God’s Word is true. What it says is right and will come to pass. But what some are calling “God’s word” is not God’s word at all and you are finding it out but blaming yourself for it or turning away from the true Gospel because of it.
If you give outside of the will of God, you will not receive the reward for it. It is amazing at how good God is to His people to let them prosper like He does. One reason is because God is not against prosperity!
It is God’s will from the Word that you prosper and be in health even as your soul prospers, but that soul is your mind, will and emotions. That soul is what the first of the Ten Commandments speaks about when it says in so many words: Love the Lord your God with all your SOUL--have no other gods before you!
It’s really not that hard but there is an enemy out there who makes it hard by his lies and subtle trickery of temptation. He (the enemy) wants to get you snared and then stand and accuse you! As Psalm 37 says: God knows his day is coming! And I am all for it.
Lies are not of God and never will be. The lie that says there are second class citizens is not of God.
God loves everybody and while we may have different walks and positions in life, God wants us HAPPY in those positions, from YOUR perspective, not ANOTHER’S!
And that can only come about through RELATIONSHIP IN JESUS CHRIST. God has powers man does not have. God can reveal things to you that no other one could do. The whole world is seeking that revelation, and people monopolize and capitalize on that truth hunger, but it only comes through Jesus (who is the Word).
The world was subjected to hope against its will, it says in the book of Romans chapter 8. But that hope is JESUS. That hope is His restorative, regenerative, resurrection POWER. Man does not have it. Even though they come up with some good stuff, man does not have the bottom line and that is eternal life. And that eternal life is not in hell, but in joy.
God can fulfill you, but it seems like such a mystery. But the mystery is that God loves you individually and really does have a plan for your life but it is not through another man but through His Spirit.
There is Spirit and there is Truth. The Spirit is spontaneous and creative and life changing but does not ever go against the Truth of the Word. Many are legalistic and believe that God has to check in with every past participle of a word man wrote about Him through the Holy Spirit or it can’t be God.
God gave us the facts and now wants relationship. He gave us the Word to walk with, not walk under. Galatians teaches us that the law is our schoolmaster (and we are under it) until the understanding (God’s idea of our understanding, not man’s) of faith comes!
Jesus dies so we might live. The Law by itself brings death, says the Scriptures! I have seen so many get excited because they were told they were not under the law anymore, but when I asked them what “the law” was, they couldn’t tell me. You try it, too. Ask people what the Law is.
Many will say it is the Ten Commandments, but we are not free to walk outside of those Commandments. We are not free to harm our brother and sister and call ourselves Christians. Think again!
Today we say we love people but it is a flesh love. If we can cater to your “doo dads” or your “goose bumps” then supposedly you have had a spiritual experience. Not necessarily. If you go home and you are still the same, you did not have a Spiritual experience. You may have had a good time, but you did not have a Spiritual experience. If you are not changed, you did not have a Spiritual experience.
God’s Word says that you don’t have to stay where you are. Man’s way says that you do. God’s Word says you are complete in Him. Man’s word says you are complete in them. Religion programs you. God develops you.
I tell you, many do not realize the explosion that is about to take place in the pew. Many have dropped out of church but not away from God. There are a number of sweet little people in the pew, just doing everything you want them to do, but are seeking God for more power and effectiveness in their lives BECAUSE THEY ARE NOT GETTING IT IN THE CHURCH OR IN THE PARA-CHURCH ORGANIZATIONS!
Ministers, with their eloquent messages, have filled the people with wonderful Word but have not given the people nor overseen the means for getting that Word out. They have stuffed the people with the Word but not given them ways to get it out.
People have been given the Word, but have not been EQUIPPED FOR MINISTRY! And minister, it is on you! People have tried, and if you have ever been a local minister or a phone counsellor you will find that one of the number one complaints is “I know the Word, but there is no power. I try to do the Word but there is no help or agreement.” And I have to say AMEN to that!
And PEOPLE SAY (without coaxing), that it is more about the minister’s program than God’s program. One reason is because ministers cannot see past their own gifts to see what others’ gifts are. Pastors have tried to rule and evangelists have tried to rule but you don’t have the rule! JESUS has the rule of the Church and there is more than just the pastor and evanglelist as beloved as they are!
This calls into question the place of their ministry and this is how I have to help others. I tell them “Do not knock nor interfere with another man’s ministry because you can be going against God if you do that and there is Scriptural admonition on it, but find a place to release your ministry, even if you have to go on your own to do it. And you must be willing to do it or go down the tubes with this decadent, sinful, backslidden society that is on its way to hell and judgment that so many preachers are trying to impress by fitting in.”
There is a difference between quality and excellence and just fitting in, looking good like everybody else. As long as ministers try to look like, be with, try to impress, and continue to be impressed with the governmental leaders and superstars of society, they are not leaders but blind following the blind.
