In today's cultural world there has been so much confusion about which religion is true and which is not? Who's right, who's wrong? Is there a God, is there not? I believe that this is due to a lack of truth being taught in the the Body of Christ. I remember on my journey in searching for the truth about God I noticed a difference between what I read in the Bible and what I saw in today's church. The Bible says that the children of God are to be one way, but the church folks I saw were nothing like it. So my journey began with trying to find out why.
First, like most who embark on this adventure I tried to do things on my own, which didn't last long. My grandpa Rev. Jerry Houchins, was very helpful, but being young and full of self pride, I thought I needed more conformation outside of my family's view of God. Folks tend to cast down people's world views that have been raised in church because folks that haven't been raised in church believe that those who were are brain washed. Later I found out that my grandpa's view was right on, and I wish I could have told him that while he was still here, but I know he's up there in the cloud of witnesses Hebrews 12:1 talks about. Praise the Lord!
Anyways, I began to look and watch for folks that appeared to imitate what I saw in the Bible. I met a lot of nice moral folks, but there always seemed to be something missing in them. It was almost as if something was holding them back. It seemed that they had faith, but they weren't quite sure how to operate it. I thought it rather strange that people would spend time talking and singing praises to God about how wonderful and powerful He is and then when tragedy hits their faith is no where to be found. It was all confusing to me. This behavior is contradictory and gave me the feeling of false hope. So I made a promise that if God was real, and if His Word is truly infallible and full of power, then I would follow Him. I promised God to give Him my life and my very best effort. I vowed to follow Him where ever He would lead me. But if there where no manifestations to go along to confirm His existence, then I would go on being my own man.
So I began to get in the Word, and God brought a friend from my past into my life. This friend of mine, who did grow up in church, gave me some Cd's to help direct me. From that day on my life as well as my family's life has never been the same. I began to apply the Word that I learned from those Cd's to my life and God began to transform me into a new creation. Results that God's Word promised started to show up in my life. I began to see things from a very different perspective. Everything seemed to be more clear! The veil was torn from my eyes and God opened my life up to a life full of joyfulness in Christ! I didn't arrive over night to a place where I was fearless, but over time as I would see God's mercy and how faithful He is to His Word and the fear began to leave my heart. Now, as long as I would stay in His Word, I never feared or fret what they enemy tried to put in my mind. But if I quit feeding my faith by not reading and meditating in the Word, fear would creep back in my heart, and my life would begin to unravel and become full of doubt and unbelief. However as soon as I would get my eyes back on the Word things would get better! I quikly realized that reading God's Word is a must in order to live a victorious life of a Christian.
Fear is of the enemy, and it is his strongest weapon to bring the believer back into bondage. But fear cannot stand in the presence of the Almighty Word of God! This is how Jesus guarded His heart in the wilderness when the devil came to tempt Him.. Jesus said, "It is written..." You see He was established and rooted in God's Word! And if Jesus needed to be established and rooted in God's Word, then how much more do we need to be? We build a solid defense against our adversary by framing our minds and life on God's Word! So when the devil comes around to try and deceive us with his lies we don't have to acquaint ourselves with God's will in the situation! We can say, " Devil, it is written I am the righteousness in Christ, and God has put all things under His feet and gave Jesus to be the head over all things to the Church which is His body and so now I am filled with the fullness of Christ whom strengthens me and you are nothing! I cast you out in the name of Jesus!" And James 4:7 says he must flee. Hallelujah! God's Word is written upon our hearts for it is life unto us(Proverbs 4:20-22). Fear has kept many out of the presence and promises of God. Fear has dominated believers from entering into the power of God's anointing.
In these last days it is crucial that we the Body of Christ figure out how to tap into the power of His anointing and begin to operate in it. Grace is much more than just saving us from hell. It's the power to do the things we were commissioned by Jesus to do! (Mark 16:15-18) We alone in our own strength cannot do this, but greater is He that is in me than he that is in the world! We are new creations in Christ! We are to bring the message of Jesus Christ to the world! And that is we don't have to be poor any more! We don't have to be sick any more! We have been delivered form the hand of the enemy and are no longer a slave and in bondage to sin! Isaiah 53 says to whom that believe this report the Arm of the Lord is revealed and that arm is mightier than anything we might imagine. In one place the Bible said that Jesus cast out demons by the finger of God. If that's true, and it is, then how much stronger is the Arm of God? I don't know about you but I believe the report! Isaiah 52 says awake and put on thy strength! This is the message! We are the Sons and daughters of God! He is our God our Strength, our Deliverer, our Healer, our complete source of all things that are good. He alone we trust! So if He is to you all these things, then it's time to lay down your fear. Pick up the Word and declare it right now! Its time to bring out your light from underneath that basket, and let it shine for the Lord! Isaiah 60 says, "Arise, Shine; for thy light has come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee." It's time to come out from among the them and shine for the Lord! Hallelujah! Glory to God!
Monday, October 18, 2010
Monday, October 11, 2010
A Love Like Jesus!
Along with the New Covenant, Jesus has given us a new commandment. In John 13:34 Jesus said, "A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another." But to truly understand what Jesus is saying, you have to know how Jesus loved. So how did Jesus love others?
Matthew 9:35-38 reveals the true passion of Jesus' heart for man. "And Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease among the people. But when he saw the multitudes, he was moved with compassion on them, because they fainted, and were scattered abroad, as sheep having no shepherd. Then saith he unto his disciples, "The harvest truly is plenteous, but the labourers are few; Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth labourers into his harvest."
We the believers, are the laborers Jesus said to pray to the Lord of the harvest for. Those who are bound by the enemy are great in number, too great for just one man to minister to them. God knew this and sent His only begotten Son to destroy the yoke of the enemy, and He did. That part is finished! However, many are still bound by the devil's cleaver lies. We the laborers have been given empowerment, an anointing; the Holy Spirit, to carry out the works of Jesus. Jesus is the head of the Church, and we are His body. We are to be powerFULL not powerless. Jesus said in John 14:12, "Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father." So in order to love others as Jesus has loved us we need to operate as He operated. Jesus is a Christian's example and role model. He came and taught, preached, and healed. This is our example to follow! Jesus taught us that what He did we are to do. Jesus is the best leader, and He lead by example. True compassion for man is shown by giving.
