the Holy Spirit

Just Add Water

/ Mark Brady / 3 Comments

April and I visited a church that we had never been to before. It was one of those “mega” churches. The worship was great. I sensed God’s presence in the house, His house! The sermon was good as well. The pastor spoke about the attitude of giving. I had found two pennies earlier that morning and told April, “Here’s our offering today. Like the widow’s mite.” He spoke about the attitude of the widow when she gave her offering. April turned to me and smiled.

Just then he looked up and saw the rich people dropping offerings in the collection plate. Then he saw a poor widow put in two pennies. He said, “The plain truth is that this widow has given by far the largest offering today. All these others made offerings that they’ll never miss; she gave extravagantly what she couldn’t afford—she gave her all!” Luke 21:3-4 (MSG)

Then, at the end of the service, the worship team was again singing. A bright light came on to the right of the platform. There, standing in water, were several individuals huddled up. They broke the huddle, and one by one, they were baptized. Now I have seen many water baptisms in my lifetime, so when my eyes teared up, it surprised me.

It didn’t take me long to realize that the one who was being baptized was being led through the process by, most likely, the one who led them to God in the first place. That technique I had never witnessed before. As each person rose out of the water, the congregation applauded with enthusiasm. It was then I got a glimpse of heaven and angels standing, looking over the edge and applauding as well. More tears flowed. I later learned this church does this at the end of every Sunday service.

Pastor Robert Morris teaches that there are three baptisms.

  1. Baptism into salvation. The act of accepting Jesus as God’s Son and what He did on the cross to forgive us of our sins.
  2. Water baptism. The act of going public with your decision to accept Jesus into your life and symbolically the washing away of your sins.
  3. Baptism into the Holy Spirit. Receiving the Holy Spirit is getting the power to minister and the ability to be used by God supernaturally as He leads.

Water baptism is an important step in the life of a follower of Jesus Christ. If you haven’t taken this step, I pray that you will consider getting it done soon. You won’t believe how clean you feel when you rise up out of the water. Find the one who introduced you to God, and then just add water.

Copyright © 2023 Mark Brady. All rights reserved.

There’s One More

/ Mark Brady / 2 Comments

When I was a kid, we would open all presents under the tree on Christmas day. My father was in charge of supervising the cleanup. Making sure that only the paper wrapped around the gifts and used bows were thrown away. He was concerned that part of someone’s gift would get thrown out. After a thorough inspection, would he include boxes.

That’s it. The gift-giving portion of Christmas would be completed. The floor was clean, and the entire Christmas tree skirt was once again visible. But before everyone was dispursed to carrying away their haul, one of my parents would announce, “Hey, I think we forgot one. There’s one more.” Again, the seasonal excitement and anticipation would rumble in your stomach. “What? Another one? Where is it? There’s nothing left under the tree.”

One year my sister and I were told to go to the garage. There, waiting for us, were brand new bikes. Another year, my father brought into the living room a big square box and placed it in front of me. I said, “This isn’t mine!” My mother quickly put me on the witness stand and asked, “How do you know?” No way was I going to confess to unwrapping it after I found it in their bedroom days before. I suppose my writing creativity kicked in, and I quickly replied, “Because it’s so big!” I was good at peeking. I liked the challenge of not getting caught. I would use an Exacto knife and then put the exact length of tape back over the ones I sliced.

God knew our greatest need was a savior, so He sent us his son, Jesus. The best Christmas gift of all time! No one had an opportunity to peek, but God gave plenty of advanced notice as to what He would do. And those that were on a “need-to-know” basis knew.

Jesus came. He grew up and ministered truth, light, salvation, healing, and deliverance, showing us a better way to live. Then, He humbled himself and died on the cross. He died for three days and then showed He even had power over death and hell. He then ministered for a few more days, but as He was about to leave, He told his disciples, “Oh, there’s one more.”

Jesus promised us that He would send us the Holy Spirit when He left. The Holy Spirit would give us the power to minister. Jesus had the Spirit on him. When He was baptized, the Holy Spirit lit upon him when He came out of the water. Jesus knew we also needed God’s Spirit in our lives and ministries.

