Finished [re-post]

Waiting for something to [maybe] happen is a lot different from knowing that it has already happened.

When we're waiting for something, there's a chance that it won't actually happen. Like Schrodinger's Cat, we can't really see the future.

Or can we? What if the future is already the past? Isn't that what Solomon was saying in Ecclesiastes?

'That which has been is that which will be, And that which has been done is that which will be done. So there is nothing new under the sun. 

Is there anything of which one might say, "See this, it is new?" Already it has existed for ages Which were before us. There is no remembrance of earlier things; And also of the later things which will occur, there will be for them no remembrance among those who will come later still.' [Ecclesiastes 1:9-11] 

'That which is has been already and that which will be has already been, for God seeks what has passed by.' [Ecclesiastes 3:15] 

'Whatever exists has already been named...' [Ecclesiastes 6:10]

Solomon had great wisdom—I think he saw glimpses of eternity but could not really grasp what he was seeing. I think, and this is just my opinion, that he was seeing the truth that God's works were finished from the foundation of the world and that God has already rested from those works. [Hebrews 4:3,10]

In fact, I think he was probably the first quantum physicist! Followed, of course, by Jesus, Who manipulated time and space and physical reality as easily as He breathed.

But Solomon did not understand the New Birth fact that we are full of God and that we dwell in two places—on the earth and seated in heavenly places in Christ Jesus. I think he saw something but didn’t know exactly what it was.

What?
Psalm 119:89 says that God's Word is settled forever...Isaiah 40:8 says it stands forever. And 2 Corinthians 1:20 tells us that all the promises of God are YES in Him!

God declared that His Word will not return to Him without 1) accomplishing what He desires and 2) succeeding in the matter for which He sent it [Isaiah 55:11]. Jeremiah 1:12 says He watches over His Word to perform it.

But Hebrews says He's done! Here we have a quantum conundrum...things are already finished but still happening.

That's because, in the Spirit, there is no time...it is already finished. But here, in the physical plane, we are prisoners of linear time, set in motion by the rotation of the earth. Day and night come and go, and come and go again...the body ages, children grow, we live and die.

His Word was sent to accomplish His desire in the earth...although in Heaven, it is already finished. Jesus taught us to pray "Your will be done, on earth, as it is in Heaven..." [Matthew 6, Luke 11]

Great News
While this may be a bit of a brain scrambler, it's really very good news for those who believe.

If every promise is YES in Him and we are redeemed from the curse of the law [Galatians 3:13], and if His Word is not only settled forever but already finished, for and about us, then WOW! We're no longer waiting for things to [maybe] happen, they're already finished! When we look at the unseen, the forever-settled-already-accomplished Word of God, we can move to a place of peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.

Why? Because joy is a result of answered prayer, and our prayers are already answered! [John 15:11]

Hallelujah!!

Believe You Receive
This is how we can believe we receive when we pray, how we can make our requests known with thanksgiving. Philippians 4 puts it this way:

'Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice! Let your gentle spirit be known to all men. The Lord is near.

Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication WITH THANKSGIVING let your requests be made known to God.

And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things.' [Philippians 4:4-9]

Hebrews 4 says that God has rested from His finished works, but entreats us to be diligent to enter His rest.

What does that mean, exactly?

God's works are indeed finished from the foundation of the world, but ours are not...not until we accept His works as done in our lives through faith.

Hebrews 3, 4 tells why Israelites wandered in the desert for forty years—no, it was NOT God's will that they have a wilderness experience!

It was because of unbelief.

'And with whom was He angry for forty years? Was it not with those who sinned, whose bodies fell in the wilderness? And to whom did He swear that they would not enter His rest, but to those who were disobedient?

'So we see that they were not able to enter because of unbelief.' [Hebrews 3:17-19]

For indeed we have had good news preached to us, just as they also; but the word they heard did not profit them, because it was not united by faith in those who heard.

