By Pastor Gitahi Daniel, Christian Foundation Fellowship (CFF) Donholm Kenya.

As mentioned in our previous post on spiritual battles, we live in a world that is constantly undergoing warfare. As believers, we face an unseen enemy who will do anything to see us go down. Check out our previous article on this topic here; (https://donholmcff.home.blog/2020/07/04/spiritual-battles/)

In this article, we look at the five types of believers in a spiritual battle.

1. Those that are unaware of the battle.

These people do not have any idea that there is a battle in the realms of the spirit.
They are born again but live ignorantly.

These believers are easy targets since they wont make any attempts to fight back.

2. Poorly prepared believers.

These ones are aware of the battle but are always defeated because;

. They do not take firm stand against the devil. The power and authority given to believers can never apply in their situations.

. They have opened doors for attacks. We have previously looked at how believers open doors for attacks. Check it out here;

(https://donholmcff.home.blog/2020/07/03/nine-doors-that-believers-open-for-demonic-attacks/)

3. Well prepared believers who ran

out early.

This believer knew and understood what they were up against but gave up on waiting for God.
They fought well but got tired along the way.
They are better known as back sliders.

4. Fully prepared believers.

When the journey is tough and the times get harder, this believer gives up not.
They understand the nature of the battle and live to fight another day. They can never be defeated because they understand and stand on the promises of God in the scriptures.
See some of the scriptures below:

1 John 4:4“He who is in us is greater than he who is in the world.”

Romans 8:31 “If God is for us, who can be against us ?

Isaiah 54:17 “No weapon fashioned against the righteous shall prosper.”

5. Those that are asleep in the time of war.

Eph 5:14
“Therefore He says: “Awake, you who sleep, Arise from the dead, And Christ will give you light.”

This believer is a fighter but is usually asleep in times of war.

Their journey to spiritual death started with a decline in prayer life, fasting, church attendance and how much time they gave into seeking God.
The enemy took advantage of the fact that they weregetting into spiritual slumber and sowed weeds where this believer had sowed seeds.

This believer goes from slumbering into sleeping and finally they die spiritually.

When it comes to spiritual battles, the scriptures caution us against sleeping.
The enemy does not sleep so shouldn’t we.

BY PASTOR GITAHI DANIEL, CHRISTIAN FOUNDATION FELLOWSHIP (CFF) DONHOLM KENYA.

Anger is an intense emotional state which is a response to a threat. Anyone can be angered but when it is uncontrolled or gets out of hand then the results can be fatal.

THERE ARE FOUR TYPES OF ANGER:

1. RAGE. This is uncontrolled anger. It makes the angered person react without giving much thought into the end result of their reaction.

2. WRATH. This is strong anger that wants to revenge. This type of anger is characterised by retaliation as a result of unforgiveness.

3. RESENTMENT. Anger over a long period of time that results into bitterness. A resentful person hates whoever did them wrong.

4. INDIGNATION. Holy anger that is aimed at the problem and not the person.
Jesus showed indignation when He whipped the people that were conducting business in the temple, not to punish them or revenge but to correct them.

DECISION MAKING PROCESS.
When someone says a word to you it produces a thought. The thought produces an emotion which is a feeling; happy, sad, exciting etc. The emotion produces a decision which could be an action, a word or an act of retaliation.

When something hurtful is said to a person, a powerful urge, through the decison making process above, is created. If they do not control the impulse quickly they end up reacting in a bad way.
Remember that making a decision is a very quick process.

James 1:19 says “Be quick to listen and slow to speak.”
This verse is simply cautioning us not to let our emotions produce regrettable decisions.
Do not let what has been said to you lead you into saying something you would never take back.

Gal 6:7 (b) “Whatever a man sows that shall he also reap.”
When you sow anger you will reap its fruits.

Prov 29:22 “An angry person stirs up conflict and a hot-tempered person commits many sins.
Prov 29:11 “Fools give full vent to their rage, but the wise bring calm in the end.”

Prov 25:28 “Like a city whose walls are broken through is a person who lacks self contol ”

WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT ANGER.

1. How to manage your anger.
In your anger do not sin. Make sure that your anger ceases before sunset (Eph 4: 26).
If you allow yourself to be angry for long, it simply grows and matures into wrath.

2. Things to avoid when angry.
Eph 4:31 “Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander along with every form of malice.”
a. Do not be bitter
b. Do not shout
c. Do not say hurtful words.

