Walking this way with Jesus - a lifestyle
I was prompted to read the gospel of Luke. The Gospel of Matthew portrays Jesus as the King, the gospel of Mark portrays Jesus as the perfect Servant, the gospel of Luke portrays Jesus as the perfect Man, and the gospel of John portrays Jesus as the Son of God. I desire to know how Jesus lived as a perfect Man on earth who displayed the power of God on earth and lived a very successful and anointed life. The Lord imputed the desire in me to read the gospel of Luke, and I did, and then my eyes were opened, and He showed me things I didn’t notice. Therefore I want to pen down what the Lord revealed to me so I can remind myself and share with others.
There are a few things Luke recorded Jesus did. Jesus needed the Holy Spirit when He was on earth for His ministry, and He needed prayers to move in the power of God, last but not least He needed the scriptures as a Man on earth.
Man needs the Holy Spirit for the things of God: Luke 1:41, And it happened when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, that the babe leapt in her womb; and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. Elizabeth prophesied upon seeing Mary who was pregnant with Jesus in her womb.
Luke 1:67 Now his father Zacharias was filled with the Holy Spirit, and prophesied, saying. Zacharias was asked the name of his son, and he told them it was John by writing, and then he was filled with the Holy Spirit and declared what God would do.
Luke 2:25-27 And behold, there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon, and this man was just and devout, waiting for the Consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Christ. So he came by the Spirit into the temple. And when the parents brought in the Child Jesus, to do for Him according to the custom of the law. It was God the Holy Spirit who told Simeon, not God the Father, that he would see Jesus the Messiah, and it was also the Holy Spirit who led him to see Jesus.
Luke 3:22 And the Holy Spirit descended in bodily form like a dove upon Him, and a voice came from heaven that said, “You are My beloved Son; in You I am well pleased.” Jesus could not begin His ministry on earth without the Holy Spirit, so God anointed Him with the power of the Holy Spirit and declared the beginning of His ministry.
Luke 4:1 Then Jesus, being filled with the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness. Jesus Himself is the Son of God, but He was also a Man on earth, therefore He needed the Holy Spirit to live a perfect Man on earth in order to fulfill the will of God on earth.
What did Jesus do or believe that He was called the beloved Son of God, and God was so confident that He could be tested by Satan? I remember Pastor Joseph Prince asking the congregation what Jesus did until the age of 30 that God would declare He was His beloved Son. I got a personal revelation before I read the Gospel of Luke again, and when I read it again, my revelation was affirmed.
At the age of 12, Boy Jesus stayed in the temple listening to scriptures and asking the teachers questions. I believe Boy Jesus was curious to know the scriptures therefore He asked the teachers questions for understanding. God gave Him His desire because those who heard Him were amazed at His scripture's understanding and His answers to the questions He asked (I believe). You may read this in Luke 2:46-47. I believe Jesus must have immersed Himself in the scriptures. I believe Jesus needed to grow like a man, when He was a baby, He’s helpless, when He’s a Child, He needed education and guidance. Therefore, when His earthly parents told Him His miraculous birth and what the angel told them, He was prompted to find out more from the scriptures. Some may ask if what I said is true. Well, as I mentioned before and will say again, I WILL NEVER share anything that is not from the bible. It is written in Luke 2:52 NLT (New Living Translation). Jesus grew in wisdom and in stature and in favour with God and all the people. Jesus was growing in stages from a child to an adult. Therefore, the word of God is needed for His growth.
When His earthly parents found Him and asked why He left them and stayed in the temple, he replied that He must be in God’s business. It is written in Luke 2:49: And He said to them, “Why did you seek Me? Did you not know that I must be about My Father’s business?” Jesus meant it was proper for Him to be in the things of His Father, and His earthly parents would have known because God had already sent an angel to declare His virgin birth and the purpose of His birth. Angel Gabriel appeared to Mary in Luke 1:26-38, and an angel also appeared to Joseph in Matthew 1:20-23. Both Joseph and Mary knew that Jesus’ birth was of God, and He was born to save Israel from her sins. I personally believe both of them would also have told Boy Jesus His miraculous birth and what God intended Him to do, therefore He said had they not perceived that it was proper for Him to be in the things of God His Father.
