Being Conscious of your Spiritual Heritage

The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together (Romans 8.16-17).

If you’re born again, you have an inheritance and it was bequeathed to you by the Monarch of the universe— the one who said “The silver is mine, and the gold is mine, saith the LORD of hosts” (Haggai 2:8). All the wealth in this world actually belong to Him: the money, precious stones, minerals, oil and everything that men believe they own all belong to the Lord and you’re His heir. You’re the heir of the sovereign-mega-rich God. He is the fountain of riches. His wealth is limitless, inestimable and unquantifiable. That makes you richer than those on the Forbes’ list! Hallelujah!

Your ‘Papa’s’ wealth isn’t subject to the market forces of this world; it isn’t subject to the oil prices or the stability of the world’s currencies. That’s why it’s an insult to God for His kids to be broke or live beggarly lives. What you must learn to do is tap into this limitless wealth by faith through your confessions. Begin to voice out your faith; declare everyday that you’re rich and blessed beyond measure.

Meditate on this reality and let the consciousness of your inheritance in God fill your spirit. Get rid of the poverty-talk. Your heavenly Father has bequeathed His enormous wealth to you, and unlike the wills made by men on behalf of their beneficiaries, He isn’t dead—He’s alive and will see to it that nothing deprives you of your inheritance.  Praise the Lord!

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Thought For Today: Consciously Function by the Principles of Our Spiritual Kingdom.

And the Lord shall deliver me from every evil work, and will preserve me unto his heavenly kingdom: to whom be glory for ever and ever: Amen (2 Timothy 4:18).

If you’re born again you belong in a spiritual Kingdom; the Kingdom of God’s dear Son: ‘Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light: Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son’ (Colossians 1:13). You became a part of this spiritual Kingdom the moment you gave your heart to Christ.

The spiritual controls the physical. So as a Christian you can’t afford to live by the principles of this physical world. You can’t achieve meaningful success with the principles of this world, for success is spiritual. True success has nothing to do with your education, family name, or what nation you hail from. True and lasting success is spiritual and it’s based on spiritual principles. This is the reason it’s important for you to be trained in the life of the spirit so you can live and control things from that realm. When you learn to consciously function from the realm of the spirit, nothing in this physical world will be able to stop you because the Kingdom to which you belong is greater than this world.
Some people go through unnecessary troubles in their lives because they’re ignorant of this important principle. If you need a job for example, the first thing to do isn’t to distribute your resume around, in the hope that you’ll be called up for a job interview. You have to ensure you receive that job first in the realm of the spirit. That way, nothing in this physical world will be able to stop it.

In our spiritual Kingdom, we see the unseen. We see the blessings on the inside first, and then take a hold of them with our spirits. We take our eyes away from all the limitations of this physical realm and focus only on the infallible Word of God. Hebrews 11:3 says “It is by faith that we understand that the universe was created by God’s word, so that what can be seen was made out of what cannot be seen” (GNB).

If you’re born again, it means you’re born from the realm of the Spirit; you are born of God and of His Word. You belong in God’s spiritual Kingdom, so learn to function by the spiritual principles of the Kingdom to which you belong; and it starts by being conscious of that kingdom. Praise the Lord!

Thought For Today: Being Supply-Conscious

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

There’re Christians who are more conscious of what they think they don’t have, than they are of the provisions of the gospel that reveal our limitless wealth in Christ (Ephesians 3:8). David declared in Psalm 23:1, “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures…” He was supply-conscious, and that’s the kind of mindset you ought to have.

The man who is “lack-conscious” is the one who says “I would have done such-and-such, but I don’t have enough money”; he measures himself by how much he has in the bank. On the other hand, the man who is “supply-conscious” measures himself from the perspective of God’s Word! He’s conscious of the fact that all his needs (not some) are abundantly supplied according to God’s riches in glory by Christ Jesus, not according to how much he has in his bank account (Philippians 4:19). When he has a project to execute, he knows he can do it once he sets his mind on it, for God is His source.

