For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it; but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it. (Matthew 16:25)

We’ve all heard the stories of the wasted life.  We’ve heard about John the Baptist who lived in the wilderness eating locusts and wild honey proclaiming one message his entire life.  We’ve heard about Anna who was widowed in her youth and spent her entire adult life in the temple praying and fasting.  We’ve heard about Mary wasting a life’s savings worth of costly perfume on the feet of Jesus. What motivated these people to behave in this way?  What could have possibly been the cause of such a tragic waste of life, potential, and financial provision?  Paul gives us a clue:

More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish so that I may gain Christ, (Philippians 3:8)

I used to think that I wanted some things out of this life.  If you can believe it, when I was in the world, I actually had a poster with my “goals” on the wall, all of which were material possessions and status symbols.  I wanted the big house.  I wanted the fancy car.  I wanted the yacht.  I wanted it all. Then I got saved and my goals changed.  I wanted a big ministry, a large church, a fancy (but not obscene) car, and an international reputation as a good speaker.

By contrast, I’m now trying to figure out how to live on as little money as possible so that I can quit working and devote all of my time to the prayer room.  I’m praying and believing for the day that I will be able to spend 8 or 10 hours a day in the prayer room seeking the face of Jesus.  What a waste!  All of that potential!  I was a smart kid.  I could have been a lawyer or a doctor or a congressman, and now I want to spend the rest of my life in an obscure prayer room?  What happened?

I was on my way to attaining those goals.  I was planning my ascent through the ranks of the church and working my way towards credibility in the ministry when I made a mistake.  I thought that if I prayed and fasted I would be able to get a greater anointing for speaking and impress more people.  Instead, when I prayed and fasted, I met God face to face.  I entered into a season of prayer and fasting as a means to an end.  I discovered in the process that intimacy with God is the end.

I discovered what it meant to be thrilled, enthralled, emblazoned, and left undone.  I saw things happening in the third heaven, and discovered my prophetic calling.  I felt, really felt, the love of the Lord and the perfect peace that came in His presence.  I’m ruined.  I’m undone.  I have no other purpose for the rest of my life but to live in the glory realm in heavenly places in Christ Jesus.

But, won’t you miss the opportunity to have an international ministry and preach to thousands of people?

Eh…not really.

“because those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God.”  (Romans 8:14)

I can think of nothing more valuable to an aspiring prophetic warrior than to be led by the Spirit of God at all times and in all things.  I earnestly desire to live my life that way.  I can’t say that I’ve honestly attained a walk that is 100% Spirit-led yet, but I’m contending for it.

A Spirit-led walk…

…focuses on “what” the Lord commands rather than “how” it can be accomplished.

…sees impossibilities as an opportunity to walk in the miraculous.

…values the Word of the Lord over the opinion of man.

…is doing only what we see the Father doing.

…is based in knowledge of sonship and acceptance/validation as a son of God.

There are many more tenets of a Spirit-led walk, but you get the idea.  If you look at the very next verse, Romans 8:15, you see the polar opposite of the Spirit-led walk.  This is the fear-led walk.

For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. (Romans 8:15)

The fear-led walk…

…focuses on “how” a mission can be accomplished before deciding whether to obey the Lord.

…sees impossibilties as a deterrant to following God.

…considers the opinion of man more valuable than the Word of the Lord.

…means doing only what seems plausible and expedient.

…is based in an orphan mentality of fear and acceptance dependant upon performance.

Many of our principles of combat power have, at their core, the compentency of being Spirit-led.  Maneuver, for example, is solely about being available to respond to the proceeding Word of the Lord at a moments notice.

Spirit-led living is cultivated by intimacy with the Lord.  It’s about knowing “Pappa” as our provider and trusting in His infinite knowledge and faultless plan.  The Spirit within us actually testifies to us about our relationship with Him.  If we can learn to listen to that voice, the voice of the Spirit within us, we can live a Spirit-led life.

And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.” The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children. (Romans 8:16-17)

On one occasion, while he was eating with them, he gave them this command: “Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about. For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.”  (Acts 1:4-5)

What is this mysterious “baptism with the Holy Spirit, and what does it does it do for the believer?  I’ve heard much debate over the years by people who want to make the scripture more complicated than it has to be about how the Baptism of the Holy Spirit was only for the church of Acts, and about how the endwelling of the Holy Spirit happens subsequent to salvation, and how there is no separate Baptism at all.  Sometimes, it’s just best to read the scripture and see what you come up with.

