Push Through

In Mark 5:25 we see a wonderful example of tenacity, in the face of religious doctrine there is a woman with an issue of blood. The religious teachings of the day said that she was unclean and as such was forced to stay in the confines of her home. We know she was a woman of means, because in verse 25 it says she had spent all she had. She had money, and like most modern day thinking, sh had thrown money at her problem, and was not getting any better, in fact she was worse off than before.

How many times have you consulted a medical practitioner at his/her 'practise' and the treatment has left you worse off than before? Interestingly enough, a 'practise' is some place where people practise, and despite that this is the first place we run to to receive a healing? The side effects of most medicine will kill you just as fast as heal you, but conventional wisdom is that is the first avenue you go down when something is out of kilter in your body.

This woman complied with modern medical practise and had spent all she had. She had complied with contemporary teaching from the religious crowd, and now it was time to do something different. She decided to seek Jesus and try a different approach.

The first obstacle she was faced with was to go against all logic. She had to leave her home, despite what the religious teachers had said. Then she had to believe the scriptures, in a literal sense. The word says in Isaiah 61:1 that the Son of man will appear with healing in His wings. Now modern day theologians are quick to point out that you cannot read and believe the literal Bible...and yet that is exactly what this woman did. She had read the verse in Isaiah ,and realized that this was a literal instruction.

You see, Jesus would have worn a prayer shawl (Tallit) and when he gave the benediction, he would have grabbed the edges and held them up. This looks like a set of wings. She knew from the literal word that if He was the Son of God, then their would be a healing in the ends of the Tallit, and this is what she was aiming for when she approached Him in the crowds.

The second obstacle she faced was the very crowds. She had to push through the crowds to get to the ends of His tallit. She had to push beyond her own teachings, ( in verse 28 she said :"If only I may touch His clothes I will be made whole"), she had to push beyond her embarrassment of being out in public while bleeding. She was facing many obstacles, but despite the challenges, she pushed beyond the obstacles to go get what she knew was hers to get. Did you get that? She knew without a doubt that if she touched His tallit, she would be healed. Praise God - she took the Scriptures literally, despite conventional theologians teachings, despite physical limitations, despite human logic.

Beloved, healing is for today. You may have to push through some things to get it, but the Word of God is meant to be taken literally. Push through means to Pray Until Something Happens. Push through means to go beyond conventional logic. Go beyond human understanding. Go beyond what the world tells you to do, and expect. Think beyond the limits of human understanding.

In Luke 1:37 " For with God nothing is impossible". God said in Malachi 3:6 For I am the Lord, I change not" God has not changed, and neither has man. We still define what God can and cannot do through conventional wisdom, human logic and our small minded thinking! How can we possible define and limit a limitless God? How arrogant man is...to think we can define a limitless God through conventional understanding, interpretation and translation. 

Personally, I take the Word literally, teach the literal Word, and live by the literal word. For without faith it is impossible to please God.  It takes faith to believe the literal Word of God, the same faith that is required to please God...go figure.

Grace sufficient..?

2 Corinthians 12:9 God said to Paul :”My Grace is sufficient for you”. Now out of context it seems as if God was saying that I am not going to heal you Paul. If you just quote that verse by itself, that is an accurate interpretation of the isolated verse…but does not line up with God’s Will and Last testament to us. If a verse in isolation does not line up with the whole Word then we need to re look at the verse.

The first problem with this verse interpretation is the word Grace. What does Grace actually mean.  For too long we have misinterpreted the word Grace. Grace actually means “gift”. What gift did God give Paul that was sufficient for him to carry him through the sickness?

1 Peter 2:24 by whose stripes you were healed. The word healed is the Greek word  ”idamo”  meaning restored to full bodily health. Please notice the word is a past tense word. It has already happened.

Paul was asking God to do something that God had already done.

Matthew 27:50-53…all the dead were awakened! All sickness and death was defeated on that day!

