The Words of Thy Mouth ...
Words are powerful when released out of your mouth because they carry spiritual forces.
Jesus said it this way:
"…the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life".
John 6:63
I think sometimes we miss what He said. “There is spirit life in the words that I speak.” That’s why it is important for us to agree with God, and to say what God says.
When we talk about “confession”, that is actually what we are talking about: agreeing with God. When we mention confession, most people think we are referring to confessing our sins. If we sin, we should confess our sins to God. But here we are talking about agreeing with God. That is the confession of God’s Word.
Words carry spiritual forces. Words transmit fear; words transmit supernatural power, words transmit faith. Words transmit your image to others. God’s Word transmits God’s image – the devil’s word transmits the devil’s image.
For example;
If I wanted to give someone an image of my car, I would start describing it. Every word I speak would transmit a clearer image of that car. Inside of me right now I can see that car mentally. I can walk around it. That is a mental image. I can describe it in such detail that you could recognize it when you see it, even though you have never seen it with your natural eye. My words produce an image of that car inside you. I transmit to you the image I have with words.
Yes indeed! Words are powerful transmitters.
Remember Paul said in Romans 10:17:
So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.
Today you can have an image inside of you. You may even have the Word of God for it. The Spirit of God may be moving concerning the very thing you have an image of, but until you release that image through faith-filled words, very little will happen to bring that into being. You must speak that image. You must give voice to it. You give substance to that image by releasing your faith in words.
Confess abundance in the face of apparent lack.
Text taken from Mark 11:23. (read it and read it often)
The Word of the Lord came unto me and spoke one of the most profound statements I have ever heard. It was simple, but then Jesus never made anything hard to understand. It is so simple that it makes me feel almost foolish, but it has changed my life. It will change yours if you receive it as I did.
Let’s put it in the context of which He spoke.
Mark 11:23, “For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass, he shall have whatsoever he saith.”
As I was reading from this text, Jesus spoke to my heart and said to me, “I have told my people they can have WHAT THEY SAY, and they are SAYING WHAT THEY HAVE.”
That is a very simple truth, but oh how profound and far reaching. For as long as you say what you have, you will have what you say, then you, again say what you have, and it will produce no more than what you say. You can see that you have set a spiritual law in motion that will confine you to the very position or circumstance you are in when you set that law in motion. It is an age old problem of not looking beyond what you can see with the physical eye.
A correct application of this spiritual law will change even the most impossible situation. But, to incorrectly apply these laws will hold you in bondage, and cause the circumstance to grow worse.
Every faith principle, and every spiritual law that God set forth in His Word was for your benefit. It was designed to put you over in life.
Learn to Release Your Faith in Words
You can have what you say if you learn to release faith from the heart in your words. Jesus said, “… "as thou hast believed, so be it done unto thee.” (Matthew 8:13)
He didn’t say it would only work if you believed right. Whether you believe right, or wrong, it is still the law. “… God is not mocked, whatsoever a man soweth that shall he also reap.” (Galatians 6:7)
The spiritual law is based on the same basic principle of seed-time harvest. The words you speak are seeds that produce aſter their kind. Just as sure as they are planted, you can be equally sure a harvest will follow. Faith talks. When faith talks, it talks faith, not fear and unbelief.
The Treasures of the Heart Cannot be Hidden, But are Manifest Through Words
Learn to take the Words of Jesus personally. In Mark 11:23, Jesus tells you that you can have what you say if what you say comes from faith in your heart.
What would happen if Jesus walked down the aisles of your church, laid His hands on the people, and said, “It will come to pass that aſter I have laid my hands on each one of you, everything you say will happen just as you say it”?
Half the congregation would jump up and say, “Whoo Hoo Hoo! Alrighty then!" and the other half would say "Well crap"
The "well, crap" crowd has allowed the enemy to program their minds until instead of resisting him, they have sort of buddied up with him, and begun to talk his language. They know that years of speaking negative words will surely effect the outcome.
While the "whoo hoo hoo" crowd has become accustomed to speaking God's Word.
Train Yourself to Speak God’s Word
Let us train ourselves to speak God’s Word. Ephesians 5:1 tells us,
“be ye therefore followers of God, as dear children….”
The word, “followers” in Greek means to imitate. We are to imitate God as a child does his father. If a child imitates his father, he will walk like him, talk like him; and patterns his every move aſter him. We should do no less aſter our Father, God.
WHOSE WORDS WILL YOU ESTABLISH ON EARTH?
