Here's a portion of a prophecy given by Kenneth Copeland. This reminds us why it's so important to keep our eyes on what God says, regardless of circumstances. Thus, God says, "Don't pay attention to or make any plans based on what the media says or what [politicians] says. Stand on My Word in John 16. Pay attention to Me...I already have THE PLAN for you, and it's very good. Follow it. It will not only get you through, it will place you in a high place---a rich place---a strong place of victory. Discipline yourself and be diligent to listen to Me...My system is stronger than ever. My Kingdom is flourishing, and THE BLESSING is the place to be. Keep your eyes on My Word. It will guide you and I will perform it. Love My people---You'll be able to reach out to untold numbers of suffering people with the Good News of the Gospel."
God prophesied through Hosea in Hosea 4:16 saying, "My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou has rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shall be no priest to Me: seeing thou hast forgotten the Law of thy God, I will also forget thy children."
God didn't say that His people were destroyed because the devil is so great or because he's so big and powerful there's nothing you can do about it. No! God didn't say that. His Word says that, "My people are destroyed for LACK OF KNOWLEDGE."
You cannot believe anything further than YOU HAVE KNOWLEDGE. 2Peter 1:2-3 says, "Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord." It's important to recognize that, "It's through knowledge of God that grace and peace are multiplied" to you. So many people have no peace-grace and peace aren't multiplied to them, because they don't have the knowledge of God---they don't know the promises of God or realize God has made promises in His Word that we can stake our lives on.
Verse 3 goes on, "According as His divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and Godliness through the knowledge of Him that hath called us to glory and virtue. Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature."
We can be "PARTAKERS of the DIVINE NATURE OF GOD." Peter said,in the above scripture, "Hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and Godliness." If God has given them, then THEY ALREADY BELONG TO US---THEY ARE OURS, but quite often, we have let the devil cheat us out of those things, which God intended us to have.
1John 5:18 says, "He that is born of God keepeth himself." We keep ourselves by knowing that you cannot use faith any further than the KNOWLEDGE YOU HAVE. The single most reason tragedy happens to Christians, is they lack the knowledge of the Word God has spoken to us---a knowledge of what God has wrought in Christ Jesus and what our position is in Christ. They lack knowledge of what their authority is in the earth as children of God.
Proverbs 2:1-6 says, "God says the Lord gives wisdom and out of His mouth comes wisdom and understanding." In other words, the words that come from God's mouth are the wisdom of God and His understanding.
Proverbs 3:1-2 says, "My son, forget not My Law but let thine heart keep My commandments: for length of days and long life and peace, shall they add to thee. Let not mercy and truth forsake thee: Bind them about thy neck; write them upon the table of thine heart: so shalt thou find favor and good understanding in the sight of God and man."
Through knowing what God's Word says WE CAN HAVE FAVOR in the SIGHT OF GOD and MAN. Proverbs 3:5-8,13 continue, "In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy paths. Be not wise in thine own eyes; fear the Lord and depart from evil. It shall be health to thy naval and marrow to thy bones." God's Word is designed to give us knowledge, wisdom and favor with both God and man. Verse 13 goes on, "Happy is the man that getteth understanding. For the merchandise of it is better than fine gold. She is more precious than rubies: and all the things thou canst desire are not to be compared unto her. Length of days is in her right hand; and in her left hand riches and honour."
When Hosea prophesied that, "God's people are destroyed for lack of knowledge," he was not filling in pages of the Bible. He was speaking a truth that will absolutely transform your thinking and cause you to enter into the blessings God has prepared for you. God's Word is filled with great promises, but UNLESS WE KNOW THEM and BECOME PARTAKERS, WE WILL NEVER RECEIVE THEM. Knowledge of God's Word will be, "Keeping and garrisoning our property, our possessions and that which God has given us as an inheritance in the earth." That makes US the ones who are responsible for keeping it. We have a responsibility to possess the Promises and to enforce satan's defeat.
David said in Psalm 17:4 that, "I have kept myself from the paths of the destroyer." How did he do that? By the "Word of his lips." In other words, David spoke what God spoke. Read what Jesus said in Mark 11:24. He admonished us to not pray the circumstances or the problems, but PRAY YOUR REQUEST, saying, "Whatsoever things you desire." "What you desire" is YOUR REQUEST. What you should pray for IS THE ANSWER and not THE PROBLEM. The Church has missed out in this area and has opened the door for satan to con God's people into PRAYING the PROBLEM, instead of PRAYING the ANSWER.
