I will praise the Lord according to his righteousness; and will sing praise to the name of the Lord most High. ---Psalm 7:17
As a child of God, you possess great power because you are in relationship with the Most High God. El Elyon is the most majestic name we find in all the scriptures. El Elyon means the God Most High and Mighty One Most High. It carries great authority on our behalf.
There are millions of gods worshipped all over the earth. Yet, they are all stone or men who have died or will die and their bones remain in the grave. El Elyon, however is living and continues to hold dominion over all the earth. The Hebrew root of Elyon is Alah which means to go up, ascend, climb and exalt. There is no existing thing, no god that is higher than the Most High God. He is the possessor of heaven, earth and everything in them. No other name can compare with this name. There is an untouchable quality and incomprehensible dominion and might in El Elyon.
I would suggest that you read about one who tried to conquer the position of El Elyon in Isaiah 14:13, 14. The story is about Lucifer, the highest ranking angel in God’s heaven. But Lucifer started thinking about himself, how qualified he was over all the other beings in heaven, and imagined himself as gaining power and authority over El Elyon! Then continue reading to find out what God said and did! He did not put up with this prideful maneuver and cast Lucifer and all his followers out of heaven. Jesus was there at that time and told his disciples during His visit on earth saying, “I saw Satan fall like lightening from heaven.” (Luke 10:18)
The Most High had the last word for Satan then and He still does for you when you are His child! Let’s continue to read what Jesus told his disciples as a result of Satan being cast from heaven, “Behold, I give you the authority (right to act) to trample on serpents and scorpions and over all the power of the enemy (Satan), and nothing shall by any means hurt you.” (Luke 10:19)
Any time you feel defeated through circumstances, people or even the assault of the devil himself, know that El Elyon, the Mighty Most High God will always have the last Word for anyone who chooses to challenge His authority. Jesus came to bring the government of heaven to God’s people so that you may now have His authority to defeat the devil and all his plans against you.
You may ask, “How to I exercise this authority?” I’m glad you asked! First of all, if you have erred, missed the mark, sinned that has opened the door for the enemy to attack, then ask forgiveness. God has promised that when you repent, He will forget and never bring it back again.
Next, you must be convinced that Jesus delivered to you the authority and power that He carried on this earth. I just sited one of the times where Jesus, in His own words in Luke 10:19 passed on His authority. We must always act in faith. Faith is not just knowing in our head, but doing and saying what we believe. So speak out your authority, remind the devil that he has no power over you because you are a child of God and you have been given authority over him and your circumstances, diseases, finances, etc. Say this with conviction!
Then declare to God that you will receive His promises and that you expect Him to come through with them. This makes God very happy because you are confirming to Him that you know His Word and you have expectations of the Most High God coming through. YOU ARE MORE THAN A CONQUERER THROUGH CHRIST JESUS!
Confession: My God is El Elyon, the Most High God. There is no other god that holds His power or authority. Satan was defeated by El Elyon in Heaven and by Jesus on the earth who passed His power and authority on to me as His child. I will be more than a conqueror through Christ Jesus who loves me. (Romans 8:37)
Friday, July 31, 2009
Thursday, July 30, 2009
Introducing Eloheim
In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. ---Genesis 1:1
The name of God, El or Eloheim is used over 2500 times in the Bible. Why is that so important? Because Eloheim demonstrates God’s power and sovereignty, and exposes His greatness and glory. It is God who creates with total power and complete creativity.
In Genesis 1:1 we find it is God who created the heavens and the earth. Can you imagine the tremendous power in God’s force of creativity? It is God who worked out all the details from the revolution of the planets down to how a spider weaves a delicate web. Everything is designed to work together in a delicate balance; something a mere human wouldn’t be capable of imagining much less putting into action. Also, it would take great faith and imagination to think that all we see here now evolved from a pool millions of years ago.
The word Eloheim is plural. That means there is more than one involved. In Genesis 1:26-27 reads, “Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness…” God is including the whole Trinity. They were all present at the creation. Eloheim, the multi-person we call God.
Let’s look at Genesis 1:2: “The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.” This is still Eloheim, but the Spirit part of Eloheim. Why was he hovering over the face of the waters? Because He was preparing to create.
Jesus said to the religious men “Before Abraham was, I AM.” And in John 1:1 it reveals that “In the beginning was the Word (Jesus) and the Word was with God and the Word was God." The trinity was active, present and full of creative power; The Father, Son and Holy Spirit. We can look at the Trinity in the way a house is built. God is the architect, Jesus the builder and it is the Holy Spirit who breathes the life of God into the structure.
As we walk through our day, let us consider the Creator God, Eloheim as the architect of the trees, flowers, oxygen, gravity and all the details of our world. Let us consider Eloheim (Jesus) as the builder who crafted the animals into existence, the varieties of rocks, the types of clouds the delicate flowers. Then look at the wind that blows, our complex bodies with the breath in our lungs, and the languages we speak all given by the Spirit of God who breathed life into the universe and gave it a pulse.
Praise God for the exquisite planet we live on and bless and honor Him, Eloheim for His creativity.
Confession: The beauty of this world was created by Eloheim with infinite detail. How glorious is His creation and I will look upon it with wonder and awe.
The name of God, El or Eloheim is used over 2500 times in the Bible. Why is that so important? Because Eloheim demonstrates God’s power and sovereignty, and exposes His greatness and glory. It is God who creates with total power and complete creativity.
In Genesis 1:1 we find it is God who created the heavens and the earth. Can you imagine the tremendous power in God’s force of creativity? It is God who worked out all the details from the revolution of the planets down to how a spider weaves a delicate web. Everything is designed to work together in a delicate balance; something a mere human wouldn’t be capable of imagining much less putting into action. Also, it would take great faith and imagination to think that all we see here now evolved from a pool millions of years ago.
The word Eloheim is plural. That means there is more than one involved. In Genesis 1:26-27 reads, “Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness…” God is including the whole Trinity. They were all present at the creation. Eloheim, the multi-person we call God.
Let’s look at Genesis 1:2: “The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.” This is still Eloheim, but the Spirit part of Eloheim. Why was he hovering over the face of the waters? Because He was preparing to create.
Jesus said to the religious men “Before Abraham was, I AM.” And in John 1:1 it reveals that “In the beginning was the Word (Jesus) and the Word was with God and the Word was God." The trinity was active, present and full of creative power; The Father, Son and Holy Spirit. We can look at the Trinity in the way a house is built. God is the architect, Jesus the builder and it is the Holy Spirit who breathes the life of God into the structure.
As we walk through our day, let us consider the Creator God, Eloheim as the architect of the trees, flowers, oxygen, gravity and all the details of our world. Let us consider Eloheim (Jesus) as the builder who crafted the animals into existence, the varieties of rocks, the types of clouds the delicate flowers. Then look at the wind that blows, our complex bodies with the breath in our lungs, and the languages we speak all given by the Spirit of God who breathed life into the universe and gave it a pulse.
Praise God for the exquisite planet we live on and bless and honor Him, Eloheim for His creativity.
Confession: The beauty of this world was created by Eloheim with infinite detail. How glorious is His creation and I will look upon it with wonder and awe.
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
What Is In A Name?
Then Moses said to God, “Indeed, when I come to the children of Israel and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they shall say to me, ‘What is His name?’ what shall I say to them?” And God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM.” And He said, “Thus you shall say to the children of Israel, “I AM has sent me to you.’”
We are all given a name when we are born, even before we have developed a personality or character. The name given to us can determine who we are and the kind of people we become. In the Old Testament, giving a name to the child was extremely important. It was a well known phenomenon that the person with that name grew into that name. For example, Abram meant “high father.” Here is a newborn baby and his future was already charted for him. Joseph means”to add to or augment.” These are the names these men as infants were given, yet in their adulthood, they became their name. So at birth, their name charted their life course and destiny.
Names are very important to God. They establish character. God told Moses to tell the people in exile that their God was going to deliver them. When Moses asked, what God shall I say is coming, God answered I AM. It was cryptic. Moses certainly didn’t fully understand what God was saying, but as the Hebrew children went through the wilderness for forty years, God revealed exactly who IAM is.
Knowing the names of God will help us get results when we pray. Psalm 91:14 -16 explains that when we use the different names of God, we will be addressing Him properly. “Because he has set his love upon Me, therefore I will deliver him; I will set him on high because he has known My name. He shall call upon Me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him and honor him. With long life I will satisfy him, and show him My salvation.”
When Jesus arrived on the earth, who was God Himself in skin, He taught us how to pray to God in Matthew 6:9. We know it as the Lord’s Pray and that it is the model in which we can make effective and result-producing petitions. The very first line is, “Our Father in heaven, HALLOWED be Your Name. Hallowed means “to be consecrated, pure or blameless or most holy one.” We must establish that each name that God has revealed is pure and unmarked or sanctified. There is absolutely no darkness, flaw, or error in God.
So as we study the Names of God, we know the character that is revealed will be flawless, pure and holy. The names are intended to reveal the heart of God and His desire to empower, help, protect, deliver and heal those who call upon His Name.
Confession: I realize that names are extremely important in God’s vocabulary. Nothing is accidental or clumsy. I look forward to learning more about God’s names and the character that is revealed through them.
We are all given a name when we are born, even before we have developed a personality or character. The name given to us can determine who we are and the kind of people we become. In the Old Testament, giving a name to the child was extremely important. It was a well known phenomenon that the person with that name grew into that name. For example, Abram meant “high father.” Here is a newborn baby and his future was already charted for him. Joseph means”to add to or augment.” These are the names these men as infants were given, yet in their adulthood, they became their name. So at birth, their name charted their life course and destiny.
Names are very important to God. They establish character. God told Moses to tell the people in exile that their God was going to deliver them. When Moses asked, what God shall I say is coming, God answered I AM. It was cryptic. Moses certainly didn’t fully understand what God was saying, but as the Hebrew children went through the wilderness for forty years, God revealed exactly who IAM is.
