God Wants You Free

Consider this...

God wants and needs for you to be delivered as much if not more than you do!

We're taught, wrongfully, that we need to beg for His help, and sometimes the answer is 'No.' Maybe He wants to teach us something, or maybe we just don't deserve His help.

These things are not true. I don't care where you heard them.

'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]

'"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]

'"In that day you will not question Me about anything. Truly, truly, I say to you, if you ask the Father for anything in My name, He will give it to you. Until now you have asked for nothing in My name; ask and you WILL receive, so that your joy may be made full."' [John 16:23,24]

'...and through Him everyone who believes is freed from ALL THINGS, from which you could not be freed through the Law of Moses.' [Acts 13:39]

Already
Technically, we are already delivered from everything we need to be delivered from, because His works were finished from the foundation of the world. [Hebrews 4:3]

We are one Spirit with Him, His Body in the earth...as He is, SO ALSO ARE WE IN THIS WORLD! [1 Corinthians 6:17; Ephesians 1:23; 1 John 4:17]

'For in Him ALL THE FULLNESS of Deity—GODHEAD—dwells in bodily form, and in Him YOU HAVE BEEN MADE COMPLETE...' [Colossians 2:9,10]

Did you know that the Greek word for 'salvation' is soteria, meaning deliverance, preservation and safety? Deliverance from the molestation of enemies!! Hallelujah!

In fact, He tells us how to appropriate His will.

'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]

In other words, we are transformed when we know we are!

Transformed into the manifestation of His Word! Healed, delivered, rich, protected...

Why? So that we can PROVE what His good and acceptable and perfect will is!

We are to be His proof in the earth...proof that He is Love, proof that He is good, proof that Jesus has already paid for all sin and for all of it's consequences!

'"Pray, then, in this way: 'Our Father Who is in heaven, Hallowed be Your name.

'YOUR KINGDOM COME. YOUR WILL BE DONE, ON EARTH AS IT IS IN HEAVEN.

'Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.

'And do not lead us into temptation, but DELIVER US FROM EVIL. [For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.]"' [Matthew 6:9-13]

[For more on proving His good will, read Thoughts on the New Birth,God isn't Holding Back 2, and Liar, Liar, Pants Definitely on Fire! I'm sure there are other articles on the blog, but these are good for a start...]

He needs us to manifest His finished work in Jesus. And the system He put into place for us to do this is the Name of Jesus, the Blood of Jesus, answered prayer, the confession of His Word and the power of words over the natural, physical world. Not to mention the indwelling Father...

Think About This
According to the Holy Spirit, writing through Paul, we died with Jesus, were buried with Him, were raised up together with Him and seated with Him in heavenly places. [Ephesians 2:6]

And we were born again...one Spirit with Him, God-inside.

So ask yourselves the question...just who is being hindered by the enemy?

If Jesus said it was the Father in Him doing the works [John 5:20], and we'd do greater works than He did because He was going to the Father [John 14:12]...WHO IS BEING PERSECUTED BY THE ENEMY?

When Paul was persecuting Christians, when Jesus stopped him on the road Damascus, what did He ask him?

'"Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting ME?"' [Acts 9:3]

Don't you see? We are ONE with Him, His Body, full of God the Father, God and Son and God the Holy Spirit. That other sinner that used to live in this earthen vessel WAS CRUCIFIED 2000 years ago, and to be technically accurate, from the FOUNDATION OF THE WORLD!!!

'...knowing this, that our old self was crucified with Him, in order that our body of sin might be done away with, so that we would no longer be slaves to sin...' [Romans 6:6]

'"I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me."' [Galatians 2:20]

So, I'll ask again...WHO IS BEING HINDERED IN THE EARTH?

Satan knows all of this, people! He's effectively stopping the Body from doing the works of Jesus in the earth, even though we've been given authority over all his power! If we can't move neither can God!

That's the primary reason He needs us free, so He can work unencumbered through us, via Ephesians 3!

'For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name, that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with POWER through His Spirit in the inner man, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith;

'...and that you, being rooted and grounded in LOVE, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to KNOW THE LOVE OF CHRIST which surpasses knowledge, THAT YOU MAY BE FILLED UP TO ALL THE FULLNESS OF GOD,

'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.' [Ephesians 3:14-21]

And we have this treasure in earthen vessels...why? So that the SURPASSING GREATNESS OF THE POWER WILL BE OF GOD and not of ourselves... [2 Corinthians 4:7]

His Will
He wants us free because He loves us and He has already paid the price for our total freedom...health, wealth, well-being, angelic protection, peace, joy.

