Seat of Satan

Restoring Spirit of Father to the Church Today’s Focus: The Pergamos Church and the Spirit of Father Part 2: Seat of Satan Scripture: Revelation 2:12-17 Greetings Sons of God: Let us continue discussing the significance of the Spirit of Father and the Pergamos church. Revelation 2:13: I know thy works, and where thy dwellest, even where Satan’s seat is: and thou holdest fast my name , and hast not denied my faith, even in those days wherein Antipas was my faithful martyr, who was slain among you, where Satan dwelleth Meaning of Dwelling, Holding Fast His Name and Not Denying the Faith When the Lord was talking to the church at Pergamos He lets them know that He knows where they dwell. The Lord was not talking about a natural location but their position in the Spirit. He also stated that they held fast to His name. This means they have the name Father and Son in their heads and they are Father-centered. Finally, he said they did not deny His faith meaning that they believed in the Word of God and walked in it. Now this sounds like a church that anybody would like to be a part of but there is this glaring statement that Jesus makes that is the giant elephant in the room and that statement is: Satan’s seat is in Pergamos. Seat of Satan Now what seems to be a great church is it possible for Satan to have a seat in that church? Is it possible for Satan to have a throne in the church? First let us state that this seat or throne is an elevated seat of government. It is the seat of executive power and authority. Now understand before we go any further that this situation happened in the Pergamos church but the Lord says at the end that those who have an ear to hear, hear what the Spirit says to the churches. In other words, this situation was not just for the Pergamos church but for the entire Body of Christ. What we must allow the Lord to illuminate is the eternal concept that He is presenting for us to learn and watch for. Now we know that Pergamos was an elevated church that had a view that could see the enemy coming and did not allow the enemy to penetrate the church. They kept the faith, held fast to the Lord’s name and stayed in position with the Lord. So what was it that allowed Satan to have a throne in such a powerful church? The Lord speaks of this one person called Antipas and He states that he was the Lord’s faithful martyr. The key to understanding how Satan got this throne is to examine who Antipas was and his significance to Pergamos and how Satan got his seat there. In the next message we will examine the Antipas principal. Peace, Love and Grace, Calvin Calhoun, Jr.

Pergamos Church and Spirit of Father Part 1

Restoring Spirit of Father to the Church Today’s Focus: The Pergamos Church and the Spirit of Father Part 1 Scripture: Revelation 2:12-17 Greetings Sons of God: Over the next couple of messages we will examine the Pergamos church and how the Spirit of Father functions within the church. So let’s get right to it: Revelation 2:12: And to the angel of the church in Pergamos write; These things saith he which hath the sharp sword with two edges; Meaning of Pergamos Now we know that God hides himself in names so let’s dissect this from the beginning. The word Pergamos means “Well fortified tower”. We know that a tower represents an elevated position. From this elevated position they have a aerial view and with that view they can see the enemy coming before they even get there. For it to be a well fortified tower means it is such a stronghold against enemy penetration. So this church is at an elevated position, it is well protected and can see the movement of the enemy before the enemy gets there and it is well protected from enemy penetration. Sharp Sword with Two Edges When many people see the passage of the sharp sword with two edges the majority points to the Word of God and they are right but let’s take a deeper look. Look how the Lord phrases this: He says the sharp sword with two edges. Now a sword with two edges we would assume is already sharp but why the emphasis on saying sharp. Let’s examine the word sharp: Sharp in the Greek is “Oxus” and it means: acidic The reason the Lord uses the word acidic as it pertains to the Word of God (sword) is because the Word of God, when it comes into your life, everything not of God will be dissolved. The Word of God will dissolve inaccurate positions and cut off anything that is not like God. Hebrews 4:12 says it best: Hebrews 4:12: For the Word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. The Word of God divides the soul from the spirit because the purpose of the Word of God is to accomplish the Will of God and that can only happen in truth and in spirit. It is our objective to silence the soul and get it to blindly follow the spirit in complete obedience and when we do this we can represent the Father. In the next message we will look at verse 13 and get into the meat of this discussion and the significance of Pergamos. Peace, Love and Grace, Calvin Calhoun, Jr.

Obedience of the Sons of God

Restoring Spirit of Father to the Church Today’s Focus: Obedience of the Sons of God Scripture: Romans 5:19 Greetings Sons of God: God has called the sons of God to absolute obedience. You can never represent the Father without obedience. Faith should take us to obedience. Let me explain: Faith gives you the opportunity to choose. You can choose to live by your soul or live by the spirit. The objective that God is trying to achieve in is to shut the eye of the soul, which was opened in the Garden, and learn to move beyond faith to absolute obedience. The eye of the spirit is a single eye and the spirit will simply obey without question or rational. Jesus never operated on the platform of faith but from a position of absolute obedience. Jesus learned the excellence over His soul and in the Garden of Gethsemane we see an example of how. Jesus said and I am paraphrasing “My SOUL is sorrowful unto death, the FLESH is weak but the SPIRIT is willing” and then he would say, “Not my will but thou (Father’s) will. Because He understood who He was and how important it was for him to obey the voice of the Father, we have the opportunity to be reconciled back to the Father, His House and His Kingdom. Jesus showed us that we as sons must move from faith to obedience. I am not discounting faith because faith brings us to Christ but it is obedience to the voice of Christ that allows us to walk in Christ and handle the Kingdom. Let me show you these Scriptures: Romans 5:19: For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous Because of the obedience of the Son of God, Jesus Christ we are able to be reconciled back to the Father so just like the patent Son, Jesus we are to come that extreme obedience and that happens when we submit our soul to the rule of the spirit. Know this God never intended for us to know darkness, only the light. This is why God forbid Adam and Eve to eat of the tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil because we are children of light and we were not designed to see darkness. However, we chose darkness through disobedience and faith in Jesus Christ gives us the choice to choose light and knowledge of Christ and the Father but we must make the choice and if we have faith then we should choose the voice of the Father over the voice of the soul. In the next message we will look at a particular situation in Scripture and how the Spirit of Father is administered in the church and the consequence of the absence of that Spirit. Peace, Love and Grace, Calvin Calhoun, Jr.

The Single Mind and Single View of the Sons

Restoring Spirit of Father to the Church Today’s Focus: The Single Mind and Single View of the Sons Scripture: Genesis 1:26; Romans 12:1,2; Philippians 2:5; Colossians 1:19; Hebrews 1:1,2 Greetings Sons of God: If we are sons who are called to represent the Father in the earth and we will talk about the representational principal later. If we are sons of God, representing the Father then we should have a single mindset and single view. Philippians 2:5: Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus Romans 12:1,2: I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. The single mind is the mind of Christ and the view from the Son should be one of the Father. When we as sons completely obey the voice of the Lord through submission and sacrifice of our own will and desires, the perfect will of God will be shown. Our sole purpose in the earth as sons is to occupy our mind with His Will. Our primary objective as sons is to represent the Father and bring pleasure to Him. Now the Father can only be expressed in a representative called a son: Colossians 2:19: For it pleased the Father that in Him should all the fullness; Hebrews 1:1,2: God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers, by the prophets, Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds. So it pleased the Father that all the fullness of the Godhead dwell within the Son and it is also through Son that the father speaks. The perpetual nature, identity, expression and work can only be expressed in a Son and it is the son whom He sends so when you see the son, you see the Father. We have been called to be ambassadors of Christ and that is representation of the one whom sends us. When we embrace this identity and paradigm shift, burdens will begin to be lifted and the bonds and yokes of religion will be broken because God did not create you to be a member of some institution but He created to be His son and the son carries not only the image of the Father but also the likeness and that likeness can only be demonstrated: Genesis 1:26: And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. We are made in His image (spirit) and after His likeness (character). Image is given, likeness is matured. And in the next message we will talk about the importance of obedience of the sons of God in expressing the likeness of the Father. Peace, Love and Grace, Calvin Calhoun, Jr.

New Teaching Series: Restoring the Spirit of Father to the Church

Restoring Spirit of Father to the Church Today’s Focus: Primary Identity of God Scripture: Romans 8:15; Galatians 4:6 Greetings Sons of God: Now you may ask what do I mean by restoring the Spirit of Father to the church? Isn’t the Father already in the church? Well if we examine the state of the church, in particular because I live here in the United States, the Spirit of Father is not the dominant rule in the church. When we talk about God we hear all of the wonderful things He is such as Redeemer, Deliverer, Healer..etc and these are all true. But these are descriptions of how God comes into our needs. So we get caught up in knowing God by how He comes and meets our needs but what about who God is before there was a need. Who is God before the beginning of the world and evil? That is who we need to know God as. Before all of that God is Father, Son and Holy Spirit Now if this is the primary name of God before all of time then we must come to know Him by that name. Now when we become born again, and receive the Holy Spirit there is a cry that must come from one who has been born again and come into the House of God and that cry is Abba, Father. The presence of the Holy Spirit with us is expressed through the cry of Abba, Father. Let me show you: Romans 8:15: For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry Abba, Father Galatians 4:6: And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying Abba, Father. So when we receive the Spirit of the Son or Holy Spirit the expressed cry from one who has become a son of God is Abba, Father. You come to first know God as your Father. If this is the primary identity and cry then there is a purpose in that identity that the Father desires to live through and impact the earth with His will. It is in being a son and knowing God as your Father does He manifest the gifts of the Spirit and come how He desires in the needs of our lives in being a Deliverer, Redeemer, Comforter but we do not know Him by how He meets our needs, we know Him because He is our Father, first. With this said and with that identity comes a single purpose in being a son who cries Abba, Father and in the next message we will look at the single mind and single view of the sons of God. Peace, Love and Grace, Calvin Calhoun, Jr.

