"Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof." (Proverbs 18:21)

Words are serious business. And, as believers, we need to get serious about learning how to use them. We need to begin to put them to work for us like God Himself does. The Bible tells us that He uses words to "call those things which be not as though they were" (Rom. 4:17).

Most of us don't have the faintest idea how to do that. We've spent our lives "telling it like it is." We've constantly used our mouths to report on the sorry state of affairs around us. Thus, the very thought of calling "things which be not as though they were" seems a little crazy.

"You mean I'm supposed to say, 'I'm healed' when I'm feeling sick? I'm supposed to say, 'I'm prosperous' when I'm penniless?" we say. "That sounds like lying to me."

No, no. There's a vast difference between lying and speaking by faith. A lie is meant to deceive someone. It's designed to make someone believe something that's not true. But to speak by faith is simply to speak words that agree with the Word of God instead of the circumstances around you. It's speaking from your spirit instead of from your mind.

As the Apostle Paul said in 2 Corinthians 4:13, "We have the same spirit of faith as he had who wrote, I have believed, and therefore have I spoken. We too believe, and therefore we speak" (The Amplified Bible).

Now that's important. Read that verse again. "I have believed, and therefore have I spoken."

There are some folks who speak the words, but they don't have the faith to back it up, and as a result, they fall flat on their spiritual faces. They didn't actually "call things that be not as though they were." They called things that be not the way they wished they were.

Those are two very different things. The words may be the same. But just wishing and hoping won't get the job done. You've got to "believe."

Begin today bringing both your tongue and your heart in line with the Word. Stop "telling it like it is" and start speaking and believing the promises of God. Put the power of words to work for you.

Scripture Study:  Proverbs 15
=========================================================================== =====================
"An honest man speaks the truth, though it may give offence; a vain man, in order that it may." 

Tags: Don't Tell It Like It Is

0 comments View Entry

"And we were in our own sight as grasshoppers, and so we were in their sight." (Numbers 13:33)

How does the devil see you? Does he see you as a terrifying and mighty warrior of God...or does he see you as a wimp he can whip in a minute?

The answer to that question depends on you. I realized that one day as I was studying the children of Israel and their failure to enter the Promised Land. The key to their failure is found in these words: "And we were in our own sight as grasshoppers, and so we were in theirs."

The reason the Israelites were so terrified to fight the giants in Canaan wasn't because those giants were so big. It was because the Israelites saw themselves as so small! It was what they were in their own sight that defeated them.

The same thing is true for you as a believer. It's what you are in your own sight that will make the difference. If, in your own sight, you're a weak, powerless Christian, the devil will run over you three or four times a day or more if he's not busy. But when you begin to see yourself as God sees you, as a conquering son or daughter of the Almighty God equipped with the very power of God Himself, the devil will want to steer clear of you.

The devil would rather do anything than come against somebody who's bold and courageous, because he's a coward himself. In fact, ever since Jesus came up out of that grave, Satan's heart has melted within him at the sound of that Name in the mouth of one who has faith in it.

If you're not strong in the Lord in your own sight, you need to change that. You need to get so full of God's Word and so full of the Holy Ghost that you walk around like a spiritual giant. Turn the tables on the devil and let him find out what it feels like to be a grasshopper for a change.

Scripture Study:  Numbers 13:17-33
==============================================================
"Few things are impossible to diligence and skill. Great works are performed, not by strength, but perseverance."

Tags: See Yourself Strong

0 comments View Entry

"And with great power gave the apostles witness of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus: and great grace was upon them all." (Acts 4:33)

Most of us don't have any idea what grace really is. Oh, we know some basic facts about it. We know we were saved by it (Eph. 2:8). But we don't even begin to understand the real power it can release in our lives now, today!

If you want to get a picture of what grace can really do, look at what happened to the early Christians in Acts 4. They'd been threatened by the religious leaders of Jerusalem and commanded not to speak or teach any more in Jesus' Name. So, they were praying about the situation.

Roughly, what they said was this, "Now Lord, we've been threatened, but we aren't about to quit preaching and go hide under some religious rug. Just turn the power up, give us boldness, and we'll go on."

Do you know what happened as a result of that prayer? Verse 33 tells us, "Great grace was upon them all."

Great grace. Grace so powerful that when those believers received it, the whole building shook. Grace so great it enabled the apostles to work "many signs and wonders... among the people" (Acts 5:12).

That one story alone should be enough to convince you that grace is not just some abstract spiritual state of mind. Grace is real. It's powerful. It provides the supernatural power to make things happen!

Now, do you want to know something really exciting? The Bible says that same grace that was available to the early Church in Jerusalem is available to anybody who's ever sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.

Thank God, that means you and I qualify!

