God Needs a Seed

 Many believers are getting frustrated with their prayer life. They pray but don’t see answers. If they do see answers, they are kind of hit-and-miss. When I talk to people in this situation, I often find that they haven’t given God a seed to work with. You may be asking yourself, “What do you mean by giving God a seed to work with?” In the rest of this letter, we will look at what the seed is, how to plant the seed, and what to do while waiting for the harvest. In other words, your answer to prayer.

So, what is the seed? In the parable of the sower, Jesus informed us that the seed was the word of God. (Mark 4:14 KJV) We need to base our prayers on the word of God. 1 John 5:14-15 says, “And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us:  And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him.” (KJV) God’s will is his word. As a matter of fact, God places His word above His name. By doing that He is attesting to the fact that what He has placed in His word is what He has done, is doing, and will do. He left it for us so we would know how to approach Him; what He has promised us; and how He has equipped us, to mention a few things about the Word of God.

In Genesis 1:11-12 God said, “And God said, Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind, whose seed is in itself, upon the earth: and it was so.  And the earth brought forth grass, and herb yielding seed after his kind, and the tree yielding fruit, whose seed was in itself, after his kind: and God saw that it was good.” This passage tells us that natural seeds produce after their own kind. Apple seeds produce apples, and tomatoes produce tomatoes, etc. The same holds true for the Word of God.  Healing scriptures (seeds) produce the faith for healing. We can’t meditate on strength scriptures and get peace of mind. We need to meditate on scriptures that match our needs. We are told in Romans 10:17, “So then faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the word of God.” (KJV) Scripture (seed) produces faith for what it is talking about.

Once you get a seed in the natural, it has to be planted before it will produce.  The same is true with the word of God. So where and how is the word of God planted?

 Let’s look over at Mark 4:4-20 and find the answer to that question.

“The sower soweth the word. 15 And these are they by the way side, where the word is sown; but when they have heard, Satan cometh immediately, and taketh away the word that was sown in their hearts. 16 And these are they likewise which are sown on stony ground; who, when they have heard the word, immediately receive it with gladness; 17 And have no root in themselves, and so endure but for a time: afterward, when affliction or persecution ariseth for the word's sake, immediately they are offended. 18 And these are they which are sown among thorns; such as hear the word, 19 And the cares of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the lusts of other things entering in, choke the word, and it becometh unfruitful. 20 And these are they which are sown on good ground; such as hear the word, and receive it, and bring forth fruit, some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some an hundred.”

In this passage, Jesus mentions four soil types. Each one of these has to do with the condition of your heart or spirit and what you do with the seed of the word. The first one mentioned is the wayside. These folks hear the word and do nothing with it. They hear it and go on with their lives. The seed just lays on top of the soil of their hearts or spirits. Think of yourself wanting to get grass to grow in your yard, but all you do is throw the seed out on the ground. You don’t water it, you just leave it to sit. I did that once and the next day a bunch of Starlings were having a nice lunch at my expense.

The next soil type listed is stony ground. These folks hear the word and are excited about what they have heard. Unfortunately, the Lord says they have no root in themselves. This means they have heard the word, but didn’t get into the word and look for more scriptures on the particular subject. They didn’t meditate on it and get it settled. When persecution arose for the word’s sake, they caved in and gave up.

 The third type of soil that is mentioned is said to have thorns and those thorns choke out the word. This group heard the word and meditated on it, planted it in the soil of their heart and it started to produce. It had to have started producing or Jesus wouldn’t have said it became unfruitful.

The fourth and final soil type is good soil. It is soil that has been tilled and watered and fertilized. This group hears the word, meditates it, and after praying they continue to confess the word over the seeds they have planted. They thank God for the answer they have received by faith.

We need to keep in mind that meditating on the Word is like tilling up the soil of your spirit. As you meditate the word, muttering it over and over, and thinking about what the verse says, the Holy Spirit drops things into your spirit and as you keep meditating, He drops more and more into your spirit. It will get to the point where it all gels and your spirit will shoot the revelation of it to your brain and you have an “ah-ha” moment. You know that you know the promise is for you.

When you get to this point, you go to God in prayer, tell Him what you need and the verses you are standing on. When you do that, you are planting the seed. We continue to water the seed and fertilize it by continuing to speak God’s word over the situation and thank Him for the answer before we ever see it.

