Archive for the ‘Encouragement’ category

Who You Are, What You Have, What You Can Do

April 23, 2012

 What every Believer has (according to the Bible)

  • There are undiscovered riches in the Word of God…
  • These riches can move you out of defeat and into victory…
  • If you are feeling weak and insecure….

Read the following short Blog and be BLESSED!!

I read a story about a prospector in the west who discovered a rich vein of gold and laid claim to it.   He built a small cabin on his claim and for years he mined this vein of rich ore.  He really loved his place and was very happy because it seemed as if his main purpose in life was working this mine.  It provided a good living for him and fulfilled all of his desires.  He was a very happy man.  But one day he noticed that the vein which at first had been very rich, was appearing to diminish.  His gold was running out.

He became depressed because he was going to lose his home and be forced to move somewhere else to make a living.  While he was sitting around wondering what to do, he began to pass the time by dressing up his little cottage before he sold it and left.  So, he decided to build a  flower bed near his front porch thinking  this would more than likely be the last thing he ever did to his little dream house.

He got his pick and his shovel and began to dig.    And guess what happened… he uncovered the richest gold vein in the county right in his flower bed in his front yard.  He had been walking over it for years and years, but it was undiscovered.

Listed below are some Riches you have if you are a Believer… now don’t ignorantly walk over them any longer!!   Check them out and be blessed!!

You have the Keys to the Kingdom (Mt 16:19)

You have a Sound Mind (2Tim 1:7)

You have a Healed body (Isa 53:5)

You have a Quickened Human Spirit (Eph 2:1)

You have Perfect emotions (Phil 2:5)

You have Endurance (Heb 10:32)

You have Faith (Rom 12:3)

You have the God kind of Life (Jn 10:10)

You have Indwelling Divine Love (Rom 5:5)

You have Abundant Wisdom (Lk 21:5)

You have Revelation knowledge (Rom 11:33

You have Power over the devil and demons (Lk 10:19)

You have Discernment (Heb 5:14)

You have All things that pertain to life and Godliness (2Pet 1:3)

You have The Divine Nature of God (2Pet 1:4)

You have A Finished and Complete Salvation (Col 2:10)

You have A Binding Eternal Covenant with God Sealed and Guaranteed by the Blood of Jesus (Heb 7:22)

You have Fullness of Joy (Jn 15:11)

You have A Fixed Heart (Ps 108:1)

You have Binding and Loosing Power (Mt 16:19)

You have Holy Ghost Power (Acts 1:8)

You have A Place in God’s Plan (Jer 29:11)

You have Eternal Life (Jn 3:16)

You have Victory over the grave (1Cor 15:55)

You have Immunity to the sting of death (1Cor 15:55)

You have The Mind of Christ (Phil 2:5)

You have The Kingdom of Heaven inside of you (Lk 17:21))

You have Authority (Lk 9:1)

You have Dominion (Rom 5:17)

You have Kingship (Rev 1:6)

You have a Priesthood (Rev 1:6)

You have Boldness (Heb 19:19)

You have Assurance (Heb 10:22)

You have Perseverance (Eph 6:18)

You have the Word (Mt 13:3)

You have been filled with the Fullness of God (Eph 3:1)

Copy this list of what God says you have… keep it before your eyes.  Stick it on the fridge… Place it in your Bible…  Read it and meditate it daily…  Confess it OUT LOUD….

You will discover that things are not nearly as bad as you think they are!!

Please share this with someone you know who needs encouragement…

Now that you know Who God says you are and

What God says you have….

NEXT BLOG:  What God says you can do.

If this blog helped you in any way… please let me know!   I would love to hear your testimonies…  Your input will help me know how to better share the Good Word!!

Who You Are, What You Have, What You Can Do

April 16, 2012


  • You will be encouraged when you discover Who God says you really are!
  • You will be amazed to discover What God says you have!
  • You will be excited to discover What God says you can do!

In today’s blog you will find a confession that can and will change your life!    

God really means what He says. If we are ever to live in victory it is imperative that we believe this.   

God really means what He says about Himself.

God means what He says about His Word.

He also means what He says about Jesus.

God means what He says about those who have been Born Again.

Who God says you are

God says that you are a New Creation.

God says that you are Forgiven.

God says that you are Righteous.

God says that you are In Him and He is IN YOU.

God says that you are Redeemed from the Curse.

God says that your Past is forgotten and your Future is guaranteed.

God says that you are the living, tangible, visible, fleshly expression of Jesus Christ on earth.

God says that you are like Him because you are created in His Image.

God says that you are the Head and not the tail.

God says that you are Above and not beneath.

God says that you are Strong and not weak.

God says that you are Healed and not sick.

God says that you are Blessed and not cursed.

God says that you are Rich and not poor.

God says that you are More than a conqueror.

God says that you are Eternal and that you will never die.

Feel better now?  Keep this list and confess it.  (I know it sounds silly to speak what you just read out loud… but try it and see what this simple confession of your faith will do to get the devil on the run!)

Say it to yourself.  Say it out loud.  Say it so that you can hear it.  (Remember “faith cometh by hearing…”) Say it so that God can hear it.  Say it so that demons can hear it and say it so that the devil can hear it!

Say it seriously and say it often.  Say it with passion and a thankful heart.  Keep reminding the demonic forces what God says about you.  You will be surprised to see just how fast they run to get away.

If this blog helped you in any way… please let me know!   I would love to hear your testimonies…  Your input will help me know how to better share the Good Word!!

NEXT BLOG:  What God says you have….

 

Worthy is the Lamb

April 11, 2012

  • Do you ever ask “why?”
  • Have you wondered about what God is really like?
  • Would you like to know what motivates God?

Read the next few lines and find out some amazing things about God, Jesus and YOU!!

Why does He do what He does?     

There is definitely no explanation, none whatsoever, for the reason why God does what He does apart from His matchless, boundless, measureless, eternal love.  There is absolutely no physical, visible, scientific, way or reason that He should do What He does other than the fact that He just loves us.  Just like we are.   With all our human limitations and imperfections and shortcomings,  He just loves us.  He just loves us.  He just loves us.  His love for us is not based on our performance.  He does not love us conditionally.  He loves us unconditionally. He is Love personified.  He is Love demonstrated.  He is Love manifested.  He is Love illustrated.  He is Love embodied.  He is Love epitomized.  He is LOVE.

Worthy is the Lamb.

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish but have everlasting life…

Why does He do it?  That’s why He does it.  Because He “so loved the world….”

For God comendeth His love toward us that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us…

The mystery is:  He loved us… even when we were engrossed in sin and disobedience.  The fact is we as human beings will never be able to comprehend the “why” of His love, so there is no logical or reasonable explanation left for us to understand this demonstration of God’s compassion and care for us.  It’s Grace.  It’s Mercy.  It’s His Priceless Gift to us.

Limited as we are in our darkened understanding… we cannot comprehend the measure of God’s love.  If I stood here until Jesus came and until angels blew their trumpets and until the skies were torn in two and until every grave was opened and every saint in ages past were raised by the power of the Omnipotent God… if I preached constantly till that day I could not tell you nor explain to you the measure of God’s love.

Could we with ink the ocean fill

And were the skies of parchment made,

Were every stalk on earth a quill

And every man a scribe by trade,

To write the Love of God above

Would drain the oceans dry,

Nor could the scroll contain the whole

Tho stretched from sky to sky.

Frederick M. Lehman

I’ve always been amazed at what happened to people when they saw Jesus.  They were never the same again.  Never.  They were changed.  They were different.  They were taken into a new place in the human experience.

Not only were they changed, but the world as they previously saw it was also changed.  God “became” evident everywhere.  In all of creation.  The grass was greener.  The flowers were more spectacular.  The birds sang better.  The whole world became a demonstration of the Glory of God.

Worthy is the Lamb.

The Prophet Isaiah saw Him high and lifted up and then beat upon his breast and buried his face in his hands and he cried “Woe is me for I am man of unclean lips.”

Moses saw Him and was told to take off his shoes because  he was standing on holy ground.

John saw Him on the Isle of Patmos and fell at His feet as dead.

Thomas saw Him when He walked through the wall and appeared there in the midst of the disciples,  and old doubting Thomas put his finger in the print of the nails in His hands and His feet and His side and he said  “My Lord and my God…”

Paul saw him on the dusty Damascus road when a light as blinding as twelve sunshines shone in the middle of the day, and he fell on his face and cried out  “Who art Thou, LORD?”

I saw Him one day many years ago when I was a 12-year-old boy sitting about half-way back in a little country church… and after of years of fear and dread and frustration, anxiety, nervousness… I saw Him.   I did not know a fraction of what Jesus had for me, the only thing I knew was that I was afraid and I needed help.  And I came in my own childlike way that night to the altar of a Baptist church and prayed a simple prayer… and I saw Jesus.

Jesus has been gracious to me through all these years.  Over half a century now.  He called me to preach.  He gave me a wonderful, loving, understanding and supporting wife.  He gave us five great children.  He has protected me from all kinds of satanic oppressions. He supernaturally provided for all our need… took excellent care of us for forty plus years by faith with no salary but love offerings that He sent us through loving friends.  He set me in a place of ministry and allowed me to share the Good News with numberless, hungry, God-seeking people here and in more than 17 nations abroad.

I’ve never been more fulfilled in my life than I am right now.  I am grateful to God.  When you leave this blog today, I want you to leave with just one phrase on your lips and that is…

WORTHY IS THE LAMB.

Next blog:  Who the Bible says you are.  What the Bible says you have.  What the Bible says you can do.  Don’t miss it!!

Worthy is the Lamb

April 6, 2012

 

  • Someone right now is on the verge of collapse and defeat.
  • Someone is on the verge of failure…
  • Someone reading this is about to break up and give up and quit…

In this Awesome Season of the Resurrection….

I’ve got good news for you… if you are one of these “someones”  God directed you to this very message…  Jesus Christ is able to reach down into the darkest and deepest need of your life right now and remedy your situation… whatever it may be.

Nothing is ever too “broke” for God to fix.

Don’t you even think about giving up because Jesus Christ,  the Lamb slain before the foundation of the world… is Worthy and Able right now to pull you into His Presence and Bless you with deliverance!

In the Book of Revelation, John looked into heaven he saw all of heaven crying out “Worthy is the Lamb!”  Let me tell you about the Lamb of God.

Let me tell you about Jesus.

