Real Help Topic: Learn

So what is prayer? Prayer is not an emotional release or an escape route. It is much more than just asking God for a favor. And it is most definitely not a religious exercise. God responds to faith, so just repetition and beautiful words do not get the attention of God. Your aim in prayer is to be effective. Effective praying is the key to success in every area of life.

Prayer is an attitude. It’s communicating and fellowshiping with God. You can live in an attitude of prayer every moment, being in constant contact with God. You may be thinking, But I can’t spend all my time in prayer! Yes, you can! In 1 Thessalonians 5:17, the Apostle Paul instructed the Church to “pray without ceasing.” Luke 18:1 says, “Men ought always to pray, and not faint.” The No. 1 priority in God’s heart is to spend quality time with us daily. We need to be able to hear His voice.

The more time you spend in God’s presence, the more you will act and think like Him. He needs people who will pray–not just when they happen to think about it, but every day. Your natural human reaction to the call for prayer may be to say, “Hey, I hardly have time to handle the crises in my life right now. I can’t afford to spend any more time in prayer!” But the truth is, you can’t afford not to.

It’s when we begin to make prayer our priority–to lay aside the natural things and take up the things of God–that the glory of God will be reflected in us. It’s just a matter of rearranging your priorities. The Lord will show you exactly what you need to do to drop certain things out of your life that steal your time with Him. He will also tell you to do certain things that will help you get in the habit of spending time with Him. You can create good habits in God the same way you can create poor habits. If you’ll habitually apply yourself to making contact with Him daily through prayer and reading the Bible, it will become a way of life to you.

How do you save the world? It can only happen through God’s love. See how to live a life of God’s love, so you can share the love of Jesus everywhere you go, in everything you do.

“Are you saved?”

Ask a believer that question and he’ll answer with a quick, “Yes!” But ask him if he knows exactly what he’s been saved from and you may run into some confusion.

Most of us realize that we’ve been saved from spiritual death, snatched from a hell-bound train. We know our salvation has changed our final destination. But what many of us don’t realize is that we don’t have to simply sit around until then, spiritual suitcases in hand, waiting to die and go to glory.

God intended for us to begin our trip to heaven the moment we were born again. And sin should be the first territory we leave behind. That’s because God has given us His very own righteousness and authority. It is part of our great salvation.

Christians are discovering that we have authority in the Name of Jesus to resist sickness, disease, poverty, demons and fear. James 4:7 says, “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” But before we can effectively resist the devil, we must first submit to God and obey Him.

Dead to Sin

Jesus has already paid the price to free us from the dominion of sin. When we believe that Jesus is the Son of God, that He was raised from the dead and confess Him as Lord, we are saved according to Romans 10:9-10.

Colossians 1:13 tells us that at the moment of our salvation, we are delivered out of the kingdom of darkness and translated into the kingdom of God’s dear Son. This is not something that happens when we die. We live in that Kingdom now.

When you are born again, the old sin nature that used to be on the inside of you dies. A new nature created in righteousness and true holiness is born. “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new” (2 Corinthians 5:17).

The very life of God Himself is the substance of that new man. Righteousness–being in right-standing with God–not sin, is now your nature. That righteousness is imparted to you by the Holy Spirit through the new birth.

Your spirit is instantly changed when you are born again, but your mind and your body are not. It’s your responsibility to fulfill the righteousness that is imparted to you. You do this by renewing your mind (Romans 12:2)–this change of thinking reveals to us what God says in His Word. It transforms our entire lives as we believe and obey. It enables us to walk out the will of God and walk in His BLESSING.

You see, Romans 6:6 says it’s in knowing this that we will no longer serve sin. Our spirit is already dead to sin and re-created in righteousness. That inner righteousness becomes outwardly apparent when you renew your mind to this fact and act accordingly.

The moment you are born again, sin loses its hold on you. Just as death lost its dominion over Jesus when He was raised from the dead, so sin loses its dominion over you.

No sin is so powerful that it can dominate the person who knows he is dead to sin. Drug addiction, alcoholism, sexual sins, evil habits–all lose their power to control those who consider themselves dead to sin.

“Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord. Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof. Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God” (Romans 6:11-13).

Alive to God

It’s not enough to consider yourself dead to sin. You must reckon yourself alive to God. That means when sin calls, you don’t answer. You answer when God calls! You are motivated by the new man on the inside of you, not by the old man that you once were!

You can have so much of the life of God flowing out of you that when you walk into a place, the demons there shudder and tremble in fear at your very presence! That’s what the Bible says about Jesus. It says, “God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power: who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with him” (Acts 10:38).

One translation says Jesus went about healing those who were overpowered by the devil. You are not overpowered by the devil! You have power over the devil.

But if you get your attention on other things, you will let the Word slip and sin will dominate you. Hebrews 2:1, 3 says, “Therefore we ought to give the more earnest heed to the things which we have heard, lest at any time we should let them slip. How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation; which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed unto us by them that heard him.”

The Word in your heart causes you to walk after God instead of after the world. We’ve got to give the more earnest heed to the things we learn in the Word of God and not let them slip.

We cannot escape sin and the effects of sin if we neglect the great salvation the blood of Jesus has provided us. Sin and its consequences will continue to have dominion over us. But if we will continue with the Lord, our great salvation will bring us into a state of soundness–spirit, soul and body!

And God wants you to walk in the fullness of your salvation. He wants you to be whole and sound in every area of your life. But you cannot enjoy that salvation now without renewing your mind to the fact that you are dead to sin. And deliverance from sin is the very beginning of our great salvation.

Ephesians 5:8 says, “For once you were full of darkness, but now you have light from the Lord. So live as people of light!” Sounds like a big job, doesn’t it? If we’re not careful we can begin to believe that to “live as people of the light” means we need to be perfect Christians. But perfection isn’t possible. Only Jesus was without sin (2 Corinthians 5:21).

Be an Un-Perfect Christian by Embracing the Resurrection

So what does it mean to “live as people of the light”? Some say that scripture was referring to the early Church and things were different back then.

But that’s false! Those first believers received the same Spirit you did when you got saved and baptized with the Holy Spirit. You are a carrier of God’s glory just as surely as they were! God is not looking for perfect Christians; He’s looking for resurrected ones.

That’s why Romans 6:4 says, “For we died and were buried with Christ by baptism. And just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glorious power of the Father, now we also may live new lives.” We’ve been born again by and baptized with the very same glory that resurrected Jesus.

Be an Un-Perfect Christian by Becoming a Mobile Temple

What does being a “mobile temple” mean? Well, just before Jesus went to the cross, He explained it to the disciples this way: “I am in the Father, and the Father is in me…. the Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works. Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father…. If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him” (John 14:10, 12, 23).

Can you see what Jesus was saying?

He was saying that the same Father of glory who lived in Him and did supernatural works on earth would, after the Crucifixion and Resurrection, dwell in and do supernatural works through those who believe. God wasn’t looking for perfect Christians. He was looking for once-ordinary people like you who would become mobile temples filled with the lightning-like, white-hot, fiery-furnace power of Almighty God. He’s saying you’d do the works of Jesus and even greater; you’d lay hands on the sick and they would recover because shafts of divine power would be made available through your hands!

Don’t get caught up in trying to be a perfect Christian. Instead, focus on becoming an un-perfect one by letting God’s Word transform you. Read it. Meditate on it. Let it get so big inside you, you can’t help but walk in its truth. You’ll become a doer of the Word, and not just a hearer (James 1:22). Then God will be able to do even “greater works than these” through you!

What does “salvation” really mean? If you don’t know that answer, you won’t be able to experience the fullness of your salvation. So let’s clarify the truth of salvation.

A good place to begin is by learning the meaning of the word. Most believers think the word salvation simply means “to be saved from eternal damnation.” But it means much more than that. Let’s look at three things the word salvation refers to:

1. Salvation Includes Deliverance From Evil–Both Temporal and Eternal

Salvation refers to spiritual and material preservation, deliverance from the fear of danger as well as pardon, restoration, healing, wholeness and soundness in spirit, soul and body. It’s true that when you make Jesus your Lord you are saved from the penalty of sin (Romans 5:9). You’ve been delivered from hell and you’re headed for heaven!

2. Salvation Includes a Life of Freedom

Salvation provides deliverance from the dominion of sin in this life (Romans 6:14). Thank God, you don’t have to sin anymore! You have been born of God and you have the power to live a holy life–a life of freedom.

3.Salvation Protects You from Earthly Dangers

Psalm 91 tells you that you will be delivered from pestilence, which includes serious sickness and disease, famine, earthquakes and other calamities. It says you’ll be protected from sudden death that comes by the weapons of men. It promises you a long, satisfying life and deliverance from every kind of trouble that comes your way.

All these are wonderful promises, but they aren’t automatic. These promises operate under specific conditions, and Psalm 91:1-2 tells you what those conditions are: “He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall remain stable and fixed under the shadow of the Almighty [Whose power no foe can withstand]. I will say of the Lord, He is my Refuge and my Fortress, my God; on Him I lean and rely, and in Him I [confidently] trust!”

If you want to experience the fullness of this great salvation Jesus purchased for you, exert consistent effort. Don’t give up, and don’t give in. Stand up for everything salvation has afforded you. Focus on the Lord and His Word. Stay in constant communication with Him through prayer. Experience all that is available to you through Jesus Christ!

Do you know where you stand with God?

If you have never made Jesus the Lord of your life, then you are separated from God by sin. You are the reason God sent Jesus to the cross. John 3:16 says, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” God loved you so much that He gave His only begotten Son for you.

Second Corinthians 5:21 says that God made Jesus, who knew no sin, to be sin for us. Sin was the reason Jesus came to earth. He died on the Cross and went to hell for one reason: to pay the price for sin. Once that price was paid, Jesus was raised from the dead, triumphant over Satan; and the sin problem was taken care of.

God does not hold your sin against you. The only thing keeping you from becoming a child of God is failure to turn from your present world and your present god, which is Satan, and make Jesus the Lord over your life.

When Jesus paid the sin price for you, He was your substitute. Heaven has it recorded that you have been set free. It is as if you yourself died on the Cross 2,000 years ago. But that doesn’t mean you will automatically go to heaven. Even though God sent Jesus to pay for your sin–even though He holds nothing against you–you can still go straight to hell. Why? Because you have not made the choice to receive Jesus as your own personal Lord and Savior, to accept His sacrifice as yours. You have a free will. You have the right to choose your own destiny; God will not force you to receive salvation. The choice is yours. You can go straight to hell and God will not lift a finger to stop you. He did all He is going to do when He sent Jesus into the world.

