The Word of His Power

The Word of His Power
(http://www.hissheep.org/messages/the_word_of_his_power.html)

Hebrews 11:3 “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.”
John 1:1 “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”
Ephesians 1:17 “That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him:”
Isaiah 55:10-11 “For as the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater: So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.”

1) A Rhema Word is a Creative Word. So when God speaks and releases His promise out of you, just as sure as when He spoke and creation came out of his lips
2) A Rhema Word is also a Saving Word. Romans 10:8 “But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach;
Romans 10:13 “For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.”(when it came out of your mouth, spoken in faith, brought about your salvation.)
3) A Rhema Word is A Sustaining or Strengthening Word. Matthew 4:4 ( He fed His spirit by speaking and confessing the Word with His mouth.)
4) The Sword of the Spirit is the Word of God and it is a rhema word. Ephesians 6:17
5) A rhema word is a word of provision. Luke 5:4-5 (The Word of God first rests in you, then when you mix it with faith and speak it out of your mouth, it will never return void. It will do what God says it will do.)

. If you are going to get a Rhema Word you must read the Bible regularly. Joshua 1:8
. Learn to Rest in the Revelation. Rest in the Word that God gives you.Isaiah 28:11-12.
. Release The Word by Confession. Mark 11:22-24
. Mix Faith and Action with Your Word. Confess it and call it done
. Receive The Promise (James 1:17).

Jesus is the Word of Life.

Jesus is the Word made life.

Intercessory Prayer

Question: "What is intercessory prayer?"
(http://www.gotquestions.org/intercessory-prayer.html)

Answer: Quite simply, intercessory prayer is the act of praying on behalf of others. The role of mediator in prayer was prevalent in the Old Testament (as in Abraham, Moses, David, Samuel, Hezekiah, Elijah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel and Daniel.) But Christ is pictured in the New Testament as the ultimate intercessor; and because of this all Christian prayer becomes intercession since it is offered to God through and by Christ. Jesus closed the gap between us and God when He died on the cross. He was the greatest mediator (intercessor) that ever lived. Because of this we can now intercede in prayer on behalf of other Christians, or for the lost, asking God to grant them repentance according to His will. "For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus" (1 Timothy 2:5). "Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us" (Romans 8:34).

A wonderful model of intercessory prayer is found in Daniel 9 as he prayed for his people who had turned away from God. It has all the elements of true intercessory prayer. It is in response to the Word (v. 2); characterized by fervency (v. 3) and self-denial (v. 4); identified unselfishly with God’s people (v. 5); strengthened by confession (v. 5-15); dependent on God’s character (vv. 4,7,9,15); and has as its goal God’s glory (vv. 16-19). Like Daniel, Christians are to come to God on behalf others in a heartbroken and repentant posture, recognizing our own unworthiness and with a sense of self-denial. Daniel doesn’t come and say, "I have a right to demand this out of You, God, because I am one of your special, chosen intercessors." He comes and says, "I'm a sinner," and, in effect, he says, "I don't have a right to demand anything." True intercessory prayer seeks to not only know God’s will and see it fulfilled, but to see it fulfilled no matter whether it benefits us and no matter what it costs us. It seeks God’s glory, not our own.

Praying the Word of God (extracted from A Ministry of I Lift My Eyes)

Prophetic Intercession is God speaking to his people, directing them to the most effective route to pray.
. God directs and speaks to us -Ps25:9, Jn 16:13, Rom8:26
.The Word of God stimulates prayers eg pray Ps 91 , Eph 6:10-18
.Pray Words of Blessings Eph 1:18-19
.Speak and Pray the Word out loud
.Pray for a Rhema Word
.Be specific
.Pray for insights espc for physical Healings etc
.Pray for God's strategy

note: Effective spiritual warfare can be accomplished with repentance and worship. Repentance of our own sin and on behalf of others. It is also accomplished through worship. the demonic can not abide in worship to the King. If you feel harrassed as you pray, enter into a time of worship.

