Filled Full Up to the Top

Colossians 1:9-10. For this cause we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to ask that you might be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; that you might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing…

As you study this passage in the original language, you discover that when Paul prayed that the Colossians would be filled with the knowledge of God’s will, his language was very expressive. To be “filled” here means to be filled full, up to the brim. The word “knowledge” means “full and accurate knowledge.”

So what Paul actually prayed for was that the Colossians would be filled full, up to the top, with the full and accurate knowledge of God’s will. How different that is from the experience of most Christians! Many people think that God actually wants to keep them “in the dark” concerning His will! They think that God is withholding information from them and that He is reluctant to disclose His plans and purposes to them. They live in uncertainty.

But the truth is that God Himself desires you to walk in the light as He is in the light, and to be filled full, up to the brim, with the full and accurate knowledge of His will! Being filled full, up to the top, with the full and accurate knowledge of God’s will empowers to live a life worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing!

Walk Worthy of the Lord

Colossians 1:9-10. For this cause we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to ask that you might be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; that you might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing…

What does it mean to walk worthy of the Lord? To walk worthy of the Lord means to walk worthy of who you are “in Christ”.

Have you ever observed royalty? They’re groomed from childhood to walk and talk in a certain manner. They don’t walk or talk like the rest of us. They have a regal bearing. You won’t find them slouching or shuffling along. Why? Because they’re royalty! And they’ve learned how to walk worthy of who they are. Walking worthy of their status in life does not make them royalty. Their royal status is determined by the family into which they were born.

Just so, you have been born into the family of the King of kings, the Lord Jesus Christ! You’re part of a royal priesthood. You are a child of the Most High God. You are “in Christ”! He made you worthy by shedding His blood for you and by giving you His name. That’s what makes you worthy. Now walk worthy of who you are “in Him”!

As you become filled with the knowledge of God’s will as revealed in His written word, you begin to discover your “royal” identity. You begin to find out who you really are, what you really have, and what you really can do “in Christ.” It pleases the Lord when we discover this!

Revelation knowledge of the truth makes you free. (John 8:32). His will is that you have life and have it more abundantly! (John 10:10). This knowledge causes you to be transformed into the image of His glory, from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord! (2 Cor 3:18).

Walking Worthy vs. Being Worthy

Colossians 1:9-10. For this cause we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to ask that you might be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; that you might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing…

In studying Paul’s prayer for the Colossians, it’s important to understand this: he was not praying that they would become worthy of the Lord. No! He was praying that they would walk worthy of Him. There’s a big difference between being worthy and walking worthy!

“Walking” is a term that the Apostle Paul uses to refer to the believer’s manner of life; to how he lives or conducts himself. He never uses that term to refer to the believer’s state of being.

Your manner of life, no matter how exemplary, does not make you worthy! If it did, you wouldn’t need a Savior. If you could make yourself worthy, you could be saved by your own works. But Ephesians 2:8-9 says that we are saved by grace through faith and not of works, lest any man should boast.

One thing and one thing only makes us worthy: the gift of righteousness that comes to us through the precious blood of Jesus!

Your righteousness in Christ is the foundation upon which you pray this prayer. “On Christ the Solid Rock I stand, all other ground is sinking sand!” You are worthy because Jesus is worthy, and the scripture says that “as He is, so are we in this world.” (1 John 4:17).

Being filled with the knowledge of God’s will as revealed in His holy, precious, written Word is what causes you to rise up and live your life in a manner worthy of who you really are in Christ!

This Was Important to Paul!

Colossians 1:9-10. For this cause we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to ask that you might be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; that you might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing…

Notice how Paul begins this prayer. He says that he does not cease to pray and to ask on behalf of the Colossians. When you pray for something without ceasing, it’s important to you!

Why does he say “pray and ask”? What’s the difference between “praying” and “asking”? Not much! That expression is simply emphatic. It signifies the intensity of Paul’s conviction that that for which he was praying was vital!

And what is he praying for? He is praying that the Colossians will be filled with the knowledge of God’s will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding. Why? What’s the purpose of this prayer? What does Paul intend to accomplish in the lives of the Colossian believers by praying this way? Simply this: that they would walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him.

That’s something that all sincere Christians desire: to walk worthy of the Lord, pleasing Him in every aspect of our lives. But that sounds like a tall order, doesn’t it? Who, except for the Lord Jesus, ever pleased God in every aspect of his or her life? Is that even possible for us?

It must be, or else Paul would not have prayed that way! Becoming filled with the knowledge of God’s will is what causes you to walk worthy of the Lord, pleasing Him in all respects!