Knowing the names of God will help us get results when we pray. Psalm 91:14 -16 explains that when we use the different names of God, we will be addressing Him properly. “Because he has set his love upon Me, therefore I will deliver him; I will set him on high because he has known My name. He shall call upon Me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him and honor him. With long life I will satisfy him, and show him My salvation.”
When Jesus arrived on the earth, who was God Himself in skin, He taught us how to pray to God in Matthew 6:9. We know it as the Lord’s Pray and that it is the model in which we can make effective and result-producing petitions. The very first line is, “Our Father in heaven, HALLOWED be Your Name. Hallowed means “to be consecrated, pure or blameless or most holy one.” We must establish that each name that God has revealed is pure and unmarked or sanctified. There is absolutely no darkness, flaw, or error in God.
So as we study the Names of God, we know the character that is revealed will be flawless, pure and holy. The names are intended to reveal the heart of God and His desire to empower, help, protect, deliver and heal those who call upon His Name.
Confession: I realize that names are extremely important in God’s vocabulary. Nothing is accidental or clumsy. I look forward to learning more about God’s names and the character that is revealed through them.
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
Do You Live In Peace?
Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. ---Romans 5:1
Have you ever considered yourself as a person of peace? Peace is something we all desire and reach for, however many times it seems very elusive. We always seem to have something nagging in the back of our minds, a gnawing in our bellies or a circumstance raging in front of our eyes. Peace is to be at total rest in your mind, body and emotions.
Jesus came as the Prince of Peace. In a prayer for believers, Jesus said, “I do not pray that You (God) should take them out of the world, but that You should keep them from the evil one. They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world.” Jesus didn’t come to make a world that is at rest with one nation toward another nation. He brought peace in our minds and spirits because we are the children of the King of Love, Provision, Health and Prosperity.
Another definition of peace in our scripture today means prosperity! When we are moving ahead in areas of our life and accomplishing goals small and great, then we feel more at peace. When we are stuck in the same place and we know we should be getting ahead in our professions, our relationships, our finances, etc then we get edgy, restless and irritable. There is no peace in that.
The God we serve shows Himself in many different ways. He has many different characteristics in which we can call on Him. When we desire peace, we must look at our all sufficient God, El Shaddai, and meditate on just what God has proven in past history, what the promises He made toward His people and how we can learn to trust Him for our needs and protection today.
For the next several days, I want to introduce you to the character of God through His names. God was very persistent in demonstrating His character so that mankind would learn to trust Him in all areas of life. When we learn to trust God, allow Him to orchestrate our lives and make the best decisions for us that will get us to the destiny He has written for us, then we will live in total peace. That is where I want to be, at total rest with God who is in complete control of my life. And that is where He wants us to be!
Confession: I want to live in peace knowing that my God is directing my life. I desire to learn about the character of God so I can know how He will guide me through circumstances in life.
Have you ever considered yourself as a person of peace? Peace is something we all desire and reach for, however many times it seems very elusive. We always seem to have something nagging in the back of our minds, a gnawing in our bellies or a circumstance raging in front of our eyes. Peace is to be at total rest in your mind, body and emotions.
Jesus came as the Prince of Peace. In a prayer for believers, Jesus said, “I do not pray that You (God) should take them out of the world, but that You should keep them from the evil one. They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world.” Jesus didn’t come to make a world that is at rest with one nation toward another nation. He brought peace in our minds and spirits because we are the children of the King of Love, Provision, Health and Prosperity.
Another definition of peace in our scripture today means prosperity! When we are moving ahead in areas of our life and accomplishing goals small and great, then we feel more at peace. When we are stuck in the same place and we know we should be getting ahead in our professions, our relationships, our finances, etc then we get edgy, restless and irritable. There is no peace in that.
The God we serve shows Himself in many different ways. He has many different characteristics in which we can call on Him. When we desire peace, we must look at our all sufficient God, El Shaddai, and meditate on just what God has proven in past history, what the promises He made toward His people and how we can learn to trust Him for our needs and protection today.
For the next several days, I want to introduce you to the character of God through His names. God was very persistent in demonstrating His character so that mankind would learn to trust Him in all areas of life. When we learn to trust God, allow Him to orchestrate our lives and make the best decisions for us that will get us to the destiny He has written for us, then we will live in total peace. That is where I want to be, at total rest with God who is in complete control of my life. And that is where He wants us to be!
Confession: I want to live in peace knowing that my God is directing my life. I desire to learn about the character of God so I can know how He will guide me through circumstances in life.
Monday, July 27, 2009
Jesus' Ministry--Then and Now
The former treatise have I made, O Theophilus, of all that Jesus began both to do and teach. ---Acts 1:1
In Acts 10:38, Peter preached about the earthly ministry of Jesus to Cornelius’ household: “How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power: who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with him.” Did poor old Peter get confused? Jesus was already gone. Why preach about His earthly ministry? His earthly ministry was finished, wasn’t it?
No, Jesus’ earthly ministry was just getting started, because He didn’t really leave the earth. He just ascended to the Father’s right hand to become the Head over all things to the body. (Col. 1:18) Jesus is still here, working in us and through us. His earthly ministry didn’t stop or diminish—it multiplied! Jesus told His disciples, “It’s better for you if I go. I’ll pray to the Father, and He’ll send another Comforter to abide with you forever.” (John 14:16)
He also said, “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.” (John 14:12)
The last verse of the book of John says, “And there are also many other things which Jesus did, the which, if they should be written every one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that should be written.” (John 21:25) Then in Acts 1:1, the next verse in the Bible, Luke talks about “all that Jesus began both to do and teach.” Luke didn’t say Jesus had finished His ministry; he said Jesus had just gotten started!
God wants us to know that Jesus’ ministry still continues through us. God is the same, Jesus is the same, the Holy Ghost is the same and the Word is the same. Therefore, God’s methods of healing and deliverance will be the same as well.
Confession: While Jesus walked on the earth, He preached the Word and healed the sick. As I hear God’s Word, I believe it, act on it and receive my healing because Jesus’ ministry is still alive today in me!
In Acts 10:38, Peter preached about the earthly ministry of Jesus to Cornelius’ household: “How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power: who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with him.” Did poor old Peter get confused? Jesus was already gone. Why preach about His earthly ministry? His earthly ministry was finished, wasn’t it?
No, Jesus’ earthly ministry was just getting started, because He didn’t really leave the earth. He just ascended to the Father’s right hand to become the Head over all things to the body. (Col. 1:18) Jesus is still here, working in us and through us. His earthly ministry didn’t stop or diminish—it multiplied! Jesus told His disciples, “It’s better for you if I go. I’ll pray to the Father, and He’ll send another Comforter to abide with you forever.” (John 14:16)
He also said, “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.” (John 14:12)
The last verse of the book of John says, “And there are also many other things which Jesus did, the which, if they should be written every one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that should be written.” (John 21:25) Then in Acts 1:1, the next verse in the Bible, Luke talks about “all that Jesus began both to do and teach.” Luke didn’t say Jesus had finished His ministry; he said Jesus had just gotten started!
God wants us to know that Jesus’ ministry still continues through us. God is the same, Jesus is the same, the Holy Ghost is the same and the Word is the same. Therefore, God’s methods of healing and deliverance will be the same as well.
Confession: While Jesus walked on the earth, He preached the Word and healed the sick. As I hear God’s Word, I believe it, act on it and receive my healing because Jesus’ ministry is still alive today in me!
Friday, July 24, 2009
Your Opportunity for Long, Satisfying, Victorious Life
He shall call upon Me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him and honor him. With long life I will satisfy him and show him My salvation. ---Psalm 91:15-16
There is no doubt in my mind that God is so in love with His children that He would do anything for them if they felt the same about Him! To give Him our thought life is what He desires the most. To give Him our energy, time and talent is a side effort that He appreciates, but He mostly wants our thoughts and meditations to be on Him and His efforts to give us a beautiful, victorious life.
Where do I get this kind of thinking? Well, just look at Psalm 91! From verse 1 all the way to the end, He is giving us a promise of complete protection and provision when we think on Him, trust Him and have confidence in His ability to be there for us no matter what we are facing.
In yesterday’s devotion, I discussed how to call upon God with the promise that God will walk with you through your difficult challenges. Not only that, but He will pull you out of your circumstances as you come out the other side of your trial as a confident victor and He will honor you. To continue with verse 16, we see that God wants to bless you with LONG LIFE!!!
“Yes, BUT….” You may interject what the doctors say, what family members say, that so-and-so died when they prayed, and on and on. We cannot side with the world and their thoughts. We must side with what God says. He is the one who knows your situation from the inside out. He is the one who crafted your body and has given you the ability to think. Now it is up to you to choose whom you shall believe. Will you believe the report of the doctor, banker, or your boss or will you believe the report of the Lord.
We are focused on Psalm 91:14-16. This is what GOD SAYS. This is His prescription. This is His report. Call on Him by His Name and He will answer you. He’ll be with you and deliver you then honor you when you stand on His Word. Then, He will give you long life. The original language means length of days, a full life which will be full of satisfaction. That sounds like a life of peace, doesn’t it? Imagine trusting our living God so completely that you don’t have to worry about anything in the present or the future and anything that happened in the past is past!!!
Lastly, God says that He will show you His salvation. God will demonstrate on a regular basis what it means to be saved. Salvation is not just delivered out of the pit of hell as a result of a sinful life. NO! Salvation is so rich that we must live each day relishing the fact that we are saved. Here is what salvation means in addition to deliverance; victory, health, prosperity (to move ahead in life), to be safe, rescued, preserved, defended and totally free! Won't you accept His salvation today?
Confession: You, O Lord, are my Salvation. You are my defender, my savior, my victor and my rescuer. You will preserve me from calamity and life-threatening acts. You are my shield and my tower in whom I can trust.
