The Yad of God 2

The only way God works in the earth is through the yad or hand of His mouth!

The Hebrew word ‘yad’ is translated several ways: hand, power, strength...when you research how it is used in the Old Testament, it is obvious that it is the powerful, strong hand which accomplishes things in the earth. The power [yad=hand] of life and death is in the tongue [Proverbs 18:21], which could alternately be translated ‘Death and life is in the hand of the tongue…’ [From Yad]

John 1:3 says 'All things came into being through Him [The Word, v.1] and apart form Him nothing came into being that has come into being.'

Waiting for God?

We've all been there. We've prayed, visualized, confessed and watched. And nothing happened. We then move into the 'waiting for God' phase, where we try to convince ourselves that it's 'just around the corner.'

Now, the longer the 'waiting' phase, the more we are subjected to doubt and unbelief. Which, of course, degrades our faith connection to the very thing we're waiting for.

Sound like a vicious cycle? It is, and it has nothing to do with God!

Speak Peace To It

Physical, Natural Things Have No Will of Their Own...
When God spoke the world into being in Genesis 1, the elements had no choice but to obey Him. He said "Light, be!" and light was.

Similarly, man's desire to build the Tower of Babel to reach Heaven had to be fulfilled because physical, natural elements had no choice but to obey them. Why? Because the race of man, both male and female, had been created in the likeness of God. In Genesis 11:6 we read that 'The Lord said, "Behold, they are one people, and they all have the same language. And this is what they began to do, and now nothing which they purpose to do will be impossible for them."'

They were talking to the physical and it had to obey! We continue to see this throughout the Old Testament, particularly in the Psalms and Proverbs. Physical things obey the mouth of God and of man...why?

Because God said they would. And He cannot lie, because as soon as He speaks a thing it is called into existence. If God said "dog" where there was no dog, it would not be a lie because by the time He got the word out, there would be a dog there!

Then came Jesus...the Word fulfilled! And He told us that if we talk to mountains, trees, storms, bodies—any physical thing—they would obey us as well!

What is Bible Peace?
Interestingly, when Jesus spoke to the storm, He spoke peace to it.

The concept of Shalom, or peace, is a major theme throughout the Bible. The Hebrew lexicon describes it's meaning as completeness, soundness, welfare, peace; completeness (in number); safety, soundness (in body); welfare, health, prosperity; peace—quiet, tranquility, contentment; peace—friendship of human relationships, with God especially in covenant relationship; peace (from war); peace (as adjective).

Imaging that. Completeness, wholeness in every area of life. In Isaiah, Jesus is called the Prince of Peace [Shalom], and He Himself is our peace [Ephesians 2:14].

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 [or full]...' We have been made complete or shalom in Him!

Jesus spoke 'Peace' to the storm and it had to obey. Peace—complete wholeness. Jesus is the Prince of Peace, and we are one Spirit with Him!

Authority
Angels have no will of their own, and the ones who tried to exercise their own will were cast out. The Word says we have authority over them as well! [Luke 10:19]

When God speaks, things obey, and Jesus told us that they would obey us as well, if we did not doubt in our hearts but believe that what we say happens. [Mark 11:22-24]

Things [and fallen angels too, it seems] have to obey us. They have no choice if we give the command in faith—seeing it as accomplished in our heart [imagination] and speaking it forth into the world. If we hesitate, or begin to doubt, they stop in their tracks, turn, and wait to see if it's safe to disobey. But if we know who we are in Christ [believe me, every demon and every thing already knows...] they must obey.

Remember Jesus at the fig tree? He cursed it, turned around and walked away. The next day His disciples had to point it out to Him. In His mind, it was finished the moment He said it, and that was that. Once the word is given in faith, it is settled.

The entire Word is fulfilled in Him—He is the Word, and we are the Word multiplied. And God's Word is settled forever [Psalm 119:89]—His works were finished from the foundation of the world! [Hebrews 4:3] He has already rested from His works! [Hebrews 4:4]

Huh?