This is the consciousness you ought to have as a child of God. Never be conscious of what you think you lack; notice I used the word “think” because all things are actually yours: “Therefore let no man glory in men. For all things are yours” (1 Corinthians 3:21). Train yourself through the Word to be “supply-conscious.” That’s how Jesus functioned when He walked the earth! He had no sense of lack; He knew that whatever He required was available to Him, even if He had to create it!
The next time you require something and it appears it isn’t available to you, think of the fact that all things are yours, and call forth what you need! Remember, you’re blessed; you’re favoured; you’re abundantly supplied; let this be your consciousness always. Praise the Lord!

Ways To Strengthen My Marriage: 4 Christian Tips

Marriages are in trouble today but there are simple things that you can do every day to strengthen your marriage.  Find out how you can strengthen your marriage, and in the process, possibly save it.

Bragging About Your Spouse in Public and Private

 

One of the most demeaning things that couples can do to each other is to belittle one another in public.  What is said in public can humiliate and degrade the other spouse and when it’s done in front of others, it destroys respect and love that each desire (Eph 5:32-33).  This can be done in front of the children too and this takes deep roots inside of the conscience of children.  How would we like it if someone talks negatively and insultingly about your mother or father?  It doesn’t matter if it’s true or not, it still should never be done.  My wife is one of the best teachers in the public school system in our town.  She is revered by many of her former students.  I make sure everyone knows that!

Have you ever bragged on your children in public?  I hope you have.  When I do, I can see them beam with pride and their self esteem grows.  They tend to do the same thing.  When we brag to others in public, to family, friends, and even to co-workers, we are building up that person. When we do the opposite and talk negatively to them or about them in public, we are tearing them down and it tends to replicate their own tendencies in them about how they talk about us.  When we talk negatively, we are degrading that person’s worth.  It takes one negative word to tear down twenty positives in a person, generally speaking, so I weigh my words carefully before I speak.  If I can not say something good, then what purpose am I really serving except my own self?  Nothing ever good comes from speaking ill of another person.  Even if something gets broken or the car fender gets dented, I can fix things or replace them, but I can not fix or repair the damage that my words can do.  People are always more important than things.  People are more fragile than things.  Things have temporal value…people have infinite value.  By guarding my mouth, I am protecting my marriage.  Once my words are out of my mouth, they can not be taken back.

Finally, pray together and put Christ in the center of your marriage. A three-fold cord is harder to break.

A Three Fold Cord

 

When I was tying down a load of wood to take to the burn pile my cord broke. It had been well used and when it broke, my whole load of wood spilled back onto the ground.  My cord was down to just one rope and I knew sooner or later it would break.

Marriage is a lot like that cord.  I had neglected it and just knew I was borrowing trouble.  In my many marriage counseling sessions that I have given, the main problem is that Christ is not in the center of the marriage.  My wife and I leave each other notes that get more accomplished than using negatives. We work different schedules so we leave each other notes since we can’t say goodbye in person.  One husband I was speaking with was angry over what appeared to me to be a trivial issue.  The wife was upset that her husband was neglecting minor repairs around the house.  When they both sat down, I had them write out two sentences and fill in the blanks.

I feel really frustrated when you _______.
When you ______ it makes me feel _____.
The couple wrote down these answers.

Husband:  I feel really frustrated when you keep pushing me to get this and that done.  When you leave me notes about these things it makes me feel you don‘t respect me.
Wife:  I feel really frustrated when you neglect fixing things that make my life harder.  When you don’t fix things it makes me feel that you don’t care.

Then I turned to Ephesians 5:33 which says, “each one of you also must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband.”
What was missing?  Love and respect.  And Jesus Christ.  When Jesus Christ is the central focus of a marriage, I feel that the husband will try to love his wife like Christ loves the church and the wife will try to respect her husband as the church should respect the authority of Christ.  I said it would be better to say it like: I feel or it makes me feel.
Here is what I typically leave and receive at home:

Me:  Darling, I really appreciate all the things you do for us and I truly love you for it and by the way, do you know where my Bible dictionary is?
Wife:  Dearest Jackson (what she calls me). I really respect how much you do around the house and in providing for our family, and oh yes, the garage door handles about to fall off.

