Restoration of All Things
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Restoration of All Things
Welcome to Christianity Oasis Purity Publications. This E-book is titled Restoration of All Things written by Author Diane Jurino. Christianity Oasis in association with Purity Publications proudly presents you with this Restoration of All Things E-Book free of charge for your enjoyment.
About the Author
Diane Jurino is a Spirit-filled Christian who resides in Erie, Pennsylvania. She is the mother of three, and has four grandchildren. Her professional background is in Copywriting, Sales, Advertising, Marketing and Custom Training Program Development. She is the author of several books about the Kingdom of God.
Disclaimer:
Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations in this volume are from the King James Version of the Bible.
Dedication:
Isaiah 64:4 "For since the beginning of the world [men] have not heard, nor perceived by the ear, neither hath the eye seen, O God, beside thee, [what] he hath prepared for him that waiteth for him."
Praise God that He will restore all things and bless His people!
Preface
Isaiah 42:22-23 "But this [is] a people robbed and spoiled; [they are] all of them snared in holes, and they are hid in prison houses: they are for a prey, and none delivereth; for a spoil, and none saith, Restore. Who among you will give ear to this? [who] will hearken and hear for the time to come?"
There is no getting around it. The human race is helpless and hopeless without God. We have a fallen nature and we are doomed to extinction as a result. Our sin has brought only pain and suffering on us, despite what was originally intended. Mankind has been caught in a quagmire of darkness and deception, frustration and failure, for so long now that it often seems like there is no way out.
Satan, the very enemy of our souls, had done his level best to cheat us out of our birthright and destroy everything that is good in our lives. We have been tested and tried, oppressed and tormented, robbed and pillaged sometimes beyond our ability to recoup. It will definitely take an act of God to change our situation and restore everything that has been stolen from us over the years.
However, divine intervention is exactly what we can expect. The Lord has mercy and compassion on us and He will show Himself strong on our behalf. He loves us so much that He sent Jesus Christ to this earth to redeem us from destruction and to bring us life in abundance to the overflow. All that we need do is have faith in Him and our circumstances will change.
Our history does not have to determine our destiny. We have gone from being sentenced to death for our sins to being totally righteous in Christ. The Lord no longer imputes our sin guilt to us for any reason if we believe in His Son. We can embrace all the promises that God has planned for us. Our dominion over all things in this earth will be returned to us. We will be given power and authority to destroy all evil. No man or devil will ever be able to steal what the Lord ultimately has in store for His people.
Matthew 6:33 "But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you."
Although we may be feeling weak and vulnerable from all the tribulation we have endured, it will not always be that way. The Lord will strengthen us in the power of His might. We will rise up as champions for our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, and walk in our divine destinies. The fate of the entire world will be changed through our efforts. We will share our faith with power and conviction and see many souls saved to eternal life with all of its many benefits.
Our main focus should be on trusting the Lord and pursuing righteousness and obedience at all costs. Our God will attend to all the personal details of our lives. He will not permit us to be victims forever. He will uphold His people and defend them from all harm. He will also send Jesus Christ back to us to right all wrongs and level all playing fields very soon now. Our Redeemer will take vengeance on all of our enemies and vindicate our cause.
Almighty God has a perfect plan for our lives that encompasses all of eternity. His heart's desire is to fellowship intimately with us as He has always intended. He wants to gather us to Himself and provide for all of our needs. He will bless us with every spiritual and temporal advantage. We will literally dwell with Him in heaven on this earth in the everlasting Kingdom of God.
Hebrews 10:16-17 "This [is] the covenant that I will make with them after those days, saith the Lord, I will put my laws into their hearts, and in their minds will I write them; And their sins and iniquities will I remember no more."
All men will eventually be righteous or be banished from God's holy presence. His laws will be written in our minds and hearts, so that we always do His will. We will relate to one another as brothers and sisters and live in love, peace and unity as one people. The Lord will actually come and take up residence with us, as He has always desired to do. We will never be separated from our God ever again.
The Kingdom of God will last forever and be a virtual paradise for all those who are righteous. The Lord will cast Satan into the bottomless pit, so that he can do us no more harm. He will change these mortal bodies that are susceptible to disease and death into new, glorious, resurrection forms. We will live long and strong to see our offspring for all generations to come.
Our God is just and He will see to it that we have full restitution. He will not permit us to be cheated out of our inheritance. Everything that we have lost or had taken from us will be replaced with something even better. All things will be made new once again. We are returning to our roots in the Garden of Eden with no downside whatsoever. We will never lack for any good thing. The Lord will make certain that we are healthy, happy and prosperous forever more.
Introduction
Isaiah 45:8 "Drop down, ye heavens, from above, and let the skies pour down righteousness: let the earth open, and let them bring forth salvation, and let righteousness spring up together; I the LORD have created it."
Our God is all sufficient in and of Himself. He did not have to create anything at all to be totally complete and perfectly content. Yet it gave Him great pleasure to form the heavens and the earth with all their inhabitants. More than anything else, He longed for companionship.
The Lord employed nothing but an ideal concept and the words of His mouth to create everything out of the void and darkness that existed. He visualized an abode for Himself, replete with hosts of celestial beings that would give Him continual praise. He additionally foresaw a terrestrial dwelling place for a multitude of creatures that would interact with Him and with one another. He made the entire universe and everything in it with such expert precision that it is a self-sustaining work of art.
Almighty God simply spoke and everything that exists today manifested into physical reality. He made the light and separated it from the darkness. He designed the cosmos, replete with stars, suns, moons and planets. He caused a mist to fall over the earth and established all the waterways. The plants of the field sprung up and a variety of living beings were created to inhabit the planet. The Lord then formed man from the dust of the ground and breathed His very own Spirit into him. He placed him in a literal paradise, so that he could enjoy all the many benefits that were planned for him.
Jeremiah 32:17 "Ah Lord GOD! behold, thou hast made the heaven and the earth by thy great power and stretched out arm, [and] there is nothing too hard for thee:"
Everything that the Lord made was perfect. All life forms were created for a special purpose and man was definitely His masterpiece. Adam was a spirit being that was formed in God's very own image and likeness to be His eternal companion. His role was to dress the Garden of Eden and name all the creatures. He did not need to labor in any way or struggle to survive. Almighty God met all man's needs totally and completely, and even gave him a helper to keep him company.
Our Creator imposed only one condition on the man. He was able to eat freely of all the trees in the garden, but he was instructed not to touch the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil or he would surely die. Unfortunately, Adam's mate, Eve, was susceptible to temptation. Satan, a fallen angel of the highest order, took on the form of a serpent and beguiled the first woman into eating the forbidden fruit. She ate it and then gave it to her husband. While she may have been misled, Adam purposely chose to disobey God.
The Lord was sadly disappointed and compelled to exile our ancestors from the garden. They were relegated to spiritual separation from God and eventual physical death. Their fate was to labor all the days of their lives tilling the soil from which they were made. God's plans for man to inhabit paradise and fellowship with Him were drastically curtailed. Sin brought separation and death into the equation. Every member of the human race was subsequently affected as a result.
Romans 5:18 "Therefore as by the offence of one [judgment came] upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one [the free gift came] upon all men unto justification of life."
The Lord knew that He would have to do something dramatic to save man and re-establish fellowship with him. He took on human form and came to this earth to become one of us, so that He could buy back our innocence. Jesus Christ was God in all respects, yet He laid down His deity and was born in the flesh, so that He could serve as the sacrificial substitute for the entire human race.
Just as judgment came on all of us because of Adam's transgression, so too, redemption has come to each and every one of us through the merits of Jesus Christ, the Son of God made man. Jesus was holy and perfect in all of His ways, but He obediently went to the cross to save all of mankind. He suffered and died, so that we do not have to endure the same fate. His death was the only atonement that was required for all of our sin, transgression and generational iniquity.
The slate has now been wiped clean. Our sins are no longer imputed to us for any reason. The Lord sees us as being totally righteous by our faith in His Son. What we could never accomplished in our own strength was made available to us by the Blood of our Lord and Savior. We are reconciled back to God and accepted in the beloved as His very own sons and daughters.
Acts 3:19-21 "Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord; And he shall send Jesus Christ, which before was preached unto you: Whom the heaven must receive until the times of restitution of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began."
