What Are YOU Saying to the Giants?

We know that Israel faced giants at the edge of the Promised Land [What Are The Giants Saying To You?]

Centuries later, they were facing giants again. Maybe the very descendants of the first giants, I don't know.

You know the story. It is one of the most widely-known stories in the Bible...even most non-believers know it. You can read it in 1 Samuel 17.

Saul, king of Israel, was camped with his army in the valley of Elah, where the Philistines had gathered their armies for battle.

Get the picture...the Bible says the Philistines stood on the mountain on one side of the valley and Israel stood on the mountain on the other side.

Every day the Philistines' champion, a giant named Goliath, came out and challenged Israel to send someone out to fight him. And the Word says 'When Saul and all Israel heard these words of the Philistine, they were dismayed and greatly afraid.'

And every time he came out to taunt them, the Israelite army '...fled from him and were greatly afraid.' [1 Samuel 17:24]

Hmmm...

Enter David
Now David was the youngest son of Jesse, and had already been anointed King of Israel by the prophet Samuel [I Samuel 16]. Saul knew David, because the Spirit of the Lord had departed from him and an evil spirit was terrorizing him. David had played for Saul to sooth and calm him. I don't think Saul knew that David had already been selected to replace him—not yet, anyway.

David's three older brothers were at the battle and his father had sent him up to the camp with provisions. He arrived to see Goliath challenging Israel and heard what he said to the Israelites.

I love what happened next.

'The men of Israel said, "Have you seen this man who is coming up? Surely he is coming up to defy Israel. And it will be that the king will enrich the man who kills him with great riches and will give him his daughter and make his father's house free in Israel."

'Then David spoke to the men who were standing by him, saying, "What will be done for the man who kills this Philistine and takes away the reproach from Israel?

'"For who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should taunt the armies of the living God?" The people answered him in accord with this word, saying, "Thus it will be done for the man who kills him."' [1 Samuel 17:25-27]

First, he wants to know what he gets if he defeats the giant. HE'S ALREADY THINKING VICTORY! Then we see why—when he called Goliath an 'uncircumcised Philistine' he was thinking COVENANT! Only those in covenant with God in the nation of Israel were circumcised—it was the mark of the covenant!

He's thinking of God's promises for protection and deliverance! Remember, he's been tending sheep and writing psalms inspired by God. Psalms like 'Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.' [Psalm 23:4] And he had used his covenant to kill lions and bears when they had attacked his flock [v. 34-37].

Of course, his oldest brother got mad at him and accused him of being insolent and wicked! But David just turned away and asked the same question of somebody else...what will I get? He just ignored him—which was no small thing, becuase the firstborn held special status.

In David's mind, however, this un-covenanted Philistine had no right to taunt the armies of the Living God—I'm sure he wondered what the heck the rest of these people were thinking.

Saul tried to talk him out of it, too, stating the obvious, natural circumstances—you're too young, he's a trained warrior from his youth, he's really big, etc. But David was just not listening to reason...

'And David said, "The LORD who delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear, He will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine."' [1 Samuel 17:37]

So Saul finally gave him permission to go. Either David's anointing convinced him, or he figured 'what the heck,' I can't say. He did try to get David to wear his armor, but David refused.

He took the weapons he trusted in—his covenant with God, his staff, his sling and five smooth stones.

Goliath was suited up in full armor.

'He had a bronze helmet on his head, and he was clothed with scale-armor which weighed five thousand shekels of bronze. He also had bronze greaves on his legs and a bronze javelin slung between his shoulders. The shaft of his spear was like a weaver's beam, and the head of his spear weighed six hundred shekels of iron; his shield-carrier also walked before him.' [1 Samuel 17:5-7]

Now, I don't know what any of that stuff is, but it sounds heavy and scary. Sort of like one of the evil Transformers...and here stands David, dressed in his shepherd's clothes, armed with a stick and a slingshot!

Calling the end from the beginning
Of course, like any good movie villan, Goliath started shooting his mouth off, because no one had ever stopped him before. He was king his domain and standing before him was this teenager, dressed like a shepherd.

'When the Philistine looked and saw David, he disdained him; for he was but a youth, and ruddy, with a handsome appearance. [a pretty boy..author's translation] 

'The Philistine said to David, "Am I a dog, that you come to me with sticks?" And the Philistine cursed David by his gods.

'The Philistine also said to David, "Come to me, and I will give your flesh to the birds of the sky and the beasts of the field."' [1 Samuel 17:42-44]

This is like every movie you've ever seen! The big, badass is going to teach our hero a lesson he'll never forget, mostly because he won't live long enough to remember it!

But then it was David's turn!

'Then David said to the Philistine, "You come to me with a sword, a spear, and a javelin, but I come to you in THE NAME OF THE LOFD OF HOSTS, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have taunted.

"THIS DAY the LORD WILL DELIVER you up into my hands, and I WILL strike you down and remove your head from you.

