Tag Archives: Holy Spirit

Inspector Clueso

After my wife and I had our first child in 1998, it was time to begin the search for our first home.  Novices in this area, I called upon my mother, a successful realtor for more than a decade, leaning on her expertise and knowledge to start this process.  Similar to Goldilocks and the 3 Little Bears, it took several visits to a half dozen homes before God led us to the right one.  The last step before giving an offer was the home inspection, a thorough examination by an expert to access the exterior, interior and every little nook and cranny to expose any flaws.

King Solomon talks about a different kind of home inspection within one of his Psalms.  “Unless the Lord builds the home, its builders labor in vain,” Psalm 127:1a.  Based upon a dream from 1 Kings 3:5-9, God blessed Solomon with a heavenly wisdom.  Thus, a home must be built upon a solid foundation to endure the storms in life.  However, structures must also be inspired by the Lord, built for the right meaning and purpose.

The apostle Paul used a similar method for home inspections in his day.  According to 1 Corinthians 6:12-20, each body is compared with a living temple.  Filled with many temporary things in life, believers are reminded that this is where the Holy Spirit was designed to reside.  Upon reading these passages, I am shocked at what I have found living in my own temple.  While painful, internal home inspections are a necessary evil, helping individuals measure their degree of commitment to the Lord.  Don’t put this inspection off another day.  Rather, use Galatians 5:19-23 as a check list to make sure every stone is uncovered.  In his search for the Pink Panther, Inspector Clueso never gave up!  While he was unsuccessful, all the Lord deserves of you is that you honor Him with your body!

by Jay Mankus

Worship + Fasting = Spiritual Insight

The question, “am I in the right place,” is something I often ponder.  At my wit’s end, I turned to the pages of the Bible to find answers to this dilemma.  To my amazement, the words of Acts 13:2-4, jumped off the pages today, putting an equation into my mind: Worship + Fasting = Spiritual Insight.

Worship isn’t a service you attend once a week on Saturday night or Sunday.  Nor is worship a portion of a church service where you sing hymns or modern worship songs.  Rather, worship is an acquired adoration of a living God, where an individual devotes time each day to honor and revere the creator of the heavens and the earth.  As this relationship kindles, lyrics of praise become etched upon their hearts, paying tribute to the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

Fasting is a spiritual practice neglected by many denominations in recent years.  My first encounter with fasting began in high school, by not eating red meat on Friday’s during the Catholic celebration of Lent, prior to Easter.  Authors like Jentezen Franklin have helped me grasp this concept through books like the Fasting Edge.  The notion of fasting can be traced back to Jesus’ words in Matthew 26:41.  By replacing food with prayer for a meal, day, week or month, your body can be strength by a willing Spirit.  Like any type of training, start small and work your way your goal of a day, few days or an entire week.

According to Acts 13:2, something supernatural transpired when worship and fasting were present in Paul and Barnabas’ life.  During a normal Sunday service, the Holy Spirit filled each with spiritual insight.  Prior to this day, their future was unclear.  However, in the midst of these joint acts of faith, God called each to the mission field.  Though cautious initially, the Holy Spirit guided their inaugural journey, leading them to Seleucia and Cyprus, Acts 13:4.  The apostle Paul didn’t just write about faith, Galatians 5:25, he lived it!

Like a teacher becoming a student, are you where God wants you to be or are you resisting a spirit of change?  Since everything else I have tried has failed up to this point, its time for me to try the equation Worship + Fasting.  As I commit to next 3 days to this exercise, I am praying that spiritual insight will follow.  The only thing standing in the way of a modern miracle is weak faith.  Therefore, trust the promises within 2 Peter 1:3-9 to pave the way for blessings and a fruitful life in Christ!

by Jay Mankus

At Wit’s End

Reliant K sings about people trying to reinvent the wheel in their classic song Wit’s All Been Done Before found on the Birds and the Bee Sides album.  Synonymous with humor and intelligence, wit is something King Solomon references in the Old Testament.  “What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun, ” Ecclesiastes 1:9.

If this is true, society is at wit’s end.  Unfortunately, history is a vicious cycle in which most societies self-destruct, opening the door for another to take its place.  Unless one studies past civilizations, their demise is forthcoming as most cultures repeat the same mistakes of the past.  This is the state of Psalm 107:27, as the subjects mentioned were at wit’s end.

Beyond the mysticism of this new age, there is a Counselor awaiting those who have reached this destination.  In the darkness of present day, there is hope on the horizon, John 16:12-15.  While I have been confined to another dead end street, I am ready to breakout, set free by a spiritual power.  May the words of Jesus in John 4:23-24 be fulfilled today, leading God’s followers once they reach wit’s end!

by Jay Mankus

Free Falling

Tom Petty’s 1989 song Free Fallin’ refers to a boy who broke up with a decent girl, breaking her heart.  As a result, a sense of guilt leads Petty toward a downward spiral, free falling into a state of depression.   On the surface, many are great at hiding their pain, trying to stay cool or avoid unwanted attention.  Yet, deep inside the average soul, hurt is accumulating day by day, searching for someone or something to elevate this weight.

