Tag Archives: wealth

A Deep Relationship Without Guarantees?

Picture this: you’re diving headfirst into the depths of a relationship, pouring out your soul, investing time and trust, only to be told there’s no promise of anything good coming your way—no security, no tangible benefits, just an endless plunge into emotional waters with no shore in sight. Sounds like a recipe for heartbreak, doesn’t it? Yet, that’s precisely the distorted portrait Dane C. Ortlund paints in his book “In the Lord I Take Refuge.” He takes the raw, promise-packed Psalms and spiritualizes them into a misty refuge of inner comfort, stripping away the concrete guarantees of healing, prosperity, and deliverance that God Himself embeds in His Word. Ortlund prioritizes a “deep” relational intimacy with God while sidelining the very assurances that make such depth meaningful. It’s like inviting someone to a feast and serving only air—satisfying in theory, but starving in reality.

I have picked Ortlund as a typical example, and not because he is somehow worse than the average faithless or traditionalist.

This approach isn’t just a mild misreading; it’s a slap in the face to the Almighty. Human relationships, even flawed ones, come with built-in guarantees. My bond with my parents wasn’t some ethereal vibe; it carried the weight of promised help, unwavering love, and practical support through thick and thin. With my identical twin brother, Joshua, our connection was laced with absolute commitments—we had each other’s backs, no questions asked. Marriages thrive on vows that spell out fidelity, care, and mutual upliftment. If earthly ties demand such reliability, how much more should our covenant with the Creator? The Psalms don’t whisper vague spiritual consolations; they roar with divine pledges that encompass the whole person—body, soul, and circumstances. To suggest otherwise is to demote God below the level of faithful pagans, turning His fatherly embrace into Satanic emotional abuse. The God the faith-fumblers portray, confuse God and Satan, as if it is difficult to separate the two.

Turn to the Scriptures, as we must, and let them interpret themselves with unflinching logic and context. Psalm 91 doesn’t mince words about the guarantees flowing from dwelling in God’s shelter. “Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty,” it declares, setting the stage for a relationship rooted in trust. But it doesn’t stop at inner peace; it unfolds into ironclad protections: “Surely he will save you from the fowler’s snare and from the deadly pestilence… No harm will overtake you, no disaster will come near your tent… With long life I will satisfy him and show him my salvation” (Psalm 91:1, 3, 10, 16, NIV). Here, the relational depth—acknowledging God’s name and loving Him—triggers tangible outcomes: rescue from plagues, angelic guardianship, victory over threats like lions and serpents. This isn’t spiritual fluff; it’s God committing to override physical dangers for those who call on Him. Faith-fumblers might frame this as mere emotional steadiness amid trials, but the text demands more—it’s a blueprint for faith that expects and receives real-world deliverance.

Similarly, Psalm 103 explodes with benefits that refuse to be confined to the spiritual realm. “Praise the Lord, my soul, and forget not all his benefits—who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion, who satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s” (Psalm 103:2-5, NIV). Forgiveness and healing stand side by side, both as guaranteed outflows of God’s compassionate character. The context here is a fatherly relationship: “As a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him” (v. 13). This isn’t abstract renewal; it’s holistic restoration—sins wiped clean, bodies mended, desires fulfilled with prosperity and vitality. To spiritualize healing as just “comfort” or emotional “renewal” without physical application, as Ortlund does, is to gut the verse of its power. God doesn’t dangle carrots He won’t deliver, not that Satan’s job. Satan is the world expert on carrot dangling, but God brings to the table to Abraham where healing is daily bread on the table. His promises are yes and amen in Christ, extending to the material world He created and redeems.

And then there’s Psalm 34, where David, fresh from feigning madness to escape danger, testifies to God’s reliability: “I sought the Lord, and he answered me; he delivered me from all my fears… This poor man called, and the Lord heard him; he saved him out of all his troubles… The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears them; he delivers them from all their troubles” (Psalm 34:4, 6, 17, NIV). Notice the repetition of “all”—not some, not most, but every single trouble. This psalm ties relational seeking to comprehensive rescue, including from physical perils like broken bones or lack (v. 10: “Those who seek the Lord lack no good thing”). It’s a call to taste and see God’s goodness, not in spite of circumstances but by transforming them. Faith-fumblers emphasis on prayerful reflection without prescribing outcomes misses this: faith isn’t passive endurance; it’s active expectation that God will act as promised, destroying enemies, sickness, and want.

Drawing from the broader biblical narrative, this pattern holds from Eden onward. God’s original design in the Garden was a relationship of total favor—provision without toil, health without decay, dominion without opposition. Sin fractured it, but His gospel to Abraham reinstated guarantees: land, fame, military victories, health, wealth, descendants, blessing that overflowed materially and spiritually (Genesis 12:2-3). Jesus embodied this, healing all who came to Him, not as optional extras but as faithfulness to His old promise to Abraham and Jesus’ finished atonement. (Matthew 8:16-17, fulfilling Isaiah 53:4-5). Jesus Christ didn’t spiritualize away the promises; He commanded faith to move mountains, heal the sick, and prosper in every way (Mark 11:23; 3 John 1:2). God’s salvation is total, encompassing body and spirit. Sickness isn’t His signature—it’s Satan’s graffiti on His masterpiece, and faith in the atonement erases it clean.

Vincent Cheung echoes this in his writings on faith and sovereignty, noting that true biblical faith grasps God’s promises without apology, applying them directly to life’s battles (from Sermonettes Vol. 6, p. 81, “Two Views on God’s Word”). He warns against limiting the promises, and gutting Jesus’ faith doctrine to hell and back, making the same scripture both promise and then negate the promise. This turns theology into a “mad house.”  We should not excuse sin or doubt by voiding the promises to make us look better. But Ortlund’s view risks fostering a faith that’s deep in sentiment yet shallow in substance, encouraging believers to settle for inner solace while the devil runs rampant in their health and finances.

Imagine God as the ultimate spouse, vowing eternal love but whispering, “No guarantees on the good stuff—just hang in there.” That’d be grounds for divine counseling! There is a person who whispers this and their name is Satan. Imagine being so confused about reality, that you married Satan, thinking you married God. People can’t tell the difference between God and Satan and yet they want to school us in doctrine?  No, the Psalms portray a God who screams, “Call to me and I will answer you” (Jeremiah 33:3, echoed in Psalms like 50:15), promising salvation, long life, and answers to our cries. Our inner peace stems from seeing Him pulverize troubles, not from ignoring them. We have heart-level calm because He grants all-around peace—enemies crushed, bodies healed, needs met. The Bible knows no split-level relationship with God: inward but not outward, spiritual but not material. From Abraham’s wealth to Jesus’ miracles, depth with God guarantees favor for the whole man.

In conclusion, Ortlund’s book, dishonors the Psalms by diluting their promises into devil devotions, training the mind to disbelieve God and bow to empiricism. True refuge in the Lord isn’t a guarantee-free zone; it’s a fortress stocked with every good thing, activated by faith. Let’s reject this faithless insult and embrace the God who delivers from “all” troubles, heals “all” diseases, and satisfies with prosperity. That’s the deep relationship worth pursuing—one where guarantees aren’t optional but the very foundation. It’s foundational because God is the who gives to us, not the other way around. The gospel is God giving all good things to us, and as Jesus told Martha, the resurrection means a good miracle now. Because God did not spare His own Son, He will freely give us all things (Romans 8:32).

Because the gospel is already completed and Jesus is already at the Father’s right hand, we already have all these benefits. They already are our definition and identity. They are already part of the active Contract relationship we have with Jesus. This means you cannot remove these guaranteed benefits without removing Jesus Himself, because they are one-thing in essence. The faith-fumblers try to subdivide Jesus and His benefits like fried chicken, but Jesus is one packaged deal. If you don’t receive healing, prosperity and favor from God today, then you cannot receive a relationship with Jesus, because that is Jesus.

Reclaiming What the Enemy Stole

You’ve asked a question that cuts right to the heart of the spiritual battle many believers face: how to recover what the devil has stolen, particularly in areas like health, family relationships, and finances. I appreciate that you did not put on the polished pretense some folks adopt when they’re hurting. That’s refreshing—no time for sleight of hand when the fight is real.

The enemy doesn’t play fair; he slithers in like the serpent he is, aiming to devour and destroy, as Jesus described in John 10:10. Some might forget there is a real fight, a real kingdom battle. Once you sign on to join God’s kingdom, Satan has more reason to steal, kill and destroy you, because of how great of a potential danger you represent if you ever realize how powerful you are. Jesus says Satan does this, not humans. The kingdom of demons are after you. Peter starts the gospel message to the gentiles on this basic contrast of Jesus the good guy, freeing us from the bad guy called the devil (see Vincent Cheung “The Dividing Line”). But here’s the good news, straight from the Scriptures: the thief comes to steal, kill, and destroy, yet Jesus came that we might have life, and have it abundantly. That abundance isn’t some vague spiritual fluff; it’s tangible, covering every area Satan has touched. We’ll unpack this biblically, drawing from God’s Revelation, because human observation is just a fancy way to peddle unbelief. If we’re not swinging the sword of the Spirit with precision, we’re just shadowboxing while the devil laughs at our pathetic swings.

First, understand the source of the theft. The Bible doesn’t mince words: sickness, broken relationships, and lack aren’t badges of piety from a loving Father; they’re Satan’s bit@h slaps across your face. Sickness is Satan’s glory, not God’s. Peter put it plainly in Acts 10:38, describing how Jesus went about healing all who were oppressed by the devil. Oppressed—that’s the key word here. Sickness isn’t God’s mysterious will; it’s demonic victimization pure and simple. Jesus saw it as a direct affront to His Father’s kingdom, smashing it wherever He encountered it, except where unbelief blocked the flow, as in Mark 6:5-6. If sickness were from God on the relational level—where He deals with us through the New Covenant—then Jesus would be a minister of sickness, pain, and oppression. That is a ministry, alright, but that’s Satan’s priesthood, not Jesus’.

He was demolishing the works of the devil (1 John 3:8). The same goes for family strife and financial drought; they’re echoes of the curse in Deuteronomy 28, which Christ redeemed us from, as Galatians 3:13 declares. The Father decided that my curses were taken off me and nailed to Jesus. I agree that God is correct. I don’t bear curses of sickness, financial lack, and relational distress anymore. That old man died with Jesus and my new creation has already been raised with Jesus.

Satan steals health to sideline you, relationships to isolate you, and finances to impoverish your testimony and limit your impact. But God has decreed restoration through faith in Christ’s finished work. And that is the point. Jesus already finished our righteousness, healing, and wealth. We don’t work or earn this, but receive it by faith. Our work is to rest in what Jesus has already worked, and already given to us as part of our identity and definition in Him.

Now, how do we receive it back? It starts with epistemology—our foundation of knowledge. God’s Word is the self-authenticating first principle, the only starting point of knowledge that connects us to reality. Without it, we’re building on less than nothing. Therefore, we can deduce application to ourselves, including faith to move mountains. We know all things are possible for those who believe (Mark 9:23). This isn’t wishful thinking; it’s a syllogism—or the biblical way to say syllogism is faith. Jesus didn’t say “some things” or “spiritual things only”—He said all things. The context was about healing and casting out a demon. Thus, all healing and casting out demons are possible for the one who believes without wavering.

