4 R's Of God's Plan

Today, as I was praying, God dropped in my mind the 4 R’s of His great plan for mankind. Let’s explore them.

He redeemed us. He reconciled us to Himself. He restored us to fellowship with Him. He made us righteous.

Jesus Christ came to this earth with only one purpose----to redeem us or buy us back from satan’s dominion and restore us to fellowship with God. Included in that process was reconciliation and making us righteous.

Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law----sin, sickness and disease, poverty and spiritual death. He redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, so that the blessing of Abraham might come on us and we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith (Galatians 3:13). What a price He paid for this redemption! He had to choose to be separated from His Father with Whom He had been One. What a choice He had to make! He had to choose to become all that He hated. He became the curse for us. He bore our sicknesses and diseases. He carried our pain. The chastisement of our peace was upon Him. He became sin.

God the Father sent His living Word, Jesus, to redeem us, heal us, and deliver us from destruction (Psalm 107:20) We have been bought back to the Lord. Psalm 103:1-5 tells us what that redemption includes. The benefits of redemption are: all our iniquities forgiven; all our diseases healed; our life redeemed from destruction; loving kindness and tender mercies crowning (encircling) us; and satisfying our mouths with good things. Then, if we look back again at Psalm 107, we see what we are supposed to do about our redemption: SAY SO! Let the redeemed of the Lord say so, whom He has redeemed from the hand (authority) of the enemy (satan) (Psalm 107:2). Declare it, decree it, say it, confess it----I HAVE BEEN REDEEMED FROM THE AUTHORITY OF SATAN!

It’s a fact! The Father has delivered us from the control of satan and his dominion of darkness. He has transferred us into the Kingdom of the Son of His Love, Jesus, in Whom we have our redemption through His blood. Our release is secured. Our sins are forgiven. He has drawn us to Himself forever. It’s a done deal!

Because of redemption, we are righteous in God’s eyes. Jesus, Who knew no sin, became sin for us that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him (2 Corinthians 5:21). He was made unto us righteousness (1 Corinthians 1:30). We have discussed it before, but let’s touch briefly on the definition of righteousness. Righteousness is God’s nature of being right. As righteous children, we now have the ability to stand in His Presence without guilt and shame. That guilt and shame has been washed away by Jesus. We are somebody; we are no longer without worth. Jesus has made us worthy to stand before our Father. Hallelujah! What a privilege! Let’s not esteem that privilege lightly!

Righteousness makes us one with God again. We are reconciled to our Father. We who were alienated from Him by our sin have now been reconciled to Him through Christ Jesus (Colossians 1:21,22). Reconcile means that we are back together again after being divided. We are One with Him. Jesus told us that in John 17:20-26. Thank You, Jesus; I am so glad to be one with You and the Father and the Holy Spirit. I don’t ever want to be separated from You again.

Reconciliation has brought us restoration. We are now able to fellowship with our Father as sons and daughters. We are restored to Father's household. We can come and go as we please, going into Him, walking in the Spirit, praying in the Spirit, enjoying His Presence whenever we want. Restoration----there is nothing like it. That is what the Father had on His mind since the fall of man in the Garden of Eden. The Father’s arms ached to hold His children once again. Through the generations and centuries of mankind, He waited patiently for the day that He knew was coming when He would be able to embrace His children. He sent His only Son to this earth to die for us, that He may have many sons and daughters. Thank You, Father. I love You. I am so happy to be Your child.

God Is

God is everything we will ever need to live a happy and successful life while we are here on this earth. He is the Light of the world Who came in the fullness of His Love to bring Life to all of us. The very essence of Life is God. His Love is the fiber woven through a good and abundant life. The Light or essence of His Presence has produced all that we know. He is Light. Light is the source of all creation.

There are some very specific scriptures in the Bible that we are going to focus on today regarding Who God is. Let’s look at them through eyes of understanding. Put on your revelation (understanding things of God) glasses. God wants to open your eyes so that you may behold wondrous things from His Word (Psalm 119:18). He wants to reveal Himself to you.

Christ became the author of eternal salvation to all those who obey Him. He is the One Who brought salvation to us. We all know that salvation is an all-inclusive word. It includes deliverance for us in every area of our lives----spirit, soul, body, socially, and financially. We have been set free from sin, sickness and disease, poverty, spiritual death, lack, want, fear, doubt, unbelief, etc. We are protected. We are sheltered. We are taken care of. He provides all that we need for a life of success and victory. Thank You, my Lord.

God is the author and giver of peace. When we look at Hebrews 13:20 and 21 we see that God is the author and giver of peace for a reason. His peace or wholeness strengthens us. His wholeness makes us complete, with nothing missing in our lives. His peace perfects or matures us. In His peace is rest. As we rest in Him, He is able to carry out His plan or will for our lives. Our resting in confidence and trust in Him gives Him the opportunity to work in us what pleases Him. He is able to accomplish what He planned before the foundation of the world for us. He has a good plan, and it is accomplished easily in its fullness when we don’t stress out and interfere with His plans because of our hurry to do what we think needs done. Have you noticed that we are always in a hurry to accomplish what God tells us He is going to do? I believe that is the reason He does not always tell us what His plans are. We mess them up with our human desires to get them done quickly. It seems that the motto of the human race (without God) is hurry, hurry, hurry. Hurry produces stress. Stress produces frustration, anxiety, and irritation, which are the opposite of peace. Let’s accept the peace God offers us today, and let Him do His work.

Jesus is the author and finisher of our faith. That is very good news. I don’t know about you, but there are times that I have to rely on that fact. Jesus is the One Who is the source of my faith. He is the living Word Who takes me to the written Word and produces faith in me to live well. I must look away from all that would distract me in this world and look to Jesus as the One who begins my faith and finishes it. Faith is what operates His Kingdom. It is the force that activates God’s blessing for our lives. It is God’s method of providing for us. It is His way of showing us that we don’t have to “work it up” ourselves. He loves to do the work of providing all that we need for life and godliness.

Christ is the Apostle and High Priest of our profession (Hebrews 3:1). If we look up that word “profession,” we find that it is the word for confession. A confession is what we speak in agreement with someone else. Christ is sent to watch over the words we speak. He is the High Priest Who carries them to the Father. I must caution you, however, that He only brings the Words of this Bible to His Father. It is the only Word that is pure and filled with faith. All other word is tainted with the doubt of this earth. We are told in Hebrews 10:23 that we are to hold fast to this profession or confession of our faith without wavering for God is faithful Who promised us that He would perform His Word. One translation says that He Who promised is reliable, sure and faithful to His Word.

Aren’t you glad that we have such a big God? He is the author and finisher of everything we need. In today’s teaching, we have just touched the surface of Who He is. Yes, He is the author and finisher of our faith, our peace, our salvation, and the Apostle and High Priest of our confession. But He is so much more. He is everything.

The Solution For Spiritual Anemia

In the physical body, anemia is a condition of the blood in which one becomes weak because there is not enough iron in the blood. There is much spiritual anemia in the body of Christ, and the solution is the blood of Jesus. There is life in the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. It is the life of God Himself. It is life without weakness or death. The blood of Jesus brings life to the Word of God. And, thus, there is life in the Word. The Word is our iron pill to be taken as needed until one is strong again.

