The Word of His Power [re-visited]

Consider this:

'And He [Jesus] is the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature, and upholds all things by the WORD OF HIS POWER.' [Hebrews 1:3]

He upholds ALL THINGS by the WORD of His power.

What is the word of His power? "POWER."

Note that it is not the power of His word, but the very word of His power.

The Greek word for power in this verse is rhema, translated as say, saying, statement, things, words. In other words, a spoken, active word.

So we could say ‘He upholds all things by the SAYING of His power—Gr. dunamis, or power, might, miraculous powers, strength, wealth.

In the interlinear Hebrew Bible, Genesis 1:3 says ‘God said "Light” and there was light.’ instead of the more familiar "Let there be light."

In Genesis 1, the word of light was "Light." Or, the being of the thing light was created by the saying in miraculous power of the word LIGHT.

[in my mind I just heard a very 70’s WOW!]

An aside: why is it that God cannot lie? Not will not, or would not, but CANNOT! [Numbers 23:19; Titus 1:2]

Because if there wasn’t a tree when He started to say 'tree' there would be one there by the time the word was out of His mouth! He cannot lie because everything He says comes to pass! That IS the word of His power!

Hallelujah!

Why Is This Important To Me?
Why? For several reasons, actually.

First, because we are one Spirit with the Lord, with the very Alpha and Omega. He is the Head, we are His body. And He said that we would do greater works than He did! [John 14:12]

So it’s important to know how He works.

Consider these scriptures and their description of the saints—His holy ones! [That’s us, by the way—Gr. hagios, translated Holy, Holy of Holies, most holy, sanctuary, saints].

‘But the one who joins himself to the Lord is one spirit with Him.’ [1 Corinthians 6:17]

‘By this, love is perfected with us, so that we may have confidence in the day of judgment; because as He is, so also are we in this world.’ [1 John 4:17]

‘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 3:15-21]

‘For in Him all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form, and in Him you have been made complete…’ [Colossians 2:9,10]

Second, because He IS the WORD...

'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 according to the book of Acts, we are the Word multiplied!

‘The word of God kept on spreading; and the number of the disciples continued to increase greatly in Jerusalem, and a great many of the priests were becoming obedient to the faith.’ [Acts 6:7]

‘But the word of the Lord continued to grow and to be multiplied.’ [Acts 12:24]

‘So the word of the Lord was growing mightily and prevailing.’ [Acts 19:20]

Third, because He told us to speak to trees and mountains in several places in the Gospels, and He Himself demonstrated the Word of His power in the earth—healing the sick, raising the dead, arranging for Passover venues, donkeys and fish with coins in their mouths!

Because Psalms and Proverbs are full of instructions regarding the power of words. Because the POWER [Heb. yad, or hand] of life and death is IN THE TONGUE. [Proverbs 18:21]

Jesus knew this because He IS the Word—He IS every Psalm and Proverb—and He knows how the system works.

In fact, 1 Peter 1:23 explains that we are born again not of seed which is perishable but imperishable, that is, through the living and enduring WORD of God! HALLELUJAH!!

And how are we born again?

‘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. For the Scripture says, “Whoever believes in Him will not be disappointed.”’ [Romans 8:8-11]

And He wants us, His Body in the earth, to know how the system works, too.

Speak His Word into the earth.

'The Lord gives the command [word]; The women who PROCLAIM the good tidings are a GREAT HOST: "Kings of armies flee, they flee, and she who remains at home will divide the spoil!" [Psalm 68:11,12]

They SAID it, and reaped the rewards of victory!

How did David defeat Goliath?

‘Then David SAID to the Philistine, “You come to me with a sword, a spear, and a javelin, but I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have taunted. This day the Lord will deliver you up into my hands, and I will strike you down and remove your head from you. And I will give the dead bodies of the army of the Philistines this day to the birds of the sky and the wild beasts of the earth, that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel, and that all this assembly may know that the Lord does not deliver by sword or by spear; for the battle is the Lord’s and He will give you into our hands.”’ [1 Samuel 17:45-47]

Now, think of all the wonderful things He has said about and for us. His Word will come to pass...

'He sends forth His command to the earth; His word runs very swiftly.' [Psalm 147:15]

‘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]

Think about it. Uphold His Word in your life by your words of power…

Hallelujah!

Already Blessed

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 1:20] and we have been grafted into Israel [Romans 11:17,18], but we don't have to earn them anymore. We are redeemed from the curse of the law—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 obeyed.

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 some churches [the ones that aren’t preaching poverty] 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?'

‘For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sake He became poor, so that you through His poverty might become rich.’ [2 Corinthians 8:9]

The Greek words in the verse are all referring to physical wealth and destitution—not some vague spiritual blessing! Look it up for yourselves!

