Jump Up and Down

I had an epiphany the other day.

Something truly wonderful happened to me…I mean out of the ordinary, unexpected favor that resulted in something wonderful.

I couldn’t stop smiling or shouting all day. Every once in a while, I had to jump up and down a little.

Then it hit me. 

Jesus told me to believe I receive WHEN I PRAY.

Not when it finally shows up.

And this is how I should feel if I really believed that it was a done deal. Jumping up and down happy.

Oh.

How Do We Know?
How do we know it’s finished? How do we know it’s His will?

1 John 5:14 says ‘This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that he hears us—whatever we ask—we KNOW that we have what we asked of Him.’ [NIV]

So to know that it’s finished, we must ask according to His will.

His Word IS His will!

Here are a few more scriptures to ponder:

‘…although His works were FINISHED from the foundation of the world.’ [Hebrews 4:3]

‘But the one who joins himself to the Lord is ONE SPIRIT WITH HIM.’ [1 Corinthians 6:17]

‘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.’ [2 Corinthians 1:20]

‘But we have the mind of Christ.’ [1 Corinthians 2:16]

‘”Whatever you ask in My name, that will I do, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask Me anything in My name, I will do it.”’ [John 14:13,14]

‘Beloved, I pray that in ALL RESPECTS you may prosper and be in good health, just as your soul prospers.’ [3 John 1:2]

‘Do not be deceived, my beloved brethren. 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 1:16,17]

‘So then let no one boast in men. For ALL THINGS BELONG TO YOU, whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas or the world or life or death or things present or things to come; ALL THINGS BELONG TO YOU, and you belong to Christ ; and Christ belongs to God.’ [1 Corinthians 3:21-23]

‘...and if children, heirs also, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ…’ [Romans 8:17]

In other words, it all belongs to you anyway and it’s all already finished. You’re One Spirit with Him.

If it’s good, it’s God’s will for your life.

If it’s promised in the Word, it’s already yes and amen.

Base your requests on the Word and KNOW that He heard you, and that if He heard you, you have what you asked.

That’s believing you receive when you pray:

‘”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 11:24]

And joy should be the result.

‘Until now you have asked for nothing in My name; ASK AND YOU WILL RECEIVE, so that your JOY may be made full.”’ [John 16:24]

So if you ask according to His Word [His will], believe you receive WHEN YOU PRAY. When you say ‘AMEN’ or so be it, see it done. Know that it’s done.

Feel the same way you would if something completely wonderful happened.

Because it did, before the foundation of the world. 

Hallelujah!

The Purpose of Discouragement

We've been brainwashed to believe that discouragement is a fact of life...you win some, you lose some, sigh. Things don’t always work out, it might not work for you, blah blah blah, sigh. Cry.

But what does the Word say?

‘For when they went up to the valley of Eshcol and saw the land, they discouraged the sons of Israel so that they did not go into the land which the LORD had given them.’ [Numbers 32:9]

‘Then the people of the land discouraged the people of Judah, and frightened them from building…’ [Ezra 4:4]

"’For all of them were trying to frighten us, thinking, "They will become discouraged with the work and it will not be done."’ [Nehemiah 6:9]

‘Then the officials said to the king, "Now let this man be put to death, inasmuch as he is discouraging the men of war who are left in this city and all the people, by speaking such words to them; for this man is not seeking the well-being of this people but rather their harm." [Jeremiah 38:4]

It is clear from these passages that the purpose of discouragement is to stop us from possessing the promises of God or succeeding in His will for us. Which, actually, are the same thing…if it wasn’t His will for us to enjoy His promises, He wouldn’t have made them! But that’s another topic for another time…

We know that all of the promises of God are YES in Him [1 Corinthians 6:17] and that His works were finished from the foundation of the world [Hebrews 4:3] We know that His Word is settled forever [Psalm 119:89] and that He watches over His Word to perform it [Jeremiah 1:12]. In fact, He said:

‘So will My word be which goes forth from My mouth ; It will not return to Me empty, without accomplishing what I desire, And without succeeding in the matter for which I sent it.’ [Isaiah 55:11]

So when you’re feeling discouraged, remember…it’s one and only purpose is to stop you in your tracks…it is NOT for your well-being but for your harm.

