Hello Mejbaker,

Brother Mark, I'd like to mention some contrasting thoughts. As Christians, all we have, all we are, and all we can be are ONLY in JESUS CHRIST. As an example, the only righteousness I have is in JESUS CHRIST. I'm extremely happy to simply be a purchased possession, a child and servant of the KING.

Love In Christ,
Tom

Colossians 1:13-14 NASB  For He rescued us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

Heh Brother Tom, Thanks for the comments. I most certainly agree with what you are saying. Everything we have and are is in and through Christ Jesus. I sometimes think that Christians don't know or have real understanding of what Jesus purchased for them and the tremendous price He paid to bring us our incredible redemption. I always like to encourage people to seek after this understanding and truely begin to walk in it. I would have said more in this post but it was already long enough. So I guess i'll save it for another time.

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

The subject of authority can sometimes be confusing, so let’s start by defining it. Strong’s Concordance says; privilege, delegated influence:  W.E. Vines says this… "power of authority," the right to exercise power. I have heard one definition of authority that says authority is delegated power, and I think that is a very good description. Authority in itself is not power, but the bestowed right to use and yield that power.

If you look at Jesus statement in Mt. 28 you will see that the authority He was walking in was given to Him.  As He Himself said, all authority has been given to Me.
My question is Who gave Jesus the right to walk in this authority and do we as Christians have the right to walk in Godly authority? The truth is most Christians recognize the authority that Jesus walked in. The Pharisees who were the religious leaders of His day asked Jesus this very question, although they weren’t seeking understanding, they were trying to trap Him.

Matthew 21:23  Now when He came into the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people confronted Him as He was teaching, and said, "By what authority are You doing these things? And who gave You this authority?''

Jesus would not tell them, but we know He received His authority from the Father.
I would also like to point out that walking in Authority and being under submission go hand in hand. Some people say that Jesus was the Son of God and because of that, He could do what ever He wanted; however, if you study the Scriptures you will see that is not an accurate way of looking at it. Jesus was and is the Son of God, but He made Himself of no reputation and took on the likeness of men.

Philippians 2:6  who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God,   7.  but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a servant, and coming in the likeness of men.
The  Living Bible says it like this…
Philippians 2:7  but laid aside his mighty power and glory, taking the disguise of a slave and becoming like men. Christ humbled himself
Jesus very clearly said that He did not speak of His own authority but the authority of the Father.

John 14:10  "Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me? The words that I speak to you I do not speak on My own authority; but the Father who dwells in Me does the works.

In an earlier chapter…  John 9:4  "I must work the works of Him who sent Me while it is day; the night is coming when no one can work.

Jesus was an obedient Son who did the works He was sent to do. He glorified the Father by being an obedient Son and fulfilling His Heavenly Fathers will, as we have already read in Phil:2:8.   As an obedient Son He completed the mission He was sent to do. Jesus made this choice to be obedient. You might say what do you mean.  Obedience if not by choice is not obedience at all. Jesus chose to be a servant. He chose to be obedient. Jesus said in John’s Gospel…

John 10:18  "No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of Myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This command I have received from My Father.''

Jesus had the choice yet He chose obedience.

Luke 22:42  saying, "Father, if it is Your will, remove this cup from Me; nevertheless not My will, but Yours, be done.''

He was obedient unto the death of the cross. Obedience brings God’s anointing and blessing.

The Prophet Isaiah said …  Isaiah 1:19  If you are willing and obedient, you shall eat the good of the land;

This is not only just the act of obedience, but an attitude as well. I am a firm believer in tithing but I know that God’s Word says we should not give grudgingly or of necessity, God loves a cheerful giver. This isn’t saying not to give, it’s saying to give with the right motives, it is the willing and obedient that shall eat the good of the land. Not just the willing or just the obedient, I hope you take my point in this. God looks at both our motives as well as our obedience. I said all of this to point out that there is balance in the things of God.  You can be a servant and have a bad attitude about what you are doing can’t you?  You can be a giver and yet not be a cheerful giver. God loves a cheerful giver!!!  I would like to look at someone in the Word of God who understood the principle of walking in and under authority.

Matthew 8:5  Now when Jesus had entered Capernaum, a centurion came to Him, pleading with Him,
6.  saying, "Lord, my servant is lying at home paralyzed, dreadfully tormented.''
7.  And Jesus said to him, "I will come and heal him.''
8.  The centurion answered and said, "Lord, I am not worthy that You should come under my roof. But only speak a word, and my servant will be healed.
9.  "For I also am a man under authority, having soldiers under me. And I say to this one, `Go,' and he goes; and to another, `Come,' and he comes; and to my servant, `Do this,' and he does it.''
10.  When Jesus heard it, He marveled, and said to those who followed, "Assuredly, I say to you, I have not found such great faith, not even in Israel!
11.  "And I say to you that many will come from east and west, and sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven.
12.  "But the sons of the kingdom will be cast out into outer darkness. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.''
13.  Then Jesus said to the centurion, "Go your way; and as you have believed, so let it be done for you.''

So much is said here but I would like to look at a few key things. The Centurion said
I also am a man under authority. He recognized the authority that Jesus walked in. This soldier also was a man under authority given to him by the Roman State to exercise power. Without the authority granted him by the Roman State, he would have no power at all would he? Any soldier knows and recognizes authority. It is one of the basic principles taught to them from the time they enter the military isn’t it?  Without the chain of command, there would be chaos. Orders come from the top and work their way down through the entire chain of command. Their purpose is to bring about the will of the ones who have the ultimate decision making responsibility. Following orders is what will bring about the will of the ones who have the ultimate responsibility.  I hope you see where I am going with this. This principle we are looking at in the natural has spiritual applications that I believe a great number of Christians have never understood. Learning to walk in authority in this natural way is very similar to learning to walk in authority in the spiritual. When you are obedient and follow orders you are walking in the plan God has ordained to bring success.  I have learned this is where God’s grace is and this is where the anointing is. I have seen it over and over. This doesn’t mean that we always have to agree with things, but whether we agree or not there is a God ordained chain of command that He expects His children to walk in.

This Centurion had soldiers under him and he expected them to follow his orders just as he followed the orders of the ones above him. This is just the way it works. Everyone doesn’t just get to do their own thing. I see so many Christians gripping because they don’t get to do their own thing. This may sound hard but we have the choice to do our thing, or God’s thing. Be respectful to the ones in authority even if you do not agree with them. Pray and intercede for them, not criticize and complain.

In my own Christian walk I have seen God open many doors and opportunities of ministry that simply would not have happened if I had copped an attitude and said, well I’m too good for this. If you are faithful in the little things, more will be given. This is Gods principle and it would do us good to learn to walk in it. It is also a sign of maturity.
When we have learned to submit to authority, we can then be given a place of authority over others, just like this Roman Centurion. He submitted to higher authority and others under him had to submit to his authority. Authority is tied in with submission and faith is tied in with authority, this is just the way it works.

Jesus walked in this kind of authority and when He spoke to sickness, it had to go. When He spoke to death, it had to go. When He spoke to demons, they had to leave. Recognizing this earthly principle, the Roman Centurion simply said; But only speak a word, and my servant will be healed. Jesus marveled at this mans faith. He said, Assuredly, I say to you, I have not found such great faith, not even in Israel!  Even the children of the Covenant didn’t know and understand this, what an incredible statement. This man had gotten a hold of something that the Covenant children of God had not gotten a hold of. WOW!  Do you see the importance of this? His servant received healing because of it, and Jesus declared He had not seen greater faith in Israel. This soldier knew what authority meant and what the inevitable outcome would be.  His servant was healed just like Jesus said, and it happened because an ordinary soldier recognized the authority Jesus walked in. There is a great truth here if we will receive it. This is just the beginning of leaning to walk in our authority but it is an important first step that every believer should learn to take. 

When we learn to walk in the authority that has been given to us by the Lord Jesus Christ, we will no longer have circumstances dictate our every move, but we will dictate to the circumstances.  The Lord Jesus Christ has given us this authority; we have to make the choice to walk in it. He will assist us but we have to exercise our authority even as the Centurion did.     Amen.

Psalms 119:105  Your word is a lamp to my feet And a light to my path.

God has given His children the awesome privilege of praying for guidance and direction, however if you are seeking guidance all you have to do is pick up your Bible and begin to read it. His Word is a lamp, in other words a spotlight to light our path and give us direction so that we can not only see where to go but where not to go. The light makes things clear and visible so that we will not trip and fall. God has given us His Word for direction and guidance in our everyday walk. Without it, we would surely wander off the path, for we would not be able to clearly see the correct way to go.

