TIME TO USE YOUR AUTHORITY :
EXODUS 14:15–16 - And the Lord said to Moses, “Why do you cry to Me? Tell the children of Israel to go forward. But lift up your rod, and stretch out your hand over the sea and divide it...
The problem with the body of Christ today is not that we are not praying. We are praying. But many of us are praying desperate prayers. We are praying, “God, help…God, please…God, do something about my problem!”
If you are smiling a little by now, most likely, you know about such prayers and might have prayed a couple yourself. My friend, God does not want you to pray pleading prayers all the time. He wants you to use the authority He has given you to pray powerful prayers, to boldly command and to “stretch out your hand” and see miracles happen.
When Moses stood before the Red Sea with Pharaoh’s army in hot pursuit, the Bible tells us that he cried out to God. But God told him, “Why do you cry to Me?”
There is a time for you to cry out to God and there is a time for you to use your authority. God told Moses, “Tell the children of Israel to go forward. But lift up your rod, and stretch out your hand over the sea and divide it.”
The “rod” you have today is the name of Jesus. As you command in Jesus’ name, your “sea” will open and you will go on dry ground through the midst of your problem.
Do you realize that Jesus did not say, “Go and pray for the sick”? He said, “Go and heal the sick.” (Matthew 10:8) So stop pleading and asking all the time, and start using the authority you have in Christ.
Jesus told the church, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore…” (Matthew 28:18–19) My friend, God wants you to go and use the authority that He has given you. And as you go, miracles will flow!
SINGLENESS OF HEART :
Matthew 12:35, "A good man out of the good treasure of the heart bringeth forth good things: and an evil man out of the evil treasure bringeth forth evil things."
Our spirit is definitely a part of our heart, but as seen in 1 Peter 3:4, it is only a part. Sin, iniquity, unbelief, etc., come from the heart but not the born-again spirit. Hebrews 4:12 suggests that spirit and soul are both part of the heart; hence, the scriptures admonish us to believe with all our heart (Acts 8:37), have singleness of heart (Col. 3:22), and tell us our hearts can have two minds or ways of thinking (Jas. 4:8).
Even Christians still struggle with things like pride and foolishness which Jesus said came out of our heart. It's certain that our born again spirit is not the source of these sins. The heart encompasses more than our spirit.
The English word "soul" comes from the Greek word "psuche," translated "heart, life, mind, and soul." The mind is the principle and leading part of the soul, followed by the will and emotions. We could also describe the soul as being the hidden part of all existing beings or what most people would call the personality. The soul is the center of the feelings and emotions, appetites and desires, as well as sense perception and consciousness. The soul may also speak of the totality of a person - his total being or self, a person, and the hidden man or inward man. The soul and the body do not get born again. It is the spirit of man that becomes totally new at salvation. So, although every believer receives the same miraculous spiritual rebirth, the visible results of that inward change will vary from person to person according to how much he renews his mind. The term "heart" can include all of the inner man - spirit, soul, or any portion thereof. The peace of God will keep your heart at rest in Christ Jesus. Let Him.
RECEIVE YOUR VICTORY!
Beloved, if you're battling some form of fear, guilt or addiction today, or struggling with negative or defeatist thoughts, I have good news for you.
God wants to unveil a truth about the finished work of His Son Jesus that will revolutionize your life.
Don't live another day crippled by fear, guilt or addiction, allowing them to hold you back from the abundant life that God has for you.
As a child of God, you are destined to win!
The world may teach that you have to cope—cope with depression, cope with fears of not having enough, cope with addictions—but the Bible teaches that you have the victory.
And it's important to understand that you don't have to earn the victory. You don't have to struggle for victory. The victory is already yours in Christ Jesus! In 1 Corinthians 15:57, the Apostle Paul says...
But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
And Paul is not just talking about an occasional, once-in-a-while kind of victory. Notice what he goes on to say in 2 Corinthians 2:14...
Now thanks be to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ...
God always leads you in triumph in Christ Jesus!
