Happy Sunday!
Dr. Bill Winston continued the series, "The Power of Love", with the subtitle, "Changing the World".
In Malachi 3:6, God says, "For I am the Lord, I change not;"(KJV) God never changes! Just because he instituted the New Testament, he did not erase the Old Testament. In Matthew 22:34-40 when the attorney asked Jesus what the greatest commandment was, Jesus built his answer on the strength of the Old Testament. He answered, "Love the Lord your God with all your passion and prayer and intelligence. This is the most important, the first on any list. But there is a second to set alongside it: Love others as well as you love yourself. These two commands are pegs; everything in God’s Law and the Prophets hangs from them.”(Message) The most important law or principle is Love! If I love you, I will never steal from you! If I love you, I will not lie on you or to you! If I love you, your life, your prosperity, and your health are my concern. So by living the law of Love, I can keep the commandments. If I keep the commandments, John 14:21 says, "He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will MANIFEST myself to him." I don't know about you, but I'm expecting God to manifest himself to me in a big way!
God is placing us in the world not to compete with the world, but to Dominate the world! The Bible says, Daniel was ten times better than all of his co-workers. (Daniel 1:20) Being better attracts attention, both positive and negative. But don't you worry about that! Jesus said, "Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven." Matthew 5:16(KJV) The world needs to see your good works first, then they will glorify your father in heaven. James later wrote, "For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also." James 2:26(KJV) It's time to get to work!
How can we dominate in this society, and this economy? Great question! I'm so glad you asked. We will only dominate in life by Faith! Hebrews 11:6 says, "And without faith it is impossible to please him. The man who approaches God must have faith in two things, first that God exists and secondly that it is worth a man’s while to try to find God." (Phillips) Did you see that? It's worth your while to have Faith in God! He will reward you! He will expand your territory! He will show himself strong on your behalf!
I know what you are thinking! I've tried that Faith stuff and it doesn't work. Yes, Faith works. But Faith has an enemy called Unbelief. You've read the scripture that says all you need is a mustard seed worth of Faith and you can move a mountain. Do you really think that after all these years in church you haven't accumulated a mustard seed worth of Faith? Sure you have! But you have probably amassed a transfer truckload full of unbelief. Think about it like this. We decide to play tug-a-war. You and I have the same amount of weight and strength on our teams. We pull. You pull. Nothing happens. But if I add a new team member and the weight and strength on my team is stronger than the weight and strength on your team, we will pull you across the line and win the game. Your Faith must be stronger than your Unbelief. Jesus told the disciples that they were unable to cast the demon out of the boy because of their unbelief! No, it was not because some demons only come out by fasting and prayer. Jesus was saying, this type of Faith only comes by fasting and prayer.(Matthew 17:19-21)
How can we strengthen our Faith? Starve your doubt, and unbelief. How can we starve doubt, and unbelief? Feed on the Word. Consume the Word. Don't vegetate on what the world is serving. Surround yourself with people, activities and things that encourage you and strengthen your Faith. Don't speak anything you don't want to see happen. Even when times are hard, speak positive words! The Apostle Paul wrote to the Philippian Christians, "Summing it all up, friends, I’d say you’ll do best by filling your minds and meditating on things true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious—the best, not the worst; the beautiful, not the ugly; things to praise, not things to curse. Put into practice what you learned from me, what you heard and saw and realized. Do that, and God, who makes everything work together, will work you into his most excellent harmonies." Philipians 4:8-9 (Message)
Love and prayers, Cynthia
Sunday, December 27, 2015
Wednesday, December 23, 2015
Don't Look Back!
God has a purpose for your life and to the degree that you walk in that purpose in faith, your life will reach its full potential. We all may lose time for one reason or another, but we never lose our purpose.
For the gifts and calling of God are without repentance. (Romans 11:29)
God’s call upon your life remains unchanging. He is always ready to continue on with you when you choose to walk with Him. God's purpose for our lives is to bless us and have us bless others within the sphere of our giftings.
For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end. (Jeremiah 29:11)
You are unique and special in the Kingdom of God. You are a valuable member of the Body of Christ. There are giftings in you that are needed by others. God’s heart is to give you an expected end. In other words, God already sees your course as completed, in spite of your mistakes or failures along the way. He isn’t looking at the times you may have failed. He is seeing the end from the beginning. You need to see beyond the past as well if you are going to enjoy God’s purpose for your life.