Many believers think they will get their answers instantaneously. That isn’t always the case. More times than not it comes over time. Plants in the natural don’t spring up overnight. It takes time for your answer to come. During this time between planting and harvesting, you need to be aware that our adversary, the devil, will be trying to get you to quit believing for what you have asked. He will bring up so-called reasons why God won’t grant your request. It is usually something out of your past that means you aren’t good enough to get it.

Satan wants you to think that because of your past, which God says has passed away (2 Cor 5:17), that you aren’t eligible to receive from God. The truth of the matter is, you are eligible to receive from God. Your eligibility isn’t based on your performance but on Jesus’ performance. Your receiving from God is based on your performance to use your faith and stand in faith. 

The verses that you meditated on become weapons to use against Satan when he tries to come against you. When he comes with thoughts of doubt and defeat, you speak out those verses on which you meditated. They are now a sword to use against the enemy. Hebrews 4:12, “For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow.” (KJV) So, speak the word and defend your garden from the enemy.

Harvest time is what we all want to see in our prayer life. In Mark 11:23 Jesus told His disciples that they could have what they say if they didn’t doubt in their hearts, but instead believed. He also said this in Mark 11:24, “Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.” (KJV) According to this verse, you must believe by faith that God has granted your prayer request. You believe it at the time you pray. If you do, then you will receive it. If you don’t believe you received it when you pray, then you won’t receive it. You might think that is not right, but we need to remember God is a faith God and we need faith to please Him. (Hebrews 11:6)

Once that harvest manifests itself, you don’t quit confessing those scriptures because the enemy likes to try to steal your harvest. So, keep thanking God just like you did during the growing time, and thank Him afterward as you continue to confess the scriptures you used to get the harvest. Remember, the word is a spiritual sword to be wielded it to keep the enemy at bay.

An important thing to remember is the Bible says seedtime and harvest (Gen 8:22). Seedtime means the sowing season. When we talk about sowing, we need to remember it this way; seed time and harvest. There will be a space of time between sowing and the harvest.

So, the next time you are going to God to request something be sure to give Him a seed to work with.

God bless!

How Satan Operates

It amazes me how many people in the world don’t believe there is a devil. Some don’t believe there is a hell. They think life on Earth is hell. Mighty sad, isn’t it? Psalm 119:160 tells us the word of God is true and 1 Peter 5:8 tells us we have an adversary and it is the devil. Satan is our adversary! I believe we all need to be reminded of how the devil works so we can stop him in his tracks in our lives. He is ramping up his evil plans and attacks so we need to shore up our foundations, and walls and defend against his attacks. We must not stop there but learn to go on the offense as well and send the devil running.

Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 2:11 that we shouldn’t let Satan get the advantage of us for we are not ignorant of his devices. God must want us to guard against these and we can do that better when we know his methods of operation. Look with me at John 10:10 “The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly” (KJV). Note that these are Satan’s goals, not his tools. I heard for many years these were his tools. Nope, they are his goals. 

Satan wants to destroy us so he can be God and bigger and better than God Almighty. Remember in Isaiah 14 he was going to exalt his throne above God’s.  Instead, he got cast out of heaven.

Looking again at 1 Peter 5:8 “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour” (KJV). Notice it says seeking whom he may devour.  He can’t devour us unless we let him. He can devour those who are ignorant of his devices or don’t think he exists.

Many are ignorant because Satan blinds their minds. 2 Cor. 4:4 in the King James says he has blinded the minds of them that believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ should shine unto them. One translation says he blinds their minds so they should not discern the truth.

So, what are Satan’s devices? I will cover several of them. First Satan is a liar. He uses lies and will lie to your flesh, mind, and senses. He always tries to keep us in the natural realm. He will say things to get you off of standing on God’s promises and get you to try to do things in your strength. You may be standing on the word for finances and the devil will come along and start whispering in your ear. “The money is not here what are you going to do?” Pretty soon you find yourself saying “What am I going to do?” You then start figuring out how to get the money in your strength. You have stepped into the natural realm and the devil will clean your clock every time. When he comes with those thoughts you need to stay in the spirit realm by quoting what the word says about your situation.  If you do that you will defeat the devil every time.

