Be Not Ignorant

Be Not Ignorant Victory Ministries Walter Kambulow June 1, 2008 All rights reserved Burlington, Ontario Mail to [email protected] http://walthope.tripod.com/healing.htm

Walter Kambulow, is a man like King David, "after God's own heart." I encourage you to read his books. It will fill your souls with hearty spiritual food and give you new strength to live your faith in Jesus. He is Jesus centered and saturated with the Word of God and strong in the Spirit of the Holy Ghost. He is a great fighter for His King and an encourager of the true Saints. – He is a man of God with a sincere burden for the Body of Christ and its attack from these wolves in sheep’s clothing. He spends his time trying to warn the sheep that the Wolves are not coming into the sheep pen, they are already there and ravaging God’s people with their horrible witchcraft powers. Dr. Pat Holiday, Jacksonville, Florida Karl Strader and Gordon Williams on Lakeland Outpouring and Walter Kambulow http://endtimespropheticwords.wordpress.com/2008/08/09/karl-strader-and-gordon-williams-onlakeland-outpouring/ An-Angel-Called-Emma http://www.pdfcoke.com/doc/2909690/AN-ANGEL-CALLED-EMMA Todd Bentley Demonic Ministry http://www.pdfcoke.com/doc/3113512/Investigating-TODDBENTLEY-AND-HIS-DEMONIC-MINISTRY-

Free Christian Ebooks in HTM http://walthope.tripod.com/ The All Sufficient Christ http://walthope.tripod.com/sufficient_christ.htm I Believe, I Receive http://walthope.tripod.com/i_believe.htm The Lord Is Very Compassionate http://walthope.tripod.com/compassionate.htm The Greatest Is Love http://walthope.tripod.com/thegreatest.htm More Shall Be Given http://walthope.tripod.com/begiven.htm God’s Will Is Healing http://walthope.tripod.com/healing.htm God Hears And Answers Prayers http://walthope.tripod.com/answers.htm

1 Be Not Ignorant In Time of Trouble http://walthope.tripod.com/trouble.htm Blessed To Be A Blessing http://walthope.tripod.com/blessed.htm Our Wonderful Redeemer http://walthope.tripod.com/redeemer.htm The LORD Will Hear http://walthope.tripod.com/hear.htm Let God Arise http://walthope.tripod.com/arise.htm Who Is Like God? http://walthope.tripod.com/likegod.htm The Effective, Fervent Prayer http://walthope.tripod.com/prayer.htm Called To Inherit A Blessing http://walthope.tripod.com/called.htm Be Not Ignorant http://walthope.tripod.com/ignorant.htm

Free Christian Ebooks in PDF http://www.pdfcoke.com/tag/walter%20kambulow The All Sufficient Christ http://www.pdfcoke.com/doc/11351343/Sufficient-Christ The Lord Is Very Compassionate http://www.pdfcoke.com/doc/10957326/Compassionate I Believe, I Receive http://www.pdfcoke.com/doc/12152068/ibelieve The Greatest Is Love http://www.pdfcoke.com/doc/12179920/The-Greatest More Shall Be Given http://www.pdfcoke.com/doc/12230275/Be-Given God’s Will Is Healing http://www.pdfcoke.com/doc/12404063/Healing God Hears And Answers Prayers http://www.pdfcoke.com/doc/12779089/Answers In Time of Trouble http://www.pdfcoke.com/doc/13752617/Trouble Blessed To Be A Blessing http://www.pdfcoke.com/doc/15690120/Blessed Our Wonderful Redeemer http://www.pdfcoke.com/doc/17091173/Redeemer The LORD Will Hear http://www.pdfcoke.com/doc/18120653/The-LORD-Will-Hear Let God Arise http://www.pdfcoke.com/doc/18992591/Arise Who Is Like God? http://www.pdfcoke.com/doc/19418383/Like-God The Effective, Fervent Prayer http://www.pdfcoke.com/doc/19706617/The-Effective-Fervent-PrayerCalled To Inherit A Blessing http://www.pdfcoke.com/doc/20773325/Called Be Not Ignorant http://www.pdfcoke.com/doc/21447468/Be-Not-Ignorant Ever Increasing Faith http://www.pdfcoke.com/doc/4987458/Ever-Increasing-Faith-Smith-Wigglesworth "House of David/House of Saul" http://www.moriel.org/Teaching/Online/House_of_David_House_of_Saul/House_of_DavidHouse_of_Saul.pdf The Delusional World Of Mark Stibbe & St Andrews Chorleywood http://www.moriel.org/articles/discernment/church_issues/delusional_world_of_mark_stibbe.htm False Prophet Rick Joyner & Todd Bentley’s Adulterous Re-Marriage http://moriel.org/MorielArchive/index.php/news/usa/false-prophet-rick-joyner-todd-bentleys-remarriage

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Content INTRODUCTION  CHAPTER 1  Love Is The Greatest  CHAPTER 2  Hope Thou In God  CHAPTER 3  If You Have Faith?  CHAPTER 4  The God Of Miracle Lives  CHAPTER 5  My Help  CHAPTER 6  Healing And Restoration Is God’s Will  CHAPTER 7  The Perfect Will Of God  CHAPTER 8  May God Sanctify You Completely  CHAPTER 9  Perfect In Christ Jesus  CHAPTER 10  God Was With Him  CHAPTER 11  I Have Overcome The World  I Am For You  CHAPTER 12  God’s Will Is Prosperity  CHAPTER 13  I Will Call Upon The LORD  CHAPTER 14  Power To Get Wealth  CHAPTER 15  Greater Works He Will Do  CHAPTER 16  The Promises Of God Are Yes And Amen  CHAPTER 17  The Power Of Christ 

3 Be Not Ignorant CHAPTER 18  By Awesome Deeds  CHAPTER 20  Be Kind One To Another  CHAPTER 21  You Have A Friend In Jesus  CHAPTER 22  Demas Has Forsaken Me  CHAPTER 23  God Was With Him  It’s Super Todd!  Todd Bentley Is Not A Christian  CHAPTER 24  Rick Warren False Prophet  CHAPTER 25  The LORD Is Merciful And Gracious 

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Introduction For we do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, of our trouble which came to us in Asia: that we were burdened beyond measure, above strength, so that we despaired even of life. Yes, we had the sentence of death in ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves but in God who raises the dead, who delivered us from so great a death, and does deliver us; in whom we trust that He will still deliver us, you also helping together in prayer for us, that thanks may be given by many persons on our behalf for the gift granted to us through many. 2 Corinthians 1:9-11 Ignorance is not a blessing but sometimes a disaster especially of the power of God, your inheritance in Christ and the authority you have in Christ as a Christian, as a son of God! In this world one sole policeman has great authority because the government is behind him and you can get into serious trouble if you resist him. Similarly God has given us the use of the name of Jesus which is above all principality and power and might and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in that which is to come. And the use of the name of Jesus can bring great dividends to a knowledgeable believer! The name of Jesus can heal the sick, move a mountain, still storms, cast out demons and cause miracles to occur in the current time of life for a believer! And because Jesus Christ is alive and well and has overcome the world including sin, demons and death and has won the victory, He gives the victory to His trusting children to achieve great things for His honor and glory. The size of their mountain or enemies is not a problem because their God, friend, provider and Lord, is bigger than anything that they face or will face. He is still in the mountain moving and miracle working business and none can stand against Him and the power of Jesus name. Everything must bow at the name of Jesus including sickness, poverty, disease, demons, loss and governments. God’s word is true: Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. Philippians 2:5-11 So the Lord said, "If you have faith as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, 'Be pulled up by the roots and be planted in the sea,' and it would obey you. Luke 17:6 For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world-our faith. 1 John 5:4

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Chapter 1 Love Is The Greatest Let no one seek his own, but each one the other's well-being. 1 Corinthians 10:24 And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love. 1 Corinthians 13:13 The God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, has not only blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, but has made us to sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus who is seated at God’s right hand in the heavenly places. Jesus Christ has redeemed us to God by His blood out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation, and made us kings and priests to our God and to reign on the earth. God is love and He sought not his own well-being but ours! God is love and while we were yet sinners Christ died for us. God is love and He gave His only begotten Son that we should not perish but have life everlasting. Life everlasting and Love is a person called Jesus Christ and not a set of doctrines or beliefs. And if we truly are perfect and have Love inside of us we will seek not our own but each other’s wellbeing. God’s word is unchanging: In this the children of God and the children of the devil are manifest: Whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is he who does not love his brother. For this is the message that you heard from the beginning, that we should love one another, not as Cain who was of the wicked one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his works were evil and his brother's righteous. Do not marvel, my brethren, if the world hates you. We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love the brethren. He who does not love his brother abides in death. Whoever hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him. By this we know love, because He laid down His life for us. And we also ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. But whoever has this world's goods, and sees his brother in need, and shuts up his heart from him, how does the love of God abide in him? My little children, let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth. 1 John 3:1017 Love is expressed primarily not by words but by deeds. God so loved us that He gave His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, His wonderful Counsellor, the Holy Spirit, and all things. 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 (2Peter 1:3 ). He desires that we may prosper in all things and be in health, just as our soul prospers (3 John 1:2). Our flesh and blood bodies are NOW the Temple of the Holy Spirit. We no longer have the "Spirit of the Lord" upon us. We have the "Spirit of the Lord" IN US: "Christ IN US, the hope of glory…" "The Father and the Son will come and make Their abode IN YOU…" "The Kingdom of God is WITHIN YOU…" "The Spirit of truth will dwell WITH YOU and IN YOU…" It’s true EMMANUEL, "GOD WITH(in) US", the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit are the ANOINTING within us. Jesus Christ dwells within us and that His anointing is our anointing! The same POWER that Jesus used to preach, teach, prophesy and ministering healing to thousands is NOW resident within each and every born-again, Holy Spirit baptized man, woman and child. All the anointing of God we will ever need to "do the works of Jesus" and "greater works than these" are NOW possible because God lives in us. His word is unchanging: "Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father. "And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. "If you ask anything in My name, I will do it. "If you love Me, keep My commandments. "And I will pray the Father, and He

6 Be Not Ignorant will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever- "the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you. "I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you. "A little while longer and the world will see Me no more, but you will see Me. Because I live, you will live also. John 14:12-19 "Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out demons. Freely you have received, freely give. Matthew 10:8 Because God is love and he who abides in love abides in God, and God in him, we will go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. We will cast out demons; we will speak with new tongues; we will take up serpents; and we will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover. The One who send us will work with us and confirm the Word through the accompanying signs. God’s word is true: And He said to them, "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. "He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned. "And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues; "they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover." So then, after the Lord had spoken to them, He was received up into heaven, and sat down at the right hand of God. And they went out and preached everywhere, the Lord working with them and confirming the word through the accompanying signs. Amen. Matthew 16:15-20 We don’t have to go to Bible College and have several degrees after our name before we can become a POWERFUL Holy Ghost filled witness for the Lord Jesus Christ. We don’t have to know a lot about the Bible and Christian doctrines before we can become a POWERFUL witness for the Lord Jesus Christ. We don’t have to FEEL THE POWER of the Lord upon we before we lay hands on someone to be healed, delivered and set free from what the Devil has bound them under. All we need is simple child like faith to DO THE WORKS OF JESUS! Lost, sick and hurting humanity is wafting for the sons and daughters of God to be revealed. God’s word is unchanging: For the earnest expectation of the creation eagerly waits for the revealing of the sons of God. Romans 8:19 And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head-Christ- from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love. Ephesians 4:11-16 Yes, we must all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the headChrist- from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love. Each one of us must do the works of Jesus and take our rightful place as the sons and daughters of God. God’s word is unchanging: So then, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath; for the wrath of man does not produce the righteousness of God. Therefore lay aside all filthiness and overflow of wickedness, and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls. But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror; for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was. But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of

7 Be Not Ignorant the work, this one will be blessed in what he does. If anyone among you thinks he is religious, and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his own heart, this one's religion is useless. Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world. James 1:19-27

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Chapter 2 Hope Thou In God Why are you cast down, O my soul? And why are you disquieted within me? Hope in God; For I shall yet praise Him, The help of my countenance and my God. Psalm 42:11 For the vision is yet for an appointed time; But at the end it will speak, and it will not lie. Though it tarries, wait for it; Because it will surely come, It will not tarry. Habakkuk 2:3 No matter how we feel or what negative situation that we find ourselves in, when we praise God we give Him the fuel to lead us from glory to glory even if His paths will lead us into the Red Sea where nothing but a miracle will save us! Faith still is the evidence of things not seen (Hebrews 11:1). In spiritual combats praise makes us a lion that cannot be stopped. Praise is God's natural habitat; whereas the devil naturally inhabits sorrow. When we are praising God, we are exalting Him, and He will in turn exalt us; if we honor Him, He will honor us. When we give God His proper place then He promotes us to our proper place just like He did for King David and King Solomon. David continually praised God (Psalm 34:1) and God delivered him from all his enemies. And Solomon went to Gibeon where he offered a thousand burnt offerings on the altar. As a result God said to Solomon, "Ask! What shall I give you?" (1 Kings 3:4-5). As a result Solomon became one of the richest kings of his day. We were created to praise God. We are created as an instrument of praise unto God. And when we step in this purpose, then God true purposes for our lives become a reality. And His best for our lives becomes not just a dream. There is no weeping, sickness and lack in heaven. So when our life becomes one of praises it puts us into reality of the heavenly places. It moves us from the superficial to the deep things of God where earth’s poverty, sickness and lack are replaced by heaven’s riches, health and abundance. In any situation where we do not know what else to do, we can just sing praises unto the Lord, fixing our eyes on Him. And then we enjoy dramatic triumphs in praise, because God is there. We also execute judgment, produce vengeance and eradicate mourning (Psalm 149: 7), as we put on the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness (Isaiah 61:1-3). Praise brings God on the scene and all our enemies will be scattered! Because God is alive and well and a great miracle working God, at all times we can praise and give him thanks especially as we have hope and faith of the great and wonderful things that He will do for us. His word is unchanging: Bless the LORD, O my soul; And all that is within me, bless His holy name! Bless the LORD, O my soul, And forget not all His benefits: Who forgives all your iniquities, Who heals all your diseases, Who redeems your life from destruction, Who crowns you with loving-kindness and tender mercies, Who satisfies your mouth with good things, So that your youth is renewed like the eagle's. Psalm 103:1-5 …and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, far above all principality and power and might and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in that which is to come. Ephesians 1:19-21 Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, … Ephesians 3:20 We can serve the Lord our God with joyfulness, and with gladness of heart for the abundance of all things that He has done for us and is doing for us. The devil is a liar and the truth is that God still forgives all our iniquities, heals all our diseases, and redeems our life from destruction. The truth is there is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places. The truth is God able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us including the power of hope and faith. When we put our hope in

9 Be Not Ignorant God and praise Him, He rides the heaven in our help. Praise brings down the power of God our life, because it provokes the release of fresh oil which endues with power. Nothing forces our enemy to surrender like power. When we engage in genuine praise, we are anointed with fresh oil and endowed with power; that is when we begin to see our desires upon our enemies. God’s word is unchanging: Make a joyful shout to God, all the earth! Sing out the honor of His name; Make His praise glorious. Say to God,"How awesome are Your works! Through the greatness of Your power Your enemies shall submit themselves to You. Psalm 66:1-2 But my horn You have exalted like a wild ox; I have been anointed with fresh oil. My eye also has seen my desire on my enemies; My ears hear my desire on the wicked Who rise up against me. Psalm. 92:10-11 Praise not only fertilizes our hope and keeps it going strong but it brings us from a prison to a palace just like God did for Joseph who was unjustly locked up. As a result he would rule over his brothers that sold him into slavery. As a result Joseph would give his testimony, "For God has caused me to be fruitful in the land of my affliction." (Genesis. 41:52). God is inside praise, so everything that bows to God will bow to praise. When faced with any conflict of life, we can destroy the obstacles by switching to praise; and watch all the walls of Jericho (hedging us in) be brought down! Yes, when we praise God He will increase us, bless us and prosper us. His word is true: "Who is like You, O LORD, among the gods? Who is like You, glorious in holiness, Fearful in praises, doing wonders? Exodus 15:11 Let the peoples praise You, O God; Let all the peoples praise You. Oh, let the nations be glad and sing for joy! For You shall judge the people righteously, And govern the nations on earth. Selah Let the peoples praise You, O God; Let all the peoples praise You. Then the earth shall yield her increase; God, our own God, shall bless us. God shall bless us, And all the ends of the earth shall fear Him. Psalm 67:3-7 Behold, I will do a new thing, Now it shall spring forth; Shall you not know it? I will even make a road in the wilderness And rivers in the desert. The beast of the field will honor Me, The jackals and the ostriches, Because I give waters in the wilderness And rivers in the desert, To give drink to My people, My chosen. This people I have formed for Myself; They shall declare My praise. Isaiah 43:19-21 So the ransomed of the LORD shall return, And come to Zion with singing, With everlasting joy on their heads. They shall obtain joy and gladness; Sorrow and sighing shall flee away. Isaiah 51:11 The LORD your God in your midst, The Mighty One, will save; He will rejoice over you with gladness, He will quiet you with His love, He will rejoice over you with singing." Zephaniah 3:17 Just like Abraham believed God and it was counted to him for righteousness so can we believe God? Abraham staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God (Romans 4:20) and so can we! No matter the storm we will find ourselves in, we can be sure of what God has promised. He has promised to bless and prosper us and to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask pray or thing. God’s word is unchanging: For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the LORD, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope. Jeremiah 29:11 He did not waver at the promise of God through unbelief, but was strengthened in faith, giving glory to God, and being fully convinced that what He had promised He was also able to perform. And therefore "it was accounted to him for righteousness." Romans 4:20-22 In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved by various trials, that the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ, whom having not seen you love. Though now you do not see Him, yet believing, you rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory,… 1 Peter 1:6-8 The righteousness of God in Jesus Christ is the driving force behind our faith, causing us to triumph in

10 Be Not Ignorant His Name. Jesus triumphed over Satan in three areas. First, during His earthly ministry, He spoke to Satan and said, “It is written...” (Matthew 4:4,7,10), and Satan had to obey the Word of God. Secondly, at the cross and resurrection, Jesus stripped Satan of his power and took the keys of hell and death. However, the third and most important area of Jesus’ triumph over Satan is His victory in the new birth. It was impossible in Satan’s thinking for God to take a man in sin, turn him into righteousness, give him the armor of God and enable him to triumph as Jesus did. This is victory of the highest order! Sin turned into righteousness! Death Almighty God is our very own Father! We are bone of His bone, spirit of His Spirit, a joint-heir with Jesus Christ, and living in the kingdom of God. As we realize these things in our life, weu become Godinside-minded. We no longer think of God as being a million miles away. He is residing inside us! Righteousness then becomes a force in the life of a believer which under girds his faith. The reality of righteousness enables a believer to do the impossible. Jesus approached the tomb of Lazarus and said, “Take ye away the stone...” (John 11:39). He never wavered in His faith. Righteousness is our gateway to enjoying any benefit from God. Since He won't behold iniquity, our praises to Him in iniquity won't be acceptable before Him. He couldn't even behold His only begotten Son on the cross when He bore the sins of the whole world upon Himself, how then would He listen to us when him you praise Him in sin? Every grace of God thrives on righteousness. Praise provides an access into the presence and blessings of God; but it is righteousness that secures it. Every blessing from God requires righteousness to be released. Similarly, every principle of God produces on the platform of righteousness, which is God's foundation (2 Timothy.2:19). Every blessing requires that we abide in the vine. God’s word is unchanging: "I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. "Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit. "You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you. "Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me. "I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing. "If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned. "If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you. "By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples. John 15:1-8 Praise the LORD! Sing to the LORD a new song, And His praise in the assembly of saints. Let Israel rejoice in their Maker; Let the children of Zion be joyful in their King. Let them praise His name with the dance; Let them sing praises to Him with the timbrel and harp For the LORD takes pleasure in His people; He will beautify the humble with salvation. Psalm 149:1-4 What is the conclusion then? I will pray with the spirit, and I will also pray with the understanding. I will sing with the spirit, and I will also sing with the understanding. 1 Corinthians 14:15

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Chapter 3 If You Have Faith? And the apostles said to the Lord, "Increase our faith." So the Lord said, "If you have faith as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, 'Be pulled up by the roots and be planted in the sea,' and it would obey you. "And which of you, having a servant plowing or tending sheep, will say to him when he has come in from the field, 'Come at once and sit down to eat'? "But will he not rather say to him, 'Prepare something for my supper, and gird yourself and serve me till I have eaten and drunk, and afterward you will eat and drink'? "Does he thank that servant because he did the things that were commanded him? I think not. "So likewise you, when you have done all those things which you are commanded, say, 'We are unprofitable servants. We have done what was our duty to do.' " Luke 17:6-10 There are many so called believers who are very upset with the Word-Faith Movement that emphasis faith and have attacked it with critiques such as: The fastest growing segment of professing Christianity today is the Word-Faith Movement, also known as the Positive Confession or simply "Faith" movement. Its growth is at least partially due to the massive amounts of money the leaders are able to extract from the faithful. This influx of cash allows for huge buildings and extensive ministries, and more importantly, wide exposure on television, which translates into numerical growth. Not only do many Word-Faith preachers broadcast their services and campaigns, but Word-Faith adherents, Paul and Jan Crouch, own the largest Christian-based television network in the world. The Trinity Broadcasting Network (TBN), founded by the Crouches, with an estimated net worth of approximately $600 million dollars, is capable of televising the Faith message (as well as many other errant messages) all over the world. As is implied by the title "Word-Faith," the supporters of this movement believe that faith works like a mighty power or force. Through faith, we can obtain anything we want -- health, wealth, success, whatever. However, this force is only released through the spoken word. As we speak the words of faith, power is discharged to accomplish our desires. Hagin's theme, as found in his booklet How to Write Your Own Ticket with God, can be summarized as follows (Christianity in Crisis, pp. 74-75): In the opening chapter, titled "Jesus Appears to Me," Hagin claims that while he "was in the Spirit" -just like the apostle John on the Isle of Patmos -- a white cloud enveloped him and he began to speak in tongues. "Then the Lord Jesus Himself appeared to me," says Hagin. "He stood within three feet of me." After what sounded like a casual conversation about such things as finances, ministry, and even current affairs, Jesus told Hagin to get a pencil and a piece of paper. He then instructed him to "Write down: 1,2,3,4." Jesus then allegedly told Hagin "if anybody, anywhere, will take these four steps or put these four principles into operation, he will always receive whatever he wants from Me or from God the Father." That includes whatever you want financially. The formula is simply: "Say it, Do it, Receive it, and Tell it." 1. Step number one is "Say it." "Positive or negative, it is up to the individual. According to what the individual says, that shall he receive." 2. Step number two is "Do it." "Your action defeats you or puts you over. According to your action, you receive or you are kept from receiving." 3. Step number three is "Receive it." We are to plug into the "powerhouse of heaven." "Faith is the plug, praise God! Just plug in." 4. Step number four is "Tell it so others may believe." This final step might be considered the Faith movement's outreach program.i But it was Jesus Christ the author and founder of the Christian faith who taught about using faith to say things and get concrete results in the now – “if you have faith and do not doubt, you will not only do what was done to the fig tree, but also if you say to this mountain, 'Be removed and be cast into the sea,' it will be done” (Matthew 21:21). So likewise you, when you have done all those things which you are commanded, say, 'We are unprofitable servants. We have done what was our duty to do.' " So how can critics blame the Word-Faith movement for doing what Jesus told them they would do? They cannot!

12 Be Not Ignorant A simple examination of many of the critics of the Word-Faith Movement reveal that they don’t have the faith that Jesus was talking about and they don’t do what He has commanded them to do including: "And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues; "they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover." So then, after the Lord had spoken to them, He was received up into heaven, and sat down at the right hand of God. And they went out and preached everywhere, the Lord working with them and confirming the word through the accompanying signs. Amen. Matthew 16:17-20 How could hypocrites and blinds ones critique ‘faith?’ They cannot for they deny much in the Word of God including: Surely he took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows, yet we considered him stricken by God, smitten by him, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his Stripes we are healed. Isaiah 53:4-5 For to this you were called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that you should follow His steps: "Who committed no sin, Nor was deceit found in His mouth"; who, when He was reviled, did not revile in return; when He suffered, He did not threaten, but committed Himself to Him who judges righteously; who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness-by whose stripes you were healed. 2 Peter 2:20-24 Yes, Jesus suffered for us. He was severely whipped with iron balls that caused deep contusions and the leather thongs and sheep bones that cut into the skin and subcutaneous tissues. As the flogging continued, the lacerations tore into the underlying skeletal muscles and producing quivering ribbons of bleeding flesh result in great pain and blood loss so that by His stripes we are healed. Yes, at the hands of unbelievers, Jesus, our LAMB, was beaten. On His body deep furrows were plowed by the awful Roman lash and it literally tore pieces of flesh from His back. THESE WERE THE STRIPES by which, Isaiah and Peter say, WE WERE HEALED. And they were laid on His BODY. This was the bearing of our sicknesses, and so, the provision was made for the healing of our body. Jesus took these "stripes" for you and I so that we could be healed. God’s word is unchanging: Bless the LORD, O my soul; And all that is within me, bless His holy name! Bless the LORD, O my soul, And forget not all His benefits: Who forgives all your iniquities, Who heals all your diseases, Who redeems your life from destruction, Who crowns you with lovingkindness and tender mercies, Who satisfies your mouth with good things, So that your youth is renewed like the eagle's. Psalm 103:1-5 Then they cried out to the LORD in their trouble, And He saved them out of their distresses. He sent His word and healed them, And delivered them from their destructions. Psalm 107:19-20 Yes, the Word of God tells us that the benefits of putting our trust in the Lord includes forgiveness of all our iniquities, healing of all our diseases, redemption of our life from destruction, being crowned with loving-kindness and tender mercies, satisfied with good things, So that our youth is renewed like the eagle's. But each one of us must understand how to receive healing and keep it. Mind you the critics of the Word of Faith movement don’t believe and accept God’s word or the fact that when we understand God's word on healing and act upon it, it brings forth a manifestation of healing in our physical bodies that gives our heavenly Father the glory for what Jesus has done for us. They don’t believe that sickness is the result of an oppression of the devil. Acts 10:38 says, "...and Jesus went about doing good, and healing all who were oppressed by the devil; for God was with Him." Yes, the devil inflicts people with sickness and doesn't like it when God's Word brings healing and destroys his work. The devil, using people like the critics of the Word Faith Movement, reestablishes his infliction by stealing the truth of the Word from God’s people as demonstrated in Matthew 13:19 where it says, "When anyone hears the Word of the kingdom, and does not understand that the evil one comes and snatches away what has been sown in his heart. This is the one on whom seed was sown beside the road."

13 Be Not Ignorant As a result many people from dead Christian churches receive the Word on healing and are prayed for and a healing takes place, and they receive it with joy, but due to lack of proper teaching don’t allow it to become firmly rooted in them and are not prepared to resist the devil who inflict them with the very same symptoms to change their minds. Matthew 13:21 tells us because of the Word, this affliction will be brought against them once again to cause them to fall away. The devil will once again bring the symptoms of the sickness to try and convince them that they are not healed. This is a lying vanity. The root meaning of a lying vanity is something that comes against us to change our mind. For if the devil can cause us to look at symptoms instead of God's promise, he can convince us to believe his lie. When we focus on the symptoms, pain or whatever it is, doubt and unbelief come to our mind and this gives entrance for fear to re-establish the sickness. Hence we must keep our heart and mind fixed upon God and His promise. Isaiah 26:3 says, "I will keep him in perfect peace who's mind is stayed upon me." We need to hold fast to that which is good. We must allow the Word to take root so that it can complete the manifestation of healing. Jonah is an example of this. He was swallowed by the whale and was in the whale's belly for three days and nights, yet he did not give up on God and His promise. He said in Jonah 2:8-9 "Those who regard lying vanities forsake their faithfulness, but I will sacrifice to thee with the voice of thanksgiving." Jonah decided not to believe a lying vanity, but to trust God and God delivered him out of his circumstance. Had Jonah believed the lie, he would have lost his faith and not received deliverance. How can we expect God to deliver us if we go by what the devil does rather than trust God? So when the symptoms return, we must set our faith in God and his Word and tell the enemy, no matter what, we are not going to believe his lies. James 4:7, "Submit therefore to God. Resist the devil and He will flee from you." ii We know that not all are saved (even though God is not willing that any should perish) because not all appropriate the blessing of Salvation through Faith in Jesus Christ. In the same light, not all appropriate the blessing of Divine Healing and Divine Prosperity because not all HAVE ABSOLUTE FAITH that Jesus desires to heal them and prosper them NOW! Yet God’s word is unchanging about faith: Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. For by it the elders obtained a good testimony. 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. By faith Abel offered to God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, through which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts; and through it he being dead still speaks. By faith Enoch was taken away so that he did not see death, "and was not found, because God had taken him"; for before he was taken he had this testimony, that he pleased God. But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him Hebrews 11:1-6 The Bible says that NOW Faith is and God is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. If a person had absolute faith that Jesus is his Healer NOW, then his healing would manifest NOW. Yes, we need to pray for God to help us in our weak faith so that we can be able to receive every blessing that God has Promised us in His Word in this lifetime as well as the one to come for God’s word is unchanging about faith: By faith they passed through the Red Sea as by dry land, whereas the Egyptians, attempting to do so, were drowned. By faith the walls of Jericho fell down after they were encircled for seven days. By faith the harlot Rahab did not perish with those who did not believe, when she had received the spies with peace. And what more shall I say? For the time would fail me to tell of Gideon and Barak and Samson and Jephthah, also of David and Samuel and the prophets: who through faith subdued kingdoms, worked righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, became valiant in battle, turned to flight the armies of the aliens. Hebrews 11:2934 We can live FREE from sickness and diseases if we’re are a child of GOD. Once we understand where sickness comes from, we can understand why we are able to get rid of it! God's word clearly reveals that death, disease and sickness originated with sin and now are being spread by Satan (Rom 5:12-21; Job 2:6-7; Luke 13:16). Think of all those Jesus healed. The Gospels say they were all "oppressed of the Devil" (Acts 10:38). Only when sin is taken out of the human race, will there be no more sickness. Until

14 Be Not Ignorant then we pray for the sick to be healed! The Bible teaches that forgiveness of sins and healing of the body goes hand in hand. Healing is just as easy to receive from God as forgiveness of sins. If you have need of healing, it is only right that you surrender your life to God if you expect Him to heal you. Healing is one of the benefits of being in right relationship with God. "Praise the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits he forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases." (Ps. 103:2-3). God calls Himself in Scripture "Jehovah Rapha", meaning "I am the LORD who is your healer" (Ex. 15:26) When Believers agree together things begin to happen. Join with others in agreeing upon your condition, pray one for another, and get anointed with oil. (Mark 6:13, James 5:14-16). Jesus exercised no power in His ministry which every true believer cannot have today. True believers can heal the sick and cast out devils! They can perform miracles and even raise the dead. Many will say these things were only for the Apostles, just to get the church started. Not true my friend, this is for today and what true disciples were meant to do! SATAN'S OBJECTIVE Satan's primary objective is to discredit God. Spoiling our bodies is one way he operates. Created in the image of God, we are caught in the middle of this spiritual battleground. Satan "as your enemy prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour" (1 Peter 5:8). He will devour you with disease and sickness if you let him. Our great advantage is that God sent His Son to destroy the works of the devil. (1 John 3:3). God through Jesus Christ will destroy Satan's evil work in your body! Our failures come because of an imperfect understanding of God's word. God's word declares that, "you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free" (John 8:32). Satan your adversary knows the truth better than you do. Until you discover and start claiming what is legally yours, Satan will continue his harassment and assault on your life. He knows your weak areas. CHRIST THE HEALER The Bible clearly reveals that God wills to be the "healer" of His people and declares His will to heal all those that obey Him. Christ's works of healing were not only to prove His divinity but were a part of His complete mission of fulfilling the will of God. "Here I am, I have come to do your will." (Heb 10:9). "Many followed Jesus, and he healed all their sick" (Matthew 12:15). Jesus Himself is a revelation of the will of God. He did the will of God; He healed all who came to Him. He has an unchanging priesthood; "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever." (Hebrew 13:8).iii Yes, Our God is strong and mighty indeed. He is our shield and buckler. The Lord has promised to go with us. Joshua 1:9 tells us we do not need to be afraid or dismayed. No matter what the devil brings our way. There is complete victory through the divine blood of Jesus Christ. Jesus has all power, and His promise is, "I am with you always, even unto the end of the world." We can trust Him with all of our heart; lean not to our own understanding, and He will move for us and work all things out for our good. God’s word is unchanging: Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. Now He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God. And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover whom He predestined, these He also called; whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified. What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? 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? Romans 8:26-32

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Chapter 4 The God Of Miracle Lives And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, "teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." Amen. Matthew 18:18-20 And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:19 The promises of God are many, and those who trust and obey can have all their needs supplied. Our help and supply goes beyond this earth. God has all power in heaven and in earth, and as God's Children, we can have full assurance from on High that all will be well with us. Tribulations on this earth may be many, but God will deliver us out of them all as we lean and depend upon Him. Down through the years, God has been faithful to His obedient Children, and He is the same today. Whatever our need is, whether it be physical, spiritual or financial, we can cast it upon the Lord and let Him perform miracles for us. God’s word is true: "Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a Man attested by God to you by miracles, wonders, and signs which God did through Him in your midst, as you yourselves also know- ACTS 2:22 Then Philip went down to the city of Samaria and preached Christ to them. And the multitudes with one accord heeded the things spoken by Philip, hearing and seeing the miracles which he did. For unclean spirits, crying with a loud voice, came out of many who were possessed; and many who were paralyzed and lame were healed. And there was great joy in that city. Acts 8:5-8 Miracles exist because God exists, but God's marvelous, miracle-working times have been preceded by times of marvelous, miracle-working praying. Jesus constantly prayed during the ministries. And the disciples prayed after Jesus left for the Holy Spirit and His power and they received it to do miracles. Prayer is simply asking God to do for us what he has promised us he will do if we ask him. The answer is a part of prayer, and is God's part of it. God's doing the thing asked for is as much a part of the prayer as the asking of the thing is prayer. Asking is man's part. Giving is God's part. The praying belongs to us. The answer belongs to God.iv Man makes the plea and God makes the answer. The plea and the answer compose the prayer. God is more ready, more willing and more anxious to give the answer than man is to give the asking. The possibilities of prayer lie in the ability of man to ask large things and in the ability of God to give large things. God's only condition and limitation of prayer is found in the character of the one who prays. The measure of our faith and praying is the measure of his giving. As our Lord said to the blind man, "according to your faith be it unto you," so it is the same in praying, "According to the measure of your asking, be it unto you." God measures the answer according to the prayer. He is limited by the law of prayer in the measure of the answers he gives to prayer. As is the measure of prayer, so will be the answer. If the person praying has the characteristics which warrant praying, then the possibilities are unlimited. They are declared to be "all things whatsoever." Here is no limitation in character or kind, in circumference or condition. The man who prays can pray for anything and for everything, and God will give everything and anything. If we limit God in the asking, he will be limited in the giving. Praying men and God's providence go together. This was thoroughly understood by the praying ones of the Scripture. They prayed over everything because God had to do with everything. They took all things to God in prayer because they believed in a divine providence which had to do with all things. They believed in an ever-present God, who had not retired into the secret recesses of space, leaving his saints and his creatures to the mercy of a tyrant, called nature, and its laws, blind, unyielding, with no regard for anyone who stood in its way. If that be the correct conception of God, why pray to him? He is too far away to hear them when they pray, and too unconcerned to trouble himself about those on earth.

