I have said that the United States desperately needs a revival. What is that? Is it a church full of weeping, “falling down under the power of God”, or huge crowds on Sunday morning?
Is it something we plan into our schedules? “Revival Meetings the first week of December.”
The truth is that it’s not something we put on, but a work that God performs in us. It’s a special presence of Christ revealing Himself to our society.
I believe that revival is birthed out of desperation. When we reach the end of what we can do, all we can rely on is the work of God in us.
It’s kind of like the condition of Israel as they prepared to leave Mt Sinai in the book of Exodus. They had already turned from God before Moses had even come down from the mountain with the law.
Now God has cleansed the camp and they are about to move out. They are headed for the Promised Land.
Then Moses said to him, “If your Presence does not go with us, do not send us up from here. How will anyone know that you are pleased with me and with your people unless you go with us? What else will distinguish me and your people from all the other people on the face of the earth?”
Exodus 33:15-16
Now there’s a desperate prayer! What if the modern church prayed like this and meant it? Most churches would close their doors the first week.
Unfortunately, we just go on with the show. We’ve learned how to experience growth without the move of God. A great music team and a charismatic preacher is all you need for success.
We need to learn that growth doesn’t mean that God is in the work. It grieves me to say it, but if the Holy Spirit left us today, 90% of churches would be unaffected. Much of the church in America is leaning on the arm of flesh to sustain it.
We need the presence of the Lord. What else will distinguish the church from any other good social program?
The key is transformed lives. That’s the proof of the power of God. When Christ works through His people, we don’t remain the same.
Then Moses said, “Now show me your glory.”
Exodus 33:18
This is the prayer of desperation that needs to go up from God’s people. We must put aside our goals, and seek the glory of God in our lives. If He does the work, then He gets the glory.
It’s time for revival in our nation.
Question: How desperate are you for a move of God in our nation?
© Nick Zaccardi 2013
Tags: America, arm of flesh, Christ, church, desperation, foundation for revival, glory of God, God, God's people, Holy Spirit, Jesus, modern church, move of God, power of God, prayer, presence of Christ, presence of God, revival, the Lord, transformed lives, United States, weeping
Finally, brothers…if anything is excellent or praiseworthy — think about such things.
Philippians 4:8
Excellence. It’s a word we hear all the time in the church. Everyone talks about wanting an excellent ministry. Sad to say, most of it is just talk. We need to strive for excellence.
What is a spirit of excellence? I’ve found that many Christians have no clue. If you can’t define it, then you have no basis upon which to judge yourself.
To excel is defined as to do or be better than; to surpass; to show superiority; to surpass others. Some synonyms of this word are to surpass, exceed, transcend, and outdo. These verbs mean to be or to go beyond a limit or standard.
It should be very obvious by now that this word excel is a word of comparison. You only use it when you’re relating to the norm, the average, or the expected.
Excellence, therefore, means that you’re going beyond what’s expected or what others are doing. We tend to get caught up in what people do or how they do it. Excellence is more than that.
It’s something you are. You’re either ahead of the pack or you’re not. There’s no partly excellent, halfway excellent or almost excellent. You’re either living in the realm of the excellent or you’re not.
A word with a similar root is accelerate. To accelerate means that you’re in a state of continually increasing speed. Your speed now is higher than that of a moment ago.
When purchasing a new car, one of the considerations is how well it accelerates. Acceleration is important when passing another car on the highway. In the same way, on the highway of life, if you intend to surpass the normal or that which is expected, then you need the power of excellence operating in your life and ministry.
We know how a great car should act. When we pull out into another lane to pass the car in front of us, we expect an immediate response when we step on the “accelerator.” If the car hesitates, if the engine sputters and coughs, then we know there’s a problem that needs to be addressed.
In the same way, if the Lord speaks to your heart to do something above and beyond what you’re doing now, or what’s expected for your type of ministry, He expects immediate agreement to His Word.
Hesitation in ministry is a sign that we lack excellence. When God instructs you to “pull out and pass” the normal or the expected, He’s looking for obedience. Responses such as “We’ve never done it that way before,” “No one else does it like that,” or “I can’t possibly handle that” are indications that you must move on to new levels of excellence.
That’s why He’s given us His Holy Spirit. He’ll work with us, bringing us to new heights in Christ, but only if we’re willing to submit to His leadership. You must desire this walk of excellence.
Question: Do you desire a walk of excellence with Christ?
