Seated in heavenly places

September 27, 2020

Sunday AM

 Multiple storms are coming. Political, economic, social, and spiritual tempest are all on the horizon. Some are closer than others. But we are about to experience these all at the same time. Whether or not a person survives these storms has already been determined. While many Christians have been taught that all they need is faith to survive storms, the reality is, storms are survived because of a strong foundation. There are a lot of people who are about to discover the hard way, that they have a very weak foundation. The churches and people who will still be standing after this storm, are those who are wisely strengthening their foundations right now. Others will fall.  Great will be the fall of the foolish. This is not theory; it is biblical facts.  The absolute wrong time to make the foundation a priority, is after the storm has arrived. 

When you have a relationship with God Almighty, what’s in the world can’t get in you. And if it can’t get in you, it can’t sink you.  

 John 14:1-3 “Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. 2 In My Father’s house are manymansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also.

 When you call upon Jesus (for salvation), He comes to get you and set you at the right hand of The Father. It’s not something that will happen in the future. It happened when we received salvation.  

Ephesians 1:3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ

 There aren’t any more blessings to give. It’s already been done! The devil likes it when we put things off into the future, that belong in our present. That’s not faith! Faith is now. Everything you ever need has already been provided. It is in the heavenly places. Jesus put us there with Him. Our blessings are not down here in the natural realm where our bodies live.

 Ephesians 6:10-12 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. 11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.

 Physically speaking, we are on earth. All of our blessings are in heavenly places, and in the space between is all these devils and demons.  God has already given the blessings. Who is stopping it from reaching us? Who is intercepting? The devils and demons.  They can see what we can’t see with our natural eyes. 

 Ephesians 1:15-19 Therefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints, 16 do not cease to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers: 17 that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him, 18 the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, 19 and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power 

 This is a Spirit prayer. This is a prayer given straight from the Holy Spirit. It did not originate in the minds of men. It is not man’s idea.  You will not be able to understand it with your mind just by reading it.  Meditation is not memorization.  Memorization assists meditation. To meditate means to speak over and over to one’s self. These are tools that you can use to help assist the Holy Ghost in revealing it to your mind. “… may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation…” We call this seeing and knowing.  It’s a supernatural ability to see what a natural man cannot see and know what a natural man cannot know. You have to have the help of the Holy Spirit to do that! Why is this important? Because you will never be able to understand, function in, and operate from the place that’s been prepared for you apart from grasping it spiritually.  Knowing a truth in your mind is not the same as spiritual reality. It must be revealed to us inwardly/be reinforced. We have to have the Holy Spirits help! 

 As born-again Christians, we are to walk in the spirit. Live out of and walk in the spirit. Don’t live your life so consumed with the natural that you miss the supernatural. It is available to everyone! 

 People who fear the devil do not know they have authority over him. They have this mentality of “God help me with this problem that the devil has created.” Jesus has already defeated the devil and given you His standing as a son with authority over the devil! The victory has already been given to you!  You can know this in your head, and confess it out of your mouth, but it is not reality until it’s in you. We need the Holy Spirit’s help! The revelation does not come from formula, it comes from relationship.  You cannot trust/have faith in someone you do not know. You must know them for yourself! If we did not need the help of the Holy Spirit, Paul would not have prayed this prayer. 

 Faith – That which is certain. An inward certainty. 

 We have been called to a ministry in the heavenlies. This is where Jesus, the Head + the church, the body are perfectly synced-up seated at heavenly places. The Head makes the decisions.  The will of the Head can be carried out by the body in the earth. Jesus prayed it like this, “Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” This means, “Heaven come to earth through me. Your will, not mine, be done. 

 Everything Jesus did, was for us. He went to hell for us. The greatest act of God was not creation, it was when He raised Jesus from the dead.  When God created the heavens and the earth, He didn’t have anything working against Him. But when He raised Jesus from the dead He had all the hordes of hell working against Him. But God released that power and took the victory. He didn’t do it for Jesus. He did it for us! Jesus didn’t need to gain authority over the devil! He is God himself! We are the ones that needed that authority. God wants us to know everything He has provided for us so that we can stop operating from the natural down here on earth and start operating from heavenly places! 

 Where you sit and where you are positioned is FAR above any wicked or evil spirit. But you are going to have to operate from the place at the right hand of the Father in order to rule and have authority over them.  You have to get up above them and know that you have authority over them. The blood of Jesus cleanses you from sin, it redeems you from sin, and it frees you from sin. Meaning this, no one can make you sin. No devil can make you do anything you don’t want to. That’s the power you have over sin because of the blood of Jesus.  We don’t take these things seriously, but its what’s stopping all our spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ Jesus.

 There are two kingdoms. Darkness and light.  The devil’s kingdom and God’s kingdom. The devil’s kingdom is the world system.  It’s all around you. Two women. The harlot and the virtuous woman. Two houses. The Harlot’s house and Wisdoms house. Every morning when you open your eyes, the kingdom of darkness is there, and the Kingdom of Light is there.  When you get up and don’t intentionally choose to go to Wisdom’s house, by default, you choose to go towards the will of man/the way of the world system. You don’t think it’s the kingdom of darkness, but it is. In that day, the world system will put its stuff on you. You don’t have any choice; it’s just how it works. You will experience more tiredness, depression, and anxiety. But, if you wake up, and take up your cross whether you feel like it or not, His supernatural presence, strength, joy, and peace will be a part of your day. Before you even wake, the Person of Wisdom has already prepared a meal for you. It’s everything you need for that day. But She does not force you to come and eat. You have to CHOOSE Her.  But, if you will choose her, you will rule your day, instead of your day ruling you. You will rule demons, they won’t rule you! Every bit of it hinges on YOU! God has already done everything He is going to do about it. It is up to you!  

