By Every Word

Water, Food, Gold, and Stone

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Aug 062010

Genesis 2
9. And out of the ground made the LORD God to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of knowledge of good and evil.
10. And a river went out of Eden to water the garden; and from thence it was parted, and became into four heads.
11. The name of the first is Pison: that is it which compasseth the whole land of Havilah, where there is gold;
12. And the gold of that land is good: there is bdellium and the onyx stone.
KJV

Four things God shows us of being good and of value here. Water, food, gold and stone.

We get these priorities mixed up sometimes. But when there is a lack we quickly adjust back to necessities first. I came across this article today on Yahoo!. Because of a drought, Russia has put a ban on all exports of wheat for four and a half months. Russia is the third largest exporter of wheat in the world. If you have nothing to eat, oil becomes less important. If you have nothing to drink, diamonds become worthless.

We see in the bible with the story of Joseph who revealed a dream to Pharaoh about the seven good years and seven bad years. Joseph was put second in command over the entire land because of his plan to provide for the years of lack that would come. During the seven good years the other nations would have no need in parting with any of their riches and treasures. But during the seven bad years, they told Egypt take everything we have, even our land and we will be your slaves just give us food. See, when you’re perishing, gold becomes of no value.

Sometimes we put value in electronics, cars, houses, or as the nations get so involved with sometimes, oil. But God showed us in the garden of Eden the things of value and their order of priority. We have to keep our priorities in order and balance out necessities with wants. You can’t spend your paycheck on shoes when you don’t have food in the house and then come to God wanting a miracle. Sometimes we think miracles are to make-up for what we don’t have because of our waste or mismanagement of resources.

Look at this in closing. In the gospels we read about Jesus telling His disciples to feed the 5000 rather than to send them away. The disciples said all we have is 5 loaves and 2 fish. Jesus took the baskets and raised them up and thanked God for them. They fed every person that was present. Now if He can do this miracle, why worry about keeping account for what was left? I mean why not just carry around 1 loaf and 1 fish and just multiply it when everyone is hungry? But they didn’t, they had to collect all of the baskets of food and had 12 baskets left. We see this in the scriptures. It was showing accountability for their resources. Jesus was teaching us the importance of maximizing the minimum, of giving account for resources. Just because He could turn a few into thousands didn’t mean it was OK to waste- they still had to collect the baskets.

We have to give account for what resources God has given to us. When we’ve done all we can and managed responsibly, then God brings increase into our life. Praise God for the King and His awesome Kingdom!

The Lord’s Prayer 08

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Jul 312010

Luke 11:3
Give us day by day our daily bread.
KJV

Alright I had to do some research on this part for a few days so this one took a little longer to gather everything on.

Bread is such an important thing in Jewish culture. This word can mean so many things- hence why we have used it in modern terminology for many things. Someone comes up to you and says “Throw me some bread man.” What are they talking about? Money! That’s why we also use the term “bread winner” which is the one who brings home most of the money.

But in the Lord’s prayer the word bread is referring to more than just food, dough, or money. It is sustenance. It’s what you need to sustain for that day. So when you pray for “our daily bread” you are praying for everything you need to sustain for that days needs. Everything that you need to suffice for the work the kingdom must do on earth.

In the Jewish culture bread is everything that you need to make bread. To make bread you need soil, water, grain, sun, nutrients, care, yeast, dough, hands, work, spices, heat, time… anything I’m forgetting you cooks out there?

You’re not just praying for bread- but for everything that you need to get the bread. This is an important part of the Lord’s prayer. All this time you thought you were praying for food. Noooo… we don’t even have to pray for food- Jesus taught us that the Father knows what we have need of… We’re praying for everything that day has need of to sustain for that days needs. Lord- give us our daily bread: opportunity, courage, strength, ability, skill, knowledge, wisdom, path, ideas, words, doors, patience, mercy, grace, guidance, necessities, friends, answers, results… for today!

