Abounding Love Podcast with Former ”Tex” Watson

The Holy Spirit #5: I emphasize that that believers are commissioned by Jesus to walk in the same authority and power as He did, being "sent" just as His Father sent Him [John 20:21]. Central to this mission is the recognition that Jesus came to destroy the works of the Devil [1 John 3:8] and that believers, as "sons of God," are now empowered to carry out this same operation in the world. Just as Jesus was led and empowered by the Spirit to overcome Satan's wilderness temptations and return in "dunamis power," believers are expected to walk in victory over sin, sickness and trials [Luke 4:1-14]. I note that even Jesus didn't begin His ministry until He was anointed with the Holy Spirit at age thirty [Acts 10:38], underscoring that the Church must move beyond just preaching salvation to also minister healing and the baptism of the Holy Spirit [Matthew 4:23; Luke 4:18].
To access this power, believers must prioritize "receiving" the Holy Spirit baptism through faith while rejecting the traditions of men that make the Word of God of "none effect" (Mark 7:13; Colossians 2:8), keeping believers powerless. True worship must be in Spirit and Truth [John 4:23], allowing "rivers of living water" to flow freely from within the believer to the world [John 7:37-39]. The Holy Spirit acts as the Comforter, a Helper called alongside to testify of Jesus, to teach all things and guide the believer into all truth [John 14:26; 15:26; 16:13]. By abiding in Christ as branches in the Vine, believers are enabled to bear the "fruit of love" and perform "greater works" than those Jesus did during His earthly ministry [John 15:4-5; 14: 12], that is, reaching the world at large. Ultimately, the Spirit reveals the deep things of God [1 Corinthians 2:9-10] and empowers the believer to overcome the world because "greater is He that is in you, than he that is in the world" [1 John 4:4]. Join me as I share these Scriptures and more for your edification. Selah!
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The Holy Spirit #4: In this episode, I emphasize that the Holy Spirit provides the "power from on high" necessary to witness and confirm the living presence of Jesus Christ to the world. Throughout history, God has utilized the power of the spoken Word as the primary vehicle for delivering His people from bondage, a pattern established when Aaron served as a mouthpiece for Moses in Exodus, chapters 3 and 4. The same Word of power was manifested in Jesus, who used spoken commands to destroy the works of the Devil, heal the sick and raise the dead. Today, believers are encouraged to recognize that the Word of God remains a "bondage releasing" Spiritual power; when spoken in faith, it  builds internal strength and acts as a creative force in their lives and others. This fulfillment began at Pentecost, according to the prophesy in Acts 2:17-21, where the Holy Spirit was poured out so that sons and daughters would prophesy and minister with divine ability.
To operate effectively in the power of the Holy Spirit, one must move beyond merely hearing the Word to actively "receiving" and "taking" it as a gift already provided by God. This message distinguishes between being "born of the Spirit" for Salvation -- which grants the legal authority to become sons of God as stated in John 1:12 -- and being "baptized in the Holy Spirit" for "dumamis" power, which means "dynamite" power in Greek. Using Jesus as the ultimate example, I note how He was born of the Spirit [Matthew 1:13], but did not begin His public ministry until He was baptized in the Holy Spirit when the power of heaven descended upon Him [Luke 3:21-22]. By following the Biblical pattern of repenting, being baptized and receiving the Holy Ghost [Acts 2:38], we become Christlike, who carry a new nature and new covenant relationship with God, enabling us to transform the world through the love and anointing of the God. I pray you'll join me for an exciting time in God's Word. Selah!
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The Holy Spirit #3. This episode emphasizes the distinction between being born again, where the Spirit dwells within the believer like water in a glass, and being baptized in the Holy Spirit, which is described as being completely overwhelmed and surrounded by God's presence -- likened to that glass of water being submerged in a large pitcher.
This outpouring at Pentecost is presented as the fulfillment of a "new covenant" [Acts 2:1-4], marking the transition from the bondage of the Law to the freedom of grace and the adoption of believers as actual sons of God through redemption [Galatians 4:3-7]. I share how the same Spirit that moved at Creation and breathed Life into Adam is now available to believers to defeat the "seed of the serpent" and replace spiritual death with resurrected life [ 2 Corinthians 4:6].
Receiving the baptism of the Holy Spirit is achieved entirely by faith, much like salvation and physical healing, plus I note that these gifts are often separated only because they are not taught as a single "package". I explain that the Spirit and the Word are inseparable; prophecies found in Joel 2:28 and Isaiah 55:11 demonstrate that God's spoken word is an " incorruptible seed" that must accomplish its purpose of delivering and healing mankind.
