Our Wonderful Redeemer

Our Wonderful Redeemer

Introduction

Then you shall know that I am in the midst of Israel: I am the LORD your God And there is no other. My people shall never be put to shame. "And it shall come to pass afterward That I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh; Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, Your old men shall dream dreams, Your young men shall see visions. And also on My menservants and on My maidservants I will pour out My Spirit in those days. "And I will show wonders in the heavens and in the earth: Blood and fire and pillars of smoke. The sun shall be turned into darkness, And the moon into blood, Before the coming of the great and awesome day of the LORD. And it shall come to pass That whoever calls on the name of the LORD Shall be saved. For in Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there shall be deliverance, As the LORD has said, Among the remnant whom the LORD calls. Joel 2:27-32

Jesus paved the way for us to come directly to the throne of God through His name to receive help in time of need. He is our wonderful Redeemer. The Lord is no respecter of persons. What He has done for others He can do for you. Romans 10:12 says, "For the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him." We are to keep our eyes upon Jesus. He is the author and finisher of our faith, and He knows how to keep us in divine peace. He has all that we need for soul, mind and body. We can trust Him to do for us what no other power can do.

And God is with His true ones for the duration. He has promised them that He would never forsake them and that He was in their lives for the duration. He will complete what He has started in them and will bring it all to fruition. He is moving in a path as yet, never heard of. He is moving to change the face of the earth and bring not only judgment but surrender to a lost and dying world. He is moving to bring miracles to the average man in a daily way. He is moving to change the course of history.

This is a new work that He is doing and a new hour. Deliverance is coming to His people on a massive scale. His true children must keep trusting Him for He can and He will supply all their needs according to His riches in glory. He has promised a newness of Spirit. He has promised them good things. He is able to do what He has committed to them against that Day. He is providing and doing because He is the Great I AM! Let all men be liars and but God will be true.

What God has promised His trusting ones is to be considered done. For He, the Great I AM has promised it. He is greater than all the universes out there. He is greater than all the people out there. He is the only God in the entire universe. He is their great defender, redeemer and friend. He is their defense and high tower. There is none like, nor ever will be in the entirety of eternity! He is it! His word is true:

"Listen to Me, you who follow after righteousness, You who seek the LORD: Look to the rock from which you were hewn, And to the hole of the pit from which you were dug. Look to Abraham your father, And to Sarah who bore you; For I called him alone, And blessed him and increased him." For the LORD will comfort Zion, He will comfort all her waste places; He will make her wilderness like Eden, And her desert like the garden of the LORD; Joy and gladness will be found in it, Thanksgiving and the voice of melody. Isaiah 51:1-3

Then the churches throughout all Judea, Galilee, and Samaria had peace and were edified. And walking in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, they were multiplied. Acts 9:31

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. For as the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so our consolation also abounds through Christ. 2 Corinthians 1:3-5

Chapter 1
Blessed

The LORD lives! Blessed be my Rock! Let the God of my salvation be exalted. It is God who avenges me, And subdues the peoples under me; He delivers me from my enemies. You also lift me up above those who rise against me; You have delivered me from the violent man. Psalm 18:46-48

Therefore the LORD will wait, that He may be gracious to you; And therefore He will be exalted, that He may have mercy on you. For the LORD is a God of justice; Blessed are all those who wait for Him. Isaiah 30:18

Blessed are all those who put their trust in the LORD for He is in the blessing business. He has come to earth to bless men, not to destroy them! If they choose to be destroyed that is their choice, not His! God's the Creator of all life reigns in power, and He is glorious and mighty above all the earth and has the ability and willingness to answer our prayers. If we go outside on a clear night and look up into the sky, we get a visual glimpse of God's power. We see the stars, the moon, the Milky Way, and other planets. There are millions of galaxies beyond all that which we don't see. It is BIG, bigger than our minds can comprehend! Yet the Bible says that God is outside all of this. He created it as part of His perfect order of life, and He alone holds it all together. His word is true:

He has made the earth by His power; He has established the world by His wisdom, And stretched out the heaven by His understanding. Jeremiah 51:15

"And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. "If you ask anything in My name, I will do it. John 14:13-14

Even so, though He is busy with all creation, still God comes and listens to our prayers! He knows intimately the desires and burdens of each of us individually. God is more than able to bring healing, comfort, and provision to every person who cries out to Him, and to give us the desires of our hearts through Jesus Christ.

Jesus left the splendor of heaven to fulfill the Father's will. Now we can be saved and healed through faith in His name. He's our Prince of Peace, and through Him we have life. There is power in the name of Jesus, to believe God for all things to be supplied for soul, mind and body in answer to our prayers. And God has no problem in doing things for His trusting ones just like He did for David whom He made great and gave him victories over his enemies. God’s word is true:

Then David dwelt in the stronghold, and called it the City of David. And David built all around from the Millo and inward. So David went on and became great, and the LORD God of hosts was with him. Then Hiram king of Tyre sent messengers to David, and cedar trees, and carpenters and masons. And they built David a house. So David knew that the LORD had established him as king over Israel, and that He had exalted His kingdom for the sake of His people Israel. 2 Samuel 5:9-12

Now when the Philistines heard that they had anointed David king over Israel, all the Philistines went up to search for David. And David heard of it and went down to the stronghold. The Philistines also went and deployed themselves in the Valley of Rephaim. So David inquired of the LORD, saying, "Shall I go up against the Philistines? Will You deliver them into my hand?" And the LORD said to David, "Go up, for I will doubtless deliver the Philistines into your hand." So David went to Baal Perazim, and David defeated them there; and he said, "The LORD has broken through my enemies before me, like a breakthrough of water." Therefore he called the name of that place Baal Perazim. 2 Samuel 5:17-20

"Now therefore, thus shall you say to My servant David, 'Thus says the LORD of hosts: "I took you from the sheepfold, from following the sheep, to be ruler over My people, over Israel. "And I have been with you wherever you have gone, and have cut off all your enemies from before you, and have made you a great name, like the name of the great men who are on the earth. 2 Samuel 7:8-9

Later we read in the bible how King David was driven out by his own son Absalom (2 Samuel 15:14). He lost everything he had. Yet, he remained steadfast in his trust in the Lord. But the Lord fought for David. The bible records:

So Absalom and all the men of Israel said, "The advice of Hushai the Archite is better than the advice of Ahithophel." For the LORD had purposed to defeat the good advice of Ahithophel, to the intent that the LORD might bring disaster on Absalom. 2 Samuel 17;14

The people of Israel were overthrown there before the servants of David, and a great slaughter of twenty thousand took place there that day. For the battle there was scattered over the face of the whole countryside, and the woods devoured more people that day than the sword devoured. Then Absalom met the servants of David. Absalom rode on a mule. The mule went under the thick boughs of a great terebinth tree, and his head caught in the terebinth; so he was left hanging between heaven and earth. And the mule which was under him went on. 2 Samuel 18:7-9

Absalom ended up in an unusual position, and his head caught in the thick boughs of a great terebinth tree where he was left hanging between heaven and earth while the mule which was under him went on. And Joab took three spears in his hand and thrust them through Absalom's heart, while he was still alive. And ten young men who bore Joab's armor surrounded Absalom, and struck and killed him. So, in a miraculous way, God killed Absalom and restored everything David has lost and blessed him in an immeasurable way.

Absalom betrayed his father David, and Jesus was betrayed into the hands of men by Judas! The bible tells us:

The Son of Man indeed goes just as it is written of Him, but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would have been good for that man if he had not been born." Matthew 26:24

Who has believed our report? And to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed? For He shall grow up before Him as a tender plant, And as a root out of dry ground. He has no form or comeliness; And when we see Him, There is no beauty that we should desire Him. He is despised and rejected by men, A Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. And we hid, as it were, our faces from Him; He was despised, and we did not esteem Him. Surely He has borne our griefs And carried our sorrows; Yet we esteemed Him stricken, Smitten by God, and afflicted. But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, And by His stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; We have turned, every one, to his own way; And the LORD has laid on Him the iniquity of us all. He was oppressed and He was afflicted, Yet He opened not His mouth; He was led as a lamb to the slaughter, And as a sheep before its shearers is silent, So He opened not His mouth. He was taken from prison and from judgment, And who will declare His generation? For He was cut off from the land of the living; For the transgressions of My people He was stricken. Isaiah 58:1-8

Jesus Christ was despised and rejected by men, a Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief and understands what it is to be betrayed. And because He has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; smitten by God, and afflicted, was wounded for our transgressions, was bruised for our iniquities, the chastisement for our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed. Hence we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. Therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need (Hebrews 4:15-16). God’s word is unchanging:

And we desire that each one of you show the same diligence to the full assurance of hope until the end, that you do not become sluggish, but imitate those who through faith and patience inherit the promises. For when God made a promise to Abraham, because He could swear by no one greater, He swore by Himself, saying, "Surely blessing I will bless you, and multiplying I will multiply you." And so, after he had patiently endured, he obtained the promise. For men indeed swear by the greater, and an oath for confirmation is for them an end of all dispute. Thus God, determining to show more abundantly to the heirs of promise the immutability of His counsel, confirmed it by an oath, that by two immutable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we might have strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold of the hope set before us. This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast, and which enters the Presence behind the veil, where the forerunner has entered for us, even Jesus, having become High Priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek. Hebrews 6:11-20

Chapter 2
His Name Will Be Called

For unto us a Child is born, Unto us a Son is given; And the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Isaiah 9:6

The Old Testament give us the twelve names illustrating the divine character of God and His primary redemptive attributes manifested in the Person of Jesus.

1. Lord Our Shepherd

2. Lord Our Provider

3. Lord Our Righteousness

4. Lord Our Peace

5. Lord Our Healer

6. Lord Our Banner

7. Lord Who Sanctifies

8. Lord Of Hosts

9. Lord Most High

10. Lord Who Smites

11. Lord of Recompense

12. Lord is Present

Jehovah Rohi - The Lord My Shepherd

- Psalm 23:1

Although Israel learned to magnify the Lord for life, healing, victory, holiness, peace, and protection, they were still pilgrims and were in dire need of divine provision in their wilderness journey with all its weariness, physical needs, duties, dangers and difficulties. Thus there came the revelation of God as their Jehovah Rohi, the One whose Shepherd love, care and resources they could depend upon in all the un-trodden and unknown pathways of the future.

Thus the Lord is the feeder to provide, keeper to protect, companion to cheer, friend to help, pastor to comfort, herdsman near to us, as His frequent revelations as such proves.

Psalm 23 contains eight redemptive names of Jehovah;

1. Jehovah Rohi (Psalm 23:1) - Jehovah is my shepherd.

2. Jehovah Jireh (Psalm 23:1) - I shall not want.

3. Jehovah Shalom - The Lord is my peace. (Psalm 23:2) He makes me to lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters.

4. Jehovah Rophi - The Lord my healer. (Psalm 23:3) He restores my soul.

5. Jehovah Tsidkenu - The Lord is righteousness (Psalm 23:3)

He leadeth me in paths of righteousness for His name sake.

6. Jehovah Nissi - The Lord is my banner (Psalm 23:5) Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of my enemies.

7. Jehovah M'Kaddesh - The Lord my sanctifier. (Psalm 23:5)

Thou anointest my head with oil.

8. Jehovah Shammah - The Lord is there (Psalm 23:4) Thou art with me.

Jehovah Jireh - The Lord Will Provide

- GENESIS 22:14

The definition of this term is "The Lord will see" or "The Lord will provide". For man this conjunctive meaning seems impossible. However, for the all knowing God of creation the dual meaning is easily exemplified.

His pre-vision means His pro-vision. That was Abraham’s revelation given to the place where He found the ram provided as a substitute for Isaac. This miracle was not of a normal significance; but rather it was a creative miracle by God for the sacrifice in the same sense that the Lord created a body through the miraculous conception for the substitute sacrifice for man.

As Elohim, God demanded the sacrifice of Isaac, but as Jehovah He made complete provision of a substitute for the son Abraham willingly offered. The place of this miracle is the first recorded instance in scripture of the naming of a place after a divine interposition or manifestation.

Jehovah Tsidkenu - The Lord Our Righteousness

- JEREMIAH 33:16

In the Old Testament there is evident revelation of Israel as being a nation seeking after righteousness, yet in its passionate desire for righteousness, the people discovered their own unrighteousness. Therefore, we become people who seek after purity of heart so that we can enjoy communion with God. Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God.

The Greeks sought after wisdom and the Romans pursued power and world dominion; but there are today a remnant of God's chosen people who seek after God and His righteousness.

To the glory of the gospel is that Jehovah Tsidkenu became flesh and was made unto us righteousness (I Cor. 1:30). A righteous God pronounced death as the penalty of sin, yet that same God became flesh, the righteous branch, to taste death for every sinner and provide the righteousness that is transferred or imputed to the believer and is thereby accepted before God. Acceptable righteousness therefore is not attained but obtained.

Jehovah Shalom - The Lord Our Peace

- JUDGES 6:42

The word "Peace" and its cognates appear over 400 times in scripture. It is one of the most precious and fundamentally essential ingredients for a believer to be at peace with God and know the peace of God. It relates to a harmonious relationship obtained through reconciliation of a debt paid in full.

Peace or "Shalom" is often translated - welfare, good health, prosperity, favor, rest whole, finished, restitution or repay and perfect.

Jehovah Rophi - The Lord Our Physician

- EXODUS 15:26

From Israel we learn that in times of sickness God heals, for He is our Jehovah Rophi, "I am Jehovah thy healer".

To express God's grace in restoring spirit life, He declared that He healed all of our diseases, spiritual as well as physical. (Psalms 103:3)

He also is the one who heals the broken in heart (Psalms 147:3) and for those who are backsliding, He is also their healer as well (Jeremiah 3:22). The scriptures also clearly indicate the removal of bodily infirmity (Genesis 20:17; Matthew 4:23).

Jehovah Nissi - The Lord Our Banner

- EXODUS 17:15-16

Moses took care that God should have the glory for the victory over Amalek. Instead of setting up a trophy in the honor of Joshua, though it had been a standard policy to put marks of honor upon men, instead he built an altar to God’s honor. What is most carefully recorded is the inscription upon the altar, Jehovah-Nissi - The Lord my Banner. The presence and power of Jehovah were the banner under which they were enlisted and by which they were kept together.

Jehovah Nissi in literal Hebrew means "A hand upon the throne of Jehovah". Jehovah will have war with Amalek from generation to generation. Amalek's hand had dared to assault Jehovah's throne to overturn it and so He gave Israel the authority and power of that throne to overwhelm Amalek. The uplifted hands of Moses symbolized this banner. Here we have an illustration of the hand of faith outstretched in prayer.

Jehovah M'Kaddesh - The Lord Who Sanctifies

- EXODUS 31:13

The term holiness is from the Hebrew word "Kodesh" and is allied to "sanctify" and is translated as dedicate, consecrate, hallow and holy in various translations. "I am Jehovah M'Kaddesh - The Lord who sanctifies you". This term's main influence relates to moral and spiritual purity.

In the New Testament many scriptures relate to the process of sanctification, the sum of which are provided to the church through the atoning work of Christ.

SANCTIFIED BY TRUTH (JOHN15:3;17:17)

SANCTIFIED BY THE BLOOD (HEBREWS 13:12)

SANCTIFIED BY FAITH (ACTS 26:18)

SANCTIFIED BY PRAYER (I TIMOTHY 4:5)

Jehovah Tsebahoth - The Lord of Host

- I SAMUEL 1:3

This term in Hebrew is taken from sabaoth, meaning host or hosts with special reference to warfare or service and often appears as the Lord of Hosts. This Hebrew term has also rendered armies and also appointed for service. This reference for Jehovah appears fourteen times in the book of Haggai and twenty-four times in the book of Malachi.

In Zechariah, the Lord of Hosts, occurs fifty-three times and is of great interest seeing it is connected with God's action in judgement and blessing upon Israel. The expression "Thus saith the Lord of Hosts" implied divine revelation and divine authority; a phrase like "Holiness unto the Lord of Hosts", Zechariah 14:21.

When the conquest of Canaan was about to begin the Lord was revealed as the unknown warrior with naked sword standing before Joshua. When Joshua asked the question, "are you for us or against us"; the reply came, "I am Prince of the Host of Jehovah", therefore Joshua humbly surrendered his sword to Jehovah Tsebahoth.

The whole of His creation is under His control and obeys His sovereign command, willingly or otherwise. HE is:

1. Lord of all angelic hosts (I Kings 22:19)

2. The Lord of all steller (Genesis 1:16)

3. The Lord of all the feathered hosts (I Kings 17:2-7)

4. The Lord of all the animal hosts (Is. 11:6)

5. The Lord of all the human hosts (Is. 40:15)

6. The Lord of the satanic hosts (Matthew 28:18)

Jehovah Heleyon - The Lord Most High

Jehovah Heleyon is frequently used in the Psalms as a declaration of God's highest position or kingship. This title reveals God as the high and lofty one that inhabits eternity (Is. 57:15); Prophetically speaking of Jehovah's reign over the earth at the time of Israel's restoration or the restoration of God's chosen people.

It is also reassuring for us to know that during these difficult days that the Most High rules in the kingdom of men also (Daniel 4:25). This redemptive name places God at the highest place of every realm of life so that He can fulfill His will in and through us. When applied to God, this redemptive name reveals that though He is the highest, there are others below Him endowed by Him with like natures and therefore in some way related to Him by His Spirit.

Jehovah-Makkeh - The Lord Who Smites

- EZEKIEL 7:9

The Lord has given Israel to us as an example of His dealings with man. He set Israel in the midst of heathen nations as His witness but instead of revealing and glorifying Him she changed His judgments into wickedness greater than all the nations she was suppose to influence for Him. Therefore He said, "You shall know that I am Jehovah-Makkeh", the Lord who smites thee. (Ezekiel 7:9)

Daniel the 9th chapter reveals that Israel found themselves in captivity because they refused to heed the voice of the Lord their God which was set before them by His servants, the prophets. Consequently, as a result of their disobedience the Lord smote Israel and disciplined her because of her unbelief and rejection of His true revealed word. The church has also experienced a similar disciplinary period over the past forty years because of her rejection of the true revealed word as brought to the church by His servant the, the prophets.

The good news is His promise to restore. According to Hosea 6:1 2, Come, let us return to the LORD. For He has torn us but He will heal us; He has wounded us but He will bandage us. He will revive us after two days; He will raise us up on the third day, that we may live before Him.

Jehovah Gmolah - The God of Recompense

- JEREMIAH 51:6

The scriptures declare that retribution or recompense does not belong to us but rather it belongs to God. In Jeremiah 51, the Lord declares that He will severely punish Babylon because of their harsh dealing with Israel thereby revealing Himself as the God of retribution.

The same was true of Egypt when they placed the nation of Israel under a heavy burden and struck the apple of His eye. Retribution and recompense belong only to him. Vengeance is His and He promised to repay. (Deut. 32:35; II Thes. 1:8)

Jehovah Shammah - The Lord Is There

- EZEKIEL 48:35

The name of the city revealed through Ezekiel is Jehovah Shammah— the Lord is There. This location is so named because of the manifest presence and power of Jehovah residing therein. We also know from scripture that God does not dwell in temples made by hands, but rather we are to be God’s temple.

Chapter 3
To A Perfect Man

And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head-Christ- from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love. Ephesians 4:11-16

If something was not possible then the word of God would not state “till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ!” It would not state God “is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us” (Ephesians 3:20). Nor would it state “what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe” (Ephesians 1:19). Nor would it state “But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Corinthians 15:57) and “For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world-our faith” (1 John 5:4).

Since with God all things are possible and with God nothing is impossible, then we must acknowledge that the responsibility to see God’s word become a reality in our lives is on man, not God! And man must examine what he believes and doesn’t believe and why including about the Latter Rain!

The Wikipedia on line dictionary tell us about "Latter Rain Movement" http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Latter_Rain_Movement

The Latter Rain was a post-World War II movement within Pentecostal Christianity which remains controversial to this day.

Origin

The Latter Rain Movement had its beginnings in the years following World War II. It was contemporary with the evangelical awakening that was occurring with Billy Graham at the forefront, as well as the Healing Revival with Oral Roberts, Jack Coe, and William Branham.[1] William Branham is often erroneously considered the founder of the Latter Rain because those who started it were inspired by attending one of his meetings. Rather, several leaders of Sharon Orphanage, a small Pentecostal orphanage in North Battleford, Saskatchewan, were inspired to look for a deeper dimension of Christianity after visiting Branham's meeting, and they began to fast and pray in search of it. Later that year, revival events occurred. News quickly swept across Canada and the United States, influencing many Pentecostal believers.

As the revival itself died down after a few years, those who had been changed by the doctrine formed various groups which became known as "The Latter Rain" (Movement). The Latter Rain heavily emphasized relational networks over organizational structure. In addition, association with the Latter Rain has become somewhat of a pejorative label, therefore many ministers who were influenced in some way by it are reluctant to make this well known, or choose to emphasize their lack of any formal involvement. Much of the movement, along with elements of the Healing Revival, slowly dissolved into parts of the larger Charismatic movement.

Beliefs

Latter Rain proponents saw Pentecostalism as very dry in the post-war period, and in danger of slipping into a dry or mental formalism like many of their evangelical peers. Latter Rain doctrines addressed this formalism with a series of doctrinal and practical changes. These changes made the Latter Rain Movement distinct from the Pentecostal context from which it arose, and church life in Latter Rain influenced churches significantly different from traditional Pentecostal ones.

The Latter Rain brought in a new focus on the spiritual elements of Christianity including personal prophecy, and typological interpretation of Scripture, the restoration of the Five-fold ministry and a different eschatological emphasis. Many of the doctrinal emphases which later emerged, were outlined in seed form in George Warnock's "Feast of Tabernacles," which is the primary foundational text for the movement.

Eschatology

The Latter Rain broke with the dispensationalism which had become entrenched in the ranks of Pentecostalism. Dispensationalism tended to be pessimistic in its outlook whereas the Latter Rain emphasized a victorious eschatological outlook. Rather than attempting to simply save a few souls before rise of the anti-Christ, the Latter Rain emphasized the Church as overcoming and victorious in the fact that the church would come into "full stature" as taught by Apostle Paul.

The term "Latter Rain" stems from Bible passages as Jeremiah 3:3, 5:23-25, Joel 2:23, Hosea 6:3, Zechariah 10:1, and James 5:7. The idea of a "Latter Rain" was not new to the movement. In fact, it was present from the earliest days of Pentecostalism, which believed that the return of speaking in tongues and the Baptism of the Holy Spirit marked the "Latter Rain" of God's Spirit, and that these were signs of the coming end of history. The outpouring of the Holy Spirit on Pentecost had been the "former rain" that established the Church, but the current "move" of the Spirit was the "latter rain" that would bring the Church's work to completion, and culminate in the Second Coming of Jesus Christ, which was and is imminent.

Joel's Army

A major feature of the expected latter rain would be the "Manifestation of the Sons of God." or "Joel's Army." The Latter Rain movement taught that as the end of the age approached, that the "overcomers" would arise within the Church. There was debate among various branches as to the nature and extent of this manifestation. These Manifest Sons of God, ones who have come into the full stature of Jesus Christ would receive the spirit without measure. They would be as Jesus was when He was on earth, they would receive a number of divine gifts, including the ability to change their physical location, to speak any language through the Holy Spirit, and would be able to perform divine healings and other miracles. They would complete the work of God restoring man's rightful position as was originally mandated in Genesis, and at last by coming into the full stature of Christ usher in the millennial reign of Christ. Extreme versions of this spoke of Jesus as a "pattern" Son and applied (Ps. 82:6) "ye are gods," to this coming company of believers.

Ecclesiology

"The Sacrifice of Praise" and the restoration of the "Tabernacle of David" were important themes within the Latter Rain. Dancing, lifting of hands and spontaneous praise are marks of this movement. An effort was made to show the wrong of many Christians that deny the imperative form on these verbs.

A major theme of the Latter Rain was "unity" among the believers, in the church service, in the geographic region, and at large. They taught that God saw the church organized not into denominational camps, but along geographical lines as in the book of Acts. One church, but in different locations. They expected that in the coming last days, the various Christian denominations would dissolve, and the true church would coalesce into city wide churches under the leadership of the newly-restored apostles and prophets.

The Latter Rain taught that there would be a restoration of the five ministerial roles mentioned in Ephesians 4:11: [2] (apostle, prophet, evangelist, pastor, teacher). It was believed that the foundational roles of apostle and prophet had been lost after the time of the first apostles due to the Dark Ages, but that God was restoring these ministries in the present day. These ideas are part of the "prophetic movement" and "New Apostolic Reformation".

Pneumatology

Unlike Pentecostals who traditionally held that the baptism of the Holy Spirit usually comes after prolonged "tarrying" or waiting for the Spirit, the Latter Rain movement taught that the baptism of the Holy Spirit and the gifts of the Holy Spirit can be imparted on one believer by another through the laying on of hands.

Here from Latter-Rain.com is an explanation of what Latter Rain teaching is. Sounds very Christian, sounds even biblical, but it is far from it. http://www.lifestylec.com/Discernment.html

“The Latter Rain is God’s great end-time ministry. The Latter Rain is the Restoration of the Church and the Harvest of souls, the gathering together of His people to be God’s Kingdom on earth. The Latter Rain is the promise given to us in the last days for the outpouring of the Holy Ghost. The Latter Rain blesses each of us with times of refreshing, it is for you and all who love peace to enter into now.

The foundation of the Latter Rain Page is firm in the pursuit of truth, justice and mercy. Deliverance to the captive church from the traditional legalism and quenching of the Spirit is through pointing you to the love of God through Jesus and the power of the Holy Spirit.

The Lord has given Christians the grace to reconcile the children to their Fathers As One Body

* We prepare for the Marriage Supper of the Lamb

* Harvest the Fruit of the Latter Rain

The critics of the latter rain movement point out:

The short version: Word of Faith / Latter Rain / Manifest Sons of God doctrine (MSoG is the more extreme version of Latter Rain) is a new doctrine per se that the Assemblies of God (AOG) rejected in 1949/50. They rejected it because it went AGAINST orthodox/normal Christian teaching.

This teaching was mainly introduced into the church via the following person: William Branham. However there was a man by the name of F.F. Bosworth who prior to Branham was creating a bit of a stir, by holding revival services in the early 1920’s. E.W. Kenyon (who took Christian teaching and mashed it with Metaphysical cult ideas or New Thought* and the Higher Life movement**) was instrumental in teaching his new doctrine: ‘Word of Faith’ to F.F. Bosworth. F.F Bosworth then met with William Branham in 1948 and became good friends as they both shared the same ideas.

William Branham was so popular (healing miracles, signs and wonders) that he is regarded by all popular Word of Faith preachers as a ‘great man of God’; Oral Roberts, Kenneth Hagin (who plagiarized E.W. Kenyon’s work as his own), Kenneth Copeland, Marilyn Hickey, Kathryn Kuhlman, Todd Bentley, Benny Hinn, Rodney Howard-Browne, Morris Ceruello, Patricia King, et al. The list of people who still to this day uphold William Branham as being credible is quite shocking.

Word of Faith teaching started out disguised as normal Christian teaching but contained a poisonous stream of Latter Rain teaching which for a better word I would call occult. Over the years this Latter Rain teaching has grown and grown, bigger and bigger, taking over the church completely. 80% or more of the books in your local Christian bookstore are Word of Faith/Latter Rain. The other 18% are New Age Emergent Church where ‘all faiths lead to one god’. You don’t even need to scrape the bottom of the barrel to find that Latter Rain teachers actually believe the same thing. So do prominent Word of Faith preachers as mentioned above.

This is the apostasy Jesus Christ spoke of in the last days where a fake Christianity would arise deceiving the entire world.

* New Thought: “emphasizes metaphysical beliefs. It consists of a loosely allied group of religious denominations, secular membership organizations, authors, philosophers, and individuals who share a set of metaphysical beliefs concerning the effects of positive thinking, the law of attraction, healing, life force, creative visualization and personal power. It promotes the ideas that God is ubiquitous, spirit is the totality of real things, true human selfhood is divine, divine thought is a force for good, all sickness originates in the mind, and 'right thinking' has a healing effect.” http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Thought

Higher Life movement: “The Christian should move on from his initial conversion experience to also experience a second work of God in his life. This work of God is called “entire sanctification,” “the second blessing,” “the second touch,” “being filled with the Holy Spirit,” and various other terms. Higher Life teachers promoted the idea that Christians who had received this blessing from God could live a more holy, that is less sinful or even a sinless, life. This teaching has its roots in John Wesley’s doctrine of Christian perfection.” http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Higher_Life_movement

What are the tell tale signs to know if your church is following Latter Rain/Manifest Sons of God teaching:

1) Spiritual warfare:

Spiritual warfare conducted through intense worship and praise

Spiritual mapping

Identifying strongholds

Rebuking demonic powers and binding territorial spirits

Walking through towns, praying over buildings to remove/bind evil spirits

Spiritual warriors and Intercessors ' Sole purpose of this is to reclaim towns, cities, states/provinces, countries, and finally the earth for ‘Christ’

If the evil moves out, Christians will move in

If they ‘bind’ the evil, people will ‘get saved’ and come to Jesus.

2) Signs and wonders:

Small to large amount of focus on signs and wonders which will prepare you for:

An Elite group of over comer’s (false prophets) who WILL produce signs and wonders unlike anything ever seen

Healing ministries

3) They believe in the restoration of the church.

4) They believe in the restoration of the 5 fold ministry.

Offices of apostles and prophets.

The apostles and prophets have authority.

Their focus is strong sheparding and discipleship.

If one needs Christian counselling it is to be done via the apostles, prophets or pastors who follow the same teachings.

5) A perfection of the saints.

Immortalization.

The attainment of being Christ as we become just like Christ in nature and ability.

6) Christians will rule the earth (Dominion/Kingdom Now)

7) They mostly deny a rapture in the classic sense.

Some replace it with individual raptures.

A collective transformation to immortality on earth.

Some mention they believe Jesus Christ is coming back (as per scripture) but this is not what they really believe.

8) Manifest Sons teachings are Kingdom Dominionists

9) Great Harvest of souls (forms part of Revival):

An end time harvest of billions of souls

Majority of the world will be won to Christ

A Kingdom would be established or ready to be received by Christ.

Or the church will become Christ

10) Transformation/Reformation and Reconciliation based on ‘Christian principles’ (see Christian values/Kingdom values below)

Pastors and Youth Leaders to come together

Family to come together

Political leaders to come together

Businesses to come together

Government to come together

' Areas targeted: family, the community, the arts, sciences, media, law, government, schools and business

11) Focus on Revival:

Toronto Blessing, Azuza Street, Pensecola, Brownsville and Lakeland (Todd Bentley), Angus Buchan (South Africa)

Global and International Prayer days, Global Revival Promise Keepers, Mighty Men Conferences ' Main aim: United power of agreement for global revival (preparing Joel’s army)

12) Extra-biblical teaching (New revelations, fresh new ideas):

Prophecy spoken that points towards any of the points listed in this article

New revelations and new knowledge that falls outside of orthodox (i.e., normal) Christian teaching.

13) A governing body for the Church:

Lead by apostles and prophets.

Rule the Church through establishing independent churches

Non-denominational and unaffiliated however all under the central leadership of the apostles and prophets

Christian unity (all faiths professing some form of Christianity are considered Christian)

14) They call themselves: apostles or prophets:

Consider themselves greater than the early church Apostles

Focus on signs and wonders including healing ministries

They appoint each other and belong to the same organisations

However they believe they are appointed by God

Organisation names: . New Apostolic Reformation NAR (Head: C. Peter Wagner) . International Coalition of Apostles ICA www.apostlesnet.net . United States Apostolic Alliance USAA www.usapostolicalliance.org

15) Blessings and Curses:

The apostles and prophets will give blessings on those who agree and follow them

And curses upon those who don’t follow them.

16) Words and Faith:

The power of their words would bring results (Word of Faith)

God inhabits your praises

The more faith you have the more ‘Christian’ you are

You can speak healing into your life through words/faith

Faith is a force

Faith brings wealth and health:

The healthier you are the more faith you have

The wealthier you are the more faith you have

The main belief of Prosperity is this:

God will reward His faithful

God will transfer wealth to his faithful children

Transfer of wealth will go from ‘ungodly’ people to ‘godly’ people (His faithful)

Main aim: Christians need wealth to ‘reclaim’ the earth for Christ (Kingdom Now/Dominion)

17) Christian Values / Kingdom Value:

Values that can be learned and applied to one’s life which brings about the appearance of a Christian life

The REAL Holy Spirit is not involved in bringing this change into people’s lives

18) Fake Holy Spirit:

Counterfeit spirits (’FIRE’ called down from heaven / slain in the spirit) are brought onto people

Strange manifestations (Kundalini spirit manifestations)

Laughing and other sounds

Drunkenness

Electricity sensation

Feeling of heat in the body

No control of your body

Paralysed on the floor

Convulsing, jerking or flailing about

Visions

Visitations

Trips to Heaven and Hell

19) Anointing:

Multiple anointings -there is an anointing for everything

Anointings can be transferred from one person to another

Anointing/false spirit transferred via: touching, thought, blowing, gesturing, laying on of hands, hands held above the person, etc.

20) Mantles:

Multiple mantles -there seems to be a mantle for everything

Mantles can be passed from person to person

Most famous Mantle: William Branham’s Mantle

21) Occult experiences:

Out of body experiences

Visiting people in dreams

Visiting places (earthly or heavenly)

Third Heaven or ‘trips to heaven and hell’ experiences

Communicating with the dead in visions (be it saints or angels) is necromancy

22) Angels:

Angels that accompany the pastor

Angels that bring people messages from God

Angels that bring healing

Any focus on angels; speaking with angels, visitation by angels etc.

23) Believe and teach things that New Age and/or Occultists believe/teach/practice:

Portals, gateways, spiritual gates

Heavenly realms, prayer realms, seer realms, glory realms

Spiritual altars

Opening the Heavens

Ekstasis Worship

Spiritual hotspots, geographical areas that are more spiritual than others

Atmosphere, vibrations, light, sound and colours

Numerology -applying symbolism or significance to numbers

24) What they really mean by ‘repentance of sin’:

Repentance of sin is either completely ignored or there is very little focus

Repentance of sin becomes a group affair in other words the entire congregation will repent of sin in unison

Repentance for other peoples sin or the sins of the country

The Holy Spirit is not what brings about repentance

There is no conviction from the Holy Spirit

Living a good life is considered ‘repentance of sin’ and can be achieves just though counselling and practice.

25) Visitations by a ‘Jesus’:

Jesus appearing to people in visions or physically appearing to people

26) Strange prayer practices:

Meditation (clearing the mind)

Breathing practice (this also includes yoga)

Reciting scripture over and over again

Reciting someone else’s prayer e.g., The Prayer of Jabez

Contemplative Prayer (Lectio Divina or Sacred Divination)

Allowing ‘thoughts’ or a ’small voice’ to come into your mind giving you ‘revelation’ into scripture (usually done by following the above points)

27) Joel’s Army:

Joel’s army is made up of a group of ‘immortal’ beings that will bring judgment upon the ungodly

The ‘ungodly’ are those who oppose them

The mention of a Christian army of any kind is Joel’s army

Immobilizing prayer groups

All who do not accept the authority of the new apostles and prophets will be ‘removed’

Cleansing of the earth of evil to establish His Kingdom

Call for a Civil War within the church

28) Focus on Youth (Joel’s Army)

Focus on youth and ‘Christian values/Kingdom values’

Focus on youth for they are the least discerning

Focus on youth for they will ‘lead the future’ -Children are the future ' Parents will encourage their children because of the wonderful change in their lives ' Children/Teenagers are being taught the practices mentioned in point 26).

29) Holy Land / Israel:

Applying scripture meant for Israel to the church and vice versa

Main aim: Latter Rainer’s are going to try take the Holy Land for themselves.

30) Christian unity:

All faiths that profess some kind of ‘Christian’ teaching are considered Christian

Conferences are held where ‘all Christian faiths’ come together

They all believe in a ‘Christ’ and they call him ‘Jesus’ but it’s not the biblical Jesus Christ

The earth is going to be one big happy family under ‘Christ’

Global peace plan

Unity at all costs, excluding the Truth.

31) Christ comes into the church before he comes for the church

That the Church, his body will actually become Christ on earth, glorious and triumphant

32) Divinity, becoming a little ‘god’

Teaching that when you ‘accept Jesus into your life’ you become like Christ or start to actually become like Christ.

Word of Faith affirms this by teaching that we can ‘speak things into existence’ just as God did when He created the earth.

They are progressing in their godliness: The Christian life has levels to go through to reach maturity:

i. The first level is that of servant of God,

ii. The second level is that of a friend of God,

iii. The third level is to become a ’son of God’ which means you are now a ‘god’ or a ‘little god’

This is only obtained via revelation from the apostles and prophets (new revelation that falls outside of the Bible)

When you enter Heaven you will be on the same level as ‘Jesus Christ’

33) Some keywords:

apostolic, new wine, glory, refreshing, latter rain, glory cloud, soaking (same as meditating), move into the supernatural, prophetic, new breed, third wave, purpose driven, winds of change, winds of revival, supernatural motion, glory of the Lord, birthing, God’s kingdom is further being established on earth as it is in heaven, angelic hosts being released, connection points, portals, revival hubs, releasing, impartation’s or imparted with… , DNA, quantum, spiritual covering, global harvest, rains of revival, great awakening, new age, new dawn, suddenlies, oneness in Christ, unity, secret place, glory of God manifests on earth, visitation or visitations, paradigm, shifting, alignment, transported, prophetic towers, revolution, revolutionary, vertical and horizontal apostles, new beginnings, soaking in the Glory, operate in the glory and power of God, city transformation, activating and mobilizing others into their gifting, accurate prophetic words, prophetess, Nazarite, passion for revival, intercessor, releasing power and glory, promise keepers (mighty men, iron men), rise up army of believers, passing on the mantle, Elijah legacy, Anointings named after biblical people, Slain in the Spirit, transformation, reformation, third heaven, opening the heavens, God is doing a new thing in your life, increasing your anointing, pulling up the tent stakes, God is increasing your territory, etc…”

Chapter 4
He Opened Their Understanding

And He opened their understanding, that they might comprehend the Scriptures. Then He said to them, "Thus it is written, and thus it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead the third day, "and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. "And you are witnesses of these things. "Behold, I send the Promise of My Father upon you; but tarry in the city of Jerusalem until you are endued with power from on high." Luke 24:45

Unlike others of our day both Christian and non-Christian, Jesus Christ didn’t deny the Scriptures, the Old Testament, but used it and opened the understanding of His disciples, the remnant, that they might comprehend Scripture including the Promise of His Father to send power from on high (Joel 2:28-32)! The idea that Scriptures, the Old Testament, is not the inspired word of God, is from the pits of hell for as Paul told Timothy:

But evil men and impostors will grow worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived. But you must continue in the things which you have learned and been assured of, knowing from whom you have learned them, and that from childhood you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work. 2 Timothy 3:13-17

Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables. 2 Timothy 4:2-4

We use scriptures to examine the fables of evil men who cannot endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they heap up for themselves teachers; and they turn their ears away from the truth.

