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."
It's difficult to open the eyes that have had a veil over them for so many years. Only God, by His Holy Spirit, can bring the entrance of His Word and Light, into the hearts of His family. We've been taught the religion of the world for so long, it's hard to learn the True Gospel of Liberty in Jesus. We've been told there's a list of things we must do, in order to earn God's Blessing, that it seems unreal to think that we've had it all along.
2Corinthians 3:14-17 (Amplified) says, "In fact, their minds were grown hard and calloused, they had become dull and lost the power of understanding; for until this present day, when the Old Testament (the old covenant) is being read, that same veil still lies on their hears, not being lifted to reveal that in Christ it is made void and done away with. Yes, to this very day whenever Moses is read, a veil lies upon their minds and hearts. But whenever a person turns in repentance to the Lord, the veil is stripped off and taken away. Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty (emancipation from bondage, freedom)."
Most of us were never under the Law of Moses, but the same veil has covered our hears and minds, by having that Law read and reread to us, over the years. We were born into liberty, but have allowed ourselves to be brought into this same bondage. We keep trying to be good enough to deserve God's Blessing and trying to earn it by works. When we make a mistake, we try doing something good, in order to appease God and get back in His favor.
Grace means different things to different people. Some believe that you can do whatever you want and Grace will cover it. Other believers think we must do works, in order to obtain God's Grace and favor. We are called to abstain from things we know are sin, but this isn't what Grace is about. Grace is not about giving into sin whenever you want and Grace will cover it.
Understanding Grace requires the Holy Spirit's revealing to you, that there is nothing left for you to do, but believe that "In Jesus, it is finished." Jesus has done all that God requires of us, on our behalf and He has done it perfectly. It's not about what we must do, but what we must know. We cannot believe, what we don't know and understand. We've lacked understanding, concerning the work of Jesus and Redemption. Under the old covenant, man was required to perform certain things, in order to obtain the Blessing and Promise. Under the new covenant, we're only to believe that Jesus Christ has already met all those requirements for us and then simply trust in His Sacrifice. Some believe this is too easy and they wish to add to Jesus' Perfection.
When we lack understanding about our family relationship and God's Promise to us through Jesus, we won't know Who we're to set our hope, faith and belief on or even what we're to believe. Our new covenant depends entirely on God's viewpoint. We're to simply have faith in His Grace and the Finished Work of Christ and then accept God's Love and Promises. We've struggled with healing, praying in tongues, Righteousness, prayer, peace and so many other things, because we haven't understood that these things are already ours and have been provided for us, in Jesus. We keep trying to find a way of making God do these things for us, without realizing that He already has, in Jesus.
The great sin that Jesus bore, was the sin that separated us from God at the fall of man, in the Garden of Eden. We lost fellowship, Life, Blessing, because the sin of death created a barrier between us and God, that only Jesus could tear down and return Life and family back to the Father. All the sins of the flesh sprang from the first of sin death, which entered into Adam at the fall. When the barrier of sin was broken, God could now, through the Holy Spirit, be in contact with the spirit of man and be one with us again.
God no longer needed to deal with mankind from the outside and by man's own obedience and goodness, but He could once again deal with us, by and through, our spirit, like He did with Adam, before the fall and like He did with Jesus, during His earthly ministry. Part of the veil that covers our hearts and minds, is that we still expect God to correct and discipline us, according to how He dealt with the old covenant saints. God's will for mankind was never do bring death, hardship or withhold His Blessing, because of the weakness of the flesh. Mankind was never to been in the position, where we lived and walked by our senses, but by our spirit. Jesus redeemed us back to that place and restored us back into the Image and Likeness of the Father.
We've never been taught how to live by our spirit, but we've been trained mostly by the Law, even if we're unaware of it. We haven't understood the new covenant we were born into and haven't dared to expect God's Promises to manifest and belong to us here, because of our flesh and it's imperfections. This is why it had to be by faith, that it might be by Grace. It's not what we do, but what we know.
It's nearly impossible to walk in God's Promises for us, if we don't know that they are for us and that, "All these Promises are "Yes and Amen in Christ Jesus to God's Glory for us." With Jesus, everything we think we need, is already done. We must only receive them, by faith in His Work for us. This is Grace. It's not that we deserved or earned them by our own goodness, but that Jesus purchased them for us, by His Goodness.
Even though satan couldn't keep us from being born-again, he still managed to keep us in his bondage, by blinding us with the same veil that blinded those under the Law. We felt like "They weren't for us, because we don't deserve them." This has mostly left the Church impotent of power and joy. Many Christians have let the Promise of the Spirit be lost to them, because they've lacked understanding. We've had ears, but haven't heard and eyes, but haven't seen the Truth of Grace. So many riches of Grace haven't been received by God's people, because we never knew they were ours. The evil one has held us in bondage to his will. We never knew we were in bondage, so we never accepted our liberty.
Hebrews 12:1 (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 aside every encumbrance, unnecessary weight and that sin which so readily and deftly and cleverly clings to 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."
I believe that the sin, Paul writes about in the above scripture, is the sin of unbelief. It's what God was speaking about, when He said those in the Wilderness didn't enter His Rest, because of unbelief. It wasn't that God hadn't made the way and provided the need, but they wouldn't believe His Promises. Unbelief is simply not trusting in God and His Promises to us. The traps and lies of the enemy uses, "deftly and cleverly cling to and entangle us and keep us from entering into God's Rest.
Unbelief is a choice we make, because we don't understand what God's will, His Promises and His covenant have granted to us, in Jesus. No true believer in Jesus Christ, would deliberately choose something they think might not be God's will for them, so we choose not to believe or initiate unbelief in that thing. You can't put faith in something you don't understand about God's Will and His Word for you. It's a choice we make. It's not disbelief, but it's unbelief. You can be a believer and still operate in unbelief.
Thursday, July 18, 2019
Wednesday, July 17, 2019
Lesson 219 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."
Proverbs 4:7 (Amplified) says, "The beginning of Wisdom is; get Wisdom (skillful and Godly Wisdom). For skillful and Godly Wisdom is the principal thing. And with all you have gotten, get understanding, discernment, comprehension and interpretation." Hebrews 11:3 (Amplified) says,
By faith we understand that the worlds were framed (fashioned, put in order) and equipped for their intended purpose. When it comes to the things of God, only faith can give you understanding.
God's Word IS WISDOM. 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 for sin."
The above scripture is Wisdom. By faith we understand. Without having faith in this Wisdom, we only read the words by religious understanding, leaving us to believe they don't apply to our lives here on earth. Wisdom is the Word, Jesus Christ. He's not only our Wisdom, but He has been made our Wisdom. Wisdom has come and we've received this Wisdom in Him, so why do we continue struggling with the Truth of Righteousness, Redemption and Consecration? It's because we lack understanding, and haven't applied faith in this Wisdom.
I remember when our family residence got a telephone, which hung on the kitchen wall. This phone had a crank that we turned, in order to activate it. Then, we spoke into a tube placed on the front of the phone and we listened through another tube that we placed up to our ear. An operator would then ask you "who would you like to talk to" and then would put your intended party on the line. Now, we carry cell phones in our pockets and these carry more information than our libraries used to have. The wisdom of the phones from my childhood was a great start, but now we understand sound waves and technologies never thought of previously. Now, that we've gotten understanding, phones are no longer a mystery.
Air planes would have been flying thousands of years ago, if mankind had understood the Laws of Physics the way we now do. The wisdom was there, but the understanding was not. It was only a hundred years ago, we drove horses and buggies and had kerosene lights. Nothing in this earth has changed, the laws governing the earth are the same, but we now understand and can apply them. God placed the wisdom of the earth for our use, but we didn't understand those laws.