I love having the Holy Spirit on me. I don’t know how I would live or minister without Him! Not a bad gift to learn about that was one more.

But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the farthest parts of the earth.” Acts 1:8 (NET)

After Jesus was baptized, just as he was coming up out of the water, the heavens opened and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming to rest on him. Mat. 3:16

Christmas may be over, but if you have never been filled with the Holy Spirit look for Him as another gift. Seek Him out and ask to be filled with him. You will be surprised what a difference He makes in your life.

Oh, in case you were wondering, my big gift was a black and white TV with knobs and an antenna telescoped out from the inside. No coaxial connection and no remote, but I loved it. I had it for several years and actually sold it in a garage sale.

Copyright © 2022 Mark Brady. All rights reserved.

He Knew

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Photo by: Pixabay

I don’t usually open with scriptures, but I need to today to set the stage. I love this true story from the Bible. It speaks of love in action and adequately uses of “words of knowledge.”

John 8:1-11 Jesus returned to the Mount of Olives, 2 but early the next morning he was back again at the Temple. A crowd soon gathered, and he sat down and taught them. 3 As he was speaking, the teachers of religious law and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in the act of adultery. They put her in front of the crowd.

4 “Teacher,” they said to Jesus, “this woman was caught in the act of adultery. 5 The law of Moses says to stone her. What do you say?”

6 They were trying to trap him into saying something they could use against him, but Jesus stooped down and wrote in the dust with his finger. 7 They kept demanding an answer, so he stood up again and said, “All right, but let the one who has never sinned throw the first stone!” 8 Then he stooped down again and wrote in the dust.

9 When the accusers heard this, they slipped away one by one, beginning with the oldest, until only Jesus was left in the middle of the crowd with the woman. 10 Then Jesus stood up again and said to the woman, “Where are your accusers? Didn’t even one of them condemn you?”

11 “No, Lord,” she said.

And Jesus said, “Neither do I. Go and sin no more.”

One could write about a lot from this passage, but I want to focus on one part. Most theologians, of which I do not consider myself to be one, honestly I had to look up how to spell it, agree that when Jesus bent down and wrote in the dust, he was writing the sins of the woman’s accusers.

So one might ask, “How did Jesus know their sins?” Yes, Jesus was the son of God, but he was the son of man when he walked the earth. Here is the answer; Jesus was filled with the baptism of the Holy Spirit.

16-17 The moment Jesus came up out of the baptismal waters, the skies opened up and he saw God’s Spirit—it looked like a dove—descending and landing on him. And along with the Spirit, a voice: “This is my Son, chosen and marked by my love, delight of my life.” Mat. 3:16-17 (MSG)

The Holy Spirit filled Jesus the moment the dove landed on him. With the infilling comes power, as Jesus foretold his disciples before he ascended into heaven. Part of that power is knowing things about people. Sometimes, something they don’t want you to know. This is called; “word of knowledge.” This gift of the Spirit is sometimes needed to lead you on how to pray for someone, to get someone’s attention, so they will hear what comes after the supernatural event. One should not focus or get hung up on the gift when it is demonstrated but instead focus on what God wants to do.

I once got word of knowledge concerning a man and a woman in our church who weren’t married to each other. The Holy Spirit whispered, “affair.” After the initial shock, and I didn’t tell anyone in the church, which would have hurt them tremendously, but I prayed for them. A few weeks later, the woman’s husband was offered a job out of state, and they moved. God wanted me to pray, potentially preventing their desires from overtaking them. Am I special? Am I a saint? Am I a super Christian? No! The Holy Spirit chooses who to give this gift to, when, and where. (see 1 Cor. 12:11 but not now. After you finish this post.)

It is humbling to know things, to be used of God. So take it seriously, and be responsible with what you know. Jesus used his knowledge of the woman’s accusers to demonstrate forgiveness and love. Do you think the woman went away unchanged? No. She left forever changed, and no doubt shared her story with everyone. Be filled with the Spirit of God, and be open to being used by God to help change lives for eternity.

Copyright © 2022 Mark Brady. All rights reserved.

