Author Archives: npdev
By My Spirit
By My Spirit. Jesus fulfilled the ancient king-prophecies, but declared that His kingdom was not “of this world.” It was not a “power and might” kingdom, but a “by my Spirit” kingdom. My teaching articulates seven features of how His Kingdom operates—the basic patterns of real Christianity, which entered into the Roman world to transform […]
The Hope of Rome
The Hope of Rome. The ancient Hebrew prophecies spoke of a new kingdom that God would instigate during the fourth great world empire of the ancient world: the Roman Empire. The great promise of that empire was this: that they would civilize the surrounding “barbarian” nations by conquering them. Caesar began the process of “civilization” […]
Praying in the Spirit
In experimental Christianity, you find something in the Bible, then you ask God to teach you how to walk in the reality of it—to walk by faith. Early on, I was confronted with the gift of tongues described in the Bible. I give a little history of this gift, and explain why I don’t teach […]
Praying with Others
When we come together with other people, the dynamics of prayer changes dramatically. That is why it’s best to follow the pattern that Jesus gave us for together prayer. Start with worship. Then focus on the Kingdom of God—God’s will, before asking for anything for ourselves. We also clear our hearts of any residue of […]
More Ways to Buy Oil
Jesus warns us to “buy oil”—especially as we see that the time of His return is drawing near. The purpose seems to be so that we can resist deceptions that will overcome the world at that time. I add several more ways to enrich our daily quiet time with God—secrets of the secret place. The […]
Letting God Speak Daily
The nuts and bolt of a quiet time. Bible. Prayer Journal. Alertness. Asking God to speak. Then I describe in detail the most ancient, time-tested approach to actually hearing from God. This is a four-step process of opening your heart to Him and His word, abiding in Christ, and letting His word abide in you.
Making Room for the Anointing
We are invited to “draw near to God, then He will draw near to us.” Jesus teaches us to spend personal time alone with God. This teaching gives suggestions for how to build into your life a daily personal quiet time. You can reserve a space in your home exclusively for God, and I encourage […]
Nurturing the Anointing
“The Christ” is Jesus’ title, not His last name. The title means “The Anointed One—“ anointed to be King. Even before He died, He was already training His disciples how to receive and minister to people as “anointed ones”—Christians, and the believers came to be called. The anointing described in John 14-16 is aimed to […]
Ask for the Holy Spirit
The Holy Spirit is the way Jesus becomes King in our lives. He is “by my Spirit” kind of King, not a “power and might” kind of King. It is actually to our advantage that Jesus went away (at His ascension, after His death), because then He was able to send the Holy Spirit to […]
Surrender to God
If our quest cannot be achieved except by “faith working through love,” genuine love requires an act of surrender. We have to stop being in control; we have to surrender our lives to God. Let go and let God. Then we can gain a peace unavailable anywhere else. Some find surrender easier to accomplish than […]
