One of the greatest things that a believer has an open door to, is knowing Jesus personally and moreover intimately. The Apostle Peter exhorts us to, "but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ..." (2 Peter 3:18) The Amplified Bible says it this way, "But grow in grace (undeserved favor, spiritual strength) and recognition and knowledge and understanding of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ (the Messiah). This is very important for all believers if we are to replicate the ministry of Jesus as revealed in the gospels, which we are called to do until Jesus returns. Look at the conversation that Jesus had with his disciples shortly before His departure from earth to return to heaven.
"Jesus said to him, (Thomas) "I am the way, the truth, and the life.
No one comes to the Father except through Me. "If you had known Me, you
would have known My Father also; and from now on you know Him and have
seen Him. Philip said to Him, "Lord, show us the Father, and it is
sufficient for us." Jesus said to him, "Have I been with you so long,
and yet you have not known Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the
Father; so how can you say, 'Show us the Father'? Do you not believe
that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me? The words that I speak to
you I do not speak on My own authority; but the Father who dwells in Me
does the works. Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father in
Me, or else believe Me for the sake of the works themselves." (John 14:6-11)
Christ is the way, the truth (reality) and the life concerning all
aspects of the Father. To know Christ is to know the Father. By
studying the life and ministry of Jesus Christ, we will see clearly that He perfectly reveals the Father in all matters. If Christians fail to
believe this truth concerning Christ as the one who perfectly
expresses the Father's will in all matters, they will continually be
overshadowed with doubts which means they will always struggle with
issues that are clearly the Father's will concerning things such as healing, deliverance, provision and so on. Although, Jesus, through His death,
burial, resurrection, ascension and glorification, has already set people free, which is especially true for all believers, many will say, "I believe this" yet doubt neutralizes what they say they believe.
While the entire Bible reveals the Father, much of His will, nature, character, purpose and plan remained hidden or a mystery until the the advent of Christ in whom these were perfectly revealed. The Apostle Paul tells us, "In Him (Christ) we have redemption through His blood, the
forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace which He made
to abound toward us in all wisdom and prudence, having made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His good pleasure which He purposed in Himself." (Ephesians 1:7-9)
The writer of Hebrews states that Christ reveals the Father in all matters in this way, "God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to
the fathers by the prophets, has in these last days spoken to us by His
Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made
the worlds; who being the brightness of His glory and the express image
of His person, and upholding all things by the word of His power, when
He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down at the right hand of the
Majesty on high, having become so much better than the angels, as He has
by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they. (Hebrews 1:1-4)
Look closely at verse three, "Who being the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person..." A more literal translation of this verse would read, "Jesus Christ is the radiance or exact reflection of the Father's
glory as well as the exact representation and reproduction of the
Father's nature and character." So, with this in mind, we must conclude that the Old Testament, as well as
the Epistles, cannot be properly interpreted without a clear
understanding of what Jesus both taught and demonstrated in His life and
ministry. No one ever revealed the Father's will, nature, character, purpose and plan perfectly in every way until Jesus Christ.
Without having a clear understanding of the relationship that Jesus and the Father had, the faith to carry on His ministry will be nonexistent and believers will simply proclaim nothing more to the world than a lifeless, powerless religion. Not only this, but, believers will never have enough faith to act on this next verse, which belongs to every believer, "Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father." (John 14:12) Notice, Jesus says, "...he who believes in Me..." Though He is addressing the apostles, He did not say that this only applied to them but, "he (anyone) who believes in Me." He tells us this but it is contingent on the early part concerning our full understanding of His relationship with the Father. Therefore, ""If you had known Me, you
would have known My Father also...He who has seen Me has seen the
Father."
I pray that you take some quiet time to consider these truths concerning
Christ's relationship with the Father and how it is in Him that the
will of the Father is perfectly revealed. Although some of these
truths may be somewhat difficult for some to comprehend, do not lose
heart. Jesus said, However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth..."
(John 16:13) By leaning on the guidance of the Holy Spirit concerning
these truths, the doubts that have kept you from living in a totally
victorious life will begin to wane and faith with begin to rise. May the Holy Spirit be permitted to guide us all into all truth as we "grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ...
Monday, November 11, 2019
Monday, November 4, 2019
What Are You Building On
The first place that we must start in building any theology or doctrine in the
church, must come by-way-of carefully observation of the life and ministry of the Son of
God, Jesus Christ. Any theology that does not find itself built upon the
foundation of Christ, will not clearly express the will of the Father,
God. The Apostle Paul tells us, "According to the grace of God which was given to me, as a wise
master builder I have laid the foundation, and another builds on it. But
let each one take heed how he builds on it. For no other foundation can
anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ." (1 Corinthians 3:10-11)
This verse clearly shows us why we have so much "differences of opinion" when it comes to the various doctrines in the church today. Unfortunately, in much of the church, we can find numerous doctrines in which Christ has been either minimized or He has been completely ignored. To use any part of the New Testament to build a theology without building upon Christ first, would be like a Christian attempting to form a theology of salvation through the Law of Moses. Although the Law of Moses is God's Word, the Law itself cannot be understood or taught properly without Christ being considered. The Law does not save people, only faith in Christ can. The Apostle Paul confronted the church at Galatia due to this very problem. He says, "Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law but by faith in Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, that we might be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law; for by the works of the law no flesh shall be justified." (Galatians 2:16)
So before we dig into the"Good News" of the New Testament, I would like to propose a challenge to you, the reader, concerning our topic. Did you ever notice while watching a Major League Baseball game or an National Football League, football game on television as the camera pans through the crowd of fans that their is usually at least one fan that is holding up a sign that references a particular verse of scripture? You know what verse I am talking about don't you? Why of course, it is John 3:16. "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life." This verse of scripture is probably referenced more than any other verse of scripture in the Bible, so let's honestly consider what it says; "For God so LOVED the world..." Love is God's most potent characteristic and for Christians to fully grasp this, they must step away from the natural type of love that every person has and look at the God kind of love.
