Today we continue our series “God is faithful!” The Lord led me to 2 Corinthians 4. In this passage, we are looking at what it looks like to believe God is faithful. Because of God’s faithfulness towards us, we can withstand and overcome anything!
For days we have been looking at verse 13. We will go back to it again today.
(2 Corinthians 4:1, 7-13, 16-18 TPT)
1 Now, it’s because of God’s mercy that we have been entrusted with the privilege of this new covenant ministry. And we will not quit or faint with weariness.
7 We are like common clay jars that carry this glorious treasure within, so that this immeasurable power will be seen as God’s, not ours.
8 Though we experience every kind of pressure, we’re not crushed. At times we don’t know what to do, but quitting is not an option.
9 We are persecuted by others, but God has not forsaken us. We may be knocked down, but not out.
10 We continually share in the death of Jesus in our own bodies so that the resurrection life of Jesus will be revealed through our humanity.
11 We consider living to mean that we are constantly being handed over to death for Jesus’ sake so that the life of Jesus will be revealed through our humanity.
12 So, then, death is at work in us but it releases life in you.
13 We have the same Spirit of faith that is described in the Scriptures when it says, “First I believed, then I spoke in faith.” So we also first believe then speak in faith.
16 So no wonder we don’t give up. For even though our outer person gradually wears out, our inner being is renewed every single day.
17 We view our slight, short-lived troubles in the light of eternity. We see our difficulties as the substance that produces for us an eternal, weighty glory far beyond all comparison,
18 because we don’t focus our attention on what is seen but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but the unseen realm is eternal.
Today I will add something from Genesis. I believe this will help us flow from yesterday’s message.
(Genesis 1:26 NIV)
Then God (Elohim, the Creator God) said, “Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.”
One of the key aspects I have taught about prayer in the past is the fact that we are humans, born on this earth, placed here by God to exercise Kingdom dominion, power, and authority over it. Please read our text for today carefully. Mankind was created in the image and likeness of God. As God’s representative on this planet, man is supposed to rule over the earth, just like God is ruling from heaven. We are an extension of His power on this planet. Notice the words: “Let them rule.” I will attempt to explain this somewhat complex topic briefly:
1. God gave man (humans) the legal right and authority to operate on the earth.
2. Man became the legal steward of the earth domain.
3. Man is a spirit, he (male and female) possesses a soul, and he lives within a physical body (an earth suit). Man’s physical body is his connection to the earth realm. He communicates with this world through his five physical senses.
4. God also put His Spirit down inside of man. The Holy Spirit was man’s direct connection to the Father. With his body, he communicated with the earth, and with his spirit, through the Holy Spirit, he communicated with heaven. In this way, man was capable of bringing both realms together. God’s desire is to see heaven-on-earth and this was made possible through humans who were walking around with God on the inside of them, fully in sync with heaven.
5. The system God setup is a system where humans rule the earth, and heaven influences the earth through humans who are led by the Holy Spirit. God is so committed to this system that when He wanted to freely operate in the earth, without having to seek the cooperation of a human, He submitted Himself to His own law and came as a human Himself. Jesus was born a man, in the earth, with an earth suit (a body).
6. Adam was supposed to extend heaven to the earth. But Adam fell. So God, who is a Spirit, came to the earth and lived within a physical body so that He could demonstrate what it looks like for a human to be an earthly conduit of the divine. Jesus is not just an example FOR us. Jesus is an example OF us. His life shows us what it looks like for a human on the earth to live completely in sync with heaven.
7. Both God and satan actively seek the agreement and cooperation of humans. For either one (God or satan) to operate in our lives we must cooperate with them. When we speak words of faith (words that line up with God’s will) from a believing heart, we are aligning with God. When we speak words of fear (words that line up with satan’s will) from a believing heart, we are aligning with the enemy. Either way, we will have whatsoever we say!
