Be connected to Jesus Christ

BY DR PETER KAYODE

Each time, I listen to the advert of a telecommunication outfit, they always tell us they connect people through their network. We can communicate with our friends and family. In the same way, every Christian needs the Awakening ability to talk to Jesus always. If we have strong link with Jesus, Satan cannot influence us and our salvation will be certain.
“The thief comes only to steal, kill and destroy. I have come that they may have life and have it to the full” John 10:10
Through the Holy Spirit, we receive sonship and apostleship because He is the agent of Salvation, Transformation, Blessing, Healing and Renewal. The Holy Spirit is the third person in God’s head called the Holy Trinity God the father, God the son, God the Holy Spirit.

The Holy Spirit constitutes the bedrock of Christianity, which promotes Righteousness and Holiness amongst the adherents.
They are the same in essence, co-equal in power, strength and ability. “Those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God.” Romans 8:14. This implies that those who are spirit-filled are the sons of God. Are you spiritually filled? Who is leading your life? The Holy Spirit will not lead you to destruction but something good. You must submit and surrender to Jesus Christ.
Give Him access to your heart so that your life could be transformed, if you are led by the spirit of God, you are God’s chosen people and God will fulfill all the promises he has made in your life. The Holy Spirit helps believers to overcome sin and live a Holy life.

The word of God in Romans 8:14 never said those who are led by their ancestral spirit, but the spirit of God. If you want to partake in the blessings of God you must be led by God. It is the Holy Spirit, not your friends and family who will identify you as a Christian.
Your friends and family may say you are a good person but in the eyes of God you may be evil. When God says you are good, that is exactly what you are.
“The spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are the sons of God” Romans 8:16. We take testimonials from various places like our previous schools and work places to qualify us for certain positions and promotions. You might be a notorious person but whoever writes the testimonial might testify otherwise because of one or two gifts you might have given him or her.
But the testimony of the Holy Spirit cannot be changed and no human being can bribe him to testify otherwise. If the Holy Spirit does not recognize you, you will never qualify to enjoy the blessings of the son of God. It is only the Holy Spirit who can say to the father that “I know him, he is one of us” and as a result, you will have the right to every good thing including Salvation, blessing, deliverance etc.
If we are the children of God, we are heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ. Only the Holy Spirit can bear testimony that you are part of God’s family and this is the reason why you must love God and worship him in Spirit and in Truth. Don’t allow distractions because they come from Satan. Satan wants to provoke you so that you will lose focus on Christ and abandon your faith. Stay focused and Satan will be put to shame in your life.
Your passport, birth certificate and voter’s identity card confirm you as a citizen of a country. If you claim to be a citizen without these documents, your claim may be questionable. In the same way, if you are not baptized in the Holy Spirit, you are not a member of God’s family. You must be baptized in the Holy Spirit to be qualified as a member of God’s family.
John the Baptist preached the message of repentance so that sinners could repent and be baptized. Christians today need the baptism of the Holy Spirit because that is what confirms us as children of God. Every true Christian is baptized by the Holy Spirit into one body of Christ. There are two types of baptism in the bible.
Water baptism
This form of baptism was performed by John the Baptist. The converts after their repentance were immersed in water for cleansing and purification. Christ himself was baptized in this manner to confirm his humble nature, even though his anointing was direct from God the Father to God the son.
Holy Spirit baptism
Holy Spirit baptism originated from the master himself – Jesus Christ. The Holy Spirit, promise of the father was poured on the Apostles at Pentecost after they had waited in faith. The Apostles were empowered with anointing for effective Christian service.
They were charged to preach the Gospel of Salvation. Baptize those who believe in the name of the father, the son and the Holy Spirit heal the sick and deliver the demon possessed and set the captives free. Mark 16:15. The Bible confirms that Apostle Peter preached the good news and many who believed and accepted Jesus as their Lord and savior were baptized and healed.
We are in the era of Jesus Christ’s ministry and we need the Holy Spirit’s baptism.
The Bible says that we were baptized into one body and this simply means that we must have common faith, goal, mission and vision. We must preach the message of salvation and win souls for Christ. I Corinthians 12:12.
Criteria for Spiritual Baptism
The Holy Spirit is a free gift to believers and the following are the criteria to receiving it.
(1) YOU MUST BE BORN-AGAIN

The Bible says in John 3:5 ‘unless we are born-again we cannot enter the Kingdom of God’. Being born-again means, accepting Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour, forsaking sin and abandoning old character. Old things must pass away and new life in Christ comes in. “therefore if anyone is in Christ he is a new creation, the old has gone, the new has come”. I Corinthians 5:17
(2) HEARING AND OBEYING GOD’S WORDS

Not only must we be hearers of God’s word alone but doers as well. Application of God’s word in our daily life is so essential in our quest for salvation and God’s blessings.
God has given us the standard for a good Christian life. Holy living is the standard. Everything that is written in the Bible is for Christians to emulate. How many times do you read your Bible? When you read do you apply the words in your life? James 1:22 “Do not merely listen to the word and so deceive yourself. Do what it says”.

(3) EXPRESSION OF FAITH

Every believer is expected to have absolute faith in God. Faith, simply put is the expectation that God will do what he has promised to do. You must believe that God exist and he created you for his glory. Everything is possible for him who believe that you will be saved and blessed,” if you can?, said Jesus. Everything is possible for him who believes’ Mark 9:23

(4) FRUIT OF THE SPIRIT

Believers are expected to bear good fruits. The fruits of the Spirit as espoused in Galatians 5:22 charge Christians to partake in the divine nature of God.

(5) LIFE WITHOUT SIN MAKES SALVATION CERTAIN

When the Lord connects you to himself, the only way you can maintain Him is to abstain from SIN. When you stop sinning, God forgets the records of your past transgressions. Sin is unrighteousness. God detests it. When you separate yourself from Satan, he can never harm you. Christ told the invalid man after his healing to stop sinning or something worse may happen to him.

Today the house of God has been turned by Christians into a place of gossip, bitterness, backbiting, fornication, greed etc., change your ways because God wants you to be saved. He is patient with us not to perish in our sins. Change for the Kingdom of God is at hand. “Everyone who sins breaks the law. In fact sin is lawlessness” 1st John 3:4

At this point I know the Holy Spirit has started the works of renewal in your heart. He has spoken to you. He wants to be your friend. Don’t hesitate or argue with Him. Just surrender your life to him. Now I am sure your wasted years of failure, disappointment and frustration shall be turned into a successful and glorious era. A new page of life has been opened for you. Yesterday is gone, another day has come. Something new and miraculous is knocking at your door. God bless you.