Your choice is set before you.

If you do choose to make Jesus your Lord, God will receive you as His very own child. You will become part of God’s family. He will be your Father and you will be His child. This is not just a theological idea; this is a fact. It actually happens. Jesus actually walked the earth as a man. He actually went to the Cross, died there, was raised from the dead and is alive today, seated at the right hand of God in heaven.

When you become a Christian–when you become born again–you take on the nature of God, your heavenly Father. The nature of sin and Satan is death; the nature of God is life. Jesus spoke to the people of His day and said, “Ye are of your father the devil” (John 8:44). To accept Jesus as your Lord causes you to turn your back on your father the devil, or on “the god of this world” as Satan is called (2 Corinthians 4:4). You take on a new Father, a heavenly Father; and you are born again–not physically, but spiritually. Your spirit is reborn in the likeness of God.

You see, you are a threefold being: You are a spirit, you have a soul (mind, will, emotions), and you live in a body. Jesus referred to this in a conversation with Nicodemus (John 3:3-7).

Jesus said to him, “You must be born again.”

Nicodemus replied, “What do you mean? Do I have to go back again into my mother’s womb?”

Jesus answered, “No. What is born of the flesh is flesh. What is born of the Spirit is spirit.”

Being born again is a spiritual rebirth. You are born of the Spirit of God. The Holy Spirit was sent into the earth to carry out the new birth. When you make Jesus the Lord of your life, the Holy Spirit comes to indwell you and causes your spirit to be re-created. According to 2 Corinthians 5:17, when you accept Jesus as your Lord, you become a new creature, or new creation; old things pass away and all things become new. As far as God is concerned, at that moment, you stand before Him as a brand-new person. You are reborn from sin and death to righteousness and new life. That is a fact.

1 John 5:1-4 says, “Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born of God…. For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith.”

I want you to realize what happens the moment a person makes Jesus Christ the Lord of his life. In the eyes of God, he becomes a world overcomer. Sin no longer reigns over his life. Sin is no longer his lord. Jesus is His Lord and he can live above the satanic forces in the world.

After Jesus was raised from the dead, He stood before His disciples and said, “All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth” (Matthew 28:18). Then He delegated that power to His people. He said, “Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature” (Mark 16:15). What is the gospel? The good news that God is no longer holding your sins and trespasses against you.

The Bible gives some specific instructions that you are to follow in order to become a Christian, or in order to be born again. Look at Romans 10:8-11:

“…The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach; That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed.”

Jesus said, “Him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out” (John 6:37). No matter what kind of sinner you are, no matter what you have done, you can go to Jesus and He will accept you. Once you go to Him, then He will cause you to be born again. He will re-create you, and that sin which has been plaguing you will be a thing of the past. It will be gone. You will be accepted before God as if you have never sinned!

To be born again, you use your mouth and you use your heart. First, you believe in your heart that God’s Word is true; then you confess it with your mouth because you believe it.

I want you to realize one very important fact: You don’t confess you are saved because you feel saved. Feelings have absolutely nothing to do with salvation. Let me give you an example:

Suppose someone says to you, “I went to the bank this morning and deposited $1,000 in your account.” How do you know they actually did what they said? You don’t believe they did it because you feel $1,000 richer, and you don’t doubt them just because you don’t feel any different. Your feelings really have nothing to do with it. If that person’s word is good, you will believe him. If his word is bad, you won’t.

When your salvation is involved, you are relying on God’s Word–and God doesn’t lie. He means what He says. If He said it, then you can believe it. He has said that if you believe in your heart and confess with your month that Jesus is Lord, you will be saved. You don’t base your salvation on the way you feel. You base it on the pure, unadulterated Word of Almighty God.

God’s Word is the only evidence you have that you are saved, but that is all the evidence you need!

Several days or weeks from now, you might not feel saved. You may begin to wonder if you were ever really saved to start with. You will have doubts–Satan will see to that! But when those thoughts and feelings come, just go back to the Word of God. You will see that it still says the same thing. God never changes and His Word never changes. It is still just as true today as when it was first spoken. People may try to convince you that it doesn’t work. Temptations may come to convince you that it didn’t work. Doubts will come to your mind. But all those things do not alter the fact that God’s Word is true.

Jesus said, “I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly” (John 10:10). The moment you make Jesus the Lord of your life will be the moment you have a desire to live, instead of a desire to die. I can testify to that fact in my own life. Before I accepted Jesus as my Lord, I was headed straight to hell. Everything I liked to do was bad for me. The habits I had formed for 25 years were destructive to my body and my mind. But when I made Jesus the Lord of my life, all those desires were changed. I suddenly had a desire to get rid of my filthy habits. I had a desire to get rid of tobacco, alcohol, immoral thoughts and behavior, profanity, etc. My desires had been changed. Why? Because I was changed. The real me, my spirit, was reborn. The change in my spirit brought changes to my mind and body.

These changes are available to you, too. God is right there, ready to accept you, ready to change you. You don’t have to live in sin any longer. You don’t have to live a defeated life any longer. You don’t have to be anything except God’s child. You can walk the road of life victoriously with Jesus as your Lord and Savior. You won’t have to take a back seat to Satan again. You can be the head and not the tail!

I want you to join me now in praying this prayer for salvation. Don’t just read it; make a conscious effort to speak these words from the very depths of your being. When you finish this prayer, you will be born again:

Heavenly Father, in the Name of Jesus, I present myself to You.

I pray and ask Jesus to be Lord over my life. I believe it in my heart, so I say it with my mouth: “Jesus has been raised from the dead.” This moment, I make Him the Lord over my life.

Jesus, come into my heart. I believe this moment that I am saved, I say it now: “I am reborn. I am a Christian. I am a child of Almighty God.”

Now, thank God for making you His child. Colossians 1:12 says, “Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light.” You have just been made a partaker of an inheritance from God. You have just inherited the kingdom of God!

Speaking of God, the next verse says, “Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son: In whom we have the redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins.”

You don’t have to wait until you die to receive your inheritance. You are a child of God right this very moment, and you can receive all that belongs to you right now! 1 John 3:2 says, “Beloved, now are we the sons of God.” You have been delivered from the darkness into the kingdom of God.

Jesus said, “Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom” (Luke 12:32).

I welcome you into the family of God!

Satan will put strong pressure on you to faint and give up. Sometimes you want to succumb to the pressure and let go of God’s Word. Don’t do it! You cannot give in to Satan’s pressure without throwing away your confidence in God’s Word. To act on Satan’s pressure you have to lay down the promises found in the Bible. There is no middle ground. When it comes to standing on the Word you are either on or off. Say this out loud: “I will not succumb to pressure. I am moved by nothing except the Word of God.”

When Satan’s pressure says that God’s Word is not working, patience rejects it as a lie. Patience has no fear. Patience knows that God’s Word has never failed. If you are to please God you must operate in faith. Faith not only believes that God exists, but that God rewards those who diligently seek Him. The instant you draw back in fear, you quit operating in faith.

Lord, I am a believer, not a doubter. My faith is strengthened by the power of patience, and it defends and protects my soul from Satan’s attacks. I believe I receive by faith. My faith is grounded securely in God’s Word, and it is proof that I have received, even though I may not see it yet with my natural eye. I remain steadfast, regardless of the situation I am facing. I will not give up, and I continue to put the Word first place in my life! Amen.

Everything that happens to us supernaturally happens by faith. Somewhere, somehow, someone has to release faith for the supernatural to happen in our lives. So whether it’s getting us born again or getting us healed, whether it’s avoiding a financial disaster or avoiding a fatal car wreck, faith must be released. Someone’s faith must be in operation–and if it’s not our faith that gets us in the right place at the right time, then it’s somebody else’s that does.

But you and I cannot live on somebody else’s faith the rest of our lives. If we try to, we probably won’t live out the full number of our days on this earth. We won’t walk in the fullness of the financial blessings God has stored up for us, or in the fullness of the ministry gifts God wants to pour out on us for the benefit of the world that’s full of lost, sick, lonely and needy people. So we must develop our faith. We must learn how to operate in our own faith. Romans 5:1-2 says, “Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.” Faith gives us access to God’s favor! Make the decision to walk by faith and open the door to the kingdom of God and all He has for you!

Forgive by Faith–Not Feelings

by Kenneth Copeland

Spiritually speaking, unforgiveness is downright dangerous. It will make your spirit feeble and your prayers ineffective. Unforgiveness will pull the plug on your faith so completely that you won’t have enough power to move the molehills in your life–much less the mountains. Jesus concluded one of His most powerful teachings on faith with these words, “And when ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have aught against any…” (Mark 11:25). Jesus didn’t say when you stand praying try to forgive if you can. He simply said, forgive. Period.

Jesus did not suggest that we forgive. He made forgiveness a command. And it would be unjust for Him to command us to do something we could not do. Therefore, we know it is within our ability to obey His command to forgive–no matter what the circumstances. Most people don’t realize it, but unforgiveness is actually a form of fear. Quite often we don’t forgive because we’re afraid of getting hurt again. We’re afraid we will never recover from the damage someone has done to our lives.

You may feel that way right now. But the truth of the matter is, you can rely on the fact that your God will supply all your needs according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:19). Let the knowledge of the merciful, protective love of God cast out all your fears (1 John 4:18).

Then forgive by faith, not by feelings. Do it the same way you would receive healing or anything else by faith. First, make a quality decision to act on God’s Word.

Second, speak and act in accordance with that decision. Refuse to say anything negative about anyone who has hurt you. Refuse to rehearse in your mind or with your mouth the hurt they have caused you. Instead, look for opportunities to bless them both in word and in deed.

Finally, don’t be moved by what you feel. Forgiveness isn’t an emotion–it’s an act of your will. And when your will lines up with the will of God, heaven’s choice blessings are yours!

God intends for you to be victorious in life! It doesn’t matter what you are going through, the victory is available in Christ Jesus.

First John 5:1-5 says: “Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born of God: and every one that loveth him that begat loveth him also that is begotten of him. By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God, and keep his commandments [to love one another even as he has loved us]. For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous. For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith. Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God?”

