisdom books of Psalms and Proverbs would be rendered void if the Ten Commandments given in Exodus were discredited. This is also true of the other 64 books. Over and over, the Commandments are declared as the foundation of greatness, beauty, prosperity, and success.
We must remove our foot from evil and refuse the path of sinners. To walk in disobedience and neglect is sin. No man can ignore one of God’s precepts without rendering himself a sinner. We cannot mistake the word “sinner” for some derelict or prostitute. We must refuse the way of sinners—we cannot follow their example.
“NOR SITTETH IN THE SEAT OF THE SCORNFUL!” The basic idea of this great statement is to refuse the position of judgment and criticism of others. It also covers the thought of a negative attitude toward life and its experiences in general. Translated into a positive, it parallels Paul’s thought in Philippians, “Finally brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.” (Philippians 4:8).
Such a mind has risen above the carnal habit of gossiping and faultfinding of others. Our desire is not to hide wrong, but to help eliminate it. Love is a cleansing power when occupying the throne of our heart—vacated by the deceit of scorn. We have often thought of hate as the opposite of love. Instead, it is fear, not hate, that stands as the antonym of this powerful characteristic; and scorn is the result of our fears. Fear of failure, duties, relationships, responsibilities, and even other people’s success has created a generation of scornful individuals. We make ourselves feel better by bringing others down to our own size—or less. Receiving gossip from someone else’s scorn is first cousin to repeating scorn yourself. The infallible Word teaches in the writings of David, “He that backbiteth not with his tongue, nor doeth evil to his neighbour, nor taketh up a reproach against his neighbour.” (Psalm 15:3).
To take or receive a reproach against another is sin. There are many persons who absolutely live to hear negative talk. They are obsessed with delving into other people’s affairs. My friends, flee the negative forces of scorn, criticism, and doubtful disputation. Receive your brethren, even the weak ones, as Paul told the believers. “Him that is weak in the faith receive ye, but not to doubtful disputations.” (Romans 14:1).
“BUT HIS DELIGHT IS IN THE LAW OF THE LORD!” Absolutely powerful is the only way to describe this great principle. When God’s laws and commandments are no longer viewed as bondage or narrowness, but freedom and expanse, life begins to blossom. Lucifer’s chief tactic has been to question God’s motives in placing restrictions on man. He has caused the unsuspecting to view all limits as inhibitions. The truth is we can enjoy an uninhibited oneness with our Creator, or we can succumb to a false freedom of lawlessness. There are many miserable Christians laboring under an erroneous understanding of this truth.
When we discover God’s laws as His protection and security, we discover the source of greatness. While our life expands, it is also protected. We find, in this kind of restriction, clear boundaries that give peace of mind and assurance. God’s laws and commandments are to the believer exactly what discipline and guidelines are in a Christian home. The only alternative is confusion.
One’s soul can find joy in reading and keeping His laws. Delight in them, rejoice in them, exalt them in your heart and they will exalt you to blessings and beauty. No longer will they be restrictions, but liberation. Isaiah summed it up with the following great expression, “He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength. Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall: But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.” (Isaiah 40:29-31). The whole idea of waiting upon the Lord is not some rocking chair mentality; rather, it is the casting off of human understanding and man-made answers, and the grasping of Him in faith.
“AND IN HIS LAW DOTH HE MEDITATE DAY AND NIGHT!” Our mind will be occupied in one of two ways: we will either discipline it in thinking pure thoughts, meditating on the word and law of God, or we will fall victim to the carnal imagination of our evil nature. The mind can never serve as a neutral zone. What occupies our thought-life today determines what we become tomorrow. Note these statements from the Book of Proverbs, “A merry heart doeth good like a medicine: but a broken spirit drieth the bones.” (Proverbs 17:22). “The spirit of man is the candle of the Lord, searching all the inward parts of the belly.” (Proverbs 20:27). “For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he.” (Proverbs 23:7).