"Love endures long and is patient and kind; love never is envious nor boils over with jealousy, is not boastful or vainglorious, does not display itself haughtily. It is not conceited (arrogant and inflated with pride); it is not rude (unmannerly) and does not act unbecomingly. Love (God's love in us) does not insist on its own rights or its own way, for it is not self-seeking; it is not touchy or fretful or resentful; it takes no account of the evil done to it [it pays no attention to a suffered wrong]. It does not rejoice at injustice and unrighteousness, but rejoices when right and truth prevail. Love bears up under anything and everything that comes, is ever ready to believe the best of every person, its hopes are fadeless under all circumstances, and it endures everything [without weakening]. Love never fails [never fades out or becomes obsolete or comes to an end]..." (1 Corinthians 13:4-8 AMP)
This is agape. This is the love that emanates from our Heavenly Father to a world filled with people under a system influence by Satan. Although "all have sinned" the love of our Father is greater. Now let's look at the next verse in John's Gospel. "For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. " (John 3:17) Take note, Jesus did not come to earth to condemn, we were already under condemnation, but to save. The word "saved" in this verse means to deliver, protect, heal, preserve, to make whole. Oh, what love. So, when considering how God sees you, it is not through the eyes of disappointment, but of surrounding abounding love. His love toward us is not contingent on what we do or don't do, it is simply because He chooses to love.
So, if you let it, the Word of God will begin to assault and tear down much of the unbiblical theology that has been taught by faithless teachers who have inoculated Christians with doubt, fear, unbelief, insecurity, unworthiness, inferiority, shame and guilt. Why? "For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart." (Hebrews 4:12) Therefore, I am confident that the Word of God will grow your faith and give you a correct perspective of God's true nature, that of Love. So, do not build your life on the sands of theology and doctrine built on religious law and principles by man, "...but by every Word that proceeds from the mouth of God."(Matthew 4:4)
This verse clearly shows us why we have so much "differences of opinion" when it comes to the various doctrines in the church today. Unfortunately, in much of the church, we can find numerous doctrines in which Christ has been either minimized or He has been completely ignored. To use any part of the New Testament to build a theology without building upon Christ first, would be like a Christian attempting to form a theology of salvation through the Law of Moses. Although the Law of Moses is God's Word, the Law itself cannot be understood or taught properly without Christ being considered. The Law does not save people, only faith in Christ can. The Apostle Paul confronted the church at Galatia due to this very problem. He says, "Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law but by faith in Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, that we might be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law; for by the works of the law no flesh shall be justified." (Galatians 2:16)
So before we dig into the"Good News" of the New Testament, I would like to propose a challenge to you, the reader, concerning our topic. Did you ever notice while watching a Major League Baseball game or an National Football League, football game on television as the camera pans through the crowd of fans that their is usually at least one fan that is holding up a sign that references a particular verse of scripture? You know what verse I am talking about don't you? Why of course, it is John 3:16. "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life." This verse of scripture is probably referenced more than any other verse of scripture in the Bible, so let's honestly consider what it says; "For God so LOVED the world..." Love is God's most potent characteristic and for Christians to fully grasp this, they must step away from the natural type of love that every person has and look at the God kind of love.
"Love endures long and is patient and kind; love never is envious nor boils over with jealousy, is not boastful or vainglorious, does not display itself haughtily. It is not conceited (arrogant and inflated with pride); it is not rude (unmannerly) and does not act unbecomingly. Love (God's love in us) does not insist on its own rights or its own way, for it is not self-seeking; it is not touchy or fretful or resentful; it takes no account of the evil done to it [it pays no attention to a suffered wrong]. It does not rejoice at injustice and unrighteousness, but rejoices when right and truth prevail. Love bears up under anything and everything that comes, is ever ready to believe the best of every person, its hopes are fadeless under all circumstances, and it endures everything [without weakening]. Love never fails [never fades out or becomes obsolete or comes to an end]..." (1 Corinthians 13:4-8 AMP)
This is agape. This is the love that emanates from our Heavenly Father to a world filled with people under a system influence by Satan. Although "all have sinned" the love of our Father is greater. Now let's look at the next verse in John's Gospel. "For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. " (John 3:17) Take note, Jesus did not come to earth to condemn, we were already under condemnation, but to save. The word "saved" in this verse means to deliver, protect, heal, preserve, to make whole. Oh, what love. So, when considering how God sees you, it is not through the eyes of disappointment, but of surrounding abounding love. His love toward us is not contingent on what we do or don't do, it is simply because He chooses to love.
So, if you let it, the Word of God will begin to assault and tear down much of the unbiblical theology that has been taught by faithless teachers who have inoculated Christians with doubt, fear, unbelief, insecurity, unworthiness, inferiority, shame and guilt. Why? "For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart." (Hebrews 4:12) Therefore, I am confident that the Word of God will grow your faith and give you a correct perspective of God's true nature, that of Love. So, do not build your life on the sands of theology and doctrine built on religious law and principles by man, "...but by every Word that proceeds from the mouth of God."(Matthew 4:4)
Monday, October 28, 2019
So, What About Job?
One of the statements that believers make concerning the life of Job is, "It was God's will for Job to suffer." When looking at the Book of Job, the first thing that we must
understand is that the Old Testament revelation of God is incomplete
(Ephesians 1:9, Colossians 1:26). We must also understand that Jesus
Christ alone completely reveals the will of God in all matters. (John
5:19-20, 14:7, 9) Also, a careful examination of Scripture clearly revealed that sin and Satan are the actual causes of all the bad things happening to humanity through
man's constant rejection and rebellion toward God.
The thought behind Job's condition is that although God may not have directly caused all the bad things that happened to Job (Job 1:6-19, 2:7) it must be His will because He let Satan have his way with Job. This type of thinking creates serious error concerning the true nature of God. It indicates that God uses or lets Satan attack people for some mysterious divine purpose that only He knows; that God operates in any way He desires even if it contradicts His Word; when God allows something to happen, whether good or bad it must be His will and therefore what happened to Job was God's will. Just because God permits something to happen, in Job's case, many terrible things, does not mean that it is God's will. We must understand that all the bad things that happen on the earth are clearly not God's will. If they were then we would have to blame God for all of the sin, injustices, losses, tragedies, pain, destruction and even demon activity because it must be His will. Honestly, to think like that is nothing more than a demonically influenced view of God, it is flat out Anti-Christ. So why did these things happen to Job?
First, we need to consider Job's statement after the terrible things happened him, "For the thing I greatly feared has come upon me, and what I dreaded has happened to me." (Job 3:25) The Apostle Paul tells us in his second letter to Timothy, "For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind." (2 Timothy 1:7) Notice that Paul tells Timothy that he is dealing with a spirit of fear. A spirit of fear is not from God but from Satan. How do we know this? The Apostle John tells us, "There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love." (1 John 4:18) and "And we have known and believed the love that God has for us. God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God in him." (1 John 4:16) As we see, God is love not fear.
