The Footsteps of Jesus

In our lives as children of God, we have the ability to walk in the footsteps of Jesus. We have the capability to walk, live and conduct our lives as He did when He walked on this earth. It is not in our own efforts or abilities that we can do this, but it is as we depend on Him and allow the Lord to take charge of our lives.

Yesterday, we talked about going to another level. We go to new levels in the Lord, or new steps if you wish to call it that, when we grow in our trust and confidence in His ability to take care of us, in His ability to guide us in everything we do. There is a place in God where we have grown up and are no longer children. Children are tossed to and fro with their thinking and are up one minute and down the next; they are unpredictable. Those who are grown up are stable and steadfast in their walk, in their lives, especially when crisis comes.

Many times, I have thought that I was grown up in an area with the Lord until I was in the middle of a crisis. Then I found out I still had some growing to do. God did not bring the crisis. Satan did. But actually satan is dumb. When he brings that trial, he actually exposes our weak spots so that we can shore them up with God’s strength.

How about this scripture for strength? Philippians 2:13 in the Amplified Bible tells us that it is not in our own strength because it is God Who is all the while effectually at work in us, energizing and creating in us the power and desire, both to will and to work for His good pleasure and satisfaction and delight. Or, how about Philippians 4:13 in the Amplified Bible? I have strength for all things in Christ Who empowers me. I am ready for anything and equal to anything through Him Who infuses inner strength into me. I am self-sufficient in Christ’s sufficiency. Look at that. We have strength for everything in the anointing of Jesus. We have our sufficiency in the anointing.

Remember Ephesians 6:10 in the Amplified Bible. We can make that a personal confession regarding God’s strength in our lives. I am strong in the Lord. I am empowered through my union with Him. I draw my strength from Him, that strength which His boundless might provides.

And look there, right after 10 is verse 11 which tells us to put on the whole armor of God, which, of course, is Jesus Himself. Satan has been stripped of his armor and we have been given ours. What more do we need! Let me connect a verse in Ephesians 4:24 with the armor. Put on the new man, the new nature [the armor of God, the armor of light (Romans 13:12), Jesus], created in God’s image in true righteousness and holiness. (Emphasis added by me) Do you see that? Put on Jesus;, put on the new nature, which is the nature of God; put on the armor of God.

Now what about the footsteps of Jesus?

Look at Psalm 85:13 in the KJV and the Amplified Bible.
Righteousness shall go before him; and shall set us in the way of his steps.
Righteousness shall go before Him and shall make His footsteps a way in which to walk.

Connect that verse with Proverbs 12:28 in the KJV.
In the way of righteousness is life; and in the pathway thereof there is no death.
If you look in your bible, you see that certain words are italicized. Those words are added at the discretion of the translator and we can and should take them out. It would thus read: In the way of righteousness life and the pathway no death. Do you see that? When we put on Jesus, the armor, we put on righteousness, which is God, Who is Life and in our pathway of living is zoe, God’s life, eternal life, which is forever life, the very force of God and Who He is. Chew and meditate on that for the rest of the day.

And I leave you with one more scripture.
Psalm 119:133 in the Amplified Bible
Establish my steps and direct them by means of Your word….
We can ask God to establish our steps in life and direct them by means of His Word.

Heaven in 2007

A partner insert from Jesse Duplantis Ministries triggered today’s Pearls of Wisdom.
The header for the insert is: A Life of Heaven in 2007.

And these were the confessions to make. Let’s personalize them for our lives in 2007.

“In 2007, I’m going to a higher level in….

“In 2007, I’m going to a higher level in MY CONFESSION! I will speak the Word and draw good things into my life!”

“In 2007, I’m going to a higher level in MY FAITH! I will see through the eyes of child-like faith! God is able!”

“In 2007, I’m going to a higher level in MY THRONE-TIME! I will seek God in prayer more than ever before!”

“In 2007, I’m going to a higher level in MY FOCUS! I will not allow distractions to steal my ‘life of Heaven’ in 2007!”

“In 2007, I’m going to a higher level in MY POWER! I will take authority --- I decide what I will do in life, not satan!”

“In 2007, I’m going to a higher level in MY THINKING! I have the mind of Christ and I refuse to be confused!”

“In 2007, I’m going to a higher level in MY BLESSINGS! Every spiritual, physical, and financial promise in the Word is God’s good will for me!”

“In 2007, I’m going to a higher level in MY LIFE! May God’s will be done ‘…in earth, as it is in Heaven’ in 2007!”

What a confession to make. God always wants to take us to a higher level. In Him is the ultimate, highest level there is. Are you pressing upward to a new level this year in your spiritual walk? Are you determined and have you made up your mind, on purpose, that you will succeed in all that you set your hand to? that the words of your mouth will definitely change the course of your life, of your circumstances for success? that your faith will produce success in your life? that you will seek the Lord more than you have before? that you will focus so pointedly on the Lord that nothing distracts you from time with Him? that God’s power of life is operating in you in its fullness? that your thinking will be the thoughts He thinks? that you will walk in the blessing of the Lord in every area of your life and that you will walk in the realm of zoe, eternal life?

Most people are satisfied with status quo, and status quo can be equal to stagnation. In God’s Kingdom, if we are not aiming for the higher life, we are standing still. There is so much to explore in God’s realm, and I don’t want to miss any of it. There are so many people to reach and so much to do, and I want to do all that He has called me to do. How can we achieve if we don’t aim higher? Take aim and go for it. There are levels of God’s Kingdom that none of us have come up to yet. We must keep pressing toward the mark, just like the Apostle Paul exhorted us when he said in Philippians 3:14 that he pressed toward the mark for the prize of the high calling in God in Christ Jesus. One of the words used in the Strong’s Concordance for this word “press” is the word “pursue.” I like that word. To pursue indicates to me that you don’t sit and wait for it to come to you. You go after it. What do you go after? You go after everything God has for you and don’t back off from any of it. Pursue higher levels in God’s power, in His Life, in faith, in love, in your confession, in His blessing. Pursue God with every ounce of your strength. Go after Him. And don’t ever stop at the level where you are now. If you become tired or discouraged, stir up the Sprit of God that is in you. And go to a higher level.

God's Kingdom

In Romans 14:17 we read in the KJV of the Bible:
For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost.

In the Amplified Bible we read:
[After all] the kingdom of God is not a matter of [getting the] food and drink [one likes], but instead it is righteousness (that state which makes a person acceptable to God) and [heart] peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.

What is a kingdom?
In Webster’s 1828 Dictionary we see the following definitions.
The territory or country subject to a king; an undivided territory under the dominion of a king or monarch.
The inhabitants or population subject to a king.
In Scripture, the government or universal dominion of God.

In Strong’s Concordance, we see that a kingdom is the foundation or base of power, reign, rule, realm, royalty

So, we can conclude from these points that a kingdom is a place or people under a king, and that kingdom has certain laws or regulations to govern it as a foundation of the power or reign of the king.

