His Word is True for You

There are two things on my heart this morning. You and I are redeemed from the curse of the law. And we are to believe God's Word as true for us individually and personally.
Let's start with believing God's Word. You know it is one thing to hear someone's testimony about what believing God's Word did for their life. It is quite another thing to believe God's Word will work for you personally in your life. The first thing we all must realize is that God's Word is based on God Himself, Who cannot lie. Next, we must understand that He is no respecter of persons. Then, we must get it established in our minds and hearts that He is the same yesterday, today and forever. If He did it for one, He does it for all. If it is in His Word, then it is for you and me right now, today.
What if you have had disappointments or what seem like failures when you have "believed the Word?" What do you do with that? I'll tell you what you do with that. Put it behind you and go forward. How do I know that? Been there, done that. There must come a point in your life where it does not make any difference whether you see results or not in your life, you know that you know that you know that God's Word is true for you. I came to that point years ago and it has made all the difference in my life. Why? I don't care whether it looks like it is working or not. I know God's Word is the same always and is just as true for me as it is for anyone else. You must settle that once and for all. That must be a settled subject in your life. God's Word works every time, all the time, for whosoever. Are you a whosoever? Then you qualify.
We are told in Numbers 23:19 that God is not a man that He should lie nor does He change (repent) His mind about what He has promised in His Word. He has said it and He will do it. He has spoken and He will make it good. Right here, in the Old Testament, God has set up a principle, a law for you to go by. Here it is. You can accept it as true for your life or you can continue bemoaning the fact that it doesn't seem to work for you. Well, you are getting exactly what you believe. You must change your believer, your believing system. How? Take this one scripture and speak it over yourself. See yourself with this truth. Speak it and meditate it and read it until it becomes real to you. And don't back off until it is more real to you than anything else you hear.
In this world we will hear many things that the enemy of our life, satan, will try to infiltrate our minds with. He tells you that it won't work for you. It never has worked for you. Why do you think it will work now. Well, isn't that interesting. Here you are a child of God listening to God's enemy and yours. In the world if the United States listened to an enemy country and did what they told them to do, our country would be in the hands of the enemy and under their control. Do you get the picture? Why listen to the lies of the enemy when they are designed to get you under their control? Likewise, why listen to satan when he is designing lies to control your life.
God's Word is true. It was true yesterday. It is true today. It will be true tomorrow. Its truth doesn't depend on what happens in your life or what you think about the Word or what your experiences have been or will be. The Word stands by itself forever true, whether you see it working in your life or not. I am going to make a very bold statement here. It applies to me or you or anyone else who is a child of God. The reason the Word doesn't "appear" to be working in our lives is because of our unbelief or our ignorance of how to receive. It is not God's fault it is not working. Every apparent failure of God's Word in my life or yours is because there is something we don't know or understand or grasp. Does that make God love us any less? Of course not. Does that mean we are failures? Of course not. What it means is that we don't know it all. We have much to learn about God's kingdom. But let's press forward and get excited about what the Word is doing and will continue to do in our lives.
Jesus is the Word. Can you trust Him? Then start there. He tells us in John 10:10 that He has come that we might have and enjoy life in abundance, to the full, until it overflows. That sounds like it is possible for every one of us.

Let the Redeemed of the Lord Say So

Yesterday, we talked about healing and prosperity and all the rest of the package being ours already because of what Jesus has done for us. Today, let’s get our Word sword out and back up what we say. Never do anything without the Word as your foundation.

I know almost all of us have heard teaching after teaching after teaching on faith and on the Word of God and on healing and on prosperity, but if we are not walking in it, then we need more teaching after teaching after teaching. I know that I do. I need a continual inflow of God’s Word into my life to stay healed and whole in every area. The key word here is “stay.” We want to stay victorious and not go from one crisis to another. Tests will come as a result of living in this world which is run by satan and the flesh. But those tests do not have to sway us or distract us or sidetrack us.

Jesus told us in John 10:10 that the devil comes to steal, kill and destroy. Anything that steals from you or destroys you or kills you is from the devil. Jesus said that He Himself has come that we might have and enjoy life, have in abundance, to the full, until it overflows. That is God’s design for our lives. In 1 John 3:8b we are told that the reason the Son of God (Jesus) was manifest was to loosen, undo, dissolve, destroy the works of the devil. In Galatians 3:13,14 we are told by Paul that Christ has redeemed us, released us, ransomed us, loosened us from the curse of the law that the blessing of Abraham might come on us. The Anointed One, with His anointing has set us free from the curse. And what is the curse of the law? We see that in Deuteronomy 28. There is quite a list in those verses of various diseases and poverty and other things contrary to the Lord’s best. We are redeemed from all of that. Psalm 107:2 says: Let the redeemed of the Lord say so.

Are you redeemed? Then say so. Our mouth is connected with our victory. Jesus has already purchased our freedom from sickness and disease and poverty and separation from God. What we have to do is to enforce those facts in our lives. And since we have an enemy, he does everything possible to interfere with the enforcement, the reality of health and prosperity in our lives. But he is a defeated enemy. That is what we must constantly remind ourselves. Satan and all of his demonic forces are defeated in our lives.

We have already spoken about Jesus destroying the works of the devil. In Hebrews 2:14,15 we see that Christ has rendered powerless him who had the power of death, that is the devil and delivered us from bondage. In Colossians 2:15 we are reminded that Christ has spoiled, stripped of their authority principalities and powers and triumphed over them. Who do you think Christ Jesus did all these things for? You have got it right---you and me. But we must be the ones who personally accept what He has done for us. In the face of apparent defeat and failure, in the face of horrendous pain, in the face of a death report from the doctor, in the face of what seems like financial disaster, we stand up and say: I AM REDEEMED from every sickness and disease, from poverty and failure and defeat and death. I am redeemed from the curse of the law. I am more than a conqueror through Christ Jesus Who loves me. Greater is He who is in me with His might and His power than he that is in the world. Through Jesus Christ I have already defeated and overcome satan and all his works. You and I have to become aggressive. We cannot be passive. We must assert what is ours and refuse to let go of it. Stand firm, and stand strong on the basis of what the word of God says.

When we are hit is not the time to back down, back up or quit. Like David with Goliath we say: who are you, you uncircumcised Jew to come against a covenant child of God.

Jesus has already made the sacrifice. The work has already been done, but what we say about it affects what we experience of it. He is able to work in our lives according to what we say about it. What should we say? We should say what He says. He says we are forgiven, healed, delivered. We should say the same. We must give the Lord something to work with in our lives. We are going to say what He says and give Him as our High Priest something to work with in our lives. Heb. 3:1 and 4:14
Let the redeemed of the Lord say so----Psalm 107:2

It's Mine Now!

What if someone walked up to you and said:
I have here in my hand a pill that will heal every disease you would ever contract in your body.
OR
I have here in my hand a blank check. Fill in any amount you want. It is yours.
Would you take it?

The answer for most people immediately would be: Yes, of course, do you think I am stupid? Why wouldn’t I take something like that which is given to me?

As I was going down the highway this morning for my weekly visit to my dad’s house, the Lord showed me that I have access to either my soul or access to my spirit for what I need. He said that I could access my soul, which would be the world’s way of doing something. That way would be of my own efforts and my own doing. I would use my intellect to analyze the situation and determine what the best approach was to results. Then I would decide how to approach the situation and make that decision to do it a certain way to get results. Then I would feel good about my rather involved decision-making ability and the results I got. OR I could access my spirit, in which case I would be totally out of control of the situation and The Spirit of God would be in control, showing me what to say, what to do and when to do it and where to do it.

I’ll give you an example.
Someone really speaks nasty to you and makes fun of you. You can access your soul and say that you are going to be nice and not react to them and be kind to them. And five minutes later you will blow up in their face. OR you can access your spirit where the Holy Spirit dwells and say: I give You permission to take over, Holy Spirit. I know that I can’t handle this situation. What do you want me to do and how do you want me to handle it? I release any reaction I may have and I release You to bring Your love into this situation.

Now, just in case you think I am rambling, I am going somewhere with this so stay with me. In this world, when the doctor gives you a bad report or when the paycheck just doesn’t cut it for your bills, you have a choice of either accessing the way the world does it, i.e. your soul or accessing the way the spirit does it.

When we truly understand what Jesus has done for us by redeeming us from the curse of the law, that He really has set us free from having to go through what the world goes through, we will access the answer by our spirit every time.

