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 Word for Today:  April 3

We win.

What can you believe God for?  What can you thank God for?  What can you see God doing for you TODAY?  That is exactly what you can receive and what you can have…   What can you trust God for?  What are you expecting?  What can you See with your Faith Eyes?  What can you have the courage to say with your mouth?

Most of what we pray and beg for, God has already given us.   God has already provided everything for us we will ever need.  Much of our seeking and searching is seeking and searching in vain because God has already given us what He has promised.    Just how big is that “land of promise?”  (Joshua 1)   What can you walk around?  What can you put the soles of your feet on?  What can you reach out for?  What can you declare as yours?

God has provided.  All our needs are met.  Not going to be, but already are.  Present tense.  All our diseases are healed.  All our enemies are defeated.  All our mountains are moved.   All our “giants” are slain.

Until we come to the full and complete realization that our enemy is a conquered enemy we will continue to waste our strength shadow boxing marching in place.  Know that you have but one enemy and Jesus has already taken care of him.   he is from a fallen kingdom and his allies are all helpless in the face of the weakest believer.

No man shall be able to stand before us.  No demon.  No circumstance.  No impossibility.  No door will remain closed.  No mountain will be unmoved.  No sickness can stay.

• God is always for us.
• God will never leave us.
• God will never forsake us.
• God will never fail us.
• God will never abandon us.
• God’s Word will always work for us.

As long as God is God:  WE WIN

Word for Today:  April 2

“If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth…” Mark 9:23

Faith Vision sees things as they can be instead of the way they are…  Faith vision is seeing things as God says they can be instead of seeing things as the world says they will be.  To believe is to abandon all reason.  To believe is to hold to Truth instead of being influenced by Facts.  To believe is to connect with the Word and to connect with God.  To believe is to resist all doubt and negativism and pessimism.  To believe is to trust in, rely on, depend on, and adhere to God and His promises.

Faith believes when there is no hope.  Faith has confidence when it seems impossible.  Faith trusts when there is no “feeling.”  Faith relies on when there is no encouragement.  Faith adheres to when all else fails.  Faith holds on when everybody gives up and everything falls apart.

You can see the Invisible when you look beyond the Natural.  When you resist every symptom and rebuke everything that contradicts the Word of God.  Faith sees.  Even in the dark.  Faith sees over the horizon and beyond the natural.  Faith is unconditional believing.

• David Believed.
• Joshua Believed.
• Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego believed.
• Moses Believed.
• Abraham Believed.
• Paul Believed.
• Jesus Believed.

And because they Believed, they saw the Invisible and accomplished the Impossible.

Word for Today:  April 1

The Resurrection of Jesus means:

A New Species of Men… and New Race of Men… a New Breed of Men… a New Creation of Men… has been brought forth to walk in great Power and Authority on the earth.

If any man be in Christ he is a New Creation.  2Cor 5:17

The Resurrection gave birth to a Race of Supermen.  Men and Women and Young People with God inside of them.  People who are literally infused with resurrection power and resurrection life.   Zoe life.  A Race who has power over devils and demons!!  A Race who lives in a different realm of life.  A Race filled with the Holy Ghost and Power.

The devil and all demon powers are dethroned and defeated.  At the fall of Adam, satan gained control and dominion over all the earth.  At the Resurrection of Jesus,  satan was factually and actually dethroned and defeated.   he is stripped of his power and his authority.

The Resurrection of Jesus was and is the final proof of satan’s downfall and defeat.  Sickness, sin, defeat, sorrow, death, sadness are forever conquered.  We (Believers) have been redeemed from satan’s dominion and we have legally become the masters of satan and his demons.  You have power over the devil because Jesus rose from the dead.  You can cast out devils. You can heal the sick.  You can call things that are not as though they are.  You can overcome poverty and distress and pain and need.  Because Jesus is alive… you are filled with Resurrection Life.

There will be no judgment for us like it was for Jesus.  God will not forsake us.   For us there will be no Cross… no crown of thorns… no separation from God… no suffering in hell… no guilt and no condemnation.

Jesus PAID IT ALL

Then he called his twelve disciples to­gether, and gave them power and authority over all devils, and to cure diseases. Luke 9:1  

And he sent them to preach the kingdom of God, and to heal the sick. Luke 9:2   

          What will it take for the Church to get rid of itswimp, weak, weenie spirit? Much of the world sees the church as a congregation of sissies and weaklings.  We have projected the image of a bunch of winless wimps with no backbone and less courage.  It is time for this to change. 

