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 favor upon favor and even 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."
Much of our understanding of God's Promises and Word, has come from a natural, carnal way of thinking and a worldly view. Many believe that God's Promises are "only for when we go to Heaven, when we die." The Truth though is, when Jesus rose from the dead and ascended to the Father, He released the Spirit of God, allowing Him to come into our earthly lives. Through the Holy Spirit's coming, came the Spiritual Blessings and all the Kingdom life, for us to live here on earth.
We've been filled with God Himself and all of His Blessings are now available to us, in order for us to bring His will and favor to pass on this earth. The warfare we're involved in here, isn't so much on our behalf. We're fighting on behalf of the world and to set the captives free. We've spent too much time focusing on our own selves and life, instead of doing what we've been anointed to do. Jesus never spent much time focusing on His Own life, but He used His life and time on behalf of others.
Paul says in Ephesians 6:12 (Amplified), "For we are not wrestling with flesh and blood (contending only with physical opponents), but against the despotisms, against the powers, against (the master spirits who are) the world rulers of this present darkness, against the spirit forces of wickedness in the heavenly (supernatural) sphere." We have yet to understand that God's Promises have already been granted to us, for our own Christian walk and for the destruction of the oppression the enemy has placed on others. When we understand this, then we can appropriate them by faith, and use them in our lives.
We've been deceived, just like Eve was in the Garden of Eden. She was deceived into believing that God was holding out on her. The serpent convinced Eve that if she ate of the tree God forbid her to eat from, then she would become like God. The Truth is though, that Eve was already like God and made in His Image and Likeness. The serpent (the devil) tells today's Church that, "If you do your best, then you'll be like God when you get to Heaven." 1John 3:2 (Amplified) says, "Beloved, we are even here and now God's children; it is not yet disclosed, made clear what we shall be hereafter, but we know that when He comes and is manifested, we shall, as God's children, resemble and be like Him, for we shall see Him just as He really is."
The above scripture tells us that our physical body will be changed into a glorified body. Our spirit man will remain the same, because that is the part of us that is like the Father. The natural man (our physical bodies) will be as Jesus is now, in His place with the Father. During His earthly ministry, Jesus and the Father were One. His Spirit and God's Spirit were so entwined, that they were One and we're the same way.
Jesus still had a Body, after He rose from the dead, but He could walk through the walls. Jesus simply ascended into Heaven, in a Body that was glorified and His Spirit was the same. Everything Jesus did, He did for us. All the power and authority Jesus had on this earth, He now has bequeathed (delegated, imparted) to us. The part of you that is like Him, is your new creation spirit man that was made in God's Image and Likeness.
When God is revealed to all the world in all His power and Glory, He will do it through His Body, which is the Church. God was always God, but when He revealed Himself to the world, He did so through a Man, Who was Jesus Christ. We are now the Body of Christ and He will show Himself once again through man, so that the world may believe. The Spiritual Blessing that came upon us through Jesus, is the same Spiritual Blessing that was on Jesus. This is the Promise that God made to and through Abraham, to the Seed. This wasn't the natural seed of Abraham, but the Spiritual Seed, Who is Jesus.
The Blessing of the Holy Spirit has already come to those who will believe and accept it in our lives today. This is no longer just a "Promise," but it's a fact and Truth, to those who are born-again. When we were born from above, we became like Jesus and the Promise was already fulfilled in you. The fulfillment of further Promises is yet to come when Jesus returns, but for now, we've been born of that Promise of the Holy Spirit.
One of the Promises that is yet to come, can be found in 1John 3:2 (Amplified), where we will be transfigured into the glorified body, like Jesus is. The only thing that is unlike Jesus now for us, is our natural body and a completely renewed mind. We still think like natural men and women, we still speak as natural men and women and we still conduct our lives as such. We believe that God is God, but we continue acting like He's only in Heaven, instead of living inside us, just like He was in Jesus. We must renew our minds, in order to think God's thoughts and follow after His Holy Spirit, Who is living inside us now. God never thinks or asks, "What if this doesn't work?"
We read in Isaiah 55:8-11 (Amplified), "For My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways, says the Lord. For as the Heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways and My thoughts higher than your thoughts. For as the rain and snow come down from the heavens and return not there again, but water the earth and make it bring forth and sprout, that it may give seed to the sower and bread to the eater So shall My Word be that goes forth out of My mouth; it shall not return to Me void, without producing any effect (useless), but it shall accomplish that which I please and purpose, and it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it."
We've been reluctant to "return God's Word unto Him," even accepting the accomplishment of being made righteous in Christ Jesus. We feel like it's walking in humility, but it is really speaking against His purpose and His will. If God says that we've "been made the Righteousness of God in Christ Jesus," then who are we to disagree? God's Word has brought us into right standing or righteousness with Him and it has accomplished what it was sent forth to do. We are righteous in God's eyes, because of Jesus and not because of ourselves. This is Grace fulfilled and God's Own Promise, so we must not down-play what He has done. We must accept it and praise Him and walk upright before Him in it.
We won't become righteous, when we get to Heaven. If you're not righteous, then you won't get there. This righteousness is given, so we can have God's Promises fulfilled on this earth. It's only those who are in right standing with Him, who have the privilege of being restored into the right to stand before Him. This is truly what righteousness means. Through Jesus, we've been given the right to come into His Presence as pure, holy, righteous and children of God. We've been restored and redeemed back into a place like Adam was before his fall and as Jesus was in His ministry. Through Jesus, we now have the right to come boldly before God's Throne of Grace.
Don't waste this fulfilled Promise, thinking it's only for when we leave this earth. Use this Spiritual Blessing in order to walk with Him in complete fellowship and son-ship rights, while you're on this earth. If this was only about going to Heaven, then God would have simply taken us to Heaven when we became born-again. Through us, we're to bring God to earth and then He'll receive us into Heaven, when our earthly time has been well used.
Wednesday, January 30, 2019
Tuesday, January 29, 2019
Lesson 145 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."
All of God's Promises were granted to you as an inheritance, when you were born-again. We became heirs of God and fellow heirs with Jesus, at our new birth. Most of these Promises have remained unused in our Christian walk, because we've lack any understanding about them. God's Promises aren't conditional and don't depend upon rituals or works, for His family. Paul writes in 2Corinthians 1:19-20 (Amplified), "For the Son of God, Christ Jesus (the Messiah), Who has been preached among you by us (by myself, Silvanus, and Timothy), was not Yes and no, but in Him is always the Divine Yes. For as many as are the Promises of God, they all find their Yes answer in Him, Christ. For this reason we also utter the Amen (So be it), to God through Him, in His Person, and by His Agency, to the Glory of God."
Notice how the above scripture tells us that it brings Glory to God, when we accept His Promises and say Amen to them. When we deny or refuse His Promises, then our faith is removed from receiving them and God doesn't receive Glory. We must return to the old covenant and find the Promises that were reserved for the new covenant family of God. We've somehow forgotten them and have patterned ourselves after the Law, instead of family.
Galatians 3:16-18 (Amplified) says, "Now the Promises (covenants, agreements), were decreed and made to Abraham and his Seed (his Offspring, his Heir)." God doesn't say, "and to his Seeds, descendants or Heirs" as if referring to many persons, but He says, "his Seed, his Descendant, his Heir," which is singular and obviously refers to One Person, Who is None Other than Jesus Christ. Verses 17-18 go on, "This is my argument; the Law, which began 430 years after the covenant concerning the coming Messiah, does not and cannot annul the covenant previously established (ratified), by God, so as to abolish the Promise and make it void. For if the inheritance of the Promise depends on observing the Law, as these false teachers would like you to believe, it no longer depends on the Promise; however, God gave it to Abraham as a free Gift solely by virtue of His Promise."
We've been trying to "deserve" the fullness of His Promise, through works, rules and regulations of religion. If we could earn His Promise, then Grace wouldn't be needed and we would still under Law. Paul writes through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit in Galatians 5:4 (Amplified), "If you seek to be justified and declared righteous and to be given a right standing with God through the Law, you are brought to nothing and so separated (severed) from Christ. You have fallen away from Grace (from God's favor and unmerited Blessing)."
Romans 4:15-16 (Amplified) says, "For the Law results in Divine wrath, but where there is no Law there is no transgression of i either. Therefore, inheriting the Promise is the outcome of faith and depends entirely on faith, in order that it might be given as an act of Grace (unmerited favor), to make it stable and valid and guaranteed to all his descendants; not only to the devotees and adherents of the Law, but also to those who share the faith of Abraham, who is thus the father of us all."
These Promises could only come to completion in Jesus Christ, Who is the Seed to those the Promises were for. We are in Him and are His Seed and heirs, according to the Promise. The Father has said to me that, "This is the year of understanding." We read God's Word with our intellect, missing the Truth of the Spiritual understanding. We've been like those Jesus described in Mark 4, "Having ears, we don't hear and having eyes, we don't see." If all the Promises of God are "Yes and Amen in Jesus," then what else is left to do?
Once the Promise has come, it's no longer a Promise. It's been fulfilled and has become Truth. They are still Promises, to the world and those who are outside God's family. Those of us who are born-again and belong to God, have received these as our inheritance from the Last Will and Testament of our Lord Jesus Christ. This inheritance was legally yours, when you became God's child. There's no need for Jesus to die again or to be raised again, in order to validate His will. It's fulfilled.
We find one of God's Promises in Isaiah 54:7-10 (Amplified), where God says, "For a brief moment I forsook you; but with great compassion and mercy I will gather you to Me again. In a little burst of wrath I hid My Face from you for a moment, but with age-enduring Love and Kindness I will have compassion and mercy on you; says the Lord your Redeemer. For this is like the days of Noah to Me; As I swore that the waters of Noah should no more go over the earth, So have I sworn that I will not be angry with you or rebuke you. For though the mountains should depart and the hills be shaken or removed, yet My Love and Kindness shall not depart from you, nor shall My covenant of peace and completeness be removed says the Lord, Who has compassion on you."
We must read these scriptures with understanding from God's Holy Spirit. The above scripture tells us that God made a Promise to Noah, that the water would never completely flood the earth again and God gave the rainbow as a sign to remind Noah of this Promise. God gave us the cross of Christ as a sign, like the rainbow was to Noah, to remind us that we could rest in His Promises.
Noah was never anxious about another flood overtaking the earth again, because he could see the rainbow. We shouldn't be anxious when things don't go right for us, thinking that God is doing it. God said He will never do these things to us again and this is one of the Promises that are Yes and Amen in Jesus. In Isaiah 54:14-15 (Amplified) God says, "You shall establish yourself in righteousness (rightness in conformity with God's will and order); You shall be far from even the thought of oppression or destruction, for you shall not fear, and from terror, for it shall not come near you. Behold! they may gather together and stir up strife, but IT IT NOT FROM ME. Whoever stirs up strife against you shall fall and surrender to you."
These are Promises fulfilled in Jesus, but we must accept and walk in God's Grace and Truth, by faith, and received them. We keep trying to get God to do something in our lives, without realizing that these Promises are already ours. Jesus has already fulfilled them and Grace has come. We must, by faith, accept and trust in His fulfilled Promises.
A promise is always in the future, but the Truth is always in the now. Hebrews 11:1 (Amplified) tells us, "Now faith IS the assurance (the conformation, the title deed), of the things we hoped 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."
Our senses still look at the Promises as being, "for the future." Faith though, looks at the Promises as being, "the confirmation, the title deed, and the proof of" what we have eyes to see and ears to hear.
Please take time to read and understand and receive the following scripture, as being not only for us today, but for you personally. Thus, Colossians 1:9-14 (Amplified) says, "That you may be filled with the full, deep and clear, knowledge of His will in all Spiritual Wisdom, in comprehensive insight into the ways and purposes of God, and in understanding and discernment of Spiritual things."
All of God's Promises were granted to you as an inheritance, when you were born-again. We became heirs of God and fellow heirs with Jesus, at our new birth. Most of these Promises have remained unused in our Christian walk, because we've lack any understanding about them. God's Promises aren't conditional and don't depend upon rituals or works, for His family. Paul writes in 2Corinthians 1:19-20 (Amplified), "For the Son of God, Christ Jesus (the Messiah), Who has been preached among you by us (by myself, Silvanus, and Timothy), was not Yes and no, but in Him is always the Divine Yes. For as many as are the Promises of God, they all find their Yes answer in Him, Christ. For this reason we also utter the Amen (So be it), to God through Him, in His Person, and by His Agency, to the Glory of God."
Notice how the above scripture tells us that it brings Glory to God, when we accept His Promises and say Amen to them. When we deny or refuse His Promises, then our faith is removed from receiving them and God doesn't receive Glory. We must return to the old covenant and find the Promises that were reserved for the new covenant family of God. We've somehow forgotten them and have patterned ourselves after the Law, instead of family.
Galatians 3:16-18 (Amplified) says, "Now the Promises (covenants, agreements), were decreed and made to Abraham and his Seed (his Offspring, his Heir)." God doesn't say, "and to his Seeds, descendants or Heirs" as if referring to many persons, but He says, "his Seed, his Descendant, his Heir," which is singular and obviously refers to One Person, Who is None Other than Jesus Christ. Verses 17-18 go on, "This is my argument; the Law, which began 430 years after the covenant concerning the coming Messiah, does not and cannot annul the covenant previously established (ratified), by God, so as to abolish the Promise and make it void. For if the inheritance of the Promise depends on observing the Law, as these false teachers would like you to believe, it no longer depends on the Promise; however, God gave it to Abraham as a free Gift solely by virtue of His Promise."
We've been trying to "deserve" the fullness of His Promise, through works, rules and regulations of religion. If we could earn His Promise, then Grace wouldn't be needed and we would still under Law. Paul writes through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit in Galatians 5:4 (Amplified), "If you seek to be justified and declared righteous and to be given a right standing with God through the Law, you are brought to nothing and so separated (severed) from Christ. You have fallen away from Grace (from God's favor and unmerited Blessing)."
Romans 4:15-16 (Amplified) says, "For the Law results in Divine wrath, but where there is no Law there is no transgression of i either. Therefore, inheriting the Promise is the outcome of faith and depends entirely on faith, in order that it might be given as an act of Grace (unmerited favor), to make it stable and valid and guaranteed to all his descendants; not only to the devotees and adherents of the Law, but also to those who share the faith of Abraham, who is thus the father of us all."
These Promises could only come to completion in Jesus Christ, Who is the Seed to those the Promises were for. We are in Him and are His Seed and heirs, according to the Promise. The Father has said to me that, "This is the year of understanding." We read God's Word with our intellect, missing the Truth of the Spiritual understanding. We've been like those Jesus described in Mark 4, "Having ears, we don't hear and having eyes, we don't see." If all the Promises of God are "Yes and Amen in Jesus," then what else is left to do?
Once the Promise has come, it's no longer a Promise. It's been fulfilled and has become Truth. They are still Promises, to the world and those who are outside God's family. Those of us who are born-again and belong to God, have received these as our inheritance from the Last Will and Testament of our Lord Jesus Christ. This inheritance was legally yours, when you became God's child. There's no need for Jesus to die again or to be raised again, in order to validate His will. It's fulfilled.
We find one of God's Promises in Isaiah 54:7-10 (Amplified), where God says, "For a brief moment I forsook you; but with great compassion and mercy I will gather you to Me again. In a little burst of wrath I hid My Face from you for a moment, but with age-enduring Love and Kindness I will have compassion and mercy on you; says the Lord your Redeemer. For this is like the days of Noah to Me; As I swore that the waters of Noah should no more go over the earth, So have I sworn that I will not be angry with you or rebuke you. For though the mountains should depart and the hills be shaken or removed, yet My Love and Kindness shall not depart from you, nor shall My covenant of peace and completeness be removed says the Lord, Who has compassion on you."
We must read these scriptures with understanding from God's Holy Spirit. The above scripture tells us that God made a Promise to Noah, that the water would never completely flood the earth again and God gave the rainbow as a sign to remind Noah of this Promise. God gave us the cross of Christ as a sign, like the rainbow was to Noah, to remind us that we could rest in His Promises.
Noah was never anxious about another flood overtaking the earth again, because he could see the rainbow. We shouldn't be anxious when things don't go right for us, thinking that God is doing it. God said He will never do these things to us again and this is one of the Promises that are Yes and Amen in Jesus. In Isaiah 54:14-15 (Amplified) God says, "You shall establish yourself in righteousness (rightness in conformity with God's will and order); You shall be far from even the thought of oppression or destruction, for you shall not fear, and from terror, for it shall not come near you. Behold! they may gather together and stir up strife, but IT IT NOT FROM ME. Whoever stirs up strife against you shall fall and surrender to you."
