About the Author

Suzanne Pillans, her husband Wilfrid and daughter Rebecca own and run Standlake Equestrian Centre and Ranch in Oxfordshire, UK.

Suzanne’s ministry Step Out in Faith has grown into an International Bible School for the rural parts of Africa and the Far East, as well as a Bicycle Ministry that plants churches in the most remote villages where fifty five evangelists planted 138 churches in the first year and 28 bible schools were set up.  Suzanne also speaks in many crusades, conferences and churches worldwide and has written six books.  One of her books Dare to Enter His Presence made the USA’s TV Harvest Show as Featured Book on May 2^nd 2006.

Foreword

‘It is not often that I come in contact with an individual who is compelled by love and that can truly proclaim Acts 17:28 “In Him I live and move and have my being”’.  Suzanne Pillans is not just another author; she is a woman of faith, walking in obedience to His voice and His voice alone.  If you are on a quest for freedom, then read this book.  Freedom is not given to those who simply desire it; it is given to those who pursue it with all their heart.  Suzanne Pillans is a whole-hearted freedom fighter in the Kingdom of God.  She is a forerunner in our day, with a message of faith, freedom and compassion who carries a divine treasure of His glorious love.  She walks in a level of faith that sees things from His perspective.  She aches for God’s people to be set free.  I encourage you to read the pages of this book.  It is a very dangerous book that will leave no room for passive Christianity.  This is the hour that men and women of great faith must stand firm until the end for His glory.  Isaiah 7:9 says ‘if you do not stand firm in your faith, you will not stand at all’.  God took time to carve this message in this messenger.  Allow the words of this book to erupt within the fibres of your being and help you to walk in all He created you to be.”

Bob Deering, founder of Voice Ministries and the International House of Prayer, Michiana Elkhard, Indiana, USA

‘This book will encourage you to search the Word and pray until you are fired up to go in Christ’s name.’

David Hathaway, President of Eurovision

All Bible quotations are from the New King James Version unless otherwise stated

Do Not Limit God

Is the Lord preparing us for revival right now?  Can He use mere human beings like you and me to do such an incredible thing?  Is He prepared to teach us how to bring about revival?  The answer is ‘Yes’!  That’s if we will listen to Him, and yield ourselves to obey Him, regardless of what we may think of ourselves.

 It was in Malawi, in November 2004, that the Lord began to challenge me in a new way.  This was my third visit.  The first visit was to Migowi for only one believer, but the Lord always has a plan.  The next morning four ladies, too sick to walk to the market, came and knocked on my door.  Jesus healed all four and they ran to the market and told everybody.  From these four ladies many came to our crusade and many became believers and received healing, but even more than that; the Lord answered the 400 new believers’ prayer to send rain to end their devastating drought and within the hour it rained.  This caused the entire community to become Christians and since then they have built a large church.

This November I was invited to speak in their new church and of all things I got diarrhoea, but I was still determined to preach.  I made it to the lectern and feeling sick, dizzy and weak simply spoke what came out of my mouth.  I then sat down;  “Any one sick come forward now”.  Thirty rushed forward. “Put your own hand on your sickness or your pain and when you are healed put your hand high in the air.”  Within two minutes every hand goes up.  They are all healed and go and sit down.  I am then introduced to twelve pastors behind me.  I had not even noticed them and one had travelled over 60 miles to hear me speak, and I cannot remember one word that I spoke!  I did not feel good about this.  Anyway, knowing that I was sick, they released me and I went back to the room where I was staying.

I played back the tape and was amazed to discover that it was a perfect message for pastors. How could that be?

   Two days later in Blantyre I was better and it suddenly dawned on me that I was the only one who was not healed during that service!  So I decided to ask the Lord about it.  He replied and said, “to cause you to rely totally and completely on Me.” Then I understood.  I had been too sick to give anything of self.  I had to rely on the Lord and the result was a perfect sermon, the best I’ve ever preached and the healings were 100% of the people there, without even the laying on of hands or even standing up from my chair.

Less of me, more of Thee

None of me, all of Thee.

Then the Lord said,  “Do not limit me. Let me be God.” “How am I limiting you?” I asked.  And the Lord led me to 1 Kings 18:30-40 and said, “If Elijah had not soaked the sacrifice three times with water and filled the trench with water too, he would have limited My miracle.” Oohh!!

Yes, a high standard.  I mean, if God had not answered with fire, they would have killed Elijah.  Elijah really must have known God well, so well that he knew God would answer, even if he made it impossible for the sacrifice to burn.  Elijah did not limit God.  He let God be God, and God answered with fire and consumed the burnt offering and the wood and the stones, and the dust, and licked up the water that was in the trench, and when the people saw it they fell on their faces:

‘Now when all the people saw it, they fell on their faces; and they said, "The LORD, He is God! The LORD, He is God!"’ (1 Kings 18:39)

In one hour Elijah had turned the nation back to God.  This is the faith God is looking for, and He is looking for mere ordinary people, people like you and me.  Was I able to take up this challenge? I was soon to find out.

The next crusade was down on the Mozambique border, for five days. It was very hot and at the first service less than twenty-five people showed up, and they were mainly women and children. Sometimes, I thought, people just don’t take women seriously.

I gave the Gospel and all that was going through my mind was, “Don’t limit God. Don’t limit God.”   “How?” and then I knew.

I announced, “I want you to go out now and look for the sickest person in this community and bring her here tonight. Then I want you to invite the entire village to come and watch Jesus heal this person!”  They all left to do the job.

That night the church was full to capacity, and yes they did bring the sickest person, seriously sick, not out of bed for two years. She could not walk and was too weak to stand.  She was painfully thin, had sores on her body and shivered under a grey blanket.  I commanded the sickness to leave her in Jesus’ name.  I commanded her body be healed in Jesus’ name.  I commanded strength come into her body in Jesus’ name.  I then said, “In the name of Jesus stand up,” and she stood up. “Now, in the name of Jesus walk” and she walked. “And now, in the name of Jesus run down the aisle and back.”  She looked at me in horror. “ In Jesus’ name you can,” I answered and she took off, running down the aisle and back, totally healed.  It’s easy to give the Gospel when the people see a miracle like this and they praised and worshipped God until 3 am.

The next days the church was full and many came between services, group after group of people, to receive their healings and also Jesus into their hearts as Lord and Saviour.  Even two chiefs were healed and became Christians, also two girls, Judith 14 and Maria 11, both born deaf and dumb.  Jesus healed them both and they could now learn how to speak. Judith came back two days later to show me how many words she could already say.  Yes, I was learning not to limit God, to let God be God, but the Lord had much, much more to show me.

Back in England the Lord began to show me how we limit God in so many ways, by our unbelief, lack of prayer, lack of commitment and worst of all by our putting other things before Him.  Then He led me to Judas in Matthew 26:15:‘"What are you willing to give me if I deliver Him to you?"  And they counted out to him thirty pieces of silver.’

And the Lord said, “In that moment, Judas loved the money more than me.”  Everywhere people are doing the same as Judas, loving their money, or jobs, or holidays, or homes, car, sport, lifestyles, comfort, even TV, more than Jesus. Then we wonder why the Lord is not moving when we have limited Him so much.

From that moment on I began to preach this message wherever I was invited to speak, and, to my amazement, whole churches repented every time, with many of the people in tears.

Then I felt I should go further than repentance.  After all, repentance is the first step into the presence of God.  So I led the people into thanking the Lord for what He had done and then to praise Him for Who He is.  We then came into an active, charged expectant silence.  Suddenly people would sink to their knees, some flat on their faces crying.  Was it us entering the Holy of Holies, the Holy presence of God, or was it the Holy Spirit coming down upon us?  Or both?  For suddenly, something very unexpected happened.  People began to cry with joy and shake, and people were suddenly healed in their seats, set free and touched in a beautiful way.

Even in the larger churches, when we came up into the presence of God, people were suddenly being healed all over, without any laying on of hands, no calling them to the front, nothing. Jesus had simply come down in the power of the Holy Spirit and healed them in their seats. All I did is call them forward to testify and this they willingly did, some with much emotion. Some of these healings were from sicknesses of twenty years, arthritis gone, chests healed, crippled hands loosened and healed, poor eyesight healed and many other ailments.

When we step out in faith, when we are prepared not to limit God, to let God be God, then God moves in power and answers our prayer.

He actually wants to meet with us.  He actively wants to come down in power and heal the sick.  But it’s no use just reading the Bible without action. It’s also no use praying without believing God will answer.  When we read the Bible, believe the plain Word as it says, let it become part of you, then as you walk in it, the power of Heaven becomes activated through your life.

When you pray, pray believing God, pray to the living God, knowing that He is alive and hears you.  Pray with expectancy and He will hear you and He will respond.

Some Questions to Think About

Can the Lord use you to bring revival?
Are you willing to allow the Lord to bring revival through you?
What level of trust and faith should we aim for?
How does reading the Bible and action come together?
How do you know God will answer?

Lesson 3

The Power of The Cross

The very first miracle of Jesus was turning water into wine.  This was a creation miracle, a miracle over creation.  He also walked on water, calmed the storm and fed 5000 people with only five small loaves and two fishes.  Then, if that was not enough, he had His disciples collect twelve baskets of crumbs.

 What is Jesus showing us here?  He had power over creation.  He also had the power to cast out demons and much of His ministry was doing this very thing.  He also healed all who came to Him, healing many by His word or by laying hands on them. He also had power to forgive sin.  He even had power to raise the dead and waited four days before calling Lazarus forth.  Not only that, He Himself rose from the dead after three days.

 What is Jesus trying to tell us?  What is the meaning of these incredible miracles?

Is there something behind all this, something each one of us needs to know?

One clue is in Genesis1:28:

‘Then God blessed them, and God said to them, "Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth."’

God gave man the earth to rule over.

Psalm 8:4-8 says:

‘What is man that You are mindful of him,

And the son of man that You visit him?

For You have made him a little lower than the angels,

And You have crowned him with glory and honour.

You have made him to have dominion over the works of Your hands;

You have put all things under his feet,

All sheep and oxen -

Even the beasts of the field,

The birds of the air,

And the fish of the sea that pass through the paths of the seas.’

God made man ruler over the works of His hands, to be only subject to God and His love, to be in complete control over all God’s creation on Earth.

WHAT WENT WRONG?

Adam and Eve ate of the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil.  Up to that time the earth was perfect.  There was no sin.  There was no sickness.  There was no death. Creation was perfect.  There were no weeds, no disease in the crops or animals.  All that grew from the ground was perfect.  What did Adam and Eve do when they ate of the forbidden fruit?

Genesis 3:13 says:

‘And the LORD God said to the woman, "What is this you have done?" The woman said, "The serpent deceived me, and I ate."’

The devil deceived Adam and Eve, causing them to doubt God and then to disobey Him, which is rebellion, and they ate of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, which allowed sin into this world that God had given to man.  Sin came into the world through disobedience.  This was the Fall of Man.  Now sin had come into their world, the world God had created for them, as described in Romans 5 verse 12:

‘Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned.’

In John 14:30 Jesus says:

"I will no longer talk much with you, for the ruler of this world is coming, and he has nothing in Me...”

Now the devil was thrown out of Heaven and is in rebellion against God.  In Psalm 74:10 - 11 the psalmist prays:

‘O God, how long will the adversary reproach?  Will the enemy blaspheme Your name forever?  Why do You withdraw Your hand, even Your right hand?  Take it out of Your bosom and destroy them.’

The devil is in rebellion against God and also hates human beings, because human beings are made in the image of God as it says in Genesis 1:26a:

‘Then God said, "Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness...”’

How can the devil take revenge against God?  By taking as many people, whom he knows God loves, down to Hell with him, and how can he do that?  In any way he can, by tempting man to sin.  If he cannot do that he will inflict them with sickness, or curses, or attack the mind with satanic spirits, fears, or deceive them in any way he can through worldly ways, worldly thought, sects and false religions.  If he cannot do that he will try to lead them away from the Bible, into complacency or through lies or any way he can.

2 Corinthians 4:4 describes unbelievers:

‘whose minds the god of this age has blinded, who do not believe, lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them.’

Also, in Ephesians 2:1-2 we are told:

‘And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins, in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience,...’

This is a very interesting verse as it answers the much-asked question “Why does God allow us to suffer if He is a loving God?”  God loves man and wants us to love Him by our own free will, not like robots.  He has therefore given us free choice, to choose whom we love and serve, for it is impossible to love two masters.

We have made the choice between good and evil and God only wants those of us who love Him to be in Heaven, those who have chosen to stand strong against sin and accept Him as Lord and Saviour.  If we choose sin, we will receive all that goes with it and this will cause much suffering.  If we choose righteousness and life, we will more ably enjoy this life on earth as well as receiving eternal life.

Deuteronomy 30:15 - 16 sets this out for us:

"See, I have set before you today life and good, death and evil, in that I command you today to love the LORD your God, to walk in His ways, and to keep His commandments, His statutes, and His judgments, that you may live and multiply; and the LORD your God will bless you in the land which you go to possess.”

God was not happy with so many choosing to turn their backs on Him and choosing evil and death instead.  Though God is greater than Satan, He cannot stoop to satanic methods in order to take back what Satan has stolen from man to give it back to man.  God did not give Satan this power over man on the earth.  Adam and Eve did it, and since then Man has often found himself in hopeless and helpless situations.

SO WHAT DID GOD DO ABOUT IT?

John 3:16 says:

‘For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.  For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world but that through Him the world might be saved.’

When Jesus walked this earth He said in John 12: 30-32:

"This voice did not come because of Me, but for your sake.  Now is the judgment of this world; now the ruler of this world will be cast out. And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all peoples to Myself."

Jesus was speaking about the devil as ruler of this world, soon to be cast out once He, Jesus, had gone to the cross.  This we will see in Hebrews 2:14-16:

‘Inasmuch then as the children have partaken of flesh and blood, He Himself likewise shared in the same, that through death He might destroy him who had the power of death, that is, the devil, and release those who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage.  For indeed He does not give aid to angels, but He does give aid to the seed of Abraham.’

It could not be plainer than that.  Jesus came to save us, the descendants of Abraham, from the bondage of the devil.

In Colossians 2:13-14 we read:

‘And you, being dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He has made alive together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses, having wiped out the handwriting of requirements that was against us, which was contrary to us. And He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross.’

Colossians 2:15 then says:

‘Having disarmed principalities and powers, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them in it.’

Let us read how man was supposed to live, this time from Hebrews 2:6-9:

‘But one testified in a certain place, saying: "What is man that You are mindful of him, Or the son of man that You take care of him? You have made him a little lower than the angels; You have crowned him with glory and honour, And set him over the works of Your hands.  You have put all things in subjection under his feet."  For in that He put all in subjection under him, He left nothing that is not put under him.  But now we do not yet see all things put under him.  But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels, for the suffering of death crowned with glory and honour, that He, by the grace of God, might taste death for everyone.’

