Power of Attorney

One of the most vital points of Christianity that every believer should know and function in, was recorded in Matthew's gospel when Jesus was preparing His departure from earth to take His position at the right hand of the Father. He says, "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen. (Matthew 28:18-20) 

Notice, all authority had been given unto Jesus in heaven and on earth. But honestly, He did not need authority. He always had it. So, why was it given to Him now that He was leaving the earth? It was given to Him because He was and is the head of the church, His Body. He was the first-born from among the dead. (Colossians 1:18) He would now use that authority through the church, every believer. All the authority that had been given to Him was and is for the benefit of the church. (Ephesians 1:22-23) We see in Mark's gospel that Jesus gave the church the power of attorney to use His Name. This power of attorney gives to the believer access to all His authority. "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.” (Mark 16:17-18) 

Take note, that these things are done in "His Name." Jesus also reveals another important point concerning the use of this all authority. "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. And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask anything in My name, I will do it." (John 14:12-14) Again, we see Jesus giving believers authority to do the great things that He did while on earth as the Son of Man. Also, note, that He tells us to use His name when asking the Father to move on our behalf for His glory. This is not prayer. It is the use of the Name of Jesus to draw on His authority. The book of Acts gives case after case where men tapped into His authority and many people were blessed by it.

That all authority is still available to those who use the Name of Jesus. That authority has never been withdrawn. Let's be honest, if one part of that great commission has been abrogated, then all of it has been set aside and becomes nothing more than an option and not a command. If one miracle has been set aside, then all miracles have been set aside, meaning, the Name of Jesus no longer has any authority. But you and I know differently. We know that the Name of Jesus was given to us for miracle work. (Mark 16:17-20) We know that everyone of the five things mentioned in Mark 16, are things that the devil works at, endlessly, to bring upon the church and the unsaved world. These five miraculous manifestations are to take place, especially today, because Satan holds men in bondage. Satan has also robbed many in the church, which can be witnessed by the lack of a testimony of the victorious life that Jesus has provided them. Many have been robbed of the ability to lay hands on the sick and see their loved ones recover. Why? Because intellectual knowledge has opened the door to faithless theology, creeds and doctrines which have gained the mastery over the ministry of Christ, preventing Him to operate in and through the church.

Jesus said that as soon as men believed on Him, at once these signs should accompany them. At once they begin to cast out demons; at once they begin to speak with new tongues; at once they are masters over serpents, which are typical of demons; at once if they drink anything deadly they will not be harmed and at once they will lay hands on the sick and they shall recover. We must understand that God's attitude toward sin and disease has never changed. (Malachi 3:6; Hebrews 13:8) He was opposed to disease in the ministry of Jesus and the early church, and He is opposed to disease now. Believers must always think of Satan as the defeated one, as the one over whom every believer in Jesus' Name has dominion. In Jesus' Name every believer is the master of demons, disease and every circumstance that would try to hold them in bondage. In Jesus' Name every believer is the master of demons, disease and every circumstance that would hold the unsaved in bondage also, if they desire to be set free.

The Father in Christ has provided us with a perfect redemption, a perfect new nature, and perfect union with Christ. (John 15:5) We have a message that brings healing, deliverance, joy and victory to every person. Unfortunately, those outside of Christ, though they may see themselves as successful, only have a message of the things that are based on a world, which is under the sway of the wicked one (1 John 5:19) and not the Truth. It is only the Truth, God's Word, that sets mankind free and give the believer God's solution to the human problem. The Living Word in our lips makes us victors, makes disease and poverty subservient to us in the Name of Jesus in the same manner it was with Jesus in His earth ministry as the Son of Man. The Living Word in our lips brings God on the scene, bringing victory, love, peace, joy, healing, deliverance and freedom, where hopeless, anxiety, stress, worry, defeat and an inordinate desire for money, fame and power once ruled. So, be it known, every believer is anointed by God to go, uphold and enforce what Jesus has accomplished. PTL...

Right Standing With God

The greatest revelation that man needs, is understanding God's ingenious plan of redemption that has completely settled every need of humanity. The situation that humanity faced was this; man sinned, so, was God able to produce a redemption that would redeem man from the hand of Satan, recreate him, that is, make him a new creation, remit, blot out, all sin, transgression and iniquity that man had ever done, take the sin nature out of man, give man God's own nature so that he could stand before Him without the sense of guilt, unworthiness, or inferiority and also stand before Satan no longer a slave, but as his master? The truth is, yes, God has provided man a redemption such as this, and has given to us, by-way-of revelation received by the Apostle Paul (written in his epistles) the unveiling of that redemption.

In that revelation, the Holy Spirit through Paul reveals to us that righteousness has at last become available through faith in Jesus Christ as Lord, Savior and Redeemer. Paul climaxes it by declaring, "...because in His forbearance God had passed over the sins that were previously committed, to demonstrate at the present time His righteousness, that He might be just (righteous) and the justifier (righteousness) of the one who has faith in Jesus." (Romans 3:25-26) When God becomes our righteousness, we become so righteous that there is therefore now no condemnation to us and that no one can bring a charge against us for it is God who has declared us righteous. (Romans 8:1, 8:33-34, 5:1)

The Apostle Paul tells us, "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.^" (2 Corinthians 5:17) The amazing fact of the new creation is that once one confesses Jesus as Lord and take Him as Savior they instantly become a new creation. The thing that kept us in weakness and bondage, unable to stand in God's presence, has been wiped out. In the place of our sinful nature which kept us in union with Satan, God has given every believer His divine nature (2 Peter 1:4), which brings us into union with God. Therefore, eternal Life, a new nature, and a new standing before God has come to the one who has faith in Jesus Christ. Now, we can get our prayers answered, we can use the Name of Jesus and Satan will obey us. God has made us righteous with His righteousness (2 Corinthians 5:21), and He has cleansed us with the blood of His own Son, Jesus Christ. (Romans 3:24:25)