I was made very acutely aware this morning that all that Jesus has purchased for me is already mine. Now I have known this for a long time but I really know it now. Healing is already mine. I don’t have to pray for it. I don’t have to fast for it. I don’t have to beg for it. It is already mine because of what Jesus did for me. He got it and He said: Here, take it, it belongs to you. Then why in the world are God’s children standing in front of His throne begging Him to please, please do something when they are standing with it in their hands already. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to say: there is something wrong with this picture. It is one of those “dah” moments.

So, what am I saying to you today? You are already healed. Just accept it. You are already prosperous. Just accept it. The actual earthly provision of it is God’s responsibility and not yours. Do you not think that He is a responsible God? Can He not handle responsibility? The way some Christians act, you would think that God is the most irresponsible individual around. What we are to do is to enjoy life to the max and let Him take care of the provisions for us. He is a good provider. He has paid a very “handsome” price for our healing and our prosperity. It is already ours to enjoy now. The pain has to leave. The symptoms have to leave. The money has to come to pay the bills. It is not a matter of if it comes. It is a matter of when it comes. The whole matter is His to take care of, not ours. And I have wasted years trying to make it happen, straining to make it happen, praying, fasting, confessing, praising, all with one end---to get God’s attention so that He would do something. All of these are important but not to get something we already have. They are to thank Him for what He has done. They are for us to keep ourselves in agreement with Him and what He has already done for us. IT IS FINISHED. IT IS ALREADY OURS. IT IS A DONE DEAL. It is God’s responsibility to bring about the earthly production of His Word in our lives.

Believe His Love

1 John 4:26 says that I can rely on, have faith in the love God cherishes for me.

Are you having difficulty believing for a turnaround in your life? Are you weary of the battle? Are you tired of not seeing results? The best thing to do is to start somewhere with something you can believe. This verse tells us that we can rely on and have faith in the love God cherishes for us. That is a good place to start with our faith.

Repeat after me:
God loves me. He cherishes me.
I belong to God Who loves and cherishes me.
He wants the best for me.
I do have faith in His love for me.
I can rely on His love for me.
He has me on His mind.
He is taking care of me.
I can trust Him.
I can believe He is taking care of me.

Refuse to look at the opposite of what love, God, would do for you. Sometimes it is as if we must put blinders on the sides of our eyes in order to keep looking straight ahead to the Word and nothing else. I have watched horses when they put those blinders on the sides of their eyes. They cannot see what is beside them. That is the way we must be. We do not see what is beside us to distract us. We choose only to see God and His Word of goodness and love.

God’s vision is single of purpose. He sees only good. Adam and Eve were like that until they partook of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Then they saw both good and evil. And from that time to now, mankind still does the same thing. The interesting thing about this knowledge is that when Jesus came and died and rose again, He purchased for us God’s vision of seeing only good. But that vision is something we must choose every day. Each day presents many opportunities to see good and evil instead of just good. That applies not only to our life’s circumstances but also to the qualities of those around us.

What an awesome opportunity we have presented to us as Christians. We can choose to have faith in and rely on the love God has for us, and in essence we are choosing to believe that in His love He has healing and health for us; He has prosperity for us; He has good for us. Start with having confidence in His love for you. Then work your way to having faith in Him as your Healer, your Deliverer, or whatever you need. If we don’t believe He loves us, then we certainly can’t believe that He will do anything for us.

What a Lord we serve. He is reaching out to you and me today to bring to us the blessing of wholeness in every area of our lives. I am reaching out my hand today to receive His blessing of wholeness in every area of my life. Won’t you do the same!

Let’s say with the Apostle John in 1 John 4:16, Amplified Bible
“And we know (understand, recognize, are conscious of, by observation and by experience) and believe (adhere to and put faith in and rely on) the love God cherishes for us. God is love, and he who dwells and continues in love dwells and continues in God, and God dwells and continues in him.”

Let’s end with a good confession:
Jesus loves me.
God the Father cherishes me.
The Holy Spirit is guiding me and comforting me and consoling me, watching over me.
I am blessed with the love of God. His goodness and mercy follow me everywhere I go.
God is good and He is good to me.
I can always depend on Him to take care of me.

Greater Is He

Over the weekend I was directed to look at 1 John 4: 4 again, to take a fresh look at what John was saying to those of us who would read it centuries after he wrote it.

He starts by reminding us that we are of God.
Say this after me:
I am of God. I belong to Him.

Then he reminds us that we have already defeated and overcome the agents of antichrist. How is this possible? We are in Jesus Christ, the One Who defeated and overcame the agents of antichrist (devil and demons) and He is in us. Hallelujah! Because of that, we are more than overcomers, more than conquerors through Jesus Christ, He Who loves us so tenderly and dearly.

What is it that is starring you in the face today and defying you? What is it that is shouting that you are defeated? What is it that is yelling that you are not an overcomer? What is it that is trying to steal, kill and destroy you today? Stand up tall, take a deep breath and look that thing in the face and say: I am of God. I belong to Him. I have already defeated and overcome you (and fill in the blank) ________________ because He Who lives in me is greater, mightier than he who is in the world. After saying that the first time, you may not feel any different, but keep saying it, keep saying it. So what if on the 1,120th time you say it, something happens. If you had quit at 1,000, nothing would have happened. Why does it work that way? Why so many times? I truly believe it takes that much to work the doubt and unbelief out of us. Some of us have more of it than others.

I have learned this weekend that there are things in me that only God knows and only God can reveal, so let Him reveal it to you. Don’t blame God for your circumstances. Don’t say it is too hard. He didn’t make it hard. It is we who make it hard with all of our questions and “why’s.” I am learning to rest in Him and trust Him, even when nothing makes sense in the natural. It doesn’t have to make a lick of sense in the natural. What does the Book say? That is what is important. If the Book, the Word of God, the Bible says it, then it is just as true for you as it is for the greatest preacher in the world or the great men and women of faith in the Bible.

Connect 1 John 4:4 with the part of Acts 17:28 that says that in Him we live and move and have our being. In Him, Who is Love; in Him Who is Light; in Him Who is the Word, in Him Who is everything------in Him we live. We dwell, live, abide in Him. That is where we live. Since in Him is the Word and according to Proverbs 4:22 the Word is health and healing to us, then in Him is health. In health we live. That is the place where we live. We move in health. We have our well-being in health.

I am giving you these scriptures and building you up in faith to believe. Don’t wait until a crisis hits before you make a quality decision to believe the Word for yourself. Don’t put off developing your faith in God and His Word. You are too precious to God. None of us must allow the massive taking of our time to rob us of the most wonderful, the most rewarding, the most beautiful relationship in our lives. It is not just about benefits. It is about relationship. Time with Him is the most awesome thing that can happen to us. And the benefits are part of the deal. They are just there because He loves us and wants to bless us. What a deal we have.

Make a quality decision today to take time for the Master. As one of the authors I know titled her book: THE MASTER IS CALLING. Will you answer the call today and every day of the rest of your life? Take time to fellowship with Him around His Word and learn the truth of what He is speaking to you. Put aside your earthly knowledge and understanding. It is a poor substitute for God’s knowledge, wisdom and understanding. Let’s all take Ephesians 1:17-23 and confess it every day concerning Godly understanding. You will live a better life when you walk in the results of believing God’s word.

Don’t wait until a crisis, attempt to believe and then blame God for not answering your prayers.

Romans 1:16

Romans 1:16 talks about the gospel of Jesus Christ being the power of God unto salvation.

Let’s focus on this scripture today and let it soak into, become a part of us. Here in this word Paul says that he is not ashamed of the gospel of Christ. He was proud to proclaim the good news of the Anointed One and what He has done for all mankind. It was his privilege to declare the word of the Lord.

And what is this word of the Lord that Paul was not ashamed to declare, to proclaim? He went about declaring that in this Jesus, in this word, the righteousness of God is revealed from one level of faith to another to another to another. He was declaring God’s kingdom----the way God does things, the way He operates. Paul was revealing God’s plan for man to walk in a place of love and joy and peace in the middle of earth’s temporal conditions with the eternal understanding of the word of God. Paul was showing us a way to live that was greater than we had known before.

He goes on to state that this declaration, proclamation of the good news of Christ, The Anointed One, is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believes—to the Jew first and then to the Greek, or all of mankind.

The word of God is the power of God. It is God’s dunamis power in operation. It is His miracle-working power in operation, unto salvation. What does this word salvation mean? Does it just mean being born again? Is that the exclusive meaning of this word? No, it actually is not limited to being born again. Being born again is part of a package of benefits that the Anointed One has purchased for every one who believes in Him. It is the word “soteria” which comes from the word “sozo.” It is one of my favorite words. It means deliverance, rescue, safety, health, healing, preservation, safety, protection, wholeness, wellness. It means all of these words to him who believes.

