Guard the Deposit by John Belt

Guard the Deposit

Peace beyond . . .
Jesus said peace I leave with you . . . Peace is a deposit of the Holy Spirit in our lives.
It is something distinct that we carry as believers. The peace of God passes our under-
standing. It is beyond our comprehension. The peace of Christ is tangible, not just a thought. This is something we can live in every day. It is the Father’s desire to give us the Kingdom. What is the kingdom? Romans says that the Kingdom of God is righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Ghost. This is the life that we are called to live – a life filled with the revelation and reality of the being the righteousness of God in Christ which is not based on our “works or good deeds” but solely worked in us through the blood of Christ and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.

John 14:27
“Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you.
Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.”

The Holy Spirit Imparts. . .
The Holy Spirit then imparts His peace and joy. We are told that the joy of the Lord is our strength. It is so important that we learn to live in His joy. If we are to be overcomers in this life then joy is not an option. It is necessary for victory! It is our strength . . . How does joy come? Joy comes through God’s house of prayer and the spirit of revelation. The house of prayer and the spirit of revelation are married. Where is God’s house of prayer? We are God’s house of prayer! So as we enter into fervent prayer, communion and intercession in the Lord we hear God’s heart and receive revelation that in turn deposits His joy in our hearts. He has promised this. So joy is a deposit of the Spirit as well.

Neh 8:10
“Then he said to them, "Go your way, eat the fat, drink the sweet, and send portions to those for whom nothing is prepared; for this day is holy to our LORD. Do not sorrow, for the joy of the LORD is your strength."

Isaiah 56:7
“Even them I will bring to My holy mountain,
And make them joyful in My house of prayer.”

The Abundance. . .
The thief comes to steal, to kill and to destroy. Jesus gives us abundant life! That is a huge contrast . . . So it is important to understand this. We must recognize the thief and what is being stolen from our hearts. Have you ever experienced a tremendous spiritual victory, then shortly after you wonder where it went? Or you lost the revelation of your experience with God?

Mark 4:15-16
“And these are the ones by the wayside where the word is sown. When they hear,
Satan comes immediately and takes away the word that was sown in their hearts.”

Guard the Deposit. . .
The enemy comes to steal the seed of your revelation so that it will not grow and mature into the
fullness that God intends. There are some steps we can take to guard the peace, the joy, the
revelation and wisdom that God places in our lives:

1. Ask the Holy Spirit to seal a revelation after it has been received
2. Make a note of the revelation and continue to meditate on it
3. Find scriptures to solidify and deepen the revelation received
4. Ask for the blood of Jesus to cover this revelation
5. Continue in a spirit of worship and prayer (especially pray in the spirit!)
6. Let your words be few
7. Finally, and most importantly, keep your focus on God – not yourself. There is no self-improvement in the Kingdom of God, only crucifixion of self. I saw somebody say, “Get victory, bygetting out of the way!” That is called “I die daily”. How do we die? It is NOT be focusing onourselves. It is by focusing on the only one who can kill us . . . or more nicely said, “deliver us fromourselves”. God has given us a “new spirit”, a “divine nature”. Our focus is to be on things above, not the things of this world. We now are to live by the “inner man” that is the wellspring of pure faith and hope. It is the lamp of the Lord. It is very discouraging when we look at ourselves. Why? Because we will ALWAYS have a LONG way to go! That is why we needed Jesus. He is already there! Hallelujah! So we can focus on Him and be there with Him! That is GOOD NEWS! Which is what the gospel of the Kingdom is all about. So throw away are your self-help programs and get on God’s program that does not try to fix the old car, but gives you a brand new one!