I’m posting about how Christ walked in the power of God. In my last one I started talking about His time in the wilderness as He faced the devil.
It’s now the end of the Lord’s forty day fast. I can only imagine how the Lord was feeling at the end of this time. But at this point it’s over; He could eat now, according to the rules of fasting.
It’s interesting to see how the devil attacks Jesus. This is how most of our temptations are based. It will give us insight into how the enemy works against us as well.
The devil said to him, “If you are the Son of God, tell this stone to become bread.”
Luke 4:3
Think about Jesus’ teaching. Specifically how He taught on prayer. In what we commonly call “The Lord’s Prayer,” He prayed, “Give us today our daily bread.” (Matthew 6:11)
This prayer is a son praying to the Father. If you look closely at this line, it’s not a request. Jesus is assuming that daily bread is the right of a son. He doesn’t say that God promised it to Him. He simply lays claim to what He wants, knowing God’s provision for His sons.
I believe that Satan based his attack upon this prayer. However, the enemy worded it in the form of a promise. He said, “If you are The Son of God…” He challenged Jesus to prove it by claiming the promise for daily provision. The sad thing is that we would have taken the bait, and we do regularly. Then we say that the Holy Spirit told us to do it.
Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”
Matthew 4:4
Jesus’ response is clear. The fast was over. It was perfectly in order for Him to eat. But that wasn’t the issue. Jesus wasn’t there in the wilderness for the purpose of eating. He was there to hear from the Father. In this verse, “word” is “rhema” in the Greek. It means the revealed Word of God.
Jesus was telling Satan, “I didn’t come here for bread; I came to hear a Word from the Father.” If the Lord wanted to eat, He could have brought food.
This is a classic strategy that Satan uses over and over again. Sadly, we continue to fall victim to it. We can be tempted to “over-claim” the promises.
In America we already have too much stuff and we believe God for more. It seems that Christians are always “trusting God” for bigger houses, better cars, and more toys. Then, we get discouraged when our “faith” doesn’t pay off.
I believe that it’s time for God’s people to grow up and act like mature sons and daughters of God – like Jesus.
Question: What should we be trusting God for?
© Nick Zaccardi 2013
Tags: Christ, daily provision, devil, forty day fast, Jesus, Jesus walked above the promises, power of God, prayer, promises, promises of God, rhema, temptation, wilderness, word of God
I am posting about how Christ walked in the power of the Spirit. He’s our example for a life of victory over the power of the enemy.
You know what has happened throughout Judea, beginning in Galilee after the baptism that John preached – how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and power, and how he went around doing good and healing all who were under the power of the devil, because God was with him.
Acts 10:37-38
This was the theme throughout the ministry of Christ. Whoever sought help to escape the enemy’s grasp was set free by the Lord. The reason He could accomplish this is because His anointing was based upon the power of the Holy Spirit. By the way, this is the same Holy Spirit who’s now resident in us.
So, the big question is why was He able to heal? Was it because of the Old Testament promises that spoke of healing? No, it was because God, the Holy Spirit, was with Him. What we need to come to grips with is the fact that God wants to heal. He doesn’t want anyone bound by the power of the enemy.
So we can see clearly that Jesus’ power was from the Spirit, not from the law. It’s vitally important that we understand this truth. This is the key.
To aid in our realization of this we’ll look at the best example that the Gospel record gives us. We will go to the section of Scripture where the devil and Jesus have their first battle – in the wilderness. The accounts of both Matthew and Luke, together, show the fullness of what happened during this time in Jesus’ life.
Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the desert…
Luke 4:1
The first thing that we see is that the Lord Jesus allowed Himself to be led by the Spirit. That means that this encounter wasn’t an accident. This event was part of the strategy for victory over sin.
…where for forty days he was tempted by the devil. He ate nothing during those days, and at the end of them he was hungry.
Luke 4:2
When Jesus went into the wilderness His intention was to meet with the Father. His desire was to fast and pray for the ministry He was about to begin. In order to do this, Jesus fasted for forty days.
This brings up an interesting question. How important to us is walking in God’s power? How far are we willing to go to obtain it? Are we willing to do a long term fast? Spend time in the wilderness, away from all distractions, seeking God? In most cases I see believers who live for themselves and are simply “trusting God for a breakthrough.”
If we want to see the results of Christ, we need to walk His walk.
Question: How far are you willing to go to walk in the power of God?
© Nick Zaccardi 2013
Tags: Christ, Christ our example, example, fast and pray, fasting, healing, Holy Spirit, Jesus, Jesus in the wilderness, law, led by the Spirit, legalism, life, life of victory, ministry of Christ, power, power of the spirit, prayer, victory
In my last post I talked about my struggle with legalism that I didn’t even know I had. I was like so many others who “stand on the promises.” They are trusting in the power of the law instead of the power of God working in them.