Yes, it's true. He has already called the end from the beginning, "declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times things which have not been done. Saying 'My purpose will be established, and I will accomplish all My good pleasure.'" [Isaiah 46:10]

And His purpose, His good pleasure which He has already decreed over us is that we are one Spirit with the Lord—all things belong to us, and we belong to Christ, and Christ belongs to God. [I Corinthians 3:22,23]

So it's all there, in the spiritual realm, belonging to us already! All things belong to us, richly to enjoy, and they are all working together for our good. Why? Because God said so!

Our Will...The Deciding Factor
We must exercise our will and agree with God rather than our physical circumstances, human rationality or evil deceptions—God will not cross the line of our will. We must believe in our hearts and speak with our mouths—knowing that when we command natural entities they must obey...they have no choice!

In Deuteronomy 30, we are told to choose between life and prosperity or death and adversity. It is always our choice!

[An aside here...see God's viewpoint on prosperity and adversity? Hmm...I wonder how we got so screwed up on that?]

So choose to have faith in God and what He has already said about you. You've been made whole and have been given all things richly to enjoy! He has decreed these things and He works were completed before the foundation of the world!

Agree with Him—choose life and prosperity. Decree a thing and it will be established for you [Job 22:28].

They are yours already.

Surrounded By...

According to the Word, there's a lot going on around us in the unseen realm of the spirit.

'For it is You who blesses the righteous man, O Lord, You surround him with favor as with a shield.' [Ps. 5:12]

'You are my hiding place; You preserve me from trouble; You surround me with songs [or shouts] of deliverance.' [Ps. 32:7]

'...he who trusts in the Lord, lovingkindness shall surround him.' [Ps. 32:10]

'The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear Him, and rescues them.' [Ps. 34:7]

'As the mountains surround Jerusalem, so the Lord surrounds His people from this time forth and forever.' [Ps. 125:2]

Very comforting, don't you think? Believe it, see it, say it...you are surrounded!

Angels...Quantum Travelers

There's been a lot written about angels in the last few years. Who are they really, and what do they have to do with Christians?

Messengers, Protectors, Providers
We see angels on many occasions in the Word. When they've appeared, it's as though the veil is lifted between the spirit and the natural, and we're given a glimpse of the Kingdom of God. They appeared throughout both the Old and New Covenants, as messengers, protectors and providers. Remember the three Hebrews in the furnace, or Daniel in the lion's den? Jacob's ladder?

God Is Good...No, Really!

Yes, God is good. Not good as in "He'll make you suffer to teach you something" or "He loves you but..." or "He loves you but sometimes the answer is 'No.'"

I'm talking about really good. Good like you want Him to be, like you long for Him to be...

I know that this is a hard concept to grasp. Culture and religion have told us that He's watching from a distance, that we have to earn His favor, that sometimes He gives and sometimes He takes away.

Get this. God IS love [1 John 4:16]...He doesn't have love, He IS love. He has already blessed with every spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ [Ephesians 1:3], and has placed Himself within every reborn spirit [John 14:23]. We are One Spirit with the Lord [1 Corinthians 6:17] and He's not withholding from Himself.

You Haven't Lost Your Faith...You've Been Deceived [Repost]

I woke up yesterday knowing that we can be deceived only in our minds...our spirits are full of God, and our bodies are physical only and as such cannot be deceived.

The battlefield is in the mind. Re-read this post [below]...remember, you can be transformed by the renewing of your mind! [Romans 12:2] Trust your reborn spirit, which is One Spirit with the Lord...trust Him with all your heart and don't lean on your own understanding. In all your ways, acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight! [1 Corinthians 6:17, Proverbs 3:5,6]

Powerful Thoughts, Powerful Words

Review According to Your Faith... before reading

Thoughts are powerful...so powerful that they affect the direction of our lives!

A persistent fearful thought causes stress, which medical science has proven causes pre-mature aging and a variety of physical ailments. Job explains the calamities that befell him..."For what I fear comes upon me, And what I dread befalls me." [Job 3:25]

We also know that Jesus told many who came to Him for miracles "According to your faith be it done unto you..." and fear is nothing more than faith in or dread of what horrible things may happen.