Let the weak say I am strong. Do you hear that? When you are weak, say: “I am strong.” The Word of God tells us that the joy of the Lord is our strength. Joy comes from the Word of God; it comes from God Himself. He is joy. Ephesians 6:10 tells us that we are strong in the Lord. We are empowered through our union with Him. We draw our strength from Him. Our strength is in the Lord Jesus Christ, Who is called the Word of God in John 1:1.

Weakness was never to be a condition for a healthy Christian. We allow ourselves to become weak when something hits us to bring us down. That is the time when we must press in more than ever to the Presence of God through prayer, through His Word and through the power of the Holy Spirit. We must surround ourselves with His Presence. When we feel weak, that is the time we must stand up and praise God for Who He Is, praise Him for what He has done for us, and worship Him for His great love for us.

Acts 1:8 tells us that we shall receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon us. Do you believe God’s Word? What does this verse say? You, yes you, shall receive power. Receive what? POWER. Let’s look at that again. What shall you receive? POWER. When? When the Holy Spirit comes upon you. Is He any respecter of persons? No! So, He comes upon you like He comes upon me or any other member of the Body of Christ. How do you know if He comes upon you? You don’t wait for feelings that He is there. You accept and receive what God’s Word says. His Word says that you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. Accept that Word for you personally.

No more spiritual anemia. The blood of Jesus has been shed for all times. It is forever good. His blood was shed for you and me, that we might be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might.

Rooted, Grounded, Established, Abounding

There is a rooting and grounding God wants to do with all of His children, so that we are established in His love and faith and walk in the abundance of His Kingdom.

In Colossians 2:7, in the Amplified Bible, we read: Have the roots [of your being] firmly and deeply planted [in Him, fixed and founded in Him], being continually built up in Him, becoming increasingly more confirmed and established in the faith, just as you were taught, and abounding and overflowing in it with thanksgiving.

We are to be rooted firmly in Christ Jesus. We have been planted in Him. We are steadfastly fixed in Him. We are built upon Him. What does all this mean? We as His children have His abilities, His character, and His anointing. He is in us and we are in Him. We are to become more and more established in His faith; in fact, we are to abound and overflow in His faith with thanksgiving. Thanksgiving----what a beautiful word and what an infrequent action. If we only realized the magnitude of what a heart of thanksgiving opens for us. We see right here that it opens abundance to us.

Also, let’s look at Ephesians 3:17, 18 and 19. We read that we are to be rooted deeply in God’s Love. We are to be founded securely on His Love. What is the reason for this being rooted deeply in His Love? Why must we be found standing on His Love? We are to be planted, rooted, grounded, fixed, and established on God’s Love so that we as God’s children may have His power operating in us and through us, so that we may be strong to grasp the understanding of the wholeness of God’s Love----the breadth, length, height and depth of it, and so that we may come to experience His Love for ourselves. We must experience and know in reality the fullness of His Love. We must understand that we are filled with the fullness of God, the full measure of His Love, which is the essence of His divine Presence. We are filled with God. Thus, we are filled with Love.

As we are established in the faith of God and are rooted and grounded in His Love, we become people who delight in Him and His Word. Actually, it all goes together. We read and study and meditate the Word of God, and we understand His Love more and more. His Word helps build His faith in us. And His Word causes us to develop delight in Him and His Word.

Read what Psalm 112 says about the person who delights in God’s Word and worships and respects the Lord. That person’s heart is firmly fixed, established and steady. He trusts in the Lord. He is not afraid. He is not moved by negative circumstances.

In the time in which we find ourselves living, we need a steadfast heart, firm faith and the power of God that operates through us as a result of being rooted deeply in Him (Who is Love) and His Word. Take these three scriptures (Colossians 2:7, Ephesians 3:17-19, Psalm 112:6-8) and speak them over yourself frequently. You will find yourself becoming a person of stability, regardless of the instability that may be whirling around you. You can be fixed and immovable in Him, abounding with thanksgiving.

Fully, Fullness

Yesterday we said that Abraham was fully persuaded that God would do for Him what He has promised him.

Let’s look at some scriptures about fullness. I think you will find something very interesting here, as the Word of God unfolds for you today.

Colossians 2:9,10
For in him dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead bodily.
And ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power.

In Christ dwells all the fullness of the Godhead, and He is in us with His fullness, making us complete in Him Who is the head of all principality and power. He has all authority over all demonic forces and the power of the devil. In Christ we are full and, therefore, have all authority over all demonic forces and the power of the devil. In Him we have come to fullness of life. In Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead. He is the head of all the principalities and the powers. He has it all. He has all the authority, and He has all the power. He is in us with all His authority and all His power. The fullness of the all-powerful God is in us. That’s something to chew on forever.

Look at Ephesians 1:23 and 3:19. We as the Body of Christ have the fullness of Him filling us. We have the full measure of Him. He makes us complete. He fills us with Himself. We are filled with God Himself; we are filled with the fullness of His Love; the fullness of God, Love, the richest measure of His divine Presence floods our being and fills us to overflowing all the time. The key is our letting Him, who is in us in the fullness, do His work in us and for us. Ephesians 3:20 tells us that God’s power will work in us to the extent that we allow Him to work. If we allow Him to work in us, He will do far over and above all that we can ask or think, certainly beyond anything we can dream or imagine or hope or ask or pray or desire. He is God! He will do whatever we allow Him to do. To the degree that we allow Him to work in us, that is how much success and victory we will have in our lives.

Finally, we go back to Colossians 1:9. In the Amplified Bible, we see Paul asking that the Colossians (we can ask also) be filled with the full knowledge of God’s will in all spiritual wisdom, and have an understanding and discerning of spiritual things. As we believe for this wisdom of God, we must remember that Jesus has already been made unto us wisdom.

These few verses are just a glimpse at the fullness of God in you and me. You might want to do a study for yourself on this subject of God’s fullness in you. It will transform your life.

A summary of these few verses today tell us that the fullness of God is in us. He makes us complete. He is the head of all principality and power. Since He is in us, then He in us gives us the position of authority over all of satan’s demonic forces. Not only do we have authority over satan’s realm, but we have the fullness of God and His Love available in us to work beyond anything we can imagine for successful lives. He wants to send a flood of His Love in us and out of us. The fullness of His wisdom is available to us to reach our full potential in the Lord. He is always waiting to develop us in His fullness. We must allow Him to do so.

Faith For The Promise

Let’s dig some more in Romans 4. In verse 16 we read: “Therefore [inheriting] the promise is the outcome of faith and depends [entirely] on faith, in order that it might be given as an act of grace (unmerited favor), to make it stable and valid and guaranteed to all his descendants—not only to the devotees and adherents of the Law, but also to those who share the faith of Abraham, who is [thus] the father of us all.”

Inheriting the promise to be heir of the world depends entirely on faith. I am so thankful that I don’t have to work up this faith. Jesus is the author and finisher of my faith which comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God (Hebrews 12:2 and Romans 10:17). The more I stay close to the Word of God, the more my faith in God will grow. It will come to a point where I rest in Him and am totally at peace when “all hell is breaking loose,” as the old saying goes.

How can I rest? Because I trust Him. I trust Him to take care of me. That is His responsibility and His delight. He lives to take care of His people. It is the very heartbeat of His being. We are His children, and He delights in us and in lavishly providing for us. He loves to see us thrive. It gives Him great pleasure. In fact, the Word of God says that He takes pleasure in the prosperity of his servant (Psalm 35:27). We are to say continually: “Let the Lord be magnified, which hath pleasure in the prosperity of his servant.” We are to let the Lord be the largest person in our lives. We are to enlarge Him, rather than make the problem bigger by our thinking on it constantly.