The second device he uses is thoughts as I mentioned in the previous example. 2 Cor 10:5 talks about imagination, knowledge, and thoughts.  Those are all considered a part of the mind. Paul stated that we needed to cast down imaginations that try to exalt themselves against the knowledge of God and bring those thoughts into line with the word of God. So, our battleground is between our ears.

Years ago, I was diagnosed with cancer. I was struggling to stay in faith and not yield to fear.  One day after church a woman came up to me and said “Sarah just because you have cancer doesn’t mean it is terminal.”  Up to that point, it had never crossed my mind about being terminal.  All that night all I heard was it is terminal. This woman didn’t mean me harm but the enemy used it to try to shake me off my stand.

Thirdly the enemy will try to overload your senses and or emotions. Fear is a big one he uses as fear nullifies your faith. Fear attacks your mind as well as overloads your senses. When he can overload your senses, you don’t think clearly and you will speak the wrong things out of your mouth. When you speak wrong you often get out of faith and start speaking fear, or doubt and unbelief.

The last device I want to cover is the lack of peace. The devil always tries to keep us in turmoil. When you are in turmoil you don’t think right and you don’t speak right.  Colossians 3:15 tells us we are to let the peace of God rule in our hearts. Some translations say to let the peace of God be the umpire in our hearts.  That peace is to be a guiding force in our lives. The peace of God can guide you as to whether something is a good thing or a bad thing.  This peace is in your spirit, not in your head.

After reading all of this you may be asking yourself how do we defend against the enemy? Well, it involves getting into the word and meditating on the word.  Meditating isn’t the same as memorizing it.  Memorization means you know what it says but the meditation of the word allows God to show you the meaning of the verse and how it applies to you at the time. God gave us instructions about meditating on the word in Joshua 1:8 and Psalm 1:2-3. I will let you look those up. We as believers need to get back to learning and applying the word. As you meditate on the word you will become like Abraham.  He was fully persuaded that God would do what He promised him. Being fully persuaded also helps us to remember that Satan is defeated.

Another way we defend ourselves is by using our weapons which are the Word of God, the name of Jesus, and the blood of Jesus.  Revelation 12:11 tells us that we overcome by the blood of the lamb and the word of our testimony. We are to take the blood to situations and we are to use our testimony to defeat the enemy. Our testimony is the words we speak out of our mouths. We need to make sure those words are things from the word of God. Philippians 2:10 says that every knee must bow to the name of Jesus. These are spiritual weapons given to us to fight a spiritual battle. Remember Paul said in Ephesians that our battle was not against flesh and blood but against principalities, rulers of the darkness of this world, and spiritual wickedness in high places (Eph 6:10). Our battles are spiritual and therefore we need to use spiritual weapons. 

As we study the Word of God, we will find that we have authority over Satan and it makes us more powerful and we can keep him in his place…under our feet. We are to rule and reign over him. As God has intended for us to do.

I pray that this teaching has given you some food for thought. I pray the Holy Spirit has illuminated areas in your life where the enemy has been attacking and that you will shut down those avenues. I pray that you will walk in the victory God has given us.

Your Confession Makes The Difference

Many people are missing out on the blessings of God because of their confessions.  They have the mistaken idea that confession only involves the confessing of sins.  It does include confessing our sin, but it also includes speaking out of our mouths what the word of God says about us.

            Many don't understand what it means to confess God's word.  God spoke, or confessed,  and things came into being.  God designed us in His image and wants us to operate the same way.  He wants us to confess what He said about us in the word of God.

            When you confess the word of God you are making a demand on the provisions God has made for us as His children.  2 Peter 1:3-4 tells us, "According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue: Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature....."

            Many Christians have heard about confessing God's word in order to receive His promises but won't do it because they don't see those things happening in their lives.  God never said we should only confess it if it is happening in your life.  He said confess it and you would have it!

            "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen." (Heb 11:1)  Faith is the substance of what is hoped for.  What is hoped for is that the promises of God would be manifest as a reality in our lives.

            We know that faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things that are not seen.  So if you are seeing in your life what God has promised, why would you be hoping for it?  We use our hope to draw us to the word of God for an answer, and it is our faith that brings God's promise from the spiritual realm into the natural realm.