What I have discovered, by trial and error, is that you can draw more flies with honey.  By keeping things around the house working as much as possible, I show her that I care and that I love her.  Her respect for me lets her put things that need repair on a love note that she leaves me or tells me in person and this shows how much she respects me.  She knows that I love her by what I do for her and so she feels the freedom to leave me little notes about things that need attention around the house.  By her respecting me, I feel free to ask her questions about something she can help me with.  Both are done lovingly and without nagging.   We try to put Christ at the center of our marriage, and that way, we are stronger and will be able to take the heavier loads that will surely come our way in life.  This “threefold cord” makes it easier to bear what comes our way. One is good, two is better, but three is best.  This reminds me of the Scripture which says, “Though a man might prevail against one who is alone, two will withstand him—a threefold cord is not quickly broken” (Eccl 4:12).

Don’t Try to Change Them

 

We are not to be in the business of changing our mate.  The Holy Spirit is the only One Who can change the human heart (Prov 21:1).  When we try to become the agent of change, we are subverting, and sometimes negating the true work of the Holy Spirit.  We take the Spirit’s place in changing the human heart.  I have never had any success in changing my spouse but when I pray for her, I submit to God the Holy Spirit to work in her just as He does in me.  The more we try to change someone, the more they tend to dig in their heels.  It has the opposite effect of changing.  I have an effect alright…and it’s always negative.  The real change agent is God and God has a positive effect because He works from within.  My efforts work from without.  Real change, as always, comes from within and not from without.  The only way that I can affect any change in my spouse is to change my own behavior.

Words of Affirmation

 

I believe that we must include these important words in our daily lives with our spouse:  Thank you, I appreciate all you do, I love you so much, I need you, I’m sorry, please forgive me.  I have heard men say…too many times, that I don’t need to tell her “I love you.  She knows how I feel.”  Wrong men.  We need to tell them and reaffirm them. We need to say this every single day:  I love you.  We need to show we love them by sending them cards, sending them flowers on days of no special occasion, leave them little love notes where they’ll find them sometime during their day.  When I worked for Head Start I traveled widely and my wife would pack little love notes in strategic places in my luggage where I would find them on one day, then the next, and then another.  These were so special. I have kept many of these to this day.  Women can show respect by bragging to others about their man…men can brag about their wife when in the company of others, co-workers, and for me, even strangers.  She may not hear these, but I do.  Somehow it strengthens our marriage and marriages just don’t happen. They take work.

Conclusion

 

We know that when a person feels valued, they feel loved. When someone brags about you, you feel a greater sense of worth.  When we can safely communicate problems, we can more openly work on solutions.  Stay away from words like, “You never, you always, or you can’t.”  These words sometimes become self-fulfilling prophecies.  Instead, say, “When you do this, it makes me feel like” or “I feel frustrated when you….”  These make the problem the focus and not the spouse.  It makes it easier to work on a solution when the problem is the focus and not the spouse.  We can not change a person.  The Holy Spirit is the only One Who can do this (Prov 21:1).

Finally, pray together and put Christ in the center of your marriage.  A three-fold cord is harder to break.  When Jesus is in the home, when Jesus is the focus, and when Jesus is embedded within the marital relationship, the chances of having a stronger marriage are better than going it alone.  This may be why Solomon wrote, “Though a man might prevail against one who is alone, two will withstand him—a threefold cord is not quickly broken” (Eccl 4:12).

Read more: http://www.whatchristianswanttoknow.com/waystostrengthenmymarriage/#ixzz26pohB8hb

Is There Good in Temptation?