Let’s continue with our study of Romans 4 on Abraham and the promise received by faith. In verse 17 we read: “As it is written, I have made you the father of many nations, [He was appointed our father] in the sight of God in Whom he believed, Who gives life to the dead and speaks of the nonexistent things that [He has foretold and promised] as if they [already] existed” (Amplified Bible).

We are to be like God. We are His children and are to imitate Him. We are to be imitators of God. Earthly children love to imitate their fathers. God wants us to do the same things with Him. We are to focus on being like Him in everything we think, speak, and do. It is definitely a worthwhile endeavor in life. It produces great rewards.

Since we are to be like our Father, we are to call things that be not as though they were. God does that. He gives life to the dead with His words. As we take His Word from our Bibles and speak it over situations in our lives, He injects His life into our dead situations. There are times when we know that there is absolutely nothing that we can do to make anything better. It is all God. It is up to Him. He speaks and thinks of things that are not yet, as though they already exist. They do in His mind. When we take on the mind of Christ, we begin to think exactly like Him. We speak and think of things that are not yet manifested here in this earth, as if they already have been manifested. Why can we do that? They do already exist in God’s spiritual realm. Faith brings them here into our natural realm. What a glorious plan God has provided for us to live here on this earth. It is certainly a good plan.

Speaking of plans, Abraham had no reason to hope that he and Sarah would have the child that God promised to them. Verse 18 tells us: “[For Abraham, human reason for] hope being gone, hoped in faith that he should become the father of many nations, as he had been promised, So [numberless] shall your descendants be” (Amplified Bible).

Abraham had no earthly hope to cling to. He had only God’s Word. He didn’t even have the written word like we do. He had the spoken promise from God. That is what builds hope. Hope comes from the Word of God. And hope is the foundation of faith. Without Bible hope, there is no faith. God’s Word says you are healed, and that builds hope in you that it is true. As you meditate on that word, faith develops and you stand firm that it is an accomplished fact. I tell you that you shall receive when you stand firm in faith. Faith receives every time.

Verses 19-21 tell us how Abraham received by faith. He did not consider his negative circumstances. He deliberately chose not to look at them. Rather, “He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God; and being fully persuaded that, what he had promised, he was able also to perform.” Abraham was fully persuaded, fully satisfied, fully assured, and firmly believed that God would keep His Word to Him and do what He had promised. Abraham made a decision. The decision was this: He would believe God. He would praise God and glorify Him as if it were already a settled fact. And indeed it was a settled fact. When God says something, that settles it forever. The problem comes from our not believing that God will do it, because we look more at the circumstances screaming in our face than the Word of God speaking in peace.

We can have faith for the promise. God’s Word is always true for whosoever will believe it is true for them. His Word is true for you today as much as it was true for Abraham. Believe and receive.

The Promise

Are you ready to mine some pure gold nuggets from the Word of God? It is so exciting. Let’s see what we find.

In Romans 4:13 we read that “the promise that he should be the heir of the world, was not to Abraham, or to his seed, through the law, but through the righteousness of faith.” The promise to Abraham was that he would be the heir of the world. It was not only to him but also to his seed. “And if you belong to Christ [are in Him Who is Abraham’s Seed], then you are Abraham’s offspring and [spiritual] heirs according to promise” (Galatians 3:29, Amplified Bible). Do you see this? If we belong to Christ, which we do, then we are Abraham’s seed and heirs according to the promise that he should be the heir of the world. That is awesome!

We are heirs of the world. God has given us the world. He has given us a powerful inheritance. Then may I ask you a question? Why are we not in that position? Why are we not walking in our inheritance? First of all, we have to know that we are heirs. There is the first challenge. Not too many people who are born again know that they are heirs of God and that their inheritance is the world. What does this phrase mean? God has given us the dominion and authority over all that is in this world. He has given us His power to live a life that is an overcoming one, overcoming the trials and tribulations that are launched against us while we are here. He has given us the right to walk in victory all the time, regardless of what we may be encountering.

How do we access our inheritance? It is a small word, but one of the most powerful words and the key to everything in God’s Kingdom. That little word is FAITH. Faith in God and what He has made available to us is the action that opens the door to our inheritance. What is this inheritance in the world? 2 Peter gives us the summary of our inheritance. According to His divine power, God has given us all things that pertain to life and godliness through the knowledge of Him. His divine power in us is released through faith.

What is faith? Faith is believing God means what He says and does what He says he will do. The Word of God, our Bible, is full of what God says He does for us. It is up to us to believe it. Believing is not something we “work up” or strain to acquire. Believing is simply a decision we make that God’s Word is true for us personally and act like it is true, even when it appears that nothing is changing in our lives. For example, when we are sick, we must believe what God says in his word about healing. He tells us that He has already healed us. If He says that is the way it is, that is the way it is.

Do you remember when you were a child and you asked your parents why you had to do something a certain way? Their answer sometimes was this: “Because I said so.” God’s answer to the question: “Why should I believe I’m healed?” is this: “Because I said so.” And that is the end of the discussion with Him. He said it; that is the way it is. He is not a man that He should lie. It is our job, then, to rest in what He said and leave the results in His hands. We can’t produce the results anyway. Results are His job. Our problem is that we are afraid it won’t work for us. Of course it won’t work for us. We are not responsible for working healing in our bodies. He is. It’s up to Him. And He doesn’t fail.

I know what you’re thinking—then how come so and so died? I don’t know. That is between them and God. I believe God’s Word is true, whether it appears to be working in my life or anyone else’s. God’s Word is Truth. The problem is not God. There are times when we are more earthly minded than spiritually minded and don’t grab hold of what God has for us. We don’t know enough. We can know, but it takes discipline on our parts. Our minds must be renewed to God’s Word by studying it, meditating it and confessing it over ourselves. In order to walk in our inheritance, we have to think as God thinks. There is only one way to do that. We must study His Word until we think the way He does. Yes, it is possible.

We have been given a promise that we are heirs of the world because of Jesus Christ. Abraham received that promise for all of us. Aren’t you grateful to him?

In Accordance With His Purpose

Once again, today, let’s talk about the Holy Spirit and God’s plan for our lives. God does everything with purpose; He has designed all things with a purpose. In the Amplified Bible, in Ephesians 1:11 we read this: “In him (referring to Christ) we also were made [God’s] heritage (portion) and we obtained an inheritance; for we had been foreordained (chosen and appointed beforehand) in accordance with His purpose, Who works out everything in agreement with the counsel and design of His [own] will,”

In this one verse we see that God planned everything ahead of time. He had it all in place before He created the world. He chose us in His love before the foundation of the world that we might be without fault before Him in Christ Jesus. He planned our inheritance. He planned the way we would obtain our inheritance. He had a will, and He works everything out in accordance with His own counsel and design and purpose. Oh, if we would only learn that we can totally entrust ourselves to the Lord, how much easier our lives would flow. Stress would no longer be a problem. Worry would be gone. You see, stress and worry are the result of thinking and saying: “How am I going to make it? What am I going to do? What about this? What about that? What if?“

When we start to have the “what if’s,” we need to stop and pray in the Holy Ghost. The Holy Spirit will take charge. In fact, look at Ephesians 1:12-14: “So that we who first hoped in Christ [who first put our confidence in Him have been destined and appointed to] live for the praise of His glory! In Him you also who have heard the Word of Truth, the glad tidings (Gospel) of your salvation, and have believed in and adhered to and relied on Him, were stamped with the seal of the long-promised Holy Spirit. That [Spirit] is the guarantee of our inheritance [the first-fruits, the pledge and foretaste, the down payment on our heritage], in anticipation of its full redemption and our acquiring [complete] possession of it—to the praise of His glory.”