 

John the only apostle to be present at the death of Jesus records something that none of the others record…but then he was the only writer present at the death. He records in John 19:26 we see that Jesus indicates John was present. In John 19:30 Jesus says:”It is finished”. In other words, the work was completed. He has fulfilled scripture that day, that hour. He fulfilled God’s will on the earth. Sickness, death was destroyed that very hour. Look at John 10:10…Jesus said I came to give life to the full in abundance till it over flows.

The Greek word for Salvation is “Sozo” which means nothing missing and nothing broken. Sickness is a definite missing and or broken. Something is broken when you are sick…and yet we all believe in salvation but struggle with the results of being saved?

That’s why Romans 12:2 says to change your thought patterns. In fact the bible refers to our thought patterns as demonic! 1 Peter 2:1 the word malice in the Greek refers to demonic thought patterns.

Proverbs 23:7 as a man thinks in his heart so is he. Are you thinking like you old self, or are you thinking like the new creation. Your thought patterns determine your future.

Has your mind been saved? Has your mind been renewed today?

Blessed

The word 'blessed' means empowered to prosper. If prosperity is of interest to you, check out my blog on the millionaire mindset http://radrev-mindset.blogspot.com

Back on point. Abraham was said to be blessed. God blessed Abraham. God empowered Abraham to prosper. Here is the exciting thing. God empowered Abraham to become rich, and the Word says that Abraham was rich in livestock and possessions. Abraham was R_I_C_H!! Awesome stuff...he was well off, well to do, wealthy, just plain rich. Hard for the modern day church to accept...Abraham was rich, and God wants us to be rich too.

The Bible says that people perish through a lack of knowledge. Do you have a lack today?  Chances are that you have a lack of knowledge, which equals a lack. In Galatians 3:13 to 14 it says that Gentiles have inherited the blessing...of Abraham. You see, we have inherited that which enabled Abraham to prosper. We have inherited the ability, the blessing, the empowerment to prosper.

If you have lack, any lack, have you spoken over the lack? Have you declared that your situation should line up with the word? Why not - go ahead. Exercise your blessing. Abraham did. God changed his name to mean "father of many nations" at a time when Abraham had a lack. He did not have any children, yet despite this obvious lack, Abraham changed his name according to his blessing. 

Imagine walking around introducing yourself as the father of many nations,and you don't even have one child!!  Not one, not a single child? Despite this, Abraham called himself according to the blessing effect and not according to his situation.

Sounds an awful lot like God did in the book of Romans 10:17 when He called those things that be not as though they were? Is that not just like God to call things into existence that are not. He told us to do the same thing. He enabled us to prosper, by giving us an inheritance...through the blood of Jesus. We inherit the blessing of Abraham. We are blessed...empowered to prosper.

Be blessed. Walk in the blessing. manifest the results of the blessing...today.

Mat 8:13  And Jesus said unto the centurion, Go thy way; as thou hast believed, so be it done unto thee. And the servant was healed in that hour

Mar 11:23  Verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou taken up and cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that what he saith cometh to pass; he shall have it. 

Mar 11:24  Therefore I say unto you, All things whatsoever ye pray and ask for, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them

These two scripture verses I quoted above are very powerful tools in the toolbox of the believer. It is interesting to note that early Christians were called by the name "believer" and not 'christian'. In Mark 17:17 it is recorded as saying the following:"These signs will follow those who believe..." In our modern day rationalistic society where everything has to be proven according to scientific principles we have lost the simple art of believing. We now have the motto that "Seeing is believing". 

I have often been asked by Christians that don't believe to explain how we can read the verse in Mark 11:23 literally. The bottom line request is "prove it". My answer is always the same. Prove that you have a brain. Have you ever seen your brain? Do you know for sure that you have a brain? You can make some logical deductions to the effect that you must have a brain, but having being in the people business most of my life, I can argue the point that most actions undertaken by rational people defies logic.

