Where Is Your Trust (Faith)? Lesson 1

      Luke8:25(Amp) says, "And He (Jesus) said to them, Why are you so fearful? Where is your faith (your trust), your confidence in Me-My veracity, and My integrity?"

     I preached a message and wrote a blog titled, "How far is too far?"  It seems like we have put a limit in our hearts, on how far we can trust God.  We've been taught that "God no longer does certain things."  We've been told from the pulpit that, "These things were only for the early Church and for the disciples."  we've also been taught that certain things Jesus talked about, "have passed away."

     If God's Word has passed away, then God Himself has passed away, because tells us that "He and His Word are One."  Thus, John1:1(Amp) says, "In the beginning (before all time), was the Word (Christ), and the Word was with God, and the Word was God Himself."  God and His Word are One.  We cannot  separate God and His Word, without having a total lack of faith in our own salvation.  If God can take us out of the grave and give us Life, then is there anything He cannot do for us, while we're here on this side of the grave?

     If He was God, then He's still God and everything in His Word is still Truth.  Our failing to believe doesn't make what He says, untrue.  Paul writes in Rom.3:3-4(Amp), "What if some did not believe and were without faith? Does their lack of faith and their faithlessness nullify and make ineffective and void the faithfulness of God and His fidelity to His Word? By no means! Let God be found true though every human being is false and a liar, as it is written; That You may be justified and shown to be upright in what You say, and prevail when you are judged by sinful men."

     We've failed to follow Paul's instruction in Rom.12:2(Amp), which says, "DO NOT be conformed to this world (this age), fashioned after and adapted to its external, superficial customs, but be transformed by the entire renewal of your mind."  I don't believe we can have "too much God in our lives), like others have told me.  Jesus said in Matt.15:6(Amp), "So for the sake of your own traditions (the rules handed down by your fore-fathers), you have set aside the Word of God (depriving it of its force and authority and making it of no effect."

     We would never go to church, if we believed we were being deceived by traditions that would stop God's Word in our lives.  Many believers have suffered early deaths, because they were taught that "God is doing this to you" and "this is God's will for you." 

     Many preachers still teach things that aren't from God's Word, but are against God Himself.  Jesus said something in Matt.6:33(Amp), that many ignored or haven't given much thought about, concerning God's being involved in our daily lives.  Thus, He says, "But seek (aim at and strive after) first of all His Kingdom and His Righteousness (His way of doing and being right), and then all these things taken together will be given you besides."   

     We try to hang onto our way of doing and being right, instead of God's way.  If our way doesn't work, then we make excuses for ourselves, instead of accepting responsibility for not following His ways.  We place blame on our Heavenly Father, for His not doing what we believe He should do.  Our healing depends more on us, than it does on Him.  God has already provided healing through Jesus, so we must choose to either receive or reject it.  Salvation has been provided for the entire world, according to John3:16, but not everyone has accepted it.  It's not God's fault or His intent, but is left for every individual to receive.  

     Conformity to this world doesn't just mean drinking, lying, adultery, cussing, or anything we think about.  It means that we don't think about God's Word by the standards of others, but by the integrity of God Himself.  This isn't to condemn us, but to inspire us to think about God's Word according to the Holy Spirit Who is within us, instead of listening to others who say, "God's Word doesn't work for everyone."

     Praying shouldn't be compared to playing the Lottery, according to 1John5:14-15(Amp) which says, "And this is the confidence (the assurance, the privilege of boldness), which we have in Him; we are sure that if we ask anything (make any request), according to His will (in agreement with His Own Plane), He listens to and hears us. And if, since we positively know that He listens to us in whatever we ask, we also know with settled and absolute knowledge, that we have granted us as our present possessions, the requests made of Him."

     You might ask, "How can we know Him will and Plan for us?"  When I went to basic training in 1958, the gave me boots, a uniform and The New Testament.  They probably can't do that anymore, because it might offend someone.  But when I opened the first page, I read, "The Last will and Testament of Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ."  We can know God's will, when we read His will.  Paul tells us in Gal.3:15(Amp), "To speak in terms of human relations, brethren, if even a man makes a last will and testament, ( merely human covenant), no one sets is aside  or makes it void or adds to it when once it has been drawn up and signed (ratified, confirmed)."  Jesus dies and ratified His will, signed it in His Blood and then rose from the dead, in order to be the Executor over His will.  God's will and Plan for us is "The Last will and Testament."  If it's in the new covenant, then it's for us today, whether or not we believe it.  

     We must read the will, in order to find out what the One Who wrote the will, had in His heart and bequeathed to us.  Jesus is our Advocate, and reveals what the Father's will is.  1John2:27(Amp) says, "But as for you, the Anointing (the Sacred Appointment, the unction) which you have received from Him, abides permanently in you; so then you have no need that anyone should instruct you, but just as His Anointing teaches you concerning everything and is true and is no false-hood, so you must abide in, live in, never depart from Him; being rooted in Him (knit to Him), just as His Anointing has taught you to do."

    This doesn't mean that we don't need teachers in the Church, but it does mean that we can know the difference in what is being taught and what the Anointed Word teaches.  Jesus calls the Holy Spirit, our "Advocate" in John16:17(Amp), saying, "The Holy Spirit will guide us into all Truth (the whole, full Truth) and will only speak the Message that has been given Him."

     An advocate is like our personal lawyer, who reads the will to us and is on our side of Truth.  The Holy Spirit is our Advocate Who stands for us in God's court of justice.  He pleads our case before the Throne Room of God, on behalf of the will.  The devil is the other prosecutor, and will hold us accountable for who we were before we were born of God and declared righteous in Jesus.  Think of God's will in legal terms as the Last Will and Testament of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.  If He wrote it in His will, then it is ours.

     Instead of allowing the world to push tradition and religion from carnal minded men, we should allow the Holy Spirit to read the will to us.  I would choose to learn about what Jesus died to give me, even if I don't receive it all, than to blame God and not believe His will.  If things aren't working the way the Word and will says, then don't give up and make excuses, but continue with the Word until it makes.

     We've made the Word of no effect and without power in our lives, because of the traditions of men.  Everything God said about the Baptism of the Holy Spirit, the laying on of hands, the speaking of tongues, the speaking to the mountain, the casting out of devils, and the raising of the dead is true for us today!  Our God is "the same yesterday, today and forever."  Let's not settle for what others have settled for, but let us seek God for ourselves and dare to go on with Him.

     Is.59:2(Amp) says, "But your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, and your sins have hidden His Face from you, so that He will not hear you."  When reading the rest of this chapter, you realize that Jesus was to be the Intercessor Who would remove mankind's sins and restore right standing for us before God.  Through Jesus, we now have Eternal Life.  Jesus explains what Eternal Life is in John17:3(Amp), saying, "And this is Eternal Life (it means) to know, to perceive, recognize, become acquainted with, and understand You, the Only True and Real God, and likewise to know Him, Jesus as the Christ (the Anointed One, the Messiah), Whom You have sent."

     Through Jesus, sin wasn't just forgiven, but removed and eradicated, to where there is no more remembrance of its existence.  2Cor.5:21(Amp) says, "For our sake He made Christ virtually to be sin Who knew no sin, so that in and through Him, we might become (endued with, viewed as being in, and examples of) the Righteousness of God; what we ought to be, approved and accepted and in right standing and in right relationship with Him by His Goodness."

     Now that we have been made righteous in and through Jesus, the Eternal Life He described as "to know God," is ours to enter into and enjoy.  Too few have entered into this honor and privilege today.  We continue to hold onto things we were taught by others who believe we're only "old sinners saved by Grace."  We were old sinners and by Grace we were saved, but we're no longer old sinners.  Rom.8:16-17(Amp) tells us that we are God's children, "heirs with God and joint heirs with Jesus."

     We need to realize and accept that the sin which separated us from God has been done away with, by the new creation in Jesus.  God is once again our Father and there is no separation between Him and us.  We must have faith in what Jesus did on the cross and His Resurrection.  Heb.4:16(Amp) says, "We now have boldness to come openly before God's Throne of Grace at any time, to receive, find help in our time of need."

     Heb.10:1-2,10(Amp) says, "For since the Law has merely a shadow (a mere outline), foreshadowing of the good things to come-instead of fully expressing those things, it can never by offering the same sacrifices continually year after year, make perfect those who approach its altars. For if it were otherwise, would these sacrifices not have stopped being offered? Since the worshipers had once for all been cleansed; they would no longer have any guilt or consciousness of sin."  Verse10 goes on, "In accordance with this will of God, we have been made holy, consecrated and sanctified through the Offering made once for all of the Body of Jesus Christ,the Anointed One."  It's difficult to accept Jesus' Words that, "Eternal Life is knowing God and being at rest and peace in His Presence," when the condemnation of our past sins remains present in our hearts. 