Who Is This Lamb of God?

Who is this man who all of heaven bowed down before and declared to be Worthy?  Who is He?  Why has He made such an impact on the human race?  How has He shifted the entire course of history? Just what kind of a Man is this Man they called the Carpenters’ Son? What kind of man is this who spoke and all of creation’s ears heard and heeded His voice?

Who is this Lamb of God?  Who is this Lion of the Tribe of Judah?  Who is this Root of David?   Who is this Person to Whom all the inhabitants of heaven bow down and with praise-filled voices cry out:  “Worthy is the Lamb… Worthy is the Lamb…Worthy is the Lamb…?”

Who is this Lamb of God?

Jesus said “I am the Bread of Life.” 

Do you know what bread does?  Bread fills us up.  Bread satisfies. Bread keeps us alive.  Bread nourishes our physical body.  Jesus is Heaven’s Bread sent from God to nourish us and keep us alive.  Jesus said “I am the Bread of Life.”

Then in John chapter 8 Jesus said “I am the Light of the world.”

What does light do?  Light reveals and illuminates… light guides and shows the way.  What does Jesus do?  He reveals the character and nature of God to us.   He illuminates our way by the anointed spoken Word of God. He guides us by His Presence.  He shows us the pitfalls of life. He protects us from the snare of the enemy.   Worthy is the Lamb!

Who did Jesus say He was?  In John 10 He said “I am the Door.”

What does a door do?  A door allows us to go in and get out that’s what a door does.  And do you know what Jesus meant when He said I am the door?   He meant that “ by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture.”  Jesus Christ is the Door. He is our access into the very presence of God.  Are you locked in and want to get out?  Jesus is the Door.  Are you locked out and want to get in?  Jesus is the Door.  He is our High Priest.  He is our representative in Heaven.  Worthy is the Lamb!

In John chapter 10 He said “I am the Good Shepherd.”

What does a good shepherd do?  A good shepherd takes care of his flock.  He makes certain that they are in the fold and out of harm’s way at night;  He is certain of their number.   He is certain of their safety.  He knows where they are and He takes care of all their needs.  He never leaves them.  He never forsakes them.  He cares for them and keeps them secure and safe.  Do you need Someone to Care for you and to Protect you and to Love you?  Do you need Assurance?  Jesus is the Good Shepherd.

In John chapter 11 He said:   “I am the Resurrection and the Life” and John chapter 15 He said: “I am the True Vine, If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.”

Jesus gives us Resurrection Life.  Not just ordinary life, but supernatural life.  Resurrection life is the God Kind of life.  It is not psuche but it is Zoe.  It is the same kind and quality of life that God has.

As we “abide in Him” or take up our residence in Him and live in His Word, then He says we can ask what we will and it shall be done unto us.  Abiding in Him assures us of asking for the right things.  And when we ask for the right things the right way, God gives us what we ask for.

The world saw Jesus as a baby wrapped in rags that were used to bind up dead bodies lying in a dirty smelly barn.  But I see Him as King of Kings and Lord of lords.

The world saw Him as a carpenter’s Son Who would never amount to anything.  But I see Him as the Living Son of the Living God.

The world saw Him as a defeated Loser hanging lifeless on a cruel criminal’s cross. But I see Him as the Living Victor over death hell and the grave.

Worthy is the Lamb!

The heart of Old Testament Scripture is Messianic in purpose.  There’s hardly a chapter anywhere from Genesis to Malachi that does not give us a glimpse of Jesus.  Jesus is like a scarlet thread woven into the fabric of every page of the Old Testament.  And that tapestry comes to a full and complete revelation when we get to Matthew, Mark, Luke and John.

He was foreshadowed in the Garden of Eden shortly after Adam’s miserable fall when God spoke to the serpent and said;

“I will put enmity between thee and the woman and between thy seed and her seed it shall bruise thy head and thou shalt bruise His heel.”  

This is a direct Messianic Promise declaring that there would be One coming Whose heel would crush the serpents’ head.  In turn the heel of that Coming One would be wounded and bruised by the serpent.

He was clearly seen by the prophets in the Old Testament.  They did not know Him in the flesh but they knew Him by the miracle of divine revelation.  Every prophet of God in the Old Testament had a glimpse of the coming Messiah.  In Isaiah chapter 7, the prophet wrote;

“A virgin shall conceive and bear a son and call His name Immanuel”

That Name means “God with us.”  In Isaiah chapter 9 and verse 6 the same prophet by divine revelation foresaw Jesus and said;

 “His Name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, the Mighty God, the Everlasting Father, and the Prince of Peace.”

In Isaiah Chapter 53, which was written nearly 800 years before Jesus was born, is the wonderful chapter portraying Jesus as the suffering Servant.

“He was wounded for our transgressions He was bruised for our iniquities the chastisement of our peace was upon Him and with His stripes we are healed….”   

All through the Old Testament there are glimpses and foreshadows of the coming Messiah.  David, Israel’s great singer, sung in Paslms about Him before He was born.

 “The Lord is shepherd I shall not want He maketh me to lie down in green pastures He leads beside the still waters He restoreth my soul…”

We find Jesus in every book on every page in practically every verse and every word;  the Old Testament is an arrow pointing unerringly to the coming time when all the world would recognize…

Worthy is the Lamb!  Hallelujah.

He is pictured in many ways in the Old Testament.

He’s pictured as Noah’s ark because Noah’s ark was God’s provision to keep safe a faithful few who believed in the word of God.  The Ark was God’s miraculous provision for safety and deliverance for the believing family of Noah, the builder of the ark.

When the rains came and the judgement of God fell, those huddled in the safety of the ark were spared.  They inherited a New World.  A Fresh World.  A Purged World.  This typifies the Redemptive Work of Jesus Christ in the Grand Plan of Father God.  The Ark of Safety is a type of the One Who is Worthy.

He’s pictured as the Passover Lamb.   When the Hebrews were held in the grip of Egyptian bondage, they prayed for God to look upon their affliction and deliver them.   And God heard their prayer.   One by one the plagues were sent and finally Pharaoh let the people go… but not before the Passover was perfected.

I see the father in the Hebrew household as he goes out and slays that little sinless Paschal lamb.   I see him as he takes the blood and catches it in a basin and takes a branch of hyssop and dips it in the blood and then goes to his house and strikes the blood across the top of the door and on each door post.   I see him as he goes in his dwelling knowing that God said;

“when I see the blood I will pass over you… When I see the blood I will pass over you.”   

This Passover Lamb is a type of Jesus Christ.

He is personified and pictured in the construction and furnishings of Old Testament tabernacle.

He is pictured as the promised Son of hundred-year-old Abraham and ninety-year-old Sarah.

I see Jesus typified in the House of Israel and the intricate sacrificial system of the Jews.

Can’t you see how God has moved heaven and earth since Creation so that we can  know…

Worthy is the Lamb!

Where is your heart today?  What is your attention set upon?  Where is your life headed?  Is it to know and proclaim that Jesus Christ is Lord of All? Is it to know that He and He alone is Worthy?   All other things in this life are secondary to the central fact that Jesus Christ is Lord of All! 

Who is He?  Who is this Jesus?

Let me tell you Who He is… He is God in the Flesh.  He is Very God  Who condescended  and took on human form and human flesh. He is God clothed in humanity.  He is God wearing a flesh suit.    Philippians 2:7 declares that He made Himself of no reputation… that is, He laid down (took off) His deity and put on humanity.  He vacated His God Form and God Power and God authority and then left heaven that he might walk on and in this earth and redeem us from the curse of Adam’s disobedience.

He became Man in order to redeem man from spiritual and eternal death.  Deity put on humanity so that humanity could put on Deity and walk in forgiveness and divine healing and health and total deliverance from every power of the devil.   Worthy is the Lamb!

Where are you today?  Do you know that Jesus is Worthy?    Today, all humanity needs to bow at the feet of a Risen Ascended and Glorified Lord.   This is the hour when we should recognize that we are the visible, tangible body of Christ on  earth and we are to carry out the Commission that He gave by going throughout the earth and preaching and teaching and baptizing in His Name… by telling the world:

Worthy is the Lamb!

(Next Blog:   What Does He Do?)

Choosing and Refusing

April 1, 2012

  • Whatever may be wrong with you, your family, your finances, your marriage, your business, your life, can be remedied… permanently fixed TODAY….
  • Whatever illness or disease or emotional depression may be plaguing you can be healed and removed NOW and permanent deliverance can be yours TODAY….
  • Whatever defeat you may have suffered in any area of your life can be reversed and turned into Victory TODAY….
  • God has given the Body of Christ Powerful KEYS that will produce total victory in the believer’s life when they are applied and adhered to….

Matthew 16:19  And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.

Key Number One:  Proper Data Processing

John 8:32   And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.

Eph. 4:25   Wherefore putting away lying, (the lie) speak every man truth with his neighbour: for we are members one of another.

There are two primary sources from which we receive data or information.   One is Truth and the other is “the lie”.   The TRUTH is the Word and the Lie is the World.  Operating in TRUTH results in LIFE.  Operating in “the lie” results in DEATH.  Paul writes in Romans chapter 8 verse 6…

“To be carnally (world) minded is death but to be spiritually (Word) minded is life (zoe) and peace” (security, safety and prosperity).

What we do with what we know determines whether we live or whether we die.  How we “process” the information that enters our mind (computer) determines what happens to us.   We all have a Processor to process incoming data.  It is our mind.  The mind is the data processor.  Just like a computer.   How we process the data and what we do with the data that comes into our mind determines whether we live in victory or go down in defeat.  It is necessary that we upgrade (renew) our processor.  The Bible calls this “renewing the mind.”  There are two operating systems in effect today.  One is the Word and the other is the World.  One is the Truth and the other is the Lie.

The ONLY advantage satan ever has over a believer is the be­liever’s ignorance of and unbelief of the Word.  Remember:  Whatever may be wrong with you, your family, your finances, your marriage, your business, your life, can be remedied… permanently fixed and made complete through your knowledge of the Truth and your obedience to the Truth. 

TRUTH is absolute.  Truth is the Standard.  Truth is Changeless.  Truth is what and Who Jesus is.  Truth is the Way.  Truth is Life.  Truth is our access to the Father.  And Jesus is the Truth.

Jesus said to Know the Truth is to be Free.  Listen:

John 8:31   Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed;

(1)  Jesus is speaking to those “Who believed on Him…”

(2)  Jesus puts forth the following condition.  “IF.”  It is up to us.