There is no doubt in my mind that God is so in love with His children that He would do anything for them if they felt the same about Him! To give Him our thought life is what He desires the most. To give Him our energy, time and talent is a side effort that He appreciates, but He mostly wants our thoughts and meditations to be on Him and His efforts to give us a beautiful, victorious life.
Where do I get this kind of thinking? Well, just look at Psalm 91! From verse 1 all the way to the end, He is giving us a promise of complete protection and provision when we think on Him, trust Him and have confidence in His ability to be there for us no matter what we are facing.
In yesterday’s devotion, I discussed how to call upon God with the promise that God will walk with you through your difficult challenges. Not only that, but He will pull you out of your circumstances as you come out the other side of your trial as a confident victor and He will honor you. To continue with verse 16, we see that God wants to bless you with LONG LIFE!!!
“Yes, BUT….” You may interject what the doctors say, what family members say, that so-and-so died when they prayed, and on and on. We cannot side with the world and their thoughts. We must side with what God says. He is the one who knows your situation from the inside out. He is the one who crafted your body and has given you the ability to think. Now it is up to you to choose whom you shall believe. Will you believe the report of the doctor, banker, or your boss or will you believe the report of the Lord.
We are focused on Psalm 91:14-16. This is what GOD SAYS. This is His prescription. This is His report. Call on Him by His Name and He will answer you. He’ll be with you and deliver you then honor you when you stand on His Word. Then, He will give you long life. The original language means length of days, a full life which will be full of satisfaction. That sounds like a life of peace, doesn’t it? Imagine trusting our living God so completely that you don’t have to worry about anything in the present or the future and anything that happened in the past is past!!!
Lastly, God says that He will show you His salvation. God will demonstrate on a regular basis what it means to be saved. Salvation is not just delivered out of the pit of hell as a result of a sinful life. NO! Salvation is so rich that we must live each day relishing the fact that we are saved. Here is what salvation means in addition to deliverance; victory, health, prosperity (to move ahead in life), to be safe, rescued, preserved, defended and totally free! Won't you accept His salvation today?
Confession: You, O Lord, are my Salvation. You are my defender, my savior, my victor and my rescuer. You will preserve me from calamity and life-threatening acts. You are my shield and my tower in whom I can trust.
Thursday, July 23, 2009
Deliverance & Honor For Those Who Call On Him
He shall call upon Me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him and honor him. With long life I will satisfy him and show him My salvation. ---Psalm 91:15-16
As we discussed yesterday, when we call on God using His Name that shows His character, then He will answer your prayer. When we know His character, that He cannot lie, that He loves you and has a destiny for you to achieve, then that is where our faith begins. Once we know that God is on our side, we will anticipate that He will not only answer but will ACT on your behalf.
Let’s look at what Strong’s Concordance says about the word ANSWER. This means to give heed or pay attention and to respond. That response is in the form of speaking, singing, shout, testify or announce. So, when God answers your call to Him, He will turn His head to listen and pay attention. As I was saying yesterday, you have to talk to God using the correct language that He can pay attention to.
To talk to God as a poor, broken, sad child of the King is not going to get a response from God. Jesus will be standing next to God as they listen and Jesus would turn to God saying, “Father, I have taken care of this when I hung on the cross and took all their sins, their sickness and all their torments.” We need to realize that we are heirs of God and joint heirs of Jesus Christ, so when we speak to God, we must approach the throne as an heir of the Most High God. . . with confidence, intellect, strength and knowledge. When we lay our case before the throne, then He will hear us and respond.
The answer will come and the following scripture tells us how. He will be with us in trouble and deliver us then honor us. Psalm 91:15 The trouble we find ourselves in may be brought on by bad decisions in the past or present, we may be involved with some kind of calamity, have a life-threatening illness or experience an all-out attack from the enemy of our souls. Regardless, God will be with us.
Then He says He will deliver us. This is the great news and it is a promise from God. The word DELIVER means to strip, depart, equip, fight for, strengthen, and take away. So, here is a variety of words that can equip you for your battle, strengthen you and even take you away from your attacker or circumstance.
Once you are delivered out of your situation, God says He will honor you. He will honor you because you have become an “overcomer.” HONOR means to promote, to be made rich, noble. God loves to promote overcomers. That means you have overcome your circumstance to come out on the other side as a victor.
When we walk through our difficulties, we are learning that God’s Word works. That He means what He says, and says what He means. We learn that we can TRUST our Lord and Saviour.
Tomorrow, we will look at this last line regarding LONG LIFE!
Confession: Father, I know that you will hear my cry when I call on Your Name. You know my every move and my every thought. You know the circumstances I am facing, so I ask that you walk with me through this. I want to come out on the other side as an overcomer. Thank you for giving me the strength and wisdom to be a victorious child of God.
As we discussed yesterday, when we call on God using His Name that shows His character, then He will answer your prayer. When we know His character, that He cannot lie, that He loves you and has a destiny for you to achieve, then that is where our faith begins. Once we know that God is on our side, we will anticipate that He will not only answer but will ACT on your behalf.
Let’s look at what Strong’s Concordance says about the word ANSWER. This means to give heed or pay attention and to respond. That response is in the form of speaking, singing, shout, testify or announce. So, when God answers your call to Him, He will turn His head to listen and pay attention. As I was saying yesterday, you have to talk to God using the correct language that He can pay attention to.
To talk to God as a poor, broken, sad child of the King is not going to get a response from God. Jesus will be standing next to God as they listen and Jesus would turn to God saying, “Father, I have taken care of this when I hung on the cross and took all their sins, their sickness and all their torments.” We need to realize that we are heirs of God and joint heirs of Jesus Christ, so when we speak to God, we must approach the throne as an heir of the Most High God. . . with confidence, intellect, strength and knowledge. When we lay our case before the throne, then He will hear us and respond.
The answer will come and the following scripture tells us how. He will be with us in trouble and deliver us then honor us. Psalm 91:15 The trouble we find ourselves in may be brought on by bad decisions in the past or present, we may be involved with some kind of calamity, have a life-threatening illness or experience an all-out attack from the enemy of our souls. Regardless, God will be with us.
Then He says He will deliver us. This is the great news and it is a promise from God. The word DELIVER means to strip, depart, equip, fight for, strengthen, and take away. So, here is a variety of words that can equip you for your battle, strengthen you and even take you away from your attacker or circumstance.
Once you are delivered out of your situation, God says He will honor you. He will honor you because you have become an “overcomer.” HONOR means to promote, to be made rich, noble. God loves to promote overcomers. That means you have overcome your circumstance to come out on the other side as a victor.
When we walk through our difficulties, we are learning that God’s Word works. That He means what He says, and says what He means. We learn that we can TRUST our Lord and Saviour.
Tomorrow, we will look at this last line regarding LONG LIFE!
Confession: Father, I know that you will hear my cry when I call on Your Name. You know my every move and my every thought. You know the circumstances I am facing, so I ask that you walk with me through this. I want to come out on the other side as an overcomer. Thank you for giving me the strength and wisdom to be a victorious child of God.
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
God's Promise to Long Life
Because he has set his love upon Me, therefore I will deliver him; I will set him on high, because he has known My name. He shall call upon Me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him and honor him. With long life I will satisfy him and show him My salvation. ---Psalm 91:14-16
For two weeks, I have been writing on Why We Are Sick, or on the positive side, How to Live a Healthy and Victorious Life! I like the positive title better because as I dissected reasons why Christians are sick I have also been giving pointers on how to think like God wants us to think and not how man has trained us to think! I have found it amazing that while going through these scriptures that everything I have read indicates that God WANTS us to be victorious on this side of heaven.
Our scripture today sums it all up. First, we are to look to Him with honor and love because of who He is. When we do this, He can then deliver us (lift out, carry away to safety, escape). We aren’t to look to Him (or set our Love on Him) so He can be our genie in the bottle, or our magic wand! We look to Him because we love Him for who He is. To do this, we must know His names because they describe His character.
Think of Jehovah Jirah, our Provider, Jehovah Nissi, our Banner that flies over us as we go through our battles in life; Jehovah Rapha, our Healer and about 15 other names. When we know God’s names and understand what He wants to do for us, then He can set us on high. What is meant by setting us on high is, He will keep us safe and set us up where we will be inaccessible! Wow! No matter what we are going through personally, as a family, financially, with different personalities, if we know how much God loves us and we love Him and we know His character through His names, then He will answer us when we call on Him.
How do we call? This is very important to know because a lot of Christians cry (literally) while praying and still don’t get results. Then they say, God is answering through His silence so the answer must be “no.” Well, maybe, but may I suggest that we aren’t approaching God as a Son (or Daughter) of God. How many children go to their fathers or mothers in tears asking if they can have dinner? I don’t think there is one. If we want to go to them asking for dinner, we know there is food in the house, that there is a stove and refrigerator and momma can cook. We knowingly approach them, asking “when,” not “if.”
The original Greek for “call out” means to accost, proclaim, pronounce or address by name. What God wants us to do is to address Him with the name of God that will fit your circumstance. If you need healing, approach Jehovah Rapha, if you need provision, call out to Jehovah Jirah. Then tell Him what He has promised you through the character of His name. You are literally letting God know that YOU KNOW what He is capable of doing and because you are His child, you use language like a child would a father or mother. The scripture says, “and I WILL answer him.”
You will get an answer then. When you know the will of the Father that is where your faith will begin. If you know that you know that God is the Healer, that He wants to see you live a long life, then your faith will begin there and God will reach down to answer.
Tomorrow, we will look at the rest of this verse. Let us practice how to call on God:
Confession: Father, Abba, Daddy. You are my God and Deliverer. You are El Saddai, the One who can meet all my needs. You are able to reach me through the heavens and deliver me from my trouble. I thank you that you love me for who I am and know what I can be. I need your help to achieve the destiny you have for me, so today I declare that I trust you with my circumstances.