I thank God for His Word every day because it truly does bring freedom! Freedom from the bondages of the enemy. God sent His Word and healed them the Bible says. I am convinced that if everyone would get their eyes on the Word and believe God, then every strong hold of the enemy that has appeared to be hindering us will vanish! After all, all the roadblocks in our way are only false vanities, or false appearances of the enemy in his attempt to keep the believer from operating in His blood bought authority. Everything the enemy can do to us as children of God has been blocked by faith in the blood of Jesus Christ! The Bible tells us that Jesus has stripped the devil of all his power (Hebrews 2:14). The same anointing Jesus operated in has been given to His body, the church. Oh! if we only knew the real power of this anointing... Jesus said you can move mountains! Philippians 4:19 declares that God has supplied all our needs according to His bank account, and that's far greater than we can wrap our little brains around.
If the believer is hindered it is because of our own thinking. The Bible tells us to renew our minds by the Word of God. This requires that you walk by faith and not by sight. We often want to know how everything is going to happen before hand, but God doesn't work that way! He says in Hebrews 11:6 that it is impossible to please Him with out faith. Faith is the evidence of things not seen, so how is acting on things after you know all the details walking by faith? It's not! The things of God are not always going to make sense to us on this side of heaven. Often times they are beyond our comprehension or human reasoning. But God sent us His Word to line us up to receive His best! Build upon the foundation, which is Christ, by molding your thoughts and life by the Word of God! The scriptures are God's thoughts written down for us to shape our thoughts after Him! Now it's a matter of obedience and putting our faith in God!
If we will believe Jesus at His word, and do the things He has commanded us to do. And if we would lay aside our doubt and unbelief, God would use us to move mountains in our lives and other's as well! We are to be the body of Christ! We are to be His voice calling, His hands healing, His feet walking in this broken world. We are to be chain breakers, His peace makers, To bring hope and joy to others, and imitators of Christ by spreading His love. And we do that by carrying out His written will (Mark 16:17-18) So what do you say? Do you want to be a world changer and fulfill the purpose God has called you to? Or are you just going to sit back and be content producing little fruit? I don't know about you but I want to hear those words of the master say when I come before the throne, "Well done good and faithful servant."
God bless!
Matthew 9:35-38 reveals the true passion of Jesus' heart for man. "And Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease among the people. But when he saw the multitudes, he was moved with compassion on them, because they fainted, and were scattered abroad, as sheep having no shepherd. Then saith he unto his disciples, "The harvest truly is plenteous, but the labourers are few; Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth labourers into his harvest."
We the believers, are the laborers Jesus said to pray to the Lord of the harvest for. Those who are bound by the enemy are great in number, too great for just one man to minister to them. God knew this and sent His only begotten Son to destroy the yoke of the enemy, and He did. That part is finished! However, many are still bound by the devil's cleaver lies. We the laborers have been given empowerment, an anointing; the Holy Spirit, to carry out the works of Jesus. Jesus is the head of the Church, and we are His body. We are to be powerFULL not powerless. Jesus said in John 14:12, "Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father." So in order to love others as Jesus has loved us we need to operate as He operated. Jesus is a Christian's example and role model. He came and taught, preached, and healed. This is our example to follow! Jesus taught us that what He did we are to do. Jesus is the best leader, and He lead by example. True compassion for man is shown by giving.
I thank God for His Word every day because it truly does bring freedom! Freedom from the bondages of the enemy. God sent His Word and healed them the Bible says. I am convinced that if everyone would get their eyes on the Word and believe God, then every strong hold of the enemy that has appeared to be hindering us will vanish! After all, all the roadblocks in our way are only false vanities, or false appearances of the enemy in his attempt to keep the believer from operating in His blood bought authority. Everything the enemy can do to us as children of God has been blocked by faith in the blood of Jesus Christ! The Bible tells us that Jesus has stripped the devil of all his power (Hebrews 2:14). The same anointing Jesus operated in has been given to His body, the church. Oh! if we only knew the real power of this anointing... Jesus said you can move mountains! Philippians 4:19 declares that God has supplied all our needs according to His bank account, and that's far greater than we can wrap our little brains around.
If the believer is hindered it is because of our own thinking. The Bible tells us to renew our minds by the Word of God. This requires that you walk by faith and not by sight. We often want to know how everything is going to happen before hand, but God doesn't work that way! He says in Hebrews 11:6 that it is impossible to please Him with out faith. Faith is the evidence of things not seen, so how is acting on things after you know all the details walking by faith? It's not! The things of God are not always going to make sense to us on this side of heaven. Often times they are beyond our comprehension or human reasoning. But God sent us His Word to line us up to receive His best! Build upon the foundation, which is Christ, by molding your thoughts and life by the Word of God! The scriptures are God's thoughts written down for us to shape our thoughts after Him! Now it's a matter of obedience and putting our faith in God!
If we will believe Jesus at His word, and do the things He has commanded us to do. And if we would lay aside our doubt and unbelief, God would use us to move mountains in our lives and other's as well! We are to be the body of Christ! We are to be His voice calling, His hands healing, His feet walking in this broken world. We are to be chain breakers, His peace makers, To bring hope and joy to others, and imitators of Christ by spreading His love. And we do that by carrying out His written will (Mark 16:17-18) So what do you say? Do you want to be a world changer and fulfill the purpose God has called you to? Or are you just going to sit back and be content producing little fruit? I don't know about you but I want to hear those words of the master say when I come before the throne, "Well done good and faithful servant."
God bless!