Then again, there are other Christians who have thrown out the whole idea altogether. They’ve tried to live up to the requirements of the promises and failed. They’ve come to the conclusion that they’ll never gain the blessings of the promises. So what they’ve done is to start living for themselves and chase after the things of the world. Unfortunately, if you throw out the promises altogether, and don’t remain in Christ, you’ll find yourself unplugged from the source of our power.
If my attitude is that I don’t want to read the Bible or go to church, then in essence I don’t love God. This is because love is an action, and I’m not showing it toward the Lord. You can say, “I love God” all you want, but that only means that you have good feelings toward Him.
That’s usually how the world defines the word “love.” In that sense you can love God without any of those things. However, I’m talking about true love – an action where all your heart, soul, mind, and strength are involved.
It’s clear from Scripture that there are two forms of power – the Spirit and the law. Both of them are strong forces for change, but the power of the Spirit is the greatest. We also know that trying to fulfill the requirements of the promises is a form of legalism.
Under the New Covenant, the promises serve two purposes, of which both are important. The blessings of the promises show us what God enjoys doing for us. The requirement side of the promise shows us what we can do to please God.
The real question we need to deal with is how did Jesus operate in the power? We will start by seeing how Jesus taught about the power.
He who does what is sinful is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil’s work.
1 John 3:8
This is a simple yet profound truth. One of the main purposes of Christ coming to the earth was to destroy the devil’s work. The Lord wanted to end Satan’s reign of terror on this planet. To do that Christ would have to wield a power much greater than that of the devil.
It’s this power that I want to talk about in these posts. Christ is our example. If I can grasp how He walked in the power of God, then I can get the same results by following His principles.
Question: What works of the devil need to be dealt with in our generation?
© Nick Zaccardi 2013
Tags: blessing, Christ, Christ our example, faith, Holy Spirit, Jesus, law, legalism, loving God, power, power of Christ, remain in Christ, requirements, spirit, standing on the promises, trust
Today I want to start a new series of posts about how Jesus walked in the power of God. But, before I do, I want to share a personal testimony about a trial I had to go through in order to receive this truth from the Lord.
Years ago, the church I pastored was running over a hundred on Sunday morning. The ministry was flourishing and my family was able to obtain a mortgage on our own house. It was a nice, little home on a quiet street – just what we always wanted.
Suddenly, the bottom dropped out. My wife lost her job. The mortgage payments doubled. Through a series of moves and other events, the congregation went down to about 30 people. To make a long story short, we went through a bankruptcy, lost the house, and now live in an apartment owned by my parents.
I don’t say all of this so you will feel bad for me. I don’t regret it. Many good things came out of it. One of them was a Word from God.
This was one of the lowest times of my life. On many occasions I cried out to God asking Him why this was happening to me. One day, while I was in this state, I distinctly heard the Holy Spirit speaking to my heart. He asked me what my problem was.
As I started asking Him why He allowed my finances to dry up, the Lord asked another question.
“Why should I provide for your finances?”
I was a little taken back by the question, but I was ready with my answers. I went through all the Scriptures I knew about the promises that God would supply my need. Malachi 3:10-12, II Corinthians 8-9, Philippians 4:19, and many others. These Scriptures were why I expected Him to bless my finances.
What the Holy Spirit asked next totally floored me.
“So you’re standing on the law to receive your financial blessing?”
I was speechless. I sat in silence for over an hour. I refused to believe that I was legalistic. But I had no other explanation.
I trusted the Scripture instead of the God of the Scripture. I was like the Pharisees that Jesus got upset at.
You diligently study the Scriptures because you think that by them you possess eternal life. These are the Scriptures that testify about me, yet you refuse to come to me to have life.
John 5:39-40
The Lord started showing me, on that day, that I had fallen victim to an epidemic in the church. Many believers are doing everything they can to fulfill the promises. They’re trying to work for the blessings of God. If you use the promises in this way, then you’re running on the power of the law. You’ll never reach the full potential God has for you.
In this new series I want to show how Christ operated – as one submitted to God and controlled by the Holy Spirit.
Question: What is your view on the promises of God?
© Nick Zaccardi 2013
Tags: bankruptcy, Christ, church, financial blessing, God, heart, Holy Spirit speaking, Jesus, legalism, opened eyes to legalism, pastor, personal testimony, power, power of God, power of the Holy Spirit, promises, promises of God, Scriptures, standing
I’m posting for a while on how to walk in our anointing. In my last post we saw that the power of the Holy Spirit follows the anointing. Today, I want to start getting into some details that we may have missed along the way. If I can find the key to the anointing, then the rest will fall into place.