Now, what are the things of God that it was proper for Him to be in? It was to understand the scriptures. The scriptures declare that God would send the Messiah to save Israel and establish them forever. Therefore, Boy Jesus stayed in the temple to learn the scriptures and gain an understanding of God’s plan for Israel. Since Jesus, as a perfect man, needed to understand the scripture, we mere mortal men need to understand the word of God, too. Jesus confirmed this when He appeared to two disciples on the road to Emmaus. He explained the scriptures to them how Christ ought to suffer and then enter into glory. Jesus revealed Himself to the two disciples in the scriptures and not as the physically resurrected Christ. You may read this in Luke 24:13-27. I thank the Lord for Pastor Joseph Prince because he is the one who caused me to realize that it is important to see Jesus in the Old Testament and in the New Testament much more than seeing Him physically. Otherwise, the resurrected Jesus would have shown the two disciples His physical body without explaining the scriptures.
Now, since there is only a record of Jesus at the age of 12, I believe there is something we can learn from that made God declare that He was the beloved Son when John the Baptist water baptized Him. I sincerely believe Boy Jesus would have searched the scriptures about the Messiah since His parents told Him about His birth and God’s plan. And He chose to believe as a Man what God planned to do. The reason I concluded this is because it is written in Luke 4:16-22 that Jesus went to the temple on the Sabbath day and read a scripture of Isaiah 61:1-2 leaving out the day of vengeance part. And then He proclaimed that the scripture was fulfilled by Him, and many marvelled and also said, was not Jesus, the son of Joseph? This means they could not believe that Jesus was the fulfillment of Isaiah 61:1-2 that Yahweh had anointed Him to set His people Israel free from all troubles. To them, Jesus was a pure man, because they did not know about His virgin birth (I believe).
Jesus, as a Man, chose to believe He was the Messiah and the Son of God before He was baptized by John the Baptist. Therefore, God declared Jesus was His beloved Son. There is nothing God can do if you totally refuse to believe His words. Now is this my belief? Remember the twelve spies Moses sent out in the book of Numbers. There were twelve spies from each tribe, ten of whom had no belief that God would deliver their giant enemies into their hands; only Joshua and Caleb believed. God had to destroy those who did not believe His words. If those who did not believe His words were alive and they went with those who believed, I believe the unbelievers would sabotage the believers. God is unable to move if there is no slight belief, as he is not opening the door or making space for Him to move in his life.
The scriptures declared that Jesus was the Messiah and the Son of God and He believed as a Man. Now what about us? What does the word of God declare us? We are heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ according to Romans 8:17. So we are above all things (sick, poverty, lack, bad habits, etc) and shall have the highest honor and praise as we are in Jesus Christ. God will be very, very pleased if we believe we are more than royalties (kings and princes) because we and Jesus are One. Believe our words have power and authority and believe angels of God are acting upon our words and demons tremble when we speak against them. This is the identity God wants us to believe firmly.
Man also needs frequent prayers to release the power of God in his life and live victoriously. It is written in Luke 5:16 So He Himself often withdrew into the wilderness and prayed. Jesus as a perfect Man on earth needed prayers in order to be connected to His Father and be in power on earth.
Luke 6:12 Now it came to pass in those days that He went out to the mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God. After Jesus had prayed, it was written that He called the twelve disciples and declared who the twelve were. I believe the bible tells us that before Jesus decided who the twelve were, He needed prayers to be connected with His Father and then wisdom and the will of God would flow to Him so He could make the right decision according to His Father’s will.
Luke 9:18 And it happened, as He was alone praying. After Jesus prayed, He asked His disciples what the crowd said about who He was, and then He asked them who they thought He was. I believe Jesus would have prayed for His disciples to have an understanding of His purpose on earth. Therefore, after His prayer, He posed the question of His identity to them, and Jesus’ prayer was answered because Peter proclaimed that Jesus was the Christ, and then Jesus said that it was the Father who revealed His identity to him. You may read this in Matthew 16:13-17. Our prayers will be answered if we keep believing and praying. It will be good to keep on praying in the Spirit (speaking with tongues).