Let's look at this closely:  For in that He put all in subjection under him, He left nothing that is not put under him. But now we do not yet see all things put under him. BUT WE SEE JESUS, who was made a little lower than the angels, for the suffering of death CROWNED with GLORY and HONOUR, that He, by the grace of God, might taste death for everyone.

Jesus had power over the following:

1)         Power over creation

What was the first miracle Jesus ever did? He turned water into wine. He could also walk on water, calm the storm and feed 5,000 with only five small loaves and two small fishes and then tell his disciples to gather up the crumbs resulting in their gathering up twelve baskets full. Let’s look at one of the scriptures, Matthew 8:26:

‘But He said to them, "Why are you fearful, O you of little faith?"  Then He arose and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm..’

Jesus had power over creation.  Jesus did miracles with creation and gives us the power to perform miracles as well, but we very seldom see one.

   In 1983 we ran a Youth Camp in the Transkei in South Africa.  More children attended than those who had booked and this resulted in a shortage of food.  The camp ended on Sunday evening and the seventeen of us who organized the camp stayed on until Monday morning as we had 200 kilometres drive to the nearest town.  Our host prayed over our breakfast and seeing only a small amount of cereal in the cereal box decided to give us a spoon each.  She then began to spoon the cereal in to the seventeen bowls and seeing there was still some left, carried on spooning and spooning and spooning until there were seventeen bowls full of cereal and still the same amount in the cereal box.  Only then did we realise a miracle had happened.  What a wonderful way to end a camp!

2)         Power over demons and sickness

Jesus drove out demons wherever he went and healed all who came to Him.  It is interesting that Jesus dealt with deliverance and sickness in a similar way.  That is because both came from the devil. Matthew 8:16:

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...

Today Jesus will still drive out demons and heal the sick, that is, when He can find someone who believes Him and has the faith to walk in the area of deliverance and healing.

In Africa I have watched the Lord deliver many people.  Once a hundred people came forward for deliverance and the Lord told me to treat it in the same way as for the sick.  So I pointed and said, “Every demonic spirit, every witchcraft spirit, every curse, every demonic thing, leave these people now in Jesus’ name”.  I stood back in amazement as eighty people were instantly set free; some screamed, others fell to the floor.  After five minutes eighty people raised their hands having been delivered and went to sit down.  I then prayed for the last twenty individually until all were set free.  After that I prayed for the sick, telling them to put their own hand on their sickness or pain and receive their healing in Jesus’ name.  There were five blind people healed that morning plus many suffering from other sicknesses.  Jesus is still healing the sick today and you can move into this area as well, for it is Jesus alone who does it.

3)         Power to forgive sin

Matthew 9:2 says:

Then behold, they brought to Him a paralytic lying on a bed.  When Jesus saw their faith, He said to the paralytic, "Son, be of good cheer; your sins are forgiven you."

4)         Power to raise the dead:

Jesus had the power to raise the dead and even waited four days before calling Lazarus forth as described in John 11:43:

‘Now when He had said these things, He cried with a loud voice, "Lazarus, come forth!"’

Then Jesus did something even more incredible than that, for he himself rose from the dead in three days in complete victory over sin and death and over every scheme of the devil.

Even today Jesus is still raising the dead and He can use anyone to do it. He does not always use the big men of God to do this either, but can choose anyone.
 

One of our team in Malawi, 26 years of age, not even a pastor, visits a hospital near Blantyre after church every Sunday to pray for the sick.  On the 7th August 2005 he was not allowed into the front entrance of the hospital because of repair work, so he went round the back and entered through the mortuary.  Seeing a young-looking dead man to his right, he felt the Lord wanted him to pray for the man.  He went up to the man and said, ‘In the name of Jesus sit up’ and to his amazement, the dead man sat up alive and well.

The whole hospital praised the Lord that day and the doctors insisted he stayed in hospital for two days for observation.  The man was 36 years old and had died of malaria.  Now he was also completely healed so, after two days, he was allowed to go home.

SO WHAT DID JESUS’ DYING ON THE CROSS RESULT IN FOR US?

1)         The breaking of the power of sin and death

Jesus’ death on the Cross became necessary, following the Fall, because God had made it clear that anyone who sinned, even once, would be cut off from Him forever, once they had physically died, and that no one could ever redeem themselves by any method whatsoever.  The only cure would be the death of the sinless person who, in dying, took on Himself the punishment that would otherwise have to be paid by the sinner, i.e. us.  God said, “the soul that sins shall die”. (Ezekiel 18:20)  God sent His Son, Jesus, who being fully God as well as fully man, was perfect, i.e. sinless, and therefore able to become the sacrifice and He died on our behalf, so taking our punishment.  He died in our place.  So long as we individually accept that we are sinners and separated from God and that He, Jesus, has died for each one of us personally, we can live in newness of life by accepting Jesus into our hearts.

The threefold purpose of water baptism is set out in Colossians 2 verse 12 where the repentant sinner is:

‘buried with Him in baptism, in which you also were raised with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead.’

i)          Death – into the water.  As we go into the water we are saying our old sinful nature is done away with.  We are free from slavery to sin.  There is a complete break with the past.

ii)          Burial – under the water.  Just as Jesus was buried in the tomb, so as we are baptised under the water our lives as sinners are put out of sight, as Paul explains in Romans 6:4:

‘Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life..’

iii)         Resurrection – out of the water.  Romans 6:5:

‘For if we have been united together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection.’

Jesus was raised by the power of God.  We are lifted out of the water to live a new life with Christ, as Galatians 2:20 says:

‘I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.’

In John 6:39 Jesus says:

‘And this is the will of him who sent me, that I shall lose none of all that he has given me, but raise them up at the last day.’

Jesus has also given us eternal life.

2)         Power to live in Christ’s victory whilst still alive on this earth

In John 14:12-13, Jesus says:

"Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father. And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.”

On the cross Jesus reversed what man had brought on himself in the Garden of Eden.  Jesus Himself has made it possible for us to receive this glorious victory from Him, and the power of the Holy Spirit to live it.

So the next question is:
How do we receive this glorious victory?
How do we receive this victory that Jesus has made available to us through the Holy Spirit?  After we have accepted Jesus into our heart as Lord and Saviour the baptism and giftings of the Holy Spirit are available to us.  Then a wonderful change takes place.

It says in 1 John 4:4:

 ‘You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.’

The Holy Spirit within us is greater than the one who is in the world.  The Holy Spirit connects us with our Father in Heaven in the heavenly realm, for it also goes onto say in John 3:34:

‘For He whom God has sent speaks the words of God, for God does not give the Spirit by measure.’ (i.e. God gives the Spirit without limit)

When we spend time with God in the heavenly realm, He fills us and fills us and fills us with the Holy Spirit and then sends us forth to flow with rivers of living water.  What glorious service: limitless power to heal the sick, gifts of the Spirit given without measure! These never run dry as long as we spend time in prayer receiving this glorious love, joy, peace, instruction, giftings and all we need to witness His power on earth, that man may be saved from the destruction of sin and death and live instead in righteousness to our Lord.  We are also given power over sin. We are told in 1 Corinthians 10:13:

‘No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.’

We therefore have no excuse, for we have all been given power over sin.

We are also given authority and power over the enemy.

Luke 10:19 tells us:

‘I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you.’

I need this verse in Africa so very much.  This gives me boldness when I have to come against witchdoctors and all kinds of evil spirits.

   In Cameroon we had to visit a seaside village built on volcanic rock from a nearby volcano. This village was under the curse of witchdoctors, marine spirits and the occult.  Even the elders of the village were involved and two had been arrested for horrible crimes.

   We were supposed to have been somewhere else, but the pastor never showed up to collect us, and we had not gone to Cameroon to sit doing nothing, so the pastor in Nimba phoned Pastor Emmanuel, and Emmanuel said, “Please come. These are the white people we have been waiting for to set our village free.”  Pastor Emmanuel had had a vision on the 6th of that month, that white people from Europe would come and set the village free from witchcraft, and had told the whole village of this.  So two hours later, we arrived and bound the evil spirits to whom the residents had given their hearts, and commanded in the spirit realm, that the hearts be given back to the people for the duration of the services for three days, so that the people could make a choice between the evil spirits and Christ.

   The pastor then went round the village with a hand megaphone telling everyone that the white people he had prophesied on the 6th of that month were here and invited everyone to come to this meeting.  Soon the church was full. I preached a strong Gospel message and about fifty came forward to receive Christ, then about twenty people were delivered from evil spirits and about fifty received their healing.

   At the end another lady came forward complaining that a certain person had put witchcraft curses on her.  We cut her off from the curses and asked her to forgive this person, and to give this lady the Gospel.  She said she would do this.

   Suddenly Rev. Henry Coles, who came with us, prophesied that if a certain lady, who kept putting curses on God’s people, did not repent of this wickedness after she had been given the gospel message, she would die within three days.  I was rather perturbed that Henry should give such a negative prophecy in front of the whole church.

   The next day we were invited back to an overflowing church and even had to pray for those outside.  By now, over a hundred people had received Christ and about the same number had received healing and testified, giving glory to God. There were also about sixty who had received deliverance.

   The next day, Saturday, Pastor Emmanuel came running to tell us that the person who had put so many curses upon the lady whom the Lord delivered, had been told the gospel, but instead of receiving Christ, had gone straight back to the witchdoctor to deliver more curses on this lady; but the powers of witchcraft were not working.  So, she had to go to another village to put a curse on this lady.  As she was returning from this village with the curse she dropped dead.  This had a very positive effect on the village, which not only had seen the love and healing power of Christ, but also the death through the sins of those who prefer to practise evil. We are not fighting against flesh and blood, but against the principalities of evil. Through this lady’s death many more received Jesus as Lord and Saviour.

   This was a God-ordained visit and we certainly saw the power of God at work over every demonic force.  I also saw Luke 10:19 in a new light, and also Romans 8:37 which says:

‘Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.’

Philippians 4:13 encourages us by saying:

‘I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.’

 We can walk in the power of His strength and we also have authority to conquer sin, sickness, and all the power of the enemy in Jesus’ name.

How do we further exercise this power and victory over Satan?

Ephesians 6:13-17 says:

‘Therefore take up the whole armour of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.  Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one.  And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.’

Be self-controlled.  As it instructs us in 1 Peter 5:8:

‘Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.’

We must be alert, as in 2 Corinthians 2:11, in order that Satan might not outwit us for ‘we are not unaware of his schemes’.  We have to resist temptation.  James 1:13 helps us specifically by saying:

‘Let no one say when he is tempted, "I am tempted by God"; for God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He Himself tempt anyone.’

We need wisdom to discern Satan’s deceiving methods.  2 Corinthians 11:14 cautions:

‘And no wonder! For Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light.’

Test all by the Word of God.  2 Corinthians 4:2:

‘But we have renounced the hidden things of shame, not walking in craftiness nor handling the word of God deceitfully, but by manifestation of the truth commending ourselves to every man's conscience in the sight of God.’

If we do these things we will have full victory over the devil.  Revelation 12:12 encourages us with these words:

‘Therefore rejoice, O heavens, and you who dwell in them!  Woe to the inhabitants of the earth and the sea! For the devil has come down to you, having great wrath, because he knows that he has a short time.’

How should we then live?

In Matthew 5:13 Jesus informs us:

‘You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavour, how shall it be seasoned?  It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men.’

We must be the salt of the earth.  In Matthew 5:14 Jesus adds:

‘You are the light of the world.  A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden.’

We must be the light to the world.  1 Corinthians 6:17 declares:

‘But he who is joined to the Lord is one spirit with Him.’

We must unite ourselves with the Lord in prayer so that, as it says in John 14:20:

‘In that day you will know that I am in My Father, and you in Me, and I in you.’

This is the most wonderful thing we can ever know and then we are further encouraged through the words found in 2 Corinthians 5:17:

‘Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.’

We become a new creation in Christ.  Not only that, we become members of His body.  Ephesians 5: 30:

‘For we are members of His body, of His flesh and of His bones.’

We become a member of Jesus’ Body flesh, bones and Spirit.  If we are therefore members of the Body of Christ we also share His victory over evil.  This is reflected in Jesus' words of Luke 10:19:

‘Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you.’

We share in Christ’s power and authority over the enemy.  Ephesians 6:13 commands us:

‘Therefore take up the whole armour of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.’

We have Christ’s finest armour; invisible yet empowered with His strength.  James 4:7 calls us:

‘Therefore submit to God.  Resist the devil and he will flee from you.’

We can reign in life now with Jesus by submitting to God, not from duty but willingly and happily.  The very next verse, James 4:8, offers further encouragement:

‘Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded.’

We can live very near to God.  Ephesians 6:10 goes even further:

‘Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might.’

We have His strength and mighty power available to us.  Matthew 5:13 exhorts us to be the salt of the earth and Matthew 5:15 exhorts us to be light to the world:

And what does God give us all this for?

2 Timothy 2:1-2 persuades us thus:

‘You therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus.  And the things that you have heard from me among many witnesses, commit these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also.’

Mark 16:15-18 reminds us of the great commission:

‘And He said to them, "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.  He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned.  And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues; they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover."’

We must present the Word of God to all men, cast out demons, heal the sick and the gates of Hell will not prevail against us.

Some Questions to Think About

What was the result of Adam and Eve eating the fruit of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil?

Why does the devil go to so much effort to cause man to sin, inflict sickness, curses, lies etc?

What did God do about it?

What did Jesus dying on the cross achieve for us?

How should we then live?

 Would you like to be baptised in the Holy Spirit?  Then pray this:

 Lord Jesus,

Thank you that it is Your Will that I be baptised in the Holy Spirit.

I turn from any sin and want to live for You in every way.

Please Lord baptise me in the Holy Spirit,

Thank you Jesus.  Amen

Lesson 4

The Kingdom of God is at Hand

In 1 Chronicles 29:11-13 King David prayed:

‘Yours, O LORD, is the greatness, the power and the glory, the victory and the majesty; for all that is in heaven and in earth is Yours; Yours is the kingdom, O LORD, and You are exalted as head over all.  Both riches and honour come from You, and You reign over all.  In Your hand is power and might; in Your hand it is to make great and to give strength to all.  Now therefore, our God, We thank You and praise Your glorious name.’

What is this scripture actually saying to us? Psalm 145:10-13:

‘All Your works shall praise You, O LORD,

And Your saints shall bless You. 

They shall speak of the glory of Your kingdom,

And talk of Your power,

To make known to the sons of men His mighty acts,

And the glorious majesty of His kingdom.

Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom,

And Your dominion endures throughout all generations.’