Children of God

/ Mark Brady / 2 Comments
Photo by: nappy

“Mark, it never ceases to amaze (and amuse) me how the Lord uses one situation or inconvenience to accomplish something totally unrelated. You do a good job at always being ready to share the gospel.”

Ann Aschauer of the famous blog post: Seeking Divine Perspective

Ann’s comment in response to my blog post this past Tuesday, “An Eternal Mistake“. Her words were humbling. I replied, “I feel inadequate, and therefore I am more than happy to partner with the Holy Spirit. He always knows what to do and say when we trust in, lean on, and rely on Him.” (I kind of went Amplified Bible on ya there!) But her comment got me thinking.

It’s not always about ministering to someone. Two weeks ago, we were buying groceries, and I decided to make chili, but I could not recall the entire recipe, and I don’t like having to run back out to the store to purchase the item(s) I had forgotten. As sure as could be, we got home, and I looked only to discover I had missed two essential items. Neither of which were in our pantry.

So, two days later, we reluctantly got in our car and headed off to a nearby grocery store. Before we could get to the end of our street, we saw where someone had thrown out an elliptical exercise machine. April recently mentioned she wanted a treadmill, and I told her that an elliptical would be better on the knees. I said they were expensive but that we would look into it. When we saw the free machine, I said, “Oh, wow!” and explained my excitement.

After getting the two items, we turned down our street, and the machine was still there. I knew we had to stop and check it out. It appeared to be in good working condition, but it was dirty. We loaded it up, took it home, and then cleaned it up. I asked April to look it up and see what the value was. Would you believe $1080.00? April can’t believe people just throw out good things. I said, “Welcome to America!” (She now wants to join “Dumpster Divers of America.”) So, another inconvenience wound up providing a “want” we had by God.

Then today, an old friend and coworker called me back. I called him yesterday after “randomly” thinking of him. We hadn’t spoken in a while. Toward the end of our conversation, I shared with him that last year I started experiencing some physical issues. I went to my doctor, and he sent me to have a stress test done, and by the end of that day, I had a stint inside my heart. Ten days later, I had three more put in. I found out that I had two arteries 99% blocked, and no one could believe I didn’t have a heart attack.

 My friend got quiet, and I inquired as to why. He then told me he has the same physical issues I had. I begged him to get in immediately to see his doctor, and he assured me he would. After ending the call, I realized it was no accident or random thought to call him, but God placed him on my mind and prompted me to call, perhaps saving his life.

God is so loving and good to us. Even if people aren’t led by God for themselves, He still ministers to them through others. I have written many times in these blog posts that we need to trust God to handle everything in our lives so we can hear his Holy Spirit whisper to us about others and to be led by God for our own needs.

For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God.
Rom. 8:14 (NIV)

Now, if you will excuse me, it’s time for me to exercise on our new elliptical.

Copyright © 2022 Mark Brady. All rights reserved.

Search Me?

/ Mark Brady / 2 Comments

23-24 Investigate my life, O God,
    find out everything about me;
Cross-examine and test me,
    get a clear picture of what I’m about;
See for yourself whether I’ve done anything wrong—
    then guide me on the road to eternal life. Ps. 139:23-24 (MSG)

It takes guts to pray the above prayer.  Most of us don’t want to face the truth of who we really are.  And in fact go great lengths at times to hide the darker side of ourselves, from others, and even from ourselves.  My pastor last Sunday challenged us to do just that.  To have God examine us and see if there was any wrong in us.  Whether deeds, motives, or actions.

There are some people that have such an intense time facing who they really are that they try their best to stay busy.  One guy I know said he is always looking for the next party.  The worst time for these people is when they are alone in the dark and they can’t sleep, their conscience begins to speak.  That is probably why these same people medicate themselves before going to bed so they do not have to listen to their inner voice.

That inner voice is doing its job.  It’s trying hard to get a person to face truth.  Truth they have done some things in life that were wrong and they are in need of having those things forgiven.  Another force at work is that of the Holy Spirit.  One of his jobs is to draw us to God via the forgiving power of Jesus.