Bitter Root Judgment

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BITTER ROOTS (http://elishasmantle.freeyellow.com/swordhomepage.htm)

The law applies not only to our conscious actions, known and performed outwardly, but also to what is lodged in our heart, repressed, unknown and unexpressed. Once formed, judgments must bring results. Bitter roots, not brought to the cross, must defile. Bitter roots are perhaps the most powerful negative forces in our lives, bringing destruction not only to us but also to those around us.
See to it that no root of bitterness springing up causes trouble, and by it many be defiled Hebrews 12:15
This lesson reveals the depth and power of bitter root judgments-the driving force behind the recurring patterns of trouble and/or destruction in our lives. The power of bitter roots comes from the unchangeable laws of God, which cause us to reap in kind what we have sown. Bitter root judgments are far more powerful than bitter root expectancies. Judgments operate by God's Laws; whereas repeated incidents form patterns of expectancy which operate only on the psychological level.But judgments and expectancies both rob us of the abundant life Jesus came to give us.
The root of a tree gives life
In a tree or plant, a root is an underground, hidden structure, which is a conduit for nourishment. For us "roots" are habitual ways we drink nurture from God, others, nature and ourselves. Our roots also lie beneath the surface, usually hidden to the adult mind. If we have bitter roots, we drink harm to our selves.

What are bitter roots, or bitter root judgments?
o They are our sinful reactions to circumstances that occur in our lives.
o They are condemning judgments of other people.
o They are the inability or refusal to forgive someone.
o They are the operations of the unchangeable Laws of God, which cause us to reap in kind what we have sown.

Bitter roots are not:
o Hurtful or terrible things that happen to us, nor are they the sins of those who have wronged us. They are our sinful responses to those things that have happened to us, planted deeply within us due to our refusal or inability to forgive.
Bitter roots infect the mind with expectancies.
Bitter root expectancy is a psychological practice in our lives. It is a habit of a self-fulfilling prophecy, by which we "push" people to fulfill our picture of the way things will go.
o "Women will always be controlling."
o "Men can't be depended upon."
o "No one ever listens to me."
The following is an example of bitter root expectancy
A man is brought up by a critical mother, he feeling wounded and rejected, learns to protect his heart by withdrawing from her. His experiences with mother form a picture of "women." When he marries, he fears pain and of vulnerability and consciously (or unconsciously) projects his expectations onto his wife, holding her at a distance. She is lonely and appeals to him to share with her. He interprets this as criticism (whether it is or not), and pulls farther away. He criticizes her attempts to break through the walls of his heart.
Judgments and expectancies:
The judgment is the seed planted in childhood and it may be forgotten by the one whom has made the judgment. It is after the child has grown, that the bitter root expectation comes into play. The example of the critical mother and the boy who judged her, there by judging all women that they will all be critical and that the boy will have to protect his heart. He will reap through his wife and other women,what he experienced with his mother.

The origin of bitter root judgments and bitter root expectations normally start with parents:They can also start with other persons in our youth such as grandparents and teachers. The judgments are the seeds sown and the bitter root expectation is the vehicle that brings the judgments to fruition. Sown in childhood and brought to fruition in our relationships with spouse, authority, society, and even with Father God. We ultimately get what we expect from all of the above. If they are not eager to play, we find a way to push enough buttons to get them to give us what we expect.

Who is responsible and accountable?
WE ARE! God holds us accountable for our sinful reactions to what has taken place in our life. We are guilty but not condemned. Guilt is the friend that brings us to the cross, and thus to healing and transformation.
Prayer Deliverance Ministers must be aware:
That bitter root judgments and expectations are so common that they must be checked for as routinely as a doctor checks blood pressure and temperature.
IF THERE IS THE FRUIT, THEN THERE IS A ROOT!
Luke 6:43; Matthew 7:20
Treatment of "Bitter Roots"
We must first recognize those roots and how they affected our lives and the lives of those around us.
We have to choose to repent, by determining to stop patterns by hauling judgments and expectations to the cross in prayer.
The prayers must be specific, focused, Spirit-led, prayers of forgiveness.
A person must speak forgiveness at the age of the judgment. Praying out loud his/her forgiveness for mom or dad for judging, resentment, hating. Forgive me for perpetuating those attitudes in my present relationships. Prayer Deliverance Ministers pronounce forgiveness by the Word of God. John 20: 23
Prayers of death Luke 9: 23, 24
Dying to self on the cross. Less of me Lord and all of you, by demolishing the structures of judgment and bitter root expectations, habits, attitudes and reflexes by taking them to the cross of Christ -Galatians 2:20, 5:24
"Lord bring those practices to death by the power of your cross

Prayers of resurrection:
"Lord restore... (Be as specific as you can) "Lord reverse the old pattern and cause its glorious opposite to happen; restore to new life." This imparts a new expectancy.
The healing continues as we continue to pray and there is an ongoing discipline to bring to death habitual practices of thoughts, feelings and actions, and to bring to life the nature of Christ in him/her.