You might be wondering, “Pastor, so how do I receive this victory? I have been struggling! No matter how hard I try, I can't overcome my depression, or my addiction to alcohol, or break free of my eating disorder. I can't help but feel guilty each time I fail!”
Beloved, you must first realize that very often, the battle is not without (in your external circumstances); it is within. The battle is in your mind and the battlefield, your beliefs and thoughts.
Here is how you can win this battle and reign over every fear, guilt and addiction in your life.
The Bible tells us in Ephesians 6:13, “Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.”
Self-righteousness struggles to win the battle on our own. But grace allows us to receive the victory that has been given through the finished work of Christ Jesus. He has already defeated the enemy and equipped you with His armor to stand against the enemy.
You might be wondering by now, “What is the armor of God?”
When I was a young believer, I used to mentally go through the motions of donning the “armor of God” every morning, imagining myself putting on my helmet, my breastplate and all the other pieces of armor before leaving the house.
But that's not what the armor of God is.
My friend, the armor of God is all about right believing! And it is this right believing about God and who you really are in Christ that keeps you protected and safe from the enemy's assault against your mind in the form of lies, negative thoughts and evil imaginations.
In Ephesians 6:10–12, the Bible gives us insights on how to put on the armor of God:
• Gird your waist with the belt of truth. When the devil comes against you with his lies about you, gird your waist with the belt of truth. The devil cannot deceive you if you are established in what God's Word says about you.
• Put on the breastplate of righteousness. The breastplate of righteousness guards your heart, and the devil's attempt to attack you with all kinds of accusations and condemning thoughts that make you feel guilty and lousy about yourself will not prevail.
The other pieces of the armor of God—His faith, His gospel, His salvation, His Word and His Spirit—are all weapons of right believing to protect you against the devil's attacks.
Beloved, when it comes to any battle you are facing, your only assignment is to put on the armor of God and stand with confidence in the victory of Jesus.
You've already got the victory.
It's yours. Jesus has made it so!
When I was a young boy, I remember lifting up large rocks to see how strong I was. If you've ever done this, you'll know there are surprising creatures under rocks.
In some cases I'd lift up a rock and see a small scorpion. At other times, I'd lift up a rock to find damp ground and termites scurrying in all directions. As a young boy, I'd be caught off-guard by these insects' sudden frenzied activity and run off.
Eventually, my curiosity would bring me back to the overturned rock an hour or two later to take a look, and I'd notice that the scorpion or termites were all gone.
Do you know why they left?
Because they had been exposed to the light. The moment the light shone in, it overcame the darkness and fearful things had to leave. It's the same way in our spiritual lives.
Beloved, the truth of who Jesus is—and what Jesus has done for you—is a light that will radically change your life.
Every enemy, every fear, every obstacle, every addiction, every sickness, every guilt—
THEY ALL HAVE TO LEAVE WHEN YOU GET A REVELATION OF JESUS' GRACE AND HIS FINISHED WORK.
This is why I encourage you to approach every battle with a new mindset. Instead of trying to fight for victory, stand against the challenges you face from victory.
Don't be like the people who think they have to fight and overcome on their own.
Jesus has already defeated the devil!
Jesus has already equipped you with His armor!
Jesus has already made a way!
Whether your struggle is physical, emotional, relational, financial or spiritual, there are steps you can take to walk in victory. Remember, the battle is not so much out there in your circumstances, as it is in your mind.
Remember, God loves you so much that He sent His precious Son, Jesus, for you. You are accepted, you are approved, you are favored, and you are dearly loved. Any time you feel less than that, just look to Jesus.
Let Jesus be your righteousness. Let Jesus be your strength. Let Jesus be your victory!
Prayers That Proclaim
But when Jesus saw her, He called her to Him and said to her, “Woman, you are loosed from your infirmity.” Luke 13:12
When you have a need, do you pray or do you plead? Do you begin your prayers with words like, “Please God, please! God, I beg You to have mercy!”