It’s interesting to note that anointing is only mentioned 13 times in the New Testament. Of those, it’s only referred to as a spiritual anointing for us 6 times. There’s a reason for so little mention in the N.T. It comes from an ancient practice in the Old Testament. If we can understand that usage, then we’ll have a good foundation for understanding the anointing in us.
Anointing was a ceremony of pouring oil on something or somebody. It was used for a lot of things. Personally, I don’t care about how to anoint cooking pots. What relates to us is the usage with prophets, priests, and kings. I want to know how anointing brings power.
The LORD said to Samuel, “How long will you mourn for Saul, since I have rejected him as king over Israel? Fill your horn with oil and be on your way; I am sending you to Jesse of Bethlehem. I have chosen one of his sons to be king.”
But Samuel said, “How can I go? Saul will hear about it and kill me.”
The LORD said, “Take a heifer with you and say, ‘I have come to sacrifice to the LORD.’ Invite Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will show you what to do. You are to anoint for me the one I indicate.”
1 Samuel 16:1-3
God told Samuel to go and anoint a new king over Israel. He gave Samuel a Word – Go to Bethlehem. He told Samuel that He would show him what to do when he got there.
Once in Bethlehem, Samuel went to the house of Jesse as instructed.
Samuel replied, “Yes, in peace; I have come to sacrifice to the LORD. Consecrate yourselves and come to the sacrifice with me.” Then he consecrated Jesse and his sons and invited them to the sacrifice.
1 Samuel 16:5
According to the Word of the Lord he was given, Samuel invited – called them – to come the sacrifice. In actuality, he was calling them to come to the anointing of the new king of Israel.
It should be clear from this passage that anointing involves calling. The two go hand in hand. To reject your calling is to reject the anointing God has for you.
God has called you to do a great work for Him. The anointing is what enables you to walk in the power to fulfill that calling. Anointing is not a license to do whatever you want with God’s power. It equips you to fulfill God’s plan in your life.
Question: What is God calling you to do at this point in your life?
© Nick Zaccardi 2013
Tags: anoint, anointing, anointing and calling, calling, God's plan, Holy Spirit, king, power, power of God, power of the Holy Spirit, priest, prophet, spiritual
I believe that God is about to pour out a revival upon His church. Right now, we’re in the preparation stage. Our concern should be, with positioning ourselves to receive it.
Jesus is our example in ministry. If we see how He positioned Himself, then we can follow His lead.
“The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”
Luke 4:18-19
Christ’s ability to walk in the power of God was brought about in three major events. These were His baptism, temptation, and His announcement of ministry. This verse shows us His entrance into the public ministry.
After reading this portion of Scripture, the Lord announced that it was being fulfilled in their presence. I believe that this holds the key to positioning ourselves. It’s all about the anointing.
We’ve heard a lot of teaching on the anointing over the years. Unfortunately, some of it has been a little off base. Where was it wrong?
First, let’s look at where we were right. The anointing removes burdens and destroys yokes. That’s a true statement based upon Isaiah 10:27. Furthermore, that was Jesus’ whole ministry in a nutshell.
Another part is that the word Christ encompasses the Anointed One and His anointing. Since that’s true, it is also the case that as Christians, we are little anointed ones. That’s the meaning of the name.
The final truth that we must embrace is that we all have an anointing from God. Scripture is clear on that point.
With all of this truth, then where are we off? My question is this; with this entire teaching being proclaimed, why are burdens NOT being removed and yokes NOT being destroyed in much of the church?
I’ve also heard it taught that the Holy Spirit is our anointing. That’s where we’ve misunderstood the Scripture. Look at the above verse carefully.
Jesus clearly said, “The Spirit…is on me BECAUSE he has anointed me.” What we’ve missed is that the Spirit follows the anointing.
This is a different work than salvation. Yes, the Holy Spirit lives in me when I receive Christ as Lord. But the anointing for the power of the Holy Spirit is a different thing. That’s why there are so many believers in the body of Christ that live powerless in this generation.
We need to understand exactly what the anointing is and how to receive it. Then, like Christ, we can walk in the power of the Holy Spirit that this anointing opens up.
I’m going to take the next few posts to try and explain how this works in our Christian walk. If you haven’t subscribed to this blog yet, you should do it now so that you won’t miss any of this vital message to the church.
Question: Are you content with the level of power evidenced in the church today?