Sunday, September 26, 2010
Lord and Savior
Many believers seem to be confused about the redemptive plan of God. God's Word tells us that you will know a person by their fruit. This is how we know as Christians who are the needy. People that are consumed by the pleasures of this world are very clear to someone that is a child of God. God's design was never to become like the world so much that we blend in with them. He called us to live separate from them. Not in segregation physically, but our desires are to be for the things of God and not for the lustful desires of this world! You can tell what people are passionate about when you talk to them because what ever they are full of kicks back out of their mouths. For some it's sports or motorcycles or cars or hunting and fishing and the list goes on and on. Then when they ask me and I talk about the things of God like going to church, my small group, reading my Bible and doing the work of God they bind up and harden their hearts. Why?
There seems to be some confusion in the minds of people in what truly took place as Jesus was beaten, hung on the cross, buried and resurrected. I say this because when you receive the revelation of who we are in Christ and what God has restored back to us that was lost in the garden of Eden, through the precious shed blood of His Son Jesus. There is nothing boring about the things of God! In every circumstance and every trial we find ourselves going through God has supplied the victory through His redemptive plan of Christ! That means all your needs are met! All, every single one of them! And that's on this side of heaven as well as the other side! As He is so are we now in this world God says! If you are sick with any disease or sickness, we are made well because Jesus borne our sicknesses and carried our pains. Jesus said that all things are possible to him that believes. Jesus said the things I do you shall do too, and even greater works than these shall you do, because I am going to be with the Father, and anything you ask for in my name I will do for you! Glory to God. That means no longer do we have to put up with the bondages of this perverse world and the god of it! Our enemy is now made our foot stool and we are now more than a conqueror through Christ Jesus! How is this not good news to him that believes! How could someone not want to love a God who loves him that much?
You know writing a check is a good picture of how to operate in the spiritual realm. Your strength or money,to buy something is in the bank. When you need something you pull out the check book or debit card and you write a check or swipe your card for the purchase. Even though you did not physically supply the actual funds for your need, you provided the substitute. Well that substitute is faith in the name of Jesus! Your bank is heaven! We have a God in heaven that can supply all our needs according to His riches and it's been supplied by Christ Jesus! Now our check or debit card is our faith in Jesus. Faith in that Jesus has supplied everything we need. He said my grace is sufficient! That means nothing is lacking, we have everything we need now in this world to reign in life! That means when cancer's ugly head pops up you cut it off like David did Goliath's! You stand on the Word of God in faith, that God's grace is sufficient. When finances are short you stand there and declare the Arm of the Lord over them, and that God's strength is with you and it's by His strength alone! And even when you can't see how victory will ever prevail you stand there and sing praises to the Lord until victory shows up! God said my Word I have given you and it shall not return to me void of power! There is power and virtue and authority in the name of Jesus for the believer! And when the Lord is more than your Savior but He's also your Lord, you can declare that you are more than a conqueror in Christ Jesus! And the enemy must flee! Shout it out if you believe! Hallelujah!!!!
There seems to be some confusion in the minds of people in what truly took place as Jesus was beaten, hung on the cross, buried and resurrected. I say this because when you receive the revelation of who we are in Christ and what God has restored back to us that was lost in the garden of Eden, through the precious shed blood of His Son Jesus. There is nothing boring about the things of God! In every circumstance and every trial we find ourselves going through God has supplied the victory through His redemptive plan of Christ! That means all your needs are met! All, every single one of them! And that's on this side of heaven as well as the other side! As He is so are we now in this world God says! If you are sick with any disease or sickness, we are made well because Jesus borne our sicknesses and carried our pains. Jesus said that all things are possible to him that believes. Jesus said the things I do you shall do too, and even greater works than these shall you do, because I am going to be with the Father, and anything you ask for in my name I will do for you! Glory to God. That means no longer do we have to put up with the bondages of this perverse world and the god of it! Our enemy is now made our foot stool and we are now more than a conqueror through Christ Jesus! How is this not good news to him that believes! How could someone not want to love a God who loves him that much?
You know writing a check is a good picture of how to operate in the spiritual realm. Your strength or money,to buy something is in the bank. When you need something you pull out the check book or debit card and you write a check or swipe your card for the purchase. Even though you did not physically supply the actual funds for your need, you provided the substitute. Well that substitute is faith in the name of Jesus! Your bank is heaven! We have a God in heaven that can supply all our needs according to His riches and it's been supplied by Christ Jesus! Now our check or debit card is our faith in Jesus. Faith in that Jesus has supplied everything we need. He said my grace is sufficient! That means nothing is lacking, we have everything we need now in this world to reign in life! That means when cancer's ugly head pops up you cut it off like David did Goliath's! You stand on the Word of God in faith, that God's grace is sufficient. When finances are short you stand there and declare the Arm of the Lord over them, and that God's strength is with you and it's by His strength alone! And even when you can't see how victory will ever prevail you stand there and sing praises to the Lord until victory shows up! God said my Word I have given you and it shall not return to me void of power! There is power and virtue and authority in the name of Jesus for the believer! And when the Lord is more than your Savior but He's also your Lord, you can declare that you are more than a conqueror in Christ Jesus! And the enemy must flee! Shout it out if you believe! Hallelujah!!!!
Saturday, September 25, 2010
Humbled
Sometimes I get so impatient! I cannot think of any situations that became better when I rushed into them without taking time to process. Sometimes my mouth runs faster than my brain and I begin to say things that aren't wise (to say the least). When this happens I feel so stupid! However, it is in these moments where I learn to most about myself. Today I had one of those moments. One of the leaders at church asked me a question and my response was, "well I'll have to pray about that and seek direction from the Lord before I commit to anything." It sounded wise at the time, but when I went to discuss it with my wife it occurred to me that I had no idea why I needed to pray. Actually what I needed to do was praise! I immediately found Pastor and corrected my stupidity, but what was to follow would be the life change.
I walked away with a sense of humility... How could I have been so stupid! I thought. I began to search myself and my motives of everything I am doing. Am I doing this over here because that is what the Lord is leading me to do, or am I doing that because that's what I want to do for the Lord? I believe there are things in our lives that need to be checked. What I mean is, I believe we need to be honest with ourselves and ask if this is what we want? Or is this what God is leading us to do? I believe there are some necessary steps that need to be taken before you reach the destination God has for your life. We are being molded by the Lord through our experiences. The result of the experiences is that we are prepared and equipped to do the things God has called us to do. Sometimes we get so caught up in the reward at the end that we forget to count the costs involved. We live in a culture that says, "I want it and I want it now!" And it's so easy to carry that over into our walk with the Lord.
