“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!

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

For centuries people have searched for ways of expressing their faith through the arts and tapestry is one method of providing a vehicle for their religious inspiration. The passion for art, entwined with the spirituality of religion has ensured these works have retained their popularity from the middle ages to the present day.

The giving of gifts is the act of transferring something, with the gift-giver asking nothing in return for the gesture. The act does not require compensation from the receiver, it does not ask for anything in return, and while there may be a social expectation of reciprocity in the form of gratitude in any given form, a gift is, essentially, meant to be free. In various human societies, collectives both widespread and concentrated, the giving of gifts is attributed to the construction and proliferation of social cohesion and when it’s religious it owes its motif as of religious inspiration.

When one acknowledges the tremendous ways in which spiritual matters test faith and affect the heart and soul, the drama and vividness of the work is realized. The beauty of a religious tapestry gives a glimpse of what life beyond that on earth might be and has delivered hope in uncertain times when belief in religion may have been tested. Adorning the altar area of the rebuilt cathedral the tapestry was intended to inspire those citizens of the city who experienced some of the most destructive bombings in World War 2 and is now the focus of a Peace center.

Gift-giving is seen as something appreciated but wholly unneeded. The notion of giving material gifts pale in comparison to the love Jesus Christ has already given each and every Christian, and to the brimming compassion and goodwill it has sparked in all Christian groups and individuals. Of course, gift-giving is still very much welcomed and understood and will not soon be disavowed or refused and seen as religious inspiration.

Most Christian individuals opt for giving a gift that does not simply satisfy the materialistic indulgence of people, but will also state their spiritual beliefs and will inspire others. These faith-inspired gifts often contain kernels of truth and wisdom from the Bible as their main vehicle for imparting inspiration and insight. Usually, occasions for giving gifts in the Christian world contribute to the holistic growth of believers and for the building of meaningful social relationships.

2 Corinthians 5:21 “ God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”

The New Birth is the greatest miracle that mankind has ever known. It is God taken a wretched, wicked and sinful man and turning him into the likeness of Himself. Such a person is then able to stand in the presence of God as if he/she has done no wrong, to be called a child of God, and to call Jesus brother. The core of the person’s being is changed to that of a new man, and like Jesus he can stand before God without a sense of guilt, condemnation or inferiority. This experience is not a physical, mental, or metaphysical experience; it is purely spiritual.

The New Birth experience is not a product of man’s own effort, but it is a gift from God. It is all God; no man can take credit for it. It is God who woos the person to Himself and changes the person’s nature. Ephesians 2:8 reveals this fact “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—  not by works, so that no one can boast.”(NIV)

Now look again at Scripture in 2 Corinthians 5:21, it says Jesus was made to be sin, bearing the punishment of sin as a substitute for the one who comes to God for a heart change. This wretched, sinful man who comes to God is then made to be righteous in the sight of God. I find that many people today do not understand the meaning of this word “righteousness”. Righteousness is a legal term which means to be in right standing or to be rightly positioned. In legal matters, one who is righteous is one who stands right before the law―he stands un-condemned and guiltless.

Now let’s take another look at 2 Corinthians 5:21 “He made him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus” Now you the seeker may ask ‘so are you saying I am righteous?’ That’s exactly what the Scriptures say about the one who will come to the Father in humility, through the Name of Jesus. ‘Does this mean that I stand right before the father?’ Absolutely! ‘Does this mean I am not condemned?’ You’re very correct! ‘Does this mean that I am…not a sinner!’ You got that right! Selah….

The sense ruled mind cannot understand this and cannot accept this because such a person does not see how he/she can stand before God un-condemned. They have tried everything in their own power to be accepted given God’s standard of righteousness, but have failed. This is self righteousness; no man can ever be good enough before God in their own strength.  You may be the best behaved person, but the moment you stumble on one aspect of it, you are guilty of breaking the entire Law of God and you are condemned (James 2:10). But when you accept salvation through Jesus Christ, you are made righteous. Jesus becomes your righteousness (1 Corinthians 1:30). Your standing before God is not based on what you did or will do, but based on what Jesus did. He lived perfect in the eye of the Father and became our substitute.

At this point it will do us some good to review some portions of the Great Redemption chapter, Isaiah 53. The chapter gives a vivid picture of God’s redemptive sacrifice for the redemption of man

“But he endured the suffering that should have been ours, the pain that we should have borne. All the while we thought that his suffering was punishment sent by God.
⁵ But because of our sins he was wounded, beaten because of the evil we did. We are healed by the punishment he suffered, made whole by the blows he received.
⁶ All of us were like sheep that were lost, each of us going his own way. But the Lord made the punishment fall on him, the punishment all of us deserved” (Isaiah 53:4-6,GNT)

This is a picture of substitution. Jesus lived a perfect life, but yet when He was being crucified His accusers thought it to be the wrath of God upon Him, but it was our punishment He bore. This is a pictorial representation of a spiritual reality. All of humanity was guilty before God, “but the Lord made the punishment fall on him, the punishment all of us deserved”.  This was God’s will and plan to bring righteousness to all men (Isa.53:10).

You see, the feeling of guilt and punishment are valid for the one who has not accepted this sacrifice. It was either me or Jesus to suffer, but God chose Jesus. After that it is an insult on redemption to feel I have to bear the same punishment that my Lord bore. I no longer see myself through my own eyes, but through the eyes of the father. No wonder Paul in Galatians 2:20 could say “I am crucified with Christ”. That is truth! I take my stand in identifying with Him because that’s how the father sees me. It is condemnation thinking to think otherwise, and it is this self-condemnation thinking has been the problem of humanity and even carnal (sense ruled) Christians.