3. What to do when you are angry at someone.
Manage your anger in the following ways according to Eph 4:32
a. Be kind
b. Be loving to each other
c. Forgive

4. What to do when someone is angry at you

According to James 1:19,we should be very slow to speak and quick to listen. If you are sure someone is angry at you, put the situation under control by applying this verse.

5. What to do with an angry person.
(Prov 22:24-25)
a. Do not make friends with a hot-tempered person. (Prov 22: 24)
b. Do not associate with an angry person else you get yourself ensnared by learning their ways.
(Prov 22: 25)

6. The rewards after controlling anger.
Prov 19:11 “The discretion of a man makes him slow to anger, And his glory is to overlook a transgression.”
You will always be happy if you do not let anger get the best of you.

Anger affects one’s health severely i.e blood pressure, stroke, heart attack and ulcers.

Anger affects emotions. One’s relationships with others is affected since they are always angered by everyone.

Anger affects your spiritual life. It is impossible to have breakthrough in prayer when you let anger accumulate and control you.

Being a hot-tempered person gives the devil a leeway to attack you.

BY PASTOR GITAHI DANIEL, CHRISTIAN FOUNDATION FELLOWSHIP (CFF) DONHOLM, KENYA.

Rev 17: 14
“These will make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb will overcome them, for He is Lord of Lords and King of kings; and those who are with Him are called, chosen, and faithful.”

God’s Kingdom is strategic and each of us as believers is expected to take part in ensuring it’s growth to some extent.
Accepting the invitation to salvation is just the first step in a journey to seeking the Kingdom of God.

A believer has to go through stages inorder to be certified and be with the Lord. According to Rev 17:14, those believers with the Lamb met the requirements: they were called , served faithfully in the areas they were chosen to serve and for that they received glorification. See the four stages below.

1. The Called.

This is where it all begins for believers.
Being called does not qualify you to be with the Lamb, Matt 22:14 says “For many are invited, but few are chosen.”

The called, follow Christ mostly but do not necessarily follow in His footsteps.
Not everybody is given a gift. Some are meant to be brethren.
If a believer has been called but is living a sinful life, they definitely are not worthy of the Kingdom of God.
Remember there were more than 600,000 israelites that saw the red sea part. Only two of these reached Canaan; Joshua and Caleb.

2. The Chosen.

After a believer has accepted the call, they are chosen to serve.
They are entrusted with gifts like prophecy and faith. They serve in Church departments like Praise and Worship and others.
This however does not guarantee them a place in the Kingdom of God if they still entertain sin.
Being used of God does not mean that you will enter the Kingdom of God.
It is very possible for a chosen believer to get used to God and therefore we must be careful when God is using us. We could mistake a gift for a place in Heaven.
Without Holiness nobody will see God no matter how much they serve.
Most chosen believers simply follow Christ.

3. The Faithful.

A believer attains “faithful” when they accept the call and dedicate their lives to service fully.
Not Many believers get to this point as many are comfortable mistaking being used of God to attaining a place in His Kingdom.
A faithful believer is going to Heaven.
They give heart service and are faithful even with tithes and offerings. They follow Christ’s footsteps.

1 Peter 2:21 says “For to this you were called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that you should follow His steps”

There is a difference between following Christ and following His footsteps and 1 John 2:4-5 says it all:
Whoever says, “I know him,” but does not do what he commands is a liar, and the truth is not in that person but if anyone obeys his word, love for God is truly made complete in them. This is how we know we are in him”

Even when the faithful give lip service, they mean it. Their fellowship with God is real since they are truly after God’s heart.
1 John 2:6, “Whoever claims to live in him must live as Jesus did.”

4. The Glorified.

Highest level/Fellowship level.
This believer is the one candidly described in Rev 17:14.
They were called, accepted the call, chosen to serve, became faithful in service and attained the highest level of faithfulness to Christ hence; glorified.

This believer does not entertain sin. When they serve it is from the heart and their lives are a reflection of it.
They are the branches that remain in Christ, the true vine, and bear much fruit according to John 15:5.

Matt 16:24 says “Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.”

A glorified believer took up his/her cross, followed Jesus and has never looked back since.
They Live the life of Christ.