2012 Election Reflection: The Spirit of Laodicea

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Maintaining Your Deliverance: Renewing of the Mind

Releasing Hurts Today’s Focus: Maintaining Your Deliverance: Renewing of the Mind Scripture: Romans 12:1,2; 1 Corinthians 15:31; Hebrews 4:12; James 4:7 Greetings Sons of God: The renewing of the mind is the most crucial step in maintaining deliverance because it allows us to do the three major principles to keep our deliverance which are: Standing on the Word, Resisting the Devil and Walking in Fellowship with the Lord. Romans 12:1,2: I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect will of God 1 Corinthians 15:31: I protest by your rejoicing which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord, I die daily. Now the common theme we see between these two scriptures is sacrifice and death. We sacrifice the rule of ourselves and we die to our own soulish desires. Jesus said it best, you must first deny yourself. We are laying down our own will, desires (life) for the will of God to rule in our lives and others. For this to happen one must learn how to sacrifice and suppress the rule of the soul and bring it under submission to the rule of the Spirit. So when faced with a situation that you have just been delivered from, it is crucial for you to know the voice of the Spirit and obey. To know the voice of the Spirit and obey is to: Stand on the Word And when you stand on the Word you: Resist the Devil And in resisting the devil you are able to: Walk in fellowship with the Lord Do we see how renewing our mind sets everything else into motion? Let me show you this other scripture: James 4:7: Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you Could it really be that simple just to say no and the devil will flee from you? Yes! When we stand on the Word (Sword in the Armour of God) the enemy has no power over us because we are standing on truth. It is when we subit and succumb to the trap that he gains legal access and control over us. This is why it is critical to renew your mind daily because the devil is clearly more cunning that us and has a distinct advantage of invisibility over us. This is why we must abide in the word of God because Hebrews 4:12 tells us the five-fold ministry of the Word: 1. Quick – life-giving 2. Powerful – ability to overcome 3. Piercing – offends 4. Divides the soul from the spirit (This is the big one) 5. Discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart The Word of God does all of that for us so that we can fellowship and walk with the Lord daily and resist the devil (discernment). Renewing your mind is a everyday requirement to continue to grow in Christ. This allows you to fellowship more with God and mature as a son. Maintenance of your deliverance is all on you. It is a choice you make to either walk with God and live or go back into bondage and oppression under Satan and be destroyed. It sounds like an easy answer but when we examine the lives of believers it looks a lot harder than we think. But, the great thing is God is raising up sons that will be a light and show the ways of Christ to those struggling and their testimony will be used to help their brothers and sisters transfer from living by the soul to living in the Spirit. When we make that transition we maintain our deliverance and freely walk and serve the Father as His sons and representatives or ambassadors in the Earth. Peace, Love and Grace from the Father, Calvin Calhoun, Jr.

Maintaining Your Deliverance

Releasing Hurts Today’s Focus: Maintaining Your Deliverance Scripture: Romans Isaiah 55:11 8:5,6 Greetings Sons of God: Now that we understand that forgiveness is a major key to releasing hurt and true deliverance, the next question should obviously be how do we maintain our deliverance? How do we stay free from the sin and hurt that we just been delivered from? For many people this is where it gets cloudy and many do not every walk in true freedom because they backslide and believe that they never were delivered when in fact they were. It is the enemy’s job to cause doubt and fear this is why in Ephesians 6 the Lord tells you to carry the shield of faith to block the fiery darts of the enemy which consists of lies and doubts. Of course, he also tells you to wear the helmet of salvation to protect your mind. Now both of these pieces of armor are crucial in maintaining your deliverance. You must understand that the old adage says: “Whoever controls the mind, controls the body” and the enemy knows that and you must protect your head and your mind from the attack of the enemy and this leads me to our discussion today. In the previous message we said in order to get delivered you must: Repent, renounce and forgive but to maintain that deliverance we need to do some other things and here are three things the sons of God must do to maintain their deliverance: 1. Stand on the Word 2. Resist the Devil 3. Walk in fellowship with the Lord Starting this process is the hard part because you must first get control of the internal war between the soul and the spirit. When God has spoken something and/or done anything we know for a fact that it is truth and will or has happened. Isaiah 55:11: So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it. When the Lord declares your deliverance and freedom from any situation, you can take that to the bank and know that it has happened. But what the devil tries to do, He tries to make you believe that it has not happened and what he does is try to put you put into the same situation you came from and this is the break point. Now when this situation happens you now hear two distinct voices: One telling you to “leave” and the other saying “I thought I was delivered from this, why is this happening again?” Now who you believe determines whether you stay free or go back into bondage. This internal war is between your soul and spirit and Paul speaks clearly to the consequence of listening to both: Romans 8:5,6: For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit. For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. So we can either listen to our soul where the enemy loves to attack us and try to get us to be carnally minded which leads to death or we can listen to the spirit man because it is with our spirit that the Holy Spirit speaks and testifies truth and revelation and if we listen to the Spirit then we will have life and peace. Now we know from previous studies that the soul and spirit have a mind and will but we also know that we need to be sensitive and obedient to the Spirit because in obedience to the Spirit there is life and peace. So when we come out of that darkness or stronghold of the enemy there must be a shift and a change and this is the most crucial step in maintaining your deliverance and that is one must renew their mind daily. In the next message we will talk about the importance of renewing the mind daily in maintaining deliverance. Peace, Love and Grace from the Father, Calvin Calhoun, Jr.

Steps to Forgiveness

Releasing Hurts for Deliverance Today’s Focus: The Power of Forgiveness in Deliverance Part 3: Steps to Forgiveness Scripture: Hebrews 12:14; John 20:22,23; Matthew 18:21,22; 5:9 Greetings Sons of God: Why do we seek forgiveness? Well of course we desire to be forgiven by the Lord so yes we must forgive also but why and what does it produce? Hebrews 12:14: Follow peace with all men and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord Now I do not know about you but I desire to see the Lord but in order to see the Lord you must follow peace with all men and holiness. When we forgive we make peace with man. And as a son of God it is our divine character and mission to follow peace. Matthew 5:9: Blessed are the peacemakers for they shall be called the children of God So pursuing peace is our goal in forgiveness because in our past message we see that unforgiveness give the enemy legal right to torment us and there is no peace between the parties until forgiveness takes place. Now let’s look at the steps to forgiveness: 1. One Must Choose to Forgive John 20:22,23: And when he had said this he breathed on them and saith, Receive ye the Holy Ghost: Whose soever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them; and whose soever sins ye retain, they are retained. What is Jesus saying? He has given us power and authority in the name of Jesus to forgive sins and we also have the choice to retain sins. Now understand when you retain the sin and not forgive the person, you can now be tormented and held back from forgiveness yourself from the Lord. We must all make the choice to forgive and when we choose not to forgive the Lord is not obligated to forgive us because we are not forgiving. The Spirit of the Lord is forgiveness and if we are in the image and likeness, we must forgive and forget. 2. Be Specific in your Forgiveness When you are denouncing soul ties or even trying to release a person through forgiveness be specific in your request to the Lord. Deal with each situation and release the person through forgiveness 3. Pray until God Restores Love This is where a lot of people miss the forgiveness principle. So many people ust want to say “I have forgiven them but yet they still remember and when they see the person they still dislike them. If that is the case then they were never forgiven to begin with. Forgiveness replaces hatred with love. In other words, when you have truly forgiven someone you forget the situation that separated you in the first pace and you love them as your brother and sister in Christ. Matthew 18:21,22: Then came Peter to him ,and said, Lord, how oft shall my brother sin me, and I forgive him? Till seven times? Jesus saith unto him, I say, not unto thee until seven times; but, until seventy times seven. Jesus was stressing the fact that we must have the heart of forgiveness to a point where we forgive unto we love again. No matter how many times it takes, we must get back to the point where we love them unconditionally and when we see them we are not reminded of the past situation but love them in the present. Peace, Love and Grace, Calvin Calhoun, Jr.

The Power of Forgiveness in Deliverance Part 2

Releasing Hurts for Deliverance Today’s Focus: The Power of Forgiveness in Deliverance Part 2 Scripture: Matthew 6:9-15 Greetings Sons of God: It is amazing even the model prayer when the Lord was teaching us how to pray, we were being taught this very principal of forgiveness and deliverance. Let’s take a look piece by piece at this so that we can really understand the hand-in-hand relationship between forgiveness and deliverance. Mathew 6:10-12: Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors. Now the first thing the Lord admonishes us to pray for is for the Kingdom to come. This does not mean that the Kingdom is not present in the earth because it is. What we are petitioning is for the rulership of God to come into our lives and rule and whatever the Will of God is in heaven, we pray for it to manifest in the earth. The second request is for daily bread. He is not talking about physical bread that you eat but our daily subsistence that we need to make it through the day and that would be grace which is in the Word of God. Then we come to forgive us our debt as we forgive our debtors. But go back and read that slowly and carefully: Forgive us OUR DEBTS, AS WE FORGIVE our debtors. We petition the Lord to forgive us AS WE, meaning we must forgive, forgive our debtors or those who have hurt or wronged us. If you do not forgive, God will not forgive. Now with that said watch the next thing we petition: Matthew 6:13: And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil for thine is the kingdom, and the power and the glory forever. Amen When we forgive those who have wronged or hurt us, the Lord will deliver us from the evil, the torment and the hurt that has been in place and He does it by you submitting to His rulership (Kingdom of God) over you and the power within the Kingdom by His presence (glory). Forgiveness releases God’s forgiveness and healing for you. And to show you just how important forgiveness is. After the model pray, Jesus says this: Matthew 6:14,15: For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your Heavenly Father will also forgive you: But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses. Forgiveness is the key for deliverance to release hurts. You cannot effectively minister to people hurt because hurt people, hurt people. In the next message we will look at the steps in forgiveness that we need to take in order to ensure our deliverance. Peace, Love and Grace, Calvin Calhoun, Jr.

