Can God’s Word Actually Abide in Me?

Hello everyone,

One of my favourite promises, directly from Jesus, is found in John 15:7, “If you live in Me [abide vitally united to Me] and My words remain in you and continue to live in your hearts, ask whatever you will, and it shall be done for you.”

It’s the last phrase of this verse that ALWAYS gives us hope isn’t it?  To know that whatever we ask of the Lord, He will do for us.  What an awesome promise, from a faithful, wonderful, deeply caring God.

Now I have to say this right from the start - it’s true this promise of us receiving whatever we ask is a direct result of us actively applying the first part of this verse: “...live in Me [abide vitally united to Me] and (have) My words remain in you and continue to live in your hearts...”

When Jesus tells us to abide in Him and have His words abide in us - it has nothing to do with us having to follow religious rules or regulations.  We must remember knowledge without experience is dead religion - there’s simply no power in it.

However, when we abide in Jesus - Who is the Living Word, and we have His Words abide in our hearts, it means we are spending time in His Word.  We’re listening to it, paying attention to its truth, and meditating on it. So God’s Word actually abides in our hearts when we constantly think about how its timeless wisdom can be applied to our own lives, and we act on it.  

This sounds easy enough, but is it really possible for us to do?  Well,  I believe that when we try to do this in our own strength, with our own understanding, we’re probably going to end up dissapointed.   That’s because understanding God’s Word and then actually knowing how to apply it to our every day lives, can be rather tricky, especially when there are so many differing opinions and interpretations concerning what particular verses mean.  

The truth is, Jesus knew full well what we’d be up against, and that’s why He sent us His Precious Holy Spirit.  The Bible says the Holy Spirit will teach us God’s ways, and reveal how the truth we’re reading can actually affect our attitudes, the way we think, and speak, and act.  He will give us clear understanding concerning God’s Word so it can come alive on the inside of us and influence everything about us! 

The Holy Spirit causes the Word to become more than just head knowledge!  The first sign of it actually abiding in us is when it begins to deal with the motives of our hearts, before our actions.  Making what we do sincere.

Here’s how you can recognize the moment the word becomes more than just intellectual knowledge to you.  It’s when the truth you’re reading, and thinking about moves from intellectual knowledge to becoming your truth!  In other words - what you really believe with all your heart.

It’s when what the Word says is something you’re absolutely convinced about.  It’s become your own opinion and makes perfect sense to you.  You can actually see how it can become a practical part of your life.  In fact, the Holy Spirit causes you to see exactly what your part is to walk in obedience to it!  And this is the kind of obedience that carries you right into the blessing.

God’s Word abides in our hearts when we don’t just agree with it, we actually believe it and make it our own!  We are convinced it’s true for us and there is no question about practically aligning our lives with it.  And the instant that ‘penny drops’, we actually feel a surge of joy and peace flood up from Holy Spirit in our own spirits!  

The joy, pure hope, and freedom from fear that wells up inside us in this moment is very real!  It’s what the Bible calls revelation knowledge!  What you may have seen and read in the Word before has suddenly become alive in you!  

This is so powerful because it produces and keeps us secure in faith that God is completely in control of the very things we’ve poured out before Him, and we are completely convinced He really will do what His Word says concerning us!

This is what Paul meant when he said in Colossians 3:16 to, “Let the word [spoken by] Christ (the Messiah) have its home [in your hearts and minds] and dwell in you in [all its] richness, as you teach and admonish and train one another in all insight and intelligence and wisdom [in spiritual things, and as you sing] psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, making melody to God with [His] grace in your hearts.”

The Test

I was reading something Kenneth Copeland said he learnt from Oral Roberts.  He said you can test, or recognize when the word is actually abiding in you and producing results -  when you can hear it!  

He explained it like this, when you get a song on your mind and you just keep hearing it over and over on the inside of you - that’s how it happens when you’re actually abiding in the Word.

You can be faced with a desperate situation, or even troubling thoughts over a desperate situation, when suddenly, as you cry out to the Lord, you hear a scripture come into your mind.  It will be exactly what you needed to hear at that moment, and you’ll know exactly what you need to do.  

Even if it doesn’t seem like your obeying it is going to make a difference in the bigger picture - you can believe your obedience to that Word is going to supernaturally set things in motion in the right direction for your miracle!

When you make a quality decision to spend time in the Word, with the Holy Spirit revealing its truth to you, and to obey exactly what He reveals to you to do - you’ll see the word go to work for you and whatever you ask, shall be done for you - because it’s actually abiding in you!

Next week we’re going to look a little deeper into the transformation process abiding in the Word produces, and how it powerfully empowers our prayers - causing them to be extremely effective! 

