You Are Healed

1 PETER 2:24 NKJ
24 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.

"Time" is difficult to understand. Scientists tell us that time
is "relative," just something that seems real to us.

The Bible indicates God is "outside of time." God created time
so He is not confined to it. Can we easily comprehend this? No.

When a human makes a statement that is not true at this present
moment in time, we call it a lie -- not the truth.

But when God says something that does not seem to be true at
this moment -- we cannot accuse Him of telling a lie -- because
God is not limited to our time frame. (Also, we do not know
everything.)

Having said all that, the Bible clearly says that you ARE
healed.

ISAIAH 53:4-5 NRSV
4 Surely he has borne our infirmities and carried our diseases;
yet we accounted him stricken, struck down by God, and
afflicted.
5 But he was wounded for our transgressions, crushed for our
iniquities; upon him was the punishment that made us whole, and
by his bruises we are healed.

So, you have a choice. You can look at it from your perspective
and say, "That is not true. I am not healed."

Or, you can view the situation from God's perspective, and
because of your faith in Him, agree with what He said.

Which choice is best? As you decide your answer, remember to
include eternity in your evaluation. Pleasing God by accepting
His Word can bring benefits to you after this life.

Here is one way of understanding all this. God made provision
for everyone to be healed. That provision must be received by
faith -- by believing and acting on what God has said in His
Word. Humans have a choice: believe God's Word and resist
anything that would try to steal their health, or, let their
feelings and circumstances control them.

If you disagree with all this, let's not argue or fight. That
will not help anyone. But remember, the Bible will still say
what it says.

MATTHEW 8:16-17 NKJ
16 When evening had come, they brought to Him many who were
demon-possessed. And He cast out the spirits with a word, and
healed all who were sick,
17 that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the
prophet, saying: "He Himself took our infirmities and bore our
sicknesses."

God made provision for your healing, but the devil tries to
steal it away from you.

Here is the bottom line: we do not understand everything. God
does. Since God loves us, it seems best to trust in Him instead
of trusting in our own limited understanding. So, I choose to
believe and say what God says, whether I understand it or not.

SAY THIS: The Bible says I am healed. I choose to agree with
what God has said in the Bible.

Hang On To Your Confession

Your confession is what you say. The Bible tells you to hang on
tight to saying God's Word.

HEBREWS 10:23 NKJ
23 Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without
wavering, for He who promised is faithful.

God has no reason to tell us to hold fast, or hang on tight, to
our confession, unless someone, or something, will be trying to
get us to turn loose of it — and say something else.

HEBREWS 3:1 NKJ
1 Therefore, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling,
consider the Apostle and High Priest of our confession, Christ
Jesus,

HEBREWS 4:14 NKJ
14 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.

Jesus is the High Priest of our confession — what we say. He
represents us before God with the words we speak.

The Bible says:

You are righteous in Christ. Romans 3:22

You are forgiven. Colossians 2:13

You are healed. 1 Peter 2:24

You are delivered from the devil. Colossians 1:13

You can do all things through Christ. Philippians 4:13

You are strong in the Lord. Ephesians 6:10

The Greater One is in you. 1 John 4:4

The Lord is guiding you. John 16:13

God is working in you. Philippians 2:13

The Lord is your helper. Hebrews 13:6

Jesus became poor to make you rich. 2 Corinthians 8:9

You may wonder why you should say what God says in the Bible
about you. First, God is looking for faith, and second, it is
the Word planted in your life that will make you free. Speaking
God's Word is a way of planting it in you.

Yes, it can take faith to say what the Bible says about you.
Especially when you don't feel like it and the circumstances
don't agree, either. But we have to choose: will we rely on our
feelings, or God's Word? Do we trust the circumstances more
than God's Word?

But you may say, "What the Word says is just not true in my
life." You are the establishing witness. God has said something
about you. Now when you come into agreement with Him, it will
become manifest in your life.

MARK 11:23 NKJ
23 "For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain,
`Be removed and be cast into the sea,' and does not doubt in
his heart, but believes that those things he says will come to
pass, he will have whatever he says.

Jesus told us that we will have whatever we say — if we believe
it. It will come to pass. So you see why the devil tries to get
us to quit saying God's Word, which will set us free.

SAY THIS: I will say what God says about me — regardless of my
feelings or circumstances.

How Do I Know When I Have Faith?

MATTHEW 17:20 NKJ
20 So Jesus said to them, "Because of your unbelief; for
assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith as a mustard seed,
you will say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and
it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you.

I used to think it was hard to be certain about faith because
it was something like a feeling or state of being. But now I
understand that once we make the decision to believe, we are in
faith, no matter how we may feel, unless we make another
decision to stop believing.

Because at its heart, faith is always a decision. No one can
force you to believe in anything. The choice is yours.

(Remember that, in the New Testament, faith is the noun form
and believe is the verb form of the same word.)

A definition of faith is: a decision, based on some evidence,
resulting in some action.

Faith in God is a choice to believe what God says is true. It
is accepting God's Word as evidence worthy of acting upon.

LUKE 17:6 NASB
6 And the Lord said, "If you had faith like a mustard seed, you
would say to this mulberry tree, 'Be uprooted and be planted in
the sea'; and it would obey you.

(Jesus did not say "faith the size of a mustard seed" as some
modern translations say, but "faith like a mustard seed." The
size of a mustard seed is only one of its characteristics.)

Jesus said if you had faith you would say, so faith speaks.
Faith is not silent. We express what we believe by our words
and our actions.

Faith is not a mystery. You never have to wonder whether you
have faith. You know what you believe by what you say and do.

SAY THIS: I can know when I have faith by what I say and do.

God's Word Is Alive

HEBREWS 4:12 NIV
12 For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any
double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and
spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes
of the heart.

The Bible is different than any other book you may read -- it
contains life. You don't have to understand it, any more than
you have to understand nuclear radiation to experience its
effects. You just need to expose yourself to it.

What is the Word of God active in doing? Bringing forth after
its kind. Producing life in you. Producing a harvest of peace,
joy, righteousness, and freedom in your life.

If you are not enjoying peace, joy, righteousness, and freedom,
then your answer is the Word of God.

The Bible, especially the message of Jesus Christ in the New
Testament, will set you free and make you whole, if you
continue in it.

However, just because you have fed on God's Word in one area,
does not mean you will be free in every area of life.