God works on His time not ours. He knows what's best for us. Jesus said in John 10:11, "I am the good shepherd..." Up in verse 4 He says"...he (the good shepherd) goes before them and the sheep follow him..." So many times I want to lead the Lord in the direction I want Him to take me. You could say, I want my own head. I am ashamed of myself for this. But did you know God uses humility to correct us? For me it's an effective way to learn and learn quickly! I don't like feeling stupid, do you? Then I am going to make corrections to my thinking. This is where many miss it. Some are full of pride and want to make excuses for their errors instead of admitting fault. Well, God says I resist the proud, but give grace to the humble. I don't know about you but I want grace and not resistance from God!
When you do or say something stupid and you find yourself humiliated the best thing to do is ask for forgiveness, repent, and go on down the road. So Lord, please forgive me for getting out ahead of you. I am sorry for being stiffed necked and not yielding to your direction. Please forgive me Lord, and help me to be sensitive to your voice. With your Holy Spirit go before me and guide me down this path. You are the Good Shepherd! I will follow your voice where ever you may lead me. Thank you Lord for your patience with my stubbornness. Illuminate to me where correction is needed, and by your grace I will do it, as well as all you have called me to do! And as I do I will give you all the praise and glory in Jesus name, Amen!
I walked away with a sense of humility... How could I have been so stupid! I thought. I began to search myself and my motives of everything I am doing. Am I doing this over here because that is what the Lord is leading me to do, or am I doing that because that's what I want to do for the Lord? I believe there are things in our lives that need to be checked. What I mean is, I believe we need to be honest with ourselves and ask if this is what we want? Or is this what God is leading us to do? I believe there are some necessary steps that need to be taken before you reach the destination God has for your life. We are being molded by the Lord through our experiences. The result of the experiences is that we are prepared and equipped to do the things God has called us to do. Sometimes we get so caught up in the reward at the end that we forget to count the costs involved. We live in a culture that says, "I want it and I want it now!" And it's so easy to carry that over into our walk with the Lord.
God works on His time not ours. He knows what's best for us. Jesus said in John 10:11, "I am the good shepherd..." Up in verse 4 He says"...he (the good shepherd) goes before them and the sheep follow him..." So many times I want to lead the Lord in the direction I want Him to take me. You could say, I want my own head. I am ashamed of myself for this. But did you know God uses humility to correct us? For me it's an effective way to learn and learn quickly! I don't like feeling stupid, do you? Then I am going to make corrections to my thinking. This is where many miss it. Some are full of pride and want to make excuses for their errors instead of admitting fault. Well, God says I resist the proud, but give grace to the humble. I don't know about you but I want grace and not resistance from God!
When you do or say something stupid and you find yourself humiliated the best thing to do is ask for forgiveness, repent, and go on down the road. So Lord, please forgive me for getting out ahead of you. I am sorry for being stiffed necked and not yielding to your direction. Please forgive me Lord, and help me to be sensitive to your voice. With your Holy Spirit go before me and guide me down this path. You are the Good Shepherd! I will follow your voice where ever you may lead me. Thank you Lord for your patience with my stubbornness. Illuminate to me where correction is needed, and by your grace I will do it, as well as all you have called me to do! And as I do I will give you all the praise and glory in Jesus name, Amen!
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
Established!
What does it mean to be established? There are 5 different uses in the Greek language that mean established, but the best description of the word established referring to someone that is established in the Word Of God is the Greek word, stereoo. According to the Vine's expository of new testament words this means; to make firm, solid, physically received strength, hath made strong, strengthened. So to say someone is established in the Word, is to say they have been strengthened by the Word of God. Reading the Word of God makes you strong both physically and spiritually, did you know that? The way you become established in the Word of God is found in Proverbs 4:20-22 (New King James Version)
20 My son, give attention to my words;
Incline your ear to my sayings.
21 Do not let them depart from your eyes;
Keep them in the midst of your heart;
22 For they are life to those who find them,
And health to all their flesh.
I think many Christians lose focus on how important it is to be established in God's Word. Reading the Word everyday for some seems to be more of a hassle than a blessing from God. These people believe that they receive enough of the Word when they go to church and hear the message. Most of the time they do not even bring their Bible to church and judge the message by the Word of God. They are just taking their Pastor's word for it to be truth. How dangerous and traumatizing this type of behavior could be. Have you ever heard of James Warren Jones? You may know him better as Jim Jones? He lead a group of 900 plus astray and to their deaths in Georgetown, Guyana. This is an extreme case to most people, but let me show you an even more extreme case that is not so obvious to folks... Disease, poverty, sickness, divorce, death of a loved one, temptation, and the list goes on and on! These are things are what believers and unbelievers face everyday! These are the things that effect the lives of billions of people every where. And yes I said billions with a B.
Jesus told His disciples in Matthew 7, "Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock." The Word of God is His sayings. When you hearken to the voice of the Lord, you become established! It doesn't matter what life throws your way, you are established, strengthened, solid! Nothing can shake you, there is nothing lacking! You are already quickened by the Word of God, they are in the midst of your heart the proverbs says. Just waiting to destroy the yoke the enemy tries to recapture you with. Jesus, our master, the one we are to imitate was so established in the Word that when Satan tried to tempt Him in the wilderness. Jesus' response every time was, "It is written!" Knowing the word of God and having it in the midst of you heart turns situations that could potentially end in to tragedy, and redirects them in a way that betters your situation and brings glory to God.