We can stand in the Father's presence now as though sin had never touched us. As new creatures, we stand upon God's Words and release it from our lips of faith just as Jesus had faith in the Words of the Father and released it from His lips. When Jesus spoke to the sick and said, "Arise, take up thy bed and walk," the Father had given Him those words. Those same words are for us to use. We can say to the sick, "In the Name of Jesus Christ, come out of him," and the sickness must obey because they are the Father's Words. We can act on these words and know they will manifest because Jesus said,  "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. And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask anything in My name, I will do it." (John 14:12-14) 

Knowing the depths of God's plan of redemption in Christ, we will have faith in the Father's Words and release His mighty Word from our lips knowing that no Word of God returns void. (Isaiah 55:11) We will have faith in the Name of Jesus and also release His name from our lips knowing that every knee will bow to His great and mighty name. (Philippians 2:10) We will stand in the Father's presence without guilt, condemnation or unworthiness. There will be a fearlessness in us although need, want, sickness or demons may try to come against us. We will shout these truths, "I am the righteousness of God in Jesus Christ...I can do all things through Jesus Christ who strengthens me...I will not fear for God is with me...If God is for me, who can be against me" and know that God is faithful to His Word. PTL...

Standing on His Word

It has been said,  "Our attitude toward God's Word determines the place that He holds in our daily life." Take a moment and let that statement sink in, Why? Because, the Bible should always be received as God speaking directly to us and should never be seen as an ordinary book. The Bible should be as real to us as though Jesus is standing in the room and speaking to us personally. For instance, when Jesus says, "For the Father Himself loves you" (John 16:27), it is a personal message spoken from the lips of Jesus to you and me. It is as though we are sitting at the feet of Jesus, and He is looking down into our face and lovingly speaking to us, in the way that a new father or mother would look lovingly down into the face of their first born infant child. After all we are His children. (John 1:12)

Man's word is usually forgotten within one generation, but God's Word is different. It is filled with the very Life of God, it is eternal, (Mark 13:31), it is God Himself. (John 1:1, 14) According to Hebrews, "For the Logos of God is a living thing, active and more cutting than any sword with double edge, penetrating to the very division of soul and spirit, joints and marrow - scrutinizing the very thoughts and conceptions of the heart. And no created thing is hidden from him; all things lie open and exposed before the eyes of him with whom we have to reckon." (Hebrews 4:12-13, MNT)

Our greatest contact with God, is through His Word being led by the Holy Spirit. (John 16:13) Notice, that it says in this passage, "the eyes of Him." In other words, God's Word sees our conduct, our attitude toward it, as we see "it is a Living thing." Now we can better understand what Luke was expressing during the great revival at Ephesus, "So the Word of the Lord grew mightily and prevailed." God's Word is living. It is God present with us, speaking a living message to us now! His Word is just as powerful and alive today as it was when He first spoke it. His Word in our heart and spoken from our lips of faith makes our ministry and lives limitless. He and His Word are one. (1 John 5:7) 

Jesus said, "According to your faith let it be to you." (Matthew 9:29) As we consider God's Word and act upon it, it will become real to us. Jesus also said, "It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life." (John 6:63) Jesus also said, "Abide in my word." (John 8:31) To abide is to settle into; to remain in. Believers are to settle into and remain in God's Word, because every Word that God speaks has life in it; It has the Righteousness of God in it; It has Recreating power for the unsaved; It has healing power for the sick; It is the very Bread of Heaven to the hungry in spirit; It has the authority of God in it; It is filled with faith building power.

Mark reveals, "So then, after the Lord had spoken to them, He was received up into heaven, and sat down at the right hand of God. And they went out and preached everywhere, the Lord working with them and confirming the word through the accompanying signs. Amen." (Mark 16:19-20) Looking at this passage, there is no doubt in my mind that revival would break out anytime and anywhere if God's Word was as real to us today as it was to those in the Early Church. With that said, here are some assurances that we can have absolute confidence in...

"The Lord is my shepherd." (Psalm 23:1)
"God is the strength of my life, of whom shall I be afraid?" (Psalm 27:1)
"God is my refuge and strength." (Psalm 46:1)
"My help comes from the Lord, the maker of heaven and earth." (Psalm 121:2)
"Fear not, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God." (Isaiah 41:10)
"If God is for us, who can be against us?" (Romans 8:31)
"I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." (Philippians 4:13)
"My God shall supply all of your need according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus." (Philippians 4:19)

These are but a few of the promises of God that are alive, for us now, that we can feed on and build our faith. (Romans 10:17) When we look to God's Word, read and meditate on it, we will see that it is His message to us individually and He will confirm His message in our life, because His Word is Life. So, as the Apostle Paul said, "Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly..." and as the Apostle James tells us, "receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls." (James 1:21) Let us all have an insatiable desire toward God's Word everyday, "For God's Words are life to those who find them, and health to all their flesh." (Proverbs 4:22)

Let Love Arise

The word lord is defined as, "someone having power, authority, or great influence; a master or ruler." Now for most believers, the word Lord is a name that is attributed to the Living God, even Christ Himself. One of the verses of scripture that reveals this is, "The Lord said to my Lord, sit at My right hand, till I make Your enemies Your footstool." (Psalm 110:1) With that said, some questions arises. If believers address Jesus as Lord, and He is, the one with all authority, (Matthew 28:18) the master and ruler over all, then shouldn't we obey and carry out His commands? If every believer, every congregation, every denomination, which is referred to as the church, were truly obeying and carrying out His commands, then why is there so much disunity? There are many things that Jesus has commanded the church to obey and carry out, such as, what we call the "Great Commission" (Matthew 28:16-20), however, let us look at what Jesus gives as a new command or commandment and the reason behind it. 