Through redemption,  we have God calling the whole world to Himself to be righteous through Jesus, but man in his own corrupt wisdom and strength resists the ‘free gift’ and chooses to work for righteousness. He tries to be accepted by his own doings, but in Christ Jesus you are already accepted (Eph.1:7). With each failure in man’s attempt at right standing before the Father, condemnation is reinforced in the mind of the person. This increase in sin and guilt consciousness is what has driven men to make their own way to the Father, but God clearly reveals that there is One Way, Jesus (2Tim.1:5, John 14:6).

I remember very recently I mentioned to a friend that a sinner is not a sinner because he told a lie or robbed a bank. He is a sinner because His nature is sin! I looked at my friend as she tried to understand what I had said. I stretched her theology a little further when I went on to say as a Christian, if I told a lie and the rapture occurred the very next second that I would still make it to heaven and there it was, a violent reaction. She couldn’t accept it, she blurted out saying “that’s a lie…that’s not possible…how can you say that!” I smiled being confident in the truth and I opened the Scriptures, and read from John 16:8-9:

“When he comes, he will prove the world to be in the wrong about sin and righteousness and judgment: ⁹ about sin, because people do not believe in me.” (NIV) It’s clearly written in there, the world is proved to be wrong of sin because they don’t believe Jesus. Notice Jesus said ‘sin’ and not ‘sins’.  The one sin the world is guilty of is the sin of rejecting the Lordship of Jesus and His redemptive sacrifice.

I watched as she stared at me puzzled. Then I opened more Scripture, the famous John 3:16. Many quote John 3:16 so many times but have never really heard what the Spirit is saying in that verse of Scripture:

“For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son that whoever believe in Him will not perish but have eternal life”.

There it is again, the promise of eternal life is guaranteed to the one who will believe in the Son.

To reinforce righteousness by faith in you, notice what Romans 3:21-22, GNT says:

“But now God’s way of putting people right with himself has been revealed. It has nothing to do with law, even though the Law of Moses and the prophets gave their witness to it.²² God puts people right through their faith in Jesus Christ. God does this to all who believe in Christ, because there is no difference at all”

There it is again, it is not keeping the requirements of the Law that puts us right before God, but rather our faith in Jesus. The faith that we have in Him says that we understand that in our own strength we cannot keep the requirement of the Law, yet Jesus was able to adhere to the strict standards of God’s Law and was yet found to be without sin before God (Heb.4:15). The punishment for sin is death through the shedding of blood (Rom.6:23, Heb.9:22). His blood was shed, He suffered the punishment of sin, and the claims of justice were met! I come before God helpless over sin, and God reckons my sins to the account of Jesus, and credits me with His righteousness (Rom.4:7-8, 25). Then my sin nature is destroyed, and my heart is changed; now I am righteous (Rom.3:26; 10:8-10).

The sin nature is what produces sin. The sinner sins in accordance with his nature just like a dog would bark so will a sinner sin. I think many people have this idea that there is an angel with a great big pencil and eraser that writes and erases from the Book of Life the names of that one saint that has not learned to be steady in holy living. Righteousness is your standing before the Father, and it is from this righteous nature that holiness proceeds. The Christian who after New Birth falls short of God’s righteous standard is has missed the mark, and the Father has made provision for such errors. He says to confess it and forsake it! A stumbling Christian is not less a child of God than you and I. It is a family affair, the church is the Father’s family. He does not disown us at our ever shortcoming.

I find it so appalling when I hear people say ‘I live better than most Christians’. That may be true but Jesus in Matthew 11:11 that none ever lived who was greater than John the Baptist, but the least in the Kingdom of heaven is greater than him. This means that God’s righteousness through the New Birth is greater than any attempt at self-righteousness. You may be a stumbling, fumbling Christian, but in Christ Jesus, you are greater than John the Baptist. Like Paul wrote to the Corinthian church, you are saved for as long as you hold on to the truth of redemption through your faith in Jesus (1 Cor.15:2)

The church needs to grow in the fruits of righteousness. Notice I didn’t say grow in righteousness. You cannot grow in righteousness because that would be an attempt to be more righteous than Jesus Himself. Your righteous nature is given to you by God, so you can’t grow beyond the level of God’s righteousness. Think about it, the believing Christian is grafted into the body of Christ. Would it make sense to have parts of Jesus’ body rotten? No! Both Jesus and His Church are of one nature―righteous.

“ For both He who sanctifies and those who are being sanctified are all of one, for which reason He is not ashamed to call them brethren” (Hebrews 2:11, NKJV)

“ But he who joins himself to the Lord becomes spiritually one with him.” (1 Corinthians 6:17, GNT)

It is sin consciousness and the feeling of guilt that has kept the world trapped for centuries. It has made a slave of humanity. Rather than enjoy the love and grace of the Father, people have run into hiding just like Adam in the Garden.  Genesis 3:8-10 gives a beautiful picture of the Father’s desire for fellowship with His children, He came down for fellowship time. A time of embrace, love and grace, but sin consciousness and guilt had driven His children away. In verse 10 Adam said “I heard Your voice in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; and I hid myself.” It wasn’t that he had no clothes, but he had lost his garment of righteousness.

‘I see it now’ she said to me, ‘wow, you’re right! I have tried to live the Christian life, and I thought it was so hard until now. I have been my own undoing’. Absolutely! The carnal Christian has not grown in his understanding of righteousness, so they fall victim to every whim of the accuser (Satan). He makes you feel bad for your mistakes. He tells you God doesn’t love you. He tells you you’re not worthy of heaven. Why go to church, don’t be a hypocrite, just stay at home. God doesn’t want people like you in church, you’re not spiritual enough. Because of the myriad of accusations you begin to feel guilty and carry the weight of condemnation. All the while God is waiting for you with open arms to show you His love and mercy and shower His love gifts on you. Have you not read Hebrews 4:15-16 where it says “Our High Priest (Jesus) is not one who cannot feel sympathy for our weaknesses. On the contrary, we have a High Priest who was tempted in every way that we are, but did not sin.¹⁶ Let us have confidence, then, and approach God’s throne, where there is grace. There we will receive mercy and find grace to help us just when we need it.” He understands your weaknesses so He wants you to come boldly to Him!