Tags: above and beyond, accelerate, average, Christ, definition of excellence, excellence, expected, hesitation, Holy Spirit, Jesus, ministry, ministry of excellence, normal, power of excellence, spirit of excellence, surpass, walk of excellence
In my last post I talked about the differences between the power of the law and the power of the Holy Spirit.
I can do everything through him who gives me strength.
Philippians 4:13
There’s another big difference between the law and the Spirit. When you walk by the Spirit, you are totally dependant upon the Spirit. The law, on the other hand, allows you to be self-sufficient. All through Scripture we see this truth. If we are to minister for Him, then we must work in His strength. There is no other way to operate in the Spirit of God
The law gives you the appearance of self-sufficiency. That is, until the batteries die. That’s why it’s so hard to reach people in legalistic churches. They know what they’ve done to keep the law – to live right. They know the effort they’ve put forward.
“I’m okay because I’ve served God faithfully for forty long years.”
That brings us to the final difference that I want to cover. It’s actually the same as the last one, but from a little different perspective. To understand this we could look at the whole of the Gospel of John, chapter 15. Instead, I’ll only look at a few verses that emphasize the point I’m trying to make.
“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
REMAIN IN CHRIST! That’s the crux of the whole matter. In order to be entrusted with the power of God, we must remain in the Spirit of Christ. This is what trips most of us up. We don’t want to remain.
The law is a little more lenient, it allows you to be transient. What’s transient? Now there’s a word you don’t hear very often, but it describes the situation exactly. Let me explain it to you.
My parents used to have a summer home in the state of Maine. It was in a trailer park in the woods. We used to have a lot of fun going up there each year.
My parents spent most of the summer and fall there. They knew all of their neighbors and had a wonderful time living there. While my family and I visited, we heard about another section of the park, with a different sort of people. That was the “transient section.”
The transient section of the park was reserved for those who would come for only a week and then leave to go somewhere else. They didn’t remain there permanently, as my parents did. Instead, they wanted to come and go as they saw fit. This seems to be a problem of epidemic proportions in the body of Christ today.
We don’t want to remain in the Spirit. We want the freedom do what we want and have the blessing of God on our lives.
According to Christ, it is as we remain in Him that we enter the place of power.
Question: Why does remaining in Christ sound so difficult to this generation?
© Nick Zaccardi 2013
Tags: blessing of God, Christ, dependant, dependant on God, Holy Spirit, Jesus, law, legalistic, power, power of God, power of the spirit, remain in Christ, self-sufficient, transient Christian
I’ve been posting about the two different sources of spiritual power – the Holy Spirit and the law. Remember, it’s the law that powers sin. There are some important differences between the law and the Holy Spirit.
And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.
2 Corinthians 9:8
Literally, this verse says God is powerful enough to do everything you need according to His grace. In all things, at all times – this means that the power of the Holy Spirit is permanent, whereas the law is temporary.
If I base my walk on how well I follow the law, I’ll soon be in big trouble. Everything is fine while I’m at church, especially if I just went to the altar and repented. I go on my way feeling strong spiritually.
Then it happens, on my way to the car I get into an argument. It all goes downhill from there. Now Satan has a base for accusation again and I can feel my power dwindling.
On the other hand, I can base my spiritual walk on the Holy Spirit within me. I know that He’s always there. I can run to Him in all things, at all times, and I know that He’s able to meet my need no matter what.
For the kingdom of God is not a matter of talk but of power.
1 Corinthians 4:20
There’s a second difference – the Holy Spirit is true, but the law is deceitful. What does that mean? When it comes to the law, you can always talk a good game.
“I pray, read my Bible, and am always on time for church.”
You can make it appear that you’re very powerful in the Lord, if that’s what it takes. It’s a good thing that most believers don’t know what true power is or the charade would be over.
With the power of the law, you can hold the batteries in your hand. Show off how much voltage you’re capable of. We can even hear other’s proclaim, “Boy, those are a lot of pretty big batteries.”
The reason I said that the law is deceptive, is because the batteries can be dead and no one would know the difference – unless they looked for change being produced. I’m going to let you in on a little secret – even the little pink bunny that keeps going and going eventually dies. His batteries run out.
When yours do, because you’re relying on how well you follow the law, then you’re left with only the appearance of power. That’s when we get together and “Remember when…” Remember when our batteries were charged and we saw someone saved, or healed so many years ago.
It’s time for the church to tap into the only reliable source of power – the Holy Spirit whom God has placed within us.
Question: How have your attempts at following the rules turned out?