(3)  Jesus speaks of Abiding.  “Continuing” in His Word.

(4)  Jesus indicates that to continue to abide in His Word will result in becoming a “Disciple indeed.”  A True Disciple.   A “learner” of Jesus.  We will Learn of Him and about Him.  We will become intimately acquainted with Him.  We will Know Him.

John 8:32   And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.

 

Key Number Two:  Choosing the Truth and Refusing the Lie

“I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you LIFE and DEATH, blessing and cursing: therefore CHOOSE LIFE  (Jesus: “I am the Way, the Truth and the Life…”)  that both thou and thy seed may LIVE….”  Deut 30:19

  • Have you wondered why things are the way they are in your life?
  • Have you wondered why some seem to be blessed abundantly and others constantly seem to have a struggle in life?
  • Have you questioned God about your situa­tion?
  • Did you get discouraged when you seem to get no answer from heaven?
  • Do you understand that God is not responsible for your condi­tion?
  • Do you know that God is really for you and not against you?
  • Are you ready to believe that He has provisions for you that are yet un­tapped?
  • Do you know that God has an answer for you TODAY?

If you are disturbed and troubled about your present situation or the situation of your family, God has an answer for you.  It is not as hopeless as you think and YOU CAN ACTUALLY DO SOMETHING ABOUT  IT.

I am continually amazed at how fickle and shallow and unstable some Christians can be.  And are.  Knowing the Truth, they ignore it.  Knowing the Truth, they choose something less.  Knowing the Truth, they refuse to obey it.  Knowing the Truth, they simply do not DO IT.

In their Mind.  They had rather stuff a bunch of trash in their brains than to fill it with the Word of God… with the Truth.  Like hogs, they prefer slop over sirloin steaks.  The stink is better than the per­fume of God’s sweet presence.  They are prefer looking for juicy tidbits that temporarily gratify the flesh and the unregenerated emotions over seeking life-giving, life-sustaining, sin-overcoming Power in the Word of God.

            In their Mouth.  “Say what?”  What are you saying?  What are you continually speaking?  What kind of words come out of your mouth?  What and which power is being released by your tongue?  Is it set on Fire of God or is it set on fire of hell?  Does it build up?  Encourage?  Edify?  Speak good regarding others?  Does it say the Truth?  Or does it speak doubt, unbelief, sadness, sickness, defeat, hope­lessness?  What is in your Mouth?  Life (truth) or Death (the lie)?

In their Body.  What shape is your flesh in?  (And I do not mean size, weight or physical proportion.)  I mean is your flesh under your control?  Is it out of your control?  Is it crucified?  Is it dead to the world?  To sin?  Did you ever read that passage in the Bible that com­mands us to “come out from among them and be separate?”

2Cor. 6:17   Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch  (do not fasten yourself to) not the unclean thing; and I will receive you,

Could it be that touching the unclean thing has separated you from the Truth?  Maybe mixing and mingling with the unclean has made you the Prisoner of the Lie.  Could it be the Hog-Pen syndrome?  Leaving the pure, the clean, the honest, the upright, the safe and the secure for the slop, the mud, the mess, the grime of the unclean?  Is this you?  Do you miss Father?  Do you miss Father’s house?  Do you miss Father’s blessing and approval?  Do you miss Father’s provision?

Sin, sickness, poverty, want, unhappiness, defeat, failure, di­vorce, perversion, addiction, worry,  fear, anxiety are all foreign ele­ments in the Will of God.  They are the works of and the products of the Lie and must be eliminated before God’s Plan can be fully realized.  They are not and cannot be a part of the will of God for His Creation.  They are the works of the devil and the fruit of the Lie and are the enemies of God and all creation.  As long as Christians treat these curses as friends and blessings in disguise and as the “will of God” they will be failing God and cooperating with the devil and the Lie.  And this cooperation or partnership with the devil will result in death and destruction.

This is “falling short of the glory of God.”

Rom. 3:23   For all have sinned, and come short (hustereo: fail to become a partaker; to suffer want, to lack, to fail, to fall short of the end…) of the glory of God;

 

Anytime we are deceived into believing the Lie or any part of it, we au­tomatically come short of the Glory of God.  The Glory of God is the Full and Complete Manifestation of the Truth.  When we fail to obey any part of the Truth, we come short of the Glory of God.  When we come short of the Glory of God we fall into the consequences of the Lie.  The power of the Lie is activated and the result is always death and defeat.

Refusing or Resisting the Truth forms a Partnership with the Lie.  Partnership with the Lie is being in agreement with the devil.  Failure to resist the lie places one in partnership with the lie.  Silence in the face of the lie puts one in partnership with the lie.  Partnership with the Lie produces separation from the Glory of God.  The Glory of God and the Lie are incompatible.  You cannot have a little of both… it is an Either / Or situation.  You are either in partnership with the Lie or in partnership with the Truth.  Jesus said if we are not with Him we are against Him.  If we do not gather with Him, we are guilty of scatter­ing abroad.

Matt. 12:30   He that is not with me is against me; and he that gathereth not with me scattereth abroad.

Refusing or Resisting the Lie forms a Partnership with the Truth.  Partnership with the Truth is being in Agreement with God.  Being in Agreement with God keeps you in the Power of His Glory.  Agreement with God… obeying the Truth results in abundant Life.  This is where we must live in this hour.  Courageous.  Brave.  Full of Faith.  Fulfilled.  Anointed with God’s Power.  Overcoming the world.  Enjoying Victory over the flesh.  Moving in peace, rest, joy, happiness, satisfaction, prospering in all things, living in continual health, totally delivered from every demonic force and temptation.

The Truth can and will Change things.  It will change what you have not been able to change and do what you have not been able to do.

  • It will Bring God into your life.
  • It will bring God’s Power into your life.
  • It will bring victory into your life.
  • It will bring success into your life.
  • It will produce the Kingdom of God in you and around you.
  • It will release the Will of God into the earth.

If you Know the Truth… If  you Do the Truth.  If you are in Partnership with the Truth.

There is a strong possibility that many Believers are unknow­ingly and unwillingly giving glory to the devil by cooperating with the Lie.  Anytime we fail to obey the Truth we give glory to the devil.  Anytime we deviate from the Word of God, we give glory to the devil.  Anytime we compromise our total confidence in and trust in and re­liance upon the Word of God, we give glory to the devil.  Anytime we accept anything less than what the Word of God promises, we give glory to the devil.

(1) Our Unbelief gives glory to the devil.   Any acceptance of a “half truth” or partial truth puts us in agreement with the devil.  Agreeing with the doctrines of men and the unscriptural traditions of religion is unbelief.  “Going along with” any teaching or doctrine that is not in Full and Total Agreement with the Word of God is unbelief.  Just because it sounds good, feels good, pro­duces comfort, eases the mind does not necessarily mean that it is the Truth.  When we fall into doubt, when we question God or God’s Word, when we give in to reason, when we listen to our emotions in­stead of God… this is unbelief.  This negates the Truth and prevents the Mighty Works of God from happening in us and to us.  And it glorifies the devil.

(2) Our Fear gives glory to the devil.  Fear of getting sick.  Fear of getting some incurable disease.  Fear of having a heart attack.  Fear of cancer, stroke,  Parkinson’s.  Fear of a nervous breakdown.  Fear of dying.  Fear of accidents.  Fear of losing our job.  Fear of bankruptcy.  Fear of going broke.  Fear of losing a husband or a wife or a son or a daughter.  Fear of being disgraced.  Fear of losing our reputation.  Fear of losing our friends.  Fear of being rendered helpless or becoming handicapped.  Fear of the devil or demons.  Fear of people, crowds, darkness, heights, flying, driving, biking, walking, weather, hurricanes, tornadoes, storms, floods, earthquakes, lightning, water… any and all fear gives glory to the devil.

(3) Yielding to Temptation gives glory to the devil.  Being tempted is not sin, but giving in to temptation is.  And this gives glory to the devil.  You can say no.  You can resist.  You can put your foot down.  You can quit.  You can stop.  You can stay clean.  You can be delivered.   The Truth de­clares that sin has no control over you and satan has no dominion over you. 

(4) Being satisfied to stay sick gives glory to the devil.  The Word plainly teaches that no child of God has to be sick or stay sick.  It is the unquestionable right of every believer to have perfect health and free­dom  from the ungodly works of the devil.

The responsibility of getting healed and remaining healed is up to the individual believer.  If God has provided Healing through the Blood of Jesus, then it is the right and the duty of every believer to get and keep the benefits for which He suffered and died.  To do anything less is to give glory to the devil.

            (5) Staying where you are when God calls you to a Higher Place gives glory to the devil.

            Being content to drift.

Being satisfied to stay lost or backslidden or disobedient gives glory to the devil.

Living by the lie gives glory to the devil.

Resisting the Truth gives glory to the devil.

Knowing to do good and refusing to do it gives glory to the devil.

Living in unforgiveness and resentment and hatred gives glory to the devil.

Allowing your testimony to be corrupted gives glory to the devil.    Neglecting to stand for what is right gives glory to the devil.  Refusing to repair relationships and mend hurt and hard feel­ings gives glory to the devil.

Living a lie in your marriage and breaking the solemn vows made before God and man gives glory to the devil.

Remaining where you are today without doing what God tells you to do gives glory to the devil.

If It’s Not the Truth, It’s A Lie

            It’s a lie that you are a victim of circumstances.

It’s a lie that you are helpless and can do nothing about your situation.  (There is no such thing as “I can’t help it.”)

 It’s a lie that you are locked into impossibilities and hopeless conditions.

It’s a lie that “things will never change.”

It’s a lie that you must be miserable, sad, depressed and defeated most of your life.

It’s a lie that you must stay sick.

            It’s a lie that you must continually live in lack and need.

It’s a lie that your family cannot be saved and delivered and that they will never love and serve God.

It’s a lie that you can never change.

It’s a lie that your marriage is beyond repair.

It’s a lie that you will never have a good job, and that you will never make a decent living.

It’s a lie that you will never be out of debt. (Unless you disobey the Word regarding your money, your giving and your spending.)

It’s a lie that you must always live under a curse.

It’s a lie that you will never get better, feel better, become stronger, stop worrying, overcome fear, or be a success.

It’s a lie that you can’t.