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)

Here we see Jesus discussing the ramifications of the Baptism of the Holy Spirit, namely that when it is received we would be empowered to become witnesses to the ends of the Earth.  The baptism of the Holy Spirit is about power.  It’s a gift of grace, sent from the father, that enables us to live victoriously.

When you receive it, you receive a measure of the supernatural ability of Jesus as well:

But to each one is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. For to one is given the word of wisdom through the Spirit, and to another the word of knowledge according to the same Spirit; to another faith by the same Spirit, and to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, and to another the effecting of miracles, and to another prophecy, and to another the distinguishing of spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, and to another the interpretation of tongues. But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually just as He wills. (1 Corinthians 12:7-11)

The baptism of the Holy Spirit is an essential tool to the combat intercessor.  Some of its more relevant applications include discerning of spirits, by which the intercessor learns what spirit he is engage with, and word of knowledge, which may include directions for attaining spiritual victory over a given foe.   Of course, the gift of the baptism of the Holy Spirit has much more practical and wider application as well.

Frankly, my intention for writing this post is two-fold:  First, to promote the fact that Baptism in the Holy Spirit is an absolutely necessary tool for the combat intercessor.  Second, to provide a basic starting point for curious Christians who are not baptized with the Holy Spirit to begin their own, personal, in-depth study on the topic.

It certainly is not my intention to have a debate about the merits or existence of the baptism of the Holy Spirit here for several reasons.  First, I am personally baptized in the Holy Spirit.  I speak with other tongues.  I frequently prophesy.  I operate in discerning of spirits gift.  My wife is a prophetess.  My kids prophesy to me before they go to sleep at night.  I have plenty of evidence of the power of that baptism in my life, and I’m not interested in hearing a heady, contorted, academic debate about something I know to be real.  Second, I believe that the “all flesh” thing hasn’t come to completion yet, and when it does, there won’t be any debate.

See some other cool Basic Training posts and get started on becoming a combat soldier for God.

“Some Jews who went around driving out evil spirits tried to invoke the name of the Lord Jesus over those who were demon-possessed. They would say, “In the name of Jesus, whom Paul preaches, I command you to come out.” Seven sons of Sceva, a Jewish chief priest, were doing this. (One day) the evil spirit answered them, “Jesus I know, and I know about Paul, but who are you?” Then the man who had the evil spirit jumped on them and overpowered them all. He gave them such a beating that they ran out of the house naked and bleeding.” (Acts 19:13-16)

Whew. That’s a pretty graphic account of attempted spiritual warfare gone wrong. This is an example of what happens when people attempt to fight against the enemy on their own power.

In Matthew 28:18, Jesus says, ” And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.” Notice that the power to prosecute and win spiritual battles was given to Jesus, not to us. We can vicariously exercise that power through our relationship with Jesus, but never in and of our own strength.

There can be no victory without a relationship with Jesus. The extent to which you are intimate with the Lord is the extent to which you will be capable of defeating the enemy.

In Ephesians 6:10 Paul says, ” Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.” You’ll notice that we are required to be strong “in” the Lord. Your strength for spiritual battle lies in Jesus. The power and the might that you need in order to win are “his” power and might.

Read Ephesians 1:19-23 and you’ll see this, “and what is the surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe. These are in accordance with the working of the strength of His might….And He put all things in subjection under His feet, and gave Him as head over all things to the church which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all.

Again, you can see that God has given all authority and power to Jesus, and that the only way that we can access that power is to “believe,” which is, to have a relationship with Jesus.

How to build a relationship with Jesus:

1) Study the word. If I wanted to make friends with a person who had written a book, I would be sure to read the book. Why? Because a person’s writing can give you insights into the way that he thinks, and can tell you things about his personality. How much more then should we desire to study the Word of God knowing that the Holy Spirit will actually bring the words to life as we study and teach us the hidden wisdom of God?

2) Spend time with Jesus. What I’m talking about here is prayer. Spend time every day talking with Jesus. If you and I were to talk for a period of time every day, you’d eventually grow to know a lot about me.. The same is true of your relationship with Jesus. Make sure that you spend time listening and not just talking. Allow the holy spirit to speak to you.