The Old Testament is looking forward to something wonderful happening.  We read in Isaiah 9:6-7:

‘For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given; and the government will be upon His shoulder.  And His name will be called Wonderful, Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.  Of the increase of His government and peace There will be no end, upon the throne of David and over His kingdom, to order it and establish it with judgment and justice from that time forward, even forever.  The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this.’

In Luke 1:32 the angel Gabriel confirms how Jesus fulfils Isaiah 9:

‘He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David.  And He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end.’ 

Jesus has already come!! His Kingdom has already come.  The Kingdom of God is already at hand, and the Old Testament prophesies it.  Daniel 4:2-3 says:

‘I thought it good to declare the signs and wonders that the Most High God has worked for me.  How great are His signs, and how mighty His wonders!  His kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and His dominion is from generation to generation.’

Here Daniel speaks of signs and wonders of his everlasting kingdom being performed from generation to generation.  Daniel continues in 7:27 to say:

‘Then the kingdom and dominion, and the greatness of the kingdoms under the whole heaven, shall be given to the people, the saints of the Most High.  His kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey Him.’

Here the Old Testament speaks of signs and wonders being given to God’s saints. That is us!!  Jesus gave this through the cross.  The New International Version Bible notes say; ‘handed over to the saints for their benefit.  God and the Messiah will rule’ - is this for when Jesus comes again at His second coming, or is it also for the time between the first coming and the second coming?  Let’s see what the New Testament says.  Matthew 3:1-2 tells us:

‘In those days John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea, and saying, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!"’ 

Other translations replace ‘is at hand’ with ‘is near’.  In Matthew 3:3 John the Baptist continues:

‘For this is he who was spoken of by the prophet Isaiah, saying: "The voice of one crying in the wilderness: 'Prepare the way of the LORD; Make His paths straight.'"

The NIV study notes says ‘Repent - make a radical change in one’s life.’   The Kingdom of Heaven is found in Matthew thirty three times.  The Kingdom of Heaven is the rule of God and is both a present reality and a future hope.  The idea of God’s Kingdom is central to Jesus’ teaching and is mentioned fifty times in Matthew alone.  This says that the Kingdom of God has been given to us after the first coming of Jesus as well as after the second coming of Jesus.  It is available to all who believe.

In Matthew 4:16-17 we have a great statement, summarizing Isaiah 9:

‘The people who sat in darkness have seen a great light, and upon those who sat in the region and shadow of death light has dawned." From that time Jesus began to preach and to say, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand”.’

Jesus began His public ministry with the same message as John the Baptist – repent because God’s reign was drawing near in the person and ministry of Jesus.  In Matthew 4:23 we read:

‘And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease among the people.’

Jesus showed us in these signs that the Kingdom of God was at hand and tells us to seek the Kingdom as well.  Matthew 6:33 Jesus similarly promises:

"But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you”.

When we seek His Kingdom, we are seeking the higher Kingdom, for the Kingdom of Heaven, or of God, is higher and greater than this worldly kingdom.

Matthew 10:1 informs us that Jesus instructed his disciples thus:

‘And when He had called His twelve disciples to Him, He gave them power over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease.’

Similarly in Matthew 10:6 - 7 we read how Jesus commands them:

"But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. And as you go, preach, saying, 'The kingdom of heaven is at hand.'”  

So He gave them authority to preach that the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand and then to demonstrate that it was at hand by healing every disease and every infirmity.

Now the Pharisees asked Jesus when the Kingdom was coming.  In Luke 17:20-21 we read Jesus’ response:

‘Now when He was asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, He answered them and said, "The kingdom of God does not come with observation; nor will they say, 'See here!' or 'See there!'  For indeed, the kingdom of God is within you."’

Jesus is the Kingdom of God and He was in their midst.  But if Jesus dwells in our hearts, then He too, is in the midst of us.

The Kingdom of God is in the spiritual realm, brought upon us by the Holy Spirit.  We can receive Him now.  We can walk in this spiritual realm now.  We can receive the power and authority of Jesus’ name now and, as we preach, the Kingdom of God is at hand with the gospel.  Jesus will do it.  Signs and wonders will follow our preaching, for the Kingdom of God has come.

But then, why are we not all walking it? There are some reasons for this.  John 3:5 says:

‘Jesus answered, "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God”.’

We must be born in the Holy Spirit.  Romans 14:17 says:

‘...for the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.’

Pray, seeking to be filled with God’s righteousness and peace and joy and to be filled daily with the Holy Spirit.  Acts 14:22 records that Paul and Barnabas returned to Lystra:

‘...strengthening the souls of the disciples, exhorting them to continue in the faith, and saying, "We must through many tribulations enter the kingdom of God."’

We must allow God to test us, sift us, and change us, to work out our salvation in dying to self and allowing Him complete reign over us.  We have to count the cost and do it.  For what we give up will never compare with what He can do in and through us.

1 Corinthians 15:50 advises:

‘Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; nor does corruption inherit incorruption.’

The Lord has to sift us first of the desires of the flesh, then He can pour His power through us.  We learn in 1 Corinthians 4:20:

‘For the kingdom of God does not consist in talk but in power.’ (E.S.V.)

This is the demonstration of the power that the Lord gives to us when we receive the Holy Spirit. As the resurrected Jesus says in Acts 1:8:

‘"But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth."’

This demonstration of the power of the Holy Spirit is given to us that we may become His witnesses to the power of the cross to all men near and far.

Romans 1:16 tells us Paul’s declaration:

‘For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek.’

This power is given to us so that we may preach the gospel of salvation in order that souls may be saved.  1 Corinthians 2:4-5 further demonstrates Paul’s commitment:

‘And my speech and my preaching were not with persuasive words of human wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, that your faith should not be in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.’

We are to preach the gospel with the demonstration of His power.  1 Thessalonians 1:5 states:

‘For our gospel did not come to you in word only, but also in power, and in the Holy Spirit and in much assurance, as you know what kind of men we were among you for your sake.’

When we receive the gospel in this way, we receive the glorious salvation with both word and power.  We have seen with our own eyes and heart that Jesus Christ is Lord.  2 Peter 1:3 reminds us,

‘His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue.’

I believe this is only possible because the Kingdom of God is at hand right now in our midst.  It is up to us to receive it.

How do we receive it?

It is by getting to know our Father in Heaven, by spending time with Him in regular prayer.  By listening to Him to show us, to teach us, speak to us, open the scriptures to us, to fill us with His gifts and to fill us with His power and authority of His Holy Spirit to do His work here on earth.  Acts 4:33 says:

‘And with great power the apostles gave witness to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus.  And great grace was upon them all.’

Was all this great power and demonstration of the Holy Spirit in saving, healing and delivering people from evil to just stop with the apostles or was it for us as well?

Acts 6:8 tells of Stephen’s activity:

‘And Stephen, full of faith and power, did great wonders and signs among the people.’

Here we see that Stephen, who was not one of the twelve apostles, was also witnessing in the power and demonstration of the Holy Spirit.  Then in Romans 15:13 it says:

‘May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.’

Paul is speaking to us, the Church, so that in believing we are filled with joy and peace, secure in God’s love, so that His power in the Holy Spirit may operate through us in power to do three things.  Mark 6:12-13 tells us that the twelve disciples:

..went out and preached that people should repent.  They cast out many demons and anointed many sick people with oil and healed them. 

So Jesus sent out the twelve to teach salvation, deliverance and healing.  Then he sent the seventy out to do the same, and then Stephen and Philip and all the great men of God down through modern history right up to this very day.  We read about some of the results from Philip’s witness to the gospel.

Acts 8:6-8:

‘And the multitudes with one accord heeded the things spoken by Philip, hearing and seeing the miracles which he did. For unclean spirits, crying with a loud voice, came out of many who were possessed; and many who were paralysed and lame were healed.   And there was great joy in that city.’

How can it be that these people also flowed in this authority and power of the Holy Spirit?

In Colossians 2:14-15 we read:

‘Having cancelled the written code, with its regulations, that was against us and that stood opposed to us; he took it away, nailing it to the cross. And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross.’ (NIV)

Jesus’ death and resurrection cancelled the written code of the Old Testament Law as the basis of our righteousness.  Jesus cancelled it on the cross and enabled the Kingdom and Heaven to be at hand for each one of us, when we believe it, when we receive it, when we live it.

John 14:12-14 declares:

‘ I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing.  He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father.  And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Son may bring glory to the Father.’ (NIV)

By going to the Father Jesus has enabled His Kingdom of Heaven to be at hand. It is done!  Jesus has done it on the cross. The cross has brought the Kingdom of God to each one of us, who will receive Him, and live in Him.

Some Questions to Think About

What is the Old Testament looking forward to?
What did John the Baptist preach?
What did Jesus demonstrate to us?
Is the Kingdom of God at hand for us today?
Jesus’ death and resurrection cancelled the effects of sin and death. What does this mean for us?

Lesson 5

The Gift of Righteousness

What is righteousness?  It means a person who is right, wise, just, upright, good, true, proper, correct, real, genuine, exact, satisfactory, suitable, well, someone who releases from injustice.  A wise person will want to be right, will want to be righteous.  Righteousness produces authority.  Authority produces power and power effects great change.  Let’s look at James 5:16-18:

 ‘Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed.  The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much. Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed earnestly that it would not rain; and it did not rain on the land for three years and six months.  And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth produced its fruit.’

The prayer of a righteous man has great power in its effects.  Elijah was a man of like nature to us.  He prayed fervently that it might not rain: and for three years and six months it did not rain on the earth.  Then he prayed again and the heavens gave rain, and the earth brought forth its fruit.

Jesus had perfect righteousness, He knew no sin.  He had authority over all creation and all evil.  He turned water into wine, walked on water, calmed the storms and fed 5000 people with 5 loaves and 2 fishes.  He had authority to forgive sin.  He had authority to cast out demons.  He had authority to cast out sickness and heal the sick.  He even had power to raise the dead.  He waited 4 days before He called Lazarus to come forth from his tomb.  Jesus then went on to the cross, was crucified, and died.  On the third day He rose in complete and total victory in triumph over every sin, sickness and every demonic thing.  He then ascended to the Father where He sits today at His right hand above every rule and authority, power and dominion and above every name that is named.  Jesus says in John 14:12:
"Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father”.

But where do we see anyone doing what Jesus did?  Why not?  Who is walking in the anointing, authority and power of the Holy Spirit to do God’s work without hindrance?  We all ask the Lord for a stronger anointing.  How are we limiting the anointing that the Lord wants to pour through us?  How can we serve the Lord to our fullest calling and potential?

The Lord sometimes speaks to us in the strangest places, probably where He can get our attention best.  I was on the London Underground on my way to speak at a church, when the Lord revealed to me something fantastic.  As I got off at my destination I just had to stop and write, as hundreds of people went their way.  I suddenly realised that the devil has no regard for his own, no respect for them whatever.  Let’s read Acts 19:15-16:

 ‘And the evil spirit answered and said, "Jesus I know, and Paul I know; but who are you?" Then the man in whom the evil spirit was leaped on them, overpowered them, and prevailed against them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded.’

 The devil has no respect for a sinner.  A sinner the devil can control.  If the devil can tempt a man to sin and that man sins, then the devil has authority and power over that man, but he whom the devil does not succeed in causing to sin, he has no power over.  In the wilderness the devil tempted Jesus but Jesus would not give in to the temptation.  Instead Jesus answered the devil with the Word of God in Scripture and remained sinless.  Jesus was not going to give His authority and power to the devil, never.  When we pursue righteousness something glorious happens to us.  Walking in Christ’s righteousness gives us authority and power over the devil, over demons and sickness and every demonic power.  Nothing can harm us.  We read in Luke 10:17-20 of how the disciples returned to Jesus after going on mission for Him:

‘Then the seventy returned with joy, saying, "Lord, even the demons are subject to us in Your name."  And He said to them, "I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven.  Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you.  Nevertheless do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rather rejoice because your names are written in heaven."’

Does this mean that the more we pursue righteousness and become more righteous in Jesus, the more authority and power we will have over the enemy, and we will see the greater miracles happen?

I believe that we need to have less and less sin within us to hinder God’s miraculous power from moving through us to the ones He loves so much and wants to heal and set free. 
God’s ways are different from the world’s ways.

God’s Ways

Love convicts of sin

Love encourages righteousness

The Spirit man looks to God

The cross gives freedom from sin

Righteousness gives authority over sin

Power effects changed lives

How does God deal with sin?

 God’s love searches out the lost and hurt

God sent His only Son to die on the cross to set man free

God forgives those who repent

God gives the Bible to correct sin and encourage

A man who accepts Christ learns righteousness, for his heart is changed

A man convicted of sin will turn from it and grow into Christ in righteousness

With God

God deals with man through grace

Forgiveness of sin gives freedom

Freedom from sin gives authority over sin

Authority over sin gives power to live in righteousness

Living in righteousness effects great change in and through one’s life and gives eternal life

Righteousness is light and freedom

The World’s Way

Rules condemn sin

Sin entices the flesh

The fleshly man gratifies self

The world controls with authority

Authority rules man with the law

Power controls man

How does the world deal with sin?

Sin abounds in every form in enticing ways

Man makes laws to control sin

Man puts sinners into prison

A prison sentence hopefully corrects man

A man in jail may or may not learn righteousness for his heart is unchanged

A convicted man with no heart change may do the same evil again

Without God

The world deals with man through the law

Jailing the sinner controls the sin

Sin condemns us, sin controls man

Sin has power to destroy man

The sinner will die in his sin and spend eternity without Christ in Hell

Sin is darkness and bondage

This is why it is so important to reach out to the people in our world with the saving grace of Jesus.

Some time ago, my horse, George, was stolen complete with saddle and bridle, by a very unreasonable lady.  (She believed that having a partially disabled daughter, who had fallen in love with him, entitled her to take the horse whilst I was away in Africa.)  I knew I would not get far with her by using the police and the law.  I went to the Lord.  He led me to Matthew 5:40,

“And if someone wants to sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well.”

“Lord, how will that scripture get George back?”  “Wait”, came the reply.  So I waited and did nothing for three months.  One day the Lord said to me, “Today, put two hundred pounds in ten pound notes in an envelope.   Get into your horsebox and drive over to where you horse is and the lady will release your horse to you.”  I instantly obeyed and drove over to the stables in anticipation of what would happen.

I arrived.  The lady, daughter and George were there.  I prayed and I approached the lady and sat on a straw bale beside her.  “I know that you are really a good lady,” I said.  “And I know you are going to do the right thing concerning George so I have brought you this gift as I know that you are going to release George to me today so that I can take him home with me this morning.”

 She took the envelope and counted the money slowly and looked up and said, “Yes, I will release your horse to you.  You can take him with you now.”  The excitement surged as I took my horse who seemed to sense he was coming home and eagerly walked straight up the ramp into the horsebox.