1 Kings 3:1-6

 The number one thing we have to guard our self against is deception. 

 Prayer is foundational! Jesus didn’t walk around telling people He loved them. He proved it with His actions! He walked it out. We have to humble ourselves. God cannot help you outside of a relationship. Ask for a discerning, hearing heart, like Solomon did. 

 True wisdom begins with an attitude of humility. You won’t get anywhere with God, with pride in your heart.  Arrogance is a disease that makes everyone sick other than the person that has it.  We must admit that we need His help.  Pride says you can do life without God. There are things God knows that you don’t know. And the way He reveals it to you is from the inside out, not the outside in. Everything about your Christian experience flows out of your relationship with God. Divine healing flows out of that vine of relationship. The peace of God flows out of that vine of relationship. Humility does not mean thinking less of yourself or your own gifts.  It means freedom from thinking about yourself at all. 

 1 Kings 4:29 And God gave Solomon wisdom and exceedingly great understanding, and largeness of heart like the sand on the seashore. 

 Solomon was just like you and I, until he got into this relationship with God. Wisdom took him over and began to doing things in Him. And when She did things IN him, it started showing up OUTSIDE of him. His expansion on the outside was a result of the expansion on the inside. Your heart is the centerpiece of your life. Why? Because that’s what God looks at all the time.  God gave Solomon largeness of heart! On the inside he was vast with vision.  Wisdom knows everything! She has leadership skills, organizational skills. She has council! God can give you one idea and change the whole course of a nation! But to access these things, you have to enter into a relationship with Her so that She can begin to work that in you! The fear of the Lord is the foundation of wisdom. When Wisdom comes into your life, there’s nothing higher, nor more valuable.  She is unmatched! Whatever you are after, She can give it to you. She will put such favor on your life that people will want to get around you to hear what you have to say, and the reason for that, is because you have something to say! There’s a difference between saying something and having something to say. You have something to say because you are in a relationship with someone who knows more than anyone else!  Its amazing! We are living so far below what’s in us, because we don’t know WHO is in us.  The reason people fear the devil in their lives, is because they don’t know they have authority over him.   If you know you have authority over all sickness and disease, you will never fear it another day in your life. But,  you fear it because you don’t know who you are and Who lives in you. The reason you don’t know who you are and Who’s in you, is because you don’t have a strong relationship with God.  Don’t settle for a shallow relationship! Give your relationship with God more time! If you want more of God in your life, you’ve got to give God more of your life.  When you enter into a relationship with God, something supernatural happens. Your wants will change. You will want to pray! You will see the goodness! The reason you are limited to your outside life, is because you have limited Who dwells in you.  The reason you have limited Her who dwells in you, is because you don’t turn Her loose in your life. Turn Her lose to enlarge your heart and blossom your understanding.  She can give you life on the inside like no man can give you.  If you will establish a time to let Her pray for you, no one can stop you. It’s so important to discipline yourself! God does not get disappointed in you if you don’t give Him time. God gets ecstatic when you give Him 5 minutes. He gets thrilled when you want to spend time with Him. There’s nothing that gives Him more joy, than to spend some time with you.  If you will give your relationship time, you will see your life differently, you will see the world differently, you will see others differently.  There is a place in God, that you can bring people out of their mess through prayer. People are bound by deception now more than ever. Jesus is the only One who can supply you with stability. 

 Hebrews 13:8 Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and today, and forever.

Above The Storm

Sunday, September 20, 2020

Mark 4:35-41 On the same day, when evening had come, He said to them, “Let us cross over to the other side.” 36 Now when they had left the multitude, they took Him along in the boat as He was. And other little boats were also with Him. 37 And a great windstorm arose, and the waves beat into the boat, so that it was already filling. 38 But He was in the stern, asleep on a pillow. And they awoke Him and said to Him, “Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?”

39 Then He arose and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, “Peace,be still!” And the wind ceased and there was a great calm. 40 But He said to them, “Why are you so fearful? Howis it that you have no faith?” 41 And they feared exceedingly, and said to one another, “Who can this be, that even the wind and the sea obey Him!”

Obey – soldiers that fall in line at the voice of their commander & chief

Verse 37- windstorm – some things you cannot see but can feel the effects of. When something like this happens, you get your eyes on the wrong thing. The wind was the problem. Not the water, waves, or boat. The problem was unseen. 

Jesus was not afraid. The other passengers were overcome with fear. Jesus arose and rebuked the wind. He saw the real problem, while the other passengers saw the waves and the water and the boat. 

What we’re seeing is a picture of what we are to conform to. While there’s nothing but chaos around. We are to rest in the peace. God wants us to live ABOVE the storms of life. Fear is an illusion! It has NO power unless you give it power. We are to be so at peace, that when the storms of life come, others look at us and say, “who can this be?” 