All my love,

Jenny

Price for the Power - Part 2

Hello everyone,

Being used by God, for His purpose is something every believer is called to.  Since before the world was created God already had us in mind for this very thing!  

Ephesians 1:4 says, “Even as [in His love] He chose us [actually picked us out for Himself as His own] in Christ before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy (consecrated and set apart for Him) and blameless in His sight, even above reproach, before Him in love.”

Look at what Ephesians 2:10 says, “For we are God’s [own] handiwork (His workmanship),recreated in Christ Jesus, [born anew] that we may do those good works which God predestined (planned beforehand) for us [taking paths which He prepared ahead of time], that we should walk in them [living the good life which He prearranged and made ready for us to live].”

What are those good works he planned for us to do?  The very same good works He did when He walked this earth!  He demonstrated the generous, loving and caring nature of His Heavenly Father through operating in the miracle working power of God!

Since we know Jesus stripped Himself of His Godly privileges, and became a man (Philippians 2:7), how did He manage to operate in the miracle working power of God, day in and day out?  The Bible says after He was baptised in water, the Spirit of God descended on Him, and He was filled with power.  Look at what Luke 4:14 says, “Then Jesus went back full of and under the power of the [Holy] Spirit into Galilee, and the fame of Him spread through the whole region round about.”

So we know His power to do the good work His Father wanted Him to do came from the Holy Spirit.  Just the same, when a believer is baptised in the Holy Spirit, we have that same power activated and available to us, to do the good works He did.  

The question is how did Jesus keep this power flowing in and through Him?  How did He know what to do, and where to go?  How did He keep that level of supernatural intensity flowing, along with that never ending supply of compassion, love, peace and pure joy?

The answer is recorded throughout the New Testament, Jesus spent hours in prayer, communing with His Heavenly Father.  I found this excerpt from AA Allans’s book, The Price of God’s Miracle Working Power:

“If the Son of God must spend long hours of the night, when the rest of the world was sleeping, alone on the mountain top with His Father, in order that He might be able to cast out even those demons of whom He said, "This kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting" (Matt.17:21), surely His disciple also must spend hours in fasting and prayer, waiting upon God - learning to think and act in unison with God - before he can expect to cast out such demons.”

He went on to write, “Persistent, habitual prayer was one of the outstanding characteristics of the life of Christ. When Judas desired to find Jesus in order to betray Him to the priests, he knew that he would find Him in the garden of prayer. 

Prayer to our Lord was more important than teaching and healing, for He refused to allow Himself to be swept off His feet by the multitudes who "came together to hear, and to be healed by Him" (Luke 5:15,16), but withdrew Himself from the crowd which demanded His attention into the wilderness, and prayed. 

Prayer was more important to Him than the working of miracles, for miracles do not generate themselves. Prayer is the cause - miracles the result. Prayer to Jesus was more important than rest and sleep, for we find that "in the morning rising up a great while before day, he went out and departed into a solitary place, and there prayed." Mark 1:35.  And again, "He went out into a mountain to pray and he continued all night in prayer to God." Luke 6:12.”

Now here comes the crux of this truth:  

“If the disciple could attain the same results which Jesus did WITHOUT PAYING THE SAME PRICE WHICH JESUS PAID, then it would have to be confessed that the disciple had become greater than his master. The "student" would have learned a better, more efficient method than that taught to him by his "teacher."”

Do you remember the point made in our previous letter from Matthew 10:24 that says, “A disciple is not above his teacher, nor is a servant or slave above his master.” ?  Well here we see it again when it comes to prayer and spending time drawing from the wisdom of God, and learning how to work as one with His Spirit.   If Jesus needed to make this His priority to fulfill His purpose, how could we not be expected to do the same?

I’m going to end this letter with another quote from AA Allan’s book, to solidify this truth in our hearts, and create in us a deeper hunger to spend time alone with our Heavenly Father in prayer: 

“...the student of Jesus Christ CANNOT become greater than his teacher. He cannot learn anything which Jesus did not know. He cannot find a short cut to power with God. If he should try it, he will only meet with disappointment and sorrow. His life will be shipwrecked and his ministry useless. 

For the disciple (student) of Christ, "It is enough for the disciple that he be as his master (teacher)." Matt. 10:25.”

This week, let’s deliberately carve out time to spend with our Heavenly Father, just as Jesus did, learning and receiving from Him in prayer.  This is where we’re going to get the power, strength, wisdom, and direction to do the good works He planned for us to do, before the foundation of the world.

All my love,

Jenny

Price for the Power - Part 1

Hello everyone,

Have you longed for the continuous flow of God’s miracle working power in your life? The Bible teaches this should be something we experience on a regular basis.  In fact our lives should be marked and distinguished from the rest of the word by this very thing! 

