FRAME YOUR WORLD? YOU CAN

 

You Can Have What You Say!

 Scripture: Mark: 11:22-24 (Amplified)

 “And Jesus, replying, said to them, have faith in God constantly. Truly I tell you, whoever says to this mountain, be lifted up and thrown into the sea and does not doubt at all in his heart but believes that what he says will take place, it will be done for him. For this reason, I am telling you whatever you ask for in prayer, believe, trust and be confident that it is granted to you and you will get it!”

Have you ever spoken to a mountain? Well really if you have an obstacle in your path or a circumstance that seems to be overwhelming and you talk about how big the problem is, you are talking about that mountain and that mountain is talking back to you!

Jesus said that instead of talking about the problems facing us, we should talk to the problems with our faith in God who can move all mountains.

There are several vital keys that can work for or against you seeing your prayers answered and your dreams become a reality.

1. Jesus declared, “Truly!”  If you doubt not in your heart you will have what you say. The question is, do you believe this?

An Evangelist once said the Lord told him to tell the people: "I have told them they can have what they say; but they are saying what they have." There is a big difference. One requires no faith, the other requires great faith.

1.   Take time to listen to yourself talk.  Then ask yourself, is what I have been declaring about my life what I want to happen?  Are your words full of confidence and faith in God or full of doubt and fear?

2.   It is possible to move mountains out of your life.  God said, “The people perish because of lack of knowledge.”  He did not say they perish because that is His will, but because they do not know what the Word of God says. Begin in faith to say what you desire. It is Jesus that gave us the example of talking to your mountain! Jesus said  "Truly I tell you whoever says to this mountain and does not doubt in his heart at all, will have his request granted."

If you are a “whoever,” He is talking to you! 

Stop saying what you have and start believing you can have what you say!

Do it today!

 

SOMETHING OF SIGNIFICANCE:

 

                           SOMETHING BETTER THAN THAT!

Have you ever had something happen and you immediately thought: God has got to have something better for me than that?!  Well, you are absolutely right!

SCRIPTURE:  John 10:10

Jesus said, “The thief has come to steal, kill and destroy but I have come that they might have life, and that they might have it MORE abundantly.” Anytime you see “they” written in the scriptures, it is important to personalize it by saying: Jesus said he came to give “me” life and to give it to “me” more abundantly! 

You are God’s creation, and his promises are as important to you as an individual as they are to the masses.  However, if you cannot see yourself important to God and realize how much he loves and cares for you as an individual, you can easily miss out on the “MORE” Jesus proclaimed was his will for you and you will, more than likely, find yourself experiencing what the thief has on his mind for you which is to steal, kill and destroy.  He does this by putting obstacles and lies in your path to subvert the truth about what Jesus came to do for you! 

Remember, it was Jesus who spoke about the two courses life could take.

With this in mind, for some time I have been feeling a prompting by the Holy Spirit to teach on three enormously powerful words: “Better than That!”  If you take time to think about your circumstances in the various areas of your life, I imagine there are some “That” experiences you would love to see improved and changed for the better!

These words are especially meaningful to me because a few years ago a dear friend, Evangelist John Mahon, preached a sermon based on those three words that the Lord had spoken to him and shared the powerful results he and his family had experienced by believing and decreeing that God truly did have something “Better than That!

I looked up some synonyms for “better” and the first definition to come up was MORE which represents:

-     a greater or additional amount or degree

-      added

-      extra

-      increased

-      new

-      some more! 

Why is this so interesting and exciting?  Because the Lord Jesus Christ stated one of his missions for mankind was as follows:

John 10:10: “I came that they might have life and that they might have it MORE abundantly.”

If this sounds like what you would like to experience perhaps in areas of your life that seem “less than,” I believe you will be inspired and encouraged through this teaching to believe God for MORE of what Jesus offers and “better” than what you have been experiencing!

Maybe you are in a situation like my husband and I were in a few years ago.  We wanted to sell our house in a timely manner when a couple came and were haggling over and over about the price and content and although we were wanting to sell, something just felt wrong and frustrating.

Then something wonderful happened! I was standing at my refrigerator contemplating the situation and I heard those three words from the sermon I had listened to a few years earlier “Better than That!” What that said to me was, God’s got something better, so we decided to release our faith for a “better than that” buyer!