It is growing in the consciousness of righteousness that gives you strength to overcome sin. When you know your right standing, you can confidently approach God for grace to overcome sin. (Read my article Grace exceeds weakness). I don’t know any healthy relationship that thrives on condemnation. If you hurt a loved one and you sincerely apologized, you expect to be forgiven. As a matter of fact, this is the only way that the relationship can progress healthily. If your significant other constantly reminds you of your wrong and makes you feel guilty about it, at some point you begin to question the authenticity of that love. Your ability to love would be crippled. You will not enjoy that relationship.

Why do we expect less from God? If He loved you so much that He sent Jesus to die for you, wouldn’t it make sense that He is ever ready to forgive your shortcomings? 1 John 1:9-2:1 “But if we confess our sins to God, he will keep his promise and do what is right: he will forgive us our sins and purify us from all our wrongdoing…I am writing this to you, my children, so that you will not sin; but if anyone does sin, we have someone who pleads with the Father on our behalf—Jesus Christ, the righteous one.” There it is, the guarantee of a restored fellowship with the Father.

All of this is not a license for you to sin. Shall we continue to sin because of the abundance of God’s grace? God forbid! This is an invitation to a richer fellowship with God. The Father desires fellowship with His children, but if you feel condemned you will keep away. When you are conscious of your righteous standing, sickness can’t lord it over you, neither can poverty, sin and every weakness of the flesh. You will boldly stare the devil in the face and tell him to get lost. You become innocuous to his accusations. You will use the Name of Jesus in boldness to conquer demons and the works of darkness as it is your right, all because you are certain that your standing before the Father is at par with Jesus’.  This is why Jesus said you will do greater works (Joh. 14:12,13). He expects you to cast out demons, heal the sick, speak with tongues, all of which are fruits of righteousness (Mark. 16:17-18, Joh.15:8).

You are not proud, but in humility you recognize the benefits you enjoy are because of Jesus love for you. Your natural response is to love Him, serve Him and live a holy life. You will look at sin with disgust because it is beneath you. You are righteous, your nature should produce fruits of righteousness. Where sin could dominate before it cannot, you always have the say. Because of righteousness you can say no to sin. You stand un-condemned in Christ Jesus.

This is the secret to living a successful Christian life, grow in righteousness consciousness. “The wicked flee when no man pursues, but the righteous are as bold as a lion” Proverbs 28:1, NKJV. The value of the boldness to identify with the Creator of the Universe cannot be quantified. Yet He has said “to as many as received Him, He gave them power to be called sons of God” John 1:12. Take your place in the family, approach God with confidence knowing you are in right standing, now begin to imagine what “Daddy” is capable of doing. He will do it for you because you stand un-condemned!

No one in the world wants to admit that they struggle with jealousy, especially us Christians. I will see a friend with a beautiful purse or jewelry, and lightly toss that word around. Exclaiming, “Girl, that bag is gorgeous…you know I’m jealous, right?” while other stand around and agree. Now I may not be serious about being jealous. The problem is that I’m playing with matches in the middle of a forest, and acting as though it’s no big deal. Jealousy is so serious that it can destroy relationships, as well as the individual that is experiencing it. Thank Jesus we are not doomed. The Bible provides truth to apply to every area of our lives, jealousy included.

One of the greatest depictions of jealousy unfolds in 1 Samuel 18:6-9. In this verse, we see that David had completed his first great victory. With smooth stones and a sling, he killed the giant Philistine. I imagine that David is feeling extra good about himself. He starts walking through the villages of Israel, at the side of King Saul. Then something happens that changes the nature of their relationship forever:

“As they returned home, after David had killed the Philistine, the women poured out of all the villages of Israel singing and dancing, welcoming King Saul with tambourines, festive songs, and lutes. In playful frolic the women sang,
Saul kills by the thousand,
David by the ten thousand!
This made Saul angry—very angry. He took it as a personal insult. He said, “They credit David with ‘ten thousands’ and me with only ‘thousands.’ Before you know it they’ll be giving him the kingdom!” From that moment on, Saul kept his eye on David” (Message Bible)

The Bible doesn’t say that David was boasting in his victory. After all, it was nothing different than he had done before. The Bible tells us that he killed both a lion and a bear while tending his father’s flock. So we know that Saul’s jealousy toward him started after the song that was sang by the village women. Then verse nine says ‘from that moment on,’ meaning he never trusted David again.

This is why jealousy is a flat out sin:

1.    It involves the comparison of  one person (created thing) to another person (created thing)

Vs. 8 – “They credit David with ‘ten thousands’ and me with only ‘thousands.’”

We know that we were made into the image of God (Genesis 1:26) and the only comparison that we have is to Christ.

“Since this is the kind of life we have chosen, the life of the Spirit, let us make sure that we do not just hold it as an idea in our heads or a sentiment in our hearts, but work out its implications in every detail of our lives. That means we will not compare ourselves with each other as if one of us were better and another worse. We have far more interesting things to do with our lives. Each of us is an original.”- Galatians 5:25-26 (Message Bible)

2. It is pride and idolatry.

Vs. 8 – This made Saul angry—very angry. He took it as a personal insult.

Most people think of idolatry as the literal setting up of an image or statue and worshiping it. However, it is ANYTHING that we give more attention and effort to, other than God. In regards to the subject matter, the idol becomes the individual suffering from jealousy. We desire to be praised by men for our good deeds, and higher that any other person.

