James 1:22 & 26,
v22 "But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves
v25--- But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed.
v26 If any man among you seem to be religious, and bridleth not his tongue, but deceiveth his own heart, this man’s religion is vain".
If you are not a doer of the Word, no one has to deceive you, you deceive your own self. If you don’t bridle your tongue you will deceive your heart. You will sow the wrong words, and that is the harvest you will reap. The seed you sow will produce after its kind. Many people wonder why things turn out the way they do. It is because their tongue deceived their heart, and the heart brings forth fruit of itself. (Mk 4:26-29)
Notice that James called God’s Word the Perfect Law of Liberty and said a doer of that word would be blessed in what he does. Jesus reveals why the Word is called the Perfect Law in Matthew 12:35, "A good man out of the good deposit, or good treasure, of his heart bringeth forth good things". Who brings it forth? The good man from the good deposit of his heart. It is the perfect law of liberty because you are the one that makes the choice of what you produce.
What you deposit in your heart is what will come forth. Out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks. What’s abundantly in your heart will always get in your mouth. Then what’s abundantly in your mouth will also get in your heart. You get it in your heart by saying it with your mouth. Paul tells us in Romans 10:8, "the righteousness which of faith says the word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart". Notice it’s in your mouth first, then in your heart.
Jesus confirmed this in Luke 17:5-6. When the apostles asked Him to increase their faith, He said, "if ye had faith as a grain of mustard seed ye might say unto this sycamine tree, be thou plucked up by the root, and be thou planted in the sea; and it should obey you". He didn’t say a thing about giving them more faith. But He told them how to plant faith.
Isn’t it amazing how the teachings throughout the scriptures come together with the same truth? You plant the Word, the seed of faith, by saying it. If you had faith as a seed, you would say. But so many people don’t have faith as a seed. They say, "I wouldn’t say that. It might not happen". It probably won’t because they don’t have faith as a seed. You have to plant a seed if you expect to reap a harvest. Even so, you have to release your faith in words.
Planting Produces Image of Harvest
(Mark 4:26-29) "And He said, so is the kingdom of God, as if a man would cast seed into the ground; and should sleep, and rise night and day, and the seed should spring and grow up, he knoweth not how. For the earth bringeth forth fruit of herself; first the blade, then the ear. But when the fruit is brought forth, immediately he putteth in the sickle, because the harvest is come". The earth brings forth fruit of herself. The heart of man will bring forth the fruit. It will lead you to the very thing you’re saying or it will lead you to the information you need to be in the right place at the right time for the promise to be manifest in your life. It will lead you to that situation.
It may lead you across five states to cause what you’re saying to come to pass—good, bad, or indifferent. A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good things. An evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth evil things.
James says if you seem to be religious and don’t bridle your tongue, you deceive your own heart and your religion is in vain. What you believe may be in vain unless you keep your mouth in line with it.
God’s Word Reflects What and Who You Are
(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 glass". The glass to which James was referring is the Word of God. The Bible refers several times to the Word as a glass or mirror. The natural face alludes to what you inherited. You look into this Word and see what God said about you. You say, "Look what I’ve inherited". You see that you are a joint-heir with Jesus. You think, "Glory to God"! But you may go out and face the circumstances of life and forget what manner of man you are unless you make a decision to act on what the Word of God says about you.
Let’s look at the anointed prayer that Paul prayed in Ephesians 1:15-23—"Wherefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus, and love unto all the saints, Cease not to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers; That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him: The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of His calling, and what the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, (God considers us His Inheritance), And what is the exceeding greatness of His power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of His mighty power. Which He wrought in Christ, when He raised Him from the dead, and set Him at His own right hand in the heavenly places. Far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come: And hath put all things under His feet, and gave Him to be the head over all things to the church, which is His body, the fullness of Him that filleth all in all".
It would have been great if Paul had just stopped there, but he didn’t. He went on in Ephesians 2:1,2,5 to say: "And you hath He quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins; wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience: Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved)".
Here Paul tells us by inspiration of the Holy Spirit God that God sees us made alive together with Christ. He doesn’t see the body and the head separated. This is one of the great truths of the Scriptures. God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost are in you, as Jesus stated in John 14;23 "If any man loves Me, he will keep My words, and My Father will love him and he will come unto Him and make our abode with him".
If we love God and keep His Word this creates a life-style compatible with the fullness of the Godhead. Once that happens, you can hardly tell where you quit and the Holy Ghost begins, or where God quits and Jesus begins. This is one of the mysteries Jesus spoke of when He said, "I in them, and Thou in me, that they may be perfect in one".
Paul continues in Ephesians 2:5,6 "Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ and hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus". As far as God is concerned we were crucified with Christ. The penalty for sin had to be paid, for all had sinned. Paul said, "I thus judge, if Christ died for all, then are all dead". (II Cor.5:14) As far as God is concerned, you as a believer have already died in the person of Christ.
You have also been made alive and raised up and made to sit together with Him in heavenly places. "That in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us through Christ Jesus. For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast". (Ephesians 2:7-9)
We’re not physically in heaven right now, and Jesus is not physically here on earth. Yet Jesus has ascended to the Father and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He is making intercession for us. But God sees us in Him even now while He is in heaven.
Above Principalities and Powers
Jesus has been raised up far above all principality, power, might, and dominion. He is seated above all powers, and we have been raised up together and made to sit with Him, in spiritual likeness and authority. Jesus is in heaven and spiritually we are in Him. The only physical body Jesus has on the earth today is the Church- the Body of Christ.
If God is going to heal the sick, raise the dead, and cast out demons, He will do it through you and me as the Body of Christ anointed with the Holy Ghost. Your body gives you authority on this planet. Jesus is the Head of the Church, and we’re the Body. He is seated at the right hand of the Father until His enemies are made His footstool. God sees us as the physical Body of Christ, the one that will do the work in the earth until Jesus descends from the right hand of the Father.
As far as God is concerned, He sees us exalted and seated at His right hand in spiritual power and authority, with the Head (Jesus). He sees Jesus here on earth in every one of us, so we can exercise authority as the Body of Christ today.
Ephesians 2:10 "For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them".
God doesn’t create unworthy workmanship when we are born again. We are created in His likeness.
Ephesians 2:18-19 "For through Him we both have access by one Spirit unto the Father. Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints, and of the household of God". We’re fellow citizens with the saints in heaven. As far as God is concerned, we’re already there, seated with Him in power and authority. God doesn’t see us as a stranger or as pilgrims, but as a fellow citizen and a member of His household.
One Family
Ephesians 3:14-15 "For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, Of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named".
You will notice that Paul didn’t say there was one family on earth and one family in heaven. He said the whole family in heaven and in earth. God sees us all as one family now.
QUOTES:
If you don’t bridle your tongue—you will deceive your heart.
What you deposit in your heart is what will come forth.
Jesus is in heaven and spiritually we are in Him.
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This article was authored by Charles Capps and was retrieved from:
http://charlescapps.org/cc_3rd_qutr_00.html
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Father, I thank You that You HELP US to be doers of Your Word, so that we do not deceive ourselves...and that we live and move and have our being IN YOU, in Jesus' Name.
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