My husband said an emphatic “no” to the deal and within days we had buyers that were over the moon with the house and everything in it, and we were all delighted with the end result!

How about you?  Do you have something going on in your life that you believe with all your heart God has a “more abundantly” outcome for you?  I encourage you to stand strong and release your faith for a “better than that” outcome because that is what Jesus said his desire clearly is for you!

You know so often in life people have grown up in tough circumstances or had people interject very negative words or statements about them that have been used by Satan to steal, kill, and destroy the “better than that” life Jesus created them to experience! 

I remember my husband and I working with an associate pastor who when he ministered or talked just seemed almost childlike in his actions.  He obviously was a grown man, however, words spoken to him in a jeering mocking way years earlier blocked him from experiencing the full life Jesus paid for him to have.

After spending time with him and praying about the situation, Jesus reminded him of a time when he was younger when he was very badly mocked and made fun of and was called by the name of a cartoon character in front of his peers repeatedly. This had so shamed him that even after becoming a grown man and a leader in the church, he was still carrying around the pain and wounds from being repeatedly embarrassed. 

Thankfully, he was able to pray and release those hurts and issues surrounding that time in his life so that he could move on and be the successful leader God had in mind for him to be.  He received something “better than that” and we marveled at his demeanor the next time we saw him minister!  Years of emotional pain that had been stealing from him had been lifted off him and he began to genuinely enjoy and live out Jesus words: “I came that they might have life and that they might have it in a more abundant (better) way.”

Has someone “dumped” negative, embarrassing words on you that don’t line up with Jesus’ mission statement for you which He says is a more abundant life!  Remember your faith response to Jesus’ words is what will make the difference! 

The opposite of better is worse!  That is what Jesus clearly stated the thief, Satan, has on his mind.  That is why it is important to make a quality decision daily to become more knowledgeable of what Jesus offers you, so that your life will become better and reflect His thoughts for you, not the thief’s!

Even the Apostle Paul, who wrote much of the New Testament had to be actively involved in letting go of his past so that he could be the man God called him to be.  At one time, he was all about destroying and locking up anyone proclaiming Christ as Lord and Messiah, but what a turnaround when he came into the knowledge of the truth of how much he was loved by Jesus as well as how much Jesus came to give a more abundant (better) life for all of mankind!

To say the least, he was quite a character prior to his conversion but then stated his life’s goal in Philippians 3:13: “This one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching for those things which are ahead I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” 

I also love the New Living Testament translation which we can easily relate to:

“…dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead.  I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.”

Don’t you love prizes?  Think about God being the prize giver in your life!

Just like Paul, who had to get stuff such as wrong beliefs, errors in religious persuasions and connections, etc., out of his mind so that he would not be stuck in his past but move forward to the “better than that” life God had called him to, for God’s will to be accomplished in our lives, it is important that we do the very same thing! 

Just like you can press the eject button on a CD to change what you are hearing; you can do the same by rejecting wrong thinking and believing and switch over to “better than that!” thoughts and plans Jesus said he has for your life.

James 1:17 is a “more abundant” scripture that perfectly describes our Lord’s will for those that believe it and receive it: “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.”

Aren’t you glad God does not change his mind about you and what he desires for you from day to day?

How do we know this?

2 Corinthians 1:20: “” FOR NO MATTER HOW MANY PROMISES GOD HAS MADE, THEY ARE “YES” IN CHRIST.  AND SO THROUGH HIM THE “AMEN” IS SPOKEN BY US TO THE GLORY OF GOD.”

Take time this week to find the promises concerning issues in your life, maybe it’s a health issue, a financial crisis, a job you or a family member needs, any area you wish to see improvement in, find God’s promise, receive it, and say “AMEN” because the scripture says when we do so God gets the glory when his promises are performed!  Note the “AMEN” must be spoken by us, then God goes to work if we stand in faith to see it performed!

God released his faith into his promises and desires you to know if he promised it, he desires you to have it— but your part is to BY FAITH take what belongs to you because God said it!

We pray you will take time on a regular basis to assess what is happening in your life and those you love and, if it does not measure up to Jesus’ mission for you, a More Abundant (Better than That) life, decide to be like the Apostle Paul and begin reaching for the goal for the heavenly prize God has in store for you in Jesus’ Name, Amen!

 Diana

 

FOCUSED FAITH GETS RESULTS

 

ARE YOU USING YOUR GOD-GIVEN SPIRITUAL BINOCULARS?

