John 1:16-17 (Amplified) says, "For out of His fullness (abundance), we have all received, all had a share and were all supplied with, one Grace after another and Spiritual Blessing upon Spiritual Blessing and even favor upon favor and Gift heaped upon Gift. For while the Law was given through Moses, Grace (unearned, undeserved favor) and Spiritual Blessing and Truth came through Jesus Christ."
When reading about the inheritance that's been granted to us through our union with Jesus, we understand that our relationship with the Father, has much more to do with our life here on earth, than we previously thought. The Spiritual Blessings, favors, Graces, Gifts and Truth listed above, are for our walk with the Lord, while we're here on earth. These abundant things are given from the Father's fullness, in order to enable us to do the job He commissioned us to do on earth.
The Father's heart has provided these things to those who are joint heirs with Christ, just like the Father provided for Jesus' earthly ministry. Jesus was filled with the Holy Spirit and would have been just as ineffective as any other man, without the Holy Spirit. Jesus' earthly ministry began when He was filled with the Holy Spirit. This is so important for us to know today.
Jesus prayed in John 17:18 (Amplified), "Just as You sent Me into the world, I also have sent them into the world." Jesus was saying that by the Holy Spirit, Jesus would send us. Jesus said He would send us with the same Anointing, the same purpose and ability the Father equipped Him with. If it wasn't true, then we would still be mere men and women, who encounter a spiritual enemy by the means of the flesh. The Church can only prevail through the Holy Spirit and the Name of Jesus Christ.
Jesus told His followers in John 6:63 (Amplified), "It is the Spirit Who gives Life, He is the Life Giver, the flesh conveys no benefit whatever (there is no profit in it); the Words (Truths) that I have been speaking to you are Spirit and Life." The words we speak can only bring Life to a dead world and people, through the Holy Spirit. When we minister from only a carnal realm, we can only speak to the carnal man. Only the Spirit can bring Life from our words.
In John 7:38-39 (Amplified) Jesus says, "He who believes in Me (who cleaves to and trusts in and relies on Me), as the Scripture ha said, From his innermost being shall flow continuously springs and rivers of living water. But He was speaking here of the Spirit, Whom those who believed, trusted, had faith in Him were to receive. For the Holy Spirit had not yet been given, because Jesus was not yet Glorified (raised to honor)."
When we believed in Jesus, we have only believed a small portion of what we are to believe. We've believed for salvation to a limited way, guaranteeing our entrance to Heaven, but we've failed to continue in our faith in Him, as joint heirs with Him and having His authority here on earth. Some have continued in their faith in Him, receiving the Baptism of the Holy Spirit, but then still don't continue any further.
How far are we to believe in what Jesus has said and done for us, in His resurrection? Are we only endowed with His ability when we leave this planet or have we been endowed with His ability here on earth, in order to set mankind free? We've left the blind men blind, the lame man lame, the deaf man deaf and the oppressed are still oppressed. This isn't the fullness, that we've all received from Him.
Most of us have heard how "God tried His people in the Wilderness." We've built religious doctrines about how "God is testing us in our Wilderness experience" from those teachings. Psalm 78:56 (Amplified) tells us, "Yet they tempted (limited) and provoked and rebelled against the Most High God and kept not His testimonies." The people testing God in the wilderness. God didn't test the people. The people limited God, because they didn't believe Him to do what He said He would do. God wanted to do so much more for them, but they wouldn't believe Him to do it.
How much more does the Father want to do in our lives today, but we don't believe Him to do them for and through us? I hear too many Christians say, "I don't believe God does these things any longer." How can God doe these things in our lives, if we don't believe Him to do them? We are limiting the Holy One, when we don't believe He will do the Super-natural things in our lives today.
We have no chance of defeating a spiritual enemy on our own, as mere, natural men and women. We can build wonderful church buildings and feed the poor, but the world can do these things too. We were born of the Super-natural Spirit of the Living God. The Glory of the Last Adam, reversed all the things that came through the first Adam's fall. This is what our Redeemer has done. The Curse came through the spirit and the Blessing has come now, through the Holy Spirit. We've been redeemed into the former and even Greater Glory, than Adam had at the beginning. Jesus is the Last Adam and has made our place even greater than that of the first Adam. This is all part of believing in and on Christ Jesus.
Like those in the Wilderness, we've limited the Holy One, by not believing Him to do what He desires to do through us, in these Last Days. Some will say this is "radical" or "foolish," but to God, it's being obedient and willing to do as He desires, which is to show Himself strong in the eyes of the world. A common thread in the Body of Christ, is sadly, that we don't believe in His Presence in our lives. There are few miracles or manifestations of the Holy Spirit, occurring in most denominations today.
Most believe that God can do these things, but don't believe God will do them. This is what limited God in the wilderness. Those people witnessed the miracles of God, but every time a new problem presented itself, they refused to believe God would do what He said. They would ask, "Can the Lord provide water in the desert?" They asked, "Can God provide bread or meat for us to eat?" God had already provided these things from His Great Love for them, but they continually limited Him in His provision, by their unbelief.
Let's remove the limitations off from Him and believe Him to be God, in the midst of the earth, like He desires. Let's be obedient to the Holy Spirit, allowing Him to live through us, like He desires. I
Let's remember that, "It's not us, "It's the Father in us Who does the Works." Let's take the limits of unbelief off from Him and allow Him to work through us, like He did through Jesus and the early Church. You might say, "Not every one can do these things." I would say, "No one can do these things, but the Father in us can do all things, if we will only believe Him to be God, like He wants to be."
We must stop worrying about how we can do the Super-natural and simply trust in the Super-natural Spirit Who lives in us, to do the work. We need to listen more to the Holy Spirit and listen less to those around us. Jesus said that He "Only does what the Father says to do." Men will always say, "You can't." God says, "All things are possible to those who believe." We call ourselves believers, so let's believe, even when other say it won't work.
You already believed for the Super-natural, when you believed in the new birth. Let's believe in the new creatures Christ made us to be and allow our new nature to triumph in this world and age. Millions still don't know this Amazing Jesus, Who we serve. Jesus can only show Himself Strong, like in His earthly ministry, through those who will believe His Word. We are His hands, His feet, His Body and His Voice in the world. Let's show His Glory to them.
Thursday, May 31, 2018
Wednesday, May 30, 2018
Lesson 58 GRACE AND TRUTH-GOD'S WILL
John 1:16-17 (Amplified) says, "For out of His fullness (abundance), we have all received, all had a share, and were all supplied with, one Grace after another, and Spiritual Blessing upon Spiritual Blessing and even favor upon favor, and Gift heaped upon Gift. For while the Law was given through Moses, Grace (unearned, undeserved favor) and Spiritual Blessing and Truth came through Jesus Christ."
Jesus said in John 6:40 (Amplified), "For this is My Father's will and Purpose, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in and cleaves to and trusts in and relies on Him, should have Eternal Life, and I will raise him up from the dead at the Last Day."
Jesus tells us that, "God's will and purpose is for everyone to believe in and trust in Jesus. There's only one will and purpose in God's Plan for the world and that is "That all should be saved and none should perish." When you accept and believe that Jesus is the Son of God, that Jesus died and rose again and that Jesus is Lord, then you're in the will of God. Romans 12:2 (Amplified) tells us to, "Not be conformed or adapted to this present world (age), but renew our minds and the way we think by God's Word. When we renew our minds with God's Word, we can go from just being in God's Good will, to His acceptable and perfect will.
When you're born-again, you are in the Good will of God already. As we grow into the knowledge and truth of what this actually means in our lives, then we go from Good to acceptable. As we grow from adolescence to adulthood to maturity in Christ, we can fulfill the perfect or mature will of God. It's God's will that we "Have Life, and have it in abundance," according to John 10:10.
"We have all received, out of His fullness and abundance," according to the above scripture. This includes everyone who is born-again. It's not just for some, but we have ALL RECEIVED and were ALL SUPPLIED WITH these Gifts, Graces, favors, Spiritual Blessings and Truth, in Jesus Christ. God has already supplied us with everything we will ever need, both in this life and our life hereafter. It's not that some have been left out, but some don't believe in the supply and Blessing we've received from His abundance and fullness.
Everything has been taken care of for us, from the moment we were born-again into God's family, for eternity. Romans 8:16-17,19 (Amplified) tells us, "The Spirit Himself thus testifies together with our own spirit, assuring us that we are children of God." The Holy Spirit bears witness to our own spirit. He doesn't bear witness to our senses or natural man, but to our spirit. Verse 19 goes on, "And if we are His children, then we are His heirs also; heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, sharing His inheritance with Him." The rest of this Verse says we must also, Share in His sufferings." Many have focused on the last part of this scripture about, "Sharing in Christ's sufferings" and have used it to mean, sickness, torment and many others things, which aren't meant here.
The suffering that came upon Jesus while He was on the cross, are not what we are to suffer. These came upon Him, so that we wouldn't have to suffer them. The suffering Jesus bore, was His being rejected, hated and cursed, by those who wouldn't believe. Jesus described the suffering we would endure in John 15:18-19 (Amplified) saying, "If the world hates you, know that it hated Me before it hated you. If you belonged to the world, the world would treat you with affection and would love you as it's own. But because you are not of the world (no longer one with it), but I have chosen you out of the world, the world hated (detests) you."
We're living in a world that is governed by God's enemy, satan and as a believer in Christ Jesus, you're not welcome in his domain. Matthew 4:8-9 (Amplified) says, "Again, the devil took [Jesus] up on a very high mountain and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and the glory (the splendor, magnificence, pre-eminence) and excellence of them. And he said to Him, These things all taken together, I will give You, if You will prostrate Yourself before me and do homage and worship me."
Satan secured ownership of the world from Adam, when Adam transgressed in the Garden of Eden. If it wasn't his to give away, then satan wouldn't have legally offered it to Jesus. After His resurrection, Jesus spoke to His followers in Matthew 28:18 (Amplified), saying, "All authority, all power of rule in Heaven and on earth has been given to Me. Go then and make disciples of all nations."
Jesus stripped satan of the authority he usurped from Adam and he's lost all hold on the world through Jesus. Satan continues trying to use the authority that was once his, against the Lord and the Lord's anointed Body (the Church). The same hatred satan had for Jesus, is the same hatred he has for us. Satan will use whatever the world system has against you, in order to bring you suffering. Satan can harness the Church and make us more carnal than Spiritual, when we conform to and adapt to the world (age) and it's culture. In order to avoid the world's criticisms, we have adapted ourselves to it.
The world will tolerate religion, but not reality. The devil doesn't care about what we do in the natural, by the senses. He can control the natural man by his/her senses and carnal minds. Satan tries to stop Spiritual things, because he has no defense against the Spiritual Blessings and God's Word. When you step out in the natural man (the carnal mind and sense realm), into what the Holy Spirit bears witness to, then you're no longer welcome by the world and its system (way of doing things).
The only requirement needed to bring you into the Father's Kingdom, is to believe in Jesus as your Lord and Savior. After you've entered into God's family, you've been supplied with the favors, Gifts, Graces, Spiritual Blessings and Truth found in John 1:16-17. Everything needed to "prove for yourself what is God's will, has been given to you. You must believe and trust in and rely on what Jesus has already made yours. Paul tells us in Romans 12:2, "Through the Holy Spirit, we can prove for ourselves what is the perfect, mature will of God."
Paul instructs us to renew our minds or change the way we were trained to think, when we were in the world and were one with it. We're now, in the world, but not of the world and we must renew our way of thinking and doing things, according to the Truth of God's Word. The world's attitude is, "I don't believe that or that or that..." Our minds were trained by the world, to say, "I don't believe."
If a person had believed, then he would have been born-again, but the world's ingraining culture and the natural mind, taught that person, "Don't believe that." We must break down the stronghold that was in our minds before we met Jesus, and instead of "not believing," we must trust in, rely on, adhere to and be changed in the way we think. We must believe. We've chosen to believe some things from the Word, but we continue to think like the world does, in many other areas of our lives. Paul said that we can "prove for ourselves, what is God's will in and for our lives." First though, we must learn how to renew our minds, thinking by the spirit now, instead of the senses. Romans 8:12 (Amplified) says, "So then brethren, we are debtors, but not to the flesh, we are not obligated to our carnal nature to live a life ruled by the standards set up by the dictates of the flesh."
Jesus said in John 6:40 (Amplified), "For this is My Father's will and Purpose, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in and cleaves to and trusts in and relies on Him, should have Eternal Life, and I will raise him up from the dead at the Last Day."
Jesus tells us that, "God's will and purpose is for everyone to believe in and trust in Jesus. There's only one will and purpose in God's Plan for the world and that is "That all should be saved and none should perish." When you accept and believe that Jesus is the Son of God, that Jesus died and rose again and that Jesus is Lord, then you're in the will of God. Romans 12:2 (Amplified) tells us to, "Not be conformed or adapted to this present world (age), but renew our minds and the way we think by God's Word. When we renew our minds with God's Word, we can go from just being in God's Good will, to His acceptable and perfect will.
When you're born-again, you are in the Good will of God already. As we grow into the knowledge and truth of what this actually means in our lives, then we go from Good to acceptable. As we grow from adolescence to adulthood to maturity in Christ, we can fulfill the perfect or mature will of God. It's God's will that we "Have Life, and have it in abundance," according to John 10:10.
"We have all received, out of His fullness and abundance," according to the above scripture. This includes everyone who is born-again. It's not just for some, but we have ALL RECEIVED and were ALL SUPPLIED WITH these Gifts, Graces, favors, Spiritual Blessings and Truth, in Jesus Christ. God has already supplied us with everything we will ever need, both in this life and our life hereafter. It's not that some have been left out, but some don't believe in the supply and Blessing we've received from His abundance and fullness.
Everything has been taken care of for us, from the moment we were born-again into God's family, for eternity. Romans 8:16-17,19 (Amplified) tells us, "The Spirit Himself thus testifies together with our own spirit, assuring us that we are children of God." The Holy Spirit bears witness to our own spirit. He doesn't bear witness to our senses or natural man, but to our spirit. Verse 19 goes on, "And if we are His children, then we are His heirs also; heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, sharing His inheritance with Him." The rest of this Verse says we must also, Share in His sufferings." Many have focused on the last part of this scripture about, "Sharing in Christ's sufferings" and have used it to mean, sickness, torment and many others things, which aren't meant here.
The suffering that came upon Jesus while He was on the cross, are not what we are to suffer. These came upon Him, so that we wouldn't have to suffer them. The suffering Jesus bore, was His being rejected, hated and cursed, by those who wouldn't believe. Jesus described the suffering we would endure in John 15:18-19 (Amplified) saying, "If the world hates you, know that it hated Me before it hated you. If you belonged to the world, the world would treat you with affection and would love you as it's own. But because you are not of the world (no longer one with it), but I have chosen you out of the world, the world hated (detests) you."
We're living in a world that is governed by God's enemy, satan and as a believer in Christ Jesus, you're not welcome in his domain. Matthew 4:8-9 (Amplified) says, "Again, the devil took [Jesus] up on a very high mountain and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and the glory (the splendor, magnificence, pre-eminence) and excellence of them. And he said to Him, These things all taken together, I will give You, if You will prostrate Yourself before me and do homage and worship me."
Satan secured ownership of the world from Adam, when Adam transgressed in the Garden of Eden. If it wasn't his to give away, then satan wouldn't have legally offered it to Jesus. After His resurrection, Jesus spoke to His followers in Matthew 28:18 (Amplified), saying, "All authority, all power of rule in Heaven and on earth has been given to Me. Go then and make disciples of all nations."
Jesus stripped satan of the authority he usurped from Adam and he's lost all hold on the world through Jesus. Satan continues trying to use the authority that was once his, against the Lord and the Lord's anointed Body (the Church). The same hatred satan had for Jesus, is the same hatred he has for us. Satan will use whatever the world system has against you, in order to bring you suffering. Satan can harness the Church and make us more carnal than Spiritual, when we conform to and adapt to the world (age) and it's culture. In order to avoid the world's criticisms, we have adapted ourselves to it.
The world will tolerate religion, but not reality. The devil doesn't care about what we do in the natural, by the senses. He can control the natural man by his/her senses and carnal minds. Satan tries to stop Spiritual things, because he has no defense against the Spiritual Blessings and God's Word. When you step out in the natural man (the carnal mind and sense realm), into what the Holy Spirit bears witness to, then you're no longer welcome by the world and its system (way of doing things).
The only requirement needed to bring you into the Father's Kingdom, is to believe in Jesus as your Lord and Savior. After you've entered into God's family, you've been supplied with the favors, Gifts, Graces, Spiritual Blessings and Truth found in John 1:16-17. Everything needed to "prove for yourself what is God's will, has been given to you. You must believe and trust in and rely on what Jesus has already made yours. Paul tells us in Romans 12:2, "Through the Holy Spirit, we can prove for ourselves what is the perfect, mature will of God."
Paul instructs us to renew our minds or change the way we were trained to think, when we were in the world and were one with it. We're now, in the world, but not of the world and we must renew our way of thinking and doing things, according to the Truth of God's Word. The world's attitude is, "I don't believe that or that or that..." Our minds were trained by the world, to say, "I don't believe."