Power of Forgiveness in Deliverance Part 1

Releasing Hurts for Deliverance Today’s Focus: The Power of Forgiveness in Deliverance Part 1 Scripture: Matthew 18:21-35 Greetings Sons of God: Without forgiveness there is no deliverance Now with that said when we examine the scriptures in our last message and many others we will see a connection as it relates to forgiveness and release from some type of iniquity whether it be physical or spiritual. Many times when Jesus healed someone, He would state “sin no more”. Now why is forgiveness so important to deliverance in releasing hurts. First, we must understand when we have been hurt the relationship between two people or even a group of people is broken. In that broken relationship bitterness is at the heart and it cuts people off from the grace of God. How does it do that? The one who is carrying the hurt is bound to the past and the people of the past. Now what this does is this: 1. The person cannot live in the present and the bitterness from the past flows into present-day relationships. We know this today as carrying-baggage. 2. You are bound to that person spiritually as long as you are carrying the hurts and bitterness of that relationship regardless if the person is dead or alive. 3. Your unforgiveness can actually keep God from working in another’s life. Because of this the one who is carrying the hurt is tormented by the enemy and cannot be effectively used for Kingdom advancement. Let me share this scripture with you and we will pick up this in the next message: Matthew 18:21-22: Then came Peter to him, and said, Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? Till seven times? Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee, until seven times: but until seventy times seven. Now Peter asks the question we all would at some point ask and Jesus answers His question and thin proceeds to a parable describing the Kingdom of Heaven (Matt. 18:21-35) and an unforgiving debtor who the Lord forgave and set free from his debts but when put in the same situation, he failed to show the same compassion and mercy that the Lord showed to him. He punished the unforgiving debtor by turning him over to those who he owed so that he would have to pay them all that was owed and the Lord says this in verse 35: Matthew 18:35: So likewise shall my heavenly Father do also unto you, if ye from your hearts forgive not every one his brother their trespasses. Because of the unforgiving heart of the debtor the Lord handed him over to the people he owed and the Lord calls them the “tormentors”. We as the sons of God have been given authority in the name of Jesus to forgive sin. Now do not jump off the boat I will explain this in the next message. Failure to forgive only leads to a life of torment and disappointment and not of eternal freedom. Peace, Love and Grace, Calvin Calhoun, Jr.

New Teaching Series: Releasing Hurts for Deliverance - Legal Tormenting through Unforgiveness

Releasing Hurts for Deliverance Today’s Focus: Legal Tormenting through Unforgiveness Scripture: Genesis 1:26; Matthew 18:27; Luke 13:12; Romans 8:15 Greetings Sons of God: Let me preface this entire teaching series with this statement: Forgiveness is the key to releasing hurt Now I should be able to say case closed with that statement but if it was really that easy the Body of Christ would be better unified and we would not have all of this bitterness within the House of God between brothers and sisters. Now understand when you do not forgive someone, God does not forgive you and if you are not forgiven, the devil, Satan, has legal access to you to torment you. Many sons of God are being tormented, legally, by the enemy because of unforgiveness. The result of unforgiveness is bitterness and bitterness is at the heart of every evil work. To release bitterness you must forgive. Now let’s get a definition of forgiveness. Luke 13:12: And when Jesus saw her, he called her to him, and said unto her, Woman, thou art loosed from thine infirmity Loosed (Greek-Apoluo) – to set free, to liberate (as if it were a captive) Matthew 18:27: Then the lord of that servant was moved with compassion, and loosed him, and forgave him the debt Forgave (Greek-Aphiemi) – To let alone, to send away, to bid going away or depart The reason we want to forgive is because if we are sons of God, when we forgive, we become LIKE God (Genesis 1:26). Forgiveness is the Spirit of the Lord. Now on the opposite end, when we do not forgive and retain the hurt we become just like the person who hurt us and unforgiveness and hatred is the spirit of the world. When we walk in any aspect of the spirit of the world we are in bondage (Romans 8:15). The enemy loves to stir hate and contentment within a son because he knows that you cannot grow, you cannot operate in the spirit under that heart and mindset. In the next message we will examine how forgiveness and deliverance goes hand and hand. Peace, Love and Grace, Calvin Calhoun, Jr.

Godly Soul Ties: Sexual Unions

Understanding Soul Ties Today’s Focus: Godly Soul Ties Part 3: Sexual Unions Scripture: Matthew 19:5,6; 1 Corinthians 7:1-3 Greetings Sons of God: Matthew 19:5,6: And said, For this cause shall a man leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife; and they twain shall be one flesh? Wherefore they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder. The only godly soul tie by sexual union is the ones God ordains through marriage. Simply put sex is for the marriage bed. This is why 1 Corinthians 7 speaks of it being good for a man not to touch a woman to avoid fornication and then 1 Corinthians 7:2,3 goes on to speak letting husband tend to his wife and each wife tend to her husband. God did not deal with intermediate situations (boyfriend/girlfriend) and this is why you do not see, boyfriend or girlfriend in scripture. God wants you only to connect to people who He knows through His divine wisdom, is the one He has prepared for you and through your godly union, God’s glory and goodness shines through the relationship between husband and wife when they procreate and God blesses them with children. In closing, sex is reserved for the marriage bed period and it is not a lustful sex where a husband or wife sees their spouse as some sex toy but it is true ministry and benevolence between two people bonded by God in love. Peace, Love and Grace, Calvin Calhoun, Jr.

Godly Soul Ties: The Early Church

Understanding Soul Ties Today’s Focus: Godly Soul Ties Part 2: The Early Church Scripture: Acts 4:31,32 Greetings Sons of God: Now let’s examine the early church. We saw how God knitted the souls of Jonathon and David together to show us how in true godly friendships we will lay down our lives for our friends and today I want to show you this powerful picture of the early church. Acts 4:31,32: And when they had prayed, the place was shaken where they were assembled together; and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost , and they spake the Word of God with boldness. And the multitude of them that believed were of ONE HEART AND OF ONE SOUL: neither said any of them that ought of the things which he possessed was his own; but they had all things common The power that a unified Body of Christ has!! In this story and I urge you to read the entire story but for the sake of time, Peter and John were taken before the chief priest and elders and they threatened them to stop teaching about Jesus but the chief priests feared all the people outside that stood with them and together on one accord with one heart and one soul they prayed to God. In that prayer they spoke Psalm 2 and after their prayer the place was shaken and the Holy Spirit filled everyone and spoke the Word of the Lord. When we pray as a unified Body for the Will of God to be done, expect it to be done. The early church prayed all the time and through their prayers and faith, God did many wonders through the apostles and people. Even before the chief priests, Peter and John could not deny what they had seen or heard because they were with Jesus before the resurrection and after the resurrection. The unified church, in the eyes of the Roman Empire was a huge threat to their power and reign. Over 5 million Christians were killed during the 10 emperor reign of the Roman Empire. This was the great tribulation spoken by the Lord that would happen in Matthew 24. No matter what they did, they could never stop the advancement of the growth of the Kingdom of God in the earth. But we must return to prayer and intercession because that communication with God allows Him to come in and manifest His perfect will. The Scriptures say we should always pray and the most powerful family on earth is a unified Body of Christ praying on one accord for the Will of God to be done. Peace, Love and Grace, Calvin Calhoun, Jr.