A biblical truth is "believing is seeing". Jesus said it on two separate occasions. As you believe so you will see. The world has turned this around to say that seeing is believing.

Ponder this - when you place an order online and pay for it online, you are often forced to wait for a couple of days for delivery. Despite this waiting period, you are totally convinced that you have acquired the new item you ordered.

When Jesus cursed the fig tree, the apostles were surprised the next day when it died. Jesus, was not at all surprised. In fact He was surprised at their reaction. of course the fig tree was dead. it had died the previous day when Jesus spoke to it! The death of the fig tree took place in the unseen realm, at the roots of the fig tree. 

Like modern day Christians, the apostles were expecting an obvious change in the physical realm, something they could see immediately. When this never happened, they walked away not believing. The next day the fig tree was dead...and the apostles were surprised.

Do you pray and believe or are you just making a delightful noise not expecting any answers anyway...Thats probably why we are called Christians and not believers!!

Sharpen your ax

Ecclesiastes 10:10 :"If the ax is dull, and one does not sharpen the edge, then he must use more strength. But wisdom brings success".

Anyone who has ever had the opportunity to chop down a tree, or chop up wood for a fire knows this simple truth. In our modern day times of chain saws, and ready chopped wood we seldom get any opportunity to use an ax. The truth behind this wisdom is awesome and can be applied to so many different situations. A sharp ax cuts easier, requires less work, and you get more done. A blunt ax requires more strength, is less efficient and you work harder, but accomplish less.

In everyday business, if you don't keep up with technology, you will be working harder and accomplishing less. We accept this in everyday work environments, but what about our walk with Christ? In your daily walk, and I use the word "daily", because it is supposed to be a daily walk, not a once a week excursion to Church, if you don't keep your edge, your blade becomes dull. 

How do we keep a sharp edge? Well, its simple really. Prayer keeps your edge sharp. Prayer keeps your focus narrow. In Matthew 6:33 we are instructed to maintain a sharp focus. This is a simple formulae for success. In fact, Jesus was just echoing what Joshua was told in Joshua 1:8. If you keep your focus on God, and HIS WAY OF DOING THINGS, you will make your way prosperous and be successful. Keep your edge sharp. Re focus your vision everyday.

I keep my edge by asking myself the following question every morning.

1. Have I spoken to God this morning?

The word says to seek FIRST the Kingdom of God. In other words, the very first thing I do in the morning is sharpen my ax. The Roman soldiers had a routine. Everyday they would prepare their shields by anointing them with oil, and sharpen their swords. Anointing your shield of faith requires a daily prayer walk, but more importantly, you should start your day with prayer, and end your day in prayer.

I used to ask God to bless my plans. Now I ask God for His plans. I know His plans are blessed automatically, and it saves me time trying to figure out the best way to do something. Why try man's wisdom, when I can go to the source?

Have you sharpened your ax today? Is it not interesting that ax sharpening and wsidom are used in the same verse? 

Talking fig tree...

Mar 11:13  And seeing a fig tree afar off having leaves, he came, if haply he might find anything thereon: and when he came to it, he found nothing but leaves; for it was not the season of figs. 

Mar 11:14  And he answered and said unto it, No man eat fruit from thee henceforward for ever. And his disciples heard it. 

Jesus 'answered' the fig tree!! Wow...you mean to tell me that the Bible records the fig tree as speaking? Well, to be accurate, the bible does not say the fig tree spoke, but it does say that Jesus answered the fig tree. If you answer someone, that means the other person first spoke to you. For Jesus to answer the fig tree, means the fig tree must have first spoke to Him. Now there is no way you can translate/interpret this verse to mean anything other than the fig tree spoke to Christ.

Why would this be hard to believe? In Genesis, a snake spoke to Eve...don't you wish that Eve had done what Christ did to the fig tree? Imagine if Eve had cursed the snake, like Christ cursed the fig tree? For one thing, I wouldn't be writing this blog today.