'For we who have believed enter that rest, just as He has said, "AS I SWORE IN MY WRATH, THEY SHALL NOT ENTER MY REST," although His works were finished from the foundation of the world.' [Hebrews 4:2,3]

We enter into His finished works, His rest, by uniting the Word with faith!

For example, God has said "By His scourging you are healed" [Isaiah 53:5, 1 Peter 2:24]. That was a work, finished not only at Calvary but when the Lamb was slain before the foundation of the world [Revelation 13:8]. It was finished in the natural at Calvary, but in the Spirit it was done before the foundation of the world!

So our healing is already finished, already accomplished. But unless we unite that word with faith, we will not enter the rest of the finished work of healing.

In other words, God has already done His part.

'Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with EVERY spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him.' [Ephesians 1:3,4]

ExamplesThe Old Covenant has a lot to teach on this subject. When Israel and Judah believed God's word—united it with faith—they had rest and peace. When they did not, they had war and captivity.

God had already blessed them in His covenant with Abraham, but when they did not unite the blessing with faith as a nation, they fell out of His rest, so to speak, even though their rest was settled forever!

Okay, Now What?
So, God's works are already finished FOR YOU. He is at rest.

How do you enter into that rest? If Hebrews 4 tells us to be diligent to enter His rest, we must be able to do so.

Unite the forever-settled Word with your faith. Believe that every promise is for you in Christ [2 Corinthians 1:20] and that they are finished, accomplished facts. Then unite it with faith—see it, believe it, say it. See the unseen, believe God's word over temporary circumstances.

Enter His rest.

Related posts: That Which Has Been Will Be, Already Blessed, God Inside, Stop Begging—It's Inside, Camping in the Desert, Enter His Rest Today, Waiting for God...in fact, all of them!

The Father Within [re-post]

Wait a minute...I might have just seen something amazing here...

'"Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father is in Me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on My own initiative, but the Father abiding in Me does His works."' [John 14:10]

'Jesus answered and said to him, "If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our abode with him.' [John 14:23]

'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 3:20,21]

Yes, it's true. The Father is within, and He works through us, just like He did through Jesus.

Put that together with these verses, and you'll see something wonderful!

'The Lord your God who goes before you will Himself fight on your behalf, just as He did for you in Egypt before your eyes...' [Deuteronomy 1:30]

'...for the Lord your God is the one who goes with you, to fight for you against your enemies, to save you.' [Deuteronomy 20:4]

'Then Moses and the sons of Israel sang this song to the Lord, and said, "I will sing to the Lord, for He is highly exalted; the horse and its rider He has hurled into the sea. The Lord is my strength and song, And He has become my salvation; this is my God, and I will praise Him; my father's God, and I will extol Him. THE LORD IS A WARRIOR; the Lord is His name. Pharaoh's chariots and his army He has cast into the sea; and the choicest of his officers are drowned in the Red Sea.' [Exodus 15:1-4]

'The Lord will go forth like a warrior, He will arouse His zeal like a man of war. He will utter a shout, yes, He will raise a war cry. He will prevail against His enemies.' [Isaiah 42:13]

'The Lord your God is in your midst, a victorious warrior. He will exult over you with joy, He will be quiet in His love, He will rejoice over you with shouts of joy.' [Zephaniah 3:17]

The Lord is within us, and He is a victorious warrior! He IS the power that works within—He IS mighty and He will fight for us!

And don't be afraid…

'When you go out to battle against your enemies and see horses and chariots and people more numerous than you, do not be afraid of them; for the Lord your God, who brought you up from the land of Egypt, is with you.

"When you are approaching the battle, the priest shall come near and speak to the people. He shall say to them, 'Hear, O Israel, you are approaching the battle against your enemies today. Do not be fainthearted.