Many people wait until some tragic event has already manifested in their life before they turn to God for help. Thank God He is full of mercy and is always there to help you out. But wouldn't it be better to have avoided the tragedy all together? It can be done! I said it can be done! Why wait to introduce your self to God's will in the midst of tragedy? So many wait till the storm arrives before they prepare. It sounds stupid to everyone if you know that a hurricane is coming but you do nothing until it shows up. The same thing is true for life. We all know evil will try to force itself upon you, why wait till it arrives to do something about it? I don't know about you but I am going to be established in the word of God! When the storm arrives in Kansas I'll be on a beach some where praising God with the others who are also established! Glory to God!
Looking all around I see a hurting world! A world that is in need of a Savior! Millions are perishing with no hope in Jesus. Many Christians are afflicted of the enemy and oppressed. They are beaten down and are running low on faith. I refuse to believe that my God sent His Son to die for this lost and hurting world, and then abandoned us with no hope and ill-equipped to take on everything in life. Jesus told apostle Paul that His Grace was sufficient to handle the messenger of Satan. He said it, I believe it, and that settles it for me! My God, Who's powerful resurrecting Spirit that dwells in me, has supplied all my needs according to His riches in glory by Jesus Christ! My faith is in God and I am not moved by what I see! Jesus has borne it all and that means I will turn to Him everyday and to His Word, so when I come against it His Word has already established me and equipped me to reign over it! Hallelujah! Can someone say Amen!
20 My son, give attention to my words;
Incline your ear to my sayings.
21 Do not let them depart from your eyes;
Keep them in the midst of your heart;
22 For they are life to those who find them,
And health to all their flesh.
I think many Christians lose focus on how important it is to be established in God's Word. Reading the Word everyday for some seems to be more of a hassle than a blessing from God. These people believe that they receive enough of the Word when they go to church and hear the message. Most of the time they do not even bring their Bible to church and judge the message by the Word of God. They are just taking their Pastor's word for it to be truth. How dangerous and traumatizing this type of behavior could be. Have you ever heard of James Warren Jones? You may know him better as Jim Jones? He lead a group of 900 plus astray and to their deaths in Georgetown, Guyana. This is an extreme case to most people, but let me show you an even more extreme case that is not so obvious to folks... Disease, poverty, sickness, divorce, death of a loved one, temptation, and the list goes on and on! These are things are what believers and unbelievers face everyday! These are the things that effect the lives of billions of people every where. And yes I said billions with a B.
Jesus told His disciples in Matthew 7, "Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock." The Word of God is His sayings. When you hearken to the voice of the Lord, you become established! It doesn't matter what life throws your way, you are established, strengthened, solid! Nothing can shake you, there is nothing lacking! You are already quickened by the Word of God, they are in the midst of your heart the proverbs says. Just waiting to destroy the yoke the enemy tries to recapture you with. Jesus, our master, the one we are to imitate was so established in the Word that when Satan tried to tempt Him in the wilderness. Jesus' response every time was, "It is written!" Knowing the word of God and having it in the midst of you heart turns situations that could potentially end in to tragedy, and redirects them in a way that betters your situation and brings glory to God.
Many people wait until some tragic event has already manifested in their life before they turn to God for help. Thank God He is full of mercy and is always there to help you out. But wouldn't it be better to have avoided the tragedy all together? It can be done! I said it can be done! Why wait to introduce your self to God's will in the midst of tragedy? So many wait till the storm arrives before they prepare. It sounds stupid to everyone if you know that a hurricane is coming but you do nothing until it shows up. The same thing is true for life. We all know evil will try to force itself upon you, why wait till it arrives to do something about it? I don't know about you but I am going to be established in the word of God! When the storm arrives in Kansas I'll be on a beach some where praising God with the others who are also established! Glory to God!
Looking all around I see a hurting world! A world that is in need of a Savior! Millions are perishing with no hope in Jesus. Many Christians are afflicted of the enemy and oppressed. They are beaten down and are running low on faith. I refuse to believe that my God sent His Son to die for this lost and hurting world, and then abandoned us with no hope and ill-equipped to take on everything in life. Jesus told apostle Paul that His Grace was sufficient to handle the messenger of Satan. He said it, I believe it, and that settles it for me! My God, Who's powerful resurrecting Spirit that dwells in me, has supplied all my needs according to His riches in glory by Jesus Christ! My faith is in God and I am not moved by what I see! Jesus has borne it all and that means I will turn to Him everyday and to His Word, so when I come against it His Word has already established me and equipped me to reign over it! Hallelujah! Can someone say Amen!
Monday, September 20, 2010
Authority Of The Believer
I thank God for His mercy endures forever. God is so good! You know from time to time I find myself losing focus of Who I am in Christ. It's awesome though when the Spirit of the Lord awakens you, and it is comforting to know that He is always there to pick you back up and set you on the solid Rock again! Losing focus is such an easy snare of the devil. His only access in the natural realm is in the mind. He understands that if he can create fear in the mind of the believer then he can destroy the faith that gives the believer access to the powerful arm of the Lord! Which is God's grace, or the empowerment of God's ability to go beyond our natural ability or limitations.
If you are like me, it is always easier to see what others need to change about their lives in order to live a better quality life. As I was at work today, I realized through the guy I was working with, how dangerous it is to entertain evil thoughts. He kept talking about how all the managers are out to get him, and how the company is always putting up road blocks in front of him, and how the company always gives him the worst jobs to work, and he kept going on and on with bitterness. I've learned with these types of people it is better to just keep my mouth shut. All the things he was saying were just thoughts in his head that were false, but he continued to dwell on them until he began to believe they were actually taking place. All this did was get him upset over nothing really, but now he is harboring bitterness toward the company we work for. This bitterness is all the enemy needs to have access to this man's life, including finances and health! This is serious business. Seeing this, the Lord began to minister to me that I needed to take captive every thought that came into my mind.
