dickbraswell

Word for Today: March 23

Don’t Stagger. (Rom 4:20)

The temptation is to stagger.  The overwhelming impossibilities are sometimes more than we can carry without staggering.  Staggering speaks of weakness.  It is doubt.  It is wavering.  It is unbelief.

Whatever you are facing…. do not stagger.  Instead STAND.  “Having done all… STAND!”  Some will stagger under the burden.  Others will stagger in unbelief and doubt.  Many will stagger in discouragement and disappointment.  Some will be impatient.  Staggering is the symptom that comes just before falling and falling is failing.    Falling is giving up and backing off and turning back.

Abraham “Staggered not…”  He stood.  Even when there was no “hope”, he hoped anyway!  He called those things which were not as though they already were.  God is not geared to the fickle world.   He is a God who Changeth Not.  Regardless of what is happening in the World,  Wall Street or Washington.

Make up your mind to “stagger not,” instead, believe God.  Abraham did.  He stood. When he was one hundred years old he still believed he was going to have a son… Not because he “felt like it” but because God said he would. He chose to doubt his body and believe God.  God’s Promises are not dependent on your body, your mind, your strength, or your ability.

It is your faith that reaches out and brings God’s Promises from the Spiritual World into the Natural World.  Therefore, don’t waver.  Resist doubt.  Cast out the spirit of impatience.   Trust God!

These are days of great possibility and potential.  In the face of problems and obstacles and hindrances that the world calls impossible… God reminds us that all things are possible!

Don’t stagger.

STAND

How do we protect the Word-Seed we plant? When we Sow the Word which is the Seed of God, it needs to be protected from the enemy who is determined to prevent it from germinating and producing a Spiritual Harvest.   How can we safeguard the Seed of God we have sown?  What can we do to guarantee an abundant harvest?  Here are some suggestions:

         

1.  You protect what you plant by Surrounding yourself with solid, Word teaching and ministry.

You don’t need to be around false teachers and false teaching.   Get as much of the true Word as you can get.  Stay in church.  Stay in a good church.  Go to Bible class and small group Bible teachings.  Be in the every service.  Listen to good teaching on CDs and watch Bible Centered television channels.  Play worship music in your home or on your automobile audio system.     

          2.  You protect what you plant by Personal Intimacy with the Father. 

Seeking God protects the Word Seed that you plant.   If  you want to “find God” and fellowship with Him, you need to seek Him.

And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.   Jer. 29:13 

          When you spend quality time with God you will safeguard the Word in your heart.  Practice the presence of God.  In addition to your scheduled “prayer” or “devotion” or “quiet” time, stay in communion with the Father all the time.  Paul admonishes all believes to “pray without ceasing.” 

Talk with Him.  Practice His continual presence. Pray in the Spirit. Instead of talking with yourself, talk with the Holy Spirit.  Let your natural man consider His presence by your side as you go through your normal daily routines.  Let Him “sit” with you.  Walk with you.  Ride with you.  See Him with you all the time in whatever you do.  Carry on personal conversations with Him.  Communicate with Him.  This is personal intimacy… be as personal with Him as you are with any close friend… or as close with you as a family member.  Practice His Presence with you all the time in every situation and in all circumstances.   

          3.  You protect what you plant by Continually Speaking the Word. 

Saying what God says keeps the Word Seed safe.  When you say the Word you are literally agreeing with God.  When you agree with God you are able to walk with Him.  As you walk with God the Word Seed is protected.

Can two walk together, except they be agreed?  Amos 3:3   

          4.  You protect what you plant by Keeping your Mind Renewed by the Word and by casting down “ imaginations and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God.”  

Right thinking protects the Seed.  Right thinking is Word thinking.  Don’t get caught up in a day-dream-imaginary world. Get out of fantasy land.  Your mind is always active.  It never shuts down.  Keep it focused on God stuff.  Get some Word CDs and listen to them as you sleep at night.  Keep your mind submerged in the Word.  This will protect the Seed.

          5.  You protect what you plant by being Aggressive and militant… by standing your ground. 

Don’t be a wimp.  Don’t be a push-over.  Don’t be easy on the devil.  Don’t wait for demons to show up… go after them. You do not need to be defensive… be on the offensive.   Refuse to be ashamed.  Don’t be in the “silent majority” be in the “out-spoken minority.”  The more you stand up the braver you will become. 

For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.   Rom. 1:16 

Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven.  Matt. 10:32 

And now, Lord, behold their threatenings: and grant unto thy servants, that with all boldness they may speak thy word,  Acts 4:29  

According to my earnest expectation and my hope, that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but that with all boldness, as always, so now also Christ shall be magnified in my body, whether it be by life, or by death.  Phil. 1:20  

          6.  You protect what you plant by “observing to do all that is written therein (the Word)…” 

Only be thou strong and very courageous, that thou mayest observe to do according to all the law, which Moses my servant commanded thee: turn not from it to the right hand or to the left, that thou mayest prosper whithersoever thou goest.  Josh. 1:7   

This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.  Josh. 1:8 

          Obeying God’s Word protects the Seed.   Doing the Word is living the Word.  Keeping the Word is obeying the Word.  The most important thing you can do to insure that the Seed is protected and that it grows and produces is that you DO WHAT IT SAYS. 

7.  You protect what you plant by Believing the Crop is coming in!   

Believing is expecting something good to happen.  It is knowing that God will honor His Word.  Knowing is the substance of things hoped for.  It is knowing you have the crop (and acting like it!) before you have it!

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.  Mark 11:23   

          8.  You protect what you plant by Being Diligent and Persistent. 

Remember the woman with the issue of blood? Diligence is determination.  Persisting is keeping on keeping on.  Refusing to quit or back down or ease up no matter what the difficulty may be protects the Word Seed.  Constantly confess: “I will not quit.  I will not stop. I will not give up.  I will not ease up.  I will not grow weary and faint.  I will fight until I win.”  Be stubborn and hard-headed about going on with God.  Don’t allow the flak from the devil deter you.  Press on toward the mark for prize of the high calling of God.

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

Mark 5:25-29

And a certain woman, which had an issue of blood twelve years,   

And had suffered many things of many physicians, and had spent all that she had, and was nothing bettered, but rather grew worse   

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

For she said, If I may touch but his clothes, I shall be whole.

And straightway the fountain of her blood was dried up; and she felt in her body that she was healed of that plague.

          9.  You protect what you plant by Praying in the Spirit. 

Praying in Tongues safeguards the Seed.  This is your special gift from God to help you build up your faith and to keep you strong.

But ye, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost,   Jude 20   

What is it then? I will pray with the spirit, and I will pray with the understanding also: I will sing with the spirit, and I will sing with the understanding also.  1Cor. 14:15  

          Praying in the Spirit is correct praying, accurate praying and effective praying.  You can pray in tongues anytime, anywhere and no matter what is going on around you.   Your mind is not involved.  It is your recreated human spirit that will be talking to God with utterances that cannot be understood by the natural man. 

          10.  You protect what you plant by Rejoicing in God,  through heart-felt worship and praise and by keeping a thankful heart. 

Singing, rejoicing, worshipping, praising, dancing, shouting, making a joyful noise unto the Lord… all these are ways to keep the seed safe and secure.     There is freedom where the Spirit of the Lord is.  God’s Presence induces joy unspeakable and filled with glory.