'Do not be afraid, or panic, or tremble before them, for the Lord your God is the one who goes with you, to fight for you against your enemies, to save you.' [Deuteronomy 20:1-4]

Finally, remember these things:

‘But thanks be to God, who ALWAYS LEADS US IN TRIUMPH IN CHRIST, and manifests through us the sweet aroma of the knowledge of Him in every place.’ [2 Corinthians 2:4]

‘But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us.’ [Romans 8:37]

‘…but thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.’ [1 Corinthians 15:57]

‘For whatever is born of God overcomes the world; and this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith.’ [1 John 5:4]

The Father within, a victorious warrior.

Hallelujah! Hallelujah!

For related scriptures, read Victory!

Eternal You [re-post]

We have such a limited view of spiritual reality...a sort of spiritual tunnel vision, if you will. Yes, man was separated from God by his own doing, but Jesus came that we might be reunited with Him. That's the story of the Gospel!

'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; and these whom He predestined, He also called; and these whom He called, He also justified; and these whom He justified, He also glorified.' [Romans 8:28,30]

He foreknew us! Ephesians 1:4 says '...just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him.'

Chosen before the foundation of the world! Foreknown! That's more then seeing us through the ages and predicting that we would come to Him...He knew us, before the foundation of the world! We existed then, we exist now, we exist forever on Mt. Zion. [Hebrews 12:22-24]

These are amazing, quantum thoughts, straight from the heart of God! 2 Timothy 1:9 says that His purpose and grace was granted us in Christ Jesus from all eternity...not for all eternity, but from all eternity! 1 Peter 1:1,2 puts it this way '...who are chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father...'

He knew us from old; therefore, we existed from old. In Christ, from before the foundation of the world. We are with Him in Revelations and from before the foundation of the world....we are eternal beings, living for a time in these earthen vessels.

In fact, the Greek word for 'eternal' is aionios—without beginning and end, THAT WHICH ALWAYS HAS BEEN AND ALWAYS WILL BE, never to cease, everlasting. Not just forward, as we tend to think, but backward, too.

Who Knew?
If these things are true, and since they are straight from the Word, they must be, why do we have such limited knowledge? It seems as if we are awake to only a small portion of our lives, eternity, the reality of God and who we are in Christ.

I think this must be what the Holy Spirit was saying in Ephesians 5:13, 14...'But all things become visible when they are exposed by the light, for everything that becomes visible is light. For this reason it says, "Awake, sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you."

When we allow the light of God's Word to shine into our thinking, the realities of the Kingdom are revealed. We can lay aside all preconceived notions and limitations and finally step into our calling—to reign in life through the One, Christ Jesus.

It's Time
It's time to lay aside our darkened thinking, to renew our minds to the realities of God's will for us. Time to step into His glorious light and realize that we live in two realms of existence...ambassadors in the earth, citizens of Heaven. Living here while seated in heavenly places in Christ. Foreknown from the foundation of the earth, with Him at the final trumpet of Revelations. Eternal, one with Him, full of HIs glory.

Hallelujah!

Think Like God 2

We’ve all heard this scripture, particularly from those who preach that faith is in our heart and in our mouth and changes things in the earth.

‘…even God, Who gives life to the dead and calls into being that which does not exist.’ [Romans 4:17 NASB]

‘…even God, who quickeneth the dead, and calleth those things which be not as though they were.’[Romans 4:17 KJV]

And we’ve all heard preachers who don’t believe in the ‘faith message’ say that this scripture is about God and not for us…I even heard one guy say “Nowhere in the Bible does is says that we should call things that are not as though they were.”

Don’t even get me started…how does he think he received salvation? When he started to confess Jesus as Lord, he was a sinner. When he finished the sentence, he was the righteousness of God in Christ! Talk about the power of words!

But I digress…

The Mind of Christ
What I saw this morning was the we have the mind of Christ. [1 Corinthians 2:16] We are one Spirit with the Lord [1 Corinthians 6:17] and Jesus said that He and the Father were One. [John 10:30]

So we have the ability to think like Jesus, to think like God!

