When I heard the story it sounded both dumb and ridiculous. What a dumb thief he must be! I mean people already saw him and being a closely-knit and cliquish neighbourhood, words would soon go round. Wouldn’t be long before someone identified him and pointed him out to the security parading the streets. Dumb thief.
Without the spirit, the Body dies (James 2:26). However, where the spirit remains, the body stays alive. Just as the body lives on food, the spirit lives on the Word (Matthew 4:4). The Word of God is Spirit and Life. As long as you feed your spirit with the relevant Word of God, you shall live..
“Do not be wise in your own eyes; Fear the Lord and depart from evil. It will be health to your flesh, And strength to your bones.
You know, as I thought about the uneventful ‘disappearance’ of the poisonous serpents, I realized that actually that is how life problems ‘pass away‘ as we move our focus away from them and fix them on Jesus and His Word. You wake up one day and realise the narrative has changed- you have a testimony! The serpents (troubles and challenges) disappear as we fix our gaze on Jesus and His Word.
Some people don’t feel very welcome, accepted or loved in one Church, so they pack up and leave to another Church (in search of love and warmth). Some say they’ve not been able to fit into the ‘cliques’ that exist in their local Church. Others are uncomfortable with a new Church leadership style (usually following a change in Church government). For some, the Pastor and/or Church members are not ‘nice’ or caring enough (or at all). I heard it been said once, that a couple walked away from a Church because an usher was rude to them.
You have probably read Mark 11:23 ten times and over, I have. You may have also probably written out Word-based faith confessions from this scripture, I have. You also may have taken bold faith steps inspired by Mark 11:23, I have.
Question; ‘what’s it again about Mark 11:23 then?’…… ‘Say WHAT You Want‘….
Let’s look at this scripture again…
“For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be removed and be cast into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says.”
Mark 11:23 NKJV
Mark 11:23 NKJV
We see the mechanics of faith explained in Mark 11:22-23….Say…..Believe….Receive (have).
Notice also, how Jesus said we are to handle the mountain; we are to SPEAK DIRECTLY to it… “be removed and cast into the sea”..
While this may seem like nothing, it is actually important and can be easily neglected. Christians often prefer to go ’round’ a ‘mountain’ rather than speak directly to it.
For example…: “by His Stripes I am healed” is a Word-based faith confession informed by Isaiah 53:5 and 1 Peter 2:24. This confession is a foundation on which to declare; ’I declare to you my brain cells that you function perfectly well, I read, understand, retain and remember the things I read in Jesus name, because I believe that surely He bore my griefs, He carried my sorrows, He was wounded for my transgressions and bruised for my iniquities and by His stripes I am healed.”
Jesus said we should Say (talk directly) to the mountain “be removed and be cast into the sea“. If we only keep saying ‘this too shall pass’, ‘God is my healer’ ‘I know that God is faithful’, we have not spoken directly to any mountain (selah).
Let’s see what Jesus did about a ‘mountain’….
John 11:41-44….
“So they took away the stone. Jesus lifted up His eyes and said, Father, I thank You that You have heard Me. Yes, I know You always hear and listen to Me, but I have said this on account of and for the benefit of the people standing around, so that they may believe that You did send Me [that You have made Me Your Messenger]. When He had said this, He shouted with a loud voice, Lazarus, come out! And out walked the man who had been dead, his hands and feet wrapped in burial cloths (linen strips), and with a [burial] napkin bound around his face. Jesus said to them, Free him of the burial wrappings and let him go.“
John 11:41-44 AMPC
I believe that if Jesus stopped at recognizing and thanking the Father without calling forth Lazarus, dead Lazarus would not have as much as turned in his grave….
Here’s the thing, the authority and confidence to say “be removed and be cast into the sea“ is backed by the Word (which you know already). That’s what the Word does for us- builds our knowledge about our identity, rights and privileges in Christ so that we can boldly claim them. Jesus’s confidence was that the Father ALWAYS heard Him, so surely dead Lazarus came back to life when He called out to him.
So the next time you need say $100 based on your knowledge of II Corinthians 8:9; Christ became poor that I might be rich”, boldly declare in faith that you receive and thank the Father for it. In my experience, one of 2 things will happen to get that money into your hands; 1. God will show you or expose you to an opportunity that will deliver $100 to you. 2. Someone/people will be led to give you exactly $100 gift. We just need to understand how God works with us.
Philippians 4:6 says, ‘do not be anxious, just say what you want‘…
“Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God” Philippians 4:6 NKJV
When we are not specific about what we want or about our declarations, we seem like a young man who goes before his wealthy father, showering him with encomiums.. “daddy, I know that you are very wealthy, you own company ABC, you own a fleet of cars, you are rich, generous and kind, blablabla“. I believe that at some point, this rich, generous and kind father will interrupt his son with a ‘what do you want?, say it’.
Today, based on the Word of God, Say WHAT you want. And do not doubt in your heart, only believe, and you shall have what you Say.