….but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, (Philippians 3:13)
You cannot live in the past and touch the future! God’s purpose for you hasn’t changed. The grace of God draws you to receive His love and walk in His purpose.
And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. (Romans 8:28)
Walking in your purpose guarantees that God will cause the circumstances of your life to align for your good, not your destruction. - Barry Bennett
For the gifts and calling of God are without repentance. (Romans 11:29)
God’s call upon your life remains unchanging. He is always ready to continue on with you when you choose to walk with Him. God's purpose for our lives is to bless us and have us bless others within the sphere of our giftings.
For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end. (Jeremiah 29:11)
You are unique and special in the Kingdom of God. You are a valuable member of the Body of Christ. There are giftings in you that are needed by others. God’s heart is to give you an expected end. In other words, God already sees your course as completed, in spite of your mistakes or failures along the way. He isn’t looking at the times you may have failed. He is seeing the end from the beginning. You need to see beyond the past as well if you are going to enjoy God’s purpose for your life.
….but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, (Philippians 3:13)
You cannot live in the past and touch the future! God’s purpose for you hasn’t changed. The grace of God draws you to receive His love and walk in His purpose.
And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. (Romans 8:28)
Walking in your purpose guarantees that God will cause the circumstances of your life to align for your good, not your destruction. - Barry Bennett
Sunday, December 20, 2015
Unto us...
Happy Sunday!
Our guest speaker today was Dr. Keith Hershey. He encouraged us to change our perspective on the Christmas Story. It made me think of a report I saw in the news. Evidently some group decided to present a "Charlie Brown Christmas" and remove the portion including the recital of the Christmas story from the Book of St. Luke. The crowd reportedly recited that portion themselves!
The story of the birth of Jesus Christ is astonishing! Never let the miracle be diminished. As you enjoy the holiday, remember that the All Powerful, All Knowing, Ever Present God had you in mind. He loves you and his love for you motivated a wonderful gift.
Luke 2:1 says, "And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be taxed."(KJV) God can use anyone, anywhere, and at any time to get your miracle to you! Don't miss this! God inspired Isaiah to prophesy hundreds of years before..."For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace." Isaiah 9:6 (KJV) He also prophesied, "Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel." Isaiah 7:14 (KJV) I know what you are thinking! Why did it take so long for Jesus to come? That's a great question! Man has dominion on the earth. In order for anything to happen in this earth, a man has to speak it! We are created in the image of God. He speaks and things happen. We also have the authority to speak and things happen. In Mark 11:23 Jesus said, "For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall SAY unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; HE SHALL HAVE WHATSOEVER HE SAITH." (KJV) OK, I get it...you don't want to move a physical mountain! But what about a mountain of debt, sickness, or trouble?
Back to our story...Long before GPS, another prophet foretold the location of the savior's birth. Luke 2:4 says, "And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judaea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; (because he was of the house and lineage of David:)"(KJV) So after hundreds of years, all the pieces fell into place. Luke 2:7 says, "And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn." Even the birth of Jesus pointed to his death and sacrifice. He was wrapped in swaddling clothes, and would one day be wrapped in grave clothes. He was placed in a manger, and one day would be placed in a borrowed tomb. There was no room in the inn, and sadly sometimes there is no room in the hearts and lives of the very people he came to save. Just want to stop and interject...they did not stay in the stable because they did not have any money! They had money! There was just no room in the local inn!
So Jesus was born and the angels went out to tell the everyday working people, those poor souls working the night shift! I've worked the night shift before, and it's no joke! Luke 2:9-10 says, "And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people." (KJV) The angels gave the shepherds directions to the place where the baby Jesus could be found. Then the heavenly choir of angels began to sing, "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men." Luke 2:14 (KJV) Did you get that? The scripture says peace and good will TOWARD men. God was declaring that he was no longer angry with man. He was declaring that through Jesus man could have peace and goodwill. We can see in the daily news that peace and goodwill are not the norm in our society or the world. God invaded the troubled world with the Prince of Peace. Anyone willing to accept the Prince of Peace can enjoy perfect peace. John 14;27 says, "I leave you peace. It is my own peace I give you. I give you peace in a different way than the world does. So don’t be troubled. Don’t be afraid." (Easy-to-Read Version)
I'm praying that this holiday season is the happiest you have ever enjoyed! I pray that you recognize the wonderful gift that has been given to you! I pray that you understand how much you are loved, how much you are cared for, and how much God still has in store for you!
