Whose Report Will You Believe?
WHOSE REPORT WILL YOU BELIEVE?
Often someone will walk up and say, “What is the Lord saying?” I think, most often, that the Lord is saying or asking, “Where are you going to stand? Will you stand with the nation-wide news broadcasts or with reports of demographics or with unrighteous legislation or, in spite of it all, will you stand on my Word?” At the close of each service (and every night before retiring), we might should sing the words of that song, “Whose report will you believe? We will believe the report of the Lord!” We are not subject to robbers, corruption and terrorists, we are subject to the Word of God if we will agree with it. (Mt 18:19-20) We too are posed with this question: “Is the Lord’s power limited?” (Num.11:23) Is the Lord’s power limited just a little bit in certain areas of disease or international crises? The answer is an emphatic, “NO!”. We live an overcoming life by the power of God because the living Word is alive and active within us. Col 1:29 For this purpose also I labor, striving according to His power, which mightily works within me.
Getting Into Agreement With His Word
GETTING INTO AGREEMENT WITH HIS WORD
God’s Word in Heb 4:12 is not penetrating to the dividing line of the soul and the spirit, and of joints and marrow, exposing and sifting and analyzing and judging the very thoughts and purposes of the heart so that we can feel condemnation, but so we can get into agreement with the Word of His power. Getting into agreement with the Word is our living in such a way that the principles and values of the Word are evident in our lives. It will result in our living like we have a Lord and Savior.
THE WORD DIVIDES BETWEEN SOUL AND SPIRIT
THE WORD DIVIDES BETWEEN SOUL AND SPIRIT
A two-edged sword was so desirable in ancient battle because it cut coming and going and could cut right and left. The Word cuts like a two-edged sword to divide between the dominance of the soul and the spirit of a person. That continual drive of soulishness that feeds on carnal tendencies is brought into check by the power of the Word. At the time the Word precisely cuts and divides, we have an opportunity to respond to the Word and comply with it. Our responding and complying pushes down the dominating soul and allows our spirit to rise and grow with the Word. As the Word increases in our lives, sin’s ability to dominate decreases for “sin shall not have dominion over you.” (Rom 6:14)
God Doesn’t Ask Questions To Find Information
GOD DOESN’T ASK QUESTIONS TO FIND INFORMATION
God doesn’t ask a question because He is looking for information. He asks questions because He already has the information. He asks questions to get the person being asked to realize the weight of the information. In Num 11:23 The Lord said to Moses, “Is the Lord’s power limited?” Evidently the Lord had to ask the question which begged the answer because Moses had been talking and acting as though the Lord’s power is indeed limited, or perhaps he was beginning to consider someone else’s opinion on the subject. Moses must come to the realization of the information so he can decide where he is going to take a stand. Instead of getting all up under condemnation and feeling badly for allowing such a false view of God to creep in upon his considerations, Moses must say, “Wait a minute. God’s power is not limited, nor has it ever been!” Come up to a higher view than the one that is dragging you down.
Between Soul And Spirit
If you know someone who is living outside the Kingdom of God but they have had the Word preached to them or they have been taught a scripture or two, take hope, for that Word is alive and active. Once the Word is in them, it cannot be extracted. They may presently be yielding more and more to their soul drives than they do to the Word but the Word penetrates between soul and spirit and our job is to pray they will respond to the life of the Word at those moments when there is a cleaving between the soul and the spirit. Sins of the flesh, crime, even prison cannot nullify or extract that Word.
Word Will Leave Nothing Alone
THE WORD OF GOD WILL LEAVE NOTHING ALONE
The emphasis left us in Heb 4:12 is that the Word that is alive and the Word that is indescribably sharp, will leave nothing in us alone. The Word of God cannot be anything but alive, active, operative and penetrating and addresses everything in us. That powerful Word is going to leave nothing alone in your life. The Word of God is going to get after sin. It’s not going to leave the destiny of Jesus that is in you alone. It’s not going to leave the prophecies that are in you by the laying on of hands alone. It’s not going to leave the songs alone that God inspired and brought to you in worship concerning His greatness to be and greatness to act.