Jesus was operating in something that the other passengers were not. Verse 40 – Heaven’s sufficiency. Jesus had something that they didn’t have. He didn’t have it because He was God, He had it because He had been with God. He went to God and got it! It was the Father that dwelling in Him. Jesus said 3 times,” I can of my own self, do nothing.” Jesus had to take time and turn aside daily to operate in this measure. Apart from God, we can do nothing! 

Exodus 3:1-4  Now Moses was tending the flock of Jethro his father-in-law, the priest of Midian. And he led the flock to the back of the desert, and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. 2 And the Angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire from the midst of a bush. So he looked, and behold, the bush was burning with fire, but the bush was not consumed. 3 Then Moses said, “I will now turn aside and see this great sight, why the bush does not burn.”4 So when the Lord saw that he turned aside to look, God called to him from the midst of the bush and said, “Moses, Moses!”And he said, “Here I am.”

 Verse 1 – Moses kept the flock. He had a daily responsibility. We have to TURN ASIDE from our daily responsibilities. TAKE THE TIME TO TURN ASIDE! 

Verse 4 - Moses never would have had this supernatural encounter with God, if he hadn’t turned aside! It was the will of God for Him, but it never would have happened if he hadn’t took time to come closer. Moses would have continued on to be a shepherd. 

God is always talking. He wants to have encounters with us! He wants our undivided attention! We must turn aside. This encounter didn’t affect only Moses. It affected thousands! It is the same with us! When we have an encounter with God, it affects everyone around us! 

Luke 2:39-52 39 So when they had performed all things according to the law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee, to their own city, Nazareth. 40 And the Child grew and became strong in spirit, filled with wisdom; and the grace of God was upon Him.

41 His parents went to Jerusalem every year at the Feast of the Passover. 42 And when He was twelve years old, they went up to Jerusalem according to the custom of the feast. 43 When they had finished the days, as they returned, the Boy Jesus lingered behind in Jerusalem. And Joseph and His mother did not know it; 44 but supposing Him to have been in the company, they went a day’s journey, and sought Him among their relatives and acquaintances. 45 So when they did not find Him, they returned to Jerusalem, seeking Him. 46 Now so it was that after three days they found Him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the teachers, both listening to them and asking them questions. 47 And all who heard Him were astonished at His understanding and answers. 48 So when they saw Him, they were amazed; and His mother said to Him, “Son, why have You done this to us? Look, Your father and I have sought You anxiously.”

49 And He said to them, “Why did you seek Me? Did you not know that I must be about My Father’s business?” 50 But they did not understand the statement which He spoke to them.

51 Then He went down with them and came to Nazareth, and was subject to them, but His mother kept all these things in her heart. 52 And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men.

Verse 39-40  -  Jesus had to grow spiritually just as we do!

Verse 41-42  -  His parents are comparable to our soul and flesh. Until you are developed spiritually, you are still parented by your soul.

Verse 43-52  -  Jesus learned at a very young age to abide where the Father is. 

 Don’t get a full day’s journey away before you realize Jesus is not with you! God is waiting for us to come to where He is. Every morning we get to choose whether we are going to operate with human sufficiency or with Heaven’s sufficiency. Don’t go about your day thinking God is with you, when He isn’t! You will ALWAYS experience God if you seek Him.  You have to learn to get up every day and go to where He is and get what YOU need! 

 Matthew 6:5-13 “And when you pray, you shall not be like the hypocrites. For they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the corners of the streets, that they may be seen by men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. 6 But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward youopenly.7 And when you pray, do not use vain repetitions as the heathen do. For they think that they will be heard for their many words.

8 “Therefore do not be like them. For your Father knows the things you have need of before you ask Him. 9 In this manner, therefore, pray:

Our Father in heaven,
Hallowed be Your name.
10 Your kingdom come.
Your will be done
On earth as it is in heaven.
11 Give us this day our daily bread.
12 And forgive us our debts,
As we forgive our debtors.
13 And do not lead us into temptation,
But deliver us from the evil one.
For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.

 Verse 11 - Daily bread is not about your finances or food.  It’s not about praying for your needs. “Give me what I need today” Because He knows more than we do about what we need. It is a DAILY thing. You can get up every morning and go with Him into your day, or you can go without Him.  It’s your choice. Jesus arose and spoke peace to the wind and waves because peace was in Him. He got Heaven’s super on His natural. 

 Judges 16 – Story of Sampson and Delilah 

 Sampson was with the wrong woman at the wrong time. We are living in a day now, that people are being enticed on a level they’ve never been before. It’s holding people in bondage more than ever before. You need to be in the right place at the right time with the right people! The world system is pressing you daily! She will load you down with worry, fears, depression, anxiety, etc. Just as if you go to the house of wisdom, She will load you down with strength, grace, forgiveness, mercy, etc. You have to daily take up your cross!

Daily Choices

The Woman of Wisdom (Holy Spirit) wants relationship. We will refer to the Holy Spirit as the feminine gender because the Book of Proverbs does in these verses. And in the Godhead the Holy Spirit seems to have more of the feminine attributes. God will only come into your life to the degree that you let him. God will give you what you’re interested in. Walls keep people from getting in, and they keep God from getting in.  You have to want intimacy with Her. You have as much of God as you want. Your prayer life is at the level of your hunger for Him. If you’re not praying daily, it’s because you don’t want to. You don’t pursue Him because you don’t want to. 