 Focused faith gets results!  Focus on God’s promises adjusts your spiritual binoculars to see the promises that are for you so that you can experience success, joy and fulfillment in your daily life!

 You might be thinking, I did not even realize I have spiritual binoculars to use.  Well, you do!  We are not talking about just any faith, which is vital for success, but faith that focuses on God’s promises.

Faith originated with Jesus.  Hebrews 12:2 refers to Jesus as the Author and Finisher of our faith. “It says that for the joy set before Him, He endured the cross despising the shame, and is sat down at the right hand of the Throne of God!”

His faith was focused on “the end result”—the vision.

Proverbs 29:18 is such a profound Scripture because it describes the results of not having a vision concerning God’s plans and direction in our lives in clear focus.  It says: “Where there is no vision (no redemptive revelation of God) the people perish, but he who keeps the law [the lord] of God, (which includes that of man) is blessed, happy, fortunate and enviable.” Amplified

The actual meaning of vision is to mentally perceive, to contemplate with pleasure and to constantly anticipate something great is going to happen.  Basically, a vision is faith in your mind’s eye like an architect would draw up a blueprint.  He sees the finished product before it is even started!

Hebrews 11:1 refers to faith as something you start with, with a picture or definite focus in mind. “NOW FAITH, is the assurance (the title deed) of the things [we] hope for, being the proof of things [we] do not see and the conviction of their reality [faith perceiving as real fact what is not revealed to the senses].” Amplified

The Bible says your faith, your vision, your dream is like a title deed…a title deed is proof that you own something.

FOR THE REST TOTAL TEACHING GO TO THE STORE: 

Focused Faith Gets Results

 

SOMETHING OF SIGNIFICANCE:

                       BLESSINGS FOLLOW RIGHT BELIEVING!

 

Scripture:  Mark 9:23-24

This is the story of a man who was feeling pain and frustration for the terrible situation his son was in.  He obviously had heard about all the wonderful things Jesus was doing for the people around him, but the situation was so big in his eyes he was not convinced Jesus had the power or would even have compassion to help him out! However, to these questions Jesus replied:

 “If You can believe?  All things are possible for the one who believes and trusts [in Me]!” Jesus quickly let the man know it was not about his power or willingness to do something for him, but the man’s faith. Immediately after hearing Jesus’ words, the boy’s father cried out, “I do believe, help my unbelief or help my weak faith!”

Just like the situations many of us go through and things we see going on around us, this man’s faith was shaken by what he saw, and he became conscious of his own inability to believe beyond what he saw.  He then asked Jesus to remove his doubt!

Jesus obviously honored that man’s prayer because when his believing got straightened out, immediately his son was set free. Jesus was happy to work with this man’s limited faith so that He could give him the miracle he needed!

Hebrews 11:6 says: “And without faith it is impossible to please God because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him!”

That is a powerful promise for us today that the Lord absolutely rewards faith and Jesus took time to help straighten the man’s thinking out so he could receive what Jesus wanted for him all the time!

Jesus loved performing miracles and answering prayers and today is still looking for those that believe He will do what the Scriptures say He will do!

 Ephesians 1:19-21 “I also pray that you will understand the incredible greatness of God’s power for us who BELIEVE him.  This is the same mighty power that raised Christ from the dead and seated him in the place of honor at God’s right hand in the heavenly realms.  Now he is far above any ruler or authority or power or leader or anything else-not only in this world but also in the world to come!”

 Mark 6:4-5 will help us to see how right believing attracts God’s blessings and wrong believing forfeits God’s blessings.

“Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his own town, among his relatives and in his own home. He could not do any miracles there, except lay his hands on a few sick people and heal them.” Look at that!  We are talking about the Son of God, the living Word, walking among them, but people in his everyday sphere of influence forfeited miracles and blessings because of familiarity or judging things in natural ways.  They were saying, “Oh, this is just the carpenter’s son and we know all of his family; He is just like us!”

Often, we, as believers, can have similar experiences with family, friends, business associates, etc., because they do not understand that as born-again Christians, God, through the finished work of Jesus, now lives inside of us and has delegated to us the power and authority to use His Name so that his will is manifest on earth as it is in Heaven!

The Apostle Paul said it like this in 1 Corinthians 2:14: “The person without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God but considers them foolishness and cannot understand them because they are discerned only through the Spirit.”