The more you pray the problem, the greater the problem will become. The Principle of Mark 11:23 is geared for you to speak that which you desire. Jesus said, "Whosoever shall say to the mountain." WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO SAY to the mountain (the mountain of finances, sickness, divorce, etc)? SPEAK YOUR DESIRE. Jesus said, "Whosoever believes and doubts not in his heart (not his head) but believes those things which he sayeth shall come to pass-he shall have whatsoever he SAYS." Because of that faith principle, you will have what you SAY. If you pray the problem, then you're going to receive the problem. If you pray the ANSWER, then you will RECEIVE THE ANSWER.
Friday, September 9, 2016
Friday, September 2, 2016
SEED TO GROW - Part 2
It is really awesome when you find you can lift your voice in praise and spiritual song, while you run the vacuum, prepare dinner, fold the laundry and take care of your other natural, daily responsibilities. I love doing these things, while simultaneously worshiping, making intercession and like Jude 20 says, "BUILDING UP yourselves on your most holy faith; praying in the Holy Spirit."
"Praying in the Holy Spirit" is not your mind praying. This is how many of us have prayed for years---just with our mind, in our native tongue---because that is all we understood. We didn't know about being "filled with the Holy Spirit" and speaking in tongues.
We are admonished to pray in the Holy Spirit, but for what purpose? To "build yourself up," building your mind up and your soul. With the power of the Holy Spirit working in us, we reach the place where we can get our spirit to take authority over our soul and bring it under subjection. Tongues can also be intercession, not only for your needs, but the needs of your family or those whom God places in your heart to pray for. It's essential as a wives and mothers, that we have this power.
The Gift of the Holy Spirit is for everyone. Acts 2:38 says that "We should repent, be baptized and receive the Gift of the Holy Ghost. Repentance is the only requirement for receiving the Holy Spirit, according to the Word of God. It is a change of your views, bringing the acceptance of God's will in your life and receiving forgiveness of sins in the Name of Jesus Christ. There isn't a born-again Christian, who should go on without receiving this power. After all, Jesus told the disciples who walked with Him and talked with Him daily for three years, that although they had witnessed miracles, they needed the power of the Holy Spirit. Without the Holy Spirit, (the Third Person of the Trinity), they could never live a Christian life. Peter thrice denied Jesus, even though he had seen Jesus perform miracles and knew that Jesus was God's Son. He had confessed to Jesus' face, that Jesus was indeed the Son of God, but he didn't have the power and strength (within himself) to walk out the Christian life. And so, because He knew it, Jesus told them in Acts 1:4-5, "WAIT HERE UNTIL YOU RECEIVE THE HOLY SPIRIT."
Jesus' followers obeyed and waited in Jerusalem, where the Holy Spirit fell and 120 people receive the Baptism of the Holy Spirit (including Jesus' mother and all the women who were serving the needs of those there). Our families depend on us so very much, scheduling activities and meeting demands of daily life. We cannot truly meet these needs in the natural---WE MUST HAVE THE SUPERNATURAL POWER OF GOD TO HELP US.
This means that you're not having to depend on your husband, your boyfriend, your pastor or your friends. YOU ARE NOT DEPENDING ON ANYONE EXCEPT YOU and YOUR FELLOWSHIP WITH GOD, BY THE HOLY SPIRIT, for the edification of yourself, your mind, your soul and then for the needs of your loved ones. When we depend on our personal relationship with our Heavenly Father to meet our needs, then we will never be disappointed. HIS LOVE NEVER FAILS. Many times, our brothers or sisters, sons or daughters, spouses or friends fail us, because they are not perfected yet and then we're disappointed or left in despair. GET YOUR EYES AND MIND BACK ON THE LORD AND HE WILL SURELY KEEP YOU IN PERFECT PEACE, MEETING EVERY NEED.
Isaiah 26:3 says, "He will guard him and keep him in perfect and constant peace whose mind (both its inclination and its character) is stayed on YOU, because he commits himself to You, leans on You and hopes confidently in You."
What would you classify as a wife's greatest need in the marital relationship? It's to be loved and to know that her husband believes she is a gift from God. Can those of us who are married, truly know in your heart that your husband believes you are a gift from God? Proverbs 18:22 says, "He who finds a (true) wife finds a good thing." A man who finds a good wife, obtains favor of the Lord. How can we make ourselves lovable? WE ALL HAVE A NEED TO BE LOVED. If our husband doesn't tell us that he loves us, then we don't feel good. Not only do we have to feel that our spouse loves us, but we need to him SAY he loves us. We need to MAKE ourselves lovable, so that our husbands will say, "I love you."