Bottomline :
Are you following Christ or following His footsteps?
Do you live as Jesus did? (1 John 2:6)
Remember being chosen is not a ticket to Heaven.
Accept to serve God if you truly know there is a gift in you that should be used to edify the Body of Christ.
Always keep in mind that those with the Lamb are called, chosen and faithful.

By Pastor Gitahi Daniel Christian Foundation Fellowship (CFF) Donholm.

Patience in Prayer.

Psalms 40:1 says
“I waited patiently for the Lord ; And He inclined to me, And heard my cry.”

You need to give God time to work out the answer.
God doesn’t always answer immediately.
We ought to be patient after praying and wait for the answer. Give Him a chance because His things take time.

Patience in Faithfulness.

Faith, the gift, is difrerent from saving faith and different from faithfulness as a fruit of the Holy Spirit.

Gifts are not a ticket to heaven. Do not let a gift stop you from seeking God truly.

Luke 8: 15
“But the seed on good soil stands for those with a noble and good heart, who hear the Word, retain it, and by persevering produce a crop.”
Believers must exercise patience faithfully.
There are people with healing annointing and other gifts but they must be patient and faithful for it to actualize.

The people with these gifts are the seeds that fell on good fertile soil. They should never let the cares of this life distract them but should cultivate whatever God has put in them faithfully in patience.

It takes time for you to develop into a fruitful Christian.
Hold on faithfully until the time is up for you to be used by God.

Patience in Fellowship

The scriptures in Rom 15:5 is a prayer, “May the God who gives endurance and encouragement, give us the same attitude of mind towards each other.

It takes time for Christian fellowship to develop.
We have to be patient with our fellow brethren in Christ Jesus.

Patience in endurance.

It requires patience for us to stay under the different difficult circumstances.
Heb 12:1 “and let us run with endurance the race marked out for us.”
Patience keeps you from quitting your race .

Patience in hope.

Rom 15:4 says that through the endurance taught in the scriptures and the encouragement they provide we might have hope.
Remember that hope is patience with oneself. Keep hope alive in patience.

Bottomline
Patience is an important virtue for any believer.
Patience helps keep your confidence in the promises of God.
Keep running there is a finish line.

By Pastor Gitahi Daniel, Christian Foundation Fellowship Donholm, Kenya.

Meekness is a form of gentleness and softness. Meek people are not self-willed. They are willing to put themselves in second places and submit themselves to achieve what is good for others.

Although closely related, meekness and humility are a bit different.

Humility is when you dont give importance to life status or think of yourself as more important than others. The quality of being humble; down to earth.

How do you react when opposed, provoked, disappointed or injured?

Moses, as a meek man did not react when His siblings Aaron and Miriam opposed him because of his cushite wife. He leaned on God to defend him. (Numbers 12:3)

Jesus was meek enough to forgive those that injured Him in Luke 23:34.

In Matt 11:29, Jesus says “Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.”

Psalms 37: 5-9 basically outlines what a meek person does/what meekness is

1. Meekness is when we put our trust in God. Psalms 37: 5
Meek people trust in God.

2. The meek wait on God. Psalms 37:9(b) Matt 5: 5 says that “blessed are the meek for they shall inherit the earth.”

3. Meekness is when you are quiet before God. Psalms 37:7 says “Be still before the Lord.”

4. Meek people dont fret over the wicked. Psalms 37:8(b)

Meek people dont grumble before God when the wicked prosper.

Grow in meekness and you will have peace.
Grow in meekness and you will gain control over your anger.

Characteristics of Meekness:

1. A meek person has no pride
They are humble.

2. A meek person is submissive
They yield to authorities and other people. They honour others.

3. A meek person is not rude.
They are polite in speech.

4. A meek person is not reckless.
They are not careless. They care about other people’s feelings and want to help.

5. A meek person does not rebel/ Is considerate.
Meek people consider others by being very cautious of other people’s feelings.

Isaiah 53: 7 talks about Jesus. “He was oppressed yet He did not open His mouth.”

6. Meek people have self control.
When wronged, they don’t react. Their thoughts are under control. They don’t allow them to wander.

Meek people are not quick to make vows even to God
According to Ecc 5: 4, It is better not to make a vow to God than to make one and break it.
“When you make a vow to God, do not delay to fulfill it. He has no pleasure in fools, fulfill your vows.”

7. The meek are humble and teachable. Their character is the same when interacting with all kind of people. Humble before God and humble before people.