Now once you pray for daily bread… expect it! Expect to receive it! Did you know that if you’re His people- you have a right to it? God made it that way for you! He taught us to pray this way because He wants you to ask Him for it! He was teaching us that it is something that is natural in the kingdom of God! It’s not a miracle to have your needs met! It’s natural in the kingdom of God to have your needs met- you just have to make sure you’re in His kingdom. His kingdom is naturally, supernatural. That’s why it wasn’t a big deal for Jesus to walk on the water, or to multiply the loaves and the fish, or to heal the sick, or to open blinded eyes. Are these miracles?… well yes! Of course they were! But Jesus was trying to show us something more important. That’s why you don’t see Jesus with the disciples afterward saying “Did you see that miracle? Did you see what I did? Wasn’t that awesome?” No, Jesus would calm the entire sea, then turn to the disciples and say “Oh ye of little faith?” He wanted us to look beyond the act and understand the way. He was teaching us that the kingdom of God brings these things… it’s normal in the kingdom.

Where we fight for gold and pearls and precious metals down here… Heaven is built with these things. Can you imagine if our highways were built out of gold? We build our highways with asphalt or cement- because gold is too precious. But in the kingdom, there is so much surplus, they build the streets out of gold! We struggle until we understand Who our Father is and His will for his children. He has surplus… so you know He has your needs. It’s normal in the kingdom to have everything you need… you just have to ask.

Give us Lord our daily bread.

The Lord’s Prayer 07

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Jul 242010

Luke 11:3
Give us day by day our daily bread.
KJV

Wow! Isn’t God’s word amazing? It took us 6 posts to get through verse 2! God has been revealing even more to me in my study of this subject and I am so blessed by it- I hope you are.

So here in verse 3 we see “Give us day by day”. Let’s look at another scripture which helps us to understand this part of the prayer.

Matthew 6:34
Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.

What you need, is what you need today. We sometimes want more than what we actually need. We want surplus of our needs. But this is bad management of resources. Before I continue, I think it’s important to clarify that I am not speaking about your savings or retirement- all of that is great! After all it was Joseph’s management plan in storing the corn for the 7 good years so they would have food in the 7 years they would lack. What I am speaking of is your needs today.

We pray all of our needs are met today. Sometimes we put to much emphasis on next week, next month and we don’t thank God for all of our needs being supplied today. Trust He will supply all your needs today. Think about it… will you go hungry today? Will you go thirsty today? Will you have a place to lay down tonight? Do you have a house or apartment to go to tonight? Thank Him for that today. Thank Him the power will not be cut off today. Thank Him for everything the kingdom has supplied today. Then give surplus to those who don’t have. One of my favorite quotes is “If God can get it through us, He’ll always get it to us.”

Funny thing happened. I do these write-ups in spurts as I get free time to write. So sometimes I do a writing in one sitting while other times it can take a couple of days. This also gives me time in between writing to think on what God is showing me and He will give me revelation on the subject that I add to these posts. Well during this writing a storm hit and our power was knocked out for about 13 hours. I laid in the bed and had to practice what I teach. I began to pray

“Lord, I thank you I have a roof over my head keeping me out of the rain. I thank you for the technology we have to harness power and the benefits it brings us in life. I thank you for all the days I’ve had power. I thank you I’m saving money on my energy bill right now with the electricity being out.”

We can talk the talk sometimes, but do we walk the walk? We say “I will serve you Lord with my whole heart!” but when things are not going well do we still speak in faith and praise Him then?

Are we thankful because He’s God in our life… or because things are going well in our life? Does God’s place in your life change, depending on the season your life is in? He’s still God, He’s still Provider, Source, Sustainer… God will sometimes let tests come into our life to see if we really mean what we say- and to reveal to us where our heart really is.

Pray and thank Him for the needs that are met today… day by day.

