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You Have Access to the Most Powerful Tool in the Earth — Part One

Gary Keesee • May 29, 2019

Unless you’re brand new to the Christian faith, you’ve heard about the Baptism of the Holy Spirit or, more likely, you’ve heard about “speaking in tongues.”

Because the “tongues stuff” is usually the first thing people think of when they hear of the Baptism of the Holy Spirit.

Why is that? Yes, speaking, or praying, in tongues—or in the Spirit —is evidence that a person has received the baptism, but it definitely doesn’t sum up everything that happens.

So why do so many people immediately define it that way?

Because they think it’s weird.

I’m just telling it like it is. Because for too long we’ve been convinced by religion that getting the Baptism of the Holy Spirit was only for the people alive in Biblical times, or we’ve been taught it’s just for those “overly emotional, holy rolling, kooky religious types”, or someone told us it’s a bunch of junk, or that it’s from the devil himself.

And that’s just what the enemy wants you to think.

Because if you think the Baptism of the Holy Spirit is weird, or spooky, or that it’s an evil tool from the devil, you’ll stay away from it won’t you? You won’t ask anyone about it, you won’t talk about it, and you definitely won’t look into what the Bible says about it.

And there—the enemy has won. He’s succeeded at keeping you from the most powerful tool God uses in this earth.

The Holy Spirit is a Gift

And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Comforter (Counselor, Helper, Intercessor, Advocate, Strengthener, and Standby), that He may remain with you forever—The Spirit of Truth, Whom the world cannot receive (welcome, take to its heart), because it does not see Him or know and recognize Him. But you know and recognize Him, for He lives with you [constantly] and will be in you.” – John 14:16-17 AMP

Notice the first thing Jesus said was that He would ask God and God would give them the Holy Spirit.

The Holy Spirit was a gift from God , just like Jesus was.

Who doesn’t like gifts?

We look at the gift of salvation that God gave us through Jesus and we think it’s amazing. We sing songs about Him. We give testimonies. We thank God. We live different lives because of the gift of Jesus. We should look at the gift of the Holy Spirit the same way.

The Holy Spirit Will Live IN You

Jesus also told the disciples that the Holy Spirit would live in them. Here is where I can understand why the disciples might have been confused. After all, they had Jesus in their midst. He was real. They could see him, talk to him, and touch him. So it was probably really hard for them to wrap their minds around Jesus saying that His replacement was going to live IN them instead of WITH them.

But we don’t have that same excuse, because we weren’t around when Jesus was; we didn’t get to walk with Him and learn from Him in person. We talk about accepting Jesus ‘into our hearts’ and we act like we understand what that means. It shouldn’t be that big of a leap for us to think of the Holy Spirit—Jesus’ replacement—living in us.

The Promise of the Holy Spirit IS for Today

Now plenty of people read what the Bible says about the Holy Spirit and dismiss it as something that was only for the disciples, or only occurred during Biblical times. In fact, whether or not the Baptism of the Holy Spirit is relevant is something that has been argued about in Christian churches across the world for centuries.

Take a look at this:

For the promise [of the Holy Spirit] is to and for you and your children, and to and for all that are far away, [even] to and for as many as the Lord our God invites and bids to come to Himself.” – Acts 2:39 AMP

Isn’t it interesting how God put that right in there? The promise of the Holy Spirit is for you and your children —it’s for every single person that comes to God.

No matter what century or generation you’re born in, the promise of the Holy Spirit is to and for ALL of us.

Back in the early 1970’s when the charismatic renewal broke out we used to have certain churches we’d sneak out to—churches that taught about the Baptism of the Holy Spirit. We’d sneak out of our church and into that church. We wanted some of what they had. We just didn’t know how to get it.

But if we had just had our Bibles, we would have seen that it says no one was left out. In Acts 2 verses three and four we read,

And there appeared to them tongues resembling fire, which were separated and distributed and which settled on each one of them. And they were all filled (diffused throughout their souls) with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other (different, foreign) languages (tongues), as the Spirit kept giving them clear and loud expression [in each tongue in appropriate words].

