The Holy Spirit has declared through several men of God that this year is the Year of Overflow and the Holy Spirit has confirmed this in my heart. The following are a series of messages that deal with Overflow and I pray that they will be a blessing in your life.
Receiving God’s Vision for 2005:
Part I
Part II
Jesus’ Example
Paul’s Example
Walking in Overflow:
Walking in the Overflow in 2005 (part I)
Walking in the Overflow in 2005 (part II)
The Power of His presence
Courage and the Word
The Formula For Good Success!
Overflow is tied to Obedience to the Word
The Choice is Yours
The Purpose of Overflow
Rejecting the World and Receiving the Word!
Obedience is the test of Love
Obedience is the key to Relationship
Whatever He tells you to do, DO IT!
The Blessing of dealing with Pride
It all starts in the Mind!
It all starts with a Thought!
Thoughts that lead to Blessings!
Your Life is Shaped by Your Thoughts!
Overcoming the Grasshopper Mentality!
Use the Word that you Have!
Four Steps to Growth in Christ:
If you Believe right, you have Faith
If you Think right, you have Image
Speak right and you have Likeness
Be right and you have Dominion
Faith Confessions for Daily Living:
Confession for Increase
Confession for Protection
Confession for Favor with God and Man
Confession for the Blessings of Abraham
Confession for Overflow
Keys to Walking in Overflow:
The Better Covenant
1. Resolve in your mind and your heart that the Word of God is and will be the final authority in your life.
2. Free yourself all blessing blockers (sin and weights)
3. Seek God for His Vision for Your Life
4. Seek God for an Incremental Vision for Every Year
5. Search the scriptures for the promises that pertain to your vision
6. Confess the Word of God daily over your life
7. Study daily for growth and increase, making a commitment to live what you learn
8. Key 8 – Be single minded, purpose driven, vision focused – no Plan B!
Breaking the spirit of Fear:
Being able to Hear the Voice of God
Being Established in His Righteousness
Being Confident in God’s Ability
Choosing the right Offer!
Receiving God’s Vision for 2005 (top of page)
(Prov 29:18 KJV) Where there is no vision, the people perish: but he that keepeth the law, happy is he.
I feel led to pause our series on the ‘Greatest Stories Ever Told’ until next year. This is the last week of 2004 and I believe it to be a critical week. As we prepare for 2005, I feel led to recap the series I did on ‘The Power of Vision.’ It won’t be the same series, but we are going to revisit some of the golden nuggets the Lord gave me during that series and at they apply to preparing for this upcoming year.
Vision is vital. People that can see are common, but people with vision are rare. Mr. Walt Disney sat in an open field many years ago, just shortly after opening Disney World. At the time, the park had only a few rides. He sat and looked out into the field for a long time and seemed very preoccupied. A worker came by and asked him what he was doing. Mr. Disney replied, “I am looking at my mountain.” Many years later, at the opening of Space Mountain, a young man introduced Mrs. Disney to the platform. He said that it was great to have her there, but it was a tragedy that Mr. Disney died without seeing his mountain. Mrs. Disney took the microphone and corrected the young man. She told the crowd that although they were seeing the mountain for the first time, her husband had seen the mountain many years prior. That is the power of vision. Vision is seeing beyond where our eyes can look.
In our text, Solomon speaks of God’s divine revelation. Let’s take a closer look at some of the true meanings of these words: vision means revelation; perish means to loosely stumble; keepeth means to guard, protect, and take heed to; law means the instruction, direction, and teachings of God; and happy means blessed. So, our text could read, “Those who do not hear from God and receive His revelation, loosely stumble through life, but those who take heed to and protect His instructions, direction and teachings are blessed.” That is the power of vision. Receiving direction and instruction from God and then following His instruction for a blessed and prosperous life.
So what does this mean to you today? It means that you have a choice. You can either continue to live without hearing from God and stumble your way through life, or you can take the time to hear from God in prayer and His Word and then seek to live out was He speaks to you. God wants us to Find, Follow, and Finish His plan for our life and living. You can’t accomplish, however, what you do not know. Why not spend some time this week with God in prayer for direction for 2005? If someone interrupts you and asked you what you are doing, reply like Mr. Disney did and tell them that you are looking at next year, before it happens! That’s the power of vision. You can either be driven by vision or driven by circumstance – the choice is yours!
Confession for this day: Lord God. I receive Your Vision for my life. I am Your sheep and I hear Your voice. I will Find Your plan through Your Vision. I will Follow Your plan for all the days of my life. I will Finish Your plan while I am here on the earth. The rest of my life starts today. Speak to me clearly Father concerning Your vision for my family for 2005. Reveal to me Your plans for this upcoming year and I declare that I will submit and surrender myself to those plans. I do not perish, because I take heed to Your instructions. In Jesus’ name. Amen!
This is Today’s Word! Apply it and Prosper!
Receiving God’s Vision for 2005 (part II) (top of page)
(Hab 2:2,3 CEV) Then the LORD told me: “I will give you my message in the form of a vision. Write it clearly enough to be read at a glance. At the time I have decided, my words will come true. You can trust what I say about the future. It may take a long time, but keep on waiting– it will happen!
This morning we continue our mini-series on ‘Receiving God’s Vision for 2005’ with a look a the prophet Habakkuk. Habakkuk’s first chapter is full of complaints. The prophet complained about being surrounded with the unrighteousness and having to endure difficult situations. In the 5th verse, God says, “”Look around at the godless nations. Look long and hard. Brace yourself for a shock. Something’s about to take place and you’re going to find it hard to believe.” In other words, God was telling him that He was going to manifest His glory. But Habakkuk goes right back to complaining at the 12th verse. Chapter 2 then provides the answer. What would help Habakkuk deal with his circumstances? A vision from God. God said that He would give him a message in the form of a vision and that he was to write the vision down. This vision from God, although it would not happen over night, was guaranteed to come to pass.
So what does this mean to you today? There is so much in this passage. Let’s glean a few golden nuggets from the text:
1. It’s OK to be real with God – the complaining prophet.
2. God’s answer to our situation is ‘Word’ or ‘Message.’
3. One Word from God can turn our situation around.
4. God declares the end from the beginning (Is 46:10), so we must understand that God already knows what the outcome of our lives will be.
5. God gives us glimpses of the outcome in visions (messages).
6. His vision allows us to be visionaries, by writing the vision down for others to see and to receive direction from as well.
7. God’s vision may not happen over night, but it will happen. We must then have the discipline to live our lives in accordance with the vision He has given. We must confidently and actively wait for the vision to come to pass.
8. God is not a man that He should lie (Num 23:19). If He tells you something is going to happen, it will!
God’s vision is often long-term. He can reveal to us His vision for our lives, but we should also seek God for His vision for every year. We live out our vision in increments. Our life is lived out in years, years are lived out in months, and months are lived out in days. Once we know what God wants to do with our life (long-term), we should then seek Him for a vision for every year. This annual vision will help us incrementally achieve God’s desired end (Jer 29:11) for our lives. This way, we can provide direction and guidance for our families every year, with a clear focus of an expected end. That is the Power of Vision!
Confession for this day: Lord God. You speak to Your children. I am Your child and I hear Your voice. You give me the power to see beyond where my eyes can look. Reveal to me Your vision for my life and then reveal to me Your vision for this upcoming year. Show me what steps I must take in 2005 that will take me towards my destiny. Your vision will become the ruler by which I judge every decision in 2005. My family does not wander aimlessly through life, but we are propelled by Your vision! In Jesus’ name. Amen!
This is Today’s Word! Apply it and Prosper!
Receiving God’s Vision for 2005 (part III) – Jesus’ Example (top of page)
(Luke 2:49 BBE) And he said to them, why were you looking for me? Was it not clear to you that my right place was in my Father’s house?
This morning we continue our mini-series on ‘Receiving God’s Vision for 2005’ with a look at our ultimate example, Jesus the Christ. Luke chapter two opens with Jesus as a child. The Bible says that He grew, became strong and wise, and God blessed him. We know nothing about Jesus between the early years of Herod’s attempt on his life and this morning’s text. We know that his parents went to Jerusalem every year for the Feast of the Passover (as was the custom). Jesus was not obligated to go, under the Jewish Law, until the age of 12. When he turned 12, He joined His family on their annual trip. After Passover, however, his parents left with the usual crowd, not realizing that Jesus stayed behind. It took them a full day to figure this out and another three days to find Him. When they finally found Him, He was sitting in the temple, baffling the scholars of the time. He was only 12 yrs. old, but He was able to go toe-to-toe with astute men in the scriptures. His parents were very upset when they found Him. His mother said, “Son, why have you treated us like this? Your father and I have been anxiously searching for you.” This is where we pick up our text. And he said to them, why were you looking for me? Was it not clear to you that my right place was in my Father’s house? Let’s investigate the text and what is means about purpose and vision:
1. Why were you looking for me? Jesus indicates here that Joseph and Mary should have known where He was, because they were the only ones who really know WHO He was, at this point. Probably no one else knew yet what they had on their hands, except for Joseph and Mary, and they should have known that Jesus would maximize the moment on His first trip to Jerusalem.
2. Was it not clear… His parents made the journey every year while He stayed home. I am sure that He asked them questions about the Holy City when they returned. They should have known that He was going to jump at the chance to spend time in the Holy Temple in the Holy City, with the learned men of the time. There He was, a young man (12 yrs. old), taking the teachers back to school. Jesus was clearly where He felt He should have been and was frustrated at His parents for not understanding His vision, purpose, and destiny.
3. My right place… This is the key. This 12 yr. old understood the power of Vision and discipline. He submitted Himself to His parents and the law and did not visit Jerusalem until He was of age. But when He finally did, He got right to work. He did not waste time. He was not wandering. He was not there to socialize. He was there on purpose. He was reporting for duty. He was learning about His assignment on the earth. He was soaking up the Word of God (His Word, by the way). He was in His Father’s house, doing His Father’s business. He was in the right place!
So what does this mean to you today? It means that we can have the assurance that Jesus had that we are in the right place, if we do what He did. We must receive God’s vision (direction), understand our purpose, and then have the discipline to make decisions that will carry us towards completing it! Even if misunderstood (like Jesus), we should stay focused and drive towards our destiny!
Confession for this day: Lord God. I thank You for Your vision for my life and Your incremental vision for 2005. I receive it and meditate on it daily. I discipline myself to make decisions that will take me towards the completion of Your vision. Where there is no vision, the people perish. I will not perish, because I have Your vision and it is the ruler by which I judge every decision. I will not allow the feelings of others to derail me from my destiny. I live a purpose-filled and purpose-driven life. I am about my Father’s business, today and every day. In Jesus’ name. Amen!
This is Today’s Word! Apply it and Prosper!
Receiving God’s Vision for 2005 (part IV) – Paul’s Example (top of page)
(II Tim 4:7 BBE) I have made a good fight, I have come to the end of my journey, I have kept the faith.
This morning we continue our mini-series on ‘Receiving God’s Vision for 2005’ with a look at Paul. This is the last message I will share in 2004. I pray that our diversion from ‘the greatest stories’ to focus on vision has been a blessing to you. Perhaps the most important nugget on vision that I continue to share is that vision should become the ruler by which we judge our decisions, therefore exercising discipline to reach our full potential in Christ. The goal being to “die empty,” after we have poured out of us, everything that God poured into us. We cannot die empty, however, without vision. Vision allows us to acknowledge when it is that we have arrived at our destination. Yoggi Berra once said, “If you don’t know where you are going, you might end up somewhere else.” God’s vision for our lives gives us the ruler, yes, but it also gives us a target. It becomes our desired goal and our expected end.
Paul was a man of vision and focus. No doubt, God gave him clear direction for his life. This vision gave Paul drive and passion. When we know where we are going, we are able to aim for that target and overcome insurmountable circumstances. Paul endured everything from stonings to shipwrecks, from blistering heat to freezing cold, and from betrayal to imprisonment. He also laid hands on the sick and watched them recover, went on three region-wide crusades (missionary journeys), helped establish churches, was a pastor to pastors, and wrote half the New Testament. I guess it is safe to say that Paul had a full life.
This brings us to our text. Our text is amazing and encouraging to me. It tells me that, even with everything that God used Paul to do, he acknowledged that everything was not done; but that his journey was complete. He knew that everyone on the planet had not heard the gospel. He knew that every person was not saved. He knew that Christians still needed guidance. He knew that his sons still needed direction. But Paul was able to say, “I have come to the end of MY journey.” Why? Because he knew what the end was! He knew what God had called him to do and he disciplined himself to complete it before he died. That is the power of vision!
So what does this mean to you today? A few things:
1. Paul knew what the end of HIS journey was and we must seek God for the same.
2. Paul did not get there over night and neither will we. That is why it is important to seek God for a vision for 2005 and every year after that. If God shows you where you will be in 30 years, it is not realistic to think that you will accomplish every needed to get there in 2005. So ask God to show you what you must do in 2005 that will take you towards completing His vision for your life.
3. Write the vision (Hab 2:2) down (or print it out) and post it where you can see it daily.
4. Consult the vision before you make major decisions in 2005. If the decision will take you towards your vision, then do it. If not, then don’t. Allow God’s vision to be the ruler by which you judge your decisions.
5. There will be many things that are ‘OK’ to do in 2005, but not everything that is ‘OK’ is beneficial. Paul said, “Everything is permissible for me – but not everything is beneficial…” (1 Cor 6:12 NIV). The things that are beneficial are those things that line up with God’s vision.
Confession for this day: Lord God. I walk in discipline daily. I allow Your Vision for my life to be my focus and my target. I also receive your incremental vision for 2005 and declare that I will govern myself in accordance with your vision and direction. Although many things are permissible for me, I will control myself to do only those things that are beneficial, in accordance with Your vision for my life. I will some day be able to repeat the words of Paul and say that I have come to the end of MY journey. I know what MY journey is and I will complete it, through the power of the Holy Spirit. Nothing can stop me! In Jesus’ name. Amen!
This is Today’s Word! Apply it and Prosper!
Walking in the Overflow in 2005 (top of page)
(John 10:10 AMP) The thief comes only in order to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have and enjoy life, and have it in abundance (to the full, till it overflows).
Happy New Year! I wanted to get back to our series on the ‘Greatest Stories’ this morning, but the Holy Spirit let me another way. Anything other than a message on overflow would be a message out of season right now. The Holy Spirit has declared through several men of God that this year is the Year of the Overflow and the Holy Spirit has confirmed this in my heart. I have shared several messages from John 10 in general and our text in particular. Jesus is speaking in the text and I want to focus on another purpose of His coming – Abundant or Overflowing Life! The Greek word used for life in this text is the same word used in the very familiar John 3:16. It deals with salvation or eternal life with God. But Jesus did not come for salvation from death alone. He also came that we might enjoy our current life to the fullest. Yes, I want to make it to heaven, but I also believe that it is the will of God that I enjoy the ride! With that it mind, let’s take a look at the latter part of the text.
Jesus says that in addition to providing us eternal life, He also came that we might have life in abundance (to the full, until it overflows). This word translated abundance literally means to exceed measure, over and above, more than is necessary, superadded. I particularly like the last word in that definition – superadded. I first saw this word in Albert Barnes’ commentary on this text. He said, “The word denotes that which is not absolutely essential to life, but which is superadded to make life happy. They shall not merely have life – simple, bare existence – but they shall have all those superadded things which are needful to make that life eminently blessed and happy.”
So what does this mean to you today? A few things:
1. The purpose of the thief is to steal, kill, and destroy. This is not new.
2. The purpose of Jesus was to deal with the problems of sin and death.
3. Jesus dealt with both sin and death, provided us eternal life through His blood, but also declared that He came that we might enjoy Abundant and Overflowing life – here on the earth!
4. If this was a purpose of His coming, then we must acknowledge that abundance and overflow are His will for our lives.
5. There are times and seasons for everything (Ecc 3).
6. The Holy Spirit has declared that 2005 is the Year of the Overflow or in other words, the Season for Increase.
7. Make a demand on this season. Tap into this anointing. Seize the opportunity. Pray and seek God for direction for 2005 and then seek to walk it out in excellence and overflow.
8. God is a God of progression and not regression. Thank God for 2004, but know that the Best is yet to come! The end is greater than the beginning (Ecc 7:8).
Confession for this day: Lord God. You sent Your Son to die that I might life. Your Son also declared that He came that I might have abundant life. You have spoken through several vessels and declared that 2005 is the Year of the Overflow. I agree with both the words of Jesus and the Holy Spirit speaking through men and I make a demand on this anointing. I declare that 2005 will be the best year of my life. I walk in overflow and abundance. I receive the superadded this year. There will not a shortage in any area of my life. I receive supernatural revelation, wisdom, and understanding this year. I receive health, strength, and physical soundness this year. I receive favor, preferential treatment, and victory this year. The best is yet to come. I walk in Overflow in 2005! In Jesus’ name. Amen!
This is Today’s Word! Apply it and Prosper!