"A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.” (John 132:34-35) To take this a step further, look at what Jesus tells us concerning His commandments, "If you love Me, keep My commandments." (John 14:15) To command, is to give an authoritative order. The word "keep" means more than to simply hold on to, but "to attend." It implies to obey and carry out the authoritative order giving by a master or ruler. Now, let's look at what Jesus immediately says concerning loving Him and keeping His commandments, "And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever, the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you. I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you." (John 14:16-18)  

In other words, Jesus knew that it would take His help, His strength, His ability working in and through the believer, not only to love as He loves, but to also obey His commands which are to be accomplished because we love Him. This is absolutely great news, because it is all about Jesus not the believer, nor any congregation or denomination. Throughout the New Testament we see a repeating fact that God calls all people to, especially believers. It is only this one thing that God has asked us to do, believe or have faith. Jesus said, "...You believe in God, believe also in Me." (John 14:1) This is only one example in John's gospel of the numerous scriptures that repeat this very important fact concerning Christianity. To believe or to have faith in Christ is one of the most expressed themes throughout the New Testament. The Apostle Paul tells us, "that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation." (Romans 10:9-10) Humanities very salvation and the believers continuing salvation hangs on believing or having faith in Jesus Christ. 

Another example of this is found in Hebrews, "But 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." (Hebrews 11:6) In Matthew we find recorded one of the greatest examples of a non-believer having a wonderful understanding of how faith works, "Now when Jesus had entered Capernaum, a centurion came to Him, pleading with Him, saying, “Lord, my servant is lying at home paralyzed, dreadfully tormented.” And Jesus said to him, “I will come and heal him.” The centurion answered and said, “Lord, I am not worthy that You should come under my roof. But only speak a word, and my servant will be healed. For I also am a man under authority, having soldiers under me. And I say to this one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and to another, ‘Come,’ and he comes; and to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.” (Matthew 8:5-9

This is a highly important principle that all believes need to understand and not take lightly. The centurion not only gave commands to his subordinates, but was subordinate to others himself and carried out the commands of those who were master or ruler over him. He also recognized that Jesus was a man under a master or ruler, who was a master or ruler over sickness. It is apparent that the centurion loved his servant and was willing to humble himself, go to Jesus, and ask Him to simply "speak a word" knowing that anything subservient to Jesus, here sickness, would obey and carry out His command in the same way that those subservient to the centurion obey and carry out his commands and so on. This is a lesson in great faith as well as this non-believer going to Jesus, depending on Jesus, deferring to Jesus, relying on His strength, His ability not his own. Look at what takes place next, "When Jesus heard it, He marveled, and said to those who followed, “Assuredly, I say to you, I have not found such great faith, not even in Israel!" (Matthew 8:10) 

The Apostle Paul also reveals more great news concerning believers living in the "new commandment" that Jesus gave us, "Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us." (Romans 5:5) Notice, this is not on the believers ability to love, but simply knowing that it is the Holy Spirit Who was given to us, Who gives us His ability and strength to love as God loves. Again, this all comes back to believing, to faith in Jesus Christ and not depending on ourselves. Solomon also gives great insight concerning believing or having faith in God, "Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths." (Proverbs 3:5-6) 

Solomon uses the words "trust in the Lord." To trust is the have total confidence, to be fully convinced, to have faith in. Again, notice that we are not to rely on our understanding, but to make known to Him all our ways, to seek Him for His ways, depend on Him to order our ways, and He will direct our Path. I believe the Apostle John reveals the very thing that can hold believers in the realm of unbelief, that is, not totally relying on Jesus, more than any other thing. He tells us, "Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him." (1 John 2:15) Keep in mind that "no one can serve two masters." (Matthew 6:24) The very things that believers hold near and dear to themselves that are of the world, are most likely the very things that rob them of letting the love of the Father operate in and through them. 

So, let us go beyond ourselves, our abilities and put our faith in Jesus Christ' finished work. Let's, let the Holy Spirit in us, lead us and teach us how to love as God loves so that "all will know that we are His disciples." As believers love in this way, we will see the walls, the prejudices, the political correctness, the doctrines that divide us, be wiped out and the church move in unity as one. We will see God move in ways that will make every revival and outpouring since the early church seem minimal. We will see millions and millions of non-believers come to Christ, be healed, delivered, set free from Satan and the worlds grip upon them. We will see the power of God's love destroy the schemes of the devil and the church once again will become the envy of the world. Envy meaning, having a great desire to be a part of. 

Finally, "Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity...It is like the dew of Hermon, descending upon the mountains of Zion; For there the Lord commanded the blessing—life forevermore." (Psalm 133:1, 3) Jesus said, "The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly." (John 10:10) Let us no longer let the thief have his way, but let the abundant life of Jesus flow throughout the entire church as we love one another as Jesus loves us. Amen?               

Anxious for Nothing

I am sure you have heard the expression "not a care in the world." It is an idiom which means to be completely happy as a result of being free from all worry and or anxiety. Now for most, this may seem out of reach, to actually live life free from all worry and or anxiety, but the reality is, not having a care in the world is exactly the life that our Heavenly Father has provided His children through faith in Jesus Christ. Jesus said it this way, "Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear? For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things." (Matthew 6:31-32) "Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” (Matthew 11:28-30) 

Two main things that we must consider. First, "Do not worry...For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things." Second, "I will give you rest."  Believers are not to worry. Worrying gives way to anxiety or unease to where one's mind dwells on difficulty, troubles or the uncertainty of actual or potential problems. However, Jesus tells us, "I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature?“So why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?" (Matthew 6:25-30)  

Believers must come to know without doubt, that in every area of our lives, our all-knowing Heavenly Father loves us, desires to take care of us and is able to do so, far greater than all the best human father put together could ever do. (Matthew 7:11) However, with worry comes an element of torment which robs us of the very thing that opens the door to our Father's care for us, our faith. Notice Jesus says, "O you of little faith." Faith is the quintessential required by God for all who come to Him and live through Him and for Him, " But 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." (Hebrews 11:6) The Bible records four times, "The just shall live by faith." (Habakkuk 2:4; Romans 1:17; Galatians 311; Hebrews 10:38) This is not a suggestion and therefore there is no getting around this. If believers want the rest that God has provided, then we must shed ourselves of all worry and anxiety and exercise faith in our faithful God and Father. 

