Part 2….Receiving and Activating Personal Words of Prophecy
Let me begin today with the area of prophecy that we will call
“Fast Forwarding”… A definition of Fast Forwarding is
to make adjustments in the present, by taking a look at the future…because our direction determines our destination….
Anyway, what I may not be able to do now, may change with time, so that I will be able to do later on what was not possible in the present.
We go as far as we can see, and when we get there, we’ll be able to see what we could not see right now….we just need to trust the process. He is the God who is there….where you can’t be and you can’t see.
A man went into the book store, and the clerk asked him, “Can I help you find anything?” Well, can you help me find and recover my misspent youth,” the man joked. The clerk leaned over and whispered to him, “We keep that in the back, between world peace and winning lottery tickets.”
Which begs the question, “do you have to settle for whatever mess you find yourself in”? I believe the final word is that we don’t have to figure it all out now, we just need to know that the Lord knows the way through every wilderness…..
If God is truly speaking through the word of prophecy, He is certainly able to bring all the pieces of the puzzle together that are it’s fulfillment. That means the people, circumstances and situations that are all pieces of a bigger picture in your life, that will continue to move you forward because He has gone ahead of you and marked out the path for you.
Prophecy is intended to help us find the role which we are most suitable for, it doesn’t pound square pegs in round holes, and it doesn’t not tie us up in knots pursuing something for which we are completely and totally unsuited! Jesus is the potter, who molds and shapes the clay, He is not Thor with a hammer, pounding and hammering on us, with a vengeance.
There are genuine and true prophesies that can take years to be fulfilled, and that’s okay, because He is preparing us for it as well as He is preparing it for us. We believe in promises that are yet to come…. that must be walked out and walked in, by faith. The Holy Spirit is an alignment specialist….and He knows how to make all the adjustments necessary for our best outcome.
When Moses was confronted with the burning bush, he discovered that prophecy allows you to Fast Forward, and it Turns Common Ground Into Holy Ground….. It causes the ordinary to become extra-ordinary, it allows the impossible to become possible. It Fast Forwards us by touching the soul and spirit….Scripture describes this in Psalms 42:7 as “Deep calling unto Deep”….and David says this comes at a time when the soul is cast down, and it came like waves washing over us….
When prophetic truth strikes the soul, it comes in waves of release and there is a breaking of bondage, hinderances and limitations and captives are set free! Often this causes an eruption of emotion and spontaneous expression in praise and worship, as freedom comes to reign in the center of a person’s being!
Psalm 30:11 “You have turned my mourning into dancing you have put off my sackcloth, and girded me with gladness, v12 so that my glory may sing praise to You and not be silent, O LORD my God”.
Instead of just looking at how far you still have to go, you begin to look at how far you’ve come, because you’re not the same person you used to be!!! Prophecy lets you know that you can get anywhere and do whatever is needed, from right where you are this moment!
YOU CAN STILL GET THERE!!!
He knows us and He has considered all the options….
The hostess at the resturant showed a woman to her table, and the woman asked her to keep an eye out for her husband, who was on his way and would be joining her soon. She started to describe him: “He has gray hair, wears glasses, and has a potbelly …” The hostess stopped her and said “Honey, today is senior citizen day, and you’ve just described every man who comes in here”….
We are not that different in the things we face, We all have so much in common….Aren’t you glad no one has to describe you to Jesus so He can recognize you….The hairs of our head are numbered, He knows our going out and coming in, our rising up and lying down. He knows the number of cells in our body, before we call He answers and before we get there He’s been there…..
So, Invite the Holy Spirit to show you any conditions that He wants you to meet in order to bring your dreams to fulfillment. Ask the Lord to reveal any prerequisites that must be accomplished before the word He is speaking over you can be come to pass.
For example, if the Lord gives you a word that you are going to be used to bring revival to Mexico, He may require that you learn to speak Spanish first. Sometimes the prerequisites are spelled out clearly by the nature of the prophecy. Other times they are not. Ask God to show you what (if anything) your part is and then ask Him to empower you to be able to take whatever action is necessary, and it will be amazing….
To have an amazing outcome……Risk more than is required, learn more than you’re obligated to learn, be strong and of good courage. Seize all the moments that take your breath away. Love, lead, speak the truth with kindness. Live out your values regardless of what those around you feel or do. Laugh often and deeply. Cry and let your heart stay sensitive. Innovate and simplify because life is complicated enough. Master the things that try to master you. Let go of all mediocrity and don’t settle for anything less than excellence. Stay humble and be a second-miler. Always give out as much as you get. Do whatever you do with passion. Break through your limitations and transcend your fears and doubts. Inspire others to go further and be better by example, not just words. Dream big but be willing to start small. Stop putting it off, Act now and never, never stop.
I said earlier that our direction determines our destination….but if that is so, what determines our direction?.... Our direction is determined by what we are focused on and give priority to. All of us can think of those opportunities, events, places, things, people that you wish hadn't grabbed your attention, as well as those opportunities, events, places, things, and people that we wish we had followed through on….(right)?
We could all be millionaires today, RIGHT!
We all have some ‘If onlies” and some ‘what ifs”….What matters is what are you focused on now, and what you are doing about it.
When Lazarus died, and word was sent to Jesus, He showed up 3 days later and the first thing He was greeted with was….”If only you had been here, he would not have died’…. But Jesus turned it around and said, “If only you can believe, I am the resurrection and the life, I am here now, and he can live again”….
What Jesus was saying was…”Just because the past didn’t turn out the way you wanted, doesn’t mean the future can’t be better than you could ever imagine”….
Proverbs 4:23-27 -"Keep vigilant watch over your heart; that's where life starts. Don't talk out of both sides of your mouth; avoid careless banter, white lies, and gossip. Keep your eyes straight ahead; ignore all sideshow distractions. Watch your step, and the road will stretch out smooth before you. Look neither right nor left; leave evil and compromise in the dust."
How do so many marriages end up ruined? How do so many Christians who started out excited and committed to Christ go down the tubes? This verse right here tells us, “Keep your eyes straight ahead.” People stop paying attention. They stop focusing. They stop doing the right things. They just begin to drift. Any of us can do this in our relationships.
There are times when I lose focus at home and get fixed on thinking about a lot of other stuff….. Winnie has to finally bring my attention to it. She calls it "Chuck's World". “Hello, this is earth, making contact with Chuck’s World”…..Are you there?
She’s reminding me to fast forward, and adjust my direction… if I want to reach my destination, and stay out of trouble with her!
My mom used to grab me by the chin and say “Look at me when I talk to you”…. That’s what prophecy does….. God is saying “Look at me, you are getting distracted, adjust your direction”!!!
That’s why we need mirrors as we grow up, to see ourselves the way others see us…. It’s easy to see what everyone else needs to do, but what we need, is the mirror that shows us ourselves…..and then we need to keep our focus according to what the mirror shows us…..
James 1:23 “For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a mirror. v24 For he sees himself, and goes on his way, and then forgets what manner of person he was”.
We stated that to Fast Forward, is to make adjustments in the present, by taking a look at the future…because our direction determines our destination….
So, We need to fast forward, to change unhealthy directions in our lives that are robbing us of wholness….We need to fast forward, to change the destination of our kids before it’s too late…. We need to fast forward, to get our dream and our calling from God back on track…..
Our future selves, want to talk to us…they want to tell us to make the adjustments necessary, so that 5, 10, 15 years from now, we won’t be living with regret, disappointment, heart-ache and not be able to change what could have been changed.
The spirit of Prophecy comes to help make those corrections, before we get there…..The good news is, that….to get a picture of our future selves, so we have a clearer view of what we can look like and be like….
Having said that, we all have times when we would like to have a rewind button when things are just going all wrong….and nothing is turning out the way we planned….You push it and Poof…..REWIND!
Prophecy is like the Rewind Button that can guide us in reversing the effects of unhealthy and unwise directions …..
Speaking of rewind, Meg noticed that her friend Sally was wearing a new locket, Meg asked her if there was a special memento of some sort inside.“Yes, there is, it’s a lock of my husband’s hair.” Meg got a strange look and asked “Isn’t Larry’s still alive.” “Yes he is, but his hair is gone and I really do miss running my fingers through it.”
Don’t keep missing what you can still have….
Proverbs 6:31 “But if the thief be found, he shall restore sevenfold and he shall give up all the stolen goods in his house”.
We have stated that Prophecy is a Rhema word from God to a specific person in a specific time for a specific purpose. When correctly applied, it enables us to use the best means at the best time in the best way, to accomplish the best outcome.
So, we are given instruction for how to get back what Satan has stolen…It reveals where the stuff is that has been stolen or lost, that is part of our inheritance….
