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One of the prerequisites of receiving the gift of the Holy Spirit.

• The people must be in one accord to receive the gift – Acts 2:1 (NKJV) – When the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord in one place.

Jesus reveals this principle of divide and conquer.

• Luke 11:17 (NKJV) – But He, knowing their thoughts, said to them: “Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation, and a house divided against a house falls.
• Sometimes division can be good – Luke 12:51 (NKJV) – Do you suppose that I came to give peace on earth? I tell you, not at all, but rather division.
• But it’s Jesus, the Word of God, that is suppose to do the dividing – Hebrews 4:12 (NLT) – For the word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow. It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires.
• It’s better to let God separate the wheat and tares (Matthew 13:28-30), to let God do the pruning (John 15:1-2).

Satan’s plan is to divide the sheep and conquer them.

• Satan categorizes people – Revelation 12:9-10 (NKJV) – So the great dragon was cast out, that serpent of old, called the Devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was cast to the earth, and his angels were cast out with him. ¹⁰ Then I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, “Now salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren, who accused them before our God day & night, has been cast down.
• Accuse comes from the Greek word, kategoreo, which means to judge and we derive the word “categorize.”

Division starts with deception and then spreads.

• Genesis 3:1 (NLT) – The serpent was the shrewdest of all the wild animals the Lord God had made. One day he asked the woman, “Did God really say you must not eat the fruit from any of the trees in the garden?”
• Satan and his false prophets and deceitful ministers transform themselves into angels of light doing, so called “righteousness” – 2 Corinthians 11:13-15.
• The deception then spreads via gossip – 1 Corinthians 15:33 (NLT) – Don’t be fooled by those who say such things, for “bad company corrupts good character.”
• 1 John 4:1 (ESV) – Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world.

We must get understand of Satan’s tactics and fight against them.

• Understanding of God’s heart for a matter – Hebrews 6:1-3 (NLT) – So let us stop going over the basic teachings about Christ again and again. Let us go on instead and become mature in our understanding. Surely we don’t need to start again with the fundamental importance of repenting from evil deeds^[a]and placing our faith in God. ² You don’t need further instruction about baptisms, the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment. ³ And so, God willing, we will move forward to further understanding.
• Understanding of other people’s heart for a matter – 2 Corinthians 5:16 (NLT) – So we have stopped evaluating others from a human point of view. At one time we thought of Christ merely from a human point of view. How differently we know him now

Fellowship defeats division.

• It is in the unity of the believers that we give the Holy Spirit a voice in our communities – Psalm 133 (NKJV) – Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity! … For there the Lord commanded the blessing—life forevermore.
• True fellowship will require change in our current church culture – Acts 2:42-47.
• 1 Peter 4:17 (NKJV) – For the time has come for judgment to begin at the house of God; and if it begins with us first, what will be the end of those who do not obey the gospel of God?
• The Holy Spirit wants to elevate His voice in our world and He does it thru His people, the Church.

* The audio corresponding to this post is under “media” on this site – dhfirstag.org – and is available on Monday