The Power to Create Wealth: Wisdom, Opportunity, Capital

And you shall remember the LORD your God, for it is He who gives you power to get wealth, that He may establish His covenant which He swore to your fathers, as it is to this day. (Deuteronomy 8:18)

How does God give us the power to create wealth? Three things are needed: wisdom, opportunity and capital.

Wisdom. We need wisdom and insight both to understand how to create wealth and to know what to do with it. God is our source of wisdom for everything.

Trust in the LORD with all your heart,
And lean not on your own understanding;
In all your ways acknowledge Him,
And He shall direct your paths.

(Proverbs 3:5-6)

If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him. (James 1:5)

Opportunity. In addition to wisdom for creating wealth, we also need opportunity. Fortunately, opportunity for creating wealth abounds. It is created in the very structure of the world — the law of seedtime and harvest, which shall endure as long as the earth.

While the earth remains,
Seedtime and harvest,
Cold and heat,
Winter and summer,
And day and night
Shall not cease.

(Genesis 8:22)

We find this principle at work throughout Scripture.

• In Genesis 1, the creation account, every creature and all vegetation created to reproduce after its kind.
• Jesus said, “Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measure back to you” (Luke 6:38).
• Paul wrote to the Corinthians, “But this I say: He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully” (2 Corinthians 9:6)
• To the Galatians, Paul said, “Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life” (Galatians 6:7-8). Here we see that the law of seedtime and harvest can work for us or against us, depending on what kind of seed we sow.

The whole world, in every facet of life, operates on the principle of sowing and reaping, of seedtime and harvest. Therefore, if you want to reap a good harvest, sow good seed. Sow regularly.

In the morning sow your seed,
And in the evening do not withhold your hand;
For you do no know which will prosper, either this or that,
Or whether both alike will be good.

(Ecclesiastes 11:6)

Don’t be deterred by negative circumstances, but always look to the Lord to guide you in how, where, when and how much to sow.

He who observes the wind will not sow,
And he who regards the clouds will not reap.

(Ecclesiastes 11:4)

There was a famine in the land, besides the first famine that was in the days of Abraham. And Isaac went to Abimelech king of the Philistines, in Gerar. Then the LORD appeared to him and said, “Do not go down to Egypt; live in the land of which I shall tell you. Dwell in this land, and I will be with you and bless you …

Then Isaac sowed in that land, and reaped in the same year a hundredfold; and the LORD blessed him. The man began to prosper, and continued prospering until he became very prosperous; for he had possessions of flocks and possessions of herds and a great number of servants. So the Philistines envied him. (Genesis 26:1-3, 12-14)

The Bible teaches that a day is coming in which the process of seedtime and harvest will be accelerated.

“Behold, the days are coming,” says the LORD,
“When the plowman shall overtake the reaper,
And the treader of grapes him who sows seed;
The mountains shall drip with sweet wine,
And all the hills shall flow with it.”

(Amos 9:13)

This describes the end-time harvest, and that day is already dawning, “because the darkness is passing away, and the true light is already shining” (1 John 2:8).

Capital. In addition to wisdom and opportunity, we also need capital. Capital is the initial assets needed to produce greater assets. If you are going to sow, you need to have seed. But God has also provided this as well. He gives seed to the sower.

For as the rain is comes down, and the snow from heaven,
And do not return there,
But water the earth,
And make it bring forth and bud,
That it may give seed to the sower
And bread to the eater,
So shall My Word be that goes forth from my mouth;
It shall not return to Me void,
But it shall accomplish what I please.
And it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it.

(Isaiah 55:10-11)

Paul makes reference to this passage in his letter to the Corinthians, applying it in a financial context.

Now may He who supplies seed to the sower, and bread for food, supply and multiply the seed you have sown and increase the fruits of your righteousness, while you are enriched in everything for all liberality, which causes thanksgiving through us to God. (2 Corinthians 9:10-11)

God will never leave you without a seed to sow. Consider, for example, the story of the prophet’s widow who was covered up with debt she could not pay. She nothing at all of value — except for a jar of oil. Elisha told her what to do with that oil — how to sow it — and the result was a miracle of harvest and increase that not only got her out of debt but also provided a living for her and her sons (2 Kings 4:1-7).

God has given you the ability to create wealth. Ask Him for the wisdom, identify the seed He has given you, and watch for the opportunity to sow it. Put your trust fully in Him, let Him direct your path, and He will lead you into prosperity and abundance.

The Power to Create Wealth: Ability and Means

And you shall remember the LORD your God, for it is He who gives you power to get wealth, that He may establish His covenant which He swore to your fathers, as it is to this day. (Deuteronomy 8:18)

What is the power to create wealth? Power is simply the ability or means to do things. God has given us the ability and means to get wealth. The Hebrew word for “get” means to do, accomplish, make, acquire, bring about or use.

What is wealth? We often think of it in terms of money, property and substance. The Hebrew word translated as “wealth” refers to the “force” of resources. It is itself the ability to get things done and supply what is needed. In some contexts it may refer to the force of an army (in Exodus, for example, references to Pharaoh’s “army” uses the word that is translated in other places as “wealth”). In this present context it refers to the wealth of material abundance and resources, for God was preparing the children of Israel to cross over into the Promised Land:

For the LORD your God is bringing you into a good land, a land of brooks of water, of fountains and springs, that flow out of valleys and hills; a land of wheat and barley, of vines and fig trees and pomegranates, a land of olive oil and honey; a land in which you will eat bread without scarcity, in which you will lack nothing,; a land whose stones are iron and out of whose hills you can dig copper. When you have eaten and are full, then you shall bless the LORD your God for the good land which He has given you. (Deuteronomy 8:7-10)

We often think of wealth as a “zero-sum game.” That is, in order for one to have an increase in wealth, another has to have a decrease. In some cases that may be true. When the children of Israel entered the land of “milk and honey” they had to conquer the evil and perverse Canaanite people. The Bible also promises that “the wealth of the sinner is stored up for the righteous” (Proverbs 13:22). But those are unusual cases. The acquisition of wealth is not usually about taking it from others — that sort of wealth does not usually last — but it is more often a matter of creating wealth.

Once in the land with its wealth of resources, the children of Israel still had to do something with it. The land had to be developed, the fields planted, and the crops cultivated before there could be a rich harvest. The domestic animals needed proper tending if the flocks and herds were going to multiply. There were storehouses and homes to build, settlements to organize and city gates to be established if the people were to have lasting prosperity. All of this required vision and creativity, and people operating with insight, wisdom and skill.

That is the creation of wealth — recognizing the potential of available resources, developing those resources for meeting needs and solving problems, adding value and causing them to abound with blessing for many. This ability is a gift from God, part of the divine likeness in which we were created (Genesis 1:26-28).

The Power to Create Wealth: It’s All About Covenant

And you shall remember the LORD your God, for it is He who gives you power to get wealth, that He may establish His covenant which He swore to your fathers, as it is to this day. (Deuteronomy 8:18)

The power to create wealth is a very positive thing, a gift of God. And it is given for a very godly purpose: “That He may establish His covenant.” The covenant in view here is the covenant God made with Abraham, then confirmed with Isaac and Jacob:

Now the LORD had said to Abram: “Get out of your country, from your family and from your father’s house, to a land that I will show you. I will make you a great nation; I will bless you and make your name great. I will bless those who bless you, and I will curse him who curses you; and in you all the families of the earth shall be bless.” (Genesis 12:1-3)

When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the LORD appeared to Abram and said to him, “I am Almighty God; walk before Me and be blameless. And I will make My covenant between Me and you, and will multiply you exceedingly.” Then Abram fell on his face, and God talked with him, saying: “As for Me, behold, My covenant is with you and your shall be a father of many nations. No longer shall your name be called Abram, but your name shall be Abraham; for I have made you a father of may nations. I will make you exceedingly fruitful; and I will make nations of you, and kings shall come from you. And I will establish My covenant between Me and you and your descendants after you in their generations, for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and your descendants after you. Also I give to you and your descendants after you the land in which you are a stranger, all the land of Canaan, as an everlasting possession; and I will be their God.” (Genesis 17:1-8)

Then the LORD appeared to him [Isaac] and said: “Do not go down to Egypt; live in the land of which I shall tell you. Dwell in this land, and I will be with you and bless you; for to you and your descendants I give all these lands, and I will perform the oath which I swore to Abraham your father. And I will make your descendants multiply as the stars of heaven; I will give to your descendants all these lands; and in your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed.” (Genesis 26:2-5)

And the LORD stood above it and said [to Jacob]: “I am the LORD God of Abraham your father and the God of Isaac; the land on which you lie I will give to you and our descendants. Also your descendants shall be as the dust of the earth; you shall spread abroad to the west and the east, to the north and the south; and in you and in your seed all the families of the earth shall be blessed. Behold, I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, ad will bring you back to this land; for I will not leave you until have done what I have spoken to you.” (Genesis 28:13-15)

The covenant of blessing was not just about the expansion of Abraham and his descendants, but about all the families of the earth. So the power to create wealth is not given to the people of God just so we ourselves can be blessed, but so God can establish His covenant to bless all the families of the earth. That has always been God’s plan.