Love and prayers, Cynthia
Our guest speaker today was Dr. Keith Hershey. He encouraged us to change our perspective on the Christmas Story. It made me think of a report I saw in the news. Evidently some group decided to present a "Charlie Brown Christmas" and remove the portion including the recital of the Christmas story from the Book of St. Luke. The crowd reportedly recited that portion themselves!
The story of the birth of Jesus Christ is astonishing! Never let the miracle be diminished. As you enjoy the holiday, remember that the All Powerful, All Knowing, Ever Present God had you in mind. He loves you and his love for you motivated a wonderful gift.
Luke 2:1 says, "And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be taxed."(KJV) God can use anyone, anywhere, and at any time to get your miracle to you! Don't miss this! God inspired Isaiah to prophesy hundreds of years before..."For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace." Isaiah 9:6 (KJV) He also prophesied, "Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel." Isaiah 7:14 (KJV) I know what you are thinking! Why did it take so long for Jesus to come? That's a great question! Man has dominion on the earth. In order for anything to happen in this earth, a man has to speak it! We are created in the image of God. He speaks and things happen. We also have the authority to speak and things happen. In Mark 11:23 Jesus said, "For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall SAY unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; HE SHALL HAVE WHATSOEVER HE SAITH." (KJV) OK, I get it...you don't want to move a physical mountain! But what about a mountain of debt, sickness, or trouble?
Back to our story...Long before GPS, another prophet foretold the location of the savior's birth. Luke 2:4 says, "And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judaea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; (because he was of the house and lineage of David:)"(KJV) So after hundreds of years, all the pieces fell into place. Luke 2:7 says, "And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn." Even the birth of Jesus pointed to his death and sacrifice. He was wrapped in swaddling clothes, and would one day be wrapped in grave clothes. He was placed in a manger, and one day would be placed in a borrowed tomb. There was no room in the inn, and sadly sometimes there is no room in the hearts and lives of the very people he came to save. Just want to stop and interject...they did not stay in the stable because they did not have any money! They had money! There was just no room in the local inn!
So Jesus was born and the angels went out to tell the everyday working people, those poor souls working the night shift! I've worked the night shift before, and it's no joke! Luke 2:9-10 says, "And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people." (KJV) The angels gave the shepherds directions to the place where the baby Jesus could be found. Then the heavenly choir of angels began to sing, "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men." Luke 2:14 (KJV) Did you get that? The scripture says peace and good will TOWARD men. God was declaring that he was no longer angry with man. He was declaring that through Jesus man could have peace and goodwill. We can see in the daily news that peace and goodwill are not the norm in our society or the world. God invaded the troubled world with the Prince of Peace. Anyone willing to accept the Prince of Peace can enjoy perfect peace. John 14;27 says, "I leave you peace. It is my own peace I give you. I give you peace in a different way than the world does. So don’t be troubled. Don’t be afraid." (Easy-to-Read Version)
I'm praying that this holiday season is the happiest you have ever enjoyed! I pray that you recognize the wonderful gift that has been given to you! I pray that you understand how much you are loved, how much you are cared for, and how much God still has in store for you!
Love and prayers, Cynthia
Sunday, December 13, 2015
Truth and Love
Happy Sunday!
Dr. Bill Winston continued the series entitled, "The Power of Love".
