John Wasserman Podcast

This is the time wherein the Holy Spirit is lovingly ministering to us to bring us to a place of truth about ourselves, resulting in transformation as well as the formation of Christ within us. When a person is born again, his standing before God is one of righteousness, but there needs to be a change in behavioural patterns of brokenness left over from the old life until we portray Christ in every way. This is a life-long process of putting off the old and putting on the new, and it is mostly our responsibility. Jesus embraces, loves. and accepts us despite our dark side, but He will assist us in going through the process of sanctification because He loves us too much to leave us in a condition of brokenness. The first pitfall which can be used by people to avoid this process is wealth and the bargaining power that it provides. A second pitfall is externalism, adopting external change (religion) but the relationship with Christ bringing a change on the inside, is not there. However, the most vitally important and perhaps the most threatening and painful part of the process of change and formation in Christ, is to ask the Holy Spirit to reveal to us more clearly what we are on the inside. This is so that we can deal with hindrances present, for instance fear and offensive ways, and be healed. For this we need to have a healthy relationship with God because without Him these revelations only bring shame and condemnation. From Him we receive the grace, love, and faith we need to change, for He the one who is at work within us to will and do according to his good pleasure. Spiritual self-examination is not spiritual navel gazing nor fruitless self-absorption to consider your feelings and compare yourself with others but going on a journey with God and working according to his priority list. Working with the Holy Spirit is a process of getting rid of the deep defilement, and the collateral damage, inside of us which had been caused by sin. It is essential to stay open to the Spirit’s ministry in areas where it hurts because He will not force anything, He is gentle. The process of sanctification is practically implemented by adopting the Scriptures as the final authority on everything, issuing an open invitation to the Spirit to search your heart, establishing a partnership with God, refusing to make excuses, having a policy of instant confession, maintaining an attitude of gratitude, and inviting loving, but honest outside perspective. Enjoy this process with God, because when we have been broken by it, the fragrance of Christ can be released from our lives to bring healing to the broken-hearted of the world. The end purpose of all this is Christ filling all things, in every way, with himself, through his perfected saints.

Our salvation came at a cost. God determined this cost by looking at our potential, or future value. This value is based on Christ being formed in us, since we were still his enemies when He bought us. We must be willing to pay the price for this formation, living up to our full potential to provide the full reward to Christ for what He had suffered. Humans judge by truth and our actions are driven by justice. Looking at the example of what happened with Jonah, we see that God wanted him to go and prophesy judgment to Nineveh if they did not repent. Nineveh was a city of one of the most brutal nations of that time, and Jonah did not want to do it. Jonah knew that God was gracious, merciful, longsuffering, and abundantly kind. and he could not tolerate the thought that justice could possibly not be served on this brutal nation for their misdeeds. He tried to avoid God’s commission, even unto death by drowning in the sea, but all in vain because God had counted the cost and prepared a fish to swallow Jonah. In the belly or womb (or Sheol) of this fish Jonah spent three days and nights until he decided to fulfil the commission. He praised God and cried out to him for salvation. When Nineveh sincerely repented and judgment was withheld, Jonah made a charge against God that, because He had repented of his judgment, there was no justice, saying that it proved that God had no truth in him. However, compassion and justice cannot be balanced against each other, although that is the way we all see it. When Nineveh repented, justice was served. We could find ourselves in a circumstance brought about by our bad decisions which is like something had swallowed us, like Jonah was by the fish. We can learn from what happened to Jonah, that even in that place, hope is not lost. This is the place where we can decide to praise God, determine the price, and pay it to see Christ formed in us, thereby deciding to be birthed from a womb into God’s purposes, and supernatural restoration. On the other hand, we can do nothing and the place where we will be birthed from will be Sheol, and that birth will be unto death and destruction