The  Living Bible says it like this…
Psalms 119:105  Your words are a flashlight to light the path ahead of me, and keep me from stumbling.

I like that. He knows where we are to go; after all He is the One leading us isn’t He?
If the path is well lit and clearly visible we will be able to see the way and not stumble.

We all know the 23rd Psalm as it is probably one of the best known of all the Psalms. David said this in vs. 3 He leads me in the paths of righteousness For His name's sake.

I want you to consider something. God doesn’t want us to fail. He wants us to succeed.
But we have to follow after Him. We have a choice to stay on the lighted path or we can stumble out into the darkness, the choice is ours. This can happen when we make our own choices based on OUR own wants and desires and not follow the well-lit path. He leads but he will not push us. It is our choice to follow.

He leads us in the paths of righteousness for His name's sake. He has a lot at stake. His Namesake is at stake. You might say what do you mean?  We were bought with an incredible price. He has a very big investment in us. He wants us to succeed, but in order for us to succeed we have to follow the lighted path. He’s the One giving us the light to see so we will not stumble and fall. His Word gives us this light. He doesn’t want us to stumble into the darkness, He would not have given us His Word if this were the case would He?  His lamp has to be carried by us. We need to know the Word of God in order for It to do us any good. If we don’t know His Word then we don’t have a lamp to guide us. We will most assuredly stumble, for there is no light to see the path set before us. We will be led by emotions and circumstances that can not lead us on the correct path. Being upset and annoyed at our surrounding circumstances is not the leading of the Holy Spirit. People have left Churches because they didn’t like something that has gone on or something somebody said. Being upset is not the leading of the Holy Spirit. We need to grow up and be responsible children of God.

When we need direction and guidance we can always go to the Word of God. There have been so many instances in my life when I needed direction in a certain area and the Holy Spirit would quicken a verse of Scripture that would change my direction. His Word lighted my path.  He showed me the way to go when I didn’t know the way. Many times I didn’t even know I had stumbled off the path.  He corrected me and set me back on the lighted path.  Thank God for His Holy Spirit! Thank God for His Word!

John 16:13  "However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come.

Our Father cares for us even in the smallest areas of our lives. He will show us how to walk after Him if we will take the time to learn His Word and listen. 

Without knowing His Word we will have a hard time hearing and following the voice of the Holy Spirit. The Spirit and the Word always agree. One will never contradict the Other. That is impossible.  Christians are often seeking after spectacular manifestations of God to show them the way, or to hear the audible voice of God, and will often ignore that still small voice that is on the inside of them. That is the supernatural leading of the Holy Spirit.

There are times when we have to get quiet in His presence and just listen. After all communication is a two way street. How would you like it if someone always came up to you and began speaking without taking the time to hear what you have to say?  After a while you would probably get tired of that wouldn’t you? Communication is not only speaking but there should be a lot of listening as well. If you ask for direction and don’t take the time to wait for a reply then you have no one to blame but yourself, besides that would be rude wouldn’t it?

We learn His voice when we learn His Word. Jesus said in Johns Gospel…

John 10:27  "My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me.

We not only hear His voice, He knows us and we follow Him. If we were not able to hear His voice we would not be able to follow Him would we? Jesus said we hear His voice. I know from experience that many modern day Christians would think you are loony if you told them God actually speaks to you, and that you actually hear His voice.
This should be the norm for God’s children, not the abnormal.  Why is this so hard to believe? Was Jesus telling the truth when He said My sheep hear My voice? This is a simple yes or no question, He was either telling the truth or He was lying, there is no in between. I believe He was telling the truth. My question is this, then why aren’t most Christians hearing? Since He was telling the truth then the problem has to be with us. Lets just get honest about it, God is doing His part therefore we have to be the ones who need to be doing something different.

There are many things that could stop us from hearing God’s voice. Jesus often said this…  "He who has ears to hear, let him hear!''  This statement is said by Jesus 8 times in the Gospels. It is our responsibility to hear.

He said this in the Gospel of Luke in the 8th chapter  "But others fell on good ground, sprang up, and yielded a crop a hundredfold.'' When He had said these things He cried, "He who has ears to hear, let him hear!''   He cried, He said this with much emphasis, Listen, Hear. If we won’t hear He can't lead us can He? He has given us the ability to hear or he would not be just in telling us to do that very thing would He? We have spiritual hearing; we just have to learn to tune in. It is in our best interest if we will but listen, Our Heavenly Father wants us to succeed in everything we are given to do hear on the Earth.

Firstly we have already discussed that we have to know the Word. Secondly we have to take the time to listen. Many Christians have never done this and need to learn this very important part of being a follower.  We have to understand we do not hear spiritual things with our physical ears, we hear spiritual things through our spirit or inner man. Spiritual things are spiritually discerned. Our spirit has to be trained just like our flesh or mind has to be trained. We have to learn how to hear spiritually.

1 Corinthians 2:14  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.

We have to be able to tell the difference between God’s thoughts, our thoughts, and the thoughts that come in from outside sources, including the devil. He will put all kinds of thoughts into our mind if we will let him, but we don’t have to let him. When we are born again we become a new creation in Christ Jesus

2 Corinthians 5:17  Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.
We are a born again spirit that has the life of God dwelling within us. This is where God speaks to us, not our fleshly man but this new born again man. We can train our spirit to hear and tune into the voice of God. We have been trained all of our life to listen in the natural and sometimes we have to set aside our earthly training and begin to
relearn to do things God’s way. This can take time but the rewards are great.

Proverbs 3:5  Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding;
6  in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.

I want to encourage you to take the necessary time to learn God’s Word, and to spend time in His presence, and to learn His voice. Don’t allow life’s many distractions from keeping you from this most important part.

Rv:7:17: For the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall feed them, and shall lead them unto living fountains of waters: and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes.

[more grace]

James 4:6-7.  But He gives more grace. Therefore He says: "God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble.''
Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.

Grace is many things, I’ve heard it said that grace is God’s riches at Christ expense.I like to think of grace among other things as God’s enabling power for us to do His will. He wants you to do His will and He will give you the ability to carry it out.

Romans 8:32.  He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not also with him freely give us all things?

God has freely given us all things, and what makes that an even more awesome fact is that He has given us the ability to receive it, and walk in it,  that’s what grace is!    Even the act of salvation comes by grace.

Eph:2:8. For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:

By grace you went from darkness unto light, by grace you have the ability to continue to walk in that light, when you are submitted to God’s  Word,   as we already read in James 4:6&7. But He gives more grace. Therefore He says: God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble.'' Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.  You notice it didn’t say he might flee from you, it says he will flee from you,  when you are submitted to God.  He has given you the grace to carry it out.

Peter said virtually the same thing,  1 Peter 5:5-11.  Likewise you younger people, submit yourselves to your elders. Yes, all of you be submissive to one another, and be clothed with humility, for "God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble.'' Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you. Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. Resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world. But may the God of all grace, who called us to His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a while, perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you. To Him be the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen.

Here again we see by the scripture, that first of all God gives us grace when we humble ourselves and are submitted. James as well as Peter said nearly the same thing, after we are submitted to the will of God then resist the devil.  Resisting the devil is God’s will or He wouldn‘t have told us to do it would He? No He wouldn’t. He will give us the grace and the ability to do it, and God will always back up His Word. You may ask why resisting the devil is God’s will. As Peter said in  vs. 8.  Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. Resist him, steadfast in the faith. God has given us the tools to overcome him every single time, resisting him steadfast in the faith. Then it goes on to say, But may the God of all grace, who called us to His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a while,  perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you.   Why do we need to be strengthened by God?  For what purpose? Just so we can stand up under the bullying of the devil?  NO,  he’s a bully alright, but we are given the grace to resist him. This is a trial of our faith, God will strengthen us, perfect us, establish us, and settle us, it will put us on a firm foundation, and as Peter said in vs. 9.  knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world. The sufferings he is talking about is the trial of our faith. If you look back at what Peter said in the 1st chapter, you’ll see what God thinks about this.

1 Peter 1:7.  That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honor and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ:

You can count on the devil trying to steal the Word from you every time you hear it. The Word tells us that Satan comes immediately to steal the Word.  Remember the parable of the sower?

Matthew 13:18-23.  "Therefore hear the parable of the sower: When anyone hears the word of the kingdom, and does not understand it, then the wicked one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart. This is he who received seed by the wayside. But he who received the seed on stony places, this is he who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy; yet he has no root in himself, but endures only for a while. For when tribulation or persecution arises because of the Word, immediately he stumbles. Now he who received seed among the thorns is he who hears the word, and the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and he becomes unfruitful. But he who received seed on the good ground is he who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and produces: some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.''