In 2 Kings 20, Hezekiah was given a prophecy by Isaiah that he should prepare to die, but Hezekiah reminded God of his faithfulness to do all the Lord had given Him to do, and God sent Isaiah back to prophecy that the sundial would go backward ten degrees, as a sign to him that God was going to reverse time, and instead of dying, he would live an additional 15 years.
When Joshua fought the Amorites in the book of Joshua 10:12-13, He cried unto the Lord, and God caused the sun and moon to stand still (which meant that the earth stood still) for an entire day, so that they could win the battle….which meant there was no night for 2 days.
If God could stop the rotation of the earth to answer the prayer of Hezekiah and make it go backward 10 degrees or 3 1/2 hours, and give Joshua a full day of sunlight to defeat the Amorites….
What can that same God accomplish in your life as well!
These two stories convince me that while a prophetic word can fast forward….. it can also give you opportunities to rewind….
God has a lot for you, but you can miss the “lot” that he has, by tripping over the little! I believe Joshua and Hezekiah got a rewind, so they could clear up their distractions and hindrances and get back on track again! There are small things in each of our lives that have the power to block the big things in our lives….We fret over the little things, because we have trouble just giving it all up to him….and losing control of the little so we can take hold of the “lot”….
A wife was making a breakfast of scrambled eggs for her husband. All of a sudden, her husband bursts into the kitchen. "Careful," he said, "CAREFUL! Put in some more butter! Oh my gosh! You're cooking too many at once. TOO MANY! Turn them! TURN THEM NOW! We need more butter. Oh my gosh! WHERE are we going to get MORE BUTTER? They're going to STICK! Careful. CAREFUL! I said be CAREFUL! You NEVER listen to me when you're cooking! Never! Turn them! Hurry up! Are you CRAZY? Have you LOST your mind? Don't forget to salt them. You know you always forget to salt them. Use the! Salt. USE THE SALT! THE SALT!" The wife just stood there wondering if he had totally lost his mind. "What in the world is wrong with you? You think I don't know how to fry a couple of eggs, do you understand how many times I’ve done this and you’re acting like this?" The husband calmly replied, "I just wanted to show you what it feels like when you’re in the car while I'm driving."
Let God have your stuff!!! And then let it go! The Rhema word comes so that you can access and activate your inheritance! We all reach places where we have outgrown yesterdays blessings….You have come far beyond what was handed down to you, and to try to remain in what was enough yesterday, will leave you with not enough today, because you are not where you were yesterday!
God is bringing you to your Goliath Level…..There was a time when David slew a lion and a bear, but then he came to a new level, a Goliath level. The principal was the same, but the rewards were far greater… It’s not about the battle, it’s about a new level of reward which is being prepared for you as you move into the bigger thing when you let go of the little thing…..
Sometimes your greatest opportunities come while you’re on your way to something else…. David didn’t start out the day to fight Goliath, David started out to take lunch to his brothers, and Goliath got in the way!!! You’re on your way to a little thing, but suddenly your Goliath level shows up and the little thing doesn’t matter anymore…..
Where you are about to end up is far greater than how you started out! There is much more for you than what you started out with…
Ephesians 3:18 “May we be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; v19 And to know the love of Christ, which passes all knowledge, that you might be filled with all the fulness of God. v20 For He is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that is now working in us.”
Your inheritance is what God has for you, the life you have, is what you have built upon it. The prophetic allows us to be wise in building upon the foundation of the values and principles of the Word…
Matthew 7:24 “Therefore whoever hears these words of mine, and does them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock: v25 And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock. v26 And every one that hears these words of mine, and does them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand v27 And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it”.
We rarely understand what we’re saying when we declare, “Where He leads me I will follow”. We are not be able to see all that God is up to, and to be honest he might not have been doing exactly what we would like him to be doing all the time, but he is there and he is working and interceding on our behalf. I can’t promise you that everything will work out exactly the way you want because you and I don’t have all the facts. I can’t even tell you that everything will seem to be spectacular or amazing from your point of view. But the spirit of Prophecy gives us a window in time, and I can promise you that if we will have faith we can face all the “what ifs” of the future with confidence.
If God is in it with you… Don’t get hung up somewhere in your story….
Believe that He will make a way where there is no way…. It’s not over till it’s over and it’s not over yet…. Don’t put a stop sign where God only put a “yield the right of way”….He is in charge of the rewind button…but He gave us the choice to use it or not…
Romans 8:17 tells us, “And if we are His children, then we are heirs, heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ. So that if we suffer with him, we shall also be also glorified with Him.” I looked at the word “Heir” and it is “klay-ro'-o”…. (to assign by inheritance)…Yes, it is assigned by inheritance. You are in charge of the rewind button of your life….You can choose to be bitter or better….To prove how messed up it can be to stay bitter instead of getting better, I share with you the cake that Betty Bitty baked…..
Betty Bitty had some butter, but the butter was bitter. So she said if I bake a Betty Crocker, with this bitter butter, it will make my batter bitter, but a bit of better butter, will make my batter better. So she bought a bit of butter better than her bitter butter and she baked her batter and the batter was not bitter. It was better that Betty Bitty had bought the better butter. ( in other words don’t dwell on the bitterness)
In Exodus 15:22, the Israelites left Elim and came to Marah… where they were thirsty but the water was too bitter to drink. In Elim they has sweet water and food to eat…. But believe it or not, Marah was better for them than Elim. At Marah they had a change of covenant blessing ….
It says in Exodus15:26 that God made for them a statute and a covenant that would be as long as the nation lasted. It was in this place of bitterness that He said “I will put none of these diseases upon You, which I have brought upon the Egyptians: for I am the LORD that healeth thee”.
Maybe you didn’t get permission, but you can still get forgiveness.. How many are thankful for erasers on pencils? Forgiveness resets everything and gives us a new beginning. When you fall, when you mess up, when you do that thing that you said that you’d never do, you must get up, repent, turn to Jesus and know that you’ll find healing there. The more you see your own flaws and shortcomings, the more precious, electrifying, and amazing God’s grace appears to you.
You can find purpose in the problems, triumph in the troubles, water in the waste places, sanctification in the sweat, answers in your adversity, restoration in your rough paces, direction in your difficulties, fragrance in your failures, help in your hindrances, orientation in your opposition, and praise in your predicament….
The old song says…. From sinking sand He lifted me, With tender hand He lifted me. From shades of night to His glorious light, Oh, praise His name, He lifted me!
Know that hard times are not coming to destroy or limit you, they come to promote, increase, inspire and encourage you to be more than you ever were before….
Peter denied Christ and He not only was forgiven but he was restored….David failed miserably but when all was said and done, he was called a man after God’s own heart….The people who came to Marah, found healing for their bitter waters. The prodigal son came to himself in the pig pen and came back home again to redemption and restoration… Peter denied Christ but became one of the chief apostles…Paul was a Pharisee who killed Christians, but he became the apostle to the gentile world…
He’s still changing lives, and rewriting history by resetting lives with restoration forgiveness… Let me ask you to make this confession with me as I come to the conclusion of this message ….
“I am good ground and I am ready to receive the prophetic seed, proven and tested. It shall not come in vain, but shall accomplish in my life and the lives of those I touch, all that it is sent forth to perform. I receive the revelation, correction, insight, guidance, strategy, release and peace which comes through the prophetic gift. Because I walk in the light, error and deception, are brought out into the open and revealed, so that I do not fall prey to the snares and cunning devices of the Devil.
The Holy Spirit in me makes known unto me the intention of the Father as He interprets what the Lord is opening unto me. I am instructed in what I need to do, as I remain open and surrendered, so that my actions come into harmony with whatever changes are needed for the word to come to pass in my life. I cleanse myself of any personal agenda or motive, so that I am not distracted or swayed away from the inner working of God’s powerful truth. I receive the peace of God, that I may cease all struggles and I persevere as I endure, until the prophetic word is fully completed. I receive the outcome which God desires, fully accomplished and completed, In Jesus Name!
Lord, You are greater than the flood of things that would try to overwhelm us. We believe You are raising up a standard in this place and in our lives. A standard of truth in the inner parts, of transparency, integrity, and loving, compassionate living. Come in your power, in your love, in your wisdom, and make right what is not, make sound what is unsound, bring wholeness where there is brokenness, healing where there is injury, and justice where there is injustice. We thank you for your touch, for your covering, for Your presence just now, in Jesus Name…..
Now take a moment and soak in that as the Holy Spirit prays through you, allow the waters of transformation that flow from God’s throne to sweep over you…..
Receiving and Activating Personal Words of Prophecy
Proverbs 4:7 “Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom: and with all your getting get understanding. v8 Exalt her, and wisdom shall promote you and shall bring you to honor, when you embrace her”…
Before receiving and acting on a prophecy, it’s good to get some wisdom and gain some understanding and be prepared to receive it in a proper and biblical manner. Prophecy is a way that you can hear from the Lord himself about his love and concern for you and His will for your life.
