W
hen I was a boy, I regularly went to the Saturday afternoon movies and joined the other kids cheering on our champions, especially when the cowboys and Indians came on. Those cowboys could shoot scores of bullets out of a six-gun so fast and so accurately it was amazing and never seemed to need reloading. I reveled in the later westerns starring John Wayne or Clint Eastwood who made my day by beating the bad guys all the time. John Wayne could punch the lights out of big tough villains with ease to my great delight. The classic shootout was always great. The hero and the villain strode down the middle of the street and stared at each other until someone would draw. The hero of course was quicker, but the point is that it was impossible to win unless he was carrying a gun, that the gun was loaded and that he was ready to pull the trigger. The weapon was useless if it was not loaded. The weapon was useless if the holder did not know what to do with it. Faith is like that.
We are in a battle. There is a war going on and the enemy is deadly serious about taking us out, one way or another but I am convinced that we win. No matter what happens, we come out smelling sweet as roses and can emerge as winners, but we need to know for certain that we have to fight the good fight of faith as Paul said in 1 Timothy 6:12. When defending his authority, Paul saidNow I, Paul, appeal to you with the gentleness and kindness of Christ—though I realize you think I am timid in person and bold only when I write from far away. Well, I am begging you now so that when I come I won’t have to be bold with those who think we act from human motives. We are human, but we don’t wage war as humans do. We use God’s mighty weapons, not worldly weapons, to knock down the strongholds of human reasoning and to destroy false arguments. We destroy every proud obstacle that keeps people from knowing God. We capture their rebellious thoughts and teach them to obey Christ. And after you have become fully obedient, we will punish everyone who remains disobedient. 2 Corinthians 10:1-6. Most of us will I suppose, never have to fight as if in a face-to-face encounter with demons and evil spirits. I’ve seen some stuff in that area, so I know it’s very real, but I believe that most of you will have more of an encounter with the battle of the mind or the human intellect. Rationale and reasoning will most likely be enemies you will face. Your warfare is in the spirit dimension, therefore your weaponry is spiritual. To win, you’ve got to be as bold as John Wayne (who became a Christian before going home). In a showdown, it is more than just pulling the trigger, but to do so with live rounds in the magazine! Don’t pull the trigger on an empty shell cartridge and don’t fire unless you are aiming at your target. Hit or miss Christianity does not work. What does is hitting the bullseye every time.
I am here to tell you how to act on your faith. In other words, how to make sure you don’t have blanks and that your gun is cocked and loaded. Notice the order—cocked and loaded. It is possible to cock a weapon and pull the trigger without having a shell in the breach. Pulling the trigger releases the firing pin and when that pin strikes the primer, an explosion happens inside the shell casing to violently release the projectile. In like manner, Jesus said that there has to be a degree of violence involved. And from the days of John the Baptist until the present time, the kingdom of heaven has endured violent assault, and violent men seize it by force [as a precious prize—a share in the heavenly kingdom is sought with most ardent zeal and intense exertion]. Matthew 11:12. I want your faith to explode into action and produce the results that are necessary for your success. To illustrate, turn to Mark 10. Then they reached Jericho, and as Jesus and his disciples left town, a large crowd followed him. A blind beggar named Bartimaeus (son of Timaeus) was sitting beside the road. When Bartimaeus heard that Jesus of Nazareth was nearby, he began to shout, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” “Be quiet!” many of the people yelled at him. But he only shouted louder, “Son of David, have mercy on me!”
When Jesus heard him, he stopped and said, “Tell him to come here.” So they called the blind man. “Cheer up,” they said. “Come on, he’s calling you!” Bartimaeus threw aside his coat, jumped up, and came to Jesus. “What do you want me to do for you?” Jesus asked. “My rabbi,” the blind man said, “I want to see!” And Jesus said to him, “Go, for your faith has healed you.” Instantly the man could see, and he followed Jesus down the road. Mark 10:46-52 .
