spiritual truth

FAMILY, Season 2, Episode 17, "A Mate's Best Friend" audio podcast by award-winning western author Stephen Bly. Sponsored by BlyBooks.com Legacy Series.  "How To Be Your Mate's Best Friend" blog post article found here:   https://www.blybooks.com/2022/06/mates-best-friend/

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FAMILY  Season 2, Episode 017  "Be Your Mate's Best Friend" audio podcast by award-winning western author Stephen Bly.  Circa 1990, Maranatha Bible & Missionary Conference Center, Muskegon, Michigan. Sponsored by BlyBooks.com Legacy Series.
6 Ways to be Your Mate's Best Friend" blog post article found here: https://www.blybooks.com/2022/06/mates-best-friend/
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FAITH  Season 3, Episode 009 "She's a Stander!" audio podcast by award-winning western author Stephen Bly. An Old West term for faithful, spiritual women. Sponsored by BlyBooks.com Legacy Series. 
"She's a Stander" blog post article found here: https://www.blybooks.com/2022/02/standers/
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In our text this morning, in John 1, there are five men. Andrew, probably John himself, Peter, Philip, and Nathanael. All different with different motivations, questions and jobs. But all of them come and see Jesus for the first time. And it changes them forever. If you are here and you are a christian, or exploring what it means to be a Christian, you are a link in the chain, that goes way back to this story, right here. Somebody pointed you to Jesus. And whether it was years and years of conversation, or one blurted out, whatever it was, it beckoned you to come and see for yourself. And even if you aren’t sure if you are interested, keep coming, because Jesus is interested in you and he wants to build something on your life that you can hardly imagine. Put yourself in the story, maybe for the first time.

Sermon Notes: https://www.bible.com/events/48833081

22.1.30

• John 16:7 (NKJV) “Nevertheless I tell you the truth. It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send Him to you.”

• John 14:26 (AMP) But the Comforter, Counselor, Helper, Intercessor, Advocate, Strengthener, Standby, the Holy Spirit, Whom the Father will send in My name, in My place, to represent Me and act on My behalf, He will teach you all things. And He will remind you of everything I have told you.

• Think about what Jesus is telling us, the Holy Spirit, His Spirit, is now living in every born again believer.

• I really don’t think we comprehend all that’s in His statement. After all, He told His first disciples, “I have many things to tell you but you’re not ready, you can’t handle them right now.”

• I can’t help but wonder how often we fall into this same category. And this is why we can’t over state the importance of believing. It is the navigation system of the Kingdom of Heaven.

• This is why the Holy Spirit told us through the apostle Paul, “the same way you entered the Kingdom is exactly how you live in the Kingdom.”

• So, back to our original statement, It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you.”

• Jesus went on to tell us that He, the Holy Spirit will guide us in all truth. He will tell us things to come.

• Then He made this radical statement, “All the Father has is mine, and the Holy Spirit will take of what is mine and declare it to you.”
• So, its to your advantage that I go.

• It’s no wonder the enemy does everything possible to keep us distracted with all the things of the world. Sounds like one of his tactics out of the parable of the sower.

• And one of the key lessons of this parable is that the sower sows the word.

• But without God's word as our foundation, the Holy Spirit will be limited to what He can actually reveals to us, bring to our remembrance.

• Without this foundation, the Holy Spirit could be communicating with our spirit and we chalk it up as just another passing thought.

• Bottom line, until the human soul is renewed to the word of God, we will always be at the mercy of human reasoning and senses.

• This is why Romans reminds us that the more spiritual minded we are, the more we'll recognize the Holy Spirit baring witness with our spirit.

• And even though Proverbs tells us it's through our spirit that the Holy Spirit enlightens us to spiritual realities. It’s our soul that processes any revelation.

• This is why it is absolutely vital for the born-again that our minds be renewed to the Word of God.

• According to the book of Hebrews, it's the Word that reveals spiritual realities.

• Here’s the deal, since Jesus told us it is to our advantage that the Holy Spirit came, maybe the question we all have to acknowledge is just how Holy Spirit minded are we on any given day?

• How intentional are we when it comes to spiritual realities? Is it even a reality or some distant, someday concept?

• Paul was so spirit-conscious that it was always at the front of his thinking.

• Listen to his perspective in Philippians, I’m torn between the two: my desire is to depart and be with Christ, which is way better, but it’s more important that I stay for you.

• The unfortunate reality with the overwhelming majority of wonderfully born-again Christians is that the world of the spirit is something far from our everyday living.

• I believe possibly the biggest reason for this is because too many have been deceived into ignoring the fact that we were made like them.

