Trapped

Man is a three part being...spirit, soul and body.

We are spirits, we have a soul and we live in a body.

We were crucified with Christ, buried with Him in baptism, raised up together with Him and seated in Him in heavenly places.

We were chosen in Him before the foundation of the world and are one Spirit with the Lord.

Who? Were our bodies crucified in Him? Our souls?

Who is seated in Him right now in heavenly places, at teh right hand of God? Our bodies? Our souls?

NO! All of these verses refer to our spirits! We are reborn, born of the imperishable seed that is the living and enduring Word of God...Jesus IS the Word!

And we are the word multiplied!

2 Corinthians 4:7 says that we have this treasure in earthen vessels!

Paul said "I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but CHRIST LIVES IN ME...' [Galatians 2:20]

In John 14, Jesus said He and the Father would all come and make their abode—dwelling—with us. And the Father would send the Comforter—the Holy Spirit—to us. That's the entire Trinity! Living in flesh bodies, walking in the earth.

1 John 4:17 says '...as He is, so also are we in this world.'

Think about that for a minute.

Jesus was a man full of God. How did He live? He knew no limits of any kind and nothing was impossible for Him.

Wait a minute...He said nothing would be impossible for us! Why? Because He knew that we would be full of God, too, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ! His Body in the earth.

His first body left the earth when He ascended to heaven...we're His Body now! Filled up to all the fulness of God!

God In Us
God is in us, people...not just a tablespoon, not just some spiritual hitchhiker...the real Triune God lives in each and every born-again Christian!

His problem is we won't let Him out! He's trapped in there, restricted to what we will or will not let Him do!

Why do you think He's in there? To do greater works than Jesus did! But, like the stopper in the genie's bottle, our souls—our minds, wills and emotions, what we believe—keep Him bottled up!

Think of it this way. Faith works by love, and we, being full of God, have both His faith and His love.

Consider these scriptures:

'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]

'...strengthened with ALL POWER, according to HIS GLORIOUS MIGHT...' [Colossians 1:11]

'...that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be STRENGTHENED WITH POWER through His Spirit IN THE INNER MAN...' [Ephesians 3: 16]

He's in there, alright, but He can only do what we allow Him to do!

Hebrews 3:17-19 tells us that Israel could not enter the Promise Land because of sin and disobedience, which Paul called unbelief!

Was it His will for them to enter? Absolutely! But the power—the choice—to enter was theirs. And they chose to believe something other than what God said.

These were natural people, who limited God in the earth.

We are not natural, but spiritual people, filled with God Himself and His power!

But like them, we choose to let Him out or not to let Him out by what we believe.

His Word tells us plainly to lay hands on the sick and they will recover. But everyone else says it might not work, it's passed away, blah blah woof woof.

Like Israel, we have a choice...believe what God said, or believe the other 10 guys. God is in us in power to perform His word—trapped in these earthen vessels, permitted to do only what we'll believe Him for.

He says all things belong to us, richly to enjoy. [1 Corinthians 3:21,22; 1 Timothy 6:17] In Luke 12:32, Jesus said the Father has chosen GLADLY to give us THE KINGDOM! But a bunch of guys 1700 years ago told us that we should be poor...so poor we are!

Trapped.

When are we going to let Him out? When are we going to do what Romans 12:1,2 says?

'Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship.

'And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, sothat you may PROVE what the will of God is, that which is GOOD and ACCEPTABLE and PERFECT.'

Now we've been taught that this means we can't have any fun. but that's NOT what it means...the Holy Spirit is telling us how to let Him out!

Don't be conformed to the world and it's wrong way of thinking! Get your body under control and renew your mind—agree with God, not with the world! Be like Joshua and Caleb, and NOT like the other 10 guys!

The world is waiting for us to prove Who He is! Savior, Healer, Provider...the One Who raises the dead and stills the storm. Lover, Creator, Father, Brother, Comforter.

He cannot do greater works through His Body in the earth until and unless we let Him out.

Let Him out. Speak His Word into the earth and expect His will to be done, on earth, as it is in heaven.