Next day the phone rang.  The lady who had stolen George said, “Suzanne, I need to ask you a question that really has been puzzling me.  I stole George from you, I did wrong and you, you did nothing for three months and then after all that you come and give me a gift of money?  How could you do that to someone who has stolen your best horse?”  I replied, “Because Jesus loves you and Jesus loves your daughter so much, He told me to do it that way.”  “Jesus loves ME?  You mean to say Jesus loves me after all the wrong I have done?”  “Yes, Jesus loves you so much that He died on the cross, so that if you will turn from sin, believe in Him, He will forgive you and give you eternal life.”  “I want to turn from sin right now,” she blurted out.  “I want to believe in Jesus right now.   I promise you I will never hurt you or anyone else again.  Please will you pray for me?”  I prayed with her and led her to Jesus, and now I can trust her.

The love of God and His righteousness overcomes every sin, every barrier.  His love turns the heart of stone into a heart of flesh.

This experience really taught me how much God is in control of every single thing when we trust Him and obey Him.  During those three months the Lord caused George to refuse to jump anything for the lady’s daughter, so she did not like the horse so much any more. She could release him more easily; yet as soon as George came home he jumped all the jumps normally.  This also showed me that the Lord cared enough for me to bring my horse back to me, so I no longer had to take out horseback riders whilst on foot myself.

God’s ways of doing things are very different from the world’s way of doing things.  It does take time to learn God’s ways and then to do things His way – His ways always work.

   In all the problems that life may throw your way, Jesus was faced with a type of them too.  If you go to the gospels with your situation and find out where Jesus faced a similar problem and you then handle that problem in a similar way to the way Jesus did, then you will be guaranteed the same success as Jesus was.  This is now the way that I go through life and handle things.  I simply do it ‘JESUS’ WAY’.

   Jesus’ way of doing things is always the righteous way, the way of love and forgiveness.  This is the way that causes sinners to repent and be reconciled to God.  In fact righteousness is a gift that is more precious than a diamond – spotless, transparent, reflecting light in every direction, flawless, extravagant, shining forth its beauty to all.

   It takes much work to cut a diamond.  Every flaw must be removed.  Nothing must mar its beauty, and nothing must limit its reflection.  A diamond is a gift of flawless beauty; the transparency brings life to light in its reflection of it. So God works in our lives to fashion and perfect us into all righteousness that we may become a true transparent reflection of His glorious light and love and purity. It is then that we become as a diamond in His hands as we are reminded in 2 Corinthians 3:18:

‘But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.  How can we be changed into His likeness from one degree of glory into another?’

1 Corinthians 1:30 advises us:

‘But of Him you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God - and righteousness and sanctification and redemption.’

‘To sanctify’ is to make holy and set apart for God. ‘Redemption’ rescues and delivers us from evil.  Proverbs 2:9-10 says:

Then you will understand righteousness and justice, equity and every good path.’

Psalm 112:1 says:

‘Praise the LORD! 

Blessed is the man who fears the Lord,

who delights greatly in His commandments.’

To ‘fear the Lord’ is wisdom and ‘to shun all evil’ is understanding.  This means to fear to hurt God by any sin or unrighteousness and to seek His righteousness instead.  Proverbs 21:21 advises:

‘He who follows righteousness and mercy finds life, righteousness and honour.’

2 Corinthians 5:21 tells us:

‘For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.’

How can we become the righteousness of God?  Romans 5:18-19 gives us an insight into this:

 Therefore, as through one man's offence judgment came to all men, resulting in condemnation, even so through one Man's righteous act the free gift came to all men, resulting in justification of life.  For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so also by one Man's obedience many will be made righteous.’

Jesus made this possible on the cross by dying in our place, to give Man a second chance to obey after what Adam and Eve had brought upon mankind by eating of the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil.  The gift of salvation is the saving of people from the effect of evil and wrongdoing.  The gift of righteousness is freedom from wrongdoing and the doing of right things like kindness, truthfulness, justice and care for others.  We have all been taught to turn from evil as it is written in the following verses: Proverbs 12:28: 

‘In the way of righteousness is life, and in its pathway there is no death.’

Proverbs 11:19:

‘As righteousness leads to life, so he who pursues evil pursues it to his own death.’

Proverbs 10:2:

‘Treasures of wickedness profit nothing, but righteousness delivers from death.’

We need to turn our backs on all evil and pursue God and His righteousness every moment of our lives.  As we yield to God’s ways and guidance we will come under His protection and be made more and more righteous.  As we are reminded in 2 Timothy 3:16: 

‘All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness.’

And again in 1Timothy 6:11:

‘But you, O man of God, flee these things and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, gentleness.’

How do we actively pursue righteousness?

What happens when we do something wrong?  We will come out of the presence of God and guilt will take hold of us.  This can cause many reactions.  Some may confess their sin, and others may try to excuse their sin.  Note that in Philippians 3:9 Paul emphasised:

‘…not having my own righteousness, which is from the Law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith.’

What is this scripture saying?  What does a child do when he does something wrong?  Does he plead for forgiveness over and over?  Is he afraid he will be thrown out of the house?  No, he runs crying into his parents’ arms where his parents will comfort and warn him of the dangers of what he has done and hopefully the child will never do that thing again, but has learned a lesson in righteousness and will walk in the area of righteousness.  God treats us the same, though the consequence of that sin we still have to bear, even though we are forgiven.
Romans 4:3-8 speaks into the situation thus:

 ‘For what does the Scripture say?  "Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness."  Now to him who works, the wages are not counted as grace but as debt.  But to him who does not work but believes on Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is accounted for righteousness, just as David also describes the blessedness of the man to whom God imputes righteousness apart from works:

"Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven,
And whose sins are covered;
Blessed is the man to whom the LORD shall not impute sin."’

The reason for this is what the Lord has made available to us through Jesus, as it says in Romans 3:21-26:

‘But now the righteousness of God apart from the law is revealed, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, even the righteousness of God, through faith in Jesus Christ, to all and on all who believe.  For there is no difference; for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God set forth as a propitiation by His blood, through faith, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance God had passed over the sins that were previously committed, to demonstrate at the present time His righteousness, that He might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.’

This is glorious news for us.  Salvation and righteousness are linked together and both are received by faith.  Further encouragement comes from Romans 1:17:

For in the gospel a righteousness from God is revealed, a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: “The righteous will live by faith.”’(NIV)

How should we then live?  Romans 6:19 cautions us:

‘I speak in human terms because of the weakness of your flesh.  For just as you presented your members as slaves of uncleanness, and of lawlessness leading to more lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves of righteousness for holiness.’

As we yield ourselves to the holiness of the Lord day by day by coming into His presence daily in prayer, He will enable us to become more and more righteous.  Paul in Ephesians 4:24 exhorts:

‘…that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness.’

When we spend time with God daily in prayer, we will take on His nature, just as we would by spending time with any person whom we admire. 

Daniel 4:27 teaches us through words addressed to a king:

“Therefore, O king, let my advice be acceptable to you; break off your sins by being righteous, and your iniquities by showing mercy to the poor. Perhaps there may be a lengthening of your prosperity."

What will be the result of living in righteousness?  The answer can be provided through three passages of scripture:  Isaiah 54:14:

In righteousness you shall be established; you shall be far from oppression, for you shall not fear; and from terror, for it shall not come near you.’

Isaiah 61:10:

‘I will greatly rejoice in the LORD, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for He has clothed me with the garments of salvation, He has covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decks himself with ornaments, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.’

Job 29:14-16:

‘I put on righteousness, and it clothed me; my justice was like a robe and a turban.  I was eyes to the blind, and I was feet to the lame. I was a father to the poor, and I searched out the case that I did not know.’

Righteousness changes us.  Righteousness frees us.  Righteousness brings us closer to Jesus, and then we come to see life as He sees life.  We come to think as He would think.  We come to love others as He loves others.  Suddenly our priorities change.  We no longer think of ourselves for we are happy and content in Christ.  Now we see others before ourselves and want to go out in Jesus’ name to preach, bring salvation, healing, deliverance and help to others who are dying in the clutches of evil.  The following passages provide further help and insight:

Amos 5:24,

 But let justice run down like water, and righteousness like a mighty stream.’

Psalm 71:19:

‘Also Your righteousness, O God, is very high,

You who have done great things;

O God, who is like You?’

Psalm 50:6:

‘Let the heavens declare His righteousness,

For God Himself is Judge’

Psalm 36:5-6:

‘Your mercy, O LORD, is in the heavens; Your faithfulness reaches to the clouds. Your righteousness is like the great mountains; Your judgments are a great deep; O LORD, You preserve man and beast.’

We don’t just receive the gift of righteousness, we have to walk in it and live in it.  A child cannot learn to walk unless he puts one leg in front of the other.

As we live in righteousness daily, pursuing it with all our hearts, so we become a treasure to our Lord and the Lord receives us as His treasure and gives to us the treasures of His love, joy, peace and also the Holy Spirit, to help us in the works He gives us to do.  We see this in Exodus 19:5:

‘Now therefore, if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, then you shall be a special treasure to Me above all people; for all the earth is Mine.’

We become His ambassadors to the nations in whatever giftings God gives us.  The more we live in righteousness, the greater God’s power and authority will be manifested through our mere human frames and we will know the truth of 2 Corinthians 4:7:

‘But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us.’

Let us aim to live in the righteousness of God.

True Freedom

The gift of salvation and the gift of righteousness are the two greatest gifts in the universe, for it is these two gifts that bring us into true freedom in Christ.

John 8:31-36:

Then Jesus said to the Jews who believed in Him, “If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed and you shall know the truth, and the truth shall set you free.”  They answered Him, “We are Abraham’s descendants, and have never been in bondage to anyone.  How can you say, ‘You will be made free?’”  Jesus answered them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, whoever commits sin is a slave to sin and a slave does not abide in the house forever, but a son abides forever.  Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed.”’

Everyone who commits sin is a slave to sin.  This is not talking about political freedom or even freedom from prison bars, it is something much deeper, something from within.  In the Philippines I visited the prison,  “Why are you here?” I asked.  “I did this or that wrong.” (i.e. I sinned)  “Why did you do it?”  “I don’t know. I just did it.”  “Did you want to do it?”  “No.”  “Then, why did you do it?”  “Something made me do it.”  “Who?  What made you do it?”  “I don’t know.”  This was the case with most of the prisoners.  Then I asked, “Have you been in prison before.”  “Oh yes three or four times.”  “Why do keep coming back?”  “I don’t know, I just keep doing the same thing.”  “Did you want to?”  “No.”  “So, what are you doing here?”  “I don’t know.  I wish I knew.”

   Now I have their attention, now I can explain how they became a slave to sin, give the Fall of Man and God’s answer by sending Jesus.  I said to them, “Only Christ can set us free from the bondage and slavery of sin.  Salvation is the act of saving us from destruction, delivering us from sin and its consequences; and preserving us for everlasting life.  Redemption is salvation from sin, a release by purchase.  Jesus redeemed us, He bought us back from Satan by paying a price to deliver us from sin and its penalty.  He did this by going to the cross”.  All these prisoners responded to my invitation to receive Jesus as Lord. 

   So Redemption and the gift of salvation is forgiveness of sin and deliverance from sin.  And the gift of righteousness is freedom from sin as we die to the desires of the flesh and take up our cross and follow Him.

1 Corinthians 1:30:

‘But of Him you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God – and righteousness and sanctification and redemption.’

2 Corinthians 5:17:

‘Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation, old things have passed away, behold, all things have become new.’

Jesus is our salvation, redemption, righteousness and true freedom.

Acts 13:37-39:

‘but He whom God raised up saw no corruption.  Therefore let it be known to you, brethren, that through this Man is preached to you the forgiveness of sins, and by Him everyone who believes is justified from all things from which you could not be justified by the Law of Moses.’

Jesus is our true freedom from everything from which we could not be freed by the Law of Moses; freedom from sin, freedom from eternal death, freedom from every clutch of the devil, freedom to live in Christ.

Romans 5:17:

‘For if by the one man’s offence death reigned through the one, much more those who receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ.’

For freedom Christ has set us free, so let us receive and pursue the gift of righteousness every day of our lives so that God may raise us up in freedom in Him, over every sin, for if the Son sets you free, you are free indeed.

Some Questions to Think About

What happens when we pursue righteousness?

Explain the difference between Law and Grace.

Name three things we should do to live in righteousness.

What will be the results of living in righteousness?

Lesson 6

 THE POWER OF PRAYER

Prayer is communion with God.  There is prayer that bounces off the ceiling and there is prayer that penetrates the heart of God.  There is prayer that accomplishes little and there is prayer that effects great change.  James 5:16-18 tells us:

‘Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed.  The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.  Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed earnestly that it would not rain; and it did not rain on the land for three years and six months.  And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth produced its fruit.’

The first necessity to having your prayers answered is to live a RIGHTEOUS LIFE THAT EFFECTS GREAT CHANGE.

In Exodus 32:31-34 we read of Moses pleading with God:

‘Then Moses returned to the Lord and said, "Oh, these people have committed a great sin, and have made for themselves a god of gold!  Yet now, if You will forgive their sin-but if not, I pray, blot me out of Your book which You have written."  And the Lord said to Moses, "Whoever has sinned against Me, I will blot him out of My book.  Now therefore, go, lead the people to the place of which I have spoken to you.  Behold, My Angel shall go before you. Nevertheless, in the day when I visit for punishment, I will visit punishment upon them for their sin."’

Moses stood in the gap for the people of Israel, and God answered his prayer immediately.
We too must STAND IN THE GAP for individual people, our city, for nations.

1 Kings 18:36-39 tells of Elijah’s conversation with God:

‘And it came to pass, at the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice, that Elijah the prophet came near and said, "Lord God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, let it be known this day that You are God in Israel and I am Your servant, and that I have done all these things at Your word. Hear me, O Lord, hear me, that this people may know that You are the Lord God, and that You have turned their hearts back to You again."  Then the fire of the Lord fell and consumed the burnt sacrifice, and the wood and the stones and the dust, and it licked up the water that was in the trench.  Now when all the people saw it, they fell on their faces; and they said, "The Lord, He is God! The Lord, He is God!"’

TAKE RESPONSIBILITY TO MAKE IT HAPPEN as Elijah did.  God loves it when you trust Him, when you step out in faith, even as Elijah did, at the risk of the Baal worshippers killing him if his God did not answer.  His God did answer, with fire that burned up the sacrifice.  Elijah had faith.  We too must pray with FAITH.