When there is a large crowd like that, it can get very noisy. They couldn’t care less about someone like Barty, but he discovered that Jesus was in town and started yelling out to Him. He was entering a war zone. His faith was about to be stretched to the limit. They told him to shut up, sit down, get out of the way and stay put down in the dust like trash, but he refused to quit. The more they tried to get rid of him, the more he persisted and yelled louder and kept doing that until Jesus heard him. You could be in a situation where there is lots of interference. Don’t stop! God is not deaf. He hears you, but sometimes you have to load your gun, cock it and pull the faith trigger to get results! I am talking about taking drastic faith action here. When Jesus heard him, he stopped and said, “Tell him to come here.” So they called the blind man. “Cheer up,” they said. “Come on, he’s calling you!” Bartimaeus threw aside his coat, jumped up, and came to Jesus. Mark 10:49-50. Barty did something radical. It was like actually like pulling the trigger! He could believe all he wanted and nothing would have happened, but he did much more than believe. Many Christians go around saying, “I’m believing; I’m believing; I’m believing; I’m believing” and nothing seems to work for them. Why? They’re not believing. They are being religious. Believing is not what works. The devils believe God (see James 2:19). Now read verses 17-18. The blind man was certified blind. In our society it like being given a pension card stating you are blind and are entitled to help and support. In shopping centers, some parking spaces are reserved for disabled persons. You can legally park there provided you clearly display your government issued certificate. His coat was his certificate and he threw it aside! He had grabbed Jesus’ attention and received a personal word from the Lord. What he had to do next was act on it. By throwing off that coat Bartimaus switched dependency from the world system to the system of God. When you do that, The Lord can take it up another level. He can ask you in the same way He asked this blind man, “What do you want Me to do for you?” Look at this and take note of my emphasis. And Jesus said to him, What do you want Me to do for you? And the blind man said to Him, Master, let me receive my sight. Mark 10:51. One translation says, “My Rabbi”. The man made it personal. He claimed Jesus. He called the Lord, Master. He put Jesus first. Jesus responded by telling him that it was his faith (not Jesus’ faith) that had made him whole. Jesus did nothing special to bring about this healing. He merely asked the man what he wanted. It was this man’s explosive release of his own faith that produced the miracle This wholeness was sōzō that means safety, deliverance, health, wholeness, divine protection, health, prosperity and everything you can name came with the salvation package. That man’s faith did it all. He did not ask for a blessing, or “Jesus, help me”, but clearly stated what he wanted—his sight. The term ( ַרבִּיrabbi) which is usually understood to mean “my teacher” literally means a person of authority, importance, abundance and even greatness. In other words ( ַרבִּיrabbi) is a person who has much to give as a person of substance. Jesus was not broke! Please note that Bartimaeus cast aside his coat—whilst he was still blind! Before the manifestation of his healing arrived, he took that major step of faith. Still unable to see, he changed systems; from dependency on the natural to relying on God alone and threw that license to beg that was his only basis for existence away. He discarded his social security pension card and walked to Jesus, solely because Jesus stopped and called him over. That’s what I am talking about, that it is making sure you are cocked and loaded and ready to pull the trigger. Doing that involves training and discipline. My limited military experience taught me that. Rifle drill taught me that. On the range, we did not load one bullet until commanded. Every round was counted before we started and, after firing had finished, we collected and counted out all the spent shell casings and any live rounds remaining to ensure the count tallied up. After the final shoot, we worked the bolt several times, cocked the weapon, aimed at the target and fired. We then opened the bolt for the range master’s inspection. When we pulled the trigger on the last action, the firing pin was released into an empty chamber and nothing happened. We can pray on an empty chamber and nothing happens, but Bartimaeus had a loaded weapon and pulled the faith trigger on a live round to release an explosion of faith that produced his healing. On what basis did he do that? Why did he react and call out so loudly in that noisy mob that it stopped the Lord? Something had to stimulate him to action. He had to have heard about Jesus beforehand. Somewhere, somehow, he had heard that Jesus was in town. Had someone told him? Perhaps. We often need someone to tell us. Paul spoke of such things in Romans 10, some of which we often use for salvation messages.
For with the heart a person believes (adheres to, trusts in, and relies on Christ) and so is justified (declared righteous, acceptable to God), and with the mouth he confesses (declares openly and speaks out freely his faith) and confirms [his] salvation. Romans 10:10.
