A GIFT FROM GOD

 

Something of Significance:

      

SUBJECT:  ONE OF THE DYNAMIC GIFTS OF THE HOLY SPIRIT-

                   PRAYING IN TONGUES-GOD’S HEAVENLY LANGUAGE

 In Acts 1, after Jesus’ resurrection to heaven and return to earth, he appeared to his followers for 40 days and talked to them about the things of the kingdom of God.  One particular day, he was in their company and eating with them and he commanded them not to leave Jerusalem but to wait for what the Father had promised of which he said you have heard me speak,

For John baptized with water, but not many days from now you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit.

They were asking Jesus a lot of questions about coming events and timing of his return, but it seems like he was trying to get them back on the subject at hand, which was the promise of the Father, to send the Holy Spirit because he began his public ministry with (Dunamis) power after the Holy Spirit came upon him!

 Dunamis is the Greek word for power and is rooted in our word for dynamite!

Jesus said to them: “But you shall receive power (ability, efficiency and might) when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you shall be My witnesses in Jerusalem and all Judea and Samaria and to the very   ends of the earth!”

 Chapter 2 says they were all together praying when the day of Pentecost came when suddenly there came a sound from heaven in the house where they were sitting and there appeared to them tongues, resembling fire, which were distributed and settled on each one of them….

 (Fire in the Greek language figuratively represents transforming what it touches.)

And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues and in other languages as the Spirit gave them utterance!

 Because it was Pentecost, Jews were gathered from every nation and they heard the disciples, many in their own language, TELLING OF THE MIGHTY WORKS OF GOD!

 Jesus described the Holy Spirit in John 15:26-27:

 But when the Comforter (Counselor, Helper, Advocate, Intercessor,

Strengthener, Standby) comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of Truth, He will testify regarding me, but you will also testify and be my witnesses….”

Jesus was sharing all the different ways this power source, THE THIRD PERSON OF THE TRINITY, would help them!

Jesus said, I tell you the truth, it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you, but if I depart, I will send him to you.”  John 16:17

When we give our lives to the Lord and receive him as Savior, we are baptized into his Body and become one spirit with Him.

Jesus told his disciples to go and wait for the Gift, the Promise, which was the Holy Spirit they would receive who would indwell them and empower them dynamically to be his witnesses after he went back to heaven.

 Speaking with tongues is the unique spiritual Gift identified with the church after the day of Pentecost and is beneficial in all areas of life for us today.

 Jesus told his disciples:

 And these signs shall follow them that believe.

 “In my name they shall cast out devils; and

 They shall speak with new tongues….” Mark 16:17-18

  The Apostle Paul asked some of the followers on one of his mission trips:

 “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?”  They answered, “No, we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.”  So, Paul asked, “Then what baptism did you receive?”  John’s baptism,” they replied.  Paul said:  John’s baptism was a baptism of repentance.  He told the people to believe in the one coming after him, that is, in Jesus.” On hearing this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.  When Paul placed his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they spoke in tongues and prophesied.”  Acts 19:2-6

Paul said, OK.  Let us get you baptized in water and in the Holy Spirit!

The believers in the Upper Room at Pentecost received the Baptism of the Holy Spirit while praying—

and

As above, some followers of Christ received by the laying on of hands!

Some of the benefits of speaking in tongues are:

Communication with God in heaven’s language:

1 Cor 14:2 “For one who speaks in an unknown tongue speaks not to men but to God, for no one understands or catches his meaning, because in the Holy Spirit he utters secret truths and hidden things (not obvious to the understanding).”

V4. “He who speaks in tongues edifies and improves himself….”

Jude 1:20 “But you, beloved, build yourselves up in your most holy faith, and pray in the Holy Spirit.”

I heard someone say, praying in tongues is like charging your spiritual battery.

The longer you do it, the stronger you get!

Romans 8:26. “Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness.  For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groaning (sighs) too deep for words.”

1 Cor. 14:15. “What am I to do?  I will pray with my spirit, but I will pray with my mind also; I will sing praise with my spirit, but I will sing with my mind also.”

The Holy Spirit knows what to pray concerning God’s will and plans for our lives that we do not always understand or know about in our natural lives!

Romans 8:27 “And he who searches hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because the Spirit intercedes for the Saints according to the will of God.”

“But as it is written:  Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, neither has it entered the heart of man the things which God has prepared for them that love him, But God has revealed them to us by his Spirit, for the Spirit searches all things, yes the deep things of God.  1 Cor. 2: 9-10

Receiving the Holy Spirit and speaking in tongues is a means to receive all that Jesus died for us to receive, the deep things of God that He wants us to experience that we have not even thought about!

God’s gift was his Son given for the redemption of the world and Jesus gave the Holy Spirit as a gift to his church.

Our Holy Spirit language gives us wisdom for ourselves and how to minister to others!

1 Cor 14:18-19 the Apostle Paul said, “I thank my God that I speak in tongues more than all of you, but in the church (setting) I would rather speak five intelligible words to instruct others than ten thousand words in a tongue.”

