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Category Archives: Spiritual Walk

Experiencing God’s Work

Experiencing God’s Work

We’re now going through the epistle of Jude, that tiny book toward the end of the Bible. He helps us to understand and identify false teachers and preachers in the body of Christ.

This is a very important verse that we need to pay careful attention to. Again, the word he uses for speak abusively against is the Greek word for blaspheme. But, what is it that they blaspheme in this verse?

That word, understand, literally means to know by seeing. In other words, they blaspheme things that they haven’t personally experienced.

Jude goes on to say that these people have a level of understanding. The Greek words that he uses mean that the knowledge they stand upon is in the natural.

That’s an important concept. He says that this natural knowledge will cause them to shrivel, wither, and become ruined.

The Apostle Paul dealt with this exact same issue in his first letter to the Corinthians.

That phrase, man without the spirit, is literally natural or soulish man in the Greek. In other words, like Jude tells us, they don’t accept what they don’t understand.

I’ve seen this many times in my ministry. If you were to label me, I’d be called a Charismatic preacher. That means I’ve received the baptism in the Holy Spirit as evidenced by speaking in tongues.

I regularly pray in the spirit (in tongues). I know, by experience that I cannot minister fully in God’s power without it.

However, I also know that there are many believers who haven’t experienced this manifestation in their lives. I don’t judge them or look down on them.

But, there are also those who preach and teach against this experience. Many of them go as far as to say that what I experience is of Satan. I have a big problem with this.

I’m about to say something that may sound like I’m bragging. I assure you I’m not because it’s all based upon the power of God and not my own strength or intelligence.

I have brought many people into the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. I have laid my hands on the sick and have seen them healed in the name of Jesus Christ. I have cast out demons in the name of Jesus Christ.

Why would the devil ever allow me to do that if I was operating in the power of the enemy. Like Jesus said to His accusers…

I believe Jude is talking about this. These people are blaspheming what they haven’t experienced. We need to be very careful about how we treat others in the body of Christ, especially if we don’t understand their ministries.

© 2026 Nick Zaccardi

 

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Leaders Who Leave the Path

Leaders Who Leave the Path

We’re continuing our study through Jude’s letter to the church. He’s writing to combat the false teachers who infiltrate the body of Christ.

In verses 5-7, Jude is reminding the people about God’s character. Even though God is love, He’s also perfectly righteous and just. Because of this truth, we need to always keep in mind the laws of sowing and reaping.

Jude is reminding the church of the negative examples of this throughout history. He mentions the children of Israel who were delivered from Egypt, but died in the wilderness because of their sin.

He also reminded them about the angels who fell as well as Sodom and Gomorrah. These are all examples of those who persisted in their errors with no repentance.

Now Jude describes the characteristics of false teachers.

He first describes these people as dreamers. That word, dream, means to see something in your sleep. The fact that Jude calls them dreamers, points to the fact that they’re asleep. That’s an important spiritual concept.

Paul talked about this with the Thessalonian church.

The opposite of being spiritually asleep is to be alert and self-controlled. In my last post we saw that these false teachers were turning God’s grace into a license for immorality. This is the false “revelation” that these dreamers are seeing in their spiritual slumber.

The next thing Jude says about these people is that they pollute (contaminate, defile) their bodies. This is also something that Paul talked about.

In these verses, Paul actually tells us how to identify these “polluted Christians”. He tells us that their words don’t line up with their actions. They may say that Jesus is Lord. However, in their daily lives they’re not following the Lord’s instructions.

This type of life is an epidemic in the church these days. There are many who like the idea of saying they’re a believer. Unfortunately, they don’t realize that you can’t simply pick and choose what Biblical truths you want to follow.

We need to take our walk with the Lord seriously.

I’ll continue this in my next post.

© 2026 Nick Zaccardi

 
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Posted by on February 11, 2026 in Leadership, Spiritual Walk, The Church

 

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Jude Begins

Jude Begins

If you’ve been following this blog for any length of time, you know that I’ve been systematically going through the New Testament in the order that the Holy Spirit revealed it to the church.

