2 Corinthians 10:3-6 – “For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh, 4 for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses. 5 We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ, 6 and we are ready to punish all disobedience, whenever your obedience is complete.” NASB
In the last devotional we began considering this subject and reached the point where we were ready to identify and discuss our Spiritual Launching Rockets. I ask that you join me as we consider them.
What are our launching rockets?
They are Prayer, Preaching, the Word of our testimony, Praise, and Worship! These vehicles launch the spiritual warheads against the enemy and bring the Power of God to bear on the situation.
We have considered the NAME, WORD, and BLOOD of JESUS as Spiritual Weapons of Warfare, and we have some launching rockets to propel these warheads into the battle.
Let us begin by looking at them:
THE LAUNCHING ROCKET OF PRAYER….
I suspect that the only people who do not believe that prayer is of any significant benefit are those who do not pray! I do not mean to be calloused, but I believe that to be the truth. In my mind, there is absolutely no doubt about the validity, importance, or power of believing prayer!
Prayer receives its power from the weapon of the NAME, the WORD, and the BLOOD of Jesus. When we pray the Name, the Word, and the Blood of Jesus we find an incredible release of spiritual power yet at the same time we find it vain to pray meaningless and unbelieving repetitions. One prayer warrior of old declared that “Prayer is the greatest force in the universe” and I do not argue that because prayer that carries the spiritual warheads of the Name, the Word, and the Blood of Jesus is armed with the greatest power known.
If you remember the words of Jeremiah 33:3 – “Call unto me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you did not know…” you understand. Simply, God has declared that IF we pray, He will work and bring great and mighty things to pass even beyond our ability to know or comprehend. In a sense, God has limited Himself to working in conjunction with our praying!
It is my conviction that in prayer we can touch lands thousands of miles away, send help to divine prisoners, minister in every city in the world, and cross every barrier and obstacle. Prayer can penetrate where human flesh cannot.
That includes everything in life including our government. But I feel that I must pause again and hold the remaining thoughts until the next devotional.
May God be with you and give you grace and peace as you walk through this day in His Victory! Have a great Day!
2 Corinthians 10:3-6 – “For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh, 4 for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses. 5 We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ, 6 and we are ready to punish all disobedience, whenever your obedience is complete.” NASB
As I read passages like this my excitement and anticipation in God are renewed. I see unlimited possibilities in the Christian walk rather than gloom and doom. Please know that I am not oblivious to the problems in our present world, but I am also very cognizant of the Person, Power, and Potential in God! We all either have strongholds or face strongholds in our lives from the opposition of the devil. God offers a solution and gives us equipment to combat the forces of hell.
I want to focus on Three Primary Weapons in this discussion which will span more than one post. Those are – The NAME, the WORD, and the BLOOD of Jesus.
It is my biblical understanding and life experience that when the Word of God confronts a stronghold of the devil it renders it powerless and devoid of strength. When the Name of Jesus is used against the enemy that name prevails every time! When the ‘Blood of Jesus’ is brought against a Stronghold by the Word of our Testimony, the stronghold is utterly destroyed. Our weapons are MIGHTY THROUGH GOD to the pulling down of strongholds.
You can have a powerful arsenal but if you have no delivery vehicle or cannot get those weapons to the battle, they do you no good! Most are aware that the Name, Word, and Blood of Jesus are weapons, but the question is How do we get them to the point of attack?
Let me use something in the natural to convey a spiritual truth:
In our military arsenal, we have ICBMs or Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles which are extremely large rockets capable of being launched over thousands of miles and destroying a target with pinpoint accuracy. They are particularly important to the defense strategy of any nation that has them. Yet, we must make a distinction between the rockets and the warheads on those rockets.
The power is not in the rocket but in the warhead. The rocket is simply a vehicle to get the warhead to the proper place at the proper time. If the rocket were launched with no warhead, it would do minor damage upon arrival but armed with the warhead it has the capability of destroying an exceptionally large target.
The power is in the warhead! This is equally true spiritually. The power is in the weapon. The power is in the WORD, NAME, and BLOOD of Jesus! Yet, until these warheads are launched, they do not pull down strongholds. They must be launched against the enemy to bring the desired victory.
Therefore, it would be useful for us to consider what our Launching Rockets are Spiritually. But, for the sake of space, we will pause and pick this up in the next devotional.
God bless you as you enjoy this day in Jesus and walk in the fullness of His Victory!
Matthew 6:34 – “Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.” NKJV
When you study Scripture, it is always important to notice certain words such as, therefore. Anytime you see the word therefore you need to find out what it is there for! This is one of those examples and as I read it for the first time the first thought came to mind, “God said what?” Is He suggesting a lackadaisical attitude toward the future and promoting a life of no planning, no preparation, and helter-skelter? That is why we need to find out why the, therefore, is there in the first place. Thus, we have to go back to the previous verses to get the context.