Satan immediately comes to steal the Word from your heart. In every case the Word was sown into a heart, and faith was produced.  But in only 25%, or one fourth of the people did faith produced fruit. Why?  The people let Satan steal the Word, that‘s why!   We have an obligation to receive the Word and stand in what we have received. Satan can not take the Word from us without our permission. God has given us the ability to stand up to the devil and receive the fruit of our faith.
Paul started off talking about submission in the 6th chapter of Ephesians and end up talking about resisting the devil.  

Ephesians 6:1-2.  Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. Honor your father and mother,'' which is the first commandment with promise:
7-13.  with good will doing service, as to the Lord, and not to men, knowing that whatever good anyone does, he will receive the same from the Lord, whether he is a slave or free. And you, masters, do the same things to them, giving up threatening, knowing that your own Master also is in heaven, and there is no partiality with Him. Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For 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 take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.
24.  Grace be with all those who love our Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity. Amen.

God has put us under authority, whether we like it or not this is God’s will for our lives, then we have the grace to withstand the devil in the day of evil.  Paul ended the book of Ephesians with salutations and speaking grace to them.  This was right after he told them to take up the whole armor of God and resist the devil.   We see this common theme throughout the New Testament. Submit your self to God and his Word, and God will give you the grace and the ability to resist the devil, and be an over comer.

2 Corinthians 12:7-9.  And lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure.
For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me. And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.

Paul was talking about the revelation of the Gospel that was given to him, and starting with vs.7 we see that Satan sent a messenger to buffet Paul , one translation says: an angel of Satan, to beat me.  Remember we just read the parable of the sower,  Jesus said;  persecution arises because of the Word. The Word is very clear, this thorn in the flesh was a messenger sent from Satan,  as you can see in vs. 7.  (a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan.)  God wanted to exalt Paul, he was His messenger to deliver the life giving Gospel.  Satan didn’t want Paul to be exalted, he certainly doesn’t want the gospel, the good news going forth. His job is to try and defeat it before it gets started.  The  revelation of  God’s Word will exalt you, and Satan will do everything he can to thwart the will of God in your life,  that’s why he sent a messenger to try and stop Paul.  Paul didn’t like it very much and he went to the Lord to try and get Him to do something about it. Jesus responded by saying my grace is sufficient for thee.  In other words I’ve given you the grace to do something about it. Once we are submitted to God, we have been given the grace to defeat the devil, as the Apostle James said, God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble Therefore submit to God. resist the devil and he will flee from you. Grace is not just so we can bear up under the onslaught of Satan. Peter said in the book of Acts, God is no respecter of persons. Whether it is the Apostle Paul, who received the revelation of this New Covenant or the newest babe in Christ, God’s Word remains true for all men.  Over and over we see God gives the grace to do His will to those who are humble and submitted to Him. We serve a good God, He’s given us the ability to fight and win every time. God has made us more than conquerors in Christ Jesus.  Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherein Christ has made us free.  

Crusader,  You said   ''NOTE CAREFULLY there are those who wish to claim Israel's promises, but they do NOT claim her curses. You can't have it both ways!!!"

I would like to point out what the Apostle Paul has said in a direct response to your statement.

Gal. 3:10.   For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse; for it is written, "Cursed is everyone who does not continue in all things which are written in the book of the law, to do them. 11 But that no one is justified by the law in the sight of God is evident, for "the just shall live by faith." 12. Yet the law is not of faith, but "the man who does them shall live by them."
13. 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,  14. that the blessing of Abraham might come upon the Gentiles in Christ Jesus, that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.

You see, We have been redeemed from the curse of the law, and at the same time we receive the blessings of Abraham by faith.  This is the good news of the Gospel, and understanding this truth will transform your very life. Glory to God, we didn't earn it and don't deserve it, but I for one accpt it and rejoice in it, and I pray that you will too!

[Jesus]

I'm so glad that the word of God was written by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit and not by Kenneth Hagin or kenneth Copeland.   Jesus is the one who said - Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them and you will have them. Maybe we need more teaching along this line untill people come to the realization that this is the truth of God's word and Jesus is the one who taught it first. Since Jesus is the one who taught it, it must mean He wanted us to learn to receive the promises of God, something much of the modern day church seems afraid to step out and do!

Have you ever stopped to consider that God would never have given us these exceedingly great and precious promises if He didn't want to receive them?
There is something to be learned in this, if we will only receive it!

God has gone to great lengths to purchase us back from Satan and eternal death, and to give us Eternal life. The very least we could do is to take the time to learn how to receive these very great and precious promises.

2 Peter 1:4. 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.

These promises were given freely, yet we have a responsibility to learn to receive and walk in them. They just don’t fall on us.

God's Word tells us without faith it is impossible to please Him.

Hebrews 11:6 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.

So without faith there is no pleasing God, yet on the other side of the coin so to speak, with faith all things are possible.

Mark 9:23 Jesus said to him, If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes.

Of course this is talking about Godly things. This has got to be our first step, coming to a knowledge and understanding of our inheritance.

Jesus said in the Gospel of Mark…

Mark 11:23-25. or 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 come to pass, 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. And whenever you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive him, that your Father in heaven may also forgive you your trespasses. But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father in heaven forgive your trespasses.


Jesus gave us an outline for believing and receiving in this section of Scripture. It would be to our benefit to take note of what He said. His words are the words of life. So let's look at this Scripture and see the truth being imparted here.

First of all the first thing He said to do was speak to this mountain. We all have mountains in our life that seem insurmountable, Jesus said to speak to them.

You will notice He did not say to believe that you have them. He said to believe that you receive them, then you will have them. You have to receive the promise by faith first. Then you will see the manifestation. Many people believe they have to see a manifestation first in order to have faith, yet this is not what God’s Word is saying. Believe that you receive them, then and only then you will have them. There is a difference in believing that you receive and believing that you have. I believe this is a great stumbling block in the body of Christ and many have fallen short of the promises of God not ever realizing where they missed it.

I know that there is a lot of teaching on the subject of faith in this later day. Some people have gotten into error and out of balance in their teaching, and many have taken things out of context, and gotten out of balance in their belief.
However God's Word is still true and there are certain spiritual truths we must all know and understand in order to walk the walk of faith. Let's try and stay in the middle of the road in what we believe and we’ll be ok.

I would like to take a look at the woman with the issue of blood. There is a very important spiritual truth taught here that we can learn from. I use this Scripture quite often because it is such a good example of someone receiving by faith.

Mark 5:25-34. Now a certain woman 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. When she heard about Jesus, she came behind Him in the crowd and touched His garment; for she said, If only I may touch His clothes, I shall be made well. Immediately the fountain of her blood was dried up, and she felt in her body that she was healed of the affliction. And Jesus, immediately knowing in Himself that power had gone out of Him, turned around in the crowd and said, Who touched My clothes? But His disciples said to Him, You see the multitude thronging You, and You say, `Who touched Me? And He looked around to see her who had done this thing.
But the woman, fearing and trembling, knowing what had happened to her, came and fell down before Him and told Him the whole truth.
And He said to her, Daughter, your faith has made you well. Go in peace, and be healed of your affliction.

She said If only I may touch His clothes, I shall be made well. She said out of faith that she would be healed if she touched Him. That was the first thing that she did, she said.

There are 2 parts in everything we receive from God, the part that God plays and the part that we play. God never fails in doing his part, if we do our part we can be sure of an answer and the victory. The Word of God says in the book of Proverbs …

Proverbs 6:2 you are snared by the words of your own mouth; you are taken by the words of your mouth.

We need to start declaring out of a heart full of faith that the promises of God are true.
The victory is ours in Christ Jesus.

The second thing that happened was that she acted on what she had already spoken out of her mouth by faith. She actually went and touched the hem of his garment. We don’t have Jesus in the physical sense that this lady had, yet we have His awesome promises to stand on. We can depend on God’s Word to be true and faithful. It is our actions that defeat us or put us over.

After she had acted on what she said, she then received the manifestation of her healing, she felt in her body that she was healed.
It always happens this way. The feeling and the healing follow the coming and the doing. She said it first, she came for it second, then and only then she received and felt in her body that she had been made whole. That is when Jesus said to her … Daughter, your faith has made you well. Go in peace, and be healed of your affliction. Not Jesus faith, her faith is what made her well. Jesus said it was her faith, not his faith, but her faith that made her whole of her affliction didn’t he.
The last thing that happened is that she told. She came and fell down before Him and told Him the whole truth. She declared it to all there that she was healed, and God was glorified.