Paul tells the church at Ephesus, "Nor give place to the devil." (Ephesians 4:27) Job gave the devil an open door to attack him through a spirit of fear in the areas that Job feared and dreaded. Notice that both accusations and attacks against Job were limited. "And the LORD said to Satan, "Behold, all that he has is in your power; only do not lay a hand on his person." So Satan went out from the presence of the LORD." (Job 1:12) and, "And the LORD said to Satan, "Behold, he is in your hand, but spare his life." (Job 2:6) It is quite apparent that Job was dealing with fear and dread of losing certain things but not everything, such as his own life. Therefore, Satan was not permitted to take his life.
Also, to show that Job (and I might add his friends) had no idea why these things were happening, they did exactly what Adam and Eve did when they were confronted with their sin (Genesis 3:12-13), they looked for someone or something to blame. (Job 3 - 31) Finally, a young man named Elihu spoke up and corrected Job and his three friends for playing the blame game. Let's look at what Elihu states, concerning the true nature of God. "Therefore listen to me, you men of understanding: Far be it from God to do wickedness, and from the Almighty to commit iniquity. For He repays man according to his work, and makes man to find a reward according to his way. Surely God will never do wickedly, nor will the Almighty pervert justice. (Job 34:10-12)
There are some things that Elihu point out that are very important to grasp. Elihu considers what is taking place to be wicked and God does not cause wickedness. Next, he reveals that God repays or permits things to happen to people based on their works and their ways. Finally, Elihu says, "Nor will the Almighty pervert justice." God is just and responds accordingly toward man in every situation because He shows no partiality. (Romans 2:11) In other words, every person either meets or fails to meet the conditions that God has established and by this they receive the reward of their actions good or bad. The Holy Spirit through the Apostle Paul gives us a great example of this. "Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life." (Galatians 6:7-8) The words may be different but the principle applies throughout the entire Bible and will continue throughout the history of man until Christ returns.
Next, Elihu says, " As for the Almighty, we cannot find Him; He is excellent in power, in judgment and abundant justice; He does not oppress." (Job 37:23) Look how these words describe the true nature of God, "...He is excellent in power, in judgment and abundant justice; He does not oppress." The word oppress in this verse means that God does not afflict, depress, browbeat, deal with harshly, hurt, ravish or weaken. We can certainly all agree that Job was experiencing all of these things, but they were not God's will for Job.
Finally, we see at the end of the Book of Job his repentance (Job 42:1-6) which took away the devil's place in his life and placed God in the position of authority over his life. We also see the true nature of God (Job 42:10-17) that of blessing. Unfortunately, many believers who truly love the LORD, have been trained to accept bad things happening to them as God's will, which causes serious doubts concerning the true nature of God and reduces the full redemptive work of Christ to nothing more than the born again experience and then muddling through life here on earth until one dies.
There are several reasons why so many Christians think this way. One, being a lack of true Bible faith not being taught or preached, mostly due to a lack of faith among church leaders. If Christians leaders would put faith in the integrity of God's Word, teach and preach it to the church, the world would see the true nature and power of God in the church and run to Christ for the abundant life that is only through faith in Him. So, what about Job? "Now the Lord blessed the latter days of Job more than his beginning; for he had fourteen thousand sheep, six thousand camels, one thousand yoke of oxen, and one thousand female donkeys. He also had seven sons and three daughters...Job lived one hundred and forty years, and saw his children and grandchildren for four generations. So Job died, old and full of days." (Job 42:12-13, 16) PTL...
The thought behind Job's condition is that although God may not have directly caused all the bad things that happened to Job (Job 1:6-19, 2:7) it must be His will because He let Satan have his way with Job. This type of thinking creates serious error concerning the true nature of God. It indicates that God uses or lets Satan attack people for some mysterious divine purpose that only He knows; that God operates in any way He desires even if it contradicts His Word; when God allows something to happen, whether good or bad it must be His will and therefore what happened to Job was God's will. Just because God permits something to happen, in Job's case, many terrible things, does not mean that it is God's will. We must understand that all the bad things that happen on the earth are clearly not God's will. If they were then we would have to blame God for all of the sin, injustices, losses, tragedies, pain, destruction and even demon activity because it must be His will. Honestly, to think like that is nothing more than a demonically influenced view of God, it is flat out Anti-Christ. So why did these things happen to Job?
First, we need to consider Job's statement after the terrible things happened him, "For the thing I greatly feared has come upon me, and what I dreaded has happened to me." (Job 3:25) The Apostle Paul tells us in his second letter to Timothy, "For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind." (2 Timothy 1:7) Notice that Paul tells Timothy that he is dealing with a spirit of fear. A spirit of fear is not from God but from Satan. How do we know this? The Apostle John tells us, "There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love." (1 John 4:18) and "And we have known and believed the love that God has for us. God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God in him." (1 John 4:16) As we see, God is love not fear.
Paul tells the church at Ephesus, "Nor give place to the devil." (Ephesians 4:27) Job gave the devil an open door to attack him through a spirit of fear in the areas that Job feared and dreaded. Notice that both accusations and attacks against Job were limited. "And the LORD said to Satan, "Behold, all that he has is in your power; only do not lay a hand on his person." So Satan went out from the presence of the LORD." (Job 1:12) and, "And the LORD said to Satan, "Behold, he is in your hand, but spare his life." (Job 2:6) It is quite apparent that Job was dealing with fear and dread of losing certain things but not everything, such as his own life. Therefore, Satan was not permitted to take his life.
Also, to show that Job (and I might add his friends) had no idea why these things were happening, they did exactly what Adam and Eve did when they were confronted with their sin (Genesis 3:12-13), they looked for someone or something to blame. (Job 3 - 31) Finally, a young man named Elihu spoke up and corrected Job and his three friends for playing the blame game. Let's look at what Elihu states, concerning the true nature of God. "Therefore listen to me, you men of understanding: Far be it from God to do wickedness, and from the Almighty to commit iniquity. For He repays man according to his work, and makes man to find a reward according to his way. Surely God will never do wickedly, nor will the Almighty pervert justice. (Job 34:10-12)
There are some things that Elihu point out that are very important to grasp. Elihu considers what is taking place to be wicked and God does not cause wickedness. Next, he reveals that God repays or permits things to happen to people based on their works and their ways. Finally, Elihu says, "Nor will the Almighty pervert justice." God is just and responds accordingly toward man in every situation because He shows no partiality. (Romans 2:11) In other words, every person either meets or fails to meet the conditions that God has established and by this they receive the reward of their actions good or bad. The Holy Spirit through the Apostle Paul gives us a great example of this. "Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life." (Galatians 6:7-8) The words may be different but the principle applies throughout the entire Bible and will continue throughout the history of man until Christ returns.
