Faith Is Not Just Mental Agreement. Faith Has Legs.

Most of us would agree with the Word of God as written in the Bible. We accept that it is the infallible, eternal word of God. However such agreement alone will not see the fruit of our faith. Faith needs to be applied before it is able to bear fruit. This is the gap that keeps many bound in their situation. God says He heals and yet many still are bound in sickness. Could this be that they are still believing in their head but not in their heart? When we have a revelation of truth it will lead to a transformed life. Mere mental agreement with the truth rarely results in any transformation. We can believe a lot of things are true but then continue to live as if they are not.

Truth needs to be applied to become real. Manifestation comes through application. I will walk as if I have received my healing now. I may still not have seen the results but my faith believes and sees the result before the manifestation. This is real faith that sees and says what is to be. I will walk in my completed healing as if I have already received the answer to my request. This is to apply legs to my faith. I walk out my faith with fear and trembling. I operate from a spiritual realm although my feet are still on the ground. This is how spiritual resources are tapped into and provision made in the natural. Jesus saw the healing in His Spirit and it manifested in the natural. All provision has already been made for me. All I need to do now is to wait in faith for its manifestation.

Jesus became poor that we maybe rich. He was not poor but became poor, that is became man, to claim us to Himself. Now we live in Him and with Him and share in His riches in heaven. This truth needs to be a revelation before it becomes real to us. This is to live like a king on earth in His Kingdom. This Kingdom mindset is what will lead to the world being turned upside down. The values of the Kingdom of God are not of this world. This world operates on earthly values which are centred on self. This is why we see chaos and confusion in this world because the god of this world operates to steal, kill and destroy. Come now and let us apply the truth of His word and become like Him on earth as He is in heaven.

Are You Living In Your Imagination Or In The Spirit?

 

Most of us live in our imagination whether it is to do with our past or future. Imagination is what makes us different from the rest of the animal kingdom. To be able to imagine is a God-given ability. Some struggle in this area and so live deprived lives. They live by rules and regulations and anything outside the box is out of bounds. They fail to take risks and so live limited lives. God said men could do anything they could imagine and therefore He confused them at the Tower of Babel. He made them speak in different languages and so limited their ability to unite and be like God. Imagination is a powerful tool to produce breakthroughs in every area of life. However there is a negative aspect to imagination that many are not aware of. We can be so taken up with our imaginations that we lose consciousness of a world beyond ourselves. We get stuck in a world of me, myself and I.

 

God has endowed us with a spirit. Our spirit is able to commune with God. God is Spirit and He made us in His image to be able to have fellowship with Him. Our redeemed spirit is able to house God's Spirit within us. God said that He has made His dwelling place within us. Now our imagination comes under the control of His Spirit. We are now led by His Spirit and not by our vain imaginations. This is the difference between walking in our imagination and walking in the Spirit. This is a whole new walk. It releases the gifts and fruits of the Spirit within us. We now delight to commune with the Holy Spirit who dwells in us.

 

Many have built their lives on their imaginations and have ended in ruins. God has given them up to follow their own foolish devices and schemes. All they imagine is to build castles in the air that crumble in a second. What we see in the world today is how man's imagination to conquer the world only leads to more confusion and destruction. Throughout the Old Testament we have story after story of the reign of good kings and bad kings. The good kings reaped a harvest of plenty while the bad reaped death and destruction. Choose to follow the Spirit of God and reap abundance today.

The Gift Of Wisdom Is Strategy

 

Wisdom is one of the gifts of the Holy Spirit. We need wisdom in these days to know what to do in situations that challenge us. Whether it is a physical problem, relationship difficulties or situational challenges, the gift of wisdom will help us find the solutions. Ask God for wisdom and He will give it to you (James 1:5). I share this because I feel I am moving in this gift in a new way. God will give you the strategy to help solve problems. King Solomon asked God for wisdom and he became famous for his wise decisions. I am using this gift in finding new ways in cooking and relationships. It is fun and God supplies the wisdom to do things in a different way which is enlightening.