If the devil's been threatening you lately, follow the example of those early Christians. Get in prayer and say, "Lord, I don't care what the devil and his bunch say, I'm not going to back down. I'm going to keep on talking and living by faith--and I'm going to do it boldly. So just turn up the power!"

I guarantee you, if you're sincere about it, He'll do it; and you'll begin to discover what grace is really all about.
==========================================================================

Scripture Study:  Acts 4:8-33

"Grace is but Glory begun, and Glory is but Grace perfected."

Author: Jonathan Edwards

Tags: Discover What Grace Can Do

0 comments View Entry

"If our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost: In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them." (2 Corinthians 4:3-4)

Tags: Open Their Eyes To The Light

0 comments View Entry

"So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it." (Isaiah 55:11)

Did you know that the battleground for the problem you're facing right now is in your mind and on your lips? If you'll hit the devil with the Word and cast the care of the situation over on God, you'll win.

Let me warn you though, hanging onto the Word isn't always easy. The devil knows that if he doesn't steal it from you, you'll use it to enforce his defeat.

So don't be surprised if he sends an evil spirit to exalt itself against the Word of God. If you're sick, he may begin to tell you, "You're not healed. You know that healing's not for today. Even if it were, it wouldn't work for you. It might work for somebody else but not you."

If he starts to tell you that kind of thing, don't buy it! Don't start worrying around about it and thinking, "Oh my, I'm afraid I'm not going to get healed. I sure don't feel healed. Why, I'm probably going to just get worse and worse...."

Remember this: It's the Word that does the work, not the one holding onto it. It'll work for anybody who'll put it to work. It'll work for you just like it worked for Jesus when He walked the earth.

He told Satan, "It is written!" No matter what the devil tries to tell you, refuse to let go of the Word. Tell him what is written concerning your situation. Let the Word fight its own fight. It'll whip the devil every time.

Tags: Hang On

0 comments View Entry

MUST SEE!

http://www.cnn.com/SPECIALS/2008/black.in.america/

Tags: CNN Black In America

0 comments View Entry

"And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him." (Colossians 3:17)

Did you know your name has been changed? It's no longer the same as it was before you were born again. You gave your old name away when you made covenant with Jesus.

To fully appreciate what that means, you have to think about it in the light of what we know about blood covenant. When someone enters a covenant of blood, he is giving himself completely away. He is no longer his own. His assets and his debts, his strengths and his weaknesses belong forever to his covenant brother.

When you're in blood covenant with someone, that person's name becomes your name forever. You cannot escape it--good or bad--it's yours.

When you received Jesus as your Lord and Savior, He took your name! Your name was sin. Your name was weakness. Your name was fear and poverty and every other evil thing you inherited from Adam.

Jesus took those names from you and gave you His own in exchange. That's right! Ephesians 3:15 says that the whole Body of Christ has been named after Him both in heaven and earth. That means you have been given Jesus' Name. Its authority is now yours!

Just think about who you're named after:

"Jesus, Mighty God, Wisdom, Deliverer, Lion of the Tribe of Judah, Word of Life, Advocate, Provider, The Great I Am, Helper, Savior, Prince of Peace, Wonderful Counselor, Lamb of God, Lord of Hosts, Root of David, Author and Finisher of our Faith, The Way, Healer, Son of God, The Truth, Chief Cornerstone, King of Kings, Light of the World, Chief Shepherd, My Strength and Song, Righteous Judge, Son of Righteousness, Resurrection and Life, The Alpha and Omega."

Praise God, those names cover any need you'll ever have. What's more, the power of God is in His Name to bring that Name to pass in your life (Acts 3:16).

You can't call yourself discouraged anymore. That's not your name. You can't answer when the devil yells, "Hey, poor boy." That's not your name. Jesus has taken those old names of yours. They're gone. So meditate on the names of the Lord. They're all wrapped up in the Name of Jesus, the Name above all names, and that Name with all its power and authority has been given to you!

Scripture Study:  Ephesians 3:16-21
=====================================================================
"It is absolutely illogical to believe that nothing produces something, or that profoundly intricate designs have come into existence by self-generation. The more simple and natural conclusion is that there is an immeasurably great Creator and Benefactor back of all the remarkable existences which we observe and experience."

Tags: What's Your Name

0 comments View Entry

"Except the Lord build the house, they labour in vain that build it." (Psalm 127:1)

What a time of monumental decisions and changes we're living in. If there ever was a day when you and I must know God's will and purpose for our lives, it's now.

In fact, nothing else is going to work! God is changing and rearranging things, lining them up for the endtime move of the Spirit. If you're going to keep up, you must know God's perfect plan for your life--and how to carry it out in His power!

How do you do that? Through prayer.