Jesus also tells us, "men’s hearts failing them from fear and the expectation of those things which are coming on the earth..." (Luke 21:6) Fear is a product of the devil (2 Timothy 1:7) and I believe that fear is worry or anxiety left uncheck and taken to a higher level of destroying faith and robbing believers from all that our Heavenly Father has promised us. Notice, that men's hearts will fail due to things coming on the earth. In other words, things that are not real, they have not happened and there is no assurance that they will happen. Now let us look at what the Apostle Peter tells us, "casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. Resist him, steadfast in the faith..." (1 Peter 5:7-9) The Amplified Bible puts it this way, "casting all your cares [all your anxieties, all your worries, and all your concerns, once and for all] on Him, for He cares about you [with deepest affection, and watches over you very carefully]. Be sober [well balanced and self-disciplined], be alert and cautious at all times. That enemy of yours, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion [fiercely hungry], seeking someone to devour. But resist him, be firm in your faith..."  

As we can see, believers are to cast, "throw something forcefully in a specified direction" their cares on the Lord because the devil is looking for believers on whom he can take advantage of, that is, to steel from, kill and or destroy. (John 10:10) Even the American Medical Association agrees with this in some sense. The AMA has stated, "the effects of worry can cause a host of health problems." Let us be honest. Health problems are not from God. This is why believers are to submit to God, be firm in our faith and resist the devil. The Apostle James tells us, "Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you." (James 4:7) How do we resist the devil? By being "firm in your faith...", that is, trusting wholeheartedly in God. The Apostle Paul reveals a plan to rid ourselves of worry and anxiety, "Do not be anxious or worried about anything, but in everything [every circumstance and situation] by prayer and petition with thanksgiving, continue to make your [specific] requests known to God." (Philippians 4:6 AMP), that is, "casting all your cares upon Him." How? "by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God."  

When we do this, God makes us a promise, "And the peace of God [that peace which reassures the heart, that peace] which transcends all understanding, [that peace which] stands guard over your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus [is yours]." (Philippians 4:7 AMP) There's the rest that the Lord said He would give us. Let's face it, everyone, at one time or another may find themselves in the difficulties of this life. The crises of life come to all of us. The difference is, if we know God's Word; if we know the Holy Spirit; if we know how to effectively offer our prayers to God and cast all of our cares on Him rather than holding on to them, then we will find the rest of the Lord and be free from worry and anxiety. 

Unfortunately, many believer today are holding onto cares that produce worry and or anxiety which rob them from the abundant life that is only found in Christ our Lord. If this is you, God wants you to turn your cares over to Him right now. Anything and everything that is causing worry and anxiety to manifest in your life, our Heavenly Father is waiting to receive from you, but you must give it to Him. Maybe worrying has become a constant habit in your life. It does not matter. It is time to make a habit of exercising faith and cast your cares upon Him. Again, if this is you, then I encourage you to make this declaration of faith every time you find yourself worrying or being anxious over any of life's circumstances...

"Heavenly Father, I am casting my cares upon you. I am turning them over to You. I refuse to worry anymore. I refuse to let anxiety have place anymore. You said to cast all my cares on You because You care for me affectionately and You care about me watchfully. Right now, I release, (name the cares) and I give them to you. They are in Your hands and now I rest in you. Thank you Father for freeing me from worry and anxiety in Jesus Name."

No doubt, the devil will do all that he can to try and bring the cares that you have just cast on the Lord, back into your mind. If or when he tries to do this, simply laugh at him and remind him that you have given the situation over into the very capable hands of your Heavenly Father because He care for you affectionately and He care about you watchfully. Paul also gives us a great way to help us guard our mind against the cares of life trying to take hold of us. He tells us, "Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things." (Philippians 4:8)  May the peace of our Lord Jesus Christ rule your heart and mind!

Choices

When Adam took from the woman and ate that which was from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, that God had commanded him not to eat, one of the most damaging actions entered into the human race. We see this played out immediately after Adam and the woman ate of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, "And they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden." (Genesis 3:8) We see that God approached Adam and the woman, but they tried to cover up their sin with fig leaves and then, tried to hide from God. God confronts them with their actions and Adam and the woman respond, "Then the man said, “The woman whom You gave to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I ate.”And the Lord God said to the woman, “What is this you have done?” The woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.” (Genesis 3:12-13)

Notice, what happened. Adam blamed God for giving him the woman and the woman blamed the serpent, but neither Adam or the woman took the blame for their actions. From the fall of man, sin has opened the door for humanity to place the blame on someone or something, rather than accepting responsibility for their own sinful actions. However, on the other side of the coin, anything that a person does that they deem good in their own eyes, or the eyes of others, they are willing to be responsible for. In other words, they are quick to take the credit for what is good, but, like Adam and the woman, will almost always look to blame someone or something for their sinful or unlawful actions. Again, placing the blame on someone or something for wrongful actions is embedded in the sinful nature of man since the fall. However, it does not excuse us from being responsible for our choices that lead us into sinful actions, especially in God's eyes. That's right! It is our choices, just like Adam and the woman, that are reflected in our actions, but does not remove us from being responsible.

Looking at the situation that we find humanity in today, we see that numerous addictions. Addictions are not tied to drugs or alcohol only, but any substance, thing, activity and or habit that enslaves and seems difficult, even impossible to break free from. Addictions have taken hold of many lives which leave nothing in its path but hurt, destruction and death. Addictions have no bounds and unfortunately, many believers have never been delivered from and continue to struggle with addictions, especially addictions that they had before confessing Jesus as Lord and receiving Him as Savior. However, some believers struggle with addictions that have found their way into their lives even after receiving Christ. No matter what addictions people may have, it should move those of us who are not enslaved in such, to compassion. It should grieve us, to see so many hurting soles, causing us to reach out and help in any way we can. But what is behind addictions? What causes so many people to be held, even controlled, enslaved, by addictions? The Apostle James tells us, "Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am tempted by God”; for God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He Himself tempt anyone. But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed.  Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death." (James 1:13-15) 

Though these words may be hard to receive, the truth is, additions are the result of being "drawn away by ones own desires and enticed." Eventually, if left unchecked, if not stopped, the very things that enticed, "gives birth to sin" which opens the door to the devil. What was once a seemingly simple choice, like Adam and the woman, has now become a "full-grown" addiction. Therefore, addictions are not a disease. This is what the world would have everyone come to believe, but, by agreeing with the world, we disagree with God's Word. Saying that addictions are a disease is simply a way to put the blame on something other than ones choice. Addictions may be generational to some respect, but we are still dealing with sin (Numbers 14:18) which addictions are. 

