Saturday, October 3, 2009

Watch what we say

What do we need to do in order to live victorious lives? We all long and desire to live according to the word of God and at the same time maintain a normal existence here in on the earth, am I right? We all want to be able to be happy successful and stress free. However, it seems that no matter how hard we feel that we try; there is always something that hinders our journey. So many times we go to church listen to a sermon participate in praise and worship feel great, get all re-energized for a little while, but then suddenly life happens, and we once again feel like we are back in our wells of despair.This can happen almost immediately. You have that feel good feeling on Sunday just to have Monday roll around and in the mail you receive that letter or bill that says your finances is about to be attacked and you have no way in which to recover? Or maybe you get the news of something terrible happening in your family with one of your family members or your child. Or maybe it is with your job there is going to be cut backs or lay off and your name is at the top of the list.So now that feel good experience from the day before is out the window to be replaced with fear, doubt, anxiety and anger. And then we wonder ‘what’s the problem here? I read my bible, I go to church, I praise God, I listen to gospel music. I try to do my best to follow the Word of God but nothing in my life is right. I think I am just going to have to do what I know to do. I am going to have to do what works for me. But what is it that works for you? That things were not working for you is the reason you started going to church in the first place REMEMBER???So what makes us think that because we have gone to church for a while learned a few bible verses sang a few songs that now we can go back to what we were doing before, and everything will work out now?Let’s take a look into the Word of God and see what we are not doing that we should be doing. Let’s start with Joshua 1:8 “This book of the law shall not depart out of THY MOUTH; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein, for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, they thou shalt have good success.”Shall not DEPART OUT OF THY MOUTHBe sure to obey EVERYTHING that is written there.Are we truly doing everything that the Book of the Law says we should? Let’s see if we truly are obeying everything.Believing God is wonderful. But Jesus urged us to do one more thing — to speak the word of faith, to verbalize what we are seeking from God. Such a believer, who understands the power of the spoken word of faith, "shall have whatsoever he saith".Mark 11:22-23, KJV ...Have faith in God. [23] For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith.•• We see here three foundation stones of faith that gets results:(1) Have faith in God [vs. 22] — faith in His Word, in His promises, in His Son Jesus. It’s not “faith in faith” or in memorized formulas that gets results, but faith in God.(2) Believe in your heart, without doubting.(3) And say with your mouth what you believe.• Believe in your heart and say with your mouth. Believing God and His Word is of great importance. But Jesus encourages us further to articulate, to say aloud, what we believe God for. There is great power in the spoken word of faith.1 John 5:14-15 This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. [15] And if we know that he hears us — whatever we ask — we know that we have what we asked of him.•• We can’t just say any and everything that comes to mind and expect God to grant it. Our saying must be "according to His will". And His will is found in His word, the bible.• We can’t say with faith, “Lord, give me seven Rolls Royce’s, one for each day of the week”• But we can say with faith, “Lord, I believe that you are Jehovah-Rapha, the Healer of my sickness”, because we find in the bible God’s promises of divine healing.• We can say with faith, “Lord, through you I can defeat the devil, not be defeated by him”, because we find various New Testament verses declaring Jesus’ defeat of the devil on our behalf.• Having thus determined from God’s Word that which is in accordance with His will, we can confidently believe God for these things — and speak these things with our hearts full of faith.• Hebrews 13:5-6 "...because God has said ... so we say with confidence..." When God has spoken on a subject, then that emboldens us to speak forth on that subject.Romans 10:8-10 ...“The word is near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart,” that is, the word of faith we are proclaiming: [9] that if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. [10] For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved.KJV: [10] ...with the mouth confession is made unto salvation (Greek: soteria).•• Our mouth confesses unto “salvation” (the Greek word has various biblical meanings):• the new birth, “getting saved”• health and healing• deliverance• rescue• safety, and more• that’s why it’s so important to help new believers pray a “sinner’s prayer”. Help them to confess their newfound salvation with their mouths.•• If you’re sick, believe God for your healing. And vocalize it! Articulate it! Don't just hold it inside. With the mouth confess faith in God unto healing. There is great power in the spoken word of faith!Genesis 1:3 And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light.•• And for each of the six days of creation, as recorded in Genesis 1, “God said...” and dramatic creation events occurred.•• The words that God speaks have unlimited power.• He spoke the universe into existence!• For our benefit He has summarized for us a revelation of Himself in 66 books, the Bible. There is immense power in those words in the Bible. Learn them, believe them, speak them..• And then when you find what God’s Word says about your situation, SPEAK the word of faith, as God did in the Creation.John 6:63 [Jesus said] The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing. The words I have spoken to you are spirit and they are life.Proverbs 18:21 The tongue has the power of life and death.•• Jesus was alive on earth — and full of faith — for 30 years before His Holy Spirit anointing at the River Jordan (Matthew 3:16). Then He began to speak forth publicly and confidently His words of faith (Matthew 4:17). Only then did His healings, miracles, and other signs and wonders begin to happen (John 2:11). 30 years ... no miracles or healings. Then (1) the Holy Spirit anointing came upon Jesus and (2) He began to preach, teach, and speak aloud the things of God. And then dramatic healing, miracles, and other supernatural signs began to be manifested. He had become an anointed, faith-filled speaker.•• The Lord’s words in your mouth are still His words. Therefore, they are still “spirit and life”!• His Words, His promises spoken by your mouth have the “power of life and death”. Speak life!Luke 6:45 The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For out of the overflow of his heart his mouth speaks.•• The mouth tends to speak what is in the heart. So store the Word of God up in your hearts, and let it overflow from your mouth. Here are some examples of the spoken word of faith coming from a faith-filled heart full of God’s Word.• “I’m not going to go around afraid of you, devil, because Jesus has given me ‘authority ... to overcome all the power of the enemy’ ” (Luke 10:19).• “This sickness or infirmity must go, because Jesus Himself ‘took up our infirmities and carried our diseases’ ” (Matthew 8:17).• “I will not fear an untimely death because God’s Word says, ‘I shall not die, but live, and declare the works of the Lord’ ” (Psalm 118:17, KJV).• “I’m not going to struggle in poverty all my life, because ‘God will meet all [my] needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus’ ” (Philippians 4:19).•• Fill your heart with the truths and the promises of God’s Word, then speak them. They will come forth with power and will bring life.2 Corinthians 4:13 It is written: “I believed; therefore I have spoken.” With that same spirit of faith we also believe and therefore speak.•• Do you have faith in God? — Therefore speak!•• Do you believe God’s promises in His Word to you? — Therefore speak them!•• Do you believe that the Lord’s words are spirit and life? — Therefore speak spirit and life!•• Does the bible reassure you that what you are believing for is according to God’s will? — Therefore speak it with confidence!•• And Jesus says to such believers, “He shall have whatsoever he SAITH” (Mark 11:23, KJV)