God’s Kingdom is under King Jesus and our regulations are found in His Word to govern our lives, to build a foundation for our living. And God is reigning in this Kingdom. He is the one Who has set the Kingdom laws by which we live. Those laws can be found in the Bible. They are specifically stated, such as the law of faith or the law of the Spirit of Life in Christ Jesus.

In Romans 14:17 we are told what God’s Kingdom is: Righteousness, peace and joy. And those three are in the Holy Spirit of God.

Righteousness is our ability to stand before God as if we have never sinned. It makes us right with God, with all of the rights, the privileges of being a child of His. We become righteous by being born again, accepting Jesus as our Savior, accepting what He did for us on the cross when He died and was resurrected to sit at the right hand of the Father. When we disobey God, which is called sin, then we have opened ourselves up to the strategies of the devil against us; there is not the protection we had before. All we have to do is to ask forgiveness and we are placed right back in Father’s protection, with access to all that He has for us.

Peace is that wholeness of God that keeps us steadfast and steady, regardless of whether we are in times of “everything going great” or times when things are not lining up as they should. The Peace of God keeps us from becoming broken up, fragmented, in the midst of living our life here on this earth. Jesus told us that He was giving us His Peace and, therefore, we were not to let our hearts be troubled or fearful. He is called the Prince of Peace. When we are in Jesus Christ and He is in us, we have a life of wholeness in our spirit, our souls (minds, wills, emotions) and our bodies.

Joy is that element of God that we can’t always define. It doesn’t depend on us being happy or unhappy. It is a constant state of strength in God that rejoices in the good times and rejoices in the bad times, because we know we have a Heavenly Father Who takes care of us. He is always there to be our buffer in the storms of life and to be our strong support in adversity. He is also there in the times of absolute days of heaven on earth. His Son Jesus has taken the hit for us on the cross when He took our place and took all our sins and sicknesses and diseases and punishment. He is our big brother. And if satan comes against you with his junk, just point in the direction of Jesus, Who steps in front of you and looks at satan. One look from Jesus and satan flees because he remembers the last time he confronted him and lost big time.

And all of these kingdom components are in the Holy Spirit. He is the One Who comes to us and woos us into the Kingdom of God. He is the One Who keeps us on the right track. He is the One Who comes to our aid when we need help. He is the One Who is now here on this earth and dwelling in us with God’s Kingdom. I am firmly convinced that as we pray much in the Holy Spirit, we will become men and women of great might because it will be God’s might, God’s power that we are demonstrating. If I could give you one piece of advice right now in this life, it would be to pray much in the Holy Spirit. He knows all the answers and as you and I pray in the Holy Spirit, those answers will become apparent to us, become obvious to us. We will know how to take what He gives us and take care of situations as they arise in our lives.

What is it today that you are struggling with? Pray in the Spirit. He knows the answer and He will give it to you. The reason we don’t know the answer is because in our humanity, we cannot know the things of the spirit. It is only through the Holy Spirit that we can know God’s MO for our lives. He has a plan. He has the answer. It is there for you today.

The Fullness of the Godhead

As I was teaching Monday evening in our ministry meeting, I shared about Colossians 2:6-10 in the Amplified Bible as a powerful confession. Let’s look at it and make it our declaration today.

I have received Christ Jesus the Lord and walk, regulate my life and conduct myself in union with and conformity to Him.

I have the roots of my being firmly and deeply planted in Christ Jesus my Lord. I am fixed and founded in Christ Jesus my Lord. I am being continually built up in Christ Jesus my Lord, becoming increasingly more confirmed and established in the faith, just as I was taught, and I am abounding and overflowing in my faith with thanksgiving.

I see to it that no one carries me off as spoil or makes me captive by his so-called philosophy and intellectualism and vain deceit, idle fancies and plain nonsense, following human tradition, men’s ideas of the material rather than the spiritual world, just crude notions following the rudimentary and elemental teachings of the universe and disregarding the teachings of Christ.

For in Christ the whole fullness of the Godhead continues to dwell in bodily form, giving complete expression of the divine nature.

And I am complete in Him, made full and having come to fullness of life; in Christ I am filled with the Godhead—Father, Son and Holy Spirit—and I reach full spiritual stature. And He is the Head of all rule and authority, of every angelic principality and power.

I am filled with the Godhead; I am complete in Christ Jesus; I have the Head of every angelic principality and power living in me. The Greater One is living in me with His fullness. I am filled with Christ Jesus. I am full to overflowing.

What a confession to make every day. This covers it all.

The fullness of God is everything we would ever need—health, wealth, love, joy, peace, goodness, kindness, patience, faithfulness, faith, temperance. He is in us with everything He is. Stop and think on that for a while. All that God is, is ours now as we walk on this earth. Everything He is, we are. Why? Because He dwells in us in His fullness. Whatever we need while we are here on this earth, He will supply. All we have to do is believe it and receive it by faith. By faith means that we may not see it in the natural realm, but it is done in the spirit. When it is done in the spirit, just trust God and watch Him bring it about. Believe and receive. Believe and receive. Believe and receive.

Let’s say that a few times: I believe God and I receive the fullness of Him in my life and for my life. I believe God and I receive. I believe God and I receive. You fill it in. What do you need to receive that is His? He has it all.

Faith is such a simple act. And mankind has made it so complicated. Faith is believing the truth of someone or something. It is believing that God is truth. What He says is true. What He says, you can depend upon. That is what it is. When the situation doesn’t look favorable, who do you believe? Do you believe the world and what it says? Or do you believe what God’s Word says to you? His Word is truth, regardless of what you see going on around you. What He says in His Word, it is true for you, whether you accept it as truth or not. His Word will always be true for anyone who will take it and believe it. Believe what He says, even when it looks like you are going down for the third time.

You can trust God. You can trust His Word.

I Press Toward The Mark

I’d like to share my heart with you today.

There’s a place in the Lord where we can all go while we are here on this earth that is higher and deeper than anything we have ever experienced before. It is a place of strength and power and might with an anointing like we have never had before. There is a fullness of God that none of us have experienced to the maximum possible. God has made it available for each one of us, and it is not just for ministers. It is for anyone who will press in and take it for themselves.

God is desiring to take us higher into Himself, higher into Who He is, higher into His glorious realm of love and goodness. His glory is His goodness. When Moses asked to see God’s glory, the Lord replied: I will let my goodness pass before you. The glory of the Lord is His nature, His Love, His power, His might expressed in this earthly realm in manifested, visible form.