If a person had believed, then he would have been born-again, but the world's ingraining culture and the natural mind, taught that person, "Don't believe that." We must break down the stronghold that was in our minds before we met Jesus, and instead of "not believing," we must trust in, rely on, adhere to and be changed in the way we think. We must believe. We've chosen to believe some things from the Word, but we continue to think like the world does, in many other areas of our lives. Paul said that we can "prove for ourselves, what is God's will in and for our lives." First though, we must learn how to renew our minds, thinking by the spirit now, instead of the senses. Romans 8:12 (Amplified) says, "So then brethren, we are debtors, but not to the flesh, we are not obligated to our carnal nature to live a life ruled by the standards set up by the dictates of the flesh."
Tuesday, May 29, 2018
Lesson 57 GRACE AND TRUTH-GOD'S WILL
John 1:16-17 (Amplified) says, "For out of His fullness (abundance), we have all received, all had a share and were all supplied with one Grace after another and Spiritual Blessing upon Spiritual Blessing and even favor upon favor and Gift heaped upon Gift. For while the Law was given through Moses, Grace (unearned, undeserved favor) and Spiritual Blessing and Truth came through Jesus Christ."
God gave the Spiritual Blessings that we received, for those who are born-again children, through Jesus Christ. The first and foremost Spiritual Blessing is the new birth, when we were made alive in the Spirit, with Christ Jesus. Those under the old covenant, were still Spiritually dead, because Adam's transgression mankind was separated from God in their spirit. They were only able to deal and be dealt with, through their flesh.
Jesus told His followers in John 10:10 (Amplified), "I came that we might have and enjoy Life, to the full, till it overflows." Of course, the people Jesus spoke to were alive in their natural bodies. The Spiritual Blessings that we have received through Jesus, bring us into a completely different realm of Life and being.
Under the old covenant, none were righteous and all were dead in sin and trespass. Righteousness isn't a matter of the flesh, but it's one of the Spiritual Blessings we have received in Jesus. Many of the Gifts, listed in John 1:16-17, are Gifts of the Spirit, which we correlate with the Spiritual Gifts in 1Corinthians 12. But, these are Spiritual Gifts that came through Jesus and we have all received in the new birth.
The Gift of righteousness, the Gift of justification, the Gift of consecration, the Gift of sanctification, the Gift of the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, are all Spiritual Blessings that came through the new birth. We don't recognize these Spiritual Blessings that Grace has given us and we don't thank God enough for them, like we should.
John 1:16 (Amplified) said that, "We have all received, all had a share, and were all supplied with these Gifts, Blessings, Graces, favors and Truth." When the Father chose us in Jesus, He supplied us with every Spiritual Blessing, from the fullness (abundance) He supplied Jesus with during His earthly ministry. God has supplied every one of His children with everything we would ever need in this life or the life to come. We have all been supplied with everything that Jesus had to give us, as His Body.
We've failed to understand and acknowledge that the Father never left us on our own. God has already supplied us with everything we'll ever need. These Spiritual Blessings are already birthed in your new creation being, when we were born-again and became children of the Most High God. The Spiritual Blessings come out of your newborn spirit and bring forth the manifestation, in this natural realm by faith. We must believe and have faith in what the Father has done, in Jesus.
Some ask, "I haven't seen any of these things, so how can I know them?" You know them, because God's Word tells us that they are Spiritual Blessings for the new Spiritual people. If these were only natural Blessings, then we wouldn't have needed Jesus to restore them and they could have come to the old covenant saints. These couldn't come into the old covenant as Spiritual Blessings, because the old covenant people were dead in their spirits. We sometimes don't allow the Holy Spirit to live in us and through us, like He wishes too. He wants to reveal to us, everything (ALL) that Jesus gave us from His fullness (abundance).
Jesus told His followers in Mark 11:22-24 (Amplified), "Have faith in God constantly. 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 take place, it will be done for him. For this reason I am telling you, Whatever you ask for in prayer, believe, trust in and be confident that it is granted to you and you will get it."
Do you know how many times Jesus taught about "believing and receiving?" In today's Church, we find so many different things being taught about the new creation man. Some teach that, "These things are not for today" or that, "These things are not for everyone." When we accept the world's ideas about Jesus, we say, "I don't believe this is Truth." We are actually "reaping what we sow" and receiving what we say, which is "I don't believe."
Mark 16 tells us, "These signs will follow those who believe," but we say "I don't believe these signs are for us today." How can the Holy Spirit move on that confession? How can the Spiritual Blessings be made manifest in total unbelief? It's not some great mystery about why we're not seeing the works of God, being done today. They're not being done, because the Church no longer believes!
The Church has said, "I don't believe," for centuries, but God that, "Anything is possible for him who believes." Could it be that in ignorance, the Church has chosen not to believe and that's why we lack Spiritual Blessings the Word Promises to us? I know what has been taught and I know what has been accepted by God's people. I also know that the things God says are Truth and what we're saying is not Truth. If God is really God and His Word is Truth, then we're the ones who are not lining up with Him and not the other way around.
Many will believe that "these are the words of a fanatic," but it's working for me, because I choose to believe Him. God said, "Only believe." We don't have to earn it or be good enough to qualify. We don't need to sacrifice bulls and goats. We're only required TO BELIEVE. We must lift our standards up and believe in Him, instead of what men believe. God says, "He will watch over His Word to perform it." "With God all things are possible," but with man, these things are only possible when we believe God to make them possible. We all know that God can do it, but we don't believe He will. This is in direct opposition to what God says to do.
What if others choose to not believe in healing" Can their unbelief stop God from healing you, if you believe?" Romans 3:3-4 (Amplified) says, "What if some did not believe and were without faith? Does their lack of faith and their faithlessness nullify (and make void and make ineffective) 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."
I choose not to let men dictate to me, what God can or cannot do. I allow the Holy Spirit, Who is the Teacher of the Church, to dictate these things to me. He hasn't told me that, "These things have passed away" or that, "God could only do these things in past times." I believe what He said in Hebrews 11:1 (Amplified), where He says, "Now faith is the assurance (the confirmation, the title deed) of the things we hope for, being the proof of things we do not see and the conviction of their reality; faith perceiving as real fact what is not revealed to the senses (the carnal mind of man)."
God gave the Spiritual Blessings that we received, for those who are born-again children, through Jesus Christ. The first and foremost Spiritual Blessing is the new birth, when we were made alive in the Spirit, with Christ Jesus. Those under the old covenant, were still Spiritually dead, because Adam's transgression mankind was separated from God in their spirit. They were only able to deal and be dealt with, through their flesh.
Jesus told His followers in John 10:10 (Amplified), "I came that we might have and enjoy Life, to the full, till it overflows." Of course, the people Jesus spoke to were alive in their natural bodies. The Spiritual Blessings that we have received through Jesus, bring us into a completely different realm of Life and being.
Under the old covenant, none were righteous and all were dead in sin and trespass. Righteousness isn't a matter of the flesh, but it's one of the Spiritual Blessings we have received in Jesus. Many of the Gifts, listed in John 1:16-17, are Gifts of the Spirit, which we correlate with the Spiritual Gifts in 1Corinthians 12. But, these are Spiritual Gifts that came through Jesus and we have all received in the new birth.
The Gift of righteousness, the Gift of justification, the Gift of consecration, the Gift of sanctification, the Gift of the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, are all Spiritual Blessings that came through the new birth. We don't recognize these Spiritual Blessings that Grace has given us and we don't thank God enough for them, like we should.
John 1:16 (Amplified) said that, "We have all received, all had a share, and were all supplied with these Gifts, Blessings, Graces, favors and Truth." When the Father chose us in Jesus, He supplied us with every Spiritual Blessing, from the fullness (abundance) He supplied Jesus with during His earthly ministry. God has supplied every one of His children with everything we would ever need in this life or the life to come. We have all been supplied with everything that Jesus had to give us, as His Body.
We've failed to understand and acknowledge that the Father never left us on our own. God has already supplied us with everything we'll ever need. These Spiritual Blessings are already birthed in your new creation being, when we were born-again and became children of the Most High God. The Spiritual Blessings come out of your newborn spirit and bring forth the manifestation, in this natural realm by faith. We must believe and have faith in what the Father has done, in Jesus.
Some ask, "I haven't seen any of these things, so how can I know them?" You know them, because God's Word tells us that they are Spiritual Blessings for the new Spiritual people. If these were only natural Blessings, then we wouldn't have needed Jesus to restore them and they could have come to the old covenant saints. These couldn't come into the old covenant as Spiritual Blessings, because the old covenant people were dead in their spirits. We sometimes don't allow the Holy Spirit to live in us and through us, like He wishes too. He wants to reveal to us, everything (ALL) that Jesus gave us from His fullness (abundance).
Jesus told His followers in Mark 11:22-24 (Amplified), "Have faith in God constantly. 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 take place, it will be done for him. For this reason I am telling you, Whatever you ask for in prayer, believe, trust in and be confident that it is granted to you and you will get it."
Do you know how many times Jesus taught about "believing and receiving?" In today's Church, we find so many different things being taught about the new creation man. Some teach that, "These things are not for today" or that, "These things are not for everyone." When we accept the world's ideas about Jesus, we say, "I don't believe this is Truth." We are actually "reaping what we sow" and receiving what we say, which is "I don't believe."
Mark 16 tells us, "These signs will follow those who believe," but we say "I don't believe these signs are for us today." How can the Holy Spirit move on that confession? How can the Spiritual Blessings be made manifest in total unbelief? It's not some great mystery about why we're not seeing the works of God, being done today. They're not being done, because the Church no longer believes!
The Church has said, "I don't believe," for centuries, but God that, "Anything is possible for him who believes." Could it be that in ignorance, the Church has chosen not to believe and that's why we lack Spiritual Blessings the Word Promises to us? I know what has been taught and I know what has been accepted by God's people. I also know that the things God says are Truth and what we're saying is not Truth. If God is really God and His Word is Truth, then we're the ones who are not lining up with Him and not the other way around.
Many will believe that "these are the words of a fanatic," but it's working for me, because I choose to believe Him. God said, "Only believe." We don't have to earn it or be good enough to qualify. We don't need to sacrifice bulls and goats. We're only required TO BELIEVE. We must lift our standards up and believe in Him, instead of what men believe. God says, "He will watch over His Word to perform it." "With God all things are possible," but with man, these things are only possible when we believe God to make them possible. We all know that God can do it, but we don't believe He will. This is in direct opposition to what God says to do.
What if others choose to not believe in healing" Can their unbelief stop God from healing you, if you believe?" Romans 3:3-4 (Amplified) says, "What if some did not believe and were without faith? Does their lack of faith and their faithlessness nullify (and make void and make ineffective) 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."
I choose not to let men dictate to me, what God can or cannot do. I allow the Holy Spirit, Who is the Teacher of the Church, to dictate these things to me. He hasn't told me that, "These things have passed away" or that, "God could only do these things in past times." I believe what He said in Hebrews 11:1 (Amplified), where He says, "Now faith is the assurance (the confirmation, the title deed) of the things we hope for, being the proof of things we do not see and the conviction of their reality; faith perceiving as real fact what is not revealed to the senses (the carnal mind of man)."
Saturday, May 26, 2018
Friday, May 25, 2018
Lesson 56 GRACE AND TRUTH-GOD'S WILL
John 1:16-17 (Amplified) says, "For out of His fullness (abundance), we have all received, all had a share, and were all supplied with one Grace after another and Spiritual Blessing upon Spiritual Blessing and even favor upon favor and Gift heaped upon Gift. For while the Law was given through Moses, Grace (unearned, undeserved favor) and Spiritual Blessing and Truth came through Jesus Christ."
Romans 8:16-17 (Amplified) says, "The Spirit Himself thus testifies together with our own spirit, assuring us that we are children of God. And if we are His children, then we are His heirs also; heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, sharing His inheritance with Him; only we must share His suffering if we are to share His Glory."
In order to understand Christ's suffering, we must find out what He suffered. Jesus' suffering on the cross, is not what "we share." Jesus suffered time on the cross and in the grave, so that we didn't have to suffer that. This is what His redemption provided for us, when "He was made sin for us," according to 2Corinthians 5:21. Jesus freed us from the penalty of sin and cleansed us from it. This is a Liberty that Jesus gave to us and not a form of suffering.
Jesus bore the Curse of the Law, so we didn't have to bear it and so the Blessing of Abraham might come on us. Galatians 3:13-14 (Amplified) tells us, "Christ purchased our freedom (redeeming us from the Curse, doom of the Law and its condemnation by Himself becoming a Curse for us), for it is written in the scriptures, Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree (is crucified). To the end that through their receiving Christ Jesus, the Blessing Promised to Abraham might come upon the Gentiles, so that we through faith might all receive the realization of the Promise of the Holy Spirit."
We received the Promise of the Holy Spirit, when we were born-again. Jesus told His followers in John 2:5-6 (Amplified), "I assure you, most solemnly I tell you, unless a man is born of water and even the Spirit, he cannot ever enter into the Kingdom of God. What is born of (from) the flesh is flesh (of the physical is physical); and what is born of the Spirit is Spirit."
In order to receive the Holy Spirit, a man "must first be born again." Even if a person hasn't received the Baptism of the Holy Spirit, he is still "born of the Spirit." Let's reread Galatians 3:14 (Amplified) which says, "To the end that through their receiving Christ Jesus, the Blessing Promised to Abraham might come upon the Gentiles, so that we through faith might all receive the realization of the Promise of the Holy Spirit."
Many haven't realized the Promise of this Blessing, by their receiving the Holy Spirit. When we were born-again, by faith, we were placed into the Promise that God had laid up for His family, through Abraham's faith. Our receiving Jesus as our Lord and Savior, was as much an act of faith, as it was for Abraham, the father of our faith. By faith, we are to accept the Promise of this Blessing, just like Abraham did. Romans 4:18-22 (Amplified) says, "For Abraham (human reason for), hope being gone, hoped in faith that he should become the father of many nations, as he had been Promised, So (numberless) shall your descendants be. He did not weaken in faith when he considered the utter impotence of his own body, which was as good as dead because he was about a hundred years old, or (when he considered) the barrenness of Sarah's (deadened) womb. No unbelief or distrust made him waver (doubtingly question) concerning the Promise of God, but he grew strong and was empowered by faith as he gave praise and glory to God. Fully satisfied and assured that God was able and mighty to keep His Word and to do what He had Promised. That is why his faith was credited to him as righteousness (right standing with God)."
The suffering Jesus endured, wasn't sickness and disease, or being stricken by God, like some believe today. Jesus' suffering was His great Love for those who were "in suffering" and His being rejected by those He came to redeem. In John 16:33 (Amplified), Jesus told His followers, "I have told you these things so that in Me you may have perfect peace and confidence. In the world you have tribulation and trials and distress and frustration; but be of good cheer, take courage, be confident, certain, undaunted! For I have overcome the world, I have deprived it of its power to harm you and conquered it for you." Jesus also told them in John 15:18-19 (Amplified), "If the world hates you, know that it hated Me before it hated you. If you belonged to the world, the world would treat you with affection and love you as its own. But because you are not of the world (no longer one with it), but I have chosen (selected you out of the world), the world hates (detests) you."
This is the suffering that we must be able to bear for His Name's sake and not the things we're redeemed from. You are not of this world and the world hates you, like they hated Jesus. We've been trying to make ourselves acceptable and accepted, by the world, but this is keeping us out of the Promise of being joint heirs with our inheritance in Christ Jesus.
We've done what Paul admonished against in Romans 12:2 (Amplified) where he said, "Do not be conformed to this world (this age), fashioned after and adapted to its external (superficial) customs." We've tried making friends with the world, hoping it would accept us and we could be better able to witness to them. By doing this though, we've lost much of our Spiritual Blessings of Spiritual Gifts.
The world will never accept the display of Spiritual healings and the Spiritual use of the Name of Jesus. When we try bringing Jesus down to where the world can accept Him, we've all but done away with the Power of the Holy Spirit. This is made evident when the Church shies away from and denies the Gifts of the Spirit and/or the ability to speak in other tongues.
Many splits have come into the Church, because of the Spiritual acceptance of what we've received in our inheritance, from Jesus. Many of our church laws have nearly excluded the Holy Spirit, in our midst. Some fellowships have even forbidden the raising of our hands in worship. It was the rejection of His Own and not the misunderstanding of the world, that Jesus suffered.
One of the greatest sufferings that a true believer will suffer for Jesus' Names Sake, is being dismissed as a "fanatic," by those Jesus sent us to minister to. John 1:10-11 (Amplified) says, "[Jesus] came into the world, and though the world was made through Him, the world did not recognize Him (did not know Him). He came to that which belonged to Him (to His Own, His domain, creation, things, world) and they which were His Own did not welcome or receive Him."
We will be persecuted (even by our own family of God), sometimes, when we walk in the Spirit and the Super-natural realm of our new creation being. We are presented with two choices then. Do we succumb to the pressure and quit or do we continue on in our pursuit of Truth, knowing by Whom we have been sent? Only those who allow the Holy Spirit to reveal Truth to them, will walk in that Truth. Others will ridicule and dismiss you as being a "fanatic," just like in Jesus' ministry.
The Holy Spirit is our inheritance and He is the One Who brings the Promise of Abraham and the Blessing that comes with the Promise, to pass in our lives. The only way of obtain the Promises and Blessings in our life, is by having faith in the Promise, just like Abraham did. I'm guessing that people around Abraham, believed he was "crazy" for believing he could have a son. We know that Noah was ridiculed and labeled a "fool," for believing God's Word and building the ark. Just because someone rejects the Truth of His Promise, doesn't mean the Promise is void of fulfillment, for those who believe.
God says that, "We have all received and all had a share in, and were all supplied with the Spiritual Blessings, Truth, Gifts and favor."