Many people would say that this is being presumptuous, and that we don’t have the right to tell God anything. I would say to that, we are not telling God anything He has not already told us in His Word to tell Him. We are to line our words up with His words. We will never succeed if we don’t! We are not giving God orders, He has given us the orders and we are just following his instructions. We are not demanding anything of God, we are demanding of the devil. We are demanding he takes his hands off of God's property in the name of Jesus according to God's Word. It would only be presumptuous if we were trying to cajole God into something based off of our own desires or whims not lined up with His Word.


1 Say it. 2 Do it. 3 Receive it. 4 Tell it.

This is just one example of this type of faith in the Bible. We see many such examples of people receiving from God this way. I would like to encourage you to find the promises of God for your self. Then begin to meditate in them until they become real, and your faith arises in your heart. Remember the promises God gave to Joshua …

Joshua 1:7-9. Only be strong and very courageous, that you may observe to do according to all the law which Moses My servant commanded you; do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may prosper wherever you go.
This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.
Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.

Put God's Word first place in your life, and just start acting like it is true. Praise God it is, but you will never know unless you … 1 Say it. 2 Do it. 3 Receive it. 4 Tell it.
Put God to the test and see for yourself that He is faithful and just.

If you want to know for sure that you are a child of God, then I would like to invite you to earnestly pray this prayer.

Dear Heavenly Father, I come to you in the name of Jesus. Your word says, “…and the one who comes to Me I will by no means cast out.” (Jn.6:37), So I know You won’t cast me out, but You take me in, And I thank you for it. You said in your Word, "whoever calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.'' (Ro. 10:13).
I am calling on Your name, So I know You have saved me now, You also said, “…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 to righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made to salvation.” (Ro.10:9,10).
I believe in my heart that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. I believe He was raised from the dead for my justification. And I confess Him now as my Lord, Because Your Word says, “… with the heart one believes to righteousness…” and I do believe with my heart, I have now become the righteousness of God in Christ. (2 Cor. 5:21),
And I am saved! Thank You, Lord!
I can now truthfully say, I see myself as a born again child of God!

Glory to God!!!! Amen.
http://olivebranchministries.us

 Jesus had the choice. God ordained what Jesus was to go through, yet Jesus had the choice to be obedient.  We all have been preordained unto good works, but do we all fulfill the plan of God for our lives?
Jesus said Himself,   I lay down my life. He received this command from His Father.

John 10:17  Therefore My Father loves Me, because I lay down My life that I may take it again.
18.  No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of Myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This command I have received from My Father.

In Christ,  Mark

Matthew 25:34.  "Then the King will say to those on His right hand, `Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:

Have you ever stopped to consider that God sees us from an eternal viewpoint?   That He considers us valuable, and has a long term plan for us. We on the other hand have a tendency many times to think of ourselves only in the here and now, and someday we get to go to heaven. It is true someday we get to go to heaven, if we are in Christ Jesus, however there is more to our redemption than us just getting to go to heaven someday!  God has called us before the worlds were created, it is an eternal calling, and we need to begin to understand the importance of that long term goal He has for us.

1 Peter 1:16.  because it is written, "Be holy, for I am holy.''
17.  And if you call on the Father, who without partiality judges according to each one's work, conduct yourselves throughout the time of your sojourning here in fear;

1 Peter 2:11.  Beloved, I beg you as sojourners and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts which war against the soul,

James 4:14.  whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away.

We see that the Word of God is saying we are passing through on our way towards a goal.
In one extreme, people get so heavenly minded that they are no earthly good, and on the other extreme,  people think there is only now, and they say lets eat, drink, and be merry,  for tomorrow we die.  The truth is we are in the here and now, and we have to deal with it, but we have got to understand we are in school for what’s to come.  That’s why Peter said by the unction of the Holy Spirit, that we are sojourners or in other words we are in the process of a journey.  He is also telling us   "Be holy, for I am holy.''  We are learning and have got to learn to put the Word of God into practice now. We have got to be imitators of our Father now. God the Father is telling us to be like Him, we might wonder how we can be like Him, and walk in holiness as his Word tells us to.  We must start by recognizing what He has called us to be.  First and foremost He has called us to be His children.  He will teach us by His Word and by the Holy Spirit to become like Him.

Ephesians 5:1.  Therefore be followers of God as dear children.
2.  And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma.
3.  But fornication and all uncleanness or covetousness, let it not even be named among you, as is fitting for saints;
4.  neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor coarse jesting, which are not fitting, but rather giving of thanks.
5.  For this you know, that no fornicator, unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God.

Our Heavenly Father is loving always, giving always, caring always, and He is telling us in His Word that we are to be followers of Him, some translations read to be imitators of Him.  We are His representatives here in the earth, the gentiles see us and will glorify our Father.

Jesus said;    "Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in Heaven.   Matthew 5:16.  

Our calling starts now and goes on eternally, we are called to be imitators of our Father in Heaven.  Paul in his letter to Titus said, God promised us eternal life before time began, but first of all we are to acknowledge the truth which is according to godliness.

Titus 1:1.  Paul, a servant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ, according to the faith of God's elect and the acknowledgment of the truth which is according to godliness,
2.  in hope of eternal life which God, who cannot lie, promised before time began,

God has had this plan in mind for you, before time began. It didn’t just happen when you accepted Him.  That is hard for our minds to grasp, yet it is true for God cannot lie. He has a long term plan for us.  Paul went on to say to Titus

7.  in all things showing yourself to be a pattern of good works; in doctrine showing integrity, reverence, incorruptibility,
14.  who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself His own special people, zealous for good works.

In other words we ought to be acting like our Father acts.

There is something else we need to realize, we haven’t just been redeemed out of something, we have been redeemed into something. We have been redeemed out of death into life. It is not just in the sweet bye and bye, it starts the very moment we accept Jesus Christ as our savior. From that second on, we have been made new creatures in Christ Jesus.

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

The old things which are eternal death and the sin nature, and every evil work,  into the new things, eternal life and the nature of God. This is God’s long term plan for mankind. Eternity never ends. He has put quite an investment into us. You might say He owns us twice over. He owns us by right of creation, and He owns us by right of redemption. Yet in all of this, we still have a free will. God will not force us to choose. If we have been redeemed from death then we ought to be walking in the light as He is in the light, as the Apostle John says.

Paul continues on to say to Titus;  in vs.14 And let our people also learn to maintain good works, to meet urgent needs, that they may not be unfruitful.
This is not to say that salvation or our redemption comes from good works, but rather good works should be the result of salvation.  Paul admonished Titus to maintain good works.  This is God’s will.
Ephesians 2:8.  For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God,
9.  not of works, lest anyone should boast.
10.  For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.

God has prepared before the world began that we should walk in good works.
So we have a choice to make, do we walk in the things of God or of the things of the flesh?
This is an important decision to walk in the things of God. We must give up jealousy, and strife, and bitterness, and immorality, these are things of the world, and we must begin, (if we haven’t already) to walk in true Holiness as the Word says.

Ephesians 4:20.  But you have not so learned Christ,
21.  if indeed you have heard Him and have been taught by Him, as the truth is in Jesus:
22.  that you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts,
23.  and be renewed in the spirit of your mind,
24.  and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in righteousness and true holiness.

The first step to receiving eternal redemption comes from accepting Jesus as your personal savior.  If you haven’t  done this yet,  I would like to invite you to pray this prayer, and start your journey with Him.

Dear Heavenly Father,
I come to you in the name of Jesus.
Your word says, “…and the one who comes to Me I will by no means cast out.”     (Jn.6:37),
So I know You won’t cast me out, but You take me in,
And I thank you for it.  
You said in your Word,   "whoever calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.''     (Ro. 10:13).
I am calling on Your  name,   So I know You have saved me now,
You also said, “…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 to righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made to salvation. ”     (Ro.10:9,10).
I believe in my heart that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.
I believe He was raised from the dead for my justification.
And I confess Him now as my Lord,
Because Your Word says, “… with the heart one believes to righteousness…” and I do believe with my heart,
I have now become the righteousness of God in Christ. (2 Cor. 5:21),
And I am saved!            Thank You, Lord!
I can now truthfully say,  I see myself as a born again child of God!

Glory to God!!!!          Amen.

-- Revised Standard
2 Corinthians 5:19.   that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation.  

According to Gods Word, God has already reconciled the world to Himself in Christ Jesus, and is not counting our trespasses against us.