In Acts 11:1-3, a similar burden was lifted from the church, opening the heavens for a spiritual free fall.  Up until this point, Jewish law prohibited anyone in this faith to associate with Gentiles, especially partaking in unclean food according to Leviticus 11.  However, angelic intervention, 2 visions and a message from God redefined a Jews perspective of impurity, Acts 11:8-10.  Everything changed in Acts 11:15 as the Holy Spirit, fell upon the Gentiles in Caesarea.

According to the apostle Paul, God allows this to happen periodically, as He determines, 1 Corinthians 12:11.  This spiritual free fall is for the common good of the church, 1 Corinthians 12:6, occurring throughout the book of Acts 2:4, 4:31, 10:44-46 and so on.  Unfortunately, seminary’s, the school which trains future pastor’s, disagree with the book of Acts, claiming this was a momentary, supernatural out pouring of the Spirit, no longer active, ceasing to exist.  This notion has caused many in the church to free fall, questioning the existence of God.

While I don’t have the answer or power to end this thousand year old debate, I do want to prevent future believers from free falling from the faith.  If God can part a sea in the Old Testament and cause a dead man to rise from the grave after 3 days in the New Testament, why can’t the Holy Spirit free fall today to commence another spiritual awakening?  Although, prayers shouldn’t treat God like someone going to a check out counter, Matthew 21:21-22 promises great things to those who believe.  If you follow in the footsteps of George Whitfield, you might just experience another spiritual free fall.

by Jay Mankus

House of Horrors

As I went to bed last night, everyone was talking about the horrific discovery within a house in Cleveland, Ohio.  With Breaking News alerts regularly appearing on the bottom of my television screen, the title House of Horrors became the obsession of cable news networks.  Like the Weather Channel drooling over yet another named winter storm, Fox News made it seem that nothing else in the world mattered.  Surrounding the house like vultures, scanning the area for another neighbor or friend of Ariel, Onil and Pedro Castro to interview live, this event became the latest media feeding frenzy.

While the full story is yet to be told, any case of child abduction, rape, sexual abuse and torture is one too many.  These 3 woman have been stripped of their innocence, violated beyond what anyone should ever endure and had their mind filled with nightmare images of this decade long ordeal.  Though the media is still looking for answers into the moral depravity of these 3 brothers, Hollywood has left a trail of bread crumbs to follow.

Copy cat crimes are nothing new, a pattern law enforcement have tackled for over a century.  At first glance, this appears to be similar to the case in Germany, exposed 2 years ago.  However, when you consider Americans have become like Romans 1:21-27, exercising freewill to chase after sexual fantasy’s, the actions of the Castro brothers don’t appear as irrational as first thought.  When you add increased sexual content within movies, immoral television shows and pornographic videos to this equation, 3 sexual predators are born.  In addition, George Michael pleaded for your sex in his lyrics of a song, Madonna crawled along a set like a pussy cat hoping to arouse you and modern day hip hop / rap stars continue to degrade women in their music videos.

For now, what’s done is done.  Nothing can take back the years stolen from these 3 women.  Yet, there are proactive steps one can take to help heal these wounded souls in Cleveland.  First, pray for Amanda, Michelle and Gina by name, asking God to cleanse their minds from the living hell they endured.  Second, you can fast for a day, going without food to either donate the funds you would have spent to these girls or seek the Holy Spirit for further areas of prayer each so desperately need.  Finally, keep your eyes open locally, so that something similar never happens again.  Follow the words of Colossians 4:2-6, staying alert so that future plots like this House of Horrors will be foiled before they ever begin.  Just do it!

by Jay Mankus

Resisting the Holy Spirit

As far as I can remember, I grew up in a strict Roman Catholic Church: taking my first communion there, going to C.C.D. and finally completing the confirmation process.  In my early years, nuns would strike you with a yard stick if you couldn’t quote the Our Father or Hail Mary when put on the spot.  When I got older, it bothered me  that the priest had the final  say, only his interpretation of scripture was valid.  Thus, in high school, I began a quest to find out more about the Bible, looking beyond just the Catholic faith for answers.

This journey has lead me to passages like Acts 7:51.  Whether you are a Catholic, Protestant , Jew or some other religion, sometimes its hard to break the traditions that have been engraved within your mind.  When your priest, pastor or rabbi says something, most assume, this must be true.  However, religious practices often enable leaders to usurp power over their flock, holding them captive to traditions.  Similar patterns exist today, as seminary teaches future shepherds to follow theological practices, often overlooking the presence and power of the Holy Spirit.