Walking Worthy of the Lord

Another prayer that Paul prayed is found in Colossians 1:9-12. It reads,

“For this cause we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to ask that you might be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; that you might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God; strengthened with all might, according to his glorious power, unto all patience and longsuffering with joyfulness;  giving thanks unto the Father, who has made us qualified to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light…”
Often when people see a string of words like this as they’re reading the Bible, they do not take the time to understand what is being said. But if you don’t stop and really ponder what it is that Paul prayed, you’ll miss the whole point of his prayer and overlook a major key to victory in the Christian life.

Again, here’s another instance where it may look like Paul is praying for several things, but in fact, he is praying for only one: that they would be filled with the knowledge of God’s will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding!

Everything else that follows in that passage is what happens when you become saturated with the revelation knowledge of the will of God which is contained in the Word of God!

All You Need is a Revelation of Jesus! Pt 2

Ephesians 1:15-17. For this reason I…do not cease giving thanks for you, while making mention of you in my prayers; that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of Him…

Paul was not praying for five different things in this prayer. He was praying for just one. He was praying that the believers in Ephesus would have a revelation of Jesus!

When that happens the eyes of your heart are automatically enlightened! You begin to have revelation and understanding concerning the hope of God’s calling upon your life. You begin to see and understand what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints.

As the Lord Jesus Christ is revealed to you more and more, you begin to understand the exceeding greatness of God’s power toward those who believe. You begin to see your position in Christ and your place of authority with Him in heavenly places, which is far above all principalities and powers and might and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world but also in that which is to come. You begin to understand that God has put all things under your feet and that you are connected with Him who is the head over all things to the church.

We need to get our eyes off the million and one things that we think we need to do in order to become more spiritual and instead get a greater revelation of the Lord Jesus Christ!

As the Holy Spirit imparts to us a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of Jesus, we’ll automatically come into the knowledge of everything else that we need to know in order to fulfill the plan and purpose of God for our lives!

All You Need is a Revelation of Jesus! Pt 1

Ephesians 1:15-17. For this reason I…do not cease giving thanks for you, while making mention of you in my prayers; that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of Him…

One day while I was meditating on Paul’s prayer in Ephesians 1:15-23, I saw something that I had never seen before.

Up to that point, I thought that Paul was praying for five different things for the believers at Ephesus:

      1) a spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Jesus;
      2) that the eyes of their understanding would be enlightened, so that they would know…
      3) what is the hope of His calling;
      4) what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints; and
      5) what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe.

There’s something about human beings that causes us to want to make God complicated. We do it all the time. But the gospel boils down to something simple.

Paul was not praying for five things in his prayer; he was praying for just one – that the believers in Ephesus would have a spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Jesus!

Your Number One Priority.

Have you ever felt overwhelmed by the number of things that you need to do during the day? Have you ever had so many things to do, that you didn’t know where to start? How you ever found yourself on the treadmill of life – running hard, but getting nowhere!? Has it ever happened that the things you most want to do seem to be continually pushed off into the future?

There is a cure for that and it’s called putting first things first. Or rather, putting the first thing first!

In Luke 10:38-42, Martha, the sister of Mary and Lazarus, was in a similar situation. Jesus said that she was troubled and agitated about many things, but that only one thing was needful. That one thing was spending time at the feet of Jesus, hearing His Word (Luke 10:39).

The most productive thing that you can do in life for yourself and for the Kingdom of God is to take time to wait upon the Lord and to hear His Word. That will cause you to bear much fruit, and to be a great blessing, not only to yourself, but to all those around you. The will of God and the plan of God for your life will come to pass.

The first priority you have in each day is not to get your work done, but to spend time with God, hearing Him, praying in the Spirit and meditating on His Word. If you do that, the scripture promises that you will be blessed and prosper in all that you do. (Joshua 1:8; Psalm 1:1-3).

And if you don’t, you won’t!

Praying in Tongues Releases God’s Power into Your Life

As you begin to pray more in other tongues, you will see a greater manifestation of God’s power in every sphere and dimension of life!

Rev. Kenneth E. Hagin said that if you don’t spend quality time praying in tongues, although you’re baptized in the Holy Ghost, “the ministry of the Holy Ghost in your life won’t differ much from what it was before you were filled with the Spirit.” K. Hagin, Tongues: Beyond the Upper Room, (Tulsa OK: Faith Library Publications, 2007) p. 130.

He also said that although God endeavors to lead every born Christian, “for those who are filled with the Holy Ghost and pray with other tongues, the Holy Spirit’s guidance is available in a far greater measure.” And then he went on to add, “However, I have found that this extra measure of the Holy Spirit operates in my life only if I follow the practice of continually praying daily in tongues.” Tongues: Beyond the Upper Room, p. 130.

Praying in tongues activates the power of God that came upon you when you were baptized in the Holy Spirit. If you allow the gift of tongues to lie dormant in your life, then the power of God that is upon you will likewise lie dormant.

Activate the power of God in your life and circumstances today by praying much in other tongues!