Godly Soul Ties: Friendships and the Body of Christ

Understanding Soul Ties Today’s Focus: Godly Soul Ties Part 1: Friendships and the Body of Christ Scripture: 1 Samuel 18:1-3; 19:1-3; John 15:13; Greetings Sons of God: Now that we see the impact of negative soul ties, let’s look at some positive soul ties and how they benefit us in the Kingdom and House of God. When we examine friendships within the Body of Christ we must understand that true friendships within the Body of Christ are based in love and self-sacrifice. Let me show you: John 15:13: Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you These are the words of Jesus to the disciples and understand that Jesus is saying you are friends if you follow and obey His Words. So another aspect of true friendship within the Body is that they share the mind of Christ which unifies the Body. Now in the Bible there was a unique story of a Godly soul tie friendship between two, possible unlikely people and they are Johnathan and David: 1 Samuel 18:1-3: And it came to pass, when he had made an end of speaking unto Saul, that the SOUL of Johnathan was KNIT WITH THE SOUL of David, and Johnathan loved him as his own soul. And Saul took him that day, and would let him go no more home to his father’s house. Then Johnathan and David MADE A COVENANT, BECAUSE HE LOVED HIM AS HIS OWN SOUL. Johnathan was Saul’s son and his soul was knit to the soul of David. Understand at this point in the story David had slayed Goliath and brought his head back to Saul. Saul became all the more extremely jealous of David to a point that he continually plotted to kill him but watch how powerful a godly soul tie is when it is ordained by the Lord watch this: 1 Samuel 19:1-3: And Saul spake to Johnathan his son and to all his servants, that they should kill David. But Jonathan Saul’s son delighted much in David: and Jonathan told David, saying, Saul my father seeketh to kill thee: now therefore , I pray thee, take heed to thyself until the morning, and abide in a secret place, and hide thyself: And I will go out and stand beside my father in the field where thou art and I will commune with my father of thee and what I see, that I will tell thee. Now I urge you to read the rest of the story because it is phenomenal but understand, the covenant bond between Jonathon and David was so strong that Jonathan would risk his life by betraying his father to protect his friend from death. Jonathan in 1 Samuel 19:4,5 would plead with his father to not slay David because of all of the blessings and good works that have been done for Israel by him and to slay him would be to shed innocent blood. Jonathon laid his life on the line for David because he loved him just as his own soul. As the story would go, of course Saul would not keep his promise out of jealousy and continue to hunt David to kill him, even trying to use his personal messengers to try to kill him. The Lord was with David and Jonathon was connected to grace and in subsequent actions he would serve David to help him along the way. We in the Body of Christ who are connected by the Spirit should present this same picture one towards another. We should always be ready to lay down our life for someone else to live. Do not expect the enemy to do this because that is not in his character but it is in the character of God because it is the greatest show of love to lay down your life for your friends. We need to take a deep examination of what a true friend is biblically and then ask the Lord to show us who our true friends are and show us and cut loose those who are not godly and will hinder our walk with the Lord. In the next message for the sake of time we will look at the early church and the power of the godly soul tie. Peace, Love and Grace, Calvin Calhoun, Jr.

Keys to Freedom: Restoration

Understanding Soul Ties Today’s Focus: Keys to Freedom from Soul Ties Part 3: Restoration Scripture: Psalm 51:10-13 Greetings Sons of God: Psalm 51:10-13: Create in me a clean heart O God and renew a right spirit within me. Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy holy spirit from me. Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free spirit. Then will I teach transgressors thy ways; and sinners shall be converted unto thee. So after we have acknowledged our sin, renounced the soul tie and repented, the Lord in all His wonderful mercy and lovingkindness (Psalm 51:1) will restore you to a righteous position in Him. Understand sin cannot stand in the sight of God and David cried out for a clean heart and a renewed spirit from the sin he had committed. In Psalm 23 David asks for His soul to be restored. Why ask for our soul to be restored? In the process of restoration is ordering parts of the body back to the original configuration set by God in the Garden and restored by Jesus Christ through His death, burial and resurrection. Before the fall this was the order of the being called man: Holy Spirit communes and testifies with your spirit -> Your soul blindly follows the spirit -> Through your flesh, Manifest the will of God in the Earth But after the fall this arrangement was corrupted and we became soul dominant: Eyes of the spirit are closed → Soul interprets everything → Flesh manifest the desires of the soul Notice when we are soul dominant there is no revelation or communion with the spirit. Now in the case of the believer or the son of God the spirit and the soul are warring against one another. The spirit desires to do the will of God but your soul desires to do what it feels is comfortable and safe. David asks for his soul to be restored because it was in the wrong place for a person seeking the heart of God. David asks the Lord to renew or bring back the original mindset and state that places me in right-position with the Lord. So when the Lord restores us, it is up to us to stay obedient and avoid situations that can trap us back into those un-godly soul ties and covenants. The Lord restores you so that you can accurately represent Him in the Earth and put the culture and nature of the Father on display. Wen He restores you, it is up to you then to stay the course and obey His voice. Romans 8:14: For as many as are led by the Spirit of God they are the sons of God It is time to come from being unequally yoked with un-godly soul ties. The Lord will not be a third wheel in your life. He is your Source, Abba, Father and in order to manifest His perfect will, you must present your body as a living sacrifice, HOLY and acceptable unto God. Peace, Love and Grace, Calvin Calhoun, Jr.

Keys to Freedom Part 2: Breaking the Pattern and Repentance

Understanding Soul Ties Today’s Focus: Keys to Freedom from Soul Tie Part 2: Breaking the Pattern and Repentance Scripture: 2 Chronicles 7:14; Psalm 119:133,134; John 8:36 Greetings Sons of God: 2 Chronicles 7:14: If my people which are called by my name shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and will heal their land Many people quote this scripture as it pertains to healing and when we talk about breaking soul ties you must talk about breaking the pattern and repentance. When we examine the above scripture we see that God is calling His people but He tells them what they must do so that their prayers are heard and He will forgive the sin and heal the land. He tells them to humble themselves, pray, seek His face and TURN FROM THEIR WICKED WAYS. When we turn from our wicked ways, this is how we break the pattern through repentance. We must reject the former way and resist it from bringing us back into bondage. Let me show you this scripture: Psalm 119:133-134: Order my steps in thy word: and let not any iniquity have dominion over me. Deliver me from the oppression of man: so will I keep thy precepts. After we recognize the ungodly soul tie, denounce it before the Lord, break the pattern and repent our direction should be in the ways of the Lord to prevent bondage again. The path is ordered by His Word and when we walk in His Word through obedience no enemy will have dominion over you because they no longer have legal access to you through sin. Now understand, God knows our heart and He knows a true repentant heart, so if you are truly not sorry, do not bother but if we are truly repentant, the Lord hears the cry of His child and will forgive the sin and heal the person. Breaking the pattern is the hardest thing to do because the enemy wants to make you believe that nothing has changed and so he will attempt to re-connect you to that ungodly person or situation. However when we have truly turned and repented and the Lord has forgiven the sin then we are free. John 8:36: If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed In the next message we will look at restoration. Peace, Love and Grace, Calvin Calhoun, Jr.

Keys to Freedom: Recognition and Renunciation

Understanding Soul Ties Today’s Focus: Keys to Freedom from Soul Ties: Recognition and Renunciation Scripture: Psalm 51:2-4; Zechariah 3:3,4 Greetings Sons of God: There are four keys to freedom from soul ties and here they are: 1. Recognition 2. Renunciation 3. Repentance 4. Restoration Now the only way you can solve a problem is to recognize that you have one and this brings us to our first key: Recognition Psalm 51:2-4: Wash me thoroughly from mine iniquity and cleanse me from my sin. For I acknowledge my transgressions: and my sin is ever before me. Against thee, thee only have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight: that thou mightest be justified when thou speakest and be clear when thou judgest. David wanted to be clean from the sin that the Lord made aware to him through the prophet Nathan about Bathsheba. David was a son after God’s heart and did not want to be in an unrighteous position with Him and because of that yearning the Lord made him aware of His sin. Psalm 51 is a plea from David to be restored back to righteous position with the Lord and notice he starts the Psalm with acknowledging his sin because you must acknowledge the sin before the Lord before you can be restored. Here is another example naturally that we see almost everyday. We hear the old example that the first key thing you must do in order to solve a problem is to recognize or admit that you have one. The best example of this is the Alcoholics Anonymous example: Whenever someone goes to Alcoholics Anonymous meetings everyone is sitting around in a semi circle and there is the moderator of the meeting sitting there. Now what is unique is that the moderator already knows that you have a problem with alcohol but you must confess out of your mouth that you have a problem. Typically you may hear this common line “Hello my name is Calvin and I am a alcoholic” (This is an example ☺). In order to break a soul tie you must admit that you have one. How do you know that you have one? God will reveal it to you but you must receive the Word of God from the mouth of His messenger and usually it is a message of correction to get you back on the right track. The first step to freedom is recognition of the soul tie and the Lord will make you aware. We need to always be in a position of submission and humility to obey and admit out faults before the Lord. He knows everything. The next thing you must do is denounce the soul tie before the Lord. Denouncing or renunciation of a soul tie is the petitioning of the son to the Father to separate them from the ungodly union the have made with a person or thing. This crying out to the Lord is critical because the Lord can and will only break something unless you ask Him to. Sounds weird but biblically true. God will not force Himself on you. You freely had to choose salvation so this is no different and if you are needing to be set free from a soul tie then you must petition the one who has power to break the bond. When it comes to soul ties many people think that they can just say Lord forgive me and that’s it and that is not true, you must petition the Lord for what you desire. HE will not break a bond that you set without you desiring for it to be broken. This is the integrity of God. Denouncing a soul tie is simply crying out to the Lord asking Him to break the bond that was formed out of rebellion and other sinful acts. The prophet Zechariah would say this: Zechariah 3:3,4: Now Joshua was clothed with filthy garments, and stood before the angel. And he answered and spake unto those that stood before him, saying, Take away the filthy garments from him. And unto him he said, Behold, I have caused thine iniquity to pass from thee, and I will cloth thee with change of raiment. When we recognize and renounce the soul ties we have formed that are ungodly the Lord will break that covenant and take away that iniquity by the power of the blood of Jesus Christ that was shed for the remission of sin. In the next message we will look at repentance and restoration Peace, Love and Grace, Calvin Calhoun, Jr.