16 Be Not Ignorant These men of prayer had an implicit faith in a God of special providence, who would gladly, promptly, and readily respond to their cries for help in times of need and in seasons of distress. The so-called "laws of nature" did not trouble them in the least. God was above nature, in control of nature' while nature was but the servant of Almighty God. Nature's laws were but his own laws, since nature was but the offspring of the divine hand. Laws of nature might be suspended and no evil would result. Every intelligent person is conversant every day when he sees man overruling and overcoming the law of gravitation, and no one is surprised or raises his hand or voice in horror at the thought of nature's laws being violated. God is a God of law and order, and all his laws in nature, in providence and in grace work together in perfect accord, with no clash or disharmony. God suspends or overcomes the laws of disease and rain often without or independent of prayer. But quite often he does this in answer to prayer. Prayer for rain or for dry weather is not outside the moral government of God, nor is it asking God to violate any law which he has made, but only asking him to give rain in his own way, according to his own laws. So also the prayer for the rebuking of disease is not a request at war with law either natural or otherwise, but is a prayer in accordance with law, even the law of prayer, a law set in operation by Almighty God as the so-called natural law which governs rain or which controls disease. The believer in the law of prayer has strong ground on which to base his plea. And the believer in a divine providence, the companion of prayer, stands equally on strong granite foundations, from which he need not be shaken. These twin doctrines stand fast and will abide forever. In every condition, in sickness, in health, In poverty's vale or abounding in wealth; At home or abroad, on the land or the sea, As thy days may demand shall thy strength ever be. God is not now so evident in the world, so almighty in manifestation as of old, not because miracles have passed away, nor because God has ceased to work, but because prayer has been shorn of its simplicity, its majesty, and its power. God still lives and miracles still live while God lives and acts, for miracles are God's ways of acting. Prayer is dwarfed, withered, and petrified when faith in God is staggered by doubts of lies ability, or through the shrinking caused by fear. When faith has a telescopic far-off vision of God, prayer works no miracles, and brings no marvels of deliverance. But when God is seen by faith's closest, fullest eye, prayer makes a history of wonders. Think about God. Make much of him, till he broadens and fills the horizon d faith. Then prayer will come into its marvelous inheritance of wonders. The marvels of prayer are seen when we remember that God's purposes are changed by prayer, God's vengeance is stayed by prayer, and God's penalty is remitted by prayer. The whole range of God's dealing with man is affected by prayer. Here is a force which must be increasingly used, that of prayer, a force which all the events of life ought to be subjected. Many miracles ought to be worked by our praying. Why not? Is the arm of the Lord shortened that he cannot save? Is his ear heavy that he cannot hear? Has prayer lost its power because iniquity abounds and the love of many has grown cold? Has God changed from what he once was? To all these queries we enter an emphatic negative. God can as easily today work miracles by praying as he did in the days of old. "I am the Lord; I change not." "Is anything too hard for the Lord?" He who works miracles by praying will first of all work the chief miracle on himself. Oh, that we might fully understand well the Christian's trade of praying, and follow the trade day by day and thus make for ourselves great spiritual wealth! All natural forces are under God's control. He did not create the world and put it under law, and then retire from it, to work out its own destiny, irrespective of the welfare of his intelligent creatures. Natural laws are simply God's laws, by which He governs and regulates all things in nature. Nature is nothing but God's servant. God is above nature, God is not the slave of nature. This being true, God can and will suspend the working of nature's laws, can hold them in abeyance by His almighty hand, can for the time being set them aside, to fulfill his higher purposes in redemption. It is no violation of nature's laws when, in answer to prayer, he who is above nature makes nature his servant, and causes nature to carry out his plans and purposes. This is the explanation of that wonderful prayer miracle of Old Testament times, when Joshua, in the strength and power of the Lord God, commanded the sun and moon to stand still to give time to complete the victory over the enemies of Israel. Why should it be thought a thing incredible that the God of nature

17 Be Not Ignorant and of grace should interfere with his own natural laws for a short season in answer to prayer, and for the good of his cause? Is God tied hand and foot? Has he so circumscribed himself that he cannot operate the law of prayer? Is the law of nature superior to the law of prayer? Not by any means. He is the God of prayer as well as the God of nature. Both prayer and nature have God as their maker, their ruler and their executor. And prayer is God's servant, just as nature is his servant. The prayer force in God's government is as strong as any other force, and all natural and other forces must give way before the force of prayer. Sun, moon and stars are under God's control in answer to prayer. Rain, sunshine and drought obey his will. "Fire and hail, snow and vapor, stormy wind fulfilling his word." Disease and health are governed by him. All, all things in heaven and earth are absolutely under the control of him who made heaven and earth, and who governs all things according to his own will. Prayer still works miracles among men and brings to pass great things. It is as true now as when James wrote his epistle, "The effectual fervent, prayer of a righteous man availed much." And when the records of eternity are read out to an assembled world, then will it appear how much prayer has wrought in this world. Little is now seen of the fruits of prayer compared to all that it has accomplished and is accomplishing. At the judgment day, then will God disclose the things which were brought to pass in this world through the prayers of the saints? Many occurrences which are now taken as a matter of course will then be seen to have happened because of the Lord's praying ones. The work of George Muller in Bristol, England, was a miracle of the nineteenth century. It will take the opening of the books at the great judgment day to disclose all he wrought through prayer. This godly man never asked anyone for money for running expenses at his orphanage where hundreds of fatherless and motherless children were cared for. His practice was always to ask God for just what was needed, and the answers which came to him read like a record of apostolic times. He prayed for everything and trusted implicitly to God to supply all his needs. And it is a matter of record that never did he and the orphans ever lack for any good thing. Of a holy man who has done so much for Christ and suffering humanity, it was said at the grave about him: He prayed up the walls of a hospital, and the hearts of the nurses. He prayed mission stations into being, and missionaries into faith. He prayed open the hearts of the rich, and gold from the most distant lands. Our prayers are too little and feeble to execute the purposes or to claim the promises of God with appropriating power. Marvelous purposes need marvelous praying to execute them. Miracle-making promises need miracle making praying to realize them. Only divine praying can operate divine promises or carry out divine purposes. How great, how sublime, and how exalted are the promises God makes to his people! How eternal are the purposes of God! Why are we so impoverished in experience and so low in life when God's promises are so "exceeding great and precious"? Why do the eternal purposes of God move so tardily? Why they are so poorly executed? Our failure to appropriate the divine promises and rest our faith on them and to pray believingly is the solution. "We have not because we ask not." We ask and receive not because we ask amiss. God's promises are dependent and conditioned upon prayer to appropriate them and make them a conscious realization. The promises are inwrought in us, appropriated by us, and held in the arms of faith by prayer. Let it be noted that prayer gives the promises their efficiency, localizes and appropriates them, and utilizes them. Prayer puts the promises to practical and present uses. Prayer puts the promises as the seed in the fructifying soil. Promises, like the rain are general. Prayer embodies, precipitates, and locates them for personal use. Prayer goes by faith into the great fruit orchard of God's exceeding great and precious promises, and with hand and heart picks the ripest and richest fruit. The promises, like electricity, may sparkle and dazzle and yet be impotent for good till these dynamic, life-giving currents are chained by prayer, and are made the mighty forces which move and bless. God’s word is unchanging: "Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father. John 14:12 "If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you. "By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples. John 15:7-8

18 Be Not Ignorant "And in that day you will ask Me nothing. Most assuredly, I say to you, whatever you ask the Father in My name He will give you. "Until now you have asked nothing in My name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full. John 16:23-24

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Chapter 5 My Help Behold, God is my helper; The Lord is with those who uphold my life. He will repay my enemies for their evil. Cut them off in Your truth. I will freely sacrifice to You; I will praise Your name, O LORD, for it is good. For He has delivered me out of all trouble; And my eye has seen its desire upon my enemies. Psalm 54:4-7 I will lift up my eyes to the hills- From whence comes my help? My help comes from the LORD, Who made heaven and earth. Psalm 121:1-2 God show partiality to no one. What He has done for one He can and will do for another for He is after all God, not man! And great is our Lord, and mighty in power; His understanding is infinite. The LORD lifts up the humble; He casts the wicked down to the ground. There is nothing that He cannot do by His mighty power! His word is unchanging: "Because he has set his love upon Me, therefore I will deliver him; I will set him on high, because he has known My name. He shall call upon Me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him and honor him. With long life I will satisfy him, And show him My salvation." Psalm 91:14-16 When the LORD brought back the captivity of Zion, We were like those who dream. Then our mouth was filled with laughter, And our tongue with singing. Then they said among the nations, "The LORD has done great things for them." The LORD has done great things for us, And we are glad. Bring back our captivity, O LORD, As the streams in the South. Those who sow in tears Shall reap in joy. He who continually goes forth weeping, Bearing seed for sowing, Shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, Bringing his sheaves with him. Psalm 126:1-6 For those who have been born again and filled with the Spirit of God, God has become their shield and their exceedingly great reward. But they have also become God’s people. His inheritance and God knows that He got the best part of the deal. The American Heritage dictionary defines inheritance as: in·her·i·tance n. 1.a. The act of inheriting. b. Something inherited or to be inherited. 2. Something regarded as a heritage. Inheritance is something passed from one generation to another: heritage, legacy, tradition birthright, family possession, estate. It’s money or goods left to one's heirs: legacy, patrimony, bequest, estate, trust. It is a birthright: a right, possession, or privilege that is one's due by birth. For when we were born again and became sons and daughters of God all that He has and is now belong to us and all the we have and are belongs to God. And He has promised to bring us in and plant us in the mountain of His inheritance including divine favor, divine health, divine wealth, divine blessings, divine victories and divine prosperity. God’s word is true: You will bring them in and plant them In the mountain of Your inheritance, In the place, O LORD, which You have made For Your own dwelling, The sanctuary, O LORD, which Your hands have established. Exodus 15:17 "Command the children of Israel, and say to them: 'When you come into the land of Canaan, this is the land that shall fall to you as an inheritance-the land of Canaan to its boundaries. Numbers 34:2 Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers. For I rejoiced greatly when brethren came and testified of the truth that is in you, just as you walk in the truth. I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth. 3 John 1:2-4 The Scriptures tells us that God’s inheritances come to His people only to those who claim them by faith and wholly walk in His ways. We have an excellent example of this in the life and wonders of Caleb: Then the children of Judah came to Joshua in Gilgal. And Caleb the son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite said to him: "You know the word which the LORD said to Moses the man of God concerning you and me in Kadesh Barnea. "I was forty years old when Moses the servant of the

20 Be Not Ignorant LORD sent me from Kadesh Barnea to spy out the land, and I brought back word to him as it was in my heart. "Nevertheless my brethren who went up with me made the heart of the people melt, but I wholly followed the LORD my God. "So Moses swore on that day, saying, 'Surely the land where your foot has trodden shall be your inheritance and your children's forever, because you have wholly followed the LORD my God.' "And now, behold, the LORD has kept me alive, as He said, these forty-five years, ever since the LORD spoke this word to Moses while Israel wandered in the wilderness; and now, here I am this day, eighty-five years old. "As yet I am as strong this day as on the day that Moses sent me; just as my strength was then, so now is my strength for war, both for going out and for coming in. "Now therefore, give me this mountain of which the LORD spoke in that day; for you heard in that day how the Anakim were there, and that the cities were great and fortified. It may be that the LORD will be with me, and I shall be able to drive them out as the LORD said." And Joshua blessed him, and gave Hebron to Caleb the son of Jephunneh as an inheritance. Hebron therefore became the inheritance of Caleb the son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite to this day, because he wholly followed the LORD God of Israel.Johsua 14:6-15 Yes, Hebron therefore became the inheritance of Caleb because he wholly followed the LORD God of Israel. Those who serve and follow other gods beside the LORD will not be blessed by God nor shall they inherit their inheritance even though the LORD'S portion is His people. For the rebellious and arrogant ones God will give them over to their own stubborn heart, to walk in their own counsels and be destroyed by it. But God will make His true ones ride in the heights of the earth, tread down the high places of their enemies, feed them also with the finest of wheat and satisfy them with honey from the rock. God’s word is unchanging: Strangers shall stand and feed your flocks, And the sons of the foreigner Shall be your plowmen and your vinedressers. But you shall be named the priests of the LORD, They shall call you the servants of our God. You shall eat the riches of the Gentiles, And in their glory you shall boast. Instead of your shame you shall have double honor, And instead of confusion they shall rejoice in their portion. Therefore in their land they shall possess double; Everlasting joy shall be theirs. "For I, the LORD, love justice; I hate robbery for burnt offering; I will direct their work in truth, And will make with them an everlasting covenant. Their descendants shall be known among the Gentiles, And their offspring among the people. All who see them shall acknowledge them, That they are the posterity whom the LORD has blessed." Isaiah 61:5-9 Therefore thus says the Lord GOD: "Behold, My servants shall eat, But you shall be hungry; Behold, My servants shall drink, But you shall be thirsty; Behold, My servants shall rejoice, But you shall be ashamed; Behold, My servants shall sing for joy of heart, But you shall cry for sorrow of heart, And wail for grief of spirit. You shall leave your name as a curse to My chosen; For the Lord GOD will slay you, And call His servants by another name; So that he who blesses himself in the earth Shall bless himself in the God of truth; And he who swears in the earth Shall swear by the God of truth; Because the former troubles are forgotten, And because they are hidden from My eyes. Isaiah 65:13-16 Foolish ones don’t understand that is not by their labors or by their works that the riches and blessings of God come upon their lives but by God’s anointing and His Spirit. God’s word is unchanging: Then the angel who talked with me answered and said to me, "Do you not know what these are?" And I said, "No, my lord." So he answered and said to me: "This is the word of the LORD to Zerubbabel: 'Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,' Says the LORD of hosts. 'Who are you, O great mountain? Before Zerubbabel you shall become a plain! And he shall bring forth the capstone With shouts of "Grace, grace to it!" ' " Zechariah 4:5-6 Only the Spirit and function of the Holy Spirit can remove every hindrance and obstacle in our lives and make something out of nothing! Only the Holy Spirit does something so supernatural from nothing to something by the Spirit called grace, grace, just like God created heaven and earth out of nothing and sustains it by grace! But we must do our part by cooperating with God and doing whatever He tells us to see our miracles. God’s word is unchanging: On the third day there was a wedding in Cana of Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there. Now both Jesus and His disciples were invited to the wedding. And when they ran out of wine, the

21 Be Not Ignorant mother of Jesus said to Him, "They have no wine." Jesus said to her, "Woman, what does your concern have to do with Me? My hour has not yet come." His mother said to the servants, "Whatever He says to you, do it." Now there were set there six waterpots of stone, according to the manner of purification of the Jews, containing twenty or thirty gallons apiece. Jesus said to them, "Fill the waterpots with water." And they filled them up to the brim. And He said to them, "Draw some out now, and take it to the master of the feast." And they took it. When the master of the feast had tasted the water that was made wine, and did not know where it came from (but the servants who had drawn the water knew), the master of the feast called the bridegroom. And he said to him, "Every man at the beginning sets out the good wine, and when the guests have well drunk, then the inferior. You have kept the good wine until now!" This beginning of signs Jesus did in Cana of Galilee, and manifested His glory; and His disciples believed in Him. John 2:1-11 Mary told said to the servants, "Whatever He says to you, do it." And when they did what Jesus told them to do they saw a miracle. For many reasons including ignorance, fear, and unbelief, God’s people are not doing what God’s word has told them to do because don't understand the power in the declarations: "Exaltation will come," and "Decree a thing and it will be established" (Job22:28-29). Our ministering angels carry out our earthly prophetic decrees which line up with the truth of God's word and His will. When we declare "Restore!" "Restore!" Then the angels in heaven are released to execute this decree! God’s word is unchanging: But this is a people robbed and plundered; All of them are snared in holes, And they are hidden in prison houses; They are for prey, and no one delivers; For plunder, and no one says, "Restore!" Isaiah 42:22 Fear not, O land; Be glad and rejoice, For the LORD has done marvelous things! Do not be afraid, you beasts of the field; For the open pastures are springing up, And the tree bears its fruit; The fig tree and the vine yield their strength. Be glad then, you children of Zion, And rejoice in the LORD your God; For He has given you the former rain faithfully, And He will cause the rain to come down for you- The former rain, And the latter rain in the first month. The threshing floors shall be full of wheat, And the vats shall overflow with new wine and oil. "So I will restore to you the years that the swarming locust has eaten, The crawling locust, The consuming locust, And the chewing locust, My great army which I sent among you. You shall eat in plenty and be satisfied, And praise the name of the LORD your God, Who has dealt wondrously with you; And My people shall never be put to shame. Then you shall know that I am in the midst of Israel: I am the LORD your God And there is no other. My people shall never be put to shame. Joel 2:2127 Yes, God wants to save and bring restoration to the humble, His people and His church. Yes this is the day of God’s vengeance on our enemies and the year of His favor ones. This is our acceptable year, liberation, Jubilee and our victory! When through our faith we release God to save the humble and to deliver those who are bound exaltation comes to us. When we say, "Restore!" we release God's 'repairer of the breach' anointing (Isaiah 58:12) which causes everything in our lives that is lost and broken to be restored—the thief must repay God's people. Yes, we can let the angelic hosts overcome every demonic power or stronghold and every assignment that is aimed against our inheritances! Yes we can throw it down! We can take authority concerning our kingship over every power that resists. Yes, restoration happens when we declare, "Restore!" "Restore!" "Exaltation comes!" And we will see breakthroughs in every area of our lives including receiving our inheritance and stepping into our destiny. We will experience prosperity in our businesses; even the number of businesses increase. Yes, the Lord will rebuke the enemy who brings sickness and disease by stealing, killing and destroying. He will turn all the negative things around in our lives and give us justice where there is injustice, make the wrongs right and the crook straight. Yes, when we ascend the courts of heaven and petition the Ancient of Days to come and pronounce judgment in our favor. We will receive supernatural intervention by God when events are out of our hands because a higher court system has come into place when we approach His throne and present our case to Him. Yes, we can begin to bring justice and mercy for the poor and needy, the afflicted and the widow, with the Word of God in our mouths. He gave us authority to set the captives free, in Jesus' Mighty

22 Be Not Ignorant name! God’s word is unchanging: "But as for me, I would seek God, And to God I would commit my cause- Who does great things, and unsearchable, Marvelous things without number. Job 5:8-9 I am the LORD your God, Who brought you out of the land of Egypt; Open your mouth wide, and I will fill it. "But My people would not heed My voice, And Israel would have none of Me. So I gave them over to their own stubborn heart, To walk in their own counsels. "Oh, that My people would listen to Me, That Israel would walk in My ways! I would soon subdue their enemies, And turn My hand against their adversaries. The haters of the LORD would pretend submission to Him, But their fate would endure forever. He would have fed them also; And with honey from the rock I would have satisfied you." Psalm 81:10-16 After these things the word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision, saying, "Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your exceedingly great reward." Genesis 15:1 "But the LORD has taken you and brought you out of the iron furnace, out of Egypt, to be His people, an inheritance, as you are this day. Deuteronomy 4:20

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Chapter 6 Healing And Restoration Is God’s Will And the LORD restored Job's losses when he prayed for his friends. Indeed the LORD gave Job twice as much as he had before. Then all his brothers, all his sisters, and all those who had been his acquaintances before, came to him and ate food with him in his house; and they consoled him and comforted him for all the adversity that the LORD had brought upon him. Each one gave him a piece of silver and each a ring of gold. Now the LORD blessed the latter days of Job more than his beginning; for he had fourteen thousand sheep, six thousand camels, one thousand yoke of oxen, and one thousand female donkeys. He also had seven sons and three daughters. And he called the name of the first Jemimah, the name of the second Keziah, and the name of the third Keren-Happuch. In all the land were found no women so beautiful as the daughters of Job; and their father gave them an inheritance among their brothers. After this Job lived one hundred and forty years, and saw his children and grandchildren for four generations. So Job died, old and full of days. Job 42:10-17 There are those Christians who believe in living in poverty and suffering like Job did after the devil attacked him. They ignore the fact what God’s word said about Job: There was a man in the land of Uz, whose name was Job; and that man was blameless and upright, and one who feared God and shunned evil. And seven sons and three daughters were born to him. Also, his possessions were seven thousand sheep, three thousand camels, five hundred yoke of oxen, five hundred female donkeys, and a very large household, so that this man was the greatest of all the people of the East. Job 1:1-3 Sickness and poverty, which are not God’s will, came to Job because of the devil’s envy and jealous. As a result Job lost everything including his children, wealth and health. And his wife told him, "Do you still hold fast to your integrity? Curse God and die!" But he said to her, "You speak as one of the foolish women speaks. Shall we indeed accept good from God, and shall we not accept adversity?" In all this Job did not sin with his lips. Job’s wife was a foolish woman but he didn’t divorce her and get another younger woman like some so called Christians do, including Todd Bentley? Todd Bentley, a key figure in the demonic 2008 revival in Lakeland, Florida, said he was convinced his first marriage could not be saved. So he divorced his wife, Shonnah, who had been fighting cancer, and married his mistress a younger woman. Job had seven more children with his only wife and he didn’t die prematurely living a life of defeat and poverty? He got back all that the devil had stolen from him and lived an additional one hundred and forty years, and saw his children and grandchildren for four generations. He died, old and full of days as well as rich and prosperous? And what God has done for Job, He can and will do for us because though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds (2 Corinthians 10:3-4). Yes, through the use of Jesus name, the strength and power of the Holy Spirit and our faith, we have divine power to demolish strong-holds that have stolen things from us or are keeping things from us. "That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit (John 3:6). "It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing (John 6:63). We come against Satan not in our power or name but in God’s power and the name of Jesus and He has to restore everything that he has stolen from us. We step out from our limited abilities and resources to God’s unlimited abilities and resources through the use of the name of Jesus which give us, Salvation: Acts 4:12 , Justification: 1 Corinthians 6:11, Healing: Acts 3:6; proclamation: Acts 8:12, Deliverance from demons: Mark 16:17, Worship: Ephesians 5:20, Prayer: John 14:13-14, the Holy Spirit: John 14:26. A check without a signature is not worth the paper it is printed on. What makes the paper of value is that name at the bottom right-hand corner. That signature or name represents that person’s financial resources. It is as if Jesus left behind a check book full of blank checks which He has signed with His name. The believer fills in the amount as the will of God is revealed, and once the check is presented it is backed up by the inexhaustible riches of Christ. God’s word is unchanging:

24 Be Not Ignorant "Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father. "And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. "If you ask anything in My name, I will do it. John 14:12-14 "Therefore you now have sorrow; but I will see you again and your heart will rejoice, and your joy no one will take from you. "And in that day you will ask Me nothing. Most assuredly, I say to you, whatever you ask the Father in My name He will give you. "Until now you have asked nothing in My name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full. John 16:22-24 It’s to be noted that the Lakeland revival was a demonic sham and Todd Bentley turned out to be a sorcerer, a wizard, a liar, a thief, an adulterer, a false prophet, a divorce and a wolf in sheep's clothing! These are indisputable facts. So what does it say about John Arnott the founder of Toronto Airport Christian fellowship who was Todd’s friend and mentor and who was supposed to be a man of God, a man of integrity, an Apostle? Since bird of feather stick together John Arnott is no better or different than Todd Bentley. And that is why John Arnott, who was aware that Todd was living with a mistress and getting drunk with alcohol and pretending to have a wonderful marriage, did nothing to correct or rebuke his friend Todd? Now scriptures tells us: "Therefore if you bring your gift to the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, "leave your gift there before the altar, and go your way. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift. Matthew 5:23-24 But brother goes to law against brother, and that before unbelievers! 1 Corinthians 6:6 So why did Pastors John Arnott and Steve Long and Toronto Airport Christian Fellowship ignore scripture and sue a Christian, a total stranger, they never knew for $ 50 million dollars and before any trial at motions hearings asked 3 Justices to incarcerate Walter Kambulow? What were they afraid off? The truth! That they were no different than Todd Bentley as he was only a mirror of them! And their extortion lawsuit was built on lies and perjury which I pointed out to every Justice including that TACF was never destroyed and neither were the pastors by my exposure of them! Toronto Airport Christian Fellowship, John Arnott and Steve Long stopped their $ 50 million dollar extortion lawsuit when it didn't go the way they expected, and to prevent Walter Kambulow from wining his counter lawsuit against them because their lawsuit was based on lies and perjury and they could not win in an honest court proceedings , they committed perjury and obstructed justice! As a result the Plaintiffs Toronto Airport Christian Fellowship, John Arnott and Steve Long had a secret trial before Justice Trottier on September 19, 2008 to which the defendant wasn’t invited or informed, played dirty tricks, committed perjury and obstructed justice and made a mockery of the justice system and the Superior Court of Justice of Ontario and their deeds, words and actions are now considered to be guilty of indictable offences and liable to imprisonment! Yes based on a false and untruthful information and presentation t Justice Trottier issued an order striking out Mr. Kambulow’s Statement of Defense, assigned court costs of about $ 60,000 to be paid by Mr. Kambulow, making an order striking out Mr. Kambulow Statement of Claim against TACF, and making a permanent injunction against Mr. Kambulow making certain remarks in respect to the Plaintiffs that they were liars and are perjurers (a matter that has been brought forth to the Attorney General of Ontario and Law Enforcements throughout the country as well as to other Government officials!) The basis of democracy in Canada is the right to a fair trial and to a statement of defense and TACF John Arnott and Steve Long through criminal acts circumvented the process because they could not win their lawsuit. How Christian of them?

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Chapter 7 The Perfect Will Of God I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. Romans 12:1-2 There are many doctrines of demons in the church today including “Once saved, always saved” as well as the Sovereignty of God which is a doctrine very common amongst the Moslems that God wills everything, good or bad, to happen to us. Andrew Wommack in his article THE SOVEREIGNTY OF GOD vwrites: The word "sovereign" is not used in the King James Version of the Bible. It is used 303 times in the Old Testament of the New International Version, but it is always used in association with the word "LORD" and is the equivalent of the King James Version's "LORD God." Not a single one of those times is the word "sovereign" used in the manner that it has come to be used in religion in our day and time. Religion has resulted in the invention of a new meaning for the word "sovereign," which basically means God controls everything. Nothing can happen but what He wills or allows. However, there is nothing in the actual definition that states that. The dictionary defines "sovereign" as, "1. Paramount; supreme. 2. Having supreme rank or power. 3. Independent: a sovereign state. 4. Excellent." None of these definitions means that God controls everything. It is assumed that since God is paramount or supreme that nothing can happen without His approval. That is not what the Scriptures teach. In 2 Peter 3:9, Peter said, "The Lord is...not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance." This clearly states that it is not the Lord's will for anyone to perish, but people are perishing. Jesus said, "Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat" (Matt. 7:13). Relatively few people are saved compared to the number that are lost. God's will for people concerning salvation is not being accomplished. This is because the Lord gave us the freedom to choose. He doesn't will anyone into hell. He paid for the sins of the whole world (1 John 2:2; 1 Tim. 4:10), but we must choose to put our faith in Christ and receive His salvation. People are the ones choosing hell by not choosing Jesus as their Savior. It is the free will of man that damns them, not God. People virtually have to climb over the roadblocks that God puts in their way to continue on their course to hell. The cross of Christ and the drawing power of the Holy Spirit are obstacles that every sinner encounters. No one will ever stand before God and be able to fault Him for withholding the opportunity to be saved. The Lord woos every person to Him, but we have to cooperate. Ultimately, the Lord simply enforces the consequences of people's own choices. God has a perfect plan for every person's life (Jer. 29:11), but He doesn't make us walk that path. We are free moral agents with the ability to choose. He has told us what the right choices are (Deut. 30:19), but He doesn't make those choices for us. God gave us the power to control our destinies. Typical teaching on the sovereignty of God puts Jesus in the driver's seat with us as passengers. On the surface that looks good. All of us have encountered the disastrous results of doing our own thing. We desire to be led of the Lord, and teaching that nothing happens but what God wills fits that nicely. However, the Scriptures paint a picture of each of us being behind the wheel of our own lives. We are the one doing the driving. We are supposed to take directions from the Lord, but He doesn't do the driving for us. Man has been given the authority over his own life, but he must have the Lord's direction to succeed. Jeremiah 10:23 says, "O LORD, I know that the way of man is not in himself: it is not in man that walketh to direct his steps." God created us to be dependent upon Him and our independence is at the root of all our problems. As if it wasn't bad enough for man to try to run his affairs independently of God and His standards, it has been made even worse by religion teaching us that all our problems are actually blessings from God. That is a faith killer. It makes people totally passive.