Matthew 6:25-34 –“Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? 26 Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? 27 Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature?”
28 “So why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; 29 and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 30 Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?”
31 “Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. 33 But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.” NKJV
I like what John Calvin said: “The highest proof of Scripture is derived in general from the fact that God in person speaks in it.”
If God speaks, it must be important and worth paying attention to. God has never suggested that we live a life without plans for the future or preparation for the days to come. What He said was that we Dare Not let them Rule Us! That is the key! It is a matter of “in whom” we place our trust, faith, or confidence.
Do we place it in our ability or God’s? There is a bit of difference between the two. I and you are limited, but God is without limits. You and I suffer from human frailty, but God is Omniscient, Omnipotent, and Omnipresent! We are subject to succumb to temptation, doubt, fear, and failure but God is above all that and Can Not Lie or Fail! Therefore, while it is not always an easy matter to trust God in all things it makes more logical sense than trusting myself and my inabilities or any other human being because they are made of the same stuff I am and subject to the same flaws and deficiencies.
THE BIBLE IS UNIQUE IN ITS AUTHORSHIP
One such evidence that the Bible has been copied accurately in the past is shown in the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls. These scrolls, found by a shepherd boy in 1947, are dated from 250 to 150 BC. This discovery pushed back our available oldest Scripture text by almost 1,000 years. And when the content of the scrolls was compared to later copies, no significant differences were found. That means scribes had been copying with great precision for almost ten centuries. This amazing discovery moved us one millennium closer to the originals.
The Scripture has authority because God has all authority. And because God is the author of all Scripture (2 Timothy 3:16), Scripture is authoritative. God is the basis for the Bible’s authority. Since God has ensured the transmission of the message of His Son and since He reinforces this message by His own authority, mankind has only two choices: to obey Him or reject Him.
The fact that God gave us the Scripture is the reason we know that it is accurate and that it is exactly what He wants us to have. And because God has spoken it, we can be confident in the Scripture’s authority. It is true and represents faithfully His offer and promise of forgiveness and eternal life to those who meet His criteria of belief in His Son.
Today, as in every age, we have the choice to Believe God or Believe man. To me, that is no choice and since God is all the above and sees the “End from the Beginning” and we see the “Beginning from the End” the choice is obvious. I want to put my confidence in the one who knows the now, the past, and the present rather than the one who knows only the past in a limited fashion, the present in an even more limited manner, and has no clue about the future but lives in speculation, conjecture, and theory. Do I choose Man or GOD? This does not require a Harvard Education, GOD is the obvious logical, reasonable, and even faith-filled answer.
Therefore, I encourage you in all those situations where you ask or wonder, “Did God really say that?” to determine to put your trust in Him, His love, guidance, protection, and Word, and rest in Him.
You can fret over tomorrow, adopt a lackadaisical attitude and be completely slothful or you can roll all your cares over on God and be determined to Trust Him! One brings peace and will end in success the other brings, doubt, confusion, and turmoil and will end in disappointment and defeat. That, to me, makes the choice simple. I Will Trust the LORD!
So, as you begin your week, I encourage you to lay to rest the question and determine that you will Trust God in All Things and at All Times!
May God’s presence, peace, and power guide you in all things. Blessings!
READ – – Numbers 13:1-3; 17-33 (I Ask that You Read those passages…)
Let’s jump in with both feet and pick up where we left off yesterday on this subject that I believe is essential to a Life of Victory and Overcoming in Christ in this present world. We have a biblical pattern to follow in Numbers 13 or a beginning point. God is an orderly God and has an order that He operates in and requires us to operate in. This does not mean, necessarily, that one thing is more important than another, it simply means Order!
GOD’S STRATEGY FOR TAKING OUR CITY.
Why is it necessary to have a strategy to take your Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, or the uttermost part of the Earth in your efforts for the Kingdom? Why not just go out and do whatever comes to mind that you see or feel needs to be done? Why be concerned about the Unseen Realm, after all, we do not live there, we live in the Natural Realm. Why invest the time and energy?
First, let me ask you a simple natural question: “How do you get rid of thistle bushes or crabgrass?” Do you clip them off at the surface level or go for the roots? One way you get to repeat the job year after year, the other way you do the job once and it is a permanent fix. Which is more effective?
Second, it is important to understand that the devil cannot operate unless he has Legal Ground or unless we are Ignorant of our provisions in the Lord and through His word! So, we need a strategy that allows us to investigate and determine if there is legal ground or ignorance in play. That will allow us to go for the roots not just clip off the problem at the surface and leave it festering and very much alive to come back again and again. There are four things I suggest here:
Discern the Gates – – –(History). Discover the “fruit” and the “roots” that are in existence. This will help you formulate a strategy through the wisdom of the Spirit of God.
Discover the History of God’s People – –(Covenants). What has God promised and what does He require from His people in order for those Covenants to be realities in our present generation?