This is not written about Christians, it was written to Christians. We have the message of reconciliation to share with the world.

This is the good news of the Gospel.  But in order for it to do us any good we have to receive it.

We have been reconciled to God the Father through Jesus.   Yet many of us don’t understand this awesome incredible truth.  We’re not going to get reconciled someday,   we are reconciled right now.

Ro.3;21.  But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from law, although the law and the prophets bear witness to it,  
22.  the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction;  
23.  since all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,  
24.  they are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus,  
25.  whom God put forward as an expiation by his blood, to be received by faith.  This was to show God's righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins;  
26.  it was to prove at the present time that he himself is righteous and that he justifies him who has faith in Jesus.  

I want to point out this is not something that we earn in any way shape or form.  It is a free gift.  If it was something that we had to earn, it wouldn’t be much of a gift would it?  No, praise God,  it’s free.  Vs. 21 says the righteousness of  God has been made manifest apart from the law. We can’t earn it by obeying the ten commandments, the righteousness of God comes by faith in Christ Jesus.

That’s the only way we can get it!

We have all sinned and fallen short, but the good news is we’ve all been redeemed.  We have to receive it by faith. What a shame it would be to die and go to hell, not knowing that you have been made the righteousness of God  
If you inherited a great fortune,  yet never knew what you had,  it wouldn’t
do you any good would it?  Let’s  take advantage of what is ours in Christ Jesus, for it has been freely given,  and at an incredible cost..

New Jerusalem with Apocrypha
Ephesians 1:3.   Blessed be God the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
who has blessed us with all the spiritual blessings of heaven in Christ.
 
This didn’t say He will bless us when we get to heaven,  it says He has
blessed us with all the spiritual blessings of heaven in Christ.  
Not only has He already blessed us, past tense, but He has blessed us with
all the spiritual blessings of heaven.
Not just some of them, all of them.   Praise God!

You might say I don’t know,  that sounds too good to be true, and even if it
is true, I don’t deserve it.
Who said you deserve it?  Gods Word makes it clear enough that we didn’t deserve any of it, and as far as it sounding too good to be true,  that’s what makes it the Good News. We couldn’t have earned it even if we wanted to.

Ep.2:3.  Among these we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, following the desires of body and mind, and so we were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind.  
4 But God, who is rich in mercy, out of the great love with which he loved us,  
5.  even when we were dead through our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved),  
6.  and raised us up with him, and made us sit with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus,  

Titus. 3:5.  he saved us, not because of deeds done by us in righteousness, but in virtue of his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal in the Holy Spirit,

It’s all because God is rich in mercy, and has great love for us.
We should praise Him, and thank Him that He has called us worthy, and start saying what Gods Word has to say about us. Even if you feel unworthy, thank God that His Word is true and that you have been made the righteousness of God in Christ. Renew your mind with these thoughts and prove that Gods Word is true.

Romans 12:2.  Do not be conformed to this world but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that you may prove what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.  

Gods Word says renewing your mind will transform you, and prove
Gods will. This is something we have to do, God doesn‘t do it for us. Yet He has given us the ability to do it,  and He will make good on His Word.

2Pe.1:4.  by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, that through these you may escape from the corruption that is in the world because of passion, and become partakers of the divine nature.  
5.  For this very reason make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge,  
6.  and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness,  
7.  and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love.  
8.  For if these things are yours and abound, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.  

If you can’t claim any of these promises for yourself then you need to come to a personal knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ. This is the very first step any one can make.

If you want to know for sure that you are a child of God then pray this prayer.

Dear Heavenly Father,
I come to you in the name of Jesus.
Your Word says, “…him that cometh to me I will in no wise
cast out”      (Jn.6:37),
So I know You  won’t cast me out, but You take me in,
And I thank you for it.  
You said in your Word, “Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved”       (Ro. 10:13).
I am calling on Your  name,
So I know You have saved me now,
You also said, “…if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.  For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation”     (Ro.10:9,10).
I believe in my heart that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.
I believe He was raised from the dead for my justification.
And I confess Him now as my Lord,
Because Your Word says, “… with the heart man believeth unto righteousness…” and I do believe with my heart,
I have now become the righteousness of God in Christ.
(2 Cor. 5:21),
And  I am saved!            Thank You, Lord!

I can now truthfully say,  I see myself as a born again child of God!
                                          Glory to God!!!!

The Olive Branch

This week we are celebrating a great American tradition - Thanksgiving Day.  You may spend time with family and friends eating a large meal, visiting, or watching football. However did you ever stop and think what we have to be really thankful for, - God’s Love.
The most important thing we can be thankful for, is that God loved us enough to send His Son to die for us.

Lamentations 3:21-23. This I recall to my mind, therefore I have hope.
Through the Lord's mercies we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not.
They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness.               

1Chronicles 16:34. Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever.

Psalms 100:5. For the Lord is good; His mercy is everlasting, And His truth endures to all generations.

Have you stopped lately and taken the time to thank your Heavenly Father for His faithfulness and mercy toward you? God will never leave you or forsake you, no matter what you are going through.
Today in our society we are busier than ever.  We are often attacked from all sides.  We need to know who the enemy is and it is not God.  God is good, as the verse above tells us and His mercy toward us is everlasting.
 
Jeremiah 29:11. For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.                     

God only has thought and plans of peace for you, not evil or bad.  When we go through bad things, God doesn't do them to us,  the author of these things is Satan, not God.  

James 1:2-3.  My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience."                        

James 1:13.  Let no one say when he is tempted, "I am tempted by God''; for God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He Himself tempt anyone.                      

When we go through things, God is not tempting us to loose faith or doubt Him, Satan does that.  God will however, use what ever trial or temptation  you are going through to produce one of the most wonderful fruits of the spirit, patience.  Learning how to wait on God in your trial, learning how to wait on others to change, or for your situation to change.  Learning how to be faithful, even in the most awful time you are now going through.

Psalms 101:1. I will sing of mercy and justice; To You, O Lord, I will sing praises.   

Psalms 59:16-17.  But I will sing of Your power; Yes, I will sing aloud of Your mercy in the morning; For You have been my defense and refuge in the day of my trouble. To You, O my Strength, I will sing praises; For God is my defense, The God of my mercy.               
You may feel so overwhelmed with what you are going through that you may have forgotten all that Father God has done for you in the past.  You may not have set aside time to fellowship with your Heavenly Father, to get into His Word and remind yourself of His promises for you.

Psalms 62:1-2.  Truly my soul silently waits for God; From Him comes my salvation. He only is my rock and my salvation; He is my defense; I shall not be greatly moved.          
When was the last time you stopped and looked back over the past few days, weeks, months at all the wonderful things God has done for you?

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18. Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.                      

It is time to get your eyes off your situation and look towards God.  Take the time right now to stop and remember, and thank God for all He has done for you!

Let's look into God's Word for some examples of God's goodness and mercy toward you.

The first thing that comes to mind:
He sent His only son, Jesus to die for you:

John 3:16.  For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.               

God is a good God, the Psalmist tells us of His other mercies.

Psalms 103:1-10,17-18.  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.  The Lord executes righteousness And justice for all who are oppressed.  He made known His ways to Moses, His acts to the children of Israel. The Lord is merciful and gracious, Slow to anger, and abounding in mercy.  He will not always strive with us, Nor will He keep His anger forever. He has not dealt with us according to our sins, Nor punished us according to our iniquities…. But the mercy of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear Him, And His righteousness to children's children,  To such as keep His covenant, And to those who remember His commandments to do them.    

What are some of the wonderful benefits you just read?

1. God forgives your sins.
2. He heals all your diseases.
3. He redeems your life from destruction.
4. He crowns you with lovingkindness.
5. He satisfies your needs and renews your strength.
6. He executes righteousness and judgement for you against oppression.
7. He makes His ways know to you!
8. He gives you His grace and mercy in times of trouble.
9. He does not deal with you according to your sins but sees you through the
    Blood of Jesus!
10. He knows who you are -since the beginning of time!
      His mercy is from everlasting to everlasting!


Praise God!

If you have not accepted Jesus as your personal Savior, I pray now that you will open your heart to the light of God's love and make that decision now, and earnestly pray the following prayer.