Every one who believes in the Christ, the Anointed One, Jesus, has access to these benefits. They are not exclusive for just a select few. They are for whosoever will come and partake, come and believe.

We make it so hard to believe for anything other than being born again. People even make it hard to receive the baptism in the Holy Spirit. Exactly what is believing? Believing is a decision you make, based upon what you know, that what you have heard is true and it is true for your life. When you decided to get born again, you didn’t base it upon whether you felt born again or not. You based it upon the information you had been given. That was it.

Then why do we make the rest of the receiving of this package so difficult? It is difficult because we have to contend with pain and we have to contend with symptoms in a medically oriented society in the United States. If you have a pain, you take a pill. If you have a sickness, you can go to the doctor and get a cure. So there is not the focus on believing the word of God for healing or trusting that what His word says is true and will work for you personally. Then if there comes a time when you need healing because the doctors can’t do anything, you panic and run in fear and grab everyone you can to pray for you. And when it gets worse, you really get into fear and you are asking people all over the country to pray for you. I know. I have been there with my first husband’s diagnosis of cancer. He died, even with everyone all over the country praying for him.

Why did he die? He needed to believe that he would be well himself. Everything with the Lord comes down to a personal decision. It starts with a personal decision to take Him as our Savior. It is also a personal decision to take Him as our Healer. It is a personal decision to take Him as our Prosperity. It is a personal decision to take Him as our safety. It is a personal decision to take Him as our Baptizer. It is a personal decision to take Him as our Deliverer. In every instance, it takes a personal decision of our believing that it will work for us.

Today you and I need to make some personal decisions and stick to them. Only believe.

We Must Believe God - Part 2

We finish Victoria Boyson's article on unbelief today, which was posted on the Elijah List on April 16. All credit is given to the Elijah List and Victoria Boyson as stated in yesterday's Pearls.

"Whether our situation is good or bad, we must have faith in God and know He is in control. Any obstacle that lies in our path is really just another opportunity for God to show us how much He loves us and what He can do. We can trust Him! No matter how bad a situation is, He is bigger. Tell Him it’s impossible and He grins from ear to ear, because He devours the impossible and leaves us amazed. How could we even think for a moment the situation was impossible? ‘With God all things are possible’ (Matthew 19:26………

Even some Christians can come to us seeming to be very righteous, when in reality they have been sent by the enemy to discourage the people of God. They feel as though they have been given special insight as to just how bad the situation is. But it is not God’s way to show us the negative circumstance without giving us an equal or greater revelation as to how He will redeem it.

Divine reporters view difficulty from God’s point of view. They see the light of Christ even in the difficulties surrounding them, and know the favor of the Lord is with them. Refusing to be misled by fear, they allow faith to lead them.

We don’t realize what effect our negative words have on God----how hurt He is by our disbelief in Him. He is not a bad God; He is very good and kind. And He wants us to believe and trust in His goodness………..

Thousands of people died in the desert because of the negative influence of ten men…….

God is pleased with those who trust in Him. If He has shown you your promised land, then believe He will lead you into that promise. We need to take captive any thought, word, or report that would raise itself above what the Lord has declared to be true. If God says you can do it, then you will!

God equals the sin of unbelief to that of rebellion (see Hebrews 3). I have never been sorry that I have trusted in God, even if what I have believed for has not happened. However, I have regretted not trusting in Him. Our unbelief hurts God, so much so that He refers to it as a hardened heart (see Hebrews 3:15)……

Many of the children of Israel were unable to enter the Promised Land because of their unbelief. They saw the miracles God had previously performed, and heard the Word of God He spoke through His prophets. ‘But the word they heard did not profit them, because it was not united by faith in those who heard’ (Hebrews 4:2). Their unbelief led to their disobedience to God; it caused them to sin.

God is honored by our faith in Him. He takes it very personally, and rightly so. If we truly have a personal relationship with Him, we would know Him as faithful and true (see Revelation 19:11). Indeed our faith in God is an element of our worship to Him. Do not let unbelief keep you from giving him your heart completely and receiving ALL that He has for you.

Pray this with me:

Dear Father,

Forgive me for not trusting in You completely, and forgive me for my lack of faith and any discouraging words I have spoken. Help me to be an encouragement to Your people. I want You to be pleased with me, so help me to follow You with my whole heart.

In Jesus’ name, Amen!”

Victoria Boyson, Speaking Life Ministries, Email: victoria@boyson.org

We Must Believe God - Part 1

I am on the email list for The Elijah List, and I have been so impacted by an article they published on April 16 by Victoria Boyson that I will be using portions of it in two Pearls of Wisdom. I give them total credit for it and print what they say I must do to send it to others.
ElijahList Publications
310 2nd Ave SE,
Albany, OR 97321
www.elijahlist.com
email: info@elijahlist.net
Phone 1-541-926-3250

For a period of time now I have been pondering unbelief and belief and why unbelief is so prevalent in the church world. Why is there such a struggle to believe God and His Word? Why is it so difficult to trust God in the middle of crisis? Why is there failure time after time? Of course, I know the answers to these questions, but it doesn’t make it any easier to explain to those who are in unbelief. There are two things working here: the devil and our fleshly ideas apart from God and His Word. I have seen lately that there are many things that I have accepted that are not believing God and His Word. Let God examine your heart today regarding your faith and believing in Him and His Word.

The following material is from Victoria Boyson.
“THE ENEMY IS AFTER YOUR FAITH----DON’T LET UNBELIEF KEEP YOU FROM RECEIVING YOUR PROMISED LAND”

“I truly believe one of the greatest thieves in our walk with God is unbelief! When the spirit of unbelief rules our hearts and minds, God is unable to give us the wondrous, supernatural blessings He so desires. His incredible blessings and miracles are stolen away from us by this deceitful spirit.

God is looking for unbelievers who will look at their circumstances with eyes of faith----people who will, despite all odds, believe for what God can do in any situation. He is also looking for people who will encourage the Body of Christ by reminding them of His great power.

Will you be one of those who bring God’s viewpoint to His people?

A person of true faith is a rare commodity. There always seems to be five negative people to every one positive person. Have you ever noticed how it is much easier to see the negative? It seems to be the obvious choice, at times. The circumstances that surround us often scream our defeat. But if we take the time to look into God’s heart on the matter, we will see it differently. We will see that all is not lost and He has a plan for our good.”

She then talks about the 12 spies that were sent into the Promised Land—10 brought a negative report and Caleb and Joshua brought a positive report.

She continues: “The ten negative spies saw only the barriers that stood between them and their promised land. They did not believe God was bigger than their circumstances.”

Then she talked about the Israelites: “…their hope in God had been deferred by the many bad reports they heard. Their faith had been stolen from them! Proverbs 13:12 says, ‘Hope deferred makes the heart sick.’ A spirit of unbelief had robbed the people of their faith in God and caused them to stumble and rebel against Him.

We see the same struggle today with the negative and positive people pitted against one another, fighting for the hearts and minds of God’s people. Those with the positive reports, the ones who fight to declare God’s goodness, are terribly outnumbered. But, oh, what a wonderful message they have to bring to God’s people! They are the ones who bring the true GOSPEL, which is the good news.”

God's Ways - The World's Ways

In Mark 8:34-38 Jesus poses a question to us:

Amplified Bible
And Jesus called [to Him] the throng with His disciples and said to them, If anyone intends to come after Me, let him deny himself [forget, ignore, disown, and lose sight of himself and his own interests] and take up his cross, and [joining Me as a disciple and siding with My party] follow with Me [continually, cleaving steadfastly to Me].
For whoever wants to save his [higher, spiritual, eternal] life, will lose it [the lower, natural, temporal life which is lived only on earth]; and whoever gives up his life [which is lived only on earth] for My sake and the Gospel’s will save it [his higher, spiritual life in the eternal kingdom of God].
For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world, and forfeit his life [in the eternal kingdom of God]?
For what can a man give as an exchange (a compensation, a ransom in return) for his [blessed] life [in the eternal kingdom of God]?
For whoever is ashamed [here and now] of Me and My words in this adulterous (unfaithful) and [preeminently] sinful generation, of him will the Son of Man also be ashamed when He comes in the glory (splendor and majesty) of His Father with the holy angels.

What does it profit us to gain the whole world’s approval, their accolades, their stuff, the temporary satisfaction of their gains? Why should we want to forfeit the life of God (zoe) which He gives to us to live successfully here on this earth? There is the world’s way of doing things and there is God’s way of doing things. Adam and Eve had everything in the Garden of Eden and they listened to satan who is the god of this world. They lost it all. They forfeited what God had given to them.

