The Sword of Your Confession

                                      Romans 10:8-11 (NKJV)

⁸ But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart” (that is, the word of faith which we preach): ⁹ that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. ¹⁰ For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. ¹¹ For the Scripture says, “Whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame.”

There are many reasons why we must open our mouths to confess the word of God over our lives, our loved ones, and everything else that pertains to us. The first reason being that this is the way we enter the family of God—by confessing that Jesus is the Lord of our lives as we invite Him to take that place. God created the earth this way. For example, in Genesis 1:3 He said, “Let there be light,” and there was light, and He continued to speak what He wanted to see until creation was completed. Thus, creation was made through the spoken word. He didn’t just think, He spoke what He wanted to see. We are made into His image and likeness (Genesis 1:26), therefore must operate this way as well.

Another important reason why we must confess (speak) the word of God over our lives is that when we read the Bible and receive rhema words (words that seem to leap off the pages and catch our attention as God speaks directly about us, our circumstances, or His promises and direction for our lives), these words then become seeds that we need to water and allow the soil of our hearts to be plowed in order to receive the word, so we can turn into good soil (Mark 4:1-20). This is another form of warfare over God’s promises to us because the enemy will come to steal, kill and destroy (John10:10) those seeds with circumstances in a relentless effort to derail us from the promises by focusing instead on the attacks. But by continually seeking, asking, and knocking (Matthew 7:7-8) in prayer for the fulfillment of those promises and by confessing those words with our mouths, we are letting the enemy know we have not forgotten about them and are yielding to God to work in our hearts and circumstances to prepare and position us to receive the manifestation of those promises no matter how long it takes.

The third reason is that the Bible says to desire that we may prophesy (1 Corinthians 14:1). When we speak the word of God we are giving ourselves to prophesying what we want to see fulfilled in our immediate or distant future. Too many times people speak negative things and then don’t like the results of living the very words they spoke over themselves or their children (Proverbs 18:21). It then becomes a cumbersome cycle of speaking negative words and living them over and over again like a dog chasing its tail. The spiritual realm is voice and seed activated—voice activated when we speak words that bring either life or death into our circumstances, and seed activated because our actions also become seeds that will be harvested whether good or bad (Galatians 6:7; Genesis 8:22).

In addition, speaking the word increases our belief in what we speak. The word above says that with the heart one believes unto righteousness—an example of what that looks like is our forefather Abraham. God called him a righteous man and His friend (James 2:22). Romans 4:3 says that Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness. What does this mean? It means that when we believe God for His promises and agree to partner with Him and yield to the process in which He will lead us to the manifestation of those promises and confess with our mouths what we believe, we are made righteous (in right standing with God). Furthermore, we are obeying His word in Isaiah 62:7 when we give Him no rest until He fulfills His promises. This is another way of using the two-edged sword of His word (metaphorically speaking, the word of God as given to us has one edge and we put the other edge as we confess it back to remind Him of what He spoke over our lives so He can perform it—Isaiah 55:11; Jeremiah 1:12). To Him alone be all the glory.

His Grace is Sufficient

2 Corinthians 12:8-10  At first I didn't think of it as a gift and asked God to remove it. Three times I did that, and then he told me, My grace is enough; it's all you need. My strength comes into its own in your weakness.  Once I heard that, I was glad to let it happen. I quit focusing on the handicap and began appreciating the gift. It was a case of Christ's strength moving in on my weakness. Now I take limitations in stride, and with good cheer, these limitations that cut me down to size—abuse, accidents, opposition, bad breaks. I just let Christ take over! And so the weaker I get, the stronger I become.” The Message (MSG)

This is an unedited excerpt of my book soon to be available. 

I remember one day back in May of 2001, I was in my prayer closet, quiet, and waiting on the Lord to speak, and then I heard Him say, “You will stay at your job until November of this year.” I said, “Yes, Lord,” but when the month of November came, I hesitated to obey the word of the Lord. I sought other Christian friends to help me and pray with me about it, but not one of them was hearing what the Lord was saying to me. At that time the Lord spoke again and said that He had not spoken to anyone else about what He said to me only because He didn’t want me to rely on seeking other people’s approval or His word through others when I could be getting that directly from my communion with Him (Romans 1:19-20). He wanted me to learn to seek Him and follow His commands no matter how much I felt out of my comfort zone.

Then He spoke to me another day towards the middle of the month because I was still hesitating to obey His word. The reason was that I had grown used to the freedom of buying what I wanted for my family and for myself as both my husband and I shared the household expenses per an agreement we had made at the beginning of our marriage, so I kept that in mind also as another reason for my hesitation. For this reason the Lord told me that a new season was coming and I needed to be in the right place at the right time in my life to fulfill the next part of my journey with Him. He went on to explain that He had given me His grace (special endowment) to do that particular job for a season and it  had an expiration date which was soon approaching (Romans 11:22).

