- Mar 5, 2024
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Being Well Clothed In The Spirit Is What Covers Our Shame, Part 2
For many, sins can tarnish their self-image, leading them to feel too much shame in attempting to serve God. The Lord spoke of this in the Book of Revelation, where some of the believers in Sardis were falling back into behaviors that were "defiling their garments." In other words, their lives and testimonies were becoming stained by sin, but it did not have to stay this way, for if they overcame them they would again walk with the Lord clothed in white.
4 You have a few names even in Sardis who have not defiled their garments; and they shall walk with Me in white, for they are worthy. 5 He who overcomes shall be clothed in white garments, and I will not blot out his name from the Book of Life (Revelation 3:4-5)
I see testimonies where this comes to mind all the time, especially from young men seeking to serve the Lord Jesus Christ. They want to walk free of the stains of sin, yet they struggle to get the victory over them. As I covered in Part 1, the answer is not to seek a righteousness in and of ourselves, but to become increasingly "clothed" in the Spirit of God, for it is only though Him that holiness is attained. What many lose sight of is that we cannot create a "holiness" of our own. It comes only from the presence of the Holy Spirit resting upon us and operating through us. This is why Jesus told the church at Laodicea to "buy" of Him white garments, that the shame of their nakedness not appear.
18 I counsel you to buy from Me gold refined in the fire, that you may be rich, and white garments, that you may be clothed, that the shame of your nakedness may not be revealed (Revelation 3:18)
How is the Spirit of God "purchased" as it were? Through prayer and fasting. How can we know if we have received it? The spiritual gifts, i.e, the supernatural gifts in particular, are and were intended to confirm beyond doubt that He was in our midst. Even the outpouring itself, which for some is tangible, is intended to confirm that He is present and has accepted us. This is why Jude exhorted his readers to "keep yourselves in the love of God, praying in the Holy Spirit." All manifestations of the Spirit's supernatural presence operating in and through believers cause them to become "clothed" in Him, and it is this clothing of the Spirit that causes the shame of their spiritual nakedness to no longer appear.
Did anyone remember the apostle Peter denying the Lord three times after the Day of Pentecost came? No, because the Spirit was poured out upon him and he stood up to prophesy to all Israel that the fulfillment of Joel had come, and that salvation was now to be found in Jesus Christ alone, the Son of God. Peter would go on to raise the dead, again manifesting that the Spirit of God rested upon him in great power, and confirming yet again that despite his sins the Lord Jesus Christ had forgiven him and clothed him in His Spirit.
But what of new believers just starting out? First of all, believers should pray for the baptism in the Holy Spirit, for the proper beginning is to start out wearing white garments from the very beginning, as Revelations 3:4 above suggests. But should this experience tarry, there are some easy ways to become increasingly "clothed" in the Spirit, ones not so dramatic as being empowered to raise the dead or heal the sick, but ways which provide evidences - even if only to us as of yet - that the Spirit of God is present within us.
Firstly, the Spirit was sent to lead us into all truth (John 16:13), and Paul described revelation as a type of "gift" that is given to the saints when they seek Him for it, such as happens when the prophets are seeking revelation from God on specific matters.
29 Let two or three prophets speak, and let the others judge. 30 But if anything is revealed to another who sits by, let the first keep silent. 31 For you can all prophesy one by one, that all may learn and all may be encouraged. (1 Corinthians 14:29-31)
This applies to receiving accurate interpretation of God's written word as well, for the Spirit is the One who wrote the scriptures and He alone is the One who knows their accurate meaning. The Lord likewise grants us wisdom supernatural when we ask Him for it - wisdom regarding any situation we might be facing and how to deal with it - and He does not just give this wisdom to the "righteous" but to all, for scripture states that He will not bring a reproach against us for our sins when we ask Him:
5 If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him. 6 But let him ask in faith, without doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. 7 For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord (James 1:5-7)
Just as with revelation concerning the written word or concerning prophecy, those who refuse to let go of God until they receive wisdom will receive it, and when they do they will know that the Spirit of God is revealing things to them supernaturally. These should be among the primary manifestations of God's presence initially, yet there are others as well. The Lord promised that in the end times He will pour out His Spirit upon all flesh, and we will prophesy, see visions and dream dreams. Anyone can receive a dream from God, which is why I regularly stress it to others as a means by which the Lord can speak to them, and operate in and through them supernaturally.
Some will say, "But I don't know how to interpret," but as Joseph once told the Pharaoh's servants, "Do not dreams belong to God? Tell me your dreams and I will interpret them." Simply ask Him in prayer for what He alone can give, and pray in faith that you will receive it. When you receive it you will know, and you will know you are being spoken to and taught by the Spirit of God Himself. The reason again why this is so important is because once you see the supernatural happening in your life and/ or on your behalf, nothing the accuser of the brethren can say will dissuade you from your confidence in God. Yes you may have sinned in the past and messed up - maybe even yesterday - but the simple fact that He is manifesting on your behalf means no one else's opinion need matter, not even yours. Trust in His love for you, and that you will increasingly be clothed with the Spirit of God from on high, forever covering you from those who would be your accusers.