That includes your health, your family bonds, and your wallet. But receiving requires faith without doubting, not passive resignation as a fatalist. We need to have a relentless focus on our healing, on the word of God about healing day and night. We are not to focus on our sickness; we are to focus on the healing already accomplished by Jesus in His finished atonement. Extend that to every stolen area: don’t rehearse the loss; confess dauntless confidence in God’s promises. I mean exactly that and not some passive begging or pleading for God to help. You need to renew the mind on the word of God, day and night, particularly on the good promises in the areas you need miracles. Then hear yourself speak them out loud by bold confessions. That is, confessing them without hedging for any possibility of you not getting what you are saying. The woman stretched out and said, “If I might only touch the edge of his clothes, I WILL BE HEALED.” Bold confession and no hedging whatsoever. Your heart might want to still hedge, but that is irrelevant. You are not confessing your feelings, but faith in the word of God. Hedging is just doubt in a tuxedo—kick it out; God’s promises don’t need a plan B.

Let’s apply this to health first, since it’s often the most immediate battleground. Isaiah 53:4-5 is prophecy fulfilled in Christ’s atonement. Matthew 8:17 confirms it: Jesus took our infirmities and bore our diseases. In the substitutionary atonement, Jesus took 39 stripes in exchange for our healing. It is already done. In the Father’s mind, He decided our sicknesses were taken off us and put on Jesus as those 39 stripes. Satan stole your health? Ok, but it’s not his to keep—demand it back. Command it back in Jesus’ name, with faith that doesn’t waver. Speak to the mountain—be it cancer, chronic pain, or fatigue—and tell it to go (Mark 11:23). If you’re praying for healing while secretly thinking, “Well, maybe God’s teaching me something,” you’re double-minded, and James 1:6-8 says don’t expect to receive anything. God wants your health more than you do; He’s not the cosmic sadist some theologians paint Him as. Those “pseudo-sovereignty” excuses are Satan’s bedtime stories to keep you sick.

Shifting to family relationships, the devil loves to fracture what God designed for unity and strength. Broken bonds aren’t just emotional wreckage; they’re strategic hits to hinder your ministry and your joy. God gave Rebekah to Isaac to comfort him in his grief from Sarah’s death. The blessing of Abraham gives good relationships. Scripture ties this to the blessing of Abraham, which Galatians 3 extends to us Gentiles through faith. Jesus called the bent-over woman a “child of Abraham” (Luke 13:16), using her covenant status as the reason she must be loosed from Satan’s bondage—not optional, but necessary and mandatory. Apply that here: as heirs of Abraham’s blessing, which includes relational harmony under God’s favor, you have authority to bind the enemy’s division and loose forgiveness, reconciliation, and love. If you need to ask forgiveness then ask them. If not plausible for you to talk to them, stand before the presence of God, because you are already seated there with Christ. In God’s mind you are already in the throne room before Him. You need to catch up to your true identity in Christ. So, stand before God and ask for help. Stand before God, in the Spirit, and confess that you have forgiven and if you need to do something, that once God opens the door, you will do what God has asked you to do. Tell God, as you stand before Him, that you consider the relationship reconciled and healed.

If you need to forgive, then forgive them outright. Ephesians 4:32 says, forgiving as Christ forgave. This doesn’t mean to open the door to abusive people; but the context is for a relationship you want restored. Jesus not only became our sins to give us righteousness but also He is our “sanctification.” It’s His responsibility to sanctify us. Rest and confess in His power to soften your heart. Pray in faith for softened hearts, commanding peace in Jesus’ name. If you’re harboring bitterness, that’s your disobedience handing Satan more rope to hang you with. And when he does it, don’t you dare blame God for your own stupidity—own it. When you are doing something wrong you won’t receive a complete or permanent miracle if you keep sinning. Sin won’t keep a miracle from you, because Jesus healed all who came to Him, but the miracle won’t last if you don’t address the root of the disobedient behavior. Sin didn’t stop anyone from receiving their healing miracle, but if not stopped, it can reopen the door to allow the devil to harass you with more sickness again. This can happen back and forth for a while, but eventually the reopening door can give birth to death; the devil can sling such a fast sickness on you, you die before you can focus your faith. But with faith you can always receive your miracle on demand, no matter what; every single time.

Finances follow the same pattern—Satan steals provision to mock God’s promises, to keep you unhappy, to keep you from your inheritance in Christ and restrict God’s kingdom from being financed properly. However, the Bible counters with abundance. Deuteronomy 28:1-14 lists prosperity as part of obedience’s blessing. The good news is that Jesus was obedient for us in our place and then credited His righteousness to our account, so that we are perfectly obedient and righteous in God’s sight. Forever and irrevocable. We’re not under the law’s curse but under grace, where God supplies all needs according to His riches in glory (Philippians 4:19). Not us supplying it, no. God supplies it to us. It’s His responsibility. We receive it by faith.

God’s covenant with Abraham included supernatural healing, not sickness. If sickness or financial lack happens, God did not send it (Isaiah 54). Someone else sent it, not God.

Broaden that to provision; Abraham’s blessing encompasses material wealth (Genesis 13:2), and we’re heirs (Galatians 3:29). To receive back stolen finances, sow in faith—tithe, give generously—and confess Scriptures like Psalm 23:1, “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.” Confess, “I agree with you Jesus. You are correct. You took on my poverty and already gave me your wealth. You give me wealth transfers from the wicked and give me the power to gain wealth. My experience of lack is a lie against your truth; forgive me. I declare my lack broken. Thank you.”

Command increase in Jesus’ name, believing it’s already yours. “Whatever is hindering my finances I command you to stop. I command wealth to find its way into my bank account.” Ask God for wisdom in how to gain wealth, and for ideas for a new product to sell. God will give liberally.

Don’t fall for the prosperity-gospel-lite nonsense. Paul says Jesus took on our poverty. That is, in God’s eyes, my lack was transferred on Jesus, like the scapegoat, and Jesus carried away my poverty to the cross, where He died with my poverty. I don’t have it, because Jesus took it away, in the mind of God. And God’s mind is the only mind that matters. But it also says Jesus gave us His wealth. This is the same Paul who spoke of substitutionary atonement as, Jesus took on our sins and gave us the righteousness of God. This is true, because God thinks it is true in His mind. It is a true exchange. Not later in heaven, but right now I am the righteousness of God. Because I am righteous I am already seated in the heavenly places with Christ and my prayers are powerfully effective. Paul says the same about financial wealth. I already have the wealth of Jesus. If I don’t see it, it is because I am so lazy there is nothing for God to increase the work of my hands. You have to do something. But it is also lack of knowledge and faith. The normal or regular way to gain wealth is God supernaturally giving you favor and power to gain wealth in what you do. But there are many other ways as well. God causes the pagans to freely give wealth to the righteous, such as Egypt giving their riches to the Israelites. Or kings giving ransoms to Abraham. You can have faith to multiply material substance. The list goes on and on for many various ways for miracle money to bless you. Satan’s financial purse snatch? More like a speed bump for the faithful—run him over.

God has given us this wealth in Jesus to simply bless us with joy and happiness. The other reason to bless others and finance the Kingdom of God. Satan wants to cockblock the saints from their inheritance and many allow him to do so. But you, do not allow it for a moment. Grab Satan by the head and slam his face in the ground over and over, and tell him he will get the same treatment if he shows his ugly face again.

This is Christianity 101. It’s what we all should have been doing all along. Immerse yourself in Scripture day and night, as Joshua 1:8 commands, meditating on promises until you automatically find yourself speaking the word and promise of God, rather than your circumstance or feelings. You will know when your mind keeps replaying God’s promises, seeing yourself in a good future of the promise, rather than fear of the future. Confess them aloud—faith comes by hearing (Romans 10:17). For health, declare Isaiah 53 daily; for family, pray unity from Psalm 133; for finances, claim 3 John 2’s prosperity in soul and body. Etc. I have made many lists over the years of promise verses and have pounded them in my head to the point I wanted to scream, but I kept at it until my mind changed.

Avoid unbelief peddlers who say, “Maybe it’s God’s will”—that’s devil dogmatics, staining their hands with the blood of God’s saints. Chase prophecy and spiritual gifts too, as Paul urged Timothy (1 Timothy 1:18, 4:14); they empower the fight. If needed, seek elders for anointing (James 5:14-15), but your own faith is the key. There is no substitute for your own faith in the promises of God.

Remember your identity: seated with the resurrected Christ, far above all powers (Ephesians 2:6). Your new creation isn’t a refurbished version of your old self; it’s a total reboot, a supernatural species upgrade. Satan stole? Big deal—Jesus stripped him at the cross (Colossians 2:15). Due to our imperfect faith, it’s not always instant, but it’s inevitable for the believer who stands firm. Mature faith will see constant and instant results. We are all to strive to get to that place of maturity. And if doubt creeps in, laugh it off—Satan’s the ultimate loser, after all, a cosmic joke with no punchline left.

Do Not Expect a Small Payout

The Bible doesn’t let thieves off easy; in fact, it demands restitution that multiplies the loss, turning the tables on the enemy with divine justice. Take Exodus 22:1-4, where a thief caught stealing an ox must repay fivefold, and for a sheep, four times over—God’s law embedding a principle that wrongdoers don’t just return what’s taken but cough up extra to make the victim whole and then some. Proverbs 6:31 ramps it up, declaring that even if a thief steals out of desperation, once nabbed, he must restore sevenfold, even if it costs him everything in his house.

This isn’t just Old Testament law; it’s a shadow of the greater reality in Christ, where Satan, the ultimate thief, gets hit with the same demand—hard.

Joel 2:25 captures God’s prophetic heart: “I will restore to you the years that the swarming locust has eaten, the hopper, the destroyer, and the cutter, my great army which I sent among you.” What the “worm” or locust devoured—those seasons of health drained, relationships frayed, finances stripped—God promises to repay in abundance, not stingily but lavishly. Don’t you dare limit God and look for a small payout. Isaiah 43:19-20 echoes this turnaround: “Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert… to give drink to my chosen people.”

Picture it—streams gushing in barren wastelands, life where death once reigned. As a new creation in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17), this restoration kicks in automatically, because our new creation is already a reality. Our new creation is already us, already here. We are new creatures in Christ. Not going to be, we are. Thus, many things happen automatically to some degree; the old barren life is gone, and the abundant one has begun, with blessings already deposited in your spiritual account. Ephesians says that all spiritual blessings (which is the foundation for all material blessings) have already been given to us. Not later, we already have ALL blessings given to us. But to unlock that hundredfold return on these blessings already given—you’ve got to receive it through faith. There is no substitute for this or a way to skip this part. Paul said in Galatians 3 that by faith they had been experiencing the power of the Spirit and miracles, which Paul then says was given to them as the blessing of Abraham in Jesus’ exchange for taking our curses. The point is this, by faith the Galatians received the blessings of Abraham in miracles, but the miracles stopped because they stopped using faith and tried using the works of the law. Thus, even though they already had the blessing of Abraham they could forfeit receiving the benefits of miracles by lack of faith. You need faith to receive them—no shortcuts.