 

In these days there are many opinions people are faced with. All these opinions maybe valid in their own way. However we need to ask God in order to know what is His way in a situation. This maybe different from the popular opinion. God's people have access to knowledge and wisdom that is not of this world. This is Kingdom living. He wants us to live with a heavenly mindset. This is how we will be light and salt in the world we live in. Following the crowd is easy but we who are strong in the Lord go against the crowd. Just like salmon that swim upstream going against the flow so also we are called to be separate from the world in our thinking and doing. 

 

I have found solutions appear out of the blue when solving mechanical and relationship problems. This is so exciting because it means that we can face any situation where it appears to be impossible but is made possible through God's wisdom. God is delighted when we follow His plan of action. He is desirous to bless us with His wisdom. Let us be the solution and not the problem. Many of us get sucked into talking about the problem rather than finding solutions. Wisdom always talks about the solution. Ask God for the right strategy and see your world turned upside down.

Prepare The Soil Of Your Heart To Receive The Word Of The Lord

 

Jesus used the illustration of different soils to illustrate the type of soil that bears a hundredfold fruit (Matt 13:3-8). Most of us neglect preparing our heart and therefore when we hear the seed of His word it does not remain long enough to produce fruit. We hear so many opinions and stories of breakthrough but fail to experience it ourselves. It always seems to happen to others and seldom to me. Could it be that it is the state of our heart that prevents or delays the fruit? Seed is sown to produce fruit. When what we sow does not produce fruit, we don't blame the seed but the soil. The seed sown is good and so the fruit should be good.

 

There are many reasons for delays but preparing the soil of our heart is vital to producing a bountiful crop of fruit. I know from my own experience that when I had prepared the soil and fertilised it, the fruit from my lemon tree and mandarin tree had multiplied this year. I need to constantly tend to the garden of my heart so that I am always bearing fruit. Most of us listen to a lot of sermons and attend conferences and are blessed by the word preached. However the initial blessing does not appear to last. Could this be because our heart has responded but failed to sustain the word sown. Either the devil was able to steal the word or we have allowed the cares of the world to rob us of our initial joy.

 

The way we prepare the soil of our heart is to daily walk in repentance and forgiveness. Taking holy communion daily is a good way to prepare our hearts. In the communion we daily acknowledge our own sinfulness and ask for cleansing and forgiveness. The blood of Jesus cleanses us like nothing else. He paid the price and now we can walk in His righteousness. In this way we are always conscious of our position in Christ as a redeemed son of God. We now can receive His word of power to bear good fruit. We begin to exercise by faith His love, joy and peace and all the other fruits of the Spirit. This is the only way to bear a hundredfold fruit for others to enjoy.

Get Into The Flow To Glow In The Holy Spirit

 

Jesus said he who believes in me out of his belly will flow rivers of living water (John 7:38). What are these rivers? These are rivers of living water that flow out to bless others. The Holy Spirit is referred to as rivers of living water. He refreshes and gives life to a parched land. Imagine a desert barren and dry. The water comes in and suddenly new life springs up where once only death was visible. The Holy Spirit today is moving through the earth to accomplish all God had ordained before He created the world. He is watering the earth and where once it was barren, new life will spring forth.

 

In our life the Holy Spirit will begin to flow through us. He will release new life in us. We will begin to give freely as He leads in our finances, love and care. This flow will result in us glowing like a light that others will see and come to be refreshed and replenished. This is how the Kingdom of God operates. The world system operates on taking while God's Kingdom operates on giving. The flow begins as we give of what we have. However little or much, we will reap the benefits of our giving in health, wealth and wisdom. Jesus grew in stature and had favour with God and man. This is the key to revival.

 

The supernatural resources of heaven are released here on earth as we obey His command to love our brother. We can only love our brother as we first love God with all our heart. His love then overflows us and we love others by His love flowing through us. We don't do it in our strength but His. He is the one who overflows through us to water a dry and parched land. Today many lives are dry and parched because they have rejected God and His love. We are called to bring the nations back to God. He is our only hope and in Jesus we will glow for His glory.

How To Pray Breakthrough Prayers.