In 2 Corinthians 10:5, the Lord tells us to cast down every thought that exalts itself above the knowledge of God. But what does this really mean? Thoughts pop into your mind subconsciously. You cannot control this. Good thoughts enter and evil thoughts enter, it's up to us to cast them out or to dwell on them. Good thoughts are thoughts that better your situation and put you in a better place to glorify God. To understand a thought that exalts itself above the knowledge of God we will have to look at a couple of Scriptures to see the truth. God tells us to rightly divide the scriptures with other scriptures. In John 1:16 God says, "And of His fullness we have all received, and grace for grace." This means we, all who believe, have received the fullness of Christ. His grace that God gave Jesus now becomes the same grace we, His body, posess. Grace for grace! So now, to say something exalts itself above the knowledge of God is like saying, "This thought or 'circumstance' in my life is giving the appearance that it's beyond the power of God's grace." These thoughts must be recognized and cast down the Bible says, or we will become defeated by our thoughts.
The purpose of these thoughts are to attempt to destroy God's plans for our lives. Many of these thoughts are strategically placed by the enemy to try and steal, kill or destroy us, but God has given us grace. This empowers us with God's ability to exceed our natural capabilities in order to achieve all we are called to do, all for the glory of God! As the Word says let every word be established in the mouths of 2 or 3 witnesses, let's look at another example. Before we do I must ask a question. How was Jesus raised from the dead?... Romans 6:4 tells us that Jesus was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father. This same glory that raised Jesus from the dead is the very same glory found in the believer! Romans 8:11 goes on to say, "But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you." Now that's a shouting verse! Glory to God!
In this covenant of grace we are under, the yoke of our oppressor has been completely destroyed! No longer does the enemy have control over the believer unless the believer doesn't exercise His covenant rights! Paul prayed about the thorn in his flesh, which was the messenger of Satan, but Jesus told him that His grace was sufficient. All authority that was given to Jesus has been given to the believer. In order to access the authority you need faith. Now faith comes by hearing the true word of God. However it leaves by fear. The enemy understands this and this is why he continues to buffet your mind with evil thoughts. As long as the church remains powerless, he can continue to reign in this world. If the Church is full of fear, then they won't have faith to release the power of God that dwells in them. Now we can see clearly what Paul was warning us about in 2 Corithians 6:1 when he warned us not to waste this grace God had bankrupted heaven for us to walk in. Many of people have watered the blood down and limit God's redemptive work to forgiveness of sins, and thank God that is part of it, but that's not all of it. God said "I shall supply ALL your needs according to MY riches in glory by Christ Jesus!" Romans 5:17 proclaims, "For if by the one man’s offense death reigned through the one, much more those who receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ." GLORY TO GOD! HALLELUJAH! Now we see the truth when Jesus said, "All things are possible to them that believe!" as well as, "These works I do you will do too, and greater works than these shall you do!" Now do you see what it means to be a son or daughter of God! We are co-heirs with Christ, we have authority over all the works of the devil in the name of Jesus! The enemy is now made our footstool for as He (Jesus) is so are we NOW in this world! HALLELUJAH! HALLELUJAH! GLORY TO GOD! WE ARE MORE THAN CONQUERORS! WE ARE THE BODY OF CHRIST! AMEN and AMEN!
If you are like me, it is always easier to see what others need to change about their lives in order to live a better quality life. As I was at work today, I realized through the guy I was working with, how dangerous it is to entertain evil thoughts. He kept talking about how all the managers are out to get him, and how the company is always putting up road blocks in front of him, and how the company always gives him the worst jobs to work, and he kept going on and on with bitterness. I've learned with these types of people it is better to just keep my mouth shut. All the things he was saying were just thoughts in his head that were false, but he continued to dwell on them until he began to believe they were actually taking place. All this did was get him upset over nothing really, but now he is harboring bitterness toward the company we work for. This bitterness is all the enemy needs to have access to this man's life, including finances and health! This is serious business. Seeing this, the Lord began to minister to me that I needed to take captive every thought that came into my mind.
In 2 Corinthians 10:5, the Lord tells us to cast down every thought that exalts itself above the knowledge of God. But what does this really mean? Thoughts pop into your mind subconsciously. You cannot control this. Good thoughts enter and evil thoughts enter, it's up to us to cast them out or to dwell on them. Good thoughts are thoughts that better your situation and put you in a better place to glorify God. To understand a thought that exalts itself above the knowledge of God we will have to look at a couple of Scriptures to see the truth. God tells us to rightly divide the scriptures with other scriptures. In John 1:16 God says, "And of His fullness we have all received, and grace for grace." This means we, all who believe, have received the fullness of Christ. His grace that God gave Jesus now becomes the same grace we, His body, posess. Grace for grace! So now, to say something exalts itself above the knowledge of God is like saying, "This thought or 'circumstance' in my life is giving the appearance that it's beyond the power of God's grace." These thoughts must be recognized and cast down the Bible says, or we will become defeated by our thoughts.
The purpose of these thoughts are to attempt to destroy God's plans for our lives. Many of these thoughts are strategically placed by the enemy to try and steal, kill or destroy us, but God has given us grace. This empowers us with God's ability to exceed our natural capabilities in order to achieve all we are called to do, all for the glory of God! As the Word says let every word be established in the mouths of 2 or 3 witnesses, let's look at another example. Before we do I must ask a question. How was Jesus raised from the dead?... Romans 6:4 tells us that Jesus was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father. This same glory that raised Jesus from the dead is the very same glory found in the believer! Romans 8:11 goes on to say, "But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you." Now that's a shouting verse! Glory to God!
In this covenant of grace we are under, the yoke of our oppressor has been completely destroyed! No longer does the enemy have control over the believer unless the believer doesn't exercise His covenant rights! Paul prayed about the thorn in his flesh, which was the messenger of Satan, but Jesus told him that His grace was sufficient. All authority that was given to Jesus has been given to the believer. In order to access the authority you need faith. Now faith comes by hearing the true word of God. However it leaves by fear. The enemy understands this and this is why he continues to buffet your mind with evil thoughts. As long as the church remains powerless, he can continue to reign in this world. If the Church is full of fear, then they won't have faith to release the power of God that dwells in them. Now we can see clearly what Paul was warning us about in 2 Corithians 6:1 when he warned us not to waste this grace God had bankrupted heaven for us to walk in. Many of people have watered the blood down and limit God's redemptive work to forgiveness of sins, and thank God that is part of it, but that's not all of it. God said "I shall supply ALL your needs according to MY riches in glory by Christ Jesus!" Romans 5:17 proclaims, "For if by the one man’s offense death reigned through the one, much more those who receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ." GLORY TO GOD! HALLELUJAH! Now we see the truth when Jesus said, "All things are possible to them that believe!" as well as, "These works I do you will do too, and greater works than these shall you do!" Now do you see what it means to be a son or daughter of God! We are co-heirs with Christ, we have authority over all the works of the devil in the name of Jesus! The enemy is now made our footstool for as He (Jesus) is so are we NOW in this world! HALLELUJAH! HALLELUJAH! GLORY TO GOD! WE ARE MORE THAN CONQUERORS! WE ARE THE BODY OF CHRIST! AMEN and AMEN!
