“But what does it say? “The word is near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart,” that is, the message concerning faith that we proclaim: ⁹ If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.¹⁰ For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved.”

In Paul’s thesis to the Roman church, he made mention of the word of faith and taught that it operates by believing and speaking. In this case, believing the word of God and speaking in agreement with that word. To say the same thing in agreement with another is what is known as confession. Christianity is also called the Great Confession, and Jesus is revealed to be the High Priest over our confession (Hebrews 3:1). This means that He is the administrator over the words that we speak, and He judges appropriately, whether in line with the covenant or not.

Many Christians today don’t understand the power in confessing God’s word, so they fall short of enjoying the fullness that God has in salvation. Romans 10:10 says with the heart one believes, but the benefits of salvation only come when we begin to confess them with our mouth. Words are powerful. They carry ability to create or destroy. Proverbs 18:21 says “death and life are in the authority of the tongue, and they that love it will eat of its goodness”.

Though the promises of God are clear and evident in the Bible, many still fall short of enjoying what was written for their benefit, and the result of which is people then trying to reason their way out the truth of God’s word. What these have failed to understand is that confession of God’s word comes before realization of the promises therein.

If we confess our freedom, that the Son has made us free, God makes that confession a reality. Thinking faith thoughts and speaking faith words, leads the heart out of defeat to victory. If only a Christian understood that his confession has been his greatest enemy and not the devil. Jesus defeated the devil; He whipped him, and made a public spectacle of him (Col. 2:15). He stripped Satan of all power and in turn gave it to the believer to be used under the authority of His name (Mark 16:17-20). Proverbs 6:2 says that you are entrapped by the words of your mouth.

Jesus said He only says what God says (John 8:12). If Christianity means that we ought to follow in the footsteps of Jesus, then we ought to be saying only what God says. Jesus has been made the administrator of our confessions (Heb.3:1); this means that He takes the words of our mouth that are in line with God’s words and He judges accordingly.

Why is our confession so important?

Understanding the answer to this question starts from understanding the creation of man. Genesis 1:26 reveals that man was created in the image and likeness of God, and in Genesis 2:7 we see that man became a living being. However Genesis 2:7 in the Targum Onkelos, an ancient Aramaic translation, says “and man became another speaking spirit like God”. God is a speaking Spirit. He starts and does everything through words. Words convey thoughts, ideas and will of the entity speaking. So when God decides to act, He speaks. When He was going to fix the mess of a dilapidated world, He spoke recreation into being (Hebrews 11:3). Words though invisible are powerful and creative forces. Like God man is created as a speaking spirit, and the words of a man’s mouth determine the world around Him.

Some people think that when they speak, they are just describing the state of things they see. Unfortunately this is not true because if man was created in the image and likeness of God, it would follow that man must speak after the same likeness of God. Romans 4:17 reveals that God in His nature calls nonexistent things as though they have always been in existence (Romans 4:17). This is true because when God was to create the world, Genesis 1:2 reveals that the earth was dark and void, but God didn’t describe the situation, but He said “let there be light”. He called light out of darkness. A Jewish translation reads that God said “light be”. This connotes the idea that God called light into existence as if the light had always been. Your nature is to call things that are nonexistent as though they have always been.

To shed more light, Jesus taught that  we speak out of the abundance of our heart (Matt: 12:34).  The words that you speak reveal what is in your heart. Jesus said in Matthew 12:35-37, that:

“A good man out of the good treasure of the heart bringeth forth good things, and evil man out of evil treasure bringeth forth evil things. But I say unto you that every idle words that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof, in the Day of Judgment. For by your words thou shall be condemned”.

So when God said “light be” it is because light was in Him. This is exactly how John introduces his gospel:

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. ² He was with God in the beginning. ³ Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. ⁴ In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind” John 1:1-4

All things were made by Him―the Word―and there was not anything made without Him. So all things were in the Word (i.e. logos of God personified). This is a revelation of God, and a revelation of the human spirit. All things in your world are in your words. So what you see in your surroundings is a reflection of what was in your heart, and the words you spoke from your mouth.

Here are a few more Scriptures that talk about your words:

Jesus in Mark 11:22-23 describes the faith of God as that which speaks what it believes. He taught that you can have what you say.