© Nick Zaccardi 2013
Tags: anoint, anointed, anointing, Christ, Christian, destroy yokes, Holy Spirit, Jesus, ministry, misunderstood the anointing, power, power of God, powerless, remove burdens, revival, the Anointed One
As I was reading the Bible the other day, I came across a Scripture that caught my attention. It was describing Christ and how He was revealed to the world. It got me thinking about our relationship to God.
…and who through the Spirit of holiness was declared with power to be the Son of God by his resurrection from the dead: Jesus Christ our Lord.
Romans 1:4
Jesus Christ was shown to be the Son of God. Not just by someone’s testimony. It was an act of power by God raising Him from the dead.
That in itself was not news to me. The part that really spoke to my heart was who did the declaring. The passage says that it was through the Spirit of holiness that He was shown to be the Son of God.
That’s what I found to be interesting – the Spirit of holiness. Why did Paul not call Him the Holy Spirit? Isn’t that the more common term? Actually, this is the only place in Scripture where He’s called the Spirit of holiness.
Holiness is something that this generation of believers really needs to come to grips with. It seems that we tend to back away from any mention of holiness. We find it boring and old fashioned.
This is a subject of great importance in the Bible. It’s found throughout the New Testament. We are to be a holy people before God.
Holiness is related to separation. It means to be set apart for God’s purpose.
It’s like this. When Christ found us, we were like a dirty, cast off piece of pottery in the trash heap of the world. When we turned to Him as our Lord and Savior, He rescued us from that place – that’s our salvation.
He then took us as His own and placed us on display in His household. We are now to be exclusively used for the Lord’s purposes. That’s holiness.
As we remain in His house, Christ continues to clean us up and restore us. That’s our sanctification.
By using the term Holy Spirit, we mean the Spirit of God who is set apart from the world and the things of the world. The phrase Spirit of holiness brings it to a whole other realm.
He’s not only the Spirit who is set apart – but the Spirit who sets us apart. He is the Spirit of God who makes us holy. That’s where we try to water down the truth.
We like to think of the Holy Spirit as the power source of the church. Miracles, healings, signs, and wonders always draw a crowd. But separation, on the other hand, sounds too much like commitment.
This generation seems to want the power without the holiness. I believe that it’s time for us to seek the Spirit of holiness. At the place where we are separated for God’s exclusive use, we will find all the power we need to live victoriously and win the lost.
Question: Have you seen examples of the Holy Spirit setting you apart for His use?
© Nick Zaccardi 2013
Tags: Christ, commitment, exclusive use, God, God's purpose, holiness, holy people, Holy Spirit, Jesus, Lord, makes us holy, power of God, relationship with God, resurrection, savior, separation, set apart, Son of God, Spirit of holiness, the world
I’ve been posting about how Christ has fulfilled the requirements of the promises for us. Now, by faith, we’re free to walk in the blessings as adopted sons of God.
But there’s more that we need to grasp about this truth. Unfortunately, the response of most Christians in the USA to this teaching is, “Great! I don’t need to do anything to receive God’s blessing. I don’t need to tithe or go to church or anything.”
Please understand that I didn’t say that. What I said was that Christ fulfilled the requirements of the promises. The blessing side of the promise shows what God wants to do for us as sons.
However, there’s also a reason for studying the requirement side of the promise. The question at this point is, as a Christian, why do I need to know the requirements?
It’s the requirements of the promises that show us what pleases God. Remember:
If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you. This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.
John 15:7-8
We fulfill the requirements of the promises simply because we love God. I know the truth about Christ fulfilling the promise, but I continue to tithe because I love God and He deserves ALL my money. I read the Word of God because I want to know Him better. I go to church because He meets with me and the body of believers there.
If anyone does not remain in me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned.
John 15:6
If you’re not remaining in Christ in this love relationship, then you have no access to the power of Christ. You may not like this, but it’s the truth. Christians ask dumb questions that show their lack of maturity all the time.
“Do I really have to pray every day?”
“Do believers have to tithe?”
Let me explain to you the nature of these questions. Most believers have no idea about the implications of what they’re saying.
What kind of person would ask the question, “If I get married, do I really have to kiss my wife?” It’s simple – a five-year-old would ask that question. Only someone who is not mature enough to understand the beauty and intimacy of the marriage relationship would think that kissing a wife would be “yucky.”
The very fact that you’re asking those questions show that you’re an immature Christian who doesn’t yet understand the intimacy of our love relationship with the Lord. A mature believer wants to serve and please God no matter if there is a blessing promised or not.
Question: Are there ways that you’re serving God regardless of any promise?