To stop His Word from succeeding in the matter for which He sent it.

Lay It Aside

The Lord had placed a hedge of protection and prosperity around Job...but Job said "For what I fear comes upon me, and what I dread befalls me." [Job 3:25]

Therefore, it was his fear that broke the hedge down! Like faith, which is the actual substance of things hoped for, fear is the substance of things feared.

His fear and dread was the substance of the holes in the hedge that let satan attack him!

Pop philosophy tells us that FEAR is False Evidence Appearing as Reality.

This is a true statement.

For the eternal things—the things not seen by the naked eye—stand forever. They are in the Spirit, and are the source of all things natural and physical.

The Word
The prophecies about The Messiah were the Word of God, settled forever. Once spoken into the earth, they became The Messiah! The Word made flesh!

The Father created all things through and for Him—the Word—and they became physical reality. And in the same manner, He spoke the Word to and about us, His Body...Jesus is those Words, too! He is THE WORD of God...and we are THE WORD multiplied!

Isaiah 40:8 says the Word of our God stands forever. In Isaiah 55:11, God makes it clear that He sends His Word with purpose—to accomplish what He desires and to succeed in the matter for which He sent it.

So when fear, which is a lying spirit [Job 4:12-17] comes upon us, we have two choices. Believe the lie or believe the truth—the Word.

Here's the thing...we are one Spirit with the Lord. In our spirit, we know the difference. In our Spirit, we have the love of God which was poured out into our hearts by the Holy Spirit Who was given to us. [Romans 5:5] And God is love!

Jesus said that He AND the Father would live in us through the Holy Spirit [John 14]...the Triune God, living in earthen vessels.

That's why He told us to talk to trees and mountains...why He was always demonstrating the power of the spoken word in the earth. Because He knew we would be full of God, according to John 14 and Ephesians 3, and that's how God operates. He even explained that the least in the Kingdom would be greater than the greatest prophet in the Old Covenant, and that we would do greater works than He did!

How is that possible? Because He knew that we would be crucified and buried with Him at Calvary and be reborn of the imperishable seed, which is the living Word of God! [Romans 6:6; Galatians 2:20; Colossians 2:12; 1 Peter 1:23] He knew that the fulness of the Godhead would reside in us, individually and corporately. And He knew how the system works.

So What's the Problem?
The problem is fear. Or to be more precise, our lack of understanding of what fear is and how to deal with it.

Fear attacks the mind, and the mind chooses what to believe. Believe the truth or believe the lie.

But in our reborn spirits, we have the Mind of Christ and know the truth.

That's why Romans 12:2 says:

'And DO NOT BE conformed to this world [which means we have the choice and the power to exercise that choice] 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.' [emphasis and comments, mine]

Proverbs 23:7 confirms this:

'For as he thinks within himself, SO HE IS...'

Now, Proverbs 18:21 tells us the death and life are in the power [yad, or hand] of the tongue...and Deuteronomy 30:11-20 makes it clear that that choice is ours.

So we know that if we need transformation in any area of our life, the choice to be transformed is ours, in our mouths. This is the first thing we need to renew our minds to, that we have the power, resident in our tongues!

The second is that God's Word is truth, and forever settled, for us...that every promise of God is YES in Him. That He does not withhold from Himself and that He cannot lie.

To do this, we need to learn to lay aside our thoughts, if they are not in alignment with the Word.

The Holy Spirit, through Paul says it like this:

"We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ...' [2 Corinthians 10:5]

He calls speculations 'lofty things raised up against the knowledge of God.'

Why is this a problem? Because...

"Grace and peace be 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 His own glory and excellence.

For by 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.' [2 Peter 1:2-4]

It is by the true knowledge of Him that we gain access to the divine nature and to the things granted to us by His divine power.