By receiving this "Spirit of faith" [2 Corinthians 4:13], believers are empowered to become "living epistles," with God's law of Love written upon their hearts rather than on tables of stone, as promised in Jeremiah 31:33 and Ezekiel 36:26. Ultimately, this baptism provides the power to overcome "sense knowledge" -- relying on what one can see or feel -- and instead walk in Spiritual victory and authority of Jesus Christ. Join me as we delve into these Scriptures and more for your edification. Selah!
[For more: Copy and Paste or Enter into ChatGPT.com, "Create a Study Guide for Episode #108 Holy Spirit #3 from Abounding Love Ministries"].
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Holy Spirit #2: This message emphasizes that the Holy Spirit is the source of power for the believer, providing the necessary ability to minister and represent the Kingdom of God from within. Drawing a contrast between the Old and New Testaments, I explain that while the Law brought condemnation and death, the law of the Spirit of Life in Christ Jesus makes believers free [Romans 8:2]. A critical distinction is made between being born again -- receiving resurrected life as the disciples did when Jesus breathed on them in John 20:22 -- and receiving the baptism of the Holy Ghost, which is the "power from on high" (Luke 24:49) described in Acts 2. This baptism is a gift received by faith [Galatians 3:14], enabling Christians to move beyond a passive experience to become active, fervent witnesses for the Gospel [Acts 1:8].
Furthermore, this message highlights that every believer is now the temple of the Holy Ghost, bought with the precious blood of Jesus and no longer belonging to themselves [1 Corinthians 6:19-20]. Just as God appeared to Moses in the burning bush to send him with a message of deliverance from Egypt [Exodus 3], believers today are sent to preach reconciliation and deliverance to a world held in spiritual darkness. Because the same Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead dwells within the believer [Romans 8:11], they have authority to overcome the devil and should walk in the Spirit of ". . .power and of love and of a sound mind" (2 Timothy 1:7). By recognizing our identity as sons and daughters of God and ". . .joint heirs with Christ" (Romans 8:17), we can boldly exercise our authority over the works of the enemy [Revelation 12:11]. Join me as we delve into these Scriptures and more for your edification. Selah!
For more: Copy and Paste or Enter into ChatGPT.com, "Create a Study Guide for Episode #105 Holy Spirit #2 from Abounding Love Ministries" ].
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The Holy Spirit #1: In this episode, I emphasize that the Holy Spirit's primary manifestation is through the action of love. Although the word "love" is absent from the Book of Acts, the Spirit is mentioned 52 times because the apostle's deeds were inherently "love actions". To possess true Spiritual power, one must walk in love, as God is love, and His eternal purpose is to maintain a love relationship with His children. This transformation involves being "born of love" and moving from the kingdom of darkness ". . . into the kingdom of the Son of His Love" (Ephesians 1:13), where believers are empowered to destroy the works of the devil just as Jesus did [1 John 3:8]. Also, I trace the spiritual lineage from Creation in Genesis -- where man was made in God's Spiritual image to have dominion -- through the Fall and the entrance of spiritual death, to the promised "seed" that would bruise the serpent's head [Genesis 1:26; 2:17; 3:15].
A central theme of the message is the vital distinction between being born again and being baptized in the Holy Spirit. I argue that the apostles were born again when Jesus breathed on them in John 20:22, receiving His resurrected life, yet they still lacked the "dunamis" power required for global ministry. His power is the divine ability and strength from God's grace only obtained through the baptism of the Holy Spirit, which is illustrated as the difference between having water in a glass [salvation] verses placing that glass inside a full pitcher [immersion]. Believers are commanded to wait for this ". . . promise of the Father" (Luke 24:49; Acts 1:4) to be endued with power from on high, enabling them to witness with evidence such as healing, casting out devils and miracles (Mark 16:17-18). This baptism allows the Holy Spirit to not only reside within the believer but to completely surround and immerse their entire being, providing the boldness necessary to fulfill the Great Commission [Matthew 28:18-20]. Join me for this power introduction to a 7 part series in the Acts of the Apostles. Selah!