We are fac­ing the most monumental challenges in the history of the church.  We are standing at the threshold of glori­ous vic­tories.  We were born for such a time as this.  And we do have a destiny.  However, to the unbe­liever, the limited-be­liever, the backslidden and the worldly, the church still has the stigma of being weak, tasteless, insipid, and unimportant.  You and I have given this impression be­cause, in reality, we have felt this way. 

We have been led to believe that there is not a whole lot that we can do about the way things are.  We have been encouraged to just wait and see.  We have been told that things will get better, by and by.  We have bought into the lie that “what will be, will be” and we have believed it and acted like it.  So we have projected the image of being a bunch of wimps that can’t do anything. This is a lie and it is time for the truth to come forth. 

          God has given every believer authority.  We have it whether we know it or not.  It is there whether we exer­cise it or not.  It is available regard­less of how we feel or how big our problems may be.  The Revelation of Authority is essential if one is to Reign in Life.    We will never act like a winner unless we know we have the power inside to win.  We will never become an aggres­sive Christian un­less we know we have the Authority to support our ag­gressiveness. 

Here we will look at what Authority is and who has it. 

FIRST:  What Authority is

          Authority is power. Authority is ability.  Authority is force. Authority is right.  As we con­sider this subject, we must look at three words:  (1) Authority (2) Power and (3) Dominion. 

There are two words in the New Testament that are used to describe the authority of the believer.  One is the word for Power (dunamis) and the other is the word for Authority (exousia). 

Dunamis means:  strength, ability, power, might.  It means inher­ent power, or power that re­sides in a thing by virtue of its very nature.  It means power which a person exerts and puts forth.  It means the power to perform miracles.  It refers to the Power of God, the Power of the Holy Spirit and the Power that God puts into the believer.  

Ye shall receive POWER (dunamis) after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you..   Acts 1:8. 

          Exousia means:  ability, privilege, force, ca­pacity, compe­tency, freedom, influence, liberty, right, strength.  It means the right to do something.  It means power to rule.  It means delegated au­thor­ity. 

 But as many as re­ceived Him, to them gave He power (exousia) to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His name…  John 1:12.

          When you combine Dunamis (Ability) with Exousia (Right) you have Dominion. 

So God created man in His own image, in the im­age of God created He him; male and female cre­ated He them.  And God blessed them and God said unto them, Be fruitful and multiply, and re­plen­ish the earth, and subdue it: and have DOMINION over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth…   Genesis 1:27. 

          Dominion (Heb: radah) means to tread down, to subju­gate, to crumble, to prevail against, to over­take, to reign and to rule.  We can have Ability without Right and still be a wimp.  We can have Right without Ability and still be a wimp.   It takes Ability coupled with Right to equal Dominion.  In the beginningGod gave Adam Dominion.

          The extent of Adam’s authority was awe­some.  God gave Adam complete control and ruler­ship over all life-forms on earth.  God gave Adam jurisdiction and control over everything on earth…. over the plants and animals…. over the forces of nature, over the crea­tures in the sea and all the an­imals and insects on earth. 

God gave Adam do­minion over his own body… he was not subject to weakness, sickness, sin or death.  He had a perfect mind, a perfect heart, a perfect spirit.  He was in control of his emotions and his de­sires.  He was the offspring of God, filled with the life of God and en­dued with the power and authority of God. He was a perfect man, living on a perfect earth exercising complete control and dominion over all things.  God was Number One and Adam was number two. 

 Thou madest him (Adam) to have do­minion over the works of thy hands;  thou hast put all things under his feet…   Psalm 8:6. 

SECOND:  Who has Authority       

          God gave it but Adam lost it.

Adam sinned and forfeited it.

When Adam lost it, Satan got it.

Satan kept it until Jesus came from heaven and took it back.  Jesus de­feated the devil and took do­minion away from him.  When Jesus completed His Work of Redemption, He gave Dominion back to those who are sons and daughters of the Most High God.  And now we are seated with Him in the Heavenlies.  Glory to God.  

But God, who is rich in mercy for His great love wherewith He loved us, even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ (by grace ye are saved) and hath raised up to­gether, and made us to sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus… Eph 2:5-6.   

…Because as He is, so are we in this world… 1 John 4:17.   

          Jesus re­gained everything (and even more) that Adam lost in the Fall.  God did more in and through Christ than Satan did in and through Adam.   Jesus, through His Miraculous Birth, Sinless life, Supernatural Ministry, Vicarious Death, Descent into hell, Glorious Resurrection, Awesome Ascension, GOT US THE VICTORY. 