 The exciting news for us today is as faith-filled believers in God’s promises, we have assurance God watches over His Word to perform it.  One important aspect of faith is that while we are waiting for the answers to show up, we must purpose in our heart, ahead of time, not to let situations or circumstances steal our joy or our faith!

 Always keep in mind, as well, “Delay is not Denial!”

 God desires us to continue to proclaim his Father’s Will be done on earth as it is in Heaven for the people HE CREATED!  Jesus came from Heaven to earth so you can imagine his excitement about getting people to understand His Father’s heart so they could experience “Heaven on Earth!”

 He has now commissioned us to do the same:

 Mark 16:15:  And then He told them, “Go into all the world and preach the Good News to everyone….”

With all the bad news and confusion going on around the world that we mostly learn about through media, focusing on the Gospel continues to be the way we release faith for God’s will, not man’s will to be done!

Luke 18:8 Jesus asked, “…. but when the Son of Man returns, will He find faith on the earth?

In Matthew 24:12. Jesus stated that right before his return, “because lawlessness, {wickedness and iniquity) would multiply and abound, the love of many will grow cold.”

Have you noticed how easy it is to get caught up in negative conversations which inflame emotions and before you realize it, you are agreeing with others about how bad things or people are when Jesus said: “IF YOU can believe all things are possible!” 

 The Apostle Paul said: “For I am not ashamed of the Gospel for IT IS THE POWER OF GOD to salvation to everyone who BELIEVES…” God is in His Word!  When we speak His Word in faith, His power goes to work to change situations!  Paul was saying not to be ashamed to speak about the Gospel because he knew it had power to bring people to salvation and change circumstances in their lives!

Jesus was not ashamed when some did not believe!  He just kept on doing what His Father had sent Him to do and those that believed received the blessings! 

When stuff happens, however, we can get bogged down with issues and our faith to believe all God promised those who would believe can get blocked. When this happens, we must quickly cast it off being fully persuaded of God’s goodness and love for us and his desire to reward our efforts in seeking Him. Realizing we are God’s investment will help us focus on the benefits he has placed within us. Our part is to daily take time to make the great exchange: 

His Peace for our worries:

John 14:27 “Jesus said: “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you.  Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.” 

His Health for our infirmities:

1 Peter 2:24 “He Himself bore our sins in his body on the cross, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness, “by his wounds you have been healed.”

His Joy for our sadness:

John 15:11 “I have told you these things so that you will be filled with my joy.  Yes, your joy will overflow.”

His Power for our weakness:

Isaiah 40:29 “He gives power to the faint and increases the strength of the weak.”

His Faith for our fears:

Luke 12:32 “Fear not little flock, for your Father is pleased to give you the kingdom.”

Visually making these exchanges on a regular basis can bring our lives into God’s Will on earth as it is in Heaven!

Have you ever heard the expression, “You can take it to the bank?”

It means what was said is absolutely guaranteed!

Hebrews 6:17-18: “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.”

From this Scripture, we, as heirs of the promise, can absolutely be convinced that if we do not draw back and allow wrong thinking or wrong beliefs to fill our lives but keep the faith for the victories He paid for us to have through right believing, we can take God’s promises to the Bank of Heaven and expect the promised results!

Diana

www.dianasykes.com

SOUL FOOD

 

SOMETHING OF SIGNIFICANCE:

                                       SOUL FOOD

SCRIPTURE:  3 John 1:2

“Beloved, I wish above all things that you may prosper and enjoy good health, even as your soul prospers.” NIV

It is exciting to think about the fact that God loves soul—Soul Prosperity!

This powerful scripture was penned by the Apostle John whose testimony was:  I am the disciple that Jesus loves!

Could it be that when John wrote this to Gaius and the Church, he felt the Spirit of the Lord breathing His highest wishes for His children as He emphasized “ABOVE ALL THINGS?”

I do not think you could get much more descriptive than ABOVE ALL!  The amazing thing is, John did not just stop with enjoy good health, but in the same breath, he added: “and that they may prosper” or as the original Greek says: to be continually prospered in every way!

…. But he added: “EVEN AS your soul prospers!” “Even as” speaks of degrees!

The beautiful thing about this Scripture is that God puts no limits on how healthy or how prosperous or successful we can be.  He just lets us know that these are his highest wishes and prayers for His children!