Unlike many false prophets, preachers and teachers today, Jesus Christ was not a liar, a deceiver, a controller or an abuser. He was not only a true man of God, a son of God, but a man of integrity! The definition of integrity: 1. Steadfast adherence to a strict moral or ethical code. 2. The state of being unimpaired soundness. 3. The quality or condition of being whole or undivided; completeness. In other words He was nothing like the many false Christian leaders we have today especially in the “Third Wave” who are demonized and need deliverance and true salvation!

It’s to be noted:

"The first wave was the Pentecostal Movement, the second, the Charismatics, and now the Third Wave is joining them. The Third Wave being, of course, those mainstream evangelicals, now aware of the possibility of the power of God, but not wanting to identify with Pentecostalism." (C. Peter Wagner, as quoted in The Trojan Horse, p. 244) “While its proponents claim old-fashioned Pentecostalism as its heritage, the doctrine of the Vineyard movement’s Third Wave theology, as well as that of their up-and-coming stepchild, Promise Keepers, represents far more. It is a doctrine of extra-biblical extremism that focuses on seeking sensually-oriented experiences and utterances directly from Almighty God. Most often, the "prophet" names the individual these utterances are directed to and he sees visions in which personal appearances by Jesus and other well-known Bible characters are not uncommon. Outlandish and unbelievable extremes, practices and conduct, all in the name of the moving of the Holy Spirit, have sprung from the aforementioned, humble, early practices of Promise Keepers’ mother church.”

“Third Wave Vineyard tacticians, as well as Promise Keepers’ public relations departments have perfected invasive techniques in order to reach into otherwise biblically balanced denominations and infiltrate them with this doctrinal "leaven" by refocusing their spiritually naive victims on the propaganda calling for unity, harmony and the church’s need for "real men." This is a well-planned, strategically designed conspiracy to doctrinally invade those of extremely dissimilar theological positions. Their hope is that these target groups will swallow the hook of "Doctrine is no big deal. Let’s just love Jesus and unite for Christ." Their plan is to bring to bear on all groups—Pentecostal and non-Pentecostal, Protestant and non-Protestant—the teaching and extra-biblical philosophy that enslaves, excites and drives them with an evangelistic fervor. Thus an influx of Vineyard-type speakers and Third Wave-influenced ministers and materials has been invading otherwise conservative Bible-based churches on the false and deceptive premise of Promise Keepers.” (Phil Arms, op.cit., p.245-246,)

Many of the Third Wave leaders talk about “Christian wealth transfer but practice an ongoing third wave demon transfer” says Don Koenig of thepropheticyears.com[i].

The whole idea that there will be a wealth transfer from the world to the Church is preposterous. What do they think the world will be doing while we take away their wealth and what in the world would we do with the wealth of the world anyway? Get rid of poverty? Where does it say the Church will do that in scripture? Actually these people will take new found wealth to build more and larger circus tents for their “third wave” freak shows?

There is no such concept of a wealth transfer to the Church in scripture it is totally contrary to what the scripture teaches.

These “third wave” self appointed, apostles, prophets and healers are proud presumptuous deranged people or they are greedy con artists and liars.

The “third wave” apostles, false prophets and healers appeal to people’s flesh and that is the only reason they have a following. They certainly do not hear the true gospel from these people and they do receive any sound Christian teaching.

These are the people Jesus was talking about in Matthew chapter 7: 21-22. They tell Jesus did we not prophecy in your name and cast out Devils in your name and do great works? But, Jesus will say to them depart from me you workers of inequity I never knew you

James Jacob Prasch in his article “The Delusional World Of Mark Stibbe & St Andrews Chorleywood[ii] “give us a sordid glimpse of the deception and demonization in the Third Wave:

Welcome to St. Andrew’s Chorleywood, The UK Platform For The Promotion Of Sexually Perverted Deceivers From Paul Cain To Todd Bentley.

After Its Latest Fad The Question Must Be Asked: Is St. Andrews Merely A Spiritually And Doctrinally Deranged Church Or A Lunatic Asylum With A Cross On The Roof?

It was the predecessor of Mark Stibbe, Anglican vicar at St. Andrew’s Chorley Wood , David Pytches, who promoted the ‘Kansas City Prophets’, (now proven by scripture and history to be false prophets), with his wild book ‘Some Said It Thundered’ in which he lauded Bob Jones and Paul Cain.

The fanciful false prophetic predictions of a great British revival for October of that year made in the Name of The Lord by Jones, Cain and their pastor Mike Bickel and the late John Wimber made in August of 1990 came to nothing. More mosques have been built in Britain than churches in the last 18 years since their promised ‘latter day rain’ and as with the failed Alpha courses the UK has only witnessed steadily increasing moral and spiritual decline including a Church of England headed by a member of a Druid sect and favoring same sex marriages and the lesbian and homosexual ordination urged by Desmond Tutu.

Pytches, Sandy Miller, Nicky Gumbel, Terry Virgo, Gerald Coates, and RT Kendall all quickly jumped on the ‘Kansas City’ bandwagon, but the assured revival never materialized; the diametric opposite transpired instead. Lakeland meetings were also mimicked in Dudley, England and predictably endorsed by Gerald Coates who tried to copy the failed Pensacola revival in London.

Lakeland is the most recent sequel but Kansas City was the prequel. Indeed, the gross distortion of The Book of Joel by the Kansas City false prophets, by means of abandoning biblical exegesis and embracing pure Gnosticism in the mystical subjectivist interpretation of Joel, saw the Babylonian invaders whom God will destroy retro-identified as ‘The Triumphant Church’. The participants at the Docklands fiasco saw the locusts of Joel’s apocalyptic vision identified as the demon cohorts of hell in Revelation chapter 9, re-identified as the ‘Kingdom Now’/ Manifest sons participants in the conference. The mishandling and distortion of scripture was religious madness that set the stage for the next failed revival from Toronto, Canada led by John & Carol Arnott. This was likewise followed by the demise of its American clone at Brownsville Assemblies of God that ended in a massive church split and public financial scandal, but likewise no revival despite an avalanche of big talk and hollow promises.

Indeed, as one who himself believes in the charismatic gifts of the Holy Spirit when practiced scripturally, the consecutive failure of these counterfeit moves of Gods to deliver what they falsely promised was predictable, and in fact inevitable. Abject theology leads to abject spirituality. Doctrinal bankruptcy equates to spiritual bankruptcy.

Meanwhile, the Kansas City False Prophets hyped and promulgated by St. Andrew’s Chorleywood to no end have publicly fallen from grace. Bob Jones was debunked as a sexual predator with vulnerable women while Paul Cain was publicly disclosed to be a drunken pervert with a life long history of alcoholism and homosexuality.

Well David Pytches - Thunder indeed!

Elim's Ian Bilby, and his worship leader, the cheer leaders of the Toronto deception in New Zealand were likewise found in publicly exposed serial adultery with as many as 20 women.

No revival ever materialized from Kansas City, which was the first link of the twisted chain of carnal and demonically inspired folly that has so discredited, damaged, and divided the church courtesy of St. Andrews Chorleywood who championed these false prophets with David Pytches and his ludicrous book.

Neither did any revival emerge from Toronto or Pensacola. Those freak shows are long over as is their attempted UK imitations in Sunderland and Marsham Street, London. Despite this, just as the Elim denomination continues to try to resuscitate the Toronto failure in its magazine, under the leadership of Mark Stibbe, St. Andrews Chorleywood continues promote John & Carol Arnott at their “School of International Ministry”. They seem to teach everything from “dream interpretation” to biblical groundless nonsense that is essentially New Age practice absurdly put into Christian jargon.

Now Mark Stibbe has promoted the ‘Third Wave’ sequel of Toronto and Pensacola in Lakeland, Florida . Lakeland pastor Stephen Strader admits it is the continuation of the Toronto and Pensacola phenomena.

According to various news reports, The Florida District Attorney believed Pastor Stephen Strader to be as guilty as his brother Daniel, but obtained a RICO conviction on his brother Daniel, now in prison until 2036 after defrauding elderly Christians out of $3 million dollars. Strader was convicted as a professional racketeer under RICO laws. RICO anti racketeering legislation is used in the prosecution and sentencing of professional gangsters engaged in various forms of organized criminal activity. These are the Strader brothers.

Strader brought in a criminally convicted Canadian homosexual pedophile named Todd Bentley to conduct his counterfeit revival. Bentley was imprisoned for the homosexual molestation of a seven year old before being commissioned to lead the Lakeland pandemonium. Bentley has meanwhile filed for a separation from his wife which by Canadian law is the first step to divorce. Meanwhile, it is revealed that Bentley has a history of adultery excluding him from ministry that has been covered up and has once again become involved in a yet another improper extra marital relationship. Yet it is this same Bentley that Wendy Alec of the so called 'God Channel' has defended labeling those critical of him and his carnal antics as being of the devil, and it is this same Lakeland hoax that Mark Stibbe and St. Andrews Chorleywood promulgated aggressively.

Bentley was exposed on national TV in the USA on the ABC Nightline broadcast for being unable to medically document a single claimed healing. Some of those pronounced healed at Lakeland have however since been medically documented as deceased, and a statement by Arnold Palmer hospital likewise contradicts claims of a resurrection from the dead as bogus.

That the ‘Fruit of The Holy Spirit’ according to Galatians is ‘ekreitei’ “Self Control” not the lack of, never mattered to proponents of Toronto or Pensacola. That such Fruit is also ‘gentleness’ does not matter either as Bentley kicks old ladies in the stomach and baptizes people in the name of ‘Bam’. Christ’s own clear and unambiguous warning to avoid those like Bentley who claim His physical return before the ‘parousia’ and revelatory visitations from a healing angel named ‘Emma’ (there are no manifestations of angelic beings as women or as agents of healing in God’s Word) could hardly matter to someone like Mark Stibbe.

It is well know by police and social services that pedophiles frequently profess a religious conversion in prison as a parole stunt and then seek work in scout groups, schools, youth camps and churches in order to get near children. Although Bentley fits this profile, we do not have any evidence of any recent homosexual pedophilia by this self-disfigured heretical freak, however current verified information certainly exists in the public media about his taking his wife to court for a separation and his more recent history of adultery.

But even if he did undergo an authentic regeneration and become a Christian, many ask why he would then say The Lord led him to cover his body with an array of disfiguring tattoos that give him the appearance of a rather freakish goon? Even if his sexual perversion was prior to becoming a Christian as he claims, that is not true of his openly confessed mentor, sexual predator Bob Jones, whom Bentley lauds and endorses. Jones preyed upon women sexually in lewd acts as a ‘prophet’. Why would anyone serving Jesus endorse the ministry of a sexually immoral preacher who misused Christian ministry to perpetrate his perversions and who according to The New Testament has no biblical right to be in ministry as he is not above reproach?

These are the deranged antics of Lakeland we are speaking of and these are the kinds of people we are talking about; an assortment of perverts, swindlers, drunks, homosexuals, demonstrable false prophets, and even a tattooed criminally convicted pedophile child molester turned adulterer filing separation procedures against his wife. This is the whacky world of Mark Stibbe.

It’s evident from their agenda, their words, and their deception the leaders of the Third Wave don’t have the best interests of the sheep at hand. They are happily filled with greed, pride, lies, and false doctrine. Those who follow these Svengalis…those who have been preyed upon and duped with lies are the ones, are also under the influence of demons. The leaders of these insidious movements such as The Third Wave are tools of the Devil. They have an evil nature and possess extreme craftiness. Whether delusional or just plain evil, whether they believe their own lies or see no lies, just profit and power…they are the masterminds. These hypocritical liars spread demons, to those vulnerable enough to believe them. The bible tells us about them:

Now the Spirit expressly says that in latter times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons, speaking lies in hypocrisy, having their own conscience seared with a hot iron, 1 Timothy 4:1-2

For there are many insubordinate, both idle talkers and deceivers, especially those of the circumcision, whose mouths must be stopped, who subvert whole households, teaching things which they ought not, for the sake of dishonest gain. One of them, a prophet of their own, said, "Cretans are always liars, evil beasts, lazy gluttons." This testimony is true. Therefore rebuke them sharply, that they may be sound in the faith, not giving heed to Jewish fables and commandments of men who turn from the truth. To the pure all things are pure, but to those who are defiled and unbelieving nothing is pure; but even their mind and conscience are defiled. They profess to know God, but in works they deny Him, being abominable, disobedient, and disqualified for every good work. Titus 1:10-16

Chapter 5
Another Jesus A Different Spirit A Different Gospel

For if he who comes preaches another Jesus whom we have not preached, or if you receive a different spirit which you have not received, or a different gospel which you have not accepted-you may well put up with it! 2 Corinthians 11:4

We have today in the church of Jesus Christ false prophets, seducers, liars and thieves masquerading as men of God, including people like Rodney Howard Browne, Rick Joyner, Bill Johnson, Todd Bentley, Peter Wagner, who through the Third Wave give rise to seducing Spirits and doctrines of devils.

The Third Wave is a revival of the theology of the Latter Rain tent revivals of the 1950s and 1960s led by William Branham and others. It is based on the idea that in the end times there will be an outpouring of supernatural powers on a group of Christians that will take authority over the existing church and the world. The believing Christians of the world will be reorganized under the Fivefold Ministry and the church restructured under the authority of Prophets and Apostles and others anointed by God. The young generation will form “Joel’s Army” to rise up and battle evil and retake the earth for God.

While segments of this belief system have been a part of Pentecostalism and charismatic beliefs for decades, the excesses of this movement were declared a heresy in 1949 by the General Council of the Assemblies of God, and again condemned through Resolution 16 in 2000. The beliefs and manifestations of the movement include the use of ’strategic level spiritual warfare’ to expel territorial demons from American and world cities. Worship includes excessive charismatic manifestations such as hundreds of people falling, ’slain in the spirit,’ and congregations laughing, jerking, and shrieking uncontrollably.

Rodney Howard-Browne is one of the most controversial and publicized figures of the Third Wave movement. While many of the leaders have been almost invisible in the mainstream media, Howard-Browne and his Holy Laughter anointing have been covered by CNN , Time, Newsweek, PBS, and numerous British media outlets. Howard-Browne refers to himself in many of these articles as the "Holy Ghost bartender."

He is also one of the most controversial figures in the Evangelical world and is the subject of many hundreds of internet pages from other Evangelical and Fundamentalists discernment groups who view his unusual revival manifestations such as uncontrollable laughter, weeping, shrieking, and animal noises, as cultic. Other conservative Christians also find fault with Howard-Browne's end time belief that a unified and purified church is currently being restored through a "great awakening" that is manifesting itself through these "signs and wonders."

Howard-Browne, like the other leaders of the Third Wave, believe that they are raising a great end time army that will take control of the world through spiritual warfare, and triumph over Satan before the millennial reign of Jesus.

Through the revivals held at Carpenter’s Home Church in Lakeland Florida broadcast by Trinity Broadcasting Network, Rodney Howard Browne infested Christendom in North America with Kundalini spirits! (See Pastor Rodney The Sheep Fleecer http://www.christiannews.0catch.com/rodney.htm , Not Innocent” http://www.a2zbookdepot.com/xxcrxxoxxoks.pdf or http://crooksaog.tripod.com/)

The false failed and demonic Lakeland revival of 2008 demonstrated to the world not only how deceived and idiots the Third Wave leaders were but also the “Kundalini spirits” that possess them! (See Todd Bentley John Arnott http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9aWpTvcM74U&feature=related).

As a result Peter Wagner, one of the major Third Wave leaders, stated

Todd Bentley now carries the label of a liar and a deceiver. I'm sorry to mention it, but I felt personally deceived in the same way when Ted Haggard's sin was exposed and he was immediately removed from ministry... Suffice it to say that there is more than I am going to mention. First of all, Todd has been removed from public ministry until further notice. He has resigned from the ministry he founded, Fresh Fire, so he is no longer a part of that board. It has become clear that he indulged in periodic drunkenness. He has no intention at the moment of reconciling with Shonna, nor does she with him. Their marriage has been torn for years by his emotional attachment with at least one other female whose physical contact went beyond hugging and kissing and holding hands. Enough said-maybe more details will be revealed later-but it was clearly immoral. All of this was skillfully concealed by lying and by swearing close associates who had observed his behavior to secrecy.

Jacob Prasch of Moriel Ministries http://moriel.org/ stated

Todd Bentley, the criminally convicted homosexual pedophile turned drunken heretic and adulterer who kicked old ladies in the face and stomach on YouTube at the failed Lakeland, Florida counterfeit revival has entered into a biblically adulterous re- marriage while under a “process of restoration” led by biblically proven false prophet Rick Joyner.

Bentley was ring master at a debacle of lunacy and false healing debunked on national TV orchestrated by the infamous Strader family, whom the District Attorney implicated in financial scandals defrauding elderly Christians of millions of dollars. While the Florida District Attorney publicly names Pastor Steve Strader as complicit in the swindling, his brother was sent to prison for over 30 years as a professional gangster under American anti racketeering RICO statutes. Bob Jones was debunked as a sexual predator with vulnerable women while Paul Cain was publicly disclosed to be a drunken pervert with a life long history of alcoholism and homosexuality.

Pastor Bola Olivia Ogedengbe of ABBA HOUSE church, Paris ( http://bolaoged.com/?p=743) stated:

In 2009 after the revival failed and Todd Bentley divorced his wife, Rick Joyner led the restoration team which included leaders who had vouched for Bentley’s good character in the past even as he was deceiving us all, and has posted a letter on his web page. We are informed that ‘Even so, they are married now and are resolved to make the most of their marriage, their lives, and to continue to serve the Lord in the best way that they can.

Their being married far from making it right has in my view made matters even worse and totally disqualified Todd Bentley from any reinstatement in ministry in the foreseeable future. It means there is no repentance. He has simply gone into outright rebellion by marrying his mistress. Even if his wife had chosen to divorce him, which does not seem to be the case, a more judicious, moral and righteous course of action would have been to break off this adulterous relationship and stay celibate before God Instead, he remarries quickly. And we are put before the fait accompli. Is there a recent translation of the New Testament that decrees that the solution to adultery is to quickly divorce the offended party and marry the mistress?

Rick Joyner and Bill Johnson who are both caught up in the realm of deceiving spirits, have been working hard to reinforce Todd Bentley’s unbiblical behavior as acceptable. It’s to be noted Todd Bentley’s s declaration of “opening up the stargate portals to the third heaven” has absolutely nothing to do with God or His heavenly realms…it is based on previous declarations by high level occultist. His “angel” connections are not God’s angels, they are familiar spirits and demonic forces. What he does and declares is UTTERLY SATANIC…not “just a little eccentric.” (See AN-ANGEL-CALLED-EMMA http://www.scribd.com/doc/2909690/AN-ANGEL-CALLED-EMMA And TODD BENTLEY DEMONIC MINISTRY http://www.scribd.com/doc/3113512/Investigating-TODD-BENTLEY-AND-HIS-DEMONIC-MINISTRY- )

The opening up of these “portals” that TB is engaged in is activated by his own soul power/soul energy called kundalini in Hinduism. There is a lot on the web about it as it is practiced by those in the occult/new age. This web site covers it quite well: http://newchristian.org.uk/kundalini.html It gives a list of some the symptoms. Serpent Power of the Awakening Kundalini:

In Hinduism there are several forms of yoga (yoking) which all have the goal of giving the practitioner cosmic consciousness and unity with God. [The origins of Kundalini Yoga (sometimes called Raja or roya Yoga) come from the form of Hinduism known as Kashmir Shavism. This form of yoga comes from the Kashmir region of India and the god these Hindus worship is Shiva. Shiva was the Hindu god represented in the movie "Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom."

Hindu depiction Of A Chakra:

Wheel of spinning Energy - Kundalini Yoga "the serpent power."

Sanskrit kund, "to burn"; kunda, "to coil or to spiral": a concentrated field of intelligent, cosmic invisible energy absolutely vital to life; beginning in the base of the spine as a man or woman begins to evolve in their first incarnation; fed by the chakras along the spine and by the cosmic energy entering through the feet from the earth; as wisdom is earned in each incarnation, this electromagnetic, ultrapotent energy moves slowly upward through the spine; Kundalini is feminine polarity in nature. Sim. (Donning International Encyclopedic Psychic Dictionary, June G. Beltzer, Ph.D., p. 343).

1.Kundalini in English means "the serpent power." It is the common Hindu belief that within each person resides a "serpent" coiled tightly up at the base of the spine. Through practicing Kundalini yoga, along with chanting, mediation, and an impartation from the guru one can have their Kundalini Awakened. Kundalini Yoga is the "power yoga" of Hinduism. It is the pathway to supernatural power and godhood. Kundalini Yoga can also lead to mental collapse, psychosis, and demon possession or oppression.

2."Asian cultures have used these teachings of the Chakra System for about 4,000 years and it's only the last approx. 10 years that this information has filtered into the west. Chakra literally translated from the Hindi means 'Wheel of spinning Energy'. Within our bodies are contained seven major energy centres. They are located within the body in front of the spinal column and are aligned vertically up and down the spine. Each wheel has a colour of the rainbow and vibrates to a musical note... ." (Inner Star Magazine)

3.Kundalini is at least 1000 years old occult practice. It involves bodily manifestations as a consequence for the "awakening of an individual's Kundalini'' and is related to, for example, Qigong (a Chinese occultic tradition).

4.Kundalini energy is typically described as a powerful energy source lying dormant in the form of a coiled serpent at the base of the human spine. When freed it reputedly has the capacity to effect great physical healings. Christina and Stanislov Grof, New Age authors of the book "The Stormy Search for the Self," describe how the awakening of Kundalini energy can be triggered by an advanced spiritual teacher or guru. And how the awakening can bring up memories of past psychological traumas. The Grofs state that "individuals involved in this process might find it difficult to control their behavior; during power rushes of Kundalini energy, they often emit various involuntary sounds, and their bodies move in strange and unexpected patterns.

Among the most common manifestations ... are unmotivated and unnatural laughter or crying, talking tongues ... and imitating a variety of animal sounds and movements" (p. 78-79). The Grofs state that "careful study of the manifestations of Kundalini awakening confirm that this process, although sometimes very intense and shattering, is essentially healing" (citing Warren Smith by permission in an article for Spiritual Counterfeits Project entitled "HOLY LAUGHTER or Strong Delusion" (Fall, 1994, Vol. 19.2), p. 14).

Bill Johnson and his wife are fascinated by the “mystical” and “mystical experiences.” In his book, “When Heaven Invades Earth,” he has artfully twisted the definition of what an “anointing” is, the character and nature of the Holy Spirit, and the very attitude we are to have before a Holy God. His page titled “My Story-Glorious But Not Pleasant,” is a TEXTBOOK RENDITION of the kundalini awakening, replete with “unexplainable power began to pulsate through my body, seemingly just shy of electrocution.” He goes on to explain how it was like a thousand volts of electricity flowing through his body; his arms and legs shot out in silent explosions as if something was released through his hands and feet, and the more he tried to stop it, the worse it got. He declared that it was the most overwhelming experience of his life…”it was raw power…it was God.” (So sorry to say, Bill, it was not the God of the Bible, the Alpha and Omega.) None of this surprises me, as he states that “our hunger for Him in part must be seen in our lustful pursuit of spiritual gifts. That is His command!” I know exactly what my Bible says about spiritual gifts, but Bill sure can twist what is really said. This book is a sad commentary on why the church is in the state it is, as it promotes the attitude of a demanding, petulant child throwing a fit if it doesn’t get its “experience.”

These Third Wave deceivers and seducers should have noted the characteristic Symptoms of Awakened Kundalini. Here is an excerpt from Devatma Shakti (Kundalini): Divine Powerby Swami Vishnu Tirtha. Some characteristic symptoms of the awakened kundalini are here given below from Mahayoga Vijna, a treatise on the subject in Hindi by Shri Yognandji Mahrja, the author revered guru. They are illustrative and by no means exhaustive:-

1. When throbbing of mooladhar begins, the whole body shakes, involuntary kumbhak(filling in of the lungs with air) starts beyond control, breath is forcibly exhaled out, without volition deep inhaling and exhaling of breath starts and the body gets uncontrollable, know then that Kundalini has awakened. You then should give up your assertion and sit witnessing what happens.

2. When Your body begins trembling, hair stands on roots, you laugh or begin to weep without your wishing, your tongue begins to utter deformed sounds, you are filled with fear or see frightening visions, semen passes out, think that the Kundalini Shakti has become active.

3. When your posture becomes fixed, uddiyan, jalendhar, and moolband has come involuntarily, your tongue reverts back or rises up towards the soft palate and the whole body becomes so active that you are unable to sit still, your hands and legs stretch out forcibly, you ought to know that the Divine power of the goddess Kundalini has come into action.

4. When your posture becomes fixed and sight is attracted toward the middle point of eyebrows, the eyeballs begin to revolve, you get automatic kewal-kumbhak, cessation of breath comes with no effort for inhaling or exhaling and the mind becomes vacant, void of all outward knowledge, understand that Mahmythe first born Shakti, the goddess Kundalini has come into action.

5. When you feel currents of Prnarising up your cerebrum within you, automatic repetition of Aum starts and the mind experiences waves after waves of blissful beatitude, think the Universal Mother Kundalini has come into action.

6. When different kinds of Nd become audible, in your spinal column you experience vibrations, feeling of bodily existence for the time being is lost, in other words you feel as if there is no body, everything looks vacant, your eyelids become closed and open not in spite of your efforts, electric-like currents seem flowing up and down the nerves and you have convulsions, know that Mahmy Kundalini has come into action.

7. When with the closing of eyelids your body falls to the ground, or begins to rotate like a grinding stone and breath comes not out, the body squatted on floor cross-legged begins to jump from place to place like a frog, or moves from place to place, or lies down like one dead, hands may not be lifted even if so desired, you feel contraction of nerves, you feel as if your life is passing away, the body undergoes convulsions like a dying fish, know that YogamayaKundalini has come into action.

8. When your mind gets influenced spiritually as if some spirit has taken possession of your body and under that influence different postures of yoga are involuntarily performed, without the least pain or fatigue and you feel increasingly buoyant, and simultaneously strange sort of breathing exercises start, think that the Divine power of Kundalini has come into action.

9. When no sooner you have sat with eyes closed than in an instant the body begins to show activity of throwing out limbs forcibly, deformed sounds are loudly uttered, your speech begins to utter sounds like those of animals, birds and frogs or of a lion or like those of jackals, dogs, tigers, fear inspiring and not pleasing to hear, understand that the Great Goddess Kundalini has come into action.

10. When you feel vibrations of prana at different stations inside your body and feel its flow wherever you fix your attention and nerves begin to show easy jerks like jerks of electricity as if passing through them, know that the Goddess Kundalini has come into action.

11. When all day and night you feel within your body some activity of prana and whenever you concentrate your mind, your body at once begins to shake or begins tossing and your mind remains filled with joy and bliss at all times, even when at call of nature, even during sleep you feel currents of prna rising up in your sahasrrand even in dreams you experience Her presence, know that the joy-inspiring Kundalini has come into action.

12. As soon as you sit for prayers your body begins to shake and in ecstasy of joy you begin to sing hymns in tones of music charming to hear and whose composition and poetry come out involuntarily, your hands giving a rhythmical clapping, and you pronounce languages you know not, but the sound ecstasizes your mind, know that the Goddess of speech, Saraswati, has awakened into action.

13. When you feel intoxicated without taking any drug, while walking your steps fall majestically or like one drunk and you are unable to do any other work and you like to remain mute and dislike speaking to or hearing others and you feel like one drunk of Divinity, know that your Atma Shakti Kundalini, the power of Self, has come into action.

14. While walking, when your mind is filled with an impulse to walk faster and your feet begin to move a running, you feel your body light like air and do not feel fatigued even having walked long enough, you feel buoyant and joyful, you are not unhappy even in dreams, you can keep the balance of your mind undisturbed in all ups and downs, and you acquire an inexhaustible energy for work, know that the Brahma Shakti Kundalini has come into action.

15. When you are in meditation you see visions divine and fall in a dreamy state of mind, have divine smells, see divine figures, feel divine tastes, hear divine sounds and experience divine touch and receive instructions from Gods, then understand that the divine power of Kundalini has come into action.

16. When you are in meditation, future unfolds its secrets to you or the hidden meaning of scriptures, Vedas and Vedntashine in your understanding, all doubts vanish, you acquire an insight into the abstruse meaning of the works on spiritual science even at their first glance, you acquire strange powers of oratory and feel not the need of approaching even Brahma, the creator himself, for knowledge and you acquire self-confidence, understand then that Kundalini the bestower of siddhis (occult powers) has come into action.

17. When seated for meditation your sight becomes fixed on the mid of eyebrows, your tongue rises up for Khechari, breath stops altogether and mind plunges into the ocean of bliss, shambhavi mudr operates and you experience the pleasure of savikalpa samdhi, know that subtle power of Kundalini is in action.

18. When at morning and evening hours punctually and automatically your body becomes charged with such of the divine influences, and body, mind and prnabecome overpowered by Her, know that the Goddess Kundalini is rightly functioning. (See http://discerningtheworld2.wordpress.com/2007/12/17/choo-thomas-heaven-is-so-real-is-it-really/ )

In summary The jerking in Toronto, Brownsville or any other revival place is not a sign of the Holy Spirit but of a Kundalini demon which infiltrated Christianity mainly in North America through Rodney Howard Browne

The fact is the bible never talks about “jerking” being an attribute of the Holy Spirit but rather it states but the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control

THE KEY WORD HERE IS SELF-CONTROL AND WHEN YOU ARE POSSESSED BY A DEMONIC KUNDALINI SPIRIT THERE IS NO CONTROL AND THAT IS TOTALLY WRONG AND AGAINST SCRIPTURE

And anybody who has gotten involved with these Third Wave deceivers will testify that longsuffering and kindness are not demonstrated by the leaders or followers but rather arrogance, pride and intolerance and Bill Johnson is a classical example

The Bible teaches that God allows a “drunken spirit” on people who are under His judgment and about to be destroyed — drunk but not with wine — the same way He sent a deluding demon to falsely prophesy to Ahab.

This is the hidden understanding of all these strange manifestations at Vineyard meetings turned into Kansas City barnyards. God is allowing the Enemy to mock the people who ‘no longer tremble at His word” with grotesque manifestations.

Self control has to do with a lot of these God-sent but evil manifestations.

The spirit of prophecy is subject to the prophets, is also a part of self control.

But to apply it to speaking is a problem because of so many of the teachings on our lack of control over the tongue. In terms of the NAR, the lack of volition in some of these animalistic outbursts during praise and worship is a sign that this person is not of God, and God is allowing them to manifest as a sign to anyone who understands the Bible enough to identify it.

Chapter 6
Great Is Our Lord

Praise the LORD! For it is good to sing praises to our God; For it is pleasant, and praise is beautiful. The LORD builds up Jerusalem; He gathers together the outcasts of Israel. He heals the brokenhearted And binds up their wounds. He counts the number of the stars; He calls them all by name. Great is our Lord, and mighty in power; His understanding is infinite. The LORD lifts up the humble; He casts the wicked down to the ground. Psalm 147:1-6

"The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon Me, Because the LORD has anointed Me To preach good tidings to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives, And the opening of the prison to those who are bound; To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD, And the day of vengeance of our God; To comfort all who mourn, To console those who mourn in Zion, To give them beauty for ashes, The oil of joy for mourning, The garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; That they may be called trees of righteousness, The planting of the LORD, that He may be glorified." Isaiah 61:1-3

God not only heals the brokenhearted He also heals broken relationships, broken marriages and broken lives. Great is our Lord, and mighty in power and His understanding is infinite. And because Jesus Christ is the same yesterday today and forever including the Compassionate LORD, He proclaims liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound; proclaims the acceptable year of the LORD, and the day of vengeance of our God; comforts all who mourn, consoles those who mourn in Zion, to give them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they may be called trees of righteousness The planting of the LORD, that He may be glorified. God’s word is true:

So they departed to a deserted place in the boat by themselves. But the multitudes saw them departing, and many knew Him and ran there on foot from all the cities. They arrived before them and came together to Him. And Jesus, when He came out, saw a great multitude and was moved with compassion for them, because they were like sheep not having a shepherd. So He began to teach them many things. Mark 6:32-36

Jesus departed from there, skirted the Sea of Galilee, and went up on the mountain and sat down there. Then great multitudes came to Him, having with them the lame, blind, mute, maimed, and many others; and they laid them down at Jesus' feet, and He healed them. So the multitude marveled when they saw the mute speaking, the maimed made whole, the lame walking, and the blind seeing; and they glorified the God of Israel. Now Jesus called His disciples to Himself and said, "I have compassion on the multitude, because they have now continued with Me three days and have nothing to eat. And I do not want to send them away hungry, lest they faint on the way." Matthew 15:29-32

The Lord Jesus Christ is a God of compassion. When He lived on this earth, He was moved with compassion on seeing the sick and the demon possessed and did a miracle for them. And because of His compassion Jesus called His disciples to Him and said, “I have compassion on the multitude because they have now continued with Me three days and have nothing to eat. And I do not want to send them away hungry, lest they faint on the way. But His disciples said to Him, "Where could we get enough bread in the wilderness to fill such a great multitude?" However Jesus already knew what He was going to do and said to them, "How many loaves do you have?" And they said, "Seven, and a few little fish." So He commanded the multitude to sit down on the ground.

Jesus compassion was not only for the souls and spirit but also for their bodies. And a result He took the seven loaves and the fish and gave thanks, broke them and gave them to His disciples; and the disciples gave to the multitude. So they all ate and were filled, and they took up seven large baskets full of the fragments that were left. And it’s God’s compassion that causes God to work miracles in our lives including healing broken hearts and lives!

Many circumstances in life do break our hearts and cause us great pain and agony. God caused Jesus Christ to traverse the path of suffering in this world. He was ridiculed by the High priest and others. He went through much shame to understand our agony. So, when we pour out our hearts to Him, He will comfort and heal our broken hearts. And then He will use us as an instrument to carry His comfort and see the broken hearted healed. God’s word is true:

"The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon Me, Because the LORD has anointed Me To preach good tidings to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives, And the opening of the prison to those who are bound; To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD, And the day of vengeance of our God; To comfort all who mourn, To console those who mourn in Zion, To give them beauty for ashes, The oil of joy for mourning, The garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; That they may be called trees of righteousness, The planting of the LORD, that He may be glorified Isaiah 61:1-3

Yes, the Lord is near to those who have a broken heart, and saves such as have a contrite spirit (Psalm 34:18). Jesus Christ was broken to understand our pain and agony. He gave Himself on the cross for us. He is waiting to comfort our broken hearts. Let us take our burdens and sorrows to Him. He will understand and comfort our broken hearts.

Many times we face circumstances that shatter our hearts and lament over them. But we have a Compassionate God Who is there to comfort and console our broken hearts. And He wants to use us as a channel to bring comfort and to carry His love and power to the broken hearted people! His word is true:

“So Jesus had compassion and touched their eyes…..” Matthew 20:34.

And Jesus, moved with compassion, put out His hand and touched him (Leper), and said to him, “I am willing; be cleansed” Mark 1:41.

It is also the will of God that we should be well in life and be in perfect health. When we seek God, He promises, “I will take sickness away from the midst of you” (Exodus 23:25). Sickness is a weapon of the devil to turn us away from God and to make us suffer in health. But Jesus Christ was born into this world to destroy the works of the devil. The Bible says, “God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power, who went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him” (Acts 10:38). And Lord Jesus Christ loves healing the sick. When we seek the Lord, He shall heal us from sickness and fill us with peace. His word is unchanging:

“The Lord will strengthen him on the bed of his illness; he will sustain him on his sick bed” Psalm 41:3

The Bible says in Ephesians 4:7,8, "But to each one of us, grace was given according to the measure of Christ's gift. Therefore the Bible says, When He ascended on high, He led captivity captive, and gave gifts to men." The Bible also says, "God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power, who went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him" (Acts 10:38). He healed sickness of every kind. The grace, which the Holy Spirit offers, is freely given to all. When we, through that grace, heal people and grant them the power to heal, we do the will of God.

The Bible says, “Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails. And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love (1 Corinthians 13:4-8, 13).

And the Lord Jesus Christ wants us to be loving and compassionate toward others in this world. He illustrates it in a parable as, “A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, who stripped him of his clothing, wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead. Now by chance a certain priest came down that road. And when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. Likewise a Levite, when he arrived at the place, came and looked, and passed by on the other side. But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was. And when he saw him, he had compassion on him and went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine; and he set him on his own animal, brought him to an inn, and took care of him. On the next day, when he departed, he took out two denarii, gave them to the innkeeper, and said to him, “Take care of him, and whatever more you spend, when I come again, I will repay you” (Luke 10:30-35).