Identify the Prophetic People – – (The Intercessors & Spiritual Fathers). Those that can do battle behind the scenes and those that can organize and lead the Army into battle.
Know the Demographics – –(Where and Why the people are where they are). This identifies needs and allows you to formulate a plan that addresses the need rather than using the “scatter gun” approach hoping to hit some!
Then as we are informed as to the identity of the enemy we are fighting we are able to plan for the battle and expect success! As Paul stated, we are not to be those fighting blindly, beating the air, or shadow boxing unseen and unreal foes, but our blows are specifically directed at a specific target with the precision of a highly technical smart bomb. (1 Corinthians 9:26).
LEARN HOW TO FIGHT…
There are several things that I suggest here that will help us become more efficient and proficient in our strategy and warfare against the forces of hell.
Realize that we were born for battle spiritually.
Learn how to recognize the Unseen Realm.
Realize that we are in and learn how to pray in the presence of the Heavenly Hosts.
Learn about Angels and their ministry.
Learn about Territorial spirits and their authority and power.
I realize that each of those needs much more attention but there is not the time or space to adequately deal with them here, maybe at another time. But it gives you something to study on your own.
LEARN THE PROCESS OF VICTORY…
Again, there are some suggestions that I will make without much comment, and hope that these give you ample ammunition in your efforts and personal study, growth, and development.
Learn the beginning place of Worship.(Praise focuses on God’s acts. Worship on God’s Person.)
Learn to WAIT ON GOD. Wait for His input and insight. (I would call this the development of spiritual discernment)
Identify the Sins of your Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, or Uttermost part of the Earth or your Personal Life.(Repentance individually and even corporately is important in removing the “legal ground” through which the enemy of our souls operates).
Determine that you are going to overcome evil with good. (Make the principles of Righteousness the core or foundational principles upon which you live every hour of every day 24/7/365.)
I am going to say something that may sound controversial, but it is biblical. There are times when the Lord allows the devil to attack, and I believe there are three factors involved in this.
God wants to build or test our character as with Job. (Please do not understand me, I do not believe that God wants us to suffer and sends sickness and disease upon us to teach us lessons. If you do, that is between you and God. But I do believe that God will test our character for our sake, not His, He already knows what we will do.)
God always wants to expose and defeat the enemy, at our hands to encourage us and give us confidence that “through Him” we can do all things!
God wants us to occupy, not Wall Street but the Earth for the Kingdom of God and remove the strongholds of the devil, and set the captives free to walk in Victory!
A good question here would be: “How do we overcome evil with good?” I believe that one of the most efficient ways is to address and defeat the Spirit of Greed. If the Body of Christ learns to develop and manifest Radical Generosity, we will see a breakthrough in the realm of the Spirit like never seen in our lifetime!
In traveling as an itinerant minister there have been times when God spoke to me to have the ushers leave the offering taken for me in the receptacles and pass them around again and this time take the offering for the pastor or some need that I was aware of in the Church. God blessed me and every time we saw a breakthrough in the Church locally.
Baal Perazimis a name that might be important to mention here. It means: “Master of Breakthroughs.” We need for God to be allowed to be our Master of Breakthroughs! We need to identify all hindering forces in our lives, churches, communities, states, nations, and world and target specific warfare against those forces. However, if you do not know what the hindrance is you cannot wage warfare against it. If you do not know you are lost, you cannot be found! If you do not know you are in error, you cannot receive correction or instruction!
We need to stand against the Spirit of Apathy in our lives individually and corporately! We need to take such passages as Psalm 145:5-9 and prophesy against the forces of hell and enter into a state of Praise & Worship to the King of Kings and Lord of Lords!
We need to identify and come against the Spirit of Religious Pride. Too many church organizations are sectarian and exclusivist, holding other groups at arms-length over petty differences and building walls instead of bridges. That allows the devil to gain a foothold in our lives, communities, and churches and hinder our progress!
We need to tear down the Spirit of Individualism. I grow weary of hearing people say, “My church, My ministry, My, My, My….” None of it is yours it all belongs to the Lord. Jesus said, “Upon this Rock, I will build MY church.”
We need to allow the Spirit of God to place upon us a Spirit of Travail that moves us into deep intercession being determined to “travail until birth.” If that becomes a foundational part of our spiritual walk, we will become victorious our churches will become victorious as will our communities, state, and nation! It is up to us through the Power of the Spirit of God!
We can either become a Spiritual House or a Stone Pile made up of a bunch of isolated, individualistic stones. We can be “fitted and framed” together into a building that becomes The Church that Jesus said He would build or be individuals seeking our own. As for me and my house, we choose the Lord. May God be with you as you make a determined effort to Possess the Promise and move into total victory in Jesus!
Are you ready for the miraculous and God’s Fullness? May the Blessings of God be yours today as you embark on your new journey in Jesus’ Victory!
