Amen to the Glory of God!

'For as many as are the promises of God, in Him they are YES; therefore also through Him is our Amen—so it is, so be it, may it be fulfilled—to the GLORY OF GOD through us.' [1 Corinthians 1:20]

If you've been reading this blog for any length of time, you've seen the first part of 1 Corinthians 1:20 quoted over and over. It is such a wonderful, neglected scripture, confirming the spiritual reality that Christ redeemed us from the curse of the Law, having become a curse for us...so that the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles. [Galatians 3:13,14]

Every promise is YES in Him...He has fulfilled all the requirement of the Law so that we may enjoy every blessing. I write about this a lot, because it seems that we are constantly being told that we must still earn our blessings, both in church and in the world.

Jesus said "Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has CHOSEN GLADLY to give you the kingdom." [Luke 12:32] It is His will that we have His kingdom—it is not His plan to withhold it from us, and anything contrary to that fact is a lie.

Look at the Lord's prayer. Jesus prayed "Your kingdom come. Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven." Most Christians believe this means the millennial reign of Jesus in some distant, magical time, and we've had a lot of help believing that.

Today

'And He came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up; and as was His custom, He entered the synagogue on the Sabbath, and stood up to read. And the book of the prophet Isaiah was handed to Him. And He opened the book and found the place where it was written,

"THE SPIRIT OF THE LORD IS UPON ME, BECAUSE HE ANOINTED ME TO PREACH THE GOSPEL TO THE POOR. HE HAS SENT ME TO PROCLAIM RELEASE TO THE CAPTIVES, AND RECOVERY OF SIGHT TO THE BLIND, TO SET FREE THOSE WHO ARE OPPRESSED, TO PROCLAIM THE FAVORABLE YEAR OF THE LORD." 

'And He closed the book, gave it back to the attendant and sat down; and the eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on Him. And He began to say to them, "Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing."' [Luke 4:16-21]

And what a fabulous Scripture it is! The Favorable Year of the Lord refers to the Jubilee, that 50th year where all debt was wiped out, where slaves went free and no one worked...

He said that all of these wonderful things, prophesied by Isaiah, were fulfilled TODAY. TODAY, TODAY, TODAY.

The Second Part...
Now let's look at the second part of 1 Corinthians 1:20...

'...therefore also through Him is our AMEN—so it is, so be it, may it be fulfilled—to the GLORY OF GOD through us.'

Why would He give us His kingdom? Why would He choose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him? [Ephesians 1:4] Why would He, with Him [Jesus], freely give us all things?

So that the Glory of God would be demonstrated through us! To the world, to the enemy—we are to demonstrate His glory in the earth!

Consider Romans 12:2:

'And do not be conformed to this world, but BE TRANSFORMED by the renewing of your mind, SO THAT YOU MAY PROVE WHAT THE WILL OF GOD IS, that which is GOOD and ACCEPTABLE and PERFECT.'

In other words, change you mind so you can prove how wonderful God is! How wonderful and perfect His will is!
Please note that it does NOT say so we can prove how God blesses us be giving us cancer or killing our children or burning down our church!
How about these Scriptures?

'Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with Whom THERE IS NO VARIATION OR SHIFTING SHADOW.' [James 1:17] 

'For the Lord God is a sun and shield; the Lord gives grace and glory; NO GOOD THING DOES HE WITHHOLD from those who walk uprightly.' [Psalm 84:11] 

'But BY HIS DOING you are in Christ Jesus, Who became to us WISDOM from God, and RIGHTEOUSNESS and sanctification and redemption, so that, just as it is written, "Let him who boasts, boast in the Lord."' [1 Corinthians 1:30,31]

Complete
Colossians 2:9,10 says 'For in Him ALL THE FULNESS OF DEITY DWELLS IN BODILY FORM, and in Him you have been made complete [full]...'

Put this together with 1 John 4:17...'By this, love is perfected with us, so that we may have confidence in the day of judgment; because AS HE IS, SO ALSO ARE WE IN THIS WORLD.'

And again, "The glory which You have given Me I HAVE GIVEN TO THEM, that they may be one, just as We are one..." [John 17:22]

Then there's the [I think] most mind-blowing Scripture in the Bible [that no one believes], '...and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be FILLED UP TO ALL THE FULNESS OF GOD.'