Sharper Than Sword
The Bible shows us clearly that the Word of God is not just some ink on some paper and it is not just a thought that happened to get scribbled down that works well for inspirational reading. The Word of God is power; it is active, operative, energizing and effective(Heb4:12). The Word of God is sharper than any two-edged sword. That word “any” just can’t help but stand out. The Word is more effective than any cutting instrument, no matter how well made or refined. The Word cuts through layers better than any scalpel. The Word, in articles and teaching like this, is being worked in you by the Holy Spirit and is building you up in your most holy faith (Jude 1:20). Your faith is holy. i.e., (1) It is uniquely set apart unto God and (2) it has value. The Word of God that your faith is based upon has value for your life and for your family and your nation. (Ps 19:7-11)
Word And Power
It is apparent, and important to note, that “word” and “power” are related in the Bible. The two terms go together most purposefully. Heb 4:12 “For the WORD that God speaks is alive and full of POWER; 1Co 1:18 For the WORD of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the POWER of God.” His power produces His Word to us, to be active in us, alive in us, doing surgery in us, healing us, strengthening us and improving us. The Word of God is mighty in you because it is the Word of His power (Heb 1:3).
Setting The Course For The Next 40 Years
Click on poster below to view Apostle Hodges’ article on
“Setting The Course For The Next 40 Years”
From The Unseen Into The Seen
The Creator’s desire to extend the authority and rule of heaven into the earth is plainly seen in Gen.1:26-27. It is His purpose to move His power and authority from the unseen into the seen. Our power and authority in the earthly realm is to mirror His in the heavenly realm(Jn14:9). Hence, the glory, the character, the purpose, the intent of God is revealed in the earth. God’s relationship with the earth is expressed thru His sons. His sons are the only legal authority on earth and may, therefore, be the avenue for His power manifested here-His power and authority made visible(Lk5:17). When He sent His Son Jesus, He was saying, “See, this is what I mean.” (Jn1:14;1Jn3:8)
Jesus Died * We Live!
”Truly I say to you that UNLESS a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies…”(Jesus speaking in Jn12:24) This particular Grain of Wheat had a choice as to whether or not He would die and go into the earth. Knowing what was coming, He said to the Father, “yet not my will, but yours be done.”(Lk22:42) He was willing! Because this Grain would not “remain alone”: v.24 “if it dies, it bears much fruit.” Those redeemed by the shed blood of Jesus are His fruit. We are His message, His living letters (2Co3:3) that He has sent into the future. He rose, He lives and His fruit (His message to this generation) will show Him and His resurrection to the world by the power of His Spirit. He was willing to die to bear much fruit and HIs resurrection enables us to live to bear much fruit.
Poison Or Fruit?
How often have you heard something like, “You’re gonna have a heart attack working hard like that!” What about, “That’s gonna make you gain 10 lbs.!” Or even, “You’re as dumb as a rock!” Pro 18:21 Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and they who indulge in it shall eat the fruit of it [for death or life].(Amp) The Message is interesting here: Pro 18:21“Words kill, words give life; they’re either poison or fruit–you choose.” It is just as easy to use that power to say, “You’re not going to have a heart attack; you are not dumb!” Our words are either poison or fruit. We get to choose which.
Revolutionary Thoughts To Bless The Nations
When Moses approaches the burning bush he discovers that what he has called “strange” is actually God (Ex 3:3-4). God performs wonders because it makes you wonder. His “normal” is not our “normal.” Just as God used the burning bush to get Moses’ attention, He uses signs to get our attention today. A sign is a miraculous phenomenon pointing to a higher reality beyond itself. God desires to get our attention in order that He may say something to us which could lead us into a revolutionary direction as it did Moses. Moses experienced a revolutionary thought shift. Out of the burning bush experience came a mind prepared to see and participate in deliverance and out of that came a people to bless the nations. With a God so great, what might we experience next if His “normal” were to be embraced by people who would give themselves to a revolutionary thought shift?
Purified Minds For Powerful Purposes
In Acts 2 fire on the heads of the 120 gathered there was purifying their minds for the uniqueness of their times. They were being prepared for unprecedented events as was evidenced throughout the remainder of Acts. Their minds were being prepared because they were meant to experience aspects of the Kingdom of God never seen before. They would experience the power and authority only seen in Jesus thus far. The uniqueness of our times calls for what only the empowering Holy Spirit can do in us and through us. The Holy Spirit and His enablements were never meant to be exclusively experienced and exercised by an elite few but by an available company. Let us welcome His fire to burn out the limitations of our learned sense of impossibility so that we might put into evidence at least the events of the Book of Acts.
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