It Ain’t Complicated – 436

Welcome to Hank’s Place

This video blog began in June of 2017. It was born out of a burning desire to share – the Good News. There is no bad news in the Good News. God is good, and the news about His Son Jesus Christ is ALL Good News. And it’s not complicated.

Yep, here at Hank’s Place we believe in the SIMPLICITY of the gospel. If it’s complicated it’s probably NOT the Gospel. For example, as I look in the Scriptures, I find Philip talking to the Ethiopian eunuch in Acts chapter 8. Do you know what he says to the eunuch when the eunuch asked him a question about what he was reading in Isaiah the prophet? It says Philip preached Jesus to him. He told the eunuch about the Savior, our Lord – JESUS.

That’s what the gospel is all about, Jesus, the son of God, who died for us and arose from the dead having accomplished salvation – FOR US. It’s simple!

Consider Paul and Silas and their situation in Philippi. It’s found in Acts 16. They were beaten with rods at the hands of the magistrates and tossed into the deepest dungeon. They begin singing praises to God. Suddenly a great earthquake occurs and all the prison cells spring open. The jailer comes in, and assuming the prisoners have escaped, pulls a sword to kill himself. “NO!” exclaims Paul, “We are all here!” In shock, the jailer cries out, “What must I do to be saved?”

Paul responds, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.” It’s as simple as that!

Here’s another one. Romans, chapter 10:9-10. Paul speaks about believing in your heart and confessing with your mouth Jesus Christ as Lord and goes on to say that “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

This is VERY Good News. It doesn’t have any “ifs” or “buts” or conditions! No 15 steps to a successful salvation. No getting your life right before God will accept you. We surrender our own lordship of our lives and turn our lives over to Jesus – He does the rest! That’s plainly indicated in John 1:12-13, “But as many as received Him (that’s Jesus), to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name, who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of a man, BUT OF GOD.”

Just as astonishing – and Good News – is the MYSTERY of the Gospel; that Jesus has come to live inside us! Colossians 1:27. Not only has Jesus saved us, regenerated us, but He now LIVES IN US to lead us in the way everlasting. What adventure lies ahead dear friend, for those who believe and receive the Good News!

BELIEVE – and COME ALIVE!

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Walking in the Spirit – 435

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Last week I urged you to be endued with ‘power from on high’ as Jesus said in Luke 24:48. How? Ask Jesus to baptize you with the Holy Spirit so you can begin crushing the devil and destroying his works while helping and healing and delivering those who have suffered under him – including yourself!

This week I remind you that we are spiritual creations. We were created to walk in the spirit. Due to Adam error we couldn’t, but after we were born again, we could! Yet many born again people still walk after the flesh, making judgments based on what they see and hear, and understand, rather than listening to what their spirit is sensing.

I urge you – LISTEN to the Spirit. Act like the son of God that you are, for all who are being led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. Romans 8:14. This is especially true in decision making, but also anytime, like sensing danger while walking or driving and stopping, reversing, or taking an alternate route although outwardly all seems well.

Dr Paul Ellis of Escape to Reality has made mention of 3 biblical examples of someone sensing the Holy Spirit. The first is Jesus. In John 13:21 it says, “When Jesus had said this, he became TROUBLED in spirit, and testified and said, “Truly, truly, I say to you, that one of you will betray me.” Jesus felt the sting of betrayal BEFORE He was betrayed. His spirit was troubled because He knew what was coming.

To be troubled or agitated in your spirit is to know something is wrong even when everything appears normal. Something doesn’t sit right inside you.

The second is Paul at Athens, in Acts 17:16. It reads, “Now while Paul was waiting for them at Athens, his spirit was being PROVOKED within him as he was observing the city full of idols. Every city at that time had idols and temples. But when he came to Athens, his spirit reacted – with anger. His heart was burning; he HAD to speak up, for people were being seriously led astray.