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 in many cases, 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!

How about healing? The Word makes it very clear that we are healed, already, by the scourging [wounds, stripes] of Jesus!

‘But He was pierced through for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; the chastening for our well- being fell upon Him, and by His scourging we are healed.’ [Isaiah 53:5]

‘and He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness; for by His wounds you were healed.’ [1 Peter 2:24]

Yet we know many Christians bound by sickness and disease.

Image Correction
Start to imagine yourself like the Bible says you are. You're just 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 let’s not forget 1 John 4:17:

‘By this, love is perfected with us, so that we may have confidence in the day of judgment; because AS HE IS, so also are we in this world.’

Remember…His works were finished from the foundation of the world! [Hebrews 4:3]

Jesus said that He and the Father would come and make their abode—their dwelling—in the ones that love Him. Resident in us, in all miracle-working power.

Consider this Holy Spirit written prayer…

‘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.

Now THAT’S blessed!

Hallelujah!

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Read Agree With Him, Let’s Pretend, Stop Begging—It’s Inside, Finished, That Which Has Been Will Be

Actually, there’s so much written about this topic on this blog—use the Search box at the right to find more!

Already an Overcomer

I don’t know about you, but I’ve always felt like Revelations 3:21 was sort of a veiled threat…either preached as such, or when I read it on my own.

“He who overcomes, I will grant to him to sit down with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne.”

Sort of ‘Oh my gosh, I hope I can do enough to overcome, I hope I can make it…’ accompanied with a vague feeling of ‘I may not be good enough, or I don’t know if I can do what it takes…’

But then I started thinking…wait a minute, here. Aren’t we already seated in Him in heavenly places? Are we not already born of the imperishable seed—the living and enduring Word of God, One Spirit with the Lord? We know He is the Word, but when people were born again in the book of Acts, doesn’t it say that the Word multiplied, or grew daily? [Ephesians 2:6; 1 Peter 1:23; 1 Corinthians 6:17; Acts 6:7, 12:24, 19:20]

And then there are scriptures that say we are already overcomers…

‘You are from God, little children, and have overcome them; because greater is He Who is in you than he who is in the world.’ [1 John 4:4]

‘For whatever is born of God overcomes the world; and this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith. Who is the one who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?’ [1 John 5:4,5]

‘And they overcame him [the accuser of the brethren—v10] because of the blood of the Lamb and because of the word of their testimony, and they did not love their life even when faced with death.’ [Revelations 12:11]

Romans 8:37 says in all things we OVERWHELMINGLY conquer through Him Who loved us. Sounds like an overcomer to me.

Then I looked up at the preceding verse.

“Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and will dine with him, and he with Me.” [Revelations 3:20]

Oh. If we let Him in, He considers that overcoming. When we died with Him, we also arose with Him. He overcame the world [John 16:33] so we, in Him, have overcome the world.

‘Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God. We have come to know and have believed the love which God has for us. God is love, and the one who abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him. By this, love is perfected with us, so that we may have confidence in the day of judgment; because as He is, so also are we in this world.’ [1 John 4:15-17]

In the Spirit, the book of Revelations is eternal—both ongoing and finished, forward and back, without time. Hebrews 4:3 says His [God’s] works were finished from the foundation of the world!

Folks, if you have been born again, you have already overcome! You are already seated in Christ Jesus in heavenly places! Where is that? On His throne!

Hallelujah!

Related Posts: Already Blessed, God Inside, Abide

Agree With Him

You really only have two choices.

Agree with God and His Word, or agree with your natural circumstances, or that fear-filled voice in your ear, or those negative images roaring around your head.

And you must agree in two places: in your heart—your imagination—and in your mouth. Because that’s how you agree with anything…you see it, then you say it.

So when circumstances threaten you—speak to you and tell you that things are hopelessly impossible—agree with what God has already said! On purpose, see His word as true for you now, and speak it out.

Agree with Him! Be the AMEN to His glory operating through us—see His every promise as YES in Jesus. [2 Corinthians 1:20]

If He says you’re delivered [and He already has], agree with Him, regardless of what it looks like.

If He says you’re healed, or protected, or rich…agree with Him and give thanks for His faithfulness to His Word.

Hallelujah!

Related Posts: Fear—The Deadly Enemy, Be The Ball, Schrodinger’s Cat, Trapped, He Commanded

Resurrected!

It is Easter, and our thoughts turn toward Calvary once more.

As you meditate on the wonder of the crucifixion, burial and resurrection of Jesus, consider this: the Word clearly teaches that we were crucified with Him!

What!?!
Paul states in Galatians 2:20 that "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."