If you find yourself in this situation the only thing to do is yield.  Give up trying to write your own religion and accept the relationship that God has already provided.  Say to God, “then guide me on the road to eternal life.”

Copyright © 2021 Mark Brady.  All rights reserved.

Let it Flow

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We, well Americans anyway, like to move, and move fast.  We hurry home, to the store, to work and even to church.  We have drive-thrus to make our trips even faster.  We believe we have too much to do, so we have to go at a frantic pace.  But what if God had something He wanted to get done?  And what if his plan included you?  Would you proceed with the same fervency?  Or would you dig your heels in and say, “Let me pray about it.”

There is nothing wrong with discerning God’s perfect will and timing.  And that is probably a wise thing to do before launching a new church program.  Did we ever see Jesus form a committee to discern the will of God?  No.  Did we ever see him say, “Wait, let me go pray about that before I speak to your disease.”

My point is this; Jesus, who was filled with the Spirit of God, flowed with his heavenly Father.  He didn’t have to stop and pray, or set aside a three day fast first, he just knew already the will of the Father.  He also operated in the power of the Holy Spirit.  For instance, when Jesus encountered the woman at the well, he was operating in the gift of the Spirit of knowledge.  Jesus knew she had many previous husbands and in fact the guy she was currently with was not her husband.

No one has to go and get ceremonially clean anymore before entering the Holy of Holies, the presence of God.  You can walk in his presence and actually live in it.  If you remain in that atmosphere all the time you just know.  You know things.  You can have wisdom and understanding of people and of issues all around you.

It’s important to be filled with the Holy Spirit:

The moment Jesus came up out of the baptismal waters, the skies opened up and he saw God’s Spirit—it looked like a dove—descending and landing on him. And along with the Spirit, a voice: “This is my Son, chosen and marked by my love, delight of my life.” Mat. 3:16 (MSG)

Understand the Holy Spirit gives you power to minister:

But you shall receive power (ability, efficiency, and might) when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you shall be My witnesses in Jerusalem and all Judea and Samaria and to the ends (the very bounds) of the earth. Acts 1:8 (AMPC)

The veil that once separated from the presence of God has been torn in two by God:

At that moment, the Temple curtain was ripped in two, top to bottom. There was an earthquake, and rocks were split in pieces. Mat. 27:51 (MSG)

While flowing in the Spirit you will do great things for the kingdom of God:

I tell you this timeless truth: The person who follows me in faith, believing in me, will do the same mighty miracles that I do—even greater miracles than these because I go to be with my Father! John 14:12 (TPT)

Copyright © 2021 Mark Brady.  All rights reserved.

God, My Enemy?

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Have you ever heard someone blame God for their troubles?  Or insurance companies label calamities as an “Act of God”?  I have.  Job, from the Bible, he certainly did.  In fact, he went so far as to accuse God as his enemy.  (Job 16:9)  I have also heard people say this, “When I get out of the hospital I am going to start living for God.”  Yeah, as you might have guessed, months later they are still living life in the same manner before they went into the hospital.

I was cleaning a stain from the ottoman we recently picked up with a chair for our new “Conference Room” where we go to meet with God.  I looked at the can of “stain remover” and couldn’t help thinking about God removing stains from our own lives.  The foam that comes oozing out of the can is white, and because Jesus died for our stains, our sins, he makes us white as snow.

Though your sins have stained you like the color red,
you can become white like snow;
though they are as easy to see as the color scarlet,
you can become white like wool. Isaiah 1:18

Did you notice who makes the stain remover?  “Woolite”.  Did you also see the brush on the end of the can?  Even after our sins are forgiven when we accept Jesus and ask for that forgiveness there can be consequences of wrong doing in our life.  And sometimes it takes a lot of work, or “scrubbing” for those results to be removed.  It can take time and commitment to clean up the mess we have previously made with our lives.  Max Lucado once wrote,

“My mess, is His message.”

I also liked on the can where it said, “Triple Action”.  As you know the Trinity is made of God the Father, Jesus, God’s son, and the Holy Spirit.  All three work together to bring us to the saving grace of God.  I am so thankful to know that when I make mistakes I can be forgiven.  Being clean, free from sin, is a good feeling. God is not our enemy, but our friend and loving father.