So, how do we get our Soul to prosper?

Jesus’ mother said:  My soul MAGNIFIES the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior!

We know a magnifying glass enhances the subject or item it is focusing on. 

She said to the Angel that God had sent to speak to her: “Be it done unto me according to your Word!” Luke 1:38

In light of the circumstances, that was seriously magnifying the Lord!

 

David told his Soul what it should be doing in Psalm 103:

 

Bless the Lord oh MY Soul, and ALL that is within me, bless his holy name! 

 

Why did he talk to his Soul and all that was within him like that?

 

Could it have been because he wanted to keep reminding himself of God’s goodness and His benefits to him? He told his Soul that “it” should not forget a single one of the benefits or we would say “blessings” the Lord wanted him to experience!

-who forgives all your sins!

-who heals all your diseases

-who redeems your life from the pit

-crowns you with love and compassion

-satisfies your desires with good things

-so that your youth is renewed

David went from being a shepherd on the hillside to King of Israel by reminding himself of God’s goodness even though he also went through a lot of frustrating times in his life from being ignored by his family, to being betrayed by a beloved friend, and being misunderstood by his superior which caused years of havoc, etc.; so, he obviously knew the benefits of keeping God’s love and goodness in the forefront of his Soul!

Remember John said:  Health and Prosperity are connected to Soul prosperity which is based on the knowledge of how good God is and what his desires are for us! To realize the fullness of God’s blessings as David did, it is important to “own” the promises!

 How do we do this?

 If you own a property, you are aware of the acreage, the square footage of the house, the room sizes, the amenities in the house, etc.

In fact, if asked, you probably would be able to roll those figures and details off by heart!  Why? You own the property, and you know what belongs to you! 

It is the same with “owning” the promises for healing and God’s desire for success and prosperity in all areas of life!

For instance: Isaiah the prophet saw ahead to our day and spoke of all the areas Jesus would bring healing to his people:

 Isaiah 53

 Who has believed our message and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed? 

-Surely, he has born our griefs and carried our sorrows

-He was pierced for our transgressions

-He was crushed for our iniquities

-The punishment for our peace was on him

-By his stripes we are healed

 Notice the question, however: Who has believed our message? 

 Jesus bought us the whole health package and we receive it, which means “we take” ownership of it by faith.  That is soul prosperity for health!

As mentioned before, “even as” implies degrees.  Jesus spoke of degrees in receiving benefits from heaven.

Mark 4:28 “The earth produces by itself—first the blade, then the ear, then the full corn.”

The parable of the growing seed represents how faith grows and yields in different degrees until the full manifestation. It is the same with us, as the Soul continues to prosper with wisdom and knowledge of how much God loves us and wishes good things for us, we grow in faith to believe and receive until we or a love one experiences the “full corn” or wholeness in spirit, soul, and body!

 There is even more great news! 

 As believers in Christ, we have the powerful promise of being inheritors of the promises made to Abraham so that we, as well, have success in our life’s journey!

 Look at the promises:

 If you belong to Christ, then YOU ARE Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.  Galatians 3:29 Wow-let’s look at what God promised Abraham and what continues for us today!

God told him what he could expect:  Gen. 12:2-3

I will make you a great nation.

I will bless you and make your name great.

You will be a blessing.

I will bless those that bless you.

I will curse him who curses you. (This lets us know we do not have to fight our own battles!)

Gen. 12: 2-3

As Abram continued to obey and grow in faith, he became extraordinarily rich in livestock, silver, and gold!

Gen. 13:2

Abraham was blessed to be a blessing!

So, we can see that God loves SOUL—soul prosperity because as we honor God by feeding our faith and continue to “own” his promises, we bring joy to his heart!

Let us look at it again:

3 John 1:2-4:

“Dear Friend, I pray that you may enjoy good health and that ALL may go well with you, EVEN AS your soul is getting along well.” It gave me GREAT JOY when some believers came and testified about your faithfulness to the truth, telling how you continue to walk in it.  I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in truth!

 Final Thought:

 Can you hear the echo of God’s heart through the Apostle John when he said? “I have no greater JOY than to hear that my children are walking in truth!”