© Nick Zaccardi 2013
Tags: blessing, Christ, immature believer, Jesus, love God, loving God, mature believer, maturity, power, power of Christ, power of God, promises, promises fulfilled, promises of God, requirement, the rest of the story, tithing, word of God
In my last post I talked about how Christ has fulfilled the requirements for the promises. This teaching is carried on throughout the New Testament. It’s not just a verse pulled out of context, but a scriptural theme that has been all but ignored by the church.
For if those who live by law are heirs, faith has no value and the promise is worthless, because law brings wrath. And where there is no law there is no transgression.
Therefore, the promise comes by faith, so that it may be by grace and may be guaranteed to all Abraham’s offspring – not only to those who are of the law but also to those who are of the faith of Abraham. He is the father of us all.
Romans 4:14-16
This is a foundational passage in our knowledge of how the promises are obtained in Christ. The blessing is received, not by my working to do the requirements, but by faith in the One who has already fulfilled them.
This truth is not only given to us by Paul, but also by Peter as well.
His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.
2 Peter 1:3-4
The phrase through these obviously refers to the glory and goodness of God, not our works of righteousness. As a matter of fact the implications of this go deeper than we have yet discussed. According to this verse, the reason God blesses us is so that we might actually be participants, sharers, in His divine nature. You will not find the call for us to fulfill the requirements of the promises anywhere in the New Covenant.
If that’s true, then what are the promises for? We can look at it this way; each promise has two halves. There are the requirements and the blessing. According to the New Testament, Jesus came to fulfill the requirements of the promises. Because of His finished work on the cross, we receive the blessing of the promise because we’re in Him.
But when the time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under law, to redeem those under law, that we might receive the full rights of sons.
Galatians 4:4-5
What really began to set me free was when I realized that the promises are the rights of sons. For instance, this means that the promise associated with tithing has been fulfilled. God rebukes the devourer because I’m a son. We need the revelation that we now receive the promises based upon sonship.
As I’ve said before, you need the whole truth to be effective. In my next post I will deal with the most important part of this series.
Question: Why is it so hard for us to accept that Christ has finished this work on the cross?
© Nick Zaccardi 2013
Tags: all you need is Christ, blessing, Christ, divine nature, faith, faith in Christ, fulfilled in Christ, glory of God, goodness of God, in Christ, Jesus, requirements for the promises, sharers, sonship
In my last post I shared that when I decided to tithe in order for God to rebuke the devourer, I was appealing to the law for my financial blessing. Through the gentle leading of the Spirit, I came to the realization that I had placed myself under the commandment. I now understand that trying to fulfill the requirements of the promises is a form of legalism.
What I forgot was this:
For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it.
James 2:10
By placing my hope in keeping the tithe law, I was missing the rest of the puzzle. Here’s what I had neglected. The passage in Malachi showed me the conditions to rebuke the devourer. But there are 20 other verses that deal with things I can do that allows the devourer to get my stuff.
They talk about everything from hiring prostitutes to neglecting the needs of the church. So in effect, when I tithed, God rebuked the devourer. Then, if I neglected the church, I was calling the devourer back so he could continue his work.
Now, don’t get ahead of me. This is a dangerous point to only have half of the truth. You need the whole truth, if you’re going to walk in the power of God. At this point I’m still dealing with the first half. You must read all the blogs in this series to get the whole picture.
I became more and more aware of the fact that trying to fulfill the requirements of the promises actually puts me under the law. So I did a study of promises in the New Testament to see how they’re used under the New Covenant.
For no matter how many promises God has made, they are “Yes” in Christ. And so through him the “Amen” is spoken by us to the glory of God.
2 Corinthians 1:20
I was surprised at what the Scripture had to say. Nowhere did I find it taught that we have to fulfill the requirements. As a matter, of fact it was just the opposite. The reason for this is the finished work of Christ on the cross. He even told us that was why He came to the earth.
“Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.”
Matthew 5:17
In this statement, Jesus tells us the whole foundation for walking in the blessings of the Word. Part of His work was to fulfill everything written in the Old Covenant.
The word, fulfill means to cram full, to fill in the holes. All of the open-ended requirements needed to “claim” the promises have been filled in by Christ.
This means that we are exempt from the requirements, unless we voluntarily place ourselves under the law. In that case, the kingdom of the enemy has the right to use its power against us on the same level.
Question: What promises have you turned into laws in your life?
© Nick Zaccardi 2013
Tags: appealing to the law, Christ, cross, devourer, finished work of Christ, God, Holy Spirit, Jesus, legalism, legalism and the promises, legalistic, promises, promises of God, rebuke the devourer, requirements, spirit, standing on the promises, tithe law, tithing
I’m posting about how Christ walked in the power of God. In my last one I started talking about His time in the wilderness as He faced the devil.
The Spirit and the Word 