Numbers 13:1-3; 17-33 – – (I ask that you read these verses…)
Let us pick up where we left off yesterday regarding Possessing the Promise and the Paralysis of Analysis. The student of the Bible understands that throughout the Holy Writ there is evidence that the battle we discussed yesterday is very real and is waged and won so that it can be walked out or lived out here on Earth. The life and times of Daniel is an exceptionally good example that we will not go into at this juncture. Instead, I want us to turn our attention to another figure in Biblical History found in 2 Kings 6 – Elisha who has been called the “Double Portion Prophet”.
In this account, Elisha thwarts the efforts of the entire Syrian army through his ability to See and Hear in the Unseen Realm! The Syrian army had arrived at Dothan to take Elisha captive. It is remarkable how foolish unbelieving man can be at times! Elisha’s servant woke up, looked out at the massive Syrian army, and was terrified. He ran to Elisha in complete terror crying out – WHAT ARE WE GOING TO DO?
You realize that this is not really a question but an expression of desperation on his part. Elisha calmly and casually woke up, sat up, and prayed a simple prayer, “Lord, open his eyes that he may see….” What? He does see! He sees overwhelming odds against them, that is the problem. He Sees, but only with the eyes of the natural!
Elisha’s prayer is not that his natural eyesight, improve but rather that God would allow the servant to See the Unseen! That was Paul’s prayer in Ephesians 1:17-18 when he prayed that God would grant to them the “spirit of wisdom & revelation”, and “the eyes of their understanding be enlightened.” That is clearly something that each of us could greatly benefit from.
God honored the prophet’s prayer and opened the eyes of the servant and his Fear immediately turned into Faith! The ability to See into the Unseen Realm enables the individual to see what God sees. The servant could now see the angelic host that was prepared to do battle for them. He understood the calmness of the prophet because Elisha knew that there was more with them than with the enemy! That will bring calmness to the heart like nothing else.
The Promise that God made to Abraham, “The land is yours” came with a Problem, “There are occupants in the land who have controlled it for a very long time. People who did not recognize or honor God’s, Decree and were determined not to give up the land they occupied.” That is a Problem! Therefore, they had to strategize, learn how to fight, and move into an attitude of victory.
Simply put, God had given them a Promise, but the inhabitants refused to honor the Promise or Covenant, so it was up to Israel to move into spiritual and physical warfare and Possess the Land (Promise)!
DO YOU GET THE PICTURE?
This is all an example for us! Canaan was the land in question. A good discussion here would be “What does Canaan represent?” This is more than just a plot of ground in the Middle East. I say that because the promise made to Abraham was The World according to Romans 4:13. This is more than the Jewish people in Canaan! It involves the Church too! What took place in the natural was to instruct us in the spiritual. God wants us to “take” and “possess” the Land, or the Promise!
Let me break it down in this way:
God gave Adam RULE over the Earth. [Genesis 1:26,28]
God repeated that AUTHORITY to Noah. [Genesis 9:1-2]
God gave man RULE over the Earth. [Psalm 8:6]
God’s Kingdom is EVERLASTING, and His DOMINION endures for ALL GENERATIONS. [Psalm 145:13]
God promises to SUBDUE people & nations under our feet. [Psalm 47:3]
God has given AUTHORITY or DOMINION over all the POWER of the enemy. [Luke 10:19]
Those are biblical facts! Those are all Promises of God! Needless to say, the enemy does not want us to inherit or possess the Promises of God, so we have the responsibility to Reclaim the Land and Appropriate the Promise by Enforcing Calvary’s Victory!
Therefore, Canaan represents The Place of Promise! The Place of Abundance! The Place of Victory and as Jesus declared, “The Kingdom of Heaven suffers violence and violent men take it by force.” Some things in this walk require engaging in Warfare albeit Spiritual Warfare and not with flesh & blood! The question immediately becomes: “How Do We Do It?” “How Do We Possess the Promise?”
That is where we will stop today and pick up there tomorrow and consider the application of this so that we can, in our individual lives and corporately begin the process of Possessing the Promise!
Until we meet again, may the blessings of the Lord abound in your life, and may the Holy Spirit enable you to see clearly into the Unseen Realm!
Numbers 13:1-3; 17-33 –“And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 2 “Send men to spy out the land of Canaan, which I am giving to the children of Israel; from each tribe of their fathers you shall send a man, every one a leader among them.” 3 So Moses sent them from the Wilderness of Paran according to the command of the LORD, all of them men who were heads of the children of Israel.
17 Then Moses sent them to spy out the land of Canaan, and said to them, “Go up this way into the South, and go up to the mountains, 18 and see what the land is like: whether the people who dwell in it are strong or weak, few or many; 19 whether the land they dwell in is good or bad; whether the cities they inhabit are like camps or strongholds; 20 whether the land is rich or poor; and whether there are forests there or not. Be of good courage. And bring some of the fruit of the land.” Now the time was the season of the first ripe grapes.