 Proverbs 1:5 A wise man will hear and increase learning,
And a man of understanding will attain wise counsel,

 A wise person will listen to someone who knows more than them; even if it hurts their feelings. 

 Proverbs 1:7 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge,
But fools despise wisdom and instruction.

 The fear of the Lord is respect.  There is a choice that has to be made daily. You get to choose between the two. The Woman of Wisdom and the harlot woman (the world system). They are both fighting for you and your relationship with God. 99% of all people wake up and go in the direction of the world system. Because it seems normal, but it is not normal when compared to the bible. 

 Proverbs 7:5 That they may keep you from the immoral woman,
From the seductress who flatters with her words.

6For at the window of my house
I looked through my lattice,
7 And saw among the simple,
I perceived among the youths,
A young man devoid of understanding,
8 Passing along the street near her corner;
And he took the path to her house
9 In the twilight, in the evening,
In the black and dark night.

10 And there a woman met him,
With the attire of a harlot, and a crafty heart.
11 She was loud and rebellious,
Her feet would not stay at home.
12 At times she was outside, at times in the open square,
Lurking at every corner.

 She is present everywhere. Watching you. At every corner of your life. 

 7:15-18 So I came out to meet you,
Diligently to seek your face,
And I have found you.
16 I have spread my bed with tapestry,
Colored coverings of Egyptian linen.
17 I have perfumed my bed
With myrrh, aloes, and cinnamon.
18 Come, let us take our fill of love until morning;
Let us delight ourselves with love.

7:21-27 With her enticing speech she caused him to yield,
With her flattering lips she seduced him.
22 Immediately he went after her, as an ox goes to the slaughter,
Or as a fool to the correction of the stocks,
23 Till an arrow struck his liver.
As a bird hastens to the snare,
He did not know it would cost his life.

24 Now therefore, listen to me, my children;
Pay attention to the words of my mouth:
25 Do not let your heart turn aside to her ways,
Do not stray into her paths;
26 For she has cast down many wounded,
And all who were slain by her were strong men.
27 Her house is the way to hell,
Descending to the chambers of death.

 This is not a game! This is a fight for your life! Take it seriously! 

 John 15:5 -  Every day the Woman of Wisdom gets up and prepares a meal just for you. She knows everything about you. She knows what you need at that exact moment in your life. She stands waiting, hoping, desiring for you to come to Her house. She will not chase you out in the streets like the harlot woman will.  She is not that kind of woman. She has everything ready and prepared for you. Take up your cross every single day! When you go to Wisdom’s house, an exchange takes place. You lay down your human sufficiency for Heaven’s sufficiency. If you do not connect yourself to the vine, you can do nothing. You are limited to your human capabilities. But if you commune with wisdom every morning you take on heaven’s attributes.  You can do what a natural man cannot do. You can know what a natural man cannot know. God has so much more for you than what we can imagine! Outside of Him you will not accomplish it! There’s only so much the world system can accomplish. God’s plan for your life has to become more important than your games.  Every day you are faced with a choice. Choose wisdom!  

Seven Pillars

Sept 13 Sun AM

 Proverbs 9:1 Wisdom has built her house; she has hewn out her seven pillars. 

 Hewn – to carve

 We are the house. No builder builds without a plan. God is no different. He has a blueprint and a plan. He does not haphazardly build. He has a purpose in building your life. The purpose is this: He wants to live in the house! 

 What’s the most important thing in your life? It should be your relationship with God. God wants to be found! He wants to be known. He isn’t hiding himself fromyou, He is hidden foryou.  

 Proverbs 5:12-13 And say:
“How I have hated instruction,
And my heart despised correction!
13 I have not obeyed the voice of my teachers,
Nor inclined my ear to those who instructed me!

 The only person God cannot help is someone who won’t listen! 

 Pillars – things that are unmovable. They are not negotiable.  They hold the weight of everything. Pillars are the foundation.  The pillars mentioned in the following verse are the 7 manifestations of character. Character is what makes a person who they are. It’s who you are when no one is looking. 

James 3:17 But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy. 

1.   Pure (righteousness)- Sanctification; holiness; cleanliness; absence of immorality, indecency and filthiness of the flesh. 

a.    Just because the culture/everyone else is going this way does not meant it’s okay or God is okay with it. 

b.    God has standards and it is not to keep you from having fun!

2.   Peace – calmness; absence of fear, torment, worry, cares, anxiety and confusion.

a.    She purges the foundation of your character and removes these fears and cares of this natural world system. You enter into a rest so strong that no trail or circumstance can penetrate. 

3.    Gentleness– kindness; compassion; absence of harshness, rudeness, violence, roughness. 

a.    This applies especially to words, behaviors, and actions.

b.    Proverbs 31:26 She opens her mouth with wisdom, and on her tongue is the law of kindness. 

