Ok, now we need to try to tie all this together and see how you and I can use this in our life. James 1:22 tells us to be doers of the word and not hearers only. The word of God comes alive when you learn to apply it to your life.
I will look at two different events in the Gospels and what Jesus taught. I am also going to look at a teaching from Paul as well.
Matthew 8:5-13 is the story of the centurion that came to Jesus for healing for his servant. (Please read the whole account in your Bible) Jesus agrees to help, but let's look at what the centurion answers
...."Lord, I am not worthy that you should come under my roof. But only speak a word, and my servant will be healed. (8) (Emphasis mine)
Now that is an example of belief in God (faith). The centurion then tells Jesus why he believes Jesus can heal his servant with just a word. (Read authority)
Jesus marvels at this man's faith and then makes a point to teach those around Him
...."Assuredly, I say to you, I have not found such great faith, not even in Israel!" (10)
Then Jesus said to the centurion, "Go your way; and as you have believed, so let it be done for you." And his servant was healed that same hour. (13) (Emphasis mine)
Notice the pattern. The man confessed with his mouth and believed in his heart. Now let's look at Romans 10:9, 10 Paul is writing to the church in Rome:
...that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. (9) For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. (10) (emphasis mine)
This is the same pattern I taught in the first lesson Power in Your Words- Part 1. As you walk it out through scripture and meditate on this it will come alive.
One last example I will use is the lady with the issue of blood. Let's look in Matthew 9:20-22 (you can also find the same story in Luke 8:43-48) concentrate on what the lady did before she touched the hem of His garment.
And suddenly, a woman who had a flow of blood for twelve years came from behind and touched the hem of His garment. (20) For she said to herself, "If only I may touch His garment, I shall be made well." (21) But Jesus turned around, and when He saw her He said, "Be of good cheer, daughter, your faith has made you well." And the woman was made well from that hour. (22) (Again, emphasis mine)
Notice what happen, she spoke with her mouth exactly how she was going to be healed. She said, "If only I may touch His garment". She also had to believe in her heart, "I shall be made well." Her healing came because she then took action. Many people were touching Jesus, only one stopped Him.
I have been taught, Jesus is walking by, reach out and touch Him for what you need. I believe this is a true statement only if I do what the lady did before she touched Jesus. She used the power of her own words, mixed with faith in God and then she applied action.
The above examples are on healing but Jesus said ..."I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly. "(John 10:10) The grace of God covers every area of your life. My final post will bring this teaching to a close.
Power in Your Words- Part 4
Friday, February 29, 2008
Thursday, February 28, 2008
Who Am I Casting Crowns
Just wanted to share this, I really like this song and the video adds to it. You may have already seen this but I think it is worth watching again. Enjoy!
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
Power in Your Words- Part 2
To continue with the teaching on the power of your spoken words, let's look at a couple of verses from Proverbs 18: 20, 21:
A man's stomach shall be satisfied from the fruit of his mouth; From the produce of his lips he shall be filled. (20)
Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruit. (21)
That says a mouthful (sorry). This is pretty clear that what we say is what we get. I am constantly amazed when people say something negative about themselves or their current situation and then tag on the end of their negative confession, "but God will see me through."
If the above scriptures are true (and they are) for everyone, than whatever the person says, negative or positive he will eventually have it. It has nothing to do with God; it has to do with you and what you say. (Read personal responsibility)
You have heard the saying, "You are what you eat." I think the Bible is clear; you will "eat" what you speak. So I think it is fair to combine the above saying and the above scriptures to read, "You are what you speak."
Another scripture comes to mind: Galatians 6:7
Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will reap also.
This is the law of sowing and reaping. God never turns His laws off. God can and will act outside these laws. (Read miracle) It is our responsibility to learn His laws and live accordingly. How about the law of gravity? You cannot see either law, but they are both constantly working either for you or against you. Know this, ignorance of the God's laws can hurt or even kill you. So it is to your benefit to learn God's laws and work within them.
Most people do not associate their words with things that happen to them. Why, because it usually takes time for their words to come to pass, sometimes days, months or even years. And I have found the negative words (think of weeds) grow much faster than the positive words (think about planting a fruit tree from a seed). The good plants, those that will feed and supply a need, take much more time and effort to grow than weeds. In fact, all you really have to do to grow weeds is just neglect any area and weeds will grow.
This is true in every area of our lives. I will let you meditate on these truths for now. To be continued.