Stop Worrying...It Won't Help!

Jesus said, in Luke 12:25,26...

"And which of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life's span? If then you cannot do even a very little thing, why do you worry about other matters?"

This is an unusual statement. He calls adding an hour to a life a very little thing!

What? We, as natural people, think this is an impossible thing! Yet He demonstrated it, time and time again, by healing the sick and raising the dead.

And He said we would do greater works than He did! [John 14:12]

I think He had Proverbs 18:21 in mind.

'Death and life are in the power of the tongue...'

Death and life are in the power of the tongue...and that is a very little thing!

In other words, the power in our mouths makes the impossible not only possible, but a very little thing!

Isn't that basically what He said in Matthew 21:21?

'And Jesus answered and said to them, "Truly I say to you, if you have faith and do not doubt, you will not only do what was done to the fig tree, but even if you say to this mountain, 'Be taken up and cast into the sea,' it will happen."

He repeated this in several places in the Gospels...of course, He also knew that this concept was explained extensively in Psalms and Proverbs.

Worrying
But worrying does nothing!

NOTHING!

Why?

Because 1) worrying is in the mind, and mind power is not how the system works, and 2) worrying stops faith.

"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." [Mark 11:23]

James explains it like this:

'But he must ask in faith without any doubting, for the one who doubts is like the surf of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind. For that man ought not to expect that he will receive anything from the Lord, being a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.' [James 1:6-7]

And we know, from Proverbs, that we are what we think...

'For as he thinks within himself, so he is.' [Proverbs 23:7]

...and from Romans, that we can change by changing our mind.

'And do not be conformed to this world, 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.' [Romans 12:2]

So we know that our beliefs are part of the equation, but the mouth is the final agent of reigning in life!

Salvation
We know that our salvation occurs by heart and mouth, the very same process Jesus outlined in Mark 11!

But what does it say? "THE WORD IS NEAR YOU, in your mouth and in your heart"—that is, the WORD of faith which we are preaching, that if you confess with your MOUTH Jesus as Lord, and believe in your HEART that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; for with the HEART a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the MOUTH he confesses, resulting in salvation.' [Romans 10:8-10]

Heart and mouth must agree! And if you have worry, which is really unbelief, in your heart, your mouth will not bring about what you want!

But if, like Jesus, you believe that the power, or hand, or life and death is in the tongue, adding an hour to your life is a very little thing! Only worry will stop it!

Think about it.

Intent

Intent is defined as intention or purpose...when someone is intent upon doing something, he or she is resolved or determined to do it.

God is a God of intent.

"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; calling a bird of prey from the east, the man of My PURPOSE from a far country. Truly I have spoken; truly I WILL BRING IT TO PASS. I HAVE PLANNED IT, SURELY I WILL DO IT."' [Isaiah 46:10,11]

He plans for His Word to come to pass. His Word is, in fact, the agent of His purpose. He plans, He speaks, it comes to pass.

'Then the LORD said to me, "You have seen well, for I am watching over My word to perform it."' [Jeremiah 1:12]

Hebrews 4:3 tell us that His works WERE finished from the foundation of the world.

In other words, He planned it, He spoke it, AND IT IS ALREADY DONE!!

'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.' [Ecclesiastes 1:9,10]

'That which is has been already and that which will be has already been...' [Ecclesiastes 3:15]

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

And don't forget, His Word is settled forever! [Psalm 119:89]

What does that mean, exactly?

He spoke everything into existence...every Word, not just Genesis. He intended for it to come to pass, and it did...every Word, not just Genesis!

Every Word of blessing, every Word of healing, every Word of abundance, every Word of angelic protection and favor.

And guess what? We are created in His image, by His Word! He intended that we would exist...He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world!

'...for you have been born again not of seed which is perishable but imperishable, that is, through the living and enduring word of God.' [1 Peter 1:23]

He is a God of intention, and His children are just like Him.

In fact, 1 John 4:17 tells us that '...as He is [Jesus], so also are we IN THIS WORD.'