Next, Elihu says, " As for the Almighty, we cannot find Him; He is excellent in power, in judgment and abundant justice; He does not oppress." (Job 37:23) Look how these words describe the true nature of God, "...He is excellent in power, in judgment and abundant justice; He does not oppress." The word oppress in this verse means that God does not afflict, depress, browbeat, deal with harshly, hurt, ravish or weaken. We can certainly all agree that Job was experiencing all of these things, but they were not God's will for Job.
Finally, we see at the end of the Book of Job his repentance (Job 42:1-6) which took away the devil's place in his life and placed God in the position of authority over his life. We also see the true nature of God (Job 42:10-17) that of blessing. Unfortunately, many believers who truly love the LORD, have been trained to accept bad things happening to them as God's will, which causes serious doubts concerning the true nature of God and reduces the full redemptive work of Christ to nothing more than the born again experience and then muddling through life here on earth until one dies.
There are several reasons why so many Christians think this way. One, being a lack of true Bible faith not being taught or preached, mostly due to a lack of faith among church leaders. If Christians leaders would put faith in the integrity of God's Word, teach and preach it to the church, the world would see the true nature and power of God in the church and run to Christ for the abundant life that is only through faith in Him. So, what about Job? "Now the Lord blessed the latter days of Job more than his beginning; for he had fourteen thousand sheep, six thousand camels, one thousand yoke of oxen, and one thousand female donkeys. He also had seven sons and three daughters...Job lived one hundred and forty years, and saw his children and grandchildren for four generations. So Job died, old and full of days." (Job 42:12-13, 16) PTL...
Monday, October 21, 2019
Blessed Beyond the Curse
Exodus ,
which is the dispensation of the Law or the Law age the lasted for 1500
years. During this time God gives man a greater revelation of Himself. Not only does He reveal Himself through a visible manifestation of a
pillar of fire and a pillar of cloud (Exodus 13:21) and as a Law giver
(Exodus 20:1-17), but one of the greatest revelations that God had given
to man during this time, is that He reveals His very nature to
him (Exodus 34:5-7) This is very important to understand because the
LORD does not change (Malachi 3:6, Hebrews 13:8)
The Apostle Paul tells us that the purpose of the Law is to show a
sinner their guilt before God and stops them from justifying themselves
(Romans 3:19), it brings the knowledge of sin (Romans 3:20) and it
defines sin (Romans 7:7). The Law does not give the knowledge of or
define God, but only sin.
God sets up a temporary system to deal with mans sin (Leviticus 1 - 7, Hebrews 9 - 10) but we see something revealed that shows us God's true nature even though the Law had been given. In Deuteronomy 28:1-14 we see that God is the one who blesses not the one who curses or causes bad things to happen. However, in Deuteronomy 28:15-68 it seems to indicate that God does cause bad things to happen to His people. This is where many people have learned to believe that bad things come from God. After all God does not change and bad things are happening to His people so it must be true for today also. But let's take a closer look at what the Bible reveals.
"But it shall come to pass, if you do not obey the voice of the LORD your God, to observe carefully all His commandments and His statutes which I command you today, that all these curses will come upon you and overtake you:" (Deuteronomy 28:15) The first thing we need to note is that this does not say that God will cause all of the curses to come upon them, but the curses are a result of their decision to disobey God, sound familiar doesn't it (Adam and Eve). The curses would come upon them due to their CHOICE to disobey. It was the same thing that happened to Adam when he chose to disobey God and become the slave to sin and Satan. The same principle that applied to Adam also applied to Israel. However, God in His true nature of being merciful, gracious, longsuffering and abounding in goodness and truth, gives Israel the principle to live in His blessings and not the curses of sin and Satan.
"I call heaven and earth as witnesses today against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life, that both you and your descendants may live; that you may love the LORD your God, that you may obey His voice, and that you may cling to Him, for He is your life and the length of your days; and that you may dwell in the land which the LORD swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to give them." (Deuteronomy 30:19-20)
All Israel had to do was choose God rather than sin and Satan to live a blessed life on earth free of bad things happening to them. However, if we look through Israel's history we see that they repeatedly rejected God and became slaves to sin which opened the door for Satan to have his way with them. Remember, Adam had forfeited his perfect life and all his authority to Satan and in doing so took himself out from under God's freedom and blessings to become Satan's slave. It was the same for Israel. They did not choose God's authority, protection and blessings to flow in their midst which would bring health, wealth and long life (Deuteronomy 28:1-14) but chose to reject God and let sin and Satan have their way bringing curses and ultimately destruction upon them. We see this very thing occurring throughout Israel's history as recorded in the Bible (Deuteronomy 28:15-68 the curse for disobedience)
We must see things from a correct perspective. God created man in perfection and gave him choice. It was man who chose to reject God and accept Satan as his master and all the evil that came with it. It was Israel that God chose and wanted to bless. It was Israel who chose sin (Satan) to rule over them through their rejection (disobedience to) of God. God does not choose bad things to happen to man, He permits them to happen because He will not encroach man's will to choose. If man chooses sin and Satan then he will reap the destructive nature of that choice. However, if man chooses God, he becomes a benefactor of all the blessings that God has promised, it is just that simple.
There are many believer that might say, "I am a believer and I did not choose this sickness, disease, financial problems, etc. so it must be God's will." However, when you look closer you will find that a statement like this is made due to one of two thing. First, many believers let their body and soul have rule over their life and therefore open the door for sin and Satan to exploit them. The other is because many believers live their life in a natural type of faith that every person has. It is called sense knowledge faith or mental assent. It means that ones faith is based on ones mind and or senses, that is, seeing is believing, (John 20:24-25) and not revelation faith that emanates from the heart (recreated spirit) that is, believing that you have received even though there is no tangible evidence (John 20:29, Hebrews 11:1) These things prevent believers from understanding the fullness of redemption which God has provided through Jesus Christ.