In fact, God has provided us a prayer in His Word that we can use to receive the wisdom and understanding we need for this critical time. You'll find it in Colossians 1:9-11:

"For this cause we...do not cease to pray for you, and to desire that ye might be filled with the knowledge of [God's] will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God; Strengthened with all might, according to his glorious power, unto all patience and longsuffering with joyfulness."

In recent months, God has instructed Gloria and me to pray that prayer for our ministry partners and for ourselves every day. It's a powerful, Holy Ghost-inspired prayer that will not only enable you to know what God's will is, but to have the wisdom and understanding to carry it out.

Once we get a glimpse of God's will for our lives in the Spirit, let's not mess things up by trying to carry it out in the flesh. Let's not try to build the house ourselves and end up doing it all in vain. Instead, let the Lord build the house in His power.

Pray this prayer that God has given us. It was written in the New Testament for you. Put your name in it. It's a prayer you can be sure God will answer. Put it to work in your life daily and God will fill you with His knowledge and understanding!

Scripture Study:  Colossians 1:9-22
=========================================================================== =======
"He who has a pure heart will never cease to pray, and he who will be constant in prayer shall know what it is to have a pure heart." 

Author: Pere la Combe

Tags: Know God's Will

0 comments View Entry

2008 Darwin Awards

The Awards honor people who ensure the long-term survival of the human race by removing themselves from the gene pool in a sublimely idiotic fashion, as described in the Darwin Awards books.

So this years winners are:

Eighth Place
In Detroit , a 41-year-old man got stuck and drowned in two feet of water after squeezing head first through an 18-inch-wide sewer grate to retrieve his car keys.

Seventh Place
A 49-year-old San Francisco stockbroker, who 'totally zoned when he ran,' accidentally, jogged off a 100-foot high cliff on his daily run.

Sixth Place
While at the beach, Daniel Jones, 21, dug an 8 foot hole for protection from the wind and had been sitting in a beach chair at the bottom! When it collapsed, burying him beneath 5 feet of sand. People on the beach used their hands and shovels trying to get him out but could not reach him. It took rescue workers using heavy equipment almost an hour to free him. Jones was pronounced dead at a hospital.

Fifth Place
Santiago Alvarado, 24, was killed as he fell through the ceiling of a bicycle shop he was burglarizing. Death was caused when the long flashlight he had placed in his mouth to keep his hands free rammed into the base of his skull as he hit the floor.

Fourth Place
Sylvester Briddell, Jr., 26, was killed as he won a bet with friends who said he would not put a revolver loaded with four bullets into his mouth and pull the trigger.

Third Place
After stepping around a marked police patrol car parked at the front door, a man walked into H&J Leather & Firearms intent on robbing the store. The shop was full of customers and a uniformed officer was standing at the counter. Upon seeing the officer, the would-be robber announced a hold-up! and fired a few wild shots from a target pistol. The officer and a clerk promptly returned fire, and several customers also drew their guns and fired. The robber was pronounced dead at the scene by Paramedics. Crime scene investigators located 47 expended cartridge cases in the shop. The subsequent autopsy revealed 23 gunshot wounds. Ballistics identified rou nds from 7 different weapons. No one else was hurt.

Honorable mention
Paul Stiller, 47, and his wife Bonnie were bored just driving around at 2 A.M. so they lit a quarter stick of dynamite to toss out the window to see what would happen. Apparently they failed to notice the window was closed.

Runner up
Kerry Bingham had been drinking with several friends when one of them said they knew a person who had bungee-jumped from a local bridge in the middle of traffic. The conversation grew more heated and at least 10 men trooped along the walkway of the bridge at 4:30 AM. Upon arrival at the midpoint of the bridge they discovered that no one had brought a bungee rope. Bingham, who had continued drinking, volunteered and pointed out that a coil of lineman's cable, lay near by. They secured one end around Bingham's leg and then tied the other to the bridge. His fall lasted 40 feet before the cable tightened and tore his foot off at the ankle. He miraculously survived his fall into the icy water and was rescued by two nearby fishermen. Bingham's foot was never located.

AND THE WINNER IS...
Zookeeper Friedrich Riesfeldt ( Paderborn, Germany) fed his constipated elephant 22 doses of animal laxative and more than a bushel of berries, figs and prunes before the plugged-up pachyderm finally got relief.
Investigators say ill-fated Friedrich, 46, was attempting to give the ailing elephant an olive oil enema when the relieved beast unloaded.
The sheer force of the elephant's unexpected defecation knocked Mr. Riesfeldt to the ground where he struck his head on a rock as the elephant continued to evacuate 200 pounds of dung on top of him.

Tags: 2008 Darwin Awards

0 comments View Entry