Spiritual Training Season 2: Recent Episodes
Elder Michael Dunn
There's a pressing necessity in the body of Christ to be led, taught and trained by the Holy Spirit. These sessions are designed to engage the Holy Spirit relationally. At the heart of these sessions is the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the focus is pleasing God.
Developing a learning foundation is fundamental to the faith. For the rest of our lives we will be learning and growing in our understanding of The Word of God.This will greatly impact how we live, what we believe as well as our progress in attaining our primary goal of conforming to the image of Christ. In this session we are going to take a glance back in church history. We will examine the origin of the Bible and why the Bible is the final authority on all matters of faith and why all of our studying should result in a closer personal relationship with God through Jesus Christ our Lord.
We know that the root cause of all the troubles in the world derrives from a single three letter word, SIN. Since the devil can't do anything about what Christ has accomplished on the cross or just get rid of the Bible altogetherher he tries to diminish the impact of the power of God in salvation that transforms our lives into the image of Christ. The devil chooses the weapon of lies and deception. We are called to be on guard against how we distinguish and understand the use of biblical words from cultural vernacular expressions. We live in a world filled with all kinds of religious false teachings and superstitions and mountains of philosophical religious doctrines that are in essence doctines of devils that openly and directly oposes God and the plain meaning of scripture.
In this session we will explore the the future glory that awaits us in Christ Jesus. Fundamental to the Christian Faith is the resurrection. How we understand and discern the world around us and the time God has brought us into gives us spiritual sight into the future glory that awits us. We have a reason to be confident and face the future with courageous faith. We will examine these truths as we consider the First century churches in Corinth and Rome.
Wecome to my First recording in 2026! Despite the personal and publishing delays we have Arrived. We had a terrible house fire leaving a tremendous mess while we were away on vacation. We had to endure months of major life interruption, major home renovation and construction. I was limited to live speaking engagements with my friends of the ministry. My Teachings and sermons can be found on FACEBOOK( Fountain Of Life Baptsit Church Of Apopka).latest sermon 3-22-26
We've spent a considerable amount of time on the subject Life according to the scriptures This year we are going to make a slight shift of focus to The Fundamentals of The Faith. There are many things that's fundamental to the Faith that has so many benefits. When we don't know or recognize those benefits we end up leaving them on the table. We want to reap the benefits from everything aspect of life therefore we will be applying spiritual disciplines as our system of training.
True worship is restored in order to establish God's way of life. Reconcilliation is God's way of bringing us into aggreement with His Word. Responding obediently to His Word causes inward change that establishes the culture of the kingdom of God on earth as it is in heaven.
Chritanity is Theocentric, meaning Christ centered.Through the cross of Christ we have been redeemed and reconciled with God once and for all. That does not mean there is no real resistance and formidable enemies that seeks to wrestle it all away from us. We will be fighting against these principalites, spiritual forces that drives this world system of rebellion against God, the lustful desires of the fleshly nature and the pride of life or pride of possesions for the rest of our days. Like in the days of Paul there are all kinds of schools of thought regarding what it means to know God and to be known by God. We fight by not giving into the world's philosophies,religions and superstitions. There is only one Lord, One Faith and one baptism and one way to God and through Jesus Christ The Lord.
The Tranforming Power of the Word of God is proof that The Bible is indeed the very Word of God written by human agents superintended by The Holy Spirit. We are the proof that the testimony of God is true. The greatness of our salvation reveals the greatest Love of all, God's Love is represented in all of His attributes and seen in His special providential care for all of us indiviually. We stand in awe of it all. There are billions of people in this world, generation after generation yet God in His Omnipresence His Grace and mercy and great Love towards us give each of us His undivided attention. God is Transcendant and He is also Immenient.
Being Reconciled to God body, soul and spirit is total reconciliation. Nothing is more important or urgent in the lives of people than the Word of God. Because of this great importance we must continually evaluate ourselves to see if we are truely in the faith or whether we have drifted away.
In order to have a right relationship with God we have to have a right relatioship with His word. The intentional acts of reveverential obedience to His Word infuses the innerman with power and might body soul and spirit.
Reconciling the psychological with the Spiritual plays a significant role in our overall well being. when we understan the Word through a trained mind it clears the path to the heart so that the Word of God has its rightful place in us brings us to a place of wholeness.
How we percieve reality as human beings can cause a great deal of stress and misunderstand. In this session we are going to see what the Psalmist perceived what he was acually experiening contradicted what he belived. He began to question if the sriptures was really true and trustworthy. Lets see how he was able reconcile the spiritual and the psychological.