These are Promises fulfilled in Jesus, but we must accept and walk in God's Grace and Truth, by faith, and received them. We keep trying to get God to do something in our lives, without realizing that these Promises are already ours. Jesus has already fulfilled them and Grace has come. We must, by faith, accept and trust in His fulfilled Promises.
A promise is always in the future, but the Truth is always in the now. Hebrews 11:1 (Amplified) tells us, "Now faith IS the assurance (the conformation, the title deed), of the things we hoped 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."
Our senses still look at the Promises as being, "for the future." Faith though, looks at the Promises as being, "the confirmation, the title deed, and the proof of" what we have eyes to see and ears to hear.
Please take time to read and understand and receive the following scripture, as being not only for us today, but for you personally. Thus, Colossians 1:9-14 (Amplified) says, "That you may be filled with the full, deep and clear, knowledge of His will in all Spiritual Wisdom, in comprehensive insight into the ways and purposes of God, and in understanding and discernment of Spiritual things."
Monday, January 28, 2019
Lesson 144 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 came through Moses, Grace (unearned, undeserved favor) and Spiritual Blessing and Truth, came though Jesus Christ."
We sometimes forget that these Spiritual Blessings and favor couldn't be given to us, until we were born-again. These new Spiritual Blessings that came upon us through Jesus, couldn't be given to those who were spiritually dead and didn't have the Life that Jesus came to bring. Now that we're children of God, we've been made alive unto Him and by Him and the Spiritual Blessings that were for God's children before Adam's fall have been restored to us, through Jesus.
Many have put off these Spiritual Blessings as being for "when we die and get to Heaven," but they belong to us now and are to guide and Bless us in this natural realm, by the Holy Spirit. We were never intended to live in this natural realm, without the Spirit realm leading our lives. Now that we're born-again, our Heavenly Father can do through us, what He had planned for His children at the beginning. We forget that we are Spiritual children now, as well as when we leave this earthly bodies.
When we leave this body, all of the Spiritual Blessings will come upon us, as a result of our being released from our carnality. We're still in this carnal realm and must learn to renew our minds, in order to walk by faith. When we're released from our natural body and are fully in God's Presence, faith will no longer be an issue. Grace though, will continue into eternity for us. Adam never thought about "faith" in his earthly walk, because he only knew oneness with his own Father and Creator. Faith is required to bring about God's will for us, in our new birth.
We must learn how these Spiritual Laws function, because they are the Laws that govern the Kingdom we are now citizens of. The Law of Words tells us that words are the seeds of creation and existence. This is a Spiritual Law that still governs all things. Many believe that words are simply communication with the world and ignore their being Spirit. This isn't only false, but it is foolish. Jesus said in Matthew 6:33 (Amplified), "Seek first of all, the Kingdom of God, and His way of doing and being right." God's way was and still is, speaking things into this world and the future to come. What we hear is what we speak. The words we speak will create either our deliverance or captivity.
When Jesus admonished us to "Be careful what we hear," in Mark 4:24-25 (Amplified), He meant just that. Jesus said in Verse 25, "For to him who has will more be given; and from him who has nothing, even what he has will be taken away by force." Jesus said that "He who has ears to hear the Truth of this teaching" is "he who has and will be careful of what comes into his ears." Jesus said that person will have more understanding to come.
All words are seeds All are either seeds of God's Kingdom or the kingdom of darkness and this world. This is why it's so vital that we "Be careful what we are hearing." Paul speaks to the new believers in Galatians 3:1-3 (Amplified). Paul was teaching them about Grace and Truth, through the Revelation he received from Jesus saying, "O you poor and silly and thoughtless and unreflecting and senseless Galatians, Who has fascinated or bewitched you or cast a spell over you? Unto whom, right before your eyes, Jesus Christ (the Messiah) was openly and graphically set forth and portrayed as crucified? Let me ask you one question; Did you receive the Holy Spirit as the result of obeying the Law and doing it's works, or was it by hearing the Message of the Gospel and believing it? Was it from observing a Law of rituals or from a Message of faith? Are you so foolish and so senseless and so silly? Having begun your new life Spiritually with the Holy Spirit, are you now reaching perfection by dependence of the flesh?"
How do you think that these Christians went from Grace to Law? By not being careful what they were hearing. Paul goes on in Galatians 4:16-17 (Amplified) saying, "Have I then become your enemy by telling the Truth to you and dealing sincerely with you? These men (the Judaizing teachers), are zealously trying to dazzle you (paying court to you, making much of you), but their purpose is not honorable or worthy or for any good. What they want to do i to isolate you from us who oppose them, so that they may win you over to their side and get you to court their favor."
These new believers went from being a Church that was Spiritual and walked by Grace and faith, to being one that walked by Law and works, all because they were not careful about the words they heard. They heard seeds (words) that were sown by those who didn't understand the principles of the Kingdom and God's way of doing and being right.
What we hear, will determine what we say. If we're not careful of what we hear, then we will reap the fruit of what we allowed to be sown in our heart (spirit). Proverbs 4:23-24 (Amplified) says, "Keep and guard your heart with all vigilance, and above all that you guard, for out of it flow the springs of Life. Put away from you false and dishonest speech, and willful and contrary talk put far from you."
The above scripture doesn't only advise us, "not to speak willful and contrary things," but we're "not to listen to false and dishonest and willful and contrary speech." We must guard our spirit man and not allow seeds of carnality and foolishness, to be sown there, because "Out of is flow the springs of Life." Jesus said in Matthew 12:33,37 (Amplified), "Either make the tree sound (healthy, good), and its fruit sound (healthy and good) or make the tree [your life] rotten (diseased and bad), and its fruit [your life] rotten (diseased and bad); for the tree is known and recognized and judged by its fruit." Jesus continues in Verse 37, saying, "For by your words you will be justified and acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned and sentenced." Jesus wasn't just talking about going to Heaven, but was speaking about how we walk out life here, on this earth. Jesus said that by the words we hear and the words we speak, our lives will be diseased or healthy, good or bad. Words are seeds.
We sometimes forget that these Spiritual Blessings and favor couldn't be given to us, until we were born-again. These new Spiritual Blessings that came upon us through Jesus, couldn't be given to those who were spiritually dead and didn't have the Life that Jesus came to bring. Now that we're children of God, we've been made alive unto Him and by Him and the Spiritual Blessings that were for God's children before Adam's fall have been restored to us, through Jesus.
Many have put off these Spiritual Blessings as being for "when we die and get to Heaven," but they belong to us now and are to guide and Bless us in this natural realm, by the Holy Spirit. We were never intended to live in this natural realm, without the Spirit realm leading our lives. Now that we're born-again, our Heavenly Father can do through us, what He had planned for His children at the beginning. We forget that we are Spiritual children now, as well as when we leave this earthly bodies.
When we leave this body, all of the Spiritual Blessings will come upon us, as a result of our being released from our carnality. We're still in this carnal realm and must learn to renew our minds, in order to walk by faith. When we're released from our natural body and are fully in God's Presence, faith will no longer be an issue. Grace though, will continue into eternity for us. Adam never thought about "faith" in his earthly walk, because he only knew oneness with his own Father and Creator. Faith is required to bring about God's will for us, in our new birth.
We must learn how these Spiritual Laws function, because they are the Laws that govern the Kingdom we are now citizens of. The Law of Words tells us that words are the seeds of creation and existence. This is a Spiritual Law that still governs all things. Many believe that words are simply communication with the world and ignore their being Spirit. This isn't only false, but it is foolish. Jesus said in Matthew 6:33 (Amplified), "Seek first of all, the Kingdom of God, and His way of doing and being right." God's way was and still is, speaking things into this world and the future to come. What we hear is what we speak. The words we speak will create either our deliverance or captivity.
When Jesus admonished us to "Be careful what we hear," in Mark 4:24-25 (Amplified), He meant just that. Jesus said in Verse 25, "For to him who has will more be given; and from him who has nothing, even what he has will be taken away by force." Jesus said that "He who has ears to hear the Truth of this teaching" is "he who has and will be careful of what comes into his ears." Jesus said that person will have more understanding to come.
All words are seeds All are either seeds of God's Kingdom or the kingdom of darkness and this world. This is why it's so vital that we "Be careful what we are hearing." Paul speaks to the new believers in Galatians 3:1-3 (Amplified). Paul was teaching them about Grace and Truth, through the Revelation he received from Jesus saying, "O you poor and silly and thoughtless and unreflecting and senseless Galatians, Who has fascinated or bewitched you or cast a spell over you? Unto whom, right before your eyes, Jesus Christ (the Messiah) was openly and graphically set forth and portrayed as crucified? Let me ask you one question; Did you receive the Holy Spirit as the result of obeying the Law and doing it's works, or was it by hearing the Message of the Gospel and believing it? Was it from observing a Law of rituals or from a Message of faith? Are you so foolish and so senseless and so silly? Having begun your new life Spiritually with the Holy Spirit, are you now reaching perfection by dependence of the flesh?"
How do you think that these Christians went from Grace to Law? By not being careful what they were hearing. Paul goes on in Galatians 4:16-17 (Amplified) saying, "Have I then become your enemy by telling the Truth to you and dealing sincerely with you? These men (the Judaizing teachers), are zealously trying to dazzle you (paying court to you, making much of you), but their purpose is not honorable or worthy or for any good. What they want to do i to isolate you from us who oppose them, so that they may win you over to their side and get you to court their favor."
These new believers went from being a Church that was Spiritual and walked by Grace and faith, to being one that walked by Law and works, all because they were not careful about the words they heard. They heard seeds (words) that were sown by those who didn't understand the principles of the Kingdom and God's way of doing and being right.
What we hear, will determine what we say. If we're not careful of what we hear, then we will reap the fruit of what we allowed to be sown in our heart (spirit). Proverbs 4:23-24 (Amplified) says, "Keep and guard your heart with all vigilance, and above all that you guard, for out of it flow the springs of Life. Put away from you false and dishonest speech, and willful and contrary talk put far from you."
The above scripture doesn't only advise us, "not to speak willful and contrary things," but we're "not to listen to false and dishonest and willful and contrary speech." We must guard our spirit man and not allow seeds of carnality and foolishness, to be sown there, because "Out of is flow the springs of Life." Jesus said in Matthew 12:33,37 (Amplified), "Either make the tree sound (healthy, good), and its fruit sound (healthy and good) or make the tree [your life] rotten (diseased and bad), and its fruit [your life] rotten (diseased and bad); for the tree is known and recognized and judged by its fruit." Jesus continues in Verse 37, saying, "For by your words you will be justified and acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned and sentenced." Jesus wasn't just talking about going to Heaven, but was speaking about how we walk out life here, on this earth. Jesus said that by the words we hear and the words we speak, our lives will be diseased or healthy, good or bad. Words are seeds.
Wednesday, January 23, 2019
Lesson 143 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."
Mark 4:24 (Amplified) tells us, "And [Jesus] said to them; Be careful what you are hearing. The measure of thought and study you give to the Truth you hear, will be the measure of virtue and knowledge that comes back to you-and more besides will be given to you who hear."
Jesus was giving "The Parable of the Sower" when He made the above statement. Many who heard Him speak, didn't grasp the Truth of what He was saying. I dare say that today, we still miss out the Light of His teaching. Neither the Church or the world, have any concept of the power words have. Many only teach that, "God's Word is Seed." The Truth is that ALL WORDS ARE SEEDS. This is why Jesus instructed, "Be careful what you hear." Adam wasn't careful about the words he heard in the Garden of Eden, which resulted in sin and death for mankind, according to Genesis 3:4-5 (Amplified) where satan tempts Eve to eat from The Tree of Knowledge. Thus it says, "But the serpent SAID TO THE WOMAN, You shall not surely die. For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you shall be like God, knowing the difference between Good and evil and Blessing and calamity."
I have no idea why anyone would want "to know evil and calamity," but this was the seed sown into Eve's heart. Satan sowed this seed (word) into her heart and it began taking root there, until it produced a harvest. I believe there was a lapse of time before this all took place, because of Jesus' Words in Mark 4:15 (Amplified) where He says, "The ones along the paths are those who have the Word sown in their hearts, but when they hear, satan comes at once and by force takes away the Message which is sown there."
What "Message" had been sown in Eve's heart, which needed to be taken away? Genesis 1:27-28 (Amplified) says, "So God created man in His Own Image, in the Image and Likeness of God He created him, male and female He created them. And God Blessed them and SAID TO THEM, Be fruitful, multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it, using all it's vast resources in the service of God and man; and have dominion over the fish of the sea, the birds of the air, and over every living creature that moves upon the earth."
God formed a physical body for the Spirit man to live in on this earth in Genesis 2:7. In Verse 8, God placed His children (Adam and Eve) into the Garden of Blessing and fullness He had planted for them. God spoke to them (planting His Word or Seed), "But of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and evil and Blessing and calamity, you shall not eat, for in that day that you eat of it you shall surely die," in Genesis 2:17 (Amplified).
Notice that God didn't say that they, "Don't eat from the Tree of Life," that was also in the center of the Garden. Genesis 2:9 (Amplified) says, "And out of the ground the Lord God made to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight or to be desired (good, suitable, pleasant) for food; the Tree of Life also in the center of the Garden, and the Tree of the Knowledge of the difference between Good and evil and Blessing and calamity." I believe that like most fathers do while their children grow into maturity, our Heavenly Father gave Godly Wisdom and instructed Adam and Eve in what was Good and evil and Blessing and calamity. He still does this today, by His Holy Spirit.
Eve allowed words to be sown into her heart, that weren't the Seeds or Words from God. The harvest or crop that sprang forth, was the very calamity that God wished to prevent. Some might question, "Why was that Tree in the Garden at all?" Because, man was to have dominion over this earth and everything in it. Adam and Eve must have been aware that satan was there and his evil displays of disobedience would have to be dealt with. God would have instructed them in the dominion He provided over satan. They should have obeyed God's Word and used that dominion to rebuke the enemy. God has given us back that dominion to rebuke the enemy, using Jesus' Name.
Since mankind had never existed in human form before this, they needed to understand the place they were created for. We are born-again and are new creation men and women, so we must also learn to function in our new life in Christ Jesus. We must also learn to walk above the evil and calamity that came upon the earth, because of the harvest of the word seed that was sown into Adam and Eve's heart. That harvest brought sin and death to mankind. What we allow to be sown into our hearts, is the harvest we will reap. That's why Jesus instructed, "Be careful what you hear." The entire calamity mankind faces, came from Adam and Eve's not being careful what they heard.
The things we hear, are as much or perhaps more important than what we say, because "Out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks and brings forth fruit," according to Matthew 12:34. Let's read more of Jesus' "The Parable of the Sower" from Matthew 13:18-21 (Amplified) which says, "While anyone is hearing the Word of the Kingdom and does not grasp and comprehend it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart; this is what what sown along the roadside." Jesus gives an example of those who "don't understand the Kingdom," in Verse 20. Jesus refers to them as, "rocky soil," saying, "Yet it has no real root in him, but is temporary (inconsistent, lasts but a little while): and when affliction or trouble or persecution comes on account of the Word, at once he is caused to stumble, he is repelled and begins to distrust and desert Him Whom he ought to trust and obey, and he falls away."
Many in today's Church, dismiss this teaching, because many "have no real root in themselves." We have left the "thought and study" to others and tried walking on their faith, instead of building our own. Remember that Jesus said "The thought and study you give to the Truth you hear, will be the measure of virtue and knowledge that comes back to you, and more besides will be given to you who hear," in Mark 4:24 (Amplified).
We have the personal responsibility to study God's Word and let the Teacher (the Holy Spirit) to teach us. Many have been deceived, because they failed to listen to the Holy Spirit's teachings about God's Kingdom, for themselves. Mark 4:10-11 (Amplified) says, "And as soon as [Jesus] was alone, those who were around Him, with the twelve apostles, began to ask Him about the Parable. And He said to them, To you has been entrusted the Mystery of the Kingdom of God, that is the secret counsels of God which are hidden from the ungodly, but for those outside of our circle, everything becomes a Parable."