Luke 9:28-29 Now it came to pass, about eight days after these sayings, that He took Peter, John, and James and went up on the mountain to pray. As He prayed, the appearance of His face was altered, and His robe became white and glistening. It was Jesus' prayer that caused His glory to be shown to Peter, James and John. Therefore, if you keep praying, God can cause His glory to be shown in your life, and you will shine His glory, and others can see. This explains why some pastors who do not believe in the grace of God ultimately could have amazing results, and miracles happen in their ministries because they pray in tongues a lot.
Luke 11:1 Now it came to pass, as He was praying in a certain place, when He ceased, that one of His disciples said to Him, “Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples.” I believe one of His disciples saw Jesus prayed many times and as a result He walked in the power of God: healing the sick, casting out demons and performed many miracles. Therefore if you develop the habit of praying all the time, you will display the power of God in your life and people will come to ask your prayer life so they can be like you walking in the power of God.
Luke 22:32 But I have prayed for you, that your faith should not fail; and when you have returned to Me, strengthen your brethren. Jesus told Peter that he would deny him because of Satan, but He had prayed that Peter’s faith should not fail. Why would the Son of God who had power in heaven and on earth still needed to pray? This is because He was a Man on earth and power of God is only released through prayer.
Luke 22:40-46 When He came to the place, He said to them, “Pray that you may not enter into temptation.” And He was withdrawn from them about a stone’s throw, and He knelt down and prayed, saying, “Father, if it is Your will, take this cup away from Me; nevertheless not My will, but Yours, be done.” Then an angel appeared to Him from heaven, strengthening Him. And being in agony, He prayed more earnestly. Then, His sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground. When He rose up from prayer, and had come to His disciples, He found them sleeping from sorrow. Then He said to them, “Why do you sleep? Rise and pray, lest you enter into temptation.”
On the night of Jesus’ arrest, He prayed to the Father and it is written that Jesus prayed three times (Matthew 26:44). He told Peter, James and John (who were with Him in the garden as it is written in Matthew 26:37) that the purpose of prayer was for them not to enter into temptation. I believe Jesus was also telling Himself because He was in agony and wanted to escape the suffering of the cross and all the humiliation. He prayed to God to remove the suffering from Him but not His will but the Father’s will.
Jesus had to pray three times for Him not to fall into temptation (rejecting the suffering), and then His Father sent an angel from heaven to strengthen Him. Since Jesus the perfect Man on earth needed to pray at least three times to be strengthened by God and avoid falling into temptation, how much more we who are mere mortal. Even Apostle Paul encouraged us to pray at all times. It is written in Ephesians 6:18 praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints. It is also written in 1 Thessalonians 5:18 praying without ceasing. Paul was a man who prayed in tongues more than any believers (I believe) because he declared that he spoke more tongues than all the believers in Corinth combined (1 Corinthians 14:18 Amplified).
Jesus also tells us to pray always. It is written in Luke 18:1 Then He spoke a parable to them, that men always sought to pray and not lose heart. And it is also written in Luke 21:36 Watch therefore, and pray always that you may be counted worthy to escape all these things that will come to pass, and to stand before the Son of Man. I believe Lord Jesus was telling us to also pray in the Spirit without ceasing (always speak with tongues). This is because only when you are speaking with tongues, you are filled with the Holy Spirit and you will be in tune with God the Holy Spirit and then it will be easier for you to flow with the Lord as you will be more sensitive to the Holy Spirit’s leading and prompting. Remember we are spirit beings do not be confined by your physical body, especially your puny brain. Do not think that it is good to pray with words and you do not need to speak with tongues so often because you do not know what you are speaking or praying. However, Paul told us that when we speak in tongues, we are speaking to God (1 Corinthians 14:2). And Jude told us that when we pray in the Spirit we are actually building up our faith (Jude 1:20).