All that we need do is repent from the heart and believe that Jesus Christ was indeed the Son of God who died and then rose again from the dead to save us from all our sins - past, present and future. We should confess Him as Lord and be baptized in His name, and then all things become new for us. Jesus comes to dwell in our hearts and fills us with His very own Holy Spirit.
Our minds are renewed in the truth and our behavior is gradually transformed until it eventually becomes holy and perfect. The Lord provides all of our needs and we become joint-heirs with Jesus to all the promises for righteousness. We are seated with Christ in heavenly places at the right hand of the throne of God Himself, and we have received blessings for righteousness that will encompass all of eternity.
Almighty God has great plans for our future. We have divine destinies to fulfill before Christ will return to this earth to restore all things to their original perfection. We will serve as His goodwill ambassadors for the Kingdom of God on this earth. All men will follow our lead and direction. We will preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ and baptize many souls to eternal life. We will bring peace, order and stability to all of our lives and eagerly await the millennial rule and reign of our Lord and Savior.
Revelation 21:5 "And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful."
Jesus Christ will be a righteous judge and a benevolent King. Very soon now, He will judge all men and even angels to determine who will dwell in His awesome presence. The righteous will enter into the Kingdom of God, but those who are stubborn and rebellious will be banished to the unquenchable lake of fire. Christ will take vengeance on all of our enemies and protect us from all harm. He will cast Satan into the bottomless pit so that he can never trouble us again.
We will not even remember our former pain and suffering. The Lord will mercifully blot it from our memories. He will change these mortal bodies into new, glorious, resurrection forms like His very own. We will never get sick and die. All of our needs will be met in abundance and we will dwell in a literal paradise on this earth, as God intended from the very foundation of the world.
The Kingdom of God will be the answer to all of our prayers and the solution to all of our problems. The dead will be raised back to life and reunited with all their loved ones. We will abide with both men and angels in love and unity. The Lord will restore all that we have lost, and we will have peace and prosperity, safety and security, health and longevity, joy and freedom. All things will be made new and we will never be separated from almighty God ever again.
Chapter 1 - A Perfect Creation
John 1:1-3 "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made."
Our God is everywhere, all powerful and all-knowing - omnipresent, omnipotent and omniscient. He is a triune deity capable of both creation and destruction. God the Father is the Source of all things. His Son, Jesus Christ, is the Word by whom all things were created, and the Holy Spirit is His awesome presence that comes to abide with men.
It was by the Word of almighty God that both the heavens and the earth were created from nothing but a detailed plan and a few, clear and concise words that brought the invisible into existence. Were it not for the Lord's vision of a perfect creation, nothing that we see all around us today would have resulted. As it was, He longed for living beings that would be His companions and He saw that what He imagined would be good and beneficial to them.
God created the heavens and the earth. Heaven was His intended dwelling place, but the earth became the showcase for both His splendor and magnificence. He made the light and separated it from the darkness. He put the stars in the cosmos and called them all by name. The sun and moon were meant to be our celestial lights. He configured all the waters of the deep and made land masses that would sustain life in all its various forms. Every living creature had a special place. Heavenly hosts of angels, plants and animals, and especially man, were all part of the overall divine purpose.
Colossians 1:15-17 "Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature: For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether [they be] thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him: And he is before all things, and by him all things consist."
The preemptive plan of almighty God allowed for Jesus Christ to take authority from the very beginning of time. He was and is God Himself, and He will come again in divine power and authority at the end of this age. By Him were all things made, both visible and invisible. He was the prime mover, and the universe would not exist apart from His active participation in the creation itself.
The Lord is an engineering genius. He developed a perfect model that was both self-sustaining, yet comprised of varied life forms that were all interdependent. There is a harmony that exists in all of nature that would not be there except for the handiwork of the Lord Himself. He envisioned plants and animals in all of their infinite variety, teeming with life and vitality. Yet man was intended to be His masterpiece. He was created in God's express image and likeness to be His special companion forever more.
The first human being was formed from the dust of the ground and the Lord breathed His very own Spirit into him. He was called Adam, and he neither struggled nor labored for any good thing. The Lord placed him in a literal paradise. The Garden of Eden was perfect in every way, and intended to be man's abode for all of eternity. Our God also created woman from the man's rib and gave her to him to be his help-mate. The Lord delighted in man and walked with him in the cool of the evening in intimate fellowship.
Isaiah 48:13 "Mine hand also hath laid the foundation of the earth, and my right hand hath spanned the heavens: [when] I call unto them, they stand up together."
The heavens were formed to be above the earth's firmament and were the dwelling place of God Himself. He initially created celestial beings that served Him night and day and gave Him continual praise. Angelic hosts were created before anything else and they were an integral part of what would transpire later on. However, they never attained to the stature of man in God's eyes. Almighty God always took a special interest in the mundane and Adam was His favorite creature.
The earth was designed to be the dwelling place of man, and the Lord had free access to visit the Garden of Eden at any time He chose. He and Adam were intimate companions, close confidantes, and almighty God delighted in him. They were in continual communication, and there was no separation of any kind intended between the Creator and man.
Man was indeed God's masterpiece and the epitome of His design prowess. The Lord issued only one condition for his continued blessings. He was told not to eat of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil or that he would surely die. The Lord wanted to test Adam to see if he would be totally obedient and cooperative with His plans.
Isaiah 45:5 "I [am] the LORD, and [there is] none else, [there is] no God beside me: I girded thee, though thou hast not known me: That they may know from the rising of the sun, and from the west, that [there is] none beside me. I [am] the LORD, and [there is] none else. I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I the LORD do all these [things]."
In the mean time, Lucifer, one of the Lord's special cherubs - an angelic being of the highest order - rebelled against God and was cast out of heaven. He took one-third of the angelic hosts with him and brought havoc to the face of the earth. He was renamed Satan and he maliciously took on the disguise of a serpent in the Garden of Eden and beguiled Adam's wife, Eve, into partaking of the forbidden fruit. Both she and her husband disobeyed God and were punished as a result.
The Lord instantly knew that man had transgressed His will and He was sadly disappointed. He was angry with the devil that tempted them and put enmity between him and the woman. Adam and Eve were no longer in dominion over their environment, as they had been when they were created. They traded that privilege to Satan who then became the god of this earth.
While our ancestors did not purposefully intend to offend God, their disobedience brought sin and death into the picture. It interrupted all of God's plans and generational iniquity came on the entire human race as a result. The first man and woman were banished from paradise and forced into a life of hard labor by the sweat of their brow.
Acts 17:24-25 "God that made the world and all things therein, seeing that he is Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples made with hands; Neither is worshipped with men's hands, as though he needed any thing, seeing he giveth to all life, and breath, and all things;"
Although the Lord created the entire universe in total perfection, the sin problem alienated God from man and robbed us of all of our blessings. We were sentenced to spiritual and physical death for disobedience. That dire fate has been transferred to each and every one of us today. We are born to die because of our ancestral iniquity. There is no way that any of us can be made righteous in our own strength and escape the death penalty.
The wages of sin are death, plain and simple. It took divine intervention to create us and it will require God's direct involvement to redeem us from all of our sin guilt, as well. We should be acutely aware of the fact that apart from God we are nothing. Unless He acquits us, we are doomed to perdition.
In the Beginning
Genesis 1:1-4 "In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness [was] upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. And God said, Let there be light: and there was light. And God saw the light, that [it was] good: and God divided the light from the darkness."
Jesus Christ was the Word of God by whom all things were made. He is the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last. Everything that exists was created because of His involvement. The Holy Spirit of God moved on the face of waters and God said, "Let there be light," and light was manifested into reality from nothing but a mere idea.
The Lord separated the darkness from the light and created the vast cosmos and all its components. He was an engineering genius of the highest kind. The sun, moon and stars were placed in distant galaxies to give off light to illuminate the surrounding darkness. All planets were developed to make the universe both interesting and complex. Their orbits around the sun and one another are perfect and unfathomable.
The entire universe showcases the splendor and magnificence of our Creator. He designed all that exists from the depths of His imagination. He spoke and everything came into being, as He planned and foresaw it. The intricacy and attention to detail that He exhibited defies our human comprehension. Were we required to duplicate God's efforts, we would be at a total disadvantage regardless of the resources that we may have available to us.