In Colossians 1:11, the Holy Spirit Himself prays that we be strengthened with ALL POWER!!

So What's the Problem?
If these things are true, and they are, what's the problem?

Why are so many Christians struggling with sickness, lack and oppression of every kind?

Proverbs 23:7 tell us 'For as he thinks within himself—reckons in his soul—so he is.' That's why we're told to renew our minds if we want to prove the good and perfect and acceptable will of God!

Yes, Jesus taught us to speak to the natural world to change things, as does much of the rest of the Bible [particularly Proverbs and the Psalms]. But before speaking, we must BELIEVE! [Mark 11:22-24]

We've been deceived, alright...right out of our inheritance! In the Old Testament, we read that all things belong to God...in the New Testament, we're heirs of God, fellow heirs with Christ, and all things belong to us! [Romans 8:17, 1 Corinthians 3:21,22]

If Jesus is the fulfillment of Scripture—the very Word Himself, and we are in Him and He is in us—what about Isaiah 57:14? 'And it WILL be said, "Build up, build up, prepare the way, REMOVE EVERY OBSTACLE OUT OF THE WAY OF MY PEOPLE."'

How about Isaiah 26:7...'The way of the righteous is smooth; O Upright one, make the path of the righteous level.'

Or Psalm 1:1-4?

'How blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, nor stand in the path of sinners, nor sit in the seat of scoffers! But his delight is in the law of the LORD 

And in His law he meditates day and night. 

'He will be like a tree firmly planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in its season and its leaf does not wither; and in whatever he does, he PROSPERS.'

Did you realize that Jesus is the fulfillment of Psalm 91 for us? For our families?

Before the Curse/After Jesus
Let's look at Adam, before the fall. His job was to reign upon the earth and commune with God. God did everything else—provided a wonderfully abundant place to live, provided a beautiful soulmate...He even brought the animals to him to name! [Girls, there were even jewels and gold there...Genesis 2:12!]

You know the story. Adam severed his relationship with God, then it was all struggle and toil. Mankind could only prosper to the extent that he was strong...this is called a CURSE!

You see, in God's eyes, it is a curse to have to struggle without Him, and a blessing to live in His provision! He then began to make covenants with men, to bless them if they would permit it!

Until the final Covenant—Jesus, the Last Adam and the Firstborn of Many Brethren [that's us]. 'He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him over for us all, how will He not also with Him FREELY GIVE US ALL THINGS? [Romans 8:32]

Christ has REDEEMED US FROM THE CURSE, having become the curse for us!

In Deuteronomy 30, we see how God looks at things. He set before the Israelites LIFE AND PROSPERITY, and DEATH AND ADVERSITY. See how He linked those things together? Not life and adversity or death and prosperity [in the sweet by-and-by]...just the opposite! And Jesus came to give us life!

The Jesus Race
2 Corinthians 5:17 tells us 'Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a NEW CREATURE; the old things have passed away; behold new things have come.'

Jesus came to destroy the works of the devil [1 John 3:8] and He made clear just what those works are..."The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly—have abundance. [John 10:10]

He came to create a new race—He was the Last Adam! A race of God-filled men and women, with authority over all the power of the enemy [Luke 10:19] who would show His Glory and His good and perfect and acceptable will!

I think, and this is just my opinion, that when Jesus told us to speak to things, believing that they would obey, He was giving us the Kingdom way of living in the earth. He was reinforcing everything the Book of Proverbs taught...the easy way, the Kingdom way of reigning in life!

But where are they? Cowering in churches, sick and broke. Why? Because they don't know any better! They don't know who they are In Christ or what God's will for them really is! They don't know that the Holy Spirit prayed that they be FILLED UP TO ALL THE FULNESS OF GOD [and that His prayers are answered...]

It's time to renew our minds to the Word of God, so we can PROVE what is the good and perfect and acceptable will of God! To walk as Jesus, our Brother and example did, speaking to the natural world, walking away from crazy mobs, healing the sick and raising the dead.

Rambling...
Yes, I'm rambling, it's true. I'm having a hard time expressing what's in my heart.

Here it is [the point].

Believe God and enter into His rest. [Hebrews 4]

Start to expect the blessing instead of the curse. When people tell you how hard life is supposed to be for Christians, don't listen. Meditate on the Word of God—as God told Joshua,

"No man will be able to stand before you all the days of your life. Just as I have been with Moses, I will be with you; I will not fail you or forsake you. 