4.   Easy to be Entreated (willing to yield; humility)– 100% teachable; easy to correct; doesn’t lift itself up in the presence of others; truly humble and will listen to reason even if it is not your own; meekness; lowliness of mind; absence of stubbornness, pride, arrogance, which are all products of this world system. 

a.    God hates pride. 

b.    Psalm 138:6 Though the Lord is on high, yet He regards the lowly; But the proud He knows from afar

c.    Pride tells you the lie that you do not have it. We all have it! Pride tells you that you do not need God. That you can do it on your own. It makes you think you’ve got it together. It makes you think you can operate away from God and be okay. It makes you think you can do what you want to and there will be no consequences. 

d.    When you are in pride, you act and behave like Satan. Pride originated in him. He is the father of pride. 

e.    When you hide behind pride, you put up a wall that God cannot get through. 

f.     Pride in your life will cause you to hurt a lot of people. 

g.    When we hide we live in pride. When we are real God will heal. 

5.   Full of Mercy- Love & Forgiveness; letting go; absence of unforgiveness, bitterness, hatred, envy, resentment and judgement/criticism.

6.   Equality (without partiality) – No partial judgements; not partial between rich and poor, black and white; absence of prejudices

7.   Without hypocrisy- absolute truth at all costs; absence of facades, false fronting, lies deceit, dishonesty, fraud, thievery; full of integrity and honesty

 Things that are opposite must be hewn/carved/cut away and the seven pillars must be built into your life. These pillars will make you strong. To be carved on you have to present yourself. The more you present yourself the more you are able to be shaped. 

 John 15:5 “I am the vine; you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.

Go to God, admit your pride and harshness. Admit your faults. Ask for help! God wants to help! He is the only one who can! APART FROM GOD WE CAN DO NOTHING! 

Woman of Wisdom

September 9, 2020 Wed

John 15:5 “I am the vine; you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.

 You can attach yourself to anything you want. There are all kinds of different vines. The vine is the source. But Jesus is the true vine. The vine of life.  If we want to produce fruit, He tells us how. You have to stay connected to the vine. 

2 Timothy 1:1 Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, according to the promise of life, which is in Christ Jesus,

The promise of life is IN Jesus. There has to be a living contact.  We must have a daily appointment with God! What’s the most important thing in your life?  The thing you should place the highest value on is your relationship with God. He is the source of life. Apart from Him you won’t have any power.  When you start to run after God, He will meet you. If the only time you pray, is when you have to pray, you’re in trouble. Until you settle in your mind that you can do nothing without Him, you won’t spend that daily time as you should.  Three different times Jesus said, “I can of my own self do nothing.” If Jesus needed the Father, so do we. You will not be able to trust and have faith in God if you do not know Him for yourself. You can’t base trust and faith off of someone else’s experience, knowledge, or revelation. It has to be you! It has to be personal!  Everything that you’ll receive from God comes through prayer. Apart from Him, you can’t be healed and walk in divine health. You can’t have life and have it in abundance. You can’t walk in divine love and forgiveness. You can’t be without offense without prayer. There is a difference between forgiving out of obedience and forgiving people out of your heart because you want to. The latter is far better! You can’t walk in supernatural peace and joy apart from Him. You can’t have the council and wisdom that surpasses natural man’s intellect apart from Him. You can’t walk in power and authority over demons and deception apart from Him. You have to know this and settle it every single day. Do not miss your appointment with God! Why? Without Him you will be powerless! You won’t have what you need to face your day.   Revelation isn’t anything without action! 

Proverbs 7:1-5 My son, keep my words,
And treasure my commands within you.
2 Keep my commands and live,
And my law as the apple of your eye.
3 Bind them on your fingers;
Write them on the tablet of your heart.
4 Say to wisdom, “You are my sister,”
And call understanding your nearest kin,
5 That they may keep you from the immoral woman,
From the seductress who flatters with her words.

Every morning when you wake up, you have to face two kingdoms. The kingdom of darkness and the kingdom of light.  You will face the world system and God’s system. You have the “immoral woman” and the “woman of wisdom.” The woman of wisdom who is the Holy Spirit. It’s all the same but worded different.  This is why you have to intentionally turn towards the kingdom of light every day! Otherwise darkness will rule your day. It’s not a game! You are dealing with spiritual forces that are stronger than you!  They have such an effect on you every day. We are here because God has a purpose for us! We’re not here to earn material things and die! God has something so much better for us! The immoral woman knows what appeals to you! And she will use it to control you! There’s no neutral ground. You are either fellowshipping with the Woman of Wisdom, or the immoral woman. The Woman of Wisdom will give you the tools and smarts to defeat the other woman. You must respect the Woman of Wisdom, or you will not have Her favor. 

Proverbs 1:24-27 Because I have called and you refused,
I have stretched out my hand and no one regarded,
25 Because you disdained all my counsel,
And would have none of my rebuke,
26 I also will laugh at your calamity;
I will mock when your terror comes,
27 When your terror comes like a storm,
And your destruction comes like a whirlwind,
When distress and anguish come upon you.

If you want the things that She offers, you have to do things Her way! She is not going to compromise who She is for you and who you want Her to be. She is as solid as they come. She is the virtuous woman in proverbs 31. She sees and know everything! She knows all the answers!  The immoral woman is striving to keep you out of union with God. She knows that if she can keep you out of union with Him, your future is hers.  God’s purpose is bigger than anything the world could ever give you! Put your total dependency on God! Every day exchange your human sufficiency for His. How do you do that? Admit that you cannot get through your day without Him. Admit you’re not able!  Pride says you can do it yourself and you don’t need to pray! That’s pride in the eyes of God! 