Jeremiah 51:15-16 "He hath made the earth by his power, he hath established the world by his wisdom, and hath stretched out the heaven by his understanding. When he uttereth [his] voice, [there is] a multitude of waters in the heavens; and he causeth the vapours to ascend from the ends of the earth: he maketh lightnings with rain, and bringeth forth the wind out of his treasures."
The Lord created all that is in the earth and everything that surrounds it. He developed an atmosphere that supports life of all kinds and formed all the wind, water and weather patterns. He designed the oceans of the deep and separated them from the land masses. He made mountains and valleys, plains and meadows, trees and plants of all types.
Almighty God created every life form from the very smallest microbe to the largest of the animals. He made them to be interactive and interdependent with one another. If left without interference, all life is self-sustaining. There is a perfect plan in place that supports each and every creature. It is beautiful and balanced, and the Lord has given the greatest attention to even the minutest of details.
There is an unmistakable mark of the divine left imprinted on every creature. The tiniest of insects to the most complex life forms were all formed for a distinct purpose - to give God pleasure. The Lord's magnificence can be seen in all of His creation and nothing happens without His express knowledge.
Isaiah 45:18 "For thus saith the LORD that created the heavens; God himself that formed the earth and made it; he hath established it, he created it not in vain, he formed it to be inhabited: I [am] the LORD; and [there is] none else."
Almighty God wanted a creation that was teeming with life and vitality and He succeeded in every area. The heavens and the earth were created to be inhabited by a variety of life forms. Every species imaginable was designed to dwell on the earth. Plants and animals were beautiful in their own way, but perhaps the Lord's greatest desire of all was for companionship on His own level.
He needed to develop a being in His very own image and likeness, so that He would have a family to interact with on a regular basis. The Lord knew that no other existing life form would fit the bill. He would have to formulate an entirely new type of creature to keep Him company. It would have to be a spirit being like Himself, a free agent who would be intelligent and conversant.
Psalm 8:3-6 "When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained; What is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him? For thou hast made him a little lower than the angels, and hast crowned him with glory and honour. Thou madest him to have dominion over the works of thy hands; thou hast put all [things] under his feet:"
While angels certainly were created for God's pleasure, they lacked the divine spark that the Lord wanted to be present in His intimate companion. He wished to create a triune being like Himself - spirit, soul and body - who would be like Him in every respect. The desire of His heart was to provide for and protect this special creature in every way.
Man was the epitome of the Lord's creation - the culmination of both brilliant design and engineering prowess. He carefully formed him from the dust of the ground and then breathed His very own Spirit into him. God saw that it was not good for the man to be alone, and He wanted him to be content in every way. He fashioned a woman from the man's rib to be his eternal help-mate.
As if that weren't enough, almighty God placed Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden where everything was intended to be both beautiful and bountiful. It was a literal paradise for these creatures and all living beings were subject to them. The man and woman lacked no good thing and were in dominion over the entire creation. Their role was to dress the garden and name all the plants and animals. We can hardly imagine an existence more beneficial than what our ancestors had in Eden.
God Saw That it Was Good
Genesis 1:29-31 "And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which [is] upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which [is] the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat. And to every beast of the earth, and to every fowl of the air, and to every thing that creepeth upon the earth, wherein [there is] life, [I have given] every green herb for meat: and it was so. And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, [it was] very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day. And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, [it was] very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day."
Everything that exists was created in just six days. The Lord looked on all that He had made and it was good. The entire universe was in order and perfectly made. The heavens were His abode and beautiful in every way. However, the earth was His special showcase. All terrestrial life forms were synchronized to be compatible with one another and man was created and put in charge of the earth and everything in it.
Every herb and plant was given to man and beast for his food. There was no predatory spirit where any life form killed another for any reason. All life was meant to be sustained peacefully. Almighty God was proud of His accomplishments and content with what He had made. He gave His particular attention to the man and all that he was doing.
It gave the Lord sheer delight to be able to visit with Adam and to commune with him at will. He spent countless hours in the Garden of Eden and rejoiced at all of the man's accomplishments. Every small detail pleased Him and the Lord was totally satisfied with His creation.
Exodus 20:11 "For [in] six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them [is], and rested the seventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it."
The seventh day was the Lord's chosen day of rest. It was given to us as a divine pattern, a godly example. Almighty God stopped the work of His hands on the sabbath and simply enjoyed what He had done. He created the sabbath to be hallowed and for the express benefit of man. Adam and Eve surely celebrated it with the Lord and rested from their efforts, as well.
The sabbath is a sign of the covenant that God made with man at the time of the creation. There is a time for work and a time for rest, and the Lord honors both. He insists that we observe this tradition even today.
It was intended to cause us to commemorate all that the Lord has done on our behalf, and to draw us closer to Him.
Isaiah 40:25 -26 "To whom then will ye liken me, or shall I be equal? saith the Holy One. Lift up your eyes on high, and behold who hath created these [things], that bringeth out their host by number: he calleth them all by names by the greatness of his might, for that [he is] strong in power; not one faileth."
There is no god like our God. He was always, and continues to be, all knowing, almighty and all powerful. He is the Creator of all things and by Him alone are they sustained. The Lord is our source of life and our reason for being. Were it not for Him, nothing that exists today would have been created. He is worthy of all praise and gratitude. He should be reverenced and respected at all times.
Our God is capable of both creation and destruction. He is the ultimate prime mover and determines our fate. In Him rests all power and authority. All life forms attest to His magnificence and splendor. He is the captain of the heavenly hosts and the Father of all mankind. The Lord is unequalled in all of the universe, yet He is continually benevolent and kind to His creation.
Acts 17:24-28 "God that made the world and all things therein, seeing that he is Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples made with hands; Neither is worshipped with men's hands, as though he needed any thing, seeing he giveth to all life, and breath, and all things; And hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation; That they should seek the Lord, if haply they might feel after him, and find him, though he be not far from every one of us: For in him we live, and move, and have our being; as certain also of your own poets have said, For we are also his offspring."
God is and always will be uncontainable. We cannot put Him in a box. His awesome might prohibits constraint of any kind. He does not dwell in temples made with human hands, as though He needed anything from us. He is all sufficient and all encompassing in His own right. He has created all things for His distinct pleasure and man is His masterpiece.
We are offspring of His very own Spirit - all the nations of the world can call Him "Father." He is readily accessible to all human beings and delights in our fellowship. There is no greater thing that the Lord desires other than to intimately relate with mankind. He created us in His very own image and likeness and is eminently proud of us.
Very soon now the Lord will send Jesus Christ back to us to consummate all things and destroy all that is wicked and evil. He will gather together all that is in the heavens and on the earth. The everlasting Kingdom of almighty God will be our ticket to paradise once again. Man was intended to be there from the very beginning and we will be returning to our origin.
The Divine Masterpiece
Genesis 2:7-9 "And the LORD God formed man [of] the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul. And the LORD God planted a garden eastward in Eden; and there he put the man whom he had formed. And out of the ground made the LORD God to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of knowledge of good and evil."
Almighty God formed man from the dust of the ground and then breathed His Spirit of life into him. He took one of the man's ribs and made the first woman to be his help-mate. Both Adam and Eve were created by God to be in intimate fellowship with Him at all times. They were different from all of the other living beings, in that they were speaking spirits like the Lord Himself, capable of intelligent thought and endowed with free will.
The Lord wanted only the best for His masterpiece, so He created a utopian world for the man. He designed the Garden of Eden to be the perfect environment for the first human beings, so that they could take dominion over the entire creation and enjoy their lives to the fullest. Their sole purpose was to commune with God, be fruitful and multiply until they covered the earth.
Adam and Eve called all the plants and animals by name and kept order in the garden. Nothing was amiss. They were able to freely partake of all the plant life for their food, but the Lord placed one condition on them. They were not to eat of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil at any time.
Genesis 1:26-28 "And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. So God created man in his [own] image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them. And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth."
The Lord intended for man to have dominion over all things on this earth. He wanted all the plants and animals to be subject to us. Adam was given the job of keeping the Garden of Eden in perfect beauty and balance. He was to be a husbandman and domesticate all the living creatures. The man lived in a literal paradise and all that he required to be healthy and happy was freely given to him.