     We've returned to religious ceremonies, in order to approach God on our own, leaving out the Supernatural things of our salvation.  Heb.11:6(Amp) says, "But without faith it is impossible to please and be satisfactory to Him (God). For whosoever would come near to God must necessarily believe that God exists and that He is the Rewarder of those who earnestly and diligently seek Him out."

     We can't exercise faith in Jesus' Sacrifice, with the sin consciousness holding us back.  We can't approach God like we should and as He desires, without faith in Jesus' Sacrifice.  Eternal Life is knowing God, but some still find it hard to accept even after being saved.  The separation between them and the Father remains, by their sin consciousness.  We either believe that Jesus accomplished all that was needed to reunite us with the Father or we believe we must do it on our own.  Man-made laws and rituals cannot do what Jesus, the Lamb of God Who takes away the sins of the world, did for us.  If Jesus didn't accomplish this by His Sacrifice, then we are still dead in trespass and sin before God.

     This is why Paul instructs in Heb.11:6, "Without faith [in what Jesus did]. it is impossible to please God and be satisfactory before Him."  Jesus says in John10:9(Amp), "I AM THE DOOR; anyone who enters in through Me, will be saved (will live). He will come in and he will go out freely, and will find pasture."  Jesus is the Only Door into the Father's Presence.  He is our Eternal life, our place in the family of God, our Righteousness, our only hope of knowing God.  We must place our faith in the Blood Sacrifice of Jesus, in which we live and move and have our being."

      

     

    

The Reason for Forgiveness Lesson 3

     In Is.59:1-2,16-21(Amp), God tell us that, "Sin made a separation between His people and Himself."  In Vs.16-21 God tells us that, "Through Jesus, our Redeemer and Intercessor, God has provided us a way back to Himself."  

    Many want to argue about what they have or don't have, saying, "God doesn't do that today."  Jesus gave a Parable in Matt.21:33, about a vineyard owner and a vineyard.  The owner needed help harvesting the fruit of his vineyard, so he hired workers to do so.  Every believer has been called to work in God's vineyard, going into all the world to preach the Gospel.  Through Jesus, the sin problem has been dealt with and God can reach His people with His Presence and Blessing

     The Master of the vineyard gave the same promise to every worker.  The workers who were hired first, were promised a wage for their service.  Those who were hired later and even those who were hired at the end of the harvest, received the same reward or wage for their service.  Some complained about their working longer and receiving the same wage.  The Master paid the promised reward.  

     Some in today's Church are receiving and experiencing the Revelation of the Baptism of the Holy Spirit, healing, Blessings and more, while others aren't.  Like the workers, they complain, thinking they should have all these things.  The Truth of this Parable is that God is the Master and has Promised us all the very same wage.  It's been ours all this time, but we feel as though others received more.  Jesus gives "The Parable of the Talents, in Matt.25:14-25, where He teaches about the Master giving the same sum of money to several men.  One man invested his sum, earning interest and making a profit.  Another took his wage and buried it, because he didn't know the master enough to trust him.

     Jesus tells us what Eternal Life is, in John17:3(Amp), saying it means "to know, recognize, perceive, become acquainted with and understand the Father and Himself."  There are many reasons why some believers fail to take what the Master has offered, even though we were all Promised the same reward when we were called to God's family.  When first saved, I didn't know much scripture, but I did know the Author.  I received criticism from those who were Christians before me, as I went about laying hands on people, casting out demons and walking in God's Presence.  They had been Christians and church goes longer, and felt like a reformed drunkard (me) had received more than they did.  They asked, "Why would God allow such a person to walk in these things, when we can't?"

     The Truth is that they could have walked in these things too, but didn't.  They were saved before me and felt cheated.  They had buried what they'd been given, instead of investing in the Kingdom.  Some take offense when I speak about those "who have chosen God," saying, "God chooses us, we don't choose Him."  This is true to the extent that we were chosen before the foundation of the world, but now that we are chosen, do we find people in the Body of Christ who choose to walk in a different place with the Mast, that others don't walk?

     The British Evangelist, Smith Wigglesworth, chose God above all else and God used him in a mighty way that we don't see often today.  Was it because he was "God's favorite" or because he forsook all else for the choice to know God in a way that many have chosen not to do?  Religion doesn't always teach us to know God, as it does to know about Him.  The very choice Smith Wigglesworth made is available to every child of God today.  It

is available to "whosoever will."

     We're not just saved so we can go to Heaven, but so we can know Him in Truth and He in turn can have fellowship with us again.  Religion has taught us so many reasons why "the Supernatural is not for us today."  Relationship reveals to us all the things that are still ours through Jesus, in order to set the captives free and be laborers in God's Vineyard.  The greatest privilege God has granted to mankind, is that we're able to know Him on a personal level.  We can come to Him, hear from Him, talk with Him and know His heart, will and Love.

     I'm not saying that believers who don't do these things are "not born-again."  They just haven't entered into the joy of Heaven, while still on this earth.  We were all called to walk in the Master's Vineyard and the reward is the same for all who do so.  We shouldn't complain about how some received more than others or how it's a hard thing.  

     It's not a difficult task to walk with the Father in close fellowship.  Many believers are just "hanging on until the end."  It's a privilege and honor in which God will always reward us for.  He will always reward us for being faithful to His Purpose.  Sometimes we struggle to keep our flesh under, but the closer we walk with the Father, the easier it becomes.  When we Rest in Him, it becomes easy.  You cannot make a mistake that God can't fix, if you stay in His Presence and fellowship with Him.  Messing up doesn't mean God can't fix it and use us.

    

The Reason for Forgiveness Lesson 2

      Is.59:1-2(Amp) says, "Behold, the Lord's Hand is not shortened at all that it cannot save, nor His ear dull with deafness, that it cannot hear. But your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, and your sins have hidden His Face from you, so that He will not hear you."

     God did more than forgive our sins.  In Jesus, our sin and iniquities were not forgiven, but were totally removed on our behalf.  We were born-again by the Seed of God Himself and ,made new creation children of God.  We became heirs of God and joint heirs with Jesus, in our new creation birth.  Our righteousness is now the Righteousness of God Himself.

     2Cor.3:18(Amp) says, "And all of us, as with unveiled face, because we continued to behold in the Word of God, as in a mirror the Glory of the Lord, are constantly being transfigured into His Very Own Image in ever increasing splendor and from one degree of glory to another; for this comes from the Lord, Who is the Spirit."

     Jesus came to earth, in order to bring all of God's children back into family, instead of strangers who were separated from Him by sin and death.  Jesus accomplished the goal of God's heart to restore His children back to Him.  Jesus said in John17:3(Amp), "And this is Eternal Life. It means to know (to perceive, recognize, become acquainted with), and understand You, the Real God, and likewise, to know Him, Jesus as the Christ (the Anointed One, the Messiah) Whom You have sent."

     It's awesome that we're going to spend Eternity in Heaven when we die, but the Truth is that the Father has given us the privilege of knowing and fellowshipping with Him now, by the Spirit.  Religion has told us that, "No one can come into God's Presence, because we're all sinners."  God could have continued in the Law, where man's sins were covered by the blood of animals.  This meant that God couldn't leave the Holy of Holies and we couldn't into it.  Through Jesus, God accomplished His Own desire, to once again be a Father and have His family.  

     Few in today's Church have come into the Revelation that we can know Him, while we're still on earth and in these mortal bodies.  It's hard to keep the human body of flesh and blood in check, if we don't understand who we've now become here and now, in Christ Jesus.  John17 is filled with Revelation for us today, if we'll simply believe what Jesus said and then walk in it.  Jesus prayed, "The Glory You have given Me, I have given them."  He prayed, "Show them that You Love them even as You Love Me," and "Don't take them out of the world, but keep them from the evil."  These all pertain to our position with God, while we're still here in this world.

     Jesus said in John4:24(Amp), "God is a Spirit (a Spirit-Being), and those who worship Him must worship Him in spirit and in Truth (reality)."  We can't build a knowing of God, by our emotions or feelings, because that's not where He has called us too and deals with us by.  God deals with us by His Spirit and by His Word.  Feelings might arise in us, as we enter in His Presence, but feelings aren't reliable and are constantly changing.  We can't count on feelings to build a strong foundation on which to "know" Him.  Ps.119:89(Amp) tells us that, "Your Word, O Lord,  is forever settled (standing firm and unchangeable)." 

     The world, along with many in the Church, share the opinion that, "You never know what God will do."  This is based on their not knowing God or Jesus, in a personal way of Eternal Life.  I want to know Jesus, when I see Him.  I don't want to arrive in Heaven and have someone introduce me to Jesus, because I'm unable to recognize Him.  I want to know Him now, so I don't need an introduction there.