Walking in the Overflow in 2005 (part II) (top of page)
(1 Th 3:10-13 AMP) [And we] continue to pray especially and with most intense earnestness night and day that we may see you face to face and mend and make good whatever may be imperfect and lacking in your faith. Now may our God and Father Himself and our Lord Jesus Christ (the Messiah) guide our steps to you. And may the Lord make you to increase and excel and overflow in love for one another and for all people, just as we also do for you, So that He may strengthen and confirm and establish your hearts faultlessly pure and unblamable in holiness in the sight of our God and Father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ (the Messiah) with all His saints (the holy and glorified people of God)! Amen, (so be it).
This morning I am led to share another message on Overflow. I received many responses to yesterday’s message agreeing with me – in the Spirit – that this is the Year of the Overflow and this morning I was led to our text. This is a bit strange for me, because I don’t normally list so many verses as the focus text. Being that the text is so long, we will not go into the background – other than to say that this is the benediction to the letter – and rather jump straight in to gleaning some golden nuggets from the text that apply to our lives today, especially in this new season:
1. Overflow requires faith: Paul prayed that the imperfections of their faith would be mended. I have shared many times that, as Christians, everything that we do, we do by faith. If our faith is lacking or wavering, it will stifle our ability to tap into the anointing for Overflow. Our faith is mended or made perfect through receiving andresponding to the Word of God!
2. Overflow requires love: Paul says, “may the Lord make you to increase and excel and overflow in love for one another and for all people.” No doubt, there are many who will want to stake a claim on the Year of the Overflow and seek God for financial increase, but without love, you are nothing (1 Cor 13). John taught us that God is love (1 Jn 4:8). Love is not something that God possesses, love is what He is. If you pursue things (money, houses, etc.) without developing character, then you will be sadly disappointed. God wants us to pursue Him. If we pursue Him (love), things will pursue us. You cannot have the overflow without love.
3. Faith and Love remove the Blessing-Blockers: Paul says that if we walk this way (faith and love), the Lord will strengthen, confirm, and establish our hearts faultless and unblamable in holiness. This is very important, because when we walk in offence with others, we block God’s favor and blessings upon our life (Mark 11:25). Paul told the Galatian church that faith works by love (Gal 5:6). When we operate in faith coupled with love, we are free of anything that will block God’s blessings over our life. When we remove the Blessing-Blockers, when will Walk in Overflow!
Confession for this day: Lord God. Overflow requires faith. My faith is mended through receiving and responding to the Word of God and I declare that I operate in faith in every area of my life. Overflow also requires love. You are love. You live in me. I declare that Your love permeates through me today like never before. I increase and overflow in love for all people. Faith works by love. I couple my faith with Your love and declare that every Blessing-Blocker is removed from my life. I repent of sin and cast away every weight. I am covered by Your blood and made holy through Your Sacrifice. I am ready to walk in Overflow this year. This is the Year of the Overflow and I receive it by faith, working by love. In Jesus’ name. Amen!
This is Today’s Word! Apply it and Prosper!
The Power of His presence (top of page)
(Jos 1:5 NIV) No one will be able to stand up against you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you.
This morning we continue our series on ‘Walking in Overflow in 2005’ with a message about Joshua. Last night I was meditating on the direction of this ministry and the messages the Lord wants me to share and He led me to Joshua. He told me to learn from Joshua, because we are in a similar situation that He was in. I asked God to further explain and He did. He reminded me of how Joshua was one of the 12 spies who searched the Promised Land and only one of the two that came back actually believing that they could take the land. Joshua knew what God had already done and knew that God would not forsake them. He was ready and willing to go in Canaan and take the land for God. He was like us in that we know many of the things that we want to do for God in life and we sometimes sit back and Dream Big Dreams. We know that God can do it, but we secretly wonder if the timing is right. In Joshua’s case the people rebelled against God and did not think that they could do it. God was so upset that He actually told Moses that all those people (20 yrs. and older), Moses included, would die in the desert and never see the Promised Land (Num 14:35). The only people that God would spare would be Joshua and Caleb, because they believed that God could do it.
God then took me to Joshua 1. This book opens with the God saying to Joshua, “Moses my servant is dead. Now then, you and all these people, get ready to cross the Jordan River into the land I am about to give to them-to the Israelites.” This is significant because it sparks a shift in timing. The death of Moses and his generation meant that the judgment of God was over and the time for increase and overflow had arrived. God was telling Joshua that it was time to take the land. They had experienced Egypt – the land of not enough. They had experienced the wilderness – the land of just enough (daily Manna). But now it was time to experience Canaan – the land of TOO MUCH STUFF! Or in other words, the land of the Overflow! We will deal with this more in the days to come, but this morning I want to focus in on a key aspect of the preparation of Joshua. To get Joshua ready for the shift and the increase, God reminded him of His presence and His power in our text.
So what does this mean to you today? A few things:
1. There is a time for everything. Joshua had to wait for the right time and so do we. God has declared, however, that 2005 is the Year of the Overflow and it is the right time!
2. We must be prepared for the increase. God began to prepare Joshua to lead the people into the Promised Land. We will see tomorrow that it requires courage to expect and experience overflow. God prepared Joshua and I believe God is preparing us in January for what He wants to do in our lives this year.
3. The Power of His presence. The first promise that God made to Joshua was the promise of His presence. In the series on the names of God, I dealt with Jehovah-Shammah; which means ‘The Lord God who is There or Present’ (Eze 48:35). God’s presence brings with it His Power, Protection, and Peace!
Confession for this day: Lord God. The time has shifted and the season of Overflow has arrived. I am a sower and I declare that I am also a reaper. I sow time, talent, and treasure into the Kingdom and I expect a harvest. You are the Lord of the harvest and harvest time has arrived. Use me this year for Your glory, like never before. I am an instrument of Your righteousness and a vessel of Your love. You prepare me with Your presence. You speak to me in prayer and in Your Word. Your presence unlocks your peace, gives me access to Your power, and ensures that I walk in Your protection. No one will be able to stand up against me. This is the Year of the Overflow and You are with me, preparing me for it! In Jesus’ name. Amen!
This is Today’s Word! Apply it and Prosper!
Courage and the Word (top of page)
(Jos 1:6,7 NIV) “Be strong and courageous, because you will lead these people to inherit the land I swore to their forefathers to give them. Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go.”
This morning we continue our series on ‘Walking in Overflow in 2005’ and we pick up where we left off yesterday. We learned that the time was right and that the Lord was preparing Joshua to lead the people into the coveted Promised Land. The difference is that if he would have went into the land in Numbers 14, he would have went in as a soldier and follower, but this time, because of His faith, God was permitting him to enter in as a commander and leader. The instructions to Joshua come to us at a critical time because, just as Joshua was preparing to lead the people into their greatest victory and their greatest blessing, we are preparing to lead our families into the greatest year of our lives (the Year of the Overflow!).
So how did God get Joshua ready? Two ways:
1. By developing courage: Webster defines courage as the state or quality of mind or spirit that enables one to face danger, or fear with self-possession. I agree that courage, or the lack thereof, is a matter of the mind. If you think that this is the year of the Overflow for your life or you think it is not, either way, you are right. I believe the Lord has declared it is, but that does not mean that everyone will tap into this anointing. You must allow God to develop your mindset to receive everything He has for you. Some people are simply satisfied with their present situation and too comfortable to move forward to anything else. Change requires Courage! The Israelites did not have to work for their food. Manna came down from heaven every day. The land flowing with milk and honey was a blessing, but it also meant that the Manna was going to stop. Joshua had to have the courage to lead the people beyond complacency, into Overflow!
2. Through the Word: God told Joshua three things here:
a. Obey the law (the Word): Obedience unlocks overflow. Only the Word that you obey is the Word that is operating in your life.
b. Without variation: He was not to turn from it to the right or the left. He could not make God’s Word do or say what it did not say. The Word is the Word. We cannot choose to change it when convenient. We must accept it without variation.
c. For Success: This is a promise that still stands. If we obey God’s Word, without variation, we will have Godly success this year and lead our family into areas we have never been, to do things for God we have never done!
So what does this mean to you today? It means that it will take courage to elevate our faith to the point where we are believing God to move in our lives like never before. It will take courage to walk into the land flowing with milk and honey and face the giants that stand before us. It will take courage to expect to be blessed in everything that we do. It will take courage to face fear head on. That courage comes from knowing, believing, and standing on the Word of God. When you stand on the Word of God you are telling God that you agree with His opinion of you. You are telling God that you trust Him to be bigger than your opposition. You are telling God that you are more than just a hearer of the Word, but you are also a doer. You are telling God that you are Ready for the Overflow!
Confession for this day: Lord God. I receive courage, through Your Word, to face anything and everything that will come my way in 2005. I am not crippled by complacency. I am thankful for where I am, but expecting to receive Overflow this year. I have the courage to lead my family into my Promised Land and I receive that courage through Your Word. I obey Your Word, without variation, and I receive good success in every area of my life. In Jesus’ name. Amen!
This is Today’s Word! Apply it and Prosper!
The Formula For Good Success! (top of page)
(Jos 1:8 KJV) 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.
This morning we continue our series on ‘Walking in Overflow in 2005’ and we pick up where we left off Friday. We know that God was preparing Joshua to lead the people into the Land of Overflow (Canaan). We know that courage was one of the keys to his success and this morning we learn a few more. An interesting note to this verse is that this is the only verse in the King James Version of the Bible where you will find the word ‘success.’ As God prepared Joshua for this ‘good success,’ He gave him specific instructions. I believe that Joshua was to, in turn, echo these instructions to the people. So that they could enjoy the corporate success that God desired for them. We should learn from these instructions and apply them to our lives, as we prepare for the Year of the Overflow.
Let’s break it down. Good Success comes from:
1. Mastering Your Mouth: The Word of God was never to depart from out of his mouth. In other words, Joshua was to speak the Word constantly. His success was tied to his speech and the same applies to us today. I add a confession to the end of every message, because I believe you should confess (declare openly) the Word of God over your life. If you declare defeat, you receive defeat. If you declare victory, you receive victory. But our victory is tied to the Word of God. The more we receive the Word and declare it over our lives, the more we will Master our Mouths. Our prosperity is tied to our speech. Solomon said, “A man’s belly shall be satisfied with the fruit of his mouth; and with the increase of his lips shall he be filled. Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof” (Prov 18:20,21).
2. Mastering Your Mind: Not only was he to speak the Word from his mouth, but he was also to meditate on it Day and Night in his mind. It is very hard to sin when you are meditating on the Word of God. If you give the enemy your attention for 5 seconds, he will have your mind for 5 minutes. This is why I share so many scriptures. The more Word you receive, the more Word you can meditate on. The more Word you meditate on, the more Word you will eventually perform. I often say, whatever is in you abundantly will come out of your eventually! It is important to keep your mind stayed on the Word of God. Especially as we prepare to walk in Overflow!
3. Mastering Your Methods: Proper speech and proper thoughts lead to proper actions. Joshua was commanded to “DO” all that is written in the Book! Mastering you mouth and your mind is nothing if it does not lead to mastering your methods. Renewed speech and renewed thoughts, must lead to renewed Actions if it is going to be pleasing to God! Many people quote David’s description of a ‘Blessed Man’ from the 1st Psalm. And the 3rd verse in particular where it says, “… his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.” Notice that David did not say ‘whatsoever he speaketh,’ or ‘whatsoever he thinketh.’ David agreed that only those things that you actually wind up DOING will prosper. Mastering your mouth and your mind, must result in a change in your methods. Are you ready for the change?
Confession for this day: Lord God. The power of death and life are in my tongue. I speak Your Word daily over every situation that comes my way. My mind is renewed by Your Word! I read Your Word for knowledge and vision. I meditate upon Your Word for peace and rest. I observe to do all that is written therein for Prosperity and Success! It is Your will that I graduate to the land of Overflow and I prepare myself for my Canaan by allowing the Holy Spirit to assist me in Mastering my mouth, mind, and methods. I follow Your formula for Good Success and I receive it, by faith. In Jesus’ name. Amen!
This is Today’s Word! Apply it and Prosper!
Overflow is tied to Obedience to the Word (top of page)
(Duet 28:1,2 KJV) And it shall come to pass, if thou shalt hearken diligently unto the voice of the LORD thy God, to observe and to do all his commandments which I command thee this day, that the LORD thy God will set thee on high above all nations of the earth: And all these blessings shall come on thee, and overtake thee, if thou shalt hearken unto the voice of the LORD thy God.
This morning we continue our series on ‘Walking in Overflow in 2005’ with a look at the nation of Israel and the promise they received from God. In Deuteronomy 27, Moses and the elders of Israel commanded the people to keep all the commands that they were to receive that day. They then went into giving them specific instructions on what to do when they were blessed to cross the Jordan River and enter into the land of Canaan – the land flowing with milk and honey (Overflow). After instructing them on the altar they were to build to the Lord, Moses and the Priests commenced to lay out a specific list of cursings they would receive it they did not obey the Lord (see verses 16-26). The 27th chapter ends with these cursings and the 28th chapter opens with our text. Juxtaposed against the cursings is a list of blessings. They were to be blessed in the city and in the field (v.3); their children, crops, cattle, and sheep would be blessed (v.4); their wallet (or pocketbook) and checking account would be blessed (v.5); their coming and going would be blessed (v.6); their enemies would be defeated (v.7); their barns would be overflowing (v.8); the name of the Lord their God would be blessed (v.10); they would be plenteous in goods and children (v.11); the rain would fall on their land when needed, they would have plenty of money, and they would be able to lend to other nations and have no need to borrow (v.12); and finally, they would be the head and not the tail, above only and not beneath – all of this, however, was tied to whether or not they obeyed the Word of God and performed them in their lives (v.13).
Remember that this blessing was tied to whether or not they obeyed the Word of God. Also, this blessing was tied to the blessing originally declared to Abraham in Genesis chapter 12 and Paul said, “if ye be Christ’s, then are ye Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise” (Gal 3:29). When we are born again, we are connected – in the Spirit – to the blessings of Abraham.
So what does this mean to you today? Let’s see:
1. We have a choice: The warning of the curses came before and after the offer of the blessings (see 27:16-26 and 28:15 and following). God is a just God. He lays out both blessings and cursings and the choice is ours.
2. Obedience unlocks Overflow: The blessings of verses 3-13 are directly tied to obeying the Word of God. Our text says that they were to (1) hearken diligently and (2) observe to do. Overflow is loosed in our lives when we both receive and respond to the Word of God.
3. God is not opposed to Prosperity: If you read verses 3-13 you clearly see that God promised to reward obedience with Overflow. This was not just about, nor limited to money. Everything they touched would be blessed. They would have plenty of children. Their cattle and land would be recipients of their favor. They would be leaders and not followers. Bottom-line, they would be blessed in every area of their lives. God still desires that for His children today. This blessing, however, is tied to obedience to the Word of God.
Confession for this day: Lord God. I am in Christ and am therefore Abraham’s seed. As Abraham’s seed, I am an heir according to the promises You gave him and his people. I choose life and not death. I choose blessings and not cursings. I receive and respond to the Word of God in my life. My obedience to Your Word unlocks Your overflow in my life. I declare that Your blessings shall come upon me and overtake me, as I hearken to the voice of the Lord my God. In Jesus’ name. Amen!
This is Today’s Word! Apply it and Prosper!
The Choice is Yours (top of page)
(Duet 30:19 CEV) Right now I call the sky and the earth to be witnesses that I am offering you this choice. Will you choose for the LORD to make you prosperous and give you a long life? Or will he put you under a curse and kill you? Choose life!
This morning we continue our series on ‘Walking in Overflow in 2005.’ Yesterday we left off in Deuteronomy 28. In chapter 29 Moses calls all the Israelites together and renews the covenant with them. He says, “Carefully follow the terms of this covenant, so that you may prosper in everything you do” (v.9). He goes on to explain what they had already been through and what they could expect from God. He laid out both options – blessing for obedience and cursings for disobedience. This continues on into chapter 30. He makes it very plain to them by saying, “Now what I am commanding you today is not too difficult for you or beyond your reach. It is not up in heaven, so that you have to ask, “Who will ascend into heaven to get it and proclaim it to us so we may obey it?” Nor is it beyond the sea, so that you have to ask, “Who will cross the sea to get it and proclaim it to us so we may obey it?” No, the word is very near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart so you may obey it” (verses 11-14). And then Moses gets to where the rubber meets the road. He says, “Today I am giving you a choice. You can choose life and success or death and disaster… Right now I call the sky and the earth to be witnesses that I am offering you this choice. Will you choose for the Lord to make you prosperous and give you a long life? Or will he put you under a curse and kill you? Choose life!” (verses15 &19).
So what does this mean to you today? A few things:
1. God has made us free moral agents. We can make decisions for ourselves and he will honor the decisions we make.
2. If we make decisions that please God – in accordance with His Word and honoring His name with our life and living – we will be blessed. If we choose to live a life of sin and Godlessness, then we will be cursed.
3. What we harvest (reap) is a direct result or what we plant (sow). Paul said, “You cannot fool God, so don’t make a fool of yourself! You will harvest what you plant” (Gal 6:7 CEV).
4. God will not ignore sin. If you live a life of sin, you will also live a life devoid of God’s presence, power, and peace. You may attain material wealth without God, but you will never know Total Life Prosperity.