There is so much that God wants for us as His children to experience and to have. He has made available to us all of His kingdom right now. All we have to do is know about it and how to access what He has given to us. We access everything in God’s Kingdom by our mouth, out of the faith that is in our heart. The words of our mouth are the creative force of our lives, creating our future and shaping our destiny. God has a perfect plan for each one of us, a perfect purpose for our lives, and we must find that purpose by spending time with Him, listening to His voice, obeying His word of instruction to us. Our words determine what happens in our lives. God has made us creatures of choice with a voice. He has made available to us the ultimate of abundance in every area of our lives. The choice is ours and not His. He has chosen the best for us. What we must do is get into agreement with Him. We cannot agree with someone if we have no knowledge of what they have for us. Neither can we agree with someone if we don’t know how to receive what they have given to us.

The greatest need I see in the Body of Christ today is learning how to receive what is ours. We receive with the words of our mouths. Those words come from our hearts. Jesus told us that out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. What is in our hearts in abundance will come out. What are you putting in your heart today? Are you spending time with God and His Word or are you spending time with everything but His word? What is going into your heart?

As I look around me, I see people who are desiring to do what is right, desiring to live the good life, desiring to be prosperous, desiring to be healed and healthy, desiring to be like Jesus. And most of them are struggling, trying to receive what God has for them. The Holy Spirit will teach every one of us how to receive what God has for us if we will give Him some time to do it for us. And we must desire that teaching more than we desire anything else. When we desire Him more than we desire anything, we will have what He has and be like He is.

Oh, there is such a place of intimacy and joy in the Lord that He wants to take each of us into. My heart is full to overflowing with Him today and His absolute love for each person on this earth. He loves both the sinner and the saint. The difference between the two is that He has relationship, fellowship with the saints and wants to have relationship with the sinner. It is our responsibility as the saints to show the sinners this wonderful love that God has for them. They will run into His arms of love, if someone shows them the way. Let’s you and I be those who show them the way.

There is a whole world out there now looking for answers. And we have the One Who is the answer. When we press toward Him with everything in us, we will be the demonstrations of the answer to people’s challenges and give them Jesus. I see an interpretation of Philippians 3:14 that I have never seen before. Paul said that he was pressing toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. He was in white-hot pursuit of the Presence of God, which is the highest calling in life. And we go into the Presence of God in Christ (The Anointed One and His anointing) Jesus (our Savior and Redeemer). When we press, we are determined to attain what we are after. I am after Jesus with everything in me. How about you? The world is waiting for the real Christian to stand up and be counted. They will follow Him in us.

God's Plan For Your Life

Proverbs 16:9 in the Amplified Bible reads:
A man’s mind plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps and makes them sure.

Proverbs 19:21 in the Amplified Bible reads:
Many plans are in a mans’ mind, but it is the Lord’s purpose for him that will stand.

God’s plans for our lives are written in His book in Heaven. All that He has planned for your destiny is there for you. What you and I have to do is to be led of the Holy Spirit and get the mind of God in our lives; we need the Holy Spirit to direct us and to guide us in the footsteps of Jesus. Our footsteps follow Him.

When we are growing up, people ask us what we want to be when we grow up, and we tell them. It varies but there are numerous occasions where the person has become what they said they would be. People who don’t know what they want to do when they grow up, flounder and are uncertain of their future. I have noticed that children who are encouraged to think of their future are more likely to do what they were designed by God to do than those children who are not encouraged to do so. As parents, we must always guide our children in the direction of seeking the Lord with all their hearts and putting Him first place in their lives. Then, as they grow physically and come to the time of doing as adults what God has planned for them, they will have grown spiritually and can hear the voice of the Lord telling them what to do.

What are the desires of your heart? Today, are you where you want to be? Are you doing that which satisfies you? Are you in the place you want to be? What is God saying to you right now as you read this? What is He saying to you about your life? Are you right in the center of God’s will? And if you are not, why aren’t you doing something about it?

There is only one way to know God’s will—spend much time with Him in prayer and in His Word. Pray much in the spirit until you do know what God’s perfect plan is for your life and then go and do it, one step at a time, until you have finished your course here on this earth and He is satisfied and you are satisfied.

I can hear some of you saying right now. But, Kialeen, I am too old to start over. I am too old to change jobs. I am too old to go back to school. I am too old to move. Really! With God, you are never too old to get into His perfect will for your life. He is a God Who redeems time lost. He is such a wonderful loving God that His greatest desire is for us to be in His perfect will. Why is that? He knows that is the place of perfect contentment and satisfaction, the place where He can use you the most to influence the people He wants to minister to. He has a whole group of people for you to touch, to affect for His Kingdom. You can’t influence them if you are not in the right place.

I wasn’t even saved until I was 32 years old. After I got saved, I knew that I was called to the ministry. Over the years, God has fine-tuned me and refined me, a little here, a little there until this present day, when I know that I am “smack dab” in the middle of His perfect will. It is such a place of rest and peace. I love what I am doing and I love working with the great Creator of the universe. He is so much fun to be with and to work with.

I want that same peace for you. God wants it.

My prayer for you today is that you will find God’s perfect plan for your life. Remember that there are many plans in your mind but in the final analysis, it is the Lord’s plan for you that will stand when all the others have backed out of the way. God plans your way in life. The secret to being in His will is to stay real close to Him. Let Him have the driver’s seat. Follow Him. Stay with Him.

Say this:
I am led by the Holy Spirit of God. His plans and purposes for me are being divinely fulfilled, even now as I speak this Word. He leads me and guides me in all of my life. Thank You, Lord.

The Book of Hebrews

I love the book of Hebrews. It is the book which tells us what Jesus has done for us. He shed His blood; He took it to the Heavenly Holy of Holies and sprinkled it on the Mercy Seat of Heaven; He redeemed us with His blood forever, eternally. He is the Apostle and High Priest of our profession, confession. Through death He rendered powerless the devil who had the power of death. God tells us that He will certainly bless us and multiply us.

We can rest in faith in what Jesus had done for us. He is the Word of God and He speaks and the Word is full of His Life and full of His power. The Word of God is effective and penetrates to the deepest parts of our soul and spirit, judging our very thoughts and intents of heart.

We can come boldly to God’s throne of grace to obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need. We have boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus.

We are to hold fast to our confession of faith because Jesus is our High Priest Who has passed into the heavenlies. We are not to cast away our confidence which has great recompense of reward—great returns—pay day comes to those who stand fast, hold fast to their confessions of faith. We have need of patience (staying consistently on God’s Word, regardless of circumstances) that after we have done the will (Word) of God we might receive the promise.

We live by faith and do not draw back into unbelief, destruction, with an evil heart of unbelief. God takes no pleasure in those who draw back because of fear into the place of unbelief. Without faith, it is impossible to please Him. Why is He displeased? Because He knows that those who walk by faith will have all that He has for them. It actually hurts Him to see His children in lack and doing without what He has provided for them when He has such an abundance for His kids.

We have in heaven a better and an enduring substance. Then we see that faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. Faith is that heavenly, enduring, better substance. Faith is visible in the spirit realm. It is substance. Just as God is love and doesn’t have love but is love, so also, faith is substance and doesn’t have substance but is substance.