When we see through the light of truth we can walk in the light of truth. This is the path of life where God's will is made manifest. There's no greater asset in life than having the favor of God. When we see through the light of truth and walk in the light of truth its having life and having it more abundantly.
We are the the called of God who walk by faith and not by sight. Be encouraged to to know that God has for-ordained us to live in this particular time in history regardless of the many challenges. We are one of many generations of the called of God who will endure and pass through a time unprecidented political madness and worldwided chaos.We respond to the timed by "Seeing through the light of Truth"
God's vision for our lives will be met with many kinds opposition. God's vision is inspiring and challenging, therefore we must expect it and live in state of preparedness overcoming and persevering with determination to fulfill God's purpose. We have to reconcile our thoughts with the scriptures or our emotions and feelings could take us off track. How we feel, what we think, what we come to believe all must have the foundation and built on the the very words of Jesus otherwise we may find ourselves drifting away from the truth and becomming like this sinful culture around us rather than Christlikeness.
Through the scriptures, God's vision for the Body of Christ can be seen and takes us on our life's journey towards fulfillment. It's Not our plan, its His plan. Its not our will. As Jesus said not my will but thy will be done. Everythig we need to understand about life is recorded and seen through the scriptures. Let's be couragious and take this journey with faith and confidence.
Where is the rightful place for the Word of God? Why is the Word of God displaced? The Rightful place for the Word of God in deep within our innermost being. The Word of God is constantly under attack by the demonic world and as a result becomes displaced in the lives of peolpe. It's revealed in the way we live. When the Word of God is truely in it's rightful place it becomes apparent because it brings our lives to order according to the scriptures rather than the course of this world. The Word of God seen in the written revelation in the scripturesbrings light, clarity and understanding to our human existance.
I this session we will see that God initiated a very special and unique relationship with Moses for the pupose of unveiling Himself and revealing how we are to understand the world around us, not just for Moses, but for all generations. We will see that "In ONE verse" Yes, olny ONE verse. God bebunkes the folly of mans immagination and false scientific theories such as evolution, big bang..ect.. Also the superstious folly of people speaking of the universe as if it is a living thing rather than a created thing. We can see that Without the light of the revelation given to Moses in Scriptures we would be hopelessly lost in our prefered religous superstitions.
The Value in life comes from obeying the word of God. In a natural sense nothing is more important than your life. If a robber confronted you and said Your Money! or Your Life! You would give the money without hesitation. At the same time human beings has the mental capcity to Blurr the lines that God has drawn in the scriptures that protects them from harm. Why doesn't self-presevation immediately override such feelings and inclinations to sin against God when not only the physical well being is a risk but the eternal souls at stake?
Have you ever given serious consideration to what it means to be image bearers of God? Not only is it a priviledge and honor it's our opportunity to bear the image of our creator in the way we live our lives.This is what it means to Glorify God which is the goal of our created order. I pray that we all are eager to align ourselves with the goal of the Spirit and fulfill our created purpose.
The wisdom of God is the highest wisdom of all. Living according to the scriptures is God wisdom, it's God's way of He intended life to be lived. We who belong to Christ is not living for ourselves but for Him. At the heart of God's intentions towards humanity is the love of Jesus seen in the paradigm of the cross, the forgiveness of sins and a transformed life through living according to the scriptures.
It takes little thought and effort to live our lives from our own desires and personal perspectives, something every human being has done. The only way this changes is that we take on God's perspective on life. Understanding life according to the scriptures is critical thinking at it's best it's how we navigate through this life into the life to come.There's a reason the whole world prefers to live an autonomous lifestyle (meaning being a law to youself) It's called the sway of the wicked one. It begins with the rejection of God's sovereign right to rule over us and set our own rules and live life on our own terms (which is sinning agaist God). instead attaches noble words the big lie, like "freedom" "liberation","equality" as though this is what happen when you sin against God. Satan has convinced the whole world to live in rebellion against God which he knows will result in eternal damnation. Nothing is more serious than this. When we rise up and resist God and His word, refuse to acknowledge allow His Word to govern our lives are living automous like Satan himself. This way of thinking originated from satan not peolple.
The inward disposition of fear and trembling before God is essential to how we live and impacts the choices we make. It only take one bad decision to cause chaos in our lives. The fear of the Lord is about living according to God's wisdom written in the scriptures. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, its whe we begin as we make decision that affects our live and loved ones. It how we are protected from makiing choices we will regret.