Then he said unto them, Go your way, eat the fat, and drink the sweet, and send portions unto them for whom nothing is prepared: for this day is holy unto our Lord: neither be ye sorry; for the joy of the LORD is your strength.   Neh. 8:10 

Word for Today: March 22

What God has sown

What God has planted in you is destined to come out of you.  It may be in seed form now, but it is time for the seed to grow into its fullest manifestation.

It’s in there.  It’s time for it to come forth.  It’s up to you.   Who will you be?  A King or a Kid?  A Seed or a Tree?

Name your dream.  Declare your intentions.  Speak with your mouth words that make things happen.  Faith words.  Word words.  God Words.  Heaven Words.

You will never exceed your declarations.  Your declarations determine your direction. Your declarations determine our destiny.  What you speak out of your heart will create or destroy.  Words are instruments of creation or destruction.  Words make things.

There are Life Producing Forces (seeds) inside every believer.  These forces are put in us by the Work of the Holy Spirit at the time we are Born Again.  They are seeds destined to grow and produce.  They are forces that need to be released into the world.  Into our families.  Into our relationships.  Into the total experience of our lives.

They are in me.  They are in every Believer.  However, seeds are worthless unless they produce.  One seed is not sufficient to sustain life by itself.  It takes many seeds which are planted in good ground to bring forth a crop that is sufficient to sustain victorious living.

The real challenge is to grow these seeds into maturity.  As God plants these Seeds in us, the enemy plants weeds. The purpose of the weeds is to choke out the seeds.

These seeds are the building blocks of the Kingdom of God.  Jesus prayed for the Kingdom to come and for the Will of God to be done ON EARTH just as it is presently being done in Heaven.  These Seeds will produce God’s Kingdom on earth when and if they are planted in good ground and if proper conditions for growth are present.

There is Something great in you

The Word as Seed

The sower soweth the word. Mark 4:14  

And these are they by the way side, where the word is sown; but when they have heard, Satan cometh immediately, and taketh away the word that was sown in their hearts. Mark 4:15  

And these are they likewise which are sown on stony ground; who, when they have heard the word, immediately receive it with gladness; Mark 4:16  

And have no root in themselves, and so endure but for a time: afterward, when affliction or persecution ariseth for the word’s sake, immediately they are offended. Mark 4:17 

And these are they which are sown among thorns; such as hear the word,   Mark 4:18   

And the cares of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the lusts of other things entering in, choke the word, and it becometh unfruitful.  Mark 4:19  

And these are they which are sown on good ground; such as hear the word, and receive it, and bring forth fruit, some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some an hundred.  Mark 4:20   

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

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. Matt. 4:4           

Jesus tells us that the Word is the Seed

Now the parable is this:  The seed is the word of God.   Luke 8:11   

If the Word is the Seed then the Seed is alive.   The Seed is ripe and ready to produce.  The Seed has heaven-potential in it.  Whatever is in Heaven is in the Word. The Seed of Heaven is the Word of God.  There is life in the Seed.  There is healing in the Seed.  There is deliverance in the Seed.  There is prosperity in the Seed.  There is peace in the Seed.  There is joy in the Seed.  There is victory in the Seed. 

   When the Word Seed is planted in good ground, watered and protected, it will produce exactly what God produces.  There are no restrictions in the Seed… 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    

          The SEED is OK.  Nothing is wrong with the Seed.  The Seed is perfect and the Seed is complete.  The Seed will grow and mature and produce fruit IF the proper conditions are met.  God’s Purpose is in the Seed.  God’s Will is in the Seed.  God’s Power is in the Seed. 

Just as all the intricate characteristics of any plant are in the seed of that plant, so are all the intricate plans and purposes for YOU in the Seed of God. 

There are two things we need to know:

          1.  What does God want the Seed to grow?

2.  What will it take to for the Seed to grow what God wants it to grow?

FIRST:  God wants to grow the Kingdom 

He wants the Kingdom of Heaven to grow on earth. 

Our Father, Who art in Heaven, hollowed be Thy Name;  Thy Kingdom come, Thy Will be done, in EARTH as it is in HEAVEN…   Mat 6:9-10

Jesus prayed this prayer.  It is a “model” prayer he gave us and should be a pattern for the way we pray. God wants to Grow Heaven on Earth. He wants to grow Heaven’s provisions on earth, He wants to grow Heaven’s qualities on earth and He wants to grown Heaven’s purpose on earth. 

This crop will not grow unless it grows in and though people. The people this crop is to grow through is the Church.  We (the Church) are God’s hope and dream for His crop production and His ultimate harvest. 

SECOND:  It will take the Seed (the Word of God) to grow what God wants to grow 

The entire purpose and plan of God is contained in His Seed.  In order for it to grow and mature and produce, several things have to happen:

1.  The Seed has to be SOWN  

In the parable of the sower in Mark chapter four there is an interesting word that is translated sow.  It is spiro  and it is derived from a primitive Greek verb which means “to draw out.”  

The Bible concept of sowing is DRAWING OUT or PULLING OUT what God has PUT IN.   

Therefore, it does not mean just to scatter or throw out or to cast out, rather the primary meaning is to DRAW OUT or PULL OUT. 

In order for the Seed of God to produce, the ground must PULL OUT of it what GOD has PUT IN IT. Paul tells the Philippians to “work out your own salvation…” (2:12b)  And this is the idea of “working out” or “pulling out” what God has put in.  In order to SOW the SEED the GROUND has an important responsibility.   It must PULL OUT what God has put in. 

          You are the Ground.   I am the Ground.  We are the Ground. The ground determines the harvest potential of the Seed of God.  The ground determines what the Seed will produce.  In order to pull the Kingdom of Heaven out of  the Seed of God, the ground has an awesome responsibility. 

According the parable, there are four kinds of ground.  (1) Way side ground.  (2) Stony ground.  (3) Ground with thorns, and (4) good Ground. 

And these are they by the way side, where the word is sown; but when they have heard, Satan cometh immediately, and taketh away the word that was sown in their hearts.    Mark 4:15   

Way side ground ignores the Seed  

It is sown, but it is ignored. Because it is sown and ignored,  Satan comes at once and steals it. 

How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation; which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed unto us by them that heard him;   Hebr. 2:3   

          Unfortunately, many people in the Body of Christ are guilty of ignoring the Word… the Seed of God.  They often cast it aside.  At times they make light of it.  Many fail to see the importance of it.  Sometimes they allow this Life-Providing, Need-Meeting, Sin-Forgiving, Sickness-Healing, devil-Defeating, SEED to remain unplanted and unproductive.  And sadly, some do not really care.

 Because many are careless, Satan comes and steals their healing, their prosperity, their joy, their strength, their hope and their protection.  Absolutely nothing is wrong with the Seed.  The problem is always with the ground.

And these are they likewise which are sown on stony ground; who, when they have heard the word, immediately receive it with gladness;   Mark 4:16   

And have no root in themselves, and so endure but for a time: afterward, when affliction or persecution ariseth for the word’s sake, immediately they are offended.   Mark 4:17   

Stony ground can’t stand any pressure 

The Seed is gladly received, but before it can pull out what God has put in, when pressure and opposition arise, it just gives up and quits.  When pressures, temptations, trials and contradictions happen, they forget what is in the Seed and begin to look instead at what is outside the Seed. 