For two weeks, I have been writing on Why We Are Sick, or on the positive side, How to Live a Healthy and Victorious Life! I like the positive title better because as I dissected reasons why Christians are sick I have also been giving pointers on how to think like God wants us to think and not how man has trained us to think! I have found it amazing that while going through these scriptures that everything I have read indicates that God WANTS us to be victorious on this side of heaven.
Our scripture today sums it all up. First, we are to look to Him with honor and love because of who He is. When we do this, He can then deliver us (lift out, carry away to safety, escape). We aren’t to look to Him (or set our Love on Him) so He can be our genie in the bottle, or our magic wand! We look to Him because we love Him for who He is. To do this, we must know His names because they describe His character.
Think of Jehovah Jirah, our Provider, Jehovah Nissi, our Banner that flies over us as we go through our battles in life; Jehovah Rapha, our Healer and about 15 other names. When we know God’s names and understand what He wants to do for us, then He can set us on high. What is meant by setting us on high is, He will keep us safe and set us up where we will be inaccessible! Wow! No matter what we are going through personally, as a family, financially, with different personalities, if we know how much God loves us and we love Him and we know His character through His names, then He will answer us when we call on Him.
How do we call? This is very important to know because a lot of Christians cry (literally) while praying and still don’t get results. Then they say, God is answering through His silence so the answer must be “no.” Well, maybe, but may I suggest that we aren’t approaching God as a Son (or Daughter) of God. How many children go to their fathers or mothers in tears asking if they can have dinner? I don’t think there is one. If we want to go to them asking for dinner, we know there is food in the house, that there is a stove and refrigerator and momma can cook. We knowingly approach them, asking “when,” not “if.”
The original Greek for “call out” means to accost, proclaim, pronounce or address by name. What God wants us to do is to address Him with the name of God that will fit your circumstance. If you need healing, approach Jehovah Rapha, if you need provision, call out to Jehovah Jirah. Then tell Him what He has promised you through the character of His name. You are literally letting God know that YOU KNOW what He is capable of doing and because you are His child, you use language like a child would a father or mother. The scripture says, “and I WILL answer him.”
You will get an answer then. When you know the will of the Father that is where your faith will begin. If you know that you know that God is the Healer, that He wants to see you live a long life, then your faith will begin there and God will reach down to answer.
Tomorrow, we will look at the rest of this verse. Let us practice how to call on God:
Confession: Father, Abba, Daddy. You are my God and Deliverer. You are El Saddai, the One who can meet all my needs. You are able to reach me through the heavens and deliver me from my trouble. I thank you that you love me for who I am and know what I can be. I need your help to achieve the destiny you have for me, so today I declare that I trust you with my circumstances.
Friday, July 17, 2009
God Will Honor Those Who Give to the Poor
Blessed is he who considers the poor; the Lord will deliver him in time of trouble. The Lord will preserve him and keep him alive and he will be blessed on the earth; You will not deliver him to the will of his enemies. The Lord will strengthen him on his bed of illness; You will sustain him on his sickbed. ---Psalm 41:1-3
We have been studying why people, God’s people, get sick. We cannot forget to consider the fact that God in the Old Testament, then Jesus in the New Testament wants to see those who have, give to the have-nots. There are always people that are in worse condition than you, whether it be financially, positionally, or physically. What God would like to see is a heart-felt compassion on the part of His people toward the poor and needy.
Look at today’s scripture. “Blessed is he who considers the poor.” The word, blessed means, happy! And why not? Look what happens when we give to the poor. The Lord will help us get out of trouble, put a hedge around you, recover and repair you so you can be a blessing on the earth! When we instruct, teach, understand and wittingly guide the poor, God will not allow our enemies to do what they would like to do to us. When we do get sick, God is the one who will not only comfort us, but hold up and refresh us. God is the one that will make a change in your circumstances when you are sick, anxious or in a calamity.
What is it that triggers all this help from God in our lives? When we give to the poor! Jesus said, in Matthew 5:7, “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.” Merciful means those who are compassionate. However we must not give to the poor grudgingly or because we want to receive the benefits of God’s protection and healing. We must give to the poor because it is in our heart to help other people. God loves those who are poor and needy. He has a plan for their lives and future. He died for them, too!
We have a tendency to turn our eyes away from those that are suffering and in lack, whether in this country or a foreign land until someone can give a personal testimony on a particular individual. Don’t hide from these people. They need you. When you give to a ministry or an individual, you honor God and help someone who will be blessed by your donation. When you bless others, you will find yourself equally, if not more, blessed.
Confession: I commit to find someone or an organization that can help the poor. I ask God to give me wisdom and discernment to find just the one that He wants me to help. If I don’t find some one, I will trust an organization to take care of the poor through my donation. I do this not to look for a blessing, but to be obedient to my God. I desire the compassion of Jesus so I can help my brothers and sisters in Christ.
We have been studying why people, God’s people, get sick. We cannot forget to consider the fact that God in the Old Testament, then Jesus in the New Testament wants to see those who have, give to the have-nots. There are always people that are in worse condition than you, whether it be financially, positionally, or physically. What God would like to see is a heart-felt compassion on the part of His people toward the poor and needy.
Look at today’s scripture. “Blessed is he who considers the poor.” The word, blessed means, happy! And why not? Look what happens when we give to the poor. The Lord will help us get out of trouble, put a hedge around you, recover and repair you so you can be a blessing on the earth! When we instruct, teach, understand and wittingly guide the poor, God will not allow our enemies to do what they would like to do to us. When we do get sick, God is the one who will not only comfort us, but hold up and refresh us. God is the one that will make a change in your circumstances when you are sick, anxious or in a calamity.
What is it that triggers all this help from God in our lives? When we give to the poor! Jesus said, in Matthew 5:7, “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.” Merciful means those who are compassionate. However we must not give to the poor grudgingly or because we want to receive the benefits of God’s protection and healing. We must give to the poor because it is in our heart to help other people. God loves those who are poor and needy. He has a plan for their lives and future. He died for them, too!
We have a tendency to turn our eyes away from those that are suffering and in lack, whether in this country or a foreign land until someone can give a personal testimony on a particular individual. Don’t hide from these people. They need you. When you give to a ministry or an individual, you honor God and help someone who will be blessed by your donation. When you bless others, you will find yourself equally, if not more, blessed.
Confession: I commit to find someone or an organization that can help the poor. I ask God to give me wisdom and discernment to find just the one that He wants me to help. If I don’t find some one, I will trust an organization to take care of the poor through my donation. I do this not to look for a blessing, but to be obedient to my God. I desire the compassion of Jesus so I can help my brothers and sisters in Christ.
Thursday, July 16, 2009
Ignorance Can Keep Us Sick
My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. ---Hosea 4:6
I have heard it said, “Ignorance is bliss!” Wow! Isn’t that just like the devil, to want to keep Truth from us so we will stay sick, depressed, anxious, and hopeless? Ignorance is actually what kills God’s people. Our scripture today is God speaking. He said, “My people.” His people are the believing ones. The ones who love God with all their hearts and want to serve Him. His people are the ones who will live for eternity with the Father in Heaven. But, unfortunately, we get there much sooner than He planned for us.
Why do Christians die early? Why do we suffer so? Because we don’t know His Word. We have been taught incorrectly or not taught the hope of our salvation! The word, salvation means “deliverance from sin” for sure but it has a much deeper meaning. Here is what the Strong’s Concordance says salvation (soteria) means: rescue or safety (physically or morally) deliver, health). Now the word save (sozo) means: to save, i.e. deliver or protect (literally or figuratively), heal, preserve, save, do well, be made whole.
Salvation for the child of God gives hope, deliverance, health, physical protection, healing in the mind and body, and to do well in life. WOW!! Who wouldn’t want to secure their salvation through the Son of God, Jesus! Unfortunately, much of the church goes around looking whipped, talking doubt and unbelief, and dying much too early because they simply know what is theirs through Christ Jesus.
We have been studying why people, especially Christians, are sick. This is probably the main reason. We are ignorant of God’s love, the sacrifice of Jesus’ life so he could take on all our sins and that by His stripes we have been healed. (1 Peter 2:24) This is past tense. Every stripe that Jesus bore on His body represented every root sickness known to mankind. He took your sickness upon Himself so you wouldn’t have to. He did this because He knew we live in a corrupted world that Satan is ruling through evil, intimidation, mind-games and fear.
Jesus gave us all the tools we need to defeat every device that Satan uses. We have received His promise that Jesus will never leave us or forsake us. We are in covenant with the Most High God and that covenant is forever binding. Jesus gave us His Name to defeat every maneuver the devil would try to use. Not only that, but Jesus gave us His power of attorney; His authority to override anything Satan would assault us with. All the power that Jesus carried was also handed over to the believing ones to use in the spiritual realm.
In Mark 16:15-17 we find the last words that Jesus spoke before He ascended into heaven. This was Jesus’ most important message because it was His final instructions. He said, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. He who believes and is baptized WILL be saved; but he who does not believe WILL be condemned. And these signs WILL follow those who believe: In My name they WILL cast out demons; they WILL speak with new tongues; they WILL take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it WILL by no means hurt them; they WILL lay hands on the sick, and they WILL recover.”
Make no mistake; those words are for us today. If you are a Believer, then this instruction goes for you, to. Salvation gives us more power in our little finger than any devil has over us! We must be not only aware of who we are in Christ, but also confident that we WILL do these things. Stay with this blog and you will find out more how to be victorious in your life.
Confession: I am saved and according to scripture that means I am delivered from all my sins, I have been healed of my sickness and infirmities, my mind has been restored, I am rescued from bad habits and attitudes, I am protected by angels sent from heaven, I am preserved from calamity and my life is made whole! I have power over my greatest enemy, Satan, who orchestrates my demise, but he will no longer succeed because I am wise to his devises!
