Abide [re-post]

A little long, but worth it! Re-posted from April 2010.

I heard Jesus say, quite clearly, "I am all paid up. Everything I have is yours. When you pray in My Name, to the Father it is as though I am praying. I am all paid up, and so are you."

I understood that, while I had been praying in the Name of Jesus, I hadn't really seen that I was praying based on His righteousness, on His completed work, which is everything! He totally fulfilled the law and gave me His righteousness...when I pray in His name, I'm praying based on His righteousness.

I had seen that, because I am one Spirit with Him, His name was my name, too, and that His Name belonged to me. But it is so much more than that!I also knew that the Name of Jesus is like a power of attorney...we can do anything with that Name that He can.

When praying for a specific thing or over a specific matter, I am tapping into His riches in glory, which is everything. Because I am in covenant with Him, everything He has, which is everything, is mine, and everything I have is His. [1 Corinthians 3:21,22]

He has already been punished for all of my sin—past, present and future. [Romans 6:10; Hebrews 7:27, 9:12; 1 Peter 3:18] And He has redeemed me from the curse of the Law—all of the curse which results from not keeping all the Law. [Galatians 3:13]

So any idea of prayer being answered or not answered based on my performance is in error.

With or Without?

As long as you are the one without in your thinking, you will be without in your life.

As long as you stay in the mindset that you are waiting for God to move, as long as you stay in the begging mentality, you are without.

The one without has not received. And as you think within yourself, so you are.

A popular saying is 'as within, so without.' While this is not a direct quote from scripture, it is what the Bible teaches.

'For as he thinks within himself, so he is...' [Proverbs 23:7]

"It shall be done to you according to your faith." [Matthew 9:29]

'The good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth what is good; and the evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth what is evil...' [Luke 6:45]

'Beloved, I pray that in all respects you may prosper and be in good health, just as your soul prospers.' [3 John 2]

We see from Romans 10 that faith is always in two places...the heart, or inner man, who believes, and the mouth, that speaks into the natural realm. One creates a spiritual state, the other a natural state. But the spiritual state always comes first.

Think about it. Are you still on the asking side, or have you crossed over into the 'have it' stage? Which side of the timeline are you...still wanting, or already possessing?

Are you still the one without, or the one with? Are your prayers answered or unanswered?

[Now this is important...1 John 5 says that if we ask ANYTHING according to His will, He hears us, and if He hears us, we have the requests we have asked from Him. If you've asked according to His will, which is revealed in His Word, you have it. Period. All the promises of God are YES in Him.]

Remember...

"Have faith in God. Truly I say to you, whoever SAYS to this mountain, 'Be taken up and cast into the sea,' and does not doubt in his heart, but BELIEVES that what he SAYS is going to happen, it will be granted him.

"Therefore I say to you, ALL THINGS for which you PRAY and ASK, BELIEVE THAT YOU HAVE RECEIVED THEM, and they will be granted you." [Mark 11:22-24]

See the unseen. See yourself as the one with the promises, with the answered prayer. See yourself as blessed, healed, protected by angels, surrounded by the favor of God.

The Word calls us blessed. God the Father SAID that we are blessed. And what He says happens...

Cultivate your inner vision. And don't just see it once a week, or once a day. Train yourself to see it all the time...the Word fulfilled in your life.

See yourself as God sees you...as He [Jesus] IS, so are you in this world. [1 John 4:17]

Hallelujah!

Think

'Beloved, I pray that in all respects you may prosper and be in good health, just as your SOUL prospers.' [3 John 2]

'For as he THINKS within himself, so he is.' [Proverbs 23:7]

You become what you think. This is a Bible truth, one of the Word's revelation as to how things really work.

The other is this: you can have what you say. Guess what?

"The good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth what is good; and the evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth what is evil; for his MOUTH SPEAKS from that which fills his heart." [Luke 6:45]

You think before you speak, good or bad.

So change your thoughts. Think the end from the beginning. Think healed, think rich, think angels protecting you and your family. Think joy, think from the right hand of God in Christ. Think completely delivered from all fears, all afflictions, all troubles.

When you catch yourself thinking bad stuff, beware. If it's contrary to the Word, such as 'I'll never get through this, I don't know what to do, there's no way out...' know that those are not God thoughts and change your thoughts.

Renew your mind...

'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.' [Romans 12:2]

'Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things.' [Philippians 4:8]

Just do it.