They often look at the impossibilities, the obstacles, the sicknesses and the failures of others.   Thousands today have quit or compromised because of the pressure and stress Satan has caused in their Christian walk.

God does not create trials and temptations and circumstances and “situations,”  rather, they are orchestrated by the devil and their purpose is to make you give up and quit.  Stony ground is shallow.  Stony ground is “touchy-feely.”  Stony ground is immature.  Stony ground is self-centered.  Stony ground is easily offended.  Stony ground is emotion-driven and often lives by feelings, by assumptions and by suppositions.

And these are they which are sown among thorns; such as hear the word, Mark 4:18   

And the cares of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the lusts of other things entering in, choke the word, and it becometh unfruitful.    Mark 4:19   

Ground with thorns is choked on materialism 

Before it can pull out what God has put in, it gets hooked on and addicted to the world system.  The glitter and glamour of riches and security,  the lust of the flesh and the desire for recognition take precedent over pulling out what God has put in. 

The Kingdom harvest is choked and stunted and it becomes unfruitful because of the lust of the flesh, the pride of life, and the desire for money and material things. 

And these are they which are sown on good ground; such as hear the word, and receive it, and bring forth fruit, some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some an hundred.   Mark 4:20  

Good ground hears and receives the Seed of God  

Hears: (akouo) to hear with understanding;  

Receives:(parad-ekhomahee) to receive near; to delight in.  

Interestingly, in the case of the stony ground, the word “receive” is lambano  which means to take casually. 

When you hear with the understanding and delight greatly in the truth of the Seed you are on the way to producing a Kingdom Harvest!

          Now, how do you reap your harvest?  Reaping your harvest involves five principles: 

          1.  Sowing the Seed.

          2.  Protecting the Seed that is sown.

          3.  Watering the Seed that is sown.

          4.  Waiting for the Seed that is sown to grow.

          5.  Harvesting what the Seed that is sown produces.

YOU MUST SOW    

You will never reap anything if you do not sow something.  Something must be sown, if you are ever going to reap.  No sowing means no reaping.  No reaping means no harvest.  No harvest means no life.  The first thing we must learn to do is sow.

You have to know to sow.  If you do not know you will not sow.  If you know you will sow!   And what you sow is what you will grow.  And what you grow you will reap. 

Be not deceived; God is not mocked (ridiculed): for whatsoever a man soweth (draws out) that shall he also reap…  Gal 6:7  

When you sow the Word, you reap what the Word produces. 

Remember what the seed is

The Seed of God is the Word of God.  God was the First Sower and He operates by the sowing principle.  God sowed the Seed (His Word) and as a result, He reaped a Creation. 

God drew out of His Seed the sun, the moon, the stars… all of Creation.  God sowed His Word and Created.  God sowed His Word and Man came into being. 

And God SAID, Let us make man in our image…  Gen 1:26

God sowed His Word (Jesus) and reaped a Family.  Jesus is the Word.  Therefore Jesus is the SEED.  And God DREW OUT OF JESUS a New Creation.  A Holy Family.  A Royal Priesthood.  An invincible, undefeatable and unstoppable Church.    

          How do you sow?   What do you sow?

You sow the same way God sows and you sow the same thing God sows.

  God sows by saying.  And God says His Word.  SOWING  begins by SAYING.  Saying is WORDS.  Saying  is the fruit of the tongue.   You plant your dreams and plan your harvest by what you say (sow) with your mouth!   

 A man shall be satisfied (filled to satisfaction, have plenty of, have enough, filled to the fullest) with good by the fruit of his mouth…  Pro 12:14 

A man shall eat good by the fruit of his mouth…  Pro 13:2 

A fools mouth is his destruction and his lips are the snare of his soul..   Pro 18:7 

A man’s belly shall be satisfied with the fruit of his mouth: and with the increase of his lips shall he be filled… Pro 18:20   

Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it (death or life) shall eat the fruit thereof…  Pro 18:21   

Whoso keepeth his mouth and his tongue keepeth his soul from troubles… Pro 21:23

Word for Today:  March 20

We are made out of dirt.

For he knoweth our frame; he remembereth that we are dust. Ps 103:14

We are all created from (out of) the dust of the earth.  Dirt is necessary for the mass production of any harvest.  Seeds are put into the dirt.  Seeds that are alive and that have full and complete potential for maturing and producing a harvest are planted (put into) in Dirt.  Soil.  Ground.

Jesus gave a parable about how our heart is like ground.  He said the condition of the ground determines the success of the crop.  When the condition is “good” there will be a bountiful harvest.  “Some 30, some 60 and some 100 fold…”

But he that received seed into the good ground is he that heareth the word, and understandeth it;  (puts it together)  which also beareth fruit, and bringeth forth, some an hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. Mt 13:23

The heart condition must be characterized by (1) hearing the Word (2) understanding the Word and (3) doing the Word.   Hearing is more than listening.  It is hearing with the heart.  Understanding is more than knowing.  It is revelation.  Revelation is powerless unless it is acted on.

What God has planted in you He has destined to come out of you.  It may be in seed form now, but the seed has the power to grow into its fullest manifestation.

In the parable of the Sower (Mark 4), there is an interesting word that is translated “sow.”  It is spi’ ro  and it is derived from a primitive Greek verb which means “to draw out.”

The Bible concept of sowing is DRAWING OUT or PULLING OUT what God has PUT IN.

It does not necessarily mean to scatter or throw out or to cast out it means to “draw out” or “pull out.”  In order for the Seed of God to produce, the ground must PULL OUT of it what GOD has PUT IN IT.

Paul tells the Philippians to “work out your own salvation.” (2:12b)  And this is the idea of “working out” or “pulling out” what God has put in.

In order for sown seed to produce the GROUND has an important responsibility. It must PULL OUT what God has put in.

Work out (pull out) your harvest

Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin.  Rom. 6:6  

For he that is dead is freed from sin.  Rom. 6:7  

Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God.  Rom. 6:13  

For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace.  Rom. 6:14  

Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?  Rom. 6:16  

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

          In order to live and keep from dying, the body (flesh) must be bridled.  It must be controlled.   It must be brought under submission.  It must be mastered.  It must be disciplined.  It must be crucified. 

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.  Gal. 2:20  

          The body (old man) must be “put off” and the New Man must be “put on.”

Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds;   Col. 3:9   

And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him:  Col. 3:10   

Gal 5:19-21

Now the works of the flesh (body) are manifest, which are these:   

adultery   (unlawful sexual relations)

fornication   (all other unlawful sexual relations such as incest, homosexuality; lesbianism; etc.)

uncleanness  (impurity of conduct or thought, profligate living)

lasciviousness (unbridled lust, shamelessness, wantonness, filthy words, indecent bodily movements, unchaste conduct between the sexes)

idolatry   (the worship of false gods; extravagant admirations and ungodly longings of the heart)

witchcraft   (being addicted to drugs; sorcery; magical arts;  manipulating spirits)

hatred   (enmity, malice, dislike, aversion, resentment)

variance   (contention, strife, wrangling)

emulations (an envious or contentious rivalry, jealousy)

wrath   (anger that boils over; outbursts of temper, fierceness)

strife   (a desire to put oneself forward; contending against God)

seditions   (dissention; division; undercutting)

heresies   (choices and opinions that vary from the Truth)

envyings   (things that are prompted by envy)

murders   (manslaughter, taking the life of another)

drunkenness   (intoxication)

revellings   (feasts and drinking parties that indulge in revelry)

…and such like; of the which I tell you before as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the Kingdom of God.   