I have heard it said, “Ignorance is bliss!” Wow! Isn’t that just like the devil, to want to keep Truth from us so we will stay sick, depressed, anxious, and hopeless? Ignorance is actually what kills God’s people. Our scripture today is God speaking. He said, “My people.” His people are the believing ones. The ones who love God with all their hearts and want to serve Him. His people are the ones who will live for eternity with the Father in Heaven. But, unfortunately, we get there much sooner than He planned for us.
Why do Christians die early? Why do we suffer so? Because we don’t know His Word. We have been taught incorrectly or not taught the hope of our salvation! The word, salvation means “deliverance from sin” for sure but it has a much deeper meaning. Here is what the Strong’s Concordance says salvation (soteria) means: rescue or safety (physically or morally) deliver, health). Now the word save (sozo) means: to save, i.e. deliver or protect (literally or figuratively), heal, preserve, save, do well, be made whole.
Salvation for the child of God gives hope, deliverance, health, physical protection, healing in the mind and body, and to do well in life. WOW!! Who wouldn’t want to secure their salvation through the Son of God, Jesus! Unfortunately, much of the church goes around looking whipped, talking doubt and unbelief, and dying much too early because they simply know what is theirs through Christ Jesus.
We have been studying why people, especially Christians, are sick. This is probably the main reason. We are ignorant of God’s love, the sacrifice of Jesus’ life so he could take on all our sins and that by His stripes we have been healed. (1 Peter 2:24) This is past tense. Every stripe that Jesus bore on His body represented every root sickness known to mankind. He took your sickness upon Himself so you wouldn’t have to. He did this because He knew we live in a corrupted world that Satan is ruling through evil, intimidation, mind-games and fear.
Jesus gave us all the tools we need to defeat every device that Satan uses. We have received His promise that Jesus will never leave us or forsake us. We are in covenant with the Most High God and that covenant is forever binding. Jesus gave us His Name to defeat every maneuver the devil would try to use. Not only that, but Jesus gave us His power of attorney; His authority to override anything Satan would assault us with. All the power that Jesus carried was also handed over to the believing ones to use in the spiritual realm.
In Mark 16:15-17 we find the last words that Jesus spoke before He ascended into heaven. This was Jesus’ most important message because it was His final instructions. He said, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. He who believes and is baptized WILL be saved; but he who does not believe WILL be condemned. And these signs WILL follow those who believe: In My name they WILL cast out demons; they WILL speak with new tongues; they WILL take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it WILL by no means hurt them; they WILL lay hands on the sick, and they WILL recover.”
Make no mistake; those words are for us today. If you are a Believer, then this instruction goes for you, to. Salvation gives us more power in our little finger than any devil has over us! We must be not only aware of who we are in Christ, but also confident that we WILL do these things. Stay with this blog and you will find out more how to be victorious in your life.
Confession: I am saved and according to scripture that means I am delivered from all my sins, I have been healed of my sickness and infirmities, my mind has been restored, I am rescued from bad habits and attitudes, I am protected by angels sent from heaven, I am preserved from calamity and my life is made whole! I have power over my greatest enemy, Satan, who orchestrates my demise, but he will no longer succeed because I am wise to his devises!
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
Bitterness & Unforgiveness Destroys Our Body
Cast all your care upon Him, for He cares for you. ---1 Peter 5:7
There is no doubt that the medical field has proven that when we harbor bitterness and unforgiveness, our bodies break down physically. Arthritis, lupus, TMJ, cancer, coronary heart disease, cysts and even drug addiction are the result of holding on to mental torment when we have or feel we have been the victim through words or deeds.
Regardless of who hurt you through words, actions or both, there is a Father in Heaven that wants to take on that hurt for you. It is our carnal (human) nature to want to take revenge against those who hurt us and Jesus knew that. During His ministry on earth, there were a couple times that He addressed the need to forgive those who offended us.
First, Jesus shared with the disciples how to pray. In Matthew 6:12, the model prayer, forgiveness is an important part. He wanted us to ask God to forgive us as we forgive those who hurt us. Here is what the Amplified Bible says: “And forgive us our debts as we also have forgiven (left, remitted and let go of the debts, and have given up resentment against) our debtors.” The word debt refers to something owed or an obligation. A debtor is someone who owes, a person indebted, a delinquent, a transgressor.
Another time, Jesus was talking about receiving anything you ask when you pray, however there was a condition! Have you prayed expecting God to provide for you and it not answered? You might take a look at Mark 11: 25 & 26. It says, “And whenever you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive him, that your Father in heaven may also forgive you your trespasses. But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father in heaven forgive your trespasses.”
That’s a pretty harsh reality, but it is God’s law. We must forgive those who have hurt us before God can answer our prayers. Another thing we must be aware of is we can also take on other peoples offenses and become bitter and unforgiving because of the hurt a relative or friend has experienced. This is a trap the enemy of your soul sets for us. Don’t step into it! If you are nursing someone else’s wound, ask God to forgive you and turn it over to Him and let it go. The same goes for your own wounds.
It is easier said than done to let go of unforgiveness. There are some egregious acts that have been perpetrated on children that have grown into bitter adults. And for good reason! But there is a wonderful solution. Romans 12:19 tells us “Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave the way open for God’s wrath; for it is written, ‘Vengeance is Mine, I will repay (requite), says the Lord.’”
The God that created the universe is also the God that created you. He never intended for you to have experienced the horror or unsolicited actions or words that have impacted you, but as I have written in previous blogs there are many reasons things happen that were not your fault. Regardless, God loves you and wants you to step into the peace and wholeness that is intended for every believer.
Don’t you think that if God can speak life into man and this world, that He can take care of the person(s) who hurt you? He knows how best to take revenge on your behalf better than you.
When we nurse bitterness and unforgiveness within ourselves, it doesn’t impact the person you’re angry at, but it does impact your mind, body and spirit. As I wrote in the beginning, it will make your body sick; perhaps sick unto death and it wasn’t God’s plan for you at all! The apostle Peter wrote us how to release your burden, “casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.” The word care means distractions, anxieties, burdens and worries.” Unforgiveness and bitterness certainly falls in that category. Also the word cast means to literally throw with all your might.
So, today, don’t wait another minute, don’t bear this burden another day, but throw it on God to handle the matter and TRUST Him with the results. The weight off your shoulders will be enormous.
Confession: My burden of bitterness and unforgiveness has been too much for me to bear. It has made my mind, soul and body sick and I refuse to let it eat me up and distract me any more. I will deliver this issue over to My Father in heaven who loves me and will trust Him with this situation.
There is no doubt that the medical field has proven that when we harbor bitterness and unforgiveness, our bodies break down physically. Arthritis, lupus, TMJ, cancer, coronary heart disease, cysts and even drug addiction are the result of holding on to mental torment when we have or feel we have been the victim through words or deeds.
Regardless of who hurt you through words, actions or both, there is a Father in Heaven that wants to take on that hurt for you. It is our carnal (human) nature to want to take revenge against those who hurt us and Jesus knew that. During His ministry on earth, there were a couple times that He addressed the need to forgive those who offended us.
First, Jesus shared with the disciples how to pray. In Matthew 6:12, the model prayer, forgiveness is an important part. He wanted us to ask God to forgive us as we forgive those who hurt us. Here is what the Amplified Bible says: “And forgive us our debts as we also have forgiven (left, remitted and let go of the debts, and have given up resentment against) our debtors.” The word debt refers to something owed or an obligation. A debtor is someone who owes, a person indebted, a delinquent, a transgressor.
Another time, Jesus was talking about receiving anything you ask when you pray, however there was a condition! Have you prayed expecting God to provide for you and it not answered? You might take a look at Mark 11: 25 & 26. It says, “And whenever you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive him, that your Father in heaven may also forgive you your trespasses. But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father in heaven forgive your trespasses.”
That’s a pretty harsh reality, but it is God’s law. We must forgive those who have hurt us before God can answer our prayers. Another thing we must be aware of is we can also take on other peoples offenses and become bitter and unforgiving because of the hurt a relative or friend has experienced. This is a trap the enemy of your soul sets for us. Don’t step into it! If you are nursing someone else’s wound, ask God to forgive you and turn it over to Him and let it go. The same goes for your own wounds.
It is easier said than done to let go of unforgiveness. There are some egregious acts that have been perpetrated on children that have grown into bitter adults. And for good reason! But there is a wonderful solution. Romans 12:19 tells us “Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave the way open for God’s wrath; for it is written, ‘Vengeance is Mine, I will repay (requite), says the Lord.’”
The God that created the universe is also the God that created you. He never intended for you to have experienced the horror or unsolicited actions or words that have impacted you, but as I have written in previous blogs there are many reasons things happen that were not your fault. Regardless, God loves you and wants you to step into the peace and wholeness that is intended for every believer.
Don’t you think that if God can speak life into man and this world, that He can take care of the person(s) who hurt you? He knows how best to take revenge on your behalf better than you.
When we nurse bitterness and unforgiveness within ourselves, it doesn’t impact the person you’re angry at, but it does impact your mind, body and spirit. As I wrote in the beginning, it will make your body sick; perhaps sick unto death and it wasn’t God’s plan for you at all! The apostle Peter wrote us how to release your burden, “casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.” The word care means distractions, anxieties, burdens and worries.” Unforgiveness and bitterness certainly falls in that category. Also the word cast means to literally throw with all your might.
So, today, don’t wait another minute, don’t bear this burden another day, but throw it on God to handle the matter and TRUST Him with the results. The weight off your shoulders will be enormous.
Confession: My burden of bitterness and unforgiveness has been too much for me to bear. It has made my mind, soul and body sick and I refuse to let it eat me up and distract me any more. I will deliver this issue over to My Father in heaven who loves me and will trust Him with this situation.