A Half-Truth will not set you free! The Bible says in John 8:32, "And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free". Did you get that? When you know or have an intimate relationship with the truth, the truth you know will MAKE you free! There is a difference in being set free and made free. People are set free from all sorts of prisons, but if their minds and actions don't change they can be incarcerated again. Jesus warned a man he'd healed, “Now you are well; don’t sin as you did before, or something even worse may happen to you.” John 5:14 (Living Bible)
Love always seeks truth. 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 says, "Love is very patient and kind, never jealous or envious, never boastful or proud, never haughty or selfish or rude. Love does not demand its own way. It is not irritable or touchy. It does not hold grudges and will hardly even notice when others do it wrong. It is never glad about injustice, but rejoices whenever truth wins out. If you love someone, you will be loyal to him no matter what the cost. You will always believe in him, always expect the best of him, and always stand your ground in defending him." (Living Bible)
The truth is God's Word! The truth is we can win with God's Word! Our enemy is after the Word. He knows the we are invincible with the weapons God has given us. As with any weapon, there is a right way and a wrong way to use that weapon. You would never try to shot a bullet with a blow gun. We are responsible for learning about the weapons and using them properly to destroy the works of Satan. 2 Timothy 3:16-17 says, "Every part of Scripture is God-breathed and useful one way or another—showing us truth, exposing our rebellion, correcting our mistakes, training us to live God’s way. Through the Word we are put together and shaped up for the tasks God has for us." (Message)
The Word is always confirmed in my life. All week I have heard things that are confirmed in the message on Sunday. This Week, Dr. Leroy Thompson Sr. said..."If you have an Identity Crisis, you will also have an Inheritance Crisis! Because your inheritance is based on your identity!" Read that again. Think about it this way. After a rich man dies, there is a reading of the last will and testament. The man's children can be identified. There identity guarantees their inheritance. I could not walk into the law office with his family and expect to have a portion of the inheritance because of my identity...I am not his child. It's the same way with the blessings of God. Jesus died for us to be whole: nothing missing and nothing broken. Because of my identity in Christ, all things have been provided for me. Do I have all things? Yes, in the spirit I do! How can I get those things manifested in the flesh? Great question! Jesus said, "The person who has My commandments and keeps them is the one who [really] loves Me; and whoever [really] loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and reveal Myself to him [I will make Myself real to him].” John 14:21 (Amplified) I know what you are thinking. There are over 600 commands in the Bible, how am I going to keep all of them so God can make himself real to me? Don't worry! Don't fret! God thought of everything! 1 John 5:3 says, "For the [true] love of God is this: that we habitually keep His commandments and remain focused on His precepts. And His commandments and His precepts are not difficult [to obey]. (Amplified) The King James Version says, his commandment are not grievous. It's easy to obey. Start right were you are.
Love and prayers...in obedience, Cynthia
Dr. Bill Winston continued the series entitled, "The Power of Love".
A Half-Truth will not set you free! The Bible says in John 8:32, "And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free". Did you get that? When you know or have an intimate relationship with the truth, the truth you know will MAKE you free! There is a difference in being set free and made free. People are set free from all sorts of prisons, but if their minds and actions don't change they can be incarcerated again. Jesus warned a man he'd healed, “Now you are well; don’t sin as you did before, or something even worse may happen to you.” John 5:14 (Living Bible)
Love always seeks truth. 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 says, "Love is very patient and kind, never jealous or envious, never boastful or proud, never haughty or selfish or rude. Love does not demand its own way. It is not irritable or touchy. It does not hold grudges and will hardly even notice when others do it wrong. It is never glad about injustice, but rejoices whenever truth wins out. If you love someone, you will be loyal to him no matter what the cost. You will always believe in him, always expect the best of him, and always stand your ground in defending him." (Living Bible)
The truth is God's Word! The truth is we can win with God's Word! Our enemy is after the Word. He knows the we are invincible with the weapons God has given us. As with any weapon, there is a right way and a wrong way to use that weapon. You would never try to shot a bullet with a blow gun. We are responsible for learning about the weapons and using them properly to destroy the works of Satan. 2 Timothy 3:16-17 says, "Every part of Scripture is God-breathed and useful one way or another—showing us truth, exposing our rebellion, correcting our mistakes, training us to live God’s way. Through the Word we are put together and shaped up for the tasks God has for us." (Message)
The Word is always confirmed in my life. All week I have heard things that are confirmed in the message on Sunday. This Week, Dr. Leroy Thompson Sr. said..."If you have an Identity Crisis, you will also have an Inheritance Crisis! Because your inheritance is based on your identity!" Read that again. Think about it this way. After a rich man dies, there is a reading of the last will and testament. The man's children can be identified. There identity guarantees their inheritance. I could not walk into the law office with his family and expect to have a portion of the inheritance because of my identity...I am not his child. It's the same way with the blessings of God. Jesus died for us to be whole: nothing missing and nothing broken. Because of my identity in Christ, all things have been provided for me. Do I have all things? Yes, in the spirit I do! How can I get those things manifested in the flesh? Great question! Jesus said, "The person who has My commandments and keeps them is the one who [really] loves Me; and whoever [really] loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and reveal Myself to him [I will make Myself real to him].” John 14:21 (Amplified) I know what you are thinking. There are over 600 commands in the Bible, how am I going to keep all of them so God can make himself real to me? Don't worry! Don't fret! God thought of everything! 1 John 5:3 says, "For the [true] love of God is this: that we habitually keep His commandments and remain focused on His precepts. And His commandments and His precepts are not difficult [to obey]. (Amplified) The King James Version says, his commandment are not grievous. It's easy to obey. Start right were you are.