But when we are judged, we are chastened (paideuo: to educate, instruct, teach) of the Lord, that we should not be condemned with the world.  1Cor. 11:32  

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

That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish. Eph. 5:27  

          As you can see, the Bible has a great deal to say about the body.  The body actually belongs to God.  It is not ours, it is His (1Cor 6:19).

          It is referred to as flesh.  It is described as carnal.  It is wonderfully and remarkably made and is the crowning achievement of God’s creative work.  Nothing apart from God can adequately explain the wonders of such a miraculous creation.  Science cannot.  Physics cannot.  Evolution cannot.

          The Body is created after the likeness and Image of God.  We look like God and God looks like us.  Isn’t that something! The body was originally created to live and not die but last forever.  And it would have and could have if sin had not entered the human race.  With sin came disease and death. 

Death comes in stages.  In Adam, the blood line became polluted with all the contaminates of death… aging, bacteria, deformities, diseases;  the entire physical life-support system of the human body  became subject to death.  The air became impure.  The earth came under the curse.  Poisons and carcinogens were and continue to be released into the atmosphere. 

Even nature became influenced by the seed of death.  Killer storms, earthquakes, hurricanes, cyclones, tornadoes as well as floods, drought, famine and plagues were released to steal health and to destroy life. 

However, the human body and the earth on which it lives was originally designed by God to live and not die and to last forever.  Sin entered and death came by sin (Romans 5:12).

          In spite of the ravages of sin and the curse of death, Jesus came and redeemed us from the curse.

Christ hath redeemed us from the curse…  Gal 3:13  

The deliverance Jesus provides also makes it possible for the every believer to keep his body under control. 

The Problem we Face in the Natural World       

          The problem we face in the natural world, and in much of the church, is people have lost control over their bodies.   The world is primarily ruled by the flesh.  Governments are controlled by the flesh.  Our society is dominated by the flesh. 

There is no restraint.  There are no limits.  The moral boundaries have all been violated.  Wickedness, perversion, unbridled and uncontrolled appetites, desires and lusts are running rampant.  They are seen on television and in the movies as entertainment.  It is on the internet.  It is happening in the neighborhoods.  It is happening in the public schools.  Children are now killing children.  Teens are at war in violent and murderous gangs. 

Drugs and the violence related with them are now the norm and not the exception.  Society has been brain washed to believe that perversion is normal and OK and that sin is excusable.  Condoms are being freely distributed in many public schools.  Homosexuals and lesbians are assuming positions as role models for young people.  Some are being ordained and placed as pastors in some major denominations.  Same sex marriages are now recognized by many states and government agencies and the benefits that were reserved for heterosexual marriages are now available to the homosexuals.  The sanctity of the Biblical definition of marriage has been re-defined. 

Bodies are out of control.  When murder, rape, adultery, fornication, violence and brutality become entertainment, society is really sick. 

The underlying problem is that human bodies are out of control.  There is no restraint.  There are no boundaries.  There are no limits.   The Bible warns:

Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Rom. 1:21    

Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, Rom 1:22

And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things. Rom 1:23

Wherefore God also gave them upto uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonor their own bodies between themselves: Rom 1:24

Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen. Rom 1:25

For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature: Rom 1:26

 And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompense of their error which was meet. Rom 1:27

And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them overto a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient;  Rom 1:28

 Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers, Rom 1:29

 Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, Rom 1:30

Without understanding, covenant breakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful: Rom 1:31

Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them.  Rom 1:32   

Much of the world is at war because of the unscriptural demands and lusts of the flesh.  Starvation, poverty, disease and death are rampant in many third world nations.   Greed, selfishness, jealousy and envy are fueled by uncontrolled flesh.  When the unredeemed flesh is left in control, the inevitable result is always destruction and death.  And hell. 

A world without absolutes 

The appetites of the flesh and the lack of control over them have resulted in a rationalized morality.  This has given rise to situation ethics and outcome-based education.  This is a subtle characteristic of the New Age Movement.  There are no absolutes.  The “new normal” is, according to the Word of God, abnormal and perverse.

Society has shunned the reality of right and wrong.  All things are relative.  Right may be right in one instance and not right in another.  Wrong may be wrong in one instance and not wrong in another.  Where there are no absolutes, the world lives in a lie.  Paul admonishes us to put away The Lie.   The LIE is the modus operandi of Satan.

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

          A world with no absolutes also means that there is no such thing as truth.  Truth in this kind of environment is relative.  It may be true in this instance but a lie in another.  This is what the Bible describes as a reprobate mind… calling good evil and evil good. 

And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind,to do those things which are not convenient;  Rom. 1:28  

Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!  Isa. 5:20   

          A world with no absolutes is a world that is continually committing the unpardonable sin.    If you are not sure about what is right and what is wrong, you will be in danger of committing sin without knowing it. 

If you think that evil is good you will commit sin and not be aware of it.  If you commit sin without knowing it, you will not be able to repent.  If you do not repent, you will be held accountable for your sin and you will die unforgiven.  To die unforgiven means spending eternity in hell. 

          We are now living in such a society.  The political world, the entertainment world, the social world, the economic world; are all functioning in an environment without moral absolutes.  Our culture is in a self-destruct mode.  And we all are paying dearly for it.

This is a sure sign of the end of this age. 

This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. 2Tim 3:1

For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, 2Tim 3:2

Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, 2Tim 3:3

Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; 2Tim 3:4

Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away. 2Tim 3:5

Life without restraint   

Living a life without restraint is living a life that is out of control; a life with no self discipline; a life that seeks to gratify every desire of the flesh and fulfill every lust of the eye.   It is living with no concern for self, for others or for decency.  It is precisely here that much of modern culture fits.   Here is the drug culture.  Here is the “baggy-pants bunch.”  Here are the alcoholics and the addicts.  Here are the perverse and the unnatural.  Here are the selfish, lazy, entitlement crazed and irresponsible members of our society. 

 …..heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; .

   Unfortunately, this is where the world is living today.   Take a look at the public school system.  See the lack of control.  See how undisciplined children and young people are making public education a near impossibility.  Teachers are fearing for their very lives.  Metal detectors are in the halls.  Drug sniffing dogs are on campus.  Guns, knives, and gangs are in classrooms.  Free condoms.  No limits.  No restraint.  No discipline. 

Consider the illegal gun problem.  See the problem of sexual promiscuity and teen-aged pregnancy.   Why has there been over one billion babies aborted worldwide since 1980?  And nearly 55 million babies have been murdered (aborted) in this country since Roe vs. Wade in 1973.   It has been estimated that more than 46% of American women will have had an abortion by the time they are 45.   The reason is lives are being lived without discipline and bodies are given to unrestrained appetites.     This is life with no limits and life that has no moral compass.  This is the catastrophic result of bodies that are not being kept under control.   And it is the footprint of our culture today.