For many believers, redemption has been reduced to accepting Jesus Christ as LORD and Savior for the purpose of eternal life only, rather than seeing that redemption has completely restored man to what Adam was and had before the fall. This can only be realized through faith in Christ and in the integrity of God's Word. When believers come to realize that bad things do not come from god they we begin to understand that they no longer have to live in defeat nor will they have to live a life constantly trying to defeat the devil, because he is already defeated. (Colossians 2:15) They will rest in the LORD because their faith has brought them to know that it is "God who ALWAYS leads us in triumph in Christ..."
God sets up a temporary system to deal with mans sin (Leviticus 1 - 7, Hebrews 9 - 10) but we see something revealed that shows us God's true nature even though the Law had been given. In Deuteronomy 28:1-14 we see that God is the one who blesses not the one who curses or causes bad things to happen. However, in Deuteronomy 28:15-68 it seems to indicate that God does cause bad things to happen to His people. This is where many people have learned to believe that bad things come from God. After all God does not change and bad things are happening to His people so it must be true for today also. But let's take a closer look at what the Bible reveals.
"But it shall come to pass, if you do not obey the voice of the LORD your God, to observe carefully all His commandments and His statutes which I command you today, that all these curses will come upon you and overtake you:" (Deuteronomy 28:15) The first thing we need to note is that this does not say that God will cause all of the curses to come upon them, but the curses are a result of their decision to disobey God, sound familiar doesn't it (Adam and Eve). The curses would come upon them due to their CHOICE to disobey. It was the same thing that happened to Adam when he chose to disobey God and become the slave to sin and Satan. The same principle that applied to Adam also applied to Israel. However, God in His true nature of being merciful, gracious, longsuffering and abounding in goodness and truth, gives Israel the principle to live in His blessings and not the curses of sin and Satan.
"I call heaven and earth as witnesses today against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life, that both you and your descendants may live; that you may love the LORD your God, that you may obey His voice, and that you may cling to Him, for He is your life and the length of your days; and that you may dwell in the land which the LORD swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to give them." (Deuteronomy 30:19-20)
All Israel had to do was choose God rather than sin and Satan to live a blessed life on earth free of bad things happening to them. However, if we look through Israel's history we see that they repeatedly rejected God and became slaves to sin which opened the door for Satan to have his way with them. Remember, Adam had forfeited his perfect life and all his authority to Satan and in doing so took himself out from under God's freedom and blessings to become Satan's slave. It was the same for Israel. They did not choose God's authority, protection and blessings to flow in their midst which would bring health, wealth and long life (Deuteronomy 28:1-14) but chose to reject God and let sin and Satan have their way bringing curses and ultimately destruction upon them. We see this very thing occurring throughout Israel's history as recorded in the Bible (Deuteronomy 28:15-68 the curse for disobedience)
We must see things from a correct perspective. God created man in perfection and gave him choice. It was man who chose to reject God and accept Satan as his master and all the evil that came with it. It was Israel that God chose and wanted to bless. It was Israel who chose sin (Satan) to rule over them through their rejection (disobedience to) of God. God does not choose bad things to happen to man, He permits them to happen because He will not encroach man's will to choose. If man chooses sin and Satan then he will reap the destructive nature of that choice. However, if man chooses God, he becomes a benefactor of all the blessings that God has promised, it is just that simple.
There are many believer that might say, "I am a believer and I did not choose this sickness, disease, financial problems, etc. so it must be God's will." However, when you look closer you will find that a statement like this is made due to one of two thing. First, many believers let their body and soul have rule over their life and therefore open the door for sin and Satan to exploit them. The other is because many believers live their life in a natural type of faith that every person has. It is called sense knowledge faith or mental assent. It means that ones faith is based on ones mind and or senses, that is, seeing is believing, (John 20:24-25) and not revelation faith that emanates from the heart (recreated spirit) that is, believing that you have received even though there is no tangible evidence (John 20:29, Hebrews 11:1) These things prevent believers from understanding the fullness of redemption which God has provided through Jesus Christ.
For many believers, redemption has been reduced to accepting Jesus Christ as LORD and Savior for the purpose of eternal life only, rather than seeing that redemption has completely restored man to what Adam was and had before the fall. This can only be realized through faith in Christ and in the integrity of God's Word. When believers come to realize that bad things do not come from god they we begin to understand that they no longer have to live in defeat nor will they have to live a life constantly trying to defeat the devil, because he is already defeated. (Colossians 2:15) They will rest in the LORD because their faith has brought them to know that it is "God who ALWAYS leads us in triumph in Christ..."
Monday, October 14, 2019
A Good, Good Father (Part 2)
Now that God had placed Adam in the garden, gave him authority, specific direction and even a companion, a wife that was comparable, that is, equivalent in quality, we will begin to discover the actual root of the bad things that afflict mankind. We continue, "Now the serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said to the woman, "Has God indeed said, 'You shall not eat of every tree of the garden'?" And the woman said to the serpent, "We may eat the fruit of the trees of the garden; but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God has said, 'You shall not eat it, nor shall you touch it, lest you die.'" Then the serpent said to the woman, "You will not surely die. For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil." (Genesis 3:1-5)
One of the unique attributes that God had given to mankind was the freedom of choice. Adam was a spirit with a soul encased within a body. His spirit was perfect because as we saw, God breathed His Spirit into him. Due to this, his soul and body (flesh) were under full submission to his spirit. We do not know at this point in scripture why Satan chose to whet the appetite of the woman with his deception, but his false truth claims cause her soul to reason between two claims of truth, God's and Satan's. Next, we see her response to Satan's words. "So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate. She also gave to her husband with her, and he ate." (Genesis 3:6)
Unfortunately for mankind she chose wrong, but that is not the whole of it. Notice that when the woman ate of the forbidden tree she also gave it to her husband "with her" and he ate. Against some popular teaching that says Adam was not around when his wife was being seduced is not an accurate account. In fact he was "with her" and watch the entire deceptive work of Satan unfold and did nothing to prevent it. Remember, he had the authority, not Satan, and did not use it against Satan's attack. Think about it, all he had to do was to speak and Satan would have had to obey. He could have said, "Satan get off the earth and never return" and that would have been the end of it forever. However, he chose to disobey the command of the LORD and by this act of disobedience, forfeited his God given rights and authority to Satan. (Luke 4:5-6) Now instead of Satan being under mans authority man was now under Satan's authority. Man not only gave up his authority but also his connection with God because he was now spiritually dead. God is Spirit and relates to mankind in spirit. (John 4:24)
With Satan in charge of mans affairs, so to speak, let's look at what the Bible reveals as his nature. He is adversary, hater, opponent, enemy, accuser, slanderer, whisperer, enchanter, beguiler, tempter, liar, thief, murderer, do we get the point? His activities are to slander God to man and man to God; oppose God's ministers; pervert the Word of God and hold man captive through oppression, deception, possession, torments, vexing and buffeting. Because man is spiritual dead, Satan manifests these things through the soul (mind, will and emotions) and the body (the flesh). Even though there is much more evidence in the Bible that bad things do not come from God, we could actually stop here and logically conclude that all the bad things on earth are the result of the fall of man, that is, the destructive nature of sin and Satan. Adam's lack of keeping his focus on the Creator and using the authority that he was given, caused him to fall prey to the creation and become a slave to sin and Satan, who was now his new master.