21 So they went up and spied out the land from the Wilderness of Zin as far as Rehob, near the entrance of Hamath. 22 And they went up through the South and came to Hebron; Ahiman, Sheshai, and Talmai, the descendants of Anak, were there. (Now Hebron was built seven years before Zoan in Egypt.) 23 Then they came to the Valley of Eshcol, and there cut down a branch with one cluster of grapes; they carried it between two of them on a pole. They also brought some of the pomegranates and figs. 24 The place was called the Valley of Eshcol, because of the cluster which the men of Israel cut down there. 25 And they returned from spying out the land after forty days.
26 Now they departed and came back to Moses and Aaron and all the congregation of the children of Israel in the Wilderness of Paran, at Kadesh; they brought back word to them and to all the congregation, and showed them the fruit of the land. 27 Then they told him, and said: “We went to the land where you sent us. It truly flows with milk and honey, and this is its fruit. 28 Nevertheless the people who dwell in the land are strong; the cities are fortified and very large; moreover we saw the descendants of Anak there. 29 The Amalekites dwell in the land of the South; the Hittites, the Jebusites, and the Amorites dwell in the mountains; and the Canaanites dwell by the sea and along the banks of the Jordan.”
30 Then Caleb quieted the people before Moses, and said, “Let us go up at once and take possession, for we are well able to overcome it.”
31 But the men who had gone up with him said, “We are not able to go up against the people, for they are stronger than we.” 32 And they gave the children of Israel a bad report of the land which they had spied out, saying, “The land through which we have gone as spies is a land that devours its inhabitants, and all the people whom we saw in it are men of great stature. 33 There we saw the giants (the descendants of Anak came from the giants); and we were like grasshoppers in our own sight, and so we were in their sight.” NKJV
I do apologize for posting such a large portion of Scripture but wanted to make it easy for you to read as I delve into what I want to write about. I believe that the Spirit of the Lord would have me take a Historic Life Experience from the pages of the Old Testament and communicate a Spiritual Principle from the New Testament.
Romans 15:4 – “For whatever was written in earlier times was written for our instruction….” NASB
1 Corinthians 10:6 –“Now these things happened as examples for us…”; “11 … they were written for our instruction…” NASB
Paul informed us that “these things” were an example or stamped as a model or a scar upon our hearts and were to be permanent reminders. They were for our instruction or to be placed in our minds as constant reminders of this truth. Therefore, I am confident that the Holy Spirit will communicate this to each of us in a most profound manner and we will receive enlightenment and thereby be drawn into what the Spirit of God is both saying and doing in our time!
God, in fulfilling His covenant to Abraham made some specific promises:
Genesis 12:7 –“The LORD appeared to Abram and said, “To your descendants, I will give this land….” NASB
Galatians 3:7 – “Therefore know that only those who are of faith are sons of Abraham.”NKJV
Galatians 3:16 –“Now to Abraham and his Seed were the promises made. He does not say, “And to seeds,” as of many, but as of one, “And to your Seed,” who is Christ.”NKJV
Galatians 3:17-18 – “And this I say, that the law, which was four hundred and thirty years later, cannot annul the covenant that was confirmed before by God in Christ, that it should make the promise of no effect. 18 For if the inheritance is of the law, it is no longer of promise; but God gave it to Abraham by promise.” NKJV
Galatians 3:27-29 –“For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. 28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. 29 And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.” NKJV
Therefore, God instructed Moses as to how he was to Possess the Promised Land in Numbers 13:1-2. God tells him, “Go get the needed information.” Simply God was saying, “Do your research, evaluate the obstacle, the potential, the problem, the solution, and develop a plan.” I realize that to some that might seem unnecessary and even foolish, but it is God’s Order and has been used by military strategists for centuries. You know the enemy or discern the gates of the city!
Then in Numbers 13:3 as Moses is obedient God gave detailed instructions and the specially selected men were sent out. In verses 17-20 we find specific instructions as to What to look for and Where to go in pursuit of that information. God does not leave things to chance. He gave four keys: The Land, the People, the Cities, and the Fruit of the Land. You will find as you study Scripture that God Never sends out an uninformed army. He always desires to equip and prepare us for the battle. Our problem often lies in our failure to understand or remember that “God’s ways are not man’s ways.”
When they came back there were both Unity and Division in their report and in the evaluation of that report. It was a single report that was consistent, everybody agreed about the goodness of the Land. However, they had two very diverse mental attitudes: One group (10) could only see the Natural. The other group (2) could see the Unseen Realm! All agreed that the Land was everything God had said it was and was bountiful, but the majority saw the inhabitants of the Land as too strong to overcome and the Cities too fortified to take.
We see the same thing today. People either view the problem and the promise through God’s eyes or natural eyes. One opens the door to victorious overcoming and the other reduces us to a place of timidity and fear which will result in the paralysis of analysis and inaction!