• Genesis 1:26-27 (NLT) Then God said, Let us make human beings in our image, to be like us... So God created human beings in his own image. In the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.

• John 4:24 (NLT) “For God is Spirit, so those who worship him must worship in spirit and in truth.”

• We are spirits with bodies. But because of the fall of man, our spirits have been separated from God until we are born again.

• And from that moment forward, the only way God sees you is in your new nature.

• Jesus said, "That born of the Spirit is spirit." Paul said, "Old things are gone, behold all things have been made new."

• And this is why are told us in Romans that the Holy Spirit bears witness with our spirit. We are reconnected with Him. Not our intelligence or our bodies.

• 1 John tells us that anyone who believes in Jesus already has His witness inside. MSG, We have His inward confirmation.

• Romans 8:11 (NKJV) If the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.

• Think about it, you know you're born again because you have a knowing on the inside. An inward confirmation.

• His Spirit bearing witness with your spirit that you're born again.

• And this is exactly how God leads us in every other area of our new lives in Him.

• Remember what Paul said, when we tell you these things, we do not use words that come from human wisdom. Instead, we speak words given to us by the Spirit, using the Spirit’s words to explain spiritual truths.

• 1 Corinthians 2:12 (NLT) We have received God’s Spirit, so we can know the wonderful things God has freely given us.

• Listen to Jesus’ words again, It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you.”

• Jesus went on to tell us that He, the Holy Spirit, (Comforter, Counselor, Helper, Intercessor, Advocate, Strengthener, Standby) He will guide us in all truth and tell us things to come.

• Then He made this radical statement, All the Father has is mine, and the Holy Spirit will take of what is mine and declare it to you. So, its to your advantage that I go.

• Something else we have to consider is that our spirit will know things our intelligence won't because the Holy Spirit is in direct contact with our spirit.

• It's the same with God's word, there will be times when our intelligence doesn't comprehend or even agree with something we see in the word, but our spirit recognizes it as truth.

• And this is the power of the word of God, in accordance with the Holy Spirit living in us, it transforms the human soul. Which produces faith, God’s Kingdom system of living.

• The just shall live by faith. It’s impossible to please God without faith. We live by faith, not by sight.

• So the more our soul is aligned with the things of God, the more reliable our conscience will be. You see, the born again’s conscience is the voice of our own spirit.
• But when our conscience is cluttered it’s difficult to recognize Him.

• Here's a big one that throws Christians off, because we’re born of His Spirit, He’s usually not leading through some major spectacular event. Remember, He lives in us, it should be our normal.

• I think way too many times, Christians miss the super-natural because we get distracted looking for the spectacular.

• Here's a perfect example of something very super-natural. As a matter of fact it is the actual word of God in manifestation. But notice just how normal it came to be.

• Luke 1:1-4 (NKJV) “Inasmuch as many have taken in hand to set in order a narrative of those things which have been fulfilled among us,
• just as those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and ministers of the word delivered them to us,
• IT SEEMED GOOD to me also, having had perfect understanding of all things from the very first, to write to you an orderly account, most excellent Theophilus,
• that you may know the certainty of those things in which you were instructed.”

• "It Seemed Good" is our conscience. When our soul is aligned with the things of God, the more reliable our conscience will be. Remember, our conscience is the voice of our own spirit.

• And this is Jesus’ whole point in saying, It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you.”

• Jesus went on to tell us, “All the Father has is mine, and the Holy Spirit will take of what is mine and declare it to you.”
• So, its to your advantage that I go.

WESTERN WISDOM  Season 2, Episode 003  "Stretchers" audio podcast by award-winning western author Stephen Bly. Sponsored by BlyBooks.com Legacy Series.  Recorded 1993, CRISTA Ministries, Seattle, WA. Old West on the trail entertainment around the campfire. Telling tall tales. 
Blog post article "Jim Bridger Stretchers / Was Mountain Man Jim Bridger A Liar?" found here:  https://www.blybooks.com/2021/11/jim-bridger/

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Season 2, FAMILY  "Accepting The Unchangeable" audio podcast by award-winning western author Stephen Bly. Sponsored by BlyBooks.com Legacy Series. Importance of kids as well as adults having an honest view of self.  Transcript blog article  "Accepting The Unchangeable" at Bly Books website here: https://www.blybooks.com/2021/09/accepting-the-unchangeable/
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008 FAITH  "Frontier Faith" audio podcast by award-winning western author Stephen Bly. Sponsored by BlyBooks.com Legacy Series. Life out on the frontier simplifies lifestyles and faith. How frontier faith helps hone witness and daily guidance. Recorded June 2002 at Maranatha Bible and Missionary Conference, Norton Shores, Michigan.
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