When you study the life of Jesus you find several important facts that caused Him to overcome the world, the flesh, and the devil. I will list a few.
1. He spent much time in prayer, but He never prayed the problem; He prayed the answer. What God said is the answer.
2. He spoke accurately, never crooked speech. His conversation always consisted of what God said.
3. He always spoke the end results, not the problem. Never did He confess present circumstances. He spoke the desired results.
4. He used the written Word to defeat Satan.
THE WORD OF GOD CONCEIVED IN THE HEART, FORMED BY THE TONGUE, AND SPOKEN OUT OF THE MOUTH IS POWER!
Christianity is called the great confession, but most Christians who are defeated in life are defeated because they believe and confess the wrong things. They have spoken the words of the enemy. And those words hold them in bondage.
Proverbs 6:2 says,
“... Thou art snared with the words of thy mouth.”
Faith filled words will put you over. Fear filled words will defeat you. Words are the most powerful thing in the universe.
Man is a spirit being, very capable of operating on the same level of faith as God.
We read in Mark 9:23,
“Jesus said unto him, If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth.”
Matthew 17: 20 says,
“And Jesus said unto them, ... for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you.”
Mark 11:23 says, “For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith.”
Spiritual Law
This is not theory. It is fact. It is a spiritual law. It works every time it is applied correctly. This is a SPIRITUAL LAW. God never does anything without saying it first. God is a faith God. God released His faith in Words.
“And Jesus answering saith unto them, Have faith in God .” (Mark 11:22)
A more literal translation of the above verse says “Have the God kind of faith, or faith of God.”
Ephesians 5:1 literally tells us to be imitators of God as children imitate their parents. To imitate God, you must talk like Him and act like Him. He would not ask you to do something you are not capable of doing.
Jesus operated in the faith principles of Mark 11:23 and Matthew 17:20 while He was on earth. He spoke to the wind and sea. He spoke to demons. He spoke to the fig tree. He even spoke to dead men. The wind, sea, tree, demons, and even the dead were obedient to what He said. He operated in the God kind of faith.
God is a faith God. God released His faith in Words. Jesus was imitating His Father and getting the same results as His Father.
In John 14:12 Jesus said, “…He that believeth on me the works that I do shall he do also; and greater… .”
These principles of faith are based on spiritual laws. They work for whosoever will apply these laws. You set them in motion by the words of your mouth.
Do you really want all the negative things you have been confessing to come to pass?
Are you believing for those things?
If Jesus came to you personally and said, “from this day forward it will come to pass, that everything you say will happen exactly as you say it;” would that change your vocabulary? I believe it would.
Binding and Loosing
In Matthew 16:19 Jesus said, “I give you the keys of the kingdom, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.” (NKJV)
Psalm 119:89 tells us, “For ever O Lord, thy word is settled in heaven.”
Now, it is up to you. What are you going to say about it?
God will not alter what He has said. “My covenant will I not break, nor alter the thing that is gone out of my lips.” (Psalm 89:34)
Whose words will you establish on earth?
The power of binding and loosing is on earth.
Spoken Words
“I have told my people they can have WHAT THEY SAY, and they are SAYING WHAT THEY HAVE”. saith the Lord.
Spoken words program your spirit (heart) either to success or defeat. Words are containers. They carry faith, or fear, and they produce after their kind.
“So then faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the Word of God .” (Romans 10:17)
Faith comes more quickly when you hear yourself quoting, speaking, and saying the things God said. You will more readily receive God’s Word into your spirit by hearing yourself say it than if you hear someone else say it.
Live in the Authority of the Word
The Spirit of God spoke to me concerning confessing the Word of God aloud; where you can hear yourself saying it. And it works, thank God.
“My Word is not void of power. My people are void of speech.”
The body of Christ must begin to live in the authority of the Word. For God’s Word is power. That Power is produced by the heart, formed by the tongue, and released out of the mouth in word form.
The Word of the Lord came unto me saying:
“If men would believe me, long prayers are not necessary. Just speaking the Word will bring what you desire. My power is given to man in Word form. I have ceased for a time from my work and have given man the book of MY POWER . That power is STILL IN MY WORD.
For it to be effective, man must speak it in faith. Jesus spoke it when He was on earth and as it worked then so shall it work now. But it must be spoken by the physical body. Man must rise up and have dominion over the power of evil by my Words.