We are to take up our cross—the Lord showed me years ago what He really meant by that. Taking up His cross represented to Jesus what He was born to do---to die for us that we might become reconciled to God our Father. So, likewise, taking up our cross means doing what we were born to do, our assignment here on this earth, what we were born to do. We are to do it in the Lord and not in our own works. We are to be guided by Him and directed by Him while we are here. He is the director of operations for our lives. Why is that? Because He knows each second of each minute of each hour of each day of each week of each month of each year what we are supposed to be doing. He supplies what we need, to do what He has called us to do. God supplies the provision to fulfill the vision He has given us to carry out while we are here.

We live in this world, but we are not citizens of this world. We are citizens of the Kingdom of God. We operate under the laws of the kingdom of God. Our lifestyle is patterned after the Word of God. We do what the Word says. We talk like the Word talks. We act like the Word tells us to act. The Word of God is so important in our lives, because it tells us how to think and act so that we can do things God’s way. God’s way is so much better than any way that we have here in this world.

I know that when a person first starts to operate this way, it seems so hard and so difficult and many times people give up and quit. Why does it seem so hard? The reason is that we have been so used to doing things the world’s way. The world says when you get sick, go to the doctor. And there is nothing wrong with doctors and medicine. They have helped many people and if it weren’t for them, people would die and not be helped. But there is a better way for God’s people. God’s Word is our medicine. The world says that when you need to buy something, use your credit card. God’s Word tells us that He supplies all of our needs according to His riches in glory. The world says that when you are in debt, withhold finances and pinch pennies. God’s Word tells us to plant seed of our finances to reap a harvest of finances.

When we have not been used to thinking God’s way, it takes time to think in those terms. I also think people are too hard on themselves as they are learning how to live God’s way. It takes time to learn. It is a lifestyle that has to be changed. It is a way of living. It can be compared to people who have been used to eating the wrong food and have gained lots of weight. It is a change in lifestyle to eat the right food and slim down. The same is true of the Word of God. It is a change in lifestyle to eat the right food, the Word of God, instead of man’s ideas and advice and opinions.

I have been evaluating my own life in terms of God’s way of doing things, and I see areas where I have allowed the world to determine how I react, how I think about something. It is so easy to slide into a pattern of doing it the way everybody else does it. We even have to be careful that we in the church world are not adopting attitudes and habits that the world uses. In some instances, we have actually combined the world’s ways and God’s ways. That is pollution to God and a mixture. There is strength in purity. There is weakness in mixture. You know what all of this boils down to---we are creatures of habit and if we have been used to doing things a certain way, it is difficult to change, even if we do know that is the best way. God’s way is always the best way. But as you are aiming for His best way, you may have to gradually work your way into operating in His system as your mind is renewed by the Word of God to His way of doing things.

We are used to needing affirmation from our senses—if we can see it, taste it, smell it, touch it, hear it, we are OK. And God works by faith—His seen substance in His world but unseen in our world. We do have much to learn, but we are well on our way. It’s an individual walk. Don’t compare yourself to others and don’t let them overwhelm you if they are more mature than you. Jesus loves you, and He loves you too much to leave you the way you are.

Ask the Holy Spirit today to conform you to His ways and show you areas in your life that need transforming by the power of His Word from the world’s way to God’s way. He will do it and He will not condemn you or criticize you. Let Him do the makeover for you. You and He will be pleased with the new you.

Choose To Believe

In Psalm 8:3-9 in the New Living Translation we read:
When I look at the night sky and see the work of your fingers—the moon and the stars you have set in place—
what are mortals that you should think of us, mere humans that you should care for us?
For you made us only a little lower than God, and you crowned us with glory and honor.
You put us in charge of everything you made, giving us authority over all things—
the sheep and the cattle and all the wild animals, the birds in the sky, the fish in the sea, and everything that swims the ocean current.
O Lord, our Lord, the majesty of your name fills the earth.

God is Love and Love loves us with an eternal love that cannot be shaken by circumstances or situations. Love loves us regardless of how wicked we are. Love loves us when we are weak and when we are strong. Love loves us when we have faith and when we don’t seem to have any. Love just loves us.

Love made us in His very image with all of His nature in us. Adam and Even gave all of this up but Jesus bought it back for us with His blood. We are bought with a price; we are not our own.

In Ephesians 2:7 we see that God can always point to us as examples of His great love, His incredible favor and kindness toward us, as demonstrated in all He has done for us through His son Jesus Christ.

In Genesis 2 God said: Let us make man in our image, our likeness, to be like us. We are like God. We have His very nature in us as born again children of God. We are born anew in His image and likeness. We are like our papa.

In the NLT 2 Peter, chapter 1, we read that by His divine power God has given to us everything that pertains to life and godliness. He has called us to receive His own glory and goodness. By His mighty power He has given us all His Word, all His promises.

Now, after reading the above, I have a question to pose to you. Seeing how much God loves you, knowing that you are created in His image, knowing that His power is available to you to overcome in this life, why are you trying to figure out how to live here on this earth? Why don’t you stop trying to figure it out and enjoy what you have been given? Faith does not analyze. Faith accepts. Is it in the Word? Then it is yours. Accept it. Don’t try to work it out or figure it out. The more you try to figure it out, the more frustrated you are going to become and the harder it will be.

I have been around for a long time in this Christian walk of faith. And there are several things I can be sure of. I must consistently believe God’s word works for me. And satan will try to convince me that it doesn’t work for me. That’s it. Bottom line. Does it take work to make a decision? I don’t think so. You just make the choice and that is it. You don’t try to figure out how it is going to happen. You have just decided and it is God’s job to work it out for you. Every day each one of us makes choices—we make a choice to get up, to eat breakfast, to get dressed, to take a shower, to go to work, to get in our cars, to go shopping, etc, etc, etc.

Let’s make a choice today that every bit of God’s Word works for us. So what if you have to do some things to keep going while the word of God is working in your life. His Word works. You are no different than anyone else. His Word works. I don’t care how long it takes. It works.

You are God’s beautiful, lovely child. He adores you. He wants the best for you. He always wants the best for you. See Him as the One to believe. Choose to believe Him, regardless of what others tell you or what your circumstances are. He is the One you must believe. Trust Him above other people’s opinions and ideas. He is your Source of strength, faith and power. Depend on Him. You will come through to the other side.

Fear Not - Only Believe

When I lay down last night, the Lord gave me this thought: Why does man allow his humanity to stand in the way of My omnipotence, My power?

That is a thought-provoking question, but it has a very simple answer. The answer is our own doubts, our own unbelief. What is it that makes us doubt the God Who created the universe, the God Who created us so wonderfully intricate? Why do we doubt His Word? Why do we make up our own explanations for what happens to us that is contrary to His Word? We have an enemy. Actually we have two enemies---the devil and our own flesh. The devil sets us up all the time to doubt that it will happen for us according to God’s Word. He causes us to think that we won’t be one of the fortunate ones who receive our answer. And then our flesh kicks in and comes in full agreement with the circumstances. And it goes something like this in our minds: You know you have never received an answer to this prayer in years and the Word doesn’t seem to be working for you. Why don’t you try some other way to get your answer?

We are all alike. It is the same scenario. But there comes that moment as we spend time in the Word of God and in His Presence when we say: All things are possible to him who believes. I am a believer. Therefore all things are possible for me. And God is in charge of my life; He has only the best for me. That best includes divine health, wealth, prosperity of every kind in my spirit, soul and body, in my finances, my relationships, my family. And I don’t care what anyone else thinks about me. I am an overcomer because God’s Word dwells in me. The power of God is within me and He is my defender.

What I find the most interesting in this life is that satan has convinced people of God that doubt and unbelief is not that bad. After all, there are sins far greater. As usual, satan is a liar. Jesus called doubt and unbelief hardness of heart. And if our heart is hardened, it is difficult to receive anything from God. The whole time Jesus was here on this earth, He was encouraging people to believe, to trust in Him, to believe Him and what He was doing for them.

One of the greatest passages in scripture concerning belief is with Jairus in Mark 5 and Luke 8. I want you to go with me to that scene. Jairus comes to Jesus in desperation and falls at His feet and begs Him in all sincerity and earnestness: My little daughter lies at the point of death: I pray thee, come and lay your hands on her, that she may be healed; and she shall live. You must understand something here. Jairus was putting his reputation on the line. He is a ruler of the synagogue. But he doesn’t care. His daughter is dying. And he must have heard of the healing miracles that Jesus had performed.