A person’s entire personality will be forged by what he allows to dominate his thinking. Health of body, peace of mind, character, influence, family relationships, and the entire packet of life rises or falls on the strength of our mental occupation. Our Heavenly Father will fill one’s personality with Himself only by invitation. Meditation in His words, Holy Ghost-anointed prayer, and worship are our invitations for Him to occupy our spirit. A grave danger lurks for those who would use their mind to create false illusions of success or spirituality. It always fails! A pseudo-spiritual imagination is the worst kind of deception. Satan is ever ready to invade such a fleshly effort outside the confines of the Word and voice of the Holy Spirit.
We must set our life to follow after the Lord, making Him the central point of our mental delights, praising Him continually. He will occupy and renew the mind that spends its energies in praising and obeying Him. Powers in your person that you did not know you possessed will find release and expression. He will add to us the spirit of power, the spirit of love, and the spirit of a sound mind (2 Timothy 1:7). These five principles are invincible. He did not suggest that one might succeed if they are obeyed. He promised a miracle of multiplication. “And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.” (Psalm 1:3).
IN SEASON! Increase, multiplication, prosperity, success . . . and all of them “in his season.” This is the kind of biblical prosperity that any minister can preach and any Christian can dare to believe it. It is balanced and Christ honoring. His promise of these blessings, “in his season,” is significant. The words, “in his season” indicate God’s time schedule for one’s life. Impatience or fleshly manipulation only serves to hinder and distort His plan. What He desires is bigger and better than anything a person might conjure up for himself. We must wait on His refreshing and blessings as He plans them according to one’s season. When we actively seek the will and work of God in our life, there is no need of seeking His blessings. They are part of the same. Just trusting Him for all His best and expecting it to happen brings it to pass
The beautiful life of victory, success and multiplication is like a book, which is bound with the golden thread of His holy truth. If we eliminate the golden thread, the book falls apart. To suggest success without embracing God’s principles is sheer foolishness. Our Father knows that one of the worst things that can happen is for a person to possess wealth and abundance without His blessing. Wealth that is cursed is far more destructive than poverty.
Mark 11
7 And they brought the colt to Jesus, and cast their garments on him; and he sat upon him.
8 And many spread their garments in the way: and others cut down branches off the trees, and strawed them in the way.
9 And they that went before, and they that followed, cried, saying, Hosanna; Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord:
10 Blessed be the kingdom of our father David, that cometh in the name of the Lord: Hosanna in the highest.
THE BOOK OF BALANCED FAITH: JAMES! The quality of one’s faith can save or damn him. It is biblical balance that most believers desperately need to grasp. Their faith is up and down, in and out, because this balance is lacking. The right mix of faith is Holy Ghost dynamite. The Book of James talks about faith without works and pronounces it worthless. The real strength of the writer’s argument is that faith must be exercised in the heart of the believer. The success he suggests is when faith takes root and dominates the individual’s life in an active and mature fashion. It is faith on its feet, rather than on a couch.
You can find the following kinds of empty faith in the Book of James: Pew-warming faith, hypocritical faith, church-bossing faith, prejudicial faith, lazy faith, lustful faith, Sunday morning faith, double-minded faith, stingy faith, judgmental faith, faultfinding faith, false faith, big mouth faith, worldly faith, selfish faith, evil-speaking faith, poor-mouth faith, and envious faith.
One can also find positive faith that breaks all barriers: Joyful faith, enduring faith, patient faith, Word-focused faith, unwavering faith, doer faith, humble faith, righteous faith, neighbor-centered faith, confessing faith, self-disciplined faith, compassionate faith, pure faith, repentant faith, peaceable faith, submitting faith, gentle faith, and good fruit faith.
This book presents two kind of faith. One kind creates empty, powerless, defeated people who never rise above their own selfish lifestyle. They are like “The dog that is turned to his own vomit again; and the sow that was washed to her wallowing in the mire.” (2 Peter 2:22). But one should never forget the faith that possesses the kingdom—the Abraham faith. This kind caused Abram (later called Abraham) to leave the land of his father’s inheritance to search out a spiritual one, which God had promised. He was not willing to be a second-generation success story. He wanted firsthand blessings, and he received them. Today’s believer can, too!