Romans 6:6 confirms this: "...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."

These are wonderful quantum verses. 2000 years ago, we were crucified with Christ! And not just crucified...buried with Him in baptism [Colossians 2:12] and raised up with Him, and seated with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus! [Ephesians 2:6]

Ephesians 2:9-14 tells the story.

'For in Him all the fulness of Deity dwells in bodily form, and in Him you have been made complete, and He is the head over all rule and authority; and in Him you were also circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, in the removal of the body of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ; having been buried with Him in baptism, in which you were also raised up with Him through faith in the working of God, Who raised Him from the dead.

'When you were dead in your transgressions and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He made you alive together with Him, having forgiven us all our transgressions, having cancelled out the certificate of debt consisting of decrees against us, which was hostile to us; and He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross.'

Yes, it's true. We were crucified with Him, buried and raised up together with Him and seated with Him in heavenly places!

He was the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world, and I think that means us, too! Romans 8:29 says 'For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren." God knew us...that we would choose Him, and be born as the brethren of Jesus...before the foundation of the world!

'Just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him.' [Ephesians 1:4]

It is spiritual reality: as we are positionally in two places—here on the earth and seated with Him in heavenly places—we were born 2000 years after an event that we participated in! The crucifixion, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ! Hallelujah!

Talk about Quantum Physics!

Think about this...were we also in Him during the period between His death and resurrection, when He was disarming rulers and authorities? [Colossians 2"15] He did give us authority over all the power of the enemy...[Luke 10:19] Wow! Just the possibility is mind-bending!

Resurrection Power

'But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.' [Romans 8:11]

If you read up a few verses in that chapter, you'll see that '...those who are in the flesh cannot please God.'

Now, this verse is usually used to condemn and admonish...if you're not holy enough, you aren't going to please God, period. Christians have spent their lives worrying whether they're holy enough.Thousands of sermons have been preached, beating us over the head and telling us that we are not pleasing to God because of [fill in the sin of the week].

But read on! Verse 9 says 'However, you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you.' Being 'in the Spirit' is not some temporary state of ecstatic prayer [although I think it can mean that, as well] but the permanent state of the reborn man or woman! And the Spirit that raised Christ Jesus from the dead dwells in you!

Saint or Sinner? Habitation of God?
Remember the definition of the Greek word for saint, hagios. It is translated in the New Testament as holy—Holy of Holies, holy one, holy place, most holy, sanctuary!

We are His most holy ones, His holy place, His sanctuary. In fact, God no longer dwells in the Holy of Holies made by human hands, but in us...we are His Holy of Holies! And it has nothing to do with our behavior; rather it is who we become when we are reborn...we have this treasure in earthen vessels! [2 Corinthians 4:7]

Psalm 26:8 says that His habitation is the place where His glory dwells!

'How lovely are Your dwelling places, O Lord of Hosts!' [Psalm 84:1] Not only holy, but full of glory...and lovely, too!

'...and though you have not seen Him, you love Him, and though you do not see Him now, but believe in Him, you greatly rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory.' [1 Peter 1:8]

We are new creatures, new creations. [2 Corinthians 5:17] The race of the sons and daughters of God! And not some new age, nebulous family of man, either. Real, true sons and daughters of the God Who was and is and is to come!

'"And I will be a Father to you, and you shall be sons and daughters to Me," says the Lord Almighty.' [2 Corinthians 6:18]

1 Corinthians 3:16 and 6:19 confirm that we are indeed the temple of God...the Holy of Holies!

Righteous
2 Corinthians 5:21 tells us that 'He made Him Who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.'

Ephesians 4:24 confirms '...and put on the new self, which in the likeness of God has been created in righteousness and holiness of the truth.' We're created in His likeness, in righteousness and holiness!

So, most holy ones, remember during this Easter season that you were crucified with Him, buried and raised up together with Him and seated with Him in heavenly place. You're seated with Him now in heavenly places, and you got there 2000 years ago. You may have even been there before the foundation of the world...

As He IS, so also are we IN THIS WORLD. [1 John 4:17]

How is He, right now? He is the resurrected Jesus, seated at the right hand of God the Father. And we are seated with Him, there, and as He is here in this world.

In Conclusion
Romans 6:4 states it succinctly:

'Therefore we have been buried with Him through baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life.'

You are His most holy one: beloved, beautiful, the habitation of the Most High God. You are seated with Him in heavenly places, having been crucified, buried and raised up together with Him 2000 years ago…or was it before the foundation of the world?

Ponder that and rejoice!

Related posts: Exact Representation of His Nature, One Spirit with the Lord, What Exactly is a Saint, Anyway?, Thoughts on the New Birth.

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