How is Your Believer?

I'm sure that is poor grammar, but that's what I'm asking nonetheless. :)

I enjoy this graphic, it shows what the Word says about lifting up our hearts with our hands unto the Lord...it shows surrender and it's reminding us Who we BELIEVE is Lord.

Over the years, I've heard the phrase..."keep your switch of faith turned on." But I've come to understand that there can be no switch of faith if we doubt God's Word. That's where every one of us must start. Our beginnings, as Believers in Christ, starts with believing in our hearts and confessing with our mouths, right? That's what Paul told us in Romans 10.

To BELIEVE is to be fully convinced, it brings our trust into focus, and acknowlege and rely upon God's Word. That's a loose translation of the Greek definition.

The NKJV says this about Hebrews 3:12-15:
12 Beware, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living God;
13 but exhort one another daily, while it is called "Today," lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin.
14 For we have become partakers of Christ if we hold the beginning of our confidence steadfast to the end
15 while it is said: "Today, if you will hear His voice, Do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion."

satan knows that if he can cast espursion upon God's Word in ANY way, it will go a long way to bringing to us an evil heart of unbelief.

Unbelief is caused by a hardened heart, which is caused by decietfulness of sin - the result is apostasy - departing from the Living God. That's the goal of our enemy, satan...he never loses sight of that against us.

If we have unresolved conflict within, towards those around us or between us and the Lord, it's very simple to settle the matter. I John 1:9, God made it simple enough for a child to understand that, didn't He? :)

BELIEVING in our hearts and confessing with our mouths is the Spiritual Principle that not only brought us Salvation, but EVERYTHING else that God has for us in His Word. satan knows that if he can bring doubt, it will go a L-O-N-G way in keeping us from living a life that brings to us deliverance, healing, freedom from fear, and a victorious life. It will give us what we need to BE what we need to be while we're here on assignment on Earth.

II Corinthians 4:13 says:
And since we have the same spirit of faith, according to what is written, "I believed and therefore I spoke," we also believe and therefore speak.

The constant encouragement in the midst of a caring fellowship will help Believers remain faithful, and help us to KEEP our BELIEVING switch turned on.

Father, HELP US to Believe Your Word. HELP US to steer away from sin, that will deceive us, and bring us to a place of having a heardened heart towards You, and distrust You/Your Word. Help us to CLEAVE to You, and make Your Word first place in our lives so that we can live the overcoming lives that You've made provision for.
Thank You for Your tender mercies and for giving us every gift we need to keep us encouraged in the Body of Christ. Help us to be what we need to be to those around us...Believing men and women of God full of faith and power to be Your hands enxtended. In Jesus' Name.

Looking at the Year 2009

One of the things that our intercessory prayer group was directed in doing was to get our 2009 calendar and anoint it with oil going thorugh touching every day of every month of the year and pray over it for our families lives, protection, direction, provision, healing and whatever the Spirit of God directed us to pray for us over the coming year.

Only God knows what lays ahead of us, and we all know that we are in perilous times, aren't we? But GOD is our defender, our ALMIGHTY GOD, our meeter of every need that we may have spirit, soul or body. I thank God that He's to be trusted and can swallow up every trap that is laid in front of us from hell. THANK GOD!!!

It was not just an exercise, but it was a committing ourselves, our families, our substance, our protection into the care and protection of the Lord, for the upcoming year.

Since we've done this, daily, my heart has reflected upon it and I thank God that we do not call out to Him in vain. That He hears and answers prayer and dedication and the cry of our hearts for His help.

Father, thank You for HELPING US to call out to You. Thank You for Your faithfulness to us and that You not only hear the cry of our hearts but You run swiftly to those who are trusting You. Your eyes go to and fro through out the whole earth looking for those that are loyal to You, to show Yourself strong on their behalf. Thank You for HELPING US for placing Your Word FIRST in our lives, Father, in Jesus' Name.

Abiding and Asking

While I was reading yesterday I came across the Scripture that says
John 15:7
If you abide in Me and My words abide in you, you will ask what you will and it will be done for you.

THAT is a BIG Scripture. We know that we're suppose to be PRAYING God's Word, agreeing with Him - calling those things that are not - JUST LIKE HE DID.

I see the stipulation in the passage in John. "If you abide in Me and My WORDS abide in you..." It reminded me of the place over in Luke 6:45 that tells us:
A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart brings forth evil. For out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.

Well, out of the abundance of the heart his mouth prays also. We've got to put IT in our hearts, so it will be able to COME OUT.

Ephesians 6:17, 18 tells us:
17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God;
18 praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints--

"Word" here is rhema (hray'-mah)
There is logos - which is the message.
There is also rhema - which is the communication of the message.

In reference to the Bible:
logos is the Bible in its entirety.
rhema is a verse from the Bible.

The meaning of rhema in distinction to logos is illustrated in Ephesians 6:17, where the reference is not to the Scriptures as a whole, but to that portion which the Believer wields as a sword in the time of need.

So, if we are "abiding in Him and His Word is abiding in us" we really WILL have what we need to wield as a sword in the time of need. It is THEN that the Lord can trust us in prayer to be praying the RIGHT things.

That's what is so neat about I John 5:14, 15 that tells us:
14 Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us.
15 And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him.

His Word IS HIS WILL. It's His last will and Testament.

While we are approaching God in prayer, praying in the Name of His Son (His finished work)(John 16:23,24) - praying His Word, speaking those things that are not even as though they are....just like He always has...it's always a win-win situation. We have the confidence of using His Word in prayer that He responds to.

That is why we're told in Isaiah 55:11
11 So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; it shall not return to Me void, but it shall accomplish what I please and it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it.

If we are abiding IN HIM, it's His Word (HIS WILL) that is of utmost importance.
If we are abiding IN HIM, we'll not be praying to consume upon our own flesh, out of the lust of our hearts.

These are a few musing I've had the last couple of days:
John 15:7
If you abide in Me and My words abide in you, you will ask what you will and it will be done for you.

I want to encourage everyone reading this to pray!!!
I Thessalonians 5:17 tell us to "pray without ceasing.

Luke 18:1 tells us .....that we men always ought to pray and NOT LOSE HEART.

Psalm 109:4 tells us .... But I give myself to prayer

Psalm 55:16 tell us ....As for me I will call upon God and the Lord shall save me.

If He shall save me....he will also save anyone that we are praying for, as intercessors. Wielding the Sword of the Spirit THE WORD OF GOD.

Father, HELP US, thank You for encouraging our hearts in Your Word. Thank You for the GREAT CONFIDENCE we have in prayer. Thank You for letting us know that prayer is NOT a waste of our time. Help us to be reminded always that Jesus already defeated the devil, that he's to be kept under our feet, that JESUS was manifested so that HE might destroy the works of the devil. That is the same cause that you've given to us. You told us in Your Word that greater works shall we do than Jesus...because Jesus went to YOU...leaving us with the POWER of His finished work. We've been generously endowed to live an overcoming life on this earth, to walk VICTORIOUSLY. THANK YOU for reminding us of that ALWAYS. In the Name of Jesus.