He needs us free so that the greatness of His power can be seen in the earth!

It is His purpose that His power and love be demonstrated through the Body of Jesus, just like it was shown through the Man Jesus when He walked on the earth.

He has already spoken that the kingdom of this world must become the kingdom of our Christ, so we know that this is His will...

'Then the sovereignty, the dominion and the greatness of all the kingdoms under the whole heaven WILL BE GIVEN the people of the saints of the Highest One; His kingdom will be an everlasting kingdom, and ALL THE DOMINIONS WILL SERVE AND OBEY HIM.' [DANIEL 7:27]

'Then the seventh angel sounded; and there were loud voices in heaven, saying, " The kingdom of the world HAS BECOME the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ; and He will reign forever and ever." [Revelation 11:15

'Then I heard a loud voice in heaven, saying, "NOW the salvation, and the power, and the kingdom of our God and the AUTHORITY OF HIS CHRIST HAVE COME, for the accuser of our brethren has been thrown down, he who accuses them before our God day and night.' [Revelation 12:10]

...and we know that Jesus preached the GOSPEL OF THE KINGDOM! [I just saw this yesterday...Hallelujah!]

'Jesus was going throughout all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every kind of disease and every kind of sickness among the people.' [Matthew 4:23]

'"This GOSPEL OF THE KINGDOM shall be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all the nations, and then the end will come."' [Matthew 24:14]

Okay, Get To The Point
The point is that God wants you totally free in every area of your life more than you do. You don't have to beg...it's already yours!

'This is the confidence which we have before Him, that, if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests which we have asked from Him.' [1 John 5:14,15]

'"Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has chosen gladly to give you the kingdom."' [Luke 12:32]

'For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be the glory forever. Amen.' [Romans 11:36]

'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 in some cases, you don't even need to ask! Jesus plainly told us to speak to natural, physical things...

'And Jesus answered saying to them, "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 YOU HAVE RECEIVED THEM, and they will be granted you.' [Mark 11:22-24]

Praise the Lord! It is finished! [...and I mean that in more ways than one!]

It is time to reign in life through the One, Christ Jesus. [Romans 5:17]

Visual Prayer

We are told to have faith in God using our hearts to believe and our mouths to speak.

"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]

This is one of Jesus' most quoted passages, but how do you actually do it? What does it really mean to believe you receive?

Seeing the Unseen
Believing you receive is seeing your request as already accomplished from the minute you ask. By using your God-given gift of imagination, you can see the unseen—the promises of God as already fulfilled in your life. If God said it, you can have it...so go ahead and see it as yours!

The world calls this visualization and many successful people credit its use for their amazing accomplishments. Athletes, musicians and business people alike testify to the power of visualizing their accomplishments as the key to their success—many studies have been done to document the impact of visualization on outcomes of various types.

But what is it, really, and how does it relate to the Christian's desire to live by faith?

Imagination is an innate, God-built-in capability that all men and women have. Children do it naturally, but as we grow we are taught to 'be realistic.' We are told to 'grow up' and 'get real,' and rationality is touted as the only reasonable approach to life.

Unfortunately, rationality limits us to our natural abilities. We can only go as far as we are smart, or beautiful, or talented, or rich, or educated, or strong. Our success is checked by how fast we can run or who we know.

But this is man's way, not God's way and is at the very heart of humanism. God's way is supernatural, spiritual, quantum and infinitely abundant.

The Key
Our imagination is the key to seeing into this other, miraculous realm of abundant blessing.

I think part of the reason that we lay aside this marvelous gift is that we see our children doing it. We see them at play, becoming the play, and we encourage their imagination as part of the learning process. But what we don't understand is that it was not given to us to pretend we are Batman when we are 7...that is merely the training wheels stage of our development! It is given to us to see the unseen—to believe we receive when we pray. It is the key to using our faith to access the things freely given to us by God. I Corinthians 2:12 says 'Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit Who is from God, so that we may know the things freely given to us by God...' We know these things—these all things—by the Spirit of God! They are in the spiritual realm, and we access them by faith—by believing in our hearts and speaking with our mouths.

But how do we believe in our hearts? How do we believe we receive?