“²² Jesus answered them, have faith in God.²³ I assure you that whoever tells this hill to get up and throw itself in the sea and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says will happen, it will be done for him.” GNT

Proverbs 12:14 likens the returns of a man’s words with the returns of his labor

“A man will be satisfied with good by the fruit of his words, And the deeds of a man’s hands will return to him.” NASB

Your words can either secure your destiny or destroy it

“He who guards his lips guards his life, but he who speaks rashly will come to ruin.” Proverbs 13:3, NIV

The truth vs. perception

The truth about truth is that the only absolute truth in the world today is the word of God. Jesus said in John 17:17 , speaking to God, “your word is truth”. The Psalmist in Psalms 119:60 says concerning God “all your words are true”. Jesus who was proclaimed by John (inspired by the Holy Spirit) to be the Word personified, said in John 14:6 “I am the way, the truth and the life”. Therefore if we are seeking truth in life, we ought to be seeking God and His word.

Most people have a difficulty understanding what is true and what they perceive in their life. There is a relativism mindset that is slowly destroying men of their faith in God, causing them to repudiate the word of God. This mindset of “what’s true for me may not be true for you”. But logic and science teach us that truth is universal; gravity is true in America as much as it is true in Japan. If God’s word says something concerning you, it is true, what you see around you may be perceived by your senses as facts, but that doesn’t make them truth.

Truth is absolute, it is unchanging, and it is unyielding. Truth is eternal; “while we do not look at the things which are seen (perceived facts), but the things which are unseen (truth or the Word), for the things which are seen are temporal, but the unseen things are eternal” (2 Corinthians 4:18, additions mine). The believer must learn to bring the perceived things in subjection to the truth. When God saw darkness, He brought darkness under the truth which was light. He did this by speaking words of faith. Likewise you can bring issues in your life that are contrary to truth under by speaking words of faith. Speak the word of God only!

Faith joyfully confesses its victory over the witnesses of the senses. That’s what 1 John 5:4 is talking about “whatever is born of God overcomes the world, and this is the victory that overcomes― faith! The Bible is God’s confession. The more you read it, the more His thoughts saturate your mind and fill your heart. Then being full of His word, you can speak them in faith, and they won’t return void. You will say what He has said, and experience the reality of the words spoken. This takes you away from being a mere mortal to the realm of the supernatural.

Notice what 2 Timothy 3:15 says “and you remember that ever since you were a child, you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to give you the wisdom that leads to salvation through faith in Christ Jesus”, GNT. The Word of God is capable, and in it is the wisdom to navigate you through the difficult situations you face. It has the wisdom of God that trumps the perceived facts in your life.

Remember when Jesus called Peter to work on water (Matt.14:22-32); at the mention of the word “Come”, Peter stepped out. He was walking on the word “come”, but the Bible records that when Peter saw the waves, he was afraid and he began to sink. Initially Peter stepped out on the truth, but then he began to look at what his sense where telling him, and this caused him to be afraid. Likewise if you pay attention to what your senses tell you―your body says you’re sick and in pain, your eyes tell you that you are broke, ugly― you will be crippled by fear, but if you keep your focus on what’s true, you will do the impossible.

If you want to live in victory

Revelations 12:7-12 sets the scene for the defeat of satan, verse 11 gives us the key to how this victory was perfected “And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death.” Another translation says that they gained their victory by the words which the spoke. This is the fact of life, if you are to win, you must learn how to speak words of victory.

There are no greater words of victory than the word of God on the lips of the heart filled with faith and rooted in love. You have to confess what the word of God says about you. Refuse to allow Satan to influence your mind with negative attitudes which ultimately translate to negative words. Jesus came to set you free from the lies of the enemy. He came so that you may be free from poverty, fear, depression, frustration, worry, sickness, sin, defeat and death. Jesus came to give us abundant life; a life of health and prosperity; a life of victory, strength and power ([John 10:10).

If you are facing financial hardship, get a few Scriptures that talk about prosperity (3 John 2, Prov.10:22, Phil.4:19, Ps.23:1) and read them softly, read them aloud, think upon them, personalize them, paraphrase them (this is called meditation) until an image of the word forms on the inside of you. Your heart through meditation should begin to form pictures of you prospering and living in abundance. Though the circumstance may continually tell you that you are broke and you still lack, you must keep speaking based on the image in your heart. Make sure faith’s realities fill your imagination.