"This book of the law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it; for then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have success. 

"Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous! Do not tremble or be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go. [Joshua 1:5,8,9]

Read my post Easy Does It and all the ones on Yad. Go ahead, read them all—they're all about this!

Maybe it's easier than we think, or have been taught. Enter into His rest, demonstrate His glory. Renew your mind, expect good—expect blessings and miracles to come easily to you. Speak His good Word into the earth and expect it to come to pass.

Another Great Tip...

When you're feeling low, or scared, or worried, or oppressed in any way, speak the Word of God into the situation.

Don't know or can't remember a specific, relevant word?

Speak the Name of Jesus...Jesus, Jesus, Jesus.

Why?
1...According to Revelations 19:13, His Name IS the Word of God!

2...At the Name of Jesus, every knee must bow, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth. [Philippians 2:10]

So you're speaking out the entire Word of God and the whole authority in the Name of Jesus in one word. Deliverance and peace, in one word. Authority over all the power of the evil one, in one word.

Jesus.

No Condemnation

Romans 8:1 is one of the most comforting scriptures in the Bible. Most Christians believe that we are cleansed from sin and unrighteousness upon salvation, and they are correct. But many seem to be misinformed about the commission of and penalty for sin after the new birth.

If you're like me, you struggle with guilt over mistakes you've made since becoming a Christian. We seem to feel that mistakes made now are somehow different—worse, possible unforgivable. Many Christians of certain denominations believe that to sin is to lose one's salvation altogether, and that one must be born again—again and again and again.

Or we feel that we may be forgiven for sin committed after the New Birth, but God will no longer deliver us from the earthly consequences of that sin because we should've known better.

All of these mistaken beliefs result in guilt, shame, condemnation and fear...which in turn result in a crippled Christian walk. Hmm.....

NOW...No Condemnation
When we read Romans 7, we see that Paul felt the same way...wanting to do the right thing but missing the mark. He even called himself a wretched man!

But the Comforter—the Holy Spirit—must've whispered Romans 8:1 into his ear, because the very next thing he writes is that there is NOW...now, now, now...NO CONDEMNATION for those who are in Christ Jesus!

'Therefore there is NOW no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death.

'For what the Law could not do, weak as it was through the flesh, God did: sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and as an offering for sin, He condemned sin in the flesh, so that the requirement of the Law might be fulfilled in us, who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.' [Romans 8:1-4]

What I love about this passage is that is written to Christians, by one of the chief writers of the New Testament, and it is always in the now. Now is now, not a few minutes ago, but NOW. It's always now, and we're always free from the law of sin and death.

We’re redeemed from the curse of the Law! [Galatians 3:13]

Saints
Paul makes it clear that, while our spirits are reborn, our bodies need to be presented to God as living and holy sacrifices and our minds renewed. [Romans 12:1] He seems to be acutely aware of the struggle between wanting to do what is right and not always following though.

But what I really love is that we are referred to as 'saints' throughout the Word. The Greek word for saint is hagios...a MOST HOLY THING! God sees us as His most holy ones—a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God's own possession! [! Peter 2:9]

Titus 2:14 tells us that He gave Himself for us to redeem us from every lawless deed and to purify for Himself a people for His own possession!

Freed from condemnation, holy, purified—that's us!

Satan
Of course, the adversary knows these things. He knows we're free, just like he knows we're one Spirit with the Lord and strengthened with all power in our inner man.

He knows that if he can keep us bound with guilt, shame and condemnation he can keep us powerless...which in turn lets him do whatever he wants because there's no one to stop him. He's called the Deceiver for good reason!

Revelations 21:10 calls him the accuser of the brethren—he who accuses them before our God day and night—but says that he has been thrown down! Hallelujah! If God isn't listening to him, neither should we! God didn't give him the time of day...He just threw that lying sack OUT!!

Enjoy your freedom
Only knowing the truth will set us free. There is NOW no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus!

1 John 1:9 says 'If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.' In our spirit, we've been made the righteousness of God in Christ...but if we screw up in our minds or in our bodies, we confess our sins and are immediately cleansed.

"I, even I, am the one who wipes out your transgressions for My own sake, and I will not remember your sins." [Isaiah 43:25]

'As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us.' [Psalm 103:12]

Go ahead...enjoy your freedom. Jesus paid dearly for it, once and for all.