26 Be Not Ignorant James 4:7 says, "Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you." This verse makes it clear that some things are from God, and some from the devil. We must submit to the things that are of God and resist the things that are from the devil. The word "resist" means, "Actively fight against." Saying "Whatever will be will be" is not actively fighting against the devil. If a person really believed that God is the one who put sickness on them because He is trying to work something for good in their life, then they should not go to the doctor or take any medicine. That would be resisting God's plans. They should let the sickness run its course and thereby get the full benefit of God's correction. Of course, no one advocates that. That is absurd. It is even more absurd to believe that God is the one behind the tragedy. Acts 10:38 says that Jesus healed all those who were oppressed OF THE DEVIL. It was not God who oppressed them with sickness. It was the devil. It's the same today. Sickness is from the devil, not from God. We need to resist sickness and, by faith, submit ourselves to healing, which is from God through the atonement of Christ. I know someone is thinking, What about the Old Testament instances where God smote people with sickness and plagues? There is a lot I could say about that if I had the space, but a simplified answer to that question is that none of those instances were blessings. They were curses. God did use sickness in the Old Testament as punishment, but in the New Testament, Jesus bore our curse for us (Gal. 3:13). The Lord would no more put sickness on a New Testament believer than He would make us commit a sin. Both forgiveness of sin and healing are a part of the atonement Jesus provided for us. Deuteronomy, chapter 28, should forever settle this question for all who believe the Word of God. The first 14 verses of Deuteronomy 28 list the blessings of God and the last 53 verses list the curses of God. Healing is listed as a blessing (Deut. 28:4). Sickness is listed as a curse (Deut. 28:22, 27-28, 35, 59-61). God called sickness a curse. We should not call it a blessing. Knowing that God is not the author of my problems is one of the most important revelations the Lord has ever given me. If I thought it was God who killed my father when I was twelve, and some of my best friends before I was 20, if it was God who had people kidnap me, slander me, threaten to kill me, and turn loved ones against me, then I would have a hard time trusting God, if He was like that. On the contrary, it is very comforting to know that God only has good things in store for me. Any problems in my life are from the devil, of my own making, or just the results of life on a fallen planet. My heavenly Father has never done me any harm and never will. I KNOW that. Andrew Wommack also in his article The Believer's Authorityvi writes The truth is, there is a battle raging every single day in the spiritual realm. That battle is for your heart and the hearts of every other person on earth. God is trying to influence people and draw them toward righteousness and toward Himself, to live consistent with Him so that His blessings can manifest in their lives. Satan, on the other hand, is waging all-out war trying to steal the hearts of people away from God. He wants to fill their hearts with his trash and corruption. And honestly, although most Christians recognize this to a degree, I don’t think they realize how intense the warfare really is and how much their actions are contributing to it. If I could sit and talk with each of you reading this, I would find that many of you aren’t aware of the spiritual significance behind what’s going on in your lives. You attribute much of what is happening to circumstances and therefore passively accept what comes your way. When you do that, you’re ignoring the intense battle that is being waged for your heart every single day. The choices you make, the things you say, the actions you take, and what you believe about what is happening around you determines whether God or Satan dominates in your life. Satan cannot control you outside of your will. He cannot do anything without your cooperation and consent. But you need to recognize that you’re in a battle. Many people choose not to believe that, but whether they do or not, the fact is that it’s taking place. Your unwillingness to engage in battle doesn’t mean that the battle isn’t raging; it just means you’re going to lose. But once you realize the battle is real, you can then learn to recognize

27 Be Not Ignorant what’s going on and take the proper action to improve your situation. You can resist the devil. James 4:7 says, “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” Ephesians 6:10-12 reads, “Finally my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.” This is referring to demonic powers. There’s a chain of command, an authority structure in the demonic realm, and this is listing these different levels. But notice that it says you are not wrestling against flesh and blood. Much that goes on in your life is not just human. I’m not going to get into this thing about, “Are people possessed, oppressed, or depressed?” I believe it’s useless to debate that. In the Greek where the Bible says a person was demon possessed, the word literally means “demonized.” It just means they were under the control of the devil. Christianity has tried to make something out of possessed, oppressed, or depressed. But it’s not in Scripture. The fact is that people are being influenced and controlled and used by the devil; they really are. This needs to be said because there are a lot of people who honestly believe that all the demons are in Africa. It’s not the person sitting next to you at work, it’s not your neighbor, and it’s certainly not your husband or your wife that’s the problem. Anyone who is not paying attention can be influenced and inspired and used of Satan to come against you. If you were to recognize that, it would make a huge difference in the way you respond to them. …I can guarantee you that there are times that Satan is speaking directly to you through people. He is using people to get at you. Whether you recognize it or not, this goes on much more than you know. You are in a spiritual war. I tell you there is a supernatural war waging today for your heart and mind. In fact, for some of you right now, the devil is trying to oppose the words you are reading in this letter. He wants to discredit them and cause you to ignore or reject them. The Holy Spirit, on the other hand, is bearing witness in your heart and trying to get you to open up and receive these words. It’s spiritual warfare. To win in this war, you must know who you are and the authority you have as a believer. To help, I have a teaching series called The Believer’s Authority. Don’t go another day without understanding how to defeat the real enemy. You have the power and authority to do it, and now it’s time to use it. Andrew Wommack also in his article Dealing With Temptationvii writes Before He was tempted by Satan face to face, He was anointed with the Holy Spirit at His baptism by John in the Jordan River. Jesus went into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil, full of the power of the Holy Spirit. Being filled with the Holy Spirit is an absolute necessity for overcoming temptation. There are many Christians who received the Holy Spirit years ago and haven’t been full of the Holy Spirit a day since. It’s not about what happened to us long ago; we have to stay full of the Holy Spirit. One way of doing that is to speak in tongues on a regular basis. Jude 1:20-21 says, “But ye, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost, Keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life.” Praying in tongues builds us up on our most holy faith. How many times have you needed your most holy faith to take you through a certain trial, and yet you haven’t used this gift of the Holy Spirit? Verse 21 also says we keep ourselves in the love of God when we speak in tongues. Have you ever asked the Lord to pour out His love on you? I imagine you have, but this doesn’t say to pray that way; it says we are to keep ourselves in the love of God. We do that by speaking in tongues. We don’t ask God for that which He’s already given, we simply stir up the love that has already been commended toward us, by speaking in tongues. This is a powerful gift. Isaiah 28:11-12 says, “For with stammering lips and another tongue will he speak to this people. To whom he said, This is the rest wherewith ye may cause the weary to rest; and this is the refreshing: yet they would not hear.” Do you ever need rest or refreshing? I guarantee that you do, and this verse says speaking in tongues is the way to get it. We have a tremendously powerful gift available to us through the Holy Spirit, but few

28 Be Not Ignorant people take advantage of it. Instead, we ask God to do what He told us to do. We need to use this gift of speaking in tongues to stir ourselves up, or we risk sinking to the bottom. You must also know who you are. Matthew 4 and Luke 4 record the temptation of Jesus in the wilderness. One of the most amazing aspects of those temptations was that Satan began two of the three temptations with the words, “If thou be the Son of God.” Many people have missed this point. The real temptation was Satan’s attempt to get Jesus to doubt who He was. That’s the same way he attacked Adam and Eve. The serpent told Eve that if she would eat the forbidden fruit, she would be like God (Gen. 3:5). The truth was that she was already like God, but she didn’t know it. The first Adam sinned, because he didn’t know who he really was. The second Adam, Jesus, didn’t sin, because He did know who he was. Knowing your true identity in Christ is one of the greatest defenses you can possibly have against temptation. Jesus had just heard His Father speak to Him in an audible voice saying, “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased” (Matt. 3:17). There was also a visible sign from God when the Holy Spirit descended on Jesus in the shape of a dove. Jesus had to anchor His faith in who His Father said He was. But immediately, Satan came to Him saying, “If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread” (Matt. 4:3). The real temptation was never about turning stones into bread. It was Satan’s attempt to manipulate Jesus into doubting His Father’s Word and doing something to prove who He was. Satan was trying to find and exploit any insecurity in Jesus. When you were a kid, I’m sure someone at some time dared you to do something stupid. The real issue wasn’t whether or not you could do it but whether you were “afraid” to do it. And sad to say, many of us took the dare and did something that hurt us or shamed us just to prove that we weren’t. All we really succeeded in proving was that we feared their disapproval so much that we weren’t willing to do what was right. The truly fearless response would have been to walk away, secure in who we were, earning their respect through character rather than performance. Satan was daring Jesus—”If You’re really the Son of God, if what You heard from the Father in an audible voice is really true, then prove it, and turn this stone into bread.” Turning a stone into bread would not have been sin. It would have been sin if Jesus had doubted the words of His heavenly Father declaring who He was by placing more faith in what a miracle could say about Him. You must know who you are if you want to overcome temptation. No matter what form Satan’s temptations may take, they are all directed at causing us to doubt who we are. It’s also important to understand that all temptation is rooted in selfishness. In fact, our selfishness is really Satan’s beachhead. Jesus stripped him of his power two thousand years ago, so the only thing he can really do is deceive us through our own selfish desires. The Bible tells us exactly what they are in 1 John 2:16, “For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.” And in James 1:14 we read, “But every many is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed.”

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Chapter 8 May God Sanctify You Completely And you, who once were alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now He has reconciled in the body of His flesh through death, to present you holy, and blameless, and above reproach in His sight- if indeed you continue in the faith, grounded and steadfast, and are not moved away from the hope of the gospel which you heard, which was preached to every creature under heaven, of which I, Paul, became a minister. - Colossians 1:21-23 Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely; and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. 1 Thessalonians 5:23 Andrew Wommack in his article Understanding Spirit, Soul, And Bodyviii brings up some very interesting truths: Did you know a Christian can actually die from sickness or disease while the same power that raised Jesus from the dead lies dormant within them? Or did you know that believers can be overcome with depression, anger, and bitterness, all the while possessing God’s love, joy, and peace in their spirits? It’s true—they can and they do. Why? Because they really don’t understand what changed when they were born again, and therefore have difficulty receiving the promises of God. The Bible says that every born-again believer has undergone a complete inner transformation. “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ” (2 Cor. 5:17-18). It doesn’t say that all things are becoming new or have the potential of becoming new; they are new, the moment you are born again. But in order for that to make sense, you must first understand how God created you. God’s Word clearly teaches that we are three-part beings, but very few Christians have a functional understanding of spirit, soul, and body in their daily lives. Intellectually, most Christians believe they’re three-part beings, but functionally, they act as though they’re only made up of body and soul. They’re confused about the operation of the soul and spirit, seeing them basically as the same thing. Even Strong’s Concordance fails to distinguish all three! It defines “spirit” (pneuma in the Greek) as “the rational soul.” However, in my study of God’s Word, I have found a very distinct difference between spirit and soul. Your spirit is your innermost part, not your “rational soul.” First Thessalonians 5:23 makes it very clear: “And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ”. If you were talking to me face to face, you’d be looking at my body but speaking to my soul. The word “soul” is defined by some as the mind, will, and emotions. While that’s certainly true, it’s incomplete. The “conscience” should also be included in that definition. The soul is really what most people call the “personality.” You can feel both your body and your soul and are receiving information from them all the time. For example, if I put my hand on your shoulder, you would know that I touched you. I could also make you feel happy or sad, or even hurt you without any physically contact, simply by the words I speak. Those words are processed by your mind, and the result of their effect is often expressed in your emotions. It’s easy to know how your body feels, what’s going on in your mind, and what emotions you’re experiencing. However, your spirit is much different. It cannot be accessed in any natural way. John 3:6 says, “That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.” Jesus meant that there’s no direct connection between the spirit and flesh. They are interrelated, but spirit is spirit and flesh is flesh. You simply cannot contact your spirit through your five senses or through your mind, will, or emotions. Therein lies one of the great problems of the Christian life!

30 Be Not Ignorant If you don’t understand that spiritual reality can’t be felt, then you’ll be confused when God’s Word declares that you have the same power that raised Jesus from the dead living in you (Eph. 1:19-20). If you think truth can be discerned through your natural senses, you’ll be baffled when the Bible says you’re a brand-new creature who can do the same miraculous works that Jesus did (2 Cor. 5:17 and John 14:12). The apparent disparity between your natural experiences and God’s Word will cause you to throw up your hands in frustration and conclude, “It must not be true.” It’s understanding spirit, soul, and body that unlocks the spirit realm so you can experience who you are and what you have in Christ. In the natural, the spirit realm can’t be seen or felt; the only way to accurately perceive spiritual truth is through the Bible. Simply take God’s Word and believe it! Jesus said in John 6:63, “It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.” God’s Word reveals spiritual reality. If you want to know what your spirit is like, you must find out from the Word, not rely on emotions or other perceptions. God’s Word is spirit and life! When you look at your face in a mirror, you aren’t really seeing yourself; you’re viewing a reflection. Even though it’s only a reflection, you have learned to trust it and act on what you see. God’s Word is just like that mirror: it reflects perfectly who you are in the spirit. “For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass: For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was. But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therin, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed” (James 1:23-25). You must look into God’s mirror and trust the spiritual reality you see! It reflects your new born-again spirit, your innermost part. However, it does not reflect your body or your soul. Although full payment has been made for your glorified body through the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus, you still have a corrupted body. One day it will be redeemed and changed into an incorruptible one. For now, you still must live in the same body you had before you were saved. Your soul wasn’t saved either. You may have the same thoughts and emotions you had before you were saved. And because of that, some people seriously doubt whether or not they are saved. They don’t understand that the change took place in their spirits. Typically, your body and soul are both impacted by what happens at salvation, but that’s not where the complete change took place. The good news is you can change your mind. In fact, we are commanded to do so. Romans 12:2 says,“And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.” Your soul can be transformed to the degree that you renew your mind, change your attitudes, and conform to the Word of God. This should happen, and it’s in the process of happening, but it didn’t happen automatically when you were saved. In your soul, old things did not pass away, and all things haven’t yet become new. For that reason, you could actually die from sickness or disease even though you have all of the power that raised Jesus from the dead residing untapped within your spirit. It’s like dying of thirst while leaning against a well full of life-giving water. Think of your soul like the valve on a faucet. It controls the rate and volume of the flow of the spirit into your body. If your mind is renewed and in agreement with the Word, the valve is wide open. But if it is in agreement with what your body is feeling or your emotions are experiencing, the valve is either closed or in the process of closing. Your soul has the power to keep every drop of life-giving power from ever reaching your physical body or flooding it with the same power that raised Jesus from the dead. If the valve is open, you’ll experience healing, deliverance, anointing, victory, power, joy, prosperity, and more. So, keep it open! This revelation of the relationship of the spirit, soul, and body has transformed my life. When I realized that God had already given me everything I needed and it’s all contained in my

31 Be Not Ignorant spirit, it set me free. All I needed to do was release it. That simple understanding changes everything. The Christian life isn’t a process of “getting from God”; it’s a process of renewing the mind and learning to release what you’ve already received. If you don’t understand that you have already received all that you will ever need (in your spirit) at salvation, there will always be an element of doubt. You may know it’s possible or even promised in the Word, but you’ll be trying to perceive it in the mental, emotional, or physical realm. That’s a formula for failure. That erroneous concept can also result in a performance-based relationship with God: “If I’m good enough, if I read the Bible enough, if I pay my tithe,” and on and on it goes in an attempt to motivate God to give you what you need. It’s the misconception that God hasn’t already given you everything and that somehow you have to make yourself worthy enough to get it. You’re already worthy because of Jesus Christ and His sacrifice. He paid the price for everything you will ever need. In fact, you’ve already got it. It’s just a matter of understanding the relationship of the spirit to the soul and body. Understanding spirit, soul, and body is critically important to every believer. It’s like the key that opens the treasure chest of God’s grace. It could be a matter of life and death, and it’s the foundation to understanding the rest of Scripture. Andrew Wommack in his article The Effects Of Praise ixagain brings out some very important truths: Most Christians believe that praising God and being thankful is good; however, many think it is optional, something to do after they have served the Lord in other ways. Some Christians only praise God when their circumstances are good and they have a reason to thank Him. The truth is that praising God is not an option. Praise has a powerful effect on the believer, the devil, and on God. It is our highest calling. In Deuteronomy, God pronounced a curse on the children of Israel: "Because thou servedst not the LORD thy God with joyfulness, and with gladness of heart, for the abundance of all things" (28:47). Even though we are not under the Law, this verse tells us that God wants us to have joyful and thankful hearts. Jesus was joyful. Hebrews 1:9 tells us that praising God at all times is part of the normal Christian life: "Therefore God, even thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows." How does praise affect the believer? When we praise God, we are acknowledging that it is not our own efforts that produce blessings and prosperity. In Deuteronomy, chapters 7 and 8, the children of Israel are told to remember to thank God for the abundance they will receive. God, not their own efforts, gave them wealth. Praise makes us humble. Thanksgiving is also a way to abound in faith. Any time we operate in a high degree of faith, praise is present. Colossians 2:6-7 says, "As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him: Rooted and built up in him, and stablished in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving." When you are believing God for something and it is completed, praise is a natural response. What some people often neglect is that they can increase their faith with praise, and their answers will come more quickly. By focusing on your problems instead of praising God, you become self-centered and prideful. Praise forces you to get your attention on God and off your problems. Some people say that they are praying, but they are so focused on their problems that they are actually complaining. If you focus on the Word of God, faith will come. How do you keep from focusing on the problem when you are in pain or have no money? The most important thing you can do is praise God. A negative, complaining attitude won't change overnight, but beginning to praise God will start the transformation in your attitude. If you have always been negative, you must practice thinking on positive things. Philippians 4:4 tells us to "rejoice in the Lord alway: and again I say, Rejoice." When we pray, we should begin with praise and end with praise. The Lord's prayer gives us this example, and Philippians 4:6-7 tells us, "Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus." When you pray with

32 Be Not Ignorant thanksgiving, the peace of God will keep your heart and mind. Praise will build you up spiritually and keep you from crumbling, "for the joy of the LORD is your strength" (Neh. 8:10). The Apostle Paul was persecuted and suffered far more than most of us, yet he put it all in perspective in 2 Corinthians 4:17-18: "For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory; While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal." First, Paul said our affliction is just for a moment in light of eternity. He looked into the spiritual realm. Praise will push you into the spiritual realm to see what God has done for you. Paul and Silas praised God in prison. It was the praise that released the power of God and the earthquake that delivered them from their captivity. Praising God doesn't just affect us; it is a powerful weapon against the devil as well. Psalm 8:2 says, "Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings hast thou ordained strength because of thine enemies, that thou mightest still the enemy and the avenger." In the book of Matthew (21:16), at the time of the triumphal entry into Jerusalem (Palm Sunday), Jesus quotes from Psalm 8. When he quoted this verse, he interchanged the words "perfected praise" for "ordained strength." This is a tremendous revelation: Praise is strength (Neh. 8:10)! Some people are so involved in spiritual warfare that their attention is on the devil more than on God. There is a place for fighting and resisting the devil, but focusing too much on the devil is not good. Praise is a powerful weapon against the devil that has no negative fallout. In 2 Chronicles 20, Jehoshaphat appointed singers to lead his army into battle with praise unto the Lord. When they went into battle singing and praising God, the Lord set an ambush, and their enemies were defeated. Why does praise defeat Satan? Satan's sin was jealousy of God. He is still driven by jealousy today (Is. 14:13-14). Even if he can't get people to worship him, his goal is to keep people from worshiping God. He seeks to draw attention away from God. When we worship God, we thwart Satan's plan. We have learned the power of starting a service with praise. Praise makes the devil flee and releases the anointing of God. Even the secular world knows the benefits of praise. The medical profession says that a person who is joyful is more healthy than a person who is morbid and depressed. Praise stops a negative attitude. The most important reason to praise God is that it ministers unto Him. Acts 13 describes a situation at the church in Antioch. Verse 2 says, "As they ministered to the Lord, and fasted, the Holy Ghost said, Separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto I have called them." This is an awesome statement. They ministered to the Lord. How do we minister to the Lord? We often think we serve God only by ministering to other people. This happened in Matthew, chapter 8, with Peter's mother-in-law. She waited on them and did household duties. That is a ministry; however, in this instance in Acts, they were fasting, praying, and ministering to the Lord. They were worshiping and glorifying God. That also ministers to the Lord. The truth is that God desires ministry. God is complete and self-contained, but He needs us to love Him. Any person who loves has a need to show that love and a need to have that love returned. That is the reason for the creation of man in the first place. In Revelation 4, John saw a vision of what is happening in heaven. He saw twenty-four elders and four living creatures that don't cease praising God. In verse 11, the elders said, "Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created." This tells us that God's original and current purpose for creation is for His pleasure. God created us to be full of praise, joy, and thanksgiving. He is blessed by His creation. We are often so service-oriented that we think we have to minister to others or work at the church to bless God. We think our net worth to God is our service. We forget that if it blesses God, it doesn't have to touch anyone else. He longs to know us personally and intimately. There are hundreds of times in Scripture that God solicits our praise. Psalm 100:4 says that we should "enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name." I married Jamie because I love her and want to share my life with her. Jamie is an excellent homemaker and keeps a clean house, which blesses our family. However, if she cared more for the house than for me, it would cease to minister to me. It is the same way in our relationship with God. Service is

33 Be Not Ignorant not a substitute for a relationship with God. Our number one priority must be to love God personally. Praise is giving of yourself to God — an intimate communion with Him. If we would praise and seek God first, during our prayer time, other things would be added unto us. (Matt. 6:33) John 3:16 tells us that God gave His Son that we might have eternal life. Christians often think eternal life begins when you die and go to heaven, but John 17:3 tells us differently. Eternal life is now. Intimately knowing God is eternal life. Praise is a way to begin this love relationship with God. "By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name"(Heb. 13:15). Andrew Wommack in his article Effortless Changex brings out the value of the Word and not just prayer: Everyone I know wants to change and grow. I believe that’s part of being made in the image of God. The Lord created within every one of us an intuitive knowledge that we were destined for more than we’re experiencing. Both believers and unbelievers desire to achieve more, including those who have experienced great “success” in the eyes of the world. However, for those who are born again, the desire actually intensifies. The Holy Spirit will give us a holy dissatisfaction that drives us toward change. Once we realize that Almighty God lives in us and wants to express Himself through us, it’s hard, if not impossible, to be content with how we allow Him to do so. Jesus was the only one who gave the world a perfect look at God living through a man. We will never be the expressed image of God in the way Jesus was, but we all have the potential to express Him in a much greater way than we have ever realized. But, in order to do that, we must change. Growth always means change. So, if you’re not experiencing any growth in your life, it may be because you aren’t changing. Have you ever seen a plant that’s green and growing and not in a constant state of change? For the plant, it’s effortless; it just grows, and the change is evident to everyone. Our lives should be just like that—green, growing, changing, and evident to the world. The question is, how do we do it? If you’re like a lot of Christians, you have probably tried to change many times but find yourself falling back into the same old patterns and experiencing the same old problems. That’s frustrating, and more importantly, it’s a breeding ground for many of Satan’s most devastating lies and traps. If we aren’t careful, we as Christians can feel more like failures than the lost. After all, we have been told to be like Jesus, and that’s a big task. Change really began for me on March 23, 1968, when I had a glorious encounter with the Lord. I had seen a glimpse of how awesome the Lord was and what He wanted me to be. I started changing rapidly, but was a million miles from the victorious life He had revealed. At times, the process seemed so long and the goal so far that I despaired of ever making any progress in this lifetime. Kneeling beside my bed, one day in 1968, I began to pray, “Lord, what do I have to do? How can I ever be like you?” I opened my eyes, and as I saw my Bible lying on the bed in front of me, I heard the Lord say this in my heart: “Just put My Word in you, and it will do all the rest.” That Word from God has been my prime directive for the last thirty-seven years, and it has produced miraculous results. And the change this has produced has been nearly effortless. The only effort has been to stay focused on God’s Word. Although the Lord spoke that to me in prayer, it was important to see it in the Word. He revealed and confirmed it to me through a parable in Mark 4:26-29. It says, “And he said, So is the kingdom of God, as if a man should cast seed into the ground; And should sleep, and rise night and day, and the seed should spring and grow up, he knoweth not how. For the earth bringeth forth fruit of herself; first the blade, then the ear, after that the full corn in the ear. But when the fruit is brought forth, immediately he putteth in the sickle, because the harvest is come.” In this parable, Jesus used an example of seed, time, and harvest, which everyone understood, to illustrate truths about how God’s Word works, which very few understood. First, He taught that God’s Word has to be planted like a seed in our hearts. Just as a seed doesn’t

34 Be Not Ignorant release its life until it is planted in the ground, God’s Word will not set us free until we get it in our hearts. Having a Bible on our table, in our hand, or in our head is not sufficient; we have to commit God’s Word to our hearts. Second, the man in Jesus’ parable, who sowed the seed, slept and rose day after day. It takes time for a seed to germinate. You can’t plant a seed one day and expect to see it growing the next day. Just because there’s nothing visible above ground doesn’t mean the seed is not growing. And if you dig it up every day to see if anything is happening, it will never grow. You have to have faith that the seed will do what it was designed by God to do, producing its fruit in its time. The Word of God works the same way. When we meditate in God’s Word for one day, we can’t expect to see results the next day. And we can’t meditate in His Word one day and then live differently the other six days. That’s like digging up the seed. John 15:7-8 says this, “If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you. Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples. Next, Jesus shared one of the most important truths of this parable. He said, “The seed should spring and grow up, he knoweth not how.” This is an amazing statement. No one knows how a seed works. Man, with all his understanding, has not unlocked the miracle of a seed. We can make things that look like a seed, taste like a seed, and have the exact chemical elements as a seed. But if you plant it, it still won’t grow. For thousands of years, people have planted seeds and reaped the harvest without understanding how it all works. I don’t understand how the seed of God’s Word planted in our hearts works either. And, I can’t explain how reading God’s Word differs from reading the words of some other book. I don’t comprehend it all, but I know it works. I’ve experienced the supernatural life that God’s Word imparts. The Word is a seed that contains the very life of God. When it’s planted in our hearts and left there, it will release that life. The only effort on your part is to take the time and make the effort to plant the seed. Then, the godly change you’re looking for comes effortlessly as the seed of His Word takes root in your heart. This is such a simple truth that most people have missed it. Many are looking for some spectacular encounter with the Lord that will transform their lives instantly. They want to microwave their miracle rather than allow the time for the seed to produce fruit. Some are even willing to spend hours in prayer asking for a miracle instead of planting the Word of God in their hearts, which in time would produce the miracle. Prayer is what water and fertilizer are to a seed. They help the Word release its life. But if you haven’t planted the seed, it doesn’t matter how much water and fertilize you apply, the soil still won’t produce fruit. It’s the seed that has life! Prayer is not a substitute for planting the seed of God’s Word in your heart. Prayer without the Word is religious at best and complaining at its worst. Romans 12:2 gives us another key to effortless change. “And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.” The English word “transformed” was translated from the Greek word “metamorphoo,” from which we derive the English word “metamorphosis.” It’s describing the miraculous change of a worm to a butterfly. If we want to be changed in nature and appearance as drastically as a worm becoming a butterfly, the way we do it is by the renewing of our minds. God’s Word is the primary way of accomplishing that. In the natural, we recognize that we can’t have a harvest without planting seeds. But in the spiritual, Christians try it all the time. Instead of going to the Word and meditating in the Scriptures themselves, they run to someone who has spent time in the Word and ask them for help. It’s an attempt to shortcut the process of seed, time, and harvest. Then, if they don’t see results, they get confused and offended. God can meet needs through the faith of others, but it’s temporary and His secondary way of touching us. God’s best is to take the seed of His Word and plant it in our hearts where it will naturally and effortlessly produce the changes that we desire.

35 Be Not Ignorant Have you ever seen an apple tree groan and travail to produce apples? Never! It’s the nature of an apple tree to bring forth its fruit. It’s your nature to produce fruit as well, spiritual fruit, and it happens naturally. We do have a part to play, however. God has never planted a seed or tended the field for anyone. That’s the natural part that we must do. It’s up to us to consistently plant His Word in our hearts, abide in that Word, and then water and nourish it with prayer. If we’ll make that small effort, the miracle of the life in the seed of God’s Word will do the rest. Our lives will naturally and effortlessly change. The Christian life is really not hard; it is actually easy if we are abiding in God’s Word. The Word will transform us so that God’s perfect will for us comes to pass. That’s the promise of God’s Word. Roman 8:6 says, “To be spiritually minded is life and peace.” Being spiritually minded is being Word minded (John 6:63). God’s Word is the seed. Our hearts are the soil. And the godly change is the fruit that we all long for. This teaching is absolutely fundamental to your entire Christian walk. The lack of knowledge in this area is the reason so many Christians remain frustrated in their walk with the Lord. They have been stuck in the same spiritual condition for years and can’t understand why. If you haven’t yet ordered your copy of this series entitled Effortless Change, then please do it today. I live by the truths that I teach in this series. They have changed my life, and I know they will dramatically impact yours as well. Just as there isn’t growth in the natural realm without planting seeds, there isn’t spiritual growth without planting God’s Word in your heart. This series will get you excited about the power of God’s Word to produce change.

36 Be Not Ignorant

Chapter 9 Perfect In Christ Jesus And He said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness." Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 2 Corinthians 12:9 Him we preach, warning every man and teaching every man in all wisdom, that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus. Colossians 1:28 Andrew Wommack in his article A Place Called “There” writes: The Bible says, “Elias was a man subject to like passions as we are” (James 5:17). Yet he was mightily used of God. This reference is talking about the time Elijah became so despondent that he asked God to kill him (1 Kin. 19:4). Elijah wasn’t perfect; yet he called fire down from heaven three times; he was the first person to raise someone from the dead; he caused the greatest revival in history up to that point; his word started and ended a three-year drought; he multiplied food miraculously; and he is one of only two men who never died—he was caught up alive into heaven. There is a lot we can learn from a man like this, both positive and negative. The Bible gives little background on Elijah. It wasn’t his pedigree or education that brought him into a position of influence and power. Elijah was nobody until he received a word from God. It was the revelation God gave him that put him into a position of leadership. Likewise, anyone who is born again, or baptized in the Holy Spirit, or has a good relationship with the Lord, has a revelation from God too. Just as Elijah’s revelation from God put him into a position of influence, anyone who has a revelation of God has the potential to influence others also. The only difference is that Elijah knew what he had and was bold enough to speak. Many of us have been intimidated by the ungodly. We aren’t boldly speaking the truth we have from the Lord. What if Elijah hadn’t spoken that prophecy to King Ahab? The drought may have occurred anyway, but Elijah wouldn’t have been able to use it to affect the nation. The people would have dismissed the drought as a natural occurrence. Elijah was bold enough to speak before there was any proof that what he was saying would come to pass. That took faith and great courage. When the drought came as promised, Elijah became the most sought after man in the nation: “As the LORD thy God liveth, there is no nation or kingdom, whither my lord hath not sent to seek thee: and when they said, He is not there; he took an oath of the kingdom and nation, that they found thee not” (1 Kin. 18:10). If we would speak forth the truths God has shown us, just like Elijah, the truths we speak would ultimately prevail. Elijah didn’t have all the answers or know what would happen next when he spoke the prophecy to King Ahab (1 Kin. 17:1). Ahab had forbidden worship of the true God, instituting Baal worship. He killed the prophets of the Lord, and Elijah was putting himself in harm’s way by obeying the Lord. It wasn’t until after Elijah delivered the word of the Lord, that God spoke to him about how He would protect and sustain him. First Kings 17:2-4 says, “And the word of the LORD came unto him, saying, Get thee hence, and turn thee eastward, and hide thyself by the brook Cherith, that is before Jordan. And it shall be, that thou shalt drink of the brook; and I have commanded the ravens to feed thee there.” One of the great lessons we can learn here is that God doesn’t reveal His complete plan immediately. He reveals His will to us one step at a time. After we obey the first step, He shows us the next. Why should the Lord show us step two or ten if we haven’t obeyed step one? That would just make us more accountable. So, don’t try to figure out the next step until you have acted on what you know to do now.