Don’t let the picture of prosperity be stolen. Keep meditating on the verses of Scripture every day, and every night. Continually speak them in the midst of your circumstance. When you meditate and you speak, you don’t put the truth out to sometime in the future. They are present truths. You don’t say based on Proverbs 10:22 that “I will be rich because I am blessed”, rather you declare with boldness “I am blessed, and I am rich”. Your confession based on 3 John 2 is “I prosper and I am in health as my soul is prospering”. Your confession of truth must be in the present. Start them with “I am…”As you do this, faith will begin to create opportunities, attract resources, inspire ideas that will take you out of your financial rut.

God intends for us to be fruitful and to rise above all opposing circumstances and problems through the power of the Holy Spirit to a new life in Christ. In face of apparent defeat, we confess our redemption and deliverance, and it becomes a reality. You are not asking for it because it is yours already in salvation, but you thank Him for it.

Understand the following truths and embrace them: redemption never becomes a reality until we confess it. Faith gives courage to confession and confession gives boldness to faith. So start speaking God’s word in your situation!

Hebrews 4:14 “ Seeing then that we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession.”

The basis of Christianity is the Word of God. It is by God’s word that the world was created (Heb.11:3), it is by the same that we are redeemed (1 Pet.1:18), and it is by the Word that we know and understand every benefit that we have in salvation (2 Tim. 3:15). We know nothing about God or spiritual things except by God’s revelation which is through His Word.

Christianity is called the Great Confession. In redemption Jesus has perfected all men, and has given us all things. John 1:16 says “of His fullness we have all received grace upon grace”. The one who is in Christ Jesus is in lack of nothing. The problem though is that many are not enjoying the realities of redemption. Christians are stuck in defeat because of their wrong confession.

Confession simply means to say the same thing as. Jesus said He only says what God says (John 8:12). If Christianity means that we ought to follow in the footsteps of Jesus, then we ought to be saying only what God says. Jesus has been made the administrator of our confessions (Heb.3:1); this means that He takes the words of our mouth that are in line with God’s words and He judges accordingly.

When symptoms of sickness and disease try to invade your body, you boldly declare “By His stripes I am healed”. Jesus judges your words as righteous and you are infused with life to conquer defeat. When funds run low, rather than say “I am broke” you declare with boldness “The Lord is my Shepherd, I do not lack a thing.”

Understand the following truths and embrace them: redemption never becomes a reality until we confess it. Faith gives courage to confession and confession gives boldness to faith. Faith joyfully confesses its victory over the witnesses of the senses. So start speaking God’s word in your situation!

Scriptures to Meditate: Mark 11:23, 1 John 5:4, Prov.6:2; 12:14; 18:20-21, Heb.3:1

To most appropriately live life enjoyably it is a good practice to take out some time for daily Christian devotions. Incorporate into your daily routine a short period of time to do something worthwhile (devotion) which gives you peace, happiness, and a sense of completeness. Research shows that people who have a time for devotion every day tend to have more stress free days because they are strengthened from within to effectively deal with the pressures of life.

Take out some time for yourself. What will strengthen you and keep you going is the time taken to strengthen your inner self. Take out small time everyday from your super busy schedule with God who has blessed you with this beautiful life. If you do not get time at home to sit in silence then even at office you can just close your eyes for a few minutes and talk to God. See him inside you; talk to him as a friend, as a mother, a father, a sister, a brother, as you want. God is there in all forms with you, you just need to open your eye to see him.

The Eden Life Christian devotional magazine will help you in your devotion with inspiration, understanding and strength. It will provide a platform for you by which you can worship God and increase your closeness with God.

The one way to connect with God is through Christ Jesus. However there are various means by which we can touch God’s heart, and in return, He strengthens our heart. There is no protocol to get close to him. It lies all within you. You just need to make a decision that you want to get close to him. He will pull you close to Him as you remain devoted to Him on a daily basis.

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The same applies with our relationship with God. God has provided us with His Words (Scriptures) that are meant to inspire us and build faith in our heart. This is what many understand to be religious inspiration. Our relationship with God is sustained and strengthened by the inspiration of His Word to man. Relationship with God is created by believers. In the same vein our relationship towards God is sustained through praise and worship. This is our own religious inspiration towards God. Psalms 22:3 helps us understand that God inhabits the praises of His people.