Almighty God created them male and female and commanded them to be fruitful and multiply until human beings covered the entire earth with His manifest glory. Adam and Eve were naked in the flesh, but fully clothed in that divine glory themselves. They were not ashamed to see one another as they were, and the Lord related to them intimately on a regular basis.
Their bodies functioned perfectly as the Lord designed them to do. Our first parents were perpetually healthy and happy; they lacked no good thing in paradise. They ate of the plants and trees and were satisfied. All plants and animals were in perfect harmony and there was peace in the Garden of Eden.
Psalm 139:14-16 "I will praise thee; for I am fearfully [and] wonderfully made: marvellous [are] thy works; and [that] my soul knoweth right well. My substance was not hid from thee, when I was made in secret, [and] curiously wrought in the lowest parts of the earth. Thine eyes did see my substance, yet being unperfect; and in thy book all [my members] were written, [which] in continuance were fashioned, when [as yet there was] none of them."
The Lord knew that man was only made of dust, and yet He still fashioned him to be perfect in every way. Man is a living spirit that has a soul and lives in a body. He is like God Himself, designed to be His intimate companion. When you see man, you get a glimpse of God in all His characteristics and attributes.
Our spirits are like God's very own - strong and powerful for good. Our minds, wills and emotions mirror those of God Himself. We are capable of cognitive thought and problem solving. We get lonely and we love others with a passion. Our souls long for peace and tranquility, and we are at our best when things around us are stable and in order.
Our bodies are clearly miracles in their own right. We function autonomously without giving a thought to every minute detail. We are able to be healthy and well at all times. If we are ever injured in any way, we have the ability to heal totally and completely. We can look to our life source and know, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that the Lord wants us to be healthy and whole.
Isaiah 43:7 "[Even] every one that is called by my name: for I have created him for my glory, I have formed him; yea, I have made him."
Each of us is significant in God's eyes. We are all different and unique. The Lord calls us all by name, and knows the intimate details of our personal lives. He has a divine destiny planned for each and every one of us. We are here for a purpose that transcends anything that we could ever ask or think. We were designed to provide our Creator with fellowship and serve Him.
We are to resonate the glory of God and manifest it all over the face of the earth, so that He can be worshipped as He should be. That is why we should share our love for God with all those we meet. If we demonstrate His kindness and mercy to others, they too will be won over and learn to walk in all the fullness of life that is intended for them.
Everyone has a free will that is inviolable. The Lord will never impose His standards on us under any circumstances. He simply makes His will known to man, and we have the choice to comply with it or be disobedient. However, what we do now determines our fate. We can either cooperate with our Maker or be alienated from Him. The choice is solely up to us.
The Test
Genesis 2:15-17 "And the LORD God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it. And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die."
We can only speculate how our lives might have been had our first parents not sinned against almighty God. We would probably all still dwell in paradise and enjoy our lives to the fullest. We would be in dominion over all things on the earth, and the devil would have no power over us. We would be intimate with our Creator, always in right standing and able to receive His blessings.
Unfortunately, there can be no blessings without conditions placed on them. The Lord made it very clear to the first man and woman that they were not to touch the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. He even told them what would happen if they did. They would die spiritually and be separated from God. Their innocence would be taken from them, and they would have to struggle to survive.
Nehemiah 9:6 "Thou, [even] thou, [art] LORD alone; thou hast made heaven, the heaven of heavens, with all their host, the earth, and all [things] that [are] therein, the seas, and all that [is] therein, and thou preservest them all; and the host of heaven worshippeth thee."
Almighty God created the heavens to be His abode, replete with celestial beings called angels. They worshipped the Lord continually and did His bidding. They were free moral agents designed to interact with one another and give homage to their Creator. They existed in a hierarchy of importance according to God's express plan and even communicated with one another.
Lucifer was one of the highest ranking cherubs in heaven. He was powerful and influential because he regularly communed with God Himself. He had a free will which caused him to ultimately rebel against God and resist His authority. The Lord could not abide Lucifer's defiance and was compelled to cast him out of heaven to the earth below. At that point the archangel became known as Satan, and he brought one third of the heavenly hosts with him.
Satan's fall eventually altered the course of life as we know it. He brought death and destruction, havoc and disaster, chaos and confusion with him. The earth and everything in it was impacted. He was angry and powerful, and determined to take revenge on all of God's creation. Only God Himself could stop Satan's advances from destroying the earth and everything in it.
Psalm 115:16 "The heaven, [even] the heavens, [are] the LORD'S: but the earth hath he given to the children of men."
Satan was most upset because the Lord had given the earth to Adam and Eve for their enjoyment, yet banished one of His highest ranking cherubs from heaven. The devil was without a home and forced to wander over the face of the earth. He was jealous of man with all his blessings and determined to uproot him from paradise.
He came down here to steal, kill and destroy all the good that God had planned for man. He set about to develop a strategy to displace man and gain control over the Garden of Eden. He observed the first human beings and learned their habits. He even mimicked their language so that he could one day communicate with them. He knew that the Lord had forbidden our ancestors to eat of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil or they would die, and that was where he focused his attack.
Genesis 3:1-6 "Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden? And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden: But of the fruit of the tree which [is] in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die. And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die: For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil. And when the woman saw that the tree [was] good for food, and that it [was] pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make [one] wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat."
Almighty God had forewarned the first man not to be disobedient. There is a price to pay for that which leads to death. Adam and Eve were well aware of the Lord's command and honored it. They ate of every other tree and plant except the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, and were content with that.
However Satan took on the form of a serpent and beguiled the woman one day as she dressed the Garden. She had a long conversation with him which ultimately led to her sin. The devil asked her if God had said not to eat of the forbidden fruit and she affirmed that. Satan lied and told Eve that she would not surely die if she ate of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, but her eyes would be opened and she would be like God Himself.
Curiosity overcame her and Eve unfortunately took the bait and ate of the forbidden fruit. She then gave some to her husband and he also ate it. While Eve may have been temporarily misled by the devil, Adam knew that what he was doing was definitely wrong. Immediately their eyes were opened and they had an instant awareness of their transgression. They saw that they were naked and they became afraid. When they heard the Lord approach, they ran and hid from Him.
Exiled From Paradise
Genesis 3:8-11 "And they heard the voice of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God amongst the trees of the garden. And the LORD God called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where [art] thou? And he said, I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I [was] naked; and I hid myself. And he said, Who told thee that thou [wast] naked? Hast thou eaten of the tree, whereof I commanded thee that thou shouldest not eat?"
Adam's and Eve's perfect relationship with almighty God was ruined. They had incurred His displeasure and became estranged from Him. They were ashamed of their nakedness and very much aware of their plight. The Garden of Eden was no longer to be their home. Paradise was all that they could think about because it was all that they knew.
They had to be downcast and depressed, feeling lost and forsaken. Unfortunately they had tied God's hands with their disobedience. He was compelled to keep His word and the devil knew it. He is a legalist and He surely reminded the Lord of His warning to Adam.
There was no way that the Lord could take back what He had promised. The wages of sin are death - spiritual and natural. Adam and Eve knowingly sinned and had to be made to pay the price for their disobedience. Their iniquity unfortunately passed onto the entire human race and we have all experienced the consequences of their sin.
Genesis 3:14-19 "And the LORD God said unto the serpent, Because thou hast done this, thou [art] cursed above all cattle, and above every beast of the field; upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life: And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel. Unto the woman he said, I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception; in sorrow thou shalt bring forth children; and thy desire [shall be] to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee. And unto Adam he said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed [is] the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat [of] it all the days of thy life; Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat the herb of the field; In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou [art], and unto dust shalt thou return."
There were adverse repercussions for all parties in the transgression. The serpent was cursed to crawl on his belly and eat dust all the days of his life. The first human beings were at enmity with the devil, who took dominion over the entire earth as a result of their sin. He constantly laid in wait to see how he could do them harm, but they would ultimately bruise him. Adam and Eve were cast out of the Garden, just as the disobedient Satan had been cast out of heaven.
