Sue J Love
Loyal
- Joined
- Mar 27, 2015
- Messages
- 3,859
“So I say to you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks, receives; and he who seeks, finds; and to him who knocks, it will be opened. Now suppose one of you fathers is asked by his son for a fish; he will not give him a snake instead of a fish, will he? Or if he is asked for an egg, he will not give him a scorpion, will he? If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him?” (Luke 11:9-13 NASB1995)
This is one of those passages of Scripture which must be read and interpreted and applied in the context of the whole of the New Testament Scriptures, especially those written to the churches after Jesus’ death and resurrection and ascension back to heaven to be with God the Father, and after all who had believed in Jesus prior to the Day of Pentecost had been given the Holy Spirit to indwell them. Since then, we have the Spirit of Christ dwelling within the lives of all who are of genuine faith in Christ as Lord.
For…
“But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him. But he must ask in faith without any doubting, for the one who doubts is like the surf of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind. For that man ought not to expect that he will receive anything from the Lord, being a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.” (James 1:5-8 NASB1995)
And…
“Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter. Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness.’” (Matthew 7:21-23 NASB1995)
So, our asking must be accompanied by faith. And the faith to believe in Jesus is not of our own doing, but it comes from God, it is gifted to us by God, and it is persuaded of God as to his holiness and righteousness, and of our sinfulness, and of our need to die with Christ to sin and to walk in obedience to his commands. Thus, faith in Christ must result in death to sin and obedience to God or it is not genuine faith which saves. And without genuine faith, resulting in genuine salvation, we do not have the Spirit.
And, then another thing. When do we, as believers in Jesus Christ, receive the Holy Spirit? We receive the Holy Spirit when we put our faith and trust in Jesus Christ to be Lord (Owner-Master) and Savior (deliverer from slavery to sin) of our lives, when we are crucified with Christ in death to sin and raised with Christ to walk in newness of life in him, no longer to live as slaves to sin but now as slaves to God and to his righteousness. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ (Romans 8:9).
[Romans 5:1-5; Romans 8:9-14; 1 Corinthians 6:19-20; Ephesians 1:13-14; Titus 3:4-7; 2 Timothy 1:12-14]
So not everyone who asks to receive the Holy Spirit will be given the Holy Spirit to live within them. We must be those who earnestly seek after God, and what’s of God, to learn of him, to know him, and to do what pleases him. Thus, by God-gifted and God-persuaded and God-honoring faith in him, which dies with him to sin, and which now walks with him in obedience to his commands, in practice, by the Spirit, we will have God’s Spirit now living within us directing our lives, for we now belong to Christ by faith in him.
[Acts 17:26-28; Romans 2:6-8; Colossians 3:1-3; Hebrews 11:6]
For that is the only way that any of us can have the Holy Spirit living with us, which is God, and which is Christ living within us by the Spirit. For God does not dwell in the human hearts of those who reject him as Lord and Master of their lives. And to reject Christ as Lord is not in words only, but in actions. For if we continue in deliberate and habitual sin, and not in walks of obedience to God, after we have professed Jesus as Lord, then we are not really in Christ, and Christ, by his Spirit, is not truly living within us.
[Matt 7:13-14,21-23; Lu 9:23-26; Jn 10:27-30; Ac 26:18; Rom 2:6-8; Rom 6:1-23; Rom 8:1-14; Rom 12:1-2; 1 Co 6:9-10,19-20; 1 Co 10:1-22; 2 Co 5:10,15,21; Gal 5:16-24; Gal 6:7-8; Eph 2:8-10; Eph 4:17-32; Eph 5:3-6; Col 1:21-23; Col 3:1-17; Tit 2:11-14; Heb 3:1-19; Heb 4:1-13; Heb 10:23-31; Heb 12:1-2; 1 Pet 2:24; 1 Jn 1:5-10; 1 Jn 2:3-6,15-17; 1 Jn 3:4-10]
Seek the Lord
An Original Work / July 20, 2012
Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love
Musical Instrumentation by Mark Bradley
Based off Isaiah 55
“Come to Me all you who thirst; come to waters.
Listen to Me, and eat what’s good today,
And your soul will delight in richest of fare.
Give ear to Me, and you will live.
I have made an eternal covenant with you.
Wash in the blood of the Lamb.”
Seek the Lord while He may be found; call on Him.
Let the wicked forsake his way, in truth.
Let him turn to the Lord, and he will receive mercy.
Freely, God pardons him.
“For My thoughts are not your thoughts,
Nor are your ways My ways,”
declares the Lord, our God.
“My word that goes out of My mouth is truthful.
It will not return to Me unfulfilled.
My word will accomplish all that I desire,
And achieve the goal I intend.
