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Word for Today:  August 28

Jesus Paid it All.

The devil and all demon powers are forever 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 all his power and authority.  Relegated to the role as the mother of all losers.

The Resurrection of Jesus was and is the final proof of satan’s downfall and defeat.  Because Jesus lives… sickness, sin, defeat, sorrow, death, sadness are all forever conquered.  We (Believers) have been redeemed from satan’s dominion and we have legally become the masters and rulers of satan and all his demons.  We have power over the devil because Jesus rose from the dead.  We can cast out devils. We can heal the sick.  We can call things that “be not” not as though they were.  We can overcome poverty and distress and pain and need.  Because Jesus is alive… we 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… All to Him I owe…Sin had left a crimson stain… He washed it white as snow

Elvina M. Hall  1865

Word for Today:  August 27

And the angel of the LORD appeared unto him, and said unto him, The LORD is with thee, thou mighty man of valor. Judg. 6:12

I’m quite sure that Gideon did not feel like a mighty man of valor.  He had been hiding out behind the barn to thresh the wheat so that the Midianites could not see him.  He was afraid.  He had no confidence in himself.  He was intimidated by the enemy.  Yet, God calls him a “Mighty man of valor.”

This is what God calls you.  He calls you what you are… not what you feel like you are.  You may be hiding behind the barn, but He sees you with a Sword in your hand.

There is no lottery program in the Call of God.    The call is direct and personal and based on something God sees within the person He is calling.   He sees in you possibility.  He sees in you capability.  He sees in you potential.  He sees your Heart and He know what kind of a heart you have.

It is noticeable that the Lord does not call men (or women) who are lazy.   We see the Lord calling industrious and faithful men when He chooses His prophets, His apostles and His ambassadors.

• Moses was taken from his flocks.
• David from the sheepfold.
• Elisha was in the field plowing with 12 yoke of oxen when the mantle of Elijah fell upon him.
• Peter, John and James were fishing when Jesus summoned them to follow Him.
• Matthew was busy in his office as a tax-gatherer when the call of Heaven came.
• Gideon was threshing wheat when the Angel of the Lord appeared unto him.

Wherever you are and whatever you are doing…. God sees POTENTIAL in you.

Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might; for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave, whither thou goest.    Ecc 9:10

Word for Today:  August 26

Has God lied?

If God is really with us, then why are so many defeated?  Where are the miracles?  Where are the signs?  Where are those angels of deliverance?  Why are bad things happening to us?  Why are the righteous forsaken and the godly cast down?

Good questions.  Has God lied?  Is the Bible not true?  Just what is the matter?

The answer to all such questions is sin.  Man forsakes God.  God never forsakes man.  Man leaves God.  God never leaves man.  The reason Israel had experienced such devastation was that Israel had forsaken God.  They had given in to the worship of Baal.  They had built groves to sacrifice to false gods.  They had backslidden.  They fell into sin.  They forsook God.

The result is always suffering.  Sin has its own consequences.  The suffering and defeat and death is not caused by God or sent by God, the consequences are the natural results of sin.  The Bible declares that the wages of sin is death.  But the Gift of God is Eternal Life.

When men sin they fall under the Law of sin and death.  To be carnally minded is death.  To be Spiritually minded is life and peace.  Israel sinned.  Israel suffered.  Man sins, man suffers.

It’s that simple

Word for Today:  August 25

 If any man be in Christ he is a new creature (Creation); old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new… II Cor 5:17.

Therefore if any person is (engrafted) in Christ, the Messiah, he is (a new creature altogether,) a new creation; the old (previous moral and spiritual condition) has passed away, behold the fresh and new has come…  II Cor 5:17 AMP.

Adam (man) lived in the realm of the Spirit in the Garden of Eden.  He was created in Perfection and he lived in Perfection until the entrance of sin.