This is not recently adopted practice but for centuries people and believers are expressing their faith, belief in religious inspiration. It is based on this inspiration by God that man has been able to produce art and tapestry. Arts expression is a product of divine expression. People still search for ways to express their true feeling for religious connection.  Most people find it easy to sing towards God as an expression of their inspiration from Him. But it doesn’t have to be limited to singing. You can learn to channel this energy of God’s inspiration to other aspects of your life to produce results beyond the ordinary.

Spirituality is all about individual’s inner discipline. This defines the values of life and spirituality of religion. Building up social relationship along with the aim to sharpen one another through religious inspiration is healthy for the growth of society. One must learn to build a relationship based on this core and not superficial or material things.

Religious inspiration allows people to live life with spiritual values. Combine this with the understanding of the inner discipline important for an individual’s life and social relationships and we will have a strong society. Religious inspiration based on God’s Word leads people toward the truth of life and the eternal. It is in receiving eternal life from God that we are able to enjoy true inspiration and are able to inspire other people with the light of eternal life through the Word of God (Religious Inspiration).

The Following Articles will  inspire you:

Eternal Realities: Learn the way to live beyond what you see

Stretch: How to push yourself to greater heights

What to do when victory seems lost: What’s your attitude when it seems you can’t go further in life?

Jealousy: What do you feel when you see others that have what you desire?

Jesus Cleanses the Temple, John 2:13-22

¹³ Now the Passover of the Jews was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. ¹⁴ And He found in the temple those who sold oxen and sheep and doves, and the money changers doing business. ¹⁵ When He had made a whip of cords, He drove them all out of the temple, with the sheep and the oxen, and poured out the changers’ money and overturned the tables. ¹⁶ And He said to those who sold doves, “Take these things away! Do not make My Father’s house a house of merchandise!” ¹⁷ Then His disciples remembered that it was written, “Zeal for Your house has eaten Me up.”¹⁸ So the Jews answered and said to Him, “What sign do You show to us, since You do these things?” ¹⁹ Jesus answered and said to them, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” ²⁰ Then the Jews said, “It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and will You raise it up in three days?”²¹ But He was speaking of the temple of His body. ²² Therefore, when He had risen from the dead, His disciples remembered that He had said this to them; and they believed the Scripture and the word which Jesus had said.

John begins this narrative with the picture of Judaism; he states that “the Passover of the Jews was at hand”. It was an ordinance that the Jews celebrate the Passover for generations to come as a festival to the Lord (Exodus 12:24). It was a reminder of how God had delivered Israel from the bondage of the Egyptians―a redemptive theme. All Jewish males were required to present themselves at the temple in Jerusalem. Jesus in fulfillment of this Law went to the temple at Jerusalem.

The setting at the temple was not for a place of worship. The Jewish authorities had turned this ordinance from its purpose to honor God to another exploitative procedure against the people. The people by Law would come to the temple to make peace offerings, fellowship offerings to God at the temple, and by requirement of the Law their sacrifice must be an animal without blemish for it to be acceptable on to God(Leviticus 22:1). The inspectors at the temple would be in the practice of finding something wrong with the animal that is to be sacrificed, thereby forcing the people to buy an animal at astronomical prices in the temple.  Also the temple tax had to be paid in Jewish currency, and the money changers were charging exorbitant exchange rates.

Jesus witnessed all of this and was disheartened. In His anger He began to clear the temple of this filthy merchandising. This was a demonstration of the fact that God freely gives to us. Salvation is to be free for all who come to Him.

Jesus exclaims, “Do not make My Father’s house a house of merchandise”. It is important that He calls the temple “My Father’s house”. The body of a person is called the temple of God (1 Cor.16:9). We see the first reference to this theme when Jesus said “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” He spoke in reference to His own body and the resurrection. The body of a believer belongs to be God and is to be honored as such. Not defiled with vile passions and whoring for that which is perishable. The body is to be used in service to God, in passionate devotion to the things of the kingdom of God.

The Jewish authorities were aware of their sin and rather than arrest Jesus for “disorderly conduct” or “desecrating sacred things”, they stood and watched, only to ask for a sign to prove His authority. One would imagine the disgust Jesus felt at their pettiness, and in response He offered a sign “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” Still carnal in their thinking they cite how they built the temple in 46years.