For example, you could plant hundreds of tomato seeds in a
garden and never harvest one carrot. Why? You never planted any
carrot seed!

God's Word works the same way as a seed. The Word must be
planted inside you to bear fruit in your life.

LUKE 8:11 NKJ
11 "Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God.

Just because you plant the seed from God's Word about spiritual
rebirth does not mean you can expect a harvest of financial
prosperity.

Scriptures about prosperity must be planted in you, and
watered, before you can expect a harvest of prosperity.

Even if you plant much seed from God's Word concerning health
and healing, you will not automatically have a harvest of a
successful marriage and family life.

Each seed of God's Word has to be planted to produce fruit in
your life in that area.

MATTHEW 4:4 NKJ
4 But He answered and said, "It is written, `Man shall not live
by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth
of God.' "

SAY THIS: God's Word is alive and working to produce good in my
life.

Every Good Gift Is From God

JAMES 1:17 WEYMOUTH
17 Every gift which is good, and every perfect boon, is from
above, and comes down from the Father, who is the source of all
Light. In Him there is no variation nor the slightest
suggestion of change.

Whatever good that you enjoy in life is because of God. Because
of His love for you, He created it.

Do you enjoy eating good food? Who designed that food? Who
planned it all out so you could have it and enjoy it?

Do you enjoy beautiful scenes in nature -- sunsets, flowers,
butterflies, wild animals, mountains? God created them all for
your pleasure.

Do you enjoy a mother's love? God created mothers and put
within them the capacity to love their children.

Do you enjoy the love of a spouse? God created them and put
within them the capacity to love you.

I could go on.

When you think this through, you realize that God actually
loves you and helps you through other people. He put the love
within them -- so He is the ultimate source of the love you
receive from others.

Everything good about life is attributable to God. Everything
that we enjoy -- He created it, or the raw materials and the
ability for humans to produce it.

As you think of all this, I hope you are struck with two
thoughts: I would like to be closer to this kind of God, and I
should be more thankful to God for more things than I have
been.

SAY THIS: Thank you God my Father for all the good you have
created, designed, and provided for me.

The Love Of Christ Is Beyond Comprehension

EPHESIANS 3:18-19 NLT
18 And may you have the power to understand, as all God's
people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his
love really is.
19 May you experience the love of Christ, though it is so great
you will never fully understand it. Then you will be filled
with the fullness of life and power that comes from God.

How can words describe, or humans fully understand, something
that is as deep as God Himself? God's love is greater than
words have the ability to communicate. It is impossible to put
into language.

How can you explain the unexplainable? How can you know
something that is beyond the ability of human knowledge to
comprehend? You would have to be God Himself to fully
understand why He loves you the way He does. Don't expect to
ever understand it. But you can accept it. You can believe it.
You can experience it and enjoy it.

God's love for you was demonstrated in redemption. God took
your place and suffered what you deserved, so you could be
forgiven and go free. God proved that He loved you more than He
loves Himself. He did not spare Himself to help you.

God's love for you is also evident in creation. Not just in
abundant provision, but also in all the beauty He created for
your enjoyment. What a wonderful display of the loving and
giving nature of God. Not only did He make everything we need,
but He made it in abundance -- and with great variety.

Every good thing in life was created by God for you because of
His great love for you.

SAY THIS: I accept the love of Christ: God loves me. Lord, help
me to embrace the reality of your love, which is greater than
words can tell.

Pray For Those In Authority

1 TIMOTHY 2:1-2 NASB
1 First of all, then, I urge that entreaties and prayers,
petitions and thanksgivings, be made on behalf of all men,
2 for kings and all who are in authority, in order that we may
lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity.

Believers have a responsibility to pray for their leaders.

If you live in a country where you have the privilege of voting
on your leaders, then you need to take that responsibility
seriously, be informed and vote as the Lord directs you.

Don't allow yourself to be swayed by the emotional tactics used
in political campaigns, or vote based on your selfish
interests. Vote as you believe the Lord would have you to vote.
Vote for godly leadership.

But don't stop at voting. Pray for public officials, especially
those in high office whose decisions affect many people's
lives.

PROVERBS 29:2 LB
2 With good men in authority, the people rejoice; but with the
wicked in power, they groan.

SAY THIS: Father, I pray for godly leaders in our country, and
for your blessing on them.

Be Thankful

PSALM 107:1 NKJ
1 Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good! For His mercy
endures forever.

It seems the more people have the less thankful they become.
Today complaints are abundant, but thank you's are few.

COLOSSIANS 3:15 NKJ
15 And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also
you were called in one body; and be thankful.

Being thankful is not optional for a Christian. If it was
impossible, God would not have told us to do it.

So, why are people not thankful?

Gratitude is a mark of maturity. Ingratitude is a mark of
immaturity. Babies are never thankful.

Neither are proud people thankful. Why? Because their mindset
is that they deserve not just everything they have, but even
better. "Why be thankful for something less than what you
deserve?" describes their thinking.

A funny thing you will notice if you consider it: unthankful
people are never happy. In fact, the more thankful a person is,
the happier they are.

(This is an example of how acting on God's Word is for our
benefit. God didn't invent commands just to be bossy.)

You will not be bothered with depression if you act on the
Word of God and "be thankful." The cure for unhappiness is
being thankful. Try it.

But how can you overcome the bad habit of ingratitude? Only by
changing your core beliefs. As long as you believe you are
getting a raw deal, or less than you deserve, you will never
become a thankful person.

But if you realize that you deserved punishment and eternal
separation from God -- yet in His mercy God instead gave you
what He deserved, and EVERYTHING you have -- including every
breath you breathe -- is a gift -- then you will become a
thankful person.

SAY THIS: I give thanks to the Lord for He is good, and His
mercy endures forever. I will be thankful for all God does for
me.

High Priest Of Our Confession

HEBREWS 4:14 NKJ
14 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.

In the Bible, what is a high priest? Someone representing
others.

In the Old Covenant, the high priest stood between the people
and God, bringing sacrifices on behalf of the people so they
would be acceptable by God.

Now, under the New Covenant, Jesus is not only our sacrifice,
but also our representative. He is making our case before God,
interceding on our behalf (Hebrews 7:25).

The Bible says Jesus is our Advocate (1 John 2:1). The word
advocate means a lawyer representing someone on a case.