5. Like Moses told nation of Israel, what I explain to you each day in these messages is not too difficult or beyond your reach. This is totally attainable and what we attain will be a result of our decisions.
6. Like Moses, I set before you life and success or death and disaster. What will you choose? Will you choose for the Lord to make you prosperous and give you a long life? The choice is yours!
Confession for this day: Lord God. I understand that I reap what I sow. My days are ordered by the decisions that I make. I declare that every decision that I make is a decision bathed in prayer and one that lines up with Your Word. Your Word is my compass and my guide. I hearken diligently to everything that is written therein and I observe to do all that I know is right in accordance with Your Word. I choose life and not death, success and not failure, total life prosperity and not superficial wealth. My decisions result in Your favor upon my life. I therefore declare that I am healed, healthy, blessed, prosperous, anointed, and destined. In Jesus’ name. Amen!
This is Today’s Word! Apply it and Prosper!
The Purpose of Overflow (top of page)
(2 Co 8:9 CEV) You know that our Lord Jesus Christ was kind enough to give up all his riches and become poor, so that you could become rich.
This morning we continue our series on ‘Walking in Overflow in 2005.’ We have been sharing on overflow for a while and I will continue to flow in this vein, until the Holy Spirit directs me elsewhere. With that in mind, I was led this morning to remind us of the Purpose of Overflow. God does not want to bless us for the sake of being blessed. The original promise to Abraham was that he would be blessed, but the purpose of the blessing was so that he could be a blessing to others (Gen 12:2). Paul opens 2nd Corinthians 8 talking about giving. He says, “My friends, we want you to know that the churches in Macedonia have shown others how kind God is. Although they were going through hard times and were very poor, they were glad to give generously. They gave as much as they could afford and even more, simply because they wanted to” (verses 1-3). Paul later turns the corner from the Macedonians to them and says, “But just as you excel in everything – in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in complete earnestness and in your love for us – see that you also excel in this grace of giving” (v.7). It was clear that the Corinthians were operating in spiritual gifts (see chapter 12 and 14), but Paul reminded them that the grace of giving was part of our responsibility as believers. He then says, “I am not ordering you to do this. I am simply testing how real your love is by comparing it with the concern that others have shown. You know that our Lord Jesus Christ was kind enough to give up all his riches and become poor, so that you could become rich” (verses 8,9). And finally, verse 12 says, “It doesn’t matter how much you have. What matters is how much you are willing to give from what you have.”
I share our text this morning just like I attempt to share every other text – in context. Verses 1-15 of this chapter are dealing with financial giving. I share that in this light because some believe that verse 9 has nothing to do with money. Although I know that Jesus died so that I could be wrapped and robed in His righteousness, covered by His blood, anointed by His Spirit, and called according to His purpose; to exclude finances from this text, would be to take the text out of context. If we do a quick word study we find that the word used for Jesus’ riches here is the same word used in reference to Joseph of Arimathaea (Mat 27:57), the rich man clothed in purple (Luke 16:19), the rich man and Lazarus (Luke 16:22), the rich young ruler (Luke 18:23), and many more.
So what does this mean to you today? What it means is that Jesus, who created the Universe (Jn 1:3, Col 1:16) and owned the cattle on a thousand hills (Ps 50:10), temporarily gave up position in heaven as an offering for us. He came to deal with the problems of sin and death. He came to pay the penalty for the act of Adam in the garden. He came that we might have eternal and everlasting life. He came that we would walk in Holiness and be covered in His righteousness. And He also came that we might walk in Overflow in every area of our lives. We must never forget, however, the purpose of Overflow. If God makes us rich in Spiritual wisdom, revelation, insight, understanding, and even finances; we must remember that like Abraham, God blesses us to be a blessing to others. Ask God to show you how can you be a blessing to someone else today. When He does, just DO IT!
Confession for this day: Lord God. I thank Your for sending Your Son as a sacrifice for sin and death. Jesus became poor that I, through His poverty, might be made rich. I am rich in righteousness, holiness, purity, and love. I am rich in character, moral integrity, honesty, and truth. I am covered by Your blood, anointed by Your Spirit, and called according to Your purpose. I walk in overflow in every area of my life and I purpose to give, as You have given me. As I receive insight, revelation, wisdom, and increase; I declare that I will share what I receive with others. I am a channel of Your anointing and a conduit of Your blessing. In Jesus’ name. Amen!
This is Today’s Word! Apply it and Prosper!
Rejecting the World and Receiving the Word! (top of page)
(Ps 1:1-3 KJV) Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night. And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.
This morning we continue our series on ‘Walking in Overflow in 2005’ with one of my favorite passages in the Bible, the 1st Psalm. This is important in this season of overflow, because God will not bless our mess. Overflow or not, God will not bestow His favor upon people who live a lifestyle of sin. David starts off by telling us what toReject – the way of the wicked (the world’s advice, their sinful ways, and their scornful attitude). How can we reject them, you may ask? Well, he then gives us the answer: by Receiving the Word of God. He tells us to Delight and Meditate on the Word of God day and night. Here comes the promise. If we Reject the world and Receive the Word, we will Rejoice in the following areas:
1. We will live a Stable Life (a tree planted by the rivers of water): A tree needs water to grow and to be sustained. A tree planted by the rivers of water has roots that grow down and towards the river. This tree has a constant supply of what it needs to grow and remain strong. So it is with us, when we delight in and meditate on the Word of God and master our minds by nursing and rehearsing the Word constantly, we have the stability of an unmovable tree. Winds may come and rains my fall. The tree might sway, but it will not break and it will remain stable. Why? Because its roots run deep and are being fed by the river. Are you connected to God’s river (the Water of the Word)?
2. We will live a Fruitful Life (that bringeth forth his fruit in his season): A tree that is close to the water source cannot help but bring forth fruit. Some fruit trees are weak and unfruitful, but the one described in the text is setup to be blessed. Why? The text says that it was “planted by the rivers of water.” When we reject the world and receive the Word we cannot help but bring forth fruit. A key, however, is that a tree cannot enjoy the fruit that it bears. Fruit is not for the tree, but rather for others to enjoy. God wants us to be blessed, like Abraham (Gen 12:2), to be a blessing to others (our family, friends, workplace, community, etc.) and lead them to Him! Are you being fruitful?
3. We will live a Full Life (his leaf also shall not wither): How foolish would it be to encounter a tree with fruit, but no leaves. Fruit is for others, but leaves are for us! And the promise is that our leaves will not wither. So not only does God want to bless others through us, but He also wants us to be blessed. How can we experience this Fullness? Through rejecting the world and receiving the Word! When we do this, we cannot help but walk Overflow!
4. We will live a life of Overflow (whatsoever he doeth shall prosper): This is the kicker. This is the part that stirs my spirit. The text promises that if we reject the world, and take delight in and meditate on the Word of God constantly, everything we do will prosper! God wants us to be prosperous in EVERY area of our lives. He wants us to be blessed (happy). He wants us to be Stable. He wants us to be Fruitful. He wants us toe be Full. We cannot have any of these results, however, if we do not first fulfill the requirement. What is the requirement? Rejecting the world and Receiving the Word.
Confession for this day: Lord God. I reject the way of the wicked. I do not walk in the counsel of the ungodly, nor do I stand in the way of sinners, nor do I sit in the seat of the scornful. My delight is in Your Word and it is in Your Word that I meditate day and I night. Not only do I think about Your Word, but I observe to do all that is written therein. I therefore make my way prosperous and I enjoy good success. I am Stable. I am Fruitful. I am Full. Everything I do Prospers and I walk in Overflow. In Jesus’ name. Amen!
This is Today’s Word! Apply it and Prosper!
Obedience is the test of Love (top of page)
(John 14:15 AMP) If you [really] love Me, you will keep (obey) My commands.
We continue our series on ‘Walking in Overflow in 2005’ with a special emphasis this week on ‘Obedience.’ I have shared already that obedience is the key that unlocks overflow and this week we will continue to flow in this vein.
Obedience is a dirty word for many in our society. America bombards its youth with images of rebellion and disrespect daily over television, movies, and the internet. Submission to authority is frowned upon and freelance independence is celebrated. Unfortunately, many have attempted to carry this attitude into the church. We will see this week that there is safety and security in obedience to God and His Word. Webster defines obedience as “Compliance with a command, prohibition or known law; the performance of what is required by authority, or the abstaining from what is prohibited. To constitute obedience, the act or forbearance to act must be in submission to authority; the command must be known to the person, and his compliance must be in consequence of it, or it is not obedience.” There is a lot covered in this definition. Let’s take a closer look:
1. Obedience is compliance with a command. In our case, the commands of God are found in His Word.
2. Obedience is the performance of what is required by authority. Obedience is not obedience if you simply ‘say’ you will perform what is required, but fail to couple your words with action. James called faith that is not coupled with works (action), dead faith (James 2:18-26).
3. Obedience is abstaining from what is prohibited. Not only is obedience performing what is required by authority, but it is also not performing what is prohibited. Although we are under the dispensation of grace, covered by the blood of Jesus, and anointed by the Holy Spirit; it does not give us license to sin. Sin is still prohibited by God. Paul asked the question, “Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound?” He came right back and answered, “God forbid!” (Rom 6:1,2).
4. Knowledge of the command is required for Obedience. Obedience is not obedience if you are ignorant of the command. That is why it is important to read, study, and understand the Word of God (His commands). But also know that if you know better, you will be expected to DO better. James said, “If you don’t do what you know is right, you have sinned” (4:17).
So what does this mean to you today? As previously stated, we will learn this week that there is both safety and security in obedience to God and His Word, but the question for today is – do you love God? Jesus said in our text that if you love Him, you would keep His commands. Or in other words, obedience is the test of love. Yes, we can believe God for Overflow in 2005. Yes, we can declare God’s blessings over our lives. Yes, we can profess to be healed, healthy, blessed, and prosperous in every area of our lives. But if we fail to obey God with our actions, then we are simply giving God ‘lip service.’ Empty words mean nothing to God. Back up your words today with actions of love and obedience. Then you will see the Overflow!
Confession for this day: Lord God. I love You with all my heart, mind, soul, strength, and resources. Not only do I declare that with my lips, but I prove it with my actions. My actions line up with Your Word. I comply with Your commands. I perform what is required of me in your statutes. I abstain from sin and the very appearance of evil. I set my heart to do everything I know is right to do. As I know better, I do better. I love You Lord and my obedience unlocks Your Overflow in my life. In Jesus’ name. Amen!
This is Today’s Word! Apply it and Prosper!
Obedience is the key to Relationship (top of page)
(John 14:21 AMP) The person who has My commands and keeps them is the one who [really] loves Me; and whoever [really] loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I [too] will love him and will show (reveal, manifest) Myself to him. [I will let Myself be clearly seen by him and make Myself real to him].
We continue our series on ‘Walking in Overflow in 2005’ with a special emphasis this week on ‘Obedience.’ Yesterday we dealt with John 14:15, where Jesus said, “If you love me, you will obey what I command.” This morning we continue in that same passage. He went on to talk about the coming Holy Spirit. Saying, “And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever – the Spirit of truth… you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you.” Jesus explained this coming Holy Spirit as a counselor, one who would bring truth, and one who was equal to Him (with them now, but in them later). This was some much needed assurance for the disciples. They left their way of life to follow Jesus and Jesus was now preparing to leave them.
Jesus went on to further assure them of the coming Holy Spirit by saying, “I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. Before long, the world will not see me anymore, but you will see me… On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you.” Jesus vividly painted a picture of intimacy, relationship, and revelation. He was teaching them that they would be afforded an opportunity to experience the relationship that He had with the Father. They would have the same access that He had and the same human-divine connection that they saw Him operate in; in the earth. This intimacy would come through the vehicle of the Holy Spirit, but I am glad that He did not end it there. Had Jesus stopped at verse 20, then every Born-Again believer would think that having received the Holy Spirit would mean that they could receive instant and consistent revelation from God. This is partly true. The second ingredient is found in our text for this morning (v.21) – OBEDIENCE. Once again, obedience is the test of love and Jesus promised that God would reveal Himself to those who proved their love for God by obeying His commands.
So what does this mean to you today? A few things:
1. God wants to reveal Himself to us. God did not send His Son to die so that we could be distant. Jesus died so that we could have an intimate relationship with the Father. One where He reveals Himself to us consistently.
2. This revelation is tied to love. God is love (1 Jn 4:8) and love is the ingredient that causes Him to move in the earth.
3. Obedience proves our love. Many people know God’s Word, but our text says that those that both have the commands (Word) and keep (obey) them, are the ones that really love God.
4. Obedience is the key to relationship. As we obey God and His Word, we prove our love. As we prove our love, He reveals Himself to us. As He reveals Himself to us, we obey what He says. As we obey what He says, He reveals Himself to us. And so on… This is a picture of the relationship that God wants to have with us and it is all unlocked by the key of Obedience!
Confession for this day: Lord God. I know You want to reveal Yourself to me this month, so that I could have the vision for this year. I also know that You want to reveal Yourself to me daily and this is my desire. I obey Your Word because I love You. As I submit and surrender myself to Your Word, I prove my love for You. As I prove my love for You, You reveal Yourself to me. As You reveal Yourself to me, I declare that I will obey You again and again and again. I walk in Your Word and You walk with me. Thank you for this relationship! In Jesus’ name. Amen!
This is Today’s Word! Apply it and Prosper!
Whatever He tells you to do, DO IT! (top of page)
(John 2:5 MSG) She went ahead anyway, telling the servants, “Whatever he tells you, do it.”
We continue our series on ‘Walking in Overflow in 2005’ with a special emphasis this week on ‘Obedience.’ John’s second chapter starts off with a wedding at Cana in Galilee. Jesus was at the wedding with His mother and His disciples. It is believed that the person being married was related Jesus, because Mary was involved in the service. This would explain her concern when the wedding party ran out of wine during the feast. Running out of wine was a great embarrassment. Jesus’ mother made Him aware of the situation, but He did not want to get involved at first. He told His mother that His time had not yet come. His mother, however, was persistent. Our text says that she went ahead anyway, telling the servants, “Whatever he tells you, do it.” This is the key to this morning’s lesson.
Jesus saw six stone water jars – the Jews used these for ceremonial washing – and told them to fill the jars with water. The servants did not question Jesus and filled the jars to the brim. He then told them to draw some out and to take it to the master of the banquet. The master of the banquet called the groom aside to talk to him about this wine. Most people served their guests the best wine up front, but this wine far surpassed anything he had previously tasted. He told the groom that he thought it strange that he saved the best for last. This was Jesus’ first miracle.
So what does this mean to you today? There is a lot we can deal with here, but we will limit our comments to a few golden nuggets:
1. God will never ask you to do something you are not capable of doing: These servants were very familiar and accustomed to filling up the ceremonial washing pots. Jesus asked them to do something that they were capable of doing.
2. God is looking for availability, not always ability: The wedding party was embarrassed because they had run out of wine. Jesus did not take the opportunity to scold them about poor planning or to complain about what they did not have, He immediately looked around to see what they had available. Six ceremonial washing pots, the servants, and the water were the resources they had, so that was what Jesus used to bless them. Just as long as you avail whatever you have to God, He can use it for your breakthrough.
3. Obedience and Excellence go hand-in-hand: We have been dealing with Obedience this week. God wants us to be obedient, but He also wants us to obey with the proper attitude. He wants us to willingly obey (Is 1:19). I believe these servants had the right attitude. Why, you may ask? Because they filled the jars to the brim. They did not half-step when it came to their assignment. They coupled obedience with excellence and God manifested His glory!
4. Obedience will require you to do some strange things: The servants knew what was in the jars. They also knew that if they served the master of the banquet, he would be expecting wine and not water. But they did not question the instructions and they did it anyway. We would do well in not questioning every peculiar thing that God tells us to do.
5. Whatever He tells you to do, DO IT: That’s the best advice I could ever give you. Mary gave us a golden nugget in our text. Great or small, difficult or easy, time consuming or quick; whatever Jesus tells you to do, just do it!
Confession for this day: Lord God. Whatever You expect me to do, You have equipped me to do and all that You have equipped me to do, You expect me to do. My greatest asset in the Kingdom is my availability to Your use. I avail myself to You today. I couple my obedience with excellence and do whatever You tell me to do to the fullest of my ability. You saved the best wine for last in the feast. You are a God of progression and not regression. I declare that this year is the year of Overflow and the best year of my life. Forward ever, backward never! In Jesus’ name. Amen!
This is Today’s Word! Apply it and Prosper!
The Blessing of dealing with Pride (top of page)
(Job 36:11,12 KJV) If they obey and serve him, they shall spend their days in prosperity, and their years in pleasures. But if they obey not, they shall perish by the sword, and they shall die without knowledge.