Related posts: Requirement Fulfilled!, An Eternal Perspective...God's POV, Be the Ball..., Thoughts on the New Birth

Let The Weak Say...

'...Let the weak SAY, "I am a mighty man." [Joel 3:10]

Because we live on two planes--two universes, if you will, the natural and the spiritual--it can get confusing. We walk in the earth but in the Spirit we are seated IN HEAVENLY PLACES IN CHRIST JESUS [Ephesians 2:6]. We walk in a natural, physical body but we are also the Body of Christ in the earth--the temple of the Holy Spirit. We're in Christ but He's in us--we're one Spirit with the Lord! [1 Corinthians 6:17]

We know that God's Word is settled forever [Psalm 119:89] and that His works were finished from the foundation of the world [Hebrews 4:3]. We know that all of the promises of God are YES in Him [2 Corinthians 1:20] and that we are redeemed from the curse of the law [Galatians 3:13].

From the Word, we see that we're healed, rich, protected by angels...that our children are blessed and that we're full of love, joy and faith. We know that we are capable of greater works than Jesus did and that AS HE IS SO ARE WE IN THIS WORLD. That we can speak to mountains and storms and donkeys and trees and coins and fish and they will obey us.

But when we look around in the natural, it doesn't always match up to what we know is 1) the will of God and 2) an already accomplished fact. Where's the disconnect?

Fear—The Deadly Enemy

I've been re-reading some of the posts on this blog...there's some great stuff here, full of hope and faith.

What stops the wonderful intention of God to bless us in our lives?

I think doubt and unbelief are probably at the root of the problem. Remember, Jesus almost always said to the people He delivered, "Your faith has made you well" or "Be it done to you according to your faith."

But when you take a good look at what's behind doubt and unbelief, you almost always find fear.

And fear is the real problem.

Righteousness
Isaiah 54:14 tells us "In righteousness you will be established; you will be FAR FROM OPPRESSION, for you WILL NOT FEAR; and from TERROR, for it WILL NOT COME NEAR YOU."

We know, from many New Testament scriptures, that we've been made the righteousness of God in Christ and that we were created in righteousness and holiness of the truth. We're call saints, which in the Greek means most holy ones. And we're one Spirit with the Lord.

According to God [and He's the only one that matters] we are righteous. Even Abraham, that scoundrel, was considered righteous because of his faith in God!

We may not feel righteous because, in the flesh, we're not perfect. Maybe we've just finished screaming at the kids or kicking the cat. Maybe we've just listened to a sermon that has told us what sinners we are.

But in the Spirit, we've been perfected in love! One Spirit with the Lord—crucified with Him, buried in baptism, raised up and seated together with Him in heavenly places! [Ephesians 2, Galatians 2, Colossians 2]

Hallelujah!

So we see that our righteousness is not the problem. Jesus became righteousness to us! [1 Corinthians 1:30]

Oppression
Yet many of us feel oppressed and defeated—joyless, trapped, alone.

Back to Isaiah 54. "...you will be FAR FROM OPPRESSION, for you WILL NOT FEAR; and from TERROR, for it WILL NOT COME NEAR YOU."

Oppression comes from fear! Fear, which we know from Job 4 and 2 Timothy 1, is a spirit. This is a Bible fact, not conjecture from a small group of wackos! [Read Fear]

Now, the interesting thing about this verse is the phrase '...for YOU WILL NOT FEAR...' If you recall, another thing Jesus almost always said to those He was about to deliver was "Fear not."

It seems, from the verse in Isaiah 54 and from Jesus' own ministry that 1) our fear—our response to the spirit of fear—is optional, our choice; and 2) both fear and faith have a direct outcome on whether or not we receive our requests.

So if you're feeling oppressed, you're probably in fear about something. That fear is the root of doubt, which turns quickly into unbelief. And since faith is how we access the blessings that God has already provided, this is a real problem.

Love
The Holy Spirit, writing through John, has some interesting things to say about the connection between love and fear.

Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God.

We have come to know and have believed the love which God has for us. God is love, and the one who abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him. By this, love is perfected with us, so that we may have confidence in the day of judgment; because as He is, so also are we in this world.