The third is again the apostle Paul, in 2 Corinthians 2:13, when Paul said “I had no rest for my spirit.” In context, he had traveled to Troas for the gospel and things looked good for preaching, but Titus was not there and he had no peace within. Paul even said the Lord opened the door for ministry there, but he also felt the need for Titus to be with him, perhaps for more fruitful ministry. So rather than stay he traveled on to Macedonia. For the spirit-filled believer, a loss of peace is a sure sign to consider the situation.

So, let us listen to the spirit, my friend, and act accordingly. Walking in life being led of the spirit means you have COME ALIVE!

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Be Victorious! – 434

https://youtu.be/KCU0HVyTlJo
Welcome to Hank’s Place
Last week I urged you to RESIST THE DEVIL. 1 Peter 5:9. Submitting to God, Peter instructs us, is necessary. To be born again, to have our sins forgiven, to be translated into Jesus’ Kingdom and out of darkness, we submit to HIS Lordship, declaring Jesus our Savior and Lord. Having reckoned ourself dead to sin, we became alive to God by His resurrection power. Awesome!
But then Peter added something more! He said the devil is like a roaring lion in this life, and we Christians must resist Him. Aches, pains, sicknesses — mental issues, emotional issues, work issues, family issues, ALL ISSUES, can have the devil at their root!
Remember, the devil even came at Jesus, God’s Son, on this earth! The devil through his demons comes at every every one of us, and would love to destroy our Christian witness!
If you pray about your problems in life, and they don’t resolve, no results, then RESIST THE DEVIL! In fact, for my wife and I, we put resisting the devil as the FIRST THING we do — I suggest you do the same! It can spare you a whole lot of arguing with the devil through your family members, co-workers, and so forth if you first bind him and destroy those strongholds in people’s lives.
Did you know that each Gospel account reveals Jesus as the Baptizer in the Holy Spirit? Matthew 3:11, Mark 1:8, Luke 3:16, and John 1:33. Paul was baptized in the Holy Spirit, Acts 9:17, as were those in the upper room, Acts 2:4; and the Ephesians in Acts 19:6 and elsewhere. They were experiencing the gifts, charisma, of the Holy Spirit as described by Paul in 1 Corinthians 12.
Maybe that’s not been your denomination’s belief. Maybe you have been told all that passed away once the Bible was completed. Those who told you that, however well meaning they may have been, should check with God about this.
Jesus is forever the baptizer; the Holy Spirit is still distributing His gifts. Hunger after spiritual gifts as Paul urges us in 1 Corinthians 14:1. With God’s gifts operating in your life dear friend, you can most effectively, successfully, resist the devil! Both in your life and for those you pray for, for God delights in undoing the devil’s works through YOU.
And you and those you pray for — COME ALIVE!
So get going, be baptized today — in the Holy Spirit!

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Resist devils now! – 433

Welcome to Hank’s Place
Last week I asked that you ask Jesus for revelation of WHO you are – as an heir of God you are His SON. Of WHERE you are – as an heir of God you are in Jesus’ Kingdom. Of how EQUIPPED you are – as an heir, to go and proclaim the Good News, to heal the sick, and to deliver the demonized from their demons!
Equipped? Yes! Consider the last verses of Mark chapter 16. They are for all His followers. Jesus told His disciples to GO and preach the gospel EVERYWHERE to EVERYONE, adding, “These SIGNS will accompany those who have believed: IN MY NAME (that’s important) they will cast out demons, they will speak with new tongues (spiritual gifts); they will pick up serpents (protection from demons), and if they drink any deadly poison (evil plans of satan), it will not harm them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover (healing powers thru Jesus).”
Sure sounds like something one might expect from a New Creation Heir of God! Don’t say, “Hank those last verses are not in the earliest manuscripts” — they are in your bible today — don’t ignore them! The Holy Spirit doesn’t ignore them – so neither should we!
Don’t say, “Hank, what about that casting out of demons. I thought demons were just some superstitious thing of the time and are not real; nobody believes in demons today, do they?” — Wow, if that’s how you think then the devil had succeeded in placing a 5th column into your life, your family, loved ones — sheeeeez! He is undermining your life and your loved ones — sabotaging, spreading disinformation, inflicting sickness, pains and fears and all the while has got you thinking he doesn’t even exist! Oh, and he is likely whispering that it’s all your fault, too.
Have you got aches and pains, sickness that doesn’t respond to meds? Mental issues? Emotional issues? Stuff where doctors can only prescribe drugs that knock you for a loop? Hey – have you thought to RESIST THE DEVIL?
Yes, RESIST THE DEVIL! I’m assuming you are submitting to GOD and want His will in your life. Then take the next step: RESIST THE DEVIL! 1 Peter 5:9. Best way to resist is to use the name of Jesus and command the devil with his woes out of your life! Resist those waves of fear, of doubt, of uncertainty. How? By declaring you are God’s son, living in God’s kingdom, and that the things that happen to others in this world do not have to happen to you. Minister healing and deliverance in all areas in Jesus’ name.
God IS our deliverer. God IS our strength. Our mighty fortress. Jesus IS our healer. He IS our restorer. So stand firm my friend, IN Christ Jesus. RESIST the enemy. He WILL flee. Do it. It’s time we live as More Than Conquerors. It’s time — to COME ALIVE!