We see how powerful fear thoughts are...what about the power in positive, life-affirming thoughts of blessing? The Bible calls positive expectation Hope, and tells us that Faith is the substance of things hoped for! [Hebrews 11:1]

According to Your Faith...

...be it done unto you. How many times did Jesus say that to those who came to Him for miraculous intervention? And what exactly was He saying to them?

Everyone who came to Him came in faith. They believed that they would get what they were seeking...they could see it coming to pass in the eye of their heart. They mixed that inner vision with words and action.

In essence, they had already conceived of a life different than the one they had. They chose life, blessing, instead of death and the curse. They were, in fact, already delivered—Jesus never said "I healed you, or I raised your child from the dead."

He was demonstrating the power within, the power of faith—believing 1) that what we say is going to happen, and 2) that we receive the instant we pray. [Mark 11:22-24]

Ephesians 3:20 says it this way: '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...' Go up a couple of verses in that chapter, where the Holy Spirit, through Paul, says that God would grant us, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner man.

As a Man Thinks...
Most people have heard Proverbs 23:7 quoted...'For as he thinks within himself, so he is.' And of course there's Joel 3:10...'Let the weak say, "I am a mighty man."'

I believe these truths demonstrate 'according to your faith be it done unto you.'

You don't read much about faith in the Old Testament. We know that Noah and Abraham and Moses had faith because we are told in the New Testament that their actions constituted faith. We see David believing in the Lord's deliverances, and then we see him delivered.

Some may call it positive thinking, but I think it's faith. Faith in two places—the heart and the mouth. The heart, where the vision of blessing grows from the Word and from the indwelling Spirit...and the mouth, where agreement with God and His Word is decreed.

Think From the Desired End, Not Of It
If it is true that 'as a man thinks, so is he...' then our access to God's blessing is between our ears. Change how you think within, or as Romans 12:2 says, '...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.'

[Aside...note that the will of God is not tragedy, horror and misery...see John 10:10]

So we see that life-changing faith, the 'be it done according to' kind of faith, begins in the mind. See the unseen, the already answered prayer—think from the end, not of it.

We also know that all of the promises of God are 'yes' in Him [2 Corinthians 1:20]—Jesus spent 4 chapters of John telling us that the Father would give us whatever we ask [John 14-17, 1 John 3:22]. We can believe we receive when we pray!

The Mouth
The second place faith is in in the mouth. Job 22:28 says "You will also decree a thing, and it will be established for you..." Then of course there are the Psalms and Proverbs, books of wisdom that are all about using the mouth to reign in life.

Back to Joel 3:10...let the weak say "I am a mighty man." Not 'let the weak say "Dear God, I'm so weak..please help me!"' God is the Great I Am—we are created in His image, filled with His Spirit, and we are instructed to say 'I am' to change our lives.

Agree with God. He says 'by His stripes you were healed.' So you say 'I am healed.' And don't just say it over and over, like some rote, meaningless ritual. Meditate on being healed, see it, think from being already healed...then decree it with power!

His Word, His Command

Psalm 29 describes the voice of the Lord and how it causes change in physical reality...He commands and it is done. We see this throughout the Bible, from Genesis 1 to the close of Revelations. His words are commands—they are settled forever [Psalm 119:89] and all things are His servants [Psalm 91:91].

But wait...didn't He say that all things have been given to us, richly to enjoy [1 Timothy 6:17]? That all things belong now to us? [1 Corinthians 3:22]

Where's the disconnect?

I believe it lies in our lack of understanding of how things really work, who we really are in Christ and what words really are.

God's Words Are Commands
Psalm 68: 11,12 sheds much light on this.

'The Lord gives the command [Heb. emer, usually translated word]; the women who proclaim the good tidings are a great host [Heb. tsaba, or army]; 

[and this is the word or command from the Lord that they proclaimed...] "Kings of armies flee, they* flee, and she who remains at home will divide the spoil!" 

* In the original Hebrew, the word they is not there. So it actually reads “Kings of armies, flee, flee!” A command rather than a statement.