Check out these other scriptures about the power that God gives us. Look for threads about how intimacy is important to attaining that power:

Ephesians 3:20

Colossians 1:16

2 Timothy 1:7

Check out our other Basic Training Articles:

Basic Training: Faith

Basic Training: Grace

Basic Training: Sanctification

When Jesus returns to Earth, there will be a great judgment of everybody who has ever lived. Think of it as a court of law. Those who break God’s laws are guilty, and are sentenced to spiritual death. The bible tells us in the verse above all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. Therefore, we’re all deserving of the spiritual death penalty and an eternity in hell.

But, look at the second part of that scripture. It tells us that we are “justified” as a gift by His grace. What does it mean to be justified?

The word “justified” in the greek is “dikaio,” and literally means to declare, pronounce, one to be just, righteous, or such as he ought to be. That’s a cool definition, because it tells us that through Christ and his blood, we are literally declared righteous, despite the fact that the bible just told us we are all guilty of sin and worthy of death. It’s as if the court has convened, the jury has come back with a verdict of guilty, and when it comes time for sentencing, God can’t see past the blood of Jesus to condemn you for your guilt. Instead, He sits on the His throne and declares you to be innocent and righteous!

“God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in his blood. He did this to demonstrate his justice, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished— “ (Romans 3:25)

The sacrifice of atonement is the only thing that can cause God to pardon sins. In the Old Testament, the Israelites sacrificed a spotless lamb and sprinkled the blood on the alter once per year, and God forgave them of their sins for that year. Jesus came to be the sacrifice for our sins once and for all, the spotless lamb of God for all eternity.

This verse actually shows us that God, through his forbearance, had left the sins that we previously committed unpunished so that we might have the opportunity to know Jesus. “Forbearance” means that God literally postpones his right to punish us for our sins. What a merciful God we serve!

Self Study: Check out these additional verses and leave us a comment with what you learn from each one. We’re looking forward to hearing your feedback.

Romans 4:1-22

Romans 5:1

Galatians 3:24

Titus 3:7

Check out the other Basic Training Articles:

Basic Training: Faith

Basic Training: Grace

Basic Training: Sanctification

Exodus 30:31 says, “And say to the people of Israel, ‘This will always be my holy anointing oil. It must never be poured on the body of an ordinary person, and you must never make any of it for yourselves. It is holy, and you must treat it as holy. Anyone who blends scented oil like it or puts any of it on someone who is not a priest will be cut off from the community .”

God gave the children of Israel a special formula for anointing oil. Then, he commanded them not to use if for common purposes. The oil was special. It was set apart for God’s use.

In a similar way, God expects his children to be set apart for his use. That is, He expects us to be holy, without sin, and set apart to the purposes that He has established for our lives. He will not be accepting of Christians who try to live half way between the world and the word. He will not tolerate those who do not continually strive for holiness.

Revelation 3:15-16 says, “I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot; I wish that you were cold or hot. So because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of My mouth.”

This verse talks about “fence riders” who are neither firmly in the camp of God, or firmly in the camp of the world. These are people who claim to be “Christians” but make no effort to live a holy life. The Lord, in the end, will spit them out of his mouth. You don’t want to be that guy.

Hebrews 13:12 says, “And so Jesus also suffered outside the city gate to make the people holy through his own blood.”

From this scripture we begin to see that Jesus has made us holy through his blood. This process is called “justification.” We’ll cover the subject more in depth at a later date. For now, it’s just important that you know that one of the things that happens when you accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior is that he will impart into you a supernatural desire to live a Holy life. You’ve probably noticed it. You feel bad when you don’t do the right things. You feel good when you do. This is God gently calling you to set yourself apart from sin and unholy things, and live for the purpose for which He has called you.

The Following Jesus blog gives us a cool look at the idea of sanctification with this quote: ” But what is the work of sanctification? What does it practically mean to be “set apart”? Sanctification can be described as an inward spiritual process whereby God brings about holiness and change in the life of a Christian by means of the Holy Spirit.”

Once we make a commitment to follow Jesus, the Holy Spirit begins to point out areas of our life where we could be more holy. This is a progression where by we are constantly being perfected through the Spirit. This process is called “conviction.” It means exactly what it sounds like. The Spirit is literally telling us that we are guilty of something.

The appropriate response when you are “convicted” of sin by the Holy Spirit is to repent. To repent literally means to turn away from sin and to dedicate one’s self to the amendment of one’s life.

Here are some other cool scriptures about sanctification. As always, read them and leave a comment so we can see how well you understand what you’ve read.