Prayers that plead and beg imply that your heavenly Father is not willing to do it. Yet, He is far more gracious and willing to give to you than you are willing to ask, think or imagine. (Ephesians 3:20) He desires above all things that you prosper and be in health, even as your soul prospers. (3 John 1:2)
In fact, long before you have a need, God has already met that need. Long before you knew you needed a Savior, He sent His Son to be your Savior. This is your God! He is a good God. So when you beg Him for something, you are actually saying that He is reluctant to give and needs to be persuaded strongly before He will move. Yet, He is not like that.
Jesus knew the heart of the Father. When He saw the woman bound with a spirit of infirmity, He did not pray, “Oh Father! She has been suffering for 18 long years! I beseech You, Father, have mercy on her. Please, please heal her!” No, when Jesus saw her, He immediately proclaimed, “Woman, you are loosed from your infirmity,” because He knew the heart of the Father. He knew that the Father wanted her delivered from her crippling condition.
At the end of a church service, I don’t stand and pray, “Oh God, please bless Your people. Oh God, do keep them. Oh God, be ever so gracious to them!” Instead, I proclaim, “The Lord bless you. The Lord keep you. The Lord make His face shine on you and be gracious to you!”
Beloved, when you pray, proclaim your healing, protection and provision because your Father’s heart overflows with love for you. And when you declare it, He sanctions it. When you declare it, He establishes it!
Thought For The Day
What you declare by faith, God sanctions.
Let Your Life Shout
The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. They are corrupt, they have done abominable works, there is none that doeth good. - Psalm 14:1
Most of us would never dream this verse could apply to us. After all, we're believers! We'd never say that there is no God.
But maybe we should think again. It's true that with our mouths we would never say something like that...but what about with our actions?
Do we say it by sinning just a little here and there and thinking it won't matter? Do we go to an immoral movie or have a gossip session about the pastor, ignoring God's command to the contrary?
With our actions are we saying, "There is no God?"
Psalm 14:1 connects that kind of thing to corruption. Whether he realizes it or not, the more a person acts that way, the more corrupt he's going to become.
Don't make the foolish mistake of publicly proclaiming Jesus as your Lord, and then privately denying Him with one little action at a time. Use wisdom in everything you do so that both your heart and your life shout loudly, "My God reigns!"
EXODUS 14:15–16 - And the Lord said to Moses, “Why do you cry to Me? Tell the children of Israel to go forward. But lift up your rod, and stretch out your hand over the sea and divide it...
The problem with the body of Christ today is not that we are not praying. We are praying. But many of us are praying desperate prayers. We are praying, “God, help…God, please…God, do something about my problem!”
If you are smiling a little by now, most likely, you know about such prayers and might have prayed a couple yourself. My friend, God does not want you to pray pleading prayers all the time. He wants you to use the authority He has given you to pray powerful prayers, to boldly command and to “stretch out your hand” and see miracles happen.
When Moses stood before the Red Sea with Pharaoh’s army in hot pursuit, the Bible tells us that he cried out to God. But God told him, “Why do you cry to Me?”
There is a time for you to cry out to God and there is a time for you to use your authority. God told Moses, “Tell the children of Israel to go forward. But lift up your rod, and stretch out your hand over the sea and divide it.”
The “rod” you have today is the name of Jesus. As you command in Jesus’ name, your “sea” will open and you will go on dry ground through the midst of your problem.
Do you realize that Jesus did not say, “Go and pray for the sick”? He said, “Go and heal the sick.” (Matthew 10:8) So stop pleading and asking all the time, and start using the authority you have in Christ.
Jesus told the church, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore…” (Matthew 28:18–19) My friend, God wants you to go and use the authority that He has given you. And as you go, miracles will flow!
SINGLENESS OF HEART :
Matthew 12:35, "A good man out of the good treasure of the heart bringeth forth good things: and an evil man out of the evil treasure bringeth forth evil things."
Our spirit is definitely a part of our heart, but as seen in 1 Peter 3:4, it is only a part. Sin, iniquity, unbelief, etc., come from the heart but not the born-again spirit. Hebrews 4:12 suggests that spirit and soul are both part of the heart; hence, the scriptures admonish us to believe with all our heart (Acts 8:37), have singleness of heart (Col. 3:22), and tell us our hearts can have two minds or ways of thinking (Jas. 4:8).
