Power Walk Ministries

Guest (Male): Welcome to Power Walk Ministries. We're glad that you've joined us as Reverend Paul Cannings continues this series on steps to spiritual growth. Beginning with a warning to beware of false teachers and then to knowing God, Pastor Cannings moves on today to the importance of understanding scripture with the help of the Holy Spirit.

He takes us to 2nd Corinthians, Chapter 2, to explain the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives and outlines all of the ways in which the Spirit helps us in understanding scripture and transforming our lives. Here's Pastor Cannings now with the message, "Illumination of the Holy Spirit."

Dr. Paul Cannings: The one who says, "I have come to know him" and does not keep his word, his commandments, is a liar and the truth is not in him. Whoever keeps his word, in him the love of God has truly been perfected. By this, you know we are in him. The one who says he abides in him ought to walk in the same manner.

This is the walking. Now we transition to walk in the same manner because his seed abides. Because the Holy Spirit abides in this person, they can't help become more and more like Christ each day. They just become more and more like him. That's what Paul says, "I no longer live. It is Christ that lives in me." When I practice this life, I no longer live it.

I don't practice me no more because the more I hold to the scriptures is the more the Spirit of God keeps transforming me in the renewing of my mind and I now live this life because the Spirit of God came to take me to that life. That's how I come to know him. Look at Philippians chapter 1. Verse 9 says this happens to a person that is huge.

And then we can go to Hebrews chapter 5 and then I'll bring it all together to help us to understand how the Spirit works so that we could identify false teachers. In verse 9 he says, "And this I pray, that your love may abound more and more in real knowledge and all discernment so that you may approve the things which are excellent in order to be sincere and blameless until the day of Christ, having been filled with the fruit of righteousness which comes through Jesus Christ to the glory and praise of God."

Your love may abound. What is he back to? 1 John. If you love me, you keep my commandments. So if a person is keeping his commandments because my love is not for myself anymore, my love is not for my emotions anymore, my love is not for the way I think anymore, my love is not for all these things I have a passion for anymore, my love is for you and I want to please you. He says when that happens, the person ends up looking for more knowledge because they're trying to do the right thing.

And when that happens, they come to a point of discernment. See, people like to do discernment where, "I just sense the Spirit of God is moving in me and I just sense this." And I'm going, where is that coming from? "Oh, I just sense it. That's the Spirit of God talking." I'm going, where's the knowledge base for that? "Oh, I don't know what the verse is. I don't have a..."

The Bible doesn't say it that way. What the Bible says is that I will be able to from knowledge, keeping the knowledge, love, applying the knowledge to real-life situations, he would take me to a level where when I can't figure out the verse, he's going to say, "Something isn't right about this." I don't know the something yet, but the knowledge base tells me because of the work of the Holy Spirit working on what he's heard, he keeps me to that word. Look at Hebrews 5. You'll see what I'm talking about. Hebrews 5:14. He keeps me there so that I could be able to discern what is good and what is evil.

Discernment is an act of the Holy Spirit. It's not some feely-touchy thing. Her feelings is saying that. That's not discernment. Look at chapter 5, verse 13. "For everyone who partakes only of milk is not accustomed to the word of righteousness, for he is an infant." Back to that. The word of righteousness means a person lives by faith and not by sight.

Therefore, they hear the Bible and they apply it, they live it, even if it doesn't make sense. They clearly understand what the truth is and they're going to do it even when it doesn't make any sense because I keep the Bible. I keep God's word. And when I'm convicted, I'm adjusting back to what God is saying. The Spirit convicted me and led me back.

So now that he's led me back and he's reminded me of the word of God, I'm staying right here. He says that person is a person that is walking in righteousness. The Holy Spirit is working out their salvation in fear and trembling. But a person who doesn't do none of those things is an infant. Look at verse 14. "But solid food is for the mature, who because of practice have their senses trained to discern good and evil."

Watch this carefully. Solid food. People who want the knowledge. That's where it starts. It's for those who are convicted and driven by the Holy Spirit. The Bible says it takes them to a point where they could say, "You're the Christ, the son of the living God." It only comes from spiritual maturity because I am more in the Spirit than in the flesh, so the Bible makes sense.

Like somebody says to me, "Pastor Cannings, I read this thing. Doesn't make any sense." I said, "Do what you've learned to do." "But I'm trying to do..." No, no. What do you know to do? "Well, I know that I'm going to have to change who I'm dating." All right, start there. "But I like him." Okay, start there. Deny yourself, pick up the cross, say bye, change the number, move it out of your phone.

You act like I'm not feeling something. Yep, that's why he says deny yourself. You know the person isn't saved, so you're not supposed to be fellowshiping with darkness. So the Spirit of God has let you go, not that person. So all right, what else you know? "Oh, I know that I need... I just feel a sense many times to just read the scriptures and read it and study and sometimes things I learn make sense. And so when it makes sense, I grab it. Or I come to church and I hear you or Pastor Pierre preach and sometimes it just happens to be what I'm dealing with and I get it."

I said, good. Work on that. I'm saying the minute you keep doing what you know, the Spirit of God says, "You've surrendered your will to me. I'm willing to work with you." And the more you keep surrendering your will is the more you're letting me take you over. And the more you let me take you over is the more you will see the Bible.

And I'll create such a hunger in you, a thirst in you, you will not want to stop reading it because my job is to guide you into it so you learn to live by it. That's my job. That's my one job. We into the tongues and prophecy and jumping over pews. He's saying my one job is to open up this Bible so you know how to live.

1st Corinthians chapter 2. In order to not get corrupted by false doctrine, you can't just connect to the scriptures. You have to connect to the Spirit of God. It opens your eyes. So in 1st Corinthians chapter 2, he says this, "For to us God revealed them through the Spirit, for the Spirit searches all things, even the depths of God. Who among man knows the thoughts of a man except the spirit of a man which is in him? Even so the thoughts of God no one knows except the Spirit of God. No one. Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may know the things freely given to us by God."

The only way we will know these things is by the Spirit of God. So we could read it, we could have a degree in English comprehension and feel we understand it, but we can't see it until the Spirit of God illuminates it. And what was lacking when Jesus Christ was on earth was the influence of the Holy Spirit.

And that's why he says he is your helper to get to experience life. "I am the way, salvation. The Holy Spirit is the helper to get you to life and life abundantly." I came to give you life and life abundantly. If the truth, the Holy Spirit, is not dominating your life, you could be saved and messed up in your mind about everything because you never came to the truth, so the life I came to give you is not a reality.

So here, here's these things you've got to remember so that false doctrine don't corrupt you like junk food can mess you up. Junk food tastes good and it's cheap, but it'll mess you up. Sometimes I have to pray to go by Chick-fil-A. That kind of rhymes. I use my grandkids as an excuse. "What do y'all want to do?" "Go to Chick-fil-A."

Sounds good to me. Let's do that. I already know they're hungry. I already know they like Chick-fil-A. All I did was stir it up. Here's these things you've got to remember. The Holy Spirit will only teach us what we choose to learn. It's a choice. We've got to put in the work. It's like a person who came to me, said, "Pastor Cannings, would you pray for me?"

"Sure. Done." "I got a test tomorrow." "Yeah, did you study?" "No, but you pray for me because you're the pastor." No, doesn't work like that. You've got to study. I'm going to pray that God remind you of what you studied, but I can't pray you just pass when you didn't study. "But you're the pastor. You belong to Jesus."

So the Spirit of God will only work with what I put in. Second thing, I must practice what he's teaching me. I must practice what he's teaching me. I've got to put it to work and it takes denying myself to do that. The second thing, the more I renew my mind is the more he transforms me. When he teaches me something and I practice it, the more he illuminates what he's teaching is the more I do it, he says, is the more I take over your life.

Here's the next thing. When he does and he convicts me of sin, no excuses. Don't make excuses. I think my family would tell you when Dad is wrong, he just walk up to you and say, "Yeah, I'm wrong." I don't fool with it. Human wisdom is demonic. Stop using it. James chapter 3, verses 13 through 18. Human wisdom is corrupted and becomes demonic. Don't use it.

In Romans chapter 1, verse 18 through verse 32, he says it is we believers who are making the world immoral because we are using our intelligence rather than the scriptures and Satan is using that to corrupt the world. It's not the sinners. He's using us to corrupt the world because we are becoming so intelligent now we feel we could read the Bible and close it and talk to you about the glore God.

Anytime a person could read you one verse and never look back at the Bible and start preaching on that one verse, run. If a person never opens up the Bible, just keep using references but say they're teaching you, run. Dangerous. Human wisdom will become demonic and it will corrupt you.

Guest (Male): Thank you, Pastor Cannings. Another step in the process of steps to spiritual growth is to commit to gain knowledge and then allow the Holy Spirit to help us understand and obey the truth. Log on to powerwalkministries.org. That's powerwalkministries.org. And while you're online, you'll also find Pastor Cannings' newest release, When We Pray.

Not only gaining knowledge, but staying in fellowship with God through prayer is critical for us to live abundantly and victoriously. I hope you'll order a copy today. You can also call us at 281-260-7402 to secure your copy.

Dr. Paul Cannings: A few years ago, some friends of mine, pastor friends came to me and challenged me to start Power Walk. And by faith, we stepped out, chose to start Power Walk Ministries. And yes, folks, God has grown it, he's developed it. And we'd love for you to look at our website at www.powerwalkministries.org to see all the things that we are seeking to do for the glory of God. Become our partner, participate of what God is doing. I know God will bless you for your sacrifice.

Guest (Male): Again, that's 281-260-7402. Our mailing address is Power Walk Ministries, PO Box 920517, Houston, Texas 777092. And now, before we leave you, remember knowledge is important, but take the time to allow the Holy Spirit to illuminate God's word so that you'll have a true understanding of scripture.