We must establish the principle of living to follow Jesus and seek His righteousness, BECAUSE NOTHING WILL WORK WITHOUT JESUS---NOT ONE THING. 2Corinthians 5:21 tells us, "For He hath made Him to be sin for us Who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him." Even though we're not perfect in every area, we can still say that, "We are the righteousness of God" and are working out His principles in our lives.
We need to be honest, too. Being honest with God and ourselves, requires lots of courage. We must also be willing to change. If we humble ourselves, then God will exalt us. It's much harder to be willing to change, even though your spouse might be the one who needs the most change, in a certain area. You be the one who humbles yourself and change. Maintain a good attitude and in doing so, you will leave the door wide open for him. Be willing to apologize, even though the other person is at fault. We must submit to each other, in love.
When you fail, ask God to forgive you, forgive yourself and then, be determined to TRY AGAIN. There are many habits we've formed through our old nature. Attitudes, emotions and reactions have been learned through our mothers, our aunts, or whomever was instrumental in influencing our formative years. We may have picked up these attitudes from the movies and other social media. It's surprising how many little girls still dream about being Cinderella and desire this kind of life even after growing up. There's nothing wrong with that and we can still make it real. Both little and big girls cling to the Cinderella idea, because this is really the "right" idea. The idea of having a Prince Charming to care for us, is based on God's plan for women.
Self acceptance is an important thing, as well as forgiving others. If we hold unforgiveness in our hearts, then it's a terrible thing and will prevent the Fruit of the Spirit from being manifest in our lives. This will also keep our minds from being renewed. Forgiving ourselves and others, will bring deliverance from the deeds of the flesh.
We must keep the door open, because God continuously leaves the Door open to us, through Christ. We always have an avenue to our Father. Jesus has already opened the door and if we walk through by Jesus, then we are there. The secret to God's forgiveness is our confession to Him of our sins and the repentance of them. Then we must receive His forgiveness.
Some of us have had unrenewed minds for so long, that we fail to understand forgiveness and then satan is free to intimidate and condemn us. Psalm 103:12 says, "How far is the east from the west? They never meet do they? That is how far God has removed confessed sin from you and from HIM." He doesn't ever see it, because it is removed from Him. Micah 7:19 says, "He will again have compassion upon us. He puts our sins into the deepest part of the sea, never to be remembered again." God puts a big "NO FISHING" sign there for the devil. Do not allow satan to take you back to the old memories that God has buried---THEY ARE GONE!
Isaiah 43:25 tells us that God has no memory of confessed sin. He says, "For My Own sake" and not simply for your sake, God removes the sins. God removes them for His Own sake, because HE WANTS FELLOWSHIP WITH YOU. It's not just that you want and need it, but HE WANTS YOU and NEEDS YOU. He wants your sins blotted out and removed, so that He can come to you and show His love to you and live inside of you.
Throughout the Bible, we find God reaching out to His people. Anyone, anyone, who reaches out towards God, will find God reaching out to them through Jesus. That's where God wants us to be. He wants our sins to be blotted out and they are. Then, we come into times of refreshing in the Presence of the Lord. He builds us up and restores everything that satan tries to destroy and tear down . Isaiah 1:18 says that "God makes us clean---pure white." Isn't that marvelous that all our sins are gone and blotted away? Hallelujah!!! ONCE THERE'S FORGIVENESS, THERE IS NO NEED TO EVER BRING IT UP AGAIN.
We belong to Him and that's where we're going to stay. If you make a mistake, then don't be afraid and come under condemnation, running further away from the Father, into darkness. Always run back to the Father and ask Him for forgiveness. Walk in the Light, as He is in the Light and He will help you. God knows you cannot do it all at once, especially if you're just coming into your walk with Him. You might stumble some, but HE is going to be right there to pick you up, if you're willing to confess your sin and ask for His forgiveness. How much do you love it, even as a mother, when your child comes to you saying, "Oh, Mom, I'm sorry." You just want to gather them up in your arms (it doesn't matter how old they are) and cover them with your love. THAT'S HOW GOD FEELS.
Never allow satan to try and rob you of the completeness of God's forgiveness. If he brings up your past sins, then don't receive them, because you have been forgiven and God doesn't even remember those sins anymore. Quote the Word at satan, call him the liar and deceiver he is, and tell him that he doesn't have the right to bring them up again. Do the same thing, when things in your marriage hurt you. It might help to date it, saying, "Satan, on (date) I forgave my husband for that particular thing and you have no right to bring it back to my mind EVER."
