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 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!

It’s The Law

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Jun 252010

I was disturbed about what my wife called and told me this morning. A local Christian radio station had a commercial air that was talking about getting out of debt- which is a great thing! But what disturbed me was the commercial said (paraphrase) “If you have to pay less tithes to do so, do it, just have someone keep you accountable.”

What has happened to God’s people where they believe they can break law and be blessed? They want the benefits of the kingdom but don’t want to do what the Lord says.

Romans 7:1
Know ye not, brethren, (for I speak to them that know the law,) how that the law hath dominion over a man as long as he liveth?

Malachi 3
8 ) Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed me. But ye say, Wherein have we robbed thee? In tithes and offerings.

9) Ye are cursed with a curse: for ye have robbed me, even this whole nation.

Is that not clear? Here is what has happened- people have lost the concept of tithes. They give tithes of what they have to spare and offering as a reward for a good service. This is an incorrect concept and will always lead to error.

Let me ask you a question: Does our US Government have to please you, give you something, offer you something, or trick you into paying your taxes? Why? Because it’s the law to pay taxes. You just do it. It is so necessary to pay your taxes that the IRS is not bankrupt-able.

Everything you have belongs to God- so when we pay our tithes we are saying “Everything I have is Yours, and just to show You, I am giving You back 10% as a demonstration that I know You own it.”

The taxes we pay the government are for maintaining the infrastructure of our country. It’s meat for the storehouse. If you don’t pay them- you’re putting yourself under a curse- how can that help you? And we’re not blessed by tithing- because that is His anyways- we’re blessed by our giving.

Tithes = Kingdom Taxes
Offering = Kingdom Investment

Broken Ideology

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May 252010

North Korea’s leader has a destructive mindset. What is it? It’s the ideology of ‘Juche‘.

Juche is the idea that teaches “man is the master of everything and decides everything”. (Taken from Wikipedia.org)

There is a small truth in this ideology. Man does decide about a lot of things in the earth. After all the Father has put us here to exercise dominion over the earth. God expects us to manage what He has given to us. However, man’s decisions do not impact everything. Thank God. Man’s decisions impact his own life, his future, his ending. Man’s decisions impact other people, touch families, organizations, tribes, government’s. The decision of a few radical Muslims impacted the entire global community on September 11th, 2001. So man’s decisions have a HUGE impact on earth.

However the Juche ideology states something completely different… incorrect… dangerous. It teaches man decides ‘everything’. This is simply not true.

I am a careful examiner of words, motto’s, phrases, cliches, and sayings. After all words are powerful. The Lord got my attention a few weeks ago- I was talking to myself (yes- to myself) and I was going over a situation in my head. The outcome of this situation could go either way but I was weighing all of the possibilities. And I had a saying go through my mind, that all of us have said- “I doubt it”.
It’s such a common thing we say. We think about how we would ‘like’ someone’s reaction to be and we quickly disregard that possibility by saying or thinking- I doubt it. It’s so easy for us to do. Think about it… you have probably said that this week. Remember ‘so as a man thinketh, so is he’; And God got my attention to what I had just thought. (See He’s teaching me, training me to be just like Him) Sometimes we fix thing’s in our mind so that they cannot change and then we wonder why thing’s don’t turn out the way we ‘want’ them too. It may be God’s will for a situation to turn in our favor but we don’t give God access to move in our life because of doubt, unbelief.

God hears, sees and knows everything. There is not a vain word that is spoken that God does not know about. So I am very careful about what I say or how I think. I’m constantly working on my belief system. North Korea’s juche ideology is broken because it is a rebellion against the natural order of things. Juche says ‘man decides everything’. Man does not decide-‘everything’. God has an idea… a purpose- and if man decides to rebel against God for too long- God will move them out of the way. He did it with Jonah- He made David flee his own kingdom from his own flesh and blood, Absalom.

The other teaching of this ideology is the first part which is very dangerous which states- ‘man is the master of everything’. This is to say you are the owner and controller of “EVERYTHING”. Man? Really? It’s this mindset that gets us in so much trouble. Thinking we can rule ourselves. We discover great medicines to help, but we also discover great chemicals to kill. We discover awesome technologies to make life better, but then we discover awesome technologies to be able to destroy ourselves. How can we be master’s over everything- if we have not even mastered our own bodies, our own lives, our own countries, our own businesses? This mindset is dangerous because it rebels against the Lord- the true owner of all the earth. This ideology rebels against the kingdom of God- and God will only put up with it for so long.