     Do you recognize God's Voice, when He speaks to you?  Do you spend time in His Presence, in order to converse with and get to know Him?  Do you spend time in His Word, in order to understand His Heart?  Or, do we hold tightly to the time we received Him as our Lord and Savior, instead of learning to Him as Lord?  

     The Father has invited us into His Own Presence, to know and understand Him, by His Spirit.  Is.55:7-10(Amp) prophesies about the "Abundant pardon (Who is Jesus), saying in Vs.8-9, "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My Ways, says the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My Ways higher than your ways and My thoughts than your thoughts."  God isn't boasting here, but is inviting us to come to Him, in order to learns His thoughts and His Ways.  God describes how His Word works and tells us how to use it, in Is.1:18-19(Amp), saying, "Come now, and let us reasons together, says the Lord. Though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be white as snow: though they are red as crimson they shall be like wool. If you are willing and obedient, you shall eat the good of the Land."

  

     

 

The Reason for Forgiveness

     Is.59:1-2(Amp) says, "Behold, the Lord's Hand is not shortened at all, that it cannot save, nor His ear dull with deafness, that it cannot hear. But your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, and your sins have hidden His Face from you, so that He will not hear you."

     We were not sinners, because of what we did.  We were sinners, because of our birth.  When Adam fell, he took all were born of his seed (all of mankind) with him.  The seed of Adam polluted everyone, because of his transgression, causing us to be born into sin and death.  God had to have a new Seed, in order to produce a new creation.

     Rom.5:17(Amp) says, "For if because of one man's trespass (lapse, offense), death reigned through that one, much more surely with those who receive God's overflowing Grace (unmerited favor), and the FREE GIFT of righteousness (putting them in right standing with Himself), reign as kings in life through the One Man Jesus Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed One)."  We're not just forgiven sinners, but we're new creations by the Word of God.  2Cor.5:17,19(Amp) tells us, "Therefore, if any person is ingrafted in Christ, the Messiah, he is a new creation (a new creature altogether); the old previous moral and spiritual creation has passed away. BEHOLD, THE FRESH AND NEW HAS COME."  Verse 9 goes on, "It was God Personally present in Christ, reconciling and restoring the world to favor with Himself, not counting up and holding against men their trespasses, but cancelling them and committing to us the Message of reconciliation (the restoration to favor)."

     With the new creation man, comes the Gift of God to be reconciled back to Himself, as though we never existed before we were saved.  Most of us believed that when we were saved, we were cleansed of sin, which means we're going to Heaven when we die.  This is Truth, and a wonderful Truth, but that's not all we have received in our new birth.

     John3:16(Amp) tells us there's more about this new birth, than we've been taught. Thus it says, "For God so greatly Loved and greatly prized the world that He even gave up His Only Begotten, Unique Son, so that whosoever believes in (trusts in, clings to, relies on) Him, shall not perish (come to destruction), be lost, but shall have Eternal, Everlasting Life."  For most of us, this means just that we'll live forever with God, but Jesus explains what Eternal Life is in John17:3(Amp), saying, "And this is Eternal Life, it means to know (to perceive, recognize, become acquainted with, and understand) You, the real God, and likewise, to know Him, Jesus, as the Christ (the Anointed One, the Messiah), Whom You have sent."

     We remember Adam mostly for his great transgression in the Garden, that put all of us outside of a relationship with God. One of the great things about Adam was that he "knew" God and walked with Him every day.  How long did Adam walk with God, before satan talked him into transgressing?  We don't know how long he lived in the Garden, before losing dominion or even why he transgressed.

     I'd like to believe that Adam did so, because of his love for Eve.  Adam was after all, born out of the Love of God and this might have been his motive.  Adam didn't taste of the "forbidden fruit" out of deception.  1Tim.2:14(Amp) tells us that Eve was deceived, but Adam wasn't.  Thus it says, "And it was not Adam who was deceived, but the woman who was deceived and deluded and fell into transgression."

     Adam and Eve walked with and knew intimately knew God as their Father, before their transgression.  The didn't have to read about Him, because they knew Him as Father.  The greatest thing about the new birth has been missed by so many of God's children.  We've been restored back to our own Heaven Father, in such a way as to know Him and to know Jesus.  We can now come into His Presence through a personal relationship.  He can now come into our presence, because sin can't hold Him back from us.

     Prior to Jesus, if all of God's Holiness and Righteousness, came into contact with the sin of fallen man, it would have completely destroyed mankind.  God was so intent to have His family back, but He needed to do it in such a way that wouldn't destroy them.  Jesus paid for our sins and death by His Sacrifice, so now anyone who accepts Him as our payment, will be restored to the innocence Adam and Eve had before the fall.  We have the privilege, honor and God-given right to once again know Him.

     We can now enter into the Holy of Hollies, coming face to face and spirit to Spirit, as His Own children.  We've been restored to His family.  There's no barrier or sin to hold Him back or to hold us back.  This isn't true just in prayer, but in actual fellowship and in conversation and Revelation of His will and knowledge.  We can walk hand in Hand with our Heavenly Father, as His children.  Religion has separated us again, but Truth is being revealed, so we're returning with boldness and confidence, to knowing Him as Father.

     

     

Does It Really Matter? Lesson 3

      Many things have been said about "who" and "what," we are as Christians.  Some are Truth and some are foolishness.  Many believers try to fulfill the Law of Moses and walk under the Ten Commandments, while others have misunderstand what Grace is, believing they can live any way they wish and be okay with God.

     Paul instructed Timothy in 2Tim.2:15(Amp), "Study and be eager and do your utmost to present yourself to God approved, tested by trial, a workman who has no cause to be ashamed; correctly analyzing and accurately dividing (rightly handling and skillfully teaching teaching the Word of Truth)."

     In order to "rightly and accurately divide the Word of Truth," we must understand the change our covenant under Grace and the old covenant under The Law, Jesus brought about after His Resurrection.  Many under Grace still see themselves as under The Law.  They still expect our Heavenly Father to deal with them as He did with those under the first covenant.  Instead of leaning on Jesus for healing, they expect God to put hardship on them, in order to correct and discipline them.  We have failed to understand that we're not like those under the Law, but have been made a new creation and are God's family.

     Those under the first covenant weren't born-again and were still dead in trespass and sin.  We've been made alive and have become one with God, through Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior.  God didn't change.  He still corrects and disciplines His children, like a loving Father.  God didn't change, but He changed us.  He disciplines, leads and corrects us through His Word and His Spirit, as new creation children through Jesus.  2Tim.3:16-17(Amp) says, "Every scripture is God-Breathed (given by His Inspiration) and is profitable for instruction, for reproof and for conviction of sin, for correction of error, and for discipline in obedience; and for training in Righteousness, in holy living, in conformity to God's will in thought, purpose and action. So that the man of God may be complete and proficient, well-fitted and thoroughly equipped for every good work."

     If we don't understand the difference between how God deals with us now and how He dealt with those under the Law, then we will be double-minded, having doubt and unbelief concerning His Word.  James4:7(Amp) says, "So be subject to God. Resist the devil (stand firm against him), and he will flee from you."  If we don't know whether it's God testing us or the devil trying to kill us, then we're not subject to God and are in unbelief.  This results in our being complacent and not resisting the devil, because we're unable to rightly divide God's Word of Truth.  We might be revving our motors, but we're still stuck in neutral and going nowhere.

     If it's God, then we're to be subject to Him, but it's it's the devil, then we're to resist him.  If we don't know which it is, then we're not in a position to to anything, other than complain and wonder "why is God doing this?"  We're not called to fight the devil, because he is already defeated by Jesus.  We're simply called to resist him by God's Word, which is the Sword of the Spirit.  When we do this, then satan will flee from us. 

     In Matt.6:33(Amp), Jesus says that we are called to, "Seek first of all His Kingdom and His Righteousness (His way of doing and being right)."  Many are shocked to learn that God has a way of doing and being.  What is His way of doing?  Many dismiss the Revelation of our speaking to certain things, as "name it and claim it."  This though, is God's way of doing and being right.  He created everything by Words and Jesus' entire ministry was based on Words.  Jesus said, "I only say what I hear My Father say."

     Jesus says in Mark11:23(Amp), "Truly I tell you, whoever says to this mountain, Be lifted up and thrown into the sea! and does not doubt at all in his heart but believes that what he says will come to pass, it will be done for him."  Do you speak to God about the mountain or do you speak to the mountain about God?  Do you believe in your heart that it will move or do you believe it cannot move?  Do you believe more it what someone has said about "blab it and grab it" or what God's Word says?  Are you hearing and believing in God's Word or hearing and believing more in what others say?

     Do words really matter?  This entire planet and universe is ruled and run, by words.  Many have taken no thought about the power of words in this age.  Have you noticed how our nation has changed so drastically, in the last few years?  It has all come about by words.  The changes in our schools, our churches, our believing the Constitution and our history, along with our biological bodies, have been brought about by the replacement of words.