So we have the scene. Jesus starts out with Jairus. He is headed to answer Jairus’ request. But something happens on the way to answer Jairus’ request. The crowds were thronging Jesus and following Him A woman somehow breaks through the crowd to Jesus. She is also desperate. Since Jesus knows what you think, I am sure He was hearing what was going on in Jairus’ mind. Jairus had the authority to have her stoned because she wasn’t even supposed to be out in the public in her condition as a woman with an issue of blood. But she didn’t care. She had nothing to lose. She had lost all her money and all her dignity following the world’s way, man’s way of healing her. Now she had built her faith up by SAYING: IF I MAY TOUCH BUT HIS CLOTHES, I SHALL BE WHOLE.

She touched Jesus and her fountain of blood was dried up. Jesus knew that someone had touched His clothes because He felt the anointing go out of Him to someone. He asked a question. Who touched me? The woman, fearing and trembling, came and fell down at Jesus’ feet and told Him everything. Don’t you know that took some time. Meanwhile, Jairus is waiting for Jesus to move on to his house. And then the bad news came. One from Jairus’ house came and said: Your daughter is dead. There’s no use to trouble the Master any further.

And Jesus, upon hearing the word of the little girls’ death, spoke to Jairus before he could get anything out of his mouth. BE NOT AFRAID; ONLY BELIEVE (Mark5:36) FEAR NOT; BELIEVE ONLY. (Luke 8:50)

If we will believe, all things are possible to him who believes. This passage of scripture is very important for us to take into our spirit man as God’s Word to us. Fear not; only believe. Doubt not that God is looking out for your best interests. Doubt not that it will happen for you just as it is promised in the Word of God, just as God promised you. He is back of every Word in this Bible. It is His Word that He has spoken. Isaiah 55 tells us that His Word will not return to Him without producing results. Do you believe that? Then don’t back down from what you have asked of God.

Jairus didn’t back down and he received his daughter back to life. Even if it looks like all hope is gone, keep on believing. In Romans 4 when all natural hope was gone for Abraham, He got his hope from what God had spoken to him. And faith is the substance of things hoped for.

What is it that is stopping you today from believing God will answer your prayer, your request? Fear not; believe only.

Learning To Listen

The title of our devotion today is learning to listen. We live in a modern world of noise and busyness. All around us are sounds of every kind, all varieties. There is the engine noise of cars we ride in, the airplanes on which we ride. And then there is the noise of people’s sound systems turned up to full volume in their vehicles with windows rolled down so everyone can be impressed with the sound of their system. There is the barking of the dogs in the neighborhood, the screams of all the children playing in the neighborhoods, the yells of the mothers to come to go to ball practice or dance lessons. And, of course, there is the TV in our own homes, and the mp3 players and the CD’s and on and on. There is little if any freedom from noise of some kind.

Then is it any wonder that we have difficulty sitting down and being quiet before the Lord and listening to His still, small voice. There are times in our lives where we need to sit down, shut everything off, shut the door to the room we are in and say, Lord, here I am. I want to hear what you have to say to me. Then listen. In Psalm 46:10 we are told to be still and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations. I will be exalted in the earth. Did you notice what this scripture said? When we are still, we will know God. What does know mean? It means to know someone, the way they think, the way they act. It means to be intimate with someone. Do you want to know God? Then be still before Him and let Him speak. Listen!

As we are still before the Lord, our thoughts are to be focused on Him and His goodness and His desire toward us. Our thoughts are to turn to Him being The Blessing in our life. We are to focus on Him, to turn our eyes toward Him, to tune our ears to His voice. We hear His voice and the voice of a stranger we do not follow.

Have you noticed that when you attempt to get still and quiet before the Lord that a zillion things go through your mind that you need to do or that is a reason you don’t have time to do this? These thoughts are a result of the world we are living in today. Everything has been put into fast forward. Go, go, go, go. Instead of go, go, go, it should be God, God, God!

Isaiah 30:15 tells us that in returning and rest shall we be saved (delivered from whatever has come against us); in quietness and confidence shall be our strength. We can make the deduction from this scripture that the strength of the Lord comes to us in those quiet moments of rest before Him. We are strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. He is our strength. He is our stronghold. He is the One Who puts us over in any situation. We need His strength because our strength runs out in a difficult situation. We only have so much strength in our own will. Our will can carry us a certain distance but not all the way to victory in a situation. That is what many people in the world use and mistake it for God directing them. Our own souls (mind, will, emotions) are strong and will carry us for a certain distance, but then when the situation doesn’t seem to move out of the way, the soul grows weary. Without God, we will grow weary; without turning it over to Him we will be tired and worn out. To put it plainly, we will give up because we cannot go any further. Only He can carry us all the way to victory, every time, in every circumstance, regardless of how impossible or difficult the circumstance or situation may seem.

There are many scriptures about hear in the Bible. But have you noticed that you cannot hear someone if you are focused on hearing something else? And you cannot hear when there is a lot of noise. So, today, purpose in your heart that some time you will sit and be quiet, even if it is just for 5 minutes. If 5 minutes is all you have, that is better than 0 minutes. Start there and before you know it, it will be an hour. And it will be a sweet hour of fellowship and reassurance of your Heavenly Father’s loving care for you. It will restore your confidence in Him and His working on your behalf. And you will realize that you can walk through your situation with confidence because your Father is with you all the way. You can be assured that whatever is in your path will be removed so that you can go forward unhindered.

Your dear Heavenly Father loves you. Jesus loves you. The Holy Spirit is here to help you. What more do you need? Be encouraged in the Lord today. He is your Helper and Comforter and Standby. He will carry you to the other side. Focus on Him.

God's Word Is Our Thought

Yesterday we talked about Jesus being the Word of God. In Revelation 19:15 we saw that out of His mouth went a sharp sword. If we look at Hebrews 4:12 we see what the word of God does for us.

From the Amplified Bible we read:
For the Word that God speaks is alive and full of power [making it active, operative, energizing, and effective]; it is sharper than any two-edged sword, penetrating to the dividing line of the breath of life (soul) and [the immortal] spirit, and of joints and marrow [of the deepest parts of our nature], exposing and sifting and analyzing and judging the very thoughts and purposes of the heart.

We see here that the Word of God is full of life, full of power. Whose life is it full of? God’s life. And the Word of God goes in and exposes for us the very thoughts of our heart, our spirit man, so that we can allow Him to clean out and to get rid of those things that are hindering our walk of power, our walk in the spirit while we are here on this earth.

The more you are in the Word of God, the more you will be cleaned up and purified for Him. It is wonderful what His Word does for us. It not only brings about the fullness of God’s Kingdom in our lives but also cleans us up every day of the earthly, fleshly, carnal desires that keep us from God’s best for us. Our soul is a very important part of us; it is the place where we make decisions, where we yield either to our emotions or the fruit of the spirit, where we think. What we think on is what we become. In fact, the Bible says that as a man thinks in his heart, so is he.

There are many things we can think on each day when we get out of bed. Our minds are very busy all the time. But the question you and I must ask ourselves is this: Exactly what am I thinking? And the next question is: If it is wrong thinking, how can I change it? The answer every time is this: The Word of God in our mouth and in our hearts will change our thinking from stinking thinking to God’s thinking.

There is a scripture verse that many people quote the wrong way and it is this: God’s ways are not our ways and God’s thoughts are not our thoughts. Of course, His thoughts are not our thoughts. He thinks higher than we do. But it does not say that we can’t achieve thinking like He does. It is really a challenge to us to realize that without Him we cannot think right or speak right. We need to take on His thoughts and His ways by reading, studying and confessing His thoughts, which is His Word. Then out of our mouths comes the Word of God as a two-edged sword, cutting asunder those things that are not of the Lord in our lives.

This scripture to which I am referring regarding God’s thoughts is in Isaiah 55. In that chapter God gives an invitation to come to Him, incline our ears to hear Him, come to Him and we shall live. In His mercy and lovingkindness He issues that invitation. Then He continues in that chapter to show us the reason we need to come to Him, the reason we need to listen to Him. What is that reason? His thoughts and ways are higher than ours, and in order to walk in His ways and think His thoughts, we must come to Him and listen to Him, hear what He has to say. Then as we listen to Him more and more, His thoughts will become our thoughts and His ways will become our ways. In verses 11 and 12 of that chapter, we see that it is His Word that changes us. His Word goes forth and doesn’t return to Him without producing results. His Word accomplishes what it is sent forth to do. In verse 12 we see that when His Word is sent forth, and we receive it, we shall go out from the place where we have been in bondage. Joy shall be ours and we are led out of that place by the Lord Himself and His Word.