Death where is your sting?  Grave where is your victory?  Satan, where is your do­main?  Hell, where are your spoils?  JESUS Redeemed what Satan stole and He made it possible  for every be­liever to REIGN IN LIFE.

          If we are Born Again, we have Authority.  We have Power.  We have Dominion.  Adam lost it but Jesus bought it back. He bought it back for us and He gave it to us.  Authority is not authority if it is not exercised.  We can have it and not use it.  We can have au­thority and still be a wimp Christian.  Most believ­ers do not exercise authority because they do not know they have it.  Some know they have it but still refuse to believe they can use it.  Satan respects, fears and trembles at the authority God has given us.  The Bible says we can re­sist the devil.   That  means we have au­thority over him.   We could not resist him if we did not have more power and more authority than he has. 

Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. James 4:7       

          The Authority of the Believer means that ev­ery be­liever has the ability and the right to exer­cise every privi­lege of Salvation, redeem every promise God has given, and take complete do­minion over all the powers of darkness that prevail in the earth. 

The Authority of the Believer gives every believer the ability and the right to accomplish the will of God in the earth.  The Authority of the Believer means that every Believer has the legal and lawful right to Reign in Life. 

          The Believer has Authority, Ability and Dominion because he is Redeemed.       

Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree:  Gal 3:13 

          Notice the tense of the preceding verse.  “Hath (past tense) redeemed us…” means that our redemption is a done deal.  It is not something that is to take place in the future but, rather, it is a Scriptural fact that our redemption is completed and is an established truth that is in effect in the Now.  “Redeemed” means “purchased out of slavery” and it implies that the believer has been delivered out of bondage and given  authority over his former master. 

What does this Redemption do for the believer?

          1.  It totally destroys the old nature (the old nature of Satan) and provides a New Nature (which is the Nature of God) and results in a New Creation.

Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.  2Cor 5:17

          2.  It delivers the believer totally from the power, authority and dominion of Satan.

Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son:   Col 1:13 

          3.  It provides the believer with the ability to walk with God in perfect harmony, fellowship and communion.

          4.  Redemption makes it possible for our body to become the temple of the Holy Ghost and for God to actually take up residence inside us.

And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.  2 Cor 6:16 

          5.  It brings the believer into the realm of God’s Ability and God’s Authority where all things are possible.  It elevates man from the natural realm to the supernatural realm.

…ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you. Mat 17:20  …

          6.  Redemption meets all the needs of the believer; spirit, soul and body.  It provides the believer with a perfect spirit, a sound mind and a healthy body.

          Redemption is the fact that Jesus became sin for us (redeemed us), delivered us from sin’s power and sin’s control (gave us authority, power and dominion) over the devil, demons and the kingdom of darkness.

For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.  2Co 5:21 

Here is what AUTHORITY does for the be­liever:

• It places the Believer in a position of success and vic­tory.
• It sets the Believer free from the control and power of sin.

• It gives the Believer a Nature like God.   It causes him to act  like God, talk like God, look like God, think like God and be like God.

• It  elevates the Believer above worry, fear, sick­ness, poverty, and de­feat.
• It provides the Believer with boldness to enter into the Holy of Holies and fellowship with the Father.
•   

NEXT: The Revelation of the Gospel

Word for Today:  March 31

Seeing

• How do we “see the invisible”?
• How can we penetrate the Dimension of the Supernatural?
• How do we get “raised up” so that we can sit together with Christ in Heavenly places?

Except a man be Born Again, he cannot see…  John 3:3

Receive Salvation.  Take Jesus into your heart.  Get saved.  Resist the attractions of the world and live for God.  Get Baptized in the Holy Ghost and Get out of flesh-controlled living.

There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.   Rom. 8:1

You may not be able to “see” because you are not on right terms with God.  You can never see the Invisible until you are Born of the Spirit.  The natural man cannot discern the things of God because they are Spiritually discerned (I Cor 2:14).  You cannot walk by FAITH, unless you are Born Again.

When you see only with “natural” eyes, the world burdens your heart and every problem appears impossible.  You can only see things as they are and you cannot look beyond the natural and see the invisible.

Nicodemus was religious.  Nicodemus was educated.  Nicodemus was righteous.  Nicodemus was seeking God.  Nicodemus was moral.  But Nicodemus was lost and blind and could not see the Invisible.  He had all the characteristics of a great church member, but was limited by his lack of sight.

Jesus said, except a man be BORN AGAIN he cannot see…

Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.  John 3:3

Believing results in seeing

Philippians 3:10 That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection,

NOW… what does the Resurrection of Jesus mean to me?

The Resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead is a demonstration of the Power of God.

• The Resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead is the fundamental Redemptive Force of the Gospel

• The Resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead is the foundation of for every believer’s future…. It is hope, assurance, confidence, and rest that our Eternal Life is secure

• Paul states that if there be no Resurrection from the dead we are “of all men, the most miserable….”

1Cor 15:19 if in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable.

            We all, as Evangelicals, know that Jesus Christ has risen from the dead.  We have the confirmation of the Word and the witness in our spirit… The fact that we are here in this place this morning attests to the FACT that Jesus Christ is Risen and Alive. 

But… what relevance is His Resurrection to me this morning?  What does His Victorious emergence from the tomb mean to me and for me?    The Resurrection of Jesus Christ is more than a nice Easter Story.  The full significance of the Reality of this Miracle of all Miracles can never be fully comprehended by our limited human abilities to know and understand.   We have said over and over that the Magnitude of the Passion of Jesus Christ must produce a Redemption equally as great.  The “unbelievable” result of the Suffering, the Torture, the Humiliation and the Disgraceful Death of Jesus… and Ultimately His Resurrection… is that He did it for ME.  It WAS and IS all about ME.   I know we consider God’s Great Gift a Gift to the World… but the relevance of the Redemptive Work of Jesus Christ is that He DID IT FOR ME. 

            Unless we are able to “personalize” what Jesus did, then, what He did is of “none effect” for me.  It’s like this awesome miracle of the Grace of God will profit me nothing.  If I happened to be the ONLY human alive on this planet… still God would have sent Jesus to die for me.

            Our attempt is not to PROVE the FACT of the Resurrection.  That goes without question.  Since we KNOW Jesus Rose from the Dead…. What does it mean for me?  What does it do for me?  How can it change my life?

What is the relevance of the Resurrection for today?  Not 2000 years ago, but now, today… in the year 2021.   The Miracle of the Ages must have a modern day application.  It must speak to my needs and it must have some positive affect on who I am, what I do and where I am headed…. It must have MEANING to ME TODAY.  

The RESURRECTION of JESUS CHRIST is RELEVANT.  It has PROFOUND MEANING for me today.  Now.  Where I live.  For my life.  Do you understand that Believers are at this very moment IN POSSESSION of RESURRECTION LIFE?  That the “Same Spirit that raised Jesus from the grave dwells in us?” (Romans 8:11).   Wow!  What Power!  What Promise!  What Hope!  What Victory!   God has DONE all this is necessary or that will ever be necessary for us to REIGN in LIFE.  Not struggle.  Not strive.  Not suffer through.  Not tolerate.  Not stay stuck.  But to LIVE in RESURRECTION LIFE NOW.  Before we die and go to heaven.

Now, since we KNOW Jesus Rose from the Dead….What does It do for me?  How can It change my life?  How does It relate to my needs?   What does It mean for me?   

1.  The RESURRECTION Proves that My sins are forgiven and forgotten. 

Psalms 103:12 As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us.

God does not remember them.  God does not see them.  They are forever gone.  They no longer exist.  I am guilty of discrediting the Redemptive Work of Jesus if I still carry the burden of my sin.  Jesus became my Sin in order that I might be Delivered from my sin.  

The Bible says that all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.  The Bible says that there is none righteous… no not one.  That means that every human being ever born was born with a sentence of Death.  For the Bible also says that the wages of sin is death.  Unless this curse of death can be removed, there is no hope for the human race.  But the Bible says that Jesus was made a curse for us that we might be redeemed from it.

Galatians 3:13 Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree:

The death and resurrection of Jesus Christ provided our deliverance from the sentence of death.  We are now exonerated.  Pardoned.  The case against us has been thrown out.  There is no judgment against us and no punishment required.  It has all been paid for by Jesus.  My sins are forgiven.  My debt has been paid.  I am not guilty.  God is not displeased with me.  I have been reconciled to Him.  I am now a member of His Family.  I will never die.

2.  The RESURRECTION means that I have been made Righteous.

Not only have I been Forgiven, I have also been made righteous.  Jesus became what I was in order that I can be Who His is…. Righteous. 

2 Corinthians 5:21 For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.

I now have right standing with God.  My Righteousness is the same Righteousness that God has.  God has elevated the real me to the place of perfection.  I am no longer a “sinner” I am a Son.  I am no longer a “slave” I am a Son.  I am no longer in bondage to sin, I am free.  God has brought me into His Own Family.  He has made me an Heir of God and a Joint Heir of Jesus Christ.  God has imputed His Own Nature into me and now I am as Righteous as Jesus is.  God has elevated me (the Real Me) to the place of perfection.  