This promise is not just for Israel of the Old Testament, but also for all who receive the Lord Jesus Christ. As Paul said, “If you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise” (Galatians 3:29). We do not do away with or replace God’s promise to Israel, rather, we are like branches grafted into the main trunk of God’s covenant people (Romans 11:17-24).

As the people of God, we have a right to all the blessings and provisions of God. In fact, as the author of Hebrews tells us, we have been given a new and better covenant based upon better promises (Hebrews 8:6). It contains all the blessings and benefits of the former covenant—and more!—because it is mediated to us by the Lord Jesus Christ, in whose blood it has been made (Luke 22:20).

As the children of Abraham, and heirs according to promise, God’s plan still is to bless the world through us, even through financial means. In the financial context of 2 Corinthians 8-9, Paul offers this assurance to those who are willing to partner with God through their material resources:

But this I say: He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work … Now may He who supplies seed to the sower, and bread for food, supply and multiply the see you have sown and increase the fruits of your righteousness, while are you are enriched in everything for all liberality, which causes thanksgiving through us to God. (2 Corinthians 9:6-8, 10-11)

God gives us the power to create wealth, not just so we ourselves can be blessed, but so we can also become a blessing to all the earth, and that God may establish His covenant throughout the world.

The Power to Create Wealth: A Good Thing

And you shall remember the LORD your God, for it is He who gives you power to get wealth, that He may establish His covenant which He swore to your fathers, as it is to this day. (Deuteronomy 8:18)

There are many Christians, who, when the subject is wealth and riches, will sniff and say, “Money is the root of all evil,” or “You cannot serve God and mammon,” or “It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.”

But actually, wealth and riches themselves are never the problem. Rather, it is our attitude toward wealth and riches that so often leads to trouble. For example, the Bible does not say that it money itself is the root of all evil, but that it is the love of money that is the root of all kinds of evil (1 Timothy 6:10). Jesus did not teach that it is wrong to have money, but that it is wrong to serve money (Luke 16:13). And the thing that made it impossible for the rich, young ruler to enter into the kingdom of God is not that he had wealth and riches, but that he trusted in them. Jesus said,

Children, how hard it is for those who trust in riches to enter the kingdom of God! It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle that for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God. (Mark 10:24-25)

So the teaching in Scripture is clear: We must never love, serve or put our trust in wealth and riches. We are to love, serve and trust in God alone.

But the power to create wealth is a good thing. That is why God gave it to us. It is a blessing, not a curse. In Deuteronomy 28, the chapter where the line between covenant blessing and covenant curse is clearly drawn, wealth and riches are found on the blessing side, where it is described in terms of full baskets and kneading bowls, blessed storehouses, plenty of goods, and increase of all kinds.

How do we develop the right attitude toward wealth and riches? We begin by setting it firmly in our hearts and minds that it is not by our own abilities that we are able to gather wealth, but that it is the Lord Himself who has given us the power to create wealth. It is His doing, not ours, and our trust must always be in Him, to love and serve Him alone.

The Power to Create Wealth: A Gift From God

And you shall remember the LORD your God, for it is He who gives you power to get wealth, that He may establish His covenant which He swore to your fathers, as it is to this day. (Deuteronomy 8:18)

The Hebrew word for “remember,” zakar, means to mark, to recall, to call to mind, even to set as a memorial. It is an intentional act. It is keeping something at the front of the mind and not letting it get lost in a multitude of thoughts. In this case, what we are to remember is foundational to keeping the correct attitude and orientation toward God in the matter of wealth. There are many who have ended up in disaster and made a complete wreck of their lives because they have forgotten what Moses commanded the people of God to remember.

So what is it that we are to keep at the forefront of our thoughts? “Remember the LORD your God!” The Hebrew is most emphatic, “for it is He who gives you the power to get wealth.” This is the polar opposite, and the corrective to, the attitude God wants His people to avoid at all costs:

Beware that you do not forget the LORD your God by not keeping His commandments, His judgments, and His statues which I command you today, lest — when you have eaten and are full, and have built beautiful houses and dwell in them; and when your herds and your flocks multiply, and your silver and your gold are multiplied, and all that you have is multiplied; when your heart is lifted up, and you forget the LORD your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage; who led you through that great and terrible wilderness, in which were fiery serpents and scorpions and thirsty land where there was no water; who brought water for you out of the flinty rock; and fed you in the wilderness with manna, which your fathers did not know, that He might humble you and that He might test you, to do you good in the end — then you say in your heart, “My power and the might of my hand have gained me this wealth.” (Deuteronomy 8:11-17)

True wealth does not come by our own power and ability. It is a gift that comes from God to His people.

Incorruptible Seed, Incorruptible Harvest

Having been born again, not of corruptible seed but incorruptible, through the Word of God which lives and abides forever. (1 Peter 1:23)

This new birth that Peter speaks of does not come about by any human agency, for that would be corruptible seed. Rather, it comes from incorruptible seed, and is divine in nature. The Word of God, which lives and abides forever, is that incorruptible seed.

The Word of God is the manifestation of God, expressing His will, His desires and His purposes. Though it is presented us in the form of the written word, the Scriptures, it is preeminently revealed to us in Jesus Christ, the Word who has always been with God, and indeed is God, and who “became flesh and dwelt among us” (John 1:1, 14). It is this Word that John spoke about when he said,

As many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name; who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God (John 1:12-13)

This is indeed incorruptible seed. In fact, it is God-seed.

Orange seeds produce orange trees which bring forth oranges that contain more orange seeds. Apple trees produce apple trees which bring forth apples that contain more apple seeds. As the seed is, so is the tree and its fruit — they possess the essential nature of the seed because they are “born” of the seed.

The seed by which we have been born again to eternal life is a divine seed, the Word of God — the Lord Jesus Christ and all that God has spoken. It is “living and powerful” (Hebrews 4:12). This seed has been sown in us to bring forth the life of God, His divine nature, in us. As Peter said,

His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue, by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that, through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust. (2 Peter 1:3-4)

This does not imply that we can ever become God Himself, but it does mean that we become like God in some very real and important aspects, just as man was originally created to be in His image and likeness (Genesis 1:26-27). We see this, for example, when Paul talks about the fruit of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faith, gentleness and self-control (Galatians 5:22-23). These things reflect the character of God in Jesus Christ, and in all who are born of that incorruptible seed.

Whoever has been born of God does not sin, for His seed remains in him; and he cannot sin, because he has been born of God. (1 John 3:9)

This divine essence is who we really are now in Jesus Christ. Once we were dead in trespasses and sins, living according to the lusts of our flesh, “fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath” (Ephesians 2:1, 3). But now, because we have been born of incorruptible seed, we no longer have to submit to that. We can now do as Paul says, “Reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 6:11). And we can declare, as Paul did,

I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me. (Galatians 2:20)

Through faith in Jesus Christ you can be born again of incorruptible seed. For God’s desire is to bring forth an incorruptible harvest in you, that you may partake the divine nature and live in His image and likeness.

The LORD Who is On Our Side

If it had not been the LORD who was on our side,
  Let Israel now say,
If it had not been the LORD who was on our side,
  When men rose against us,
Then they would have swallowed us alive,
  When their wrath was kindled against us.

(Psalm 124:1-3)

Here the pilgrim psalm writer is recalling one of the many times enemies rose up against Israel, and would have prevailed, except for The LORD Who is On Our Side.

Jacob expressed something similar when he said his father-in-law Laban, who had continually tried to cheat him, “Unless the God of my father, the God of Abraham and the Fear of Isaac, had been with me, surely you would have sent empty-handed. God has seen my affliction and the labor of my hands, and rebuked you” (Genesis 31:42).

Paul declared, “If God is for us, who can be against us?” and then expanded most gloriously on what that means:

He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things? Who shall bring a charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who has died, and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? …

Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us form the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 8:31-39)

When the Lord is for you, that makes all the difference in the world. How good to know that He is for us, and that in Jesus Christ, we can never be separated from His love. Whenever you are pressed about on all sides, and the voice of the enemy is laying accusations against you, stop and remember The LORD Who is On Our Side, and the rich revelation of what that means for us in Jesus Christ.