Renew your mind with Scripture (Romans 12:2), make bold faith confessions like commanding mountains to move (Mark 11:23), persist in prayer (James 5:15), build yourself up by praying in tongues, keeping yourself in God’s love (Jude 1:20), and straight-up order the devil to release what’s yours, wielding the authority Christ gave over all the enemy’s power (Luke 10:19). We don’t beg like we once did. Now it’s enforcing the court order from heaven’s throne—and frankly, if Satan’s been joyriding in your stolen goods, it’s high time he pays the premium price with interest.

Baptism in the Holy Spirit isn’t some optional upgrade; it’s the power surge that turns faith from a flickering candle into a blazing inferno, equipping you for the ministry battles the disciples themselves couldn’t tackle without it. Jesus didn’t mince words in Acts 1:4-5,8, instructing His followers to wait in Jerusalem for the promise of the Father: “John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit… you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses.” The disciples, fresh from resurrection encounters, still needed this empowerment before launching into global ministry—think about that, if those eyewitnesses required it, how much more do we in our doubt-prone age? This baptism ties directly to Jesus’ exaltation, seated at the right hand of Power (Mark 14:62), from where He pours out the Spirit as Acts 2:33 describes: “Being therefore exalted at the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, he has poured out this that you yourselves are seeing and hearing.”

We’ve got access to the same explosive force that shook Pentecost, manifesting in miracles, healings, and prophecies to demolish Satan’s strongholds. But here’s where it gets practical and, yeah, a bit relentless: pray in tongues day and night! Yes, you heard that right—day and night, as 1 Corinthians 14:18 shows Paul thanking God he spoke in tongues more than anyone. When it feels excessive, like you’re overdoing it, don’t back off; ramp it up even more, because as Jude 1:20 puts it, you’re building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit, and it keeps you in God’s love. I would say keeping yourself in God’s love is important—crucial, even. Thus, pray in tongues. Tongues is charging your spirit, aligning with God so that His awesome power floods into your life. Ask boldly for interpretations to unlock deeper insights (1 Corinthians 14:13), and crave more manifestations—word of knowledge, gifts of healing, workings of miracles (1 Corinthians 12:7-11)—in God’s presence. Without this power meshed with your faith, you’re swinging a sword with no edge; but dive in, and watch the supernatural become your everyday reality, just as Jesus intended. Tongues isn’t weird—it’s Zues’ lightning bolt. You need it to win the battles.

Slam Satan’s Face in the Ground

Lastly, it’s time to get violent with Satan, that slimy defeated foe who’s been bluffing his way through your life like a poker player with a pair of twos. And yet, you have a royal flush in your hand, and you act like you have no backbone? Ephesians 2:6 spells it out: you’re already seated in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, not groveling below like some spiritual doormat. You already have rivers of living water flowing from your belly. It is already happening. The devil defied the saints of God. But Jesus with one stone, killed Satan and cut off his head. The reason Satan has been beating you up is because he lied to you. He has been whispering how small and weak you are, but now that you’ve awakened to this deception and are striving to be strong in the Lord, passivity is out—done.

By the explosive force of the Holy Spirit and unyielding faith, grab Satan by the back of the head, and start to slam his smug face into the pavement over and over until it’s a bloody pulp, and then keep going for good measure. If he whimpers and begs for mercy, don’t you dare let up—laugh in his face. Satan wants God’s elect to be in pain, and time-constrained with sickness and then an early death. But you’re holding all the cards: he’s already stripped and shamed at the cross (Colossians 2:15), you wield the raw, rivers-of-living-water power of the Spirit (John 7:38-39), Jesus’ name is etched on your tongue as a royal heir so that you can speak and command mountains to move. You are a royal priesthood backed by God’s unassailable authority (1 Peter 2:9), His gifts and callings are irrevocable (Romans 11:29). You always have this authority and firepower—it’s your birthright in the new creation—so unleash it relentlessly, turning harassment into humiliation for that cosmic loser, because not doing this is exactly why he’s lingered like a bad odor all these years.

Slam his face in the ground and praise God that He has given you the victory, power and authority in Jesus Christ.

May God bless you as you reclaim your inheritance. May the kingdom of darkness scream in terror at your approach. And may the Kingdom of God advance when you advance.

Satan’s Sticky Fingers: Robbed of Speech

Sept / 16 / 2025

“A spirit has robbed him of speech.”

Picture this: a desperate father, elbowing through a crowd in ancient Galilee, clutching the frayed edges of his hope like a man who’s just realized his wallet’s gone missing in a divine pickpocket scheme. “Teacher,” he blurts out in Mark 9:17, “I brought you my son, who is possessed by a spirit that has *robbed* him of speech.” Robbed. Not gently borrowed, not misplaced in some cosmic filing error—robbed. As if Satan himself is out there running a black-market operation on human dignity, snatching voices, health, and futures with the glee of a thief who knows the cops are on coffee break. And Jesus? He’s not there to commiserate over the loss. No, He’s the divine restitution agent, the one who turns the tables and declares, in essence, “That’s not how this story ends.” Because while Satan steals, kills, and destroys, Jesus—that is, God in the flesh—shows up to give life, and life to the full (John 10:10). It’s a total takedown, a comprehensive comeback, where the enemy’s heists meet their match in the King’s vault of abundance.

Let’s not rush past that word, though: “robbed”. The NIV nails it here, capturing the raw theft at play. This isn’t some vague affliction drifting in from the ether; it’s a deliberate grab, a demonic mugging. The father isn’t whining about a genetic glitch or the general brokenness of a fallen world—he’s pointing the finger straight at the spirit doing the dirty work. And Jesus doesn’t correct him with a theological footnote about Adam’s ancient fumble in the garden. No, He rolls up His sleeves, rebukes the foul spirit, and sends it packing, leaving the boy whole. It’s a scene that echoes through the Gospels like a divine audit: Satan as the ultimate con artist, pilfering what God intended for flourishing. But here’s the frank truth, straight from the self-authenticating pages of Scripture—our epistemology’s unyielding foundation: This robbery isn’t God’s idea. It’s not His script. God doesn’t script poverty of body or spirit; He authors prosperity, health, and unhindered communion. To think otherwise is to buy into the devil’s counterfeit theology, where lack masquerades as piety and suffering as sanctity. What a con. What a waste.

Dig a little deeper into Jesus’ ministry, and you see this contrast isn’t a one-off plot twist—it’s the central narrative arc. From the synagogue in Capernaum to the dusty roads of Judea, Jesus doesn’t just forgive sins in some ethereal corner of the soul; He pairs it with healing the body, restoring the broken, and multiplying the loaves like He’s got a divine expense account with no limits. Remember the paralytic lowered through the roof in Mark 2? “Son, your sins are forgiven,” Jesus declares. The scribes mutter about blasphemy, so He follows up: “Which is easier: to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up, take your mat and walk’?” Then—bam—the man walks. Forgiveness and function, absolution and ability, bundled together like a covenant combo meal. It’s total salvation on display, where spiritual restoration isn’t isolated from material wholeness. Satan robs on both fronts: voices silenced in shame, bodies bent in pain, wallets emptied in want. But Jesus? His life-giving ministry hits back harder, broader, deeper. He doesn’t offer a half-measure grace that patches the soul while leaving the flesh to fester. No, He restores the whole package, because anything less would dishonor the God who, from Genesis onward, pronounced creation “very good”—abundant, integrated, thriving.

And let’s not kid ourselves: This robbery extends to the material realm, too. The same spirit that mutes a boy’s speech whispers lies about scarcity, convincing folks that God’s too stingy for silver or too sovereign to care about supper. But Scripture shreds that nonsense. Satan steals health *and* wealth, binding people in cycles of lack that mock the Creator’s generosity. Look at the widow’s oil in 2 Kings 4—multiplied by God’s word through Elisha—or Abraham’s flocks swelling under heaven’s favor. These aren’t anomalies; they’re previews of the blessing that flows from faith. Jesus embodies it fully: feeding five thousand from a boy’s lunch, turning water to wine without a single budget meeting. His high priesthood isn’t one of half-rations and holy poverty; it’s the ministry of righteousness, healing, and prosperity (as Peter sums it up in Acts 10:38). To claim Jesus as your priest while nursing a theology of deprivation is like hiring a chef who specializes in feasts and then settling for stale bread. It’s not devotion; it’s delusion. God’s unmerited favor supplies man—man doesn’t supply God. Satan peddles the lie that lack builds character; Jesus proves abundance glorifies the Father.

Now, pivot to that sevenfold restoration—the Bible’s bold promise of over-the-top payback. Joel 2:25 thunders it: “I will repay you for the years the locusts have eaten—the great locust and the young locust, the other locusts and the locust swarm—my great army that I sent among you.” Not just a refund, mind you, but a surplus, a divine interest rate that turns theft into treasure. Zechariah 9:12 echoes the vibe: “Return to your fortress, you prisoners of hope; even now I announce that I will restore twice as much to you.” Twice? Try seven, as the pattern holds from Job’s double-down restoration to the prodigal’s fatted calf welcome. This isn’t cosmic compensation for pity’s sake; it’s God’s sovereign logic at work, where what the enemy meant for ruin becomes rocket fuel for glory. Satan robs your speech? God restores your voice—with volume, clarity, and a testimony that echoes through eternity. He robs your health? Expect not just mending, but vitality that turns heads and topples strongholds. Wealth pilfered? Watch as storehouses overflow, not from sweat alone, but from the blessing of Abraham crashing through the gates of grace.

But here’s where the rubber meets the road, and the wit turns a shade sharper: If the curse of Adam looms in the background—and it does, that primal fracture rippling through creation—Jesus didn’t leave it hanging like a bad sequel. Galatians 3:13 lays it bare: “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written: ‘Cursed is everyone who is hung on a pole.'” Substitutionary atonement in action: Jesus absorbs the thorns, the sweat, the silence of the tomb, so you get the garden’s bounty. The father in Mark 9 doesn’t blame Adam’s echo; he names the demon. Jesus doesn’t theologize about original sin; He evicts the intruder. The bent-over woman in Luke 13? “Ought not this woman, a daughter of Abraham whom Satan has kept bound for eighteen long years, be set free on the Sabbath day?” Satan, not some vague curse, gets the credit for the crook in her spine. Sure, the Fall set the stage for such invasions, but Jesus spotlights the squatter, the thief in the night. And why? Because pinpointing the robber empowers the resistance. If it’s just “the curse,” you shrug in fatalism (aka the Christian word for “if it is God’s will”). But if it’s Satan—and Scripture screams it is—then you’ve got a command: Resist the devil, and he will flee (James 4:7). Cast out spirits, heal the sick, reclaim the stolen. Faith isn’t passive therapy; it’s aggressive restitution.

Frankly, if you’re sitting on robbed health or pilfered prosperity, nursing it like a badge of spiritual maturity, you’re not just missing the plot—you’re aiding and abetting the heist. You’re a willing accomplice, handing Satan the getaway car keys while Jesus stands ready with the restitution check. Maxim 16 cuts like a surgeon’s scalpel: Reprobates who resist faith on demand for healing and blessings have sided with demons to trample the blood of Christ. Ouch? Good. Truth should sting when it exposes the lie. God isn’t the miser doling out affliction for your “growth”; He’s the Father who, through the Son, has already swapped curse for blessing, poverty for plenty. Abraham’s seed? That’s you, insider to the Contract, heir to the abundance; inheritor of Jesus who is the resurrection of life “now,” not just pie-in-the-sky later. To accept the robbery without a fight is to declare Jesus’ cross as ineffective, His resurrection a footnote. But no—His life is abundant, total, sevenfold-plus. Satan steals your speech? Jesus restores your shout of praise. He binds your back? You walk tall in dominion. He empties your coffers? You sow in faith and reap barns that burst.