We read of Daniel’s petition to the Lord in Daniel 9:3-6;
‘Then I set my face toward the Lord God to make request by prayer and supplications, with fasting, sackcloth, and ashes.  And I prayed to the LORD my God, and made confession, and said, "O Lord, great and awesome God, who keeps His covenant and mercy with those who love Him, and with those who keep His commandments, we have sinned and committed iniquity, we have done wickedly and rebelled, even by departing from Your precepts and Your judgments.  Neither have we heeded Your servants the prophets, who spoke in Your name to our kings and our princes, to our fathers and all the people of the land”.’

Daniel prayed, fasting, for the people who had turned away from God.  He was disciplined and prepared for the task ahead, even as training prepares soldiers for war.  We are not fighting flesh and blood, but principalities of evil.  We need to be disciplined and fast for our land, for those who have turned from God, and fight these principalities that deceive man, by prayer and FASTING.

Also read Jonah 3: 4-5:

‘And Jonah began to enter the city on the first day's walk.  Then he cried out and said, "Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown!”  So the people of Nineveh believed God, proclaimed a fast, and put on sackcloth, from the greatest to the least of them.’

Here you will see the whole of Nineveh saved through the prayer and fasting of the people, as a result of Jonah’s prophecy of doom as to what would happen if they did not repent.

In 1 Kings 8: 28-30 we read part of Solomon’s prayer of dedication of the new temple:

"Yet regard the prayer of Your servant and his supplication, O Lord my God, and listen to the cry and the prayer which Your servant is praying before You today: that Your eyes may be open toward this temple night and day, toward the place of which You said, 'My name shall be there,' that You may hear the prayer which Your servant makes toward this place.  And may You hear the supplication of Your servant and of Your people Israel, when they pray toward this place. Hear in heaven Your dwelling place; and when You hear, forgive”.

Solomon cried out to God.  Pray specific prayers with meaning.  Pray with urgency.  This sometimes gets a very quick answer.

On my first trip to Kenya I experienced such a response from God.  When I was told that people were walking 4 days to receive their healing and that I was going to be the only one praying for them, this made me cry out to God.  After all, I had never spoken at a conference before and definitely had never prayed for a group of sick people.  I knew I had nothing to give these people and …what was I doing in the middle of Africa anyway?  I cried out to God in tears, ‘Jesus, I have nothing to give these people.  Only You can do something, only You can heal them.  Please help Lord, please heal your people.’

After half an hour of this I suddenly heard His still small voice, and peace began to flood my being.  God heard me and He said,  ‘If I can cry through your eyes like this I can also heal through your hands like this.’  That was it, God was going to heal the sick and He did heal the sick.  30 people were instantly healed that first day and a further 250 people were healed during the next 4 days.

When we CRY OUT to God, He hears our prayer and answers us.

In John 4:23 Jesus tells us:

‘But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him.’

Jesus tells us to PRAY IN SPIRIT AND TRUTH, for such the Father seeks.  This is praying in the Holy Spirit, whom the Father gives us.

Isaiah 40:31 encourages us thus:

'But those who wait on the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint.’

Be prepared to WAIT ON THE LORD, for it is here that we renew our strength.  We can do nothing, or very little, in our own strength; but as we daily wait upon the Lord, He gives us all the strength we ever need.  Often people tend to wait on the Lord to be more and more filled with His Holy Spirit.

2 Peter 1:1 says:

‘Simon Peter, a servant and apostle of Jesus Christ, to those who have obtained a faith of equal standing with ours in the righteousness of our God and Saviour Jesus Christ:’ (RSV)

Our faith is of equal standing as it was in the disciples, so that the Holy Spirit is available to us in all His fullness.  However it is up to us to be so yielded to Jesus that our relationship with Him enables more of the fullness of the Holy Spirit to operate in and through our lives.  Waiting on God is a time of yielding ourselves fully to His complete love, to then walk in Him in willing obedience.  When one walks in willing, even joyful, obedience to the Lord, one finds oneself walking in a new dimension, authority and energy that one could not think possible.  For myself, as long as I am walking in Christ, then I know that I can keep walking in this higher dimension, ability and freedom in Him. 

‘Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.’ (2 Corinthians 3:17)  “Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.  For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” (Matthew 11:29-30)

Walking in Christ enables the burden to be light as we trust in Him Who is so much greater than ourselves.

 John 11:33-36 describes what happens after Lazarus had died:
Therefore, when Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who came with her weeping, He groaned in the spirit and was troubled.  And He said, "Where have you laid him?" They said to Him, "Lord, come and see."  Jesus wept.  Then the Jews said, "See how He loved him!"’

Jesus prayed with COMPASSION.  This makes who or what you are praying for part of you, making you prepared to go the ‘extra mile’ to make it happen.  Sometimes God is waiting for us to do our part, for Him to do His part.  He chose to wait for Elijah to gather the Baal worshippers together and challenge them to build altars to their god and him to build his altar to the Living God.  It was then that God answered with fire.

Mark 14:36 lets us in on Jesus’ conversation with His Father,

‘And He said, "Abba, Father, all things are possible for You.  Take this cup away from Me; nevertheless, not what I will, but what You will."’

Jesus prayed that the cup be taken from Him, “but not my Will, but Thy Will.”  Jesus was prepared to be obedient even unto death.  We therefore must also BE OBEDIENT.

How do we bring all this together?  It is a balance of compassion and taking responsibility to make it happen.  The feeling of compassion causes the action.  Prayer is not just saying prayers.  Prayer is active, effectual, communion with the Living God, Who effects the answer.  This often causes you to be chosen to effect the answer and become to God an extension of His outstretched hands.  God will answer.  When we do our part to make it happen, we can be sure that God will do His part to make it happen.  To enable God to do His part, we must put God first and love Him first above all things, for when we do this something wonderful happens.

Ephesians 2: 6 says:‘and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus’

When He raises us up into the heavenly places, in Him, He gives us the authority of the name of Jesus and the power of the Holy Spirit to cast out sickness, diseases and demons.  He gives us authority to heal the sick and to become part of His answer to a lost and dying world.

You and I can effect great change when we really learn how to pray as God would wish us to.  When we do this we get to know God, and the more we get to know God, the more we will know that GOD WILL DO IT.

Types of Prayer

There are two types of prayer:

a) Fellowship Prayer – where we come to know God more.

By coming into His presence in repentance, thanksgiving, praise and worship; by loving Him and waiting on Him, being filled with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places as it says in Ephesians 1:3: Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ.’

We enjoy His love, His joy, and His glorious peace by learning to hear His voice, allowing Him to teach us through scripture and show us many things.

b) Intercessory or Task Prayer – this is interceding for others, for our cities, for our nations. This can be ‘hard work prayer’.

When you bring these two types of prayer together you will realise that fellowship prayer causes intercessory prayer to become reality.  You are able to then cry out to God and know that He will answer; you are able to approach Him on behalf of others knowing His love for them.  You will be able to pray through to victory, knowing the peace, when you know God has answered.  You will be able to hear Him and obey Him by doing your part in the answer, by taking responsibility to make it happen.

 Let us rise up and pray.  Prayer is more than just bowing the knee; it is bowing in submission to God's will, in sacrificing our own desires to do His will on earth.  Let us be part of God’s answer to this hurting and needy world.  Let us become God’s outstretched hand to people God loves, with His love and compassion, which He gives to us freely.

 Simply come to God in prayer and allow prayer to become the most exciting, glorious, victorious and challenging fellowship and interaction with our wonderful God, who loves us so much.  Action will follow.  We don’t have to wait to go to Heaven before we can have this fellowship with God.

WE CAN HAVE IT NOW, while we are still here on earth, and go on assignments for Him.  When God tells you to do something, DO IT and you will see the answer yourself, for HE IS A LIVING GOD!

Some Questions to Think About
What are the two main types of prayer?
Give areas that help to bring about God’s answer.
What challenges you to begin to pray in earnest?
What does it mean by doing your part, by taking responsibility to make it happen?

Lesson 7

THE LORD'S PRAYER

The Lord’s Prayer is the greatest prayer on earth.  It is the prayer that Jesus taught his disciples, recorded in the gospels of Matthew (6:9-13) and Luke (11:2-4) when they asked Him “Teach us to pray.”  Every denomination uses it; every Christian may have prayed it.  It is known throughout the world in most languages, yet we know it so well, have said it so often, that sometimes the meaning and depth of the words are lost.

Our Father

The prayer begins with ‘Our Father’, not ‘My Lord’, or ‘Our God’, but my Father, your Father, ‘Our Father’.  That is close relationship and only believers can call God ‘our Father’.  Unbelievers cannot call God “my Father”.  So in order to say the first words it is necessary to accept Jesus as our personal Saviour, and God as our real Father, who created us and loved us even before we were born.

Who art in Heaven

Not somewhere on earth, but in Heaven.  Now Jesus would not have taught us to say, ‘Our Father who art in Heaven’, unless it was possible to get there.  How?  It means that it is actually possible to come into the heavenly realm in prayer, whilst we are still alive on this earth.  We can access Heaven in prayer and come up above the limitations of our lives into the unlimited, supernatural presence of our living Almighty God and Father in prayer.

Hallowed be Thy Name

One can greet our Father in Heaven.  This means we can talk to Him.  We can meet Him, worship Him, and tell Him how much we love Him.  We can thank Him for all He has done for us.  We can praise Him for who He is.  In order to come into His presence and speak to Him, it is necessary to come to Him through the Cross, to ask the Holy Spirit to search our hearts and to confess any sin, so that we may be forgiven.  We can then come through thanksgiving and praise right into the presence of God and relate to Him, speak to Him and listen for Him to speak to us.

Thy Kingdom Come

Where?  Here on earth, of course, starting in my life, your life, our lives.  How?  By receiving Him into our lives, opening ourselves more and more to His glorious presence to fill us, by letting Him into every part of our being.  By asking Him into our hearts to enable us to come much closer to Him.  By asking Him into our minds so that we begin to feel and see life as Jesus sees life, to have His love and compassion for others, to understand others as He does, to allow Him to change our attitudes and our thinking, to ask Him into our bodies so that we begin to walk through life as He walked, going where He wants us to go, serving others for His sake with our hands, to speak forth His words that He specifically gives through our mouths, to simply live for Him in every way.

Thy Will Be Done

In my life first, and then through my life to others.  We need to allow Him into our past, to heal all the hurt, traumas, disappointments etc. to then heal us emotionally, mentally, spiritually and physically in every way, to allow Him into our weak areas to make us strong in our weakness.

On Earth as it is in Heaven

How?  Through our lives, now healed, prepared and equipped by the Lord Himself.  ‘Thy Kingdom come, Thy Will be done on earth as it is in Heaven!!’  How?  THROUGH OUR LIVES.  Only believers can go up into the Heavenly realm to bring the love of Heaven, the joy of Heaven, the peace of Heaven, the healing of Heaven, the miracles of Heaven down to earth to give them out to others.  No one else can.  If we don’t go daily up into the heavenly places in prayer, to receive these wonderful things from Heaven, to give out to our needy world, no one else can. Nobody else will and the world will be worse off because of it.

Ephesians 1:3 exclaims:‘Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ.’ (NIV)

This tells us that God has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places.  Having received from our Father every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, we can bring these down to earth into our lives and then, as we do the Father’s will on earth, His will shall be done on earth as it is in Heaven, through our lives.

We can become so full of our Father’s heavenly blessings, so full of the Holy Spirit, that we begin to serve our Father on earth without even giving it a thought, because we have allowed Him to change us, renew us and fill us with HIMSELF.  It is then that the gifts of the Holy Spirit begin to operate through our lives through healing or prophecy or teaching, or any other ministry that the Lord wants us to bring to mankind on earth.

Give us this day our daily bread

When we live for God we do not have to worry so much as to how we will live, for we have already brought the blessing into our daily lives and businesses.  Our daily bread, though, is not just the physical bread that we eat, but also the spiritual bread that is needed for our spiritual being. Just as our body needs daily food to eat, our spiritual being also needs the daily bread that only the Lord can give to us in prayer. 

John 4:34-35:‘Jesus said to them, "My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me, and to finish His work.  Do you not say, 'There are still four months and then comes the harvest'? Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and look at the fields, for they are already white for harvest!”’

This speaks of another food and that is doing the Father’s will.  Somehow doing the Father’s will brings a sense of fulfilment that no other work on earth can ever give us.

And forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us

This is so important, as God can only forgive us if we forgive others.  Our forgiveness should be TOTAL.  One day the disciples asked Jesus, ‘How many times must I forgive my brother?'  Jesus turned to them and said ‘seventy times seven.’  Well, when we have counted up that lot, we will surely lose count! 

Forgiveness keeps you free. Any unforgiveness in our lives will hinder us and may even prevent us from receiving healing from God.  It is therefore of great importance to make the choice to forgive, and that also means to forgive yourself.

And lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil

Making a choice to stand firm for Jesus and never to yield to sin will cause temptation to weaken and gives place to victory.  Righteousness in Jesus is victory over all evil.  When we stand strong against every temptation, we will be delivered from evil. 

Isaiah 54:14 says:‘In righteousness you shall be established; You shall be far from oppression, for you shall not fear; And from terror, for it shall not come near you.’For thine is the Kingdom, the power and the glory forever and ever. Amen

In Revelation 11:15 we read these marvellous words:
‘Then the seventh angel sounded: and there were loud voices in heaven, saying, "The kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ, and He shall reign forever and ever!”’

We finish as we began, praising our Father in Heaven for who HE IS!  FOR HIS ALONE IS THE KINGDOM, ALL POWER, ALL GLORY, FOREVER AND EVER.  AMEN.

It is not enough to just say the prayer, we need to live the prayer.  As we live the Lord’s Prayer every day of our lives we come to live in the glorious intimacy, protection, victory and blessing of that prayer in our everyday lives.  The Lord’s Prayer covers the basics of our prayer life while on earth.  Let us live the glorious life to which Jesus calls us to live in His presence in the heavenly realm while we are still alive on earth.

Some Questions to Think About
Why does the Lord’s Prayer start with ‘Our Father’?
‘Which art in Heaven’ – how can we access Heaven while still walking on this earth?
‘Thy Kingdom come’ – in what areas of our personal lives should His Kingdom come within us?
‘Thy Will be done on earth as it is in Heaven’ – How?
‘And lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil’ – These statements show that it is very important for us to live in full righteousness.  Why?

Lesson 8

EQUIPPED TO SERVE

We are called by God to serve Him.  Many are called but few are chosen, as it tells us in Matthew 22:14:"For many are called, but few are chosen."

What brings about the change from being called to being chosen? 

Romans 1:1-6 says:‘Paul, a bondservant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated to the gospel of God which He promised before through His prophets in the Holy Scriptures, concerning His Son Jesus Christ our Lord, who was born of the seed of David according to the flesh, and declared to be the Son of God with power according to the Spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead.  Through Him we have received grace and apostleship for obedience to the faith among all nations for His name, among whom you also are the called of Jesus Christ;’

Paul was called by God to be set apart for the Gospel of God.  He had to be set apart from worldly things and ways so that he could live in full righteousness and holiness.