"And I WILL give the dead bodies of the army of the Philistines this day to the birds of the sky and the wild beasts of the earth, that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel, and that all this assembly may know that the LORD does not deliver by sword or by spear; FOR THE BATTLE IS THE LORD'S AND HE WILL GIVE YOU INTO OUR HANDS.

'Then it happened when the Philistine rose and came and drew near to meet David, that DAVID RAN QUICKLY TOWARD THE BATTLE LINE TO MEET THE PHILISTINE.' [1 Samuel 17:45-48]

I love it! He decreed the end from the beginning, and then RAN to the battle! Why? Because he trusted in God and in his covenant! He didn't hope God would deliver him, he KNEW it!

So much for preachers telling us that calling the end from the beginning is not for us, that it's some kind of cult or religious fad.

Yes, natural man has some power in his mouth—remember the tower of Babel. [see Fabulous Finds] But the mouth backed by covenant with Almighty God is always going to win! Somehow Goliath knew that his words meant something, but he had NO COVENANT WITH GOD!

You know the rest of the story. David felled Goliath with a stone from his sling, then used Goliath's own sword to cut his head off! The Philistines turned tail and fled, and the Israelites chased them off and plundered their camps. [That's another article, for another time...hallelujah!]

Moral of the Story
That's great, but what does it mean for me, today?

Satan ALWAYS places giants at the edge of the Promised Land. They take different forms in the natural realm, but he's always behind whatever it is.

And they talk to us, all day, every day. 'You can't do this, you'll never be able to do this, there's no way, it's impossible, God won't help you this time, sometimes the answer is no, blah blah blah...'

I hate that guy.

And we've got the same two options David had.

We can do what Israel did the first time [read Numbers 13] and believe the lie. As a matter of fact, that's exactly what the Israelite armies had been doing every day...believing the lie and shaking in their boots. And if David hadn't shown up, they'd be there still!

But he did show up! And he used his covenant with God to defeat the giant, just like Joshua and Caleb finally defeated the giants of Canaan. They held fast to their original confession..."We should by all means go up and take possession of it, for we will surely overcome it." [Numbers 13:30]

It's up to us. We have a better covenant, with better promises, sealed in the Blood of Jesus!!

We can believe the lies or we can tell the giants to pound sand.

Once again, it's up to us.

Reign in life. [Romans 5:17, Romans 8:37, 1 Corinthians 15:57]

With Us [re-post]

What is one of the most important revelations 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 actually died—crucified with Christ, raised up with Him and seated in Him in heavenly places. That Christ is living in these earthen vessels, right now—that the Father, Son and the Holy Spirit dwell within.

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 will 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]!! 

The Father within, He does the works! [John 14:10]

That's why all things belong to us...because we belong to Him and are One with Him, and He belongs to God! [1 Corinthians 3:21,22]

Jesus was the Word, we are the Word, multiplied! [Acts 6:7; Acts 12:24; Acts 13:49; Acts 19:20]

He is the heir of the world [Hebrews 1:2] and we are His joint heirs. Think of a joint account, or more specifically, when siblings all receive the entire 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, etc. 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, which is the living and enduring Word of God. [1 Peter 1:23]

One with Jesus, born of God, filled with His Spirit. The Body 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]. How could He forsake Himself?

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 and 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? The Holy Spirit?

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!

Is God divisible? Does each Christian only have a dropperful of God?

Jesus 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! In fact, the truth of the new birth is that He has replaced the one who was crucified with Him! Paul plainly taught that we are crucified with Christ, buried with Him in baptism, raised up together with Him and SEATED WITH HIM IN HEAVENLY PLACES! That Christ now lives in and though 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 Romans 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 they 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! Mostly we're told how to cope with fill-in-the-tragedy, or worse, that God is doing it to us...

To Himself? If we're one with Him, is He making Himself sick/poor/bound? Huh?

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

God Wants You Free

Consider this...

God wants and needs for you to be delivered as much if not more than you do!

We're taught, wrongfully, that we need to beg for His help, and sometimes the answer is 'No.' Maybe He wants to teach us something, or maybe we just don't deserve His help.

These things are not true. I don't care where you heard them.

'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]

'"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]

'"In that day you will not question Me about anything. Truly, truly, I say to you, if you ask the Father for anything in My name, He will give it to you. Until now you have asked for nothing in My name; ask and you WILL receive, so that your joy may be made full."' [John 16:23,24]

'...and through Him everyone who believes is freed from ALL THINGS, from which you could not be freed through the Law of Moses.' [Acts 13:39]

Already
Technically, we are already delivered from everything we need to be delivered from, because His works were finished from the foundation of the world. [Hebrews 4:3]

We are one Spirit with Him, His Body in the earth...as He is, SO ALSO ARE WE IN THIS WORLD! [1 Corinthians 6:17; Ephesians 1:23; 1 John 4:17]

'For in Him ALL THE FULLNESS of Deity—GODHEAD—dwells in bodily form, and in Him YOU HAVE BEEN MADE COMPLETE...' [Colossians 2:9,10]

Did you know that the Greek word for 'salvation' is soteria, meaning deliverance, preservation and safety? Deliverance from the molestation of enemies!! Hallelujah!