Activate the Power That You Already Have

Jesus told the disciples in Acts 1:8 that “you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you.” Interestingly, the very first manifestation of God’s power in the lives of the believers on the day of Pentecost was the gift of tongues. That is significant.

The reason why tongues was poured out on the same day the power was poured out is because there is a connection between praying in tongues and the power of God. The Holy Spirit’s power is manifested in the varied gifts of the Spirit listed in 1 Cor 12:4-8, but the first manifestation of His power was in the gift of tongues, signifying that the gift of tongues is the doorway into all the other gifts of the Spirit!

Many believers have been baptized in the Holy Spirit but have little evidence or experience of the power of God in their lives. Very often, they are praying for the power when they already have the power! They don’t need to pray for the power; they need to access the power that they already have. If you have been baptized in the Holy Spirit, the Holy Spirit is upon you. And if He is upon you, Jesus said that you have already received power!

Because it was the first manifestation of God’s power on the day of Pentecost, we can see that the power of the Spirit-filled life is activated by praying in other tongues. The more you pray in tongues, the more power you will have; the less you pray in tongues, the less power you will have.

The power of God manifested in your life is directly proportional to how much you pray in tongues. It’s very simple: if you want to see more power, pray more in tongues!

Power for Living

In Acts 1:8, Jesus said that you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you. The Spirit-filled life is a power-filled life and is meant to be the normal life of a Christian. When we think of spiritual power often we think of miracles, healings, and evangelistic crusades. Those are manifestations of God’s power, but actually, we need power for everyday living too!

God never intended our lives to be powerless. To face the challenges of everyday life, you need power. To fulfill God’s call upon your life, you need power. To make right decisions, you need power. To walk with boldness and confidence, you need power. To watch over and care for your children, you need power. To speak anointed words of edification, you need power. To pray with clarity and effectiveness, you need power. To have victory over the world, the flesh and the devil, you need power. To be a blessing to humanity, you need power!

That power comes from just one source – the Holy Spirit! If you are born again and filled with the Spirit, you have this power, but like Timothy, you need to stir up the gift of God which is in you regularly. (2 Tim 1:6).

The amount of power you have operating in your life is directly proportional to how much you pray in tongues. The more you pray, the more power you will see. The less you pray, the less power you will see. Praying in tongues activates the power of the Holy Spirit that has already come upon the Spirit-filled believer.

Don’t let the devil intimidate you into being less than who you are in Christ. Stir up the gift of the Holy Ghost on the inside of you by praying in the Spirit and you will meet life head on, with boldness and confidence, and the Lord will accomplish great things through you for the sake of the Kingdom of God!

Do What You Know to Do

James 4:17. Therefore, to him who knows to do good and does not do it, to him it is sin.

On that morning that I went to my office agitated and distressed by all the issues pressing upon me, I had so many questions in my head, they felt like airplanes circling to land at Chicago O’Hare. I didn’t know where to begin!

So I began to pray in the Spirit and within just a short time, peace, joy and clarity began to fill my heart and mind. At that moment I said to the Lord, “Lord, thank you for the gift of tongues! It’s so wonderful that we can pray in tongues like this and find clarity and peace of mind when we’re in turmoil.”

And then the Lord spoke to me. He asked me a simple, rhetorical question, without even a hint of condemnation. He said, “If you know these things, how is it that you are not doing them?”

That was a good question! And I had no good answer! He asked me that just to make a point. For years I’ve known that praying in tongues brings rest and refreshing (cf. 1 Cor 14:21 & Isaiah 28:11-12), but I’ve not done it as much as I should have. I’ve greatly underutilized this precious gift of tongues that the Holy Spirit uses to bring to us edification, exhortation, comfort and strength.

Many times we know what to do. We’ve had good teaching. We know how to get into the Word and to get the Word into us. We know how to have communion with the Holy Spirit by praying in the Spirit. We know how to get in contact with God, who is the Father of our spirit. But we’re like everyone else. Instead of getting over into the Spirit where everything is clear, we allow the flesh to rise up and to dominate us.

Instead, let’s just choose to do what we know to do! Let’s just make it easy on ourselves and walk in peace and rest, walking in the Spirit by praying in the Spirit! It’s a “place” of power and of victory, and a “place” where the abundant life that Jesus promised prevails!

Increase Your Productivity!

1 Cor 2:16. For who has understood the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him?” But we have the mind of Christ.

You will find that the amount of vagueness, confusion and lack of clarity you experience in life is inversely proportional to the amount of time you pray in tongues! The less you pray, the more questions you’ll have; the more you pray, the less questions you’ll have.

One morning I went to my office agitated and burdened by the number of pressing issues I had to deal with and respond to. To be honest about it, however, I had gotten “behind” in prayer. By that I simply mean that I had not been praying as much as I needed to, and as a result, things began “piling up” on me.

Rather than responding to my increased work load by increasing my time in prayer, I chose to spend less time praying so that I could spend more time working. As a result, my productivity actually declined! I was getting far less accomplished than if I had spent more time in prayer.