Christians have the holy spirit, and they have the Bible, so some would ask, why would they need prophecy? Won’t the Lord tell them through his word what they need to know? We need to be confident that It is always the Lord’s heart to communicate with his Body, the Church. But prophecy should be the “default pattern” and not the standard for every Christian.
I don’t believe we are intended by God to become Prophecy Junkies and addicts! If you are not making enough money to make ends meet, you don’t need a prophet to tell you to cut back on your spending, sell some stuff, live more thrifty, or get a better job. That is simply the wise thing to do. Knowing and Obeying the written Word of God and using wisdom is the standard we are given for successful Christian living.
Hearing from the Lord for yourself, obeying Scripture, and using wisdom are always the first things you should do in your Christian walk and life.
Having more knowledge can still be more knowledge without wisdom. WELCOME TO THE 21ST CENTURY!!! The bible says in the last days knowledge would abound, our Phones ~ are Wireless, our Cooking ~is Fireless, our Cars ~ are Keyless, our Food ~is Fatless, our Tires ~ are Tubeless, our Tools ~ are Cordless…and we are flooded with knowledge without wisdom to make the best use of it….
Wisdom gets you a home not just a house, sleep not just a bed, time not just a clock, understanding not just knowledge, health not just medicine, love not just friends, respect not just position, life not just a living, security not just insurance, salvation not just religion, a relationship with Jesus not just a bible. But most of all wisdom gives us understanding that life in Jesus is the most priceless thing in the world, and the benefits are endless and it just keeps leaving me speechless!!!
The last thing I want to do today is to lessen the importance of prophecy to any individual, because the Bible says that we are to be eager to prophesy and to receive prophesy.
1 Corinthians 14:39 “Wherefore, brethren, covet to prophesy, and forbid not to speak with tongues. v40 However, let all things be done decently and in order”.
The Lord will speak through prophecy when a Christian is not hearing his voice because they are new in the faith, also in times when they may be having doubts about their life and spiritual walk, or perhaps they’re being too emotionally entangled with a situation to hear clearly. Then, there may be times when the person has received instruction by the Spirit but they’ve not believed it firmly enough to act on it. In fact, prophecy is mostly the confirmation of something a person has received from the Spirit, but need to fully put their faith in it.
The bible actually says the just shall live by faith and in Romans 14:23 …..”for whatsoever is not of faith is sin”.
When it was time for offering, one guy hurriedly pulled out one dollar from his wallet and dropped it in. As the usher started to move on, the person behind him tapped him on the shoulder and handed him a fifty dollar bill and pointed to the offering plate. How generous, the one dollar guy thought, then he looked around and complimented the man for being so generous. The man replied "don't mention it, that 50 fell out of your wallet.." It’s important to do it in faith!!!!
Receiving a word of prophecy can be a great blessing, but not if you aren’t ready for it, or you may feel like it’s being forced on you, or maybe you’re not comfortable with the person or persons giving the prophecy.
The manifestation of prophecy is primarily to build up a person in his Christian walk and help establish his relationship with God and the Lord Jesus. So, when you have the Desire and the faith—the prophetic word flows forth easily and it’s pulled out of the person giving the prophecy.
1 Corinthians 14:3 “But he that prophesies speaks unto men to edification, and exhortation, and comfort.
God is fixing the broken places in your life and bringing restoration. As He brings a personal word to someone, He brings with it the solution, the connection, the wisdom and the knowledge to make a way where there is no way, and make the impossible possible.
Our father God is very concerned about the quality of each Christian’s walk with Him. By revealing the secrets of a person’s heart, through a word of prophecy, it brings the person to the place that they will “…worship God, exclaiming, ‘God is truly among us!’” Often a prophecy will have details about a person’s life that, when it is revealed, it helps them believe that the Lord knows and understands them personally, and that He truly and intimately cares about what’s happening in their lives.
We talk about it, preach about it, and write about it, but the fact is that many Christians are in the same place Job was some 4,000 years ago: the best they can say is, “My ears have heard of you…” or as Gideon cried out, “Where is the Lord God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob”……
In Job 38, when Job experienced God for himself, there was a profound change in his life. Like many others, he had heard about God for years, but never had a “personal encounter.” When he did, his life changed.
Personal Prophecy is God’s way of saying that He is not blind to your tears, never deaf to your prayers, and never silent to your pain. That He sees and hears, and will deliver you.
Folks testify that their lives were changed in important ways after they received a prophecy revealing to them that God really did know them and what they were going through in life, and they understood that He had been with them all the time, in the tough times and the good times.
However, not all prophecy comes with a warm, fuzzy feeling.
2 Corinthians 7:10 “For godly sorrow brings forth repentance unto salvation”. I have often found that when the Lord speaks a prophetic word, His truth pierces the heart and brings conviction so there can be changes in the person’s life that are positive and godly. God does not give prophecy to condemn us, or use it as a platform to expose something in our lives, but so we know that He loves us, and wants the best for us, and He’s giving us solid encouragement in a way that will help us in our spiritual walk. The prophetic message comes to help you make needed adjustments, it will build you up, exhort or remind you, and comfort your heart.
Evaluate, weigh in the scales of scripture and prove carefully what is spoken in a prophecy to you. There is always a chance that inaccuracies will enter into a prophecy, for any number of reasons. God makes no mistakes, but human flesh does.
The Word of God does tell us 1 Thessalonians 5:20 “Despise not prophesying. v21 Prove all things; hold fast that which is good”. There are some basic ways that you can test to see if a prophecy is from the Lord.
A good way to remember them is what I call “the five Ws.” Word, Wisdom, Witness, Working it, Wrongness factor
The First, “W” is The Word of God. Revelation 19:10 “And I fell at his (the angel’s) feet to worship him. And he said unto me, see that do it not: I am thy fellow servant, and of all those that have the testimony of Jesus. Worship God: for the testimony (mar-too'-ree-on…the record, the witness, the evidence, the Spirit, the word) of Jesus is the spirit (pnyoo'-mas…breath, unction, dynamic) of prophecy”.
The spirit of Prophecy will not contradict the written Word. God is not the author of confusion, and He will never confuse believers by saying one thing in His Word and another in prophecy. If you get a prophecy that blatantly contradicts the letter or spirit of the written Word of God, do not move forward in obeying it.
Just because someone added “thus saith the Lord” to something, if it’s contrary to the Word of God and you act on it, you can get yourself in a world of trouble…. Even the serpent was half right in the garden, but what they did was 100 % wrong.
The Next “W” is Wisdom. The Bible tells us to love God with all our minds, and He is the author of wisdom, which is to be a primary guide for *…..our lives. Wisdom is the combination of knowledge and experience correctly applied using the best means at the best time in the best way, to accomplish the best outcomes. The words “wise” and “wisdom” occur over 100 times in the Proverbs alone. God expects us to use wisdom to know right from wrong, good from evil, and error from truth. If you receive a prophecy directing you to do something you consider unwise or that is somehow suspicious to you, test it with wisdom before proceeding.
The Next “W” is Witness. All Christians have the gift of the holy spirit, and can hear from the Lord directly. If you receive a prophecy that is genuinely from the Lord, you should also have an inner witness that it is correct. If you don’t have that witness, it doesn’t mean that the prophecy is wrong, but it does mean that you should give it the “two or three witnesses” test, according to 2 Corinthians13:1.
Paul said in 2 Corinthians 13:3 “it is good that you seek a proof of Christ speaking in me, which in you is not a weakness, but a strength. v8 For we can do nothing against the truth, but only for the truth”.
The Next “W” is Work it Out, or where the rubber meets the road test. The Lord will work hard to confirm a prophecy. If you receive a prophecy, and you do your part to see it come to pass, then you can legitimately expect it to come to pass, as you “work it out.” If you have walked in surrender, and submitted your spirit to God and it does not come to pass, then you have very good reason to think you received an erroneous word. But I believe if your heart is right, even if you acted on an erroneous word, and you acted in faith before God and not before man, you will still receive a serendipity that will be a wonderful and fulfilling blessing….
He said in Deuteronomy 28:3 that you will “Blessed in the city, blessed in the field. v4 Blessed in your body, in your possessions, v5 Blessed in your basket and your storehouse. v6 Blessed shall you be when thou come in, and when you go out. v8 The LORD shall command blessing upon you in all that you set your hand to….”
Morals have changed, Churches have changed, Society has changed, People have changed, but God's word will never change!
We need to be sure that when God brings a solution, we don’t get over into the flesh, and scripture calls it, “consuming it upon our lusts”. The bible also warns us that “having begun in the Spirit, we will not be perfected in the flesh….