Take what God speaks, His Word, and say what He says. Your situation may not change overnight because there is much that is at work that you cannot see, but keep on saying what God says and you will have what God has.

Jesus, The Word of God

I have been instructed by the Lord to spend some more time, possibly the rest of the week, talking about our words, our confession in our lives.

In John 1:1-4 we read these words:
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the WORD WAS GOD.
The same was in the beginning with God.
All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.
In him was life and the life was the light of men.

Then in Revelation 19:11-16 we read these words:
And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war.
His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself.
And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: AND HIS NAME IS CALLED THE WORD OF GOD.
And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean.
And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God.
And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.

Psalm 107:20 tells us that He (The Father) sent His Word (Jesus) and healed us and delivered us from our destructions.

So we can see from these three passages of scripture that Jesus is called the Word of God. God sent Him to this earth to deliver us from destruction. What destruction is He talking about? It is the destruction that satan has brought. Remember that John 10:10 tells us that the thief (satan) comes to steal, kill and destroy. He is the author of destruction in our lives. What is trying to destroy you today? The author is satan. You need the author of life, Jesus, the Word, to bring liberty, deliverance, life, wholeness to you. In order to do that, you turn to Him, the living Word, and learn of Him through His written word that He has given us to read, study, confess and learn of His ways, so that we can walk as He wants us to walk. It is a walk of victory 24-7 when we renew our minds to His Word.

Do you see now why it is so important to dwell in this written word, to confess this written word? It is God’s thoughts, His way of doing things, written down on paper for us to follow. In a sense, it is Jesus written down on paper so that all of us can see how to live.

Every day we must spend time with Him and His written Word so that He becomes so one with us that we walk in healing and prosperity in the midst of anything that satan tries to throw our way. Then when we go about our daily business and are no longer in our devotion time, it is also important that we ponder on, meditate, think on Him and His Word, not on the problems and junk that is attempting to rob from us. It is all about what we think and what we say. Even doctors and scientists are proving that today with their so-called scientific experiments. I could have saved them a lot of time and money by telling them to go to the Bible. It already tells us that. We are today what we thought and spoke yesterday and the day before that and the day before that.

You may be saying to me right now: But, Kialeen, I have been doing it the wrong way for so long. Is there any hope for me? Absolutely. I wasn’t saved until I was 32 and then I really didn’t learn how to walk in faith until I was in my 40’s. And as far as I am concerned, 20-some years later, I am still just touching the tip of what God has to reveal to me. I had a lot to undo of doubt and unbelief and wrong thinking and talking. I did it. So can you. Take one scripture today and purpose to think on it the rest of the day. Practice until it becomes a part of you.

A Good Confession

We are going to put into practice today what we learned yesterday about confession. Are you ready? Let’s make a good confession.

I’m a believer.
I’m not a doubter.
I’m a person of faith.
I am led by the Holy Spirit of God.
I receive revelation and insight, wisdom and understanding as I read, study, and speak God’s Word.
My spiritual ears and eyes are open to receive revelation from God’s Word. I hear His voice.
I do hear my Father’s voice and the voice of a stranger I do not follow.
I am blessed. I walk in the blessing of God.
I am blessed going in and I am blessed going out.
I am blessed in the city and I am blessed in the country.
My pocketbook, my checkbook, my bank account, my savings, my investments, my retirement fund are blessed.
My family is blessed. Every one of my children is blessed. My spouse is blessed.
We are blessed on our job.
Everything we own is blessed.
We are highly favored all day, every day, everywhere we go. Favor goes before us, clearing the pathway for us. Favor goes behind us. We are favored.
My prayers are answered because they are accurately prayed, and they do produce results.
I and my family are healthy and strong. We have the strength of the Lord operating in us day and night. We walk in divine health. The divine life of God is flowing through our blood vessels and arteries and veins. Our blood vessels, arteries and veins are healthy. They don’t shrink or become clogged. I speak to our organs and systems in our bodies and call you healthy and strong. Our bones and our joints are strong and operating in the perfection to which God created them to function. Our immune system is strong and obeys the wisdom of God. We know what to eat and how to fix it to have a healthy body.
I am at the right place, at the right time, with the right people.
My decisions are divinely directed of the Lord. I know His will and I follow His will.
My words are filled with faith.
The law of faith is operating in my life.
I have plenty of money to get out of debt and give for the Kingdom of God.
I and every one of my family are walking in God’s perfect plan for our lives.
I am a doer of the word of God.
I am blessed in my deeds.
Everything I do prospers and comes to maturity.
I am whole in my spirit, my soul (mind, will and emotions), and my body.
I have the mind of Christ, the Anointed One and His anointing.
No weapon formed against me will prosper.
I am a new creation, created in Christ Jesus unto good works.
I am above only and not beneath.
I am the head and not the tail.
I can do all things through Christ Who strengthens me.
Angels are working for me now.
Devils are bound.
The power of God is loosed in my life and for me.
Abundance follows me.
Goodness and mercy follow me.
I always dwell in the presence of the Lord.
I have the wisdom of God. I walk in the wisdom of God always in my life. I have wisdom in every affair of life that I deal with today and every day.
I hear the voice of the Good Shepherd, and I don’t follow a stranger’s voice. I will not be deceived. Deception is bound in my life.
Only God’s life is allowed in my life.
I obey the Lord promptly because I am full of faith, full of strength, full of courage, bold and strong.
I have no fear.
I walk in love.
I walk by faith.
And I have strength for a sound future, in Jesus name.
The blessing is on me.
The blessing is in me.
The blessing is working in me now.
I agree with You, Lord,
I agree with Your Word.
I agree with what You say about me.
This is the victory that overcomes the world, even my faith.

The Confession of God's Word

Today we are going to talk about confession of God’s Word.

What is so important about confessing the Word of God over our lives? Well, for starters, how about the fact that confession is agreement with what God says (saying the same thing) and therefore will produce results in our lives. Now you may be saying: Well, I have confessed the Word and it hasn’t seemed to work in my life. You are getting what you confess right there. You said it hasn’t seemed to work in your life and it is not working.

What we must realize is that the Word goes to the root of a situation and works from the root outward. There is a period of time (and that period varies) when the word works unseen, without any visible change in the earthly realm. But the Word is working, if you and I do not take our believing off the working of that word we are speaking.

We are designed by God to be believers, in something. We are equipped with believers inside us. So whatever it is, whether it is negative or positive, we are believing something. We have a choice of what we believe. That is the important piece of information. God also created us with the power of choice every minute of every day of every week of every year. We make choices all the time of what we think and what we speak. Of course, we do have an adversary, the devil, who tries every way possible to influence the way we think and the way we speak.

This earth is full of negative forces to make us think the opposite of God’s Word. And if we go by what we see and feel, we will go with the negative stream of life. God’s Word is not based on our feelings or our intellect. It is food for our spirit man. God is a Spirit and we operate with Him in our spirits, on a spiritual level, not on a fleshly level.

Confession of God’s Word is not something we “try” for a few weeks to see whether it works or not. It is a lifestyle to be practiced the rest of our lives. What we speak is what we become. What we have spoken yesterday and days and weeks and years before that is what we are walking in today. Let’s speak crop failure to those things we have confessed which are contrary to God’s Word, to God’s best and start a new day of confessing, saying only His Word over us and our families.

I don’t care how hopeless the situation appears to be, God’s Word will bring us out of those situations. I just finished a book regarding a hopeless situation in which the Word of God that the person had confessed and stood on, with the Holy Spirit supporting her all the way, brought her through to the other side, victoriously. I know what you are thinking. Well, that was another individual. That is not me. What we must do is turn around our negative thinking and talk God’s way. Sometimes the only way to do that is to speak only God’s Word for a while. Have no other words coming out of your mouth. When a negative thought comes your way, deliberately, on purpose refuse it and put in its place a scripture. Put scriptures on 3x5 cards all over your house and carry them with you everywhere you go. You will receive turnaround in your life.

When there is no natural hope, we must go to the Word of God and get supernatural hope. We must say what God says to get His results. We are told in Romans 4:18 regarding Abraham: “Who against hope believed in hope, that he might become the father of many nations, according to that which was spoken, So shall thy seed be.” This scripture is saying that when there was no hope in the natural for Abraham and Sarah, Abraham took the Word that God had given him and believed in supernatural hope, God’s hope, which never fades out or fails. He took His hope from that which was God’s Word to Him. He didn’t take his hope from natural circumstances. And that is where we must stand. We take our hope from God’s Word. We need hope because without hope, faith has nothing to give substance to. Hebrews 11:1 tells us that faith is the substance of things hoped for. So, today, ask the Holy Spirit to give you the specific scriptures you are to confess over your life and write them down and speak them and speak them and speak them. Build hope into your situation and then watch faith begin to work to give substance to your earnest expectation that God is performing His Word on your behalf. The Word of God produces results every time for anyone anywhere. All it takes is believing. And we can believe on purpose.