Hosea 8:7a - "They sow the wind, and they reap the whirlwind."
NEW TESTAMENT
Matthew 3:10 , Matthew 5:17 , Matthew 7:16-20 , Matthew 15:13 , Luke 6:43-45
Hebrews 4:12, James 1:15 , James 5:16 , Galatians 2:20 , Galatians 5:24 , Ephesians 5:21 , Philippians 3:10-15 , Hebrews 12:15
Galatians 6:7-8 (NAS) - Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows this he will also reap. For the one who sows to his own flesh shall from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the spirit shall from the Spirit reap eternal life

Sowing and Reaping Young Joe~
Mankind's sinning is like a man who throws a ball against a wall. At some point it will return to him: 'do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows this he will also reap. Gal. 6:7 The longer our sin goes unrepented, the larger it grows: Heb.8:7. By the time our sin returns to be reaped it has grown to overwhelming proportions:
"Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin; and sin when it is full-grown brings forth death. James 1:15

Same Joe 25 years later~
God, unwilling that any should perish, sent Jesus to identify with us in all our sinfulness. Jesus took our sin upon Himself and died with it for us. Our sin was cancelled and the law of sowing and reaping fulfilled in Him:Mat 5:17
Repentant Joe~
We are called to take hold of the life that Jesus won for us by His death and resurrection Phil 3:10-15 and to walk in a daily discipline described for us in Rom6:6-14

Father's Heart VII -Spirit of Sonship

The genealogy of a person defines his identity and existence. It reflects the relationship and the tying in of the father with his son.
Jesus is called a prophet, a Messiah, a teacher and these titles define His functions. But Jesus is revealed as the Son of God in Matt 16:13- who He is! His identity is that He is the Son of God!
The Father revealed the Son, the Father wants to give a Bride to the Son and the Son wants to give many sons of glory to the Father. The Son wants to give us as gifts to the Father- the love gifts of God to God.( Matt 3:16 ,John 5:19, Matt 17:15) It's all about Sonship!

Luke 2:41-51
In the Jewish custom a boy becomes a man at the age of 12 and is transferred from the care of a mother to his father. Jesus knows His identity and stayed back at His Father's house when he was 12 but when Joseph and Mary came back for Him, He followed them and showed the heart of a son. For the next 18 years, Jesus lived as a son of a carpenter. His identity was secured in the Father, so He could live what is asked of Him (Jn2:1-11) In Cana, Jesus obeyed and submitted to Mary even it was not His time. (Jn19:25) When He was hanging on the Cross, He saw Mary (Jn19:26), in the midst of His own suffering and agony, He cared for His earthly mother. WALK IN THE SAME SONSHP!!

We need to have a heart of a son to our parents and heavenly Father... whose son are you?? The responsibility towards a father is being a son to my father.

Acts17:26 - God determines where and when to place me. Are we judging our father? Am I blocking my ability to walk in Sonship with God?

Gal 4:4 - He sent the Spirit of a Son who calls out ABBA. We are to learn sonship through our parents - to have a heart of a son.

Eph6:1-3 If I reject my father, I reject God's plan! If I honour my father, I am respecting God! Parents are authoritative figures placed over us by God!

Deu 27:16 Honour does not mean approval or condoning or excusing their behaviour. Honour means respecting their position ; they brought us into the world, they gave us lives. Even if we can't truly love them, then as Jesus commanded 'love thy enemy'- love them anyway.

Rom13:1-7 , 1Pet 2:13 -All authority is placed by God. Don't rebel against the authority that God has placed over us. He placed our parents as authority over us. Our parents gave us life. Don't reject and judge your father by stopping your heart from being a son. Then we will also reject the Father. Whenever you honour your earthly father, you honour your heavenly Father. Be a Son.

Mal 4:5 Turn the heart of the Father to the children. He allows us to forgive our parents and also to honour them. ..to bring a restoration, a reconciliation back to God- it frees our heart. God comes to meet all our love needs. We can receive all our needs from our Father. When we walk in sonship, we learn to honour God. An inheritance passed on, the genetic and DNA code passed on. A right to everything our parents are- not earned but inherited. God imparts supernaturally for who they are , also on our spiritual parents. Have a heart of humility and submission- what it means to be a son in our heart. The example of the prodigal son's elder brother- he was doing everything right but he was not a son because he doesn't know his father.