Be the Ball
It is this amazing ability—the ability to see the unseen, to imagine—that is the key. When we are praying—talking with our Father—we can train ourselves to see the answer from the request. Seeing the end from the beginning, based on the promises of God. Watching it unfold, feeling the joy of accomplishment, living and being in the state of answered prayer from the place of prayer...this is having faith in God and in His Word.

Granted, it may not be easy at first, particularly if you have prided yourself in your own rationality. We tend to get caught up in the 'hows'...how can it be, how will it ever happen, etc. But here's a secret...the Holy Spirit is there, within you, to help you! That's what I Corinthians 2:12 is saying—you don't have to do it alone! In fact, you, as a reborn man or woman, have not only the natural gift of imagination but the supernatural power and help of the indwelling Holy Spirit!

So maybe the first thing you believe is your ability to pray visually. To see yourself at prayer, seeing the unseen, receiving what you desire or need, in accordance with the word of God.

Remember...all the promises of God are 'yes' in Christ! [2 Corinthians 1:20]

Possibilities
This is how "All things are possible to him who believes" [Mark 9:23] takes on real meaning in our lives. Yes, we glibly quote this, usually to others who are struggling, or to ourselves when we face obstacles. But how many are really living examples of this magnificent promise? Unfortunately, to see real people living this way, we need to look to those in the world who have mastered the art of visualization to accomplish great feats. Why is that? Why is that we, spiritual offspring of The Most High God, have to look outside the Kingdom to see people living the promises that belong to us?

I don't really think it is a coincidence. The Church has been hoodwinked, once again, into giving up her power, both collectively and individually. We're beaten down by rationality and political correctness, made to feel stupid when we attempt to live by our faith, jeered at as simple-minded and archaic. Yet these same accusers tout New Age techniques, chief among these being the power of visualization, the channeling of spirits and the quantum theories of parallel universes, the observer effect and the manifestation of physical things! Hello...?? Sound familiar?

The Holy Spirit, writing through Paul, instructs us to lay aside every encumbrance that entangles us [Hebrews 12:1]...to lay aside the old self and be renewed in the spirit of our minds—to put on the new self, created in righteousness and holiness of the truth [Ephesians 4:22-24]. In another passage, He writes 'For this reason it says, "Awake, sleeper, And arise from the dead, And Christ will shine on you."' [Ephesians 5:14]

In other words, wake up and smell the coffee! Stop being robbed! See the possibilities—all of the 'all things' possibilities—of Kingdom living! Stop listening to the world! Train yourselves to pray visually, believing you receive when you pray. Use the tools you were born with, supernaturally enhanced by the Holy Spirit, to receive the things—the 'all things'—given to you by your Father.

Joy
Jesus explained that joy is the result of answered prayer.

"If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you...These things I have spoken to you so that My joy may be in you, and that your joy may be made full." [John 15: 7,11]

"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]

'Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you will abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.' [Romans 15:13]

David said 'In Your presence is fullness of joy; in Your right hand there are pleasures forever.' [Psalm 16:11]

Joy is the result of answered prayer—and your prayer is already answered, in Christ. When you can see that, and experience the feeling of the prayer already answered, imagine your joyful response to its manifestation in the natural, you have believed you received. Speak it, thank God for it...it is done!

[Related posts Believe You Receive, Believe You Receive 2], The Quantum Table, The Quantum Table 2, Let's Pretend, Pull Back the Curtain]

The I AM Principle

Originally published as 'The Great I AM' this is revised and improved! A little long, maybe, but pretty good...

God is all the things He says He is, and He is them for all eternity, past, present and future. He is them to us, individually and collectively as the church, and His Word is settled forever. [Psalm 119:89]

In fact, the instant the words 'I AM...' [fill in the blank] came out of His mouth, He was that very thing! He cannot lie, because the second He speaks, His words become reality! His names were not only a description of Who He was, but in declaring them, He became the substance of each name! Here are just a few:

Jehovah Jireh—The Lord will Provide
Jehovah Shalom—The Lord is Peace
Jehovah Tsidkenu—The Lord our Righteousness
Jehovah—The Lord my Banner [military reference]
Jehovah Ro'i—The Lord my Shepherd

And because our new self is created in the likeness of God in righteousness and holiness of the truth [Ephesians 4:24], we are also the things He says we are now! He is the great I AM...we are I am's, too. In Ephesians 5:1 we are told to be imitators of God, as beloved children; therefore, we are to be like Him. I John 4:17 says '...as He is, so also are we in this world.'