37 Be Not Ignorant That’s a powerful truth. The Lord told Elijah to go to the Brook Cherith. He had already commanded the ravens to bring Elijah bread and meat “THERE” every morning and evening. This was miraculous! What a provision during a terrible time! But notice this: The Lord didn’t send Elijah’s provision to where he was. A quarterback doesn’t throw the football to where the receiver is, but where the receiver is going. Elijah’s miracle wasn’t where he was but where the Lord was sending him. That’s awesome! Each of us has a place called “THERE,” where the blessings of the Lord are waiting. The Lord never fails to provide, but people often fail to receive because they aren’t all “THERE.” If Elijah had not gone to his place called “THERE,” his disobedience would not have stopped God’s faithfulness; however, he would not have received the provision; it was over “THERE,” by the Brook Cherith. This is exactly what is happening to many of us. The Lord has placed something on our hearts to say or do. But, if we haven’t obeyed, we aren’t in our place of “THERE.” We aren’t seeing God’s provision, because we aren’t in that place of obedience. I’ve heard many people say the Lord told them to attend Charis Bible College. But they just can’t see how it could happen. They want to see the Lord’s provision before they go “THERE.” That’s not how it works. Some of you are not seeing God’s provision because you aren’t doing what He has told you to do. This doesn’t mean the Lord is punishing you. If Elijah hadn’t gone “THERE,” he would have lost his provision. The Lord has provision for you too, but it’s “THERE.” This place called “THERE” changes. God changed the place and method of Elijah’s provision: “And the word of the LORD came unto him, saying, Arise, get thee to Zarephath, which belongeth to Zidon, and dwell there: behold, I have commanded a widow woman there to sustain thee” (1 Kin. 17:89). You can’t just seek the Lord once, hear His voice, step out in faith, and then stop listening. The Lord brings us into His perfect will step by step. Elijah moved when the Lord told him to move. This led Elijah to the city of Zarephath where he asked a widow to give him the last of her food. It looked like he was taking from this woman, but he was actually giving to her. Instead of this being her last meal before dying, the Lord multiplied this woman’s supplies, which kept her, her son, and Elijah alive for about three years (1 Kin. 17:15-16). What a great miracle! That wasn’t all the widow received. Her faithfulness in giving caused her son to be raised from the dead (1 Kin. 17:17-23). She had been operating in faith every day. She would use the last bit of oil and meal for Elijah and then find that there was always enough to make a cake for herself and her son. This was a great faith builder, which I’m sure figured into the miracle of her son. Elijah went on to call fire down from heaven and consume a sacrifice in the sight of all of the people of Israel (1 Kin. 18:36-38). The people who saw it cried out, “The Lord, He is the God. The Lord, He is the God.” They killed all the prophets of Baal, and the whole nation turned to the Lord. That same day, Elijah prayed and ended the drought by a great rain storm (1 Kin. 18:41-45). He was so pumped, he outran Ahab’s chariot in a twenty-mile race after Ahab had a head start. Elijah was excited! Here is a very important lesson: After great victories come great temptations. This is primarily because we lose our sense of humility and dependence upon God (1 Kin. 19:4). Elijah had successfully defied the king, his armies, his prophets, and all the people in the nation. But the next day, a note from a woman caused him to run in terror (1 Kin. 19:2-3). The Lord appeared to Elijah and asked, “What are you doing HERE, Elijah?” (1 Kin. 19:9). Elijah wasn’t “THERE” anymore. His place called “THERE” was back in Samaria. People were now worshiping the true God, but Elijah had run away in fear, leaving the people without a leader. This resulted in the Lord replacing Elijah with Elisha. Elijah’s ministry fell short of what it could have been. The Lord actually spoke to Elijah in an audible voice. He told him to do three things, one of which was to anoint Elisha to replace him (1 Kin. 19:15-16). Elijah anointed Elisha (1 Kin. 19:19), but didn’t do

38 Be Not Ignorant the other two things. That means Elijah failed in two-thirds of the things the Lord told him to do. That’s amazing. You might think this meant Elijah was washed up and was never used of God again. That’s not the case. Elijah went on to prophesy (1 Kin. 21:17-24), and he called the fire of God down two more times (2 Kin. 1:9-12). And most impressive of all, Elijah never died; he was caught up into heaven by a whirlwind (2 Kin. 2:11). This man, who failed miserably, still walked so closely with God that he never died. This speaks volumes to us. The Lord has never had anyone working for Him yet who was qualified. He uses us in spite of what we do, and not because of what we do. If we will hold on to our faith, we can still experience wonderful things from the Lord even after failing BIG TIME. What powerful truths. Andrew Wommack in his article Grace: The Power Of The Gospelxi writes Many people around the world who embrace “Christianity” have never heard the true Gospel. They believe Christianity is nothing but a different set of rules, substituting Christian “dos and don’ts” for those of other religions. They continue to believe they must earn their way to God and then do their best to deserve the benefits of salvation. That’s not the true Gospel. Accepting Jesus as your Savior with the belief that you are now going to abide by a certain set of rules, or exchange one set for another, is not the good news. Why? Because it still depends upon your performance. And I can guarantee you that the devil will make sure you know that your performance is not quite good enough. He is the accuser of the brethren (Rev. 12:10). The truth that makes the Gospel the “nearly-too-good-to-be-true news” is that we are accepted by God through what Jesus did for us. The revelation of God’s grace will deliver you from a performance mentality to a total trust and reliance upon the Lord. Salvation is all about God’s faithfulness, not ours! This is foundational for maintaining a close relationship with God and receiving all the benefits of your salvation. Romans 1:16-17 says, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith.” The book of Romans communicates that the Gospel is the power of God. It’s what produces the life of God in people. However, the word Gospel has become a religious term that has lost a lot of its meaning today. Many people associate “Gospel” with anything that has to do with religion, specifically the Christian religion. But “Gospel” literally means “good tidings,” or “good news.” The Greek word euaggelion, which was translated “gospel” in seventy-four New Testament verses, was so rare in writings outside of the New Testament that it’s only found twice in extra-biblical manuscripts. The reason for this is because this word not only meant “good news,” but was actually describing “nearlytoo-good-to-be-true news.” Much of “Christian culture” today associates the Gospel with these statements: “You’re a sinner. If you don’t repent, you’re going to hell.” Now, these are true statements. There is a heaven and a hell, a God and a devil, and you will go to hell if you don’t repent and receive salvation, but even though all of that is truth, it’s not “good news.” It’s not “the Gospel.” As a matter of fact, it’s the complete opposite of what Paul was teaching. Roman 2:4 says it’s the goodness of God that leads us to repentance, not judgment and condemnation. That is what Paul was talking about, and that is “good news.” The Gospel is directly related to the grace of God. That’s the only way this forgiveness of our sins can be obtained. It isn’t through our holiness or good works. God doesn’t take the “good” people and save them; He justifies (extends salvation toward) the ungodly (Rom. 4:5). This causes many problems for religious people. They say, “Wait a minute! I believe you must do this and that to be holy.” Religion—false religion, man’s concepts—teaches that right standing with God and His blessings come as a result of our own goodness and works. Religious teachers say, “You must come to our church. You must pay your tithes, read your Bible, and pray more, to mention a few. Then, if you do all these things just right, God will accept you.” That’s anti-

39 Be Not Ignorant Gospel! It’s against the “good news” of God’s grace because it’s putting the burden of salvation on your back—and you can’t bear it. Nobody can save themselves. That’s basically the false “Gospel” that religion preaches today. They may talk about the one true God and use terminology like “God the Father.” They may even mention that Jesus is the Savior of the world who died for our sins. But at its core, it’s another “Gospel”—which is no Gospel at all (Gal. 1:7). The Gospel isn’t only the belief in salvation, but it’s also the understanding of the means by which this salvation is obtained. “If you’ll act good and do good, then you’ll be good” isn’t the true Gospel. Notice what Paul said while addressing the very first ministers’ conference at Ephesus: “But none of these things move me, neither count I my life dear unto myself, so that I might finish my course with joy, and the ministry, which I have received of the Lord Jesus, to testify the gospel of the grace of God” (Acts 20:24). Another way Paul could have said this is, “I am testifying of the Gospel—which is the good news of the grace of God.” The words “Gospel” and “grace” are terms that can be used interchangeably. The good news—or Gospel—is the grace of God. Even the word salvation is misunderstood. Evangelical Christianity says that salvation is a one-time occurrence, an experience when your sins are forgiven. That’s true, there is a moment when you pass from death to life, but that is not all that happens. It’s an incomplete definition. Salvation isn’t limited to the initial born-again experience. Salvation is everything Jesus purchased for us through the atonement. Sozo, the Greek word from which “salvation” was translated means more than forgiveness of sin; it also means healing, deliverance, and prosperity. It’s a word that summarizes everything that Jesus provided for us through His death, burial, and resurrection. James 5:14-15 vividly illustrates how salvation includes both healing and forgiveness of sin: “Is any sick among you? let him call for this elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord: And the prayer of faith shall save [sozo] the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him” (brackets mine). Salvation is a package deal and it’s all accomplished by the grace of God, not our works. However, Satan is always trying to deceive us. He is the one who wants us to believe we must earn things from God. He is the one causing us to doubt the Lord’s willingness to use His ability on our behalf, and unfortunately, the church is often reinforcing that belief. I’ve had many believers come up to me in the prayer lines asking, “Why am I not healed? I’ve fasted, prayed, and studied the Word. I pay my tithes and go to church. I’m doing the best I can. What does God demand?” When I hear that, they have just given me the answer to their question. They aren’t pointing to what Jesus did; they are pointing to what they have done, and that always leads to failure. Most people believe that God moves in their lives proportional to their performance. That was the error Paul was dealing with in the book of Romans. When Paul came along and said “I’m not ashamed of the Gospel!” he was saying “I am not ashamed to tell people about the goodness, grace, and mercy of God. The Lord loves us in spite of who we are and what we’ve done.” Now that’s “good news!” The religious folks of Paul’s day thought this was terrible. They believed what he was preaching was heresy. People needed to recognize and relate to God based on how sorry they were. God wasn’t happy with them or the way they were acting. They were just worms in His sight. Sound familiar? On the surface it looks like a humble position. In reality, it’s actually making a person’s relationship with God dependent on self. “Look what I have done for the Lord, how holy I’ve been, and how much I’ve denied myself.” This is actually a very self-centered, self-dependent way of approaching God that never produces any fruit in your life. Religion wants to make sure that people know they are sinners and on their way to hell. However, the truth is that they already know that. Romans 1:18-19 says, “For the wrath of God is revealed [not going to be, but already is revealed] from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness;

40 Be Not Ignorant Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath [past tense] shewed it unto them” . God’s wrath has already been revealed intuitively inside of every person. Each individual has within them the knowledge of God’s wrath against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men. So when someone wonders If I just tell people about the goodness of God, what will make them understand that they are sinners in need of salvation? Paul’s answer was that they already knew. In their hearts, people already know that they aren’t good, but sinners in need of salvation. The point is that you don’t have to bombard people with the fact that they are sinners; deep in their hearts they already know. You may need to spend some time on that issue in order to make your point and strike that chord in their hearts, but not by condemning them and restricting them to religious dos and don’ts. Paul was saying, “That’s not the true approach.” It’s the Gospel—the nearly-too-good-to-be-true news that God has provided. It’s salvation for us by grace that empowers men to receive the forgiveness of their sins, the healing of their bodies, the deliverance from Satan’s oppression, and more. We don’t need to convince people they are sinners; we need to show them the way out. That’s the Gospel! Do you need to be healed? The power for healing is in the Gospel. Do you need to be prospered financially? The power for financial prosperity is in the Gospel. Do you need to be delivered from the power of demonic influence, from depression, from yourself, or from something else? The power for deliverance is in the Gospel! The Gospel is the power of God. It’s “nearly too good to be true. Andrew Wommack in his article Discipleship vs. Evangelismxii writes Most Christians believe that the primary purpose of salvation is to avoid hell. That may have been what you were taught, but it’s not what the Bible teaches. In fact, that kind of thinking serves to inoculate people from the truth of the Gospel concerning salvation. If we simply ceased to exist at death and if there was no hell, I still believe that Jesus would have come to earth and died for us. Why, because salvation is about having a relationship with God. God’s main reason for sending Jesus was to restore fellowship. It just so happens that as we restore our relationship with God through salvation, one of the perks, one of the great benefits, is that we miss hell and gain heaven. Nowhere in Scripture did Jesus tell us to go and make converts. Let’s look at what is commonly referred to as the Great Commission, found in Mathew 28:18-20. It says this: “And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.” Jesus told them to teach them to observe all things He had commanded. The word "teach" is derived from the word that is translated "disciple" throughout the Bible. The New International Version translates this, “Go and make disciples.” The emphasis here is that the Lord commanded us to make disciples, not converts. Somewhere along the way, the church has changed the emphasis of this message from making disciples to people being born again, leaving discipleship for the “mature.” Did you know that Jesus never preached on being “born again”? In the third chapter of John, He talked to Nicodemus about the spiritual birth compared to the natural birth, but He never taught or preached to the people about being “born again.” You may be asking yourself, “How can Andrew say that? That’s the centerpiece of every evangelistic effort.” You’re right, it is, but I believe the Bible teaches that the church has placed the emphasis in the wrong place. By making that the focus, we are actually lowering the standards, leaving people with the misconception that all they need to do is just be born again and discipleship is optional. That is not what Jesus commanded us to do. Statistics tell us that thirty-three percent of all “born-again Christians” still support things like abortion and New Age thinking. That certainly does not reflect the attitude of a person who’s truly been born again. Billy Graham was quoted as saying that only fifteen percent of all the people who professed to be Christian are truly born again. Here is something else that may surprise you: Katherine Kuhlman said that only fifteen percent of those who were healed at her services kept their healing when they left the service. These numbers should tell us something about how we measure success in ministry.

41 Be Not Ignorant I am not saying that being born again and living eternally with Jesus is not important; it’s essential! I’m saying that we have changed the message from the way Jesus taught it. We have reduced the definition of “born again” to the point that in our society today, it has actually become socially popular to say you’re born again and gain acceptance in certain circles. Jesus said that we are to make disciples, followers of Christ. When we ask people to accept Jesus as their Savior, we need to teach them that this is a total commitment of one’s life to the Lord. It means becoming a disciple of Jesus. Jesus’ attitude toward evangelism is much different than that of most Christians. Jesus is more concerned with the quality of ministry than the quantity. John 2:23-25 says, "Now when he was in Jerusalem at the passover, in the feast day, many believed in his name, when they saw the miracles which he did. But Jesus did not commit himself unto them, because he knew all men, And needed not that any should testify of man: for he knew what was in man." It says that Jesus did not commit Himself unto them although they believed on Him. The word "believe" and "commit" are actually the same word in the Greek here. So you could say that they believed on Him, but He did not believe in them. He knew they were not disciples. He wouldn’t commit Himself to them, because He didn’t want man testifying out of their own ability. When we hear that someone has been born again, we are ready to put them to work, especially if they are public figures with name recognitions. It’s like we are trying to sell a product by associating it with someone famous. That totally violates what Paul said in 1 Timothy, chapter 3, concerning placing a novice in a position of authority. These are the kinds of shortcuts believers resort to when they limit the true definition of being born again to a simple confession of Jesus as Lord. Mahatma Gandhi once said, “I would have been a Christian if I hadn’t met one.” Before leading the revolution in India, he was exiled in Africa. There, he was seeking the Lord, reading the New Testament. He had become convinced that Christianity was the true religion and that Jesus was the Christ. He decided to attend a Presbyterian Church service for the purpose of confessing Jesus as his Lord. But because of the color of his skin, they wouldn’t let him in. Those people who were so determined to evangelize did not have enough of the nature of God on the inside to look past his color. Gandhi then led 750 million people into a pagan religion. On a trip to India some years ago, I learned there were 12,000 Methodists in the city of Ahmedadad, the result of a great revival in the 1890s. When I asked the head of the church in that city how many were truly born again, he responded by saying there were only two or three families. The rest were still worshiping other gods. All they had done was added Jesus to their list of gods to make sure they didn’t miss one. They were obviously not disciples. To those in India, Jesus was just another of the thousands of gods. That is not God’s idea of evangelism. John 8:30-32 says, "As he spake these words, many believed on him. Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free." We often say that if you know the truth, the truth will set you free. That is not correct. More correctly, these verses say that when you continue in the Word, then you will know the truth, and the truth you know sets you free. In these verses, Jesus was speaking to those who already believed on Him. Jesus knew that only those who became disciples would truly become free. There is more to believing than just mouthing words. What we ought to be preaching is that God calls us into discipleship, and it begins with making a commitment to the Lord. If we understood that and acted on it, we would have much greater success evangelizing the world. Consider this: If you evangelized 1,000 people per year for fifteen years, you would have 15,000 new believers, assuming they were all genuine conversions. If you led 1 person to the Lord every six months and spent the next six months discipling that person so they could reproduce themselves, what do you think would happen? In one year there would only be two new Christians. However, after twelve years, if each continued to reproduce themselves every six months, there would be no one left on earth to evangelize. Jesus’ method of discipleship would have produced nearly 6 billion disciples in less than thirteen years. Discipleship Evangelism works! I really believe that the church has missed it in the area of evangelism. We have been making

42 Be Not Ignorant converts and not disciples. By now, you may be thinking, "Andrew is right, but I have no idea how to disciple anyone; that’s best left to those who are more knowledgeable in the Word of God." Well, I have good news: If you can read, you can change a life! My good friend and associate minister for over thirty years, Don Krow, has developed a discipling tool to help you fulfill God’s command to go and make disciples. Don has entitled it Discipleship 101, but I call it “Discipling for Dummies.” It’s simple, it’s easy, and it’s effective. It’s made up of thirty-four powerful real-life stories. All you do is read a short story, ask prepared questions, give the prepared answers, and watch God work in the life of another. You can’t miss with this. I believe it will be a big blessing.

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Chapter 10 God Was With Him "how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power, who went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him. Acts 10:38

Andrew Wommack in his article How To Receive A Miracle writes A miracle — the supernatural intervention of God. All of us have needed a miracle in the past, need one now, or will need of one in the future. The problem is that most Christians don't know how to receive a miracle from God. The best advice is don't wait until a storm hits to learn how to believe God for a miracle. During a storm, emotions will cancel out your faith. It's good to clarify the difference between a blessing and a miracle. A miracle is a supernatural intervention of God in a crisis situation. A blessing is still God's power, but it flows through natural channels. Blessings are better than miracles. If you live your life from one miracle to the next, you will live from crisis to crisis. It's better to be blessed with good health than to always need divine healing. God's will is for us to walk in blessing. We all need a miracle at some time to simply jump-start our faith. If it weren't for miracles, we wouldn't grow to the point where we could walk in the blessings of God. Most Christians believe that God does miracles, but simply believing God is able to do it is not enough. You must know how to receive it. Many Christians just wish and hope it happens. They think there is no way to grab a hold of miracles and make them happen. That's not what the Bible teaches. God is predictable and orderly. He doesn't do one thing this time and another thing another time. God created this world and everything physical around us, and the physical world is orderly. God is the same yesterday, today, and forever. He is forever faithful. Faith is governed by laws. Romans 3:27 says, "Where is boasting then? It is excluded. By what law? of works? Nay: but by the law of faith." The kingdom of God operates under law. It is consistent. When someone is killed due to the law of gravity, we may wonder why God did that. He didn't, but there are laws that He put in place. Gravity says that if you jump off a building, you will be killed. If you cooperate with God's laws, you will be fine. If you ignore those laws, you can be killed by the laws intended for your good. It's the same with the spiritual laws of God. So, how do you receive a miracle from God? First, you must recognize that miracles are not just hit and miss. You can tap into a miracle. You learn the laws of God and how they work, and miracles will happen. I'm not saying you can push a button and God pops out or you can make God do whatever you want. I'm saying God is turned on all the time and any time, you get turned on, you can see the power of God operate. God is always wanting to move on your behalf. God is for you — He is a good God. God's desire is for you to prosper (Ps. 35:27). God's will is for you to be healthy (3 John 2). God's will is for you to be above only and not beneath (Deut. 28:13). You are the one who controls God's ability in your life. God doesn't. It is God's power and His ability, but it's up to you. The Scripture says in Ephesians 3:20, "Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us." Many people leave off that last phrase, "according to the power that worketh in us." If there is no power in you, you can stop God's intervention in your life. God has chosen to never violate

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your will. God has chosen to flow through you. Satan can't stop God's power, but you can. God wants you to have a miracle, but you have to stop waiting and start believing. The most important miracle in the Bible is the virgin birth of Jesus. God came and lived in a physical body — now that's a miracle. The account is found in Luke 1. The angel came and spoke to Mary of this miracle. The miracle happened when Mary answered (in verse 38), "Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word." When God creates, He speaks it into existence by His Word. God did all His miracles by the spoken Word. In Genesis, He created the world by the spoken Word. Hebrews 11 tells us, "Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear." The important point is that your words are involved in your miracle. Many Christians put prayer above all and believe that if you pray, it will happen. Prayer is like water or fertilizer that you put on the seed. But, without planting a seed, watering is useless. If God was moved by need, every person's need would be met. Also, those in the worst situations would get their needs met first. That's not true. You must plant a seed, which is the Word of God. First Peter 1:23 says, "Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever." We are born again of incorruptible seed — the Word of God. The word "seed" in this scripture means sperm. We are born of a supernatural union and the seed of the Word of God. Farmers believe that if you plant wheat, you get wheat. If you plant corn, you get corn. They don't question it — they are simply laws. Everybody agrees with that in the natural; but when it comes to spiritual things, most people don't believe that. But the truth is, if you aren't reaping what the Word of God says, you haven't planted what the Word of God says to plant. You reap what you sow. If the Word of God is primary in your life, you're going to get the results of the Word of God. That doesn't mean Satan won't fight you and you won't have problems. The end result will be you're going to have what the Word of God says. Satan may fight you, but you'll win. Many of us know this intellectually, but in our hearts, there is fear or reservation. We don't have the absolute confidence that God's Word is going to prevail in our lives. Romans 8:6 says, "For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace." If all you think about is the Word of God, that's all you'll get. You may not be thinking, I want to be sick, but your thinking has been sick. Proverbs 4:22 tells us that the Word of God is "life unto those that find them, and health to all their flesh." When God wanted to bring Jesus into the earth, He couldn't just create Jesus. God gave all authority over the earth to man. God did not rule directly over the affairs of the earth. After man blew it, God couldn't come down here and intervene. He had to work through man. God was looking for a man to flow through but couldn't find one. So, He had to come Himself (Is. 59:16). In the virgin birth, the Word of God was the seed. Everything else about the birth was natural. God spoke that miracle into existence. I believe every one of us has a spiritual womb where the Word of God enters in and germinates, and we conceive a miracle. Sometimes you may receive a miracle as a gift through someone else's faith. You can't depend on someone else; God wants you to be able to conceive a miracle. Meditate on the Word day and night, and you will get spiritually pregnant and bring forth fruit. It's impossible to have a miracle without planting the Word of God. One farmer thought he could violate the laws of God. He waited to plant wheat until everyone else's wheat was about ready to harvest. He planted $100,000 worth of wheat the month before harvest. When it didn't

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come up and he lost his money, he came and wanted me to pray. I told him that's not the way it works. You don't sow a crop when you want a crop. Some of us haven't had the seed planted in us, but we want the crop. There is a time of sowing and reaping (Gal. 6:9). We don't just naturally grow up believing God. It takes renewing our minds. God's Word is the most important step to receive a miracle. Romans 10:17 says, "So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God." You can't just know the Word intellectually. You must meditate on it so it becomes living and active on the inside of you. Most of us don't meditate on the Word as we should. We are occupied and don't have time, and we are upset with God when we don't receive our miracle. That's just as foolish as the man who didn't plant his seed but was upset when he didn't receive a crop. If God's Word is planted in your heart, you'll receive. It doesn't matter what you feel — God's Word will produce a miracle. Most of us have had times when we have prayed a prayer of faith, and our prayers seemed to go unanswered. Maybe you got into the Word of God, planted a seed, and prayed for a miracle. Then, nothing happened. The problem is that many people stop believing at that moment. God's Word says in Mark 11:24, "What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them." This is where most Christians stumble. The Bible says to believe when you pray that you have received. Most of us are familiar with Matthew 7:7, which says, "Ask, and it shall be given you." However, when we don't see an immediate manifestation to prayer, we say, "Well, not everyone receives." That's not scriptural because the next verse says, "For every one that asketh receiveth." Most of us don't really believe this scripture. We lose our excitement in the Word and don't expect it to work like that. We had a friend with leukemia, and she believed that she would be healed. We prayed that she would be healed. On her death bed, she still believed she would be healed at any time. She died and we prayed for her to be raised from the dead for a long time. Her father said that it couldn't be God's will for everyone to be healed, or she would have been healed. We didn't understand and it was hard for me. It was several years before I figured out how we allowed the devil to beat us on that one. We have a responsibility to bring about God's will. Some people believe that God's will comes to pass no matter what we do, but that's not true. God is bound by His own laws. Second Peter 3:9 says that it's not God's will that anyone should perish. For that to happen, there has to be someone to preach the Gospel. God's will does not automatically comes to pass. Psalm 89:34 says, "My covenant will I not break, nor alter the thing that is gone out of my lips." God has bound Himself by His own Word. God gave us authority over the devil, and we must exercise what God has given us. Most people interpret God's Word by their own experience, "God's Word says one thing, but here is what happened." If someone doesn't get healed, we make our own theology and say, "Well, not everyone gets healed." God doesn't say no to something He already said yes to. You need to learn to interpret your circumstances by God's Word — not God's Word by your circumstances. Most of us have seen a promise in God's Word and believed to the best of our ability, but it didn't come to pass. How do we harmonize the fact that God is true to His Word and it didn't happen? There is a physical world, and there is a spiritual world. The spiritual world created this physical world. There is a spiritual reality for everything physical. In 2 Kings 6, you can read the

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story of Elisha. When the Syrian army had surrounded Elisha and his army, a servant asked Elisha, "What shall we do?" Elisha answered, "Fear not: for they that be with us are more than they that be with them." Verse 17 tells us, "And Elisha prayed, and said, LORD, I pray thee, open his eyes, that he may see. And the LORD opened the eyes of the young man; and he saw: and, behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire round about Elisha." There weren't more physically but more spiritually. The angels of God surrounded them. Elisha spoke the truth. Some people say it's a lie to speak that you're healed when you don't feel healed, but that's operating only by your five senses. You have to walk in the spirit. There are spiritual realities. John 6:63 says, "It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life." The Bible is spiritual truth. We are limited when we only think in the physical realm. Just because you can't see it doesn't mean God didn't do it. God always answers when you pray according to His will. When God answers your prayer, He gives it to you in spiritual form. If you ask for finances, God releases the spiritual power to produce those finances. If you pray for healing, He gives it to you in spiritual form. God's operation ends in the spiritual realm, independent of you. Faith is the key that brings the answer into the physical realm. "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen" (Heb. 11:1). Your faith brings what God has accomplished into physical reality. God gives it to you in the spirit, then faith brings it into the physical realm. Many times you don't know God has answered your prayer because you can't perceive it in the physical. You have to believe something is happening beyond your five senses. If you don't believe it until you see it, you won't receive from God. The Bible says you have to believe you receive when you pray. What happens between the time you say amen and see the answer manifested? We learn something about this when we read about the prayers of Daniel. In Daniel 9:20, Daniel is praying, and the angel Gabriel appears and tells him (in verse 23), "At the beginning of thy supplications the commandment came forth, and I am come to shew thee." In only three minutes, God answered his prayer. Gabriel said at the beginning of his prayer God answered, but it took three minutes for it to become visible. Sometimes it takes a little time to manifest in the physical. Often, we step out of faith and stop the manifestation from coming. In Daniel 10, Daniel is praying again. This time it says, in verse 3, he fasted and prayed for three weeks. In verse 10, God sends a messenger and answers. Why did it take three minutes the first time and three weeks the second time? Some people say that God is making them wait to teach them something. That is not scriptural. The Bible says that the Scripture is given to teach us. We can learn through trials, but God doesn't send them to teach us. In verse 12, the angel told Daniel that God heard his prayer the first day and sent the answer. What held up the answer? The prince of the kingdom of Persia did battle with the angel for 21 days. There was spiritual warfare going on for three weeks. Satan fought to keep the answer from Daniel. In the Old Testament, people didn't have authority over the devil. That authority came with Jesus. If God had shown Daniel what was going on, he couldn't have done anything. In the New Testament, the blinders are removed because we have authority over Satan. We don't have to wait for the devil to run his course. When Jesus withstood temptation, the devil left because he had done everything he could do (Matt. 4; Luke 4). Satan doesn't have a limitless bag of tricks. If you pray and don't see manifestation immediately, God is waiting on you to stand against the devil and bring it into being. How can Satan hinder your prayer? He can use another person to hinder your prayer. Sometimes, other people are involved in your answer. If you are praying for finances, intercede

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for the people who will be used in your prosperity. If you are trying to sell a house, pray for the person who will buy your house. If you want a promotion at work, pray for the boss who will be used to give you your promotion. Some of you may think you don't have enough faith to believe for a miracle. The truth is that you can't get any more faith than you already have. Romans 12:3 says that God has dealt to every man the measure of faith. God gave us all the same measure of faith. In Galatians 2:20, Paul said, "I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me." Paul said that he uses the faith of Jesus. You have the same amount of faith that Jesus has. That should be enough. Andrew Wommak in his article How To: Flow In The Gifts Of The Holy Spirit writes: I believe that one of the biggest reasons that the body of Christ hasn't made a greater impact on our generation today is because of our failure to operate in the gifts of the Holy Spirit. Without a doubt, Jesus and the first apostles used the gifts like a bell, calling men to their message and confirming that God was truly the One speaking through them. Hebrews 2:3-4 says, "How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation; which at first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed unto us by them that heard him; God also bearing them witness, both with signs and wonders, and with divers miracles, and gifts of the Holy Ghost, according to his own will?" The Lord bore witness to the accuracy of their message through miracles and gifts of the Holy Spirit. In Mark 16:17-18, Jesus said all true believers would flow in the miraculous: "And these signs will follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover." If a Christian's life isn't supernatural, it's superficial. Mark goes on to say that messages based in God's Word would be confirmed by signs following: "So then after the Lord had spoken unto them, he was received up into heaven, and sat on the right hand of God. And they went forth, and preached every where, the Lord working with them, and confirming the word with signs following. Amen." Jesus even said, "If I do not the works of my Father, believe me not" (John 10:37). That's a strong statement. If we were to apply that standard to ministers today, most wouldn't be believed. The vast majority of preaching done in the name of the Lord today is without the power of the Holy Spirit manifest through the gifts of the Holy Spirit. This is not the way the Lord intended it to be. The "main line" denominations have developed doctrines to cope with this obvious discrepancy. However, regardless of the rationale, it's absurd to think that we can be effective without the power of the Holy Spirit confirming the preaching of God's Word. If Jesus and the early apostles needed their preaching validated, how can we do any less? Even the non-denominational churches have fallen away from ministering in the gifts of the Holy Spirit. The gifts that operate in most "Spirit-filled" churches are simply words of exhortation or prophecy. There is much more. The Lord has used the gifts of the Holy Spirit mightily in my life and ministry to confirm His Word. There are countless times when people were still skeptical after hearing me teach, but the demonstration of God's power through the gifts turned them into believers. It's like the teaching fills their mouths with God's Word, then the gifts of the Holy Spirit slap them on the back and make them swallow it. Hallelujah!

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One of the most important steps to flowing in the gifts of the Holy Spirit is to earnestly desire them. Paul said in 1 Corinthians 12:31, "But covet earnestly the best gifts." He repeated that thought in 1 Corinthians 14:1 when he said, "Desire spiritual gifts." Another way of saying this is, as long as you can live without flowing in the gifts of the Holy Spirit, you will. You have to seek these gifts with all your heart (Jer. 29:13). It's also very important to understand that the gifts of the Holy Spirit are always flowing. God doesn't turn them "on" and "off." We are the ones who are "on" or "off." That's a startling statement to many people and one that verges on blasphemy to some, but it's true. The Lord is always ready to flow through us in the gifts of the Holy Spirit. It's just like praying in tongues. We don't have to wait for the anointing of the Holy Spirit to come on us to speak in tongues. We can pray in tongues at any time. It's not us turning on the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is always on and giving us the ability to speak in tongues. Therefore, whenever we turn ourselves on, the gift of tongues is there to allow us to communicate with our heavenly Father. Praise the Lord! That's the way it is with all the gifts. I remember one time that I was teaching along these lines in our Charis Bible College. One of the students said, "So, you are saying that you can flow in the gifts of the Holy Spirit at any time?" I said, "That's right and I'll prove it to you." I then started down each row and just started "reading the students' mail. I was telling them things that had to be coming from the Holy Spirit. It was awesome. No one has received everything that the Holy Spirit has for them. Therefore, the Lord is always seeking to release more to us through His supernatural gifts. Whenever we put ourselves in a mode to be His channel, His gifts will flow. The old "Pentecostal" doctrine of the anointing coming and going is not a New Testament truth. First John 2:27 says, "But the anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you." Another great truth about flowing in the gifts of the Holy Spirit is what John Osteen called "the divine flow." This is based on, "God is love" (1 John 4:8). Therefore, whenever we discern the love of God flowing through us toward someone, God is reaching out to them through the gifts of the Holy Spirit. All we have to do is follow that flow through faith. Once when I was pastoring a little church in Pritchett, Colorado, my heart just went out to a woman in the back of the room. I'd never seen her before, and there was nothing natural that drew me to her. It was just the love of God flowing through me to her. Because of that love alone, I told her that God had a word for her. I didn't have one single word to say to her, but I knew God's love was flowing; and therefore, God and His gifts were flowing to her. I just started by saying, "God loves you." God then flooded my mind with things to minister to her. It was a long word from the Lord, but I specifically told her about how she was grieving over the loss of someone and was confused about why God allowed it. I kept saying, "It wasn't God that allowed it. It was the Destroyer." I said that a number of times. She broke down in tears and was really ministered to. After the service, she told me that she had just lost her son to leukemia. They believed that God allowed this disease. But just before her son died, he saw this huge demon over their town, which the Lord told him was named the Destroyer. They didn't know how to interpret that until I spoke to them through the gifts of the Holy Spirit and put it all in order. They were set free. This was the word of knowledge and the word of wisdom in operation. God gave the knowledge of what had happened and then gave words of wisdom to instruct them on how to deal with it. This all came because I followed the love that I felt in my heart. This has happened to us all, but most of the time we don't understand this is a gift of the Holy Spirit, and we miss an opportunity. I've learned this the hard way.

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There was a man who had been my youth director when I was just a young boy. He left our Baptist church before I was a teenager, and I heard how he had been baptized in the Holy Spirit and was seeing great miracles happen. He had one room in his church that was filled with the wheelchairs, crutches, and braces of people who were healed and didn't need them anymore. During a three- or four-month period of time, I thought about this man often. It was usually while I was in prayer that he would just come to mind, and I would feel the compassion of God toward him. I would just wonder what was happening with him and then dismiss the thoughts. Later, I found that he had died in a freak accident where a red ant bit him on the thumb. As soon as I heard of his death, I knew that the reason I had been thinking of him so often was because the Lord was trying to get me to intercede for him. Over a decade later, I met this man's son, and I confessed to him my failure to pray for his dad. He told me that I was at least the twelfth person who had told him a similar story. The Lord had impressed many of us to intercede for this man, but none of us recognized it as the Lord. It is imperative that we learn to recognize and flow in the gifts of the Holy Spirit. It's not only a blessing to us, but the lives of other people may depend on it. You are carrying someone's miracle. Don't let it stay inside. You have to learn how to release it.

