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Word for Today:  October 23

This I say then, Walk in the Spirit and ye shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh… Gal 5:16.

Right living is a decision.  People choose the way they live.  They can determine what they do, what they say and what they yield to.  The devil has no power to make anyone sin.  Sin and sinful living are the results of decisions and choices that are made.

No temptation is irresistible.  No trial is too much or too great or without a way of escape for the Believer. (1Cor 10:13)  The bottom line is the quality of life you are now living is the direct result of decisions you have made.

For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit.  For to be carnally minded is death but to be spiritually minded is life and peace…     Rom 8:5-6

In this hour of compromise and moral failure, decide to live right.  Decide to resist the wrong and embrace that which is good, honorable and right.

It takes no courage to get drunk or smoke dope or pop pills or shoot up.  It takes no talent to be mean, ugly and violent.  But it takes old fashioned backbone and intestinal fortitude to resist the temptations of the flesh and to stand for God and what’s right.

If you want to live and not die… choose to live and choose to live right.   Walk in holiness, purity, honor and integrity.  Determine to present your body to God as a living sacrifice.  (Rom 212:1)   Refuse to hang out with so those who tempt you and lure you do stuff you know is not in the will of God.

Walk in the Spirit.

And you will not fulfill the lust of the flesh

John 10:

¹⁰The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.

            There are only two kinds of people on earth.  And I do not mean Men and Women.  They are either people who are Alive and those who are Dead.  You can be Dead before you are dead.  If you are Alive you know it.  If you are

Dead you know it.  The devil is the merchant of death.  Jesus came that we might be Alive. 

            The ultimate purpose and mission of the devil is to kill and destroy.  The devil deals in death and destruction.  Jesus gives LIFE and deals in RESTORATION.  All problems and attacks are designed by satan to kill us and destroy us.  The devil wants death and destruction to take us over.  Jesus wants Life and Restoration to take us over.   How did Jesus deal with death?  The Bible says He conquered death, hell and the grave.  If He conquered them, they are still conquered.   Jesus never has to re-do what He has already done.  His work is complete and perfect.  He has “finished” it (as we heard last week: Jesus did not say “to be continued” on the Cross, He said “it is finished.”)  We need to deal with death just like Jesus dealt with it.

Notice the story of Lazarus.

Lazarus = “whom God helps”

  Every Attack is an OPPORTUNITY.   

John 11:4   When Jesus heard that, he said, This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God might be glorified thereby.

            Jesus “heard” the bad report.  Faith comes by hearing and doubt also comes by hearing.  Unbelief can be stimulated by hearing.  Distress can come by hearing.  Fear can be initiated by hearing.  What are you hearing?  Whatever you are hearing will either build your faith are add to your unbelief.  Jesus determined to be NOT MOVED by what He heard. 

            Then, Jesus declared with His mouth what the situation was going to be.  He took the opportunity to Prophesy what the situation was going to be because he knew the will of God in the matter.   Jesus “heard” and then He “said.”  What He heard did not alter what He said.  He refused to give in to the sense realm by believing what the opinions of men were. 

            “It’s not over.  It’s not final.  It’s not what it’s going to be.  God is working.  I am waiting.  I am believing.  I am standing.  I am speaking.  I am prophesying.  What I say is in agreement with God and because of this, the devil (and all his works) will have to move aside.” 

            Sickness is an opportunity. Adversity is an opportunity.  Every impossibility is an opportunity.  Your fiery trial is an opportunity.  Our fiery trial is an opportunity.  An opportunity for us to exercise our faith.  An opportunity for us to get into the Word and find out what God is saying.  An opportunity to turn tragedy into testimony.  God is the Master at giving us Beauty for ashes.  (Isa 61:3).  When we see our “death” situation in this light, we will be encouraged to say the same thing Jesus said: “This thing is not unto death…. it is an opportunity for God to show Himself strong in my behalf and to give me a powerful testimony of His Faithfulness.”

            We are all faced with “Lazarus” attacks.  What we do, how we act in the midst of such situations will demonstrate just how deep we are in God.   We can say what others are saying.  We can agree with what the Facts are.  We can accept the “inevitable” or we can Prophesy to the situation.  God has called you into His Kingdom and given you the power to create with your mouth the things that are in the will of God.  Speak the Word!