The Lord’s Prayer 06

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Jul 222010

Luke 11:2
…Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, as in heaven, so in earth.
KJV

Luke 11:2
Your kingdom come.
Your will be done
On earth as it is in heaven.
NKJV (Emphasis Added)

Oh this is my favorite part! We want the kingdom of heaven to come and His will to be done- where? On Earth- how? Just as it is in heaven! Look at this powerful statement in the bible! We’ve read this, we’ve prayed this prayer- but we didn’t understand what we were saying most of the time. We thought it was just a nice simple prayer we would quote- but this is a HUGE petition. Remember the disciples had asked Jesus to teach them how to pray and so, Jesus made sure to teach them this.

There is a reason God put us on earth. There is a reason He made you and then made you a body and then put you in the body and breathed life into you. The bible says all things came out of God (John 1), so if He wanted you to stay in heaven he would not have put you in a body on the earth. God put you here for a reason, and gave you dominion over the earth for a reason. (Genesis 1:26) He wanted earth to become just like heaven. He wanted earth to be impacted with the culture of heaven. Lord, let your kingdom come on earth, let your will be done on earth, just like it is in heaven let it be so in the earth!

That was God’s original desire. He gave man dominion over the earth and He walked and talked with man- but then man (Adam) disobeyed and rebelled against God and declared independence from heaven. So we became a corrupt and self destructive kingdom. But God’s plan didn’t change. Look at this!

1 Samuel 8
4. Then all the elders of Israel gathered themselves together, and came to Samuel unto Ramah,
5. And said unto him, Behold, thou art old, and thy sons walk not in thy ways: now make us a king to judge us like all the nations.
6. But the thing displeased Samuel, when they said, Give us a king to judge us. And Samuel prayed unto the LORD.

They still didn’t get it! God had not changed His purpose, but the people still rebelled against God’s plan. Look what God says.

1 Samuel 8:7
And the LORD said unto Samuel, Hearken unto the voice of the people in all that they say unto thee: for they have not rejected thee, but they have rejected me, that I should not reign over them.

They chose to learn the hard way. Look at the people’s comparison of why they wanted a ‘man’ king to judge and rule over them… “like all the nations“.

My God, we have not drifted far from this mentality today. We try to compare what we think we need with what we see others have… even though what they have isn’t working. Am I talking to anybody out there? Man rejects God for His own destructive independence. I pray it not be named among you from this day forward.

We need His kingdom to come- to earth! What does religion teach? “Let us leave earth and go to the kingdom of heaven.” Is that what you believe? Now, does that line up with how Jesus taught how to pray? Let Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done- on earth just as it is in heaven. So God wants us to pray heaven down to earth. He wants earth to become just like heaven.

In the Caribbean there is an island called Hispaniola. Christopher Columbus landed on Hispaniola on his voyage between 1492 and 1493. Columbus took possession of the land and named it “La Isla Española” which means “The Spanish Lady”. The name was later shortened and re translated as “Hispaniola”. Spain’s interest in the island was not priority and became increasingly under attack by pirates. As the colonies of Spain were ordered to draw in closer to the area known as Santo Domingo this gave way to pirates making establishments on the island. In 1665 the French colonization on the west side of the island was recognized. Spain ceded the land to the French and the west side became known as modern day “Haiti” while the east side of the island became known as modern day “Dominican Republic”. For comparisons sake, Hispaniola is roughly a tenth of the size of the state of Texas in the U.S. …only a tenth. Yet it is split into two countries.