Clean Heart

Sunday, September 2, 2020

Hebrews 6:19-20 This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast, and which enters the Presence behind the veil, 20 where the forerunner has entered for us, even Jesus, having become High Priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.

 Forerunner- one who runs ahead to make the way for others.

 Jesus made a way for us so we can follow Him to where He is. 

 Psalm 73:1 Truly God is good to Israel,
To such as are pure in heart.

 God is ONLY good. There is no bad/evil in Him. Who is He good to? His people. Us. 

 Exodus 25:1 Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying: 2 “Speak to the children of Israel, that they bring Me an offering. From everyone who gives it willingly with his heart you shall take My offering.

 God commanded them to bring an offering so that He could meet with them. (verse 8) 

 Exodus 35:5 ‘Take from among you an offering to the Lord. Whoever is of a willing heart, let him bring it as an offering to the Lord

 1 Samuel 16:1 Now the Lord said to Samuel, “How long will you mourn for Saul, seeing I have rejected him from reigning over Israel? Fill your horn with oil and go; I am sending you to Jesse the Bethlehemite. For I have provided Myself a king among his sons.”

Verses 6-7  So it was, when they came, that he looked at Eliab and said, “Surely the Lord’s anointed is before Him!”

7 But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look at his appearance or at his physical stature, because I have refused him. Forthe Lord does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”

God is only concerned with the inward, while humans are interested in outward appearances. The heart is important to God! 

 2 Chronicles 16:9  For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to Him.

 All of these references to the heart are important! God is good! His heart is good! He longs to bless us! And give us peace! God looks at the inner man!  We spend hours on the outward man! But, God is not concerned with this part. The giving mentioned in Exodus was not the subject. God was looking for a willing, wise hearted person.  In David, God was looking for the King that had the right kind of heart! God judges us and deals with us through our heart! Guard it with all diligence! 

 Matthew 15:8-9 ‘These people draw near to Me with their mouth,
And honor Me with their lips,
But their heart is far from Me.
9 And in vain they worship Me,
Teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’ ”

Verse 18  But those things which proceed out of the mouth come from the heart, and they defile a man.

 The gospel is offensive. Why? Because it deals with the matters of the heart! Are you as diligent with your inner man as you are your outward man?

 When God is looking at our hearts, what is He looking for? He is looking for a heart of faith, that’s working out of love! A clean heart! God is not moved by need; He is moved by faith! The motive HAS to be love! Get your heart clean! Just because you are born again does not mean your heart is right!  And your whole life will be based on the condition of your heart. Everything that God does, or don’t do in your life, will be based on the condition of your heart.   What we do on earth determines what we do for eternity! If you have evil in your heart, he can’t bless you! He is looking for a willing heart! He searches the earth for it!  It’s God’s will that we be blessed financially! It’s His will that we live healthy and whole! He wants to bless us!  The adjustment has to be made down here before He can bless us from up there! We have to do some things for ourselves. 

 John 15:5 “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.

 God is looking for a people who are abiding in him! You can have as much God as you want! We must get honest with our self and look at our own heart! 

Seats at the Right Hand

September 2, 2020

Wednesday PM

Luke 4:31-41 Then He went down to Capernaum, a city of Galilee, and was teaching them on the Sabbaths. 32 And they were astonished at His teaching, for His word was with authority. 33 Now in the synagogue there was a man who had a spirit of an unclean demon. And he cried out with a loud voice, 34 saying, “Let us alone! What have we to do with You, Jesus of Nazareth? Did You come to destroy us? I know who You are—the Holy One of God!”

35 But Jesus rebuked him, saying, ‘Be quiet, and come out of him!” And when the demon had thrown him in their midst, it came out of him and did not hurt him. 36 Then they were all amazed and spoke among themselves, saying, “What a word this is! For with authority and power He commands the unclean spirits, and they come out.” 37 And the report about Him went out into every place in the surrounding region.

38 Now He arose from the synagogue and entered Simon’s house. But Simon’s wife’s mother was sick with a high fever, and they made request of Him concerning her. 39 So He stood over her and rebuked the fever, and it left her. And immediately she arose and served them.

40 When the sun was setting, all those who had any that were sick with various diseases brought them to Him; and He laid His hands on every one of them and healed them. 41 And demons also came out of many, crying out and saying, “You are the Christ, the Son of God!”

And He, rebuking them, did not allow them to speak, for they knew that He was the Christ.

In the New Testament we aren’t taught to pray for the sick. Were taught to cast sickness out! Jesus rebuked the devil, and he had to obey. Jesus rebuked the sickness, and it had to leave. Devils knew who Jesus was (verse 34.) Heaven has anointed and authorized us with authority, just as Jesus had. The devil doesn’t want us to know that.  They know they must obey. 

The number one reason for failure in the body of Christ is that they don’t know the Lord. When you get born again, you don’t instantly KNOW Him, you MET him for the first time. You can never have faith and trust a person you don’t know. 

Mark 4:37-41 And a great windstorm arose, and the waves beat into the boat, so that it was already filling. 38 But He was in the stern, asleep on a pillow. And they awoke Him and said to Him, “Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?”