Society without responsibility 

Who is responsible for what?  Where does the buck stop?  Who pays the bill?  Who even cares?    There is a tendency in today’s world to refuse to accept responsibility for one’s actions.  The welfare and entitlement mentality has pervaded modern society.  Most people want something and a lot of it for nothing.  They want pay without work.  They want privilege without responsibility.  They want recognition without accountability.

 The Answer

          Making Jesus Lord and conquering the flesh is the answer.  Overcoming the flesh is the answer.  Bringing the flesh under the control of the recreated, born again human spirit is the answer.  Making the flesh line up with the Word is the answer.  Crucifying the flesh is the answer.  Burying the flesh is the answer.  Keeping the flesh “under” is the answer. 

Apart from God, this is impossible.  Without personally making Jesus Lord, this is impossible.  Without the indwelling power of the Holy Spirit, this is impossible.  Without commitment and consistency in your Christian walk, this is impossible.  Without an established relationship with a strong Word teaching, Word preaching, Word living Church, this is impossible.   But it can be done!  It must be done!  It must be done NOW and it must be done by you and me!

But I keep under (hupopiazo: to buffet or disable an antagonist as a boxer; to subdue) my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway. 1Cor. 9:27  

I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. Rom. 12:1  

          It is possible.  It is reasonable.  It is logical.  It can be done.  All of flesh can be “kept under” control.  If your flesh is out of control it is because (1) you want it to be (2) you like it that way or (3) you allow it to be.  You can do something about it. 

Your body is subject to your will.  If you will it to be loose, it will be loose.   If you will it to sin it will sin.  It you will it to be restrained, it will be restrained.  It you will it to be controlled, it will be controlled.  Your body will do what  you will it to do.  If you let it run wild, it will run wild.  Whatever you will your body to do, it will do.  Your flesh wars against your spirit.  It is contentious.  It is demanding.  It is unreasonable.  

          Change must begin with the Church.  Change  must start with us.  Crucified flesh and controlled physical appetites must be the characteristic of the New Creation.  Being dead to sin is being alive unto God. 

          Let’s take a little test:

FIRST:  Are you where you need to be in God?

SECOND:  Do you have problems controlling your body?

THIRD:  Will you do something about it TODAY?

FOURTH:  Then let’s do it NOW!!

          “Lord Jesus, I bring my body to your right now.  I crucify my flesh and I bring my appetites and desires to You and ask You to help me keep my body under control.”

Here’s a promise teens, young people and singles can make to God:  

          “I vow to keep my body sexually pure from this date on.  I will keep my body under control and reserve it for my future life mate.  I will not allow myself to indulge in premarital sex or any other sexual activity that God has reserved for the marriage bed.  I will keep myself pure and reserved for my future  (husband) (wife).”

Let our prayer be for God to help us maintain a pure and dedicated life for the Kingdom of God.  Let’s pray for our nation and the nations of the world.  And let’s believe for a global Great Awakening that will usher in our Coming King…..

Then we will Live and be Kept from Dying…..

Word for Today:  March 19

What are Storms?

Storms are circumstances and situations.   Storms are problems.  Storms are crises.  Storms are hindrances and delays and disappointments.  Storms are situations that plague us and harass us and attempt to destroy us.  Storms are sicknesses and physical attacks. Storms are Family conflicts and marriage troubles.  Storms are difficulties and impossibilities in the work place. Storms are addictions and habits that keep us in bondage.  Storms are demonic.

Where do Storms come from?  What causes them?

Storms are caused by the devil.  They are demonic attacks.  They are designed to do what the devil wants to do to you… to kill you, to steal your goods, and to completely destroy you.  Storms are planned and birthed in hell.  They are crafted for you personally by the devil and his demons.  They are intended to keep you as far away from God and God’s Purpose as possible.

What is the Purpose of Storms?

The purpose and intent of storms is to stop you before you get where God wants you to be.  Storms arise and winds blow in the process of ministry and spiritual growth.  When you determine to obey God and be a blessing to others is when you will find yourself in a storm with the devil attempt­ing to sink your boat.

The moment you decide to go to the Other Side with Jesus, satan will send a storm to stop you and capsize your boat.  You hear the voice of God… the challenge… the command… (This is point A) and you start out toward point B which is the place where God wants you.  And on the way…. You run into a STORM.

How do we Calm the Storm?

The Word spoken in faith and prayed in faith always creates a calm and produces peace.  When Jesus found Himself in a great storm, He “rebuked” the wind and “said” to the sea… (Mark 4:39)  There is a time to pray and there is a time to arise and speak the Word.

Faith-filled words will make the Natural submit to the Spiritual.  If “no-faith” which is what the dis­ciples had (“how is it that ye have no faith…?”) yields to the destructive power of storms then Faith (which is what Jesus had) makes the de­structive power of storms submit to the Power of God.

Talk to your storm

The Word and Your Mouth

For with the heart man be­lieveth unto righteousness and with the mouth confession is made unto Salvation…  Romans 10:10

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…   Mark 11:23

Death and life are in the power of the tongue…   Prov 18:21

          It is vitally important to say the Word as well as pray the Word.  It is the Word that drives back the powers of darkness.  It is the Word that whips the devil and negates demon forces.  Speaking the Word is the way for your de­liverance.  However, the Word you speak must be the Word you believe.  If you do not believe the Word will actually work, guess what? It won’t. 

The Miracle-Working power of the Word is ener­gized and released by your believing and by your speaking.    

What Words Do 

              Words create, words destroy, words generate life, words kill and wound.  Words change things.  Words are carriers.  Words bring things in.  Words take things out. Words are vehicles.   Words heal.  Words can hurt.  Words are tools.     Words produce.  Words are seeds that will grow stuff.

              How you live today was determined by the words you spoke in the past. Words activate spiritual forces.  They move angels to minister to you or they move demons to torment you… to steal from you… to destroy you… to kill you.

              Words come out of your mouth.  The words that come out of your mouth are declarations of your faith. Words you speak with your mouth frame things. 

Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the Word of God…   Heb 11: 1-3    “Framed” means to “com­plete thoroughly.”

              When you speak the Word of God in faith, you connect with the creative power of God and are enabled to release it.  You actually release the Faith of God.   The Word of God is the written expression of God’s faith.  The Word is a Divine record of words God has spoken that released His faith and His Creative Power. 

Words also release authority.  The centurion issued orders (words) and his men obeyed… they did something.

For I am a man under au­thority, having soldiers under me: and I say to this man, Go, and he goeth; and to another, Come, and he cometh; and to my servant, Do this, and he doeth it.   Matt. 8:9  

          God spoke words and myriads of worlds were created.  All of Creation literally came out of God’s mouth.  

And God said, Let there be light: and there was light. Gen. 1:3  

And God said, Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters. Gen. 1:6  

And God said, Let the waters under the heaven be gathered together unto one place, and let the dry land appear: and it was so. Gen. 1:9    

And God said, Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit af­ter his kind, whose seed is in itself, upon the earth: and it was so. Gen. 1:11  

And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years: Gen. 1:14  

And God said, Let the wa­ters bring forth abundantly the mov­ing creature that hath life, and fowl that may fly above the earth in the open firmament of heaven. Gen. 1:20  

And God said, Let the earth bring forth the living creature after his kind, cattle, and creeping thing, and beast of the earth after his kind: and it was so. Gen. 1:24  

“With the mouth confession is made unto salvation…”   (Rom 10:10) Your tongue makes things.  Your tongue causes things to happen.  Your tongue moves spirit beings.  Your tongue produces life or generates death. 