Unfortunately, many believer's today fail in the same way. They have been taught that God let's bad things happen to them which paints a false picture of who God truly is. Christ has restored man and in that restoration has given him authority once again. By faith in Christ, man is no longer a slave to sin and Satan (Romans 6:14) and yet many time believers fall prey by allowing their soul and body, the very place where Satan makes his attack, to rule over them, rather than exercising their recreated spirit where the believer has the power to overcome the soul, body, sin and Satan. Jesus paid the price for man's disobedience (Romans 5:17-21), He defeated Satan (Colossians 2:15) and has given the believer authority over Satan (Matthew 28:18, Mark 16:17-18, Luke 10:19, 24:49). It is a lack of faith and poor teaching concerning God's will, nature, character, purpose and plan that promotes this unbiblical doctrine in the church.
Think about it. If sin and Satan are the product of all evil and Christ has saved humanity from these very things, then why would God still allow bad things to happen to His children? (Romans 8:16-17) He wouldn't! Bad things are still the product of sins destructive nature and the wickedness of Satan as it was in the beginning of man's history. However the good news is, Christ has delivered man from all of these things. (Isaiah 43:25, 53:4-6; Romans 6:14; 2 Corinthians 5:17, 21; Galatians 3:13; Ephesians 2:11-13; 2 Thessalonians 3:3; these are but a few Scripture concerning this) However, we must keep in mind that man still has the right to chose concerning these matters. It comes down to choosing to place faith in the Truth of God's Word, not the false truth claims of faithless teachers and the deceptive lies of Satan.
Remember, Satan came with his claims of truth in the garden that opposed the real Truth of God. His tactics and the destructive nature of sin have not changed. Believers must have an active faith in God's Word. The Apostle Paul tells us, "I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me." (Galatians 2:20) It is only through faith in Christ and the integrity of God's Word that believers will truly know that our Heavenly Father is a good, good Father.
One of the unique attributes that God had given to mankind was the freedom of choice. Adam was a spirit with a soul encased within a body. His spirit was perfect because as we saw, God breathed His Spirit into him. Due to this, his soul and body (flesh) were under full submission to his spirit. We do not know at this point in scripture why Satan chose to whet the appetite of the woman with his deception, but his false truth claims cause her soul to reason between two claims of truth, God's and Satan's. Next, we see her response to Satan's words. "So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate. She also gave to her husband with her, and he ate." (Genesis 3:6)
Unfortunately for mankind she chose wrong, but that is not the whole of it. Notice that when the woman ate of the forbidden tree she also gave it to her husband "with her" and he ate. Against some popular teaching that says Adam was not around when his wife was being seduced is not an accurate account. In fact he was "with her" and watch the entire deceptive work of Satan unfold and did nothing to prevent it. Remember, he had the authority, not Satan, and did not use it against Satan's attack. Think about it, all he had to do was to speak and Satan would have had to obey. He could have said, "Satan get off the earth and never return" and that would have been the end of it forever. However, he chose to disobey the command of the LORD and by this act of disobedience, forfeited his God given rights and authority to Satan. (Luke 4:5-6) Now instead of Satan being under mans authority man was now under Satan's authority. Man not only gave up his authority but also his connection with God because he was now spiritually dead. God is Spirit and relates to mankind in spirit. (John 4:24)
With Satan in charge of mans affairs, so to speak, let's look at what the Bible reveals as his nature. He is adversary, hater, opponent, enemy, accuser, slanderer, whisperer, enchanter, beguiler, tempter, liar, thief, murderer, do we get the point? His activities are to slander God to man and man to God; oppose God's ministers; pervert the Word of God and hold man captive through oppression, deception, possession, torments, vexing and buffeting. Because man is spiritual dead, Satan manifests these things through the soul (mind, will and emotions) and the body (the flesh). Even though there is much more evidence in the Bible that bad things do not come from God, we could actually stop here and logically conclude that all the bad things on earth are the result of the fall of man, that is, the destructive nature of sin and Satan. Adam's lack of keeping his focus on the Creator and using the authority that he was given, caused him to fall prey to the creation and become a slave to sin and Satan, who was now his new master.
Unfortunately, many believer's today fail in the same way. They have been taught that God let's bad things happen to them which paints a false picture of who God truly is. Christ has restored man and in that restoration has given him authority once again. By faith in Christ, man is no longer a slave to sin and Satan (Romans 6:14) and yet many time believers fall prey by allowing their soul and body, the very place where Satan makes his attack, to rule over them, rather than exercising their recreated spirit where the believer has the power to overcome the soul, body, sin and Satan. Jesus paid the price for man's disobedience (Romans 5:17-21), He defeated Satan (Colossians 2:15) and has given the believer authority over Satan (Matthew 28:18, Mark 16:17-18, Luke 10:19, 24:49). It is a lack of faith and poor teaching concerning God's will, nature, character, purpose and plan that promotes this unbiblical doctrine in the church.
Think about it. If sin and Satan are the product of all evil and Christ has saved humanity from these very things, then why would God still allow bad things to happen to His children? (Romans 8:16-17) He wouldn't! Bad things are still the product of sins destructive nature and the wickedness of Satan as it was in the beginning of man's history. However the good news is, Christ has delivered man from all of these things. (Isaiah 43:25, 53:4-6; Romans 6:14; 2 Corinthians 5:17, 21; Galatians 3:13; Ephesians 2:11-13; 2 Thessalonians 3:3; these are but a few Scripture concerning this) However, we must keep in mind that man still has the right to chose concerning these matters. It comes down to choosing to place faith in the Truth of God's Word, not the false truth claims of faithless teachers and the deceptive lies of Satan.