All addictions start out as a choice through ones own desires, in the same manner that the woman chose to eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil rather than the tree of life. (Genesis 2:9) Adam also made a choice. His choice was to obey God and not eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil or to disobey God by choosing to take from the woman and eat. No one forced either one of them to eat, it was simply their choice. Once the choice to sin was made, it opened the door for Satan to do what he does, "The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy..." (John 10:10) Though Adam and the woman blamed someone else for their decision, their action, it did not remove the fact that they made a choice and were now under the influence of Satan. They gave themselves over to their own desires, and like James said, "when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death."         

The Apostle Paul tells us, "For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places." (Ephesians 6:12) The world does not believe this and unfortunately, many believers do not want to face this fact either, thereby, buying into to the excuses of the world. Let's face it. If one can say, it's not my fault, then they no longer have to be responsible for their choices, because, someone or something else is the blame. Paul warns us, "that you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness." (Ephesians 4:22-24) and "nor give place to the devil." (Ephesians 4:27) 

When one begins to entertain a sinful action, no matter what it is, if not stopped and repented of quickly, it opens the door, it gives place, for evil spirits and or demons. Depending on what the sin is, it can lead into an addiction. The Apostle Paul tells us, "Now the works of the flesh are evident..." and then he proceeds to reveal some of the works of the flesh. (Galatians 5:19-21) One of these is, "drunkenness." It is defined as anything that is an intoxicant, which includes alcohol and drugs.

 If you are born again, and are struggling with an addiction, know that God loves you and wants you to be free. (Galatians 5:1) First thing to do is simply, "confess our sins, (to God) He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." (1 John 1:9) I am not saying the road ahead will be easy, but, confessing sin closes the door to Satan, evil spirits and or demon from having place. Depending on the addiction and the length of time that one has been struggling, you also may require some additional help or support to get you through, but first and foremost, ask the Lord for His help. The writer of Hebrews tells us, "Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need." (Hebrews 4:16) God is abundant in mercy and grace. His grace gives us the desire as well as His ability, His strength, His power to do His will. No longer focus on the addiction, on failure or defeat but on the victory that we have in Jesus Christ. Calling out to the Lord for His mercy and grace is not a one time event, but should be a continuous action for all believers.  

If you are not a believer, simply cry out to the Lord to save you (Romans 10:9-10), then continue to cry out to Him as stated above and seek additional support if needed. I am not saying these things to bring guilt or condemnation upon anyone who is struggling with an addiction. What I am saying is, demons are real and sin opens the door in ones life for them to deceive and enslave. We also need to understand, that when one accepts the responsibility of their sinful choices and actions, and confesses such, it opens the door for the Lord to intervene and deliver them. It is the devil, evil spirits and demons that are set out to, "steal and to kill, and to destroy" but Jesus said, "I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly." (John 10:10)      

For every believer who is not struggling with an addiction, let us go be witnesses of God's Kingdom, Power and Glory to those who struggle. Let us be fishers of men. Jesus said, "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.” (Mark 16:17-18) "Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you." (Luke 10:19) "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) So, let us go forth and do what Jesus did, "The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He has anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed; To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord." (Luke 4:18-19) "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) "...For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil." (1 John 3:8) 

So, let us go in the Name of Jesus and by the power of the Holy Spirit in the grace of God and set the captives free! Jesus said, "Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed." (John 8:3

Completely Restored

Many believers are under the influence that the main reason they have received Christ as Lord and Savior is to escape the wrath to come (which is true) and escape hell and go to heaven (which is also true) but, these things are not the sole purposes behind God's brilliant plan of redemption. When looking at the account of Adam's act of treason in the Garden, we find the first thing that happened was fellowship with God was broken, "Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves coverings. And they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden." (Genesis 3:8)  

 Notice that "Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God." Keep in mind, prior to this they were tending the Garden together, naked, "And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed" (Genesis 2:25), and they had no shame. The act of treason had brought shame upon them both. The fig leaves they covered themselves with was not to hid their nudity, but an attempt to cover their shame. The shame then cause them, in a feeble attempt, to hide themselves from God. Adam's act of treason had caused such a painful feeling of humiliation, the consequences resulted in broken fellowship with his Creator, the Lord God, "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) The death that Adam immediately experienced was "spiritual death." His physical death came 930 years later, which was the consequences of spiritual death, separation from God.

The number one purpose for man's redemption in the mind of God was to restore man back to fellowship with Himself. (2 Corinthians 5:18) Everything else is an outcrop of restored fellowship. The Apostle Paul tells us, "God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord." (1 Corinthians 1:9) The Apostle John tells us, "that which we have seen and heard we declare to you, that you also may have fellowship with us; and truly our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ. And these things we write to you that your joy may be full." (1 John 1:3-4) Fellowship means, sharing together, joint participation, therefore, God has called us into a two sided relationship with Him, where we share and participate together. Our fellowship with the father is a love relationship, "We love, because He first loved us." (1 John 4:19)  

The writer of Hebrews tells us, "Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need." (Hebrews 4:16) Boldly means freedom. God has given His children the freedom to meet with Him, to fellowship with Him, any time, any place. We come to Him because of His mercy, knowing that "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." (1 John 1:9), because, "My little children, these things I write to you, so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. And He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world." (1 John 2:1-2) Praise the Lord, we have a family attorney, a "Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus" (1 Timothy 2:5)  who goes to bat for us, so we can have this wonderful, loved filled fellowship with the Father. 