No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man . . . —1 Corinthians 10:13

The word temptation has come to mean something bad to us today, but we tend to use the word in the wrong way. Temptation itself is not sin; it is something we are bound to face simply by virtue of being human. Not to be tempted would mean that we were already so shameful that we would be beneath contempt. Yet many of us suffer from temptations we should never have to suffer, simply because we have refused to allow God to lift us to a higher level where we would face temptations of another kind.
A person’s inner nature, what he possesses in the inner, spiritual part of his being, determines what he is tempted by on the outside. The temptation fits the true nature of the person being tempted and reveals the possibilities of his nature. Every person actually determines or sets the level of his own temptation, because temptation will come to him in accordance with the level of his controlling, inner nature.
Temptation comes to me, suggesting a possible shortcut to the realization of my highest goal— it does not direct me toward what I understand to be evil, but toward what I understand to be good. Temptation is something that confuses me for a while, and I don’t know whether something is right or wrong. When I yield to it, I have made lust a god, and the temptation itself becomes the proof that it was only my own fear that prevented me from falling into the sin earlier.
Temptation is not something we can escape; in fact, it is essential to the well-rounded life of a person. Beware of thinking that you are tempted as no one else–what you go through is the common inheritance of the human race, not something that no one has ever before endured. God does not save us from temptations–He sustains us in the midst of them (see Hebrews 2:18 and Hebrews 4:15-16).

Faithfulness

Introduction

To begin with, this is a very huge and very sensitive topic on its own when it comes to perfecting your life as a Christian. I will suggest you don’t just try to read it through and FINISH it in one day. Read it slowly; make your own notes for later reference. God expects man to have his attributes, and faithfulness is one of those that are very important. Not that it is more important than God’s other attributes but not only does God ONLY send faithful men  2 Timothy 2:1 ‘’And the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also.’’, but also faithfulness is a decision made by us. And remember the Word means (the Bible) means nothing until you accept it, which means being faithful and trusting God’s Word. God’s faithfulness is the same unto all generation. What most people have not understand is that, the fact that they don’t believe in God (His Word), does not stop him from being faithful to his Word to those that believe. 2 Timothy ‘’If we believe not, yet he abideth faithful: he cannot deny himself.’’


Definition

Faithfulness is commitment with purpose (God’s purpose, that all might come to his true knowledge of LOVE) of positive distinction.

Synonyms

Loyalty, Observance of duty, Commitment, Attachment, Dedication, Devotion, Stet fastness, Fidelity, Allegiance, Dependable.

Faithfulness of God

Deuteronomy 7:9 ‘’Know therefore that the LORD thy God, he is God, the faithful God, which keepeth covenant and mercy with them that love him and keep his commandments to a thousand generations.’’

Psalms 36:5 ‘’Thy mercy, O LORD, is in the heavens; and thy faithfulness reacheth unto the clouds.’’

Psalms 119:90 ‘’Thy faithfulness is unto all generations: thou hast established the earth, and it abideth.’’

1 Corinthians  ‘’There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.’’ Amen

1 Thessalonians ‘’Faithful is he that calleth you, who also will do it.’’

2 Thessalonians 3:3 ‘’ But the Lord is faithful, who shall stablish you, and keep you from evil.’’

Faithfulness of Jesus Christ

Hebrews 3:1-2 ‘’Wherefore, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling, consider the Apostle and High Priest of our profession, Christ Jesus; Who was faithful to him that appointed him, as also Moses was faithful in all his house.’’

Hebrews 2:17 ‘’Wherefore in all things it behoved him to be made like unto his brethren, that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make reconciliation for the sins of the people.’’

John 4:34 ‘’Jesus saith unto them, My meat is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work.’’

Revelation 1:5 ‘’And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood…’’

Revelation 3:14 ‘’And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write; These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God…’’

Faithfulness Of The Father Of Faith (Abraham)

Nehemiah 9:7-8 ‘’Thou art the LORD the God, who didst choose Abram, and broughtest him forth out of Ur of the Chaldees, and gavest him the name of Abraham; And foundest his heart faithful before thee, and madest a covenant with him to give the land of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, and the Perizzites, and the Jebusites, and the Girgashites, to give it, I say, to his seed, and hast performed thy words; for thou art righteous.’’