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Live In The Truth – 432

https://youtu.be/JdoKwwfXEwI
Welcome to Hank’s Place

Last week I stated we believers IN Christ Jesus are heirs! Heirs of the kingdom of God. Heirs of the earth, of salvation, of eternal life, of all of God’s promises, of blessed and gracious life. Indeed, heirs of all things and of God Himself. I gave you bible references for each heir. 

If you are like most Christians, you’ll nod your head in agreement, and yet have a near complete lack of understanding of what any of that ‘heir stuff’ means. I’ll tell you one thing, being made heirs of God means the salvation Jesus accomplished for us at Calvary is far far far greater, awesomely greater, than any of us have grasped. I’m just learning myself, my friend. This I know, it is beyond what we can even think!

Heirs of God? Hey, GOD is living within us! Check John 14:23, Galatians 2:20, Colossians 1:27 and others. God living in us. Think about it. How can we have a down day with God within us? Be depressed, with God in us? With the authority of God within us, His presence, His strength and so on? How can we fail to speak a good word, gospel words, to those in need? Or pray for someone only kind of hoping something good might happen if God happens to be listening or we got things right?

But you may say, “Sounds good Hank, but I do have down days, I do feel depressed and weak and powerless, lethargic. I’m afraid all the time of more things than I can count.”

Friend, no wonder you are struggling so! Listen. Pray! Ask Jesus for revelation of WHO you are as an heir of God. Of WHERE you are as an heir of God. Of how EQUIPPED you are as an heir, a son of God, to go, to proclaim the Good News, to heal, and to deliver the demonized from their demons!

Keep on asking Him — soon revelations will come. Revelation that you are not weak and powerless. You are God’s son: Strong. Able to stand before any foe. Any danger. A righteous new creation without stain of sin. Under the authority of God Himself and not the devil and this world of darkness and devils filled. With confidence your every prayer is heard and acted upon. With confidence devils will leave as you command them in Jesus’ name. You are not dead broke, wallowing in poverty. You are not on a limited income. You have God’s promise of protection, of health, of abundant provision. Believe it. SAY IT. Speak into this world the truth.

God will fulfill His word. Jesus died to make us heirs, give us an inheritance. Let’s exercise our faith. Those devils out there always lie, speaking doubts, unbelief, speaking weakness and lack, sickness and pains. Don’t speak their words, those nasty thoughts they put in your mind, those pains in your body. 

No, it’s time to live as More Than A Conqueror. It’s time — to COME ALIVE! 