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Chapter 11 I Have Overcome The World "Then I said to you, 'Do not be terrified, or afraid of them. 'The LORD your God, who goes before you, He will fight for you, according to all He did for you in Egypt before your eyes, 'and in the wilderness where you saw how the LORD your God carried you, as a man carries his son, in all the way that you went until you came to this place.' Deuteronomy 1:29-31 "These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world." John 16:33 There is nothing in this world that can defeat God who in Christ Jesus has overcome the world. He has promised to fight for His trusting ones according to all that He did for His people in Egypt where God judged and plagued and dismayed a whole nation along with Pharaoh’s with destructive miracles, signs and wonders. The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob using a murderer named Moses saw the oppression of His people n Egypt, knew their sorrows and have heard their cry because of their taskmasters, and had come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians, and to bring them up from that land to a good and large land, to a land flowing with milk and honey. The king of Egypt would not let His people go, not even by a mighty hand, so God stretched out His hand and struck Egypt with all His wonders and caused Pharaoh to let them even saying to Pharaoh, 'Thus says the LORD: "Israel is My son, My firstborn. "So I say to you, let My son go that he may serve Me. But if you refuse to let him go, indeed I will kill your son, your firstborn (Exodus 4:22-23). He gave His people favor in the sight of the Egyptians and when they went they did not go empty-handed but plundered the Egyptians. And to ensure their safety and peace and to avenge them He caused Pharaoh with his mighty army to purse His people and then He destroyed them as a result miraculously at the Red sea where God miraculously parted the waters and enabled His people to safely cross on dry land to the other side. And then He closed the same waters on their enemies and caused them all to drown. God’s word is unchanging: Now it came to pass, in the morning watch, that the LORD looked down upon the army of the Egyptians through the pillar of fire and cloud, and He troubled the army of the Egyptians. And He took off their chariot wheels, so that they drove them with difficulty; and the Egyptians said, "Let us flee from the face of Israel, for the LORD fights for them against the Egyptians." Then the LORD said to Moses, "Stretch out your hand over the sea, that the waters may come back upon the Egyptians, on their chariots, and on their horsemen." And Moses stretched out his hand over the sea; and when the morning appeared, the sea returned to its full depth, while the Egyptians were fleeing into it. So the LORD overthrew the Egyptians in the midst of the sea. Then the waters returned and covered the chariots, the horsemen, and all the army of Pharaoh that came into the sea after them. Not so much as one of them remained. But the children of Israel had walked on dry land in the midst of the sea, and the waters were a wall to them on their right hand and on their left. So the LORD saved Israel that day out of the hand of the Egyptians, and Israel saw the Egyptians dead on the seashore. Thus Israel saw the great work which the LORD had done in Egypt; so the people feared the LORD, and believed the LORD and His servant Moses. Exodus 14:24-31 Then Moses and the children of Israel sang this song to the LORD, and spoke, saying: "I will sing to the LORD, For He has triumphed gloriously! The horse and its rider He has thrown into the sea! The LORD is my strength and song, And He has become my salvation; He is my God, and I will praise Him; My father's God, and I will exalt Him. The LORD is a man of war; The LORD is His name. Pharaoh's chariots and his army He has cast into the sea; His chosen captains also are drowned in the Red Sea. The depths have covered them; They sank to the bottom like a stone. "Your right hand, O LORD, has become glorious in power; Your right hand, O LORD, has dashed the enemy in pieces. And in the greatness of Your excellence You have overthrown those who rose against You; You sent forth Your wrath; It consumed them like stubble. Exodus 15:1-7 The same God whose right hand is glorious in power and dashed the enemy in pieces, consuming them

51 Be Not Ignorant like a stubble, has promised to fight for His trusting ones and to give them victory over all their enemies (Deuteronomy 20:1-4, 28:1-15, 33:26-29). He has promised their enemies would submit to them, and they shall tread down their high places. He has promised to give them every place that the sole of their foot will tread upon; no man shall be able to stand before them all the days of their life; as He was with Moses, so He will be with them. He would not leave them nor forsake them and would be with them wherever they go (Joshua 1:4-9). He has promised to do whatever they ask in Jesus name (John 14:1314, 15:16, 16:23-26). His word is unchanging: Though the LORD is on high, Yet He regards the lowly; But the proud He knows from afar. Though I walk in the midst of trouble, You will revive me; You will stretch out Your hand Against the wrath of my enemies, And Your right hand will save me. The LORD will perfect that which concerns me; Your mercy, O LORD, endures forever; Do not forsake the works of Your hands. Psalm 138:6-8 "Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father. "And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. "If you ask anything in My name, I will do it. "If you love Me, keep My commandments. "And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever- "the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you. John 14:12-17 Though we walk in the midst of trouble, God will revive us; He will stretch out His hand against the wrath of our enemies, and His right hand will save us and give us concrete victory over all our enemies. The LORD will perfect that which concerns us and we will do the works that Jesus did and great works also because God, Himself, is for us, with us and not against us. It’s to be noted that God’s character and nature does not change just because we had a bad day. He doesn’t stop loving us just because we were overcome in some area. He doesn’t disqualify us because we made a wrong turn or didn’t heed His voice again telling us what to do or where to go. He doesn’t become angry with us when we become tired and discouraged. He doesn’t disown us because we require His correction. His love and care for us is constant and there is no searching of His understanding. His word is unchanging: Lift up your eyes on high, And see who has created these things, Who brings out their host by number; He calls them all by name, By the greatness of His might And the strength of His power; Not one is missing. Why do you say, O Jacob, And speak, O Israel: "My way is hidden from the LORD, And my just claim is passed over by my God"? Have you not known? Have you not heard? The everlasting God, the LORD, The Creator of the ends of the earth, Neither faints nor is weary. His understanding is unsearchable. He gives power to the weak, And to those who have no might He increases strength. Even the youths shall faint and be weary, And the young men shall utterly fall, But those who wait on the LORD Shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles, They shall run and not be weary, They shall walk and not faint. Isaiah 40:26-31 When circumstances are negative in our lives, it is not a sign of God’s displeasure with us. On the contrary sometimes God allows us to experience attack so that we can learn to war and to overcome the enemy and be dependent on the LORD and not ourselves. So that we can see great and wonderful victories just like the bewildered and besieged children of Israel did at the Red Sea where God miraculously made a way where there was no way and in the process destroyed their enemies. Yes, there are times when God appears to silent to our cries for a season because He wants us to learn to stand in faith and to trust in His goodness, His love and His faithfulness which He has demonstrated to us over and over again and see the great and wonderful things that He will do for us. God’s word is unchanging: And when Pharaoh drew near, the children of Israel lifted their eyes, and behold, the Egyptians marched after them. So they were very afraid, and the children of Israel cried out to the LORD. Then they said to Moses, "Because there were no graves in Egypt, have you taken us away to die in the wilderness? Why have you so dealt with us, to bring us up out of Egypt? "Is this not the word that we told you in Egypt, saying, 'Let us alone that we may serve the Egyptians?' For it would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than that we should die in the wilderness." And Moses said to the people, "Do not be afraid. Stand still, and see the

52 Be Not Ignorant salvation of the LORD, which He will accomplish for you today. For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall see again no more forever. "The LORD will fight for you, and you shall hold your peace." Exodus 14:10-14 God is our loving Father and He will always remain our loving Father. That is part of His nature and that is Who He is. He does not change. He doesn’t behave towards us like a human. He is not a man and His ways are far above the ways of man. He is not fickle. A bruised reed He doesn’t break and smoking flax He doesn’t quench. He doesn’t abandon His children because they have gotten lost once again or misread His signs and direction. He doesn’t remove His calling and anointing on them because had failed once again or were discouraged by the enemy. No! He loves them at all times and forever and they must stop listening to the lies and accusations of the enemy. He has adopted them into His family and has put His indwelling Spirit within them. He has shown them His faithfulness, and His mercies are now every morning. He has demonstrated His love and His forgiveness to them. While circumstance might change He doesn’t change. He is the same yesterday today and forever – faithful and true and dependable and full of integrity. Just because they go through difficulties and trials doesn’t negate any of His promises towards them. He is still the great Deliverer, Redeemer and Restore of His people who break the strong gates of iron that have been over His people. In due season He brings release from the hand of the oppressor and with His strong hand rids His people of the giants in their land. He makes them victorious people to rise to the occasion and walk in His freedom and in the Jubilee season. He increases the anointing in their lives so that the yoke of the enemy over them can be broken. He teaches them to know that it is not by might or power but only His Spirit that they can live, breathe and have their being and success and victories. He rains down His Holy Spirit afresh upon His trusting ones to give them season of refreshing. They learn from His gentle hand that He is their provision and their everything. They learn to know His Spirit as their Sustainer and their source of Strength. They come to understand the concept of His being the vine and they being the branches and the fact that without Him they are disconnected and without stable ground. As they remain in Christ and allow Him to be their source, He leads them their abundance and give them all the wisdom that they need. He has paid the price for their total salvation, healing, abundance, victories and prosperity. He teaches them to war in the Spirit on a higher level than they have known and to serve Him out of love for Him. He wants what is best for them at all times for they are precious to him. He desires that they be healed body soul and spirit and be blessed financially. Though the world may despise them and use them, He is able to sustain them and lead them through it as they hear His voice and heed the call He has placed upon them. God’s true ones don’t allow the circumstances that surround them affect their faith in Him. They don’t allow them to effect their sense of well-being or their relationship with the LORD. They don’t allow circumstances to define them but instead look to His character, faithfulness and goodness. Mind you for many of God’s people provision is a word God’s children don't fully understand. It’s difficult for them to rely on God when they have so long trusted in the toil of their hands and the sweat of their brows. But God’s hand will provide to those who trust in Him. His provision can be in an instant and His timing is perfect. It gives God great pleasure as their Heavenly Father to provide their needs as they than and praise Him for it. He causes their spirit to soar like an eagle far above all power and principalities and to reach out to the brethren with love and encouragement so that they can overcome in the onslaughts of the enemy. He wants to bring all His children into victory and not just some special few. He wants to teach them not to give up on Him promises to them when they see no positive results to their prayers, especially when it looks like things are getting worse. They need just to stand on His word which is the truth for everything else is a lie. They are not to go by what they feel or see, but by what they believe in their heart through His word given to them. The enemy is defeated in their life if they stand on what He did at Calvary and not lose vision of His victory when they see things growing worse around them. The best is yet to come. In the heavenly realm they are seated with Christ at the right hand of the Father and can rejoice and reach out a helping hand to those in need and give encouraging word to those who feel defeated. They can share His love, peace and joy for their God is in control and He reigns as King of kings and Lord of lords forever. They can pray with faith believing that God will hear and answer all their prayers and enjoy the spoils of war just like the children of Israel did and so did Hannah. God’s word is unchanging:

53 Be Not Ignorant And Hannah prayed and said: "My heart rejoices in the LORD; My horn is exalted in the LORD. I smile at my enemies, Because I rejoice in Your salvation. "No one is holy like the LORD, For there is none besides You, Nor is there any rock like our God. "Talk no more so very proudly; Let no arrogance come from your mouth, For the LORD is the God of knowledge; And by Him actions are weighed. "The bows of the mighty men are broken, And those who stumbled are girded with strength. Those who were full have hired themselves out for bread, And the hungry have ceased to hunger. Even the barren has borne seven, And she who has many children has become feeble. "The LORD kills and makes alive; He brings down to the grave and brings up. The LORD makes poor and makes rich; He brings low and lifts up. He raises the poor from the dust And lifts the beggar from the ash heap, To set them among princes And make them inherit the throne of glory. "For the pillars of the earth are the LORD'S, And He has set the world upon them. He will guard the feet of His saints, But the wicked shall be silent in darkness. "For by strength no man shall prevail. The adversaries of the LORD shall be broken in pieces; From heaven He will thunder against them. The LORD will judge the ends of the earth. "He will give strength to His king, And exalt the horn of His anointed." 1 Samuel 2:1-10 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 4:4-16 Yes, God’s true anointed ones are mighty men of War who through faith subdue kingdoms, work righteousness, obtained promises and do great exploits. They pull down the strongholds that are effecting God’s people for many don't know how to war for themselves and need those who will stand in the gap and roar on their behalf. They let out mighty power of God’s love that repels the powers of darkness so that many can receive His love. Many are so bound with deception that they don't even know that they are bound in chains and fetters and the enemy must be commanded to let God's people go. God’s anointed ones follow the leading in the fight of their Commander in chief. They are full of compassion, and do not stop warring until they know in their hearts that they have conquered the land. Their travail is not in vain as they hold on to their faith in God’s word and promises and do let go of them until they get their mighty breakthrough. They don’t look at circumstances stating that things are growing worse and that they have lost the fight. They don't believe the lies of the enemy by confess that the nations are their inheritance. God’s word is unchanging: Ask of Me, and I will give You The nations for Your inheritance, And the ends of the earth for Your possession. Psalm 2:8 By faith they passed through the Red Sea as by dry land, whereas the Egyptians, attempting to do so, were drowned. By faith the walls of Jericho fell down after they were encircled for seven days. By faith the harlot Rahab did not perish with those who did not believe, when she had received the spies with peace. And what more shall I say? For the time would fail me to tell of Gideon and Barak and Samson and Jephthah, also of David and Samuel and the prophets: who through faith subdued kingdoms, worked righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, Hebrews 11:29-33

I Am For You Gerdi Marais ([email protected]) Do not lose hope! Do not give up and do not despair! For I am your hope! I am your future and I am your breakthrough! Breakthrough is near. I have made the way and will keep on making the way. Do not despair. Do not lose hope. Only keep your eyes on Me. I will not fail you. I will not let you down. What has been promised will come to pass. Am I a man that I should lie? Behold I am God of the Universe, the Creator

54 Be Not Ignorant of heaven & earth. Is anything too difficult for Me? I tell you the truth. Your breakthrough is near. Do not lose hope. Do not lose focus. Salvation is near. Only believe. Only keep beholding Me. I will bring you through. I am for you, not against you and I will bring you into a future and hope that is good and not evil. Trust Me and let Me carry you through. Do not lose hope.

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Chapter 12 God’s Will Is Prosperity Blessed is the man Who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, Nor stands in the path of sinners, Nor sits in the seat of the scornful; But his delight is in the law of the LORD, And in His law he meditates day and night. 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 1:1-3 For unto us a Child is born, Unto us a Son is given; And the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Isaiah 9:6 Because Jesus Christ, the Word, was given to us we can be prosperous and successful in all things as we abide in Him and in His word and do whatever He commands us. He is a God who desires that we prosper in all things and be in health, just as our soul prospers (3 John 1:2). The wealth of the heavens and universe is in the Word and the Word dwells within us as God’s children. Everything we need and desire, for it is our Father’s good pleasure to give us the kingdom and to shower on us all of His goodness and mercy. His word is unchanging: Praise the LORD! Blessed is the man who fears the LORD, Who delights greatly in His commandments. His descendants will be mighty on earth; The generation of the upright will be blessed. Wealth and riches will be in his house, And his righteousness endures forever. Psalm 112:1-3 The American Heritage Dictionary defines ‘prosperity’ and ‘prosper’ as: pros·per·i·ty n. The condition of being prosperous. pros·per v. To be fortunate or successful, especially in terms of one's finances; thrive. Biblical prosperity means great riches, honor, silver and gold in the current time of life. We have an example of biblical prosperity in the life of Hezekiah: Now it came to pass in the third year of Hoshea the son of Elah, king of Israel, that Hezekiah the son of Ahaz, king of Judah, began to reign. He was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned twenty-nine years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Abi the daughter of Zechariah. And he did what was right in the sight of the LORD, according to all that his father David had done. He removed the high places and broke the sacred pillars, cut down the wooden image and broke in pieces the bronze serpent that Moses had made; for until those days the children of Israel burned incense to it, and called it Nehushtan. He trusted in the LORD God of Israel, so that after him was none like him among all the kings of Judah, nor who were before him. For he held fast to the LORD; he did not depart from following Him, but kept His commandments, which the LORD had commanded Moses. The LORD was with him; he prospered wherever he went. And he rebelled against the king of Assyria and did not serve him. 2 Kings 18:1-7 Thus Hezekiah did throughout all Judah, and he did what was good and right and true before the LORD his God. And in every work that he began in the service of the house of God, in the law and in the commandment, to seek his God, he did it with all his heart. So he prospered. 2 Chronicles 31:20 Hezekiah had very great riches and honor. And he made himself treasuries for silver, for gold, for precious stones, for spices, for shields, and for all kinds of desirable items; storehouses for the harvest of grain, wine, and oil; and stalls for all kinds of livestock, and folds for flocks. Moreover he provided cities for himself, and possessions of flocks and herds in abundance; for God had given him very much property. 2 Chronicles 32:27-29 As a result of his God given prosperity, King Hezekiah had very great riches and honor. He made himself treasuries for silver, for gold, for precious stones, for spices, for shields, and for all kinds of

56 Be Not Ignorant desirable items; storehouses for the harvest of grain, wine, and oil; and stalls for all kinds of livestock, and folds for flocks. Moreover he provided cities for himself, and possessions of flocks and herds in abundance; for God had given him very much property. So true prosperity is not just our soul being prosperous but also our whole man body, soul and spirit? The devil, who is a liar and a thief and is jealous of man, doesn’t want man to be prosperous, rich and wealthy but poor and sick. Through a religious spirit he has lied to many of God’s people that abundant prosperity is not God’s will because he knows that whatever a person believes for he or she shall receive. And as long as person believes a lie he will not know the truth. The devil doesn’t want God’s people to know that Jesus endured absolute poverty and degradation for their sakes. Imagine if they believed that it’s their divine call and destiny to have abundance in all things and to be blessed in spirit, soul, mind and body? Imagine if they prayed and believed God that the healing and restoring power of God will come upon every area of their life, upon their spirit, upon their soul, upon their body and upon their finances? Imagine if they would break every curse and command every evil thing and every bad circumstance to flee from them? Imagine if they prayed that every attack spiritual emotional physical and financial would turn into victory right now? Imagine if they prayed and received an anointing that would break every yoke and destroy every bondage and wile of the devil? Why God’s people by grace and faith would be living and walking in divine health and prosperity here on earth and no demon would want this to happen? But the truth is that all that belongs to God belongs to Jesus and all that belongs to Jesus belongs to God’s people, heirs of salvation and brothers and sisters of Jesus. The truth is that all good things of heaven, including salvation, the baptism of the Spirit, divine health and abundant prosperity, come by faith from a God whose thoughts towards His children are good and not evil. From a God who made His sons and daughters to be royalty, kings and priests, who are reigning with Him (Revelation 1:6 & 5:10)! Which normal parent delights in seeing his children poor, destitute, naked and sick? None! And neither does God. He delights in seeing His children blessed, be made perfectly whole, and minister like Jesus in the power of the Spirit with miracles, signs and wonders. Now all this is something that must be made real and true by the Holy Spirit or the carnal mind will not accept it. But God’s word is unchanging: 1:3

All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. John

For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, that you through His poverty might become rich. 2 Corinthians 8:9 Jesus Christ, who made all things, became a man for our sakes that we through His poverty might become rich, spiritually and financially. But Jesus Christ was not financially poor on earth just because He was born in a manger. The three wise man had given His parents expensive gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh (Matthew 2:11) which was at their disposal. Later during His ministry Jesus had his own house. The Bible records: Then Jesus turned, and seeing them following, said to them, "What do you seek?" They said to Him, "Rabbi" (which is to say, when translated, Teacher), "where are You staying?" He said to them, "Come and see." They came and saw where He was staying, and remained with Him that day (now it was about the tenth hour). John 1:38-39 Now it came to pass, afterward, that He went through every city and village, preaching and bringing the glad tidings of the kingdom of God. And the twelve were with Him, and certain women who had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities-Mary called Magdalene, out of whom had come seven demons, and Joanna the wife of Chuza, Herod's steward, and Susanna, and many others who provided for Him from their substance. Luke 8:1-3 And Jesus said to him, "Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head." Luke 9:58 Yes, Jesus had many of donors who gave to His ministry and He had no place to stay in a local area problem, for the Samaritans cancelled His meeting and He was not welcome in the city as they did not receive him . (Luke 9:52-53) But Jesus who sometimes have as many as 120 people traveling with him bought food for the disciples (John 4:8) and had a treasurer Judas, who was a thief (John 12:6). And Jesus was also extremely rich as God had anointed Him with the Spirit in unlimited measure and angels

57 Be Not Ignorant miraculously ministered to Him whenever needed (Matthew 4:11). When Jesus was betrayed and arrested according to the plan of God, Jesus could have asked His Father, and He would have provided Him with more than twelve legions of angels, but then the Scriptures would not be fulfilled. Jesus didn’t have a problem turning the water into wine at the wedding (John 2:69)or giving Peter and friends net breaking boat sinking loads of fish (Luke 5:4-7). Yes, the disciples of Jesus, Peter and Andrew, James and John, and Matthew, were not poor. A study of Caperanum, the home of Jesus Christ during His Galilean ministry after He left Nazareth reveals this. Capernaum was also the home of Matthew, the tax collector; Peter and Andrew the fishermen had left Bethsaida and had settled in Capernaum, and there was James and John there in Capernaum also. Matthew, as the tax collector, certainly had accumulated assets from his duty of tax collection, particularly along the busy Via Maris which brought a great deal of trade to Capernaum, and a tax on products, particularly fish would have given Matthew a substantial income. The home of Peter has been excavated and is relatively unquestioned. It was a multi-roomed home with two courts, probably two stories with 14 rooms opening onto the two courts. Peter and Andrew, James and John were fishermen, and fish was a productive product on the busy market where caravans transversed from Damascus and Caesarea Maritime on the Mediterranean Sea. Dried fish was sold to be delivered all over the area. Jesus Christ definitely was not anemic, impotent, and poor like many of God’s people who are bound by religious spirits and in a Satanic cycle of poverty rather than God’s cycle of prosperity unable to get or perform miracles! Yet God’s word is unchanging: The LORD makes poor and makes rich; He brings low and lifts up. He raises the poor from the dust And lifts the beggar from the ash heap, To set them among princes And make them inherit the throne of glory. "For the pillars of the earth are the LORD'S, 1 Samuel 2:7-8 Yes, the LORD makes poor and makes rich; He brings low and lifts up. He raises the poor from the dust and lifts the beggar from the ash heap, to set them among princes and make them inherit the throne of glory. God doesn’t have a problem in making His people rich and prosperous. Jesus Christ suffered on the cross intense pain and shame to set us free from sickness and poverty. By His stripes we were healed in every sense of the word. Jesus was made manifest to destroy the works of the devil (1 John 3:8) including sickness and poverty. He is still the great Savior, Healer, Deliverer, Provider and Miracle Worker. It’s Satan, our arch enemy, who wants God’s people to suffer spiritual, physical and financial insufficiency and be sick and weak for he is a thief, a murderer and a destroyer (John 10:10). God’s word is unchanging: Now He was teaching in one of the synagogues on the Sabbath. And behold, there was a woman who had a spirit of infirmity eighteen years, and was bent over and could in no way raise herself up. But when Jesus saw her, He called her to Him and said to her, "Woman, you are loosed from your infirmity." And He laid His hands on her, and immediately she was made straight, and glorified God. But the ruler of the synagogue answered with indignation, because Jesus had healed on the Sabbath; and he said to the crowd, "There are six days on which men ought to work; therefore come and be healed on them, and not on the Sabbath day." The Lord then answered him and said, "Hypocrite! Does not each one of you on the Sabbath loose his ox or donkey from the stall, and lead it away to water it? "So ought not this woman, being a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan has bound-think of it-for eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the Sabbath?" And when He said these things, all His adversaries were put to shame; and all the multitude rejoiced for all the glorious things that were done by Him. Luke 13:10-17 Yes, the devil kept this woman sick for eighteen years and Jesus delivered her from her bondage. And because He is the same yesterday, today, and forever He can and will deliver any one from any bondage. There are many forms of bondage besides sickness. A person could be physically well but be bondage in his finances. But God who owns the cattle on the thousand hills and all the silver and gold will deliver him from his or her bondage (Isaiah 61:1-5). The lack of money is a great bondage but Jesus delivers from all

58 Be Not Ignorant forms of bondage. Contrary to what some people believe money is not the root of all evil. The LOVE of money is the root of all evil! Money is just a means of payment. It’s is neutral. What a person does with money makes it either good or evil. What is important is does a person possess money or does money possess the person? Now the devil wants God’s people to be blind and ignorant about God’s desires for them to be healthy and wealthy and powerful. The devil is not stupid and he knows that whatever part of the Word of God is rejected by God’s people it will not become a reality in their lives. So he causes many religious folks to believe that sickness and poverty are the will of God and that prosperity and wealth and prosperity are from the devil. But all this is nothing but a lie from the father of all lies – the devil. Poverty is like an infectious disease. It is like a virus Satan brings upon the Body of Christ. He has infected many individuals, families and whole churches with the "poverty virus". As a result for them poverty and sickness have literally become a way of life. But the truth of the matter is that Jesus had died on the cross to give us 100% victory over all things including to set us free from sickness and disease and poverty. He doesn't want us to be even 1% sick or poor. He gave His blood for us. He purchased us. We are His own and all that belongs to Jesus belongs to us- all of it! That is the reason why Jesus wants us to live a 100% healthy life. Every sickness in our life and poverty is defeated by the blood of Jesus. Jesus gave His blood -- He died naked on the cross -- to set us free from sickness or poverty. Every financial lack in our life is defeated by the blood of Jesus. He wants us to live 100% wealthy and healthy lives. And All we have to do is to receive and confess God's Word concerning our health, healing, blessings and prosperity and to act according to it. God’s word is unchanging: "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 this day. Deuteronomy 8:18 "If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him! Matthew 7:11 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning. James 1:17

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Chapter 13 I Will Call Upon The LORD I will love You, O LORD, my strength. The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer; My God, my strength, in whom I will trust; My shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. I will call upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised; So shall I be saved from my enemies. Psalm 18:1-3 In the day of my trouble I will call upon You, For You will answer me. Among the gods there is none like You, O Lord; Nor are there any works like Your works. Psalm 86:7-8 By faith we can touch God now. By faith we can have full assurance that God will take care of that which concerns us. By faith we can look beyond our troubles and see Jesus. Faith comes from reading the Word of God. His Word is full of divine promises that pertain to life and godliness. God's Word is the ultimate authority, and by faith we can let the Word speak louder to our hearts than our problems. God made a wonderful plan for mankind, and that plan is not beyond our reach. His plan of salvation for the soul and healing for the body is within our reach. He loves us, and He has all power. We can Have confidence in our Lord and expect to receive promises fulfilled for us and our loved ones. God’s word is unchanging: Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; and perseverance, character; and character, hope. Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us. Romans 5:1-5 Yes, tribulation produces perseverance; and perseverance, character; and character, hope. Repeated encounters with frustration and failure brings humility that makes God’s trusting ones to realize that apart from God, they can do nothing. Pride is the root of many and various sins and sickness. So it is important that through trials and tribulations God roots out that sin and pride and enables His trusting ones to become more free to be, and more free to do His will, and not just His own. Walking in the Spirit perfectly requires freedom from demonic strongholds. God’s trusting ones must cleanse themselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, and walk in perfecting holiness in the fear of God. They must lay aside all filthiness and overflow of wickedness, and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save their souls. They need to healed and delivered from untruths and half truths that have not permitted them to walk in all that God has appointed for them to walk. They need to accept God’s ways, and the power of His Spirit and walk in great authority and power, other wise they will dry up and no longer be of any effect or will fall to the lies and compromise of the enemies. Yet God’s word is unchanging: The fear of the LORD is to hate evil; Pride and arrogance and the evil way And the perverse mouth I hate. Proverbs 8:13 At the root of most stumbling through unbelief and disobedience (self-will) is that primary ingredient of man's fallen nature which the scripture calls pride. Wise King Solomon told us in Proverbs 16:18 that "Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a FALL." Pride is simply the ADULATION of SELF, wanting to be a law unto oneself, independent, with a feeling of importance, and a desire for acclaim from others. There are DEGREES of pride, of course, and ALL of us have a measure of this problem whether we are willing to admit it or not. The very methods of God's dealings with us from salvation on, are designed to strike at this root problem of our carnal nature, so that "no FLESH should glory in his presence" (1 Corinthians 1:29). Pride makes a person inflexible, unyielding, and unteachable, and through it one is deceived into trying to justify SELF in many ways. Especially there is a tendency to maintain one's own worth, works or merit, as a means of gaining favor with God, or acclaim in the sight of men. In Hebrews 12:1, the writer admonishes Christians to “lay aside every weight, and THE SIN which so

60 Be Not Ignorant easily ensnares us (causing us to stumble).” As we read the book of Hebrews, it is quite clear that the sin referred to is UNBELIEF. The Israelites failed to enter into all the promised inheritance God had for them because of unbelief (Heb.3:19). The warning is given to Christians: “Since A PROMISE remains of entering HIS REST, let us fear, lest any of you seem to have come short of it . . . BEWARE, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief.”(Hebrews 4:1, 3:12). Peter tells us that the Jews “stumble being disobedient TO THE WORD”(1 Peter 2:8). A part of their trouble was that they were blinded by their traditions (Matthew 7:6-13). But the same is true of Christians. Our sectarian Christianity has created a situation where we are conditioned to believe the emphasis of our particular denomination or group, and to disbelieve or ignore the teachings of the word. Not only is the Spirit of unbelief fostered in our midst, but the resultant disobedience to “ALL the counsel of God” (Acts 20:27), through ignorance, neglect or willful rejection, causes us to “LIMIT the Holy One of Israel” (Ps. 78:41) as the Israelites did. Unbelief LIMITS what God can do in our lives, and can result in the more serious matter of actual disobedience and resistance of God’s purpose through self-will.xiii Due to pride, which makes a person inflexible, unyielding, and unteachable and ignorance, neglect or willful rejection, many of God’s people reject for today His healings, signs, wonders, miracles and tongues. These things recorded in the book of Acts are merely a sample of the things which Jesus began to do in working with His disciples through the power of the indwelling Holy Ghost after He had gone back to heaven. Nowhere in the Word of God is there any Scripture which states or implies that He would cease to be with His disciples (those who believe), and to confirm the Word with signs following, before the end of the age! He is still healing the sick today. As believers lay hands upon them in faith, the deaf hear, the blind see, the lame walk, and all manner of disease is healed and people speak in tongues and prophesy just like they did in the book of Acts! God’s word is true: And believers were increasingly added to the Lord, multitudes of both men and women, so that they brought the sick out into the streets and laid them on beds and couches, that at least the shadow of Peter passing by might fall on some of them. Also a multitude gathered from the surrounding cities to Jerusalem, bringing sick people and those who were tormented by unclean spirits, and they were all healed. Acts 5:14-16 And it happened that the father of Publius lay sick of a fever and dysentery. Paul went in to him and prayed, and he laid his hands on him and healed him. Acts 28:8 Apostle Paul wrote that many Christian get sick and die as part of the judgments of God (For this reason many are weak and sick among you, and many sleep – 1 Corinthians 11:30, "Indeed I will cast her into a sickbed, and those who commit adultery with her into great tribulation, unless they repent of their deeds- Revelation 2:22.) - just like the Lord has judged His people with sickness and death when they came out of Egypt (So the LORD sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people; and many of the people of Israel died Numbers 21:6, For we know Him who said, "Vengeance is Mine, I will repay," says the Lord. And again, "The LORD will judge His people." It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God –Hebrews 10:30-31). So just because many Christian do not get healed because of the judgments of God doesn't invalidate miraculous healing(s)? If Christians would repent of their sins God would heal them for His word is unchanging: "When I shut up heaven and there is no rain, or command the locusts to devour the land, or send pestilence among My people, "if My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land. 2 Chronicles 7:13-14 For this reason many are weak and sick among you, and many sleep. For if we would judge ourselves, we would not be judged. But when we are judged, we are chastened by the Lord, that we may not be condemned with the world. 1 Corinthians 11:30-32 Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. James 5:14-16

61 Be Not Ignorant Yet the fact that many Christians do not get healed of their sicknesses and diseases doesn't change the fact that the Lord is the same yesterday, today and forever and a Savior, Healer and Deliverer or the according to your faith principle set out by Jesus. We stand on the Word of God and not our experiences, for God’s word is unchanging: "If you diligently heed the voice of the LORD your God and do what is right in His sight, give ear to His commandments and keep all His statutes, I will put none of the diseases on you which I have brought on the Egyptians. For I am the LORD who heals you." Exodus 15:26 Who forgives all your iniquities, Who heals all your diseases, Psalm 103:3 When Jesus departed from there, two blind men followed Him, crying out and saying, "Son of David, have mercy on us!" And when He had come into the house, the blind men came to Him. And Jesus said to them, "Do you believe that I am able to do this?" They said to Him, "Yes, Lord." Then He touched their eyes, saying, "According to your faith let it be to you." And their eyes were opened. Matthew 9:27-30 Some try to point out that Apostle Paul was not healed but the bible doesn’t say he was sick but rather he had a demonic thorn in the flesh? The root cause of Paul's demonic thorn was his pride and the fact that the LORD hates pride and arrogance, the evil way and the perverse mouth and pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall. Hence less Paul be destroyed by it and take a great fall like many TV Evangelists and Pastors that we know, God purposely gave Paul a demonic thorn in the flesh lest being puffed up with pride he would fall into the same condemnation as the devil. Yes, pride was the number one sin that caused the devil to fall and causes many of God’s people to fall! God’s word is unchanging: "How you are fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! How you are cut down to the ground, You who weakened the nations! For you have said in your heart: 'I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God; I will also sit on the mount of the congregation On the farthest sides of the north; I will ascend above the heights of the clouds, I will be like the Most High.' Yet you shall be brought down to Sheol, To the lowest depths of the Pit. Isaiah 14:12-15 Concerning this thing I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might depart from me. And He said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness." Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 1Corinthians 12:8-9 But Paul had the power of Christ rest on him while most Christians have nothing on them? God’s word is true: And my speech and my preaching were not with persuasive words of human wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, that your faith should not be in the wisdom of men but in the power of God., 1 Corinthians 2:4-5 Then Moses said to him, "Are you zealous for my sake? Oh, that all the LORD'S people were prophets and that the LORD would put His Spirit upon them!" Numbers 11:29 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Ephesians 4:30

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Chapter 14 Power To Get Wealth 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 this day. Deuteronomy 8:18 A good man leaves an inheritance to his children's children, But the wealth of the sinner is stored up for the righteous Proverbs 13:22 Money is not the root of all evil! As a matter fact it’s a great necessity in this life. We cannot do much even in the kingdom of God without money. The love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows (Timothy 6:10). The bible teaches that the LORD our God gives you power to get wealth, that He may establish His covenant with us. It also teaches that 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). It is the Lord who gives the early and latter rain so that there could be seed time an harvest on earth. God’s word is unchanging: 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. As it is written: "He has dispersed abroad, He has given to the poor; His righteousness endures forever." 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 9:8-11 Thus says the LORD, your Redeemer, The Holy One of Israel: "I am the LORD your God, Who teaches you to profit, Who leads you by the way you should go. Isaiah 48:17 Although we might not think about it but an idea from God is a seed that God gives us for Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning (James 1:17). Many inventions that produced great wealth for the inventors were ideas such as steel rails, electricity and telephone.xiv Before the Civil War, the nation’s railroads ran on iron rails that wore out quickly. Railroad owners knew that rails made of steel—a mixture of iron, carbon, and sometimes other metals—were stronger and would last longer. Steel, however, was difficult and costly to make. In 1872, a Scottish immigrant named Andrew Carnegie went to England to study a less expensive method of making steel. Carnegie owned a company that made iron bridges for railroads. But he knew that his bridges would be better if they were made out of steel. Carnegie was so impressed by the Bessemer process that he brought it back to the United States. “The day of iron has passed,” he announced. “Steel is king!” Carnegie was right. Within a decade, steel was replacing iron in rails, locomotives, and bridges. Other industries also took advantage of less expensive steel. Steel nails, needles, and knives became common household items. Many steel companies competed fiercely to supply steel for such products. To remain the leader, Carnegie hired scientists to improve the quality of his company’s steel. He employed good managers to make his steel mills run efficiently. His recipe for success was, “Adopt every improvement, have the best machinery, and know the most.” To keep costs low, Carnegie set out to control every step in the steel making process. He purchased iron mines to supply his ore, coal fields to fire his furnaces, and railroads to ship his finished steel to customers. To reduce his competition, Carnegie also bought up several rival steel companies. He then combined them all to form the giant Carnegie Steel Company. By 1900, Carnegie Steel produced a quarter of the nation’s steel. Thomas Edison helped to transform electricity from a scientific curiosity into a practical source of light and power. In 1876, Edison opened an “invention factory” in New Jersey. With a team of workers, he set out to create a “minor” invention every few days and a “big thing every six months or so.”