Jesus pleads our case on our behalf. But Jesus uses our own
confession -- what we are saying -- to present our case. So if
we don't speak the right words, we don't give Him much to work
with.

HEBREWS 3:1 NKJ
1 Therefore, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling,
consider the Apostle and High Priest of our confession, Christ
Jesus,

Hebrews tells us that Jesus is the High Priest of our
confession. That means He represents us before God on the basis
of what we say!

Please understand that God the Father is not a mean Judge who
must be convinced to be merciful and gracious. Not at all! But
He is also a God of justice, and cannot ignore or bless wrong-
doing.

So out of His great love for us, Father God has devised a plan
where He can still be just, yet bless us as He desires. Because
Jesus suffered and died as our Substitute, He already bore all
the punishment and bad things we deserve.

Yet we must agree with God's plan, and what He has said in His
Word, to receive all that Jesus died to purchase for us.

Jesus is our representative before God, the High Priest of our
confession -- what we say. He represents us before God with the
words we speak. So we need to give Jesus the right words to
offer in our behalf.

What then should we say? We should say what God has already
said about us in His Word, the Bible. We should agree with God.

SAY THIS: Jesus represents me in Heaven based on what I say.

Keep Your Heart With All Diligence

PROVERBS 4:23 NKJ
23 Keep your heart with all diligence, For out of it spring the
issues of life.

You have probably heard the saying concerning computers, "Input
equals output." Or, the more popular term, "Garbage in,
garbage out."

That does not apply to just computers, but also to human
beings. If what we feed in is bad, we cannot expect the results
to be good.

Today we are constantly bombarded with messages on every side.
Everyone wants to influence us to do something -- usually to
buy their product or service.

Distraction is a major problem we face. Because of the
information overload we must deal with, it is easy to be
distracted from what is most important: God's Word.

It is not so much that the information we are feeding into our
hearts and minds is necessarily bad, just that it can easily
crowd out what is most important from our lives.

PROVERBS 4:20-22 NKJ
20 My son, give attention to my words; Incline your ear to my
sayings.
21 Do not let them depart from your eyes; Keep them in the
midst of your heart;
22 For they are life to those who find them, And health to all
their flesh.

God's Word is not just another message, but something that has
life in it. Just because your senses are not aware of the life
emanating from God's Word is no proof. Nuclear radiation is
also unseen and unfelt -- but, as we know, can quickly kill
you. God's Word is the opposite -- it radiates life.

HEBREWS 4:12 BBE
12 For the word of God is living and full of power, and is
sharper than any two-edged sword, cutting through and making a
division even of the soul and the spirit, the bones and the
muscles, and quick to see the thoughts and purposes of the
heart.

God is our Source of existence. In His Word there is a deposit
of life from Him that we require to live and operate optimally.
That means that without a constant feeding on the Word of God,
you are living below what God intended for you.

SAY THIS: I will keep my heart with all diligence. I will feed
in the Word of God which gives life.

You Are A Child Of God

JOHN 1:12 NKJ
12 But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to
become children of God, to those who believe in His name:

If you have received Jesus Christ, you are a child of Almighty
God.

ROMANS 8:16 NKJ
16 The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are
children of God,

1 JOHN 3:2 NKJ
2 Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been
revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is
revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is.

The words in the Bible are meant to reveal to us truth so we
will picture it clearly in our minds. God used pictures of
things we understand to communicate how He looks at us, and how
He feels toward us. One of those pictures is that Father God
wants you to see yourself as His child. That means He wants you
to expect His protection, His provision, His training, and His
love. For God is a perfect parent!

No one expects a young child to provide for their own needs.
Instead, we expect a child will be loved and cared for by its
parents.

Parents usually are quite pleased when their child does
anything that shows they are making progress. Like when it
takes its first steps, or draws them a picture.

If you are a parent, I am sure you were excited when your child
first began to speak to you. To other people it may have
sounded like "goo goo" but to you it was wonderful. This is the
same way our Father God feels. He wants us to communicate with
Him. We may not know all the "right words" to say, or even how
to say them, but God is thrilled when we start attempting to
pray and communicate with Him.

At first we may not understand Him perfectly, but we can be
confident that He perfectly understands every thought of our
heart. And as we grow we can expect to learn to understand
God's communication with us more clearly, too.

So, don't hesitate to pray because you think you don't know
how. God your Father just wants to hear from you. He delights
in you!

Don't hesitate to begin walking in faith and love. Just like a
human baby's first steps, you will likely fall a few times, but
when you do, Father God will be there to pick you up and cheer
you on.

SAY THIS: God has delight that I am His child.

Greater Is He Who Is In You

1 JOHN 4:4 NASB
4 You are from God, little children, and have overcome them;
because greater is He who is in you than he who is in the
world.

There are two vital points in this verse, which is addressed to
believers. (If you have not welcomed Jesus Christ and the Holy
Spirit into your life -- none of this applies to you until you
make that decision.)

FIRST, God is IN you -- not far off somewhere.

Yes, God is in Heaven -- but that is not the only place He is.
By the Holy Spirit, God now has His dwelling place in you! You
don't have to "try to reach God." He is right there! What you
need to do is to cultivate an awareness of His presence. This,
along with communication, is the way to develop a closer
relationship with God.

Knowing that God lives in you, and that He loves you, should
banish all fear from your life. Fear of failure should have no
place. Fear of what other people think should not bother you.
Fear of problems that may come up should be of no concern. You
have God living in you!

2 CORINTHIANS 6:16 LB
16 And what union can there be between God's temple and idols?
For you are God's temple, the home of the living God, and God
has said of you, "I will live in them and walk among them, and
I will be their God and they shall be my people."

SECOND, God, Who is within you, is greater. Greater than any
problem. Greater than any difficulty. Greater than the devil.
Greater than anything you will ever face.

1 JOHN 4:4 ICB
4 My dear children, you belong to God. So you have defeated
them because God's Spirit, who is in you, is greater than the
devil, who is in the world.

This is the Word of God. We must embrace it and live in the
light of it. We must meditate on it and speak it. We must
resist any contrary thought the enemy might try to place in our
thinking.

SAY THIS: God, Who is in me, is greater than anything I will
ever face. The Greater One is in me.

Overcome That Problem You Face

I JOHN 5:4 NIV
4 for everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the
victory that has overcome the world, even our faith.