He is the Word, we are the Word multiplied, one Spirit with the Lord! [John 1:1,2 14; Acts 12:24; 1 Corinthians 6:17]

Jesus, Too
Jesus was completely a Man of intent. When He laid hands on the sick, He fully intended for them to be healed.

When He spoke to storms, or fig trees, He fully intended them to obey.

For instance, at the tomb of Lazarus, He just said "Lazarus, come forth!" [John 11:43]

And he did!

In fact, He told us to do the very same thing.

'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]

He's teaching them, and us, how to live by faith...how to live by intent. To intentionally speak to physical objects, with the express purpose that they would obey!

To live by faith is to live by intent!

Jesus told us to speak to trees and mountains. This is not some made up doctrine! It is our part to do it and fully intend for it to work because He said it.

The Word Himself said it. With the intent that we would obey Him.

But we cannot doubt in our heart. Doubt is the antithesis of intent, the unbelief that stops mighty works.

The righteous will live by his faith. [Habakkuk 2:4]

And we've become the righteousness of God in Him! [2 Corinthians 5:21]

Nazareth
Interestingly, the only place Jesus could not do what He intended to was His hometown. There, their unbelief stopped him.

Think about that...unbelief stops the very intent of God!

God intended for Israel to enter the Promised Land after He delivered them for Egypt, not 40 years later! But Hebrews 3:19 states 'So we see that they were not able to enter because of unbelief.'

Psalm 78:41 says that this pained the Holy One of Israel!

Since we know that His works were already finished from before the foundation of the world, they were denying the blessing He had already provided for them!

Matthew 13:58 says 'And He did not do many miracles there because of their unbelief.'

God intended miracles for the people of Nazareth...KJV calls them MIGHTY WORKS.

Listen...if God has intended and already established mighty works for me, I don't want to stop them by my unbelief.

I want to join my intent with His intent...I want to intend to receive every blessing He has already intended for me!

He's my Father and He has ALREADY blessed me! He intended to bless me by His Word, and what He has intended is already finished.

Now it's up to me to intend to receive it. To be determined to receive all that He has already given.

To walk in love and speak to things. To plant His Word in the earth.

Hallelujah!

The Power of Purpose [re-post]

[Originally published May 1, 2009—I've already re-posted it twice, but every time I re-read it, it speaks to me. So, here it is again!]

Proverbs 13:12 says ‘Hope deferred makes the heart sick…’ I was praying, feeling very heart sick, because while I know the hope of the gospel, I was not seeing the results I had hoped for in the natural realm.

And I heard “You must take hold of the hope set before you. Look at the unseen—you have seen the truth that, in the Spirit, all things belong to you, richly to enjoy. You have seen the truth that, in the Spirit, all of My promises are yes in Him. And I have showed you the truth about the unseen realm from My word…Hagar’s well, Isaac’s ram, Elisha’s army…you have heard that My angel encamps around those who fear or revere Me. My word is true and established forever in the Spirit. You must take hold of spiritual reality to bring the unseen into manifestation.”

I asked “How do I do that, Lord?”

He replied “You purpose in your heart to take hold of the blessings that belong to you. You purpose in your heart to see the unseen, to walk in My blessing, to walk in the fullness of My Spirit.”

In Jeremiah 4:28, God says “…because I have spoken, I have purposed…” We know that our words are important in creating our reality from both New and Old Testament truths. But we may be missing the element of intent, or purpose, when we speak.

He Commanded

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

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

He commanded all things into being by His Word.

John 1:1-3 puts it this way:

'In the beginning was the WORD, and the WORD was with God, and the WORD WAS GOD. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being.' [John 1:1-3]

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

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

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

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

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

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

Remember 2 Corinthians 1:20?

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

Hallelujah!

What about 1 Corinthians 3:21-23?

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

Or Galatians 3:29?