In fact, He tells us how to appropriate His will.

'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]

In other words, we are transformed when we know we are!

Transformed into the manifestation of His Word! Healed, delivered, rich, protected...

Why? So that we can PROVE what His good and acceptable and perfect will is!

We are to be His proof in the earth...proof that He is Love, proof that He is good, proof that Jesus has already paid for all sin and for all of it's consequences!

'"Pray, then, in this way: 'Our Father Who is in heaven, Hallowed be Your name.

'YOUR KINGDOM COME. YOUR WILL BE DONE, ON EARTH AS IT IS IN HEAVEN.

'Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.

'And do not lead us into temptation, but DELIVER US FROM EVIL. [For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.]"' [Matthew 6:9-13]

[For more on proving His good will, read Thoughts on the New Birth,God isn't Holding Back 2, and Liar, Liar, Pants Definitely on Fire! I'm sure there are other articles on the blog, but these are good for a start...]

He needs us to manifest His finished work in Jesus. And the system He put into place for us to do this is the Name of Jesus, the Blood of Jesus, answered prayer, the confession of His Word and the power of words over the natural, physical world. Not to mention the indwelling Father...

Think About This
According to the Holy Spirit, writing through Paul, we died with Jesus, were buried with Him, were raised up together with Him and seated with Him in heavenly places. [Ephesians 2:6]

And we were born again...one Spirit with Him, God-inside.

So ask yourselves the question...just who is being hindered by the enemy?

If Jesus said it was the Father in Him doing the works [John 5:20], and we'd do greater works than He did because He was going to the Father [John 14:12]...WHO IS BEING PERSECUTED BY THE ENEMY?

When Paul was persecuting Christians, when Jesus stopped him on the road Damascus, what did He ask him?

'"Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting ME?"' [Acts 9:3]

Don't you see? We are ONE with Him, His Body, full of God the Father, God and Son and God the Holy Spirit. That other sinner that used to live in this earthen vessel WAS CRUCIFIED 2000 years ago, and to be technically accurate, from the FOUNDATION OF THE WORLD!!!

'...knowing this, that our old self was crucified with Him, in order that our body of sin might be done away with, so that we would no longer be slaves to sin...' [Romans 6:6]

'"I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me."' [Galatians 2:20]

So, I'll ask again...WHO IS BEING HINDERED IN THE EARTH?

Satan knows all of this, people! He's effectively stopping the Body from doing the works of Jesus in the earth, even though we've been given authority over all his power! If we can't move neither can God!

That's the primary reason He needs us free, so He can work unencumbered through us, via Ephesians 3!

'For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name, that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with POWER through His Spirit in the inner man, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith;

'...and that you, being rooted and grounded in LOVE, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to KNOW THE LOVE OF CHRIST which surpasses knowledge, THAT YOU MAY BE FILLED UP TO ALL THE FULLNESS OF GOD,

'Now to HIM who is able to do FAR MORE ABUNDANTLY BEYOND ALL THAT WE ASK OR THINK, according to the POWER THAT WORKS WITHIN US, to Him be the GLORY IN THE CHURCH and IN CHRIST JESUS to all generations forever and ever. Amen.' [Ephesians 3:14-21]

And we have this treasure in earthen vessels...why? So that the SURPASSING GREATNESS OF THE POWER WILL BE OF GOD and not of ourselves... [2 Corinthians 4:7]

His Will
He wants us free because He loves us and He has already paid the price for our total freedom...health, wealth, well-being, angelic protection, peace, joy.

He needs us free so that the greatness of His power can be seen in the earth!

It is His purpose that His power and love be demonstrated through the Body of Jesus, just like it was shown through the Man Jesus when He walked on the earth.

He has already spoken that the kingdom of this world must become the kingdom of our Christ, so we know that this is His will...

'Then the sovereignty, the dominion and the greatness of all the kingdoms under the whole heaven WILL BE GIVEN the people of the saints of the Highest One; His kingdom will be an everlasting kingdom, and ALL THE DOMINIONS WILL SERVE AND OBEY HIM.' [DANIEL 7:27]

'Then the seventh angel sounded; and there were loud voices in heaven, saying, " The kingdom of the world HAS BECOME the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ; and He will reign forever and ever." [Revelation 11:15

'Then I heard a loud voice in heaven, saying, "NOW the salvation, and the power, and the kingdom of our God and the AUTHORITY OF HIS CHRIST HAVE COME, for the accuser of our brethren has been thrown down, he who accuses them before our God day and night.' [Revelation 12:10]

...and we know that Jesus preached the GOSPEL OF THE KINGDOM! [I just saw this yesterday...Hallelujah!]

'Jesus was going throughout all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every kind of disease and every kind of sickness among the people.' [Matthew 4:23]

'"This GOSPEL OF THE KINGDOM shall be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all the nations, and then the end will come."' [Matthew 24:14]

Okay, Get To The Point
The point is that God wants you totally free in every area of your life more than you do. You don't have to beg...it's already yours!