We have the wonderful faith chapter in Hebrews 11. We see all the ones who lived by faith. By faith the elders received a good report. Isaiah 53:1 says: Who has believed our report? In other words, whose report do you believe—God’s or the world’s?

Through faith the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things that are seen are not made of things which do appear, which are visible. This correlates with Romans 4, which says that God calls those things that be not as though they were and they become. Hold on to your seat belts—you are just like your Heavenly Father. You can call those things that be not as though they were and they become. BY FAITH, BY FAITH, BY FAITH, BY FAITH--------------.

Speak it: I am a person of faith. I am just like my Heavenly Father. I call those things that be not as though they were and they become. I live in the Word of God; I live in the Presence of God, and out of His Presence comes the understanding of faith, of faith substance in Heaven, which becomes reality in the earth realm where I live. I live by faith. I walk by faith. I talk by faith. I am a person of faith. The Word of God is my witness of faith. I hear the Word and I hear the Word and I hear the Word and I hear the Word until it becomes more real to me than anything else around me. I speak the Word. I speak the Word. I speak the Word until it becomes revelation, understanding in my spirit and renews my mind. Then I speak to the mountain in my life and it is removed and cast into the sea. I believe in my heart and say with my mouth----I have God’s kind of faith. I say to the mountain (big thing) in my life: Be removed and cast into the sea (gone forever). I don’t doubt in my heart. I believe that those things which I say shall come to pass. I shall have whatsoever I say. I have it now. I believe now. NOW FAITH IS-----------

And my God makes me perfect (nothing missing, nothing broken, complete) in every good work. He supplies what I need to get the job done. I do it and please Him in every way. My task is accomplished through Jesus Christ. All the glory goes to Him forever and ever. Amen.

LOVE

Ah! It’s the day of the celebration of love all over this country today, the celebration of human love. Flowers and candy and cards are being given everywhere. The young lovers are starry-eyed with one another and the older couples’ love has deepened over the years to a love that is true and steadfast and assured.

But there is a greater love than any human can ever express. We all know what that is—it’s the love of God, Agape Love. Our dear Heavenly Father loves us with a love that is beyond anything we can comprehend with our souls. However, we can comprehend it with our spirits. Our spirit man soars when we know the love of God which has been shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Spirit, when we know that the same love with which the Father loved Jesus He has placed in our hearts and loves us with that same love. What a God we serve! What love He has for us!

In Ephesians 3:14-21 in the King James Version and the Amplified Bible we have an awesome statement concerning us and God’s love. May we be rooted deeply in love. May we be grounded in love. May we be able to comprehend with all the saints the breadth, length, depth and height of God’s love. May we come to know the love of Christ; may we have an intimate relationship with the love of the Anointed One. And what is the reason for that? So that we may be filled with the fullness of God, the fullness of Love. Then we see in the very next verse that when we are filled with the fullness of Love, which actually is His power at work in us, He will be able to carry out His purpose for us and through us for others. He will do exceeding abundantly above all that we dare ask or think, infinitely beyond our highest prayers, desires, thoughts, hopes or dreams.

Do you see the unending possibilities in that previous statement? He will do exceeding abundantly above—above what? All that we dare ask or think. Can you ask it or think it? His provision is exceeding abundantly beyond that. That is more than the human mind can comprehend. Then in the Amplified Bible we see the fullness of what the infiniteness is. It is infinitely beyond our best and most extensive prayers------desires-----thoughts----hopes----dreams. Ponder that for a while. The Love of God, which is His power, the fullness of it is infinite—no limits—beyond what you and I can pray, beyond what you and I desire, beyond what you and I think, beyond what you and I hope, beyond what you and I dream. Is there anything left that is not covered? I think not. So, what is it this day that you are praying or desiring or thinking or hoping or dreaming? God will not only do beyond that. He will do exceeding abundantly beyond that. There is no limit to His ability. He is eternal, and there is no limit to the Eternal One. Consider that the rest of the day. You want to think about love. That is what God’s Love is all about.

So now, let’s declare our love to our Heavenly Father, to Jesus and to the Holy Spirit.

I love You, Lord, with all my heart, all my soul, all my mind, all my strength. Dear Heavenly Father, I know that You love me and I love You. Dear Jesus, I know that You love me and I love You. You died for me. You took the punishment I deserved. Thank You. You took it all for me. Thank You. I love You. Dear Holy Spirit, thank you for dwelling in my mortal body and giving life to me every day, all the time. Thank You. I love You, Lord, with all my heart, all my soul, all my mind, all my strength.

Lord, Your Love in me causes me to endure long and to be patient and kind. Your Love in me helps me not to be envious or jealous or boastful or vainglorious. Your Love in me does not display itself haughtily. Your Love in me causes me not to be conceited, arrogant or inflated with pride and makes me courteous instead of rude or unmannerly, makes me act becomingly. Your Love in me does not insist on its own rights or its own way, is not self-seeking, touchy, fretful or resentful. Because of Your Love in me, I take no account of the evil done to me; I pay no attention to a suffered wrong. Your love in me helps me to rejoice when right and truth prevail and not when injustice and unrighteousness prevail. Your love in me helps me to bear up under anything and everything that comes, in all circumstances of life, standing firm and not weakening, with hope that doesn’t waver or fade. Your Love in me makes me ever ready to believe the best of every person. Because Your Love is in me, I never fail. Your Love never becomes obsolete or comes to an end. Thank You for Your Love, Lord. It is the very breath of life I breathe daily.

The Cleansing Power of the Blood of Jesus

It’s snowing where I live today. I love snow. There is something so peaceful and purifying about snow. I know that if you have to drive in it, sometimes that is not so peaceful. But what we are going to talk about today is the way snow affects us if we are inside watching it and enjoying it as a beautiful scene.

To me, snow represents a cleansing of the earth on which it falls, a purifying of the atmosphere. If we look up the word cleanse in the 1828 Webster’s Dictionary, here is the definition we find.
To purify; to make clean; to remove filth, or foul matter of any kind….to free from a foul or infectious disease; to heal….to free from ceremonial pollution, and consecrate to a holy use….to purify from guilt….to remove.

In 1 John 1:7 we read: But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin. In verse 5 we read that God is light and in 1 John 4:8 and 16 we read that God is love.

In John 1:4 we read: In him was life; and the life was the light of men.

When we look at these verses, we see that God is Light and God is Love, so if we walk in (live our lives) in God, then we are walking (living our lives) in Love and in Light because God is Light and God is Love. He doesn’t have love. He doesn’t have light. He is Love. He is Light. If we walk in Him, we have fellowship with one another (those who are His children, who are born again) and the blood of Jesus Christ cleanses us from all sin. God’s Love is our life, and His Life in us is the Light of men. That is a continuous process.