Jesus said that "The Parable of the Sower," is the Mystery of the Kingdom of God and the secret counsels of God." Could the Mystery of God's Kingdom, be as truly simple as we must hear God's Word and allow it to come to completion, without being rooted up by the world and the enemy? Can it really be as simply as not allowing words of doubt, unbelief, distrust or teachings about, "These things are passed away," to be sown into our heart, where they then come out of our mouths? What comes out of our mouths, determines what goes on in our lives. Jesus said in Matthew 12:37 (Amplified), "For by your words you will be justified and acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned and sentenced."
The things we hear and say, are the cause of so many troubling things that occur in our Christian lives. Our words give place to either deliverance or calamity in our lives. We must study God's Word for ourselves and be careful what seeds we allow to be planted in our lives.
Mark 4:24 (Amplified) tells us, "And [Jesus] said to them; Be careful what you are hearing. The measure of thought and study you give to the Truth you hear, will be the measure of virtue and knowledge that comes back to you-and more besides will be given to you who hear."
Jesus was giving "The Parable of the Sower" when He made the above statement. Many who heard Him speak, didn't grasp the Truth of what He was saying. I dare say that today, we still miss out the Light of His teaching. Neither the Church or the world, have any concept of the power words have. Many only teach that, "God's Word is Seed." The Truth is that ALL WORDS ARE SEEDS. This is why Jesus instructed, "Be careful what you hear." Adam wasn't careful about the words he heard in the Garden of Eden, which resulted in sin and death for mankind, according to Genesis 3:4-5 (Amplified) where satan tempts Eve to eat from The Tree of Knowledge. Thus it says, "But the serpent SAID TO THE WOMAN, You shall not surely die. For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you shall be like God, knowing the difference between Good and evil and Blessing and calamity."
I have no idea why anyone would want "to know evil and calamity," but this was the seed sown into Eve's heart. Satan sowed this seed (word) into her heart and it began taking root there, until it produced a harvest. I believe there was a lapse of time before this all took place, because of Jesus' Words in Mark 4:15 (Amplified) where He says, "The ones along the paths are those who have the Word sown in their hearts, but when they hear, satan comes at once and by force takes away the Message which is sown there."
What "Message" had been sown in Eve's heart, which needed to be taken away? Genesis 1:27-28 (Amplified) says, "So God created man in His Own Image, in the Image and Likeness of God He created him, male and female He created them. And God Blessed them and SAID TO THEM, Be fruitful, multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it, using all it's vast resources in the service of God and man; and have dominion over the fish of the sea, the birds of the air, and over every living creature that moves upon the earth."
God formed a physical body for the Spirit man to live in on this earth in Genesis 2:7. In Verse 8, God placed His children (Adam and Eve) into the Garden of Blessing and fullness He had planted for them. God spoke to them (planting His Word or Seed), "But of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and evil and Blessing and calamity, you shall not eat, for in that day that you eat of it you shall surely die," in Genesis 2:17 (Amplified).
Notice that God didn't say that they, "Don't eat from the Tree of Life," that was also in the center of the Garden. Genesis 2:9 (Amplified) says, "And out of the ground the Lord God made to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight or to be desired (good, suitable, pleasant) for food; the Tree of Life also in the center of the Garden, and the Tree of the Knowledge of the difference between Good and evil and Blessing and calamity." I believe that like most fathers do while their children grow into maturity, our Heavenly Father gave Godly Wisdom and instructed Adam and Eve in what was Good and evil and Blessing and calamity. He still does this today, by His Holy Spirit.
Eve allowed words to be sown into her heart, that weren't the Seeds or Words from God. The harvest or crop that sprang forth, was the very calamity that God wished to prevent. Some might question, "Why was that Tree in the Garden at all?" Because, man was to have dominion over this earth and everything in it. Adam and Eve must have been aware that satan was there and his evil displays of disobedience would have to be dealt with. God would have instructed them in the dominion He provided over satan. They should have obeyed God's Word and used that dominion to rebuke the enemy. God has given us back that dominion to rebuke the enemy, using Jesus' Name.
Since mankind had never existed in human form before this, they needed to understand the place they were created for. We are born-again and are new creation men and women, so we must also learn to function in our new life in Christ Jesus. We must also learn to walk above the evil and calamity that came upon the earth, because of the harvest of the word seed that was sown into Adam and Eve's heart. That harvest brought sin and death to mankind. What we allow to be sown into our hearts, is the harvest we will reap. That's why Jesus instructed, "Be careful what you hear." The entire calamity mankind faces, came from Adam and Eve's not being careful what they heard.
The things we hear, are as much or perhaps more important than what we say, because "Out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks and brings forth fruit," according to Matthew 12:34. Let's read more of Jesus' "The Parable of the Sower" from Matthew 13:18-21 (Amplified) which says, "While anyone is hearing the Word of the Kingdom and does not grasp and comprehend it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart; this is what what sown along the roadside." Jesus gives an example of those who "don't understand the Kingdom," in Verse 20. Jesus refers to them as, "rocky soil," saying, "Yet it has no real root in him, but is temporary (inconsistent, lasts but a little while): and when affliction or trouble or persecution comes on account of the Word, at once he is caused to stumble, he is repelled and begins to distrust and desert Him Whom he ought to trust and obey, and he falls away."
Many in today's Church, dismiss this teaching, because many "have no real root in themselves." We have left the "thought and study" to others and tried walking on their faith, instead of building our own. Remember that Jesus said "The thought and study you give to the Truth you hear, will be the measure of virtue and knowledge that comes back to you, and more besides will be given to you who hear," in Mark 4:24 (Amplified).
We have the personal responsibility to study God's Word and let the Teacher (the Holy Spirit) to teach us. Many have been deceived, because they failed to listen to the Holy Spirit's teachings about God's Kingdom, for themselves. Mark 4:10-11 (Amplified) says, "And as soon as [Jesus] was alone, those who were around Him, with the twelve apostles, began to ask Him about the Parable. And He said to them, To you has been entrusted the Mystery of the Kingdom of God, that is the secret counsels of God which are hidden from the ungodly, but for those outside of our circle, everything becomes a Parable."
Jesus said that "The Parable of the Sower," is the Mystery of the Kingdom of God and the secret counsels of God." Could the Mystery of God's Kingdom, be as truly simple as we must hear God's Word and allow it to come to completion, without being rooted up by the world and the enemy? Can it really be as simply as not allowing words of doubt, unbelief, distrust or teachings about, "These things are passed away," to be sown into our heart, where they then come out of our mouths? What comes out of our mouths, determines what goes on in our lives. Jesus said in Matthew 12:37 (Amplified), "For by your words you will be justified and acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned and sentenced."
The things we hear and say, are the cause of so many troubling things that occur in our Christian lives. Our words give place to either deliverance or calamity in our lives. We must study God's Word for ourselves and be careful what seeds we allow to be planted in our lives.
Tuesday, January 22, 2019
Lesson 142 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 favor upon favor and even 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."
Philippians 4:19 (Amplified) says, "And my God will supply (fill to the full), your ever need according to His riches in Glory in Christ Jesus."
These scriptures tell us that, "Our God has supplied all of our needs through and in Christ Jesus." Too many have taken these scriptures out of context, saying they only refer to "finances," but it actually means so much more than just finances. The scripture tells us, "God meets our EVERY NEED, according to His riches in Glory in Christ Jesus." John 1:16-17 tells us that these riches include favor, Grace, Gift upon Gift, His fullness and abundance, Spiritual Blessing upon Spiritual Blessing and Truth." We limit God in what He wants us to have, because of our misunderstanding His Grace.
Hebrews 1:1 (Amplified) says, "In many separate Revelations, each of which set forth a portion of the Truth, and in different ways, God spoke of old to our forefathers in and by prophets. But in these last days He has spoken unto us in the Person of a Son."
God's Word has always been Truth, but He could only reveal the Truth when Jesus came. Jesus is the Living Word and is the Truth. The Words God spoke through His prophets in the days gone by, were only fulfilled when His Word became flesh. We no longer have only a portion of the Truth, because Jesus became the Truth in flesh. We haven't understood God's Truth and have walked in a partial Spiritual blindness. We keep waiting for more, when The Beginning, The End, The Author and The Finisher, and The Truth is here.
We've been waiting for two-thousand years, to know God's will, His purpose and His Truth. Colossi ans 1:9 (Amplified) says, "For this reason we also, from the day we heard of it (their love) have not ceased to pray and make special request for you, asking that you may be filled with the full deep and clear knowledge of His will in all Spiritual Wisdom (in comprehensive insight into the ways and purposes of God), and in understanding and discernment of Spiritual things."
Paul wasn't just praying for the Church in Colossus here, but for the Church as a whole, who walk in love for and in the Holy Spirit. This is for you you and me today, as much as it was for them. God wants us to know and understand His will, His ways and His purposes, but they can only come by understanding and comprehension of Spiritual things. We keep trying to understand Spiritual things with a carnal mind, but it cannot be done. Romans 8:6-7 (Amplified) tells us that, "Now the mind of the flesh, which is sense reasoning without the Holy Spirit is death; death that comprises all the miseries arising from sin, both here and hereafter, but the mind of the Holy Spirit is Life and soul peace, both now and forever. That is because the mind of the flesh, with its carnal thoughts and purposes is hostile to God, for it does not submit itself to God's laws, indeed it cannot."
Jesus tells His followers in Matthew 6:33 (Amplified), "But seek, aim at and strive after first of all His Kingdom and His Righteousness, His way of doing and being right, and then all these things taken together will be given you besides." God's way of doing and being right can't be comprehended or understood by the carnal mind, but only by and through the mind of the Holy Spirit. The old covenant prophets spoke about the coming of Grace, but those of us in the new covenant can see Grace face-to-face in Christ Jesus. They had a portion of Truth, but we have Jesus. 1Corinthians 1:30 (Amplified) says, "But it is from Him that you have your Life in Christ Jesus, Whom God 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 from sin."
By this scripture, you can know if you are Spiritually minded or carnally minded. If your mind fights with the Truth of our being righteous, pure, holy and consecrated to God, then you're still walking as a mere carnal man/woman. Paul said that, "The carnal, natural mind with it's carnal thoughts and purposes is hostile to God and cannot and will not submit itself to God." Do you see yourself as a born-again child of God, who is made righteous and holy through Jesus, or do you still yourself as unrighteous and holy? If it's the latter, then you must submit yourself to the Truth and understanding.
1Corinthians 2;13 (Amplified) says, "And we are setting these Truths forth in Words not taught by human wisdom, but taught by the Holy Spirit, combining and interpreting Spiritual Truths with Spiritual language to those who possess the Holy Spirit." This is the Year of Understanding for God's people. The world, with it's teachings from a carnal mind, has held the Church in bondage for thousands of years, by not allowing us to understand Spiritual Truths. So long as we remained ignorant of the Truth about Spiritual things and walked in the carnal realm, we couldn't muster enough faith to receive all of God's Grace, Truth, favor and Spiritual Blessings, even though God has been trying to grant them to us. When we continue to see ourselves with carnal minds, as sinners and unrighteous, our faith cannot rise to the place of receiving.
The only thing holding back the signs of wonders of God in this Age, is the same things the held back those in the Wilderness with Moses. They didn't mix faith with what they heard, according to Hebrews 4:3 (Amplified), which says, "For we who have believed, adhered to and trusted in and relied on God, do enter that Rest in accordance with His declaration that those who did not believe should not enter when He said, As I swore in My wrath, They shall not enter My Rest; And this He said Although His works had been completed and prepared and waiting for all who would believe from the foundation of the world."
The people in the Wilderness weren't born-again and didn't have the Holy Spirit. We are born-again and born of His Spirit, so we should have more understanding of Spiritual things than they did. We need to "seek first God's Kingdom, His Righteousness, and His way of doing and being right. This is understanding through the Holy Spirit.
Philippians 4:19 (Amplified) says, "And my God will supply (fill to the full), your ever need according to His riches in Glory in Christ Jesus."
These scriptures tell us that, "Our God has supplied all of our needs through and in Christ Jesus." Too many have taken these scriptures out of context, saying they only refer to "finances," but it actually means so much more than just finances. The scripture tells us, "God meets our EVERY NEED, according to His riches in Glory in Christ Jesus." John 1:16-17 tells us that these riches include favor, Grace, Gift upon Gift, His fullness and abundance, Spiritual Blessing upon Spiritual Blessing and Truth." We limit God in what He wants us to have, because of our misunderstanding His Grace.
Hebrews 1:1 (Amplified) says, "In many separate Revelations, each of which set forth a portion of the Truth, and in different ways, God spoke of old to our forefathers in and by prophets. But in these last days He has spoken unto us in the Person of a Son."
God's Word has always been Truth, but He could only reveal the Truth when Jesus came. Jesus is the Living Word and is the Truth. The Words God spoke through His prophets in the days gone by, were only fulfilled when His Word became flesh. We no longer have only a portion of the Truth, because Jesus became the Truth in flesh. We haven't understood God's Truth and have walked in a partial Spiritual blindness. We keep waiting for more, when The Beginning, The End, The Author and The Finisher, and The Truth is here.
We've been waiting for two-thousand years, to know God's will, His purpose and His Truth. Colossi ans 1:9 (Amplified) says, "For this reason we also, from the day we heard of it (their love) have not ceased to pray and make special request for you, asking that you may be filled with the full deep and clear knowledge of His will in all Spiritual Wisdom (in comprehensive insight into the ways and purposes of God), and in understanding and discernment of Spiritual things."
Paul wasn't just praying for the Church in Colossus here, but for the Church as a whole, who walk in love for and in the Holy Spirit. This is for you you and me today, as much as it was for them. God wants us to know and understand His will, His ways and His purposes, but they can only come by understanding and comprehension of Spiritual things. We keep trying to understand Spiritual things with a carnal mind, but it cannot be done. Romans 8:6-7 (Amplified) tells us that, "Now the mind of the flesh, which is sense reasoning without the Holy Spirit is death; death that comprises all the miseries arising from sin, both here and hereafter, but the mind of the Holy Spirit is Life and soul peace, both now and forever. That is because the mind of the flesh, with its carnal thoughts and purposes is hostile to God, for it does not submit itself to God's laws, indeed it cannot."
Jesus tells His followers in Matthew 6:33 (Amplified), "But seek, aim at and strive after first of all His Kingdom and His Righteousness, His way of doing and being right, and then all these things taken together will be given you besides." God's way of doing and being right can't be comprehended or understood by the carnal mind, but only by and through the mind of the Holy Spirit. The old covenant prophets spoke about the coming of Grace, but those of us in the new covenant can see Grace face-to-face in Christ Jesus. They had a portion of Truth, but we have Jesus. 1Corinthians 1:30 (Amplified) says, "But it is from Him that you have your Life in Christ Jesus, Whom God 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 from sin."
By this scripture, you can know if you are Spiritually minded or carnally minded. If your mind fights with the Truth of our being righteous, pure, holy and consecrated to God, then you're still walking as a mere carnal man/woman. Paul said that, "The carnal, natural mind with it's carnal thoughts and purposes is hostile to God and cannot and will not submit itself to God." Do you see yourself as a born-again child of God, who is made righteous and holy through Jesus, or do you still yourself as unrighteous and holy? If it's the latter, then you must submit yourself to the Truth and understanding.
1Corinthians 2;13 (Amplified) says, "And we are setting these Truths forth in Words not taught by human wisdom, but taught by the Holy Spirit, combining and interpreting Spiritual Truths with Spiritual language to those who possess the Holy Spirit." This is the Year of Understanding for God's people. The world, with it's teachings from a carnal mind, has held the Church in bondage for thousands of years, by not allowing us to understand Spiritual Truths. So long as we remained ignorant of the Truth about Spiritual things and walked in the carnal realm, we couldn't muster enough faith to receive all of God's Grace, Truth, favor and Spiritual Blessings, even though God has been trying to grant them to us. When we continue to see ourselves with carnal minds, as sinners and unrighteous, our faith cannot rise to the place of receiving.
The only thing holding back the signs of wonders of God in this Age, is the same things the held back those in the Wilderness with Moses. They didn't mix faith with what they heard, according to Hebrews 4:3 (Amplified), which says, "For we who have believed, adhered to and trusted in and relied on God, do enter that Rest in accordance with His declaration that those who did not believe should not enter when He said, As I swore in My wrath, They shall not enter My Rest; And this He said Although His works had been completed and prepared and waiting for all who would believe from the foundation of the world."