'This is the confidence which we have before Him, that, if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests which we have asked from Him.' [1 John 5:14,15]

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

'For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be the glory forever. Amen.' [Romans 11:36]

'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 in some cases, you don't even need to ask! Jesus plainly told us to speak to natural, physical things...

'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 YOU HAVE RECEIVED THEM, and they will be granted you.' [Mark 11:22-24]

Praise the Lord! It is finished! [...and I mean that in more ways than one!]

It is time to reign in life through the One, Christ Jesus. [Romans 5:17]

Visual Prayer

We are told to have faith in God using our hearts to believe and our mouths to speak.

"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 one of Jesus' most quoted passages, but how do you actually do it? What does it really mean to believe you receive?

Seeing the Unseen
Believing you receive is seeing your request as already accomplished from the minute you ask. By using your God-given gift of imagination, you can see the unseen—the promises of God as already fulfilled in your life. If God said it, you can have it...so go ahead and see it as yours!

The world calls this visualization and many successful people credit its use for their amazing accomplishments. Athletes, musicians and business people alike testify to the power of visualizing their accomplishments as the key to their success—many studies have been done to document the impact of visualization on outcomes of various types.

But what is it, really, and how does it relate to the Christian's desire to live by faith?

Imagination is an innate, God-built-in capability that all men and women have. Children do it naturally, but as we grow we are taught to 'be realistic.' We are told to 'grow up' and 'get real,' and rationality is touted as the only reasonable approach to life.

Unfortunately, rationality limits us to our natural abilities. We can only go as far as we are smart, or beautiful, or talented, or rich, or educated, or strong. Our success is checked by how fast we can run or who we know.

But this is man's way, not God's way and is at the very heart of humanism. God's way is supernatural, spiritual, quantum and infinitely abundant.

The Key
Our imagination is the key to seeing into this other, miraculous realm of abundant blessing.

I think part of the reason that we lay aside this marvelous gift is that we see our children doing it. We see them at play, becoming the play, and we encourage their imagination as part of the learning process. But what we don't understand is that it was not given to us to pretend we are Batman when we are 7...that is merely the training wheels stage of our development! It is given to us to see the unseen—to believe we receive when we pray. It is the key to using our faith to access the things freely given to us by God. I Corinthians 2:12 says 'Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit Who is from God, so that we may know the things freely given to us by God...' We know these things—these all things—by the Spirit of God! They are in the spiritual realm, and we access them by faith—by believing in our hearts and speaking with our mouths.

But how do we believe in our hearts? How do we believe we receive?

Be the Ball
It is this amazing ability—the ability to see the unseen, to imagine—that is the key. When we are praying—talking with our Father—we can train ourselves to see the answer from the request. Seeing the end from the beginning, based on the promises of God. Watching it unfold, feeling the joy of accomplishment, living and being in the state of answered prayer from the place of prayer...this is having faith in God and in His Word.

Granted, it may not be easy at first, particularly if you have prided yourself in your own rationality. We tend to get caught up in the 'hows'...how can it be, how will it ever happen, etc. But here's a secret...the Holy Spirit is there, within you, to help you! That's what I Corinthians 2:12 is saying—you don't have to do it alone! In fact, you, as a reborn man or woman, have not only the natural gift of imagination but the supernatural power and help of the indwelling Holy Spirit!

So maybe the first thing you believe is your ability to pray visually. To see yourself at prayer, seeing the unseen, receiving what you desire or need, in accordance with the word of God.

Remember...all the promises of God are 'yes' in Christ! [2 Corinthians 1:20]

Possibilities
This is how "All things are possible to him who believes" [Mark 9:23] takes on real meaning in our lives. Yes, we glibly quote this, usually to others who are struggling, or to ourselves when we face obstacles. But how many are really living examples of this magnificent promise? Unfortunately, to see real people living this way, we need to look to those in the world who have mastered the art of visualization to accomplish great feats. Why is that? Why is that we, spiritual offspring of The Most High God, have to look outside the Kingdom to see people living the promises that belong to us?

I don't really think it is a coincidence. The Church has been hoodwinked, once again, into giving up her power, both collectively and individually. We're beaten down by rationality and political correctness, made to feel stupid when we attempt to live by our faith, jeered at as simple-minded and archaic. Yet these same accusers tout New Age techniques, chief among these being the power of visualization, the channeling of spirits and the quantum theories of parallel universes, the observer effect and the manifestation of physical things! Hello...?? Sound familiar?

The Holy Spirit, writing through Paul, instructs us to lay aside every encumbrance that entangles us [Hebrews 12:1]...to lay aside the old self and be renewed in the spirit of our minds—to put on the new self, created in righteousness and holiness of the truth [Ephesians 4:22-24]. In another passage, He writes 'For this reason it says, "Awake, sleeper, And arise from the dead, And Christ will shine on you."' [Ephesians 5:14]

In other words, wake up and smell the coffee! Stop being robbed! See the possibilities—all of the 'all things' possibilities—of Kingdom living! Stop listening to the world! Train yourselves to pray visually, believing you receive when you pray. Use the tools you were born with, supernaturally enhanced by the Holy Spirit, to receive the things—the 'all things'—given to you by your Father.