My Redeemer Lives

I know my Redeemer lives.

Since today is Good Friday and Sunday is Resurrection Sunday, let’s talk about Jesus and what He has done for us. Today was the day He laid down His life on the cross for you and me. In the Garden, He made that decision for all eternity. He had to willingly lay down His life, knowing what He faced. When He cried, IT IS FINISHED, those words reverberated through the ages of ages for all of mankind. He took our sins, sicknesses and diseases and poverty forever. He accomplished what He was sent here to do. He defeated satan and all of his cohorts eternally. And He did it for you and me, not for Himself. He was innocent and He took the guilt that we deserved.

Isaiah in chapter 53 prophesied to us that Jesus would bear our sicknesses, weaknesses, sorrows, pains. He would be wounded for our transgressions and bruised for our iniquities. The chastisement needed for our peace would be upon Him and with the stripes that wounded Him, we would be healed and made whole once again.

He redeemed us. What does that mean? He loosed us from the bondages we would encounter. We were in a jail constructed of sin, sickness and disease and poverty, and He came, gave us the key of His blood shed for us and said: Step out of the jail. I have paid the price for your freedom. You don’t ever have to be in there again. What a redemption!. Redemption is freedom. And it is not just a temporary freedom. It is freedom forever.

When Jesus died on the cross, we died with Him. When He arose from the dead, we arose with Him. When He ascended into Heaven, we ascended with Him. That is what Ephesians 1 and 2 tell us. We are in Him and He is in us when we accept what He has done for us.

Let’s read the beautiful Resurrection story together.
Matthew 28:1-10
In the end of the Sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week, came Mary Magdalene and the other Mary to see the sepulcher.
And, behold, there was a great earthquake: for the angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat upon it.
His countenance was like lightning, and his raiment white as snow:
And for fear of him the keepers did shake, and became as dead men.
And the angel answered and said unto the women, Fear not ye: for I know that ye seek Jesus, which was crucified.
He is not here: for he is risen, as he said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay.
And go quickly, and tell his disciples that he is risen from the dead; and, behold, he goeth before you into Galilee; there shall ye see him: lo, I have told you.
And they departed quickly from the sepulcher with fear and great joy; and did run to bring his disciples word.
And as they went to tell his disciples, behold, Jesus met them, saying, All hail. And they came and held him by the feet, and worshipped him.
Then said Jesus unto them, Be not afraid: go tell my brethren that they go into Galilee, and there shall they see me.

Mark 16:5,6
And entering into the sepulcher, they saw a young man sitting on the right side, clothed in a long white garment; and they were affrighted.
And he saith unto them, Be not affrighted: Ye seek Jesus of Nazareth, which was crucified: he is risen; he is not here: behold the place where they laid him.

Luke 24:5b,6a
Why seek ye the living (him that lives) among the dead?
He is not here, but is risen:

Because He lives, we can live also.
Hallelujah! He lives! He lives! Christ Jesus lives today.
He walks with me and He talks with me.
He is my Savior!
He is my Redeemer!
He ever lives to make intercession for me.
Let’s rejoice and give Him praise for what He has done and continues to do for us every day of our lives.

Jesus Paid It All

Matthew 26:36-45 Amplified Bible
Then Jesus came with them to a place called Gethsemane, and He told His disciples, Sit down here while I go over yonder and pray.
And taking with Him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, He began to show grief and distress of mind and was deeply depressed.
Then He said to them, My soul is very sad and deeply grieved, so that I am almost dying of sorrow. Stay here and keep awake and keep watch with Me.
And going a little farther, He threw Himself upon the ground on His face and prayed saying, My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass away from Me; nevertheless, not what I will [not what I desire], but as You will and desire.
And He came to the disciples and found them sleeping and He said to Peter, What! Are you so utterly unable to stay awake and keep watch with Me for one hour?
All of you must keep awake (give strict attention, be cautious and active) and watch and pray, that you may not come into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.
Again a second time He went away and prayed, My Father, if this cannot pass by unless I drink it, Your will be done.
And again He came and found them sleeping, for their eyes were weighed down with sleep.
So, leaving them again, He went away and prayed for the third time, using the same words.
Then He returned to the disciples….

There is so much here in this passage in the Garden of Gethsemane. First, let’s remember that the second Adam, Jesus, is in a Garden just like the first Adam was in a Garden when he was tempted of his flesh. The first Adam yielded to his flesh and gave his will over to satan. The second Adam, Jesus, yielded to His Heavenly Father and gave His will totally into the Father’s hands. Do you realize how big that was for all of mankind? Once again, the will of man represented by Jesus, the Son of God the Son of man, was given back to the Father. Now we are free to choose to walk in the way of the Lord. Our will is free to choose Him. Hallelujah!

The second thing we see here is that prayer is a vital part of our earth walk, in order to yield to our spirit. It is a daily walk. Why is that? As Jesus stated: Our flesh is weak but our spirit is willing to follow the Spirit of God. How is that accomplished? We must be in communion, communication, intimate fellowship with the Holy Spirit. He knows what our day is to be like. He knows what we have to do. Every day should be a new day in following Him. He is our Friend and our Guide and our Counselor for the situations of the day that we encounter, whether they are good or bad. All is in His hands. He knows everything. It seems to me to make sense that One Who knows everything should be consulted before we go out to our day. Time spent with Him sets the day. And I am as guilty as the next person when my life is so busy that I do not take the appropriate time to talk with Him before I start my day.

The third thing we notice is that Jesus has taken for us the cup of suffering. He willingly drank of it to the bottom, and the drinking started in the Garden of Gethsemane. Do not use this passage to say that you will drink of the cup of suffering. You are not capable of that. That is why Jesus did it for you. He suffered in your place, so that you could rely on Him, on the Holy Spirit, when something comes against you. None of us have that capability to endure suffering. Only He does. He took it for us, so don’t let satan deceive you into embracing suffering. That is a slap in Jesus’ face. You are saying that what He did wasn’t enough for you. When suffering comes your way, and it does for all of us who live on this earth, we are to remember that Jesus suffered in our place. He took it all. We are to give the situation over to Him and walk in peace as He works out the triumph and victory for us. It is presumptuous to think that you can endure or walk through something without His ability. He gives us the capability for victory every time.

He paid the full price for you and me to walk free of satan’s temptations, tests and trials. Walk free today, regardless of where you are or what you going through. He has it all under His control. I know that is actually the true test. The true test is full trust in the Lord when you are broadsided, sideswiped or otherwise knocked down by what life throws you. Trust Him. Rely on Him. Lean on Him. He is sufficient to take care of all things for you and me. TRUST HIM!!!

Compassion For Your Hurt

Compassion----when I speak the word, what do you think of? What do you see? I think of someone who is loving and kind, someone who cares about others, someone who sees other people’s hurts and wants to fix them.

I looked in the dictionary and the word means about what I just said above. Part of the definition is the word pity. I consider the word pity to be a weak word, denoting an emotion without any action, an emotion that interferes with the word of God and its results. To me, compassion is a strong word, bringing forth an image of doing something about what we see around us.

Pity comes from man. Compassion comes from God. Jesus was moved with compassion toward those around him when He was here on this earth. The compassion of God moves us to pray for the sick and see results because it is God’s compassion, not ours. It is His moving on us to extend His Word of healing to those who are hurting, whether in their bodies or in their souls.

Sometimes the greatest hurt is in the soul of man. Like a festering sore, it can bring much infection to that person, infection of rejection, self-pity, resentment, bitterness, etc. We must allow the Holy Spirit of God to come with His healing balm of Gilead and heal the hurt and heal the pain. Pain in the soul can be just as debilitating as pain in the body. The emotions of our soul, if allowed to run rampant without God’s control, can bring much damage to us and cripple our walk with God.

I believe I am talking to some people this morning. You have been hurt deeply by others and it has been such a wound that you feel like the very life has been draining out of you because it was someone very close to you who wounded you. You feel betrayed and alone. You wonder how God could allow such a thing to happen to you. And these are people who you thought cared for you. It could be family. It could be your best friend. It could be someone in the church. Whoever it was, in your pain, stand up, take a deep breath and let it go. It’s not worth the pain it is causing you. In the midst of your agony, forgive them. The act of forgiveness releases God’s love into the situation and allows Him to heal you.

