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Archive for the ‘Overcoming’ Category

The Promise of Resurrection

Posted in Overcoming, tagged , , , on September 27, 2017| Leave a Comment »

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Scripture reading: John 6:38-40

The promise of resurrection is an insurance policy to the believer. In this promise, Jesus tells us when He will raise us up: “…at the last day” – repeated over and over in chapter 6 of the gospel of John.

“Thine, O LORD is the greatness and the power and the glory…” (I Chronicles 29:11), and He has given it to us so that we can preach the gospel. Believe in Him, and the power of God is yours in Christ Jesus. This power is the RESURRECTION, and it is going to resurrect the whole realm in which we live. Everything around you will be resurrected by the LIFE of Christ that is in you. Many people believe that Jesus Christ is going to return to the earth to fight the devil, and to do this and to do that, but He is not going to do anything. He has already done it! He said, “It is finished.” He went to Calvary and completed our redemption. He finished His work giving us the tools and setting the stage for the total overthrow and eradication of evil from our realm.

In the garden of Gethsemane, Jesus had a great battle within Himself, “…Let this cup pass from me.” As the Christ (Messiah), He wanted to finish the job (to overthrow the devil, then and there). As the Lamb, He wanted to see the blood shed. “Nevertheless, not my will but thine be done.” God’s will was done.

Christ is life, and the life is contrary to death. If you let loose life, it will destroy death, and that is what we call resurrection. In the garden, Jesus had to hold back the life that was in Him. It was a terrible battle. Can you imagine having the power to set creation free and having to hold back for two thousand years? God said, “NO,” because there was a body to come forth, which would receive the resurrection life and follow the footsteps of Jesus.

The issue of sin does not even enter in. This life of Christ will destroy the sin in us. Sin cannot overcome the LIFE!

“…Neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:38-39).

Nothing can remove us. Let us dwell upon this until we realize how glorious and how wonderful it is.

The LIFE of God in us is a resurrection power and when it breaks loose in heaven, “…the earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea” (Habakkuk 2:14). This resurrection will bring life to everything on earth. The trees will live forever, the animals will live forever, men will live forever – because death will be abolished.

“And he shewed me a pure river of water of LIFE… and on either side of the river, was there the tree of LIFE…” (Revelation 22:1-2).

It is so sweet to think of, that we possess God until God possesses us. Thank you, Jesus!

(Excerpt from The Omega Message, June 1996, pg. 5, 16-17)

Thought for today: Don’t let the devil lie to you that you are too weak, that you can’t do anything about your condition or situation. Let loose life in your soul and it will destroy death. That is what we call resurrection.

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Why Is God’s City Called “Mount Zion”?

Posted in Overcoming, tagged , , , on September 26, 2017| Leave a Comment »

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Scripture reading: Psalm 48:1-2

Have you ever wondered why God’s city is called “mount Zion”? The only language that God made directly was the old Chaldean tongue to which the Hebrew is the closest version. The letters of the Hebrew alphabet are also numerals, so that Aleph would be number one; Beth, number two; Gimel, number three, etc. The seventh letter is Zain and the numerical value is seven. This letter in its spiritual meaning is the perfection of God. Throughout the Bible, God speaks of “Zion” as an elect people, through whom He will manifest His glory in the earth at the end of time. This is referring to the same people who Paul calls the “firstfruits” in I Corinthians 15:23, and who John, in the Spirit, refers to in Revelation 14:1-5. These people are ordained of God never to fail.

“And I looked, and, lo, a Lamb stood on the mount Sion, and with him an hundred forty and four thousand, having his Father’s name written in their foreheads. And I heard a voice from heaven, as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of a great thunder: and I heard the voice of harpers harping with their harps: And they sung as it were a new song before the throne, and before the four beasts, and the elders: and no man could learn that song but the hundred and forty and four thousand, which were redeemed from the earth. These are they which were not defiled with women; for they are virgins. These are they which follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth. These were redeemed from among men, being the firstfruits unto God and to the Lamb. And in their mouth was found no guile: for they are without fault before the throne of God” (Revelation 14:1-5).