If you want to grow towards your God-given purpose, have a teachable spirit. Allow yourself to go down as you learn from others.

8. The meek are bold.

They speak with confidence and don’t argue. They are not interested in winning arguments. When they express themselves, they do it with boldness

9. The meek say ‘sorry’
They are not too proud not to apologise.

10. The meek serve others.

The Seven S in Meekness.

1. Seek meekness. We search and learn how to be meek. Matt 11:29

2. Show meekness.
Let your meekness manifest in how you relate with people.

3. Set meekness as a standard of living.
Dont be meek today then take a turn around tomorrow and be proud and self-asserting.

4. Serve in meekness.
No matter how talented and gifted you are, serve in gentleness and submission.

5. Share meekness in others’ lives.
The tax collector was meek. The Pharisee thought highly of himself yet he was the “believer”

6. Submit to meekness. Don’t humiliate the people that you think are lowly. Give in to not thinking highly of yourself.

7. Sow meekness in other people’s lives.
With the difficult people, dont hate them or neglect them. Show them how to be meek by how you live. Let your life be an example to others such that they desire the meekness in you.

Meekness is not foolishness or weakness.
Meekness refrains from revenge and defensiveness.

Jesus, the King of Kings, was too meek that He let them treat Him in whatever way they pleased. Like a sheep, He remained quiet to the point God the Father glorified Him.

1 Peter 3:4 Rather, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight.

By Pastor Gitahi Daniel, Christian Foundation Fellowship (CFF) Donholm Kenya.

What is spiritual warfare? What are the different types of believers in a spiritual battle? What are the weapons we should use in spiritual battles?

Introduction

We fight an unseen enemy in the spirit.

Eph 6:10 says that we ought to be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power as we put on the full armour of God so that we can take a stand against the schemes of the devil, for our fight is not against flesh and blood but against evil.

The devil was an angel called Lucifer who was thrown out after opposing God together with a third of angels now called fallen angels.

1 Peter 5: 8 says “Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.”

The truth is, the devil is a bitter being who fights mankind every chance he gets.
He is the author of all negativity including sicknesses, stresses of life,pain etc. But we have the weapons with which to overcome these battles.

To start us off in this study, here are five truths you need to know about spiritual warfare.

FIVE TRUTHS ABOUT SPIRITUAL WARFARE. (What you need to know)

1. We operate in a world that is constantly undergoing spiritual warfare.

The sicknesses, the backlash, all the hate you receive, are an indication of the battles against you in the spiritual realm.
Just like we have angels that serve believers, there are demons assigned against them.

2. The spiritual controls the physical.

It all starts in the spirit. For something to manifest in the physical, it must manifest in the spirit at first.
All the sicknesses and painful burdens are works of the devil that begun in the spiritual realm before they were actualised in your life.

Gal 5:16, tells us to be Spirit- led always .
If we allow the Holy Spirit to take charge of our lives fully, we will be sensitive enough to evade the schemes of the unseen enemy.

3. Spiritual battles affect everyone.

There is nothing like safe zones with believers. We are ALL at war.
The devil does not sleep. He is always roaming like a hungry lion trying to get the weak to devour according to 1 Peter 5:8.
His works are evident; to steal, kill and to destroy (John 10:10)
If you fall asleep spiritually, you will be devoured.

All the enemy needs is just a loophole. What could the loophole in your life be? Tithe eating, adultery, lying, jealousy, drunkenness etc, are all grounds for attacks.
Seal the loophole now or else you will end up with a collapsed wall to start all over.

4. The strategy of the kingdom of darkness is to keep the believer in darknesss.

The devil is an enemy of light and his aim is to keep a believer out of it.
He leads them into sin so that they become easy targets.

Believers end up forgetting that they are in spiritual battles and cease in prayer.

5. You have victory through your continuous and constant walk with God.
Romans 8:37 says we are more than conquerors in Christ Jesus.
Anyone who walks with Christ without compromising God’s standards, can never be defeated in spiritual battles.

2 Tim 4:7 “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.”

Continue reading “SPIRITUAL BATTLES.”

By Pastor Gitahi Daniel, Christian Foundation Fellowship (CFF) Donholm Kenya.

Hebrews 11: 1 “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.”

Faith is making the invisible visible. It is the belief and full conviction that something is sure. The assurance of God’s Word and all that He has done.

With faith, you create something out of nothing.

