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Developing sensitivity to the HS is crucial to moving in the authority of Jesus. That is a given. However on the flip side it is also important to recognize when HS is not the origin of what we are hearing.  This is discernment, and the HS will develop this in us. The highest use of discernment is to connect with what HS is doing in a situation, or speaking to us. Discerning the genuine also shows up the counterfeit for what it is and empowers us to discern and resist the voice of Satan.

Jesus hears God the Father speak, then HS leads Jesus into the wilderness. Through the HS we encounter, and overcome all voices that claim authority in our lives. Only the voice of the Father can be our authority.

As Jesus encounters Satan I don't think he announced who he was or what his intentions were. He would be in his best outfit, making his most skilled attempt to seduce and deceive Jesus. Notice that Satan even quotes scripture. He has done his home work.

• Satan quotes scripture, but they are twisted to a self focused perspective
• Jesus countered with scripture which is interpreted from a God centered persecutive

Satan was cunning and cleaver, but in playing his hand he gives away some of his strategies. There is a method to what was happening here…

• If you are…God had already spoken to Jesus, already had the word in Him. Doubt and confusion creates opportunity to exploit.
  • God given identity and relationship is the very first thing he went for. The jugular vein of our spirituality
  • Example 1 Cor 14:33 - Confusion in handling gifts can render them ineffective
  • Four soils parable - Satan tries to snatch the word away - in this case the word was "You are my Son"
  • Eden - "Did God really say..."
• Make Bread…put personal comfort first. Self interests first.
  • Jesus rebuked Peter “get behind me Satan” for his rejection of sacrifice
  • Romans 8 - flesh vs spirit. The entire chapter is about this
  • Esau sold his birthright for a meal - with massive implications
  • Israelites complained about food in the wilderness, this motivated their desire to  return to Egypt
• All authority...this is an outright lie. 
  • Ps 2:7-8 – Jesus had just been named the Son - He only needed to ask the Father for the nations. Tempted with a short-cut. The easy road of compromise. This would save the messiness and pain of the cross
  • Philippians 2 – Spiritual authority comes through sacrificial obedience, not sucking up or having friends in high places. 
  • It is a terrible mistake to confuse position with spiritual authority...
• Jump off the Temple…What an amazing entrance into public ministry that would be. Descending from on high on a staircase of angle hands...yet Jesus frequently warns us to do things in secret and not for the praise of others.
  • Jesus challenged the crowds on this issue regarding John – “What did you come here to see…”
  • Mat 6:6,18 etc
  • Romans 2:28-29 - there is a play on words -  Judah (Jew) means "praise". Is our praise (Jew) from God or people...

If you think about it - it was an amazing spiritual experience. Visions, out of body experiences, visitations from angelic beings, but at the centre was compromise and self-promotion. Jesus recognized that this experience didn't reflect the nature or will of the Father. It just show how careful we must be to discern the origin of what we are experiencing or hearing.

Jesus knew his position of athority with the Father (You are my Son - the named heir), and His working relationship with the Holy Spirit (The Spirit of the Lord is upon me - the Power of creation).

What Satan attempted was to set the agenda and call the shots in Jesus life. He attempted to assume a position of authority over Jesus. Jesus responses did two things - He answered Satan' s temptation, and also held Satan himself accountable to the word of God. Jesus exercised His spiritual authority without gtiving it away or allowing it to be manipulated.

Strategies - It is really important to understand Satan’s strategies.