You will go in joy and be led forth in peace.
The mountains will burst into song… before you,
And all of the trees clap their hands.”
Receiving the Holy Spirit
An Original Work / June 13, 2025
Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love
This is one of those passages of Scripture which must be read and interpreted and applied in the context of the whole of the New Testament Scriptures, especially those written to the churches after Jesus’ death and resurrection and ascension back to heaven to be with God the Father, and after all who had believed in Jesus prior to the Day of Pentecost had been given the Holy Spirit to indwell them. Since then, we have the Spirit of Christ dwelling within the lives of all who are of genuine faith in Christ as Lord.
For…
“But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him. But he must ask in faith without any doubting, for the one who doubts is like the surf of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind. For that man ought not to expect that he will receive anything from the Lord, being a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.” (James 1:5-8 NASB1995)
And…
“Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter. Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness.’” (Matthew 7:21-23 NASB1995)
So, our asking must be accompanied by faith. And the faith to believe in Jesus is not of our own doing, but it comes from God, it is gifted to us by God, and it is persuaded of God as to his holiness and righteousness, and of our sinfulness, and of our need to die with Christ to sin and to walk in obedience to his commands. Thus, faith in Christ must result in death to sin and obedience to God or it is not genuine faith which saves. And without genuine faith, resulting in genuine salvation, we do not have the Spirit.
And, then another thing. When do we, as believers in Jesus Christ, receive the Holy Spirit? We receive the Holy Spirit when we put our faith and trust in Jesus Christ to be Lord (Owner-Master) and Savior (deliverer from slavery to sin) of our lives, when we are crucified with Christ in death to sin and raised with Christ to walk in newness of life in him, no longer to live as slaves to sin but now as slaves to God and to his righteousness. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ (Romans 8:9).
[Romans 5:1-5; Romans 8:9-14; 1 Corinthians 6:19-20; Ephesians 1:13-14; Titus 3:4-7; 2 Timothy 1:12-14]
So not everyone who asks to receive the Holy Spirit will be given the Holy Spirit to live within them. We must be those who earnestly seek after God, and what’s of God, to learn of him, to know him, and to do what pleases him. Thus, by God-gifted and God-persuaded and God-honoring faith in him, which dies with him to sin, and which now walks with him in obedience to his commands, in practice, by the Spirit, we will have God’s Spirit now living within us directing our lives, for we now belong to Christ by faith in him.
[Acts 17:26-28; Romans 2:6-8; Colossians 3:1-3; Hebrews 11:6]
For that is the only way that any of us can have the Holy Spirit living with us, which is God, and which is Christ living within us by the Spirit. For God does not dwell in the human hearts of those who reject him as Lord and Master of their lives. And to reject Christ as Lord is not in words only, but in actions. For if we continue in deliberate and habitual sin, and not in walks of obedience to God, after we have professed Jesus as Lord, then we are not really in Christ, and Christ, by his Spirit, is not truly living within us.
[Matt 7:13-14,21-23; Lu 9:23-26; Jn 10:27-30; Ac 26:18; Rom 2:6-8; Rom 6:1-23; Rom 8:1-14; Rom 12:1-2; 1 Co 6:9-10,19-20; 1 Co 10:1-22; 2 Co 5:10,15,21; Gal 5:16-24; Gal 6:7-8; Eph 2:8-10; Eph 4:17-32; Eph 5:3-6; Col 1:21-23; Col 3:1-17; Tit 2:11-14; Heb 3:1-19; Heb 4:1-13; Heb 10:23-31; Heb 12:1-2; 1 Pet 2:24; 1 Jn 1:5-10; 1 Jn 2:3-6,15-17; 1 Jn 3:4-10]
Seek the Lord
An Original Work / July 20, 2012
Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love
Musical Instrumentation by Mark Bradley
Based off Isaiah 55
“Come to Me all you who thirst; come to waters.
Listen to Me, and eat what’s good today,
And your soul will delight in richest of fare.
Give ear to Me, and you will live.
I have made an eternal covenant with you.
Wash in the blood of the Lamb.”
Seek the Lord while He may be found; call on Him.
Let the wicked forsake his way, in truth.
Let him turn to the Lord, and he will receive mercy.
Freely, God pardons him.
“For My thoughts are not your thoughts,
Nor are your ways My ways,”
declares the Lord, our God.
“My word that goes out of My mouth is truthful.
It will not return to Me unfulfilled.
My word will accomplish all that I desire,
And achieve the goal I intend.
You will go in joy and be led forth in peace.
The mountains will burst into song… before you,
And all of the trees clap their hands.”
Receiving the Holy Spirit
An Original Work / June 13, 2025
Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love