Don’t let the thief define your story. Scripture interprets itself, originalist to the core, and it screams restoration over ruin. Start with the self-authenticating Word: Your faith saved you—from sin, from sickness, from scarcity. Confess it daily, relentlessly: “Satan, you robbed what was mine, but Jesus redeemed it sevenfold. I take it back now, in His name.” Command the mute spirit out, the bent frame straight, the empty hands full. Reality obeys faith, because the resurrected King backs your play. It’s not arrogance; it’s agreement with God, whose love to you, makes you worth the overpayment. And when the loot rolls in—health humming, wealth working, voice vibrating with victory—remember: This glorifies Him, who is the power, the love and the giver; not you. It’s the Father’s joy to lavish on sons who believe.

In this fallen farce of a world, where Satan still pickpockets the unwitting, be the one who turns the tables. Robbed of speech? Speak life. Robbed of strength? Stride bold. Robbed of substance? Scatter seed and watch the harvest mock the thief. Jesus didn’t come to commiserate; He came to compensate, to conquer, to crown the believer with triumph. By faith, you’ll save yourself from Satan’s steal. And in doing so, God boasts of you before the heavens, as the hero He always scripted you to be. No more victims in the kingdom. Only victors, voices restored, vaults replenished. That’s the gospel’s punchline—and it’s hilariously, eternally good.

Prosperity: God’s Big Idea

By Oshea Davis 

29, 2025 

Today, let’s start with the prayer of Jabez in 1 Chronicles 4:10: “Jabez cried out to the God of Israel, ‘Oh, that you would bless me and enlarge my territory! Let your hand be with me, and keep me from harm so that I will be free from pain.’ And God granted his request” (NIV). 

Boom—God didn’t rebuke Jabez for asking big; He answered yes. Prosperity isn’t a side hustle; it’s God’s original blueprint, lost in sin, partially restored to Abraham, and fully unleashed in Jesus. And get this: It’s yours by faith, in ways that make reprobates squirm. 

First off, prosperity was God’s idea from the jump—Creation itself screams abundance. Genesis 1:1 kicks off with God crafting a universe teeming with riches: gold in Havilah (Genesis 2:12), fruitful trees, rivers flowing, animals multiplying. He didn’t make a barren wasteland; He engineered a paradise of plenty. He called this overabundance “Good,” and so lack and poverty are “bad.” God didn’t design scarcity and then call it good. No, prosperity reflects His nature—generous, overflowing, unstoppable. He spoke, and wealth materialized: stars for navigation, soil for crops, seas for trade. Creation wasn’t neutral; it was loaded with provision, a divine trust fund for humanity. God likes big—big universes, big blessings, big faith. If you’re thinking small, that’s your human empiricism talking, not God’s Word. 

Enter Adam: God handed him the keys to this prosperous kingdom. Genesis 1:28: “God blessed them and said to them, ‘Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground.'” Dominion! Adam wasn’t scratching for scraps; he ruled a garden where “gold… and onyx” abounded (Genesis 2:11-12), food grew effortlessly, and work was stewardship, not toil. The Garden was not Adam working to get rich; rather, it was God making Adam rich and then Adam managing this wealth. Eden defines prosperity mainly and directly as very material. However, there are other blessings involved such as authority, relational harmony, physical health. Adam walked with God in opulence, no lack, no limits. This was the original deal: Man as God’s image-bearer, prospering in every sphere because God supplied it all (as per Maxim 13: “God’s unmerited favor supplies man, man does not supply God”). But reprobates twist this, saying wealth corrupts. Nonsense—Adam’s prosperity was pure until sin crashed the party. 

Ah, the Fall—where prosperity got hijacked. Genesis 3:17-19: Cursed ground, thorns, sweat for bread. Adam’s rebellion didn’t just bring spiritual death; it unleashed poverty, sickness, and struggle. The abundant earth turned hostile, mirroring man’s death. Sin didn’t erase God’s prosperous design; it veiled it under a curse. Humanity toiled in lack, empires rose on exploitation, and scarcity became the norm in many places. But here’s the kicker: Even in judgment, God hinted at restoration (Genesis 3:15). Prosperity wasn’t revoked forever; it was postponed for the faithful. Those who peddle “poverty vows” as holiness? They’re glorifying the curse, siding with Satan—the ultimate thief who comes to steal, kill, and destroy (John 10:10). Defective ethics at its worst. 

Then God kickstarts the comeback with Abraham. Genesis 12:2-3: “I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing… and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.” Abraham wasn’t some ascetic monk; he got filthy rich—livestock, silver, gold, king’s ransoms (Genesis 13:2). Why? Faith. He believed God’s promise, and prosperity flowed: land enlargements, victories over kings, supernatural favor. This was a substantial and multifaceted prosperity restoration, even if it wasn’t perfected heaven itself. Thus, even when Abraham faced famines and foes, he still came out victorious and rich. This fallen world, with all its curses and problems, kneeled under the boot of Abraham’s blessing to be prosperous. What God promised Abraham was a down payment, bypassing the curse. Galatians 3:14 calls it “the blessing of Abraham,” including the Spirit and miracles, but don’t sleep on the wealth: Deuteronomy 8:18 echoes it, “It is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth.” God began reversing Adam’s loss through covenant faith, proving prosperity honors Him when rooted in faith. Reprobates who bash “prosperity gospel”? They’re blind to this—Abraham’s blessing was God’s wealth transfer program, started with one man in faith, but completely fulfilled in Christ. 

Fast-forward to Jesus: Full restoration, no holds barred. Galatians 3:13-14: “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us… so that by faith we might receive the promise of the Spirit.” And that promise? Abraham’s blessing, but amplified through Jesus. Jesus became poor so we could become rich (2 Corinthians 8:9). The context is not spiritual wealth, but filthy money and material riches. He ministered wealth as part of His high-priest gig: righteousness, wealth, and healing. Only God’s thoughts matter. In the mind of God, He thinks the atonement swapped our poverty for Jesus’ riches, our sickness for health, our curse for blessing. Post-resurrection, we’re new creations (2 Corinthians 5:17), seated with Him above lack (Ephesians 2:6). Our Maxim 12 roars: “They financially prosper and are healed by faith in the gospel of Jesus.” In Christ, prosperity isn’t optional—it’s inheritance. Doubt it? You’re limiting God (Psalm 78:41), confessing empiricism instead of God’s word. 

Now, how does God grant this prosperity by faith? Not some cookie-cutter formula but simply believing His Word. First, direct asking in Jesus’ name—John 16:23: “My Father will give you whatever you ask in my name.” Jabez-style: “Enlarge my borders!” Faith confession moves mountains (Mark 11:23), including financial ones. Speak wealth into existence, because reality obeys faith. Second, through wisdom and favor—Proverbs 8:18: “With me are riches and honor.” God gives ideas, opportunities, divine connections (like Abraham’s alliances). Third, sowing and reaping—2 Corinthians 9:6-8: Generous giving multiplies back, not as works, but by God’s promise received by faith. Fourth, miraculous provision—Matthew 17:27: Fish with coins? Why not? It’s available to faith. Agree that God is correct. Assent to God’s promises, act on them, and watch. But beware—unbelief blocks it, like the Israelites’ evil report. Defective faith-fumblers say, “Prosperity’s not for today.” Wrong! It’s for insiders, co-heirs who boldly approach the throne (Hebrews 4:16). If they choose to not see themselves as insiders and not boldly approach and receive, then they must hate their lives. Why join the dead? Why join with the faithless? Why join those who toss away their own lives as trash? 

Reprobates focus on men; but the faithful focus on God (Maxim 14). Chase Him, and wealth chases you. If you are chasing God without healing and prosperity and blessings chasing you, then it means you are chasing God while you disbelieve Him. This is the sad and degrading life of the faithless. Chasing something they hate and distrust. 

In sum, prosperity’s God’s brainchild from Creation, gifted to Adam, snatched by sin, rebooted with Abraham, and maxed out in Christ. Jabez nailed it—ask big, get big. If you’re not prospering, check your faith, not God’s will (see Maxim 19: “God’s Word is His will”). Prosperity is God’s idea, from creation to Abraham and finally in Jesus. When you pray for prosperity you are not asking a reluctant God. You are agreeing with God and receiving what He has already provided. “You have given me wealth in Abraham’s blessing and in Your Son’s atonement, and I agree with you. You are correct. I thank you for prosperity and receive it through the unmerited favor you gave it in.”

Extra Baskets Left Over #4

*70

I remember a guest minister telling a church I was visiting, “Everybody in here can have an airplane.” He heard the people sigh in unbelief, so he said, “Let me ask you this. Does everybody in here have a car?” Most people nodded.

Then he said, “If you can have a car, why can’t you have an airplane?”

Someone responded, “Because we don’t need an airplane.”

He said, “You don’t need a car. You could get a ride every day or catch public transportation.”

His point was that the enemy takes over people’s minds and causes us to think that some things are too lavish or too expensive for us to have. We get into this mindset that says, “Too much wealth and nice things promote avarice or opulence.” But in God’s way of thinking, it’s not enough! God wants you to live on His level. Some people think that a Rolls-Royce is more valuable than they are, so they never see themselves owning one. The truth is that we are far more valuable than an automobile or an airplane. No amount of money could redeem us from sin and death. God had to give the life of His only begotten Son, Jesus. That is a dramatic statement of how valuable your life is.

God said in Isaiah 55:8, “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the lord.” As I’ve mentioned, the Bible promises, “As he [a man] thinketh in his heart, so is he” (Prov. 23:7). We have to allow God to pull up our level of thinking, as He was doing with me and with our congregation in our new location. Even Jesus’ first miracle in the Bible was a miracle of luxury (turning water into fine wine). God has the very best set aside for us. It is time for the church to move from the place of scarcity and “just enough” into our promised land of more than enough.

A Wealthy Church

Again, the church should be the wealthiest institution, and God’s people should be the wealthiest people, on the face of the earth. Our lifestyles should stagger the imagination of the world. Why? Because we have a larger responsibility than any other people to evangelize the world and complete the assignment God gave [us].

Bill Winston.
Revelation of Royalty. 2021. p. 159 160

——–

Vincent Cheung does a great job in exposing the absolute stupidity in the idea of “need” versus a “want” regarding if our prayers qualify for a yes or no. For example, do you need to live through this day? Really? You could just die and go to heaven. Thus, you don’t really need to even breathe, or need food, clothes or a bed. Such a divide would reduce into a logical absurdity. What you need is what you want, and there is no way around this without jumping into insanity.  

*71  Fountain of Salvation.

In the ultimate sense God is the fountain of salvation. Jesus’ finished atonement creates a fountain of benefits for us to drink from. With this being established, we can affirm there is a fountain of salvation within us.