Even Christians still struggle with things like pride and foolishness which Jesus said came out of our heart. It's certain that our born again spirit is not the source of these sins. The heart encompasses more than our spirit.
The English word "soul" comes from the Greek word "psuche," translated "heart, life, mind, and soul." The mind is the principle and leading part of the soul, followed by the will and emotions. We could also describe the soul as being the hidden part of all existing beings or what most people would call the personality. The soul is the center of the feelings and emotions, appetites and desires, as well as sense perception and consciousness. The soul may also speak of the totality of a person - his total being or self, a person, and the hidden man or inward man. The soul and the body do not get born again. It is the spirit of man that becomes totally new at salvation. So, although every believer receives the same miraculous spiritual rebirth, the visible results of that inward change will vary from person to person according to how much he renews his mind. The term "heart" can include all of the inner man - spirit, soul, or any portion thereof. The peace of God will keep your heart at rest in Christ Jesus. Let Him.
RECEIVE YOUR VICTORY!
Beloved, if you're battling some form of fear, guilt or addiction today, or struggling with negative or defeatist thoughts, I have good news for you.
God wants to unveil a truth about the finished work of His Son Jesus that will revolutionize your life.
Don't live another day crippled by fear, guilt or addiction, allowing them to hold you back from the abundant life that God has for you.
As a child of God, you are destined to win!
The world may teach that you have to cope—cope with depression, cope with fears of not having enough, cope with addictions—but the Bible teaches that you have the victory.
And it's important to understand that you don't have to earn the victory. You don't have to struggle for victory. The victory is already yours in Christ Jesus! In 1 Corinthians 15:57, the Apostle Paul says...
But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
And Paul is not just talking about an occasional, once-in-a-while kind of victory. Notice what he goes on to say in 2 Corinthians 2:14...
Now thanks be to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ...
God always leads you in triumph in Christ Jesus!
You might be wondering, “Pastor, so how do I receive this victory? I have been struggling! No matter how hard I try, I can't overcome my depression, or my addiction to alcohol, or break free of my eating disorder. I can't help but feel guilty each time I fail!”
Beloved, you must first realize that very often, the battle is not without (in your external circumstances); it is within. The battle is in your mind and the battlefield, your beliefs and thoughts.
Here is how you can win this battle and reign over every fear, guilt and addiction in your life.
The Bible tells us in Ephesians 6:13, “Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.”
Self-righteousness struggles to win the battle on our own. But grace allows us to receive the victory that has been given through the finished work of Christ Jesus. He has already defeated the enemy and equipped you with His armor to stand against the enemy.
You might be wondering by now, “What is the armor of God?”
When I was a young believer, I used to mentally go through the motions of donning the “armor of God” every morning, imagining myself putting on my helmet, my breastplate and all the other pieces of armor before leaving the house.
But that's not what the armor of God is.
My friend, the armor of God is all about right believing! And it is this right believing about God and who you really are in Christ that keeps you protected and safe from the enemy's assault against your mind in the form of lies, negative thoughts and evil imaginations.
In Ephesians 6:10–12, the Bible gives us insights on how to put on the armor of God:
• Gird your waist with the belt of truth. When the devil comes against you with his lies about you, gird your waist with the belt of truth. The devil cannot deceive you if you are established in what God's Word says about you.
• Put on the breastplate of righteousness. The breastplate of righteousness guards your heart, and the devil's attempt to attack you with all kinds of accusations and condemning thoughts that make you feel guilty and lousy about yourself will not prevail.
The other pieces of the armor of God—His faith, His gospel, His salvation, His Word and His Spirit—are all weapons of right believing to protect you against the devil's attacks.
Beloved, when it comes to any battle you are facing, your only assignment is to put on the armor of God and stand with confidence in the victory of Jesus.
You've already got the victory.
It's yours. Jesus has made it so!
When I was a young boy, I remember lifting up large rocks to see how strong I was. If you've ever done this, you'll know there are surprising creatures under rocks.