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

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

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

His Word stands forever!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

'And JESUS answered saying to them, "Have faith in God. TRULY I say to you, whoever SAYS to this mountain, 'Be taken up and cast into the sea,' and does not doubt in his HEART, but BELIEVES that WHAT HE SAYS IS GOING TO HAPPEN, it will be granted him. Therefore I say to you, ALL THINGS for which you pray and ask, BELIEVE that you have RECEIVED them, and they will be granted you."'

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

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

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

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

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

Hallelujah!

Kings and Princesses

My eyes glanced over a verse last night and it took my breath away. I quickly turned back to it and read...

"Kings will be your guardians, and their princesses your nurses. They will bow down to you with their faces to the earth and lick the dust of your feet; and you will know that I am the LORD; those who hopefully wait for Me will not be put to shame." [Isaiah 49:23]

What I realized in that instant was how much God loves me, and how He sees me. To Him I am the true royalty of the earth, the daughter of The King. I, together with my brothers and sisters in Christ!

And I am so precious to Him that He has assigned kings to be my guardians and princesses to be my nurses! They will serve me because I am the daughter of the Most High God!

Think of it...Jesus said that the least in the Kingdom, which is surely me, would be greater than the greatest prophet in the Old Covenant, John the Baptist.

Why? Because I am one Spirit with the Lord...I am in Him, and He is in me. I am seated in Him in heavenly places....born of God, born of the imperishable seed which is the living and enduring Word of God.

Royalty.

Hallelujah!

Steadfast of Mind

We know that, according to Proverbs 23:7, as a man thinks within himself, so he is.

Isaiah 26:3 tells us 'The steadfast of mind You will keep in perfect peace, because he trusts in You.'

The Hebrew word for peace in this passage is our old friend, shalom...completeness, soundness, peace, safety, prosperity, health.

He will keep us in peace when we keep our mind steadfast, trusting in Him.

3 John 2 says 'Beloved, I pray that in ALL RESPECTS you may prosper and be in good health, just as YOUR SOUL prospers.'

In other words, you are on the outside what you are on the inside first!

Romans 12:2 confirms:

'And do not be conformed to this world, 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.'

[I love this verse]

We are transformed on the outside, proving what is on the inside first! Renew the mind, transformation follows!

Back to Isaiah
So, when we read Isaiah 26:3, we see that when we trust God and His promises, peace—completeness, safety, prosperity, health—follows.

So if your life isn't what you wish it were, if it doesn't line up with the promises of God, which are YES in Him, it's time to renew your mind.

Trust in Him. Trust in His promises and His ability to perform them.

Be like Abraham.

'In hope against hope he believed, so that he might become a father of many nations according to that which had been spoken, "So shall your descendants be."

Without becoming weak in faith he contemplated his own body, now as good as dead since he was about a hundred years old, and the deadness of Sarah's womb; yet, with respect to the promise of God, he did not waver in unbelief but grew strong in faith, giving glory to God, and BEING FULLY ASSURED THAT WHAT GOD HAD PROMISED, HE WAS ABLE ALSO TO PERFORM.' [Romans 4:18-21]

Not just able, but willing

"Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has chosen gladly to give you the kingdom." [Luke 12:32]

"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]

'Whatever you ask in My name, that will I do, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son.' [John 14:13]

'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]

"You have seen well, for I am watching over My Word to perform it." [Jeremiah 1:12]

[I particularly love that last verse...it reminds me of the Father of the prodigal son, watching at the gate just in case his son should round the corner!

Psalm 147:15 tells us that 'He sends forth His command to the earth; His Word runs very swiftly.'

The Father is watching over His Word, sent out into the earth, to perform it!

Hallelujah!!

Keys of the Kingdom [re-post]

"I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; and whatever you bind on earth shall have been bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall have been loosed in heaven." [Matthew 16:19]

I always wondered about the tenses in this verse. The phrase 'shall have been' is a future perfect tense in Greek and stumped me, until I understood the implications from a Quantum Physics point of view.

Reality?
Einstein is often quoted as saying 'Reality is merely an illusion, albeit a very persistent one.' We know that there is much discussion about the past, present and future residing in parallel, and that there is no time or space in the Spirit.