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Heirs of God – 431

https://youtu.be/WaGazxdaClY
Welcome to Hank’s Place
As believers IN Christ Jesus we are HEIRS — OF — GOD. Do you believe it — and act accordingly? My friend, read that parable of the prodigal son in Luke 15, with attention to the elder brother. He was miserable because he did not know how much his father loved him. And he was miserable because he was working for what he already possessed.
Similarly, many of us Christians are miserable because we are striving to EARN what God has ALREADY GIVEN us. We are slaving away because we are unaware of our inheritance in Christ.
For example, believers in Christ are:
heirs of God himself (Romans 8:17)
heirs of the kingdom (Colossians 1:12)
heirs of the earth (Matthew 5:5)
heirs of salvation (Hebrews 1:14)
heirs of eternal life (Matthew 19:29, and elsewhere)
heirs of God’s promises (Hebrews 6:12, 17)
heirs of blessed and gracious life (1 Peter 3:7, 9)
heirs of ALL things (John 17:10, also in Hebrews and Revelation)
In Luke 15:29, the elder brother complained that his father had not given him so much as a young goat for all his years of service. Maybe you have said to God, “Why haven’t you rewarded me for my faithful service?” But the father in the story could not reward the son with a goat because all the goats and cows and livestock ALREADY BELONGED to the son. The father had divided up the property when the younger brother asked for his inheritance. The whole farm belonged to the older brother. But the older brother couldn’t see it. He saw himself as a servant working for a wage — and not a son with the privileges of an inheritance, and so he was unable to enjoy what was ALREADY HIS.
Many Christians see themselves as servants rather than sons. And notice this, in the parable the father says to the older brother, “Everything I have IS yours.” Not ‘will be yours’ but IS YOURS NOW. Our heavenly Father says the same thing to us in Genesis 15:1: “After these things the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision, saying, “Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your exceedingly great reward.” God gives us Himself and when you have Him you have everything else besides. As Romans 8:32 says, “He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?
As Dr Paul Ellis says, if we Christians knew how rich we are in God, we would stop slaving for wages and we’d stop asking for skinny goats. Instead, we would thank him for every blessing and privilege that is ours in Christ. Ephesians 1:3. We would stop running after rusty trinkets, and we would praise Him for His lavish generosity. And then we would tell others the Good News so that they too could —  COME ALIVE!

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All Will Stand Before the Judgment Seat – 430

 

Welcome to Hank’s Place

As believers we stand IN Christ Jesus. Saved by God’s matchless grace, through faith. Let’s give Him humble thanksgiving, dear friends.

Yet despite being saved by God’s grace, in Paul’s day, Christians were already judging one another. In Romans 14:10-12 Paul wrote, “But why do you judge your brother? Or why do you show contempt for your brother? For we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ. For it is written every knee shall bow, every tongue shall confess GOD and give account to God. Isaiah 45:23.

What the bible identifies as sin is — sin. No question. Yet there are many things about which the Holy Spirit deals with us believers individually. From scripture we see division could emerge over what a person ate, or what days to observe as special. There was no clear command or universal right or wrong applying to every believer. “Let each one be fully convinced in his own mind,” wrote Paul. Romans 14:5. Paul was saying,“In these matters, stop worrying about your brother. You have enough to answer for before Jesus.” We will all have to give account of our actions to God.

Paul used the idea of the judgment seat — the ‘bema seat’ in Greek, where the judges sat in the ancient Olympic Games. When a race was over, the winners came to the judgment seat to receive their reward. That’s 2 Corinthians 5:10 and 1 Corinthians 3:12-15. The bema seat concerned only reward; it had nothing to do with punishment.

Ah, I hear you asking, “So, then what will be judged before Christ?” Think of the principle found in Hebrews 6:10: “For God is not unjust to forget your work and labor of love which you have shown toward His name, in that you have ministered to the saints, and do minister.”

Our MOTIVES for what we do will be judged. We can do the right things but with a wrong heart. God can bring great blessing through them. But in the end, it is as if we did nothing for the Lord because our motives for service were ego, envy, jealousy, desire for personal fame, money — whatever. It did not stand up at the judgment seat of Christ. We won’t be punished for those things — those things will simply be burned up — it will be as if we never did them. We will simply be rewarded for what remains. Sadly, some will get to heaven thinking they have done great things for God and will find out at the judgment seat of Christ that they really did nothing.