The Lord was compelled to clothe them with animal skins to keep them warm and turned them loose to till the soil and make a living by the sweat of their brows. Women were to be subservient to their husbands and destined to bear children with much sorrow. Men were left to work as farmers and herdsmen, with ground that was hard and infertile. They were both sentenced to spiritual and physical death.
Adam and Eve could no longer intimately commune with almighty God at His level. They fell short of His glory and they were forced into separation from Him. The resulting mental and emotional anguish for their loss must have been almost unbearable. So too, their children and their children's children were all cursed. All sorts of sin and depravity came into existence, and their iniquity was transferred to every living soul, generation after generation right up to the present.
Romans 5:12 "Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:"
We have all inherited the sin guilt from our first parents, Adam and Eve. There is no way that any of us can be made righteous through any efforts on our own, no matter how hard we try. Men tend only to evil. We require divine intervention if we are to be reconciled with our Creator ever again. As one man sinned, death passed to all of us. We are all fated to die in our transgressions.
The sin problem is real and critical to the future of the entire human race. If man is to be restored to his original status with almighty God, then something drastic has to happen. God Himself will have to reverse our death sentence and render us innocent once again. He will have to either change His mind about sin, or manage to satisfy the penalty of death on our behalf.
There is no way that we can be made righteous in our own strength. Something bigger than ourselves will have to transpire. It will take a miracle for man to have all of his rights and privileges restored to him. They were surrendered to Satan in the Garden of Eden when Adam disobeyed almighty God. Sin, transgression and generational iniquity have become our undoing and the Lord's original plans for the entire human race have been forced to change.
Chapter 2 - The Sin Problem
Romans 3:23 "For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;"
Sin is a transgression of God's law - a violation of His perfect moral absolutes. It separates us from the Lord and alienates us from one another. It permeates our very being until everything that we think, say and do is tainted and unclean. Sin is insidious. Once it takes hold in our lives, we become slaves of it to the point that it can overcome us and lead to our perdition.
Although we may intend to do good, evil always follows us and tempts us to sin. That is part of the curse that we have inherited from our ancestors, Adam and Eve. We try our best, but always fall short of the glory of almighty God. All have sinned; none of us is exempt. We have a severe penalty that awaits us for all of our transgression and iniquity. The wages of sin are death - plain and simple.
There is no way out for any of us, other than to throw ourselves at the mercy of God. He alone can pardon our sins and make us righteous once again. In the mean time, we struggle against wickedness and evil, never able to quite overcome it in our own strength. We need divine intervention in order to survive its onslaught, increased strength and courage to be victorious over it.
We should cry out to God and humble ourselves before Him. He is merciful and compassionate and will exonerate us of all our sin guilt and shame if we are truly sincere. If we confess our sins and ask for His forgiveness, He will hear our plea and make a way for us to be reconciled with Him. He is holy and perfect, and we must do all that we possibly can to imitate Him.
Proverbs 20:9 "Who can say, I have made my heart clean, I am pure from my sin?"
There is no human being that can say he is sin free and guiltless. Sin is part of the human condition, unwittingly transferred to us from our forefathers. It separates us from almighty God and prevents our ever being truly intimate with Him. We cannot receive His blessings as long as we are steeped in sin. That puts up a barrier to all the good that the Lord has planned for us.
We are under the curse that was handed down to us from Adam and Eve, and we are without hope for our future. Sin is ever present in our lives. Men need divine forgiveness granted to them each and every time they do wrong. We must continually be watchful if we wish to remain in right standing with our God. Although we are weak and prey to temptations of every kind, the Lord will help us if we seek Him.
If we are in denial and think that He will overlook our iniquity, we are sadly mistaken. He has decreed that the penalty for sin is death - spiritual and natural. If we die in our sins we will be forever lost to Him. That would grieve the Lord, as it is not His desire that anyone perishes. The best we can do is to maintain our communication with Him and cry out for His mercy.
Isaiah 30:1 "Woe to the rebellious children, saith the LORD, that take counsel, but not of me; and that cover with a covering, but not of my spirit, that they may add sin to sin:"
There are some people who are so lost in their transgression that they are oblivious to it. They think nothing of alienating God in everything that they think, say and do. They will be destroyed for their defiance and rebellion if they do not repent. The Lord insists on obedience and He will not tolerate compromise in any of us. If we are set on the pursuit of worldly values, we will always stumble and fall.
We should be focused on what God has in store for us, so that we can be victorious over evil. The only way to stop sinning is to seek the truth and then change our behavior. If we know what is right and then fail to do it, that becomes sin for us. We cannot seek ungodly counsel for our problems and hope to be headed in the right direction. Only almighty God Himself can say what He expects of us. We need to develop a personal relationship with Him that becomes the most important part of our lives.
We should additionally obey all of His commandments and do anything that He asks of us. The Lord always has our best interest at heart and He will never lead us astray. If He requires something of us, there is a specific reason behind it. He does not simply play with our feelings in order to trap us. He never imposes His will on us, but permits us to make our own decisions. If we pursue eternal values, we will be on the right track to blessings and be able to cultivate an intimate relationship with our Creator.
Job 13:23 "How many [are] mine iniquities and sins? make me to know my transgression and my sin."
Developing an awareness of wickedness and evil is the first step that we need to take in order to overcome all of our sin, transgression and iniquity. If we do not believe that something is wrong, we cannot be held accountable for it. We should inquire of our God and be attentive to all that He tells us. He has absolute moral standards that will help us stay on track. His commandments are never burdensome. They were created to help us become righteous and remain that way.
Our conscience serves a very important role in our lives. God speaks to us through our spirits. That small, still voice we hear is only one way that the Lord uses to communicate with His people. His Word, as recorded in the Holy Bible, will also keep us headed in the right direction. If we investigate how He has dealt with sin in others over the years, we will have a fairly good idea what He also expects of us. If we seek His input, He will never remain silent.
The Lord has a powerful solution to the sin problem. He has thought of everything. There is no way that He will permit all of us to go to perdition without a fight. He loves man so much that He desires intimacy with us. If we repent from the heart and renounce all of our sins, our future will be bright and promising. The Lord will make redemption available to each and every one of us who are receptive to it. He wants all of us to be reconciled with Him by faith.
Temptation Leads to Sin
Matthew 26:41 "Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed [is] willing, but the flesh [is] weak."
Sin is a by-product of man's fallen nature. We have all inherited a tendency towards sin from our ancestors. Had Adam and Eve not disobeyed God in the Garden of Eden, we would have no sin consciousness. As it is, we are all inclined to wickedness and evil, and we should be well aware of that fact. All that it takes for sin to be full-blown is for us to act on a thought or surrender to an impulse that triggers a corresponding bad behavior.
We are in a world that is filled with darkness and deception, and sin easily overcomes us as a result. It is not what goes into us that defiles us, but what proceeds from our hearts. Sin can be hidden or obvious, but no matter how we try to disguise it, it will always find us out. There is no sin that will not be brought to light, no covert thought or tendency that will not materialize sooner or later.
Temptation to sin is a part of life. We have all sorts of opportunities to make mistakes. When we surrender our thoughts to evil, sin always manifests. It may be that we struggle in any one given area or fight temptation on several fronts. Our propensity to sin is part of the human condition that we have inherited from our forefathers. Our spirits are willing to do what is right but our flesh is weak. Everyone misses the mark from time to time, and we all fall short of God's glory.
1Corinthians 10:13 "There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God [is] faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear [it]."
Sin has its consequences. It offends almighty God and estranges us from Him. It interferes with our receiving blessings in our lives and puts us under the curse. It alienates us from God and one another, and leads only to death and destruction. There is no sin that is ever beneficial to any of us. It always has negative results and robs us of our peace and serenity.
If we sincerely try to overcome our sins, the Lord will assist us in ways that we can only imagine. He will always make a way out of temptation for us if we ask for His help. Perhaps He will engineer our circumstances, so that we are distracted from committing our sins. Maybe He will change our environment or send us people in our lives that will help keep us on a straight and narrow path. Then again, He may supernaturally strengthen us so that we can resist all tendencies towards evil. He will sovereignly move to deliver us from all sources of temptation.