“You can be sure that using people or religion or things just for what you can get out of them—the usual variations on idolatry—will get you nowhere, and certainly nowhere near the kingdom of Christ, the kingdom of God.” Ephesians 5:5 (Message Bible)

“You shall have no other gods before Me.”- Exodus 20:3 (NASB)

“Everyone who has pride in his heart is disgusting to the Lord: he will certainly not go free from punishment.” – Proverbs 16:5 (Basic English Bible)

What I find most interesting is that jealousy could very well start as pure admiration, as we see with Saul. The thing that changed admiration into jealousy is the praises of other people. Saul might have never changed his perspective of David had he not heard other people make the comparison between the two. You see, the people used to praise Saul that way too. Now they have lessened his praise and focused on David. Saul began to feel threatened. His position was at stake, but instead of seeing this young man as an asset to his kingdom he let jealousy take root in his heart. From that day forward, Saul spent his time trying to destroy David.

So how do we recover from this thing called jealousy? The enemy would deceive us to think that the antidote is simple in theory or concept, but hard to put into practice. Not so! This is how you evict jealousy from your life:

1. Acknowledge it and repent:

“Therefore repent and return, so that your sins may be wiped away, in order that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord;”- Acts 3:19 (NASB)

2. Resist the very thought of it:

“Submit therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.”- James 4:7 (NASB)

Resist means to: withstand, strive against, or oppose: to resist infection; to resist temptation (according to dictionary.com). The Bible says in Hebrew 12:4, “In your struggle against sin, you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood.”

“We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ,” – 2 Corinthians 10:5 (International Standard)

3. Remember that God has an individualistic and great plan for you life.

“For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans for welfareand not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.”- Jeremiah 29:11 (ESV)

4. Stop comparing yourself to others.

^“Make a careful exploration of who you are and the work you have been given, and then sink yourself into that. Don’t be impressed with yourself. Don’t compare yourself with others. Each of you must take responsibility for doing the creative best you can with your own life.” – Galatians 6:4,5 (Message Bible)

5. Confess it to someone that you can trust and that will really pray for you.

“Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.” –James 5:16

People underestimate the power of confession. The enemy would have us to believe that it is shameful, but there is a release and healing that takes place. Confessing to someone that you can trust is the essential phrase here. Pray about who you should confide in.

I leave you with Galatians 5:16-26 (NIV) and a prayer:

So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. ¹⁷ For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whateveryou want. ¹⁸ But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.

¹⁹ The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; ²⁰ idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions ²¹ and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.

²² But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, ²³ gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. ²⁴ Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. ²⁵ Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. ²⁶ Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other.

Father in Heaven,

We acknowledge you as our Lord and Savior. We are aware that You have designed each one of us in Your Image. Jesus, we also know that you search the hearts of man. You know every wicked way that is in us, yet You love us. You love us so much that you confront us with the very sin that separates us from You. So this day, we set before You the sin of jealousy that we have allowed to take root in our hearts. It has turned us numb to your Spirit. We ask You to forgive us, wash us, and make us whole again. Forgive us for idolatry; forgive us for our pride, which keeps us in that state- knowing that it is an abomination to you.

Father, your Word says that there is healing in our confessions. So confess of it now, and we cast our cares upon You. We cast our cares for people that we bear jealousy against. Help us not to tear them down, but rejoice in the person that you have destined them to be. Also, acknowledging the great work that You are doing in us!

We know that you are a God of new things, and that You are making us anew even now. We thank you for the restoration, and healing in advance. May we bring glory to Your name in all that we say and do.

In Jesus name we pray.

Amen

I went shopping at Costco, and they never give shopping bags to pack whatever is purchased at the store. So it is the shopper’s responsibility to bring his/her own shopping bag. Typically they have scrap boxes in the store that were formerly used to pack the products that were stocked. So it is a usual practice for shoppers to pick from these boxes to help with carrying the different things purchased which I did. After my shopping, I had a huge pile of different things to carry up to my apartment―getting it from the store to the car was easy because I had a cart. While struggling to carry all that I had brought home from the garage to my apartment, on the second trip from my apartment to my car, a nice gentleman walked up to me and said “Do you need some help with that?” My answer was “Yes!” What a relief it was to me because I had left the really heavy stuff for last. This somewhat illustrates the concept of grace.

The grace of God is God’s willingness to use His power, on behalf of man. Not that any action on the part of man is deserving of this, but it is God in His sovereignty demonstrating His love towards man. Since the fall of man, every good thing that man receives from God has been a manifestation of grace; the greatest of all being the salvation of His soul. Ephesians 2:8-9 clearly reveals this saying “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast” It is in the working of God’s grace that the one who comes before God through Christ, has his sin nature exchanged for the righteousness of Jesus. The old sin nature is destroyed and every sin as a result is placed in an account to be washed by His blood. This is God saying if you will look to me, I am willing to set you free from sin. Just as the death-grip of sin is broken by God’s grace, it is also expected that the believing Christian live his/her life by the grace of God. It takes living by God’s grace to live the fullness of life that God intends. In a general sense, to live by grace does not mean to live with a sense of helplessness in all things, but rather to live a life conscious of the availability of God’s power to overcome every situation that we come against in life. 

As a result of the first sin, every human being has a weakness of the flesh that they are dealing with. It is a battle that cannot be won in the flesh. It takes the drawing strength from God (grace) to overcome these weaknesses. Not that the weaknesses disappear, but you have the strength available to overcome the urge to yield.

 “⁷ And lest I should be exalted above measure by the abundance of the revelations, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I be exalted above measure. ⁸ Concerning this thing I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might depart from me. ⁹ And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. ¹⁰ Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong.”