Hindrances from Freedom: Coping

Understanding Soul Ties Today’s Focus: Hindrances from Freedom by Soul Ties: Coping Scripture: Ephesians 6:10; Romans 8:35-37 Greetings Sons of God: Let’s examine how coping hinders us from being free from soul ties. When we examine coping, it simply is adjusting one’s life in order to deal with or be comfortable in a situation. This may sound reasonable but it is not reasonable when the person copes in the midst of being in denial. Being in denial is commonly observed in people who always say “it never happened” even though it did and because did and the enemy has made such a stronghold in that person. The person adjusts their lives to cope with the situation instead of actually confronting the situation and finding a solution to the problem. A great example of coping is when there has been some type of abuse repeatedly. The victim of the abuse learn to cope with the fact that it happened and they try to forget it. When confronted by someone who knows the truth and they come bearing an answer, they deny the situation ever happening and try to show how they are currently living as proof that the situation never happened when all they are showing you is the cover they made to try to hide the hurt. Children or child abuse (sexual or physical), Women of domestic violence (sexual and non-sexual), sons of God being violated sexually by pastors or overseers. Many of these victims try to hide the abuse but eventually this no where good and sadly in some cases, suicide. We as the church, the sons of God do not cope but we turn to the Lord and find our strength in Him. Ephesians 6:10: Finally, my brethren be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might God’s power can change every situation. We are more than conquerors through Christ Jesus. You do not have to accept what happened but the Lord wants you to confront it through Him, let Him heal you and restore you so that that situation no longer can hold you and hinder you from the freedom that Christ’s death on the cross and His resurrection paid for. The devil wants you to cope and try to forget about what happened. This is ho he maintains the soul tie that binds you from true freedom, healing and deliverance. Let the Lord show you the hurt and let Him deal with it because if you don’t you will cope and live a lie and the devil is the father of all lies. Let me leave you with this powerful scripture: Romans 8:35-37: Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written, for thy sake we are all killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. Nay, IN ALL THESE THINGS WE ARE MORE THAN CONQUERORS THROUGH HIM THAT LOVED US. Peace, Love and Grace, Calvin Calhoun, Jr.

Hindrances to Freedom: Passivity

Understanding Soul Ties Today’s Focus: Hindrances to Freedom from Soul Ties Part 2: Passivity Scripture: James 4:17 Greetings Sons of God: James 4:17: Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin Passivity is a huge hindrance to freedom from soul ties. Passivity is basically putting up no resistance and in many cases people have been oppressed so long that they typically say “It has been like this for so long”. Here is two particular example how passivity can prevent you from coming into freedom. Children of Israel in Egypt The Lord God told Abraham that the children of Israel would go into Egypt and be in bondage and unknown leadership for 430 years. Of course we know that Joseph became a major leader in Egypt and the children of Israel were led into Egypt because of the famine in the land and under the leadership of their brother Joseph. Of course another Pharaoh rises who does not know Joseph and they enslave the Hebrews children for over 430 years. In the midst of the 430 years generations of Hebrew children are born who did not know the God of their Fathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. So we fast forward to Moses and of course we know God chooses Moses to help God lead His people out of Egypt but of course Moses encountered resistance by his own people because they were used to living in Egypt, though they were enslaved but would give up freedom for provision and protection. Sounds like the culture of the orphan. Even after they would come out of Egypt many times they would complain to Moses about how they had it in Egypt and it always pertained to provision and protection. God was showing his people by the plagues and wonders that He is bringing them to another and better life but to enter the promised land they had to live differently than how they lived in Egypt. There minds for 430 years were assimilated to the Egyptian way of life, including serving their gods. When God sends change to bring you into a closer relationship with Him, do not allow passivity and doubt to come in and try to hold you captive to a lifestyle that does not promote the eternal life that God has called you to live. Jesus and the Kingdom of God When Jesus came to Earth, He came to restore the sons of God back to dominion and bring the Kingdom of God (Rulership of God) back to the earth. Now because the people had been living by the Law of Moses and you had the Pharisees and chief elders oppressing the people through hypocrisy and abuse of the Law, Jesus looks like a rebel to the religious sect of Israel. Many of the people were so used to “just the way things are” mentality that anything that comes against “their standard of living” is a threat to them. Now with all that said, Jesus brought a new way of living to people who had been living in slavery under the Law. Jesus came to set them free from the Law to bring them to grace. Passivity prevented many of the children of Israel from shift from the Law to grace. Traditions are another hindrance from freedom. Jesus warned the children of Israel about allowing the traditions of man to transgress the Law of God. Many traditions we have in the church are not biblical and some are because of the misinterpretation of the Scriptures. We are in a season of correction and the biggest fight has been over traditions and because of the passivity of leaders and people amongst congregations. Great example is Halloween celebration. As simple as this should be, churches still celebrate Halloween and use the excuse, it is tradition and fun for the children. But, the Word of God says “Abstain from all appearance of evil”. If you abstain from the evil and do not celebrate Halloween then that is one less chain that is broke that the enemy no longer has you in bondage to. Jesus has come to set us free but also bring us into the knowledge of the ungodly soul ties we have made that hold us from having a closer relationship with the Body of Christ and Christ Himself. In the next message we will look at how coping is a hindrance to freedom from soul ties.. Peace, Love and Grace, Calvin Calhoun, Jr.

Hindrances to Freedom: Accepting the Situation

Understanding Soul Ties Today’s Focus: Hindrances to Freedom by Soul Ties Scripture: Romans 8:15 Greetings Sons of God: Romans 8:15: For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry Abba, Father Understand that when you have created a soul tie (negative) you are in bondage. This is why it is called a soul TIE, because it binds you to whatever you make a covenant with. Now, look at Romans 8:15, Paul is exhorting the church at Rome to understand that they have not received the spirit of bondage which produces and rules by fear but they have received the Spirit of adoption that makes them sons where they cry out to God, Abba, Father. Now we know the devil seeks to enslave us to sin, oppress us, defile us and ultimately destroy us in his attempts to prove his position to God that God was wrong in making us heirs of the Kingdom. So when we get into un-godly soul ties the devil tries to change our perception of reality, especially if we are a son of God and hinder us into coming into the understanding and knowledge of God which makes us free. If he can hinder and hold you, then you cannot be free. Let’s look at ways the devil uses the strongholds of soul ties to hinder our freedom. Acceptance of the Situation 2 Corinthians 5:17: Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new John 8:36: If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed Acceptance of the current situation caused by the soul tie is a powerful tool of the enemy. When he can make you accept the situation and make you feel defeated and believe you cannot overcome then you will find it very hard to believe that you will overcome. Take account of the many interactions within the four gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke and John) of people who were in situations that held them in bondage and how when they came into the presence of Jesus and had an encounter with Him, they overcame those situations by the power of the Lord and recognition of the Son of God. Listen, when you realize who God is and believe He is your Lord and give your life to Him, He breaks every yoke upon you, especially the yoke that He has brought to your attention and decided to have the Lord break. One of the saddest things we accept is homosexuality. I cannot tell you the number of times I have heard a parent just say about their child being homosexual “well it is their choice and I will support them and continue to love them” So you accept a demon residing within your child and you just gonna let them go and find their way? God did not do that with you so why do that to your children? One of the powerful encounters I can recall is the story in Scripture of the father whose son had a demon and the demon in many attempts was causing the boy to foam at the mouth and bruise him. The father cried out to the Lord for help. He did not accept the situation, He sought for the solution, the Lord and the Lord cast the evil spirit out of him. We do not ever have to accept or submit to a situation that is clearly a bad one. We do not have to accept bad relationships or any other situation when we know the Lord. This is why we pray “His Kingdom come and His Will be done” because His Kingdom and Will can change everything if we allow it to. When it comes to soul ties when the Lord sends someone to you to bring you to the knowledge of the soul tie and the reasoning for the many situations surrounding that ungodly covenant or union then you have the choice to either stay and accept the situation and stay in bondage to that situation and soul tie. In the next message we will look at passivity as a hindrance to our freedom. Peace, Love and Grace, Calvin Calhoun, Jr.

Establishing Demonic Strongholds through Soul Ties

Understanding Soul Ties Today’s Focus: Establishing Demonic Strongholds Through Soul ties Scripture: Exodus 34:6,7 Greetings Sons of God: Exodus 34:6,7: And the Lord passed by before him, and proclaimed, The Lord, the Lord God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth, Keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, and that will by no means clear the guilty; visiting the iniquity of the father upon the children, and upon the children’s children, unto the third and to the fourth generation. How do the demonic build strongholds through soul ties? When a person submits or subjected (voluntarily or involuntarily) to any form of abuse (sexual or non-sexual), covenant with person, group or organization, the demonic lay a foundation within the person which they build upon during subsequent actions related to the soul tie formed. Some of the ways these demonic strongholds include: 1. Manipulation – Person’s will is controlled by another through fear, threats, sex..etc 2. Violence - Coming out of violent situations which perpetrates violence within the individual 3. Domination - when a person is undermined to the point of losing their ability to make decisions 4. Incest – Continual sexual harassment by a member of the family 5. Transference – From father to son or mother to daughter in situations of adultery, domestic violence, illegitimate children 6. Jealousy – Suppression of character by another person 7. Verbal abuse – Continuous undermining through negative speech (stupid, useless..etc) 8. Sexual Abuse – By one or many people and this include homosexual abuse. 9. Failure – Not succeeding in life and meeting expectations 10. Alcoholism and Drug Abuse – Utilization and abuse of drugs and alcohol in attempt to solve problems These are a few ways that the demonic establishes strongholds in our lives. Usually when someone allows themselves to stay in those situations for a long time the demonic builds such a stronghold that the demon becomes a familiar spirit to the individual, understanding how to manipulate the mind of the individual to accept and continue in the situation and sin. For example a common familiar spirit is homosexuality. Now that we understand through these soul ties the demonic builds these strongholds in the individual to enslave them and oppress them from coming to the freedom of Christ and identity of being a son of God, in the next message we will examine how we are hindered from freedom from soul ties. Peace, Love and Grace, Calvin Calhoun, Jr.