What are these verses telling us?
Along with those who first hoped in Christ, Who is the Anointed One, with the anointing, we can have confidence in Him; we are destined to live as God’s display of His glory. We are His reason to praise, to boast and say: “Look at these, my children. I am so thankful to have them. They are mine. They are my very own.”

In Him, we have heard His Word, and His Word is Truth for us. It is the Truth of our salvation or deliverance and health and prosperity and safety. We have believed in Him. We cling to Him. We rely on Him. We have been sealed with the Holy Spirit. We are marked with God.

The Holy Spirit is the guarantee of our inheritance in God. He is the down payment of our heritage. We have a rich heritage in the Lord, and we have only seen a very small portion of it on this earth. Yet, on this earth, He tells us that we have access to all His riches in glory through Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:19). We have been blessed with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places (Ephesians 1:3). He has given unto us all things that pertain to life and godliness. He has given us exceedingly great and precious promises (2 Peter 1:3,4).

My, my, what we must have waiting for us. I think of it in terms of what my husband said to me today. We were talking about the fact that cats don’t see in color. They see in black and white. His response to me was: “That is what heaven is going to be, compared to this earth. The earth with its colors will seem as black and white, compared to the brilliance of heaven’s colors.”

The Holy Spirit is here to get us used to walking in the abundance of our inheritance while we are here on this earth. It is training for heaven. He is preparing us to think it is normal to have abundance. We must get used to God lavishly flooding us with His love and His gifts. He enjoys giving to us. God’s plan is a good plan, and we have only had a foretaste of it on this earth. His purpose is to bring us into the fullness of what He has for us.

The Holy Spirit and God's Plan

God has a plan for each person who is born on this earth. He has strategic positioning for us in each phase of our lives from the time we are born until we leave this earth. When we accept Jesus as our Savior and Lord and spend time with Him, our position in life becomes clearer. However, there are many people today who don’t know why they are here on this earth. Or if they know why they are here, they don’t know how to achieve what they are called to do here.

Also, once we know our strategic positioning, there are so many distractions which come to divert us from God’s plan. Just ordinary living can distract us—the car needs tuning, the dental checkup is due, the money to pay that bill is not there, the dishwasher broke and what do we do with the dirty dishes, you bought the wrong thing and have to take time to return it. On and on the list grows, and if we allow all of these things to clutter our minds and hearts, we take our focus off what the real purpose is of our lives—to do every day what God has ordained for us to do.

How do we learn what we are called to do? But more importantly, how do we maintain our focus on God’s ordained plan as we live our daily lives here on this earth? I believe Romans 8:26-28 holds the key. Let’s look at these verses.

Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.
And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God,
And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.

As we look at these scriptures, we see that the Holy Spirit helps our infirmities (weaknesses, inability to produce results because of our flesh). He helps us because there are many times when we do not know how to pray about a situation we are facing or that someone else is facing. The Holy Spirit makes intercession for us as we yield to Him. How do we yield to Him? We allow Him to pray through us. We call that praying in tongues. I know that not everyone believes in praying in tongues. That does not bother me. I am your sister in Christ. We both believe in Jesus. That is what is most important to me. However, I do know this. I have been praying in tongues for years and every time I pray in tongues, I move into peace and God shows me what to do to come through the situation for which I am praying. Victory is the result.

We see in verse 27 why it is important to yield to the Holy Spirit in prayer. He searches the hearts and knows the mind of the Spirit (the mind of God). He makes intercession according to the will of God. I want the will of God to be done in my life. It is vitally important to me that I please God and do His will. I want an intimate relationship with my heavenly Father; I want to stay very close to Him.

When we yield to the Holy Spirit in prayer, look at the results. Verse 28 tells us that the Holy Spirit works everything together for our good. That doesn’t mean that bad things come just so that we can get good out of life. No, no! This verse means that God will always work everything out for us to come to victory, regardless of what is thrown in our pathway to divert us. We love God and we are called according to His purpose. His purpose for us is outlined in His Word. We must read the Word and prayerfully allow God to work through us to accomplish His design for our lives. God is a good God, and He will always work everything together for our good, for our enjoyment of the good life. Nothing can ever come our way that God cannot turn around. What we must do is find out what, if anything, God wants us to do, in order to cooperate with Him in developing His good plan for our lives. We do that by praying in the Spirit.

I have purposed that I will pray in the Spirit more than I ever have done in the past. It is the pathway to God’s perfect will being accomplished in my life.

Be A Person Of Honor

What is honor? We respect people or some thing with our words and our actions because we consider them of great worth or value. Honor comes out of the value we place on a person or thing. When we honor someone, we respect what they think and we place value in their words and thus place great value in them as a valuable source of impartation into our lives. Their input is important to us. Why? Because we consider that what they have to offer us is necessary to produce what we need to live a good life. We value who they are and what they represent.

When we honor God and others, we are honored. When we honor our parents, we are honored. When we honor our spouses, we are honored. Honor is a word that seems to be lost in this new era in which we live. It appears to be a word that is forgotten in this present time. Where is the dignity of character and position that we once had as a people and as a nation? Where is the dignity afforded to positions God has ordained? Ministers are hardly recognized anymore as people to be honored. Parents are treated with disdain. Leaders are barely recognized as people of integrity and honor. What has happened to us?

Charisma has replaced honor. People are now drawn to those who satisfy their soulish desires, who cater to their fleshly desires. There is a vast difference between charisma and honor. Charisma draws people to oneself. Honor draws people to God. Why is that? God is the One Who originated honor. Honor is that quality that affords to others value and dignity and respect. It grows out of a place of humility. Pride doesn’t know honor. It cannot perceive the qualities of honor.

There is no place for honor when one has chosen to be elevated because of their own pursuit of power. True power comes from God. There is a worldly, counterfeit power that looks real and appears to bring results, but in the end it will bring devastation and destruction. God’s power is His Love; Love always respects others and sees the best in others and works for the best in others to come forth.

How can you tell true power and counterfeit power? True power is exhibited by a person in a position of leadership when their one desire is to see others prosper and succeed. Their goal is success for others. They are in leadership to produce that element of prosperity and success in other people’s lives. A counterfeit power appears to be interested in one’s prosperity but beneath that thin veneer of supposed concern for one’s welfare is selfishness and self-centeredness. What can I get out of this? How can I benefit from this? What is in it for me? The supposed concern is a façade, a front for the real person. The real person underneath is cunning, conniving and controlling. Their one desire is power and position of control.

What a travesty when any of us presume to think that we can achieve a place of honor when all we think about is ourselves. Honor comes from a place of selflessness, a place where we are genuinely desirous that others mature and succeed and are content. Honor is a place of respect for all people. It comes out of a heart that is tuned toward God and not ourselves. It truly is all about the heart. That is what this whole teaching is aiming toward. Everything we do ultimately comes from our hearts. What is in our hearts? What is in there? What is it producing in our lives?