In Isaiah 12 we are told God is the fountain of salvation and we drink from Him. However, Jesus in John 4:14 furthers this teaching. If we drinks the water, that is salvation from Jesus, this water becomes a fountain of eternal life in them. This fountain of life is not just springing out of God, so that I go to God to draw some out, now it is in “me,” and I draw it from me. Jesus adds more to this by saying in John7:38-39, “Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.” By this he meant the Spirit.” We learn in Acts chapter 1-2 and 19:2-5, that “the Spirit” is not referring to being born-again, but the baptism of Spirit for speaking in tongues, power and miracles. 

By faith we drink God’s fountain of salvation, and then a fountain of eternal life and Spiritual power fountains out of us. We are not a dry place that a demon can inhabit, but a fountain of life and power. We pray in tongues and the Spirit fountains power in our souls, by edifying us and often leading to interpretations and other spiritual powers. When we do this we are drawing from the fountain of salvation from within us. This is the same with forgiveness and being imputed with God’s righteousness. God did not forgive and credit His righteousness to Himself, but us. I am blameless and I am righteous. It is mine. It is my definition and identity. The same for eternal life and spiritual power springing out of myself. It is me. I am this fountain of salvation now. It is my definition and identity.

In that day you will sing:
    “I will praise you, O Lord!
You were angry with me, but not any more.
    Now you comfort me.
2 See, God has come to save me.
    I will trust in him and not be afraid.
The Lord God is my strength and my song;
    he has given me victory.”

3 With joy you will drink deeply
    from the fountain of salvation!
(Isaiah 12:1-3 NLT)

14 but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life.”
(John 4:14 NKJV)

*72  I Would Have Given You Even More

“I gave your master’s house to you, and your master’s wives into your arms. I gave you all Israel and Judah. And if all this had been too little, I would have given you even more.”
2 Samuel 12:8 NIV

Look at how giving God is with material things. It is good to ask for such things and God is glad to give. You cannot ask for too much prosperity and happiness in relationships, if you are a Christian. It is not wrong to even ask for an entire nation. God wants to enrich and those who oppose this are against God, His nature and promises.

God’s goodness leads us to repentance. His love constrains us to forsake evil.

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom and will keep you on the path of wisdom. However, mature wisdom is receiving the good gifts from God.

.. And if all this had been too little, I would have given you even more…

What is amazing about this, is the particular focus on sex. David is being confronted for his sin of adultery. God gave him multiple wives for sex, and then God says, if you wanted even more (sex), I would have given it to you. Of course, today we don’t have multiply wives but a request for good and much sex in marriage is something God wants to give.

*73 falsifiable

In the realm of science, a falsifiable claim is one that can be observed, tested and has the potential to be disproven. 

Some fools claim that we ought to use the standard or epistemology of “falsifiable” as a way to discover biblical truth or Christian truth.  However, is this claim itself falsifiable? But I digress, so that I can address some of the main problems of this standard.

First, the bible does not teach the doctrine that we discover biblical truths by observation and testing it with the potential that it can be disproven. Thus, this standard is an anti-biblical standard. If one uses this to discover truth, then this standard is the person’s first principle of knowledge and not the scripture. They are using something more foundational than the bible and are using it to evaluate the scripture. Also, this presupposes empiricism and observation. But these are both logical fallacies.

Second. The law of contradiction is not falsifiable. You cannot observe it and test it with the potential of it being disproven, because you must use it to deny it. It is self-authenticating in this way. Thus, there is at least one thing that is not falsifiable, and so how many other things are not falsifiable? Thus, the standard of falsifiable is not universal to all knowledge, and this would lead to skepticism if used as a starting point for knowledge or a test for knowledge.

Third. The bible is not falsifiable because you must use the bible to deny the bible. There is no potential for it to be is disprove. It is self-authenticating. How can the bible teach the doctrine of falsifiable as a standard for finding truth, when the bible is not falsifiable? 

Thus, those who use this anti-biblical standard to find truth are to be mocked and dismissed. They do not know what the bible teaches and the do not understand what logic is. Do not let such people be your teachers.

*74

You can’t out extreme Jesus with faith. His teaching is too extreme. Nothing you say about faith can overreach Jesus’ extreme faith doctrine. There is no risk in taking it too far.

Faith for anything anytime anywhere

*75

Jesus who asked the Samaritan woman for a some water, because He was tired and thirsty. And yet, Jesus turns around and says “if you know Who I was and the gift I have, you would ask Me and I would give too.” What a lavish giving our God is. His mission was to serve man like a waiter. Even when He was tired and thirsty He still homed-in on His mission to serve man.

His statement had two parts. The first was “who Jesus was,” and the second was about a “gift” that He was willing to give.  Jesus says He has a gift to give, and so He instructs with the obvious conclusion. “Ask and I will give to you.” The scene started with the woman worried about serving Jesus with some water to drink, but Jesus made the point that He was there to serve and give.

This has some similar instruction as Martha and Marry. We learn it is more blessed to receive than to give, with our relationship with God. Jesus says He has a gift. We do not need to worry  about if it is God will to give or not. Jesus say He has a gift, tells us to ask for it and He will give it.  This is the type of God we have. Jesus says if you have seen Me, you have seen the Father. Our prayers are directed to this type of lavish giving God.

*76  God Is Our Provider Again

In the garden, God was Adam’s source for provision. When Adam sinned God’s curse included this: “Adam, I will not provide for you. You will now provide for yourself with toil.”

In Abraham, God’s gospel included providing abundance for man again. God Himself provides wealth. God becomes man’s rich supply. Jesus’ atonement gives us the blessing of Abraham.

God called creation good, and in this context, God was Adam’s provider.  God provided Adam with a rich supply of material food, goods and land.  Adam did not work to provide for himself, God provided for him. God was humanity’s bread winner.

When Adam sinned, this changed. God cursed Adam with death. This curse included God withdrawing from the position of being Adam’s provider. God told Adam that he will work and with hard toil provide his own supply. What God called good, was now cursed.

This idea might seem strange for some but working to provide for yourself was introduced as a curse. We are always to work, because we are created and commanded by God to do so, but the idea to work in order provide for ourselves was not part of creation. Adam worked in the sense of administering the Garden of Eden, but he did not work to earn his provision.

In God’s promise to Abraham, God begins to restore the natural order of things, by promising to give favor, increase and wealth to him. God begins to be the provider for His chosen ones.  For example, Isaac worked by planting in the waste land, but God gave it a supernatural 100-fold increase, despite the lack of water. This increased Isaac’s wealth.  The king gave Abraham a large sum of money for temporally taking Sarah, thinking she was only his sister. God provided wealth to Abraham, without Abraham working for it. God was Abraham’s bread winner. Abraham believed God would do these good things for him and God declared him righteous.

Some make the mistake in only applying one narrow aspect of the gospel to forgiveness of sin. Jesus gave us Abraham’s blessing, through His atonement. The gospel puts God back in the position of being our bread winner. As in all the blessings of the gospel, to fully enjoy them you must have in faith to receive them. Therefore, we are not to look to our employer as the “source” of our supply and ability to get money. Sadly, many do exactly this and are practical atheists this part of their life and mind.  Knowing the gospel of Abraham gives us the power and favor to gain wealth, even wealth transfers and know Jesus bore our poverty and already gave us His wealth, our eyes ought to be focused on God as our source.

Because our employers are limited, if we see them as our source of money, then our lives will be constrained by their limitations.  However, if we turn to God who has unlimited wealth and power, our ability to gain wealth and have doors opened to us will be as measureless as God’s ability.  God has good things to give, and there is much work to be done in expanding the kingdom of God. A human focus for our provision will greatly diminish our ability to fulfill God’s goals for our lives.

God has become our provider again through Jesus Christ. We must take full advantage of this for our own lives, and to expand the kingdom. We ought to focus on God being our rich provider.

*77

How did sickness come into you? How did it come into the world?

Sickness is not a natural consequence of creation. Adam did not believe God, rather, he believed a lie. He operated in unbelief. God did what He said. He cursed Adam and Eve and creation with death.

Here is the main point. Sickness came by words. Sickness came when God spoke a curse against creation. Sickness is destroyed in the same way, by words. If you look to human means to heal, then human means is all you will be rewarded with, however small it is. By Jesus’ stripes we were healed. This is the foundation; however, we are healed by opening our mouths and commanding the sickness to leave. God spoke the curse of sickness into the world, and we speak to make it leave. Jesus said, “You heal the sick.” You do it. This is why Peter, even after being baptized in the Spirit, spoke words to heal the crippled man in Acts 3. “What I have, I give. In the name of Jesus Christ, “walk.””

Healing will not happen by waiting for “God’s Will.” Healing will not happen by waiting for God to open His mouth and tell the sickness to leave. The reason is simple. Jesus commanded us to open our mouths and do it ourselves. God’s not going to do something He commanded you to do and speak. God’s command for us to do it, is God’s will and decree.

*78

When God called Samson, He needed a person with faith to Judge with superman power, not integrity. We are commanded to strive for integrity, and so we are not diminishing this command. Not only is holiness obedience, it has many blessings attached to it. Having practical righteousness and integrity will make the job easier, with less problems and make it more enjoyable. And Yet, when the one thing that is needed is faith for superman power to kill thousands of men, tear down and carry off city gates and push stone pillars like they were a toothpick, integrity will not accomplish it. It is a different category.

The man with the highest integrity but not enough faith to work superman power is a useless man when God needs faith for miracles.

Jesus said to not begin ministry until the church was endowed with supernatural power by the baptism of the Spirit. Jesus commanded us to heal the sick, cast out demons and throw mountains into the sea. When the situation calls for faith and power, there is no substitute.

Some people say Samson is about not letting your sexual passions overtake you. Even if this can be extracted it is only indirectly. It is not what the story of Samson teaches. It teaches that when power is needed, then only faith to work superman power will get the job done. This is why Samson is a hero of faith.

Some say if you lack integrity you are disqualified. This is true as far as it goes, but it is also misleading. Samson and David, with their big sins, were not disqualified from the gifts and callings on their lives. Even Peter, after playing the harlot of a false teacher for a short time, was not disqualified from his gifts and calling.  And yet, consider the opposite. If any of these men never had the faith to do the miracles needed, then they were disqualified from the start. If Ruth did not have the faith to go to the king and rescue her people, then Mordecai said God would disqualify her and her family.

When God needs miracle power, there is no substitute.

*79

“What do you mean, ‘If I can’?” Jesus asked.

“Anything is possible if a person believes.” (Mark 9:23 NLT)

The father responded in the typical way religious elites and tradition does. “If it is Your Will, and if you Can, Oh Jesus please help.” Jesus was not happy with this reply. Think about that. He was not happy when man put the outcome of a healing on Him, or God. He said, “If you are able to believe, then your boy will be healed.”

Elites put the outcome on God’s power and if it is His will, but Jesus teaches the 180 degree contradiction to this. Jesus puts the responsibility and outcome on a person’s faith

*80

Unbelief is the original matrix. Unbelief is the only real matrix.

Johnny, “Jesus heal me please, if it is your will.“

Jesus response, “if it is your will and you have faith then you do it; because I won’t do it. Command the sickness to leave.”

Johnny, “No, its up to You to heal me, if it’s your will.”

The matrix has Johnny enslaved to Satan and to man-centeredness. Johnny is not able to obey Jesus. He can’t hear and believe Jesus’ words.