The resurrection from the dead is the greatest display of God’s power. It is the same miracle that occurs when a person becomes born again. The spirit is recreated and giving new life. In this miracle, God clears out the temple (i.e. the body) from all filth, and He makes His dwelling with the person.

-The wedding at Cana/Jesus Turns Water to Wine

On the third day there was a wedding in Cana of Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there. ² Now both Jesus and His disciples were invited to the wedding. ³ And when they ran out of wine, the mother of Jesus said to Him, “They have no wine.”

⁴ Jesus said to her, “Woman, what does your concern have to do with Me? My hour has not yet come.”

⁵ His mother said to the servants, “Whatever He says to you, do it.”

⁶ Now there were set there six waterpots of stone, according to the manner of purification of the Jews, containing twenty or thirty gallons apiece. ⁷ Jesus said to them, “Fill the waterpots with water.” And they filled them up to the brim. ⁸ And He said to them, “Draw some out now, and take it to the master of the feast.” And they took it. ⁹ When the master of the feast had tasted the water that was made wine, and did not know where it came from (but the servants who had drawn the water knew), the master of the feast called the bridegroom. ¹⁰ And he said to him, “Every man at the beginning sets out the good wine, and when the guests have well drunk, then the inferior. You have kept the good wine until now!”

¹¹ This beginning of signs Jesus did in Cana of Galilee, and manifested His glory; and His disciples believed in Him.

¹² After this He went down to Capernaum, He, His mother, His brothers, and His disciples; and they did not stay there many days. John 2:1-11

The First Sign

The first miraculous sign by Jesus is set at a marriage ceremony in Cana of Galilee. It is the hometown of Nathaniel, one of Jesus’s disciples (John 21:2). Cana was a small town and of little significance. Jesus and His disciples―at that time there were five; Andrew, Simon Peter, Philip, Nathanael, and John― were invited to the ceremony, and Jesus thought it necessary to honor the invitation. Mary the mother of Jesus was also present at the feast.

At some point during the feast, they ran out of wine, and Mary brought the attention of Jesus to that fact. It could be that Mary was a friend of the family or a relation to one of the parties involved. It is understood in Jewish culture that it is a huge embarrassment for wine to run out at such a feast. Jesus response to Mary’s gesture was not quite welcoming. Not that He was rude, but He was highlighting that the fullness of time had not yet come for Him to manifest. Nonetheless Mary instructed that the servants carry out whatever command Jesus issued.

One would think that from Mary’s gesture she knew by experience that Jesus was capable of producing results at such difficult times. It must have been common practice for Jesus to offer counsel that confounded natural logic in the midst of seemingly impossible situations which produced outstanding results “for the wisdom of God is foolishness to man” (1 Cor.1:25)

The Holy Spirit thought it necessary to state that there were six waterpots reserved to hold water for the Jewish rights of purification, each one large enough to hold between twenty and thirty gallons. This is a picture of the Old Order. Jesus instructed that these waterpots be filled with water. After this He asked that the servants draw “some” out to be served to the master of the feast. Notice He didn’t say “draw some water out…” He was careful with His words. When the master of the feast tasted the drink, he was amazed at the quality of the wine and said “Every man at the beginning sets out the good wine, and when the guests have well drunk, then the inferior. You have kept the good wine until now!”

The turning of the water into wine was the first sign; the expression of His divine powers in a public setting. In this story we see a picture of the Old and New Covenant. The old way of thinking is that you put up your best front and when people have been deceived and convinced of the phoniness, and then you begin to bring out the subpar.

God’s way is to save the best for the last. We see the Old covenant here passing away. The rituals and rights of purification are to be no more―represented by the empty water pots―and on the other hand, the joy associated with the New Covenant as it is being poured out. In the New Covenant is the sweetness of the gospel.

“Behold, the days are coming,” says the Lord,
“When the plowman shall overtake the reaper,
And the treader of grapes him who sows seed;
The mountains shall drip with sweet wine,
And all the hills shall flow with it.

Amos 9:13

Before this joy can be experienced, one must obey the simplicity and irrationality of the command “fill the waterpots…take some to the master of the feast”. The gospel is a simple message, and it is foolishness to human logic, but with obedience comes the sweet experience of salvation.

The quality of the wine was said to be the best wine. It was a taste that had never been experienced before. Legalism and moral fortitude is no match for the experience of salvation. Along with salvation comes the glory, satisfaction, sufficiency, and lavishness of the grace of God.

