Truth Over Facts

Reading from the Book of Isaiah 55:11

¹¹So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.

God's Word is filled with inherent power. When God speaks, powerful things take place. His Word never returns void. It always accomplishes its purpose. When we learn to speak God's Word instead of rehearsing how we feel or declaring what we think, we are also releasing power. The Word of God spoken in faith from a believer's mouth can change circumstances. We may experience negative facts in our lives, but God's Word is truth, and truth is more powerful than facts.

Lazarus was dead, that was a fact. But when Jesus, Who is Truth, walked up to the tomb and spoke, the truth changed the facts. Throughout the Gospels, we repeatedly read of people who were sick and demon-possessed who went to Jesus. When He spoke, their facts changed. They were healed, delivered, and set free. We must never magnify the facts of our circumstances above God and the power of His Word. When God speaks, things change! God is Truth over facts!

Law Of The House

Reading from the Book of Ezekiel 43:10-12

¹⁰Thou son of man, shew the house to the house of Israel, that they may be ashamed of their iniquities: and let them measure the pattern.
 ¹¹And if they be ashamed of all that they have done, shew them the form of the house, and the fashion thereof, and the goings out thereof, and the comings in thereof, and all the forms thereof, and all the ordinances thereof, and all the forms thereof, and all the laws thereof: and write it in their sight, that they may keep the whole form thereof, and all the ordinances thereof, and do them.
 ¹²This is the law of the house; Upon the top of the mountain the whole limit thereof round about shall be most holy. Behold, this is the law of the house.

Let them measure accurately...that is the counsel of the Lord. However, everywhere I hear people instead going their own way, doing their own thing, rather than measuring accurately and doing as God would direct.

You see, it isn't good enough to manifest love in the way that we choose or the way that we think is good. If we do that, we are following our own ways, rather than God's. It is not good enough to do what has been done in our particular denomination or non-denominational group. It is not good enough to do what "pastor" says. It is only as we measure what we are doing against the ways of God that we will find how very much different we really are doing things and if we are sorry for that, if we find grace for repentance for what has been done, we then have hope that we can indeed be and become an accurate expression of Christ, rather than an inaccurate one.

There are many issues that we may or may not have settled in our lives. Do you remember before you were saved? Do you remember flipping through the TV channels and occasionally landing on a Christian television program? What was your reaction? Now, after you were saved, was your reaction different? Of course it was. If Billy Graham was on television before you were saved ... you changed channels as quickly as you could, as well as perhaps making a negative remark of some kind. But after becoming a Christian, your reaction was different. You were not so quick to change the channel and you certainly did not make the negative remarks. Why is that? It is because the question was settled in your heart that it was now a good thing and you embraced this good thing that God made available, rather than rejecting it.

All of us have issues that may or may not have been settled along the way. These are the areas that require genuine repentance, that require renewal in our lives. As our mind catches up to where our heart is, we find the issue settled and we can become accurate in our thinking and in our behavior.

Jesus demonstrated for us all what accurate living was all about. Anything outside of what He saw Father doing and saying was "out of bounds" so to speak for Jesus. He is telling us the same thing...however many are asleep and are not hearing or seeing what Father is doing. But most of the Church continues bumping around in the dark, living life based on second hand revelation, often from unreliable sources who also are just bumping around in the dark too.

A lot of well-meaning people have developed sophisticated programs and ministries aimed at solving problems in people's lives. That is good, I suppose, but if we embraced accurate living, engaging the genius of God rather than our own intellectualism, then these problems could be prevented, rather than having to be solved.

As a man thinks in his heart, so is he. This demonstrates the power of thinking. Not good thinking or bad thinking, but thinking in general. If we turn our gaze upon Father instead of our own programs and methods, do you see how different things could be?

We need to be willing to seek the Lord, call upon His Name and then be on the lookout for His answer. Since that time I have seen this work consistently in my own life and in others. If we will enlarge our hearts, making more room for Him, He will come and be with us, He will be a present help in times of trouble.

If you desire to make a change, express your shame of all you have done in the past and begin to receive grace for repentance, turning your heart and your mind away from your own ways and instead turn your heart and mind to His ways. It really does work. There is great joy in this repentance. You need to know how to hear accurately, see accurately and live accurately, according to the measure of Christ. This is not some vague counsel, but is an entirely new way of living day to day and moment to moment, for the glory of God. I believe this is the "law of the house."

Too Hot To Handle!

Reading from the Book of I Peter 4:8

^{I Peter 4:8} Above all, keep fervent in your love for one another, because love covers a multitude of sins.

First peter 4:8 teaches us to have "intense and unfailing love for one another." We are to have "fervent love" for one another. The verb form of the Greek word that is translated fervent means "to be hot, to boil". Our love walk needs to be hot, on fire, and boiling over. Not tepid, cold, or barely noticeable.

Let your love be red-hot. Let it be fervent toward God and toward other people, and as you do, you will not only live in obedience to the Word, you will also be too hot and on fire with God's love for the enemy to handle.

I want the love of God in my heart to be so red-hot that Satan dreads to see me get out of bed in the morning! 

If we are hot enough with love, Satan cannot stay around us for long. We might say we will be "too hot to handle."

2012 Instruction Manual

Reading from the Book of II Peter 1:2-8

^{II Peter 1:3} His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. ⁴ Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature, having escaped the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.  ⁵ For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; ⁶ and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; ⁷ and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love. ⁸ For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Second Peter 1:3 tells us that God calls us to His own glory and excellence. He wants us to have excellent lives, but He also expects us to learn how to behave excellently. Finding the strength to do so only comes as we wait on Him and spending time in God's Word teaches us right from wrong.

God's power provides everything we need to enjoy great and godly lives, but what He provides comes to us through the full, personal knowledge of Him. We cannot know God through someone else. We can know about Him through others, but to know Him for ourselves we must study His Word ourselves and spend time with Him individually.

You can be as close to God as you want to be. He is no respecter of persons and if one person can have a close, intimate relationship with Him, then so can everyone else. Why do some people seem so close to God and yet others do not? I believe it all depends on how much time we are willing to put into developing our personal relationship with Him.

If you ever wanted an instruction manual in your life, know that God's power has provided everything you need through knowing Him and reading His Word. Remember that everyone of His promises is for you. Begin The New Year by opening up your "Instruction Manual".