The resurrection of Jesus would not have been possible without Him being crucified. Although we love to read about his sacrifice on the cross, we should not forget about the power of his resurrection, that is what created the Church, it is the Church’s foundation, and it is vital to our walk with God. Jesus has been raised, He is alive, which means that Christianity is not just another dead religion. He is seated at the right hand of the Father, where He is interceding for us. Throughout the Old Testament there were symbols of his resurrection which was to come. When Israel was delivered from Egypt, God wanted them to be his people, be in a relationship with him, and to reflect his sinless, just, righteous, gracious, and merciful nature. He instructed them to build the ark of the covenant. This ark was a symbol of their relationship as well as of the Messiah who was to come. The blood of the sacrifices used to be sprinkled on the mercy seat of the ark, and the tomb of Jesus, instead of the Jewish temple of that time, was a portrayal of the perfect, final sacrifice which was placed on the mercy seat. The Old Testament priests also partook of some of the flesh of the sacrifices, which was a symbol of the Communion to be instituted by Jesus. The resurrection was proof that Jesus was indeed the Son of God and the Messiah, it purchased our justification, and put the seal upon the work of redemption. His dwelling place is now within us through the same Spirit who raised him from the dead. He has been risen and so are we, into newness of life. We are seated with him in heavenly places, far above all rulers and authorities.

A Service Commemorating the sacrifice of Jesus for us.

We live in an age of shareability and self-promotion, an era where so many seem to want to be noticed and get attention. However, Jesus flew in the face of the way in which we are living today because He often operated in secrecy. He made a practise of going to lonely places to pray to his Father in secret. He would avoid the wrong kind of adulation from people and was a friend to the lowly. The first way of implementing the discipline of secrecy is to abstain from doing good deeds or works for God – like the Pharisees did – where the motive for doing so is to be noticed and/or loved. The only reward in doing this, will be that which is received from man, but nothing from our Father in heaven. On the other hand, when the motivation of our good deeds is to love others and glorify God and his goodness, it is acceptable to him. Because God loves us, He wants that hunger for fame and recognition as well as the need for justification to be destroyed in our hearts. He ignores all of our efforts to gain these things by acting up. All of this neediness is a sign of a wounded soul. God’s aim is to graciously heal- and develop our souls and character in the darkness, a quiet, secret place where there is no recognition or pampering of our neediness. This is the place where we learn to love unconditionally and become trustworthy. There are certain things and certain areas which God requires from us to keep secret for the purpose of personal soul training, to help us grow in humility and dependence upon him alone, to become whole. In the Kingdom the route up is the root down, way down. As Christians we need to live our lives for an audience of one, and the attention of no one else. The discipline of secrecy is to train your heart and soul to subdue that thing in yourself that wants to fix everything and take control instead of trusting God for your spiritual life. He is the one who lifts up and brings down according to his will. This discipline is the one where we learn to serve with the right motive, of abstinence, self-denial, and becoming a trustworthy keeper of secrets. In the place of secrecy we grow in receiving from God, in a healthy way, that which every human being needs – acceptance, worth or value, and significance. We can trust God to lovingly help us, give us grace, and enable us in the implementation of these wonderful spiritual disciplines. He is the keeper of our souls

We are in a process of building an ever-increasing relationship with God, one of trust and friendship. Church fathers in the past experienced what they called a ‘second blessing’ or ‘entire sanctification’, meetings with God. which endowed them with tremendous power to minister. There is at this time a strong, specific call from the Spirit upon our hearts to reach for the high calling for which we have been apprehended, the prize of which is Christ Jesus himself. This calling is heavenly in origin and operation and has this expected outcome. We are being wooed by the Spirit into the depths of Christ, to lay hold of that which we have been laid hold of by God. Creation is travailing, we ourselves are inwardly groaning, and the Spirit in us helps us in the intercession to be revealed as Sons, in the full likeness of Christ, that for which we have been pre-destined. The call of God is unto the depth of our spirits, a call to full salvation. This is walking on the path of righteousness, where the light of his transforming presence is growing ever brighter. In choosing this high path of excellency, light seed is sown for us, illuminating our path, bringing transforming revelation of the person of God, and bringing gladness. Seed has the potential to fullness, and we should not despise even the smallest illumination given by God, even something that falls under the category of mundane and practical wisdom as it will transform our lives as our understanding grows while we receive more revelation and illumination of Christ from the Holy Spirit. We accumulate the light-seed, spend time with it and allow it to germinate, because every encounter with God is part of a process. The majority of our spiritual transformation takes place in those challenging times of darkness in our lives because that is when the light seed is at its brightest. These are the times when we do not abandon our faith but persist in walking the Christian way, to see these light seeds starting to grow, and produce a harvest of righteousness inside of us. The goal, outcome and calling of all of this is the comprehension- and apprehension of the dimension of the glory available to us and the surpassing love of God for us. He is able to do in us that which is exceedingly, abundantly, above all that we could ask, think, or imagine. Let us heed the call of the Spirit and choose to walk this higher path – the whole of Christ for the whole person.