Death and life are in the power of the tongue…  Proverbs 18:21. 

          Words call things in.  Words drive things out.  Words bind and words loose.  Words attract and words repel.  Words are confessions of the mouth. 

Words Release God’s Power

          When you speak God’s Word, your mouth and your tongue ac­tually release the supernatural anointing that the Word carries.  The anointing or the miracle-working power in the Word of God is manifested when there is a demand placed upon it.  It is THERE, but it will not be HERE unless a de­mand is placed upon it. 

The anointing is always present, but it is not manifested until you make a demand on it.  Your demand is an expression of your faith.  Faith must be expressed.  (Remember, the Word is the written expression of God’s faith).  Making a demand on the anointing is the way to activate the Word of God.  

Here is how you make a demand on the Word:

          1.  Believe in your heart.  Know that you know that you know…down in your “knower”… this is revelation.

          2.  Say WORDS that will Confess exactly what you are believing for.

The Word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart; that is the WORD OF FAITH which we preach (say)…Rom 10:8

          3.  ACT on your CONFESSION… what you SAY.  This is faith with works.  Faith with works is faith that works.  Faith that works will cause you to live and keep you from dying.

Be ye doers of the Word and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves…  James 1:22  

Even so faith, if it hath not woks, is dead being alone.  Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works; shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works…  James 2:17-18 

          FAITH (pistis) connects with the anointing that is always present in the Word of God.  Faith, when it is mixed with the Word, always produces results. 

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.   Heb 4:2 

Words activate devils and demons

          Just as words you say release the power of God, words you say can also activate devils and demons.  Words you speak can literally give the devil and demons “permission” to torment you.  Words you say invite them in or drive them out.  Words you say bind them up or set them loose.  Jesus used words to drive out demon powers.

And Jesus rebuked the devil; and he departed out of him: and the child was cured from that very hour.  Matt. 17:18  

And Jesus rebuked him, saying, Hold thy peace, and come out of him. And when the devil had thrown him in the midst, he came out of him, and hurt him not.  Luke 4:35   

          Words are actually commands.  You are literally commanding spirit beings and spirit powers by the words you speak.      Words open things up and words shut things down.  Words bind and words loose.  Words are impor­tant.  This is why idle talk is extremely danger­ous.

But I say unto you, That every idle  (argos: inactive, unem­ployed, lazy, useless, barren) word that men shall speak, they shall give ac­count thereof in the day of judgment.    Matt. 12:36  

          This is because words are life-changing forces.   Words are eternal.  Words live forever.  Words you say with your mouth never die.  They are eternal.  They are forces that stay in motion forever.  This is why we will all give an account of every inactive, unemployed, lazy, useless, and barren  word that we speak on the Day of Judgment. 

Set a watch, O LORD, before my mouth; keep the door of my lips. Psa. 141:3 

              It is better to be silent than to speak words that assist Satan.  It is better to be quiet than to speak words that will forever give place to the devil.   Someone remarked:  “My most prized possessions are words I never spoke.”

I said, I will take heed to my ways, that I sin not with my tongue: I will keep my mouth with a bridle, while the wicked is before me.  Psa. 39:10   

What a Word   Is

              The word “word” presup­poses that something is said.   A word becomes a word when it is spoken.  A word is a vehicle of communication.  Words convey information.  Words are commands and demands.  A word is  “sound” that is spoken out loud.  Words are sounds that are intelli­gently articulated. 

              Words begin somewhere.  They are conceived be­fore they are spoken.  The conception is not birth.  Words are conceived in the heart and birthed through the mouth.  Words come out of the mouth but they are born in the heart.

              According to the Bible, words frame things.   By Him (Jesus the Living Word) all things consist.  Without Him (the Living Word)  was not anything made that was made.  The Word creates.  Words that are confessed out of a heart of faith (belief) produce salvation (deliverance).  A word can become the Word.  A word becomes the Word when it agrees with God’s Word. 

Kinds of Words

          There are wimp words and there are warrior words.  There are weak words and there are strong words.  There are words that say things are that are not.  There are words that say things are not that are.  (You might want to read the preceding sentences over again). 

          There are flippant words and there are faith words.  There are shallow words and there are profound words.  There are life words and there are death words. 

          All words come out of the mouth and they are confessions of what is really in one’s heart.  What you confess you will ultimately possess.  Words you speak are what will come to pass.  What you say is what you get.  What you say is what you order.  What you say is what is coming to you.   

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.   Mark 11:23  

Thou art snared with the words of thy mouth, thou art taken with the words of thy mouth. Prov. 6:2  

The wicked is snared by the transgression of his lips: but the just shall come out of trouble. Prov. 12:13  

A man shall be satisfied with good by the fruit of his mouth: and the recompense of a man’s hands shall be rendered unto him. Prov. 12:14 

 A man shall eat good by the fruit of his mouth: but the soul of the transgressors shall eat violence. Prov. 13:2        

              You will ALWAYS live on the LEVEL of your MOUTH!

Say What You Believe

For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession (Homologia:   confession; acknowl­edgment)is made unto salvation.  Rom 10:10 

Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, where­unto thou art also called, and hast pro­fessed a good profession before many witnesses.  1Tim. 6:1  

Wherefore, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling, con­sider the Apostle and High Priest of our profession, Christ Jesus; Heb. 3:1  

Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession. Heb. 4:14  

Let us hold fast the profes­sion of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;) Heb. 10:23  

          Say with your mouth what you believe.  Say with your mouth what you are believing for.  This is confess­ing your faith.  You have the power and authority to call those things that be not as though they were (as though they already exist).  

 (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. Rom. 4:17   

Confessions that are connected with the Word of God are important.  Over the years I have developed some Word confessions that have proved effective in times when I really needed God to come through for me.  Here is one that I keep in the cover of my Bible.

Word Confession

          I believe with all my heart and I confess with my mouth that the WORD of GOD is TRUE.  The WORD of GOD is ETERNAL.  The WORD of GOD is ALIVE.  The WORD of GOD is CHANGELESS.  I choose this day to set my life in agreement with the Word of God.  I choose right now to set my life in opposition to the devil.  I choose to disagree with Satan, the world system and all the powers of dark­ness.  I say with my mouth and believe with my heart that I am a Child of GOD.  Because I am a Child of God I am a Child of the LIGHT and I hate darkness.  I COMMAND my PHYSICAL BODY to resist sickness, weakness, infirmity, disease, and stress.  I COMMAND my mind to think in line with the Word of God.  I COMMAND my tongue to speak the Word of God.  I CAST OUT every spirit of fear by RELEASING the PERFECT LOVE that is within me through the HOLY GHOST.  I refuse to worry, be anx­ious, get upset, be impatient, or to doubt.  I am at this very moment a POSSESSOR of DIVINE LIFE.  My MIND is SOUND and STABLE and my PHYSICAL STRENGTH is being RENEWED day by day.  I am not getting OLDER… I am getting BETTER.  I am not growing weaker, I am growing STRONGER.  All of my needs have already been met and I am lacking in absolutely nothing.  I am DWELLING in the SECRET PLACE of the MOST HIGH and I am ABIDING under the SHADOW of the ALMIGHTY.  The LORD is my strength.  The LORD is my refuge.  The LORD is my fortress.  The LORD is my GOD and in HIM ALONE will I trust.