Romans 8:16-17 (Amplified) says, "The Spirit Himself thus testifies together with our own spirit, assuring us that we are children of God. And if we are His children, then we are His heirs also; heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, sharing His inheritance with Him; only we must share His suffering if we are to share His Glory."
In order to understand Christ's suffering, we must find out what He suffered. Jesus' suffering on the cross, is not what "we share." Jesus suffered time on the cross and in the grave, so that we didn't have to suffer that. This is what His redemption provided for us, when "He was made sin for us," according to 2Corinthians 5:21. Jesus freed us from the penalty of sin and cleansed us from it. This is a Liberty that Jesus gave to us and not a form of suffering.
Jesus bore the Curse of the Law, so we didn't have to bear it and so the Blessing of Abraham might come on us. Galatians 3:13-14 (Amplified) tells us, "Christ purchased our freedom (redeeming us from the Curse, doom of the Law and its condemnation by Himself becoming a Curse for us), for it is written in the scriptures, Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree (is crucified). To the end that through their receiving Christ Jesus, the Blessing Promised to Abraham might come upon the Gentiles, so that we through faith might all receive the realization of the Promise of the Holy Spirit."
We received the Promise of the Holy Spirit, when we were born-again. Jesus told His followers in John 2:5-6 (Amplified), "I assure you, most solemnly I tell you, unless a man is born of water and even the Spirit, he cannot ever enter into the Kingdom of God. What is born of (from) the flesh is flesh (of the physical is physical); and what is born of the Spirit is Spirit."
In order to receive the Holy Spirit, a man "must first be born again." Even if a person hasn't received the Baptism of the Holy Spirit, he is still "born of the Spirit." Let's reread Galatians 3:14 (Amplified) which says, "To the end that through their receiving Christ Jesus, the Blessing Promised to Abraham might come upon the Gentiles, so that we through faith might all receive the realization of the Promise of the Holy Spirit."
Many haven't realized the Promise of this Blessing, by their receiving the Holy Spirit. When we were born-again, by faith, we were placed into the Promise that God had laid up for His family, through Abraham's faith. Our receiving Jesus as our Lord and Savior, was as much an act of faith, as it was for Abraham, the father of our faith. By faith, we are to accept the Promise of this Blessing, just like Abraham did. Romans 4:18-22 (Amplified) says, "For Abraham (human reason for), hope being gone, hoped in faith that he should become the father of many nations, as he had been Promised, So (numberless) shall your descendants be. He did not weaken in faith when he considered the utter impotence of his own body, which was as good as dead because he was about a hundred years old, or (when he considered) the barrenness of Sarah's (deadened) womb. No unbelief or distrust made him waver (doubtingly question) concerning the Promise of God, but he grew strong and was empowered by faith as he gave praise and glory to God. Fully satisfied and assured that God was able and mighty to keep His Word and to do what He had Promised. That is why his faith was credited to him as righteousness (right standing with God)."
The suffering Jesus endured, wasn't sickness and disease, or being stricken by God, like some believe today. Jesus' suffering was His great Love for those who were "in suffering" and His being rejected by those He came to redeem. In John 16:33 (Amplified), Jesus told His followers, "I have told you these things so that in Me you may have perfect peace and confidence. In the world you have tribulation and trials and distress and frustration; but be of good cheer, take courage, be confident, certain, undaunted! For I have overcome the world, I have deprived it of its power to harm you and conquered it for you." Jesus also told them in John 15:18-19 (Amplified), "If the world hates you, know that it hated Me before it hated you. If you belonged to the world, the world would treat you with affection and love you as its own. But because you are not of the world (no longer one with it), but I have chosen (selected you out of the world), the world hates (detests) you."
This is the suffering that we must be able to bear for His Name's sake and not the things we're redeemed from. You are not of this world and the world hates you, like they hated Jesus. We've been trying to make ourselves acceptable and accepted, by the world, but this is keeping us out of the Promise of being joint heirs with our inheritance in Christ Jesus.
We've done what Paul admonished against in Romans 12:2 (Amplified) where he said, "Do not be conformed to this world (this age), fashioned after and adapted to its external (superficial) customs." We've tried making friends with the world, hoping it would accept us and we could be better able to witness to them. By doing this though, we've lost much of our Spiritual Blessings of Spiritual Gifts.
The world will never accept the display of Spiritual healings and the Spiritual use of the Name of Jesus. When we try bringing Jesus down to where the world can accept Him, we've all but done away with the Power of the Holy Spirit. This is made evident when the Church shies away from and denies the Gifts of the Spirit and/or the ability to speak in other tongues.
Many splits have come into the Church, because of the Spiritual acceptance of what we've received in our inheritance, from Jesus. Many of our church laws have nearly excluded the Holy Spirit, in our midst. Some fellowships have even forbidden the raising of our hands in worship. It was the rejection of His Own and not the misunderstanding of the world, that Jesus suffered.
One of the greatest sufferings that a true believer will suffer for Jesus' Names Sake, is being dismissed as a "fanatic," by those Jesus sent us to minister to. John 1:10-11 (Amplified) says, "[Jesus] came into the world, and though the world was made through Him, the world did not recognize Him (did not know Him). He came to that which belonged to Him (to His Own, His domain, creation, things, world) and they which were His Own did not welcome or receive Him."
We will be persecuted (even by our own family of God), sometimes, when we walk in the Spirit and the Super-natural realm of our new creation being. We are presented with two choices then. Do we succumb to the pressure and quit or do we continue on in our pursuit of Truth, knowing by Whom we have been sent? Only those who allow the Holy Spirit to reveal Truth to them, will walk in that Truth. Others will ridicule and dismiss you as being a "fanatic," just like in Jesus' ministry.
The Holy Spirit is our inheritance and He is the One Who brings the Promise of Abraham and the Blessing that comes with the Promise, to pass in our lives. The only way of obtain the Promises and Blessings in our life, is by having faith in the Promise, just like Abraham did. I'm guessing that people around Abraham, believed he was "crazy" for believing he could have a son. We know that Noah was ridiculed and labeled a "fool," for believing God's Word and building the ark. Just because someone rejects the Truth of His Promise, doesn't mean the Promise is void of fulfillment, for those who believe.
God says that, "We have all received and all had a share in, and were all supplied with the Spiritual Blessings, Truth, Gifts and favor."
Thursday, May 24, 2018
Lesson 55 GRACE AND TRUTH-GOD'S WILL
John 1:16-17 (Amplified) says, "For out of His fullness (abundance), we have ALL RECEIVED, all had a share and were all supplied with one Grace after another and Spiritual Blessing upon Spiritual Blessing and even favor upon favor and Gift heaped upon Gift. For while the Law was given through Moses, Grace (unearned, undeserved favor) and Spiritual Blessing and Truth came through Jesus Christ."
I have asked myself, "Do I truly believe in what Jesus has done for me?" When I read the above scripture, I see many Promises of God that I must check my faith and trust in. The Spiritual Blessings that came to us through Jesus, includes our very salvation. Salvation is a Spiritual Blessing in itself, because mankind couldn't pay for his own sin and death, salvation came through and by the Holy Spirit.
Our righteousness is also a Spiritual Blessing, because "none are righteous, no not one." Man could never make himself righteous or able to stand rightly before God, by his own deeds and will. Our justification is a Spiritual Blessing. Through Adam's spiritual disobedience, mankind was made unjust in God's eyes. Jesus paid for our justification, when He paid the Price to restore us back to being justified by God's Own Laws. Even our reconciliation is a Spiritual Blessing, because no man could be reconciled to God, by his own merits.
Jesus' obedience to the Father, brought about so many things for us, but today's modern Christianity doesn't acknowledge them. Do you believe that Jesus made you righteous, by the Price He paid for you? This Spiritual Blessing was a Gift of Grace from the Father and must be received by faith, in the Finished Word of Jesus. When we don't accept this Gift of Righteousness, we're not fully believing in our salvation and what it really is to the Father.
Denying the Holy Spirit's Gifts and His continued work of Jesus, is the sin of unbelief in what Jesus has done. Many denominations contain the Gifts of the Spirit, as part of their charter, but many others don't. The Truth of God's Word says it's unbelief and denial of what God has done for us in Jesus. We've placed our trust in going to Heaven when we die, but we don't trust Jesus for all the things He has Blessed us with, for our time here on earth
How much of John 1:16-17 do we truly trust God for, in our walk with Him? This form of unbelief has so entrenched itself in the Church, causing us to mistake it for Truth. We don't trust in protection like Psalm 91 says, but we live in fear of the world and the enemy. We don't believe in the Blessing of Abraham to deliver us, because we've been taught about how the Curse of the Law is still applicable to God's people. There are many teachings in today's Church, that are responses to our not trusting the Father. We put our faith in something else, instead of trusting Him to do what He says He will do.
Jesus gave the "Parable of the Sower," where He taught about sowing and reaping. If you sow to unbelief instead of the Spirit and believe in the Law rather than Blessing, then you will reap the effects of the Law, even after you're saved. We will continue reaping from the seeds (words) of unbelief, that we've been speaking. Galatians 6:7-8 (Amplified) says, "Do not be deceived, as a man sows, also will he reap."
If a Christian sows corn and an unbeliever does the same, then both will reap (grow) corn. It's not the person sowing, but it's the seeds that are sown, that determine the harvest. We've somehow believed that we can "sow anything and God would determine the harvest." This isn't Truth. God's will is done by His sense of Justice and not by some whim. His will is forever settled in Heaven.
Believing you can sow anything and God will determine the harvest, is unbelief and sin. We can't sow (plant) poison ivy and pray for corn, because we will reap what we sowed. Some have disregarded Truth, for what they think is truth and don't do what the Word of God's instructions. The Church is subject to what we believe in, just like the world is subject to what they believe in. We became born-again by sowing seeds of trust in the scripture. Those who are unsaved in the world, remain unsaved, because they haven't sowed the seeds of belief in salvation. Both reap the harvest of what they sowed, one results in salvation and the others remain unsaved.
This same principal works in every area of our lives, both for the saved and unsaved. How far will you trust in God's Word for your life? The Spiritual Blessing that came through Jesus' Sacrifice, aren't just for the natural things of man and they came to us when we were born-again. John 1:16-17 (Amplified) again reads, "For out of His fullness (abundance), we have all received and were all supplied with" these things. No one has been left out. We have all received and all been supplied with Grace, Spiritual Blessings, favor, Gifts and Truth, by the Same Jesus. Some have trusted in Him, for things that others haven't and have reaped harvests that other haven't, because they sowed the seeds of trust in what Jesus has done for them and in the Promises of God. Hebrews 11:1 (Amplified) says, "Now faith is the assurance (the confirmation, the title deed), of things we hope for, being the proof of things we do not see and the conviction of their reality, faith perceiving as real fact what is not revealed to the senses."
When we sow a kernel of corn into the ground, it doesn't instantly become the harvest you hoped for, but it is the evidence of your crop. There is no stalk, no ear, no corn, but only a Promise of that which you sowed. We would never sow a kernel of corn, expecting a harvest of green beans. Even in our natural mind and faith, we know this won't work. Why would we believe that we can sow anything in the Spirit realm, and God will change the seed?
Jesus related this Truth in Mark 4, when He gave "The Parable of the Sower." Jesus related words to seeds and the heart (spirit) of man to the soil. Much of the crop coming from the Seed of God's Word, comes from the care of the soil (spirit) of those who believed and received it. If we plant the Seed of God's Word into our spirit and heed what we hear and say, then we will reap the Harvest of God's Promises. Unbelief will cause the seed from producing the desired harvest. God won't simply change the seed, in order to suit our unbelief. Remember what the scripture tells us, "Be not deceived, God is not mocked, as a man sows, that and only that, is what he will reap." If we sow to the lower nature of the flesh, then we will reap the corruption and rain of the flesh. If we sow to the Spirit, then we will reap Eternal Life of the Spirit.
The Eternal Life we have sown, doesn't begin when we get to Heaven. It begins when we received Jesus as our Lord and Savior. We have Eternal Life now! As we continue sowing to the Spirit, we will continue reaping the Spiritual Blessings that "WE HAVE ALL BEEN SUPPLIED WITH." It's a matter of sowing and reaping, just like God said. Many have received healing, by trusting in the Promise (Seed) of healing from God's Word. God doesn't favor "certain" people. These people have sown seeds and trusted in the seed to bring harvest, while others didn't trust the seed.
This form of unbelief is sadly rampant in today's Church, which leads to our receiving only a small part of the Harvest God has laid out for us. We must allow the Holy Spirit to reveal the things that are needed in our lives and then begin sowing these things. We must trust in God's Provision for us. He can and will, take care of us, just like He Promised. We must learn to trust Him in areas of our lives, where we haven't trusted before.
I have asked myself, "Do I truly believe in what Jesus has done for me?" When I read the above scripture, I see many Promises of God that I must check my faith and trust in. The Spiritual Blessings that came to us through Jesus, includes our very salvation. Salvation is a Spiritual Blessing in itself, because mankind couldn't pay for his own sin and death, salvation came through and by the Holy Spirit.
Our righteousness is also a Spiritual Blessing, because "none are righteous, no not one." Man could never make himself righteous or able to stand rightly before God, by his own deeds and will. Our justification is a Spiritual Blessing. Through Adam's spiritual disobedience, mankind was made unjust in God's eyes. Jesus paid for our justification, when He paid the Price to restore us back to being justified by God's Own Laws. Even our reconciliation is a Spiritual Blessing, because no man could be reconciled to God, by his own merits.
Jesus' obedience to the Father, brought about so many things for us, but today's modern Christianity doesn't acknowledge them. Do you believe that Jesus made you righteous, by the Price He paid for you? This Spiritual Blessing was a Gift of Grace from the Father and must be received by faith, in the Finished Word of Jesus. When we don't accept this Gift of Righteousness, we're not fully believing in our salvation and what it really is to the Father.
Denying the Holy Spirit's Gifts and His continued work of Jesus, is the sin of unbelief in what Jesus has done. Many denominations contain the Gifts of the Spirit, as part of their charter, but many others don't. The Truth of God's Word says it's unbelief and denial of what God has done for us in Jesus. We've placed our trust in going to Heaven when we die, but we don't trust Jesus for all the things He has Blessed us with, for our time here on earth
How much of John 1:16-17 do we truly trust God for, in our walk with Him? This form of unbelief has so entrenched itself in the Church, causing us to mistake it for Truth. We don't trust in protection like Psalm 91 says, but we live in fear of the world and the enemy. We don't believe in the Blessing of Abraham to deliver us, because we've been taught about how the Curse of the Law is still applicable to God's people. There are many teachings in today's Church, that are responses to our not trusting the Father. We put our faith in something else, instead of trusting Him to do what He says He will do.
Jesus gave the "Parable of the Sower," where He taught about sowing and reaping. If you sow to unbelief instead of the Spirit and believe in the Law rather than Blessing, then you will reap the effects of the Law, even after you're saved. We will continue reaping from the seeds (words) of unbelief, that we've been speaking. Galatians 6:7-8 (Amplified) says, "Do not be deceived, as a man sows, also will he reap."
If a Christian sows corn and an unbeliever does the same, then both will reap (grow) corn. It's not the person sowing, but it's the seeds that are sown, that determine the harvest. We've somehow believed that we can "sow anything and God would determine the harvest." This isn't Truth. God's will is done by His sense of Justice and not by some whim. His will is forever settled in Heaven.
Believing you can sow anything and God will determine the harvest, is unbelief and sin. We can't sow (plant) poison ivy and pray for corn, because we will reap what we sowed. Some have disregarded Truth, for what they think is truth and don't do what the Word of God's instructions. The Church is subject to what we believe in, just like the world is subject to what they believe in. We became born-again by sowing seeds of trust in the scripture. Those who are unsaved in the world, remain unsaved, because they haven't sowed the seeds of belief in salvation. Both reap the harvest of what they sowed, one results in salvation and the others remain unsaved.
This same principal works in every area of our lives, both for the saved and unsaved. How far will you trust in God's Word for your life? The Spiritual Blessing that came through Jesus' Sacrifice, aren't just for the natural things of man and they came to us when we were born-again. John 1:16-17 (Amplified) again reads, "For out of His fullness (abundance), we have all received and were all supplied with" these things. No one has been left out. We have all received and all been supplied with Grace, Spiritual Blessings, favor, Gifts and Truth, by the Same Jesus. Some have trusted in Him, for things that others haven't and have reaped harvests that other haven't, because they sowed the seeds of trust in what Jesus has done for them and in the Promises of God. Hebrews 11:1 (Amplified) says, "Now faith is the assurance (the confirmation, the title deed), of things we hope for, being the proof of things we do not see and the conviction of their reality, faith perceiving as real fact what is not revealed to the senses."
When we sow a kernel of corn into the ground, it doesn't instantly become the harvest you hoped for, but it is the evidence of your crop. There is no stalk, no ear, no corn, but only a Promise of that which you sowed. We would never sow a kernel of corn, expecting a harvest of green beans. Even in our natural mind and faith, we know this won't work. Why would we believe that we can sow anything in the Spirit realm, and God will change the seed?