we are in union with Christ and need to practise the spiritual disciplines to help us stay in communion with him. The next discipline we are looking at, is simplicity. Life can sometimes be exceptionally complicated. Biblically simplicity is getting back to a pure devotion to Jesus. We must in no way be distracted from the simplicity of our relationship with him by getting so involved in the mechanics of our walk that we lose the dynamics of it. Social media, for instance, has become a distraction and complication in our lives. The stuff of life can be overwhelming, and then priorities become the issue. The first thing which lies at the heart of a lack of simplicity often is our own flesh, not other people, situations in life or even the devil. That is the reason why so many of the disciplines are geared toward dealing with the flesh-life in a fiercely practical way by teaching self-control. The flesh has voracious appetites, especially in finding satisfaction out of the acquisition of all kinds of stuff. However value and self-worth are not attached to the things we own. We can have everything we need when we seek the Kingdom and its righteousness first. Seeking the Kingdom first means to give it priority in everything you do through implicitly obeying the instructions of the Holy Spirit, and righteousness speaks of every righteous act which the Kingdom requires. The second thing that complicates our lives, is the insecurities of our hearts. These insecurities often demand that we have distractions, because it takes the attention off from our pain and lack of self-worth. The discipline of simplicity is getting rid of, or re-adjusting the things in our lives that hinder our walk with God. We need to throw off the things that are not necessarily sinful, but also not beneficial to our relationship with God. Sin in itself, is a major complication in our lives and destroys the simplicity of pure devotion to Jesus. The discipline of simplicity is not only all about organizing your outward lifestyle by decluttering or re-organizing, although that is also necessary, but the most important thing is to maintain your first love for Jesus because then even the mundane things you have to do are done as if unto the Lord and filled with joy. A conscience which is clear before God because of instant and constant repentance is also conducive of a life which is simple and uncomplicated. We need to learn how to rejoice in everything, develop an attitude of gratitude, stop comparing yourself with others as well as learn how to not take yourself too seriously, all of which will result in a heart at rest, running your race with success.

The Church of today is not in danger, as it was in the day of Paul, of returning to the strictures of the Law. Today the danger is that Christians, instead of serving the Lord in full accordance with all of God’s requirements, are picking and choosing what to adhere to, and thus following an impure gospel. The spiritual disciplines described up to now have been all about the spiritual things which we can do to enter into the communion side of our union with Christ. In this union we, as Christians, are linked and participating by the Spirit in his crucifixion. We are also in a mystical, unfathomable way linked to his life, where He is seated at the right hand of the Father right now. This union is likened unto marriage, something which is lived, but hard to describe. We need the discipline of stillness, solitude, and silence because the busy-ness of this life can cause us to become human doings instead of human beings. The purpose of this discipline is not to go to sleep, but to awaken our spiritual senses unto the Lord. What we acquire in the times of stillness, solitude, and silence is the ability to step back or withdraw, even at the busiest of times, and take control of our actions or reactions. It also teaches us to be at ease with ourselves. There are times when we need this discipline for the Lord to heal us of all the stuff going on around us. Practical ways to practise this discipline are: schedule a time, find a place, deal with- and remove as many external distractions as possible, set a timer, relax, and become comfortable, become still silent and present, quieting your mind by managing inner distractions and dealing with a condemning conscience. Learn to return to a peaceful experience in your mind as a starting point. One of the main reasons for this discipline is to recover the gentle voice of God. This is the way to experience the communion and vision which comes out of our union with God, seek the will of God with clarity and align yourself therewith. It is to quieten your mind to hear God’s voice and have your strength revived, and to receive power. It is to gain interpretation of dreams and find the context and perspective for circumstances and situations. Stillness, silence, and solitude enables one to meditate on who you are in such a way that you can produce more of the fruit of the Spirit.