Confess these wrongs and sins to each other and ask forgiveness from each other, as well as from the Lord. When you do this, the way will be open for healing, releasing bitterness, resentment, fear and jealousy. Remember, it's not necessary to bring up old sins, which the other person is aware of. That only adds grief and hurt to our mate, unnecessarily. If you confess these things to God and have repented, then it's best to leave them there, never to be remembered again.
Just as it is important for us to keep the doorway open to God's love, it's important to keep the doorway open to your husband's love. "Openly forgive him and forget it," like Mark 11:25 instructs.
"Praying in the Holy Spirit" is not your mind praying. This is how many of us have prayed for years---just with our mind, in our native tongue---because that is all we understood. We didn't know about being "filled with the Holy Spirit" and speaking in tongues.
We are admonished to pray in the Holy Spirit, but for what purpose? To "build yourself up," building your mind up and your soul. With the power of the Holy Spirit working in us, we reach the place where we can get our spirit to take authority over our soul and bring it under subjection. Tongues can also be intercession, not only for your needs, but the needs of your family or those whom God places in your heart to pray for. It's essential as a wives and mothers, that we have this power.
The Gift of the Holy Spirit is for everyone. Acts 2:38 says that "We should repent, be baptized and receive the Gift of the Holy Ghost. Repentance is the only requirement for receiving the Holy Spirit, according to the Word of God. It is a change of your views, bringing the acceptance of God's will in your life and receiving forgiveness of sins in the Name of Jesus Christ. There isn't a born-again Christian, who should go on without receiving this power. After all, Jesus told the disciples who walked with Him and talked with Him daily for three years, that although they had witnessed miracles, they needed the power of the Holy Spirit. Without the Holy Spirit, (the Third Person of the Trinity), they could never live a Christian life. Peter thrice denied Jesus, even though he had seen Jesus perform miracles and knew that Jesus was God's Son. He had confessed to Jesus' face, that Jesus was indeed the Son of God, but he didn't have the power and strength (within himself) to walk out the Christian life. And so, because He knew it, Jesus told them in Acts 1:4-5, "WAIT HERE UNTIL YOU RECEIVE THE HOLY SPIRIT."
Jesus' followers obeyed and waited in Jerusalem, where the Holy Spirit fell and 120 people receive the Baptism of the Holy Spirit (including Jesus' mother and all the women who were serving the needs of those there). Our families depend on us so very much, scheduling activities and meeting demands of daily life. We cannot truly meet these needs in the natural---WE MUST HAVE THE SUPERNATURAL POWER OF GOD TO HELP US.
This means that you're not having to depend on your husband, your boyfriend, your pastor or your friends. YOU ARE NOT DEPENDING ON ANYONE EXCEPT YOU and YOUR FELLOWSHIP WITH GOD, BY THE HOLY SPIRIT, for the edification of yourself, your mind, your soul and then for the needs of your loved ones. When we depend on our personal relationship with our Heavenly Father to meet our needs, then we will never be disappointed. HIS LOVE NEVER FAILS. Many times, our brothers or sisters, sons or daughters, spouses or friends fail us, because they are not perfected yet and then we're disappointed or left in despair. GET YOUR EYES AND MIND BACK ON THE LORD AND HE WILL SURELY KEEP YOU IN PERFECT PEACE, MEETING EVERY NEED.
Isaiah 26:3 says, "He will guard him and keep him in perfect and constant peace whose mind (both its inclination and its character) is stayed on YOU, because he commits himself to You, leans on You and hopes confidently in You."
What would you classify as a wife's greatest need in the marital relationship? It's to be loved and to know that her husband believes she is a gift from God. Can those of us who are married, truly know in your heart that your husband believes you are a gift from God? Proverbs 18:22 says, "He who finds a (true) wife finds a good thing." A man who finds a good wife, obtains favor of the Lord. How can we make ourselves lovable? WE ALL HAVE A NEED TO BE LOVED. If our husband doesn't tell us that he loves us, then we don't feel good. Not only do we have to feel that our spouse loves us, but we need to him SAY he loves us. We need to MAKE ourselves lovable, so that our husbands will say, "I love you."
We must establish the principle of living to follow Jesus and seek His righteousness, BECAUSE NOTHING WILL WORK WITHOUT JESUS---NOT ONE THING. 2Corinthians 5:21 tells us, "For He hath made Him to be sin for us Who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him." Even though we're not perfect in every area, we can still say that, "We are the righteousness of God" and are working out His principles in our lives.