In this parable, we see that the traveler was beaten up by a gang of thieves and was abandoned on the road half-dead. Many people passed by him including a priest who did not care to help him. But a Samaritan, an ordinary man took compassion on the traveler when he (Samaritan) passed the wounded man that way. Because of his compassion, he attended to the wounded man. In his compassion the Samaritan took the wounded man on his animal to an inn and paid the inn keeper to take care of him till he got well.

When we are compassionate toward others, people will come to know of the compassion of God. The Lord Who is watching us from Heaven will be very pleased with us and shall be more compassionate toward us. The compassion of the Lord will also open the way to miracles in our lives. The Bible also says: “Through the Lord's mercies we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning" (Lamentations 3:22, 23).

It is very true that because of His mercies we are not consumed. As His mercies are new every morning, we should seek the Lord in prayer early morning. In life we may face problems and sufferings which we might long to get rid of them. Not knowing the path, we may wander in darkness. But the Bible exhorts us to put our total trust on the Lord alone. There are many promises of God which we could use them against our problems. We must claim the promise of God and pray. When we use the promise of God against our problems, His word will subdue the problems and our own eyes will behold the miracle.

The Bible says about Mary, "Blessed is she who believed, for there will be a fulfillment of those things which were told her from the Lord" (Luke 1:45). That is the trust that righteous people have. The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and His ears are open to their cry. Trials do come in the lives of righteous people, but the Lord will deliver the righteous when they cry out to Him. God’s word is unchanging:

The righteous cry out, and the LORD hears, And delivers them out of all their troubles. The LORD is near to those who have a broken heart, And saves such as have a contrite spirit. Many are the afflictions of the righteous, But the LORD delivers him out of them all. He guards all his bones; Not one of them is broken. Evil shall slay the wicked, And those who hate the righteous shall be condemned. The LORD redeems the soul of His servants, And none of those who trust in Him shall be condemned. Psalm 34:17-22

Chapter 7
Shalom

Then Samuel said: "Has the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, As in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, And to heed than the fat of rams. For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, And stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the LORD, He also has rejected you from being king." 1 Samuel 15:22-23

And He said to them, "I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. "Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you. "Nevertheless do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rather rejoice because your names are written in heaven." Luke 10:18-20

"But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth." Acts 1:8

Dr. Pat Holiday in her article “Overcoming Spiritual Darkness From His Word” writes:

America is becoming more pagan and heathen every day. These spirits are daily replacing our beloved Jesus and Christian faith. The marks of paganism are idol worship, rituals, strange religious and they are prevailing. Ignorance concerning God and spiritual darkness are the distinctive features of paganism, (Eph. 4:18).

This brand of paganism is causing inhuman acts, Barbarous behaviors, "do whatever feels good spirit.” It's a spirit of lawlessness is pervasive in the Church today. We find indulgences of the animal appetites, (Eph. 4:19).

Even some Christians are into lustful living, free love and perversions. There is a lack of respect for womanhood, such as cursing, smoking, and drinking. Christians are seeking for "Bible teachers" to teach them the Word of God instead of seeking God and reading the Bible. Many have created Christian Star idols. Countless of these Christian stars have needed to be taught the Word of God themselves. People are ignoring His Bible and refusing His true message revealing Jesus as the center of the Word.

The world is professing that Jesus is dead! Unfortunately they ignore the reality of the spiritual being called the Devil. He no longer flees from Christians, he has joined them. He attacks them from within the church and outside of the Church. They still desire to remain spiritually blinded to his tactics.

“For this they willingly are ignorant of, that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water and in the water: 6 Whereby the world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished: 7 But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men.” KJV

The Apostle Timothy said, “Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth." (2 Tim. 2:15). "Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil," (Eph. 6:11). The Apostle Peter added, "Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: Whom resist steadfast in the faith," (1 Pet. 5: 8,9). Then James places a cap on the power of the Saints with the results when you do the Word of God. "Resist the devil and he will flee from you," (Jam. 4:7).

One of the most tormenting dilemmas we face today is discovering peace of mind. The Bible speaks of God's promises of love, joy, peace, abundant life, and hope. Harassing evil spirits are driving many Christians to search for God's promises to be fulfilled through the power of man-manufactured psychology and New Age Religion. Christians must return to the basics of the Bible by living for Jesus Christ and living in the scope of the challenges as shown in the Word. Let secular people search for answers to the problems in the man-made knowledge of psychology and the New Age but Christians should seek a relationship with Jesus Christ.

The Apostle Paul warned, "But I fear lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtlety, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ. For it he that cometh preacheth another Jesus, whom, we have not preached, or if ye receive another spirit, which ye have not accepted, ye might well bear with him." (2 Cor. 11: 3-4).

God who is good, powerful and mighty and a God of victory, through the overcoming life of Jesus Christ, wants to see the manifestation of real power in the life of His sons and daughters, total and complete victory over all things as well as wholeness and Shalom with nothing lacking or missing. Grace can be defined as God’s riches at Christ’ expense. The word "Peace" or “Shalom” and its cognates appear over 400 times in scripture and is often translated - welfare, good health, prosperity, favor, rest whole, finished, restitution or repay and perfect.

Apostle Peter tells us in 2 Peter 1:2-3 we have been given grace, peace and power through and in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord, as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue, by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.

We have no excuse for not being whole or more than a conqueror (Romans 8:31-37) for God wants His people whole body, soul and spirit and victorious and prospering in all things and He has the power to make it so and has also given them the power to make it so!

Dr. Larry Ollison in his article “The Hidden Power of Shalom” states

There was a lady that Jesus healed who had an issue of blood. In other words, she had a female problem. She had this problem all of her life. However, she knew that if she could touch Jesus, she would be healed.

All through the New Testament the people Jesus touched got healed. There was something about the point of contact. But the scripture doesn’t just say she only had a female problem, she had two problems. Usually we don’t hear about the other problem she had. Here’s what the other problem was. She had spent all of her money on physicians and was financially broke.

When she touched the hem of Jesus’ garment, she was healed. Jesus said, “Who touched Me?” He felt the power go out of Him. The power for what? The power for healing. He felt that power (virtue) go out. His disciples said, “What do you mean who touched You? We’ve got thousand of people pressing in on You? They are pressing all around us and You ask, ‘Who touched Me?’” But Jesus knew that somebody had touched Him that had faith.

If you need to touch God, you can press in at a church, but you may not be pressing in with faith. There were many people pressing into the presence of Jesus, but only one woman pressed in with faith. Jesus turned and looked at her. She pulled back and Jesus said, “Woman, your faith has made you well.” Then He made a statement often overlooked. He said, “Shalom.”

Shalom is a Hebrew word that sometimes we think just means “hello.” But it means much more than that. In Hebrew when you say shalom, what you mean is completeness. In other words, there is nothing incomplete.

Have you ever felt a little incomplete? Shalom means completeness and wholeness in all areas. To prove it means all areas, the definition of shalom breaks down even further into peace and health. Some think shalom just means peace, but it means so much more. There is a certain kind of peace you can have by getting your bills paid, having a car, having payments caught up on the house and enough food to eat. There is a certain kind of peace that the world has, but Jesus said, “I have come to give you peace (shalom), different than what the world has.” The peace from Jesus is completeness, wholeness, health and prosperity.

What is the difference between health and healing? Healing requires a victory. Health is living in victry. There is no need in shalom. Shalom is walking in victory.

“Beloved, I would that you would prosper and be in good health.” (3 John 1:2) God’s perfect will is for us to walk in health and to be free from the need of healing. He wants us to walk in shalom.

When Jesus turned and looked at the woman who had an issue of blood and a financial problem, He said to her, “Shalom!” He didn’t say, “Shalom – almost.” He didn’t say, “One half shalom.” When Jesus said, “Shalom,” He knew the impact of that word. I don’t know exactly how it happened, but I do know this. When Jesus said, “Shalom,” the lady was healed physically and restored financially. That’s shalom!

Shalom is completeness, wholeness, peace, health, welfare, safety, soundness, tranquility, prosperity, fullness, perfectness, harmony, the absence of agitation and the absence of discord.

It’s to job of demons not only to steal and destroy but to ensure there is no Shalom but rather the opposite including strife, contention, turmoil, envy, self seeking, confusion and every evil thing (James 3:11-18). Many Christians are totally unaware of the reality of the subliminal world of demons. They are invisible to the natural eye but they are real! And the Bible says that my people perish for a lack of knowledge. Multitudes are tormented because people choose to ignore the power to cast out devils which Jesus gave to His sons and daughters.

Jesus had great compassion for the possessed. He used His power to free them. Then the first assignments that He gave His followers were empowerment to cast out devils. But not every problem is because of demons. Some problems come from the person's willful sin life. The scriptural answer to the sins of the flesh is complete surrender to Jesus, (Rom. 6: 6-11). If the problem is caused by the person's submission to the sins of the flesh, then counsel must direct that person to commitment to the Lord, His Word and abstain from sin. If it is a demon, then we must cast it out. “The things, which ye have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, do: and the God of peace shall be with you,” (Phil. 4:9).

One of the great reasons for the absence of “Peace” or “Shalom” in the life of Christians is not only stubbornness and rebellion, not heeding to the voice of God, but not dealing with “serpents and scorpions.”

David Eellis in his book Sovereign God For Us and Through Us [iii] writes”

The Lord divides these demons into two categories: “serpents and scorpions.” Serpents, whose venom is in their heads, are mind-deceiving demons.It was the serpent that deceived Eve by offering the forbidden fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil (Gen.3:5,6).There are forbidden knowledge gifts that Satan bestows on his deceivers that sometimes mimic true gifts.

There are many serpent spirits at work in the church today deceiving many with “doctrines of demons,” as Paul shared in 1 Timothy 4:1-3. Serpent spirits are manifest as false directions, doctrines, prophecies, and leadership to name a few.(2 Cor.11:13) For such men are false apostles (Greek: “one sent forth”), deceitful workers, fashioning themselves into apostles of Christ. (14) And no marvel; for even Satan fashioneth himself into an angel (Greek: “messenger”) of light (truth). (15) It is no great thing therefore if his ministers also fashion themselves as ministers of righteousness, whose end shall be according to their works.

The word “angel” in Greek is angelos, and is sometimes translated “messenger” when describing ministers who are sent by God or other ministers (Lk.7:24,27; 9:52). It is obvious that there are men who have infiltrated the ranks of ministers who are sent by Satan through their own ego and religious organizations. Both Jesus and Paul taught that these ministers were in the majority ( Jn.10:8; 2 Cor.2:17).

Serpent spirits can also be mind-corrupting such as lust, greed, anger, bitterness, lying, sexual perversion, alcoholism, Idolatry, and uncleanness. Luke 8:35 shows insanity in various forms to be demonic. I was ministering to a group of elderly once when I was impressed to command a spirit out of a very sullen-looking woman with Alzheimer’s. After I commanded the spirit to come out, her countenance changed and she smiled and said very intelligibly, “Thank you very much, I needed that.” Most were shocked because they had never heard her speak. I knew then that Alzheimer’s can be a demon.

There is indication that “spirits of infirmity” (Lk.13:11) are serpent spirits. When the Israelites sinned, God sent fiery serpents to bite them, and they were dying. The serpent bite clearly inflicted physical sickness through poison. When Moses prayed to the Lord for them, He had them make a brass serpent on a pole, and when they looked on it they were healed (Num.21:4-9). The serpent on the pole was said to be Christ ( Jn.3:14) who became sin for us (2 Cor.5:21) and bore the curse of the serpent (Gal.3:13) so we could be healed (1 Pet.2:24).The serpent on the pole has been hijacked by the medical establishment to symbolize their healing business.

Some sicknesses proven from the text of the New Testament to be caused by demons are crippled (Lk.13:11); dumb (Mt.12:22);blind and dumb (Mt.9:32,33;Lk.11:14);dumb and deaf (Mk.9:25); vexed with sickness (Mt.15:22,28); epileptic (Mt.17:15,18); and healed of evil spirits (Lk.8:2,36,42; Acts 10:38). There are other healings in the New Testament that appear to be deliverances which I did not list here. Beside these, I have seen cancers, coughs, rashes, diabetes, arthritis, allergies, insomnia, chronic pains, AIDS, restlessness, and many I do not recall that responded to deliverance. I am sure in the combined experience of Christians the list is longer. Some say these have natural causes. Almost all demons manifest natural causes.

The second category Jesus gave was scorpion spirits. The Greek word for “scorpion” is scorpios which means “scatter” or “to penetrate and put to flight.” Scorpion spirits of fear, depression, manic depression, paranoia, worry, anxiety, suicide,guilt, condemnation, and dementia to name a few, penetrate the mind and cause one to flee from an enemy that they should be chasing.A scorpion’s venom is in its tail just as a hornet.The hornet can put a large man to flight through fear. God sent the “hornet” to drive out the enemy from before the Israelites through fear (Dt.7:20; Josh.24:12; Ex.23:27,28). Jesus taught that he had already bound the strong man (Satan and his demons) and divided the spoils of his house (Lk.11:20-23).Concerning these spoils, Jesus said, “He that gathereth not with me scattereth.” The Greek word for “scattereth” here is scorpizo. If we are not gathering the spoils of Satan’s house, the lost, for God’s kingdom, we will be running from scorpion spirits. We must be vessels of God’s sovereignty to conquer them and set the captives free.

A commonly taught false doctrine is that Christians cannot have demons. When Jesus sent His disciples to “cast out demons,” He told them, “…Go not into [any] way of the Gentiles (lost), and enter not into any city of the Samaritans: but go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel” (Mt.10:5,6). He did not send them to those who did not have a covenant with God, but rather only to those that did. In the New Testament, it is the Christians that have covenant promises of deliverance, healing, and provision, not the world. (Col.1:13) Who delivered us out of the power of darkness, and translated us into the kingdom of the Son of his love.

Since we have the promises of deliverance, we can use them for ourselves and those coming to Christ. (2 Cor.7:1) Having therefore these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all defilement of flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God. Believers are to cleanse self which is synonymous with soul (compare Mt.16:26 with Lk.9:25) of both flesh and spirit, meaning evil spirits. Paul warned Christians not to “receive a different spirit” (2 Cor.11:4). Also we are told, “neither give place (Greek: “region”) to the devil” (Epe.4:27). Simply, we are not to give any territory in ourselves to the devil or his minions.

(Lk.13:11) And behold, a woman that had a spirit of infirmity eighteen years; and she was bowed together, and could in no wise lift herself up. (16) And ought not this woman, being a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan had bound, lo,[these] eighteen years, to have been loosed from this bond on the day of the sabbath? The condition for deliverance was a child of Abraham, and such are the Christians. (Gal.3:7) Know therefore that they that are of faith, the same are sons of Abraham.

Jesus said that He was only sent to the house of Israel. When asked by a Canaanite woman to cast a spirit of infirmity out of her daughter, Jesus said, “It is not meet to take the children’s bread and cast it to the dogs” (Mt.15:22-28). From this we can see that the children of God have a covenant right to their Father’s bread of deliverance and healing, not the lost. Since Jesus was beginning a New Testament and because of this woman’s faith, He accounted her as righteous (Gal.3:6), granting her request

David Eellis in his book Sovereign God For Us and Through Us [iv] also writes” Binding and Loosing What?

Verily I say unto you, what things soever ye shall bind (forbid) on earth shall be bound (forbidden) in heaven; and what things soever ye shall loose (permit) on earth shall be loosed (permitted) in heaven (Mt.18:18).

Faith permits the sovereignty of God to be manifest through the body of Christ and forbids the devil. Jesus’ condition for receiving His benefits are plain: “As thou hast believed, [so] be it done unto thee” and “According to your faith be it done unto you” and “Thy faith hath made thee whole.” As we believe, God’s benefits will be given.

Unbelief forbids God’s benefits because He has made a condition and He cannot lie. Unbelief permits the devil to continue administering the curse. (Mk.6:5) And he could there do no mighty work, save that he laid his hands upon a few sick folk, and healed them. (6) And he marvelled because of their unbelief. Even Jesus was forbidden to do mighty works for those who would not believe. Whether we know it or not, we are constantly forbidding or permitting by our thoughts, words, and actions. Since all authority in heaven and earth was given to Jesus and He in turn delegated it to His disciples, where does the devil get his authority? He gets it from our unbelief, words, and disobedience.

(Rev.22:18) I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, if any man shall add unto them,God shall add unto him the plagues which are written in this book (19) and if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part from the tree of life, and out of the holy city, which are written in this book. Adding to or taking from God’s Word permits the curse by the devil and forbids God’s blessings for us or through us. This is by God’s design to motivate us to come back into agreement with Him. Adam fell out of agreement with God and fell under the curse, and God ordained that we would come back into agreement with Him to come out from under the curse.In no way does our disagreement hinder God’s sovereignty. It only stops us from cooperating with Him in it and being a vessel for it. (Lk.19:40) …If these shall hold their peace, the stones will cry out. Jesus made it clear that God would find a vessel to use. The only question is will that be you?

We must agree with God’s Word in our speech, without adding to or subtracting from, to receive or to administer His benefits. In Hebrews 3:1, Jesus is called the “High Priest of our confession.” Confession here is the Greek word homologeo meaning “to speak the same.” In other words, Jesus offers before the Father our vocal agreement with His Word. We make an offering of our confession through Jesus to the Father. (Heb.13:15) Through him then let us offer up a sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of lips which make confession (speak the same) to his name. Both the Greek and Hebrew words for “name” in Scripture mean “character and authority.” If we want the benefits of God consistently, we must continually speak in agreement with the character and authority of Jesus Who is the Word. If we disagree with the character and authority of God’s Word, Jesus will deny us the benefits of those promises. Jesus said, (Mt.10:32) Every one therefore who shall confess me (speak the same as me) before men, him will I also confess (speak the same) before my Father who is in heaven. (33) But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father who is in heaven.

True believers speak in agreement with the Word and receive Christ’s mediation for them to receive its benefits. Many wonder why they do not receive what the Bible promises,while in their mind and actions they disagree with it. (Rom.10:10)For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. Notice that salvation comes when we believe and speak in agreement with it. Many do not know what the fullness of salvation is. “Salvation” here is the Greek word soteria which means “everything that the soter or ‘savior’ provided.” We once asked a Greek man what soteria meant. He said, “It means all my needs provided for like a little baby.” The verb of soteria is sozo. This Greek word is translated “saved” when speaking of salvation of the soul (Lk.7:50). It is translated “made whole”when speaking of healing (Lk.8:48; Jas.5:15) and deliverance from demon possession (Lk.8:36). It is translated “save” when speaking of salvation from adverse circumstances (Mt.8:25;Jude 1:5). Salvation covers all of the benefits that Christ paid for.

We see here that it is not enough to believe only with the heart to have God’s benefits. If a person has faith, it will come out of their mouth. (2 Cor.4:13) But having the same spirit of faith, according to that which is written, I believed,and therefore did I speak; we also believe, and therefore also we speak. As you can see, faith without works is dead. It is clear that Jesus mediates between the Father and us if our faith is proven in our words.

(Lk.12:8) And I say unto you, Every one who shall confess me before men, him shall the Son of man also confess before the angels of God: (9) but he that denieth me in the presence ofmen shall be denied in the presence of the angels of God.

It is imperative that we say before men what God says in order for these same words to be given to the angels to bring to pass. If we confess the promises of the Word, Jesus gives authority to the angels to administer to us the benefits of God’s salvation. (Heb.1:14) Are they not all ministering spirits, sent forth to do service for the sake of them that shall inherit salvation? The angels only have authority to administer our salvation when we become the “voice of His Word.” (Ps.103:20) Bless the Lord, ye his angels, that are mighty in strength, that fulfill his word, Hearkening unto the voice of his word. When the angels hear the Word through us, they have authority from Jesus to fulfill it. When we speak unbelief, fear, and anxiety, we are speaking negative faith, or faith in the curse. This gives authority to the demons to administer the curse.

Chapter 8
Confess The Word of God

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. John 1:15

He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him. And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist. And He is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He may have the preeminence. Colossians 1:15-18

There is a reason why Apostle John referred to the fact that in the beginning Jesus was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. In the beginning, God SPOKE words to call this world into existence. The Holy Spirit hovered waiting for an assignment. God did not 'think' the world into being, but He opened His mouth and declared what it was that He wanted. And similarly the words that we speak form our world. We form our future by the words that come out of our mouth. Yes, "life and death are in the power of the tongue".

Just as a rudder turns the ship whichever way it should go, so too our words turn our lives in the direction of blessings or the direction of curses. "Chose you this day who you will serve. Chose God; chose blessings; chose life". "Out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaketh." "Wherever your heart is, there too is your treasure." There is tremendous and even instant power in the words we speak.

The Word says that when we SPEAK to the mountain, it has to move. Jesus said this. The mountain might not visibly move overnight - it rarely does because most mountains are the results of years of building it, with our own mouths. Most of the troubles in our lives are a direct result of the words that have come out of our mouths. Most of us do not yet have a revelation of our authority over mountains. But each time we speak to that mountain, using "it is written." or "thus saith the Lord." or "in the Name of Jesus.", these words are taking a huge steam shovel full of that mountain and throwing it into a deep hole. We keep speaking and the mountain is teetering. It is barely able to stand there without crumbling, because our God ordained words have been steadily digging away at its foundation. The foundation has been destroyed and no mountain can stand without solid footing. We put pressure on the circumstances, the mountain - when we speak faith filled words.

Most of us give up trying to get the mountain to move because we lose patience, we lose hope and we lose faith in God's Word. We start looking at our human weaknesses, we start making excuses and we start reasoning out why it must be God's will for that mountain to still be in our lives. Surely God is using that mountain to teach us something. Surely the mountain must be His tool. No! Just when that mountain is barely standing, just when it is getting ready to collapse, to tumble down and to get out of our way, we give up and leave that teetering mountain alone. Only that mountain does not stay in that condition. We literally start reinforcing the strength of the mountain by feeding it with words of our mouth all over again. When we see things clearly someday, we will be shocked and ashamed at how close most of the mountains of opposition were to falling. Yet, God’s word is unchanging:

Therefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints, do not cease to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers: that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him, the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, far above all principality and power and might and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in that which is to come. And He put all things under His feet, and gave Him to be head over all things to the church, which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all. Ephesians 1:15-23

For God is not unjust to forget your work and labor of love which you have shown toward His name, in that you have ministered to the saints, and do minister. And we desire that each one of you show the same diligence to the full assurance of hope until the end, that you do not become sluggish, but imitate those who through faith and patience inherit the promises. For when God made a promise to Abraham, because He could swear by no one greater, He swore by Himself, saying, "Surely blessing I will bless you, and multiplying I will multiply you." And so, after he had patiently endured, he obtained the promise. Hebrews 6:10-15

Yes, Jesus Christ is seated at God right hand in the heavenly places, far above all principality and power and might and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in that which is to come. Yes, all things are under Jesus feet and hence under our feet. Yes, there is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe.

Jesus cried with a loud voice Lazarus who was dead "Lazarus, come forth!" And he who had died came out bound hand and foot with graveclothes, and his face was wrapped with a cloth. Jesus said to them, "Loose him, and let him go."(John 14:43-44). And because we believe we have to cry with a loud voice and command life to all the things that are dead in our life. And we will see miracles just like Mary and Martha and the grieving friends saw when Lazarus came forth from the grace and they had to loose him and let him go.

Through faith and patience speaking words of life and words of God we will inherit the promises. For God speak and said to Abraham Surely blessing I will bless you, and multiplying I will multiply you." And so, after he had patiently endured, he obtained the promise. Yes, as we speak Words of life and Words of God, we are speaking life and power into our future. We are building foundations for our lives that are rock solid. When the storms of life come, as they always will, our mountain that is established on the Chief Cornerstone of Jesus will not be shaken nor will it fall. We establish our worlds the same way that God did. Just as Jesus did when He came to establish the spiritual world of His church.

The Words of God are alive and full of power and sharper than any two edged sword. Because we are formed in the image of God and because we have the greater One living on the inside of us, our words carry tremendous power and life. There are no words that carry no power. This is why the Bible warns us that we will be judged for every idle word. These warnings in the scriptures are not to be taken lightly nor is it an option we chose as to whether or not our words from our worlds. God’s word is unchanging about reaping what we have sown from out words:

Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life. And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart. Galatians 6:7-9

God made the physical world based on the pattern of the spiritual world. Before God made the physical God made the spiritual. By faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the Word of God, so that the things which are seen were not made of things which are visible. The things that we see, touch, feel, taste, smell, are not made of things that are visible. They are made of things that are invisible. They are made in the spirit realm and they manifest in the physical realm. The bible tells us in 2 Corinthians 4:18, While we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal. So there is an invisible world called the spiritual world and there is a natural world called the physical world. The bible says that the spiritual is greater for it is eternal. The temporal world is lesser. It changes and is subject to the influences in the spiritual world.

Before God creates something in the natural, God creates it first in the spirit realm. As God speaks forth in the spirit realm then it occurs in the natural realm. But after Adam fell, the natural realm was not in total harmony with the spiritual realm.

In the spirit world the moment you conceive something, it shows up there. The moment you could conceive or think of a fruit in the spiritual realm, it is created before your eyes. The manifestation is instant. All the five senses of the natural world are patterned after five senses in the spirit world. The inward witness and the five sensations of the inward man are evidences of the touch of the spirit. Example there is a spirit of heaviness. And there is a spirit of joy. That is your spirit sensing the spiritual atmosphere. For example if right now in this atmosphere here oxygen becomes lacking we will all begin to grasp for air and be hard of breathing. So we could sense it with the sense of natural touch. In the spiritual realm, we could sense spiritual oppression. We could sense heaviness or lightness that is there.

Many of God’s people don’t understand that God’s will and desires are ALREADY SETTLED IN HEAVEN forever (Ps. 119:89), but Jesus gave us the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven so that their MANIFESTATION on this earth is CONTINGENT upon OUR binding and loosing -- IN AGREEMENT with His Will (expressed in the Word of God including being totally and completely delivered and healed.) We don’t deny that sickness exists, but we deny it the right to exist in our body, because we have been redeemed from the curse of the law and delivered from the authority of darkness (Gal. 3:13, Col. 1:13). God has sent His word, Jesus and healed us. Hence confessing God’s words brings deliverance and healing to our negative circumstances and bodies.

James 1:21 admonishes us to receive with meekness the engrafted word, which is able to save our soul (and body). Once the Word of God is engrafted into our spirit, it produces results in our body as well. When we speak God’s Word from our heart, then our faith frames our world daily. Jesus made it very plain “a good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good things” (Mathew 12:35). Every time we speak our faith, it creates a stronger image inside us. When the Word is engrafted into us, it infuses its life into us (John 6:63, Rom. 8:11). The words that we speak makes true in us what is already a reality in the spirit realm where we are blessed, healed, delivered and set free! God’s word is unchanging:

"Or how can one enter a strong man's house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man? And then he will plunder his house. Matthew 12:29

"And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it. "And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven." Matthew 16:18-19

My son, give attention to my words; Incline your ear to my sayings. Do not let them depart from your eyes; Keep them in the midst of your heart; For they are life to those who find them, And health to all their flesh. Keep your heart with all diligence, For out of it spring the issues of life. Put away from you a deceitful mouth, And put perverse lips far from you. Proverbs 4:20-24

Because there is creative power in the words that we speak, for they are life to those who find them, and health to all their flesh, we are to put away from us a deceitful mouth, and put perverse lips far from us. We are to only speak positive words from God’s words and not give a bad report! Just as we would take medicine into our physical body to aid healing by physical means, so we must receive God’s word concerning healing and deliverance into our spirit for supernatural healing and deliverance. And like other medicine, it must be applied on a regular basis. When we are sick and confess that we are healed by the stripes of Jesus, we are calling forth what God has ALREADY given us, even if it is not yet manifested. We are calling our body well according to Luke 17:5-6 and Mark 11:23 and our body must listen and obey us because of the power God has given us.

We must speak God’s word to our individual circumstance or situation and command it to line up with what the Word of God says about us including that we are blessed, we are head, not tail, we are above, beneath, and we are healed and set free. The purpose of knowledge especially of God and His word is not just to have it but to use it so that we can live a life that God desires us to live and to have all that God desires us to have including divine health, divine wealth and divine prosperity!

It is true our confession of the Word of God calls for healing which is already ours, but is not in manifestation in our bodies. We confess the Word of God until we receive our required manifestations. God’s word is unchanging:

A man's stomach shall be satisfied from the fruit of his mouth, From the produce of his lips he shall be filled. Death and life are in the power of the tongue, And those who love it will eat its fruit. Proverbs 18:20-21

"I create the fruit of the lips: Peace, peace to him who is far off and to him who is near," Says the LORD, "And I will heal him." But the wicked are like the troubled sea, When it cannot rest, Whose waters cast up mire and dirt. "There is no peace," Says my God, "for the wicked." Isaiah 57:19

Yes, God creates the fruits of our lips and give us peace and heal us. But there is no peace for the wicked who will not confess the Word of God and doesn’t understand that death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruit. Yes, we create things into existence into the natural realm from the spiritual realm by the words that we speak. And that is why it is also very important to pray in tongues and to prophesy because we then speak the words that God give us and His words don’t return void but accomplish that for which they are sent. God’s word is true:

Pursue love, and desire spiritual gifts, but especially that you may prophesy. For he who speaks in a tongue does not speak to men but to God, for no one understands him; however, in the spirit he speaks mysteries. But he who prophesies speaks edification and exhortation and comfort to men. He who speaks in a tongue edifies himself, but he who prophesies edifies the church. I wish you all spoke with tongues, but even more that you prophesied; for he who prophesies is greater than he who speaks with tongues, unless indeed he interprets, that the church may receive edification. 1 Corinthians 14:1-5

Even so you, since you are zealous for spiritual gifts, let it be for the edification of the church that you seek to excel. Therefore let him who speaks in a tongue pray that he may interpret. For if I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays, but my understanding is unfruitful. What is the conclusion then? I will pray with the spirit, and I will also pray with the understanding. I will sing with the spirit, and I will also sing with the understanding. 1 Corinthians 14:12-15

Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much. Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed earnestly that it would not rain; and it did not rain on the land for three years and six months. And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth produced its fruit. James 5:16-18

Tongues is the least of spiritual gifts, but it’s still a gift from God and all of God’s gifts have great power and the effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much. God declares that His Word will not return void. We are to return His Word by giving VOICE to it, and He will create the fruit of our lips. Then, it will be LIFE to us and HEALTH to our flesh. Yes, God uses spiritual forces, which are not seen to nullify natural things that are seen and to bring about the changes that we need. Hence we call things that are not as though they were just like God did when He created heaven and earth by His spoken word. We declare ourselves what God’s Word reveals about us, regardless of the circumstances or how we feel about it and we are releasing God’s word and power to make it so just like Jesus did. Yet God’s word is true:

When evening had come, they brought to Him many who were demon-possessed. And He cast out the spirits with a word, and healed all who were sick, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet, saying: "He Himself took our infirmities And bore our sicknesses." Matthew 8:16-17

Chapter 9
Believe God For Your Miracle

And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Matthew 28:18

Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. Romans 8:37

Our Jesus conquered death, hell and the grave, and He has all power to conquer all for us. Jesus is our great Redeemer; He is our Great Physician; He is the Prince of Peace; He is the Great Deliverer, and He came that we might have life and have it more abundantly. And in the all-conquering name of Jesus Christ we become more than conquerors as He does for us all that which we cannot do for ourselves. The bible tells us in 2 Corinthians 1:20, “All the promises of God are yes and amen.” We know that healing and prosperity is God’s will for every believer. 3 John 2 says, “Beloved, I wish above all things that you would prosper and be in health, even as your soul prospers.” Yes, it is God’s greatest desire that we would walk in abundance in the current time of life. Just as much as Jesus was the substitution for our sin, so was He the substitution for lack in our lives. Just as we see ourselves forgiven, we must see ourselves blessed according to the Word of God. No matter what our circumstances may look like, God’s Word is true and it never changes:

Bless the LORD, O my soul; And all that is within me, bless His holy name! Bless the LORD, O my soul, And forget not all His benefits: Who forgives all your iniquities, Who heals all your diseases, Who redeems your life from destruction, Who crowns you with lovingkindness and tender mercies, Who satisfies your mouth with good things, So that your youth is renewed like the eagle's. Psalm 103:1-5

And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:19.

Yes, we can dominate and utterly master all circumstances supernaturally by a simple faith in God's Word. We can have faith based upon the Integrity of the Word of God alone. We can live by faith in the Word of God, based upon the sole foundation of the Authority of God's Word. Yes, God had promised in His word, Exodus 23:20-28, that if His people would obey His voice and do all that He speaks, then He would an enemy to their enemies and an adversary to their adversaries. He promised that His Angel would go before them and bring them into the land of their enemies and He would cut them off. Because God is God and He is the LORD, victory is guaranteed for His trusting ones no matter what the battle or circumstance that they might face (Deuteronomy 1:30, 20:1-4, 2 Corinthians 9:8).

Yes, God is able to make all grace abound toward His trusting ones, so that they, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have abundance for every good work. He desires to perfect, strengthen, and settle them. He desires to bless and prosper them in all things and be in health just as their soul prospers. He desires that His people search for truth daily, reading scriptures and asking the Holy Spirit for enlightenment and not be led by the worthless shepherds, who eat the fat of the elect (Zechariah 8-14). Replacement and dispensation theology has been used by worthless shepherds to confuse and belittle the elect, to control the elect and to eventually condemn those who did and taught the way of lawlessness, to the extent of living continually in sin. But we are all members of the household of God with full rights to all the promises and full responsibilities as heirs of Christ and we choose either the blessings or the curses God placed before our forefathers at Sinai.

Yes because of Jesus and His name we can cast demons out from the inside of our bodies and the outside of our bodies, from in and around the home and family until we feel that we have gotten rid of the thief that is Satan and/or his hordes who want to steal away the gifts that God wants us to have. (We do not ask for a thief to come into our body or be around us, they just do it without any prompting from us.) Although there is nothing we can do to remove the false prophets and teachers from our midst as this is predicted in God's word, what we can do is to warn others.

Yes, in all things we can through our faith have victory if we focus on Jesus. He alone can give us the victory. God will always help us when we ask. We just have to make sure to get rid of the thief before we pray because many of the good gifts of God are stolen from us, often before we ever know that they were directed at us. God’s word is true:

For I say, through the grace given to me, to everyone who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly, as God has dealt to each one a measure of faith. Romans 12:3

"I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me. Galatians 2:20.

We all need a miracle at some time simply to jump-start our faith. If it weren't for miracles, we wouldn't grow to the point where we can walk in the blessings of God. A miracle is a supernatural intervention of God in a crisis situation. A blessing is still God's power, but it flows through natural channels. Blessings are better than miracles. If we live our life from one miracle to the next, we will live from crisis to crisis. It's better to be blessed with good health than to always need divine healing.

God's will is for us to walk in blessing. All of us have needed a miracle in the past, need one now, or will need one in the future. And we don't wait until a storm hits to learn how to believe God for a miracle. During a storm, emotions will cancel out our faith. But the good news is that we have enough faith to believe for a miracle. The truth is that we can't get any more faith than we already have. God has dealt to every man the measure of faith. God gave us all the same measure of faith. Paul said that he used the faith of the Son of God, Jesus. And we have the same amount of faith that Jesus has. That should be enough!

God has created order in this universe. Everything in our physical world is orderly including the fact that the sun rises consistently each morning and it’s not a random act. Unfortunately many of God’s people believe that miracles are a random act of God that is dependent on His moods. You pray for a miracle but you don’t know if you will receive one because it’s dependent upon God’s mood at the particular moment! Yet, God is the same yesterday, today, and forever. He is forever faithful and the kingdom of God operates under the law of faith (Romans 3:27). We accept that there is a law of gravity which tells us that if we jump of a high building we will be killed. But if we cooperate with the law of gravity we will be fine. So when someone is killed by gravity, God had nothing to do with it? He simply set up the law of gravity. Similarly to receive a miracle from God, we must recognize that miracles are not just hit and miss but we can tap into a miracle. We learn the laws of God and how they work, and miracles happen.

God is always a miracle working God and is always wanting to move on our behalf. God is for us -He is a good God. His desire is for us to prosper (Psalm 35:27). His will is for us is to be healthy and wealthy (3 John 1:2). His will is for us is to be above only and not beneath (Deut. 28:13). But we must through our faith plug into God and release His power and ability in and through us. And then we can see the power of God operate in our lives and circumstances.

God has created us in His image including having a free will and making our own choices. We are the ones who control God's ability in our life. God doesn't. It is God's power and His ability, but it's up to us to let His Spirit and power work in us. God’s word is unchanging:

For this reason I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, from whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man, that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height- to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen. Ephesians 3:15-21

God will never violate our will. He has chosen to operate in us and through us. Satan can't stop God's power, but we can by our believing or unbelieving! God wants us to have many miracles but we must use our faith and believe! Early in my youth the LORD spoke to me and told me that He wanted me to speak in tongues, (pray in the Spirit). So I agreed to His request and asked some people to pray for me about it. They prayed and a warm feeling hit my belly and came up to my mouth but it never came out because I kept my tongue still and didn’t cooperate with the Spirit and utter something even though the bible stated:

And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance. Acts 2:4

Over the next few months I became thirsty and hungry to have the Baptism of the Spirit with the evidence of speaking in tongues, that I finally in faith spoke the words that the Spirit gave me and it was first a few syllables and then it became a language. And now I can pray in tongues any time I want for the Holy Spirit with His mighty river is there in my inner being to let it flow whenever I open my mouth and release it. But it is and it remains my choice. Similarly it’s my choice to pursue Spiritual gifts, including the gifts of healing and miracles and to allow them to operate in my life and circumstances. By my faith I determine whether I can speak things into existence as the Spirit gives me the faith and favor. God’s word is true:

Then Mary said to the angel, "How can this be, since I do not know a man?" And the angel answered and said to her, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you; therefore, also, that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God. "Now indeed, Elizabeth your relative has also conceived a son in her old age; and this is now the sixth month for her who was called barren. "For with God nothing will be impossible." Then Mary said, "Behold the maidservant of the Lord! Let it be to me according to your word." And the angel departed from her. Luke 1:34-38

The angel came and spoke to Mary of her coming miracle. Then the miracle happened when Mary answered "Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word." God spoke a miracle into existence by His word and Mary accepted God’s word. So to have a miracle we need a word from God about our particular need which we receive through prayer and seeking. Then we stand on the seed, which is the Word of God (1 Peter 1:2-3) and confess it. As a result the seed or the sperm of the Word of God in due season gives us our needed miracle. God’s word is true:

But what does it say? "The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart" (that is, the word of faith which we preach): that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. For the Scripture says, "Whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame." Romans 10:8-11

Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. For by it the elders obtained a good testimony. By faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that the things which are seen were not made of things which are visible. By faith Abel offered to God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, through which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts; and through it he being dead still speaks. By faith Enoch was taken away so that he did not see death, "and was not found, because God had taken him"; for before he was taken he had this testimony, that he pleased God. But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. Hebrews 11:1-6

A miracle begins when the Word of God enters into our hearts and germinates and we conceive a miracle. Sometimes we receive a miracle as a gift through someone else's faith. But we can't depend on someone else always; God wants us to be able to conceive a miracle. We need to have a fresh word from heaven for our need. Without planting the Word of God in our hearts we will not receive a miracle just like a farmer who will not receive a harvest if he didn’t plant any seeds even if there is a time of sowing and reaping (Galatians. 6:9).