Once we have obtained God's wonderful mercy, we now ask Him for "grace to help in time of need." We ask Him for His favor; His strength; His help; His counsel; His direction; and His support. The reason we ask God for these things, is we recognize our utter dependence on Him and the desperate need for His grace. Jesus tells us, "I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing." (John 15:5) Every believer must realize the without Jesus, we can do nothing. Every talent and or ability that we have is solely from God. The very breathe that we take can stop if not for God's grace. 

Having fellowship with God is not limited to prayer. The fact is, we have an unlimited fellowship with Him, meaning, we need to acknowledge Him every waking moment that we have, whether on the job, in a store, in an automobile, wherever, due to His desire for us to fellowship continuously with Him. The writer of Hebrews tells us we are to "offer God a sacrifice of praise, continuously." (Hebrews 13:15) Solomon tells us to, "Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths." (Proverbs 3:5-6) The Psalmist wrote, "In his presence is fullness of joy." (Psalm 16:11) "Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving; Let us shout joyfully to Him with psalms." (Psalm 95:2) "Serve the Lord with gladness; Come before His presence with singing." (Psalm 100:2) Do we see our Heavenly Father's desire for His children to fellowship with Him continuously?

I want to encourage you to fellowship with the Father and the Son through the Holy Spirit all the time. Honestly, this will take some practice, some getting used to, because most believers are often caught up in the distractions of life. This does not mean that we should quit our jobs or just stay home, but to remember that the Holy Spirit is in us and we are always in God's presence, though we may not recognize this fact. Once we get used to having fellowship with God at all times, we will find ourselves living in His peace, the kind that passes all understanding, no matter what circumstance we find ourselves in. We see this in the life of Jesus. Though He was God, He was still a man. Due to His constant fellowship with the Father He was able to be fast asleep in a boat, though waves were filling the boat with water and His disciple were in panic mode. (Mark 4:35-38)    

"Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, and to present you faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy, to God our Savior, Who alone is wise, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and forever." Amen. (Jude 24-25)

Running The Race Set Before Us

Racing on any level is defined as, competing with another or others to see who is fastest at covering a set course or achieving an objective; to move or progress swiftly or at full speed. Toward the end of the Apostle Paul's life on earth, he tells Timothy, "For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure is at hand. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith." (2 Timothy 4:6-7) "For I am already being poured out as a drink offering," conveys the idea that for Paul, there was nothing more remaining to be done but to leave this life and enter eternity in the LORDS presences. The fact that he was about to die, was his way to convey to Timothy the reason why Timothy should faithfully carry out the duties to which he was also called to fulfill in Christ. Paul was about to leave the work which he loved, to which he had devoted his life to, and he was anxious that they who were to succeed him should carry on the work with the same energy and zeal that he had for Christ and the work which Christ called him to. 

"For I am already being poured out as a drink offering" also carries the idea that Paul was in the condition of a sacrifice on whose head the wine and oil had been already poured, and which was just about to be put to death. Every preparation had been made, and he waited for the blow which was to strike him down. Paul understood that Christ was the true sacrifice, he was simply saying that his death was about to occur and there was nothing more that remained for him to do but to die. Next, Paul says, "and the time of my departure is at hand." Departure; an unloosing (as of things woven); a dissolving (into separate parts). It is used as a metaphor drawn from loosing a ship from moorings in preparation to setting sail. The idea in the use of the word departure would be, that Paul had been bound to the present world, like a ship to its moorings, and that death would be a release. With such a view of death that Paul states, why should a Christian fear dying?

Next, Paul says, "I have fought a good fight." The believers life is often represented as a conflict, or warfare. (2 Corinthians 10:3-6; Ephesians 6:10-13) Paul tells us that in the conflict with sin, the world, the flesh, and the devil, he was able to maintain a strong front over them all in and through Christ and the power of His might. ( Ephesians 6:10) Paul was likening the fight in the natural sense of the contests at the Grecian games; I have wrestled that good wrestling; I have struggled hard, and have overcome, in a most honorable cause. "I have finished the race." The Christian life is often represented as a race to be run. (Hebrews 12:1) In a sense, for Paul, his life for Christ was a personal race, a mission for Christ, outperforming all the competitors, crossing the goal line and winning the prize. He had completed the work that Christ had given him. "I have kept the faith." Paul was declaring that his course for Christ had no detours. That he steadfastly maintained his faith in Christ and his work of spreading the gospel, faithfully serving his LORD.

Like the Apostle Paul, all believers are in a conflict. The conflict is between two kingdoms that diametrically oppose one another. The Kingdom of God; the kingdom of Satan; The Kingdom of Light; the kingdom of darkness; The Kingdom of life; the kingdom of death and every person will be a servant to one of them. Can we say the same things that we see the Apostle Paul saying in the above verses? Is our service to Christ one of works to gain something from Him, or is it a work of faith working through love (Galatians 5:6) with a willingness to lose everything for Him. (Matthew 19:29) This was the heart of the Apostle Paul. Paul tells us, "But what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ. Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ." (Philippians 3:7-8) 

Do we desire to gain Christ over all or as Paul states, "For do I now persuade men, or God? Or do I seek to please men? His answer is, "For if I still pleased men, I would not be a bond servant of Christ." (Galatians 1:10) The Lord is once again calling to His people to faith, that is...
Forsaking, All, I, Take, Him. 

This is the very reason why the Apostle Paul could honestly say, "I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith." He let his life go, and identified solely with his LORD and Savior Jesus Christ. I want to encourage us to do the same. Jesus said, "For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it." (Matthew 16:25) So, let us let go of this life, and remember, "Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith..." (Hebrews 12:1-2) In doing so, we will find the abundant life that Jesus has for us. (John 10:10) Amen!!!    

Believing Is Seeing

Throughout church history, giants in the faith have always risen up to continue the ministry of Christ on the earth. Jesus tells us, "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.” (Mark 16:17-18) "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) In these two scriptures, I want to point out two very important words, "who believe." Although Jesus is talking to His disciples, the term "who believe" applies across the board for everyone, anyone, all who believe, anytime and anywhere. How do we know that this applies to the church today?