We continue our series on ‘Walking in Overflow in 2005’ with a special emphasis this week on ‘Obedience.’ The book of Job is a very interesting book to read. It is packed with several rounds of speeches by Job and his friends. Chapters 4-14 contain round 1, 15-21 round 2, 22-31 round 3, and chapter 32 opens with the mention of a young man named Elihu. When Job’s three other friends got fed up, the young man stepped in and began the forth round of speeches (chapters 32-37). He let them know right from the start, however, that he was not bashful. He said, “I am young in years, and you are old; that is why I was fearful, not daring to tell you what I know. I thought, ‘Age should speak; advanced years should teach wisdom.’ But it is the spirit in a man, the breath of the Almighty, that gives him understanding. It is not only the old who are wise, not only the aged who understand what is right.” With this, he set the tone and began his discourse.
He went on to chasten Job for the several comments that he made about himself that were indicators of pride and self-righteousness. There are too many references to mention here, but a couple of quick ones are that Job claimed to be pure (9:21, 10:7, 12:4) and without sin (13:23, 23:11). Elihu reminded Job of these and the many other comments that he made that were questionable and possible indicators of pride. He warned against pride and said, “Hear my words, you wise men; listen to me, you men of learning. For the ear tests words as the tongue tastes food” (Job 34:1,2).
For the sake of time, we will fast forward to the 36th chapter. Here Elihu says several things that are worth noting for us today:
1. God never takes his eyes off the righteous; He honors them lavishly and promotes them endlessly (v.7).
2. God points out sin and pride to those who are suffering because of it (v.8,9).
3. God warns and ushers those operating in sin and pride to turn back to Him (v.10).
4. This is where the emphasis on Obedience comes in. God promises prosperity and pleasure to those that obey and serve Him. Obedience, once again, unlocks Overflow (v.11).
5. Those that choose to ignore that opportunity for repentance and reject the voice of God, will perish (v.12).
So what does this mean to you today? Bishop T.D. Jakes called pride the “Silent Killer” in the church, because pride operates in the invisible realm of the inward man. If you feel and urge to ask God for forgiveness after reading this message, then that is an indication that pride may be operating in your life. Ask God to forgive you, cleanse you, and renew you today. Pride will hinder your walk and stifle your Overflow.
Confession for this day: Lord God. I am who You say that I am. I can do what You say that I can do. I can have what You say that I can have. Without You, however, I realize that I am nothing. I cannot please You in self. I am crucified with You, but nevertheless I live, yet not I, but it is You now that live in me. None of me, All of You! In Jesus’ name. Amen!
This is Today’s Word! Apply it and Prosper!
It all starts in the Mind! (top of page)
(Pro 3:1,2 CEV) My child, remember my teachings and instructions and obey them completely. They will help you live a long and prosperous life.
We continue our series on ‘Walking in Overflow in 2005.’ Last week we emphasized on Obedience and this week we will emphasize on ‘Thinking Like a Winner!’ It has been said, and I agree, that if you think you can, or you think you can’t – you’re right. Meaning that you can if you think you can and you can’t if you think you can’t. Success or failure is determined in your mind. You will never go any higher than you think you can. That is why it is important to renew our thoughts to what God’s Word says about us. We must allow the Word of God to make us think like a winner. Let’s take a closer look at the text:
1. The Requirement:
a. Remember: Solomon instructs us remember God’s Word. This literally means not to forget or to memorize. We will often times do what we think. Most actions are a result of a conscious decision or our subconscious programming. Either way, our actions are triggered by our mind. We must understand that what is in us abundantly will come out of us eventually. When we memorize God’s Word and hide it in our heart (Ps 119:11), we are literally programming ourselves for success. Studying and memorizing God’s Word is your first step in renewing Your Mind and preparing yourself for the Overflow.
b. Obey: Here is obedience again. We cannot get away from it. Remembering the Word of God is one thing, but it will not benefit us if we do not couple our memory with obedience. Learning the Word and remembering the Word prepare us for the blessed benefits of doing what it says. Once we know better, we ought to do better.
2. The Reward:
a. Long Life: Gymnasiums are packed every day and billions of vitamins are sold every year, because most people want to live long lives. No one wants to die. The Word of God teaches us that when we remember and obey what God has instructed us, He will reward us with long life. Why? Because we become living channels through which He can reach the world. When we remember and obey His commands, we become conduits of His anointing. We become productive instruments in the hands of our God. He then continues to use us for His glory.
b. Prosperity: Here comes the Overflow. Most people are seeking prosperity, but they are seeking it from the wrong source – money. God wants to prosper us and yes, it does include money; but prosperity is not limited to finances. God will bless those who remember and obey his Word with health, wealth, peace, and long life – the total package! This is the year of Overflow and we can tap into this vein. God takes pleasure in the prosperity of His servants (Ps 35:27).
So what does this mean to you today? It means that it all starts in your mind. You will not do what you cannot remember. You will not remember what you have not read. Get in the Word and make yourself think like God thinks. Elevate your thinking. No matter what people have told you in the past and no matter what you believed about your future, accept God’s opinion of you and know that His plans for you are bright! You have a long life and a prosperous future ahead of you and it all starts TODAY! Think like a Winner and Become One!
Confession for this day: Lord God. I read Your Word and believe Your opinion of me. You Word says that I am the head and not the tail and I believe it. Your Word says that I am above only and not beneath and I believe it. Your Word says that I am more than a conqueror and I believe it. Your Word says that I can do all things through Christ and I believe it. Your Word says that I am a royal priesthood and a holy nation and I believe it. Your Word says that no weapon formed against will prosper and I believe it. I couple my belief with obedience and receive a long and prosperous life. In Christ, I am a Winner! In Jesus’ name. Amen!
This is Today’s Word! Apply it and Prosper!
It all starts with a Thought! (top of page)
(II Cor 10:4, 5 KJV) (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;) 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.
We continue our series on ‘Walking in Overflow in 2005.’ Last week we emphasized on Obedience and this week we will emphasize on ‘Thinking Like a Winner!’ Paul wrote our text to the church at Corinth and dealt with many issues. In the 10th chapter he addresses the way the adversary seeks to attack the church and really, every aspect of our lives — through our minds! He said, “For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does.” If our only enemy was a human one, then we could simply hunt him down and kill him, to rid us attacks, but we wage war against spiritual forces and many of the battles are fought on the battleground of our mind. Our minds are flooded daily with thoughts from either (1) ourselves, (2) the adversary, or (3) God. What we must do – if we are to ‘Think like Winners’ – is decipher and decode the origin of the thoughts before we allow them to become our actions. We must know the difference between God’s voice, our voice and foreign voices; listening only to to the voice of the Good Shepherd (John 10:5). Thinking like a winner means that we are prepared for the daily mental barrage of the enemy and are able – through the Word of God and the Power of the Holy Spirit – to take control of every thought and bring it into the obedience of Christ (or the Word of God). Let’s take a closer look at the text:
1. We Start off with a thought: As previously stated, our minds are flooded with thoughts from either (1) ourselves, (2) the adversary, or (3) God. We must decipher and decode the origin of the thoughts before we allow them to become our actions. Every action starts with a thought. One quick way of knowing that a thought did not come from God is when the thought is contrary to God’s Word. The Spirit of God will never lead you contrary to the Word of God.
2. Our thoughts create Images (imaginations): We do not think in words, but rather in images. For example: if I say, please do not think about an elephant, with his big ears and long trunk; invariably, you already pictured that elephant. Or if I say, Big Mac, you can see one. And so on. When we allow impure thoughts to enter our minds unchallenged, we will soon see the images these thoughts create.
3. If not controlled, those images can create Strongholds: Uncontrolled thoughts create unruly images. Unruly images, if not challenged with the Word of God, create strongholds that are difficult to escape from. A stronghold is a fortified city, designed to keep you within its walls. A person that is trapped in addictions to pornography, alcohol, drugs, cigarettes, sexual immorality, gossip, backbiting, hatred, and etc.; is a person that allowed simple impure thoughts to lead to impure images and now they are trapped in fortified strongholds.
So what does this mean to you today? Tomorrow we will look at the ‘flip-side’ of this verse and how we can allow our thought life to trap us in God’s blessings, but today’s message is clear – it all starts with a thought. Thinking like a winner means that our thinking is lined up with the Word of God. When we line up every through with the Word of God, we are then able to cast down the ones that do not flow in the vein of God’s blessings. Overflow starts with mastering your thought life and Thinking like a Winner every day!
Confession for this day: Lord God. I think like a winner every day, through power of the Holy Spirit. I take control of every thought and I examine them against Your Word. I apply those that that line up with Your Word and thereby cause my way to be prosperous. I also cast down every thought that does not line up with Your Word. I will not allow impure thoughts to snare me today, nor any day. You have given me the power to succeed and I am successful in my Mind, my Mouth, and my Methods! I will never be the same. Never be the same. Never be the same. In Jesus’ name. Amen!
This is Today’s Word! Apply it and Prosper!
Thoughts that lead to Blessings! (top of page)
(II Cor 10:4, 5 KJV) (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;) 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.
We continue our series on ‘Walking in Overflow in 2005’ with the emphasis for this week being: ‘Thinking Like a Winner!’ This morning we examine the ‘flip side’ of the yesterday’s message. If it is true that impure thoughts can lead to unrighteous images, and unrighteous images can lead to unholy strongholds (a walled city); then it must also be true that pure thoughts can lead to righteous images, and righteous images can lead to holy strongholds (a walled city).
1. Reprogrammed Thoughts: The Bible teaches that we should meditate on the Word of God day and night (Jos 1:8; Ps 1:1-3). I was 23 yrs. old when I gave my life to Christ. It took 23 yrs. to program my mind the way it was, and believe me (being from Brooklyn) my thought life was not the best. I learned through Bible Study and worship that if I wanted to grow in Christ, my mind had to be renewed (Ro 12:1,2) and that it could only happen through the Word of God. I read and studied the Word of God and made myself think about it as I went throughout the day. Slowly but surely, I experienced a reprogramming of my mind. I think differently and therefore I AM a different person (Ps 23:7). You can experience the same!
2. Lead to Reprogrammed Images: As your thought life is reprogrammed through the Word of God, your image life will be as well. We learned yesterday that your thoughts lead to your images (imagination). God starts to show you things in your minds eye that you have never seen before. You start to get desires for things you never had desires for. You start seeing yourself successful, peaceful, prosperous, loving, kind, etc. In the world, salesmen are trained to ‘see’ themselves closing the deal. In Christ, when you meditate on the Word of God, you will ‘see’ yourself doing things people said you could not do, going places they said you could not go, and having things they said you could not have. Pure thoughts lead to Righteous Images!
3. Lead to being trapped in Blessings: Just like uncontrolled thoughts and unruly images can trap us in strongholds (walled cities) of sin; pure thoughts and righteous images will cause our way to be prosperous and to attain good success (Jos 1:8). This is the Overflow. We will find ourselves living in a walled city, but not a city of sin, a city of blessings! Walking around with a hedge of protection (Ps 34:7). Angels become our walls and blessings become our neighborhood. Who would not want to move to Blessing BLVD? Who would not want to build a house on Prosperous Way? That is God’s desire for our lives. He wants to bless us, keep us, and protect us; but it all starts with US! We must change our ‘negative thinking through the Word of God and allow our minds to be reprogrammed to think like He thinks and seek after His desires for our lives.
So what does this mean to you today? It means the choice is yours! You can either walk away from the computer screen like you did not read anything and forget about it altogether (Jas 1:23,24), or you can ask the Holy Spirit to help reprogram your impure thoughts through the Word of God. It all starts in the mind! Are you ready to be renewed towards thoughts that lead to blessings?
Confession for this day: Lord God. I take control of my thought life through the Power of the Holy Spirit. I meditate on Your Word day and night and will observe to do all that is written therein. I make my way prosperous and I have good success. I walk in the newness of life that I receive in Christ and I also receive a total reprogramming of my mind towards righteousness and love. I think like you think. I act like you act. I accept Your opinion of me. I will never be the same. Never be the same. Never be the same. In Jesus’ name. Amen!
This is Today’s Word! Apply it and Prosper!
Your Life is Shaped by Your Thoughts! (top of page)
(Prov 4:20-23, 26 GNB) My child, pay attention to what I say. Listen to my words. Never let them get away from you. Remember them and keep them in your heart. They will give life and health to anyone who understands them. Be careful how you think; your life is shaped by your thoughts. (v.26) Plan carefully what you do, and whatever you do will turn out right.
We continue our series on ‘Walking in Overflow in 2005’ with an emphasis this week on ‘Thinking Like a Winner!’ So what do you want for your children? Do you want to see them succeed or fail? The answer is simple. We want to see your children succeed, do well in life, and go and do more than we did. If we, who were born inherently evil, can have these desires for our children, how much more does God want to see us prosper? He wants to bless us and that is why He has given us clear instructions in His word. The Holy Spirit through Solomon teaches us several things this morning that apply to our lives and our thinking:
1. Pay attention to what I say: It is annoying when someone ignores you while you are speaking to them. I can just imagine how much God is ignored all over the world, everyday. What do you think God does all day? He is speaking to His people, but many are not listening. One way that we can pay attention to God is by giving our attention to His Word!
2. Listen to my words: We have to do more than read the Word, but we must listen – pay attention to and obey – to what it is saying to us, for that day, through His Word.
3. Never let them get away from you: We guard those things that are most precious to us. We take care of our prized possessions and make every attempt to ensure that they are not lost or stolen. How much more precious should be the Word of God in our lives?
4. Remember them and keep them in your heart: You cannot re-member what you have never ‘membered’ (learned, received, and connected to your person). The Holy Spirit can only re-mind us of those things that are already in our minds. It is our responsibility to study, to get His Word in our minds. The more we have in us, the more we give Him to work with.
5. Be careful what you think; your life is shaped by your thoughts: This is the kicker. It all starts in the mind. When we control our thoughts and force ourselves to think like God thinks and accept God’s opinion of us, we are able to shape our lives and fulfill our destiny. Life changes start with thought changes. James Allen said it this way, “You are today where your thoughts have brought you. You will be tomorrow where you thoughts take you.”
6. Plan carefully what you do, and whatever you do will turn out right: To think like a winner we must take control of our thought life. When we control our thoughts, we can plan our actions. When we plan our actions and submit them to God, He will bless our plans and prosper us in everything we do.
So what does this mean to you today? Dr. John Maxwell said, “One of the reasons people don’t achieve their dreams is that they desire to change their results without changing their thinking.” So you can wander aimlessly though life and receive whatever just seemingly comes your way or you can submit your way – your thoughts, plans, and hence; actions – to God and watch Him lead, guide, direct, and bless you in every area of your life. The choice is yours!
Confession for this day: Lord God. I pay attention to what You say to me through the Holy Spirit and other people. I give attention to Your Word. I listen to and actively obey Your commandments. I do not let Your Word get away from me. The Holy Spirit reminds me of everything I have studied, when I need it, and declare that I will take heed to everything He says to me. I am careful to protect my thoughts and line them up with Your Word, because my life is shaped by my thoughts. I plan carefully what I do and You bless my plans, to Your glory! Everything I do, that is in accordance with Your plans for my life and this year, is prosperous. I receive the Overflow through a submitted thought life. In Jesus’ name. Amen!
This is Today’s Word! Apply it and Prosper!
Overcoming the Grasshopper Mentality! (top of page)
(Num 13:33 NIV) “We saw the Nephilim there (the descendants of Anak come from the Nephilim). We seemed like grasshoppers in our own eyes, and we looked the same to them.”
We continue our series on ‘Walking in Overflow in 2005’ with an emphasis this week on ‘Thinking Like a Winner!’ In Numbers 13 Moses sent out twelve spies to explore Canaan, the land promised to them by God to possess it. He said, “See what the land is like and whether the people who live there are strong or weak, few or many. What kind of land do they live in? Is it good or bad? What kind of towns do they live in? Are they unwalled or fortified? How is the soil? Is it fertile or poor? Are there trees on it or not? Do your best to bring back some of the fruit of the land.” So they took off, one man from every tribe. They cut off a cluster of grapes when they reached the Valley of Eshcol and gathered them up, with some pomegranates and figs. They explored the land for forty days and came back to give their report. They gave Moses and the entire community this account: “We went into the land to which you sent us,and it does flow with milk and honey! Here is its fruit. But the people who live there are powerful, and the cities are fortified and very large. We even saw descendants of Anak there. The Amalekites live in the Negev; the Hittites, Jebusites and Amorites live in the hill country; and the Canaanites live near the sea and along the Jordan.” This struck up fear and murmuring in the people, but Caleb spoke up to silence everyone. He said, “We should go up and take possession of the land, for we can certainly do it.” But the men who had gone up with him said, “We can’t attack those people; they are stronger than we are… all the people we saw there are of great size. We saw the Nephilim there (the descendants of Anak come from the Nephilim). We seemed like grasshoppers in our own eyes, and we looked the same to them.”
This is a great example of people failing to think like winners. This land was promised to them by God. Twelve spies went in, but only two of the twelve (Joshua and Caleb) perceived that they could possess the promise. Notice what the ten who failed to ‘see’ themselves capable failed to say. They did not say that God was incapable of fulfilling His promise. They did not say that God was not strong enough to destroy the inhabitants. They did not say that God was unreliable and would fail them. What they said was that they saw themselves as grasshoppers in their own eyes and somehow assumed that the inhabitants of the land saw them that way as well!