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
Belief vs Unbelief; Conviced vs Doubt
Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness. And he was called the friend of God. ---James 2:23
If there is anything in the scriptures that winds its way throughout the whole book, is that we must believe. Without a conviction that God is the One True Living God and that He sent His Son, Jesus to usher back the Kingdom of God and redeem us from our sins and secure a place in an eternal heaven, then we are in a state of unbelief. If we can’t accept that God loves us no matter what circumstances we were born to, what atmosphere we were brought up in and regardless of what we do or say now, then we live a life of doubt and distrust.
If we go through life, day after day, bombarded with news which is full of grave and dire possibilities, surrounded with people that cannot see the cup full, but rather empty and we deal with our circumstances in a worldly fashion, then we will find ourselves full of doubt and cannot believe that even God can reach down from Heaven to help.
That’s what the enemy of your soul wants you to believe. You see, doubt and unbelief are demonic twins. They are the direct opposite of belief and faith. We are told in Hebrews 11:6 that “…without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.”
As I have grown in the knowledge of the Word, there is one thing that I know for sure! That is that God is a rewarder. He wants to give you everything you desire, but you must be in total belief and not have a thread of doubt. Jesus knew that mankind would struggle with this concept, so He addressed it very clearly in Mark 11:22-24.
So Jesus answered and said to them, “Have faith in God. For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be removed and be cast into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says. Therefore, I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them.
This is the point I’m trying to make. When you are in a state of mind of doubt and unbelief that God wants to heal you, then you’ll speak out of your mouth words of doubt and unbelief. James tells us what we know in real life, that our tongue is our biggest enemy. If we can’t train our tongue to speak health, wholeness, belief and faith, then we will remain sick in our bodies because our tongue is like a rudder to our lives. We make self-fulfilling prophesies with our mouth. If we speak death, sickness, defeat and hopelessness, that is what we will get. But if we speak hope, belief that God will heal, protect and provide; if we speak health into our bodies, then we will enjoy a victorious life, conquering the plans of the enemy.
Confession: My tongue is the rudder of my life. I will cast out all thoughts and speech involving doubt and unbelief and embrace God’s loving care believing that He wants me healthy in mind and body. I will no longer doubt His willingness and ability to see my circumstance and reach down from Heaven to touch my life. I will trust Him! Thank you, Lord for your mercy.
If there is anything in the scriptures that winds its way throughout the whole book, is that we must believe. Without a conviction that God is the One True Living God and that He sent His Son, Jesus to usher back the Kingdom of God and redeem us from our sins and secure a place in an eternal heaven, then we are in a state of unbelief. If we can’t accept that God loves us no matter what circumstances we were born to, what atmosphere we were brought up in and regardless of what we do or say now, then we live a life of doubt and distrust.
If we go through life, day after day, bombarded with news which is full of grave and dire possibilities, surrounded with people that cannot see the cup full, but rather empty and we deal with our circumstances in a worldly fashion, then we will find ourselves full of doubt and cannot believe that even God can reach down from Heaven to help.
That’s what the enemy of your soul wants you to believe. You see, doubt and unbelief are demonic twins. They are the direct opposite of belief and faith. We are told in Hebrews 11:6 that “…without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.”
As I have grown in the knowledge of the Word, there is one thing that I know for sure! That is that God is a rewarder. He wants to give you everything you desire, but you must be in total belief and not have a thread of doubt. Jesus knew that mankind would struggle with this concept, so He addressed it very clearly in Mark 11:22-24.
So Jesus answered and said to them, “Have faith in God. For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be removed and be cast into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says. Therefore, I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them.
This is the point I’m trying to make. When you are in a state of mind of doubt and unbelief that God wants to heal you, then you’ll speak out of your mouth words of doubt and unbelief. James tells us what we know in real life, that our tongue is our biggest enemy. If we can’t train our tongue to speak health, wholeness, belief and faith, then we will remain sick in our bodies because our tongue is like a rudder to our lives. We make self-fulfilling prophesies with our mouth. If we speak death, sickness, defeat and hopelessness, that is what we will get. But if we speak hope, belief that God will heal, protect and provide; if we speak health into our bodies, then we will enjoy a victorious life, conquering the plans of the enemy.
Confession: My tongue is the rudder of my life. I will cast out all thoughts and speech involving doubt and unbelief and embrace God’s loving care believing that He wants me healthy in mind and body. I will no longer doubt His willingness and ability to see my circumstance and reach down from Heaven to touch my life. I will trust Him! Thank you, Lord for your mercy.
Monday, July 13, 2009
Generational Curses Do Exist
If you do not carefully observe all the words of this law that are written in this book, that you may fear this glorious and awesome name, THE LORD YOUR GOD, then the Lord will bring upon you and your descendants extraordinary plagues—great and prolonged plagues—and serious and prolonged sicknesses. ---Deuteronomy 28:58,59
Time and distance between the words written in Deuteronomy and now, in 2009 make this seem barbaric and non-applicable. People say, “Jesus came and made a new covenant with God’s people, so this no longer applies.” Let me set this kind of thinking straight. Jesus told us that He came not to destroy the Law but to fulfill the Law. (Matthew 5:17) What He came to do was to destroy the works of the enemy (Satan).
To help us understand the purpose of Jesus regarding the Law, He came to make an even playing field in a world that is controlled by Satan. “What?” you may shout back. Let me explain. When Adam disobeyed God in the Garden of Eden, authority and dominion was turned over to Satan and he became the god of this world system. (Cor. 4:4) God never stepped down or gave over His Omnipotence and Sovereignty. However, Satan has a majority vote on the earth when it is given to him.
Jesus (God in human form) came to bring an opportunity for all mankind to choose to obey God through a belief in Jesus who lived on earth a short period of time to demonstrate the love of God and explain what the Kingdom of God is all about. He then allowed Himself to be sacrificed on the cross because no one else in the world, then or in the future, would qualify to break Satan’s power of sin over us. After lying in the grave three days, God raised Him to life to break the power of death and then walked among men for 40 more days to prove that He lived after being dead. Then He ascended into Heaven in view of many witnesses and is now sitting at the right hand of God the Father ever making intercession for you.
So, that is why Jesus came to the earth. "But," you may ask, “where do generational curses come in?” Glad you asked. As the verse says in Deuteronomy, when we know the Law of God, which is now written on the hearts of man under the New Covenant that Jesus established, and don’t obey it then there is rebellion against the Most High God. God clearly established that when we do not obey the Law, He will allow terrible plagues to enter our lives. According to Strong’s Concordance, PLAGUE means a blow, wound, carnage, also pestilence. Literally it means a physical attack against your body or life circumstances.
A generational curse refers to a family member in your lineage that rebelled against God that has been passed on to his children and grandchildren for many generations. You say, “That’s not fair, I didn’t do anything! I haven’t rebelled! I love God and want to obey His laws!” That is true, and there is good. . .no, great news for you. You have the power and the authority to stop that generational curse right now! Your parent(s), and their parent may have had the same disease or had a life of calamity or no opportunities given to themwhere they qualified, and now you have the same symptoms or circumstances in your life. However, now you have knowledge that will break that curse.
Jesus told us that He gives all power and all authority to those who believe. If you believe in your heart what I wrote in the above paragraph about the life of Jesus, then you have the ability, power and authority to renounce the sins of your heritage and plead the blood of Jesus over your life and break that curse. That is why Jesus came. To give you the tools to break the destructive strangle hold the devil has on us. That is why Jesus came with a new and better covenant; to give you an opportunity to live a victorious, healthy life.
If you want to break that generational curse, make this declaration out loud:
Declaration: I am a child of the Most High God and realize that my ancestors were disobedient against God. I have been given authority and power by the Son of God, Jesus to make a clean slate. I ask God to forgive me of all my sins, and I ask God to forgive my ancestors of their sins. In the Name of Jesus of Nazareth, I command Satan to cease and desist all maneuvers against my life and the lives of my children. I declare and decree health to my body and wholeness of mind over me and my descendents. I thank you Jesus for your life that allows me the victory in this life now as well as an eternal destiny with You.
Time and distance between the words written in Deuteronomy and now, in 2009 make this seem barbaric and non-applicable. People say, “Jesus came and made a new covenant with God’s people, so this no longer applies.” Let me set this kind of thinking straight. Jesus told us that He came not to destroy the Law but to fulfill the Law. (Matthew 5:17) What He came to do was to destroy the works of the enemy (Satan).
To help us understand the purpose of Jesus regarding the Law, He came to make an even playing field in a world that is controlled by Satan. “What?” you may shout back. Let me explain. When Adam disobeyed God in the Garden of Eden, authority and dominion was turned over to Satan and he became the god of this world system. (Cor. 4:4) God never stepped down or gave over His Omnipotence and Sovereignty. However, Satan has a majority vote on the earth when it is given to him.
Jesus (God in human form) came to bring an opportunity for all mankind to choose to obey God through a belief in Jesus who lived on earth a short period of time to demonstrate the love of God and explain what the Kingdom of God is all about. He then allowed Himself to be sacrificed on the cross because no one else in the world, then or in the future, would qualify to break Satan’s power of sin over us. After lying in the grave three days, God raised Him to life to break the power of death and then walked among men for 40 more days to prove that He lived after being dead. Then He ascended into Heaven in view of many witnesses and is now sitting at the right hand of God the Father ever making intercession for you.
So, that is why Jesus came to the earth. "But," you may ask, “where do generational curses come in?” Glad you asked. As the verse says in Deuteronomy, when we know the Law of God, which is now written on the hearts of man under the New Covenant that Jesus established, and don’t obey it then there is rebellion against the Most High God. God clearly established that when we do not obey the Law, He will allow terrible plagues to enter our lives. According to Strong’s Concordance, PLAGUE means a blow, wound, carnage, also pestilence. Literally it means a physical attack against your body or life circumstances.