I have been REGENERATED (re-gened)… my genetic signature has been re-written.  The old sin-cursed, Adamic, death-doomed ME has become a partaker of the Divine Nature of God.

2 Peter 1:4 Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.

My RELATIONSHIP with God has no connection with my works or deeds.  I am not made righteous by what I do.  I am made righteous by what I believe.   I have a PERFECT RELATIONSHIP with my Father NO MATTER what I do.  My DEEDS have NOTHING to do with my RELATIONSHIP with God.  (What I do can and will effect my FELLOWSHIP with God, but not my RELATIONSHIP to God.)

Titus 3:5  Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost;

3.  The RESURRECTION means that I am no longer under Condemnation. 

The Bible declares that there is therefore NO condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus…  This means I am not guilty.  I have been exonerated.  I am under the Full Pardon afforded me by the Shed Blood of Jesus Christ.  Jesus took my Guilt and gave me His Innocence.

Romans 8:1 There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.

If I live in condemnation and guilt it is my heart that condemns me, not God.  And God is greater than my heart. God is NEVER displeased with me…simply because He can never be displeased with Jesus… And Jesus is Who He sees when He looks on me.   Condemnation and guilt are the results of my own unbelief.  If I really BELIEVE what Jesus has accomplished, I will never be held captive by condemnation and guilt. 

“How do you plead?”  NOT GUILTY!!

4. The RESURRECTION means that  I am Exempt from the Wrath and Judgment

of God. 

The Passion (Suffering) of Jesus has delivered me from the wrath and judgment of God.  God’s wrath and judgment on sin was poured out on Jesus.  Because God made Him to be sin, I am no longer guilty and therefore exempt from God’s judgment and wrath.  God is not mad with me. God is not mad at you.  God is not looking at my failures, my weaknesses, my sins…  God is not out to punish me for my wrongs.  God is no longer my Judge.  God is not going to cut me off.  I am fully “accepted” in the same Family with God.

Ephesians 1:6 To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved.

Jesus became my sin and as a result became the victim of God’s wrath… in my place. 

5.  The RESURRECTIONS means that I have favor with God. 

I am at this moment living in the ABSOLUTE FAVOR of God.  And will eternally be there in spite of what I do.  My actions CAN NEVER alter this fact.  My FAVOR with God is as ETERNAL as the GRACE of God is eternal.  

The same NT word is used both for GRACE and for FAVOR.  (Charis)  I have to do ABSOULTELY NOTHING to get favor from God.  I ALREADY have and live in HIS FAVOR.  I am no longer under the Law but under GRACE.  GOD’S FAVOR toward me is not related to what I do, how I live, or where I am.  I can no more get out of God’s Favor than I can Undo the Work of Christ or the Word of God.

 6.  The RESURRECTION means that I can LIVE FOREVER.

1John 5:11  And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.

1John 5:12  He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life.

Now, let’s get personal.  I am wondering, where are you as far as God is concerned?  How relevant is His Resurrection to you?  As far as you are concerned, did Jesus suffer and die and arise from the dead in vain?  What will you do with Jesus?  Now, having seen what He has done for you and me… What will you do with Him?  The most important question you will ever answer is this… what will you do with Jesus?

The options we have:

            1.  Believe and Receive Him as Savior and Lord and LIVE

            2.  Reject Him and refuse Him and DIE

 John 14:6   Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.

Acts 16:31 …Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved…

          The Word is power.  The Word is alive. The Word is sharp.  The Word is sufficient.  The Word is adequate.  The Word is enough.  The Word is complete.  The Word is finished.  The Word is heaven’s standard and earth’s manual of operation. 

          The Word is life.  It is the very opposite of death, weakness, sickness, oppression, depression, possession and darkness.  The Word is the source, sustainer and fulfillment of life.  Without the Word inside of us, we are dead and not alive.  We are reduced to a biological, pulsating, breathing, moving piece of meat!   Without the Word we have absolutely no purpose, no plan and no reason for existence.  The Word is the difference between living and dying.

          The Word is the Way.  It is the Way to know God.  It is the Way to receive Jesus.  It is the Way to receive the Baptism in the Holy Ghost.  It is the Way to drive out devils.  It is the Way to heaven.  It is the Way to healing, wholeness and health.  It is the Way to marital happiness and harmony.  It is the Way to save your children and build a strong and loving family.               