Jesus related this Truth in Mark 4, when He gave "The Parable of the Sower." Jesus related words to seeds and the heart (spirit) of man to the soil. Much of the crop coming from the Seed of God's Word, comes from the care of the soil (spirit) of those who believed and received it. If we plant the Seed of God's Word into our spirit and heed what we hear and say, then we will reap the Harvest of God's Promises. Unbelief will cause the seed from producing the desired harvest. God won't simply change the seed, in order to suit our unbelief. Remember what the scripture tells us, "Be not deceived, God is not mocked, as a man sows, that and only that, is what he will reap." If we sow to the lower nature of the flesh, then we will reap the corruption and rain of the flesh. If we sow to the Spirit, then we will reap Eternal Life of the Spirit.
The Eternal Life we have sown, doesn't begin when we get to Heaven. It begins when we received Jesus as our Lord and Savior. We have Eternal Life now! As we continue sowing to the Spirit, we will continue reaping the Spiritual Blessings that "WE HAVE ALL BEEN SUPPLIED WITH." It's a matter of sowing and reaping, just like God said. Many have received healing, by trusting in the Promise (Seed) of healing from God's Word. God doesn't favor "certain" people. These people have sown seeds and trusted in the seed to bring harvest, while others didn't trust the seed.
This form of unbelief is sadly rampant in today's Church, which leads to our receiving only a small part of the Harvest God has laid out for us. We must allow the Holy Spirit to reveal the things that are needed in our lives and then begin sowing these things. We must trust in God's Provision for us. He can and will, take care of us, just like He Promised. We must learn to trust Him in areas of our lives, where we haven't trusted before.
Tuesday, May 22, 2018
Lesson 54 GRACE AND TRUTH-GOD'S WILL
John 1:16-17 (Amplified) tells us, "For out of His fullness (abundance), we have all received, all had a share and were all supplied with one Grace after another and Spiritual Blessing upon Spiritual Blessing and even favor upon favor and Gift heaped upon Gift. For while the Law was given through Moses, Grace (unearned, undeserved favor) and Spiritual Blessing and Truth came through Jesus Christ."
In order to see God and walk with Him in the Truth of the new creation and family relationship, we must see Him in the Presence and ministry of Jesus. John 1:18 (Amplified) says, "No man has ever seen God at any time; the Only Unique Son (the Only Begotten Son), Who is in the bosom (in the intimate Presence) of the Father, He has declared Him (He has revealed Him and brought Him out where He can be seen; He has interpreted Him and He has made Him known)." In order to know the Father, we must know Jesus in His earthly ministry. When we do this, we can understand our earthly ministry and relationship with the Father.
As we read the Revelation given to Paul, we see ourselves in the same relation Jesus had with the Father in His earthly ministry. We cannot understand our own relationship with the Father, unless we see ourselves as being children in God's family. We have all received Spiritual Blessings from God's fullness and abundance, which make it possible for God to relate to us while we're here on earth, just like He did with Jesus. After we leave this earth and return to the Father, these Spiritual Blessings will continue for eternity. While on earth, we must walk in these Spiritual Blessings, in order to liberate those who are held captive.
The Grace that empowers us to walk with the Father here on earth, is the same Grace He uses in and through us, to reach the world. We've been endued with this Spiritual Blessing, in order to bring Heaven to earth. The only way of doing this, is by God's power and ability living through us, like He did through Jesus. We have no more power to deliver, heal, or Bless mankind, than Jesus had without the Holy Spirit and the Father in Him.
Remember, "No man has ever seen God at any time; the Only Unique Son (or the Only Begotten Son), Who is in the bosom (in the intimate Presence of the Father), He has declared Him, He has revealed Him and brought Him out where He can be seen; He has interpreted Him and made Him known." We must see the Father through Jesus. Not by David or Moses. Moses could show us "God", but Jesus has shown us "Father." We can't allow our Image of Him, to be distorted.
You might ask, "Aren't They the same?" The answer is, "Yes." God hasn't changed, but He has changed us. God is no longer dealing with natural carnal men, like He did in the old covenant. Those persons never had the actual Life of God in their spirit. They were spiritually dead, so God had to deal with them from the outside-in, instead of the inside-out. As new covenant people, we have the Life of God within us. We're being trained up, taught and disciplined in a completely manner, than the old covenant people.
God's will and purpose was always to have a family of His Own, who would know Him and walk with Him, in the Spirit. After Adam's fall, this union was broken and God needed to place His Presence in His new creation family. God could only make Laws for the people, until He could place Jesus into the earth and restore mankind back into His will and purpose. As long as the people followed the Law, God could preserve mankind, until Jesus paid the Price for our Redemption.
Jesus has come and He has paid the Ransom, restoring us back to the Life of God. God no longer deals with us as mere humans, but as His new creation family. God can now Live with us and within us. Jesus never came to do away with the Law, but to fulfill it, according to Matthew 5:17 (Amplified) where Jesus asks, "Do you think that I have come to do away with or undo the Law of the Prophets? I have not come to do away with or undo it, but to complete and fulfill them." If you are in Christ Jesus, then you also have fulfilled the Law and you're not obligated to it. You're free in it and exempt from it.
This isn't an excuse to sin, but is freedom from the guilt and condemnation of sin. God's Grace has raised you into the place of Righteousness in Christ Jesus. We no longer need to observe rituals and certain Laws, in order to have God move on our behalf. We no longer need to strive at our own righteousness, because we have been created righteous, in Christ Jesus. Jesus's Sacrifice has done what bulls, goats, lambs and rituals could never do. By His Sacrifice, Jesus has made us righteous and sinless in the Courts of Justice.
This has always been God's will for mankind. He Himself has done what no man could ever do on his own. God has declared us new and righteous, by paying the cost of being right with Himself, in Jesus. Like those under the Law, we get caught up in our own righteousness. We see the failures and mistakes we've made while maturing in our Christian walk, which leaves us feeling like we've failed in our walk. When we do fail, Grace never fails. God's faith in you is measured by His faith in Jesus, to bring us through.
Proverbs 4:7-9 (KJV) instructs, "Wisdom is the principal thing, therefore get Wisdom, but with all your getting, get understanding." The Amplified Version says, "The beginning of Wisdom is; get Wisdom, skillful and Godly Wisdom! for skillful and Godly Wisdom is the principal thing. And with all you have gotten, get understanding (discernment, comprehension and interpretation). Prize Wisdom highly and exalt her, and she will exalt you; she will bring you to honor when you embrace her. She shall give to your head a wreath of gracefulness; a crown of beauty and glory will she deliver to you."
You have Wisdom in your hands when you pick up God's Word, but because we have no discernment or understanding of her principals, we fail in our quest for what Wisdom has come to bring us. We fail to see what God has already done in Jesus and we set about in our own wisdom, trying to become what Jesus has already done. This leads to our failure to walk in God's Wisdom.
We can't allow man's wisdom to make the Wisdom of God, ineffective in our lives. God went to great extremes to make Himself available to us, so we might know and understand Him and His ways. Many think that walking in this Wisdom as being self-exaltation and pride in man's lives, but to the Father, it's walking in the family inheritance and family Name. If it wasn't God's will that we know Him like Jesus did, then He wouldn't have used Jesus as a "Mirror" to reflect His Glory to us. Jesus said in John 10:30 (Amplified), "I and the Father are One."
We must allow the Holy Spirit to reveal the Spiritual Wisdom of God in our personal walk with the Father. We must strive to learn and walk in a way that will bring us into a deeper understanding of Spiritual things. We must keep your words in line with His Words. We must keep our Love enveloped in His Love. We must allow discernment to separate the love of the world and the wisdom of the world. Keep 2Timothy 3:16-17 always, as a guide to your spirit. When you transgress and the Word convicts you, repent and follow what the Word says to do. Don't wait for man to tell you what is right and wrong, because they don't even know the difference anymore. All God's Word and the Holy Spirit to correct and guide you.
Just because man doesn't understand the Wisdom of God, doesn't mean there's no Wisdom beyond their thinking. This doesn't mean we're to be condescending of others, but we're not to be held back by their thinking either. Every person is responsible to walk with the Father. Don't let anyone tell you that you can't know Him beyond where they know Him. This doesn't mean you're to break fellowship with the brethren, but don't just stop where their knowledge ends. Bring them into a higher revelation of the Father and His Grace.
The Spiritual Blessings spoken of in John 1:16-17, are the things imparted to us by the new birth. These Blessings include so many things that your own wisdom can never acknowledge or fathom. When the Holy Spirit came to make His home in you, He brought all the Spiritual Blessings that make you who you are in Christ Jesus. We're to use these Spiritual Blessings for our walk, life and ministry on this earth. These Spiritual Blessings will distinguish you from natural man and bring you into the ability of the new man, the hidden man of the heart.
In order to see God and walk with Him in the Truth of the new creation and family relationship, we must see Him in the Presence and ministry of Jesus. John 1:18 (Amplified) says, "No man has ever seen God at any time; the Only Unique Son (the Only Begotten Son), Who is in the bosom (in the intimate Presence) of the Father, He has declared Him (He has revealed Him and brought Him out where He can be seen; He has interpreted Him and He has made Him known)." In order to know the Father, we must know Jesus in His earthly ministry. When we do this, we can understand our earthly ministry and relationship with the Father.
As we read the Revelation given to Paul, we see ourselves in the same relation Jesus had with the Father in His earthly ministry. We cannot understand our own relationship with the Father, unless we see ourselves as being children in God's family. We have all received Spiritual Blessings from God's fullness and abundance, which make it possible for God to relate to us while we're here on earth, just like He did with Jesus. After we leave this earth and return to the Father, these Spiritual Blessings will continue for eternity. While on earth, we must walk in these Spiritual Blessings, in order to liberate those who are held captive.
The Grace that empowers us to walk with the Father here on earth, is the same Grace He uses in and through us, to reach the world. We've been endued with this Spiritual Blessing, in order to bring Heaven to earth. The only way of doing this, is by God's power and ability living through us, like He did through Jesus. We have no more power to deliver, heal, or Bless mankind, than Jesus had without the Holy Spirit and the Father in Him.
Remember, "No man has ever seen God at any time; the Only Unique Son (or the Only Begotten Son), Who is in the bosom (in the intimate Presence of the Father), He has declared Him, He has revealed Him and brought Him out where He can be seen; He has interpreted Him and made Him known." We must see the Father through Jesus. Not by David or Moses. Moses could show us "God", but Jesus has shown us "Father." We can't allow our Image of Him, to be distorted.
You might ask, "Aren't They the same?" The answer is, "Yes." God hasn't changed, but He has changed us. God is no longer dealing with natural carnal men, like He did in the old covenant. Those persons never had the actual Life of God in their spirit. They were spiritually dead, so God had to deal with them from the outside-in, instead of the inside-out. As new covenant people, we have the Life of God within us. We're being trained up, taught and disciplined in a completely manner, than the old covenant people.
God's will and purpose was always to have a family of His Own, who would know Him and walk with Him, in the Spirit. After Adam's fall, this union was broken and God needed to place His Presence in His new creation family. God could only make Laws for the people, until He could place Jesus into the earth and restore mankind back into His will and purpose. As long as the people followed the Law, God could preserve mankind, until Jesus paid the Price for our Redemption.
Jesus has come and He has paid the Ransom, restoring us back to the Life of God. God no longer deals with us as mere humans, but as His new creation family. God can now Live with us and within us. Jesus never came to do away with the Law, but to fulfill it, according to Matthew 5:17 (Amplified) where Jesus asks, "Do you think that I have come to do away with or undo the Law of the Prophets? I have not come to do away with or undo it, but to complete and fulfill them." If you are in Christ Jesus, then you also have fulfilled the Law and you're not obligated to it. You're free in it and exempt from it.
This isn't an excuse to sin, but is freedom from the guilt and condemnation of sin. God's Grace has raised you into the place of Righteousness in Christ Jesus. We no longer need to observe rituals and certain Laws, in order to have God move on our behalf. We no longer need to strive at our own righteousness, because we have been created righteous, in Christ Jesus. Jesus's Sacrifice has done what bulls, goats, lambs and rituals could never do. By His Sacrifice, Jesus has made us righteous and sinless in the Courts of Justice.
This has always been God's will for mankind. He Himself has done what no man could ever do on his own. God has declared us new and righteous, by paying the cost of being right with Himself, in Jesus. Like those under the Law, we get caught up in our own righteousness. We see the failures and mistakes we've made while maturing in our Christian walk, which leaves us feeling like we've failed in our walk. When we do fail, Grace never fails. God's faith in you is measured by His faith in Jesus, to bring us through.
Proverbs 4:7-9 (KJV) instructs, "Wisdom is the principal thing, therefore get Wisdom, but with all your getting, get understanding." The Amplified Version says, "The beginning of Wisdom is; get Wisdom, skillful and Godly Wisdom! for skillful and Godly Wisdom is the principal thing. And with all you have gotten, get understanding (discernment, comprehension and interpretation). Prize Wisdom highly and exalt her, and she will exalt you; she will bring you to honor when you embrace her. She shall give to your head a wreath of gracefulness; a crown of beauty and glory will she deliver to you."
You have Wisdom in your hands when you pick up God's Word, but because we have no discernment or understanding of her principals, we fail in our quest for what Wisdom has come to bring us. We fail to see what God has already done in Jesus and we set about in our own wisdom, trying to become what Jesus has already done. This leads to our failure to walk in God's Wisdom.
We can't allow man's wisdom to make the Wisdom of God, ineffective in our lives. God went to great extremes to make Himself available to us, so we might know and understand Him and His ways. Many think that walking in this Wisdom as being self-exaltation and pride in man's lives, but to the Father, it's walking in the family inheritance and family Name. If it wasn't God's will that we know Him like Jesus did, then He wouldn't have used Jesus as a "Mirror" to reflect His Glory to us. Jesus said in John 10:30 (Amplified), "I and the Father are One."
We must allow the Holy Spirit to reveal the Spiritual Wisdom of God in our personal walk with the Father. We must strive to learn and walk in a way that will bring us into a deeper understanding of Spiritual things. We must keep your words in line with His Words. We must keep our Love enveloped in His Love. We must allow discernment to separate the love of the world and the wisdom of the world. Keep 2Timothy 3:16-17 always, as a guide to your spirit. When you transgress and the Word convicts you, repent and follow what the Word says to do. Don't wait for man to tell you what is right and wrong, because they don't even know the difference anymore. All God's Word and the Holy Spirit to correct and guide you.
Just because man doesn't understand the Wisdom of God, doesn't mean there's no Wisdom beyond their thinking. This doesn't mean we're to be condescending of others, but we're not to be held back by their thinking either. Every person is responsible to walk with the Father. Don't let anyone tell you that you can't know Him beyond where they know Him. This doesn't mean you're to break fellowship with the brethren, but don't just stop where their knowledge ends. Bring them into a higher revelation of the Father and His Grace.
The Spiritual Blessings spoken of in John 1:16-17, are the things imparted to us by the new birth. These Blessings include so many things that your own wisdom can never acknowledge or fathom. When the Holy Spirit came to make His home in you, He brought all the Spiritual Blessings that make you who you are in Christ Jesus. We're to use these Spiritual Blessings for our walk, life and ministry on this earth. These Spiritual Blessings will distinguish you from natural man and bring you into the ability of the new man, the hidden man of the heart.
Lesson 53 GRACE AND TRUTH-GOD'S WILL
John 1:16-17 (Amplified) says, "For out of His fullness (abundance), we have all received, all had a share, and were all supplied with one Grace after another and Spiritual Blessing upon Spiritual Blessing and even favor upon favor and Gift heaped upon Gift. For while the Law was given through Moses, Grace (unearned, undeserved favor) and Spiritual Blessing and Truth came through Jesus Christ."
Many fail to distinguish between the God of the old covenant and our new covenant "Father." We've not covenant, we are family. God didn't make this covenant with us, He made it to and through Jesus. This covenant is impossible to break, because both sides of the covenant are upheld by God Himself. Under the Law, the covenant depended upon man's keeping his end, which he could never do.
We have a covenant with God and Jesus is our Guarantee, making it iron-clad. Hebrews 7:22 (Amplified) says, "In keeping with the oath's greater strength and force, Jesus has become the Guarantee of a better, stronger agreement, a more excellent and more advantageous covenant." Hebrews 6:13 (Amplified) says, "For when God made His Promise to Abraham, He swore by Himself, since He had no one Greater by whom to swear."
The new covenant has taken us from our own natural efforts and has placed us into the Super-natural realm of family with God. The God of the old covenant has become our "Father." He has raised us from spiritual death and has given us His Very Own Life, by the new birth with the Holy Spirit. We don't depend on our own ability to walk as His children any longer, because He has given us His Very Own Spirit. The Holy Spirit lives within our new living spirit, where He directs, leads and corrects us.
The God of the old covenant, Who punished by the flesh, has now punished Jesus for all our sin and trespass. God looks upon us, through the Sacrificial Lamb Jesus, Who cleansed us through His Sacrifice. Hebrews 12:9 (Amplified) tells us, "Moreover, we have had earthly fathers who disciplined us and we yielded to them and respected them for training us. Shall we not much more cheerfully submit to the Father of Spirits and so truly Live." We continue expecting the Father to deal with our flesh, instead of our spirit.
We find it difficult to see that our status with God has changed. We are now His children, but we think of ourselves as those under the Law, instead of family under Grace. Don't misunderstand what I'm saying here. I'm not saying that, "It's okay to continue in sin." This isn't Grace, it's foolishness. I'm telling you that "Grace will cover us, to the place of obeying and hearing the Voice of the Holy Spirit."