It’s a lie that it’s impossible.

It’s a lie that you are weak.

It’s a lie that you are a loser.

It’s a lie that Prayer does not work.

It’s a lie that it (whatever “it” is) is too late.

It’s a lie that things are going to get better in the world.

It’s a lie that God does not care.

It’s a lie that miracles never happen anymore.

It’s a lie that God does not speak today.

It’s a lie that the government and welfare will be your unfailing refuge and help.

It’s a lie that sin will go forgotten and unpunished if there is no repentance.

It’s a lie that we will never see a mighty move of God in the earth again.

John 8:32   And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.

How to Change Things

March 28, 2012

Are you in a rut?

Are you tired of struggling with the same old circumstances surrounding your life?

Do you want to change some things?

Are you ready for a break-through?

Listed below are 4 simple Word Principles that will actually Change things that you need and want changed in your life.  Read and receive the preliminary preparation for the application of these Principles and then do what you learn and experience the miracle of a Changed and New Life…..

Not many people I know are really satisfied with the way things are.  The good news is you can change those things you don’t like.  Most people who are in undesirable situations are saying “I can’t help it.”  But the “I can’t help it” excuse is really a cop out.  Where does the “I can’t help it” excuse come from?  It comes from the devil.  The Truth is you can help it.  God says you can.

The main reason you cannot change things is because you do not know how to.  If you do not know how, then you are one of those people the Bible speaks about when it says “My people are destroyed for a lack of knowledge…”

Ho 4:6  My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge:

When someone is lacking knowledge they are, in fact, ignorant.   “Ye have not because you know not how to get it…”  Pardon my paraphrase.  But that’s really the truth.  The world has told us all our life that there were things that we just had to bear.  We could not help it.  It was unavoidable.  Nothing could change it.  It was just “meant to be.”  Meant to be by whom?   Certainly not by God if what is happening to us is bad and destructive. We have listened to what the reasoning world has told us.  We have counted as fact what our natural eyes have seen.  We have believed what our emotions have dictated to us and we have been moved by our five senses.

No wonder situations seem unchangeable.  This kind of information processing results in the “I can’t help it” mind set.  And it is really a MIND SET it is NOT a WORD SET.  You can change things.  The Word says you can.  The right way to change things does not come out of selfish or carnal thinking.  When we find ourselves in situations and circumstances that do not glorify God and enhance His Kingdom, we can change them.  When we are in a position that is not in the Will of God   we can change it.

Some have relatives that are lost.  Others have pressing financial problems.  Many are struggling with sickness and disease.  Some are working through marriage and family issues… and the devil would have us believe that nothing is going to get better; that they will always be bad and that there is absolutely nothing that we can do about it.  However, we can change things IF we know how to.

God wants us to have His Best.  Jesus died so that we could have Life and have it more abundantly.

Joh 10:10  …I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.

God does not want us lacking in any good thing.  God wants us to have His best in everything and in every way.  Do you want His best?  Can you come into agreement for God’s best to be yours?   Listen to this:

Mt 18:19 Again I say unto us, That if two of us shall agree on earth as touching any thing that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven.

Let’s just agree with God and get this promise working.  It is a lot easier to talk about how bad it is and how hard it is and how impossible it is than it is to confess with our mouth what God says regardless of what we see or feel.  God says things can be changed.  God says that things can get better.  God says that our circumstances can be overcome.  God says that our situations can be brought in line with His Word and in agreement with His Will.  God wants us to rearrange our vocabulary and change our thinking.  He wants us to get rid of all the negative stuff and begin to accentuate the positives.  God is a YES God.  The Word declares:

2Co 1:20 For all the promises of God in him are yea, and in him Amen, unto the glory of God by us.

The Word declares in the Gospel of John Chapter 8:

32 And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make us free.

What does “free” mean?  It means free.  Free.  It means to be set loose.  It means to be released from bondage.  It means to be unshackled.  Jesus said the truth would make us free.  If you are free, it is the truth that made you free.  If you are bound it is the Lie that has put you in bondage.  Now what is the lie?  The Lie is anything that contradicts the Word of God.  It is anything that comes from the devil because the Bible says that the devil is the father of lies.

Joh 8:44 Ye are of our father the devil, and the lusts of our father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.

“You shall know the Truth of God’s Word and the Truth of God’s Word that you act on in faith will deliver you from all your bondage” to paraphrase what Jesus says in this verse.    That is exactly where God wants us to be.  He wants us to be totally free from all satanic and demonic bondage.  He wants us to be delivered from every habit, every burden and every demonic oppression.

Exposure to the Truth will change us.  When we are exposed to the Truth and the Truth becomes revelation to us, we can change bad things into good things.  When we begin to take in the Truth, we automatically begin to get better.

Better in our body.

Better in our mind.

Better in our talking.

Better in our expectations.

Better in our relationships.

Better in our patience.

Better in our temperament.

The more Truth we have in us the less Lie we have in us—and vice versa.

The Truth will get us out of worry into trust.  It will get us out of sickness into health.  It will get us out of anxiety into peace.  It will get us out of sadness into joy.  It will get us out of poverty into abundance.

God wants us to succeed and not fail.  God wants us to be well and not sick.  God wants us to happy and not sad.  God wants us to be prosperous and not poor.  God wants us to have His Best.  He has made every provision for this, but some are still waiting and hoping for their situation to change.

The real issue is that God is waiting for you to Change Things.  You can change things.  God has given you the authority and the power to change things.  There is no such thing to the Believer as “I can’t help it.”  How do you change things?  How do you do it?

You need to understand that “with the mouth confession is made unto salvation (deliverance)…”  Therefore what you say with your mouth is very important.  If you “confess” anything, you must “say” it.  If you confess anything, you must formulate thoughts in your mind and then make them come out of our mouth as words. You can change things by and through the words that you say.

Words were here before facts were here.  Words were here before worlds were here.  Words were here before people were here.  Words were here before the devil was here.  Words have more power than facts.  Words have more authority and more power than natural law.  Words were here before physical and natural laws were set in motion by Almighty God at the time of Creation.  Words are important.  Words are weighty.  Words are more powerful than facts.  God used Words to create.  He “spoke” and “it was.”  Words are creative.  Words have the power to bring things into existence.   Words make facts.

Pr 18:21 Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof.

God spoke faith-filled Words and when those words came out of His mouth creation happened.  God said…  and it was.  Substance came into being.    It was created by the Words God spoke with His mouth.  Words created.  Words have power.  Words are a preeminent and predominant force.

Jesus is vitally interested in how you talk.  You can talk for five minutes with most anybody and they will reveal their spiritual position by the words that come out of their mouth.  By the way they talk.   By the words they say.

We are living under a New Covenant.  The Word we have is a legal document.  It is binding on two parties.  It is binding on the part of God and it is binding on the part of those who believe it.  God formulated and created this covenant and signed it with the Blood of His own Dear Son.  It is established forever and ever.  It faileth not.  It changeth not.  It will never pass away.  Heaven and earth will pass away, but the word of God is established from everlasting to everlasting.

Mt 24:35  Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.

The Word is a legal document and it binds God to whoever agrees with it.   I want to agree with it.  Do you?  Will you?  If your answer is “yes” then you are in a position to change things.  If you agree with this Legal Document, then God is legally bound to honor His Word in your behalf.  God does not lie.

Nu 23:19 God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good?

When we agree with this covenant we are positioned to receive everything that God has promised and provided for us.  God is bound to us.  We become God’s responsibility.  We are not our own.  We are bought with a price.

1Co 6:19  What? know ye not that our body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not our own?

1Co 6:20  For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in our body, and in our spirit, which are God’s.

We belong to God and we are His responsibility.  Therefore, we don’t have to worry about Wall Street, the financial market, the banks, our job, the world situation, the economy, or anything else, because we are now God’s responsibility.  God is our Source.  God is our Supply.  God is our Security.  He has bound Himself to provide for us IF we know how to get these Word Promises and Principles working in our life.

We are literally in New Covenant Living.  God brought us out in order to bring us in.  God won the Victory for us.  And then He provided everything we would ever need to maintain the victory.

There is irrevocable power and authority in Spiritual Laws.  We live in the New Covenant Realm and are governed by the Laws set forth in the Word of God.  These are Spiritual laws, spiritual precepts and spiritual principles.  The laws and precepts and principles set forth in the Word of God supersede all physical and natural law… they have more authority, more influence and more power than any force in the world or under the world.

Ro 8:2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.

This means the Law of Life has more power than the Law of Sin and Death.  These Spiritual principles and precepts in the Word of God have more power and authority than anything in the World System. Circumstances and situations are occurrences in the World System and they can be frightening. They can depress us.  They can overwhelm us.  But every situation and circumstance has its origin and birth in the World System.  We who are Born Again live by the laws and precepts of a Spiritual Kingdom that are more powerful and that have more authority than the laws and precepts of the world system.

Jesus wants us to change our bad situations.  He wants us to know the Truth.  He wants us to believe right.  He wants us to talk right.  He wants us to expect things to change for the better.

There is a story in Matthew 16 that shows us just how excited Jesus gets when you talk right.  He was speaking with His disciples and He asked “Who do men say that I am?”  They answered,  “well, some say that you are John the Baptist come back to life, some say that you are Elijah, some say that you are a prophet sent from God…”  Jesus asked “who do you say that I am?”

In other words, Jesus was not interested in what other people said about Him; He wanted to know what His disciples said about Him. Peter, the impetuous one, stood up and declared “Thou are the Christ, the Son of the Living God…”

Jesus got excited at this response by Peter.  He said “Flesh and blood (the world system)  has not revealed this to you… you did not get this through your intellect or your emotions or your natural reasoning, but My Father which is in heaven has revealed this to you.” (This is revelation knowledge).   Then Jesus really got worked up and said “I will build My Church on this Confession which came out of your mouth and out of your heart, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it (the Church)…”

What was this confession Peter made?  He confessed with his mouth that Jesus was and is the Messiah.   Peter said with his mouth that Jesus was Messiah, the Anointed One, the One sent from God… The Promised One, The Savior, the Deliverer… he confessed this with his mouth and when he did, Jesus got excited and said, “you did not get this from the world system, Peter, you got that from God and I like what you said…” Then Jesus said, “I’m going to build My church on this Revelation and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.”