God came on all of them—each and every one of them. God promised it to everyone—regardless of what century you live in, what denomination you’re under, or what background you come from.

If you believe, He promised the Holy Spirit to you.

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Watch for Part Two of this post next week!

I don’t know about you, but I can’t get enough of God’s help in my life.

If you’re anything like me, and want to know as much as you can about how God works undercover using the Holy Spirit, I’ve got great news for you! I just finished an entire book about it. It’s called, Your Financial Revolution: The Power of STRATEGY .

I’m SO EXCITED to get this book in your hands!

Understanding how God works undercover using THE POWER OF STRATEGY is one of the single greatest keys to your success and victory in life.

It’s critical that you understand this if you want to capture the opportunities God has for you.

No more missing out on the great things God has for you!

5 Steps to Release the Kingdom in Your Life

By Gary Keesee • 10 Apr, 2024
Reading Time 2 mins 13 secs – In John 6, we read the story of Jesus feeding 5,000 people with five loaves of bread and two fish. Do you know it? It’s where we see Jesus teaching the disciples how to release the Kingdom of God into the earth realm. Basically, a large crowd was following Jesus, listening to Him teach, and watching Him perform miracles. It got to a point where the people needed to eat, and Jesus asked the disciples what they planned to feed the people. Of course, Jesus knew the disciples would freak out. They couldn’t feed 5,000 people. In fact, they started talking about how it would take more than half a year’s wages to buy just a bite for that many people. Jesus was teaching the disciples, and He was teaching us— the Kingdom of God has all the answers you need . How can you release the Kingdom of God into your life? Here are the five steps Jesus took. 1. Look at what you have. Jesus asked the disciples what they had to feed the people. What do you have in your life that you can give God to work with? Jesus multiplied bread into bread and fish into fish. What do you need multiplied in your life? Find some of it. That’s your seed. Also, remember that money can be named. You don’t sow money to believe for more paper or digital money. Money represents your life and can be named to be the thing you need multiplied. 2. Make sure you’re in faith. “To have faith is to be sure of the things we hope for, to be certain of the things we cannot see” (Hebrews 11:1, GNT). You have to know how to judge whether or not you’re in faith. How? Do you have the right picture? When you close your eyes, what do you see? Do you see yourself with the thing you’re believing for? Can you defend your position? Why do you believe it? Prove it! Because you can be sure that between the “Amen” and the “There it is!” the enemy is going to contend for it, so you better be able to defend it. Do you have joy, expectancy, and peace? Are you in agreement with your spouse? 3. Confess over what you have, and release it in faith. Be specific. Say exactly what you’re believing for and release the seed to God. 4. Get the plan from God. Be ready for new direction, new ideas, and new concepts by revelation from the Holy Spirit. Carry a notepad and a pen. Write everything down. 5. Act quickly! When God gives you the plan, MOVE! It’s wise to have counselors and get wisdom, but you need to act swiftly on any direction you receive from the Holy Spirit.