            Our fiery trial… our grave yard tribulation… our Red Sea and our Furnace heated 7 times its capacity… our den of Lions and our Goliath…  all these are only opportunities for God to get Glory and for us to experience a miracle.  Jesus knew that impossibilities are opportunities for God to Show Himself Strong in behalf of those who would DARE to BELIEVE!

When under pressure:  Don’t Change your Plans.  

John 11:6   When he had heard therefore that he was sick, he abode two days still in the same place where he was.

            The devil wants us to change directions… especially if we are in the will of God.  If we are on the way to where God wants us, then satan and all the forces of darkness are aligned to make us change our plans.  Remember how satan tried to stop Jesus on the Sea of Galilee with the great storm before He made it to the other side?  Here, Jesus was in the Flow of God and was not willing to change His direction just because He received bad news.  Jesus stayed.  Sometimes it is hard to Stay.  When we hear of pressing needs and powerful attacks, we are tempted to run ahead of God.  Remember… the Battle is the Lord’s and the Victory is ours. 

            Satan is the author of all bad news.  Bad news is demonic.  Bad news is a fiery dart of the enemy.  Bad news is satan’s attempt to get you to change your plans and alter your direction.  Bad news tends to make us worry.  Worry is fear.  Fear has torment.  Fear is not out of a “sound mind” but rather the product of a double mind.  When we are receivers of bad news, keep we must keep our eyes on our objective… we cannot allow discouragement, worry, fear or distractions to make us change our plans about Who we believe and What we believe.   

            Job was a man who was a servant of the Most High God.  He had some bad news brought to him… over and over again.  On the very heels of one messenger, another would come until it seemed that Job could not stand any more.  And yet “in all of this Job sinned not, nor charged God foolishly…”  It was the devil attempting to change the course of Jobs life.  Learn from the Life of Jesus…. do not allow demonic pressure to change your faith position. 

            How many times do we want Jesus to “hurry up?”  Our need presses us to prompt Jesus to hurry to our rescue.  However, God has a time.  And His time is the RIGHT TIME.  Things are happening in the realm of the spirit that we cannot see and if we could, we would not understand.  God is working.  satan is fighting.  We are waiting.  While we wait, He is working in our behalf.  If He is not hurrying, He has a reason.  Jesus needed to remain where He was in order that God would get all the glory for the miracle of Lazarus’ resurrection. 

            Remember, when you are in the Will of God, you do not have to change your plans when satan attacks and emergencies arise.   Hold steady.  Do not panic.  Do not change your plans because of demonic emergencies. 

Nothing is FINAL when Jesus is Present. 

John 11:14   Then said Jesus unto them plainly, Lazarus is dead.

            Nothing can be more final than death.  When you are dead…. you are dead!  It’s over!  It’s finished!  It’s done!  UNLESS Jesus is there!  Listen:

             1Cor. 15:26   The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death.

So many times our attitude is like that of Thomas:  “Let us also go, that we may die with him…”   (Verse 16).  Nothing is FIXED in the world system.   Not even death!  Jesus is the Great Changer.   He changes things.  When it seems totally final and nothing more can be done… when death looms and defeat is at hand and all hope is gone… Nothing is FINAL when Jesus is present.  If He can raise Lazarus from the dead, He is more than Able to resurrect our dead hopes and dreams.  

            Both Mary and Martha fell into the trap of the “IF Syndrome.” 

John 11:21   Then said Martha unto Jesus, Lord, if thou hadst been here, my brother had not died.

John 11:32   Then when Mary was come where Jesus was, and saw him, she fell down at his feet, saying unto him, Lord, if thou hadst been here, my brother had not died.

            You cannot afford to live in the land of IF.  “If I had just done this… ”  “If I had just said this…”  “If I had tried harder…”  “If ” moves you into the place of legalism.  IF is not Grace.  IF is works.  IF will short  circuit the Will of God.  It does not matter what we are, what we have done,  or what our need may be… all we need is JESUS.  He will erase all our “Ifs”  and deliver us from our negative thinking. 

Don’t Yield to Religious Thinking. 

John 11:24   Martha saith unto him, I know that he shall rise again in the resurrection at the last day.