After much going back to Him in prayer and seeking more of His word for me about this issue, I finally settled it in my heart that it was the Lord’s will for me to quit my job and chose to yield and let Him direct me to my next assignment, thus I submitted my letter of resignation. To my surprise, and also as another way to distract me from following through with the Lord’s command, the Department manager as well as my supervisor expressed their disappointment in hearing about my resignation. Also one of the workers in the Human Resources Department conveyed her sadness to see me leave the company and  tried to convince me to stay. But I knew that God’s word had precedence above anyone else’s and I left the place on the last day of the month because He said that if I stayed, I was going to struggle, and the special endowment and favor He had given me with my coworkers and superiors would change due to the expiration of His grace for that assignment and that season .

I encountered warfare and trouble as I entered the next season in my life, but I discovered that I was in a very important assignment and that was to train my child in the way he should go. He was a toddler at the time. The other part of my assignment was to be trained by studying the Bible, and follow His instructions as a student goes to college to be trained and developed into what is going to bring him or her success in live. In other words, I was being developed in the expertise of what God called me to do to advance His kingdom through my life (the uniqueness of my calling). This will always be truly accomplished when we live a lifestyle of communion with God and of obeying His commands no matter how difficult or unorthodox they may seem (Romans 2:13) because as the Scripture above says, when we feel we don’t have what it takes to accomplish something, God reminds us that He always provides for what He mandates and commissions us to do. He gives us the strength and ability we can tap into as we believe His promises and yield to Him so that He can work in us and through us His plan and purpose at every step of our journey toward our destiny in Him.

This decision to obey the word of the Lord brought many trials and tribulations, that brought me to my knees to pray and to desire more of Him in my life. But He has always been faithful to provide all my needs be it emotional, spiritual, financial, relational, etc., so that I could do my part at every stage of the process (2 Corinthians 9:8). By now I have reached the place where I see God restoring everything that I had lost or forfeited (Matthew 19:29) and my relationship with Him continues to grow stronger for in Him I live, and move, and have my being (Acts 17:28). To Him alone be all the glory.

Planted to Flourish and Grow 4

 ¹⁴They shall still bear fruit in old age;

     They shall be fresh and flourishing,
  ¹⁵ To declare that the Lord is upright;
 He is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in Him.

The character trait of a Christian (believer and follower of Jesus Christ) is of our love and worship of God and our love for our neighbors as we love ourselves. In order for us to arrive at demonstrating this character trait, God allows circumstances that remove thinking and behavior that are contrary to what the Bible says is the way we should view and relate to Him: as the Only God there is, and turns us away from this way of thinking and behavior that has sunk us deeper into sin. Through the reading of the word in communion with Him, He leads us to repentance and the renewing of our minds (Jeremiah 23:29 AMP), as well as from following after idols (other so called gods) we might have learned to worship through our cultures, and while we, in our hunger for power, position, achievement, wealth, knowledge, or acclamation, turned to and followed after in ways contrary to the will of God.

Jeremiah 9:23-25 says:

^23” This is what the Lord says:
“Don’t let the wise boast in their wisdom,
    or the powerful boast in their power,
    or the rich boast in their riches.
²⁴ But those who wish to boast
    should boast in this alone:
that they truly know me and understand that I am the Lord
    who demonstrates unfailing love
    and who brings justice and righteousness to the earth,
and that I delight in these things.
    I, the Lord, have spoken!

²⁵ “A time is coming,” says the Lord, “when I will punish all those who are circumcised in body but not in spirit”— NLT

To be circumcised in spirit means to get rid of the desires of our flesh that keep us in sin so we can obey what the Word of God says. This is a lifetime undertaking that takes us to different levels of wisdom, knowledge and understanding of the ways of God and of His Kingdom as a person goes to school first at the elementary level, the junior level, high school level, college, etc. Other parts of this circumcision involve the way we relate and treat other people, (do we love, respect, and honor our parents, siblings, children, neighbors, bosses, etc., or do we oppress them with our words and behavior).

There is also spiritual circumcision of the way we handle our finances and resources God makes available for us to steward, (are they used to advance God’s Kingdom through tithes and offerings, to help the poor, and to be used according to His will or do we use them for our own selfish ambitions and for hoarding and keeping others from seeing God through what we can, but neglect to do). The way we handle our bodies is circumcised as well, so we can learn good habits that involve the food we eat (that should be nutritious to keep our bodies healthy and energized) and exercise, and sexual relations (that should only be done with our spouses) and other ways in which we may be treating our bodies such as with drugs and alcohol, or cutting oneself, etc. which are contrary to God’s word about loving ourselves.