Already Blessed [re-post]

What's your inner image? Are you struggling to find the magic key that unlocks God's blessings? Trying to make the mark, to be good enough to actually receive the promises of God now, in the earth? Feeling frustrated, blocked on every side?

What you've got is an inner image problem. One nurtured by erroneous teachings and pervasive cultural thinking, to be sure, but a problem nonetheless.

Let's get back to biblical basics. If you've been born again, you're already forgiven, already delivered, already an overcomer...already blessed.

Made Righteous...Already
We've been made the righteousness of God in Christ [2 Corinthians 5:20]. By His doing we are in Christ Jesus, Who became to us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification, and redemption...[1 Corinthians 1:30,31]. Crucified with Him, buried, raised up together with Him and seated with Him in the heavenly places [Galatians 2:20; Ephesians 2:5,6; Colossians 2:12-14].

Do you see yourself as more than a conqueror, called to reign in life, doing the works of Jesus? [Romans 8:37; 5:17; John 14:12]

Picture Him at the tomb of Lazarus...before calling him out of the grave, Jesus said "Father, I thank you that You have heard Me. I knew that You always hear Me...[John 11:41, 42]. 1 John 4:17 says '...as He is, so are we in this world.'

This spiritual state of being one Spirit with the Lord [1 Corinthians 6:17] is an accomplished fact. We are already seated with and in Him in heavenly places. We are already forgiven, for sins past, present and future. Our confession of them cleanses our bodies and minds, but the spirit within is Jesus—always righteous, always perfect, full of grace and glory.

New Covenant
As the Church of God, the Body of Christ in the earth, we need to stop thinking like Old Covenant people. Yes, all of the promises of the Old Covenant are fulfilled for us in Christ, all are 'yes' in Him [2 Corinthians 11:20] but we don't have to earn them anymore. We are redeemed from the curse of the law, because Jesus became that curse for us so that we could receive the blessings of Abraham [Galatians 3:13,14]. The curse of the law was, in essence, what happened to you if you failed to obey the law. The blessings were what you got if you did obey.

Jesus took the curse for us—we get the blessings because we're in Him, the very seed of Abraham! To the Father, we look like Jesus—we've already perfectly fulfilled all the law, and are already blessed with every spiritual blessing in Christ [Ephesians 1:3].

One of the blessings of Abraham was great wealth—in most churches, we're told that it's okay to be comfortable, but God forbid that we aspire to great wealth!

I've got news for you...it's already ours! It's our birthright! Romans 8:32 says '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?'

Another one of Abraham's blessings was that his descendants [us] would possess the gates of their enemies [Genesis 22:17]. Jesus told his disciples, when they were not even born again, that they had authority over all the works of the devil! But we, the very body of Christ in the earth, live defeated lives, always struggling against unseen foes that we assume are far more powerful than we!

Image Correction
Start to imagine yourself like the Bible says you are. You're like Jesus—in fact, you are Jesus in the earth! Your old, nasty self was crucified with Him, and you've been reborn, one Spirit with the Lord! You are, individually and collectively, the Body of Christ. Called to reign in life! Correct that old inner image and refuse to listen to anything contrary to the Word of God, no matter who or what it is! You are not under the Old Covenant--you are a new creature in Christ! Old things have passed away! [2 Corinthians 5:17]

Instead of wondering 'Can He, will He [fill in the blank] for me?' thank Him for what He's already done! His word is settled forever [Psalm 119:89] and He has decreed you blessed! He has already said 'Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus...' [Romans 8:1] He has already declared you accepted in the Beloved! [Ephesians 1:6] Strengthened with all power in your inner man! [Colossians 1:11]

And when you consider that Jesus said that He and the Father would come and make their abode—their dwelling—in the ones that love Him...the mind reels!

Work the Word

Want to walk free from sin? Free from doubt, unbelief and failure?

Want the wisdom of God in every situation...at work, at school, at home?

Someone once said your life will be the result of the four people you spend the most time with...why? Because you are soaking your mind with their speech and their beliefs.

What if you spent time with Jesus?

That sounds great, but how would you do that, exactly?

By spending time in the Word...Jesus IS the Word!

He IS the WORD! All of it, manifested in flesh and blood.

'In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and THE WORD WAS GOD. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has cone into being. In Him [The Word] was LIFE, and the LIFE was the LIGHT of men. The LIGHT shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.