Want Growth and Success? Here Are 10 Steps to Help Take You There

By Gary Keesee • 13 Mar, 2024
Reading Time 2 mins 34 secs – How can you make sure you’re equipped for the growth coming your way this year? Here are my 10 steps to posture yourself for opportunity and success. 1. Ask yourself how you’re handling your current responsibilities. Don’t run from your responsibilities. No matter where you are or what you’re doing, you should be a success. People will still see the evidence of God even if you think you’re in the wrong spot. 2. Detox your life of the things that keep you from having time to think. We live in a fast-paced world. There are plenty of things that can keep you distracted. But it’s in the moments that you stop to think that you’ll find ways to solve problems, and that’s where the opportunities are. So figure out what is consuming your time. Start saying no to some things. Find time to think. 3. Don’t hang around people who are always losing. I know people hit rough spots, but if the people in your life are chronically losing, it’s time to expand your circle. Hang around people who are better than you are, who don’t see things as impossible, and who have vision. It may be uncomfortable for you, but their influence will cause you to think differently. 4. Write down EVERY idea that you have, no matter how strange it seems. Most people filter opportunities and ideas through what they perceive their ability to be. This means most people discard ideas by the dozens because they don’t think they can do them. But God isn’t limited to what you know how to do. The ideas He gives you might seem so weird to you that you can’t process them fully. Write them down so you have time to think about them. 5. Research. Research. Repeat. You don’t need to know how to do something; you need to know how to learn how to do it. Research until you find what you’re looking for. 6. Count the cost before you jump. A lot of Christians hear God and jump out too soon, resulting in catastrophe. There are seasons for everything. God will prepare you for where He wants you to go. Be patient. 7. Always be in agreement with your spouse. Never, ever march out into battle without your spouse being in total agreement and your faith aligned. 8. Ask God for direction. Ask Him to help you, to show you where to go, and what to do. And always remember that prophecy from other people shouldn’t lead you; it should only confirm what God has already said to you. 9. Commit to never quit. Quitting is not an option. Once you’ve moved, don’t move again until God speaks to you. Stay with it. Walk it out. Don’t quit. So many people have so much potential, but they get uncomfortable and they quit. If you want to win, you should always be stretching. 10. Get ready to embrace bigger things. Your ability to see the big picture will keep growing as you change and grow on the inside. You’ll pick up on even more opportunities. For more principles, check out this FREE video on success.

The Consequences of Strife: Why You Should Never Allow It in Your Life

By Drenda Keesee • 14 Feb, 2024
Reading Time 2 mins 59 secs – A stuffed toy laid in the road at the scene of the accident. As we passed, the Lord spoke to me, “ Okay, this is your last warning. Are you going to continue this? You know you are opening the door to the enemy.” Gary and I had had a disagreement just before we had left the house for our family road trip. And there we were six hours in and we’d barely said a word to one another. Six hours. You think driving from Ohio to Tennessee is a long stretch of highway? Try doing it while giving someone the silent treatment. One word: torture. Then we passed the accident. Gary and I both felt the same conviction when we passed it, especially because it clearly involved children. But... pride. We knew what we were doing wasn’t good. (What kind of example is it to your children to ignore each other?) But neither of us wanted to lay down our pride. I kept hearing the voice of the Lord, and I’d think, No, I’m not going to fix this thing, because then I’ll have to talk to him. It was almost a competition to see who could hold our grudge for the longest. But strife is dangerous stuff. What is strife? Drama, conflict, friction, disagreement, bickering, arguing, bad blood, disputes… whichever words you use to describe it, it’s dangerous. Whether it’s between you and your spouse, you and your child, you and a friend, you and a family member, or you and a coworker, you don’t want to let strife remain in your life. The Bible says that where there is strife, there is confusion and there is every evil work (James 3:16). Our small argument between Gary and I had gone unchecked and had escalated, and neither one of us were listening to the voice of the Lord. And there were consequences for our strife and outright disobedience. About an hour after we passed the accident, a car pulled out in front of our vehicle, and we were in what could have been a very serious car accident. I started yelling the name of Jesus, and God supernaturally protected our entire family. Initially, it looked as though there were going to be serious issues. They told us our son’s spleen might rupture. I was pregnant, and the doctors worried that I might lose the baby. Through all of these things, we stood on the Word of God, and we all came out unharmed, including the young preacher’s son who had pulled out in front of us (he was in disobedience at that moment too). Even in the midst of this difficult situation, through our prayers, standing on God’s Word, and our children’s words to the medical personnel, we had opportunities to minister and impact the little county hospital we had to visit. The enemy tried to take us out, but he lost. We were responsible for opening the door to the enemy. But the name of Jesus is more powerful than our mistakes and circumstances, and that is what kept us protected. You MUST stay on guard and not allow strife in your life, with anyone. How? Here are just three quick tips: Bite your tongue. You don’t have to say everything you think. Don’t lash out or give the silent treatment. Work on communicating with others in a healthy way. Repent quickly and forgive quickly. Take responsibility; admit when you’re wrong. Say you’re sorry and ask for forgiveness. Don’t hold onto hurts. Forgive as you’ve been forgiven by Jesus.
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