*81 Jesus Was the Real Victim in this Story

 He said to his disciples, “Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?” (Mark 4:40 NIV)

Jesus told him, “Don’t be afraid; just believe.” (Mark 5:36 NIV)

The saying is true, you are either in faith or fear. Jesus puts these as opposites. He says, “only believe,” with no mixture of fear. He says in Mark 4 that the disciples had fear and zero faith. They don’t mix well. If you have fear in your heart about a sickness, then you realize you don’t have faith. This is how it works.

(Momo, I mean) Jesus was the real victim in this story. He was asleep with His head on a cushion and was woken up for something He expected the disciples to deal with, without disturbing Him. I am not trying to be funny here. It is no joke being woken up from a good nap from something so minor as a deadly storm, which only a little faith could destroy and remove.

The prayers of many people are like the disciples in this story. They pray as if Jesus is teaching that He likes it, if we cry out in fear for His help over something like deadly weather or sickness. People repeat the disciples fearful cry as a model for prayer, when Jesus rebukes it as how not to pray. Jesus was upset with their fearful cries for help. Think about that. Because God is merciful He might answer some fearfully cries of unbelief, but don’t expect it.

The point that made it a bad prayer was no faith. It is ok to ask for Jesus help if you have faith, but here is Jesus’ point. If they had faith, then they did not need to ask for Jesus’ help. That’s how you know you have faith.

 We do not have every lesson Jesus told the disciples at this point, but Jesus’ reaction gives us enough details that He expected them to use their faith, and deal with the situation, without waking Him up.

This also brings up the issue of where the storm came from. Of course in the ultimate level God causes all things, but the bible mostly deals with the human level. Peter in Acts 10:38 said it was not God, but Satan who was victimizing all the people in Israel with sickness and diseases. When Jesus was casting out diseases He was fighting demons, not God, because the sicknesses came from demons not God. When you have an insider relationship with God He relates to you in blessings. The contract in Jesus’ blood stipulates that God only relates to us in blessings (it could include discipline, but not curses). Thus, whether it is a sickness, or a deadly storm, in human level, it was not from God. When you rebuke it, you are not rebuking God but demons and the curse. Jesus teaches us to not tell God about our mountains, or sickness or deadly storm, but to use our faith and we command it to move and die. Jesus has given us the power and authority to do it, and expects us to do something. Don’t wake Him up and tell Him about a storm, when you have the Staff of God in your mouth. Open your mouth. You divide it. You heal it. You cast it out. You calm it.

*82  Jesus Did Not Use Jesus Power

Jesus did ministry as a man born under the law. After His temptation He was filled with the Spirit, and then He started His ministry. Thus, did He cast out demons by His Jesus power? No. He cast out demons by the Spirit of God, not the Son of God power. Jesus said, “if I cast out demons by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom has come upon you.” Moving past the implications that what brings in God’s kingdom is casting out demons and healing the sick, let us just think about Jesus’ point about the Spirit. He cast out demons by the Spirit.

Another example that this power was the Spirit and not His, is how the lady, with the flow blood, took power away from Jesus, without Jesus knowing who it was. The power of the Spirit upon Jesus, acted like a spiritual law, in that anyone with faith who touched Jesus, had the Spirit’s power automatically flow into them for healing. The law is simple. The Spirit was the electricity, and faith is like flipping on a light switch.

 Referring His miracles, Jesus said the Father does the works. In John 14:10-12 the PTP does a good paraphrase translation saying, “Don’t you believe that the Father is living in me and that I am living in the Father? Even my words are not my own but come from my Father, for he lives in me and performs his miracles of power through me.”

The big idea is simple. When Jesus as casting out demons He did it by power of the Spirit. When He healed, did various miracles, such as commanding the storm to calm, the power that caused this to happened was worked by the Father, and not by the Son. Jesus operated as a man. He was given authority by the Father to heal and calm storms, but the power and authority came by the Spirit and the Father.

We do the same. We have the same authority and command. When Jesus told us to speak to our mountains and command them to move, when Jesus told us to heal the sick and cast out demons, He gave us His authority to do it and put His power in us.  Jesus gave us authority to use He name to ask and command whatever we want. This power is God’s power, but it rests in us. When we command a mountain to move, it obeys us, but the power is God’s. God has up His power in us like a flowing river, and has stamped His authority on our tongues. However, God will not move our jaws for us. We must chose to open our months and use the authority and power He has gifted us.

Jesus is now sitting at the right hand of the Power. He uses His own power now. But on earth He did not use His own power. How successful was Jesus miracle working ministry when the power was not His but the Father’s and the Spirit? It was 100%, with the exception of unbelief, such as in His hometown. Some might say, “well it’s not my power, and so it might not happen.” This is nonsense. Jesus never failed to work a miracle, even though it was not His power. He did not fail, because He trusted God and was given the authority to command and work miracles. We are in the same ministry. We are given the same authority. We are in the same position as Jesus.  The only difference is that Jesus said you will do even greater miracles if you believe in Him.

Rejoice, your success for miracles is guaranteed. Open your mouth and command something.

*83   Eschatology In A Nutshell

If someone sums up eschatology without baptism of the Spirit for power, they have no idea what they are talking about.

Acts 1:6-8 NIV. “ Then they gathered around him and asked him, “Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?” But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses… to the ends of the earth.”

The context is about eschatology. Jesus has sat down on his eternal throne and is ruling. The disciples did what most do, they made eschatology about politics. However, Jesus rebukes them and says eschatology is about being baptized in the Spirit for power and miracles.

The important part to note is that in eschatology the followers made it political and Jesus made it about miracles and the Spirit for power. By making it about politics they made it about man. Religious elites make the baptism of Power belong only to the apostles, and thus they still make it about man. They use religious words, but the result is a man-centred doctrine in what it means to be God-centred. In Peter’s sermon on Pentecost, he made baptism of power about Jesus and His eschatology position, sitting at the right hand of the Power. It had nothing to do with the apostles, thus, the baptism of power still remains, because Jesus still remains at the right hand of the Power. The Power was faithful to His promise to give Jesus the authority to pour out power.

Jesus is still faithful in pouring out power on “all whom the Power calls to Himself,” (Acts 2:39).  The Baptism of power is connected to God predestination of the elect. Peter’s point is not directly about repentance, but baptism of the Spirit and to this Peter directly connects, as many as God calls to Himself. This is why Peter says the gentiles were granted salvation and eternal life when He witnessed them speaking in tongues (Acts 10:44-47). In His Pentecost sermon Peter already said that being baptised in the Spirit is about God calling His predestined ones to Himself. Thus, when Peter saw the gentiles speaking in tongues, and then he told the other disciples, they concluded God elected them to eternal life (11:15-18).  In fact, Peter said because the Spirit was given to them, it was proof they should be baptised in water. And let us not forget that water baptism is a sign that they have died and were raised in new life with Jesus. Speaking tongues was proof they were elected to eternal life.

Peter’s argument for the baptism of power is based on two points. One is the Father being faithful to His promise (2:33) to Jesus, so that Jesus has the authority to pour out power. The second part of the argument is that Jesus is sitting on His throne, at the right hand of the Power (2:31-36). These are the 2 relevant factors, in Peter’s argument, for the conditions in pouring out the baptism of power.  Peter, who is an Apostle, gives no scriptural quotes or logical connections, that the baptism of the Spirit is connected to the apostles. Zero.  What do the religious elites know that Peter did not?

In addition to the Spirit baptism of power, there is the issue of authority. Jesus gave the disciples the authority to heal the sick. In fact, it was a command, because He said, you “heal the sick,” and “cast out demons,” and “preach the gospel.” Then Jesus did the same with 72 others, and so no one can logically say it was only for the apostles. To further insure this, Peter in Acts 3, after commanding a healing, says it was by “faith in Jesus,” and not by the authority of an apostle.  Faith in Jesus is what causes a person to receive salvation, and it is the same faith that commands sickness to leave. It is heavily God-centred. It is not man-centred on the apostles. It is centred on Jesus and His position of authority, while He is sitting at the Father’s right hand.

The next major event after the baptism of the Spirit Acts 3-4, shows how Jesus’ plan for power is how to apply His eschatology.

After being released from prison the Christians got together and prayed. They quoted Psalms 2, a militaristic Psalm, and asked that God would apply this to their situation of government opposition, by healing the sick, miracles and boldness to preach the gospel. God responded back with a resounding Yes.

This is how they applied eschatology. This is how they applied the doctrine that Jesus is on His eternal Throne and rules forever. This is how they applied the doctrine that King Jesus gave them power to advance His Kingdom when they face opposition, even when their enemies use the government to persecute them.

They mentioned 3 things, healing, miracles and bold preaching, in context of eschatology advancement under King Jesus. Many only preach (and they are not even good at that), which is only 1/3rd of the disciples applied eschatology. It is no surprise they fail at kingdom advancement.

*84 Under the Boots of Observation and Emotions

Yank the Redwood of observation out of your own eye before you try to remove the splinter of observation from the eyes of the Word of Faith teachers.

I heard Mark Driscol start a series of sermons about faith and the Spirit. There is an occasional quotable statement, when he slams cessationism, but he is not in a position to criticize them, because Mark rejects the bible with empiricism, observation and emotions just as much as the cessationist do.  The only positive aspect of Mark’s dual epistemology is that he tells you up front he is using observation or emotions as a higher authority over scripture. The cessationists, even if their attempts are bad, try to hide dual epistemologies. They will use the idea of God’s sovereign providence and history, but in reality they are using the logic of induction and relying on the epistemology of empiricism and observation. They use God’s sovereignty, as odd as it sounds, to hide their adultery with human starting points.

In attacking the Word of Faith, Mark says they are wrong because Jesus taught x, y and z from the bible. This is what we would expect if the bible is one’s only starting point for knowledge.  No, what Mark said, was that they are wrong because to tell someone they did not get healed, because they lacked faith, is cruel and hurts people’s emotions. When did emotions become an authority over scripture?  Because you observe x, therefore the bible is wrong. When did this become a standard way to understand the bible? The scripture tells us public knowledge only comes to us by the Scripture, however, our observations can be mistaken, such as in the case with Moab and the blood water. Thus using observation to gain knowledge leads to skepticism, but this leads to denying the law of contradiction, which is self-refuting nonsense. It means observation is a false starting point of knowledge that does not exist.

The other thing Mark said was that Acts was over several years, and so all the miracles you see, really isn’t that many miracles, and so we should not except to see constant miracles. This is a very careless reading of scripture. It is said many miracles were done by the apostles and followers, so that entire crowds were healed, things like napkins were used to healed and they even tried to get healed off Peter’s shadow. Acts was a drive by summary of the miracles, because there was too much to record. Acts starts off with Jesus commanding everyone to get endowed with power to perform miracles, it is connected to Joel’s prophecy that says everyone will be doing miracles.   

Again, what is oddly missing is the Word of Faith’s main passages of Jesus’ extreme faith doctrine. For more see, Vincent Cheung, The Extreme Faith Teacher. These are the main basis for their doctrine of faith. Unless you can bring up those passages and say Jesus was wrong, then the faith teachers are correct for their faith doctrines.