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A New Desire! Our New Nature has an inbred desire to serve God, doing what is right [1 John 2:29; 3:3; Psalm 51:10-12]. The writer of Hebrews says, ". . . the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God . . . in all things desiring to live honorably" (Hebrews 9:14; 13:18). John gives us insight into the nature of our new Spirit and desire when he wrote, "Whoever is born of God does not commit sin; for His seed remains in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God" (1 John 3:9). This truth emphasizes the position of our new Spirit in Christ, which cannot sin and desires to serve God.
We are born of love [1 John 5:1-2], the salt of the earth and light of the world [Matthew 5:13; 16]. We have the power and life of God living in us [Acts 1:8]. We are a new creation and made right with God [2 Corinthians 5:17, 21]. We walk as disciplined children in newness of life [Romans 6:2-14] and in the heavenly places [Ephesians 1:16-2:6], as dear children knowing our God, "Who has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the Kingdom of the Son of His love" (Colossians 1:13). Yet, we still sin in certain areas of our soul [mind, will and emotions] that need to be confessed in humility. As Spirit-filled believers, we desire to live and act in a manner which is pleasing to God [Hebrews 11:6]. As new creations, our thoughts, choices and emotions shape our bodily actions into a new lifestyle. Like the Apostle Paul, our motto becomes, ". . . I have been crucified with Christ, and it is no longer I who lives, but Christ lives in me, and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, Who loved me, and gave Himself for me" (Galatians 2:20). Join me as we study these Scriptures together. Selah!
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A New Life: Man is a triune being consisting of spirit, soul [mind, will and emotions] and body. When a person is born again, a miraculous transformation occurs within their spirit through the planting of an incorruptible seed, which is the Word of God [1 Peter 1:23]. This experience involves receiving a new Spirit and a new heart as prophesied in Ezekiel 36:26, resulting in the human spirit becoming 100% aligned with God's divine nature and "perfected forever" (Hebrews 10:14). Central to this process is Hebrews 4:12, which describes the Word of God as a two-edged sword that pierces and divides [cuts/parts] the spirit from the soul. Using the illustration of a bone, the Spirit is likened to the living marrow that produces life [blood], while the soul is the surrounding joint or bone that remains hardened and in need of further work.
While the Spirit [marrow] is instantaneously perfected through regeneration, the soul [bone] remains imperfect and must undergo a progressive renewal [Romans 12:2]. This "spiritual circumcision" made without hands [Colossians 2:11] strips away the corrupt carnal nature from the spirit, but the believer must still "put off" the old manner of life and "put on the new man" by being renewed in the spirit of their mind [Ephesians 4:22-24]. As the mind is renewed by learning Christ and agreeing with the Word, the Zoe life of God stored in the perfected Spirit is released into the soul and ultimately manifested through the body. This process fulfills the intent of Deuteronomy 30:6 -- that God circumcises the heart so the believer can love Him with all their heart and all their soul, allowing divine life to operate in their entire being -- Spirit, soul and body [1 Thessalonians 5:23]. Join me as I share these Scriptures and more to open your eyes to the sanctified life. Selah!
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A New Gift explores the "new creation" by first defining the tripartite nature of man in Greek as spirit [pneuma], soul [psuche] and body [soma], where the "heart" [kardia] represents the non-material inner man of spirit and soul. Because mankind is born into a state of "flesh" [sarx] -- the unregenerate, weaker element of human nature -- all are inherently sinners and cannot save themselves from the penalty of death (Romans 5:12; 6:23). Regeneration is the "new gift" of eternal life through Jesus Christ. It is a free gift that can neither be earned nor deserved but is provided by God's mercy [Ephesians 2:8-9, Titus 3:5]. Through the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus, the "Word of God" acts as an incorruptible seed that, when received, causes the spirit to be born again and line up 100% with God's Divine nature [1 Peter 1:23; 1 Corinthians 6:17; 2 Corinthians 5:17].
Receiving the new gift requires repentance and faith, which begins with hearing the Gospel [Romans 10:17]. Repentance is described as a change of mind, heart and will where an individual turns from the power of Satan to the power of God [Acts 26:18]. This transformation occurs when a person believes in their heart and confesses with their mouth that Jesus is Lord and that God raised Him from the dead [Romans 10:9-10]. This act of faith allows the Holy Spirit to enter and regenerate the human spirit, making the individual a partaker of the Divine nature [2 Peter 1:4]. While the spirit is perfected instantly at the new birth, this experience provides the power for the ongoing renewal of the soul and serves as a precursor to the future glorification of the body [Acts 3:19; Philippians 3:20-21]. Join me as I share these Scriptures and others for your edification. Selah!
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