© Nick Zaccardi 2013
Tags: deceitful, deceptive, God is able, grace, Holy Spirit, Holy Spirit versus the law, permanent, power of the spirit, powerful, remember when, sin, source of power, Spirit of God, spiritual power, talk, talk a good game, temporary, the grace of God, true
In my last post I talked about power and authority. Power is the ability to produce change. Authority is the permission to use power.
Jesus told us that we had authority over all the power of the enemy. This causes me to question our current church experience. If what the Lord said is true, then why does the enemy seem to be winning?
To understand this you must realize that just like electricity, there are two forms of spiritual power.
“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
Acts 1:8
These were some of the last words of Jesus before He was taken up into Heaven. We must realize that our power comes from God Himself through the Holy Spirit in us. This means that the two sources of spiritual power are the Holy Spirit and sin.
This is a very important fact to know if we’re to grow in our spiritual walk. Our goal should be to only receive our power from the Holy Spirit.
We must be certain that we’re not powered by the same thing that powers the enemy’s kingdom. To have this assurance, we need to ask a very important question. If sin is a power source, then what is the power of sin?
The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
1 Corinthians 15:56-57
That should be an eye opener. Most Christians have no idea that the power of sin is the law. We seem to have missed this fact even though it’s plainly taught in the Scripture. This means that without the law, sin would have no power.
As a matter of fact, Satan’s power is derived totally from sin. So if there were no law, then the enemy would have no power. Everything that Satan is able to do is powered by the law. Whether you realize this or not, every accusation and attack that he makes is all based upon the law. The problem we have is that just knowing this truth isn’t enough to defeat him.
Like AC and DC, both forms are very powerful. AC is the type of electricity that powers your house. DC is the type that starts your car in the morning as well as supplying power for the lightning we see in a thunderstorm. In the same way, the two forms of spiritual power can be very potent.
We, as believers, need to understand the differences so that we’ll not fall into the trap of trying to use the enemy’s power to defeat sin in our lives.
Question: How do we sometimes try to use our sinful nature to defeat sin in our lives?
© Nick Zaccardi 2013
Tags: AC, authority, Christ, DC, devil, electricity, enemy, God, Holy Spirit, Jesus, permission, power, power of sin, power of the spirit, produce change, Satan, sin, spiritual power, the enemy's power source, the law
Many people are looking for “the Anti-Christ.” Even Hollywood has done movies about it. If you’re a believer, then you need to realize that we are already facing the spirit of antichrist that’s at work in the world.
Can you recognize the working of this spirit? Do you even know what to look for? This knowledge is important for our spiritual well-being in these last days.
But every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming and even now is already in the world.
1 John 4:3
The Apostle John tells us that there is a spirit of antichrist. According to him, it was already at work in his day.
What is it? Well, let’s think about it. The title Christ means the Anointed One. It was a description of the Messiah. Anti means that this spirit is actively working against the Anointed One.
When we bow our knee to Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, we place ourselves under His anointing.
Now it is God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ. He anointed us, set his seal of ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.
2 Corinthians 1:21-22
We now have the Anointed One and His anointing active in our lives. This anointing is leading us somewhere. It is guaranteeing what the Lord want to accomplish through us. That’s the Spirit of Christ in us.
The spirit of antichrist is active in the world. There is an “anti-anointing” at work trying to neutralize what Christ is doing through us.
What we have to realize is that it’s all about Christ. Have you ever noticed that if you talk about God or a “higher power,” it’s okay? You can even talk about religion to some extent.
But, as soon as you try to talk about Jesus Christ, the conversation gets shut down. Using that precious name to swear is socially acceptable. Yet when I want to show how that name can transform a life, it becomes an “off limits” topic.
There is power in the name of Jesus. That’s where the source of our anointing comes from. We cannot minister without it.
That’s why the kingdom of the enemy is so adamant about trying to shut it down. The spirit of antichrist – this anti-anointing that’s in the world – wants us to remain silent.
That’s why it’s so important to recognize where this comes from. Even more important to know, is that our anointing is greater, stronger, and more effective than anything in the enemy’s arsenal. If we stand in Christ, then we cannot be stopped or silenced.
As believers, we need to recognize that this anti-spirit is active around us. But we must never fear it. Neither will we submit to it or compromise with it.
Question: Have you seen this antichrist spirit active in the people around you?