Blessings in Christ, and thank you for reading
Hidden In Him
For many, sins can tarnish their self-image, leading them to feel too much shame in attempting to serve God. The Lord spoke of this in the Book of Revelation, where some of the believers in Sardis were falling back into behaviors that were "defiling their garments." In other words, their lives and testimonies were becoming stained by sin, but it did not have to stay this way, for if they overcame them they would again walk with the Lord clothed in white.
4 You have a few names even in Sardis who have not defiled their garments; and they shall walk with Me in white, for they are worthy. 5 He who overcomes shall be clothed in white garments, and I will not blot out his name from the Book of Life (Revelation 3:4-5)
I see testimonies where this comes to mind all the time, especially from young men seeking to serve the Lord Jesus Christ. They want to walk free of the stains of sin, yet they struggle to get the victory over them. As I covered in Part 1, the answer is not to seek a righteousness in and of ourselves, but to become increasingly "clothed" in the Spirit of God, for it is only though Him that holiness is attained. What many lose sight of is that we cannot create a "holiness" of our own. It comes only from the presence of the Holy Spirit resting upon us and operating through us. This is why Jesus told the church at Laodicea to "buy" of Him white garments, that the shame of their nakedness not appear.
18 I counsel you to buy from Me gold refined in the fire, that you may be rich, and white garments, that you may be clothed, that the shame of your nakedness may not be revealed (Revelation 3:18)
How is the Spirit of God "purchased" as it were? Through prayer and fasting. How can we know if we have received it? The spiritual gifts, i.e, the supernatural gifts in particular, are and were intended to confirm beyond doubt that He was in our midst. Even the outpouring itself, which for some is tangible, is intended to confirm that He is present and has accepted us. This is why Jude exhorted his readers to "keep yourselves in the love of God, praying in the Holy Spirit." All manifestations of the Spirit's supernatural presence operating in and through believers cause them to become "clothed" in Him, and it is this clothing of the Spirit that causes the shame of their spiritual nakedness to no longer appear.
Did anyone remember the apostle Peter denying the Lord three times after the Day of Pentecost came? No, because the Spirit was poured out upon him and he stood up to prophesy to all Israel that the fulfillment of Joel had come, and that salvation was now to be found in Jesus Christ alone, the Son of God. Peter would go on to raise the dead, again manifesting that the Spirit of God rested upon him in great power, and confirming yet again that despite his sins the Lord Jesus Christ had forgiven him and clothed him in His Spirit.
But what of new believers just starting out? First of all, believers should pray for the baptism in the Holy Spirit, for the proper beginning is to start out wearing white garments from the very beginning, as Revelations 3:4 above suggests. But should this experience tarry, there are some easy ways to become increasingly "clothed" in the Spirit, ones not so dramatic as being empowered to raise the dead or heal the sick, but ways which provide evidences - even if only to us as of yet - that the Spirit of God is present within us.
Firstly, the Spirit was sent to lead us into all truth (John 16:13), and Paul described revelation as a type of "gift" that is given to the saints when they seek Him for it, such as happens when the prophets are seeking revelation from God on specific matters.
29 Let two or three prophets speak, and let the others judge. 30 But if anything is revealed to another who sits by, let the first keep silent. 31 For you can all prophesy one by one, that all may learn and all may be encouraged. (1 Corinthians 14:29-31)
This applies to receiving accurate interpretation of God's written word as well, for the Spirit is the One who wrote the scriptures and He alone is the One who knows their accurate meaning. The Lord likewise grants us wisdom supernatural when we ask Him for it - wisdom regarding any situation we might be facing and how to deal with it - and He does not just give this wisdom to the "righteous" but to all, for scripture states that He will not bring a reproach against us for our sins when we ask Him:
5 If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him. 6 But let him ask in faith, without doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. 7 For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord (James 1:5-7)
Just as with revelation concerning the written word or concerning prophecy, those who refuse to let go of God until they receive wisdom will receive it, and when they do they will know that the Spirit of God is revealing things to them supernaturally. These should be among the primary manifestations of God's presence initially, yet there are others as well. The Lord promised that in the end times He will pour out His Spirit upon all flesh, and we will prophesy, see visions and dream dreams. Anyone can receive a dream from God, which is why I regularly stress it to others as a means by which the Lord can speak to them, and operate in and through them supernaturally.
Some will say, "But I don't know how to interpret," but as Joseph once told the Pharaoh's servants, "Do not dreams belong to God? Tell me your dreams and I will interpret them." Simply ask Him in prayer for what He alone can give, and pray in faith that you will receive it. When you receive it you will know, and you will know you are being spoken to and taught by the Spirit of God Himself. The reason again why this is so important is because once you see the supernatural happening in your life and/ or on your behalf, nothing the accuser of the brethren can say will dissuade you from your confidence in God. Yes you may have sinned in the past and messed up - maybe even yesterday - but the simple fact that He is manifesting on your behalf means no one else's opinion need matter, not even yours. Trust in His love for you, and that you will increasingly be clothed with the Spirit of God from on high, forever covering you from those who would be your accusers.
Blessings in Christ, and thank you for reading
Hidden In Him