So what does this mean to you today? A few things:
1. Allow God’s opinion of you (in His Word) to shape your opinion of yourself.
2. Believe you can do everything God says you can do.
3. Understand that nothing is impossible through God (Mark 10:27, Jer 32:27).
4. The greater the challenge, the greater the testimony.
5. With God, you are never the grasshopper. You are always a mighty man/woman of valor!
Confession for this day: Lord God. I believe Your Word and everything written in it. All the promises contained therein are for me. I receive them by faith. I allow Your opinion of me to become my opinion of myself. I believe that I am the head and not the tail. I am above only, and not beneath. I am more than a conqueror. I overcome the world by faith. This is the year of overflow and I can possess everything You desire for me to possess this year. I will not fail. I will not waiver. I do not stagger at Your promises, but am rather strong in faith. I am fully persuaded that what You have promised, you are able also to perform. I can see myself victorious! In Jesus’ name. Amen!
This is Today’s Word! Apply it and Prosper!
Use the Word that you Have! (top of page)
(1 Sam 17:39) And David girded his sword upon his armour, and he assayed to go; for he had not proved it. And David said unto Saul, I cannot go with these; for I have not proved them. And David put them off him.
This morning we continue our series on ‘Walking in Overflow in 2005.’ This past weekend I was at the Richard B. Peoples Ministries Leadership Conference in Atlanta and it was a tremendous blessing in my life. I received so much Word that I will still be processing all those truths for weeks to come. One of the nuggets that the Holy Spirit shared this weekend pertains to exactly that. I thank God that I will study my notes, digest, and seek to process everything that God intended for me to have this past weekend, but I have to trust that I have enough Word in me already to face today. I have to trust that the Word of God that I have received prior to every obstacle is able to enable me to overcome it. If not, then the obstacle would not have come.
Evangelist Ezell Reginald said it this way, “If you did not have enough God in you to overcome the present situation, the present situation would not have come. If you did not have the revelation of how to overcome the test, the test would not have come.” He based his statement on 1st Corinthians 10:13, that says, “you are tempted in the same way that everyone else is tempted. But God can be trusted not to let you be tempted too much, and he will show you how to escape from your temptations” (CEV). He went on to explain that as soon as you receive a Word from God, satan comes to attempt to snatch away or test the Word that was sown in your heart (see Mark 4:14,15). Satan is not going to come and test a Word that you have never received. So, in other words, to whom much is given, much will be required (Luke 12:48).
This leads us to our text. This is the story of David and Goliath (see the series on the greatest stories ever told on the web site for more information). David was fed up with the uncircumcised Philistine and told King Saul that he would go and fight giant. Saul told David that he was just a boy and that Goliath was a skilled warrior. But David explained to the king that he had killed a lion and a bear with his bare hands while tending to and protecting his sheep and that he would kill this Philistine as well. King Saul was convinced and said, “Go, and the Lord be with you.” But then Saul dressed David in his own tunic and armor. Herein lays the problem. David could not go with Saul’s armor, because he had not proven it. Instead, he decided to go with what he knew. He picked up five smooth stones from a nearby stream, put his shepherd’s staff in his hand, and his sling. Once equipped with what he knew, he approached and killed the giant.
So what does this mean to you today? A few things:
1. You must process and apply the Word of God that you have received, if you are to overcome the attacks that come because of it.
2. The more Word you know, the more God will expect you to operate in.
3. If God permitted it to happen, then you have enough Word in you to handle it.
4. Stop looking for a new scripture for an old problem. Use the Word that you know to overcome every obstacle.
5. Continue to grow by reading, studying, and applying the Word of God in your life. Once you have proven (applied) the Word that you have, then God will expect you to receive more Word, so He can continue to use you for His glory.
Confession for this day: Lord God. I trust You to not allow me to be attempted above that to which I am capable to overcome. I know that when the Word comes, satan will also come to attempt to snatch the Word that I receive. But I declare that I receive the Word, process it, and apply to my life daily. I am transformed into Your image and likeness through Your Word. I face every obstacle, hindrance, and difficulty with the Word that I know. I have enough Word in me to succeed in every endeavor and to overcome every opposition. Once I maximize the Word that I know, I free myself up for You to pour more Word into me. I grow – through Your Word – into the person that You have called me to be. In Jesus’ name. Amen!
This is Today’s Word! Apply it and Prosper!
Faith is the first Step (top of page)
(Heb 11:6 MSG) It’s impossible to please God apart from faith. And why? Because anyone who wants to approach God must believe both that he exists and that he cares enough to respond to those who seek him.
This morning we continue our series on ‘Walking in Overflow in 2005.’ We have been dealing with Overflow since the beginning of the year and for the next couple of weeks we will begin to wind down this series. For the next four days we will take a closer look at something that the Holy Spirit shared through Evangelist Ezell Reginald. He said, “If you believe right, you have faith. If you think right, you have image. If you speak right, you have likeness. If you be right, you have dominion.” I am going to call these: Four Steps to Growth in Christ. In one way or another, I have already dealt with all of these in this series, but we will visit them again.
Step #1, Believing that leads to Faith. To believe simply means to accept as true or real. People believe many things. Some people believe in Santa Claus, the Tooth Fairy, and in Boogie Man; but this has nothing to do with God. Others believe in the teachings of Siddhartha Gautama (Buddhism), Mohammed (Islam), and Confucius (Confucianism). And then others claim to not believe in a God at all (Atheism). The first step in coming to God – Jehovah, the Lord of Lords – is to believe that He is. Our text says that anyone who approaches Him must believe that He exists. Although this may seem elementary, it is very important. Believing in the existence of a God that you cannot see is the first step to operating in faith. The second part, as outlined in our text, is that you must also believe that He will respond to those to seek Him. The word respond here literally means reward. This God that no one can see will reward those who accept Him as true and seek Him with their heart. So then faith could be explained as: believing in God, who is invisible, coming to Him with a submissive heart, and then expecting a response.
Hebrews 11 is filled with people who were examples of this faith. The 27th verse talks about Moses and says, “[Motivated] by faith he left Egypt behind him, being unawed and undismayed by the wrath of the king; for he never flinched but held staunchly to his purpose and endured steadfastly as one who gazed on Him Who is invisible [Exodus 2:15]” (AMP version). Let’s take a closer look at this text:
1. Moses believed in an invisible God.
2. This belief enabled him to do something he had never done – lead a nation of people.
3. This belief enabled him to overcome the wrath of the king of Egypt.
4. This belief enabled him to remain focused and steadfast until the invisible God completed was He promised He would.
5. The text calls this belief, faith!
So what does this mean to you today? Moses was able to do what He did, because God spoke to him and told him what he wanted him to do. This Word from God enabled Moses to do what he had never done and to go where he had never been. We can receive the same. God can speak to us audibly as well, but He can also speak to us through His Word. Our invisible God has left us a visible, tangible, and legible covenant. This covenant is His Word. When we believe that He exists, although we cannot see Him and that He will respond to and reward us for coming to Him in according with the covenant He left behind, we are operating in faith.
Confession for this day: Lord God. Without faith it is impossible to please You. I do believe that You exist, although I cannot physically see You. I also believe that You respond to me when I come to You in accordance with Your covenant. Your Word is Your covenant with me. I can have what it says that I can have, I can do what it says that I can do, and I can be what it says that I can be. My belief in You and Your Word is faith. This faith is pleasing to You. You reward those who diligently seek You and I expect to walk in Your favor this day and every day. In Jesus’ name. Amen!
This is Today’s Word! Apply it and Prosper!
Think Right and you have Image (top of page)
(Heb 11:1 KJV) Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.
This morning we continue our series on ‘Walking in Overflow in 2005’ with the second step to growth in Christ. We are dealing with something that the Holy Spirit shared through Evangelist Ezell Reginald. He said, “If you believe right, you have faith. If you think right, you have image. If you speak right, you have likeness. If you be right, you have dominion.” We dealt with believing yesterday and will address thinking today.
We spent all last week on the topic of ‘Thinking Like a Winner’ and we revisit this very important issue again today with a very familiar scripture. Faith is the subject of many a Christian’s conversation. People all over the world say they practice faith in one way or another. What is faith? The Hebrew writer’s definition tells us that faith gives substance (proof, evidence) to the things that we hope for (perceive, dream of, imagine), but cannot be seen (with natural eyes). Our faith is tied to God’s promises (His Word). The best we can do without a promise (scripture) is “hope” or “wish” that God will show up in our situation. When we find a Bible Promise that lines up with our situation, however, we can then have faith (it adds substance to our hope) that God will do what He said He would do!
Evangelist Reginald said, “If we think right, we have image.” We hope (perceive, dream, imagine) in our mind. It is in our mind’s eye that we see ourselves living out our dreams. It is in our mind’s eye that we imagine ourselves going where we have not gone and doing what we have not done. The adversary will attack us in our minds, in an attempt to derail us form our destiny and drive us towards aborting our dreams. But God gave us the blessing of faith so we would not have to live our lives in “open ended” hope. We start off with hope in our hearts, but we then tie that hope to God’s promises and walk in faith. Why is this important? Because we are then better equipped to sustain the mental attacks of the enemy. When the adversary tells us (in our minds) that we will not be able to succeed in our dreams, our faith tells him that he is a liar and we are able to master our minds through the vehicle of faith. Paul taught us in Ephesians 6 about the Armor of God. One of the key elements of the armor is the shield of faith. Paul said that the shield of faith would quench (extinguish) all the fiery darts of the wicked. Where are those fiery darts thrown? In our minds. So where does the shied of faith reside? In our minds! Where does the battle take place? In our minds! The battle is in the mind and it is won when we fight with the shield of faith.
So what does this mean to you today? It means that you can think about being victorious and successful in life and hope that you will somehow achieve it, but when your dreams and desires are rooted in the Word of God, you can then operate in faith. Faith gives substance and confidence to your thoughts and produces Godly images of victory, success, and overflow! Without faith we would lose the battle in our minds because of the constant barrage of impure and negative thoughts; but with faith we are able to extinguish the enemy’s darts and listen clearly to God’s thoughts, plans, and dreams. Thinking right means that you search the Bible for scriptures that apply to your current situation and you meditate on them. When you hold on to those promises, you will be able to endure and overcome the mental attack of the adversary.
Confession for this day: Lord God. I have faith In Your Word. Your Word gives substance to my hope. Your Word gives the confidence to know that my dreams will come true. Your Word extinguishes the fiery darts of the enemy. Your Word gives me the victory. I do not walk by sight, I walk by faith! My faith that is rooted and grounded in Your Word. My faith that knows that what you have promised, You are able also to perform. My faith that knows that my God is for me and He is more than the entire world against me. In Jesus’ name. Amen!
This is Today’s Word! Apply it and Prosper!
Speak right and you have Likeness (top of page)
(Rom 4:17 AMP) As it is written, I have made you the father of many nations. [He was appointed our father] in the sight of God in Whom he believed, Who gives life to the dead and speaks of the nonexistent things that [He has foretold and promised] as if they [already] existed.
We have been dealing with something Evangelist Ezell Reginald shared. He said, “If you believe right, you have faith. If you think right, you have image. If you speak right, you have likeness. If you be right, you have dominion.” We dealt with thinking yesterday and will address speaking today. We are merely scratching the surface on these topics. I have shared many messages on faith and done a series on the mind, the mouth, and the Kingdom.
Most people are familiar with Genesis 1. The Bible opens with the earth being formless, empty, and dark. Notice how God operated. He did not look at the situation and complain. He did not even speak what he saw. He spoke what he desired to happen. He said, “”Let there be light,” and there was light. And God saw the light. If you keep reading you will see that God said, and God said, and God said, and He then saw everything that He said. God then gave Adam dominion in the earth (1:26). What did Adam do with this dominion? He began to speak. He started naming animals and whatever he named them that became their name (2:19). Even when God caused Adam to sleep and pulled a female from the male, Adam looked at her and called her “woman” (2:23). Females are called woman today, because of what Adam said in the garden.
If we continue to look at how God operated through scripture we see the pattern extended. There are many examples, but we will focus on Abraham God took a man that had never had a child and called him the “Father of many nations” (Gen 17:5), by changing his name from Abram to Abraham. Abraham accepted the name change and the promise and declared himself to be the father of many nations for about 30 years before the promise would begin to manifest, when he was about 100 yrs. old. He knew that his reproductive organs should not have been functioning and that Sarah’s womb should have been dead (Rom 4:19), but he kept on believing that God was faithful to perform was he promised. He did not allow what he saw (nothing) to change what he said and he continued to declare that he was the father of many nations. He introduced himself as the father of many nations for 30 years without having the first child of that promise. He operated in faith, he did not factor in what his body was telling him, and he was fully persuaded that God had power to do what he had promised (Rom 4:21).
So what does this mean to you today? A few things:
1. God did not speak what He saw, He spoke what He desired (Gen 1). Isaiah explained it by saying that God declares the end from the beginning (Is 46:10).
2. Adam operated with dominion, by speaking to nameless animals and giving them names.
3. Abraham accepted the promise given to him by God, continued to stand on that promise, and kept declaring himself to be the father for many nations, until the nonexistent became a reality.
4. The power of death and life are in the tongue (Prov 18:21). There is no need to waste that power on complaining about your situation. Rather use this power to speak the promises of God over your situation; until the nonexistent becomes a reality in your life.
Confession for this day: Lord God. The power of death and life are in my tongue. You have created me in Your image and Your likeness. Just as you looked at darkness and spoke light, I look at every dark situation in my life and speak Your Word. Like Abraham, I stand on Your promises. I do not allow what I see to change what I say. I speak Your Word, I believe Your promises, and I will not be moved. I line up my vocabulary with Your Word. My speech is seasoned with Your grace. My words are health to my bones! I seek to operate like You in every area of my life and I speak those things that are not, as though they are, until the nonexistent becomes a reality in my life. In Jesus’ name. Amen!
This is Today’s Word! Apply it and Prosper!
Be right and you have Dominion (top of page)
(Gen 1:26) And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.
We have been dealing with something Evangelist Ezell Reginald shared. He said, “If you believe right, you have faith. If you think right, you have image. If you speak right, you have likeness. If you be right, you have dominion.” Today we address the last point.
The law of first-mention is a principle of biblical interpretation which states that the first mention of a subject in scripture establishes an unchangeable pattern – with that subject remaining unchanged in the mind of Godthroughout scripture. This means that God does not change His mind. So if you want to find out the original intent of something, you find out where it appears in scripture for the very first time. We are humans and we live on the earth. If we want to find out the original intent for man in the earth, we go to our text for this morning. It describes humans being created in the image and likeness of God and with the intent of having dominion or rule over everything. If we fast forward to the end of the book, we read about a new city, on the earth and we read that humans will rule forever (Rev 22:5). So the first and last chapters of the Bible describe humans operating in dominion. We know that God’s original intent was for mankind to operate like Him in the earth and have authority over it and we know that this unchangeable pattern is carried out to its conclusion at the end of the book. We are now, however, living in the middle. I shared an entire series on this topic (Back to the Basics), but we will attempt to summarize this morning:
1. Adam (mankind) had dominion (Gen 1:26) and operated in it (Gen 2:19).
2. Mankind lost dominion because of the original sin (Gen 3:7).
3. The original sin caused a separation between a Holy God and fallen man (Gen 3:7) and the Holy Spirit was removed from man.
4. God had a plan to send a man, born of a woman, to restore the breech (Gen 3:15).
5. The Old Testament tabernacle (and temple) was a foreshadow of what would come and a place where the High Priest merely visit the Holy Spirit – not a permanent restoration of what Adam lost.
6. Jesus came to become the penalty for sin and to restore the dominion to man that Adam lost in the garden (Ro 5:15).
7. The Holy Spirit was restored to man on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2:4) and man is now able to walk in the same dominion and authority that Adam had in the garden, prior to the fall.
So what does this mean to you today? For this I must refer back to the quote. Reginald says, “… if you be right, and you have dominion.” Dominion authority is available to every Born-Again believer and is a benefit of citizenship in the Kingdom of God; but our actions can hinder our benefits. Sin, fear, doubt, unbelief, unforgiveness, and the like, are ‘Blessing Blockers.’ You can not expect to be used of God mightily in the spiritual realm when you are operating in sin, fear, doubt, and unbelief. Unforgiveness also hinders our prayers (Mark 11:25). Being right means submitting and surrendering to the Holy Spirit in every area and aspect of your life, repenting of sin, and freeing yourself of ‘Blessing Blockers.” You can then operate in the dominion available to you!
Confession for this day: Lord God. You are the King of Kings. You rule and reign in the heavens and You created me to rule and reign in the earth. Jesus died so that the Holy Spirit could be restored to man and so that we could regain the authority the comes along with Your presence. I repent of my sin. I overcome fear, doubt, and unbelief. I seek forgiveness for every offence from you and man. I free myself of every blessing blocker and open myself up to operate in Your dominion authority in the earth. In Jesus’ name. Amen!
This is Today’s Word! Apply it and Prosper!
Faith Confessions for Daily Living (#1) (top of page)
I trust that this series (Walking in Overflow) has been a blessing to you. We have investigated many scriptures that deal with God’s desire for our abundant life in Christ. We close every message with a short confession, but this week I feel led to share a few longer confessions – from the Word of God – that I believe will be a blessing you your life.