God's Word is the same Wisdom for these Last days, that was there in the beginning. God hasn't changed His Plan or His Wisdom, but He has given us understanding, in order that we can use that Wisdom. In these Last days, God is revealing understanding of His Word, that has always been Wisdom. Things that were always been in His Word from the beginning, are now being taught to God's family with understanding. Many things are being seen for the first time, by understanding. They've always been there, but now by faith, we have understanding.
Many are finding it difficult to understand the Very Wisdom, Who is Jesus. Like those in Jesus' time, many prefer to cling to tradition, rather than accept the understanding of Wisdom and Revelation. Some refuse to accept what Wisdom has enlightened to the Church, in these days. What we call "new," has always been in God's Word, but we didn't understand how to apply it in our lives. The Father never intended for us to remain ignorant of His Word or His Grace. We though, haven't understood how to apply what He gave us. Wisdom has provided Righteousness, but we will only have the assurance to come boldly and without fear into God's Presence, if we understand this Righteousness. Wisdom has provided our new birth and given us access into all the Blessings Jesus provided for us, but only understanding will give you the assurance that they are yours now.
God's Word hasn't changed today. God wants us to have what He Promised, but we don't understand how to receive them. We continue on the old way and then we blame God when it doesn't work, instead of getting understanding. If the way we've been things hasn't worked for hundreds of years, then it won't work for another hundred years.
We still struggle with the Truth that we've been totally forgiven, because we don't understand this Truth and we walk like nothing has changed in our lives. We believe the Redemption Jesus provided is for "when we die and go to Heaven," because we lack the understanding that there's no Curse in Heaven for which we need to be redeemed from. Hebrews 11:3 tells us that, "By faith, we understand." We can look far into the universes today, using the Hubble Telescope. Wisdom placed the universe there, but many still don't understand that God made it and have no faith that He made the universe. Scientists can tell us about sun spots, black holes and solar storms, but many don't have the understanding of how they came to be. This is a Spiritual Wisdom that is far beyond man's comprehension and intellect, but we refuse to acknowledge the One Who made it. Scientists see that the earth is dying, but fail to understand why this is so. Man keeps trying to make it live, by human intellect and then can't understand why these things don't work.
There are many things that go wrong in our Christian lives, that we blame God for. We don't understand the Spiritual Wisdom to change them and continue on in darkness, instead of walking in the Light, as He is in the Light. Proverbs 3:19 (Amplified) says "The Lord by skillful and Godly Wisdom has founded the earth; by understanding He has established the Heavens." Genesis 1 tells us that God did this, by His Word, but we still don't understand why we need to speak only God's Word, in our lives. We fail to understand the power of our words. The untrained spirit thinks that words are only a means of communicating, and not creative power in our lives. We really don't understand Mark 4, where Jesus tells us that "the words we hear and speak, are seeds," even though it's the Wisdom of God.
Proverbs 4:7 (Amplified) says, "The beginning of Wisdom is; get Wisdom (skillful and Godly Wisdom). For skillful and Godly Wisdom is the principal thing. And with all you have gotten, get understanding, discernment, comprehension and interpretation." Hebrews 11:3 (Amplified) says,
By faith we understand that the worlds were framed (fashioned, put in order) and equipped for their intended purpose. When it comes to the things of God, only faith can give you understanding.
God's Word IS WISDOM. 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 for sin."
The above scripture is Wisdom. By faith we understand. Without having faith in this Wisdom, we only read the words by religious understanding, leaving us to believe they don't apply to our lives here on earth. Wisdom is the Word, Jesus Christ. He's not only our Wisdom, but He has been made our Wisdom. Wisdom has come and we've received this Wisdom in Him, so why do we continue struggling with the Truth of Righteousness, Redemption and Consecration? It's because we lack understanding, and haven't applied faith in this Wisdom.
I remember when our family residence got a telephone, which hung on the kitchen wall. This phone had a crank that we turned, in order to activate it. Then, we spoke into a tube placed on the front of the phone and we listened through another tube that we placed up to our ear. An operator would then ask you "who would you like to talk to" and then would put your intended party on the line. Now, we carry cell phones in our pockets and these carry more information than our libraries used to have. The wisdom of the phones from my childhood was a great start, but now we understand sound waves and technologies never thought of previously. Now, that we've gotten understanding, phones are no longer a mystery.
Air planes would have been flying thousands of years ago, if mankind had understood the Laws of Physics the way we now do. The wisdom was there, but the understanding was not. It was only a hundred years ago, we drove horses and buggies and had kerosene lights. Nothing in this earth has changed, the laws governing the earth are the same, but we now understand and can apply them. God placed the wisdom of the earth for our use, but we didn't understand those laws.
God's Word is the same Wisdom for these Last days, that was there in the beginning. God hasn't changed His Plan or His Wisdom, but He has given us understanding, in order that we can use that Wisdom. In these Last days, God is revealing understanding of His Word, that has always been Wisdom. Things that were always been in His Word from the beginning, are now being taught to God's family with understanding. Many things are being seen for the first time, by understanding. They've always been there, but now by faith, we have understanding.
Many are finding it difficult to understand the Very Wisdom, Who is Jesus. Like those in Jesus' time, many prefer to cling to tradition, rather than accept the understanding of Wisdom and Revelation. Some refuse to accept what Wisdom has enlightened to the Church, in these days. What we call "new," has always been in God's Word, but we didn't understand how to apply it in our lives. The Father never intended for us to remain ignorant of His Word or His Grace. We though, haven't understood how to apply what He gave us. Wisdom has provided Righteousness, but we will only have the assurance to come boldly and without fear into God's Presence, if we understand this Righteousness. Wisdom has provided our new birth and given us access into all the Blessings Jesus provided for us, but only understanding will give you the assurance that they are yours now.
God's Word hasn't changed today. God wants us to have what He Promised, but we don't understand how to receive them. We continue on the old way and then we blame God when it doesn't work, instead of getting understanding. If the way we've been things hasn't worked for hundreds of years, then it won't work for another hundred years.
We still struggle with the Truth that we've been totally forgiven, because we don't understand this Truth and we walk like nothing has changed in our lives. We believe the Redemption Jesus provided is for "when we die and go to Heaven," because we lack the understanding that there's no Curse in Heaven for which we need to be redeemed from. Hebrews 11:3 tells us that, "By faith, we understand." We can look far into the universes today, using the Hubble Telescope. Wisdom placed the universe there, but many still don't understand that God made it and have no faith that He made the universe. Scientists can tell us about sun spots, black holes and solar storms, but many don't have the understanding of how they came to be. This is a Spiritual Wisdom that is far beyond man's comprehension and intellect, but we refuse to acknowledge the One Who made it. Scientists see that the earth is dying, but fail to understand why this is so. Man keeps trying to make it live, by human intellect and then can't understand why these things don't work.
There are many things that go wrong in our Christian lives, that we blame God for. We don't understand the Spiritual Wisdom to change them and continue on in darkness, instead of walking in the Light, as He is in the Light. Proverbs 3:19 (Amplified) says "The Lord by skillful and Godly Wisdom has founded the earth; by understanding He has established the Heavens." Genesis 1 tells us that God did this, by His Word, but we still don't understand why we need to speak only God's Word, in our lives. We fail to understand the power of our words. The untrained spirit thinks that words are only a means of communicating, and not creative power in our lives. We really don't understand Mark 4, where Jesus tells us that "the words we hear and speak, are seeds," even though it's the Wisdom of God.
Tuesday, July 16, 2019
Lesson 218 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."
Proverbs 4:7, 20-23 (Amplified) says, "The beginning of Wisdom is; get Wisdom (skillful and Godly Wisdom). For skillful and Godly Wisdom is the principal thing. And with all you have gotten, get understanding (discernment, comprehension and interpretation)." In Verses 20-23 God goes on, "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. Keep and guard your heart with all vigilance and above all that you guard, for out of it flow the springs of Life."