            Every time you are faced with an impossibility, Religion will attempt to rise up and “explain” the situation.  Religion attempts to make the Word of God agree with the death situation you are experiencing instead of making the death situation agree with the Word of God.   Religion is dead doctrine.  Religion is self-righteous pride and arrogance.  Religion is form and tradition and legalistic law.  Religion is a heavy burden.  Religion works with the devil to keep you in death.  Religion is deception.  Christianity is not Religion… it is LIFE.    Read Matthew 23 to see what Jesus said concerning Religion. 

            Religion will help the devil kill and destroy you.  Pious platitudes that look way into the future for pie in the sky bye and bye will not help you in the NOW.  Most of what we were taught about God had nothing to do with the present.  It was either History or Prophecy.  God is a God of the NOW.  And Jesus is a Jesus of TODAY.  HALLELUJAH.           

Don’t Be Moved by the Opinions of Men. 

John 11:37   And some of them said, Could not this man, which opened the eyes of the blind, have caused that even this man should not have died?

            What people think has nothing to do with what the Word Says.  All the opinions of men will not heal the sick or raise the dead.  What you say and what you think is worthless unless your WORDS and your THOUGHTS line up with the WORD OF GOD.   Most who are so quick to advise and counsel know little or nothing of the Power of God.  The ones looking on, seeing the grave and the grieving family, began to murmur.  Skeptics always murmur.  Doubters and Unbelievers are always looking for REASONS.  God is not a rea­soning God and He does not operate REASONABLE… He is a FAITH GOD and He operates in the SUPERNATURAL.  

Attempt the Impossible.  

John 11:39   Jesus said, Take ye away the stone. Martha, the sister of him that was dead, saith unto him, Lord, by this time he stinketh: for he hath been dead four days.

            Jesus “went too far.”  When you begin to ROLLAWAY STONES from IM­POSSIBLE SITUATIONS, satan and all his helpers will accuse of GOING TOO FAR.  “You can’t be serious.”  “You really don’t mean that.”  “Do you realize what you are doing?”  “What will people say?”  “What will my relatives think?”  DO IT.  If you never ATTEMPT the IMPOSSIBLE you will never get a MIRACLE.  When you refuse to ROLL AWAY THE STONE you accept DEFEAT and LIMIT GOD and STOP ALL MIRACLES from happening.  What stone will you roll away today?  What stinking corpse of impossibility will you UNCOVER and present to GOD?  YOU WILL NEVER get a RESURRECTION if you REFUSE TO ROLL AWAY THE STONE.  This is your INITIAL ACT OF FAITH and it is this ACT that Moves Heaven in your behalf.

Pray Right.  

John 11:41   Then they took away the stone from the place where the dead was laid. And Jesus lifted up his eyes, and said, Father, I thank thee that thou hast heard me.

            Refuse to Pray in doubt and unbelief.  “If it is Thy will” praying will never get a miracle or experience a resurrection.   If you do not know how to Pray the Word, you better never roll away the stone.  Jesus knew (1) What God’s Will was  (2) How to Pray in God’s Will  (3) How to Pray in Great Faith.  He was SURE of HIS POSITION in GOD.  He KNEW WHO HE WAS and what GOD had promised to do for Him.  He did not beg.  He did not plead.  He did not an­guish.  HE THANKED GOD.  

Speak Faith Boldly.

John 11:43   And when he thus had spoken, he cried with a loud voice, Lazarus, come forth.

            I get great comfort from this verse.  If Jesus “cried with a loud voice” I guess it’s OK for me to preach with a loud voice.   He boldly and specifi­cally spoke out and called for a miracle.  He “got what He said!”  Remember Mark 11:23?  “For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall SAY unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall HAVE WHATSOEVER HE SAITH…”   Roll away the stone and SPEAK TO YOUR IMPOSSIBILITY.   

 Get Free.  

John 11:44   And he that was dead came forth, bound hand and foot with graveclothes: and his face was bound about with a napkin. Jesus saith unto them, Loose him, and let him go.

            Get free and stay free.  Do not get entangled again with the yoke of bondage that kept you bound.  Tear off the grave clothes and let the NEW LIFE come forth.  Refuse to stay in the grave yard dressed like the dead.  Get Up.  Get Out. Get Free.  Stay Free.

Word for Today:  October 22

The Power of death and the Power of life is in your tongue.

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

It matters how you talk.  Choose to “speak the Word only” and speak only what the Word declares.    Confess what God says and not what you feel or how you feel or what others think.