Sonship refers to the state of being an heir to the Father’s resources. When a person receives Christ, that person receives the right to be a son in the kingdom of God. This means by right of sonship the person can lay claim to all of heaven’s resources. The 13th verse of John 1 reveals that this sonship is not of blood, of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, in essence this right of sonship is not a  physical experience. It is by adoption. God’s word represents God’s will. When Scripture says that the one who receives Christ is born of the will of God, it refers to being born of God’s Word. By God’s word, sonship becomes a right and nothing can change it. Your past experiences and what anyone else thinks about you will not change the will of God for you as a son because it is settled!

The Book of John:

A continuation of my study on the Book of John. Sharing my thoughts, and revelations by the Holy Spirit.

John 1:6-11, 29-34

⁶ There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. ⁷ This man came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all through him might believe. ⁸ He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light. ⁹ That was the true Light which gives light to every man coming into the world.¹⁰ He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him. ¹¹ He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him.

²⁹ The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! ³⁰ This is He of whom I said, ‘After me comes a Man who is preferred before me, for He was before me.’ ³¹ I did not know Him; but that He should be revealed to Israel, therefore I came baptizing with water.”³² And John bore witness, saying, “I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and He remained upon Him. ³³ I did not know Him, but He who sent me to baptize with water said to me, ‘Upon whom you see the Spirit descending, and remaining on Him, this is He who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.’ ³⁴ And I have seen and testified that this is the Son of God.”

John the Baptist was a man of purpose. He understood his purpose as a forerunner of Christ, and he did his job effectively. Israel had been without any prophet for over 300 years since Malachi. The word of God was lacking for centuries, and there rises a fiery preacher, anointed of God, proclaiming the word of God concerning the coming Messiah. It was obvious to all that John was anointed of God because if he were a false prophet, the judgment according to the law was that he be stoned to death (Deuteronomy 18:22). John’s purpose was to bear witness to the true Light (Jesus), despite the fact that he had a huge following, he made it clear to all that he was not the Messiah.

Research shows that light is required for all things to live for without light plants would die, animals would not be able to feed, and through the food chain all life begins to die. This parallel is true concerning things of the spirit. Without illumination of God, there can be no life. This was why in the beginning the very first thing that God spoke into being was “light” (Genesis 1:3), consistent with John 1:10 “He was in the world, and the world was made through Him”. Likewise to restore the life that had been lost in the heart of men, God had to re-introduce light to the world in the form of Christ. That’s why it is said in verse 9 that Jesus is”the true Light which gives light to every man coming into the world”.

The people had been in darkness for so long that when they saw the light, they squinted. They had to shrink back and go back to where it was comfortable for them which is why they did not receive Christ as the light. From verse 19 of Chapter 1 of John, it seems that the local council was threatened by this  revival that was brewing through John the Baptist. They sent messengers to go inquire of John’s purpose (19-22). The Pharisees had legalized religion, it had now become a sectarian cult by which they controlled the people under Roman rule. It was no longer that they held the law in anticipation of the Messiah (Galatians 3:24).

God had spoken of the Messiah after the fall of man in Genesis 3:15- of the seed of the woman who wold crush the head of the serpent. It must have been passed on from generation to generation from Adam. Judaism was supposed to hold the people in anticipation of the Christ. Though they were at “school” waiting for the “Teacher of the Way”, they were not able to see when He (Jesus the light) came to reveal to them the way. They saw the true light and they did not recognize Him and neither did the receive Him because they loved the darkness more than the light.

John the Baptist identified himself to the messengers of the Pharisees as “‘The voice of one crying in the wilderness:’Make straight the way of the Lord’” (John 1:23). This was spoken by the prophet Isaiah. As I meditate on this my eyes are open to the fact that this verse is prophetic. The One here refers to God almighty; John was the voice of God, he was God’s prophetic voice in the wilderness. The wilderness is an arid land with little vegetation and fruitfulness. This may be literal in that John was proclaiming these things in the wilderness, but this was in reference to the spiritual condition of Israel at that time. Their worship and lifestyle was not producing any fruit, but John the baptist message and baptism was to prepare men for the Messiah. He would give light to men and would the cause men to be fruitful again.