Tags: anointed one, antichrist, at work, Christ, God, higher power, His anointing, Holy Spirit, Jesus, Lord, Messiah, name of Jesus, recognizing the spirit of antichrist, savior, spirit, spirit of antichrist, Spirit of Christ, world
“So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.”
Luke 11:9-10
This is a verse that we like to quote a lot. But, I want to know if it’s real to us. Do we understand the importance of seeking? And in all of our seeking, are we searching for what’s truly important?
I’m reminded of the children of Israel as they waited on the doorstep of the Promised Land. They selected 12 “spies” who were instructed to search out the land and come back with a report.
So they went up and explored the land…When they reached the Valley of Eshcol, they cut off a branch bearing a single cluster of grapes. Two of them carried it on a pole between them, along with some pomegranates and figs. That place was called the Valley of Eshcol because of the cluster of grapes the Israelites cut off there. At the end of forty days they returned from exploring the land.
Numbers 13:21-25
God had promised this land to Israel. Now they were seeing it for the first time. They roamed up and down the whole area. Needless to say, they were very impressed with what they saw. The fruit was unmatched anywhere else. It was truly a blessed land that awaited them.
Their exploration of the land should be an example to us. We need to search out both the Scripture and the Mind of God to know our inheritance in Christ. It’s very important that we see what God has in store for us. Without that knowledge, we can’t go before God in faith to believe for the things that we need.
It’s unfortunate that most Christians have no idea the magnitude of the blessings there are in serving the Lord. They live their whole lives never knowing that God’s grace is sufficient for them. I believe it’s time for the church to live the abundant life that we were called to. This, more than anything else, will be an incredible witness to our generation.
That’s why the time you spend in the presence of the Lord is so important. Take the time each day to read the Bible, pray, and pray in the Spirit. That’s how you search out the things God has prepared for you.
As the Holy Spirit speaks to you, be quick to lay claim to the promise, blessing, grace, or strength that He offers. Walk each day in the faith that only comes through a living relationship with the Life-Giver.
Question: How intensely do you explore your “promised land”?
Tags: 12 spies, abundant life, ask, Bible, blessings, children of Israel, fruit, Holy Spirit, importance of seeking, knock, mind of Christ, our inheritance, pray, pray in the spirit, promise, promised land, promises of God, read, Scripture, seek, spiritual explorer, witness
In my last post I talked about how Jesus rebuked the Pharisees (and us) for using the Scripture superstitiously. In effect, Jesus told them, “You diligently study the Scriptures because you think that by them you possess healing. Yet you refuse to come to Me, the Healer.”
The Lord could say the same thing to us, these days. “You think that by Scripture you will possess prosperity, yet you refuse to come to Me, the Provider.”
Please understand what I’m saying. The Holy Spirit can speak a Word of healing to me through the Scripture, but He’s not limited to this avenue. All that I need for life and godliness is found in Christ.
I will never obtain God’s blessing through my works – not even through intensive study and memorizing of the Bible. Healing will come by the Word of God – no matter how God chooses to send it to me.
We need to hear a Word from God. That Word will only come from time spent in His presence. When I study the Bible instead of cultivating intimacy with the Lord, I’m going to lose out. That’s the very problem that the Pharisees had.
…and at his appointed season he brought his word to light through the preaching entrusted to me by the command of God our Savior…
Titus 1:3
In this passage, Paul tells Titus that the Word of God is made visible by the command of God. It is God’s Word made manifest in God’s time. That’s why time spent with the Lord is so important. I need to be quiet and listening to hear His voice. Hearing from God is actually the greatest theme of the New Testament. It’s the foundation for everything we need in our walk with God.
Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God.
Colossians 3:16
This is one of the greatest misunderstandings that we have in looking back to the early church. We think that they were just like us. On the contrary, they knew the importance of seeking a Word from God. They spent time in His presence listening for His voice.
What I’m saying is this – the study of Scripture and hearing from God are not replacements for each other. We need both, in order to have an abundant life in the Lord. In our generation, the study of Scripture has been elevated out of proportion to listening for God’s voice. That’s why my message is so strong for the church to spend time listening to God.
Question: Have you ever been guilty of seeking blessings from Scripture rather than Christ?
© Nick Zaccardi 2013
Tags: Bible, blessing, blessing of God, Christ, church, diligent study, God's word, hear his voice, Holy Spirit, importance of a word from God, Jesus, listening, manifest, Pharisee, Scripture, study, study of Scripture, superstition, voice of God, word, word from God, word of God, word of healing
Even though the church talks a lot about the Word of God, I wonder sometimes just how mature we really are. At one point the writer of the Book of Hebrews rebukes his listeners for their lack of maturity.
