POWER & BOXES

ALOHA FRIENDS & FAMILY,   Beloved of God and me,    John 3:14–18

POWER & BOXES,     “WORTH CONSIDERING ”   6/30/20     From Ken<><

Today’s Scripture   (Across my desk this morning from Texas.)
“…I have given them your word and the world has hated them, for they are not of the world any more than I am of the world…”  (John 17:14, NIV)

Be a Barrier Breaker
The Scripture speaks of how we are in the world, but we are not of the world. You may be in a limited environment, but you don’t have to be of it. Don’t let that environment get in you. If you see struggle, lack, and poverty long enough, your mind can become conditioned to thinking, This is who I am. I’ll never have enough. No, that’s where you are, that’s not who you are. That may be what’s been normal. The good news is, you’re a barrier breaker.

Some people try to put you in a box. They’ll tell you such things as, “You’ll never afford a nice house, never get well, never meet the right person.” Because their thinking is limited, they’ll try to put their limitations on you. You have to put your foot down and say, “I refuse to be mediocre because people around me are mediocre. I am a barrier breaker. I’m going to set a new standard.”

A Prayer for Today
Father, thank You that You didn’t create me to be average or to live a mediocre life. Thank You that You’ve given me the power, the favor, and the talent to break out and go further than the limitations around me. I believe that I am a barrier breaker, and I will set a new standard. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Ken’s Reflection:
Really glade to comment on this little word “BOX.”    It brings to memory all of the pastel  houses and cars in the “Edward Scissorhand’s Movie” Where Frankenstein was created by a man to be the good guy on the hill and the village below to be full of mostly losers…

In growing up I remember being trapped over and over in little boxes.  Of course the school box then he military school box because of my rebellion.  Jail for 11 days (a really small box) Then there were the many little church boxes, some helpful, some not.  Even though I became a Christian in 1955 I was still finding myself in little boxes.  Every feel that way, “Is this all that there is?”  I felt that way a lot and it was not helpful, it was depressing.  Then I started seeing a freedom in the scriptures in our Bible.  And often they taught on the word freedom.  They taught that our Heavenly Father really wants us in humility and obedience to be free in HIS TRUTH.

In 1968 the president of the Eugene Chapter of the Full Gospel Businessmen’s Fellowship as a painter came out to my new home in Pleasant Hill, OR to give me a bid on painting my home, He gave me a good price and so I turned him loose, it was a big house.  But very quickly we became friends in Christian Fellowship.  Up front I noticed he came alone and was in no hurry.  Each time he came, in some way he would talk about the ministry of the Holy Spirit to Save, Seal and Empower.  The idea of power became interesting as I knew that my brand of being a Christian was very bland.  So Marvin shared with me concerning the gifts of the Holy Spirit that my Heavenly Father wanted to give to HIS obedient children.  Like gifts under the Christmas tree at Christmas with my name on them but like the old poem, I had to be good…  So I learned a lot from Marvin and started to have some faith about the gifts and asked for the Lord’s help to take care of the stuff in my life that was out of order or in the way.

One day as I was driving from my home to Eugene in my big GMC white 4×4 truck up above all the cars, I started singing a nice church melody that I had learned.  Well I could not remember all the words so I started making up my own and then it slipped over into another language that was very soothing but a little freaky.  But it felt good just to have words for the melody even if I had no idea of what they meant.  So for a week or so, when in my truck, private, away from all, I enjoyed singing in that way.  About a week later Marvin called me up and wanted to know if I would join him at his church for a prayer and Bible study.  I enjoyed Marvin so said sure and went.  As I came into the room there was about 30 people in a circle on fold chairs.  I was on time but felt like I was late.  As I sat down, Marvin asks me if I would mind if they prayed for me.  My answer was,  ” Sure, I can use all the prayer that I can get.”   So he did a strange thing and asked me to kneel in the center of the room.  Now this was getting a little out of hand, but I did not want to go back on my word so in humility I did as was asked to do.  As I knelt down I felt hands being placed upon my back.  And it got heavier and heavier till I felt I had about 600# on my back and could hardly breath.  They begin praying loudly and vibrating and I thought to myself, I will never get out of here if I don’t do something!  Then I though,  perhaps I could use my singing language to calm things down so I started to say some of the words that came to me in singing.  And that did it, They let me up and started praising the LORD for me being baptized in the Holy Spirit for power.  But later, I had to ask Marvin, “Are you sure?  I have been singing like that for several weeks now?  Is that what you were sharing with me about?  Marvin was delighted to tell me yes, you are now in another dimension and outside of your old box in God’s Freedom.  I did, I really felt the fresh wind of the Holy Spirit in leaving my little box church.  In that church I had even taught in my Adult Sunday School class that this experience was not of GOD and had to repent.  From 1968 for the past 50+ years I have been experiencing things that I thought were impossible for the first 13 years of my Christian experience.  So let’s go to the Bible for some scriptures concerning this powerful anointing.

First the Disciples/Apostles became Christians at the resurrection of Christ Jesus in the Upper Room.  Actually they were not Christians until then, John 20:22.  This was when the Holy Spirit was restored as per John 3:16 due to the resurrection of Jesus.  The life that Adam had lost in the Great Rebellion and died was restored.  And then turn to Acts 1:8 where Jesus tell HIS disciples that on Pentecost they would be Baptized by the Holy Spirit in Power to be able to witness for HIM.  This was about 50 days from the time that they were born from above as Christians.  And then in Acts 8 we see Philip converting folks into being Christians but those Samarian Christians did not receive the Power of the Holy Spirit for several months until Peter and John came from Jerusalem, Acts8:14-16.   And again with Saul’s Conversion on the road to Damascus by Jesus it was 3 days later at the home of the prophet Ananias that he was filled with the Holy Spirit and Power and became Paul, Acts 9:   And with the disciples of Apollos in Acts 19, Paul’s first question was: “Have you received the Holy Spirit since ye believed?” And I also ask the same question of many who name the name of Christ today???  Have you received as yet the Power of God to be a witness for HIM?

Yours, in HIS great love and wonderful grace and mercy,     Ken<><      www.Trinity-Aloha.ore

There is but one apostolic and universal church of Christ Jesus as Lord,
And all who Love, Honor and Obey HIM are eternal members.


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