He was saying how vital praying in tongues was to him personally and his ministry; however, in church he would speak with his mind so that all could understand what his message to them was.

He obviously knew the believers around him prayed in tongues, but he apparently felt the need to stress the importance of doing so by saying:  I pray in tongues more than you all!

Jesus said, “When the Holy Spirit comes, He will lead and guide you into all truth.”  John 16:13

We do not always know the best course or action to take, but the Holy Spirit has been given to us to help keep us on course!

Following is a powerful prayer Kenneth Copeland Ministries suggests we pray so we can become established in our heavenly language:

Heavenly Father,

I am a believer.  I am your child and You are my Father.  Jesus is my Lord.  I believe with all my heart that your Word is true.

Your Word says if I will ask, I will receive the Holy Spirit.  So, in the Name of Jesus Christ, my Lord, I am asking You to fill me to overflowing with Your Precious Holy Spirit.  Jesus, baptize me in the Holy Spirit.

Because of Your Word, I believe I now receive, and I thank You for it.  I believe the Holy Spirit is within me and, by faith, I accept it.

Now, Holy Spirit, rise up within me as I praise God.  I fully expect to speak with other tongues as You give me the utterance.

He also adds:

Begin to praise God for filling you with the Holy Spirit.  Speak those words and syllables you receive—not in your own language, but the language given you by the Holy Spirit.  You must use your own voice.  God will not force you to speak.  Do not be concerned with how it sounds…. It is a heavenly language!

 

Diana Sykes

www.dianasykes.com

 SOMETHING OF SIGNIFICANCE SERIES:

 

THE FORCE OF FAITH VERSUS THE FORCE OF FEAR           

 

Faith forecasts what we do want and Fear forecasts what we do not want!

 

Hebrews 11:1-2 “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.  By it, men of old gained approval!”

 

Luke 12:32: “Fear not little flock; for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.”

 

Can’t you just hear God’s heart and desire to be involved with peoples’ lives?  Jesus urged his followers not to fear because it was the Father’s pleasure to do good things for them and Hebrews says people with faith got God’s attention and approval!

 

I heard someone say this week that when we have faith in God and his promises, it gives him so much gratification! 

 

That is great news because Hebrews 11:6 also says: “He is a rewarder of those that earnestly and sincerely seek Him.”

 

Sounds like spending time with our Father and having Faith in His Word is a WIN/WIN proposition! 

 

But, where did Fear originate? 

 

The first-time fear is mentioned in the Bible is when Eve believed the lie Satan told her about God.  The lie basically was:  God does not really have your best interests at heart!  In Genesis 3: 9-10 “But the Lord God called to the man, “Where are you?  He answered, “I heard you in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked, and I hid myself.”

The lie is still perpetrated today because many people throughout the world do not believe God is a good God and that He not only wants them to experience an abundant life but his Son paid for it to be able to happen.

 

In my book. “Detox:  Spiritual Cleansing for a Fulfilling Life,” one of the chapter titles is: “The biggest lie ever told: “What you do not

know won’t hurt you!”

 

God desires us to know about all the good things He has prepared for us and we get to experience them more fully when we acknowledge who He says we are in Christ!  We are co-laborers together with God!

That is BIG!

 

Without this knowledge, however, we and others will experience life circumstantially rather than purposefully and miss out on the true reason for our being on the earth to bring pleasure to God! …

 

So, what you do not know will definitely hurt you but what you do know and act on will definitely benefit you and others in your sphere of influence.

 

1 John 3:1 “See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called the children of God and that is what we are.”

 

Paul said: “I pray that the communication of your faith may become effectual by the acknowledging of every good thing which is in you in Christ Jesus.” Philemon 1:6

 

Quite frequently I say, “Father, I acknowledge every good thing that is in me in Christ Jesus and I believe by faith I will participate in these good things today!”

 

He said, if we want our faith to be effective, it must be communicated…. we must talk about it!  He wants us to talk about what Jesus did for us and learn what he wants to do through us!  The Scripture says that these good things must be acknowledged!  It is interesting too that Paul said we should acknowledge EVERY good thing.  Seems like he wanted all the bases in our lives to be covered!

 

Faith is simply talking and acting like God’s word is true.

 

It is enormously powerful to think about what Mary, the Mother of Jesus said: 

 

“Be it done unto me according to your Word.” Luke 1:38

 

She had to accept and acknowledge the good news the angel brought to her.  She had a choice and so do we!

 

On the other hand, we must keep in mind also that fear is talking and acting like Satan’s word is true!

 

So many people are not knowledgeable of the truth that there is a God who loves them and that they can depend on.

 

Jesus said in Matthew 24:12:

 

“Because of the increase of wickedness and lawlessness, the love of many will grow cold.”

 

Many are filled with fearful and cold hearts right now.

 

The wonderful news is, however, we have the antidote to share with others concerning these happenings.

 

The Bible says in 1 John 4:18 “There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear because fear has torment.”

 

Some of the characteristics of fear are torture, distress, harassment, to buffet as waves, vexation, and fretting!

 

In other words, no peace!