I think Jesus was confirming this. What we bind [or forbid] on earth shall have been bound [already] in heaven...what we loose [or allow] on earth shall have been bound [already] in heaven. These are definitely quantum ideas.

What does it mean? Well, consider this: we're already seated with Him in heavenly places [Ephesians 2:6]; we've already been blessed with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ [Ephesians 1:3]; and 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. [2 Peter 1:3]

Next, remember that 1) His Word is settled forever [Psalm 119:89]; 2) His Word does not return to him without accomplishing what He sent it for [Isaiah 55:11]; and 3) His works were finished from the foundation of the world [Hebrews 4:3].

Talk about quantum realities!

We Control the Flow
I think that Jesus is revealing the truth about our authority in the earth. We are called to reign in life through the One Christ Jesus [Romans 5:17]--Psalm 110:1, 2 says 'The LORD says to my Lord: "Sit at My right hand Until I make Your enemies a footstool for Your feet. The LORD will stretch forth Your strong scepter from Zion, saying, "Rule in the midst of Your enemies."'

He is to rule through us! That's why we've been given authority over all the power of the enemy! That's why we've been given the keys of the Kingdom--to forbid and allow, according to the will and word of God!

And what we allow or forbid has already been done in heaven! Time to get busy! Time to open the gates of blessing on the earth and bind the enemy's operation! We control the flow, because God has already done everything He's going to do, which is everything!

Hallelujah!

With Us

What is one of the most important revelation for the Christian today?

That we are One Spirit with the Lord, filled up to all the fulness of God, strengthened with all power according to His glorious might.

That we have died and Christ is living in this earthen vessel right now. The the Father and the Holy Spirit dwell within, as well.

That we're not alone, not waiting for God to move. That He has promised NEVER to leave or forsake us.

That He told us to speak to the natural world and it would obey us...why? Because He's in us, performing His word! Because 'Now unto 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 forever and ever. AMEN [so be it]!!

That's why all things belong to us...because we belong to Him and are One with Him, and He belongs to God!

Because He is the heir of the world [Hebrews 1:2] and we are His joint heirs—sort of a joint account, or when siblings all receive an equal share of their parents' will!

He is the LORD OF GLORY and we are one with Him!!!

What's More...
We are in covenant with God the Father in the Blood of Jesus!

True covenant means what ever belongs to one party belongs to the other...strength, debts, wealth, favor, enemies. They are covenanted together, forever.

Marriage used to be an example of this, until we had quickie divorces, keeping-their-own-name feminists and his-n-her bank accounts.

A true covenant between two parties means that whatever belongs to one party belongs to the second party, whether good or ill. Parties used to covenant together to strengthen their weaknesses...in fact, royalty used covenant marriage to cement relations between kingdoms.

And we are in Covenant with God! We are born of Him [1 John 5:1,4], born of His seed [1 Peter 1:23]!

One with Jesus, born of God, filled with His Spirit. The BRIDE of Christ!

He is with us always [Matthew 28:20], even to the end of the age. He will never desert or forsake us [Hebrews 13:5].

Abraham, Moses, Joshua, David
We study the great patriarchs of old, men of great faith who performed marvelous exploits by the power of God.

'You brought Your people Israel out of the land of Egypt with signs and with wonders, and with a strong hand and with an outstretched arm and with great terror; and gave them this land, which you swore to their forefathers to give them, a land flowing with mill and honey.' [Jeremiah 32:21,22]

God was with them, and His anointing was on them...but He was not in them. They were not one Spirit with Him an they were not filled with all of His fulness! He and His mighty power were with and on them but not in them...can you see the difference?

As wonderful as they were, they were spiritually dead. Their power came from a covenant with God, and their faith was credited to them as righteousness.

But we were crucified with Christ, buried with Him in baptism, raised up with Him and seated together with Him in heavenly places! One Spirit with the Lord!

That's why there is no condemnation for those in Christ Jesus [Romans 8:1]...because we are One with Him. The one who deserved condemnation was crucified with Him, slain with Him before the foundation of the world!