     We've replaced everything God ordained for and in America, with our words.  The mandates that have no authority, according to our Constitution, have held people in bondage for over three years now.  Churches have been forbidden to hold services and proclaim God's Word, by leaders enacting emergency mandates.  If the words of the enemy and leaders can change things in our lives and nation so drastically, then can our speaking God's Words change things too?  Does it really matter?

     We, God's Church, are in spiritual welfare and are instructed to submit ourselves to God's Word and resist the devil; then he will flee from us.  It's about time we submit to God and speak the Words He has given us, causing satan to flee.  

  

Does It Really Matter? Lesson 2

     John3:34(Amp) says, "For since He Whom God has sent speaks the Words of God (proclaims God's Own Message), God does not give Him His Spirit sparingly or by measure, but boundless is the Gift God makes of His Spirit!"

     Rom.10:17(Amp) says, "So then faith comes by hearing what is told, and what is heard comes by the preaching (of the Message that comes from the lips) of Christ (the Messiah Himself)."

     One of the first preachers I heard, after being born-again, was Charles Capps.  He has since gone Home to be with the Lord, but the revelation of what he spoke has gone on in me ever since.  He preached about the "words of our mouth" and "watching the words of our mouth."  Much has been taught about our confession since that time and much of the Light of Truth has been lost about it.  Many call it, "name it and claim it" or "blab it and grab it," but these are men's interpretation, without Revelation.

     Does it really matter?  Do we just want to go to Heaven when we die or do we want to walk victoriously with God?  Is our salvation something held in the future or can we truly walk in God's Presence and Power on this earth?  Do the words we continually speak mean anything?  

     Let's delve into God's Word and find the answers to these questions.  Let's start though, recognizing that this planet and the universe are controlled by words.  We're free in this country, because of the words held in our Constitution and the "Declaration of Independence."  Others are held in bondage and slavery, to a government that makes proclamations over them.  Wars have come about, because of words that are spoken and heeded.

     Prov.4:24(Amp) says, "Put away from you false and dishonest speech, and willful and contrary talk put far from you."  Prov.8:13(Amp) says, "The reverent fear and worshipful awe of the Lord (includes) the hatred of evil: pride, arrogance, the evil way, and perverted and twisted speech I hate."  Prov.10:32(Amp) says, "The lips of the uncompromising righteous know and are therefore utter what is acceptable, but the mouth of the wicked knows and therefore speaks only what is obstinate, willful and contrary."  Prov.12:18(Amp) says, "There are those who speak rashly, like the piercing of a sword, but the tongue of the wise brings healing."  Prov.13:2-3(Amp) continues, "A good man eats good from the fruit of his mouth, but the desire of the treacherous is for violence, He who guards his mouth keeps his life, but he who opens wide his lips comes to ruin."

     Prov.14:3(Amp) says, "In the fools own mouth, is a rod to shame high pride, but the wise man's lips preserve them."  Prov.15:4(Amp) says, "A gentle tongue with its healing power is a tree of life, but willful contrariness in it breaks down the spirit."  Prov.16:23-24(Amp) says, "The mind of the wise instructs his mouth, and adds learning and persuasiveness to his lips. Pleasant words are as a honey comb, sweet to the mind and healing to the body."  Prov.18:20-21(Amp) says, "A  man's moral self shall be filled with the fruit of his mouth: and with the consequences of his words he must be satisfied, whether good or evil. Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and they who indulge in it shall eat the fruit of it for death or life."  Prov.21:23(Amp) says, "He who guards his mouth and his tongue keeps himself from troubles."  Prov.22:17-18(Amp) admonishes, "Listen, consent and submit to the words of the wise, and apply your mind to my knowledge For it will be pleasant if you keep them in mind, believing them, your lips will be accustomed to confessing them."

     Psalm17:4(Amp) tells us, "Concerning the works of men, by the word of Your lips I have avoided the ways of the violent, the paths of the destroyer."  Psalm12:3-4(Amp) says, "May the Lord cut off all flattering lips and the tongues that speak proud boasting. Those who say, with out tongues we prevail; our lips are our own to command at our will, who is Lord and Master over us?"

     Jesus told His followers in Matt.12:36-7(Amp), "But I tell you, on the Day of Judgement men will have to give account for every idle, inoperative, non-working word they speak. For by your words you will be justified and acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned and sentenced."

     I've provided many scriptures, but I'm not saying that we will go around quoting them like parrots.  I am saying though, that our words must line up with God's Word.  Words are the most powerful thing on this planet and God has given them to men and women.  We're the only ones who can speak and proclaim God's Word or repeat the enemy's words.  Words have the ability to create or destroy.

     Our Heavenly Father used Words to create everything.  Jesus used words to stop storms, raise the dead, cast out demons, kill the fig tree, fed the multitude with five loaves and fishes, along with so many other things.  Jesus told us in Mark11:23(Amp), "If you believe what you say you could move a mountain and whatever you believe in your heart and say with your mouth, you would have whatsoever you say."

     What words are we saying, that we believe in our hearts?  Jesus didn't say that if we only spoke His Word, that we would have whatsoever we said.  Do we believe His Word and speak according to them?  Or, are we speaking contrary to His Word and receiving accordingly?  Could we be speaking words into our lives, that are bringing things we don't wish?

      

Does It Really Matter?

      I hear people saying, "I don't believe we have to do all that, in order to go to Heaven."  If you have truly received Jesus as your Lord and are born-again, then I guess that is alright.  But, do you honestly just want to go to Heaven or do you want to walk and live in God, while we're here on earth?

     Jesus tells us in Matt.6:33(Amp), "But seek (aim at and strive after) first of all His Kingdom and His Righteousness (His way of doing and being right), and then all these things taken together will be given you besides."  What is God's way of doing and being right?  The Kingdom of Heaven has Spiritual Laws that it functions by, just like we function by laws here.

     When we violate or don't walk by God's Laws, then God's will and way won't be allowed to do as He wants and things won't be like He wants.  God is not fair, He is just.  He cannot and will not violate His Word, not even for us.  If He violates one part of His Word, then we can't depend on any of it, because it has become unreliable.  This doesn't mean that we're not saved, but we aren't operating in Kingdom Principles and Spiritual Laws.  

     I'm not talking about the Law of Moses, because Jesus was the Only One Who fulfilled that Law.  In Jesus though, God sees us as having fulfilled it too.  We have Spiritual Laws that work here on earth, that we can't violate either.  Gravity is a Spiritual Law that God put in place, when creating this planet.  One can supersede the Law of Gravity, but no one can remove it.  We can make airplanes fly, using the Law of Lift and Thrust, but the planes will fall to the earth if the engines are turned off.

     Spiritual Laws of the Kingdom supersede the laws that govern earth, but the earthly laws don't go away.  Jesus superseded the Law of Gravity, when He walked on the water.  The Apostle Peter dared to try this too, saying, Lord if it be You, bid me to come to You," in Matt.14:28-30.  Jesus answered, "Come."  Peter could also walk on water, at least for a short time, by allowing the Kingdom Law to overcome the natural Law of Gravity.

     Many believe that believing and trusting God's Word is "too far out."  I'm not sure how anyone can have too much of God in his/her life, but I believe religion has caused us to be in unbelief, concerning the Truth.  Does it make a difference what we say"  Does it matter how much time we spend in God's Word?  Does it matter what we are hearing?  Does it matter whether or not we assemble and go to church?  

     Does it matter how we're raising our children, what they're learning, where they go to school or what college they attend?  Does it really matter who they hang out with or how much time they spend on-line?  Are there certain things we don't want our children to do, because they could be harmed or unsuccessful in the future, due to these things?  It's the same with our Heavenly Father, Who Loved us so much that He sent His Only Begotten Son to die in our place, in order to bring us back to Him.

     God's ways are Righteous or right, in the very Kingdom we have come into, through Jesus.  There are ways of doing things that open the doors to Blessing and there are things that will stop the Blessing.  Sin doesn't only include the bad things we do.  Some of the words for sin include, "error" or "missing the mark."  School teachers grade their students on the work we do.  We might have failed a math test, because we missed the mark or erred.  This doesn't mean we can no longer do math, but we must do it correctly, in order to receive a passing grade.  There are laws that govern mathematics.  They must be done correctly and will not bring about the truth, if they're done any other way.  This is why we have teachers.  This is also why the Holy Spirit is the Teacher of the Church.  The Bible is His textbook that teaches us and gives us understanding on how the Kingdom works.  

     We're not kicked out of our own country and no longer citizens, simply because we failed math.  There are certain things though, that we don't qualify for, like being a math teacher.  If we miss the mark or fail math, then we'll probably never become a banker, because that position requires our being able to count.  If you can't count, then I wouldn't want you to be my banker. 