When the Bible speaks of truth it's not a word that's undersood as just another word we are familiar with in common language. Spiritual Truth is not referring to the origin of the human intellect and mans ability to reason. This Truth does not derrive from man it came from God revealed is Christ who is the personification of truth itself.Truth is a person, the Truth of scripture is found in the Lord Jesus Christ. Truth is given to us and unfolded by the inner workings of the Holy Spirit. Only when Jesus is truly Lord over our lives can we begin to understand Truth.
We can either live in God's strength according to the teaching of Jesus or live in our human weaknesses. When we live in God's strength we become overcomers, when we live out of of human weakness we are defeated and become unstable in our thinking and unresolved in our hearts.Therefore we are going to live in God's strength which is His Word through the the new creation in Christ Jesus that we have become when we were born again.
Whose telling the truth? who's right? The truth will always be contested by the devil because when we live in the truth we are fulfilling the puposes of God. The question of truth has always been a challenge for the people of God in every age becuse every culture tends to cosult the human intellect for truth. People often confuse the truth with their personal beliefs and perspectives. Some call it their "own truth" which is not truth at all.As God's people we know that The Word of God is Truth, the revelation of truth is Jesus Christ our Lord, therefore the Truth is in Jesus, in who He is and what He has done.
We will know the truth and truth will set us free. Whom the Son sets free is free indeed!
The leaven of the pharisee sparked what many theologians and scholars consider a "Hard Saying" of Jesus. Jesus said "unless" your righteousness exceeds the righteuosness of the Scribes and Pharisees you will in no wise enter the Kingdom of heaven.The seriousness of this statement commands our attention to self-evaluation. Jesus turned the self-righteous legalistic theology of the Pharisees on it head exposing their inner motives. He removes their religious masks and exposed their hypocrisy and warned His disciples never to be like them.
It's a fact that the subject of prayer requires much clarity. There are many books and teachings on prayer. The internet is a super highway for true and false information, therefore,that's not how you learn about prayer, it't how to become confused. Who should we listen to? Thankfully, the disciples answered that question for us, we listen to Jesus. Jesus is the source not a resource. Prayer is indeed the life blood of relationship with God, therefore we must listen very closely to how Jesus taught His disciples to pray. We model our prayer life after the teachings of Christ alone. The goal of this study is to engage in prayer the same way Jesus taught His disciples. We must have a real relationship with the Living Christ by the Holy Spirit to engage in prayer.
Everyday we make choices, we simplify our lives when we choose to live accoring to the wisdom of God in the scriptures and we complicate our lives when we choose to live by the wisdom of man. The Holy Spirit caused the Apostle Paul to understand this and convey this timeless truth to all generations. Only the Word of God has the power to simplify our lives and bring it to order and at the same time blesse our lives keeping us in step with the Spirit and bringing us to a place of usefullness in the kingdom of God for His glory.
It's impossible to loses in life with Jesus. God never loses at anything. The church of Jesus Christ has a predetermind end. We're destined to win in the end. The early church took comfort in knowing that they have eternal life through Jesus Christ despite having to endure the extream difficulties and persecution of their appointed time and we also have to endure our appointed time. God equipped us to win. He called us according to His purpose. In Christ we have the victory and we are called to live it out.
When we are living out the desires of the Spirit we are indeed living in the Word. Living in what He wills, living life through what He has spoken.The major theme in the book of Psalms is the model of the godly heart. This is the life God expects us to demonstrate in the world around us.God expects us to put our personhood on public display as a testamony of those who love Him and are called according to His purpose. Lets Get into The Word!
Sharing God's passion is essentially loving what God loves, its when we want what He wants, His passion becomes our passion, His priorites are our priorities. God's #1 passion is for those who are lost. He calls the whole body of Christ to come together in a collective and united effort to reach the lost. We all have a part in sharing God's passion because we are called to model our lives as a testimony that represents the authenticty of true believers in Christ.
There's no greater blessing than to know that we have God on our side.This knowledge causes us exude confidence. Living in agreement with God Is where our lives come together with God. First, we have to agree that the Holy Bible is the word of God and the only basis for agreement with God. It's the means by which we live in right relationship with God. There are two kinds of understanding that we pursue that brings our lives into agreement with God. scriptual understanding and spiritual discernment, we will discuss both.
The devil is in the business of selling false profit$, making him the biggest fraud and creator of the most complicated ponzi scheme of al times. His commdity is sin. He sells and disgises sin as pleasure sells it to the unsuspecting and in the end they find out it was a lie and he pays them with death and ultimately they lose their soul.