Do you want to be honored? Ask God to melt your heart. Ask Him to create in you a clean heart and renew a right spirit within you. Ask Him to clean house. Out of that housecleaning will come a pure heart that is aimed toward God and honors him and respects those around you. What a difference God can make.

Today let’s take a fresh, new look at honor. We need the character tag of honor more than we have ever needed it in this present world in which we live. Let us be the ones who pave the way and make a difference. Honor God; honor your parents; honor your children; honor your spouse;, honor your boss; honor your pastor; honor those in positions of authority, whether they deserve it or not. Of course, we do not honor sin, but we honor the position the person holds. If they are in sin, our prayers for them will give God the opportunity to deal with them. If they do not change, they are removed from their positions of authority. God will always respect honor. We honor others and God takes care of the rest. We do not have to judge or condemn or criticize. Sin will judge itself and self-destruct. Righteousness will judge itself and be exalted.

BE A PERSON OF HONOR! The world will be a better place because of you!

Let The Holy Spirit Speak

The Holy Spirit of God is speaking to us all the time. We don’t hear Him all the time because our ears are plugged with the earwax of the clutter of other voices in the world. Yak, yak, yak! Do this; do that! Don’t do this; don’t do that! This is the way to go. Suzy Q and Harold T had success. Do it the way they did it! On and on and on, infinitum. Do you get my point? There are so many voices. In this modern world we are surrounded by every possibility for sound—television, radio, internet, mp3 players, dvd players, cd players, music in stores, music while we wait on the phone, and loud music in cars.

Our world is filled with voices. The voice of God is gentle and soft. He will not intrude. He is a gentleman. In order to hear His voice, we must be still and in a quiet place. Do you have a quiet place set aside where you go to hear His voice? Do you have a time set aside every day to draw aside and listen to Him? When is the last time you took a walk in the woods or listened to a babbling brook? I know we have all these man-made relaxing devices. We don’t need mad-made sounds to relax us. God has provided us with a world of beautiful sounds—the birds singing in the early morning, the crickets chirping their tunes during the day, the frogs serenading us in the mornings, or the water running quietly in a little stream in the woods. Most people have forgotten about all these beautiful sounds, or maybe have never taken time to hear them. We talk too much and don’t practice listening. God’s sounds are stress relievers.

The Holy Spirit has so much to say to us. He wants to comfort us. He wants to instruct us. He wants to guide us. Yes, He does it through the Word of God. The Word of God must be in our hearts and minds for the Holy Spirit to have material to use to speak to us. Oh, His companionship is so sweet. I love spending time with Him. There are times when He doesn’t say a word; He is simply there. He doesn’t always have to speak. We can sense His Presence with us. It is sometimes comforting to know He is there as our friend.

This is a reminder to all of us to take some time to hear God’s sounds and to listen for the voice of the Spirit of God. He is speaking. Are we listening?

Looking Through The Glasses of Possibility

God is a possibility God. All things are possible with Him. There is nothing that can be labeled as impossible with God because He doesn’t think that way. He only sees possibilities. Unfortunately, we as His children don’t always have this characteristic because we forget Who is helping us. God’s sees potential for success every time he looks at us. We must put on His glasses to see ourselves clearly as His children, walking in His ways.

Are you entangled in what you consider an impossible situation today? Has the doctor given you a bad report? Perhaps you have lost your job. Or you wonder where the money will come from to pay the bills. Is your marriage in need of repairing? Are your children not serving the Lord? All of these situations appear to be impossible of solution at times when we look at them as they appear in the natural world. God has different eyesight. He sees health and healing. He sees a new job. He sees bills being paid. He sees marriages being mended. He sees children as disciples taught of Him and obedient to His will (Isaiah 54:13).

How can we see as God sees? He has given us the solution. His Word is the way He looks at things. His Word says that with the stripes that wounded Jesus we are healed and made whole (Isaiah 53:4,5 and 1 Peter 2:24). His Word says that He has never seen the righteous forsaken nor His seed begging for bread (Psalm 37:25). His Word says that He supplies all our need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:19). His Word says that husbands love their wives as Christ loved the church and wives respect and honor their husbands (Ephesians 5:25,33). His Word says that the seed of the righteous shall be delivered (Proverbs 11:21).

Perhaps, as you look at the natural circumstances, you do not see any physical manifestations of God’s Word. I know that can become very discouraging and disappointing. What do you see? You and I have to get past what we see with our physical eyes and hear with our physical ears. Only God’s Word will produce the victory in any situation in life.

Sometimes we have to get radical in our approach, regardless of what others may think about us. When things are the worst we have ever seen them, that is the time to press into the Word as we have never done before. It means that we can’t watch television; it means that we spend every waking moment we have with our mind engaged with the Word of God and our mouth confessing what we see in the Word. For us in our fleshly state of being in this earth, that seems really “far out” and difficult. The questions we must ask ourselves are these: How desperate am I for success? How much am I willing to do to achieve success? Am I willing to be called a fanatic? Am I willing to be mocked and “made fun of”? Am I willing to ignore the critical opinions of others regarding what I am doing as a fanatic with the Word of God? Yes, there is a price to pay for success. There is even a price to pay for success in the earthly realm for people who are not Christians, as they press for their goals to be accomplished.

Jesus paid the ultimate price with His life on the cross, so that our lives, yours and mine, could be lives of success. It all depends on our eyesight!

Full of Faith, Grace and Power

God is full of faith, grace and power. We as His children benefit from every one of these attributes.

He is full of faith and faithful to His Word which He has given us. He sent Jesus, His Word, to us so that we could be full of faith. Hebrews 12:2 tells us that Jesus is the Author and Finisher of our faith. He gives us the thrust to have faith; He starts us on the pathway. He doesn’t leave us without direction and guidance. Once we are on the pathway of faith, He stays with us to keep us in faith. He is the beginning of our faith, and He is the ending of our faith.

God is full of grace. He is full to overflowing with the desire to favor us with His love. His grace is His love extended to us when we don’t desire any of it. He is so full, He has to find people on whom He can release His grace. When Jesus came into the world, we are told in John 1:14 that He was full of grace and truth. The Lord told Paul that His grace was sufficient for Paul. In other words, He was saying to Paul and to us as well that His love abounds toward us to solve any situation. According to 1 Corinthians 13, God’s Agape Love never fails.

God is all-powerful; He is full of power. His power is greater than any other power in all the realms in heaven, on earth, and beneath the earth. His power is the outflowing of His Love. The outpouring of God’s Love is the outpouring of His power to reconcile us to Himself, to heal us, to prosper us, to give us success and to bring us to a place of victory and stability. There is no greater power than God. Satan would like to have that power and to imitate it, but he cannot. He attempts to convince people that he is powerful, but he has been stripped of his power. He doesn’t have it anymore. Jesus stripped him of his authority and power. Jesus told us that all power, all authority has been given to Him in heaven and in earth (Matthew 28:18). And guess who He shares that power with? He has given us access to His power. Greater is He (with His power) Who is in us than he who is in the world (1 John 4:4).

As God’s children, through Jesus Christ, by the power of the Holy Spirit, we have access to the faith, the grace and the power of God. He is in us and we are in Him. His faith, grace and power is in us to do the work he has called us to do and to live a joyful, abundant, successful life while we are here on this earth.