 

We could just as easily say:  There is no fear in faith!  Faith that originates from the knowledge of the love of God.

 

The quality of life God intends for us to enjoy is spoiled and robbed by fear because it has torment, lack of peace, confusion, control, etc.

 

God wants fear eradicated from our lives and replaced with faith! 

 

“So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.”

 Romans 10:17

 

One key to great faith is when we hear and read the word of God, we take time to internalize His words and make them personal and applicable to our lives and those we pray for.

 

2 Timothy 1:7 says: “For God has not given us the spirit of fear, but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.”

 

This clearly shows us that fear is not just an emotion or fleeting thought process but is a spirit that brings with it torment!

 

It is important to note what God has given us:

 

The Spirit of Power

The Spirit of Love

The Spirit of a Sound Mind - the Mind of Christ!

 

Final Thought:

 

It is not only special to know that our faith in receiving what God has gifted us with pleases and gratifies Him, but in the following Scripture, it is powerful to note that He, himself, IS WORKING IN US and we know that has to be good!

 

“For it is God which works in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.”  Philippians 2:13

 

 

THE POWER OF WORDS!

 

SERIES:  SOMETHING OF SIGNIFICANCE

Today’s Subject:  THE POWER OF WORDS!

WORD in Hebrew, which the Old Testament was written in, means:  To Construct!

 

Scripture:  John 1: 1-3

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God and the Word was God.  He was with God in the beginning.  Through him all things were made, without him nothing was made that has been made!

 God has given us the gift of the Word, Jesus, and words to frame our world!

 Hebrews 11:3 “By faith we understand that the worlds were framed and prepared by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things which are visible.”

Words are life giving forces.  Jesus said in John 6:63 …” The Words I speak to you they are Spirit and Life.”

This is so powerful because Jesus was letting us know when he said his words were spirit that the breath or wind of God was resident in what he said.  He always spoke the end result or what He desired to happen. The Greek word for spirit is pneuma or air, wind or breath.  As we know, when the wind blows you cannot see the wind but you sure can see its effects! 

If we follow Jesus example when we speak, we can be part of changes being made in our lives and our sphere of influence. 

It is important to take note that Jesus in that same Scripture said:  The words I speak ARE Life.

The meaning of Life in Greek is:  Possessor of Vitality; Active and Vigorous

Consequently, Jesus was saying the Words He spoke carried vital life. They transported and impacted situations with the life-force that was in them.

For instance, if the weather needed changing, he spoke what he wanted to see happen.  He told the wind: “Peace, be still.”

Again, words are especially important because we can construct, build and establish our lives through what we speak.

This is extremely exciting because Jesus, who now lives in us and whom we are joint heirs with, gave us the example of how to build our lives in accordance with the Word of God.

Realizing how important what we say is, as well as what others say, can bring the abundant life Jesus paid for us to have or words can cause less than desired results to happen.

Would you like for God to marvel and be amazed at your words?

Let us look at the following story to understand how important words can be to us and others we desire to help.

Matt 8:5-13. When Jesus had entered Capernaum, a centurion came to him asking for help.  “Lord, he said, my servant lies at home paralyzed suffering terribly.”

Jesus said to him, “Shall I come and heal him?”

The Centurion replied, “Lord, I do not deserve to have you come under my roof but just SAY HE WORD, and my servant will be healed.  For I am myself a man under authority with soldiers under me.  I tell this one, ‘Go’ and he goes and that one ‘Come’ and he comes.  I say to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.”

When Jesus heard this, he was amazed and said to those following him, “Truly I tell you, I have not found anyone in Israel with such great faith.”

I say to you that many will come from the east and the west and will take their places at the feast with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven but the subjects of the kingdom will be thrown outside in to the darkness where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”

THEN, Jesus said to the Centurion, “Go!  Let it be done just as you have believed it would.”  And his servant was healed at that very moment.

Some powerful things to glean and apply to our lives concerning faith-filled words from this story are:

The Centurion honored and worshipped Jesus by acknowledging Him as Lord.

He humbled himself when Jesus asked if he wanted him to go to where his servant was to heal him.  He did not come with a sense of entitlement because he had position.

He gave glory to God by letting Jesus know he acknowledged the power in his words to change things when He spoke! 

He understood that Jesus’ words were servants that did exactly what Jesus told them to do just as his servants did exactly what he told them to do!

Jesus marveled and was amazed and said that He had not found that kind of faith or understanding in Israel….in other words, he was looking for someone who had faith in the SPOKEN WORD!

Jesus said many of the people he had ordained to receive kingdom blessings would not, because they did not understand the power of who he was, and the power Words carry to change lives and circumstances.

Jesus said to the Centurion: Go!  It will be done for you just as you have believed……

What did he believe?  He believed Jesus’ words had the power to heal his servant and he said so! It came to pass just as he told Jesus it would!

His belief and spoken affirmation was a servant for healing!

Jesus acknowledged that Words were Servants and now we will see what Jesus says about Words also being Seeds!

Jesus said in Luke 8:11 “The seed is the Word of God…”

I was recently studying about acorns which are seeds from the Oak tree of which worldwide there are about 400 different species. 