2 Corinthians 12:7-10

Where there is sin (weakness) the grace (strength of God) abounds much more. No matter what the weakness is God’s strength is available to overcome. He is all the more willing to empower you to do what by the strength of your flesh cannot do. Paul in the Scripture above, when he came to the realization of this truth concluded saying “Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” He was able to see that all of his weaknesses, distress, persecution, infirmities could be exchanged for the strength of God. He was able to see God’s willingness on His behalf. Jesus won the victory for him already, so all he needed to do was to identify with his victory in Christ Jesus to draw strength.

Jesus through redemption paid the price for your sin, weaknesses, sorrows and griefs (Isa.53:3-5). In identifying with His atoning sacrifice, you were reconciled with God (2 Cor.5:17-19). You became a partaker of the Divine Nature (2 Pet.1:3-4), and received His righteousness. By nature you are an overcomer. Your victory over sin is a perpetual fact. Just like your salvation was by the grace of God, you will overcome sin, limitations and weaknesses by the grace of God. To do this you must constantly identify with all Christ has done for you. Whatever you’re dealing with has been paid for. Search the Scriptures to find out, so you can be sure for your own self that it is true. When you see this to be true, you have the ability to trust God. You can release your faith to draw strength from God. Paul could rejoice in his weaknesses because he got the revelation of the sufficiency of God’s grace. Likewise no matter how heavy the burden may be, the grace of God is available for you to overcome. The problem is that many people don’t turn to God for help.

You may say “I have begged God so many times, but I just always seem to fall short”. The problem here is that you are not taking sides with God. He is stretching out His grace towards you, but you’re still asking for it. When you know it is yours, you’ll stop begging and instead reach out your hand (by faith) to receive His grace. You don’t have to feel helpless, but rather rejoice in the fact that God’s grace is available. It may be a problem that you have dealt with for 10 years, but where sin abounds, grace is much more abundant in supply. Whatever you may have struggled all your life to overcome has its solution in you depending on God for the strength. God is looking over you saying there is more than enough strength for you, boldly come and receive it. The reality of this truth will awaken you to the fact that your challenges, weaknesses and limitations are no match for you because you are not battling in your own strength but by the strength of God.

Take charge of your life today and begin to identify with the fact that you have been made right with God by nature, and by default victorious in all areas of life. First, you must live a life of total abandon and surrender to the Lord. Jesus Christ paid the price for it all.

“Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.” Romans 12:1-2

You realize that your salvation was from Him in the first place, you owe your life to Him. He didn’t just stop at salvation, but He saved you so you can live a victorious life in Him. As you search out the Scriptures to find out all that God has paid, confidence will be developed. It is based on this confidence you can approach God for strength. Jesus went through the very same challenges you are facing, but He overcame (Heb.4:15). This makes Him sympathetic towards you so He says to come boldly to the throne of grace to receive mercy for wherever you may have failed, but not only that He will also give you grace for help whenever it is needed (Heb. 4:16). His victory is your victory. Identify with it today. The bigger the struggle, the more abundant God’s strength is, and the bigger the victory!

Follow me on twitter @MoyoMamora

The Bible provides for us progressive revelation of God and His Kingdom. The Kingdom of God like every other kingdom on earth refers to the domain of the King, it is the sphere of God’s influence. This means that the Kingdom of God refers to God’s system of operation, His ideologies, His way of doing things, and the authority of His Word. The beauty of God’s kingdom is that it is both a tangible Kingdom, which is heaven as we know it today, and also intangible in that it is a system of operation, which means that it is not confined to any one location. Jesus had preached and taught the reality of the Kingdom so much that when He began talking to His disciples about the End-Times, one of the Pharisees asked Him concerning the Kingdom, and His response: ““The kingdom of God does not come with observation; ²¹ nor will they say, ‘See here!’ or ‘See there!’ For indeed, the kingdom of God is within you.”” (Luke 17:20-21).

This is a very important thought to capture. Though Jesus was speaking prophetically here, because the Holy Spirit had not come yet to indwell man, but the thought here is that when He does, He establishes the Kingdom within. Because of this truth, the Kingdom can be manifested everywhere through anyone that has the Spirit of God within Him. One with the Holy Spirit indwelling him can by faith and authority bring everything around him in subjection to the laws, ideologies, operations of God, and in turn experience heaven’s reality on earth. The principle therein is very important. In order for us as believing Christians to experience the manifestations of heaven’s reality on earth per the Kingdom standards, we must have a Kingdom mindset. The dictionary defines mindset as- 1. A fixed mental attitude or disposition that predetermines a person’s responses to and interpretations of situations. 2. An inclination or a habit. Taking from that, a Kingdom mindset is a fixed mental attitude or disposition based on God’s Word. The word of God represents God’s will, way of operating, and system of doing things. It is a predetermination to act based on the word of God, developed into a habit that makes for a Kingdom mindset.

Jesus in one of His parables gives a summary of the Kingdom mindset in Mark 4:26-29, revealing that the Kingdom is can be summed up in one thought which is in sowing and reaping! Now before you close your browsers, I am not talking about your money, so bare with me and read to the end. The Kingdom of God is like a man who takes seed and plants it. Every principle that is learned in the Kingdom of God can be reduced to a simple concept of sowing and reaping. It is this mindset that produces the realities of the Kingdom of God in our lives. Sowing and reaping is simply taking a seed, planting it, nurturing it, and watching it produce a harvest that is greater than the seed sown. In another parable Jesus reveals to us that the primary seed is the Word of God (Luke 8:11). Remember it is the mindset of the kingdom through faith in God’s word and authority of the same that produces Heaven’s manifestation in our earthly endeavors.