Simple belief is not sufficient. As I said before even the Devils believe God, so mere believing does not work. The internal belief has to be activated by a verbal expression. Our words, like God’s words convey life. What we say determines the outcome, whether it be death or life. See Proverbs 18:21, Matthew 12:34, Luke 6:45. This means that we need to call on the Lord to be saved, which is reinforced by the statementFor everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord [invoking Him as Lord] will be saved. Romans 10:13. You may think I am being pedantic, but the devil is a legalist. He questioned Eve in the garden, partially quoting God’s own word! He tempted Jesus in like manner. The religious people questioned Jesus on points of The Law. They were looking for a loophole. They knew the bible (theologically speaking) and wanted Him to engage in debate to trip Him up. If those things happened to Him, they will to us also. This is why it is to important to speak properly and it has little to do with your education or lack of it. IT IS EVERYTHING TO DO WITH SAYING WHAT GOD SAYS. WordsAre what God used to create all things Are what Adam used to name all creatures Are the tools that God has given the Church with which we exercise our authority in the earth Renew our minds and transform our lives Are seeds, that when planted, bring forth a harvest of whatever is spoken Release spiritual realities so that they become physical realities What we say in prayer is of vital importance and there is no higher power or authority than God’s own spoken word. When you speak His word in prayer, you can hear your own creative words that can release faith. By speaking God’s word in prayer, you can avoid selfish prayers; those that are half-cocked and getting off into strange areas, ideas and imaginations especially in those that allow the mind to wander and give the devil license to get you off track. We can obviously therefore pray a lot of things, but sticking to the word of God, will keep us from creating strange doctrines and cults. Most of those either misuse scripture or rarely turn to God’s word at all. Cults often create followers of men rather than followers of God. Those who are not saved don’t know what to do or say. How then can they do it or say it? We have to tell them. And how can men [be expected to] preach unless they are sent? As it is written, How beautiful are the feet of those who bring glad tidings! [How welcome is the coming of those who preach the good news of His good things!] Romans 10:15.
I guess you know the next scripture (or do you?)So faith comes by hearing [what is told], and what is heard comes by the preaching [of the message that came from the lips] of Christ (the Messiah Himself). Romans 10:17. I have said before that you already have all the faith you will ever possess. It starts when you heard the gospel message and it takes a step of faith to receive Jesus as savior, but that very instant you say the sinner’s prayer, all of the fulness of the Godhead comes to take up occupancy inside you. From that moment on, your spiritual growth and development depends on you. You and I have to exercise it and release it. This is done by study and meditation of God’s word. I’m going to share something now that can help you explode in your faith. Prayer is not silent! Neither is it yelling loudly. God is not deaf. Prayer is releasing a force from deep within your spirit that takes on many forms and achieves many things. I’m not going to talk about prayer as such, other than to say you do not come to God begging and pleading. Stop wasting your time and His! Don’t try to force His hand in any way. Some people mean well and are sincere, but sincerely wrong at times. Going on a fast (unless God specifically tells you), often does nothing other than make you hungry. You do not need to cut yourself off and isolate yourself by going off somewhere onto a mountain in isolation to pray until the breakthrough comes. Sometimes this is the thing to do but I think is best done only when your called to do so. Otherwise on most times it is pure religious exercise that achieves little. God is a spirit-width or a breath away! We can be so attuned to Him now because Jesus made the way available that we are as one. We have the mind of Christ. See 1 Corinthians 2:12-16. We are Spirit filled and led. We have the written word of God. We can know that we know, often instinctively what we need to know or do. Fine tuning is sometimes required of course, but you get the idea. I could cite many scriptures to illustrate, but here are a few“Yes, I am the Vine; you are the branches. Whoever lives in me and I in him shall produce a large crop of fruit. For apart from me you can’t do a thing. If anyone separates from me, he is thrown away like a useless branch, withers, and is gathered into a pile with all the others and burned. But if you stay in me and obey my commands, you may ask any request you like, and it will be granted! My true disciples produce bountiful harvests. This brings great glory to my Father. John 15:5-8. I no longer call you slaves, for a master doesn’t confide in his slaves; now you are my friends, proved by the fact that I have told you everything the Father told me. “You didn’t choose me! I chose you! I appointed you to go and produce lovely fruit always, so that no matter what you ask for from the Father, using my name, he will give it to you. John 15:15-16.