Yes, there is a law of sowing and reaping in the natural and in the supernatural. Farmers believe that if you plant wheat, you get wheat. If you plant corn, you get corn. They don't question it-they are simply laws. But the problem is that in the supernatural God’s people have not received a word from God, but usually a false word from other men. So if they believe men rather than God they will not receive their miracle. They need to receive a word from God and then stand on it until they see their miracle even if the devil fights them and they just have more problems. They can choose to believe God and His word and have the absolute confidence that God's Word is going to prevail in their lives for God’s word is true:

I will love You, O LORD, my strength. The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer; My God, my strength, in whom I will trust; My shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. I will call upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised; So shall I be saved from my enemies. Psalm 18:1-3

As for God, His way is perfect; The word of the LORD is proven; He is a shield to all who trust in Him. For who is God, except the LORD? And who is a rock, except our God? It is God who arms me with strength, And makes my way perfect. He makes my feet like the feet of deer, And sets me on my high places. Psalm 18:30-33

How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher? And how shall they preach unless they are sent? As it is written: "How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the gospel of peace, Who bring glad tidings of good things!" But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, "Lord, who has believed our report?" So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. Romans 10:14-17

Yes, there is a physical world and there is a spiritual world. The spiritual world created this physical world. There is a spiritual reality for everything physical. And we can choose to be moved by the physical world or by the Spiritual world. Our free will and faith determines the outcome and demons or negative circumstances have nothing to do with it. God is waiting on us to stand against the devil and bring things into being. God’s word is true:

And when the servant of the man of God arose early and went out, there was an army, surrounding the city with horses and chariots. And his servant said to him, "Alas, my master! What shall we do?" So he answered, "Do not fear, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them." And Elisha prayed, and said, "LORD, I pray, open his eyes that he may see." Then the LORD opened the eyes of the young man, and he saw. And behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.

So when the Syrians came down to him, Elisha prayed to the LORD, and said, "Strike this people, I pray, with blindness." And He struck them with blindness according to the word of Elisha. Now Elisha said to them, "This is not the way, nor is this the city. Follow me, and I will bring you to the man whom you seek." But he led them to Samaria. So it was, when they had come to Samaria, that Elisha said, "LORD, open the eyes of these men, that they may see." And the LORD opened their eyes, and they saw; and there they were, inside Samaria! Now when the king of Israel saw them, he said to Elisha, "My father, shall I kill them? Shall I kill them?" But he answered, "You shall not kill them. Would you kill those whom you have taken captive with your sword and your bow? Set food and water before them, that they may eat and drink and go to their master." Then he prepared a great feast for them; and after they ate and drank, he sent them away and they went to their master. So the bands of Syrian raiders came no more into the land of Israel. 2 Kings 6:15-23

Chapter 10
By Faith You Stand

Not that we have dominion over your faith, but are fellow workers for your joy; for by faith you stand. 2 Corinthians 1:24

Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. For by it the elders obtained a good testimony. By faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that the things which are seen were not made of things which are visible. Hebrews 11:1-3

As Christians, we are not to be ruled by what is around us. As Christians, we are not to make our decisions in life based on what we see. Our decisions must be based on the commands from God in the invisible world and we must act on them in this visible world we live in. If we allow ourselves to react to the circumstances around us, then all the devil has to do, to nudge us into the place where he wants us to be, is to change our circumstances. As believers, we are commanded to not be moved by what we see, but instead, to walk by faith (2 Corinthians 5:7).

When Joseph was sold as a slave to the Egyptians, he didn't have a dime to his name. He didn't even have his freedom. He'd been sold as a slave. But, right in the middle of his slavery, God gave Joseph such wisdom and ability that he made his owner prosper. As a result, the man put Joseph in charge of all his possessions. Later, Joseph was put in prison. There's really not much opportunity for advancement in prison, is there? But God gave him insight that no other man in Egypt had. That insight landed him a position on Pharaoh's staff. Not as a slave but as the most honored man in the entire country next to Pharaoh himself. He rode along in a chariot and people literally bowed down before him. During a worldwide famine, Joseph was in charge of all the food. Now that's prosperity! How did God accomplish all that? By prospering Joseph's soul. No matter how dismal his situation became, no matter how impossible his problems, God was able to reveal the spiritual secrets that would open the door of success for him. That's what makes God's method of prospering so exciting because we base our faith and our lives on God’s exceedingly great and precious promises. God’s word is true:

For all the promises of God in Him are Yes, and in Him Amen, to the glory of God through us. Now He who establishes us with you in Christ and has anointed us is God, who also has sealed us and given us the Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee. 2 Corinthians 1:20-22

For when God made a promise to Abraham, because He could swear by no one greater, He swore by Himself, saying, "Surely blessing I will bless you, and multiplying I will multiply you." And so, after he had patiently endured, he obtained the promise. Hebrews 6:13-15

Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord, as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue, by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust. 2 Peter 1:2-4

We are blessed to have the promises of God from One Who cannot lie (Titus 1:2) and Whose words are true and to live by them. If there were no promise of salvation, we would be lost in sin. If there were no promise of healing, the prayer of faith would be to no avail. If God had not promised us eternal life in heaven, we would be hopeless in this life. But our God is good and mighty God Who loves and cares for us and has promised to arm us with strength for the battle. His word is unchanging:

For You have armed me with strength for the battle; You have subdued under me those who rose up against me. Psalm 18:39

The LORD will give strength to His people; The LORD will bless His people with peace. Psalm 29:11

But the salvation of the righteous is from the LORD; He is their strength in the time of trouble. And the LORD shall help them and deliver them; He shall deliver them from the wicked, And save them, Because they trust in Him. Psalm 37:39-40

The LORD is good, A stronghold in the day of trouble; And He knows those who trust in Him. But with an overflowing flood He will make an utter end of its place, And darkness will pursue His enemies. Nahum 1:7-8

Yes, the salvation of the righteous is from the LORD; He is their strength in the time of trouble. And the LORD shall help them and deliver them. And He will deal with their enemies accordingly just like He dealt with Daniels enemies who were put into the same den of lions that they had conspired and put Daniel in (Daniel 6)! Yes the LORD will bless His people with peace.

It’s to be noted that the Hebrew word for peace is shalom (both adjective and substantive), meaning, primarily, "soundness," "health," "prosperity," well-being in general, all good in relation to both man and God. God wants peace and prosperity to be within our walls and palaces. He wants His people and His church to be sound, healthy, wealthy, and prosperous and have favor with God and with men. Hence we can rebuke anything that takes away our peace and root it out, pull it down, destroy it, and throw it down. God’s word is unchanging:

Then the LORD put forth His hand and touched my mouth, and the LORD said to me: "Behold, I have put My words in your mouth. See, I have this day set you over the nations and over the kingdoms, To root out and to pull down, To destroy and to throw down, To build and to plant." Moreover the word of the LORD came to me, saying, "Jeremiah, what do you see?" And I said, "I see a branch of an almond tree." Then the LORD said to me, "You have seen well, for I am ready to perform My word." Jeremiah 1:9-12

"Assuredly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. Matthew 18:18

Then, the same day at evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in the midst, and said to them, "Peace be with you." John 20:19

Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely; and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. 1 Thessalonians 5:23

God has made us spirit, soul and body and we are supposed to function in the spirit world all the time. But ever since man sinned, the soul of man has degenerated into a mere natural function and we have neglected the spiritual function of our soul. We need to be able to know how to move into the spirit realm and how to get back into the natural realm. God made us to be spiritual beings that also live in the natural world. In the natural world we have five senses to relate to the natural world. The sense of sight, the sense of hearing, the sense of smell, the sense of taste and the sense of touch. These five natural senses relate to the natural world. They are senses that are part and parcel of our physical body. We also have the spirit man. Our spirit was created to relate to the spirit world. We have taught before that there are five spiritual senses. Just as in the natural, so is the same in the spiritual. In fact, the spiritual came before the natural. There is the spiritual sense of sight, spiritual sense of taste, spiritual sense of smell, spiritual sense of hearing, and spiritual sense of touch.

Regarding the spiritual senses, the bible talks about the eyes of our understanding, the inner eyes of our spirit and seeing with the eyes of our spirit. The bible talks about hearing the Word that causes faith. He that has an ear let him hear what the Spirit is saying to the church. He is talking about spiritual hearing. There is a spiritual sense of taste. O taste and see that the Lord is good. Spiritual sense of smell is found in Phil. 4 where the offerings that Paul received from the Philippians were a sweet savor onto the Lord. There is a spiritual sense of touch. There is a spirit of heaviness and there is a spirit of liberty. With our spirit, we relate to the spirit world. With our physical bodies, we relate to the physical world. How our mind is set determines whether we can move into the anointing or not. When our mind is set on the things of the Spirit, we are in a position where we can yield to the things of God. When our soul breaks into the spirit realm, it’s easy to break through. It just takes a yielding of the soul to the things of the spirit to break into the spirit realm. It looks hard but it’s easy. The renewal of the mind takes time. But the yielding of the mind is instantly decided by our will. To yield is an act. To renew is a continuous process.

What God wants from us is to obey first then understand. Whatever happens to the soul determines how much our soul can move in the spirit. When our mind is not set on the spirit world, we are just in the natural world. It takes a lot out of us to get into the spirit. But if the spirit realm becomes a realm that we are acquainted with, we can move in the spirit and in the natural world quite easily. And in the spirit realm is where we find peace.

The Hebrew word for peace is shalom (both adjective and substantive), meaning, primarily, "soundness," "health," "prosperity," well-being in general, all good in relation to both man and God. Yes, God wants peace and prosperity to be within our walls and palaces. He wants His people and His church to be sound, healthy, wealthy, and prosperous and have favor with God and with men. And this is not done for them not by the works of the flesh but by the anointing and grace of God which He freely gives to those who believe Him for it!

The touch of God, the fire of God and the presence of God does more for us than anything else in this universe. And it’s the pearl of great price that Jesus talked about, "Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking beautiful pearls, "who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had and bought it (Matthew 13:45-46). It’s God Spirit and presence that is important and moves out the mountains in our lives through grace and not other things. God’s word is unchanging:

Then the angel who talked with me answered and said to me, "Do you not know what these are?" And I said, "No, my lord." So he answered and said to me: "This is the word of the LORD to Zerubbabel: 'Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,' Says the LORD of hosts. 'Who are you, O great mountain? Before Zerubbabel you shall become a plain! And he shall bring forth the capstone With shouts of "Grace, grace to it!" ' " Zechariah 4:5-6

Only the Spirit and function of the Holy Spirit can remove every hindrance and obstacle in our lives and make something out of nothing! Only the Holy Spirit does something so supernatural from nothing to something by the Spirit called grace, grace, just like God created heaven and earth out of nothing and sustains it by grace! But we must do our part by cooperating with God and doing whatever He tells us to see our miracles. God’s word is unchanging:

On the third day there was a wedding in Cana of Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there. Now both Jesus and His disciples were invited to the wedding. And when they ran out of wine, the mother of Jesus said to Him, "They have no wine." Jesus said to her, "Woman, what does your concern have to do with Me? My hour has not yet come." His mother said to the servants, "Whatever He says to you, do it."

Now there were set there six waterpots of stone, according to the manner of purification of the Jews, containing twenty or thirty gallons apiece. Jesus said to them, "Fill the waterpots with water." And they filled them up to the brim. And He said to them, "Draw some out now, and take it to the master of the feast." And they took it. When the master of the feast had tasted the water that was made wine, and did not know where it came from (but the servants who had drawn the water knew), the master of the feast called the bridegroom. And he said to him, "Every man at the beginning sets out the good wine, and when the guests have well drunk, then the inferior. You have kept the good wine until now!" This beginning of signs Jesus did in Cana of Galilee, and manifested His glory; and His disciples believed in Him. John 2:1-11

Mary told said to the servants, "Whatever He says to you, do it." And when they did what Jesus told them to do they saw a miracle. For many reasons including ignorance, fear, and unbelief, God’s people are not doing what God’s word has told them to do because don't understand the power in the declarations: "Exaltation will come," and "Decree a thing and it will be established" (Job22:28-29). Our ministering angels carry out our earthly prophetic decrees which line up with the truth of God's word and His will. When we declare "Restore!" "Restore!" Then the angels in heaven are released to execute this decree! God’s word is unchanging:

But this is a people robbed and plundered; All of them are snared in holes, And they are hidden in prison houses; They are for prey, and no one delivers; For plunder, and no one says, "Restore!" Isaiah 42:22

Fear not, O land; Be glad and rejoice, For the LORD has done marvelous things! Do not be afraid, you beasts of the field; For the open pastures are springing up, And the tree bears its fruit; The fig tree and the vine yield their strength. Be glad then, you children of Zion, And rejoice in the LORD your God; For He has given you the former rain faithfully, And He will cause the rain to come down for you- The former rain, And the latter rain in the first month. The threshing floors shall be full of wheat, And the vats shall overflow with new wine and oil. "So I will restore to you the years that the swarming locust has eaten, The crawling locust, The consuming locust, And the chewing locust, My great army which I sent among you. You shall eat in plenty and be satisfied, And praise the name of the LORD your God, Who has dealt wondrously with you; And My people shall never be put to shame. Then you shall know that I am in the midst of Israel: I am the LORD your God And there is no other. My people shall never be put to shame. Joel 2:21-27

Chapter 11
The Power Of Christ

And He said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness." Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ's sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong. 2 Corinthians 12:9-10

Several years ago, a servant of God, known as Praying Hyde was doing God's ministry in the state of Tamil Nadu, India. He would spend hours of time in prayer. Once, thousands of people had assembled eagerly to listen to his message to be given at a convention. He rose up to the dais to share the word of God. People got ready with their Bibles to listen to his exposition of Biblical verses, message and prayer. But he looked up to heaven and said just two words - "Abba, my Father!" That was all. The heavens opened. The Holy Spirit descended upon all the people, like a dove. The unrepentant, beating their chest rolled down on the ground with a loud out-cry and repented. The meeting lasted for hours together. The servant of God did not preach at all, except for the two words he spoke to God, which brought the shower of the Holy Spirit. The simple reason is to be found in his prayer-filled life. Jesus descended into him powerfully and moved the place.

Today many in Christendom talk about God’s power but the sad part is that so few of them demonstrate it. Their anointing is so miniscule that it can hardly do anything. Their vessels cannot seem to contain the anointing and dissipates very quickly! Yet God’s word is unchanging:

And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them and said, "Take, eat; this is My body." Then He took the cup, and when He had given thanks He gave it to them, and they all drank from it. And He said to them, "This is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many. Mark 14:22-24

God cut with Abraham an inferior covenant made with the blood of animals where all that Abraham was, all that he had or ever would have became the equal property of His covenant partner. Nothing would be exclusively Abraham’s again. During the covenant ceremony in Abraham's day, the partners exchanged coats, each one giving their authority to the other. They exchanged weapons as a way of saying, "Your enemies are now my enemies. I'll fight your fights as if they were my own." They walked through the blood of slain animals, pronouncing their loyalty to one another, even to the death. God had proven how intensely He desired to be God to him. He had given him every thing He had and bound Himself to Abraham in a relationship that could not be dissolved.

Well the good news is that God also cut with the sons and daughters of Abraham, those of faith, a new and superior covenant established in Jesus’ blood as a result of His sacrifice that ratified our covenant with God. A covenant where He gave us His Name (John 16:23), His authority (Matt. 28:18-20), His armor and weapons (Eph. 6:10-17). God’s word is unchanging:

Therefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints, do not cease to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers: that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him, the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, far above all principality and power and might and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in that which is to come. And He put all things under His feet, and gave Him to be head over all things to the church, which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all. Ephesians 1:20-23

Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. Philippians 2:9-11

As a result of what Jesus did on the Cross on Calvary, by faith everything is ours now. Jesus Christ has substituted all things on the cross for us and exchanged it there for us. Our death, defeat and poverty and curses have been nailed to the Cross. On the Cross Jesus Christ not only won real victory and redemption over sin and death and the world, but also over the wicked arch enemy Satan and all his angels who had made the Cross necessary by what he did to Adam and Eve.

The enemy had deceived and entrapped Adam and Eve to sin against God and live a life that was cursed and full of toil and trouble. But on the Cross Jesus Christ did the great exchange. He exchanged His sinlessness for our sins, His righteousness for our unrighteousness, His strength for our weakness, His boundless supply for our needs, His stripes for our healing, His riches for our poverty, His victories for our defeats, His glory for our shame, His triumphs for our disappointments, His Honor for our nothingness, His prosperity for our lacks, His joy for our sadness, and His fullness for our emptiness. But all of this is also something that must be revealed to us by the Holy Spirit before we can understand and partake of it fully. Yet it is all our birthright and the blessing of the fullness of the gospel of Christ.

The message of the cross and the Gospel is not only that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures. He was buried and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures. He is now is seated at the right hand of the Father with all power given unto Him in heaven and earth waiting for His enemies to be made His footstool. But the message of the cross and the Gospel is also that as a result of the victories Jesus won on the cross, He has now given and shared all that He has with us (John 16:14) and He is also with and for us continually (Matthew 28:18-20).

God in Christ Jesus has literally become our inheritance and great reward; as well as everything else which we need, including our healer and deliverer. As result of the Cross, God said about Jesus and of us who have become strong and overcomers:

Therefore I will divide Him a portion with the great, And He shall divide the spoil with the strong, Because He poured out His soul unto death, And He was numbered with the transgressors, And He bore the sin of many, And made intercession for the transgressors. Isaiah 53:12

As a result of the cross, in Christ Jesus, we are rich, victorious and have a new life in Christ Jesus, as we walk in the Spirit and not in the flesh. The empty Cross now also stands as a reminder and says to the world and to all the demons of Hell “You did your worst, but God gave His best.” Now things are no longer the same, because Jesus is sitting at the right hand of the Father waiting for His enemies to be submitted to Him. He has also now given us the power to subdue all His and our enemies through the use of His name and Word and dependence of the Spirit. Hence the Cross is also a real testimony of what God’s power can do no matter what the Hell or injustice that the world or the devil will throw at us. For Jesus’ resurrection after a cruel and awful death signifies the real possibility of total and complete victory in our lives, hearts and circumstances as well in the current time of life as we trust in God just like Jesus did.

The empty Cross of Christ at Calvary now says to you and I, that for every defeat there is victory in its place, for every failure there is success, for every endeavor there is prosperity, for every weakness there is grace, for every sickness there is healing, for every hatred there is love, for every injustice there is justice and for every poverty there is riches. All of this and much, much more belongs to each child of God because of what Jesus did and won on the Cross. Hence we can by the Holy Spirit understand what the Lord said to Apostle Paul:

“My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” (2 Corinthians 12:9-10)

Our strength and victory comes from God Himself and all the victories He had won for us on the Cross of Calvary. Although in the annuals of time and history, our Creator God died on the Cross-on Calvary, but He didn’t stay there. He arose triumphant and victorious over everything, over the worst that the devil or others could throw at or do to Him and to us. Because of the cross of Christ, God has reconciled all things to Himself whether things on earth or things in heaven for Jesus having wiped out all the enemies of His people and especially the requirements that were against them, He has taken it out of the way having nailed to the cross.

The King of Kings and Lord of Lords with His unlimited and unimaginable power and riches was never poor or debased. But He chose, because of us, to leave behind his infinite power and riches become a man and identify and relate to humanity in all its sufferings and ways. God in Christ Jesus stripped Himself of His royalty and Kingship. He then became an ordinary man and walked with men doing by faith and dependence on the Holy Spirit the impossible such as healing the sick, raising the dead and cast out demons. He did it all to show that we can do it also. Then the innocent Son of man and Son of God went to a Cross-on a hill called Calvary where He bled and died for all of humanity. But the Cross-was not the end of Jesus Christ or life, it was the beginning of something new, a New Covenant or New Testament. It was the beginning of a new life and a new man and a new Spirit for those who would accept what Jesus had done for them. It was the beginning of the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on all flesh. As a result God’s word was now true:

“But this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel: ‘And it shall come to pass in the last days, says God, That I will pour out of My Spirit on all flesh; Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, Your young men shall see visions, Your old men shall dream dreams. And on My menservants and on My maidservants I will pour out My Spirit in those days; And they shall prophesy. I will show wonders in heaven above And signs in the earth beneath: Blood and fire and vapor of smoke. The sun shall be turned into darkness, And the moon into blood, Before the coming of the great and awesome day of the LORD. And it shall come to pass That whoever calls on the name of the LORD Shall be saved.’ Joel 2:16-21

Now all flesh can be saved, healed and delivered and walk in the newness of life in the power of the Holy Spirit. All men can prophesy, speak in tongues and be filled with the fullness of God. The good news of the Cross-is that the different victories that Jesus won there, and the resulting New Covenant with all its rights and privileges, is now ours to be claimed and accepted by faith. They will be true if we will only believe, accept, confess and act on it and then allow the Holy Spirit who raised Jesus from the dead to change us.

Jesus won for us, on the Cross, such a victory with such power and might that it made hell tremble and Heaven sing with joy as the Triumph of Victory resounded from one part of Heaven to another. Our ears will tingle and our hearts will sing, as the faithful and mighty Holy Spirit reveals this victory to us.

The fact remains that Jesus Christ, the author and finisher of our faith, is sitting at the right hand of the throne of God, ready to use His power on behalf of the good of His true children; to make them more than conquerors in all things that the world, the flesh and the devil would throw at them. For His word is unchanging:

“And in that day you will ask Me nothing. Most assuredly, I say to you, whatever you ask the Father in My name He will give you. “Until now you have asked nothing in My name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full. John 16:23-24

“These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.” John 16:33

In the world lack of strength and dependence on others is considered weakness, but in the kingdom of God weakness that causes us to depend on and trust in the Lord is great strength and blessings. For it is when the power of Christ rest upon us, because of our weakness, that we are truly strong. As it is then that we rest upon the Lord and walk in the power of His might and Spirit and not our own. As we by faith tap into all the riches and resources of heaven which are now ours by Christ Jesus because of what Jesus Christ did on the cross two thousand years ago we become more than conquerors. It is when the power of Christ rest upon us, because of our weakness, that we are truly strong. For it is then that we rest upon the Lord and walk in the power of His might and Spirit and not our own.

Yes, as a result of the victories Jesus won on the cross we are now delivered from the hand of our enemies, and are able to serve the Lord without fear, in holiness and righteousness before Him all the days of our life. Just like Zacharias, the father of John the Baptist, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit stated about God and us:

“Blessed is the Lord God of Israel, For He has visited and redeemed His people, And has raised up a horn of salvation for us In the house of His servant David, As He spoke by the mouth of His holy prophets, Who have been since the world began, That we should be saved from our enemies And from the hand of all who hate us, To perform the mercy promised to our fathers And to remember His holy covenant, The oath which He swore to our father Abraham: To grant us that we, Being delivered from the hand of our enemies, Might serve Him without fear, In holiness and righteousness before Him all the days of our life. Luke 1:68-75

The name of Jesus Christ is far above all principality and power and might and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in that which is to come. And God has put all things under His feet including sickness, defeat, poverty and lack and gave Him to be head over all things to the church, which is His body. So if it is under Jesus feet and we are His body it is therefore under our feet! And if it’s under believers feet then why do we allow negative things to raise their ugly heads in our lives? Because we really don’t believe that is all under Jesus feet. We are like the prodigal son who ended up in a pig’s pen even if his father was filthy rich. But then he came to his senses and realized what his father had and returned to his father and his negative circumstances changed.

How many of God's people suffer needless in poverty, want or lack and with sickness or disease? Too many! How long before they will look at themselves and say as the prodigal son who when he "came to himself" said, "I will arise and go to my Father!" God is waiting with opened arms to receive every penitent child! God is waiting with opened arms to touch, heal, deliver, and bless His children. They can can rely on Him to do what He has promised to do! We need to understand the reality of all the victories that Jesus won on the cross of Calvary. God’s word is unchanging:

Jesus departed from there, skirted the Sea of Galilee, and went up on the mountain and sat down there. Then great multitudes came to Him, having with them the lame, blind, mute, maimed, and many others; and they laid them down at Jesus' feet, and He healed them. So the multitude marveled when they saw the mute speaking, the maimed made whole, the lame walking, and the blind seeing; and they glorified the God of Israel. Matthew 15:29-31

Yes, the Word of God tells us that Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever and we can be made whole through our faith in the finished work of Calvary where Jesus Christ wounded for our transgressions, was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement for our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed (Isaiah 53:5). Sin, sickness or any other curse doesn’t have to rule and reign in our lives because Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us (for it is written, "Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree") that the blessing of Abraham might come upon the Gentiles in Christ Jesus, that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith. (Galatians 3:13-14).

Jesus has provided for our healing, Spirit, Soul and Body in the atonement. All of the provision of the cross must impact the body of Christ. Jesus Paid the Price for our Healing - "By His Stripes" (Isaiah 53:5, 1 Peter 2:24) Hence we are anointed and sent to: Preach the Good News to the Needy, Bind up the Brokenhearted, Proclaim Freedom for the Captives, Release the Prisoners from Darkness, Proclaim the Year of the LORD's Favor, To Comfort all Who Mourn, To bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. (Isaiah 61:1-3 and Luke 4:18)

God is alive and well and present today! Jesus is still healing people! The presence of God and the power of the Holy Spirit is a precious gift that we can experience and see many lives are being changed as desperate people come and find God's grace and mercy flowing to them bringing healing and encouragement. The anointing increases as we are press in for more of God! Then we can see God save people, heal people, deliver people, baptize in the Holy Spirit, bring encouragement and strength through the gifts of the Spirit. Many can receive from the Lord healing for their physical, emotional and spiritual needs and live lives that are whole and successful.

God is love and freely gives everything we need, both for our material and for our spiritual existence. But because the blessings of God’s spirit are so freely given, we often take them for granted. If all people had open and receptive hearts, they could see and hear God’s voice at all times and in all places. But we have lost this awareness. Through prayer, we learn to appreciate spiritual gifts, gifts that are at least as important for life as air and water, heat and light. Whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world-our faith. For when we have accepted Jesus Christ as Savior, Lord and King by the faith God gave us, the victory now resides in us and God is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask, or thing. As God’s word is unchanging:

For this reason I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, from whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man, that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height- to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.

Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen. Ephesians 3:14-21

It is a fact that according to the power that resides and works in us, God is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think and give us one hundred percent victory, one hundred percent of the time, in one hundred percent of the situations. After all He is God, not man! It is also a fact that Jesus, now as the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, is no longer poor or weak anymore as He was when He walked the earth as man. He is now once again unlimited in power, riches, strength and might. But the best news is that God wants to use all of His power, riches, and resources on our behalf and meet our needs: If we only will believe Him and trust Him to do it for us; If we will only humble ourselves and on a bent knee give Him our all and ask for His all. Then we shall know the truth of God’s word which states:

Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. Romans 8:37

“Thanks be to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and through us diffuses the fragrance of His knowledge in every place.” (2 Corinthians 2:14)

Chapter 12
Kept By The Power Of God

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, who are kept by the power of God through faith for salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved by various trials, that the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ, 1 Peter 1:3-7

Through the power of His resurrection, we have a living hope of all that Jesus paid for. Jesus paid the price for our total redemption. What the enemy took from man when Adam sinned, Jesus (the second Adam) bought back when He became our sacrificial Lamb. Yes, He was sacrificed us, but thank God, He arose. He won over death, hell and the grave. He did it all for us.

Through the power of His resurrection and the use of our faith, we can have divine overcoming power against all the powers of the enemy. We can have divine peace and contentment every day of our life as well as healing, blessings and prosperity. Healing is the children's bread; it's on the table all the time. God is able to move for us and supply all things needed today. He has all power so we can trust Him and receive daily that which is needed. God’s word is unchanging:

In God is my salvation and my glory; The rock of my strength, And my refuge, is in God. Trust in Him at all times, you people; Pour out your heart before Him; God is a refuge for us. Selah Surely men of low degree are a vapor, Men of high degree are a lie; If they are weighed on the scales, They are altogether lighter than vapor. Do not trust in oppression, Nor vainly hope in robbery; If riches increase, Do not set your heart on them. God has spoken once, Twice I have heard this: That power belongs to God. Also to You, O Lord, belongs mercy; For You render to each one according to his work. Psalm 62:7-12

Now when they came to Marah, they could not drink the waters of Marah, for they were bitter. Therefore the name of it was called Marah. And the people complained against Moses, saying, "What shall we drink?" So he cried out to the LORD, and the LORD showed him a tree. When he cast it into the waters, the waters were made sweet. There He made a statute and an ordinance for them. And there He tested them, and said, "If you diligently heed the voice of the LORD your God and do what is right in His sight, give ear to His commandments and keep all His statutes, I will put none of the diseases on you which I have brought on the Egyptians. For I am the LORD who heals you." Then they came to Elim, where there were twelve wells of water and seventy palm trees; so they camped there by the waters. Exodus 15:23-27

Jesus Christ, who is God manifest in the flesh, demonstrated God’s will for us by healing all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease among the people. When they brought to Him all sick people who were afflicted with various diseases and torments, and those who were demon-possessed, epileptics, and paralytics, He healed them (Matthew 4:24). Sickness, disease, demons, poverty or lack are not our friends but our enemies and Jesus came to destroy these things!

Yes, God who is the same yesterday, today and forever wants to give His people the victory over all this enemies just like He gave the children of Israel victory over the Egyptian enemies, spoiled them with the wealth of Egypt and brought the out of all their bondage and afflictions. God’s word is true:

Then Moses and the children of Israel sang this song to the LORD, and spoke, saying: "I will sing to the LORD, For He has triumphed gloriously! The horse and its rider He has thrown into the sea! The LORD is my strength and song, And He has become my salvation; He is my God, and I will praise Him; My father's God, and I will exalt Him. The LORD is a man of war; The LORD is His name. Pharaoh's chariots and his army He has cast into the sea; His chosen captains also are drowned in the Red Sea. The depths have covered them; They sank to the bottom like a stone. "Your right hand, O LORD, has become glorious in power; Your right hand, O LORD, has dashed the enemy in pieces. And in the greatness of Your excellence You have overthrown those who rose against You; You sent forth Your wrath; It consumed them like stubble. Exodus 15:1-7

"Now it shall come to pass, if you diligently obey the voice of the LORD your God, to observe carefully all His commandments which I command you today, that the LORD your God will set you high above all nations of the earth. "And all these blessings shall come upon you and overtake you, because you obey the voice of the LORD your God: "Blessed shall you be in the city, and blessed shall you be in the country. "Blessed shall be the fruit of your body, the produce of your ground and the increase of your herds, the increase of your cattle and the offspring of your flocks. "Blessed shall be your basket and your kneading bowl. "Blessed shall you be when you come in, and blessed shall you be when you go out. "The LORD will cause your enemies who rise against you to be defeated before your face; they shall come out against you one way and flee before you seven ways. "The LORD will command the blessing on you in your storehouses and in all to which you set your hand, and He will bless you in the land which the LORD your God is giving you. Deuteronomy 28:1-8

"These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world." John 16:33

Yes, for those who obey His voice and walk in His ways, Jesus Christ causes their enemies to be defeated. He blesses them coming in and going out! He is the God of all and unlimited power and resources who has overcome the world for them! God’s word is true:

So when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, "It is finished!" And bowing His head, He gave up His spirit. John 19:30

On the cross of Calvary when Jesus said, "It is finished!" He had achieved everything that we need for our redemption and salvation, be it spiritual, physical, and financial. He has removed from us all the curses the Adam and Eve had brought upon us by their transgression as outlined in Deuteronomy 28:15-66. Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us (for it is written, "Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree"), that the blessing of Abraham might come upon the Gentiles in Christ Jesus, that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith (Galatians 3:13-14). By our works we cannot add or remove one thing that Jesus had done for us, except to enter into the rest God’s has prepared for us since the foundation of the world by mixing with faith the good news of the gospel (Hebrews 4:1-12).

Because of Jesus death and resurrection we now enjoy great benefits. Jesus was punished in our place, because of that, we are forgiven. Jesus became a sin offering; we are made righteous. Jesus became a curse; we are blessed, Jesus was beaten and whipped; we are healed. Jesus died in our place; we have been given life eternal. Jesus was rejected by man and was also rejected by God; we have been accepted in the Beloved and we will never be forsaken by God. Jesus suffered unbearable trauma; we have been given peace. Jesus was resurrected; we were made a new creature. Jesus became poor with our poverty and we have become rich with His riches. Jesus bore our shame and we now share His glory. Jesus endured our rejection and we now have His acceptance as children of God.

The good news is that the stone at Jesus’ grave site was miraculously rolled away for us as we now serve a resurrected glorious Christ whose power and glory and riches and victory has been restored to Him. God’s word is unchanging:

Now when the Sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices, that they might come and anoint Him. Very early in the morning, on the first day of the week, they came to the tomb when the sun had risen. And they said among themselves, "Who will roll away the stone from the door of the tomb for us?" But when they looked up, they saw that the stone had been rolled away-for it was very large. And entering the tomb, they saw a young man clothed in a long white robe sitting on the right side; and they were alarmed. But he said to them, "Do not be alarmed. You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He is risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid Him. "But go, tell His disciples-and Peter-that He is going before you into Galilee; there you will see Him, as He said to you." So they went out quickly and fled from the tomb, for they trembled and were amazed. And they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid.

Now when He rose early on the first day of the week, He appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom He had cast seven demons. She went and told those who had been with Him, as they mourned and wept. And when they heard that He was alive and had been seen by her, they did not believe. Mark 16:16-8

When Mary Magdalene, out of whom He had cast seven demons, went and told those who had been with Jesus, who mourned and wept. But when they heard that He was alive and had been seen by her, they did not believe. And Jesus Himself had to appear to His disciples and friends to prove that He was no longer dead. Similarly we need for God by the Holy Spirit to open our eyes and understanding to see and understand the truth of magnitude of the victories of the cross and the great exchange Jesus did there. God’s word is unchanging:

"Again, the kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and hid; and for joy over it he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field. "Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking beautiful pearls, "who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had and bought it. Matthew 13:44-46

It’s just like God to take the useless and worthless things of our lives and to replace it with something priceless. We get from God in return for what we give up:

Christ's Righteousness for Our sin

For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. 2 Cor. 5:21

Peace with God for Wrath of God

Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, Rom. 5:1

Father's House (Heaven) for Condemnation (Hell)

Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, Eph. 2:,19

Life for Death

"I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me. Gal. 2:20

The New Man for The Old Man

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. 2 Cor. 5:17

Grace for Law

Therefore, my brethren, you also have become dead to the law through the body of Christ, that you may be married to another- to Him who was raised from the dead, that we should bear fruit to God. For when we were in the flesh, the sinful passions which were aroused by the law were at work in our members to bear fruit to death. But now we have been delivered from the law, having died to what we were held by, so that we should serve in the newness of the Spirit and not in the oldness of the letter. Rom. 7:4-6

His Strength for Our weakness

And He said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness." Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ's sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong. 2 Cor. 12:9-10

His Purity for Our Impurity

Therefore, brethren, having boldness to enter the Holiest by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way which He consecrated for us, through the veil, that is, His flesh, and having a High Priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful. Heb. 10:19-22

Every Spiritual Blessing for Being His Children

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, Eph. 1:3-4

God's Power for Weakness and Self strength

He gives power to the weak, And to those who have no might He increases strength. Even the youths shall faint and be weary, And the young men shall utterly fall, But those who wait on the LORD Shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles, They shall run and not be weary, They shall walk and not faint. Isaiah 40:29-31

Wisdom and Redemption for Hopelessness and Despair

But of Him you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God-and righteousness and sanctification and redemption- 1 Cor. 1:30

Good Cheer for Tribulation

"These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world." John 16:33

Victory for Defeat

But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.1 Cor. 15:57

Joy for Sorrow

"These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full. John 15:11

Hope for Despair

To them God willed to make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles: which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. Him we preach, warning every man and teaching every man in all wisdom, that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus. Col. 1:27-28

Fullness for Emptiness

For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily; and you are complete in Him, who is the head of all principality and power. Col. 2:9-10

Goodness for Evil And Self Control for the Flesh

Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law. And those who are Christ's have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. Gal. 5:19-24

Love for Fear

And we have known and believed the love that God has for us. God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God in him. Love has been perfected among us in this: that we may have boldness in the day of judgment; because as He is, so are we in this world. There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love. I John 4:16-18

Rest for Busyness

There remains therefore a rest for the people of God. For he who has entered His rest has himself also ceased from his works as God did from His. Heb. 4:9-10

Freedom for Bondage

"Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed. John 8:36

Deliverance for Darkness

He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love, Col. 1:13

Truth for Lies

Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, "If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. "And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free." John 8:31- 32

Riches for Poverty

For I want you to know what a great conflict I have for you and those in Laodicea, and for as many as have not seen my face in the flesh, that their hearts may be encouraged, being knit together in love, and attaining to all riches of the full assurance of understanding, to the knowledge of the mystery of God, both of the Father and of Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. Col. 2:2

Spiritual mind for Carnal mind

Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God. These things we also speak, not in words which man's wisdom teaches but which the Holy Spirit teaches, comparing spiritual things with spiritual. But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. But he who is spiritual judges all things, yet he himself is rightly judged by no one. For "who has known the mind of the LORD that he may instruct Him?" But we have the mind of Christ. 1 Cor. 2:12-16

Boldness for Fear of Judgment

Love has been perfected among us in this: that we may have boldness in the day of judgment; because as He is, so are we in this world. There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love. 1 John 4:17

Abundance For Lack

For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, that you through His poverty might become rich. 2 Corinthians 8:9

Healing for Sickness

who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness-by whose stripes you were healed. 1 Peter 2:24

Chapter 13
Our Wonderful Redeemer

Thus says the LORD, your Redeemer, And He who formed you from the womb: "I am the LORD, who makes all things, Who stretches out the heavens all alone, Who spreads abroad the earth by Myself; Who frustrates the signs of the babblers, And drives diviners mad; Who turns wise men backward, And makes their knowledge foolishness; Who confirms the word of His servant, And performs the counsel of His messengers; Who says to Jerusalem, 'You shall be inhabited,' To the cities of Judah, 'You shall be built,' And I will raise up her waste places; Who says to the deep, 'Be dry! And I will dry up your rivers'; Isaiah 44:24-27

But that no one is justified by the law in the sight of God is evident, for "the just shall live by faith." Yet the law is not of faith, but "the man who does them shall live by them." Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us (for it is written, "Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree"), that the blessing of Abraham might come upon the Gentiles in Christ Jesus, that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith. Galatians 3:11-14

Jesus Christ our kinsman Redeemer came to set free, rescue and ransom us from all things. It’s a fact that salvation through Jesus enables us to return to the original position Adam enjoyed with God. In that original state, Adam was healthy. No sickness or disease existed in his body, because no sickness or disease existed on earth. Adam enjoyed divine health, a sound mind and every need met before he sinned in the Garden. All he had to do was obey God's command and stay away from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil in the midst of the Garden. But when the serpent said, "Go ahead and eat from it," Adam disobeyed God and chose a new master (Gen. 3:4-6). At that moment, he lost all the blessings that had been his to enjoy. From that point on, Adam and all his descendants were plagued with hate, murder, poverty and sickness.