I am not a medical person but I am told that doctors can tell a lot about you by checking your blood. They can tell about disease, which interrupts that life flow in your blood, introduces a foreign element in your blood that they now can identify with their modern technology. Your blood circulates through your body every 23 seconds. Your heart beats and circulates blood through your body, carrying old trash out and bringing in oxygen and nutrients that you need.

Even so, the blood of Jesus circulates throughout our spirit man, carrying shame, guilt, confusion, sickness and disease, poverty, lack, doubt and unbelief, and fear away and brings victory, confidence, health, wealth, righteousness, faith, prosperity. When we understand the cleansing power of the blood of Jesus 24-7, when we understand that we can walk free of what this world and the devil tries to put on us, we will live a different life. It’s a life that is free from fear and doubt. It’s a life full of trust, confidence, faith in our God and His ability to do what He says He will do. The Bible is full of God’s Word of power for us. Every Word is backed by the blood of Jesus. God takes seriously His covenant with us. Covenant means that every word that is spoken and written in this book called the Bible is God’s absolute promise to us. Promise is sometimes considered a weak word. There actually is no word in the English language that portrays God’s absolute backing of every word He has spoken. If He has spoken it, it is forever true for whosoever will accept and receive the truth of it. That is what determines what works in your life. Who do you believe and whose word do you receive?. Do you receive the word of man and trash up the blood flow of Jesus, or do you accept the Word of God and allow the cleansing power of the flow of His Word to purify you?

Snow represents cleansing and purifying on this earth. The blood of Jesus doesn’t represent cleansing; IT IS cleansing. The blood of Jesus was shed for each one of us to receive its benefits. Oh, the benefits are complete, with nothing lacking of what we need to live in this world victoriously.

Today, as we think about snow and we think about the blood of Jesus, let’s remember that the blood of Jesus opened up for us a life of purity in the Kingdom of God, a life of continual love and light in God, a life of victory. As we focus on the cleansing power of the blood of Jesus in our lives, we will see our lives demonstrate the fullness of the power, the ability, the strength of God. There is continual cleansing and a life flow of Almighty God in the blood of Jesus.

Trust In God

In verse 2 of Psalm 91 in the Amplified Bible we read:
I will say of the Lord, He is my Refuge and my Fortress, my God; on Him I lean and rely, and in Him I [confidently] trust!

Today we are going to talk about trusting the Lord and delighting ourselves in Him. Trust is something that human beings in this present-day world seem to be lacking. And what is the reason for that? They are depending on themselves and other people. And every person in one’s life, including yourself, will let you down at some time. Why is that? We don’t have the ability within our own flesh to consistently do what we say we will do. Even the most reliable person will forget or not do what they said they will do. BUT GOD! But God in you and me will make us trustworthy, will give us reason to trust again.

I talk to and see people when I am ministering that I know do not trust the Lord. They have this wonderful façade that they have built up to supposedly fool people into thinking that they have it all together when the truth is that they are hurting big time. They don’t want anybody to know this, because they think it would make them appear less than successful in life. Facades will never take the place of the confidence of the Lord.

And how do we get this confidence in the Lord? How do we learn to trust? It is a step-by-step process and develops over a period of time. We learn to trust again by deliberately, on purpose going to the scriptures and finding those passages that speak of trusting the Lord and having confidence in Him. We meditate on those scriptures until they become reality in our lives. The Word is always the answer. Ask the Lord to help you. Spend time with Him, even when you don’t feel like it. Develop a relationship with Him. How? If nothing else, sit and read scriptures out loud and then sit quietly for a few moments and focus on how good God is to you. You say that you don’t think He is good to you. You are alive, aren’t you? You’re breathing, aren’t you? There is always something for which to be thankful. Look for things for which you can give thanks. You can eat. You can walk. You can see. You can hear. You can talk.

My dad, who is 88 years old is blind in one eye and deaf in one ear and the “good” eye is having a few challenges these days and the “good” ear is having some challenges. But when I go to see him, he is so full of cheerfulness and says that he has good legs to walk and a good eye to see and a good ear to hear. He doesn’t complain. He finds things that are good about his life and focuses on those. He is such an example for all of us to take a pattern in our life.

Let’s look for a moment at Psalm 37:3-5 in the Amplified Bible. In fact, if you get a chance today, read the whole Psalm. It is truly about trusting the Lord and the blessings that follow that trusting.

Trust (lean on, rely on, and be confident) in the Lord and do good; so shall you dwell in the land and feed surely on His faithfulness, and truly you shall be fed.
Delight yourself also in the Lord, and He will give you the desires and secret petitions of your heart.
Commit your way to the Lord [roll and repose each care of your load on Him]; trust (lean on, rely on, and be confident) also in Him and He will bring it to pass.

What do we see in these verses? When we trust in the Lord, when we lean on Him, when we rely on Him, when we are confident in Him and also do good, we shall dwell in His place of goodness and faithfulness to us. We shall be fed with His bountiful abundance in every area of our lives.
When we delight ourselves in Him, He will place within our hearts those desires that He wants for us and then fulfill them.
When we commit our life to Him, and that means to roll all our cares, worries, concerns, anxieties on Him, He will bring to pass in our lives His full life, the fullness of life. When we trust Him, when we lean on Him, when we rely on Him, when we are confident in Him, He will bring to pass a fully rich and abundant life for us. That means a life of health, prosperity (success: achieving the highest possible), well-being, love, joy, peace, healthy relationships, healthy marriages, children who are taught of the Lord—that kind of life is ours when we trust the Lord.

Healing Power

Let’s talk about health and healing today. Let’s consider that the very life of God, His eternal life, His zoe life is dwelling in us because He is dwelling in us by the power of His Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is the presence of God.

A number of years ago, the Lord gave me three healing scriptures that represent the Father, the Son Jesus and the Holy Spirit. I speak them over myself every day and they always energize me for the day, remind me of Who it is Who is in my body.

We all know 1 Corinthians 6:19 which tells us that our body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, His very dwelling place, the sanctuary where He abides, dwells, makes His home. The Holy Spirit is God’s gift of Himself in us. Jesus bought us with His own blood and we are not our own. Indeed we are bought with a price. That is the highest price that has ever been paid; there is no price high enough on the blood of Jesus. It is priceless, precious blood. Then we see in 2 Corinthians 6:16 that we are the temple of the Holy Spirit, the temple of the living God. God has said: I will dwell in you and I will be your God and I will be your people. God is serious about being one with us and dwelling with us.

Here are the three scriptures.

The first one is the Father.
Psalm 107:20 KJV
HE SENT HIS WORD, AND HEALED THEM, AND DELIVERED THEM FROM THEIR DESTRUCTIONS.
Amplified Bible
HE SENDS FORTH HIS WORD AND HEALS THEM AND RESCUES THEM FROM THE PIT AND DESTRUCTION.