The LORD, the Maker of Heaven and Earth

I will lift up my eyes to the hills—
  Where does my help come from?
My help comes from the LORD,
  The Maker of Heaven and Earth.

(Psalm 121:1-2 NIV)

The psalm writer is on pilgrimage to Jerusalem, in the hill country. It can be a dangerous journey, not only because of the elements, but also because of robbers and thugs sheltered in rocks and crags along the way. He knows he will need help, but where will he find it?

His answer is “My help comes from the LORD, the Maker of Heaven and Earth.

The object of his pilgrimage is the Holy City, Jerusalem, the place where God revealed His presence is a special way. It was the Lord Himself who would give him all the aid and protection he required. It is in this regard that He is called Maker of Heaven and Earth. Who knows better than He the dangers that prevail in the earth and the help that is needed. And who is more able than He to provide that help.

Not only is the Lord the creator of heaven and earth, He is also the sustainer and provider. He does not forget one bit of His creation, but has a great love and care for it all. And if He cares so for His creation, how much more does He care for you and me, whom He has created in His own image and likeness. As Jesus said,

Are not five sparrows sold for two copper coins? And not one of them is forgotten before God. But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Do not fear therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows. (Luke 12:6-7)

Is there any problem too big for the One who created everything? Is there anything to small for Him to care? The Lord is not far away, but close by to assist all who will call on Him and say, “My help is from The LORD, the Maker of Heaven and Earth.”

The LORD Your Shade at Your Right Hand

The LORD is your shade at your right hand. (Psalm 121:5)

In the natural realm, shade is a place of refreshment and relief from the oppressive heat of the sun. To be under the shadow of something also means to be hidden and protected by it. “He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty” (Psalm 91:1).

Psalm 121 is one of the “Psalms of Ascent” used by pilgrims who made their way through the open country and hills on the way to Jerusalem. So the need for shade and protection was very great. The psalm writer describes, in a very practical way, what it means to have the Lord as shade:

The sun shall not strike you by day,
Nor the moon by night.

(Psalm 121:6)

Here is the promise of safety all along the way, whether journeying by day or resting by night. For as it was said previously in this psalm, the Lord neither slumbers nor sleeps (v. 4).

Psalm 121:5 presents us with two names for God which demonstrate both His ability and desire to protect and preserver you. He is The LORD Your Keeper and The LORD Your Shade at Your Right Hand. The final verses of this psalm show that this protection is all-inclusive, from beginning to end:

The LORD shall preserve you from all evil;
  He shall preserve your soul.
The LORD shall preserve your going out and your coming in
  From this time forth and forevermore.

(Psalm 121:7-8)

Though you may walk through difficult circumstances, look to the Lord for protection and refreshment. Call on His name as The LORD Your Shade at Your Right Hand, and He will bring you safely through.

The LORD Your Keeper

The LORD is your keeper. (Psalm 121:5)

The Hebrew word for “keep” is shamar, and means to keep, guard, watch over, hedge about, protect, observe.

The psalm writer declares, “The LORD is your keeper.” Actually, the “is,” in most translations, is shown in italics, signifying that there is no word behind it in the Hebrew text. It was added to smooth out the sense in English. Literally, it is “The LORD your keeper,” a crescendo to the build-up presented in verses 3 and 4:

He will not allow your foot be to be moved;
  He who keeps you will not slumber.
Behold, He who keeps Israel
  Shall neither slumber nor sleep.

What is described in these verses is given to us as a name of God in verse 5. He is called, “The LORD Your Keeper.”

The Lord will not allow your foot to be moved. Regardless of whatever may happen, when the dust has settled and the smoke has cleared, you will still be standing.

The Lord is never caught off guard. He does not fall into deep sleep; He doesn’t even “cat nap” or “rest” His eyes. He is ever vigilant, always watching out for His people.

Now, all of this depends upon whether we trust in Him. That is always how we appropriate His blessings and benefits, by trusting in Him and not depending on our own strategies and resources. The Lord will never turn His eyes away from us, though we may take our eyes off of Him and move away from the place of protection He has prepared for us. But if we will ever turn to Him, we will find that what Isaiah said to the Lord is true: “You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You” (Isaiah 26:3).

If you know the Lord Jesus Christ, no matter what happens, you can always call on Him as The Lord Your Keeper, and know that you are going to be alright.

The Table of Tender Mercies

Let, I pray, Your merciful kindness be for my comfort,
According to Your word to Your servant.
Let Your tender mercies come to me, that I may live;
For Your law is my delight.

(Psalm 119:76-77)

The Hebrew word translated “merciful kindness,” in verse 76, is chesed, the steadfast love by which God has promised to love us, to show us His mercy and be kind to us. It is His favor, the manifestation of His grace toward us. It is His covenant with His people, and we can trust in it fully. The “comfort” the psalm writer seeks is the comfort of a repentant heart, for he is aware of his shortcomings, and brings them to the Lord that he might find the relief of grace, mercy and forgiveness.

The word for “tender mercies,” in verse 77, speaks of a compassionate and tender love, as of a father toward his child. The psalm writer seeks the manifestation of Father God’s heart so that he may truly know and enjoy what life is all about. For he takes great pleasure in the law (Hebrew torah) of God, the wisdom and instruction He has given to His people.

So here is the eager anticipation of covenant and mercy and forgiveness, and even instruction for living from the father-heart of God. And all of this can be found at the Table of the Lord, the Table of Tender Mercies.

In Jesus Christ we have forgiveness of sins, and the tender mercies of the Father’s heart poured out for us, and we are “accepted in the Beloved” (Ephesians 1:6). When Jesus took the cup and gave it to His disciples, He said, “This cup is the New Covenant in My blood, which is shed for you” (Luke 22:20). It is the promise of God to be kind toward us and show us His mercy and favor, and it was won for us at the cross, where Jesus died in our place.

Jesus Christ is the fulfillment of the Law of God and all its commandments, and in Him, we are made the righteousness of God. So all the blessings and promises that belong to the righteous now belong to us, if we have received the Lord Jesus.

The Table of the Lord, His body given for us and His blood shed for us, is the sign of our covenant with God, that we are truly accepted in Jesus Christ, and that the Father will show us every kindness. We can always find comfort and relief, and joy for living at this Table — the Table of Tender Mercies.

Just As You Have Spoken, So I Will Do

Say to them, “As I live,” says the LORD, “just as you have spoken in My hearing, so I will do to you. (Numbers 14:28)

This was the conclusion to the matter of the twelve spies Moses sent to check out Canaan, the land God had promised to His people. Ten came back with a faithless and fearful report: “We are not able to go up against the people, for they are stronger than we... There we saw the giants … and we were like grasshoppers in our own sight, and so we were in their sight” (Numbers 13:31, 33).

Joshua and Caleb returned with a fearless and faithful report. Caleb said, “Let us go up at once and take possession, for we are well able to overcome it” (Numbers 13:30). Joshua said,

If the LORD delights in us, then He will bring us into this land and give it to us, ‘a land which flows with milk and honey.’ Only do not rebel against the LORD, nor fear the people of the land, for they are our bread; their protection has departed from them, and the LORD is with us. Do not fear them. (Numbers 14:8-9).

The congregation of Israel, believing the report of the ten, cried out in despair, “If only we had died in the wilderness” (Numbers 14:2).

In the end, everyone got what they believed, and everyone received what they had spoken. The ten spies never went up in victory against the inhabitants of the Promised Land, but died of a plague (Numbers 14:37). To the rest of the congregation, who said, “Better we should die in the wilderness,” God said issued this judgment:

The carcasses of you who have complained against Me shall fall in the wilderness, all of you who were numbered, according to your entire number, from twenty years old and above. Except for Caleb the son of Jephunneh and Joshua the son of Nun, you shall by no means enter the land which I swore I would make you dwell in. (Numbers 14:29-30)

Because of their unbelief, they never entered into the Promised Land, but perished in the wasteland (Hebrews 3:16-19).

Joshua and Caleb likewise received what they said. After the rest of their generation died in the wilderness, they crossed the river into the land of promise. The book of Joshua records how, under his leadership, the next generation of Israel conquered and inhabited the “land of milk and honey.” And Caleb, who boldly challenged the people, “Let us go up at once and take possession, for we are well able to overcome it,” still in full strength, even at the age of 85, invaded and conquered the region of Kadesh Barnea (Joshua 14:6-15).