The people in the Wilderness weren't born-again and didn't have the Holy Spirit. We are born-again and born of His Spirit, so we should have more understanding of Spiritual things than they did. We need to "seek first God's Kingdom, His Righteousness, and His way of doing and being right. This is understanding through the Holy Spirit.
Thursday, January 17, 2019
Lesson 141 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."
Whether we know or recognize it, we've all been shaped and formed by the words we've received, over years of sowing. Words have shaped our society and culture. Even the Church has been formed and contained by words or seeds, that have been sown into and received into the hearts or the soil of our spirits. Many seeds have been sown into the Church about the way our Heavenly Father deals with His children and about what His will and purpose is for us today.
This was true during Jesus' earthly ministry too, because the people had been formed and shaped by the Laws of Moses. When Jesus began sowing the Words (Seeds) of Grace, then people's hearts weren't receptive to that Seed, because of what was already growing in their hearts. Paul became the Apostle to the Gentiles, but he initially persecuted those who followed and tried to further Jesus' ministry. Paul didn't do this because he didn't love God, but because he hadn't received the Seed sown by Grace, into his heart. It took the full Revelation from Jesus Himself, to root up the things growing in Paul's heart.
We've been taught for centuries that, "God no longer does these things" or "God only did these things ford the disciples and not for us today." The many different denominations have sprung up from the words or seeds, that have been sown from the world over the last two-thousand years. If the Holy Spirit is truly the Teacher of the Church (and He is), then He doesn't teach us in different truths, but only what the Father says.
One of the most important things we can learn from "The Parable of the Sower," that Jesus taught in Mark 4:24 (Amplified) is Jesus' saying, "Be careful what you hear." Thus, it says, "And He said to them; Be careful what you are hearing. The measure of thought and study you give to the Truth you hear will be the measure of virtue and knowledge that comes back to you-and more besides will be given to you who hear." God will only measure back to you, according to the Truth you hear. The rest of what you hear, will not be a measure from the Father, but from the world.
The Body of Christ is made up of many parts, each of which serve a different purpose. Your heart does what the heart is supposed to do and doesn't do the job of the kidneys or any other part of the body. We're to come to unity of the faith in salvation, as the Body of Christ. This doesn't mean that we will all agree on the doctrines of man, concerning the faith. What I do with my own faith, is based on what I hear, just like every born-again believer.
Because someone doesn't believe in the Baptism of the Holy Spirit, doesn't stop me from believing and receiving. If can still fellowship with the unbeliever, in the unity of our salvation, without separating our seed crop. We're each placed in a position, where we can determine what we believe for our own selves and lives. If I choose to believe that the Baptism of the Holy Spirit is for me today and set my faith in it, then no one can stop the Holy Spirit from doing what the Father sent Him to do.
Thank God for those who are preaching the message of Salvation, but let's not stop at being saved. Paul said that, "The Promises of God are Yes and Amen," in 2Corinthians 1:20, so I believe that God's Promises will all come to pass, even if others don't believe this. We can either receive Seed from God or seed from the enemy (the god of this present age). Most of the different denominations are built on small portions of the Truth. We find "a truth" and try making it "the Truth." God has constructed you, so that only you can determine how far you walk in His Word. The Apostle Paul is a perfect example of this Truth. Most people believed Paul was crazy, when he taught about our being sons and daughters of God. We still only partially understand his letters to the Church. The Christians didn't trust that Paul wasn't still trying to persecute and kill them. They had a problem trusting in his word, like many today.
Peter walked side by side with Jesus, but believed that salvation was only for the Jew. He believed that the Gentiles were excluded from the covenant that Paul preached. Others believed the Gentiles could become new creation children of God, but that everyone still had to perform under Law. Some believed that Grace was a license to sin, while others didn't understand Grace at all. These different teachings came as seeds, causing us to doubt and question God's Word. Was this any different from the age-old seed that was sown in the Garden? Jesus said, "Be careful what you are hearing and guard your heart with all vigilance and above all that you guard, for out of it flow the very forces or issues of Life."
We've been lax and haven't been selective about what we're listening too. This is the age of communication, like never seen before on this earth. Everyone online, on TV or radio, seems to have his/her own agenda and wishes to have the whole world agree with them. We must learn to think for ourselves and then only by and through the Holy Spirit. We must not isolate ourselves, but just be careful what we hear. Jesus said that the people, "Have ears but don't hear." He was referring to their not hearing the Word from God's Kingdom, but people can have ears and not hear the noise and confusion of this Present Age.
Do you spend more time listening to the world than the Word? If you do, then that will be measured to you---and not by God. Jesus said that, "The measure of thought and study you give to the truth you hear will be the measure of virtue and knowledge that will be given back to you, and more besides." God will only measure back to you, the Truth you hear. The world will be the one who measures all the rest. If some don't believe that God no longer heals today, then are we supposed to be sick, because of their unbelief? Or, should we receive God's Yes and Amen Promise as being The Healer?
You can believe for yourself, whether or not others believe. You believed that Jesus died and rose again, providing your salvation, even when others don't believe it. The Word of salvation worked for you, despite opposition. Why wouldn't God's other Promises work for you, even though others don't believe them?
Some might say, "I know lots of people who aren't healed." I say, "So what?" I know many people who aren't saved yet, but that doesn't make Jesus no longer the Savior. Just because some aren't healed yet, doesn't mean that Jesus is no longer the Healer. Don't allow satan to limit your walk with the Father, based on someone else's opinion. Remember what Jesus said in Mark 4:24, 25 (Amplified), "Be careful what you hear and seek God for yourself. The amount of thought and study you give to the truth you hear, will be the measure of virtue and knowledge that comes back to you."
Jesus continues in Verse 25, "For to him who has will more be given; and from him who has nothing, even what he has will be taken away by force." "To him who has what?" To him who has ears to hear and is careful what he hears. We alone decide what we hear or don't hear. No one else can hear for you. No one else can hear for me, either. Paul received Revelation from Jesus Himself, but the people decided whether or not to receive that Revelation, for themselves.
Whether we know or recognize it, we've all been shaped and formed by the words we've received, over years of sowing. Words have shaped our society and culture. Even the Church has been formed and contained by words or seeds, that have been sown into and received into the hearts or the soil of our spirits. Many seeds have been sown into the Church about the way our Heavenly Father deals with His children and about what His will and purpose is for us today.
This was true during Jesus' earthly ministry too, because the people had been formed and shaped by the Laws of Moses. When Jesus began sowing the Words (Seeds) of Grace, then people's hearts weren't receptive to that Seed, because of what was already growing in their hearts. Paul became the Apostle to the Gentiles, but he initially persecuted those who followed and tried to further Jesus' ministry. Paul didn't do this because he didn't love God, but because he hadn't received the Seed sown by Grace, into his heart. It took the full Revelation from Jesus Himself, to root up the things growing in Paul's heart.
We've been taught for centuries that, "God no longer does these things" or "God only did these things ford the disciples and not for us today." The many different denominations have sprung up from the words or seeds, that have been sown from the world over the last two-thousand years. If the Holy Spirit is truly the Teacher of the Church (and He is), then He doesn't teach us in different truths, but only what the Father says.
One of the most important things we can learn from "The Parable of the Sower," that Jesus taught in Mark 4:24 (Amplified) is Jesus' saying, "Be careful what you hear." Thus, it says, "And He said to them; Be careful what you are hearing. The measure of thought and study you give to the Truth you hear will be the measure of virtue and knowledge that comes back to you-and more besides will be given to you who hear." God will only measure back to you, according to the Truth you hear. The rest of what you hear, will not be a measure from the Father, but from the world.
The Body of Christ is made up of many parts, each of which serve a different purpose. Your heart does what the heart is supposed to do and doesn't do the job of the kidneys or any other part of the body. We're to come to unity of the faith in salvation, as the Body of Christ. This doesn't mean that we will all agree on the doctrines of man, concerning the faith. What I do with my own faith, is based on what I hear, just like every born-again believer.
Because someone doesn't believe in the Baptism of the Holy Spirit, doesn't stop me from believing and receiving. If can still fellowship with the unbeliever, in the unity of our salvation, without separating our seed crop. We're each placed in a position, where we can determine what we believe for our own selves and lives. If I choose to believe that the Baptism of the Holy Spirit is for me today and set my faith in it, then no one can stop the Holy Spirit from doing what the Father sent Him to do.
Thank God for those who are preaching the message of Salvation, but let's not stop at being saved. Paul said that, "The Promises of God are Yes and Amen," in 2Corinthians 1:20, so I believe that God's Promises will all come to pass, even if others don't believe this. We can either receive Seed from God or seed from the enemy (the god of this present age). Most of the different denominations are built on small portions of the Truth. We find "a truth" and try making it "the Truth." God has constructed you, so that only you can determine how far you walk in His Word. The Apostle Paul is a perfect example of this Truth. Most people believed Paul was crazy, when he taught about our being sons and daughters of God. We still only partially understand his letters to the Church. The Christians didn't trust that Paul wasn't still trying to persecute and kill them. They had a problem trusting in his word, like many today.
Peter walked side by side with Jesus, but believed that salvation was only for the Jew. He believed that the Gentiles were excluded from the covenant that Paul preached. Others believed the Gentiles could become new creation children of God, but that everyone still had to perform under Law. Some believed that Grace was a license to sin, while others didn't understand Grace at all. These different teachings came as seeds, causing us to doubt and question God's Word. Was this any different from the age-old seed that was sown in the Garden? Jesus said, "Be careful what you are hearing and guard your heart with all vigilance and above all that you guard, for out of it flow the very forces or issues of Life."
We've been lax and haven't been selective about what we're listening too. This is the age of communication, like never seen before on this earth. Everyone online, on TV or radio, seems to have his/her own agenda and wishes to have the whole world agree with them. We must learn to think for ourselves and then only by and through the Holy Spirit. We must not isolate ourselves, but just be careful what we hear. Jesus said that the people, "Have ears but don't hear." He was referring to their not hearing the Word from God's Kingdom, but people can have ears and not hear the noise and confusion of this Present Age.
Do you spend more time listening to the world than the Word? If you do, then that will be measured to you---and not by God. Jesus said that, "The measure of thought and study you give to the truth you hear will be the measure of virtue and knowledge that will be given back to you, and more besides." God will only measure back to you, the Truth you hear. The world will be the one who measures all the rest. If some don't believe that God no longer heals today, then are we supposed to be sick, because of their unbelief? Or, should we receive God's Yes and Amen Promise as being The Healer?
You can believe for yourself, whether or not others believe. You believed that Jesus died and rose again, providing your salvation, even when others don't believe it. The Word of salvation worked for you, despite opposition. Why wouldn't God's other Promises work for you, even though others don't believe them?
Some might say, "I know lots of people who aren't healed." I say, "So what?" I know many people who aren't saved yet, but that doesn't make Jesus no longer the Savior. Just because some aren't healed yet, doesn't mean that Jesus is no longer the Healer. Don't allow satan to limit your walk with the Father, based on someone else's opinion. Remember what Jesus said in Mark 4:24, 25 (Amplified), "Be careful what you hear and seek God for yourself. The amount of thought and study you give to the truth you hear, will be the measure of virtue and knowledge that comes back to you."
Jesus continues in Verse 25, "For to him who has will more be given; and from him who has nothing, even what he has will be taken away by force." "To him who has what?" To him who has ears to hear and is careful what he hears. We alone decide what we hear or don't hear. No one else can hear for you. No one else can hear for me, either. Paul received Revelation from Jesus Himself, but the people decided whether or not to receive that Revelation, for themselves.
Tuesday, January 15, 2019
Lesson 140 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 is opening the eyes of our understanding like never before, to the Truth of His Word in these last days. Through the centuries, we've been talked out of believing what God said about us and what He has done in us. God is now bringing up a people who will accept His Word as "Truth." We're beginning to understand that the Seed Principle is one of the Mysteries of the Kingdom of God, Jesus spoke about in Mark 4:11.
Our words and actions have been holding back the Blessing and the anointing from bringing forth fruit in our lives. Jesus was and still is THE SOWER, when He taught "The Parable of the Sower." The Seed of God's Word is still the same Seed and it still produces the same harvest. Jesus describes four different types of soil (spirits, hearts of people) in His telling of the Parable. He describes hard ground, stony ground, ground that wasn't tended and grew up with weeds and thorns, and good, well adapted soil. Jesus told us that not all of the good, well adapted soil produced a 100 fold return.
The good, well adapted soil that receives the Seed of God's Word, is in the heart of those who are born-again. The born-again person's heart or new creation spirit is good soil, but cannot decide what seed to grow or not to grow. It grows whatever we allow to be sown in it.
We didn't understand the importance of this Mystery of God's Kingdom and allowed seed to be sown into our spirit, which was contrary to God's Word and came from the the world or the enemy's kingdom of darkness. Mark 4:26-28,15 (Amplified) says, "And [Jesus] said to them, The Kingdom of God is like a man who scatters seed upon the ground and then continues sleeping and rising night and day while the seed sprouts and grows and increases, he knows not how The earth produces, acting by itself-first the blade, then the ear, then the full grain in the ear. But when the grain is ripe and permits, immediately he sends forth the reapers and puts in the sickle, because the harvest stands ready."
We've limited the seed Jesus speaks about as being only the Seed or Word of God, but if you listen closely, you'll discover that Jesus says, ALL WORDS ARE SEEDS." Jesus tells us in Verse 24 why it's so important to the hearer is careful what he/she allows to be sown into their spirit. Thus, Jesus says to His followers (including His followers today), "Be careful what you are hearing, The measure of thought and study you give to the Truth you hear, will be the measure of virtue and knowledge that comes back to you-and more besides will be given to you who hear."
God will only multiply His Seed in your heart and will increase virtue and knowledge to the Truth you hear. God will increase, "The measure of thought and study to the Truth you hear." The cares and anxieties of the world, come from a different source than the Kingdom of God. Verse 15 says, "The ones along the path are those who have the world sown in their hearts, but when they hear, satan comes at once and by force takes away the message which is sown in them."
Satan cannot keep the Seed of your salvation from producing in your life. Nor can he prevent your becoming a new creation child of God. Once that Seed is sown into your hearts, you're a new creation. 1Peter 1:23 (Amplified) says, "You have been regenerated (born-again), not from a mortal origin (seed, sperm), but from one that is immortal, by the Ever Living and Everlasting Word of God."
The Sperm (Seed) that is Ever Living and Everlasting is the Word of God. This Word (Seed) has produced exactly what is said and was designed to produce. Jesus said, "Be careful what you are hearing." We've heard that only the Seed of God's Kingdom would produce in our lives, but that was wrong. Our hearts (spirits) have become good soil and will abundantly grow anything that we allow to be sown in them.
Looking closely at Adam's fall in the Garden of Eden, we find that satan only sowed seeds (words) into Eve's heart. Jesus said in Mark 4:26-27 (Amplified), "The Kingdom of God is like a man who scatters seed upon the ground And then continues sleeping and rising night and day while the seed sprouts and grows and increases-he knows not how." The Word doesn't tell us that, "Eve ate of the Tree immediately," but the seed of deception had been sown in her heart. Genesis 3:6 (Amplified) says, "And when the woman saw that the tree was good and suitable (pleasant), for food and that it was delightful to look at; and a tree to be desired in order to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate, and she gave some also to her husband and he ate."
Notice, the above scripture tells us that, "Eve saw that the tree was good (delightful), to look at, and the tree to be desired in order to make one wise." The seed that the enemy sowed into Eve's heart, apparently grew into something in her imagination, where it matured. She wasn't careful about what she heart and allowed the seed of satan to be sown in her heart, where it choked out God's Word and produced a harvest of death. Satan only had to wait to see if the seed would begin to produce, then he would put the sickle in and harvest his crop of disobedience.
Seeds don't grow instantly, but they require time to produce a harvest. Many incorrect teachings that we were taught over the years, didn't produce instantly, but they have grown and increased into harvests of things we didn't want. Jesus said in Mark 4:28 (Amplified), "The earth (soil or heart) produces, acting by itself." Your heart will grow whatever you allow to be sown into it. Even satan understands The Seed Principle, because he was present when the Word produced everything and when God's Word produced his downfall. Satan knows more about the ability our words have, than we have learned. His greatest weapon against the Church, is keeping us in the dark about the seeds (words) we hear. Satan tries to keep God's children speaking words of his kingdom, instead of creating God's Kingdom.
We see the Seed of God's Word produced righteousness in us, but like Eve, we continue to sow such words as, "None are righteous, not one." This produces a harvest of satan's deceitful words, that he spoke to Eve. These keep us from reaping God's favor and His Best, in our lives. Words (seeds) are one great part of the Mystery of God's Kingdom and His secret counsel. When we are careful about what we hear and are selective about what seed is sown into our hearts (spirits), then that seed will "act by itself and produce whatever we allow to be sown in them," just like Jesus taught.
We're to tend the garden of our hearts, just like Adam was called to tend the Garden of Eden. Proverbs 4:23-24 (Amplified) says, "Keep and guard your heart with all vigilance and above all that you guard, for out of it flow the springs of Life. Put away from you false and dishonest speech, and willful and contrary talk put far from you."
God is opening the eyes of our understanding like never before, to the Truth of His Word in these last days. Through the centuries, we've been talked out of believing what God said about us and what He has done in us. God is now bringing up a people who will accept His Word as "Truth." We're beginning to understand that the Seed Principle is one of the Mysteries of the Kingdom of God, Jesus spoke about in Mark 4:11.
Our words and actions have been holding back the Blessing and the anointing from bringing forth fruit in our lives. Jesus was and still is THE SOWER, when He taught "The Parable of the Sower." The Seed of God's Word is still the same Seed and it still produces the same harvest. Jesus describes four different types of soil (spirits, hearts of people) in His telling of the Parable. He describes hard ground, stony ground, ground that wasn't tended and grew up with weeds and thorns, and good, well adapted soil. Jesus told us that not all of the good, well adapted soil produced a 100 fold return.
The good, well adapted soil that receives the Seed of God's Word, is in the heart of those who are born-again. The born-again person's heart or new creation spirit is good soil, but cannot decide what seed to grow or not to grow. It grows whatever we allow to be sown in it.
We didn't understand the importance of this Mystery of God's Kingdom and allowed seed to be sown into our spirit, which was contrary to God's Word and came from the the world or the enemy's kingdom of darkness. Mark 4:26-28,15 (Amplified) says, "And [Jesus] said to them, The Kingdom of God is like a man who scatters seed upon the ground and then continues sleeping and rising night and day while the seed sprouts and grows and increases, he knows not how The earth produces, acting by itself-first the blade, then the ear, then the full grain in the ear. But when the grain is ripe and permits, immediately he sends forth the reapers and puts in the sickle, because the harvest stands ready."
We've limited the seed Jesus speaks about as being only the Seed or Word of God, but if you listen closely, you'll discover that Jesus says, ALL WORDS ARE SEEDS." Jesus tells us in Verse 24 why it's so important to the hearer is careful what he/she allows to be sown into their spirit. Thus, Jesus says to His followers (including His followers today), "Be careful what you are hearing, The measure of thought and study you give to the Truth you hear, will be the measure of virtue and knowledge that comes back to you-and more besides will be given to you who hear."
God will only multiply His Seed in your heart and will increase virtue and knowledge to the Truth you hear. God will increase, "The measure of thought and study to the Truth you hear." The cares and anxieties of the world, come from a different source than the Kingdom of God. Verse 15 says, "The ones along the path are those who have the world sown in their hearts, but when they hear, satan comes at once and by force takes away the message which is sown in them."
Satan cannot keep the Seed of your salvation from producing in your life. Nor can he prevent your becoming a new creation child of God. Once that Seed is sown into your hearts, you're a new creation. 1Peter 1:23 (Amplified) says, "You have been regenerated (born-again), not from a mortal origin (seed, sperm), but from one that is immortal, by the Ever Living and Everlasting Word of God."
The Sperm (Seed) that is Ever Living and Everlasting is the Word of God. This Word (Seed) has produced exactly what is said and was designed to produce. Jesus said, "Be careful what you are hearing." We've heard that only the Seed of God's Kingdom would produce in our lives, but that was wrong. Our hearts (spirits) have become good soil and will abundantly grow anything that we allow to be sown in them.
Looking closely at Adam's fall in the Garden of Eden, we find that satan only sowed seeds (words) into Eve's heart. Jesus said in Mark 4:26-27 (Amplified), "The Kingdom of God is like a man who scatters seed upon the ground And then continues sleeping and rising night and day while the seed sprouts and grows and increases-he knows not how." The Word doesn't tell us that, "Eve ate of the Tree immediately," but the seed of deception had been sown in her heart. Genesis 3:6 (Amplified) says, "And when the woman saw that the tree was good and suitable (pleasant), for food and that it was delightful to look at; and a tree to be desired in order to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate, and she gave some also to her husband and he ate."
Notice, the above scripture tells us that, "Eve saw that the tree was good (delightful), to look at, and the tree to be desired in order to make one wise." The seed that the enemy sowed into Eve's heart, apparently grew into something in her imagination, where it matured. She wasn't careful about what she heart and allowed the seed of satan to be sown in her heart, where it choked out God's Word and produced a harvest of death. Satan only had to wait to see if the seed would begin to produce, then he would put the sickle in and harvest his crop of disobedience.
Seeds don't grow instantly, but they require time to produce a harvest. Many incorrect teachings that we were taught over the years, didn't produce instantly, but they have grown and increased into harvests of things we didn't want. Jesus said in Mark 4:28 (Amplified), "The earth (soil or heart) produces, acting by itself." Your heart will grow whatever you allow to be sown into it. Even satan understands The Seed Principle, because he was present when the Word produced everything and when God's Word produced his downfall. Satan knows more about the ability our words have, than we have learned. His greatest weapon against the Church, is keeping us in the dark about the seeds (words) we hear. Satan tries to keep God's children speaking words of his kingdom, instead of creating God's Kingdom.
We see the Seed of God's Word produced righteousness in us, but like Eve, we continue to sow such words as, "None are righteous, not one." This produces a harvest of satan's deceitful words, that he spoke to Eve. These keep us from reaping God's favor and His Best, in our lives. Words (seeds) are one great part of the Mystery of God's Kingdom and His secret counsel. When we are careful about what we hear and are selective about what seed is sown into our hearts (spirits), then that seed will "act by itself and produce whatever we allow to be sown in them," just like Jesus taught.
We're to tend the garden of our hearts, just like Adam was called to tend the Garden of Eden. Proverbs 4:23-24 (Amplified) says, "Keep and guard your heart with all vigilance and above all that you guard, for out of it flow the springs of Life. Put away from you false and dishonest speech, and willful and contrary talk put far from you."
Monday, January 14, 2019
Lesson 139 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."
Until now, we've all had a partial Truth concerning Jesus, but God has opened our understanding to the full Truth, in these last days. We can only walk in the Light of the Truth that we have and until the Light is shone into God's Word, it's only been education, instead of Revelation. If you've been born-again for a long period of time, then you know that Revelation is progressive. If we don't progress or grow in what we have or "have eyes, but don't see," then Revelation is lost.
Mark 4:11-12 (Amplified) tells us, "And [Jesus] said to them, To you has been entrusted the Mystery of the Kingdom of God, that is the secret counsels of God; which are hidden from the ungodly; but for those outside of our circle everything becomes a Parable. In order that they may indeed look and look but not see and perceive, and may hear and hear but not grasp and comprehend, lest haply they should turn again, and it their willful rejection of the Truth should be forgiven them."
As believers, we are in the circle and have been given access into the Mystery of the Kingdom of God, unless we willfully reject Truth. Even born-again children of God, then, can willfully reject the Light of Truth, in our lives. We can only walk in what we have light to see and we can choose "not to see." Jesus said that, "They have eyes but don't see," speaking bout their not seeing the Light of the World. Jesus was the Light of the world and they didn't receive Him or see Him as such.
When God sows an acorn seed, He doesn't only see the acorn, but He sees the Oak tree that will grow from that acorn. God sees the harvest, not just the seed. Our seeing has been hindered by the world and its teachings, so we only see what is right before us. God sees past the natural seeing and sees the fullness of the seed. We only see God's Word as it is written, without understanding that IT IS SEED. Jesus referred to Himself as, "Seed," in John 12:24 (Amplified) where He told His followers, "I assure you, most solemnly I tell you, Unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains just one grain (it never becomes more but lives by itself alone), But if it dies, it produces many others and yields a rich harvest."
Through the One Seed, Jesus, God has yielded a harvest of millions of sons and daughters. God saw beyond the One Seed and sowed and continues to reap a great harvest unto Himself. God doesn't just see the acorn, but sees the mighty Oak. We've become nearsighted, when it comes to God's Word. We only see the scripture or the seed and fail to sow it into hearts. We only see the seed, and we don't see the results. We see "By His stripes we are healed," but we fail to see the yield of healing and a healthy body, in our lives. We have eyes, but don't see.
The Mystery of the Kingdom of God, is seeing the harvest and not just the seed. Hebrews 12:1-2 (Amplified) says, "Therefore then, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses who have borne testimony to the Truth, let us strip off and throw away every encumbrance (unnecessary weight) and that sin which so readily (deftly) and cleverly clings t and entangles us, and let us run with patient endurance and steady and active persistence the appointed course of the race that is set before us. Looking away from all that will distract, To Jesus Who is the Source of our faith, giving the first incentive for our belief, and is also it's Finisher, bringing it to maturity and perfection. He, for the joy of obtaining the prize that was set before Him, endured the cross, despising the shame and is now seated at the right hand of the Throne of God."
Jesus understood the Mystery of the Kingdom of God and the secret counsels of God, didn't simply see Himself as the Seed, but looked beyond the cross. He gave of Himself, like the grain and kernels die, in order to produce a harvest that is greater. Jesus saw the harvest of what He Himself was the Seed for and reaped a harvest for God's family. We're to do the same, with the seed of God's Word. We're to remain patient in it's Truth, trusting the seed to produce the harvest of it's kind. We must not only see the acorn, but the Oak tree.
We can all probably quote John 3:16, which tells us that, "God so loved the world that He gave His Only Son, that whosoever should believe will be saved." God sowed Himself, as the Seed Jesus, into the earth, because He saw the fruit of that Seed, which was the harvest of His family. All words are seeds, including the words of the enemy and his worldly kingdom of darkness. This is why Jesus admonished in Mark 4:24 (Amplified), "Be careful what you are hearing."
Even though the Seed of God's Word has been before us for centuries, we've failed to see what that Seed will produce, because we've never allowed it to be sown into the soil of our spirits. It's remained only in seed form and not in the harvest. We keep seeing the acorn and not the Oak. When you plant a garden, you stop seeing only the seed and begin making provision for the fruit of that seed. We must do the same with God's Word, in our lives.
After planting tomato seeds in your home garden, you place wire cages near the placed that seed. These cages will support the plant, when the fruit (tomatoes) appears. You do this, because you looked beyond the seed itself and saw the tomatoes that it will produce. We must do this with God's Word and look beyond the see, to see the joy set before. This is so simply and many will say, "There's got to be more to it," but you did apply faith to the truth that the tomato seed you planted, will produce more tomatoes. Your faith didn't make the seed produce. God made that seed to produce. Your faith made you patience to endure, until the harvest was wipe. The seed grew by itself. You just kept the weeds from choking out the plant.
The Seed of God's Word is "incorruptible Seed." Our job is to be careful what we hear and not allow such seeds of the enemy as doubt, unbelief, worry, anxiety and other seeds to be sown in our spirits. Paul instructs us in Hebrews 12:1 (Amplified) to weed out the seeds of the world that "readily (deftly, cleverly clings to and entangles us and weighs us down, to be weeded out." We must be careful what we hear and be careful what seeds we allow to be sown into our hearts.
Seeds, of course, need light, in order to grow. God is the Light and we must spend time in His Presence, in order for His Word to produce what it Promises, in our lives. In Isaiah 55:11 (Amplified) God says, "So shall My Word be that goes forth out of My mouth, it shall not return to Me void."
Until now, we've all had a partial Truth concerning Jesus, but God has opened our understanding to the full Truth, in these last days. We can only walk in the Light of the Truth that we have and until the Light is shone into God's Word, it's only been education, instead of Revelation. If you've been born-again for a long period of time, then you know that Revelation is progressive. If we don't progress or grow in what we have or "have eyes, but don't see," then Revelation is lost.
Mark 4:11-12 (Amplified) tells us, "And [Jesus] said to them, To you has been entrusted the Mystery of the Kingdom of God, that is the secret counsels of God; which are hidden from the ungodly; but for those outside of our circle everything becomes a Parable. In order that they may indeed look and look but not see and perceive, and may hear and hear but not grasp and comprehend, lest haply they should turn again, and it their willful rejection of the Truth should be forgiven them."
As believers, we are in the circle and have been given access into the Mystery of the Kingdom of God, unless we willfully reject Truth. Even born-again children of God, then, can willfully reject the Light of Truth, in our lives. We can only walk in what we have light to see and we can choose "not to see." Jesus said that, "They have eyes but don't see," speaking bout their not seeing the Light of the World. Jesus was the Light of the world and they didn't receive Him or see Him as such.
When God sows an acorn seed, He doesn't only see the acorn, but He sees the Oak tree that will grow from that acorn. God sees the harvest, not just the seed. Our seeing has been hindered by the world and its teachings, so we only see what is right before us. God sees past the natural seeing and sees the fullness of the seed. We only see God's Word as it is written, without understanding that IT IS SEED. Jesus referred to Himself as, "Seed," in John 12:24 (Amplified) where He told His followers, "I assure you, most solemnly I tell you, Unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains just one grain (it never becomes more but lives by itself alone), But if it dies, it produces many others and yields a rich harvest."
Through the One Seed, Jesus, God has yielded a harvest of millions of sons and daughters. God saw beyond the One Seed and sowed and continues to reap a great harvest unto Himself. God doesn't just see the acorn, but sees the mighty Oak. We've become nearsighted, when it comes to God's Word. We only see the scripture or the seed and fail to sow it into hearts. We only see the seed, and we don't see the results. We see "By His stripes we are healed," but we fail to see the yield of healing and a healthy body, in our lives. We have eyes, but don't see.
The Mystery of the Kingdom of God, is seeing the harvest and not just the seed. Hebrews 12:1-2 (Amplified) says, "Therefore then, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses who have borne testimony to the Truth, let us strip off and throw away every encumbrance (unnecessary weight) and that sin which so readily (deftly) and cleverly clings t and entangles us, and let us run with patient endurance and steady and active persistence the appointed course of the race that is set before us. Looking away from all that will distract, To Jesus Who is the Source of our faith, giving the first incentive for our belief, and is also it's Finisher, bringing it to maturity and perfection. He, for the joy of obtaining the prize that was set before Him, endured the cross, despising the shame and is now seated at the right hand of the Throne of God."
Jesus understood the Mystery of the Kingdom of God and the secret counsels of God, didn't simply see Himself as the Seed, but looked beyond the cross. He gave of Himself, like the grain and kernels die, in order to produce a harvest that is greater. Jesus saw the harvest of what He Himself was the Seed for and reaped a harvest for God's family. We're to do the same, with the seed of God's Word. We're to remain patient in it's Truth, trusting the seed to produce the harvest of it's kind. We must not only see the acorn, but the Oak tree.
We can all probably quote John 3:16, which tells us that, "God so loved the world that He gave His Only Son, that whosoever should believe will be saved." God sowed Himself, as the Seed Jesus, into the earth, because He saw the fruit of that Seed, which was the harvest of His family. All words are seeds, including the words of the enemy and his worldly kingdom of darkness. This is why Jesus admonished in Mark 4:24 (Amplified), "Be careful what you are hearing."
Even though the Seed of God's Word has been before us for centuries, we've failed to see what that Seed will produce, because we've never allowed it to be sown into the soil of our spirits. It's remained only in seed form and not in the harvest. We keep seeing the acorn and not the Oak. When you plant a garden, you stop seeing only the seed and begin making provision for the fruit of that seed. We must do the same with God's Word, in our lives.
After planting tomato seeds in your home garden, you place wire cages near the placed that seed. These cages will support the plant, when the fruit (tomatoes) appears. You do this, because you looked beyond the seed itself and saw the tomatoes that it will produce. We must do this with God's Word and look beyond the see, to see the joy set before. This is so simply and many will say, "There's got to be more to it," but you did apply faith to the truth that the tomato seed you planted, will produce more tomatoes. Your faith didn't make the seed produce. God made that seed to produce. Your faith made you patience to endure, until the harvest was wipe. The seed grew by itself. You just kept the weeds from choking out the plant.
The Seed of God's Word is "incorruptible Seed." Our job is to be careful what we hear and not allow such seeds of the enemy as doubt, unbelief, worry, anxiety and other seeds to be sown in our spirits. Paul instructs us in Hebrews 12:1 (Amplified) to weed out the seeds of the world that "readily (deftly, cleverly clings to and entangles us and weighs us down, to be weeded out." We must be careful what we hear and be careful what seeds we allow to be sown into our hearts.
Seeds, of course, need light, in order to grow. God is the Light and we must spend time in His Presence, in order for His Word to produce what it Promises, in our lives. In Isaiah 55:11 (Amplified) God says, "So shall My Word be that goes forth out of My mouth, it shall not return to Me void."
Friday, January 11, 2019
Lesson 138 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."
John 1:1-3 (Amplified) says, "In the beginning (before all time), was the Word (Christ), and the Word was with God and the Word was God Himself (He was present originally with God). All things were made and came into existence through Him; and without Him was not even one thing made that has come into being." THIS IS THE POWER OF GOD'S WORD.
Matthew 28:18 (Amplified) tells us, "Jesus approached, and breaking the silence, said to them, All authority, all power of rule, in Heaven and on earth has been given to Me."
Hebrews 1:2-3 (Amplified) says, "But in the last of these days [God] has spoken to us in the Person of a Son, Whom He appointed Heir and lawful Owner of all things, also by and through Whom He created the worlds and reaches of space and the ages of time. He made, produced, built, operated, and arranged them in order. He is the Sole Expression of the Glory of God, Light-Being, the out-raying or radiance of the Divine, and He is the Perfect Imprint and very Image of God's nature (upholding and maintaining and guiding and propelling) the universe by His Mighty Word of Power."
The Power of His Word created all things in John 1:1-3, before the fall of mankind in the Garden of Eden. Hebrews 1:23 shows us the Word of His Power, where God has given the Risen Christ all Power in Heaven and earth. This is the Risen King, the Appointed Heir and Lawful Owner of all things. Jesus is the King of Kings, He is the Word of God's Power, and is the Lawful Owner of all things again.
His Word of Power is beyond dispute or doubt. Jesus is exalted above all the Heavens and the earth. The Word of His Power is revealed in Psalm 138:2 (Amplified), which says, "I will worship toward Your Temple and praise Your Name for You Loving-Kindness, and for Your Truth and faithfulness, for You have exalted above all else Your Name and Your Word, and You have magnified Your Word above all Your Name." W read about the magnification of Jesus, the Word, Who is now the Lawful Heir and Lawful Owner and is the Word of His Power.
Hebrews 1:1 (Amplified) says, "In many separate Revelations, each of which set forth a portion of the Truth, and in different ways God spoke of old to our forefathers in and by the prophets." God could only move by His Word and in order to fulfill His will, God needed to get His Word into the earth. God needed to get mankind back into the place God was and He had to do it legally, as not to violate His Own Word. God had prophets and men of old who would speak forth His Word, into the earth. After His Word went forth, God could move in and by His Word, without violating His Ow will from Heaven or His Kingdom.
As God moved on men of old and they spoke forth His Word into the earth, God could move according to that world towards redemption and Grace. God Word is His Power and by it He spoke all things into existence. God gave total authority and dominion to Adam in Genesis 1:26 (Amplified), which says, "And God said, Let Us (Father, Son and Holy Spirit), make mankind in Our Image, after Our Likeness, and let them have complete authority over the fish of the sea, the birds of the air, the tame beasts, and over all the earth, and over everything that creeps upon the earth."
Many don't realize the Power of the Word God gave to mankind in the above scripture. God had actually relinquished authority to mankind, over all the earth. This meant that God had no right to intervene and move on this earth, without man and the authority of mankind. This is why He needed men of old to speak forth His Word. Using the men of old, God gained authority to perform His Word again. This is the Power of His Word.
God went on through all the prophets of old and spoke Jesus beginning immediately in Genesis 3:13 (Amplified), saying, "And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her OFFSPRING; He will bruise and tread your head underfoot, and you will lie in wait and bruise His heel." The very first Words of the Messiah, were spoken into this earth by God. From that time, He spoke Jesus, one prophecy after another, until He had completed by Words, the Messiah. God spoke the place where Jesus would be born, the place Jesus would die, and the time of His Ascension. Once His Word had come to the complete Man, God spoke that complete Word into Mary's womb. This is the Power of His Word.
God's Word took upon itself and became flesh, according to John 1:14. A sinless Man had come Who wasn't under the authority or dominion of sin and death. God's Word could be spoken from the lips of a Man and become the Word of His Power. This is why it's vital that we see why the words of a born-again child of God, are so important. Satan couldn't stop the Power of God's Word, but he's attempting to stop the Word of God's Power from coming out of the mouths of God's family. The enemy twists the Word of God's Power, but as ambassadors of Christ Jesus, we are to proclaim the Word of His Power into this earth and bring people out of death and sin. When we speak things that are contrary to God, we're not speaking the Word of His Power, but are speaking our own ideas about what that power is.
Many believers don''t speak His Word of Power about healing, but say instead, "God sometimes puts sickness on us." This isn't the Word of His Power, but the perverted words of the enemy. How can His Power work in our lives, if we speak contrary to them? We diminish His Word of Power, when we speak things that are contrary to it. God can only move by His Word, according to Matthew 28:18 (Amplified) which says, "All Power and authority has been given Him in Heaven and earth." God's Power works by His Word. That's why Jesus told us to "God into all the world and preach the Gospel." It is needed to release His Mighty Power into the earth, like it did it Jesus' ministry.
Jesus asked His disciples in Mark 4:13 (Amplified), "Do you not discern and understand this Parable? How then is it possible for you to discern and understand all the Parables?" The secret counsels of God and the Mystery of the Kingdom of God, is the principle of seeds being words, that are planted into the soil of our hearts or spirits, and then produce the Kingdom of God or the kingdom of darkness into our lives. This simple Truth is the Mystery of God's Kingdom. Words or seeds are sown and produce in our lives and the lives of others into which we have sown.
We've been fearful of sowing seeds of hope or faith into others, thinking this seed might produce something other than what we intended. This is because we haven't heeded Jesus' instructions in Mark 4:24 (Amplified) where He admonishes, "Be careful what you are hearing." Many haven't been careful about what seed (words) they've allowed to grow in the good soil of their heart and produced something other than the Kingdom harvest. Some dismiss the seed principal as being, "Name it and claim it" or "Blab it and grab it," like they've heard taught. Jesus said it is the Mystery of the Kingdom of God and the secret counsels of God.
Everything we see around us or don't see around us (like gravity or the wind), derived from Words. Why would we think that the things being produced around us now, didn't come from words also? When you plant a garden, do you see only the seeds you plant or are you seeing the fruit? We have faith that the seeds we plant won't just remain seeds, but they will produce tomatoes or corn or something else. We don't put the seeds in the soil, because we only see the seeds, but because we know those seeds will produce after kind. Why would the Seed of God's Word be any different? Do you only see the seed when you speak it or do you see the results of that seed?
All words are seeds and they will either produce the Kingdom Harvest or produce what things from the enemy's kingdom of darkness. They will produce and like Adam, we've been called the tend the garden. You can either allow the serpent to enter and cause you to sow seeds of destruction or you can carefully choose the seeds of God's Word to be sown into your heart (spirit) and produce a harvest of God's Kingdom. What is produced from within your heart, is what you allow to be sown into it, according to Matthew 12:35 (Amplified), where Jesus said, "The good man from his inner good treasure flings forth good things, and and evil man out of his inner evil storehouse flings forth evil things."
There were 12 spies sent out from the Wilderness into the Promised Land, who came back to report what they saw in Numbers 13:31-32 (Amplified) which says, "But Joshua's fellow scouts said, We are not able to go up against the people of Canaan, for they are stronger than we are. So they brought the Israelites an evil report of the Land which they scouted out." Numbers 14:1 (Amplified) goes on, "And all the congregation cried out with a loud voice and they wept that night."
What we think about evil, and what God calls evil, aren't always the same. What God called, "Evil," were the words (seeds) that weren't aligned with His heart and were sown into the hearts of the Israelites. The evil seeds sown into their hearts, produced a crop of fear and distrust, that prevented God's seed or courage from producing victory. Those evil seeds produced a crop, because the people weren't careful what they heard. Jesus said in Mark 4:24 (Amplified), "Be careful what you are hearing, the measure of thought and study you give to the Truth you hear, will be the measure of virtue and knowledge that comes back to you and more besides will be given to you who hear."
What we hear and what we produce, is up to us; not God. We can choose to hear and allow evil reports that are contrary to God, to be sown in our hearts. Or, we can be careful what we hear and allow to be sown in our hearts. The hearer chooses. This is the Mystery of the Kingdom of God and the secret counsel of God. You can choose to hear what I'm saying here or you can receive an evil report that tells you, "It doesn't matter or make a difference what you say or hear."
This is the same choice the Israelites in the Wilderness has to make in Numbers 14. You can enter into the Word of His Power or remain where you are, by receiving the word of the enemy. You have the choice. This is the Year of Understanding, if we have ears to hear.
John 1:1-3 (Amplified) says, "In the beginning (before all time), was the Word (Christ), and the Word was with God and the Word was God Himself (He was present originally with God). All things were made and came into existence through Him; and without Him was not even one thing made that has come into being." THIS IS THE POWER OF GOD'S WORD.
Matthew 28:18 (Amplified) tells us, "Jesus approached, and breaking the silence, said to them, All authority, all power of rule, in Heaven and on earth has been given to Me."
Hebrews 1:2-3 (Amplified) says, "But in the last of these days [God] has spoken to us in the Person of a Son, Whom He appointed Heir and lawful Owner of all things, also by and through Whom He created the worlds and reaches of space and the ages of time. He made, produced, built, operated, and arranged them in order. He is the Sole Expression of the Glory of God, Light-Being, the out-raying or radiance of the Divine, and He is the Perfect Imprint and very Image of God's nature (upholding and maintaining and guiding and propelling) the universe by His Mighty Word of Power."
The Power of His Word created all things in John 1:1-3, before the fall of mankind in the Garden of Eden. Hebrews 1:23 shows us the Word of His Power, where God has given the Risen Christ all Power in Heaven and earth. This is the Risen King, the Appointed Heir and Lawful Owner of all things. Jesus is the King of Kings, He is the Word of God's Power, and is the Lawful Owner of all things again.
His Word of Power is beyond dispute or doubt. Jesus is exalted above all the Heavens and the earth. The Word of His Power is revealed in Psalm 138:2 (Amplified), which says, "I will worship toward Your Temple and praise Your Name for You Loving-Kindness, and for Your Truth and faithfulness, for You have exalted above all else Your Name and Your Word, and You have magnified Your Word above all Your Name." W read about the magnification of Jesus, the Word, Who is now the Lawful Heir and Lawful Owner and is the Word of His Power.
Hebrews 1:1 (Amplified) says, "In many separate Revelations, each of which set forth a portion of the Truth, and in different ways God spoke of old to our forefathers in and by the prophets." God could only move by His Word and in order to fulfill His will, God needed to get His Word into the earth. God needed to get mankind back into the place God was and He had to do it legally, as not to violate His Own Word. God had prophets and men of old who would speak forth His Word, into the earth. After His Word went forth, God could move in and by His Word, without violating His Ow will from Heaven or His Kingdom.
As God moved on men of old and they spoke forth His Word into the earth, God could move according to that world towards redemption and Grace. God Word is His Power and by it He spoke all things into existence. God gave total authority and dominion to Adam in Genesis 1:26 (Amplified), which says, "And God said, Let Us (Father, Son and Holy Spirit), make mankind in Our Image, after Our Likeness, and let them have complete authority over the fish of the sea, the birds of the air, the tame beasts, and over all the earth, and over everything that creeps upon the earth."
Many don't realize the Power of the Word God gave to mankind in the above scripture. God had actually relinquished authority to mankind, over all the earth. This meant that God had no right to intervene and move on this earth, without man and the authority of mankind. This is why He needed men of old to speak forth His Word. Using the men of old, God gained authority to perform His Word again. This is the Power of His Word.
God went on through all the prophets of old and spoke Jesus beginning immediately in Genesis 3:13 (Amplified), saying, "And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her OFFSPRING; He will bruise and tread your head underfoot, and you will lie in wait and bruise His heel." The very first Words of the Messiah, were spoken into this earth by God. From that time, He spoke Jesus, one prophecy after another, until He had completed by Words, the Messiah. God spoke the place where Jesus would be born, the place Jesus would die, and the time of His Ascension. Once His Word had come to the complete Man, God spoke that complete Word into Mary's womb. This is the Power of His Word.
God's Word took upon itself and became flesh, according to John 1:14. A sinless Man had come Who wasn't under the authority or dominion of sin and death. God's Word could be spoken from the lips of a Man and become the Word of His Power. This is why it's vital that we see why the words of a born-again child of God, are so important. Satan couldn't stop the Power of God's Word, but he's attempting to stop the Word of God's Power from coming out of the mouths of God's family. The enemy twists the Word of God's Power, but as ambassadors of Christ Jesus, we are to proclaim the Word of His Power into this earth and bring people out of death and sin. When we speak things that are contrary to God, we're not speaking the Word of His Power, but are speaking our own ideas about what that power is.
Many believers don''t speak His Word of Power about healing, but say instead, "God sometimes puts sickness on us." This isn't the Word of His Power, but the perverted words of the enemy. How can His Power work in our lives, if we speak contrary to them? We diminish His Word of Power, when we speak things that are contrary to it. God can only move by His Word, according to Matthew 28:18 (Amplified) which says, "All Power and authority has been given Him in Heaven and earth." God's Power works by His Word. That's why Jesus told us to "God into all the world and preach the Gospel." It is needed to release His Mighty Power into the earth, like it did it Jesus' ministry.
Jesus asked His disciples in Mark 4:13 (Amplified), "Do you not discern and understand this Parable? How then is it possible for you to discern and understand all the Parables?" The secret counsels of God and the Mystery of the Kingdom of God, is the principle of seeds being words, that are planted into the soil of our hearts or spirits, and then produce the Kingdom of God or the kingdom of darkness into our lives. This simple Truth is the Mystery of God's Kingdom. Words or seeds are sown and produce in our lives and the lives of others into which we have sown.
We've been fearful of sowing seeds of hope or faith into others, thinking this seed might produce something other than what we intended. This is because we haven't heeded Jesus' instructions in Mark 4:24 (Amplified) where He admonishes, "Be careful what you are hearing." Many haven't been careful about what seed (words) they've allowed to grow in the good soil of their heart and produced something other than the Kingdom harvest. Some dismiss the seed principal as being, "Name it and claim it" or "Blab it and grab it," like they've heard taught. Jesus said it is the Mystery of the Kingdom of God and the secret counsels of God.
Everything we see around us or don't see around us (like gravity or the wind), derived from Words. Why would we think that the things being produced around us now, didn't come from words also? When you plant a garden, do you see only the seeds you plant or are you seeing the fruit? We have faith that the seeds we plant won't just remain seeds, but they will produce tomatoes or corn or something else. We don't put the seeds in the soil, because we only see the seeds, but because we know those seeds will produce after kind. Why would the Seed of God's Word be any different? Do you only see the seed when you speak it or do you see the results of that seed?
All words are seeds and they will either produce the Kingdom Harvest or produce what things from the enemy's kingdom of darkness. They will produce and like Adam, we've been called the tend the garden. You can either allow the serpent to enter and cause you to sow seeds of destruction or you can carefully choose the seeds of God's Word to be sown into your heart (spirit) and produce a harvest of God's Kingdom. What is produced from within your heart, is what you allow to be sown into it, according to Matthew 12:35 (Amplified), where Jesus said, "The good man from his inner good treasure flings forth good things, and and evil man out of his inner evil storehouse flings forth evil things."
There were 12 spies sent out from the Wilderness into the Promised Land, who came back to report what they saw in Numbers 13:31-32 (Amplified) which says, "But Joshua's fellow scouts said, We are not able to go up against the people of Canaan, for they are stronger than we are. So they brought the Israelites an evil report of the Land which they scouted out." Numbers 14:1 (Amplified) goes on, "And all the congregation cried out with a loud voice and they wept that night."