The Bible which represents God’s Word is given to man as a progressive revelation of God and His operations/systems. It shows us God’s will for mankind which is fellowship with Him, love, faith in Him, authority over the works of Satan, perfect health, prosperity, joy, etc. Many people read this and stop saying “I don’t believe in miracles, healings, prosperity etc”, even though the Bible which represents God’s will paints a very vivid picture of the same. The problem or disconnect I should say is because there has not been a paradigm shift. The mindset and way of thinking of such people have not been adjusted to fit the mind of God.

One of the very first things that Jesus said when He was launching His ministry was this: “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel” (Mark 1:15). To repent means to change one’s mind, or to shift one’s paradigm. This is exactly what Jesus did in His ministry. He did a lot of things that were a shift from the mindset of the day. He healed on the Sabbath day, He and His disciples ate without the customary and ceremonial washing of hands. Often times in His teachings He would say “you have heard it said that…but I say to you”. His actions were vexatious to the religious leaders of His day because they were stuck in religion. He was bringing truth. Hebrews 1:3 describes Him as the will of God manifested. Jesus in His teachings and actions was the unveiling of the perfect will of God for humanity. He was bringing a new reality from the trap that religion had created in the minds of people.

Jesus according to John 1:1-3 is the Living Word, and just as He in His advent shifted the minds of people to the Kingdom mindset, we too can take the written word of God, and by the help of the Holy Spirit, we can have God’s mind unveiled to us. Notice what John 16:12-15 says:

“I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come. He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you. All things that the Father has are Mine. Therefore I said that He will take of Mine and declare it to you.””

Jesus said He had much to say but couldn’t say it all, likewise I believe that every verse of Scripture contains a deeper revelation than what is written because there is so much God has to say. If we were to collate all God’s thoughts, there won’t be enough books to write it all in. This is why we need the ministry of the Holy Spirit. Jesus describes Him as the Spirit of Truth, another translation calls Him the Sprit of Reality. The truth is that the Kingdom Reality ought to be the first view of reality. The Holy Spirit is able to unveil the mind of God to you when the Scripture were written. It is this unveiling of the Scripture by the Holy Spirit which produces faith in the hearts of men in line with Kingdom mindset.

So how does the principle of seedtime and harvest apply here? The seed is the Word of God, whatever glimpse of Heaven’s reality that is seen in God’s word, must be taken as a seed and planted. Take for example the reality of divine health; you take the seed of healing and health from the Word and depend on the Holy Spirit who is the Spirit of Reality to unveil to you the realities of divine health. Ask the question of what God’s original intent was from the beginning, ask the Teacher to unveil to you the mind of God as it relates to the heavenly reality of divine health. As you do this (the process of planting and nurturing the seed), your mindset begins to change. You may have been of the opinion that healing does not happen today, or that God chooses who He desires to heal whenever he so chooses etc, but as you plant the seed, you begin to have a new predisposition to healing, your mental attitude towards disease on your body changes. As you continue to cultivate the seed, the Teacher continues to reveal the mind of God to you, and light shines on your heart, revelation breaks out within, and then faith is formed in your heart- faith comes by hearing and hearing by the voice of God through the Word (Rom.10:17). When you act from this new mindset in faith, and in the authority of the Word, then you experience the reality of heaven on earth. This is the kingdom lifestyle, it is the Kingdom reality, and it is a manifestation of God’s operation on the earth.

As you practice this Kingdom principle of seedtime and harvest, you will experience the reality of Heaven upon the earth. This is God’s desire for you that you live the life of the Kingdom of God upon the earth.

Remain blessed!

Follow me on twitter @MoyoMamora

See my book on divine health & healing- The Believer’s Covenant of Health

(Destiny’s Child- Independent Women)

“Question: Tell me what you think about me
I buy my own diamonds and I buy my own rings
Only ring your cell-y when I’m feelin lonely
When it’s all over please get up and leave
Question: Tell me how you feel about this
Try to control me boy you get dismissed
Pay my own fun, oh and I pay my own bills
Always 50/50 in relationships….

All the women who are independent

Throw your hands up at me”

All the women (and men) who are independent, throw your hands up at me. Now keep them up if you enjoy being in this place. Yeah, keep them up if you like being 50/50 in relationships. If you like using relationships to aide your loneliness, and then resort to self-sufficiency when you ‘feel better’- raise them extra high. Some of you can quote this song word for word, because this used to be the jam. It was my jam too! I remember when it came out. I remember singing it extra loud with my girls, and leaving it on repeat. Secretly it had become a more extreme version of my life’s theme song.

When I listen to it now, I hear nothing but pride in its purest form. I see Eve, wrapped in the deception of the serpent who is telling her that it’s ok to choose what makes her feel good. “You don’t need anyone to help you choose. You can make your own decisions. There’s no one here to help you make your decisions, any way.  So you have to make them yourself. You don’t need Adam, and you definitely don’t need God cause he’s holding out on you. All you need is you.” I feel Eve’s perspective shift. She accepted the lie, and via birth we have carried the burdens ever since.

“You will not certainly die,” the serpent said to the woman. “For God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”  When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it….” (Genesis 3:4-6)

For years many people have crowned me with congratulations for being ‘such an independent /strong young woman’. I took so much pride in that statement, as if it was something that I should boast in. I danced, rejoiced, and found my confidence in that; every achievement reinforced my pride. I never once told them that Jesus was the source of my stability and strength. In high school I was the first black Student Body President (of a majority white school in a small town) and Senior Class Treasure (I didn’t even think to get into student politics until I was a junior). I was on National Honor Society, Jr and Varsity Volleyball, Symphonic Orchestra, A Cappella Choir, Operetta, Photography Editor (Junior) and Editor-in-Chief (Senior) of the Yearbook, and more. I moved to Chicago for college, and have moved through life with many successes.  I engulfed myself in activities! I was so impressed with how well I was able to manage them, and grateful that they distracted me from dealing with life’s pains. Truthfully, it was so much fun! And even though I was not following Christ (I believed that He was real), He gave me tremendous grace to do it. At the same time, I had been scorned for showing weakness, and dared to cry, looked down upon for asking for help, and bitten by the hand that provided the help. I have humbly accepted help not knowing that it had conditions/motives attached to it. All these things I have used, until the point of my revelation, to justify my need to rely on myself.

