Bless Yourself!

Did you know that you can bless yourself?

Since the Old Testament was written in Hebrew and from an Eastern, Hebrew point of view, let's look at some different translations of Isaiah 65:16...

"Thus someone on earth who blesses himself will bless himself by the God of truth, and someone on earth who swears an oath will swear by the God of truth; for past troubles will be forgotten, hidden from my eyes." [The Complete Jewish Bible]

"So that he who blesses himself in the eretz [land] shall bless himself in the God of truth; and he who swears in the eretz [land] shall swear by the God of truth; because the former troubles are forgotten, and because they are hid from my eyes." [Hebrew Names Bible]

"So that he who is blessing himself in the earth, doth bless himself In the God of faithfulness, and he who is swearing in the earth, doth swear by the God of faithfulness, because the former distresses have been forgotten, and because they have been hid from Mine eyes." [Young’s Literal Translation]

“Those who pronounce a blessing in the land will do so by the God called AMEN; those who make a solemn pledge in the land will do so by the God called AMEN. Past troubles will be forgotten and hidden from my sight.” [Common English Bible]

This is interesting. Even the KJV and NKJV translate it this way:

"That he who blesseth himself in the earth shall bless himself in the God of truth; and he that sweareth in the earth shall swear by the God of truth; because the former troubles are forgotten, and because they are hid from mine eyes." [King James Version]

"So that he who blesses himself in the earth shall bless himself in the God of truth; And he who swears in the earth shall swear by the God of truth; because the former troubles are forgotten, and because they are hidden from My eyes." [New King James Version]

Can this be true? Can we bless ourselves?

Jabez
Consider the now famous prayer of Jabez...

"Now Jabez called on the God of Israel, saying, "Oh that You would bless me indeed and enlarge my border, and that Your hand might be with me, and that You would keep me from harm that it may not pain me!" And God granted him what he requested." [1 Chronicles 4:10]

How do we bless ourselves in the earth?

A blessing is always spoken, or declared, commanded [as is a curse, interestingly enough]. We tend to think only of the result of a blessing or curse as the blessing or curse itself—what we see in the earth. But it always starts with words. God speaks blessings into the earth through people, and we see the patriarchs blessing their children, especially in the Old Covenant.

Psalm 91 is a great example of this. The writer, Moses, says ‘I will SAY to the Lord, “My refuge and my fortress, My God, in Whom I trust!” [Psalm 91:2]

That’s the blessing. The result of the blessing is the rest of Psalm 91…angelic protection, deliverance, honor and long life!

We sing Joel 3:10 as a song, but it really is an example of a spoken self-blessing.

‘…Let the weak SAY “I am a mighty man.’” [Joel 3:10]

The Hebrew word for say in Joel 3:10 is ajar…to say, speak, command, intend.

Deuteronomy 28:8 says “The Lord will COMMAND the blessing upon you in your barns and in all that you put your hand to, and He will bless you in the land which the Lord your God gives you.” The Hebrew word for command here is a different word, tsavah…to command, charge, give orders, lay charge, order, appoint or commission.

So we see that the spoken blessing is actually a command!

Jesus told us to BELIEVE that what we say happens…

“Truly [AMEN] 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.” [Mark 11:23]

And He calls this having faith in God! [Mark 11:22]

So go ahead…bless yourself in the earth with the good promises of God! Remember, ‘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.”

Hallelujah!

Hold The Mirror Up!

Look in the mirror, what do you see? You see what you really look like, which often surprises us, because we thought we looked different. You know, you thought you looked great when you left the house...you felt good...then you pass a mirror and are brought back to reality...not so much!

Who are we, really? The person we think we are, with the limitations we’ve come to live with over the years, or the strengths we think we have? You know...”I’m a good writer, but not so good with math” or “I could never be/do [fill in the blank]...it’s just not me. But I am really good with [fill in the blank].”

The physical person? Beautiful or plain, fat or slim...is that who we are?

We forget that we were crucified with Christ, buried with Him in baptism, raised up together with Him and seated with Him in heavenly places. [Colossians 2:11,12, Ephesians 2:4-6]

We forget that were One Spirit with the Lord...that He gave us His glory, the glory the Father gave Him! [John 17] Now we’ve all heard sermons about how the glory is not for us, and based in the Old Covenant, that is true. God’s glory is not for unregenerate man...but in the New Covenant, we are reborn—we receive God’s own Spirit and His glory! As the temple of old was filled with His glory, so we are in the earth...His temple, filled with His glory.