When you think of value what comes to mind? Usually we relate to value as being something tangible like houses and land. Sometimes as it relates to how much money a person is worth, the more assets a person have the greater the assessed value. In this session Jesus sets our thinking not according to this world system os assessing value but rather the value system of heaven.
There's a remix of the same plot of satan that challenges the people of God in every generation. We are called to this challenge with our witness, not lip service or man pleasing that's void of salvation. We are called to model a lifestyle of Christlikeness and demonstrate our commitment to the doctrine of Jesus Christ. We are called to resist and reject all forms of false teachings, compromise and inclusion that satan is using to neutralize our witness by luring us away fro the scriptures and absorbing us into the way of a world that's passing away, that is to render the people of God ineffective while he deceives the nations.
Living in the revelation of Jesus Christ is Christ likeness. The way we put Jesus on display to the world is through living a transformed life. Only the power of God can change the human heart, transform our minds our desires causing us to be born of the Spirit with new zeal, new purpose according to His Word.
The God commanded us to Love Him with all of our Mind, what does that mean? How can I do it? The mind is rigorously trained and shaped by the Word of God. The mind has to be engaged spiritually, in thought, in meditation and in prayer according to the Word of God. We are in a real since hard wiring our mind to think according to what honors and pleases God which glorifies Him.
The commandments of God is full of His Good will towards us but It's the nature of man to wander away from the commandments of God. We are all living testimonies of this truth. As it it written: we all like sheep has gone astray everyone to his own way. It is the voice of the Good shepherd that gathers his wandering sheep, but we must listen to Him if we are be saved.
In Jesus day many people claimed to know the Word and did not. They thought that knowing God was informational rather than relational. Today, not much has changed many people claim to know the Word and do not. In the truest since of knowing the Word means that we know Jesus in the pardon of our sins. It's knowing Him in the context of our Lord and savior.
The Christian life is theocentric, which means Christ Centered. Life simply doesn't work any other way because God designed it to work one way which leads us into a right relationship with Him. When Christ is the center of our lives the whole of life is brought into the obedience of christ, this is God's plan, God's way, It's called the blessed life.
We all are given the ministry of reconciliation. The Apostle Paul understood that ministry is a work of the Spirit initiated by God to fulfill God's purpose. He taught the church to acknowledge and recognize how the Spirit chooses to work through individual members of the body as gifts of grace for the benefit of whole body of Christ. His teaching and preaching was
not cleverly devised philosophies but rather demonstrated the Spirit's power so that their faith would not stand in the wisdom of man but in the power of God. He led people to Jesus.
What is true worship? Every religion claims to know God and worship God, but is this true? The worship of God unites us to Christ in a personal way in which our minds are are being renewed day by day by the Word of God. The Holy Spirit fills our very being to fulfill His purpose. To do the will of Go, we're not living for ourselves we live to glorify Him.
We need the Holy Spirit to guide us because He alone knows the the mind of God. When Jesus told his disciples that he was going away and they could not follow their hearts melted and they were overwhelmed. But Jesus promised them that he would always be with them, because he was sending the Holy Spirit who would in essence be another him to help them and continue to teach them lead and guide them into the sovereign will of God for their lives.
We were not created by God to be sinners, to live by the dictates of our fallen fleshly nature. God's plans and intensions towards humanity often goes unfulfilled.The only path to fulfilling our created purpose is the way way of salvation, living by every Word that proceeds out of the mouth of God. We are called to the obedience of Christ, that to courageously press forward through our sinful human nature, putting it to death daily and engaging the life that comes from of the Spirit trusting in Him as we we seek to fulfill our created purpose.
The Culture of the Kingdom is represented in the church. How does this happen? When the standard by which God establishes the kingdom is changed, the culture is changed then there's a change in priorities from the spiritual to the carnal and the people began to conform to the World rather than The Word.
What is a spiritual house? God really wants His people to know Him, not just about Him. Not from a distance but from a close personal relationship. Our holy calling is to glorify God in our bodies. As a spiritual house we reflect the character and nature of God rather than our sinful inclinations.
There's nothing more pressing in the life of the the body of Christ than than Living under the Lordship of Jesus Christ. We are those who confess that Jesus Christ s Lord to the glory of the Father. Our confession is not empty words but rather we live our lives to manifest the truth in Jesus by giving our lives to Him daily and listening to His words and doing what He commands.