Joy
Jesus explained that joy is the result of answered prayer.

"If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you...These things I have spoken to you so that My joy may be in you, and that your joy may be made full." [John 15: 7,11]

"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]

'Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you will abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.' [Romans 15:13]

David said 'In Your presence is fullness of joy; in Your right hand there are pleasures forever.' [Psalm 16:11]

Joy is the result of answered prayer—and your prayer is already answered, in Christ. When you can see that, and experience the feeling of the prayer already answered, imagine your joyful response to its manifestation in the natural, you have believed you received. Speak it, thank God for it...it is done!

[Related posts Believe You Receive, Believe You Receive 2], The Quantum Table, The Quantum Table 2, Let's Pretend, Pull Back the Curtain]

The I AM Principle

Originally published as 'The Great I AM' this is revised and improved! A little long, maybe, but pretty good...

God is all the things He says He is, and He is them for all eternity, past, present and future. He is them to us, individually and collectively as the church, and His Word is settled forever. [Psalm 119:89]

In fact, the instant the words 'I AM...' [fill in the blank] came out of His mouth, He was that very thing! He cannot lie, because the second He speaks, His words become reality! His names were not only a description of Who He was, but in declaring them, He became the substance of each name! Here are just a few:

Jehovah Jireh—The Lord will Provide
Jehovah Shalom—The Lord is Peace
Jehovah Tsidkenu—The Lord our Righteousness
Jehovah—The Lord my Banner [military reference]
Jehovah Ro'i—The Lord my Shepherd

And because our new self is created in the likeness of God in righteousness and holiness of the truth [Ephesians 4:24], we are also the things He says we are now! He is the great I AM...we are I am's, too. In Ephesians 5:1 we are told to be imitators of God, as beloved children; therefore, we are to be like Him. I John 4:17 says '...as He is, so also are we in this world.'

Be like Him
We are one Spirit with Him—He is in us, and we are in Him. [ref Stop Begging—It's Inside!] In fact, Peter writes '...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] We are born of the same seed planted in the womb of a young virgin, 2000 years ago!! He is the Word, and we are the Word multiplied!

In fact, The Father Himself told us how to change our lives...'Let the weak say, "I am a mighty man."' [Joel 3:10] The books of Psalms and Proverbs are filled with references to the power of our speech—and Jesus told us to talk to mountains and trees.

One great example is Gideon...God's angel called him 'valiant warrior' when he was anything but. [Judges 6:12] And a valiant warrior is exactly what he became. But remember, there is no time in eternity, and eternity is forward and back, up and down. So he was really a valiant warrior, even before the angel gave him the Word of the Lord. His works were finished from the foundation of the world!

God changed Abram's name to Abraham...the Father of a multitude when he had no children. [Genesis 17:5] Ditto the above—he was made a Father of a multitude BEFORE THE FOUNDATION OF THE WORLD!

[sorry for shouting, but it's really just too much to think about sometimes]

And then there's Peter...Jesus called him 'Rock' when he was the most volatile of His disciples! Unstable and impulsive, Jesus called him what he was created to be, or more exactly, was FROM THE FOUNDATION OF THE WORLD!

Think about the prophecies in the Old Testament...each one calling Jesus what He would be, even though He was yet to come. And so it is with us...God has called us many wonderful things in the Word that

Can you see it? God, the Great I AM is telling us to proclaim who we are...'I am a mighty man!' 'By His stripes, I am healed.' He told us to see the unseen—the already accomplished promises of God—and speak them into existence! We are told to '...put on the new self, which in the likeness of God has been created in righteousness and holiness of the truth.' [Ephesians 4:24]

Just Be
Just be. Be what the Word says, just because it says so, because it is forever settled, finished from the foundation of the world.

Just be. Don't try to be, or have. Just be. Be healed, be rich, be love. Be One Spirit with the Lord. Be seated in heavenly places in Him...

God doesn't have love, He IS love. He doesn't have power, He IS power. Jesus doesn't have the Word, He IS the Word...and we are the Word multiplied, His Body in the earth.

And He has decreed exactly what we are, just as He decreed "Light, be!" in the beginning.

Be the Word.

Glory?
It is imperative that we develop a consciousness of who and what we are now. Eternity is not a time-oriented existence.

Colossians 1:13 says the we have been delivered from the domain of darkness and transferred to the kingdom of His beloved Son. These things have already taken place, and we are eternal beings, recreated in our Father's image! We are everything that He says we are now, and satan is forever defeated in our lives now!

2 Corinthians 3:17,18 says: 'Now the Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. But we all, with unveiled face beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit.' What this means is this: as we behold His glory, we are transformed into the same image by the power of the Holy Spirit. Same image! Hallelujah!

In fact, just before His death, Jesus prayed for us. "The glory which You have given Me, I have given to them, that they may be on, just as We are one; I in them and You in Me, that they may be perfected in unity, so that the world my know that You sent Me, and love them, even as You have loved Me.'

