“This I say then, walk in the Spirit, and you will not fulfill the lust of the flesh.”

Galatians 5:16

Everyone who fills their life with God will reflect Him in their character, and will bear witness to the fruit of the Holy Spirit. The leaders God wants to raise in these days must have an outstanding strength of character. They must possess a character that will stay strong in trials and remove all self-reliance so they can totally put their trust in God.

Adam, the first man, sinned. Before sinning, this man had God’s character. He was in the image and likeness of God. But then, because of sin, his character was affected. Lacking the character of his creator, he sought substitutes to fill the void in his soul. The absence of God was passed down to all of Adam’s descendants. When Christ came to this world, he came as the second Man. The first Adam had no mother or father, but God was his Creator. The second man did not come by human means, but by a divine miracle. When the Holy Spirit placed the Seed in the womb of the Virgin Mary, the baby that was conceived had God’s character. This is why, when Jesus was born, He was known as the Son of God, because He was conceived directly from the Spirit of God. He is also known as the Son of Man, because the Seed was placed in the woman’s womb. Jesus had a divine nature, and also a human nature.

When the second Man was conceived, Jesus made it so that all those who believe in Him received His character. “He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God—children born not of natural descent, not of human decision nor of a husband’s will, but born of God” (John 1:11-13). This means that the very character of Christ is transmitted and reproduced in you and me through our faith in Him. Because of this, when a person accepts Jesus, he or she experiences a new birth. We must understand that this is a spiritual fact, and that in experiencing new birth, a change takes place in our character and our temperament.

SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT
“Some time ago I was diagnosed with hyperthyroidism, which meant my body was producing up to seven hundred times the normal level of thyroid hormone. I experienced symptoms of weight gain and my moods were dramatically affected. Whenever I preached my tongue would twist. The doctor’s prescribed me a pill that I would have to take for the rest of my life to control this over-production. But I immediately told the doctor, “I will take nothing, because Jesus Christ already healed me.” As I left the doctor’s, I started talking with the Holy Spirit. I reminded Him that what Jesus had done for me on the Cross of Calvary would become a reality in my body. That night, I prayed to the Holy Spirit and asked Him to guide me on how to pray in order to experience a miracle. While I was asleep I dreamt that I could see two substances. One of them was multiplying more and more, and in the same dream I heard the Holy Spirit telling me, “Give the order, and it will stop its increase.” When I awoke, I began to pray and confess the power of the Blood of Jesus, commanding the thyroid hormone to stop multiplying and return to a normal level. In that moment I received healing, and my thyroid gland returned to normal. I did not have to take the life-long medicine the doctor had prescribed. I praise the Holy Spirit for having guided me, and for taking care of me in all circumstances.” (Alain Alonso)

TODAY’S DECLARATION
“The strong and victorious Spirit of God has control over my life.”

Today’s post is an excerpt from Pastor Cesar Castellanos’ book, Declarations of Power for 365 Days of the Year: Volume Three.

TODAY’S BIBLE READING

• Old Testament: 1 Chronicles 20-22; Psalms 133-134
• New Testament: Luke 9:18-27; Colossians 4:10-18