I started a few years ago, with the four foundational books – James, First Thessalonians, Galatians and Mark.

The next thing on the Holy Spirit’s agenda was to inspire books that dealt with our personal walk with the Lord. These books include Second Thessalonians, First and Second Corinthians, Romans, and Luke.

After that, the Lord gave us books dealing with our corporate walk. We need to understand life as a church. These epistles are Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, and Philemon.

We then transitioned to the next series of letters given to us by the Holy Spirit. They center around raising up mature Christian leadership.

These books are (in the order they were revealed to the church): 1 Peter, Jude, 1 Timothy, Titus, Hebrews, Acts, 2 Peter, 2 Timothy, and Matthew.

In my last post we finished 1 Peter, so today we’ll begin with the tiny letter from Jude.

What you need to know about the Apostle Jude, is that he shows a great deal of humility. He calls himself a servant of Jesus Christ and the brother of James. Yes, he was the brother of James, but that’s not the whole story.

James was the pastor of the church in Jerusalem. At one point the largest and fastest growing church in the world.

Also, both James and Jude were the physical sons of Mary and Joseph. That makes them the half-brothers of Jesus Christ. But, instead of using this as a point of pride, he simply calls himself a servant.

I think about some of the “Christian personalities” we see on TV and online these days. I can only imagine some of them publishing the claim that they were “raised in the same household as Jesus”. They might use this to enhance their credibility.

This is not the case with Jude (or James). They both acknowledge the fact that they needed a Savior. And, as far as we know, they didn’t accept Christ as Messiah until after the resurrection.

So, why did the Holy Spirit inspire this little letter in the section concerning leadership?

Simply put, he will be dealing with traps that Christian leaders fall into when they take their eyes off of Christ and their calling. This is the subject I’ll be dealing with over the next few posts.

It’s a very important topic in the body of Christ today. If you haven’t already done so, you may want to subscribe, so you won’t miss any of these posts.

© 2026 Nick Zaccardi

 
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Posted by on February 4, 2026 in Leadership, Ministry, Spiritual Walk

 

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Don’t Be Unaware

Don’t Be Unaware

In this post we’ll finish our walk through the book of 1 Peter. In my last post he exhorted us to resist the devil.

We saw that the enemy is out to directly attack your calling in Christ. Peter is probably thinking back to his days with the Lord. Jesus gave him a warning.

Jesus knew that Satan desired to bring Peter (Simon) down. He wanted to put him in a position where his faith would fail. The enemy wanted an easy kill. In Peter’s case it was the accusation of a slave girl.

James tells us that if we resist the devil, he’ll flee (James 4:7). This should be our first response to the enemy.

According to Peter, it’s because we know something valuable. We know that our brothers and sisters in Christ are undergoing the same kinds of attacks.

That literally means that we know by seeing others going through the same stuff as us. Because of their examples of faith under pressure, we can follow in their footsteps. Along with that, we know where this road of faith is leading.

Praise the Lord, we serve the God of all grace! He has called us to eternal, unending glory. Yes, there may be a little suffering now. But soon we will be restored and strengthened. He will plant us firmly in our calling.

At one point in his ministry, the Apostle Paul pleaded this the Lord to remove the attacks of the enemy. He got this response from God.

The God of all grace was working in and through him. Yes, we have an enemy, but we also have a mission to complete, examples to follow, and a great God at work with us. Don’t become a casualty. Be a mighty, victorious warrior in these last days.

Peter ends his letter with some final greetings.

© 2026 Nick Zaccardi

 

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Resisting the Enemy

Resisting the Enemy

As we go through Peter’s first epistle to the church, he’s been teaching us to be “battle ready”. We need to be spiritually awake and sober for the struggles we’ll face. He tells us that the enemy is stalking us like a lion.

This word, resist, means to stand against. And not just to stand, but remain stiff, solid, and unmovable. But, how are we to accomplish this?