63 Be Not Ignorant Edison succeeded brilliantly. His workshop turned out the first practical electric light bulb, the phonograph, the motion picture projector, and many other inventions. In 1882, Edison built the first electrical power station and distribution center in New York City. His team invented everything the system required, including generators, regulators, meters, switches, light sockets, fuse boxes, and underground cables. When he finally turned the generator on, electricity began to flow to homes, stores, and factories. The age of electricity had begun. By 1900, some 25 million light bulbs were glowing across the country. New electric devices, such as washing machines and vacuum cleaners, were making housework easier. A Scottish immigrant named Alexander Graham Bell invented the telephone. In 1876, as he was getting ready to test his “talking machine,” Bell spilled acid on himself. “Watson. Come here. I want you,” he called to his assistant. Watson, who was in another room, heard every word over the telephone. Over time, Bell’s invention replaced the telegraph that crisscrossed the country alongside the new rail lines that were built during this era. As Christians we are not to rely on our education or current financial status to determine our success in business. Instead, we are to ask God to teach us how to profit His way, which is the best way (Isaiah 48:17). The key is to obey Him and allow wisdom to lead us to our place of wealth and prosperity (Psalm 66:12; Proverbs 4:7; 8:18; Ecclesiastes 7:11-12; James 1:5) just like He led the children of Israel into their Promised Land. In addition, we are not to be afraid to market our ideas. Doing so may be our ticket to success. It may not seem feasible at this point, but God knows the impact our invention or service will have on society. People become like their role model. If their role model is Jesus and He was financially poor than they develop a “poor” mentality? If Jesus was financially rich then they develop a rich mentality. It’s very important what a man thinks because he becomes what he thinks. And the bible never states that money is wrong but rather it states: The rich man's wealth is his strong city; The destruction of the poor is their poverty. Proverbs 10:15 Wealth makes many friends, But the poor is separated from his friend. Proverbs 19:4 For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows. 1Timothy 6:10 Since man is not to live independent of God or the wisdom and strength that He provides and whatever is not of faith is sin, the Word of God purposely hides some treasures that only the seeker will find. God’s word is true: "Again, the kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and hid; and for joy over it he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field. "Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking beautiful pearls, "who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had and bought it. Luke 13:44-46 The real problem is not whether Jesus was rich but whether God can trust us with riches or whether we can serve God and Mammon? His word is unchanging: "And I say to you, make friends for yourselves by unrighteous mammon, that when you fail, they may receive you into an everlasting home. "He who is faithful in what is least is faithful also in much; and he who is unjust in what is least is unjust also in much. "Therefore if you have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches? "And if you have not been faithful in what is another man's, who will give you what is your own? "No servant can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon." Now the Pharisees, who were lovers of money, also heard all these things, and they derided Him. And He said to them, "You are those who justify yourselves before men, but God knows your hearts. For what is highly esteemed among men is an abomination in the sight of God. Luke 16:10-15

64 Be Not Ignorant But the bible has much to say about whether Jesus was rich or poor! Matthew 2:1 Wise men (not just three but, perhaps, many wise men) from the east bearing gifts of Gold. How much gold? A hundred pounds? More? A caravan of camels can carry a tremendous weight of gold. They knew they were searching for a King. The queen of Sheba (I Kings 10:2) brought “ a very great train, with camels, that bear spices and very much gold..” Solomon. A little gold went a long ways in those days. Jesus earthly father, Joseph, had a (relatively) good high-paying profession. He had money to provide a house for Mary and Jesus to live in for two years in Bethlehem. (Mathew 2:11, “And when they (the wise men) were come into the house, they saw the young Child” not baby). Part of the wise men’s gold financed the trip to Egypt and 3-5 years living expenses for the family. Jesus had a ministry team of 12 core staff and numerous fulltime and part-time followers. The ministry had to be prosperous and properly funded to support 3.5 years of evangelism. The ministry headquarters was at Capernaum on the Sea of Galilee. Mark 2:1 says Jesus “was in the house”. Couldn’t Jesus own a house? One big enough to provide rooms for His staff? Lakefront property! When He stayed at other people’s houses the owners were identified by name, Zacchaus (Luke 19); Mary, Martha, and Lazarus (Luke 10:38-42). Matthew owned a house, Luke 5:29, big enough for a “great banquet” with a “large company of tax collectors and others”. Peter owned lakefront property too, Matthew 8:14, and at least one “ship”. Fishing was at least an upper middle class business. Fully equipped fishing boats, today and they, are very expensive. Peter, Matthew, James and John, and the others were “astonished out of measure” at the teaching of the difficulty of the rich man entering the Kingdom of God (Mark 10:17-31). There were two reasons they were astonished. 1. They were, themselves, “rich men”. 2. They did not yet understanding that Jesus was teaching about loving money being evil. We are to love God and to love people. Having money and using it to serve others and to finance the expansion of the Gospel is good. Jesus’ followers included the very wealthy and very powerful. Joseph of Arimathaea and Nicodemus (John 19:38-42) were secret followers as were the aforementioned Zacchaus (Luke 19); Mary, Martha, and Lazarus. Also, according to Josephus, Pilate’s wife (Matthew 27:19) was a follower. Jesus ministry had a treasurer, Judas, the keeper of the bag. Jesus ministry was constantly giving money to the poor. At the last supper, John 13:29-30, Judas left unexpectedly and the others assumed that Jesus had sent him to give alms to the poor. Evidently this was a commonplace occurrence because they did not find it unusual at all. Jesus wore designer clothes! In John 19:23-24 the solders cast lots for His valuable tunic. It is described as “seamless, woven (in one piece) from the top throughout. Roman soldiers would not argue over a worthless item of clothing. Philippians 2:7 says that Jesus took on the form of a servant. Rich people can serve others too. He came to serve, to teach, and He came so “that we might have life more abundantly”. 2 Corinthians 8:9 For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, that you through His poverty might become rich. When the Prince of Heaven became a man he became relatively poor. He had to have significant financial resources to travel and to minister effectively. Yet God’s is unchanging: Then Jesus looked around and said to His disciples, "How hard it is for those who have riches to enter the kingdom of God!" And the disciples were astonished at His words. But Jesus answered again and said to them, "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 than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God." And they were greatly astonished, saying among themselves, "Who then can be saved?" But Jesus looked at them and said, "With men it is impossible, but not with God; for with God all things are possible." Then Peter began to say to Him, "See, we have left all and followed You." So Jesus answered and said, "Assuredly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or lands, for My sake and the gospel's, "who shall not receive a hundredfold now in this time-houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions-and in the age to come, eternal life. Mark 10:23-30 It is true that for those who are unsaved and trust in riches it is hard to enter the kingdom of God. But for those who are rich through accepting Jesus Christ, being born again and filled with His anointing, they

65 Be Not Ignorant are already rich and can enjoy here on earth their inheritance including houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions. Now many religious sincere bible believing Christians believe that suffering and poverty are God’s will for their lives and that they will be corrupted by money and will not develop Christian character if they are healthy! That is their choice to think and live this way? However if God has our heart money will not corrupt us and He by His Holy Spirit manifests the gifts of the Spirit and the fruit of the Spirit in our lives so He doesn’t need to use suffering to shape, mold and use us? Our sufficiency is God and His word is unchanging: Do we begin again to commend ourselves? Or do we need, as some others, epistles of commendation to you or letters of commendation from you? You are our epistle written in our hearts, known and read by all men; clearly you are an epistle of Christ, ministered by us, written not with ink but by the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of flesh, that is, of the heart. And we have such trust through Christ toward God. Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think of anything as being from ourselves, but our sufficiency is from God, who also made us sufficient as ministers of the new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life. 1 Corinthians 3:1-6 Do not be deceived, my beloved brethren. Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning. James 1:16-17

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Chapter 15 Greater Works He Will Do "Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me? The words that I speak to you I do not speak on My own authority; but the Father who dwells in Me does the works. "Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father in Me, or else believe Me for the sake of the works themselves. "Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father. "And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. "If you ask anything in My name, I will do it. John 14:10-14 The church of Jesus Christ has lost this beautiful promise by Jesus, “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father. And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. "If you ask anything in My name, I will do it.” Many preachers today made the promises of God of no effect because they have based their teachings upon the things that they have observed around them, rather than upon the Word of God. But faith can only be built upon the power and success of the Word of God --- never upon our own or another’s weaknesses and failures. It is a fact that during His earthly ministry, Jesus healed “all manner of sickness and all manner of disease among the people” (Matthew. 4:23.) And the glorious ministry of deliverance begun by Jesus was to continue through His disciples, His followers, and His believers. It is a fact that the early church was a powerful church because its members believed God. They believed in holy living because God said, “Be ye holy.” (1 Peter 1:16). They feared sin because they had seen sin revealed through the gift of discernment, and had seen liars stricken dead for their sin. (Acts 5). They believed that they could do miracles in the name of Jesus because He had said, “The works that I do he shall do also;” (John 14:12). And because they believed God, God worked with them, confirming the word with signs and wonders. God has not changed. He has given those who believe, AUTHORITY over all devils and to cure diseases. (Luke 9:1). Believers have the right to use the name of Jesus in making requests to God and in giving commands to demons and to disease. God’s word is unchanging: "Behold, I send the Promise of My Father upon you; but tarry in the city of Jerusalem until you are endued with power from on high." Luke 24:49 "But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth." Acts 1:8. The great miracle of Pentecost was not the tongues but the transformed lives of believers, although they did speak in tongues as the Spirit gave utterance. They were clothed with supernatural power. Gifts of the Spirit were given to them but those supernatural gifts did not indicate that the possessor necessarily had spiritual maturity of character or holiness of life to the extent that they had no faults. But today the church is vastly ignorant of these gifts of the Spirit and the way the Lord works. They are for us today. In the Old Testament they experienced divine power as the Spirit of God came upon them; in the new dispensation of grace they receive power; the Holy Ghost comes into the believer. But many have died prematurely due to sickness and disease or have lived in poverty because they were ignorant of what the Word of God said about divine health, divine wealth and divine prosperity including: Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers.3 John 1:2 A simple perusal of scripture shows us that it is not God’s will that any person should be sick, any more than it is His will that any soul should be lost. Yet not all people are well and prosperous, any more than all people are righteous. The scriptures also show that whatever we receive from God is received by, through, or because of FAITH God’s word is unchanging:

67 Be Not Ignorant "Now the parable is this: The seed is the Word of God. "Those by the wayside are the ones who hear; then the devil comes and takes away the word out of their hearts, lest they should believe and be saved. "But the ones on the rock are those who, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no root, who believe for a while and in time of temptation fall away. "Now the ones that fell among thorns are those who, when they have heard, go out and are choked with cares, riches, and pleasures of life, and bring no fruit to maturity. "But the ones that fell on the good ground are those who, having heard the word with a noble and good heart, keep it and bear fruit with patience. Luke 8:11-15 Since you have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit in sincere love of the brethren, love one another fervently with a pure heart, having been born again, not of corruptible seed but incorruptible, through the Word of God which lives and abides forever, 1 Peter 1:22-23 Many of God’s people are not successful and prosperous because they have not understood that God's Word is a seed that will produce great harvest for them and they have allowed the devil to steal the word that is planted in their hearts. Most people expect God's Word to work like a stick of dynamite -- but God's Word is like a seed full of unseen life for a seed is alive: it contains life. Our physical senses are incapable of judging whether a seed is alive or not. We cannot see, feel, hear, smell, or taste the life in a seed. But we see that a seed is alive by planting it for a seed does nothing until it is planted and then in due season as it’s watered and cultivated it produces an abundant harvest. It has no value just sitting in a storage room but must be planted in a fertile soil like our hearts and lives. And one way to plant the seed of the Word of God in our life is to speak the Word. As we speak God's Word we are planting the seed in our heart for the harvest of results we desire. God’s word is true: For with the heart one believes to righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made to salvation. Romans 10:10 In every negative situation we encounter, we must respond with an appropriate scriptural confession in order to invoke on our behalf the continuing ministry of Jesus as our High Priest. In most situations we have three possibilities: to make a positive, scriptural confession; to make no confession; to make a negative unscriptural confession. If we make a positive confession, we release the ministry of Jesus to help us and to meet our need. If we make no confession, we are left at the mercy of our circumstances. If we make a negative confession, we expose ourselves to evil, demonic forces. It’s to be noted that there is great power in our confession of the Word of God. There is no way we can over come the enemy without saying out the promises of God. The mountains are not removed until we say them out. Jesus is High Priest of our confession and what we say is what He creates. And in our authority over the enemy it is more of the power of the spoken words that we speak out that will result in putting aside and tearing apart of the enemy. Jesus’ key was His spoken word. If we want our ministry to take off and grow into things, whatever God gives in our heart and established in our heart we need to speak them out, continually confess them, declare them over our life, declare them over our children, and declare them over our ministry. We confess it and we declare it because unless we declare and confess it the devil will not budge. It’s the power of the spoken word that is the key to tearing apart the enemy. A lot of God’s people don’t know the word or not dead to the world and they tried to confess the word and it doesn’t work. Our hearts and attitudes must be right and we must be filled with the Spirit of God in order for our confession to be powerful to literally rout the enemy and cause our mountains to move into the sea. Whatever we need to be saved or delivered from, is what we say or confess until the need is met and the mountain is moved into the sea. Just like a seed is much smaller than the plant it produces, the problems we face may seem huge but when planted, the scripture, the Word will grow in us and will overcome the problem for a seed is powerful. As a seed begins to grow, it will push up dirt, rocks, etc. Whatever the obstacles are, God's Word planted in our heart will push them out of the way. But it takes faith to plant a seed and to know that a seed begins its growth in secret (underground). The only way to tell if a seed is growing is to dig it up, or wait for a plant to appear. If we dig up a seed, we may kill it for seed takes time to produce. No one expects a seed to produce a harvest the same day that seed is planted. Although sometimes the Word of God seems to spring up and bear fruit immediately, if we knew the details, we would understand that the fruit of the Word grew in that person's life over time.

68 Be Not Ignorant It is to be noted that a seed is persistent. A seed never gives up, but works day and night. Even when we are sleeping, the seed we have planted is working to grow and express itself in a fruitful harvest. A seed also is not affected by other seeds. Whatever happens to other seeds does not make any difference to a specific seed. Each seed sticks to its own task. One wheat seed planted in a corn field will still produce wheat. Seed does not become discouraged, or quit, even if other seeds die. But a seed will stop growing without nourishment. Planting a seed is not enough to assure a harvest. Seed must be protected and taken care of until harvest time. A seed which is dug up, or not watered, will not produce. And the more seeds planted produce a larger harvest. God’s word is unchanging: 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 God’s 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 we may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust - promises that have to be sown in our hearts and lives to bear fruit. God has also given us His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, His wonderful Counselor, the Holy Spirit, and the written Word of God, the Bible, so that we can live victoriously in a crooked and perverse generation, among whom we shine as lights in the world. But the problem is the many of God’s people ignore not only their guide and spirit of truth, the Holy Spirit, who has been given to them but they ignore and are ignorant of the Word of God and its statues and judgments which causes them to do some stupid things and be judged by God for it. Sincerity and presumption are not a guarantee of anything including salvation or avoiding judgments. God has commanded all men to repent and to walk and live in Spirit and in truth. God’s word is unchanging: However, we speak wisdom among those who are mature, yet not the wisdom of this age, nor of the rulers of this age, who are coming to nothing. But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, the hidden wisdom which God ordained before the ages for our glory, which none of the rulers of this age knew; for had they known, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. But as it is written: "Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, Nor have entered into the heart of man The things which God has prepared for those who love Him." But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God. For what man knows the things of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so no one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God. 1 Corinthians 2:6-11 Yes, those who are filled with the fullness of God speak wisdom among those who are mature. They speak of the things that God has prepared for those who love Him and have been freely given to them by God. Things that have been revealed them to them through the Holy Spirit, not by men. Things that come not in words which man's wisdom teaches but which the Holy Spirit teaches. Mind you the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. But he who is spiritual judges all things, yet he himself is rightly judged by no one. Yet God’s word is unchanging: And I, brethren, could not speak to you as to spiritual people but as to carnal, as to babes in Christ. I fed you with milk and not with solid food; for until now you were not able to receive it, and even now you are still not able; for you are still carnal. For where there are envy, strife, and divisions among you, are you not carnal and behaving like mere men? For when one says, "I am of Paul," and another, "I am of Apollos," are you not carnal? Who then is Paul, and who is Apollos, but ministers through whom you believed, as the Lord gave to each one? I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase. So then neither he who plants is anything, nor he who waters, but God who gives the increase. Now he who plants and he who waters are one, and each one will receive his own reward according to his own labor. 1 Corinthians 3:1-8 Those who are babes in Christ or carnal ones are not spiritual people have to be fed with milk and not with solid food for they are not able to receive it. They cannot leave the discussion of the elementary principles of Christ but must lay again and again the foundation of repentance from dead works and of

69 Be Not Ignorant faith toward God, of the doctrine of baptisms, of laying on of hands, of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment and go onto maturity for they are babes or carnal ones even though they might have been Christians for fifty years! They are continually spinning their wheels going nowhere. They cannot accept rebuke, correction or instruction in righteousness for they think that they know all things and have arrived. When they truth is that they are nothing but foolish little children who have to be constantly watched and cared for. They are like your typical teenagers who think that they know everything and are more the able to tell everybody how to live, walk and talk. Then they wonder why God is constantly chastening and correcting them. Yet God’s word is unchanging: Do not be wise in your own eyes; Fear the LORD and depart from evil. It will be health to your flesh, And strength to your bones. 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. My son, do not despise the chastening of the LORD, Nor detest His correction; For whom the LORD loves He corrects, Just as a father the son in whom he delights. Happy is the man who finds wisdom, And the man who gains understanding; For her proceeds are better than the profits of silver, And her gain than fine gold. She is more precious than rubies, And all the things you may desire cannot compare with her. Length of days is in her right hand, In her left hand riches and honor. Her ways are ways of pleasantness, And all her paths are peace. She is a tree of life to those who take hold of her, And happy are all who retain her. Proverbs 3:7-18 Just because a person has a great secular education or has graduated from the school of cemetery doesn’t make him a great man of God for it’s the Spirit of the Lord, the Spirit of Wisdom, which makes a great man or woman of God. God’s word is true: There shall come forth a Rod from the stem of Jesse, And a Branch shall grow out of his roots. The Spirit of the LORD shall rest upon Him, The Spirit of wisdom and understanding, The Spirit of counsel and might, The Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD. His delight is in the fear of the LORD, And He shall not judge by the sight of His eyes, Nor decide by the hearing of His ears; But with righteousness He shall judge the poor, And decide with equity for the meek of the earth; He shall strike the earth with the rod of His mouth, And with the breath of His lips He shall slay the wicked. Righteousness shall be the belt of His loins, And faithfulness the belt of His waist. Isaiah 11:1-5 And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men. Luke 2:52

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Chapter 16 The Promises Of God Are Yes And Amen "I will multiply upon you man and beast; and they shall increase and bear young; I will make you inhabited as in former times, and do better for you than at your beginnings. Then you shall know that I am the LORD. Ezekiel 36:11 For all the promises of God in Him are Yes, and in Him Amen, to the glory of God through us. 2 Corinthians 1:20 Dr. Larry Ollison in his article The Two Power Partners - Grace and Faith writes: For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God (Ephesians 2:8). As a Christian you have been given something the world does not have. You have been given the availability of a power that can solve all your problems and defeat any enemy that comes against you. As a Christian you have access to power that can help you accomplish the impossible — the ultimate power — the power of grace. Before you become a Christian, you’re spiritually defenseless. When the devil attacks and tempts you to sin, you don’t have the ability to resist. Envy, strife, gossip, hatred and all the works of the flesh can come in and take control. Just being a decent human being seems like a hopeless task! But after you accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, there is no excuse for defeat any more. You now have the ability to access grace and develop faith. With these two “power partners,” you have the potential to move mountains and eliminate any obstacle that would hinder or bind you. The Apostle Paul wrote much of the New Testament and laid the foundation of the church for the world. He established the government of the church for us. However, he could not have done this on his own. He had to have a supernatural force helping him. That supernatural force was the power of grace: a special endowment to do that task. We are to build on the foundation Paul laid, but we can’t do it under our own power. We can only do this by using the same power Paul used. That power is grace. We know faith is equally as important as grace. Ephesians 2:8 says, “For by grace you have been saved through faith.” But we can’t overlook the supernatural power that only comes through grace. Faith is the catalyst that activates God’s Word, causing what we are believing to come to pass. We’re saved by grace, but faith contains the belief and requires action that activates grace. Grace for salvation is always available for the non-Christian. God’s grace is more than sufficient, but grace for salvation is only activated by faith. As Christians, we know we are to walk by faith and not by sight. We believe God will do what He said He would do. We know it is impossible for God to lie. Titus 1:2: “In hope of eternal life which God, who cannot lie, promised before time began” and Hebrews 6:18 both say it is impossible for God to lie: “That by two immutable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie …” We know what God says is true. We can take it to the bank. We can count on it. That’s what being a faith person is. We walk by faith and we live by faith. We know when God says it, it doesn’t matter how things look around us. It doesn’t matter if everything appears to be falling apart. If God says it will be a certain way, it will be that way. A faith person believes it has already been accomplished because God has said it. “For we walk by faith, not by sight” (2 Corinthians 5:7). When the world hears faith spoken, they usually don’t understand. They may say, “Well, it doesn’t look that way.” But faith says, “It doesn’t matter how it looks. You can look at how it looks, but I’m going to look at what God says. You can look at the problem, but I’m going to look at the promise. I’m going to focus on the answer instead of the

71 Be Not Ignorant question. I’m going to stay focused and believe God’s Word and what He said.” Faith is simply believing God is doing what He said He would do regardless of how things look, and believing it so completely that everything you say and everything you do is based on what you believe, and not what you see. That’s faith. The bible tells us that faith is not a set of religious beliefs but the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. And by it the elders obtained a good testimony. 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 11:1-3). True faith accomplishes things. By faith the walls of Jericho fell down after they were encircled for seven days. By faith the harlot Rahab did not perish with those who did not believe, when she had received the spies with peace. And what more shall I say? For the time would fail me to tell of Gideon and Barak and Samson and Jephthah, also of David and Samuel and the prophets: who through faith subdued kingdoms, worked righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, became valiant in battle, turned to flight the armies of the aliens (Hebrews 11:30-34). Yes, faith in God produces positive results. In Lystra, a cripple from his mother's womb, who had never walked a certain man without strength in his feet, was sitting and Paul observed that he had faith to be healed. So Paul with a loud voice, "Stand up straight on your feet!" And he leaped and walked. It was said of Stephen, And Stephen, full of faith and power, did great wonders and signs among the people (Acts 6:8). It was said of Barnabas, for he was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and of faith. And a great many people were added to the Lord (Acts 11:24). But unfortunately this cannot be said of most Christians that they are full of the Holy Spirit, full of faith and power? Probably because they have grieved the Holy Spirit, have delegated Him to some dark obscure room in their house of clay and have designated faith to be some set of religious beliefs including that God doesn’t heal today and tongues are off the devil? They are not full of the Holy Spirit but full of unbelief and demons! It’s amazing what Christians define faith to be but it’s obvious that they don’t have the real thing or they would be more like Stephen, Philip or Barnabas. Yes, God’s word is unchanging: "And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues; "they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover." So then, after the Lord had spoken to them, He was received up into heaven, and sat down at the right hand of God. And they went out and preached everywhere, the Lord working with them and confirming the word through the accompanying signs. Amen. Mark 16:17-20 Then Philip went down to the city of Samaria and preached Christ to them. And the multitudes with one accord heeded the things spoken by Philip, hearing and seeing the miracles which he did. For unclean spirits, crying with a loud voice, came out of many who were possessed; and many who were paralyzed and lame were healed. And there was great joy in that city. Acts 8:5-8 Then all the multitude kept silent and listened to Barnabas and Paul declaring how many miracles and wonders God had worked through them among the Gentiles. Acts 15:12 Therefore He who supplies the Spirit to you and works miracles among you, does He do it by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?- Galatians 3:5 Yes, God is unchanging and is a miracle working God who not only supplies the Spirit to us but works miracles amongst us by the hearing of faith! So if people are not seeing and receiving miracles it’s obviously they don’t have faith or have the wrong kind of faith? They don’t have faith that through faith in Jesus name gives men perfect soundness including physical and emotional healing. Because Jesus Christ is alive and well and has overcome the world including sin, demons and death and has won the victory, He gives the victory to His trusting children to achieve great things for His honor and glory. The size of their mountain or enemies is not a problem because their God, friend, provider and Lord, is bigger than anything that they face or will face. He is still in the mountain moving and miracle working business and none can stand against Him and the power of Jesus name. Everything must bow at the name of Jesus including sickness, poverty, disease, demons, loss and governments. God’s word is

72 Be Not Ignorant true: Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. Philippians 2:5-11 So the Lord said, "If you have faith as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, 'Be pulled up by the roots and be planted in the sea,' and it would obey you. Luke 17:6 For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world-our faith. 1 John 5:4

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Chapter 17 The Power Of Christ And He said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness." Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ's sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong. 2 Corinthians 12:9-10 Several years ago, a servant of God, known as Praying Hyde was doing God's ministry in the state of Tamil Nadu, India. He would spend hours of time in prayer. Once, thousands of people had assembled eagerly to listen to his message to be given at a convention. He rose up to the dais to share the word of God. People got ready with their Bibles to listen to his exposition of Biblical verses, message and prayer. But he looked up to heaven and said just two words - "Abba, my Father!" That was all. The heavens opened. The Holy Spirit descended upon all the people, like a dove. The unrepentant, beating their chest rolled down on the ground with a loud out-cry and repented. The meeting lasted for hours together. The servant of God did not preach at all, except for the two words he spoke to God, which brought the shower of the Holy Spirit. The simple reason is to be found in his prayer-filled life. Jesus descended into him powerfully and moved the place. Today many in Christendom talk about God’s power but the sad part is that so few of them demonstrate it. Their anointing is so miniscule that it can hardly do anything. Their vessels cannot seem to contain the anointing and dissipates very quickly! Yet God’s word is unchanging: And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them and said, "Take, eat; this is My body." Then He took the cup, and when He had given thanks He gave it to them, and they all drank from it. And He said to them, "This is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many. Mark 14:22-24 God cut with Abraham an inferior covenant made with the blood of animals where all that Abraham was, all that he had or ever would have became the equal property of His covenant partner. Nothing would be exclusively Abraham’s again. During the covenant ceremony in Abraham's day, the partners exchanged coats, each one giving their authority to the other. They exchanged weapons as a way of saying, "Your enemies are now my enemies. I'll fight your fights as if they were my own." They walked through the blood of slain animals, pronouncing their loyalty to one another, even to the death. God had proven how intensely He desired to be God to him. He had given him every thing He had and bound Himself to Abraham in a relationship that could not be dissolved. Well the good news is that God also cut with the sons and daughters of Abraham, those of faith, a new and superior covenant established in Jesus’ blood as a result of His sacrifice that ratified our covenant with God. A covenant where He gave us His Name (John 16:23), His authority (Matt. 28:18-20), His armor and weapons (Eph. 6:10-17). God’s word is unchanging: Therefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints, do not cease to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers: that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him, 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, and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, far above all principality and power and might and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in that which is to come. And He put all things under His feet, and gave Him to be head over all things to the church, which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all. Ephesians 1:20-23 Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is

74 Be Not Ignorant Lord, to the glory of God the Father. Philippians 2:9-11 As a result of what Jesus did on the Cross on Calvary, by faith everything is ours now. Jesus Christ has substituted all things on the cross for us and exchanged it there for us. Our death, defeat and poverty and curses have been nailed to the Cross. On the Cross Jesus Christ not only won real victory and redemption over sin and death and the world, but also over the wicked arch enemy Satan and all his angels who had made the Cross necessary by what he did to Adam and Eve. The enemy had deceived and entrapped Adam and Eve to sin against God and live a life that was cursed and full of toil and trouble. But on the Cross Jesus Christ did the great exchange. He exchanged His sinlessness for our sins, His righteousness for our unrighteousness, His strength for our weakness, His boundless supply for our needs, His stripes for our healing, His riches for our poverty, His victories for our defeats, His glory for our shame, His triumphs for our disappointments, His Honor for our nothingness, His prosperity for our lacks, His joy for our sadness, and His fullness for our emptiness. But all of this is also something that must be revealed to us by the Holy Spirit before we can understand and partake of it fully. Yet it is all our birthright and the blessing of the fullness of the gospel of Christ. The message of the cross and the Gospel is not only that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures. He was buried and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures. He is now is seated at the right hand of the Father with all power given unto Him in heaven and earth waiting for His enemies to be made His footstool. But the message of the cross and the Gospel is also that as a result of the victories Jesus won on the cross, He has now given and shared all that He has with us (John 16:14) and He is also with and for us continually (Matthew 28:18-20). God in Christ Jesus has literally become our inheritance and great reward; as well as everything else which we need, including our healer and deliverer. As result of the Cross, God said about Jesus and of us who have become strong and overcomers: Therefore I will divide Him a portion with the great, And He shall divide the spoil with the strong, Because He poured out His soul unto death, And He was numbered with the transgressors, And He bore the sin of many, And made intercession for the transgressors. Isaiah 53:12 As a result of the cross, in Christ Jesus, we are rich, victorious and have a new life in Christ Jesus, as we walk in the Spirit and not in the flesh. The empty Cross now also stands as a reminder and says to the world and to all the demons of Hell “You did your worst, but God gave His best.” Now things are no longer the same, because Jesus is sitting at the right hand of the Father waiting for His enemies to be submitted to Him. He has also now given us the power to subdue all His and our enemies through the use of His name and Word and dependence of the Spirit. Hence the Cross is also a real testimony of what God’s power can do no matter what the Hell or injustice that the world or the devil will throw at us. For Jesus’ resurrection after a cruel and awful death signifies the real possibility of total and complete victory in our lives, hearts and circumstances as well in the current time of life as we trust in God just like Jesus did. The empty Cross of Christ at Calvary now says to you and I, that for every defeat there is victory in its place, for every failure there is success, for every endeavor there is prosperity, for every weakness there is grace, for every sickness there is healing, for every hatred there is love, for every injustice there is justice and for every poverty there is riches. All of this and much, much more belongs to each child of God because of what Jesus did and won on the Cross. Hence we can by the Holy Spirit understand what the Lord said to Apostle Paul: “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” (2 Corinthians 12:9-10) Our strength and victory comes from God Himself and all the victories He had won for us on the Cross of Calvary. Although in the annuals of time and history, our Creator God died on the Cross-on Calvary, but He didn’t stay there. He arose triumphant and victorious over everything, over the worst that the devil or others could throw at or do to Him and to us. Because of the cross of Christ, God has reconciled all things to Himself whether things on earth or things in heaven for Jesus having wiped out all the enemies