The way we use our tongue also receives circumcision (how we speak about others—is it through gossip, slander, etc., or are we praying for them and asking how we can help when we see a brother or sister fall, or seem like is falling, but God is actually taking him or her through a season of purification and deeper foundation of righteousness and holiness that makes the process seem not very appealing to our eyes. In addition, we receive circumcision of how we see and speak about ourselves (is it through the eyes of inferiority and insecurity, or according to the way  His word says He sees us), and how we speak about our circumstances (do we use idle words that curse or the words of God that bless).

Furthermore, there is also the circumcision of pride so we can walk in humbleness that acknowledges God as the source of everything we need and could ever accomplish in our lives because pride causes a person to exalt himself or herself above God (Isaiah 14:12-17), and because we have seen that it is rooted in fear, it can lead us to follow the desires of our flesh and this can take us to evil behavior such as what is described in Galatians 5:19-21 which says, 

“¹⁹ The things your sinful old self wants to do are: sex sins, sinful desires, wild living, ²⁰ worshiping false gods, witchcraft, hating, fighting, being jealous, being angry, arguing, dividing into little groups and thinking the other groups are wrong, false teaching, ²¹ wanting something someone else has, killing other people, using strong drink, wild parties, and all things like these. I told you before and I am telling you again that those who do these things will have no place in the holy nation of God” NLV.

After we have accepted Christ as the Lord and Savior of our lives, we enter into a preparation or washing from all these things that are in the way of demonstrating Christ in us to others through good fruit that will last to our old age in the form of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Galatians 5:22-23). This is what helps us influence others so they too can learn to live life in abundance and remain in it. Then we will know we are living by the Spirit of God because we have put our faith in Christ Jesus and can eagerly wait to receive everything promised to us who are right with God by this faith that expresses itself through love (of Him as our only God and the only source of everything we need, and of others as we love, respect, and honor them) Galatians 5:5-6. (Emphasis mine).  To Him alone be all the glory.

Planted to Flourish and Grow 3

 Psalm 92:13 “Those who are planted in the house of the LORD shall flourish in the courts of our God.”
There is another aspect of the importance of being planted in the house of the Lord. We get to flourish in the courts of our God. The Random House Dictionary says that the word court means among other things: a. A place where justice is administered; b. A judicial tribunal duly constituted for the hearing and determination of cases; c. A session of a judicial assembly.

One of God’s purposes for our lives is to raise us as warriors that advance His Kingdom on earth and come against the wiles of the enemy and his tactics to derail us from fulfilling His call for our lives and from developing our ability (unction) to influence others for Christ . 1 John 3:8 says in the Amplified version, “[But] he who commits sin [who practices evildoing] is of the devil [takes his character from the evil one], for the devil has sinned (violated the divine law) from the beginning. The reason the Son of God was made manifest (visible) was to undo (destroy, loosen, and dissolve) the works the devil [has done].” AMP

Jesus did this as He walked on the earth realm doing good, healing the sick, and casting out demons (Acts 10:38), went to the Cross and died, and then got the keys of death and Hades and rose again (Revelation 1:18). In the same manner we have been given an apostolic mandate to come against the works of the devil and take back the dominion God mandated from the time of creation when He said in Genesis 1:28 after blessing man, “Be fruitful, multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it [using all its vast resources in the service of God and man]; and have dominion over the fish of the sea, the birds of the air, and over every living creature that moves upon the earth” AMP.

God Himself teaches us to fight. He can do this through our leaders and other mentors He places in our lives as well as when we come to Him in our personal time of communion with Him (Psalm 18:29, 34). This is done through prayer (Psalm 91), and the reading of the Bible to learn the warnings that will let us know of the attacks of the enemy and to be acquainted with His arsenal and weaponry that He gives us for every attack of the enemy (Jeremiah 50:25). Much worship is also necessary to come against the enemy and his assaults against us. By spending precious time praising and worshiping the Lord, we can receive specific strategies that will give us the answers that destroy the floods of the enemy because we focus on Him as the answer to everything we need and our circumstances then start looking smaller (Psalm 149:1-9).

Being planted in the house of the Lord and submitting to the leaders appointed to us will also help us learn to fight corporately because the bible says that one can put a thousand and two ten thousand to flight (Deuteronomy 32:30). In other words, there is power in the numbers, and God doesn’t add, He multiplies the blessings and the victories when we come together in unity to fight against the wiles of the enemy. Matthew 18:20 says, “Where two or three are gathered in My name, there I am in the midst of them.”

