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Are You Balanced?

Posted in Spiritual Food, tagged , , , on June 11, 2011| Leave a Comment »

Scripture reading: Deuteronomy 4:1-9

Leviticus 11:2-3, Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, These are the beasts which ye shall eat among all the beasts that are on the earth. 3 Whatsoever parteth the hoof, and is clovenfooted, and cheweth the cud, among the beasts, that shall ye eat.

Let us see if we can understand what it means to “chew the cud” and “be clovenfooted” as it is described in these verses.

Chewing the cud: There is no phrase more apt than “chewing the cud” to explain the process of hearing the word and rehashing it in the mind until the word becomes “flesh” within us (John 1:14). Jesus was the word made flesh. We are flesh being made the word so that one day we shall be like Him – the living word manifested on earth. “It takes time to be holy” means there is much chewing on the WRITTEN WORD to produce within us the LIVING WORD so that which is written on the pages of the book may come forth in real life in us.

Cloven hoof: An animal that is clovenfooted has the hoof parted in two and encased in a hard bone-like substance. This animal walks in mud as well as on stones and there is hardly a case of sickness in the hoof.

The cloven hoof signifies a spiritual walk that is “shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace” (Ephesians 6:15). The two toes signify the walk that is balanced by the Spirit and the Word. A person who walks in the Spirit alone and does not believe in the authority and authenticity of the Word is bound to be tripped up by Satan somewhere along the way. The written word is the balance which God has placed here for us in our walk. When the church began to accept dogmas and logical assumptions to add to the word and/or to rationalize it, then it marked the decline of its spiritual life.

Many teachers of the word assume that since John said in John 21:25 that there were other words spoken by Jesus, it was a license to add other words to the Bible. They imply that there are other words and other Bibles just as important and authentic as this one. BECAUSE OF THIS, I went to the Lord for an answer as this piece of rationalizing seemed to be well founded. The Lord said to me, “That which is written in the Bible is sufficient for your salvation.” This was a most satisfactory answer to me for I have been discovering that we do not yet even understand that which is written, that it is just being revealed to us in a deeper measure, and there is much more to come.

It is also true as Paul said, “But I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:12).

(Excerpt from The Pattern, pg. 88-89)

Thought for the day: Let us meditate on the Word of God balanced with the leading of the Holy Spirit so that we may see His nature changing us daily into the image of Jesus.

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Foundation to Our Faith

Posted in Spiritual Warfare, tagged , , , , on June 9, 2011| Leave a Comment »

Scripture reading: Hebrews 11:1-6

Faith!  You must have faith, but your faith must be in something.  In other words, faith is a subsidiary weapon that cannot work by itself.  Let me say it again: Faith cannot work by itself!  You cannot have wild faith like the “Name It and Claim It” type.  That is a wild faith and it does not have substance in anything.  So, therefore, you have faith in a word.  I am going to give you an example. 

God anointed David to be king from when he was a young boy.  He told David, “You will be king over Israel.”  Now David knows that if God said he would be king then God could not allow him to be killed.  So later, young David faced Goliath with impunity knowing that his God will bring Goliath down.  He knew this, because God had told him he was supposed to be king down the road. 

Have you ever gotten a prophecy?  Do you remember in your mind what the prophecy said?  Do you know that the devil cannot kill you, because God gave you a prophecy that down the road you are going to be somebody?  Now, God does not say you can be presumptuous, go throw yourself over a precipice and say, “Well, God said I am going to be king (or queen), so therefore let me throw myself over this precipice, because God will keep me up.”  Presumptuous sin is against God. 

So therefore, you have a word from God.  If you do not have a word from God, go to God and get yourself a word.  Did you hear me?  Let every man of God, woman of God, child of God get a word from God that is absolutely, completely yours; and hold that word because there is a song that says, “When the storms of life are raging and you are tossed o’er sea and land, you will find a place of refuge in the hollow of His hand.” 

If you will take refuge under that word that God has given you, it will be “a lamp to your feet, and a light to your path” (Ref. Psalm 119:105).  It also says in Psalm 119:11, “Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.”   Glory to God! 

If God gives you a word, the word becomes a fortress and a weapon and something to hold on to.  And so, you must have faith in something.  You must have faith in a word of God and anybody who does not have a word, get one! 

I will give you a word.  When I was freshly saved, I did not know what salvation was and I did not know who God was.  When God came into my room, He gave me a word and He has given me the same word seven times.  He said, “As I was with Moses, so will I be with you.  I will never leave you nor forsake you.”  He also said, “No man shall stand before you all the days of your life.  Anywhere the soles of your feet tread upon that will I give to you.”  That is what He spoke to Joshua, but Jesus came to my room and He said it to me seven times.  There is no way or possibility of anybody ever discouraging me—any demon, any devil, any man!  Do you hear me?  The word of God has become a fortress and a monument in my soul.