Thursday, September 16, 2010
Changing The World Starting With You!
Have you ever set before the Lord by yourself with no distractions and your heart opened for God to pour fourth His life changing truth into you? Let me say it like this, have you ever set before the Word of God and let the Holy Spirit guide you through the scriptures and illuminate something He wants you to see? This morning I woke up, and again like I usually do, I read my daily Bible reading. Before I started I asked God to show me what He wanted me to see in order to transform me into the purpose He has called me to be in this life. It wasn't long before the Holy Spirit had me sitting before 4 different Bibles (NKJV, NLT, Original Greek, and the Dake) all turned to different openings. God through the Holy Spirit has opened my eyes to some truth this morning. My hope is to share with you what He has showed me and that the effect will be the same for you as it was for me, life changing transformation. I believe as you go before the Lord with the expectations of receiving life change He is more than able, He is willing, and the outcome will be elevating your experiences to a higher and deeper level of intimacy with Him. Hallelujah!
This morning I began this journey in John 4, but as you can imagine I didn't stay there. In John 4 we read the story about the Samaritan woman at the well. Usually Jews went out of their way to go around Samaria because they despised them, but not Jesus! He went right through there and never batted an eye. Now to give you some back round on the hatred between the Jews and the Samaritans you would have to do some research, but this is what you would find in a nutshell. After the Assyrian army conquered the northern kingdom of Israel, the Assyrians intermarried with the Jews still left in Samaria. These people now referred to themselves as Samaritans. Then after the Judeans returned from Babylon, conflict arose between the Jews and Samaritans. The Samaritans built a revival temple on Mount Gerizim, and used their own version of the Holy Scriptures. The hatred between the two increased when the Jewish King John Hyrcanus attacked the Samaritans and destroyed their temple about 128 b.c. This sparked the racial prejudices between the two.
Now Jesus understood this conflict existed, but He had a purpose while He walked the earth. He knew that if He let man's ignorance persuade Him of God's purpose for Him then no longer would it become the purpose of the Father but of men. So Jesus was not lead by ignorance of men but rather by the Holy Spirit. Remember in Luke 4 Jesus said the Spirit is upon my for he has anointed me... Now back to John 4:4 we see that Jesus "needed" to go through Samaria. Why? Because that's what the Holy Spirit led Him to do. As you read on you see that Jesus sits a while with this young lady, whom by her own people considered her an outcast. Most likely considered a harlot of her time. Jesus had such a profound impact on this woman's life that she ran back to town and told everyone about Him. In verse 39 we see that many believed based solely upon her testimony. Now pause right here and think... This woman was an outcast, a tramp, a prostitute in the eyes of the town. Most people wouldn't even give her the time of day to listen to her, but the Bible says the believed her and they followed her to meet this man of God! This just shows that when you spend time in the presence of the Lord, not only are you transformed, but you take with you some His anointing! Hallelujah! So the city came out to meet Jesus, and after hearing Him for themselves they believed even more and declared that Jesus is indeed the Christ, the Savior of the world!
So you're probably saying to yourself, "Yeah so what, I knew that. What's the big deal?" I am glad you asked! In John 4 we see that this city in Samaria was completely convinced that Jesus was the Messiah. They even invited Him and His crew of Jews to stay with them for a couple days. But I want to show you something else. Something that happened later. It's found in Luke 9. Jesus was on His way to Jerusalem as He knew the time was drawing near for Him to finish the work He was sent here to do. So Jesus sent messengers to Samaria ahead of Him, but they did not receive Him. Something had changed in the hearts of the Samaritans. We just finished reading they declared Jesus and the Messiah, the Savior of the World! And now they are hardened against Him. Why? What could have changed their beliefs? The Lord showed me the answer in Luke 9:54, and we see the disciples react in such a way as millions of Christians are reacting today. “Lord, do You want us to command fire to come down from heaven and consume them, just as Elijah did?” Oh friends do you see this! For two whole days Jesus and His disciples pour into these Samaritans everything they had. They gave them their best! And now these Samaritans have shut them out and denied Jesus. It is easy right here to fall into the snare of the enemy and get offended. It is so easy to react in a way that displeases the Lord such as James and John. But how many know that instead of jumping out in the flesh and pushing them farther away, sometimes we need to be slow to speak and slow to wrath and quick to listen?
Reacting out of the flesh is more dangerous than keeping your mouth shut. Some believe that they must always be bold and take stands against their oppressor. Some believe that if they don't they are showing weakness. Friend that's just pride, and God resists the proud. Humble yourself and understand that your oppressors are needy in the eyes of the Lord. And that you are called to be a light unto them. This is why you pray for your enemies. They are deceived and are held captive by Satan. They need to be liberated and set free by the Blood of Jesus! And you can not get your enemy to see that unless you are transformed by the renewing of your mind. Millions today are reacting to the enemy's distractions the same way James and John did in Luke 9:54. But we need to see things from the perception of Jesus. In Luke 9:55-56 Jesus rebuked them and said, “You do not know what manner of spirit you are of. For the Son of Man did not come to destroy men’s lives but to save them.” Glory to God! Jesus Saves! Can you see why we as the followers of Christ we cannot afford to react out of our flesh? Actually I believe the reason why these Samaritans had a change of heart was because the continued to receive persecution from the Jews. Even though it was the Jews that Crucified Jesus, the Samaritans saw Jesus as one of them and hardened their hearts toward all Jews. Similar to today, many Christian's reactions to our oppressors hinder the works of Jesus through us. Now it makes sense to me why Jesus prayed for unity in the Church in John 17:21, "...that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me."