In obedience of faith, for the sake of His Name among the nations, include yourselves who are called, to BELONG to Jesus Christ.  Once we live Romans 1:1-6, we come to be His chosen, to reach out to the world around us with His glorious gospel.

Spending time daily in His presence is therefore the most important thing you can do, for here you can hear God, hear His call on your life and directions to walk in.  In a vision, sometime ago, I saw Jesus and He pointed me to the Father.  I took a step in that direction and found myself in a white mist.  I could see nothing, I could hear nothing, but what I felt changed my life forever.

I felt just one tiny touch of the Father’s heart for the nations of the world.  The pain, the love, the sorrow, was so great that I burst into tears.  “I’m sorry”, I repeated over and over.  What else could I do?

I then realised that half the world seems not to want to know Who created them; and many who do often prefer their own chosen life styles rather than to turn to Jesus.  God is heartbroken, watching the devil steal, kill, and destroy so many humans whom He loves so much and yet so few of His own people are going out with the powerful truth of what Jesus did on the cross to save mankind.  Many Christians all over the world are keeping the glorious gospel that Jesus has made available to mankind for themselves only.  They sit comfortably in their houses, when millions are dying in their sin, sickness and problems under the grip of the devil.

Many are called, but so few are prepared to go out with the Gospel to reach out to the lost for Jesus.

At least 15 minutes had passed and I was crying bitterly, still saying, “I’m sorry, I’m sorry”.  Suddenly I knew there was something I could do about it.  Even if I am only a girl, these are no excuses.  “Father God”, I prayed, “I promise You, that from this second on, I will give you every day for the rest of my life to go out to wherever you send me to preach the Gospel anywhere You want me to, to rescue as many as I can, out of the clutches of the Evil One and bring them into Your Kingdom.  I will also speak to as many churches as I can, to warn your people to wake up and do the same, to share your glorious gospel with as many people as possible”.  Suddenly I was following Jesus up a steep hill and I knew the Father had accepted my promise.  My job now is to keep my eyes constantly on Jesus, not looking left or right, but to keep focussed on him, for the path is narrow and steep and there are many boulders in the way.  Yet I know that even if I battle to keep up with Jesus, I will make it, to the top of the hill, for next, Jesus sat down upon a beautiful white rock, shining like marble and I panted up to Him and knelt in the dust. Now knowing I was at His side, I could take my eyes off Him and bow my head down onto the cold white rock.  As I did this, I came out of the vision.  This vision was like a covenant with God Himself and I am doing what I promised.  God Himself has led me into a very exciting ministry, where I see His hand at work in very powerful ways.

This is reality, more real and more important than anything else, for serving God embraces eternity and the eternal destiny of millions of people.  I know that even in the small bicycle ministry I run, that within 10 years, by supplying 100 bicycles, megaphones and Bibles to 100 evangelists a year in Africa, around one million people can be converted and discipled within that time.  I also know that this work will succeed.  I have no doubt, because the Lord Himself is doing it.

God the Source
The first, most necessary, preparation to serving God effectively is to come to know God, to seek His Will and hear His command. The FATHER is the SOURCE of all things and JESUS ALWAYS POINTS TO THE SOURCE.

This is explained in John 5.19:‘Then Jesus answered and said to them, "Most assuredly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, but what He sees the Father do; for whatever He does, the Son also does in like manner.”’

‘DO WHAT YOU SEE THE FATHER DOING’. 
Coming into His presence is the only way we can ever see what the Father is doing.  That is why Jesus spent so much time praying.  He spent 40 days in the wilderness before He started His ministry, and all night before He chose His disciples.  He spent much time drawing aside by Himself to seek His Father. 

Jesus describes it thus in John 5.30:"I can of Myself do nothing.  As I hear, I judge; and My judgment is righteous, because I do not seek My own will but the will of the Father who sent Me.”

Here Jesus clearly heard all that He was to do and did nothing on His own authority.  It is when we do things on our authority that mistakes are made.  When we hear God and obey Him it will always work, for God’s ways can never fail.  Jesus is and was fully God and fully man.  He lived a perfect life on this earth, doing only what the Father told Him to do, and everyone Jesus prayed for was healed and delivered. 

He provides further confirmation in John 12:49:"For I have not spoken on My own authority; but the Father who sent Me gave Me a command, what I should say and what I should speak.”

Every teaching, every parable that Jesus gave us was from the Father and His teaching is perfect.  Now if Jesus, the very Son of God, had to come to the Father to receive every teaching, every parable, how much more should we?  In the book of John alone there are over 9 scriptures where Jesus says that His teachings and works are from the Father.

How dare any of us try and preach on our own authority.  It does not matter how much Bible training we have had, how clever we may be, how entertaining or poetic or how well versed we are in scripture, on our own authority the words will be empty and will effect little or no change upon our listeners.  Yet when we have been in God’s presence and have the commandment from God as to what to say and speak, it does not matter that we may not be eloquent speakers or that we may stammer; for the Holy Spirit will speak through our mouths in power and authority, to reach the hearts of the people before us, to bring about changed lives. 

Even as Paul in 1 Corinthians 2:4-5 says: 'And my speech and my preaching were not with persuasive words of human wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, that your faith should not be in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.’

When God tells you to do something and you obey Him then you will also know.  He will confirm the word He has told you to speak with power and signs following in the demonstration of the Holy Spirit in your midst.

Jesus the Authority

Once we have learnt to come to the Father, who is the source of everything we do for Him, Jesus will give us the authority of His name, the name above all names, the name to which every sickness, every demon, every spirit has to bow.  This victory He won on the cross.  God has now raised Jesus above every dominion, power and authority and above every name that is named.

Sicknesses have names, demons have names, every spirit has a name and all have to bow the knee and obey the powerful name of Jesus.

Luke 10.19 encourages us thus:"Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you.”

The authority of the powerful name of Jesus has been given to us to use, to tread over the enemy, and nothing shall hurt us.

In Nigeria I was invited to speak in a very depressed town, well known for demon activity.  I even felt this heaviness in the church and fought it while waiting to speak.  I was determined to fight it off.  My name was called and I walked to the lectern.  I said my first sentence when suddenly everything went black.  About 5 minutes later I woke up out of unconsciousness on the floor to peer through legs of people pleading the blood of Jesus over me.  It all started to come back and I began to shout at the demon trying to strangle me, louder and louder and on the seventh command it left.

I immediately got up off the floor and gave the sermon more powerfully than I ever had in the past.  The pastors all stood up in excitement at the victory gained over the demonic forces.  They suddenly realised that, in Jesus, we are actually far stronger than the demonic forces that have held back that town for so long.  Now the pastors are taking authority, in Jesus’ name, over every demonic force and the town is now free, and the churches are growing.  I thank the Lord so much for allowing the demon to attack me, for the victory He gave brought us to a new level in Him and made us bold, as NO demon can hurt us if we are in Jesus.

A further encouragement is found in Acts 4.30:"by stretching out Your hand to heal, and that signs and wonders may be done through the name of Your holy Servant Jesus."

When we stretch out our hands to all in the name of Jesus, signs and wonders and healings happen, without even the laying on of hands.  When we preach the simple gospel, signs and wonders will follow as we pray in the mighty name of Jesus.

Often in Africa, when there are three or four hundred sick people, I just tell them to put their own hands on their sickness or pain.  I then pray, “In the name of Jesus: sickness go, in the name of Jesus: pain go, in the name of Jesus: bodies be healed.”  Suddenly squeals and shouts of joy speak of a few hundred receiving their healings right where they are in their seats in Jesus’ name.

All I have done is spoken the word in Jesus’ name and stretched out my hands towards the people, and Jesus has done the rest!  He has healed the people.  Jesus is at work today through hundreds of evangelists who can tell you similar stories.  Jesus is alive and Jesus is doing it!

The Power of the Holy Spirit

Jesus tells his disciples in Acts 1:8: "But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth."

The first and most important reason that the ‘Holy Spirit and power’ is given to us is to enable us to be witnesses for Jesus: first to Jerusalem (that is the local city where we live), then to Judea (that is to the villages and towns nearby), and to Samaria (reaching further afield from our area) and then to the ends of the earth.  We should all be witnesses for Jesus with the gifts He has given to us, to reach out to the lost, to bring them out of the clutches of evil into the Kingdom of God.

My job for thirty-five years was to teach horse riding.  People ride horses for different reasons, pleasure, company, competition, freedom etc.  Horse riders are often a people group searching for something.  Horses are the key to this people group.  We found a way to reach them for Jesus, through horses, one at a time.  This was my Jerusalem experience, leading many to Jesus through my job as a riding teacher.  I then wrote ‘The Biblical Approach to Riding’ and have been training riding instructors in this approach in England, the USA and certain countries in Europe, right up to now.  This approach to horsemanship has also been shown on national TV in England.

Romans 15:13 gives encouragement to all who trust in Jesus: 'Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

The Holy Spirit is also given to us to fill us with His love, joy and peace in believing that, by the power of the Holy Spirit, we may abound in hope. God’s love, joy and peace fills our hearts, but we must not just seek the Lord for these feelings and keep them for ourselves.  We need to go out and do God’s work, in whatever area He has gifted us in, as soldiers ready to go out in total obedience to whatever or wherever He is directing us.

This takes obedience, for sometimes we may not want to go to where God wants us to go, to where the need is.  Extreme heat and humidity is what I struggle with.  I don’t mind where I sleep or what I eat, but I don’t like humidity, especially where there are no fans or running water for relief.  However, I still have to go, and will go.  When God heals the sick, it all becomes worthwhile.

John 16:13-15 gives further guidance from Jesus:

"However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come.  He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you.  All things that the Father has are Mine. Therefore I said that He will take of Mine and declare it to you.”

When you go out in the name of Jesus, know that the Holy Spirit goes with you.  He will declare to you all truth, for even He does not speak on His own authority but whatever He hears from the Father.  He will take the things of Jesus and declare them to you, even things that are to come.  We have everything we ever need to do God’s work because JESUS IS EVERYTHING WE EVER NEED!  THEREFORE WE SHALL SUCCEED FOR JESUS COMES WITH US IN THE PERSON OF THE HOLY SPIRIT.

Romans 15:19:‘…in mighty signs and wonders, by the power of the Spirit of God.’

We need to go in the power of the Holy Spirit and in the name of Jesus to save, heal and deliver, and God's miracle power becomes reality.
We need to go to:

• The Father who is our source
• Jesus who gives us the authority of His Name
• The Holy Spirit who equips us with power

Some Questions to Think About
Why does Jesus point us to the Father?
What does the authority of Jesus’ name accomplish?
Name three things that the power of the Holy Spirit does.
If you are equipped by the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, what will you be able to do for God?

Lesson 9

THE SPIRITUAL REALM AND THE HOLY SPIRIT

In Uganda I experienced the power of God in a new way when I saw, with my own eyes, the Holy Spirit moving in healing power.  300 people were healed within 2 minutes.

What had I seen the Lord do that day?

I hid my face in my arms as I suddenly saw the spirit realm far more real than the material realm.  I saw that sicknesses and healings were controlled more from the spirit realm than the material earthly realm.  I realized sickness was sent from the spiritual realm of evil and healing was sent, via the spiritual realm, through Jesus by His victory that He gained by dying on the Cross and rising in total and complete victory over every sin, sickness and demonic power in the spirit realm.

This experience made me realize that everything in the material earthly realm has a life span.  This life span is controlled by time.  Everything on earth is temporary - wood rots, steel rusts, fabrics decay, even our bodies have to die, just like those of all the animals, fish, plants and insects.  Everything on earth is controlled by a time span.  The earth rotates on its axis, revolving around the sun, giving days, months and years.  This gives us day and night.  Day and night give us our time span. 

The Lord lives outside the span of time.  To Him a thousand years are but a day.  He lives in the spiritual realm outside the span of time.

When a person prays, he reaches above the time controlled limits of his own earthly realm into the eternal, spiritual, supernatural realm of God’s Holy and Heavenly presence.  In God’s presence we find His peace, joy, and the covering of His great love for us.

Ephesians 1:3 says:‘Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places.’ (NRSV)

This is talking about spiritual blessings in the heavenly places, not physical blessings in the earthly places where we are living.  Without Christ, Man seeks the physical pleasures in the earthly realm, but in Christ through prayer we can be blessed with much higher spiritual blessings in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus.

Job 32: 7-8:‘I said let days speak and many years teach wisdom, but it is the spirit in a man, the breath of the Almighty that makes him understand.’  (NRSV)

The earthly physical realm is likened to a smaller racing wheel of time.  The heavenly realm is likened to a large slow moving wheel of the universe.

In prayer it is possible to rise up above the racing wheel of one’s own life and enter the still, quiet, timeless realm of God’s Heavenly presence.  Here you can hear the Lord speak to you.  Here He will teach you to walk in the Spirit, to be led by His Spirit while on earth.

I had to go to Pakistan during a difficult time, but because the Lord spoke to me and led me by His Spirit, I was able to go.  At the airport He said to me, “I have called you and I will not forsake you.”  This word gave me the courage to go. 

Zechariah 4: 6:‘Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, says the LORD of hosts.’ (NRSV)

Romans 8: 2-6 explains this more: ‘For the Law of the spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set me free from the law of sin and death.’

So we have free choice to choose how we should live and the fruits of our decision will show in our lives.

Always check the fruits of any organization or system before getting involved in it.  The fruits will show what lies behind it, good or evil.

The chart will help to distinguish between the fruits of the Holy Spirit and those of evil.  You will see these fruits influencing our lives on earth.  All the above are fruits of the Spirit, below are the fruits of evil.  Either, the fruits of the Holy Spirit or the fruits of evil, will show through a person's life, depending on the way they have chosen to live.

What is within us will show through our lives.  If evil is within, a negative fruit of anger, hate, envy, or pride may show forth through our physical lives.  If the Holy Spirit is within, then peace, joy, and love will show through our lives.  Negative fruits showing through our lives can lead to sickness or other bondages, whereas the fruits of the Holy Spirit can lead to health, freedom, joy and peace.

The gifts of the Holy Spirit are also given from the spiritual realm as God has made them available to us. There are nine gifts:

3 vocal gifts                  – tongues, interpretation of tongues and prophecy

3 wisdom gifts              – knowledge, discernment of spirits, wisdom

3 practical gifts             – faith, healing and working of miracles

None of these gifts are of the earthly realm, they are all spiritual gifts of the Holy Spirit operating from the heavenly spiritual realm, but affecting the physical realm.

Jesus had authority and power over the natural realm by walking on water, calming the storm, turning water into wine and feeding 5000 people with 5 loaves and 2 fishes. He worked miracles over creation. He also cast out demons and healed the sick.  He raised the dead.  Jesus also had knowledge, discernment of spirits and great wisdom.