And that’s exactly what He’s doing.   He is building His church… not the Baptist church, the Methodist church, the Presbyterian church, the Episcopalian church, the Catholic church, the Pentecostal church, the Black, White, Red or Yellow church… but THE CHURCH.  HIS CHURCH.  And He is building it here and now.   He is building His Church on a CONFESSION….   A confession of Who He Is.  His Person.  His Power.  His Position.  And the gates of hell shall not prevail against it… that means that no demon, no devil, no darkness, no sickness, no disease, no demonic depression or obsession, no authority on earth or under the earth shall defeat the Church because the Church has more power than the world has.

And then Jesus said, “I am going to give you the keys of the Kingdom…”

That means we have the keys.  He gave them to us.  Keys open and keys close.  Keys unlock and keys lock.  Keys allow and keys prevent.  And we have the keys.  Having the keys means having the authority and the power to act in Jesus’ Name and doing  exactly what Jesus would do if He were here in person.  How did these “Keys” come to pass?  They came to pass because of the confession Peter made about Jesus with his mouth.

Jesus is interested in what we say.  He wants us to talk right.  When we say what Jesus says in faith; when we take the words that Jesus spoke and when we make them our words… words that come out of our believing heart… when we speak the same words that Jesus spoke and say them in faith, it is exactly the same thing as if Jesus were there saying them Himself.

Jesus wants us to talk to things.  Most folks are talking about things.  But Jesus wants us to talk to things.  He wants us to talk to things that don’t have ears.  Jesus talked to an earless fig tree.  He talked to the wind.  The wind doesn’t have any ears.  He spoke to the waves and the rain.  He spoke to the elements of nature. He spoke to dead people.  Just because something does not have ears or does not have the ability to hear, does not mean us are not supposed to talk to them.  Jesus wants us to talk to things that do not have ears so that we can change our situation.  We change our situations and our circumstances by talking to them. 

Mark 11:23  For verily I say unto us, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith.

Do mountains have ears?  Of course not.  But Jesus commands us to talk to them anyway.  Do you mean we are supposed to talk to mountains?  If we have one or some YES.  It is important that we talk right.  It is important that we say the right things.  It is important that we get our tongue in line with the Word of God and that we make our tongue and our lips say what God says.   We are not to look at or consider our circumstances, or talk about our circumstances, or meditate on our circumstances, we are supposed to talk to them in Jesus Name and tell them what to do.

Many never get their situations or circumstances changed because they are always praying and begging God to change them.  When, the truth of the matter is, God has already told us to talk to them and change them ourselves.   

Do you have a mouth?  Do you know how to use it?  Can you speak words?  Can you say things?  Death and life are in the power of your tongue.  When you begin to talk to your circumstances, you will begin to change them by the power of your words which you speak in Faith.

Several things I need to say here…

First, in order to change our situation, our mind needs to be renewed by the Word of God. 

Rom 12:2   And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of our mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

We need to get God’s Word literally built into our mind.  We need to discipline and control our mind to think in line with Word.  We can make up our mind.  We can decide.  We have control over our mind.  We can make it line up with the Word of God.

Most of us are more influenced by the situations going on around us than we are by what the Word says.  This is the result of thinking with an unrenewed mind.  Paul tells us to renew our mind.

How do we renew our mind?  We renew our mind by filling it with the Word and emptying it of the world.  We renew our mind by becoming “spiritually minded” instead of being “carnally minded.”

Ro 8:6 For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.

The truth is, most of us need a good brain washing.  The Apostle Paul tells us that Jesus loves the Church and gave Himself for it that He might set it apart and cleanse it by the “washing of water by the Word…”

Eph 5:26  That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word…

The Word is the Washing and Cleansing agent.  The Word is the way to get our minds renewed so that we can think right.  Wrong thinking always gets us in trouble.  Carnal thinking or natural thinking leads to death but when we have our mind renewed by the Word, we are enabled to think right.  And right thinking is Word Thinking.

When we are spiritually minded and think in line with the Word of God, the world thinks we are unbalanced.  Unlearned.  Ignorant. Out of touch with reality.  Living in fantasy.  Foolish. And in some cases, insane.

The Word is so far above the world in Truth that when we live our lives by the Word, the world just can’t understand us.    A renewed mind believes what the Word says in spite of what natural carnal reasoning indicates.

The world will never understand a spiritually minded believer.   We simply believe what the Word says about who we are, what we have and what we can do.  The Word says we are kings and priests.  Therefore, we act like kings and priests.  The Word says we are healed and not sick.  Therefore, we act like we are healed.  The Word says we are the head and not the tail.  Therefore, we act like we are the head.  The Word says we are above and not beneath.  Therefore, we act like we are above our circumstances and situations. The Word says we are rich and not poor.  Therefore, we act like we are rich.  The Word says we are more than conquerors.  Therefore, we act like overcoming conquerors.  The Word says we can do all things through Christ and nothing shall be impossible to us.  Therefore, we act like nothing will ever be impossible for us.  We have the courage and the faith to attempt the impossible and the unreasonable.

What God has given us is ours.  And the devil nor anybody else or anything else should ever take it away from us.  It is ours and we must keep it.   When we choose to believe what the Word says, we are exercising a renewed mind.  We are thinking  like the Bible tells us to think.  When we think like the Bible tells us to think, we acquire a renewed mind.  And a renewed mind leads us into life and peace and success.

Next, in order to change things, talk right.

You need to make your mouth say what the Word says.  When you are sick you don’t say “I feel bad…”  You say instead  “by His stripes I am healed….”  That’s what the Word says.  When you are fearful and confused and unsure about things, you don’t say “I’m afraid…. “  You say “God has not given me the spirit of fear but instead He has given me the spirit of love and power and a sound mind…”

2Ti 1:7  For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.

When pressures build and stress and worry and anxiety come, don’t talk about them.  Instead talk to them.  Talk to them in Jesus’ Name and tell them what to do and where to go.  Talk right.

But some would say, “but that’s not true, I really am sick or I really am worried, or I am afraid or I am stressed out…”  If what is happening to us contradicts what the Bible says about us, then what is happening to us is a lie.   It is not the truth.  The Lie holds us in bondage.  The Truth makes us free.  Therefore, we should believe the Truth (what the Bible says) instead of what our carnal, reasoning, physical emotions tell us.

I am amazed at how negative folks talk.  They are giving power to the forces that plague them by talking about them and complaining about them and telling others how bad their situation is.  The world system is a negative system.  It is death driven and death doomed.  It is a kingdom of darkness and there is no light in it.  It is fathered by the devil and propagated by demons.  It is harsh.  It operates in fear.  It has no hope and no future.

It is totally opposite from everything in the Bible. It will overtake us and hold us captive.  It will depress us, keep us in despair and make us miserable.  It is the primary purpose of the devil and hell to keep us away from the Truth, ignorant of the Truth, and disobedient to the Truth.  How we talk will determine how much influence the world system has on us,  our family and our possessions.

When we talk the Word, the words we say become carriers.  When our words agree with God’s Word they will carry God’s Power with them.  When our words agree with the negative world system, they will carry the power of the world system with them.  I really believe if we could ever learn to talk right and speak the Word and the Word only, instead of what we see and feel and think, we could experience a radical transformation in our situations and circumstances.

The Devil and his demons must submit to the Word of God that we speak.  When we come to see that all the death stuff that is happening to us is caused by the devil and his demons and then get a real revelation of the Power of the Word of God we will be on the road to recovery.  We will be positioned to change things in us and around us.  But as long as we set our tongue in agreement with death, we will have what you say.

You can Search out and find those God Words that contradict your particular problem.  They are in the Bible…. Find them!   If you are sick , look up scriptures about healing.  If you are afraid and depressed, look up scriptures that promise peace and assurance.   If you are struggling financially, look up scriptures that promise God’s provision for us.  If you are held captive by habit or addiction, look up scriptures that promise  deliverance and freedom.

Make those scriptures a vital and strategic part of your language.  You begin to articulate with your tongue what God has already said about you in His Word.  When you do this, you will begin to see immediate changes.  God honors His Word above His Name.  God sends His Word to accomplish His purposes.

Isa 55:11  So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.

When our Words become His Word then His purposes will be accomplished in us and through us.

We can name things and call things that “were not” as though they “were” and we will see them miraculously come to pass.

Ro 4:17  (As it is written, I have made thee a father of many nations,) before him whom he believed, even God, who quickeneth the dead, and calleth those things which be not as though they were.

We have marched around property that we knew God wanted us to have.  We spoke to it and called it ours and now we have it.  We have called into existence buildings, and lands, and mission enterprises, and endeavors that were spoken to us by the Holy Spirit and now they are ours… for His glory.  We have learned to Speak the Word and then to sit back and watch God perform His Word just as He promised.

Jer 1:12  Then said the LORD unto me, Thou hast well seen: for I will hasten my word to perform it.

And God is no respecter of persons.  What He has done for us He will do for you IF you can bring yourself to believe right, think right and talk right.

Thirdly, to change your situation, act out your faith.

Our faith is no faith if we are not acting it out.  We can testify about our “great faith” but if we are not acting it out in our daily living, our faith is not great… it is just not.  The Bible says that faith without corresponding action is dead.

Jas 2:20  But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?

Jas 2:26  For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.

Acting out faith is moving out of the realm of just hoping,  praying,  thinking, and reasoning.  Acting out faith is doing what the Word says we can do.  Acting out faith is taking what the Bible says is ours.   Acting out faith is refusing to do what our flesh tells us to do when it contradicts the Word.  Acting out faith is acting as if we have what we are believing for before we actually receive it.

I flew my 1967 Chevrolet Malibu for two years before it became an airplane.  I would open the throttle and increase the speed to lift off and pull back on the wheel and see and feel by faith what it would be like when that airplane manifested.  And it did.  A Cessna 206.  With all the bells and whistles.  Given to me.  Just like God said.

I walked in my “imaginary” house (2 story, 5 bedroom, 3 bath with double garage on acreage) before I walked in my “real” house that God manifested by His Word…. I wrote down what I wanted and carried it on a sheet of paper in my wallet for months and months and looked at it every time I took my wallet out.  It manifested.  Just like God said it would.

I preached from a flat bed truck body on a piece of land we needed for a new auditorium.  I called it ours.  I named it and called it and spoke to it and acted it out.  A year later I was preaching from a new pulpit in our new auditorium on the land I preached on in faith.