Power in Your Words-Part 3
A man's stomach shall be satisfied from the fruit of his mouth; From the produce of his lips he shall be filled. (20)
Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruit. (21)
That says a mouthful (sorry). This is pretty clear that what we say is what we get. I am constantly amazed when people say something negative about themselves or their current situation and then tag on the end of their negative confession, "but God will see me through."
If the above scriptures are true (and they are) for everyone, than whatever the person says, negative or positive he will eventually have it. It has nothing to do with God; it has to do with you and what you say. (Read personal responsibility)
You have heard the saying, "You are what you eat." I think the Bible is clear; you will "eat" what you speak. So I think it is fair to combine the above saying and the above scriptures to read, "You are what you speak."
Another scripture comes to mind: Galatians 6:7
Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will reap also.
This is the law of sowing and reaping. God never turns His laws off. God can and will act outside these laws. (Read miracle) It is our responsibility to learn His laws and live accordingly. How about the law of gravity? You cannot see either law, but they are both constantly working either for you or against you. Know this, ignorance of the God's laws can hurt or even kill you. So it is to your benefit to learn God's laws and work within them.
Most people do not associate their words with things that happen to them. Why, because it usually takes time for their words to come to pass, sometimes days, months or even years. And I have found the negative words (think of weeds) grow much faster than the positive words (think about planting a fruit tree from a seed). The good plants, those that will feed and supply a need, take much more time and effort to grow than weeds. In fact, all you really have to do to grow weeds is just neglect any area and weeds will grow.
This is true in every area of our lives. I will let you meditate on these truths for now. To be continued.
Power in Your Words-Part 3
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
More Evangelism Thoughts Using Christian Clothing
I bought the basic training course from Way of the Master last year. It is an excellent tool for teaching believers how to use the law of the Lord (The Ten Commandments) while witnessing.
I have found most people I talk to, are not ready to go from doing nothing for God, to street preaching. There may need to be a starting point or ground breaking, before people begin to have confidence talking to people they do not know. I believe it is a process of growth and most are not ready to go "hit the streets", so they do nothing. I have also noticed most people that teach Evangelism are passionate about witnessing for God and may even be gifted by God to be Evangelists. (This may be one of the reasons evangelism is avoided by most believers.)
I believe evangelism could to be taught as a process, as you grow, you move to the next step or level. Two scriptures come to mind to back this up. The first is found in Mark 4:28, Jesus is comparing the kingdom of God as the growing seed.
"For the earth yields crops by itself: first the blade, then the head, after that the full grain in the head."
The second is Acts 1:8 where Jesus gives His disciples the pattern or how they should start witnessing.
"But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you: and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth."
For many believers witnessing is going to be a learned behavior, we know we should do it but don't know where to start. Our Christian Clothing Line is a great tool to take you from doing nothing (not witnessing to anyone) to witnessing, when asked, by people you come in contact during your regular day.
I believe Jerusalem represents people close to you, friends and family. After you have acquired the necessary skills and confidence, you should then move out further into your community.
I saw this video and thought you would enjoy it. It is about 10 minutes. It solidifies the need to use God's law when talking about true salvation. I totally agree and have seen it work in my life.
The Reformed Gadfly: Do We Really Need To Be "Buds"?#links
I have found most people I talk to, are not ready to go from doing nothing for God, to street preaching. There may need to be a starting point or ground breaking, before people begin to have confidence talking to people they do not know. I believe it is a process of growth and most are not ready to go "hit the streets", so they do nothing. I have also noticed most people that teach Evangelism are passionate about witnessing for God and may even be gifted by God to be Evangelists. (This may be one of the reasons evangelism is avoided by most believers.)
I believe evangelism could to be taught as a process, as you grow, you move to the next step or level. Two scriptures come to mind to back this up. The first is found in Mark 4:28, Jesus is comparing the kingdom of God as the growing seed.
"For the earth yields crops by itself: first the blade, then the head, after that the full grain in the head."
The second is Acts 1:8 where Jesus gives His disciples the pattern or how they should start witnessing.
"But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you: and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth."
For many believers witnessing is going to be a learned behavior, we know we should do it but don't know where to start. Our Christian Clothing Line is a great tool to take you from doing nothing (not witnessing to anyone) to witnessing, when asked, by people you come in contact during your regular day.
I believe Jerusalem represents people close to you, friends and family. After you have acquired the necessary skills and confidence, you should then move out further into your community.
I saw this video and thought you would enjoy it. It is about 10 minutes. It solidifies the need to use God's law when talking about true salvation. I totally agree and have seen it work in my life.
The Reformed Gadfly: Do We Really Need To Be "Buds"?#links
Power in Your Words- Part 1
Most of you have heard the saying:
"Sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me."
