Easy Does It

I wrote this several years ago...still good today!

One thing the world and the church agree on…life is hard, and it’s supposed to be hard.

Our first clue that something may be amiss is that the world agrees with us—that in and of itself should throw up all sorts of warning signals. Any assumptions commonly held by unregenerate man are usually wrong, and this is no different.

Jeremiah 32:27 says “Behold, I am the LORD, the God of all flesh; is anything too difficult for Me?” This is the same statement God made to Abraham regarding Sarah’s ability to conceive and bear a child at her advanced age [Genesis 18:14].

Similar statements in the New Testament confirm this:

"All things are possible to him who believes…" [Mark 9:23]

"...for all things are possible with God." [Mark 9:23]

"...nothing will impossible to you" [Matthew 17:20]

"For nothing will be impossible with God." [Luke 1:37]

Believes what? That all things are possible—nothing is impossible! All things, nothing—these are absolute words, promises without restriction. And they belong to us…they are the easy way!

What we need is a paradigm shift...to start seeing things the way God sees them and not through these natural eyes!

Our God Reigns

Our God reigns...and I've got news for you. He's reigning on the earth through the Body of Christ.

The only problem with that is that the Body of Christ isn't doing anything. Oh, yeah, we're sending missionaries to Africa and China, and wringing our hands when they're murdered or defeated.

We organize prayer rallies on the steps of Congress and bemoan the direction our country is going in; we wave protest signs at abortion clinics.

But we don't really reign anywhere because we don't believe that God is reigning through us, that reigning in life is our job, not just a great blessing if we can somehow manage to figure out how to do it!

We're so busy repenting and navel gazing and arguing that we're supposed to be poor, sick, etc for Jesus that we miss the whole point!

Victory? Never heard of it... Conquering? Reigning in life? Ruling upon the earth? Administering the kingdom? No--that's God's job. We're too humble, poor souls trudging through this mortal life, until that glorious day. God is in control, whatever will be will be...

Yikes!!!

Bound

A Dream [06/13/2010]
I was standing with Jesus when several large angels came in, carry a chain-bound satan between them. They threw him on the ground, and Jesus said to him "Give it to her."

Without looking at me, satan handed up a check for a portion of the sevenfold penalty for everything stolen from me. [Proverbs 6:31]

Jesus turned and said to me, "I already had authority over him. I came so that you would have authority over him."

I walked over and put my foot on his head.

Then, in a commanding tone, He said to satan "Go get the rest."

Unfortunately, I was awakened by noisy family members, yucking it up outside my door! Blast!

Proclaim!

It is good to give thanks to the LORD and to sing praises to Your name, O Most High; to DECLARE Your lovingkindness in the morning and Your faithfulness by night...' [Psalm 92:1,2]

Sing to the LORD, bless His name; PROCLAIM good tidings of His salvation from day to day. [Psalm 96:2]

On this blog, we've talked a lot about the power of the spoken word, both God's words and our own.

We've examined how important our words are in the earth, and even more so...how God's Word is settled forever and runs very swiftly in the earth. We also see that He watches over His word to perform it!

Wisdom Confessions

I have an anointing from the Holy One and I know all things. [1 John 2:20,27]

I understand all things, because I've sought the Lord. [Proverbs 28:5]

My mouth will speak wisdom, and the meditation of my heart will be understanding. [Psalm 49:3]

The Lord gives me wisdom; from His mouth com knowledge and understanding. [Proverbs 2:6]

I say to Wisdom "You are my sister," and I call understanding my intimate friend. [Proverbs 7:4]

I have been made the righteousness of God in Christ and my mouth flows with wisdom. [2 Corinthians 5:21; Proverbs 10:31]

The Spirit of Truth guides me into all the truth--He discloses to me what is to come. [John 16:13]

I am One Spirit with the Lord and I have the Mind of Christ. [1 Corinthians 6:17; 1 Corinthians 2:16]

Jesus became to me wisdom from God... [1 Corinthians 1:30]

I am filled with all knowledge...in everything I am enriched in Him, in all speech and all knowledge. [Romans 15:14]

I manifest the sweet aroma of the knowledge of Him in every place. [2 Corinthians 2:14]

God has shone the Light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ into my heart. [2 Corinthians 4:6]

I have the Spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him. [Ephesians 1:17]

In Jesus are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge...I'm in Him and He's in me! [Colossians 2:3]

Grace and peace are MULTIPLIED to me in the knowledge of God and of Jesus my Lord; seeing that His divine power has granted to me everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him Who called me by His own Glory and excellence. For by these He has granted to me His precious and magnificent promises, so that by them I may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world by lust. [2 Peter 1:2-4]

Requirement Fulfilled!