 

We know that we need to pray but struggle to pray. Why is this so? Could it be that we don't really believe that our prayers will be answered? If we do believe then we would be spending more time praying and less time talking about praying more. Jesus prayed a lot. He took time away from the crowds to pray. His disciples could not stay awake to pray. Jesus had to reprimand them for their lack of faith. Jesus yearned to hear from His Father. He only did what He heard and saw His Father doing. Could this be the key to breakthrough prayers?

 

We need to ask God how we need to pray for a particular problem or situation. Many of us pray general prayers. We need to be specific in our prayers. This is only possible when we know how and what to pray. Some prayers are for healing while others are for deliverance. Some may be for salvation. Healing can be physical healing, inner healing or spiritual healing. Many pray without knowledge of what to pray for. We could be praying for something which is not God's will. God allows certain situations and certain people to come into power to achieve His purpose. God allowed Israel, because of their disobedience, many times to be attacked by surrounding nations and defeated. We see this over and over again. Some kings reigned and prospered while others were defeated and lost much.

 

We need to ask God to lead us and guide us in our prayers. He will reveal to us in the Spirit how to pray. When we pray in God's will and His word we will see results. I prayed for fruit to bear on my banana tree. It took three years before it bore fruit. I kept in faith till it bore fruit despite the negative opinions of others. Many times once we have received His word, we need to persist in prayer till we receive the answer. Delay is not denial. The key is to know what God wants and then to pray the answer.

Honour The Holy Spirit As Your Intimate Partner

 

The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of Jesus. He was sent after Jesus ascended to heaven. The Holy Spirit was from the beginning and performs what the Father commands. He was with Jesus from the beginning and Jesus was conceived through the Holy Spirit. Jesus was baptised in water and the Holy Spirit descended upon Him with power to do His works. Jesus set us an example of the way for us to follow in being baptised in water and filled with His Spirit. Jesus came as a baby and operated as the Son of Man to fulfill all that scripture had foretold of Him. Now as the Son of God He is able to set us free having fulfilled His mission of salvation for all creation.

 

The Holy Spirit is our partner in fulfilling all God has planned for us to do. He was sent to be our Helper (John 14:26 NKJ), Counsellor, Comforter and Guide. As our Counsellor He teaches us of the things of God and He interprets His word to us. Jesus spent time alone with His Father to receive instructions from Him. Now we need to listen to His Holy Spirit to receive His instructions for us. We can choose to listen to Him or follow our own way. When we come to the place of total surrender to Him, we will yearn to only follow Him. There is no greater joy than to please Him. All other ways look good but have no eternal value. 

 

Partnership with the Holy Spirit is the only way we can overcome all negative things. He will whisper to us what we need to hear and He will manifest His power through us. Supernatural resources will be made available to us. We will receive what we never could imagine is possible. This is to walk in supernatural power on earth and thereby establish His Kingdom on earth as it is in heaven. The Holy Spirit was sent to help us but many times we prefer to go our own way. This is foolishness but God is patient with us. The disciples all left Jesus at the end but see how they changed when they were baptised in the Holy Spirit. They turned the world upside down. We too are called to turn the world upside down by revealing His love for all mankind.

You Attract To Yourself What You Project From Within

 

Attraction is a powerful word. To attract is to bring to your attention what you are attracted to. We are attracted by beauty in nature like the birds and flora and all things natural. Attraction keeps us alive and attentive to all things around us. We are not robots that just exist but are living beings that are in constant interaction with our environment. We are sensitive to what we see and hear and touch. Our senses are attracted to certain smells and others repel us. This kind of attraction is physical in nature. However we also are attracted to things or persons through our feelings. 

 

Our feelings are subconscious and so are not clearly visible to others. When we feel good we project those good feelings to others. Others pick up these feelings and respond likewise. When I walk in love I will project loving feelings and so attract loving feelings. On the other hand if I feel anxious I will project feelings of anxiety that will make others feel tense in my presence. We are not aware of this till someone makes us aware of how they feel in our presence. Angry feelings will make others angry in reaction. Some of us are more sensitive to the feelings of others and so tend to be more reactive. Others are blind to the feelings of others and so remain oblivious to what is happening around them. This kind of attraction can also apply to the spirit realm.