            We must learn to confess that what God's word says about us is so even though in the natural it isn't happening.  God said He would supply all of our needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:19)  Based on that scripture, I started to believe God that I would be debt free.  I had student loans and credit card debts for car repairs.  When I started confessing I was debt free and that God was supplying my need in the natural I was still in debt. Yet from that point on I was able to pay all of my monthly bills and have money left over.  Over the course of about three years, I was out of debt.  I went from about $8,000 in debt to money in the bank.  Several times during those three years people would bless me with checks, for rather significant sums.  Those allowed me to pay off the debts faster.  When I started confessing I was debt free I wasn't, but what I confessed came to pass in my life.  I was finally debt free!

            When I have prayed for people to receive healing, I have told them to confess that "by Jesus stripes they are healed" (Isaiah 53:5).  Many times they said, "I can't say that it.  It would be lying."

No it isn't!  It's a promise God said was for you and if you keep confessing it you will see it come to pass in your life.

            Think on this.  God doesn't see you the way you are but rather the way the word of God will make you as you act on it.  Sounds to me like God uses faith when He sees us the way the word will make us!  God calls those things that are not as though they were. (See Romans 4:17)

            "For what if some did not believe? shall their unbelief make the faith of God without effect?           God forbid: yea, let God be true, but every man a liar; as it is written, That thou mightest be justified in thy sayings, and mightest overcome when thou art judged."  (Romans 3:3-4)  According to this, whether you believe it or not, God's word is true. (See John 17:17 & Psalm 119:160)  He doesn't need you and me to justify it.  His word is true all by itself.

            There is a verse that says with the heart man believes.  Faith has to be in our hearts or spirits and not in our heads.  So how do we get faith into our hearts?  Romans 10:8 gives us the answer.  "But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach...."  We must take the word of God and speak it out with our mouths.  As we do, Romans 10:17 comes into play. "So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God."  Another witness for this is found in Isaiah 57:19.  It says, "I create the fruit of the lips; Peace, peace to him that is far off, and to him that is near, saith the LORD; and I will heal him."  He creates the fruit of our lips.  What have you been confessing: God’s promises for you or the bad things that are happening in your life?  `According to Proverbs, life and death are in the power of our tongues.

            Joshua 1:8 says, "This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success."   Charles Capps pointed out in his recent Concepts of Faith magazine that “Joshua was to keep God's word in his mouth so that he would observe to do all that was written therein.  In other words, speak it and meditate on it until you can see yourself doing it.”

            I mentioned earlier that some people won't confess what the word says about them because it isn't happening in their lives.  They feel if they confessed the word it would be lying.  Yet James 3:14 tells us, "...and lie not against the truth."  We are not to lie against the truth.  When you refuse to confess God's word (the truth) because it isn't so in your life, you are lying against the truth.  God said it was so because He wants you to have it. He didn't say it was so because it looked like it was happening in your life.

            Paul wrote that out of the mouth of two or three witnesses every word was established.  (See 2 Corinthians 13:1)  If you can find in the Bible in two or three places where God has promised you what you are needing from Him then you have a right to ask for and receive it. (Note: when you find scriptures you must make sure that the verse is talking about what you are needing (i.e. healing).  You must also make sure that the context in which you found the promise is also talking about it as well.)

            Concerning the confessing of the word the first witness is God.  He said what the promises were that He wants us to have.  When you confess that promise from the word, you are the second witness.  According to the word, then that promise is established.  It will come to pass as long as you don't give up.  Confession is a part of the process Abraham went through calling those things that are not as though they were. 

            This is not to be confused with mind over matter.  Mind over matter says if you believe something is so then it is.  Mind over matter deals strictly with the power of the mind and nothing else.  You can think you’re invincible but a bus can still run you over.       What God has us do isn't mind over matter, but spiritual truth over matter.  What you confess from the word is spirit and truth.  In one place, Jesus said the word was truth, and in another He said that it was spirit.

            All the promises of God are for us, but we must make the scriptures valid in our lives by speaking out what God's word says.  Speak it out even if it feels like it isn't true in your life.  Take the shield of faith and quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one.

(See Ephesians 6:16)   If we as children of God fail to act on the word because it isn't true in our situation, then we take the shield of doubt and quench the blessings of God.

I hope this article has given you some food for thought about the importance of your confessions.  I hope that you will feel inspired to confess what the word of God says about you regardless of what the situation looks like.  Don't lie against the truth of God's word and pick up the shield of doubt.  Instead pick up the shield of faith and start calling those things that are not as though they were.