Why is this significant to the Lord’s Prayer? The history and current state of this island shows you the impact of a government on a place. Regardless of its size- because it was colonized by two different kingdoms- they are completely different in every way. When I was there in January of 2010, we went into Haiti about two weeks after the earthquake, into Port-au-Prince. We stopped at one point to confirm directions to the place we were dropping off the food. A boy come up to us and started talking to our friend and interpreter, Junior. Junior was born and had lived in Dominican his whole life. I asked him what the guy said and he said he can’t tell- he’s speaking Creole. One small island, a tenth the size of Texas, yet they are worlds apart from each other. Two different languages, two different cultures, two different ways of life. Because of the impact of culture from the French and from Spain almost 400 years ago, these two countries are totally different from each other today. If the king of Spain had not made the colonies settle close to Santo Domingo, but secure the whole island- they would all be speaking Spanish today. But because of this incident in history, two different kingdoms affected the culture of the island differently… and it can still be seen today.

Look at this world… economies collapse, people are hurting, people are in poverty, people are lacking resources… we need the kingdom of heaven to impact the earth. We need heaven’s culture, God’s ways, to become our culture… our ways. In Haiti they still drink wine and eat cheese as a social norm because the French did. They speak French and Creole because the French did. In Dominican Republic they speak Spanish because Spain did. When a place is colonized by a kingdom, it takes on the nature, characteristics, and culture of that kingdom. The earth needs to be filled with God’s nature. As it is in heaven, let it be in the earth.

There is no sickness in heaven, let it be in the earth-
There is no disease in heaven, let it be in the earth-
There is no lack in heaven, let it be in the earth-
There is no poverty in heaven, let it be in the earth… just as it is in heaven.

When we understand this concept of prayer and what these words mean- we then understand the impact our prayers have on the earth, because we actually pray heaven down to earth, colonizing the earth, his citizens infiltrating the earth until earth becomes just like heaven. That’s why God said “whatever we bind on earth, now heaven can bind- and whatever we loose on earth, now heaven can loose.” We’ve been put here as representatives, ambassadors of heaven, impacting the earth with the culture, purpose, intent and ways of the king. This is why we are “in the world but not of the world” (John 17:16-18). We’re from another place, placed here to colonize the earth. Pray heaven down! Pray His kingdom come, His will be done- on earth just as it is in heaven.

“New King James Version®, Copyright © 1982, Thomas Nelson, Inc. All rights reserved.”
“Bible text from the New King James Version® is not to be reproduced in copies or otherwise by any means except as permitted in writing by Thomas Nelson, Inc., Attn: Bible Rights and Permissions, P.O. Box 141000, Nashville, TN 37214-1000.”

The Lord’s Prayer 05

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Jul 212010

Luke 11:2
…Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done.
KJV

We’re wanting His kingdom- not man’s kingdom- but His kingdom. To what?… to come! We need it! Our kingdom’s have failed, our kingdom’s become corrupt without His influence. Without the influence of heaven’s government we self destruct.

Not only His kingdom, but His will. We want what He wants. This is another area we get off in sometimes and miss the mark. We don’t know His word and so we can’t pray effectively according to His word and we wonder why we don’t see results.

1 John 5:14
This is the confidence which we have before Him, that, if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us.
NASB

See, we’re praying “Lord give me some money. I need some things. Give me a new job.” But we don’t have God’s word in order to back us up. We have to know HIS word and ask Him according to His will. The good thing about God though is that when He speaks it becomes law and God cannot go against His own word. So all you have to do is read and understand His word and then ask Him according to His will.

[Ineffective Prayer] “Lord, bring me some money.”

[Effective Prayer] “Lord, you see our financial situation, but you always take care of us. You said in Your word Lord- that we are to be lenders and not borrowers and that we’re to be above only!”

What’s the difference in these two prayers? The second puts pressure on God because it reminds Him of His word and His promise. To some who still have religious roots they’re trying to get rid of this will sound slightly shocking… “pressure…. on God?”

God said in His word “prove me”. He is waiting for His people to realize who they are- that they are His children, and He is their Father- and a good Father always takes care of His children. Those that truly call Him Lord, do what He says. Look again at Jesus prayer- “thy will be done”. It’s not your will- it’s His will- so we need to find out what His will is and line up with it and ask according to His will. Search the scriptures and remind God of His word.