 

We are spirit beings and can attract all kinds of spirits to ourselves. Evil spirits will be attracted to those who think and do evil. Good spirits are attracted to those who are good. A spiritually sensitive person is able to discern the different kinds of spirits. A spiritually blind person will be unaware of these spirits. This is why only a spirit-filled person is able to judge others. A worldly person cannot judge another because he is spiritually blind. Attraction therefore occurs at different levels of operation: physical, emotional and spiritual. We attract to ourselves what we project to others. Be attractive in the things of eternal value and be blessed.

The 4 Step Approach To Total Surrender To Jesus.

 

We sing the popular hymn "I surrender all  to Jesus" but few of us know the meaning of what we sing. We say things many times but fail to understand the depth and meaning of what we say. This is a truism in many areas of life. This is why fake news is so popular! I would like to propose a 4 step approach to apply the word surrender to real life.

 

1. Detachment

 

We cannot truly surrender unless we are fully detached. We get attached to many relationships and things in our life. Some of them are positive attachments and others negative. These attachments have some control of our life. A negative relationship can destroy our life as we see in many marriage breakdowns. A positive relationship can also bind us in ways where we feel bound. We can be attached to things like cars and other beautiful objects, food and hobbies. All these keep us engaged but also keep us from total surrender to Christ, whose command is that we have to leave all to follow Him. For example, He said that anyone who does not hate his mother and father cannot be His disciple (Luke 14:26). This is to detach from all things and relationships in this life and honour Jesus as Lord. 

 

How do we detach from people and things? We need to distance ourselves in our mind from them. Imagine yourself separating from those relationships where you are attached. The person or thing now becomes more of an object and all strings are cut. This does not mean that we hate that person but we become more able to love that person with the love of Christ. There is no more manipulation to meet one’s own need through that relationship or thing. There are many things like money and addictions that we have an unhealthy attachment to. We can do the same to them. 

 

2. Delete

 

Once we get detached we begin to delete all thoughts and feelings that remind us of our past attachment. We can imagine the legs being cut off and all attachments being severed. This is a process and in time the power of the attachments diminishes. We can only delete these thoughts and feelings when we have truly detached ourselves. This process occurs in our thought life. Every reminder of our past sins is a time to delete those memories. They are like illusions now and have no power. Just like lies they only have power when received or entertained. Sexual or lustful thoughts can be deleted in this way.  In time it becomes easier as we persevere. The emotions that were aroused in the past diminish in their power and we will experience a release from their power. We are being healed in our soul through this process.

 

3. Deliverance

 

Once we have detached ourselves and are practicing deletion we will become free from any demonic infestation. This process removes any legal ground for any demons to remain as they will not have ground to stand. They will leave and will not be able to torment us as before. You will experience a power to overcome past habits and addictions which were empowered by a demonic presence. Deliverance becomes part of the process and the ground of your heart becomes fruitful. Where there was negativity before it is replaced with supernatural love. This is the process of transformation. Your perceptions change towards people and things. 

 

4. Death

 

The last step in this process is death to self. Jesus said unless we die and take up our cross, we will not be able to follow Him. This death is a death to the self life. Our ego or self is always in the way to living a surrendered life. We were born to lead a selfish life. I, me and myself were always first. Now Jesus must be first and I must be last. This again is a process where we daily pick up our cross and follow Him. The more we do this the more we become like Jesus in our walk. Our talk becomes our walk. This is a life-long journey and for some it is faster than for others. 

 

Life

 

Jesus promised us an abundant life when we follow Him. It is only through total surrender to Him that this is possible. We have tasted a little of what this means but there is much more. An abundant life is free of all sickness and disease, poverty and pain. Jesus was free of this when He walked on earth and showed us the way to achieve this. It is only by His Spirit that we can live this life. The more space we give to Him the more He will occupy. We need to be detached from all things to be attached to Him. Could it be that the reason we do not experience this abundant life here and now is because of our attachments to this world?