Regardless of how He intervenes on our behalf, we can always look back and see that God was with us in our darkest hour. His presence is viable and helps us to overcome all transgression and iniquity if we permit Him access to our lives. If our minds are set on pleasing Him, it will be very difficult for us to offend Him in any way. If we follow His guidance and direction we can become sin free and be reconciled to Him. He will always help those who are determined to prevail over sin.
James 1:12 "Blessed [is] the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him."
Temptation to sin can be almost unbearable. Our flesh is weak and we struggle to remain sin free. None of us ever seem to get it totally right. We all miss the mark and commit errors. However, our human frailty is no surprise to almighty God. He sees how we are tested and tried. He will reward those who diligently seek Him and overlook many of our mistakes if we remain humble and sincere.
The devil is the source of all temptation and he delights when we cave in and let sin overcome us. He accuses us before God and rejoices that we are weak. He will always try to get us to sin repeatedly, until we simply give up and surrender ourselves to evil. If we submit ourselves to God and resist Satan, he will flee from us. Our part is to endure and stay strong regardless of what may come against us. We can eventually be victorious over our sin if we are determined.
The Lord has a crown of life ready and waiting for each and every person that resists temptation to sin and rises above it. He will send us ministering angels to assist us in all our efforts and protect us from all evil if we turn our lives over to Him. He will never leave us or forsake us if we seek His help. His greatest desire is to fellowship with man, and that can only happen if we are sin free.
Luke 11:4 "And forgive us our sins; for we also forgive every one that is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil."
If we do fall and make a mistake, we should be quick to repent and ask the Lord for forgiveness. He will wipe the slate clean and strengthen us in our spiritual journey. We must also learn to forgive others. If someone offends us, we should be quick to overlook their sin and reconcile with them. If we fail do this, the Lord will not be able to forgive us. He expects us to walk in love and be merciful and compassionate, just as He is with us.
Each of us is capable of overcoming temptation to sin in all its various forms, if we simply keep our focus on almighty God. No evil will overtake His people if their minds are stayed on Him. The Lord promises that He will reward our efforts and deliver us from Satan, the enemy of our souls. He will make certain that we are protected from all evil if we put our trust in Him and Him alone.
Our God will lead and guide us if we work at establishing a strong relationship with Him. We need to spend time in prayer and reading His Word. We should meditate on what we learn so that it becomes second nature to us. If we adopt God's ways as our own, temptation to sin will no longer have as strong a hold on us. We will eventually be able to overcome the world, our flesh and the devil with a little bit of effort on our part.
The Subtlety of Sin
Proverbs 21:4 "An high look, and a proud heart, [and] the plowing of the wicked, [is] sin."
One of the quickest ways to be seduced by sin and transgression is to have a proud and haughty heart that resists the truth. Pride always goes before the fall and it will be our undoing every time. If we remain humble and sincere, the Lord can convict us by the power of His Holy Spirit whenever we miss the mark. If we are open to His lead and guidance, we will be able to make a mid-course correction and get back on track before we plummet to destruction.
Defiance and rebellion often result from pride. We cannot purposely disobey almighty God without experiencing serious repercussions. If we are totally defiant, He will turn His back on us and leave us to our own devices. He is under no obligation to bless those who stubbornly refuse His input. If we deliberately choose wickedness over righteousness, we will ultimately go to perdition.
The best thing we can do is to remain reverent and respectful of God, and ask Him for the wisdom and strength to overcome sin in our lives. He will never abandon us if we are determined to improve our thoughts and behavior. He has perfect moral standards that He will reveal to us if we are truly interested in fellowship with Him. He will never impose His will on ours, but always permits us to make our own decisions. If we walk in His ways rather than our own, we will be successful.
Daniel 9:5 "We have sinned, and have committed iniquity, and have done wickedly, and have rebelled, even by departing from thy precepts and from thy judgments:"
Sin is subtle and insidious. It creeps up on us and often catches us unaware. A brief lapse in good judgment, a careless word or a selfish action can lead us astray. It is relatively easy to slip up and make a mistake that offends God and alienates us from Him. Thankfully, our conscience tells us when we have crossed the line from doing good to evil. If we are sensitive in our inner man and listen for the voice of the Holy Spirit, we can make the necessary corrections.
We are created in God's very own image and likeness. Each of us has a divine spark in us that seeks to do good and gravitates towards our Maker. We inherently know when we have committed evil and strayed far from the path of righteousness. All it takes is an awareness of our sin to make us feel ashamed. If we repent from the heart and change direction, the Lord is quick to pardon us.
He never holds our sins against us if we are determined to change our ways. He is ever merciful and compassionate to the human condition. He knows that we struggle to remain sin free and that we need a covering from Him to be made innocent once again. The Lord strengthens us in the power of His might so that we can overcome all tendencies towards wickedness and evil. However, we have to fully surrender our personal lives to Him and be willing to submit ourselves to His correction.
James 4:17 "Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth [it] not, to him it is sin."
The Lord loves the sinner but hates our sin because it separates us from Him. He cannot be in intimate fellowship with those who purposely commit evil. He is holy and perfect and will not tolerate evil of any kind. We dare not persist in following our own inclinations and hope that we will become sin free. Man tends only towards sin and cannot be righteous in his own strength no matter how hard he may try. We need God to show us the error of our ways so that we can get back on the right track.
There are sins of commission and sins of omission. All of us know what is blatantly wrong. We feel bad inside when we are involved in it. If we have an awareness of our sin and yet still continue doing what we know is wrong, we are subject to punishment. If we know what is right and yet fail to do it, that is also a sin of omission. The Lord has absolute moral standards that He wants us to live by. If we neglect to do so, then we may be in defiance and rebellion.
Sin can be hidden and difficult to observe, yet it is still considered wrongdoing in God's eyes. For example, if we are angry, bitter and resentful, these feelings are usually disguised for fear that others will find us out. The Lord sees the inner man of the heart and is not easily fooled. He always knows when a hidden sin is tearing us down and holding us back. He will persuade us to repent of these emotions and change our way of thinking so that we can be made righteous once again.
Hebrews 3:12-13 "Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God. But exhort one another daily, while it is called To day; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin."
Sin is especially deceitful because it proceeds from Satan, the father of lies. He does his level best to convince us that to do whatever we like will have no bad consequences. He tells us that good is evil and evil is good. He tries to confuse and overwhelm us until we comply with His demands. We are lured into his trap when we sin, and yet no good ever comes out of it. We are eventually overcome by the very evil we pursue and find ourselves only disappointed and separated from our God.
One of the quickest ways to be overcome by sin, transgression and iniquity and bring disaster on ourselves is to deliberately turn away from our relationship with our Creator. He sees the inner man of the heart and is not mocked. We cannot reject almighty God and abandon His ways and expect to be blessed. He is under no obligation to provide for the sinner. It is only by His mercy and compassion, grace and favor, that any of us survives our sins.
We must stay humble and sincere before the Lord and learn to adopt His ways as our own, if we wish to prosper and succeed. We are nothing apart Him and we can do nothing of any value without His direct involvement in our lives. If we submit ourselves to God and resist the devil, he will flee far from us. Fear, doubt and unbelief will no longer hold us hostage or tempt us to sin. Satan will never be able to deceive us if we place our faith and trust in God alone.
Perfect Moral Standards
Romans 7:19-20 "For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do. Now if I do that I would not, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me."
We have all fallen short of the glory of almighty God and we constantly battle temptation in our lives.
The human condition is quite hopeless if we succumb to the sin that so easily besets us. We have a propensity towards evil that is unmistakable. The very thing that we vow not to do we end up doing, estranging God and others in the process. It is the sin nature of man which causes us so much trouble.
The more we try to be good, the harder it is to achieve holiness and perfection. Yet without it, we cannot be in a close relationship with our Creator. We are constantly at His mercy and continually asking for His forgiveness. Everything that we think, say and do is tainted, and we find ourselves constantly on the defensive. We must repent at every turn and ask for His pardon over and over again if we wish to have peace of mind.
Our fallen nature can easily overtake us if we are not careful. The world we live in is full of darkness and deception and has quite an allure for those of us who are weak in our flesh. We must guard against hidden traps that will lead to our demise. The only way to avoid sin is to actively pursue a close relationship with God that becomes the most important part of our lives. If we seek Him rather than our own selfish agendas, we will be headed in the right direction.