Yes, in the Old Covenant, God said that He would not give His glory to another [Isaiah 48:11], and we here that preached on a regular basis. But we are not another! We are one with Him and He has already given His glory to us!!

The whole idea of salvation was to bring many sons [Gr. huios, meaning offspring of man] to Glory! Jesus was the last Adam, and the Firstborn of Many Brethren!

The Great I AM spoke the Word—the Word became Flesh and dwelt among us. Then the Word multiplied and grew daily.

Now
Therefore, realizing that we are now members of the kingdom of God, we are to walk by faith and not by sight. Faith is sight...it is seeing into the kingdom of God and walking by what God says instead of walking by natural sight, which is fixed on a dying and decaying fallen world.

It is the eternal view, from God's viewpoint. He sees our needs met now, and so should we. Hebrews 11:1 says that faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen, and Romans 10:17 says it comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ. This is spiritual hearing, hearing what Jesus says to you—rhema, or the spoken word of God, which comes out of logos [the written word of God].

It is His will that we awaken from our sleep and become strong sons and daughters, administering His Kingdom on the earth [Ephesians 1:10]. He desires that we come to the place where we see everything that He has said is true now, and has called us to reign in life through the One, Christ Jesus. [Romans 5:17]

Read Be the Ball

 

Good Treasure

"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.' [Luke 6:45]

"The good man brings out of his good treasure what is good; and the evil man brings out of his evil treasure what is evil. But I tell you that every careless word that people speak, they shall give an accounting for it in the day of judgment. For by your WORDS you will be justified, and by your WORDS you will be condemned." [Matthew 12:35-37]

'...in whom [Christ] are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.' [Colossians 2:3]

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

'...all things belong to you, and you belong to Christ, and Christ belongs to God.' [1 Corinthians 3:22,23]

'For behold, the kingdom of God is in your midst—within you, inside.' [Luke 17:21]'How BLESSED is the man whose strength is in You, in whose HEART are the HIGHWAYS TO ZION!' [Psalm 84:5]

'For in Him all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form, and in Him you have been made complete, and He is the head over all rule and authority...' [Colossians 2:9,10]

'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]

'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]

'...while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are NOT SEEN; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are ETERNAL.' [2 Corinthians 4:18]

'Delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart.' [Psalm 37:4]*

Oh, this is REALLY good...

The treasure is ALREADY WITHIN YOU!!! Everything you need or desire is ALREADY IN YOU!

Get it? Can you see it? Read the scriptures above again—carefully, slowly and out loud.

The literal translation of Matthew 12:35 is '...brings out of his good treasure GOOD THINGS...out of his evil treasure EVIL THINGS...'

And [you will REALLY like this] the Greek word in both Luke 6 and Matthew 12 for 'treasure' is thesauros—STOREHOUSE, REPOSITORY, TREASURY!!!

You have a treasury, a storehouse, in your reborn, one-Spirit-with-the Lord spirit...AND IT'S THE SAME STOREHOUSE THAT BELONGS TO JESUS! We are His fellow or joint heirs! The Greek word here for 'joint' is sugkleronomos—one who obtains something assigned to himself WITH OTHERS, a joint participant!

I'm typing myself happy!

But how?
When we accept the sacrifice of Jesus for us, the Bible clearly teaches that we die and are reborn, one Spirit with the Lord. We exist in two planes—here on the earth and seated in Christ in heavenly places, at God's right hand and far above all rule and authority and name that is named.

Not only have we been rescued from the domain of darkness and transferred to the kingdom of His Beloved Son, His kingdom is within us! In our hearts are the highways to Zion! Hallelujah!

He is in us, and we are in Him...and in Him are ALL THE TREASURES OF WISDOM AND KNOWLEDGE! [Colossians 2:3]

It's already inside of your reborn spirit!

And how do you get it from your spirit into the earth?

By your mouth! Proverbs 13:2 says 'From the fruit of a man's mouth HE ENJOYS GOOD...'

"The good man out of the good TREASURE—treasury, repository—of his heart BRINGS FORTH WHAT IS GOOD—GOOD THINGS; and the evil man out of the evil treasure BRINGS FORTH WHAT IS EVIL; for his MOUTH SPEAKS FROM THAT WHICH FILLS HIS HEART.' [Luke 6:45]

The treasure—all things—are already in your reborn spirit. Every blessing, every promise.

'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]

You bring it forth from your storehouse by your mouth.

__________________________________________
*For those of you who have heard sermons about why this verse doesn't really mean what it says, that it's an isolated scripture, blah blah woof woof, read Desire...you will like it!

Partakers of the Divine Nature

Read 2 Peter 2:3,4, below:

'Grace and peace by 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 [to] His own glory and excellence. For by [Through which] 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.'

There's so much here that it's hard to know where to start!

Grace 
Grace, or charis [Gr] means good will, lovingkindness, favor. We usually hear it taught as 'unmerited favor,' meaning that, before we are reborn into the family of God, it is unmerited.