75 Be Not Ignorant of His people and especially the requirements that were against them, He has taken it out of the way having nailed to the cross. The King of Kings and Lord of Lords with His unlimited and unimaginable power and riches was never poor or debased. But He chose, because of us, to leave behind his infinite power and riches become a man and identify and relate to humanity in all its sufferings and ways. God in Christ Jesus stripped Himself of His royalty and Kingship. He then became an ordinary man and walked with men doing by faith and dependence on the Holy Spirit the impossible such as healing the sick, raising the dead and cast out demons. He did it all to show that we can do it also. Then the innocent Son of man and Son of God went to a Cross-on a hill called Calvary where He bled and died for all of humanity. But the Cross-was not the end of Jesus Christ or life, it was the beginning of something new, a New Covenant or New Testament. It was the beginning of a new life and a new man and a new Spirit for those who would accept what Jesus had done for them. It was the beginning of the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on all flesh. As a result God’s word was now true: “But this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel: ‘And it shall come to pass in the last days, says God, That I will pour out of My Spirit on all flesh; Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, Your young men shall see visions, Your old men shall dream dreams. And on My menservants and on My maidservants I will pour out My Spirit in those days; And they shall prophesy. I will show wonders in heaven above And signs in the earth beneath: Blood and fire and vapor of smoke. The sun shall be turned into darkness, And the moon into blood, Before the coming of the great and awesome day of the LORD. And it shall come to pass That whoever calls on the name of the LORD Shall be saved.’ Joel 2:16-21 Now all flesh can be saved, healed and delivered and walk in the newness of life in the power of the Holy Spirit. All men can prophesy, speak in tongues and be filled with the fullness of God. The good news of the Cross-is that the different victories that Jesus won there, and the resulting New Covenant with all its rights and privileges, is now ours to be claimed and accepted by faith. They will be true if we will only believe, accept, confess and act on it and then allow the Holy Spirit who raised Jesus from the dead to change us. Jesus won for us, on the Cross, such a victory with such power and might that it made hell tremble and Heaven sing with joy as the Triumph of Victory resounded from one part of Heaven to another. Our ears will tingle and our hearts will sing, as the faithful and mighty Holy Spirit reveals this victory to us. The fact remains that Jesus Christ, the author and finisher of our faith, is sitting at the right hand of the throne of God, ready to use His power on behalf of the good of His true children; to make them more than conquerors in all things that the world, the flesh and the devil would throw at them. For His word is unchanging: “And in that day you will ask Me nothing. Most assuredly, I say to you, whatever you ask the Father in My name He will give you. “Until now you have asked nothing in My name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full. John 16:23-24 “These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.” John 16:33 In the world lack of strength and dependence on others is considered weakness, but in the kingdom of God weakness that causes us to depend on and trust in the Lord is great strength and blessings. For it is when the power of Christ rest upon us, because of our weakness, that we are truly strong. As it is then that we rest upon the Lord and walk in the power of His might and Spirit and not our own. As we by faith tap into all the riches and resources of heaven which are now ours by Christ Jesus because of what Jesus Christ did on the cross two thousand years ago we become more than conquerors. It is when the power of Christ rest upon us, because of our weakness, that we are truly strong. For it is then that we rest upon the Lord and walk in the power of His might and Spirit and not our own. Yes, as a result of the victories Jesus won on the cross we are now delivered from the hand of our enemies, and are able to serve the Lord without fear, in holiness and righteousness before Him all the days of our life. Just like Zacharias, the father of John the Baptist, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit stated about God and us: “Blessed is the Lord God of Israel, For He has visited and redeemed His people, And has

76 Be Not Ignorant raised up a horn of salvation for us In the house of His servant David, As He spoke by the mouth of His holy prophets, Who have been since the world began, That we should be saved from our enemies And from the hand of all who hate us, To perform the mercy promised to our fathers And to remember His holy covenant, The oath which He swore to our father Abraham: To grant us that we, Being delivered from the hand of our enemies, Might serve Him without fear, In holiness and righteousness before Him all the days of our life. Luke 1:68-75 The name of Jesus Christ is far above all principality and power and might and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in that which is to come. And God has put all things under His feet including sickness, defeat, poverty and lack and gave Him to be head over all things to the church, which is His body. So if it is under Jesus feet and we are His body it is therefore under our feet! And if it’s under believers feet then why do we allow negative things to raise their ugly heads in our lives? Because we really don’t believe that is all under Jesus feet. We are like the prodigal son who ended up in a pig’s pen even if his father was filthy rich. But then he came to his senses and realized what his father had and returned to his father and his negative circumstances changed. How many of God's people suffer needless in poverty, want or lack and with sickness or disease? Too many! How long before they will look at themselves and say as the prodigal son who when he "came to himself" said, "I will arise and go to my Father!" God is waiting with opened arms to receive every penitent child! God is waiting with opened arms to touch, heal, deliver, and bless His children. They can can rely on Him to do what He has promised to do! We need to understand the reality of all the victories that Jesus won on the cross of Calvary. God’s word is unchanging: Jesus departed from there, skirted the Sea of Galilee, and went up on the mountain and sat down there. Then great multitudes came to Him, having with them the lame, blind, mute, maimed, and many others; and they laid them down at Jesus' feet, and He healed them. So the multitude marveled when they saw the mute speaking, the maimed made whole, the lame walking, and the blind seeing; and they glorified the God of Israel. Matthew 15:29-31 Yes, the Word of God tells us that Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever and we can be made whole through our faith in the finished work of Calvary where Jesus Christ wounded for our transgressions, was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement for our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed (Isaiah 53:5). Sin, sickness or any other curse doesn’t have to rule and reign in our lives because Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us (for it is written, "Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree") that the blessing of Abraham might come upon the Gentiles in Christ Jesus, that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith. (Galatians 3:1314). Jesus has provided for our healing, Spirit, Soul and Body in the atonement. All of the provision of the cross must impact the body of Christ. Jesus Paid the Price for our Healing - "By His Stripes" (Isaiah 53:5, 1 Peter 2:24) Hence we are anointed and sent to: Preach the Good News to the Needy, Bind up the Brokenhearted, Proclaim Freedom for the Captives, Release the Prisoners from Darkness, Proclaim the Year of the LORD's Favor, To Comfort all Who Mourn, To bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. (Isaiah 61:1-3 and Luke 4:18) God is alive and well and present today! Jesus is still healing people! The presence of God and the power of the Holy Spirit is a precious gift that we can experience and see many lives are being changed as desperate people come and find God's grace and mercy flowing to them bringing healing and encouragement. The anointing increases as we are press in for more of God! Then we can see God save people, heal people, deliver people, baptize in the Holy Spirit, bring encouragement and strength through the gifts of the Spirit. Many can receive from the Lord healing for their physical, emotional and spiritual needs and live lives that are whole and successful. God is love and freely gives everything we need, both for our material and for our spiritual existence. But because the blessings of God’s spirit are so freely given, we often take them for granted. If all people had open and receptive hearts, they could see and hear God’s voice at all times and in all places. But we have lost this awareness. Through prayer, we learn to appreciate spiritual gifts, gifts that are at least as important for life as air and water, heat and light. Whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world-our faith. For when we have accepted Jesus Christ as Savior,

77 Be Not Ignorant Lord and King by the faith God gave us, the victory now resides in us and God is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask, or thing. As God’s word is unchanging: For this reason I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, from whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man, that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height- to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen. Ephesians 3:14-21 It is a fact that according to the power that resides and works in us, God is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think and give us one hundred percent victory, one hundred percent of the time, in one hundred percent of the situations. After all He is God, not man! It is also a fact that Jesus, now as the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, is no longer poor or weak anymore as He was when He walked the earth as man. He is now once again unlimited in power, riches, strength and might. But the best news is that God wants to use all of His power, riches, and resources on our behalf and meet our needs: If we only will believe Him and trust Him to do it for us; If we will only humble ourselves and on a bent knee give Him our all and ask for His all. Then we shall know the truth of God’s word which states: Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. Romans 8:37 “Thanks be to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and through us diffuses the fragrance of His knowledge in every place.” 2 Corinthians 2:14 For He made Him (Jesus ) who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. 2 Corinthians 5:21 Jesus Christ is not defeated today or was He ever defeated. He is Victorious, the Mighty God, the King of kings and Lord or lords and so are we in Christ! When we were born again, we weren’t half-reborn, we weren’t made half-righteous or a quarter righteous. We were made the righteousness of God in Christ! We were made a “joint-heir with Him.” According to Strong’s Concordance that word joint-heir refers to a personal equality based on an equality of possession. Jesus went to the Cross to give us what He already possessed - everything! He rose again so we could be recreated in His image. We are the victory of Almighty God! We are more than a conqueror in Christ Jesus. We are everything to the Father that Jesus is. John 17:23 actually says that God loves us as much as He loves Jesus. And now we can say with the Psalmist: My soul, wait silently for God alone, For my expectation is from Him. He only is my rock and my salvation;He is my defense; I shall not be moved. In God is my salvation and my glory; The rock of my strength, And my refuge, is in God. Trust in Him at all times, you people; Pour out your heart before Him; God is a refuge for us. Selah Psalm 62:5-8 Bless the LORD, O my soul; And all that is within me, bless His holy name! Bless the LORD, O my soul, And forget not all His benefits: Who forgives all your iniquities, Who heals all your diseases, Who redeems your life from destruction, Who crowns you with lovingkindness and tender mercies, Who satisfies your mouth with good things, So that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s. The LORD executes righteousness And justice for all who are oppressed. Psalm 103:1-6

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Chapter 18 By Awesome Deeds Praise is awaiting You, O God, in Zion; And to You the vow shall be performed. O You who hear prayer, To You all flesh will come. Iniquities prevail against me; As for our transgressions, You will provide atonement for them. Blessed is the man You choose, And cause to approach You, That he may dwell in Your courts. We shall be satisfied with the goodness of Your house, Of Your holy temple. By awesome deeds in righteousness You will answer us, O God of our salvation, You who are the confidence of all the ends of the earth, And of the far-off seas; Who established the mountains by His strength, Being clothed with power; You who still the noise of the seas, The noise of their waves, And the tumult of the peoples. Psalm 65:1-7 Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen. Ephesians 3:20-21 God who is a God of power will answer His trusting ones with awesome deeds in righteousness and do exceedingly abundantly above all that they ask ,pray or think. They have His word on it, the word of a God who doesn’t lie. The word of a God who can do all things but fail His trusting ones. The word of a God who created heaven and earth and sustains it. The Word of a God who miraculously parted the Red Sea so that His people could safely go to the other side, and drowned their enemies in the same sea. The word of a God who inhabits the praises of His people The word of a God who delivered Daniel from the den of lions, and made his enemies to be a nonexistent thing by the same lions. The word of a God who healed the sick, gave sight to the blind, raised the dead and cast out devils. The word of a God who raised Jesus Christ from the dead to sit at His right hand! The word of a God who is the same yesterday, today and forever! The word of God who will create a new heaven and a new earth! Sing, O daughter of Zion! Shout, O Israel! Be glad and rejoice with all your heart, O daughter of Jerusalem! The LORD has taken away your judgments, He has cast out your enemy. The King of Israel, the LORD, is in your midst; You shall see disaster no more. In that day it shall be said to Jerusalem: "Do not fear; Zion, let not your hands be weak. The LORD your God in your midst, The Mighty One, will save; He will rejoice over you with gladness, He will quiet you with His love, He will rejoice over you with singing." Zephaniah 3:14-17 So he answered and said to me: "This is the word of the LORD to Zerubbabel: 'Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,' Says the LORD of hosts. 'Who are you, O great mountain? Before Zerubbabel you shall become a plain! And he shall bring forth the capstone With shouts of "Grace, grace to it!" ' " Zechariah 4:6-7 We fail to get the victory over all things in life because we fail to look unto Jesus in all things who is not only the source of our total supply and everything that we need but our Friend, Savior, Mighty one, our God and the undefeated one. No one and not anything can stand against Him and the power of His name. Everything must bow at the persistent use of the name of Jesus be it sickness, disease, poverty or lack! Jesus Christ is our Victor, Savior, Healer, Deliverer, Provider and everything that we need. Hence those who love Him are doers of the word of God not hearers only. God’s word is unchanging: "And as you go, preach, saying, 'The kingdom of heaven is at hand.' "Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out demons. Freely you have received, freely give. Matthew 10:7-8 "A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. "By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another John 13:34-35 "You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask the Father in My name He may give you. "These things I command you, that you love one another John 15:16-17 Let all bitterness and indignation {and} wrath (passion, rage, bad temper) and resentment

79 Be Not Ignorant (anger, animosity) and quarreling (brawling, clamor, contention) and slander (evil-speaking, abusive or blasphemous language) be banished from you, with all malice (spite, ill will, or baseness of any kind). And become useful {and} helpful {and} kind to one another, tenderhearted (compassionate, understanding, loving-hearted), forgiving one another [readily and freely], as God in Christ forgave you. Ephesians 4:31-32 Amplified Bible THEREFORE BE imitators of God [copy Him {and} follow His example], as well-beloved children [imitate their father]. And walk in love, [esteeming and delighting in one another] as Christ loved us and gave Himself up for us, a slain offering and sacrifice to God [for you, so that it became] a sweet fragrance. Ephesians 5:1-2 Amplified Bible Jesus Christ loved us and gave Himself up for us, a slain offering and sacrifice to God. He came not only to restore us to God but to restore us all that we had lost in the Garden of Eden including being heirs of the kingdom and sons of God He came to give us life so that His life also may be manifested in our mortal flesh. He came to restore to us the years that the swarming locust has eaten…" (Joel 2:25). Yes, God loves to restore what has been devoured in our lives. That's His specialty. In the process of restoration God brings the object of restoration back in a better way than was its former state and He increases it and multiplies it. He always likes to add more just like He did for Job. When God restored Job, He gave unto Job—double (Job 42:10). That's just the nature of God. God’s word is unchanging: "Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; and perseverance, character; and character, hope. Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us" Romans 5:1–5. My brethren, take the prophets, who spoke in the name of the Lord, as an example of suffering and patience. Indeed we count them blessed who endure. You have heard of the perseverance of Job and seen the end intended by the Lord-that the Lord is very compassionate and merciful. James 5:10-11 When the devil comes to kill, steal and destroy, God has set forever in eternity that we must get back sevenfold. And God will restore us in a better way than we were at first and then He will increase and multiply what was stolen. That's our God because God is good. And for anyone that gives up houses, lands, brothers, sisters, possessions in this life time for the sake of the gospel, God will restore back one hundredfold now! (Mark 10:29, 30). The Lord does abundantly above what we can ask. He does abundantly above what we can think (Eph. 3:20). When we stand in faith and believe that God is hugely enthusiastic about wanting to bring restoration into our lives, we truly honor Him. Our Father in heaven is good and He is the Great Restorer. We should have high hopes about that and believe it, no matter what happens. Believe that God not only wants to restore what has been robbed and plundered in our life and in other people’s lives, but He also wants to add blessings to that which is restored. “Blessings are on the head of the righteous…” (Proverbs 10:6). That’s our head! Yes, in the world we will have tribulation but we can be of good cheer for Jesus overcame the world. Yes, If God is for us, who can be against us? 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? Yes, the Lord has promised to take care of His trusting ones according to His riches and glory! He owns everything! We are moving into a time of restoration for His people and an outpouring of great financial blessings. God’s trusting ones can stand fast and believe that the Lord is prospering them and restoring them, no matter what the world economy looks like, for God’s word is unchanging: For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the LORD, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon Me and go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart. I will be found by you, says the LORD, and I will bring you back from your captivity; I will gather you from all the nations and from all the places where I have driven you, says the LORD, and I will bring you to the place from which I cause you to be carried away captive. Jeremiah 29:11-14 Then the LORD will be zealous for His land, And pity His people. The LORD will answer and

80 Be Not Ignorant say to His people, "Behold, I will send you grain and new wine and oil, And you will be satisfied by them; I will no longer make you a reproach among the nations. "But I will remove far from you the northern army, And will drive him away into a barren and desolate land, With his face toward the eastern sea And his back toward the western sea; His stench will come up, And his foul odor will rise, Because he has done monstrous things." Fear not, O land; Be glad and rejoice, For the LORD has done marvelous things! Do not be afraid, you beasts of the field; For the open pastures are springing up, And the tree bears its fruit; The fig tree and the vine yield their strength. Be glad then, you children of Zion, And rejoice in the LORD your God; For He has given you the former rain faithfully, And He will cause the rain to come down for you- The former rain, And the latter rain in the first month. The threshing floors shall be full of wheat, And the vats shall overflow with new wine and oil. "So I will restore to you the years that the swarming locust has eaten, The crawling locust, The consuming locust, And the chewing locust, My great army which I sent among you. You shall eat in plenty and be satisfied, And praise the name of the LORD your God, Who has dealt wondrously with you; And My people shall never be put to shame. Joel 2:18-26 The Lord desires to bless our lives with His choicest and rich blessings and help us to be a blessing to others, too. He wants to take control of our lives and help us to glorify Him. He who blessed and gave Abraham unlimited riches will do the same to His trusting ones for He is no respecter of persons and shows partiality to no one. His word is unchanging: "Listen to Me, you who follow after righteousness, You who seek the LORD: Look to the rock from which you were hewn, And to the hole of the pit from which you were dug. Look to Abraham your father, And to Sarah who bore you; For I called him alone, And blessed him and increased him." For the LORD will comfort Zion, He will comfort all her waste places; He will make her wilderness like Eden, And her desert like the garden of the LORD; Joy and gladness will be found in it, Thanksgiving and the voice of melody. Isaiah 51:1-3

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Chapter 20 Be Kind One To Another Therefore, putting away lying, "Let each one of you speak truth with his neighbor," for we are members of one another. "Be angry, and do not sin": do not let the sun go down on your wrath, nor give place to the devil. Let him who stole steal no longer, but rather let him labor, working with his hands what is good, that he may have something to give him who has need. Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice. And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God in Christ forgave you. Ephesians 4:31-32 Some of the meanest, stingiest, unloving, unkindest, selfish, and greedy people that I met were Christians who went to church regularly. The residue of poison of hate, envy, resentment, bitterness, greed, distrust, futility, defeat, depression etc. just oozes out from them, especially as they grow older. The "residue of poisonous sin" must have been accumulated from hurtful experiences of the past or unfulfilled dreams for God’s word states: My son, give attention to my words; Incline your ear to my sayings. Do not let them depart from your eyes; Keep them in the midst of your heart; For they are life to those who find them, And health to all their flesh. Keep your heart with all diligence, For out of it spring the issues of life. Put away from you a deceitful mouth, And put perverse lips far from you. Proverbs 4:20-24 Deceit is in the heart of those who devise evil, But counselors of peace have joy. Proverbs 12:20 Hope deferred makes the heart sick, But when the desire comes, it is a tree of life. Proverbs 13:12 Does a spring send forth fresh water and bitter from the same opening? Can a fig tree, my brethren, bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Thus no spring yields both salt water and fresh. Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show by good conduct that his works are done in the meekness of wisdom. But if you have bitter envy and self-seeking in your hearts, do not boast and lie against the truth. This wisdom does not descend from above, but is earthly, sensual, demonic. For where envy and self-seeking exist, confusion and every evil thing are there. But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy. Now the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace. James 3:11-18 The problem with these kinds of Christians is that they have been religious too long acquiring head knowledge about God and His word and have not experienced His love and His wonderful miracle working power. They were deceived by the enemy and by their false teachers and had not come into victory. They have not understood that Jesus was "bruised for our iniquities," He took all our hurts and the consequences upon Himself when He died on the cross, and as a result they could be free from all pain, sickness, diseases, grief, suffering caused by life or the enemy. Yes, Jesus has the power to "set at liberty (and heal) them that are bruised" (Luke. 4:18). But they must accept and enter in the rest of the finished work of the cross of Calvary and enjoy the victory that He has won for them. They must receive God's forgiveness for all things and forgive others who have hurt or offended them. Then the healing process of the inner man can begin once they let go of all the negative things in their hearts including unforgiveness, bitterness, hatred, envy, lust and covetousness. God’s word is unchanging: Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, As we forgive our debtors. And do not lead us into temptation, But deliver us from the evil one. For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen. "For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. "But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses. Matthew . 6:11-15

82 Be Not Ignorant Then Peter came to Him and said, "Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? Up to seven times?" Jesus said to him, "I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven. "Therefore the kingdom of heaven is like a certain king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants. "And when he had begun to settle accounts, one was brought to him who owed him ten thousand talents. "But as he was not able to pay, his master commanded that he be sold, with his wife and children and all that he had, and that payment be made. "The servant therefore fell down before him, saying, 'Master, have patience with me, and I will pay you all.' "Then the master of that servant was moved with compassion, released him, and forgave him the debt. "But that servant went out and found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii; and he laid hands on him and took him by the throat, saying, 'Pay me what you owe!' "So his fellow servant fell down at his feet and begged him, saying, 'Have patience with me, and I will pay you all.' "And he would not, but went and threw him into prison till he should pay the debt. "So when his fellow servants saw what had been done, they were very grieved, and came and told their master all that had been done. "Then his master, after he had called him, said to him, 'You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt because you begged me. 'Should you not also have had compassion on your fellow servant, just as I had pity on you?' "And his master was angry, and delivered him to the torturers until he should pay all that was due to him. "So My heavenly Father also will do to you if each of you, from his heart, does not forgive his brother his trespasses." Matthew 18:21-35 The Word of God tells us that the Israelites failed to enter into all the promised inheritance God had for them because of unbelief (Hebrews 3:19). The warning is given to Christians: “Since A PROMISE remains of entering HIS REST, let us fear, lest any of you seem to have come short of it . . . BEWARE, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief.”(Heb.4:1, 3:12). Peter tells us that the Jews “stumble being disobedient TO THE WORD”(1 Pet. 2:8). A part of their trouble was that they were blinded by their traditions (Matt. 7:6-13). We need the help of the Holy Spirit to remove from us all unbelief and pride which will keep us from the many different blessing that God has for us. Human pride is at the root of most man’s stumbling through unbelief and disobedience. God’s word is unchanging Pride goes before destruction, And a haughty spirit before a fall. Better to be of a humble spirit with the lowly, Than to divide the spoil with the proud. He who heeds the word wisely will find good, And whoever trusts in the LORD, happy is he. Proverbs 16:18-20 But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty; and the base things of the world and the things which are despised God has chosen, and the things which are not, to bring to nothing the things that are, that no flesh should glory in His presence. But of Him you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God-and righteousness and sanctification and redemption- that, as it is written, "He who glories, let him glory in the LORD 1 Corinthians 1:27-31 Yes, "Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a FALL," Pride is simply the ADULATION of SELF, wanting to be a law unto oneself, independent, with a feeling of importance, and a desire for acclaim from others. There are DEGREES of pride and ALL of us have a measure of this problem. Pride makes a person inflexible, unyielding, and unteachable, and through it one is deceived into trying to justify SELF in many ways or in opening doors to unclean and familiar spirits to do their havoc in our lives. Pride prevents us from totally depending upon Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God-and righteousness and sanctification and redemption. But we must submit and yield to the Lord in ALL things; not just initial salvation. And if in any area of our lives where we resist the INWORKING of the Spirit, through pride and self-will enter into disobedience, we are headed for a stumbling and FALL. Since "God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble” we must THEREFORE SUBMIT TO GOD. Resist the devil, and he will flee from us. We must humble ourselves in the sight of the Lord and he will lift us up. God’s word is unchanging: Likewise you younger people, submit yourselves to your elders. Yes, all of you be submissive

83 Be Not Ignorant to one another, and be clothed with humility, for "God resists the proud, But gives grace to the humble." Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you. Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. Resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world. But may the God of all grace, who called us to His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a while, perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you. To Him be the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen 1 Peter 5:5-11

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Chapter 21 You Have A Friend In Jesus For the LORD God is a sun and shield; The LORD will give grace and glory; No good thing will He withhold From those who walk uprightly. O LORD of hosts, Blessed is the man who trusts in You! Psalm 84:11-12 "Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." 11:28

Matthew

Jesus Christ to whom is given all power and authority in heaven and earth has invited us to come unto Him in time of need. He does not want us to struggle and war with things that we as mere humans cannot fix. He wants us to come unto Him in all faith that He will work out things for our good. He is near to us in all that we can call upon Him for. He is more than able to supply all things needed for soul, mind and body be it a financial breakthrough or a physical healing. No matter what the problem or need is all things are possible with God. We are admonished to cast all of our cares upon the Lord for God gives grace to the humble and will perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle us (1Peter 5:7-10). We can place all of our burdens under the blood, and expect God to move for us and our loved ones because He has a covenant with us, took the curse up on himself to set us free from it and became poor so that we might become rich and righteous. God’s word is unchanging: For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, that you through His poverty might become rich 2 Corinthians 8:9 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, Ephesians 1:3 Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us (for it is written, "Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree"), Galatians 3:13 Our help is in the name of the LORD, Who made heaven and earth. Psalm 124:8 Our Lord Jesus Christ, though He was rich, yet for our sakes He became poor, that we through His poverty might become rich. Poverty, sickness, disease, lack and demons are curses not blessings. And we have been blessed with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, not cursed. As the seed of Abraham we were called to inherit a blessing and to be a blessing. Through faith and patience we inherit all the promises of God and receive out expected end just like Job did for God desires that we prosper and be in health even as our soul prospers. He desires that not just that our needs would be met, but also over and above anything we could ever ask or dream. Because of Jesus and our trust in Him our provision is on its way for Jesus endured absolute poverty and degradation for our sakes. It is our divine call and destiny to have abundance in all things and to be blessed in spirit, soul, mind and body. God’s word is unchanging: And God is able to make all grace (every favor and earthly blessing) come to you in abundance, so that you may always {and} under all circumstances {and} whatever the need be self-sufficient [possessing enough to require no aid or support and furnished in abundance for every good work and charitable donation]. As it is written, He [the benevolent person] scatters abroad; He gives to the poor; His deeds of justice {and} goodness {and} kindness {and} benevolence will go on {and} endure forever! And [God] Who provides seed for the sower and bread for eating will also provide and multiply your [resources for] sowing and increase the fruits of your righteousness [which manifests itself in active goodness, kindness, and charity]. Thus you will be enriched in all things {and} in every way, so that you can be generous, and [your generosity as it is] administered by us will bring forth thanksgiving to God. 2 Corinthians 9:8-11 Amplified Bible So shall My word be that goes forth out of My mouth: it shall not return to Me void [without producing any effect, useless], but it shall accomplish that which I please {and} purpose, and it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it. Isaiah 55:11 Amplified Bible From the richest to the poorest, from the oldest to the youngest, and from the educated to the

85 Be Not Ignorant uneducated, we all have the same source of victory. It's not our material possessions, our natural wisdom, nor our credentials. Victory is available to each of us because of what Christ has already done for us. It's His victory. He won the battle. Our victory comes as we enter into His victory, and that victory can only be apprehended through faith. The very moment we take a step of faith, the very moment we pray, God gives us the answer. The very moment God hears us, He has commanded His angels to bring the answer to us. But there is a war going on for we are living in a spiritual warfare. We have an enemy called Satan who is out to kill steal and destroy and tries to delay the answer from coming through to us. He does this for many reason including try to make us accuse God of unfaithulness and take us captive by thoughts of fear, doubt and unbelief. But God has an appointed deliverance for us. We have a destined date with the blessing of the Lord. God specializes in taking things broken and ruined and turning them into something beautiful for His through ones through His anointing. The anointing breaks every yoke and lifts every burden and makes us laugh at the enemy. He anoints us with joy and enables us to count all our testing and trials as joy. He gives us the garment of praise which brings about great deliverance for the thoughts of God towards us are good not evil to give us an anticipated end. God’s word is unchanging: Praise the LORD! Blessed is the man who fears the LORD, Who delights greatly in His commandments. His descendants will be mighty on earth; The generation of the upright will be blessed. Wealth and riches will be in his house, And his righteousness endures forever. Unto the upright there arises light in the darkness; He is gracious, and full of compassion, and righteous. Psalm 112:1-4 For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the LORD, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope. Jeremiah 29:11 "The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly. John 10:10 Whatever our needs are, whatever the circumstances are, God promises His blessings to come to us in ABUNDANCE. The Amplified Version is right when it says ...every favor and earthly blessing. What is an "earthly" blessing? -- Prosperity! Financial abundance! Material abundance! Man is a spirit, he has a soul and he dwells in a body. God wants to bless our spirit, our soul and our body. Salvation includes every area of our life. Every yoke is broken. Jesus has set us free. And the blessing of the Lord brings wealth, AND HE ADDS NO TROUBLE TO IT. Biblical prosperity is a gift of God. It is a double blessing. God does not only make us rich, He also gives us the ability and the peace to enjoy our prosperity. God’s word is unchanging: Therefore I hated life because the work that was done under the sun was distressing to me, for all is vanity and grasping for the wind. Then I hated all my labor in which I had toiled under the sun, because I must leave it to the man who will come after me. And who knows whether he will be wise or a fool? Yet he will rule over all my labor in which I toiled and in which I have shown myself wise under the sun. This also is vanity. Therefore I turned my heart and despaired of all the labor in which I had toiled under the sun. For there is a man whose labor is with wisdom, knowledge, and skill; yet he must leave his heritage to a man who has not labored for it. This also is vanity and a great evil For what has man for all his labor, and for the striving of his heart with which he has toiled under the sun? For all his days are sorrowful, and his work burdensome; even in the night his heart takes no rest. This also is vanity. Ecclesiastes 2:18-23 By humility and the fear of the LORD Are riches and honor and life. Proverbs 22:4 Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good; Blessed is the man who trusts in Him! Oh, fear the LORD, you His saints! There is no want to those who fear Him. The young lions lack and suffer hunger; But those who seek the LORD shall not lack any good thing. Psalm 34:8-10 Yes, the Word of God tells us that God will meet our every need and make us rich if we fear Him: YES, THERE IS NO WANT TO THEM THAT FEAR HIM. While the young lions do lack, and suffer hunger those who seek the Lord shall not want any good. Hence we can come boldly to the throne of grace to find mercy and help in time and say: "In the name of Jesus Christ, the Son of the living God, I lift my hands to You, God and pray that the

86 Be Not Ignorant healing and restoring power of God will come upon every area of my life, upon my spirit, upon my soul, upon my body, upon my character, upon my good name, upon my desires, upon my dreams, upon my aspirations and upon my finances. I break every curse. I pray that every financial attack will be turned into victory right now. By the authority of Jesus Christ, I command every evil thing and every bad circumstance to flee from my right now. I break the controlling power of sickness, lack, diseases, debt, credit and poverty. I ask You God to give me a supernatural flow of miracles. I thank you for it, I believe it and I receive it in Jesus' name, amen and amen. God will perform miracles for us as the battle belongs to the Lord! He will fight for us. He will revive our body again and restore all that we have lost. He who raised Lazarus from death will help us as well. As we turn our eyes towards Jesus, He will lift us up from the valley of the shadow of death. His word is unchanging: Strangers shall stand and feed your flocks, And the sons of the foreigner Shall be your plowmen and your vinedressers. But you shall be named the priests of the LORD, They shall call you the servants of our God. You shall eat the riches of the Gentiles, And in their glory you shall boast. Instead of your shame you shall have double honor, And instead of confusion they shall rejoice in their portion. Therefore in their land they shall possess double; Everlasting joy shall be theirs. "For I, the LORD, love justice; I hate robbery for burnt offering; I will direct their work in truth, And will make with them an everlasting covenant. Their descendants shall be known among the Gentiles, And their offspring among the people. All who see them shall acknowledge them, That they are the posterity whom the LORD has blessed." Isaiah 61:5-9 "The LORD will command the blessing on you in your storehouses and in all to which you set your hand, and He will bless you in the land which the LORD your God is giving you. "The LORD will establish you as a holy people to Himself, just as He has sworn to you, if you keep the commandments of the LORD your God and walk in His ways. "Then all peoples of the earth shall see that you are called by the name of the LORD, and they shall be afraid of you. "And the LORD will grant you plenty of goods, in the fruit of your body, in the increase of your livestock, and in the produce of your ground, in the land of which the LORD swore to your fathers to give you. "The LORD will open to you His good treasure, the heavens, to give the rain to your land in its season, and to bless all the work of your hand. You shall lend to many nations, but you shall not borrow. "And the LORD will make you the head and not the tail; you shall be above only, and not be beneath, if you heed the commandments of the LORD your God, which I command you today, and are careful to observe them. Deuteronomy 28:8-13 Gracious and loving God, You love us as a loving father, and cause us to be blessed and prosperous. We thank you that even the work of our hands is blessed and those blessings overtake us! We are your representatives in this earth and we have rights and privileges as sons and daughter to walk as Jesus walked and do what Jesus did when he was on the earth. We have cheerfully given our offerings and paid our tithes, planted our seed, and watered it with your word; therefore we are reaping a harvest of blessing at your hand. Souls will be brought into the kingdom; our bank accounts will prosper and be blessed. We are crowned with your favor, and we praise you for your goodness to us in the name of Jesus. Amen. Father in heaven, we come to you in the name of Jesus Christ, who is the way to you, the truth of you and the life through you. I thank you that you provided healing for us at Calvary. In the name that is above every name that is named; we command cancers to die, blindness to go, diabetes to go, sickness, diseases and infirmities to let go of us - God's creations. Father, we enforce the spirit of life and reject the spirit of death, and we will keep our bodies healthy and strong in Jesus' name. Amen. And we loose the same Spirit that raised Jesus Christ from the dead to heal and quicken our mortal bodies. We also loose ministering angels to meet and supply all our needs according to your richest in glory by Christ Jesus. And we thank you that you are for us with us and not against us and are a good God. We confess that no weapon formed against us shall prosper including sicknesses and diseases. And we loose and welcome your saving, healing and delivering power. Amen and amen

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Chapter 22 Demas Has Forsaken Me Be diligent to come to me quickly; for Demas has forsaken me, having loved this present world, and has departed for Thessalonica-Crescens for Galatia, Titus for Dalmatia. Only Luke is with me. Get Mark and bring him with you, for he is useful to me for ministry. And Tychicus I have sent to Ephesus. Bring the cloak that I left with Carpus at Troas when you come-and the books, especially the parchments. Alexander the coppersmith did me much harm. May the Lord repay him according to his works. You also must beware of him, for he has greatly resisted our words. At my first defense no one stood with me, but all forsook me. May it not be charged against them. But the Lord stood with me and strengthened me, so that the message might be preached fully through me, and that all the Gentiles might hear. And I was delivered out of the mouth of the lion. And the Lord will deliver me from every evil work and preserve me for His heavenly kingdom. To Him be glory forever and ever. Amen! 2 Timothy 4:9-18 In His ministry, Apostle Paul had more than his share of troubles! Demas had forsaken him, having loved this present world, and had departed for Thessalonica. Alexander the coppersmith did him much harm. But the Lord stood with him and strengthened him, so that the message might be preached fully through him, and that all the Gentiles might hear. Paul was delivered out of the mouth of the lion and was confident that the Lord would deliver him from every evil work and preserve him for His heavenly kingdom. The good news is that our God is omnipotent and Almighty. Nothing is impossible for Him. His mighty power can rescue us from any danger. The Bible describes as to how a certain woman who suffered from a dreadful disease for many years was healed miraculously when she trusted Him whole-heartedly (Luke 8:48). Our problems may look like a mountain but we can believe and trust in Him like this woman and He shall deliver us from all our problems. God’s word is true: With a little wrath I hid My face from you for a moment; But with everlasting kindness I will have mercy on you," Says the LORD, your Redeemer. "For this is like the waters of Noah to Me; For as I have sworn That the waters of Noah would no longer cover the earth, So have I sworn That I would not be angry with you, nor rebuke you. For the mountains shall depart And the hills be removed, But My kindness shall not depart from you, Nor shall My covenant of peace be removed," Says the LORD, who has mercy on you Isaiah 54:8-10 Why do you say, O Jacob, And speak, O Israel: "My way is hidden from the LORD, And my just claim is passed over by my God"? Have you not known? Have you not heard? The everlasting God, the LORD, The Creator of the ends of the earth, Neither faints nor is weary. His understanding is unsearchable. He gives power to the weak, And to those who have no might He increases strength. Isaiah 40:27-29. And He said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness." Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ's sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong. 2 Corinthians 12:9-10 Why should God grant power to those who are weak and make them live? Because He remains faithful according to His word: If we endure, We shall also reign with Him. If we deny Him, He also will deny us. If we are faithless, He remains faithful; He cannot deny Himself. 2 Timothy 2:12-13 If we observe the life of king Solomon, he tells God, “Lord! I am a small child.” However, God lifts him, made him a great king, gave him visions, grants him wisdom, wealth, name and fame. Alas! King Solomon forgot God and chased after the things of this world. He chose the counsel of the men and handled the practices of the kings of this world. However, the Almighty and all powerful God appeared twice asking him not to forget Him and His ways. He warns him not to go behind the ways of this world (1 Kings 11:9). Isn’t that an amazing love of God? God never faints in His love for us.