The truth is, time spent in prayer is not “lost”; it will make you more productive, not less. Martin Luther once said that he had so much work to do that day that he must spend even more time in prayer! Time spent praying in the Spirit will cause you to be much more fruitful and effective than you could ever be in your own strength.

Release God’s power into your life today by praying in tongues!

1 Cor 2:16. For who has understood the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him?” But we have the mind of Christ.

You will find that the amount of vagueness, confusion and lack of clarity you experience in life is inversely proportional to the amount of time you pray in tongues! The less you pray, the more questions you’ll have; the more you pray, the less questions you’ll have.

One morning I went to my office agitated and burdened by the number of pressing issues I had to deal with and respond to. To be honest about it, however, I had gotten “behind” in prayer. By that I simply mean that I had not been praying as much as I needed to, and as a result, things began “piling up” on me.

Rather than responding to my increased work load by increasing my time in prayer, I chose to spend less time praying so that I could spend more time working. As a result, my productivity actually declined! I was getting far less accomplished than if I had spent more time in prayer.

The truth is, time spent in prayer is not “lost”; it will make you more productive, not less. Martin Luther once said that he had so much work to do that day that he must spend even more time in prayer! Time spent praying in the Spirit will cause you to be much more fruitful and effective than you could ever be in your own strength.

Release God’s power into your life today by praying in tongues!

Life and Health to All Your Flesh

John 7:38-39. “He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.” But this He spoke concerning the Spirit, whom those believing in Him would receive…

Jesus said that His words are spirit and they are life. (John 6:63).

Likewise, as you pray at length in tongues—not just a few syllables now and then—the words of life that you are uttering by the Holy Spirit begin to release the very life of God into your being, and pretty soon heaviness, discouragement and thoughts that try to oppress your mind begin to dissipate and are replaced by the thoughts of God that are contained within the Word of God! (See Isaiah 55:8-9).

Praying in the Spirit strengthens you with power in your inward man so that you have the spiritual “strength” necessary to lay hold of that which belongs to you in Christ, which brings blessing and prosperity to your entire being. (Eph 3:14-21). As you pray in tongues, the Holy Spirit guides you into all truth and takes that which belongs to Jesus and reveals it to you. (John 16:13-14).

The revelation that comes as you pray in tongues is one of the most effective ways in which you “find” or “discover” His words are that are life and health to all your flesh! (Proverbs 4:22).

This is the Biblical prosperity and success for the whole man—spirit, soul and body—that Joshua 1:8 and Psalms 1:1-3 promise to those whose delight is in the Word of God!

A Clear Mind

1 Cor 14:14. For if I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays, but my understanding is unfruitful.

One of the wonderful things about praying in tongues is that it clears your mind.

When Paul wrote, “If I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays, but my mind is unfruitful”, he was not saying that praying in tongues does not benefit your mind. If you read the entire context of that verse, you’ll see that Paul simply was simply saying that in your mind you won’t understand what you’re saying in tongues unless the Lord gives you the interpretation.

But while the edification that praying in tongues releases begins in your spirit (because it’s with your spirit that you speak in tongues), nevertheless, speaking in tongues brings tremendous blessing and benefit to your entire being—spirit, soul and body. As Kenneth Hagin said, whatever edifies your spirit will eventually edify your mind and your body also!

As you pray at length in tongues, the thoughts of the world, the flesh and the devil that assail you and try to defeat you are checked, and in their place thoughts of faith, hope, love, peace, joy and strength begin to wash over your mind like a spiritual shower of living water.

The Bible says that we faint and grow weary in our minds (Heb 12:3), but as you pray at length in tongues, you’ll find that your mind becomes “super-charged” with the very life of God,  and that you’ll have clarity where before you had confusion.

You’ll experience internal strength and keen insight that will cause you to prosper in all that you put your hand to as you pray in other tongues!

Out of Great Trials Come Great Triumphs, Pt 2

Out of Great Trials Come Great Triumphs, Pt 2

That morning when I awoke in the midst of a great spiritual attack against one of our children, after having prayed the night before in other tongues, I began confessing that the Holy Spirit was leading me into all truth, especially the truth that Mary and I needed in order to know how to pray about this situation!

I confessed that the Holy Spirit was leading me into the very word from God that I needed in order to pray effectively.

I began listening to “The Believer’s Authority” by Kenneth E. Hagin on my Ipod. As he talked about praying the Ephesians prayers, I stopped the Ipod and began to do that, but after just the first few phrases I stopped and began to say over and over to myself, “a spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Jesus.”

I decided to add praise to my prayer and began to praise God and to thank Him for giving to Mary and to me and to our son a spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Jesus. Over and over I said this.

For a long while, I felt nothing, except badly! I was “on empty” and I felt dry, fearful, helpless, and hopeless – but I kept on praising.