Dear Heavenly Father, I come to you in the name of Jesus. Your word says, “…and the one who comes to Me I will by no means cast out.”   (Jn.6:37),   So I know You won’t cast me out, but You take me in, And I thank you for it.  You said in your Word,   "whoever calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.''     (Ro. 10:13).
I am calling on Your name,  So I know You have saved me now, You also said, “…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 to righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made to salvation.”     (Ro.10:9,10).
I believe in my heart that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. I believe He was raised from the dead for my justification. And I confess Him now as my Lord, Because Your Word says, “… with the heart one believes to righteousness…” and I do believe with my heart, I have now become the righteousness of God in Christ. (2 Cor. 5:21),
And I am saved!            Thank You, Lord!
I can now truthfully say,  I see myself as a born again child of God!

                                                             Glory to God!!!!          Amen.

The following is a prayer of Thanksgiving, I urge you to prayer this when you are overwhelmed with your situation and need to remember The Goodness of God!

Father, I stop right now, to spend time with you.  I stop to take the time to give thanks for all the wonderful things and answered prayers you have given me.
Thank you, Father, for your Son, Jesus who died for me.
Thank you for forgiving my sins, for healing me, for redeeming my life from destruction.
Thank you for crowning me with your loving kindness and tender mercies.
Thank you for caring for me at all times.
Thank you for showing me your ways and helping me walk with you.
Thank you for the Blood of Jesus that covers all my sins!
Thank you, Lord, for your everlasting mercy!
I will praise you all of my days!      In Jesus name,  Amen.
The Olive Branch

2 Peter 1:17  For He received from God the Father honor and glory when such a voice came to Him from the Excellent Glory: "This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.''
18.  And we heard this voice which came from heaven when we were with Him on the holy mountain.
19. We also have the prophetic word made more sure, which you do well to heed as a light that shines in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your heart.

Peter heard the audible voice of God on the holy mountain, yet he goes on to say, We also have the prophetic word made more sure.  He’s talking about the written Word of God, being more sure than the audible voice of God heard from the holy mountain. This is a more sure Word. Many people seek such things, signs and  visible manifestations wanting to hear from God, when all you have to do is pick up your Bible and read it!  This is the surest Word there is.  It doesn’t get any surer than this!

Isaiah 55:11  So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; it shall not return to Me void, but it shall accomplish what I please, and it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it.

This is the sure Word of God, it doesn’t fail, it doesn’t return void.  It always accomplishes that which it was sent to do.  Always,  not occasionally, not when God is in the mood.  He never changers, He’s always the same. He is consistently consistent. That sounds like a Yogi Bera-ism, but it makes a point.  

Hebrews 13:8  Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.

God tells us in His Word, that there is no variableness of change in Him.

James 1:17  Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.

-- New Revised Standard with Apocrypha
James 1:17  Every generous act of giving, with every perfect gift, is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.

Hebrews 1:10.  And: "You, Lord, in the beginning laid the foundation of the earth, and the heavens are the work of Your hands;  11.  They will perish, but You remain; and they will all grow old like a garment; 12.  Like a cloak You will fold them up, and they will be changed. But You are the same, and Your years will not fail.''

We can see just from these few scriptures that God is always consistent.  You can see that He is faithful to do what He said He would do.

In other words, He fulfills His Word.  His Word will not fail.  His Word will not return void.  That would make Him a liar if it did, and He can’t lie!!!!

Numbers 23:19  "God is not a man, that He should lie, nor a son of man, that He should repent.  Has He said,  and will He not do it?   Or has He spoken,
and will He not make it good?

This is a question to us.  God’s written Word is to us, will He not perform it?  Will He not make it good.   Thank God,  He will. Thank God,  we can depend on Him, thank God,  He is faithful.   Thank God,  thank God.  Whether we feel like it or not,  the Word of the Lord is a sure thing.

Prov:2:1:  My son, if you receive my words, and treasure my commands within you,   2.  so that you incline your ear to wisdom, and apply your heart to understanding;   3.  yes, if you cry out for discernment, and lift up your voice for understanding,   4.  If you seek her as silver, and search for her as for hidden treasures;   5.  then you will understand the fear of the Lord, and find the knowledge of God.

Prov:4:4: He also taught me, and said to me: "Let your heart retain my words; keep my commands, and live.

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

Prov:7:1: My son, keep my words, and lay up my commandments with thee.

God's Word is a sure thing,  but we haven’t always walked in it, we haven’t always obeyed His voice and followed His instructions.  Have you ever considered how strong the Scripture is concerning this.  God’s Word absolutely cannot fail,  ever!
Then why aren’t we walking in miracles and healing and divine prosperity all the time?  God's Word will not return void, but are we doing what He told us to do in His Word to cause the results He wants?  As we just read in proverbs we are given commandment, to give attention to His words,  receive His words, and treasure His commands within us, not to let them depart from our eyes; to keep them in the midst of our heart, let our hearts retain His words; keep His commands, and live.  If we treasure His commands within us, so that we incline our ear to wisdom, and apply our heart to understanding; if we cry out for discernment, and lift up our voice for understanding, If we seek her as silver, and search for her as for hidden treasures; then we will understand the fear of the Lord, and find the knowledge of God.

God's Word tells us that His people are destroyed for a lack of knowledge, yet it also tells us how we can get knowledge.

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.

Knowing is another way of saying having knowledge.  If  we abide in His Word –
Firstly,  then secondly we shall know the truth, and then in that knowing the truth shall make us free.  Jesus called this discipleship. Abiding in his Word, and knowing the truth, and being free because of it. Abiding is to continue there in.
Do all Christians walk in freedom?  The answer to that is assuredly No!   Has this freedom been given to all Christians?  The answer to that is assuredly Yes!  Jesus was talking to the Jews, who believed Him – but just because they believed him did not give them a free ride, He told them, the ones who believed, that they had to abide in his Word before they would know the truth. Many Christians who believe in the Lord Jesus Christ as their Savior, don’t know the truth of much of God’s Word. They lack knowledge concerning His promises.  They don’t know the truth, therefore they haven’t been abiding in His Word, and therefore they can’t be made free.

Jms:1:25: But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does.

Many people think you prove your faith by your works, -- I’ve seen people do all kinds of works, thinking that those works will prove their faith, yet many times all they have, is works without faith. This is not to say there shouldn’t be corresponding action with our faith, but the works by themselves aren’t necessarily the result of faith.  Faith will produce the works,  but works will not produce the faith.  I hope you see my point in this. So let us not get caught up in trying to produce faith by our works, it doesn’t work that way, works must always be accompanied with faith.
God's Word will never return void, yet we have to come to a place where we have full confidence in his Word if we are ever going to walk in the knowledge of His truth, and experience the true freedom that comes from knowing the truth.  This can only come from a confidence that is created in us from truly abiding in His precious promises.

2Pt:1:4: 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 a part to play in this, we have to partake.  In order to do that we must walk in obedience and believe His Word to be true, this becomes easier as we draw closer to Him.

Deuteronomy 7:8  "but because the Lord loves you, and because He would keep the oath which He swore to your fathers, the Lord has brought you out with a mighty hand, and redeemed you from the house of bondage, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt.

God's Word is on the line, let's put Him to the test and see that He will make good on what He has said.

The first step is to know for sure that you are a child of God,  you start by earnestly praying this prayer.

Dear Heavenly Father, I come to you in the name of Jesus. Your word says, “…and the one who comes to Me I will by no means cast out.”   (Jn.6:37),   So I know You won’t cast me out, but You take me in, And I thank you for it.  You said in your Word,   "whoever calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.''     (Ro. 10:13).
I am calling on Your name,  So I know You have saved me now, You also said, “…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 to righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made to salvation.”     (Ro.10:9,10).
I believe in my heart that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. I believe He was raised from the dead for my justification. And I confess Him now as my Lord, Because Your Word says, “… with the heart one believes to righteousness…” and I do believe with my heart, I have now become the righteousness of God in Christ. (2 Cor. 5:21),
And I am saved!            Thank You, Lord!
I can now truthfully say,  I see myself as a born again child of God!

Glory to God!!!!          Amen.
The Olive Branch

This is the time of year as we approach the Christmas season, we celebrate the birth of our Savior, but we mustn’t loose sight of the reason for His coming.  He came to restore mankind to the Father.  He came to destroy the works of the devil.  He came to give life, and give it more abundantly.  He came to give us eternal life.  He came to forgive us our debts.       1Jn:3:8,     Jn:10:10

With this in mind lets look at what Jesus said about Himself, as He read from the  Prophet Isaiah.

Luke 4:16.  So He came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up. And as His custom was, He went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and stood up to read.
17.  And He was handed the book of the prophet Isaiah. And when He had opened the book, He found the place where it was written:  18.  "The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He has anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor. He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed,  19.  to preach the acceptable year of the Lord.''