            If you want to learn more about the importance of your confessions I recommend the following books by Charles Capps: The Tongue A Creative Force , Faith and Confessions, and God's Creative Power Will Work for You.

Cats and Dogs

Four years ago I inherited two cats. This wasn’t easy for an old dog lover. As people told me dogs have owners and cats have staff. How true! How true! It has been a struggle but I think we are starting to bond.
This morning I was thinking about how some people in the body of Christ are like dogs and some are like cats. Some believers love Jesus and spend time with him every day. They are like loyal dogs that are ever so happy to see their owners come home after a long day at work. They wag their tails and run around with all kinds of energy and excitement. They are so happy to see you.
Some believers are like cats. They only spend time with God when it is convenient for them or when they are in a crisis. My two cats are very independent and only come visit me when they want food, water or attention.
Psalm one says that we are to delight ourselves in the law of the Lord. (The word of God) We are also to meditate in it. When you spend time in the word you are fellowshipping with God.
So my question is, are you a cat or a dog? Are you relying on God and spending time with him on a regular basis? Or are you a cat and only come to God when you need something or there is a crisis in your life?

Fooling Ourselves

Not too long ago I was seeking the Lord for a message for a particular group I was to speak to.  All I heard was, "preach what's on your heart."

I thought about what I had been pondering the previous week or so.  I had been noticing that many times we, as children of God, have a tendency to think we are in good spiritual shape and can handle anything that the enemy brings our way.  In reality when a test or trial comes we find out we are not in as good of shape as we thought.  Why?  The apostle James put it this way: "be ye doers of the word and not hearers only deceiving your own selves."

  One of the problems we have is we are hearers and not doers of the word.  Granted, not everyone is that way, but many of us fall into that category.

 Jesus talked about this in the parable of the sower and the seed.  Read Mark 4:1-19.  The seed was the same in each of the four groups.  The difference was how the seed was planted and what was done after the seed was planted.

 Look at the first group.  The word was just thrown on top of the soil and nothing was done to it.  Jesus said birds of the air ate it up.  The people in this group heard the word but paid no attention to it.

 The next group also heard the word and they were excited about it.  Even though they were excited they didn't do much with the word they heard.  They just knew it sounded good and they wanted the promise but they didn't study the word much and didn't meditate on it.  The bible says when things got tough they were persecuted for the words sake and quit.  They weren't well grounded on the promises and when it got uncomfortable they threw their arms up and quit.

The third group heard the word and acted upon it. They meditated on it and put it to use in their lives.  Then the weeds choked out the word.  The weeds are the cares of this world, the deceitfulness of riches, and the lusts of other things.  Cares of this world can be anything that we put ahead of God or problems and worries we may have.

 The fourth group heard the word and didn't give up.  Their hearts were full of the word and they kept believing and stuck with it until they saw the harvest. 

We are supposed to be like the fourth group.  Unfortunately, many times we go to church, we hear the word, and only mentally agree with what we heard.  The problem is mental assent isn't the same as faith.  Faith comes by hearing the word over and over again -  pondering the scriptures and allowing the Holy Spirit to give you insight on how they apply to your particular situation. Mental assent is just agreeing with your head that something is so.  We aren't to be head smart in the scriptures but heart smart.

 In James 1:22-4 it says, "But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.  For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass: For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was."

 If we only hear the word then we are like a person who looks in the mirror and goes on his merry way, forgetting what he saw in the mirror.  God talks about a natural face in a mirror but he is also trying to get us to understand that there is another mirror we need to look in.  That mirror is the Word of God.  Look at James 1:24-26.   It says, " For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was.  But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed."  God calls this other mirror the perfect law of liberty.

 As I meditated on this passage of scripture I saw that there are indeed two mirrors we can chose to look in.  The first is a natural mirror that shows us what we look like in the natural.  In it we see all of our faults and mistakes.  The second mirror is God's word and it shows us how God sees us from a spiritual standpoint.  He sees us as powerful, healed, joint heirs with Jesus to mention a few.