Confession for this day: 1. Lord God. While the earth remains, seedtime and harvest will not cease. I have seed in the ground. I sow seeds of love, peace, harmony, forgiveness, compassion, and money; and declare that I reap what I sow. I pray to the Lord of Harvest and expect a correspondent return on every seed (Gen 8:22, Gal 6:7, Mat 9:38).
2. My obedience to You and Your Word and my dedication to continual service in Your Kingdom, ensure that I will spend my days in prosperity and my years in pleasure (Job 36:11).
3. You Father are my Lord, my Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel. It is You and You alone that teaches me to profit, leads me in the way that I should go, and gives me the power to get wealth (Is 48:17, Duet 8:17,18).
4. You are my God. You have empowered me to be a blessing to others and I declare that You will continue to bless me to be a blessing. You supply all me need according to Your riches in glory and I use what You supply for Your glory, by being a blessing to others (Gen 12:1,2; Phil 4:16-19).
5. You set before me life and death, blessing and cursing. You told me to choose life. Promising that both I and my seed would live, that we would love You, and that we would obey your voice. I made my choice and I chose life and blessing, not death and cursing. I cleave unto You and You alone. You are my life and the length of my days (Duet 30:19,20)
6. I continually give thanks to You Father, who have made me a partaker of the inheritance of the saints in light, has delivered me from the power of darkness, and has translated me into the kingdom of Your dear Son – Jesus the Christ (Col 1:12,13).
7. You made Jesus, who was very rich, to become poor for me. So that I, through His poverty, might be made rich (2 Cor 8:9)
8. My belly is satisfied with the fruit of my mouth and I am filled with the increase of my lips. Death and life are in the power of my tongue and I choose to speak life only. I line up my words with Your Word, Father, and I declare that I can have what Your Word says that I can have, I can do what Your Word says that I can do, and that I can be, what Your Word says that I can be (Prov 18:20,21)
9. As the rain comes down from the sky and does not return until it has watered the ground and caused the earth to bring forth and bud, so is Your Word. You Word never goes forth without accomplishing everything it says it can and prospering everywhere it is sown. The grass withers, the flower fades, but Your Word shall stand for ever. Bless me now Father, this day, in accordance with Your infallible, inerrant, and inexhaustible Word! (Is 55:10,11; Is 40:8) .
In Jesus’ name. Amen!
This is Today’s Word! Apply it and Prosper!
Confession for Protection (top of page)
Yesterday we mentioned that we would share Biblical Confessions this week. This morning’s confession deals with scriptures that promise Godly protection. I pray it will be a blessing to you.
Confession for this day:
1. Lord God. You are a shield for me. You are my glory, the lifter up of my head. (Ps 3:3).
2. Lord, in You and You alone do I put my trust. You save me from all those that persecute me, and deliver me (Ps 7:1).
3. You Lord, are my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? You Lord, are the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid? (Ps 27:1).
4. With all my heart I praise You, O LORD! I will never forget how kind you have been (Ps 103:2).
5. You Lord, forgive me of my sins, heal me from all diseases, and protect me from death. Your kindness and love are crowns upon my head (Ps 103:3,4).
6. You bring me justice, whenever I am mistreated (Ps 103:6).
7. I live under the protection of the Most High God and stay in the shadow of God, the All-Powerful (Ps 91:1).
8. I say to You Lord, “You are my fortress, my place of safety; you are my God, and I trust you” (Ps 91:2).
9. You Lord, keep me safe from secret traps and deadly diseases (Ps 91:3).
10. You spread your wings over me and keep me secure. Your faithfulness is like a shield or a city wall (Ps 91:4).
11. I don’t need to worry about dangers at night or arrows during the day. Nor do I fear diseases that strike in the dark or sudden disaster at noon. Though thousands may fall around me, I will not be harmed. (Ps 91:5-7).
12. With my own eyes, I will see the punishment of the wicked. (Ps 91:8).
13. You Lord, the Most High God, are my fortress and I run to You for safety (Ps 91:9).
14. No terrible disasters will strike me, nor my home, because You God, will command Your angels to protect me wherever I go (Ps 91:10,11).
15. The angels will carry me in their arms, and you won’t allow my feet to be hurt by the stones (Ps 91:12).
16. You God, will overpower the strongest lions and the most deadly snakes (Ps 91:13).
17. Because I love You Lord, and I know who You are, You rescue me and keep me safe (Ps 91:14).
18. When I am in trouble, I will call out to You. You hear me, answer me, and will be there to protect me (Ps 91:15).
19. You Lord, will satisfy me with a long and I will see You saving power.
20. I am ready for this day and I am confident that my God is with me everywhere I go. Lord, be it unto me, according to Your Word and my declaration of faith. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
This is Today’s Word! Apply it and Prosper!
Confession for Favor with God and Man (top of page)
Yesterday we shared a Biblical Confession for Protection and today we share one for Favor with God and man. I pray it will be a blessing to you.
Confession for this day:
1. Father God, I come to you in the name of Your dear Son. Jesus is the Apostle and High Priest over my profession, and what I profess is the Word of God concerning favor over my life (Heb 3:1)
2. Like Joseph, I prosper in every place and in every situation I am in, because You Lord, are always with me. I experience preferential treatment everywhere I go (Gen 39:1-6, 21).
3. I declare that I am blessed and highly favored and that my favor quenches fear. Fear has no power over me, nor any operation in my life (Luke 1:28, 30, 2 Tim 1:7).
4. I associate with those who are wise, blessed, and highly favored. My association promotes increase in every area of my life (Prov 13:20, Gen 30:27).
5. You Lord, made Jesus to be sin for me, that I might be made the righteousness of God in Him. As the righteousness of God, I declare that I am highly favored in Your sight (2 Cor 5:21, Psalm 5:12; Proverbs 14:9).
6. I operate in integrity and seek to do good in Your sight daily; as a result, I obtain favor from You, God (Proverbs 11:27; Proverbs 12:2).
7. I walk in Your Word daily. Your Word is the ruler by which I judge every decision. Your wisdom is the guide for my life. By seeking Your wisdom and not my own, I receive Your favor in every area of my life (Proverbs 3:1-4; Proverbs 8:33-35).
8. You favor is life and it endures for a lifetime (Psalm 30:5, AMP).
9. My enemies cannot triumph over me because of Your favor upon my life (Psalm 41:11).
10. You Father, surround and protect me with favor like a shield (Psalm 5:12).
11. I will not allow any corrupt communication to proceed out of my mouth that will cancel out my profession of faith. My belly is satisfied with the fruit of my mouth and I only speak that which is good, full of grace and edifying to others and strength unto my bones (Ephesians 4:29, Prov 18:20).
12. I am ready for this day and I am confident that Your Favor will go ahead me and prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. Favor can do more in a minute than labor can do in a lifetime. I thank You Father for Your favor upon my life. Lord, be it unto me, according to Your Word and my declaration of faith. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
This is Today’s Word! Apply it and Prosper!
Confession of the Blessings of Abraham (top of page)
Yesterday we shared a Biblical Confession for Favor with God and man. Today we share one based on the scriptures that deal with the blessings of Abraham and how they apply to us.
Confession for this day: 1. Father God, you made a covenant with Abraham and promised to make of him a great nation. You promised that he would be blessed to be a blessing (Gen 12:2,3).
2. You promised that nations and kings would come out of Abraham. That you would establish Your covenant with Him and His seed and that this would be an everlasting covenant (Gen 17:6,7).
3. You blessed Abraham and made him very rich. Everything he did was successful (Gen 24:1 CEV).
4. You extended and offered that same blessing to his descendants if they would hear Your voice and obey Your Word (Duet 28:1).
5. By hearing Your voice and obeying Your Word, the following blessings would come upon them and overtake them (Duet 28:2).
6. Their businesses and farms would be successful (Duet 28:3 CEV).
7. They would have many children and would harvest large crops (Duet 28:4 CEV).
8. They would have plenty of bread to eat and You Lord, would make them successful in their daily work (Duet 28:5,6 CEV).
9. You Lord, would help them defeat their enemies (Duet 28:7 CEV).
10. You would make them successful in everything they did and their harvests would be so large that their storehouses would be full (Duet 28:8 CEV).
11. You would open the storehouses of the skies and send them rain at the right times. You promised that they would have plenty of money to lend to other nations and would have no need to borrow any themselves (Duet 28:12 CEV).
12. You promised that if they would obey Your teachings, You would make them a leader among the nations, and not a follower. They would be wealthy and powerful, not poor and weak (Duet 28:13 CEV).
13. I am a Born-Again believer. I was baptized into Christ and have put on Christ. In Christ, there is no distinction between Jew or Greek, slave or free, male or female. We are all one in Christ Jesus. I belong to Christ and am therefore Abraham’s seed and a spiritual heir according to the promise. (Gal 2:27-29).
14. The Promises of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, and Jesus are mine! I walk into this day knowing that You God, are my God and I am Your child. I listen to Your voice and obey Your Word. I am blessed in every area and facet of my life. I can do everything through Christ. I am equipped, enabled, empowered, and employed in the Kingdom of God! Lord, be it unto me, according to Your Word and my declaration of faith. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
This is Today’s Word! Apply it and Prosper!
Confession of Overflow (top of page)
Yesterday we shared a Biblical Confession for the blessing of Abraham and today we wrap up this week of Confessions with a confession of Overflow.
Confession for this day: 1. Father God, I endeavor to seek You in all things, therefore I can declare, in accordance with Your Word, that I shall not want any good thing (Ps 34:10).
2. You Lord, are my shepherd and I do not want (Ps 23:1).
3. I declare what Abraham declared, You are Jehovah-Jireh, the Lord God who provides for me (Gen 22:14).
4. I take no thought about what I will eat, drink, or wear. You Father, know that I have need of all these things. My singular focus is to seek You first, Your Kingdom and Your righteousness, and all those things will be added unto me (Mat 6:31-33).
5. No one will be able to stand up against me, all the days of my life, because You are with me, on me, and in me. You are my ever present help and I know, in accordance with Your Word, that You will never leave me, nor forsake me (Jos 1:5, Ps 46:1, Heb 13:5).
6. You Lord, teach me to profit and lead me in the way that I should go (Is 48:17).
7. You provide seed for the sower and bread for eating. You, in accordance with Your Word, will also provide and multiply my resources for sowing (2 Cor 9:10 AMP).
8. I am a sower and I declare that I am also a reaper. I give and it is given to me again – good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over, do men give unto my bosom (Luke 6:38).
9. I am a blessed man in accordance with Your Word. I do not walk in the counsel of the ungodly, nor do I stand in the way of sinners, nor do I sit in the seat of the scornful. My delight is in Your Word. It is in Your Word that I meditate day and night and Your Word promises that I shall be like a tree that is planted by the rivers of water. This tree has a consistent supply of water and water is what it needs to grow. As I meditate upon Your Word I have a consistent supply of truth, spirit, and life; and that is what I need to grow. Because of that, Your Word promises that I will bring forth my fruit in my season. My leaves will not wither and everything I do will prosper (Ps 1:1-3).
10. Your Word is constantly in my mouth. Your Word is constantly on my mind. I am disciplined concerning Your Word and I make every effort to do everything that is written therein. I am constantly learning from Your Word. The more I know, the more I do. My learning turns in to living. Because of that, Your Word teaches me that I am literally making my way prosperous and that I will receive good success! (Jos 1:8).
11. The thief only comes to steal and kill and destroy. You sent Jesus, however, to the earth, that I might have and enjoy life. Not just life, but abundant and overflowing life in Christ. I understand the purpose of Your coming and I receive it fully today. I operate in the abundant and overflowing life of Christ and I walk in this overflow daily! (John 10:10 AMP). Lord, be it unto me, according to Your Word and my declaration of faith. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
This is Today’s Word! Apply it and Prosper!
The Better Covenant (top of page)
We have been dealing with ‘Walking in Overflow’ since December 2004 and I trust that this series has been a blessing to you. I am convinced, through the Word of God, that it is the will of God that we prosper and experience victory in our lives. God established a covenant with Abraham to bless him to be a blessing and to promised that this covenant would extend to his seed (see Gen 12 and Gen 17). The Word teaches us that God establishes covenant for a thousand generations (Duet 7:9, Ps 105:9), but even greater than that, He clearly told Abraham that His covenant with him would be an everlasting covenant (Gen 17:7). The Jewish people take this covenant very seriously and they know the power that lies therein. Israel is a very small nation, but she yields great leverage in the earth. They walk in favor and increase in their lives. They accept the covenant and lay hold of the blessings therein.
Jesus, however, came to provide us a better covenant, with better promises (Heb 8:6, 12:24). This covenant is also an everlasting covenant (Heb 13:20) and this covenant is sealed with the blood of Jesus the Christ. Jesus paid the penalty for sin and restored the breech between fallen man and a Holy God. He opened the way for the Holy Spirit to be restored to man and for us to walk in the dominion that Adam had in the garden (Gen 1:26). So we have a covenant of righteousness and spiritual restoration. As Christians, we have done a good of teaching the spiritual blessings of life in Christ, but many fail to realize the power of the covenant of Abraham as well. We have a right to walk in everything the Jews walk in and even greater than that, we have been restored to God spiritually, through the power of the Holy Spirit (John 3:3, Acts 1:8, Eph 1:13). We are in Christ and therefore Abraham’s seed, heirs according to his promise, but we also have the better covenant of operating in the power of the Holy Spirit. Jesus said that we would do greater works than He did (John 14:12). Are you ready to believe, accept, and walk in this better covenant – are you ready to walk in Overflow?
The Holy Spirit gave me ‘8 Keys to Operating in Overflow’ and we will investigate these keys over the next couple of weeks. I believe God wants me to make these keys into my first book, please set your faith in agreement with me on this:
1. Resolve in your mind and your heart that the Word of God is and will be the final authority in your life.
2. Free yourself all blessing blockers (sin and weights).
3. Seek God for His vision for your life.
4. Seek God for an incremental vision for every year.
5. Search the scriptures for the promises that pertain to your vision.
6. Confess the Word of God daily over your life.
7. Study daily for growth and increase – making a commitment to live what you learn.
8. Be single minded, purpose driven, vision focused – no Plan B!
Confession for this day: Father God, I accept Your Word and I walk in it daily. You established a covenant with Abraham and promised to bless him to be a blessing. His descendants are walking in this covenant and reaping the blessings of it. I am in Christ and am therefore Abraham’s seed. I accept the blessings of the covenant of Abraham and I also know that I have a better covenant in Jesus Christ. I have been restored back to the spiritual authority that Adam had in the garden and I choose to walk in that authority today. I am covered by the blood of Your Son, Jesus, anointed by the Holy Spirit, and called according to Your vision for my life. I was born to succeed and I walk in that success today and everyday. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
This is Today’s Word! Apply it and Prosper!
Key #1 – Resolve in your mind and your heart that the Word of God is and will be the final authority in your life. (top of page)
This morning we look at the first key to Walking in Overflow. It is impossible to be successful in your Christian walk apart from the Word of God. Every Christian must resolve the issue of Bible accuracy and authority, clearly trust that the Bible is the Word of God; and approach it, not as a textbook to study, but rather as a life book to live!
The Bible is the #1 All-time best-seller. More people have read it than any other book in history. But reading and learning from the Bible accomplishes nothing, if your learning does not turn into living. Some fail to apply its principles because they question the integrity of the book. But think about this. The mere fact that 40 authors can write 66 books over a span of 1500 years and all the books came together as one sacred text is nothing less than an act of God itself. I can take 40 people from the same neighborhood, same culture, same economic background, and the similar mental capacity and I could not get them to come up with anything comparable to the bible. Its books were written by different people, at different times, for different reasons, but they have all come together as one work. Why? Because the people penned the scriptures, but they were not the authors. They wrote the letters, but they did not manufacture the Words. They were the tools, but the Holy Spirit was the Mastermind. The Holy Spirit breathed and inspired the words in the Word! The Holy Spirit inspired Paul to write this to Timothy about His Miraculous work: “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work” (2 Tim 3:16,17 NIV).
Paul was just one of the many writers to inform us of the divinity of the work. Over 2,000 times in the Old Testament alone, the Bible asserts that God spoke what is written within its pages. In the New Testament, the term “the Word of God” occurs over 40 times. It is equated with the Old Testament (Mark 7:13). It was what Jesus preached (Luke 5:1). It was the message the apostles taught (Acts 4:31; 6:2). And it is the message that has changed millions of lives over the last several thousand years.
So what does this mean to you today? It means that although people may debate translations and the accuracy of the translators, the issue of the origin and authority of the Bible itself must be resolved in your mind and heart. You cannot question its authority, because once you do, you give satan an open door to inject doubt and unbelief in your mind. You must know – beyond a shadow of a doubt – that the Bible is literally the Word of God. It contains the mind of God, the way of salvation, the doom of sinners, and the happiness of believers. Its doctrine is holy, its precepts are binding, its histories are true, and its decisions are immutable. Read it to be wise, believe it to be saved, and live it to be blessed. This is the fist key to Walking in Overflow!