“And WHATever things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive.”
Matthew 21:22 NKJV
What if I told you that ‘God already knew about whatever it is you are experiencing right now, whether pleasant or unpleasant? ‘ He knew about them long before they happened, before you were even born.
Below, are 4 different translations of Psalm 139:16..
“You saw me before I was born. Every day of my life was recorded in your book. Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed.“
Psalms 139:16 NLT
“Your eyes have seen my unformed substance; And in Your book were all written The days that were appointed for me, When as yet there was not one of them [even taking shape].”
Psalms 139:16 AMP
“Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed. And in Your book they all were written, The days fashioned for me, When as yet there were none of them.’
Psalms 139:16 NKJV
“Oh yes, you shaped me first inside, then out; you formed me in my mother’s womb. I thank you, High God—you’re breathtaking! Body and soul, I am marvelously made! I worship in adoration—what a creation! You know me inside and out, you know every bone in my body; You know exactly how I was made, bit by bit, how I was sculpted from nothing into something. Like an open book, you watched me grow from conception to birth; all the stages of my life were spread out before you, The days of my life all prepared before I’d even lived one day.”
Psalm 139:13-16 MSG
Anyhow we choose to read this verse of Psalms, there are at least 4 things it tells us…
1. God knew you before you were formed in your mother’s womb.
2. He had a definite plan and Purpose for your Life, before proceeding to forming you in your mother’s womb.
3. There is a Number of days apportioned to you in this life by God. Nobody should tell you how much longer you have to live if they haven’t discussed with God (selah).
4. Your daily experiences (good or bad) do not surprise God because He knew about them long before you were born. He saw your days afar off even before they came to be.
I don’t know how reading this makes you feel, but for me I am reassured that every Stage of my life, every Day of my life and every Moment of my life are continually before God. He knew about them before they came to be. And being that God is Good, and He only has good in Him, then I choose to believe that God’s plans for me are good.
Irrespective of what you are experiencing today, God already planned an expected end for you….in Him.
So, look beyond today, see beyond your unpleasant or bad experiences of today. There’s a tomorrow coming after today and it’s coming with good….in Christ..for you. Your story will end well because God already planned a good end for you, plans of good, not of evil…
“For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.”
Jeremiah 29:11 NKJV
Friends, God’s got your back! His thoughts towards you are of peace, they are good, they have no evil in them, they will lead you to the beautiful future He’s planned for you…in Him.
The temptations (and troubles) of life which come to derail you from God’s good plan and purpose will fail if you stay with God, walk with God and trust God, He will make a way of escape for you (1 Corinthians 10:13).
What stage, day or moment of life are you currently at? Pleasant? Praise God! Unpleasant? Praise God, trust God, He’s got you. Your times and seasons are in His hands (Psalms 31:15).
I love John 17:23….
“I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me.“
John 17:23 NKJV
If Christ is in Us and the Father is in Christ, then we are kept safe in the Father through Christ.
Halleluyah!
Father, I trust your good thoughts, plans and purpose for my life. I will stay with You, walk with You and trust You to lead me to my glorious destiny in You.
Abraham entrusted his life to God and His Word…..when you trust someone, you believe them even when you don’t fully understand…… So even without understanding where God was leading him to, Abraham trusted and obeyed. He didn’t know where God was leading him to, he didn’t fully understand what God was doing, however, he submitted himself and his life to God’s control and leading. He accepted/believed the Word of God as true in his spirit (faith) and he judged God as capable and reliable in his mind and thinking (trust). Abraham had faith in God’s Word and he trusted God to fulfill His promise.
Thank You for Your Grace; the display of your love and kindness, the daily manifestation of your glory and power.
Thank You for Your Grace; Your graciousness and Gift of grace freely given to us. Grace bought us, grace keeps us and we glory in Your grace.
Thank You for Your Grace; washing away sins, saving lives, filling to overflow with rivers of living waters.
Thank You for Your Grace; Divine enablement by Your Spirit to do the seemingly impossible even today.
Thank You for Your Grace; Your divine ability, to physically create, build and establish your purpose.
Thank You for Your Grace; Your divine and boundless favour, bringing in overflowing measures of goodness from wherever life exists, extending same from us to wherever life exists.
Thank You for Your Grace; divine strength and sustenance to remain undaunted, unflinching, persuaded and fully committed.
Thank You for Your Grace; The force of Your power, neutralizing every opposition and contrary force.
Thank You for Your Grace; my confidence, my boldness, my assurance.
Lord, thank You for Your Grace today.
Considering the above truths, we shouldn’t have believers struggling to make ends meet. Every follower of Jesus Christ should naturally exhibit the hallmarks of the blessing; increase, expansion, influence, dominion, and enjoy security/protection. Statutorily, every Christian possessed all these things from the new-birth, unfortunately not every Christian fully expresses them as should.