Once Jesus ascended into Heaven He poured out His Holy Spirit upon those in the Upper Room on the Day of Pentecost, and from that time on the disciples moved in the gifts of the Holy Spirit, which were given to them to reach the world.

Down through the ages many great men of God have also moved in all the gifts of the Holy Spirit and these same gifts are available for us today.

It is up to us.  We can stay in the earthly realm within the laws of nature.  Or we can rise up in prayer to where Jesus is seated at the right hand of the Father, above all rule and authority and above every name that is named.  In His name you can live above the laws of nature in the higher realm of the supernatural in Christ Jesus.

We were driving through the bush veldt of Northern Ghana at night.  I was watching out for any wild animals from the bus when suddenly I saw something horrendous.  As tall as a tree, swirling red dust was moving slowly, and a dreadful sense of evil came from it.  I began to pray in tongues.  It was a figure with the arms outstretched, but it was the folds of dust moving at walking pace that scared me, as it was impossible for dust to move like that naturally.  “Look at that!” I said to Rev. David Botchway beside me.  “Oh that, that is a dust demon, a fallen angel.  The locals call them gods and often consult them on various matters.  You must not walk in such lonely dark forests at night.  They can attack you.”   “But I have never seen or heard of such a thing!” I spluttered.  “The fallen angels seek out the dark and lonely places,” he replied. “They are not often seen.”

Fallen angels,’ I thought, ‘as big as the trees, about 15 feet tall.  Angels of God are also that big, but I’ve never seen an angel of God, yet I’ve just seen this!!’

Fallen angels!?  Thrown out of heaven for their sin!?  Fallen Man!  All because Adam and Eve traded the lovely pre-Fall world and ourselves in exchange for the Knowledge of Good and Evil.  Through this we are fallen men and women, just like that fallen angel, walking through the swirling red dust, still alive, fallen from God’s grace and heavenly beauty to now walk in darkness and filth, loneliness and rejection.  Then I saw more clearly the power of the Cross and what Jesus has done for us to save us from eternal darkness and give us a second chance for eternal life with Him.

We have to preach this Gospel.  We must not deprive people of eternal life through our own laziness, lack of commitment, or lack of caring.  We can help in some way to spread this Gospel if not by going ourselves, or we can support those who do go.

I challenge you seriously.  We all have to stand before God one day.  What have we done about the last thing Jesus told us to do before He ascended into Heaven?  It is up to us if we don’t go or help others to go.  No one else will.

Matthew 28: 18-20:‘And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.  Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age."  Amen.’

Mark 16: 15-18:‘And He said to them, "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.  He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned.  And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues; they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover."’

Luke 24: 44-49:‘Then He said to them, "These are the words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all things must be fulfilled which were written in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms concerning Me."  And He opened their understanding, that they might comprehend the Scriptures.  Then He said to them, "Thus it is written, and thus it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead the third day, and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.  And you are witnesses of these things.  Behold, I send the Promise of My Father upon you; but tarry in the city of Jerusalem until you are endued with power from on high."’

Serving the Lord does cost, but Jesus went all the way to the Cross for us.  I know that I have to do my utmost for Him, for this is the reality of life.

Let us wake up the churches to reality and do what Christ has commanded us to do.  Each one of us is called, each one of us has our special part in it, no matter how big or how small, God does not judge by size, but by the heart.  Nor does it matter where the area of service is.  It can be right on the very street or area where we live, for not all of us are able to go to the ends of the earth.

There are still many places in this world not yet reached with the Gospel and these are the rural villages in isolated areas and to this mission I have pledged myself to God for the rest of my life.

Some Questions to Think About
What is the difference between the worldly realm and spiritual realm?
How does the spiritual realm affect the worldly realm?
Why are the gifts of the Holy Spirit so important?
Why is obeying the commandment to 'go, make disciples of all nations' so important?

Lesson 10

THE BLESSINGS OF OBEDIENCE

We all struggle with distress, problems or difficulties in life. 

Deuteronomy 4:30 says:"When you are in distress, and all these things come upon you in the latter days, then you turn to the LORD your God and obey His voice… ” 

What brings us into distress?  The disobedience of man, when men disobey the Word of God and go their own way.  Just as Adam and Eve disobeyed God and brought the world into sin and judgement, so too shall disobedience bring distress and difficulties into the world and God will allow it. 

Romans 5:19 tells us:‘For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so also by one Man's obedience many will be made righteous.’

Obedience has great consequences; disobedience leads to sin and death.  Obedience leads to righteousness and life.  We all need to learn obedience, even as Jesus. 

Hebrews 5: 8 – 9:‘though He was a Son, yet He learned obedience by the things which He suffered.   And having been perfected, He became the author of eternal salvation to all who obey Him,..’

Jesus’ obedience to the Father has given us salvation and eternal life.

Philippians 2:8: ‘And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.’

Hebrews 5:9: ‘And having been perfected, He became the author of eternal salvation to all who obey Him.’

Jesus was perfectly obedient to the Father.  His obedience has secured our victory in Him when we become obedient to Him.  We must be obedient to the Father, even as Jesus was. He never did anything, except what the Father told Him.  In John alone 11 times it speaks of Jesus only doing what the Father commanded.  How much more should we?  These following passages from John show Jesus’ relationship with God in prayer.

In John 3:27 John the Baptist said:

 … “A man can receive nothing unless it has been given to him from heaven.”

John 5:19:‘Then Jesus answered and said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, but what He sees the Father do, for whatever He does, the Son does in like manner.”’

John 5:30:“I can of Myself do nothing.  As I hear, I judge; and My judgment is righteous, because I do not seek My own will but the will of the Father who sent Me.”

John 7:16-18:‘Jesus answered them and said, "My doctrine is not Mine, but His who sent Me. If anyone wants to do His will, he shall know concerning the doctrine, whether it is from God or whether I speak on My own authority.  He who speaks from himself seeks his own glory; but He who seeks the glory of the One who sent Him is true, and no unrighteousness is in Him.”’

John 8:16:“And yet if I do judge, My judgment is true; for I am not alone, but I am with the Father who sent Me.”

John 8:28-29:‘Then Jesus said to them, "When you lift up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am He, and that I do nothing of Myself; but as My Father taught Me, I speak these things.  And He who sent Me is with Me.  The Father has not left Me alone, for I always do those things that please Him."’

John 8:38:"I speak what I have seen with My Father, and you do what you have seen with your father."

John 12:49-50:"For I have not spoken on My own authority; but the Father who sent Me gave Me a command, what I should say and what I should speak.  And I know that His command is everlasting life.  Therefore, whatever I speak, just as the Father has told Me, so I speak."

John 14:10:"Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me? The words that I speak to you I do not speak on My own authority; but the Father who dwells in Me does the works.”

John 14:26:"But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you.”

John 16:13-15:"However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come.  He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you.  All things that the Father has are Mine.  Therefore I said that He will take of Mine and declare it to you.”

Jesus had the Father in Him, we have the Holy Spirit in us.  And we should seek to become more obedient even in the smaller things and grow in obedience until we reach the finer levels of obedience.  One day in London, I walked past a beggar sitting with his little brown dog near Victoria Station.  Suddenly the Lord told me to go back and witness to him.  I had every excuse why I did not want to do so.  But when I did go back and witness to him in obedience, he accepted Jesus as his Lord and Saviour.  I thank the Lord that I obeyed.

There is a depth in God, an obedience in God, that brings absolute victory but to this end we need to pray earnestly.  We face problems in different forms daily.  Sometimes we meet with overwhelming forces of darkness, or hurt, or even death.  When someone dies and we don't know why, we feel helpless and on our own we are helpless.

But there is someone who has overcome every problem, every sickness and has even overcome death itself and this is Jesus.  Jesus knew the Father at such depth that He was able to overcome death itself. 

There is a glimpse of light. In the physical realm I competed in show jumping.  But to face the challenging show jumping course, one has to know one's horse.  You have to build up a relationship of trust and obedience from your horse through many hours of patient schooling.  It is a practising with your horse at home that determines your success in the show jumping arena.  It is the same with God.  We have to come to know God in prayer, and to learn to hear him like Jesus did, to the refined levels.  We can then step out in total obedience that leads to victory.  Yet some of the challenges of life are very, very hard, but the harder the challenge, the greater our dependence on God must be.  In Him alone is victory over every form of darkness the devil can produce.  God alone has the victory and this victory we need to find in Him.

So how do we find this victory in God?  Through coming to Him seriously in prayer, meeting with Him, talking to Him, listening to Him.  We need to make this connection with our spirit, heart and soul.  This means determined prayer, not giving up until we have met with God and He with us. You know it when you have met with the living God and made this glorious connection that enables His light to penetrate your innermost being, His truth that enlightens your mind, His supernatural strength that comes into your very body, His victory that brings a result.  For this is all about Him, finding out what He wants and finding His will for you.  In seeking His will, you find the victory of your life.  This is success, for your victory is in His love as He sets you free to move forth in His love.

What was the result of Jesus’ obedience?

Luke 8:25:‘But He said to them, "Where is your faith?"  And they were afraid, and marvelled, saying to one another, "Who can this be? For He commands even the winds and water, and they obey Him!"’

Mark 1:27:‘Then they were all amazed, so that they questioned among themselves, saying, "What is this? What new doctrine is this? For with authority He commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey Him."’

Jeremiah 26:13:"Now therefore, amend your ways and your doings, and obey the voice of the LORD your God; then the LORD will relent concerning the doom that He has pronounced against you.”

Disobedience leads to disaster, but obedience leads to forgiveness and new life.  God delights in obedience, God wants to bless. 

1 Samuel 15:22:‘Then Samuel said: "Has the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the LORD?  Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed than the fat of rams.”’

The apostles say the same in Acts 5:29:
‘Peter and the other apostles replied: " We must obey God rather than men!”’

So what must we do, to now obey God?

1 John 5:2 & 4:‘By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and keep His commandments….For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world--our faith.’

Obedience to God gives us His victory that overcomes the world, the Devil and all evil. 

2 Corinthians 10:5 – 6:‘casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ, and being ready to punish all disobedience when your obedience is fulfilled.’

We need to be obedient even at the thought level and not allow any form of disobedience enter our minds, for all disobedience is from the devil, whether spoken or argued by man or secretly entering in.  We have the power of the Holy Spirit available to us, to throw out every negative thought and thus stay clean. 

2 Corinthians 2:8 – 9:‘Therefore I urge you to reaffirm your love to him.   For to this end I also wrote, that I might put you to the test, whether you are obedient in all things.’

Love God, for if we love God we will be obedient to Him.  We will be tested, but if we truly love God we will be able to resist disobedience and obey God. 

1 Peter 1:22:‘Since you have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit in sincere love of the brethren, love one another fervently with a pure heart.

’If we love God, God will fill us with His love and also give us love for others.  If we love others with God’s love it will be natural for us to obey every commandment and so give us a pure heart. 

Romans 6:17:‘But God be thanked that though you were slaves of sin, yet you obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine to which you were delivered.’ 

What will be the results of obedience?

What were the results of the Apostles’ obedience?

Acts 6:7:'Then the word of God spread, and the number of the disciples multiplied greatly in Jerusalem, and a great many of the priests were obedient to the faith.’

What will be the result for us?
Romans 1:5–6:‘Through Him we have received grace and apostleship for obedience to the faith among all nations for His name, among whom you also are the called of Jesus Christ.’

The victory in obedience is ours.  When we are obedient we are guaranteed to be walking in God’s way.  Abraham was blessed through his obedience.  God promised Abraham in Genesis 22:18:"In your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed, because you have obeyed My voice."

We need to obey by first listening to God.  We have to spend time in His presence listening to His Voice and then obeying Him.  Ask Him daily and He will tell you what to do.

Daniel 7:27:‘Then the kingdom and dominion, and the greatness of the kingdoms under the whole heaven, shall be given to the people, the saints of the Most High.  His kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey Him.’

This prophecy is for those of us who obey God.  When we obey the voice of God we know His Will will be done.  We are merely men, we have no power of ourselves, but when we obey our most High God, His power, His authority works through our being and miracles and healings are performed in the mighty name of Jesus.

1 Peter 2:9:
'But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvellous light.’

Once when going to Malawi there was a problem with receiving e-mails.  We had already paid our tickets so I got on the plane with nothing properly planned and absolutely no way of getting hold of the pastors I was supposed to work with.  I only knew that one pastor lived in a village I know, so I headed there the next day.  This pastor had not even received my letter but he was so happy to see us that, within two hours, we were preaching to a full church. 

We had just finished the service when there was a knock on the door.  It was the Mozambique Pastor whom the Holy Spirit had led straight to the door.  He needed money to set up the crusade the following week and all was arranged.

Next day, we headed for the crusade at Oxford Bible Church, not even knowing in which village it was situated!  We headed off in the direction I felt led to, and about three hours later I felt led to slow down as we went through a very small village.  Suddenly a bike overtook us and stopped us.  They said, “You have just gone past the meeting place where they arranged to meet you by e-mail.”  This e-mail had never arrived, yet we were on time and followed them down a narrow track to ‘Oxford Bible Church’!!

The whole trip went so well because it was planned by God and not by us. 

Some Things to Think About
Romans 5:19 – explain this verse.
What was the result of Jesus’ obedience?
What must we do to obey God?What are the results of obedience?

Lesson 11

HOW TO RECEIVE AND FLOW IN THE ANOINTING

It took the pains of childbirth for a person to be born into this world.  It took the pains of Jesus suffering on the cross for a person to be reborn into eternal life.  You have no choice to be born in the physical, but you do have the choice to born spiritually and this causes a change in your life and for the God of Heaven to become your Father.

As you need a heart in order to breath in the physical realm, you also need the Holy Spirit to breath in the eternal realm.  Breathing brings life into your body and without breathing you die.  The Holy Spirit brings eternal life into your spirit and without the Holy Spirit, you are spiritually dead. 

From the moment a child breaths, he will grow up into the natural realm in the world.  Likewise from the moment a person is born of the Holy Spirit, he or she can grow up into Christ in the supernatural heavenly realm of the universe. 

Now, as any person has within him or her natural gifts to develop and use in life, so too we are given supernatural gifts to grow into and use in the spiritual realm.  In the natural realm we need training to develop our gifts, which may become our life work.  So too with the supernatural, we need much time in the presence of God daily to develop our spiritual gifts.  When we do this, then we receive our anointing from God for the specific task that He has prepared for us.

Finding this anointing and calling from God is the essence of life and brings to us our complete fulfilment, as we have found the very thing that God has created us for, and to become.