When you made Jesus the Lord of your life, you gained the biggest victory of all–life over death. No person on this earth is immune to the persecution of the devil, but God’s Word is victorious! Get His wisdom concerning your situation (Proverbs 4:7; James 1:5). The following four steps will put you in position to receive your victory.

1. Make the decision: I will not be defeated in life, and I will not quit. I will receive from God (Romans 8:37). This is a decision of quality, based on the promises found in God’s Word, from which there is no retreat.

2. Take your stand in the grace and goodness of God (Romans 5:2; Galatians 5:1). Fully expect the glory of God to manifest in your situation.

3. Give your attention to God’s Word (Proverbs 4:20-22; Joshua 1:8).

4. Refuse to speak words contrary to what you believe you have received (Mark 11:23-24). Refuse to give place to the devil or entertain his thoughts (James 4:7; 2 Corinthians 10:5; Philippians 4:8). Answer every doubt immediately with the Word of God.

Receive is not a passive word. God always shows up where there is a willingness to receive. Each of us has a part to play in receiving healing or anything else we need from God. We can’t just hope He will touch us. That’s not what the Bible teaches. What you receive depends on your faith, and faith is not passive. Faith is a receiver, an appropriator, a taker. It reaches out and takes what God offers.

Thayer’s Greek-English Lexicon says the word translatedreceive in Mark 11:24 means “to take, to lay hold of, to take in order to carry away, to take what is one’s own, to take to one’s self, to claim or procure for one’s self, of that which when taken is not let go, to seize, to apprehend, to get possession of, to obtain a thing, to appropriate to one’s self, to obtain, to collect, to gather, not to refuse or reject.” Whether or not you receive is not entirely up to God. If you desire to walk in divine health, you have to take what God has for you.

Your responsibility is to believe and say what God says. You can do that when you obey the instructions in Proverbs 4:20-21: “My son, attend to my words; incline thine ear unto my sayings. Let them not depart from thine eyes; keep them in the midst of thine heart.” Consistently put the Word in your eyes and ears so it gets down into your heart in abundance and becomes a part of you. Then it can come out your mouth by the Spirit of God as words of faith with the power to change your circumstances. Second Corinthians 4:13 says the spirit of faith believes and therefore speaks. Bible believing is not just mental agreement with the Word. Bible believing acts.

The measure of faith that was imparted to you at the new birth is powerful. It must be nurtured and cultivated by God’s Word. As you grow in the knowledge of God, you develop in faith. Make yourself strong on the promises of the Word of God. Release your faith in those promises and activate them in your life. The results you desire will surely come to pass. It is a fact. God’s Word will work for you. Allow the faith of God in you to work for you in every area of life!

Romans 12:3 says, “For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith.” God has dealt to every man THE measure of faith. Be very honest as you ask yourself this question: How much faith do I have in the measure of faith God dealt to me? Do you think maybe God gave you a smaller measure of His faith than He gave anyone else? God is no respecter of persons. The measure you were given when you received Jesus as Lord was enough to cause you to be born again. It is enough to bring victory over anything the world can throw at you.

When you made Jesus Christ the Lord of your life the faith of God took up residence in your heart. It is the gift of God. The Bible says in Ephesians 2:8, “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God.” Everything in this verse is the gift of God. The grace is the gift of God, the salvation is the gift of God and the faith to receive salvation is the gift of God. It is not human or psychological faith. The faith that was imparted to you when you became a new creation is God’s own brand of faith.

According to Jesus, if you’re a whosoever (and that covers just about everyone) you can and should have the mountain-moving faith of God. The gift of God’s faith was given to you to keep. It resides within your spirit. It is in there to be developed and used in your daily life. Hebrews 10:38 says, “Now the just shall live by faith.” God has given you this powerful faith to sustain you in this life. “If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove…” (Matthew 17:20). It is so powerful that even a measure as big as a mustard seed can pluck up a mountain and cast it into the sea.

The measure of faith you received is enough to do whatever it is called upon to do. And Jesus is the author and finisher of it. God is a faith being. You are born of Him. You are a faith being. God does not do anything outside of faith. With His faith living in you, you are to operate the same way. Hebrews 11:6 says, “But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.”

As a born-again believer, you have residing within your spirit the faith of God. You have the life and nature of God. Ephesians 2:8 confirms that. It says, “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God.” When we were saved, God gave each of us a measure of His own faith. We didn’t do anything to earn or deserve it. He gave it to us freely as a gift. We do, however, have the responsibility to develop it.

Your faith has the potential to produce the same results that Jesus produced in His earthly ministry (John 14:12). Believing God’s Word concerning any area of life and acting in line with that Word is faith. The force of faith is activated by hearing and believing God’s Word. It is a spiritual force produced by the abiding Word of God in the heart.

Faith must be in the unseen before it can be applied to the things you can see. It is cultivated through fellowship with the Father. Your relationship with Him is the most important aspect of your faith walk. He will reveal Himself to you through His Word, by the Holy Spirit. Faith that moves mountains is simply trusting God to keep His Word. You cannot trust God without knowing Him. Your fellowship with Him will develop trust and enhance your faith because you are giving Him the opportunity to reveal Himself to you.

You and I were created by God with the ability to choose. He gave us a will. So, when it comes to our relating to and interacting with God, we make choices to believe what He says or to disregard what He says. Certainly, you and I don’t have to believe what God says. But if we want to live healed, prosperous and blessed in every way, then we will have to believe what He says. That is faith! All we have to do is give Him an opening. All we have to do is believe what He says, instead of believing what we see, hear or feel.

Faith is not the product of reason. The force of faith, the God kind of faith that resides in us is NOW! We serve a NOW God. He is the Creator of the universe and when we made Jesus Christ the Lord of our lives the faith of Almighty God came to live within us.

The Bible makes it absolutely clear: Faith can overcome anything in this world order. There is literally no limit to what faith can do. Why then aren’t more Christians enjoying the limitless blessings that faith can produce in their lives? Primarily because we’ve limited ourselves to this natural realm. We’ve spent most of our time looking at the things we can see with our physical eyes, and believing what our natural senses tell us.

As believers, we grow faith! We start out with the seed of the Word. We plant it, cultivate it, guard it against the pests and elements that try to destroy it. If we’ll do those things our faith will grow greater all the time. In other words, if you have just a little bit of faith, use it like a seed. Plant it in a situation with the words of your mouth. Then keep believing and that faith will grow and work in that ground until it becomes great enough to get the job done.

Romans 10:17 tells us that faith is activated by hearing the Word. So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God. God’s faith is in His Word. We can only believe that we receive from God if we base our faith on what He has already said He would do. When you go to the Word yourself and determine exactly what God will do for you, you are feeding your spirit with spirit food. Just as your body must have food to produce the energy it needs to function at its peak performance, the same thing is true with your spirit man. You must feed on the Word. Whatever you constantly give your attention to forms your desire. As you give your attention to the Word, you will desire spiritual things. As your desire changes, your will also changes and your actions will follow. In short, your mind, will and emotions will come into harmony with your spirit.

Often Christians will worry about whether or not they’re praying according to God’s will. To really honor God’s position, we must pray what He has already declared to be His will. The Word of God is His will. He has made some very specific promises in it. And it’s His will to fulfill every one of them. We need to grab our Bibles and find out what the will of God is.

When you pray God’s Word as written in the Bible, knowing His will in advance, you are no longer praying just hoping to get results. You’re not rattling off a bunch of religious-sounding words. You’re praying expecting to get results. You’re praying accurately because you are praying the very words God has given as His will to be done on earth. God wants His will to be done on earth as it is in heaven. Don’t pray your problem. Pray what God has said He will do: “My God shall supply all [my] need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:19).

Maybe you wondered at first, Did God hear me? First John 5:14-15 says, “If we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us: And if we know that he hear us; whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him.” So, before you pray, make the decision to get results, then pray what the Bible says, expecting God to move.

Don’t just pray what you remember the Word of God says. Read it! Even if you’ve read that promise a hundred times, read it again. Feed on what it says again and again. One day, you’ll read a familiar verse and suddenly God will give you the greatest revelation you’ve ever had in your life. And it will be exactly what you need to know to pray effectively about your current situation. Find the promise that applies to your situation and pray the answer instead of the problem.

The Bible instructs us to “pray always with all prayer” (Ephesians 6:18). Other translations say, “all kinds of prayer” or “different kinds of prayer.” The Amplified Bible says, “with all [manner of] prayer.” There is more than just one kind of prayer, and depending on what you desire from God, you need to understand the importance of each one.

The prayer of agreement, when prayed according to Matthew 18:18-20, will cover every circumstance in life. “Verily I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. Again I say unto you, That if two of you shall agree on earth as touching any thing that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven. For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.”

The prayer of petition and supplication can be defined as “a formal request addressed to a higher power.” This prayer changes things. It is based on Philippians 4:6: “Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.” Do not go into the prayer of petition and supplication without knowing what you want to say and how you want to say it. Have your petition drawn up according to the Word of God. Then, find out what God has already done regarding your situation. If you need healing, look up those scriptures pertaining to healing. Present your petition. No matter what your situation may be, God has provided an answer for it.

The prayer of committal is when you purposely commit something to God–once and for all. God is vehemently against worry. It does not produce anything but stress, strain and death. The whole Bible is against worry because Satan designed it. Take Philippians 4:6-7 as a command. “Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” The Amplified Bible says, “Do not fret or have any anxiety about anything.” First Peter 5:6-7 says, “Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time. Casting all your care upon him….” Your confession every morning should be, “I do not have a care, because it has been cast over on my Lord.” Roll it over onto Him. As Christians, we need to get in one agreement on the Word of God and expect results. Prayer will cause things to change!

The prayer of dedication and worship holds a tremendous amount of power. In the past, it has been misunderstood. When the leper came to Jesus and said, “I know You can make me well…if You will,” Jesus said, “I will.” He already knew the Father’s will was healing. He didn’t have to pray, “If it be Thy will.” God’s will is to be done on earth as it is in heaven (Matthew 6:9-10). Heaven has no sickness. The only time the word “if” would not be an expression of unbelief is in the prayer of dedication and worship. All other times, using the word “if” in prayer can create unbelief. Unbelief hinders prayer. Most people pray, “If it be Thy will,” thinking they are being humble. Actually, they are praying in ignorance of the Bible. The prayer of dedication is getting your will in line with God’s will to bring success into a situation. It joins you and God, and aims you toward the same goal. Never be afraid to yield your will to God. He wants you to succeed! His will is always to your advantage.