The oak tree begins bearing seeds around October and they have very hard shells that when planted will, in about a week or so, begin to open up and sprout pushing their way through the soil to become large trees.

Interesting though, a large portion of these acorns get eaten by squirrels and various bugs before they can get planted to become a tree.

Did you know that God refers to people as “Oaks of Righteousness?”

Isaiah 61:3 says, “They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting for the Lord for the display of His splendor.”

The Bible often speaks of natural things like seeds and trees in relation to our lives.  God wants us to become strong, vibrant word filled people to display and release his glory, but circumstances often try to circumvent that just like the “critters” that get to the acorn before it can be rooted and planted. However, as the Bible says, with our faith, our believing and words released through knowledge of what Jesus did for us, we can become strong and vibrant and all He created us to be.

It is extremely interesting that when Jesus spoke in the temple in Luke 4:18, it says He found the place where it was written and spoke what was written about himself and then sat down.  He said, “Today these Words have been fulfilled in your hearing, he was fulfilling what had been spoken about Him 100’s of years prior.

Did you know it is important for us to find the places where it is written about us and decree the Word concerning our lives?  Do you need healing?  Find the place where it is written: “By His stripes I am healed.”  Claim it as yours and water it frequently with praise and thanksgiving.

Do you need peace or salvation for family members?  Find where the promise is of the gift of peace that Jesus said I leave with you and also the promise that says:  You and your household shall be saved!

These are about you and so many more and as I have heard, 7,000 promises to be claimed as our own that cover every area of life.

Let us look at the significance for us today of the proclaimed Words in Isaiah 61:

He said the Spirit of the Lord God is upon me BECAUSE the Lord has anointed me to bring GOOD NEWS to the poor, he has sent me to bind up the broken hearted [This means those that are weighed down with the pressures of life.], to PROCLAIM [proclaim means to acclaim or praise enthusiastically] liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound [This means physically and emotionally.]; to PROCLAIM the year of the Lord’s favor, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn in Zion—to give them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, the garment of praise instead of a faint spirit, that they may be called OAKS OF RIGHTEOUSNESS, the planting of the Lord that he may be glorified!

So much of what we are seeing and hearing today around the world is symbolic of what Jesus said He would be coming to fix! As listed above, He came to set people free so they would be trees of Righteousness!

Our part is to use our Words to agree with God’s Word and just like the acorn has the potential within it to become a large tree, it must be planted to keep the “bugs” away. We do the same by planting our Words of faith knowing that God said, He had put potential in the Word of God that we speak or plant to bring a 30, 60 100-fold multiplication.  These are blessings He paid for us to experience but we must do the planting!

In Mark 4:15, Jesus said the seed that had been planted in people was of such great importance that Satan came immediately to steal the word that had been sown.  This is symbolic of the “bugs” that steal the life from the seed before it becomes a tree! 

However, God’s Word, as mentioned above sown in a tilled heart, one which recognizes the power of Words, keeps it by faith from being stolen and great results are experienced!  That is exciting for not only us but the Holy Spirit.  The Word says, “Fear not, little flock, for it is the Father’s good pleasure to give you the Kingdom.”  Luke 12:32

FINAL SIGNIFICANT POINTS TO THINK ABOUT:

God’s Word, according to Hebrews 4:12, is ALIVE, POWERFUL and ACTIVE! 

When we find the Word that pertains to a need or circumstance we want to experience change in, we apply it by speaking it.  By doing so, we are using our words to build and construct needed changes or improvements and we are also releasing these Words to be our servants just like Jesus did!

In Matthew 4, when Jesus was confronted with a variety of opportunities and decisions, He said: “IT IS WRITTEN” and quoted God’s Word.

…In the Beginning was the Word and as John 1 says, “Nothing that was made was made without the Word.”  Give the Word first place, keep planting it, watering it with praise and thanksgiving and in due season, get ready for great things will happen!

 

GOD'S MEDICINE FOR GOOD SUCCESS.

GOD’S MEDICINE FOR GOOD SUCCESS: 

SCRIPTURE; Joshua 1:8

“Study this Book of Instruction continually.  Meditate on it day and night so you will be sure to obey everything written in it.  Only then will you prosper and succeed in all you do!”

Meditation is somewhat like taking medicine.  The more consistent we are with the protocol given by the doctor, the better results we will have!  It’s interesting that if the doctor says take this medicine 3 times a day, it is for sure we will do our best to do exactly what the Doc says, usually without question or giving it a second thought!

God was giving a similar prescription to Joshua, only he was told to take the word of God 24/7 for great results!

I once heard someone say, he made it a daily habit of taking the “Gos-Pill” and meditating on it which caused him to have great success in all areas of life.  If the need was financial, he had taken time to source out what God said about money, work ethic, honor, etc.  If it was a sickness that cropped up, he studied how Jesus went about healing and restoring people because He was moved with compassion and he meditated on those words until he saw himself receiving healing as well! 

Based on what he said, it is important to be intentional until the word of God you put in your heart becomes bigger than the issue you are dealing with.