So we either agree with Him or we agree with the lies. And what we choose to believe accesses the blessing or the curse, life or death, prosperity or adversity.

We choose either life or death, and our lives are transformed accordingly.

Just Lay It Aside
When fear comes, the resulting thoughts are lofty things raised up against the knowledge of God. Why? Because the knowledge of God is where the blessings are, and the enemy knows it. He is the Deceiver, and the Father of Lies. If anything is contrary to the truth of God's Word, guess who the author is? [Yikes...just who is writing all those awful sermons?]

If fearful thoughts, worry or dread are tormenting you, choose to lay them aside.

'...that, in reference to your former manner of life, you LAY ASIDE THE OLD SELF, which is being corrupted in accordance with the lusts of DECEIT, and that you be RENEWED IN THE SPIRIT OF YOUR MIND, and PUT ON THE NEW SELF, which in THE LIKENESS OF GOD has been CREATED IN RIGHTEOUSNESS AND HOLINESS OF THE TRUTH.' [Ephesians 4:24]

'Do not lie to one another, since you laid aside the old self with its evil practices, and HAVE PUT ON the NEW SELF who is being renewed to a TRUE KNOWLEDGE according to the IMAGE OF THE ONE WHO CREATED HIM...' [Colossians 3:10]

Remember...in our born again spirits, we have the MIND OF CHRIST! [1 Corinthians 2:16]

Just do what the Psalmist did...

'When my anxious thought multiply within me, You consolations [or comforting] delight my soul.' [Psalm 94:19]

Lay aside your wrong, fearful thoughts and return to the Word of God. It will console and comfort, and will renew your mind so that you may be transformed.

Paul put it this way:

'Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

'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 4:6-8]

In other words, expect your prayers to be answered and dwell on only the good—the true, the honorable, the right, the pure, the lovely, the excellent—whatever is of good repute and worthy of praise.

Don't believe the lies—sometimes the answer is no, it may not be His will to [fill in the blank], you screwed up and don't deserve it, blah blah blah.

Lay them aside and choose to believe the truth. You are one Spirit with the Lord, created in righteousness—in the likeness of God—and all things belong to you. You died and Christ lives in you...to say you don't deserve it is to say that He doesn't deserve it, and that's just not right.

Now that's a good and lovely thing to think about!

Who Says So? [repost]

When you’re in a tough situation and all hope seems lost…when all you can think about is how much trouble you’re in, what are you going to do, there’s no way out…who says so?

Psalm 3 tell us exactly who says so…our adversaries! And we know that one of Satan’s names is The Adversary—in fact, that’s the literal meaning of his name!

'O LORD, how my adversaries have increased! Many are rising up against me.

'Many are saying of [or to ] my soul, "There is no deliverance for him in God." Selah.' [Psalm 103:1,2]

And that’s just what those voices in your head say—there is no deliverance for you in God. You haven’t been good enough, maybe He wants to teach you something, maybe He doesn’t want to help you, you don’t deserve it, you don’t need deliverance, you will have to go through it for [fill in the reason], it’ll never happen for you, He might help others but He probably won’t help you this time, blah blah blah.

But we know two things: 1) we are the redeemed, the most holy ones whom God loves; and 2) we know that all of the promises of God are ‘yes’ in Christ—and we’re in Him, by God’s doing!

So never forget…anything other than God’s good and perfect will for you is a lie. Hopelessness, fear, despair, depression…lies, lies, lies. Impossible situations and circumstances…lies, lies, lies.

The Thief
Jesus clearly delineated what was NOT from His Father when he said "The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.” [John 10:10] There’s really no room for misinterpretation there.

Imagine a blackboard with a line down the middle—one side is entitled ‘GOD’ and the other ‘satan.’ Under God we have all of the promised blessings: Jesus, salvation, the Holy Spirit, health, wealth, wisdom, love, hope, peace, the well-being of our children, angelic protection, joy [and all of the other fruits of the Spirit], etc.