I’m so glad that at this stage Jesus Christ is really my Lord, and my Savior. He has allowed some rather harsh circumstances to take their course to expose and deliver my independent-self. Many times he allowed my successes to end. For example, in 2008 I lost my great paying job.  I had never lost a job before in my life. I figured this is not a problem. Hello, I know people!  I’ll get a job in no time, and I did. It just didn’t last very long.  Then I decided that I would start a business with a friend that failed before it officially started (Thank You Jesus for letting that fail). It didn’t matter how much I tried to do things myself, how many calls I made, they all failed. I had to learn to depend on people for the first time. Even better… are the people I had to rely on that really didn’t want to help me. Humility wet the adhesive on the back of its image and found a perfect spot in my personal dictionary. Now, I can rejoice over the pain of that time.

Now allow me to drench all of that with some Truth. Correct me if I’m wrong, but I do not know of a book in the Bible that upholds independence as something to be achieved. In fact it always led to destruction (we already know what happened to Eve). Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying you should not be responsible in life, or that you should be totally reliant on everyone else to take care of you. The Bible does not condone laziness either.

“…if anyone is not willing to work, then he is not to eat, either. For we hear that some among you are leading an undisciplined life, doing no work at all, but acting like busybodies.” (2 Thessalonians 3:10)

I’m saying that if you are in Christ Jesus your dependency is in him.

“So those now who live by faith are blessed along with Abraham, who lived by faith—this is no new doctrine! And that means that anyone who tries to live by his own effort, independent of God, is doomed to failure. (Galatians 3:9 MSG Bible)

Jesus who was, both, God and man didn’t operate on his own doing. What makes us think that we are able to do so?

“So Jesus explained himself at length. “I’m telling you this straight. The Son can’t independently do a thing, only what he sees the Father doing. What the Father does, the Son does. The Father loves the Son and includes him in everything he is doing.” (John 5:19 MSG Bible)

The very root of independence is pride and selfishness. It makes me think of a toddler who constantly proclaims, “I can do it myself!”  The baby is fully convinced that he/she can do whatever it is, and repeats that phrase out loud as they proceed. The parent steps back to observe, yet steps in before the massive mess is made. After the baby admits his/her failure the parent says, “Now will you let me do it?” That is what our Father is saying to us, will you let Me do it? Will you let Him be Lord over your life, and in every area? Will you trust Him? Unfortunately, we often treat Jesus the same way that we treat people based off of our experiences. In most cases we don’t blatantly tell God that we don’t need his help. We express it by the way we live; our mentality. Such was my life as I found out.

It took four years for me to establish my independence in my life. I pledged allegiance to it, and based my life on it. Now I commit treason against my flesh. My deception has been removed and I see clearly. I was never doing “it” all along. It was my Savior, Jesus Christ giving me the grace and ability to succeed. I pledge allegiance to my dependence on Him first, the body of believers, and one day to my spouse as well.

If you can identify yourself in my testimony in any way, shape, or form: I,  first, pray that you will understand/receive revelation that this lifestyle will lead to destruction. It gives birth to unhealthy relationships, insecurity, false perception of self, instability of emotions, extreme loneliness, and more. Secondly, I pray that you will understand that you don’t need to be self sufficient, and that you were never created to be alone/lacking the love of the Father and people in your life. Lastly, I pray that His love and Truth will lead you to repentance. Below is a prayer that is similar to the prayer I prayed. Say it out loud and release this to the Lord so that he can restore you and so that you can be free (Gal. 5:1) When you are done, share your decision with your brother or sister in Christ. They will be able to pray and hold you accountable. Love you!

Father,

Everything that you do/allow in my life is good! Thank you for revealing the pride and selfishness in my heart that deceived me into believing that I could be self-sufficient.  Please forgive me for it, Lord. I had taken into account every life experience (good and bad) and was convinced that I didn’t need you or anyone else in my life to be happy.  I realized that I either blatantly confessed it or expressed it through my lifestyle. It is a lie that became a  weight that was too heavy for me to bear. So you took it upon yourself and carried it to the cross.

I am now ready to receive your Lordship and provided direction in my life. Thank you for restoring my relationships from 50/50 to their rightful place. Thank you for filling the whole in my heart-that I tried to fill with things, money, power, activities, etc. Thank you for the great plan that you have for my me, as you have stated in Jeremiah 29:11. Thank you for your promise of all things being added to me as I seek ye first the kingdom of God and your righteousness (Matt 6:33). I will acknowledge you in all my ways, knowing that you will direct my path (Prov. 3:6). I love you and thank you for your grace that gives me the strength to pledge allegiance to my dependency on you.

Amen



Everyone in their lifetime is given numerous opportunities to be angry, take offence and remain angry/upset at another person or circumstance. However do we have a right to be angry and take offence? Yes we have every right to be angry when wronged, but before you run of to justify your feats of rage, remember that the Scriptures exhort in Ephesians 4:26 that in the state of anger, do not sin. Next question is “do we have a right to take offence?” Absolutely not!