I’m reminded of the elderly gentleman who had serious hearing problems for a number of years. He went for prayer that allowed the gentleman to hear 100%. The elderly gentleman stood up at his home group meeting a month later and shared that his hearing was perfect, to the surprise of all his family. The home group leader said, “Wow, praise God, Your family must be really pleased that you can hear again." The gentleman replied, "Oh, I haven't told my family until just this moment. I have just been sitting around and listening to their conversations. And I've changed my will three times already!"
If a word of prophecy directs you to do something that will have an important impact on your life that you are not sure is true or accurate, you should not act on it immediately. Put it on the “back burner” and pray about it. Ask the Lord to speak to you in ways that will confirm or disprove what you heard. For example, you might pray for a wide open door that is undeniably obvious, or you may pray to hear the same thing from another solid witness. When we get the word of the Lord and work it out, there is great blessing, and a sense of fulfillment in life.
The next “W” is the Wrongness factor……Words of Prophecy are not infallible. The written Word of God (the scripture) is “God-breathed”
That’s according to 2 Tim. 3:16. Every syllable and every quote, in the original text, is perfect. That’s not the case with the manifestation of personal prophecy. So, don’t fall into the trap of analyzing every syllable, symbol and preposition in your prophecy. Instead, ask, “What is the point of the message; what is the Lord saying?” As one prophet has said, “It is important to get the ‘take home’ message.” A great example of this is in the book of Acts, where Agabus, a seasoned prophet of God, gave Paul a word not to go to Jerusalem.
Acts 21:10 After we had been there a number of days, a prophet named Agabus came down from Judea. V11 Coming over to us, he took Paul’s belt, tied his own hands and feet with it and said, “The Holy Spirit says, ‘In this way the Jews of Jerusalem will bind the owner of this belt and will hand him over to the Gentiles. V12 When we heard this, we and the people there pleaded with Paul not to go up to Jerusalem.
Paul was so determined to go to Jerusalem that he ignored what the Lord spoke through prophecy. What happened when he got there, however, was not exactly what Agabus had said.
If you read the record in Acts 21:30-33, you will see that, instead of capturing Paul and binding him and handing him over to the Romans, the Jews were in the middle of beating him to death when the Romans broke in and saved him. However, thinking Paul to be some kind of criminal, the Romans arrested him. He spent the next two years in jail in Israel, and then was taken as a prisoner to Rome. Agabus’ prophecy was not fulfilled “letter perfect.” But there is no doubt that the point, the “take home message,” of the prophecy was correct. What the prophet was doing was giving Paul a time line…. Paul should not have gone to Jerusalem when he did, because he was rejected by the Jews and ended up in Roman chains.
When you receive a prophecy, don’t get hung up on the details and miss the bigger picture God is trying to show you. Remember to ask, “What is the point the Lord is making in this?”
Although you should be cautious of a prophecy you are not sure is accurate, always be cautious about totally rejecting prophecy from a prophet who has been tested and proved, even if it does not seem correct.
We all have blind spots….A prophecy that seems to go against what we are used to, and what we see at the moment, may seem “wrong” even when it is biblically correct. What you believe about it may not be the truth, even if you believe it very strongly. We never see the whole picture or have access to all the information….. our knowledge is at best, incomplete….and we are short sighted, we don’t know all the facts….
Dave, the bus driver, was in his bus when the biggest man he had ever seen got on. The giant looked at the driver and growled, 'Big Eric doesn't pay' , and took his seat. Dave was only an averaged sized man and he didn't really want to argue. This happened for several days. After a week, Dave was beginning to get a little angry. Everybody else paid, so why not the big man? So Dave went to the gym, started a course of body-building, and began to take steroids. He didn't want to be frightened of Big Eric any longer. 12 weeks later the driver was muscular and was feeling very fit. At the usual stop, Big Eric got on. 'Big Eric doesn't pay' , he barked; but this time Dave was prepared for him. He stood up, shaking slightly, and said between clenched teeth, 'Oh, yeah? And why doesn't Big Eric pay?' The giant answered, “Because Big Eric has a bus pass”!. Just like us Dave had too little information!!!!
If you hear something that contradicts what you have always believed or practiced, you may have a strong emotional reaction, As with so many other things in life, there is no formula that will tell you if the prophet is correct and your thoughts are wrong, or vice versa.
We have to rely on the written Word, wisdom, the counsel of others, and the Holy Spirit witness within.
There is a Time Line of Prophetic Fulfillment…. Prophecy can be about gifts and callings that have not yet manifested themselves in a person. Occasionally, a prophecy will address something that the Lord sees in the future, which the person receiving the prophecy is not yet aware of.
The prophecy of Samuel to David about being the king of Israel is a clear example (1 Sam. 16:13). There is no evidence that David had ever even thought about being king, especially in a culture where kingship followed family lines. Furthermore, it was approximately 15 years after Samuel anointed David king before he actually saw the prophecy fulfilled.
So if you receive a prophecy that does not come to pass in a short time, stop watching the time and don’t be too hasty to call it a false prophecy. To the Lord, an immediate thing promised, may mean within the next year….when God states He will do something, it may be within a 10 or 15 year window of time…..When you receive a prophecy, and especially if it involves something that will be fulfilled in the future, have patience and stay in faith that it will be fulfilled.
Stay excited about what He has promised…..Don’t lose your joy, keep praising Him in faith….Someone has said that Kansas is so flat that you can see your dog running away from you for two weeks…..that should be true of our joy…it levels the playing field so that our joy remains in the highs and the lows of life. Understand that He is bringing people, resources, and circumstances together so that fulfillment can happen. Don’t be too quick to give up on the Lord. Walk in patience and faithful expectation that what he has said will indeed come to pass in your life.
The Lord fully expects you and I to live an overcoming life. Because He’s given us His power to do it with. The new testament Prophetic word is guided by grace and compassion. The Old Testament prophets were condemning and harsh….. In this era of grace, Prophecy should bring conviction not condemnation…it should bring correction not criticism. The new testament prophetic word is for guidance, encouragement and making adjustments so that blessing and Godly reward can come.
Hebrews 4:16 “Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need”.
When you receive an accurate prophecy, pray and obey. Usually the fulfillment is a cooperative effort, which to a great measure, depends on our obedience and receiving the outcome by faith.
I like the rule that says….”Before you go to pray, believe...Before you go to speak, listen.. Before you go to spend, earn... Before you go to write, think... Before you go to quit, try...Before you go to die, really live”!!
With the Word of God, one size fits all…it’s the whole word for the whole man…but when it comes to personal prophecy, one size does not fit all…when it is a true word of prophecy it is a Rhema from God to a specific person in a specific time for a specific purpose. When correctly applied, it enables us to use the best means at the best time in the best way, to accomplish the best outcome.
Let me illustrate this….A man went into a drug store and asks the pharmacist if he can give him something for the hiccups. The pharmacist promptly reaches out and slaps the man's face."HEY, What in blazes did you do that for!?!" the man screams. "Well, you don't have the hiccups anymore do you?" The man says, "No I don't, you clown, But my wife out in the car still does!" (the solution did not match the situation, because there was no wisdom, and the solution came out of carnal intellect with no understanding)
When it is accurate, prophecy it is as valid as if Jesus were standing there talking to you. Because of that, when you ask for a prophecy, make sure that you have the proper attitude about it and you are ready to obey it.
As you prepare yourself to receive a prophecy, think about what your attitude would be if, instead of going to someone manifesting the spirit, you were going to be in the literal presence of the Lord Jesus and hear what he had to say to you.
He told Peter to walk on water and He wouldn’t have said it if Peter couldn’t do it! We want to honor the Lord by giving his word the attention it deserves. If someone comes to you and asks for information and then ignores what you said, you would seriously doubt their sincerity. The same is true of the Lord. We should test prophecies to be sure they are the words of the Lord, but if they are, then we need to give heed to them as if the Lord were speaking them.
1 Thessalonians 5:20 do not despise prophetic utterances. ( The word “despise” in verse 20 is ex-outh-eneo, which means to treat with scorn, to diminish in importance, and therefore to reject.) v21 But examine everything carefully; and hold fast to that which is good”…
Remember the scripture that says, Luke 12:48 “…From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded and from the one who has been entrusted with much, to that one, much more will be required”. When you are given a prophecy, you are given “much,” and the Lord anticipates your obedience in return.
We must do our part in order to have a prophecy come to pass. The disciples were told where to catch fish, but they had to cast the nets there to enjoy the great catch of fish that was the outcome of the prophecy. It is vital to realize that even accurate prophecies about the future do not usually come to pass automatically. We have to do something in order for them to be fulfilled.
We must pray, obey, and walk in godly wisdom. This is true for revelation we receive personally from the Lord and for prophecy spoken to us. When prophecies are not fulfilled quickly, discouragement, unbelief and disillusionment, can enter our heads and hearts, and we must continually reject them and, continue to move forward in faith.