We are told that in the last days offenses will come. Did you know that one of the biggest cause for offense is hurt? Yes, hurt is offense. Even if what they did to you is wrong, let it go. We are living in the days when the harvest is ready for reaping. Offenses will prevent us from walking in the anointing and leading others to Christ. The Father wants His household full of children. And we are the ones who will bring them in. Hurting people cannot bring healing to other hurting people because they are too full of their hurts instead of God’s love.

How can I talk about this? I have been there and done that more than once in my life. There have been times that in the middle of my pain, I have cried out to God: God, forgive them for they know not what they do. And God in His mercy reached down (and He will do the same for you) and began a healing process in me that washed away the hurt and soothed the pain. What the Father wants are children who are whole in their spirits, whole in their souls, and whole in their bodies.

We talk a lot about physical healing and that was the direction I was going in this morning where the compassion of God is concerned, but the Holy Spirit has taken me in a different direction. We focus much on physical healing. And there are times when the physical healing comes as we receive healing in our souls. Lack of ease, unease, hurt, worry, concern can cause challenges in our physical bodies. There are times when these physical challenges are directly attributed to unforgiveness and strife and contention. The Bible tells us that where there is strife, there is every evil work.

So, today let the Holy Spirit do a work in your soul---healing emotional hurts, dispensing the medicine of the Word of healing, transforming your intellectual ideas to His ways and conforming your will to His will. In 3 John 2 we read: Beloved, I pray above all things that you prosper and be in health, even as your soul prospers.

He Works Out His Plans For My Life

Today I am going to write a lot of scripture from Psalm 138 and Psalm 139 in the New Living Translation. It is so beautiful that I cannot take away from the beauty of it by my much writing, so sit back and listen and speak this about yourself today. I have typed in all caps those that I especially like and speak.

Psalm 138:8
THE LORD WILL WORK OUT HIS PLANS FOR MY LIFE----FOR YOUR FAITHFUL LOVE, O LORD, ENDURES FOREVER.…

Psalm 139:1-16
O LORD, YOU HAVE EXAMINED MY HEART AND KNOW EVERYTHING ABOUT ME.
YOU KNOW WHEN I SIT DOWN OR STAND UP.
YOU KNOW MY EVERY THOUGHT WHEN FAR AWAY.
YOU CHART THE PATH AHEAD OF ME AND TELL ME WHERE TO STOP AND REST.
EVERY MOMENT YOU KNOW WHERE I AM.
YOU KNOW WHAT I AM GOING TO SAY EVEN BEFORE I SAY IT, LORD.
YOU BOTH PRECEDE AND FOLLOW ME.
YOU PLACE YOUR HAND OF BLESSING ON MY HEAD.
Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too great for me to know!
I can never escape from your spirit!
I can never get away from your presence!
If I go up to heaven, you are there; if I go down to the place of the dead, you are there.
If I ride the wings of the morning, if I dwell by the farthest oceans, even there your hand will guide me, and your strength will support me.
I could ask the darkness to hide me and the light around me to become night----but even in darkness I cannot hide from you.
To you the night shines as bright as day.
Darkness and light are both alike to you.
You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body and knit me together in my mother’s womb.
Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex!
Your workmanship is marvelous----how well I know it.
You watched me as I was being formed in utter seclusion, as I was woven together in the dark of the womb.
YOU SAW ME BEFORE I WAS BORN.
EVERY DAY OF MY LIFE WAS RECORDED IN YOUR BOOK.
EVERY MOMENT WAS LAID OUT BEFORE A SINGLE DAY HAD PASSED.
HOW PRECIOUS ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ABOUT ME, O GOD!
THEY ARE INNUMERABLE!
I CAN’T EVEN COUNT THEM; THEY OUTNUMBER THE GRAINS OF SAND!
AND WHEN I WAKE UP IN THE MORNING, YOU ARE STILL WITH ME!

If there have ever been times in your life that you wonder if you will ever accomplish what is in your heart, remember this Psalm. He says that every day, every moment of our lives was laid out and recorded in His book before we were ever born. Sometimes I find that hard to realize when it looks like I have missed it royally or have gone on the wrong track. Yes, I do have the power of choice in my life. Yes, I do have the ability to make the wrong decision. But do you know what comforts me the most? When I miss it, He is still there. When I make the wrong turn, He is still there. He will put me back on the right path. He is guiding me into green pastures. He is leading me to a place to satisfy my soul. There is still much in my life that I want to accomplish.

Wherever you are today in your dreams, don’t give up on them. Never give up on a dream. God placed it in your heart, and He will fulfill it if you allow Him to chart your course and praise Him for the results. One of the hardest places I have ever been in my life was a time when I knew that I had missed God, even though I had prayed and sought godly counsel. After I moved into that place, I knew that I had missed God. It took me years to get back on course. But do you know what comforted me? During that time in my life, God never once condemned me. He walked with me and still used me where I was. Praise Him today for where you are and where you are going. He will perfect that which concerns you.

The Mind of Christ

What is on your mind? Have you ever had anyone ask you that question? And what was your answer to them? Well, I am asking you that question today. What is on your mind? What have you been filling your mind with? What are you thinking about the most? The Bible tells us that as a man thinketh in his heart, so is he. I have been considering that a lot lately. I want to think the right thoughts. I want my mind to be one filled with the good things of the Lord.

In Philippians 4:8 we are exhorted to think on things that are true, things that are honest, things that are just, things that are pure, things that are lovely and things that are of a good report. That eliminates doubt, unbelief, fear, fretting, worry, anxiety and being full of care. So when I find myself thinking on things that are contrary to that, I know that I am thinking on things of this world rather than things of the Word of God.

When we find our minds wandering around, we need to rein them in with God’s Word. His Word fits the bill precisely. It is true, honest, just, pure, lovely and of a good report. If you have been given a bad report, replace it with the good report of God’s Word. Think on His Word, deliberately, on purpose. That takes discipline. That takes practice. It doesn’t happen automatically overnight. It takes diligence and effort on our part to stay focused on the Word of God, particularly in difficult situations and when circumstances are contrary to what we wish to be happening in our lives.

In Ephesians 4:23 we are told to be renewed in the spirit of our mind. In the Amplified Bible it reads as follows: And be constantly renewed in the spirit of your mind, having a fresh mental and spiritual attitude. All truth is in Jesus. All truth is in the Word of God. And Jesus was the word of God made flesh. He helps us through the power of the Holy Spirit to renew our minds daily to the truth of His Kingdom, of His way of thinking and doing.

In Romans 12:2 we are told that we are not to be conformed to this world, fashioning ourselves to its customs which are only superficial. We are not to adapt ourselves to the world; we are to adapt ourselves to the Word of God. We are to be transformed by the renewing of our minds. Why? So that we can prove the good, acceptable, perfect will of God.

So we can conclude from Romans 12:2 that as our minds are transformed by the Word of God, we know what God’s perfect will is for us, what His plan is for us. He has a plan for each one of us, and He wants us to walk in it. We will learn that plan as we stay in His Word and allow our minds to be washed with the water of that Word to learn the truth, to be set free to follow the course He has laid out for each one of us.

We are to take on the mind of Christ. His mind is one of loving and serving others. He is ever watchful for others and what is going on in their lives. His mind is one filled with the goodness of His Father, which overflows into helping people to overcome their challenges. What a mighty God He is to bring to us this understanding of serving. One of the greatest examples Jesus ever showed to us is that of serving. He was ever mindful of the situations in which people found themselves. He was ever alert to faith being exercised to come out of their situations. His mind was tuned to the Father channel. His mind was filled with Father thoughts. His life was filled with alertness to taking care of others. We have to let that same mind be in us.

We read in the Word of God that His ways are higher than our ways and His thoughts are higher than our thoughts. That scripture has been so misquoted and so preached the wrong way. What that means is that God thinks on a high plane and the people of the world think on a low plane. So how do we think on a high plane? Think God’s Word, which is His thought written on paper. The only way to think like God thinks, is to stay in His Word, which is a copy and an expression of God’s way of thinking. This is the formula for thinking God’s way. His Word is His way. Pull your mind toward the Word of God every time you are tempted to think negatively. It takes discipline and it takes effort, but, oh, is it worth it as you and I begin to walk in victory, rise to new levels of faith and see the results of that faith every day in our lives. We must, on purpose, choose to think God’s thoughts, according to the Word of God. PLEASANT THOUGHTS!