Rom:10:17: So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

Jesus was sent to preach deliverance and recovery,   this is the method God uses to produce faith in the hearts of people. We also know that without faith it is impossible to please God.  We have to hear the Word of God in order to believe. We also have to act on what we believe in order to receive the blessing.  Blessings from God are always a result of obedience to His Word. The  acceptable year of the Lord that Jesus was talking about was called the year of Jubilee, which took place every 50 years. The Hebrews were well acquainted with Jubilee, unlike many Christians today who are unfamiliar with this. They under stood the significance of it.   The 25th chapter of Leviticus describes what Jubilee means. People were not allowed to plant on the year of Jubilee, God would give an increase from the year before enough to sustain them for 3 years, also lands and property were to be restored. Restitution was made to all of the children of Israel. If any had been put into servitude or slavery because of debts, they were to be released, and their debts wiped out,  and they would be set free to go back to their families.   In vs. 55  God made the statement that the children of Israel  are my servants whom I brought out of the land of Egypt.      Jesus said in the gospel of Luke,   And He began to say to them, "Today this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.''     (Luke 4:21)  Jesus was saying, Jubilee is no longer a year in time it is a person,  and,  I am He.  The poor don’t have to be poor, the blind don’t have to be blind,   this reality should be deeply burned into the conscious of every believer, we have been redeemed, Jesus purchased our redemption, we have to acknowledge that redemption, and act on it as if God’s Word is true,  because it most certainly is. Jesus was anointed  to do these things, he spoke the Word, the anointing was on the Word, He proclaimed the Word and the anointing was on the Word,  Jesus proclaimed that Jubilee was fulfilled today.  Today this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.''Jesus said the scripture was fulfilled , we have his Word to act on, The year of jubilee has been proclaimed. We are no longer beggars, we are redeemed children of God, lets start acting like it.  His anointing will be there to carry out what  the Word of God says. The Word of God tells us that the gospel is the power of God unto salvation,  The power for deliverance from every situation of life in which we might find our self.

2 Peter 1:4  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.

This is good news, these are real promises, based on God’s Word, we can be partakers of these promises because we are Abraham's seed.
Galatians 3:29.  And if you are Christ's, then you are Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise.

Gal.3:16.  Now to Abraham and his Seed were the promises made. He does not say, "And to seeds,'' as of many, but as of one, "And to your Seed,'' who is Christ.   17. And this I say, that the law, which was four hundred and thirty years later, cannot annul the covenant that was confirmed before by God in Christ, that it should make the promise of no effect.

These promises were not done away with Christ,  they were fulfilled in Christ.
This day is this promise fulfilled in your ears.  The year of jubilee is here.
Acts 10:34.  Then Peter opened his mouth and said: "In truth I perceive that God shows no partiality.  35.  "But in every nation whoever fears Him and works righteousness is accepted by Him.   36. "The word which God sent to the children of Israel, preaching peace through Jesus Christ He is Lord of all    37."that word you know, which was proclaimed throughout all Judea, and began from Galilee after the baptism which John preached:   38. "how 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.

Every where Jesus went, He went about doing good and healing all who were sick and oppressed. Through death Jesus destroyed the work of the enemy.

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

Romans 4:13.  For the promise that he would be the heir of the world was not to Abraham or to his seed through the law, but through the righteousness of faith.  14.  For if those who are of the law are heirs, faith is made void and the promise made of no effect,  15.  because the law brings about wrath; for where there is no law there is no transgression. 16.  Therefore it is of faith that it might be according to grace, so that the promise might be sure to all the seed, not only to those who are of the law, but also to those who are of the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all. James 1:22.  But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.
Romans 6:4.  Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.
Philippians 2:13.  for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure.
Colossians 1:12.  giving thanks to the Father who has qualified us to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in the light.

God’s Word tells us we have been qualified to be partakers of  His inheritance,
we should all be thankful for this most precious gift. If you have not received eternal life, it’s time to become a partaker, after all it has been freely given.

If you want to know for sure that you are a child of God then pray this prayer.

Dear Heavenly Father,
I come to you in the name of Jesus.
Your word says, “…him that cometh to me I will in no wise
cast out”      (Jn.6:37),

So I know You  won’t cast me out, but You take me in,
And I thank you for it.  
You said in your Word, “Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved”       (Ro. 10:13).

I am calling on Your  name,
So I know You have saved me now,
You also said, “…if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.  For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation”     (Ro.10:9,10).

I believe in my heart that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.
I believe He was raised from the dead for my justification.
And I confess Him now as my Lord,
Because Your Word says, “… with the heart man believeth unto righteousness…” and I do believe with my heart,  I have now become the righteousness of God in Christ.
(2 Cor. 5:21),
And  I am saved!    Thank You, Lord!
I can now truthfully say,  I see myself as a born again child of God!
                                                             Glory to God!!!!
The Olive Branch

James 2:26.  For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.

James is saying that our faith without corresponding action will not produce the end result. Faith only comes one way, by hearing and hearing the Word of God. (Ro.10:17)
When we put the Word of God in us, we will have faith. Faith is produced in our heart, now what we do with that faith is up to us. At that point we have a decision to make, act on what we have heard and know, or simply do nothing, or refuse to do the truth.

James 1:23.  For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror;  24. for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was.  25. But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does.

We have to do something with what we hear, or else we are deceived. If we do nothing with what we hear, we will not receive the promise. On the other hand, corresponding action with our faith will produce results. Another way of saying this is, believing is acting on God’s Word. We must find out what the Word says and act on it if we want to receive the promise. Believing is having, believing is possessing, believing is action. Believing is an action verb, it is doing something. Faith is a noun, when we take it one step further, and do something with our faith we will see the promise manifested.  If we don’t see the manifestation right away and we give up, we stop acting and loose the promise. How many Christians have stopped believing, or stopped acting, and lost the promise when the manifestation was just around the corner. Don’t stop, don‘t quit, don’t give up, the Word of God is true and always produces, when we do our part,  ALWAYS!  Get your eyes on the promise and keep them there!

Jesus said in John 6:47.  He that believes has eternal life.   If you are believing you are acting, and if you are acting, you have.  Believing is the key to victory, this is not to be mistaken with mental ascension. Mental ascension will say yes, God’s Word is true, but stops right there. There is nothing more done, yet believing always acts, believing is acting on the Word of God.  Find out what the Word says and act on it. Acting on the Word will bring reality. The reality is always manifest after you act on the Word.  When you put the corresponding action with your faith, God will move on your behalf. Speaking is the number one way we put action to our faith. Paul shows us this in the book of Romans. He was specifically talking about salvation, but the principles are the same for all of God’s promises.

Romans 10:8.  But what does it say? "The word is near you, even in your mouth and in your heart'' (that is, the word of faith which we preach):   9. 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.  10. For with the heart one believes to righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made to salvation.

The Bible is full of examples of this kind of believing. These examples are in there for our benefit, we can see how others believed or acted and received the promise of their faith. Lets look at the woman with the flow of blood.

Mark 5:25.  Now a certain woman had a flow of blood for twelve years,
26.  and had suffered many things from many physicians. She had spent all that she had and was no better, but rather grew worse.  27.When she heard about Jesus, she came behind Him in the crowd and touched His garment;  28. for she said, "If only I may touch His clothes, I shall be made well.'' 29. Immediately the fountain of her blood was dried up, and she felt in her body that she was healed of the affliction.  30. And Jesus, immediately knowing in Himself that power had gone out of Him, turned around in the crowd and said, "Who touched My clothes?''  31. But His disciples said to Him, "You see the multitude thronging You, and You say, `Who touched Me?' ''  32. And He looked around to see her who had done this thing.  33. But the woman, fearing and trembling, knowing what had happened to her, came and fell down before Him and told Him the whole truth.
34.  And He said to her, "Daughter, your faith has made you well. Go in peace, and be healed of your affliction.''

I would like to walk through this short story and see what happened that brought healing to this woman. One of the first things that happened is the woman heard of Jesus  vs.27. When she heard about Jesus. As the Word says, faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God.  Secondly she spoke,  vs.28.  for she said, "If only I may touch His clothes, I shall be made well. She had a positive confession, she spoke what she believed in her heart would come to pass. Thirdly, she physically acted out what she said. She came behind Him in the crowd and touched His garment. She received the manifestation of what she believed. Fourthly  vs.33. But the woman, fearing and trembling, knowing what had happened to her, came and fell down before Him and told Him the whole truth. She gave God the glory for the healing didn’t she?   1.) She heard the word,  2.) she spoke her faith,  3.) she acted out what she believed,  and   4.) she gave God the glory.  You will notice, Jesus told her, Daughter, your faith has made you well. Go in peace, and be healed of your affliction.''  He said your faith has made you well.  Jesus faith had nothing to do with her healing, as a matter of fact when He realized that power had gone out of Him, He turned around in the crowd and said, "Who touched My clothes?  He had to turn around to see who had done this thing, didn’t He?  