I like to read stories of people who never fail. Some time ago, I came across a little booklet entitled, “By Fire and by Sword.” It speaks of a great fighter who was in the army of Napoleon. When Napoleon and his army were finally beaten, this man went home to his little lodge a broken man. He had one son and he began to train this boy to use the sword. He was schooled and strengthened until he became a superb swordsman. As an old experienced soldier, he knew that there was no man in France who could handle a sword better than this young man whom he had trained. At that time, France was like the Wild West, but instead of the gun, men were using the sword.

The day came when he packed up the boy’s things, saddled up his horse, and sent him forth. All along, he knew that the boy was going to be passing through enemy territory, and that surely the great swordsmen of that place were going to attack him. They acted true to form and challenged the young swordsman. The young stranger made short work of all his opponents that day. It did not take long for all of France to hear of him. Eventually, he became the friend of the King, and the story goes that he was never beaten, even when the odds were ten to one. God has a Zion company, an elect army that will never be defeated! 

It would be a pleasure for you to look up all that God says about Zion in the Scriptures, such as:

Psalm 50:2, “Out of Zion, the perfection of beauty, God hath shined.”

Psalm 69:35, “For God will save Zion and will build the cities of Judah.”

Isaiah 2:3, “For out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.”

Amos 1:2, “The LORD will roar from Zion and utter his voice from Jerusalem.”

All these prophetic utterances from the Old Testament are referring to a people who will find their fulfillment in Christ. A little people (like Gideon’s 300) who will be the overcomers, conquering death as Jesus Christ Himself did, and who will be the firstfruits unto God.

(Excerpt from The Omega Message, June 1996, pg. 8-9)

Thought for today: Do you want to be part of God’s Zion company? If yes, then count your cost and set on a journey that leaves no place to the world and the flesh but presses you to take up your cross and follow Him Who has gone before you.

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I Must Watch Myself!

Posted in Overcoming, tagged , , , , , on September 21, 2017| Leave a Comment »

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Scripture reading: Ephesians 4:26-27

Ephesians 4:26a says, “Be ye angry, and sin not.” I know what it is to get hit hard with words. You should quickly submit yourself to God. We must be under the control of God! The anger must never come to fruition, never show itself or manifest. We must be able to conquer right in the midst of the tribulation. This is what God is saying to us.

Every time I read about the coming of Jesus, I see the warning, “Watch and pray, lest ye enter into temptation.” Watch! Watch! Watch! What is the meaning of watching? It means I MUST WATCH MYSELF. I must watch my mind, what I think, what I believe, and what I submit to. I must watch the thoughts coming from the outside. I must watch the bombardment. Bless be to God, I must be delivered from my besetting sin or my familiar spirits, the spirits my mother had, or my father had, which made them do things contrary to God. These I must overcome by the power of God, by the Spirit of God.

Your first move, brother, sister, is to believe this word! Once you believe it, you can receive it. If you do not believe it, you will never receive it no matter how much you read your Bible.

The four beasts mentioned in Ezekiel 1 and Revelation 4 are natures that are planted in the human realm, within us. They are in our flesh and in our souls trying to destroy the soul. But praise God, “what is good for the goose is good for the gander.” The Spirit of God comes and bombards the soul with radiation, with lights of glory. He bombards the soul night and day, while you are asleep and while you are awake. You only have to leave your God door open. He sets a watch over you. There are guardian angels that watch over you. You should rise up in the morning and say to God that you are vulnerable and ask Him to see to it that you do not sin this day, to see to it that you think no evil or do no wrong this day! Then every time the incidence of evil approaches you, or you think to commit an evil act, or have an evil thought, SOMETHING WILL PRICK YOU, and you will remember that prayer. Sometimes we sin unconsciously. We are so accustomed to sinning that we do not have to think to sin. We just go right ahead and sin. We are not even conscious of it, but the God of heaven has set a watchman within you to make you conscious.

