ISAIAH 55:1 - "He That Hath No Money"

"But you shall receive power after the Holy Ghost is come upon you: And you shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth." (Acts 1:8) This was the last instruction that Jesus gave before ascending up into heaven. Prior to this point of time, the Holy Spirit was limited to the work He could do here on this earth. He could come upon certain men, at various times in history, and He could even come upon some animals; but prior to Jesus ascending up to the Father, the Holy Spirit could not dwell in man. Why? First off, because man was fallen, separated from God because of sin. Jesus died upon the cross to destroy that barrier between us and God; He actually accomplished it when He said, "It is finished", just prior to giving up the ghost, (dying for you in Rio Linda). Then after three days, Jesus rose from the grave; which in so doing, He declared a New Creation for man's eternal souls; His resurrection established a whole new position for man; a glorified position in Christ. Then after Jesus ascended up into Heaven to sit at the right hand of the Father, the Holy Spirit was sent by Jesus to occupy within us: "Nevertheless I tell you; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send Him unto you.", (John 16:7) This Comforter is the Holy Spirit, sent by Jesus to actually take up residence within each and everyone of us that are called, "A Child of God". I know that those of us that are 'Born Again Believers in the Lord Jesus Christ', do not need to be told that this is what has happened within us, because we have experienced it, firsthand; however, I think that sometimes we need to be reminded that we are now 'A Temple of The Living God'. We need to be reminded that this body that our eternal soul possesses, also possesses the Spirit of The Living God; and because of this fact, we must live accordingly. "Howbeit when He, the Spirit of Truth, is come, He will guide you into all Truth: for He shall not speak of Himself; but whatsoever He shall hear, that shall He speak: and He will show all things to come. He shall glorify Me: for He shall take of Mine, and shall show it unto you."(John 16:13 & 14) What is it that the Holy Spirit does in us? Is it not, to declare Jesus; to speak of the things of Jesus; to witness Jesus into our lives? Well then; If the Holy Spirit is to witness to the things of Christ, and if we are not being a witness to the things of Christ; well, either we do not possess the Holy Spirit, or we are suppressing the Holy Spirit in our lives. "I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot. So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spew thee out of my mouth." (Revelation 3:15 & 16) This is the letter to the church of Laodicea, and in this letter Jesus declares these to be lukewarm in their walk. These are the ones that I relate to probably the most of all; because when I really think about it, this is the problem which hinders my walk the most. "Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and naked:" (Rev 3:17) For me, being the type of person I am and pretty much have always been, I have always been self sufficient; even when I was very young, I had always tried to think of a way to produce an income. Most kids would make up little Mistletoe bags to sell in front of stores at Christmas; I would make them up, then have my brothers and sister sell them for a quarter, and then let them keep a nickel for every one that they sold. This has been my curse from as far as I can remember, and because of this way in me, I can get drawn into the things of the world very easy. It really is something I have to keep a close eye on, because there is always the desire in me to be self reliant, to be a man of resources, and to consider myself as successful in whatever I set out to do. With this kind of attitude about life, myself and especially money; we can be so easily drawn into the cares of this world; which will lead us into feeling self sufficient, and as if we do not need to count on the Lord for anything. One thing leads to another; you start out thinking that you do not need Him to provide for your substance, which leads to not needing Him to provide for your health, which leads to not needing Him to provide for your marriage, your family, your life, your walk; until you find yourself desolate and lost. "I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear, and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see." (Rev 3:18) Because we are filled with the Holy Spirit; we must yield to the Spirit as the substance for life in this Temple that we dwell within; knowing that the things of this world are working against the things of God, we must stay humble and dependent on the Holy Spirit; just like we depend on air for being able to continue to breath. Not doing this, will lead to us suppressing the Holy Spirit in our lives, and not being a witness of Jesus Christ. "As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent. Behold I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me. To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in His throne." (Revelation 3:19-21)