So our dear Heavenly Father, Who loves us so intensely, sent His Word (Who, of course, was His only Son) and healed us and delivered, rescued, released us from destruction. That is in the Old Testament and in the past tense of the verb. In God’s eyes, you were healed before the foundation of the earth. What each of us need to do is to take on God’s eyesight, to see the way He sees. He has given each of us spiritual eyes to see with spiritual eyesight. The problem is that most people can’t get past the physical eyesight of what they see in their bodies to the spiritual eyesight of what God sees in their bodies.

The next one is Jesus.
Isaiah 53:4,5 KJV and Amplified
SURELY, HE HAS BORNE OUR SICKNESSES, DISEASES, WEAKNESSES, DISTRESSES AND CARRIED OUR PAIN, GRIEF, ANGUISH, AFFLICTION, SADNESS….HE WAS WOUNDED FOR OUR TRANSGRESSIONS; HE WAS BRUISED FOR OUR INIQUITIES AND OUR GUILT; THE CHASTISEMENT NEEDFUL TO OBTAIN OUR PEACE AND WELL-BEING WAS UPON HIM AND WITH THOSE STRIPES THAT WOUNDED HIM WE ARE HEALED AND MADE WHOLE (THIS WHOLENESS HERE MEANS: NOTHING MISSING, NOTHING BROKEN).

1 Peter 2:24
WHO HIS OWN SELF BARE OUR SINS IN HIS OWN BODY ON THE TREE, THAT WE, BEING DEAD TO SINS, SHOULD LIVE UNTO RIGHTEOUSNESS: BY WHOSE STRIPES YE WERE HEALED.

You notice that even this passage of scripture in Isaiah is in past tense in the Old Testament. And then, of course, we look in the New Testament at 1 Peter and see that it has already been done. Many people try to make 1 Peter 2:24 refer only to sin. You cannot separate sin and sickness and disease or any other consequence of the curse. Sin brought it all. But the minute we accept Jesus as our Savior, that sin is forgiven, wiped away by the blood of Jesus as if it never happened. And so, also, the consequences of sin, such as sickness and disease, are washed away. Why do you think Jesus said to the man that He told to take up his bed and walk: Which is easier, to say your sins be forgiven you or to take up your bed and walk. Jesus was saying here that they are intermingled. Sin and sickness and disease are all from the devil who comes to steal, kill and destroy when Jesus has come that we might have and enjoy life, have it in abundance, to the full until it overflows (John 10:10). Your sickness is not necessarily a result of your personal sin. It is a result of the sin that is in the world and which produces sickness and disease all over the place. That is why we as God’s children must know that we know that we know what our Lord has done for us and accept it as a part of our lives.

The next one is the Holy Spirit.
Romans 8:11
AND IF THE SPIRIT OF HIM THAT RAISED UP JESUS FROM THE DEAD DWELL IN YOU, HE THAT RAISED UP CHRIST FROM THE DEAD SHALL ALSO QUICKEN YOUR MORTAL BODIES BY HIS SPIRIT THAT DWELLETH IN YOU.

We see here that the Holy Spirit Who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in us as born-again children of God. He raised Christ, the Anointed One and His anointing, from the dead. He, the Holy Spirit, Who dwells in us, shall quicken us, give life to us, to our mortal bodies, just like He did Jesus, as He dwells in us. What we must understand is that the Holy Spirit is God dwelling in our physical bodies to give us His life 24-7. We must focus on that and get an understanding of Who is in our bodies. He is in there to give resurrection life every second of every minute of every hour of every day of every week of every year to our bodies, if we know about it and if we accept it. There is a life flow available to every born-again believer which will keep sickness and disease out of, away from our bodies. He is called a river of living water, a fountain of life. You all know what a fountain does. It flushes out the junk that is in water. A River also carries away stuff, just by its flow.

I know that if you will meditate on these three scriptures, you will have an understanding and acceptance of healing and health that you have never had before. Remember that Proverbs 4:22 says that God’s Word is life and health and healing and medicine to all our flesh. His Word is medicine. And His medicine doesn’t taste bad or have harmful side effects. The side effects of His medicine are life and health. Glory! Hallelujah!

The Armor of God

An email from a friend today reminded me of the armor of God.

In Romans 13:12 we read:
The night is far spent, the day is at hand; let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light.
The Amplified Bible reads as follows:
The night is far gone and the day is almost here. Let us then drop (fling away) the works and deeds of darkness and put on the [full] armor of light.

What Paul is saying here is that we are to put on God Himself. In 1 John 1:5 we see that God is Light, and in Him is no darkness. And we see in 1 John 4:8 and 1 John 4:16 that God is Love and he who dwells in love dwells in God. And God is Life itself; He is zoe, life eternal, forever and ever, without end, no beginning and no ending, never changing, always the same. What does that say to us? What does that tell us about what happens to us when we put on Him and His clothing, His nature?

In Ephesians 6:11-17 when Paul talks about the armor of God, it all points to Jesus. This must be established in our minds. Truth, Righteousness, Peace, Faith, Salvation—This is what Jesus is all about. He is the Word and the Word is the Truth. He is made unto us righteousness. He is our peace. He is the author and finisher of our faith. He brought salvation to us. We must allow Jesus to become our everything; we are enveloped in Him. He is our armor of light, our protection, our bubble of light where the enemy cannot get to us. We must be conscious of that at all times, especially in the days in which we live. The Holy Spirit makes us aware of who we really are, in Jesus Christ.

We put on the Lord Jesus Christ when we put on the armor of God. In Galatians 3:27 in the Amplified Bible we read: For as many [of you] as were baptized into Christ [into a spiritual union and communion with Christ, the Anointed One, the Messiah] have put on (clothed yourselves with) Christ.

Once again, back to Ephesians 6, we see in verse 11 the reason we are putting on the whole armor of God—to stand against the wiles of the devil. Isn’t Jesus the One who defeated satan and is in us to enforce that defeat through the power of the Holy Spirit? And don’t we have to be aware of what we are clothed with? If you don’t know what you are to put on for the day, if you are not aware of what you are wearing, how can you be confident that you are ready for whatever comes? Have you ever seen a little child when he or she is first learning to dress themselves and put the right outfits together? They have a rough time in the beginning, matching up colors and making things look right. And they even have difficulty putting on their clothing at first. But the more they practice, the more efficient they become at dressing themselves. And when we are adults, we don’t even think about having to concentrate on dressing ourselves. The same is true in the spiritual realm. We must practice putting on our clothing every day. The armor is our clothing. As we mature, we reach the point that we know how to dress and do it quickly every morning.