The apostle qualifies it by saying that this standing is in faith. We are firmly trusting God that His way is the only option. But what exactly does it mean to “resist the devil”?

Unfortunately, many Christians have no idea what this means. They think it’s simply talking about resisting temptation. The fact is that resisting temptation is against your own natural tendencies.

James 1:14 tells us that temptation happens when we’re dragged away by our own desires. There are times that the Scriptures teach us to flee the place of temptation.

Here, Peter is telling us to resist the devil – the accuser. Don’t fall victim to the cartoon where the devil is sitting on your shoulder trying to get you to sin. He’s not going to waste his time trying to accomplish what your flesh is already doing.
The devil is actually out to destroy your calling.

He wants to steal. He is attempting to take what’s not his. He wants to steal your children, money, or health.

The enemy also wants to kill. That word specifically means to sacrifice. He doesn’t want to take your life, but to sacrifice you on the altar of the world. He’ll distract you with everything the world has to offer.

His end-goal is to destroy you. That word means to destroy fully and totally. His plan is to absolutely abolish your witness for Christ. To do so, he’ll attack your family, your health, or anything else important to you.

He’s not trying to get you to say a white lie. He’s trying to destroy your God-given mission. Yes, you have mission from the Lord.

That’s why in the Gospels we’re told that his attack on Jesus started with the words, “If you are the Son of God…” The enemy directly comes against your calling.

That’s why we’re told to “stand firm in faith”. You need to be rock solid in what you believe. You’ve heard from God. You know what you’re called to do. Don’t let the enemy undermine it.

© Nick Zaccardi 2026

 
 

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Leaders – Sober and Awake

Leaders – Sober and Awake

We’ve been looking at the Apostle Peter’s exhortation to leaders in his first epistle. In my last post I talked about the call that all believers have to become a leader.

Now Peter gives us a warning. As you rise to leadership, the enemy puts a bigger target on your back. This is a realization that all Christian leaders need to understand.

In this verse, Peter literally tells us to stay sober and awake. I believe that he’s talking about not being intoxicated by the distractions of the world. Also, we need to be awake to the voice of the Holy Spirit, guiding and directing us.

The Apostle Paul talks about this same thing.

He makes it clear that we’re not like the world. We walk in the light of the Holy Spirit. So, we’re awake and sober, armed for battle. That’s the attitude of a warrior, trained for victory.

Yes, we’re in a battle. We need to know our enemy. Peter describes him to us in the above verse.

He calls the devil our adversary. In the Greek, that’s a compound word that means anti-right. He’s against everything the Lord stands for.

Unfortunately, many think the devil is simply a fairy tale. All I can say is that if you try to do a major work for God, then you’ll find out the truth of the devil’s existence.

This verse tells us that the enemy hunts like a roaring lion. But normally they’re absolutely silent. A roaring lion is one who has gotten too old for that kind of hunting. He may have even lost some of his teeth.
So, the younger lions move out in front of the prey, while the old toothless lion roars, and scares the prey so that they run right into the trap set by the younger ones. This older lion then lets the young ones rip the prey apart. Then he eats the carved-up pieces.
That word devour, in the above verse, literally means to gulp down in one bite. The roaring lion is not looking for a fight. He doesn’t want to go one on one with the prey. All he wants to do is to scare it into a trap.
As leaders, we need to realize the devil is looking for someone with a victim mentality. The last person the devil wants to deal with is a Christian fully armed and standing on God’s Word.
Stay in prayer and in the Word so that you are spiritually self-controlled and alert. Then you will not become the devil’s punching bag.

© 2025 Nick Zaccardi

 

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Elders – A Walk of Maturity

Elders – A Walk of Maturity

As you know, I just took two weeks off from posting. Now I’m back in 1 Peter and we’re starting chapter 5.

Peter’s letter up until this point has been about spiritual growth. Now he’ll talk about the end result of that growth.

As I said when we first started looking at this letter, Peter is actually writing to Christian leadership. It is to leadership that the Lord wants all believers to be headed.