Genesis 18:19 ‘’For I know him, that he will command his children and his household after him, and they shall keep the way of the LORD, to do justice and judgment; that the LORD may bring upon Abraham that which he hath spoken of him.’’

Galatians 3:9 So then they which be of faith are blessed with faithful Abraham.

Faithfulness Of David

1 Samuel 22:14 ‘’Then Ahimelech answered the king, and said, And who is so faithful among all thy servants as David, which is the king's son in law, and goeth at thy bidding, and is honourable in thine house?’’

Faithfulness Of Tychicus

Ephesians 6:21 ‘’But that ye also may know my affairs, and how I do, Tychicus, a beloved brother and faithful minister in the Lord, shall make known to you all things.’’

Colossians 4:7 ‘’All my state shall Tychicus declare unto you, who is a beloved brother, and a faithful minister and fellowservant in the Lord’’

Faithfulness Of Epaphras

Colosians 1:7 ‘’As ye also learned of Epaphras our dear fellowservant, who is for you a faithful minister of Christ’’

Faithfulness of Timotheus

1 Corinthians 4:17 ‘’For this cause have I sent unto you Timotheus, who is my beloved son, and faithful in the Lord, who shall bring you into remembrance of my ways which be in Christ, as I teach every where in every church.’’

Faithfulness Of Silvanus

1 Peter 5:12 ‘’By Silvanus, a faithful brother unto you, as I suppose, I have written briefly, exhorting, and testifying that this is the true grace of God wherein ye stand.’’

Faithfulness Of Daniel

Daniel 6:4 ‘’Then the presidents and princes sought to find occasion against Daniel concerning the kingdom; but they could find none occasion nor fault; forasmuch as he was faithful, neither was there any error or fault found in him.’’

Other Bible Faithfulness Encounter

Isaiah 8:2 ‘’And I took unto me faithful witnesses to record, Uriah the priest, and Zechariah the son of Jeberechiah.’’

Fruits Of The Spirit

Galatians 5: 22-23 ‘’But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.’’

God intensify The Importance Of Faithfulness

1 Samuel 2:35 ‘’And I will raise me up a faithful priest, that shall do according to that which is in mine heart and in my mind: and I will build him a sure house; and he shall walk before mine anointed for ever.’’

Further Bible Explanation Of Faithfulness

Proverbs 14:5 ‘’A faithful witness will not lie: but a false witness will utter lies.’’

Proverbs 20:6 ‘’Most men will proclaim every one his own goodness: but a faithful man who can find?’’

Proverbs 11:13 ‘’A talebearer revealeth secrets: but he that is of a faithful spirit concealeth the matter.’’

The we all have been waiting for.

Blessings Of Faithfulness

Proverbs 28:20 ‘’A faithful man shall abound with blessings: but he that maketh haste to be rich shall not be innocent.’’

Psalms 31:23 ‘’O love the LORD, all ye his saints: for the LORD preserveth the faithful…’’

Luke 12:36-44 ‘’And ye yourselves like unto men that wait for their lord, when he will return from the wedding; that when he cometh and knocketh, they may open unto him immediately. Blessed are those servants, whom the lord when he cometh shall find watching: verily I say unto you, that he shall gird himself, and make them to sit down to meat, and will come forth and serve them. And if he shall come in the second watch, or come in the third watch, and find them so, blessed are those servants. And this know, that if the goodman of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched, and not have suffered his house to be broken through. Be ye therefore ready also: for the Son of man cometh at an hour when ye think not. Then Peter said unto him, Lord, speakest thou this parable unto us, or even to all? And the Lord said, Who then is that faithful and wise steward, whom his lord shall make ruler over his household, to give them their portion of meat in due season? Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing. Of a truth I say unto you, that he will make him ruler over all that he hath.’’