Under the Satan side we have: anything that steals, anything that kills and anything that destroys. That pretty well sums it up.

Let’s read on and see what David’s response is…

'But You, O LORD, are a shield about me, My glory, and the One who lifts my head. [Hallelujah!]

'I was crying to the LORD with my voice, and He answered me from His holy mountain. Selah.

'I lay down and slept; I awoke, for the LORD sustains me.

'I will not be afraid of ten thousands of people Who have set themselves against me round about.

'Arise, O LORD; save me, O my God! For You have smitten all my enemies on the cheek; You have shattered the teeth of the wicked.

'Salvation belongs to the LORD; Your blessing {be} upon Your people! Selah. [Psalm 103:3-8]

Hallelujah! He is our shield and the One who lifts our head! He helps us based on Who He is and who we are—accepted in the Beloved. [Ephesians 1:6]

Do Not Fear
In Isaiah 41:10, God says this: “Do not fear, for I am with you; do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, surely I will help you, surely I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.”

He will surely help us; He will surely uphold us with His righteous right hand. He has given His angels charge concerning us and they guard us in all our ways [Psalm 91:11].

By the 103rd Psalm, David had it right…he instructed his soul—his mind, will and emotions—to bless the Lord continually and forget not His benefits. He then goes on to list those benefits and remind himself that He does not deal with us according to our sins nor reward us according to our iniquities! Just as a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on us!

David understood that whatever contradicts the word of God is from the adversaries—that they prey on the soul with lies to discourage us.

But our hope is in God—He will surely help us!

So should we, when discouraged and hopeless, come to our spiritual senses and realize that these are lies from our adversaries—those who are arrayed against us in the spiritual realm. Despair is a lie, and we have authority over the liars! Trust in God!

Words of Comfort
Here are some words to help. Notice how often the psalmists puts trust in their mouth…

'O my God, in You I trust, do not let me be ashamed; do not let my enemies exult over me.' [Psalm 25:2]

'But as for me, I trust in You, O LORD, I say, "You are my God."' [Psalm 31:14]

'He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God; many will see and fear and will trust in the LORD.' [Psalm 40:3]

'But You, O God, will bring them down to the pit of destruction; Men of bloodshed and deceit will not live out half their days. But I will trust in You.' [Psalm 55:23]

'In God, whose word I praise, In God I have put my trust; I shall not be afraid. What can {mere} man do to me?' [Psalm 56:4]

'In God I have put my trust, I shall not be afraid. What can man do to me?' [Psalm 56:11]

'Trust in Him at all times, O people; pour out your heart before Him; God is a refuge for us. Selah.' [Psalm 62:8]

'I will say to the LORD, "My refuge and my fortress, My God, in whom I trust!"' [Psalm 91:2]

Speaking Trust
When we speak our trust, it does a couple of things. First, Jesus said we have what we say [ref Mark 11, the whole book of Proverbs]. The Hebrew word debar is translated both word and thing …so when we declare our trust in God, our words appropriate the angelic protection that God declared in His forever settled Word [Psalm 119:89].

Second, it tells our soul what to believe—in essence, we’re replacing the lies of the adversaries that tell us that there is no deliverance for us from God. We, like David in Psalm 103 are instruction our soul what to believe and what to do! Bless the Lord, O my soul and forget none of His benefits…Hallelujah!

Jesus told us to pray “Your will be done, in earth , as it is in heaven…” He knew that God’s word was settled forever [Psalm 119:89] and that God spoke it with intent or purpose that it accomplish the thing for which He sent it [Isaiah 55:11; 46:10]. He also knew that the way to bring forth things in the earth is by faith—believing it in the heart and speaking it with the mouth. [Romans 10:9-11; Mark 11:22-24].

Put your trust in your heart and in your mouth. Speak the name of Jesus and tell the adversaries who are lying to you to shut up and get out. Then speak words of trust—have faith in God. He who believes in Him will not be disappointed. [Psalm 22:5; Romans 10:11; 2 Peter 2:6]