Copyright © 2021 Mark Brady.  All rights reserved.

The April Effect

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As most of my regular readers know, my wife April is now here with me in America as her immigration visa finally arrived.  In the past three weeks, she has been here, not only have I introduced her to life in America, and our foods, but also our conveniences.  It has been an enjoyable experience for me.

One such highlight was when we went through an automatic car wash.  You have thought we were at Disneyland and it was a ride.  Like “Mr. Toad’s Moving Lilly Pad”, or something.  She smiled, she laughed, and squealed through each phase of the process.  Evidently they don’t have them in the Philippines, or she had never seen one before.

But an even greater experience, for me at least, has been watching how my friends, and family members have reacted to her.  I have taken notice how easily they open up, and start sharing with her.  They warm up to her quickly and seem to feel comfortable around her, as if she was their “comfy” clothes they wear when at home.  One friend even said to her, “I feel as if I have known you all my life!”  Of course I smile with adoration when I witness this phenomenon.

Yesterday though I started thinking more about why this was the case.  It didn’t take long for me to figure out.  Okay, to be honest, I probably got a download from the Holy Spirit whispered into my mind.  God, is love. (1 John 4:8)  And my wife, April is a child of God.  She loves him very much and has taken on his character of loving people.  So whether people realize it or not they are responding, or reacting to the love of God in my wife’s heart.

I believe with strong passion that from the time a baby is born, the spirit man inside that child starts on a journey to be reunited with God.  So when a person enters their world, the spirit inside of them recognizes the Spirit of God inside the person who just entered, and they connect with the person easily.

This “effect” begs the question, shouldn’t all, who have a good relationship with God, seek and desire more of him and his love?  So when we are out and about in the world people will open up to us sooner, and easier and begin to have serious conversations that can eventually lead to God and potentially lead them to God?  Of course, the answer is, “Yes”.  What hinders this to happen is us.  We get in the way of God with our “rights” and our own “understanding” and “values”.  Ones that should be disregarded perhaps, or lined up to confirm to God’s “values”, and truths.

“Stop imitating the ideals and opinions of the culture around you,but be inwardly transformed by the Holy Spirit through a total reformation of how you think. This will empower you to discern God’s will as you live a beautiful life, satisfying and perfect in his eyes.” Rom. 12:2 (TPT)

So, in conclusion, “The April Effect” isn’t really her, but what is happening when people encounter her is “The God Effect”.  May we all grow, in our hearts, an enormous amount of the love of God that it effects people.  It moves them closer to him then where they were before we entered their world.

Copyright © 2021 Mark Brady.  All rights reserved.

He Did it For Me

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My father came from a large family.  At an early age he learned how to catch fish, and not just go fishing.  He realized he was helping to put food on the table for his family, but he also discovered how much he enjoyed it.  He became a good fisherman.

When I got old enough to go with him he started teaching me.  One of my father’s favorite places to fish was on a creek.  You wade in the water from fishing hole to the next fishing hole.  Along the way nature is all around you, including the occasional snake.  I watched as my father remained calm and deal with them, so though I learned which ones were poisonous I also learned how to stay safe.  I respect snakes, but I do not have a fear of them.  Now, I come across a tiny spider in the house, I’m squealing like a school girl and yelling for my wife to come kill it!

One night, while we were in the creek catching our bait I said, “Dad, I’ve got a snake up against my left leg.”  “Okay, I’ll be there in a minute,” he replied as he continued picking up crawdads.  He moved in behind me and grabbed the snake by the tale and gave it a good toss.  It was not poisonous and the ones that were, he killed.  My father was my hero, my deliverer.

Several years later, we were on the creek, and dad was in some deep water when a snake came at him.  He tried like crazy to push the snake away with his fishing pole, but the snake kept coming and getting closer.  Dad started screaming while I remained safe on the bank laughing.  After he got the snake to go away from him he expressed his displeasure of my reaction to, according to him, “his close call with death”.  (The snake was not even poisonous.)