There are two types of faith that we can possess.

1. Heart Faith.
The kind of faith where you express full confidence in God. It is spiritual based and not based on physical senses.

The father of faith, Abraham, had this type of faith when God made the promise of an heir to him. He did not waver at the promise of God through unbelief, but was strengthened in faith. Those that possess heart faith are not influenced by circumstances or past experiences.

2. Sense Faith.

The kind of faith where your belief is evidence based. You basically allow your thoughts and emotions to affect the confidence you ought to have.
As much as Thomas wanted to belive that Jesus had risen, he needed evidence.

A faith full man is different from a faithful man. A man of faith (faith full man) has a vision while a faithful man has direction .
Therefore, a faithful man of faith has a vision and direction.

A faithful person is loyal and adheres to something firmly.
A faith full person is full of faith literally.
It is possible for a man to have vision with no direction and viceversa.

We shall outline four types of faith that are distinguished by four Latin words.

1. Assencus Faith.

This is faith as a BELIEF.

As believers, we believe in Christ Jesus and what He is all about. There are people that believe in other gods. Assencus is simply the acceptance that something is true or real.

The opposite is doubt and disbelief.

2. Fiducia Faith.

This is faith as TOTAL TRUST. The total reliance on God where a believer is never anxious about anything; their trust in God is radical. With fiducia type of faith, one has no side plans that they could have as back up incase God goes silent on them or does not come through.

Shadrack, Meshack and Abednego had their total trust in God. They did not negotiate. All they knew was WHO their trust was in.

The opposite is worry, mistrust or anxiety.

3. Fidelitas Faith.

This is LOYAL faith. It is characterised by faithfulness and loving God with all your heart.
It is the commitment of ourselves at the deepest level. It is purity in faith.
Shadrack, Meshack and Abednego were loyal to God.

The opposite is infidelity and unfaithfulness.

4. Visio Faith

This is visionary faith. It is a way of seeing the whole measure of God.

Shadrack, Meshack and Abednego possessed all the four types of faith mentioned above. They believed in God as their God, trusted Him, were loyal to Him and had the visionary faith.

Faith has levels. Abraham showed high level of faith. Thomas showed low level of faith. The Bible recognises that there are people with really weak faith.

LEVELS OF FAITH

1. NO FAITH

There are people that have no faith in God completely. They serve God from a distance and are Christians by name. These people possess neither the sense faith nor the heart faith. They exercise fear. The devil preys easily on people in this category. The main reason probably been the fact that he knows that God does not please in faith less people.

With God, having no faith is not something He takes lightly and Deut 32:20 tells it all; “And He said: ‘I will hide My face from them, I will see what their end will be, For they are a perverse generation, Children in whom is no faith.”

Mark 4:40 says “But He said to them, “Why are you so fearful? How is it that you have no faith?”

2. WEAK FAITH

These people are believers but not matured in Faith. According to Jesus in Matt 17:20, a little faith is all that is needed to tell a mountain to move from one place to another. Weak faith is very different from little faith.

People with weak faith believe the word of men and quote their opinions a lot rather than the Word of God.

It is a sense type of faith where a believer’s faith in God is heavily influenced by circumstances and past experiences.

Romans 4:19 talks of Abraham who the Word describes as not being weak in faith.

The Scriptures in Rom 14:1 says that the one who is weak in faith should be received.

FAITH IS THE GIANT OF LIFE.

3. LITTLE FAITH.

The people who fall under this category complain a lot when they go through hardships. They never see way out of things.

4. LOST FAITH.

These believers were doing well in faith but they lost the faith somewhere along the way.

1 Tim 1:19 “holding on to faith and a good conscience, which some have rejected and so have suffered shipwreck in regard to the faith.”

The above verse talks of HOLDING ON TO FAITH and a good conscience. Faith and a good conscience also have a relationship.

Demas deserted his faith and went to Thesalonica, a city that had a history of worldliness. How many believers today are considering “Thesalonica?” 2 Tim 4:10 “for Demas, because he loved the world, has deserted me and has gone to Thesalonica.”

Deserting one’s faith has consequences and they are fatal:

According to 1 Tim 5:12, those who deserted their first faith have brought judgement on themselves because they have broken the first pledge.

Rom 14:23 (b) says that whatever one does that does not come from faith is sin.