Jesus said when we’re baptised in the Holy Spirit, we are empowered to do the same works He did while He was here on earth.

In Mark 16:17-18, Jesus said, “And these attesting signs will accompany those who believe: in My name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new languages; They will pick up serpents; and [even] if they drink anything deadly, it will not hurt them; they will lay their hands on the sick, and they will get well.”

He clearly stated these things would accompany those who believe!  So if we believe - we should be walking in His power and these signs and wonders should be flowing in and through our lives.

Just recently I received a copy of AA Allan’s book entitled The Price of God’s Miracle Working Power.  He wrote about his desperation to see the miraculous evident in his ministry, and how during an encounter with God, he received the answers he was looking for.  Every chapter touched on truths I wanted to share with you.  I’ll be sharing some direct quotes from his book.

There is a price to pay for walking in the miracle working power of God - a price well worth seeing God glorified as people are healed, set free from the oppression of the devil, and able to live the abundant life Jesus paid for them to enjoy!

In this letter I want to briefly touch on the price of persecution. As much as you would think all people would welcome the sick being healed, and those oppressed by the devil being set free, and the broken hearted being restored, history has proven otherwise.  Being used by God is not a popularity contest. There is great opposition to the manifest power of God demonstrated in the earth.  

So if we are serious about being used by God, we need to toughen up and know who we are in Christ. We need to have our full confidence in Jesus, the written Word, and the resurrection power of God that courses in and through us.  This way we will become courageous and fearless in our mission.

Matthew 10:24 says, “A disciple is not above his teacher, nor is a servant or slave above his master.”  These words Jesus spoke to His disciples who were sent out to do the very things He was doing.  The same things every believer is called to do: “heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils: freely you have received, freely give.” (Matthew 10:8).  

Then directly on the heels of this promise came warnings of persecution."Ye shall be brought before governors and kings for my sake...Brother shall deliver up brother to death, and the father the child: and the children shall rise up against their parents, and cause them to be put to death."

Jesus was constantly persecuted for operating in God’s power, the religious rulers were outraged at seeing the miraculous being performed by the Son of God.  Paul was imprisoned, and severely punished for setting a young girl free from evil spirits.  Her owners were furious when they could no longer profit from her misery. 

Jesus was not persecuted while He remained in the carpenter shop at Nazareth, but the moment He started to do mighty things, He was called "Prince of devils," and attempts began to be made to destroy his life.

Persecutions continued for three and one-half years, until at last He was crucified, for no other reason than because He had power which the powerless religious leaders of his day feared.  Peter was a "good fellow" so long as he was a mere fisherman, but when he healed the lame man, they threw him in jail.  So long as Stephen was just a "member" in the First Church at Jerusalem he got along nicely, but the moment he "did great wonders and miracles among the people" he was called into judgment and stoned. Paul never had to flee at night for his life, because of his religion, until after he had met God in a supernatural way. (Direct quote). 

Demonstrating the life changing power of God is a direct onslaught - a fierce, destructive attack against the kingdom of darkness.  It’s exactly in line with the purpose Jesus came to this earth.  1 John 3:8 says, “...The reason the Son of God was made manifest (visible) was to undo (destroy, loosen, and dissolve) the works the devil [has done].”  And now, through the finished work of the cross, we exist to enforce his defeat!  

So of course it would be wrong to imagine we wouldn’t face opposition and persecution when we exercise our faith and operate in God’s supernatural power. How can we expect something different? Persecution is one of the universal results of God’s manifested power. 

2 Timothy 2:12 promises if we endure, we will also reign with Him! Hallelujah!  When we are filled with the power of the Holy Ghost, and diligently keep ourselves rooted in the truth of His Word, our faith in the resurrected Christ becomes unshakable in the face of any persecution. Being single focused to carry out His will, by His power here on earth is what will cause us to rise above the threats and attempts of the devil to stop us moving forward in our mission.  

Hebrews 10:39 says, “...our way is not that of those who draw back to eternal misery (perdition) and are utterly destroyed, but we are of those who believe [who cleave to and trust in and rely on God through Jesus Christ, the Messiah] and by faith preserve the soul.” 

Living purposefully for God is most certainly going to stir up trouble and opposition from the flesh and the kingdom of darkness, but understand in Christ Jesus, you are more than a conqueror!  So be alert and actively conscious of the devil’s strategy to oppose you, so you’re not caught off guard by his attacks, and you don’t give in to his threats.  

Jesus declared He has already overcome the world and deprived it of all power to harm you - so stand strong in your faith, stay single focused on the love and compassion of God for others, trust in the resurrection power that’s flowing in you, and move in the Spirit of God - as He leads you!

Until next week, build yourself up in your most holy faith and do whatever He tells you to do!

All my love,

Jenny