     If you're a math teacher, but all you teach is what you learned in preschool, then what good would that provide high school students?  As Christians, our Father requires that we learn how to function in His Kingdom, while we're still here on earth.  Saying it "doesn't matter how we do things," is like saying, "I don't need to learn math, in order to be an American citizen."  This is why it really does matter, in our Christian walk and life with God.

     If one relocates from Ireland to America, then he/she must learn how to live by America's laws.  People in Ireland drive on the opposite side of the road, but does it really matter which side they drive on here?

"A Call To Arms" Lesson 8

     2Cor.10:4(Amp) says, "For the weapons of our warfare are not physical weapons of flesh and blood, but they are mighty before God for the overthrow and  of strongholds."  There is no doubt that the Nation God gave us and His people are both under siege, by a spiritual attack.  Many of God's people refuse to get involved, saying, "We're not of this world, so it's none of our affair."

     God has sent forth His Church into the world, to be the Light and Salt which stops the decay satan has sown.  Perhaps the Lord is weeding out those who will not get involved in this spiritual warfare, much like He did in Gideon's army.  The only Person or thing God's Word instructs us to surrender to, is Jesus Christ.  This is a spiritual war against God and His Kingdom and we, like generations before us, have been called to "having done all to stand, stand therefore."

     We are to put on the Armor that God provides and bring defeat to the "principalities and spiritual wickedness in high places," according to Eph.6.  This Armor is for warfare, by the Power of His Name and the sword of the Spirit, which is God's Word.  Why don't more Christians put forth a voice against the demonic things befalling the citizens of America.  The murder of unborn children, the perverting our school children, and our being afraid to speak out against the demonic assault of Christians, are spiritual warfare.  Rev.12:11(Amp) tells us, "They overcame by the Blood of the Lamb and the Word of their testimony."  This is how we overcome too.

     This isn't the politics we've come to know, but is a war of words we've come to accept, by our years in the flesh.  We are still one Nation under God, despite what we might hear and see.  So much of the truth about America's founding and Her purpose on earth for the Lord, has been forgotten and we're not allowed to speak about it.  The Liberty we've been given, doesn't come from our Constitution.  Our Constitution came from God and His Liberty is worth fighting for.

     Have we become so afraid of the world, that we won't stand for our faith in God and fight the good fight?  In the last election, only 42% of the Church voted.  Prayer is one of the greatest weapons we have against the enemy.  God has given us this Land, but like Joshua, we must go forward and possess the Land.  There are still giants in the Land, but God is greater than they are.

     If you haven't voted, then please do and when you do.  Raise your voice for God's Word and pray for Righteousness to be restored in our Land.  Don't vote a party, but vote for "God's will to be done on earth as it is in Heaven."  Heaven's Laws are still the Law we live by and God's Word is our vote.  Grace and faith in God will overcome.

"A Call To Arms" Lesson 7

      This is not a call for revolution, but for REVIVAL.  It's not about guns and ammo.  2Cor.10:4(Amp) tells us that, "For the weapons of our warfare are not physical weapons of flesh and blood, but they are Mighty before God for the overthrow and destruction of strongholds."

     God tells Moses in Numb.13:1-2(Amp), "Send men to explore and scout out for yourselves the Land of Canaan, which I give to the Israelites."  God had given the people the Land, but they still had to go forth and take the Land.  They failed to do what God instructed and remained in the Wilderness for another forty years.

     God has given us this nation, the United States of America.  He has heard the prayers of His people, but there is more we must do.  We must prayer for God's Wisdom and then vote.  We sow the seeds of righteousness, when we vote our faith and confidence in God.  In 2Chron.7:14-16(Amp) God says, "IF My people, who are called by My Name, shall humble themselves, pray, (seek, crave and require of necessity) My Face and turn from their wicked ways, THEN will I hear from Heaven, forgive their sins, and heal their Land. NOW My Eyes will be open and My Ears attentive to prayer offered in this place. For I have chosen and sanctified, (set apart for Holy use), this house (Land), that My Name may be here forever, and My Eyes and My Heart will be here perpetually."

     This Nation was chosen by and for God, to use and rule from and in.  God's people have let go of what God has done for through America and Her influence in the world.  This Nation is and has been, a beacon throughout the world, because of our faith in God.  The Body of Christ must step up and shout, blow the trumpet and defeat the enemy, like Joshua did in Jericho.  Our shout, is the voice of our vote, which will sound the defeat for the enemy.

     We've been taught that we must not "get involved in politics," because "it is worldly."  We are not of this world, but we are still in this world.  We're doing this not for our sake alone, but for the sake of those who are unsaved and for this Nation's children, who are being assaulted by satan's ungodly agenda.  We cannot hide our talents in the ground, but must invest into the Kingdom of God.  God has given us this Land, but we're required to take it.  The gates of hell cannot prevail against the Church of the Lord Jesus Christ, so we can't allow the enemy to conquer our inheritance.  God's Church can't be passive, because we're in the Last Days and it's time for the Great Harvest that Jesus spoke about.  We're called to be laborers, leading others to Salvation in Christ Jesus.

     We shouldn't be thinking about the Tribulation, but about the Harvest.  This isn't over, until God says so and He hasn't said so yet.  Satan is trying to destroy America, in his quest to defeat God and His Plan for the world in these Last Days.  Are we going to sit in our little camps and watch God work?  Or, will we take and occupy, until the Lord comes?

     God didn't instruct His people to "be woke," but He said, "Awake."  We've been asleep and comfortable for too long, forgetting who we are and Whose we are.  Rev.12:11(Amp) says, "They overcame by their testimony and the Blood of the Lamb."  The Blood hasn't lost any of it's Power, but our testimony of who we are in Him, has become weak.  Joshua1:6(Amp) says, "Be strong, confident, and of good courage, for you shall cause this people to inherit the Land I swore to their fathers to give them."  We're a Joshua generation, called to take and hold this Land for God.

     

"A Call To Arms" Lesson 6

     This isn't "A Call To Arms" for guns or ammo, but is a call to God's people to pray, vote and put on the Armor of God.  We've been passively sitting on the sidelines for too long, while the enemy has undermined our nation and values.  This isn't simply a political thing, but is a spiritual thing.  We must pray, but also put what we know to do, into action.  God is raising up people who will put balance back into government and they need our prayers and vote.

     Satan never plays fair and his intent is to "steal, kill and destroy" what God has created.  We're not to be afraid of the giants in the Land, like most of the spies.  We're to be like Joshua and Caleb who "were strong in the Lord, and in the Power of His Might" and told the Israelites that our God can defeat the giants.  We've been given everything required to live in peace and victory through Jesus, if we will only use it.  The unsaved world is at the mercy of the spirit behind this onslaught.  God's Church though, has been given authority over it in the Name of Jesus Christ our Lord , but we must use it.

     I know that I'm saved and am not concerned for myself.  I am concerned for those who do not know and have no recourse, other than to live under satan's bondage.  Parents and caregivers who aren't saved, need to have The Resource to stand against the ungodly things being taught in their children's schools.  God's Church has been Authority to stand against what's occurring.  Jesus told His followers in Matt.18:18, "What you allow on earth will be what is allowed in Heaven, and what we don't allow on earth, will not be allowed in Heaven."  We're not just to read Jesus' Words, but must put them into action.

     God still works through His Word and His people.  We've been given the responsibility to occupy, until He Returns.  We are commanded to "do all to stand, and stand therefore," in Eph.6:13(Amp).  The Bride of Christ, the Church, isn't wearing the long white gown and bride's veil, but the full armor of God to stand against the enemy.  We're not only standing for ourselves, but for the world Jesus came to save.  We, the Church, are the hope of this world through Jesus.

     This is the time of great Harvest and we can't be asleep.  Satan has overplayed his hand, which resulted in people who have refused to live under bondage and have turned to the Lord for help.  Like Queen Esther, the present day Church are to be the Voice of God raised over the noise of confusion and chaos, in this present world.  

     When we vote for people with Godly and Biblical principles, then we're casting seed and bringing Light into this present darkness.  The Israelites in the Wilderness, were disobedient to God, because they didn't action His Word and Promise, according to Heb.3:17-18(Amp), which says, "And to whom did He swear that they should not enter His Rest, but to those who disobeyed, who had not listened to His Word and who refused to be compliant or be persuaded. So we see that they were not able to enter into His Rest, because of their unwillingness to adhere to and trust in and rely on God; unbelief had shut them out."

     They didn't only need to hear God say that He "had given them the Land," but they needed to enter the Land.  We haven't been just called to pray, but to go into the land, in the Great Commission.  Voting isn't just a political event, but is our putting faith and casting seed for healing in our land.  Your vote is a voice.  God is intent on setting the children free from the perversions being thrust on them in schools throughout our nation.  If you believe that these evil things are "God's will," then you don't know the heart of the Father.  The children can't speak for themselves, but we can speak for them, by the Power of God's Word.

     We haven't been called to pull up the oars and let our boats drift with the currants, but we're called to stand in the gap and intercede for others.  If we drift with the currants in Niagara, then we're in danger of going over the falls.  This isn't the time to wait for the Trumpet to sound, but to keep oil in our lamp and do the things we know to do.  God is counting on us to do what is needful and advance against the gates of hell.  

     God will never surrender to the enemy and He doesn't expect us to do so either.  Things in this natural world look pretty grim, but we're not of this world.  There's always victory in God's Kingdom and we will have victory too, if we will proceed according to His Word.  Others will try telling us that "God's people aren't have no importance or place in this time."  God has always used people He can count on, so can He count on us to do what is needful, at this time?

"A Call to Arms" Lesson 5

     2Cor.10:4(Amp) says, "For the weapons of our warfare are not physical (weapons of the flesh and blood), but they are mighty before God for the overthrow and destruction of strongholds."

     Has the Church lost the Salt required to be a cure for the decay of this nation?  We've remained silent in the face of a demonic spirit, which has built a stronghold in our very presence.  If anyone tried to push students to be transgender or any of the perverted things in public school when I was a child, then that person would have been charged with a crime.  If a parent had done this back then, their child would have been taken.  How is it that today, they not only teach these things, but celebrate doing so openly.

     How have we allowed the enemy to build a home and kingdom, in this Christian nation?  This isn't a Democratic or Republican issue, but is an issue between Righteousness and evil.  Many immature believers today will say, "God works all these things for His Good."  Many believe that God is allowing the enemy to take over our children and nation.  Mature believers know Heb.5:14(Amp), which says, "But solid is for full-grown men, for those whose senses and mental faculties are trained by practice to discriminate  between what is morally good and noble and what is evil and contrary either to divine or human law."  No one can say that the things happening in our nation, "are God endorsed and we're to yield too."

     We know that when the Salt has lost its savor, then it is good for nothing.  There are warriors throughout our nation, who are in prayer and standing in the gap for what our God has Blessed us America with.  America didn't become a great nation by her own merits, but by God's Grace, guidance and His Blessing.  We see throughout the Word, how every time God's people were Blessed, they became slack in their walk with Him and allowed the enemy to take over.

    If you feel like it's too late for our country and her people, then read The Book of Hosea, where God's Love and Grace was in place for restoration.  We can't give up praying or voting, because we think it doesn't do any good.  Read Jesus' "Parable of the Sower," realizing that nothing grows without a seed.  We need to sow the seeds of faith and Righteousness, on behalf of our nations, trusting God for the harvest.  If you don't vote, then you're really casting a vote or sowing a seed for the wrong thing and the wrong person.  We are stewards over God's Kingdom and have a responsibility to our Lord, to occupy it until He returns.  

     There are many voices and turmoil n the land today, that desire to drown out the One Voice we're to follow.  I've found that the Father speaks to me on a personal level and I'm sure that if you'll listen, then He'll speak to you as well.  We are His sheep.  All who listen to His Voice, instead of the voice of a stranger, will follow the same lead.  The Good Shepherd won't call half of His herd go one way, while leading the other half somewhere else.  We're told not to follow the voice of a stranger.

     Many today are like those who comforted Job, saying it was "God Who was involved" in his calamities, when it was Job who was responsible for the things befalling him, because he walked in fear and didn't put faith in the sacrifices he made.  Don't allow yourself to get in fear for this nation, but pray and when you pray, pray in the Holy Spirit.  This prayer is faith and will be directed by the Holy Spirit, so that it works exactly where it's needed.

     Only God's Church, through the Authority and Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ, has the ability to to stop the attack of spiritual force in high and heavenly operatives.  Only God's Church, through the Authority given us by the Authority and Blood of Jesus Christ,  can defeat them.  The unsaved and the world will be moved into the Harvest, by the sweep of the Spirit of God, in this prayer.  We've been slumbering too long, like those God speaks to in Prov.6:9-11(Amp.), saying, "How long will you sleep, o sluggard? When will you arise out of your sleep? Yes, a little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to lie down and sleep-So will your poverty come like a robber or one who travels, with slowly but surely approaching steps, and your want like an armed man, making you helpless."

     The calamitous things happening in our country, didn't just start, but crept in slowly while we slept.  Now, like an armed man, it has come upon us.  We must walk in the Wisdom and integrity of the covenant.  I know that you and your family, like my own, are standing in the gap, but we must extend our understanding and grow our faith towards those who don't know.  God says in Hosea 4:6(Amp), "My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge."

     We can't be content with just being saved and remain as babies in the Land.  Many have never been taught about God's Blessing, the Redemption of His covenant, the Holy Spirit, the integrity of God's Word, the Power of the Blood, the Authority of the believer given through the Name of Jesus, and so much more that God's Grace has provided through Jesus Christ.  God says that His people "perish for lack of knowledge."  Many in the Church don't know who God has made us to be in this new creation.  These things all belong to us through Jesus, but if someone doesn't know about them or how to function in them, then they can perish for their lack of knowledge.  

"A Call to Arms" Lesson 4

     2Cor.10:3-4(Amp) says, "For though we walk (live in the flesh), we are not carrying on our warfare according to the flesh and using mere human weapons. For the weapons of our warfare are not physical weapons of flesh and blood, but they are mighty before God for the overthrow and destruction of strongholds."

     We read in Daniel 1:7 how the entire Tribe of Judah were enslaved by the Babylonians, along with Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego.  Nebuchadnezzar, the King of Babylon, made a decree in Dan.3:11,29-30(Amp), saying, "Whoever does not fall down and worship [the statue made of himself], shall be cast into the midst of a burning fiery furnace."

     Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego were the only ones who refused to bow to the King's idol and were thrown into the fiery furnace, which was so hot that the guards were burnt to ashes upon throwing them into the furnace.  Everyone was amazed, even the King, to then look into the furnace and see four men walking in the fire, without being burnt.  Nebuschadnezzar then said in Verses29-30, "Therefore I make a decree that any person, nation, and language that speaks anything amiss against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego shall be cut in pieces and their houses be made dung hills, for there is no other God Who can deliver this way. Then the King promoted Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in the province of Babylon."

     One might ask, "What does this have to do with 'A Call to Arms' for America and other nations?"  The entire Tribe of Judah had been enslaved in Babylon, but only three men dared to take a stand, which resulted in the deliverance of them all.  Many have surrendered to the godless rules of today, like those did then.  God's Church hasn't been called to surrender in the face of opposition, but we're called to stand and occupy, until He comes.  I don't know how many believers have accepted defeat to the ungodly regime, which is trying to take over our Nation, but I for one, will not bow nor burn.  I will chance the fiery furnace, rather than accept some other god.

     This is a Call to Prayer against a demonic spirit, which God's Church has power and authority over using the Mighty Name of Jesus Christ and His Blood.  This demonic spirit will overthrow this nation, without the King of the Tribe of Judah, Who is Christ Jesus our Lord.  We need to pick up the weapons of our warfare, which are "Mighty through God for the pulling down of strongholds."  

     Will you stand with me in prayer and intercession for this nation and see God work in a Mighty way?  There are too many fronts for us to pray against and be ineffective against, so we must pray in the Spirit.  Rom.8:26-28(Amp) says, "So too the Holy Spirit comes to our aid and bears us up in our weakness; for we do not know what prayer to offer nor how to offer it worthily as we ought, but the Spirit Himself goes to meet supplication and pleads in our behalf with unspeakable yearnings and groanings too deep for utterance. And He Who searches the hearts of men knows what is in the mind of the Holy Spirit (what His intent is), because the Spirit intercedes and pleads before God in the behalf of the saints according to and in harmony with God's Own will. Listen carefully to this scripture and keep it correctly in your heart. Vs.28, "We are assured and know that God, being a partner in their labor, all things work together and are fitting into a Plan for good to and for those who love God and are called according to His Design and Purpose."

     The above scripture doesn't say, "All things, good, bad and horrible, are working together for our good."  Religion said this, not scripture.  It doesn't make sense to go to war against the spiritual forces in our nation, while believing God is going to overthrow America and give Her over to the enemy, for Her good.  We must pray in the Holy Spirit, when praying and interceding in our war rooms.  This kind of prayer is always in faith and without doubt or unbelief.  We pray the Mysteries of God, on behalf of America and the world, when we enter into prayer through the Holy Spirit.

    I don't believe God is done with America or His Church.  This is the time for believers to mature and "go onto the meat," not just the milk, like Paul said in Heb.5:13-14.  Some will quit and fall under the pressure, but many more will stand firm in prayer, refusing to quit.  Let's be one of those who refuse to quit.     