It is my greatest desire that my people create a better life by the spoken Word. For my Word has not lost its power just because it has been spoken once. It is still equally as powerful today as when I said, ‘Let there be light.’
But for my Word to be effective, men must speak it, and that power will come forth performing that which is spoken in faith.
They hear the world and speak as the world speaks. By observing circumstances they have lost sight of my Word. They even speak that which the enemy says, and they destroy their own inheritance by corrupt communication of fear and unbelief. No Word of Mine is void of power, only powerless when it is unspoken.
As there is power in my Spoken Word, so is there evil power present in the words of the enemy to affect and oppress everyone that speaks them. Be not conformed, but be transformed into the body of faith, knowing that my Words are alive ever more. Believe, speak, and obtain that your joy may be full and you shall be complete in Me.”
These truths changed my life. I will never be the same. And neither will you; if you have but an ounce of Faith.
Making the Most of Your Time
Ephesians 5:15-16 KJV
"See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise"
Time really does fly, doesn't it? On the other hand, in some situations, it may seem like time crawls! No matter how fast or slow it feels like time goes by, each of us only has a certain amount of time on this earth. With that in mind, I want to ask you, what are you doing with your time?
Time is such a gift from God! I see every day how He takes His time to make us what He wants us to be. And then, in His mercy and grace, He gives us time to get in agreement with what He's doing in our lives so we can experience His goodness. What a loving God!
So, ask yourself, "Am I in agreement with what God is doing in me? Or, am I struggling and fighting, impatiently trying to do things my way?"
I can assure you, if you're struggling with God, you're just wasting your time, but if you're in agreement with Him, you're using your time for great things.
Remember, God is gracious. He takes His time. We might think He's taking too long when, in His goodness, He is just waiting for us to line up with the work He's doing in us. He won't rush. He is patient. Our struggling only delays our progress.
So maybe this is a good time to change your outlook and start looking ahead to a new way of doing things, a new vision for life, a renewed faith and trust in the One who is always at work in us, and always for our good.
My encouragement to you is to trust God and spend your time getting in agreement with what He is doing in your life. Let Him define your purpose. Know in your heart that He has great plans, and no matter how much time He takes, He loves you, and He always has your best interest at heart.
Living By Faith Alone
Abraham is held up to us as an example of a righteous man who was justified before God; but, Abraham merely did what all men must do. He believed God.
"2 For if Abraham were justified by works, he hath whereof to glory; but not before God. 3 For what saith the Scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness" (4:2-3).
Plain old ordinary Christians are expected to "live by the faith of the Son of God" (Galatians 2:20), to provide for them-- body, soul, and spirit. "25 Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment? 33 But seek ye first the Kingdom of God, and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. 34 Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof" (6:25-34).
Briefly, what is living by faith?
First, faith must be in God, not man. "It is better to trust in the LORD than to put confidence in man" (Psalm 118:8).
Second, the Father has specifically appointed His Son as the object of our faith. "For God so loved the world, that He gave His Only Begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have Everlasting Life" (John 3:16).
Third, faith is the voluntary confiding in and trusting of the LORD Jesus Christ, Whose "Name is called The Word of God" (Revelation 19:13).
Fourth, faith is a product of the Word of God and the Spirit of God, working in a willing heart. "So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God" (Romans 10:17). "And I will put My Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in My Statutes, and ye shall keep My Judgments, and do them" (Ezekiel 36:27).
Fifth, living by faith is necessary for those who desire to please God. "But without faith it is impossible to please Him: for he that cometh to God must believe that He is, and that He is a Rewarder of them that diligently seek Him" (Hebrews 11:6).
Sixth, living by faith is in contrast to allowing yourself to be controlled by simply what your physical eyes see. "We walk by faith, not by sight" (2 Corinthians 5:7).
And, finally, since faith is the substantial controlling element of every aspect of the Christian life, no part of life can be divorced from its overriding influence. "1 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. 2 For by it the elders obtained a good report" (Hebrews 11:1-2).
Those who realize their need to live by faith must read, meditate upon, and study much the Word of God. "Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God" (Matthew 4:4).
It can be seen that every Saint throughout the ages has had the responsibility and privilege to trust God and live by faith. "The just shall live by his faith" (Habakkuk 2:4).
Whenever we find ourselves making decisions and judgments without asking the Spirit, "What saith the Scripture?" (Romans 4:3), or consulting the Father through prayer, then we are walking like the world, and "not after Christ" (Colossians 2:8). "And thine ears shall hear a word behind thee, [the Holy Spirit] saying, This is the way, walk ye in it, when ye turn to the right hand, and when ye turn to the left" (Isaiah 30:21).