          The Word is eternal, changeless, flawless, absolute, accurate and filled with power.  The Word is Heaven’s standard for Kingdom living.  It is the Standard by which everything else in Heaven and on earth is measured.  “What do you think about the economy?”  What do you think about the Middle East situation?”  What do you think about the political posture of our country?”  “What do you think about radical Islam and the terrorist situation?”  “What do you think about the future?”

 It does not matter what you think or what I think or what anybody thinks.  The only thing that matters is what the Word of God declares!  

          What we think comes out of our sense knowledge.  Our senses can lie to us and are constantly influenced by our external circumstances and surroundings.  To live by our senses is to be carnally (fleshly) minded and according to the Bible to be carnally minded is death.  

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

          The Word is creative.  It produces (1) faith, (2) the New Birth (3) Spiritual growth and development (4) a renewed mind (5) victory over the devil (6) Christ-likeness.  It births Churches and missionaries and mission projects.  The Word is Seed and what we sow, we grow.  When we sow the Word we produce exponentially what the Word produces. 

What the Word does

          The Word reveals.  It reveals:  (1) God the Father. (2) Jesus the Son.  (3) The Holy Ghost.  (4) The Purpose and Plan of God.  (5) The Future.  (6) The secret of success in this life and the next.  (7) The Will of God.  (8) The Way out.  (9) The Way in.  (10) The Way up, and  (11) the Way over.

          The Word reveals the Person and Work of Jesus Christ.  It is the perfect revelation of God; His person, His character, His nature and His works.  It reveals the miracle of Creation and the Will and eternal purpose of God in and through Creation.  

          The Word Creates.  It has created all that is and all that has been and continues to create the expansion of the stellar heavens.  Science declares that the creation is still in the process of being created… and it is being created and expanded at the speed of light.  The Word is “holding together” all things (planets, suns, moons, stars, galaxies, etc.) that exist.

And he (Jesus Christ the Living Word)  is before all things, and by him all things consist. Col 1:17 

           The Word creates the new birth, healing and health, wealth and prosperity, sustaining strength and continuing energy, youth, rest and refreshment, quickness of mind and creative thoughts and ideas. 

          The Word is presently working and producing in the life of every born again believer.  By and through the Word:

          (1) We live  and function in great confidence and assurance.  We know that God is for us and that we are born again to win.  We are assured through the Word that God will never leave us nor forsake us and that nothing can separate us from His great love.  (Rom 8:38-39)

          (2) We enjoy boldness in believing for big things and dreaming big dreams.  We understand by the Word that nothing is impossible and no obstacle it too great and no problem is too difficult.  Circumstances literally become stepping stones and hardships become opportunities.

          (3)  We walk in truth instead of facts.  We make facts submit to truth and line up with and agree with the Word of God.

          (4)  Worry, fear, panic, depression, anxiety, impatience… all these become strangers to us.  We live in the peace of God that works rest and comfort to our spirit, soul and body.  We never have any excuse for bad days or emotional “lows”… we live a conquering and overcoming life through the Word of God. 

          (5) We possess wisdom and revelation.  We do not waste time in “trial and error” situations, we operate with the Mind of Christ and in the Wisdom of God.  We do not live in the “just in case” mode, instead we live in the “so what!” mode.

How we activate the Word to work for us

          We decide to do something about our problems and refuse to continue to let issues rule and govern our living.   We decide to move out of negative situations and we refuse to remain complacent, static and stuck.  We understand that things will not change is we do not change.

          We make a determination to believe the Word…. no matter what!

          We strive to continually apply Word Truth to every situation and circumstance in our lives.

          We absolutely refuse to accept anything that does not agree with what the Word says about us as children of God.  Anything that does not agree with the Word (Truth) is a Lie and has its origin in the demonic kingdom of darkness.  We are to “put away”  (ap-ot-eeth’-ay-mee: to cast off) lying (the lie) and speak nothing but truth.  (Eph 4:25)

          We will stay in a place (church) where the Word of God is honored, esteemed and taught in all its fullness.  We will commit to a body of believers where there is anointed  Word teaching, Word preaching and fellowship around the Word. 

          We will take advantage of every opportunity to get the Word in us.  We will read it, listen to it, watch it, sing it, pray it, meditate it, post it in our home, in our automobile, our office, our work place and keep it before our eyes at all times. 

 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.  John 1:1

NEXT: The Authority of the Believer

Word for Today:  March 30

Inventory

When we take an inventory, we see what is lacking and discover what is needed.  Then we can place an order so that we will be prepared for the increase.