Life is meant to be lived out through the creative order, life in the Word. No matter how complicated life gets, the Word of God will simplify our lives and bring clarity and order. We are created to function through a (Word- to -servant ) relationship. Every member of the Body of Christ in every nation and tongue from generation to generation is brought into a time of God's choosing, therefore we embrace the times in total confidence in Him. We will face many different challenges, complexities and difficulties that these times bring about. For certain, not one of these things are unknown to God and it's He that has called us into this time according to His purpose. He gave us something we can build our lives on, what is everlasting and unchaining, His Word, we are comforted by His love through faith and the Holy Spirit.
Romans 8 tells us that only those who are led by the Spirit of God are the sons of God. Therefore we must ask am I led by the Spirit? It not subjective but rather produces a body of evidence. The fruit of the Spirit are attributes of God that comes from the seed of the Word. The leading of the Spirit is confirmed by the Word and translate in in everyday life.
In Psalms 12, David cries out to the Lord to Save, Oh Lord for the godly one is gone; for the faithful has vanished from among the children of man. When we look at the world around us our world doesn't look much different than what David was experiencing. Where are those who who are faithful and godly?
God's Final Word is revealed in the person and work of Jesus Christ, recorded in the Holy scriptures who He is and what He has done. There's nothing more urgent in the lives of people than receiving the revelation of God's final Word, Jesus Christ the Son of the Living God.
In order for us to fulfill our calling we must live in the newness of Life. It's a life that Jesus suffered and paid for with His own blood on calvary's cross for us. There is simply no greater grace can be offered on our behalf to enable us to fulfill our calling and election. Let's engage this newness of life with faith, enthusiasm with confidence in what Jesus has done in empowering us to serve His purpose.
In Christ Jesus we are given a sure destiny, one in which we can be absolutely certain because it is founded on the eternal Word of God. John recorded the revelation given to him by the Holy Spirit in which we can see the certainty of our destiny. In the beginning was the word and the word was with God and the word was God. The deity of Christ is revealed as well as Christ Jesus as the incarnate Word of God. The One in whom, by whom and through whom we receive forgiveness of sins and salvation of our souls.
True Destiny is biblical destiny. It's a word that deals with the final analysis of our relationship with God. May people claim to know God and do not. The Pharisees of Jesus day was the poster-child of religious people and leaders who really believed they knew God and did not. Most of us are a part of a church fellowship but the serious question we will explore is a personal one. "Do we know God?
When we think of fulfilling our destiny, it's having the understanding that it's God's foreknowledge and providence set in motion according to His Word and vision for our lives bringing us into our destiny. When we love the Lord, Love His Word, Embrace the truth in Christ we can celebrate knowing that our lives are indeed being carried along by the work of The Holy Spirit according to God's plan.
What is our destiny? God's plan has always been and will always be: To stop the progression of an unfulfilled destiny. As the people of God, living a spiritual life, in a natural world, there are many obstacles to stop us from staying on the path of life that God has planned, but we are destined to win.
We are created both body and soul. When we hear the word "Spirituality" it quickly becomes ambiguous in its meaning and accordion in its definition to the point that we have to ask the question, " what do you mean?" Our concern is the biblical meaning. The scriptures tell us precisely what it means. We were created both body and soul. We're human beings, living a spiritual life, in a natural world. We have "capacity of being" for relationship with God who is
"Spirit ".
John chapter one tells us that Jesus the Word made flesh. Life in the Spirit is deeply and intimately rooted in the Holy Scriptures through our union with Christ. In it is the the ultimate authoritative source by which the whole of life is governed.Man does not live by bread alone but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God. Jesus is the bread of Life, In him there is Life.
The Holy Spirit used the apostle Paul to reference Psalm 44 to bring out a timeless truth that's foundational to enduring difficult times. God has ordained us to live the time He brings us into. In this session we will see that "times" brought about the occasion for many kinds of difficulties they were called to press through rather than " praying them away." They were faithfully serving God and experienced suffering as a result of it. They were hurting and in despair trying to endure a hard time while it appears that God is sound asleep as they continue to cry out.
We are made by God, we derived from the the very mind of God. This is His world, we are His people, this is His plan, His vision that brings into our lives the fulfillment of what He wills! We are made to reflect His image in this world, it's the Word of God produces spirituality in our lives for His glory.
As we press through difficult times there's no greater comfort than knowing that God is with us. Season 2 of Spiritual Training is all about growth and development so that our lives will began to manifest the fulfillment of His Word, In this we know that His vision for our lives is being fulfilled.There is no higher calling or greater reward in this life and the life to come.