Peace
Peace, or eirene [Gr] means many things. From a personal nature, these are the most relevant...security, safety, prosperity, felicity.

Remember...Peter was a Hebrew, which meant that the word 'peace' to him meant shalom [Heb]. As we've seen in earlier articles,shalom means the following:

• completeness
• soundness
• welfare
• peace
• completeness
• safety
• soundness (in body) 
• welfare
• health
• prosperity
• quiet
• tranquillity
• contentment
• friendship of human relationships with God, especially in covenant relationship
• peace (from war)

It is unlikely that Peter thought in Greek. When he said 'peace' he was thinking in Hebrew, no matter how many languages his books were translated from/into. 

'For in Him ALL THE FULLNESS OF DEITY DWELLS IN BODILY FORM, and in Him you have been made compete...' [Colossians 2:9,10]

Sounds like partaking of the Divine nature to me.

Multiply
Plethuno [Gr], meaning to increase, or multiply.

So far, this is pretty wonderful! God's good will, lovingkindness and favor, and His shalom peace—completeness, soundness in every area of life—increasing in our lives!

How do we access all of this wonderfulness? In the [true] knowledgeof God and of Jesus our Lord!

Read on...

His Divine Power
His Divine power—dunamis [Gr], meaning miracle-working power, strength, ability—even the the power and influence which belong to riches and wealth, or power consisting in or resting upon armies, forces, hosts!

This is BIG power, the power of God! And this Divine power '...has granted [past tense] to us EVERYTHING pertaining to LIFE and godliness...'

Everything, or pas [Gr], meaning each, every, any, all, the whole, everyone, all things, everything. That, my friends, is everything, no matter how you look at it!

Life—zoe [Gr]—the life of God, or the absolute fulness of life, both essential and ethical, which belongs to God.

How has this marvelous wonder been granted to us?

'...Through the true knowledge of Him who called us by [to] His own glory and excellence.'

Hallelujah!

Glory
These wonders have already been granted to us, and we access them through the knowledge of Him Who called us to His own glory and excellence! We're called to glory, and not just any glory...His OWN glory!

Sounds great...what exactly is the glory of God?

The Greek word is doxa, which means a lot of things...

• opinion, judgment, view
• opinion, estimate, whether good or bad concerning someone
• in the NT always a good opinion concerning one, resulting in praise, honour, and glory
• splendour, brightness, of the moon, sun, stars; magnificence, excellence, preeminence, dignity, grace
• majesty
• a thing belonging to God
• the kingly majesty which belongs to him as supreme ruler, majesty in the sense of the absolute perfection of the deity
• a thing belonging to Christ
• the kingly majesty of the Messiah
• the absolutely perfect inward or personal excellency of Christ
• the majesty of the angels as apparent in their exterior brightness
• a most glorious condition, most exalted state, of that condition with God the Father in heaven to which Christ was raised after he had achieved his work on earth
• the glorious condition of blessedness into which is appointed and promised that true Christians shall enter after their Saviour's return from heaven

And of course, all of the things that glory means are too wonderful for us to comprehend with our minds. These things must be perceived with our reborn spirits, which are one with the Lord. Called to glory...

But wait, we haven't even gotten to the good part yet!

Precious and Magnificent Promises
'For by [literally through which...which what? Through these—His own glory and excellence, or virtue] He has granted to us His PRECIOUS and MAGNIFICENT PROMISES so that by them [the promises] you may become partakers of the Divine nature...'

He has granted us, through His own glory and excellence, precious and magnificent promises, by which we become partakers of the Divine nature. The promises are the vehicle for transferring the Divine nature!

PARTAKERS of the DIVINE NATURE. Yes, you read it correctly, right from the scripture. Through the wonderful promises He has already granted us, we become partakers of the Divine nature.

Called to His glory—His Divine power has granted us a way to partake of His Divine nature—through the knowledge of Him and through His Divine promises. In other words, it was His idea all along!

What promises? Pick one...they're all magnificent and precious, and they all belong to us! 2 Corinthians 1:20 tells us '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.' And, good news for us...there are no curses attached to these promises, as there were in the Old Covenant. Jesus bore all of the curse of the law for us! [see Galatians 3]

[A small digression...Amen is a great word. Transliterated directly from the Hebrew into Greek, it probably had no real Greek meaning of it's own until it was used in the New Testament. Paul, in this instance, was a Hebrew speaker and scholar, and would have surely thought 'Amen' in the Hebrew sense, which means 'so be it.' So be it...it is done.]

It's True...
Yes, we're partakers of the Divine nature—not a sin nature, barely excused from hell, but one Spirit with the Lord! We died with Christ and were made alive with Him: He is the only Spirit in these earthen vessels, and He has come with the through the Holy Spirit to dwell in us. [John 14:16-24]

Get over all the old false doctrines that explain how worthless we are. We were purchased, redeemed, with a great price, recreated in the very image and nature of God.

See it, confess it. It's who you are in Christ.