Acting out faith is called foolishness by the world.   But it is called obedience by God.  And when you prove to God and to the world that you really believe by acting out your faith before the manifestation of the Fact…. You please our Heavenly Father and you receive what you believe for.

God told the prophet to dig ditches before the water came.  He acted out His faith.  And the waters came and filled every ditch in a time of drought.

2Ki 3:16  And he said, Thus saith the LORD, Make this valley full of ditches.

2ki 3:17  For thus saith the LORD, Ye shall not see wind, neither shall ye see rain; yet that valley shall be filled with water, that ye may drink, both ye, and our cattle, and our beasts.

God told the poor starving widow woman to borrow pots before she had any oil to put in them.  She acted out her faith, went out and borrowed pots, (not a few) and God filled every one of them with life saving oil and saved her life and the life of her son. 

2Ki 4:3  Then he said, Go, borrow thee vessels abroad of all thy neighbours, even empty vessels; borrow not a few.

Jesus acted out His faith by becoming a suffering, dying servant.  God brought Him forth as King of kings and Lord of lords.  If we only acted as if we really believed, people could and would “see” our faith.  Faith with no action is invisible.  It is unknown and unnoticed and unproductive.

Mr 2:5  When Jesus saw their faith, he said unto the sick of the palsy, Son, thy sins be forgiven thee.

You have a choice.  You can believe what you feel or you can believe what the Word says.  When you act out what the Word says instead of what you feel, you become like the Word and unlike the world.

When you confess “I just don’t feel like it”  that is exactly what you get.  When you say “It’s just too hard for me I can’t do it”  guess what?   It is.  And you can’t.  When you say “It’ll never work out…It will always be bad” guess what?  It will.  When you say “I’m sick…”  Then you are.  When you say “I’m poor” then you are.  When you say “It’s impossible” then it is.

But when you begin to act like you “feel like it” (even if you don’t) you will.  When you act like it’s not too hard, then it won’t be too hard.  When you act like it will get better and it will work out then it will.  When you begin to act like you are well and not sick then you will get well and stay well.  When you act like you are prosperous, then you will become prosperous.  When you act like it is possible then it will be possible.  Acting out faith produces visible results.  Remember Mark 11:23 and 24?

23  For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith.

24  That is why I tell you, as to whatever you pray and make request for, if you believe that you have received it it shall be yours. (Weymouth NT  Trans)

Acting out faith is acting as if your answer has already come.  Most are still hoping and praying and wishing and seeking and weeping and repenting and begging and pleading… when the real need is to act as if what you are believing for has already become yours.

Our body may tell us it is not here.  Our circumstances may tell us it is not here.  Our friends and relatives may tell us it is not here.  But I had rather believe the Bible than believe what anybody says if what they say is not what the Bible says.

The Word says what we believe for is already ours.  And we act out our faith.  We act as if it has already manifested.  Faith that acts out is great faith.  Faith that is action is alive and not dead.  Faith that Acts is Faith that Produces.

Finally, in order to change things, live in an atmosphere of praise.

Praise God in all things.  Praise God at all times.  Praise God through every challenge.  Praise God in the morning.  Praise God at noon.  Praise God in the evening.  Praise God continually.  If we have breath, the Bible commands us to Praise God.

Psa 150:6  Let every thing that hath breath praise the LORD. Praise ye the LORD.

Praise God and thank God for the answer before the answer comes.  Praise God for the answer before you see it, feel it, or have it.  Your sight and your feelings are subordinate to the Word of God.  As far as God is concerned, you already have what you have believed for.  He has already given us all things that pertain to life and godliness…

2Pe 1:3  According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue:

What situation or circumstance would you like to see changed more than anything?  What one thing have you been believing for over everything else?  What is the greatest desire of your heart at this very moment?  What one thing drives you and is the focus of your passion?  What is that one thing?  The One Thing that is presently the heart of your praying?   That One Thing that rises above all other situations and circumstances that you really would like to see manifest?

What if God visibly walked right into your presence now… at this moment… and with loving grace and mercy actually presented you with that One Thing you have so longed for?   Here it is.  What you have prayed and believed for.  This is it.  It is yours.  You now have in fact what you have believed for in faith.

Now… how would you act?  What would your response be?  Would you sort of glance off to the side and say “ho hum…”  “Well, so what?”  Could you walk off and be passive and unappreciative?   Would you be thankless and ungrateful?  Just what would you do?  How would you act?  What would your physical and mental reaction be if you got that One Thing that had been the focus of your believing for years and years?

Would you shout?  Would you praise God?  Would you leap for joy?  Would you run around the room?  Would you whoop and holler and dance and rejoice?  Is that what you would do?  Most of us would.  We would be uninhibited and unashamed to react in a noticeable physical manner.

Here’s a famous verse from the Gospel according to Brother Dick… “Act like you got it and you will get it….”  Acting as if it is already here in the now is a fulfillment of Mark 11: 23 and 24.  And this is perfectly natural for any Spirit Filled, faith-filled, Word Believing individual.  The world cannot understand this nor can any carnal Christian.

1Co 2:9  But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.

This verse is not necessarily limited to mean only those awesome things awaiting the Believer in Heaven.  God has prepared unimaginable “things” in the present for those who love Him.  Do you love Him?  Then those “things” are for you and they are for us today.  Right now.

Praise the Lord and act as if the answer has already come. Refuse to doubt.  Believe with all your heart.  Hold to your confession of faith.  Get your mind renewed by the Word of God.  Talk right.  Say the Word.  Confess the Word.  Talk the Word.  Act out our faith.  Act like you already have “it” and you will get “it.”

Live in an atmosphere of Praise.  Thank God.  Praise God.  Give God glory.  Worship God.  Praise and thank Him in all situations and circumstances. You will see your situation begin to change.

This is how we change things.  You can change things.  You will change things.  And God will get the glory.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Word in You

March 26, 2012

 

            You are BORN AGAIN by the Word.  1Pet. 1:23   Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incor­ruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever.

The Word initiates the New Birth.  That is why satan hates it so much. The Word quickens your dead spirit and brings it to LIFE… (Zoe Life).   1John 5:12.   He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life. Your spirit is impregnated with the same kind of Life that God has.  Your spirit is made perfect by the Word.  The Word of God comes into your spirit and makes your spirit perfect and sinless. 1John 3:9.   Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God.   The Human Spirit that is recreated and made perfect cannot sin.  However,  your body can sin  and your mind can sin.

Satan wants to keep the Word out of you because the Word in you makes you like God.  The Word in you gives you God-Life.  The Word makes your Spirit Man Perfect and Sinless and untouchable by satan and demon powers.  The Word makes you eternal.  You will never die nor will you ever be subject to or dom­inated by death… THE REAL YOU LIVES BECAUSE OF THE WORD IN YOU.

FIRST:

You were BORN DEAD in tres­passes and sin.   Eph. 2:1  And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins:

You were born with a dead spirit, an unrenewed mind and a sin dominated body.  You were born with the fallen and sinful nature of your fa­ther Adam.  You received, through your natural birth, the sinful, natural, death-doomed nature of Adam.  Rom. 5:12   Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned…  Your natu­ral man was ruled and controlled by the flesh and it was guided by human reasoning through a carnal mind.  You were bound, controlled and owned by the devil.  You were condemned to live under the law of sin and death.  You were motivated by fear, subject to worry, anxiety, confusion, frustration, despair and death.  You were constant and continual victims of sickness, dis­ease, depression, and failure.  You were sad, mad, mean, uncontrolled and miserable.   You were of the earth and you were “earthy.”  1Cor. 15:47   The first man is of the earth, earthy: the second man is the Lord from heaven.   You were subject to all the consequences of the curse that came as a re­sult of the fall of Adam. 

SECOND:

At the entrance of the Word, light came in. “The entrance of thy words giveth light…” Psa. 119:130.  The Word that came in was mixed with your faith.  Hebr. 4:2   For unto us was the gospel preached, as well as unto them: but the word preached did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in them that heard it.   The Word that came in impregnated your dead spirit with the Life of God and you were Born Again.  You were Regenerated. You were “re-gened” with the genetic signature of God Himself.   You became a New Creation in Christ.  Your dead Adamic human spirit was recreated in the Image and Likeness of Almighty God.  You were saved.  You were born into the Family of God.  You be­came a Child of God.  1Pet. 1:23   Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever.   Your natural man (the old man of the flesh) was crucified, slain and buried.  And now you are alive with the Life of God.  Gal. 2:20   I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.   Your old carnal mind is in the process of be­ing renewed by the Word of God.  Your Recreated Human Spirit is now filled with the Life of God.  The Seed of God is in you.   You are growing stronger each day and you are being conformed more and more into the Image of Christ.

2Cor. 3:18   But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord. 

The Power of the Word

March 23, 2012

The Word is important.  Nothing on earth has the power that the Word of God has.  We who are Born Again have access to this Miracle-Working, Life-Changing Power.   This is a present day reality.  God has spoken and continues to speak to us through His Word.  His Word has the anointing to accomplish what God desires.  We who Believe have access to that Anointing.  The anointing is the Miracle Working power of God.

God said:  “So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth:  it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish  (ASAH:  Heb:  To do or To make;  to create)  that which I please and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it…” Isaiah 55:11  When God sends His Word out it brings something back.  When YOU send His Word out in faith, it brings something back.    God’s Word is a Carrier.  It Carries stuff.  It brings things in and it takes things out.  God’s Word will never “not do” something… it ACCOMPLISHES (Creates, Makes, Does; Heb. Asah )

God’s Word will accomplish what pleases God.  What is it that pleases God?  Jesus said:  “Fear not little flock; for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the Kingdom…”  Luke 12:32  God wants to GIVE YOU the Kingdom.  God is a Giving God and it is His giv­ing that brings Him pleasure.

Notice:

1.  Faith comes by the Word there­fore Faith is dependent on the Word.

2.  God is revealed by and through the Word.

3.  Sinners are Born Again by the Word.

4.  Saints have their minds re­newed by the Word.

5.  Believers are Sanctified by the Word.

6.  The Body of Christ is chas­tened by the Word.

7.  The human spirit is recreated by the Word.

8.  The Word overcomes the devil and hell.

9.  The Word working in us makes us like Jesus

The Bible tells us that the Word is the Alive and full of Power.  Hebr. 4:12   For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the di­viding asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a dis­cerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.