But God didn’t leave man to his curses of sin, suffering, poverty, lack and death. He prepared a day of atonement. Jesus became the sacrificial Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world. (John 1:29.) He was the last Adam, who redeemed - or purchased back - for us everything the first Adam lost. Through Jesus, we can come into the family of God and have all our original possessions restored! God sent His Word, Jesus, to heal us (Ps. 107:20). He "Himself took our infirmities, and bare our sicknesses" (Matthew 8:17). His word tells us, "By whose stripes ye were healed" (1 Peter 2:24). God’s word is unchanging:

"The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly. John 10:10

And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work. 2 Corinthians 9:8

Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers. For I rejoiced greatly when brethren came and testified of the truth that is in you, just as you walk in the truth. 3 John 1:2-3

God created Adam and Eve in the beginning not only to live healthy, wealth and prosperous lives but to have dominion in the earthly realm, to have authority to make decrees on earth. However the devil deceived them and caused them not only to disobey God's instructions, but to steal their dominion from them (Genesis 3). Their real failure caused all of us to live inferior and defeated lives, to suffer under the curse of sin and to lose our dominion over the earth. We also lost the power to make kingly decrees. However God did not leave us in this helpless estate forever! He sent Jesus Christ to redeem and rescue us (Isaiah 53). And He gave us His living word to come boldly before the throne of grace to obtain mercy and wisdom and find grace to help in time of need. (Hebrews. 4:16).

God not only restored all things that we had lost but has given us a better dominion than in the beginning. Our dominion includes the physical and spiritual dominion where we can take authority over the devil in the heavenly realm. As sons of God and joint heirs of God we have been given the keys of the kingdom of heaven and whatever we bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever we loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. We can also speak to any mountain and say 'Be removed and be cast into the sea,' and it will be done. But for many of God’s people this doesn’t work because they have failed to heed what Jesus told them:

Then the LORD put forth His hand and touched my mouth, and the LORD said to me: "Behold, I have put My words in your mouth. See, I have this day set you over the nations and over the kingdoms, To root out and to pull down, To destroy and to throw down, To build and to plant." Jeremiah 1:9

So Jesus answered and said to them, "Have faith in God. "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. "Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them. Mark 11:22-24

"Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me. "I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing. "If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned. "If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you. "By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples. John 15:4-8

We are to look to and abide in Jesus and His words and then we can make decrees that will work for God raised Jesus Christ from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, far above all principality and power and might and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in that which is to come. So everything must bow at the decrees that are spoken in Jesus name as we speak what the Father tells us to speak.

It’s to be noted that we have no choice but to abide in Christ or we will be defeated and even destroyed by the onslaught of the enemy that will come against us from Satan who is very jealous of us. We do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore we must take up the whole armor of God, that we may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand (Ephesians 6:12-13). God’s word is unchanging:

But what does it say? "The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart" (that is, the word of faith which we preach): that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. For the Scripture says, "Whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame." For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, for the same Lord over all is rich to all who call upon Him. For "whoever calls on the name of the LORD shall be saved." Romans 10:8-13

Therefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints, do not cease to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers: that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him, the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, far above all principality and power and might and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in that which is to come. And He put all things under His feet, and gave Him to be head over all things to the church, which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all. Ephesians 1:15-23

Everything that we get from God including the new birth must be first conceived in our spirit and then proclaimed with our mouth. But we cannot conceive in our spirit what has not been revealed to us! Hence we need to ask God to give us the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him, the eyes of our understanding being enlightened; that we may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance, and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead. God’s word is unchanging:

Now Jacob went out from Beersheba and went toward Haran. So he came to a certain place and stayed there all night, because the sun had set. And he took one of the stones of that place and put it at his head, and he lay down in that place to sleep. Then he dreamed, and behold, a ladder was set up on the earth, and its top reached to heaven; and there the angels of God were ascending and descending on it. And behold, the LORD stood above it and said: "I am the LORD God of Abraham your father and the God of Isaac; the land on which you lie I will give to you and your descendants. "Also your descendants shall be as the dust of the earth; you shall spread abroad to the west and the east, to the north and the south; and in you and in your seed all the families of the earth shall be blessed. "Behold, I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land; for I will not leave you until I have done what I have spoken to you." Then Jacob awoke from his sleep and said, "Surely the LORD is in this place, and I did not know it." Genesis 28:10-16

Then the devil left Him, and behold, angels came and ministered to Him. Matthew 4:11

But to which of the angels has He ever said: "Sit at My right hand, Till I make Your enemies Your footstool"? Are they not all ministering spirits sent forth to minister for those who will inherit salvation? Hebrews 1:13-14

We need an encounter with Jesus and with angels to see the promises of God’s word fulfilled in our hearts and lives. The rational ascent and belief in the Word of God will not cut it. Scriptures are meant to lead us to a supernatural encounter with God and His Son, His Holy Spirit and His angels. God’s word is unchanging:

"But you do not have His word abiding in you, because whom He sent, Him you do not believe. "You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of Me. "But you are not willing to come to Me that you may have life. John 5:38-40

Mighty promises of God in the bible are birthed and manifested on earth through those are who in direct fellowship with God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. Believers can't just go to the Word and claim the Lord's promises and expect to see it happen just because they read them. God’s word says that we are "blessed with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ." (Ephesians 1:3).

In the intimacy with the Holy Spirit anything and everything is possible but without Him we can do and are nothing. Jesus Christ was totally dependent on the Holy Spirit for all things and so should we be. We must get to know the Holy Spirit! We are not to be afraid to worship the Third "Person" of the Godhead in addition to the Father and the Son. Holy Spirit is just as much God as the Father and the Son. God consists of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

We need the intimacy of the Spirit for those who develop an intimate relationship and exchange with Holy Spirit will have the strongest anointing and power in their lives and ministry for it's the Holy Spirit that brings the manifestation of heaven to earth!

Yes, we need to fellowship with God, the Father, God, the Son, and God, the Holy Spirit, for then we will have our delight in the Almighty, and lift up our face to God. Then we will make our prayer to Him, He will hear us, and we will pay our vows. We will also declare a thing, and it will be established for us. God’s word is unchanging:

"Now acquaint yourself with Him, and be at peace; Thereby good will come to you. Receive, please, instruction from His mouth, And lay up His words in your heart. If you return to the Almighty, you will be built up; You will remove iniquity far from your tents. Then you will lay your gold in the dust, And the gold of Ophir among the stones of the brooks. Yes, the Almighty will be your gold And your precious silver; For then you will have your delight in the Almighty, And lift up your face to God. You will make your prayer to Him, He will hear you, And you will pay your vows. You will also declare a thing, And it will be established for you; So light will shine on your ways. When they cast you down, and you say, 'Exaltation will come!' Then He will save the humble person. Job 22:21-29

We need to press into God as never before and get to know and experience Him more in all His facets. Then the glory of heaven, the deposits of heaven, will rest on us and will simply overflow and people will be filled with the Holy Spirit and be blessed by us. We will be vessels who cause heaven to invade earth. God’s word is unchanging:

"And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven." Matthew 16:19

"And it shall come to pass afterward That I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh; Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, Your old men shall dream dreams, Your young men shall see visions. And also on My menservants and on My maidservants I will pour out My Spirit in those days. "And I will show wonders in the heavens and in the earth: Blood and fire and pillars of smoke. The sun shall be turned into darkness, And the moon into blood, Before the coming of the great and awesome day of the LORD. And it shall come to pass That whoever calls on the name of the LORD Shall be saved. For in Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there shall be deliverance, As the LORD has said, Among the remnant whom the LORD calls. Joel 2:28-32

Chapter 14
Beware

"Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. Matthew 7:15

"Therefore take heed to yourselves and to all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood. "For I know this, that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock. "Also from among yourselves men will rise up, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after themselves. "Therefore watch, and remember that for three years I did not cease to warn everyone night and day with tears. "So now, brethren, I commend you to God and to the word of His grace, which is able to build you up and give you an inheritance among all those who are sanctified. "I have coveted no one's silver or gold or apparel. "Yes, you yourselves know that these hands have provided for my necessities, and for those who were with me. "I have shown you in every way, by laboring like this, that you must support the weak. And remember the words of the Lord Jesus, that He said, 'It is more blessed to give than to receive.' "Acts 20:28-35

"Beware therefore, lest what has been spoken in the prophets come upon you: "Behold, you despisers, Marvel and perish! For I work a work in your days, A work which you will by no means believe, Though one were to declare it to you.' " Acts 13:40-41

be·ware v. be·wared, be·war·ing, be·wares. --tr. 1. To be on guard against; be cautious of. --intr. To be cautious; exert caution. (American Heritage Dictionary)

Jesus Christ himself told us to Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. And Apostle Paul told us "For I know this, that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock. "Also from among yourselves men will rise up, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after themselves.

So how come blinds ones naturally assume that because a man is a minister or a preacher of the gospel he is automatically a man of God when in most cases he is not?

Brother Zac Poonen tells us of “The Marks of cultism”

Let no-one defraud you of salvation's victory prize, no-one who indulges in assumed (false) humility and the cult of messenger-worship .... instead of keeping hold on the Head from which the whole body grows with God's Increase"(Col.2:18,19 - Berkeley version).

"A people who walk in the way which is not good, following their own thoughts, who say, `Keep to yourself, do not come near to me, for I am holier than you'"(Isaiah 65:2,5).

"From among your own selves men will arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after them. Therefore be on the alert"(Acts 20:30,31).

To be cultistic is to be devoted to a person or to a doctrine in addition to the Lord Jesus Christ. It is to make tabernacles for `Elijah' and `Moses' along with one for the Lord as well. This always brings a cloud that hides the presence of God. The will of God is that our lives be centered in JESUS ONLY.(Matt.17:1-8).

The last days will see an increase of cults in Christendom. Many will fall a prey to these, because they will worship the Lord's messengers instead of having a close personal relationship with Christ the Head. In order to be saved from this danger, it is good to know some of the marks of cultism, so that we can be on guard against it at all times. We don't have to judge others whether they are cultistic or not. But we can have a check-up ourselves.

There is a difference between being part of a cult and being cultistic. It is possible for you to be in a church where the doctrines are all basically scriptural, and the leaders are all godly men, and yet to be cultistic in your attitudes towards your leader, your group and towards other believers in other churches. Cultism is seen, not only in a wrong doctrine, but also in wrong attitudes. Those who are right in their doctrines and upright in their lives are often unaware of the cultism that there can be in their attitudes.

(1) Christ Plus Another Man

The primary mark of cultism is that it has a leader (usually the founder of the group) who is so highly respected that his life is considered to be perfect and his teachings to be equal to God's Word. The Holy Spirit called the Jews at Berea "noble minded", because "they examined the Scriptures daily" to check whether Paul's teaching was Scriptural. Paul was a great apostle. But even his teachings needed to be checked with the Scriptures, to see if they tallied (Acts 17:11). The Bible says that even when prophets speak in a meeting, "the others must judge" (1 Cor.14:29). What must the others judge? Just what the Bereans judged - whether what the prophets are saying is

founded on God's Word or not. This is the greatest safeguard against cultism. Cultistic believers however, respect their leader so much that they accept everything he teaches without checking to see whether it has a sound scriptural foundation. They are not noble minded like the Bereans. In a cultistic group, after the founder's death, a successor normally takes over the leadership and he is then recognized as the head of the group. All members of the group are expected to acknowledge their current leader as being the greatest of all living men of God. The

result of such an attitude leads to unquestioning submission to the authority and teaching of such a leader. His authority over all members of the group is as absolute as the Pope's and his word is law.

In many cultistic groups, if the leader has a son, he is gradually trained to take over some of the leadership responsibilities within the group. All members of the group then gradually begin to respect the son just as they respected the father.

(2) The Bible Plus Another Book The second mark of cultism is that it has one book in addition to the Bible (usually written by the leader of the group), which is considered for all practical purposes, to be as infallible as the Bible itself. Many cultistic groups may deny that they give such a place to the writings of their founder. But their attitude towards that one book indicates that they do place it on equality with the Bible. Their actions speak louder than their words. In the early stages of the formation of a cultistic group, there may have been much sincerity and

real devotedness to the Lord. In some cases, the founder himself may have been a godly man. But it is usually at some later point in time, that the followers of the founder codify his writings and teachings into an organized system of doctrine that is given the same authority as the Bible itself. The founder's personal opinions thus become God's Word for his followers. Where the founder is a godly man, he will never permit such a thing to take place during his lifetime. If however the founder is not a man of God, then he will claim Divine authority for his sayings during his lifetime itself. Members of a cultistic group will read and re-read and re-read the one book written by the

founder. Many of them will carry that book with them wherever they travel, and quote from it even in their meetings, with the same authority with which they quote from the Bible. If that book interprets any verse, or explains any doctrine in a particular way, then that is the only possible understanding that the members of the group are expected to have of that verse and of that doctrine.

Constant reading of such a book brainwashes the cultistic believer's mind, so that he gradually begins to interpret God's Word only in the way it is interpreted in THE book. Thus, due to the conditioning of his mind, he becomes incapable of receiving any fresh light from the Spirit on many portions of Scripture - because each time he reads such portions, he has already made up his mind as to what they mean. Thus his mind is programmed forever, beyond the reach of the Spirit.

This is similar to the way Roman Catholic priests also teach their followers that the Bible should be interpreted only in the way that Roman Catholic theologians have interpreted it. Any questioning of the doctrines of the group or of the teachings of the leaders is totally discouraged.

(3) Exclusiveness in Fellowship

A third mark of cultism is exclusiveness in fellowship. Cultistically-minded believers feel that fellowship with other born-again believers outside of their own group has little or no spiritual value. A cultistic group will therefore discourage you from having any contacts with other believers unless it is to make converts for their group. Such a group usually considers itself to be the only true church and believes that all those who belong to Christ's Bride will ultimately find their way to them. Their conceit is truly unimaginable!!!

Such exclusiveness in fellowship, invariably turns many cultistic believers into religious snobs and legalistic Pharisees. The "superior insights" into God's Word that they claim to have, develops in them a conceited "We" and "They" attitude towards all other believers. Such cultistic believers are usually totally unaware of their Phariseeism, and would consider themselves as truly devoted and humble followers of Jesus!!. Such is the power of the human mind to deceive itself!! Others outside their group however see their Phariseeism plainly.

True holiness is the product of the grace of God (as Romans 6:14 makes very plain). And God gives his grace only to the humble (1 Pet.5:5). Therefore the primary characteristic of genuine holiness has to be HUMILITY. Where humility is lacking, the `holiness' that cultists may appear to have will only be a righteousness of the Law (produced by human effort). This is the reason why most cultists tend to boast of their `holy lives' and their `holy homes'. If their `holiness' had been the product of God's grace, they could not possibly be proud of it.

Cultistic believers usually read only those books that are written by the leaders of their own group. Their magazines will have articles written only by their own group members. Most cultistic groups will warn you strongly against reading literature written by other believers - for in their reckoning, Christianity has not seen any other godly men since the days of the apostles, other than the leaders of their own group!! Such is the power of cultism to deceive people!

Cultistic believers will sing only those songs that are written by members of their own group. Their song-books will contain only such songs. Other hymns will be considered as having a wrong spirit and therefore dangerous!! Thus cultistic groups preserve their members within their man-made cocoons, keeping them all completely ignorant of what God has done through other godly men in other centuries, or even through other godly men in other Christian churches in their own day.

When one lives in isolation from other God-fearing believers, it is easy to lose contact with reality and to begin to live in a world of self-deception and conceit. If we cut off even one child of God, whom our Heavenly Father has accepted, from the circle of our fellowship, for any reason, it is we who will stand to lose - for God has ordained that it is only "along with ALL the saints that we can understand the love of Christ" and attain to "the fullness of God" (Eph.3:18,19).

This is not to encourage ecumenism or compromise. We may not be able to work together with many believers who are in Babylonian systems. We must have nothing to do with such systems, and must always encourage believers to come out of such groups (Rev.18:4). But our hearts must always be open to fellowship with all God-fearing disciples of Jesus. If our Lord Himself has accepted someone, what right have we to reject him, even if he does not agree with us (Lk.9:49,50)?

Paul and Barnabas are a good example of how it is possible to fellowship together as individuals, without necessarily working together in the same team (Acts 15:36-41). They disagreed strongly on an issue and saw no way of working together any longer. But they did not break fellowship with each other or hate each other or call each other names. If they had done any of these, then they would have become cultists. But they loved one another and worked separately, and no doubt prayed for one another. Cultists find such an arrangement impossible. They can fellowship only with Those who are totally subservient to them.

(4) No Burden for Evangelism

A fourth mark of cultism is that it has no burden to take the gospel to the unconverted heathen in the world.

While there may be some cultistic groups that engage in evangelism on a limited scale among the heathen, generally speaking, most cultistic believers work only among other Christians. They do not have any desire to preach the gospel to every creature, as Jesus commanded (Mark 16:15). Instead, they major only on making disciples to their own group from among other believers. Because cultistic groups are usually very close-knit fellowships, many believers find a security within their fold. Those in cultistic groups care for one another, help one another and are very good to each other in many, many ways. Insecure Christians, who are disappointed with the loveless Christianity that they have encountered, and who are now looking for security and acceptance, not in God, but in a community of believers, are often drawn to these groups to find love and fellowship therein. But they are usually unaware of the dangers they will face later on in their Christian life, by being so exclusive.

Cultistic believers will give a lot of attention and affection to a new `contact', so as to get him to be an integral part of their group. They know that once he has joined them, the new recruit will gradually accept all of their teachings, including the "Divine authority" of their leader. After some years in such a group, most believers will not even consider leaving the group, for fear of being left alone and isolated. This fear coupled with the thought that they may be "falling away from the true church" ensure that weak-minded cultistic believers are trapped for life. Cultistic believers will not normally make the sacrifices that God-fearing missionaries have made through the centuries, to live in primitive conditions amidst the heathen for many years, in order to bring them to Christ. Cultists usually speak lightly of such missionary work - quite naturally so, for such missionary work is difficult to engage in!!

Cultistic preachers, if at all they go to heathen lands, will usually do so only as visiting preachers. They prefer the easy way of appointing local representatives in the heathen lands that they visit, in order to further the work of their group in that region and to arrange meetings for them during their annual visits. In return, such local representatives will be rewarded with gifts, or bribed with an expense-paid trip to the headquarters of the group, once in a while. The apostles of Christ could not offer such bribes to anyone, because they were poor. Therefore they did a genuine work for God in heathen lands.

(5) Devaluation of Justification by Faith.

A fifth mark of cultism is that it devalues justification by faith and overemphasises justification by works. Scripture does speak of works as the proof of our faith (James 2:24). But Scripture also teaches that "to the one who does not work, but believes in Him Who justifies the ungodly, his faith is reckoned as righteousness" (Rom.4:5).

The danger here is not just one of imbalance, but of heresy - for when one Biblical truth is carried to an extreme, to the exclusion of other Biblical truths, it can become a heresy. And further, if we hold a Biblical doctrine, but never teach it in our churches, it will become equivalent to our not believing in it at all. For unspoken truth, like an unused muscle, loses its function gradually and is finally lost altogether to the church. "The truth does not lie in one extreme or the other. Much less does it lie in the middle. The truth lies in both extremes held together." We must be careful that our teaching is not a reaction to the extremes that others have gone to. Many preachers have indeed turned the teaching of justification by faith into licence for sin. But that should not make us throw away this Scriptural truth, and go to the opposite extreme of preaching justification by works alone. Cultistic believers, generally speaking, preach on justification by good works only. Hinduism and all heathen religions do that too. If at all a cultistic believer speaks on Romans 4, it will be in such a way as to prove that Romans 4 also teaches justification by works!! Cultistic believers usually play down the truth of "Christ becoming our righteousness" (1 Cor.1:30), and major only on "the righteousness of the law being fulfilled in us" (Rom.8:4).

Cultistic believers also devalue the blood of Christ and never speak much about it, except perhaps in a mystical, super-spiritual way. The songs that are sung in any church are usually a good indication of the main beliefs of that church. If you look at the song-books of cultistic groups, you will find that there are hardly any songs in them about the forgiveness of sins, or about justification by faith, or about the cleansing of sin by the blood of Jesus.

The blood shed on the cross of Calvary, which Jesus and His apostles spoke about (Lk.22:20; Eph.2:13), and which we shall sing about for eternal ages in heaven (Rev.5:9), finds little or no place in the song-books of cultistic groups.

While it is true that many cultistic believers live very good lives externally, it is also true that many in their midst are weighed down with the heavy burdens that are placed on them by the teachings of their leaders. Many in their midst are perpetually unsure of whether God is happy with them or not, and as a result live under a permanent sense of guilt, and the perpetual condemnation of Satan, the Accuser of the brethren. But most of these people would be very reluctant to admit these problems, lest they be dubbed as unbelieving and faithless.

It is through perpetuating such feelings of guilt that cultistic leaders retain their control over most believers in their group. Hence a lot of preaching in cultistic groups tends to be directed towards making people feel guilty. And in many cases this sense of guilt is a vague thing, without any specific sin being identified.

While there are many strong-minded believers in such groups, who are able to overcome these feelings, the weaker ones are taken captive by Satan. This is a direct result of the neglect of teaching on justification by faith.

(6) Secrecy About Beliefs

A sixth mark of cultism is secrecy about its beliefs. Cultistic believers are usually evasive in their answers, when questioned by other believers outside their group, about those beliefs of theirs that have no clear Scriptural foundation. When they cannot prove any of their doctrines from the Scriptures, their standard reply to any questioning believer invariably is, "You need the revelation of the Holy Spirit"!! Thus they claim to have some special revelation from God that is not taught in Scripture and that other believers do not have.

Cultistic believers delight in speaking about `mysteries' that they claim have been `revealed to them by the Spirit', and which they say are revealed only to the `wholehearted' - by which term of course they mean those who have accepted their leader and joined their group!!!! They do not believe that there are any wholehearted believers outside their own group. Thus they entice curious believers to join this "elite inner core" of those who have "light on the truth". There is a great lust in the flesh to imagine that one is a special favourite of God - one of His inner circle - to whom God reveals secret `mysteries' that other believers know nothing about. Cultism caters to this lust that is found in everybody's flesh.

But what is the truth? The truth is that every mystery of God has been plainly revealed in the Scriptures. Ephesians 3:4-6 makes it clear that the mystery of Christ was a mystery only in Old Testament times - not now. Colossians 1:26,27 states that God has now manifested the mystery to ALL the saints. There is nothing secretive about any mystery now - for the New Testament has made everything plain. Cultistic believers however will have you believe that there are still some hidden mysteries.

The two great mysteries mentioned in the New Testament are concerning godliness and the church (1 Tim.3:16; Eph.5:32). Both of these mysteries are plainly written and taught in the Scriptures. If people haven't seen them, it is either because they haven't read the Scriptures carefully, or because they are too proud and prejudiced to change their views. But there is certainly no mystery that God has revealed secretly to anyone that is not plainly revealed in the Scriptures. Beware then of the `mysteries' that cultists constantly speak of.

(7) Uniformity Stressed

A seventh mark of cultism is that it demands uniformity from its adherents. Cultistic believers feel that unity can exist only where there is uniformity as well. They will misquote 1 Corinthians 1:10 - "that you all agree" ("that ye all speak the same thing" - KJV) – to prove their point. Even a minor variation from the accepted norm is therefore frowned upon. They fail to realise that that verse is speaking of an agreement in spirit, and not of an agreement in every little detail.

Cultistic believers do not know how to "give a warm welcome to any brother who has different ideas from yours about what is right and wrong" (Rom.14:1 - Living). Their warm welcome is reserved only for those who agree 100% with them. In fact, there is no place for the teaching of Romans 14 in cultistic groups at all, for there is no place for diversity in their midst. Everything in a cultistic group - including the pattern of the meetings - has to be exactly according to the mould that is found in the headquarters of the group. Many cultistic believers imitate even the cultural mannerisms of their leaders!! There is a sub-conscious pressure exerted constantly on members of a cultistic group to conform in all matters to the pattern laid down by its headquarters.

All believers who are willing to be poured into such a mould like dumb zombies (mindless people) or robots, without asking any questions, are considered to be humble and wholehearted and a part of `the elect'. All others are considered as being proud and `without light'. Allegiance to the group is obtained by veiled warnings of the consequences of rebellion against the leaders. Frightening tales are told to group-members of "how badly it has gone" with those who dared to disagree with the leaders of the group. Thus, weak-minded believers are put under pressure to conform. Thus they gradually lose their discerning faculties and become enslaved to the group. Jesus came to set people free. But cultism imprisons people. Many believers need to be freed from the prisons that cultistic preachers have locked them up in.

The Jews in Jesus' day were slaves not only to sin, but also to the traditions and opinions of their religious leaders. Jesus had to set them free from both these slaveries. Many who accepted Jesus' message of freedom from sin, were still afraid of their religious leaders, and so did not break away from "the traditions of the elders", even where they saw these to be unscriptural, lest they be excommunicated from their group (Jn.12:42,43).

We see how strong such a slavery to the opinions of religious leaders can be, from the fact that even after twenty years of living a Spirit-filled life, Peter was afraid of publicly breaking away from Jewish traditions, for fear of offending some Israeli Christian leaders. Paul, who was only a junior apostle at that time, was the only one who had the boldness to confront Peter publicly on that occasion, and to expose Peter's following of "the traditions of the elders". Even the senior apostle, Barnabas, did not have the boldness to do that (Gal.2:11-21).

God does not desire that anyone should conform to an external form or pattern, under pressure, without personal conviction. The only obedience that God ever asks for, is one that is given cheerfully and freely - for "God loves a cheerful giver" - of obedience as well as of money (2 Cor.9:7). He hates compulsion.

God never interferes with our free will. He always gives us freedom of choice - to obey Him or to disobey Him - the same freedom that He gave Adam and Eve in Eden. For God knows that it is only in such an atmosphere of perfect freedom that true holiness can develop and flourish.

The holiness that is genuine is one that is perfected in the fear of God and not in the fear of men (2 Cor.7:1).

The obedience that God desires is one that is prompted by love and gratitude to Him, and not by fear of judgment or hope of reward. All obedience that arises from the pressure to conform to a pattern, or that is done in order to gain acceptance in a group is a dead work. It has no value before God. It will only get you the honour of others in your group. And this is where God will test all of us to see what we desire - His approval or the approval of our fellow-believers.

Staying Free

"It was for freedom that Christ set us free; therefore keep standing firm and do not be subject again to a yoke of bondage." (Gal.5:1). The greatest battle in the Christian life is not the battle against anger or against dirty thoughts. It is the battle against the desire to obtain the approval of men. This is where we must determine to live before God's face alone, if we want to stay free.

You may live a good life, even if you have a cultistic attitude. But you will never be able to fulfil all of God's purpose for your life on earth with such an attitude. The kingdom of God can be possessed only by those who do violence to the prison-bars that have been erected around them by cultistic preachers.

We must break free from all slavery to the opinions of men, at any cost, if we are to enter into the glorious liberty of the sons of God. He who has ears to hear, let him hear. Amen.

Chapter 15
All Things Are Possible

So Jesus said to them, "Because of your unbelief; for assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you. Matthew 17:20

But Jesus looked at them and said to them, "With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26

Dispensationalism, which has dispensed with miracles, healings and gifts of the Spirit, has robbed many of God’s people of their blessings as sons and daughters of God! Yet as many can testify that unwavering faith in God is the answer for all sicknesses and diseases as well as for other problems and trouble! Jesus did say “if you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you!

It doesn’t matter what is the problem or mountain “with God all things are possible.” So it’s a question of choices do we believe Jesus, others or circumstances? But limiting God in any way only hurts us and prevents God’s from doing exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask think or pray according to the power that works in us (Ephesians 3:20).

Jesus who is the same yesterday, today and forever stated "If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes" (Mark 9:23). As a result the cancer victims, the heart patients, those with diabetes and all manner of sicknesses and diseases, can have a healing or a miracle today if they will believe! And they can keep their healing and miracle if they don’t let the sly devil rob them of it! Jesus told us "For with God nothing will be impossible" (Luke 1:37) and "The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly” (John 10:10).

God who created life and sustains it, as well as the body, doesn’t have a problem doing miracles for those who believe. We see this clearly in Matthew 19:20-22 and Mark 5:26-35 a woman who had a flow of blood for twelve years and had suffered many things from many physicians. She had spent all that she had and was no better, but rather grew worse. And she came from behind and touched the hem of Jesus’ garment. She said to herself, "If only I may touch His garment, I shall be made well." But Jesus turned around, and when He saw her He said, "Be of good cheer, daughter; your faith has made you well." And the woman was made well from that hour.

And Jesus Christ even has power over death for those who "believe including a rule of a synagoque:”

While He was still speaking, some came from the ruler of the synagogue's house who said, "Your daughter is dead. Why trouble the Teacher any further?" As soon as Jesus heard the word that was spoken, He said to the ruler of the synagogue, "Do not be afraid; only believe." And He permitted no one to follow Him except Peter, James, and John the brother of James. Then He came to the house of the ruler of the synagogue, and saw a tumult and those who wept and wailed loudly. When He came in, He said to them, "Why make this commotion and weep? The child is not dead, but sleeping." And they ridiculed Him. But when He had put them all outside, He took the father and the mother of the child, and those who were with Him, and entered where the child was lying. Then He took the child by the hand, and said to her, "Talitha, cumi," which is translated, "Little girl, I say to you, arise." Immediately the girl arose and walked, for she was twelve years of age. And they were overcome with great amazement. But He commanded them strictly that no one should know it, and said that something should be given her to eat. Mark 5:35-43

There were many others who were sick and or had family members who sick in Jesus’ day and they didn’t go to Jesus about it and didn’t get their needed healing or miracle! And the same is true today where unbelief is a plague amongst most people and hinders them from getting a miracle from God! Mind you many are turned off by so called “healing” or “miracle” ministries who are constantly beginning money which they end up using on themselves! In a detailed investigation of South Carolina’s Inspiration Network, the Charlotte Observer reported Surging ministry, growing questions http://www.charlotteobserver.com/408/story/741812.html that the network’s on-air promises that viewers can obtain prosperity and “God’s debt cancellation” by donating $200 or more have made its CEO David Cerullo a wealthy man and his cable network “one of the world’s fastest growing Christian broadcasters.” With a salary that in 2007 amounted to $1.52 million, Cerullo is “the best-paid leader of any religious charity” and earns far more than CEOs of larger non-profits, such as Pat Robertson’s Christian Broadcasting Network. An additional $600,000 was paid in 2007 to his wife and children.

On the TV show Inspiration Today David aired an ad that said something like this: "Send your check to David Cerullo." The ad didn't say "Send your check to the Inspirational Network" or "Send your check to David Cerullo Ministries."The checks go directly to him and David can claim they are ALL gifts and not subject to income tax just like his father Morris Cerullo did.

Morris Cerullo, was indicted for tax evasion in California in 2005. Morris Cerullo's charges were thrown out on a technicality. The prosecutor claimed that Morris Cerullo had engaged in tax evasion by not reporting $500,000 in income. Morris claimed that this money was from honorariums for speaking and were a "gift" not earned income.

Cerullo was scheduled to go to trial Aug. 21, 2007 on three counts of tax evasion. San Diego federal Judge Roger T. Benitez[v] ruled the case had to be dismissed because grand jury members were not told that the distinction between whether money given to religious ministers is earned income subject to tax or a gift depends on the intent of the person handing over the money.

The tax evasion indictment against San Diego-based evangelist Morris Cerullo had been dismissed by a judge who ruled federal prosecutors and IRS agents misled the grand jury on the key legal issue in the case. Grand jury members asked several times about how to make that distinction, but each time the prosecutor, Assistant U.S. Attorney George Hardy, did not tell them the most critical factor was determining the donor's intent, the judge wrote.

Morris Cerullo believes in and preaches about “The Last Great Anointing” and the need for prayer [vi]

“God is about to release a greater power and glory than we have ever known! God is going to bring us into a new dimension of authority in our prayers where our words, spoken with authority and invested in the promises of God, will enable us to confront every stronghold of the enemy. You will demolish strongholds in your family, your home, your community and your nation! The future belongs to the intercessor! As we are venturing forth into the end-times we must change the way we pray. Our best resource is strategic warfare, intercessory prayer. This anointed book on prayer will change the way you think and the way you pray!

Praise the Lord for the servant heart of Dr. Cerullo and Mama Theresa, who relentlessly continue to travel the world to bring the gospel of Jesus Christ to the lost. Dr. Cerullo is celebrating his sixty-second year of ministry. Continue to pray for Dr. Cerullo and Theresa. Agree with us for a great anointing to fall upon them and through them. Pray for favor with all men and for every door to be opened to bring forth the gospel to the lost. Pray for a greater anointing to be upon them, as they take the Word of God into the nations and for the Holy Spirit to bring total and complete restoration to the Body of Christ all over the world.

Pray for the MCWE staff, volunteers, and their families. Ask God to continue to manifest Himself to them, and pray that they will walk in wisdom and knowledge in every area of their lives. Pray that they may do the work of the Lord with the vision for the deliverance of souls. Pray that their reward will be great for the time that they give to the ministry of the Lord and to others.

The Morris Cerullo World Evangelism staff is praying that you will have a blessed and happy new year in 2009!

Chapter 16
If You Would Believe?

Though the LORD is on high, Yet He regards the lowly; But the proud He knows from afar. Though I walk in the midst of trouble, You will revive me; You will stretch out Your hand Against the wrath of my enemies, And Your right hand will save me. The LORD will perfect that which concerns me; Your mercy, O LORD, endures forever; Do not forsake the works of Your hands. Psalm 138:6-8

Then Jesus, again groaning in Himself, came to the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone lay against it. Jesus said, "Take away the stone." Martha, the sister of him who was dead, said to Him, "Lord, by this time there is a stench, for he has been dead four days." Jesus said to her, "Did I not say to you that if you would believe you would see the glory of God?" John 11:38-40

Our LORD Jesus Christ is not only the same yesterday, today, and forever and never changes but all authority has been given to Him in heaven and on earth (Matthew 28:18). He has power to do whatever needs to be done including answering the prayers of the humble and bringing down the proud and arrogant ones! He is also faithful to His word and performs what He says (Numbers 23:19). He keeps up His promise to His people and never puts them to shame (Isaiah 45:17, 49:23, 54:4). He has promised Instead of your shame you shall have double honor (Isaiah 61:7) But instead of trusting such an awesome God, we put our trust in people and their views and opinions which usually ends in disappointment and woe. God’s word is unchanging:

"Woe to the rebellious children," says the LORD, "Who take counsel, but not of Me, And who devise plans, but not of My Spirit, That they may add sin to sin; Who walk to go down to Egypt, And have not asked My advice, To strengthen themselves in the strength of Pharaoh, And to trust in the shadow of Egypt! Therefore the strength of Pharaoh Shall be your shame, And trust in the shadow of Egypt Shall be your humiliation. For his princes were at Zoan, And his ambassadors came to Hanes. They were all ashamed of a people who could not benefit them, Or be help or benefit, But a shame and also a reproach." Isaiah 30:1-5

Woe to those who go down to Egypt for help, And rely on horses, Who trust in chariots because they are many, And in horsemen because they are very strong, But who do not look to the Holy One of Israel, Nor seek the LORD! Yet He also is wise and will bring disaster, And will not call back His words, But will arise against the house of evildoers, And against the help of those who work iniquity. Now the Egyptians are men, and not God; And their horses are flesh, and not spirit. When the LORD stretches out His hand, Both he who helps will fall, And he who is helped will fall down; They all will perish together. Isaiah 31:1-3

Death is the finality of all things? But in the Bible we see that even four days after the death of Lazarus, Lord Jesus performed an awesome miracle. He told Martha who was being unbelieving in the resurrection of Lazarus, "Did I not say to you that if you would believe you would see the glory of God?" After praying to His Father, He cried with a loud voice, "Lazarus, come forth!" And he who had died came out bound hand and foot with graveclothes, and his face was wrapped with a cloth. Jesus said to them, "Loose him, and let him go."