There is also the issue of learning to get back the promises of God stolen from previous generations that for one reason or another allowed the enemy to steal them. Many times we receive insight about these promises and how to get them back during our leaders' preaching and teaching, and other times from our time in communion with the Lord, or from the revelations given to other sisters or brothers. This makes it important to seek the ways of the Lord, and to not forsake seeking His wisdom in mature people of God and those who desire to grow strong in the Lord as iron sharpens iron (proverbs 27:17).

The Bible is full of encouraging examples of how God gave victories to His people. But one thing they all had in common is that they sought the Lord for strategies and were able to obtain them because they sought first and foremost God's help in the situation. By obeying the word of the Lord and trusting Him they were able to walk in triumphant victories (Proverbs 3:5-6). The Bible says these triumphant victories are our inheritance from Him (Isaiah 54:17).  One of the ways this is manifested in us is the ability to discern what is of God and what is of a contrary spirit even when the information from the contrary spirit sounds like truth, but is not.

Isaiah 11:2-4a says, “And the Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon Him--the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and of the reverential and obedient fear of the Lord--And shall make Him of quick understanding, and His delight shall be in the reverential and obedient fear of the Lord. And He shall not judge by the sight of His eyes, neither decide by the hearing of His ears; But with righteousness and justice shall He judge the poor and decide with fairness for the meek, the poor, and the downtrodden of the earth; AMP.

The Scripture explains that the spirit of the Lord leads us to discern what is of God and what is not.  That is another reason why it is essential to walk led by the Spirit of the Lord.This is also part of warfare because there is a lot of talk in the air that wants to settle in our minds, but we need to take heed of the call of wisdom for our lives to avoid the traps and plots of the enemy (see Proverbs 1:20-23; 2:1-16). More on next week’s post. To Him alone be all the glory.

Planted to Flourish and Grow 2

 Psalm 92:12 NKJ  
    ¹² The righteous shall flourish like a palm tree,

He shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon.

Following the last post, we explained the importance of being planted in the right church for us. This is because a tree planted in good soil parallels the life of believers in Jesus Christ who are planted in the right church for them.The Scripture also says that when we walk in righteousness (right standing with God), we will grow like a cedar in Lebanon. Just like palm trees, Cedars of Lebanon also have characteristics worth comparing to the walk of a believer that is planted in the right soil (Church) that God has chosen for him or her.

First, cedars of Lebanon grow to be 80 feet tall and spread out from 30-50 ft. at elevations of 4,264 to 6,888 ft.--like the palm tree that grows very tall, the Lebanon cedar thrives in great heights and spreads wide. In the life of a believer, this is accomplished when we learn to walk guided by the Holy Spirit as we have communion with the Lord by reading His word and seeking His presence through worship. Doing this enables us to hear His voice and not the voice of strangers (John 10:4-5) like the devil and his demonic lies (John 8:44), nor the voice of our unrenewed human spirits and reasoning (Luke 11:34) that could derail us and talk us out of God's will. 

Second, Lebanon cedars grow best in deep soil on slopes facing the sea--When the house (Church) God has chosen for us to attend and be planted is a place that is strong in the word of truth and without religious influence, the Holy Spirit can move freely, there is prayer, and the members learn to be strong prayer warriors at home and not only when they come together to pray corporately, that is a house with good, deep soil that will cause its members to flourish. The sea represents the water of the word of God that washes us clean and sets us free from bondage, heals us, and gives us life (Ezekiel 36:25, 47:6-9).

Next, these trees require a lot of light and about 40 inches of rain a year--our source of light is the Lord Jesus, the Light of the World that as we continue to walk in communion with Him--a strong necessity and requirement by true believers, He said we will not walk in darkness, but will have light which is life (John 8:12). The rain represents the move of the Holy Spirit in our lives that when we choose to follow His leading and not the desires of our flesh, the fruits of the Spirit (Galatians  5:16-26) which are God's own character that He wants to make strong in us will be developed and cause us to walk in higher dimensions (magnitudes) of righteousness and holiness.

Last, cedars of Lebanon have wide-spread horizontal branches--this represents our soaring and strength in our walk with God and our unction (ability) to influence others for God's Kingdom in our jobs, businesses, among new believers, our families, etc., when we yield ourselves to the Holy Spirit's leading as we obey His promptings. This way we are making ourselves available for Christ to be shown in us to others. Sometimes we may not have to say a word, but our behavior, our integrity, our loyalty, and submission to authority (as long as what they asks us to do is not contrary to the word of God and our submission to Him in obedience to the word and commands He has given us) will help plant seeds that win others for Christ because His Light in us is shining bright and is noticed by those who walk in darkness (Matthew 5:14-16). More in next week's post.To Him alone be all the glory.