Have you ever read in the bible many times where God says “I remembered my covenant with my people“? Does God forget? Of course not- someone is praying and asking Him according to His will! God hears us when we ask according to His will. (1 John 5:14) There is a scripture for every prayer you can possibly pray- we just have to know His word and His promises and then say “Lord, this is what you said- not me.” God wants us to trust His word so much that we live and die by it and expect His word in our life to be fulfilled because He said it. We have to understand His word is law and His promises are rights!

The first amendment in the Bill of Rights of the U.S. says this
“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.”

This is a right! We have freedom of religion and the freedom to exercise it. If we were unsure about being able to exercise our freedom- and had to ask permission to do so, and even then our request might be denied- we would not put faith in this statement. But because it’s a right we fight for it because it’s the right of every citizen of the United States to have freedom of religion and to exercise it. We don’t even question it- it belongs to us.
My question to you then is… why do we not understand the rights our God has given us in His word? Now God’s rights are unwavering, His promises never fail, What He has said He will perform! No one can have God’s rights changed in court- there is no amending His word because you don’t agree with it anymore. As a citizen of the Kingdom of Heaven you need to believe in His words and trust them- and know they are for you- for your benefit and pray according to your rights- which is His will!

I’m not supposed to be in debt, because God says in His word we’re not to be borrowers!

My status in life is not where God would have me to be because the bible says I am supposed to be above only!

I’m not supposed to be destitute because the bible says I’ve never seen the righteous forsaken!

This poverty is a curse and is not supposed to be so in God’s kingdom because He said He would have me to prosper, even as my soul prospers!

It doesn’t look like I have any choices on which way to go, but I know my God said in His word He shall supply all my need according to His riches in glory!

Get in His word, understand His word, understand His promises- your rights in His kingdom. He said them for a reason! If you don’t grab a hold of the promises God has had for you- you will be like the prodigal sons brother. He was always in the house, never left, but didn’t use what his father had for him in his kingdom. So when the prodigal son returned- the other son who stayed said “Father, I never left. Why have you not given me a robe? Why didn’t you kill the fatted calf for me? Where is my ring?” His father said “Son, you have always been with me.” What he is saying is – you had access to these things all along but never used them, never asked for them- so ‘shut-up!’ my son who was lost is home and we’re going to celebrate! Look at God’s word- let His kingdom be effective in your life!

Scripture quotations taken from the New American Standard Bible^®,
Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973,
1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation
Used by permission.” (www.Lockman.org)

The Lord’s Prayer 04

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Jul 192010

Luke 11
2) And he said unto them, When ye pray, say, Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.
KJV

Did you ever realize how deep this prayer was? I hope this is touching those who read to understand the concept of this model prayer taught to us by Jesus.

The next few words in this prayer are “Hallowed be thy name”. So we have established this corporate prayer, we’ve acknowledged Who we are praying to and What He is (Source and Sustainer), and where He is, Heaven.

Now this is where we usually mess up. We come into His courts and say “Gimme this, Gimme that, Gimme those, I need this, Why don’t I have that?” And God says to this…

Psalm 100:4
Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name.
KJV

Where is your praise for the king? You don’t enter into a king’s court, before His throne without offering up your praise, your worship, gratitude for Who He is, and blessing Him. People in the old days bowed before king’s. They would bow and blow kisses when His chariot rode by, because they knew everything they had belonged to him. The land was his that he let them farm, the water was his that he let them drink, and everything else within the king’s borders was the sole property of the king. God is Lord (owner) over all the earth!

Psalm 24:1
The earth is the LORD’s, and the fulness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein.
KJV

He evens owns the people in His kingdom, and so He is responsible for them.

Listen to this very carefully…

God is not increased in stature, made God, or made King by our praise, worship or acknowledgment of Him. He is king by creation rights- He is king no matter whether we worship Him or not. Therefore praise and worship does not benefit the king… It benefits the worshiper!