The same Jesus who raised Lazarus form the dead is alive and well to do miracles for those who believe! He will never put to shame those who have put their trust in Him! We are not grumble about our insufficiencies and worry about our inabilities. The psalmist David says, “The Lord will perfect that which concerns me” (Psalm 138:8) and God did perfect that which concerned him. Similarly, the Lord will perfect that which concerns us. We are to trust in the Lord and wait on Him in prayer and receive His blessings and miracles for He loves us and is concerned about us! And He told us your Father knows that you need these things:

Then He said to His disciples, "Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; nor about the body, what you will put on. "Life is more than food, and the body is more than clothing. "Consider the ravens, for they neither sow nor reap, which have neither storehouse nor barn; and God feeds them. Of how much more value are you than the birds? "And which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature? "If you then are not able to do the least, why are you anxious for the rest? "Consider the lilies, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; and yet I say to you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. "If then God so clothes the grass, which today is in the field and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, how much more will He clothe you, O you of little faith? "And do not seek what you should eat or what you should drink, nor have an anxious mind. "For all these things the nations of the world seek after, and your Father knows that you need these things. "But seek the kingdom of God, and all these things shall be added to you. "Do not fear, little flock, for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom. Luke 12:22-32

Yes we are to seek the kingdom of God, and all these things shall be added to us. We are not to fear, for it is our Father's good pleasure to give us the kingdom - All of it! And best of all we have a miracle working Jesus who is in us for us and not against us! The bible tells us:

You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world. They are of the world. Therefore they speak as of the world, and the world hears them. We are of God. He who knows God hears us; he who is not of God does not hear us. By this we know the spirit of truth and the spirit of error. 1 John 4:4

Apostle Paul was on a journey to Rome to be brought before Caesar in Rome to testify to the gospel of the grace of God and for Jesus. He had warned his crew members "Men, I perceive that this voyage will end with disaster and much loss, not only of the cargo and ship, but also our lives." Nevertheless the centurion was more persuaded by the helmsman and the owner of the ship than by the things spoken by Paul. Nevertheless a tempestuous head wind arose and caught the ship and they could not head into the wind, but let her drive. And because they were exceedingly tempest-tossed, they lightened the ship. And even threw the ship's tackle overboard with their own hands. Now when neither sun nor stars appeared for many days, and no small tempest beat on them all hope that they would be saved was finally given up. The bible tells us:

But after long abstinence from food, then Paul stood in the midst of them and said, "Men, you should have listened to me, and not have sailed from Crete and incurred this disaster and loss. 2 "And now I urge you to take heart, for there will be no loss of life among you, but only of the ship. "For there stood by me this night an angel of the God to whom I belong and whom I serve, "saying, 'Do not be afraid, Paul; you must be brought before Caesar; and indeed God has granted you all those who sail with you.' "Therefore take heart, men, for I believe God that it will be just as it was told me. "However, we must run aground on a certain island." Acts 27:21-26

And sure enough they had escaped, and run aground an island that was called Malta where the natives showed them unusual kindness; for they kindled a fire and made us all welcome, because of the rain that was falling and because of the cold. But when Paul had gathered a bundle of sticks and laid them on the fire, a viper came out because of the heat, and fastened on his hand. So when the natives saw the creature hanging from his hand, they said to one another, "No doubt this man is a murderer, whom, though he has escaped the sea, yet justice does not allow to live." But he shook off the creature into the fire and suffered no harm. However, they were expecting that he would swell up or suddenly fall down dead. But after they had looked for a long time and saw no harm come to him, they changed their minds and said that he was a god.

God had a real purpose to bringing Paul to this island so that he could be a blessing to the people. The bible records:

In that region there was an estate of the leading citizen of the island, whose name was Publius, who received us and entertained us courteously for three days. And it happened that the father of Publius lay sick of a fever and dysentery. Paul went in to him and prayed, and he laid his hands on him and healed him. So when this was done, the rest of those on the island who had diseases also came and were healed. Acts 28:7-9

Well God has a plan and purpose for our lives and He will bring us through the storms of life that we encounter. He will do miracles for us just like He did for Paul so that we can also be a blessing to others just as Jesus promised:

"Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father. "And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. "If you ask anything in My name, I will do it. John 14:12-14

Chapter 17
Even So We Are Christ's

For the love of Christ compels us, because we judge thus: that if One died for all, then all died; and He died for all, that those who live should live no longer for themselves, but for Him who died for them and rose again. Therefore, from now on, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we have known Christ according to the flesh, yet now we know Him thus no longer. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. 2 Corinthians 5:14-17

But God forbid that I should boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world. For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision avails anything, but a new creation. Galatians 6:14-15

The perversion of scripture by so called men of God who live and walk in the flesh, not the Spirit is amazing. They pretend that because of their background, experiences, honorary degrees, fancy articulate words, fleshly deeds, and self promotion that somehow they are better and more spiritual than others but they do the same things as the world does! They lie, steal, deceive, boast, hate and promote themselves. They ignore the word of God which clearly states:

Then Jesus spoke to the multitudes and to His disciples, saying: "The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses' seat. "Therefore whatever they tell you to observe, that observe and do, but do not do according to their works; for they say, and do not do. "For they bind heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on men's shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers. "But all their works they do to be seen by men. They make their phylacteries broad and enlarge the borders of their garments. "They love the best places at feasts, the best seats in the synagogues, "greetings in the marketplaces, and to be called by men, 'Rabbi, Rabbi.' "But you, do not be called 'Rabbi'; for One is your Teacher, the Christ, and you are all brethren. "Do not call anyone on earth your father; for One is your Father, He who is in heaven. "And do not be called teachers; for One is your Teacher, the Christ. "But he who is greatest among you shall be your servant. "And whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted. Matthew 23:1-12

Now I, Paul, myself am pleading with you by the meekness and gentleness of Christ-who in presence am lowly among you, but being absent am bold toward you. But I beg you that when I am present I may not be bold with that confidence by which I intend to be bold against some, who think of us as if we walked according to the flesh. For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ, and being ready to punish all disobedience when your obedience is fulfilled. Do you look at things according to the outward appearance? If anyone is convinced in himself that he is Christ's, let him again consider this in himself, that just as he is Christ's, even so we are Christ's. 2 Corinthians 10:1-7

The hypocrisy and sins of the religious Pharisees with their arrogance and pride amongst us amazing including Dr. Rodney Howard Browne. Few had heard of Rodney Howard-Browne before he led a series of revival meetings in Lakeland, Florida in 1993. A lot has happened since then; some of it is commendable, and some of it is reprehensible. In theory Browne came to America from South Africa to "revive" a largely sleeping church. He quickly got labeled as a Holy Ghost "bartender" because of the manifestations of "holy laughter" dominating his ministry. In his meetings he taught that not only it was the pastor’s job to fleece the sheep but only God was to judge pastors, not the (dumb) sheep! He also taught that thieves were to be blessed and rewarded, not judged for this is what Jesus would want them to do! He also taught that it was more important to give than to receive and spend a lot of time receiving offerings that he spent on himself and family members. Rodney learned about nepotism from his good friend Senior Pastor Karl Strader of Carpenter’s Home Church, Lakeland, Florida, for the bible stated:

1TM 5:8 But if anyone does not provide for his own, and especially for those of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.

Christmas morning, Dec 25, 2002, changed the lives of Dr's Rodney and Adonica Howard-Browne forever. It was early hours of that morning, that Kelly, their 18 year old daughter, passed away in his arms. She had suffered from the incurable disease, Cystic Fibrosis for 18 years.

As she passed away, Rodney and Adonica offered up to Jesus the best gift they had to offer, their daughter. Rodney then vowed, that because the devil had taken their daughter with this dreaded disease, he would pay with 100 million souls over the next 10 years.

Thus began the burning of the vision for 100 million souls. The Kelly May foundation was born and the beginnings of World Outreach began with the planning of two great crusades this year. The first in May/June 2003 in Mexico and the second Oct/Nov 2003 in Soweto, South Africa. There will be 6 crusades next year and 12 each year thereafter.

Hence it was not a surprise to learn that Gil & Loraine Howard-Browne were moving to Tampa this March to help Evangelist Rodney Howard- Browne win "One hundred million souls for Christ over the next 10 years?" Considering the Howard-Brownes are naturalized Americans who don't belong to ECFA and are accountable to no one but themselves, this is a very stupid and impossible vision, especially considering that there have never been one hundred million souls won for Jesus in a period of ten years through out earth's history.

But the Howard-Brownes are nothing but liars, thieves, con-artists and wolves in sheep’s clothing. A first-hand Account, Accurately Reported by Yves A. Brault.

I saw him in Florida as he was a guest-speaker at the Orlando Christian Center. I also attended his services in British Columbia, where he held a series of meetings from Nov. 19 through 23, 1996, in a popular charismatic church of Vancouver.

More than once in this 2,000-seat church auditorium, a member of his organization advised us to be careful at the altar and not step on those lying on the carpeted floor because "even if they are under the power of the Holy Ghost, they still feel pain!" Howard-Browne played a very active human role in the laughter manifestation. He joked again and again, "I'll read from The Amplified Bible, so if it comes out loud, it's because it's amplified." Himself a Caucasian, born and raised in Africa, now living in America, he came to this conclusion, "That makes me an African-American!" At the time of the offering he suggested, besides cash and check giving, "You can use your credit card: MasterCard, Visa, American Distress." The crowd was ecstatic.

Adonica - his wife - also made a brief appearance on the stage. At the very first meeting she was asked to greet the audience. Estimating that the crowd's response lacked enthusiasm, she said, "Are you just shy Canadians, or what? Are you just as the Americans?" A remark that lacked some tact! The Holy Ghost "bartender" seemed to believe that he needs to instruct people on laughing and behavior. He even defied those who would not respond according to his expectations.

It came close to threatening when he accused the more conservative people by saying, "We'll cast the religious devil out of you." He did not miss an opportunity to put his critics down, "Some people have got more faith in believing the devil can come into this place tonight to touch people. How dumb can you get and still breathe!" Referring to North American theologians, which he named dead heads, he said, "Bunch of whitewash, full of dead bones, like a constipated mule." Americans and Canadians, in particular, did not weigh much in his eyes. I don't know if his attitude has changed, but he said, "Jesus is alive. It's only North Americans that don't believe that."

South African Pentecostal Evangelist Rodney Howard-Browne, a white supremacist in theology, who immigrated with all his brothers and parents to United States became a naturalized American and taught that "sheep needed to be fleeced or they would have too much hair and could not see where they are going.. It was the pastor’s job to fleece the sheep had been credited with bringing the laughter revival to America. But from what really happened in Carpenter's Home Church in 1993 and 1994 and its devastating effect on the community including the robbing, raping and murdering of the sheep, was not much of a revival.

Roy Aldrich, a retired school teacher, was robbed of $100,000.00 by Pastor Karl Strader and his son Dan Strader of Carpenter's Home Church Lakeland, Florida. Rodney, who was a personal friend of Karl Strader who practiced nepotism, and bought him a Lincoln town car, was asked to help the elderly victims who were robbed by the Straders and he refused. But when German Evangelist Reinhard Bonnke’s decided to relocate his ministry to Florida, Rodney Howard-Browne decided he would give Bonnke a house. At first he offered Bonnke his own house in Tampa, but Bonnke had to locate in Orlando to be closer to his operational base. It was then that Howard-Browne decided to build Bonnke a new $250,000 home in Orlando. Rodney then drove a brand new car to Bonnke’s driveway.

How gracious and wonderful of Rodney to be a respecter of persons to the high and mighty and to ignore the real plight of the poor and needy?

These Third Wave Pentecostal Family owned and run ministries/corporations with their “dummy” board of directors composed of family, friends and staff, are all about money with constant appeals about need money to spread the revival. None of them belong to the Evangelical Council of Financial Accountability "One hundred million souls for Christ” proclaims Gill Howard Browne Rodney’s brother and of course much money is need to make all this happen!

These revivalist offer their faithful adherents and participants a special experience with God and with different kinds of angels to the exclusion of others who don’t believe, give money to them and support them. But divisions, friction, contentions, confusions, marriage breakdown, slander, character assassination, and false doctrine are rampant amongst the Third Wave groups according to Scott Holtz who says God is cleaning house. Holtz says

“Judgment has begun in the His House and what you are reading in the newspapers this weekend of the falling of Ted Haggard is just the tip of the iceberg of what is going to be exposed of others associated with him and the Apostolic/Prophetic movement he helped lead…. (For me to adequately detail for you how dangerous things have become, I have been released by the Lord tonight to mention specific names of ministers in this email, not to trash their ministries, but to attempt to expose a very hideous plan of Satan to deceive millions of Christians world-wide. I’m not a heresy hunter who feeds on the bones of fallen saints but rather a brother who passionately wants to see the glory of God. Unfortunately in all my travels the last 21 years, I have seen much compromise, gross Scriptural error, and demonic manifestations that have gone unchecked in the current prophetic movement. However, this is all changing this week…as it is time to let His justice system trigger and flow down like a mighty river to purify His people! Many of the hidden prophets are coming out of their caves of exile in this hour! Get ready to not be offended by us and our messages of ruthless and divine justice!!!)

In 1989, Dalit and I pleaded and warned the leaders of a local Messianic congregation we attended and were married in to not go out to Kansas City (Mike Bickle’s church) and have a well known "prophet" named Paul Cain prophesy and lay hands on them. God had shown us that this minister Paul Cain was a homosexual and was operating in something which he called "the mantle of the late William Branham". The leaders of our congregation told us to be quiet and not spread our opinions to the other members because they considered themselves more spiritually in tune with what God is saying than Dalit and I. Being discouraged but still not willing to be quiet with this strong warning rolling on the inside of me about Paul Cain, God arranged a few days later for us to have a spontaneous meeting with the late Derek Prince. In this small and intimate meetings, we had the chance to share some of our prophetic concerns with Derek and he wisely told us a testimony of one of his best friends named Earn Baxter who travelled many years with William Branham. Before Earn had passed on into the glory realm, he told Derek Prince that at the end of William Branham’s ministry there was a strange thing happening. Branham had the great ability to operate in a very accurate word of knowledge from God but also at times seemed to operate in a spirit of divination! Derek Prince then went on as a wise sage to warn us as young bucks to have nothing to do with any in so called "prophetic" ministry who say they have the mantle of William Branham transferred on upon them!!!! No matter how many signs and wonders are evident!!!!

Paul Cain was the man Derek was making direct reference to and we held on to this secondary confirming prophetic warning from Derek despite being personally ostracized and rejected by many of the leaders and believers we knew at that wonderful Messianic fellowship. However, as we put quick distance between us and Paul Cain and especially those other ministries in North America who considered Paul Cain their "spiritual father" we noticed a very tragic thing begin to happen in that local Messianic Fellowship. Strife, division, presumptuous prophetic words, and then friends dying of cancer and many marriages washing up into the secular divorce courts. And to this day, that Messianic Fellowship is tragically no longer in existence….and my heart still grieves by what I saw enter in and because of the fear of man did not sound the warning louder…..

Miriam of http://endtimespropheticwords.wordpress.com/ on May 11, 2008 wrote:

Why did Todd Bentley let Paul Cain lie to millions?

Prophet Paul Cain came to the Lakeland Healing Revival/Florida Outpouring and gave his support to Todd Bentley recently. More than that, Paul Cain crowned Todd Bentley the new Elijah, and spoke of Todd Bentley fulfilling his Joel’s Army prophecies of stadiums filled with people doing amazing signs and wonders and ushering in a great end time harvest.

I wrote something about Paul Cain and Bentley here: http://endtimespropheticwords.wordpress.com/2008/05/04/paul-cain-to-appear-with-todd-bentley-at-tiger-town-joker-marchant-stadium/ and also here: http://endtimespropheticwords.wordpress.com/2008/05/03/a-prophetic-vision-of-prophet-paul-cain/

Now, even putting aside all the previous articles on this site (and many places elsewhere) raising huge red flags about Todd Bentley and his ministry http://endtimespropheticwords.wordpress.com/category/todd-bentley-fresh-fire/, about Paul Cain, Bob Jones, others of the Kansas City Prophets, Patricia King, Latter Rain etc. etc. (you can navigate by the far right categories tab) – including some real obvious lies that are rife through this movement - there occured another major lie that nobody can deny. It really makes one question both these ‘Spirit filled’ ministers’ integrity. While many in today’s church are closing their eyes to Todd Bentley’s obvious faults and heresie, and keep making excuses and justifications for him, how on earth can they justify what follows?

Paul Cain said “I’ve been a celibate all my life”. Yet he is famed for being ‘outed’ as a homosexual, and lying about it for a long time – even when outed, instead claiming he was being framed by his accusers! – before eventually confessing to it and heavy alcohol abuse. He is noted for having been an alcoholic to the extent he was slurred and incoherent when ministering (some say he appeared slurred on stage at Lakeland so perhaps he is not restored). His fall from ministry, and its reasons, is well known. There is no doubt at all that Todd Bentley knew about it. Yet not only did Todd Bentley let Paul Cain lie, he let him lie while prophesying, he let him lie to potentially millions, he let him lie uncorrected or unrebuked. An honest minister with integrity could have said something like this afterwards: ‘Paul did fall, but he was forgiven by God, and has been restored.’ Yet because Todd Bentley wanted the acclaim (he flew Paul Caul in to hype his revival up and do some back-slapping), he let Paul Cain go unrebuked.

“He (Paul Cain) called a young man, one of Bentley’s interns front and center, and prophesied over him. When he opened his moth to speak over this man he lied before God, the thousands there and the millions watching on TV. He told how he had vowed to live a celibate lifestyle and had done so for all these years. …”

This revival has been at the expense of truth on many different levels. Here is yet another example of it. http://endtimespropheticwords.wordpress.com/2008/05/11/why-did-todd-bentley-let-paul-cain-lie-to-millions/

And the false failed and demonic Lakeland revival of 2008 demonstrated to the world not only how deceived and idiots the Third Wave leaders were but also the “Kundalini spirits” that possess them! (See Todd Bentley John Arnott http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9aWpTvcM74U&feature=related).

And it's seems we might have another religious scandal with David Mainse and 100 Huntley Street/alleged Driver ponzi scheme. [vii] Recently Ron and Reynold Mainse stepped down from their responsibilities at Crossroads Christian Communications. Ron was president of Crossroads, his brother Reynold VP of Missions. Both were hosts of the show 100 Huntley Street.

The Canadian ministry behind “100 Huntley Street” says church money was not misappropriated by the TV show’s hosts, who have been suspended over links to a US$14.1-million Ponzi scheme.

Crossroads Christian Communications CEO Doug McKenzie says any investments made by Ron and Reynold Mainse were “personal and private” in nature and did not draw from the ministry’s 20,000-plus pool of donors.

In May, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission obtained a court order halting the scheme allegedly run by Gordon Driver, 51, a dual resident of Hamilton and Las Vegas.

In its complaint, the SEC alleged Driver solicited friends, neighbours, and business acquaintances to invest in his company, Axcess Automation.

Local man accused in $14m Ponzi scheme SEC files allegations in U.S. court Steve Buist The Hamilton Spectator (May 21, 2009) http://www.thespec.com/article/569481

Chapter 18
A Stricter Judgment

He who guards his mouth preserves his life, But he who opens wide his lips shall have destruction. Proverbs 13:3

My brethren, let not many of you become teachers, knowing that we shall receive a stricter judgment. For we all stumble in many things. If anyone does not stumble in word, he is a perfect man, able also to bridle the whole bod. James 3:1-2

You therefore, beloved, since you know this beforehand, beware lest you also fall from your own steadfastness, being led away with the error of the wicked; but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory both now and forever. Amen. 2 Peter 3:17-18

It’s true that very few so called men of God can state, All the words of my mouth are with righteousness; Nothing crooked or perverse is in them (Proverbs 8:8). And the primary reason is that they have been taught by men and not by the Holy Spirit. They have not checked with the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Truth, all their ideas and doctrines but have treaded on dangerous ground by becoming teachers and teaching and spewing out lies and halt truths that serious damage and hurt others. They ignore what Jesus said about offending others by their false teaching:

Then He said to the disciples, "It is impossible that no offenses should come, but woe to him through whom they do come! "It would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were thrown into the sea, than that he should offend one of these little ones. Luke 17:1-2

"Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. "You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles? "Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. "A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. "Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. "Therefore by their fruits you will know them. "Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Matthew 7:15-21

Yes, Jesus said "Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. In other words there is no such thing as once saved always saved or eternal security. In Christendom we have two dichotomies about eternal security. The first being that once secure we are always secure for once saved always saved. And the second is that we were never saved if the first place and hence we had fallen away being led away with the error of the wicked. But the latter is just a convenient play on words to deal with the fact that some people do fall away and there is no such thing as eternal security. Hence Apostle Paul told us to lay hold on eternal life:

But you, O man of God, flee these things and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, gentleness. Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, to which you were also called and have confessed the good confession in the presence of many witnesses 1 Timothy 6:11-12.

Command those who are rich in this present age not to be haughty, nor to trust in uncertain riches but in the living God, who gives us richly all things to enjoy. Let them do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to give, willing to share, storing up for themselves a good foundation for the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life. O Timothy! Guard what was committed to your trust, avoiding the profane and idle babblings and contradictions of what is falsely called knowledge- by professing it some have strayed concerning the faith. Grace be with you. Amen. 1 Timothy 6:17-21

To “hold on” is also emphasized by the writer of the book of Hebrews who has told us:

And Moses indeed was faithful in all His house as a servant, for a testimony of those things which would be spoken afterward, but Christ as a Son over His own house, whose house we are if we hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm to the end. Hebrews 3:5-6

Seeing then that we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. Hebrews 4:14

To “lay hold” has also been translated by others as to “hold tightly to" (Living Bible), "keep your grip on" (Phillips), "take hold of "(NIV, NEB, RSV). If eternal security is automatic and so secure why would you have to lay hold on eternal life? You would not! While others have stated about eternal security:

There never was or ever can be" a born Securist. " You reader, or any other truly born again Christian, cannot read Eternal Security verses and get Eternal Security "out of " them. The only way that Eternal Security can be attached to these verses is to "read it into" them. This proves that Eternal Security is an extra-Biblical, external philosophy, seeking Biblical sanction. People are "educated into" Eternal Security, just as truly as atheists are "educated into" atheism. - Henry Schilling

Eternal Security is surely Satan's masterpiece. This doctrine that claims that one can be " in Christ " while willingly dead in "trespasses and sins, " is pure heresy. The doctrine is rooted in unbelief, seeing that they deny that Christ has any power to deliver the believer here and now. The Bible tells us that Jesus came to destroy the work of the devil, and that Jesus came to save His people from their sins, not in their sins. A Savior who cannot live up to his promises to deliver us from our sins in this life cannot be depended upon to deliver us after our death!

I am uncomfortably confident that at the consummation of time it will be revealed that this sole doctrine alone will have populated the regions of hell far more than all other false teachings put together. Those that teach this heresy have exchanged light for darkness, truth for lies, and called it the gospel! - Jeff Paton

Eternal security is false because:

It cheapens Gods estimate of sin

It is not taught in Scripture

It renders all exhortations to holiness to be irrelevant

It must "explain away" the vast majority of Scripture

It encourages sinful living and false assurance

It results in false conversions that weaken the true church

It is the most destructive and deceptive lie of Satan

Those who believe in eternal security give us lies that are not found in scriptures as:

Once saved always saved.

Christians are no different than other sinners, except they are saved.

God cannot see the Christians sin because they are covered by the blood of Christ.

We can be filthy as a barnyard in body and still be saved and holy in spirit.

We all sin in word, thought and deed, every moment and every day.

All who have ever fallen away were never saved in the first place.

That when one comes to Christ, their sins are paid for past, present and future.

You can only lose fellowship with God and not salvation.

God would never disown or damn one of His own children.

A sheep cannot become a goat.

If we sin we only lose fellowship and not relationship with God.

Salvation is unconditional.

If salvation cannot be earned it cannot be lost.

God will not begin a work that he will not finish.

Repentance is not required for salvation.

Christians who say we must remain faithful to stay saved preach a works salvation.

We can be "Sinning Saints" or "Backslidden Christians" and still be saved.

Only at death can we ultimately be saved from sin.

Christians are still sinners.

I am secure because Jesus paid my sin debt in full.

The bottom line is that we have a conditional salvation that is confirmed by a study of verses containing these words:

ABIDE defined. To remain, continue, stay, or to be steadfast. God requires us to remain faithful to receive eternal life. Jn. 15:1-11; Rom. 11:23; 1 Cor. 7:24; 1 Jn. 2:6; 2:10; 2:24, 27, 28; 3:6; 3:14; 3:24; 2 Jn. 1:9.

CONTINUE defined. Abide, remain, stay, or be steadfast. Blessings don’t come to those who don’t continue - Jn. 8:31; 15:9; Acts. 13:43; 14:22 (why exhort them if this were not possible?), Rom. 2:7; 6:1; Gal. 2:5; 3:10; Col. 1:23; 1 Tim. 2:15; 4:16; 2 Tim. 3:14; 1 Jn. 2:24.

ENDURE defined. Remain, continue, or be steadfast. Matt. 10:22; 24:13; Jn. 6:27; 2 Tim. 2:3; Heb. 12:7; James 5:11.

Many so called Christians believe the doctrine of demons of once saved always saved even though apostle Paul clearly told them they could be cut off:

And if some of the branches were broken off, and you, being a wild olive tree, were grafted in among them, and with them became a partaker of the root and fatness of the olive tree, do not boast against the branches. But if you do boast, remember that you do not support the root, but the root supports you. You will say then, "Branches were broken off that I might be grafted in." Well said. Because of unbelief they were broken off, and you stand by faith. Do not be haughty, but fear. For if God did not spare the natural branches, He may not spare you either. Therefore consider the goodness and severity of God: on those who fell, severity; but toward you, goodness, if you continue in His goodness. Otherwise you also will be cut off. Romans 11:17-22

Even Jesus told us that Christians who have been grafted in Christ could be cut off or cast out:

"If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned. John 15:6

Not every one who got "saved" in the old testament stayed "saved!" The bible clearly tells us:

And the LORD said to Moses, "Whoever has sinned against Me, I will blot him out of My book. Exodus 32:33

But I want to remind you, though you once knew this, that the Lord, having saved the people out of the land of Egypt, afterward destroyed those who did not believe. Jude 1:5

"He who overcomes shall be clothed in white garments, and I will not blot out his name from the Book of Life; but I will confess his name before My Father and before His angels. Revelation 3:5

According to God who doesn't lie salvation is conditional and your name can be blotted out of the Lamb's book of life! God has promised to blot out from the book of Life all believers who have become unbelievers just like He did to some of the children of Israel whom He saved. And the bible tells us the signs of believers:

We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love the brethren. He who does not love his brother abides in death. 1 John 3:14

"And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues; "they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover. Mark 16:17-18

"Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you. Luke 10:19

Chapter 19
Sorcery, Hatred, Contentions

Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law. And those who are Christ's have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. Galatians 5:19-25

The Word of God is very clear those who practice sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, etc shall not inherit the kingdom of God even if they are part of church of the flesh. God has called His people to walk in love and to demonstrate love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Those who say they live in the Spirit must walk in the Spirit and demonstrate the fruit of the Spirit! Miracles, signs and wonders don’t validate the character of a Christian but the fruits of the Spirit do for Jesus clearly told us:

"Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. "You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles? "Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. "A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. "Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. "Therefore by their fruits you will know them. "Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. "Many will say to Me in that day, 'Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?' "And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!' Matthew 7:15-23

Now as He sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately, saying, "Tell us, when will these things be? And what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?" And Jesus answered and said to them: "Take heed that no one deceives you. "For many will come in My name, saying, 'I am the Christ,' and will deceive many. "And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not troubled; for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. "For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places. "All these are the beginning of sorrows. "Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and kill you, and you will be hated by all nations for My name's sake. "And then many will be offended, will betray one another, and will hate one another. "Then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many. "And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold. "But he who endures to the end shall be saved. Matthew 24:3-13

Many false prophets who are ravenous wolves have arisen. They are in churches and are deceiving many! Dr. Pat Holiday [viii] in her article PATRICIA KING - New Mystics ~ The New Breed ~ writes:

GREAT DECEPTION – LATTER RAIN SEDUCTION

These New Mystics use biblical words and quote from the Bible, but the Latter Rain gospel was not drawn from the Bible. It was received ''prophetically'' - that is, by men in direct communication with the spirit realm. They then use symbolism and allegory to draw far-fetched support of their doctrines out of random words or fragments of Bible verses. "This is the judgment, that the Light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the Light, for their deeds were evil. For everyone who does evil hates the Light, and does not come to the Light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. But he who practices the truth comes to the Light, so that his deeds may be manifested as having been wrought in God." (Jn. 3:19-21).

Great deception is afoot in the churches today, happening right before our very eyes. In fact, it may have already come to your church. False doctrines, a different gospel, and even doctrines of demons have been introduced into many churches via books, music, videos, teachers and movements that claim to be of God. Please watch the u tubes on this site from a wide variety of denominations and authors on the subject of deception in the church before you encourage anyone from your church to go to meetings where false teachers claim to be able to transfer the Holy Spirit by the laying on of hands and subsequently soften people up to receive false doctrines which can ultimately shipwreck their faith or prevent them from ever coming to salvation in Christ. “Because there will be certain people who have crept in to the House of God, who pervert the gospel once delivered to the saints… And because of this some shall fall away… 1Ti 4:1 But the Spirit saith expressly, that in later times some shall fall away from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits and doctrines of demons.”

PATRICIA KING WHEN LEADERS FALL

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tIMed4ratWk

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FaFX-I8rNeI&NR=1

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T7EoTa_eB34&feature=related

FROM STACY CAMPBELL

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NGJbk9nLBCU&feature=related

Todd Bentley's Apostolic and Prophetic Commissioning ¾ Stacey Campbell and Snake shake

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gjl5wKso9eU

BOB JONES, PATRICIA KING AND TODD BENLEY ~ GOING INTO THE THIRD HEAVEN

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kGCTMEoifqQ&feature=related

Bob Jones & Sharnael Wolverton "Breakthrough Angel" (HEAVILY BACKMASKED) PROTECT YOUR MIND WITH PRAYER

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EI6Mt5qsMHg&feature=related

Todd Bentley Encounter with Angels

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kSlt0_8HwMk&feature=related

Since these New Age Mystics and their demonic angels claim to be materializing gold, platinum dust and gem stones and Diamonds, why are they still passing around the begging bucket to fleece God’s people? Why do they charge to come to their meetings? Mariam Franklin’s article is an eye-opener.

(Miriam Franklin) [ix] writes and excellent article concerning the New Mystics called Charismatic Gemstones and Gold Glory Dust “Signs and Wonders.” Ms. Franklin exposing the fakery of the gold and gem stones writes: “This comment was made by ‘Lillian Ching’ in the comments section, and I am flagging it up as I know not all people read the comments, and this is most interesting.

“As a custom jeweler, gemologist and “rock hound”, I have 44 years of experience in identifying rocks, minerals, crystals, etc; I was myself geology major at Shoreline College. I have also extensively dredged and panned for gold since 1961. My wife and I operate a custom jewelry business, as well as pastor a non-denominational Full-Gospel Christian church in Lynnwood, Washington. While in Baltimore I was given samples from Ashland, VA to identify. To do so, I employed my knowledge of gold, my geology books, as well as my jeweler’s double microscope. Under microscope this material is clearly gold colored Mylar. Mylar, as we know is a man made plastic. The material shows under the microscope as squares. It is easily recognized as Mylar. I also applied a gold acid test; this also showed this material as not gold, but synthetic man made material. There has been much of this Mylar, and other man made materials being passed off as gold in the Christian arena as a phenomena of God… Natural ground Mica is also passed off as gold, but usually in the retail business. To date, I have had three different individuals bringing me “flakes” of what they thought were gold to identify which were obtained in Christian services. One sample was from a church in Washington State (mica). Another sample from a Christian Camp in Ashland, Virginia (Mylar) and this third sample which was given to me in Maryland, which came from Ashland. None has been gold. Unfortunately this has not stopped modern day charlatans from passing off this material as “God” and His “glory” to innocent and trusting Christians . . . .”

SORCERIES DOCTRINES AND THE MINISTRY

The Laodicean church thought they were doing well and were spiritual. After all they were rich, so of course God must be blessing them. Besides, their churches were going to mega status by employing bewitching techniques by worldly agents using Mind Control. The wealthy ministers mostly dress well and talk about their possessions to impress people. They focus on outward appearances and worldliness. MEANWHILE, since many Christian leaders have lost their relationship with Jesus Christ, they are now dependent upon such as dangerous psychiatric SRRI drugs such as Zoloff, Paxell, . These drugs seem to cut people minds away from God. But these people did not know their inward condition; they were blind and could not see. So the Lord asked if they would buy from Him gold refined in the fire (by their suffering) white garments (robes of salvation) and eye salve so they could see their condition. Today many see their success and prosperity as God’s blessing.

The Laodicean Church was lukewarm. The Lord wanted them either cold or hot. Hot water was used for healing; cold was used for refreshment. Instead, they could not make up their mind, they were standing for nothing, and were good for nothing. They lived in both worlds. Spiritually they could have been either all for God or not at all, but they were in between. If they were hot, they would have been approved. If they were cold, God could have changed them, but they were in the middle and He was unable do anything. This is the worst place to be, to be part of a church, doing church things, thinking you are a Christian when in fact you are not. The Laodiceans had just enough religiosity to get by and think they were fine. They were naked also. In the time of Christ all soldiers would sleep in their clothes, they would not take them off so they would be ready for battle. We are to be clothed in white garments, the righteousness of Christ. Jesus was saying they did not have his righteousness they were naked. Yet even this church is not hopeless; Christ can come into the individual if He is allowed, “As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten. Therefore be zealous and repent “(v.19). This is the only Church that He is outside of and offers to come to the individual in the Church and not the collective Church, because the whole Church is removed from the truth of functioning in the word of God. This does not mean they abandon Gods word or name but only use portions of it that suit them, or change its meaning. The Church today is also sitting in this same fallen condition.

Many have left the foundations of the Gospel, Jesus being Savior and very God in the Flesh. Jn. 1:1-5, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 The same was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made by him; and without him was not anything made that was made. 4 In him was life; and the life was the light of men. 5 And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.” KJV Many are seeking things and emotional experiences and feelings in the flesh instead of wisdom and knowledge of the Word of God and Jesus. Seductions are great and worldwide. Many have lost their first love. Christians use to get excited about Jesus Christ but now they cheer when greedy preachers pick their pockets as men and women of God. We must return to the basics of the Word of God if we intend to make it into the kingdom of God.

Chapter 20
God Shall Provide

But Isaac spoke to Abraham his father and said, "My father!" And he said, "Here I am, my son." Then he said, "Look, the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?"And Abraham said, "My son, God will provide for Himself the lamb for a burnt offering." So the two of them went together. Genesis 22:7-8

But the Angel of the LORD called to him from heaven and said, "Abraham, Abraham!" So he said, "Here I am." And He said, "Do not lay your hand on the lad, or do anything to him; for now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your only son, from Me." Then Abraham lifted his eyes and looked, and there behind him was a ram caught in a thicket by its horns. So Abraham went and took the ram, and offered it up for a burnt offering instead of his son. And Abraham called the name of the place, The-LORD-Will-Provide; as it is said to this day, "In the Mount of The LORD it shall be provided." Genesis 22:11-13

David Eellis in his book Hidden Mannah for the End Times[x] writes about God’s provisions and redemption from the curse and provision for life is truly accomplished at the cross:

The wilderness is a completely safe and secure place for the “believer” because everything has already been provided there. Our faith in the promises is the very substance that the desired need is made from. (Heb.11:1) Now faith is assurance (or substance) of [things] hoped for, a conviction of things not seen. The reason Jesus said, “All things whatsoever ye pray and ask for, believe that ye received (Greek) them, and ye shall have them” (Mk.11:24), is because all of our provision was accomplished at the cross.

Notice in the following verses that all things have been received and that the only thing left is for us to believe it. Also notice the past tense of our sacrificial provision in the following verses:

(Eph.2:8) [F]or by grace have ye been saved through faith; (1Pet.2:24) [W]ho his own self bare our sins in his body… by whose stripes ye were healed; (Col.1:13) [W]ho delivered us out of the power of darkness, and translated us into the kingdom of the Son of his love; (2Cor.5:18)…[W]ho reconciled us to himself; (Gal.2:20) I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I that live, but Christ liveth in me; (Gal.3:13) Christ redeemed us from the curse; (1Pet.1:3)…[The] Father…begat us again…by the resurrection of Jesus Christ; (Heb.10:10) [W]e… have been sanctified; (14) [H]e hath perfected forever them that are sanctified; (Eph.1:3)…[W]ho hath blessed us with every spiritual blessing; and (2Pet.1:3) (God) Hath granted unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness…. Jesus told us in His day which, of course, is also in the past, that “now shall the prince of this world be cast out” (Jn.12:31); “but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world” (Jn.16:33); “It is finished” (Jn.19:30).

This is why we are to believe we have received. The devil and the curse were conquered. We were saved, healed, delivered, and provided for. That is why Paul said “my God shall supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus (Php.4:19).