As I continued doing this, however, revelation began to come! Joy began to flood my being. In the midst of the storm I actually began to laugh with GENUINE LAUGHTER at the enemy and his strategies against us! Victory began rising up within my spirit! And it was not long after that that the breakthrough came! Hallelujah!

Stay with the Word, no matter what. Keep it in your heart and in your mouth. Get your eyes off the problem and onto Jesus.

Like the children of Israel who told the Lord, when the children of Ammon and Moab and Mount Seir came against them, that they had no might against the great company coming against them, nor did they know what to do, but, they said, “our eyes are upon Thee.” (2 Chron 20:12).

That’s what you have to do when the pressure is on. Get your eyes off the circumstances and the situation, and get them on the Word!

That morning when I awoke in the midst of a great spiritual attack against one of our children, after having prayed the night before in other tongues, I began confessing that the Holy Spirit was leading me into all truth, especially the truth that Mary and I needed in order to know how to pray about this situation!

I confessed that the Holy Spirit was leading me into the very word from God that I needed in order to pray effectively.

I began listening to “The Believer’s Authority” by Kenneth E. Hagin on my Ipod. As he talked about praying the Ephesians prayers, I stopped the Ipod and began to do that, but after just the first few phrases I stopped and began to say over and over to myself, “a spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Jesus.”

I decided to add praise to my prayer and began to praise God and to thank Him for giving to Mary and to me and to our son a spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Jesus. Over and over I said this.

For a long while, I felt nothing, except badly! I was “on empty” and I felt dry, fearful, helpless, and hopeless – but I kept on praising.

As I continued doing this, however, revelation began to come! Joy began to flood my being. In the midst of the storm I actually began to laugh with GENUINE LAUGHTER at the enemy and his strategies against us! Victory began rising up within my spirit! And it was not long after that that the breakthrough came! Hallelujah!

Stay with the Word, no matter what. Keep it in your heart and in your mouth. Get your eyes off the problem and onto Jesus.

Like the children of Israel who told the Lord, when the children of Ammon and Moab and Mount Seir came against them, that they had no might against the great company coming against them, nor did they know what to do, but, they said, “our eyes are upon Thee.” (2 Chron 20:12).

That’s what you have to do when the pressure is on. Get your eyes off the circumstances and the situation, and get them on the Word!

Out of Great Trials Come Great Triumphs, Pt 1

Out of Great Trials Come Great Triumphs, Pt 1

On another occasion we had a great attack come against one of our other children. It was the most difficult spiritual battle that Mary and I had ever found ourselves in and it stretched out over a period of a month or more.

You know it’s a spiritual battle when you can sense the forces of hell that are arrayed against you. With Paul you can say, “We were troubled on every side; without were fightings, within were fears.” (2 Cor 7:5).

Sadness, sorrow and fear gripped us. We would go to bed at night with heavy hearts and wake up in the morning feeling the same. One of those nights though I prayed in the Holy Ghost before falling off to sleep. (Praying for an hour in tongues like that before drifting off to sleep helped to set me up for victory in the morning).

When I awoke the next morning, once again my thoughts started to tend toward the negative, but I forced myself to begin meditating on the truth of God’s word that as Jesus is, so am I in this world, and that perfect love casts out all fear.

To tell you the truth, I felt little or no unction to speak, but I just forced my thoughts over onto God’s Word. It helped me especially when I began to speak the Word. That turned the tide.

Sometimes you simply cannot overcome negative thoughts with positive thoughts. The best way to overcome negative thoughts is with positive words!

Bro Hagin often said, “Faith filled words, spoken out of the heart, will lead the heart out of defeat into victory every time.” (Cont’d)

Out of Great Trials Come Great Triumphs, Pt 1

On another occasion we had a great attack come against one of our other children. It was the most difficult spiritual battle that Mary and I had ever found ourselves in and it stretched out over a period of a month or more.

You know it’s a spiritual battle when you can sense the forces of hell that are arrayed against you. With Paul you can say, “We were troubled on every side; without were fightings, within were fears.” (2 Cor 7:5).

Sadness, sorrow and fear gripped us. We would go to bed at night with heavy hearts and wake up in the morning feeling the same. One of those nights though I prayed in the Holy Ghost before falling off to sleep. (Praying for an hour in tongues like that before drifting off to sleep helped to set me up for victory in the morning).

When I awoke the next morning, once again my thoughts started to tend toward the negative, but I forced myself to begin meditating on the truth of God’s word that as Jesus is, so am I in this world, and that perfect love casts out all fear.

To tell you the truth, I felt little or no unction to speak, but I just forced my thoughts over onto God’s Word. It helped me especially when I began to speak the Word. That turned the tide.

Sometimes you simply cannot overcome negative thoughts with positive thoughts. The best way to overcome negative thoughts is with positive words!