The sign of the Messiah according to John’s witness was given by God “Upon whom you see the Spirit descending, and remaining on Him, this is He who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.’ ³⁴ And I have seen and testified that this is the Son of God.”

Is your life experiencing any dryness today?  Get the word of God and declare it. As you expect God to manifest in your situation, be the voice of God in that wilderness of yours and proclaim His truth. As you do so, you are preparing the way for the Lord to intervene massively in your life!

The Bible reveals that at the beginning of this age that the world “was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep” (Genesis 1:2). In the midst of confusion God’s first response was to speak words of life. Everything we see around us today is a result of the spoken word of God made alive. Hebrews 11:3 says that “by faith through the word of God the world was framed, so that the things which we see were made from things which we do not see”. Notice that the scripture didn’t say that the things we see were made from nothing, but they were unseen things.

Words are things (tangible realities) that are not visible to the naked eye. In the natural if you were to build a house you would consider what resources you have available to you: lumber, iron, nails, bricks etc. But the divine order of events is to start with words. Faith filled words are the building blocks of life. The words that you speak shape your heart’s beliefs, and the words that you speak from your heart form the world around you.

What’s the situation around you currently? Does it look dark? Are you confused? There is a solution; speak words of life. God’s word created all matter and rebuilt the world. His Words are filled with life. God has spoken His will concerning the different aspects of your life. You have a responsibility to seek out His will and appropriate it in your life. Do this by putting the words of God in your mouth. Speak them in faith and with conviction. The process of change in your life starts with you speaking the word of God.

Inspirational Scriptures to Meditate: Prov. 12:14; 18:21, Mark 11:23-24. Ps.141:3; 119:172

1 Timothy 4:8, NLT “

Godliness simply means to live like God. It is holy living, God commands that we be holy just as He is (1 Pet.1:16) and in another place He warns that without holiness, no man can see God (Heb.12:14). We know according to 1 Timothy 4:8, that just like the body requires physical training, which has its benefits, godliness is a form of spiritual exercise. Exercise requires nutrition, resistance, and rest of our muscles in order for them to grow strong and bigger. Likewise godliness requires the same. Nutrition is the feeding of your spirit by the Word of God. Jesus in Matthew 4:4 teaches that man shall live by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God. In order to live a godly life, a proper diet of God’s word is required daily.

Notice what 2 Pet.1:3-4 says “as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue, by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.”

The ability to live the godly life comes through the word of God, as we partake of the knowledge of God’s word (the exceeding great and precious promises), the divine nature of the Spirit within is released to give strength for godly living.

Resistance refers to the things we come into contact with on a daily basis that challenge the word of God. Galatians 5:16 says “walk in the spirit and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh”. This is where the resistance is. In resisting the desires of the flesh and walking in the reality of what the word says we can overcome the desires of the flesh. This is the part of spiritual exercise. It will be painful many times to act in accordance to what the Word of God says, but we have a responsibility to obey, so we can strengthen our muscles. This is why a proper diet of the Word of God is required. This is why we need to know what the Word of God says, and meditate on it intently, until the Word by itself begins to control our thinking. This is what Romans 12:2 calls the renewing of the mind.

Finally resting the muscles to allow for growth; there are times when we need to separate ourselves from the day to day hustle and bustle and spend time with God and His word, simply meditating. It is at this time we are strengthened and invigorated with life by the Spirit. Living a fasted life keeps your flesh under and allows your spirit-man find expression. James 4:4 says “friendship with the world is enmity with God”. We must from time to time separate from our daily lifestyle to refocus on our relationship with God.

See how 1 John 2:15-16 puts it:

“Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not of the Father but is of the world.”

When we have committed ourselves to godly living as described, then we are sure we will see results. Results of exercise ought to be evident. Not just to yourself, but also to others around. Likewise in godly living there is the assurance of enviable results in the life now, and there is the reward in heaven for living a holy life.

Commit yourself to godly living, ask God to help you, and dedicate yourself to the reading and meditation of the Word. Pray, pray and pray some more! Be unrelenting in your prayer life, take time out to fast, and never give in to the desires of the flesh. Make a practice of disciplining the flesh and beating it down. I’ll leave you with 1 Corinthians 9:24-27:

Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may obtain it. And everyone who competes for the prize is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a perishable crown, but we for an imperishable crown. Therefore I run thus: not with uncertainty. Thus I fight: not as one who beats the air. But I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified