Tag Archive for: SPIRITUAL MATURITY

THE PROGRESSION OF A SPIRITUAL EXPERIENCE OF GROWTH FROM HEBREWS 4:12 TO EPHESIANS 6:10-20

The very first point of mention is that even though a sword is mentioned in both scriptures the spiritual implications of those scriptures above is completely different. You can read my posting of David vs. Goliath to get better understanding. https://abidingbread.com/2025/12/02/david-vs-goliath-the-mark-of-the-beast/

Too many Christians directly equate Hebrews 4:12 with the armor of God and they are completely different applications and one precedes the other in being equipped for battle. We know that a kingdom divided can not stand as well as when we are born again we receive imputed righteousness from Christ Jesus. This imputed righteous by the indwelling Holy Spirit still needs to do a work within us BEFORE we take the battle field in the Spirit realm.

Just because you received the Holy Spirit does NOT mean you are totally filled with light! We know this by the parable of the 10 virgins! So we still have darkness within us that the Holy Spirit wishes and desires to “cut away” from within us. That is the double edge sword. Too many also it is symbolic of the brethren as “iron sharpening iron” but that is just scratching the surface because when you sharpen any knife, sword or iron you need “honing oil” which is the Holy Spirit because we are talking about spiritual growth unto complete sanctification and holiness! Think Galatians 2:20 & 6:14.

The Word of God in Hebrews 4:12 is the living God not just the Written Word. It is the Lord by the power of the indwelling Holy Spirit that crucifies our old nature and gets us to the Garden of Gethsemane. What sorrowed the Lord is that the disciples fell asleep which means the same application process of what Jesus went through was not a living witness to them. They were called to die to “self” just as when they partook of the last supper! When you take communion you are actively committing to dying to “self” as whoever does not partake of the Body and Blood is not worthy to follow Jesus.

Hebrews 4:12–13 (NKJV)

¹² For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. ¹³ And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account.

Notice heart, mind and soul! These represent the first commandment Jesus spoke that we must love Jesus with all of our mind, heart and soul! This is not possible when you deny the Holy Spirit access to these areas of our very being! Also notice the saints will give an account of denying the process of sanctification and pruning!

John 15:1–11 (NKJV)

The Relationship of Believers to Christ

15 “I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. ² Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit. ³ You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you. ⁴ Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me.

⁵ “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing. ⁶ If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned. ⁷ If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you. ⁸ By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples.

⁹ “As the Father loved Me, I also have loved you; abide in My love. ¹⁰ If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love.

¹¹ “These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full.

This is of vital importance as in the New Testament I can not reflect on even one single Apostle given unto a sinful nature! So this false metaphor Christians repeat that no one is without sin is TOTALLY VOID of the life, death and resurrection of Christ Jesus! You deny the gospel and the power of God by this statement! You deny the double edge sword which is the person of Christ Jesus! I say PERSON of Christ Jesus for a reason which I will expound on as we proceed. When you deny the double edge sword you deny THE FINISHED WORK OF THE CROSS OF CHRIST JESUS.

Romans 6:1–14 (NKJV)

Dead to Sin, Alive to God

6 What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? ² Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it? ³ Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? ⁴ Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.

⁵ For if we have been united together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection, ⁶ knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin. ⁷ For he who has died has been freed from sin. ⁸ Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him, ⁹ knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, dies no more. Death no longer has dominion over Him. ¹⁰ For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life that He lives, He lives to God. ¹¹ Likewise you also, reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

¹² Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body, that you should obey it in its lusts. ¹³ And do not present your members as instruments of unrighteousness to sin, but present yourselves to God as being alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God. ¹⁴ For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under law but under grace.

Have you allowed the Cross of Christ Jesus to work within you? I am not talking about stumbling as we live in a fallen world and the influences of darkness as no saint is exempt from spiritual attacks of Satan. I am talking about the same sin being repetitive. I realize that many forms of bondage are not easy but are you calling on the Lord to crucify that sin, asking for HIS power and GRACE to overcome? Why is the mindset stronghold of being saved your final destination. Why are the churches sending out newly saved people telling them they are ready to minister? They have a testimony but are not yet ready for ministry. There is no real discipleship from the Holy Spirit. I keep saying this over and over you are to reflect, represent and reveal Christ Jesus. This means you do not represent your pastor, church, denomination, your own beliefs which may be false but you preach and speak IN SPIRIT AND TRUTH. When you speak with a mixture of flesh and spirit I guess you could say you speak with a forked tongue. I am not saying this out of cruelty. I have witnessed by the Holy Spirit when someone speaks starting out in the Spirit and then adds their own interpretation of expounds with their own intellect rather than revelations of Spirit and Truth. Hey, we are human and all being refined. This is why prophet utterance is only speaking by the power and unction of the Holy Spirit. Just as Jesus said the words I speak are not my own but of my Father. I only do what I see my Father doing! We must all develop this in our own walk with the Lord. Today the church has people say a prayer, dunk them in water and sends them out. How come it took three and a half years for discipleship when JESUS TAUGHT THEM and even then without the Holy Spirit they would not remember what they had been taught. In addition there were things Jesus said He could NOT teach them until the Holy Spirit dwelt within them. That is why in my previous post I said all of the Apostles had the same Gospel but each grew in continued revelations of Christ. Paul preached on Grace because it was a personal revelation by the Thorn in the flesh. Paul knew this was also a spiritual attack and wrote Ephesians six. John wrote the Book of Revelations. All of the Epistles were their testimonies of continue Revelations of Christ Jesus. It is the Apostles and Prophets that lay the foundation of Christ Jesus but not only the denial of the five fold ministry but also the false people in the five fold ministry corrupt the Word of God. The five fold ministry is the fullness of Jesus as five is the biblical number of GRACE! A true Apostle walks in the total of the five fold ministry or how could you “BUILD THE CHURCH”. Today we only have a pastor who eliminates the five fold ministry and he alone represents an all in one presence. Is the pastor prophetic? Let’s put it this way which office of the five fold ministry in the bible battles Jezebel? What office of the five fold ministry took on principalities? Which office took on Kings of other nations? When the church does not have the five fold ministry the saints suffer in edification. There again just as there are false pastors/prophets there will be false in all five offices. That does not mean those offices do not exist. It’s so sad today that the saints can’t distinguish between prophecy and the office of a prophet! When Paul said above all the gifts he wish all would prophesy he was referring to being living witnesses/testimonies of Christ Jesus. The spirit of prophecy is testimony of Jesus. Anyone that speaks/proclaims/preaches is prophesying but that does NOT make them a prophet! So preaching is a testimony of Jesus Christ. Many have another Jesus that they preach and thus a different Spirit.

I get many excuses when I bring up these points when people say Moses wasn’t perfect and yet Moses was commissioned. They do not see the difference between the Old Testament and New Testament! Visitation is NOT habitation, why do you think they brought the Arc of the Covenant?

Exodus 33:15 (NKJV)

¹⁵ Then he said to Him, “If Your Presence does not go with us, do not bring us up from here.

It is important to understand when the Lord went with them did the Lord only go in part or in fullness? Is the fullness of the Holy Spirit been developed and established within you? Is there still any darkness that you have within you? If so, the fullness of Christ is NOT going with you or within you!

Jesus is the fulfillment of the Old Covenant! Those born again do not live under the Old Covenant. To understand the New Covenant the Old Covenant is needed and visa versa. To understand the fullness of the Old Covenant the New Covenant is needed. That is why the full counsel of God’s Word is vital and essential!

Matthew 5:48 (NKJV)

⁴⁸ Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect.

Philippians 1:6 (NKJV)

⁶ being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ;

Hebrews 12:14 (NKJV)

¹⁴ Pursue peace with all people, and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord:

Matthew 6:21–23 (NKJV)

²¹ For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

²²  “The lamp of the body is the eye. If therefore your eye is good, your whole body will be full of light. ²³ But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in you is darkness, how great is that darkness!

Now let us look at how by allowing the fulfillment of Hebrews 4:12 which is the Person of Christ Jesus to work within you unto complete sanctification and holiness you can not fulfill Ephesians 6:10-20.

Ephesians 6:10–20 (NKJV)

The Whole Armor of God

¹⁰ Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. ¹¹ Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. ¹² For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. ¹³ Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.

¹⁴ Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, ¹⁵ and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; ¹⁶ above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. ¹⁷ And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; ¹⁸ praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints—¹⁹ and for me, that utterance may be given to me, that I may open my mouth boldly to make known the mystery of the gospel, ²⁰ for which I am an ambassador in chains; that in it I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.

If you do not put on which means submit to Hebrews 4:12 you are unable to put on the power of His might or the completed armor. Thus you are not truly equipped for the battlefield! Are you sanctified by His Word? Has all of HIS WORD which is the LIVING WORD CHRIST JESUS FORMED WITHIN YOU. ARE YOU ESTABLISHED IN HIS IMAGE AND LIKENESS. I know this is contrary to the preaching of today but this is critical in the hour we live!

John 17:18–23 (NKJV)

¹⁸ As You sent Me into the world, I also have sent them into the world. ¹⁹ And for their sakes I sanctify Myself, that they also may be sanctified by the truth.

Christ Prays for All Believers

²⁰ “I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word; ²¹ that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me. ²² And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one: ²³ I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me.

Now let us try to wrap this up. As you seen in John 17 we are sanctified by truth. Is your church preaching in Spirit and Truth? Truth is established ONLY by The Holy Spirit. So are you allowing Hebrews 4:12-13 to be fulfilled in you? Christ Jesus was not glorified until after His death and resurrection and if Mary had touched Jesus before Jesus ascended that would have changed the outcome. You see human hands can not create the dwelling place of the Lord so a church structure or place of congregation is NOT the church. If Jesus had not ascended into glory before anyone touched Jesus the fallen nature would have been a contamination of the resurrection. You may ask how do we know this. Paul tells us and this is also why the modern day church is in the condition that it is and why false doctrines have created people influenced and inhabited by demons who call themselves Christians.

1 Timothy 5:22 (NKJV)

²² Do not lay hands on anyone hastily, nor share in other people’s sins; keep yourself pure.

I hope you have found this informative and that you received this in Spirit and Truth. I once had a woman come to a prayer group with several sicknesses. I was instructed by church leaders not to pray directly but to give any revelations to the leadership of the prayer group so they could pray. This is in total opposition to the Spirit of God! The one who receives revelation is the one empowered by that revelation because it was received from the Lord by the Holy Spirit. So the revelation empowers the prayer. The two leaders prayed with no healing. I said all that they have prayed is not your problem. I said the Lord revealed that your thyroid is the problem which is creating these illnesses and sickness. I asked if I could gently lay my hand on her throat and she said yes. As I prayed she began to cry as the Holy Spirit was manifesting. Her cry was not of hurt but of revelation of the prayer. When I finished my prayer she stated the revelation to me. She said she had been to a church for the “laying on of hands” for spiritual impartation and she feared she received a different spirit! There you go, the laying on of hands imparts spirits! I asked if I could pray again and she said yes. So I said greater is the Lord in her and greater is the Lord in me. In the name of Jesus come out now! She was delivered right there and set free! I was told this type of prayer was not allowed because the church had a SOZO deliverance ministry which is psychotherapy masquerading as spiritual deliverance! I know because the Lord allowed me to attend a few class session and even under a session. I was not blinded spiritually so I was unaffected by this process but it allowed me to discern and witness first hand this demonic false deliverance ministry. It is done by “probing spirits” as I have discussed in other postings. The Lord is not a probing Spirit He reveals to us by divine revelation as I mentioned a few sentences ago. The reason for probing spirits is to put a spiritual hook in you to create ungodly soul ties of bondage. You then are subject to repetitive sessions of SOZO or falsely believe you are set free. It’s of the devil! Impartation is the laying on of hands for the transference of spiritual gifts bu tit is the impartation of the spirit of those gifts which 99.9 percent of the time is transference of demonic spirits! You are receiving spirits! Paul approached this much differently with Timothy as the calling and gifting is from the Lord only! Notice the gift of God was already within Timothy!

2 Timothy 1:6 (NKJV)

⁶ Therefore I remind you to stir up the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands.

Acts 19:1–6 (NKJV)

Paul at Ephesus

19 And it happened, while Apollos was at Corinth, that Paul, having passed through the upper regions, came to Ephesus. And finding some disciples ² he said to them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?”

So they said to him, “We have not so much as heard whether there is a Holy Spirit.”

³ And he said to them, “Into what then were you baptized?”

So they said, “Into John’s baptism.”

⁴ Then Paul said, “John indeed baptized with a baptism of repentance, saying to the people that they should believe on Him who would come after him, that is, on Christ Jesus.”

⁵ When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. ⁶ And when Paul had laid hands on them, the Holy Spirit came upon them, and they spoke with tongues and prophesied.