' And the WORD became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.' [John 1:1-5,14]

'He is clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called THE WORD OF GOD. And the armies which are in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, were following Him on white horses. From HIS MOUTH comes a SHARP SWORD...' [Revelation 19:13-15]

That's why 2 Corinthians 1:20 can say...

'For as many as are the promises of God, in Him they are YES; therefore also through Him is our AMEN to the glory of God through us.'

Get it? Every promise, or word, of God is YES in Him because THEY ARE HIM!!! And we are one Spirit with the Lord! [1 Corinthians 6:17]

Okay. Now What?
Here are some of the reasons it's important to read the Word every day, to speak the Word every day, to meditate on the Word throughout the day:

'Establish my footsteps in Your Word, and do not let any iniquity have dominion over me. Redeem me from the oppression of man, that I may keep Your precepts. Make Your face shine upon Your servant, and teach me Your statutes.' [Psalm 119:133-135]

'The law of the Lord is perfect, restoring the soul; the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple.' [Psalm 19:7]

'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.' [Joshua 1:8]

"It is the Spirit Who gives life; the flesh profits nothing; the WORDS that I have spoken to you are SPIRIT and LIFE." [John 6:64]

'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.' [Romans 12;2]

Jesus said "It is written, 'Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every WORD that proceeds out of the mouth of God.'" [Matthew 4:4]

It is the Word, or Jesus, that transforms us.

We are already one Spirit with THE WORD!! We are already the WORD multiplied! [Acts 12:24] But to be transformed to reflect that truth in the earth, we must renew our minds. And we do that by meditating and speaking the WORD of God.

Want to be transformed? Meditate on and speak the Word.

Work the Word. It is settled forever, and He watches over it to perform it. [Psalm 119:89, Jeremiah 1:12]

Hallelujah!

Related articles: The Word, He Commanded, You Are The Second Witness, The Word Became Flesh, The Door Of Your Lips, His Word His Command, Watching Over His Word, Decreed, His Eternal Word, Finished

Rescue

Ever feel like you need rescuing?

Consider these...

'The LORD lives, and blessed be my rock; and exalted be God, the rock of my salvation, the God who executes vengeance for me, and brings down peoples under me, Who also brings me out from my enemies; You even lift me above those who rise up against me; You rescue me from the violent man.

'Therefore I will give thanks to You, O LORD, among the nations, and I will sing praises to Your name. "He is a tower of deliverance to His king, and shows lovingkindness to His anointed, to David and his descendants forever." [2 Samuel 22:47-51]

'Return, O Lord, rescue my soul; save my because of Your lovingkindness...The Lord has heard my supplication, the Lord receives my prayer. All my enemies will be ashamed and greatly dismayed; they shall not turn back, ' [Psalm 6:4]

'Yet You are holy, O You who are enthroned upon the praises of Israel. In You our fathers trusted; they trusted and You delivered them. To You they cried out and were delivered; in You they trusted and were not disappointed.' [Psalm 22:3-5]

'In You, O LORD, I have taken refuge; Let me never be ashamed; in Your righteousness deliver me. Incline Your ear to me, rescue me quickly; be to me a rock of strength, a stronghold to save me.

'For You are my rock and my fortress; for Your name's sake You will lead me and guide me. You will pull me out of the net which they have secretly laid for me, for You are my strength. Into Your hand I commit my spirit; You have ransomed me, O LORD, God of truth.' [Psalm 31:1-5]

'Contend, O LORD, with those who contend with me; fight against those who fight against me. Take hold of buckler and shield and rise up for my help. Draw also the spear and the battle-axe to meet those who pursue me; Say to my soul, "I am your salvation."

'Let those be ashamed and dishonored who seek my life; let those be turned back and humiliated who devise evil against me. Let them be like chaff before the wind, with the angel of the LORD driving them on.

'Let their way be dark and slippery, with the angel of the LORD pursuing them. For without cause they hid their net for me; without cause they dug a pit for my soul. Let destruction come upon him unawares and let the net which he hid catch himself; into that very destruction let him fall.