This is how it always is. As it was for them, so it is for us: We each receive what we believe in our hearts and speak with our lips. As Jesus said, it is out of the overflow of our hearts that our mouths speak (Luke 6:45). He brought home the importance of this when He said to His disciples:

Whoever says to this mountain, “Be removed and be cast into the sea,” and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says. (Mark 11:23)

The apostle Paul also saw the significance of this truth, especially in regard to salvation and relationship with God: “If you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation” (Romans 10:9-10).

What is it that you believe in your heart? And what is it that you are saying with your lips? Are you believing and speaking in agreement with the promises of God, as Joshua and Caleb did? For what you believe and what you say is indeed what you will receive.

(See also, When It’s All About God.)

A Sign for Good

Show me a sign for good,
That those who hate me may see it and be ashamed,
Because You, LORD, have helped me and comforted me.

(Psalm 86:17)

Today I took the Table of the Lord using this verse, for the bread and cup of His Supper, being divinely instituted, is indeed a sign of His favor*. The bread is the revelation of Jesus’ body given for us, and the cup is the sign of the New Covenant issued in His blood.

Our adversary, the devil, hates the blood of Jesus with fervent intensity, for it spells out his doom, and the destruction of all his works. So when we take of the Lord’s Table, it is a sign of God’s favor and goodness toward us that puts him to shame.

Anytime is a good time to enjoy the Table of the Lord, for as often as we eat that bread and drink that cup, we show the Lord’s death until He comes again (1 Corinthians 11:26) — that is, it is a revelation of Jesus Christ and a promise of His return. But when the devil is trying to come in on you with his strategies and schemes, that is a particularly good time to take the Lord’s Supper, for it shows the death of the Lord Jesus, by which He triumphed over satan. As David said, “You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies” (Psalm 23:5).

So as you sit at this Table, let it speak to you of the victory you have in Jesus Christ. And remember what David said in Psalm 86:17 (rendered here from the Message Bible):

Make a show of how much You love me
So the bullies who hate me will stand there slack-jawed,
As You, GOD, gently and powerfully put me back on my feet.

The Table of the Lord is the sign of God’s favor toward you in the Lord Jesus Christ, and it puts the devil to shame.

(* Baptism is also a sign of God’s favor, divinely instituted by Jesus Christ, and demonstrates our entrance into the body of Christ and the family of God. I have written a song about this wonderful sign, called I Have Been Baptized, from our Walking Barefoot CD. You can listen to it in streaming MP3.)

What Are You Naming Things?

Out of the ground the Lord God formed every beast of the field and every bird of the air, and brought them to Adam, to see what he would call them. And whatever Adam called each living creature, that was its name. (Genesis 2:19-20)

The world was created by the Word of God (Hebrews 11:3) and will always responds to faith-filled words, because faith comes by hearing the Word of God (Romans 10:17). God created Adam to speak faith-filled words when He puffed His breath into the man-shaped clay He had formed, and it became a “living being” (Genesis 2:7). Ancient Jewish commentary understood by this that man became a “speaking spirit.”

So God brought the animals to Adam to see what he would call them. He did not tell Adam what to call them, but simply observed what Adam would do with this creative opportunity, and how he would shape the identity and destiny of these animals with the words of his mouth and the breath of God that permeated his being. “And whatever Adam called each living creature, that was its name.”

God has created us in such a way that our words have great power. They create identity and call forth destiny. That is why Jesus said that we will each have to give account to God for every idle word we speak (Matthew 12:36). That is why He taught the disciples that what we speak with out mouths and believe in our hearts can move mountains (Mark 11:22-23).

Whatever Adam called each living creature, that was its name! God didn’t change a thing, but let stand whatever Adam said. Why? Because He created man to subdue the earth — that is, bring it into divine order — and have dominion over it (Genesis 1:26-28). God knows how to delegate authority and honor the arrangements He has established in the earth.

When Adam fell, sinning against God, he disconnected himself (and all the human race in him) from the life of God. Since then, the words of man have often been very wicked, and whatever man called things, those were their names. Words of fear came in and anger, hate and pride dominated. Words of anxiety, and even of despair, became self-fulfilling prophecies. These are faithless words, the outworking of a heart in rebellion toward God. For as Jesus said, it is out of the abundance of the heart that the mouth speaks (Luke 6:45).

Thankfully, when mankind fell in the sin of Adam, God had a plan of redemption and restoration. That is why Jesus came, to remove the sinful barrier and restore us to fellowship with God our Father and Creator, and that the words of our lips and the meditations of our hearts might bring forth the manifestation of God’s will and ways on earth. That is why He taught us to pray, “Kingdom of God, come! Will of God, be done on earth as it is in heaven!” (Matthew 6:10).

If you know the Lord Jesus Christ, God has created in you a new heart and given you new words to speak in faith. Some men look at the desperate circumstances of their lives and call them “Impossible.” They shake their heads at the world and pronounce it “Hopeless.” They cringe in terror at sickness and disease and whisper, “Terminal.” They see broken and dysfunctional families and say, “Irreconcilable.” And whatever they call it, that is its name.

But if you know the Lord Jesus Christ, who came that all things might be gathered together in Him (Ephesians 1:10), God has created in you a new heart, and given you faith to speak new words that call forth healing, restoration, forgiveness, peace, life, joy, hope.

For every problem and difficulty in the world, God has a word by which it may be redeemed. Speak it, in Jesus’ name. Say about it what God says about it. And whatever you call it, that will be its name.

The Destiny of Holiness

Because it is written, “Be holy, for I am holy.” (1 Peter 1:16)

Both the Hebrew and Greek words for “holy” mean to be set apart. In the Scriptures, being made holy, or sanctified, means to be set aside for God’s special purposes. Some people think of holiness as a somber and dour thing. But I tell you that it is a joyful thing, full of awe and wonder. For holiness speaks of divine destiny and purpose — a fellowship, even partnership, with God.

Now, understand that you and I could never set ourselves apart for God’s purposes. It is something He must do for us. But that is what the grace of God is all about and why Jesus came. He said to the Father, “Behold, I have come to do Your will, O God.” It is by that will, the author of Hebrews says, that we have been sanctified — made holy — through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all (Hebrews 10:10).

God sets us apart by the offering of His Son, but also by the truth of His Word. For Jesus prayed: “Sanctify them by Your truth. Your Word is truth” (John 17:17).

So Peter exhorts us, not to try and make ourselves holy, but to live according to the holiness by which God has already set us apart in Jesus Christ. It is living according to the truth of His Word, according to the life of the Lord Jesus that now dwells in us. As Paul said,

I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me. (Galatians 2:20)

Holiness is partaking of the divine nature:

His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of the Him who called us by glory and virtue, by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that thought these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust. (2 Peter 1:3-4)

It is a call to step up into the life of divine destiny, to be who we really are in Jesus Christ.

Are you ready to embrace this holy calling and step up into life of divine nature and fellowship? To live according to the faith and power of the Lord Jesus Christ? That is destiny indeed.

The Prosperity of God is Also Financial

He shall be like a tree
Planted by the rivers of water,
That brings forth its fruit in its season,
Whose leaf also shall not wither;
And whatever he does shall prosper.

(Psalm 1:3)

Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers. (3 John 2)

The Scriptures are clear that God wants His people to prosper. The Hebrew word for “prosper” means to push forward, break out, come mightily, go over, excel, be profitable, advance and make progress. The Greek word means to have a good journey, be successful, even to succeed in business. That is what God has for all of His people.

It is important to note that the prosperity God has for us is, first of all, a prosperity of soul — a matter of the heart. That is clearly stated in 3 John 2, but we also find it spoken of in Psalm 1 in this way: “Blessed is the man … His delight is in the law of the LORD and in His law he meditates day and night” (v. 2). As we have seen, the result is that whatever he does shall prosper.

But does this prosperity include money? Many Christians believe it does not. But what does the Bible say? “Whatever he does shall prosper” and “I pray that you may prosper in all things.” All and whatever are inclusive terms — they leave nothing out. Certainly prosperity is more than just financial and material wealth, but it does include them. They are part of “all” and “whatever.”

We see this stated even more directly elsewhere in Scripture. For example, Psalm 112:3 says of the righteous man (that is, one who lives in awe of God and delights in His commandments), “Wealth and riches will be in his house.” Though some might try to say that this is referring only to spiritual wealth and riches, it is clear from the context that the psalm writer is talking about material wealth and riches.

Is God interested in our possessions? Yes, He is. Look at the word of wisdom He gives us in Proverbs:

Honor the LORD with your possessions,
And with the firstfruits of all your increase;
So your barns will be filled with plenty,
And your vats will overflow with new wine.