The Bible tells us God is Love. And in page after page, we see the countless demonstrations of His great love. We read of His compassion and promises, and we see His willingness to use awesome power on behalf of His people. God is faithful–to His people, and to His Word.

There are times, however, when we as the very chosen of God tend to rely on our five physical senses to decide whether He is really “out there” and whether He is hearing and answering our prayers. Once we pray our prayers, all too often it’s easy to look around for physical evidence and then believe for what we prayed.

In effect, when we do that, it’s like trying to see with our ears or hear with our noses. We must determine even before we pray that any physical evidence contrary to what we pray will not sway us into doubt and unbelief. We need to realize that the evidence–God’s Word–upon which our faith rests is far more reliable than what we can see. Regardless of physical evidence, the Word is perfect!

That’s the truth of the matter, but sometimes it does help to have some practical guidelines to keep us within the bounds of truth. So, the following seven steps are suggested as guidelines to help you in your determined walk of faith when it comes to your prayers and how to wait in faith for them to be answered.

1. Pray the Answer–God’s Word

1 John 3:22, 5:14-15; John 15:7; Romans 12:2

Prayer that brings results must be based on God’s Word. We should start with the answers to our prayers–the Word. Jesus said, “If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you” (John 15:7). The Bible contains over 7,000 promises–promises which include wealth and wisdom, health and success. Finding the specific promises that apply to your situation is well worth the effort. Several are listed at the end of this article.

2. Apply Faith

James 2:14-24, 3:11-17; Romans 3:4; Hebrews 4:11-16

Start your confession of faith before you see the manifestation of answers to your prayers. Believe you receive when you pray. Hold fast to your confession by acting as though it were already done. To be afraid to confess or act before you have it is to doubt God’s Word.

3. Refuse Doubt and Fear

2 Corinthians 10:5

Refuse to allow doubt and fear to enter your consciousness. Satan will tell you that your answers are not coming. But take those whispers of doubt captive. You have the right and power to demolish every argument that comes against the knowledge of God’s Word.

So control your mind with the Word and dwell on the answer instead of the problem.

4. See Yourself Successful

Proverbs 4:20-24; Matthew 6:22-23, 13:15-16; Romans 13:14

See yourself through the Word–as a success, not a failure.

5. Testify

Revelation 12:11

Testify of what you believe. Testify of the Word. Add your testimony to what you have received by the blood–your redemption. You have the rights to all that Jesus did.

6. Operate in God’s Love

Galatians 5:6; 1 John 4:12

Faith works when we operate in the love of God. Get involved in helping someone. As you adhere to the message of God’s love, His love will flow from you to others.

7. Be a Giver

Luke 6:38; James 5:16; Mark 4:14-29; Acts 20:35

Get on the giving end. If you need healing, give the message of healing to someone else. If you need money, give money. It’s God’s law–you will reap what you sow. The way you measure out is the way it will be measured back to you.

God’s Greatest Guarantees

Need some help finding scriptures that cover your need? Here are a few to get you started:

Promises for your unsaved loved ones:
Luke 5:32, 19:10; John 3:3, 17; Acts 11:14, 16:31; Romans 5:8; 1 Corinthians 7:13-16; 1 Peter 3:1-2; 2 Peter 3:9

Promises for your children:
Psalm 8:2, 91:11-12, 127:3-5; Proverbs 3:1-4, 22:6; Isaiah 44:3, 49:25, 54:13; Colossians 3:20; 2 Timothy 3:15

Promises for prosperity:
Psalm 23:1, 34:10, 37:25; Matthew 6:31-33; Luke 6:38; 2 Corinthians 9:6-8; Philippians 4:19; 3 John 2

Promises for your marriage:
Genesis 2:18, 24; Psalm 101:2; Proverbs 10:12; Joshua 24:15; Romans 13:10; 1 Corinthians 13:4-8; Ephesians 4:31-32, 5:21-33; 1 Peter 3:1-11; 1 John 4:15-21

Promises for healing:
Exodus 15:26; Psalm 103:3, 107:20; Proverbs 4:20-22; Isaiah 53:5; Jeremiah 17:14, 30:17; Malachi 4:2; Matthew 8:8, 9:35; Mark 16:15-18; Luke 6:19; Hebrews 13:8; James 5:14-16; 1 Peter 2:24; 3 John 2

Promises for peace of mind:
Psalm 37:11, 119:165; Isaiah 26:3, 12, 55:12; John 14:27; Romans 5:1, 8:6, 14:17-19, 15:13; Philippians 4:6-7

Unanswered prayer is not the result of God’s unwillingness to use His power, but because of hindrances we allow to overcome us. The Bible says His eyes look to and fro throughout the earth to show Himself strong in behalf of those whose hearts are perfect toward Him (2 Chronicles 16:9). When we are aware of these hindrances and how to avoid them, we will experience the joy of answered prayer.

Two of the greatest hindrances to the Christian’s prayer life are doubt and unbelief. Doubt is the thief of God’s greater blessings. It keeps us in a state of separation from Him. Some people doubt there is a God or doubt He will perform His promises in response to their prayers. As a result, they do not respond to His written Word. This hinders His power on their behalf.

Unbelief is when a man knows there is a God, yet does not believe what the Bible says. He may know what the Bible says, but has chosen to believe what he can see and feel instead. This will definitely hinder his prayer life. Pray according to the will of God, and believe you receive when you pray. The Word of God is His will.

Another hindrance to prayer is found in Mark 11:25-26. It says, “And when ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have aught against any: that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses. But if ye do not forgive, neither will your Father which is in heaven forgive your trespasses.” This is vital. Prayer will not work without forgiveness. Strife can also hinder your prayer life. Strife is merely acting on unforgiveness. James 3:16 says, “For where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work.” When you take confusion and add it to Satan’s work, problems arise. The absence of strife is the key to getting rid of confusion and evil. It is the predominant, primary prerequisite for answered prayer.

Finally, dwelling on past failures can hinder our prayers. Instead of putting our painful failures behind us, we often dwell on them until those failures become more real to us than the promises of God. We focus on them until we become bogged down in depression, fearful that if we go on, we’ll only fail again. It’s a downward spiral that leads from discouragement to depression to despair. All you have to do to break out of it is to get your eyes off the past and onto your future that’s been guaranteed by Christ Jesus through the exceeding great and precious promises in the Bible. God remembers your iniquities no more (Hebrews 8:12), so neither should you. Instead, replace thoughts of the past with scriptural promises about your future. As you do, the spiritual aches and pains and bumps and bruises that have crippled you for so long will quickly disappear!

Every Christian has the privilege of using the Name of Jesus in prayer. When you pray in Jesus’ Name, you immediately get God’s attention. Philippians 2:9-10 says, “God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth.” In Jesus’ Name, the believer has authority to “tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy” (Luke 10:19).

When you call upon someone’s name, you are placing a demand on their ability. To know how much confidence you can place in a name, you must be able to measure the power behind it. A man writing a check places a demand on his own name. If he has the proper funds in the bank, then there is enough power to meet the demand. The power backing the Name of Jesus is the power of Almighty God Himself!

First John 3:22-23 says, “And whatsoever we ask, we receive of him, because we keep his commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in his sight. And this is his commandment, That we should believe on the name of his Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, as he gave us commandment.” The mighty, powerful Name of Jesus is available to you. Become aware of your right and privilege to use it.

God’s love motivates Him to use His power. First John 4:16 says, “And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us….” When you believe the love He has for you, you’ll begin to realize you have as much right to use the Name of Jesus as anyone else. Believe the love God has for you. Once you recognize the reality of God’s love in your life, you will realize He has not left you defenseless and powerless against evil. When you pray, use it freely and confidently in the face of your enemy!

Do you ever have trouble hearing from God? Do you ever find yourself caught in confusing circumstances needing guidance, and yet even after praying and reading the Bible, you’re still not sure what God wants you to do?

When faced with a decision, a typical response would be to pray about it. The Amplified Bible says to let peace be the umpire (Colossians 3:15). But even so, there can still be uncertainty about the answer. “Was that me, Lord, or was that You?” The good news is that when we spend time daily praying in the spirit, it becomes easier for us to hear the direction of the Holy Spirit as He reveals His will to our spirits.

This can be an area of confusion when we are learning to walk in the spirit. Most of the time you hear your own spirit speaking to your soul, which is your mind, will and emotions. The audible voice of the Lord is rare in most of our lives. Almost every leading we will receive in everyday life will be a prompting, an impression, a thought, an inward witness or a leading from our spirits. The reason it sounds like us is because it is ourselves that we hear. The Holy Spirit communicates with our spirits, and our spirits prompt, or enlighten, our minds.

When you were born again, God sent His Holy Spirit to live in you and be your teacher and trainer to help you live a life that is pleasing to God. That’s why, as Christians, we don’t have to depend on our own limited reasoning. We can live guided by the Spirit who knows all things. In fact, if we’ll listen to Him on a daily basis, He’ll steer us clear of hidden dangers and maneuver us safely through even the most complicated situations. How do you let Him steer you? Don’t resist the promptings of the Spirit. When you sense Him directing you to do something and you decide, consciously or unconsciously, No, I don’t want to do that, I think I’ll go another way, you’ve just hardened your heart.

It’s being consistent in the things of God that causes us to walk in victory. So how do you fulfill the will of God for your life? One day at a time. If you’ll begin to spend time with Him daily and pray in the spirit. Start today by making a commitment to do just the simple things He tells you to do. Start seeking His face, listening for His promptings and responding in obedience instead of hardening your heart. And He will bring you into His perfect will if you’ll just obey Him one step at a time, one day at a time.

“With long life will I satisfy him, and show him my salvation” (Psalm 91:16). The Bible has a lot to say about God’s will concerning our lives here on earth–how we are to live and for how long. God has a good, long life planned for us.

God never meant for us to die young. It’s His will for us to live out the full number of our days. According to Galatians 3:13, Jesus has redeemed us from the curse, being made a curse for us. If we have made Jesus our Lord, freedom from all the conditions the curse causes belongs to us–that includes freedom from sickness, destruction and early death.