Be like Him
We are one Spirit with Him—He is in us, and we are in Him. [ref Stop Begging—It's Inside!] In fact, Peter writes '...for you have been born again not of seed which is perishable but imperishable, that is, through the living and enduring word of God.' [1 Peter 1:23] We are born of the same seed planted in the womb of a young virgin, 2000 years ago!! He is the Word, and we are the Word multiplied!

In fact, The Father Himself told us how to change our lives...'Let the weak say, "I am a mighty man."' [Joel 3:10] The books of Psalms and Proverbs are filled with references to the power of our speech—and Jesus told us to talk to mountains and trees.

One great example is Gideon...God's angel called him 'valiant warrior' when he was anything but. [Judges 6:12] And a valiant warrior is exactly what he became. But remember, there is no time in eternity, and eternity is forward and back, up and down. So he was really a valiant warrior, even before the angel gave him the Word of the Lord. His works were finished from the foundation of the world!

God changed Abram's name to Abraham...the Father of a multitude when he had no children. [Genesis 17:5] Ditto the above—he was made a Father of a multitude BEFORE THE FOUNDATION OF THE WORLD!

[sorry for shouting, but it's really just too much to think about sometimes]

And then there's Peter...Jesus called him 'Rock' when he was the most volatile of His disciples! Unstable and impulsive, Jesus called him what he was created to be, or more exactly, was FROM THE FOUNDATION OF THE WORLD!

Think about the prophecies in the Old Testament...each one calling Jesus what He would be, even though He was yet to come. And so it is with us...God has called us many wonderful things in the Word that

Can you see it? God, the Great I AM is telling us to proclaim who we are...'I am a mighty man!' 'By His stripes, I am healed.' He told us to see the unseen—the already accomplished promises of God—and speak them into existence! We are told to '...put on the new self, which in the likeness of God has been created in righteousness and holiness of the truth.' [Ephesians 4:24]

Just Be
Just be. Be what the Word says, just because it says so, because it is forever settled, finished from the foundation of the world.

Just be. Don't try to be, or have. Just be. Be healed, be rich, be love. Be One Spirit with the Lord. Be seated in heavenly places in Him...

God doesn't have love, He IS love. He doesn't have power, He IS power. Jesus doesn't have the Word, He IS the Word...and we are the Word multiplied, His Body in the earth.

And He has decreed exactly what we are, just as He decreed "Light, be!" in the beginning.

Be the Word.

Glory?
It is imperative that we develop a consciousness of who and what we are now. Eternity is not a time-oriented existence.

Colossians 1:13 says the we have been delivered from the domain of darkness and transferred to the kingdom of His beloved Son. These things have already taken place, and we are eternal beings, recreated in our Father's image! We are everything that He says we are now, and satan is forever defeated in our lives now!

2 Corinthians 3:17,18 says: 'Now the Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. But we all, with unveiled face beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit.' What this means is this: as we behold His glory, we are transformed into the same image by the power of the Holy Spirit. Same image! Hallelujah!

In fact, just before His death, Jesus prayed for us. "The glory which You have given Me, I have given to them, that they may be on, just as We are one; I in them and You in Me, that they may be perfected in unity, so that the world my know that You sent Me, and love them, even as You have loved Me.'

Yes, in the Old Covenant, God said that He would not give His glory to another [Isaiah 48:11], and we here that preached on a regular basis. But we are not another! We are one with Him and He has already given His glory to us!!

The whole idea of salvation was to bring many sons [Gr. huios, meaning offspring of man] to Glory! Jesus was the last Adam, and the Firstborn of Many Brethren!

The Great I AM spoke the Word—the Word became Flesh and dwelt among us. Then the Word multiplied and grew daily.

Now
Therefore, realizing that we are now members of the kingdom of God, we are to walk by faith and not by sight. Faith is sight...it is seeing into the kingdom of God and walking by what God says instead of walking by natural sight, which is fixed on a dying and decaying fallen world.

It is the eternal view, from God's viewpoint. He sees our needs met now, and so should we. Hebrews 11:1 says that faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen, and Romans 10:17 says it comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ. This is spiritual hearing, hearing what Jesus says to you—rhema, or the spoken word of God, which comes out of logos [the written word of God].