Hebrews 10:10

Romans 15:16

1 Peter 1:2

Acts 20:32

Check out the other Basic Training articles:

Basic Training: Faith

Basic Training: Grace

Basic Training: Justification

The word most commonly used for “grace” in the Greek is “charis.” It’s most literal interpretation is “Unmerited favor (good will and loving kindness) from God.” The basic idea is that God gives us things because of our relationship with Jesus that we could never earn or deserve, but that these things are free gifts.

Ephesians 2:4-5 says “But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved.” As you can see, you’re saved by Grace, and not by going to church or doing the right thing or being a good person. It is only by the free gift of God that we can call ourselves his children. This verse could just as easily say “It is by God’s unmerited favor that you have been saved.”

In Ephesians 1:7, Paul says “In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace.” This verse tells us that we have been redeemed by the Grace of God. The word “redemption” in this verse is “apolytr?sis” in the greek, and it literally means “a release effected by the payment of ransom.” In other words, Jesus has paid the price in order for you to be released of your debt to God incurred because of your sinful nature. That’s powerful stuff.

Ephesians 2:8 sums it up nicely: “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast.”

The beauty of salvation, and the thing that makes it so valuable, is that you could never have earned it in a million years, even if you did your best to do good deeds every day of your life. It’s only by the free gift of God, bought and paid for by Jesus Christ and his sacrifice on the cross, that you are able to be saved. When the bible talks about works, it’s talking about the things that you do. A more practical interpretation of this verse might read “You are saved by grace, which is accessible to you by faith-and it is a free gift from God-it’s not something that you can earn by doing good deeds, otherwise you would be able to brag.”

The Grace is good for more than just your salvation. Check out these other verses and leave a comment telling me what other cool stuff God’s grace is used for:

Ephesians 3:7

Ephesians 4:7-12

Romans 12:6

When you’re ready for a little bit more on the subject, read this article.  If you’re feeling froggy, join the revolution.

Then, check out the other Basic Training Articles:

Basic Training: Faith

Basic Training: Justification

Basic Training: Sanctification

We’re going to start by examining what is arguably the most important tool in your tool bag as a Christian: faith. What is faith?

Hebrews 11:1 says “Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.”

Faith is believing that Jesus is the son of God, that he died for your sins, that he was resurrected and taken to heaven by God, despite the fact that you’ve never seen him and all of this happened two thousand years ago.

Faith is knowing that God will do what the bible says that he will do.

Why do we need to have faith?

“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast.” Ephesians 2:8-9

By reading that scripture we can see that our faith allows us to have access to God’s grace, which is the power from God that allows us to be saved from our sins through Jesus. It is a free gift, and you could never do anything to earn it. However, because you believe in Jesus, God has chosen to give you salvation as a gift. No faith, no grace. No grace, no salvation. Faith, as you can see, is very important.

Faith can also produce miracles. Take, for instance, the following story from the Gospel of Matthew:

When Jesus had entered Capernaum, a centurion came to him, asking for help. “Lord,” he said, “my servant lies at home paralyzed and in terrible suffering.” Jesus said to him, “I will go and heal him.”

The centurion replied, “Lord, I do not deserve to have you come under my roof. But just say the word, and my servant will be healed. For I myself am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. I tell this one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and that one, ‘Come,’ and he comes. I say to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.”

When Jesus heard this, he was astonished and said to those following him, “I tell you the truth, I have not found anyone in Israel with such great faith. I say to you that many will come from the east and the west, and will take their places at the feast with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven. But the subjects of the kingdom will be thrown outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”

Then Jesus said to the centurion, “Go! It will be done just as you believed it would.” And his servant was healed at that very hour. (Matthew 8:5-13)

From this story you can see that the faith of the Centurion caused Jesus to heal his servant. The Centurion simply believed that his servant could be healed, and that Jesus was the right person for the job. This kind of faith can turn the world upside down.

How do you get faith?

The bible tells us in Romans 10:17 that “Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ.” There are other ways to develop faith that the bible talks about, but one sure way to develop your faith is to begin to spend time in the bible and learn the message of God. I’m leaving a list of scriptures at the bottom of this post, and you can begin there. Check out these scriptures regarding faith:

Luke 8:22-25

Matthew 17:19-20

2 Corinthians 5:7

Ephesians 3:12

Check out the other Basic Training Articles:

Basic Training: Grace

Basic Training: Justification

Basic Training: Sanctification