Most Christians have kept our Spiritual lives separate from our natural lives, because we've failed to understand God's Word. We've accepted our salvation and our new birth as Spirit, but still allow our flesh to determine our natural lives. We've come to the place, where we've overcome drinking, drugging, cursing and participating in things that are sexually deviant, but we've limited most of the Spiritual power to only these things.
The adversary has even programmed the world to believe in the separation of church and state. Satan knew from the beginning, that he had no power over the Christian's new creation spirit man and has tried keeping our Spirit life out of our natural life. It's futile to try overthrowing the god of this world using only natural forces. We've nearly dismissed healing and Divine health, saying "These have passed away" or "These things aren't for us today." We read in the above scripture that "God's Word is health and healing to all our flesh."
Health and healing are part of life. Life comes from the spirit into the flesh and not from the flesh into the spirit. The Authority of God comes from the Spirit into the natural world and not the other way around. Most of our Spiritual lives consists of going to church on Sunday and Wednesday night, while the flesh dictates the rest of our week. I'm not saying that we return to sin after going to church on Sunday, but that we tend to let our Spiritual lives lapse until next Sunday. Learning and growing in our Spirit life, comes by believing, knowing and understanding God's Word.
We've accepted the world's standard for the idea God's Word, instead of allowing His Word to set the standard for the world. Prayer has nearly become a "last resort," to the world's problems and we say, "That's the way life is," when prayers aren't answered. Most of our faith has only been to applied to living a good life here and going to Heaven, when we die. This isn't what Jesus came to bring God's family. Our Father never intended for us to suffer at the hands of satan and his cohorts.
When we were "redeemed from the Curse of the Law, we were set free from it altogether. This isn't something that we can enforce by the flesh, but only by the spirit. It's futile to walk in redemption, when we separate the Spirit from the natural. It's a Spiritual thing and can only be overcome by the Super-natural Spirit that lives in us. The new birth is ours and the Redemption is Truth, but we must activate this Law by our spirit and by the Word, in faith.
Reading God's Word, while not believing it, is merely mental exercise and has no power to bring healing and health to your flesh. When your flesh is left to it's own devices, it will accept sickness and disease as being "just a part of life." 2Corinthians 1:20 (Amplified) says, "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."
"The health and healing to all our flesh, through God's Word," that we read about in Proverbs 4:22, is one of those "Yes Promises" to us, in Jesus. We've kept Spiritual things Spiritual and fleshly things fleshly and our mortal bodies have continued like God's Word doesn't work in the natural world any longer. We've learned so little of God's Word, that it only applies to after we leave this world and we live as mere natural men and women, even after we're born-again. We must have God's Word in our hearts, which takes time in that Word and time with the Holy Spirit. The natural man isn't supposed to run our lives any longer...God is.
1John 5:4 (Amplified) says, "For whatever is born of God is victorious over the world; and this is the victory that conquers the world, even our faith." To conquer the world is to allow our faith in the new creation we've become and allow the spirit to rule our lives, instead of the flesh. This is by faith, which is a Spiritual force, that will not allow our flesh to dictate our lives, but the Spirit to dictate over our flesh.
We need to get our heart and head into agreement. We must not listen only to our head or natural man, but start living by the Spirit. If God's Promise of forgiveness and new life are true, then all the other Promises of God are true too. When we accepted Jesus as our Lord and Savior, all the other Promises were already ours, if we enforce them in our flesh, by the spirit. Your flesh has no power to hold them back, if we won't allow it to rule any longer.
Your natural man has ruled your life, until you received Jesus. It takes time in God's Word to walk by the Spirit and teach your flesh a new way of Life. If you can teach a dog to roll over or sit up and you can teach a parrot to talk, then you can teach teach your flesh to receive new Guidance. Don't allow the world to separate your new Life in Christ, from your old life in the world. You can never live in the total victory of Jesus, by trying to do so in the flesh. Satan is the master of this world of flesh and the only way to defeat him, is in the Spirit.
Proverbs 4:7, 20-23 (Amplified) says, "The beginning of Wisdom is; get Wisdom (skillful and Godly Wisdom). For skillful and Godly Wisdom is the principal thing. And with all you have gotten, get understanding (discernment, comprehension and interpretation)." In Verses 20-23 God goes on, "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. Keep and guard your heart with all vigilance and above all that you guard, for out of it flow the springs of Life."
Most Christians have kept our Spiritual lives separate from our natural lives, because we've failed to understand God's Word. We've accepted our salvation and our new birth as Spirit, but still allow our flesh to determine our natural lives. We've come to the place, where we've overcome drinking, drugging, cursing and participating in things that are sexually deviant, but we've limited most of the Spiritual power to only these things.
The adversary has even programmed the world to believe in the separation of church and state. Satan knew from the beginning, that he had no power over the Christian's new creation spirit man and has tried keeping our Spirit life out of our natural life. It's futile to try overthrowing the god of this world using only natural forces. We've nearly dismissed healing and Divine health, saying "These have passed away" or "These things aren't for us today." We read in the above scripture that "God's Word is health and healing to all our flesh."
Health and healing are part of life. Life comes from the spirit into the flesh and not from the flesh into the spirit. The Authority of God comes from the Spirit into the natural world and not the other way around. Most of our Spiritual lives consists of going to church on Sunday and Wednesday night, while the flesh dictates the rest of our week. I'm not saying that we return to sin after going to church on Sunday, but that we tend to let our Spiritual lives lapse until next Sunday. Learning and growing in our Spirit life, comes by believing, knowing and understanding God's Word.
We've accepted the world's standard for the idea God's Word, instead of allowing His Word to set the standard for the world. Prayer has nearly become a "last resort," to the world's problems and we say, "That's the way life is," when prayers aren't answered. Most of our faith has only been to applied to living a good life here and going to Heaven, when we die. This isn't what Jesus came to bring God's family. Our Father never intended for us to suffer at the hands of satan and his cohorts.
When we were "redeemed from the Curse of the Law, we were set free from it altogether. This isn't something that we can enforce by the flesh, but only by the spirit. It's futile to walk in redemption, when we separate the Spirit from the natural. It's a Spiritual thing and can only be overcome by the Super-natural Spirit that lives in us. The new birth is ours and the Redemption is Truth, but we must activate this Law by our spirit and by the Word, in faith.
Reading God's Word, while not believing it, is merely mental exercise and has no power to bring healing and health to your flesh. When your flesh is left to it's own devices, it will accept sickness and disease as being "just a part of life." 2Corinthians 1:20 (Amplified) says, "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."
"The health and healing to all our flesh, through God's Word," that we read about in Proverbs 4:22, is one of those "Yes Promises" to us, in Jesus. We've kept Spiritual things Spiritual and fleshly things fleshly and our mortal bodies have continued like God's Word doesn't work in the natural world any longer. We've learned so little of God's Word, that it only applies to after we leave this world and we live as mere natural men and women, even after we're born-again. We must have God's Word in our hearts, which takes time in that Word and time with the Holy Spirit. The natural man isn't supposed to run our lives any longer...God is.
1John 5:4 (Amplified) says, "For whatever is born of God is victorious over the world; and this is the victory that conquers the world, even our faith." To conquer the world is to allow our faith in the new creation we've become and allow the spirit to rule our lives, instead of the flesh. This is by faith, which is a Spiritual force, that will not allow our flesh to dictate our lives, but the Spirit to dictate over our flesh.
We need to get our heart and head into agreement. We must not listen only to our head or natural man, but start living by the Spirit. If God's Promise of forgiveness and new life are true, then all the other Promises of God are true too. When we accepted Jesus as our Lord and Savior, all the other Promises were already ours, if we enforce them in our flesh, by the spirit. Your flesh has no power to hold them back, if we won't allow it to rule any longer.