• Adam had perfect Fellowship with God. He was totally righteous and free from any and all condemnation.   He did not sin before he met the enemy.
• Adam lived in Perfect and Perpetual health. He was never sick and he was never weak.  He lived in state of continual well-being.
• Adam was prosperous. He had no needs that were not met and he experienced no lack and no want.  He had food, shelter, protection, fellowship and companionship.  He was totally without lack or need.
• Adam suffered no pain. He never had an accident or lived under any circumstance.  He was free from fear and anxiety.  He lived by faith.
• Adam was Perfect. He was perfect in Mind, Body and Spirit.  He was strong and mentally alert.  He was perfect in every way.
• Adam orchestrated Nature and enjoyed its cooperation. The earth worked with Adam in providing an abundant supply of every need.  The animal and plant kingdom were blessed because of Adam.
• Adam operated in and exercised authority and control over the World God had created for him. God was “number One” and Adam was “number two”.

When Adam died spiritually, that spiritual death was passed down to all his posterity… the whole human race.

Wherefore as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men… Rom 5:12.

Adam’s sin resulted in the whole human race dying spiritually.  Every man is born with a dead spirit.  That is why Jesus told Nicodemus:  “Ye must be Born Again…”

Our dead spirit is “Quickened” or made alive at the time we are Born Again.  This means “re-created” or “restored” (Eph 2:1).

What God did in Christ is greater than what satan did in Adam.

What God IN You is greater than what satan can do TO you

Word for Today:  August 25

Word for Today:  August 24

Born Again.

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.

Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.  John 3:3,7

What does this mean?

• “Born Again” is an Experience.
• “Born Again” is an Encounter with God.
• “Born Again” is a Personal Decision.
• “Born Again” is Supernatural.
• “Born Again” is Jesus coming into your heart.
• “Born Again” is a Work of the Holy Spirit.
• “Born Again” is the Impartation and infusion of God’s divine nature into you.
• “Born Again” means Transformation.
• “Born Again” means Regeneration.
• “Born Again” means Repent.
• “Born Again” means becoming like Christ.
• “Born Again” means being made Righteous.
• “Born Again” means victory over death, hell and the grave.
• “Born Again” means eternal life.
• “Born Again” means separated from the world.
• “Born Again” means becoming a New Creation.

It is not religion.  It is not good works. It is not belonging to a church.  It is not being baptized. It is not being sweet and nice and kind and considerate.  It is not being “better” than some Church Members you might know.  It is not some religious tradition or doctrinal custom.  It cannot be done for you by some priest or religious dogma.  It is personal.  It is possible and available for anyone.  It is the Result of the Redemptive Work of Jesus Christ.  It is free for the asking.  It is the Gift of God.  It is Eternal Life.

It is being Born Again.

Except a man be BORN AGAIN he cannot see the Kingdom of God John 3:3

Word for Today:  August 23

Proper Knowledge.

It is important for you to know who you are, what you have and what you can do as a believer.   The devil constantly tempts you to doubt all of the above.   he wants you to doubt who you are (he tried to get Jesus to doubt Who He was) or to wonder who you are or to be ignorant of who you are.  As long as you are not sure of your position in Christ and your authority as a believer, your faith will not work.

You cannot receive what you do not know about.  God has raised up anointed ministries in order to instruct believers of their privileges and rights which are revealed in the Word.   The power of this Truth working in your spirit will produce change in your soul (mind) and in your body.

As you get the Word built up in you, Faith is produced and developed because faith comes by hearing the Word.   As your Faith is perfected you come into fresh revelation concerning your Position in Christ.  God has called, appointed and anointed individuals who are operating in the five-fold ministry (Eph 4) in the Body as Master Craftsmen to perfect you (build you up) in ministry.   You are “God’s Building.”

 … ye are God’s husbandry, ye are God’s building.  1Co 3:9

Let the Work continue

Word for Today:  August 22

A Revelation God.

Our concept of God, over time,  has been somewhat limited and incorrect .  We have been taught that God is mad and mean and vengence driven.  We have often lived in great fear and anxiety because we were told that God was going to get even.  He has been presented as a God of Judgment and revenge and wrath.

At the same time we were told how unworthy were and how we were hardened sinners and were therefore under constant guilt and condemnation.  The main message from the pulpit was fear oriented and it continually emphasized how hot and unbearable hell is.