Recognizing that God is able to direct our thoughts, we are to consciously choose out "whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things" (Philippians 4:8) with the understanding that this is walking by faith.
This is thinking God's thoughts after Him. "My Father worketh hitherto, and I work" (John 5:17). This then is discerning the pattern of action that best corresponds to our understanding of His Word. "I being in the way, the LORD led me" (Genesis 24:27).
In addition to the supremacy of the Word of God and a continual attitude of praying "without ceasing" (1Thessalonians 5:17), to those who walk by faith, many other factors need to be considered:
(1) The LORD Jesus Christ is the sum total of all-- moral, physical, material, and spiritual-- the supply of what we need to walk by faith. "But my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus" (Philippians 4:19).
(2) Our moral agency should work in concert with God's sovereignty and not get in the way, if we seek Him first. "But seek ye first the Kingdom of God, and His righteousness" (Matthew 6:33).
(3) A confession and hatred of personal sin, so that we walk in no known sin, must be the rule of those who walk by faith. "23 Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: 24 and see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way Everlasting" (Psalm 139:23-24).
(4) God's Providence in our circumstances and in current events must and will guide us, if we are looking for His guidance of our walk of faith. "Seek, and ye shall find" (Matthew 7:7).
(5) Patience will be necessary in our walk of faith, the "trying of your faith worketh patience" (James 1:3), because we are not aware of all the factors that God must manage in the performance of His promises. "Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation of the LORD" (Exodus 14:13).
(6) Communion with God, where we continually converse with the Most High One That Inhabiteth Eternity in the consciousness of our mind, keeps our purpose fixed to live by faith. "And Enoch walked with God: and he was not; for God took him... for before his translation he had this testimony, that he pleased God" (Genesis 5:24; Hebrews 11:5).
(7) Stepping away from the World-- "Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the LORD, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you" (2 Corinthians 6:17)-- stepping away from the day to day influences of the world is necessary, if we are to live by faith.
(8) Ensuring that we allow our physical bodies to do no more than make suggestions to us of our physical needs - pain, hunger, thirst, and pleasure, we must not allow ourselves, as the world is, to be dominated by them, "For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world" (1 John 2:16), if we would live by faith. "But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway" (1 Corinthians 9:27).
(9) We must ask for and desire earnestly the protection under the shadow of the Wings of the Almighty against the temptations and assaults of the Devil, if we expect to live by faith. "Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you... Whom resist stedfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your Brethren" (James 4:7; 1Peter 5:9). And,
(10) an expectancy of the imminent return of the LORD Jesus Christ, "and the LORD, Whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to His Temple" (Malachi 3:1), to Rapture and Resurrect His Saints, and to judge the world for its impenitent sins, will be our hope and encouragement for sanctified living and service, in our present distress, because we are living by faith. "And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our LORD Jesus Christ" (1 Thessalonians 5:23). Amen, and Amen.
Well; at least that is my understanding of "Living by Faith"
Maranatha!
Joshua 10.
As the chapter opens, we read that five opposing Amorite armies were planning to attack. Having decided to strike first, Joshua led his entire army toward the Amorites on an all-night march. Sometime during that march, God spoke to Joshua. He told him 'Do not be afraid of them; I have given them into your hand. Not one of them will be able to withstand you.'
At dawn, the Israelites unleashed a surprise attack, and right from the beginning the battle went well. When the enemy lines broke, and the Amorites started to flee into the valley, Joshua's men chased them down. And God got personally involved. 'As they fled before Israel,' the account reads, 'the Lord hurled large hailstones down on them from the sky.'
Then, as the sun sank toward the horizon, Joshua faced a decision. The victory wasn't complete, and once it got dark, the rest of the Amorites would slip away. But Joshua was determined to fight on. Perhaps he realized that if he didn't destroy the enemy now, Israel's conquest of Canaan would grind to a halt. Maybe he knew that anything less than total victory would conceal God's presence and glory. Besides, he remembered God's promise in the night.