Like every other blessing, there are conditions to living a long life. Love God and stay connected to Him. You can live in divine health by staying in continual contact with the Word of God and the Spirit of God. Go to the Bible and find out the truth. Realize that healing belongs to you and stand in faith for it. When Satan tries to crowd your mind with dark thoughts about your life being cut short, rebuke them. Replace those thoughts with the promises of God.

God didn’t make your physical body to fail. He made your physical body to sustain itself when given the right food and the right conditions. Most sickness is self-induced by living and eating wrong. It’s our responsibility to eat the right kinds of food, exercise and rest. If symptoms linger or your healing doesn’t readily manifest, check to see if you are walking in love and obeying God. By spending time in the Word of God we can have so much life flowing out of us sickness and disease can’t even get close to us!

God does not play favorites. It is His will and desire for you to be healed. Period. God’s Word says, “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge…” (Hosea 4:6). They do not have the knowledge of God’s Word that it is His will for them to be healed.

Some people accept sickness as God’s will. Yet the same people will take medicine, be operated on or do anything else they can in order to get well. Many have forgotten God’s benefit of healing for their bodies.

God has always provided healing for His people. Psalm 103:2-3 says, “Bless the Lord, O my soul and forget not all his benefits: who forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases.” To live free from sickness you must accept the Word of God concerning your healing in your heart.

Believe what God’s Word says about His will for you. The power and blessing you receive from it will be according to how you hear it. You must accept it as God talking to you, as the Word of the living God and the authority in your life.

Once you hear the Word of God and decide to make Jesus Christ the Lord of your life, there is no power that can stop the change taking place on the inside of you. It is the same way with healing. You receive everything from the Lord the same way–by faith.

Results come when you hear the Word, receive it and act on it. God wants each of us to be healed and whole. He says in 3 John 2, “Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth.”

Believe the Word of God and receive what it has to offer you. You must decide that whatever you see in it, you’ll act on. If you just receive a little here and there, thinking, Well, now, that could be true…, you’ll get nothing from it. You will never fully realize nor understand healing until you know beyond any doubt that God’s desire is for you to be healed.

God wants you whole! He wants you to grow in the Word and walk in His perfect plan for your life. Put God’s Word concerning healing into your heart, meditate, or think about it, then speak it out boldly. His Word will not return to Him void, but it will accomplish what it was sent to do (Isaiah 55:11).

As you put God’s prescription for health to work in your life–putting the Word in your heart, speaking it out of your mouth and receiving it as truth–don’t be discouraged if you don’t see immediate results. Although many times healing comes instantly, there are also times when it takes place more gradually.

Don’t let lingering symptoms cause you to doubt. After all, when you go to the doctor, you don’t always feel better right away. The medication you’re given often takes some time before it begins to work. But don’t allow the delay to discourage you! You follow the doctor’s orders and expect to feel better soon. Release that same kind of confidence in God’s medicine.

Realize that the moment you begin to take it, the healing process begins. Keep your expectancy high and make up your mind to continue believing what the Word says about your healing until you can see and feel the total physical effects of God’s healing power.

If your condition is serious, you may also have to resist the temptation to worry. Satan will try to use anxiety over your situation to choke the Word in your heart and make it unfruitful (Mark 4:19), but don’t let him succeed. Just trust God, “casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you” (1 Peter 5:7). Above all keep your attention on the Word of God–not on lingering symptoms. Instead of focusing on your circumstances, focus on what God has said to you. See yourself healed, well and whole in every way!

Just believing in healing is not enough. You must believe that it is God’s will to heal you. You have to believe that healing is yours and it belongs to you. Because of traditions of men, we have tried to tell the world that the God we serve has made us sick. What a lie to tell about the Father God who is the God of love and mercy!

You cannot stand in faith against sickness and disease when you have been taught that sickness is God’s desire for you. How can you have faith for your healing when you think God has put cancer on you to teach you something? God wants you healed. Despite what tradition says, that’s the truth!

As Christians, we are supposed to be lighthouses of deliverance and help in a dark world. God’s desire is that we show His love and power to the hurting world around us. The world is supposed to see good works in our midst, not sickness and disease.

Our commission is to bring forth the Word of life–the Word of God concerning salvation, healing and deliverance to those around us. Jesus said we are to lay hands on the sick and they would recover. That God gets glory from His children being sick makes no sense. But more importantly, it doesn’t agree with the Word of God.

When Jesus carried our sins, He also carried our diseases. The Cross pronounced a complete cure for the ills of mankind. The price has been paid for your healing. Sickness can no longer rule over you unless you allow it.

As you accept the fact that Jesus carried your sins, diseases, weaknesses and pains, your days of sickness will be over. Understanding the truth of God’s Word concerning your healing will destroy Satan’s grip on your life. The truth makes you free from his power when you realize your healing has already been purchased.

What did Jesus do with your sickness? According to the Word, He took it for you. It could not be God’s will for you to be sick with the sickness that Jesus suffered for you. Because God so loved the world, He orchestrated the substitution of His only Son to rescue man from the curse of Satan. Galatians 3:13 says, “Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree.”

What you need to do is stand up and command sickness to go away, using the Name of Jesus. Give it no place in your body. There is no sin so great that Jesus’ sacrifice will not cancel it and wipe it away. The power of God cleanses and changes anyone who receives salvation until there is no trace of his past or his sins. Jesus paid the price for our redemption from all the curse of the law. All of it!

“Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and they who indulge in it shall eat the fruit of it [for death or life] (Proverbs 18:21).

There is a Bible secret about words. Words are spiritual and they carry power. Your tongue is the deciding factor in your life. No matter how fierce the storm or how serious the problem, your tongue will turn it. Your confession will control your ship in the storm.

The words spoken from your mouth, whether good or evil, a blessing or a curse, will manifest themselves in your life. Most of us have been trained since birth to speak negative words. Unconsciously, in your everyday conversation, you probably use words of death, sickness, fear, doubt and unbelief: “That scared me to death.” “I laughed until I thought I would die.” “I’m just dying to go.” “That makes me sick.” “I’m sick and tired of this mess.”

You say these things without even realizing it. When you do, you begin a chain reaction of negative forces in your life. So how do you make a change? Get the Word of God established on the inside of you. When the Word is in your heart in abundance, it will come out of your mouth. Your tongue is only an instrument. Your heart is where the key lies. Whatever is in your heart is what will come out of your mouth. You can begin today setting a new standard for your healing by changing the words that come out of your mouth.

Galatians 3:13-14, a scripture familiar to many believers, has a special bearing on how we are to raise our children: “Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree: That the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ; that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.”

This is a foundational truth in our lives. We have been redeemed from everything under the curse of the law. We don’t have to put up with it! There has been much teaching about our redemption from sin, from sickness and disease, from poverty, but not much teaching about the part of the curse that has to do with our children.

The curse of the law, stated in Deuteronomy 28, mentions children in two verses: Verse 32 says, “Thy sons and thy daughters shall be given unto another people, and thine eyes shall look, and fail with longing for them all the day long: and there shall be no might in thine hand.” Verse 41 says, “Thou shalt beget sons and daughters, but thou shalt not enjoy them; for they shall go into captivity.”

This is the testimony of many parents today. They watch helplessly as their children are taken captive by the world–drugs, alcohol, perversion and so forth.

As believers, we can use our authority and stand against these forces. According to Galatians 3:13, Jesus has broken the power of the curse, so we have the right to order Satan out of our children’s lives.

Problems of rebellion in your children must be stopped quickly before they develop into more serious situations. Don’t be guilty of ignoring symptoms of rebellion when your children are small. Don’t simply excuse their acts of rebellion as a stage they are going through and think they will grow out of it. If you ignore it when they are small, you won’t be able to handle it when they get older and the rebellion has had time to develop into a strong force.

When you see this occurring, go immediately to the Word seeking scriptures you can use to combat these forces. Then confess these scriptures before God. Take authority in the spirit world and refuse to give Satan any room to operate. This is your responsibility as a Christian parent. A child does not understand the spiritual forces coming against him, so it is up to the parents to fight the spiritual battles and keep Satan out of the child’s life.

But don’t stop with using your parental authority over rebellion. Take every opportunity to minister love to the children. Whenever they come around you, express your love in some way. It won’t take long for them to begin responding to that love. Don’t hesitate to show love to your children. They will respond to it.

It will not always be easy. At times you may feel like you want to break down and cry, lose your temper or do something in the natural. In those times, remember Jeremiah 31:16-17, “Thus saith the Lord; Refrain thy voice from weeping, and thine eyes from tears: for thy work shall be rewarded, saith the Lord; and [your children] shall come again from the land of the enemy. And there is hope in thine end, saith the Lord, that thy children shall come again to their own border.”

Mothers, take God’s Word for it. Receive Jeremiah 31:16-17 for yourself. Stop weeping for your children and start believing the Word. That’s the only thing that will bring them around.

Fathers, get involved in the spiritual activities of your families, too. For too long, the women have carried more than their share of family responsibility. Husbands and fathers, get on your knees before God and accept your place as head of your household. You are the prophet from God to your family. This is not a lightweight thing; it takes a commitment on your part to fulfill your responsibilities. Get yourself straight before God, then see to your children. If necessary, go to your kids and ask their forgiveness for neglecting them.

Second Peter 2:9 says that God knows how to deliver. He knows how to do it, so give Him the opportunity. It doesn’t matter where your children are–in the room or a thousand miles away. You don’t have to be in their presence to take authority over Satan. Pray and believe God:

Father, Your Word is true and I believe it. Therefore, in the Name of Jesus, I believe in my heart and say with my mouth that the Word of God prevails over my children. Your Word says that You will pour out Your Spirit upon my offspring and Your blessing upon my descendents. I believe and say that my children are wise and they take heed to and are the fruit of godly instruction and correction. I love my children and I will diligently discipline them early. Because of that, they give me delight and rest.

Father, I take Your Word that says You will contend with him who contends with me, and You give safety to my children and bless them day by day. They are blessed when they come in and when they go out. I confess that You, Lord, give Your angels special charge over my children to accompany and defend and preserve them. I believe they find favor, good understanding and high esteem in Your sight, Lord, and in the sight of man.