When my son tells me how much He loves me, it doesn’t make me anymore his dad than if he didn’t. But, it does bring more of my attention on him. When he is good, and obedient, and listens to what I have told him- I notice it! I recognize him with my attention and affection. I want to buy him things and make him happy. We all do this. Do you buy things for your children, and give them whatever they want when they are disobedient, backtalk, don’t listen and run all over the store? NO! You get them in line… QUICK!

So it’s important to realize Who God is, and what He has done in your life. Then when you enter into His courts, into His presence, in prayer- you enter with praise and thanksgiving. This is the fastest way to get in the king’s favor. You bless Him and lift Him up! Tell Him how thankful you are and show Him how much you love Him!

I heard Myles Munroe explain a good example of this one time. He said “If I give you $100.00 and you say ‘Thank You’, so I give you another $100.00 and you say ‘Thank You’, and I give you another $100.00- what are you going to keep doing? Saying ‘Thank You’!”

Don’t enter His courts with requests and petitions of your needs without giving Him the praise, honor and glory He is worthy of! He is the King! You tell Him ‘Hallowed, Holy is Your name!’. Build Him up and get in the favor of the King!

The Lord’s Prayer 03

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Jul 162010

Luke 11
2) And he said unto them, When ye pray, say, Our Father which art in heaven…
KJV

It’s important to remember where the Father is- in heaven. Not on earth, but in heaven. Why was this important enough for Jesus to clarify in this prayer? Because right now what you need you don’t have. Everything you need, use, want, or desire is a resource of some kind. A resource can run out- you need to know the Source… and the Source is in heaven. What you need right now, you don’t have, so you need to tap into a Source that is from another place.

Remember God put us in the earth and He is in heaven. So earth is the outpost, but our home government is in heaven, which is where all of our needs are supplied from.

Philippians 4
19) But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.

Remember He’s the King of glory. So call upon Him today- your Source, your Sustainer- Who’s in heaven.

Can you see heaven right now? Go outside and look up… can you see it? Scientist have used telescopes to peer at galaxies billions of light years away but have yet to see the edge of space, which is reportedly expanding at almost the speed of light, much less heaven!

2 Corinthians 4
18) While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal.
KJV

Hebrews 11
3) Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear.
KJV

WOW! Everything that was ever made came out of the invisible. Everything in the universe that can be identified from matter, antimatter, dark matter, dark energy and everything that has not even been discovered yet was made by the invisible God, Who is in heaven, which is not seen. So if everything came from the not seen, we need to know where that is… and that is in heaven. All of our answers, all of our needs come from the Father which art in heaven.

The bible says God “calleth those things which be not as though they were” (Romans 4:17). So if we are made in His image, be like your Father- in your prayers, in your words- don’t look at the situation and draw conclusion- look at the situation and draw from God! Begin to call those things which are not as though they were! Activate your belief system, your faith! SPEAK IT INTO EXISTENCE! From the invisible to the visible, from “Our Father which art in heaven!“

The Lord’s Prayer 02

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Jul 152010

Luke 11
2) And he said unto them, When ye pray, say, Our Father which art in heaven…
KJV

So here is where Jesus began to teach the disciples how to pray. He says Our Father.

This is a corporate prayer. He’s not just my Father, or your Father- He’s our Father. Sometimes we get so caught up with prayer being about me, me, me- that we forget we are praying to the government of Heaven. We are sending up a petition from a member of the body of Christ. This word, “our”, builds unity into our prayer.

Acts 20
35) I have shewed you all things, how that so labouring ye ought to support the weak, and to remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he said, It is more blessed to give than to receive.
36) And when he had thus spoken, he kneeled down, and prayed with them all.
KJV

Our brothers and sisters sometimes are weak and our prayers help to lift them.

Romans 15
1) We then that are strong ought to bear the infirmities of the weak, and not to please ourselves.
KJV

Ought means- you should do this, I expect you to do this, you better do this.