Yes, we do face difficulties in life, but they only give us an
opportunity to trust the Lord and overcome. Without problems we
would have nothing to overcome, and thus not be able to receive
all the blessings promised to those who do overcome.

There are seven promises given to overcomers in the second and
third chapters of Revelation. Here is the last one:

REVELATION 3:21 NIV
21 To him who overcomes, I will give the right to sit with me
on my throne, just as I overcame and sat down with my Father on
his throne.

As you face the problems of life, keep your eyes on your
destination, just as Jesus did. Walk close to God and depend on
Him. He will not fail you.

I JOHN 4:4 NIV
4 You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them,
because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in
the world.

SAY THIS: I am an overcomer in Christ Jesus. The Lord is my
Helper. The One Who is in me is greater than any problem.

Jesus Is Lord!

PHILIPPIANS 2:9-11 NKJ
9 Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the
name which is above every name,
10 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,
11 and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is
Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

No matter what it may seem like at times, Jesus Christ is Lord.
He is ruler, boss, king: the One ultimately in charge.

He just hasn't exercised His prerogative and taken charge of
everything yet.

Jesus is not currently micro-managing everything on earth. He
is not responsible for every mistake, accident, and bad thing
happening in the world.

God has allowed mankind to "try things our way" so we may see
the folly of going our own way in rebellion to God.

But this won't last forever. God has a plan with a limited
amount of time allotted for this part of history.

Although God has set certain boundaries, basically human beings
are now in control on earth. We are free to choose. Because we
are free to choose, we bear the responsibility for the
consequences of our chosen actions.

All that is bad in the world today is the result of choices
people made. God is not to blame. His only blame is that He
allowed us the freedom to choose.

One day Jesus will exercise His authority and put a stop to all
evil. Not only that, but He will eliminate the curse and all
its effects. He will make all things new, whole, and sound
again.

One day everyone will see and acknowledge the Lordship of Jesus
Christ. You have that privilege today.

SAY THIS: Jesus Christ is Lord and I am glad!

Control Your Words

1 PETER 4:11 NIV
11 If anyone speaks, he should do it as one speaking the very
words of God. . . .

When you speak what the Bible says, you are speaking the very
words of God. Anything contrary to what the Bible says, should
never be spoken by a Christian.

EPHESIANS 4:29 NIV
29 Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but
only what is helpful for building others up according to their
needs, that it may benefit those who listen.

JAMES 4:11 NKJ
11 Do not speak evil of one another . . . .

TITUS 3:2 NKJ
2 to speak evil of no one . . . .

You are responsible for what you say. If you cannot say
something good, the Bible is clear: keep quiet.

SAY THIS: Lord please help me to keep quiet unless I have
something to say that would be acceptable to you.

Don't Give Me What I Deserve

Do you really want what you deserve? Maybe you should first
find out what you really deserve.

PSALM 103:8-10 NIV
8 The LORD is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger,
abounding in love.
9 He will not always accuse, nor will he harbor his anger
forever;
10 he does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us
according to our iniquities.

Thank God that I don't get what I deserve! People clamoring to
get what they deserve are really in the dark.

God is the judge and He declares that we have all fallen short
-- none of us deserves good. But the wonderful news is that God
loves us so much that He is not giving us what we deserve. But
it doesn't stop there. It gets better. Believers are actually
going to receive what Jesus deserves!

Jesus took what we deserved -- punishment. And now, because of
His great love, offers us what He deserves -- freely as a gift
of love.

How can you not respond to Someone like that!

SAY THIS: Thank You, Lord for not giving me what I deserve, but
being merciful and gracious and giving me what you deserve
instead.

How High Are The Heavens Above The Earth?

PSALM 103:11 NIV
11 For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is
his love for those who fear him;

If you understood how much God loves you -- your life would be
different.

Fear and worry would have no power over you any longer. Fear
has no torment for someone basking in the sunlight of Almighty
God's love.

This passage in Psalm 103 attempts to picture the size or
extent of God's love. It is not portrayed as simply big as the
highest mountain. No, no -- far more. As high as the sky is
above the earth. That is the picture God wants you to see when
you think of how great His love is for YOU.

How do I know this? Just from what the Bible says. And from
what God did in and through Jesus Christ to redeem you. He paid
a mighty price for you -- because His love for you is so great.

But, you may ask, "Why is my life going so poorly if God really
does love me so much?" That is a valid question, but not the
same one as whether God loves you. The quick answer is that God
has made provision for us -- but most of us are not taking
advantage of the help He offers.

Put another way, we are not acting on God's instructions --
whether out of ignorance or for some other reason. When you
don't follow a proven recipe you cannot expect a good outcome.

God has no desire to condemn us for our failure, but instead
desires to invite us into His fellowship and His way of doing
things. It is through His Word that this will happen in our
lives. So, read the Bible to see how much God loves you, but
also remember that it is because of His great love for you that
He gave you the instructions found in the Bible. They are for
your benefit -- not God's benefit.

SAY THIS: God's love for me is greater than I can see or
understand. His love caused Him to give me the Bible, so I
could know the truth and be set free.

Forgive Others As God Has Forgiven You

COLOSSIANS 3:13 NKJ
13 bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if
anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave
you, so you also must do.

Forgiving others for deep hurts seems to be one of the hardest
things a human being can do. In fact -- very few are successful
in forgiving.

Yet, in the Bible God commands us to forgive. Is God overly
demanding, or...?

God is smart. That is why He commands us to forgive. (Also
because He loves us and desires the best for us.) God knows how
terribly destructive it is for us to harbor unforgiveness. Not
forgiving someone can literally kill you.

Unforgiveness is a poison that eats away at your spiritual,
mental, and physical health and life.

Knowing that, God strictly tells us to forgive. But how can we?
We are just human, and we don't feel like forgiving when
someone has wronged us severely.

(You may think it is impossible to forgive someone who hurt
you. With God it is possible. He never asks us to do something
we cannot do.)

The answer is in receiving God's help, enabling you to forgive.
First, you must be "born again" spiritually by receiving Jesus
Christ as Lord. That means you receive new life in your inner
being, giving you a new nature -- a nature of love instead of
selfishness.

Next, when you are wronged, you need to ask the Lord to help
you forgive the person who hurt you. Having done that, you must
make a firm decision to quit holding anything against that
person.