I confess that my children are disciples taught of the Lord and obedient to Your will. Great is their peace and undisturbed composure. I believe I receive wisdom and counsel in bringing up my children in the discipline and instruction of the Lord. And Your Word declares that when they are old they will not depart from it. So I commit them to Your keeping and I know and have confident trust that they are watched over and blessed of the Lord all the days of their lives, in Jesus’ Name.

Prayer References: Mark 11:23; Isaiah 44:3; Proverbs 13:1, 24, 29:17; Isaiah 49:25; Deuteronomy 28:6; Psalm 91:11-12; Proverbs 3:4; Isaiah 54:13; Proverbs 2:6; Ephesians 6:4; Proverbs 22:6

God, in His great love for you, has provided deliverance for every area of your life–spirit, soul and body.

The Bible tells us that we have been delivered from the power (authority) of darkness (Satan) and translated into the kingdom of God’s dear Son (Colossians 1:13). This is not something we are going to be someday–we are now. Romans 8:2 says, “For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.” Satan’s authority over your life has been destroyed! When this revelation becomes a reality in your life, the habits of the old man will disappear.

Receiving what Jesus did for you takes away Satan’s right to keep you in bondage. Satan cannot pressure you with anything that you cannot overcome with God’s Word (1 Corinthians 10:13). When a thought contrary to your decision comes, immediately cast it down and make it subject to the work Jesus Christ has done for you (2 Corinthians 10:4-5). Any thought other than what you have willed to think in this situation has been placed there by Satan to deceive you. Resist him and he will flee (James 4:7). He cannot stay around while you are continually speaking the Word.

Create new habits–reprogram your mind and inner man with the Word of God. As you speak God’s Word concerning your redemption, the life residing in the Word will make you free. Honor the work that has been done for you by making a quality decision to do everything to the glory and honor of the Father. Everything you do in word or deed, do in the Name of the Lord Jesus (Colossians 3:17). Speak the Word today and pray this prayer of deliverance:

Father, I believe that my faith becomes effectual–divinely energized–by the acknowledging of every good thing which is in me in Christ Jesus. Through my union with Christ, I am a new creature, old things are passed away and all things have become new.

I was crucified with Christ, nevertheless I live, yet not I, but Christ lives in me. I was buried with Him in baptism, and raised together with Him by the power of the Holy Spirit so that I might habitually live and behave in newness of life. My old, unrenewed self was nailed to the Cross with Him in order that my body, which is the instrument of sin, might be made ineffective and inactive for evil and that I might no longer be the slave of sin.

Just as death no longer has power over Jesus Christ, neither does sin have dominion over me through my union with Him. I consider myself dead to sin and my relation to it broken. I am alive only to God, living in unbroken fellowship with Him, in Christ Jesus.

I have been delivered from the control and dominion of _________ and transferred into the kingdom of light. I have been raised together with Him, far above principalities, powers, rulers of the darkness of this world and wicked spirits in high places. Sin shall no longer exert dominion over me, but I have dominion over sin. It is under my feet, in the Name of Jesus. Amen.

Scripture References: Philemon 6; 2 Corinthians 5:17; Galatians 2:20; Romans 6:4, 6, 10-11; Colossians 1:13; Ephesians 2:6, 1:21, 6:12; Romans 6:14

Social Anxiety affects more than 40 million Americans. In fact, the Anxiety and Depression Association of America states that it is the No. 1 mental Illness affecting American adults. And what is its root? Fear. Fear of embarrassment. Fear of public failure. It is a debilitating illness, and it’s time for believers to get free from it. Here are four simple steps to fighting social anxiety.

Step 1: Rebuke Social Anxiety

Social anxiety, like all fear, is deadly. It opens the door to the devil. When you let it into your life, you’re saying to him, “Come on in!”

Instead, rebuke satan’s work. When anxious or sick feeling try to come up, speak to them. “By the stripes of Jesus, I am healed. I have the mind of Christ. Praise God!”

Step 2: Resist Social Anxiety

Get scriptures that contradict what fear is saying to you and swing them at fear like a sword. Be violent about driving out all fear and seize the promises of protection God has given you. As Jesus said, “The violent take it by force” (Matthew 11:12)!

Here are a few scriptures to get you started: Psalm 91, Isaiah 40:29-31, 1 Peter 5:6-11, Jeremiah 29:11 and Philippians 4:6-7. Read these daily, print them out and post them where you can see them several times a day. Let the Word of God transform you.

Step 3: Receive Prayer for Social Anxiety

Jesus said that when two or three believers come together in His Name, He’s there (Matthew 18:20)…and He’s the Great Physician! So find two or three trusted, faith-filled believers to stand for your healing to appear. If you don’t have those kind of believers in your life, then call KCM’s 24-hour prayer line at 1-817-852-6000 or, if you’re a Partner with KCM, visit KCM’s online faith community. There, you’ll find believers around the world ready to stand with you until your symptoms disappear.

Step 4: Remain Constant in Your Stand Against Social Anxiety

“The thief’s purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life.” (John 10:10, NLT).

God desires for you to be healthy–spirit, mind and body. And through His Son, Jesus, He provided a way for you to receive your complete health. Jesus died for your complete healing (Isaiah 53:5). Don’t let go of His promises to you. However long it takes, continue to press in for your healing–stand on the Word of God, watch the Believer’s Voice of Victory broadcast, read–and reread–the Believer’s Voice of Victory magazine, watch Gloria Copeland’s Healing Schools, listen to what trusted ministers of the gospel are saying. Don’t give up or let up until your healing appears.

God desires for you to prosper even as your soul prospers. He wants you healed from social anxiety. So remember these four steps for fighting social anxiety–rebuke, resist, receive prayer and remain constant. Your healing is about to show up!

When trouble arises, the most natural thing to do is to place the blame for it on someone or something. Sadly, many Christians have been falsely accusing God of being the cause of their troubles. They wrongly believe that trials and tribulations are God’s tools for developing and strengthening our character. Even worse, they may have been taught that God, Himself, is the author of our troubles or that God is the One who makes us sick in order to teach us something.

This is absolutely against the Word of God. Why? Because the very basic principle of the Christian life is to know that God put our sin, sickness, disease, sorrow, grief and poverty on Jesus at Calvary. For God to put any of this on us now to teach us or to strengthen our faith would be a miscarriage of justice. To believe that God has a purpose for sickness would mean that Jesus bore our sickness in vain. What an insult to His love, care and compassion for us!

Death and destruction do not reflect God’s intention for us. God originally placed Adam and Eve in a wonderful garden and gave them dominion over all creation. Ultimately, through their disobedience they gave the dominion they had over to the devil (Genesis 1:26-31, 3; Romans 5:12; 2 Corinthians 4:4). In response to man’s sin, the ground became cursed (Genesis 3:17) and the whole of creation became subject to corruption (Romans 8:20-21). Now, there is an outlaw loose on the earth whose name is Satan. Jesus said in John 10:10, “The thief [Satan] cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.” Those scriptures speak for themselves. It is your decision whether you want to be the head and not the tail.

God is always looking to turn our situation around for His good. Romans 8:28 tells us, “God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love [Him].” Because God is often able to use those situations for good to teach and correct man, some have wrongly credited Him for the harassment. We can learn from our mistakes and even from negative circumstances, but this is not the primary way God teaches us. God has given us His Word and the Holy Spirit to teach us (John 14:26, 16:13). The Bible says, “Every Scripture is God-breathed (given by His inspiration) and profitable for instruction, for reproof and conviction of sin, for correction of error and discipline in obedience, [and] for training in righteousness…so that the man of God may be complete and proficient, well fitted and thoroughly equipped for every good work” (2 Timothy 3:16-17.

The truth is that bad things happen for multiple reasons, and only the Holy Spirit can reveal the source of trouble in any particular situation. Trouble can be caused by bad choices (Deuteronomy 30:19), the sinful nature of men (James 4:1-10), the devil and demonic forces (John 10:10), and the forces of nature that have been corrupted because sin entered the earth (Matthew 24:7). James 4:1-10 tells us violence, wars and fightings come from the hearts of men. The wicked deeds of the flesh are described in Galatians 5:19-21. Satan draws upon and gains entrance through these sins lodged in men’s hearts and many have been used as instruments of violence, wrath and destruction. Many people choose to reject the counsel of God and the results of those actions bring about death.

Jesus said He came to destroy the works of the devil and to bring abundant life. The responsibility of the Body of Christ is to enforce God’s will in the earth. Despite what the enemy tries to use against us, we can rest assured that we are not powerless! Everything which pertains to life and godliness belongs to the believer. We can take up our shield of faith and thwart all his fiery darts. The weapons of our warfare are not of this world, but are mighty through God to pull down strongholds. Isaiah 54:17 says, “No weapon formed against you shall prosper”!

In order to choose life and blessing, we must choose the Word of God, for it is life! We have to become Word-minded instead of trouble-minded, and life-minded instead of death-minded. We have to become single-minded on the Word of God. We become Word-minded when we realize that He who raised Jesus from the dead is residing in us, and He who is in us is greater than he who is in the world.

Pray this prayer of confession to acknowledge your decision to choose life and to stand on the Word of God:

Today I will be single-minded on God and His Word. I make the decision to choose life and blessing in Christ Jesus. I decide to win and overcome through Him. Because I’ve made this decision, I come out on top! There are times when I will have to stand and be patient and consistent in the Word of God, and I will be–for I know the truth and the truth makes me free. The Word of God says the Holy Spirit dwells within me and He will bear witness with my spirit. He will teach me all things, guide me into all truth and show me those things which are to come. Today I hold up the shield of faith which quenches all the fiery darts of the wicked one. And today I stand with the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God, for it is life. I have chosen life!

Prayer References: James 1:6-8; Deuteronomy 30:19; James 1:4; John 8:32; Romans 8:16; John 14:26; Ephesians 6:16-17

God’s success formula begins with keeping His Word in your mouth. Talk God’s Word.

God gave Israel these instructions, “And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart: And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up” (Deuteronomy 6:6-7).

God told Israel to talk His Word when they sat down, when they walked, when they laid down and when they rose up. That is all the time!