King Saul broke the pledge of faith when he spared the Amalekite King and the best livestock after he had been instructed to annihilate everyone and everything in the land of Amalekites. This was disobedience to God and there Saul was rejected.

King Asa was a man who always consulted God’s prophets and upheld the worship of Yawheh. He, however, broke the pledge of faith in times of trouble. At one time, he developed a foot disease and consulted a physician instead of the true God who had always been his help.

No matter what don’t lose your faith.

There is no safe zone in Faith, it is battle to battle until the end.

5. GREAT FAITH

Full faith /Strong Faith. These kind of believers are never worried about what they lack. Great faith is crazy and usually exercised where the impossible becomes possible.

Imagine having no food or any money for it but still believing that you wont sleep hungry.

This faith is expressed where invisible literally becomes visible.

Matt 8:8, the centurion exercised great faith. This man went to Jesus on behalf of his servant and told Jesus to only say a word and his servant would be well.

In verse 10 Jesus exclaimed in amazement how He had never seen such GREAT FAITH in Israel.

THE HIGHEST LEVEL OF FAITH.

This is the supernatural kind of faith. It affects the realms of the spirit when one speaks.

For a person to exercise this type of faith they must have all four types of faith i.e ‘Assencus‘ (faith as a belief), ‘Fiducia‘ (total trust), ‘Fidelitas‘ (loyal faith) and ‘Visio‘ (visionary faith).

Joshua, commanded the sun to be at standstill until he had won the battle, and the sun obeyed.

Naturally, the sun goes down at dusk but Joshua, through, supernatural faith spoke a word and the supernatural happened.

Shadrack, Meshack and Abednego had this faith. They had so much confidence in their God that not even the sight of fire could stop them.

Other men that had this type of faith include Daniel, Elisha and Elijah.

As today’s believers, it is possible for us to affect the realms of the spirit but only if our faith will scale up to the highest level.

By Pastor Gitahi Daniel, Christian Foundation Fellowship (CFF) Donholm, Kenya.

The easiest way to put out fire is by not adding any fire enhancers like firewood into it.
The spiritual fire is put out when a believer fails to add spiritual firewood into their fire.
There are three main spiritual fire enhancers/firewood:

1. The Word of God
2. Prayers and fasting
3. Brethren fellowship

Lev 6:13 says that the fire of the altar must be kept burning continuously; it must not go out.
The Holy Spirit is the annointing from the Father. He manifests in three different forms which could also be stages in spiritual growth.

1. The Holy Spirit in us (experienced by ordinary Christians)
2. The Holy Spirit with us (experienced by extra Christians)
3. The Holy Spirit upon us (experienced by advanced Christians)
This is the Holy Spirit baptism.

The indwelling and the infilling of the Holy Spirit.

Indwelling and infilling are two different forms of Holy Spirit empowerment.
The Holy Spirit is the Character of Jesus Christ in us.
When the Holy Spirit is indwelling, He reproduces the life of Jesus in the life of a believer.
When the Holy Spirit is infilling, He reproduces the ministry of Jesus in a believer.

There are different spiritual levels. In as much as God wants you to advance, He will not push you to the other level, your own diligence will.

2 Cor 3:18 says that we go from one level of glory to another.
The things of the spirit are not given on a silver platter. A believer has to work out their faith by stirring whatever is in them.

2 Tim 1: 6 says that we should fan to flames the gifts of God.
Spiritually, some believers are hot, others are cold while others are lukewarm.
We are going to look at the different spiritual levels and

Ezekiel 47: 1- 6 is our guiding scripture.

1. WATCHING LEVEL.
Ezekiel 47:1-3
Ezekiel is watching a river flow from the temple. (Water, especially clean water, represents the Holy Spirit even in dreams.)
The first spiritual level is called the watching level. Believers in this level are spectators of God’s power.

These people know the way but are unwilling to take the first step of commitment.
They watch how others flow with the annointing.

They claim a belonging to a certain altar but are there just to spectate and not partake in the activities therein.
These believers hear but do not receive. They witness others receive their miracles, healings and manifestation of the power of God but do not experience the same.

Judas Iscariot is a good example of a man, from the scriptures, that was stuck at the watching level.
Although he was one of the disciples, he was with Christ to watch; he just didn’t share the same spirit.
The scriptures paint a picture of a hypocritical, self-centered, deceiver who followed Christ because he thought he would gain on a personal level.