It seems so many want a superstar as their endorsement of quality and effective ministry. NOT! It “ain’t” so and as the Word says, your ministry will be tried by fire and seen for what it is. Too many have taken on the world’s values and called it God by putting His Name on it. They are deceived.
God is going to take care of it. Flesh better leave it alone. As Jesus asked, “Who made you judge?” Even He would not judge as a man, but the Spirit does.
“When the Holy Spirit comes,” Jesus proclaimed, “He will convict the world of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment; of sin, because they do not believe in Me; of righteousness, because I go to My Father and you see Me no more; of judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged. I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now.”
When the Holy Spirit convicts, it will not be a halfway job. And judgment does come. He would like to tell us more about it but few will try to hear and find out more. They get just enough Word to get a program going and camp out with their “followers” who send in their regular support.
Some big givers start putting demands on some and that is fun to watch. But when I give big to a ministry, I expect something. There are elaborate schemes to get you to “believe God,” but when you begin to get into it, you sometimes find that God is not there, even though there was a good press report!
Have you noticed, have you been blessed enough to notice, that when you give big all of a sudden you are on “the inside”? You can be a regular monthly supporter for 20 years, but give $500 or $1,000 and all of a sudden you get privy to “special information” or “special access.” You may get this “Oh I love you” letters and here is my personal card with a phone number so you can call and get special attention when you want it, but when you call, they don’t anymore know how to help you--they just kind of pat you and say, here are a few items to bless you, be it books or trinkets.
It’s paid for attention and some of it is well meaning, but some of it reeks to high heaven in hypocrisy. And some may never see it, but God does.
The ministers get deceived into thinking things will take the place of Spiritual responsibility. It won’t. The inside phone number does not necessarily have “the power” to go with it. Too often the ministry has not invested in their staff and it is real apparent that this supposed close in staff is not equipped to minister what the ministry has been preaching. Trust me, I speak from experience.
There are two ministries where I gave in the multiple thousands to each and when I got hit like a flood financially from the enemy, there was not an effective prayer in the world to be found nor had.
So I had no choice but to take it to the Lord and He said, “They are preaching right. Where you sow does make a difference...” Sin in the camp. No desire for Spiritual maturity or responsibility. Fancy stationery and fancy buildings (building their own reputations) but no Spiritual help or companionship when (and where) you need it. Oh, they are preaching on the subject, but it is just words.
And some really get into that!... When it doesn’t happen, they blame you. “Oh, it’s your confession! If you don’t speak it right, you won’t have it.” And to some degree that is right, but it’s not right when they hide behind that and become inaccessible. And I am not talking about paying to have an audience, but answers to what and why you are believing on their word (ministered as the Word of God!)
Oh yes, I am on my soapbox today, but I am sick of all this phoney baloney Christianity. They tell you “be warmed and filled” by your confession and profession of faith and for the life of you, you are trying to be, but it ain’t happening, and you are wondering why and being defeated by lack of hope!
At The Prophetic Alliance, we had an awesome teaching (by Marc Gobulic) on how hope deferred makes the heart sick, and then how that continual lack of hope dries up the bones and makes us ineffective. He showed us how that is one of the number one tools of Satan at the church. We all understood it! You are welcome to come on out!
Some have made a god out of their confession. Again, I say that the words you say do make a difference, but the Bible in the book of James also plainly says that just saying “Be warmed and filled” does not necessarily make you warmed and filled. Life and death is in the power of the tongue, but life and death is also in the food you eat or don’t eat, and in the clothes you wear or don’t wear, or in the activities you do or don’t participate in.
The Anointing honors much more than just words. I appreciate Kenneth and Gloria Copeland’s ministry. I have learned a lot from them, but there is more to God than just one ministry, and I get very tired of ministries who try to compete with one another and compare “Who’s spokesman has the greatest power? Is it this ministry or that ministry?” It’s garbage and I Corinthians will tell you all about it.
But one thing Gloria Copeland said at a conference I attended when she was teaching about healing cracked me up. I think I went into holy laughter because I had to work to contain it.
She spoke about about the lady who came up and touched the hem of Jesus’ garment and got healed. She said, “Jesus didn’t turn to her and say ‘This is not garment day.’” How many times have you gotten a packet of water, a vial of oil, a little bag of seeds, a special form that was supposed to be your “cure all”? Just have faith! But for you it was not “oil” day or “water” day or “seeds” day? How many STUPID surveys have you filled out only to realize it was just a gimmick?
There is a point of contact but it is through faith and not a hanky. And you can own Cloth World and be prayed for but not get healed if there is no faith. I love these ministers who do these things, but often they know it is just a marketing technique and they will answer to God for it.
The believed preached Word is the answer. Believed lies and words that are not in the will of God will not get you the answers. Sometimes you learn the hard way as I have had. And sometimes God allows these things to happen to get His point across. But once you know the truth, do not go back to folly.
Hope deferred makes the heart sick and dries up the bones. God loves you.