People in the Old Testament got anointed with oil to fulfil a specific task, purpose, or office, for instance, that of a King, Priest, or Prophet. Because we are children of God we are also anointed. We have to remind ourselves of the fact that we have been anointed, enabling us unto what God has called us for, whether it be in our jobs, studying, whatever the case may be. The realization of our deep need at times when we fall short of our full potential is the driving force to tap into this anointing. Because we have received the Holy Spirit, we are anointed, and He is the one who enables us in every area of our lives. The Holy Spirit’s anointing is God with us, giving us his power. The anointing has a purpose, which is to fulfil a calling. Whatever causes a stirring and interest in a person’s heart is the way to define what their godly calling is. To fulfil our calling we also have a part play, and that is to co-operate with the Holy Spirit and actually physically equipping ourselves by taking courses, going on outreaches, etc. depending on what the calling may be. Walking in unselfish love will result in an increase of the anointing. There is also a price to pay for the anointing, and it consists out of living according to the principles in the Word of God, sacrificing time by spending it in the Word and going to church services and prayer meetings, serving wherever there is a need, and be ready to be persecuted. We need to return to the initial heartfelt stirring and hunger for more and enquire of the Lord what we can do to walk into our destiny and also keep going when things become tough, for the sake of the anointing.

There are times when God will take us on adventures beyond what we could think or imagine. He really wants to make an impact in the real circumstances of our lives. Although it may at times seem as if God is absent when we experience adverse circumstances, when we can log into the fact that He is always with us we can become aware of his blessing in every circumstance. We need to be in a relationship with God and each other, to stir up the flame inside of us, that of power, love, and a sound mind, replacing fear. We love to move in power, but it should be balanced by love – even loving those from whom you differ – and a sound mind, and a sound mind means discipline and character. Walking and operating in this balance, makes us effective in bringing the true gospel of Christ. We need to, through faith, have our lives established, rooted, and grounded in the love and things of God to avoid withering and dying when difficulties come. Becoming rooted is a process of laying down our lives and having Christ revealed in us. In this process we are strengthened and empowered by the Holy Spirit, through love. We need to not listen to the humanness inside which says it cannot be done, and in humility let our spirit-man come forward to accept that God wants to fill us with all of his limitless fulness. That is what Christ died for. The measure of God’s fullness within us is conditional, which is that it is in accordance with the power at work within us. This means that we need to work with God to enlarge his power within, to remove the limits to his fullness being manifested through us. This is done by exercising faith, having a trusting relationship with God, and faithfully walking in your calling, while desiring and asking for the gifts of the Spirit from God, and exercising them in and through love. Love is powerful. It opens the door to operate in the power of the Holy Spirit. Love keeps us rooted and steadfast to grow in Christ. Love changes our perspective on people, helping us to forgive a wrong done to us.

One can set up a goal for oneself and that goal would then become a judge to measure up yourself against. Our goal is to have Christ formed in us. The Apostle Paul had achieved the highest level of authority possible for him in the nation in Israel, yet he reckoned all of that to be of no value compared to knowing Jesus Christ. According to the Apostle John, we can know Jesus, if we know grace and truth. When we examine grace, it consists out of two sections – a past, as well as a future portion. The past portion is God’s unmerited favour bestowed upon us towards our salvation, and the future part of grace comes as a promise giving us faith, enabling us to labour towards our goal, i.e. Christ formed in us. This labour is by faith and enabled by the Spirit. Having received a promise, we believe it, obediently do the works, and thereby activate the faith towards miracles, revealing the glory of Christ. Truth leads us to the Father and sets us free. We are set free by truth by it destroying everything in us that is not worthy of us. This is usually a painful process because pride, ignorance, wilful blindness, and laziness cause us to hold on to these unworthy things. Living out a lie, is equal to being possessed, because satan is the father of lies. Living a life of lies prevents a person from reaching their goal in life. Speaking the truth to one another is respecting the sanctity of the Body of Christ. We need to do our part in following the spiritual disciplines by the grace available to us, to put to death that which is unworthy in us so that God can form Christ within us.