(Proverbs 3:9-10)

When we honor Him with our possessions, and with the firstfruits of all our increase — that is, the first and the best, not the last and the least — then He will also honor us in kind: Our barns will be heaped up with plenty and our vats will overflow with new wine. This is not just having just enough, it is having more than enough.

We find something similar in the New Testament, in Paul’s second letter to the Corinthians. He is preparing to receive an offering from the believers there to take to the believers in Jerusalem. In other words, it is a financial context. Now, notice what Paul says:

And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work. (2 Corinthians 9:8)

That is wealth indeed: always have all sufficiency in all things, and abundance for every good work! You see, that is what financial prosperity is for, and why God wants it for all His people. It is always having everything we need to take care our families, ourselves, and whatever God has called us to do, PLUS having abundance — more than enough! — so that we can give to every good work. As Leroy Thompson calls it, it is “Money with a mission!”

The clear word of Scripture is that God wants all His people to prosper in all things, and that includes finances. He does not want us to love money, serve money, or trust in money, but He wants to prosper us financially so we can use money for His kingdom purposes, and to supply every good work.

The Size of Your Miracle

The size of your God determines the size of your miracle. That is, how great and powerful and good you understand God to be will determine how big a miracle you will be able to believe Him for.

Little God, little miracle. Big God, big miracle.

Forgiving Ourselves

Over the past few years, I have written a number of articles on forgiveness and forgiving others (see About Forgiveness). Unforgiveness — unwillingness to forgive others — is a prevalent scheme of the devil, and a great hindrance to prayer and faith. But I am discovering that, very often, forgiving ourselves is the hardest one to do.

Recently I was talking with a woman who called our ministry. She was very distraught about her life, and also very angry. But her anger was not at other people; she was able to forgive everyone who had hurt or betrayed her. But she now realized that she had come to this point in her life because of her own actions and choices, and she was very angry with herself.

She needs to forgive herself.

Reflecting on this, I have been asking the Lord why we often find it so hard to forgive ourselves. The answer I heard back was that we need to believe the gospel more, to trust that God has forgiven us in Jesus Christ.

All our sinful actions and choices were taken up by the Lord Jesus and nailed to the cross. He was made sin for us, though He himself never sinned, so that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him (2 Corinthians 5:21). That is, in Him, through faith in Him, we are made righteous before God. Our sins are forgiven, done away with, and it is God’s own righteousness that is now at work in us.

We may have gotten ourselves into some terrible messes, but Jesus came to get us out and put us on track with the wonderful purpose God has for us. We receive this forgiveness, this deliverance, this salvation, through faith in Jesus Christ. If God has forgiven us, then we can forgive ourselves.

Who Has Pleasure in Your Prosperity?

Let them be ashamed and brought to mutual confusion
Who rejoice at my hurt;
Let them be clothed with shame and dishonor
Who exalt themselves against me.

Let them shout for joy and be glad,
Who favor my righteous cause;
Ad let them say continually,
“Let the LORD be magnified,
Who has pleasure in the prosperity of His servant.”

(Psalm 35:26-27)

There are those who are for you and those who are not. There are those who are rooting against you, waiting for you to fall, and will rejoice when you do. Some are very open about it; others keep it secretly in their hearts. Obviously, these are not the people you want to gather around you. They do not build you up; they only undermine you and tear you down. Share your dreams with them, and they will only taunt and deride you.

But there are others, praise God, who are for you. They’re in your corner rooting for your success. Not only that, but they are people of faith who understand that God is in favor of your success, as well. They believe that God takes pleasure in your prosperity, and that your success is an occasion to give Him great praise. These are the people you want to surround yourself with. They build you up, and encourage you when your down, reminding you of the promises and plans God has for you. Share your dreams with them, and they stand in faith with you, believing God to bring you into it, even if it seems impossible

It has been said that you attract what you are. If you are dour and sour and cranky, you will draw to yourself people who are dour and sour and cranky, and you will soon be slogging through a toxic brew of negativity, complaining about how unfair life is, and wondering why you can never seem to get a break.

On the other hand, if you are a positive-minded person who knows how to activate and exercise faith, you will begin to attract others of like mind and faith to you, and you will soon be encouraging each other, spotting opportunities, stretching yourselves, launching out into new things and experiencing fresh successes.

So it comes down to the kind of person you are. Fortunately, you can always change the kind of person you are. God’s purpose is not for you to be negative and cranky, full of fear and doubt. His desire is for you step over into faith and being enjoying success with Him. He knows quite a lot about success and prosperity, and He is more than willing to share it with you. In fact, He has recorded it in His Word, and if you ask Him, He will show you.

God delights in the prosperity of His people. Are you are ready to believe that? The first step of true success and prosperity is in knowing Jesus Christ, who came to restore us to proper relationship with the Creator of all things.

Making Sense of the Process

Someone wrote to me:

The book you wrote said, "God’s Word in your mouth is just as powerful as it is in His—when you speak it in faith!" and "The divine mandate of dominion and how to exercise it." That does not make sense at all. You are not as powerful as God. If you are that powerful and you have so much dominion why have you not changed the world? No offence, but do people buy these books? Seems very strange.

In my book, God’s Word in Your Mouth, I tell about how God created man in the image and likeness of God, and how He gave man a blessing and a mandate: “Be fruitful and multiply, fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion” (Genesis 1:26-28). In other words, we were created to be like God and given authority to fill the earth with this god-likeness, to subdue the earth (that is, bring it into order with God’s plans) and have dominion (rule and reign over the earth as God’s representative). Now, of course, Adam really messed things up when he rebelled against God, and sunk it for all of us when he unhooked himself (and us in him) from the life of God. But the Lord Jesus Christ came to restore us back to God and the purpose for which He created mankind.

But this is not an automatic process. It requires that we respond in faith to the promise of God. Nor is it an instantaneous process. It requires discipleship — training — just like Jesus trained His disciples. Then He gave them power and authority, and sent them out into all the world to teach the nations everything Jesus had taught them.

We might prefer that it all happened at once, but God’s plan is for us to be in partnership with Him. He did not create us just so He could reign over us, but so we could rule and reign with Him (see the mandate in Genesis 1:26-28). What He desires is relationship, fellowship with us. Toward that end, He trains us up into maturity and faith, not into magical expectations.

God is raising up sons and daughters for Himself through Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit. It is not mechanical nor magical, but the process of maturity.

One day everything will be set right in the world when the Lord Jesus returns. Then the kingdom of God will be here in its completeness, and the will of God will be fully done on earth exactly as it is in heaven — just as Jesus taught us to pray.

(And yes, people do buy these books, and find them to be very helpful.)

Framing Your World: Faith-Filled Words

But I say to you that for every idle word men may speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgment. For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned. (Matthew 12:36-37)

The Greek word for “idle” refers to that which is non-working, inoperative, inactive, ineffective, useless, lazy, barren. An idle word is one that is spoken carelessly and without faith. They are non-productive; they do not bring about any good in your life. In fact, they may be bring about great harm, for we will all have to give account to God about every word we speak, or perhaps especially, the careless ones.

“Oh, but I didn’t really mean what I said.” Perhaps not the first few times, but if you keep saying it, you will eventually start believing it. The apostle Paul said, “Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God” (Romans 10:17). The first half of that verse sets the general principle, “faith comes by hearing.” That is, if you hear something long enough, you will begin to believe it. That’s why Paul adds the very important qualifier, “and hearing by the Word of God.” Because what you give ear to affects your faith, be sure to give ear to the Word of God, and not lesser things. For the idle words that come from your own mouth might cause you believe what you are carelessly saying.

While idle words have the potential for calamity, faith-filled words based on the character and promises of God are powerful for moving mountains, calming storms, and bringing all creation into line with the kingdom of God.

Have faith in God. For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, “Be removed and be cast into the sea, and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says. (Mark 11:22-23)

Let your heart be filled to overflowing with the Word of God, and the faith that comes by hearing that Word, then release faith-filled words that release the will of God being done on earth as it is in heaven.

Framing Your World: Your Heart

For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good, and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart brings forth evil. (Matthew 12:34-35)

The worlds were framed by words — the Word of God (Hebrews 11:3). Jesus said that it will respond even to the words of your mouth, if you have faith in God and believe in your heart the words you speak with your lips (Mark 11:23). In other words, if your faith is in God, you have the ability to frame your world (the realm of your existence and the sphere of your influence).

Now, there is an important connection between your mouth and your heart. The effectiveness of your words is dynamically related to what is going on in your heart. As Jesus said, it is out of the abundance, or the overflow, of the heart that the mouth speaks. If you want to know what is going on in a person’s heart, listen to his mouth for a while.