What we think about evil, and what God calls evil, aren't always the same. What God called, "Evil," were the words (seeds) that weren't aligned with His heart and were sown into the hearts of the Israelites. The evil seeds sown into their hearts, produced a crop of fear and distrust, that prevented God's seed or courage from producing victory. Those evil seeds produced a crop, because the people weren't careful what they heard. Jesus said in Mark 4:24 (Amplified), "Be careful what you are hearing, the measure of thought and study you give to the Truth you hear, will be the measure of virtue and knowledge that comes back to you and more besides will be given to you who hear."
What we hear and what we produce, is up to us; not God. We can choose to hear and allow evil reports that are contrary to God, to be sown in our hearts. Or, we can be careful what we hear and allow to be sown in our hearts. The hearer chooses. This is the Mystery of the Kingdom of God and the secret counsel of God. You can choose to hear what I'm saying here or you can receive an evil report that tells you, "It doesn't matter or make a difference what you say or hear."
This is the same choice the Israelites in the Wilderness has to make in Numbers 14. You can enter into the Word of His Power or remain where you are, by receiving the word of the enemy. You have the choice. This is the Year of Understanding, if we have ears to hear.
Wednesday, January 9, 2019
Lesson 137 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."
2019 will be a year of understanding the Mystery of God's Kingdom, for those who have ears to hears and eyes to see, like Jesus said in Mark 4:11 (Amplified), "And He said to them, To you has been entrusted the Mystery of the Kingdom of God (the secret counsels of God) which are hidden from the ungodly; but for those outside of our circle everything becomes a Parable."
Jesus gave "The Parable of the Sower," in Mark 4 about the power of words, but still today, some don't understand that the Seed Principle is the Mystery of the Kingdom of God. God's entire Kingdom was formed by and held in place today. Words have only become a means of communication to most of us and we've forgotten their creative power.
Most people only see Jesus as a man or even a man of God, even though we call Him, "Emmanuel, God with us." Most of us have never allowed the full intent of Jesus' birth and how He was the Word made flesh, to be revealed. Many lack understanding and see God and Jesus as being two separate Beings.
I'm not sure that Jesus is the physical or natural way that the Father actually looks, but it might be. The Word was to reveal God in a manner we could see Him with our physical eyes. The things Jesus did, the things Jesus said and the things He revealed to us, were actually God, Who went from "Seed, to the corn in the ear or the harvest," like Jesus' Parable of the Sower says. We saw the Seed sown in Mary's womb, we saw it sprout to become a Child, we watched it grow into maturity and we should have seen hat the full-grown Seed was actually God Himself.
We continue struggling to understand God's will and see God as He actually is. We struggle to separate the God of the old covenant, from the Father in the new covenant. Jesus said, "When you see Me, you see the Father."
Words produce what the image of that word is. 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." When the Word (seed) is sown into your heart about healing, then it will produce health and healing to all your flesh, according to the above scripture. This Word (Seed) is just as sure as the "Word was made flesh," from John 1:14 (Amplified), which says, "And the Word (Christ) became flesh (human, incarnate) and tabernacled among us." It's never been a question about, "Does God's Word work" or "Does the seed produce after kind," but it's a matter of do we allow that Word to do it's job or do we choke it out?
Jesus compared the Parable about the seed to the Mystery of God's Kingdom and the secret counsel of God and we should take notice of this. God and His Word are One, so we must look more closely at Jesus, in order to determine our Heavenly Father.
John 1:1 (Amplified) says, "In the beginning (before all time), was the Word (Christ), and the Word was with God, and the Word was God Himself." God and the Word and the Seed of His Word are the Same. Hebrews 1:3 (Amplified) says, "He (Jesus, the Word), is the Sole Expression of the Glory of God (the Light-Being, the out-raying or radiance of the Divine), and He is the Perfect Imprint and very Image of God's nature." If you really want to know the nature and Sole Expression of our Heavenly Father, then you can actually see Him in Jesus. This Word or Seed cannot produce anything else, but the Visible Presence of God.
The people following Jesus asked Him, "When will the Kingdom of God come," in Luke 17:20-21 (Amplified) and Jesus answered them saying, "Nor will people say, Look! Here it is! or See, it is there! For behold, the Kingdom of God is within you, in your hearts and among you, surrounding you." The Word (or Seed) had come and the soil of their hearts or spirit which was within, was the soil that would produce the Kingdom in their lives. Jesus was sowing the fruit or reality of the Kingdom in the spirits of "those who had ears to hear," just like His Parable. The Seed or Word would produce in their hearts, all that the Seed was intended to produce.
The power of Words is the secret counsel and Mystery of God's Kingdom. It's so simple that people have stumbled over it, reasoning among ourselves that, "It must be more than that." We really don't understand that Words are Spirit and seed, so we sow them without thinking about what they will produce in our lives. Jesus didn't say that only "His Words are seeds," but He said that all words are seeds. The Words of God produce the Kingdom of God and the words of the world produce the fruit of the kingdom of darkness. Both of these seeds produce readily, in the soil of your heart or spirit.
When you sow a seed in your garden, you place markers at the end of each row, because the seed is buried in the soil and you cannot see it. The marker allows you to know what you planted. When the plants sprout up, you won't mistake it for a weed and pull it up. Most of us don't sow only one thing in our garden. We don't plant corn, hoping to get some onions or carrots too. We know that every seed produces after kind. Why would we think the Seed or Word of God would be different? We can't sow seeds of worry, doubt, or strife and then expect healing to grow from them. We must not sow, things we don't want.
The entire universe and everything in it, was produced and still maintained by the Seed or Word of God. This Seed was never allowed to be crowded out by the thorns and weeds of the world and the enemy, and it's still producing the same as it always did. Hebrews 1:3 tells us that, "Jesus is the Perfect Imprint and Very Image of God's nature, upholding and maintaining and guiding and propelling the universe by His mighty Word of Power." Notice, it doesn't say "by the power of His Word," but it says, "by His Word of Power." The first means that when He speaks a particular things, it comes to pass because of the power of His Word, while the other means it brings everything to what He calls it, by the Word of His Power.
As the Word, Jesus is the Word of His Power and the Words of God that we speak, come to pass, because of the Power of His Word. In the beginning was the Word, is the Word of His Power and this is what we walk in by Jesus-THE POWER OF THAT WORD. Hebrews 1:3 (Amplified) says it is, "Upholding, and maintaining and guiding and propelling the universe by His Mighty Word of Power." What we say (sow) has the power to produce, because of His Mighty Word of Power This is part of understanding the Mystery of the Kingdom of God.
We sow the seed or Word in our own spirit and God watches over it and it comes to pass, because it is His Word of Power. God's Word cannot fail to produce, because it is His Word of Power. The Seed is guaranteed to produce in our lives, just like it still holds the universe in place.
The god of this world and his kingdom of darkness, fought hard against the Truth of God's Word from producing. The enemy has gone to great lengths to make God's Word about Words being seed, seem like foolishness to the believer, so that we never learn to choose our words in Wisdom and understanding. It's been difficult for believers to place much faith in what we say or sow, because of this. It isn't foolishness, but Kingdom fruit that comes from Kingdom Seed.
We don't need to know how a carrot seed works. We only need to know that when we plant a carrot seed, it will produce carrots. Don't try to figure out how a bunch of carrots, can be inside a seed. Just sow the seed, care for it while it grows and enjoy it's fruit. We should at the very least, respect the Seed of God's Word, enough to sow it into our hearts, watch over it and live in the fruit of it's maturity.
2019 will be a year of understanding the Mystery of God's Kingdom, for those who have ears to hears and eyes to see, like Jesus said in Mark 4:11 (Amplified), "And He said to them, To you has been entrusted the Mystery of the Kingdom of God (the secret counsels of God) which are hidden from the ungodly; but for those outside of our circle everything becomes a Parable."
Jesus gave "The Parable of the Sower," in Mark 4 about the power of words, but still today, some don't understand that the Seed Principle is the Mystery of the Kingdom of God. God's entire Kingdom was formed by and held in place today. Words have only become a means of communication to most of us and we've forgotten their creative power.
Most people only see Jesus as a man or even a man of God, even though we call Him, "Emmanuel, God with us." Most of us have never allowed the full intent of Jesus' birth and how He was the Word made flesh, to be revealed. Many lack understanding and see God and Jesus as being two separate Beings.
I'm not sure that Jesus is the physical or natural way that the Father actually looks, but it might be. The Word was to reveal God in a manner we could see Him with our physical eyes. The things Jesus did, the things Jesus said and the things He revealed to us, were actually God, Who went from "Seed, to the corn in the ear or the harvest," like Jesus' Parable of the Sower says. We saw the Seed sown in Mary's womb, we saw it sprout to become a Child, we watched it grow into maturity and we should have seen hat the full-grown Seed was actually God Himself.
We continue struggling to understand God's will and see God as He actually is. We struggle to separate the God of the old covenant, from the Father in the new covenant. Jesus said, "When you see Me, you see the Father."
Words produce what the image of that word is. 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." When the Word (seed) is sown into your heart about healing, then it will produce health and healing to all your flesh, according to the above scripture. This Word (Seed) is just as sure as the "Word was made flesh," from John 1:14 (Amplified), which says, "And the Word (Christ) became flesh (human, incarnate) and tabernacled among us." It's never been a question about, "Does God's Word work" or "Does the seed produce after kind," but it's a matter of do we allow that Word to do it's job or do we choke it out?
Jesus compared the Parable about the seed to the Mystery of God's Kingdom and the secret counsel of God and we should take notice of this. God and His Word are One, so we must look more closely at Jesus, in order to determine our Heavenly Father.
John 1:1 (Amplified) says, "In the beginning (before all time), was the Word (Christ), and the Word was with God, and the Word was God Himself." God and the Word and the Seed of His Word are the Same. Hebrews 1:3 (Amplified) says, "He (Jesus, the Word), is the Sole Expression of the Glory of God (the Light-Being, the out-raying or radiance of the Divine), and He is the Perfect Imprint and very Image of God's nature." If you really want to know the nature and Sole Expression of our Heavenly Father, then you can actually see Him in Jesus. This Word or Seed cannot produce anything else, but the Visible Presence of God.
The people following Jesus asked Him, "When will the Kingdom of God come," in Luke 17:20-21 (Amplified) and Jesus answered them saying, "Nor will people say, Look! Here it is! or See, it is there! For behold, the Kingdom of God is within you, in your hearts and among you, surrounding you." The Word (or Seed) had come and the soil of their hearts or spirit which was within, was the soil that would produce the Kingdom in their lives. Jesus was sowing the fruit or reality of the Kingdom in the spirits of "those who had ears to hear," just like His Parable. The Seed or Word would produce in their hearts, all that the Seed was intended to produce.
The power of Words is the secret counsel and Mystery of God's Kingdom. It's so simple that people have stumbled over it, reasoning among ourselves that, "It must be more than that." We really don't understand that Words are Spirit and seed, so we sow them without thinking about what they will produce in our lives. Jesus didn't say that only "His Words are seeds," but He said that all words are seeds. The Words of God produce the Kingdom of God and the words of the world produce the fruit of the kingdom of darkness. Both of these seeds produce readily, in the soil of your heart or spirit.
When you sow a seed in your garden, you place markers at the end of each row, because the seed is buried in the soil and you cannot see it. The marker allows you to know what you planted. When the plants sprout up, you won't mistake it for a weed and pull it up. Most of us don't sow only one thing in our garden. We don't plant corn, hoping to get some onions or carrots too. We know that every seed produces after kind. Why would we think the Seed or Word of God would be different? We can't sow seeds of worry, doubt, or strife and then expect healing to grow from them. We must not sow, things we don't want.
The entire universe and everything in it, was produced and still maintained by the Seed or Word of God. This Seed was never allowed to be crowded out by the thorns and weeds of the world and the enemy, and it's still producing the same as it always did. Hebrews 1:3 tells us that, "Jesus is the Perfect Imprint and Very Image of God's nature, upholding and maintaining and guiding and propelling the universe by His mighty Word of Power." Notice, it doesn't say "by the power of His Word," but it says, "by His Word of Power." The first means that when He speaks a particular things, it comes to pass because of the power of His Word, while the other means it brings everything to what He calls it, by the Word of His Power.
As the Word, Jesus is the Word of His Power and the Words of God that we speak, come to pass, because of the Power of His Word. In the beginning was the Word, is the Word of His Power and this is what we walk in by Jesus-THE POWER OF THAT WORD. Hebrews 1:3 (Amplified) says it is, "Upholding, and maintaining and guiding and propelling the universe by His Mighty Word of Power." What we say (sow) has the power to produce, because of His Mighty Word of Power This is part of understanding the Mystery of the Kingdom of God.
We sow the seed or Word in our own spirit and God watches over it and it comes to pass, because it is His Word of Power. God's Word cannot fail to produce, because it is His Word of Power. The Seed is guaranteed to produce in our lives, just like it still holds the universe in place.
The god of this world and his kingdom of darkness, fought hard against the Truth of God's Word from producing. The enemy has gone to great lengths to make God's Word about Words being seed, seem like foolishness to the believer, so that we never learn to choose our words in Wisdom and understanding. It's been difficult for believers to place much faith in what we say or sow, because of this. It isn't foolishness, but Kingdom fruit that comes from Kingdom Seed.
We don't need to know how a carrot seed works. We only need to know that when we plant a carrot seed, it will produce carrots. Don't try to figure out how a bunch of carrots, can be inside a seed. Just sow the seed, care for it while it grows and enjoy it's fruit. We should at the very least, respect the Seed of God's Word, enough to sow it into our hearts, watch over it and live in the fruit of it's maturity.
Tuesday, January 8, 2019
Lesson 136 GRACE AND TRUTH-GOD'S WILL
John 1:16-17 (Amplified) says, "For out of His fullness (abundance), all have 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 in the Church have dismissed the Revelation that the Holy Spirit has brought, because of a lack of understanding or the misuse of the Truth by others. Anyone who is truly born-again, would never knowingly dismiss the direction and leading of the Holy Spirit. In order to have the Church deny these Revelations, satan needed to first, cloud their understanding.
We've somehow believed that just reading the Word or hearing preaching is enough, because if God wants something done, then He will just do it. My friend Tommy Williams wrote this in his Partner Letter, saying, "It was never impossible for God to bring forth His Son, born of a virgin, but He had to have a virgin willing to accept and obey Him." This is a great Truth, from the man of God. What God is doing and what He intends to do, will get done, but it's up to you to be the one of those who will be willing and obedient to His will.
Much of the Church has walked more in the carnal realm, than in the Spirit. We haven't done this because we don't love God and don't want to please Him, but because we haven't understood the Spiritual aspect of God's Word. Romans 8:7 (Amplified) says, "That is, because the mind of the flesh, with its carnal thoughts and purposes, is hostile to God; for it does not submit itself to God's Law, indeed it cannot."
Notice that Paul says, "it cannot." The mind of the flesh, in its own trained way of thinking, cannot submit to God. The importance of renewing our mind is one of the great understandings the Holy Spirit will reveal to God's people, in this coming year. Many of us have thought that renewing our minds, means we try to stop thinking sinful thoughts. Even though this is true, it's not just refusing evil thoughts, but it's replacing them with God's thoughts and Words.
Training your minds by the Holy Spirit, is more than refusing bad thoughts, but is hearing His Voice. Even your carnal mind had to be trained in what it thought, when you came into this world. You had to be trained to speak, walk, think, understand words, do math, eat and even dress. None of these simple things that guide our lives, were there when we were born. The ability to conceive them was there, but we had to train our minds to obey our will.
Because we didn't understand the importance of doing this with the mind of the Spirit, we simply lapsed into a religious attitude in our walk with the Father. We were born of the Spirit, but still walked in the understanding we'd been trained in. Without discipline, your mind will never change it's dictates on its own. It must be trained to do so, according to Romans 8:1-2 (Amplified) which says, "Therefore, there is no condemnation (no adjudging guilty of wrong), for those who are in Christ Jesus, who live and walk not after the dictates of the flesh, but after the dictate of the Spirit. For the Law of the Spirit of Life which is in Christ Jesus (the Law of our new being), has freed me from the Law of Sin and of Death."
Notice, the above scripture doesn't say that we're not under the Law of the Spirit of Life, but that the mind that isn't trained by the Law of the Spirit of Life will still dictate to you, the condemnation in which it was trained. We must renew our minds and get understanding. Many fellow believers, still walk by the dictates of the flesh or their old unrenewed minds. It's difficult for them to even believe that they're righteous before God and justified in Christ Jesus. They are righteous in Him, but their old, unrenewed minds won't let them walk and enjoy the Law of the Spirit of Life, because it's hostile and doesn't submit itself to God. Paul said it "cannot submit itself to God."