How could that be possible? Jesus said that out of the abundance of a man’s heart his mouth speaks (Matthew 12:34). The words you put in yourself are the words that come out. What words do you see and listen to most of the time–television, radio, newspapers, novels or God’s Word? Listen to yourself talk and you will know what is in you in abundance. If you are talking doubt, fear and sickness, that is what is in you in abundance. Your source of information must be changed!

The stream of things in this world is negative. Unless you take action against the world order with the Word of God, your mouth will speak from experience, circumstance and tradition.

You receive in this life just what you say with your mouth. The word in your mouth is your faith speaking. The words you speak are what you believe. “For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh” (Matthew 12:34). The mouth speaks according to what you put in your heart. “A good man out of the good treasure of the heart bringeth forth good things” (verse 35). Put God’s Word into your heart and you will speak God’s Word with your mouth. God’s Word in your mouth will cause good things to happen in your life.

You put God’s Word into your heart by meditation in His Word. Meditation in God’s Word is a necessity in God’s success formula. Meditation is more than just reading. Meditation is fixing your mind on the Word so that you do all that is written therein. You will gain revelation and insight into the Word that you never could gain by only hearing.

In meditating the Word, you are applying that Word to yourself personally. You are allowing the Holy Spirit to make God’s Word a reality in your heart. Acting on God’s Word guarantees success.

In His Word you will find God’s answer to every problem common to man. For every evil Satan can throw at mankind, our Father has provided the Word to overcome that evil. Prosperity and good success are yours through God’s Word. “If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you” (John 15:7).

Words have power. They can hurt and they can bless. But the power of words reaches much further than the impact they make on our emotions. Our words have supernatural power–power that changes circumstances and shapes destinies.

In fact, it is our unique ability to choose and speak words that distinguishes man from the rest of God’s creation. In the Genesis 2:7 account of man’s creation, we are told, “The Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.” Notes in one of the oldest Jewish commentaries on this verse say man became “a living, speaking spirit like God.”

This should not be a total surprise. After all, man is created in God’s image and it was not just thoughts but words that God used to create us and the universe in which we live. When He said, “Light be,” light was.

What a stunning creation Adam must have been! He was crowned with the very glory and honor of God Himself (Psalm 8:5). He was given the same creative power to speak that God has. He had the ability to arrange things and bring them into order with the words of his mouth.

Words are spiritual; they carry power. Proverbs 12:14 tells us that we shall be satisfied with good by the fruit of our mouths. Words are the way God works. Hebrews 11:3 describes this operating principle of creation this way: “Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear.” Our first step of acting on our faith in His Word is to agree with and say the thing He has said.

Words also reveal what we truly believe. Jesus said, “Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh…. By thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned” (Matthew 12:34, 37). That is why it is so important to say what God has said. Do this not so others can hear you, but so your soul will receive instruction what to believe and agree with instead of the symptoms in your body, situations in your life and fear-based thinking and talking you hear from others around you.

Confession is not denying physical facts and temporary circumstances. It is declaring what God, who never changes, has said about the outcome and standing in faith until all temporary conditions line up with His eternal declaration. This process begins with salvation. The lost man does this when he declares Jesus Lord of his life: “The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach; that if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation” (Romans 10:8-10).

Look at how many times the word “say” is referred to in Jesus’ instruction on how to pray in faith, believing and receiving from God:

For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever hesaith. Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them (Mark 11:23-24).

The process of believing and speaking is what brings every benefit of our salvation promised in God’s Word from heaven into our lives. To tell someone you are healed because the Bible says “by His stripes you were healed” is speaking the truth. Jesus has already redeemed you from the curse of the law (Deuteronomy 28; Galatians 3:13).

Here are five basic confessions for you to use so you can enjoy all God has for you:

1. Jesus Is My Lord.

Philippians 2:9-11

“I confess the complete lordship of Jesus Christ. Jesus is Lord over all and He has given me authority. As I confess Him, His Word and His Name, and resist Satan in His Name, Satan must bow his knee.”

2. I Do Not Have a Care.

1 Peter 5:7; Psalm 37:23-24

“I cast all my care on Jesus because He cares for me. He upholds me as He guides my steps.”

3. I Do Not Want.

Psalm 23:1; Philippians 4:19

“The Lord is my Shepherd. I shall not want. For my God supplies all of my need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.”

4. I Am Free From Sin, Sickness, Sorrow, Grief and Fear.

Isaiah 53:3-5; Matthew 8:17; 1 Peter 2:24

“Every sin, sickness, disease, sorrow and grief was laid on Jesus so that I could be free from them. Therefore, today I am forgiven, healed, healthy and well. I live in divine health.”

5. Jesus Is Made Unto Me Wisdom, Righteousness, Sanctification and Redemption.

1 Corinthians 1:30; Colossians 2:10

“I confess that Jesus is my wisdom, righteousness, sanctification and redemption. Only in Him am I entirely complete.”

Continue to change your circumstances by filling your heart with the Word of God. Confess these truths and other scriptures so that the words that come out of your mouth are life-changing words. Let your word be God’s Word!

Learning to accurately distinguish the leading of the Holy Spirit is perhaps the greatest challenge we can face. Abiding in the Lord and maintaining a living connection with Him begins with hearing and obeying Him. God told Israel to obey His written Word and His voice. (See Jeremiah 7:23.)

When the army of Israel invaded Jericho, they must have heard God’s voice. The strange battle plan they used wasn’t written in the Law of Moses. And certainly no human being would suggest a seven-day march around a city as the most effective form of invasion! But when God told Joshua His plan and Joshua followed it, there was victory. To walk in victory today, you must do the same. In addition to obeying the written Word, you must be able to hear and obey God’s instructions each day. For example, you may not be facing a military challenge like Joshua was, but you might face something like being offered a job in another city. The written Word of God can give you general direction, but it will not tell you whether to take that specific job or not. You must be able to discern the voice or the promptings of the Holy Spirit. You must be sensitive to His leadings in your heart.

The same applies to us today as we seek the leading of the Holy Spirit. By studying the Word and meditating on it, the mind is renewed to spiritual things (Romans 12:2). Renewing the mind is an important and necessary part in hearing the Spirit of God. “But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned” (1 Corinthians 2:14). You can be certain that the Spirit will never lead you into doing something that is opposite of God’s written Word (John 16:13). The Spirit and the Word always agree.

Another important part of hearing the Spirit of God is spending time in prayer, asking God to make His will for your life clear to you. Once you do, you also need to take time to be still and quiet before the Lord…and just listen. He will speak to you–He’s always ready to talk to you! Your prayer time should also include praying in tongues. By praying in tongues, you give the Holy Spirit opportunity to speak the perfect will of God in your life (Romans 8:26-27. Praying His will by praying in tongues (also referred to as praying in the spirit) opens the door for the Holy Spirit to reveal to your spirit–which in turn reveals to your mind–what God is doing and how you fit into His plan (Proverbs 20:27). You will hear answers to questions you’ve had and you will gain understanding (1 Corinthians 2:9-12).

After the Fall of Man in the Garden of Eden, when Adam committed high treason against his Creator, God did not just leave him to suffer eternally in his fallen state. Instead, in His great mercy and love, God immediately outlined a plan to win back His man–a plan of Redemption.

It was a mystery, hidden in God until the time came for the fullness of the plan. It had to be hidden–God did not want His enemy, the devil, to interrupt or block His plan. This glorious plan of Redemption would put Satan out of business completely. Praise God! Romans 16:25-27 tells us that though the plan was kept secret since the world began, it has now been made known to us through His Word:

“Now to Him Who is able to strengthen you in the faith which is in accordance with my Gospel and the preaching of (concerning) Jesus Christ (the Messiah), according to the revelation (the unveiling) of the mystery of the plan of Redemption which was kept in silence and secret for long ages, but is now disclosed and through the prophetic Scriptures is made known to all nations, according to the command of the eternal God, [to win them] to obedience to the faith, to [the] only wise God be glory forevermore through Jesus Christ (the Anointed One)! Amen (so be it).”

This outline will help you, step by step, to understand the reality of God’s plan and your part in it. Once you understand and apply what you learn, you will be better able to stand strong against every attack of the enemy to defeat you.

1. The plan of Redemption called for an incarnation (the union of divinity with humanity in Jesus Christ–God became a man in the person of Jesus Christ).

Since man was the key figure in the Fall, a man, Jesus, had to be the key figure in the Redemption. After the Fall, because God’s presence was no longer in man, anyone born into the world now ruled by Satan because of Adam’s treason did not naturally know God. (See Luke 4:6.) The objective, then, of the Incarnation, was for man to once again receive the eternal life of God, this time through the substitutionary death, burial and resurrection of Jesus. Man would once again be given the right to become a child of God (John 1:12-13; 2 Peter 1:3-4).

2. Redemption comes from knowledge of the truth.

God’s divine power has already provided everything that pertains to life and godliness, so man can escape the world’s corruption and partake of God’s divine nature. You can have God’s grace and peace multiplied to you through the knowledge of Jesus our Lord (2 Peter 1:1-4). Knowledge in this verse means “recognition, full discernment, acknowledgment.” Acknowledge means “to own, avow or admit to be true, by a declaration of assent.” As you acknowledge and confess Jesus, receiving Him as your Savior and Lord, His nature takes up residence in you.

Revelation knowledge of God is the reality and truth of His Word which is revealed by the Holy Spirit. It is not just a product of head knowledge (James 3:13-18). It is literally knowledge given by revelation from God as you acknowledge Him and spend time in His Word!

3. Satan’s lordship has been broken.

Revelation 12:11 tells us the believers overcame Satan by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, or confession. Confession brings possession. Boldly confess, or speak aloud, what God says about you from His Word: “I am an overcomer by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of my testimony. I am redeemed from the lordship of Satan. His weapons formed against me cannot prosper” (Isaiah 54:17; 2 Corinthians 10:4; James 4:7).

Not Satan, but Jesus is the Head of the Church (Ephesians 4:15-16, 5:23; Colossians 1:18, 2:10). If you have made Jesus your Lord, Satan no longer has rule over you. His lordship over you has been forever broken. Hallelujah!

4. We are bought with a price.

First Corinthians 6:19-20 tells us we are temples of the Holy Spirit who is in us. We don’t own ourselves. We were bought with the precious blood of Jesus, the price paid for us through the plan of Redemption. Because of this, we should glorify God in our bodies and spirits.