The requirement of the Law is fulfilled in Jesus...if you belong to Him, you have been redeemed from the curse of the Law.

'Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.

'For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death.

'For what the Law could not do, weak as it was through the flesh, God did: sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and as an offering for sin, He condemned sin in the flesh, so that the requirement of the Law might be fulfilled in us, who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.' [Romans 8:1-4]

'For as many as are of the works of the Law are under a curse; for it is written, "CURSED IS EVERYONE WHO DOES NOT ABIDE BY ALL THINGS WRITTEN IN THE BOOK OF THE LAW, TO PERFORM.

Now that no one is justified by the Law before God is evident; for, "THE RIGHTEOUSMAN SHALL LIVE BY FAITH."

However, the Law is not of faith; on the contrary, "HE WHO PRACTICES THEM SHALL LIVE BY THEM." Christ redeemed us from the curse of the Law, having become a curse for us--for it is written, "CURSED IS EVERYONE WHO HANGS ON A TREE "--in order that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles, so that we would receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.

And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham's descendants, heirs according to promise. [Galatians 3:10-14,29]

The requirement has been fulfilled, eternally, for all who receive it...in fact, Romans 5:18 says that one act of righteousness resulted in the justification of life to ALL men! Hallelujah!

Substance

The dictionary describes the noun substance as 'the real physical matter of which a person or thing consists and which has a tangible, solid presence; the quality of having a solid basis in reality or fact.'

Proverbs 8 says "...to endow those who love me [Wisdom] with wealth, that I may fill their treasuries [or storehouses]"

The Hebrew word translated for wealth here is yesh, meaning substance, existence, being. So this verse should really read "...to endow those who love me with substance, that I may fill their treasuries."

This is very interesting. From this chapter, we see that Wisdom, a spiritual entity, was established from everlasting, possessed by God at the beginning of His way, beside Him as a master workman when He created the earth.

We also know that Jesus became to us wisdom from God. [1 Corinthians 1:30] 'In Whom [Jesus] are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge'...and we are in Him and He is in us. [Colossians 2:3]

Proverbs 3:16,17 says, speaking of Wisdom, 'Long life is in her right hand; in her left hand are riches and honor. Her ways are pleasant ways and all her paths are peace.'

Power

I was watching a video of a shuttle launch and was struck by the sheer power of the blast.

Immediately I thought of Colossians 1:11 in which the Holy Spirit, through Paul, prays that we may be '...strengthened with ALL POWER, according to His glorious might...' and Ephesians 3:16, '...that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be STRENGTHENED WITH POWER through His Spirit in the inner man...'

We know that the natural world was created from the spiritual. 'By faith we understand that the worlds were prepared by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things which are visible.' [Hebrews 11:3] Therefore it stands to reason that the spiritual realm is greater than the natural.

Our power is in the Spirit--in our unity with the Lord. And it is more powerful that any rocket fuel, any nuclear reaction.

We just haven't learned how to harness it yet.

Oh...I Get It!

I was just about to launch into a string of scripture-based confessions about my kids and I saw it...or I heard it, or felt it...

Anyway, it was one of those 'Aha!' moments that sort of falls on me.

I saw in an instant that what faith is is believing that it has already come to pass. That God's forever settled Word is already true in the Spirit, and once released into the natural realm by our words, is finished as well.

Jesus summed it up when He said...

"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]

Yes, we declare what is to be based on the Word—that is the 'how' part of the equation. But first we must understand that in the Spirit, it is already accomplished! God's Word is settled forever [Ps. 119:89] and He has rested from His works! [Hebrews 4:3,10]

Once we understand by faith that His Word is already accomplished for us in the realm of the Spirit, then we speak it out into the natural world! Decree a thing and it will be established for you! [Job 22:28]

So stop worrying and wringing your hands. The confession or declaration of God's Word into the earth is not some kind of charismatic rosary. Believe that it's done...and it will done unto you according to your faith.

Seated With Him

Ephesians 2:4-6 tells us 'But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus...'

Ephesians 1:3 prefaces this remark with '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.'

And we know that God '...seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come. And He put all things in subjection under His feet, and gave Him as head over all things to the church, which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all."

How is this possible?

Because when we receive Jesus, we die and He is reborn in us--Colossians 2:13 says that '...He [God] made you alive together with Him [Jesus]...'

1 Corinthians 6:17 says that we are '...one spirit with Him.'

In essence, we are born of God [1 John 5:1] and united with Him. He is seated in heavenly places, and so are we, in Christ Jesus.

While we walk on the earth, we are, in quantum reality, seated in heavenly places in Christ because we are one with Him.

It's a quantum fact.