God humbles us with problems and trials so that we will realize that He is the creator and true Master of everything.

What If

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May 042010

What if we were concerned more about our relationship with God than our relationship with people? We seem to have this backward most of the time. We spend hours with people and very little with God.

If we looked at the kingdom for what it is, the government of Heaven, than we would want to stay in right standing with our home government. We would want to keep our relationship with the government healthy. After all if you are not getting your intelligence daily from the government- what do you know?

We are after all ambassadors for Christ…

First Things First

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Apr 262010

Priority

(Definition from Dictionary.com)

1.) the state or quality of being earlier in time, occurrence, etc.
2.) the right to precede others in order, rank, privilege, etc.; precedence.
3.) the right to take precedence in obtaining certain supplies, services, facilities, etc., esp. during a shortage.
4.) something given special attention.

–adjective
5.) highest or higher in importance, rank, privilege, etc.: a priority task.

Take a look at these definitions for the word priority. Now ask yourself…

Is God your priority, first thing, every day or do you put everything else ahead of spending time with him because “you’re just too busy”?

Well with our refreshed understanding of the word “priority” let’s take a test and see.

Is the occurrence of prayer the first thing on your agenda?

Does God precede all other people, events, and order in your life or do you ever say “I will pray later”…?

Would the Lord say you rank him first in your life? (*Remember- not because you ‘say so’ but by your actions, attitude, and by example)

Does God take precedence in your giving, thoughts, and ways? (*Basically do you discuss with God the plan for distribution and use of resources He has provided you? [money, house, land, personal property])

I love this one
Does God receive special attention each day from you? (Do you carefully strive to be in his will and favor even if it goes against your own?)

Is God of the highest importance each day of your life?

Well how did you do?
I’m looking at these myself and saying ‘Ouch!’ on a few.

If you run a business there are things you do to make sure you are running it well.

-You arrive early in order to make sure everything is clean and in order.
-You make sure the business is ready for production of goods or services as soon as the customer shows up.
-You make sure you are present when the customer walks in the door and ready to serve.
-You make sure to keep good accounting of the business financial records.
-You make sure to keep good inventory of your resources to run the business efficiently and effectively.

After all, if the customer is not pleased with your service, there is no reason for you bothering even to come in. Why would they want to use you as a vendor if your business is dirty, you do terrible upkeep, your goods or services are mediocre, you never open the door on time, you treat them like a bother, and you don’t keep anything in stock they can use? And you want them to reward you with their money?

Let’s look at another perspective…

Jesus is a king. Get religion out of your ahead. Religion let’s you fluctuate your level of service based on your emotions, how you feel, or what kind of day you have had. If He is king- then what gift are you bringing Him each day? Are you bringing Him an offering first, or a basketful of complaints? Sometimes we treat God like that only, a complaint department. A complaint department is a place we really dislike going, we feel we should not have to be there because the product -(life)- should have worked the way we thought it should, and we only finally go there out of last resort because we can’t deal with the problem any longer.

So here we are. Coming to God to pray -(complain)- about your life and God is thinking “I did not know they even came to this place.”

You ever lost a receipt and ‘thought’ you bought something from a store but after going to that business they scan the tag and tell you it did not come from there? Many times we blame God for our product… life.
But God says “I didn’t produce this. This has your brand on it- not mine. Oh and by the way I see the evidence of some horrible material in your design of the product” Who do you get your material from?” Hmmmm…

When we realize that Jesus is a king, and he is from a country (heaven), and heaven is a government -(kingdom)- then we will finally understand you cannot come to God and blame Him for a product He had no business with. It’s time to make a change in your day. It’s time for a reconfiguration of priorities. It’s time to put first things first. After all we plan then design, we discuss then implement, we get the blue prints then follow them.

God wants to put you at the head of everything you are involved with. He wants to establish you at the top of every field in life. He wants to assign you as the leader in each profession on the earth. But He only uses those that are good representatives of the kingdom. After all it’s His kingdom that is being represented through you. Are you a good representative of the kingdom? If you are taking on the role as an ambassador for Christ – are you fulfilling your reasonable duty and service with the up most standards and quality? or are you an example of an official who should be recalled?

I want to stay in right standing with my government.-(heaven)- I want to keep the lines of communication clear.-(prayer)- I want the government to be happy with my work.-(favor)- I want to have access to all of the benefits my government provides.-(covenant)-

I’ve got to keep first things first.

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