Dear friends, if we don’t feel guilty, we can come to God with bold confidence. And we will receive from him whatever we ask because we obey him and do the things that please him. And this is his commandment: We must believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and love one another, just as he commanded us. Those who obey God’s commandments remain in fellowship with him, and he with them. And we know he lives in us because the Spirit he gave us lives in us. 1 John 3:21-24. I have written this to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know you have eternal life. And we are confident that he hears us whenever we ask for anything that pleases him. And since we know he hears us when we make our requests, we also know that he will give us what we ask for. 1 John 5:13-15.
Let’s bring this into perspective now. Someone had to have told Bartimaeus about Jesus. He was a Jew, so he must have been told at some time in his life about the coming of the Anointed One—the Son of David and that this Anointed One would have the very explosive power of God in His life. Had someone told him about Jesus’ first recorded sermon in Luke 4 that the Spirit of the Lord was upon HimThe Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, To preach the acceptable year of the Lord. Luke 4:18-19. When he heard that Jesus was in town, something lit a fuse inside that man that caused him to realize he did not need that beggar’s coat any longer. Many Christians are still wearing their beggar’s coat! They do not see that the Master is in town. Any town in the world can have a visitation of God...any town; anywhere! Do you believe it? Bartimaeus realized that the day had arrived for him to be set free and that the prophecy of Isaiah 61, that Jesus preached, was fulfilled. He said to himself. “The Anointed one is here with His anointing. He said that the blind would see, so from today onwards I will never sit on this street corner and beg again.” He zeroed in on the words of Jesus and lit the fuse on that same dynamite Jesus spoke about in Acts 1:8 by an act of his own faith—and Jesus acknowledged it! Bartimaeus’ own faith produced total healing in every area of life and he became one of the Lord’s disciples that same day. What happened for him could happen for you and for me now. If have ever sought the Lord on a matter, I can guarantee you that some things that can happen so fast it is not funny. Never say things like, “I wonder if....”, “What if it doesn’t work?” It most likely won’t if you talk like that.
You just negated every prayer. What if it does work? If you expect an answer, then start living like it. If you want change after prayer, then start changing your attitude and behavior. Prepare yourself mentally, emotionally, physically and spiritually to receive the answer. Imagine Barty saying, “Well..., I’ll give it a try. I’m not sure if I can do it, or if it will work, but here goes.” He’d still be sitting there. Bartimaeus had been given a specific word from the Lord. “Come to me.” That’s the basis. Everything we do must be based on a word from God. We have to find out what that word is and, having determined what it was that God had actually said, to then go ahead and implement it. What He tells you is no one else’s business. Do not go racing off to someone for a “confirmation”. It is great to have them of course, but if God has spoken to you and you know that it was really God, then why go elsewhere? Another man might not have heard what you did. I am assuming of course that this “word” is legitimate and is not telling you something radically wrong and foolish. There are ways to tell. I’m hopefully talking to mature believers now. There are “prayers” and there are prayers. There is a difference. There are prayers of faith and there are faithless prayers. Are any of you suffering hardships? You should pray. Are any of you happy? You should sing praises. Are any of you sick? You should call for the elders of the church to come and pray over you, anointing you with oil in the name of the Lord. Such a prayer offered in faith will heal the sick, and the Lord will make you well. And if you have committed any sins, you will be forgiven. Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results. Elijah was as human as we are, and yet when he prayed earnestly that no rain would fall, none fell for three and a half years! Then, when he prayed again, the sky sent down rain and the earth began to yield its crops. James 5:13-18. If you look closely at what he said, it implies that we need not be suffering hardships, or sickness at all, but if we do find ourselves in such situations, then we are to act positively on it. He clearly stated that the prayer of faith will (not might; not hopefully; not if “it is the Lord’s will [which is pure religious unbelief]) produce health and healing. James also saidIf any of you is deficient in wisdom, let him ask of the giving God [Who gives] to everyone liberally and ungrudgingly, without reproaching or faultfinding, and it will be given him. Only it must be in faith that he asks with no wavering (no hesitating, no doubting). For the one who wavers (hesitates, doubts) is like the billowing surge out at sea that is blown hither and thither and tossed by the wind.
For truly, let not such a person imagine that he will receive anything [he asks for] from the Lord, [For being as he is] a man of two minds (hesitating, dubious, irresolute), [he is] unstable and unreliable and uncertain about everything [he thinks, feels, decides]. James 1:5-8.
It need not be restricted to asking for wisdom. Whatever you pray about, do so in and with faith, without being double minded, wavering, hesitating or doubting. Such prayers are like firing blanks. Now you have probably heard that there are all kinds of prayer, such as intercessory prayer or prayers of petition. OK, I’ll go with that, but how about prayer that works. There could be times when you do not have the time or opportunity to tell which is which. It is like the debate, “Which is the best gift?” that usually comes from those who do not believe in the gifts of the Spirit or speaking in tongues. The answer to that of course is that the best gift is the one that is most appropriate for a given time or situation. A prophecy might not be the best gift when one is dying and needs a miracle of healing. We get all spiritual about things at times and nothing happens.
If so, then join the club, but has it really been a fruitless exercise? Let us examine the content and see how others in the bible prayed and received the answers. I will have to limit my examples of course, but how about Daniel? In chapter nine, Daniel prayed for his people. He acknowledged the sin of his people and asked, not for wealth or healing, but for repentance and restoration of the nation. Gabriel came to him whilst he was still speaking. He came to give Daniel skill and understanding and was sent the instant Daniel started praying. God heard him instantly and sent Gabriel. In chapter 10, Daniel was again praying for three weeks. The angel came to him and told him that he was greatly beloved. Have you ever had God tell you that He loves you? I mean, personally say, “I love you”? It brought me to tears and I replied, “I love you too” as we shared an intimate time together. You might not have had such a personal encounter, but God has told you that He loves you in His book— many times! Daniel’s words were heard on day one and the answer was sent on day one, but it took 21 days to reach him! In fact, God can and does answer your prayer before you even start! How about that! Doesn’t that make you want to make sure you are praying right?
Look, if you were in the bush and a rhinoceros or buffalo started charging suddenly at you—you could shout Elijah, according to James 5:17-18, shundai in tongues all you want and was a man just like you and me; still be trampled underfoot. The best subject to the same passions and gift then is a 30-0-6, not a bb or a 410 frailties as we are and he called for a shotgun at 100 three and one half yards! Bam! Hit Even before they call, I will answer; year drought that the thing and while they are still speaking, I will hear. was a serous thing Isaiah 65:24. get results. and no rain fell! He also broke the In prayer we want to hit the thing and drought—by his words; but everything he get results, don’t we, otherwise why said was based on what God had already bother? Faithless, mindless praying said! might satisfy some inner religious See 1 Kings 17:1. He said, “It will not desires, but that’s all. rain...until I say so!” I want to start sharing some practical What he said however was exactly in tips. line with what God had already said (Deuteronomy11:16-17; 28:15-24). Have you ever prayed and think you have done it right, but nothing has He prayed the word of God! worked?
That’s loading the gun, cocking it, taking aim and pulling the trigger! Abraham prayed about Sodom in Genesis 18. Jacob would not quit in Genesis 32. Solomon prayed in 1 Kings 8 at the dedication of the Temple and God visited them! In 1 Kings 3; he had asked for wisdom to handle things right and God answered that. Habakkuk asked for God to revive His work. Jesus prayed in Matthew 26:39 for the Father’s will to take precedence. Do you see a pattern here? The principle is to “seek first the Kingdom of God” which is God’s way of doing things—first and allowing God to add the things we need and desire later. I asked before if you have ever thought you prayed the prayer of faith and nothing worked. Perhaps it was not a prayer of faith? Perhaps it was and the answer has been despatched, but not yet arrived? If you really want to pray effectively and receive answers, then PRAY THE WORD OF GOD. What do I mean by that? Allow the Holy Spirit to lead you, which is what the bible says and let Him guide you into selection of scriptural passages that apply to the situation at hand. This will require some effort such as bible study and meditation on our part. Some Christians deny the work of the Holy Spirit, with the result that they are often weak and lack a certain depth. You can tell this when they pray. We have a powerful tool to help us pray effectively and it is praying in the spirit. That is, by praying in tongues. We can pray with the spirit and with the understanding and often times by praying in tongues then switching to our native language, pray the interpretation! See 1 Corinthians 14:15 and Romans 8:26-27.
God told Joshua something that is very important. This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success. Joshua 1:8. Another version statesDo not let this Book of the Torah depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you guard to do according to all that is written in it. For then you shall make your way prosperous, and act wisely. Remember, I am talking about prayer and praying with effect. You might wonder what this has to do with the word of God. Everything! God told Joshua to speak the Word as often as possible and to meditate on it as often as possible. I want to focus on the word depart for a moment. In the original it is mûsh, first seen in Exodus 13:22 when it talks about the pillar of cloud and the pillar of fire (a sign of the presence of God in the camp) that never left its place before the people day and night. It is God’s desire to be always present with us at all times, supported by Hebrews 13:5. Interestingly, it is also used to describe the time when God spoke face to face with Moses in the tent—and Joshua was there too, but did not depart afterwards. He also saw God face-toface and heard God speaking with Moses. God then told Joshua to meditate the word. Some people think that meditation is sitting in a unique posture, “emptying the mind” (which is impossible) and doing what they are supposed to do, which in reality is nothing. Try it!
Silent prayer is not prayer. Your mind is always active. It is the place where Godly ideas and imaginations are supposed to be developed, emanating from the spirit. Meditating the word is a powerful tool. It is like a cow chewing the cud. It is reminiscing over what has been said. It is talking it over. The Hebrew word is hāgâ. Look at its meaningsUtter, mutter, moan, meditate, devise and plot. It describes utterance, a rumbling, growling and moaning and is characteristic of the moaning of a dove or the growling of a lion over its prey. Sometimes it refers to a whispering melody found in music produced by a harp! That—is meditating the word of God. It is exceptionally good when praying. Why would God tell Joshua to do that and why should we take this to heart? The simple reason is that Joshua was about to enter into the Promised Land and God wanted to hear positive faith confessions. Giants live in your promised land. Opposition is in your promised land. Challenges are in your promised land. The blessing in your promised land is there too, but you must go in and possess what God has promised! What is not often understood is the vital importance of saying what God says. Why would God tell Joshua to meditate or pray His word? The reason is simple. God’s word works! It is creative. Everything that exists, only does so because God said something! The first chapter of the bible is full of the statement, “God said.” He spoke existence out of nothing. He said something and it was so. This is much more important than a religious exercise. It could make the difference between life and death. Sickness and wholeness, poverty or abundance. God’s word can be a devouring flame (Jeremiah 5:14) or a hammer that smashes a rock (Jeremiah 23:29). It is a life giving force according to Ezekiel 37:7 and a saving power according to Romans 1:16.
It is a defensive weapon (Ephesians 6:17) and an exceptionally sharp severing instrument as seen in Hebrews 4:12. It can bring light and illumination, give hope and is profitable for instruction in life. I could go on with many more illustrations and if you want more, please contact me for a detailed list. You have better much better than a nuclear arsenal at your disposal—you have creative, life changing and life giving force and it is all in your mouth! I asked before if you have ever prayed and it seemed that nothing happened. If you prayed according to God’s mind and will—it worked! You might need some wisdom, patience and understanding. I will bring this to a conclusion by saying that when you pray, do not use vain repetitions like the heathen do. Jesus told us that. Do not start mouthing off on your needs and problems. God already knows them and has already provided. Do not pray by “thinking”. I’ve covered that. Many such prayers are like facing that charging bull without a weapon by using the wrong ammunition, by shooting blanks—or by aiming incorrectly. The latter is very real. I am partially ambidextrous, which means that I can generally be right handed or left handed for most things. I shoot left handed. I used to sight by closing my right eye, but most weapons are designed for right handed people. I had great difficulty in hitting the target, let alone the bullseye, even at close range because I was using the wrong technique, but when I discovered how I functioned — and trained myself, I could zero in on the target with success. I can now aim with both eyes opened. Let me bring that to prayer. You want to know how to pray and get answers, right?
Firstly, you can and should be constantly in prayer; instant in season or out of season and always ready for anything. You need to know who you are and how you function. You could be a person who has to shoot left handed, but are using a weapon designed for a right-hander! You could seem to be doing everything right, but missing the bullseye. Analyze yourself. Check yourself Measure yourself. Many people do not do the latter and live basically unorganized and undisciplined lives, but everything God does is ordered and measurable. Look up into the sky at the stars and you will see what I mean. If you can’t measure it, you can’t manage it and God will not give His good things to those who cannot manage them. Can you imagine Jesus telling someone to stop and let Him pray about the matter before responding to them? I never see Him telling someone to come back tomorrow after He had prayed about it. He was already tuned in to the Father and was always ready and so can we! Now look for a moment at when the devil tempted Him. His response was always quoting scripture, saying “It is written” and completed what was written. Sometimes we are too quick to partially think or sometimes partially say a portion of scripture. For example, when we are facing opposition etc, we can relate to Isaiah 54:17 that statesNo weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper. It’s the right scripture, but only part of the passage and is often incorrectly applied. What does the bible REALLY say about the verse or verses you often quote? Let’s look at it all. No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and their righteousness is of me, saith the LORD. Isaiah 54:17. It states that YOU (not God) shall condemn that weapon. YOU must do it. If YOU do not condemn it, that weapon will keep operating. You can keep partially “think” that scripture of half quite it all you like and there will be no change. Why? You have to say it and you have to say it ALL! The reason is that your words are what makes it happen. Your own words are the force that brings the required results. If faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God, then each time you pray Gods word, you hear your own voice speaking the word and that stimulates your faith. Sometimes we must do what God told Joshua to do and that is to mutter and meditate, chew the cud and especially tell the enemy everything God said. He is a legalist remember and he can also quote scripture. So... say the whole jolly lot and cover all bases. Sometimes when reading the bible it is best to read it
aloud! Speak it! Don’t think it! Listen to your own voice saying God’s word. Look now at poverty or healing. Sometimes we are just lazy I guess and give a half hearted effort. Sickness comes and we say by His stripes we are healed. Really? Where does it say that and on what basis does it say that? It is possible we are picking up an unloaded weapon and pulling the trigger and sickness prevails? We do not deny sickness and pain of course, but we do deny their legal right (I said legal right) to remain. Would it not be better to speak to that illness and say something like“Sickness. I am talking to you now in the Name of Jesus whose I am and whom I serve. Isaiah 53 and verses four and five stateHe Himself bore our sicknesses, and He carried our pains; but we in turn regarded Him stricken, struck down by God, and afflicted. But He was pierced because of our transgressions, crushed because of our iniquities; punishment for our peace was on Him, and we are healed by His wounds. That was talking about Jesus. Furthermore, it is stated in 1 Peter 2:24He Himself bore our sins in His body on the tree, so that, having died to sins, we might live for righteousness; you have been healed by His wounds. On that basis therefore, I remind you that what you are trying to do is illegal. Those pains and symptoms you are trying to place on my body have no legal place. Therefore, I serve notice on you now, take my God-given place of authority in this situation and instruct you according to God’s word to take this ailment off me”. Do you see the difference? Instead of telling that thing, “I resist you” only to find that it remains, because you have not spoken God’s word to it, pray the word instead. I believe that we can come to the place where the authority of the believer is real, not a religious mental exercise. I believe that we can eventually decree a thing and it shall be performed unto us, but it has to be what God has said and that what God has said becomes what we say. It has to also come from a heart and mind in good relationship with the Lord. Acquaint now thyself with him, and be at peace: thereby good shall come unto thee. Receive, I pray thee, the law from his mouth, and lay up his words in thine heart. If thou return to the Almighty, thou shalt be built up, thou shalt put away iniquity far from thy tabernacles. Then shalt thou lay up gold as dust, and the gold of Ophir as the stones of the brooks. Yea, the Almighty shall be thy defence, and thou shalt have plenty of silver. For then shalt thou have thy delight in the Almighty, and shalt lift up thy face unto God. Thou shalt make thy prayer unto him, and he shall hear thee, and thou shalt pay thy vows. Thou shalt also decree a thing, and it shall be established unto thee: and the light shall shine upon thy ways. Job 22:21-28.
In closing, let me encourage you to make changes as and where necessary. I am! If your prayer life is not producing the results you believe should be there, then quit praying the way you are and start digging into God’s word so that you can start talking His language. Stop coming to God with a shopping list. Job’s deliverance came after he prayed for his friends! Always carry a loaded weapon with you wherever you go. You might not have enough time to stop and start searching through an index of prayers for certain occasions. The bad guy is itching to shoot you dead on the spot without a second thought and he might be trying to ambush you at the pass or shoot you in the back. Load the gun; cock it; take aim and shoot. Take that ye varmint! If this has helped you, lease let me know. Blessings, Robert
Bashan Ministries PO Box 65, Stirling, South Australia, 5152 Email info@bashanministries.org Web site www.bashanministries.org