Your natural man has ruled your life, until you received Jesus. It takes time in God's Word to walk by the Spirit and teach your flesh a new way of Life. If you can teach a dog to roll over or sit up and you can teach a parrot to talk, then you can teach teach your flesh to receive new Guidance. Don't allow the world to separate your new Life in Christ, from your old life in the world. You can never live in the total victory of Jesus, by trying to do so in the flesh. Satan is the master of this world of flesh and the only way to defeat him, is in the Spirit.
Friday, July 12, 2019
Lesson 217 GRACE AND TRUTH-GOD'S WILL
John 1:16-17 (Amplified) says, "For out of His fullness (abundance), we have all received, all had a share and were all supplied with, one Grace after another and Spiritual Blessing upon Spiritual Blessing and even favor upon favor and Gift heaped upon Gift. For while the Law was given through Moses, Grace (unearned, undeserved favor) and Spiritual Blessing and Truth, came through Jesus Christ."
We've done things our own way, for so long, that we've lost sight of how the Father's ways are. Jesus instructed 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."
The Kingdom of God has ways that work, but we must understand how they work. It's futile to try and make Kingdom things work, by our own understanding. God will not change our ways to meet the order of His Kingdom. Our prayer lives have been hindered, because we try to "get God" to do things that are out of order to His Word. We pray for God to save so-and-so, humble that person and bring that person to salvation. God's Word and Jesus' Sacrifice have already done everything needed to save everyone on this earth.
John 3:16 (Amplified) says, "For God so greatly Loved and deary prized the world that He even gave up His Only Begotten (Unique) Son, so that whosoever believes in (trusts in, clings to, and relies on) Him should not perish (come to destruction, be lost), but have Eternal (Everlasting) Life."
Jesus' Sacrifice has already made God's will for mankind known. There's really no reason to ask God to save anyone, because we already know that's His will for all mankind, according to 2Corinthians 4:3-4 (Amplified), which says, "But even if our Gospel (the Glad tidings) also be hidden (obscured and covered up) with a veil that hinders the knowledge of God, it is hidden only to those who are perishing and obscured only to those who are Spiritually dying and veiled only to those who are lost. For the god of this world has blinded the unbeliever's minds that they should not discern the Truth, preventing them from seeing the Illuminating Light of the Gospel of the Glory of Christ (the Messiah), Who is the Image and Likeness of God."
God's will and His salvation are for all who will believe and having unsaved people, is not His will. It's God's will for even the worst of sinners, be saved. Why isn't everyone saved? Why wouldn't we pray and ask God to save the unsaved? Because, He has already done everything needed for their salvation. God and His Word aren't the problem, but the god of this world has blinded them from seeing. We should be praying against the god of this world and the darkness of the veil that prevents their seeing the Light of God's Glory. This is where the authority of the believer and the Name of Jesus can be applied, taking away that which the devil has over them.
We've missed so many things in prayer and God's Kingdom, because we've misunderstood God's way of doing and being right. Jesus doesn't preach the Gospel, but He's sent us to preach and deliver for Him, using His Name and His authority. Jesus sent us into the world to proclaim what He has already done and to use His Name and the authority of His Name, to do so. The Body of Christ is now to break the veil of darkness off from the minds of the unbeliever. The Body of Christ is to lay hands on the sick and to cast out demons and free people who are bound by the enemy, according to Matthew 16:15-20.
We pray for God to heal a hospital patient, when He instructed us to, "Take Me to the hospital, lay your hands on them and I will do the work. You are My hands and feet and you're the vehicle by which I now travel." We are the Body of Christ. We are His hands and feet, His Voice and His Word on this earth. You might say, "Well, not everyone can heal the sick." I say, "Nobody can heal the sick, but the Father in you will do the work." Don't confuse your part of the Gospel and expect the Father to function outside the Kingdom.
Paul encountered this in his ministry in 2Corinthians 12:7-10 (Amplified), where he was busy doing what the Lord told him to do. The messenger of satan was constantly working against him. Paul asked God three times to "remove this thorn in his flesh from me." God didn't remove it, but reminded Paul that it was his place to deal with it "by the Truth of the Revelation the Lord had given him." God's Grace was more than enough to deal with any messenger of satan or anything else Paul needed. In Verse 10 Paul said this about this new Revelation, "When I am without power in my own strength and flesh, I rely on the Spirit of God within me and it always works. When I am weak in human strength, then I am truly strong (able, powerful) in Divine strength."
We've misunderstood Grace and have lost sight of it's power to deliver and heal, those who are lost. Many believe that Paul had a problem with pride, concerning the Revelation he received from the Lord, so God made him sick, in order to humble Paul. Why would God give him the Light of this Revelation, commission him to preach it and then deliberately try to hold Paul back from doing what He told him to do? HE WOULDN'T.
From that point on, Paul realized what his call was and how to fulfill it. Despite what came against him, Paul prevailed, until he had "run the race and finished his course and was ready to be offered up." The hardships Christians face, aren't God's trying to stop us or try us. The hardships we face are the god of this world trying to shut us down. He uses unbelief and deception as to who and what we are in this world. We continue trying to do things our own way and then wonder why it doesn't work. God's way of doing and being right, always works. Our prayer life will even change, when we get understanding.
We've done things our own way, for so long, that we've lost sight of how the Father's ways are. Jesus instructed 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."
The Kingdom of God has ways that work, but we must understand how they work. It's futile to try and make Kingdom things work, by our own understanding. God will not change our ways to meet the order of His Kingdom. Our prayer lives have been hindered, because we try to "get God" to do things that are out of order to His Word. We pray for God to save so-and-so, humble that person and bring that person to salvation. God's Word and Jesus' Sacrifice have already done everything needed to save everyone on this earth.
John 3:16 (Amplified) says, "For God so greatly Loved and deary prized the world that He even gave up His Only Begotten (Unique) Son, so that whosoever believes in (trusts in, clings to, and relies on) Him should not perish (come to destruction, be lost), but have Eternal (Everlasting) Life."
Jesus' Sacrifice has already made God's will for mankind known. There's really no reason to ask God to save anyone, because we already know that's His will for all mankind, according to 2Corinthians 4:3-4 (Amplified), which says, "But even if our Gospel (the Glad tidings) also be hidden (obscured and covered up) with a veil that hinders the knowledge of God, it is hidden only to those who are perishing and obscured only to those who are Spiritually dying and veiled only to those who are lost. For the god of this world has blinded the unbeliever's minds that they should not discern the Truth, preventing them from seeing the Illuminating Light of the Gospel of the Glory of Christ (the Messiah), Who is the Image and Likeness of God."
God's will and His salvation are for all who will believe and having unsaved people, is not His will. It's God's will for even the worst of sinners, be saved. Why isn't everyone saved? Why wouldn't we pray and ask God to save the unsaved? Because, He has already done everything needed for their salvation. God and His Word aren't the problem, but the god of this world has blinded them from seeing. We should be praying against the god of this world and the darkness of the veil that prevents their seeing the Light of God's Glory. This is where the authority of the believer and the Name of Jesus can be applied, taking away that which the devil has over them.
We've missed so many things in prayer and God's Kingdom, because we've misunderstood God's way of doing and being right. Jesus doesn't preach the Gospel, but He's sent us to preach and deliver for Him, using His Name and His authority. Jesus sent us into the world to proclaim what He has already done and to use His Name and the authority of His Name, to do so. The Body of Christ is now to break the veil of darkness off from the minds of the unbeliever. The Body of Christ is to lay hands on the sick and to cast out demons and free people who are bound by the enemy, according to Matthew 16:15-20.
We pray for God to heal a hospital patient, when He instructed us to, "Take Me to the hospital, lay your hands on them and I will do the work. You are My hands and feet and you're the vehicle by which I now travel." We are the Body of Christ. We are His hands and feet, His Voice and His Word on this earth. You might say, "Well, not everyone can heal the sick." I say, "Nobody can heal the sick, but the Father in you will do the work." Don't confuse your part of the Gospel and expect the Father to function outside the Kingdom.