Anger is simply a feeling that erupts as a result of a grievous act against an individual, and that’s natural because no one was ever created to be taken advantage of. As believers, we are expected to walk in the spirit and not in the realm of the senses. Our feelings are generally sensual, in that feelings are stimulated by one or more of our five senses. So with that in mind, understand that the anger we feel is a product of our perception of a wrong that has been done against us which may be a true perception or a false perception. However the problem now comes when we decide to act contrary to what God’s word says based on this feeling of anger.

Many people attempt to justify themselves while mentally assenting to Ephesians 4:26 by saying “I’m not going to hit them in the face or double cross them or something like that”. So in their minds, they’re not committing a sin, but sin many times is more subtle. Sin by definition simply means to miss the mark. The mark is simply the standard set by God, which is love. The Bible records that Jesus was asked by a scholar of the law what He considered as the most important commandment and Jesus response was “you shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength…[and] ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself” (Mark 12:30-31). By revelation Romans 13:8 says “…he who loves another has fulfilled the law.” The law was made up of over 600 commandments. The singular act of love is a fulfillment of all 600 commandments. In essence, the purpose of the commandment is love. They were given to Israel in one sense to curb sin, in so doing they will be able to demonstrate love towards God and towards one another, hence Jesus verdict in Mark 12:30-31.

1 Corinthians 13:4-8 defines a picture of the God kind of love which has been poured into the heart of every believer. The attributes of this love are:

⁴Love endures long and is patient and kind; love never is envious nor boils over with jealousy, is not boastful or vainglorious, does not display itself haughtily.

⁵It is not conceited (arrogant and inflated with pride); it is not rude (unmannerly) and does not act unbecomingly. Love (God’s love in us) does not insist on its own rights or its own way, for it is not self-seeking; it is not touchy or fretful or resentful; it takes no account of the evil done to it [it pays no attention to a suffered wrong].

⁶It does not rejoice at injustice and unrighteousness, but rejoices when right and truth prevail.

⁷Love bears up under anything and everything that comes, is ever ready to believe the best of every person, its hopes are fadeless under all circumstances, and it endures everything [without weakening].

⁸Love never fails [never fades out or becomes obsolete or comes to an end].

It is important to study and meditate on these in the Amplified and the Message translations.

Any action as a result of anger that is contrary to any of the attributes of love is to miss the mark, which is sin!

Now we get a picture, but how does one get angry without sinning? You do so by acting in light of the love of God; being quick to forgive, and repaying the (genuine or assumed) wrong with good.

Unforgiveness (offense) is a deadly poison that kills very slowly but surely, from the inside out. It forms a callous around the human. So this calloused heart keeps one from expressing the rich attributes of a tender spirit that allows for rich fellowship with God, and with others around. When we feel we’ve been wronged, the devil always capitalizes on this feeling and begins to give numerous reasons why it’s okay for you to be offended, and how you need to protect yourself, not just from the person who has wronged you, but from everyone else. He begins to tell lies, and as you reason with him and agree with him you build up walls that isolate you. You become less sensitive, and eventually he sets you on a steep, downward, slippery slope, oh what a terrible thought. Do we stop to consider the thought that the purported offender has no knowledge of their wrong doing? Even if they did, does their wrong against you warrant that you drink of a deadly poison that is utterly detrimental to your destiny?

Here are a few things the Bible says concerning offense and unforgiveness:

An offended heart is like a walled city: “A brother wronged is more unyielding than a fortified city; disputes are like the barred gates of a citadel.” Proverbs 18:19, NIV

When we are wronged by one we consider a brother (a person who we hold dear and close to our heart), if we take to offense, barriers are built up as the dispute prolongs and these barriers formed are more impenetrable than the walls of a well fortified city.

Offense keeps us from receiving from God: “And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive them, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins.” Mark 11:25, NIV

God has made a promise that if we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive and cleanse us from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:9). This is important because un-confessed sin keeps us at a distance from God, compromising our fellowship with God. From the statement Jesus made in Mark 11:25, it only follows that unforgiveness in a person’s heart sets a barrier between God and the individual, making it impossible for him to receive forgiveness from God. This is an absolutely terrible state to be in. This means such a person is completely exposed to the attacks of the enemy.

Offense leads to deception: “ ¹⁰ And then many will be offended, will betray one another, and will hate one another. ¹¹ Then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many” Matthew 24:10-11

An offended heart is the breeding ground for deception. To hold on to unforgiveness is likened to drinking poison with the most earnest hope that the other person dies. An offended heart is susceptible to the lies of the enemy, who will eventually lead such a person astray to be destroyed.

Learning to forgive

“ ²¹ Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me? Up to seven times?”

²² Jesus answered, “I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times” Matthew 18:21-22, NIV

Jesus paints a picture of the limitless of the Father which has been given to us also. He says forgiven 7 times is not just enough, but rather 490 times in a day. This is equivalent to a person doing you wrong once every 3 minutes without going to sleep, but yet you are expected to forgive! Phew! I don’t know if the worst sinner on earth is capable of this.

If there is someone who has wronged you that you must forgive now, to do so, pray this simple prayer:

Father in the name of Jesus, I humble myself before your Word, and I by faith release myself of all bitterness against <insert name>, even though I feel wronged, I know I have the capacity to love like you. I forgive <insert name> from the depth of my heart, and by your grace at work in my life I hold nothing against him/her. By your strength, every time the image of the heart comes up, I choose to remember it no more, neither will I take action on it. I am free!

Write today’s date down, and as many times as the devil tries to raise the hurt in your mind, refer back to this date and tell him you have forgiven the person and you have no recollection of the offence. Say it out loud if the environment permits.

Finally remember, your relationship with God is to precious for it to be compromised because of offense. The destiny that lies ahead of you is to glorious to be contaminated by the poisonous ivy of an unforgiving heart. The health of your spirit, soul and body is dependent on the state of your heart. Don’t defile yourself with unforgiveness.