Without being renewed by the understanding of righteousness, your minds can only dictate what it's been trained to think, which will keep you under thoughts of condemnation, even though God has made you free. The Year of Understanding is nothing new, nor is it some weird Revelation that goes against God. It is rather, that the Spirit will open the eyes of our understanding to what has been there all along.
Paul writes to us by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit in 1Corinthians 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 new ideals and its new attitude, so that you can prove for yourselves what is the good and acceptable and perfect will of God, even the thing that is good and acceptable and perfect in His sight for you."
God has never had anything in His mind, except that which is good and acceptable and perfect for you, but until you've renewed and trained your mind by His Word and Spirit, you will be unable to prove for yourself what He really has in His heart for you. We struggle in our own minds about what God's will is, because we have no understanding (even about the above scripture). This is one of the greatest hindrances to the Church today. We have no understanding of what God's will really is.
It is God's will to heal today? Is it His will for us to speak in tongues, walk in prosperity and believe we're righteous in Christ Jesus? Or, is it God's will for us to have no understanding about this? Paul said that we can "prove for ourselves what is His will, by renewing our minds and training them to think and dictate the things of the Spirit of Life which is in Christ Jesus, the dictates of the Spirit." We've never yet understood what Paul calls, "The Law of our new being (the new creation)."
Proverbs 4:7 (Amplified) says, "The beginning of Wisdom is get Wisdom, skillful and Godly Wisdom. For skillful and Godly Wisdom is the principal things. And with all you have gotten, get understanding (discernment, comprehension, and interpretation)." Have you ever tried teaching someone a new thing, but they couldn't get it right? You might say, "They hear what I'm saying, but they don't seem to comprehend what I'm telling them," right? Jesus said nearly the same thing in Mark 4, when giving "The Parable of the Sower," He said, "Having ears they don't hear, and having eyes, they don't see." They heard what Jesus was saying, but they didn't comprehend what He was telling them.
Love you,
Jim
Many in the Church have dismissed the Revelation that the Holy Spirit has brought, because of a lack of understanding or the misuse of the Truth by others. Anyone who is truly born-again, would never knowingly dismiss the direction and leading of the Holy Spirit. In order to have the Church deny these Revelations, satan needed to first, cloud their understanding.
We've somehow believed that just reading the Word or hearing preaching is enough, because if God wants something done, then He will just do it. My friend Tommy Williams wrote this in his Partner Letter, saying, "It was never impossible for God to bring forth His Son, born of a virgin, but He had to have a virgin willing to accept and obey Him." This is a great Truth, from the man of God. What God is doing and what He intends to do, will get done, but it's up to you to be the one of those who will be willing and obedient to His will.
Much of the Church has walked more in the carnal realm, than in the Spirit. We haven't done this because we don't love God and don't want to please Him, but because we haven't understood the Spiritual aspect of God's Word. Romans 8:7 (Amplified) says, "That is, because the mind of the flesh, with its carnal thoughts and purposes, is hostile to God; for it does not submit itself to God's Law, indeed it cannot."
Notice that Paul says, "it cannot." The mind of the flesh, in its own trained way of thinking, cannot submit to God. The importance of renewing our mind is one of the great understandings the Holy Spirit will reveal to God's people, in this coming year. Many of us have thought that renewing our minds, means we try to stop thinking sinful thoughts. Even though this is true, it's not just refusing evil thoughts, but it's replacing them with God's thoughts and Words.
Training your minds by the Holy Spirit, is more than refusing bad thoughts, but is hearing His Voice. Even your carnal mind had to be trained in what it thought, when you came into this world. You had to be trained to speak, walk, think, understand words, do math, eat and even dress. None of these simple things that guide our lives, were there when we were born. The ability to conceive them was there, but we had to train our minds to obey our will.
Because we didn't understand the importance of doing this with the mind of the Spirit, we simply lapsed into a religious attitude in our walk with the Father. We were born of the Spirit, but still walked in the understanding we'd been trained in. Without discipline, your mind will never change it's dictates on its own. It must be trained to do so, according to Romans 8:1-2 (Amplified) which says, "Therefore, there is no condemnation (no adjudging guilty of wrong), for those who are in Christ Jesus, who live and walk not after the dictates of the flesh, but after the dictate of the Spirit. For the Law of the Spirit of Life which is in Christ Jesus (the Law of our new being), has freed me from the Law of Sin and of Death."
Notice, the above scripture doesn't say that we're not under the Law of the Spirit of Life, but that the mind that isn't trained by the Law of the Spirit of Life will still dictate to you, the condemnation in which it was trained. We must renew our minds and get understanding. Many fellow believers, still walk by the dictates of the flesh or their old unrenewed minds. It's difficult for them to even believe that they're righteous before God and justified in Christ Jesus. They are righteous in Him, but their old, unrenewed minds won't let them walk and enjoy the Law of the Spirit of Life, because it's hostile and doesn't submit itself to God. Paul said it "cannot submit itself to God."
Without being renewed by the understanding of righteousness, your minds can only dictate what it's been trained to think, which will keep you under thoughts of condemnation, even though God has made you free. The Year of Understanding is nothing new, nor is it some weird Revelation that goes against God. It is rather, that the Spirit will open the eyes of our understanding to what has been there all along.
Paul writes to us by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit in 1Corinthians 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 new ideals and its new attitude, so that you can prove for yourselves what is the good and acceptable and perfect will of God, even the thing that is good and acceptable and perfect in His sight for you."
God has never had anything in His mind, except that which is good and acceptable and perfect for you, but until you've renewed and trained your mind by His Word and Spirit, you will be unable to prove for yourself what He really has in His heart for you. We struggle in our own minds about what God's will is, because we have no understanding (even about the above scripture). This is one of the greatest hindrances to the Church today. We have no understanding of what God's will really is.
It is God's will to heal today? Is it His will for us to speak in tongues, walk in prosperity and believe we're righteous in Christ Jesus? Or, is it God's will for us to have no understanding about this? Paul said that we can "prove for ourselves what is His will, by renewing our minds and training them to think and dictate the things of the Spirit of Life which is in Christ Jesus, the dictates of the Spirit." We've never yet understood what Paul calls, "The Law of our new being (the new creation)."
Proverbs 4:7 (Amplified) says, "The beginning of Wisdom is get Wisdom, skillful and Godly Wisdom. For skillful and Godly Wisdom is the principal things. And with all you have gotten, get understanding (discernment, comprehension, and interpretation)." Have you ever tried teaching someone a new thing, but they couldn't get it right? You might say, "They hear what I'm saying, but they don't seem to comprehend what I'm telling them," right? Jesus said nearly the same thing in Mark 4, when giving "The Parable of the Sower," He said, "Having ears they don't hear, and having eyes, they don't see." They heard what Jesus was saying, but they didn't comprehend what He was telling them.
Love you,
Jim
Monday, January 7, 2019
Lesson 135 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."
Let's look at Romans 1:17 (Amplified) again, where Paul writes, "For in the Gospel a righteousness which God ascribes is revealed, both springing from faith and leading to faith (disclosed through the way of faith that arouses to more faith). As it is written, The man who through faith is just and upright shall live and shall live by faith."
This scripture tells us that everything we've gained through Jesus, comes by our faith in God's Word, including receiving Jesus as Lord. Much of the Revelation knowledge the Holy Spirit has brought to the Church, has been lost to us, by misunderstanding. Many have simply dismissed the faith teachings that God has given us, because these teachings have been misused and misunderstood. Just because some have misused them, doesn't mean these teachings aren't valid or Revelation.
Romans 4:16 (Amplified) says, "Therefore, inheriting the Promise is the outcome of faith and depends entirely on faith, in order that it might be given as an act of Grace (unmerited favor), to make it valid and guaranteed to all his descendants, not only to the devotees of the Law, but also to those who share the faith of Abraham, who is thus the father of us all."
We received Jesus as our Lord and Savior, BY FAITH. Grace is God's unearned and undeserved favor, but in order to open the doors of Grace, we need faith. We cannot earn Grace and we certainly don't deserve it. It requires us to have faith, in order to accept God's Grace, favor and mercy. Every Promise God has made to us, is only released by our faith in that Promise, according to 2Corinthians 1:19-20 (Amplified) where Paul writes, "For the Son of God, Christ Jesus (the Messiah); Who has been preached among you by us, by myself, Silvanus, and Timothy, was not Yes or No, but in Him is always the Divine Yes. For as many as are the Promises of God, they all find their YES answer in Him (Christ). For this reason we also utter the Amen (So be it), to God through Him, in His Person and by His Agency, to the Glory of God."
Our receiving these Promises, is based upon our faith in God's Promises. They're not fulfilled in our lives by any other means, other than believing that God will do what He said He would do. This is faith or trust that brings about the Grace to fulfill the Promises. This is why the Lord told me that this will be the Year of Understanding. Faith isn't working like God intended, because we don't seem to understand faith, due to errant teachings and the misuse of faith messages. Just because some have misused it, doesn't take away the validity of it's true use and meaning.
Jesus told "The Parable of the Sower," in Mark 4:11, 23-24 (Amplified) saying, "To you has been entrusted the Mystery of the Kingdom of God, that is the secret counsels of God which are hidden from the ungodly, but for those outside of our circle, everything becomes a Parable." Jesus continued in Verses 23-24, "If any man has ears to hear, let him be listening and let him perceive and comprehend. And He said to them [and to us], Be careful what you are hearing. The measure of thought and study you give to the Truth you hear, will be the measure of virtue and knowledge that comes back to you, and more besides will be given to you who hear."
Don't let someone else determine what is Truth for you, but give thought and study to it for yourself. Many have talked about "Faith people" and "Word people," and believe only what these people say is valid, is valid. We must listen to and have ears to hear, what the Holy Spirit tells us. Hebrews 11:6 (Amplified) tells us that, "Without faith it is impossible to please God." If the faith teachings coming from those who are pleasing to God are "wrong," then how can we please Him? I'm not talking about the foolishness coming from the carnal-minded men. Paul writes about the love of the Church in Colossus, saying in Colossi ans 1:9-10 (Amplified), "For this reason we also, from the day we heard of it (your love) have not ceased to pray and make special request for you, asking that you may be filled with the full, deep, clear, knowledge of His will in all Spiritual Wisdom, in comprehensive insight into the ways and purposes of God, in all understanding and discernment of Spiritual things that you may walk, live, and conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the Lord; fully pleasing to Him and desiring to please Him in all things, bearing fruit in every good work and steadily growing and increasing in and by the knowledge of God, with fuller and deeper and clearer insight, acquaintance and recognition."
If it's impossible to please God without faith, then it must take faith in His Word to be fully pleasing to Him. Faith is just another word for trust. Do you trust Him to do what He said or are you still wavering by every wind of doctrine, like Paul described? If God said, "It is so," then it is so. Even the universe doesn't dare change from God's Word, but it remains stable in it.
Study for yourself and with all your getting, "Get understanding." Just because some have misused the teachings of faith, doesn't take away from faith or the Truth of it. You're missing out on so many Blessings from your inheritance, when you don't trust God to do what He has said. No one can stop the Promises of God from coming to pass in your life, according to Hebrews 3:19 (Amplified) which says, "So we see that they were not able to enter into His Rest because of their unwillingness to adhere to, trust in and rely on God, unbelief had shut them out."
How many things has our unbelief prevented from coming into our lives, because we were unwilling to trust Him for them? If God says that, "All His Promises are Yes and Amen in Jesus," then we should find out what His Promises are and then trust in, rely on and have faith in, His Truth.
Let's look at Romans 1:17 (Amplified) again, where Paul writes, "For in the Gospel a righteousness which God ascribes is revealed, both springing from faith and leading to faith (disclosed through the way of faith that arouses to more faith). As it is written, The man who through faith is just and upright shall live and shall live by faith."
This scripture tells us that everything we've gained through Jesus, comes by our faith in God's Word, including receiving Jesus as Lord. Much of the Revelation knowledge the Holy Spirit has brought to the Church, has been lost to us, by misunderstanding. Many have simply dismissed the faith teachings that God has given us, because these teachings have been misused and misunderstood. Just because some have misused them, doesn't mean these teachings aren't valid or Revelation.
Romans 4:16 (Amplified) says, "Therefore, inheriting the Promise is the outcome of faith and depends entirely on faith, in order that it might be given as an act of Grace (unmerited favor), to make it valid and guaranteed to all his descendants, not only to the devotees of the Law, but also to those who share the faith of Abraham, who is thus the father of us all."
We received Jesus as our Lord and Savior, BY FAITH. Grace is God's unearned and undeserved favor, but in order to open the doors of Grace, we need faith. We cannot earn Grace and we certainly don't deserve it. It requires us to have faith, in order to accept God's Grace, favor and mercy. Every Promise God has made to us, is only released by our faith in that Promise, according to 2Corinthians 1:19-20 (Amplified) where Paul writes, "For the Son of God, Christ Jesus (the Messiah); Who has been preached among you by us, by myself, Silvanus, and Timothy, was not Yes or No, but in Him is always the Divine Yes. For as many as are the Promises of God, they all find their YES answer in Him (Christ). For this reason we also utter the Amen (So be it), to God through Him, in His Person and by His Agency, to the Glory of God."
Our receiving these Promises, is based upon our faith in God's Promises. They're not fulfilled in our lives by any other means, other than believing that God will do what He said He would do. This is faith or trust that brings about the Grace to fulfill the Promises. This is why the Lord told me that this will be the Year of Understanding. Faith isn't working like God intended, because we don't seem to understand faith, due to errant teachings and the misuse of faith messages. Just because some have misused it, doesn't take away the validity of it's true use and meaning.
Jesus told "The Parable of the Sower," in Mark 4:11, 23-24 (Amplified) saying, "To you has been entrusted the Mystery of the Kingdom of God, that is the secret counsels of God which are hidden from the ungodly, but for those outside of our circle, everything becomes a Parable." Jesus continued in Verses 23-24, "If any man has ears to hear, let him be listening and let him perceive and comprehend. And He said to them [and to us], Be careful what you are hearing. The measure of thought and study you give to the Truth you hear, will be the measure of virtue and knowledge that comes back to you, and more besides will be given to you who hear."
Don't let someone else determine what is Truth for you, but give thought and study to it for yourself. Many have talked about "Faith people" and "Word people," and believe only what these people say is valid, is valid. We must listen to and have ears to hear, what the Holy Spirit tells us. Hebrews 11:6 (Amplified) tells us that, "Without faith it is impossible to please God." If the faith teachings coming from those who are pleasing to God are "wrong," then how can we please Him? I'm not talking about the foolishness coming from the carnal-minded men. Paul writes about the love of the Church in Colossus, saying in Colossi ans 1:9-10 (Amplified), "For this reason we also, from the day we heard of it (your love) have not ceased to pray and make special request for you, asking that you may be filled with the full, deep, clear, knowledge of His will in all Spiritual Wisdom, in comprehensive insight into the ways and purposes of God, in all understanding and discernment of Spiritual things that you may walk, live, and conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the Lord; fully pleasing to Him and desiring to please Him in all things, bearing fruit in every good work and steadily growing and increasing in and by the knowledge of God, with fuller and deeper and clearer insight, acquaintance and recognition."
If it's impossible to please God without faith, then it must take faith in His Word to be fully pleasing to Him. Faith is just another word for trust. Do you trust Him to do what He said or are you still wavering by every wind of doctrine, like Paul described? If God said, "It is so," then it is so. Even the universe doesn't dare change from God's Word, but it remains stable in it.
Study for yourself and with all your getting, "Get understanding." Just because some have misused the teachings of faith, doesn't take away from faith or the Truth of it. You're missing out on so many Blessings from your inheritance, when you don't trust God to do what He has said. No one can stop the Promises of God from coming to pass in your life, according to Hebrews 3:19 (Amplified) which says, "So we see that they were not able to enter into His Rest because of their unwillingness to adhere to, trust in and rely on God, unbelief had shut them out."
How many things has our unbelief prevented from coming into our lives, because we were unwilling to trust Him for them? If God says that, "All His Promises are Yes and Amen in Jesus," then we should find out what His Promises are and then trust in, rely on and have faith in, His Truth.
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