"A Call to Arms" Lesson 3

     2Cor.10:3-4(Amp) says, "For though we walk (live in the flesh), we are not carrying on our warfare according to the flesh and using mere human weapons. For the weapon of our warfare are not physical weapons of the flesh and blood, but they are Mighty before God for the overthrow and destruction of strongholds."  

     Many believers today don't think we should be involved in politics, but when checking through God's Word, we find that Joseph, Daniel, Ester and many others were used by God to set nations free from captivity.  We were never instructed by the Word to turn our heads and allow the enemy to destroy a nation or a people.

     Many believe that the things happening in America now, are the judgment of God on this nation.  Some might be judgment, but there are many unsaved and ungodly persons here now, that God wishes to save.  Those exposing the helpless children to this ungodly reign, will be held responsible for exploiting them and causing their downfall.  The sexual perversion happening to them, though, is happening on our watch.

     Those who know God, His Word and His Spirit and are established in His covenant, won't fear for themselves.  This is a time of great panic in the homes and families of those who don't know Him.  This is the time of reaping the harvest of men, women and children into God's Kingdom.  Many have been Anointed into this very calling and many have been called to pray.  We need both of these things, in order to be a Light in this present darkness.  Joshua fought the battle, while Moses prayed.  When Moses began to tire and let his hands fall, Joshua began to lose the battle.  Finally, men held each of Moses' hands up in prayer, until Joshua won the battle.

     We've underestimated the heart and Grace of our Heavenly Father, along with the compassion He has towards the unsaved.  Even though Goliath might look big, remember that our God and His covenant are much bigger.  God isn't asking us to "hang on until it's over," but "attack the enemy by intercession and the Power of the Armor of God and the Blood of the covenant.

     Isaiah said, "When the enemy comes in like a flood, the Lord will raise a stand against him."  Our "Standard" is the Power of the Name of Jesus and the Blood of the covenant.  Psalm107:2(Amp) says, "Let the Redeemed of the Lord say so, whom He has delivered from the hands of the enemy."  In the midst of the Tribulation, Rev.12:11(Amp) tells us that, "They overcame (conquered) him by the means of the Blood of the Lamb and by the utterance of their testimony."

     God has brought us forth into His Kingdom for just a time as this, like Gideon's Army.  If we will simply obey the Lord and stand in the gap, so He can do His work.  You might not be called to serve in a political venue, but we're all called to stand behind those God has raised up.  No person God sends into this battle for our nation, will go alone.  God goes before us and our victory is His.

     There is right now before us, the greatest harvest of people who need reaping.  Prov.6:4 admonishes us to "sleep not in the time of harvest" nor to "watch the clouds."  The clouds on the horizon appear ominous and dark, but we must not allow them to keep us from reaping the harvest.  You know this blog is titled "Christian Life Center-Boot Camp for God's Army."  Every soldier is trained for warfare and trained to be ready for whatever the enemy brings, in boot camp.  Many reading this blog have come from Christian Life Center in Chaumont, NY and are still training your spirit to fight for God's Kingdom, using the Armor of God and the Power of Jesus' Name.  You know who you are in Christ Jesus and you know your God and His covenant.  God will go before us and He will also be our rear Guard.

     I have peace in my heart, knowing that God isn't done with America yet, just like He's not done with Israel yet.  We're not done, until He is done.  If we don't quit, then God won't quit and if God doesn't quit, we win!  Remember, we're to "Having done all to stand, stand therefore," according to Eph.6.  God's Church isn't supposed to surrender to the enemy's onslaught or surrender the lost to the enemy,  The only thing God asks us to do in this time of turmoil and trouble, is to pray.  We can't turn the tide by our own might, but if we pray, God will turn the tide.  

     God only required Moses to lift the rod over the water and God parted the Red Sea, opening it for the Israelites to walk through.  They thought all was lost, because the Red Sea was before them and Pharoah's army was behind them.  God used one man and a stick to overthrow the enemy and save His people.  We mustn't sell God short, saying that "This is all God's will."  God's will is that, "All should be saved and none should perish."  There are still too many unsaved people, who need to see the Light of the Lord.  God says that, "His House will be called the House of Prayer," in Is.56:7.  We need to pray the perfect prayer of faith, in the Spirit.

"A Call to Arms"

     This "Call to Arms" isn't about guns and weapons, but prayer, God's Word and the Authority given to believers through Jesus Christ and the new birth.  We've said so much about Adam and how he turned the Blessing into the Curse and delivered all of his inheritance over to the enemy.  God's Church has done the very same thing. 

     God gave me a message titled "Return to Eden," several years ago.  God gave the First Adam complete dominion and authority over the earth and everything in it.  The Garden of Eden wasn't just a small portion at the edge of Creation.  It was all of the things the Father had created on and in this planet called Earth.

     Things aren't out of order here because of politics, but because the Church isn't doing our job.  The Last Adam Jesus took back everything the First Adam gave away and delivered it back to the family of God, to which it had been given.  We've done the very thing Adam did, in relinquishing this authority over to the enemy.  Matt.28:18(Amp) says, "Jesus approached and breaking the silence, said to them, "All authority, all power of rule, in Heaven and on earth has been given to Me."  Jesus prayed in Matt.6:10(Amp), saying, "Your Kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in Heaven."  He instructed His followers to pray and believe in this manner.

     Through Jesus and the Power of His Name, which has been given to us, we're to walk in His Authority and have dominion over the earth, like God intended from the beginning.  We were born of the seed of the First Adam into sin, death and bondage, but we were born again by the Seed (Jesus, the Word) into Righteousness.  We're once again the children of God, born into His dominion again.

     In Eph.6:10-19(Amp), Paul tells us that we're "the Redeemed of the Lord, who have Spiritual weapons, against our spiritual enemy."  Through Jesus, we've gained back the Authority and dominion God gave the First Adam.  Will we stand in this Authority or like the First Adam, give it over into the hands of satan and lawlessness?

     We've prayed for the Blessing to come upon us, when it came upon us when we were born-again and became new creations through Jesus Christ.  We're to be a Blessing to others, by the Power of Jesus' Name and we're to hold back the enemy, from others and ourselves.  The only power satan has over the Church, is the same power he had with the First Adam, which is the power of deception.  If we know the Lord, God's Word and His Spirit, then it will be difficult to be deceived.  The unsaved, the world, don't have the knowledge and the Name of Jesus to use against the enemy, so we're to hold the enemy back for them.

     We can speak Light into the darkness that has "blinded their eyes" to the Glory of the Gospel.  1Cor.4:4(Amp) says that we're "called to be Light and salt to the earth and the people."  The Church is called to be "a city high on a hill, to give Light to the world."  Why do we tolerate the ungodly ruling and reigning over us, taking our God-given nation into a Sodom and Gomorrah?  God didn't instruct only preachers to pray, but He called all who are born-again into full-time ministry, in Eph.4:12-13.

     Jesus said in Matt.18:18,10(Amp), "Truly I tell you, whatever you forbid and declare to be improper and unlawful on earth must be what i already forbidden in Heaven, and whatever you permit and declare proper and lawful on earth must be what is already permitted in Heaven."  Jesus spoke about the children and little ones, saying, "Their angels always look upon the Face of the Father," in Verse10, where He says, "Beware that you do not despise or feel scornful towards or think little of one of these little ones."  Do you suppose that the things occurring in our school systems with our "little ones" is what is already declared "forbidden in Heaven?"  Do you believe that we have a lawful right and the authority to bind these unclean spirits in Jesus' Name?  Why then, have we allowed these unclean things to be in our schools and government?  Like the First Adam, we've given away the Authority given to us through Jesus Christ, because we've been deceived by the enemy and the world.

     This is a call to arms to God's Church.  We must stop the work of the enemy that Jesus defeated for us, when He restored us back into Authority.  We are to "Pray and having done all to stand, stand therefore," according to Eph.6:13-14(Amp). 

     

 

"A Call To Arms"

      No, this doesn't mean we're to get out our guns and rifles.  It means we're to enter into prayer.  Paul reminds us in 2Cor.10:4(Amp), "For the weapons of our warfare are not physical (weapons of the flesh and blood), but they are mighty before God for the overthrowing and destruction of strongholds."

     Many Christians readily accept that "the end is here" and that it's "God's time to judge the earth."  Until God says otherwise, we're to occupy this earth until He comes.  The word "occupy," is a military term that means to "hold back any area that has been gained, so that it is not retaken."  Jesus gave a Parable about what we should pay close attention to in these times of trial, in Luke18:1(Amp), which says, "Also Jesus told them a Parable to the effect that they ought always to pray and not to turn coward (faint, lost heart and give up)."