So today, dear friend, let us walk in the Spirit. Let us live each day to His honor and glory. We’ll be living freely; we’ll have COME ALIVE!

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What’s With You – 429

https://youtu.be/8yLGUOHL7D0

 

Welcome to Hank’s Place in 2023

Over 300 years ago in France Brother Lawrence wrote the timeless spiritual classic, “The Practice of the Presence of God.” From a Carmelite monastery in Paris, he practiced turning his attention to the Divine Presence available at all times during any activity. Merely open our hearts to receive Him and His loving presence, he wrote. He reports that he was as fully present with God while washing dishes in the kitchen as he was when partaking of the sacrament in worship.

In 1998 Tommy Tenney wrote “The God Chasers.” Cindy Jacobs wrote in its forward, “What is a God chaser? A God chaser is an individual whose hunger (for God) exceeds his reach. A God chaser is a person whose passion for God’s presence presses him to chase the impossible in hopes that the uncatchable might catch him. That’s a Philippians 3:12 paraphrase.

Tommy with word and example encourages us to pursue God, even as Job, David, Paul, Moses, and countless others, with an insatiable hunger to know their Lord, have done and still do. They may have appeared foolish to others, but having tasted His goodness and glimpsed the invisible, they could be satisfied with nothing less.

In the early 2,000’s I believe, Henry Blackaby wrote “Experiencing God.” The forward says, “When you open this book you’ll find that you aren’t just reading; you are being remade, reoriented, and restored from the frustration of what you may have known as stale religion—captured not by a concept but by your Creator. Carefully listening to His voice will anchor you in His plan and set you free to live it with boldness and freedom.”

It adds that by understanding how God is working through us even as we try to fathom His ways, we can begin to clearly know Him.

Well, as good as these books are, may I suggest something that comes with a guarantee to work for you, a guarantee by none other than God Himself. PRAYER. Prayer relies upon the GRACE of God to succeed. Pray in faith, and God in His faithfulness WILL respond.

I suggest you pray the 3 prayers written by Paul as found in Ephesians chapters 1 and 3, and Colossians chapter 1. He wrote them to those churches; you should insert yourself (and maybe others) into them. The God who answers prayer, who loves YOU passionately, WILL answer them.

For example, here is how you might pray the prayer found in Ephesians 1. “Father — God of our Lord Jesus Christ, Father of glory, grant you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in knowing You. May the eyes of my heart be enlightened, that I may know what is the hope of Your calling, the riches of the glory of Your inheritance in the saints, and know the boundless greatness of Your power toward us who believe.”

Over a period of time you’ll become more aware of God — Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Of Their Presence in and around you. You’ll come to know God by EXPERIENCE.

And people will say, “What’s with you? You’ve changed. You have COME ALIVE!

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In Him – part 3 – 428

https://youtu.be/iMLvdpaHv1I

 