Love and prayers...in obedience, Cynthia
Sunday, December 6, 2015
What To Do When Your Prayers Seem Unanswered
Happy Sunday!
Dr. Winston was ministering in the country of Nicaragua today. He prepared a video continuation of "The Power of Prayer", with the subtitle, "Possessing Your Mountain". It was another timely message. I saw another message that was also timely, and I would like to share it with you. The message is entitled, "What To Do When Your Prayers Seem Unanswered" by Brother Andrew Wommack.
All of us have had experiences when it didn’t look like our prayers were answered. But is that really what happened? The Bible says in Matthew 7:7, “Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you.” Is that true? Well, many people say it couldn’t mean what it appears to say, because they can cite experiences where they asked for something and didn’t receive. But you’ve got to make the decision stated in Romans 3:4, to “Let God be true, but every man [or in this case, every circumstance] a liar.” God’s Word is true, not our experiences.
This is one of the reasons so much doctrinal division has come about. The Word is clear in its doctrine, but when someone tries the Word and doesn’t see the promised results, rather than admit that they could have failed, they say something like, “That must have passed away with the apostles” or “It must not have been God’s will,” etc. God is not the one who failed to answer, but rather we are the ones who have failed to receive.
What actually happens when we ask in prayer is that God moves immediately and gives us the answer in our spirits. We are responsible for believing that, and acting accordingly to bring the answer into the physical world. God is a spirit (John 4:24), and He always supplies our answer to our spirit man. Through faith, we then give physical substance (Heb. 11:1) to what God has done.
We are like a spiritual transformer. Spiritual power has to be converted to physical power just as radio signals have to be converted into frequencies audible to our physical ear. You don’t hear the actual signal broadcast by the radio station, but rather a signal that has been picked up by a receiver and translated into an audible sound. For a person to say that there aren’t any radio signals where they are, just because they cannot hear them, is not true. They are there, but they are on a higher frequency than the human ear can hear. They have to be “demodulated” into a lower frequency which we can hear.
This is the way our answers to prayer come. God moves in the spirit world and gives us our answer by faith, and we convert it into a physical reality through our actions. That is not to say that we are the one who produced the answer by our own power. It is God who works the miracles, but they do come through us. Without Him, we can do nothing, but He has made us joint heirs together with Christ so that He does nothing without us. Ephesians 3:20 says, “Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, ACCORDING TO THE POWER THAT WORKETH IN US” (emphasis mine). We have a part to play in receiving from God. Ignorance of this has been our greatest problem.
Now you can understand much more clearly what Mark 11:24 means, “What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.” You receive in your spirit by faith immediately, and it shall come to pass in the physical later. It may be one minute, one day, or one year, but you cannot waiver in your belief that God has already answered your prayer. The time that it takes for God’s answer to be manifest in the physical is dependent upon many things, but it is not God who determines that. God answers immediately. Remember, it says you must believe that you receive WHEN YOU PRAY. God isn’t asking you to believe something that isn’t true. You do receive instantly in your spirit, then it is manifest in the physical later.
An example of this is in Daniel 9 and 10. In chapter 9, Daniel prayed a prayer, and while he was still praying, his answer to prayer came in the form of Gabriel giving him “skill and understanding” in the thing he desired. That’s a quick answer to prayer, but in verse 23, Gabriel says that God had sent him forth at the beginning of his prayer. God moved instantly, but it took about 3 minutes for the answer to appear in the physical realm. In Daniel chapter 10, he prayed another prayer, and his answer took three full weeks to manifest. What a difference!
Most people would say, “I wonder why God answered that first prayer in three minutes, and the second prayer took three weeks. But in Daniel 10:12, we find that God answered the second prayer instantly too. Praise God! The Lord was not the variable. In this case, it was a demonic force, “the prince of the kingdom of Persia,” that had hindered the answer to Daniel’s prayer.
Whether it be Satan or people’s wills or unbelief or any of a number of other possible hindrances, it’s important that you know that it’s not God who seems so unpredictable (Ps. 102:27, Mal. 3:6). In fact, this is a fundamental truth that you must be established in before you can even begin to do anything about speeding up the answer to your prayer. If you have prayed a prayer in line with God’s Word, God answers it immediately (1 John 5:14-15; Dan. 9, 10). If you understand that, then you are ready to begin releasing your faith over bringing that answer into complete manifestation.