Most of us would have called it a day. I've done all I can do. I've exhausted every option. I've given it all I've got. But Joshua wasn't most people. He refused to go out like that. That wasn't the way it was supposed to end. This was where his spectacular faith began. Joshua sized up the situation, summoned all his available courage, and delivered one of the most gloriously unorthodox prayers in the entire Bible:
" O sun, stand still over Gibeon, O moon, over the Valley of Aijalon." (verse 12)
Joshua had the absolute amazing faith to ask God to make the sun stop in the sky. To freeze time on behalf of His people. According to scripture, God gave Joshua exactly what he ordered. Just when the Amorites were hanging on for the cover of darkness, darkness never came. Just when they thought the curtains were about to drop on their day from hell, God came out for an encore.
"The sun stopped in the middle of the sky and delayed going down about a full day. There has never been a day like before or since...surely the Lord was fighting for Israel!" (verses 13-14)
God chose to answer Joshua's outrageous prayer.
I believe that God intends for us to have this same kind of spectacular faith - the kind of faith that dares to believe God for the impossible - as a normal way of life!
This really gets to the heart of the matter for me.
Throughout scripture I don't see people of God praying wimpy "Dear God, if you could, please would you...".
I see them praying prayers where seas parted, the sick were healed, the dead were raised, teenagers took out giants with pebbles. What I see in scripture is that these spectacular faith kind of prayers were not the exception, they were the norm. Every time someone prayed something bold, crazy wonderful things happened! God answered.
As I look at the way that I pray and live out my faith I must ask myself "What have I reduced God to and more importantly, why??" These things have been stirring in my heart for a few months now.
Let's face it. Times are tough for all of us. We are struggling financially, physically, mentally such as we never have before in our existence as a race of human beings. It seems like the whole world has turned upside down and it seems like it is getting worse by the minute. As we look at the broken world around us, the magnitude of the problems and issues can seem huge and impossible.
But here's the deal.
God didn't just put us here to survive from day to day until we die ... He put us here to transform the world around us. He put us here to enjoy His Favor so that we might share the good news of divine blessings for those that believe. He put us here to be blessed so that we might then be able to share those blessings with others. He put us here to be able to share fantastic, awesome testimonies of God raising us from a low place to a high place.
And! all of these transformations occurs as we come to trust and believe in the very nature of who God is, which then compels us to walk in deeper faith, praying spectacular faith prayers and EXPECTING God to show up and do what He says He will do, just as He did for Joshua. By the way ... Joshua was not really anyone more special than you are to God. He just knew who God was and prayed accordingly.
Are we even praying boldy and with spectacular faith?
Do we expect that if we pray and believe for the spectacular that God will answer?
What keeps us from praying the types of prayers that Joshua and many others like him prayed?
What can we do to change that?
The same God that answered the prayers of Joshua and stopped the sun on his behalf is the very same God that you serve today. Is anything to hard for Him?
I thought not.
The Excellency of Prayer
Prayer is the blessed means which God has appointed to bring every grace from Christ to the believer. The believer is to let his requests be made known unto God, and for his encouragement God says that the prayer of the upright is His delight. Yes, He says that He loves to hear it. "Let Me hear your voice, let Me see your face! For your voice is pleasant, and you are lovely!"
Prayer is the casting of our cares and burdens on the Lord. It is the pouring out of the soul before Him, the presenting of our troubles to Him. Prayer is communing and corresponding with Christ — and receiving grace from His fullness to help in every time of need. It is keeping open the communion between the Lord and His people. Prayer is their way of paying morning and evening visits to the King of kings and Lord of lords! It is their means of cultivating and keeping up perfect friendship with a Friend who loves at all times — and therefore it should never be neglected.
Prayer is pouring out the soul unto God and placing before Him our troubles. It is "casting all our cares upon Him who cares for us." — and our burdens upon Him in whom we have "righteousness and strength." Prayer is opening the heart, the mind, and the mouth to Him who has said, "Call upon Me in the day of trouble! I will deliver you, and you shall glorify Me." It is besieging the everlasting kingdom, moving the throne of grace and knocking importunately at the door of mercy —encouraged by the promise, "Knock and it shall be opened unto you."
In prayer we must take no denial. If we have but a feeling sense of our needs, and a Scripture warrant of a promise to plead, we must argue, reason, plead, supplicate, intercede, confess, acknowledge, thank, bless, praise, adore, repeat, importune, watch, and take hold of whatever may be of use to the soul. Sinners, sensible of their lost estate by nature, who feel their need and poverty, have many invitations, encouragements, precedents and promises. They have, under the teachings of the Holy Spirit, to plead and rely upon the covenant of Jehovah, the oath of God; the merits of Christ and all His covenant engagements, undertakings and performances; the covenant characters He sustains; His near relationship to them — together with all the glorious train of Divine perfections found in the proclamation of the Name of God to Moses (Ex. 34:6,7) — for these all sweetly harmonize and brightly shine in Christ crucified — who has never once yet disappointed the hope of a penitent sinner, but has graciously said, "Come unto Me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest!" His promises, like Himself, are unchangeable, and this is one of them — "The one who comes unto Me, I will never cast out."