Proverbs says that as a man thinks in his heart, so is he (Proverbs 23:7). The context is of a man who is pretending one thing with his words, but his real character and purpose are determined by his heart. And what is in his heart in abundance will soon give him away by his words as well as his deeds.

But here’s what I want you to notice: “As he thinks in his heart, so he is.” The Hebrew word for “think” means to reason out or calculate, but it comes from a root that means “to act as a gatekeeper.” Each of us acts as a gatekeeper, deciding what we will let into our heart and what we will keep out. Whatever you let into your heart in abundance will determine the kind of person you really are.

For some little biblical direction about what to fill your heart with, regular meditation in the book of Proverbs will bring you into much wisdom. Consider also Psalm 1:1-3; Romans 12:1-2; Philippians 4:8; Colossians 3:1-2.

Jesus said, “A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good, and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart brings forth evil.” Your are the one who determines what kind of treasure will fill your heart. Out of the overflow of your heart, your mouth will speak, and so shall you frame your world.

Framing Your World: Your Mouth

Death and life are in the power of the tongue,
And those who love it will eat its fruit.

(Proverbs 18:21)

The worlds — the heavens and the earth — are framed by the Word of God (Hebrews 11:3). Your world — the realm of your existence and the sphere of your influence — is framed by your words. God created you with that capacity. He created you and me in His likeness, that is, to be like Him. He breathed His breath into us and made us “speaking spirits.”

Just as God ordered the worlds by His words, you also have the authority to bring the world into the order of God by your words. You also have the ability to bring things into disorder by your words.

The Bible says that death and life are in the power of the tongue. That is, your words can be death-dealing or life-giving. They are both under the direction of whatever you say.

“Those who love it will eat its fruit.” Every word you speak is a seed that will bring forth fruit and come back to you, and you will have to eat that fruit. The verse previous to this says, “A man’s stomach shall be satisfied from the fruit of his mouth; from the produce of his lips he shall be filled” (Proverbs 18:20). As someone else wisely counseled, “Be careful of the words you speak today, for you will have to eat them tomorrow.”

Do you like to babble? You will eat the worthless fruit of idle chatter. Do you indulge in gossip? Destructive rumors will come back on you, and leave a bitter taste in your mouth. If your words are filled with fear and darkness, that is what will follow you wherever you go. Some people go around damning this and damning that, and then wonder why things are not going well for them. Go figure.

On the other hand, if you respect the power of your words enough to carefully guard what you say, you will enjoy of pleasant harvest. For as you speak, so shall you eat. If you speak faith-filled words, you will bring forth a faith-filled harvest. Sow words that offer life and light and blessing to the world around you, then stand back and watch as life and light and blessing comes multiplied back to you in rich harvest.

Think back. What were the words you spoke yesterday? What is the harvest you are reaping today? Now think forward. What is the harvest you want for tomorrow? So what are the words you will speak today?

Framing Your World: The Word of God

By faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the Word of God, so that the things which are seen were not made of things which are visible. (Hebrews 11:3)

The Bible says that the worlds were framed by words, more specifically, by the Word of God. The Greek word for “frame” means to render, fit together, equip, arrange, adjust, put in order, perfect, complete thoroughly. The worlds — the heavens and the earth — were put in order and brought to completion through the command of God. The word for “word” here is rhema and refers to the acutely articulated and precisely particularized word spoken by God. For example, when darkness covered the face of the deep, God said, “Light, be!” and there was light (Genesis 1:3). His rhema brought the darkness into order by establishing light.

Because the world was created and framed by the spoken word, it also responds to the spoken word. For example, Jesus rebuked the fever in Peter’s mother-in-law and commanded the wind and the waves. He also taught His disciples about the power of their words:

Have faith in God. For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, “Be removed and be cast into the sea, and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says. (Mark 11:22-23)

The key, of course, is faith in God. Rendered literally, the Greek text has “faith of God.” That is, the God-kind of faith, or the kind of faith that comes from God. The Bible in Basic English translates it as “Have God’s faith.” The faith that comes from God comes by hearing the Word of God. Paul said, “Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word [rhema] of God” (Romans 10:17). When we have the faith that comes from God, and we believe in our heart, then the words we speak with our mouth will be done.

That is how God made us to function. He created man in His image and likeness, that is, to be like Him. When he form Adam from the dust of the ground, He puffed His breath into Adam’s nostrils, and Adam became a “living being” (Genesis 2:7), or as ancient an Jewish commentary put it, a “speaking spirit.”

God created us to speak, and He gave us the mandate to subdue the earth and bring it into divine order (Genesis 1:28). The first assignment He gave Adam was to name the animals, that is, to bring them into divine order by the words with which he would call them (Genesis 2:19). God created the animals, but by naming and calling them, Adam determined what they were going to be about. By words, he established their purpose and destiny within the plan of God. To put it another way, Adam framed his world — the realm of his existence and the sphere of his influence — by the words of his mouth.

Of course, we know that Adam and Eve rebelled in the Garden of Eden, and by their disobedience disconnected from the life of God. From that day on, man began calling forth all sorts of things that God never intended to be upon the earth, framing the world by faithless, fearful words. But that is why Jesus came, to deliver us from the curse. Even in the Old Testament, God promised that a Redeemer would come, a Messiah who would rule and reign and restore the order of God’s kingdom on earth.

We are now living in that time. When the Lord Jesus Christ came two thousand years ago, He sacrificed Himself for our sins, then was raised from the dead by the power of the Holy Spirit and seated at the right hand of the Father in heaven (Ephesians 1:19-23).

Because of Jesus the Messiah, we can now speak words of faith, words that come from God’s own mouth. We can frame our world through rhema words and bring it into the order God in which God intended us to live.

Christmas Dreams: Return to Israel

Now when Herod was dead, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt, saying, “Arise, take the young Child and His mother, and go to the land of Israel, for those who sought the young Child’s life are dead.” (Matthew 2:19-20)

In the previous dream, which directed Joseph to take the baby Jesus and His mother and flee to Egypt, there was the promise of a new word that would come. That angel said, “Stay there until I bring you word, for Herod will see the young Child to destroy Him” (Matthew 2:13). And now here was that new word: “Arise, take the young Child and His mother, and go to the land of Israel, for those who sought the young Child’s life are dead.”

The threat had passed, and the promise of the first dream remained: “You shall call His name JESUS, for he will save his people from their sins” (Matthew 1:21). God had showed Himself faithful to His Word. And He would continue to do so, even as another threat emerged:

Then he arose, took the young Child and His mother, and came into the land of Israel. But when he heard that Archelaus was reigning over Judea instead of his father, Herod, he was afraid to go there. And being warned by God in a dream, he turned aside into the region of Galilee. (Matthew 2:21-22)

When Herod died, he divided his kingdom among his three remaining sons (the ones he did not already have killed). To the cruelest one, Archelaus, he gave the region of Judea, subject to the approval of Rome. Galilee came under the rule of Herod Antipas, who was much less vicious than his brother.

So Joseph brought Jesus and Mary back to Israel, but not to Judea, which he had originally anticipated. Archelaus posed a new threat, and God was faithful to advise Joseph about it. Joseph and his family returned to Israel, but settled in the region of Galilee and a place called Nazareth.

And he came and dwelt in a city called Nazareth, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophets, “He shall be called a Nazarene.” (Matthew 2:23)

There is no one prophet who makes such a statement in the Old Testament. Matthew is gathering together a few prophetic ideas and bringing them to a conclusion. One such prophetic text might be Isaiah 11:1, which tells of a “branch” (Hebrew netzer) which would grow out from the roots of Jesse (father of King David). This would be a play on words between the Hebrew netzer and the name of the town Nazareth.

It may also have to do with the sullied reputation Nazareth had developed. In the Gospel of John, when Phillip went to his friend, Nathanael, and said, “We have found Him of whom Moses in the law, and also the prophets, wrote — Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph,” Nathanael answered, “Can anything good come from Nazareth?” (John 1:45-46). This would go along with Isaiah’s prophecy that Messiah would be despised and rejected:

For He shall grow up before Him as a tender plant,
  And as a root out of dry ground.
He has no form or comeliness;
  And when we see Him,
There is not beauty that we should desire Him.
   He is despised and rejected by men,
A Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief.
  And we hid, as it were, our faces from Him;
He was despised, and we did not esteem Him.

(Isaiah 53:2-3)

But none of these things mattered. They could not stop the angelic dream. They could not undo the plan of God and destroy His promise: The little Child named Jesus would grow up and save His people from their sins!

When God gives a dream, the enemy will try every way he can to stop it. But if we will hold onto God and His Word, and always be listening for His voice, He will bring us through to the place of fulfillment.