Forgiveness is not a feeling but a decision to quit holding
something against someone. When you forgive you must release
them and forget it.

You must forgive by faith, after asking God to help you.
Feelings always follow faith -- not the other way around.

How can we humans forgive others just as God has forgiven us?
Having God's help is necessary. Only His love in our hearts can
enable us.

You must forgive others -- no matter what they have done. To
not forgive hurts you. You must forgive.

SAY THIS: With God's help, I will forgive others as God has
forgiven me.

You Are God's Garden

1 CORINTHIANS 3:9 LB
9 We are only God's coworkers. You are God's garden, not ours;
you are God's building, not ours.

We discovered that God's Word is a seed (Luke 8:11). Now we see
that the Bible says that we, as believers, are God's garden --
the place where seed is planted.

The question for you to consider is: who determines the
harvest? God, or you?

(The harvest I speak of is the fruit, or result, of the Word of
God. The harvest of blessing that God's Word produces in your
life.)

I suggest that the harvest is mainly controlled by the one who
determines what seed is planted. Would you agree?

If wheat seed is planted, it is unreasonable to expect a
harvest of corn. If only a few seeds are planted, it is
unreasonable to expect a large harvest. Wouldn't you agree?

Yes, you are God's field, but He allows you a lot of freedom to
choose what will be produced in your life. And the main way you
choose is by choosing what seed will be planted in your heart
and mind.

You can choose something other than God's Word. You can also
choose different areas of God's Word. Planting different
scriptures will produce different results in your life.

If all you ever plant are scriptures on the new birth, you
cannot expect to have a huge harvest of healing or financial
blessing in your life. The choice is yours.

SAY THIS: I am God's garden. Lord, help me plant the seed of
your Word in me in abundance.

I Now Believe God Loves Me

1 JOHN 4:16 ESV
16 So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has
for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God,
and God abides in him.

Although I have endeavored to walk with the Lord for decades,
only in recent times have I started to really believe God loves
me.

My problem was that I kept focusing on myself, instead of God.

I saw myself in my immaturity with all my faults and failures.
I was not looking at Jesus the perfect sacrifice, but focused
on myself and my shortcomings.

Even though I preached messages on the love of God, I never had
confidence that God truly loved me just as I was. Instead I
thought more in terms of God tolerating me, but not being too
happy with me.

I was trying my best to do what I thought God wanted, not
really realizing that I could never earn God's love.

Now I am realizing that God's love is not dependent on me, but
is entirely dependent on God alone. He does not love me because
I am lovable, but because by nature He is perfect love.

As long as I thought God's acceptance of me and good standing
with Him was based on my performance, it made it hard to
believe God loved me.

I could believe God accepted me, that He didn't want me to go
to hell. I could believe God tolerated me. But I did not
believe God was happy with me. I did not think He took any
delight in me.

Have you ever had a child? I can tell you, as a parent, that it
is a great delight! Every child, no matter how many you have,
is very special to you. You love them so deeply it is difficult
to express.

So I have decided to believe the Bible. God is my Father. He is
the perfect father, so He loves me! Nothing else needs to be
considered.

Why?

Because He said He was my Father, and every good father loves
their child.

There is another major reason I know God loves me -- what He
did for me through Jesus -- who was God living in a human body.
He died for me! No greater love can be shown than to die for
someone.

It makes a big difference in life when you truly believe God
loves you. Fear (of anything) has a much harder time scaring
you. Even when things seem to be going horribly wrong, you know
God is watching over you, and even if you have made mistakes,
He will be there to help you.

SAY THIS: I am so glad I finally accepted the truth that God
loves me.

Choose Life Words

DEUTERONOMY 30:19 NLT
19 "Today I have given you the choice between life and death,
between blessings and curses. Now I call on heaven and earth to
witness the choice you make. Oh, that you would choose life, so
that you and your descendants might live!

You have a choice. You can choose life and blessings. Or you
can choose curses and death. You make that choice when you
choose the words you speak.

PROVERBS 18:21 NKJ
21 Death and life are in the power of the tongue, And those who
love it will eat its fruit.

Life and death are in the power of your tongue, so to choose
life you must choose to speak words of life.

JOHN 6:63 NKJ
63 "It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing.
The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life.

Jesus spoke words of life, and when we speak His words, we are
speaking words of life.

But the world trains us to speak words of death. Our culture
(influenced by the devil) has conditioned us to speak words of
doubt, fear, and death. Here are some examples.

I'm afraid not!
I can't believe it!
I can't believe he did that!
This is about to drive me insane!
This heat is just killing me!
I'm dying to go there!
That thrills me to death!
I laughed till I thought I would die!
I'm so embarrassed I could just die!
That scared the life out of me!
That just blows me away!
That is so sickening!
That just makes me sick!
I am so sick and tired of that!
Well, I'll be damned!

If we desire life and blessing, then we must not speak these
kinds of words. Every time we speak we are expressing a choice.
If we desire to choose life and blessing, then we must speak
(only) words of life and blessing.

Jesus defeated the devil for you and stripped him of all
authority. So the devil tries to get you to speak negative
words, and thus give him an opening to bring destruction into
your life. So be aware of the words you speak!

SAY THIS: I choose the kind of life I will have by the words I
choose to speak.

Fear Of The Lord

PROVERBS 9:10 NKJ
10 "The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, And the
knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.

I look at fearing God like a young child would look at a good
father: He is not going to harm me -- but He won't permanently
let me get away with anything, either.

While God's wisdom may cause Him to not always immediately
respond to our wrong-doing, we can be sure that eventually God
will deal with us.

We can be confident that we do not have to be afraid of God
because He has revealed His nature to us through the Lord Jesus
Christ. Yet, God is all-knowing and powerful beyond our
imagination, so we should not think we can rebel against God
and get away with it, either.

ISAIAH 8:13 NLT
13 Do not fear anything except the LORD Almighty. He alone is
the Holy One. If you fear him, you need fear nothing else.

God has never been wrong, and you won't be the first to
outsmart Him. God's way is perfect, so when we scorn God's
wisdom and go another way, we are destined to fail. We should
be afraid of that!

Think of fearing God as respect, but extreme respect of the
most powerful Being, and you will have the meaning.

We need not be afraid of God, for He will not harm us. But if
we are wise, we will be afraid of going any way but God's way,
because it will not work.