Hallelujah!

What Would Jesus Do?
So ask yourself, your born-again, one-Spirit-with-the -Lord self, what would Jesus do in any situation that faces you?

What's more, what would God the Father do?

In John 14-17, Jesus makes some pretty wild claims. That He and the Father would live in us along with the Comforter—the Holy Spirit. That's the Trinity, people...all of it, not just a teaspoon or two!

He said repeatedly that He and the Father were One...do the math! If we're one with Him, and He is One with the Father, then we are One with the Father!

He's no longer just with us, He has placed Himself and all that He is IN US! No, it's not blasphemy, it's the Word of God!

No wonder He told us to speak to trees and mountains and they would obey! What would Jesus do? What would the Father do? What would the Holy Spirit do?

They wouldn't put up with sickness or poverty or distress of any kind, I can tell you that!

Think about this...God told Joshua that no man would be able to stand before him all the days of his life, just as He was with Moses, He would be with him. [Joshua 1:5]

If no man could stand before Joshua, who can stand before us who are filled up to all the fulness of God? Jesus Himself said that the least in the Kingdom of God would be greater than the greatest prophet of the Old Covenant! Why? Because we are One with Him!

Why haven't we walked in this? Why haven't we fulfilled Roans 5:21, reigning in life through the ONE, Jesus Christ?

Why haven't we fulfilled Colossians 2:9,10 or Ephesians 1:22,23?

'For in Him ALL THE FULNESS OF DIETY dwells in bodily form, and in Him you have been made complete...'

'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 FULNESS of Him Who fills all in all.'

Don't just skim over these passages because you've read them 100 times. Meditate on them...what can this possibly mean?

Could it be that we've been lied to, indoctrinated out of our power and true calling?

Hmmm...

Think about all of the wonderful things that Jesus did when He walked the earth, and then think about one of the last things He said:

"Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do, he will do also; and greater works than these he will do; because I go to the Father." [John 14:12]

I can't speak for you, but I'm not doing greater works than Jesus did. I can't even find a church in my area that will lay hands on the sick, at least not with any faith that it will actually work!

Because we're told, over and over, how weak we are, how sinful we are, how we shouldn't expect too much, how we shouldn't want too much, maybe the answer is no, maybe the tragedy is God's will, blah blah woof woof.

Now I wonder where those lies comes from...

Think about it.

Read Thoughts on the New Birth, Think Like God, Vessels of Power, An Eternal Perspective...God's POV

The Church

Something's wrong.

If the New Testament is true, and it is, each Christian is one Spirit with the Lord, rooted and grounded in love and filled up to all the fullness of God.

Jesus said that the least one in the Kingdom would be greater than the greatest prophet of the Old Covenant, and that we would do greater works than He did.

The Holy Spirit, speaking through Paul, Peter and Luke, has declared that all things have been given to us and we are partakers of the Divine nature, the Word multiplied.

The Word also teaches us that Satan is defeated and we have been given authority over ALL his power...Jesus came specifically to destroy his works, which are killing, stealing and destroying.

These are all direct quotes from the Word, people! I didn't make this up, it's all in the Word!

When you look at it from this point of view, each local church should be a powerhouse in it's own area, a collection of born-again sons and daughters of God, reigning in life.

But is that power being harnessed for the Kingdom? I think not.

In most cases—even in so-called Full Gospel or Charismatic churches—you've got one guy up in front, making half-hour speeches on what people are doing wrong, how the Bible doesn't really mean what it says, why God might not heal you, why God took your child, why you shouldn't want too much and sometimes the answer is no.

Hmmm...

I've got news for you. The people in the pews are just as much full of God as the guy in the front! God didn't dole out His power in teaspoons, with some getting more than others!

Are they perfect, from a natural point of view? No...but neither is the guy at the front! In the Spirit, they all look just like Jesus!

Colossians 1:11 says we're strengthened with ALL POWER, according to HIS GLORIOUS MIGHT! It doesn't say the star at the front has more power than the teenager sitting in the last row!