It is wall punching hilarious to see so-called Christians champion themselves as “the bible is my final authority,” and “I am a bible believer,” but every time they find a doctrine they don’t like, they shove the bible under the boots of their human observation and emotions.

*85

“No longer have consciousness of sins.” Heb 10:2

 “Go boldly to the throne of grace, that you may obtain mercy and find grace to help you.” Heb. 4:16

Show me a person who is not conscious of their sin, and I will show you a person who “boldly goes to the throne of grace, that they may obtain mercy and find grace to be helped.”

To “boldly” enter God’s throne room, means you are walking with your head held high. Without knocking, you put your hands on the royal doors to God’s throne room, you push them open and march in like you belong there. With other heavenly host, standing to the side, who don’t have the same access that you do, watching you. Then you say, “I need this help,” or “want this thing.” And God says, “You got it. Your faith has helped you.”

There is no way you can do this if you are “conscious” or mindful of your sins. It will not happen. There is no way a sinner can demand help from a holy and righteous God, who demands perfection.  But a righteous person, and person who has a blood contract with God that allows them to ask and receive, is able to demand help and grace.  A person who is mindful of their sins, is a person who does not boldly go to the throne of grace. And if they do ask, they end up not asking, but begging like an outsider, because they are mindful they are indeed a sinful outsider.

What is on repeat in your mind? When you are afraid? When you hurt? When you go to sleep. Are you mindful how righteous you are? Are you mindful you have a contract with God to make demands on Him? Or are you mindful how sinful and pathetic you are?

*86 Two Contracts (Grace and Works)

There are two types of covenants. or contracts God made. One is a contract of blessings based on the law, and but the first contract is based on a one sided promise of God to freely bless.

As Paul says in Galatians, the blessings God gave to Abraham was a one-sided “promise” (Abraham was a sleep) to bless. The law was a contract based on performance. Paul again makes the distinction in Romans 4 that the “promise” was based upon grace, so that it is secured by his chosen ones by faith. In this sense, the law is not based on faith, in and of itself. Because Abraham was first, it cannot be replaced by the works for blessings. Thus, the law (before Jesus) could only be lived by faith, in light of doing it in the hope of the blessings promised to Abraham.

As Vincent pointed out in “The Edge of Glory,” because Abraham was sleeping and it was a one-sided promise of God to do good things, can we still call it a contract? We can call it a covenant, but only in a very lose way. In fact, Paul in Galatians calls it a covenant, chapter 4 when making a contrast to works, but on the other hand, Paul almost exclusively calls what was given to Abraham a promise and grace, rather than a covenant. Even the writer of Hebrews does the same thing in chapter 5.

The law in Jesus was fulfilled and as Paul says it, nailed to the cross, or in modern terms, it was stamped “fulfilled,” filed away in the archive section of God’s documents. Abraham’s promise was not “built” upon through Jesus’ atonement or by His new contract; rather, His atonement, “He became a curse for us so that we have the blessing of Abraham,” ensures we get the promised blessing of Abraham. This is like the bible saying “Jacob shall possess their possessions.” Jesus’ atonement ensures that we possess our Abrahamic processions.

Now in addition the all the goodies promised to Abraham, the very first one-sided promise was to Adam. It was a promise of deliverance. We learn more about what that means, but it centered on forgiveness and righteousness. The atonement of Jesus accomplished both of these promises. It accomplished the promised deliverance and salvation through the gift of righteousness, and it ensures we inherit Abraham’s blessing.

Thus, these two promises are accomplished in Jesus or guaranteed as an ever present action to us. But the covenant of the law and works is not included in this. Only what can be received freely by grace is combined in Jesus’ finished atonement as a contract. It is a contract of grace, not our performance. Because Jesus was our cruse and fulfilled the law, God promises, or makes a contract with us that He will never remember our sins. We receive this promise as grace in faith. The law as a performance, was performed by Jesus for us in our place, and so it was totally finished. It demanded and it was satisfied. In the most loses sense, Jesus performs the work of not remembering our sins, but that is a negative or indirect sense, because the work itself is done. However, the blessing of Abraham is not finished and nailed to the cross or filed away in a drawer. The gift of righteousness and Abraham’s promise, is an everlasting and ever present thought and action of God upon His children. God is directly and always performing this promised love and goodness on us.

*87 Is This the Year of My Blessings?

Is this the year of triple blessing?

Is this the year of rest and acceleration?

Is this the year of restoration?

Is this the year of 7 healings?

Is this the year of double prosperity?

The answer to this is, yes; however, it is only in the sense that every year these already apply, and they already belong to the Christian.

The Christian has inherited the blessing of Abraham, every single year, every day, every minute. They are under the blessing of Abraham by the finished atonement of Jesus Christ. With faith in this truth, any Christian can make it a 100x blessing year, for even that is not enough to describe how much God blessed Abraham in prosperity, fame, military victory, health and favor. Paul argues the blessings (or as Paul calls it the “gospel”) of Abraham means the Spirit and miracles. We get more than 3 miracles. The only limit is your needs, wants and faith to receive them.

Some ministries are looking for hype and extra offerings, but there is nothing wrong for a pastor asking God and looking for a “theme of the year.” If it is a pastor, and God did answer their prayer, then such a theme is for the “members” of their local church and not for everyone else. The question now is this, is it wrong for someone to claim this for themselves if they are not part of this local church? No.

But remember, although, because of our weak faith, having a theme and focus might be helpful to a certain extent, we must strive for maturity. By faith in God’s promises all these declarations and themes are yours by right, through Jesus Christ. They are yours through Jesus’ finished work for you. They already belong to you. They are already your identity and definition. You do not need another mediator, or pastor, or ministry to make your definition in Jesus more real. You do not need a mediator to bring you directly to God. You do not need a pastor to bring you to your blessings given to you by Jesus. You already have direct and immediate access to God in Jesus. The blessing of Abraham is already yours. God gave it to you in Jesus and no man can mediate this blessing from God to you. You already own it, and you have access to it by faith. Let no one replace, the direct access you have with God and with your blessing of Abraham, with any man or thing.

Rejoice. Hold your head up high. With faith, all these good things are yours for the taking. With faith, every year is the blessing of Abraham that causes you to reap 100-fold.

*88 He Gives New Strength

“He gives strength to the weary
and increases the power of the weak.”
 Isaiah 40:29 (NIV)


Even after being born from above, we can still get weary and weak. This isn’t because God withholds these things from us, leading us to beg for strength that isn’t part of our DNA or inheritance. Through Jesus’ finished atonement, we already have power and strength.

Because of our imperfections and immaturity, we can become weary, making it right to ask for new strength. God wants to supply our needs. It is His delight to hear our cries for help. God loves us and has promised to help, but we ask from a position of victory. Strength is ours through Jesus’ atonement; it’s our definition. Paul doesn’t say to ask for God’s armour or ask to walk in His power; he says to put on the armour because you already have access to it, and to walk in the power because you already possess it. You already have God’s old strength, but you must take responsibility to put it on and use it. Ask for God’s help, but also use the power God has already given you.

Satan wants you to fight for new strength on the wrong hill, making it seem like you must ask and beg for it. He wants to put new strength behind a paywall of, striving, doing and begging. He wants you to view your identity as lacking this strength, pushing you to strive from a position of not having. This is the wrong hill to fight on. This is a lie from the pits of hell.

God’s shield of protection and favor is already surrounding you; the mighty sword of the Spirit (praying in tongues) is already in your hand. You have power; release it. The authority to use Jesus’ name for anything is already branded on your tongue. Open your mouth and use that authority.

*89 Jesus’ New Deal

In the story of Job, Satan brought all the sickness, destruction, and troubles. Jesus says the devil comes to steal, kill, and destroy. Peter in Acts 10:38 states that all the people Jesus healed (thousands) were victimized by Satan. Consider how Peter assumes these sicknesses were caused by Satan, not just from Adam’s fall. Jesus also said Satan bound a “daughter of Abraham” for 18 years—Satan, not God, bound one of God’s daughters.

Back to Job: Job’s understanding of God improved not because of his suffering, but because God revealed truth to him. God had to step in and drop some knowledge bombs. Satan’s torture? Yeah, it didn’t teach Job jack; it just made him listen up when God finally spoke. Experience is the worst teacher, and God’s word is only teacher.

In the new deal with Jesus, we’re supposed to get the good stuff, healing, and blessings, not Satan’s new green deal. We’re God’s kids now, not his punching bags. In our Contract with Jesus, God promises only good. We’re promised insider status as children. God might give you a slap on the wrist, but he’s not out here causing your misery. He teaches by writing His laws on our hearts and the Spirit opening our minds to His truth. Even when Paul throws some dude to Satan, it’s Satan doing the dirty work, not God. God promises “only good” in the Contract. If Jesus administers suffering, He would be a minister of death, diseases and pain. That’s Satan’s priesthood, not Jesus’.

This is the problem with those who focus on suffering and sickness. You’re saying Satan’s your professor in the school of hard knocks. Your knowledge? It’s just from getting your butt kicked, not from the holy book. And you’re giving Jesus Satan’s job title.

*90 The Land of the Word


Canaan is the land of the Word and promise.
The sands of Paran are the land of observations and experts.


If you want the milk and honey, you must believe the Words and Promises of God. Unbelief will disqualify you from entering. If you decide what is reality for you—in categories like health, wealth, family, and various miracles—based on what you see, hear, experiment, observe, or on the words of other men, such as doctors, then you become an abomination to God.

The Israelites did not lie when they said they saw giants and felt small compared to them. But God cursed and rejected them for truthfully reporting what they saw. Their expert trackers and scouts did not lie when they delivered their findings, but God hated them for their truthful report based on their senses, observations, experts, and experiments. And God will reject you if you do the same. The Promised Land can only be entered by those who reject their observations and experts and affirm that God’s Word is truthful, despite what they see. The only way to honor and glorify God as the true God is to confess and believe what He says over what you see and what the experts say.

It is the same today. When Jesus came down from the mountain after His meeting with God (like Moses), He rebuked the disciples as spiritual perverts for not having enough faith to cast out a demon. The demon was causing the boy to scream and twist on the ground. These loud sensations caused the disciples to doubt, and Jesus was not happy. He expects us to believe, even when there is much carnal stimulation and even when many voices—like doctors or experts—say there is no way out.

*91 Thorn In My Mind

All humans have sinned.
I am a human.
Thus, I have sinned.

This is a correct way to apply knowledge from the bible to yourself. To say monkeys have sinned is a false way to apply this knowledge. Monkeys are not humans. It is a category error. However, imagine me forwarding such a dumb argument? I would be mocked, and for good reason.

[However to say I have sinned is faith. It is an deductive syllogistic application of the truth to me. This is why the word for ‘faith’ interchangeable with the words for syllogism or deductive logic or rational, or logic.]

And yet Christians do the same with Paul’s throne in the flesh. It was only given to him because of the abundance of supernatural revelations, visions and trances. The messenger of Satan was given to Paul to keep him humble. And yet, a Christian will say, “I’m like Paul, with this thorn of cancer in my flesh.” However, they haven’t had one vision or revelation, let alone a super abundance of them. Their category lunacy is not less than saying “chickens have sinned, because all humans have sinned.” People who forward such silly arguments have put thrones into their own minds.