Abraham is a great example to us because when God gave him the revelation he would have a child, Romans 4:20 “…he did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God” . Abraham continued to have faith during the 30 years between the time he received the promise and when it was finally fulfilled by the birth of Isaac. Abraham’s experience, even though it’s extreme, is not unique.
David was a teenager when Samuel anointed him king, but 2 Sam. 5 tells us that it was not until he was 30 years old when all the tribes of Israel finally got together, and officially recognized his kingship, anointed him, and installed him as king. During those years between the promise and the fulfillment of his kingship, David was faithful to the promise of God, and he faithfully led the people God gave him at that time.
Prayer in faith is very important in seeing prophecies come to pass. Daniel is known for his deep prayer life. When he read the prophecy of Jeremiah in Daniel 9:2, that the desolation of Israel would be 70 years, his response was not, “Oh well, I’ll sit back, count the years, and the prophecy will automatically come to pass.” Daniel knew that a lot had to happen for the prophecy to be fulfilled, and that time was short. The Bible records one of the things he did:
Daniel 9:3 “So I turned to the Lord God and pleaded with him in prayer and petition, in fasting, and in sackcloth and ashes”. We pray and believe that what has been revealed will come to pass. We must refuse to be distracted in order for a specific prophecy to come to pass.
When God told the Israelites He would give them the Promised Land, they knew they had to fight battle after battle to have that prophecy come true.
2 Kings 9:1 When the prophet anointed Jehu king of Israel, Jehu knew he had a lot of work to do to be ready for that prophecy to come to pass, especially since there already was a king of Israel that he would have to replace. He got to work, and planned his strategy for success.
Focus on your walk, your calling, and your last instruction from the Lord. You have been given a great honor and privilege, and our obedience should be a great source of blessing, and inspiration, and all the challenges that come will shape us and mold us so that we will be prepared for the fulfillment as it comes.
The Lord wants us all to live at our full potential, and he stretches us in our faith and our walk. If you receive a prophecy that blesses you and excites you, wonderful! Walk out on what the Lord has revealed. If you receive a prophecy that reveals you have room to grow in your life, thank the Lord for his honesty, prepare yourself, and get on with the task of growing and maturing in your Christian life. Beware of compromise and Satan’s deadly trap, of fear, distractions and intimidation….
A guy asked a girl in a library; “Do you mind if I sit beside you”. The girl answered with a loud voice " ARE YOU KIDDING, ABSOLUTELY NOT, I DON’T WANT TO SPEND THE NIGHT WITH YOUUU!!!" All the students in the library started staring at the guy and he was embarrassed. After a couple of minutes, the girl walked quietly to the guy’s table and she told him “I study psychology and I know what men are thinking, I guess u felt embarrassed right?. I am so sorry, I took advantage of you, JUST to test a theory”. The guy with a loud voice said ”What!!! $300.00 JUST FOR ONE NIGHT, NO WAY, THAT’S TOO MUCH, OH NO!!! and all the people in the library looked at the girl in shock and the guy whispered in her ears “I’m studying law and I’m good at making anyone look suspicious!. Satan will always lay guilt and condemnation on you big time if you let him!!
If you have fallen down or feel weak in your walk, get up and get going. The Lord will be with you to love you, support you, and bless you, but you are the one who must get back up and move forward.
Proverbs 24:16 says, “for though a righteous man falls seven times, he rises again…”
It’s helpful to record all personal prophecies you may receive or have someone else do it for you. The primary reason for this is that we are not used to remembering all that is said to us, and we forget many details, especially over a period of time. The biggest lie I tell myself, is “I’ll remember that”……
Another reason you need to write it down, is that you may hear something that catches your attention and causes you to miss other things that are being said.
A third reason is that often we mishear what was actually said. Having a recording gives us the ability to go back and listen to what was said. Remember, a word or phrase may have several applications. Prophetic language is often figurative and uses analogies, similes, metaphors. Sometimes going back over what was said reveals things that were missed or misunderstood. It may be helpful to write the prophecies out so that they can be easily reviewed and prayed over. Many people keep a binder with prayer goals and prophecies to help them have a vision for their future and enable them to see more clearly when God works things out in their life.
Prophecy is partial, so we need to connect the dots in the ongoing unveiling of events, because you need to keep track of the many components that begin to fit together like an elaborate puzzle. Over time, a “prophetic picture” will develop from your prophecies and they will paint a bigger picture than you could see at any given moment of time.
Prophecy is a call from God on Heaven’s hot-line….God is giving instructions from headquarters, to keep us on track and on our calling….Circumstances may change, the seasons of your life may change, but your calling and ministry do not change from day to day.
For example, if you have evangelistic tendencies, then the Lord will be exhorting you to talk to people and work in some form of outreach at whatever stage of life you are in. If you tend to be pastoral, the Lord will be encouraging you to help the downcast and broken people around you no matter what you’re involved with in your life. If it’s teaching, then you will want to break information down into retainable and usable components.
Building a prophetic picture over time can help you recognize the overall will of the Lord for your life. Keep giving yourself to the main calling on your life….It is in giving yourself, that you give the greatest gift you can ever possibly offer…..
2 Peter1:10 Wherefore brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if you do these things, you shall never fall.
God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit, fully believe you will succeed in reaching your destiny, fulfill your calling, and come into heaven with many rewards waiting for you there as well as here!
Prayer….Lord Jesus, Thank You for the Holy Spirit that you have sent to be our Teacher, our Guide, our Comforter, and our Encourager. Lead us and guide us by Your light and truth as we walk in the light of Your revealed word of truth. When circumstances come that could shake us, lift our head through faith that we may walk in the joy of the Lord. We ask You to show us through the Holy Spirit any hindrances to receiving all that You offer to us. We choose to ask, seek, and knock on the door of Your promises, until we receive all that the You desire to bring to us. Shine through us in these dark days so that we may be a light to our world. We ask for revelation from the Holy Spirit in order that our eyes can see You as You really are and know You as we are known of You. We cast off the spirits of intolerance, anxiety, anger, betrayal, resentment, distraction, denial, rejection and unbelief, so that it is not our will but your will that is accomplished in our lives. We choose to seek first Your Kingdom, as the world is crumbling around us. Thank You for all your many gifts and Your grace, which gives us strength to persevere in love and obedience. Strengthen us as we stand fast on the Rock of Your truth and we choose to turn over to You all our failures and discouragements in life. Thank You Jesus that You give us your power, authority and dominion to go from zero to hero, as we choose to turn over to You all our dreams and ambitions. We speak and declare Your truth, which releases the anointing for success and prosperity. We can do all things through your finished work which overwhelms all lack, and insufficiency in us. May all power, glory and honor be Yours forever and ever. In Jesus name we pray, Amen.
1 Corinthians 9:24 “Do you not know that all the runners in a race compete, but not all receive the prize? So run to win. Each competitor must exercise self-control in everything. They do it to receive a perishable crown, but we an imperishable one. So I do not run uncertainly as one who has no clear objective. Instead I subdue my body and make it my slave, so that after preaching to others I myself will not be disqualified and unable to finish”.
Speaking of running, running shoes have become more and more technologically advanced. There are shoes for jelling and shoes with coil springs to give you more shock absorbancy. They have heated shoes for cold weather and cooling shoes for the heat. A guy went in a shoe store and they told him this new model of running shoes can even predict the weather! He asked how and the salesperson told him:
"Leave your shoes outside for a little while if they are wet it's raining, if they are dry it's sunny, if you can’t see them it's foggy."
When you have made the decision that you are going to begin running, it’s not your ability that matters as much as your expandability. It’s not how well you can run, but are you willing to stretch yourself a little bit more every day that you get up and put your shoes on.
Jesus is looking for stretchable people.
He said in Mark 2:22 “No one puts new wine into old wineskins; or else the new wine bursts the wineskins, the wine is spilled, and the wineskins are ruined. But new wine must be put into new wineskins”. When new wine continues to cure or ferment, it will expand, and old wineskins have no more stretch left in them, so a wineskin that will stretch in the curing process is necessary.
Satan speaks into our lives with the language of the lid. The language of the lid speaks of our performances that didn’t measure up, our lack of opportunity, our lack of natural endowments. It is about comparing ourselves to others and we all have lids in our vocabulary.
Moses spoke the language of the lid when he said I am not a good speaker. Gideon spoke the language of the lid, when he said my family is the least in Israel. David was the shortest and he was overlooked, while Saul was the tallest and best looking.
Satan is a capacity thief and he recognizes that we will not rise above voices of the lid in our heads. What are you privately agreeing with him about?