Isaiah 5:20-21 "Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter! Woe unto [them that are] wise in their own eyes, and prudent in their own sight!"
It is relatively easy to be deceived in our sinfulness and convinced that it does not matter to almighty God. The enemy wants us to think that there will be no repercussions to our sin. He tells us that God is unreasonable and expects too much of us. He tries to persuade us to turn our backs on Him and do whatever we please so that we become permanently estranged from Him.
If we steadfastly deny our sins and call evil good and good evil, we will go to perdition as we deserve to do. The Lord is holy and perfect and will not tolerate any compromise in us. We inherently know the truth and we are held accountable for it. Those who routinely commit sin without regard for its consequences deserve to be punished.
We cannot close our eyes to the reality of sin. It always lies dormant in us, ready to trap us. We have to be vigilant and strong in order to overcome it. It is part of the human condition that needs constant attention. Man has a tendency to evil that must be controlled or all hell will break loose in our lives. If we are proud and arrogant and do not believe sin will ever trip us up, we are setting ourselves up for a fall.
Deuteronomy 4:2 "Ye shall not add unto the word which I command you, neither shall ye diminish [ought] from it, that ye may keep the commandments of the LORD your God which I command you."
There is a moral code outside of man that will keep Him on the right track. The Lord has established His commandments to benefit us and keep us in right relationship with Him and with others. They are never unreasonable or demanding. The commandments involve knowing God and adopting His ways as our very own. They may appear to be impossible standards for righteousness, but they serve as our measuring stick.
We cannot have false gods or worship any idols and graven images. We should not take the Lord's name in vain, for it is sacred. We should remember the sabbath as a day of rest and communion with our God. Honoring our father and our mother is not an option to us. We are not to kill, steal, commit adultery, lie or covet another's spouse or material possessions.
If we obey almighty God and do everything that He asks of us, things will go well with us. If we try to manipulate His moral absolutes and go our own way, we will suffer consequences that may not be pleasant for us. If we alienate the Lord with our sins, He will ultimately turn His back on us and leave us to our own devices. We will be punished if we do not adhere to His laws.
Psalm 78:38-39 "But he, [being] full of compassion, forgave [their] iniquity, and destroyed [them] not: yea, many a time turned he his anger away, and did not stir up all his wrath. For he remembered that they [were but] flesh; a wind that passeth away, and cometh not again."
The vicious cycle of sin, repentance and forgiveness can become almost unbearable to us. If we wish to remain in right standing with God, we dare not sin. Yet sin is part of our human nature. We continually miss the mark, have to confess our sins and be forgiven once again. On and on it goes, the never-ending battle to achieve right standing with our Creator.
Fortunately for us, the Lord looks on the inner man of the heart and weighs its content before He ascribes punishment. He is ever merciful and compassionate to the human condition, patient and longsuffering with man. His earnest desire is to be in relationship with us, and that requires Him to be sympathetic and understanding to our plight.
If we are humble and sincere He overlooks a great deal of our mistakes. He gives us every opportunity to correct our ways and change direction with our lives. However, if we are stubborn and rebellious and deliberately choose wickedness and evil over righteousness, He will be compelled to allow us to go to perdition. We will ultimately die in our sins as mere men.
The Remission of Sin
1John 1:8-10 "If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us [our] sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us."
There is no use pretending. We have all sinned and fallen short of the glory of almighty God and we deserve to die according to His perfect, impeccable standards for righteousness. However, He is ever merciful and gracious to us, not desiring that any man should perish. If we repent from the heart and confess our sins, He will remit them and remember our iniquity no more.
If we say we have no sin, we are liars. It is part of our human nature to tend towards evil. To believe anything other than that is pure deception on our part and will not help to exonerate us. The Lord is always ready to pardon us if we fail and admit our mistakes. He wants us to be sin free at all times so that we can be in intimate fellowship with Him.
Our God has no patience for deliberate defiance, however. He is not mocked. He knows who is sincere and who is being stubborn and rebellious. He will not acquit anyone who is purposefully defiant. He will enforce never ending punishment on those who refuse to admit their wrongdoing and persist in it. Their sins will find them out and bring a penalty of death on them.
Psalm 130:1-5 "Out of the depths have I cried unto thee, O LORD. Lord, hear my voice: let thine ears be attentive to the voice of my supplications. If thou, LORD, shouldest mark iniquities, O Lord, who shall stand? But [there is] forgiveness with thee, that thou mayest be feared. I wait for the LORD, my soul doth wait, and in his word do I hope."
If we examine our conscience and objectively evaluate our behavior, we will find that we have missed the mark more times than not. If the Lord should constantly take note of our sins, none of us could stand in His presence. Our hope is in His written Word and in His kind and loving treatment of man. He promises to be merciful and compassionate and He will forgive us if we repent.
When we cry out for forgiveness, our God always hears us and acquits us of all guilt. He strengthens us so that we can become and remain sin free. If we stray from the path of righteousness, He gently leads us back towards Him. He is to be reverenced and obeyed at all times. The Lord is gracious to sinners and will teach us His ways if we seek Him.
All that we need do is draw close to God and He will draw close to us. He will protect us from all evil and deliver us from the snare of the fowler. The enemy will not have a chance to deceive us if we are in an intimate relationship with our heavenly Father. We will tend more towards righteousness and godliness if we keep our minds focused on almighty God.
Isaiah 55:6 "Seek ye the LORD while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near: Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the LORD, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon. For my thoughts [are] not your thoughts, neither [are] your ways my ways, saith the LORD. For [as] the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts."
God's thoughts and ways are much higher than our own. If we want blessings in our lives, we will have to learn to guard our minds and hearts and pursue righteousness at all times. It is what comes out of a man that defiles him. The Lord lays out a clear path for us. All we must do is walk in it and we will have good success in every area of our lives.
If we should ever make a mistake, He will pardon us if we repent from the heart. He has mercy and compassion on all of His children. The Lord is not sitting and waiting for us to make mistakes. He rejoices when we turn to Him and endeavor to learn what He expects of us. His perfect will for our lives is to prosper and be in health even as our souls prosper.
The wicked and rebellious have an opportunity to renounce their sin and seek forgiveness. There is no reason why anyone should perish. If we are willing and obedient, we will have many rewards, but if we persist in our sin, we will be punished. There is no middle ground possible. We cannot be in the world and succumb to its darkness and deception. We must choose to be set free from sin once and for all time.
Psalm 51:2-9 "Wash me throughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin. For I acknowledge my transgressions: and my sin [is] ever before me. Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, and done [this] evil in thy sight: that thou mightest be justified when thou speakest, [and] be clear when thou judgest. Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me. Behold, thou desirest truth in the inward parts: and in the hidden [part] thou shalt make me to know wisdom. Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. Make me to hear joy and gladness; [that] the bones [which] thou hast broken may rejoice. Hide thy face from my sins, and blot out all mine iniquities."
The Lord is able to cleanse and sanctify us of all our sins. Even though we are human beings who were born in sin, He will deliver us from all evil tendencies if we ask Him. He wants to fellowship with us more than anything else. If we are burdened by sin, transgression and iniquity, that cannot happen. He will teach us all that we need to know to be righteous and holy before Him, so that we can be in an intimate relationship for all time.
Almighty God will give us wisdom and revelation for our spiritual journey. He will not leave or forsake us, just because we are struggling to do right and occasionally fail. He will overlook our errant ways if we are humble and sincere. He will strengthen us by the power of His might and deliver us from all temptation to sin. We will eventually learn to overcome the world, our flesh and the devil. Nothing will be impossible to us if we are willing and obedient.
If we should ever miss the mark, we can always turn to God and ask for His mercy once again. He will remit our sins and grant us a full pardon. We won't have to deal with guilt, shame and condemnation forever. The Lord will provide us with a way out of all fear based thoughts. He will give us hope and confidence for our future as we walk in covenant with Him.
Hebrews 10:16-18 "This [is] the covenant that I will make with them after those days, saith the Lord, I will put my laws into their hearts, and in their minds will I write them; And their sins and iniquities will I remember no more. Now where remission of these [is, there is] no more offering for sin."