Bro Hagin often said, “Faith filled words, spoken out of the heart, will lead the heart out of defeat into victory every time.” (Cont’d)

The Sword of the Spirit

One of the weapons listed among the whole armor of God in the book of Ephesians is the sword of the Spirit. (Eph 6:17). That verse actually says in the Greek, “And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word (literally, the “rhema”) of God.

The “rhema” word of God is the word that God speaks into your heart! One of the most important things to do when you find yourself in a situation that you don’t exactly know how to pray about, is to hear from God and to get His word about the situation.

When God speaks His word into your heart, it becomes a sword in the Spirit that you can wield against the strategies of the enemy! When God speaks a word into your heart and you put that word into your mouth, it goes forth from your heart like a ballistic missile to destroy the works of the enemy.

That’s what happened with us one time when one of our sons was under spiritual attack. We didn’t know how to pray with our understanding. As I prayed in English, it felt like I was getting nowhere fast!

But then I began to pray in tongues, and in just a short time, the Holy Spirit dropped a particular verse of scripture into my spirit concerning my son. Suddenly, I knew how to pray and I was able to pray with unction and with boldness! I could sense the power of God going forth into that situation on the wings of that Spirit-anointed prayer. That was a turning point. It wasn’t long after that that our son walked out of the trap that the enemy had laid for him.

Thank God for the Holy Ghost! He’s our Helper and our Intercessor!

The Earth Brings Forth Fruit All By Itself, Pt 2

Mark 4:28.For the earth bringeth forth fruit of herself; first the blade, then the ear, after that the full corn in the ear.

In James 1:26, we are told that if we do not bridle our tongue, we deceive our own heart. You deceive your heart because it will bring forth the unintended harvest of the negative seeds that you have planted!

But if instead you plant the seed of God’s word by hearing it and hearing it until it registers on your spirit, and continue to water that seed by meditating on it continually, in due season you will reap, if you faint not.

If you want to change something in your own life, or in the lives of your loved ones, start planting some seed by speaking words that agree with God’s word and by talking to yourself and to God about His word concerning that person or situation continually.

Your harvest will come in stages. Don’t be content with a partial victory. Continue watering the seed until you reap the full harvest!

The Earth Brings Forth Fruit All By Itself, Pt 1

Mark 4:28.For the earth bringeth forth fruit of herself; first the blade, then the ear, after that the full corn in the ear.

The seed of God’s Word that you plant in your heart will sprout and grow even though you don’t understand how it’s going to work because, according to our text, “the earth brings forth fruit of herself.” Literally, in the Greek, it says that the earth brings forth fruit “automatically”, or “all by itself.”

You don’t have to understand how electricity works in order for it to work. You just have to “work it”! And the good news is that you don’t have to understand how God’s word works in order for it to work for you either.

Why? Because your heart or your spirit has been designed by God to bring forth fruit “all by itself”, whether you understand the process or not.

The earth brings forth fruit of herself!

That’s why we should take heed what we hear, as Jesus said. (Mark 4:24). Words are seeds and they are planted by hearing them. Whatever seed you plant in your heart is what your heart will endeavor to produce—automatically—all by itself!

The kind of seed you plant is the kind of harvest you will reap. Be selective about what you hear, both out of your own mouth and out of the mouths of others!

You Don’t Have to Understand How it Works, Pt 2

Mark 4:26, 27. The kingdom of God is as if a man should scatter seed on the ground, and should sleep by night and rise by day, and the seed should sprout and grow, he himself does not know how.

Can you imagine that somewhere in the world today there is a peasant farmer planting seeds who has never had a day of school in his life?  He doesn’t have a clue as to what makes that seed sprout and grow, but he knows that it works!

And then can you imagine that somewhere else in the world there is a rocket scientist with his own little garden, and he understands everything about seeds and they grow for him too?

That seed will grow just as well for the peasant farmer as it does for the rocket scientist. Why? Because the power is in the seed! The power is not in your mind. The power is not in your head. The power is not in your brain.

The power is in the seed!

The power is in God’s Word! The life of God is in the Word of God, and that life—the Zoe Life of God—is released into your life as you plant that seed by hearing it and hearing it until it registers on your spirit!

You Don’t Have to Understand How it Works, Pt 1

Mark 4:26, 27. The kingdom of God is as if a man should scatter seed on the ground, and should sleep by night and rise by day, and the seed should sprout and grow, he himself does not know how.

The wonderful thing about planting the seed of God’s Word into your heart is that you don’t have to understand how it works in order for it to work for you! Our text says that after the man sows the seed, the seed sprouts and grows, though he himself does not know how!

Now that’s great news for those of us who always try to figure out everything with our minds.

Your mind wants to be the superintendent of the garden. It will look at that seemingly small and insignificant seed of God’s Word that you are sowing into your heart and then begin to speak to you and say, “What are you doing?! This isn’t going to help. This isn’t going to change anything. How can this bring your children back to God? How can this help your marriage? How can this provide you with the finances you need? How can this heal your body!?”