I used to think the above saying was the truth. Words really did not mean much, your actions was all that mattered. After reading and studying the Bible, (the real Truth) I have come to a different conclusion.
Your faith, plus your words, plus your belief in your heart (no doubting), is how you can move any mountain (add in any obstacle) in your life.
Let's read Mark 11:22-24
So Jesus answered and said to them, "Have faith in God. For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, 'Be removed and be cast in the sea, and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says. Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them." (emphasis mine)
I know there have been countless sermons and teachings on this topic but I just wanted to tell you what I am meditating on right now. The assumption that words have no real power or cannot affect you, is a lie straight from the devil.
In Genesis 1, God literally spoke the world into existence. (If you do not believe that, your can not believe any other part of the Bible.) If God did not speak and create this world, than God is a liar. God is God and this is how He did it: And God said.
He then gave man (Adam) dominion over the world He created and that included "speaking" to his situation. Adam gave this "power/dominion" to the devil and that is how Satan get things done here on Earth. Wow, that is a bunch for this post. I will let that sink in, continue to pray on this and get back to it tomorrow.
Power in Your Words-Part 2
"Sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me."
I used to think the above saying was the truth. Words really did not mean much, your actions was all that mattered. After reading and studying the Bible, (the real Truth) I have come to a different conclusion.
Your faith, plus your words, plus your belief in your heart (no doubting), is how you can move any mountain (add in any obstacle) in your life.
Let's read Mark 11:22-24
So Jesus answered and said to them, "Have faith in God. For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, 'Be removed and be cast in the sea, and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says. Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them." (emphasis mine)
I know there have been countless sermons and teachings on this topic but I just wanted to tell you what I am meditating on right now. The assumption that words have no real power or cannot affect you, is a lie straight from the devil.
In Genesis 1, God literally spoke the world into existence. (If you do not believe that, your can not believe any other part of the Bible.) If God did not speak and create this world, than God is a liar. God is God and this is how He did it: And God said.
He then gave man (Adam) dominion over the world He created and that included "speaking" to his situation. Adam gave this "power/dominion" to the devil and that is how Satan get things done here on Earth. Wow, that is a bunch for this post. I will let that sink in, continue to pray on this and get back to it tomorrow.
Power in Your Words-Part 2
Monday, February 25, 2008
Powerful Christian Clothing
Why powerful? Because we try to base everything we do on scripture. This can be a little tricky and will probably offend some people. Every business needs a standard of practice and we use the Bible as our guide.
With that said, I want to reintroduce a powerful scripture and one I have tied much of the reason for continuing on with this clothing line.
And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, the word of their testimony and they did not consider their lives unto the death. Revelation 12:11
What a powerful picture of a true believer (for keyword purposes I love the term Warriors for Christ).
There are three distinct attributes for the above mentioned Warrior for Christ.
1. The blood of the Lamb. Jesus blood is where the power begins and ends. Without the blood there would be no victory.
2. The word of their testimony. Each "Warrior" has a unique testimony they can use to defeat Satan.
3. A sacrificial life. Without a complete and total death to self you remain a target the enemy (Satan) can attack. He has no power over a "dead man".
As you can tell this verse has incredible power, but like all scripture, it is only powerful when applied to your life. So before any Christian Clothing item can be used, you must first decide to be used of God.
Appling the Bible to your life using something as basic as: Prayer, Wear and Share Christian Clothing that makes a difference in .
With that said, I want to reintroduce a powerful scripture and one I have tied much of the reason for continuing on with this clothing line.
And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, the word of their testimony and they did not consider their lives unto the death. Revelation 12:11
What a powerful picture of a true believer (for keyword purposes I love the term Warriors for Christ).
There are three distinct attributes for the above mentioned Warrior for Christ.
1. The blood of the Lamb. Jesus blood is where the power begins and ends. Without the blood there would be no victory.
2. The word of their testimony. Each "Warrior" has a unique testimony they can use to defeat Satan.
3. A sacrificial life. Without a complete and total death to self you remain a target the enemy (Satan) can attack. He has no power over a "dead man".
As you can tell this verse has incredible power, but like all scripture, it is only powerful when applied to your life. So before any Christian Clothing item can be used, you must first decide to be used of God.
Appling the Bible to your life using something as basic as: Prayer, Wear and Share Christian Clothing that makes a difference in .
Saturday, February 23, 2008
Why Evangelize
Thought this was excellent. The Reformed Gadfly: If God Is Sovereign, Why Evangelize?
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