Paul encountered this in his ministry in 2Corinthians 12:7-10 (Amplified), where he was busy doing what the Lord told him to do. The messenger of satan was constantly working against him. Paul asked God three times to "remove this thorn in his flesh from me." God didn't remove it, but reminded Paul that it was his place to deal with it "by the Truth of the Revelation the Lord had given him." God's Grace was more than enough to deal with any messenger of satan or anything else Paul needed. In Verse 10 Paul said this about this new Revelation, "When I am without power in my own strength and flesh, I rely on the Spirit of God within me and it always works. When I am weak in human strength, then I am truly strong (able, powerful) in Divine strength."
We've misunderstood Grace and have lost sight of it's power to deliver and heal, those who are lost. Many believe that Paul had a problem with pride, concerning the Revelation he received from the Lord, so God made him sick, in order to humble Paul. Why would God give him the Light of this Revelation, commission him to preach it and then deliberately try to hold Paul back from doing what He told him to do? HE WOULDN'T.
From that point on, Paul realized what his call was and how to fulfill it. Despite what came against him, Paul prevailed, until he had "run the race and finished his course and was ready to be offered up." The hardships Christians face, aren't God's trying to stop us or try us. The hardships we face are the god of this world trying to shut us down. He uses unbelief and deception as to who and what we are in this world. We continue trying to do things our own way and then wonder why it doesn't work. God's way of doing and being right, always works. Our prayer life will even change, when we get understanding.
Tuesday, July 9, 2019
Lesson 216 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."
The Church has been taught so many different things over the last two millenniums, that has resulted in controversy and confusion. That's why it's paramount that the Church listens to the Holy Spirit. Many in today's Church have lost contact with the personal relationship and communion with the Holy Spirit. We've turned our liberty to fellowship and learn over to others, expecting them to should our personal time with the Lord. We're to have teachers and pastors in the Church, by the ministry of the Holy Spirit, but they're not to pray, read God's Word and fellowship for us. They're to teach and train us how to do these things.
A football coach doesn't play on the field, he/she teaches the team players how to do so. The coach isn't the quarterback, but is there to teach the quarterback how to execute the plays the coach calls. No matter how we seemingly want the Holy Spirit to "takeover," He will only call the play. We're to execute the play that He calls.
We don't send the Holy Spirit to the hospital, but we take Him to the hospital with us. We don't just pray for the Holy Spirit to touch the sick, we yield our own hands to Him, so that He can touch the sick. The pastor's job description, isn't to visit the people in their homes or the hospital, all on his/her own. The pastor is supposed to delegate the Church community to do this. It's the job of every believer, to hear the Holy Spirit for themselves and then go where He sends them.
Every member of the Body of Christ, is responsible for having a personal relationship with the Holy Spirit. This responsibility doesn't fall on the ministers alone. The pastor is called to teach and preach God's Word to the people. The people are to then take God's Word for themselves, individually. School teachers don't take the test for their students, but teaches the students to do the work for themselves. If a students fails a class, then it's not because they weren't taught, but because that student didn't apply the things he/she was taught. If the student didn't read the course curriculum the teacher laid out, then that student will probably fail the class.
The national news has been filled with college scandals, where the student's acceptance into a certain institution or the student's passing grades were bought by their parents. This won't profit the students, when they're out on their own and can be disastrous for them. Our Heavenly Father doesn't want to tell others what He wants and needs you to do, but He wishes to speak to you personally. We've lost the personal contact with the Father, because we've depended on someone else to do it for us. The time has come for God's family to return to having a one-on-One relationship with the Father. This doesn't mean that we no longer need to have teachers and preachers, but that we need to take responsibility for what they're teaching us. It's not the pastor's job to go all over praying for the sick, but he/she is the teach the people to "Go into all the world" and do the work that preacher has taught them to do, from God's Word.
We read in Luke 10, about Jesus' teaching the people and then sending them out to do the work He taught them to do. They returned from doing the work for themselves, both amazed and elated that they were able to do like Jesus taught them. Jesus could only be in one place at a time, so He trained up many to do the same work, by the Holy Spirit. Now the Holy Spirit could be brought into multiple homes and lives that Jesus couldn't be in.
I'm not talking about the Gifts of the Spirit, found in 1Corinthians 12, but about the Holy Spirit Himself, "Who does the work as He wills to profit with all." It's the Father, by the Holy Spirit Who is in you, that does the work. He only needs you, as a vehicle to take Him into the world. Notice how in Acts 9:10-11, God didn't go down and lay hands on Saul of Tarsus, but God sent Ananias to do this. Ananias was God's hands and only needed to answer the call. God did the work through Ananias, just like He did through Jesus.
Please, don't see yourself short of the Glory that abides within you. It's the Same Holy Spirit living in you, Who was in Jesus, Paul, Peter and yes, Ananias. If the Same Holy Spirit lives in you, then He only needs your availability. He has all the availability that He needs. He only requires us to "Go." We don't read about Ananias before or after this even, in Acts 9, but we do know that he had a personal relationship with the Lord, heard God's Voice and obeyed His Voice.
This might have been the only time God used Ananias for such a work, but his ministering to Saul accomplished a great thing for the Kingdom and the Church. Saul became Paul and wrote two-thirds of the new covenant, we're living in today. He was only one man, but Paul accomplished so much for God's Kingdom. If you only ministered to a single person at the Lord's direction and that person was Billy Graham, then you would have done a great service to the Lord and the Kingdom. Don't sell yourself short, thinking that you don't matter to the Lord or aren't in the five-fold ministry. Know Him for yourself and make yourself available to His Ability and HE WILL USE YOU.
The Church has been taught so many different things over the last two millenniums, that has resulted in controversy and confusion. That's why it's paramount that the Church listens to the Holy Spirit. Many in today's Church have lost contact with the personal relationship and communion with the Holy Spirit. We've turned our liberty to fellowship and learn over to others, expecting them to should our personal time with the Lord. We're to have teachers and pastors in the Church, by the ministry of the Holy Spirit, but they're not to pray, read God's Word and fellowship for us. They're to teach and train us how to do these things.
A football coach doesn't play on the field, he/she teaches the team players how to do so. The coach isn't the quarterback, but is there to teach the quarterback how to execute the plays the coach calls. No matter how we seemingly want the Holy Spirit to "takeover," He will only call the play. We're to execute the play that He calls.
We don't send the Holy Spirit to the hospital, but we take Him to the hospital with us. We don't just pray for the Holy Spirit to touch the sick, we yield our own hands to Him, so that He can touch the sick. The pastor's job description, isn't to visit the people in their homes or the hospital, all on his/her own. The pastor is supposed to delegate the Church community to do this. It's the job of every believer, to hear the Holy Spirit for themselves and then go where He sends them.
Every member of the Body of Christ, is responsible for having a personal relationship with the Holy Spirit. This responsibility doesn't fall on the ministers alone. The pastor is called to teach and preach God's Word to the people. The people are to then take God's Word for themselves, individually. School teachers don't take the test for their students, but teaches the students to do the work for themselves. If a students fails a class, then it's not because they weren't taught, but because that student didn't apply the things he/she was taught. If the student didn't read the course curriculum the teacher laid out, then that student will probably fail the class.
The national news has been filled with college scandals, where the student's acceptance into a certain institution or the student's passing grades were bought by their parents. This won't profit the students, when they're out on their own and can be disastrous for them. Our Heavenly Father doesn't want to tell others what He wants and needs you to do, but He wishes to speak to you personally. We've lost the personal contact with the Father, because we've depended on someone else to do it for us. The time has come for God's family to return to having a one-on-One relationship with the Father. This doesn't mean that we no longer need to have teachers and preachers, but that we need to take responsibility for what they're teaching us. It's not the pastor's job to go all over praying for the sick, but he/she is the teach the people to "Go into all the world" and do the work that preacher has taught them to do, from God's Word.