God, definitely, does not want us in this level.
People in this level easily sin and still go to Church. They have no problem being adulterers, tithe eaters, liars etc. They profess Christ falsely.
Others are tied to religion and refuse to grow spiritually.
They watch the waters from the temple of God but do not drink it or go deep with God.

The Bible talks of these people as multitudes,
Joel 3:14 “Multitudes multitudes in the valley of decision.”

COME OUT OF THE VALLEY OF DECISION.

People in this level have no place in the Kingdom of God.

2. ANKLE DEEP LEVEL.
Ezekiel 47: 3
“He measured a thousand cubits and then led him through the water that was ankle deep.”

The second level is immersion in Spirit to the ankle level.
A believer in this level starts to experience the spirit of faith.
Although they are saved, they dont go beyond one point and live a carnal existence.
The ankle-deep level believers have a shallow experience with God.

When they pray, they do not influence others or attract the move of the Holy Spirit in their prayers.

These believers do not desire to go deep in spirit and are usually uncomfortable where other believers manifest the power of God through tongues and other spiritual gifts.

Thomas the disciple was in the ankle level when he doubted whether Jesus had really risen.
These believers have no place in the kingdom of God.

3. THE KNEE- DEEP LEVEL.

Ezekiel 47: 4
“He measured off another thousand cubits and led me through water that was knee deep.”

The third level is the knee deep commitment.
This is not the highest level so total surrender to God is still lacking.
When the immersion level is knee-deep, a believer is filled with the Holy Spirit, they are prayerful but do not show a deeper experience with God.
This believer is not radical or rather crazy for God.

Most believers in this level are cowardly and fear the power we are called to experience.
They dont go in the deep heavenly realm.
These believers have no place in the Kingdom of God.

4. WAIST DEEP LEVEL.
Ezekiel 47: 4(b)
“He measured off another thousand cubits and led me through water that was up to the waist.”

The fourth level is known as the waist deep level where immersion is up to the waistline.
The Spirit of power manifests when a believer is in this level.
This type of believer is active in the ways of God and influences people with their presence.

They could have roles in the Church; choir members, praise and worship leaders, church department officials name them but they live double lives.
They are better known as luke warm Christians.

They have a questionable character that Heaven does not agree with. Always remember that God is pure/holy.
These believers cannot be used by the Spirit of God fully since they show half heartedness approach to full surrender.

Been immersed halfway renders a person vulnerable to attacks such as evil thoughts and easy temptations to sin through actions, speech and thoughts.
Fighting an ungodly spirit could be a clear indication that you are immersed up to the waist spiritually.
These type of believers have high chances of missing Heaven as well.

5. FULL IMMERSION LEVEL.
Ezekiel 47: 5
“He measured off another thousand, but now it was a river that i could not cross, because the water had risen and was deep enough to swim in – a river that no one could cross.”

The highest immersion level where a believer exhibits strong faith and is empowered in Christ deeply.
This is the swimming level where God wants all of us to be at; going beyond our own abilities.

In this level, the Holy Spirit manifests fully and supernatural things happen. Peter would just walk and his shadow would heal the sick.
It is the miracle level, the radical level, the crazy- for- God level.
Believers that are fully immersed do not gossip, hurl insults, hide sins, do things that don’t please God etc.
Eph 5:18 (b) says that we should be filled with the Spirit.
Jude 1:20 says we should pray in the Spirit.

In this level, one is not led by the flesh but by the Spirit. They have spiritual mindsets, spirtual eyes, spiritual understanding and would never experience spiritual dryness.

Our Lord Jesus desires a Church that gives room for spiritual release. Wherever the Spirit of God is, there is fullness of power.

This is the level that the scriptures in Prov 3:5 paints a picture of. The Word says we should trust in the Lord God and not lean on our own understanding.

When fully immersed, a believer produces fruits for the kingdom.
They do not see challenges but are led by the Word of God.
In return, God trusts His children, in this level, with everything.

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BOTTOMLINE.
We will never know the glory of great victories in our walk with the Lord until we are willing to commit our all to Him.

The deeper you go with God, the more you lean on His ability.

The full- immersion level is the highest spiritual level and where God wants us to be.

The Kingdom of God is a matter of power, power that is experienced when a believer surrenders fully.

LET US GET INTO THE FULL IMMERSION LEVEL AND EXPERIENCE GOD FULLY.