And how does He think? Does He think sick? Broke? Is He worried or afraid? Does He see no way out of difficult situations?

Or does He believe that His Word will accomplish that for which He sends it? [Isaiah 55:11] Does He believe that what He says happens?

Oh, wait a minute…that’s what Jesus told us to do in Mark 11:23!

In fact, He told us to speak to mountains and move them!

‘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.”’ [Mark 11:22-24]

This is how Jesus and His Father think! This is how the world was created!

Think like Jesus does…you have His mind. Declare the end from the beginning, like your Father does…imitate Him as dear children! [Isaiah 46:10, Ephesians 5:1]

Think about it…

Read Think Like Jesus, Think Like God, Decreed.

Jump Up and Down

I had an epiphany the other day.

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

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

Then it hit me. 

Jesus told me to believe I receive WHEN I PRAY.

Not when it finally shows up.

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

Oh.

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

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

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

His Word IS His will!

Here are a few more scriptures to ponder:

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

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

‘For as many as are the promises of God, IN HIM they are YES; therefore also through Him is our AMEN to the glory of God through us.’ [2 Corinthians 1:20]

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

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

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

‘Do not be deceived, my beloved brethren. EVERY GOOD THING GIVEN AND EVERY PERFECT GIFT is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shifting shadow.’ [James 1:16,17]

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

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

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

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

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

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

That’s believing you receive when you pray:

‘”Therefore I say to you, ALL THINGS for which you pray and ask, believe that you have received them, and they will be granted you.”’ [Mark 11:24]

And joy should be the result.

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

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

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

Because it did, before the foundation of the world. 

Hallelujah!

The Purpose of Discouragement

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

But what does the Word say?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Lay It Aside

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

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

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

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

This is a true statement.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

That's why Romans 12:2 says:

'And DO NOT BE conformed to this world [which means we have the choice and the power to exercise that choice] but BE transformed by the RENEWING OF YOUR MIND, so that you may PROVE what the will of God is, that which is GOOD and ACCEPTABLE and PERFECT.' [emphasis and comments, mine]

Proverbs 23:7 confirms this:

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

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

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

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

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

The Holy Spirit, through Paul says it like this:

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

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

Why is this a problem? Because...

"Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the KNOWLEDGE of God and of Jesus our Lord; seeing that His DIVINE POWER has GRANTED TO US EVERYTHING PERTAINING TO LIFE AND GODLINESS, through the TRUE KNOWLEDGE of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence.

For by these He has granted to us His PRECIOUS AND MAGNIFICENT PROMISES, so that by them you may BECOME PARTAKERS OF THE DIVINE NATURE, having escaped the corruption that is in the world by lust.' [2 Peter 1:2-4]

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Just do what the Psalmist did...

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

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

Paul put it this way:

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

'Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure,whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things.' [Philippians 4:6-8]

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

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

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

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

Who Says So? [repost]

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The Word of His Power

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.

I've heard that the exact translation of Genesis 1 in Hebrew is more like "Light, Be! Light was." instead of the more familiar "Let there be light."

In Genesis 1, the word of light was "Light."

We know that God cannot lie. [Numbers 23:19; Titus 1:2]

Why is that? Because if there was not a tree when He started to say 'tree' there would be one by the time the word was out of His mouth! He cannot lie because everything He says comes to pass!

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]

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]

Third, because He told us to speak to trees and mountains. Because Psalms and Proverbs are full of instructions regarding the power of words. Because the POWER of life and death is IN THE TONGUE. [Proverbs 18:21]

Jesus knew this because He IS the Word, and He knows how the system works.

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]

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]

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

Who Says So? [re-post]

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

3 But You, O LORD, are a shield about me, My glory, and the One who lifts my head.

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

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

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

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

8 Salvation belongs to the LORD; Your blessing be upon Your people! Selah.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Words of Comfort
Here are some words to help. Notice how often David puts his trust in his mouth…

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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