Negative Soul Ties: Sexual Unions

Understanding Soul Ties Today’s Focus: Sexual Unions as Negative Soul ties Scripture: Genesis 34; 1 Corinthians 7:1,2 Greetings Sons of God: Anytime that you have sexual intercourse with anyone, especially someone who is not your God-ordained and given wife or husband, you create a soul tie with these people. Sexual soul ties are one of the strongest soul ties you can make. These are various types of sexual encounters that produce these negative soul ties 1. Sexual abuse or rape 2. Fornication 3. Adultery In Genesis 34 we see the story of Dinah, one of the daughters of Jacob who is raped by Shechem as son of Hamor, a Hivite. Now I want to show you this passage of scripture in particular: Genesis 34:2,3: And when Schechem the son of Hamor the Hivite, princeof the country, saw her, he took her, and lay with her, and defiled her. AND HIS SOUL CLAVE UNTO DINAH the daughter of Jacob, and he loved the damsel, and spake kindly unto the damsel. Schechem created a soul tie with Dinah even though he raped her and he desired her. Ultimately Schechem would be murdered in a scheme by Levi and Simeon. When you have sexual intercourse with someone other than the God-ordained wife or husband you create a soul tie. It is like you are married to them by the soul. Now let me explain how this works. For example: Let’s say you have a boyfriend/girlfriend couple and they have intercourse and break up, then they leave that relationship and end up with the one that God-gives them to be their spouse, well what happens is because they had intercourse they are still connected and if that person was to enter into another relationship or marriage, any time they would see that person, they would automatically think back to the previous sexual encounters because they are connected in the soul by the intercourse they had. Same situation with rape and with sexual molestation. These soul ties can prevent you from having the real fruitful relationship that a husband and wife should have. But let me take it a step forward? It will prevent you from having fruitful relationships in the future because of past hurt from the relationship. This is why I have become a strong advocate of the Word when it speaks of “What God has put together”. We are not to select our mates because we will make foolish and carnal decisions but God’s choice is right and produces and replicates righteous seed in the earth. Now the way you break the bond is denouncing the soul tie you made with that person BEFORE THE LORD. If this was a sincere request the Lord separates you from that person so that you can be with the one that He desires. It is not easy, I recommend before you go into any marriage, you best denounce the soul ties you made because the enemy has a funny way of making people appear at the worst time! Let me leave you with this scripture: 1 Corinthians 7:1,2: Now concerning the things whereof ye wrote unto me: It is good for a man not to touch a woman. Nevertheless, to avoid fornication, let every man have HIS OWN WIFE, AND LET EVERY WOMAN HAVE HER OWN HUSBAND. Notice the scripture says NOTHING about boyfriend/girlfriend and for the record in all of my study of scripture I have not found the word boyfriend or girlfriend in Scripture so we need, as it pertains to relationships, get back to the biblical definition of marriage and relationships as defined by God because anything else could lead us into temptation and eventually sin. Peace, Love and Grace, Calvin Calhoun, Jr.

Negative Soul Ties: Groups and Organizations Part 2

Understanding Soul Ties Today’s Focus: Negative Soul Ties Part 2b: Groups and Organizations Scripture: Exodus 23:31-33; Matthew 5:34-37; James 5:12; Greetings Sons of God: I ended the last message with this statement: You cannot be a part of a fraternity, sorority or secret society and serve the Lord Jesus Christ at the same time. To Members of Fraternities, Sororities and Secret Societies (Freemasonry, Skull and Bones..etc.): It is really no secret what you went through in order to be a part of that group or organization because the Father has delivered many of His children from the bonds and covenants of these organizations. The reality is you know that you went through a ritual. Many with through rituals that speak of coming out of darkness into the light. Many went through situations where you were blindfolded to simulate the darkness you were in until you “cross-over” and the blind fold was removed to symbolize the light of the organization that you have now come into. That is demonic and not of God. Second and most of all, you took at oath and swore to uphold all the secrets or the organization. When you said “I will or I do” you formed a covenant or soul tie with the god or deity of that organization. This is why Jesus strictly forbade the swearing or taking of oaths: Matthew 5:34-37: But I say unto you, Swear not at all; neither by heaven; for it is God's throne: Nor by the earth; for it is his footstool: neither by Jerusalem; for it is the city of the great King. Neither shalt thou swear by thy head, because thou canst not make one hair white or black. But let your communication be, Yea, yea; Nay, nay: for whatsoever is more than these cometh of evil. James 5:12: But ABOVE ALL THINGS, my brethren, SWEAR NOT, neither by heaven , neither by earth, NEITHER BY ANY OTHER OATH: but let your yea be yea; and your nay, nay; LEST YE FALL INTO CONDEMNATION. As you can see by the Word of God, we are not to swear nor take ANY OTHER OATH because anything else brings about evil and condemnation. I urge you and beg you this day Denounce the oaths, rituals and the organizations you have joined and be free in the name of Jesus. Now go back and look at the oath you took and the words that were being used and ask yourself: Is this something God would want me to be a part of? You pledged your allegiance to a false god, whether it was in the fraternity, sorority or the god of the lodge WHICH IS NOT JESUS CHRIST. We have all done some crazy stuff in our youth but now is the day of the Lord and He is making you aware this day. Flee from condemnation and evil and leave. For brothers and sisters, not a part of a group, fraternity, sorority and secret society: Exodus 23:31-33: And I will set thy bounds from the Red Sea even unto the sea of the Philistines and from the desert unto the river: for I will deliver the inhabitants of the land into your hand; and thou shalt drive them out before thee. Thou shalt make no covenant with them, nor with their gods. They shall not dwell in thy land, lest they make thee sin against me: for if thou serve their gods, it will surely be a snare unto thee. The Lord is warning you my beloved brothers and sisters to not join or make covenants with these groups, fraternities and sororities. The Lord said, the covenant you make with them is a trap and in turn it brings about evil and condemnation. John 8:31-33: Then Jesus said to those Jews which believed on him, IF YOU CONTINUE IN MY WORD, THEN ARE YE MY DISCIPLES INDEED; and ye will know the truth and the truth shall make you free! In the next message we will look at sexual unions as negative soul ties. Peace, Love and Grace, Calvin Calhoun, Jr.

Negative Soul Ties Part 2a: Groups and Organizations

Understanding Soul Ties Today’s Focus: Negative Soul Ties Part 2a: Groups and Organizations Scripture: Exodus 23:31-33; Deuteronomy 13:6-9 Greetings Sons of God: Exodus 23:31-33: And I will set thy bounds from the Red Sea even unto the sea of the Philistines and from the desert unto the river: for I will deliver the inhabitants of the land into your hand; and thou shalt drive them out before thee. Thou shalt make no covenant with them, nor with their gods. They shall not dwell in thy land, lest they make thee sin against me: for if thou serve their gods, it will surely be a snare unto thee. Ok, in this scripture the Lord is informing Israel that the land that is promised to them has inhabitants in it that will be against them. In Exodus 23:23 the Lord names the six nations but in Deuteronomy He names a seventh nation, the Girgishites. These seven nations would need to be driven out of their land before they could posses it. Now the Lord warns Israel that he will deliver these nations to them but they must drive them out and they ARE NOT TO MAKE A COVENANT WITH THESE NATIONS NOR SERVE THEIR GODS, because it will be a snare unto Israel. Now we know that we are the Spiritual Israel of God so these situations are very important to understand because it also implies to us. How does it you ask? God says make no covenants (soul ties) with them, nor with their gods. There are many, and I mean many people who have made covenants with other gods and try to claim covenant with Jesus also. The reality is this cannot be because Jesus said: Matthew 6:24: NO MAN can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon. If this is the case then you cannot make a covenant with a group of people and claim you are fully sold out with Jesus because you are already married or joined to something else and God is not into adultery nor fornication. Hence this leads me to this statement which I will make now and pick up in the next message: You cannot be a part of a fraternity, sorority or secret society and serve the Lord Jesus Christ at the same time. Peace, Love and Grace, Calvin Calhoun, Jr.