First and foremost, there is absolutely not one verse or passage of scripture that tells us that miracles, signs and wonders are not to be apart of the daily lives of believers today, unless we take scripture out of context and or not permit scripture to confirm scripture. Just prior to Jesus' departure from earth to return to heaven, He tells His disciples, "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen. (Matthew 28:19-20) He plainly tells the eleven to go make disciples, to instruct them to attend to carefully, ALL THINGS that He (Jesus) commanded them (the apostles). 

Let us look at one of the commands that Jesus gave to the twelve apostles, "These twelve Jesus sent out and commanded them, saying: Do not go into the way of the Gentiles, and do not enter a city of the Samaritans. But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. And as you go, preach, saying, The kingdom of heaven is at hand. Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out demons. Freely you have received, freely give." (Matthew 10:5-8) In this passage we find Jesus giving the twelve apostles a command to do some very specific things, "Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out demons." So, if this is a command from Jesus, which it is, and if He commanded the eleven to, "make disciples of all the nations...teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you," which He did, then it only stands to reason, it is only logical, that the command to, "Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out demons" has not been relinquished, dismissed, taken away from, or cease to operate in the church by Jesus ever! This is a command that all who believe have been commissioned (commanded) to do!

If the church, all who believe, are commanded to continue the ministry of Jesus on the earth, then why do so many believers reject the full extent of the great commission, which is not only preaching regeneration to the lost, but also includes, miracles, signs and wonders? The answer is quite simple, "these signs will follow those who believe: Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me." Walking in the supernatural, powered by the Holy Spirit, in the Name of Jesus takes faith. To have faith, is to have complete trust or confidence in the Lord and His Word. Faith has absolutely nothing to do with our five senses, which are the vehicles from where most of our knowledge comes from as we live and operate in the natural realm. However, faith transcends the natural realm to believe God (His Word) when it seems foolish, ridiculous, absurd, impossible or just too hard to believe. 

Throughout church history, even more recently, there are men and women who went beyond a mere religious Christianity, to true Christianity that reveals our Lord Jesus Christ through miracles, signs and wonders. Some of these fellow believers are, John Alexander Dowie, Maria Woodworth-Etter, John G. Lake, Smith Wigglesworth, Aimee Semple McPherson, Kathryn Kuhlman, William Branham, A. A. Allen, K.W. Kenyon and Oral Roberts. They were not perfect people, nor were they special to God above any other believer. They simply believed. They believed the very thing that Jesus said "whoever believes" could do, release the supernatural, that is, do the things that Jesus did. These men and women believers are some of the giants of the faith. People that we can admire and glean from or sit back and criticize. Remember, "But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty; and the base things of the world and the things which are despised God has chosen, and the things which are not, to bring to nothing the things that are, that no flesh should glory in His presence." (1 Corinthians 1:27-29)

The Apostle Paul tells us, "For the kingdom of God is not in word but in power." (1 Corinthians 4:20) He also reveals to us, "Therefore I have reason to glory in Christ Jesus in the things which pertain to God. For I will not dare to speak of any of those things which Christ has not accomplished through me, in word and deed, to make the Gentiles obedient in mighty signs and wonders, by the power of the Spirit of God, so that from Jerusalem and round about to Illyricum I have fully preached the gospel of Christ." (Romans 15:17-19) Paul proved Jesus not in word but in power. His ministry revealed Jesus through not only his preaching of the gospel, but through mighty signs and wonders. He discloses an important message for us all to hear when he says, "I have fully preached the gospel of Christ." In other words, Paul tells us in this passage, that the full gospel is not complete without mighty signs and wonders, by the power of the Spirit of God. 

The gospel according to Mark also shows us, "So then, after the Lord had spoken to them, He was received up into heaven, and sat down at the right hand of God. And they went out and preached everywhere, the Lord working with them and confirming the word through the accompanying signs." Amen. (Mark 16:19-20) Notice that the Lord confirmed His Word through accompanying signs. Some may say, "Well that was the apostles, therefore, now that they are gone, we do not need signs and wonders because we have the Bible" or "God does not do signs and wonders through believers today because they were only needed back in the days of the early church." Believing statements like these are why so many people in the church have more faith in what man can do than what God has done through Christ and what believers are to do through the Holy Spirit. When people in the church come to such a conclusion that miracles, signs and wonders are not part of the church today, it is simply due to relying on what their five senses can apprehend. To get beyond this, they simply need to believe God and act upon His Word.  

For the Apostle Thomas, seeing was believing, (John 20:24-25), for all the giants of the faith, believing is seeing. When we truly believe that God and His Word are not void of power at anytime, we will see the supernatural of God moving across the earth, even greater than it did in the early church. So, let us stop looking at the weakness of our flesh, stop listening to the lies of devil, and let God arise in His mighty immeasurable power at work in us (Ephesians 3:20) as a testimony of Jesus, the Lord and Savior of all and walk with giants.

Simply Ask

In the gospels, Jesus mentions several time to "ask." For instance, "Ask, and it will be given to you..." (Matthew 7:7)..."And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask anything in My name, I will do it." (John 14:13-14) The term "ask" has many definitions. One which is, "to demand something due." This is not putting a demand on the Lord to do something, but to release the manifestation of what is already available to believers. It is like going to the bank where you have deposited five hundred dollars in an account. You fill out a withdraw slip for two hundred dollars. What you are doing is making a demand to receive what is already yours. When Jesus says to "ask" He means to ask. But there are specific ways that believers are to ask in order to see the manifestation of the thing asked.

The name of Jesus carries with it the power to release and manifest our request to the Father. Jesus tells us, "And in that day you will ask Me nothing. Most assuredly, I say to you, whatever you ask the Father in My name He will give you. Until now you have asked nothing in My name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full." (John 16:23-24) Jesus stands between us and the Father doing His work as our Mediator, Intercessor, Advocate and Lord. There is no place in scripture that Jesus tells us to pray to Him; For Jesus sake; or simply ask the Father. He tells us to pray to the Father in His Name. There is also an overflowing joy in knowing that the Father will answer our prayer when asked in Jesus' Name. 