In context, Peter has just talked about going through suffering and trials. That’s where our growth is tested.

James tells us the same thing.

This is the goal of our faith. To be mature and complete, not lacking anything. That’s not the description of a new-born believer. It should be the life of an elder in the church.

This is who Peter is writing to. This is a special note to elders – an invitation to those who are mature in the Lord.

Peter describes himself as a co-elder and witness of the suffering of Christ. But more than that, he’s also a partner in the glory to be revealed in the future. This begs the question; what is an elder?

The Bible talks about elders who preach, teach, pray, and lead. In the modern church, it’s a title of leadership. These are people who are recognized for their maturity and experience.

The Apostle Paul showed his spiritual son, Titus, what to look for in an elder. Titus was to establish elders in all the churches under his oversight.

These are the things a mature believer cannot be accused of. But there are also some positive characteristics that should be evident.

An elder must be mature enough to encourage other believers and refute those who oppose the truth. In my next post, I’ll continue this line of teaching.

© 2025 Nick Zaccardi

 
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Posted by on October 20, 2025 in Leadership, Ministry, Spiritual Walk

 

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What is Spiritual Power? (Repost)

What is Spiritual Power? (Repost)

I’m taking a couple of weeks off from writing, so I’m reposting some of my most popular articles.

At one point I started praying about walking in the power of God. Why does the church seem so powerless? How do you walk in God’s power? All of these and more were going around inside of me as the Holy Spirit started to work on me.

At one point the Lord spoke to my heart and I realized that because of my background in Electrical Engineering, I already had an understanding of the natural concepts of power. This revelation started a whole new string of questions in me.

Is spiritual power the same as electrical power? Are the laws that govern them the same? Are there parallels between spiritual and natural power? I began from that point and dove into the Word of God.

I realized right from the beginning that most people, ministers included, have no idea what true power is. We have no concept of the nature and function of power.

Paul’s words to us are very clear. When it comes to power in the kingdom of God, we had better do more than just talk. The problem is that most of what we call power in the kingdom today is just that – talk. The first step toward walking in the power of God is to understand what true power is all about.

Let’s start by looking at things from a natural perspective. When we talk about “power” it’s usually in the context of electrical power. We use phrases like power lines, power plant, and power outages. We think of electricity as being a form of power. How can this help us to understand what power is?

Very simply put, the definition of power is the same whether you’re talking about electricity coming into your house, or the power of God to heal the sick. The International Edition of the Webster Comprehensive Dictionary defines it in the following way:

“Power is the ability to act. It is the property of a thing that is manifested in effort or action, by virtue of which that thing produces change.”

Let me boil it down for you. True power is the ability to produce change. Change is the key word in that sentence.

It takes power to transform water at room temperature into hot water for a cup of tea. It takes power to get a one-ton car to go from 0 to 60 miles per hour. It takes power to transform a body from sickness to health. It takes power to change a liar into a saint. It takes power to replace guilt with innocence.

If we understand this correctly, then the verse above should bring new understanding. It’s the assignment of the Kingdom of God to produce change. It’s not about how well you can speak about it. Change is the priority.

© 2025 Nicolas Zaccardi

 
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Posted by on October 17, 2025 in Ministry, Power of God, Revival, Spiritual Walk

 

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Truth – Protecting Your Seed (Repost)

Truth – Protecting Your Seed (Repost)

I’m taking a couple of weeks off from writing, so I’m reposting some of my most popular articles.

In the spiritual battles that we face, we need to know how to prepare. To do this, the Lord has given us access to His personal set of armor.

The first piece of armor that we’re given is the Belt of Truth. We’re told that it needs to be buckled around our waist. Literally, the belt is buckled around our loins.

In Scripture, our loins speak about our seed. Not to be too graphic, but that’s where our reproductive organs reside. Our seed needs to be protected.

We’re told throughout the Bible that we need to be bearing fruit. That’s not going to happen without a good supply of seed.