In the discipline of stillness, silence and solitude, there is an abstinence from the stimulus by which we are surrounded. The issue in our modern world is one of busy-ness, wherein our minds are always busy and experiencing high-voltage stress. We live in a world full of noise, people, and circumstances. We have, unfortunately, gotten to the place where being busy is attached to our sense of worth. As a result we have become dull and unaware of the presence of God all around us. Stillness and silence are a prelude to hearing God’s voice more clearly. Stillness is learning to quieten yourself, still your heart and mind and become awakened and attentive to Him. We can learn, even in the busy-ness of life, to step back into ourselves and be quiet and at peace, whereupon we are helped by him to focus and meet challenges with passion, because of your living a life of being attuned to God. Silence is obviously to abstain from speaking enabling you to hear. Solitude is to be alone, cut off from outside stimuli. Stillness is not a time for praying, problem-solving or planning, but a time of preparation to hear from God and get his opinion and wisdom. More is accomplished in these times, than in the times of busy-ness when you are operating on your own strength and wisdom. Solitude and quiet is deeply spiritual, creative, liberating, it is where we find God. Peaceful stillness involves waiting for the Lord, which is followed by blessing. The results of silence and stillness are wisdom, a renewed revelation of Jesus’ redemptive work on the cross, peace, deep sleep at night, a new awareness of the greatness and sovereignty of God, as well as rest and healing.

There are disciplines which we can engage in deliberately, intentionally, assigning time to it, to make our oneness with Christ a reality. In this lesson we look at the discipline of Biblical meditation, not eastern meditation practices which are basically emptying the mind, etc. Meditation is the faculty whereby we ponder upon and envision things, and every human being is well able to do this. It can be compared to the process that a ruminative animal uses to process its food. The Hebrew meaning of the word meditation basically means to mutter or to speak quietly. It was a well-known practice in the Old Testament for the Israelites to meditate on the word of God, or the Torah, and thus memorising it. We, as Christians, meditate by focusing on God through contemplation of and pondering on his word, quieting our hearts with scripture, and entering a deeper intimacy with Jesus. In this process of becoming acquainted through meditation with who Jesus really is, how He sees us and his requirements of us, we are enabled to change negative thoughts, coming up in any situation, to His thoughts. Meditating and pondering on, loving, and digesting a word, results in a deeper spiritual life and experiencing the prosperity and fruit of that truth. When you enjoy Jesus, meditation is not a chore, but a delight. Meditating on how powerful God is, makes the destruction of every obstacle easy, meditating on his trustworthiness brings trust, and his ability to heal brings healing. The same is true of his ability to provide and encourage. We meditate on the word for the word to possess us, to observe it and do it. Then we will be prosperous and successful. Biblical meditation has three stages: firstly, meditation internally, secondly the uttering, muttering, talking, discussing, professing, proclaiming, and prophesying. Thirdly, it becomes part of our spiritual DNA and we begin to act and live the heavenly lifestyle. Meditation brings understanding of the word which results in wisdom. Meditating on the promises of God can bring quicker fulfilment thereof. There is a way to complain to God in meditation like David did – moving from complaint, to prayer, to praise. Meditation brings peace and pre-meditation not only causes us to be prepared when trouble comes, but we can pre-meditate any fulfilment of God’s will in our lives. Meditation is very powerful.

We live in an age and world which is very shallow, sensual, superficial, selfish, and entitled, constantly demanding instantaneous gratification, a world that serves all kinds of appetites. The world needs deep, solid, balanced, knowledgeable, and spiritual Christians to bring healing to it. To become this kind of Christian, we need to adhere to certain disciplines in our spiritual walk with God. When we look at the discipline of fasting, it is a discipline which must be accompanied by prayer, otherwise it becomes a hunger strike or a diet. We fast to seek the Lord with greater urgency through deepened prayer. It helps to tear down walls, to usher us into the spiritual realm, into breakthroughs, destroys chains, and brings clarity of mind to hear the answers we need from God. God is spirit, and we need to relate to him by spiritual means. Fasting is a spiritual discipline, although it requires a practical action. We need to exercise, train, and discipline our outer and inner senses to be in co-ordination and be governed by the truth of God’s word, so that not one of them allies against us. The discipline of fasting is an affront to one of the strongest, most primary drives in our human lives, and that is self-preservation. One of the primary reasons for fasting is to reverse the inclination of the flesh towards that which is natural. When we absorb the Lord’s Word and are consumed by his presence during a fast, our craving and desire for him expands. Another reason for practising the discipline is to be liberated from the slavery to self and self-centredness, as well as every appetite which is controlling us. It is good to fast until every appetite is mastered by your will and spirit. The Bible the describes the flesh as appetite. This fleshly appetite is for everything that is in the world, and it is geared towards the lust of the flesh, eyes, and the pride of life. Everything in the world is designed towards engendering lust, but everything in the Word and the Spirit is designed to create spiritual desire and hunger in us. A time of fasting is also when the deep inner problems that hinder and entangle us surface, so that God can deal with them. Spiritual exercise of fasting adjusts a person’s priorities, sharpens spiritual awareness, brings connection with Jesus and breakthroughs, has as a result supernatural spiritual power to break sin and habit patterns, and is a faith-builder towards miracles, signs, and wonders. Fasting is essential, and possible, despite the various excuses people use to avoid it. The primary reason for fasting should be our hunger and longing for God. Our hunger will have God endowing us with his grace to fast, making it easy.