There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves punishment, and the one who fears is not perfected in love. [1 John 4:15-18]

Okay, so let's put it all together. Fear is a spirit as well as an internal response to that spirit, and it brings oppression. I John 4:18 says it involves punishment.

Fear, like faith, is an attractive force—Job said "For what I fear comes upon me, and what I dread befalls me." [Job 3:25] And we all know what happened to him!

That's why fear brings oppression—it attracts that which is feared!

According to Jesus, fear is a choice. According to Jesus speaking through John, fear is cast out by perfect love. And love is perfected in us if we abide in God and He abides in us!

Deceiver
So where's the problem? In our spirits, we are One with Him, seated in Him in heavenly places, with authority over all the power of the enemy. Love is perfected in our reborn spirits and we have the power not to fear.

The problem is deception. Christians, for the most part, reject any part the imagination plays in our lives. We point to New Agers and say because they believe in the power of imagination, it must be wrong.

But they got it from us! I've already written lots on that topic...suffice it to say that we use it every day and it is a powerful component of faith. Satan knows this—he also knows that he has no power over us. So he uses our own power against us.

How? By deceiving us. By showing us pictures of bad stuff happening, by whispering in our ears and telling us it's not going to work for us this time. [Job 4:12]

Agreement
The concept of agreement is an important one in the Bible. Adam agreed with Satan instead of God and fell. The people agreed to build the tower at Babel and God said "...now nothing they purpose to do will be impossible for them."

God said that! Nothing will be impossible to those who purpose and speak in agreement! And He was talking about mere men, not those reborn of His Spirit!

Jesus said if two agree about anything it would be done for them by His Father!

Faith is agreeing with God. Agreeing that His Word is true and settled forever...already accomplished. Faith believes that what God says is finished, settled, true and available for us in the earth.

Ditto for fear, but in reverse. Fear believes that the deceptions and lies of the enemy are truer than God's word, a kind of inevitable reality. Fear is faith in evil—faith in being abandoned or neglected by God, faith that His Word isn't for us today, faith in the lie that He sends sickness and poverty to teach us something. Fear is faith in His being a capricious tyrant...good to some and awful to others. Whatever will be will be, God is sovereign.

Yikes.

Yes, God is sovereign, and what He decided to do with His sovereignty is to give us the power to reign in life through the One Christ Jesus! He gave us the power to talk to mountains and trees and storms and fish...to heal sick bodies and raise the dead!

He's sovereign, that's true... and His plan is for us is to be His Body in the earth, to be kings and priests and to reign on the earth! [Revelations 5:10]

Agreement is key to walking by faith and defeating fear. Agree with God, even if it's not what you learned in Sunday School, even if your pastor and church friends think you're blaspheming. Agree with Him in your imagination—see yourself blessed, healed, rich, joyful and protected by angels. See the angels ministering to you like they did to Jesus because you are an heir of salvation! [Hebrews 1:13,14; Matthew 4:11]

Agree with His forever settled word in your heart and in your mouth and enter into His rest. Then and only then can you 'fear not' and be far from oppression

Related post: Fear, What Are The Giants Saying To You

The Power of Purpose...Again!

[Originally published May 1, 2009—I've already re-posted it once, but every time I re-read it, it impacts me. So, here it is again!]

Proverbs 13:12 says ‘Hope deferred makes the heart sick…’ I was praying, feeling very heart sick, because while I know the hope of the gospel, I was not seeing the results I had hoped for in the natural realm.

And I heard “You must take hold of the hope set before you. Look at the unseen—you have seen the truth that, in the Spirit, all things belong to you, richly to enjoy. You have seen the truth that, in the Spirit, all of My promises are yes in Him. And I have showed you the truth about the unseen realm from My word…Hagar’s well, Isaac’s ram, Elisha’s army…you have heard that My angel encamps around those who fear or revere Me. My word is true and established forever in the Spirit. You must take hold of spiritual reality to bring the unseen into manifestation.”

I asked “How do I do that, Lord?”

He replied “You purpose in your heart to take hold of the blessings that belong to you. You purpose in your heart to see the unseen, to walk in My blessing, to walk in the fullness of My Spirit.”

In Jeremiah 4:28, God says “…because I have spoken, I have purposed…” We know that our words are important in creating our reality from both New and Old Testament truths. But we may be missing the element of intent, or purpose, when we speak.