39 Then He arose and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, “Peace, be still!” And the wind ceased and there was a great calm. 40 But He said to them, “Why are you so fearful? How is it that you have no faith?” 41 And they feared exceedingly, and said to one another, “Who can this be, that even the wind and the sea obey Him!”

The devils obeyed, the fever obeyed, and the elements obeyed. Why? Because He is the authorized one! 

Obey – a military term speaking of soldiers who fall in line at the voice of their commander and chief. 

Jesus did not pray to the Father to fix the problems. He knew He was anointed and authorized. HE rebuked and the problem obeyed. “Peace be still” – in other words what was inside of Jesus, came out.  The same peace that was in Jesus calmed the storm. When we learn who we are, and what we have at our disposal, we will accomplish the same thing. 

John 14:1-3 “Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. 2 In My Father’s house are manymansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also. 

There are two types of knowledge. One is natural human knowledge. It comes from the outside in. The other is revelation knowledge. It comes from the inside out. Thank God for the Holy Ghost!  

We fear death but we have already done all the dying we are going to do! When you were born again, your old self passed away. Our Spirit is eternal after accepting Jesus into our heart! 

Hebrews 1:1-3 God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, 2 has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds; 3 who being the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person, and upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high,

The highest seat of authority in the universe is at the right hand of the Father. That is where we are. We are there with Jesus. He can’t take you any higher! He can’t give you more than He has already given you! He has given us His own right hand! God wants to teach us who we are!  You get over being bullied by knowing who you are! Somebody is going to run your life! If you don’t find out who you are in Christ, the devil, demons, darkness, sickness, and defeat, will run it for you. They will tell you what you can and can’t do. The devil is nothing more than a bully. Your past, people, society, everything will try to tell you who you are. We must find that definition in the Word of God! You have to know what has been written, and what stands written about you! It only matters what God says about you! Jesus knew what was written about Him. When you know who you are, you can rise up because you know you are a son of God just like Jesus was a son of God. We are the authorized ones down here now, just like Jesus was the authorized one. Demons have to obey you! Sickness has to obey you! The elements have to obey you!  To pray to God for Him to do something about the devil is a waste of time. Why? He is already defeated! God has already done what you are asking for! Jesus has already done everything He is going to do about the devil. 

2 Peter 1:1-10 Simon Peter, a bondservant and apostle of Jesus Christ,

To those who have obtained likeprecious faith with us by the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ:

2 Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord, 3 as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue, 4 by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.

5 But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, 6 to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness, 7 to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love. 8 For if these things are yours and abound, you will be neither barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 For he who lacks these things is shortsighted, even to blindness, and has forgotten that he was cleansed from his old sins.

10 Therefore, brethren, be even more diligent to make your call and election sure, for if you do these things you will never stumble;

We have the same faith and privileges that Jesus and Peter operated in! Verse 9 is important. Do not become short-sighted. Your past does not matter. The old you doesn’t matter. Its been wiped off the books! The devil will run your life with old circumstances. And we let him if we are short-sighted. We have to see beyond the natural realm. Heaven has given us everything here to rule and reign over the enemy. 

Romans 5:17 For if by the one man’s offense death reigned through the one, much more those who receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ.)

In other words, you will operate in the same authority as Jesus did. You will reign over demons, You will reign over a fevered brow, you will reign over the elements! We can believe anything we want to! Let’s choose to believe what God believes! That’s what faith is! How to rule and reign in life is found in the Bible!  We have the gift of Righteousness! This has to become a reality to us! We must have clear vision about this! Are you reigning over life? Or is life reigning over you? Are you reigning over devils? Or are devils reigning over you? We have to put our foot down. 

Revelation 1:4-6 John, to the seven churches which are in Asia:

Grace to you and peace from Him who is and who was and who is to come, and from the seven Spirits who are before His throne, 5 and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler over the kings of the earth.

To Him who loved us and washed us from our sins in His own blood, 6 and has made us kings and priests to His God and Father, to Him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.

He has made us Kings & Priests! We are to rule and reign in life! 

Love Walk

August 30, 2020

Sunday AM

James 4:6But He gives more grace. Therefore, He says:

“God resists the proud,
But gives grace to the humble.”

With authority comes responsibility. With privilege comes responsibility. To whom much is given much is required.  As humans, we have the authority on earth. The devil is only defeated to the degree that we enforce his defeat. We have to know who we are, what belongs to us, and we have to use/enforce it. 

Never turn to the wisdom of men, until you get the wisdom of God. If you’re not hearing from God, you better get around someone who is. God will warn you ahead of time, that is His mercy! He does not want us to suffer!  

Nothing going on around you, no one around you is your problem. They might be causing problems, but it is in your hands whether it affects you or not.  The reason you have such a problem with other people, is because of selfishness. Selfishness is the love for one’s self, first. Selfishness is only interested in personal interest. The most miserable/ depressed people on earth are the selfish people. We’re not here to “live our best life now.” We are here to serve Him. If you think that does not involve other people, you are wrong. We’re here to give our life for others! God’s love can change anyone. The love of God is a self-denying love that puts others interest above all and before itself. Selfishness and pride are deep-rooted. You will never get free of it if you don’t acknowledge it.  You know your love for God is growing when your love for people is increasing. 