SAY THIS: To fear God means to highly respect Him, not to be
afraid that He will harm us.

A Supernatural Way To Pray

MARK 16:17 NLT
17 These miraculous signs will accompany those who believe:
They will cast out demons in my name, and they will speak in
new languages.

Jesus has made available for every believer a supernatural way
to pray.

It is normally referred to as "speaking in tongues" because
tongues is the old English word that was used for languages. It
is simply a Christian believer speaking normally, in full
control, but speaking in a fluent language unknown to them.

You might wonder how that could be possible. Without God, it
would not be possible!

It works this way. The Holy Spirit dwelling in you will give
words to your spirit (which is the real you, the inner person),
and your spirit will speak those words, bypassing your mind
entirely.

1 CORINTHIANS 14:14 NLT
14 For if I pray in tongues, my spirit is praying, but I don't
understand what I am saying.

Your mind will not formulate the words, or decide what to
speak. Yet you will always remain in full control, just as when
speaking in your native language. You can start and stop at
will. You will never be forced by the Holy Spirit to speak.

1 CORINTHIANS 14:15a NLT
15 Well then, what shall I do? I will pray in the spirit, and I
will also pray in words I understand.

Note that praying in the spirit (which, from the context,
obviously means praying in tongues), is subject to your will in
the same way as praying with your understanding in your native
language.

The Holy Spirit does not speak in tongues for you. You will
have to speak the words given to your spirit by the Holy
Spirit. Speaking in tongues is your spirit speaking in a
language you never learned, as the Holy Spirit inside you gives
you the words to speak.

The words do not come through your mind, but directly from your
spirit out of your mouth.

Because your mind is not directing this kind of prayer, there
is no question whether it will be answered, for it will be a
perfect prayer, free from all doubt, unbelief, and fear.

This wonderful gift allows us to pray for things we would not
otherwise know about or know how to pray for. Our knowledge and
understanding have limits, but the Holy Spirit knows
everything, even the future, and will guide us in prayer
accordingly. This way every one of us can pray perfectly.

This gift is freely available for everyone who believes in
Jesus Christ. It is not something you have to earn or achieve.
But like every gift of God it must be actively received by
faith. For God never forces His gifts on anyone!

If you have questions about this, but want to know the truth,
ask the Lord. Don't ask someone to explain it who does not
practice it, and therefore does not really understand it. Don't
let anyone use human reasoning to talk you out of this
marvelous, miraculous gift from your loving Father God.

You can understand why the devil would not want any believer to
pray in tongues because it is a way to pray perfectly. Every
perfect prayer is always answered and that answer always sets
back the devil's program.

So we need to emulate Paul who spoke in tongues more than all
the believers in Corinth.

1 CORINTHIANS 14:18 NLT
18 I thank God that I speak in tongues more than any of you.

Just as you cannot pray "too much" in your native language, you
also cannot pray too much in your spiritual language. For that
is what it is, a language selected by the Spirit.

When you first start praying in tongues it may seem difficult
and you may not be very fluent. Don't worry! You didn't start
out speaking your native language fluently, either. As you
continue it will get easier and you will grow more comfortable
doing it. Just boldly continue speaking in faith and you will
become more fluent.

Like doing anything new, it can seem awkward at first, but once
you start it, it is so easy and natural.

Experts tell us there are more than 5,000 different languages
used on earth. No one knows them all. So don't hold back and
hesitate if your supernatural praying does not always sound
like a great language to you. After all, you are probably not
an expert on languages. And remember that you are not speaking
to yourself, but to God, so it doesn't really matter how it
sounds to you.

Just speak out boldly in faith whatever sounds the spirit gives
you and as you continue to do that, it will become very clear
to you that this is not something you could do on your own.

It is supernatural! It is real! It is a gift that has already
been given to you. All you have to do is receive it. And you
can do that right now, wherever you are.

SAY THIS: I am a believer so I can pray supernaturally in
languages I have never learned. Jesus said I could -- so I
will!

Thy Will Be Done On Earth

MATTHEW 6:9-10 NKJ
9 "In this manner, therefore, pray: Our Father in heaven,
Hallowed be Your name.
10 Your kingdom come. Your will be done On earth as it is in
heaven.

LUKE 11:2 NKJ
2 So He said to them, "When you pray, say: Our Father in
heaven, Hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be
done On earth as it is in heaven.

These verses make two things clear.

1. God's will is not automatically done unless we pray.
Otherwise it is pointless for Jesus to tell us to pray that
God's will be done.

2. It is God's will that things be done on earth as they are in
heaven.

By understanding these verses we can see that those who tell us
God is sovereign and everything that happens on earth is God's
will, are clearly wrong.

It is true that God is sovereign. He can do whatever He wants
to do. No one is higher than God and can tell Him what to do.
But God voluntarily and freely, without any rush or pressure,
chose to speak words expressing His sovereign choices. And now
He will not do anything contrary to what He has already spoken,
because that would make Him a liar, which is against His
nature. So we can trust God's Word, the Bible, and know that it
expresses His will.

Jesus told us to pray that God's will be done on earth, as it
is in heaven. That means some things happening on earth are NOT
God's will. Just because something happens does not mean it is
the will of God. The way we can know God's will is from the
message of the Bible.

In heaven God's perfect will is always done.

Is there sickness in heaven? No! Then clearly it is not the
perfect will of God for there to be sickness on earth either.

Is there poverty or lack in heaven? No! Then clearly it is not
the perfect will of God for there to be poverty or lack on
earth either.

Is there sadness in heaven? No! Then clearly it is not the
perfect will of God for there to be sadness on earth either.

God's Word reveals that believing prayer makes a difference. We
do have a part to play. Our prayers are not just vocal
exercise, but make a difference. (Matthew 21:22, James 5:17-18)

SAY THIS: God's desire is that it be on earth as it is in
heaven.

Jesus Revealed God To Us

2 CORINTHIANS 4:4 ICB
4 The devil who rules this world has blinded the minds of those
who do not believe. They cannot see the light of the Good News
-- the Good News about the glory of Christ, who is exactly like
God.

What is God like?

Before Jesus of Nazareth came on the scene, the human concept
of God was a bit fuzzy. (It still is for those who have not
understood this truth.)

But Jesus perfectly revealed to us what God is like. He was
(and is) Heaven's perfect representative.