 When we fail to really meditate on the word and are just mentally agreeing with what we have heard then we are like the man looking in the natural mirror.  We get in a test or trial and listen to the thoughts of defeat that our adversary puts into our minds.  At this point we are like the guy who walked away and forgot what manner of man he was.   He forgot that God always causes us to triumph in Christ Jesus.  He forgot that God gave him a spirit of power and not a spirit of fear. Why?  Because he is trying to do spiritual battle using natural weapons.  Paul said "For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh: (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds." (2 Corinthians 10:3-4)   Carnal means natural, not spiritual. 

 Paul, in this same passage, went on to tell us how to do spiritual battle: "Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ." (2 Cor 10:5)  If you look into the "perfect law of liberty" James mentioned you will know what the word of God says and you will be able to cast down imaginations and thoughts that try to exalt themselves above the truth of God's word.  You will be able to bring those thoughts captive to the obedience of Christ.  Remember, Jesus is the word made flesh.  So you could say that we are to bring our thoughts captive and measure them against the truth of God's word.  If they don't line up we cast them down and replace those thoughts with what the word does say about our situation.

 James said something else about those who looked into the perfect law of liberty.  He said "But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed."  If we look into the word and meditate on it and do it we shall be blessed in our deed.  If we do what the word says we will have the victory.

 I want to encourage all of us to start looking into the mirror of God's word until we have in our spirits the picture of how God truly sees us- as victorious, world overcomers and more than conquerors in Christ.  If we will look into the mirror of God's word until we have that picture in our spirits we won't walk away and forget what manner of man we are.  We will know that we know that is how God has made us and we will be blessed in our deeds.

 Kenneth Hagin has written a mini-book entitled "In Him".  In this book he explains about all the things we have because of Jesus and the fact that as believers we are the Body of Christ.  This book is a blessing, and if you will meditate on all the scriptures he lists in the book it will change your perception of how God sees you and who you are as a child of God. 

Because I feel so strongly about this message, I want to offer this book to you for free.  Simply go to our contact page and tell us you want a copy of “In Him” by Kenneth Hagin. Give us your name, mailing address with the zip code and I will send it to you at no charge. Please allow up to two weeks for delivery.

Prayer from the Heart

As I have been studying for my next two workshops on prayer I have been fascinated by how little time many believers put into their prayers.  All too often we just rush into prayer and tell God our problems and what he needs to do about it and then rush out the door of the throne room.

I remember doing that very thing when I was a babe in Christ.  I didn’t know any better.  As I grew in the Lord I learned about prayer and basing it on the word. How when we pray according to his will he hears us. (1 John 5:14-15)

Lately though, I am finding many are praying from their heads and not from their hearts. It just seems to be a rote thing with them.  There is no preparation time to their prayers and no real fervency to their prayers.  Sometimes they pray in fear and not in faith.

If we are going to be successful in our prayer life we need to get in and find out what God says about our situation and then meditate on those scriptures.  By doing so we build up our faith and our confidence in God’s word.  Then when we pray we can have real fervency or intensity of feeling.  It will be coming from our hearts and not out of our heads. Too many people pray from the standpoint of mental assent and not from one of faith.

I encourage you to take the time to look up scriptures and meditate or think on them until faith is formed in your spirit. When you get those scriptures settled in you then you are ready to pray.  You will be praying like the righteous man James talks about in his epistle. (James 5:16)  Let’s all put more time into our prayer life and into our preparing to pray. 

God Said "I Love You"

The other day I kept hearing the phrase, "God said I love you--What did you say?"  As I pondered this phrase I was reminded of the many things the bible says about love - God's love toward us as well as our walking in love towards others.

            I know that people's love is rather fickle.  They say they love you one minute and hate you the next.  Some try to buy other people's love and affection.  I guess the one thing I see the most is people attaching strings to their love.   "If you love me you would do this thing for me."   Some try to control and manipulate by giving or withholding love from their spouses, friends, etc.

            I am so glad that God's love is not fickle.  His love is unconditional and it is constant.  There are no strings attached to His love.  He loves you the same whether you are being obedient to Him or if you are off in disobedience.  Granted, when we are disobedient or in some kind of sin He is not pleased with our behavior, but His love for us stays the same.

            Keep in mind that unconditional love is out to give and not out to get.  A fine example of this is found in 1 John 4:9-11.  It says,  "In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him.  Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another."

            In this passage we are told love is that God loved us and gave us His son when we didn't even love God.   He gave Jesus, His Son, the way of salvation, without our asking.  Just think about that for a minute.   People could have refused salvation and God still would have sent Jesus anyway.  He did it regardless of the outcome.   He did it because He loves us!