Look at how much is in this one word- ‘Our’. When we begin prayer like this it’s no longer just me, I am praying as a citizen of the kingdom of Heaven and I am praying a corporate prayer that includes all of us, which builds all of us and strengthens all of us.

Next, remember who you are praying to. The Father. This is so many things in one word. The word Father in the Hebrew is ABBA which also means source and sustainer. He is Source, Sustainer, Government, ABBA! Why is this important? It’s important because we are recognizing who He is to us at the start of our prayer. We don’t make Him Father God, He’s Father God no matter what- so it’s important that we acknowledge Him as Our Father. That’s all we can do- acknowledge Him. So when we begin our prayers we’re recognizing Him and saying “Our Source, our Sustainer, our Father”.

Please don’t miss this… A source is this.

Source: anything or place from which something comes, arises, or is obtained.
Dictionary.com

When you call Him Father- you are recognizing Him as where everything that you need comes from. You are stating that everything that has been obtained, will be obtained, or can be obtained, can only come from Him.
When you call Him Father you are declaring Him your Sustainer- that means what keeps you and maintains you is Him alone! Praise God! That is a powerful statement!

I have to add this in here right now…

John 4
23) But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him.

This use of spirit is very important. It is not capitalized so it’s not talking about the Holy Spirit, which is always capitalized. This word is lowercase and refers to “attitude and awareness”. You cannot worship God or pray effectively if your mind is not on what you’re doing. Your attitude has to be towards the thing, aware of what you are saying and who you are saying it to in order to do something in spirit.

So when you are calling on Him, Our Father, BE AWARE of what you are saying. When you understand these truths of these two short words, praying aware with an attitude of understanding- you’re calling upon the government of Heaven, Source and Sustainer of all things, in a corporate prayer from the body.

This is going to add so much to your prayer life- because we can only do something effectively, when we have understanding.

[Just as a side note: I am not teaching, to be so restrictive, that it’s wrong to say “My Father”. It’s just important for us to understand that we pray for others and that Jesus was showing it’s not just about us. What good is it, if I’m blessed and my friends and neighbors aren’t. Sure, they can pray- but we lift up the weak in faith in our prayers. We’re supposed to pray for one another. It’s not just about your blessing, your needs, your wants- it’s about the kingdom. It’s not about one citizen having all the wealth and all the health, it’s about His kingdom having wealth and being in good health. When we look at a country in the world and we see a few in power and living well, but most of the country is in poverty and sickness- there is something wrong. But when the entire nation thrives- wow how awesome. “What is it with those people, they are all in good health, all have their needs met, they all have joy, they all are blessed.”]

That’s Kingdom!

The Lord’s Prayer 01

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Jul 142010

Luke 11
1) And it came to pass, that, as he was praying in a certain place, when he ceased, one of his disciples said unto him, Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples.

Don’t read the bible too fast, otherwise you’ll miss important parts of God’s word. Look what His disciples asked Him.

‘Teach us how to pray’.

Now me personally, before learning this, I would have said “Teach me how to heal the sick, teach me how to open blinded eye, teach me how to make a pillar of fire come down from heaven, teach me how to walk on the water, teach me how to raise the dead…”

But no… they asked Him to teach them how to pray. This shows that prayer is something that needs to be taught. Do you know how to pray?

“Well, I just talk to God”

No, no, no… That’s not what Jesus taught. I will show you in the next few posts as we discuss the order of prayer. It was so important that the disciples asked Him- how to pray.

Murder

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Jul 062010

I was talking to a Pastor friend the other day and discussing with him about prayer and the mind. See, I did something wrong.

I committed… murder. That’s right, I… committed… MURDER.

Now that I have your attention let me explain before S.W.A.T. breaks down my door.

I must start off by explaining something very important for kingdom citizen’s to understand. In law there is an idiomatic antithesis between “the letter of the law” and “the spirit of the law”.