Redemption from the curse and provision for life is truly accomplished at the cross! In fact, God’s “works were finished from the foundation of the world” (Heb.4:3), when He spoke the plan into existence. The only thing left is for the true sons of God to enter into those works by faith, believing they have received. Since the works are finished, we should believe and rest from our own works to save, heal, and deliver ourselves. This is rest in the wilderness on the grounds of God’s promises. (Heb.4:3) For we who have believed do enter into that rest. That is a spiritual Sabbath rest. (Heb.4:9) There remaineth therefore a sabbath rest (Greek: sabbatismos, “keeping of rest”) for the people of God. This constant “keeping of rest” every day through the past tense promises is our New Testament spiritual Sabbath. (10) For he that is entered into his rest hath himself also rested from his works, as God did from his. This rest is to believe these past tense promises.

(Heb.4:1) Let us fear therefore, lest haply, a promise being left of entering into his rest, any one of you should seem to have come short of it. (2) For indeed we have had good tidings preached unto us, even as also they: but the word of hearing did not profit them, because it was not united by faith with them that heard. Our faith in each of these promises brings us into more of the rest. For example, if we believe that “by whose stripes ye were healed” (1Pet.2:24) then we will not keep seeking a healing but will rest, accepting that it was accomplished at the cross. This is true faith and always brings the answer. Through believing the promises, we enter into rest from our own works. For a child of God to say that they believe they have received and yet continue seeking to receive, usually through worldly methods, is to be double-minded. (Jas.1:6) But let him ask in faith, nothing doubting: for he that doubteth is like the surge of the sea driven by the wind and tossed. (7) For let not that man think that he shall receive anything of the Lord; (8) a doubleminded man, unstable in all his ways.

Those who continue to work for what God has freely given believe in salvation by works. (Heb.4:10) For he that is entered into his rest hath himself also rested from his works. (Heb.3:19) And we see that they were not able to enter in because of unbelief. Since the promises of deliverance from the curse are past tense, when we believe them, we must stop working. It is an evil heart of unbelief to not rest. God was angry with Israel because they would not believe His Word in their trial in the wilderness (Heb.3:8-10). (Heb.3:11) As I sware in my wrath, They shall not enter into my rest. (12) Take heed, brethren, lest haply there shall be in any one of you an evil heart of unbelief, in falling away from the living God… (14) [W]e are become partakers of Christ (His health, holiness, and blessing), if we hold fast the beginning of our confidence firm unto the end.

When we believe we have received, we are put in a position of weakness because we cannot do anything to bring the desired result to pass. This weakness is our wilderness experience because there is no help from Egypt or the world. Only God’s power saves in the wilderness. God says, “[my] power is made perfect in weakness” (2Cor.12:9). Our weapon against our enemies who try to talk us out of our covenant rights is the two-edged sword of these past tense promises (Heb.4:11,12).

David Eellis in his book Hidden Mannah for the End Times[xi] also writes

Leaders who have not experienced the wilderness obviously will be at a distinct disadvantage trying to lead the Church there. Jesus went through the wilderness (Lk.4:1) and received His ordination to bring the Church there (18). Moses went through the wilderness (Ex.3:1) and received His ordination to bring Israel there (10-12). The apostle Paul experienced the wilderness (2Cor.11:26; Gal.1:17) and showed by example what it was to walk there. These and others are types of the end-time Man-child’s ministry to the Church. The false prophets have always prophesied peace and safety to God’s people when they were in rebellion, and so it is in the latter days (Jer.23:16-21). These prophets will lose their life for it (14:13¬ 15). God will break the true Church’s agreement with them (Isa.28:14-22).

In every generation the true prophets have been greatly outnumbered by the false (1Ki.22). The wilderness (Tribulation) will be a place of great provision. (Isa.43:19) Behold, I will do a new thing…. I will even make a way in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert. (20) The beasts of the field shall honor me…because I give waters in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert, to give drink to my people, my chosen.

The word “wilderness” is translated “desert” in the Gospels. This is where Jesus taught, fed, and delivered the people from the curse as a sign of the end-time Man-child’s ministry. It will also be a place of crucifixion and deliverance from the power of the old carnal man, symbolized as the Egyptian. (17) [W]ho bringeth forth the chariot and horse, the army and the mighty man (they lie down together, they shall not rise; they are extinct, they are quenched as a wick). It will be a place of great healing, spiritually and physically, as it was in Jesus’ ministry. (Isa.35:5) Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped. (6) Then shall the lame man leap as a hart, and the tongue of the dumb shall sing; for in the wilderness shall waters break out, and streams in the desert. It will be a place where the elect will learn to walk on the narrow road and be separated from the worldly Christian. (35:8) And a highway shall be there, and a way, and it shall be called The way of holiness (Hebrew: “separation”); the unclean shall not pass over it; but it shall be for [the redeemed]: the wayfaring men, yea fools, shall not err [therein]. This path of holiness will bring protection from the beast. (9) No lion shall be there, nor shall any ravenous beast go up thereon; they shall not be found there; but the redeemed shall walk [there].

The wilderness will be a place of the great joy of going from Babylonish religion to Zion, the true temple and city of God. (10) [A]nd the ransomed of the Lord shall return, and come with singing unto Zion; and everlasting joy shall be upon their heads. In the wilderness Christ will reign over His elect and they will find shelter in Him from Great Tribulation. (Isa.32:1) Behold, a king shall reign in righteousness, and princes shall rule in justice. (2) And a man shall be as a hiding-place from the wind, and a covert from the tempest, as streams of water in a dry place, as the shade of a great rock in a weary land. Here God’s own will gain their spiritual eyes and ears to be able to believe and speak the truth. (3) And the eyes of them that see shall not be dim, and the ears of them that hear shall hearken. (4) And the heart of the rash shall understand knowledge, and the tongue of the stammerers shall be ready to speak plainly.

Then many who are now thought to be wise, prosperous leaders of God’s people will be known for what they truly are. (5) The fool shall be no more called noble, nor the churl said to be bountiful. (6) For the fool will speak folly, and his heart will work iniquity, to practise profaneness, and to utter error against the Lord. Then the careless churches will understand because trouble will come instead of the rapture, for the fruit was not mature enough to pick. (9) Rise up, ye women that are at ease, [and] hear my voice; ye careless daughters, give ear unto my speech. (10) For days beyond a year shall ye be troubled, ye careless women; for the vintage shall fail, the ingathering shall not come. Then they will strip off their self-righteousness, repent, and fear the Lord. (11) Tremble, ye women that are at ease; be troubled, ye careless ones; strip you, and make you bare, and gird [sackcloth] upon your loins. Then dead congregations and denominations will be deserted by the righteous, given over to foolish beasts. (14) For the palace shall be forsaken; the populous city shall be deserted; the hill and the watch-tower shall be for dens forever, a joy of wild asses, a pasture of flocks.

In the wilderness the latter rain of the Spirit will be poured out and there will be justice, righteousness, peace, faith, and rest in the Lord.

(15) [U]ntil the Spirit be poured upon us from on high, and the wilderness become a fruitful field, and the fruitful field be esteemed as a forest. (16) Then justice shall dwell in the wilderness; and righteousness shall abide in the fruitful field. (17) And the work of righteousness shall be peace; and the effect of righteousness, quietness and confidence for ever. (18) And my people shall abide in a peaceable habitation, and in safe dwellings, and in quiet resting-places.

Chapter 21
But To Obtain Salvation

"Because he has set his love upon Me, therefore I will deliver him; I will set him on high, because he has known My name. He shall call upon Me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him and honor him. With long life I will satisfy him, And show him My salvation." Psalm 91:14-16

Therefore let us not sleep, as others do, but let us watch and be sober. For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk are drunk at night. But let us who are of the day be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love, and as a helmet the hope of salvation. For God did not appoint us to wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us, that whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with Him. 1 Thessalonians 5:6-10

Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely; and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. 1 Thessalonians 5:23

The word of God is very clear for those who put their total trust in Him, He is their help and their rock and their fortress and their deliverer and their defense; their God, their strength, their shield and the horn of their salvation, their stronghold (Psalm 18:2, 27:9, 62:1-2). And there are real benefits to God’s salvation including deliverance, honor, satisfaction and long life (Psalm 91:1-16). However to enjoy all the benefits of salvation one must not only be born against but be filled with the Spirit which is demonstrated by the operations of the gifts of the Spirit and the fruit of the Spirit. Jesus told us clearly:

"Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. "He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned. "And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues; "they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover." So then, after the Lord had spoken to them, He was received up into heaven, and sat down at the right hand of God. And they went out and preached everywhere, the Lord working with them and confirming the word through the accompanying signs. Amen. Mark 16:16-20

"Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father. John 14:12

Therefore we also pray always for you that our God would count you worthy of this calling, and fulfill all the good pleasure of His goodness and the work of faith with power, that the name of our Lord Jesus Christ may be glorified in you, and you in Him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ. 2 thessalonians 1:11-12

The person who is born again manifests the nature of Jesus or the nature of Sonship and that including the work of faith with power. He is a son of God submitted to the Spirit, is led by the Spirit of God and is filled with the Spirit of God. Those who claim their Sonship and the authority and privileges that go with it because of the redemption wrought in Christ are accounted as sons. Those who live as joint-heirs with Christ are walking in the faith of Sonship and will manifest His works by God’s power.

It’s to be noted that the Scriptures don’t teach “just accept Jesus”, the false gospel that fills churches with tares, and “you are once saved, always saved.” It’s Jesus Who is the One Who does not accept anyone who does not repent, meaning change their mind, and believe the Word and be doers of the Word. Faith without works is dead (James 2:20) and is just deception! For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also (James 2:26). And dead men are useless to God and others!

The modern Apostate Church has borne strange children that do not look anything like the Father, or the Church fathers in the book of Acts. Most of Christianity has never left bondage in Egypt and still needs to repent and die to self and even being born again and filled with the Spirit. And there are too many Saul’s in position of authority in the church but God is moving the Sauls out of the way to make room for the Davids. That is why were are not seeing in the news a rash of nationally-known minister scandals in which quite a few Sauls have fallen from grace.

People Christian and non-Christian need to repent! And when God sends the curse to bring repentance, can man deliver from it without repentance? That is what the sinner wants, blessing without repentance. Man has sought out many inventions to try to circumvent repentance, but they have all come back to curse him.

No one is stronger than God? God said,“ There is none that can deliver out of my hand.” This is contrary to the deception of the world who are under “the curse” (Deuteronomy 28). And no one can get out from under a curse except through the Gospel. God’s deliverance comes to those who do not walk under the blood. And God’s true ministers who are in agreement with God administer His gifts of healing, deliverance, and provision to the ones who are in line for God’s blessings through repentance, faith, and justification.

Victory, Justification and righteousness is by faith (Romans 4:3)! Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned unto him for righteousness. Abraham believed that God would give him a son. And God called him righteous because he believed His promise. God justifies or accounts us righteous for believing His promises. And we need victory in all areas of our life, which is what the promises cover. Yes, faith in the promises and heeding God’s voice gives us access to grace for salvation, healing, provision, or deliverance from the curse. God’s word is true:

and said, "If you diligently heed the voice of the LORD your God and do what is right in His sight, give ear to His commandments and keep all His statutes, I will put none of the diseases on you which I have brought on the Egyptians. For I am the LORD who heals you.". Exodus 15:26

"The LORD kills and makes alive; He brings down to the grave and brings up. The LORD makes poor and makes rich; He brings low and lifts up. He raises the poor from the dust And lifts the beggar from the ash heap, To set them among princes And make them inherit the throne of glory. "For the pillars of the earth are the LORD'S, And He has set the world upon them. 1 Samuel 2:6-8

Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us (for it is written, "Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree"), that the blessing of Abraham might come upon the Gentiles in Christ Jesus, that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith. Galatians 3:13-14

Indeed we count them blessed who endure. You have heard of the perseverance of Job and seen the end intended by the Lord-that the Lord is very compassionate and merciful. James 5:11

In the book of Job we read how Job lost everything including his wealth, family and friends except his wife. Mind you his wife told him “"Do you still hold fast to your integrity? Curse God and die!"(Job 2:9). Nevertheless blameless and upright, who feared God and shunned evil, was restored to perfect health, had all his losses restored double, and after his trial lived one hundred and forty years, and saw his children and grandchildren for four generations. Job died, old and full of days. So in Job we see the end intended by the Lord for His trusting ones total restoration and blessing!

God calls us righteous because of the blood of Jesus but He does chasten His children today if when required. And in order for the chastening to be profitable we must respond to it. And yes the devil has a legal right to oppress the sinner and the unbelieving “Christian,” but Jesus has a legal right to deliver the repentant believer. God’s word is true:

Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. For consider Him who endured such hostility from sinners against Himself, lest you become weary and discouraged in your souls. You have not yet resisted to bloodshed, striving against sin. And you have forgotten the exhortation which speaks to you as to sons: "My son, do not despise the chastening of the LORD, Nor be discouraged when you are rebuked by Him; For whom the LORD loves He chastens, And scourges every son whom He receives." If you endure chastening, God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom a father does not chasten? But if you are without chastening, of which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate and not sons. Furthermore, we have had human fathers who corrected us, and we paid them respect. Shall we not much more readily be in subjection to the Father of spirits and live? For they indeed for a few days chastened us as seemed best to them, but He for our profit, that we may be partakers of His holiness. Now no chastening seems to be joyful for the present, but painful; nevertheless, afterward it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it. Therefore strengthen the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees, and make straight paths for your feet, so that what is lame may not be dislocated, but rather be healed. Pursue peace with all people, and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord: looking carefully lest anyone fall short of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up cause trouble, and by this many become defiled; lest there be any fornicator or profane person like Esau, who for one morsel of food sold his birthright. For you know that afterward, when he wanted to inherit the blessing, he was rejected, for he found no place for repentance, though he sought it diligently with tears. Hebrews 12:1-17

In true Christianity we are crucified with Christ; and it is no longer we that live, but Christ living in us : and that life which we now live in the flesh we live in the faith which is in the Son of God, who loved us, and gave himself up for us (Galatians 2:20). It’s not us living the Christian life and doing the works of Christ, but it is us accepting our death so that Christ may live and do His works through us (John 15:1-8). It’s to be noted that the mind of the flesh is the enemy of God and cannot be subject to Him (Rom.8:7).

In Adam we all died and were made useless to God; but by abiding in Christ, Who is the Word, we become vessels of His reigning authority (Romans 5:17, 1 Corinthians 15:22, 2 Corinthians 4:16) As we read the Word made real by the Holy Spirit, do the Word and repent of our carnal thinking and life to accept Christ’s thinking and life, He is able to reign through us. Through death to self, we release the life of Jesus to be manifested in our human bodies (2 Corinthians 4:11).

As we accept the mind of Christ, which is the Word of God, it transforms us (Romans 12:2). Through faith we died, and now Jesus lives in us. We were “delivered out of the power of darkness” (Colossians.1:13). And we are not only free from the power of sin if we believe it but are free to cleanse ourselves from all defilement of flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God. Yes, we are responsible to cleanse ourselves by faith in the promises (2 Corinthians 7:1) and to believe the promises of God revealed by the Spirit of God to receive all the blessings God has for us, spiritual, physical, financial and other. God’s word is unchanging:

Then the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. "And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name JESUS. "He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David. "And He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end." Then Mary said to the angel, "How can this be, since I do not know a man?" And the angel answered and said to her, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you; therefore, also, that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God. "Now indeed, Elizabeth your relative has also conceived a son in her old age; and this is now the sixth month for her who was called barren. "For with God nothing will be impossible." Then Mary said, "Behold the maidservant of the Lord! Let it be to me according to your word." And the angel departed from her. Luke 1:31-35

Then His mother and brothers came to Him, and could not approach Him because of the crowd. And it was told Him by some, who said, "Your mother and Your brothers are standing outside, desiring to see You." But He answered and said to them, "My mother and My brothers are these who hear the word of God and do it." Luke 8:19-21

Therefore, since a promise remains of entering His rest, let us fear lest any of you seem to have come short of it. For indeed the gospel was preached to us as well as to them; but the word which they heard did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in those who heard it. For we who have believed do enter that rest, as He has said: "So I swore in My wrath, 'They shall not enter My rest,' " although the works were finished from the foundation of the world. Hebrews 4:1-3

Chapter 22
Sinners Saved By Grace?

For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, "The just shall live by faith." Romans 1:16-17

"I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me. Galatians 2:20

The true gospel of Christ, is the power of God to salvation (Soteria) for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, as it is written, "The just shall live by faith. Yes, God gives power to save from sin and all others things to those who believe the true Gospel. The idea that we are “sinners saved by grace” is an oxymoron. There is no such saying in the Bible. Sinner saved by grace. A man is either a sinner or he is saved from sin by grace. Jesus always made a distinction between His followers and sinners. The bible records:

Then He came to His disciples and said to them, "Are you still sleeping and resting? Behold, the hour is at hand, and the Son of Man is being betrayed into the hands of sinners (Matthew 26:45).

David Eellis in his book Sovereign God For Us and Through Us [xii] writes”

The Lord through Paul said that Jesus is separated from sinners. (Heb.7:26) For such a high priest became us, holy, guileless, undefiled, separated from sinners, and made higher than the heavens. Those who justify themselves in their sin by saying that we are all just sinners saved by grace will not obtain mercy through our High Priest. (Pr.28:13) He that covereth his transgressions shall not prosper: But whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall obtain mercy. David said that sinners would be separated from among the righteous and would be judged. (Ps.1:1) Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the wicked, Nor standeth in the way of sinners, Nor sitteth in the seat of scoffers. (5) Therefore the wicked shall not stand in the judgment, Nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous.

If we believe the deceiver’s gospel that we are always going to be sinners instead of “made free from sin,” then that is what we will have. Jesus said, “As thou hast believed, [so] be it done unto thee” and “According to your faith be it done unto you.”

It is important that we believe exactly what the Word says. It is important that we see the Biblical Jesus in the mirror and not “another Jesus” of man’s making (2 Cor.11:4). If in the mirror, we are looking at the humanistic Jesus preached most often today, then that is the only image we can come into. This is a Jesus who has no power. Does the Jesus in your mirror have power over sin and the curse? Does He have power to minister healing, deliverance, and provision? If so, then that is what He will be able to do through you.

(Col.1:21) And you, being in time past alienated and enemies in your mind in your evil works, (22) yet now hath he reconciled (Greek: “exchanged”) in the body of his flesh through death, to present you holy and without blemish and unreproveable before him: (23) if so be that ye continue in the faith, grounded and steadfast, and not moved away from the hope of the Gospel which ye heard (the original Gospel).

We are now reconciled because of the cross if we continue in the faith, unwavering from the true Gospel. The Greek word translated “reconciled” here means “exchanged.” On the cross, Jesus exchanged His life, blessings, and power for our old life, curse, and weakness. Our old life and its penalty, the curse, are on the cross, and now Christ lives in us. God exchanges us to present us holy and without blemish, to deliver us from our past evil works. The Christ, Who is blessed with righteousness and power, will exercise sovereignty through us because He lives in us. We are now ministers of this reconciliation (2 Cor.5:18-21). In other words, it is our job to administer the exchange to those who believe so that people are saved from sin, healed, delivered, and provided for.

The curse is enumerated in Deuteronomy 28, and it covers everything bad that happens to man as a result of breaking God’s laws. Jesus bore this curse so that we would have authority over it, both in our own lives and in the lives of others who believe.(Gal.3:13) Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us … (14) that upon the Gentiles might come the blessing of Abraham in Christ Jesus …. Jesus became the curse, and now we who believe have the “blessings of Abraham.” He was blessed in “all things” (Gen.24:1).

The exchange was accomplished at the cross but will be manifested as we apply the Gospel by faith to the curse. Before the fall, Adam lived in the Garden of Eden with no sickness, corruption, or lack of any kind. Look around you. The curse is manifested in all of the creation because of the fall. In His life and in His death, Jesus destroyed the curse. He passed on this ministry to His disciples, and they were commanded to pass it on to their disciples, and on down to us (Mt.28:19,20). Eventually this Gospel was totally corrupted by religion so that what was passed on was a form of godliness that denies the power thereof (2 Tim.3:5).

The Holy Spirit empowers those who have received Him to come into all that Christ is. Paul prays in Ephesians, “That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, that ye may be strengthened with power through his Spirit in the inward man; that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; to the end that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, may be strong to apprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ which passeth knowledge, that ye may be filled unto all the fullness of God” (Epe.3:16-19). The full scope of Christ, His breadth, length, height, depth, and love, was provided to us through faith. Christ is to be “apprehended” by faith as we are empowered by God’s Spirit, “that ye may be filled unto all the fullness of God.” Does it seem too good to be true? “Gospel” means “good news.” I did not write the Word, I just believe it. Do not let religion stop you, brothers and sisters.

Notice the phrase “the fullness of God.” If, as Genesis 1 says, each seed brings forth after its own kind, then what seed has been sown in us? First, by our parents, we were all born of the seed of fallen humanity. Then, according to the parable of the sower, we receive the seed (Greek: sperma,“sperm”) of the Word ( Jesus) and are born again from above. That seed of the Word is not the seed of man, but God.( Jn.1:1) …The Word was God. ( Jn.3:6) That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. (7) Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born anew(Greek: “from above”). When Jesus told the Jews that He was the Son of God, they tried to stone Him, saying, “Thou, being a man, makest thyself God” ( Jn.10:29-33).They knew that if God had a son, He would be God, also.

(Jn.10:34) Jesus answered them, Is it not written in your law, ‘I said, ye are gods’? (35) If he called them gods, unto whom the word of God came (and the scripture cannot be broken) (36) say ye of him, whom the Father sanctified and sent into the world, Thou blasphemest; because I said, I am [the] Son of God?

In the original language, there were no capital or lower case letters for words such as “gods” or “spirit.” Jesus was saying that the Jews who had received the Old Testament Word of the letter were by position gods. How much more then are we who have received the New Testament Word of the Spirit? We are gods, not in the flesh for that is the seed of man, but in the spirit for that is the seed of God. Jesus said, “The words that I have spoken unto you are spirit.” Since each seed brings forth after its own kind, the son of a dog is dog, the son of a man is man, and the son of God is god. The more of God’s seed that we give good earth to, the more God manifests Himself in us.

(Rom.1:3) concerning his Son, who was born of the seed of David according to the flesh, (Jesus was Son of man in the flesh.) (4) Who was declared [to be] the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness (Son of God in the spirit),by the resurrection from the dead; [even] Jesus Christ our Lord.

We, as Jesus, are son of man in the flesh but son of God in the spiritual man. (Heb.2:17) Wherefore it behooved him in all things to be made like unto his brethren …. Jesus was made like us in everything. (18) For in that he himself hath suffered being tempted, he is able to succor (Greek: “come to the aid of ”) them that are tempted. As Son of man, Jesus knew temptation and is therefore able to help us. Our Jesus is the “only begotten (born) Son of God,” and we are reborn sons of God through Him.

(Epe.4:11-13) And he gave some [to be] apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers (The Nicolaitan error [Rev.2:6,15] teaches that some of these ministries are done away with, but the Word says no such thing.);for the perfecting of the saints, unto the work of ministering, unto the building up of the body of Christ: till we all attain unto the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a full-grown man, unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ. The fullness of Christ, all of His righteousness and ministry, are provided for us. The apostate church tells us that this stature is unattainable because they count on man’s ability, not God’s. They are saying that God is unable or unwilling to completely save us from the power of sin and corruption.

(Heb.7:25) Wherefore also he is able to save to the uttermost (Greek: “completely”) them that draw near unto God through him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them.

I can hear some say, “Dave, I do not see any of these people around. How can this be?” First of all, without a mind completely renewed by the Word, we could not discern them. Jesus was discerned by very few as being in the fullness of God. The leaders of Israel did not recognize Him. Even His disciples questioned Him: Peter rebuked Him, and Thomas doubted Him. Secondly, He has saved the best wine for last.(2 Thes.1:10) When he shall come to be glorified in his saints, and to be marvelled at in all them that believed (because our testimony unto you was believed) in that day. Paul believed there was a day coming when the saints would have grace to believe His teaching and manifest Jesus. This declares that the Lord would come when this happens. His crop has come to maturity, ready for the harvest. (11) To which end we also pray always for you, that our God may count you worthy of your calling, and fulfill every desire of goodness and [every] work of faith, with power; (12) that the name (Greek: “character and authority”) of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and ye in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ. God’s grace, through the faith of the saints, will manifest the character and authority of Jesus in preparation for His work and His coming.

The prophet Joel declares full restoration of all that the curse and religion has taken from God’s people.( Joel 2:23) Be glad then, ye children of Zion, and rejoice in the Lord your God; for he giveth you the former (or early) rain in just measure, and he causeth to come down for you the rain, the former rain and the latter rain, in the first [month]. (24) And the floors shall be full of wheat, and the vats shall overflow with new wine and oil (bearing much fruit). (25) And I will restore to you the years that the locust hath eaten, the canker-worm, and the caterpillar, and the palmer-worm, my great army which I sent among you. These insects represent the curse on God’s crop or His people. God said the early and latter rain would restore His people from the years of devastation. This rain was identified in Joel 2:28,29 as the outpouring of the Spirit on God’s people.

Peter quotes Joel 2:28,29, declaring that the outpouring of the Spirit on Pentecost was a fulfillment of this prophecy.(Acts2:16) But this is that which hath been spoken through the prophet Joel: (17) And it shall be in the last days, saith God, I will pour forth of my Spirit upon all flesh: And your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, And your young men shall see visions, And your old men shall dream dreams. The “former rain” of the Spirit came “in the last days” of the Old Testament people of God, and the “latter rain” will come in “the last days” of the New Testament people of God. This former rain came to the Jews that believed, to restore them after a great falling away, and then it was passed on to the Gentiles. Those disciples who received that power of the Spirit walked as Jesus walked and did His works. The pagans called them “Christians,” meaning “Christ-like.” There is little evidence to convict many of that today, but the story is not over. For almost 2,000 years, only a few have been partakers of the former rain. The latter rain will come to believers, to restore the fallen Church to Christ-likeness, and then it passes on to the Jews.

When will the latter rain come? Both the Jews and the Church have fallen away from what was given in the Gospels and Acts for 2,000 years. The Spirit of God says,(Hos.5:15) “I will go and return to my place,till they acknowledge their offence, and seek my face: in their affliction they will seek me earnestly.” This is clear that the Lord left Israel and the Church to their own self-will and false leadership. In the midst of affliction, which has already begun, there will be repentance. His people will say, (Hos.6:1) “Come, and let us return unto the Lord; for he hath torn, and he will heal us; he hath smitten, and he will bind us up. (2) After two days will he revive us: on the third day he will raise us up, and we shall live before him. (3) And let us know, let us follow on to know the Lord: his going forth is sure as the morning; and he will come unto us as the rain, as the latter rain that watereth the earth.” The Lord will come as the latter rain. The Holy Spirit will manifest in those who receive Him, Jesus Christ. We see on the morning of the third day the latter rain outpouring will come to empower and restore after a two-day (2,000 year) falling away period.

Chapter 23
They Forgot God Their Savior

Our fathers in Egypt did not understand Your wonders; They did not remember the multitude of Your mercies, But rebelled by the sea-the Red Sea. Nevertheless He saved them for His name's sake, That He might make His mighty power known. He rebuked the Red Sea also, and it dried up; So He led them through the depths, As through the wilderness. He saved them from the hand of him who hated them, And redeemed them from the hand of the enemy. The waters covered their enemies; There was not one of them left. Then they believed His words; They sang His praise They soon forgot His works; They did not wait for His counsel, But lusted exceedingly in the wilderness, And tested God in the desert. And He gave them their request, But sent leanness into their soul. Psalm 106:7-15

They made a calf in Horeb, And worshiped the molded image. Thus they changed their glory Into the image of an ox that eats grass. They forgot God their Savior, Who had done great things in Egypt, Wondrous works in the land of Ham, Awesome things by the Red Sea. Therefore He said that He would destroy them, Had not Moses His chosen one stood before Him in the breach, To turn away His wrath, lest He destroy them. Psalm 106:19-23

Amazing that the children of Israel saw God’s mighty power displayed against their enemies at the Red Sea, believed His words, sang His praises and soon forgot His works and didn’t wait for His counsel. They forgot God their Savior, Who had done great things in Egypt, wondrous works in the land of Ham, awesome things by the Red Sea and made a calf in Horeb, and worshiped the molded image.

It’s in the nature of man to forget, to be ungrateful and even unbelieving especially in time of trouble or tribulation! But the LORD remains unchanged even through the storms of life. He is mighty, powerful, faithful, kind, gracious, compassionate, loving, understanding and patient toward His children! He never fails! And though the love of many is waxing cold in this evil world, God's love and grace abounds more and more. God's love is not affected by the spirit of this age. God's love is pure, divine love that is everlasting and true. As they yield to the love of God, they have full assurance that He will take care of them and bless them greatly. His word is true:

"Therefore know that the LORD your God, He is God, the faithful God who keeps covenant and mercy for a thousand generations with those who love Him and keep His commandments; "and He repays those who hate Him to their face, to destroy them. He will not be slack with him who hates Him; He will repay him to his face. "Therefore you shall keep the commandment, the statutes, and the judgments which I command you today, to observe them. "Then it shall come to pass, because you listen to these judgments, and keep and do them, that the LORD your God will keep with you the covenant and the mercy which He swore to your fathers. "And He will love you and bless you and multiply you; He will also bless the fruit of your womb and the fruit of your land, your grain and your new wine and your oil, the increase of your cattle and the offspring of your flock, in the land of which He swore to your fathers to give you. "You shall be blessed above all peoples; there shall not be a male or female barren among you or among your livestock. "And the LORD will take away from you all sickness, and will afflict you with none of the terrible diseases of Egypt which you have known, but will lay them on all those who hate you. Deuteronomy 7:8-15

'Behold, I will bring it health and healing; I will heal them and reveal to them the abundance of peace and truth. 'And I will cause the captives of Judah and the captives of Israel to return, and will rebuild those places as at the first. 'I will cleanse them from all their iniquity by which they have sinned against Me, and I will pardon all their iniquities by which they have sinned and by which they have transgressed against Me. 'Then it shall be to Me a name of joy, a praise, and an honor before all nations of the earth, who shall hear all the good that I do to them; they shall fear and tremble for all the goodness and all the prosperity that I provide for it.' "Thus says the LORD: 'Again there shall be heard in this place-of which you say, "It is desolate, without man and without beast"-in the cities of Judah, in the streets of Jerusalem that are desolate, without man and without inhabitant and without beast, 'the voice of joy and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom and the voice of the bride, the voice of those who will say: "Praise the LORD of hosts, For the LORD is good, For His mercy endures forever"- and of those who will bring the sacrifice of praise into the house of the LORD. For I will cause the captives of the land to return as at the first,' says the LORD Jeremiah 33:6-11

Finally, all of you be of one mind, having compassion for one another; love as brothers, be tenderhearted, be courteous; not returning evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary blessing, knowing that you were called to this, that you may inherit a blessing. For "He who would love life And see good days, Let him refrain his tongue from evil, And his lips from speaking deceit. Let him turn away from evil and do good; Let him seek peace and pursue it. For the eyes of the LORD are on the righteous, And His ears are open to their prayers; But the face of the LORD is against those who do evil." 1 Peter 3:8-12

Yes God’s true children were called to inherit a blessing. The thief (satan) comes to kill, steal and destroy but the Lord comes to give them life and more abundantly. The eyes of the LORD are on the righteous, and His ears are open to their prayers. The Bible says And the prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven (James 5:15). “Those who sow in tears shall reap in joy” (Psalm 126:5). They can look up to the Lord Jesus Christ and He shall deliver them from them problems and bless and exalt them in life. God’s true Children can look up to the Lord Jesus Christ and He shall deliver them from them problems and bless and exalt them in life. But the face of the LORD is against those who do evil, to cut off the remembrance of them from the earth. Evil shall slay the wicked, and those who hate the righteous shall be put to shame for God’s word is unchanging:

The eyes of the LORD are on the righteous, And His ears are open to their cry. The face of the LORD is against those who do evil, To cut off the remembrance of them from the earth. The righteous cry out, and the LORD hears, And delivers them out of all their troubles. The LORD is near to those who have a broken heart, And saves such as have a contrite spirit. Many are the afflictions of the righteous, But the LORD delivers him out of them all. He guards all his bones; Not one of them is broken. Evil shall slay the wicked, And those who hate the righteous shall be condemned. The LORD redeems the soul of His servants, And none of those who trust in Him shall be condemned. Psalm 34:15-22

We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love the brethren. He who does not love his brother abides in death. Whoever hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him. By this we know love, because He laid down His life for us. And we also ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. But whoever has this world's goods, and sees his brother in need, and shuts up his heart from him, how does the love of God abide in him? My little children, let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth. 1 John 3:14-18

And whatever we ask we receive from 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. Now he who keeps His commandments abides in Him, and He in him. And by this we know that He abides in us, by the Spirit whom He has given us. 1 John 3:22-24

But I want to remind you, though you once knew this, that the Lord, having saved the people out of the land of Egypt, afterward destroyed those who did not believe. Jude 1:5

God is love but He is also a God of Justice and in due season He give justice to His trusting ones (Isaiah 30:18-19, Luke 18:1-7)! Jesus clearly taught the hypocrites shut up the kingdom of God against men and they neither go in themselves nor do they all those who are entering to go in. As a result woe would come to them especially as they travel land and sea to win one proselyte and when he is won, they make him twice as much a son of hell as themselves.

The term “a son of hell” is not a only a non-flattering term but a very condemning and damned one considering that it came from the mouth of God! Mind many religious ones including Christians don’t believe that they will be damned to hell. They conveniently forget that God is a God of justice and He also hates hypocrites. They forget what He did to Sodom and Gomorrah who were exceedingly wicked and sinful against the LORD. The bible records:

Then the LORD rained brimstone and fire on Sodom and Gomorrah, from the LORD out of the heavens. So He overthrew those cities, all the plain, all the inhabitants of the cities, and what grew on the ground. Genesis 19:24-25

"Behold, all those who were incensed against you Shall be ashamed and disgraced; They shall be as nothing, And those who strive with you shall perish. You shall seek them and not find them-Those who contended with you. Those who war against you Shall be as nothing, As a nonexistent thing. Isaiah 41:11-12

Sodom and Gomorrah perished and became a nonexistent thing and this is what God has promised to do to all those who are His enemies. And there are many ways to become an enemy of God including touching His glory or touching His anointed ones. The bible records what God has done to those who became God’s enemies including King Saul, King Ahab, and how they paid for their foolishness with their lives and the loss of their kingdoms.

The New Testament or Covenant of Jesus Christ changed who and how men can approach God but it never changed His character, His love of justice, or His nature. He is a God of Love but He is also a God of wrath! Jesus Christ is a Lamb but He is also a Lion! Men conveniently forget how Jesus wept over Jerusalem because it didn’t know the time of God’s visitation. The bible records:

Now as He drew near, He saw the city and wept over it, saying, "If you had known, even you, especially in this your day, the things that make for your peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes. "For days will come upon you when your enemies will build an embankment around you, surround you and close you in on every side, "and level you, and your children within you, to the ground; and they will not leave in you one stone upon another, because you did not know the time of your visitation." Then He went into the temple and began to drive out those who bought and sold in it, saying to them, "It is written, 'My house is a house of prayer,' but you have made it a 'den of thieves.' " And He was teaching daily in the temple. But the chief priests, the scribes, and the leaders of the people sought to destroy Him, and were unable to do anything; for all the people were very attentive to hear Him. Matthew 19:40-48

Men presume things including God’s love, kindness, patience and compassion and never believe that God’s judgments would come upon them and He would use His others ministers, avengers to execute wrath on those who practices evil (Romans 13:4). But Jesus told us in His words that the day of grace for a kingdom, a person or a group of people would not last forever !He also spoke this parable: "A certain man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard, and he came seeking fruit on it and found none. 13:7 "Then he said to the keeper of his vineyard, 'Look, for three years I have come seeking fruit on this fig tree and find none. Cut it down; why does it use up the ground?' "But he answered and said to him, 'Sir, let it alone this year also, until I dig around it and fertilize it. 'And if it bears fruit, well. But if not, after that you can cut it down' " (Luke 13:7-9).

Yes, in due season kingdoms or people do get cut down. Jesus saw that the days would come the enemies of the Jews, the Romans, would build an embankment around Jerusalem, surround it and close it in on every side, and level it , and the people in it to ground. Of course they didn’t like Jesus telling the truth about them so they murdered Jesus. But they did not escape the condemnation of hell in the judgments of God that followed, as Flavius Josephus in writing about “The Siege of Jerusalem, AD 70” testified:

Throughout the city people were dying of hunger in large numbers, and enduring unspeakable sufferings. In every house the merest hint of food sparked violence, and close relatives fell to blows, snatching from one another the pitiful supports of life. No respect was paid even to the dying; the ruffians [anti-Roman zealots] searched them, in case they were concealing food somewhere in their clothes, or just pretending to be near death. Gaping with hunger, like mad dogs, lawless gangs went staggering and reeling through the streets, battering upon the doors like drunkards, and so bewildered that they broke into the same house two or three times in an hour. Need drove the starving to gnaw at anything. Refuse which even animals would reject was collected and turned into food. In the end they were eating belts and shoes, and the leather stripped off their shields. Tufts of withered grass were devoured, and sold in little bundles for four drachmas. [xiii]

There is a real price to be paid for rejecting truth and doing injustice, even in the current time of life, as the people of Jerusalem who murdered Jesus could testify. By 66 AD Life in Jerusalem had become a nightmare, it was so full of violence and misery. Famine and food shortages become an everyday problem.

Then in 70 AD Titus marched against the city with four legions of the Roman army. They laid siege to Jerusalem and using their battering rams they breached the walls of the city. Fleeing citizens of Jerusalem were caught by the Romans and were tortured and crucified. Later the whole city was destroyed and the people of Jerusalem paid the price for ignoring Jesus warning about what would happen to them. These kinds of things do happen even in the current time of life!