Say What You Want to See

          In every conflict with the en­emy speak powerful words of faith and confidence.  Say what you want to see.  Say what you want the outcome to be.  Make your words agree with God’s Word and then continually say them. You need to hear them.  When you hear what you say, faith will rise up in you.  When you speak the Word, you hear the Word and “faith cometh”  because faith comes by hearing the Word.    

So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. Rom. 10:1

          David confessed that God would deliver him and he made this confes­sion before he confronted the giant.

He will deliver me out of the hand of this Philistine…   1Sam 17:37

          He said the same God Who had delivered him out of the mouth of the lion and the paw of the bear would deliver him out of the hand of the uncircumcised Philistine.  After David made this powerful con­fession of his faith, he based his ac­tions on what he had confessed.  He SAID and then he DID. 

          Make your confes­sion and base your actions on what you confess.  Say what you are going to do and then do what you say.

          How are you talking?  What are you saying?  Is your mouth speaking what is in your heart? Are you saying what you want to see?  If you will con­tinue saying what you want to see you will soon see what you are constantly saying.  The words of your mouth will determine the outcome of your battle.

Thou art snared with the words of thy mouth, thou art taken with the words of thy mouth..   Prov. 6:2  

          The size of your giant has noth­ing to do with it. Nothing is TOO HARD for GOD.  God and ONE are always a majority.  Stop complaining and feel­ing sorry for yourself. Make your most powerful confession in the face of your biggest enemy.

          Listen to what David said… this was his confession:

“The Lord will deliver thee into my hand…”

“I will smite thee and take thine head from thee…”

“I will feed you and the Philistines to the buzzards…”

“The battle is the Lord’s…”

“He will give you into our hands…”

           David got exactly what he said.   His mouth framed his victory.  His words spelled defeat for Goliath.  What he said, he got.  What he confessed, he possessed.  But remember… he was in the flow. He was in the will of God.  He had a heart toward God.  You can get what you say just like David did.  But you must have a heart like David had.

Nullifying the Anointing

          You can PREVENT the ANOINTING from working.  You can stop the anointing.  You can hinder the anointing.  You can limit the anointing.  You can nullify the anoint­ing.  People (not situations, churches, things or circumstances) stop the anointing. 

Doubt and Unbelief are limiting factors of the anointing.  Doubt is the opposite of faith.  Doubt motivates demons while faith activates God’s Word.

Doubt: diakrino; to withdraw from truth;  to oppose; to strive with; to dispute; to contend; to hesitate. 

Doubt is a lack of confidence in God and in God’s Word.     Jesus did not perform miracles because of the unbelief of some.  The disciples were limited in miracle-working power by unbelief. 

And he did not many mighty works there because of their unbelief.  Matt. 13:58  

Then came the disciples to Jesus apart, and said, Why could not we cast him out?   Matt. 17:19  

And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as (like) 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.   Matt. 17:20   

Carnal living nullifies the anointing. 

          Wrong thinking from a mind that is not renewed nullifies the anointing.  Instability, fickleness, wa­vering, worrying, being fearful… all these nullify the anointing.  Remember, fear is faith in the devil. 

          Being mean, mad, unkind, dishonest, stingy, and disobedient to God… all these will nul­lify the anointing.  Nothing is wrong with the Word you confess.    It is the SAME.  It never changes.  Circumstances will not change it.  Situations will not change it.  People cannot change it.  However, careless people can keep the anointing from flowing from the Word to the place of need… even if their confession is good.

          Words are powerful forces.  They will cause you to live or they will make you die.  They are alive.  They carry energy.  They motivate angels and they activate devils.  They hook up with God or they line up with the world.  They will bring salvation and deliverance or they will insure bondage, defeat, death and destruction. 

          Words are deeds.  You will have what you say and you will become what you confess.  Wash your words with the Water of the Word.  Filter them through the heart of God.  Do not speak if what you say is linked to hell instead of heaven.  Understand that we will all give an account of all the words we speak before God at the Judgment.  We will be held accountable for what our words did.  If they produced life and health and victory and righ­teousness, we will be rewarded accord­ingly.  If they caused death, defeat, hurt, pain, sorrow, and anything that is not godly, we will be held account­able. 

          Words need to be sanctified.  Words need to be framed with care.  Words are gifts from God that we can employ to heal, help and save.  I chal­lenge YOU to make a covenant with God NOW that you will set a watch upon your lips and that you will guard your tongue to speak and say only those words that will produce LIFE and GOOD. 

My Word Covenant with God:

          “Father God, in the Name of Jesus, I choose this day to set a watch over my lips and a guard over my tongue.  I choose to speak words of life and health and healing and salvation.  I choose not to speak idle words that kill, destroy, hurt, and hinder.  I com­mand my tongue to line up with the Will and Word of God.  I will be silent before I will speak death.  I will shut up before I say words that hurt and wound.   I will filter my words through Your Word and I will say only those words that You would say.  This is my solemn covenant with You this day.  In Jesus’ Name.  

Word for Today: March 18

We are suffering loss because we have allowed suffering to happen.

Every defeat and every spiritual failure is the result of our laziness, our ignorance, our stupidity or our rebellion.

satan moves in when he is not resisted.  satan stays when we draw back and let him stay.   satan sets up housekeeping when we give place to him.  satan builds strongholds when we do not fight back.  satan cannot do what he is not allowed to do.

Our spiritual condition is precisely what we have allowed it to become.  We can fuss and cuss about the government about world conditions about immorality and crime and ungodliness… we can criticize and complain but what IS is what we as the Body of Christ have allowed to be.

God has equipped us and supplied us with every effective and offensive weapon to stop the devil and drive out demons and take back what hell has stolen… the problem is we have grown fat and lazy and we have crawled into our recliners and gone to sleep.

And while we slept the enemy came and invaded.  Now it is time to attack.  It is time to declare our independence from the powers of darkness… it is the hour to move into the territory of the devil… to charge the gates of hell and demand a refund.  With interest.

Just go ahead and do it.

The Word and Your Mind

 Let this MIND be in you which was also in Christ Jesus…   Phil.  2:5

          If the Bible says we can have the mind of Christ and if we are instructed to have the mind of Christ, then we need to know what kind of mind Christ had.

Jesus had the right kind of mind.  It was the kind of mind that God wanted Him to have.  It was the kind of mind that kept Him in victory.  It was the kind of mind that allowed Him to continually walk in the Spirit. 

This is the kind of mind that God wants you and me to have.   I believe this is the kind of mind Jesus had:   

1.  Jesus knew Who He was. 

There was never any doubt in His mind as to Who He was or what He was here on earth for.  He had a single mind.  He had a clear mind.  He had a focused mind.  He knew He was the Son of God.   He knew what He was born to do and His mind was set on accom­plishing His mission.  We need to have this kind of mind.

2.  Jesus knew His Father. 

He was intimate with Him.  He knew His will and He knew His heart.  He was in agreement with His Father.  He talked with Him and He loved Him and He had continual fellowship with Him.  Jesus had a perfect revelation of God. Jesus really knew His Father and this “knowing” was deeper than a mere acquaintance or shallow understanding.  