We shouldn't need pastors to teach us what God sees and doesn't see as sin. The Holy Spirit is to direct, lead and teach us how to walk in this new family covenant. The responsibility for knowing God's Word and allowing the Holy Spirit to Teach us, is an individual responsibility. Paul gives guidelines for the new covenant family in 2Timothy 3:16-17 (Amplified) saying, "Ever scripture is God-breathed, given by His inspiration, and 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. So that the man of God may be complete and proficient (well-equipped) for every Good work."
The is how the child of God is to walk, with the Father. We're not supposed to rely on the Pastor to feed us, but we're required to seek the Word (the Bread of Life) for ourselves. A shepherd is required to take the sheep where there is plenty to eat, but the sheep must learn to eat for themselves.
The things I've been teaching aren't things the Law requires us to do, in order to be a child of God. These are things that we, as children of God, should want to do. We should want to follow God's Word. We honor God, when we allow His Word and His Spirit within us, to discipline, teach and correct us.
Some might ask, "What about the sickness and calamity that befalls God's children?" When we walk outside of His Word and allow ourselves to fall into the enemy's territory, then we will pay the consequences for our disobedience. This doesn't mean that the Father is doing it, but that we didn't heed the Voice and Guidance of His warnings. Even earthly fathers can't "make" his children stay in the confines of safety, if they disobey his teachings and warnings. There are calamities all around us, as we walk in the Valley of the shadow of death, but God says that, "He leads us into green pastures and still waters," if we allow Him to lead us.
We need to learn the importance of listening to God's Word and His Spirit. We shouldn't walk around waiting for bad things to happen, and then say that "The Lord led me there." We must listen to God's Word and allow the Voice of the Spirit to lead us. Even such teachings as "Watching what you say," are greatly important for us to walk in the safety of God's Word. Psalm 17:10 (Amplified) says, "Concerning the works of men, by the Word of Your lips I have avoided the ways of the violent, the paths of the destroyer."
When the old covenant people followed God's Word, they avoided the path of the destroyer. How much more will the new covenant people do when we follow God's Word? 2Timothy 3:16-17 (Amplified) tells us, "Let the Word and the Spirit direct your paths, and calamities of this world can be avoided." We've failed to see the impotence of following sound teachings from God's Word. How productive or nonproductive an adult will be, is determined by how he/she is raised. Many babies have been born, who didn't grow into mature and good persons. Much of this has to do with how they were raised and how they submitted to the words and leading of their parents. Nature vs. nurture.
God's children endure many things, that were never His will for them. Thank God that His Grace will deliver them out of the destruction. Loving God and submitting to His Word, would prevent many of His children from falling into the enemy's pitfalls. God intended for His family to avoid the path of the destroyer. If we would follow the Great Shepherd, the He will lead us into green pastures.
God never intended His family to walk in fear, but in His Love. I don't walk with God, because I'm afraid He will do something bad to me, if I don't walk with Him. I walk with God, because I love Him and can count on His Love to take care of me, while I learn and grow into the fullness of His Stature. We must each take responsibility for our walk with the Father. We must learn what pleases Him and what will help us to grow in the Wisdom and understanding of His ways and Word.
Every child bears the responsibility of either obeying or disobeying his/her parent's teachings and words. If we allow God's Word to discipline, correct, convict and lead us, then we won't fall into the paths of the destroyer. We get into trouble, because we don't or won't hear or yield to God's Word. Even when trials come, if we stay steadfast on His Word, then God will deliver us to safety, according to Galatians 6:7 (Amplified) which says, "Be not deceived, God is not mocked, whatsoever a man sows is what he will received." We must watch what we sow and then we will reap the Promises of God.
Many fail to distinguish between the God of the old covenant and our new covenant "Father." We've not covenant, we are family. God didn't make this covenant with us, He made it to and through Jesus. This covenant is impossible to break, because both sides of the covenant are upheld by God Himself. Under the Law, the covenant depended upon man's keeping his end, which he could never do.
We have a covenant with God and Jesus is our Guarantee, making it iron-clad. Hebrews 7:22 (Amplified) says, "In keeping with the oath's greater strength and force, Jesus has become the Guarantee of a better, stronger agreement, a more excellent and more advantageous covenant." Hebrews 6:13 (Amplified) says, "For when God made His Promise to Abraham, He swore by Himself, since He had no one Greater by whom to swear."
The new covenant has taken us from our own natural efforts and has placed us into the Super-natural realm of family with God. The God of the old covenant has become our "Father." He has raised us from spiritual death and has given us His Very Own Life, by the new birth with the Holy Spirit. We don't depend on our own ability to walk as His children any longer, because He has given us His Very Own Spirit. The Holy Spirit lives within our new living spirit, where He directs, leads and corrects us.
The God of the old covenant, Who punished by the flesh, has now punished Jesus for all our sin and trespass. God looks upon us, through the Sacrificial Lamb Jesus, Who cleansed us through His Sacrifice. Hebrews 12:9 (Amplified) tells us, "Moreover, we have had earthly fathers who disciplined us and we yielded to them and respected them for training us. Shall we not much more cheerfully submit to the Father of Spirits and so truly Live." We continue expecting the Father to deal with our flesh, instead of our spirit.
We find it difficult to see that our status with God has changed. We are now His children, but we think of ourselves as those under the Law, instead of family under Grace. Don't misunderstand what I'm saying here. I'm not saying that, "It's okay to continue in sin." This isn't Grace, it's foolishness. I'm telling you that "Grace will cover us, to the place of obeying and hearing the Voice of the Holy Spirit."
We shouldn't need pastors to teach us what God sees and doesn't see as sin. The Holy Spirit is to direct, lead and teach us how to walk in this new family covenant. The responsibility for knowing God's Word and allowing the Holy Spirit to Teach us, is an individual responsibility. Paul gives guidelines for the new covenant family in 2Timothy 3:16-17 (Amplified) saying, "Ever scripture is God-breathed, given by His inspiration, and 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. So that the man of God may be complete and proficient (well-equipped) for every Good work."
The is how the child of God is to walk, with the Father. We're not supposed to rely on the Pastor to feed us, but we're required to seek the Word (the Bread of Life) for ourselves. A shepherd is required to take the sheep where there is plenty to eat, but the sheep must learn to eat for themselves.
The things I've been teaching aren't things the Law requires us to do, in order to be a child of God. These are things that we, as children of God, should want to do. We should want to follow God's Word. We honor God, when we allow His Word and His Spirit within us, to discipline, teach and correct us.
Some might ask, "What about the sickness and calamity that befalls God's children?" When we walk outside of His Word and allow ourselves to fall into the enemy's territory, then we will pay the consequences for our disobedience. This doesn't mean that the Father is doing it, but that we didn't heed the Voice and Guidance of His warnings. Even earthly fathers can't "make" his children stay in the confines of safety, if they disobey his teachings and warnings. There are calamities all around us, as we walk in the Valley of the shadow of death, but God says that, "He leads us into green pastures and still waters," if we allow Him to lead us.
We need to learn the importance of listening to God's Word and His Spirit. We shouldn't walk around waiting for bad things to happen, and then say that "The Lord led me there." We must listen to God's Word and allow the Voice of the Spirit to lead us. Even such teachings as "Watching what you say," are greatly important for us to walk in the safety of God's Word. Psalm 17:10 (Amplified) says, "Concerning the works of men, by the Word of Your lips I have avoided the ways of the violent, the paths of the destroyer."
When the old covenant people followed God's Word, they avoided the path of the destroyer. How much more will the new covenant people do when we follow God's Word? 2Timothy 3:16-17 (Amplified) tells us, "Let the Word and the Spirit direct your paths, and calamities of this world can be avoided." We've failed to see the impotence of following sound teachings from God's Word. How productive or nonproductive an adult will be, is determined by how he/she is raised. Many babies have been born, who didn't grow into mature and good persons. Much of this has to do with how they were raised and how they submitted to the words and leading of their parents. Nature vs. nurture.
God's children endure many things, that were never His will for them. Thank God that His Grace will deliver them out of the destruction. Loving God and submitting to His Word, would prevent many of His children from falling into the enemy's pitfalls. God intended for His family to avoid the path of the destroyer. If we would follow the Great Shepherd, the He will lead us into green pastures.
God never intended His family to walk in fear, but in His Love. I don't walk with God, because I'm afraid He will do something bad to me, if I don't walk with Him. I walk with God, because I love Him and can count on His Love to take care of me, while I learn and grow into the fullness of His Stature. We must each take responsibility for our walk with the Father. We must learn what pleases Him and what will help us to grow in the Wisdom and understanding of His ways and Word.
Every child bears the responsibility of either obeying or disobeying his/her parent's teachings and words. If we allow God's Word to discipline, correct, convict and lead us, then we won't fall into the paths of the destroyer. We get into trouble, because we don't or won't hear or yield to God's Word. Even when trials come, if we stay steadfast on His Word, then God will deliver us to safety, according to Galatians 6:7 (Amplified) which says, "Be not deceived, God is not mocked, whatsoever a man sows is what he will received." We must watch what we sow and then we will reap the Promises of God.
Monday, May 21, 2018
Lesson 52 GRACE AND TRUTH-GOD'S WILL
John 1:16-17 (Amplified) tells us, "For out of His fullness (abundance), we have all received, all had a share and were all supplied with one Grace after another and Spiritual Blessing upon Spiritual Blessing and even favor upon favor and Gift heaped upon Gift. For while the Law was given through Moses, Grace (unearned, undeserved favor) and Spiritual Blessing and Truth came through Jesus Christ."
Many Gifts have been given to the Body of Christ through Jesus, but we mostly think of 1Corinthians 12, when thinking about the Gifts of the Spirit. But, there are Gifts heaped upon Gifts, according to the above scripture. Our righteousness is a Gift and our righteousness is in Christ Jesus' righteousness. Sanctification, consecration, removal of sin and wrongdoing, Life in the Spirit, being made joint heirs with Jesus and so many more Gifts are ours in Him. We have all received these, out of His fullness (abundance).
The Spiritual Blessings for us, was the Promise of the Holy Spirit, according to Galatians 3:14 (Amplified) which says, "To the end that through their receiving Christ Jesus (the Messiah), the Blessing Promised to Abraham might come upon the Gentiles, so that we through faith might all receive the realization of the Promise of the Holy Spirit."
In the days of old, only certain appointed people, could walk in the anointing and Presence of the Holy Spirit. When we receive Jesus as our Lord and Savior, we can all enjoy and walk in the Spiritual Blessing of the Holy Spirit's indwelling Gift. Jesus has restored and redeemed us back to the Father, giving us the indwelling Spirit of God. God can now Bless us with the power, Wisdom, insight, knowledge and Presence of Himself, by our union with Christ Jesus.
Through our union with Christ and faith in the Finished Word of Jesus, we have access to the Very Presence of God. We've used the God given Gift of faith, to receive Jesus as our Savior, but we never used this Gift to access the Spiritual Blessings that accompany Him. We've never developed our faith and new creation man of the Spirit, to obtain the Spiritual Blessings that come with our new citizenship in Jesus.
Through Jesus, we have the ability to speak and bring the unseen things of God to the earth again to dispel darkness from the lives of people. We must develop faith in what we've received through this fulfilled Promise. We've mostly lived on the level of natural man, even after receiving the Holy Spirit.
When we received Jesus Christ, we received the Anointing, Christ in us, our Hope in Glory. The word, "Christ," is translated as "anointing, the Anointed One, and His Anointing." John writes about the Anointing, in 1John 2:20-27 (Amplified) saying, "But you have been anointed by (you have a sacred appointment from, you have been given an unction from the Holy One), and you all know the Truth or you know all things." We know all things, by the Spiritual Blessing of the Holy Spirit, because His Wisdom abides in all believers. Verse 27 continues, "But as for you, the Anointing (the Sacred appointment, the unction which you 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 falsehood, so you must abide in (live in never depart) from Him, being rooted in Him, just as His Anointing has taught you to do."
The Anointing will reveal things to you, that natural men (carnal-minded men) don't see. Not everyone recognizes that it is Truth, but that doesn't mean it isn't Truth. When we allow the Holy Spirit (the Anointing) to guide us, He will reveal things of the Promises, that others don't see. We have Promises from the old covenant, that couldn't be fully realized, until the Holy Spirit (the Anointing) came. He brought the Spiritual Gifts back to God's people.
Psalm 91 is for those who "dwell in the Secret Place of the Most High." The new creation people are dwelling in this Secret Place. Jesus is the Secret or the Mystery hidden in God and has now been revealed to us, by the Holy Spirit. We are dwelling in the Secret Place. Those who acknowledge this and will "say of the Lord," have access into this Spiritual Blessing. God's Grace will grant it to you.
We've allowed the seeds of doubt and fear to be sown into our spirit, by the world's view of things occurring on earth. We've removed our children from schools, because of fear. Many fear terrorism today, instead of trusting in the Promise of God's Word. You might consider this, "Foolish," saying, "We have to be careful." But, God's Word tells us in Colossi ans 3:15 (Amplified), "And let the peace (soul harmony) which came from Christ, rule (act as umpire) continually in your hearts, deciding and settling with finality all questions that arise in your minds, in that peaceful state to which as members of Christ's one Body you were also called to live. And be thankful, appreciative, giving praise to God always."
This is the peace that Jesus Promised us in John 14:27 (Amplified) when He said, "Peace I leave with you; My Own peace I now give and bequeath to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid. Stop allowing yourselves to be agitated and disturbed; and do not permit yourselves to be fearful and intimidated and cowardly and unsettled."
In order to rest in His peace, you must put your faith in the Higher Level of the Promises we've received in Him. As we develop our faith in the Spiritual Blessings and Grace that are ours in Him, we can walk in the new Life that He has given, to a higher way than ever before. We've believed in Jesus for our eternal redemption, and He has given these Spiritual Blessings for our life here on earth, as well as our eternal life in Heaven. You might not know anyone who is walking in this Truth, but it is still ours in Him.
Dare to believe God at His Word and heed Galatians 6:7 (Amplified) which tells us, "Do not be deceived and deluded and misled; God will not be sneered at (scorned, disdained, or mocked) by mere pretensions or professions, or by His precepts being set aside. He invariably deludes himself who attempts to delude God, for whatever a man sows, that and only that is what he will reap."
God says that His Word will stand for those who trust Him. But, if we sow or allow such things as fear, anxiety and distrust to be sown in our hearts, then that is what we will reap. Those things, and only those things are what we will reap. Job confesses the source of his troubles in Job 3:25-26 (Amplified) saying, "For the thing which I greatly fear comes upon me, and that of which I am afraid befalls me. I was not and am not at ease, nor had I or have I rest, nor was I or am I quiet, yet trouble came and still comes at me." God says that, "For whatever a man sows, that and only that is what he will reap." Job sowed fear and dis-ease and those things are what he reaped.
Let's sow the Truth of the Promise and then reap the harvest of God's Promises. Let's trust God to a higher place, than we've ever done before.
Many Gifts have been given to the Body of Christ through Jesus, but we mostly think of 1Corinthians 12, when thinking about the Gifts of the Spirit. But, there are Gifts heaped upon Gifts, according to the above scripture. Our righteousness is a Gift and our righteousness is in Christ Jesus' righteousness. Sanctification, consecration, removal of sin and wrongdoing, Life in the Spirit, being made joint heirs with Jesus and so many more Gifts are ours in Him. We have all received these, out of His fullness (abundance).
The Spiritual Blessings for us, was the Promise of the Holy Spirit, according to Galatians 3:14 (Amplified) which says, "To the end that through their receiving Christ Jesus (the Messiah), the Blessing Promised to Abraham might come upon the Gentiles, so that we through faith might all receive the realization of the Promise of the Holy Spirit."
In the days of old, only certain appointed people, could walk in the anointing and Presence of the Holy Spirit. When we receive Jesus as our Lord and Savior, we can all enjoy and walk in the Spiritual Blessing of the Holy Spirit's indwelling Gift. Jesus has restored and redeemed us back to the Father, giving us the indwelling Spirit of God. God can now Bless us with the power, Wisdom, insight, knowledge and Presence of Himself, by our union with Christ Jesus.
Through our union with Christ and faith in the Finished Word of Jesus, we have access to the Very Presence of God. We've used the God given Gift of faith, to receive Jesus as our Savior, but we never used this Gift to access the Spiritual Blessings that accompany Him. We've never developed our faith and new creation man of the Spirit, to obtain the Spiritual Blessings that come with our new citizenship in Jesus.
Through Jesus, we have the ability to speak and bring the unseen things of God to the earth again to dispel darkness from the lives of people. We must develop faith in what we've received through this fulfilled Promise. We've mostly lived on the level of natural man, even after receiving the Holy Spirit.
When we received Jesus Christ, we received the Anointing, Christ in us, our Hope in Glory. The word, "Christ," is translated as "anointing, the Anointed One, and His Anointing." John writes about the Anointing, in 1John 2:20-27 (Amplified) saying, "But you have been anointed by (you have a sacred appointment from, you have been given an unction from the Holy One), and you all know the Truth or you know all things." We know all things, by the Spiritual Blessing of the Holy Spirit, because His Wisdom abides in all believers. Verse 27 continues, "But as for you, the Anointing (the Sacred appointment, the unction which you 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 falsehood, so you must abide in (live in never depart) from Him, being rooted in Him, just as His Anointing has taught you to do."
The Anointing will reveal things to you, that natural men (carnal-minded men) don't see. Not everyone recognizes that it is Truth, but that doesn't mean it isn't Truth. When we allow the Holy Spirit (the Anointing) to guide us, He will reveal things of the Promises, that others don't see. We have Promises from the old covenant, that couldn't be fully realized, until the Holy Spirit (the Anointing) came. He brought the Spiritual Gifts back to God's people.
Psalm 91 is for those who "dwell in the Secret Place of the Most High." The new creation people are dwelling in this Secret Place. Jesus is the Secret or the Mystery hidden in God and has now been revealed to us, by the Holy Spirit. We are dwelling in the Secret Place. Those who acknowledge this and will "say of the Lord," have access into this Spiritual Blessing. God's Grace will grant it to you.
We've allowed the seeds of doubt and fear to be sown into our spirit, by the world's view of things occurring on earth. We've removed our children from schools, because of fear. Many fear terrorism today, instead of trusting in the Promise of God's Word. You might consider this, "Foolish," saying, "We have to be careful." But, God's Word tells us in Colossi ans 3:15 (Amplified), "And let the peace (soul harmony) which came from Christ, rule (act as umpire) continually in your hearts, deciding and settling with finality all questions that arise in your minds, in that peaceful state to which as members of Christ's one Body you were also called to live. And be thankful, appreciative, giving praise to God always."
This is the peace that Jesus Promised us in John 14:27 (Amplified) when He said, "Peace I leave with you; My Own peace I now give and bequeath to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid. Stop allowing yourselves to be agitated and disturbed; and do not permit yourselves to be fearful and intimidated and cowardly and unsettled."
In order to rest in His peace, you must put your faith in the Higher Level of the Promises we've received in Him. As we develop our faith in the Spiritual Blessings and Grace that are ours in Him, we can walk in the new Life that He has given, to a higher way than ever before. We've believed in Jesus for our eternal redemption, and He has given these Spiritual Blessings for our life here on earth, as well as our eternal life in Heaven. You might not know anyone who is walking in this Truth, but it is still ours in Him.
Dare to believe God at His Word and heed Galatians 6:7 (Amplified) which tells us, "Do not be deceived and deluded and misled; God will not be sneered at (scorned, disdained, or mocked) by mere pretensions or professions, or by His precepts being set aside. He invariably deludes himself who attempts to delude God, for whatever a man sows, that and only that is what he will reap."
God says that His Word will stand for those who trust Him. But, if we sow or allow such things as fear, anxiety and distrust to be sown in our hearts, then that is what we will reap. Those things, and only those things are what we will reap. Job confesses the source of his troubles in Job 3:25-26 (Amplified) saying, "For the thing which I greatly fear comes upon me, and that of which I am afraid befalls me. I was not and am not at ease, nor had I or have I rest, nor was I or am I quiet, yet trouble came and still comes at me." God says that, "For whatever a man sows, that and only that is what he will reap." Job sowed fear and dis-ease and those things are what he reaped.
Let's sow the Truth of the Promise and then reap the harvest of God's Promises. Let's trust God to a higher place, than we've ever done before.
Friday, May 18, 2018
Lesson 51 GRACE AND TRUTH-GOD'S WILL
John 1:16-17 (Amplified) tells us, "For out of His fullness (abundance), we have all received, all had a share and were all supplied with one Grace after another and Spiritual Blessing upon Spiritual Blessing and even favor upon favor and Gift heaped upon Gift. For while the Law was given through Moses, Grace (unearned, undeserved favor) and Spiritual Blessing and Truth came through Jesus Christ."
The world is so contrary to God's Word, but even Christians have been deceived and haven't heeded Paul's teaching about renewing your mind with the Word, in 1Corinthians 12:2 (Amplified) which says, "Do not be conformed to this world (age), fashioned after and adapted to its external, superficial customs, but be transformed (changed) by the entire renewal of your mind, by its new ideals and its new attitude, so that you may prove for yourselves what is the Good and acceptable and perfect will of God, even the thing which is Good and acceptable and perfect in His will for you."
After receiving Jesus as their Lord and Savior, many continue living like we did before being saved. We still talk, act, and live like we did before being born-again. We might clean-up our profanity laced speaking, but we don't speak the Truth of God's Word. We spend more time on face book, than we do in THE BOOK. We're content with just going to Heaven when we die and we fail to live for and through God, while we're here on earth.
The Church largely dismisses any teachings about the words we hear and speak, as being "foolishness." Galatians 6:7-8 (Amplified) says, "Do not be deceived and deluded and misled; God will not allow Himself to be sneered at (scorned, disdained, or mocked), by mere pretensions or professions or by His precepts being set aside."
Paul warns about speaking, listening to and receiving words of the world, instead of listening to and receiving the Spiritual things of God's Word of Truth. Paul says that "God will not allow His Words to be mocked or disdained." Jesus went to the home of Jairus (who was the ruler of the Synagogue) when his daughter died in Mark 5:38-40 (Amplified) which says that upon arriving at Jairus' home they saw a crowd and, "Jesus looked carefully and with understanding at the tumult and the people weeping and wailing loudly. And when He had gone in, He said to them, Why do you make an uproar and weep? The little girl is not dead but is sleeping. And they laughed and jeered at Him." The King James Version says, "And they laughed Him to scorn." Galatians 6:7 tells us that, "God will not allow Himself to be sneered at (scorned, disdained, or mocked)." God will honor His Word, even in the place where the unbelievers mock and scorn Him.
The Word tells us that, "What we sow is what we will reap." Jesus taught in "The Parable of the Sower," saying that words are seeds. God's Word is good seed, while the words of the world are sense-ruled or from an unrenewed mind. Both are spiritual seeds and will both produce a harvest. Galatians 6:8 (Amplified) says, "For he who sows to his own flesh (lower nature, sensuality) will from the flesh (or senses), reap decay and ruin and destruction, but he who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap Eternal Life."
Don't think that the words, "Eternal Life" apply only to going to Heaven. Jesus said that, "The Words I speak are Spirit and Life." The Words that come from God, pertain to our life on earth and our life in eternity.
Proverbs 18:21 (Amplified) says, "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." In Proverbs 4:20-22 (Amplified) God says, "My son, attend to My Words; consent and submit to My sayings. Let them not depart from your sight; keep them in the center of your heart. For they are Life to those who find them, healing and health to all their flesh."
Even the unbeliever's words are seeds, that are being sown. As new creation believers, we cannot allow ourselves to have the seeds of the world to be sown into our hearts and choke out the Good Seed of the Kingdom. We are to choose our words wisely and screen out the words of the world and satan. Jesus instructed us to "Tend and keep" the garden of our heart. The Holy Spirit must be the Filter, Who helps us screen out the world's way of thinking and doing. God will honor His Word, as we trust Him. Remember that God will not allow Himself to be scorned or mocked. When people mock the Words you're trusting in and they are God's Words, then He will not allow those Words to be scorned. We only have two choices about what words we follow and what words we say. We will either go the way of the world or the way of the Word. There are no other ways.
When you're mocked about the stand you take or what you say, remember that they scorned Jesus at Jairus' house, but God proved His Word and raised Jairus' daughter to Life. You can't expect the world or carnal minded Christians to understand it, when you make a stand. God, though, watches over His Word to perform it. We must allow the Holy Spirit to filter out the seeds (words) that constantly come at us, so that they don't choke out the Word of God.
The world doesn't understand our standing on God's Promises. We can't expect the world to know what we're talking about, but we must not water down our standards simply because they don't understand. Just because the world doesn't believe it, doesn't mean it isn't Truth. That's why Paul admonished us, "Don't be conformed or adapted to this world (age)."
The world is in darkness, without even a flashlight to light their path. Psalm 23 says that, "We are being led in paths of righteousness and restoration by Jesus, our Shepherd." Psalm 119:105, 130 (Amplified) says, "Your Word is a Lamp to my feet and a Light to my path." Verse 130 says, "The entrance and unfolding of your words give Light; their unfolding gives understand, discernment, and comprehension to the simple."
The world is so contrary to God's Word, but even Christians have been deceived and haven't heeded Paul's teaching about renewing your mind with the Word, in 1Corinthians 12:2 (Amplified) which says, "Do not be conformed to this world (age), fashioned after and adapted to its external, superficial customs, but be transformed (changed) by the entire renewal of your mind, by its new ideals and its new attitude, so that you may prove for yourselves what is the Good and acceptable and perfect will of God, even the thing which is Good and acceptable and perfect in His will for you."
After receiving Jesus as their Lord and Savior, many continue living like we did before being saved. We still talk, act, and live like we did before being born-again. We might clean-up our profanity laced speaking, but we don't speak the Truth of God's Word. We spend more time on face book, than we do in THE BOOK. We're content with just going to Heaven when we die and we fail to live for and through God, while we're here on earth.
The Church largely dismisses any teachings about the words we hear and speak, as being "foolishness." Galatians 6:7-8 (Amplified) says, "Do not be deceived and deluded and misled; God will not allow Himself to be sneered at (scorned, disdained, or mocked), by mere pretensions or professions or by His precepts being set aside."
Paul warns about speaking, listening to and receiving words of the world, instead of listening to and receiving the Spiritual things of God's Word of Truth. Paul says that "God will not allow His Words to be mocked or disdained." Jesus went to the home of Jairus (who was the ruler of the Synagogue) when his daughter died in Mark 5:38-40 (Amplified) which says that upon arriving at Jairus' home they saw a crowd and, "Jesus looked carefully and with understanding at the tumult and the people weeping and wailing loudly. And when He had gone in, He said to them, Why do you make an uproar and weep? The little girl is not dead but is sleeping. And they laughed and jeered at Him." The King James Version says, "And they laughed Him to scorn." Galatians 6:7 tells us that, "God will not allow Himself to be sneered at (scorned, disdained, or mocked)." God will honor His Word, even in the place where the unbelievers mock and scorn Him.
The Word tells us that, "What we sow is what we will reap." Jesus taught in "The Parable of the Sower," saying that words are seeds. God's Word is good seed, while the words of the world are sense-ruled or from an unrenewed mind. Both are spiritual seeds and will both produce a harvest. Galatians 6:8 (Amplified) says, "For he who sows to his own flesh (lower nature, sensuality) will from the flesh (or senses), reap decay and ruin and destruction, but he who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap Eternal Life."
Don't think that the words, "Eternal Life" apply only to going to Heaven. Jesus said that, "The Words I speak are Spirit and Life." The Words that come from God, pertain to our life on earth and our life in eternity.
Proverbs 18:21 (Amplified) says, "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." In Proverbs 4:20-22 (Amplified) God says, "My son, attend to My Words; consent and submit to My sayings. Let them not depart from your sight; keep them in the center of your heart. For they are Life to those who find them, healing and health to all their flesh."
Even the unbeliever's words are seeds, that are being sown. As new creation believers, we cannot allow ourselves to have the seeds of the world to be sown into our hearts and choke out the Good Seed of the Kingdom. We are to choose our words wisely and screen out the words of the world and satan. Jesus instructed us to "Tend and keep" the garden of our heart. The Holy Spirit must be the Filter, Who helps us screen out the world's way of thinking and doing. God will honor His Word, as we trust Him. Remember that God will not allow Himself to be scorned or mocked. When people mock the Words you're trusting in and they are God's Words, then He will not allow those Words to be scorned. We only have two choices about what words we follow and what words we say. We will either go the way of the world or the way of the Word. There are no other ways.
When you're mocked about the stand you take or what you say, remember that they scorned Jesus at Jairus' house, but God proved His Word and raised Jairus' daughter to Life. You can't expect the world or carnal minded Christians to understand it, when you make a stand. God, though, watches over His Word to perform it. We must allow the Holy Spirit to filter out the seeds (words) that constantly come at us, so that they don't choke out the Word of God.
The world doesn't understand our standing on God's Promises. We can't expect the world to know what we're talking about, but we must not water down our standards simply because they don't understand. Just because the world doesn't believe it, doesn't mean it isn't Truth. That's why Paul admonished us, "Don't be conformed or adapted to this world (age)."
The world is in darkness, without even a flashlight to light their path. Psalm 23 says that, "We are being led in paths of righteousness and restoration by Jesus, our Shepherd." Psalm 119:105, 130 (Amplified) says, "Your Word is a Lamp to my feet and a Light to my path." Verse 130 says, "The entrance and unfolding of your words give Light; their unfolding gives understand, discernment, and comprehension to the simple."
Thursday, May 17, 2018
Lesson 50 GRACE AND TRUTH-GOD'S WILL
John 1:16-17 (Amplified) says, "For out of His fullness (abundance), we have all received, all had a share and were all supplied with one Grace after another and Spiritual Blessing upon Spiritual Blessing and even favor upon favor and Gift heaped upon Gift. For while the Law was given through Moses, Grace (unearned, undeserved favor) and Spiritual Blessing and Truth came through Jesus Christ."
We have all received these things "out of His fullness (abundance)," and not from anything we've done. It was God's will and His desire, that these things were granted. Many feel like they're taking advantage of God, by walking in what He made available to us out of His fullness (abundance).
Walking in God's will is to believe, by faith, in His Grace and then accept it. This is Truth. Grace and Truth came to us by our faith in what God has done for us, through Jesus. We should rejoice in it and accept what God wants us to have. The people limited God in the Wilderness. This grieved God, because they wouldn't allow Him to move on their behalf or believe in His Goodness. They decided that God couldn't do what He said He would do.
We've limited Him by our own ideas of what He can or can't do for us, in our earthly lives. This is cutting short the Power and Grace of our Redemption in Christ Jesus. The only thing that stops God from doing what He has Promises us, is us. We've set our minds and hearts towards not believing in His ability to be the Almighty God. We've limited God to our own standards.
We've been taught and have learned that "God can no longer do certain things." Some brethren are even angered when hearing teaches about God's Promises of healing, tongues, speaking and leading us by the Holy Spirit and Spiritual Blessings. Differing denominations have been created, because some choose to take the limits off of God, allowing Him to be Who He says He is. If someone doesn't believe like we do, then that person is put out of the fellowship or that person seeks another fellowship that challenged their faith.
The world promotes the challenge of deeper learning in our schools, but the Church continues to do the opposite. We've learned the basics of counting to ten, but can't seem to grasp addition or subtraction. Counting to ten will allow us to function to a small degree and perhaps we can get by in the world by only knowing this, but there's so much more we could learn to make our lives better.
We've learned to have faith in God's Word for salvation and to the place of being with the Father when leaving this earth, but we haven't learned to have the Father's ability moving through us, while we're here on earth. The Very Same God Who gave Grace for the new birth, is the Very Same God Who will raise His children to adulthood. No parent will have a baby and expect that baby to raise itself.
We've reverted back to what we think God wants us to do, instead of allowing Him to raise us up into the Super-natural Image of Himself. You became a new creation, when you were born-again. Jesus said that we're "in this world, but not of this world." Our education about how to walk in Kingdom things, must come from the Kingdom. The world can't teach or raise us up into new creation beings, because the world doesn't even acknowledge that the Kingdom exists.
How can someone with no knowledge of the Kingdom, teach us how the Kingdom works? The Holy Spirit is the only One Who can teach us Spiritual things, by the Word, which is Truth. Anything outside of the Word, is not Kingdom Truth. When we allow the Holy Spirit to teach us Kingdom Truth, then that Truth will rule out over natural truth and bring deliverance to our lives and the lives of others.
We deal in what we call "facts," but Truth is greater than fact. History records the death of Jesus on Calvary, but Truth says He's not dead, but is alive and has ascended to the Father on our behalf. Truth outweighs fact, when it comes to the Word of God. We've walked in fact for so long, that Truth seems to be lost.
How many times have we been taught that "God no longer does certain things" or that "Not everyone can do certain things?" This is fact to some, but Truth says, "No one can do these things, it's the Father in us Who does the work." We've decided that only special people can do the works, but Jesus said "These signs will follow those who believe." Fact says, "some," but Truth says "ALL." The emphasis is not on man, but on believing in the Greater One within you.
Our faith has been based on what others have said and done, instead of what the Father has said and done. There are only two ways of doing anything on this planet. We will either operated by the Word or the world. These are the only two options we have, to make decisions. If we operated by the world, then we can only obtain what the world can supply. If we will operate by God's Word, then there are no limits to what God can supply. Galatians 6:7-8 (Amplified) says, "Do not be deceived and deluded and misled; God will not allow Himself to be sneered at (scorned, disdained or mocked) by mere pretensions or professions, or by His precepts being set aside. He inevitable deludes himself who attempts to delude God. For whatever a man sows, that and only that is what he will reap. For he who sows to his own flesh (lower nature, sensibility), will from the flesh reap decay and ruin and destruction, but he who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap Eternal Life."
The above scripture tells us that there are only two ways man can live by, on this earth. One way is by sowing to the flesh, which is the world's idea of life. The other way is to sow to the Spirit, which is God's way of Life. When we get saved and live by the standards of the senses (flesh), then we only know what the world knows and can only have what the world has. When we live by the Dictates of the Holy Spirit, then He will be our unlimited Source of Wisdom for this life and our eternal life in Heaven.
We can only reap what we sow. This is God's Word on it, but we also have His Word in Galatians 6:7 (Amplified) which tells us, "Do not be deceived and deluded and misled; God will not allow Himself to be sneered at (scorned, disdained, or mocked) by mere pretensions or professions or by His precepts being set aside." In other words, "Don't let someone tell you that what God said, He is not able to do. God will not be mocked, disdained or scorned. If God said He would do it, then He will prove His Word to all who tried mocking Him. Don't be deceived by those who are pretentious or say that God's precepts are set aside."
Paul tells us that these people aren't mocking you, but are mocking God and God won't allow Himself to be sneered at or scorned. Even though the world doesn't believe His Word, when we stand on God's Word without being pretentious, then God will honor His Word in the midst of the world's mocking. If we sow to the Spirit, then we will reap from the Spirit. If we allow ourselves to be deceived by those who try to mislead us, then we can only reap what the flesh or senses can deliver. These are our options and God allows us to choose. God will honor His Word, but He cannot and will not honor the world's ideas about Him. God will deliver us by Grace and He will honor Truth.
We have all received these things "out of His fullness (abundance)," and not from anything we've done. It was God's will and His desire, that these things were granted. Many feel like they're taking advantage of God, by walking in what He made available to us out of His fullness (abundance).
Walking in God's will is to believe, by faith, in His Grace and then accept it. This is Truth. Grace and Truth came to us by our faith in what God has done for us, through Jesus. We should rejoice in it and accept what God wants us to have. The people limited God in the Wilderness. This grieved God, because they wouldn't allow Him to move on their behalf or believe in His Goodness. They decided that God couldn't do what He said He would do.
We've limited Him by our own ideas of what He can or can't do for us, in our earthly lives. This is cutting short the Power and Grace of our Redemption in Christ Jesus. The only thing that stops God from doing what He has Promises us, is us. We've set our minds and hearts towards not believing in His ability to be the Almighty God. We've limited God to our own standards.
We've been taught and have learned that "God can no longer do certain things." Some brethren are even angered when hearing teaches about God's Promises of healing, tongues, speaking and leading us by the Holy Spirit and Spiritual Blessings. Differing denominations have been created, because some choose to take the limits off of God, allowing Him to be Who He says He is. If someone doesn't believe like we do, then that person is put out of the fellowship or that person seeks another fellowship that challenged their faith.
The world promotes the challenge of deeper learning in our schools, but the Church continues to do the opposite. We've learned the basics of counting to ten, but can't seem to grasp addition or subtraction. Counting to ten will allow us to function to a small degree and perhaps we can get by in the world by only knowing this, but there's so much more we could learn to make our lives better.
We've learned to have faith in God's Word for salvation and to the place of being with the Father when leaving this earth, but we haven't learned to have the Father's ability moving through us, while we're here on earth. The Very Same God Who gave Grace for the new birth, is the Very Same God Who will raise His children to adulthood. No parent will have a baby and expect that baby to raise itself.
We've reverted back to what we think God wants us to do, instead of allowing Him to raise us up into the Super-natural Image of Himself. You became a new creation, when you were born-again. Jesus said that we're "in this world, but not of this world." Our education about how to walk in Kingdom things, must come from the Kingdom. The world can't teach or raise us up into new creation beings, because the world doesn't even acknowledge that the Kingdom exists.
How can someone with no knowledge of the Kingdom, teach us how the Kingdom works? The Holy Spirit is the only One Who can teach us Spiritual things, by the Word, which is Truth. Anything outside of the Word, is not Kingdom Truth. When we allow the Holy Spirit to teach us Kingdom Truth, then that Truth will rule out over natural truth and bring deliverance to our lives and the lives of others.
We deal in what we call "facts," but Truth is greater than fact. History records the death of Jesus on Calvary, but Truth says He's not dead, but is alive and has ascended to the Father on our behalf. Truth outweighs fact, when it comes to the Word of God. We've walked in fact for so long, that Truth seems to be lost.
How many times have we been taught that "God no longer does certain things" or that "Not everyone can do certain things?" This is fact to some, but Truth says, "No one can do these things, it's the Father in us Who does the work." We've decided that only special people can do the works, but Jesus said "These signs will follow those who believe." Fact says, "some," but Truth says "ALL." The emphasis is not on man, but on believing in the Greater One within you.
Our faith has been based on what others have said and done, instead of what the Father has said and done. There are only two ways of doing anything on this planet. We will either operated by the Word or the world. These are the only two options we have, to make decisions. If we operated by the world, then we can only obtain what the world can supply. If we will operate by God's Word, then there are no limits to what God can supply. Galatians 6:7-8 (Amplified) says, "Do not be deceived and deluded and misled; God will not allow Himself to be sneered at (scorned, disdained or mocked) by mere pretensions or professions, or by His precepts being set aside. He inevitable deludes himself who attempts to delude God. For whatever a man sows, that and only that is what he will reap. For he who sows to his own flesh (lower nature, sensibility), will from the flesh reap decay and ruin and destruction, but he who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap Eternal Life."
The above scripture tells us that there are only two ways man can live by, on this earth. One way is by sowing to the flesh, which is the world's idea of life. The other way is to sow to the Spirit, which is God's way of Life. When we get saved and live by the standards of the senses (flesh), then we only know what the world knows and can only have what the world has. When we live by the Dictates of the Holy Spirit, then He will be our unlimited Source of Wisdom for this life and our eternal life in Heaven.
We can only reap what we sow. This is God's Word on it, but we also have His Word in Galatians 6:7 (Amplified) which tells us, "Do not be deceived and deluded and misled; God will not allow Himself to be sneered at (scorned, disdained, or mocked) by mere pretensions or professions or by His precepts being set aside." In other words, "Don't let someone tell you that what God said, He is not able to do. God will not be mocked, disdained or scorned. If God said He would do it, then He will prove His Word to all who tried mocking Him. Don't be deceived by those who are pretentious or say that God's precepts are set aside."
Paul tells us that these people aren't mocking you, but are mocking God and God won't allow Himself to be sneered at or scorned. Even though the world doesn't believe His Word, when we stand on God's Word without being pretentious, then God will honor His Word in the midst of the world's mocking. If we sow to the Spirit, then we will reap from the Spirit. If we allow ourselves to be deceived by those who try to mislead us, then we can only reap what the flesh or senses can deliver. These are our options and God allows us to choose. God will honor His Word, but He cannot and will not honor the world's ideas about Him. God will deliver us by Grace and He will honor Truth.
Wednesday, May 16, 2018
Lesson 49 GRACE AND TRUTH-GOD'S WILL
John 1:16-17 (Amplified) says, "For out of His fullness (abundance) we have all received, all had a share and were all supplied with one Grace after another and Spiritual Blessing upon Spiritual Blessing and even favor upon favor and Gift heaped upon Gift. For while the Law was given through Moses, Grace (unearned, undeserved favor) and Spiritual Blessing and Truth came through Jesus Christ."
2Corinthians 5:17 (Amplified) says, "Therefore, if any person is ingrafted in Christ Jesus (the Messiah), he is a new creation (a new creature altogether); the old (previous moral and spiritual condition) has passed away. Behold, the fresh and new has come."
We seem to have a problem accepting the Truth of these passages in our lives and continue seeing ourselves as sinners, who are unrighteous in God's eyes. In Romans 9:23-26,20-21 (Amplified) Paul writes, "And what if He thus purposes to make known and show the wealth of His Glory in dealing with the vessels (objects of His mercy which He prepared beforehand for Glory), even including ourselves whom He called, not only from among the Jews but also from the Gentiles (heathens)? Just as He said in Hosea, Those who were not My people I will call My people, and her who was not beloved I will call My beloved. And it shall be that in the very place where it was said to them; You are not My people, they shall be called sons of the Living God."
Paul writes about the Jews, Gentiles and the Potter in Verse 21, saying, "Has the Potter no right over the clay, to make out of the same mass (lump) one vessel for beauty and distinction and honorable use, and another for menial or ignoble and dishonorable use?" Some have taken this scripture to describe "bad" people, saying that "God deliberately made them for destruction." The real intent of this scripture, speaks about how the Potter created the new creation people from clay that was "of no use." These were the Gentiles who were outside the covenant. The Potter (God) took this ignoble and dishonorable clay, which was of no use to Him, and formed them into "sons of the Living God," like Verse 26 says.
We are that clay and have no right to tell the Potter, "We are unrighteous, unworthy and are still sinners," when He determines who He has made us to be. Verse 20 says, "But who are you, a mere man, to criticize and contradict and answer back to God? Will what is formed say to Him that formed it, Why have You made me thus?"
Will the new creation people, who are made sons and daughters of God, say to the One Who made us, "You created us incorrectly and incomplete?" We are what we are in Christ Jesus, by the design of the Potter. If God made us new creation beings, who are righteous and holy in Christ, then why do we strive against the Potter, as though He had no authority to make us thus? It was the Potter's will and Purpose, to make the vessels who were of no use to Him (us, the Gentiles) honorable vessels. We must not contradict what the Potter has made, but should rejoice in His mercy and honor Him for what He has done in us.
Our carnal minds keep us from believing that what God has done in Jesus is complete and that He has made us honorable vessels that actually contain and hold the Precious Holy Spirit. 1Corinthians 7:19 (Amplified) tells us, "Do you not know that your body is the temple (the very Sanctuary) of the Holy Spirit Who lives within you, Whom you have received as a Gift from God? You are not your own."
The Potter taken vessels that were useless to Him and made them into containers that hold His Glory and Presence. God is the Potter and He takes the discarded clay, places it back onto the wheel and forms it into vessels, "As He chooses." He formed us into new creation and we're still what He made us to be, even if we deny what He's formed us to be.
Many act like we're still ignoble, useless or broken pottery to God, but this isn't true. We were made righteous and holy, at the Potter's discretion and not our own discretion. The clay can't ask the Potter, "What do You think You're doing?" No, the vessel is what the Potter formed it to be. He is the Potter and we're the clay. In Christ Jesus, we are new creations that the Potter has made from dishonorable clay.
We've failed to walk in the fullness of what He's made us to be, because of our own carnal thinking and remembering what we used to be. We still see ourselves as who we once were, instead of seeing ourselves like He formed us to be. We still try walking under the Law, as carnal, unspiritual and unsaved people, instead of rejoicing in our new creation citizenship and son-ship rights with our Heavenly Father.
This was done by God's will and as His children, we should rejoice and fulfill His will in our lives. Paul writes about this in Romans 12:2 (Amplified) saying, "Do not be conformed to this world (this age), fashioned after and adapted to its external, superficial customs, but be transformed (changed) by the entire renewal of your mind, by its attitude and ideals, so that you may prove for yourselves what is the Good and acceptable and perfect will of God; even the thing which is Good and acceptable and perfect in His sight for you."
God made you a new creature altogether and this is His perfect will for you. When we argue with the Potter, saying that we're not what He formed us to be, then it's difficult for us to be the vessels of honor and hold the Glory in His House. We're the "good China" and the "good crystal" that adorns the Master's table, in His House. And, we're the ones who are called to "Come and dine" at His request.
We must receive what the Potter has made us to be and believe that God made us new creations in Christ Jesus. He placed the unusable clay, placed it on the Potter's wheel and formed us into what He wanted us to be. This is Grace and Truth.
2Corinthians 5:17 (Amplified) says, "Therefore, if any person is ingrafted in Christ Jesus (the Messiah), he is a new creation (a new creature altogether); the old (previous moral and spiritual condition) has passed away. Behold, the fresh and new has come."
We seem to have a problem accepting the Truth of these passages in our lives and continue seeing ourselves as sinners, who are unrighteous in God's eyes. In Romans 9:23-26,20-21 (Amplified) Paul writes, "And what if He thus purposes to make known and show the wealth of His Glory in dealing with the vessels (objects of His mercy which He prepared beforehand for Glory), even including ourselves whom He called, not only from among the Jews but also from the Gentiles (heathens)? Just as He said in Hosea, Those who were not My people I will call My people, and her who was not beloved I will call My beloved. And it shall be that in the very place where it was said to them; You are not My people, they shall be called sons of the Living God."
Paul writes about the Jews, Gentiles and the Potter in Verse 21, saying, "Has the Potter no right over the clay, to make out of the same mass (lump) one vessel for beauty and distinction and honorable use, and another for menial or ignoble and dishonorable use?" Some have taken this scripture to describe "bad" people, saying that "God deliberately made them for destruction." The real intent of this scripture, speaks about how the Potter created the new creation people from clay that was "of no use." These were the Gentiles who were outside the covenant. The Potter (God) took this ignoble and dishonorable clay, which was of no use to Him, and formed them into "sons of the Living God," like Verse 26 says.
We are that clay and have no right to tell the Potter, "We are unrighteous, unworthy and are still sinners," when He determines who He has made us to be. Verse 20 says, "But who are you, a mere man, to criticize and contradict and answer back to God? Will what is formed say to Him that formed it, Why have You made me thus?"
Will the new creation people, who are made sons and daughters of God, say to the One Who made us, "You created us incorrectly and incomplete?" We are what we are in Christ Jesus, by the design of the Potter. If God made us new creation beings, who are righteous and holy in Christ, then why do we strive against the Potter, as though He had no authority to make us thus? It was the Potter's will and Purpose, to make the vessels who were of no use to Him (us, the Gentiles) honorable vessels. We must not contradict what the Potter has made, but should rejoice in His mercy and honor Him for what He has done in us.
Our carnal minds keep us from believing that what God has done in Jesus is complete and that He has made us honorable vessels that actually contain and hold the Precious Holy Spirit. 1Corinthians 7:19 (Amplified) tells us, "Do you not know that your body is the temple (the very Sanctuary) of the Holy Spirit Who lives within you, Whom you have received as a Gift from God? You are not your own."
The Potter taken vessels that were useless to Him and made them into containers that hold His Glory and Presence. God is the Potter and He takes the discarded clay, places it back onto the wheel and forms it into vessels, "As He chooses." He formed us into new creation and we're still what He made us to be, even if we deny what He's formed us to be.
Many act like we're still ignoble, useless or broken pottery to God, but this isn't true. We were made righteous and holy, at the Potter's discretion and not our own discretion. The clay can't ask the Potter, "What do You think You're doing?" No, the vessel is what the Potter formed it to be. He is the Potter and we're the clay. In Christ Jesus, we are new creations that the Potter has made from dishonorable clay.
We've failed to walk in the fullness of what He's made us to be, because of our own carnal thinking and remembering what we used to be. We still see ourselves as who we once were, instead of seeing ourselves like He formed us to be. We still try walking under the Law, as carnal, unspiritual and unsaved people, instead of rejoicing in our new creation citizenship and son-ship rights with our Heavenly Father.
This was done by God's will and as His children, we should rejoice and fulfill His will in our lives. Paul writes about this in Romans 12:2 (Amplified) saying, "Do not be conformed to this world (this age), fashioned after and adapted to its external, superficial customs, but be transformed (changed) by the entire renewal of your mind, by its attitude and ideals, so that you may prove for yourselves what is the Good and acceptable and perfect will of God; even the thing which is Good and acceptable and perfect in His sight for you."
God made you a new creature altogether and this is His perfect will for you. When we argue with the Potter, saying that we're not what He formed us to be, then it's difficult for us to be the vessels of honor and hold the Glory in His House. We're the "good China" and the "good crystal" that adorns the Master's table, in His House. And, we're the ones who are called to "Come and dine" at His request.
We must receive what the Potter has made us to be and believe that God made us new creations in Christ Jesus. He placed the unusable clay, placed it on the Potter's wheel and formed us into what He wanted us to be. This is Grace and Truth.
Tuesday, May 15, 2018
Lesson 48 GRACE AND TRUTH-GOD'S WILL
John 1:16-17 (Amplified) says, "For out of His fullness (abundance) we have all received, all had a share and were all supplied with, one Grace after another and Spiritual Blessing upon Spiritual Blessing and even favor upon favor and Gift heaped upon Gift. For while the Law was given through Moses, Grace (unearned, undeserved favor) and Spiritual Blessing and Truth came through Jesus Christ."
As the new creation family of God, we have access to Truth, which was never revealed to the old covenant people. Psalm 91:1 (Amplified) says, "He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High, shall remain stable and fixed under the shadow of the Almighty, Whose Power no one can withstand." We see a portion of this Secret Place or Mystery in Ephesians 3:2-6 (Amplified) where Paul writes, "Assuming that you have heard of the stewardship of God's Grace (His unmerited favor), that was entrusted to me to dispense to you, for your benefit. And that the mystery (secret) was made known to me and I was allowed to comprehend it by direct Revelation, as I already briefly wrote you. When you read this you can understand my insight into the Mystery of Christ This Mystery was never disclosed to human beings in past generations as it has now been revealed to His holy apostles, consecrated messengers and prophets by the Holy Spirit. It is this, that the Gentiles are now to be fellow heirs with the Jews, members of the same Body and joint partakers (sharing the same Divine Promise in Christ) through their acceptance of glad tidings (the Gospel)."
Colossi ans 1:26-27 (Amplified) says, "The Mystery of which was hidden for ages and generations, from angels and men, but is now revealed to His holy people (saints) To Whom God was pleased to make known how great for the Gentiles are the riches of the Glory of this Mystery, which is Christ within and among you, the Hope of realizing the Glory."
1Corinthians 1:30 (Amplified) says, "But it is from Him that you have your Life in Christ Jesus, Whom God has made our Wisdom from God, revealed to us a knowledge of the Divine Plan of salvation previously hidden, manifesting itself as our Righteousness, thus making us upright and putting us in right standing with God and our Consecration (making us pure and holy), and our Redemption (providing our Ransom from eternal penalty for sin)."
Jesus is the Secret Place of the Most High God! He is the Secret or Mystery, hidden in God from the foundations of the world. Being Christians, we are hidden in Him and qualify for the Promises of Psalm 91. We have a part to play in these Promises, because of what we acknowledge and confess unto the Father. Many don't realize this is where our protection lies and where our understanding of this Secret or Mystery holds for us.
The Power of protection and Blessing, was actually laid up for us, as God's family. No one could abide in the Secret Place, until Jesus came and opened the Door in Himself. We can now abide in His Very Name and His Spirit. He is our Place of abode and can dwell in us. While reading the 91st Psalm as a believer, remember and acknowledge the Truth that you dwell in this Secret Place.
We can't allow the Truth of this scripture to elude us. Without Truth, these are merely words we read in a book. The Truth of salvation was already here and was already Truth, but until we received it as Truth, it never changed anything in our lives. Our not receiving it as "Truth," doesn't mean it wasn't "Truth." The same is true for all God's Promises found in His Word. It's all Truth, but it won't work in your life, until you receive it as being "Truth."
This is why some people receive from the Promises and some don't. It's Truth to those who believe and is only "a truth," to others. They will confess that, "The Bible is True," but then not see the Truth of it working in their lives. This is a simple fact of believing Truth and not just confessing, "It is true." When you believe it as Truth, then you can act upon it, without worrying whether or not it will work in your life.
We've invented excuses for why it doesn't work, but they're just covering up our not believing. Jesus said that, "All things are possible to him who believes." This is Truth and anything that contradicts this Truth, is unbelief. I'm writing this to encourage you to believe beyond what you're now able to enjoy in Jesus. Even those who walked with Jesus during His earthly ministry, had difficulty believing some things He did in their sight.
Don't stop at where you are, but continue in your faith, starting at believing Psalm 91. Believe you're abiding in God's Secret Place and are hidden with Him in Christ Jesus. Speak it to yourself, speak it unto the Father, speak it to Jesus, saying "You are my Secret Place and I am safe in You, from all evil."
Let the devil know that you are safe in Jesus, because He is your Secret Place and protects you from anything satan comes against you with. Let the enemy know that angels are always at work on your behalf, because you are in Christ Jesus and He is in you. This is one of the Promises that we've inherited through salvation. Jesus is our Secret Place. He is our High Tower and Fortress and we gather in Him for protection.
In Proverbs 22:17-19, 20-21 (Amplified) God tells us, "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 your mind, believing them, your lips will be accustomed to confessing them So that your trust (belief, reliance, support and confidence) may be in the Lord. I have made known these things to you today, even to you." Verses 20-21 continue, "Have I not written to you long ago excellent things in counsels and knowledge To make you know the certainty of the Words of Truth, that you may give a true answer to those who sent you."
Psalm 91:2-4 (Amplified) says, "I will say of the Lord, You are my Refuge and my Fortress, my God, on You I lean and rely and in You I confidently trust. For then, He will deliver you from the snare of the fowler and from the deadly pestilence For then, He will cover you with His pinions, and under His wings shall you trust and find refuse. His Truth and His faithfulness are a shield and a buckler."
God will acknowledge what you say, so confess it until your mouth and mind become accustomed to saying it. Say it, until you believe it. God already believes it and He's waiting for you to believe. Ask yourself whether or not you truly believe the above scripture or if you're just acknowledging it as mere words. Do like Proverbs 22 instructs and confess it until it becomes Revelation that brings trust and belief. THIS THEN, is TRUTH.
As the new creation family of God, we have access to Truth, which was never revealed to the old covenant people. Psalm 91:1 (Amplified) says, "He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High, shall remain stable and fixed under the shadow of the Almighty, Whose Power no one can withstand." We see a portion of this Secret Place or Mystery in Ephesians 3:2-6 (Amplified) where Paul writes, "Assuming that you have heard of the stewardship of God's Grace (His unmerited favor), that was entrusted to me to dispense to you, for your benefit. And that the mystery (secret) was made known to me and I was allowed to comprehend it by direct Revelation, as I already briefly wrote you. When you read this you can understand my insight into the Mystery of Christ This Mystery was never disclosed to human beings in past generations as it has now been revealed to His holy apostles, consecrated messengers and prophets by the Holy Spirit. It is this, that the Gentiles are now to be fellow heirs with the Jews, members of the same Body and joint partakers (sharing the same Divine Promise in Christ) through their acceptance of glad tidings (the Gospel)."
Colossi ans 1:26-27 (Amplified) says, "The Mystery of which was hidden for ages and generations, from angels and men, but is now revealed to His holy people (saints) To Whom God was pleased to make known how great for the Gentiles are the riches of the Glory of this Mystery, which is Christ within and among you, the Hope of realizing the Glory."
1Corinthians 1:30 (Amplified) says, "But it is from Him that you have your Life in Christ Jesus, Whom God has made our Wisdom from God, revealed to us a knowledge of the Divine Plan of salvation previously hidden, manifesting itself as our Righteousness, thus making us upright and putting us in right standing with God and our Consecration (making us pure and holy), and our Redemption (providing our Ransom from eternal penalty for sin)."
Jesus is the Secret Place of the Most High God! He is the Secret or Mystery, hidden in God from the foundations of the world. Being Christians, we are hidden in Him and qualify for the Promises of Psalm 91. We have a part to play in these Promises, because of what we acknowledge and confess unto the Father. Many don't realize this is where our protection lies and where our understanding of this Secret or Mystery holds for us.
The Power of protection and Blessing, was actually laid up for us, as God's family. No one could abide in the Secret Place, until Jesus came and opened the Door in Himself. We can now abide in His Very Name and His Spirit. He is our Place of abode and can dwell in us. While reading the 91st Psalm as a believer, remember and acknowledge the Truth that you dwell in this Secret Place.
We can't allow the Truth of this scripture to elude us. Without Truth, these are merely words we read in a book. The Truth of salvation was already here and was already Truth, but until we received it as Truth, it never changed anything in our lives. Our not receiving it as "Truth," doesn't mean it wasn't "Truth." The same is true for all God's Promises found in His Word. It's all Truth, but it won't work in your life, until you receive it as being "Truth."
This is why some people receive from the Promises and some don't. It's Truth to those who believe and is only "a truth," to others. They will confess that, "The Bible is True," but then not see the Truth of it working in their lives. This is a simple fact of believing Truth and not just confessing, "It is true." When you believe it as Truth, then you can act upon it, without worrying whether or not it will work in your life.
We've invented excuses for why it doesn't work, but they're just covering up our not believing. Jesus said that, "All things are possible to him who believes." This is Truth and anything that contradicts this Truth, is unbelief. I'm writing this to encourage you to believe beyond what you're now able to enjoy in Jesus. Even those who walked with Jesus during His earthly ministry, had difficulty believing some things He did in their sight.
Don't stop at where you are, but continue in your faith, starting at believing Psalm 91. Believe you're abiding in God's Secret Place and are hidden with Him in Christ Jesus. Speak it to yourself, speak it unto the Father, speak it to Jesus, saying "You are my Secret Place and I am safe in You, from all evil."
Let the devil know that you are safe in Jesus, because He is your Secret Place and protects you from anything satan comes against you with. Let the enemy know that angels are always at work on your behalf, because you are in Christ Jesus and He is in you. This is one of the Promises that we've inherited through salvation. Jesus is our Secret Place. He is our High Tower and Fortress and we gather in Him for protection.
In Proverbs 22:17-19, 20-21 (Amplified) God tells us, "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 your mind, believing them, your lips will be accustomed to confessing them So that your trust (belief, reliance, support and confidence) may be in the Lord. I have made known these things to you today, even to you." Verses 20-21 continue, "Have I not written to you long ago excellent things in counsels and knowledge To make you know the certainty of the Words of Truth, that you may give a true answer to those who sent you."
Psalm 91:2-4 (Amplified) says, "I will say of the Lord, You are my Refuge and my Fortress, my God, on You I lean and rely and in You I confidently trust. For then, He will deliver you from the snare of the fowler and from the deadly pestilence For then, He will cover you with His pinions, and under His wings shall you trust and find refuse. His Truth and His faithfulness are a shield and a buckler."
God will acknowledge what you say, so confess it until your mouth and mind become accustomed to saying it. Say it, until you believe it. God already believes it and He's waiting for you to believe. Ask yourself whether or not you truly believe the above scripture or if you're just acknowledging it as mere words. Do like Proverbs 22 instructs and confess it until it becomes Revelation that brings trust and belief. THIS THEN, is TRUTH.
Friday, May 11, 2018
Lesson 47 GRACE AND TRUTH-GOD'S WILL
John 1:16-17 (Amplified) says, "For out of His fullness (abundance), we have all received, all had a share and were all supplied with one Grace after another and Spiritual Blessing upon Spiritual Blessing and even favor upon favor and Gift heaped upon Gift. For while the Law was given through Moses, Grace (unearned, undeserved favor) and Spiritual Blessing and Truth came through Jesus Christ."
In John 6:39-40 (Amplified), Jesus said, "And this is the will of Him Who sent Me, that I should not lose any of all that He has given Me, but that I should give new Life and raise them all up at the last day For this is My Father's will and His purpose, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in and cleaves to and trusts in and relies on Him should have eternal Life, and I will raise him up from the dead at the last days."
When you receive Jesus as your Lord and Savior, you've entered into the will and purpose of God. You've come to a place, where you're in what Paul calls, "The Good will of God," in Romans 12:2. We find the Good will of God, in James 1:17-18 (Amplified) which says, "Every Good Gift and every Perfect, free, large, full Gift is from above; it comes down from the Father of all that gives Light in the shining of Whom there can be no variation, rising or setting or shadow cast by His turning, as in an eclipse. And it was out of His Own free will that He gave us birth as sons by His Word of Truth, so that we should be a kind of first fruits of His creatures, as sample of what He created to be consecrated to Himself."
When we enter into Jesus, we enter into God's Good will and His purpose. The word "good," from the original Greek, according to The Strong's Concordance #18 means, "Benefit, good, goods, good thing, well." By faith in Jesus, you've entered into the Good will of God, as His child. You are a good thing, beneficial and well with the Father. When you first are saved, you're a baby Christian and don't know the Father, His purpose and will for you is, until you grow into the knowledge of Him.
Then we enter into what Paul calls "the acceptable will of God," in Romans 12:2 (Amplified). Paul writes about increasing the knowledge and purpose of God's will in our lives, saying it's "good and acceptable." The Strong's Concordance #2101 says this means, "Acceptable, fully agreeable, well pleasing, accepted." This is a place of growth and maturing in wisdom and understanding, as a new creation child of God.
Paul also writes about the "perfect will of God," in the above scripture. The word "perfect," according to The Strong's Concordance # 5046 means, "Complete, completeness, of full age, man, labor, growth, mental and moral character, and mature." These things are God's will and come from renewing our minds by the Word and the Holy Spirit. When we renew our minds by the Word and the Holy Spirit, then we can prove what's is God's will for ourselves and to work through us. We must choose whether or not we will mature and progress from being a child to an adult. The choice is ours to make.
The Lord has instructed me to write about these things, so our eyes might be opened to His True will, for our lives. We've been so divided and confused about whether certain things "are God's will." Paul says that if we allow the Holy Spirit and God's Word to renew our minds, then we can prove for ourselves, what God's will is.
As you grow up into adulthood in your faith, you can know how to grow from the good will of God, to the acceptable will of God. You can grown into the perfect or mature child of God and prove for yourself or you can remain a baby in Christ, according to 1Peter 2:2,5 (Amplified) which says, "Like newborn babies you should crave, thirst for, earnestly desire, the pure, unadulterated Spiritual milk (the Word) that by it you may be nurtured and grow into completed salvation."
Peter continues about learning and growing in the will and knowledge of the Lord in Verse 5, saying, "Come, and like living stones, be yourselves built into a Spiritual house, for a holy, dedicated, consecrated, priesthood, to offer up those spiritual sacrifices that are acceptable and pleasing to God through Jesus Christ."
We can remain in God's will without growth in our Christianity, but we might not be in a place to do His purpose. All baby Christians are in God's will, but baby Christians have much growing to do, before fulfilling His purpose. Ephesians 4:11-15 tells us that "Jesus placed the five-fold ministry for the perfecting and equipping of the saints to do the work of ministering toward building up the Church."
Not everyone in the Church, is of the same age (if you will). Some were just born-again this very day, while some were born-again years ago. Every child of God, is in the will of God, by being born-again. But, they're not yet able to perform the purpose of God in and to the world, because they haven't been taught and renewed their minds by His Word yet.
Jesus has placed people in the Body of Christ, to bring these children into the perfect will of God. This is a place where we are complete, of full age, adulthood, grown into a new mental and moral character and mature. This is when we have grown into a place of knowing and walking in God's perfect will and purpose for our lives. Paul says, we can prove for ourselves, what is this "perfect" will of God.
Some churches and fellowships are made up of babes in Christ, than other churches. This doesn't mean that some aren't getting people saved, but they haven't grown up enough to received the meat, instead of the milk. Most first graders aren't able to attend college courses, because they're not ready to receive it yet. This is true in the Church too. There's a process of growth, where we grow from babes in Christs to being mature Christians. Our Heavenly Father allows us to choose. We can still be in His will, but not so much in His purpose. Only yielding to His call in wisdom and understanding, can promote us into a vessel to be used of the Master.
In John 6:39-40 (Amplified), Jesus said, "And this is the will of Him Who sent Me, that I should not lose any of all that He has given Me, but that I should give new Life and raise them all up at the last day For this is My Father's will and His purpose, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in and cleaves to and trusts in and relies on Him should have eternal Life, and I will raise him up from the dead at the last days."
When you receive Jesus as your Lord and Savior, you've entered into the will and purpose of God. You've come to a place, where you're in what Paul calls, "The Good will of God," in Romans 12:2. We find the Good will of God, in James 1:17-18 (Amplified) which says, "Every Good Gift and every Perfect, free, large, full Gift is from above; it comes down from the Father of all that gives Light in the shining of Whom there can be no variation, rising or setting or shadow cast by His turning, as in an eclipse. And it was out of His Own free will that He gave us birth as sons by His Word of Truth, so that we should be a kind of first fruits of His creatures, as sample of what He created to be consecrated to Himself."
When we enter into Jesus, we enter into God's Good will and His purpose. The word "good," from the original Greek, according to The Strong's Concordance #18 means, "Benefit, good, goods, good thing, well." By faith in Jesus, you've entered into the Good will of God, as His child. You are a good thing, beneficial and well with the Father. When you first are saved, you're a baby Christian and don't know the Father, His purpose and will for you is, until you grow into the knowledge of Him.
Then we enter into what Paul calls "the acceptable will of God," in Romans 12:2 (Amplified). Paul writes about increasing the knowledge and purpose of God's will in our lives, saying it's "good and acceptable." The Strong's Concordance #2101 says this means, "Acceptable, fully agreeable, well pleasing, accepted." This is a place of growth and maturing in wisdom and understanding, as a new creation child of God.
Paul also writes about the "perfect will of God," in the above scripture. The word "perfect," according to The Strong's Concordance # 5046 means, "Complete, completeness, of full age, man, labor, growth, mental and moral character, and mature." These things are God's will and come from renewing our minds by the Word and the Holy Spirit. When we renew our minds by the Word and the Holy Spirit, then we can prove what's is God's will for ourselves and to work through us. We must choose whether or not we will mature and progress from being a child to an adult. The choice is ours to make.
The Lord has instructed me to write about these things, so our eyes might be opened to His True will, for our lives. We've been so divided and confused about whether certain things "are God's will." Paul says that if we allow the Holy Spirit and God's Word to renew our minds, then we can prove for ourselves, what God's will is.
As you grow up into adulthood in your faith, you can know how to grow from the good will of God, to the acceptable will of God. You can grown into the perfect or mature child of God and prove for yourself or you can remain a baby in Christ, according to 1Peter 2:2,5 (Amplified) which says, "Like newborn babies you should crave, thirst for, earnestly desire, the pure, unadulterated Spiritual milk (the Word) that by it you may be nurtured and grow into completed salvation."
Peter continues about learning and growing in the will and knowledge of the Lord in Verse 5, saying, "Come, and like living stones, be yourselves built into a Spiritual house, for a holy, dedicated, consecrated, priesthood, to offer up those spiritual sacrifices that are acceptable and pleasing to God through Jesus Christ."
We can remain in God's will without growth in our Christianity, but we might not be in a place to do His purpose. All baby Christians are in God's will, but baby Christians have much growing to do, before fulfilling His purpose. Ephesians 4:11-15 tells us that "Jesus placed the five-fold ministry for the perfecting and equipping of the saints to do the work of ministering toward building up the Church."
Not everyone in the Church, is of the same age (if you will). Some were just born-again this very day, while some were born-again years ago. Every child of God, is in the will of God, by being born-again. But, they're not yet able to perform the purpose of God in and to the world, because they haven't been taught and renewed their minds by His Word yet.
Jesus has placed people in the Body of Christ, to bring these children into the perfect will of God. This is a place where we are complete, of full age, adulthood, grown into a new mental and moral character and mature. This is when we have grown into a place of knowing and walking in God's perfect will and purpose for our lives. Paul says, we can prove for ourselves, what is this "perfect" will of God.
Some churches and fellowships are made up of babes in Christ, than other churches. This doesn't mean that some aren't getting people saved, but they haven't grown up enough to received the meat, instead of the milk. Most first graders aren't able to attend college courses, because they're not ready to receive it yet. This is true in the Church too. There's a process of growth, where we grow from babes in Christs to being mature Christians. Our Heavenly Father allows us to choose. We can still be in His will, but not so much in His purpose. Only yielding to His call in wisdom and understanding, can promote us into a vessel to be used of the Master.
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