     I hear others say that, "God is done with America" or "It's over for us."  I don't believe that God is anywhere near done with our country, but I do believe that the Church has been asleep and the enemy has retaken much of the ground we were supposed to occupy, until His return.  We've been so busy trying to be nice and politically correct, so as not to offend.  We've forgotten that we're warriors who are called to be the salt and Light to this world.  This nation was founded and dedicated to God, by those who came before us.  We have surrendered it over again to the enemy, when we should have occupied it for God.

     The Church has tried fitting into to society and tried to blend with everyone else.  We have forgotten who we've been called to be.  We've allowed the world to take over our schools and children, giving back the ground that was given to us by those who prayed, fought and stood against the enemy.  Like Israel of old, we've become comfortable in our little camps, forgetting how we became safe and secure through God's covenant.

     We have truly been "redeemed from the Curse of the Law," but the Curse is still here and will dominate, if we don't choose differently.  We are "in this world, but not of this world."  We believed that if we're like the world, then the world would come into salvation.  However, the more we became like the world, the less we resembled God's Kingdom, so that the world sees no difference between the Church and the secular world.

     Our warfare isn't against man and the natural things we see, but against the spirit realm of darkness, which has fostered the chaos and evil things we see around us.  The Holy Spirit inspired Paul to write in Eph.6:12(Amp), "For we are not wrestling with flesh and blood (contending only with physical opponents), but against the powers, against the master spirits who are the world rulers of this present darkness (against the spirit forces of wickedness in the heavenly supernatural sphere)."

     God may have called you into the ministry, but that means more than being behind a pulpit.  God gives us Gifts to do the work of His ministry.  The Gifts aren't as important to Him, as the people He bought them for.  God explains why He gave these Gifts in Eph.4:12-13(Amp), saying, "His Intention was the perfecting and full-equipping of the saints (His consecrated people), that they should do the world of ministering toward building up Christ's Body (the Church). That it might develop until we all attain oneness in the faith and incomprehension of the full and accurate knowledge of the Son of God, that we might arrive at really mature manhood, the completeness of personality which is nothing less than the standard height of Christ's Own Perfection (the measure of the stature and the fullness of the Christ and the completeness found in Him)."

     Paul writes about the Armor of God in Eph.6:10-19(Amp), which is our prayer armor.  This is where the battle for mankind and the salvation of men is being fought.  It doesn't matter what kind of preacher we have or what denomination we belong to.  Without prayer, no ministry can stand.  Your pastor can only be on one place at a time and what he knows is mostly held to his/her flock.  We must take God's Light into our workplaces and neighborhoods, feeding those who don't know the Word and salvation.  We're to pray and intercede for God's Church, for the world and for our pastors, so we can restrain the enemy.  We need to intercede, so we can take back the territory God has gained through those who came before us, both in this nation and the world.

     ***I belong to Intercessors for America/The Informer    ifa@ifapray.org which gives us leaders to pray for every day. Every Tues. we pray at 12:15 EST & tomorrow we're praying to restrain satan. There are many places on the prayer wall (where someone prays 24/7) for intercessors to join.  Perry Stone's Global Prayer Center prays online and in-person every Thurs. @ 6p.m. EST.    You can pray along or ask for prayer at PERRYSTONE.ORG/Pray.  There is no distance in the Spirit realm & you can join liv e at 6:30 p.m. @Christian Life Center 12749 State Route E Chaumont, NY 13622 
                                         

Knowing God Lesson 19

      Jesus tells us in John17:3(Amp), "And this is Eternal Life (It means) to know (to perceive, recognize, become acquainted with, and understand) You, the Only True and Real God, and (likewise) to know Him, Jesus, (as the) Christ (the Anointed One, the Messiah) Whom You have sent."

     Knowing God is far different from only hearing about Him from someone else's idea of Who He is.  Many have heard about Him and have accepted Jesus as their Lord, but they still don't know Him.  We need to have a personal relationship with God.  We need to know His heart and His character.  This is an awesome privilege, which many of God's children don't take part in on this side of Heaven.

     Many have failed to go to God's Word and come to the place Jesus described in John15:15(Amp), where He told His followers, "I don't call you servants, but I call you friends."  A friend knows us by relationship and not by what others say about us.  We need to make and spend time in fellowship with the Father, so we understand and know Him on a personal level.  This personal relationship comes by His Spirit and His Word, because "God is a Spirit (a Spirit Being) And those who worship Him must worship Him in Spirit and in Truth (reality), John4:24(Amp).  

     Many of God's children only know God after the flesh or senses and haven't learned to know Him after the Word and the Spirit.  We still have the idea that we must be moved by the flesh, in order to be led by God the Father.  This idea of how  God deals with His family, has been passed down from generation to generation.  Rom.10:17(Amp) says that, "Faith comes by hearing."  This isn't just true about faith in God, but faith in anything.

     What we listen to the most, is what we will finally believe.  The doctrines that say, "Those things are passed away and not for us today, were only for the early Church and were only for the Apostles," have taken root in God's people because we've put faith in hearing and hearing by what we've believed is God's Word.  The family of God must have a personal relationship with Him, in order to know Him for ourselves and not just what we've heard from others.

     It takes time and effort on the believer's part, to spend time in God's Word and listen to His counsel.  We've accepted more of the doctrines of men, instead of the doctrine of the covenant.  Just because most in you church don't believe in the Baptism of the Holy Spirit and speaking in other tongues, doesn't mean it's not for us today.  

     We don't build a personal relationship with God and His Word, in order to make us feel superior to others, but to make us secure in Him.  The same Jesus Who our Lord, is the same Jesus Who is their Lord.  All of God's children received the same Lord and inheritance in Christ Jesus.  The difference is that some don't know Him as their personal friend and Father, as much as others do.  We're still waiting for Him to lead us by the senses and the flesh.  We've deceived ourselves, believing God still deals with us like He did with those under the Law.

     Much of what we've been taught comes from the old, first covenant and the four Gospels, instead of from the new covenant, which came after Jesus' death and Resurrection.  Paul preached and wrote about the Revelation he received directly from Jesus.  This was about how God deals with His new creation family, through His Word and Spirit.  God had to deal with the people under the Law, from the outside-in, and not from the inside-out.  We must learn and know God, by renewing our minds by "God's way of doing and being right," Matt.6:33.

     God delivered His people, even under the first covenant.  When the plagues came upon the Egyptians, God's people were spared.  Today, we see judgment upon certain things in this nation, but God's people should take heart that He will keep and watch over us even amidst them.  We must come to know God for ourselves, so we won't fail to submit to the Word and allow the things of the world to come upon us.  We must stay under the Blessing and not go under the Curse, which is still here and active today. 

     Prov.17:10(Amp) says, "A reproof enters deeper into a man of understanding, than a hundred lashes into a self-confident fool."  God's new creation children must turn at the reproof of His Word, so we don't become fools and fall into trouble.  2Tim.3:16(Amp) says, "Every scripture is God-breathed (given by His Inspiration) and is profitable for instruction, for reproof and conviction of sin, for correction of error, and discipline in obedience, and for training in righteousness, in holy living, in conformity to God's will in thought, purpose and action."

     The accepted reproof of God's Word will keep us from suffering the consequences of the road we might be on.  If we listen to God's Word, then it will direct our steps from the traps the enemy has planned for us.  Psalm 23 tells us that, "He leads us in paths of righteousness, for His Name's Sake," but we must follow where the Word is leading.  When we stray from that path, God's Word will reprove and direct our steps.  We must not wait until calamity befalls us, but listen to the reproof and instruction instead.

     Is.1:19(Amp) says, "If you are willing and obedient, you shall eat the good of the land."  What if we're not willing to receive the reproof of God's Word and are unwilling to be obedient to the Holy Spirit's leading?  Does this make God's Word void or do we need to be obedient?  We must listen to the Word and the Spirit, in order to stay under the covering of the Blessing and avoid the Curse, which is always trying to claim and devour us.  The Curse is still here, but God's Blessing is now ours.  We still must choose to follow the Truth of God's Word, in order to avoid the enemy's pitfalls.  We must choose to renew our mind and learn who we've now been made to be in Christ Jesus.  Rom.12:1-2(Amp) says, "Do not be conformed to this world (this age), fashioned after and adapted to it's external, superficial customs."

     Let's listen to the reproof and correction of the Word and Spirit and remain under the Blessing.  If we miss the mark, then we must repent, correct it and return to the covering of the Blessing where we belong.  It's difficult to stay under the correction of God's Word, if we don't spend time to know and understand what it says.  Remember Jesus' Words, where He says, "This is Eternal Life (it means) to know God, to understand, be acquainted with and perceive, recognize You, the Only True and Real God."  Jesus said, "My sheep know My Voice."  We need to know Him in this Eternal Life we're now living in, on this side of Heaven."