Read One Spirit with the Lord

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?

How about the time the King of Aram had sent soldiers to capture Elisha?

'Now when the attendant of the man of God had risen early and gone out, behold, an army with horses and chariots was circling the city. And his servant said to him, "Alas, my master! What shall we do ?" So he answered, "Do not fear, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them." Then Elisha prayed and said, "O LORD, I pray, open his eyes that he may see." And the LORD opened the servant's eyes and he saw; and behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.' 
[2 Kings 6:15-17]

Moses described the protection of angels beautifully in Psalm 91...

'No evil will befall you, nor will any plague come near your tent. For He will give His angels charge concerning you, to guard you in all your ways. They will bear you up in their hands, that you do not strike your foot against a stone. You will tread upon the lion and cobra, the young lion and the serpent you will trample down.' [Psalm 91:10-13]

We saw how they provided for Hagar in the desert...or to be more exact, revealed the provision that was already there in the spirit! [Read Genesis 21, or read about it in Believe You Receive 2]! They also provided for Jesus after His 40 days in the wilderness [Matthew 4:11].

Primarily, however, they are known as messengers. We see them glorifying God at the birth of Jesus and announcing His birth to shepherds—a great example of the spiritual plane being revealed in the natural. They announced God's will throughout the Bible to men and women alike. And they announced His resurrection at the tomb to His followers.

In every case, angels demonstrate Psalm 103 and Hebrews 1...

'Bless the Lord, you His angels, mighty in strength, who perform HIs word, obeying the voice of His word! Bless the Lord, all you His hosts, you who serve Him, doing His will.' [Psalm 103:20,21]

'Are they [angels] not all ministering spirits, sent out to render service for the sake of those who will inherit salvation?' [Hebrews 1:14]

In each role of messenger, protector and provider, they are performing His will—His word—which is to minister to us.

Quantum Travelers
More importantly, it is evident that they travel between the heavenly kingdom and the physical plane with ease.

Gabriel appeared to Daniel in answer to his prayer, and explained that from the beginning of his supplication (or prayer) he was sent forth, to bring understanding and insight [Daniel 9:20-23]. Later, in chapter 10, Gabriel appeared to him again, but this time explained that, although he was once again sent at the beginning of Daniel's prayer, was this time held up the prince of the kingdom of Persia. This is obviously an evil authority, reigning over Persia—Michael, another angel, came to his aid so he could complete his mission [Daniel 10:10-14]

So we see that angels can traverse between the spiritual and the natural, and that there is opposition in that plane from evil or opposing spirits.

The Last Days
Angels play a big role in the last days. In the Revelation, we see them active at every turn, interacting with the natural plane like never before.

Jesus tells us in Matthew 24 that "...He will send forth His angels with a great trumpet and they will gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of the sky to the other." This is right after He explains that He Himself will come on the clouds of the sky with power and great glory...Hallelujah!

Mark 13:27 puts it this way..."And then He will send forth the angels, and will gather together His elect from the four winds, from the farthest end of the earth to the farthest end of heaven."

In other words, angels will traverse that plane or corridor (or universe) between the spirit and the natural to gather believers from the natural and bring them fully into the spirit. They're like the Marines, sent to rescue us.

What really boggles the mind is that Psalm 84 tells us that that plane—the highway to Zion—is in our hearts! Paul's epistles tells us that we're already seated in heavenly places...Hebrews 12:22-24 reinforces that idea, explaining that we've already come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the Heavenly Jerusalem!

What exactly are the angels rescuing, then? It must be our natural bodies, which will, according to the word, be glorified. This is evidently what happened to Enoch and to Elijah—they were there one minute, gone the next, precursors of what is commonly known as The Rapture.

John 7:39 talks about Jesus being caught up to heaven as being glorified...'But this He (Jesus) spoke of the Spirit, whom those who believed in Him were to receive; for the Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.' Even before he left, it was obvious that His physical body was different...He appeared, disappeared, and walked through walls!

Why Don't We See Them More Often?
In The Holographic Universe, Michael Talbot recounts several instances of the expectation of scientists having a direct impact on the results. In some cases, the finding of certain experiments varied from country to country. Why? Expectations, based on cultural biases! Very interesting...

In My Humble Opinion, it is because the deception of rationality has closed our minds to these types of experiences. It is obvious from the Bible that angels were frequent visitors, in both the Old and New Testaments. So why not now?

Or, to be more exact, why don't we see them more often...it's clear from Hebrews 1 that they are here and rendering service for us!

I think it's because we don't expect it...and really, most of us don't want it. We don't want to be too 'weird' or 'out there' or 'fanatical.' We plod along, in largely un-victorious lives, and wonder where the wonder is. Yet we refuse to believe in anything we can't touch or see.

Well, I'm done with that. I'm taking off the blindfolds, giving up the preconceived notions, opening up my mind to all that God is in me and for me. It's time for a paradigm shift...wake up!

Read Quantum Possibilities, The Quantum Table, The Quantum Table 2, See The Unseen, That Which Has Been Will Be.