“Dad, why are you so angry?  You’re not afraid of snakes,” I said.
“Are you kidding me?  I hate those things.  I am horribly afraid of them!” he replied.
All those years I had no idea.  My father faced one of his greatest fears.  He did that for me.

God, my Heavenly Father, doesn’t fear anything at all, but He too had to do something He didn’t want to.  He allowed his only son, Jesus die on a cross to take on the sins of all of humanity.  It grieved him, and in the final hour, because God is Holy and cannot even look at sin, had to turn away from his son while he was dying a horrible death.  He did it for me, but He also did for you.  That’s how much God loves us.  Here it is, in its simplest form:

“This is how much God loved the world: He gave his Son, his one and only Son. And this is why: so that no one need be destroyed; by believing in him, anyone can have a whole and lasting life. God didn’t go to all the trouble of sending his Son merely to point an accusing finger, telling the world how bad it was. He came to help, to put the world right again. Anyone who trusts in him is acquitted; anyone who refuses to trust him has long since been under the death sentence without knowing it. And why? Because of that person’s failure to believe in the one-of-a-kind Son of God when introduced to him.  John 3:16-18 (MSG)

God the Father, Jesus the Son, and the Holy Spirit are my heroes, my deliverers.

Copyright © 2021 Mark Brady.  All rights reserved.

The Yolk, The White, The Shell

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A lot of people recognize God.  Some will acknowledge Jesus as God’s son.  Few though, it seems, mention the third member of the trinity, the Holy Spirit.  I am so thankful for the work of the Holy Spirit in my life.  For it was He who drew me to God in the first place.  It was He who convicted me of sin.  Though I was only 7 years old, I knew right from wrong, and my pastor preached with God’s authority, that being wrong was sin, and that sin lead to eternal death in hell.

I am thankful, for now I will not be lost forever in the pitch darkness of eternal damnation, alone, and with the feeling of falling forever.  For the pit of hell is bottomless.  Mankind needs two things to feel human, time, and gravity.  Time provides a schedule, a rhythm to life, and gravity helps us feel grounded.  In hell neither exist.

Many years ago, I spent a few hours in jail.  Shocked? Yeah, well, whatever. It happened. Anyway, I noticed there were no clocks, and I didn’t like not knowing what time it was.  The only way to know was by what food items they served us.  Pancakes; must be morning.  Bologna sandwich and chips; has to be afternoon.  Chicken; it’s got to be evening now.

The Holy Spirit also provides great comfort in the times when I don’t understand what is going on with life, or when my heart is breaking for one reason or another. He may not calm the storm, but He calms me down, and helps me know I will get through it.

More than leading me to Jesus, which accepting his work on the cross grants me access to the throne room of God, the Holy Spirit gives me power.  Like Jesus promised us in Acts 1:8. The power I need to speak, and minister to someone in need.  Honestly, many times I wouldn’t have a clue what to say, but I rely on the Holy Spirit.  I open my heart to be willing, and then I open my mouth and God’s words come out.  I know it is God, through the Holy Spirit, because I am usually just as amazed as the one I am speaking to at the wisdom, or love of the words spoken.

“But I promise you this—the Holy Spirit will come upon you and you will be filled with power. And you will be my messengers to Jerusalem, throughout Judea, the distant provinces—even to the remotest places on earth!”  Acts 1:8 (TPT)

Every person who believes in God should ask to be filled with the Holy Spirit.  It is a separate event from salvation and water baptism.  For the scriptures say that when Jesus came up out of the water, meaning after his baptism, then the Holy Spirit lit upon him.  It was the work of the Holy Spirit that empowered Jesus to endure the cross.  In his own human strength it was more than He could bear.

Just like there are three parts to an egg, the yolk, the white, and the shell, it is still only one egg.  So there is Jesus, the Holy Spirit, and God, but there is still only one God.  The three are one, and I will be forever grateful for all three, and the work they have done in my one life. If you choose not to believe in the trinity of God, you may find yourself someday with egg on your face.

Copyright © 2020 Mark Brady.  All rights reserved.