Negative Soul Ties: Friendships

Understanding Soul Ties Today’s Focus: Negative Soul Ties Part 1: Friendships Scripture: Deuteronomy 13:6-9; Hebrews 4:12 Greetings Sons of God: When we started this series we examined the fact that Soul ties can either be positive or negative and everyone in this life will at some point experience both. Three of the common areas by which we are affected by soul ties are: 1. Friendship 2. Commitment to group, organization or institution 3. Sexual Union In most cases, you come to the knowledge of the negative soul ties by the positive soul ties within the Body of Christ. Now let’s examine the negative soul ties. Negative or ungodly Soul ties are steep in deception and repetitive patterns of abuse. Let’s start examining these various types of soul ties. The first one that is typically found in unions through friendships: Friendship: Deuteronomy 13:6-9: If thy brother, the son of thy mother, or thy son, or thy daughter, or the wife of thy bosom, or thy friend, which is as thine own soul, entice thee secretly saying, Let us go and serve other gods, which thou hast not known, thou, nor thy fathers; Namely of the god of the people which are round about you, nigh unto thee, or far off from thee, from the one end of the earth even unto the other end of the earth; Thou shalt NOT CONSENT UNTO HIM, NOR HEARKEN UNTO HIM; NEITHER SHALL THINE EYE PITY HIM, NEITHER SHALT THOU SPARE, NEITHER SHALT THOU CONCEAL HIM: But thou shalt surely kill him; thine hand shall be first upon him to put him to death, and afterwards the hand of all the people. The word friend in the world is so carnally thrown around that many people have no clue what a true friend is. What we call friends today are really associates and really when we put it to the Spirit, they are really enemies of the cross. But when we connect ourselves to these people and call ourselves friends whatever baggage or insecurities they are carrying, many times suck you into their situations and because you say we are “friends” we will compromise on what is right for the sake of maintaining the friendship. The loyalty that we make to people who we call friends can be very dangerous and deep to a point that we will risk our very life for something that is wrong and ungodly because of our soul tie to our friend. If we examine the scripture above we will see the Lord warning the children of Israel about joining themselves to people who are not of like mind, and like-faith. Unfortunately the children of Israel would connect themselves to many ungodly nations and this would anger the Lord and He would allow those nations to oppress them and rule over them in many situations. These people we think we know as “friends”, if they lead you after false gods you are not to connect yourself with that person. Cut your relationship off and denounce that union or friendship before the Lord. So many times we are scared to release people who are really unhealthy to our spiritual walk. As a personal testimony, before the Lord started me in ministry the Lord had to show me relationships that I had to sever before I could even begin. I prayed and ask the Lord to remove people who would hinder my spiritual walk with the Lord and ultimately the Lord removed every person and said “Now who do you have?” I replied “You Lord!” The Lord is our best, true and faithful friend that we can count on every day, hour, minute, second. As I committed my life to the Lord and doing His will, He then began to order relationships and friendships within the Body that would help and mature my spiritual walk with Him. As long as I was “connected” with these other people and calling them my friends, the Lord could not do anything with me because it would damage the work that He needed me to do. I was in covenant with the wrong people and needed to separate myself from unfruitful friendships and allow the Lord to set friendships within the Body that would help and mature me to advancing His Kingdom. Let us examine who we call friends and allow the spirit of God to discern the intentions of the heart of the individuals (Hebrews 4:12) and as He reveals the intentions we have a choice to leave them and sever our “friendship” or stay connected, and not mature and eventually die without reaching your full purpose in Christ. In the next message we will look at soul ties created by commitment to a group or organization. Peace, Love and Grace, Calvin Calhoun, Jr.

The Power of Emotions

Understanding Soul Ties Today’s Focus: The Power of Emotions Greetings Sons of God: One of the major resources the devil uses in his plight to oppress us and cause us to disobey God is in the area of our emotions. Now I am not talking about the emotions within the spirit of a man. I am talking about the emotions within the soul of a man. Let me explain, the emotions within the spirit of the man reflect the emotions of God. God does have emotions: Happy, sad, angry…etc. and when we are fully vested and connected in the spirit to His Spirit, the things that God feels and emotions He has toward a particular situation, we can actually express. Now what is the difference is between the soul and spirit. The soul is the center of your free will. This was the unique aspect that God gave you so that you will freely choose to worship Him and love Him freely. Not as a robot but as a son. But your soul has emotions also. The soul is the area that the enemy consistently hits and attacks because it is the one aspect of you (Flesh, Soul and Spirit) that can act independent of God. Many times, your soul will consistently bump-heads with your spirit because the soul is all about self and self preservation and protection. This is why the scriptures in Genesis 3 speak of their eyes being opened. It is the eyes of the soul or the eyes to self-governance that they have experienced and with this new perception, the enemy will attack mankind and make him see “reality” the way the devil wants him to see it through oppression, strife, disobedience and rebellion. When the soul is dominant within an individual then the perception of reality is stunted and hindered. They cannot perceive things the way God sees them but relates things and situations on a carnal level from experience in the past, experience in the current situation and at best guess at the future. God does not desire for His sons to live in this manner because it produces fear of the unknown. So because you fear the unknown you do things to protect and preserve your life and ultimately these things end up causing or even hacening death. When our emotions are in conflict about a situation they affect the way we think and the decisions we make. We should not be governed by damaged or affected emotions and here is a perfect scenario: 1. God’s Word says forgive (mind) 2. Now I need to decide to forgive (will) 3. But I do not FEEL (EMOTIONS) like it because….etc. As you can see the emotions from the soul can actually hinder you from doing God’s work and obeying His Will. God tells us to forgive and we will be forgiven but because of how you FEEL you will forsake the law of the Lord because of your emotions. In the perfect situation we want our mind, will and emotions under the complete guidance of the Holy Spirit. That is what we want and when that happens we will see the glory of God being reflected from the sons in the Earth. The process by which the Father translates and transitions the sons from being soul-dominant to spirit-dominant is called the Baptism of Fire. When the Lord administers these trials they are meant to challenge you from being soul-dependent to spirit-lead and spirit-dependent. In the situation you will desire to do whatever you can to make the situation better and the reality is all of your efforts will fail. But when you make up in your mind that you will trust the Lord and lean on Him as your Source and deliverer then you grow (mature) closer to Him and depend more on Him. You can count on the Lord doing this because He knows that a person that is being lead by their soul will always fight the desires and will of the Spirit. Do not allow your emotions to hinder your walk with God. It is important to remember this because when we start to discuss soul ties you need to know that the enemy attacks the soul and introduces another doctrine or knowledge to you that conflicts with the Word of God but the knowledge will appeal to your soul. It is at this point of conflict soul/spirit where soul ties can either form positive results or negative results. Peace, Love and Grace, Calvin Calhoun, Jr.

Power of Limitation Part 2

Understanding Soul Ties Today’s Focus: The Power of Limitation Part 2 Scripture: Genesis 2:16,17; 3:4,5; Matthew 11:29,30 Greetings Sons of God: How does the devil seek to gain legal access to us to cause chaos and destruction? Let’s examine the Garden. Now I am going to summarize this for the sake of time because we discuss this every time so let’s get it and go. In the Garden of Eden after God had created Adam, He gave Him two commandments as it pertained to the Garden and what God had given him. Genesis 2:16,17: And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, of every tree of the garden thou may freely eat: But the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die. Seems pretty straight forward, I can eat from every tree in the Garden except the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Now what we see here is God putting a limitation on Adam so that he will not indulge himself in something that will give the enemy legal access to him. How do we know? If Adam abided by the Word of God fully then Adam would have lived forever, He would have never known death. But this is only true through strict obedience to the law of the Lord and the limitation God put on His “freedom”. Now what the devil seeks to do is to get you to extend or go beyond the limitation through disobedience because it gives him access to you. Let’s examine. The serpent (Devil) in the Garden talks with Eve and asks her some unique questions and she answers them correctly. Now before we go any further, Adam clearly taught Eve the commandment of the Lord because she quotes it back to the devil (Genesis 3:3). Now watch how the devil sought to get Eve to extend herself beyond the limitation: Genesis 3:4,5: And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die: For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil The devil sought to gain access to them by extended that limitation by introducing another knowledge that was not given to them by the Lord. Moreover he sought to make her believe that she could be more like God by knowing good and evil. The sad part, she was already like God but the devil appealed to her and convinced her that she could be MORE LIKE GOD if she partook of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. He is trying to get her to extend the boundary or limitations the Lord place on them. Mankind thoughout the ages of man has been encouraged by the enemy to extend those limitations by continually wanting to partake of that which God forbid. Let me share this scripture with you: Matthew 11:29,30: Take my yoke upon you and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: an ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light Let me explain this powerful scripture. A yoke is something that is put upon an ox or cattle to steer them and guide them under the direction of the farmer to plow out the field or even carry something for someone. The yoke connects and limits the movements of the ox or cattle so that they are under the strict direction of the farmer. When we put on the yoke of Christ we come under the strict direction of Him. He steers us and directs our path and way so that we can advance His Kingdom and help build His Temple (House of God). When we put on His yoke and learn of Him through obedience to His Word, He said we will find rest for our souls because the yoke is easy and burden is light. This yoke of Christ properly fits us because we have been properly fitted and equipped for Kingdom advancement and building and when we abide in His yoke the burden is light. When we CONNECT or yoke ourselves to any other yoke, the burden is heavy and ultimately will kill us because we were only created to carry the yoke of Christ which constrains us and limits us by His Word to promote the Will of God in the Earth. In the next message we look at the power of emotions. Peace, Love and Grace, Calvin Calhoun, Jr.

New Teaching Series: Understanding Soul ties / The Power of Limitation

Understanding Soul Ties Today’s Focus: The Power of Limitation Scripture: Jeremiah 31:33, 2 Corinthians 3:17 Greetings Sons of God: What is a soul tie? A soul tie is a connection formed through close associations and relationships that affect our lives positively or negatively. Seems pretty straight forward but keep in mind the relationships can either be a blessing or bring destruction. Now before we get into the meat of this study we need to study the beginning and see how this came to be and understand that God desires to have a relationship with us but this relationship is unique because it comes with limitations and those limitations are in place for our benefit, not God’s. God is Holy and Faithful and keeps His every Word, it is us who have fallen short and understanding how we fell will reveal to us how the enemy seeks to legally gain access to your life and bring about confusion, chaos and ultimately destruction. So, let’s dig in and examine the power of limitation 2 Corinthians 3:17: Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty Now when we examine this liberty or freedom in Christ, it is not a freedom that gives us the ability to do whatever we want. That is lawlessness and the Scriptures speak of how God hates the doctrine of the Nicolatianes (Revelation 2:15) which is when you take the grace of God as an occasion to sin in the mindset of believing it will just all be forgiven. That is lawlessness and that is not of God because the Scriptures also say that Jeremiah 31:33 that with the new covenant (Sonship) He will write His laws in our inward parts and in our hearts. So in Christ there are laws that limit us and govern us and when we function within those laws we experience the liberty and freedom of Christ, as God originally designed it. The limitations placed on your life as a son of God is for your protection and benefit. Why? It prevents the devil from getting legal access to you. The devil seeks to gain access to your life and He gains it through disobedience to the laws of limitation. In the next message we will look at the Garden and how the devil seeks to gain this access by trying to extend the laws of limitation placed on you by God. Peace, Love and Grace, Calvin Calhoun, Jr.