COLOSSIANS 1:15 ICB
15 No one has seen God, but Jesus is exactly like him. Christ
ranks higher than all the things that have been made.

COLOSSIANS 1:15 WEYMOUTH
15 Christ is the visible representation of the invisible God,
the Firstborn and Lord of all creation.

HEBREWS 1:3 WEYMOUTH
3 He brightly reflects God's glory and is the exact
representation of His being, and upholds the universe by His
all-powerful word. After securing man's purification from sin
He took His seat at the right hand of the Majesty on high,

The scriptures above should have made it clear that God is like
Jesus. Now let's look at a verse summarizing the life of Jesus
on earth.

ACTS 10:38 NKJ
38 "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.

Notice that Jesus went about DOING GOOD -- not doing bad. Not
hurting people, but helping people. That is what God is like.

SAY THIS: God is good and likes to help people.

You Are A Citizen of Heaven

PHILIPPIANS 3:20 NRSV
20 But our citizenship is in heaven, and it is from there that
we are expecting a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.

As a believer in Jesus Christ, you have a new citizenship. Your
name is written in Heaven. Heaven is your homeland.

Because you are its citizen, Heaven is responsible for you. If
necessary, Heaven will send its soldiers (angels) to assist
you, and when necessary, to evacuate you.

Although we live on earth, we operate under the laws of our
homeland, Heaven, as well as the laws of earth.

As a citizen you have certain rights and obligations. To
understand them you need to read the Bible with the help of
illumination by the Holy Spirit. You need to ask the Lord to
teach you and give you understanding of these things.

COLOSSIANS 1:13 NRSV
13 He has rescued us from the power of darkness and transferred
us into the kingdom of his beloved Son,

As believers, we are no longer under the authority or control
of the devil. We have been transferred into a new kingdom.

One of our rights as citizens of Heaven is to resist the devil
and all his works. Anything that is of the devil, we do not
have to submit to.

SAY THIS: I am a citizen of Heaven. Jesus is my Lord and King!

How God's Word Will Make You Free

John 8:31-32 NRSV
31 Then Jesus said to the Jews who had believed in him, "If you
continue in my word, you are truly my disciples;
32 and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you
free."

Notice carefully what Jesus actually said. It is not those who
"start in the word" or "try the word for awhile" who will be
made free. You must continue in Jesus' message -- His Word. It
must be His accurate message -- not just someone's idea of it,
or tradition.

Some translations use the word "abide" instead of "continue."
Abide means to stay somewhere continually. Either way, the
meaning involves staying with it.

Note that Jesus said in verse 32, "and you will KNOW the truth
. . ." Just hearing the truth does not necessarily make you
free. You must KNOW that it is the truth. When you KNOW
something, you will act on it. If you are not acting on
something, you do not yet truly KNOW it. You act on what you
know.

Hearing the truth is not enough. Loving the truth is not
enough. Even speaking the truth is not enough. You must
continue until you know that you know that you know that you
know. Only then are you at the point where truth will make you
free. The reason is that only then will you be able to act with
faith and boldness on God's Word.

The devil is against you and is intent on keeping you in
bondage. Only when you KNOW where you stand will you act in
faith and overcome the strategies of the devil.

You may ask, "How can I KNOW the truth? I just have weak
faith."

Jesus gave the answer: continue in His Word. As you continue in
the Word of God you will become convinced -- you will know --
you will have faith. When you reach the point of knowing
something -- you will act on that knowledge. In this way the
truth will make you free.

This works in every area of life: your relationships, your
health, your finances -- everything. Continue in the Word of
God in any subject -- and you will eventually see the fruit of
freedom in that area of your life.

God gave you His Word for your benefit -- not for His benefit.
He already knows the truth, and always acts on it. You are the
one who needs help. Because God loves you, He gave you His
Word.

SAY THIS: I will continue in the message of Jesus Christ. As I
do I will know the truth. As I act on that truth it will make
me free.

The Unjust Judge

Jesus told a parable about a widow and an unjust judge which
some have misunderstood. We need not harass God until He
finally gives in and answers our prayers.

LUKE 18:1-8 NKJ
1 Then He spoke a parable to them, that men always ought to
pray and not lose heart,
2 saying: "There was in a certain city a judge who did not fear
God nor regard man.
3 "Now there was a widow in that city; and she came to him,
saying,'Get justice for me from my adversary.'
4 "And he would not for a while; but afterward he said within
himself,'Though I do not fear God nor regard man,
5 'yet because this widow troubles me I will avenge her, lest
by her continual coming she weary me.'"
6 Then the Lord said, "Hear what the unjust judge said.
7 "And shall God not avenge His own elect who cry out day and
night to Him, though He bears long with them?
8 "I tell you that He will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless,
when the Son of Man comes, will He really find faith on the
earth?"

In verse one Jesus revealed why He told this story: to
encourage us not to give up on prayer.

The idea that we must keep on begging God for the same thing
until He finally answers -- instills no confidence and gives us
no encouragement to pray!

God is not like the unjust judge. You do not have to come to
Him repeatedly asking for the same thing until you finally
convince Him.

Jesus is teaching persistence in prayer, but not persistence in
praying for the same thing over and over.

The literal meaning of the word translated "lose heart" in
verse one is "not give in to evil." It means giving up in view
of difficulty.

Jesus' purpose in telling this parable was to impress on us
that we must continue to pray to God and not give in to the
evil we see around us. We should not be cowards who lose
courage and quit praying. Jesus told us that was His purpose,
so we should not try to extract another meaning from this
parable.

Jesus' message is that God is nothing like an unjust judge, but
infinitely better. So, if a poor widow can get help from a
human judge who has no regard for what God thinks, much less
what people think -- HOW MUCH MORE can we expect our wonderful
Father God to provide help for us when we come to Him.

After telling the parable, in verse eight Jesus gives us His
interpretation: God will answer quickly! So we don't have to
approach God like this widow did the unjust judge!

It may seem to us that God is not answering our cries for help
speedily. But Jesus said otherwise. God is working!

Although God actually answers speedily, from our human
viewpoint the answer may seem delayed. I think Jesus is saying,
"Don't let circumstances cause you discouragement. You can have
confidence in God. When you pray He will listen and answer
speedily. So keep on praying."