Let’s take a quick look at what we are dressed in every day in the Lord Jesus Christ. We have the belt of truth around our loins. We gird ourselves with the belt of truth. We are prepared for active work. In 1 Peter 1:3 we are told to gird up the loins of our mind—renew our minds with the Word of God and we are prepared to stand our ground against the enemy. The breastplate protects our heart; we must know that we are righteous or we are already defeated. Our feet are shod with the preparation of the good news of peace (wholeness, nothing missing, nothing broken) We know we are whole. Wherever we go in our walk of life and whatever we do, we are prepared for whatever because we know we are whole, complete. The shield of faith quenches all the fiery darts (wrong thinking) of satan. And where does faith come from? The Word of God. Think on the Word and your faith shield is up and quenches every wrong thought that comes your way. With the helmet of salvation on, we know we’ve been delivered. The Lord is spoken of as our shield over and over in the Word of God. There are too many places to list here. And we take the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God. Sword is used here figuratively for power and authority. It is our offensive weapon.

We must protect our hearts (breastplate of righteousness) and our minds (helmet of salvation).

This is just a very brief, one-page teaching on the armor of God. Those of us who preach and teach know that this is a series of many lessons. I hope that this mini teaching prods you as an individual to dig deeper and study the armor of God for yourself. There are a lot of good books and teaching CD’s (and tapes if you still have them) on the armor for you to read and listen to.

Bon appetit!

The Blessing of the Father

My dear Heavenly Father loves me. I want you to go around all day today saying that, and at the end of the day, check up on your spirit man and notice how settled you are, how peaceful you are, how confident you are and how aware of the Spirit of God you are.

On Monday God gave me such a revelation of Himself as our Father Who loves us so dearly. He showed me that He was waiting practically on the edge of His Throne until Jesus came and went to the cross and conquered satan and hell and ascended back to Heaven with His blood to apply on the Mercy Seat of Heaven.

You know why the Father was so excited. He had been waiting all those years to be able to lay His Hand of Blessing on each child as they were born into the household. In the Old Testament we have a type and shadow of what the Heavenly Father would be doing. As each child was born, they were blessed by the father of the home. That is exactly what our dear Heavenly Father does for each of us as we are born again.

The born again experience has been something that most people see as a ticket into heaven, which it is, but it is so much more. It is not about going to an altar and giving your life to the Lord, which it is. It is not about some evangelist getting many credited to his account, which he does. Here is what it really is about. It is about the Father and His family coming together again. It is about another child being born into the family. It is about God’s quiver being full to overflowing. It is about the Father getting the privilege of blessing another child and bestowing His blessing upon them.

Of course, His blessing involves imparting to the child, making available to the child all that the household has. And, my dear friends, that is all of Heaven’s resources. For starters, we have healing and health and the inflowing of His divine life, 24-7; we have prosperity (success, achieving God’s highest and best in every area of our lives); we have freedom from sin and its consequences; we have deliverance from all that satan would attempt to put on us; we have God’s very nature inside us. Now, I ask you, what more do you want to live an overcoming life in this world.

In the New Living Translation, Compact Edition, let me read to you what Psalm 139:1-5 says:
O Lord, you have examined my heart and know everything about me.
You know when I sit down and stand up.
You know my thoughts even when I’m far away.
You see me when I travel and when I rest at home.
You know everything I do.
You know what I am going to say even before I say it, Lord.
You go before me and follow me.
YOU PLACE YOUR HAND OF BLESSING ON MY HEAD.

Do you hear what that last verse says? Let’s read it again. You place Your hand of blessing on my head. This is serious business. God Almighty, the Maker of Heaven and earth, the creator of the whole universe, places His hand of Blessing on our heads as His children. He blesses us. And we know what bless means. Listen to me, fathers, when you bless your children, you are conferring on them the whole fullness of success and well being for their lives. You are saying, in essence, I confer on you, I bestow on you the empowerment to prosper in every area of your life. I am empowering you to do what you need to do to achieve your divine destiny while you are here on this earth. You are saying that you confer on that child the ability to go to the highest level of excellence in his or her life. And from that moment on, you speak only words of good, words of blessing, words of encouragement, words of life over them. It has been a proven fact that children who are spoken to with positive words will be much more successful than those who are spoken to as if they are nothing and will never do anything.

And think of how the Heavenly Father has given us His very Word of Life, our Bible to tell us who we are and what we can do. Oh, my heart is so full this morning of gratitude to my dear Heavenly Father Who loves me. Meditate on this all day. What a life-changing revelation!

Psalm 119 - Part 7

Today we are going to make another confession concerning vision from Pastor George Pearsons and then we will confess the rest of Psalm 119.

“I am a person of great vision. I was created in God’s image and after His likeness with His capacity for vision. I was born of God to dream, to create, to innovate, to pioneer, to explore, to invent, to see what has not been seen, to do what has not been done. My capacity for vision is enlarging. It is growing. It is expanding. It is getting bigger and bigger every day. My faith for God’s vision is stirred up. My faith for God’s vision is enlarging day by day. My faith is awake. My faith is alert. My faith is working. My faith is vibrant. My faith is producing results. My faith is getting stronger and stronger every day. I now speak to ____. I call you done. I have faith for ____ and vision for _____. My faith for God’s vision is stirred up. I receive Your perfect plan. I seek not my own vision but the vision of the Father. Heavenly Father, I am yielded to Your vision for my life and _____. I receive Your perfect plan for ____, for reaching out into my community and nation for greater demonstration of the spirit. I seek not my own vision. I seek the vision of the Father Who sent me. It is the Lord’s purpose for me that will succeed. Because the Lord is building my house, my labor is not in vain. The Lord makes me what I ought to be and equips me with everything good in order to carry out His will.” Prov. 19:21 AMP, Ps. 127:1, Heb. 13:20,21

I anticipate the night and wake to meditate Your Word.

According to Your lovingkindness, hear me speak, Lord; give me life according to Your righteous Word.

You are near, O Lord, and all Your Word is truth.

Concerning Your Word, I have known for a long time that Your Word is forever.

Give me life according to Your Word.

Great is Your tender mercy, O Lord; deliver me according to Your righteous Word.

Consider how I love Your Word; give me life, O Lord, according to Your lovingkindness.

Your Word is true from the beginning and every one of Your righteous words endure forever.

I rejoice at Your Word as one who finds great spoil, treasure, wealth.

I praise You seven times a day because of Your righteous Word.

I have great peace because I love Your Word and nothing shall offend me.

Lord, I have Your salvation and I do Your Word.

My soul keeps Your Word and I love Your Word exceedingly.

I have kept Your Word for all my ways are before You.

Give me understanding according to Your Word.

Deliver me according to Your Word.

My lips shall utter praise, when You have taught me Your Word.

My tongue shall speak of Your Word, for all Your Word is righteous.

Let Your hand help me, for I have chosen Your Word.

I have Your salvation, Lord, and Your Word is my delight.

Let my soul live and I will praise You; and let Your righteous Word help me.

I do not forget Your Word.

Psalm 119 - Part 6

Before we continue our confession of Psalm 119, I would like to share with you a confession that Pastor George Pearsons has given that both he and his church are speaking and which I am speaking as I watch his teaching on Spirit-Led Vision (which, by the way, is the best teaching I have heard on vision). I would highly recommend listening to this teaching, which he started last August and is still teaching. Whether you have heard teaching on vision before or whether it is new to you, it will benefit you.