Obviously, the men have gone out to battle. It is the Lord's will that they reign in life [Romans 5:17] so He issues the word, or command. The thing is, His works were settled before the foundation of the earth [Hebrews 4:3] and His word is settled forever [Psalm 119:89]. So He's already given the command that they succeed...and we know that the voice of the Lord changes physical reality.

But we also know that man [male and female mand] has free will, which he executes with his mouth. [See The Tower of Babel in Fabulous Finds] So we can choose the blessing—His commands [Deuteronomy 30:15-20]—or the curse, the consequence of living outside of His blessing [words, commands].

I see it like a spiritual game of telephone...The Lord gives the word, or command, to the women who have stayed behind, and they 1) agree with it, and 2) proclaim it into the earth for their army. They are, in fact, the army [host] behind the army, bringing God's command of victory into the earth for those fighting at the front.

Would the natural army have succeeded without the command of victory coming into the earth? Only if they were physically bigger, badder and better equipped!

Without the word [command] of God working actively in our lives, our success is proscribed by our natural abilities and limitations.

Created in His Image
We are created in His image, filled with His Spirit. The importance of our words in shaping our lives is manifest throughout scriptures—we are like Him, and our words are commands, too. Ephesians 4:24 tells us to '...put on the new self, which in the likeness of God has been created in righteousness and holiness of the truth.'

Jesus said if we believe that what we say is going to happen, it will be granted him [Mark 11:3] and James compared our tongue to a ship's rudder or horse's bit. The entire book of Proverbs talks about the power of words in natural life.

You Mean Faith Confessions?
The Faith Movement has done great things for the Body of Christ. It has paved the way for us to understand who we are in Christ and how things work upon the earth.

But I think that, in large part, the message has been misunderstood.

We have taken the powerful truth that faith is in our hearts and in our mouths and have ritualized it to a set of spiritual prayer beads.

First, we have not realized the full truth that our old spirit was crucified with Christ, buried with Him in baptism and raised up together with Him and seated with Him in heavenly places. This is an actual, quantum fact. The only Spirit residing in our earthen vessels is Jesus and The Father, by the power of the Holy Spirit. We are the temple of the Lord and we have this treasure in this earthen vessel. In our reborn Spirit, we have been made complete in His fullness, filled up to all the fullness of God. And we live in two places—on the earth and seated in heavenly places.

What???? How dare I say such a thing!

Well, it's all in the Logos of God—His written Word, or command. These truths have been commanded upon us, for us, to us...it is His will, His command that we be filled up to all of His fullness.

His Logos—His Word—was made flesh and dwelt among us [John 1:1]. And we who have believed are the Word multiplied [Acts 12:24], the Body of the Word in the earth.

But this rebirth has taken place in our spirits—our hearts—not in our minds or in our flesh. Our spirit—the Spirit of God—has spiritual eyes to see the unseen, spiritual ears to hear the Word, the spiritual Mind of Christ, the anointing which teaches us all things [2 John 2:20,27]. 1 Corinthians 2:12 says that we have received the Spirit Who is from God, so that we may know the things freely given to us by God...and we know that He has chosen to freely give us The Kingdom [Luke 11:32]!

Back to Faith Confessions, Please!
Oh yeah, I did wander a little bit there. But I think it was necessary to give some background before completely blowing your minds!

Okay. The truth is that Jesus did tell us to speak to physical things, and to believe that they would obey. And He demonstrated it over and over again in His earthly walk. Then He told us that we would do greater works than He did [John 14:12]!

Unfortunately, we have somehow turned these powerful truths into meaningless repetitions.

For example, Joel 3:10 says 'Let the weak say, "I am a mighty man."

So we sing this, over and over, and we repeat "I am a mighty man [or woman], I am a mighty man, I am a mighty man, etc etc"

What we don't realize is that the voice—the spoken word—is to be used to command the natural! We are created in His image, and when reborn, have His Spirit in fullness within us! So instead of repeating faith confessions over and over, hoping that somehow they will come to pass, we must speak God's forever settled word as a command out into our lives to reign in the natural!!