Back to my blog...the fig tree was deceptive. It had leaves (fig trees only have leaves when they have fruit) but there were no figs! Sounds like many Christians today. There are leaves but no fruit.  Christians attending Church every week, have big branches and loads of leaves, but how many have any fruit?

In Genesis 1:28 God has just finished making man, and He turns to them and says :"This is how you get saved". NO - in fact He does not tell them about salvation at all. Its a no-brainer. Choose heaven or hell? Well, lets see...ahmm...not likely. Its a simply "duh" moment. This is not a deal or no deal situation. 

What does God tell Adam and Eve? Be fruitful! We are expressly told to be fruitful and multiply. Bearing fruit as born again believers is part and parcel of our spiritual DNA. It is what we were created to do.

Have you been fruitful today or are you another one of those nuts? In the Church world we have fruit and nuts. This was never God's intention. He was quite plain when he said -"Be fruitful", not go and be a nut.

John 7:38 says that if you believe in Jesus Christ out of your heart will flow rivers of living water. Living water brings joys to parched land. Rivers of living water, provide sustenance and life to dry places. Are you a joy bringer or a joy stealer? Is your fruit fulfilling and sweet?

Devil slicing machine

The sword of the Spirit, or the S Word of the spirit is a great tool in the hands of a deft believer. There were several different swords used in the New Testament by the Roman soldiers, but the word used in Ephesians 6:17 refers to a very specific sword. The Greek word used here is the word 

" machaira" and refers to a short stabbing double edge blade.

This is a particularly ruthless weapon that would be thrust in at close quarters, in an upward motion, penetrating the heart- lungs  of the victim and then turned and pulled out. As you can imagine this was a brutal blow that more often than not resulted in death (and quite a horrible painful death at that).

This particular sword could be as long as 19 inches, but more often than not it was shorter and was probably more like a dagger than a sword. Historians have recorded that some of these dagger like swords had a corkscrew tip enabling it to do more damage upon impact.  truly brutal weapon design to destroy its enemy upon contact.

Interestingly enough the Apostle Paul likens the Word of God to this particular sword. Paul has received revelation that most modern day Christians have still not gathered. The sword of God when used by a deft and able (read that as :"study to show yourself approved a workman worthy...") is able to do major damage to the enemy.

Quite contrary to what most of us have been taught, we should not be the victims of the enemy, but rather be devil stomping, (see shoes of peace) enemy chopping radically saved on fire Christians destroying the works of the devil...by wielding our sword with deftness and dexterity. 

Problem is that most Christians are 'wet'. We are not radically saved, on fire demon busting Christians. For some reason we prefer to be more conservative (read that as 'pew warmers') minding our own business and praying the devil does not find out about us!

God has an entire army of sleeping demon busting, Christians - it is time we stood up on our shoes of Peace, and exercised our Sword arms. If you are ready to do some devil stomping...get ready. Study the Word to show yourself approved,. make a habit of daily study. An army can not march into battle if it is not well versed in the weapons it will be using. The church needs more practise with the sword of the Spirit. Its time to focus on the sword of the spirit. 

The Roman soldiers would practise with a large double edge sword that was so heavy it took two hands to hold it and swing it. This practise was only used for training, because it was so heavy. The purpose for training with such a heavy blade was to strengthen the arms, build the muscle that was needed for a heavy battle.

This Sunday when you go to church - are you going to be practising still? Practise should take place in your daily study, everyday. Sunday services should be sharpening of your sword day. The battlefield is when you leave church and your sword has been sharpened...are you ready for battle?

Good question is - does your church sharpen your sword? An even better question is - do you miss sword sharpening services? Ever wonder why you are struggling everyday to maintain your walk? Your sword has probably become so blunt that you have to work harder.

Think of an axe. The sharper the blade, the less work required to chop down a tree. When the blade gets dull, you have to work harder to achieve the same effect. Keep your blade sharp and ready. This is the mark of a disciplined Christian.