 4 types of love:

 1.    Philia – friendly love

2.    Storge – parental love

3.    Eros – Marital love

4.    Agape – Intense desire to bless. Deserving or not. Self-denying on the behalf of others. Its sole interest is giving and blessing other people. 

The first three are human love.  They originate from man. They are selfish. It’s human nature to be self-protecting. If you deal with fear, selfishness is your problem. Its self-preservation.  “what will happen to ME?” The human heart is deceptive. Your own heart/soul will side with you against God/ truth about you.   Everything Jesus did, He did out of love.  Agape is not found on earth. It comes from God only. The only way to get it, is to jump in the pool of it, and let it saturate you. You’ll have to do it on a very consistent basis because everything outside of that pool is contrary to it. 

There’s a certain behavior to the love of God. When you are operating in the love of God, you will respect everyone, no matter if it’s earned. Love also has a way of speaking. The bible says, “A soft answer turns away wrath.” Love does not gossip. Love does not criticize. Ephesians calls it “evil speaking.” Gossip is any conversation that leaves the person in discussion looking worse than before. Gossip is prideful! 

Critical- when you’re critical you tend to point out other’s faults and errors. You’re inclined to find fault or to judge with severity and often too readily. Expressing adverse or disapproving comments or judgments based on perceived thoughts or mistakes.  Criticism in the heart of a man is the evidence of pride.  God resists critical people. 

Proverbs 14:1-3 The wise woman builds her house,
But the foolish pulls it down with her hands.

2 He who walks in his uprightness fears the Lord,
But he who is perverse in his ways despises Him.

3 In the mouth of a fool is a rod of pride,
But the lips of the wise will preserve them.

Proverbs 13:3 He who guards his mouth preserves his life,But he who opens wide his lips shall have destruction.

 If you can’t say anything good, don’t say anything at all! 

Staying Spiritually Strong

Revelation 2:11 “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. He who overcomes shall not be hurt by the second death.” ’

 2:17 “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes I will give some of the hidden manna to eat.

 2:29 “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.” ’

 Everyone has an ear. But not everyone hears. The Bible teaches us that we have an inward man and an outward man. Obviously, the inward man cannot be see with a natural eye, but just because he can’t be seen does not mean he isn’t in there. He’s actually the one that gives life to the outward man. When you look at the lack of manifestations of the Holy Spirit in the church and in our lives, then that’s a good indicator of how much we neglect the Holy Spirit. It’s the Holy Spirits desire to manifest and say things to us. The problem is never the fact that He is not speaking. The question is, are we hearing? God is always talking! In the Old Testament, God had to speak through appearance of angels, Christophanies and visions/dreams.  They were spiritually dead. We have an advantage under the New Testament because we can speak directly to God. We are spiritually alive.

Ephesians 2:18 18 For through Him we both have access by one Spirit to the Father.

We have access by our born-again spirit. The Old Testament people didn’t have what we have. God is a spirit and we are a spirit. The Holy Spirit only speaks what He hears The Father and The Son say. His ministry is to relay the message to us.  This is why we MUST develop a relationship with Him. Never let a day pass that you do not commune with Him in spirit. We should be in constant contact with Him.  

Why is it that people have such difficulty hearing from God? 

1 Corinthians 2:9-16 and 3:1  But as it is written:

“Eye has not seen, nor ear heard,
Nor have entered into the heart of man
The things which God has prepared for those who love Him.”

10 But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God. 11 For what man knows the things of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so no one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God. 12 Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God.

13 These things we also speak, not in words which man’s wisdom teaches but which the Holy Spirit teaches, comparing spiritual things with spiritual. 14 But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. 15 But he who is spiritual judges all things, yet he himself is rightly judged by no one. 16 For “who has known the mind of the Lord that he may instruct Him?” But we have the mind of Christ. 3:1And I, brethren, could not speak to you as to spiritual people but as to carnal, as to babes in Christ. 

We have to be able to hear what the Holy spirit is saying to us, individually and collectively. If He is always talking and His will is to talk to everyone, then we should all be able to hear Him.  Then why aren’t we? 

There are 3 types of men that Paul mentions. 

1.    Natural Man – not born again

2.    Spiritual Man – born again

3.    Carnal Man – born again but carnal (never developed himself spiritually)

Hebrews 4:12 For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.

1 Thessalonians 5:23 Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely; and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

 A carnal man is someone who is filled with envy, jealous, strife, and division.  Your spirit is eternal. It will never die. The body is natural it will die.  Food and water feed our natural bodies. What feeds our spirit? The words that are in the Bible. They are life! If you don’t feed your body it will die. If you don’t feed your spirit it will not die, but it will never grow. It is eternal. 

We don’t have a spirit. We are a spirit. We have a soul. And we live in a body.  These three can be divided. They are not the same. Why can’t we hear from God? Because most people live in and through their soul and not their spirit.  If you notice in the diagram, the soul has openings. Things can go in, and things can go out. We filter everything we see and hear through our soul. That why it’s so important what’s in there. If you have more input from mainstream media than from the Word of God, then your discouragement (fears) is self-inflicted. If you’re going to have the spiritual things in life, you have to spend more time doing spiritual things.