Jesus put it like this: “THE GLORY WHICH YOU HAVE GIVEN ME I HAVE GIVEN TO THEM, that they may be one, just as We are one; I in them and You in Me, that they may be perfected in unity, so that the world may know that You sent Me, and loved them, EVEN AS YOU HAVE LOVED ME.” [John 17:22,23]

Yes, those words are in red, my friend. 

Transformed

Okay, let’s talk about transformation.

‘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.’ [2 Corinthians 3:18]

A mirror reflects back the image of the one looking into it...in this case, we are looking not at a natural reflection but a spiritual one. Instead of seeing our natural, familiar visage, we see the glory of the Lord! But IT’S A REFLECTION!! A reflection of the One within, and the more we take time to behold it, the more we are transformed outwardly into His image!

Remember, we've been crucified with Christ—we died and Jesus was born within! So our spirit is really One with Him!

 ‘For those whom He foreknew, He [God] also predestined to become CONFORMED TO THE IMAGE OF HIS SON, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren...’ [Romans 8:29]

At first, it will be like looking in the mirror and seeing someone else. But keep looking at the glory of the Lord within—meditate on it—and soon it will begin the process of transformation.

Prove it…

Romans 12 tells us not to be conformed to this world, but to ‘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.’ [Please note that your children dying early of some satanic disease is none of those things...]

So we must be transformed to prove the good will of God in our lives.

How do we do that? We look in the mirror at the glory of God within and we renew our minds to that fact. We are one Spirit with the Lord and we are full of His glory. We stare at the truth of God’s perfect law of liberty and don’t look away [James 1:25].

How does that work, exactly? I’m glad you asked.

When faced with an impossible situation, pick up the mirror—the perfect law of liberty, the reality of rebirth, the truth of being made the righteousness of God in Him, the fact of being one Spirit with Him—and see who you really are. Colossians 2:9,10 says ‘For in Him ALL the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form, and IN HIM you have BEEN MADE COMPLETE…’

The phrase ‘made complete’ in this verse is the Greek word pleroo—the fill up to the full, to fill to the top so nothing shall be wanting, to full measure, to cause to abound, to supply liberally, to make complete IN EVERY PARTICULAR, TO RENDER PERFECT!

Are you limited in any way or are all thing possible for you? Are you lacking in anything or do all things belong to you? Are you insufficient for any task or does the Greater One live in you? Are you separate from God or are you one Spirit with the Lord? These are ALL verses, people…spoken by the Holy Spirit to us.

PICK UP THE MIRROR—the Word of God, and particularly the epistles—and see who you really are! Victorious, triumphant, healed, delivered, rich—the righteousness of God in Christ, blessed with Abraham the Believer—redeemed from the curse of the Law! Partaker of the Divine nature, filled up to all the fullness of God! Yes, those are ALL verses!

Here’s the trick...NOT forgetting who you are when you lay the mirror down. Jesus is the Firstborn of Many Brethren and you are one of those brethren...a member of a new race, the redeemed of the Lord, one Spirit with Him! AS HE IS SO ALSO ARE YOU IN THIS WORLD!!! Look at Jesus…that’s what the Father sees when He looks at you.

Hallelujah!

Let The Redeemed of The Lord Say So 2

If you've been a Christian for any time at all, you've heard 'Let the redeemed of the Lord say so...', usually in the context of speaking the Word and His finished work.

And that is valid. But let's have a closer look at the verse in it's entirety and in context.

'Oh give thanks to the LORD, for He is good, for His lovingkindness is everlasting. Let the redeemed of the LORD say so, Whom He has redeemed from the hand of the adversary.' [Psalm 107:1,2]

What the Holy Spirit is telling us to say, specifically, is 'Thank you, Lord, for You are good, Your lovingkindness—Your goodness, kindness, faithfulness, mercy—is everlasting! You have redeemed me from the hand of the adversary—the enemy, oppressor, foe!'

Confess His Word
Now, part of this is confessing His goodness, mercy, faithfulness and deliverance by confessing His Word...here's a good start!

I have been made the righteousness of God in Christ. I am one Spirit with the Lord—He and the Father dwell in me by the Holy Spirit

 I am a new creation in Christ—old things have passed away, all things have become new

 I am redeemed from the curse of the law...