When we get saved, Christ is in us, the hope (not a wish, but much stronger – a guarantee) of glory. However, He needs to be continuously formed in us until we reach the full measure, stature, and image of Christ, in other words, maturity or perfection. The fullness of the Godhead lives in us in bodily form, a great mystery. This not only requires from us a biblical understanding, but also to do something practically, in other words, spiritual disciplines. To attain maturity, we need to know how to develop our relationship with Christ. Spiritual disciples can start ‘in the flesh’ or mechanical, but consistent application thereof results in it becoming spiritual exercises when God responds to our disciplines by giving us his enabling grace. It also needs quality time to develop our spiritual lives. We need to understand that the practical things which we do, are a means to an end, channels of the Holy Spirit. When we interact with the community of saints, the revelation that all of us together forms the Body of Christ becomes evident, and that without interaction with this, his Body, reaching maturity in Christ is not possible. God wants us to experience him and that comes through practices which we perform individually, or corporately. The first category of disciplines which we follow is known as the inner disciples, which have to do with the transformation of the individual’s heart. They consist out of scripture reading and studying, prayer or prayer and fasting, private worship, meditation, silence or waiting on God, and journaling. The second set of disciples are outer disciplines, which, although personal, are mainly corporate. It consists out of abstinence, corporate fasting, frugality, chastity, secrecy, sacrifice and submission, and physical exercise and diet. The third set is outward corporate disciplines. They consist of church attendance, corporate worship, corporate study of the Word, involvement via service, fellowship, tithing and giving, public confession of sins, and acts of mercy. We need these disciplines to counteract superficiality. They liberate us from slavery to self-interest and fear. The spiritual disciplines enable us to engage in and become a permanent part of that which is real, the spirit world. The primary requirement to implement the disciplines, is a longing for God.

In order for us to walk in fulfilment, we need to walk in Christ. God has called us to live in the grace of Christ which firstly means that we need to live in the grace which Christ lived in, living in the way which He lived, saying what He said, and doing what He did. Secondly, we need to live with the grace which He supplies. Living for him, living with his resurrection life and power, requires from us the price of dying to the self and living responsibly. Our will must die and be replaced by his will. Becoming a disciple of Jesus means being willing to go through a painful, inconvenient process of death. There is no short-cut, you cannot circumvent the process of walking with God, going to church, praying, studying the Word, co-operating with the Holy Spirit regarding your personal sanctification, and being a witness for Christ. To have Christ formed in us, we need to be ‘Christ inside’ minded and there must be a divine-human co-operation where we start working out that which He has put in us, by the empowering, enabling grace of God through the Holy Spirit. In 2024 we need to develop a closer and ever deepening walk with the Holy Spirit so that everything might be fulfilled. He is the one who was sent to be with, and in us, our helper and guide to truth, as well as future things. To take us into the things of Christ, is the whole design and eternal purpose of the Holy Spirit. He persuades us of our standing in Christ by faith through grace. We have been fore-known and predestined to be conformed to the glory of the image of God’s Son, who is the first-born amongst many brethren. We have already been qualified by God unto this destiny. When He looks at us, He sees the finished product. Becoming mature in Christ is not only God’s eternal purpose, but also his present on-going work and ministry in us, shaping and changing us. In conclusion, we need to understand that it is union with Christ, we need to be putting on Christ, we need to be identified with Christ in his death, burial, and resurrection, following after him in obedient love and walking in the power of the Holy Spirit. Our co-operation with the Holy Spirit means that we are sowing to the Spirit and thus will reap greater power from the spiritual realm.