TITUS now promised that the Temple should be spared if the defenders would come forth and fight in any other place, but John and the Zealots refused to surrender it. For several days the outer cloisters and outer court were attacked with rams, but the immense and compact stones resisted the blows. As many soldiers were slain in seeking to storm the cloisters, Titus ordered the gates to be set on fire. Through that night and the next day the flames raged through the cloisters. Then, in order to save the Temple itself, he ordered the fire to be quenched. On the tenth of August, the same day of the year on which Nebuchadnezzar destroyed the Temple built by Solomon, the cry was heard that the Temple was on fire. The Jews, with cries of grief and rage, grasped their swords and rushed to take revenge on their enemies or perish in the ruins.

The slaughter was continued while the fire raged. Soon no part was left but a small portion of the outer cloisters, where 6,000 people had taken refuge, led by a false prophet who had there promised that God would deliver His people in His Temple. The soldiers set the building on fire and all perished. Titus next spent eighteen days in preparations for the attack on the upper city, which was then speedily captured. And now the Romans were not disposed to display any mercy, night alone putting an end to the carnage. During the whole of this siege of Jerusalem, 1,100,000 were slain, and the prisoners numbered 97,000. [xiv]

It’s very foolish and dangerous to one’s physical and spiritual health to become a wicked and lazy servant or to say or do anything that would get God upset. Judgment delayed is not judgment denied but rather God giving men a chance to repent while they still can. Wise men would be well advised to pray what the Psalmist prayed:

Hide Your face from my sins, And blot out all my iniquities. Create in me a clean heart, O God, And renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me away from Your presence, And do not take Your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of Your salvation, And uphold me by Your generous Spirit. Psalm 51:9-12

Search me, O God, and know my heart; Try me, and know my anxieties; And see if there is any wicked way in me, And lead me in the way everlasting. Psalm 139:23-24

Teach me to do Your will, For You are my God; Your Spirit is good. Lead me in the land of uprightness. Psalm 143:10

Chapter 24
My Cup Runs Over

Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, "If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. "And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free." They answered Him, "We are Abraham's descendants, and have never been in bondage to anyone. How can you say, 'You will be made free'?" Jesus answered them, "Most assuredly, I say to you, whoever commits sin is a slave of sin. "And a slave does not abide in the house forever, but a son abides forever. "Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed. John 8:31-36

Those who are Christians abide in God’s Word and they know what God in Christ has wrought for them. They enjoy and walk in what God through the Word and the Spirit has wrought in them. They know what they are to the Father in Christ and what power and authority they have in Christ including the power of their words. They confess the Lordship of Jesus and that they have become the righteousness of God and are saved. God’s word is unchanging:

You will also declare a thing, And it will be established for you; So light will shine on your ways. Job 22:28

Now in the morning, as He returned to the city, He was hungry. And seeing a fig tree by the road, He came to it and found nothing on it but leaves, and said to it, "Let no fruit grow on you ever again." Immediately the fig tree withered away. And when the disciples saw it, they marveled, saying, "How did the fig tree wither away so soon?" So Jesus answered and said to them, "Assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith and do not doubt, you will not only do what was done to the fig tree, but also if you say to this mountain, 'Be removed and be cast into the sea,' it will be done. "And whatever things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive." Matthew 21:18-22

Yes, if you have faith and do not doubt, you will say to a mountain, 'Be removed and be cast into the sea,' it will be done. And whatever things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive because you know who you are in Christ, a son of god. Yes, if any man is in Christ, he is a new creation” (2 Corinthians 5:17). He is a new creation created in Christ Jesus with the life of God, the nature of God, and the ability of God in him. In Christ we have our redemption through His blood, the remission of our trespasses according to the riches of His grace, which He made to abound toward us in all wisdom and prudence. (Ephesians 1:7-8).

Satan’s dominion has been broken. He lost his dominion over our life the moment we became a new creation. We received a new Lord, Jesus Christ, to reign over us. Satan’s dominion ended and Jesus’ dominion began. Disease and sickness can no longer lord it over us. The old habits can no longer lord it over us. We are a new creation created in Christ. Yes, He who is in us is greater than he who is in the world. God’s word is unchanging:

"But you, Israel, are My servant, Jacob whom I have chosen, The descendants of Abraham My friend. You whom I have taken from the ends of the earth, And called from its farthest regions, And said to you, 'You are My servant, I have chosen you and have not cast you away: Fear not, for I am with you; Be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, Yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.' "Behold, all those who were incensed against you Shall be ashamed and disgraced; They shall be as nothing, And those who strive with you shall perish. You shall seek them and not find them- Those who contended with you. Those who war against you Shall be as nothing, As a nonexistent thing. For I, the LORD your God, will hold your right hand, Saying to you, 'Fear not, I will help you.' Isaiah 41:8-13

What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things? Romans 8:31-32

Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world. By this you know the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God, and every spirit that does not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is not of God. And this is the spirit of the Antichrist, which you have heard was coming, and is now already in the world. You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world. 1 John 4:2-4

Yes, if God be for us, who can be against us? God is in us now; the Master of creation is in us! Greater is He that is in us than all the forces that can be arrayed against us including poverty, lack, bills, sickness, disease, demons, and frail mortal men. We can with boldness proclaim “You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You anoint my head with oil; My cup runs over. (Psalm 23:5)! For His anger is but for a moment, His favor is for life; Weeping may endure for a night, But joy comes in the morning (Psalm 30:5).

Yes, we are filled with joy and victory because God has taken us over; He is fighting all our battles.” We are not afraid of negative circumstances because we can do all things in Him who strengthens us. And He is not only our strength but He is at our right hand. He is our salvation, our shield, our defender, our rewarder, our all. He gives us light in the dark and songs in the night. He is our present help in trouble, our salvation, our deliverance from every trap the enemy sets for us, from, every snare in which he would enslave us. God is the strength of our life, of whom shall we be afraid?” We are not afraid of anything! We have no fear because this God of Omnipotence is on our side.

We have a redemption that God planned and wrought in Christ. We are a new creation of which God, Himself, is the Author and the Finisher. We have a righteousness that permits us to stand in His presence as though sin had never been done. We have not only have righteousness reckoned to us we have righteousness imparted to us in the new nature that we have received from Him. We have received His nature His life. And in this life and nature is-the Life of God. This makes us righteous even as He is righteous. God’s word is unchanging:

No one has seen God at any time. If we love one another, God abides in us, and His love has been perfected in us. By this we know that we abide in Him, and He in us, because He has given us of His Spirit. And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent the Son as Savior of the world. Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God. And we have known and believed the love that God has for us. God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God and God in him. Love has been perfected among us in this: that we may have boldness in the Day of Judgment; because as He is, so are we in this world. There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love. 1 John 4:12-18

There shall come forth a Rod from the stem of Jesse, And a Branch shall grow out of his roots. The Spirit of the LORD shall rest upon Him, The Spirit of wisdom and understanding, The Spirit of counsel and might, The Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD. His delight is in the fear of the LORD, And He shall not judge by the sight of His eyes, Nor decide by the hearing of His ears; But with righteousness He shall judge the poor, And decide with equity for the meek of the earth; He shall strike the earth with the rod of His mouth, And with the breath of His lips He shall slay the wicked. Righteousness shall be the belt of His loins, And faithfulness the belt of His waist. Isaiah 11:1-5

Does a spring send forth fresh water and bitter from the same opening? Can a fig tree, my brethren, bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Thus no spring yields both salt water and fresh. Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show by good conduct that his works are done in the meekness of wisdom. But if you have bitter envy and self-seeking in your hearts, do not boast and lie against the truth. This wisdom does not descend from above, but is earthly, sensual, demonic. For where envy and self-seeking exist, confusion and every evil thing are there. But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy. Now the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace. James 3:11-18

God abides in us and we abide in God. As He is, so are we in this world. We are fearless and righteous and bold as a lion and do greater works than Jesus did. We are not hemmed in by limitations because we are united with the Limitless One. He is the Vine and we are the branch. As a branch we bear His fruit because the Vine is imparting to us the fullness of His life. We love because He has shed abroad His love in our heart through the Holy Spirit. God’s very nature in us is love. His love ability has gained the mastery for now we can love in whatever circumstances we are placed especially the brethren.

We have not only God’s life in us and the great Holy Spirit who rose up Jesus from the dead in us to give us wisdom, discernment, knowledge, understanding and power but we have the use of Jesus' name. Jesus has given to us a legal right to use it. Hence whatever we ask of the Father in His Name, He gives to us. He has given to us the power of attorney. And we can use that that power to help men. We can let Jesus working His own work through us and live His own life in us. Our hands and mouths become the medium through which His life pours out through us. Our words are His words. His words ‘broke the power of death, of demons, and healed the sick.’ They do the same things in our lips. God’s word is unchanging:

"The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon Me, Because the LORD has anointed Me To preach good tidings to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives, And the opening of the prison to those who are bound; To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD, And the day of vengeance of our God; To comfort all who mourn, To console those who mourn in Zion, To give them beauty for ashes, The oil of joy for mourning, The garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; That they may be called trees of righteousness, The planting of the LORD, that He may be glorified." And they shall rebuild the old ruins, They shall raise up the former desolations, And they shall repair the ruined cities, The desolations of many generations. Strangers shall stand and feed your flocks, And the sons of the foreigner Shall be your plowmen and your vinedressers. But you shall be named the priests of the LORD, They shall call you the servants of our God. You shall eat the riches of the Gentiles, And in their glory you shall boast. Isaiah 61:1-6

Chapter 25
Blessed Are Those Who Mourn

Now the LORD blessed the latter days of Job more than his beginning; for he had fourteen thousand sheep, six thousand camels, one thousand yoke of oxen, and one thousand female donkeys. Job 42:12

And seeing the multitudes, He went up on a mountain, and when He was seated His disciples came to Him. Then He opened His mouth and taught them, saying: "Blessed are the poor in spirit, For theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, For they shall be comforted. Blessed are the meek, For they shall inherit the earth. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, For they shall be filled. Matthew 5:1-6

We have many in Christendom who spiritualize the promises of God that they become useless and of no avail including “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted” by the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God (2 Corinthians 1:3-4)! The comfort of God is not just something spiritual but has physical aspects attached to it just like Job could testify when LORD blessed the latter days of Job more than his beginning by restoring to him double all his real losses!

To say they there are not real physical benefits in serving and being faithful to God is to deny they truth of the word of God that the Lord is a Rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. Many anointed ones in the bible including Abraham, David, Solomon, Moses, Joshua, Hezekiah, Jehoshaphat and Joseph can testify how God blessed them in wealth and richest! God’s word is true:

'I have given you a land for which you did not labor, and cities which you did not build, and you dwell in them; you eat of the vineyards and olive groves which you did not plant.' Joshua 24:13

Praise the LORD! Blessed is the man who fears the LORD, Who delights greatly in His commandments. His descendants will be mighty on earth; The generation of the upright will be blessed. Wealth and riches will be in his house, And his righteousness endures forever. Psalm 112:1-3

The speech pleased the LORD, that Solomon had asked this thing. Then God said to him: "Because you have asked this thing, and have not asked long life for yourself, nor have asked riches for yourself, nor have asked the life of your enemies, but have asked for yourself understanding to discern justice, "behold, I have done according to your words; see, I have given you a wise and understanding heart, so that there has not been anyone like you before you, nor shall any like you arise after you. "And I have also given you what you have not asked: both riches and honor, so that there shall not be anyone like you among the kings all your days. 1 Kings 3:10-13

What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things? Romans 8:31-32

God has clearly stated “The generation of the upright will be blessed. Wealth and riches will be in his house!” The blessings of God include wealth and riches for the upright! To deny this truth is to deny the word of God and to add or remove things from it which is a very foolish thing to do!

Mind you there are those so called Christians who claim and confess God’s word in Proverbs 13:22 “A good man leaves an inheritance to his children's children, But the wealth of the sinner is stored up for the righteous.” And since the bible doesn’t state how they wealth is acquired they steal it from the elderly and God’s people by means of a ponzi scheme or through “love offerings” that are freely given by God’s people.”

The Lakeland Ledger reported on June 16, 2006 Daniel Strader To Stay In Prison - Son of religious leader is serving a 45-year sentence for stealing $3 million from investors[xv] By Jason Geary:

BARTOW -- A bid for clemency by Daniel Strader, a former insurance agent and son of a prominent Lakeland religious leader who is in prison for stealing more than $3 million from investors, has been denied. Strader, 48, has been searching for mercy since his 1995 conviction on 238 criminal charges.

He is serving a 45-year prison sentence with a scheduled release date in 2033.

In December, Karl Strader, the founder of the Carpenter's Home Church in Lakeland and father of Daniel Strader, and other supporters made their plea to aides to the state Clemency Board. They suggested Daniel Strader should be released from prison to begin repaying his victims.

But the State Attorney's Office in Bartow received a letter Tuesday from the Office of Executive Clemency in Tallahassee with news that Strader's request to waive the clemency rules to allow his case to proceed had been denied.

The Florida State prosecutors proved their case and convinced the jurors that Dan Strader devised an elaborate scheme to attract cash in real-estate and mortgage investments. He was selling the securities without a license and that the securities were unregistered. This was done in an organized method amounting to Racketeer-Influence and Corrupt Organizations, or RICO Act.

As a result Daniel Strader, 37, was sentenced to 45 years in prison in August 1995. He was convicted of 238 felony counts for bilking 57 mostly elderly investors, some members of the church, out of $2.3 million by selling investments in properties that didn't exist or already had liens against them.

Crime didn’t pay for Dan or Karl Strader who had to sell his beloved Carpenter’s Home Church to another scoundrel Pastor Randy White. Speaking of Randy White the St. Petersburg Times reported on July 11, 2009 Without Walls gets new pastor [xvi] By Sherri Day:

TAMPA — One week after her ex-husband resigned as senior pastor of Without Walls International Church, Paula White plans to take the pulpit Sunday as the church's new leader, the Whites said in separate interviews late Friday.

...Word of Paula White's new post seeped out Sunday when Randy White preached his last sermon as senior pastor at the church and resigned. White, 51, said he was stepping aside because of health concerns. He declined to elaborate on his condition, although he said he had been ill and in and out of the hospital for much of the last seven months.

"I have some serious health issues right now," White said in an interview Friday. "I've had six different doctors say that I had to take the stress, the pressure out of my life. So I've resigned, and Paula's taking over."

Although she had made periodic visits, Paula White, 43, has been away from full-time pastoring at Without Walls for more than two years. She left Tampa following a 2007 divorce from her husband. Since then, she said, she has ministered mostly in New York, Texas and abroad.

…Once a powerhouse couple in charismatic Christian circles, the Whites started the ministry that would become Without Walls in a South Tampa storefront. Its present sanctuary seats 4,000, Randy White said. The ministry was hit hard in recent years by the couple's divorce, the death of White's daughter from brain cancer and the hint of scandals, including a federal inquiry into the church's finances by Sen. Charles Grassley, R-Iowa.

But crime does pay for David Cerullo C.E.O of Inspiration Network and the son of Morris Cerrullo, a prominent TV and healing Evangelist from San Diego California. The Charlotte Observer reported on June 29, 2009 CEO of ministry building $4 million lakefront home Inspiration Networks' Cerullo is constructing one of the priciest houses in western S.C[xvii] By Ames Alexander:

At a time when Inspiration Networks has been cutting jobs, freezing wages and even adjusting the office thermostat to save money, the chief executive of the Charlotte-area broadcaster has invested about $4million in a lakefront home under construction in South Carolina.

CEO David Cerullo's new house includes more than 9,000 heated square feet, along with a 2,000-square-foot screened porch, records show. It sits on the edge of the Blue Ridge Mountains west of Greenville in a gated community that overlooks Lake Keowee.

And it's shaping up to be one of the priciest houses in western South Carolina. On Realtor.com, just two homes in the greater Greenville area are on the market for more than $4 million.

Cerullo's fast-growing religious network, meanwhile, is drawing scrutiny for the money it collects from donors and the incentives it won from the state of South Carolina to move from Charlotte.

The broadcaster has raised tens of millions, largely by telling viewers that God brings financial favor to those who donate.

As the nonprofit network has grown – with revenues expected to approach $100 million this year – so has Cerullo's salary.

With compensation exceeding $1.5 million a year, Cerullo is the best-paid leader of any religious charity tracked by watchdog groups, the Observer reported last month.

… In 2006, Cerullo and his wife, Barbara, paid $950,000 for the one-acre lot along Lake Keowee, real estate records show. Two years later, they took out a $3.15 million construction loan for the custom-built house.

The couple now lives in a 12,000-square foot home in south Charlotte valued at $1.7 million.

Today people are very disillusioned with Christianity and the church! They see Catholic priests violate young parishioners. They see televangelists have affairs and steal money from their ministries. On the ground level, they see their neighbors hosting raucous parties, cheating in business and cheating on their spouses and then going to church every Sunday morning and pretending to be pious. The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation reported on July 2, 2009 100 Huntley Street hosts suspended during Ponzi scheme probe[xviii] by CBC News:

David Mainse … remains on 100 Huntley Street, but his sons have been asked to leave the evangelical television program. (Canadian Press)

Ron and Reynold Mainse have been relieved of their duties as hosts of Christian program 100 Huntley Street after allegedly becoming involved in a $14.1-million Ponzi scheme.

Crossroads Christian Communications, the Canadian ministry behind 100 Huntley Street, has issued a statement saying ministry funds were not used in the scheme and that the brothers had made a private investment.

Crossroads founder David Mainse remains on the show, but his two sons were suspended in early June after it was learned their investments were being investigated by the U.S. Security Exchange Commission.

They had invested money with Gordon Driver, a neighbour of Ron Mainse in Freelton, Ont., whose company is called Axcess Automation.

The SEC alleges Driver was running a Ponzi scheme that drew $14.1 million US from more than 100 Canadian and U.S. investors.

Driver was promising weekly returns on investment as high as five per cent, based on special software he said he developed to trade futures.

The Ontario Securities Commission has ordered Driver and Axcess Automation to cease all trading and the SEC is seeking to seize its assets.

According to SEC court filings, Driver testified that he had worked for 100 Huntley Street as a teenager.

In a May 14 filing in California, the SEC accuses Ron and Reynold Mainse, who were hosts on 100 Huntley Street, of helping Driver recruit new investors.

The hypocrisy of prominent TV Evangelists and Pastors is very evident in the fact that most of them ask the viewerss to either step out in faith and make a super large gift or to give sacrificially while they themselves don’t do it!

Look at Richard Roberts and how he was forced to resign as President of ORU because of his love for a very comfortable luxurious living? Look at Jim and Tammy Bakker and their luxurious life style at the expense of the donors? And look at what brought down the downfall of Rex Humbard?

In 1973 the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and West Virginia Securities Division issued cease-and-desist orders on $12 million worth of gospel bonds sold by TV evangelist Rex Humbard of Akron. The authorities warned that — despite his $4 million cathedral, $250,000 mansion, private jet, $10 million office tower, church-owned girdle factory, and other holdings — Humbard lacked enough assets to back up the bonds. Humbard begged emergency donations and reaped enough millions to lift the government freezes. (He also sold the unprofitable girdle factory because “panty hose killed us.”) And in June, Humbard and his sons bought a $650,000 vacation home complex, in addition to their mansions in Akron from the emergency donations.

And when the news media went public about the Humbard’s vacation home complex that was the end of Rex ministry! So in away the arrogant Mainses who have circled the wagons have something to fear or they would be honest with everybody?

Note: Have you noticed that many preachers are a broken record and their preaching is very narrow minded especially concerning giving that it’s all about money? They ignore the word of god that tells us that our giving is to be tempered according to what one has and not according to what one does not have! And we are to give ourselves first to God and then everything else! The bible tells us:

And not only as we had hoped, but they first gave themselves to the Lord, and then to us by the will of God. For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, that you through His poverty might become rich. And in this I give advice: It is to your advantage not only to be doing what you began and were desiring to do a year ago; but now you also must complete the doing of it; that as there was a readiness to desire it, so there also may be a completion out of what you have. For if there is first a willing mind, it is accepted according to what one has, and not according to what he does not have. For I do not mean that others should be eased and you burdened; but by an equality, that now at this time your abundance may supply their lack, that their abundance also may supply your lack-that there may be equality. 2 Corinthians 8:5-13

Chapter 26
Health And Healing

'Behold, I will bring it health and healing; I will heal them and reveal to them the abundance of peace and truth. 'And I will cause the captives of Judah and the captives of Israel to return, and will rebuild those places as at the first. 'I will cleanse them from all their iniquity by which they have sinned against Me, and I will pardon all their iniquities by which they have sinned and by which they have transgressed against Me. 'Then it shall be to Me a name of joy, a praise, and an honor before all nations of the earth, who shall hear all the good that I do to them; they shall fear and tremble for all the goodness and all the prosperity that I provide for it.' "Thus says the LORD: 'Again there shall be heard in this place-of which you say, "It is desolate, without man and without beast"-in the cities of Judah, in the streets of Jerusalem that are desolate, without man and without inhabitant and without beast, 'the voice of joy and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom and the voice of the bride, the voice of those who will say: "Praise the LORD of hosts, For the LORD is good, For His mercy endures forever"-and of those who will bring the sacrifice of praise into the house of the LORD. For I will cause the captives of the land to return as at the first,' says the LORD. "Thus says the LORD of hosts: 'In this place which is desolate, without man and without beast, and in all its cities, there shall again be a dwelling place of shepherds causing their flocks to lie down. 'In the cities of the mountains, in the cities of the lowland, in the cities of the South, in the land of Benjamin, in the places around Jerusalem, and in the cities of Judah, the flocks shall again pass under the hands of him who counts them,' says the LORD. Jeremiah 33:6-13

Where the was dearth and desolation in the land, health, healing, abundance of peace and truth, joy, gladness, goodness, and prosperity were words that God Himself had used and had promised to give to His people who were captives in a strange land! And of course, God keeps His promises all of them. And these are words He has and promised for His people even in this day and age that we live in no matter what is going around them. And God has the power to make it so for the LORD is good, for His mercy endures forever to those who will bring the sacrifice of praise to Him! The bible tells us great is our Lord, and mighty in power:

Praise the LORD! For it is good to sing praises to our God; For it is pleasant, and praise is beautiful. The LORD builds up Jerusalem; He gathers together the outcasts of Israel. He heals the brokenhearted And binds up their wounds. He counts the number of the stars; He calls them all by name. Great is our Lord, and mighty in power; His understanding is infinite. The LORD lifts up the humble; He casts the wicked down to the ground. Psalm 147:1-6

However the other side of the coin that the dearth and desolation of God’s people Israel was brought upon by themselves! God Himself stated in Jeremiah 2:13 "For My people have committed two evils: They have forsaken Me, the fountain of living waters, And hewn themselves cisterns-broken cisterns that can hold no water, 3:1 But you have played the harlot with many lovers; Yet return to Me," says the LORD and 4:22 "For My people are foolish, They have not known Me. They are silly children, And they have no understanding. They are wise to do evil, But to do good they have no knowledge."

God’s people who once were loyal to the Lord and a holy people turned their back on Him. They had perverted their way; they had forgotten the LORD their God. They had sinned against the LORD their God, and had not obeyed the voice of the LORD our God. They didn't put away their abominations out of God's sight and return to Him! They became harlots and adulterers! As a result destruction upon destruction was cried, the whole land was plundered and those who were not destroyed went into Babylonian captivity for seventy years. God’s word is unchanging:

For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows. 1 Timothy 6:10

…They have a heart trained in covetous practices, and are accursed children. 2:15 They have forsaken the right way and gone astray, following the way of Balaam the son of Beor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness; 2 Peter 2:14

Marriage is honorable among all, and the bed undefiled; but fornicators and adulterers God will judge. Hebrews 13:4

Where do wars and fights come from among you? Do they not come from your desires for pleasure that war in your members? You lust and do not have. You murder and covet and cannot obtain. You fight and war. Yet you do not have because you do not ask. You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures. Adulterers and adulteresses! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. James 4:1-4

Even today most of God’s people don’t understand that “whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God” and God calls them adulterers and adulteresses? Because they live and do exactly as the world does, and they are not different! They divorce, lie, steal, cheat, do all kinds of evil and wicked things. They run after money and have a heart trained in covetous practices. They are accursed children, who have forsaken the right way and gone astray, following the way of Balaam the son of Beor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness. And God word to idolaters and adulterers has not changed:

"Go and proclaim these words toward the north, and say: 'Return, backsliding Israel,' says the LORD; 'I will not cause My anger to fall on you. For I am merciful,' says the LORD; 'I will not remain angry forever. Only acknowledge your iniquity, That you have transgressed against the LORD your God, And have scattered your charms To alien deities under every green tree, And you have not obeyed My voice,' says the LORD. Return, O backsliding children," says the LORD; "for I am married to you. I will take you, one from a city and two from a family, and I will bring you to Zion. "And I will give you shepherds according to My heart, who will feed you with knowledge and understanding. Jeremiah 3:12

The book of Hosea is a powerful image of how God loves His bride even though she has become an adulteress. God calls Hosea, a prophet, to take a wife who is and will be an adulteress. A cycle ensues: faithfulness, adultery, repentance and redemption, faithfulness, adultery, etc. But God isn't just telling the story of one husband and wife. He's using their story to point his people to the fact that we do the exact same thing to Him. God has given us salvation, hope, and freedom. And yet we often turn away from him and turn to other gods. Money, career, vanity, success, people's perceptions and acceptance of us. God reminds us that we have become idolaters and adulterers.

God had told Hosea to marry a bad woman, Gomer, she was a prostitute (Hosea 1:2). I kind of think Hosea had already had his eyes on this Jezebel, but Hosea knew Gomer was not the proper kind of woman to marry. God told Hosea to go ahead and marry Gomer. Oh how happy Hosea must have been on their wedding day. He said "Hot dog! I've got me a beautiful wife." She was probably beautiful on the outward appearance like Britney Spears or Christian Aguilera. I'm sure she was a hot-dancer and probably wore a few tattoos. Her captivating eyes probably cut right through Hosea with striking beauty. I'm sure she was gorgeous. Little did Hosea realize that his new love would break his heart. Gomer cheated on Hosea left and right, she was a two-time loser.

Poor Hosea, his heart was broken. Gomer slept with one man after another and eventually didn't bother to come home anymore. To make a long story short...at the end of Hosea we find Gomer being sold as a slave. Isn't that where sin always takes people? Sin will enslave you (John 8:34). Hosea hadn't seen Gomer for years and had done his best to raise the kids on his own. Gomer had abandoned her family in pursuit of pleasure and wickedness...but only for a season. Hosea had every right to divorce Gomer and never speak to her again.

Time after time, Hosea pleads with his wife to just come home, but she will not return. Hosea tells her he loves her and wants to forget the past. Gomer laughs at Hosea and goes her own way again. She is having a good time and could care less about Hosea or her children. There are MANY women in the world today just like Gomer, women like Jennifer Lopez, who one day just walked out the door on her husband...never to return. Hosea was a tenderhearted man married to a coldhearted woman.

Hosea just so happened to be walking by the market one day where the slaves are sold. As Hosea is walking by, he looks up and notices an old battered woman with a familiar face. It is his wife, Gomer. Hosea cries when he sees Gomer and cannot believe how she has changed. Her beauty is faded and her shapely body withered. She is so ashamed of what she has done...wasted years living in sin...why would Hosea want her back when no one else does? Hosea's heart breaks and he buys Gomer back. Hosea pays cash to buy his wayward wife back from off the slave market.

What a great picture of God's unfeigned love, not the type of synthetic love that the world offers. Hosea NEVER gave up on his wife and God has not given up on His people.

Chapter 27
God Is Rich

For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, for the same Lord over all is rich to all who call upon Him. Romans 10:12

And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:19

I was raised up in a fundamentalist Baptist Church that believed and taught that poverty, sickness and suffering were the will of God and richest and wealth were of the devil! The down side was you could not pray for health and wealth if God doesn’t want you to have it according to their very bad report!

True faith requires that you believe that God wants you to be healthy and wealthy no matter what the circumstances and He will do it for you just like He did for Job. James tells us Indeed we count them blessed who endure. You have heard of the perseverance of Job and seen the end intended by the Lord-that the Lord is very compassionate and merciful (James 5:11)! And the bible God’s word tells us about Job:

Now the LORD blessed the latter days of Job more than his beginning; for he had fourteen thousand sheep, six thousand camels, one thousand yoke of oxen, and one thousand female donkeys. He also had seven sons and three daughters. And he called the name of the first Jemimah, the name of the second Keziah, and the name of the third Keren-Happuch. In all the land were found no women so beautiful as the daughters of Job; and their father gave them an inheritance among their brothers. After this Job lived one hundred and forty years, and saw his children and grandchildren for four generations. So Job died, old and full of days. Job 42:12-17

There was no discussion in the bible that God wanted Job to be poor and sick or that God afflicted him with loss and sickness? Rather it was the Devil who stole Job’s wealth and made him sick with boils. It was God who restored Job’s wealth double what he originally had and restored him to perfect health demonstrating His will for a righteous blameless friend! Those who believe God wants His people sick don’t know God at all because then Jesus disobeyed God’s will by healing and delivering the sick and afflicted. The bible clearly states:

Then His fame went throughout all Syria; and they brought to Him all sick people who were afflicted with various diseases and torments, and those who were demon-possessed, epileptics, and paralytics; and He healed them. Matthew 4:24

"The LORD has blessed my master greatly, and he has become great; and He has given him flocks and herds, silver and gold, male and female servants, and camels and donkeys. Genesis 24:35

He also brought them out with silver and gold, And there was none feeble among His tribes. Psalm 103:37

"Listen to Me, you who follow after righteousness, You who seek the LORD: Look to the rock from which you were hewn, And to the hole of the pit from which you were dug. Look to Abraham your father, And to Sarah who bore you; For I called him alone, And blessed him and increased him." For the LORD will comfort Zion, He will comfort all her waste places; He will make her wilderness like Eden, And her desert like the garden of the LORD; Joy and gladness will be found in it, Thanksgiving and the voice of melody. Isaiah 51:1-3

You shall drink the milk of the Gentiles, And milk the breast of kings; You shall know that I, the LORD, am your Savior And your Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob. "Instead of bronze I will bring gold, Instead of iron I will bring silver, Instead of wood, bronze, And instead of stones, iron. I will also make your officers peace, And your magistrates righteousness. Violence shall no longer be heard in your land, Neither wasting nor destruction within your borders; But you shall call your walls Salvation, And your gates Praise. Isaiah 60:17-18

Yes, the bible teaches that God blesses with and gives silver and gold to His people just like He did to Abraham! Mind you God’s word doesn’t say we are to seek silver and gold with all our hearts? Rather it states

And he did evil, because he did not prepare his heart to seek the LORD. 2 Chronicles 12:14

Then they entered into a covenant to seek the LORD God of their fathers with all their heart and with all their soul; 2 Chronicles 15:12

And in the thirty-ninth year of his reign, Asa became diseased in his feet, and his malady was severe; yet in his disease he did not seek the LORD, but the physicians. 2 Chronicles 16:12

The young lions lack and suffer hunger; But those who seek the LORD shall not lack any good thing. Psalm 34:10

Seek the LORD and His strength; Seek His face evermore! Psalm 105:5

Woe to those who go down to Egypt for help, And rely on horses, Who trust in chariots because they are many, And in horsemen because they are very strong, But who do not look to the Holy One of Israel, Nor seek the LORD! Isaiah 31:1

Seek the LORD while He may be found, Call upon Him while He is near. Let the wicked forsake his way, And the unrighteous man his thoughts; Let him return to the LORD, And He will have mercy on him; And to our God, For He will abundantly pardon. Isaiah 55:6-7

Sow for yourselves righteousness; Reap in mercy; Break up your fallow ground, For it is time to seek the LORD, Till He comes and rains righteousness on you. Hosea 10:12

"But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. Matthew 6:63

The blessings of God come to those who seek the Lord and not upon those who seek the blessings! But Jesus Christ is the Prince of Peace and He desires that His people have peace. In Hebrews the word Peace is Shalom. And Shalom is completeness, wholeness, peace, health, welfare, safety, soundness, tranquility, prosperity, fullness, perfectness, harmony, the absence of agitation and the absence of discord. Shalom means completeness and wholeness in all areas. Yes, God wants His people to live in Peace and be made whole body, soul and spirit as well as financially God’s word is true:

Arise, O LORD; Save me, O my God! For You have struck all my enemies on the cheekbone; You have broken the teeth of the ungodly. Salvation belongs to the LORD. Your blessing is upon Your people. Selah Psalm 3:7-8

Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers. For I rejoiced greatly when brethren came and testified of the truth that is in you, just as you walk in the truth. I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth. 3 John 1:2-4

Larry Ollison tells us that the bible teaches that prosperity is the will of God:

1) God desires for us to prosper.
Let them shout for joy and be glad, who favor my righteous cause; and let them say continually, “Let the LORD be magnified, Who has pleasure in the prosperity of His servant” (Psalm 35:27).

2) God teaches us to profit.
Thus says the LORD, your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel: “I am the LORD your God, Who teaches you to profit, Who leads you by the way you should go” (Isaiah 48:17).

3) Receiving is the result of giving and God wants us to give.
Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you (Luke 6:38).

4) God adds things to us when we seek first His kingdom.
But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you (Matthew 6:33).

5) We are commanded to honor the LORD with our increase. Therefore, increase must be of God.
Honor the LORD with your possessions, and with the firstfruits of all your increase; so your barns will be filled with plenty, and your vats will overflow with new wine (Proverbs 3:9,10).

6) God empowers us to get wealth.
And you shall remember the LORD your God, for it is He who gives you power to get wealth, that He may establish His covenant which He swore to your fathers, as it is this day (Deuteronomy 8:18).

7) God gives us all things that pertain to life.
As His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue, by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust (2 Peter 1:3,4).

8) God’s blessing is riches without sorrow.
The blessing of the LORD makes one rich, and He adds no sorrow with it (Proverbs 10:22).

9) God supplies all my needs according to His riches.
And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:19).

10) Jesus delivered us from poverty.
For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, that you through His poverty might become rich (2 Corinthians 8:9).

Victory Ministries

Walter Kambulow

July 1, 2009

All rights reserved

Burlington, Ontario

Mail to walthope@mail.com

http://walthope.tripod.com/redeemer.htm

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[i] http://www.thepropheticyears.com/wordpress/2008/07/20/coming-christian-wealth-transfer-or-an-ongoing-third-wave-demon-transfer.html

[ii] http://www.moriel.org/articles/discernment/church_issues/delusional_world_of_mark_stibbe.htm

[iii] http://www.unleavenedbreadministries.org/SG.pdf

[iv] http://www.unleavenedbreadministries.org/SG.pdf

[v] http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/metro/20070814-9999-1m14cerullo.html

[vi] http://www.mcwe.com/store/product.php?productid=26&cat=0&page=1

[vii] http://www.benedictionblogson.com/2009/07/02/news-coverage-of-100-huntleyalleged-driver-ponzi-scheme/

[viii] Http://www.patholliday

[ix] http://endtimespropheticwords.wordpress.com/2008/08/03/charismatic-gemstones-and-glory-gold-dust-signs-and-wonders/

[x] http://www.unleavenedbreadministries.org/HM.pdf

[xi] http://www.unleavenedbreadministries.org/HM.pdf

[xii] http://www.unleavenedbreadministries.org/SG.pdf

[xiii] http://www.loyno.edu/~rspipes/chicken/seige.htm

[xiv] http://www.publicbookshelf.com/public_html/Outline_of_Great_Books_Volume_I/templejer_cg.html

[xv] http://www.theledger.com/article/20060616/NEWS/606160330?Title=Daniel-Strader-To-Stay-In-Prison

[xvi] http://www.tampabay.com/news/religion/article1017585.ece

[xvii] http://www.charlotteobserver.com/597/story/806505.html?storylink=omni_popular

[xviii] http://www.cbc.ca/arts/tv/story/2009/07/02/ponzi-scheme-mainse.html

• 
  Great links
  http://sacred-truths.blogspot.com/2012/01/be-filled-with-all-fullness-of-god.html
  http://sacred-truths.blogspot.com/2012/01/power-of-blood.html
  http://sacred-truths.blogspot.com/2012/01/all-things-are-yours.html
  http://sacred-truths.blogspot.com/2012/01/be-not-ignorant.html
  ...http://sacred-truths.blogspot.com/2012/01/called-to-inherit-blessing.html
  http://sacred-truths.blogspot.com/2012/01/effective-fervent-prayer.html
  http://sacred-truths.blogspot.com/2012/01/who-is-like-god.html
  http://sacred-truths.blogspot.com/2012/01/let-god-arise.html
  http://sacred-truths.blogspot.com/2012/01/lord-will-hear.html
  http://sacred-truths.blogspot.com/2012/01/our-wonderful-redeemer.html
  http://sacred-truths.blogspot.com/2012/01/blessed-to-be-blessing.html
  http://sacred-truths.blogspot.com/2012/01/in-time-of-trouble.html
  http://sacred-truths.blogspot.com/2012/01/god-hears-and-answers-prayers.html
  http://sacred-truths.blogspot.com/2012/01/gods-will-is-healing.html
  http://sacred-truths.blogspot.com/2012/01/more-shall-be-given.html
  http://sacred-truths.blogspot.com/2012/01/greatest-is-love.html
  http://sacred-truths.blogspot.com/2012/01/lord-is-very-compassionate.html
  http://sacred-truths.blogspot.com/2012/01/i-believe-i-receive.html
  http://sacred-truths.blogspot.com/2012/01/all-sufficient-christ.html
  http://sacred-truths.blogspot.com/2012/01/is-sola-scriptura-true-and-from-god.html
  http://sacred-truths.blogspot.com/2012/01/tongues-is-not-for-believers.html
  
  http://sacred/-truths.blogspot.com/2012/01/by-power-of-holy-spirit.htm
  http://postedat.wordpress.com/2011/12/25/the-vanity-of-keeping-the-old-testament-commandments/
  http://sacred-truths.blogspot.com/2011/12/god-can-speak-directly-to-you.html
  http://sacred-truths.blogspot.com/2011/12/money-and-ministry.html
  http://sacred-truths.blogspot.com/2011/12/facing-death-and-devil-too.html
  http://sacred-truths.blogspot.com/2011/12/about-apostles.html