The wisdom of this world has become greater than the wisdom of the Body of Christ. They (the world) know just where they are and what they have to do in order to make progress.  To succeed.  To make a difference.  The merchants of the world system are wiser than the Children of the Kingdom when it comes to knowing and understanding exactly where they are.  They live in the Inventory Mode.  They have devised technology that instantly and precisely and without error reveals just what they have, what they lost and what they need.

Just what does our spiritual “bar code” tell us when we get scanned by the Holy Spirit?

What kind of record do we have in heaven?  Have we increased?  Have we decreased?  Are we lacking?  Are we depleted?  Do we need to restock?

Time for an Inventory

This lengthy post is not for the weak-hearted.  But since this is Crucifixion Week, I feel it is appropriate to examine the horrific suffering Jesus bore for me.   And you.

The Crown of Thorns was made from a bundle of flexible branches (usually used for firewood) covered with thorns some 1 and 1/2 to 2 inches in length.  This was plaited and woven into the shape of a crown and pressed into His scalp.  The scalp is one of the most vascular areas of the human body, so as the Crown of Thorns was pressed onto His head, the bleeding became profuse and the pain unbearable. 

Following the horrific scourging Jesus endured, the heavy cross-beam of the cross which weighed approximately 110 pounds, was dropped onto His tortured back and Jesus was forced to carry it in the procession of the two thieves and the execution detail of Roman soldiers.  As Jesus attempted to walk uprightly, the weight of the cross beam gouged into the lacerated muscles of His shoulders, and along with the shock produced by the massive loss of blood, caused Him to stumble and fall.  The commanding centurion selected a strong north African onlooker named Simon to carry the cross of Jesus the remaining 650 yards to Golgotha.  Once there, Jesus was stripped of His clothing, humiliating Him by His nakedness, and prepared for crucifixion.

Simon was ordered to put the cross beam on the ground.  Jesus was thrown backward with His shoulders falling on the beam.  The execution detail charged with the crucifixion began their grisly task.  They felt for the soft depression at the wrist and then drove a heavy, square iron spike through it into the wood of the cross beam.  This was done for the left and right arms.  Then, the left foot was pressed backward against the right foot.  With the toes pointed downward another iron spike was driven through the arch of each.  As they raised Him up the weight of His sagging body tore through flesh and nerve and was intensified as the center beam of the cross fell to the bottom of the hole that was dug to secure it.

Jesus now struggled just to inhale.  “The major pathophysiologic effect of crucifixion was in interference with normal respirations.  Accordingly, death resulted primarily from hypovolemic shock and exhaustion asphyxia.”  Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) article by Dr. William D. Edwards in the March 21, 1986 issue)

I quote C. Truman Davis, M.D.  and his article “Crucifixion of Jesus” from The Expositor’s Bible Commentary:

“… Hours of this limitless pain, cycles of twisting, joint-rending cramps, intermittent partial asphyxiation, searing pain as tissue is torn from His lacerated back as He moves up and down against the rough timber:  Then another agony begins.  A deep crushing pain deep in the chest as the pericardium slowly fills with serum and begins to compress the heart…

“… It is now almost over— the loss of tissue fluids has reached a critical level— the compressed heart is struggling to pump heavy, thick, sluggish blood into the tissues— the tortured lungs are making a frantic effort to gasp in small gulps of air…

“… The body of Jesus is now in extremis, and He can feel the chill of death creeping through His tissues…”

To make sure Jesus was dead, the legionnaire drove his lance through the ribs upward through the pericardium and into the heart.  “And forth with came there out blood and water…”   

The key word here is DEAD.  Not unconscious.  Not in a coma.  Not in suspended animation.  But DEAD.   Jesus died and He was Dead when they removed Him from the Cross.

It is so strange to me  that people who are filled with horror and indignation when they see a tom cat kill a sparrow can hear the story I just told…. of the Killing of God on a rugged Cross…. Sunday after Sunday and not experience any shock at all.

These are the physical implications and explanations regarding death on a cross.  As horrible and as violent as it is, this suffering (His physical suffering) is nothing to compare with the spiritual and emotional and mental suffering He endured.  Listen:

Matt. 27:46   And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? that is to say, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?

2Cor. 5:21   For he (God) hath made him (Jesus) to be sin for us, (you and me) who knew no sin; that we (you and I) might be made (come to be… become) the righteousness of God in him.