Confession for this day: Father God, I accept Your Word and I walk in it daily. I know that the grass may wither, the flower may fade, but Your Word will stand forever. Heaven and earth shall pass away, but Your Word will remain. Your Word is the final authority in my life. I read what it says in order to receive Your wisdom for my life. I believe what it says in order to walk by faith. I live what it says in order to operate like You in the earth. As my learning turns in to living, my thoughts become your thoughts, my ways become Your ways, and my life becomes Your life, I find that I make my way prosperous and I enjoy Good Success. I bind fear, doubt, and unbelief. I know in my heart that the Bible is Your Word and it is my life book to live! In Jesus’ name. Amen.
This is Today’s Word! Apply it and Prosper!
Key #2 – Free yourself all blessing blockers (sin and weights) (top of page)
(Heb 12:1 NIV) Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.
This morning we examine the second key to Walking in Overflow. I call Hebrews 11 the ‘Hall of Faith.’ Its filled with people who – through faith – conquered kingdoms, shut the mouths of lions, escaped the edge of the sword; and who received their children back from the dead. Testimony after testimony, Hebrews 11 tells the stories of the giants of the faith, but all the people mentioned came prior to Jesus and prior to the pouring out of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost. These people did what they did without the permanent indwelling of the promised Holy Spirit. The 11thchapter closes with the writer making mention that, although the people listed were commended for their faith, God had planned something better for us (verses 39,40). To further explain this point, let me refer you to a conversation that Jesus had with His disciples about John the Baptist. He said, “I tell you the truth: among those born of women there has not risen anyone greater than John the Baptist; yet he who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.” In other words, every person Born-Again into the Kingdom would have the ability to do greater things than John the Baptist, and he was the greatest of every person that came prior to Jesus.
That paints the magnitude of the expectation that God has for us. We can now understand the opening verse the 12th chapter. The writer explains that, since God has such greatness in store for us and since we have such great examples that have gone before us (chapter 11), we should now run the race that is marked out for us. But in order to do it, we will have to throw off every thing that hinders us and the sin that entangles us. Let’s take a closer look:
1. Throw off everything that hinders you: Sin is listed separate, so this is not referring to sin. The writer paints the picture of a runner. Other translations call these things weights. In other words, as runners are hindered by carrying additional weights, we will be hindered by carrying anything that is keeping us from fullness in Christ. This does not have to be sin, but just because you can do something, does not mean that you should do it (1 Cor 6:12). Anything that is keeping you from fulfilling God’s plan for your life, sin or not, is a Blessing Blocker.
2. Throw off the sin that so easily entangles you: There are the clear sins (Gal 5:20,21) that I don’t need to mention, but then there are things like unforgiveness (Mark 11:25), doubt (Jas 1:6), and pride (1 Jn 2:16) – which I call the silent killer of the church – just to name a few, that block us from receiving God’s best. You cannot willingly operate in sin and expect to operate in the fullness of God at the same time. Sin is a clear Blessing Blocker.
3. Run with perseverance the race marked out for you: Walking in Overflow means receiving everything that God has intended for YOU to receive. You may not operate in areas that others operate in. You may not ever teach a Bible Study or preach from the pulpit, but just as long as you know the race marked out for you, you can have a peace in knowing that you are running it, and running it free of Blessing Blockers.
Confession for this day: Lord God. I know that You have great plans for my life. I am in Your Kingdom and called according to Your purpose for me. I want everything You have destined for me. I want to walk in overflow and see You work mightily in my life. I also know that for me to receive it, I must free myself of every blessing blocker. So Father, I declare that I, through the power of the Holy Spirit, am able to overcome every thing that hinders me and every sin that entangles me. I throw them off and I throw them away by faith. I run with perseverance the race that is marked out specifically for me and I will keep on running until I am done!. In Jesus’ name. Amen!
This is Today’s Word! Apply it and Prosper!
Key #3 – Seek God for His Vision for Your Life (top of page)
(Prov 29:18 KJV) Where there is no vision, the people perish: but he that keepeth the law, happy is he.
This morning we examine third key to Walking in Overflow. Let’s take a closer look at some of the words in our text. Vision means revelation; perish means to loosely stumble; keepeth means to guard, protect, and take heed to; law means the instruction, direction, and teachings of God; and happy means blessed. So, our text could read, “Those who do not hear from God and receive His revelation, loosely stumble through life, but those who take heed to and protect His instructions, direction and teachings are blessed.” Simply put, that is the power of vision. There is no question that God has a plan for our lives (Jer 29:11) and that the plan is specific. God told Jeremiah that before he was formed in his mother’s belly, He had already set him apart and ordained him to be a prophet unto the nations. Now that does not sound ambiguous to me. That was a specific assignment. God told Abraham to leave his country and his father’s house (Gen 12:1) for an unknown location and without any point of reference, he left. Why? Because what was before him was greater than what was behind him. When Joseph was 17, God gave him a dream that would drive the rest of his life. He was the 11th born in his family, but God showed him that he would be above all his brothers and even his father. His brothers put him down, but he dared to believe the God-given dream and it would eventually come to pass. When Jesus was 12 years old he ignored his parents’ return to Nazareth and stayed in Jerusalem, talking with the scholars about the Word for four days, because He knew His purpose. His parents got emotional and upset, but He told them that He was in the right place (Luke 2:49). What was the right place? Developing the vision and preparing for His destiny!
Another very important key is that God always supplies provision for every one of His visions. Jesus taught that if a person starts a building project, but does not first count the cost (Luke 14:28), he is not a good planner. In other words, good planners know what it will take to complete the plan and always ensure that they have or will have the resources required before they get started. Well God is the Master Planner. He always supplies provision for His Vision. He is not obligated, however, to supply provision for things that we are doing outside of His vision for our lives. This leads to frustration and aggravation.
So what does this mean to you today? It means that Jeremiah, Abraham, Joseph, Jesus, You, and me; all have different destinies. What we must do is to seek God for His specific purpose for our lives. God knows what He has in store for us, but we must spend the time with Him in prayer and in His Word to find it out. Once He reveals it to us, then we call that our Vision. This vision then becomes the ruler by which we judge our decisions, therefore exercising discipline to reach our full potential in Christ. Yoggi Berra once said, “If you don’t know where you are going, you might end up somewhere else.” God’s vision for our lives gives us the ruler by which to judge our decisions and the map by which to judge our progress towards our destination. Paul could have never said that he finished his course (2 Tim 4:7), if he did not know what the course was. I can sum up this message in three points: (1) Find it, (2) Follow it, (3) Finish it, before you die!
Confession for this day: Lord God. You said that Your sheep hear Your voice. I am Your sheep and I need to hear Your voice concerning Your vision for my life. I want to specifically know what You have destined me to do and I declare that I will spend time with You in prayer and in Your Word until I know, clearly, what it is. Once I find it, I declare that I will have the discipline to follow it all the days of my life. I declare, by faith, that I will finish Your plan and that I will be able to say, some day, that I have finished my course. I do not wander aimlessly through life. I am vision focused and purpose driven in everything I do. In Jesus’ name. Amen!
This is Today’s Word! Apply it and Prosper!
Key #4 – Seek God for an Incremental Vision for Every Year (top of page)
(Ps 118:24) This is the day which the LORD hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.
This morning we examine the forth key to Walking in Overflow. I closed yesterday’s message by saying that the three steps to fulfilling vision were to:
- Find it.
- Follow it.
- Finish it, before you die.
The focus of yesterday’s message was the importance of receiving a clear vision for your life and how God is only obligated to release provision for His vision – basically dealing with the first step (Find it). Today we focus more on the second step (Follow it). It does no good to receive clear vision from God for your life if you have no intentions on implementing any changes to bring the vision to pass. You must be committed to change and growth if you are going to be successful in Christ. Everyone is seeking success, but many do not know what it is. Success can be a different things to different people. I define success as ‘knowing God’s plan for your life and finishing it before you die.’ So, once you know what you believe God has birthed you to do, you should:
1. Write the vision down (Hab 2:2). Clearly articulate the vision, in writing, so that you can remind yourself of it and be able to share it with those that will help you to bring it to pass. At this point, we are still talking about the vision for your life.
2. Then seek God for a vision for this year. We don’t live our lives out in decades, years, months, or weeks. Our text teaches us that we basically live our lives out in increments of days. We wake up every morning with a new day (Lam 3:23). But for planning purposes, most people project at least a year out. Once you know God’s overall vision for your life, then ask Him to show you what you can do this year (and every following year) that will help you to arrive at your destination – the completion of the vision.
3. Write down the annual vision and then develop a plan, through prayer, to accomplish everything the Lord gave you to do this year.
4. Keep the vision in front of you, mentally, physically, or both. You must continue to remind yourself of the annual vision, if you are to bring it to pass.
5. Discipline is having the ability to use the vision to judge your decisions. In other words, vision is having the ability to make decisions that will take you towards an expected end (vision).
6. Operate in discipline this year and complete what God assigns you to do; taking you closer to the completion of the overall vision.
7. Repeat the process every year.
8. This will enable you to divide the overall vision for your life into attainable increments and to enjoy a sense of accomplishment, as you walk out your vision through the power of the Holy Spirit.
Confession for this day: Lord God. I receive Your clear vision for my life. I write it down and know that, by faith, I will arrive at Your expected end for my life. I also thank Your for dividing that vision into smaller, annual visions for my life. I declare that I will discipline myself to receive an annual vision and to make that annual vision the ruler by which I judge every decision. By doing this I know that I am lining my actions up with Your vision and therefore I can have the confidence to know that You will release provision for Your vision in my life. The best is yet to come. I will, through the power of the Holy Spirit, follow Your vision and see it come to pass. In Jesus’ name. Amen!
This is Today’s Word! Apply it and Prosper!
Key #5 – Search the scriptures for the promises that pertain to your vision (top of page)
This morning we examine the fifth key to Walking in Overflow. The Word of God is full of promises. I have heard it said that only the Word that you know can make you free (John 8:31,32), but I like to take a bit further and say that only the Word that you know and that is pertinent to your situation can make you free from whatever it is that you are dealing with. Let further explain.
Many are familiar with the account of Jesus feeding the 5,000 with two fish and five loaves. In that same chapter (John 6) a crowd found Jesus on the other side of the lake. They wanted a sign to be sure that they could have faith in him. They mentioned that God fed their ancestors with bread (manna) from heaven. He talked to them about a better bread. They asked for some of the bread He spoke of and He replied, “I am the bread of life” (John 6:35). Another time Jesus was informed that his friend Lazarus was sick. He opted not to show up until Lazarus had been dead for four days. Martha, Lazarus’ sister, came out to meet Jesus and she was very upset. Jesus said unto her, “I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: and whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this?” (John 11:25,26). And yet another time Jesus was in Jerusalem during the Feast of the Tabernacles. This is where the Jews would live in tents for a week to remember what their forefathers experienced in the wilderness. During this festival the Jews lit up two huge candelabras as a reminder of the pillar of cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night that God used to guide the nation of Israel through the wilderness. The lights were lit after the evening sacrifice and they supposedly produced enough light for the entire city. It was in this setting that Jesus said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life” (John 8:12).
So what’s the point? The point is that everything Jesus said was truth, but for the truth to be powerful, it had to be pertinent. What if Jesus would have looked at the people who were hungry and asking for bread and said, “I am the light of the world,” or if He had looked at a grieving sister and said, “I am the bread of life”? It would have been truth, because He was those things, but it would not have applied to the current situation. Jesus calculated everything he said and ensured that He spoke the right truth to the right people at the right time. He spoke to fishermen about fishing, to farmers about sowing, and to scholars about the law.
So what does this mean to you today? It means that the Bible is packed with powerful promises, but you have to make the effort to find the promises that pertain to your vision and then stand on those promises in your life. For example, if you want to be a better husband and father this year, then studying healing scriptures may not benefit you as much as scriptures that deal with marriage and parenting. What you must do is search those scriptures out, pray them, confess them, stand on them, and receive the promises by faith. But if another person is dealing with an illness, then they should find the scriptures that deal with healing and stand on them. Or if you want to get your finances in order this year, then search the scriptures that deal with money management and etc. For the promises of God to be powerful and personal, they must be pertinent! Pertinent promises bring permanent change!
Confession for this day: Lord God. Your Word is both Spirit and life. Your Word is able to help me overcome every challenge that I face this year. You also said in Your Word that the Holy Spirit, the Anointing, would come to teach us. The Holy Spirit is the teacher of the church. I am a Born-Again believer and I ask the Holy Spirit, who lives in me, to lead me in the Word concerning the scriptures that pertain to my life. I declare that I will take the time to find them, stand on them, proclaim them, and apply them to my life. Pertinent promises will bring about a permanent change in my life. In Jesus’ name. Amen!
This is Today’s Word! Apply it and Prosper!
Key #6 – Confess the Word of God daily over your life (top of page)
(Rom 10:9 AMP) Because if you acknowledge and confess with your lips that Jesus is Lord and in your heart believe (adhere to, trust in, and rely on the truth) that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart a person believes (adheres to, trusts in, and relies on Christ) and so is justified (declared righteous, acceptable to God), and with the mouth he confesses (declares openly and speaks out freely his faith) and confirms [his] salvation.
This morning we examine the sixth key to Walking in Overflow. I shared a series entitled ‘Mastering Your Mouth’ and several messages in this series that deal with speaking positive and never negative words. One way to ensure that you are speaking God’s will over your life is to speak God’s Word. The Word translated ‘confess’ in our text is found several times in the New Testament and it is the Greek word homologeo. This word is a compound word and it is derived from homo, meaning identical to or the same as; and logos, which means: a word, an idea, or the Word of God. We can choose to confess other words or ideas in general, or we can choose to confess the Word of God. In other words, we can choose to line up our words with other people’s words and ideas, or we can choose to line up our words with the Word of God. When we choose to line up our words with the Word of God, we are literally telling God that we agree with His opinion of whatever the situation may be and that we stand on His thoughts concerning it.
Our text is often used to lead someone to Christ. It is critical in our salvation experience that we openly declare (confess) that Jesus is our Lord and that we couple our confession with faith. This confession of faith translates us from the kingdom of darkness to the Kingdom of God, but many fail to realize the power of using the same pattern in their walk with God. The same pattern used for salvation is also critical for our spiritual growth. We must openly confess (declare) God’s opinion of us (His Word) over our lives and couple our confession with faith; therefore bringing about a renewal of our minds and eventually, a transformation of our actions.
Many books have been written on positive thinking, but this is greater than mind manipulation. What I am talking about is literally finding out what God thinks, in His Word, about a matter and then agreeing with His opinion – openly and boldly – with a confession of faith over your life. When you do this, you are literally telling God and satan that you believe God’s opinion of you and that you are willing to stand on His opinion and not anyone else’s.
So what does this mean to you today? Well, yesterday we dealt with finding scriptures that pertain to whatever you are going through and standing on them. My friend Mel calls this “Tailor made truth.” Once you have found that tailor made truth in the Word of God, you should openly (vocally) declare that truth over your life and let God know that you:
- Agree with His opinion of the matter.
- Couple your declaration with faith.
- Are willing to solidify your declaration of faith by becoming a doer of what it is that you are saying.
Confession for this day: Lord God. There is an answer to every question in Your Word. I seek Your Word for guidance, direction, wisdom, and truth. I find the truth that is tailor made for my situation and I stand firmly on it. I openly declare Your Word over my family, health, career, finances, desires and dreams. I agree with Your opinion of me and I make every declaration in faith. I also declare that I will back up every declaration of faith with an attitude of obedience and action. I am a doer and not merely a hearer and declarer of the Word of God. My declaration of faith and attitude of obedience bring about a permanent change in my life. In Jesus’ name. Amen!
This is Today’s Word! Apply it and Prosper!
Key #7 – Study daily for growth and increase, making a commitment to live what you learn (top of page)
This morning we examine the seventh key to Walking in Overflow. By now it should be clear that applying the Word of God to your life and allowing it to transform you into the image of Christ should be your focus as a Christian. The problem, however, is that you cannot apply what you have not read or live what you have not learned. The Christian must make a commitment to study the Word, with the intent of living what they study. The bible is not merely a textbook to study, but rather a life book to live.
Paul explained to Timothy, his son in the faith, that studying was critical. He told him that as he walked with God, he would either be approved or ashamed when situations arose and the outcome would depend on whether or not he was prepared to face the situation through the Word (2 Tim 2:15, Pina translation). The writer of Hebrews also made it clear that there should be a progression in our Christian experience and that growth would come through the Word of God. He said, “By now you should have been teachers, but once again you need to be taught the simplest things about what God has said. You need milk instead of solid food. People who live on milk are like babies who don’t really know what is right. Solid food is for mature people who have been trained to know right from wrong” (Heb 5:12-14 CEV). We see here that Word of God can enable us to (1) be approved and not ashamed before God and to (2) to receive solid food, because we know the difference between right and wrong.