A generational curse refers to a family member in your lineage that rebelled against God that has been passed on to his children and grandchildren for many generations. You say, “That’s not fair, I didn’t do anything! I haven’t rebelled! I love God and want to obey His laws!” That is true, and there is good. . .no, great news for you. You have the power and the authority to stop that generational curse right now! Your parent(s), and their parent may have had the same disease or had a life of calamity or no opportunities given to themwhere they qualified, and now you have the same symptoms or circumstances in your life. However, now you have knowledge that will break that curse.
Jesus told us that He gives all power and all authority to those who believe. If you believe in your heart what I wrote in the above paragraph about the life of Jesus, then you have the ability, power and authority to renounce the sins of your heritage and plead the blood of Jesus over your life and break that curse. That is why Jesus came. To give you the tools to break the destructive strangle hold the devil has on us. That is why Jesus came with a new and better covenant; to give you an opportunity to live a victorious, healthy life.
If you want to break that generational curse, make this declaration out loud:
Declaration: I am a child of the Most High God and realize that my ancestors were disobedient against God. I have been given authority and power by the Son of God, Jesus to make a clean slate. I ask God to forgive me of all my sins, and I ask God to forgive my ancestors of their sins. In the Name of Jesus of Nazareth, I command Satan to cease and desist all maneuvers against my life and the lives of my children. I declare and decree health to my body and wholeness of mind over me and my descendents. I thank you Jesus for your life that allows me the victory in this life now as well as an eternal destiny with You.
Friday, July 3, 2009
A MISSION MOMENT
Summer time is also mission time. There are many many churches sending mission teams to various parts of the world during the summer break. Please pray for those teams who are leaving their "comfort level" and obeying the Great Commission to go into the world to preach the gospel (good news) to all nations.
Honduras is one mission destination for thousands of people this summer. As you have read, Honduras is in a political crisis right now. Please pray for a peaceful solution in that nation. Transportation has all been stopped internally, which means air travel, buses, and even bridges are blocked to prevent travel. Many people are stranded and cannot get to their destination. We need God's will to be done in this situation. Thank you for your prayers.
Summer time is also mission time. There are many many churches sending mission teams to various parts of the world during the summer break. Please pray for those teams who are leaving their "comfort level" and obeying the Great Commission to go into the world to preach the gospel (good news) to all nations.
Honduras is one mission destination for thousands of people this summer. As you have read, Honduras is in a political crisis right now. Please pray for a peaceful solution in that nation. Transportation has all been stopped internally, which means air travel, buses, and even bridges are blocked to prevent travel. Many people are stranded and cannot get to their destination. We need God's will to be done in this situation. Thank you for your prayers.
Anxiety and Worry Destroy the Body
Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you. ---1 Peter 5:6,7
I believe I’m talking to believers in this blog. That means you are the Church, saints, anointed ones, the body of Christ. You are heirs of God and joint heirs with Jesus Christ. You have the Greater One on the inside of you called the Holy Spirit…the same Holy Spirit that is in you is the same one that raised Jesus from the dead!! Come-on, Church, we must realize who we are in Christ! We have been given power and authority over the devil and all his devices. We are just a little lower than the angels and miles higher than the highest in authority in the devils camp. We are given weapons of destruction in the spirit to become victorious in life.
And yet, we let little things in life give us fits, cause us sleepless nights and makes our bodies sick. Why? Maybe because we dwell on those things that aren’t going the way we think they should? Maybe we are trying to control things that we shouldn’t or can’t control? Perhaps we are going to the wrong source for help and only getting deeper into a state of anxiety and worry.
Our verse for today helps us to understand what we, as believers, should do when things start to eat away at us. First we must humble ourselves before our mighty God. How do we do this? Get in an attitude of prayer, finding a quiet place with no interruptions. Prayer means to do business with God! He is your source of strength when you feel weak. When we are full of anxiety, we are very weak. To humble means we submit entirely our spirit, soul (mind, will and emotion) and our bodies to our Creator Father. Confess that you have been too busy trying to manipulate your own life and work out solutions to situations that aren’t even yours to work out. Admit that God owns everything in your life; your wallet, your possessions, your family, and your future. Then give it all back to your King. This is purely a mental and emotional exercise but it will free you from your anxious moments. What you are doing is casting all your care upon Him. The word “casting” means to literally throw with great effort, to fling or hurl away from you. When you do this, you are obeying what God has asked you to do. Obedience and trust is what God desires from every one of His children.
My favorite verse that I have walked on for years is Proverbs 3:5-7: "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not unto your own understanding. But in all your ways, acknowledge Him and He will direct your path." When we learn to trust, which means have total confidence in Him, this releases Him to become a very integral part of your life. But as long as you hold him at arms length and say, “No Lord, I can do this myself” then He cannot enter your situation.
Our body responds to our external influences. When we live in peace, our physical body is at peace and functions normally and in healthy order. But when we are living in strife, anxiousness and worry, our bodies start to malfunction. A good illustration is a car engine that is full of oil and running smoothly on all six or eight cylinders. When the oil gets burning quickly, the cylinders aren’t getting the oil properly and they start missing. Then the missing causes other parts of the engine from functioning and part after part start to fail. So it is with our bodies.
When we are immersed in unrest and strife, our bodies malfunction one part after the other. Here are some results from anxiety and stress: Allergies, acne, all types of heart problems, carpel tunnel, cystic fibrosis, skin disorders, fibromyalgia, gallstones, hiatal hernia, reflux disease, hypertension, irritable bowel syndrome, shingles, stroke, TMJ, ulcerative colitis, and of course, our immune system is weakened so we are prone to all kinds of viruses.
I would suggest that you cast your cares upon the Lord, because He cares for you. When you do this, you will find your life at peace because He is in full control and whatever He does for you will be 100 times better than what you do for yourself.
Confession: From this day forward, I will let God take over all my possessions, my finances, my family, all my circumstances and most of all, my future. God has a wonderful and perfect plan for my life and from now on, I will let Him direct my path.
I believe I’m talking to believers in this blog. That means you are the Church, saints, anointed ones, the body of Christ. You are heirs of God and joint heirs with Jesus Christ. You have the Greater One on the inside of you called the Holy Spirit…the same Holy Spirit that is in you is the same one that raised Jesus from the dead!! Come-on, Church, we must realize who we are in Christ! We have been given power and authority over the devil and all his devices. We are just a little lower than the angels and miles higher than the highest in authority in the devils camp. We are given weapons of destruction in the spirit to become victorious in life.
And yet, we let little things in life give us fits, cause us sleepless nights and makes our bodies sick. Why? Maybe because we dwell on those things that aren’t going the way we think they should? Maybe we are trying to control things that we shouldn’t or can’t control? Perhaps we are going to the wrong source for help and only getting deeper into a state of anxiety and worry.
Our verse for today helps us to understand what we, as believers, should do when things start to eat away at us. First we must humble ourselves before our mighty God. How do we do this? Get in an attitude of prayer, finding a quiet place with no interruptions. Prayer means to do business with God! He is your source of strength when you feel weak. When we are full of anxiety, we are very weak. To humble means we submit entirely our spirit, soul (mind, will and emotion) and our bodies to our Creator Father. Confess that you have been too busy trying to manipulate your own life and work out solutions to situations that aren’t even yours to work out. Admit that God owns everything in your life; your wallet, your possessions, your family, and your future. Then give it all back to your King. This is purely a mental and emotional exercise but it will free you from your anxious moments. What you are doing is casting all your care upon Him. The word “casting” means to literally throw with great effort, to fling or hurl away from you. When you do this, you are obeying what God has asked you to do. Obedience and trust is what God desires from every one of His children.
My favorite verse that I have walked on for years is Proverbs 3:5-7: "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not unto your own understanding. But in all your ways, acknowledge Him and He will direct your path." When we learn to trust, which means have total confidence in Him, this releases Him to become a very integral part of your life. But as long as you hold him at arms length and say, “No Lord, I can do this myself” then He cannot enter your situation.
Our body responds to our external influences. When we live in peace, our physical body is at peace and functions normally and in healthy order. But when we are living in strife, anxiousness and worry, our bodies start to malfunction. A good illustration is a car engine that is full of oil and running smoothly on all six or eight cylinders. When the oil gets burning quickly, the cylinders aren’t getting the oil properly and they start missing. Then the missing causes other parts of the engine from functioning and part after part start to fail. So it is with our bodies.
When we are immersed in unrest and strife, our bodies malfunction one part after the other. Here are some results from anxiety and stress: Allergies, acne, all types of heart problems, carpel tunnel, cystic fibrosis, skin disorders, fibromyalgia, gallstones, hiatal hernia, reflux disease, hypertension, irritable bowel syndrome, shingles, stroke, TMJ, ulcerative colitis, and of course, our immune system is weakened so we are prone to all kinds of viruses.
I would suggest that you cast your cares upon the Lord, because He cares for you. When you do this, you will find your life at peace because He is in full control and whatever He does for you will be 100 times better than what you do for yourself.
Confession: From this day forward, I will let God take over all my possessions, my finances, my family, all my circumstances and most of all, my future. God has a wonderful and perfect plan for my life and from now on, I will let Him direct my path.
Thursday, July 2, 2009
Want to Live a Long Life?
Honor your father and your mother, as the Lord your God has commanded you, that your days may be long, and that it may be well with you in the land which your God is giving you. ---Deuteronomy 5:16
My parents did the best they could raising four children in the 50’s and 60’s. They made many good choices and some bad choices. Yet, they are the parents that I was born to and grew up under their direction. Now, I have had the privilege to being a parent myself and found the task was not an easy one. We had a lot of trials and errors with the whole process.
We aren’t given a booklet on How to Raise Your Child when you walk out of the hospital with that tiny infant in your arms. As our parents raised us, we raise our children. We either modeled their behavior and responses or we were so determined NOT to be like them that we did just the opposite. Regardless, child-rearing is the most difficult job we have to do. It is one of great responsibility for we are raising the future.