Let us go a little deeper and see what the scripture says.  After Adam and Eve had sinned, God spoke: ‘To the woman He said, “I will greatly multiply your sorrow and your conception.  In pain you shall bring forth children,…” ’ (Genesis 3:16)

It is amazing that the same number chapter and verse (3:16) appears in John’s Gospel to show the pain and suffering Jesus went through to enable us to be reborn to eternal life
‘For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.’

Genesis 3:16 shows us how, in choosing the Knowledge of Good and Evil, Adam and Eve brought pain into the world.  And John 3:16 shows us Jesus enduring pain on the cross to deliver us from the dominion of evil.

In the dictionary, pain means bodily or mental suffering, and suffer means to be subjected to pain by choice or for a reason.  Jesus suffered pain for us.

'But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels, for the suffering of death crowned with glory and honour, that He, by the grace of God, might taste death for everyone.’ (Hebrews 2:9)

What does this mean for us?
‘For to this you were called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that you should follow in His steps.’ (1 Peter 2:21)

We are called to follow in Christ’s footsteps.
‘Therefore, since Christ suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves also with the same mind, for he who has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin, that he no longer should live the rest of his time in the flesh for the lusts of men, but for the will of God.’  (1 Peter 4:1-2)

We are called to think like Christ and to die to our human passions.
‘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 we were healed.’ (1 Peter 2:24)

We are called to die to sin, to die to the old man, to die to the desires of the flesh, to our wants, to the world in spirit, soul and body and then take up our cross and follow Him, as also in Matthew 10:38:
‘And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me’

Mark 8:34-36:
‘When He had called the people to Himself, with His disciples also, He said to them, “Whoever desires to come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross and follow me.  For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel’s will save it.  For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?” ’

In Luke 14:26-27 Jesus says that we should so love God that our love for Mum and Dad and brother and sister should seem like hatred compared with the love we have for the God who gave those loved ones to us.  It is a measure of relative disregard, not an excuse to break the fifth of the Ten Commandments to honour your father and mother etc:“‘If anyone come to Me and does not hate his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and his own life also, he cannot be My disciple.  And whoever does not bear his cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple.”

 John 19:17:
‘And He, bearing his cross, went out to a place called The Place of a Skull, which is called in Hebrew Golgotha.’

Jesus went all the way for us.  Should we not then be prepared to go full out for Him for the rest of our lives?  If Jesus only went half way for us, then salvation would not have been possible.  But the result is that Jesus rose from the dead and this result is the same for us as well.

Romans 6:8-11:
‘Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him; knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, dies no more.  Death no longer has dominion over Him.  For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all, but the life that He lives, He lives for God.  Likewise you also, reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord.’

When we have taken that step to die to self, to die to the world, to die to everything we hold dear, to take up your cross and follow Christ, something wonderful happens.  BY PUTTING GOD FIRST, YOU NO LONGER LIMIT HIM.  The Lord cannot work through the flesh that wants to do its own thing.  He cannot work through people who put other things before Him.  He cannot work through a sinful nature.  All these things limit Him.

God can only work through a person who has died to these things and is surrendered to Him in willing obedience.  This person will not limit God but be an open channel for God to work through in power.  ON THIS PERSON THE ANOINTING OF GOD WILL DWELL.

But someone asked, ‘If these are all free gifts from God, how can you now earn or deserve them?’  But consider a Learjet; it would be useless as a free gift to you unless you learnt how to fly it, obeyed the rules of physics etc  Our Bible is our instruction manual for the anointing which the Lord has given to us.  And you have to put fuel into the fuel tank.  Then you have to have faith for the jet to take off into the air.  So with the anointing, you have to put much prayer in, if you want to take off in the Holy Spirit and fly in the anointing.  Yes, we are given free gifts but it takes faith and action to move in them, for God’s power is only released as we walk in Him in obedience and faith, having first drenched our task ahead in prayer.  Then we will see results, for the anointing God gives to us is far more valuable than a Lear Jet

What will the results be?

1.  We can become an instrument of God to the nations.  Let’s see what God says to Cyrus:

“Thus says the Lord to His anointed, to Cyrus, whose right hand I have held – to subdue nations before him and loose the armour of kings.  To open before the double doors, so that the gates will not be shut.  I will go before you and make the crooked places straight.  I will break in pieces the gates of bronze and cut the bars of iron.” (Isaiah 45:1-2)

When we receive the anointing of God and obey Him, God can do anything He wants through us.  We will suddenly see success in all He tells us to do and He will do more through us than we can think or imagine.  I am speaking to you, not just from the Bible but also from my own experience.  I was just a children’s riding teacher for thirty five years, yet when I died to self to follow Jesus wholeheartedly, doors began to open and the next thing I knew, I found myself becoming an international evangelist, writing books, going on television and people were wanting to hear me preach.  Now, let me tell you, I cannot preach, but I do hear God so I simply speak what He gives me to say!  It is His words that bring results; it is His words that people want to hear!

2.   We see other results of the anointing in 1 John 2:27:
‘But the anointing which you have received from Him abides in you, and you do not need that anyone teach you, but as the same anointing teaches you concerning all things, and is true, and is not a lie, and just as it has taught you, you will abide in Him.’

The anointing of the Holy Spirit teaches us everything we need to say.  I have been to Bible College and received much good teaching but, in comparison with that, I have to say that what I have received from God in prayer is of another dimension, a dimension which brings results far beyond my own ability!  When whole churches respond to the message, I too bow down with them to receive from our wonderful, almighty God, for the words I preach are not my own but those which He has commanded me to say.  It is His words that bring such results; they are not my words.

3.       1 John 2:20: 
‘But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and you know all things.’

When the Lord teaches us, He also gives us understanding.  He opens our minds to His knowledge.  He enables us to communicate His truths in a way that people can understand easily.  We do not need to get any teaching second hand, we only need to come to Christ to let Him show us what to say.

4.  Psalm 105:15:
“Touch not my anointed ones, do my prophets no harm.”
The Lord also protects us from the enemy.

5. 2 Corinthians 1:21-22:
‘Now He who establishes us with you in Christ and has anointed us is God, Who also has sealed us and given us the Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee.’

We can step out in faith, trusting fully in Christ alone.

6. Matthew 11:30:
‘For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.’

This comes into effect as we totally trust Him and have His abiding peace within, for then God’s work gets done without much effort from ourselves.  We obey what God tells us to do and He simply does the rest.  He does what we cannot do.  He moves in power and authority.  He moves in the supernatural when healings and miracles simply happen.  Suddenly we are moving in this higher realm in Him, trusting in Him alone. 

 Do you want to move in this realm?  Are you prepared to die to self in order that God can use you?  Let us pray:

Dear Lord, I come to you, search my heart.  Forgive me when I have gone wrong.  Highlight in me the areas where I must die to self.  I choose to die to self that You may live in me and anoint me to do your work here on earth.  I yield myself to you right now.  Thank you Jesus.  Amen

Now carry on praying and Jesus Himself will minister to you. 

 Some Questions to Think About
1. How did pain come into the world and what did Jesus do about it?
2. Explain how to be born into eternal life.
3. Why must we die to self?
4. What does the anointing enable us to do?

Stepping Out in Faith

‘The apostles said to the Lord, "Increase our faith!"  He replied, "If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, 'Be uprooted and planted in the sea,' and it will obey you.”’(Luke 17:5-6)

How many of us ask the Lord the same “Please increase our faith”?  I say it before every meeting I speak at.  Just because I have seen the Lord heal many people does not mean that I have much faith.  I still need more faith.  I still have to ask the Lord to ‘increase my faith’.

The Bible speaks of three types of faith.

1.         Our faith in Jesus – confessing our sins and receiving Jesus into our lives as Lord and Saviour, to then live our life of faith in Jesus Christ as Lord.

2.         Faith in action or ‘Stepping out in faith’ – to trust God to do the things He has promised us, as we preach the Gospel, heal the sick, cast out demons and deliver the oppressed.  This is the area of faith I ask the Lord for, to increase my faith in the sense meant in Hebrews 11:1-3:

‘Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.  For by it the elders obtained a good testimony.  By faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that the things which are seen were not made of things which are visible.’

This is a tremendous statement, for it shows us that the word of God is more stable, more concrete, more real than that which is visible, than that of the material realm in which we live.  In the material realm we cannot see it.  We need to understand this from a higher, spiritual, supernatural realm.  After all, 2 Corinthians 5-7 says:

‘We live by faith, not by sight.’

Faith is greater than what we see.  It is knowing God’s answer before we see it.  It is walking in His victory before it arrives.  We walk in faith knowing God will do it, not hoping He might do it but having heard the answer in prayer, we will then know beyond all doubt that He will do it as we obey Him.  We will see this answer unfold before our eyes.

So how do we get faith?

A.         We need to know we have received Jesus as Lord by faith with our hearts.

‘For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God..’ (Ephesians 2:8)

B.         Paul’s prayer for the Ephesians was:

‘…that out of His glorious riches Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height-- to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.’ (Ephesians 3:17-19)

How can Jesus dwell in our hearts, that we be grounded in love and receive strength to comprehend His great love and become filled with all the fullness of God?  Simply by getting to know God in prayer.  The more we wait on God, the more His Holy Spirit will give us the revelation of His love and increasingly fill us with His glorious love and presence until, like Paul, we can say (which is the next stage):

C.         ‘I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.’ (Galatians 2:20) 

His love, that took Him to the cross to die in our place, builds us up and raises us up with Him into a new dimension of living.  His love then opens our eyes to His reality and victory and the knowledge of His will for us.  This enables us to trust God in a new way.

D.         Romans 5:1-2:

‘Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.’

Prayer becomes more and more wonderful as we get to know God more and more.  We have access right into His presence and grace.

Above all, consider Romans 10:17:

‘So then faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God.’

E.         Let us consider Colossians 2:6-7:

‘As you have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith, as you have been taught, abounding in it with thanksgiving.’

This is not just talking about having faith in God, but being rooted and established in our faith in God; our faith in the sense of living out our faith every day of our lives in every way, in the practical as well as the supernatural.

F.         No study would be complete without a mentions of James 2:14-17:

‘What does it profit, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but does not have works?  Can faith save him?  If a brother or sister is naked and destitute of daily food. and one of you says to them, “Depart in peace, be warmed and filled”, but you do not give them the things that are needed for the body, what does it profit?  Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.’

This is talking about practical faith.  We need practical faith then we can move by our obedience into supernatural faith.

G.         Another key verse is Ephesians 6:16:

‘above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one.’

James 1:2-4:

‘My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience.  But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.’

We need to face the trials of life with the positive faith God gives to us, steadfast and strong so that the problems of life no longer press us down but rather so that we use them as stepping stones into ever more victory, steadfastness and triumph in Christ, so as to:

‘Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, to which you were also called and have confessed the good confession in the presence of many witnesses.’ (1 Timothy 6:12)

Hebrews 12:1-2:

‘Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.’

H.

Let us reconsider Luke 17:5-6 where the apostles asked ‘Lord increase our faith’:

‘And the apostles said to the Lord, "Increase our faith." So the Lord said, "If you have faith as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, 'Be pulled up by the roots and be planted in the sea,' and it would obey you.”’

What is Jesus actually saying?  He is talking about the smallest of seeds, that of a mustard seed that grows into a giant tree.  Could He be implying that our faith will grow from a small mustard seed into a giant tree?  As I look back on the twenty five years where I have kept a diary of God’s working in my own life, I see this to be true, which is why I have included the testimony of His workings in my life in the last chapters of this book.  We have to move in the smaller steps of faith before we move in the bigger steps of faith.

3          The Gift of Faith.  A special supernatural gift of faith can come as God gives you a rhema word, that is, a specific instruction to do something for Him.  I had this experience in Kenya when I knew I would have to pray for a man dying of AIDS.  He was so sick that he could not sit up anymore and had to lie on the children’s mat in the front of the church.  I asked the Lord ‘What about this man dying of AIDS?’  ‘I am going to heal him’ was the reply.  ‘How?’ In the Spirit I then saw myself pulling him to his feet.  I would never normally do that, but just then I was called forward to pray for this man.  As I rose from the church pew, I could feel supernatural faith surge within me.  I walked straight up to the man and took hold of his hand and, pulling him to his feet, said ‘Rise up and walk in Jesus’ name’. By the time he was on his feet he was healed!  This rhema word and extra gift of faith was for this particular situation and, as a result of this man’s healing, a further 100 people accepted Jesus as Lord.  Within a few weeks, this man was back to work with a clear ‘HIV negative’ certificate from the doctors.

This supernatural gift of faith operates for specific tasks that the Lord has for you, often for the bigger miracle healings.  When I hear God say, ‘I will heal this person’, I tell them so; I tell them, ‘Within a few minutes you will be walking’.  In Ghana I told a lady with paralysed knees from arthritis, ‘Within a few minutes you will be healed’ and, within a few minutes, she was able to walk up and down steps – on our website www.standlakeranch.co.uk there actually is a video of this.  On the next day we visited her again and she came to meet us so excited about her healing.  On another occasion, in Nigeria, a lady paralysed down one side of the body from a stroke, for 22 years and unable to speak, was healed in 2½ minutes, speaking out in Jesus’ name and walking.

To move in the gift of faith, you need first to hear God, believe God and obey God.  As you obey God, you will see the miracle unfold.

Let me challenge you by asking, ‘Do you want to step out in supernatural faith?’

After all, Jesus challenges his disciples in Matthew 8:26:

‘But He said to them, "Why are you fearful, O you of little faith?"  Then He arose and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm.’

Mark 11:22-24:

‘So Jesus answered and said to them, "Have faith in God.  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 be done, he will have whatever he says.  Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them.”’

This is yet more counsel from Jesus then to HAVE FAITH IN GOD and BELIEVE THAT YOU HAVE RECEIVED IT, AND IT WILL BE YOURS.

On my 2005 trip to Kenya, we visited Kissi, up in the hills, for an outdoor crusade when suddenly rain clouds began to come and the elders came in and said that it was going to rain and spoil the crusade. And I said, ‘If God wants the crusade, He can stop the rain.’  So we all prayed.  Suddenly others came rushing in to the room saying they had just seen the cloud turn around!  And yet it was not windy.  We had a wonderful crusade in sunlight even though it was raining everywhere else.  Through this, the whole village became Christians.  And the churches united in evangelism to tell the neighbouring villages that Jesus is truly Lord.

Also for us to keep in mind is 1Corinthians 2:4-5:

‘And my speech and my preaching were not with persuasive words of human wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, THAT YOUR FAITH SHOULD NOT BE IN THE WISDOM OF MEN BUT IN THE POWER OF GOD.’

Some Questions to Think About

What do the ‘increase our faith’ verses of Luke 17 v 5-6 mean to you?

Describe the word ‘faith’.

Name the three types of faith.

Where can you step out in faith?