Where are the places that you keep hitting the wall? Maybe it’s your capacity to handle stress, or your relational capacity, is it a forgiveness capacity, a common sense capacity, or a lid that keeps you from physical activity….Did you hit the wall when someone betrayed you…or in a relationship, in a confidence, or in a business dealing, and you found out quick where your limits were…. Life has a way of showing us all where our limits are, and It’s important to everyone who has decided to run a race, to know where these walls are in every area, so that you can expand beyond them….and stretch to the next level…
Now let me tell you a revealing secret about all of us. When we reach our limits we usually don't pray for increased capacity, but for our troubles to be matched to our present capacity. We pray, “God, only give me what I can handle…we pray, Lord, please reduce all of this to a manageable level that I can handle.
But Sometimes that won't fit with God's plan because He is taking us to a new level that will stretch us in some very uncomfortable ways.
Listen to the Apostle’s prayer when they hit the lid of their limitations….
Act 4:29 “And now, Lord, behold their threatenings and grant unto your servants, that with all boldness we may speak your word, v30 By stretching forth Your hand to heal; and that signs and wonders may be done by the name of the holy child Jesus. v31 And when they had prayed, the place was shaken where they were assembled together; and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and they spoke the word of God with boldness”.
Hitting the wall....is something every runner has encountered. It takes place when the body uses up its stockpile of glycogen, a form of glucose that's stored in the liver and muscles. Glycogen is the main fuel used during sustained exercise and largely comes from carbohydrates such as pasta, bread, fruits and vegetables.
Dr. Robert Sallis, president of the American College of Sports Medicine says, “When the glycogen stockpile is gone, the body begins to feed on itself. The brain needs sugar to work as well," he says, "and actually it's more sensitive to low sugar than the muscles are. The Symptoms are dizziness, nausea and exhaustion. After prolonged, extended, exertion, this depletion can happen at any time”.
He says “When hitting the wall, runners should slow their pace and replenish their glycogen level. Some are still able to finish. some are just slowed way down, but many drop out of the race and cannot finish”.
Writers call it writer’s block, dieters call it plateauing, boxers call it the slump, runners call it bonking, to athletes it’s being off their game.
Race drivers call it losing the edge, investors call it an off market, gamblers call it bad luck, and Christians call it backsliding….
It could be the results of financial stress, marriage problems, a derailed career, a crises, a disappointment, prolonged bad health problems, or dreams and hopes delayed or deferred... the wall has many faces, and many names….
There are folks that will be under a bridge tonight, or declaring bankruptcy, or beginning a journey into drugs, maybe they’re in a mental institution, or maybe contemplating suicide, because they didn't know what to do when they hit the wall. what to do when they hit the wall.…
The wall can bring you to a place where you have trouble believing and receiving like you once could. The voice of pain, disappointment, discouragement, loneliness, broken dreams, detours, and spoiled, unfulfilled plans, can be a barrier to your faith, and harden your heart. It can happen before you even realize it.
Jesus told the story of a man who hit the wall in the book of Luke... He lets us know how we too can handle "hitting the wall......
Luke 11:5 “And he said unto them, Which of you shall have a friend, and shall go unto him at midnight, and say unto him, Friend, lend me three loaves; For a friend of mine in his journey is come to me, and I have nothing (the language of the lid) to set before him”. And he from within shall answer and say, Trouble me not: the door is now shut, (the wall) and I and my children are in bed. I cannot rise (language of the lid) and give unto you. I say unto you, Though he will not rise and give him, because he is his friend, yet because of his importunity (persistence) he will rise and give him as much as he needs”. “And I say unto you, Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and you shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you. For every one that asks receives and he that seeks finds and to him that knocks it shall be opened”.
Don’t quit and don’t give up, because as a believer in Christ, you can take Him at his word, that He is the door, when all you see is a wall! We are going to look at five doors to the walls we encounter in our lives.
The first wall we will look at is the wall of Encumbrances. Paul says in Hebrews 12:1 “we must lay aside every encumbrance”. What is an encumbrance? The Greek word (og kos… literally means a bulk, a weight, a burden) It is anything which will slow you down or limit your potential. So where is the door to this wall of encumbrance?
It is found in 1 Corinthians 6:12 “All things are lawful unto me, but all things are not expedient, (soom-fer'-o.. for the best, that which contributes to the desired end, that which is profitable) there are many things that are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power (weight) of any but Christ”. If it doesn’t glorify Christ, and if it is not part of the calling on your life, or won’t get you where Christ is bringing you, pass that one by!!!! So stop crashing into the wall of encumberance and use the door of Divine expediency!
The Second wall is Entanglements. The English word here pretty well defines what the Greek word means. However, the Greek word (euper is ta tov…means to take another path or trail that leads us further away from our goal) We must avoid that which slows us down, and that which trips us up.
The door to this wall is found in Proverbs 3:5-6 “Trust GOD from the bottom of your heart, don't try to figure out everything on your own. Listen for GOD's voice in everything you do, everywhere you go. He's the one who will keep you on track."
The third wall is Exhaustion. Running with endurance reflects the understanding that we are in this for the long haul and will experience times when we've exhausted our strength, ability, resources and even our will to go on. But God has a door for you when you run into this wall…The door He provides for us (you may not want to hear this) but it’s
2 Timothy 4:5 “But be prepared in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, make full proof of your ministry”. The Greek word, endurance is (hupo mones… a steady determination, a commitment for the long haul, applying pressure over a span of time) Sometimes your faith and your confession have to put pressure on the problem and keep pressing in to inherit the promise!
You can’t see air, but this invisible force, in the form of wind, has transformed pyramids, mountains, and turned boulders into desert sand…. water has very little solid form, but over the centuries, it has carved out the Grand Canyon, and transformed continents! With steady commitment and consistant faith, you and I can change the world we live in! Paul calls it pressing in!!!! God is looking for those who are in it to win it….in it for the long haul, the "whatever it takes team" (Use the endurance door!!)
The fourth Wall, is “The way you see it”…..In 2nd Kings 6, Elisha’s servant saw the King’s army, but Elisha saw the army of the Lord. What the servant saw gave him a sense of defeat, but what Elisha saw, gave him confidence for the victory. When the servant’s eyes were opened, it put a door in the wall of his view point!
The way you see it will help or hinder you. If you're looking at the wrong goals, you'll never finish. If you’re going to win the race, you must keep your eyes on the goal. We are running this race for souls, for changed lives, for eternal rewards, for God's glory, for Thy will be done in earth as it is in heaven!
Matthew 17:19-20 Then came the disciples to Jesus privately, and said, Why did this happen? And Jesus said unto them, "Because of your unbelief, for verily I say unto you, If you have faith as a grain of mustard seed, you shall say unto this mountain, remove to a far place and it shall remove and nothing shall be impossible unto you”. How you see, is how you will speak, what you see is what you will say!!!
Another wall we face is “The Examples That We Follow”....you become what you are around the most. television, movies, social groups, our jobs, even family, etc. can be a barrier or they can be stepping stones. We are the example that someone will follow. Is our marriage, our work ethic, our faithfulness in ministry, our honesty, our ability to walk in forgiveness, the kind of example that God can promote? Let’s use God’s door and get on through this wall…..
Hebrews 12:1 “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that compromises and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us”. The attitude that Scripture tells us, is to motivate us in all the situations of our life.....to allow the life in us to conquer the death that is all around us!
John 5:24 He that hears my word, and believes on him that sent me, has everlasting life, and shall not come into (kat-ak'-ree-mah.. a negative outcome, controlled by adverse circumstances, under the dominion of negative things, ruled by the curse, subjected to judgment.) but is passed from death unto life”.
The life of God in you, is not subject to the power of death that is
around you. When you hit the wall, you still have a choice, you can get up on the wall and make your declaration…go ahead, get up on that wall and make your declaration!!!
We are realizing that hitting the wall can actually make us better and stronger to face what is in the future. We are now learning where our limits and boundaries are. We’re gaining confidence and we’re stretching! We’re seeing opportunity for progress instead of exercises in frustration and failure. We’re coming to grips with the truth that, "Trying to change our outer world without adjusting our inner beliefs and attitudes, is like believing that a merry go round is actually going somewhere."
Hebrews 10:35 Cast not away therefore your confidence, which has great recompense (an-tap-od-ee'-do-mee.. to bring or give back, restoration, repayment, compensation, payment) of reward.
Truth is bringing us out of denial that has held us hostage to deception. We are engaging in honest self-confrontation that is inspiring and motivating change where it is needed.
Someone said, true repentance is not just crying about it, true repentance is about making a change!
Television psychologist, Dr. Phil says that when he has a hard time making change decisions, he writes two lists,
“why is this something I need to do?”
“Why is this something I don’t need to do?”
"Whether you think that you can, or think that you can't, you are usually right" And We all have blind spots.
Our attitude can make the difference in accepting the change we need or rejecting it…."If the only tool you have is a hammer, you tend to treat everything like it was a nail, and if all you have is a butter knife, you tend to patty cake around with every issue."