Let us make it our goal to have prosperous Souls by feeding on God’s Soul Food, His Word, so that His ABOVE ALL wishes, and prayers can come to pass in our lives and those we pray for. Also, let us make it our goal to OWN the promises in Jesus’ Name! AMEN

 

 

A JOURNEY OF DISCOVERY

 SOMETHING OF SIGNIFICANCE:                              

                               A JOURNEY OF DISCOVERY

Scripture:  John 3:1-7

Now there was a man named Nicodemus, a Jewish religious leader who was a Pharisee.  At dark one evening, he came to speak with Jesus.  “Rabbi,” he said, “we all know that God has sent you to teach us.  Your miraculous signs are evidence that God is with you.”

Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, unless you are born again, you cannot see the kingdom of God.”

“What do you mean?” exclaimed Nicodemus. “How can an old man go back into his mother’s womb and be born again?”

Jesus replied, “I assure you; no one can enter the Kingdom of God without being born of water and the Spirit.  Humans can reproduce only human life, but the Holy Spirit gives birth to the spiritual life.  So, do not be surprised when I say, ‘You must be born again.’

John also put it this way:  Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, children born not of natural descent, nor human decision or passion, but born of God.  John 1:12-13

Jesus and John both made it exceedingly clear that there were two births:  a human birth and a spiritual birth!

But, how do we differentiate the between the two experiences so that we can not only live as children of God but lead others to understand the powerful difference the born again experience makes not only in this life but in eternity to come?

The Apostle Paul brings powerful clarity in the following Scripture that there are two rival kingdoms operating in the earth:

“Giving thanks to the Father who has qualified us to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in the light, for he has rescued us from the KINGDOM OF DARKNESS and TRANSFERRED us into the KINGDOM OF HIS DEAR SON.” Colossians 1:12-13

How would we be able to comprehend all that took place in that transfer and what belongs to us as children of God when we said yes to Jesus unless we either hear about it through preaching or teaching or study of the Word of God?

Understanding this does, however, help us to understand how people who are not born again have a difficult time understanding those who have become what God’s word calls children of Light.

Our “journey of discovery” out of darkness into the Kingdom of his dear Son is similar to that of children who begin their journey in life starting with the help of their earthly parents and relatives, then progressing to kindergarten, elementary school all the way to high school, university and onwards.

As with a child, we as believers grow in grace, and miss-takes are all a part of our growth!

What is exciting is Luke 2:52 which says, “Jesus grew in wisdom and stature and in favor with God and man.”

I am sure Jesus must have spent many hours being trained to become a skilled carpenter and the Bible also says that He would go into the Temple and listen and ask questions of the religious leaders!  Just as us, he was trained in everyday life as well as spiritual.

I think it is often easy to forget that although Jesus was God, he emptied himself and became a man who experienced life as we do.

In Matthew 20:19, Jesus, speaking of Himself said: “And they will deliver him over to the Gentiles to be mocked and flogged and crucified, and he will be raised on the third day.” 

I was so moved one day when I heard someone speaking about this

Scripture because it shows that Jesus knew exactly what he was going to go through to pay for the sin of man and sicknesses, but He did it anyway! 

I remember one time the church we were part of asked for volunteers to help on a building project for the new church building that was being built.  This was in the Cayman Islands at a church work day and, not only did the men work hard but the ladies were throwing rubble into wheelbarrows from the building that had been torn down and as I was helping, I stepped on a board with a nail protruding upward and it went all the way through my shoe and through my foot.  OMG!  I pulled it out and rushed to the hospital.  It took a long time for my foot to get back to normal just from that small injury.

I know we all can remember similar instances that were excruciating but to think of what Jesus experienced and knew ahead of time he would experience should heighten our sensitivity to be intentional to become knowledgeable of all he, in his lovingkindness, paid for us to receive by faith!

In our “journey of discovery” it is also important to focus on Jesus’ two-fold statement that:

 “He came to give us life and give it to us in a more abundant way.” John 10:10

This is significant because people can receive Christ into their lives and have their heavenly destiny secured and still live with painful and frustrating issues during their life’ journey the same as the world does because of lack of knowledge of what has been paid for and what God desires for them to have!

Salvation gives us the status of being new creations in Christ Jesus!

Salvation that Jesus bought for us encompasses deliverance, faring well, prosperity, preservation, and safety; not to mention heaven!

Just as Colossians 1:12-13 states:  We were rescued out of the control of darkness into the Kingdom of his dear Son.

So, you see, before we became born again, Satan’s dominion, according to the scripture, had control over us!  We were rescued!