This woman did something that none of the other people in the crowd were doing, she was acting.  We know that lots of people were touching Him or thronging Him. We know this because His disciples said to Him, You see the multitude thronging You,  so it was not just the simple act of touching Him that healed her, if it was, they all would have gotten healed. Yet the Bible only records her as having received healing at that particular time, doesn’t it?  She did what James at a later time was talking about, she became a hearer and a doer of the Word. She put corresponding action with her faith, and as we see from the Word of God, this was not just physical action, although that was certainly part of it. She heard the Word, she believed in her heart, she spoke her faith, she received the manifestation, and she glorified God for it. What an awesome example.  This same principle can be applied to all the promises of God.
 I would like to encourage you to find the promises of God that are specific to your needs, and start acting as if the Word of God is true.  Stop struggling, and crying out to God and praying, and simply start acting on what God has spoken, that is what will brings results.   You have to put the Word in first, then act. If you try to do it the other way around, you can get in trouble.    
 
Jesus said,  "A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart brings forth evil. For out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.  (Luke 6:45)    Get in the Word of God and put the Word in your heart, then you will have a good treasure in your heart, and when you speak you will have God’s abundance coming out of your mouth..   Glory to God.  

Make this confession of faith your own, act on the Word by speaking it with your mouth.  The more you speak it, the more you will hear it. The more you hear it, the more the reality of God’s Word will grow in your heart, and when you speak,  you will be speaking out of the good treasure of your heart.

Confession of Faith.

I believe Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God.   I am in Christ Jesus.  I am a new creation, with the life of God, the nature of God,  and the ability of God within me. I am His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus. I am the righteousness of God in Christ. My standing with God is secure.
My prayers avail much.  Christ Jesus my Lord, is my wisdom.  He is my righteousness.  
He is my sanctification.   He is my redemption. I have received abundance of grace and the gift of righteousness. I reign as a king and dominate in this life through Christ Jesus. He bore my infirmity, He took my disease,  The chastisement of my peace was laid upon Him, with His stripes I am healed!!!    Healing belongs to me because I am in Christ Jesus.
The law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death.
I am more than a conqueror in Christ Jesus.  I can not be conquered. He is my strength, therefore I can not be defeated.  I can do all thing through Christ which strengthens me. All my needs are supplied according to His riches and glory by Christ Jesus, therefore I have no lack. I was crucified with Christ. When He was quickened and made alive,  I was quickened and made alive with Him. I was raised up together with Him and made to sit with Him in heavenly places. I am now seated with Him in  heavenly places. I am dead to the lust of this world,  I am alive only to God. I am a believer and not a doubter,  everything  Jesus did and is, I am a partaker of.
Therefore, as He is, so am I in this world.              

                                                              Glory to God!
The Olive Branch

Proverbs 6:2  you are snared by the words of your own mouth; you are taken by the words of your mouth.

Proverbs 12:6  The words of the wicked are, "Lie in wait for blood,'' but the mouth of the upright will deliver them.

In both of these scriptures we see that words can make or break us.  Proverbs 6:2  says, you are snared.  Another way of saying this is you are trapped or entangled. Your words put you in a place of entrapment. We also see in Proverbs 12:6.  that the mouth of the upright will deliver them. Your words have the power to entrap you and your words have the power to set you free, or liberate you. Words are not just sound waves traveling through the air. They are the spoken abundance of your heart. Lets look at the words of Jesus.

-- New American Standard
Matthew 12:34.  You brood of vipers, how can you, being evil, speak what is good? For the mouth speaks out of that which fills the heart.
35.  The good man out of his good treasure brings forth what is good; and the evil man out of his evil treasure brings forth what is evil.
36.  And I say to you, that every careless word that men shall speak, they shall render account for it in the day of judgment.
37.  For by your words you shall be justified, and by your words you shall be condemned."

Justification or condemnation,  to be entangled or delivered,  all with the exercise of our spoken words.  This should be a wake up call to us. We should endeavor to line our words up with God's words.

Proverbs 18:21  Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruit.

Death and life our in our power, God has given us a free choice. We must choose to speak either life or death.  God can not,  nor will He do it for us.  We will do the speaking that will cause life or death, and will be held accountable to God for our words.
 There is a spiritual law in effect concerning what we say. You might say I’ve never heard of such a thing. We have seen so far, the rules God has established in his Word. These rules can not be broken or overridden. I like to listen to people, and really hear what they say. You can locate them by their words. You know what I mean by locate them? You can see where they are coming from, and I have learned you can see where they are going as a result of their words. As we just read there is life and death in the power of the tongue. And also, but the mouth of the upright will deliver them.  Jesus talked about this spiritual law of saying in Marks Gospel.

Mark 11:23  "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 come to pass, he will have whatever he says.
24.  "Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them.
25.  "And whenever you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive him, that your Father in heaven may also forgive you your trespasses.
26. "But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father in heaven forgive your trespasses.''

You’ll notice Jesus said says 3 times and He only said to believe one time. I am convinced we have to believe God's Word to see things come to pass, yet the Word of God is not hap hazard in the way it says things. The fact that Jesus said to say something three times and believe something only once shows us an important truth. What we say is of very great importance, what we say will come to pass if it is what we believe. It is understood that what we say is what we believe. We already read out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. What we say is the hearts abundance, therefore it is what we believe.
You will notice Jesus did not say,  you shall have what you believe, but He said;  he will have whatever he says.  I’m not saying all of this to confuse any one, but to just make a point,  it is in the saying that brings the having.  If we don’t say it, we won’t have it. Another way of saying this is;  we will never rise above our confession.        

I encourage you to take stock of what you say and to start paying attention to your words.
If you start to listen to people, you will see this spiritual law at work. You will hear people say things like, if any body is going to get sick, it’s going to be me, I always get sick this time of year. Sure enough they do don’t they? Or I’m going to loose my job, I’m always one of the first that gets laid off, or I just know my hours are going to get cut. My children are out of control and there is nothing I can do about it. I’m not sure I’m going to make it this time. If you really start listening to people talk, you will hear their abundance. Remember what Jesus said; The good man out of his good treasure brings forth what is good; and the evil man out of his evil treasure brings forth what is evil.
For out of the abundance your heart speaks, and out of that spoken abundance reality comes whether good or bad, negative or positive, life or death. Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruit.

Jesus is calling this abundance good and evil. We have got to put a bridle on our mouth as James said.
James 1:26  If anyone among you thinks he is religious, and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his own heart, this one's religion is useless.

As Jesus said in,  Mk. 11: 24. but believes that those things he says will come to pass, he will have whatever he says. Jesus said this, not Joe the druggist down the street, I hope I’m not offending any druggist named Joe, I’m making a point. If you believe something in your heart and speak it out of your mouth, it will come to pass, not, it might come to pass, it will. Jesus said so, and He is not a liar. His words are spirit and they are life.  Jn. 6:63.        What Jesus said is the Word of God. We should pay attention to it.

This spiritual law is what creates the new birth, Paul talked about it in the book of Romans.

Romans 10:8  But what does it say? The word is near you, even in your mouth and in your heart, that is the word of faith which we preach:
9.  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.
10.  For with the heart one believes to righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made to salvation.
 
This law is always in effect, and will always bring the results of our lips. Eternal life starts this way. I would like to encourage you to receive this free gift, it won’t cost you a thing. All you have to do is pray this prayer.

Dear Heavenly Father, I come to you in the name of Jesus. Your word says, “…and the one who comes to Me I will by no means cast out.”   (Jn.6:37),   So I know You won’t cast me out, but You take me in, And I thank you for it.  You said in your Word,   "whoever calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.''     (Ro. 10:13).
I am calling on Your name,  So I know You have saved me now, You also said, “…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 to righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made to salvation.”     (Ro.10:9,10).
I believe in my heart that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. I believe He was raised from the dead for my justification. And I confess Him now as my Lord, Because Your Word says, “… with the heart one believes to righteousness…” and I do believe with my heart, I have now become the righteousness of God in Christ. (2 Cor. 5:21),
And I am saved!            Thank You, Lord!
I can now truthfully say,  I see myself as a born again child of God!

                                                             Glory to God!!!!          Amen.

The Olive Branch