The key to Mark 11: 22-25 is to have faith in God! Give the command to [whatever—tree, mountain, wind, body, money, etc] and know that it will happen! Jesus taught this, and then continued to demonstrate it over and over again. When caught in the storm, his disciples wakened Him to help, and He said to them "Why are you afraid? Do you still have no faith?" Or in other words, why didn't you do it and let me sleep? Haven't you learned anything?

The Short Version
To summarize:

• Word are commands, from the spirit to the natural...this is true for God as well as man, both regenerate and unregenerate 
• God's Word, or command, is settled forever...we bring it to pass by seeing and hearing it with our spiritual eyes and ears, and giving the command or Word into the physical realm 
• Then, at that moment, we choose to believe that what we say happens. 

We are not speaking vain repetitions in the hope that they might [please oh please oh please] come to pass...we are giving the commands settled from before the foundation of the world into our lives, to prove what is the good and acceptable and perfect will of God! [Romans 12:2] To bring the blessings that are already ours from the spirit into the natural, physical realm...to reign upon the earth! [Revelations 5:10]

One More Thing...
And just to make sure that His will for us was unmistakably clear, He stated unequivocally "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]

In Romans 12, He says that His will is good and perfect and acceptable. James 1:17 tells us that 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. And Psalm 84:11 says 'The Lord God is a sun and shield; the Lord gives grace and glory; no good thing does He withhold from those who walk uprightly.'

In other words, His will for us is wonderful...He commanded it and He expects it to come to pass! We need to agree with Him and command His words out of our mouths.

Do you know why God can't lie? [Numbers 23:19] Because if it wasn't true when He started the sentence, it would be true by the time He finished! The creative power of His Word never fails.

Never question the power of His forever settled Word, or His purpose for it to accomplish what He sent it for. In fact, nothing can stop it from producing physical, natural results, except us! We can choose cursing instead of blessing, death instead of life. We can choose not to believe His word, or not to believe it specifically for our own lives. We can choose not to understand how the universe works and go our own way.

Just Do It!
Yes, you have to choose whether to obey or rebel...it's that simple. Discard any brainwashing you may have received about the so-called Faith Movement, or Positive Confessions, or [fill in the blank]. Or any excuses, such as I don't want to, it's too weird, I don't believe that works, my pastor thinks it's heresy, etc etc.

I've laid out a good, solid Biblical argument. Now it's up to you to read the Scriptures for yourselves and decide whether to obey or not. I'm not trying to be harsh, I'm trying to help you see how to move God's blessings from the Spirit to the natural.

We are One Spirit With the Lord and we are created to reign in life. The commanding power of the spoken voice, from the spirit through the mouth, is the tool by which we do this.

In Conclusion...No, Really
The Word is called the Sword of the Spirit, and it comes out of the mouth. Jesus puts it this way in Luke 6:45..."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."

Remember, ' 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] The Holy Spirit, through Paul, prayed that we be strengthened with all power [Colossians 1:11]—strengthened with power through His Spirit in our inner man [Ephesians 3:16].

Why is He in us, in fullness, in all power? Is He some sort of spiritual hitchhiker, along for the ride? Or is it to empower us to do the works of Jesus, and greater works than those? Is it to prove His good will in our lives to the world and to those enemies arrayed against us? Is it to enable us to reign in life, to receive every blessing..health, wealth, angelic protection, blessings upon our children...favor, wisdom, love, joy, peace...all already settled in heavenly places and in our spirits?

Psalm 84 explains quantum realities:

'How blessed is the man whose strength is in You, in whose [lit. their] heart are the highways to Zion! Passing through the valley of Baca [weeping] they make it a spring; the early rain also cover it with blessings. They go from strength to strength, every one of them appears before God in Zion.'

In our hearts—our spirits—are the highways to Zion! Hebrews 12:12:22 says that we have already come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem! We are already seated with Him in heavenly places [Ephesians 2:6], and from there we make our places of weeping a spring! Hallelujah!

Give the command! Make His will so in your life! Say, as Mary did, "May it be it done to me according to your word..."

Hallelujah!