The overall plan and purpose of God, which is for us to be conformed to the image of Christ, does not change from year to year but always stays the same. However, the Lord has specific purposes for each congregation. The theme for ACF for 2024 is “that it may be fulfilled in us and demonstrated”. In 2024 the members of ACF will see the word of God spoken over their lives fulfilled. This will be a sign and a wonder to unbelievers, demonstrating the incarnation of Christ. God has already raised up and will continue to raise up others who will be instrumental in bringing members of ACF to the place where the word of the Lord is fulfilled for them, even as John the Baptist prepared the way of Jesus. 2024 Will be a year full of opportunities – positive and negative – to stand in faith on the word in the face of circumstances and situations. Thus the fulfilment of the word will project people unto a higher level of the power and authority of the Holy Spirit, established and manifested in and through us. We need to live more intentionally for Jesus in 2024, reaching for greater manifestations of signs, miracles and wonders, manifestations of the authority of the Kingdom of God. God will be putting his Spirit in a greater measure upon those whom He delight in. Many people will step into things which God had been exactly preparing for them. In 2024 God is going to reveal individuals’ extreme significance in his Kingdom. In 2024 those who have been overlooked and felt as if they were kept in a holding pattern, will be seeing the word of the Lord for their lives being fulfilled. There are going to be three areas of fulfilment in this year, firstly fulfilment in our walk with God according to his word, secondly according to prophetic words we have over our lives, and thirdly, the fulfilment of our dreams and desires based on God’s will and word, in his timing. As we continue to walk in obedience and work out our salvation, fulfilling God’s purpose for our lives, He will continue to bless, giving us impact on those around us.

A king has a kingdom, and every kingdom has a unique philosophy or flavour originating from its king. The kingdom of God has as its foundation righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost. The Holy Ghost is the one enabling the righteousness, peace, and joy and it does not come from our own efforts. Even as the Magi came to bring gifts to Jesus, He has come to give us gifts, the first being the gift of God’s own righteousness through his grace, giving us direct access to him. Even the faith to believe in this righteousness is a gift from God. The most appropriate thing that we can do with this righteousness is to live righteously and to that end, He also gifted us with a companion gift, the indwelling Holy Spirit with his awesome inherent gifts and fruit. Jesus also removed the enmity we had towards God and gifted us with not only reconciliation and peace with him, but also the peace of God, which results in an indescribable joy. The geography of the kingdom of God is without borders and consists out of the hearts of people all over the earth.

We are anointed unto the calling of doing the work of the ministry. Unto this end, Christ (his nature and character) is being gradually formed in us by the Spirit of God. Although we have received this nature and character when we got born again, it is not always manifest. There is no instant formula to follow which will enable us to manifest Christ’s nature and character, it is only worked by the Holy Spirit, in having a relationship with him, and explicitly obeying him. This relationship is very important, as well as being in a church around people who love Jesus. There we can see, hear, and experience what God does in order to form Christ’s nature and character inside. Trials and tribulations also build this nature and character in us when we have the correct response thereto. When you have fallen into stress, fear, and anxiety due to trials, get back to Jesus for the peace, hope and faith which he had promised. Learn to maintain control over your thought life, giving the enemy no foothold there. Above all, do not become weary, because Christ is being formed in you. Stay in his peace.

When Israel was in the wilderness, stubborn, and murmuring against Moses and God, God regarded their rebellion as the sin of witchcraft and their stubbornness as iniquity and idolatry. The result was death through a plague of serpents sent by God. Their salvation after they repented, was not the removal of the serpents, but rather the image of a serpent being put up on a pole and they had to look at this serpent intently to be healed from the snake bites. When we rebel against the freedom of grace and turn back to the Law, it has the same result of death. Paul was, in his letter to the Galatian Church, addressing this issue of them being bewitched and the solution thereto was that Christ be formed in them anew. Jesus compared himself to this serpent being lifted up and whoever believed in him would not perish but have eternal life. God does not remove the snakes out of our lives, because we have to learn how to contend with them, but the biggest snake is the one inside. When we look intently at Christ on the cross, the snake inside is devoured and we are healed, like when Moses was contending with Pharaoh and his staff turned into a snake and devoured the staffs of the magicians which had also turned into snakes. Our end destination is portraying Christ to those around us, and our life and holiness come from washing of the water of the word by the Spirit of God. To have Christ formed in us, is having our calling coming to fulness in us. Our overcoming the snake has a genetic benefit to our offspring, the generations coming after us.