Because of the word, the soul of man becomes a bulwark of God!  Do you hear me?  Your soul becomes a bulwark for God!  A walking, talking, conquering soul; not able to be defeated, because you have a word of God. 

So then, the faith of God must work with the word of God.  If God gives you a word, then you have faith.  If God gives you no word, then you have no faith.  You cannot have faith without having some foundation to your faith. 

(Excerpt from The Omega Message, January 1997, pg. 18-20)

Thought for today: Stand in faith on the word God has spoken to you.  If you have not a word or prophecy from Him, then go to God and let Him give you a personal word so that you can have foundation to your faith.

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Faith in the Word of God

Posted in Spiritual Warfare, The Living Word, tagged , , , , , , , on June 6, 2011| Leave a Comment »

Scripture reading: Acts 13:1-12

For every word that God has given you, there is a word that the devil gives to stop it.  Consider why you do not function according to the Word of God as you ought to.  The reason is that the devil always gives a counter word, which disturbs the faith that you should have in the Word of God. 

The Word that God gives you is spirit and life and that spirit and life must come through you to work power and deliverance out there.  Spirit and life!  Power and deliverance!  Every Word of God is powerful, sharper than a two-edged sword, bringing down the kingdoms of the devil and the imaginations of man.  This is the power of the Word of God!  If you allow the other word to counteract you, then you have allowed a barrier to stop the Word of God from going through you.  Therefore, your first weapon is “…the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God” (Ref. Ephesians 6:17). 

Let me tell you a little story.  Gideon went out to fight the Midianites, because God told him, “You are a mighty man of valor—you can do it” (Judges 6:12).  Gideon did not believe he was any man of valor (his knees were knocking), but God said, “…thou mighty man of valor.”  So he went and called up all his men.  Thirty thousand men came to follow him and yet, he was so afraid.  Remember now, God gives you a word (“Go out and fight!”), but the devil brings fear upon you so that you are so afraid that God has to give you another word just to bolster you. 

We see this when God sent Gideon down to listen to what the Midianites were saying (Judges 7:9-15).  God gave one of the Midianites a dream and Gideon overheard the man telling another man his dream of how this little barley cake rolled down off the hill and smashed their tent.  When he heard that, another man said, “You know who that barley cake is?  It is Gideon.  It is that Gideon!” 

In other words, God had to set a trap to make Gideon believe.  Brethren, if you do not believe God, who are you going to believe?  If you believe God, no power on earth can stop you—because faith creates the spirit of power! 

“Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen” (Hebrews 11:1).  When you feel the faith of God, it lifts you off the floor; it energizes your body and your soul; and you know you have won.  It is the amount of God’s energy and power that you will allow to flow through you.  The Bible says in Ephesians 4:32, “And be ye kind one to another, tender-hearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.” 

It is saying, “Forgive one another…for Christ’s sake.”  Why does it say,  “…for Christ’s sake?”  It is because Christ cannot move through you if you have unforgiveness in you.  Unforgiveness blocks the flow of the power of Christ. 

In Luke 8, the woman came and grabbed the hem of Jesus’ garment.  He said, “Hey!  Energy came out of Me.”  Yes!  He said, “I feel virtue (“dunamis” in the Greek; power) drawn out of Me.”  Do you understand?  We are talking about the raw power of God.  It can only work through you if your passages are clean.  Without this, you can speak the Word of God from now until next year at this time and not a straw will move!  It says in Acts 19 that the sons of Sceva tried to help a man who needed deliverance.  They said, “In the Name of Jesus I rebuke you.”  It says that the demons jumped on them, tore them, and they fled naked.  Paul said, “I rebuke you in the Name of Jesus,” and it says in Acts 13:11 that the sorcerer Elymas went blind “immediately.”  The deaf heard!  The sick were healed!  Immediately!  It was because Paul had kept his gun clean. 

(Excerpt from The Omega Message, January 1997, pg. 10-13)

Thought for today: Do not listen to the word that the devil brings you. Believe the Word that God has spoken to you so that you can function in God as you ought to.

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The Written Word

Posted in The Living Word, tagged , , on May 20, 2011| 1 Comment »

Scripture reading: II Timothy 3:10-17

The Word of God is explicit, direct, and without ambiguity.  It is the life of the believer and a chart and compass to those who would walk in truth.  Without it, the church would be confused by the voice of many spirits and men and would lose her way in a maze of lights not knowing which beam to follow.

There are basic principles of belief which are vital to the believer, which will, under the vigorous testing which follows the acceptance of Jesus Christ as Savior, be the very life-blood of the Christian and the determining factor as to whether he or she will overcome or fail.  The most important basic principles are: 

(1)  The Bible is written by God and is the Word of God.