But I’ve got good news for you! The seed is not planted in your mind; the seed is planted in your spirit.

Jesus said that the Kingdom of God is like a man planting seed in the soil. The seed is the Word and the soil is the heart of man.

How Long Will It Take?

Heb 4:3, 9-11. For we which have believed do enter into rest…There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God. For he that is entered into his rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from his. Let us labour therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief.

When it comes to having faith and reaping a harvest, sometimes people ask, “How long will this take? How long do I need to keep hearing the Word?” My answer is, “Until you hear it!”

Going back to our personal testimony, when Mary and I were believing God to have children, I have to say that I do not recall time ever being a factor for us. I don’t recall ever fretting or fussing about how long it was taking. Time was not an issue, because when you believe, you enter into rest. (Heb 4:3). That’s one way to know that you are in faith, because when you’re truly in faith, you are truly at rest.

When you are in faith, you don’t really care how long it takes, because you’ve already “got it”! In your spirit, you know you have it. As long as you’re worrying about when the manifestation will come, you are still laboring to enter into rest. 

How long will you need to hear the Word? Until you are wiser than your enemies; until you have more understanding than your teachers; until His Words are sweeter than honey to your mouth; until you overcome; until your eyes are opened and you begin to behold wondrous things out of His Word; until His testimonies become your delight and begin to counsel you; until your healing manifests; until the finances materialize; until your circumstances change; until wisdom is yours; until revelation comes; until you know that you know that victory is yours!

The Harvest Comes in Stages, Pt 3

Mark 4:28-29. For the earth yields crops by itself: first the blade, then the head, after that the full grain in the head. But when the grain ripens, immediately he puts in the sickle, because the harvest has come.”

After listening continuously to Bro. Hagin preach the word on tape for three months concerning faith and healing, the woman with the deformed foot was not instantly healed, however, she did notice that the condition of her foot began to change slightly!

She continued to listen and after six months of steadily and consistently listening to the Word of God concerning faith and healing, her deformed foot was completely healed!

Not only that, but when she started listening to those tapes, she had no little toe on that foot, but by the end of the six months, not only was her foot healed, she had also grown a little toe!  And no one had even prayed for or laid hands upon her!

The harvest of faith often comes in stages. It doesn’t usually come all at once. Most of the changes that you will see in your life will come the same way. First the blade, then the head, then the mature grain in the head.

How does the Kingdom of God work?

It’s like a man planting seed in the ground. Your heart is the soil. The Word is the seed. That seed is planted as you hear it and hear it until it registers on your spirit. Seeds are deceptive in their appearance; every seed is powerless until planted; and with every seed, there is always a period of time when it appears that nothing is happening.

Don’t give up. Don’t quit. Be faithful to hear the Word and to water it by meditating upon it and in due season, you will reap a harvest if you faint not!

 

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The Harvest Comes in Stages, Pt 2

Mark 4:28-29. For the earth yields crops by itself: first the blade, then the head, after that the full grain in the head. But when the grain ripens, immediately he puts in the sickle, because the harvest has come.”

One of my favorite testimonies of all time is about a woman born with a deformed foot who was healed simply by listening to Kenneth Hagin’s sermons on faith and healing.

This was many years ago, and because of the deformity, she was unable to work. Since she couldn’t work, she took the time to listen to Bro Hagin’s tapes over and over. She began to plant the seed of God’s Word in her heart by hearing it and hearing it until it registered on her spirit.

She said that when she first began listening to those messages, the word that Kenneth Hagin was preaching didn’t mean a thing to her. It seemed so dry and lifeless! That’s because seeds are deceptive in their appearance—when you plant them they look small and insignificant.

Nevertheless, she kept listening. She continued to hear those tapes over and over, day after day, week after week, for several weeks, and for a long time, it seemed like nothing was happening!

Then finally, after about three months of  continuously listening to the word of God, something began to happen! (Cont’d).

The Harvest Comes in Stages, Pt 1

In Mark 4:28, Jesus said, “The soil produces crops by itself; first the blade, then the head, then the mature grain in the head.” In other words, after planting seeds, the harvest comes in stages. That’s true naturally and it’s also true spiritually.

For example, many times healing comes gradually over a process of time. That’s not only true of healing, that’s also true concerning every other area of faith.

I think that people often quit in the initial stages of the harvest. They get a little harvest and they’re so excited, they’re satisfied with just that. But God wants you to go on and believe for “the mature grain in the head”. He wants you to get an abundant harvest of whatever you’re believing for!

When It Seems Like Nothing Is Happening, Pt 3

Mark 4:26-29 And He said, “The kingdom of God is as if a man should scatter seed on the ground, and should sleep by night and rise by day, and the seed should sprout and grow, he himself does not know how. For the earth yields crops by itself: first the blade, then the head, after that the full grain in the head. But when the grain ripens, immediately he puts in the sickle, because the harvest has come.”