Since I am writing on Why We Get Sick, I just wanted to preface the fact that parenting is a very challenging and difficult job. When we grow up, we may find ourselves harboring resentments, bitterness and even unforgiveness toward our parents because of the conditions, situations or behaviors we were raised under.
Honoring our father and mother is commanded by God. Look for yourself in Deuteronomy 5:16. We may find that a very difficult task, I know I did several years ago. When I realized that to please God and not disobey (which is sin) I had to deal with feelings I had toward my father that were not honoring. Where do we start with feelings that we can hardly verbalize? My father wasn’t abusive – he was just absent. Absent in mind and physically. He raised us as he was raised, with a corrective hand and stern voice. He wanted absolute obedience and did not tolerate childish ways. Then, he was gone most of the time working so he never got involved with our lives. I can never remember a time that he held me on his lap or hugged me and told me he loved me.
As an adult, I determined that our children would enjoy childhood and we had a great time together. But when this verse was brought to my attention, I realized that I had to deal with wounds that I only covered over with a bandaid. I couldn’t work through my feelings on my own, but I couldn’t share with anyone but my husband and even that was hard. My issue seemed so trivial, but yet so profound. These unspoken feelings affected my relationship with my father greatly. We only had a superficial relationship.
I finally went to my Lord with a cry for help. I wanted to be healed, but didn’t know how to begin. It began with a sermon that seemed directed toward me. I found out how much fathers carry authority in the spirit realm. Regardless of whom they are or what they do, they are still the authority figure…in the spirit if they are born again. I experienced a dawn of enlightenment as I realized that my father had raised me in all the light he had with his father as a role model. I started to look at him with different eyes. Then the Lord quickly gave me a plan, which I implemented quickly. Needless to say, as I publicly honored my father with a healed heart, our love relationship was born. It wasn’t easy, but it was definitely worth it. We now have a bond that is one of love and honor.
No one knows the pain you may be experiencing as a result of parenting faux pas, but God does. Think of this, God loves our parents so very much He can forgive them of their past sins. So can you. Ask God to forgive your trespasses as you forgive those who trespass against you. (Matt. 6:12) Then request God to help you to find honor in your parent or parents and a way that you can demonstrate honor. When you do that, you have just cleared a blockage in your spirit for the Lord to do great and mighty things in you and through you. AND you will live a longer life!
Confession: I have had great difficulty in honoring my parents, but today I see how important it is to address this area in my life. I will seek the Lord for wisdom and an action plan that will bring honor to my life and help me to honor my parents.
My parents did the best they could raising four children in the 50’s and 60’s. They made many good choices and some bad choices. Yet, they are the parents that I was born to and grew up under their direction. Now, I have had the privilege to being a parent myself and found the task was not an easy one. We had a lot of trials and errors with the whole process.
We aren’t given a booklet on How to Raise Your Child when you walk out of the hospital with that tiny infant in your arms. As our parents raised us, we raise our children. We either modeled their behavior and responses or we were so determined NOT to be like them that we did just the opposite. Regardless, child-rearing is the most difficult job we have to do. It is one of great responsibility for we are raising the future.
Since I am writing on Why We Get Sick, I just wanted to preface the fact that parenting is a very challenging and difficult job. When we grow up, we may find ourselves harboring resentments, bitterness and even unforgiveness toward our parents because of the conditions, situations or behaviors we were raised under.
Honoring our father and mother is commanded by God. Look for yourself in Deuteronomy 5:16. We may find that a very difficult task, I know I did several years ago. When I realized that to please God and not disobey (which is sin) I had to deal with feelings I had toward my father that were not honoring. Where do we start with feelings that we can hardly verbalize? My father wasn’t abusive – he was just absent. Absent in mind and physically. He raised us as he was raised, with a corrective hand and stern voice. He wanted absolute obedience and did not tolerate childish ways. Then, he was gone most of the time working so he never got involved with our lives. I can never remember a time that he held me on his lap or hugged me and told me he loved me.
As an adult, I determined that our children would enjoy childhood and we had a great time together. But when this verse was brought to my attention, I realized that I had to deal with wounds that I only covered over with a bandaid. I couldn’t work through my feelings on my own, but I couldn’t share with anyone but my husband and even that was hard. My issue seemed so trivial, but yet so profound. These unspoken feelings affected my relationship with my father greatly. We only had a superficial relationship.
I finally went to my Lord with a cry for help. I wanted to be healed, but didn’t know how to begin. It began with a sermon that seemed directed toward me. I found out how much fathers carry authority in the spirit realm. Regardless of whom they are or what they do, they are still the authority figure…in the spirit if they are born again. I experienced a dawn of enlightenment as I realized that my father had raised me in all the light he had with his father as a role model. I started to look at him with different eyes. Then the Lord quickly gave me a plan, which I implemented quickly. Needless to say, as I publicly honored my father with a healed heart, our love relationship was born. It wasn’t easy, but it was definitely worth it. We now have a bond that is one of love and honor.
No one knows the pain you may be experiencing as a result of parenting faux pas, but God does. Think of this, God loves our parents so very much He can forgive them of their past sins. So can you. Ask God to forgive your trespasses as you forgive those who trespass against you. (Matt. 6:12) Then request God to help you to find honor in your parent or parents and a way that you can demonstrate honor. When you do that, you have just cleared a blockage in your spirit for the Lord to do great and mighty things in you and through you. AND you will live a longer life!
Confession: I have had great difficulty in honoring my parents, but today I see how important it is to address this area in my life. I will seek the Lord for wisdom and an action plan that will bring honor to my life and help me to honor my parents.
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
Another Cause of Sickness, Rebellion
Take firm hold of instruction, do not let go; keep her, for she is your life. ---Proverbs 4:13 (Life = to revive, nourish, quicken, recover & repair - Strongs Concordance)
Yesterday I discussed how important it is to obey God’s laws because they are made to protect you and give you long life. When you obey . . . length of days and long life and peace will be added to you. (Proverbs 3:2) So, why do we get sick? Because we don’t obey God’s laws. When we know what God says and expects of us and we don’t obey, that is called rebellion.
Rebellion is at the core of every man, woman and child. We don’t have to teach a child to disobey the parents. They just do it, right? God knows that, but He also gives you a choice to follow His instructions so you can live a long life. He gave Adam and Eve a choice. There was a tree in the Garden of Eden that He told them not to touch. It was their choice to touch or not to touch. They touched and there were dire consequences that we are still living out today!
King Saul disobeyed the Lord God when he didn’t kill King Agag after Samuel told him specifically not to let anything live in the Amalekite camp. God was very specific that not one animal or human was to live because of what they had done to the Israelites. When Saul disobeyed, God took away his kingship. Samuel then told Saul: “Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice and to heed than the fat of rams. For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry.” 1 Samuel 15:22,23
God knows our sin nature very well. That is why He sent Jesus to restore our relationship with God. Jesus told the people of the villages all about the King (God), the Kingdom (the government) and how to participate in the Kingdom. When the people heard this, they got excited, believed what Jesus was saying and were healed in their bodies and minds.(Matthew 9:35) Today, we have that opportunity to believe Jesus came to re-establish our relationship with God by teaching about the kingdom, that He died on the cross for our sins (rebellion) and ask God to forgive us. When we do that we have started our process to divine health.
Jesus told his disciples that he didn’t come to destroy the law but to fulfill it! (Matthew 5:17) The laws and statutes God established in the Old Covenant were still and are still in effect today. For that reason, we must live our lives according to God’s laws. When we do, we will live long, peaceful days. God said it! Praise His Holy Name!
Confession: As a child of the King, I am to obey His rules. When I disobey I am in rebellion which is sin. Lord, I ask you to forgive me for my disobedience and continue to give me wisdom in making right choices to obey your laws. Thank you for helping me and guiding my thoughts.
Yesterday I discussed how important it is to obey God’s laws because they are made to protect you and give you long life. When you obey . . . length of days and long life and peace will be added to you. (Proverbs 3:2) So, why do we get sick? Because we don’t obey God’s laws. When we know what God says and expects of us and we don’t obey, that is called rebellion.
Rebellion is at the core of every man, woman and child. We don’t have to teach a child to disobey the parents. They just do it, right? God knows that, but He also gives you a choice to follow His instructions so you can live a long life. He gave Adam and Eve a choice. There was a tree in the Garden of Eden that He told them not to touch. It was their choice to touch or not to touch. They touched and there were dire consequences that we are still living out today!
King Saul disobeyed the Lord God when he didn’t kill King Agag after Samuel told him specifically not to let anything live in the Amalekite camp. God was very specific that not one animal or human was to live because of what they had done to the Israelites. When Saul disobeyed, God took away his kingship. Samuel then told Saul: “Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice and to heed than the fat of rams. For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry.” 1 Samuel 15:22,23
God knows our sin nature very well. That is why He sent Jesus to restore our relationship with God. Jesus told the people of the villages all about the King (God), the Kingdom (the government) and how to participate in the Kingdom. When the people heard this, they got excited, believed what Jesus was saying and were healed in their bodies and minds.(Matthew 9:35) Today, we have that opportunity to believe Jesus came to re-establish our relationship with God by teaching about the kingdom, that He died on the cross for our sins (rebellion) and ask God to forgive us. When we do that we have started our process to divine health.
Jesus told his disciples that he didn’t come to destroy the law but to fulfill it! (Matthew 5:17) The laws and statutes God established in the Old Covenant were still and are still in effect today. For that reason, we must live our lives according to God’s laws. When we do, we will live long, peaceful days. God said it! Praise His Holy Name!
Confession: As a child of the King, I am to obey His rules. When I disobey I am in rebellion which is sin. Lord, I ask you to forgive me for my disobedience and continue to give me wisdom in making right choices to obey your laws. Thank you for helping me and guiding my thoughts.
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