When we ask of the Lord, we need to be specific. The Apostle James tells us, "If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways." (James 1:5-8) Although James is targeting a request for wisdom, the principle of being specific still applies. It would be better to pray for two or three minutes and know what we are praying about than to pray aimlessly for two or three hours.

Speak God's Word that promises the answer that we need. In the above scripture, James says, "If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God..." So, if one lacks wisdom then being specific in our asking would naturally be to ask the Lord for wisdom. The Apostle Paul states, "But it is from Him that you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God..." (1 Corinthians 1:30) This would be a good scripture to speak concerning receiving wisdom. The believer is in Christ, therefore, they have the wisdom of God. To make a demand on something due would be something like this, "Father I thank you that I am in Christ and have Your wisdom dwelling within me." Because Christ is our wisdom, the believer is in essence agreeing that His wisdom has already been given and they are believing for the manifestation of such. Again, we are not demanding the Lord to do something, only receiving what is already ours by making a demand on its manifestation.

When asking, we must "ask in faith." To understand this better, we need to realize that there are two kinds of faith; sense-knowledge faith and and revelation faith. Sense knowledge faith is also what can be deemed "natural faith." Every person whether a believer or not has this kind of faith. It believes only what the five senses are capable of understanding. However, this is not true Bible faith. Although all the apostles doubted the resurrection (Mark 16:13-14) we see sense knowledge faith exhibited in the life of the Apostle Thomas when told that Jesus was raised from the dead. He says, "Unless I see in His hands the print of the nails, and put my finger (touch) into the print of the nails, and put my hand (touch) into His side, I will not believe.” (John 20:25)

Revelation faith transcends the five senses. In Matthew 16 Jesus asks His disciple who people say He is. But when He asks, "who do you say that I am" Peter responds, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." Notice, "Jesus answered and said to him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven." (Matthew 16:16-17) Peter had received a revelation from the Father and responded by making a faith confession on that revelation. As we see, it was not upon any of Peter's five senses that he confessed Jesus as the Son of God, but upon the revelation from the Father. The wonderful doctrines that we have in the Pauline Epistles are ours due to the revelation given to the Apostle Paul, "And lest I should be exalted above measure by the abundance of the revelations..." (2 Corinthians 12:7) 

James continues, "with no doubting." Believers must not only ask in faith but we must resist doubt. A situation that reveals this takes place after the transfiguration of Jesus, "Jesus led Peter, James, and John his brother, up on a high mountain by themselves; and He was transfigured before them." (Matthew 17:1-2) When they had come down from the mountain they found the other nine disciple having difficulty casting a demon out of a boy. Keep in mind that all the disciples had previously been commissioned to, "Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead,  cast out demons." (Matthew 10:8) However, nine of them could not cast the demon out of a boy. "Then Jesus answered and said, “O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I bear with you? Bring him here to Me.” And Jesus rebuked the demon, and it came out of him; and the child was cured from that very hour. Then the disciples came to Jesus privately and said, “Why could we not cast it out?” So Jesus said to them, "because of your unbelief..."  (Matthew 17:17-20) Unbelief, doubt, will always neutralize faith and render it ineffective.

Another situation that deals with doubt neutralizing faith is revealed in Jesus walking on the water to meet the disciple who were in a boat being tossed about by a storm in the middle of the sea. The disciples saw Jesus walking on the water, supposed it to be a ghost and were afraid. Jesus reassures them that it was He, then Peter says, “Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water.”So He said, “Come.” And when Peter had come down out of the boat, he walked on the water to go to Jesus. But when he saw that the wind was boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink he cried out, saying, “Lord, save me!” (Matthew 14:22-29) Notice, Peter got out of the boat and began to walk on the water. In other words at this point Peter was exercising faith above his senses. Now notice what happens next, "And immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and caught him..." Now take careful note to what Jesus says to Peter (us), “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?” And when they got into the boat, the wind ceased." (Matthew 14:31-32)

Although Peter started this miraculous adventure with revelation faith, he allowed his senses to dictate the circumstance and immediately doubt neutralized his faith. Often, believers "ask" with genuine revelation faith, but like Peter, allow their senses to neutralize their faith, which causes the thing in which they had asked not to manifest. Notice, that Jesus did not tell Peter that he did not have any faith, but that doubt was the reason why his faith failed. This certainly is not to discourage us, but to encourage us to "hold fast the confession of our faith without wavering, for He who promised is faithful." (Hebrews 10:23) 

After we have asked in faith, with no doubting, now we are to believe that we have received what we have asked for. Keep in mind, if what we have asked for is a promise of God, such as asking for wisdom shown in the example above, then it is actually already ours. Jesus said, "Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them." (Mark 11:24) In other words, as previously stated, resist doubt no matter what the circumstances may dictate and as Jesus tells us, "believe that you receive them." 

Finally, when we ask, let us thank the Lord for the answer although it may not have manifested yet. "Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God." (Philippians 4:6) "In everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you." (1 Thessalonians 5:18) For some, these things may be a difficult task. However, let us always keep in mind that God desires to give to His children. Jesus tells us, "If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!" (Matthew 7:11) The Apostle Paul tells us, "He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?" (Romans 8:32)

So, when we ask, ask the Father in the Name of Jesus; be specific; Speak God's Word that promise the answer to that which is needed; Ask in faith; Do not doubt; Believe that we have received what we have asked for; give the Lord thanks and keep in mind that the devil wants to discourage you in any way that he can, through lies and deception. Jesus tells us that "...there is no truth in the devil. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it." (John 8:44) But also keep in mind, "God is not a man, that He should lie, nor a son of man, that He should repent. Has He said, and will He not do? Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good?" (Numbers 23:19) The fact is, He will do it and He will make it good!!!