Jesus, The Cross, and Me

Today I have been thinking about what Jesus did for me at the cross. If He had not embraced the cross, I would not have the opportunity to be reconciled to my Father God. Healing would not be a possibility for me. Joy in the union with Jesus would not be happening. I would have nothing except what I could do myself, and that is so limiting. It is a struggle to accomplish goals in our own fleshly selves. There is sweat and work in unbelievable dimensions. It’s all hard. But with Jesus, life can become a pleasure, regardless of what goes on in our world. He always has the answer. He has provided the means to come out of any situation in which we find ourselves.

I woke up several days ago with the chorus to an old hymn going through my mind—“in the cross, in the cross, be my glory ever.” Those few words kept going over and over in my mind. We are to glory in the cross of Jesus Christ. He is the Way, the Truth and the Life. Because of what Jesus did on the cross and afterwards, we are free to worship God and enjoy being His children, with all the benefits of the Kingdom of God.

Because of the cross, I can make it through anything. I have the victory before I even encounter problems. Why is that? Jesus has already obtained the victory for me. He has already obtained the solution for me. He has already provided the means for overcoming challenges. He has made the provision. He has not only made provision for coming out of problems. He has also made provision for a life of joy and happiness and abundant living. He has provided a life of peace, which is wholeness in every area of life. He has made me righteous so that I can enjoy relationship with my Father God. He has given me so much. What a life I can live.

I want you to stop and think about what you have today because of what Jesus did. What an awesome array of benefits Jesus has made available for all of us! Read the book, the Word of God, with new insight. See once again for yourself what you have in Jesus. I am taking a new look at what he has provided for me. I am determined to receive all that God has made available for me to enjoy. I am determined to learn how to receive the maximum benefit. Are you?

Rise Up With Wings As Eagle's

Have you ever watched an eagle soar high above the earth? He is so graceful, even though he is a big bird. He catches the wind and soars with the breeze. That is exactly what God wants us to do. He wants us to catch the wind of the Holy Spirit and soar high above the things of this earth. That doesn’t mean that we are “flaky.” It simply means that we are to know the Lord so well that we hear His voice and quickly obey what He tells us to do. It is that easy.

We get to know the Lord’s voice by reading, studying and meditating His Word, which is His voice expressed to us on this earth. The more we know the Word, the easier it is to hear the voice of God when He speaks to us, because He will always speak in line with His Word.

Our thoughts are to be above the doubt and fear and unbelief in this world. Our thoughts are to be centered on God and His Kingdom. He is the One Who gives us instruction and takes care of us. He guides us into successful living every day, when we listen to His directions. We can be free like that eagle, strengthened in the Lord, and rising above the troubles all around us. Up high there is not the sight of trouble. Our sight is fixed on God and His Word.

What if the government fails? What if the economy goes “belly up”? What will happen to me? What about my health? Can I afford to live decently? What will I do about food? What about my home? What about my children? Every one of these questions is answered in one word: GOD! My God is more than enough. If He could give manna to the Israelites and rain down quail for their food in the wilderness, He can take care of us in tough times. I myself have had personal testimony to that care. He will take care of you all the time. He will give you instructions on what to do. Listen to Him. Obey Him. Don’t ignore Him. Don’t delay in obedience. Delayed obedience can cost you just as much as disobedience. There is God’s timing in everything. He is not out of control. The world may be out of control, but God is in perfect control. If you and I will stay close to Him, He will always take us through to the other side into victory, regardless of how difficult the circumstances we face.

Let’s close with several scriptures on eagles.

Isaiah 40:31 Amplified Bible
But those who wait for the Lord [who expect, look for, and hope in Him] shall change and renew their strength and power; they shall lift their wings and mount up [close to God] as eagles [mount up to the sun]; they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint or become tired.

Malachi 4:2
But unto you that fear my name shall the Sun of righteousness arise with healing in his wings; and ye shall go forth, and grow up as calves of the stall.

Psalm 103:5
Who satisfies thy mouth with good things; so that thy youth is renewed like the eagle’s.

These three scriptures tell us that as we worship the Lord, reverence His name, and let Him fill our mouths with good things (His Word), we shall have His strength and power. We shall not be weary or faint or become tired. We have healing from Him. Our youth is renewed and we go forth, enjoying our life in Him. What a way to live!

Examine Yourself

Are you ready for an examination? This examination will not hurt you, and you can make a passing grade of an “A” every time because your teacher is the Holy Spirit.

We are to allow the Lord to examine our hearts and tell us what adjustments we need to make so that we have clean hearts and right attitudes. It is so important to keep our hearts clean. We bathe our bodies every day; we wash our clothes; we wash our dishes after using them; we wash our vehicles; we clean up our yards. I find it rather interesting that we make sure that all of our earthly possessions are clean, yet sometimes we neglect to keep our hearts clean.

What do I mean by a clean heart? Obviously, we are not talking about our physical blood pump, but we are speaking of that inner man where our spirit is housed. There are a tremendous number of scriptures on the heart. Let’s explore several of them to see what we can uncover. Psalm 51:10“Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.” Psalm 19:14: “Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O LORD, my strength, and my redeemer.”

If we examine ourselves with Colossians 3, we see what is contained in the clean heart of a child of God. We set our affections or our minds on things which are above and not things on this earth. We deprive the sins of fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil unholy desires and covetousness from our bodies, for that is idolatry. We put away from ourselves anger, rage, bad feelings toward others, blasphemy, filthy communication, and lying. We put on mercy, kindness, humility, meekness and patience, being kind and forgiving to one another (even if we have a complaint against someone). Above everything, we put on love and let the peace of God rule in our hearts. We let the Word of Christ dwell in us richly in all wisdom and teach one another in spiritual hymns and songs with grace in our hearts. We do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, giving thanks to God and the Father by Him.

What I very quickly want to point out here is that we sometimes must do these things by faith, because, as God’s children, we have been made pure by the blood of Jesus. The place we experience difficulty is in our soul (minds, wills, emotions). The soul is that part of us which needs continual monitoring by the Word of God. Our minds have to be renewed with the Word of God daily. Our emotions have to be held in rein by the fruit of the spirit. Our wills have to be conformed to God’s will every day. Here is the area of challenge for all of us. As long as we live in these physical bodies on this earth, we must allow the power of the Holy Spirit and His Word to keep us. It is a daily process.

2 Cor. 13:5, Amplified Bible
Examine and test and evaluate your own selves to see whether you are holding to your faith and showing the proper fruits of it….

It’s a daily examination. The Holy Spirit is our teacher and guide and it’s an open-book exam. Open the book (Bible) and read and answer the questions. They are not difficult. You will make an “A” every time.

Why Are You Studying The Word of God?

I was eating my breakfast this morning and reading my Bible and confessing certain scriptures which I do all the time. When I confessed the scriptures in Ephesians 1:17-19, the Lord spoke these questions to me: Why do you study your Bible? Why do you read your Bible? Do you study it so you can be healed or do you study it because you love Me so much you want to read My love letters to you? Do you read My Word so that you can be prosperous, or do you read it because you want to learn of Me? Do you confess My Word so that you can have abundance or do you confess it because you want to tell Me how much you love Me? Wow, Lord, this causes me to stand still and take a close look at my motives!