            Luke 2:10 says, "And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people."  The good tidings were for all, not just a select few.  They were given unconditionally to all regardless of whether or not they would accept the good tidings.  In Luke 2:14 we are told, "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men."   Jesus was given out of God’s love as a token of His good will. 

            Even after meditating on all of this I still wondered why I kept getting this phrase, "God said I love you ...What did you say?"   It finally dawned on me what God was trying to get across to me.   God has spoken out that he loved us and has shown it through His actions and deeds.  He wants us to remember to love him unconditionally.

            It seems to me God is saying to the church, "You have been following my word and walking in love toward others, and loving your neighbor as yourself, but you need to get back to loving me with all your heart, soul, and mind."   I get the impression that we have forgotten to spend time with God just loving on Him. 

            What do I mean by loving on Him?  We fellowship with God through reading and meditating on His word, by praising and thanking Him for who He is.   To love on God  is doing those things plus just getting into His presence to spend time with Him - time where you aren't asking for or needing anything.   A time where you can love on Him and He can love on you.  God does enjoy spending time with us.  I'm sure you have probably seen the plaque that has a letter that was supposedly written by Jesus to each of us.  It talks about how He watched us get up and go through our day, watching and waiting for us to spend time with Him and yet we didn't. 

            I believe the Lord wants us to keep walking in love toward others and to remember to walk in love toward Him, too!  Yes! That's right I said walk in love toward Him.  He said "I love you" to each of us.  Now what did we say back?  We may have said I love you, but did our actions back that up?  Or did we only spend time with Him when we wanted something from Him?  Do we spend time with God when we are having problems and then forget to spend time with Him when things are going good?  God wants us to love Him unconditionally.  We need to spend time loving Him regardless of our situation.

            I want to encourage you to spend more time fellowshipping with the Lord - especially time where you just get into His presence wanting nothing more than to be with Him.  I believe that we all need to do more of that.  I also believe that it will be of great benefit to us because of the time we are living in.

 God said, "I love you!"  What do you and your actions say?  I pray that from this day forward all of our actions and our words say, "I love you too!" 

Praying for our Nation

“God Bless America” is a familiar cry from people across the country after a tragedy of some kind.  You will see it on signs in yards, on billboards, on cars and you hear people saying it as well.  It is good to see people rallying together to support one another after a tragedy. 

I remember right after the bombing of the World Trade Center I saw these signs all over town.  As I was driving I kept thinking to myself, "That's great guys and we do want God to bless our country, but He told us some things we need to do to receive the blessings."  

One of the most frequent scriptures quoted is found in 2 Chronicles 7:14.  "If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land."   Lord knows we need a healing in our land.  In order to get that healing we need to humble or submit ourselves to God and His way of doing things.  This is not what many folks in the world want to do.  Most want to live their lives their way and don't care about others.  "Look out for number one" and "If it feels good, do it" are their mottos.

If you truly want to see God's blessings in your life then you need to line up with His word.  God can only bless us as far as we will let Him.  The more we are lining up with His word the more He can bless us.

As Paul wrote in 1 Timothy 2:1-2, "I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men; For kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty."  This is something we are supposed to be doing every day. Unfortunately, many times we fail to do so.

I want to encourage you to start praying for our leaders, our country, our military, and our churches.  Many times when I explained this to the residents in the nursing homes, where I used to minister, they responded with, "But I don't know what to say or pray about."   You may even feel that way about your prayers.  Don't sweat it!  I have come across a book that was published several years ago entitled "Pray for Our Nation” by Harrison House publishers.  In this book are prayers you can pray for our president, congress, the military, teachers, and many others.  At the end of each prayer is a list of the scriptures that the prayer is based on it also quotes notable people from throughout history. This book will be a blessing and a great help to those who struggle with what to pray. You should be able to get it at your local bookstores.  If not contact us at ExodusMinistries@aol.com and we will help you get a copy.

Let’s not wait until a tragedy hits to support one another and pray for our leaders, our country, our military, and our churches. Let’s do it now and watch the blessings flow as we line up with the God’s word.