• Thou art snared with the words of thy mouth, thou art taken with the words of thy mouth… Pro 6:2
• The mouth of a righteous man is a well of life… Pro 10:11
• A man shall be satisfied with good by the fruit of his mouth… Pro 12:14
• A man shall eat good by the fruit of his mouth…. he that keepeth his mouth keepeth his life… Pro 13:3
• A wholesome tongue is a tree of life… Pro 15:4
• A man hath joy by the answer of his mouth… Pro 15:23
• A fool’s 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. Death and life are in the power of the tongue…  Pro 18:20-21.

Words kill or words give life.  Words bring success or words cause failure.  Words initiate healing.  Words make things start or cause things to stop.  Words are carriers.  They bring in and they carry out.

What you say is important.  Your words will imprison you or set you free.

What you say is what you get

Word for Today:  October 21

Jesus’ self-emptying.

(Jesus) Who existing in the Form of God thought it not robbery to be equal with God: but made Himself of no reputation (Kenoo) and took upon Him the form of a servant and was made in the likeness of men; and being found in fashion as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross…  Phil. 2:6-8

Therefore the Lord Himself shall give you a sign; behold a virgin shall conceive and bear a Son and shall call His name Immanuel…  Isa. 7:13

The Kenosis of Jesus is a Foundation Truth that many have failed to grasp.  Kenosis or “self-emptying” simply declares that Jesus willingly “emptied” Himself of His God Characteristics and condescended to the stature and state of a man… a human being… born of a woman… and came to earth to live and die as part of God’s Plan to Redeem Man from Adam’s failure.

Jesus laid down and left in heaven certain characteristics and privileges He exercised as God.  He willingly emptied Himself of His God Form… His God Power… His God Knowledge… His Eternal Life.  He became subject to sickness, disease, death, failure, sin and any and all human liabilities and limitations imposed by Adam’s sin and failure.  The Scripture tells us that:

He was in all points tempted like as we are yet without sin… (Heb. 4:15)

Jesus willingly and obediently subjected Himself to the possibility of sin and the possibility of failure when He put off His God Characteristics and took on Himself the form and limitations of humanity.

But He was Victor over temptation.  He was Victor over sin.  He was Victor over every human weakness.  He was Victor over all…

Even death and the grave

Word for Today:  October 20

It matters

It really matters what and how you believe.  You can’t just believe anything and everything and live.  If you do not Believer Right you move into the realm of death.  If you do not Believe Right you will constantly be defeated and overcome by demon forces.

Jesus said to Martha at the tomb of Lazarus:

I am the resurrection and the life; he that believeth in me though he were dead, yet shall he live;  and whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die.  Believeth thou this?  John 11:25-26.

Do you Believe?  What do you believe?  How do you believe?  In whom do you believe?  Be sure you believe right.  Ignorance is no excuse.  False doctrine and flawed teaching is no excuse.  Religious tradition and denominational doctrines are no excuse.  To believe right is believing:

• That the Bible is the Word of God.
• That Jesus is the Son of God.
• That Jesus Died on the Cross for the sin of the world.
• That Jesus went to hell and conquered the devil.
• That Jesus rose again in the fullness of His Resurrection Power.
• That He is Alive.  Now.  And forever.
• That He has empowered His Church to do His Work on earth.
• That He is returning to claim His own and establish His Earthly

Believing this really matters.

Believing right determines your eternal future

Word for Today:  October 19

Your choice to live and not die must be made in the present.

It cannot be made in the past and it cannot be made in the future… it must be made in the present.    Once you choose you set the entire course of your life.  Your life begins to flow in the direction of your choice.  When you choose to live things pertaining to life begin to happen all around you.  When you choose to give in and give up, you begin to die and things of death begin to happen all around you.

Your choosing life will affect your family and your future.  It will save or destroy.  It will bring health or cause disease.  Your choice to live will change circumstances and situations.

As you choose daily to live and not die you determine your daily Spiritual and Physical Welfare.  You will win when you choose life.  You will lose when you choose death.  These are choices you make on a daily and hourly basis.  People who are constantly sad, frustrated, depressed, despondent, anxious, hurt, angry and impatient are experiencing all these negative forces simply because they refused to choose life.

Have you wondered how some people seem to always be happy and full of joy?  Have you wished that you could be the same way?  You can, too.

Because it is up to you.

It is a matter of choice.