Prov. 4:23 Guard (attend to) your heart with all diligence, for out of it come the issues or boundaries of life!  In other words, be careful what you let in!

Another translation says:  Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it!

Jesus referred to our hearts as the soil of our spirit that we can make deposits into! 

Matthew 12:35

“A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in him, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in him!”

We have the choice to take Gos-Pills and store God’s wisdom inside so that when situations arise, we already have God’s medicine inside of us from meditating on the Word and  internalizing it, then we can expect not just any kind of success but as Joshua 1 says, good success or good results!

What does the word Meditate mean?

To muse and be absorbed in thought

To deeply focus one’s mind (The Hebrew word for mind is: Conception or to conceive)

To reflect and rehearse in one’s mind

To ponder and converse with one’s self

To imagine

To speak out, utter or pray

There is such value in meditating, pondering, and conversing with one’s self before speaking to others or making decisions. We can see from the following Scripture: it can change our future and the future of others as well!

Matthew 1:19

“Because Joseph to whom Mary was engaged was a righteous man, and did not want to disgrace her publicly, he decided to break the engagement quietly.  But after he had pondered (or meditated) on these things, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream…… (and gave him God instructions!)

Joseph had been given some shocking news by his bride to be; something mind jolting and out of the ordinary…But, because  Joseph pondered before making a decision, that “seemed” at the time to be the correct one based on the Law, God’s plans weren’t thwarted and we and all of mankind have benefited from his taking time to muse before moving!

Also, one powerful translation about Joshua says, “God commanded Joshua to MEDITATE on God’s word and IMAGINE it day and night so he would have good success.”

You can imagine Joshua rehearsing in his mind all the times God had given victory to his people.  He probably would visualize it and feel what it would be like for him to have the same results!

God kept telling him, “Be courageous! sort of “You’ve got this!”

Keep rehearsing the victories!

David said in Psalms 1”Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked or stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockers, but whose delight is in the law  (Word) of the Lord and who MEDITATES on his law day and night, that person is like a tree planted by streams (rivers) of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither—whatever they do prospers.”

The one red flag to all this success David said, is that you stay mindful of where you get your information.

Again, the tree gives us a beautiful word picture.  The taller the tree, the deeper or stronger the roots will be.  The trees in this Psalm are surrounded by living water which again symbolize the Word of God. The emphasis God puts on meditation is significant. The more we internalize and meditate on God’s truths, the deeper and stronger our convictions become that causes faith to be released with greater results.

Visuals were a big part of Jesus’ teaching ministry.

Matthew 13:32

“If you have faith as a grain of mustard seed, (which is less than or smaller than all seeds), you can say to this mountain, move from here to there and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.”

Jesus was giving his followers a word picture!  Can’t you just hear them thinking, “You mean if I have faith as tiny as that little thing, I can change something that humongous?”  Jesus could have stopped at, “it will move from here to there,” but he added: Nothing will be impossible!

One definition of faith is: Seeing as a real fact what has not been made real to our senses.

As we meditate on a word from the Lord, and utter, speak and say what God says about it, Jesus said that tiny seed of faith has the power to bear fruit and change circumstances.

Remember, Jesus said we are to say to the mountain——-move!

It is important to be mindful this is the way the Kingdom of God operates in our lives through spoken words.

By meditation and visualizing as reality what God has promised us in his word, more doors can be opened for answered prayers!

Hebrews 11:2

“This is how people in times past gained approval.  They framed their world with their faith.”

After we continue meditating and put faith into practice by giving God’s Word first place in situations, it will over time become second nature.  The first thing that will kick in when something comes up will be our faith and not fear!  We will be talking to mountains instead of mountains talking to us!

We all have mind Data Banks we draw from.

I was listening to a Doctor on a TV Program that described negative thinking as: ANTS

AUTOMATIC

NEGATIVE

THOUGHTS

He said they show up without us even thinking about it until we intentionally put new information into our Data Bank!

As believers, we can build a new program into our Data Bank to draw from based on meditating, imagining and pondering God’s Word which I describe as: APTS

AUTOMATIC

POSITIVE or PROMISE

THOUGHTS

So instead of running our mind program on ANTS and losing out by default, we can run on APTS and be on God’s winning team!

In closing, the Apostle Paul encouraged one of his proteges, Timothy, with similar faith practices to help him navigate through unsettling times like what is being experienced today:

1 Timothy 4:15. “Meditate on these things, give yourself entirely to them that your progress will be seen by all.”

Progress seen by all through meditation:  What a powerful promise!

GREAT NEWS:  YOUR TONGUE IS A PEN THAT CAN CAUSE YOU TO EXPERIENCE HIGH ENERGY LIVING!



SCRIPTURE:  Psalms 45:1

“My heart is stirred by a noble theme as I recite verses for the king; my tongue is the pen of a skillful writer.”
Can you recall times when you have been listening to someone talk and you felt an excitement well up in you?  Those words they were speaking were being written upon your heart!

Our Scripture says what we speak with our tongue is to our heart what a pen is to paper!