• from being oppressed and robbed continually
• from being oppressed and crushed continually
• from being the tail and not the head
• from dread of heart
• from lack and poverty
• from miserable and chronic sickness

And the blessings of the Law are mine...

• I am the head and not the tail
• I am blessed going out and coming in
• I serve the Lord for the abundance of all things
• Everything I touch prospers
• I am far from oppression for I do not fear
• All things belong to me—I prosper and am in health as my soul prospers
• Jesus has been made unto me wisdom—therefore riches, honor and long life are mine
• No weapon formed against me or mine shall prosper, but every tongue that accuses us in judgement I will condemn
• No evil befalls me, the evil one touches me not
• I will see my children's children
• I leave an inheritance to my children's children

 My children are blessed of the Lord...

• Their well-being [shalom] is great
• They are taught of the Lord
• They are delivered from all things
• They are mighty in the land—all who see them say 'Surely they are the offspring blessed of the Lord'
• Because we have made God our refuge, they are protected by angels...no evil—no accident or sickness—befalls them, the evil one touches them not
• They are 10 times better than their peers in every branch of literature and wisdom

You get the idea. You ARE the redeemed—the purchased back ones from the hand of the oppressor—of the Lord, so speak out His everlasting lovingkindness! Hallelujah!

 

You Are The Second Witness

This is good...

'...on the evidence of two or three witnesses a matter shall be confirmed.' [Deuteronomy 19:15]

The Hebrew word for matter here is our old friend dabar...defined as speech, word, speaking, thing, something. Both a word and a thing...because words are things!
Who are the two witnesses?
One is the forever settled, eternal Word of God. The second is your word...you either agree or you don't.
God spoke and it was created. Not just in Genesis...ALL OF THE WORD! Think about the prophets...God had already spoken and His works already finished. But there had to be a confirming witness to bring it into the earth.
For any dabar—Hebrew for word/thing—to be established there must be a confirming witness...that's us!
Consider this:

"I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that I have set before you life and death,the blessing and the curse. SO CHOOSE LIFE in order that you may live, you and your descendants..." [Deuteronomy 30:19]

And this...

'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]

He gave us His Word so that we could partake of His nature! We are born again, of imperishable seed, which is the living and enduring Word of God. [1 Peter 1:23]
How are you born again? By believing in your heart and CONFESSING WITH YOUR MOUTH! [Romans 10:10] You were the second witness!
AND YOU ONLY HAD TO DO IT ONCE!!!
In fact, this is exactly what Jesus was doing when He prayed the Lord's prayer..."Your will be done IN EARTH as it is in heaven..."
Mary, too, when she told Gabriel "Be it done to me according to your word."
What about this scripture?

'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]

The Hebrew word Amen means surely, so be it, may it be fulfilled. It is the confirming word...the confirming witness!
His witness...His Word, His promises, confirmed by our Amen, to become YES in the earth and give Him glory.
Get Started
Here are a few great and wonderful Words to confirm, out loud, in your life...

• All things belong to me, I belong to Christ and Christ belongs to God.
• I can do all things IN Christ Who strengthens me
• All things are possible for me because I believe
• By His scourging I AM HEALED
• Every obstacle has been removed from my path
• Every promise of God is YES and AMEN—SO BE IT, IT IS FULFILLED—in Him
• The blessing of Abraham has come upon me in Christ Jesus...I am redeemed from the curse of the Law
• My children are mighty in the earth...they are taught of the Lord and their well-being...SHALOM...is great!
• I am surrounded by FAVOR as a shield
• Jesus has become TO ME wisdom...the anointing which I have teaches me all things
• Psalm 91, Psalm 23

Et cetera...you get the idea. Find wonderful promises in the Word and speak them out!
Set your purpose to be the second witness to His magnificent promises in your life today.
Hallelujah!

He Commanded

'Praise the LORD! Praise the LORD from the heavens; praise Him in the heights! Praise Him, all His angels; praise Him, all His hosts! Praise Him, sun and moon; praise Him, all stars of light! Praise Him, highest heavens, and the waters that are above the heavens!

Let them praise the name of the LORD, FOR HE COMMANDED AND THEY WERE CREATED. He has also ESTABLISHED THEM FOREVER AND EVER; He has made a DECREE which will not pass away.' [Psalm 148:1-6]

He commanded all things into being by His Word.