(2)  There are no mistakes in the Bible.

(3)  The truth of the Word is contained in its meaning and not in human interpretation of what the Word means.

“All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness” (II Timothy 3:16).

“For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost” (II Peter 1:21).

These tenets are like the foundation of a very large building which must be laid deep down in the heart of the believer so that when the storms come, the winds blow and the billows roar, he will stand and not fall.  So many mighty men have fallen and are falling. The reason is that their building was not founded on the Word of God, but in most cases on what they thought about the Word of God.  We have to understand that thoughts about a thing are not necessarily the truth about the thing.

(Excerpt from The Omega Message, December 1993, pg. 13-14)

Thought for today: As we read our Bibles let us remember that the foundation of the Word of God must be firmly established in our hearts so that we would be able to withstand the storms of life.

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The Power of the Spoken Word

Posted in The Living Word, tagged , , on May 15, 2011| 1 Comment »

Scripture reading: John 16:20-27

Ask, and Ye Shall Receive…

The first lesson I received in the power of the spoken word occurred one day when Jesus Christ came into my room during those memorable seven months in which He taught me the Bible personally.  We had the usual appointment for four o’clock in the afternoon and I was in a little early, waiting upon Him.  Suddenly He was there and His mood and attitude was upbeat.  This means that I was lifted up in heavenly places the moment he appeared.  He said, “Ask me for anything you desire and you shall have it.” 

Immediately, my mind was thrown into a whirl and I could not think of anything to ask for.  At first, I thought that, “Here is God; I need to ask Him for something I think He would want me to ask for.”  At the same time I found myself thinking that maybe the Scripture had some translation error, which said you should ask for anything you desire.  He said, “No, you ask for something that you desire, not what you think God wants you to desire.”  I said, “Lord, give me a healing; let me see someone healed.” 

I got His word and ran out of the room seeking for a sick person.  I found a woman who was given up by the doctors to die shortly.  I prayed a little prayer and spoke the word of healing to her, whereupon she got up and was totally healed.  The one thing I will never forget is when she saw me inquiring from her husband if she was really sick.  She laughed at me and said, “You don’t believe, do you?”  It seemed to be too easy to be real.

What does it mean to ask in the name of Jesus?  Unfortunately, the carnal person believes that it is by saying the words, “In the name of Jesus,” that it makes it so, but this is far from the truth.  All through the Bible, we notice that the word name depicts nature.  In Matthew 1:21 the angel said to Joseph:

“Thou shalt call his name Jesus (Iesous in the Greek, from Yeshua, in the Hebrew, meaning Savior); for he shall save his people from their sins.” 

A name always had a meaning.  In Africa and India they would never think of naming a child by the name of a devil unless that child was specifically given to that devil.  Names carry meanings and the nature of that meaning generally comes forth in the child.  In the developed world, we find that some children are called names like Damian which, of course, means demon.  If I were given such a name, then as soon as I become conscious of it, I would change it. 

Jacob was a supplanter because that was the meaning of his name.  He cheated his brother out of his birthright and robbed him of his blessing, but when he met God at Penuel, God wrestled with him all night and literally knocked the devil out of him.  That night his name was changed to Israel, Prince of God, because his nature was changed.

When, therefore, we are told to ask in the name of Jesus, we are being told that we must ask as Christ Himself asks—we must ask in His nature.  The angels of God that attend to us and do for us the works of God that we cannot do, can only obey the voice of God.  When they hear us speak in the voice of Christ, they immediately obey, whether it be to the moving of mountains or of straws.

Whenever the believer is in the Spirit, he or she speaks with the voice of God.  We know it is the voice of God (“It is God”) when:

(1) Our spirits bear witness with the spirit that speaks; and,

 (2) It agrees with the written Word and the Spirit of God (which is in the Word).

In John 14:16, our Lord told us that He would ask the Father and that He would send us another Comforter.  In John 16:25-26 we are being told by our Lord that there is a day, a set time, when He will not pray to the Father for us: 25 These things have I spoken unto you in proverbs: but the time cometh, when I shall no more speak unto you in proverbs, but I shall show you plainly of the Father.  26 At that day ye shall ask in my name: and I say not unto you, that I will pray the Father for you.

In the next verse, He gave the reason: 27 For the Father himself loveth you, because ye have loved me, and have believed that I came out from God.

This is indeed a profound statement.  Jesus Christ is actually saying that we will have the power to ask and receive as He did; that we will have an open line with the Father.

The hope and life of the church is all centered upon this one point of time, this day of the Lord.  In this day, the spoken word will come to its full power.  God has created both life and death in the power of the tongue.

(Excerpt from The Omega Message, December 1993, pg. 9-11)

Thought for today: God longs to answer the prayers of His people. Ask in the nature of His Son and the whole heaven will move to fulfill your request.

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