In Dr. Cho’s book, “The Fourth Dimension,” he writes about a conversation he had with a neurosurgeon.  The neurosurgeon stated that it had just been found that the speech center in the brain has total dominion over all other nerves!  Dr. Cho replied, “I have known that for a long time because I read in the Bible in the Book of James, Chapter 3, that the activity of the tongue and speech can bridle the whole body!

Every day we have the opportunity to write good things on our heart by reciting verses from the Word of God.

Jesus said some profound things about our speech. We can use our tongue to record vibrancy, joy, love, hope, expectation and peace in our hearts or our tongue can be used to deplete life energy by writing fear, doubt, pessimism, etc., in our hearts.

Luke 6:45 “A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up
in his heart.  For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of.”

When we put the Word of God into our heart, our mouth will speak words that produce fruits of righteousness, which is the life Jesus paid for us to have. Also, as we meditate on good things, these thoughts will mingle with our spirit which will cause us to walk in success, peace, joy and expectation of good. Of course, the opposite is true if we meditate on words of defeat, guilt, judgement, fear, etc.! Our Scripture says, with our tongue, we can write noble things!

By listening to our heart, we can ascertain what the pen of our tongue has been up to!

I heard a story about a lady that was walking home from work when she was suddenly attacked.  She had been studying Acts 2:38 that says: “Jesus went about doing good and healing all that were oppressed by the devil because God was with Him.”  In a frantic state, the Scripture came to her mind that she had been meditating on and she starting shouting “Acts 2:38.”   Within seconds the man dropped her and started running.  When the police caught him, they asked why he had dropped her and he said, I heard her saying she had a 38! It is a humorous story, but she had been storing good things in her heart with her tongue and it sure paid off!

But seriously as mentioned above, Jesus brother, James said in one Translation, that if a man can control his tongue, he is a perfect man in control of his entire being at all times.  He said the tongue may be small, but it can cause tremendous destruction! However, we want to keep in mind and reinforce that it is also the means by which we receive all the blessings that have been stored up for us. Our part is believing, receive and declare the good things God said belong to us as heirs of God and joint heirs with Jesus.

1 Corinthians 2:12 says: “Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may know the things freely given to us by God.”

Understanding that God framed the universe we live in with His Words and that we are born of His Spirit, and made in His image and likeness, helps us to understand why words are so important to our receiving the “things freely given to us by God.” Our Scripture is so beautiful because it says, “We recite verses for our King,” who is Jesus, and He watches over His word to perform it! Jeremiah 1:12
Jesus said, “the Words I speak are spirit and life.” John 6:63 This statement of Jesus helps us to realize the importance He placed on what He said.  Proverbs 18:21 says: “The tongue has the power of life and death and those that love it will eat its fruit.”

The word of God is like a seed that when planted through our spoken words, has the potential to germinate, take root and grow to bear fruit.  If you think about it, you would not plant garlic, onions or turnips if you were desiring sweet potatoes, tomatoes or carrots.

It is good to take time to take an inventory of what is written in our hearts and, if it is not what we want to harvest, pray crop failure on it in Jesus’ Name and start planting new seeds! I find myself doing this on a regular basis.  We know that weeds grow faster than seeds, for some reason, and must be pulled out so the seed will produce!

Hebrews 4:12 says “For the word of God is living and active.  Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow, it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.”

The Bible refers to the Word of God as not only alive and active but also as a mirror for us to view our lives through.  With that in mind, it is very exciting to realize that we can use our tongue today to write God’s living word on our hearts together with our heart’s desires and anticipate the seeds we have planted are germinating and will produce the fruit that will bring God glory and cause us to experience the abundant life Jesus said He came for us to have! 

With so much going on in the entire world today, our confidence and comfort come through knowing God’s plans have not changed nor the reason Jesus came to earth. 

Several Scriptures that are so meaningful to me are:

“For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ.” Philippians 1:6 Notice the work He began is a GOOD WORK!

“When the Lord restored the fortunes of Zion, we were like those who dreamed.  Our mouths were filled with laughter, our tongues with songs of joy.  Then it was said among the nations, the Lord has done great things for them.  The Lord has done great things for us and we are filled with joy.  Restore our fortunes, Lord, like streams in the Negev.  Those who go out weeping carrying seed to sow, will return with songs of joy carrying sheaves with them.” Psalms 126 This is such a powerful promise!  The word fortunes are also translated “turned the captivity and restored health” and Zion refers to the Church as well.  This says God has a big plan and as we sow our seeds of faith declarations based on His word and our intercessory prayers, God’s promise is our tongues will sing songs of joy and we will experience the great things He has in store!

Let’s all be encouraged to use our tongue as a pen and as skillful writers to write God things upon our hearts which will honor our Lord, and we will also be framing our world with good things that according to our Scriptures, He wants us and those we pray for to experience!



Diana M Sykes

JESUS IS OUR CHAMPION! WE ARE HIS TROPHIES!

HE IS OUR CHAMPION!  WE ARE HIS TROPHIES!



SCRIPTURE:  Romans 5:8

“But God shows and clearly proves His (own) love for us by the fact that while we were still sinners, Christ, the Messiah, died for us.”