88 Be Not Ignorant God can never become tired of us because even though we are unfaithful He always remains faithful. Whenever we come back to Him and say, “Lord! I am sorry. Please have mercy upon me”, He immediately embraces us with joy and blesses us. He can never get tired. We may be tired but God is not. He is not tired of answering our prayers or lifting us up. And sometimes God may test our faith! But we must remain firm in our faith depending on God alone. Then victory is ours! We know that we glory in tribulation because tribulation produces perseverance (Romans 5:3). When our faith is tested, we must be firm in our faith on God. He will give us the patience to overcome it and bless us. His word is true: "For as the rain 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. "For you shall go out with joy, And be led out with peace; The mountains and the hills Shall break forth into singing before you, And all the trees of the field shall clap their hands. Instead of the thorn shall come up the cypress tree, And instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle tree; And it shall be to the LORD for a name, For an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off." Isaiah 55:10-13 "Listen to Me, you who follow after righteousness, You who seek the LORD: Look to the rock from which you were hewn, And to the hole of the pit from which you were dug. Look to Abraham your father, And to Sarah who bore you; For I called him alone, And blessed him and increased him." For the LORD will comfort Zion, He will comfort all her waste places; He will make her wilderness like Eden, And her desert like the garden of the LORD; Joy and gladness will be found in it, Thanksgiving and the voice of melody. Isaiah 51:1-3 "For behold, the day is coming, Burning like an oven, And all the proud, yes, all who do wickedly will be stubble. And the day which is coming shall burn them up," Says the LORD of hosts, "That will leave them neither root nor branch. But to you who fear My name The Sun of Righteousness shall arise With healing in His wings; And you shall go out And grow fat like stallfed calves. You shall trample the wicked, For they shall be ashes under the soles of your feet On the day that I do this," Says the LORD of hosts. Malachi 4:1-3 Yes, God will bless and increase us. He will comfort all our waste places. He will release health and healing over them. He will make our wilderness like Eden, and our desert like the garden of the LORD; Joy and gladness will be found in it, thanksgiving and the voice of melody. Yes, for those who fear His name the Sun of Righteousness shall arise with healing in His wings; and they shall go out and grow fat like stall-fed calves. They shall trample the wicked, for they shall be ashes under the soles of their feet. God’s word is true: Your sandals shall be iron and bronze; As your days, so shall your strength be. "There is no one like the God of Jeshurun, Who rides the heavens to help you, And in His excellency on the clouds. The eternal God is your refuge, And underneath are the everlasting arms; He will thrust out the enemy from before you, And will say, 'Destroy!' Then Israel shall dwell in safety, The fountain of Jacob alone, In a land of grain and new wine; His heavens shall also drop dew. Happy are you, O Israel! Who is like you, a people saved by the LORD, The shield of your help And the sword of your majesty! Your enemies shall submit to you, And you shall tread down their high places." Deuteronomy 33:25-29 "Every place that the sole of your foot will tread upon I have given you, as I said to Moses. "From the wilderness and this Lebanon as far as the great river, the River Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites, and to the Great Sea toward the going down of the sun, shall be your territory. "No man shall be able to stand before you all the days of your life; as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will not leave you nor forsake you. "Be strong and of good courage, for to this people you shall divide as an inheritance the land which I swore to their fathers to give them. "Only be strong and very courageous, that you may observe to do according to all the law which Moses My servant commanded you; do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may prosper wherever you go. "This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success. "Have I not

89 Be Not Ignorant commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go." Johsua 1:3-9 "Therefore the LORD God of Israel says: 'I said indeed that your house and the house of your father would walk before Me forever.' But now the LORD says: 'Far be it from Me; for those who honor Me I will honor, and those who despise Me shall be lightly esteemed. 1 Samuel 2:30

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Chapter 23 God Was With Him The LORD is my strength and song, And He has become my salvation. The voice of rejoicing and salvation Is in the tents of the righteous; The right hand of the LORD does valiantly. The right hand of the LORD is exalted; The right hand of the LORD does valiantly. Psalm 118:14-16 "how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power, who went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him. Acts 10:38 If you drink dirty polluted water you have a good chance of getting sick and maybe even dying as a result? Well how about if you get wrong teachings from apostate churches or preachers who are false prophets? You will end up being defeated if not destroyed! That is why Todd Bentley and friends are very dangerous!

It’s Super Todd! Look up in the pulpit, it’s a wolf, it’s a demon…NO, it’s super Todd! Able to leap over God’s truth with a single bound! Able to heal the sick by kicking the afflicted to death! Able to supernaturally travel to far off places, third heaven, open portals! Able to magically change his wife into a younger woman! Able to deceive some of the very elect! We, the leaders of the charismatic church, have built on hype, sensation, innovation, programs, personality and charisma. This has produced: shallowness; false movements; novice leaders— gifted but immature and untested; a deficient understanding of God’s word; the building of man-centered rather than kingdom- centered churches and ministries; competition rather than cooperation; humanistic, self-centered Christians who don’t understand sacrifice and commitment; Christians without discernment; superstar leaders; a perverted and powerless gospel; prayerless and anemic Christians; a replacement of the fear of the Lord with the fear of man; and a young generation that is cynical of it all – Dutch Sheets Todd Bentley now carries the label of a liar and a deceiver. I'm sorry to mention it, but I felt personally deceived in the same way when Ted Haggard's sin was exposed and he was immediately removed from ministry... Suffice it to say that there is more than I am going to mention. First of all, Todd has been removed from public ministry until further notice. He has resigned from the ministry he founded, Fresh Fire, so he is no longer a part of that board. It has become clear that he indulged in periodic drunkenness. He has no intention at the moment of reconciling with Shonna, nor does she with him. Their marriage has been torn for years by his emotional attachment with at least one other female whose physical contact went beyond hugging and kissing and holding hands. Enough said-maybe more details will be revealed later-but it was clearly immoral. All of this was skillfully concealed by lying and by swearing close associates who had observed his behavior to secrecy - Peter Wagner # 107 Sharon on Oct 20th, 2009 at 12:39 pm Well after reading through some of what people have written on here I would like to add my 10 cents worth I worked for Todd for over 5 years and travelled with him. Do I agree with what he has done? No. His wife and children are suffering beyond belief. Having to sell their house because a single mom can’t afford a mortgage and Shonnah was a stay at home mom. She has endured much heartache and yet has been gracious through it all. We all can learn from her As for his remarriage, I have sat back and watched this all unfold. Him having vacations (

91 Be Not Ignorant prior to marriage) with his girlfriend, in Hawaii and getting drunk and who knows what else went on, does not constitute repentance. Repentance is when you “turn from your wicked ways” but he continued to do what he wanted till he was married and then came back for “healing”. I cannot see what is in his heart but his actions speak volumes. There is much more that I can say on this subject. Does God forgive? Yes and we should too but I do not think he should ever be placed in a position of leadership. How can you when the example you are giving doesn’t line up with the word of God? My husband left me for another woman after 16 yrs of being together and he is now married. The after math of what I am going through has been far reaching. Whether financially, emotionally, whatever, it doesn’t go away over night. # 108 Therese on Oct 20th, 2009 at 3:01 pm Sharon, 1 John 3:6-8 says “No one who continues to sin has either seen Him or known Him. Dear children, do not let anyone lead you astray. He who does what is right is righteous, just as He is righteous. He who does what is sinful is of the devil.” This passage is warning us that those who continue to sin are leading us astray – their teachings are not to be trusted, if they believed rightly they would have had power over their own sin…. I hope you will take another look at Bentley’s teachings as compared to the word of God for your own sake. There is a power that comes from uncrucified flesh that works counterfeit miracles, yes, even in the name of Jesus – I believe this is actually occult power. The true power that comes from the Spirit comes through the cross, ie, the disciple’s cross, (which is also Jesus’ cross really, they are one and the same in a sense), that we are to carry to crucify our flesh as we follow Jesus. http://www.benedictionblogson.com/2009/03/09/todd-bentley-remarries-apologizes/ 2 walter kambulow on Sep 30th, 2009 at 2:21 pm Nothing has changed at all. Todd Bentley is still a liar, a thief, an adulterer, a deceiver and not a true man of God at all! It’s unfortunate that some fools still believe that he has something to offer! 3 Therese on Oct 1st, 2009 at 5:16 am He hasn’t changed a bit - still the same old manipulative, evasive, deceitful ways. Not a sign of remorse, brokenness, or insight into his own problems. To me he’s exposed here as only looking out for #1. He still badly needs therapy - is Rick Joyner any kind of a qualified Christian therapist? Apparently whatever he’s been doing with T.B. has been a failure because absolutely nothing has changed. Restoration means to restore back to the image God had in mind before the created thing went haywire. Todd Bentley is not restored. I think this time all he will have left is a cult following, if he has anything - unfortunately there always seems to be those willing to follow cult leaders and can’t see the truth even when it slaps them in the face - BAM! - but the Way of Jesus Christ of Nazareth it is not. They’re going to get back the same rapid-fire auctioneer peddling his wares to a manipulated crowd that they had before. And I’m very sorry if the world looks at that insane spectacle and blames Jesus. Maybe God will have mercy and not let things get off the ground this time, or at least shut it down sooner if it does get started. http://www.benedictionblogson.com/2009/09/30/todd-bentley-the-webnar/ How is it with these Pentecostal/Charismatic Christians is okay to be committed adultery, separate, divorce, lie, steal and even commit perjury? In my opinion they are not even Christians because Jesus said: "Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. "You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles? "Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. "A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. "Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. "Therefore by their fruits you will know them.

92 Be Not Ignorant "Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Matthew 7:16-21

Todd Bentley Is Not A Christian Jesus heals, I must disagree with you when you wrote, “Miracles and gifts of the spirit don’t validate a Christian. The fruit of the spirit validates a Christian. peace, love, patience, hope, joy, faith.” First, you did not mention all of the fruit of the Spirit but I know what you mean (Gal. 5: 22 -23). The reason why I disagree with you is because you continuously mis-identify people, like Todd Bentley as a Christian. He is not a Christian nor are those who go chasing after the counterfeit signs and so-called miracles that he and others misrepresent as being from the Holy Spirit. Real Christian Believers do not get deceived and offer counterfeits because they draw attention to themselves and they cannot tell the difference between the work of the Holy Spirit and the work of the devil and demons. They do not do the things that the New Testament tells us clearly are the work and character of authentic Christian believers. They glory in their sin and make excuses for their adulterous work, drunkenness and love of money to say nothing of all the works of the flesh which they seem to think are the fruit of the Holy Spirit. As a man once told me: “If it doesn’t look like a sheep, and eat like a sheep and talk like a sheep and do sheep things, it isn’t a sheep”. Well, just stop and look at all the un-Scriptural things these people are doing. They do not look like Christians, they don’t eat as Christians, they do not talk like Christians and they do not do Christian things. So, they are not Christians. Jesus tells us that the “signs” following confirm the preaching of the Word and prove who are authentic believers. This is very clear when you examine the Greek definition of “signs”. They were the reason why Nicodemus said to Jesus, “Rabbi, we know that you are a man sent from God; for no man could do these signs that you do, unless God is with him” (Jn. 3: 2). The legitimate 15 Gifts of the Holy Spirit (Rom. 12: 6 – 8; 1 Cor. 12: 8 – 10)prove that we are authentic believers. The fruit of the Spirit (Gal. 5: 22 – 23) describes the Character of Jesus which the Holy Spirit develops us so that we can use the Gifts of the Holy Spirit. Because the real or authentic Gifts of the Holy Spirit are not being used and encouraged with these counterfeit Christians who demonstrate counterfeit gifts, we have to be very careful in choosing our words as I think you have done in your letter. I learned a long time ago that there are “Christians” and there are “christians” (religious people) who are not believers. People, like the person you mentioned who received healing and made the mistake of attributing it to Todd Bentley has not learned that whoever calls on Jesus will catch Jesus’ attention, even while watching a deceptive person pretending to be a believer, and answer their prayer and heal them. When I examine these counterfeit Christians, according to Scripture, they are not believers according to Jesus Christ. Because most pastors and churches do not encourage the Baptism of the Holy Spirit and use the 15 Gifts of the Holy Spirit, they are easy victims when the counterfeits are demonstrated. This is an important ministry that we have in the churches that I am invited to preach and do ministry. As you know it is “to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for the building up of the body of Christ” (Eph. 4: 12). So, I suggest that you do not look upon such people as Christians because they are not.

Comment by Gordon Williams | July 19, 2009

93 Be Not Ignorant

Chapter 24 Rick Warren False Prophet In that day the LORD of hosts will be For a crown of glory and a diadem of beauty To the remnant of His people, For a spirit of justice to him who sits in judgment, And for strength to those who turn back the battle at the gate. Isaiah 28:5-6 This also comes from the LORD of hosts, Who is wonderful in counsel and excellent in guidance. Isaiah 28:29 Julia Duin, a newspaper columnist, in her Stairway to Heavenxv column wrote in the Washington Times: Atheist sees global faith revival ... Which is why I was glad to see two editors from the Economist magazine release "God is Back: How the Global Revival of Faith is Changing the World" earlier this year. Co-author Adrian Wooldridge said he and John Micklethwait got the idea while compiling their 2004 book "The Right Nation," about America's conservatives. It struck them that religious observance is increasing worldwide and that irreligious Europe, not America, is the exception. "Religion now goes hand in hand with modernity," he said. "Something happened from the 1970s onward that put that [into action] and now the world is going in the American direction." ...Like 21st-century versions of Alexis de Tocqueville, the French historian whose travels about America in the early 1830s revealed how the country's religious character worked hand in hand with its fledgling democracy, the two men traveled the world to see how religion is affecting the globe. China, Guatemala, Nigeria, Kenya and various Latin American countries were the biggest hot spots. Pentecostal, he concluded, will be the major form of 21st century Christianity. "The sort of religion that is on the rise is the emotive, assertive charismatic religion," he said. "It's compelling Catholicism in Latin America to change. There's a physical surprise when you go to Guatemala and see how vibrant the charismatic and Pentecostal movements are. Same thing for Lagos and Nairobi. I went into that book underestimating the power and vitality of religion." My friend Dr Pat Holiday and I are very intellectual Christians and not just emotional Pentecostals. And in her article New Age Pastor to the World -Rick Warrenxvi, Pat writes: Signs are exploding everywhere that Jesus Christ is coming back soon. Apostasy and the great falling away is a key sign. The Seeker Friendly Church Model promoted through the New Age Internationalist Pastor, Rick Warren of the Saddleback Church, is a system that no longer holds to the Biblical principles or the fact that Jesus is the ONLY way back to God the Father! “Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me,” (Jn. 14:6). Dr. Pat Holiday http://www.miracleinternetchurch.com/ Rev. Warren has become one of America’s leading Christian leaders. Sadly more than 400,000 pastors attend his “purpose-driven” church seminars; his books, including “The Purpose Driven Life,” have become international best-sellers. In the premier issue of Purpose Driven Connection, Rick Warren has once again brought in New Age influences, which are given as tools to build Purpose Driven connections. America's most popular evangelical pastor, who few Christian leaders have dared to challenge on his beliefs and actions, is moving swiftly toward a global spirituality that will ultimately reject the Gospel message of Jesus Christ. The Purpose Driven Connection is a step toward this reality. In a section of the magazinexvii called "The Scene," one page is devoted to popular "Christian" books. Warren has included books that have contemplative and or emerging slants, such as Brennan Manning's Ragamuffin Gospel, Bill Isley, MD says, “A man-centered gospel will always exalt man by downplaying his true sin nature. It will then reconstruct any and all elements of its

94 Be Not Ignorant theology to be consistent with that man-centeredness. Manning has clearly accomplished that objective in this, and presumably, other works. Man desires an egalitarian God Who is not sovereign and Who would never judge a person. xviii Also listing The Shack as a "notable best-selling Christian" book (no disclaimer or warning provided, which gives the indication to readers that this is a good trustworthy book, and yet within its pages is the message of the Black Madonna, xixthat God is in all things. YOU WERE CREATED FOR CONNECTIONS WITH HUMANS? An emphasis in Rick Warren’s new magazine is "Connection." In the "Editor's Letter," Rick Warren says: "YOU WERE CREATED FOR CONNECTIONS.... Life is all about connecting. A disconnected life merely exists" (p.2-3). Warren promises that the Purpose Driven Connection will give the "power" and the tools for this connection. "Power flows through connections.... When you're a member of the Purpose Driven Connection, we'll help you develop the four kinds of relationships you need in order to grow: mentors, models, partners, and friends" xx False prophet and false gospel . . . absolutely not! You were born to fellowship with God and He’s made the provisions to do so! Well I know my bible well enough to know that intellectualism and perspiration didn't produce the church of Jesus Christ or Christians in the book of Acts? The bible says When the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. Then there appeared to them divided tongues, as of fire, and one sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance. Acts 2:1-4 So continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they ate their food with gladness and simplicity of heart, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved. Acts 2:46-47 In my opinion Rick Warren is your typical Baptist pastor of the flesh and I used to be a Baptist for a number of years. And it's a fact according to Billy Graham's own statistic that 85% of their converts fall away and who is to say that the other 15 % are Christians since they deny the Baptism of the Spirit and the Gifts of the Spirit. You cannot say that you are a believer and ignore 1 Corinthians 12 and 14 and say that you believe only in love and 1 Corinthians 13. No, you must accept all of the New Testament scriptures or reject them all. You cannot pick and choose what you want The word of God is unchanged concerning believers of which Rick Warren and his bunch are not and have not accompanying signs: And He said to them, "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. "He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned. "And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues; "they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover." So then, after the Lord had spoken to them, He was received up into heaven, and sat down at the right hand of God. And they went out and preached everywhere, the Lord working with them and confirming the word through the accompanying signs. Amen. Mark 16:15-20 And I, brethren, when I came to you, did not come with excellence of speech or of wisdom declaring to you the testimony of God. For I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified. I was with you in weakness, in fear, and in much trembling. And my speech and my preaching were not with persuasive words of human wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, that your faith should not be in the wisdom of men but in the power of God. 1 Corinthians 2:1-5 It’s a fact that the church of the flesh including Rick Warren's church preaches with persuasive words of human wisdom and not in demonstration of the spirit and power so that our faith might not be in the wisdom of men but in the power of God. And for that reason alone, Warren is a false prophet. And the

95 Be Not Ignorant bible tells us: But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God. For what man knows the things of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so no one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God. Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God. These things we also speak, not in words which man's wisdom teaches but which the Holy Spirit teaches, comparing spiritual things with spiritual. But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. But he who is spiritual judges all things, yet he himself is rightly judged by no one. For "who has known the mind of the LORD that he may instruct Him?" But we have the mind of Christ. 1 Corinthians 2:10-16 Seriously Rick Warren cannot say “For who has known the mind of the LORD that he may instruct Him?" But we have the mind of Christ.” And I know and do many things by the Spirit of the Lord and the mind of Christ. And that is not a lie but a fact! For the record I have fought with B.G.E.A. organization who told me they were going to sue me because of my article ECFA IS A JOKE http://walthope.tripod.com/ecfa.htm and I told them go ahead and they ran away. I also fought with many professors of the Southern Baptist Convention seminaries for many years about their rejection of the Baptism of the Spirit. I also I fought directly with Jerry Falwell who was a Southern Baptist and a liar who didn't tell people the truth about many things! It’s my opinion that a denomination which was born out of a desire to have slaves such as SBC can produce anything good! And the “Fundamentalist” are very divisive that even Billy Graham didn't like them and embraced the term Evangelical For the record “Tongues: is the least of all gifts but it leads into all the gifts of the Spirit and Apostle Paul still stated in 1 Corinthians 14:5, "I wish you all spoke with tongues, but even more that you prophesied;” And Billy Graham said he didn't like tongues because he didn't like anything controversial! Hogwash! God’s word is unchanging: If anyone thinks himself to be a prophet or spiritual, let him acknowledge that the things which I write to you are the commandments of the Lord. But if anyone is ignorant, let him be ignorant. Therefore, brethren, desire earnestly to prophesy, and do not forbid to speak with tongues. Let all things be done decently and in order. 1 Corinthians 14:37-40

96 Be Not Ignorant

Chapter 25 The LORD Is Merciful And Gracious The LORD is merciful and gracious, Slow to anger, and abounding in mercy. He will not always strive with us, Nor will He keep His anger forever. Psalm 103:8-9 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 4:13-16 Some people think that “Jesus loves me” is the great expression in the bible, but for me it’s “The LORD is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in mercy!” We all need mercy and grace from our kind and gracious Father for the battles in life and the storms we go through! And mercy and grace sometimes makes a difference between heaven or hell, life or destruction, health or sickness, prosperity or poverty, or plenty or lack. And the Psalmist tells us about God that: Behold, the eye of the LORD is on those who fear Him, On those who hope in His mercy, 33:19 To deliver their soul from death, And to keep them alive in famine. Psalm 33:18-19 He shall send from heaven and save me; He reproaches the one who would swallow me up. Selah God shall send forth His mercy and His truth. Psalm 57:3 Blessed be God, Who has not turned away my prayer, Nor His mercy from me! Psalm 66:20 For as the heavens are high above the earth, So great is His mercy toward those who fear Him; 103:12 As far as the east is from the west, So far has He removed our transgressions from us. As a father pities his children, So the LORD pities those who fear Him. Psalm 103:11-12 Oh, give thanks to the LORD, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever. Psalm 136:1 The LORD takes pleasure in those who fear Him, In those who hope in His mercy. Psalm 147:11 In ourselves in many negative circumstances especially a terminal disease, the breakdown of a marriage, the loss of a job, or disharmony in a family, we cannot do much but God can do everything for He is after all a Savior, Redeemer, Healer, Deliverer, Provider, Rock, Refuge and High Tower! And no storm is bigger than God. His word is unchanging: On the same day, when evening had come, He said to them, "Let us cross over to the other side." Now when they had left the multitude, they took Him along in the boat as He was. And other little boats were also with Him. And a great windstorm arose, and the waves beat into the boat, so that it was already filling. But He was in the stern, asleep on a pillow. And they awoke Him and said to Him, "Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?" Then He arose and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, "Peace, be still!" And the wind ceased and there was a great calm. But He said to them, "Why are you so fearful? How is it that you have no faith?" And they feared exceedingly, and said to one another, "Who can this be, that even the wind and the sea obey Him!" Mark 4:35-41 "I call heaven and earth as witnesses today against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life, that both you and your descendants may live; "that you may love the LORD your God, that you may obey His voice, and that you may cling to Him, for He is your life and the length of your days; and that you may dwell in the land which the LORD swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to give them. Deuteronomy 30:10-20 Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Hebrews 12:1-2

97 Be Not Ignorant Life and blessings come from choosing and loving the Lord your God and obeying His voice and not doing your thing or seeking things! We look unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith who has overcome the world and won the victory and will give us victory in all things! We look unto God who is a God of Miracles to do things just like Apostle Peter did: Now Peter and John went up together to the temple at the hour of prayer, the ninth hour. And a certain man lame from his mother's womb was carried, whom they laid daily at the gate of the temple which is called Beautiful, to ask alms from those who entered the temple; who, seeing Peter and John about to go into the temple, asked for alms. And fixing his eyes on him, with John, Peter said, "Look at us." So he gave them his attention, expecting to receive something from them. Then Peter said, "Silver and gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk." And he took him by the right hand and lifted him up, and immediately his feet and ankle bones received strength. So he, leaping up, stood and walked and entered the temple with them-walking, leaping, and praising God. And all the people saw him walking and praising God. Then they knew that it was he who sat begging alms at the Beautiful Gate of the temple; and they were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him. Now as the lame man who was healed held on to Peter and John, all the people ran together to them in the porch which is called Solomon's, greatly amazed. So when Peter saw it, he responded to the people: "Men of Israel, why do you marvel at this? Or why look so intently at us, as though by our own power or godliness we had made this man walk? "The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the God of our fathers, glorified His Servant Jesus, whom you delivered up and denied in the presence of Pilate, when he was determined to let Him go. "But you denied the Holy One and the Just, and asked for a murderer to be granted to you, "and killed the Prince of life, whom God raised from the dead, of which we are witnesses. "And His name, through faith in His name, has made this man strong, whom you see and know. Yes, the faith which comes through Him has given him this perfect soundness in the presence of you all. Acts 3:1-16 It’s that faith in Jesus name, not in our own power or godliness, which produces miracles in our lives! All kinds of miracles spiritual, physical, financial and emotional because Jesus Christ is the same yesterday today and forever! Miracles come from a God of miracles who loves to give us miracles because loving and giving is part of His nature and miracles are very easy for Him to do! His word is unchanging: Fools, because of their transgression, And because of their iniquities, were afflicted. Their soul abhorred all manner of food, And they drew near to the gates of death. Then they cried out to the LORD in their trouble, And He saved them out of their distresses. He sent His word and healed them, And delivered them from their destructions. Oh, that men would give thanks to the LORD for His goodness, and for His wonderful works to the children of men! Let them sacrifice the sacrifices of thanksgiving, And declare His works with rejoicing. Those who go down to the sea in ships, Who do business on great waters, They see the works of the LORD, And His wonders in the deep. For He commands and raises the stormy wind, Which lifts up the waves of the sea. They mount up to the heavens, They go down again to the depths; Their soul melts because of trouble. They reel to and fro, and stagger like a drunken man, And are at their wits' end. Then they cry out to the LORD in their trouble, And He brings them out of their distresses. He calms the storm, So that its waves are still. Then they are glad because they are quiet; So He guides them to their desired haven. Psalm 107:17-30

Walter Kambulow

http://www.pdfcoke.com/tag/walter%20kambulow http://walthope.tripod.com/ Not Innocent” http://www.a2zbookdepot.com/xxcrxxoxxoks.pdf or http://crooksaog.tripod.com/ Ron Mainse returning to 100 Huntley Street, business as usual http://www.benedictionblogson.com/2009/10/01/ron-mainse-returning-to-100-huntleystreet-business-as-usual/

98 Be Not Ignorant Mainse brothers step down from Crossroads posts during Ponzi investigation http://www.canadianchristianity.com/nationalupdates/090702ponzi.html Todd Bentley: The Webinar http://www.benedictionblogson.com/2009/09/30/todd-bentley-the-webnar/ Todd Bentley John Arnott False Prophesy and Prayer http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9aWpTvcM74U&feature=related The rape of the church - the Todd Bentley quagmire http://bolaoged.com/?p=743

Female Angels http://www.pdfcoke.com/doc/21289068/Female-Angels

The Delusional World Of Mark Stibbe & St Andrews Chorleywood http://www.moriel.org/articles/discernment/church_issues/delusional_world_of_mark_st ibbe.htm Benny Hinn Speaks Out Against the Florida Revival http://www.christianresearchservice.com/BHinn39.htm The Deception of Lee Grady and Charisma Magazine http://endtimespropheticwords.wordpress.com/2009/02/12/the-deception-of-lee-gradycharisma-magazine THE LATTER RAIN REVIVAL http://watch.pair.com/rain.html Pat Holiday Newsletters and church http://www.remnantradio.org/Archives/articles/PH/PH.htm http://www.miracleinternetchurch.com/ Gordon Williams http://gordwilliams.com/ CEO of ministry building $4 million lakefront home http://www.charlotteobserver.com/597/story/806505.html?storylink=omni_popular

The Story of Marjoe http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-178629120699935619#

i The Word-Faith Movement By Gary E. Gilley ii By His Stripes We Are Healed! By Shelton Prayer and Healing Rooms iii Healing is for Today's Generation By Shelton Prayer and Healing Rooms iv The Possibilities of Prayer by E.M.Bounds v

http://www.awmi.net/extra/article/sovereignty_god

vi

http://www.awmi.net/extra/article/believers_authority

vii

http://www.awmi.net/extra/article/deal_temptation

viii

http://www.awmi.net/extra/article/spirit_soul

ix

http://www.awmi.net/extra/article/effects_praise

x

http://www.awmi.net/extra/article/effortless_change

xi

http://www.awmi.net/extra/article/grace_power

xii

http://www.awmi.net/extra/article/discipleship_evangelism

xiii Healing for your Bruises By Leland Earls xiv

History Alive! 20th Century United States History, Enrichment Essay, The United States Coming of Age: 1890-1920, Activities 1.3 and 1.4 xv

http://washingtontimes.com/news/2009/oct/22/duin-atheist-sees-global-faith-revival//print/

xvi

http://www.remnantradio.org/Archives/articles/PH/Newsletters/NEW%20AGE%20PASTOR%20TO%20THE%20WORLD%20~%20RIC K%20WARREN%2010-19-09.pdf xvii

Rick Warren's New Magazine Promotes the New Global Spirituality, Lighthouse Trails Report

xviii

The Ragamuffin Gospel http://www.psychoheresy-aware.org/ragmuffin114.html A Critique by Bill Isley, MD

xix

Rick Warren, Connection Magazine, page 3

99 Be Not Ignorant xx

Rick Warren, Connection Magazine, page 3