I strongly believe that every Christian should have a daily devotion time set apart where they spend time with God and His Word. This may be ten minutes, thirty minutes, or more; but the point is that you should have some time carped out of your busy schedule to hear from God, through His Word. You may say, ‘OK, brother Pina, I want to get started, but what do I do?’ I can tell you that there is no set routine, but I can share a possible outline:
1. Pray: Spend time with God in prayer. Wait on Him, sense His presence, and seek His purpose for you for that day.
2. Read: Open the Bible and read what you have planned to read. Have a plan, but also allow the Holy Spirit to lead you.
3. Think: Ask yourself: How does this apply to me today? Is there a promise to claim? Is there a blessing to enjoy? Is there a command to obey? Is there a sin to avoid?
4. Write: Have pen and paper handy. Write down whatever you believe God is saying to you. Don’t be afraid to highlight, underline, or write notes in your Bible. Do whatever it takes to help you to retain what it is that God is saying to you.
5. Pray: Turn the meditation back into prayer and back to God.
6. Live: You must make a determination to allow your learning to turn into living if the Word of God is to make a difference in your life.
7. Share: Determine to share the goodness of what you have just received with someone that day. The Word of God is not for us to hoard. If the Word blessed you, allow it to be a blessing to someone else.
Confession for this day: Lord God. My spirit needs Your Word like my body needs air. Your Word is health to my bones. I make a determination to read, study, meditate on, apply, live, and share Your Word. I read it for wisdom. I think about it for image. I speak it for encouragement. I live it for change. I share it for ministry. I become it and am shaped by it for destiny. Your Word is the ruler by which I make my decisions and the target that I strive for all the days of my life. In Jesus’ name. Amen!
This is Today’s Word! Apply it and Prosper!
Key #8 – Be single minded, purpose driven, vision focused – no Plan B! (top of page)
This morning we examine the eighth and final key to Walking in Overflow. By no means will I say that this is an all-inclusive list, but it is what the Lord gave me to share with you nonetheless. I pray that this series has been and will continue to be a blessing to you.
This last key is absolutely critical. I base this from several scriptures, but the main passage is found in James. The Holy Spirit through James says, “If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double minded man, unstable in all he does” (1:5-8 NIV). In direct context the passage is talking about asking for wisdom, but the principle applies to anything we ask of God. Let’s take a closer look:
1. Faith moves God: James teaches us that when we ask of God we must believe and not doubt. The King James Version says “ask in faith.” I have often shared that fear moves satan, but faith moves God. We must come to God in faith if we expect to receive anything from Him.
2. Doubt cancels faith: Doubt is literally unbelief and the archenemy of faith. Faith considers God trustworthy and loyal to His Word, but doubt pollutes faith and hinders our blessings.
3. Double-minded people are unstable: James says that a double-minded man is unstable in all he does. Why? Because faith tells him that God can and will and doubt tells him that God can’t and won’t and this causes him to live a life like a wave of the sea. Up today and down tomorrow, up this week and down the next.
4. Double-minded people will not receive from God: James makes a chilling statement in this text. He says, “That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord.” Read that statement again. That is an eye opening reminder to every believer that God requires His people to operate in faith. We must walk by faith (2 Cor 5:7), live by faith (Ro 1:17), fight by faith (1 Tim 6:12), pray by faith (James 5:15), and overcome by faith (1 Jn 5:4).
So what does this mean to you today? We have dealt with a lot in this series and I pray that you will take the time to go back and digest what God is saying to you directly. But today the message is clear. We must walk by faith, be single minded, purpose driven, vision focused, and we can leave no room for a Plan B! Once you believe God has told you to do something, then you must believe that and do everything possible to see it come to pass, until you hear Him tell you otherwise. If you leave room in your heart for a Plan B, then fear, doubt, and unbelief will creep in and hinder your walk with God.
Confession for this day: Lord God. I have settled the issue of Your Word in my heart. Your Word is the final authority in my life. I have repented of all sin and freed myself of every blessing blocker in my life. I have Your vision and I know where I am going in my life. I have sought Your vision for this year and I know where I am going in 2005. I stand on every promise that is pertinent to my vision and I declare that they bring about permanent change in my life. I believe Your Word above my circumstances and I stand on Your Word daily. I apply everything I learn in Your Word and I allow it to transform me into Your image and Your likeness. I walk by faith, live by faith, fight by faith, pray by faith, and overcome by faith. I am a person of faith and not doubt. I resist doubt and do not allow any doubt to hinder my walk with You. I am single minded, purpose driven, and vision focused. There is only one plan in my life and that is Your plan for me. No plan B! In Jesus’ name. Amen!
This is Today’s Word! Apply it and Prosper!
Breaking the spirit of Fear – Being able to Hear the Voice of God (top of page)
(John 10:27 KJV) “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.”
My Pastor (Bishop-Elect Richard B. Peoples Sr.) shared a powerful message yesterday entitled “Breaking the spirit of Fear!” Fear is diametrically opposed to faith and a tool that the enemy uses to stifle believers every day. This week I feel led to deal with overcoming fear and this morning we will deal with the fear of hearing from God.
I have shared lots of messages on vision and receiving God’s direction for your life, but all of this comes as a result of hearing from God. Several of you have pointed this out to me as an area of concern in your life. There a lot a of good hearted people that want to do the right thing, but are simply not sure if they are hearing the voice of God. I have shared before that there are three sources of our thoughts: (1) God, (2) us, or (3) satan. We must be able to decipher the origin of our thoughts and know which ones to follow. In John 10 Jesus deals with this issue. He likens Himself to a shepherd and likens us to sheep. He says His sheep follow Him because they know his voice and that they will never follow a stranger’s unrecognized voice (verses 4,5 NIV). Later on in the chapter He dealt with unbelieving Jews and He told them plainly that they did not believe because they were not His sheep (v.26). He went on to say, “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.”
I would never ask to hear the voice of God, nor teach it to others if it were not in the Bible and not something that is plainly available to believers. God speaks to us through His Word, circumstances, others, the Holy Spirit, and through His voice. What do you think God does all day? He ministers to His people and talks to His sheep. Often times, however, we are not listening. When we do listen, we allow the fear of failure to keep us from acting on what we believe we have heard. Fear tells us, “That was not God, that was just you.” Fear says, “How can you be certain that was God and not just your desires?” The truth is that sometimes it will be us. Sometimes we will miss it. Sometimes we will make mistakes when thinking that we heard from God. But a baseball player that never takes a swing for failure of a strike will never enjoy a home-run. A basketball player never misses a shot that he doesn’t take, but then again, he never makes it either. People talk about Peter for taking his focus off of Jesus and falling into the water after he was walking on it (Mat 14:29,30), but Peter was the only one of the twelve that had the courage to step out of the boat.
So what does this mean to you today? It means that it is the will of God that you hear His voice and that you get His direction for your life. Sheep have a terrible sense of direction, but they really don’t need to know where they are going, if they know who they are following. God wants us to follow Him. Listen, I know there will be times when you are not sure whether or not what you heard was God or you or satan. But if you never take a chance and step out on faith, you will never experience the pleasure of walking in a promise you heard directly from God and seeing God bring it to pass in your life. Make sure that whatever you hear lines up with the Word of God – the Spirit of God will never take you contrary to the Word of God – and take a chance. Overcome fear. Step out on faith. Experience God’s best for your life this year!
Confession for this day: Lord God. You said in Your Word that Your sheep hear Your voice. I am a Born-Again believer and am Your sheep. I want to hear Your voice. I stand on Your Word and declare that I will hear from You through Your Word, through others, through situations, and through Your audible voice in my Spirit. I bind fear, doubt, and unbelief. I reject the voice of the stranger. I live my life submitted and surrendered to Your voice and Your Word. Lead me, that I may be led. Feed me, that I may be fed. In Jesus’ name. Amen!
This is Today’s Word! Apply it and Prosper!
Breaking the spirit of Fear – Overcoming Fear by Understanding His Righteousness (top of page)
(Isa 54:14,15, & 17) In righteousness shalt thou be established: thou shalt be far from oppression; for thou shalt not fear: and from terror; for it shall not come near thee. Behold, they shall surely gather together, but not by me: whosoever shall gather together against thee shall fall for thy sake… No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and their righteousness is of me, saith the LORD.
This morning we continue to flow in ‘Breaking the spirit of Fear.’ Another area that causes a great deal of fear in the Body of Christ is this matter of worthiness. Let’s get this straight, you are not worthy of anything from God. Your righteousness is not what saved you and it is incapable of moving God (Is 64:6). We were all born in sin, shaped iniquity, and standing in the need of a Savior (Ps 51:5). But Jesus died so that we would be delivered from sin, death, and guilt; and established in His righteousness. Isaiah prophesied of the coming of Jesus in chapters 53 and 54. We are going to take a closer look at our three verses from the 54th chapter and how they apply to our lives today:
1. Establish yourself in His righteousness: I already stated that we are not worthy of the goodness of God in and of ourselves. But the good news is that we don’t have to be. Once we realize that we have been covered by the blood of Jesus, anointed with the Holy Spirit, and called according to God’s purpose for our lives, we can then establish ourselves in His righteousness. Every Born-Again believer is the righteousness of God in Christ (2 Cor 5:21).
2. Remain far from oppression, fear, and terror: Oppression is being under the cruel use of power. Fear is being subject to the feeling of anxiety or fret, due to the presence of danger. Terror is an intense and overpowering fear, capable of paralyzing people to the state of inability. We can see that neither of these are God’s desire for us. We can overcome these areas when we realize that God has delivered us from the power of darkness and translated us in the Kingdom of His dear son (Col 1:13); and given us the ability to do all things through Him (Phil 4:13).
3. They will surely gather, but not by God: As believers we in covenant with God. When anything comes our way that was not God-originated, it is illegal and therefore something that we should not accept. Although oppression, fear, and terror will come, God tells us in His Word that they are not coming from Him. If they are not from Him, then He has given us the ability to reject them and overcome them by faith (1 Jn 5:4).
4. Weapons will form, but they will not prosper: This all goes back to being established in His righteousness. Once you know who God has made you – not because of your actions, but because of Jesus’ substitutionary death on the cross – you can accept the confidence that comes from knowing that God sees you through the blood of Jesus and that He enables you to overcome every weapon formed through Your faith in Him! Being a Christian does not mean that oppression, fear, and terror will not come against us. We will be attacked. But the Word promises us that the weapons formed will not prosper! We are victorious because of what Jesus did and we can walk in His authority daily. Establish yourself in His righteousness and overcome the fear of not feeling worthy. He has made you worthy and He wants you to walk in His righteousness, not your own.
Confession for this day: Lord God. I know that I am nothing outside of You. I can do nothing without you. I am not worthy of salvation, nor Your blessings in and of myself. But I don’t have to be. You made Jesus to be sin for me, that I would be made the Your righteousness in Him. He presents me faultless before the presence of Your glory with exceeding Joy. I am covered by the blood of Jesus, anointed with the Holy Spirit, and called according to Your specific purpose for my life. I am who You say that I am. I can do what You say that I can do. I can have what You say that I can have. And I am delivered from oppression, fear, and terror. I walk in love, joy, and peace. In Jesus’ name. Amen!
This is Today’s Word! Apply it and Prosper!
Breaking the spirit of Fear – Being Confident in God’s Ability (top of page)
(Ps 27:1-3) The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The LORD is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid? When the wicked, even mine enemies and my foes, came upon me to eat up my flesh, they stumbled and fell. Though an host should encamp against me, my heart shall not fear: though war should rise against me, in this will I be confident.
This morning we continue to flow in ‘Breaking the spirit of Fear.’ David was used of God to do great and mighty things. Most people are familiar with the account of small David facing the huge Goliath. Even then, young in his life and walk with God, he stepped up and did what no one else would do, for fear of the uncircumcised philistine. This same David also previously faced a lion and a bear and killed them both with his bare hands (1 Sam 17:36). I am not advocating attacking wild animals, but I am advocating attacking our fear and remaining steadfast in our faith in God. Peter said, “Be on your guard and stay awake. Your enemy, the devil, is like a roaring lion, sneaking around to find someone to attack” (1 Pet 5:8). He often attacks us through the vehicle of fear. Fear can stop us from starting the business that God told us to start. Fear can keep us from marrying the person that God told us to marry. Fear can hinder us from becoming the person whom God intends for us to be. Fear is the enemy’s tool and we must overcome this fear by having confidence in God.
David opens this Psalm with a clear statement. The Lord is our light and our salvation. He both shows us the way, and has already delivered us from the attacks we will encounter along the way, at the same time. He illuminates the path and prepares the path for us. When we know we are following His light, are walking in His path, and are confident in His ability; whom shall we fear? If the Lord is the strength of our life, of whom should we be afraid?
I grew up in Brooklyn in the 70s and 80s. It was a very violent place. I have been shot at, had guns placed on my head, knives at my throat, and etc. I was never a big kid and had to hang with my friends if I was going to make it through the dangers inherent to my environment. One of my friends was a big guy and a great fighter. His name was Kenny and he was tall and strong. I was called ‘little Lenny’ on block. Kenny and I developed a friendship and a bond. Soon the word got out that no one could mess with little Lenny because of Big Kenny. Anyone that messed with me had to answer to him and few took the challenge. I walked around my neighborhood with confidence, not necessarily in my physical abilities, but in those of Big Kenny. David teaches us the same principle here, as it relates to our life with God. Once our confidence is established in God and who He is, then we should not be afraid of our enemies or anything that may come up against us. Our confidence must not be rooted in our abilities, but rather in His!
So what does this mean to you today? It means that you have someone behind you that is greater than Big Kenny. You have Big God! There is no need to fear. God is faithful and He is all-powerful. There is nothing you can face that you cannot overcome through Him. There is nothing that can come against you that He cannot handle. I will close the words of Paul (Rom 8:31 MS) “So, what do you think? With God on our side like this, how can we lose?”
Confession for this day: Lord God. I declare that You are my light and my salvation. I have no one to fear. You are the strength of my life and I place my confidence in Your strength and in Your abilities. The enemy may come at me like a roaring lion, but I know that Jesus already defeated him on the cross. I place my confidence in the Blood of Jesus and know that I am covered and protected therein. You have given Your angels charge over me, to keep me in all my ways. I am safe in You. I am confident in Your abilities. I can do anything and everything through You. With You on my side, I cannot lose! In Jesus’ name. Amen!
This is Today’s Word! Apply it and Prosper!
Breaking the spirit of Fear – Choosing the right Offer! (top of page)
(2 Tim 1:7 AMP) For God did not give us a spirit of timidity (of cowardice, of craven and cringing and fawning fear), but [He has given us a spirit] of power and of love and of calm and well-balanced mind and discipline and self-control.
This morning we wrap up our messages on ‘Breaking the spirit of Fear.’ Most of our success in Christ or lack thereof simply boils down to our ability to make the right decisions. God has made us free moral agents and although He has made a way for us to be prosperous – mentally, physically, psychologically, socially, and financially – we still have to make decisions that will enable us to walk in His prosperity. He offers abundant life (John 10:10) and the enemy offers death and destruction. We must choose God and also choose to walk in the benefits that come with that choice.
Paul wrote to Timothy, his son in the faith, at a time when Emperor Nero terrorized the church. He had people burned alive at the stake, thrown into arenas with lions and tigers, and tortured day and night; simply for being Christians. It is at this time that Paul urges his son to operate in faith and not fear. Fear is not of God. Fear is a spirit that can cripple us from moving forward in Christ. Fear is an illegal spirit and is therefore a curse. We have been delivered from ever curse (Gal 3:13) through Jesus Christ. Fear is a curse that we do not have to accept. Fear brings torture (1 Jn 4:18), but God brings love (1 Jn 4:8). We must choose, however, to operate in the love and peace that God offers and not the torture and torment that the enemy offers.
Our text explains fear to be a spirit of timidity and cowardice. This is not the will of God for His children. He wants us to walk in boldness and confidence, not in our abilities (like yesterday’s message explained), but rather in His. We must know what God has offered, what the enemy has offered, and then make the right choice! Instead of timidity and cowardice, God offers us:
· Power: The divine ability to operate in God’s ability in the earth (Acts 1:8, Luke 9:1, 10:19).
· Love: To divine ability to operate in God’s character in the earth (1 Jn 4:8, Jn 13:35).
· Sound Mind: The divine ability think as God thinks, by the renewing of our minds, through the Word of God (Is 26:3, Phil 4:6-8, Jos 1:8, Ps 1:1-3, Rom 12:1,2).
So what does this mean to you today? It means that the choice is yours. If God has not given us timidity and cowardice, then we must acknowledge that those are an offer from the enemy and know that we do not have to receive them. We must also know that God has offered us power, love, and the ability to operate in a sound mind; but these are not automatic either. We must make a conscious decision to receive them by faith and develop them in our lives. We can overcome fear and we can do it through the vehicle of faith!
Confession for this day: Lord God. I recognize both offers. The enemy has offered me timidity and cowardice. You have offered me Your power, love, and the ability to operate in a sound mind. I choose power, love, and a sound mind. I choose life and not death, peace and not timidity, courage and not cowardice, faith and not fear! I choose to accept only what You offer and I declare that I will make every effort to develop Your characteristics in my life. In Jesus’ name. Amen!
This is Today’s Word! Apply it and Prosper!