---

Let Earth Receive Her King
Advent, Christmas and the Kingdom of God
by Jeff Doles

Preview with Amazon’s “Look Inside.”

Available in paperback and Kindle (Amazon), epub (Google and iTunes) and PDF.

Christmas Dreams: Arise, Flee to Egypt

Behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream, saying, “Arise, take the young Child and His mother, flee to Egypt, and stay there until I bring you word; for Herod will seek the young Child to destroy Him.” (Matthew 2:13)

What? Flee to Egypt? How can this be? Was not that which was conceived in Mary indeed of the Holy Spirit? Was not the young Child named Jesus, because He would save His people from their sins? Had the plan of God now fallen apart? Had the purpose of God come undone now because of the anger of Herod?

The Magi, following the Star, came to Jerusalem, to Herod, asking, “Where is He who has been born King of the Jews?” (Matthew 2:2). Now, Herod had been placed by the Romans as king over Jerusalem, but here was news of the rightful king whose coming had long been prophesied. Herod would not yield quietly to that.

Even the Star itself had been prophesied and was an indicator of the time of the Great King (Numbers 24:17). That is why the wise men came from the east — they had seen the Star. In the prophesy, this Great King would have dominion over all the enemies of God’s people, including Edom and Seir (Number 24:18). Herod was of Edom.

So Herod called together the chief priests and scribes and asked where this Messiah was to be born. They knew the prophecies, yet they were as troubled about it as Herod was. They answered that it would be in Bethlehem of Judea, according to Micah 5:2.

Herod met with the wise men again, this time in secret, for he was setting up a ruse. When he learned from them when the Star had first appeared, he sent them on their way, asking them to return when they found the infant King, so he could go and worship, too.

The wise men followed the Star on to Bethlehem, and found Jesus, now a young child, dwelling there in a house, along with His mother. They opened their treasures and presented Him with rich gifts befitting royalty. “Then, being divinely warned in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed for their own country another way” (Matthew 2:12).

It was when they departed that the angel of the Lord came to Joseph in a dream a second time: “Arise, take the young Child and His mother, flee to Egypt, and stay there until I bring you word; for Herod will seek the young Child to destroy Him.” Joseph quickly obeyed.

When he arose, he took the young Child and His mother by night and departed for Egypt, and was there until the death of Herod, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying, “Out of Egypt I called My Son. (Matthew 2:14-15)

Ah, so this did not catch God by surprise after all. He had even indicated it long before through the prophets. Matthew quotes Hosea 11:1, “When Israel was a child, I loved him, and out of Egypt I called My Son.”

Hosea was talking about the exodus, when the children of Israel were delivered from Egyptian bondage. But Matthew sees a parallel here: Just as Israel experienced a time of exile in Egypt, so did Israel’s Messiah. And just as Israel’s bondage in Egypt did not mean the end of God’s plan, neither did Jesus’ exile in Egypt. In fact, it offered Him an important point of identification with the history of God’s people, whom He came to save.

Joseph’s second angelic dream did not signal that the first dream had failed. It had succeeded wonderfully, just as God said. It was so successful, in fact, that it had aroused the anger of the enemy.

Then Herod, when he saw that he was deceived by the wise men, was exceedingly angry; and he sent forth and put to death all the male children who were in Bethlehem and in all its districts, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had determined from the wise men. Then was fulfilled what was spoken by Jeremiah the prophet saying:

“A voice was heard in Ramah,
Lamentation, weeping, and great mourning,
Rachel weeping for her children,
Refused to be comforted,
Because they are no more.”

(Matthew 2:16-18)

Matthew finds a parallel between Herod’s “slaughter of the innocents” and an earlier time in Israel’s history, a time of exile and destruction. We find the prophet’s words in Jeremiah 31:15. Ramah was a territory apportioned to the tribe of Benjamin; Rachel was the mother of Benjamin who died giving him birth and was buried in Bethlehem. So Jeremiah uses the tears of Rachel as a symbol of the inconsolable weeping heard in the desolate land when Israel was carried off into Babylonian captivity. But there was also an expectation of hope, found in the next verse:

Refrain your voice from weeping,
And your eyes from tears;
For your work shall be rewarded, says the LORD,
And they shall come back from the land of the enemy,
There is hope in your future, says the LORD,
That your children shall come back to their own border.

(Jeremiahs 31:16)

In the same way, the rage of Herod, which had destroyed the future of so many Hebrew children and sent the young Messiah into exile, could not undo the plan of God. The message of Joseph’s second angelic dream, “Flee to Egypt,” was not a capitulation to the enemy. It did not signal the failure of the first dream, but the protection of it. And it bore this important expectation: “Stay there until I bring you word.”

Exile does not mean the end of divine dreams and callings. It is often where they are protected, and even shaped.

---

Let Earth Receive Her King
Advent, Christmas and the Kingdom of God
by Jeff Doles

Preview with Amazon’s “Look Inside.”

Available in paperback and Kindle (Amazon), epub (Google and iTunes) and PDF.

Christmas Dreams: Do Not Be Afraid

Behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take to you Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. (Matthew 1:20)

Matthew’s Gospel begins with the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the Son of David, the Son of Abraham. It may seem like just a list of “begats,” but it tells an important story, tracing the kingly lineage, and the right of Messiah to rule and reign. But before it leads us to Jesus, it first introduces us to Joseph:

Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows: After His mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Spirit. Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not wanting to make her a public example, was minded to put her away secretly.

Joseph begins this story with a dream, not the one with the angel, but the one that had already filled his heart with anticipation. He was pledged to be married, and his mind was busily preparing plans for their new life together.

But his dream was suddenly shattered, and his plans broken, when he discovered that Mary was pregnant, and he knew he was not the father. Now it appeared that Mary had been unfaithful and he had been betrayed. So he reluctantly filled his mind with different plans, and his joy was displaced by bitterness.

He had every right, under the law, to break his pledge and set Mary aside — if she had indeed been unfaithful to him. He might even have put her to public shame, except that he still cared for her, even though his heart ached. No, he would still put her away — his own honor demanded that — but he would do it quietly.

Joseph did not act hastily, but passionately pondered these things, his heart and his head debating whether to follow through with this intention. He was almost hardened to what he must do, when something unexpected happened:

But while he thought about these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take to you Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name JESUS, for he will save his people from their sins.” (Matthew 1:18-21)

“Behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream.” Before Matthew’s Christmas narrative is through, we will see this same declaration three times, at key moments.

It is easy to overlook the word “behold,” as if it was nothing more than a simple connective. But Matthew uses it very purposefully, drawing our attention to something important, something we are likely to miss if we understand things only in the natural. It is an indicator concerning something that was happening in the spiritual realm.

“Behold!” But what are we to give special attention to? “An angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream.” A messenger from God, for that is what an angel really is, was sent to Joseph in a dream. Dreams were often recorded in the Old Testament as a means by which God revealed His plans to His people. Now Joseph was having just such a dream. Not only that, but an angel of the Lord appeared to him in it.

It was a startling thing, a burst of brightness. The Greek word for “appear” means that this angel was radiant with light; and he came to shine in the shadows of Joseph’s troubled understanding.

The angel addressed him: “Joseph, son of David.” Here is the important connection to the royal lineage with which Matthew began his account. Joseph was legal heir to the throne which God promised would continue in David’s family line forever.

“Do not be afraid.” No doubt, Joseph was intimidated by this glorious appearance. Who wouldn’t be? But in the midst of the despair that had enveloped his heart, these words also brought a glimmer of hope: “Don’t be afraid—all is not lost!”

“Do not be afraid to take to you Mary your wife.” Here was the directive, and the anticipation that there was a future for Joseph and his beloved after all. And now came the understanding Joseph had been lacking and for which he was unprepared: “For that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit.”

So this was not about Mary after all, but about God. Mary had not been unfaithful to Joseph; God was showing Himself strong, and faithful to an ancient promise, for this was about Messiah: “And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name JESUS, for he will save his people from their sins” (his name means “The LORD saves”).

Joseph’s former plans would be set aside, and he would grieve for them no longer; God had now revealed a greater plan. Joseph would still have his Mary, but now he would step into destiny.

Then Joseph, being aroused from sleep, did as the angel of the Lord commanded him and took to him his wife, and did not know her until she had brought forth her firstborn Son. And he called His name JESUS. (Matthew 1:24-25)

The dream of Christmas is that God steps into hopeless situations, shines the brightness of His glory and fulfills the promise of redemption in unexpected ways.

---

Let Earth Receive Her King
Advent, Christmas and the Kingdom of God
by Jeff Doles

Preview with Amazon’s “Look Inside.”

Available in paperback and Kindle (Amazon), epub (Google and iTunes) and PDF.