Philippians 3:20 says: “But our citizenship is in heaven.”

That is why in the Lord’s prayer Jesus taught his followers to pray: “Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven!”

In heaven there is no sickness, disease, confusion, strife, deception but quite the contrary!

Jesus came to give us life; so, what does that really mean so we can release our faith with confidence to receive the fullness of it:

Life in Hebrew means:  A possessor of vitality, life real and genuine, active, and vigorous, devoted to God, blessed with every spiritual blessing that is in Christ Jesus!

Jesus said:  You go in my Name!  Our part as King’s kids is, as we read the scriptures, to agree with it and stay in faith until it shows up.

What the world system teaches is:  I will believe it when I see it, but God’s Kingdom says: Believe it and then receive it!  That takes the limitations off.

I remember when I went to live in the UK how different the lifestyle was in every area of life: weather, dialect, food, attitudes, etc.  It was incumbent on me to learn the protocol of the country I was living in because I was no longer in the U.S. and by doing so, life became much more productive and enjoyable!  The same is true for us as citizens of heaven—the more we understand how things operate, the more abundant life we will experience!

So, the second part of Jesus mission in John 10:10 was:  I came to give you life more abundantly.  Well, we saw the in-depth meaning of “Life”, so it is interesting that Jesus also added - life more abundantly!

I love all the adjectives Jesus and Paul used in describing what God has for us!

ABUNDANT as it was originally translated means: More, greater, excessive, preeminence, advantage, beyond what is anticipated, going past the expected limit-continuously!

Was Jesus endeavoring to give us word pictures that would increase our expectations?  I think so!  If we look at it with our natural eyes, it sure seems beyond expectation; however, if we look at it with our spirit eyes, Jesus said, “Nothing is ever too difficult or impossible with God.” Luke 1:37

Final Thoughts:

The Apostle Paul had an intense desire for us, as born again believers, to experience the fullness of what Jesus gave his life for and expressed it in this powerful prayer that I believe is important to pray on a daily basis as it provides a continual unveiling of God’s purpose and power to those who will receive it:

Ephesians 1:15-22

“Therefore, I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints, do not cease to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers:

That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him, the eyes of your hearts being enlightened that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in heavenly places far above all principality and power and might and dominion and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in that which is to come and He put all things under His feet and gave Him to be the head over all things to the church which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all!”

Today let your testimony be:  I declare YES and AMEN (2 Cor. 1:20) for all the promises have been fulfilled in Christ and I thank my loving Father that his word is truth and I can confidently declare it and put my trust in it!

 Diana

 www.dianasykes.com

GOD'S WORD IS ALIVE!

 

SOMETHING OF SIGNIFICANCE:

 

                                                      GOD’S WORD IS ALIVE!

 

Scripture:  Hebrews 4:12

 “For the Word of God is alive 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.”

I once heard Dr. Aiko Hormann, a Physicist, A.I. Researcher, whose work was recognized by NATO, who is an anointed teacher used greatly by the Lord in physical and emotional healings, say the Lord had shown her that the “double-edged sword,” referred to in the above scripture, is like a laser beam.  Lasers can cut through matter to change its substance and then the same beam is also a source of healing substance!

God describes his Word as alive, active, quick, effectual, mighty in operation, and it is a seed with life in it that carries power, energy, and substance to manifest God’s intentions when it is spoken.

It is very much like this:  My car has a system on it that allows me to set it up the way I like it:  Lights on and off, steering setting, mirror and seat settings, etc.  A while back, I pressed on a button that brought up a message that said: “Do you want the system to go back to the Manufacturer’s Settings?”

When we are born again, our spirit is reset to our Creator’s Manufacturer Setting!  He has set everything within us to work to the highest standard and best purpose he created us for!

How do we know this?  Ephesians 2:10 says, “For we are God’s masterpiece (handiwork).  He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.”

However, our soul which includes our mind, will and emotions, is filled with life experiences from when we were first born into the world through our earthly parents and often it needs resetting so that we can think God’s thoughts about ourselves and subsequently grow in the good plans He has for us as mentioned in Ephesians 2:10!

As we study the Word of God, the “laser beam” of his Word will cut through wrong ideas and repetitive thoughts and actions that have kept us from experiencing who God created us to be!