We read in Luke 10, about Jesus' teaching the people and then sending them out to do the work He taught them to do. They returned from doing the work for themselves, both amazed and elated that they were able to do like Jesus taught them. Jesus could only be in one place at a time, so He trained up many to do the same work, by the Holy Spirit. Now the Holy Spirit could be brought into multiple homes and lives that Jesus couldn't be in.
I'm not talking about the Gifts of the Spirit, found in 1Corinthians 12, but about the Holy Spirit Himself, "Who does the work as He wills to profit with all." It's the Father, by the Holy Spirit Who is in you, that does the work. He only needs you, as a vehicle to take Him into the world. Notice how in Acts 9:10-11, God didn't go down and lay hands on Saul of Tarsus, but God sent Ananias to do this. Ananias was God's hands and only needed to answer the call. God did the work through Ananias, just like He did through Jesus.
Please, don't see yourself short of the Glory that abides within you. It's the Same Holy Spirit living in you, Who was in Jesus, Paul, Peter and yes, Ananias. If the Same Holy Spirit lives in you, then He only needs your availability. He has all the availability that He needs. He only requires us to "Go." We don't read about Ananias before or after this even, in Acts 9, but we do know that he had a personal relationship with the Lord, heard God's Voice and obeyed His Voice.
This might have been the only time God used Ananias for such a work, but his ministering to Saul accomplished a great thing for the Kingdom and the Church. Saul became Paul and wrote two-thirds of the new covenant, we're living in today. He was only one man, but Paul accomplished so much for God's Kingdom. If you only ministered to a single person at the Lord's direction and that person was Billy Graham, then you would have done a great service to the Lord and the Kingdom. Don't sell yourself short, thinking that you don't matter to the Lord or aren't in the five-fold ministry. Know Him for yourself and make yourself available to His Ability and HE WILL USE YOU.
Thursday, July 4, 2019
Wednesday, July 3, 2019
Lesson 215 GRACE AND TRUTH-GOD'S WO::
John 1:16-17 (Amplified) says, "For out of His fullness (abundance), we have all received, all had a share and were all supplied with, one Grace after another and Spiritual Blessing upon Spiritual Blessing and even favor upon favor and Gift heaped upon Gift. For while the Law was given through Moses, Grace (unearned, undeserved favor) and Spiritual Blessing and Truth, came through Jesus Christ."
Jesus was and is the Last and Only Sacrifice for mankind and He took the place of all the sacrifice and requirements of the Law and the old covenant. Under the Law, mankind had to make sacrifice and offerings for most all things, but Jesus completed all of the offerings and requirements, qualifying all of us for the Blessing. The Peace Offering was made by Jesus and took away any thought of an "angry" God, that stood between us. Today, many still view God as being angry and not pleased with them. Even sin in a believer's life, is no longer any of the devil's business, because we no longer belong to him and have "been set free from the Law of Sin and of Death," according to Romans 8:1-2.
Our covenant or family relationship with our Heavenly Father, was made secure through the Lamb of God, Jesus. John 8:19 (Amplified) says, "And they said to Him, Where is this Father of Your's? Jesus answered, You know My Father as little as you know Me; if you knew Me you would know My Father also." The Church has been taught for years to believe that, "the Father and the Son as being separate beings." We see Jesus as One Who healed, had compassion and delivered those in bondage, but we see the Father as being One Who puts sickness, disabilities and trials on His children. No one would ever accuse Jesus of doing these things, but we see God in this light. Jesus said, "If you know Me, then you should know your Father too."
We either put aside our faith for liberty, thinking "it was God," or we are fainting in our faith in His setting us free. We should stand in faith, in the face of all opposition and see it as a distraction from the enemy. James 4:7-8 (Amplified) says, "So be subject to God. Resist the devil (stand firm against him), and he will flee from you. Come close to God and He will come close to you. Recognize that you are sinners, get your soiled hands clean; realize you have been disloyal, wavering individuals with divided interests; and purify your hearts of your spiritual adultery."
If you believe that it's God Whose making you have problems, then you are to submit. If it's the devil whose bringing the problems on you, then you are to resist. If you don't know which one it is, then you're in trouble. This is the wavering individuals with divided interests and are disloyal and in spiritual adultery. This might sound "hard and heartless" to some, but if Jesus didn't bring the hardships, trials, sickness, disabilities, then the Father doesn't bring them either. James 1:3 (Amplified) says, "Let no one say when he is tempted, I am tempted from God; God is incapable of being tempted by what is evil and He Himself tempts no one." The word "tempted," is translated as "tried and tested." Jesus Himself taught us to pray, "Lead us not into temptation, trials, and tests, but deliver us from the evil one," in Matthew 6:13 (Amplified).
This is the double-minded man that James writes about in James 1:8 (Amplified) saying, "For being as he is a man of two minds, hesitating, dubious, irresolute, he is unstable and unreliable and uncertain about everything he thinks, feels, decides." If it's God, then you're to submit and if it's the enemy, then you are to resists. If you don't know which one it is, then how do you respond? Either action will bring results. The devil has been getting away with this deception for a long time, because we've lacked understanding of God's Word and His Grace.
Isaiah 54:9 (Amplified) says, "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 your or rebuke you." Hebrews 12:6 (Amplified) says, "For the Lord corrects and disciplines everyone whom He loves, and He punishes even scourges every son in whom He accepts and welcomes to His Heart." Don't forget that we are Spiritual sons and daughters and are no longer "physical" in God's eyes. God is a Spirit, His Word is Spirit and you are Spirit. God disciples us by His Word and His Spirit, not by physical chastisement, like in the old covenant. 1Timothy 3:16 bears this out, to those who will draw close to Him. Thus, it says, "Every scripture is God-breathed (given by His Inspiration) and is profitable for instruction, for reproof and conviction of sin, for correction of error and discipline in obedience and for training in righteousness (in holy living), in conformity to God's will in thought, purpose and action."
God disciplines us, by His Word and His Holy Spirit. Hebrews 4:12 (Amplified) says, "For the Word that God speaks is alive and full of power, making it active, operative, energizing and effective; it is sharper than any two-edged sword, penetrating to the dividing line of the breath of life, soul and the immortal spirit, and of joints and marrow, of the deepest parts of our nature, exposing and sifting, and analyzing and judging the very thoughts and purposes of the heart."
When we veer the wrong way, God's Word will direct us back to where we belong. If we'll yield and submit to God's Word, then He will direct us to where He is leading. If you don't know God's Word, then you don't know which path to follow, which might result in you're saying, "God's testing me," instead of accepting the responsibility of hearing and heeding His Word. Many have yielded to this wrong falsehood, thinking and/or saying, "This is God's will for me." The enemy has laid many pitfalls have been laid before us and if we'll listen, then God will guide us past them. If we don't hear and continue on the wrong path, then it will lead to a place where God never intended us to be in. It wasn't God's will that you ended up there, but Grace will get us out of the pit, if we ask Him for it.
Don't be double-minded concerning God's Word or His will for your life. God never planned calamity and hardship for you. God planned "paths of righteousness for His Name's sake," for you, according to Psalm 23. We just read in 2Timothy 3:16 that, "God's Word was for our training in righteousness."
Our faith won't work for us, if we're double-minded about Go'd will and Word. I'm not implying that you won't have trials and tests, but you will know how to respond to them. If by faith, you choose to think "it's God," then you're free to do so. God will let you choose, even though it's not His will for you. Colossians 1:9 (Amplified) says, "For this reason we also, from the day we heard of it, 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."
Don't let the enemy deceive you into accepting his will for you, instead of the Father's will for you. Learn what God's will truly is and then walk in it. You'll have to fight the good fight of faith, in order to separate yourself from the traditional concepts of God being an angry God. If you've seen Jesus, then you've seen the Father. Jesus was the Teacher of His disciples and He taught them how to do His ministry, after He left. Jesus never made people sick, helpless or destitute, but He trained them by His Word and His Spirit. We must learn like they did and listen to His Voice.