(Excerpt from The Book of Revelation, Volume 1, pg. 83)

Thought for today: Watch, Watch, Watch! Pray that you might not enter into temptation.

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Overcoming the Will

Posted in Overcoming, tagged , , , , on September 20, 2017| Leave a Comment »

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Scripture reading: Luke 22:39-43

Notice the beasts in Ezekiel versus the beasts in Revelation. The beast that was called an OX in Ezekiel 1 was changed to a CALF in Revelation 4. The implication is, instead of a big, old stubborn ox pulling a plow, we have a calf, humble and willing to suck milk. God is saying, the area of YOUR WILL is to become a calf. Jesus Christ told the disciples that all power was given unto Him in heaven and on earth.

Matthew 28:18-20, And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. 19 Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: 20 Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.

Jesus had that power and He gave that authority. He was in full charge of His will. A short time before, while in the garden of Gethsemane, He said to the Father, “Father, all things are possible unto thee; take away this cup from me.” In other words, “Couldn’t we do it another way? Couldn’t we finish the devil right here and now?” Then He said, “Nevertheless not what I will, but what thou wilt.”

The only hope for us and our will is that it be subject to the will of the Father.

(Excerpt from The Book of Revelation, Volume 1, pg. 80)

Thought for today: Let our prayer be as our Lord’s, “O Father, Not My Will, but Thine Be Done.”

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Overcoming the Mind of Man

Posted in Overcoming, tagged , , , , on September 8, 2017| Leave a Comment »

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Scripture reading: Isaiah 26:3, Psalm 119:11 & 105

The mind of man is like the head of a person. The Bible tells us that if your mind is stayed on God, then you will have perfect peace. If you have any kind of problem in your life that attacks you from the body and you have tried many ways to control it and you cannot, the reason is that you are NOT using the right tool, THE WORD OF GOD. Psalm 119:11, “Thy word have I hid in my heart, that I might not sin against thee.” Verse 105, “Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.”

There is only one way of sustaining yourself in God and that is by saturating your mind with the Word of God. If you can keep your mind stayed on God, then you have the victory won. It is difficult. The mind cannot keep the mind. Unless we apply the science of God as God showed it to us in the Word, we are in trouble. You kneel down to pray and one thousand things bombard you. You say that you are going to pray through and you find yourself thinking about something else. You say that you must try again. You start to pray and again something else happens. The mind has to be strengthened by the SPIRIT OF GOD HIMSELF.

Sometimes it is almost impossible for you to get the Word of God into your mind. I remember when I was in that condition as a young man. I asked God, “What can I do to keep my mind stayed on You?” I was an avid reader and was always interested in a good story. God said to me, “Read all the stories in the Bible and meditate on them.” So I did. I would ask, “What was the meaning of this? Why was this story put into the Bible? Why did this happen?” The moment you begin to search the Word of God in your heart and mind, the Spirit of God WILL COME to your aid and instruct you and have fellowship with you. When the day is done, you will find that you have been meditating on the things of God. THIS IS A GOOD SPIRITUAL HABIT. When you get into the habit of meditating on the Word of God, you will find that you will begin to associate everything you see with the Word.

Years ago I worked in an office with many men. Some of them would tell dirty jokes in my hearing and watch my reaction. One of them told a joke about a man who streaked (ran naked) across a stage. I seized the opportunity to interject immediately Isaiah 20:2 where God told the prophet Isaiah to go naked in the streets of Israel to get their attention, to reveal to them their SPIRITUAL NAKEDNESS. The man who told the joke was hit so hard by my opportunistic preaching that he said, “You probably know every scripture in the Bible.” From that time on they kept all their jokes out of my hearing. It was a blessing to me.

Begin to associate everything you see and hear with Scriptural references for most of what is happening now has already happened in your Bible.

(Excerpt from The Book of Revelation, Volume 1, pg. 78-79)

Thought for today: Develop a Good Spiritual Habit. Saturate your mind with the Word of God.

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