I must stop here and pick this up tomorrow to further consider this thought of Possessing the Promise in more detail.
So, until then may the Lord watch over you and guide you through His wisdom and love through the power of the Holy Spirit. Blessings!
1 Corinthians 1:10; Matthew 18:18-20; Ephesians 4:13 – – – [I ask that you read these passages…]
Let us pick up where we left off yesterday and dig a little deeper into this subject, which I consider to be revolutionary in our spiritual walk, work, and warfare! I want us to consider some of the things that Gideon did that will be of benefit to us today:
He Worshipped through Prayer.
I have always said, “Never pray just to pray.” I believe that we should pray to be “heard of and hear God.” It is both communion and communication not just a religious exercise to salve our consciences.
When you are not walking in the plan that God has designed for you, you are often and usually miserable! No amount of money, recognition, or so-called success will satisfy that longing inside of you!But, to know what His plan is you must “communicate” and “commune” with Hm.
It is important to always remember that it is God’s Desire to talk to you! We just need to remove the clutter of busyness. I like what the prophet Jeremiah had to say: “Call unto Me and I WILL…” (33:3) First, He will answer, but it goes so much further than that because He is the I AM THAT I AM!
As Gideon prayed, God spoke a Rhema Word to him! It was a specific, explicit word for a specific time in a specific situation. That is how God operates. He is not vague or hard to understand. He is crystal clear when we clear away the clutter of busyness and Listen!
I am convinced that God has a word for each of us today in our present situation. He does not want to go through somebody else to bring that word to you He wants to communicate directly and personally with you! He will often confirm that word through others and events, but He desires to have your attention and speak to you! If you go back to Genesis, you will find that God is a “speaking God” and as Jesus and Paul advised, we can come boldly before the Throne of Grace and ask…
Gideon Heard a Word from the Lord.
THE WORD TO GIDEON: “Arise, for the Lord has delivered into your hands the hosts of Midian.” That is a Now Word for Gideon. It was a direct word that inspired confidence and it was a promise made by God Himself to this man. The word was “You Win!” Gideon’s response was, “I receive that, and He acted upon the Word of God.”
I am convinced that one of the reasons that many do not make more progress as individuals and as corporate bodies is that they are not “hearing what God is saying right now” to them.
Another possibility is they hear but either do not heed or hold on to that Word. If God gives you a Word of guidance and direction, hold on to it and allow it to become the driving force in your life and vision. It just could be that the reason that Matthew 18:19 is not working for you right now is that you need to “hear what God is saying right now” in your life and situation.
Once you have that Word, find somebody to come into “agreement” with concerning what God is Now Saying in your life. I am not talking about what you would like God to say, but what God actually says! I am not talking about your desires, but God’s actual direction. It may not be what you would have preferred but if God says it, you can take it to the bank!
Another caution: “We cannot speak the same thing (agree) unless we hear from God.” It is imperative that we “only” speak what God is saying not what we want God to say!
Gideon spoke what he Heard God Said.
Gideon had a Word from the LORD and as a result, he went to the army and said: “When I say, the Sword of the Lord and of Gideon, you say, the Sword of the Lord and of Gideon.” In other words, “say the same thing.”
That is one of the reasons that God had him send so many away! The doubters and fearful would have polluted the Word with their interpretation of the situation and what should be done. They would have prevented the miracle! They would have not fully obeyed the Word! That is why you do not need multitudes you need one or two who will agree to see the victory come!
The strength of Gideon’s army was not in their numbers it was in their UNITY! They were willing to “say the same thing.”
The questions for us today are:
What are we saying?
What is God saying?
We need to become totally aligned with what God is saying! That is our strength! That is our power! That is our confidence! We need to Hear God and then Speak what God Speaks! I do not mean to go off on a tangent but that gets God’s attention! It attracts the Presence of God, the Authority of God, and the Power of God!
The pattern is simple: We pray. We hear God. We speak or agree with what God has said. We align our hearts, our minds, and our actions with what God has said and refuse to deviate from it no matter how things look.
James 1:5-8 –“If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him. 6 But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. 7 For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; 8 he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.” NKJV
What happens? You pray, hear what God is saying, find someone to come into agreement (say the same thing), and having done all to stand, stand firm! Refuse to be shaken from that promise of the LORD!
The problem is that too often we speak the same thing until difficulties or delay presents themselves. Then we or they begin to speak doubts or fears and become double-minded and the door shuts!
I want you to carefully hear this: The only thing that can shipwreck God’s Plan in your life is for you to start agreeing with the devil. Follow the directive of Paul and “Be not weary in well doing, for…” If you hold on to you will see the harvest. The devil cannot win unless you quit! Therefore, it is imperative that you remain in agreement with God and hold to His Promise! It does not matter how large or how small that promise is, Stand On It!