1. Satan’s power comes from the Nature of God - Holy (law) and Just (vengance). His is a delegated authority
   • He appeals against us – He is the accuser. Rev 12:10, Job 1, Luke 22:31
   • Depowered by Jesus – Col 2:14-15
   • Grace is administered through Jesus Christ alone (Is 53), we exchange the conviction of guilt (a legal term) for Christ's righteousness
   • If he can errode our faith and obedience in Christ he postions us outside grace, we are exposed to justice and he gains power through accusation
2. If he cannot overpower them, get God to do it for him.  Satan does this by tempting people to violate God’s holiness – then God’s justice is aroused.
   • Tree of knowledge - Gen 3
   • Balaam – 2 Peter 2:15, Jude 1:11, Rev 2:14, Numbers 24 & 25, Numbers 31:15
   • Activates the power of God’s curse. Deut 28, 29
   • The old and younger prophet: 1 Kings 13, 2 kings 23:16-18
   • Eg Occult, blatant sin etc.
3. Get them doing the wrong thing for the right reasons
   • See the temptations of Jesus
   • Galatians 3:3 – perfecting in human strength
   • Abraham and Hagar – Ishmael
   • Moves faith away from God’s ability to our own
4. Get them to do the right things for the wrong reasons
   • The internal work is easy to ignore because no one can see
   • Romans 12, Acts 5 - Lying to the HS
5. His mission is to kill, steal and destroy. But he cannot do this without our consent. First he must errode spiritual authority
   • James 4:7, 1 Peter 5:8, Luke 9:1, 10:19

Ezekiel 12:4-8

By day you shall bring out your belongings in their sight, as though going into captivity; and at evening you shall go in their sight, like those who go into captivity. Dig through the wall in their sight, and carry your belongings out through it. In their sight you shall bear them on your shoulders and carry them out at twilight; you shall cover your face, so that you cannot see the ground, for I have made you a sign to the house of Israel.

So I did as I was commanded. I brought out my belongings by day, as though going into captivity, and at evening I dug through the wall with my hand. I brought them out at twilight, and I bore them on my shoulder in their sight.

And in the morning the word of the Lord came to me, saying...

Sometimes the call of God is clear, but at the sometime can be a bit vague....

Ezekiel was commanded to dig through the wall, which he did - that much was clear - then what? There was a night of waiting, wondering, looking foolish. A demolished wall behind him but no fanfare of obedience awaiting outside, no reward just an awkward silence. He became a public spectacle without understanding why. God didn't explain until the next day.

"Did I really hear correctly...I have obeyed you Lord and now you go quiet?"

No, there is no hesitation. Ezekiel is confident because he knows a key to walking with the HS. Sometimes God say "go", other times he says "no", and Ezekiel understands "slow". When God calls us to walk with Him and match His pace.

God gave enough for Ezekiel to be obedient, but not enough for him to be independent. That's Slow. One step at a time, at His speed.

Abraham learned this too...

Now the Lord had said to Abram: “Get out of your country, From your family And from your father’s house, To a land that I will show you.

Did you catch that?
God didn't give directions to Abram, arriving at the destination isn't what this is about, it was an invitation from God to go on a journey with Him. 

This is the slow.

It is too easy to do God's work for Him at our pace and in our own way. We get a sniff "go", of His call, and roar off with all our energy doing God's work for Him. Then what happens? He has to pull us back in. And we start to hear "No". And we bounce between these realities. We need to hear and understand when God tells us "slow".

You see God doesn't need our strength, wisdom or assistance. We kid ourselves. The destination of His call is always in His capable hands. He asks us along for the journey.

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Water baptism is an important step in our Christian walk, not only as an act of obedience but as a powerful declaration. By being baptised like Jesus did, we declare publicly our identity with him, and our intention to follow His teaching and will for our lives.

John called it baptism of repentance - a sign of turning away from one thing, and turning towards something else. The water a symbol of becoming clean.
For example you may be doing something which is dirty - digging the flowers, and want to go for a nap. You wouldn't jump into bed with the boot and overalls on. You would change and wash. You would prepare for the environment you are about to enter.

That is what baptism means. It symbolizes our intention to become clean and enter into the call of God. It is acceptance of God's invitation.

Invitation into what?

When He had been baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened to Him, and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting upon Him. And suddenly a voice came from heaven, saying, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”

At his baptism God the Father proclaimed His favor over Jesus...well of course He does this is Jesus we are talking bout.

Do you believe God loves you too?

Do you really believe He looks on you and whispers "You are my beloved"
He does. Always has. Always will.
The cross shouts it at us. The truth of the cross grabs us by our chin, looks deep into our eyes. He sees the brokenness, unworthiness and pain and embraces it all. 

"You are worthy"

When our hearts hear this voice and we believe, baptism is our reply. 

We join Jesus in the water, standing before God the Father in acceptance of His word "You are my beloved".