The Word is alive.  The Word is loaded and ready to produce.  The Word has Heaven-Potential in it.  Whatever is in Heaven is in the Word.   There is Life in the Word.  There is Healing in the Word.  There is deliverance in the Word.  There is prosperity in the Word.  The Word is God.  When it is believed and spoken with the mouth, in faith,  it will pro­duce what God produces.  There are no restrictions in the Word… nothing is held back that is good.   “For the Lord God is a sun and shield:  the Lord will give grace and glory:  no good thing will He withhold from them that walk uprightly…” (Psa 84:11)

Let’s establish some foundation principles:

1.  We BELIEVE that the Word of God is  indeed the WORD OF GOD.   The Word of God is Inspired, Inerrant, and Infallible.  It is authentic and it is alive.  It is full of miracle-working power.  It is God-Breathed and it is eternal.  It will never pass away.  It is with us now and it will be with us in heaven.  Holy men of God were inspired and moved on by the Holy Ghost and what they spoke and what they wrote be­came the written Word of God.  2Pet. 1:21   For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.  That record is com­plete and suf­ficient and it is the Message of the Church and to the Church today.   It is God’s Word and it is relevant and up-to-date.  It needs nothing added to it and it needs noth­ing changed in it.  It is perfect and it is finished.

2.  The Word of God is the Will of God. It is His Testament… it is what He desires for His creation.  The Word reveals His Eternal Purpose for the Earth, for the Heavens, for the Nation Israel,  for the Church and for the Believer.  The Word is the written down will of God. If you know the Word of God you know the will of God.  If you do not know the Word of God you do not  know the Will of God.

3.  The Word of God is the key to bringing God’s Will to pass on earth.   When we believe the Word, say the Word and do the Word, we bring heaven to earth.  Jesus prayed for the Will of God to be done in earth as it is being done in heaven.  When the Word prevails, heaven’s power is re­leased on earth and God’s will is done.  God’s will can be accomplished only through the Church.  The Body of Christ can accomplish the Will of God only by Doing the Word of God.  When we do the Word we accomplish the Will of God.

4.  The Believer can live only by the Word.  Deut. 8:3 …that he might make thee know that man doth not live by bread only, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the LORD doth man live

Matt. 4:4   But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that pro­ceedeth out of the mouth of God.

If you LIVE to the fullest poten­tial of God’s plan, you will do so only through the Word.  The Word is able.  The Word is adequate.  The Word is enough.  The Word will tell you what is to come and will prepare you for it.  The Word will get you strong and keep you strong.  The Word will drive out sickness, disease, infirmity and weakness and the Word will keep you well, keep you whole, deliver you, and keep you in prosperity.  The Word will convict you and chasten you.  It will cut off the ex­cess and expose the unnecessary.  It will starve your doubts and feed your faith.  It will make you ready to meet Jesus.  It will give you Life and Life more Abundantly.

Getting the Supply to the Need

March 22, 2012

 

  •  How can I receive God’s Promises?
  • Why is it my Prayers seem to go unanswered?
  • How do I get the Word to work for me?
  • Why are my needs unmet?

Read and discover how you can actually and definitely get God’s supply to your Need!

“My God shall supply all your need according to His riches in Glory by Christ Jesus…”   (Phil 4:19)

Now:  Name your need.  Say it out loud.  Tell the devil what it is.  Tell demons what it is.  Tell yourself what it is.  Tell God what it is (even though He already knows).

“Now unto Him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think according to the power that worketh in us…”  (Eph 3:20)

Confess:  God is Able.

God is Able to Do.

God is Able to Do Exceeding Abundantly.

God is Able to Do Exceeding Abundantly Above.

God is Able to Do Exceeding  Abundantly Above All that I Ask.

God is Able to Do Exceeding Abundantly Above All that I Ask or Think.

God is Able to Do Exceeding Abundantly Above All that I Ask or Think According to the POWER.

God is Able to Do Exceeding Abundantly Above All that I Ask or Think according to the POWER that WORKS.

God is Able to Do Exceeding Abundantly Above All that I Ask or Think according to the POWER that WORKS in ME.

2Kgs. 7:3   And there were four leprous men at the entering in of the gate: and they said one to another, Why sit we here until we die?

 

2Kgs. 7:4   If we say, We will enter into the city, then the famine is in the city, and we shall die there: and if we sit still here, we die also. Now therefore come, and let us fall unto the host of the Syrians: if they save us alive, we shall live; and if they kill us, we shall but die.

 

2Kgs. 7:5   And they rose up in the twilight, to go unto the camp of the Syrians: and when they were come to the uttermost part of the camp of Syria, behold, there was no man there.

 

2Kgs. 7:6   For the Lord had made the host of the Syrians to hear a noise of chariots, and a noise of horses, even the noise of a great host: and they said one to another, Lo, the king of Israel hath hired against us the kings of the Hittites, and the kings of the Egyptians, to come upon us.

 

Why sit we here til we die?

If we are not moving we are sliding back.  If we are not pressing on, we are sliding back.  If we are not spiritually ahead of where we were last Sunday, we are sliding back.

We must discover what it means to “press through” in order to tap into God’s supply.  There will always be obstacles and barriers to prevent us from getting what God has promised…  satan will see to that.  Are we willing to “press through” and to persist until we break into the very presence of Jesus?

Mr 2:4 And when they could not come nigh unto him for the press, they uncovered the roof where he was: and when they had broken [it] up, they let down the bed wherein the sick of the palsy lay.

 

Mr 5:27 When she had heard of Jesus, came in the press behind, and touched his garment.

 

Mr 5:30 And Jesus, immediately knowing in himself that virtue had gone out of him, turned him about in the press, and said, Who touched my clothes?

 

Lu 19:3 And he sought to see Jesus who he was; and could not for the press, because he was little of stature.

Php 3:14 I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.

 

Lu 11:8 I say unto you, Though he will not rise and give him, because he is his friend, yet because of his importunity he will rise and give him as many as he needeth.

 

Gen 32:24 ¶ And Jacob was left alone; and there wrestled a man with him until the breaking of the day.

 25  And when he saw that he prevailed not against him, he touched the hollow of his thigh; and the hollow of Jacob’s thigh was out of joint, as he wrestled with him.

 26  And he said, Let me go, for the day breaketh. And he said, I will not let thee go, except thou bless me.

Dan 3:16  Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, answered and said to the king, O Nebuchadnezzar, we [are] not careful to answer thee in this matter.

 17  If it be [so], our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver [us] out of thine hand, O king.

 18  But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up.

            Remember the 4 faithful ones who carried the man sick with palsy to where Jesus was.  They could not enter the house nor get close to Jesus because of the “press” but they did not stop.  They Pressed Through.

Remember the woman with an issue of blood… she would not be stopped.  She would not be denied.  She persisted… she was determined… she took great risks… but she “pressed through” and touched Jesus,

Remember Zacchaeus… the little man who was hidden in the crowds.  He wanted to see Jesus but he couldn’t because of the hindrances… he was small of stature and the crowds were great.  But he “pressed through” and climbed a tree and saw Jesus and got to have Jesus in his home as a guest..

Remember Jacob.  He refused to let go until the angel blessed him.   He Pressed Through.

Remember Paul.  In the storm he determined to Press Through to the Promise rather than consider the problem.   “I believe God.”

Acts 27:22   And now I exhort you to be of good cheer: for there shall be no loss of any man’s life among you, but of the ship.

 

Acts 27:23   For there stood by me this night the angel of God, whose I am, and whom I serve,

 

Acts 27:24   Saying, Fear not, Paul; thou must be brought before Caesar: and, lo, God hath given thee all them that sail with thee.

 

Acts 27:25   Wherefore, sirs, be of good cheer: for I believe God, that it shall be even as it was told me.

Folks, I am determined to Press Through.  I am determined to Hold On.  I am determined to Believe God.  I have set my face LIKE FLINT to seek Jesus and to Know Jesus as I have never known Him in my life.  Are YOU?  Are you SET in your MIND to PRESS THROUGH?

How do we get God’s Supply to our Need?  He has it.  How do we get it?  It begins by a determination to PRESS THROUGH.

God has the Supply if you have the need..  Kingdom principles in operation will draw from God’s Supply and satisfy your Need..  The Bible is our operation Manual.  It is Alive with God’s Power and will Provide the Answer you are seeking for.  There is a Kingdom Key that will unlock the door to God’s Supply and channel that Supply to your Need.  We can boldly and confidently confess:  “Our God whom we serve is Able to Deliver us… and He will deliver us out of thy hand, O (satan) king..  (Dan 3:17)

God wants you to prosper in everything you set your hand to do.  God wants you well, full of wisdom, overcoming worry, prospering, living in complete deliverance from all satan’s snares and temptations, strong in mind and body, mature and complete and perfect..

2Pet. 3:9   The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.

God has resources to get you where He wants you..  He has the ABILITY to get you where He wants you and to give you what He wants you to have.  You cannot make it on your own… You need God.  That is exactly why you are failing in certain areas of your life right now.  God wants you to PRESS THROUGH and that is what we are going to deal with today.

Many people in the Bible PRESSED THROUGH to GOD.   If they can, we can..  If they did, we should..  If they received, we can receive..  God has not changed nor has satan..  The same Word that defeated the devil still works and will work for you..  Today..  now…

Mark chapter 5 is our text.  In this chapter, Jesus conquers demons, disease and death.

The man from Gadara who was full of demons got delivered..

The woman with the issue of Blood got healed of her disease.

The daughter of the Ruler of the Synagogue who died got raised from the dead..

The Woman with an issue of blood is our example.

I.  SHE HAD A NEED… A SERIOUS NEED  (25)

Her need was not a new need.  She had been sick for 12 years.  In these 12 years the Scripture tells us that she SUFFERED.  She was vexed and tormented by this persistent problem.  (That is just like the devil..  he comes to steal, kill and destroy.)  She not only suffered physically, but she SPENT ALL she had.  She was sick and she was broke.  She had been sick and that sickness had stolen all her financial resources.  She had exhausted all her resources and was still sick.  Not only was she SICK and BROKE but she never got any better… instead she grew WORSE and WORSE.  She was caught up in a HOPELESS and FUTILE and FATAL set of circumstances.  This is just the kind of case Jesus specializes in..