We need to be honest, too. Being honest with God and ourselves, requires lots of courage. We must also be willing to change. If we humble ourselves, then God will exalt us. It's much harder to be willing to change, even though your spouse might be the one who needs the most change, in a certain area. You be the one who humbles yourself and change. Maintain a good attitude and in doing so, you will leave the door wide open for him. Be willing to apologize, even though the other person is at fault. We must submit to each other, in love.
When you fail, ask God to forgive you, forgive yourself and then, be determined to TRY AGAIN. There are many habits we've formed through our old nature. Attitudes, emotions and reactions have been learned through our mothers, our aunts, or whomever was instrumental in influencing our formative years. We may have picked up these attitudes from the movies and other social media. It's surprising how many little girls still dream about being Cinderella and desire this kind of life even after growing up. There's nothing wrong with that and we can still make it real. Both little and big girls cling to the Cinderella idea, because this is really the "right" idea. The idea of having a Prince Charming to care for us, is based on God's plan for women.
Self acceptance is an important thing, as well as forgiving others. If we hold unforgiveness in our hearts, then it's a terrible thing and will prevent the Fruit of the Spirit from being manifest in our lives. This will also keep our minds from being renewed. Forgiving ourselves and others, will bring deliverance from the deeds of the flesh.
We must keep the door open, because God continuously leaves the Door open to us, through Christ. We always have an avenue to our Father. Jesus has already opened the door and if we walk through by Jesus, then we are there. The secret to God's forgiveness is our confession to Him of our sins and the repentance of them. Then we must receive His forgiveness.
Some of us have had unrenewed minds for so long, that we fail to understand forgiveness and then satan is free to intimidate and condemn us. Psalm 103:12 says, "How far is the east from the west? They never meet do they? That is how far God has removed confessed sin from you and from HIM." He doesn't ever see it, because it is removed from Him. Micah 7:19 says, "He will again have compassion upon us. He puts our sins into the deepest part of the sea, never to be remembered again." God puts a big "NO FISHING" sign there for the devil. Do not allow satan to take you back to the old memories that God has buried---THEY ARE GONE!
Isaiah 43:25 tells us that God has no memory of confessed sin. He says, "For My Own sake" and not simply for your sake, God removes the sins. God removes them for His Own sake, because HE WANTS FELLOWSHIP WITH YOU. It's not just that you want and need it, but HE WANTS YOU and NEEDS YOU. He wants your sins blotted out and removed, so that He can come to you and show His love to you and live inside of you.
Throughout the Bible, we find God reaching out to His people. Anyone, anyone, who reaches out towards God, will find God reaching out to them through Jesus. That's where God wants us to be. He wants our sins to be blotted out and they are. Then, we come into times of refreshing in the Presence of the Lord. He builds us up and restores everything that satan tries to destroy and tear down . Isaiah 1:18 says that "God makes us clean---pure white." Isn't that marvelous that all our sins are gone and blotted away? Hallelujah!!! ONCE THERE'S FORGIVENESS, THERE IS NO NEED TO EVER BRING IT UP AGAIN.
We belong to Him and that's where we're going to stay. If you make a mistake, then don't be afraid and come under condemnation, running further away from the Father, into darkness. Always run back to the Father and ask Him for forgiveness. Walk in the Light, as He is in the Light and He will help you. God knows you cannot do it all at once, especially if you're just coming into your walk with Him. You might stumble some, but HE is going to be right there to pick you up, if you're willing to confess your sin and ask for His forgiveness. How much do you love it, even as a mother, when your child comes to you saying, "Oh, Mom, I'm sorry." You just want to gather them up in your arms (it doesn't matter how old they are) and cover them with your love. THAT'S HOW GOD FEELS.
Never allow satan to try and rob you of the completeness of God's forgiveness. If he brings up your past sins, then don't receive them, because you have been forgiven and God doesn't even remember those sins anymore. Quote the Word at satan, call him the liar and deceiver he is, and tell him that he doesn't have the right to bring them up again. Do the same thing, when things in your marriage hurt you. It might help to date it, saying, "Satan, on (date) I forgave my husband for that particular thing and you have no right to bring it back to my mind EVER."
Confess these wrongs and sins to each other and ask forgiveness from each other, as well as from the Lord. When you do this, the way will be open for healing, releasing bitterness, resentment, fear and jealousy. Remember, it's not necessary to bring up old sins, which the other person is aware of. That only adds grief and hurt to our mate, unnecessarily. If you confess these things to God and have repented, then it's best to leave them there, never to be remembered again.
Just as it is important for us to keep the doorway open to God's love, it's important to keep the doorway open to your husband's love. "Openly forgive him and forget it," like Mark 11:25 instructs.
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