The Lesson

I spent yesterday with an extremely negative person. Apart from leaving with a whopping headache and stress that took hours to release, I came away with some interesting observations.

First, I realized how connected we are. I woke up this morning still reeling from the stress, feeling darkly anxious and hopeless.

I also realized, once again, that we are only limited by our vision and our words. When we say 'I can't' it is because we see that we can't, and it prophesies that very thing.

Partakers of the Divine Nature

We've all heard lots of teaching about 2 Peter 2:3-4, most of it good--there's really no bad way to translate this passage. Read if for yourself:

'Grace and peace by multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord; seeing that His Divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him Who called us by [to] His own glory and excellence. For by [Through which] these He has granted to us His precious and magnificent promises, so that by them you may become partakers of the Divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world by lust.'

In fact, there's so much here that it's hard to know where to start!

The Yad of God 2

The only way God works in the earth is through the yad or hand of His mouth!

The Hebrew word ‘yad’ is translated several ways: hand, power, strength...when you research how it is used in the Old Testament, it is obvious that it is the powerful, strong hand which accomplishes things in the earth. The power [yad=hand] of life and death is in the tongue [Proverbs 18:21], which could alternately be translated ‘Death and life is in the hand of the tongue…’ [From Yad]

John 1:3 says 'All things came into being through Him [The Word, v.1] and apart form Him nothing came into being that has come into being.'

Waiting for God?

We've all been there. We've prayed, visualized, confessed and watched. And nothing happened. We then move into the 'waiting for God' phase, where we try to convince ourselves that it's 'just around the corner.'

Now, the longer the 'waiting' phase, the more we are subjected to doubt and unbelief. Which, of course, degrades our faith connection to the very thing we're waiting for.

Sound like a vicious cycle? It is, and it has nothing to do with God!

Speak Peace To It

Physical, Natural Things Have No Will of Their Own...
When God spoke the world into being in Genesis 1, the elements had no choice but to obey Him. He said "Light, be!" and light was.

Similarly, man's desire to build the Tower of Babel to reach Heaven had to be fulfilled because physical, natural elements had no choice but to obey them. Why? Because the race of man, both male and female, had been created in the likeness of God. In Genesis 11:6 we read that 'The Lord said, "Behold, they are one people, and they all have the same language. And this is what they began to do, and now nothing which they purpose to do will be impossible for them."'

They were talking to the physical and it had to obey! We continue to see this throughout the Old Testament, particularly in the Psalms and Proverbs. Physical things obey the mouth of God and of man...why?

Because God said they would. And He cannot lie, because as soon as He speaks a thing it is called into existence. If God said "dog" where there was no dog, it would not be a lie because by the time He got the word out, there would be a dog there!

Then came Jesus...the Word fulfilled! And He told us that if we talk to mountains, trees, storms, bodies—any physical thing—they would obey us as well!

What is Bible Peace?
Interestingly, when Jesus spoke to the storm, He spoke peace to it.

The concept of Shalom, or peace, is a major theme throughout the Bible. The Hebrew lexicon describes it's meaning as completeness, soundness, welfare, peace; completeness (in number); safety, soundness (in body); welfare, health, prosperity; peace—quiet, tranquility, contentment; peace—friendship of human relationships, with God especially in covenant relationship; peace (from war); peace (as adjective).

Imaging that. Completeness, wholeness in every area of life. In Isaiah, Jesus is called the Prince of Peace [Shalom], and He Himself is our peace [Ephesians 2:14].

Colossians 2:9,10 says 'For in Him all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form, and in Him you have been made complete [or full]...' We have been made complete or shalom in Him!

Jesus spoke 'Peace' to the storm and it had to obey. Peace—complete wholeness. Jesus is the Prince of Peace, and we are one Spirit with Him!

Authority
Angels have no will of their own, and the ones who tried to exercise their own will were cast out. The Word says we have authority over them as well! [Luke 10:19]

When God speaks, things obey, and Jesus told us that they would obey us as well, if we did not doubt in our hearts but believe that what we say happens. [Mark 11:22-24]

Things [and fallen angels too, it seems] have to obey us. They have no choice if we give the command in faith—seeing it as accomplished in our heart [imagination] and speaking it forth into the world. If we hesitate, or begin to doubt, they stop in their tracks, turn, and wait to see if it's safe to disobey. But if we know who we are in Christ [believe me, every demon and every thing already knows...] they must obey.

Remember Jesus at the fig tree? He cursed it, turned around and walked away. The next day His disciples had to point it out to Him. In His mind, it was finished the moment He said it, and that was that. Once the word is given in faith, it is settled.

The entire Word is fulfilled in Him—He is the Word, and we are the Word multiplied. And God's Word is settled forever [Psalm 119:89]—His works were finished from the foundation of the world! [Hebrews 4:3] He has already rested from His works! [Hebrews 4:4]

Huh?

Yes, it's true. He has already called the end from the beginning, "declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times things which have not been done. Saying 'My purpose will be established, and I will accomplish all My good pleasure.'" [Isaiah 46:10]

And His purpose, His good pleasure which He has already decreed over us is that we are one Spirit with the Lord—all things belong to us, and we belong to Christ, and Christ belongs to God. [I Corinthians 3:22,23]

So it's all there, in the spiritual realm, belonging to us already! All things belong to us, richly to enjoy, and they are all working together for our good. Why? Because God said so!

Our Will...The Deciding Factor
We must exercise our will and agree with God rather than our physical circumstances, human rationality or evil deceptions—God will not cross the line of our will. We must believe in our hearts and speak with our mouths—knowing that when we command natural entities they must obey...they have no choice!

In Deuteronomy 30, we are told to choose between life and prosperity or death and adversity. It is always our choice!

[An aside here...see God's viewpoint on prosperity and adversity? Hmm...I wonder how we got so screwed up on that?]

So choose to have faith in God and what He has already said about you. You've been made whole and have been given all things richly to enjoy! He has decreed these things and He works were completed before the foundation of the world!

Agree with Him—choose life and prosperity. Decree a thing and it will be established for you [Job 22:28].

They are yours already.

Surrounded By...

According to the Word, there's a lot going on around us in the unseen realm of the spirit.

'For it is You who blesses the righteous man, O Lord, You surround him with favor as with a shield.' [Ps. 5:12]

'You are my hiding place; You preserve me from trouble; You surround me with songs [or shouts] of deliverance.' [Ps. 32:7]

'...he who trusts in the Lord, lovingkindness shall surround him.' [Ps. 32:10]

'The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear Him, and rescues them.' [Ps. 34:7]

'As the mountains surround Jerusalem, so the Lord surrounds His people from this time forth and forever.' [Ps. 125:2]

Very comforting, don't you think? Believe it, see it, say it...you are surrounded!