Remember, Satan came with his claims of truth in the garden that opposed the real Truth of God. His tactics and the destructive nature of sin have not changed. Believers must have an active faith in God's Word. The Apostle Paul tells us, "I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me." (Galatians 2:20) It is only through faith in Christ and the integrity of God's Word that believers will truly know that our Heavenly Father is a good, good Father.
Monday, October 7, 2019
A Good, Good Father (Part 1)
One of the reasons why many believers have fallen prey to believing that God uses bad things, for whatever reason, against His children, is due to church leaders having a lack of understanding God's true nature and character which effects their understanding of His will. They use the statement that "God is sovereign" but in saying so they insinuate that God in His sovereignty permits Himself to operate outside of His Word. God certainly is sovereign, but He does not operate outside of His Word. Several times in John's gospel we see statements from Jesus such as, "Jesus said to them, “My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me, and to finish His work." (John 4:34) "I can of Myself do nothing. As I hear, I judge; and My judgment is righteous, because I do not seek My own will but the will of the Father who sent Me." (John 5:30) "For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me." (John 6:38)
So, the words and actions of Jesus are God's will. There is no account in the ministry of Jesus as revealed in the gospels, that God used Him to promote bad things upon people because it was His sovereign will. On the contrary, "how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power, who went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him." (Acts 10:38) The reality is, God always did and always will do good. Of course the end will eventually come where those who oppose God will pay the price for their rejection and hatred toward Him and Jesus Christ.
Another thing that we need to look at concerning this, is that many church leaders have a gross misunderstanding of creation. These two together have promoted a false image of the Living God. Genesis records, "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth"..."Then God saw everything that He had made, and indeed it was VERY GOOD. So the evening and the morning were the sixth day." (Genesis 1:1, 31) and "Thus the heavens and the earth, and all the host of them, were finished. And on the seventh day God ended His work which He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done. Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because in it He rested from all His work which God had created and made." (Genesis 2:1-3) Note that after God had created everything, "God ended His work which He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from ALL His work which He had done."
In other words, everything that God would ever do was set in motion in the six days of creation and after the sixth day, His work was completed. This means that everything that would happen from this point forward to the end of time in the mind of God was very good. There is no indication in creation the God meant, desired or even purposed that He should use something to foster bad things. Remember, God is the Alpha and the Omega the Beginning and the End. He is not bound by time and space and therefore He saw the end at the beginning. If we can comprehend this, we will begin to understand many wonderful things concerning God's will, nature, character, purpose and plan.
In chapter two of Genesis we see in great detail what God had created on the sixth day specifically those things pertaining to man. First, we see that God formed man of the dust of the ground, but it wasn't until God breathed His Spirit into man that man became a living soul, he was made alive in God. There is not one other created being or thing in all creation that God gave such special and intimate attention to other than man. We see this as He Himself breathed His Spirit into man. We also see that God had created the earth, water and vegetation which means that the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil were present before man was created. We also see that God chose a specific place called Eden where He place man and gave man specific direction. In those directions, God gave Adam authority over all things on the earth. Basically, from God's perspective, if anything on earth got out of line, Adam did not have to ask God to deal with it, but he had the power, the authority, to put it back in line. All things were subject to Adam.
The only one that had more authority than Adam was God Himself. King David reveals, "For You have made him a little lower than the angels, and You have crowned him with glory and honor. You have made him to have dominion over the works of Your hands; You have put all things under his feet, all sheep and oxen, even the beasts of the field, the birds of the air, and the fish of the sea that pass through the paths of the seas." (Psalm 8:5-8) In the Hebrew, this indicates that God had made man a little lower than Himself. This is very significant to the believer today when we begin to look at what redemption truly means through Jesus Christ.
Next, we see that God gave Adam one command that required his obedience, "And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, "Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die." (Genesis 2:16-17) And finally, we see that God made Adam a companion whom he called woman. Keep in mind that the creation of man, God's directives to man and His placement of man in Eden had all taken place on the sixth day of creation. At the end of the sixth day of creation, everything was set in motion by God. Believers must understand this if they are to truly understand that bad things do not come from God. As we proceed, I pray for the Holy Spirit to give us a greater revelation of our God, for He truly is a good, good Father...
Monday, September 30, 2019
Settle Down
The Apostle Paul reveals some interesting news concerning dealing with his flesh. He tells us, "But I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified." (1 Corinthians 9:27) To bring something into subjection means to rule over; to take authority over; to bring under control; to have dominion over. Paul considered his body, his flesh to be and enemy with which he must contend. He brings a level of discipline to his life for the purpose of subduing his flesh, that is, all of the corrupt and carnal inclinations that the flesh can exhibit. He did this to show that he was not a slave to his body or under the dominion of evil passions, but that he is fully under the dominion of Jesus Christ. Because Paul was an Apostle does not mean that he was more saved than any other believer. It does not mean that he had more authority over his body than any other believer. Every believer has the ability to bring his or her body, the flesh into subjection in the Name of Jesus. This is not based on shear determination, but an act of ones own will submitting to God and exercise faith in Christ.