John 1:1-3 puts it this way:

'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 come into being.' [John 1:1-3]

And of course, there's Colossians 1:16...

'For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things have been created through Him and for Him.'

Okay, so we know that Jesus is the WORD and that all things were made by or through and for Him.

We also know, from Psalm 148, that when God gives a command or decree, things are created and established forever. One very big example of this is the first couple of chapters of Genesis. He spoke and it was, period.

We also know, from Psalm 119:89 and Isaiah 40:8 that His Word is settled—stands—forever.

What Does That Have To Do With Me?
I'm glad you asked.

Remember 2 Corinthians 1:20?

'For as many as are the promises of God, in Him they are YES; therefore also through Him if our AMEN [so it is, so be it] to the glory of God THROUGH us.'

Hallelujah!

What about 1 Corinthians 3:21-23?

'For all things belong to you...all things belong to you, and you belong to Christ; and Christ belongs to God.'

Or Galatians 3:29?

'And if you belong to Christ, then you Abraham's descendants, heirs according to promise.'

What exactly was that promise? The he would be heir of the world! [Romans 4:13] And we know from Romans 8:17 that we are heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ!

This Will Cramp Your Brain...
Get this. God has already rested from His works, according to Hebrews 4:3. And what He has commanded or decreed has already been created!

His Word stands forever!

The 'all things' that belong to us have been created by command, before the foundation of the world, just like "Let there be light!"

We may not be able to see them with our natural eyes, but like Hagar's well, Isaac's ram and Elisha's army, they are there, none the less.

The Bible says that the Lord REVEALED the well to Hagar. It was there already, He did not create it at the moment of need! He was Jehovah Jireh, the One Who Sees Ahead and Provides!

Elisha prayed that his servant's eyes might be opened, that he might SEE the army encircling them.

And we are told, specifically, to LOOK at the eternal things which are NOT SEEN. [2 Corinthians 4:18]

Decreed
So, the Word that says whatever we ask of the Father in the Name of Jesus, He will give it to us has been decreed and stands forever, just like the decrees in Genesis 1.

Or, the Word that says He will give us our hearts desire is already established forever in the spiritual realm of the unseen.

How about the Word that says 'by His scourging we are healed?' Or the command that angels have been given charge to guard us in all our ways?

What about the promise of great wealth in our houses, or Wisdom filling our treasuries—our bank accounts— with wealth? Or the promise that the wealth of the sinner is stored up for the righteous?

Okay, Okay...But What About The Here And Now?
I can hear you thinking out there...why? Because I've thought the very same thing.

Great. Everything belongs to me, I'm healed, I'm rich, angels protect me. But if it's all in the spirit realm, what good does it do me here where I live?

Read You Are The Second Witness. As demonstrated through the Prophets of old, God's Word must be spoken in the earth for it to come to pass. He gave authority in the earth to man [male and female] and man reigns by his tongue, for good or evil. Remember, life and death is in the power [or hand] of the tongue! [Proverbs 18:21]

In other words, you take it by faith, just as you took the New Birth.

But what does it say? "The WORD is near you, in your MOUTH and in your HEART"—that is, the WORD of faith which we are preaching, that if you CONFESS with your MOUTH Jesus as Lord, and BELIEVE in your HEART that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; for with the HEART a person BELIEVES, resulting in righteousness, and with the MOUTH he CONFESSES, resulting in salvation. [Romans 10:8-10]

Sounds a lot like Mark 11:22-24, right?

'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 that you have RECEIVED them, and they will be granted you."'

This is JESUS speaking here! He is telling us how things work, because HE IS WORD! He was there, according to John 1, Proverbs 8 and Colossians 1, an integral part of the creation process! And now, according to Hebrews 1, He is UPHOLDING ALL THINGS BY THE WORD OF HIS POWER!

[sorry for screaming, I just can't help it...]

See It, Believe It, Say It
So, much to the chagrin of the majority of preachers out there, the Bible method of taking what God has already provided seems to be the spoken word of faith.

First, you see it in the Word and believe that it exists and that it is for you, now. Then you agree with God...decree a thing it will be established. [Job 22:28]

He said it first and it was created. You say it into the earth and it is revealed in the natural realm.

Hallelujah!