The letter of the law is when you take and obey the literal wording of the law.

The spirit of the law is when you interpret what the original authors of the law intended by the law.

This is so important for us to grasp and understand when we read the bible. Let me explain a real life analogy that I used recently. If I am with my son about to cross the street, I tell him to ‘hold my hand’. Now the letter of the law would interpret from this that he is to hold my hand no matter what. Regardless of circumstances he must never let go, because he must obey the literal wording of what I have said.
The spirit of the law though interprets that the reason I want him to hold my hand is because I don’t want him to get hit by traffic. Both would accomplish the same purpose in most circumstances- but what if while crossing I faint and fall in the street unconscious? If my son holds to the letter of the law, he cannot let go of my hand for any reason, putting him in danger. But if he understands the spirit of the law then he’ll know I didn’t want him to get hit by traffic and so he will let go of my hand and get to the safety of the curb… and hopefully get me help! When we read the bible we must know and understand these two contrasting views- it’s important to know both.

Now let’s look at the bible when Jesus explained the contrast between the two.

Matthew 5:21-22
21) Ye have heard that it was said of them of old time, Thou shalt not kill; and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment:
22) But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment

and this…

Matthew 5: 27-28
27) Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not commit adultery:
28) But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart.

This is revelation right here. See, there is a difference in what “we say” and what “He says”. Verse 21 of Matthew 5 Jesus is saying (paraphrase) “Look, you say if a man kills a man he is a murderer- BUT I say, if you even hate your brother you have committed murder.” See the problem with the way the pharisees taught was- by the time they realized they had done wrong it’s too late… someone’s dead or a marriage is wrecked. But the spirit of the law is that you have already committed murder in your heart if you hate your brother, or committed adultery if you look upon someone to lust after them. We have to understand God’s laws in order to obey them. If we think we have to kill someone to violate the law, but God’s intent is even the thought of it, then we never repent because of our ignorance. Our understanding has to be of the spirit of the word- so when we have these thoughts we’re convicted in our heart and can turn quickly and change our thinking.

Now, back to my charge. Sometimes it can be hard to pray for your enemies. I’m not talking about the occasional incident of someone who won’t let you yield onto the highway and you blow your horn at them- I’m talking about when you’re tested constantly for a season by someone who is in your life every day. This could be a friend, a neighbor, a boss, etc. You try to be the peace maker but it can feel like they want to destroy you, at least in the season. Now Jesus says to pray for our enemies and do good to them who despitefully use you. Sometimes we can feel like we’re doing this- but is it your words or your heart?

See in my situation with my words I was saying “Lord, bless them and help them- they need you God…”

But somewhere in the deep recesses of my mind I was praying “LORD! REIGN DOWN BLOWS UPON THEIR HEAD WITH BOLTS OF LIGHTING FROM THE HEAVENS!”

This is funny now, but it’s serious. I was trying to pray and concentrate on what I was saying but somewhere in the back of my thinking, though I tried to hide it from myself, I was thinking “Well, God will understand what I really mean.” Sometimes we get the idea because we’re saying one thing that God will do the other thing because of our words… how incorrect. I realized then I had committed murder in my heart because of my aggravation of the situation. Now this whole scenario took place in about the span of 30 seconds… but that’s enough. It’s my understanding of the spirit of God’s word and my seeking of the kingdom and His righteousness that causes me to turn. I love Him, and if I love Him I will keep His commandments.

So… are you guilty of murder? Is there someone you have let get to you? You’ve tried to cover it up by praying for them with words only… but your heart has been resonating something else. Get rid of it now. Repent before that hate turns to bitterness. It’s not kingdom and you lock up heaven when this is in your heart. God CANNOT answer your prayers or release great things in your life when you hold the keys to earth and lock up heaven. It’s His word and His law, so He must follow it. (Matthew 5:24)

Release it now and unlock -(loose)- heaven again in your life.

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