Luke 16:10-12 ‘’He that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much: and he that is unjust in the least is unjust also in much. If therefore ye have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches? And if ye have not been faithful in that which is another man's, who shall give you that which is your own?’’

Luke 19:12-26 ‘’He said therefore, A certain nobleman went into a far country to receive for himself a kingdom, and to return. And he called his ten servants, and delivered them ten pounds, and said unto them, Occupy till I come. But his citizens hated him, and sent a message after him, saying, We will not have this man to reign over us. And it came to pass, that when he was returned, having received the kingdom, then he commanded these servants to be called unto him, to whom he had given the money, that he might know how much every man had gained by trading. Then came the first, saying, Lord, thy pound hath gained ten pounds. And he said unto him, Well, thou good servant: because thou hast been faithful in a very little, have thou authority over ten cities. And the second came, saying, Lord, thy pound hath gained five pounds. And he said likewise to him, Be thou also over five cities. And another came, saying, Lord, behold, here is thy pound, which I have kept laid up in a napkin: For I feared thee, because thou art an austere man: thou takest up that thou layedst not down, and reapest that thou didst not sow. And he saith unto him, Out of thine own mouth will I judge thee, thou wicked servant. Thou knewest that I was an austere man, taking up that I laid not down, and reaping that I did not sow: Wherefore then gavest not thou my money into the bank, that at my coming I might have required mine own with usury? And he said unto them that stood by, Take from him the pound, and give it to him that hath ten pounds.  (And they said unto him, Lord, he hath ten pounds.) For I say unto you, That unto every one which hath shall be given; and from him that hath not, even that he hath shall be taken away from him.’’

Types Of Faith

Little faith - Much Faith

Weak Faith – Strong Faith

Summary

Where to apply our faithfulness

Faithfulness in our service in the house of God

Faithfulness with God’s ability

Faithfulness in specific assignments.

Faithfulness in the use of financial and material benefits the Lord has granted us.

Faithfulness in evangelizing the Word of God.

Faithfulness is a product of the human spirit and its in man’s nature to be faithful.

All To Jesus I surrender

Being Spiritually Conscious

This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night. . .for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success (Joshua 1:8).

In this month of September, here’s what God wants you to do. He wants you to have a new consciousness, the consciousness that you have a spiritual life in Christ. He wants you to let your spirit man have the dominion over your mind, your body and its senses. In this month, He wants you to let your spirit gain the ascendancy. And one of the keys to achieving this is meditation on the Word.

For the Word of God to produce results for you and in you, you’d have to meditate on it. Through meditation you develop spiritual consciousness. Thus in meditating on the Word, you ruminate over a Scripture, ponder upon it, and mutter it to yourself continuously. God wants you to meditate on the Word this way because He knows that as you do, it will get into your spirit and become personal to you such that you’ll not respond in fear, timidity, cowardice or with doubt. You’ll respond from your spirit with a spirit of dominion.

For example, everything around you may look dark and hopeless, and then the devil tells you, “You’re poor, you don’t have anything and you’re not going to have anything.” Now, you already know the scripture that says, “But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:19), and you’ve been quoting it, but nothing has changed. However, this time you don’t just quote the scripture, you meditate on it, you think it over; ponder over it, saying it to yourself again and again, until it starts bubbling inside you.

The devil may try to stop you, but refuse to yield; just keep saying: “My God shall supply all my need; therefore there’s no lack in my life! I can never be poor, I can never be broke, because I’m the heir of the Monarch of the universe; I have access to inexhaustible and inestimable wealth!” At this point, something is happening to your spirit; you’re driving that Word deep into your spirit. You’ll be amazed at the miracles that’ll take place in your life and at the results that you’ll have this month as you meditate on who you are, what you have and what is possible to you in Christ Jesus. Praise the Lord!

PROPHECY FOR 2012 by TB Joshua + SERMON: POWER & AUTHORITY