The Bible says live by faith, not by sight, 2 Corinthians 5:7.  The apostle Paul furthers this concept in Galatians 5:25, keeping in step with the Holy Spirit, day by day, not just when we feel like or want to follow.  I am afraid that many Christians are so busy following orders and pursuing practices, they have been oblivious to the fact they are actually resisting the Holy Spirit.  Wherever you are in life, make room for the Counselor, John 14:16-17.  Resist the urge to follow human traditions, test everything you hear with the Bible and when God’s whisper appears, follow!

by Jay Mankus

Tiring Hands

If you have to be honest, I think every soul goes through phases of doubt.  These periods are highlighted by an absence of God, with moments of agony, distress and frustration.  Many have come to this edge, on the brink of throwing in the towel, walking away from blind hope.

Like the words of the Asaph in Psalm 77:2, lifting up your hands in faith can become tiring.  When prayers come back unanswered and the wicked prosper, one may sound like an Old Testament prophet, crying out for answers.  Whenever these ruts continue, voices like, “what’s the use” or  “God doesn’t care anymore” creep into your mind.

So what do you do, when your strength to tarry on abandons you?  Why repeat the same pattern with similar unsatisfying results?  As for my faint soul, I cling to the promises of Psalm 77:7-11, restoring confidence and a sense of peace back into my exhausted body.  The path of God, Psalm 77:19 takes my tired hands, breathing life via the Holy Spirit which keeps me holding on.

by Jay Mankus

The Breath of the Lord

Norway rat

During the dark days of the Black Plague, sneezing was an early indication of this disease.  Thus, the expression, “may God bless you,” was aptly spoken, hoping the individual who sneezed would not die.  This spoken prayer was the only line of defense people had, since scientists were initially baffled by this outbreak.

In the beginning of this world, God created Adam to live forever, breathing life into his body.  However, like the Black Plague, sin’s influences and presence after the fall, gradually sucked the life out of mankind.  The toll of this spiritual disease eventually forced God to limit human life to 120 years.

Today, there is a different kind of threat, the absence of the presence of God.  Just as in the decay of the nation of Israel in the Old Testament, America is experiencing a similar power outage of God’s blessing.  Disobedience, idols and worldliness has eliminated the breathe of the Lord in many regions of the world.  Like the words of the prophet Isaiah 40:7, America and other dying nations are overdue for the breathe of the Lord.  May desperate souls rise from the ashes, made whole again by the Holy Spirit!

by Jay Mankus

Know Before You Go

Great slogans are easy to remember.  Just do it is iconic with Nike.  Think different led to the founding of Apple.  The Breakfast of Champions was promoted by Olympic stars, earning their picture on the cover of Wheaties.  On Sunday, I came across a new slogan which has a catchy rhythm.

While traveling south between Philadelphia and Baltimore on Interstate 95, these words were lite up above the highway, Know Before You Go.  Although I am sure there are many interpretations, the state of Maryland is attempting to help travelers plan ahead to avoid construction, delays or heavy traffic.  Thus, if you know before you go, you will follow alternative routes mapped out or plugged into your GPS.

In life, there are 4 things you should know, before you go to the grave.

1) Every one, whether you like it or not, is imperfect, a sinner in need of a Savior, Romans 3:23.

2) You can’t buy, earn or sneak your way into heaven, Romans 6:23.

3) Jesus is the only way into heaven, John 14:6 and Acts 4:12.

4) A new life is possible, John 10:10 through the promise of the Holy Spirit, 2 Peter 1:3-4, which you receive once you enter into a relationship with Jesus.

This decision is up to you, not contrived or forced.  However, if you fail to plan, you plan to fail.  Don’t allow stubbornness to ruin eternity.  Just know before you go!

by Jay Mankus

Starter Fluid

A few year’s ago, I was unable to get my aging push mower to start in the spring.  Initially, I went out and bought a cheap reel mover as a substitute, my earth day contribution.  However, after a conversation with a neighbor, he suggested an old mechanic trick, spraying starter fluid into the carburetor.  After the second pull, my mower was brought back to life.

This year I experienced deja-vu, except my supply of starter fluid had run out.  To my amazement, everywhere I looked to purchase a replacement came up empty.  With the sun about to set today, I was left with one remaining option.  As I bent down to prime the gas pump one final time, I said a simple prayer in my head, “Lord, only you can start this machine!”  As soon as I got back onto my feet, I gave a quick pull and the purr of the engine startled me.

Unfortunately, prayer often is left as a last resort for many.  God is waiting to do a miracle in our lives, but most given up hope that God can or will.  Wherever you are or whatever you are going through, rely on the eternal starter fluid, the Holy Spirit to jump start your day.  Matthew 21:21-22 reveals a promise from Jesus that prayer can move obstacles or any mountain that stands in your way.  Believe!

by Jay Mankus