First, I want to deal with some misconceptions concerning our seed. Some think that a few bad seeds mixed in don’t matter. That’s not true. Weeds grow and spread without any help at all.

Another wrong thought is that anything that we plant will grow. That’s not true either. Galatians 6:7-9 explains that you reap what you sow IF you don’t give up. It also matters where you sow your seed. They need to be planted in good soil.

With that understanding, we can talk about the seed that we want to see grow in our lives. How do we protect our precious, spiritual seed?

Peter understood this concept. In this verse, the phrase, prepare your minds for action literally reads, gird the loins of your mind. Spiritually speaking, your loins, the storehouse of your seed, is your mind.

The reason for this is because your mind should be where you’re placing the truth. Every time you memorize Scripture, you’re placing good seeds in your storehouse.

The real question then becomes; how well do you protect your seed? It’s really easy to complain when nothing seems to be growing. We need to keep our seed from being nullified.

Jesus communicated this in His prayer to the Father. He wanted the disciples, and us, to bear much fruit.

We’re talking about the truth of God’s Word, not man’s word. The only way to protect your seed is to walk in the truth of God.

When we walk in doubt, fear, presumption, hearsay, or our own habits, we nullify God’s Word in us. We need to operate in the truth – “This is what the Lord says.” Our goal should be, “I’m doing this because God said…”

We get into trouble because many times we plant a lot of unprotected seed. We need to learn the lesson from airport security. “Has your suitcase been away from your control?”

Please understand that this is not just a prayer you make in the morning. You can’t just confess the Belt of Truth when you get up and then feed your seed to the spiritual pigeons the rest of the day.

We have to protect our seed if we want to see them grow. That means allowing the truth of God’s Word to saturate all that we do.

© 2025 Nick Zaccardi

 

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Weak vs Strong Faith (Repost)

Weak vs Strong Faith (Repost)

I’m taking a couple of weeks off from writing, so I’m reposting some of my most popular articles.

Here’s Paul’s illustration of how we should walk in faith.

This is one of those amazing verses in the Scripture. To fully grasp it, we need to understand what the meaning of hope is in the Bible.

When we use the word, hope, it usually means that we’re wishing for something good to happen. “I hope I win the lottery.”

That’s not what this word means in the context of Scripture. It actually means to look forward to with expectation. “I place my hope in the fact that the sun will come up tomorrow.”

With this knowledge, we can see how Abraham operated. He was in a situation where, logically, there was nothing to expect. Yet, by placing his faith in God’s Word, he fully expected to have a multitude of offspring.

This is the tough part. I’ve talked about not walking in denial in the past. That’s the key to this kind of faith.

The verse literally says that Abraham fully observed the facts of his situation. He was almost 100 years old and considered himself already dead. He understood that under no circumstances could his wife, Sarah, have any children.

What amazes me is that even though he had all of these facts before him, he didn’t weaken his faith. But that brings up an interesting question. He already had an heir picked out that was not in his family. How can you say that he didn’t weaken his faith?

As a matter of fact, he had already picked out an heir for his estate. He chose one of his most trusted servants (Genesis 15:2-3).

We need to understand exactly what is meant by weak faith. There’s a clear verse about it.

What is weak faith? It means that you don’t trust God to complete His work in you. You feel that you have to establish rules to follow so that you won’t accidentally sin. Weak faith has the idea that if I follow these rules, then I’ll please God and receive His blessing.

Abraham picked out an heir without weakening his faith. That tells me that I do what I need to do as if nothing special will happen. But, at the same time, I fully expect the Lord to intervene on my behalf.

I can see my doctor, take my pills, and pay my bills. At the same time I trust God for my health and provision.

Some people think that they’re operating in faith by never seeing a doctor. It’s actually a sign of weak faith because they can’t trust God to manage what the doctor might tell them.

Weak faith has to set rules and boundaries so that we can deny any problems. Strong faith can look straight at the problems and trust God for the solution.

© 2025 Nick Zaccardi

 
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Posted by on October 8, 2025 in Faith, Spiritual Walk

 

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