Jesus was on a mission for mankind so we, as believers, are part of his mission fulfilled!  The purpose for Jesus coming to earth was to make His Father’s love known to man and now, as believers, the baton has been passed to us to share the true love of God with others.

Isn’t it exciting to know that we are laborers together with God according to1 Cor. 3:9?

Also, the Apostle Paul said in 2 Corinthians 5:19 “What we mean is that God was in Christ offering peace and forgiveness to the people of this world.  And he has given us the work of sharing his message about peace.”

I can sure testify that finding out God was at peace with me through Jesus was like a breath of fresh air after a rainy day.  Growing up, I never felt a safe place and was often reprimanded whether I did right or wrong.  Consequently, when I did become a Christian, it took quite some time to get released from the mindset that God was just like what I had known growing up and not the One I know now that loves me and bought my innocence back for me!

I believe it is his heart’s desire for you to experience his love and peace in every area of life especially if you have been programmed, as I was, to see God as angry and sitting in Heaven with a sledge hammer ready to whack you if you get out of line!

My testimony now to others is just what the above Scripture says, “while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”  Doesn’t it make sense that If he was willing to suffer and die for us as sinners, how much more does he want to show his love as a caring Heavenly Father to us since we are now part of his family? 

One of my favorite Scriptures is: 1 Timothy 2: 1-4 I urge you first of all that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for ALL people—for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness.  This is good and pleases God our Savior WHO WANTS ALL PEOPLE TO BE SAVED AND TO COME TO THE KNOWLEDGE OF THE TRUTH.”

I believe this is saying you can accept Jesus as Savior and have eternal life knowing you will spend eternity in Heaven, but coming into the knowledge of who God is and wants to be in your life while you are on the earth requires knowledge of the truth and not the traditions of man and religion!  I believe when we truly come to learn how much God loves us and planned good things for us, which we  receive by faith, we will be able to live the life that the Scripture says is “good and pleases God our Savior!

For this to be accomplished, sometimes we have to unlearn some “stuff!” Jesus said to the religious rulers, “….you make the word of God invalid for the sake of the tradition you hold….” Mark 7:13

God’s plan, because of his great love, was to buy us back.  Jesus was willing to come to earth to be the sacrifice for all of man’s sins and our focus is to be on what He did for us.  My encouragement is to read the Bible as though it were a “Priority Letter” sent just to you!

Hebrews 12:2 says “Look unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, despising the shame…”

We all probably know what it is like to be misunderstood, mocked and shamed at times, but as we look to Jesus it would be difficult, without God’s help, to fully understand what he must have gone through mentally, emotionally and physically as he was experiencing so much shame while being mocked, beaten, spat upon, persecuted, stripped of his clothing and ultimately being nailed to the cross for us!  But, the Scripture says,  “he looked to the joy ahead of him,” which was BUYING US BACK to a place of innocence before God that had been stolen because of Adam and Eve's sin!

Because of this, I heard someone put it like this:

He is our Champion!  We are his Trophies!

When you and I gave our hearts to Jesus, we became “part of the joy set before him.”  Not only did we make Jesus happy filling him with joy because we accepted his true love, but the Bible says in Luke 15:10 …”I tell you, [Jesus said] there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”

Sometimes either because of lack of knowledge of the Word of God or letting the fullness of the price Jesus paid for our salvation slip from our thoughts, we can miss out on so much. Even beyond that, our lives bring the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit much joy when we are cognizant of God’s goodness to us that was purchased by Jesus!  He certainly deserves to have his trophies shine brightly for his glory!

Have you ever heard the saying:  What you don’t know won’t hurt you?”

Well, as I state in my DETOX: SPIRITUAL CLEANSING FOR A FULFILLING LIFE book, that is one of the biggest lies ever told!

Psalms 119: 97-98 “Oh how I love and treasure the revelation of your word; throughout the day I fill my heart with its light! By considering your commands, I have an edge over my enemies, for I take seriously everything you say!”

You know what it is like to go into a dark room without a light.  You end up stumbling around trying to find your way.  Just by flipping a switch though, the light comes on and you can see everything in your path so you can navigate more efficiently and without stumbling!

Not only does his Word give us great insight and wisdom as we consider his promises, it says we have an edge over the enemy who tries to show up in so many areas of life.  One of the ways the enemy does this is with harassing condemning thoughts and insinuations that lead to bondage because of fear.  The ultimate goal of the enemy is to keep you from living the “free indeed” life Jesus paid for you to live. You can readily see from the above Scriptures that you are loved and accepted because of faith in what Jesus did and you are also an answer to his prayers.

Before going to the Cross, Jesus prayed this enlightening prayer for his followers and for all future believers that were to follow him!

John 17: 20-23

“I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me THROUGH THEIR WORD, that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that you sent Me.  And the glory which you gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one:  I in them, and You in Me; that they may be perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have LOVED THEM AS YOU HAVE LOVED ME.”

Isn’t it wonderful to know you are not only one of the answers to Jesus’ prayers, but also to think about the fact that Jesus wants us to know God loves us as He loves Jesus?