Hang in there! It's Working! Love and prayers, Cynthia
Dr. Winston was ministering in the country of Nicaragua today. He prepared a video continuation of "The Power of Prayer", with the subtitle, "Possessing Your Mountain". It was another timely message. I saw another message that was also timely, and I would like to share it with you. The message is entitled, "What To Do When Your Prayers Seem Unanswered" by Brother Andrew Wommack.
All of us have had experiences when it didn’t look like our prayers were answered. But is that really what happened? The Bible says in Matthew 7:7, “Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you.” Is that true? Well, many people say it couldn’t mean what it appears to say, because they can cite experiences where they asked for something and didn’t receive. But you’ve got to make the decision stated in Romans 3:4, to “Let God be true, but every man [or in this case, every circumstance] a liar.” God’s Word is true, not our experiences.
This is one of the reasons so much doctrinal division has come about. The Word is clear in its doctrine, but when someone tries the Word and doesn’t see the promised results, rather than admit that they could have failed, they say something like, “That must have passed away with the apostles” or “It must not have been God’s will,” etc. God is not the one who failed to answer, but rather we are the ones who have failed to receive.
What actually happens when we ask in prayer is that God moves immediately and gives us the answer in our spirits. We are responsible for believing that, and acting accordingly to bring the answer into the physical world. God is a spirit (John 4:24), and He always supplies our answer to our spirit man. Through faith, we then give physical substance (Heb. 11:1) to what God has done.
We are like a spiritual transformer. Spiritual power has to be converted to physical power just as radio signals have to be converted into frequencies audible to our physical ear. You don’t hear the actual signal broadcast by the radio station, but rather a signal that has been picked up by a receiver and translated into an audible sound. For a person to say that there aren’t any radio signals where they are, just because they cannot hear them, is not true. They are there, but they are on a higher frequency than the human ear can hear. They have to be “demodulated” into a lower frequency which we can hear.
This is the way our answers to prayer come. God moves in the spirit world and gives us our answer by faith, and we convert it into a physical reality through our actions. That is not to say that we are the one who produced the answer by our own power. It is God who works the miracles, but they do come through us. Without Him, we can do nothing, but He has made us joint heirs together with Christ so that He does nothing without us. Ephesians 3:20 says, “Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, ACCORDING TO THE POWER THAT WORKETH IN US” (emphasis mine). We have a part to play in receiving from God. Ignorance of this has been our greatest problem.
Now you can understand much more clearly what Mark 11:24 means, “What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.” You receive in your spirit by faith immediately, and it shall come to pass in the physical later. It may be one minute, one day, or one year, but you cannot waiver in your belief that God has already answered your prayer. The time that it takes for God’s answer to be manifest in the physical is dependent upon many things, but it is not God who determines that. God answers immediately. Remember, it says you must believe that you receive WHEN YOU PRAY. God isn’t asking you to believe something that isn’t true. You do receive instantly in your spirit, then it is manifest in the physical later.
An example of this is in Daniel 9 and 10. In chapter 9, Daniel prayed a prayer, and while he was still praying, his answer to prayer came in the form of Gabriel giving him “skill and understanding” in the thing he desired. That’s a quick answer to prayer, but in verse 23, Gabriel says that God had sent him forth at the beginning of his prayer. God moved instantly, but it took about 3 minutes for the answer to appear in the physical realm. In Daniel chapter 10, he prayed another prayer, and his answer took three full weeks to manifest. What a difference!
Most people would say, “I wonder why God answered that first prayer in three minutes, and the second prayer took three weeks. But in Daniel 10:12, we find that God answered the second prayer instantly too. Praise God! The Lord was not the variable. In this case, it was a demonic force, “the prince of the kingdom of Persia,” that had hindered the answer to Daniel’s prayer.
Whether it be Satan or people’s wills or unbelief or any of a number of other possible hindrances, it’s important that you know that it’s not God who seems so unpredictable (Ps. 102:27, Mal. 3:6). In fact, this is a fundamental truth that you must be established in before you can even begin to do anything about speeding up the answer to your prayer. If you have prayed a prayer in line with God’s Word, God answers it immediately (1 John 5:14-15; Dan. 9, 10). If you understand that, then you are ready to begin releasing your faith over bringing that answer into complete manifestation.
Hang in there! It's Working! Love and prayers, Cynthia
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)