New Wineskin: The Structure of Israel 10/07 by Kingdom Citizens | Blog Talk Radio

New Wineskin: The Structure of Israel 10/07 by Kingdom Citizens | Blog Talk Radio

The Church and the 2012 U.S. Presidential Election

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Drawing the Youth to the Church

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The Order of the Church

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Obedience and Witnessing

Modeling Kingdom Discipleship Today’s Focus: Obedience and Witnessing Scripture: Acts 1:8; John 14:12; Romans 10:17; Exodus 19:5 Greetings Kingdom Citizens In the last words of Jesus to the disciples before His ascension back to the Father, Jesus told them after the Holy Spirit has empowered them they will be witnesses unto Jesus. We said in a previous message that the works that we do will be a testimony and evidence that Jesus is the Messiah and the Son of God. John 14:12: Verily, verily I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father. So Jesus came and laid the foundation for the sons of God and since that time and the time of His return, the sons will continue from age to age maturing in preparation for the return of the Lord. These disciples were witnesses of the fact that Jesus did only what saw and heard the Father do. Now just as the Spirit of God led Jesus, the same Spirit will lead His brethern in the exact same manner, teaching and discipling us to do what we hear and see the Father do. What an amazing concept to discipleship. This means that there has to be some gifting to teach people that they can hear God and there is. This gifting is called the prophetic. Why is it important to be able to hear God and know it is God? Romans 10:17: So then faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God. So it is to build our faith. Jesus says that His sheep will hear His voice and hearken unto Him. All throughout the Old Testament, especially at Mt. Sinai when God was offering the children of Israel the first covenant, look what He says: Exodus 19:5: Now therefore , IF YOU WILL OBEY MY VOICE, INDEED AND KEEP MY COVENANT, THEN YE SHALL BE A PECULIAR TREASURE UNTO ME ABOVE ALL PEOPLE: FOR ALL THE EARTH IS MINE: Notice God makes an emphasis to obey His voice. See there was no Bible then so they had to learn the voice of God and hear Him through the messengers he ordained at that time. So when Jesus tells the disciples to go and teach others to observe all things he has commanded, just like Jesus gave the disciples verbal directions, the disciples will teach others in the same manner. So when we talk about the Great Commission we are putting an emphasis on the process of hearing the word of God and obeying His directions. If we do this, then we do not have to worry about sin because the Spirit knows no sin and if you are walking in the Spirit then you are walking in righteousness. In understanding the Great Commission and our role in discipling the nations, we have concluded that to obey all that Jesus commanded was to do what we hear and see the Father doing. This means the mature sons of God are to walk among makind demonstrating that it is possible to walk like Jesus did, listening and obeying the Father moment by moment. As we demonstrate this, others are to learn and this is the process of discipleship. When we walk in this manner, the Spirit of God can draw men unto Himself and we, as the sons of God teach them by our life that we live and how we regularly obey the Father. Why is this not the case today for the most part? The reason this is, because the leaders in the churches themselves are not followers of Jesus. Many are not concerned with making disciples as they are with getting members and converting them to their church doctrine and culture. So when we speak in this manner of "doing what we hear and see the Father doing" it is almost taboo and impossible in their mind to do this. Why? Because the culture does not permit this and the culture only permits the pastor to teach the flock to follow him or her. Hence we have people growin the church doctrine and ways and never really learning what it means to hear the Father and obey His voice. If the leaders do not know how to do this, how can we expect the flock to do it? There must be a change in culture and mindset in the church for this to be the reality. At Our Father's Service, Calvin Calhoun

Understanding Obedience in the Commission

Modeling Kingdom Discipleship Today’s Focus: Understanding Obedience in the Commission Scripture: Matthew 28:18-20; John 5:19; John 14:8-11 Greetings Kingdom Citizens When Jesus told the disciples to teach others to observe or obey everything that He has commanded, this has been misinterpreted in the sense that we need to teach people to obey everything in the Old and New Testament. Now think about this, could you imagine having to obey everything listed in the Old and new Testament? People would just turn away and go back to being a straight sinner because that would be extremely hard to do, and some has. Now here is a question, Jesus is obviously telling them to do something that He showed them to do and he is asking them to do that and show others. Jesus in His ministry did not walk around with scrolls under his arm and then when a problem arose, He pulled them out to find the absolute scripture and then quote it. Jesus did not do this. This is what Jesus did: John 5:19: Then answered Jesus and said unto them, Verily Verily I say unto you, The Son can do nothing of Himself, but what He see the Father do: for what things soever He doeth, these also doeth the Son likewise. Jesus only did what he saw the Father do and Jesus only said what He hears the Father say. This is called obedience and worship because Jesus is fully submitted to the Father and has given up the right to rule Himself to do His Father's Will and so the Father loves Him and shows Jesus what He is doing. It is only by the Spirit of the Father in Jesus. John 14:8-11: Philip saith unto Him, Lord, shew us the Father, and it sufficeth us. Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? HE THAT HATH SEEN ME HATH SEEN THE FATHER; and how sayest thou then , Shew us the Father? Believest thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father in me? THE WORDS THAT I SPEAK UNTO YOU I SPEAK NOT OF MYSELF: BUT THE FATHER THAT DWELLETH IN ME, HE DOETH THE WORKS. Believe me that I am in the Father, and the Father in me: or else believe me for the very works' sake. Jesus gave the Father a place in time as a vessel in which the Father can live and impact His Will upon the earth. Jesus consciously hears what the Father is telling Him to do and that is the thing that He is doing. He does this moment to moment and day to day. Jesus is being led by the Spirit of God and this is a confirmation that He is the Son of God. Hence obedience is not just obeying the commandments, but obeying directions. This is the way of life we are called to live as sons of God. This is a intimate lifestyle to live and this is opposite of church culture that looks for a commandment and do it and think we are pleasing God. In this thought process we are the ones who decide what God is actually doing in the moment because we are the ones who are apply the word to some situation. The four gospels are a testimony of an existing relationship between the Father and the Son and it records a truth that Jesus only did what He saw the Father doing. Now this opens up and entirely different avenue to teaching discipleship that we have rarely heard of. In the next message we will look at obedience and it's correlation to witnessing. Peace, Love and Grace from the Father, Calvin Calhoun, Jr.

Defining Discipleship

Modeling Kingdom Discipleship Today’s Focus: Defining Discipleship Scripture: Matthew 28:18-20 Greetings Kingdom Citizens In the last message we left off discussing how religion has made the Great Commission about teaching the ways of the institution and making disciples of the institution rather than disciples of Christ. Now let’s start defining discipleship. Jesus gives the disciples a clear command in Matthew 28:20: “Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you:” So a disciple is someone who obeys the Lord Jesus in everything. Very simple. Now we have read it to be teach them to obey everything the Lord has commanded but what has happened is there is has been an extensive emphasis on teaching rather than obeying. So when we give the information, we assume they are obeying. Do we see the difference? When you obey the Lord Jesus Christ, you show that you are a witness unto Him. Now let’s look at this word witness because there is such a misconception about witnessing and there is no way you can witness anything without obedience. Acts 1:8: But ye shall receive power after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem and in all Judea, and in Samaria and unto the uttermost part of the Earth. Now when we read this, there is a clear process that the disciples had to go through before they can be a witness unto Jesus. That process is laid out right here in Acts 1:8. First you must be empowered by the Holy Spirit. This is one of the four doctrinal baptisms. This is called being baptized of the Spirit. Now remember the disciples received the indwelling of the Holy Spirit in John 20:21-23 when Jesus blew on them. Now Jesus still tells them to go to Jerusalem and wait to be empowered. So a true witness of Christ must have the indwelling of the Holy Spirit as well as be empowered by the Holy Spirit. Next Jesus tells them after that, they will be witnesses UNTO Jesus. Now what does it mean to be a witness unto Jesus? Well let’s look at this from a natural perspective. Suppose Jesus was sitting in the defendant’s chair and they call you to the witness stand. When you sit in the witness stand on behalf of Jesus to defend Him you must not only be able to testify with your words but also bring evidence of your testimony. When you do this you prove Jesus is who He says He is. 1 Corinthians 4:20 speaks that the Kingdom of God come not in word but in power. Power is the seen evidence of the King and the Kingdom. If we desire to be witnesses works must follow our words and also our faith. Faith itself comes from hearing and hearing by the Word of God. When you trust in and believe in the thing that God told you to do, you obey and comply with that very command and that is what makes a disciple a disciple is obedience to the Lord. Look there are many people who can speak of the Lord, but how many have been empowered to manifest the power? We must get back to submission and obedience because these are the essence to true discipleship. The student cannot be greater than the Master. We must learn our place and as the Lord instructs us and matures us, we then can go out and effectively represent Him and teach others, like He taught us. Peace, Love and Grace, Calvin Calhoun, Jr.