DISCOVERING THE PEARL OF GREAT PRICE! The Abrahamic blessing is bound up in the person of Jesus Christ. Jesus is the blessings’ highest fulfillment. The only way to become a modern-day heir of Abraham comes through discovering our Lord Jesus Christ in a self-forgetting surrender. When we reach to Him with emptied hands, He will fill them with Himself (and all that He represents). Jesus himself laid out this principle as a foundation stone of His kingdom. “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a merchant man, seeking goodly pearls: Who when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had and bought it.” (Matthew 13:45, 46). When we pick up all our dreams, our ambitions and goals, and everything that constitutes worth and value, then come to His feet to deposit them in the bank of His will, we make a complete transferal of our assets to His account. We make Him our power of attorney. When we pick up our cross and follow Him, we can discover the rest told of in the Book of Hebrews, and begin the walk of miraculous multiplication.
Romans 8
11 But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you.
12 Therefore, brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh.
13 For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live.
14 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.
LOOKING AT THAT REST! Please read this carefully. But Christ as a son over his own house; whose house are we, if we hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm unto the end. Wherefore (as the Holy Ghost saith, To day if ye will hear his voice, Harden not your hearts, as in the provocation, in the day of temptation in the wilderness. But with whom was he grieved forty years? Was it not with them that had sinned, whose carcasses fell in the wilderness? And to whom sware he that they should not enter into his rest, but to them that believed not? So we see that they could not enter in because of unbelief. Let us therefore fear, lest, a promise being left us of entering into his rest, any of you should seem to come short of it. For unto us was the gospel preached, as well as unto them: but the word preached did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in them that heard it. For we which have believed do enter into rest, as he said, As I have sworn in my wrath, if they shall enter into my rest: although the works were finished from the foundation of the world.” (Hebrews 3:6-8, 17-19; 4:1-3). What powerful, life-changing truths! He becomes the Son over His own house (us and all of ours). We have rested our endeavor at rulership. The bankruptcy proceedings are over, and everything we own is in His receivership. Heaven’s court has eliminated our power of choice and transferred it to the one with power of attorney: He is now Lord.
This act removes all human barricades to greatness and multiplication. What is mine and belongs to me can only become what is in my power to make it. What is His and belongs to Him will become all that He is able to accomplish and do.
THE BEGINNING MAY SEEM SMALL! The miracle of multiplication has begun. The beginning may seem small. “For who hath despised the day of small things?” (Zechariah 4:10), but we must trust Him. His thoughts are not our thoughts, so we cannot second-guess Him. We must make every day a walk of faith with simple obedience. He said, “The just shall live by faith.” (Habakkuk 2:4; Romans 1:17). We must trust Him.The first thing one discovers is a genuine peace. A spiritual calm envelops the believing life and releases creative energies and excitement for living. With this new peace, we can listen for His will and walk in it.
We must be diligent in the Word and obey it without hesitation. We can have communion with Him—a total lifestyle. We can worship in His house and praising Him can become our constant delight. We must not be overanxious about what He is planning for us. Let us wait on the Lord. We are spiritual sons and daughters of Abraham and heirs to His blessing. It is not a second-generation experience, because our Lord has no grandchildren. So, let us be content in whatsoever state we find ourselves, neither troubled by little, nor puffed up by abundance (See Philippians 4:11, 12.). In Him, little becomes sufficient and much has no leftovers.
God has kept my life free from immorality, giving me a beautiful ministry and innumerable friends. Sometimes His words come flowing from my heart so free and fast until my lips are inadequate to convey them. I could talk about earthly blessings, which are insignificant to real happiness, but I do not desire to waste your time. We need only remember that we are to be channels of wealth, not storehouses. That is why there is much poverty and wretchedness in our world. When wealthy people hold wealth for themselves, it becomes cantankerous and despicable. When we pour it out for others, it blesses and blesses and returns to bless. A believer cannot outgive God.
Let us enjoy our new-found blessedness, and expect heaven’s best on our life and on those God has called us to bless. As He multiplies, we must keep the fountain open. We can let His blessing flow through us to others, and let their praises blend with ours to flow back to God. “This is the day which the LORD hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.”( Psalms 118:24)