Is this like YOU?  Have you been vexed and tormented for years by the enemy?  Has he robbed from you and made you miserable?  Have you wearied in your warfare with him?  Does it seem like he will never quit or let up or ease up?  Have you suffered at the hand of satan?  Have you done all you knew to do and yet you got worse?  (Spent all you had and yet was nothing bettered?)   You have seen no improvement and experienced no relief in spite of your efforts?  Are you worse and not better?  THEN YOU ARE AT THE RIGHT PLACE AT THE RIGHT TIME..  This is your DAY of DELIVERANCE..  Your Need will be SUPPLIED according to God’s Riches in Glory by and through Christ Jesus..  Your “nothing better, growing worse”  situation is just about over..  You will be better and you will not grow worse..  Hallelujah..

II. SHE HEARD ABOUT JESUS  (27)

This woman had HEARD about JESUS.  What do you think that she had heard?  Did she hear that the “day of miracles is over”?  Did she hear that in this “dispensation” healing did not work?  Did she hear that the “supernatural” has no place in modern, structured, organized churches?  Did she hear that the “gifts of the Holy Ghost” and “tongues” were not for today?  What do you think that she heard?  She heard that He was healing the sick and raising the dead and casing out devils..  She knew that Jesus had the SUPPLY for her NEED..  If she had heard all this negative stuff that most people are hearing in their churches today,  she would have a hard time believing.  She would have been Religious, but she would have been wrong.  She would have been “Theologically Correct” but she would have died.

What have YOU heard about JESUS where you go to church?  What you hear about Jesus should determine WHERE you go to church..  Because WHERE you go to church will determine what you HEAR about JESUS..  If His Gospel is limited and restrained and watered-down where you go to church, you will not get what you need from God and God will not get what He wants from you..

III.  SHE RISKED HER LIFE TO GET WHERE JESUS WAS  (27)

She literally RISKED her LIFE to get where Jesus was.  According to the Law, she was ceremonially “unclean” because of her issue of blood and was subject to being stoned to death if she was caught out in public.  She counted the cost and made the decision and MOVED OUT.  She faced certain and terrible death if she were caught… but she HAD to GET to where JESUS WAS..  She risked her life..

Some today cannot risk a Ball Game or a TV program to get where Jesus is.  Some will not risk Religion or Tradition or Custom or Denomination to get where Jesus is.  Others refuse to risk comfort, convenience and time and effort.  No wonder we have trouble getting what Jesus has for us.  This woman VENTURED OUT..  She LAUNCHED OUT..  She PRESSED THROUGH..  She Believed, Trusted, Risked her life and in great DESPERATION set her course to get her need met and receive her healing..  She did not wait until later or for a more convenient set of circumstances… she MOVED in the midst of great RISK because she KNEW Jesus had her answer..  Do you BELIEVE JESUS has your ANSWER TODAY?  Are you willing to take some RISKS in order to get through to Jesus?  Is your REPUTATION more important than your HEALING?  Are your so called “friends” more important to you than receiving your ANSWER?  Are your RELATIVES standing in your way?  Are they preventing you from LAUNCHING OUT and VENTURING OUT and MOVING with GOD?  Some of you are being held back and restrained and hindered because you are AFRAID of what OTHERS WILL THINK or SAY if you RISK ALL in order to GAIN JESUS..  Learn from this DESPERATE, NEEDY, DYING woman… she RISKED EVERYTHING and LOST NOTHING but her SICKNESS.  She FOUND JESUS.  Hallelujah..

IV.  SHE WAS DETERMINED TO GET TO JESUS  (27)

The Scripture says:  “she came in the press behind and touched His garment…”  The word “Press” comes from a Greek word meaning “RIOT”… there was a “riot” going on around Jesus, yet this woman was determined to Press Through in order to get to Jesus.  She would not be denied.  She would not give up because of a difficult or impossible situation.  She was not discouraged and she did not back down… she made up her mind to get her answer and she refused defeat and delay.  She was desperate and she was determined.  She knew Jesus had her answer.  She totally refused to allow satan to prevent her from getting what was rightfully hers..  What “riot” has hindered you?  What difficulty or impossibility has made you give up and quit?  Are you not willing to COME THROUGH the PRESS in order to TOUCH JESUS?  It is never easy and it is never convenient.  It always demands COMMITTMENT and DETERMINATION and BOLDNESS.

The magnitude of the problem did not hinder the woman.  The impossibility of the situation did not prevent her from keeping on.  The “riot” was not big enough to keep her away from Jesus.  If YOU will COME THROUGH the PRESS (Fight through every difficulty) you can TOUCH JESUS, TOO..  demon forces will fight you.  satanic powers will resist you.  hell will rise up against you.  Will you COME THROUGH the PRESS?  Jesus is here NOW… one TOUCH and you will be made WHOLE..

V. SHE RECEIVED WHAT SHE BELIEVED  (29)

(1) She believed that JESUS could heal her and would heal her.  She believed in spite of what others said or thought or did.  She risked her life to get where Jesus was.  She knew her healing depended on what she did with what she believed.

(2) She made a powerful verbal faith-confession..  “If I may touch but His clothes, I SHALL BE WHOLE..”  Notice her faith:  “I shall be (not may be or hope to be or one day will be..) but I shall be WHOLE..”  (“Whole” here is the Greek “SOZO” which is the all-inclusive word for “salvation”:  delivered… healed… saved… protected… prospered… preserved)

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(3) She did what she confessed.  She said and then she did.  Her faith was followed through with ACTION.  “Faith without works is dead” or “faith without corresponding action is no good…”  She acted on what she believed..

(4) She received what she believed..  “And straightway (immediately) the fountain of her blood (unchecked for 12 years) was dried up and she FELT in her body that she was healed of that plague”  (verse 29)

VI.  GOD KNOWS WHEN A BELIEVER PRESSES THROUGH (30)

Jesus knew that “Virtue” (dunamis: miraculous, wonder-working power) had “gone out of Him”…

Many were touching Him but only ONE TOUCHED him in FAITH.  The Faith Touch is a “different touch”..  It is the “faith touch” that pleases God..  He delights in His children PRESSING THROUGH to TOUCH HIM.   He knows it and He delights in it..  “Without Faith it is impossible to please Him..”  How long has it been since YOU PRESSED THROUGH TO GOD?  Would you like to TAP into HIS POWER TODAY?  He is here and you can come through the press..  One touch will change your life and set you free..  Don’t be discouraged or dismayed or afraid..  Get up RIGHT NOW and COME TOUCH JESUS and BE MADE WHOLE.

Pressure can mold you into what you need to be.

In each of these cases:

1.  There was determination

2.  There was willingness to take a risk

3.  There was an inner knowing that all would be OK

4.  There was an understanding that Jesus could and would do it

5.  There was faith

6.  There was willingness to “Pay the Price”

7.  There was Victory

8.  There was Glory given to God

When You Feel Like Quitting

March 22, 2012

  • Are you weary and worn out?
  • Do you feel like giving up?
  • Why is it so hard to keep going?
  • Will you cop out or cope?

Read and discover some 0f the reasons you feel like giving up and what you can do TODAY to persevere…

There will be times in your Christian Life that you will feel like quitting.  You will get tired and weary and impatient.  You will begin to wonder if it is really worth it all.  Discouragement will move in and satan will begin to make you tempting offers and alternatives.  The Faith Walk is not an easy walk.  The way into Life is Narrow and Straight and only a few will find it according to Jesus.  Sometimes, the way out seems to be just to quit.  To forget it.  To retreat.  To back down.  It is always easier to cop out than to cope.  The greatest temptation any Believer faces is the temptation to quit. The grass may look greener on the other side of the fence.  The pressures and stresses of maintaining your Victory Stand may build to the point of breaking.  Situations and circumstances may develop that will press you beyond measure and push you “over the edge”.  How are believers to handle such sutuations?  What are we to do when wefeel like quitting?  Where can we go to get some “relief?”  Is there a way out when we are at the breaking point?  What are our alternatives

1. You can Quit.  This is not hard to do and it is always a temptation especially when things really get tough.  It is the easiest and offers the least resistance.  Anybody can quit.  You can quit.  We can quit.  Many have and others will.  What about you?  Has satan “got your number?”  What will it take to make you quit?  How much more “can you stand?”  Is quitting a real temptation for you this morning?  Some who are listening are right at the “giving up” and “quiting” stage.

2. You can compromise.   satan may be saying to you “if you will back off, I will back off!”  “If you will ease up, i will ease up…”  You can back down and ease up and let off.  You can stop and get stuck where you are.  You can retreat and give up ground that you have fought for and won.  Compromise is an alternative.  You can slip back and fall back and go back.

3.  You can feel sorry for yourself and give in to self-pity.  You can compare yourself with others and get mad at God.  You can begin to wonder about the wicked being blessed and you can get jealous and pout.  You can play on the sympathy of others and complain and grumble.

4.  OR… you can turn your problems into Opportunities to trust God!  You can make your “situations” a test track for the Word of God.  You can stand and sing and shout and refuse to accept defeat.  You can endure and count it all joy when you come into temptations and trials.  You can see every impossible situation as an opportunity to defeat the devil.  YOU DO NOT HAVE TO QUIT!!!

Ok… so you have decided not to quit.  You have decided not to compromise.  You have decided not to feel sorry for yourself.  You have decided to turn your problems into Opportunities to trust God… NOW:  HOW do you do it?

            FIRST…. Understand that you are not the only Believer facing a tough situation.  There are literally thousands of other saints who have not bowed their knee to Baal in the thick of the battle!  The very fact that you are tempted to Quit is a good sign…  If nothing is happening to you then you are doing nothing for the Kingdom!!  “Many are the afflictions of the Righteous, but the Lord delivereth them out of them all!!…”  “There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man… but God is faithful who will not suffer (allow) you to be tempted above that ye are able, but will with the temptation also make a way to escape that ye may be able to bear it…”

            SECOND... never expect your Faith Walk to be easy.  You have not chosen an easy way of life!  To live by the Word is the most disciplined life a man or woman can know.  All the forces of darkness are set in array against you… demon powers have zeroed in on you because you have become a threat to them…. REJOICE and be EXCEEDINGLY GLAD!!

            THIRD... Review your Contract with God.  If you will, you will see that there is no provision for quitting in it!!  When you got saved, you made a Life Committment to God with no strings attached.  There were no “what ifs” or “just in cases” or other conditional clauses in the Contract.  God did His part.  Jesus did His part.  The Holy Ghost did His part.  The Salvation Contract calls for you to do your part.  You are  (more…)


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