I encourage you to “pray until” you Hear God and once you have Heard God stand on that word and refuse to be shaken. It does not matter how long it takes to become reality. Remember Moses spent 40 years training in Pharaoh’s house, 40 years getting Egypt out of him and emptying himself of self, then 40 years fulfilling the purposes of God. God is not concerned with time for the most part. He is concerned with the finished product not how quickly it comes to pass. He is very very very patient contrary to what some have preached for generations!
Hopefully, this has inspired you to follow this prescription to victory and in doing so take the battle to the devil and reclaim territory and lives that have been stolen and deceived.
May God bless you as you go through your day in Him!
1 Corinthians 1:10; Ephesians 4:13; Matthew 28:18-20 – – (I ask that you read those passages…)
Let us pick up where we stopped yesterday and look at the Principle of Unity. It is important because of its critical role in the flow of the Blessings of God to us and through us. I know that this is something that I desire and have no doubt that it is a strong desire on your part as well. However, even stronger than our desire to receive and convey His blessings is God’s desire to bless us!
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….” NKJV
Too often, we miss God’s Blessings because we fail to understand His Principles. But here is a principle that will, in my opinion, open the windows of heaven to you. It is something that we need to get into our spirits not just our minds. In truth, every time we discover a principle, we need to find an illustration to confirm that principle and make it understandable, practicable, and applicable.
Consider the “Prayer of Agreement” if you will. In Judges 6 we find Gideon. He was a poor man, chosen by God to bring deliverance from the oppression of the Midianites. Israel was suffering as the tail rather than being the head that God said they would be. That position is not the promise or purpose of God for us! The problem, too often, is we are declaring and agreeing with the wrong things because we do not truly know what God has said or is saying in whatever situation we are in.
I find it almost amusing that Gideon was shocked that God would choose him. One of the amazing things today and will be even more prevalent in the days to come is that God is raising or going to raise up people out of obscurity to do great exploits for the Kingdom of God! If God says he will use you, He Will Use You!
Psalms 75:6-7 –“For exaltation comes neither from the east Nor from the west nor from the south. 7 But God is the Judge: He puts down one, And exalts another.” NKJV [The KJV renders it “promotion”]
So, resist the temptation to say, “Who me?” Instead of when God nudges your heart, stand up and declare, “I can do all things through Christ….” and “Here am I Lord, send me.” But we find that Gideon had a difficult time accepting the fact that God was going to use him. But, once he got into motion, God began to work with him and through him.
Judges 7:15-17 – “And so it was, when Gideon heard the telling of the dream and its interpretation, that he worshiped. He returned to the camp of Israel, and said, “Arise, for the LORD has delivered the camp of Midian into your hand.” 16 Then he divided the three hundred men into three companies, and he put a trumpet into every man’s hand, with empty pitchers, and torches inside the pitchers. 17 And he said to them, “Look at me and do likewise; watch, and when I come to the edge of the camp you shall do as I do:” NKJV
Paul said in 1 Corinthians 11:1 that he wanted us to follow him as he followed Christ. Everybody has to follow somebody! But what if he fails? My immediate follow-up question is always, but what if he does not?
Judges 7:17-22 – “And he said to them, “Look at me and do likewise; watch, and when I come to the edge of the camp you shall do as I do: 18 When I blow the trumpet, I and all who are with me, then you also blow the trumpets on every side of the whole camp, and say, ‘The sword of the LORD and of Gideon!'”
19 So Gideon and the hundred men who were with him came to the outpost of the camp at the beginning of the middle watch, just as they had posted the watch; and they blew the trumpets and broke the pitchers that were in their hands. 20 Then the three companies blew the trumpets and broke the pitchers — they held the torches in their left hands and the trumpets in their right hands for blowing — and they cried, “The sword of the LORD and of Gideon!” 21 And every man stood in his place all around the camp; and the whole army ran and cried out and fled. 22 When the three hundred blew the trumpets, the LORD set every man’s sword against his companion throughout the whole camp; and the army fled to Beth Acacia, toward Zererah, as far as the border of Abel Meholah, by Tabbath. “NKJV
This is an incredible victory won against Impossible Odds! The only question is, “How did they do it?” There are several things that Gideon did that you and I can use in application to our situation, whatever that situation might be.
I do not mean to tease you, but I want to stop there for today and pick up with the things that Gideon did on the morrow. But, for now, allow the Holy Spirit to impress upon your heart and mind that you are a candidate for exploits in God and that your situation is not impossible!
We will put this on hold until tomorrow and as you go through this day may you walk in the Peace that passes all understanding and may the Spirit of the Lord guard your hearts and minds!