It is His will that we awaken from our sleep and become strong sons and daughters, administering His Kingdom on the earth [Ephesians 1:10]. He desires that we come to the place where we see everything that He has said is true now, and has called us to reign in life through the One, Christ Jesus. [Romans 5:17]

Read Be the Ball

 

Good Treasure

"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]

"The good man brings out of his good treasure what is good; and the evil man brings out of his evil treasure what is evil. But I tell you that every careless word that people speak, they shall give an accounting for it in the day of judgment. For by your WORDS you will be justified, and by your WORDS you will be condemned." [Matthew 12:35-37]

'...in whom [Christ] are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.' [Colossians 2:3]

"Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has chosen gladly to give you the kingdom." [Luke 12:32]

'...all things belong to you, and you belong to Christ, and Christ belongs to God.' [1 Corinthians 3:22,23]

'For behold, the kingdom of God is in your midst—within you, inside.' [Luke 17:21]'How BLESSED is the man whose strength is in You, in whose HEART are the HIGHWAYS TO ZION!' [Psalm 84:5]

'For in Him all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form, and in Him you have been made complete, and He is the head over all rule and authority...' [Colossians 2:9,10]

'But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, so that the surpassing greatness of the power will be of God and not from ourselves...' [2 Corinthians 4:7]

'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.' [Ephesians 3:20]

'...while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are NOT SEEN; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are ETERNAL.' [2 Corinthians 4:18]

'Delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart.' [Psalm 37:4]*

Oh, this is REALLY good...

The treasure is ALREADY WITHIN YOU!!! Everything you need or desire is ALREADY IN YOU!

Get it? Can you see it? Read the scriptures above again—carefully, slowly and out loud.

The literal translation of Matthew 12:35 is '...brings out of his good treasure GOOD THINGS...out of his evil treasure EVIL THINGS...'

And [you will REALLY like this] the Greek word in both Luke 6 and Matthew 12 for 'treasure' is thesauros—STOREHOUSE, REPOSITORY, TREASURY!!!

You have a treasury, a storehouse, in your reborn, one-Spirit-with-the Lord spirit...AND IT'S THE SAME STOREHOUSE THAT BELONGS TO JESUS! We are His fellow or joint heirs! The Greek word here for 'joint' is sugkleronomos—one who obtains something assigned to himself WITH OTHERS, a joint participant!

I'm typing myself happy!

But how?
When we accept the sacrifice of Jesus for us, the Bible clearly teaches that we die and are reborn, one Spirit with the Lord. We exist in two planes—here on the earth and seated in Christ in heavenly places, at God's right hand and far above all rule and authority and name that is named.

Not only have we been rescued from the domain of darkness and transferred to the kingdom of His Beloved Son, His kingdom is within us! In our hearts are the highways to Zion! Hallelujah!

He is in us, and we are in Him...and in Him are ALL THE TREASURES OF WISDOM AND KNOWLEDGE! [Colossians 2:3]

It's already inside of your reborn spirit!

And how do you get it from your spirit into the earth?

By your mouth! Proverbs 13:2 says 'From the fruit of a man's mouth HE ENJOYS GOOD...'

"The good man out of the good TREASURE—treasury, repository—of his heart BRINGS FORTH WHAT IS GOOD—GOOD THINGS; 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]

The treasure—all things—are already in your reborn spirit. Every blessing, every promise.

'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]

You bring it forth from your storehouse by your mouth.

__________________________________________
*For those of you who have heard sermons about why this verse doesn't really mean what it says, that it's an isolated scripture, blah blah woof woof, read Desire...you will like it!

Partakers of the Divine Nature

Read 2 Peter 2:3,4, below:

'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.'

There's so much here that it's hard to know where to start!

Grace 
Grace, or charis [Gr] means good will, lovingkindness, favor. We usually hear it taught as 'unmerited favor,' meaning that, before we are reborn into the family of God, it is unmerited.

Peace
Peace, or eirene [Gr] means many things. From a personal nature, these are the most relevant...security, safety, prosperity, felicity.

Remember...Peter was a Hebrew, which meant that the word 'peace' to him meant shalom [Heb]. As we've seen in earlier articles,shalom means the following:

• completeness
• soundness
• welfare
• peace
• completeness
• safety
• soundness (in body) 
• welfare
• health
• prosperity
• quiet
• tranquillity
• contentment
• friendship of human relationships with God, especially in covenant relationship
• peace (from war)

It is unlikely that Peter thought in Greek. When he said 'peace' he was thinking in Hebrew, no matter how many languages his books were translated from/into. 