Your Choice

I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live:  Deut 30:19

Word for Today:  October 18

Practically every situation on the world scene today is indicative of death, decay and defeat.

Fear prevails.  War threatens.  Terror rules.  Starvation and deprivation are the norm for two-thirds of the earth’s population.  There is NO HOPE in the natural.  Even at life’s best, death is only a heart-beat… a single breath away.  Cemeteries and funeral homes and hospitals and morgues are a constant reminder of the relentless pursuit of death.  Death is the counterpart of life in the world system and it is constantly overtaking the living.

But there is a way to live and keep from dying.

The Bible says that we can Choose Life and Refuse death.

I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you Life and Death blessing and cursing; therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may LIVE…   (Deut 30:19).

To choose Life and refuse Death is to Choose God and refuse the devil.

For He (God) is thy life and the length of thy days… (Verse 20).

Now, since people had rather live than die how can they do it?  Had you rather live than die?  Then it’s up to you.  Most think they can do nothing about life and nothing about death, but the Bible says that you have the privilege of Choosing which one you want…  The Bible says that we have a choice in the matter.  As a matter of fact, it gives us a simple multiple choice test.  Then, God is so anxious for you to get it right, He tells you which answer to choose!

When you choose to live you also choose for your seed to live.  When you choose to die you also choose for your seed to die.

God has bestowed awesome power in you.  He has given you the power and authority to choose.  What you choose and accept is what will come to pass.  What you refuse and resist is what will go away.  This is a Divine Principle set forth in the Word.

What choice will you make today?

Word for Today:  October 14

Behold Jesus as a Perfect Man

ALL the miracles that Jesus performed while He was on earth were performed by a Human Being Full of the Holy Ghost and Power.  What He did… we can do.  What He accomplished as a Man, we can accomplish as men and women full of the Holy Ghost and living in that anointing.

He spoke to storms and they stopped.  He spit and made mud from it, put it on blind eyes and they were opened.  He confronted demon powers and they feared and trembled and begged for mercy.  He touched crippled and broken bodies and they were made whole.   He spoke healing to the sick and diseased and they were healed.  He received sinners and had mercy on the guilty.  He loved the unlovable and had compassion on the masses.  He raised the dead… cleansed lepers… resisted the devil… opened graves… interrupted funerals and restored the dead to their families…   He made wine out of water… friends out of enemies… peace out of confusion and torment… joy out of sadness and Heaven out of hell…  And then He told us that:

greater works than these shall ye do; because I go unto my Father… John 14:12.

Jesus is our Example.  Jesus is our Pattern.  Jesus is the guarantee that we can overcome the devil and take dominion over the powers of darkness.

What He did… we can do

Word for Today:  October 13

One of the greatest illustrations of God’s Power being released through the Gifts of the Spirit happened to me back in the late 70’s when I was invited to teach in a leadership conference being held in Santiago, Chile, South America.

My assignment was to teach on the Baptism of the Holy Spirit to a group of Methodist leaders who had come from many districts in Chile to attend the conference.  When my interpreter (from English to Spanish) failed to show up, I was faced with an insurmountable difficulty.  It was impossible (in the natural) to communicate with the class of about 30 who had chosen to learn about the Holy Spirit and His present-day work in the Church.

After a few minutes of utter frustration, I began to forcefully speak out loud in Tongues.  The room was suddenly filled with the Power of God.  The interpretation was supernatural.  When I finally found someone to come and translate for me, I was informed that those in the class heard and understood what I had spoken in their native language, Spanish.

They told me through the interpreter, that they received specific instruction on how to receive the Baptism of the Holy Spirit.

And they all did.

It was a Miracle of the First Order

Word for Today:  October 12

Unity.

When the Body of Christ is functioning in Unity, the Power of God is Released into the earth.

There is unimaginable power in Agreement.  One of the greatest and most powerful tactics of the enemy is to divide the Body of Christ and in dividing, he can conquer.  When we are together… in unity…. we will all say the same thing with the same mind and heart and when we do the forces of darkness are crippled.  Defeated.

Demons cannot operate and the devil cannot destroy when we are One.  This unity must be one that crosses all lines.  Racial lines. Cultural lines.  Economic lines.  Family lines.

Whatever the walls of division are…. They must be destroyed if His Power is to be experienced in us and released into the earth.

What can you do today to build a bridge instead of a wall?