If you don’t know that with every seed there is always a period of time when it appears that absolutely nothing is happening, then Satan will defeat you.

He will condemn you and tell you that your faith is not working. He will tell you that nothing is happening. He will tell you to give up and quit before the harvest comes. Don’t listen to him!

Instead, hold fast to the confession of your faith (Heb. 10:23), and you will reap a harvest.

Do what the Bible says to do: “…do not cast away your confidence, which has great reward. For you have need of endurance, so that after you have done the will of God, you may receive the promise…” (Heb. 10:35-36).

When It Seems Like Nothing Is Happening, Pt 2

Mark 4:26-29 And He said, “The kingdom of God is as if a man should scatter seed on the ground, ^and should sleep by night and rise by day, and the seed should sprout and grow, he himself does not know how. ^For the earth yields crops by itself: first the blade, then the head, after that the full grain in the head. ^But when the grain ripens, immediately he puts in the sickle, because the harvest has come.”

Picture the farmer who plants corn and the next morning goes out to the field expecting to see a full and mature crop. That would be ridiculous, of course, but that is exactly what many Christians do after they plant the seed of God’s Word in their hearts.

Many times they quit before they reap a harvest because they do not see immediate results. But there is always a period of time with every seed that is planted when it appears that nothing is happening. Learn to persevere through that season. That’s why Galatians 6:9 says, “Let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.”

There’s always a period of time with every seed when the ground looks dry and dead and lifeless, and your circumstances can look dry and dead and lifeless too. However, if you’ll be faithful to plant the seed of God’s Word in your heart by hearing it and hearing it until it registers on your spirit, and faithful to water it by meditating upon it, then you will have a harvest!

When It Seems Like Nothing Is Happening, Pt 1

Mark 4:26-29 And He said, “The kingdom of God is as if a man should scatter seed on the ground, and should sleep by night and rise by day, and the seed should sprout and grow, he himself does not know how. For the earth yields crops by itself: first the blade, then the head, after that the full grain in the head. But when the grain ripens, immediately he puts in the sickle, because the harvest has come.”
 
I have shared with you from the parable of the seed in Mark 4:26-29, that there are three things about seeds that you need to know, otherwise you will be defeated and the devil will stop you from reaping a harvest.

The first was that seeds are deceptive in their appearance. The second was that seeds are powerless until planted. And the third is this: in the natural world, there is always a period time with every seed when it appears that nothing is happening! And in the spiritual world, very often that is also the case.

Certainly there are times when our faith in God’s Word brings about instantaneous results, but often when you are receiving by faith—as we see in this parable—the harvest comes in stages, and there is a period of time when it looks like nothing is happening with that seed that you have planted in your heart.

Don’t be discouraged! Instead, hold fast to your confession of faith and in due season you will reap if you faint not. (Heb 10:23; Gal 6:9).

Calling Those Things Which Be Not As Though They Were

Romans 4:17(b). God…calls into existence the things that do not exist…

When our children were growing up, we usually would read the Bible and pray with them in the evenings. One day, however, an idea came to me by inspiration. I’m sure that it was the Lord who gave it to me. From time to time, I would tell the children that instead of praying we would simply speak “words of life” over our own individual lives.

As we went around the room, one by one in turn each child would begin to speak “words of life” over his or her life. It was precious. It was like looking through a window into their tender, young souls as they opened up their hearts to the Lord.

They would begin to speak forth what they wanted to see come to pass in their lives and in this way, Mary and I would learn what was most important to them! Following the example of their Father-God, they were calling into existence the things that did not yet exist in their lives. I think that the anointing upon our devotional time was never so strong and so sweet as it was during those times.

They began to speak out the desires of their hearts. They spoke words that would help them overcome the challenges that they were facing in life even at that young age. They began to address inadequacies, insecurities, fears, and lack in their own lives.

They began to speak about themselves as new creatures in Christ, more than conquerors, victorious, above and not beneath, the head and not the tail, prospering in all that they put their hand to. As they did, they began to see themselves as God sees them. They were agreeing with their Father in heaven and He was agreeing with them. His manifested presence could be felt so plainly at those times!

You can do the same! Learn to speak words of life over yourself and your loved ones on a daily basis!

Words of Life, Pt 2

John 6:63. The words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.

When you speak words that agree with the Word of God, you are speaking words that are spirit and life.

Let your speech agree with God, even when circumstances seem to contradict what God’s Word says about you and your life.

Hold fast to your confession of faith. Learn to agree with God in every trial and test. Let your testimony line up and agree with God, because Jesus is the Apostle and High Priest of your confession.

He’s not the High Priest of His confession—He’s the High Priest of your confession. So you might ask yourself, “What am I giving my Great High Priest to work with?”

Speak words of life!