Thank God, times have changed.  Our level of revelation has greatly increased and we have come into a wonderful understanding of the true nature of God.

God is a Giver.  God is a Giver because He is a Lover.  God us a Lover because He is a Father.  God does not kill, murder, take away, hinder, hurt, test, try, make sick, give cancer, cause poverty, or “get even.”

God is Good and He Loves, Gives, Multiplies, Heals, Delivers, Sets Free, Enriches, Fixes, Helps, Strengthens, Provides, Protects.

It’s the devil that kills, steals, robs, destroys, causes sickness, hinders, hurts, binds, subtracts, breaks, steals our money, our happiness, our joy and our peace.

The Word correctly identifies the work of the devil… he steals, kills and destroys.

God gives LIFE (Zoe) and LIFE more ABUNDANTLY

John 10:10

Word for Today:  August 21

Miracles.

God is a Miracle God.  He knows all about miracles.  God likes miracles and God performs miracles.  God delights in performing the impossible for those who love Him.  God wants you to receive your miracle more than you desire to have it…  His desire for you to receive is greater than your desire to get.  God’s ways are miraculous ways.  He declares that:

My ways are higher than your ways and My thoughts than your thoughts… Isa 55:9

The devil hates miracles.  Miracles have defeated and humiliated him in in the past and they will overcome him in the present.  Miracles prove God, reveal God and release God’s Power.  Miracles always defeat the devil and prevent him from fulfilling his mission.  Healing is a miracle.  Deliverance is a miracle.  Salvation is a miracle.  The Holy Spirit Baptism is a miracle.  All these defeat the devil and make an open show of his weakness and helplessness.

The Church needs miracles.  Too long we have operated in our own strength and our own ability.  We have manufactured the ”religious” machine, kept it well-oiled and repaired, painted and polished it, spent our efforts in lowering empty buckets into empty wells and we have grown weary of bringing nothing up.  The church has, in many cases, become nothing more than a man-made organism functioning in the limitations of man’s strength and human ability. The Church needs miracles.  The church needs challenges that will shake it out of its self-sufficiency and mediocrity.

If we are not living in and doing the Miraculous we are doing no more than General Motors or Chrysler or Ford or IBM.  The Church needs to believe for and expect miracles. It will never surpass what it can do and get what God can give if it miracles are not evident in its ministry.

Miracles should be the Norm and not the Exception

Word for Today:  August 20

An Unfailing Anchor.

God’s Word is an Anchor that holds (Heb 6:19).   It is as reliable as God is.  It is as strong as God is.  It is as enduring as God is.  It is as changeless as God is.

The Word proved to be an unfailing Anchor in the lives and experiences of many of the Heroes we read about in the Bible.  It held steady in times of trials and impossibilities.  It gave them security in the times of storms and conflicts.  The Word was an anchor in them that held them secure in the Hand of God.

• The Word in Moses produced Israel’s deliverance from Egypt.
• The Word in Joshua drove out the enemy and produced victory in the Promised Land.
• The Word in David gave him strength in the time of temptation and victory in the time of attack. The result was and is the matchless beauty of Worship and Praise in the Book of Psalms.
• The Word in Elijah produced water in the season of drought.
• The Word in Joseph sustained him in prison, delivered him from lies and brought him great favor and promotion as the Prime Minister of Egypt.
• The Word in Job kept him faithful to God in his loss of everything he loved and treasured.
• The Word in Elisha raised the Shunammite’s son from the dead, caused the axe head to swim and cleansed numerous lepers.
• The Word in Daniel stopped the mouths of hungry lions.
• The Word in Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, cooled the fiery furnace and brought the Son of God from heaven to comfort them.
• The Word in John the Baptist caused him to launch Jesus into His public ministry.
• The Word in Paul saw him through ship wrecks, stonings, scourgings, imprisonments, rejections and betrayals and produced most of the New Testament.
• The Word in John gave him a glimpse of the Rapture, the Return of Jesus and the Eternal Perfect State of those who are washed in the Blood.

The Word held them steady in the face of every impossibility.

It is our Anchor.

It never fails