Galatians 6:7 Do not be deceived. God’s word will be shown to be true. For a person will reap what he sows. Everyone who sows to the Spirit will reap eternal life from the Spirit. So we must not faint or grow weary in doing good, for in due time we will reap, if we do not give up”.
Two of the greatest qualities to have in life are Wisdom and Patience. You need to picture a dog waiting for a skunk to finish eating from it’s dish….that’s wisdom and patience! My greatest challenge is waiting, I have a hard time with it…(anyone else) But we will find that we will only get over what we have put under us.
Joshua 1:3 Every place that the sole of your foot shall tread upon, I have given it to you…God gave the city to Joshua, so he knew he could walk right in over the crumbled walls….what wall has He given to you today?
We can tap into the redemptive work of God that is the tipping point between life and death, sickness or wholeness, bondage or deliverance, doubt or faith and grasp the message of the angel of the Lord, declaring that Jesus who died is very much alive!
Those Words instantly change our whole outlook and` our Divinely destined outcome…If God be for us, what can stand against us!?
Love is bigger than hate, forgiveness is bigger than every wrong, kindness is bigger than jealously or spite, honesty is bigger than the lie, charity is bigger than stinginess and greed, faith is bigger than fear and doubt.)
Let’s transform our walls….every wall that is around very long, gets covered with graffiti…. So we’re going to put some graffite on the very walls that have tried to stop us….we need to speak to our walls and write on them so that We turn them into our self-help walls!
Let’s write, shall we… “What I perceive is not always the greater reality”…. “I'll never accomplish what I never attempt” … “The journey is as important as getting there” ….. “What I don’t confront I give authority to rule over me” …. “What I don’t like in you is what I’m blind to in me” …. We are all under construction, none of us are finished yet!” ...
The “Wall can make you stronger or steal you blind” Your response to the wall is what will make all the difference.
President Reagan stood before the Berlin wall and Challenged The ruling powers of corrupt Germany.. “TEAR DOWN THIS WALL!” Because he would not play their game of intimidation and threats, and would not back down, the wall came down.
God said to Israel, this wall that blocks the way to the promised land called “Jericho”, will come down if you will take a stand against it. Do your part and God will do His part and the wall will crumble before you!
When I look beyond the wall through the perfect word of God, I see the future and it's fantastic! And we can boldly say….Come on, everyone, lets declare it together!
“I am a brand new creation in Christ. I am not who I used to be! I am destined to spend eternity with God and eternity is NOW. I have already been delivered from all the powers of darkness.
Christ died for total forgiveness of my past and present sins through the unlimited love of God. I am a joint-heir with Christ. Jesus died to restore me to dominion authority in every area of my life. I am now seated in heavenly places with Christ.
I am made alive together with Him.
I am partner with God in His covenant plan concerning the earth and all that is in it. I am a part of Christ's body today on the earth. I have access to total provision for my body, soul, and spirit. I can live in wholeness, for every day is holy, set apart, and designed for God's best in me. I am appointed as God's representative on earth.
I put on His love and walk in absolute trust and confidence of His power, wisdom, and goodness. My body is the temple of the Holy Spirit. The fullness of the Godhead dwells bodily with me. I am in the world but not of this world. I am a ROYAL PRIEST, ministering before God. I overcome evil with good for I was created for God's glory and Honor.
I got on Google and typed in the word Easter. I scanned through100
pages of Easter eggs, Easter bunnies, Easter decorations, Easter dinner,
Easter sales, Easter Zombies, Nor’ Easter, Easter entertainment and
events, and Easter concerts and services, before I got to one mention of
the real story of Easter…. Today, the message I want to share with you
is that….
“Easter Is About The Power Of One Word”….That word brings
light into the darkness, hope to the hopeless and possibilities where it
looks impossible…
I am told that by 6:00 p.m. the party was a no-holds barred event that
promised to be the party of the ages. It was Friday evening and that
meant the partying would probably last all night and into the next day.
Everyone who heard the news could hardly believe it, but they knew that
if it were true, this would be the party to end all parties. So they came by
the hundreds and finally grew to a crowd so large no one could begin to
count them all.
It was the usual Friday night madness, with loud music, raucous
laughter, off-color jokes, and plenty of booze for those who wanted to
indulge, which was practically everyone. From time to time the host
arose to make a speech to stir up the teeming throngs. He exuded the
calm confidence of a man who has won his greatest victory. It was hard-
fought to be sure, and until the last moment he was skeptical and unsure,
but then it happened, and when it did, he knew he had won at last.
Many hours passed and the music grew louder. They danced and sang
and drank and cheered and laughed the night away. By Saturday morning,
when you would have expected the crowd to thin, it actually grew larger–
and louder–and even more raucous. If anyone had gone home, his place
was taken by ten other happy revelers. And their host graciously
stayed and partied with them. By Saturday night people from distant
realms had joined them, making for an even merrier celebration. A few
speeches were given, followed by one toast after another. Then more
dancing, and in the darker corners, there was wild behavior.
Then it happened, the blinding flash, more brilliant than they had ever seen…a roar greater than a sonic boom, it was as though time stood still. No one knows the precise moment, but in the early hours on Sunday morning a messenger arrived and whispered something in the ear of the Devil, who seemed to grow faint at the news. Recovering quickly, he ordered several of his top men to check it out. A nervous murmur fell over the crowd. Within a few minutes the news had been confirmed.
Colossians 2:15 “And having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it”.
It happened just that fast. The music stopped, the dancing ended, and on Sunday morning the party in hell was all over.
Hell’s rejoicing was short-lived. The party that started on Good Friday had ended abruptly on Easter Sunday. What seemed like Satan’s greatest victory turned into his decisive defeat. How did it happen?
A look at the biblical evidence suggests we can begin to find answers in
the first book of the bible….
Genesis 3:15 “And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and
between your offspring and hers. He will crush your head, and you will
strike His heel”
This is the first promise given after Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit in the Garden of Eden. It is also the first gospel sermon ever preached. Theologians call it the protoevangelium–or the first gospel. These words spoken by God contain the first promise of redemption in the Bible. Everything else in the Bible flows from these words in Genesis 3:15. As the acorn contains the mighty oak, so these words contain the entire plan of salvation. The English preacher Charles Simeon called this verse “the condensed summary of the whole Bible.”
Although you may not see it at first glance, Jesus is in this verse. He is the ultimate Seed of the Woman who would one day crush the serpent’s ugly head.
In the process his “heel” would be bruised on the cross. In short, this verse predicts that Jesus would win the victory over Satan but would himself be wounded at the same time. When Christ died on the cross, Satan struck his heel. Where on his body were the nails pounded in? In the heel of His hands and the heel of his feet.
On Friday about sundown, when they took the dead body of Jesus down from the cross, it appeared that Satan had won the battle.
On Sunday morning, the true Victor walked out of the grave, alive from the dead. And this morning, those who know Christ, have the same seed of victory planted within them….It may look like Satan has won….and oh, he has even started partying over your defeat….but your story isn’t finished yet because your Easter is coming!!!!
The pain in your heel, is nothing compared to the crushing of Satan’s
head that is on the way…. “crushing Satan’s head” is about breaking his
authority, and destroying his power in your life!
One church had on it’s sign, “try Jesus, if you don’t like it, the devil
will always take you back”
The only thing that Satan can guarantee anyone is misery, hopelessness,
despair, and defeat!
1 John 3:8 “For this purpose was the Son of God manifested, that he
might destroy the works of the evil one”.
The next deep truth I want to present (let me sound very intellectual
here) is that “Death Stinks”….
When news of Lazarus’ death got to Jesus, and he arrived on the
scene, the first words that greeted Him, were “Lord by now he
stinks”….So, true! Of all the fears that grip the hearts of modern men and
women, none is greater than the fear of death. We don’t like to talk about
death, and in fact we will do anything to avoid the subject. That’s one
reason we turn to alcohol, drugs, filling our lives with all our toys, and the
pursuit of many forms of pleasure to drown out it’s footsteps. It’s also one
reason why we become fanatics about our health. Down deep in the
human heart there is a fear of death that Satan uses to keep us enslaved.
Death is hard enough to face if you are a Christian, but it is intolerable
without the Lord. And yet every day countless thousands march into
eternity with the heavy weight of their sin hanging around their necks.
What will your sunset be like? On their death beds the words of many
folks, let us see their view of death….
Queen Elizabeth the First….I would give all my possessions for just a
moment of time.
Author O. Henry….Please turn up the lights, I don't want to go in the dark.
Thomas Payne atheist writer…."I would give worlds if I had them, that
The Age of Reason had never been published. 0 Lord, help me! Christ,
help me! For I am on the edge of Hell here alone. If ever the Devil had an
agent, I have been that one."
Voltaire, considered one of France's most enlightened minds, “I am
abandoned by God and man! I will give you half of what I am worth if you
will give me just six months’ of life for I shall go to hell, O Christ! O
Jesus Christ!”