Prayer and a Heart Without Doubt

Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence toward God. And whatever we ask we receive from Him, because we keep His commandments and do those things that are pleasing in sight and this is His commandment: that we should believe on the name of His Son Jesus Christ and love one another, as He gave us commandment. (1 John 3:21-23)

The secret to a prayer without a doubt is a heart that does not condemn. To condemn means to find fault with, or holding something against someone. If your heart is finding fault with you or holding something against you, it can wreck the boldness and assurance with which you approach God. But if your heart is clear, your confidence will be strong.

So what is John talking about here? If our heart does not condemn us — about what? It is about keeping the commandments of God, and according to John, that comes down to two things: Believe on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, and love one another.

1. Believe on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ

The apostle Paul declared, “There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus” (Romans 8:1). If you have received the Lord Jesus, there is no sentence of judgment that rests on you—Jesus took that in your place. God does not condemn you!

2. Love one another

This is the commandment Jesus gave to John and the other disciples on the night He instituted the Lord’s Supper. “A new commandment I give to you that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another” (John 13:34).

Failure to love wrecks our confidence towards God because it shifts our focus off of God and onto ourselves. God showed His love to us through Jesus Christ, and He intends for that love to overflow to others through us. When we share that love freely with others, we are allowing God’s love to flow through us. But when we withhold that love from others, God does not withhold His love from us, but we stop the flow of His love from having its way in our lives. Then when the devil comes and whispers his accusations, our hearts begin to believe them.

Now, watch as James shows how failure to love can twist your prayer life and spoil your confidence towards God:

Where do wars and fights come from among you? Do they not come from your desires for pleasure that war in your members? You lust and do not have. You murder and covet and cannot obtain. You fight and war. Yet you do not have because you do not ask. You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures. (James 4:1-3)

Clearly, this is not loving one another. It is self-centeredness. Prayer is not about our own pleasures but about God’s purpose, and His purpose is to love, because God is love (1 John 4:8).

Prayer is a very powerful thing. Jesus promised, “Whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them” (Mark 11:24). But then He added, “And whenever you stand praying if you have anything against anyone, forgive him” (v. 25). As powerful as prayer is, if we are unwilling to love one another by forgiving one another, it will seriously hinder our faith and keep us from receiving what we have asked. For as Paul concluded, faith works through love (Galatians 5:6).

A Heart That Does Not Condemn

The declaration of Scripture is that there is no condemnation for those who have received the Lord Jesus Christ. God does not condemn us, but sometimes our heart does, especially when we know that we have not been walking in love toward God and each other. But there is a ready solution at hand, and it is found in Jesus Christ. As John said, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9).

To confess means to agree with God about it, that it is wrong and does not belong in our lives. When we do that, God promises, not only to forgive us our sins, but to cleanse us from all unrighteousness, that is, to deal with sin in our lives and lead us into victory over them. Then we are free to love as we have been loved by God, and our heart will find anything against us.

Oh, the devil may still come and whisper in your ear, making accusations against you, and try to set your heart in confusion. But you don’t have to listen to him. Instead, you can take the promises of God and say:

“I have received the Lord Jesus Christ, and there is now no condemnation for me, because I am in Him.”

If there is any sin in your life, or if you have not been walking in love, confess it to God, and trust Him to forgive you and to remove it from your life. You can always God boldly to God, for He has promised.

Seeing then that we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need. (Hebrews 4:14-16)

When our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence toward God, and we can know that whatever we ask of Him, we will receive, because we believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and walk in love toward each, loving our neighbor as ourselves. Then the power of prayer and faith are released in a mighty way.

(See also, Outspokenness Toward God)

The Excellent Ones

As for the saints who are on the earth,
They are the excellent ones, in whom is all my delight.

(Psalm 16:3)

Who are the excellent ones? The saints who are on the earth. The Hebrew word for “saints” is qadosh, which means “holy.” To be holy means to be set apart for a special purpose. The saints are those who are set apart by God for His special. They are the godly ones, those who seek after God, to love Him, serve Him and trust Him with all their hearts.

Why does David, the psalmwriter, delight in the saints of God? It is because He has first delighted in God Himself. As he says in the previous verse:

O my soul, you have said to the LORD,
“You are my Lord, my goodness is nothing apart from you.”

(Psalm 16:2)

To delight in the LORD means, in part, to love what He loves.

• David delighted in God: “Delight yourself also in the LORD, and He shall give you’re the desires of your heart” (Psalm 37:4).
• The LORD delights in His people: “For the LORD takes pleasure in His people; He will beautify the humble with salvation” (Psalm 149:4).
• Therefore, David delighted in the people of the LORD, too.

Of the saints, the people of God, David says, “They are the excellent ones.” To lay out the meaning a bit more: “They are the great ones, the majestic ones, the powerful ones, the glorious ones.”

Then David adds, “In whom is all my delight.” The Hebrew word for “delight” here is the same one used in Psalm 1:2, “But his delight is in the law of the Law, and in His law he meditates both day and night.” As much as we are to delight in the Word of God, that is how much we are to delight in the people of God.

Now, to delight in the people of God does not mean that we are going to agree on everything. It doesn’t even mean that we are always going to get along. We might not even always agree to disagree. No matter. But to delight in the people of God means that I am always going to believe and look for God’s best in them. Through faith in Jesus Christ they have become the righteousness of God (2 Corinthians 5:21). They have received the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 1:13-14), and the fruit of the Spirit is present within their beings (Galatians 5:23-24). They are being conformed to the image of Christ (Romans 8:29), and as He is, so are they in this world (1 John 4:17). They have a rich inheritance and a wonderful calling, and it is an honor to walk with them in this life.

Every Tuesday morning, it is my privilege to lead a small group of men in worship and Bible study. These are mighty men of God, men of faith who have learned to look to the Lord in everything. They are the excellent ones in whom is all my delight.

Once a month, I meet with a diverse group of pastors, and I get to lead them in a time of worship as we enter into prayer and intercession for our city. They are the excellent ones in whom is all my delight.

The little church where we fellowship, Revival Outreach Center in Dover, FL, is full of people who are continually pressing into the heart of God, stretching and enlarging to extend the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of the Father and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit to others in our community and around the world. They are the excellent ones in whom is all my delight.

Father, thank You for all my brothers and sisters in Jesus Christ. I thank You for what You are doing in them. Because you see Jesus in them, I will look and see Jesus in them, too. For they are the excellent ones, the majestic ones, the glorious ones, the powerful ones, in whom is all my delight. Thank You. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

The Table of My Inheritance

O LORD, You are the portion of my inheritance and my cup;
You maintain my lot.
The lines have fallen to me in pleasant places;
Yes, I have a good inheritance.

(Psalm 16:5-6)

This morning I took of the Table of the Lord using this passage. Everything I need — forgiveness, reconciliation, healing, freedom from bondage, and even prosperity — is in the atonement, the body of the Lord Jesus Christ given and shed for me. And it is symbolized in the communion elements of the bread and the wine.

The significance that the use of “cup” in this verse has for me in regard to the Lord’s Table is pretty apparent. At the Last Supper, the Lord Jesus took the cup, blessed it and gave it to His disciples, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood, which is shed for you” (Lord 22:20).

In Bible times, a covenant was marked by the shedding of blood, so that the two parties did not just make a covenant, they cut a covenant. At the cross, Jesus instituted a new and better covenant between God and man, and it was cut with the shedding of His blood. The cup of the Lord’s Table is the symbol that quickens us to that reality.

Now, the essence of covenant is in exchange: All we are and have belongs to God; all He is and has belongs to us.

• Jesus took our sin; we receive His righteousness.
• He took our sicknesses; we receive His healing.
• He took the chastisement that belonged to us; we receive His peace.

All we have is His; all He has is ours. That is why Paul calls us joint-heirs with Christ: “The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs — heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ” (Romans 8:17). Paul talks about this often:

If you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise. (Galatians 3:29)

In Him also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel of His will. (Ephesians 1:11)

The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints. (Ephesians 1:18)

It has now been revealed by the Spirit to His holy apostles and prophets: that the Gentiles should be fellow heirs of the same body, and partakers of His promise in Christ through the gospel. (Ephesians 3:6)

That having been justified by His grace we should become heirs according to the hope of eternal life. (Titus 3:7)

All that the Lord Jesus Christ receives from the Father, He shares with us, holding nothing back.

Lord Jesus, You are the portion of my inheritance and my cup; You maintain my lot. The lines have fallen to me in pleasant places. Yes, I have a good inheritance!

(See also Yahweh, the Portion of My Inheritance and My Cup)