In fact, though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God’s word all over again. You need milk, not solid food! Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness. But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil.
Hebrews 5:12-14
In order to become mature, we must learn the elementary truths of God’s Word. Then when we’re mature, we are able to discern the good from the evil. This is especially needed when someone supports their evil with a verse of Scripture.
People try to push the dumbest things, all in the name of God’s Word. I believe these days of such foolishness are coming to an end. I believe that God is bringing His people to a new level of maturity in the Holy Spirit.
As we mature, we will be able to discern whether something is of God, or just a clever deception. That’s one of the reasons I’m posting this blog. So that the Lord’s people can live for God unashamed and correctly handling the Word of Truth.
In Jesus’ encounter with the devil in the wilderness, He made the following statement.
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
Here is why maturity in the Word is so important – The Word is our Life. Jesus said that food was not enough for man to live on. If someone truly wants the abundant life, then he needs to grasp the Word of God.
Paul understood this truth as he ministered to his people. He wrote to them about how to live as examples to the world.
…as you hold out the word of life – in order that I may boast on the day of Christ that I did not run or labor for nothing.
Philippians 2:16
This is such an important aspect that God’s Word is even called the Word of Life. That’s why Jesus – the Word made flesh – could say that He was the Way, the Truth, and the Life. The Word of God brings life. The Word of God is life. This is a very important point for us to understand.
Question: In what ways have you experienced the abundant life?
© Nick Zaccardi 2013
Tags: becoming mature in the word, Christ, discern, elementary truths, evil, God's word, good, Holy Spirit, Jesus, life, mature, maturity, truth, way, word, word of God, word of life
We live in an age where people are using the Bible to support what they’re doing or teaching. How do I know if I’m truly hearing God’s Word? Just because someone quotes the Scripture – is it really God’s Word they’re proclaiming?
In my last post we saw that Jesus didn’t accept the scriptural declaration of the devil. He knew that the enemy was not speaking God’s Word to Him.
Here is a surprising fact you may not know. Throughout the entire Bible, the Scripture never calls itself the Word of God. That’s something we have done.
At this point you’re probably ready to stone me as a heretic. Please wait. I’m not saying that the Bible is not the Word of God. All I’m saying is that the Bible doesn’t call itself the Word of God.
There is an important reason for that, which Christ Himself will testify to. You need to let His words speak to you to understand the true nature of Scripture and the Word of God.
“Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth.”
John 17:17
Jesus is very clear in this passage. God’s Word is not just truthful. It doesn’t only contain truth. It is, by its very nature, TRUTH.
What about Christ the Living Word? Didn’t He say, “I am the Way, THE TRUTH, and the Life.”? There’s no getting around it – God’s Word is truth.
It’s unfortunate, but people can take the words of Scripture and twist them around for their own ends. That’s why we need a daily walk with the Holy Spirit. There’s a reason He’s called the Spirit of Truth. The Spirit of God gives us the discernment we need when reading or hearing the Scripture.
Christ needed to discern the “word” He heard from the devil. He was mature enough to see that even though Satan was quoting Scripture, his intent was evil. In that case, the verse that the devil spoke was not the Word of God to Jesus.
We’re running into the same type of problems in the church today. It grieves me that there are ministers whose only reason for studying the Bible, is to find passages that will convince you to put your money into their wallets. They’ll tell you, based upon a Bible verse, that you will be blessed if you send them an offering of your month’s salary.
They’ll tell you that it’s God’s Word to you that if you’ll send them the money, then you’ll be out of debt and in a new house by the end of the year. Of course, when it doesn’t come to pass you’ll blame God. “I stood on God’s Word and He failed to keep it.”
Unfortunately, it was not God’s Word that failed. What happened was that some preacher’s faulty use of the Scripture failed. Then again, it got him the money he wanted, so it didn’t fail to bring in what he was after – your money.
Question: Have you ever seen the Scripture used to promote a lie?
© Nick Zaccardi 2013
Tags: Bible, Christ, devil, discern, discernment, enemy, God's word, Holy Spirit, Jesus, mature, Satan, Scripture, Scripture truth word of God, Spirit of God, Spirit of truth, truth, walk in the Spirit, walk with the Spirit, word of God
I have said that the United States desperately needs a revival. What is that? Is it a church full of weeping, “falling down under the power of God”, or huge crowds on Sunday morning?
The Spirit and the Word 