“I am a child of God. I have been born again. I am born of the Spirit of God. God’s Spirit communicates with my spirit and tells me I am a child of God. As many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. The Spirit of God leads me. He is leading me now. He is rising up big in me, giving illumination to my mind, strength to my body, direction to my spirit. I am led by the Spirit of God. He leads me by the inward witness, by the inward voice, by the voice of the Holy Spirit. All of the leadings that come to me in life will come out of my spirit because I am led by the Spirit of God. I am created in the likeness and the image of God. God is a Spirit being. I am a spirit being. I am a spirit; I have a soul; and I live in a body. I contact the physical realm with my body. I contact the intellectual realm with my soul. I contact the spiritual realm with my spirit. My spirit is called the inward man, the hidden man of the heart, the real me. It is that part of me that is born again, that will live forever and that communicates with the Lord. God leads me; He guides me; He directs me; He enlightens me; He communicates vision to me through my spirit. I am led by the Spirit of God.”

Now, let’s continue our confession of Psalm 119.

Hold me up and I shall be safe; and I will have respect unto Your Word continually.

Deal with me according to Your mercy, and teach me Your Word.

I am Your child; give me understanding, that I may know Your Word.

I love Your Word above gold, yes, above fine gold.

I esteem your Word concerning all things to be right.

Your Word is wonderful; therefore, my soul keeps Your Word.

The entrance of Your Words gives me light; it gives understanding to me.

I opened my mouth and panted; for I long for Your Word.

Look upon me and be merciful to me as You do to those who love Your name.

Order my steps in Your Word; and let not any iniquity have dominion over me.

Deliver me from the oppression of man; so will I keep Your Word.

Make Your face to shine upon Your child; and teach me Your Word.

Your Word that You have commanded is righteous and very faithful.

Your Word is very pure; therefore I love Your Word.

Your righteousness is an everlasting righteousness and Your Word is the truth.

Your Word is my delight, even when trouble and anguish try to take hold of me.

The righteousness of Your Word is everlasting; give me understanding and I shall live.

Psalm 119 - Part 5

We’re getting there. As my son used to say when we took a trip: Are we there yet? You realize that Psalm 119 is the longest chapter in the Bible. Of course, it is. It is the chapter about God’s Word. His Word is what we have been given for victorious living here on this earth. Then it stands to reason that the chapter about His Word would be the longest one. Let’s confess His Word this day. Are you ready? Let’s go. What a way to start. Look at the first confession. You may want to stay there on that verse for a while. I think I will.

O how I love Your Word! It is my meditation all the day.

You, through Your Word have made me wiser than my enemies; for Your Word is ever before me.

I have more understanding than all my teachers; for Your Word is my meditation.

I understand more than those who are aged, because I keep Your Word.

I have refrained my feet from every evil way, that I might keep Your Word.

I have not departed from Your judgments; for You have taught me.

How sweet are Your words unto my taste---Yes, sweeter than honey to my mouth!

Through Your Word I get understanding; therefore, I hate every false way.

Your Word is a lamp, candle unto my feet, and a light unto my path.
Let’s camp at this verse for a minute. Do you realize that God’s Word is full of Him, Who is Life and Who is Light and Who is Love. He is the total source of life. His life is called zoe life, which is eternal life. Eternal life is flowing through you and me as children of the Most High God, Who is our Heavenly Father. As we speak His Word, we are releasing the Life and Love and Light of God on our behalf into this earth, for whatever we need. Do you need healing in your body? His Word is Life to your mortal body. Do you need financial stability and prosperity? His Word is full of life for your finances. Whatever you need, the Lord has the supply, the provision for that need. He is our source of supply for everything. But most of all, He is our Lord, our Father, our Savior, our Redeemer, our wonderful Friend and Companion and the One Who loves us dearly. Focus on these things today about the Lord. He is our everything. Meditate on His love for you today and your love for Him.

I have sworn and I will do it; I will confirm it; I will keep Your Word.

Quicken me, give me life according to Your Word.

Accept the offerings of my mouth, freely given, and teach me Your Word.

I do not forget Your Word.

Your Word have I taken as an heritage forever; for Your Word is the rejoicing of my heart.

I have inclined my heart to perform Your Word always, even unto the end.

I hate vain, non-productive, unprofitable thoughts, but I love Your Word.

You are my hiding place and my shield; I hope in Your Word.

Evildoers depart from me that I may keep the Word of my God.

Uphold me according to Your Word, that I may live; and let me not be ashamed of my hope.

Psalm 119 - Part 4

There is so much to God’s Word. I am sure you are seeing, as we confess the verses of Psalm 119 and make them personal to us, that everything we will ever need is provided for us in God’s Word. The secret: We must take it in as our personal promise, a promise to us as an individual. God is a personal God. Faith is a personal walk. I cannot walk your walk of faith and personal relationship with God and you cannot do it for me. Your faith will grow as you confess, meditate and read the Word of God. You will hear Him speak on the inside of you to do things a certain way. That is the Word that you have stored up in your heart that is speaking to you. If there are not the right things of God in your heart, you will make wrong decisions. Right decisions are made as God’s people confess and meditate His Word, spend time in His Presence and listen for His instructions. Let’s purpose today that we will be people of the Word, not just during our prayer time, but all day and all night, every day and every night, day in and day out, a-l-w-a-y-s. It is not just about the time you spend in prayer but what you say when you are not in your prayer closet. If you find that you still have challenges in certain areas, get the word on that area and focus on it until the word is bigger than your weakness. Then you will walk in the strength of that area in the Lord.

You have dealt well with me, O Lord, according to Your Word.

You are good and do good; teach me Your Word.

The Word of Your mouth is better for me than thousands of gold and silver.

Lord God, Your hands have made me and fashioned me; give me understanding, that I may learn Your Word.

They who reverence you, Lord, will be glad when they see me, because I have hoped in Your Word.

I pray, let Your mercy and kindness be my comfort according to Your Word to me.

Let Your tender mercies come to me, that I may live; for Your Word is my delight.

Let my heart be sincere, sound in Your Word; that I be not ashamed.

I hope in Your Word. I do not forget Your Word.

All Your Word is faithful.

Quicken me, give me life according to Your lovingkindness, so shall I keep the testimony of my mouth regarding Your Word.

Forever, O Lord, Your Word is settled in heaven.

Your faithfulness is unto all generations; You have established the earth and it stands.

The whole universe continues today according to Your Word; it all obeys you and serves You.

Unless Your Word had been my delight, I would have perished.

I am Yours, Lord; I seek Your Word.

I will never forget Your Word; for with it You have given me life.

I have seen an end to that which is earthly, human, but Your Word is without limits and extends eternally, throughout eternity.