1 Corinthians 1:10 –“Now I plead with you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment.” NKJV
Ephesians 4:11-16 –“And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, 12 for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, 13 till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; 14 that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, 15 but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head — Christ — 16 from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.” NKJV (emphasis mine)
It is my firm conviction that UNITY is the key element to our living the “Overcoming Life” that Jesus and the apostles taught that we could and should live. We find the word in (Ephesians 4:13) and again in (1 Corinthians 1:10) in very emphatic terms. Therefore, if we are going to have UNITY we must come into “agreement” and “speak” the same thing! I said Unity, not Conformity to the opinions of man but unity in our conformity to God and His Word.
Matthew 18:18-20 – “Assuredly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. 19 “Again I say to you that if two of you agree on earth concerning anything that they ask, it will be done for them by My Father in heaven. 20 For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them.” NKJV
I have several questions to help illustrate what I am talking about:
If how many? TWO
What do they do? AGREE
About what? ANYTHING
What is the result? POSITIVE ANSWERS
That is overly simplistic, but it illustrates what I am suggesting. In this passage, Jesus emphasizes and reemphasizes something! Therefore, lest we take this out of context we need to follow the biblical guidelines for building a doctrine.
2 Corinthians 13:1 –“… “By the mouth of two or three witnesses every word shall be established.” NKJV
Anytime you find a scripture before you establish a principle, you must find a connecting scripture or scriptures to bear witness to that principle. In this case, 1 Corinthians 1:10 is the connector for Matthew 18:19 – “Speak the same thing”. In other words, we are joined in “mind” and “judgment.” It is the connection of the Mind of Christ and the Kingdom Mind.
Psalms 133 – “Behold, how good and how pleasant it is For brethren to dwell together in unity! 2 It is like the precious oil upon the head, Running down on the beard, The beard of Aaron, Running down on the edge of his garments. 3 It is like the dew of Hermon, Descending upon the mountains of Zion; For there the LORD commanded the blessing — Life forevermore.” NKJV
Look at verse three – “For there….” Where? Where people dwell together in UNITY (agreement) the blessings flow! When God commands a Blessing there will be a Blessing!
PLEASE HEAR ME – Unity is not everybody saying: “We are going to get into unity.” It is not a feeling. NO! According to the apostle Paul, it is where or when everybody speaks the same thing, has the same mind, same heart, and same vision! Or another way of saying it would be when everyone is unified in words, mind, heart, and vision.
I can hear someone saying Impossible! Not really. But what are we going to speak about? That is exactly what I want to discuss in this study or excursion into this portion of scripture. I believe that it has the potential to be very liberating!
I realize that I have not scratched the surface of what we want to discuss, but I do want to pause here and let you consider the importance of UNITY and the practical possibility of it becoming a reality in our lives in today’s world.
So, I will wait until tomorrow to delve into the “Principle of Unity” and until then pray that God grant you His peace, power, and presence to guide and guard you as you go through your day in Him.
Philippians 2:1-11 –“Therefore if there is any encouragement in Christ, if there is any consolation of love, if there is any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and compassion, 2 make my joy complete by being of the same mind, maintaining the same love, united in spirit, intent on one purpose. 3 Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves; 4 do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others. 5 Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, 6 who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. 8 Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. 9 For this reason also, God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, 10 so that at the name of Jesus EVERY KNEE WILL BOW, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” NASB
In a world filled with discouraging and depressing things, there is a ray of sunlight peeking through the clouds of darkness that shrouds this world. There is an old saying, “Sometimes you can be too near the forest to see the trees.” Sometimes, we get too near the problems of this world to see the solution, the hope, and the promise that our LORD provides through His Spirit, Word, and Love.
Paul’s encouragement and challenge to the Philippian church and all of us all centuries later pulls back the veil and shows us a powerful truth that we must cling to and hope in. He encourages and challenges us to “have the mind of Christ.” He inspires us to lay aside all “self-centered” aspirations and goals and “focus” on the Kingdom of God and the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, JESUS CHRIST!
Paul challenges us to empty ourselves of self and allow the Holy Spirit to fill us with the Spirit of Christ. He also reminds us that no matter how many false religions spring up, and false Messiahs arise there will come a day when EVERY KNEE SHALL BOW before the throne of Heaven and confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father! The Bible makes it clear that there are not many roads to heaven, nor many doors to God. Jesus is the Way, the Truth, and the Life (John 14:6., He is the Door that leads to salvation. (John 10:9).
As I look at the strife and unrest in this present world and the direction that it appears to be heading at breakneck speed, I could become so alarmed that I looked for a place to hide. However, I face each day with renewed confidence having read the last chapter of the book, and know that “in the end, we win!”
I am not talking about political elections, or political parties, I am talking about the Kingdom of God! So, as you face each day, face it with a boldness and confidence that cries out to the darkness, “Be gone, I am a child of the King!”
May God be with you as you go through this day, this week, this month, and this year and lead you in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake and provide all your needs according to His riches in glory! May you walk in the peace, power, and presence of the LORD!
Roy's Covenant Corner 