We need to have this kind of mind. 

3. Jesus knew the Word. 

He knew the Word because He was the Living Word.  He was familiar with God’s plan and purpose for Israel, the Gentiles and the future.

Jesus lived the Word. Jesus spoke the Word.  Jesus thought the Word.  Jesus used the Word as a weapon against the devil.  Jesus released the Word from His heart in Faith and miracles hap­pened.  The sick were healed.  The blind received their sight.  The lame walked.  Those who were demon pos­sessed were set free.  The powers of na­ture obeyed the Word that Jesus spoke.  Jesus knew the Word. 

 We need to have this kind of mind.

4.  Jesus knew what He could do. 

He was certain and sure of His author­ity.  Jesus knew He had power over all the power of the enemy.  He never doubted what He could do and He was not afraid to do it.  Jesus knew what He could do and He knew the limitations of the devil.  He knew about spiritual warfare and He knew He could and would win every conflict and conquer every de­mon.  

We need to have this kind of mind.  

5. Jesus had a winning mental­ity. 

In His Mind, He never considered defeat.  Even in the times of great con­tradictions, He maintained His win­ning mentality.  Even before and dur­ing the crucifixion, He never conceded to defeat.  He exercised victory over death by willingly giving up the spirit of life. 

And when Jesus had cried with a loud voice, he said, Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit: and having said thus, he gave up the ghost.   Luke 23:46 

No man taketh it (life) from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This commandment have I re­ceived of my Father.  John 10:18 

 We need to have this kind of mind.

6.  Jesus had a Faith Mind with Faith Eyes. 

He lived by Faith and He walked by Faith.  One time He used His faith to pay His taxes.  

Notwithstanding, lest we should offend them, go thou to the sea, and cast an hook, and take up the fish that first cometh up; and when thou hast opened his mouth, thou shalt find a piece of money: that take, and give unto them for me and thee.   Matt. 17:27 

He used His Faith to stop a storm. 

And he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm.   Mark 4:39   

He used His Faith to see things that were not and to call things that were not as though they were (Rom 4:17).   Jesus had a mind that was filled with the Word. 

We need to have this kind of mind.

          The believer’s main problem is a mind problem.  The battlefield is in the mind.  If you can understand the place the mind has in spiritual warfare, you will be able to fight and win the Good fight of Faith that was discussed in the first part of this study.

For consider Him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds…  Hebrews 12 

Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and by our gathering together unto him, that ye be not soon shaken in mind…  2 Thes 2:1-2 

 And be not conformed to this world but be ye transformed by the re­newing of your mind…  Romans 12:

But let him ask in faith, noth­ing wavering.  For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed.  For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord…   James 1:6-7 

For to be carnally minded is death but to be spiritually minded is life and peace…  Romans 8:6  

          There are TWO LEVELS of mind operation: 

• The carnal and

• The spiritual. 

The natural man is carnally minded and the regenerated man should be spiritually minded.  Many who are born again are still thinking with an “unsaved” mind.  They have re-created spirits, but their minds are still carnal and they function in a body that is ruled by their unrenewed mind.  They are saved, but they need to get their minds saved.

          God wants you to think right.  Your biggest problem is a thinking problem.   In fact, you are the sum total of what you think.  Where you are, How you are and What you are, are determined by how you think with your mind.  

What you will be is determined by how you think.  Good and evil, success and failure, victory and defeat all emerge from your thought process.  Victory living comes from victory thinking.  Success living comes from success thinking. 

The highest quality of life comes from thinking and living out of a renewed mind.  The mind can only be renewed through Revelation Knowledge that comes from the Word of God.

          Man is a triune being.  Just as God is revealed through the mystery of the trinity, man is understood through his triune nature.  Man is a spirit.  Man has a soul.  Man lives in a body.  Therefore, man is (1) Spirit (2) Soul and (3) Body. 

The spirit is the real man.  The soul is man’s mind, will and emotions.  The Body is the physical, biological living taberna­cle of flesh in which the spirit, mind and soul live.

          Your mind is the key to the power that is in you.  That is why Satan at­tacks the mind… he knows if he can get you to faint in your mind you cannot draw from the Power that is within you. 

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   

Understand that your real temptation is to faint in your mind.

For consider him that endured such con­tradiction of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds. Heb. 12:3   

            And when and if you faint in your mind:

• You forget what you know (the Word).
• You become caught up in the prob­lem.
• You will be moved by circumstance and sit­uation.
• Doubt is born and fear will set in.
• You fall into this seven-fold tempta­tion cycle:

1.  Discouragement

2.  Depression

3.  Despair

4. Resignation (“Nothing matters, nothing will ever    change…  it will always be this way”)

5.  Acceptance of Failure

6.  Condemnation, guilt, inferi­ority

7.  Defeat.  Probable Death.  Possible Suicide

              How you THINK determines and defines what you are.

For as he thin­keth in his heart, so is he… Prov 23:7.     

              You are constantly becoming exactly what you think.  You mind is your “thinker” and it must be disciplined and controlled if it is to think right.  You actually have to train your brain.  In the world system your mind is trained by education, by experience and by reason.   In the walk of faith your mind is trained (renewed) only by the Word of God. 

Be not conformed to this world (kosmos) but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind…   Romans 12: 2 

              What do you think most of the time?    What you think de­termines what you are. You can program your mind with doubt and unbelief and sense knowledge or you can renew your mind with the Word.  You have control over what you think. 

Casting down imaginations and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God…  II Cor. 10  

              You think what you see and you see what you think.  You have two kinds of eyes.  You have natural eyes and you have faith eyes.  Natural eyes see things as they are.  Faith eyes see things as they can be and as God wills them to be.   

              A mind is a “terrible thing to waste!”  A mind that is renewed by the Word sees though faith eyes.  It sees what the Word says and rejects anything and everything that does not agree with the Word.

          Most believers need to change their minds.  You have the power and the ability to change your mind.  If you are not thinking right, you will not be talking right.  If you are not talking right, you will not be living right.  If you are not living right you are in defeat and failure.  You are dying and not living. 

If your mind is focused on wrong things, you need to change your mind.  It needs to be changed so that it will think in agreement with what the Word says. 

See what the Word says about the following, and if you need to, change your mind. 

• Change your mind about Who you are.
• Change your mind about God. (His Character and His Nature)
• Change your mind about the Word.
• Change your mind about the Church.
• Change your mind about Prosperity.
• Change your mind about Healing.
• Change your mind about the devil.
• Change your mind about Faith.
• Change your mind about Giving.
• Change your mind about Confession.
• Change your mind about the Baptism in the Holy Spirit.
• Change your mind about Speaking in Tongues.
• Change your mind about the Gifts of the Spirit.
• Change your mind about demons.
• Change your mind about Heaven.
• Change your mind about Hell.
• Change your mind about the Future.
• Change your mind about Eternity.
• Change your mind about Sin.
• Change your mind about Judgment.
• Change your mind about the NOW.

It is going to be absolutely necessary for you to control your thinking and your imagination if you are going to Live and keep from Dying.     

The best way to do this is to get in the Word and get the Word in you… in your mind, in your heart and in your life.   Work on it.  You will not regret it!