Jesus was and is the Last and Only Sacrifice for mankind and He took the place of all the sacrifice and requirements of the Law and the old covenant. Under the Law, mankind had to make sacrifice and offerings for most all things, but Jesus completed all of the offerings and requirements, qualifying all of us for the Blessing. The Peace Offering was made by Jesus and took away any thought of an "angry" God, that stood between us. Today, many still view God as being angry and not pleased with them. Even sin in a believer's life, is no longer any of the devil's business, because we no longer belong to him and have "been set free from the Law of Sin and of Death," according to Romans 8:1-2.
Our covenant or family relationship with our Heavenly Father, was made secure through the Lamb of God, Jesus. John 8:19 (Amplified) says, "And they said to Him, Where is this Father of Your's? Jesus answered, You know My Father as little as you know Me; if you knew Me you would know My Father also." The Church has been taught for years to believe that, "the Father and the Son as being separate beings." We see Jesus as One Who healed, had compassion and delivered those in bondage, but we see the Father as being One Who puts sickness, disabilities and trials on His children. No one would ever accuse Jesus of doing these things, but we see God in this light. Jesus said, "If you know Me, then you should know your Father too."
We either put aside our faith for liberty, thinking "it was God," or we are fainting in our faith in His setting us free. We should stand in faith, in the face of all opposition and see it as a distraction from the enemy. James 4:7-8 (Amplified) says, "So be subject to God. Resist the devil (stand firm against him), and he will flee from you. Come close to God and He will come close to you. Recognize that you are sinners, get your soiled hands clean; realize you have been disloyal, wavering individuals with divided interests; and purify your hearts of your spiritual adultery."
If you believe that it's God Whose making you have problems, then you are to submit. If it's the devil whose bringing the problems on you, then you are to resist. If you don't know which one it is, then you're in trouble. This is the wavering individuals with divided interests and are disloyal and in spiritual adultery. This might sound "hard and heartless" to some, but if Jesus didn't bring the hardships, trials, sickness, disabilities, then the Father doesn't bring them either. James 1:3 (Amplified) says, "Let no one say when he is tempted, I am tempted from God; God is incapable of being tempted by what is evil and He Himself tempts no one." The word "tempted," is translated as "tried and tested." Jesus Himself taught us to pray, "Lead us not into temptation, trials, and tests, but deliver us from the evil one," in Matthew 6:13 (Amplified).
This is the double-minded man that James writes about in James 1:8 (Amplified) saying, "For being as he is a man of two minds, hesitating, dubious, irresolute, he is unstable and unreliable and uncertain about everything he thinks, feels, decides." If it's God, then you're to submit and if it's the enemy, then you are to resists. If you don't know which one it is, then how do you respond? Either action will bring results. The devil has been getting away with this deception for a long time, because we've lacked understanding of God's Word and His Grace.
Isaiah 54:9 (Amplified) says, "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 your or rebuke you." Hebrews 12:6 (Amplified) says, "For the Lord corrects and disciplines everyone whom He loves, and He punishes even scourges every son in whom He accepts and welcomes to His Heart." Don't forget that we are Spiritual sons and daughters and are no longer "physical" in God's eyes. God is a Spirit, His Word is Spirit and you are Spirit. God disciples us by His Word and His Spirit, not by physical chastisement, like in the old covenant. 1Timothy 3:16 bears this out, to those who will draw close to Him. Thus, it says, "Every scripture is God-breathed (given by His Inspiration) and is profitable for instruction, for reproof and conviction of sin, for correction of error and discipline in obedience and for training in righteousness (in holy living), in conformity to God's will in thought, purpose and action."
God disciplines us, by His Word and His Holy Spirit. Hebrews 4:12 (Amplified) says, "For the Word that God speaks is alive and full of power, making it active, operative, energizing and effective; it is sharper than any two-edged sword, penetrating to the dividing line of the breath of life, soul and the immortal spirit, and of joints and marrow, of the deepest parts of our nature, exposing and sifting, and analyzing and judging the very thoughts and purposes of the heart."
When we veer the wrong way, God's Word will direct us back to where we belong. If we'll yield and submit to God's Word, then He will direct us to where He is leading. If you don't know God's Word, then you don't know which path to follow, which might result in you're saying, "God's testing me," instead of accepting the responsibility of hearing and heeding His Word. Many have yielded to this wrong falsehood, thinking and/or saying, "This is God's will for me." The enemy has laid many pitfalls have been laid before us and if we'll listen, then God will guide us past them. If we don't hear and continue on the wrong path, then it will lead to a place where God never intended us to be in. It wasn't God's will that you ended up there, but Grace will get us out of the pit, if we ask Him for it.
Don't be double-minded concerning God's Word or His will for your life. God never planned calamity and hardship for you. God planned "paths of righteousness for His Name's sake," for you, according to Psalm 23. We just read in 2Timothy 3:16 that, "God's Word was for our training in righteousness."
Our faith won't work for us, if we're double-minded about Go'd will and Word. I'm not implying that you won't have trials and tests, but you will know how to respond to them. If by faith, you choose to think "it's God," then you're free to do so. God will let you choose, even though it's not His will for you. Colossians 1:9 (Amplified) says, "For this reason we also, from the day we heard of it, 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."
Don't let the enemy deceive you into accepting his will for you, instead of the Father's will for you. Learn what God's will truly is and then walk in it. You'll have to fight the good fight of faith, in order to separate yourself from the traditional concepts of God being an angry God. If you've seen Jesus, then you've seen the Father. Jesus was the Teacher of His disciples and He taught them how to do His ministry, after He left. Jesus never made people sick, helpless or destitute, but He trained them by His Word and His Spirit. We must learn like they did and listen to His Voice.
Monday, July 1, 2019
Lesson 214 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." Each and every person who comes into the new creation family of God, has the responsibility of learning and walking with the Father. We've all been given the same Grace and Blessing and the above scripture tells us that, "We all have a share in God's fullness." Just being saved is enough for some believers, while others strive like Paul commended "toward the mark of the high calling of God." Some find contentment in their new lives in God, like they do in their natural lives. There's so much left unfulfilled in our new creation lives with the Father, because we're content with going to Heaven when we die and living morally good lives here on earth. This is acceptable to God, but there's so much more we can accomplish in the ministry He has sent us to do.
We've left the sick still sick and the blind persons in their blindness. We've let those who are in bondage to drugs and other weaknesses, remain bound. God has given us His fullness for here on earth, in order to get others saved and to teach them how to proceed to free others. The power of the Gospel seems to have been lost or diminished and not valid in many Christian circles. We've seemingly lost the zeal for moving into the Super-natural works of the ministry. We've turned the working of the Holy Spirit, over to those in the five-fold ministry, deciding they're charged with doing them.
We've decided that the Gifts of the Spirit found in 1Corinthians 12, aren't for everyone and are only for those who are called. 1Corinthians 12:11,7 (Amplified) says, "All these Gifts (achievements, abilities) are inspired and brought to pass by One and the Same Holy Spirit, Who apportions to each person individually exactly as He chooses." Verse 7 says, "But to each one is given the manifestations of the Holy Spirit (the evidence, the Spiritual Illumination of the Spirit for good and profit)."
You might not be called into the ministry of these five-fold portions, but the Same Holy Spirit lives inside you to do good and profit those who need Super-natural help from the Father. Jesus instructs His disciples about their ministry following His Ascension, in Mark 16:17,18-20 (Amplified). Jesus said that those who would believe what they heard would be born-again. Jesus went on to say in Verses 18-20, "These attesting signs will accompany those who believe; in My Name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new languages; they will pick up serpents, and even if they drink anything deadly, it will not hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick and they will get well. So then the Lord Jesus, after He had spoken to them, was taken up into Heaven and He sat down at the right hand of God. And they went out and preached everywhere, while the Lord kept working with them and confirming the Message by the attesting signs and miracles that closely accompanied it , Amen (So be it)."