And my soul shall rejoice in the LORD; it shall exult in His salvation.' [Psalm 35:1-9]

"Call upon Me in the day of trouble; I shall rescue you, and you will honor Me." [Psalm 50:15]

'Be gracious to me, O God, be gracious to me, for my soul takes refuge in You; and in theshadow of Your wings I will take refuge until destruction passes by. I will cry to God Most High, to God Who accomplishes all things for me. He will send from heaven and save me; He reproaches him who tramples upon me. God will send forth His lovingkindness and His truth.' [Psalm 57: 1-3]

'In You, O LORD, I have taken refuge; let me never be ashamed. In Your righteousness deliver me and rescue me; incline Your ear to me and save me. Be to me a rock of habitation to which I may continually come; You have given commandment to save me, for You are my rock and my fortress.

Rescue me, O my God, out of the hand of the wicked, Out of the grasp of the wrongdoer and ruthless man, for You are my hope; O Lord GOD, You are my confidence from my youth.' [Psalm 71:1-5]

"Because he has loved Me, therefore I will deliver him; I will set him securely on high, because he has known My name. He will call upon Me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble; I will rescue him and honor him. With a long life I will satisfy him and let him see My salvation." [Psalm 91:14-16]

'Look upon my affliction and rescue me, for I do not forget Your law. Plead my cause and redeem me; revive me according to Your word.' [Psalm 119:153,154]

These scriptures are just a start. It is obvious that God is a rescuer of those who call upon Him.

Meditate on these scriptures...they are Spirit and they are Life. Remember, Jesus IS the Word, and we are One Spirit with Him, the Word multiplied!

And do not be deceived...His Word is for you!

'For as many as are the promises of God, IN HIM they are YES; therefore also through HIm is our AMEN [so be it] to the glory of God through us.' [2 Corinthians 1:21]

Forget every sermon you've ever heard, or every book you've ever read, that told you 'sometimes the answer is no.' Instead, believe God.

Meditate on these wonderful promises until they renew your mind, for it is the renewal of the mind that transforms your life.

Not...

"Your potential is God!" [Bill Winston]

We are the Word multiplied, the Word in the earth...the YAD [or hand] of God in this world!

We are programmed by the enemy that many things are impossible, too hard for us. But nothing is too hard for the Lord! All things are possible with God!! All things are possible to him who believes!

Believes what? That all things are possible!

We are with God, He is with us...He is in us, and we are in Him!

Therefore, anything we think is too hard or impossible is NOT!!

So if you're faced with a situation that seems impossible, realize that you are IN Christ Jesus. In John 14, Jesus told us that He and the Father would come to abide with us, along with the Comforter...the Holy Spirit.

That's the Triune God...three Persons in One, living inside of EACH born again Christian.

He is definitely with us. Therefore, it is written, all things are possible for us.

That impossible situation just looks impossible...Satan is called the Deceiver, after all. But it's not.

Do what the Word says. Look at the eternal unseen...the forever settled Word of God, His work finished from the foundation of the world. Agree with Him by speaking it into the earth as the third witness...the Word, the Blood and you.

Read If It Looks Impossible...

The Word

Jesus is the Word and He lives in us...we are one Spirit with the Lord, the Word multiplied, born of the imperishable seed which is the Word of God. [John 1:1; 1 Corinthians 6:17; Acts 12:24; 1 Peter 1:23]

He is ALL of the Word, not part of it. And we know from 2 Corinthians 1:20 that as many as are the promises of God, in Him they are yes, therefore also through Him is our Amen [so be it] to the GLORY OF GOD through us.

That sounds a lot like Ephesians 3:20,21...

'Now to Him who is able to do FAR MORE ABUNDANTLY beyond all that we ask or think, according to the POWER that works WITHIN us, to Him be the GLORY in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever. Amen'

He is the sum of everything God has spoken, and so are we who are one with Him! We are born of the imperishable seed which is the Word of God, the Word multiplied...His Body, the fulness of Him Who fills all in all! [1 Peter 1:23, Acts 12:24, Ephesians 1:23]

We are partakers of the Divine Nature, granted to us by His precious and magnificent promises. [2 Peter 1:4]

So How Would It Work, Exactly?

'You will make known to me the path of life; In Your presence is fullness of joy; In Your right hand there are pleasures forever.' [Psalm 16:11]

This is fulfilled for us, in us, through us! And out of the good treasure of the heart, our mouths should speak!

God has made known to us the path of life. In His presences, where we are seated in heavenly places in Christ, is fulness of joy for us, in us! At His right hand, where we are already, are pleasure forever, for us, in us, through us!

Hallelujah! [Which means 'Praise the Lord!'