It is for sure, Jesus is our Champion!

Our prayer is that we will walk in a higher level of understanding so that we, as His trophies, will continue to bring Him joy and continue to be the answer to His prayers!

THE ANCHOR HOLDS (revised)

POWER THOUGHT:



THE ANCHOR HOLDS!



Scripture:  Hebrews 6:17-19



I remember quite a few years ago my son and I went out in our boat for an afternoon of skiing and later on decided to stop for a while, so we threw out the anchor to keep the boat from drifting.  A little later, we decided to go home and darted off when we felt a jolt and a pop!  We had forgotten about the anchor!



Hebrews 6:17-19 says: “So when God desired to show more convincingly to the heirs of the promise the unchangeable character of his purpose, he guaranteed it with an oath, so that by two unchangeable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled for refuge might have strong encouragement to hold fast to the hope set before us, we have this as a sure and steadfast ANCHOR of the soul.”



The above Scripture says that God actually made an oath stating that it is impossible for Him to tell a lie and that He is so committed to what He has promised that we can anchor our souls to His Word!  It is important to note that we, as believers, are heirs of this promise!



It sounds like this was something very important to God that He wanted us to pay close attention to, especially considering He made an oath!



2 Corinthians: 1:20 “For all the promises of God in Him are Yes, and in Him Amen, to the glory of God through us.”



Isn’t that powerful?  His promises are not “Yes” and “No,” but “Yes” and “Amen!”  When we believe and speak His promises, they aren’t “yes” today and “no” tomorrow! 



Our Scripture says, God doesn’t change His mind.  In fact it says, we can have strong encouragement or as one translation says, “great encouragement” that His Word is given for your provision.



His Word is an anchor! 



Just like we forgot about our boat anchor, often we can find ourselves in situations and forget we have an anchor in God that remains steadfast and will not pull away from us.  



I like to think of God’s promises as gifts from Him that we open to receive the benefits.  If someone brought me a gift box and I just left it on a table without opening it to see the contents, I would have missed out on something special that was given to me from someone else’s heart, especially since they took the time to source it out, pay for it or make it for me to enjoy.



Often without realizing it, we do the same thing by not being conscious that the promises in the Bible are “gifts” because they are given to us to utilize.



2 Peter 1:4 “HE HAS GIVEN US EXCEEDINGLY PRECIOUS AND MAGNIFICENT PROMISES.…”



That sounds pretty significant!  Remember again, Peter went from being a rough and tough guy to a strong believer who came to realize that his source was not in himself, but God through his faith in Jesus.  The words, exceedingly, magnificent and precious so emphasize the intensity Peter, by the Holy Spirit, was placing on the promises!



For sure, one of the challenges each of us face each day is to not allow the concerns of the world to so dominate our thoughts that we neglect to focus on eternal things as well!



Again, the Apostle Peter, found himself in dire straits quite a few times but presents to us a message of hope in 2 Peter 1:4:  “His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness through the knowledge of Him that has called us….”



Knowledge of God’s word and applying it to our lives is how we receive what He has on His heart for us.



Just like we nourish ourselves with healthy foods each day to keep our bodies strong, we should also nourish ourselves with His Word, which is also referred to as bread, so that we will become strong in spirit and our faith will be increased to be confident that He desires us to receive the blessings He has prepared for us.



Each one of us may be in a situation where we have a significant need we are believing God to meet.  Perhaps it is a physical need that is being worked through.  According to 1 Peter 2:24, we have a powerful promise from Him that says: “By His stripes you were healed.”



Jesus paid the price for our healing with His own body by going to the cross and being beaten and shedding His blood.  As we stand in faith for our healing, we can also ask the Holy Spirit to give us wisdom if there is anything we can do naturally.  



Philippians 4:19 is such a powerful precious promise because it is pertinent for any need that arises:  The Apostle Paul said:  “And this same God who takes care of me will supply all your needs from his glorious riches, which have been given TO US in Christ Jesus.”



It would be good to stop and reflect on what the Apostle Paul said:  “HE WILL SUPPLY ALL OUR NEEDS! This comes through being anchored in His promises knowing the answers are on their way, not only for us but those we pray for!  



Hebrews 6:12 says: “It is through faith and patience that we inherit the promises.”



The faith part is often easier for us than the patience part!  Nevertheless, we can have confidence if we have faith, that He is working on the needs being met.









Hebrews 11:6 says:



 “Those that come to God must believe that He is and that He rewards those who diligently seek Him.”



God’s promises to us are as our Scripture says, unchangeable and, if there is an area where we may have “sped away” or “drifted away” from the power of God’s promises and confidence in his love for us,

He has promised He will never leave us nor forsake us.  We just get back into faith in His promises!



John 6:21 says:



 “When Jesus got into the boat with them they were “suddenly” on the other side!” 



With all of this in mind, knowing that we have an anchor for the soul that is unchanging, let’s also pray that as we call on Jesus, the needs we are presenting through our prayers will be met SUDDENLY in Jesus Name!