In some cases I'd lift up a rock and see a small scorpion. At other times, I'd lift up a rock to find damp ground and termites scurrying in all directions. As a young boy, I'd be caught off-guard by these insects' sudden frenzied activity and run off.
Eventually, my curiosity would bring me back to the overturned rock an hour or two later to take a look, and I'd notice that the scorpion or termites were all gone.
Do you know why they left?
Because they had been exposed to the light. The moment the light shone in, it overcame the darkness and fearful things had to leave. It's the same way in our spiritual lives.
Beloved, the truth of who Jesus is—and what Jesus has done for you—is a light that will radically change your life.
Every enemy, every fear, every obstacle, every addiction, every sickness, every guilt—
THEY ALL HAVE TO LEAVE WHEN YOU GET A REVELATION OF JESUS' GRACE AND HIS FINISHED WORK.
This is why I encourage you to approach every battle with a new mindset. Instead of trying to fight for victory, stand against the challenges you face from victory.
Don't be like the people who think they have to fight and overcome on their own.
Jesus has already defeated the devil!
Jesus has already equipped you with His armor!
Jesus has already made a way!
Whether your struggle is physical, emotional, relational, financial or spiritual, there are steps you can take to walk in victory. Remember, the battle is not so much out there in your circumstances, as it is in your mind.
Remember, God loves you so much that He sent His precious Son, Jesus, for you. You are accepted, you are approved, you are favored, and you are dearly loved. Any time you feel less than that, just look to Jesus.
Let Jesus be your righteousness. Let Jesus be your strength. Let Jesus be your victory!
Prayers That Proclaim
But when Jesus saw her, He called her to Him and said to her, “Woman, you are loosed from your infirmity.” Luke 13:12
When you have a need, do you pray or do you plead? Do you begin your prayers with words like, “Please God, please! God, I beg You to have mercy!”
Prayers that plead and beg imply that your heavenly Father is not willing to do it. Yet, He is far more gracious and willing to give to you than you are willing to ask, think or imagine. (Ephesians 3:20) He desires above all things that you prosper and be in health, even as your soul prospers. (3 John 1:2)
In fact, long before you have a need, God has already met that need. Long before you knew you needed a Savior, He sent His Son to be your Savior. This is your God! He is a good God. So when you beg Him for something, you are actually saying that He is reluctant to give and needs to be persuaded strongly before He will move. Yet, He is not like that.
Jesus knew the heart of the Father. When He saw the woman bound with a spirit of infirmity, He did not pray, “Oh Father! She has been suffering for 18 long years! I beseech You, Father, have mercy on her. Please, please heal her!” No, when Jesus saw her, He immediately proclaimed, “Woman, you are loosed from your infirmity,” because He knew the heart of the Father. He knew that the Father wanted her delivered from her crippling condition.
At the end of a church service, I don’t stand and pray, “Oh God, please bless Your people. Oh God, do keep them. Oh God, be ever so gracious to them!” Instead, I proclaim, “The Lord bless you. The Lord keep you. The Lord make His face shine on you and be gracious to you!”
Beloved, when you pray, proclaim your healing, protection and provision because your Father’s heart overflows with love for you. And when you declare it, He sanctions it. When you declare it, He establishes it!
Thought For The Day
What you declare by faith, God sanctions.
Let Your Life Shout
The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. They are corrupt, they have done abominable works, there is none that doeth good. - Psalm 14:1
Most of us would never dream this verse could apply to us. After all, we're believers! We'd never say that there is no God.
But maybe we should think again. It's true that with our mouths we would never say something like that...but what about with our actions?
Do we say it by sinning just a little here and there and thinking it won't matter? Do we go to an immoral movie or have a gossip session about the pastor, ignoring God's command to the contrary?
With our actions are we saying, "There is no God?"
Psalm 14:1 connects that kind of thing to corruption. Whether he realizes it or not, the more a person acts that way, the more corrupt he's going to become.
Don't make the foolish mistake of publicly proclaiming Jesus as your Lord, and then privately denying Him with one little action at a time. Use wisdom in everything you do so that both your heart and your life shout loudly, "My God reigns!"
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