The above scriptures tells us that those who would believe the Message they heard preached, were also called to speak in tongues, lay hands on the sick, cast out devils and do the works of the Gospel. These aren't those listed in 1Corinthians 12, but are for the whole body of Christians who would believe. It's the Same Holy Spirit Who was given to us to do good and to profit those in need. The ministry of setting captives free, was never intended to be left to only the five-fold ministry, but was given to do all believers, to do the works of Jesus and teach others about Him.
Not everyone in the five-fold ministry have received God's Super-natural ability. The Holy Spirit "gives these Gifts severally as He wills." If you're ministering to someone who needs healing, then the Holy Spirit will execute healing, in order to set them free. We've been taught that the Holy Spirit does these things for only a chosen few, instead of any believer that needs them. It's true that there are those in whom these Gifts operate more so than others, but that doesn't mean that the Holy Spirit has left the rest of us out of His ability. The sick shouldn't have to wait until they can find someone in whom the Gift of Healing is working, in order to get well. They should be able to receive from the Same Holy Spirit, at the hands of any believer. This doesn't mean you have the Gift of Healing, but that you have the Gift of the Healer. Doesn't the Same Holy Spirit live in you and care as much for those you minister to, as He does for those of the five-fold ministry?
Acts 6:8 (Amplified) tells us that Stephen was appointed by the Apostles and was "full of Grace and Divine Blessing and favor, and power and strength and ability, worked great wonders and signs (miracles) among the people." Stephen wasn't a man from the five-fold ministry, but he yielded himself to the Holy Spirit and God used him mightily. Acts 8:5-7 (Amplified) says, "Philip [the deacon, not the apostle], went down to the city of Samaria and proclaimed the Christ (the Messiah) to them (the people). And great crowds of people with one accord listened to and heeded what was said by Philip, as they heard him and watched the miracles and wonders which he kept performing from time to time. For foul spirits came out of many who were possessed by them screaming and shouting with a loud voice, and many who were suffering from palsy or were crippled were restored to health."
These Spiritual Gifts are given by and through, the Holy Spirit. 1Corinthians 12:11 (Amplified) says, "All these Gifts (achievements, abilities) are Inspired and brought to pass by one and the Same Holy Spirit, Who apportions to each person individually exactly as He chooses." When anyone needs these Gifts, in order to set the captives free, then it's up to His discretion to use them as He chooses. He isn't moved by titles, denominations or anything else. He's moved by setting the captives free and He does so "as He chooses." The Holy Spirit has been sent here, in order to continue Jesus' earthly ministry, by whosoever will believe and allow Him to do so.
This doesn't mean that you're now and Apostle or prophet, but you are a representative of God and Jesus to this world. The Holy Spirit has and can simultaneously use all the nine Gifts from 1Corinthians 12, to set one person free. God saved Philip, healed him, delivered him, filled him with the Spirit, called him and instructed Philip where he was to go, all at one time. This is the ministry of the Holy Spirit. All He needs is a believer to work through and 1Corinthians 12:11 (KJV) says, "He gives these Gifts severally as He wills."
We've left the sick still sick and the blind persons in their blindness. We've let those who are in bondage to drugs and other weaknesses, remain bound. God has given us His fullness for here on earth, in order to get others saved and to teach them how to proceed to free others. The power of the Gospel seems to have been lost or diminished and not valid in many Christian circles. We've seemingly lost the zeal for moving into the Super-natural works of the ministry. We've turned the working of the Holy Spirit, over to those in the five-fold ministry, deciding they're charged with doing them.
We've decided that the Gifts of the Spirit found in 1Corinthians 12, aren't for everyone and are only for those who are called. 1Corinthians 12:11,7 (Amplified) says, "All these Gifts (achievements, abilities) are inspired and brought to pass by One and the Same Holy Spirit, Who apportions to each person individually exactly as He chooses." Verse 7 says, "But to each one is given the manifestations of the Holy Spirit (the evidence, the Spiritual Illumination of the Spirit for good and profit)."
You might not be called into the ministry of these five-fold portions, but the Same Holy Spirit lives inside you to do good and profit those who need Super-natural help from the Father. Jesus instructs His disciples about their ministry following His Ascension, in Mark 16:17,18-20 (Amplified). Jesus said that those who would believe what they heard would be born-again. Jesus went on to say in Verses 18-20, "These attesting signs will accompany those who believe; in My Name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new languages; they will pick up serpents, and even if they drink anything deadly, it will not hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick and they will get well. So then the Lord Jesus, after He had spoken to them, was taken up into Heaven and He sat down at the right hand of God. And they went out and preached everywhere, while the Lord kept working with them and confirming the Message by the attesting signs and miracles that closely accompanied it , Amen (So be it)."
The above scriptures tells us that those who would believe the Message they heard preached, were also called to speak in tongues, lay hands on the sick, cast out devils and do the works of the Gospel. These aren't those listed in 1Corinthians 12, but are for the whole body of Christians who would believe. It's the Same Holy Spirit Who was given to us to do good and to profit those in need. The ministry of setting captives free, was never intended to be left to only the five-fold ministry, but was given to do all believers, to do the works of Jesus and teach others about Him.
Not everyone in the five-fold ministry have received God's Super-natural ability. The Holy Spirit "gives these Gifts severally as He wills." If you're ministering to someone who needs healing, then the Holy Spirit will execute healing, in order to set them free. We've been taught that the Holy Spirit does these things for only a chosen few, instead of any believer that needs them. It's true that there are those in whom these Gifts operate more so than others, but that doesn't mean that the Holy Spirit has left the rest of us out of His ability. The sick shouldn't have to wait until they can find someone in whom the Gift of Healing is working, in order to get well. They should be able to receive from the Same Holy Spirit, at the hands of any believer. This doesn't mean you have the Gift of Healing, but that you have the Gift of the Healer. Doesn't the Same Holy Spirit live in you and care as much for those you minister to, as He does for those of the five-fold ministry?
Acts 6:8 (Amplified) tells us that Stephen was appointed by the Apostles and was "full of Grace and Divine Blessing and favor, and power and strength and ability, worked great wonders and signs (miracles) among the people." Stephen wasn't a man from the five-fold ministry, but he yielded himself to the Holy Spirit and God used him mightily. Acts 8:5-7 (Amplified) says, "Philip [the deacon, not the apostle], went down to the city of Samaria and proclaimed the Christ (the Messiah) to them (the people). And great crowds of people with one accord listened to and heeded what was said by Philip, as they heard him and watched the miracles and wonders which he kept performing from time to time. For foul spirits came out of many who were possessed by them screaming and shouting with a loud voice, and many who were suffering from palsy or were crippled were restored to health."
These Spiritual Gifts are given by and through, the Holy Spirit. 1Corinthians 12:11 (Amplified) says, "All these Gifts (achievements, abilities) are Inspired and brought to pass by one and the Same Holy Spirit, Who apportions to each person individually exactly as He chooses." When anyone needs these Gifts, in order to set the captives free, then it's up to His discretion to use them as He chooses. He isn't moved by titles, denominations or anything else. He's moved by setting the captives free and He does so "as He chooses." The Holy Spirit has been sent here, in order to continue Jesus' earthly ministry, by whosoever will believe and allow Him to do so.
This doesn't mean that you're now and Apostle or prophet, but you are a representative of God and Jesus to this world. The Holy Spirit has and can simultaneously use all the nine Gifts from 1Corinthians 12, to set one person free. God saved Philip, healed him, delivered him, filled him with the Spirit, called him and instructed Philip where he was to go, all at one time. This is the ministry of the Holy Spirit. All He needs is a believer to work through and 1Corinthians 12:11 (KJV) says, "He gives these Gifts severally as He wills."
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