'For in Him ALL THE FULLNESS OF DEITY DWELLS IN BODILY FORM, and in Him you have been made compete...' [Colossians 2:9,10]

Sounds like partaking of the Divine nature to me.

Multiply
Plethuno [Gr], meaning to increase, or multiply.

So far, this is pretty wonderful! God's good will, lovingkindness and favor, and His shalom peace—completeness, soundness in every area of life—increasing in our lives!

How do we access all of this wonderfulness? In the [true] knowledgeof God and of Jesus our Lord!

Read on...

His Divine Power
His Divine power—dunamis [Gr], meaning miracle-working power, strength, ability—even the the power and influence which belong to riches and wealth, or power consisting in or resting upon armies, forces, hosts!

This is BIG power, the power of God! And this Divine power '...has granted [past tense] to us EVERYTHING pertaining to LIFE and godliness...'

Everything, or pas [Gr], meaning each, every, any, all, the whole, everyone, all things, everything. That, my friends, is everything, no matter how you look at it!

Life—zoe [Gr]—the life of God, or the absolute fulness of life, both essential and ethical, which belongs to God.

How has this marvelous wonder been granted to us?

'...Through the true knowledge of Him who called us by [to] His own glory and excellence.'

Hallelujah!

Glory
These wonders have already been granted to us, and we access them through the knowledge of Him Who called us to His own glory and excellence! We're called to glory, and not just any glory...His OWN glory!

Sounds great...what exactly is the glory of God?

The Greek word is doxa, which means a lot of things...

• opinion, judgment, view
• opinion, estimate, whether good or bad concerning someone
• in the NT always a good opinion concerning one, resulting in praise, honour, and glory
• splendour, brightness, of the moon, sun, stars; magnificence, excellence, preeminence, dignity, grace
• majesty
• a thing belonging to God
• the kingly majesty which belongs to him as supreme ruler, majesty in the sense of the absolute perfection of the deity
• a thing belonging to Christ
• the kingly majesty of the Messiah
• the absolutely perfect inward or personal excellency of Christ
• the majesty of the angels as apparent in their exterior brightness
• a most glorious condition, most exalted state, of that condition with God the Father in heaven to which Christ was raised after he had achieved his work on earth
• the glorious condition of blessedness into which is appointed and promised that true Christians shall enter after their Saviour's return from heaven

And of course, all of the things that glory means are too wonderful for us to comprehend with our minds. These things must be perceived with our reborn spirits, which are one with the Lord. Called to glory...

But wait, we haven't even gotten to the good part yet!

Precious and Magnificent Promises
'For by [literally through which...which what? Through these—His own glory and excellence, or virtue] He has granted to us His PRECIOUS and MAGNIFICENT PROMISES so that by them [the promises] you may become partakers of the Divine nature...'

He has granted us, through His own glory and excellence, precious and magnificent promises, by which we become partakers of the Divine nature. The promises are the vehicle for transferring the Divine nature!

PARTAKERS of the DIVINE NATURE. Yes, you read it correctly, right from the scripture. Through the wonderful promises He has already granted us, we become partakers of the Divine nature.

Called to His glory—His Divine power has granted us a way to partake of His Divine nature—through the knowledge of Him and through His Divine promises. In other words, it was His idea all along!

What promises? Pick one...they're all magnificent and precious, and they all belong to us! 2 Corinthians 1:20 tells us '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.' And, good news for us...there are no curses attached to these promises, as there were in the Old Covenant. Jesus bore all of the curse of the law for us! [see Galatians 3]

[A small digression...Amen is a great word. Transliterated directly from the Hebrew into Greek, it probably had no real Greek meaning of it's own until it was used in the New Testament. Paul, in this instance, was a Hebrew speaker and scholar, and would have surely thought 'Amen' in the Hebrew sense, which means 'so be it.' So be it...it is done.]

It's True...
Yes, we're partakers of the Divine nature—not a sin nature, barely excused from hell, but one Spirit with the Lord! We died with Christ and were made alive with Him: He is the only Spirit in these earthen vessels, and He has come with the through the Holy Spirit to dwell in us. [John 14:16-24]

Get over all the old false doctrines that explain how worthless we are. We were purchased, redeemed, with a great price, recreated in the very image and nature of God.

See it, confess it. It's who you are in Christ.

Read One Spirit with the Lord