Why would people become discouraged and quit the practice of
prayer? Only if it did not seem to work. If they always saw
answers quickly, there would be no temptation to stop praying.

That is why Jesus told this story, so we would be encouraged to
stand in faith no matter how long it took for the answer to
show up. We can have faith because God is merciful, gracious,
and dependable -- nothing like the unjust judge.

God does not have to be convinced or coerced to help you. God
loves you and desires the best for you. You can expect God to
speedily help you. And don't worry about people hindering your
provision. If a poor widow can influence an evil judge to do
right, how much more can your Father God influence people! So
keep praying!

Why do answers to prayer not always manifest quickly -- even
when God immediately grants our request. God does not violate
people's freedom to choose. So, in answering our prayers, it
may take some time for God to work with people to get them to
change. But we can be confident that God is working on our
behalf, even though we may not see any outward change yet.

Instead of thinking it does no good to pray, because God
probably won't answer anyway, this story was told to make us
think the opposite.

So, we are to pray in faith, and never doubt. We are to be
confident and keep looking to God, knowing that God is working
and our answer is on its way. When we know that, it would be
foolish for us to "keep on asking" for the same thing over and
over.

Jesus summary statement in verse eight, which concludes with a
question about faith, has this idea: God will be faithful. You
can count on Him. There is not any chance that God will not be
faithful to answer the cries of His people. But will His people
be faithful? Will they persevere in their faith in God?

Will they keep trusting God and believing in His goodness, even
when it seems like answers do not always immediately come? Will
people continue to believe what Jesus said, that God will
answer speedily? Or will people give up and think it is useless
to pray to God?

SAY THIS: God is not an unjust judge!

God Is Dependable

With His Word God gave us a firm foundation to base our life
on. Something absolutely unchanging. Something God Himself will
never change. So we can be certain about God's will. If we want
to know God's will, we only need to see what He said in His
Word, the Bible.

PSALM 138:2b NLT
2 I praise your name for your unfailing love and faithfulness;
for your promises are backed by all the honor of your name.

The integrity of God is wrapped up in His Word; if He did not
keep His Word He would be a liar -- and that will never happen!

PSALM 89:34 NLT
34 No, I will not break my covenant; I will not take back a
single word I said.

God will not change the words He has spoken. God will never
break His Word. God will always do what He said He will do.

NUMBERS 23:19 NLT
19 God is not a man, so he does not lie. He is not human, so he
does not change his mind. Has he ever spoken and failed to act?
Has he ever promised and not carried it through?

God never lies! He is always alert, making sure every word He
has spoken is fulfilled.

JEREMIAH 1:12 NIV
12 The LORD said to me, "You have seen correctly, for I am
watching to see that my word is fulfilled."

MARK 13:31 NIV
31 Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never
pass away.

God's Word is more dependable than the stars in the sky and the
ground you stand on. That will all eventually be changed, but
God will never change any word He has spoken.

2 TIMOTHY 2:13 NLT
13 If we are unfaithful, he remains faithful, for he cannot
deny who he is.

No matter what, God is faithful to keep His Word because He
cannot deny who He is -- the Truth (John 14:6). To do anything
other than what He said He would do, would make Him a liar. God
is not a liar!

SAY THIS: God's Word is more dependable than anything I can see
or touch.

God Is Not Guilty

JOB 40:8 LB
8 Are you going to discredit my justice and condemn me so that
you can say you are right?

Many are quick to blame God for all the bad things in their
life and in the world. "After all, God is ultimately
responsible, isn't He?"

Is a parent responsible for the choices their grown children
make? Certainly, they had influence in raising their children.
But ultimately, each human makes their own choices and we are
each responsible for our own actions. We cannot blame our
parents -- our spouse -- or anyone else. If we choose to do
wrong, it is our choice.

People are guilty. The devil is guilty. Not God.

"But what about storms, earthquakes, and such?"

Jesus rebuked the storm in Luke 8:24. Are we to believe that
Jesus was rebuking something that God was responsible for?

Although it is not clear now to most people, one day it will be
clear to all: God is not guilty of anything. The devil and
people shoulder the blame for all the heartache, misery, and
pain on earth.

JEREMIAH 9:24 NIV
24 but let him who boasts boast about this: that he understands
and knows me, that I am the LORD, who exercises kindness,
justice and righteousness on earth, for in these I delight,"
declares the LORD.

SAY THIS: I repent of ever blaming God for any wrongdoing. God
is not guilty.

God Is Sovereign

PSALM 115:3 NKJ
3 But our God is in heaven; He does whatever He pleases.

PSALM 135:6 NKJ
6 Whatever the Lord pleases He does, In heaven and in earth, In
the seas and in all deep places.

In order to understand the sovereignty of God, we need to know
what sovereignty means. Sovereign means one who exercises
supreme authority, and has freedom from external control. One
who is sovereign is above everything and can do as they please.

In the beginning there was only God. He was sovereign and could
do as He pleased. He could have done, or said, anything. He
could have created man or not created man. No one could, or
did, force Him to say, or do, anything. Whatever He said and
did -- He chose to say and do.

Because God was never forced to say anything, He never said
anything that was not His will. So anything God did not desire
to happen, was simply never spoken by Him.

Unlike us, God does not grow in knowledge and wisdom. Today we
may wish we had made a different decision yesterday because we
have gained new knowledge. But this never happens with God. He
already knows everything. So whatever He has spoken, He will
never have any reason to change His mind about.

So in the beginning there was a sovereign God. Then He began to
say things. No one forced God to say anything. By His own
choice He freely gave His Word. After He had spoken He was no
longer free to do just anything. Because unless He acted in
line with His Word He would become a liar. He could still do
anything He pleased, but if it was not in agreement with what
He had already said, then He would become a liar -- which is
against His very nature.

For example, after the flood God promised never to destroy the
earth with another flood. What if He did? God would then become
a liar because He already said He would never do that again.

If God ever told one lie He would come under the dominion of
the father of liars, the devil (John 8:44). So, God always
obeys His own Word (not because He is forced to, but because it
is still His will.)

God was sovereign and He did as He pleased. The Bible lets us
know the choices He made, so we can know God's will. He gave it
to us so we would have a strong foundation. So we can know
where we stand -- and stand up like men and women of God
against the devil -- which makes our Father happy.

SAY THIS: God is sovereign, but He will never be a liar, so I
know He will keep His Word.