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August 23, 2018
THE SOVEREIGN, IRRESISTIBLE GRACE OF GOD (PART 2)
August 25, 2018

THE SOVEREIGN, IRRESISTIBLE GRACE OF GOD (PART 1)

 
August 24th 2018

“The wind blows where it wishes [that is the free will of the wind], and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.” – John 3:8


When we talk about the irresistible grace of God, we mean that the Holy Spirit is God’s Spirit, and therefore he is omnipotent and sovereign. This further means that the Spirit is irresistible and infallibly effective in his regenerating work of giving us the new birth and identity in Christ. Jesus says we must be born of water and the Spirit for us to enter the kingdom of heaven. This means that we have to take a new spiritual form where we flow with the spirit only. At that point of regeneration by the Holy Spirit, we become a slave to the conscience of the Holy Spirit, and we flow in accordance with His will, not our own will anymore. This is why Jesus says in John 3:6, “That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit,” Therefore, the new birth changes you completely and makes you spiritually alive! But how does this new life relates to Jesus Christ? The scripture in 1 John 5:11, says, “God gave us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.” So the life we get in the new birth from the Spirit, we get because the Spirit unites us to the Son of God – the Christ who is life. When the Holy Spirit creates a new spiritual life in us, the simultaneous effect is that we begin to see Jesus as beautiful, receiving Him for who He is, and believing on him, not just for his promises, but ready to obey His commands and teachings. Jesus is telling us today that; 1. “The wind blows where it wishes” — where it wills. So the wind — the Spirit — is free. He (the Spirit) is not constrained by us. The emphasis falls on the will of the Spirit, not ours. 2. The Spirit has sound; “and you will hear its sound. . . .” This means that there are perceptible effects of the invisible Holy Spirit. So, you can’t see the Holy Spirit, but you can see his effects. 3. “But you do not know where it comes from . . .” This means that you are not the one who has originated the Spirit. 4. “You do not know where it goes.” This means you can’t determine its origin, and you can’t determine his destination. The Spirit is free. He goes where he wills.


Where does today’s teaching leave us in the work of regeneration by the Holy Spirit? Today’s word is teaching us that we don’t cause the Spirit to bring about the new birth to us any more than we make the wind blow. Or to be more specific, the decisive act of will in the new birth is not ours. The Spirit’s wills it. But how do we know that we have experienced the new birth? At the new birth, our will begins to move in the moment of the new birth, along the path of the Holy Spirit – We flow and become one with the Spirit. Change happens in us: we become alive – we become like the Holy Spirit, (He who is born of the spirit is spirit). Also, there are perceptible effects of the Spirit — “you hear its sound always” Beloved, you have to re –examine yourself today. “Are you born of the Spirit”? It is time to open to the Spirit. The new birth brings power and grace. Simply present yourself at the portal and pray for the Spirit to come take control and commence the new birth.


Prayer
Father in the name of Jesus Christ, I open myself today to the power of the Holy Spirit. I desire the new birth by the Spirit. Holy Spirit, come take total control of my life. Make me yours now. AMEN


Further Reading - John 6:44 and verse 65

 
 
 
Mary Lawrence-Dokpesi
Mary Lawrence-Dokpesi
Mary Lawrence-Dokpesi was born in Nigeria to Patrick Abuda Obeakemhe and Juliana Fatimatu Obeakemhe, both from Ogbona Town. With a master’s degree in law, she was called to the bar at the age of twenty-two, and she is currently the principle partner of the law firm Mary Lawrence-Dokpesi & Associates. She is also the founder of two philanthropic organizations: the Living Waters Mission and the Rose Croix Foundation. In addition to law, Lawrence-Dokpesi was drawn to spiritual pursuits at an early age, having begun studying philosophy, theology, chaplaincy, and spirit therapy by the age of eighteen. Inspired by her spiritual calling, she has produced ten intensively researched manuscripts on spiritual matters. Although Understanding the Spiritual was the last to be written, it is the first to be published. Lawrence-Dokpesi is a mother and a wife living in the city of Abuja, Nigeria.

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