Today, let’s take some time to examine our hearts. Let’s ask the Holy Spirit to show us how to express our love to the Father. God gave us His Word to express His love for us. This whole Bible is a series of love letters to His children. It is a handbook of daily living. He is a guide to show us how to walk, how to avoid the traps that satan lays for us, how to stay in the place of protection, and how to love as our dear Heavenly Father loves us.

Why do we study our Bibles? What is our motive? Are we doing it for our own profit, thinking only of our own selfish needs? Or are we doing it because we love God so much that we are propelled to His Word to see what He has to tell us today?

For God so loved the world, that He gave. He gave us His Son, the Word, but He also gave us this Bible, the Word. Now why do you suppose He did that? He wanted us to live the way He intended for us to live on this earth. Because Adam and Eve messed up, the Father sent Jesus to make it right again. But as long as we live on this earth, because of what Adam and Eve did, (they invited satan to be the god of this world) we must contend for what God has for us. We live in this world; therefore, we must continually feed on God’s Word to keep ourselves in His way of living. His way of living is Love, because He is Love. This world operates on hatred and greed; God operates on Love and giving. Do you see what I see? We are in this world of hatred and greed; we must have something to keep us from “taking on” this world’s system. That “something” is the Word of God, which will keep us in Love and unselfishness.

The Bible, the Word of God, His Love Letters to us is teeming with His Life. When we read, study, meditate, and confess the scriptures, we are taking in His Life. When we study the Word of God to know Him better and better, we have the right motive, and His Life which is contained in His Word will produce what we need, whether it is healing or prosperity or abundance. The point I am making here is that if we study our Bibles just so we can get something, we have missed the entire reason for the Bible being given to us. It was given to us for us to learn of God—Who He is and how much He loves us. Out of our study of the Bible to know Him will come the healing we need, the finances we need, the correction of relationships we need.

God’s Word is awesome! Contained within His Word is everything we will ever need, every bit of counsel we will ever have to have and the full supply of all that we need to live successfully here on this earth. He is God, our Provider!

From this day forward, when we sit down with His Word, let’s see ourselves sitting at His feet, learning of His ways and His Love. The healing is there. The finances are there. The right relationships are there. Whatever we need is there in His Word. They are already taken care of. Jesus has already purchased everything we will ever need when He took our place as our substitute on the cross. All we have to do is open this Bible and find out what is already ours and thank God for it. The rest is in His hands. We are to enjoy His Word speaking words of endearment and love to us. Out of that time of intimacy comes the fulfillment of our needs.

I Am Innocent

Abraham is our example of faith. He believed God’s promise to Him. Here is the way God sees us. God speaks of Abraham as if he never staggered at which God said. We all know that he did and that it took a number of years for him to believe. Yet God had Paul write in Romans 4 that Abraham staggered not at the promise of God. What a vision God has of us. Look at it. See yourself and others through God’s vision of righteousness by faith.

Romans 4:17-25
(As it is written, I have made thee a father of many nations,) before him whom he believed, even God, who quickeneth the dead, and calleth those things which be not as though they were.
Who against hope believed ikn hope, that he might become the father of many nations, according to that which was spoken, So shall thy seed be.
And being not weak in faith, he considered not his own body now dead, when he was about an hundred years old, neither yet the deadness of Sarah’s womb:
He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God;
And being fully persuaded that, what he had promised, he was able also to perform.
And therefore it was imputed to him for righteousness.
Now it was not written for his sake alone, that it was imputed to him;
But for us also, to whom it shall be imputed, if we believe on him that raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead; Who was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification.

Abraham’s faith was imputed or credited to him as righteousness (being right with God).
It is written for our sake also.

By faith we believe in God Who raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead.

Jesus was betrayed and put to death, delivered up for our offenses (faults, sins, trespasses—those things we do wrong, whether unintentional or willful, things contrary to God, to Love Himself).
Jesus was raised for our justification. He was raised and absolved us from all guilt before God. That’s what righteousness is: I AM INNOCENT! I have innocence.

In the courtroom of the spirit realm, our plea is this: I PLEAD THE BLOOD OF JESUS; I AM INNOCENT! Because of the blood of Jesus, we are innocent. Our guilt is gone. Someone (Jesus) took the blame, took our place, so we could walk out of prison into freedom. We were captives, enslaved by satan’s trap, but Jesus set us free from bondage. We are no longer bound. We are free.

Hallelujah! We are free! Because of Jesus we are innocent! Our sins are washed away! We are pure! We are clean! FOREVER WE ARE INNOCENT! We are righteous (right with God). In God’s eyesight, we are as pure as His Son Jesus. We are His pure children also. It is all because of God’s great love and Jesus’ great sacrifice for all of us. The Son has made us free.

Today, let’s receive the fullness of our innocence. God delights in us when we receive the fullness of the innocence He has provided for us. We receive the fullness of righteousness. Thank You, Lord!

God's Promise Seal

The Holy Spirit is God’s promise to us of Himself living and breathing His Life in us. Not only is the Holy Spirit promised to us, but also, He is the seal or guarantee of God that we belong to the Lord. Today let’s look at 1 Corinthians 1:20-22 in the Amplified Bible regarding the seal of God.

For as many as are the promises of God, they all find their Yes [answer] in Him [Christ]. For this reason we also utter the Amen (so be it) to God through Him [in His Person and by His agency] to the glory of God.
But it is God Who confirms and makes us steadfast and establishes us [in joint fellowship] with you in Christ, and has consecrated and anointed us [enduing us with the gifts of the Holy Spirit];
[He has also appropriated and acknowledged us as His by] putting His seal upon us and giving us His [Holy] Spirit in our hearts as the security deposit and guarantee [of the fulfillment of His promise].

In connection with the Holy Spirit being our seal, we must also look at Ephesians 1:13,14 in the Amplified Bible.

In Him you also who have heard the Word of Truth, the glad tidings (Gospel) of your salvation, and have believed in and adhered to and relied on Him, were stamped with the seal of the long-promised Holy Spirit.
That [Spirit] is the guarantee of our inheritance [the first-fruits, the pledge and foretaste, the down payment on our heritage], in anticipation of its full redemption and our acquiring [complete] possession of it—to the praise of His glory.”

All the promises of God are Yes and in Him, Jesus Christ, Amen (so be it). Everything we do is to be to the glory of God. All is to be positive. God says that He promises us something in His Word and it is done—so be it. In other words, so let it be established for you.

All the promises of God find their answer in Christ. All of God’s promises to us were made available to us in Christ Jesus. He is our answer. He is our Yes and Amen. There is no other answer. He is our answer. He is our Healer. He is our Provider. He is our Peace. He is our all-sufficient One. He is the One on Whom we lean and rely. He is everything we need.

In Christ Jesus, God establishes us in joint fellowship with others and anoints us. We have fellowship with God and with other people as we are in Christ Jesus. It is God Who gives us connections with Himself and with people. He is the One Who anoints us to have union and communion with Him and people. Only through the Lord Jesus Christ do we have true fellowship or unity.

God has also acknowledged us as His own by putting His seal upon us and giving us the Holy Spirit in our hearts as the earnest or down payment or security deposit, guaranteeing the fulfillment of His promise (of the Holy Spirit) to help us while we’re here on this earth. The Holy Spirit is our guarantee of our inheritance. He is the One Who is the Administrator, the Executor of the estate now, here on this earth, until we receive the full redemption of our inheritance. What is the full redemption? We will have glorified bodies; we will be free from temptation and the things of this earth. We will be 100 per cent glorified with the glory of God.