Drawn by God

No man can come to accept Christ except God draws him. (John 6:44) He does so by the work of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit will gently woo us and draw us to Christ. Over a period of time the Holy Spirit will show us our sins and our need for a savior. He does it with a gentleness but a firmness that lets us know we are loved but that our spiritual heart condition is serious. It requires a surgery that only God can perform. He will remove your stony heart full of sin and replace it with a heart of flesh. Thus giving you a new heart or spirit mentioned in (Ezekiel 36:26). This new heart is one that is soft, pliable or teachable, free of sin and is hungry for more of God. In many circles this spiritual surgery is called the new birth. (John 3:1-6)
Many think the way to win someone to Christ is to beat them over the head with the gospel message. Not so! The best way is to allow God to use you to demonstrate the love of God toward the lost. How do we do that? By praying for those that God places on our heart and then using our gifts and our talents to demonstrate God’s love toward them. When we let our actions and our lives show the love of God to them they fall in love with Christ without knowing it is him they are being drawn to. They see themselves being drawn to a person who loves and cares about them. As we believers know God is love and His love, unlike the world’s, is unconditional. It is this love that we are showing that they are being drawn to. There will come a time when these people will ask us what it is that makes us different. They will ask “What is it that you have that makes your life so different? I want what you have.” Then we will have the opportunity to share the gospel message with them and they will not only be willing to listen but receive Christ as their Lord and savior.

Worries got you down?

Worries got you down?

Many times in our life we have the opportunity to worry.  I know I sure have had them.  I remember my mother telling me “not to worry it would all work out like it was supposed to”.  That sure didn’t help me any.  I still would worry about the situation. When the situation was all over my mother would say, “See you wasted a good worry.”  I’m sorry to have to say mom was wrong. There is nothing good about worrying.  It can cause you to have ulcers, and raise your blood pressure to name a few things.  God never intended for us to worry.  As a matter of fact he said we were to cast all of our cares (worries, fears, frets, anxiety, and concerns) over on him. (1 Peter 5:7)

I know the first time I heard someone talk about this I thought, “Well what am I supposed to do if I can’t worry?  How do I change things if I can’t worry?”  The first thing you need to do is realize that worrying never changed a thing.  Worry is simply fear of the unknown.  You don’t know what is going to happen and you want to try to control the situation.  I’m sure we all can admit that we can’t control everything but we sure would like too!  Worrying is wasted energy.  Why not channel that same energy into something that is productive.  What would that be?  Prayer!

In Philippians 4:6-8 Paul gave us direction on how to quit worrying and put God to work on the situation.  “Be careful for nothing: but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.”  In simple terms pray to God with your specific request (supplication) and thank him for the answer.  It could be as simple as saying “God I have a big meeting tomorrow and I need your help to get through it.  I thank you for you help and your wisdom to answer any questions that arise out of this meeting.  I ask this in Jesus name. Amen”

When you do this you are completing the requirements of verse 6 and then will receive the benefits of verse 7. “And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”  When you pray about the situation and ask God to move in it then you will receive peace in your spirit and in your mind.  You may think it can’t be that easy.  Well it is and it isn’t.  It is just that easy to get God moving on your situation.  What isn’t easy is keeping that peace of God.  Why? Because of our adversary who is always trying to get us to let go of the peace of God and to pick up that worry again.  He does it by bringing thoughts about the situation to your mind. When he does we quite often start thinking on the situation and trying to figure it out in our heads and before we know it we are right back to worrying again.  Don’t fret there is a way to avoid this!

Philippians 4:8 says, “Finally brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.  If we want to keep the peace God gives us then we need to focus on what God’s word says about our situation and not what the enemy wants you to believe.  The devil always sends thoughts of doom, gloom and defeat.  God says he always causes us to triumph in Christ Jesus. (2 Corinthians 2:14)

This new way of handling worry isn’t easy at first but the more you do it the easier it gets.  For sure this way is more productive than worry after all worrying has never changed a thing.

No Shortcuts with God

In today’s world people are always looking for and using shortcuts to make things easier. In God there are no shortcuts. Every step we take on the path God has placed us on prepares us for the next phase of our journey. If we try to take a shortcut then we are not properly prepared for what lies ahead. Thus slowing us down and making the journey tougher. The journey will not be without rough spots and some tough times but we certainly don’t want to make it worse by trying shortcuts and thus being ill-prepared. If you want your journey to be easier then stop looking for shortcuts and simply follow His plan.