This is beside the point, the thorn in his side are false super apostles attacking his children with false doctrine.

*92  I Give What I have

“What “I” do have “I” give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk.” Acts 3:7

Although God, out of compassion and sovereign bulldozing, will still heal; yet, in the larger picture, God is not healing, because He has commanded us to heal the sick. Peter shows what this means. He said something that would get him called a heretic by most churches. He said what “he” has “he” gives, which is the name of Jesus to heal. Peter has the name of Jesus to heal.

Thus, God did not heal the man, but Peter using God’s power (and the man’s faith) that healed the man. Acts 9 shows something similar. We have been commanded to be baptized in the Spirit for power (Acts 1-2), and given Jesus’ name to ask for anything we want -John 14-16).

Thus, just as God told Moses to use the Staff to divide the sea, we have also been given the Staff of God and commanded to heal the sick. If people are not being healed it is not God who is holding it back, but people not obeying and not believing. You cannot blame God for something that He has already given to you and commanded you to do.

*93

Job didn’t have a contract with God as we do. However, in this story Satan gives Job sickness and poverty and God gives him double wealth and health (James calls this God’s mercy) and yet the conclusion is that Satan gives us wealth and health, and God gives us sickness and poverty?

I have never understood the use of this story to teach the opposite. So, I guess the story of God creating the earth means God did not create the earth?

*94 Sad Sob Story.

When the gentile woman told Jesus about the sad sob story of her demon possessed daughter, it did not move Jesus Christ to heal her daughter. The woman begged, “please help me.” And yet this did not move Jesus Christ to heal her daughter.

What did move Jesus to heal? It was the greatest and rarest thing found on earth. A person who has faith in God. Faith is what finally moved Jesus to heal her daughter.

It’s not a sad story or begging that will move God. It is faith that God will be faithful to His promises to give you what you ask. You can do the same.

“Who Touched Me?”

Faith will cause God to focus on you when there are millions trying to get His attention. They might be pressed up against Jesus, but He will bypass them all and focus on you if you have faith.

It was not compassion; it was not a sad sob story or begging that got Jesus’ full attention. It was faith that God will help and give a miracle of healing. He will do the same if you have faith for a miracle. He will give you His undivided attention and power.

Upgrade!

When the Roman centurion received an upgraded miracle to the one Jesus was already was giving him, it was not a sad sob story or begging that produced the upgrade. It was faith. It was absolute confidence that Jesus ordered reality like a general ordering men below him. And because he was asking with such confidence, he presupposed Jesus was willing.

This was the type of faith that caused miracles to be upgraded to a bigger miracle. It is not begging or trying to impress on Jesus how awful your circumstance is. It is faith.

*95 Slapping Falsification on it

Science commits a triple logical fallacy with empiricism, observation and scientific experimentation (affirming the consequent). Slapping an unsound use of falsification at the end does not make it rational. Science violates the law of contradiction (because it leads to skepticism) and identity (this happens multiple times). The epistemology of science is empiricism, but this foundation is a systematic denial of the laws of contradiction and identity. Induction and observation violate the laws of contradiction and identity. The very conception of induction is a violation of the law of identity. It is anti-logic

However, Jesus is the logic and appeals to the law of contradiction in Mark 12:35-37. Jesus is the law of contradiction. To say science gives any premise about anything is to violate Jesus who is the Logos. You must pick to either murder science or logic, or that you must either murder science or Jesus. Science has no justification for any statement about reality. Science is not knowledge. When used to produce a premise about reality, it is to be mocked and dismissed. Science is a group of people and nothing more.

Ultimate Authority


Imagine being so stupid that when you read 2 Corin. 8:9 you think it is about “spiritual” wealth rather than financial wealth. The words say wealth and poverty. Reading comprehension? Read the words first, before determining what the words say. First rule of reading: read the damn words! Paul’s out here collecting cash, so yeah, it’s about money, not some ethereal nonsense. Only a pastor or theologian could be this delusional.

Even if you can get additional insights from a redemptive historical reading of this passages, it is only indirect and secondary, and it would have zero relevance is negating the direct teaching of the passage.

This money substitute was part of the atonement of Jesus. He took our poverty, and gave us His wealth. It was part of the substitutionary exchange with Jesus. Also, curses included poverty. And Jesus took our curses of poverty, being nailed to a tree, and gave us the gospel of Abraham, which included miracle money. Jesus took our poverty, nailed it to the cross, and gave us his bling. It’s part of the whole Jesus substitution package deal. Mock the money part, you mock Jesus and trample His atonement. You’re not just wrong, you’re God’s enemy, an anti-Christian piece of trash. Such people have an anti-Christian worldview.

They leap from money to a spiritual category so fast, they don’t even bother to read the passage to learn from it. The Bible isn’t their authority; their observations are. The bible is not their final authority or first principle of knowledge, which is why they don’t even try to pretend to read the text. They have a different worldview. They will say things like, “I don’t see all Christians prospering.” They appeal to their observations as their final authority because the bible is not their authority. It never was. They use the bible to make their observations the highest judge. They are ruled by emotions, not scripture, and it shows with “reprobate” written all over their face.

Imagine you manage an Apple store. You hire a new employee, and the next day, you notice Microsoft products displayed on the counter. You pull the employee aside and ask what is going on. “This is an Apple store, and you affirmed that we only sell Apple products during the hiring process, why did you display Microsoft products?”

They affirm “we only sell Apple,” but then say “Microsoft also has keyboards and screens and so we can sell their stuff.” Of course, it doesn’t matter what the excuse is, it is irrelevant. There is no excuse. They affirmed we only sell Apple products. Thus we have 2 options. They really are that stupid that they don’t see the contradiction of their action to sell non-Apple products. Or they are wilfully trying to destroy the store.

The person I described is a typical Christian, pastor or theologian.

They say the Bible is their only starting point for knowledge and authority on truth, but they interpret a passage so that it doesn’t matter what the terms say or the context. When you point this out, they appeal to what they observe.

2 Corinthians 8:9 is about finances and the context is also about finances. They change the category to spiritual, as if the Bible was breathed out by their words and categories, not God’s.

Imagine how proud Satan is to see a person affirming the Bible is God breathed, but you steal God’s breath and change it to your breath.

Later they say, “but we don’t see all prospering,” or regarding the promises of healing, “we don’t see all healed.” And then they conclude, “it must not be God’s will to heal all,” or “even if you have faith to move mountains, God will do what He wants despite if you believe.” They say God is their authority, but they appeal to the authority of observation and sensation. Like the new hire, they affirm we only sell Apple products, but keeps displaying Microsoft products. Has an Apple new hire been so perverted and hypocritical as to sell Microsoft? I doubt it. And yet Christians are this perverted and hypocritical when they appeal to observation as an authority.

This is a worldview issue. To have different authorities will make your entire worldview different.

I do not address them as Christians but as reprobates and outsiders. I say this, not to be harsh, but to be exact and frank. A worldview is determined by one’s starting point for knowledge. If a person uses their observations for this, then we have a fundamentally different worldview. Not just small difference; we have an entirely different way to view reality. Not just a different take, we’re on different planets here. The moment they say, “I don’t see all prospering or healed,” it is not a matter of theology, but it is now a worldview issue. It is an ultimate authority issue. We have different ways to understand reality, not just reading text. Until they can prove they can get knowledge from observations and defend the irrational use of induction and empiricism, they have no justification for knowledge.

The biblical worldview reveals itself as the only epistemology and rejects all others, including observations. The bible rejects my use of observations to determine if something is knowledge. The bible does not allow me to observe and then use this to determine if something is false or true. If a so-called Christian appeals to their observation, “I don’t see all healed,” it means we view reality differently. The reason an atheist and I have different worldviews, is because I appeal to scripture for knowledge, and they appeal to observations.

The bible does not allow me to appeal to observations, “if I see people healed or not,” as an epistemology or an authority. Thus, if a so-called Christian appeals to observations to obtain any knowledge or authority, we are now as far apart as atheism is from Christianity. Because we appeal to different authorities, we have different worldviews. Because we appeal to different foundations of knowledge, we have different realities. It is not a matter of context of a text, but of worldviews. My worldview does not allow me to appeal to the authority of my observations, but the other so-called Christian is allowed. It is a matter of ultimate authority, not context. Because observations are not consistent, or justified, and because induction is not a valid conclusion, the dual authority of observation will always leave you room to make the text say what you want. This is why atheist and evolutionist love the authority of observation, because it lets them craft their worldview in their image.

These types of people appeal to the reprobate authority of observation, because, their worldview is a reprobate reality.

Jesus Was our Money Substitute

“For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.” (2 Corin.5:21 LEB).

“Though (Jesus) was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that by his poverty he could make you rich.” (2 Corin. 8:9 NLT).

The context of 2 Corinthians 8 and 9 is about money. Paul wants the Corinthians to give money so that Paul can give the money to other Christians. Paul even encourages them by saying, “God will generously provide all you need. Then you will always have everything you need and plenty left over to share with others(9:8).” God will provide you with enough money for yourself and even with extra money left over so that you can give money to others. So simple and a child and understand this.

In this context Paul says, Jesus became poor FOR US, so that by His poverty we become rich. Poverty and wealth both deal with money directly, and the context is about giving money to Paul so that Paul can give the money to others. The only way to say this is not about money is to be delusional and unrighteous.

As is always the case, if you try to kill God’s promises, you end up pointing the shotgun at your own face. When you try to kill God’s promises, you cannot do it, without destroying your own salvation and spitting on the blood of Jesus Christ.

The idea of substitution is that someone takes my place for something. Notice this is the same apostle Paul, in the same Epistle, using the same substitutionary language for both sin and righteousness (chapter 5) and poverty and wealth (chapter 8).

That is, if Jesus being my poverty in exchange to give me His wealth is ineffective, or is not a substitutionary atonement, then Jesus being my sin to give me His righteousness is also in effective and cannot be a substitutionary atonement. Paul’s description of substitutionary atonement is the same for both instances and so neither can be separated from substitutionary atonement without destroying the other.

If you deny Jesus was a money substitution then you logically deny Jesus was a sin substitute. It is futile to attack the promises of wealth, if you must destroy your salvation and trample the blood of Christ in the process. 

Memeing Yourself To Hell

How do people come up with this level of dumb?


Job was with wealthiest guy in the whole east area. He had all the family and money a guy could want. God orchestrated it, but then Satan destroyed Job for a short time. In the whole of Job’s life this trial was a small blip on the radar. After this trial, God gave Job double the wealth and double the health. He saw his kids to the 4th generation. Very long happy life. He was so filthy rich that He was able to give large inheritances to his many beautiful daughters. He was already the richest guy in the whole east area, now God made him double the richest guy. In the New Testament James categorizes all this “health and wealth” as God’s “mercy and compassion.”


Why is this a surprise? Under Jesus we have a contractual right to this health and wealth. If we have seen Jesus we have seen the Father. Jesus healed all who came to Him with faith. And remember all the extra left over from the feeding of the four and five thousand. So much extra. God answers our prayer exceedingly, abundantly and beyond what we ask.
Have you meet this Jesus and His Father?


The only way to make sense of this meme with Job, is if it said, “if God brings you into a trail and you come out victoriously by faith, then be prepared to experience double health and wealth for the rest of your long happy life.”