That was really supposed to be me.  It was really supposed to be you.  He suffered for us.  For our sin.  Not His… He had none.  It was all for us.  He was made sin.  For us.  He knew no sin… He was innocent.  He was sinless.  He was spotless.  A Lamb without blemish.  Yet, God made Him… turned Him into sin for us.  That, in turn, you and I might be made the Righteousness of God in Him.  This is profound.  This is a Divine Exchange.  He became what we were and are in order that we might be What and Who He is.  God made Him to be sin for us.  What God made Him to be He was…. not a “type” or a “symbol of” or a “picture of”… but in awful actuality… HE BECAME SIN.

Jesus had AIDS.  Jesus had syphilis.  Jesus had gonorrhea.  Jesus had herpes.  And every known type of STD’s.  Jesus had cancer.  Jesus had Parkinson’s’.  Jesus had and became every known kind of sexual perversion.  Homosexuality.  Lesbianism.  He was a Pedophile.  He was an adulterer.  (Makes me feel like a blasphemer to even tell you this)… but He was made SIN.  And this is what sin is.

This spiritual, emotional and mental anguish overshadowed all the physical pain and suffering He endured.  As a MAN he bore it.  As GOD He became it.   He took it for you and me.  And in exchange, He freely gives us His sinlessness.   His Righteousness.  His purity.  His Holiness.  What a deal!  Paul touches on this miracle when he writes:

Rom. 5:8   But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

This is Crucifixion Week

Resurrection Day is NEXT

          Nothing on earth has the power 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.  Those who believe have access to that anointing… the miracle-working power in the Word of God.

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

          The anointing of the Holy Spirit is on the Word.   That anointing is the miracle-working power of God.    Whatever we are taught from the Word is what we can have faith to receive.  Our success level will never exceed our Word level.  When the Word is given priority, the anointing is present.  As we plug into the Word with our faith, (act on the Word) the miracle-working power of God is released.   That anointing has the power and the ability to break every yoke that Satan places on the believer.  

And it shall come to pass in that day, that his burden shall be taken away from off thy shoulder, and his yoke from off thy neck, and the yoke shall be destroyed because of the anointing.  Isa 10:27  .

          Nothing is as important to us as getting the Word to work in our life.  There has been a famine of the Word in the earth and the whole world has suffered immeasurably as a result of this famine. 

Behold, the days come, saith the Lord GOD, that I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the LORD: Amos 8:11

          The cost of this famine has been and is devastating.  It has cost us prosperity, health, healing, healthy and lasting marriages, godly homes and families, peace and holy living.  We have paid by witnessing a moral decline that is unmatched in human history.  Our country is staggering and falling because the Word of God has been ignored, removed by liberal politicians and forbidden in public institutions.  Every attempt to heal this hemorrhage of immorality and wickedness by natural, humanistic means has failed.  Education has failed.  Culture has failed.  Religion has failed. Humanism has failed.  Self-effort has failed.  Money has failed.  The only solution to the spiraling decline of our nation is a genuine return to the Word of God.

          Satan attempted to stop the Word in the Garden of Eden.  All through Old Testament history there are indications of demonic attempts to pervert and prevent the Word of God.  Satan  tried to stop the Word by having Jesus crucified.  He tried to stop the Word in the times of the Roman Empire through great persecution and the martyrdom of courageous Christians.  He tried to stop the Word in the dark ages by locking it up in monasteries and keeping it unpublished and written in a language that only a few could read.  Next, he tried to stop the Word after the Reformation by causing carnal men to develop dead doctrines, creeds, traditions and man-made religion.  Intellectualism, the age of reason, and humanism followed and became the limiting forces of restraining the Word.

          Today, the Word has been removed from our educational institutions.  It has been banned in public gathering places and forbidden by unbelieving judges and atheistic sectors of our society.  The classrooms of higher education make evolution and natural selection a god and the Big Bang the answer to all of creation.  Today the authenticity and accuracy of the Scriptures are major issues in main line denominations.   Is the Bible really the Word of God?  This is the question Satan has planted in the minds and hearts of many leading church leaders and denominations.  The Truth has been abdicated concerning the Biblical meaning and definition of Marriage and the Biblical condemnation of homosexuality.   Recent surveys found that only eight out of ten seminary students believe in God and that only four out of ten believe in miracles. 

          However, many dedicated believers in this dark hour have determined to do something regarding this famine in our land. And I am one of them!  God is with us!  God is for us!  Jesus is Lord! (and there’s nothing the devil can do about this!)  The Holy Ghost is active and available and the Church of the Living God is invincible! Ho Logos ton theon!    

The Word is food and sustenance (living Bread and living Water) for our spirit man and the Word is our reason and purpose for living!   And the Word will never leave us nor forsake us.  The Word never fails! 

NEXT: What The WORD Is