The Holy Spirit, the Anointed One, has come to live in us as our Guide and Director while we are here on this earth. He is God’s guarantee of all His promises being fulfilled in our lives, both now and forevermore.

Flourish

Psalm 92:12-15 has much to say about flourishing and growing. Let’s look at these verses today. They are such powerful verses describing the life of the righteous. This is the Old Testament, the Old Covenant. It is talking about the righteous, even before Jesus came and became sin for us so that we might become righteous. The Old Testament saints were righteous by faith. It was credited to them as if they were already righteous.

Amp
The [uncompromisingly] righteous shall flourish like the palm tree [be long-lived, stately, upright, useful, and fruitful]; they shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon [majestic, stable, durable, and incorruptible].
Planted in the house of the Lord, they shall flourish in the courts of our God.
[Growing in grace] they shall still bring forth fruit in old age; they shall be full of sap [of spiritual vitality] and [rich in the] verdure [of trust, love, and contentment].
[They are living memorials] to show that the Lord is upright and faithful to His promises; He is my Rock, and there is no unrighteousness in Him.

We see the words “flourish,” “grow” and “verdure” several times in these verses. Actually, the theme of these verses is flourishing or growing. We as God’s people are to flourish in this world right now; we don’t have to wait until we get to heaven to flourish. Let’s look at these words.

The word “verdure” means: vigorous, flourishing, growing condition.

The word “flourish” in the Strong’s Concordance means: to break forth as a bud, blossom, grow, spread, spring up, make fly—fly (as extending the wings) to be extreme, enlarged, to enter into a state of prosperity, increase, multiply, thrive.

Look at the word "multiply" in the Strong’s Concordance in Genesis 17:1,2. God was talking to Abraham as the Almighty God of Covenant when He told Abraham that He would multiply him exceedingly.

Multiply: to increase, bring in abundance, enlarge, excel, exceedingly, be full, (be, make) great (er, ly, X-ness), grow up, heap, increase, nourish, plenty (eous), more, much, greater.

The definition of “flourish” in Webster’s 1828 Dictionary is: open, expand, enlarge, shoot out as in glory, thrive, grow luxuriantly, increase, enlarge as a healthy, growing plant, be prosperous, increase in wealth and honor, grow in grace and good works, be in prosperous state.

The definition of prosper is: to favor, to render successful, to be successful, to succeed, to grow or increase, thrive, make gain, having success, favored, rendering successful, advancing in growth, wealth or any good.

The definition of favor is: to afford advantage for success, to regard with kindness, to support, to aid or have the disposition to aid, to wish success to, to encourage

The definition of succeed or success is: to obtain the object desired, to accomplish what is intended or attempted, having the desired effect, prosperous, prosperous conclusion.

The definition of prosperity is: advance or gain in any thing good or desirable, success, attainment of object desired.

The definition of prosperous is: advancing in the pursuit of any thing desirable, making gain or increase, thriving, successful, favorable, favoring success

The definition of prosperously is: with gain or increase

Do you see the similarity of the definitions in the dictionary and the meaning of the Hebrew words. We see the words increase, multiply, prosper, enlarge, full, plenty, thrive, bud and blossom, grow, succeed, advance. God is telling us that we as His righteous ones are to thrive in this world in every area of our lives. We are to be the successful ones. We are to be the ones who are prospering and increasing. We are to be examples to the rest of the world. We are to show them that serving the Lord is a joyous, delightful, wonderful privilege. He takes care of His own children. We do not lack or want for any good thing.

God is in covenant with us and He is saying: You will flourish, break forth like a bud and blossom, spread your wings and fly, thrive and grow and increase and expand and enlarge and be in a prosperous state, a successful place of growing and increase. You will thrive, gain, and advance in achieving the desired end result, accomplishing what is intended. YOU ARE SUCCESSFUL! YOU WILL SUCCEED!

The Counsel of God

One of the names of the Holy Spirit is Counselor. He is the One Who counsels us in the way which we should go; He shows us God’s will for our lives. We have a choice. We can either listen to Him or ignore Him. The Word of God has some very specific things to say about the counsel of God. Let’s look at some of them today. I believe it will help those of you who are in the middle of making very strategic choices in your life.

In Psalm 1:1-3 we read: Blessed is the man that walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scornful. But his delight is in the law (Word) of the LORD,; and in his law (Word) does he meditate day and night. And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that brings forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he does shall prosper (succeed).

We are blessed; we are empowered by God to prosper or succeed in our lives when we follow the counsel of the Godly instead of listening to the counsel of the ungodly, staying around them and fellowshipping with them and entering into their mockery of others. We are blessed when we delight in God’s Word and meditate in it day and night. We shall be fruitful, successful, and prosperous when we follow the counsel of God and His Word, whether we get it directly on our own or receive counsel from those who are Godly people of the Word and the Spirit of God.

God told Joshua that he would succeed if he kept God’s Word in his mouth and meditated on that Word of God day and night so that he would know what to do; then he would do wisely and have good success (Joshua 1:8).

Once again, our key to success in life is the Word of God revealed to us as the Truth of God by the Spirit of God.

Let’s look at several scriptures to help us solidify looking to the Lord, His Word and Godly people for counsel.

Psalm 32:8
I will instruct you and teach you in the way which you shall go; I will guide you with my eye.
Amp. I [the Lord] will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with My eye upon you.

Psalm 33:11
The counsel of the LORD stands for ever, the thoughts of his heart to all generations.

Psalm 16:7, Amp
I will bless the Lord, Who has given me counsel; yes, my heart instructs me in the night seasons.
Isn’t it wonderful that the Spirit of the Lord is counseling us even while we sleep. He is on the job all the time, even when we are sleeping. God neither slumbers nor sleeps.

God promises us that He will counsel us and guide us in our walk of life. He will teach us the way that we are to go. The Holy Spirit is our Teacher. He will always lead us in Truth because He is the Spirit of Truth. When He, the Spirit of Truth, comes, He will guide us into all Truth…He will show us things to come (John 15:13). He will keep us in the right path. He even instructs during the night while we sleep. We wake up in the morning with understanding of the direction for our day. As we pray in the spirit, we receive clarity for our mind to go in the direction of the Lord. His counsel is always good counsel. It stands forever.

My Always God

God is a 24-hour God. We get up with Him. We shower with Him and get ready for the day. We eat breakfast with Him. We go to work with Him or shop with Him. We eat our lunch and dinner with Him. We go to bed with Him. We sleep with Him. He is with us all the time. He says that He never leaves us nor forsakes us. He is always there, on the good days and on the bad days. He is there when everything is grand and glorious. He is there when things are nasty and upsetting. He is there.

I don’t know about you, but it gives me so much comfort to know that God is with me regardless of what is going on in my life or around me. He cares for me and watches over me to bring me to a place of abundance all the time. He has so many ways of bringing me into His place of soundness and wholeness. He gives me assurance that all is well. Yes, all is well with Him in the driver’s seat. He knows far more than I do. There is such a sense of well-being when I yield to Him in my life. After all, He is the One Who created everything. So, it is perfectly logical that He is the One with the ability to maintain what He created.

We would lose less sleep and have less stress in our lives if we allowed God to do His job. He is an excellent care taker. He takes care of us.