Paul also tells us, "For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) nothing good dwells; for to will is present with me, but how to perform what is good I do not find." (Romans 7:18) "In me" refers to the entire man in whom sin and righteousness struggle, in whose unregenerate condition sin is victor, having its dominion in the flesh. Another element introduced here is "the will." Though the will may be there, the flesh, if left unchecked, will hinder the ability to do good, which is also present in the believer. It is called "grace." "[Not in your own strength] for it is God Who is all the while
effectually at work in you [energizing and creating in you the power and desire], both to will and to work for His good pleasure and satisfaction and delight." (Philippians 2:13 AMP)
Next, the Apostle James gives us a powerful message along these same lines. "My brethren, let not many of you become teachers, knowing that we shall receive a stricter judgment. For we all stumble in many things. If anyone does not stumble in word, he is a perfect man, able also to bridle the whole body. Indeed, we put bits in horses' mouths that they may obey us, and we turn their whole body. Look also at ships: although they are so large and are driven by fierce winds, they are turned by a very small rudder wherever the pilot desires. Even so the tongue is a little member and boasts great things. See how great a forest a little fire kindles! And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity. The tongue is so set among our members that it defiles the whole body, and sets on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire by hell. For every kind of beast and bird, of reptile and creature of the sea, is tamed and has been tamed by mankind. But no man can tame the tongue. It is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison. With it we bless our God and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in the similitude of God. Out of the same mouth proceed blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not to be so. Does a spring send forth fresh water and bitter from the same opening? Can a fig tree, my brethren, bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Thus no spring yields both salt water and fresh." (James 3:1-12)
A look at Proverbs we also see what power the tongue has, "You are snared by the words of your mouth; You are taken by the words of your mouth." (Proverbs 6:2) "Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruit." (Proverbs 18:21) In other words, you and I are the rulers of our bodies. We must let the spirit man on the inside rise up and take charge. One of the ways we do this is putting a watch over our words. Smith Wigglesworth said it this way. “If someone asks, how is Smith Wigglesworth feeling today?” I tell him, I never ask Smith Wigglesworth how he feels, I tell him how he feels.” Speaking to or making decrees from God's Word over our bodies through lips of faith will release the power of God's Word and at the same time we will be exercising discipline by not permitting our flesh to run amuck with its passions. Yes, releasing God's Word from the lips of faith is that powerful. Isaiah tells us, "So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; It shall not return to Me void, but it shall accomplish what I please, and it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it." (Isaiah 55:11)
You might think, "Well God said that about His Word that goes forth from His mouth." The Bible tells us, "Then God said, let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness...So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him" (Genesis 1:26-27) To be created in the image and likeness of God is to have His very nature and character. The Apostle Peter tells us, The Apostle Paul tells us to, "be imitators of God as dear children." (Ephesians 5:1) The Apostle John tells us, "...because as He is, so are we in this world." (1 John 4:17) The Apostle Peter also tells us,
"For His divine power has bestowed upon us all things that [are requisite and suited] to life and godliness, through the [full, personal] knowledge of Him Who called us by and to His own glory and excellence (virtue). By means of these He has bestowed on us His precious and exceedingly great promises, so that through them you may escape [by flight] from the moral decay (rottenness and corruption) that is in the world because of covetousness (lust and greed), and become sharers (partakers) of the divine nature." (2 Peter 1:3-4 AMP)
As you can see, we are to act like our Father God because believers are like Him. So, if the passions of the flesh try to dictate to you, simply reject them in the Name of Jesus and remind yourself of these wonderful words from the Holy Spirit for you, and speak them aloud through the lips of faith, "I have been crucified with Christ [in Him I have shared His crucifixion]; it is no longer I who live, but Christ (the Messiah) lives in me; and the life I now live in the body I live by faith in (by adherence to and reliance on and complete trust in) the Son of God, Who loved me and gave Himself up for me." (Galatians 2:20) Amen...
Paul also tells us, "For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) nothing good dwells; for to will is present with me, but how to perform what is good I do not find." (Romans 7:18) "In me" refers to the entire man in whom sin and righteousness struggle, in whose unregenerate condition sin is victor, having its dominion in the flesh. Another element introduced here is "the will." Though the will may be there, the flesh, if left unchecked, will hinder the ability to do good, which is also present in the believer. It is called "grace." "[Not in your own strength] for it is God Who is all the while
effectually at work in you [energizing and creating in you the power and desire], both to will and to work for His good pleasure and satisfaction and delight." (Philippians 2:13 AMP)
Next, the Apostle James gives us a powerful message along these same lines. "My brethren, let not many of you become teachers, knowing that we shall receive a stricter judgment. For we all stumble in many things. If anyone does not stumble in word, he is a perfect man, able also to bridle the whole body. Indeed, we put bits in horses' mouths that they may obey us, and we turn their whole body. Look also at ships: although they are so large and are driven by fierce winds, they are turned by a very small rudder wherever the pilot desires. Even so the tongue is a little member and boasts great things. See how great a forest a little fire kindles! And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity. The tongue is so set among our members that it defiles the whole body, and sets on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire by hell. For every kind of beast and bird, of reptile and creature of the sea, is tamed and has been tamed by mankind. But no man can tame the tongue. It is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison. With it we bless our God and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in the similitude of God. Out of the same mouth proceed blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not to be so. Does a spring send forth fresh water and bitter from the same opening? Can a fig tree, my brethren, bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Thus no spring yields both salt water and fresh." (James 3:1-12)
A look at Proverbs we also see what power the tongue has, "You are snared by the words of your mouth; You are taken by the words of your mouth." (Proverbs 6:2) "Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruit." (Proverbs 18:21) In other words, you and I are the rulers of our bodies. We must let the spirit man on the inside rise up and take charge. One of the ways we do this is putting a watch over our words. Smith Wigglesworth said it this way. “If someone asks, how is Smith Wigglesworth feeling today?” I tell him, I never ask Smith Wigglesworth how he feels, I tell him how he feels.” Speaking to or making decrees from God's Word over our bodies through lips of faith will release the power of God's Word and at the same time we will be exercising discipline by not permitting our flesh to run amuck with its passions. Yes, releasing God's Word from the lips of faith is that powerful. Isaiah tells us, "So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; It shall not return to Me void, but it shall accomplish what I please, and it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it." (Isaiah 55:11)
You might think, "Well God said that about His Word that goes forth from His mouth." The Bible tells us, "Then God said, let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness...So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him" (Genesis 1:26-27) To be created in the image and likeness of God is to have His very nature and character. The Apostle Peter tells us, The Apostle Paul tells us to, "be imitators of God as dear children." (Ephesians 5:1) The Apostle John tells us, "...because as He is, so are we in this world." (1 John 4:17) The Apostle Peter also tells us,
"For His divine power has bestowed upon us all things that [are requisite and suited] to life and godliness, through the [full, personal] knowledge of Him Who called us by and to His own glory and excellence (virtue). By means of these He has bestowed on us His precious and exceedingly great promises, so that through them you may escape [by flight] from the moral decay (rottenness and corruption) that is in the world because of covetousness (lust and greed), and become sharers (partakers) of the divine nature." (2 Peter 1:3-4 AMP)
As you can see, we are to act like our Father God because believers are like Him. So, if the passions of the flesh try to dictate to you, simply reject them in the Name of Jesus and remind yourself of these wonderful words from the Holy Spirit for you, and speak them aloud through the lips of faith, "I have been crucified with Christ [in Him I have shared His crucifixion]; it is no longer I who live, but Christ (the Messiah) lives in me; and the life I now live in the body I live by faith in (by adherence to and reliance on and complete trust in) the Son of God, Who loved me and gave Himself up for me." (Galatians 2:20) Amen...
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