There is a solution to all of this. The solution is found in Proverbs 4:20-22, "My son, give attention to my words; Incline your ear to my sayings. Do not let them depart from your eyes; Keep them in the midst of your heart; For they are life to those who find them, And health to all their flesh." Ephesians 6:17 calls the Word of God a sword. We have got to clothe ourselves in the complete armor of God. And let our lives be a witness to the world as His Word corrects us and brings us into unison. God's Word says the world will see us and that's how they will know that Jesus is the Son of God and that through our faith in Him alone have our debts been paid in full. Hallelujah!
This morning I began this journey in John 4, but as you can imagine I didn't stay there. In John 4 we read the story about the Samaritan woman at the well. Usually Jews went out of their way to go around Samaria because they despised them, but not Jesus! He went right through there and never batted an eye. Now to give you some back round on the hatred between the Jews and the Samaritans you would have to do some research, but this is what you would find in a nutshell. After the Assyrian army conquered the northern kingdom of Israel, the Assyrians intermarried with the Jews still left in Samaria. These people now referred to themselves as Samaritans. Then after the Judeans returned from Babylon, conflict arose between the Jews and Samaritans. The Samaritans built a revival temple on Mount Gerizim, and used their own version of the Holy Scriptures. The hatred between the two increased when the Jewish King John Hyrcanus attacked the Samaritans and destroyed their temple about 128 b.c. This sparked the racial prejudices between the two.
Now Jesus understood this conflict existed, but He had a purpose while He walked the earth. He knew that if He let man's ignorance persuade Him of God's purpose for Him then no longer would it become the purpose of the Father but of men. So Jesus was not lead by ignorance of men but rather by the Holy Spirit. Remember in Luke 4 Jesus said the Spirit is upon my for he has anointed me... Now back to John 4:4 we see that Jesus "needed" to go through Samaria. Why? Because that's what the Holy Spirit led Him to do. As you read on you see that Jesus sits a while with this young lady, whom by her own people considered her an outcast. Most likely considered a harlot of her time. Jesus had such a profound impact on this woman's life that she ran back to town and told everyone about Him. In verse 39 we see that many believed based solely upon her testimony. Now pause right here and think... This woman was an outcast, a tramp, a prostitute in the eyes of the town. Most people wouldn't even give her the time of day to listen to her, but the Bible says the believed her and they followed her to meet this man of God! This just shows that when you spend time in the presence of the Lord, not only are you transformed, but you take with you some His anointing! Hallelujah! So the city came out to meet Jesus, and after hearing Him for themselves they believed even more and declared that Jesus is indeed the Christ, the Savior of the world!
So you're probably saying to yourself, "Yeah so what, I knew that. What's the big deal?" I am glad you asked! In John 4 we see that this city in Samaria was completely convinced that Jesus was the Messiah. They even invited Him and His crew of Jews to stay with them for a couple days. But I want to show you something else. Something that happened later. It's found in Luke 9. Jesus was on His way to Jerusalem as He knew the time was drawing near for Him to finish the work He was sent here to do. So Jesus sent messengers to Samaria ahead of Him, but they did not receive Him. Something had changed in the hearts of the Samaritans. We just finished reading they declared Jesus and the Messiah, the Savior of the World! And now they are hardened against Him. Why? What could have changed their beliefs? The Lord showed me the answer in Luke 9:54, and we see the disciples react in such a way as millions of Christians are reacting today. “Lord, do You want us to command fire to come down from heaven and consume them, just as Elijah did?” Oh friends do you see this! For two whole days Jesus and His disciples pour into these Samaritans everything they had. They gave them their best! And now these Samaritans have shut them out and denied Jesus. It is easy right here to fall into the snare of the enemy and get offended. It is so easy to react in a way that displeases the Lord such as James and John. But how many know that instead of jumping out in the flesh and pushing them farther away, sometimes we need to be slow to speak and slow to wrath and quick to listen?
Reacting out of the flesh is more dangerous than keeping your mouth shut. Some believe that they must always be bold and take stands against their oppressor. Some believe that if they don't they are showing weakness. Friend that's just pride, and God resists the proud. Humble yourself and understand that your oppressors are needy in the eyes of the Lord. And that you are called to be a light unto them. This is why you pray for your enemies. They are deceived and are held captive by Satan. They need to be liberated and set free by the Blood of Jesus! And you can not get your enemy to see that unless you are transformed by the renewing of your mind. Millions today are reacting to the enemy's distractions the same way James and John did in Luke 9:54. But we need to see things from the perception of Jesus. In Luke 9:55-56 Jesus rebuked them and said, “You do not know what manner of spirit you are of. For the Son of Man did not come to destroy men’s lives but to save them.” Glory to God! Jesus Saves! Can you see why we as the followers of Christ we cannot afford to react out of our flesh? Actually I believe the reason why these Samaritans had a change of heart was because the continued to receive persecution from the Jews. Even though it was the Jews that Crucified Jesus, the Samaritans saw Jesus as one of them and hardened their hearts toward all Jews. Similar to today, many Christian's reactions to our oppressors hinder the works of Jesus through us. Now it makes sense to me why Jesus prayed for unity in the Church in John 17:21, "...that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me."
There is a solution to all of this. The solution is found in Proverbs 4:20-22, "My son, give attention to my words; Incline your ear to my sayings. Do not let them depart from your eyes; Keep them in the midst of your heart; For they are life to those who find them, And health to all their flesh." Ephesians 6:17 calls the Word of God a sword. We have got to clothe ourselves in the complete armor of God. And let our lives be a witness to the world as His Word corrects us and brings us into unison. God's Word says the world will see us and that's how they will know that Jesus is the Son of God and that through our faith in Him alone have our debts been paid in full. Hallelujah!
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