Don’t mistake the point. Satan has no power to kill you or anyone else, if you have placed the conqueror of sin and death, at the center of your life. For the Christian, death is but a “trivial episode,” a minor inconvenience and nothing more. If we know Jesus, death is like closing our eyes for a brief nap and one moment later opening them in heaven.
Unbelievers view death as the end– But for us it is the beginning or just a continuation of the next step in our eternal life with God.
Jesus knew a truth that was greater than the stench of death! That
truth is that He’s the Lilly of the valley and the Rose of Sharon that
overwhelms the stench of death!! He’s the ultimate air freshener and He’s
here right now and He’ll always be the fragrance in our lives!
In Children’s Church, the director was teaching about Easter and the
resurrection of Christ. She asked the children “What did Jesus do on this
day?”… There was no response from anyone, so she gave her students a
hint, she said, “It starts with the letter R.” Immediately several children
shouted out, “Recycle!”… Well, that’s a good view of the resurrection….
Each of us who know Christ, have been recycled!!!
Easter means that Christ has come to break every chain and set the captives free. Free from every prison that would try to hold us…. Free from hurts of the past, from the fear of men, from all that would intimidate and harass us, from the prison of physical, emotional, and mental afflictions…. He came forth and broke every chain!
Luke 4:18 The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the broken hearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised.”
Jesus replaces our fear with overcoming faith, our pain with power and purpose, and our obstacles with amazing opportunities!
Because of Easter, we stand at the epi-center of a new wave of the Spirit of freedom and liberty!!!!
When Christ rose on Easter morning, the demons of hell were disarmed. We already read earlier in Colossians 2:15 “And having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it”. This Greek word for spoiled is “ap-ek-doo'-om-ahee” and it means to strip, to disarm, to render powerless, to leave no resources.
This word gives us a picture of the church, returning from warfare, with demonic powers in shackles and chains, being led behind them in a triumphant processional, as all who have been liberated, dance and sing with trumpets and music as they celebrate with great joy and jubilation!!!
John 12:31 “Now is the judgment of this world: now shall the prince of this world be cast out. v32 And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me”.
Martin Luther wrote the words “And though this world with devils filled should threaten to undo us, We will not fear, for God hath willed his truth to triumph through us.The Prince of Darkness grim, we tremble not for him. His rage we can endure, for lo, his doom is sure”….
It has been well said, “Never give the devil a ride cause he’ll always want to drive.” The devil will end up driving if you don’t kick him out….
Many Christians live in unnecessary fear of the demonic realm because they have never understood the victory Christ has won and guaranteed for them. They suffer and are oppressed because they nurse wrong attitudes and dabble in disobedience….and by doing so they re-arm the foe that has been defeated and He is happy to oblige them…
Three guys were in church, when it is announced that prayer will be offered for the sick and afflicted….The first person comes forward and says, “I’ve suffered from back pain for years. Can you help me?” The prayer of faith is offered for the man’s back, and he feels instant relief. The second person points to his eyes and begs for a cure for his poor eyesight. When the prayer of faith is offered, he tosses away his glasses and rejoices. The man has 20/20 vision restored to him. The minister turns to a fellow sitting on the first row, with a neck and back brace and he instantly recoils and screams out, “Don’t touch me! I’m on disability!”.
Many could have so much more, but they settle for less….When Jesus rose, on Easter morning, Satan was disarmed, disgraced and defeated. And the way was opened up for everyone to come and receive their inheritance, their rightful place, their victory over everything that has hindered them, everything that has kept them living below their birthright and every deception that has robbed them of their liberty.
When I began my message, I said that Easter is about the power of one little word….. That word is a name and that name is “Jesus”…..
Since the dawn of civilization, there have been about 60 billion people that have walked Planet Earth. Of those 60 billion people who have walked Planet Earth, there is One who stands head and shoulders above all of the others—and His name is Jesus. More attention has been given to Him; more devotion has been given to Him; more criticism has been given to Him; more adoration has been given to Him; more opposition has been given to this one person than all of the others.
Every recorded word… every word, that He said has been more sifted, analyzed, scrutinized, debated, than all of the historians, the scientists and philosophers put together. Yet, He was here 2,000 years ago. And, after 2,000 years, there is never one minute on this earth that millions are not studying what He said. Think about it—Here’s a person who lived in a miniscule, tiny little place two millenniums ago; and yet, His birth divides the centuries—AD, BC; Before Christ and Anno Domini, year of our Lord.
He never wrote a book and yet, library after library could be filled with the volumes, the multiplied millions of volumes, that have been written about the Lord Jesus. He never painted a picture, and yet, the world’s greatest art, the world’s greatest dramas, the world’s greatest music, the world’s greatest literature has Jesus Christ, Jesus of Nazareth, as its source. Jesus never raised an army, yet multiplied millions have died for Him. He never traveled very far from His birthplace; and yet, His testimony has gone around, and around, and around the world. He only had a handful of followers that followed Him in His ministry; and yet, today, over 30% of the world’s population names His name—the largest such people group on Earth today—
Jesus of Nazareth ministry had an earthly ministry of only three short years—and yet, here we are, 2,000 years later, saying, “that wonderful name of Jesus. He had no formal education. He didn’t attend a university or seminary; and yet, thousands of universities, and seminaries, colleges, and schools are built in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth. To explain Jesus Christ is impossible; to ignore Jesus Christ is disastrous; to reject Him is fatal. To know Him is to love Him; to love Him is to trust Him; to trust Him is to be radically, dramatically, and eternally changed, and transformed. I’m talking about Jesus, the one word that is the name, which is the power behind Easter.
Human speech is too limited to describe Him. The human mind— too small to comprehend Him; and, the human heart can never really, completely, and totally absorb who Jesus Christ is.
Having said all of this….You might ask the question as many have….. If this is all true, why is Satan still so active in the world. If Satan is defeated, then why are we still needing to fight him so much?
Some would say that “If Satan is defeated, he either doesn’t know it or else he’s really taking the news very well”.
What happened on Easter, was indeed the total defeat of Satan. In legal terms he was tried, found guilty, and sentenced to ultimate, eternal destruction. However, that sentence has not yet been executed, although there is no way for Satan to escape it, (his doom is sure.) Perhaps we could say that Satan is currently out on bail, wreaking havoc left and right, waiting for the day when he will be cast into the Lake of Fire once and for all. Until then he is still shooting at us….destroying lives, breaking up homes, and disrupting God’s work as much as he can.
You may not want to hear this, but you and I, and every man and woman alive today, are the deciding factor. Satan is allowed to work in the earth, so that we have the opportunity of training for reigning! As we inforce the victory Jesus accomplished by the authority given unto us.
If Satan is defeated but still dangerous, how should we deal with him?
Let me share a few quick suggestions: Stop negotiating, stop compromising, and Stand and fight. And may I say we must stand together or we will fall alone….There is a reason the bible compares us to a body with many members, that operate in harmony and with a common interest. We cannot live for ourselves alone…but we are called upon to stand in agreement and face together the challenges, that God has allowed to come into our lives….It’s “We” not just “Me”!!!! For instance…
A family was on their way to MacDonalds, when they passed a bad accident. The family was taught to always take a moment and say a prayer, when they saw others in harms way or in times of hardship. The seven year old son was asked to say a prayer, and he prayed, “Dear Lord, don’t let any accidents block the entrance to MacDonalds”!!!
We must get beyond ourselves if we are to meet the needs of others.
2 Corinthians10:4 (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds) v5 Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ; v6 And having in readiness to revenge all disobedience, when your obedience is fulfilled”.
We have no power in our flesh against the devil, but Satan has no power that is effective against us when we fight with God’s power. In ourselves we can’t win; but with God’s power, we can’t lose.
Let the Devil know that Jesus alone has the right and permission to work in your life….and that you give him no permission in your life…. Do you feel defeated? Stand and fight. Do you feel discouraged? Stand and fight. JESUS HAS OVERCOME!
Have you been tempted to give in? Stand and fight. JESUS HAS OVERCOME! Are you wavering between right and wrong? Stand and fight. JESUS HAS OVERCOME! Satan can harass you but he cannot destroy you. Lo! His doom is sure, one little word shall fell him. THAT WORD IS THE NAME OF JESUS!!!
But thanks be unto God who gives us the victory through Jesus Christ our Lord!!! On Easter Sunday morning, Jesus marched into hell to inform the devil and all his demons “Shut it down, THE PARTY IS OVER!!!”.
Jesus Got Up on Easter morning so we could get up....If someone has hurt you, you can get up, when things aren't going like you planned you can get up, when you've been betrayed you can get up, when you've hit a road block you can get up, wavering, tempted to give in, sick, afflicted, discouraged and defeated....YOU CAN GET UP!!!