Allow and let the spirit of sonship embrace our heart to be a son. The best way to reveal the Father is to be a son. Our relationship with our parents is linked with our relationship with God. Whose son are you?? He has put us in our family so that we can learn sonship. It's more about our heart, not theirs....

my personal reflection:-
growing up without a father and not even able to remember how he looks like - has caused me to block-off a part of me until now. however, it is really not about him anymore- it is about me being the daughter. there's a taint of regret in me i guess as i will never have a chance to be a good daughter to him... all of you out there, if you still have a chance- honour your parents, be a son or a daughter- it's about our heart... our Father is honoured when we honour our parents- not an option but a command with a blessing added to it...

Forgiveness Means Cancellation of All Debts

Benefits Of Forgiveness.

Only God can provide and give us the everlasting and wholesome love. Only God can supply the Primary Love. Hebrew 12:9 - God is the Father of our spirit. God is love and the very essence of God is LOVE. His first, middle and last name is LOVE !

We often seek to be loved, affirmed and satisfied by looking at man , who is only able to provide the secondary love-human love. That's how hurt, disappointment, bitterness, anger, frustrations and all other negative emotions creep in. In actual fact, man is unable to meet the need and take the place of God in filling our 'love tank'...

Let us therefore, release all the unmet expectations, forgive and look to God to provide and fill us. Let's get all hindrances out of the way. Let's rid ourselves off all unhealthy emotional connection and release them- letting go of all the hurts and disappointments. Let the onion skins be peeled off layer by layer.

Let us take responsibility and understand that forgiveness is a decision that we have to make, a progress we go through. We are the ones who 'will' it to be. It is a choice we undertake! You see, when we have chosen to forgive, there will no longer be any ill-will in out hearts, no pain or anguish because all the past hurts have been neutralised. God wants to 'infiltrate' every part of my life, into every situation and into every matter that concerns me... every good thing in our lives is from God-so let us be thankful at all times!!

Passage taken from Matthew 18:21-36 talks about the Parable of the Unforgiving Servant:

- a debt is owed when we feel that someone has failed us in our expectations of them and we are hurt...

-in the passage, before he forgives with integrity, the King wants to take into account- not just offering a 'blanket cover' eg We forgive all, but actually look into the accounts, and then cancel and release every debt- canceling specific transgressions against us, exactly what was taken from us and forgive on what we know and what we are conscious of being taken.

-the King knows that the servant was unable to repay the debt owed, and in his mercy, he has chosen to forgive and to cancel the debt owing him.

(Many a time, we are unable to pay back what we owe. We can't give away anything unless we first have them - see? Many times we are also bankrupt, we don't have it in the first place.

When we deal with forgiveness, ask God for compassion!!

Let Mercy triumph over Judgment !!

Imagine if God counts my iniquities , who then can stand??? but PTL !! He has chosen to remove them as far as the east is from the west....
Unless you cancel the debt and write off the account after you release forgiveness, it is not complete. You forgive and you no longer keep a record - you just cancel the debt because it is impossible to be repaid... so just release the whole thing and come out free...
How true it is to say that often times, we are the one who swallow the poison pills but expect the other person to die....I guess unforgiveness enables the bitter roots to grow in us and in the end we are the one who will suffer the consequence!!)

God's Love Is Unconditional but Forgiveness is Conditional.

Again, LET MERCY TRIUMPH OVER JUDGMENT !!.
If we want mercy from God, we have to grant mercy to others. If we want justice, then we are under the judgment from God also.
Matt 5:7 - Let us flow in grace and mercy - (cancel the debt)

Forgive on a daily basis Forgive at that moment!

Forgiveness Ensures Freedom-

"See to it that no one misses the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many." - Hebrews 12:15

In business and life the opportunity to harbor bitterness for a wrong suffered is great. We are given plenty of opportunities to grow bitter from relationships that bring hurt and pain. The writer of the Hebrews passage above admonishes us not to miss the grace of God so that we won't take up bitterness as a response to life's pain. He cautions us against this because he knows that a bitter root grows and grows until it eventually defiles many others through a wake of bitterness. If bitterness is allowed to take root, we become imprisoned to it. God's grace will no longer have as great an effect in our lives. We become ineffective, insensitive, and spiritually dead. We can even become physically ill from it. God does not live in bitterness. He lives in grace. He has provided grace for every person to walk in.

One day I was challenged to deal with an individual who hurt me terribly. I was faced with a decision. Would I choose bitterness, or would I choose grace? Oh, how my natural tendency was to choose bitterness. But God provided the courage to choose grace. With that grace came freedom - a freedom to love and even accept the person who was the source of such pain.

This is the real place where Christ's power is most revealed. We cannot live without His supernatural grace. Are you in need of grace today? It is there for the receiving. It will take courage to accept it and walk in it. This will be your step to freedom.

Os Hillman