Welcome to Hank’s Place in 2023

I have been sharing with you the importance of knowing, and believing upon Jesus, and then acting on your believing, ie, speaking it out so that you don’t have to wait until you get to heaven to benefit from the fact that Jesus is your King, Lord, Savior.
Find bible verses about who are IN CHRIST, or IN HIM. As you believe them, declare them; their truth comes to pass in your life, devils or no devils, and irregardless of circumstances.
One example of believing and speaking is when Jesus cursed the fig tree as found in Mark 11. It withered and died. The disciples noted this, and Jesus replied, in verses 22-23, “Have faith in God. Truly I say to you, whoever says (speaking) to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and thrown into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says is going to happen, it will be granted to him.”
Some people succumbed to envying and the lusts of their flesh and began boldly declaring stuff they wanted, cars, jewelry, airplanes, — and discredited the truth in the eyes of others. Please study those IN HIM bible verses, declare that’s who you are, with a believing heart. Then let me know what happens, OK?
A good IN HIM example is 2 Corinthians 5:17. “… if any man be IN CHRIST, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.” Believe it, and confess something like, “I am a new creature in Christ Jesus. I am a new creation being … with the Life of God … the nature of God … and the ability of God within me for I have been placed IN CHRIST.”
The old man who used to be here (in heart) is gone. The inward man is the real you. And the inward man, the real man, is a new creation. He takes on the very Life and Nature of God. Hold fast to your confession that you are a new creation, and the desires and habits of the past will fall away, often instantly.
Another passage is Ephesians 2:10. “For we are his workmanship, created IN CHRIST Jesus…” Think about it. Believe it. Confess it, perhaps like, “I am His workmanship. God made me a new creation. I am His workmanship.” God does not make junk. God makes good things. Realizing this truth, you’ll stop saying things like, “Oh, I’m so poor and weak and unworthy. I’ll never amount to anything.” He didn’t make us weak and unworthy. We are worthy by His shed blood. New creations, able to stand in His presence as though we had never committed a sin. Righteous before God.
Today dear friend, start confessing who you actually are—instead of who the world and its devils and even family and friends told you you are.
Everything will change — as you COME ALIVE!

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In Him – part 2 – 427

https://youtu.be/Z2memyIQ2aI

 

Welcome to Hank’s Place in 2023

Last week I was sharing with you vital verses from Romans 10, pivotable verses for being born again.

The takeaway? That by believing in our hearts Jesus as our Savior we are justified before God Almighty. He does not count our sins against us; heaven is our destination. But for a difference to be made in this life, on this earth, where there is sin, sickness, evil, and the devil, we must confess, state, declare Jesus as our Lord, our Savior. THEN will salvation come to us in this earthly life.

This confession of Jesus as your Lord and Savior may put you on the ‘outs’ with the some people, but will put you INTO CHRIST JESUS Himself. There are some 140 bible verses with the words In Him, In Christ, In Whom, Through Whom, and so on. Find them my friend, meditate upon them, pray for understanding, for they belong to YOU. There are  other scriptures which convey the same message, but do not use the specific phrases, “in Him,” etc. Yet they tell us who we are, or what we are or what we have, because we have been placed “IN CHRIST.”

Ask the Holy Spirit for the faith to believe that they are not just true, but true for YOU. As you believe and begin declaring these truths aloud, your life will change. Situations will change. Miracles will occur. God will break through any darkness and bondage that may be choking you, and bring light, life, freedom, deliverance, healing, wholeness to you and those you pray for!

Example. Some 35 years ago I took my family to my wife’s hometown for some evangelistic meetings and to spend time with her family. Only to find the people charged with advertising and preparation did nothing and had actually become antagonistic toward us. And the relatives seemed disinterested in their flesh and blood from far away. There we were, no engagements, no friends, relatives, and no money to get home. Oh how we wanted to just pack up and leave, as failures in our eyes and sure we were failures in God’s eyes as well.

As I was apologizing to God, I heard the Spirit say, “It’s just the devil.” Whoa. I believed Jesus defeated the devil at Calvary and gave us that victory. I believed in my heart that was true. And that in the name of Jesus WE could demolish any strongholds oppressing us. But I had been blaming myself for my failures. I realized if it indeed was ‘just the devil,’ then I could speak and things would change.

Suddenly I heard a horrifying shriek in the spirit, “Watch out! He knows!!!!” Well, that was enough for me. I began shouting that’s right devil, and using the name of Jesus, binding the devil’s efforts for defeat, and declaring God had sent us for a powerful work there.

Over the next couple days announcements were made, meetings held in the big hotel in town, and people ‘just dropped in’ from 3 states. People were born again, people were healed, people delivered, and baptized in the Holy Spirit. And local family and friends were, well, family and friends again!

Yes, faith in God’s word, declaring it, and using the name of Jesus — changes —everything. Got depression? Sickness? Circumstance crushing you? Whatever it may be, have faith in God’s word, declare it, use the name of Jesus — everything will change as YOU COME ALIVE! 

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