5. We begin walking in our inheritance.

When we begin to take our place in His kingdom and assume our rights and privileges in Christ, God is able to respond to us in greater measure (Ephesians 3:20).

We have a glorious inheritance in Him (Acts 20:32; Colossians 1:12). His Word tells us about what belongs to us. As you study the scriptures in this outline, our prayer is that you will come into the strength of the full knowledge of your Redemption, of who you are in Christ, experience His goodness and be filled with all His fullness.

You don’t have to wait until you go to church to receive Communion. You can even receive it at home. When you take the time to put yourself before God over the Communion table it will be time well spent.

When a believer partakes of the Lord’s Supper, he should do so with full understanding of its significance. Communion, to many people, has become only a religious observance. But it has a much deeper meaning than that. The Communion table is an emblem of Jesus’ sacrifice for us. “Jesus took bread, and blessed it, and brake it…and said, Take, eat; this is my body. And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, Drink ye all of it; for this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins” (Matthew 26:26-28).

Primarily, the Church has centered its attention on the wine as an emblem of Jesus’ blood that was shed for sin. We take the emblem of blood and say, “Thank God, we are delivered from sin,” and that’s true! But the blood is only half of Communion. The bread is an emblem of Jesus’ body that was broken for us. The emblem of His body is just as important as the emblem of His blood. According to Isaiah 53:4-5, Jesus’ sacrifice covered every area of man’s existence. When you receive it, you should be ready to partake of everything Jesus’ sacrifice provided–salvation, peace of mind, healing, total prosperity. He bore spiritual torment for our sins, mental distress for our worry, care and fear as well as physical pain for our sickness and disease. The stripes He bore were for our healing. “With His stripes we are healed” (Isaiah 53:5).

Every time we partake, we should examine ourselves closely according to 1 Corinthians 11:28-29. “But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup. For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord’s body.”

God instituted the Lord’s Supper for a reason. In the past, we missed the full meaning of Communion by not completely judging ourselves when we partook of it.

When you partake of Communion, make a point of judging yourself to the fullest extent. Don’t just receive it halfway. Accept everything Jesus’ sacrifice provided. If you don’t examine yourself–if you receive Communion just as a religious exercise–you will be eating and drinking unworthily, not discerning the Lord’s body. Paul wrote, “For this cause many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep” (1 Corinthians 11:30).

No matter what you may be faced with–sin, sickness, drugs, a weight problem, worry, strife, old habits–you can be delivered through properly receiving the Lord’s Supper. The body and blood of Jesus cover every area of your existence. By discerning His body and judging yourself before Him, you can receive your deliverance. Place yourself before God and receive Communion–and get ready to receive your deliverance!

To understand how important studying the Word is, we must first understand that the Word of God is alive! The Word can really affect and have a life-changing impact on our day-to-day living. God reveals Himself through His Word. As He reveals Himself to us through His Word, we can expect our lives to change because we are not just getting to know about God, but we are getting to know God Himself! The reason we study the Bible is that we may know God, His ways and walk in them.

That’s why it is so important that we settle in our minds that, while the Bible is God’s inspired Word, it is also meant to be down-to-earth. We are not to just reverently give it a place of honor on our bookshelves, but instead to treat the Word as our personal hands-on reference book on life–a how-to book for everyday living. We must get rid of the negative idea that it is just a set of rules.

Treat this period of studying the Bible as an appointment that you’re required to attend. Then, every day, follow through by building your schedule around this appointment–and not the other way around. Soon, you’ll develop a desire to attend your study and it will become easier and easier. And if you miss an appointment once in a while, don’t worry. Just get back in the flow. As you get started studying, it is wise to use a Bible you feel free to mark and take notes in. Start underlining scriptures that have significance and special meaning to you. This will help personalize the Word for you. Marking these scriptures will also help you find them more easily when you need them.

At your appointment, one of the best ways to “dig” into the Word is to find a subject or certain scriptures you need to understand. Pray for understanding and discernment of the scriptures. Allow the Holy Spirit to reveal it to you. Read and think about each word in each scripture. You can check meanings, too, by using a concordance to study the Greek or Hebrew root words and their meanings.

An important part of your study of the Word is meditation. To meditate means “to think deeply and continuously, ponder or reflect.” It also means “to converse with oneself.” This takes some time. Read the scripture over and over again as you pray in the spirit. Meditation brings your spirit and your mind together and builds a capacity for your faith to be released (Romans 10:17). Ask the Holy Spirit to open the eyes of your understanding so you can comprehend the deep things of God. Then expect the Lord to do it. Expect Him to meet you on the level of your need and reveal His Word to you.

When starting out, spend the majority of your time in the New Testament (primarily in the letters the Apostle Paul wrote to the early churches). Look for and underline phrases such as “in Him,” “in whom” and “in Christ.” Every one of them has something to offer you personally because according to Ephesians 2:6, you are in Christ!

Make what God says the authority in your life. That means you shouldn’t just believe what God says to you in His Word, but you should also act on it. Acting on it is what produces results (see Matthew 7:24-27). Part of acting on the Word includes speaking it. You will find that what you really believe in your heart is what you speak all the time–and what you speak determines what happens in your life (Mark 11:23).

Once you start speaking God’s Word about your needs, do not speak anything contrary to it. If you need healing, for example, do not let the focus of your words be about your sickness. Rather, confess what the Word says about it: “By His stripes I am healed according to Isaiah 53:4-5.”

To help in your study, we recommend the following:

1. Young’s Analytical Concordance–a great help in finding verses that pertain to specific situations or needs. It contains the Hebrew and Greek word translations.

2. Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance–a dictionary of the Hebrew, Chaldee and Greek words.

3. Vine’s Expository Dictionary of Biblical Words–a dictionary for Scriptural words and meanings.

4. Expositions of Holy Scripture by Alexander Maclaren–a 17-volume series that includes sermons and expositions from almost every book of the Bible, and the most comprehensive index of any major expositional work.

You can also use many different translations of the Bible during your study time. To start out, you may want to use the King James Version and The Amplified Bible.

Use the books and tapes of other ministers, but do not allow them to take the place of your personal study time. Take what they have learned and allow the Holy Spirit to add to it. And of course, no matter what material you study, be sure it lines up with God’s Word.

Here are some steps to follow in studying the Word:

Apply the Word to yourself personally.
Allow the Holy Spirit to make the Word a reality in your heart.
Carefully ponder how the Word applies to your everyday life.
Dwell on how the Word changes your situation.
See yourself as God sees you.
Realize the integrity of God’s Word.

According to the Bible, a more excellent way to walk in the power of God is to pursue love. That’s the best way to develop a lifestyle of doing the works of Jesus. Walking in love is the best way for the world to see Jesus through us.

How do we grow and develop in love? You grow and develop in love the same way you grow and develop in anything else. You practice it. You exercise it until you get stronger and stronger in it. Some people start out by trying to practice love on the meanest, ugliest person they know. That’s probably not the best way to do it.

The Bible does tell us to love our enemies and to love each other as Jesus loved us. If you start there, however, you’re likely to end up frustrated and defeated. Why is that? Because, according to the Bible, the divine cycle of love begins with God’s love for us and our love for Him, then it extends outward to other people. Once you start loving the Lord and receiving His love, you are going to love others. First John 5:1 says plainly, “Every one that loveth him that begat loveth him also that is begotten of him.” In other words, everyone who loves the Father also loves the children!

We practice our love on Him and we end up falling in love with everyone around us. As His love begins to flush the fear out of us, suddenly we can drop the barriers that have separated us from other people. We can forget about our own preservation and protection and lose ourselves in helping meet the needs of those around us. As we grow up in love, we will walk in the fullness of the measure of the image of Christ.

Your children are precious to you. You love them so much you want them to grow and mature into happy, healthy, successful adults. But we live in a time when the world is getting darker and it is becoming more of a challenge to live holy. Unfortunately, even some Christians are opening the door to the enemy by taking part in the world’s unclean entertainment and activities. They may think it won’t hurt them, but people can’t feed on the world’s trash and not be affected.

If we don’t fight the good fight of faith, the devil will come in and take over our homes and children. Do you realize that consistently living a pure lifestyle has everything to do with how your children turn out? If you go to church and talk right and look good in front of people, but then you live differently at home, you are making it very hard for your children to take God seriously.

As they grow up, children learn more by watching what you do than by listening to what you say. And they never forget what they observe at home. Holiness is letting God separate you out of the darkness of the world into a life that is worth living–a life lived in Him. We’re not just choosing for our own lives when we make choices. Deuteronomy 30:19 says, “I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live.” The decisions we make not only affect us–they also affect our children.

If you fail to teach your children what God’s Word says is moral and immoral, you can be sure the world will teach them what it believes. Watch carefully what others are depositing into your children. Talk to your children and monitor what they are hearing and seeing. Train them to walk with God on a daily basis by reading the Word, praying and spending time with Him. Living a godly life before your children is the best teacher! They might forget your words, but they won’t forget your ways.

This is so important: Love forgives.

Love doesn’t hold a grudge. If you desire to have a happy and fulfilling life, you must forgive. Forgiving is a very significant part of love. Someone once said that refusing to forgive someone and expecting things to go well with you is like drinking poison and thinking the other person is gong to die. It just doesn’t work that way. Unforgiveness doesn’t hurt the other person–it hurts you. When you forgive, however, you are set free.

Forgiveness is crucial when it comes to building relationships, but it is also crucial to the operation of your faith. Jesus makes the act of forgiveness an important part in the faith life. Read Mark 11:25-26. He places tremendous importance on harmony and agreement between believers, and forgiveness plays a vital role in that harmony.

There can be no room in our lives for unforgiveness. As a Christian, when you are unwilling to forgive, you automatically put yourself in a position where Satan can torment and attack you. Unforgiveness, like strife, is a thief that comes to steal, kill and destroy. It holds you in bondage and renders your prayer life powerless. When you forgive, you not only free the other person but you also free yourself from unforgiveness and strife.

This totally goes against the world’s way of thinking and human behavior. To live and walk in forgiveness, you will have to resist pride. At times you will have to go and ask for forgiveness. You will have to forgive others, even as God has forgiven you. But remember, you cannot make it without God’s forgiveness. You cannot have His forgiveness unless you forgive. Only when we have forgiving hearts will true harmony come into our lives and bring us into a position of total harmony with God and one another.

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