8. Spirits external to physical bodies don’t have the legal right to operate in the earth realm. This is why satan and his demons actively seek to possess humans. Many have consciously or subconsciously welcomed evil spirits to possess their bodies. God, on the other hand, freely offers to occupy every human who accepts Jesus as Lord. When we are Born-Again God’s precious Holy Spirit takes up residence inside us. Once we are Born-Again, God’s desire is that we learn to be led by the Holy Spirit in ALL THINGS. If we do, we will discover His purpose for our lives, we will fulfill it before we die, and we will leave a legacy of righteousness that will impact generations to come.
That was a lot to wrap your mind around. You may be thinking, “What does this have to do with the importance of your words and with prayer?” Actually, it has a great deal to do with it. When you understand the legal right you have as a human on the earth, coupled with the awesome ability to be influenced by the Holy Spirit Himself (who is living IN you as a believer), you can then start to tap into the power of prayer and the power of your words. When you get this revelation, you will WANT to OPEN YOUR MOUTH and you will WANT TO PRAY because you understand that as much as you need God, He also needs You.
The Father is looking for people to pray and set their agreement with Him, on earth, as it is in heaven, so He can perform what He desires to do in the earth realm.
I will never say that God can’t do whatever He wants to do without prayer, but from what we can see in scripture, it sure seems like He chooses to perform His will with the cooperation of humans. This is a major aspect of prayer. And since speaking faith-filled words is a form of prayer, I hope you see how important your words are. If God and His angels are paying attention to EVERY WORD that comes out of your mouth (because they are looking for faith in the earth), then shouldn’t you pay attention to your words as well? Speak THE WORD only!
So what does this mean for you today? I have already given a lot. So I will close with a few quick things:
1. God is counting on you to pray. He is looking for your agreement, on this planet, within your sphere of influence. He wants you to pray and to OPEN YOUR MOUTH to speak words of faith, which is a form of prayer.
2. Prayer is what happens when a human on the earth agrees with God’s Kingdom’s plans and purposes. As we cooperate, God is able to freely operate in this world. This is how we get: “on earth, as it is in heaven.”
3. Prayer is an earthly license for heavenly interference. If you want God involved in anything in your life, then you must welcome His involvement through the vehicle of prayer.
4. When bad things happen, many Christians cry out, “God, why did you let this happen to me?” But God is like, “Son/daughter, you are a free moral agent. I will allow whatever you allow. I will permit whatever you permit. You never asked me to get invovled. You never welcomed me into the situation through prayer. You never even spoke words of faith over it. I was leading you to OPEN YOUR MOUTH, but you never did.” The way James said it was, “You have not, because you never asked.”
5. Prayer is what happens when man exercises his legal authority on the earth to invoke heaven’s influence on the planet.
6. Prayer is what happens when the creation gets the Creator involved in any given situation.
7. Prayer is exercised by speaking words of faith from a believing heart. Therefore, words are very important to God. He has angels that are literally hanging on every word we speak. If our words are that important to God and His angels, our words should be AS important to us! Never allow a negative word to come out of your mouth. SPEAK THE WORD ONLY!
*** This is how we withstand and overcome anything!
That’s enough for today.
Declaration of Faith:
Father, this is a season of LEVELING UP for me. I LEVEL UP by speaking the language of faith daily. I now better understand the importance of prayer and the importance of my words. I now see that I have both a right and a responsibility to pray. My right to pray enables me to come boldly before Your throne in order to receive the grace to help in the time of need. My responsibility to pray puts a burden on me to intercede for those situations I am made aware of and the ones I am facing personally. Prayer is both a precious privilege and a serious responsibility. Prayer is exercised by speaking words I believe in my heart. IT IS A FORM OF PRAYER when I make a statement that Your Spirit leads me to make, and I believe what I am saying. That being the case, I carefully consider my words. I speak words of faith from a believing heart daily, and I NEVER speak words of fear, doubt or unbelief. I SPEAK THE WORD ONLY! Living this way, GREATER IS COMING FOR ME! I declare this by faith. In Jesus’ name, Amen!
This is Today’s Word! Apply it and Prosper.