Private prayer is the Christian's court - visit to his God — the life and breath of his soul. It is the ascent of the heart to the Almighty —and its returns are the descent of Christ to be the soul's help!
Prayer is the assuagement of grief, the easement of a burdened heart, and the vent of a joyful heart. It is the rich aroma of mystical incense, the overflowing of a living fountain, an all - prevailing sacrifice, and the delight of the Almighty! Moreover, prayer is the greatest, most blessed and most glorious privilege, with which perishing sinners ever were favored!
Prayer is a defense against the spirit of this world, a bar to the inroads of vanity, a maul upon the head of the 'old man', and a lash of scorpions for the devil. It is a bridle in the jaws of a persecutor, a triumph over a voracious enemy, a dagger to the heart of a heretic, a key to parables and difficult Scriptures, and a battering - ram on the walls of salvation — for "the kingdom of heaven has been forcefully advancing, and forceful men lay hold of it."
Prayer opens the bountiful hand of God, opens the door of mercy, retains Christ on the throne of the affections, and covers every rival and usurper with shame and confusion of face! It is the believer's Royal Exchange, where he may take his cares, burdens, snares and troubles; his vexations, temptations, doubts and fears; his misgivings of heart, sorrows of mind, hardness of heart and ingratitude; together with his faintness, unbelief, and rebellion; also all his spiritual disorders —the leprosy of sin, the evil within, the plague of his heart, the plague of his head, his deaf ears, blind eyes, feeble knees, languid hands, halting feet and stiff neck! He may take all his sins there get rid of —and leave them all!
In return for their troubles, believers receive from their heavenly Banker numberless deliverances, blessings and mercies; many spiritual refreshings, renewings, revivals and restorations; large returns of comfort, peace, love and joy; together with fresh discoveries, love tokens, wholesome truths, profound mysteries, glorious glimpses, bright prospects, celestial views, undoubted evidences, heavenly lessons; conspicuous deliverances, pledges and foretastes; reviving cordials; valuable banknotes in "exceeding great and precious promises," payable this very day, and every day — and even to millions of ages afterwards—signed, sealed, and delivered by Jehovah Himself — the "God who cannot lie!"
Prayer has often scattered the confederate enemies of the soul, marred the schemes of opponents, frustrated the tales of liars, and made false teachers mad. Prayer counteracts the designs of Satan and his emissaries. It has made the believer to be an enemy to the world, the successful rival of deceivers, the envy of hypocrites, an eye-sore to the devil, the admiration of perishing sinners, a spectacle to the world—and a wonder to himself! He prays to his Father in secret, and his Father who sees in secret has engaged to reward him openly.
By prayer the spiritual pauper comes up from the dust, and the beggar up from the ash-heap—to sit among the princes of God's people, and inherit the throne of glory!
Prayer in faith has brought in countless providential mercies, as well as spiritual blessings. God could have granted them all without asking, but has condescended to honor the exercise of prayer by saying, "For all these things I will be inquired of by the house of Israel—that I may do it for them."
Prayer engages the Almighty on the side of the suppliant, and establishes an alliance with God. "All things are possible to him who believes." "If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer." Prayer has brought health to the sick, hearing to the deaf, speech to the mute, eyes to the blind, life to the dead, salvation to the lost; and has even driven the devil himself from the hearts of many—and brought the God of heaven to dwell in his place.
Prayer is God's appointment, the Spirit's gift, the believer's privilege, and the scourge of Satan! Therefore, prize it and use it!
God is well-pleased, and receives with pleasure, approbation, and delight—all who approach His throne of grace, sensible of their needs—in the name of Christ crucified. Hence faith in Christ becomes the only way of access to God—all other avenues are stopped up! The sword of justice is brandished to keep every other way to the tree of life closed. In Christ, we may come with boldness to the throne of grace; there is no obstacle, no hindrance, in this way. The sword of justice is sheathed, the law magnified, the ransom price paid, the devil dethroned, sin expiated, wrath endured, God well-pleased, sinners redeemed, enemies reconciled—that the Lord God might dwell among them!
Awesome; isn't it?!