For instance, I have read that when baby elephants are being trained for the Circus, they have their leg tethered to a pole with a rope that allows limited movement.   After a while, they become so use to the limitation the rope imposes when they try to move forward that they cease to try anymore.  The interesting thing is, even when the elephant has grown to 1,000’s of pounds and could easily break free, the conditioning from its youth still keeps it from trying!

This must be why the Apostle Paul said in Romans 12: 1-2 “I beg and urge you, therefore, brothers, by (because of) the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service.

And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind so that you may prove what is the good, and acceptable and perfect will of God for you in Christ Jesus.”

So often even after becoming Christians, we remain conditioned in our thought life to think like the “world system” we have become accustomed to and the learned behavioral patterns we have had for years.

Because of this, Paul literally begs us to find the new and better way which is to learn God’s plans for us and recondition or “reset” our mind to God’s Manufacturer Settings.  As we say “YES” to the heavenly reset button by offering our lives to Him as our spiritual service, He gets the glory because of all of the great plans He gets to unveil for us, both individually and corporately!

Paul makes it clear that as born-again believers a transformation of our thought life and habits is needed.  Transformed, as mentioned in Romans 12:2 is the Greek word, metamorphoo, and it is a picture of what happens when a caterpillar sheds the cocoon and turns into a beautiful butterfly!  It reflects a beautiful change which is what happens to us when our thinking aligns with God’s thoughts of us!

This scripture indicates there are areas in all our lives where we have been tethered to our life experiences that God wants us to be liberated from.  The Word of God is given to us to pierce and free us so that our soul and spirit can work in unison for our good!  Just like the System in my car covered a variety of areas, so it is with us.  One small tweak, for instance, on a seat setting can make a gigantic difference in the comfort level and in safety while driving! 

Isaiah 49:2. “He made my mouth like a sharp sword.”

God created the universe by speaking it into existence. He wants us to learn how we can release life giving forces into our lives by what we say every day! 

Our scripture says the Word of God has power within it to penetrate and pierce through our soul and spirit.  So, we could say, God’s Word is powerful to show us truth from error.  Solomon once said, “Catch for us the foxes, the little foxes that ruin the vineyards, our vineyards that are in bloom.” Song of Solomon 2:15

God wants us to bloom in our lives and reflect his glory.  Daily reflection and scanning of our lives is a powerful way to catch any little foxes of wrong thinking so we can experience all He has in store for us spiritually, physically, and emotionally!

Hebrews 4:12 says the Word of God has energy in it to bring health and wholeness to our joints and marrow, i.e., our physical being!

Isaiah 53:4-5, for instance, explains in depth the things Jesus paid for us to experience: “Surely he bore our sorrows and carried our griefs; he was chastised so that we would have peace and by his stripes (beatings/lashings) we are healed…”

When we release the divine energy that is in those living God-breathed Words into our situation by meditating and decreeing them, the active, energizing Word goes to work in us and for us.

Isaiah 55:11…”so is my Word that goes out of my mouth; it will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.”

Note:  It will accomplish!  The Word is sent out to work and perform God’s intentions!

Now, the fact may be that the issue, physical or emotional, still exists but Jesus said, “You will know the truth and the truth will set you free!”  John 8:32

It is the truth about what Jesus has already done for us that is ACTED upon that will bring the results into our lives that we are desiring!

Also, according to our lead scripture, the Word judges the “attitude” of our hearts which gives us the opportunity to reset our thoughts on what God’s living Word says. By conscientiously doing so, we will be able to discard wrong or erroneous attitudes which will help us in our lives and also put us in a position to help others by sharing God’s life-changing truths with them!

Final thoughts:

It has been estimated that daily we use between 7,000 to 20,000 words!  Just as Jesus directed his words to create the end result, we can use our words like building blocks in much the same way!

Psalms 107:20 is such an exciting “right now” Word for us: “He sends forth His word and heals them and rescues them from the pit and destruction.” The verb “send” is synonymous with the words:  dispatch, convey, transmit, transport, deliver and actually represents an ongoing event!

As a believer in Christ, you are an authorized agent of Heaven, an Ambassador, to send forth living, sharp, active, mighty Words of God, based on scriptures, that have the power in them to change lives for the glory of God!

Jeremiah 29:11 says: “I know the thoughts and plans I have for you, says the Lord, thoughts for good and not evil, to give you a future and a hope.”

That is the best Manufacturer Setting ever!

Diana