What is the lifestyle of Jesus as a perfect Man on earth? First He spent time studying the scriptures and understanding the word of God to know the Father’s heart and will. I believe Jesus as a Man memorized scriptures because He could quote scriptures when Satan tested him in the wilderness. Therefore it is good for us to study God’s word to have understanding of the bible to know the heart and will of God for us. And also to know what the finished work of Jesus is at the cross and what Jesus had done for us and what is the life He has given to us.
Before Jesus as a Man could begin His ministry, He needed to be anointed by God the Holy Spirit. After Jesus was water baptized and tempted in the wilderness, He went to the temple to declare God anointed him to set Israel free from all troubles by reading the scriptures from the book of Isaiah. It is also written in Acts 16:38 how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power, who did good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him. The word ‘anointed’ in Luke 4:18 is chrio in Greek. And the word ‘anointed’ in Acts 10:38 is also chrio. Chrio means to smear or rub with oil. Not ever believer is chrio with the Holy Spirit even though every believer of Jesus Christ has the Holy Spirit dwelling in him or her.
Being anointed with the Holy Spirit means the Holy Spirit is over you and not just in you. When the Holy Spirit is smeared over you, He is able to lead you and perform miracles through your hands and body. Always have the desire to be anointed with the Holy Spirit and with power of God, and keep on relying on the Holy Spirit in whatever you are doing by saying this prayer “Holy Spirit, I am going to do this. Help me as I need You.” Whenever you are saying this prayer, you are declaring to yourself, God, angels and even the demons that you are not depending on yourself but wholly unto Him. God is very pleased to know that you rely completely on Him as this is His desire.
Therefore, when you realize you need the Holy Spirit all the time, you will always pray, even if you do not speak in tongues. However, I would encourage you to speak with tongues if you are able to, and pray for the desire to speak in tongues if you don’t speak, and pray that you shall speak in tongues after the desire has come. If you truly desire want to know how to speak with tongues, read my revelation God Loves It When You Speak With Tongues. I encourage you to speak with tongues because sometimes we do not know how to pray or what to pray, especially when you are troubled or overwhelmed with problems. When you pray in tongues, your spirit prays, actually it is the Holy Spirit who is praying in you and through you. It is written in Romans 8:26: Likewise, the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. Now I want to thank the Lord for Pastor Joseph Prince for helping me to have a better understanding of Romans 8:26. The word ‘helps’ in original Greek is sunantilambanomai and it means to take hold together against; you need to pray in tongues, and the Holy Spirit will pray with your spirit and give your spirit the words (tongues) to pray.
I shall now conclude that it will be good for a believer to be immersed in the word of God regarding the finished work of Jesus; every blessing of God, which is good health, wealth, good relationships, favour with people, enjoyment and every success, and also immerse in the word of God that tells you that you are above all things in Christ as you are the heir of God and joint heir with Christ and your words have power; whatever you say (good or bad) shall come to pass if you keep on saying. Even non-Christians also believe in the power of words, so you need to think too because your words have more power than the words of the non-believers of Jesus Christ.
Make the habit of relying on the Holy Spirit at all times by saying the simple prayer that you need Him in whatever you do. When you have realized that you can do nothing apart from the Holy Spirit, you will always pray to Him and you will be praying without ceasing. And also rely on the Holy Spirit for prayers, especially prayer for your problems. Therefore have the desire to speak in tongues whenever you feel troubled or anxious about anything, and the Holy Spirit will pray for you and then the peace of God shall reign in your heart and mind according to Philippians 4:6-7.
In summary, these are the three keys to live a victorious life: the word of God, the Holy Spirit and prayers (especially praying in tongues). The highest form of prayer is praising and worship the Lord. When you are worshiping Him, you are actually connecting your spirit with Him and you can feel the sweet smelling aroma within you and you can also feel the river flow inside of you. This explains why the book of Psalms is the largest book in the bible. Take time to speak to the Lord in words or speak with tongues and also take time to sing unto Him. You will not feel bored praying if you can speak or sing to Him.