Baptism is a powerful declaration we make to God the Father that we accept His love and invitation to be a son or daughter and part of the family of God.

Talk to one of the pastors or your home group leader if you think water baptism may be a step the Lord is calling you to take.

Matthew 8

When evening had come, they brought to Him many who were demon-possessed. And He cast out the spirits with a word, and healed all who were sick, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet, saying:

“He Himself took our infirmities
And bore our sicknesses.”

• Healed all…references Is 53
• 1 Peter ch 1 and 2 also references Is 53 and expounds it as “the word by which the gospel was preached…” (1:25, 2:21-25)
• The default position of Jesus was to respond with healing and power

Philippians 2

Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

• The name of Jesus – the highest authority
• Think of a cheque book. The name or signature has been given to authorise it. Our job is to fill in with the resource needed and present to the Father 

Luke 9

Then He called His twelve disciples together and gave them power and authority over all demons, and to cure diseases….
…Now John answered and said, “Master, we saw someone casting out demons in Your name, and we forbade him because he does not follow with us.”

But Jesus said to him, “Do not forbid him, for he who is not against us is on our side.

• Healing and miracles are not restricted to the twelve, or a special few; rather “all who believe”

Mark 16

 And He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned. And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues; they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.”

So then, after the Lord had spoken to them, He was received up into heaven, and sat down at the right hand of God. And they went out and preached everywhere, the Lord working with them and confirming the word through the accompanying signs.
Amen.

John 16

Therefore you now have sorrow; but I will see you again and your heart will rejoice, and your joy no one will take from you.

“And in that day you will ask Me nothing. Most assuredly, I say to you, whatever you ask the Father in My name He will give you. Until now you have asked nothing in My name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full.

“These things I have spoken to you in figurative language; but the time is coming when I will no longer speak to you in figurative language, but I will tell you plainly about the Father. In that day you will ask in My name, and I do not say to you that I shall pray the Father for you; for the Father Himself loves you, because you have loved Me, and have believed that I came forth from God. I came forth from the Father and have come into the world. Again, I leave the world and go to the Father.”

• Jesus delegates his authority to those who believe and follow Him
• Consider the baptism of Jesus – God the Father speaks; delegating authority to God the Son. HS has been preparing Jesus (learned obedience) and setting the stage. Now HS is authorised to act in power at the word of Jesus.
• We present our request to God the Father, in the Name of Jesus. Holy Spirit does the actual healing
• Our position is to proclaim and apply the legal exchange of the atonement before God the Father in a position of authority over creation.  

Optimism = "hopefulness and confidence about the future or the success of something."

In order to better understand people’s views of the world, a researcher once placed two children, one a pessimist and the other an optimist, alone in separate rooms.

The pessimist was placed in a colorful room full of all kinds of imaginative toys…the optimist was put in a room filled with horse manure.

The first child played in the room for a little while, but soon came to the door asking to leave because the toys were boring and because they broke too easily.

Likewise, the young optimist soon came to the door…but rather than asking to leave, she asked for a shovel.

Of course, the researcher asked the child why she wanted a shovel.

She replied, “With all this manure around, I know that there must be a pony in here somewhere.”

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I think that is today's life there are many things that can make us pessimistic about life. Stories about war, strife, hunger, ungodliness and many other things, just watch the news. You don't often get news of good things that is happening, but God's word urges us on to be optimistic about life.

Psalm 52:8 really reflects with me personally, its says "But as for me, I am like a green olive tree in the house of God; I trust in the loving kindness of God forever and ever."

So you might ask the question "Why should I be optimistic about things, about life and about the future?

You know why, because we have hope, hope and the promise of God in his word that should make us very optimistic about life, about the future. To stand with the full knowledge of God promises in our life as children of God, as stated in Psalm 27 and many other scriptures

Psalm 27:1-3 "The LORD is my light and my salvation; Whom shall I fear? The LORD is the defense of my life; Whom shall I dread? When evildoers came upon me to devour my flesh, My adversaries and my enemies, they stumbled and fell. Though a host encamp against me, My heart will not fear; Though war arise against me, In spite of this I shall be confident."