There is hope for the human condition. We are not destined to destruction after all. The Lord has a perfect plan in place for our redemption. He will reveal it to all those who are humble and sincere. If we seek the truth, we will find it and it will set us free. He has visited the earth in human form in the person of Jesus Christ for the express purpose of redeeming us of all sin, transgression and iniquity. If we believe the truth, confess our sins, and accept Jesus as our personal Lord and Savior, we will be fully exonerated of all sin guilt once and for all.
Christ came so that we could be permanently restored to right relationship with almighty God. He was our sacrificial substitute unto death, so that we would not have to endure that same fate. Because He died in our place, we receive life in abundance to the overflow. There is no good thing that the Lord will ever withhold from us if we have faith in His Son. We can look forward to receiving full remission of all our sins for all time. The Lord will never impute our sin guilt to us ever again. The Blood of Jesus Christ continually cleanses and sanctifies us of all wrong doing - past, present and future.
We have a bright and promising future in covenant with our Creator. He puts His laws into our minds and hearts, so that we always please Him. There will never be a separation between God and man ever again. Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law that specified death as a penalty for sin, and brought us full reconciliation with our heavenly Father.
Chapter 3 - Total Reconciliation
John 3:16 -17 "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved."
Our heavenly Father knew that none of us could be made righteous and reconciled to Him in our own strength, so He developed a perfect plan to win back all of mankind. Our God took on human form when Jesus Christ came to the earth to save us from our sins once and for all. Jesus laid down His deity and became one of us, so that He could serve as the sacrificial substitute for the entire human race.
Jesus was holy and without sin, but He became sin for us, so that we could be made the righteousness of almighty God by our faith in Him. Christ took all our sin, transgression and iniquity on Himself and then paid the ultimate price for it with His very own life. His Blood covers us for all of our sins - past, present and future - and keeps on cleansing us. It was the total atonement that was required to satisfy the Law which specified death as a penalty for our sins.
There is no more guilt to bear for our shameful past. The Lord has even blotted it from His memory. We are no longer under condemnation either. Believers are joint-heirs with Christ to all the promises for righteousness, and we are seated with Him in heavenly places at the right hand of God Himself. The Lord will move heaven and earth for us now that we are redeemed.
Galatians 3:22 "But the scripture hath concluded all under sin, that the promise by faith of Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe."
We have all sinned and fallen short of the glory of almighty God. There is nothing that we can do in our own strength to remedy this fact. We are fated to die in our sins unless the Lord intervenes on our behalf and pardons us of all our transgression. In His infinite mercy and kindness, He sent Jesus to the earth to be the propitiation for the sins of all mankind.
Christ suffered and died so that we would not have to endure the same fate. He was the perfect Lamb of God that was needed to redeem the entire human race once and for all time. All that we must do is believe that Jesus Christ was the Son of God who died for our sins and was raised again from the dead; confess Him as our Lord and Savior; and be baptized in His name.
When we do, we are born again in our spirits and we become the actual sons and daughters of God Himself. Our salvation is final, complete and irrevocable. There is no more death penalty left for any of us. The Lord no longer imputes our sin guilt to us at any time or for any reason. We become heirs to eternal life with all of its many benefits.
Ephesians 2:13-16 "But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ. For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition [between us]; Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, [even] the law of commandments [contained] in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain one new man, [so] making peace; And that he might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby:"
A divine exchange took place on Calvary when Christ laid down His life for us. He became sin for us, so that we could be made righteous. He was poor and disenfranchised, so that we might be made rich. He took on all our infirmities, so that we could be healed. The chastisement of our peace was on Him, so that we could be set free. He came to fulfill the law perfectly, so that we could have glorious liberty through our faith in Him.
There is no more separation between God and man. We have been restored to right standing with our Creator. Nothing can keep us from having an intimate relationship with Him any longer. Jesus abolished the enmity between us once and for all time. We now have peace with almighty God and there is no good thing that He will ever withhold from us.
There is no way that any of us could be made righteous on his own. Our faith alone is what makes us righteous and reconciles us with God. We appropriate all that Jesus Christ has accomplished for us by believing and trusting in the finished work of His cross. When the Lord looks at us now, He sees Jesus in all of His glory, and He accepts us in the beloved as His very own children.
Romans 3:21-26 "But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets; Even the righteousness of God [which is] by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference: For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: Whom God hath set forth [to be] a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God; To declare, [I say], at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus."
The righteousness of God apart from the Law is manifested through the accomplishments of Jesus Christ. He, who was without sin Himself, became sin for us and bore its curse, so that we could be set free. Jesus took on all the sins of mankind in His own flesh and then paid the death penalty for them. In addition, He sent His very own Holy Spirit to dwell in us and help us to remain sin free.
The Lord counts Jesus' suffering and death as full payment for all of our sin, transgression and iniquity. He remits our sins totally and completely by the Blood of His beloved Son. The guilt of the entire human race is abolished because of His substitutionary work on our behalf. We are new creatures in Christ. Our minds are renewed in the truth and our behavior is gradually transformed until it becomes holy and perfect.
While we may still sin from time to time, we do not make a habit of sinning like we used to do. We are strengthened to overcome the world, our flesh and the devil. If we should ever make a mistake, we can repent from the heart and be forgiven. The Lord is merciful and compassionate, and He will always be faithful to restore us to right standing with Him once again.
Intercession for Transgressors
Romans 5:20-21 "Moreover the law entered, that the offence might abound. But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound: That as sin hath reigned unto death, even so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord."
Our forefathers, Adam and Eve, proved that human beings can be weak, stubborn and rebellious in the Garden of Eden. We are conceived in sin and wicked by our very nature. We defy our God and become estranged from Him despite all of our best efforts. There is no way that any of us can be reconciled to Him through any works of our own.
Our Creator specified the old Mosaic Law to be a yardstick by which all mankind could measure righteousness. Unfortunately, no one was able to attain to it perfectly at all times. So when the Law came into being, sin was even more evident in us. Jesus Christ came to the earth to fulfill the Law in His own flesh. He suffered and died to pay its penalty of death for each and every one of us.
We now have grace, or unmerited favor, with almighty God because of all that Jesus did for us. We have not earned our righteousness by any of our works. There is no way that we could ever be reconciled to God by our own strength. We were too far gone in sin, transgression and iniquity to save ourselves. It took the perfect obedience of Christ unto death to save us from destruction.
Hebrews 2:17 "Wherefore in all things it behoved him to be made like unto [his] brethren, that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest in things [pertaining] to God, to make reconciliation for the sins of the people."
We have a loving and faithful high priest with almighty God in the person of Jesus Christ. He always makes intercession for us. Even though He suffered and died to pay the penalty for all of our sins, our enemy, the devil, constantly accuses us of wrongdoing. Christ intervenes for us by reminding our Creator that we are covered by His Blood once and for all time.
Our sins are now far from us and we are no longer destined to die because of them. Jesus made full atonement for all our transgression - past, present and future - with His work on the cross. He actually became sin for us and then bore it curse. He experienced scorn, humiliation and shame, suffered in both His spirit and in His flesh, so that we would not have to endure that same fate.
Jesus was God made man for the benefit of the entire human race. Were it not for His perfect obedience unto death, we would all still be lost for all of eternity. As it is, we are now the righteousness of God by our faith and joint-heirs with Christ to all of the promises of God for righteousness. There is no good thing that the Lord will ever withhold from His people.
Isaiah 53:10-12 "Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise him; he hath put [him] to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see [his] seed, he shall prolong [his] days, and the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in his hand. He shall see of the travail of his soul, [and] shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities. Therefore will I divide him [a portion] with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong; because he hath poured out his soul unto death: and he was numbered with the transgressors; and he bare the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors."
Jesus was the perfect Lamb of God who shed His Blood for the sins of the entire human race from the very foundation of the world. He suffered and died to redeem us of all iniquity. He who knew no sin, became sin for us, and then paid its penalty of death once and for all time. Jesus suffered a temporary separation from God, so that He could restore us to right standing with Him.
Our Lord and Savior paid the price for all our sin guilt in its entirety. Our heavenly Father no longer imputes it to us ever again. He actually blots it from His memory and looks at us as if we were His very own sons and daughters now. We are righteous once again and no longer separated from our Creator. Jesus bore all our iniquities on the cross and He will divide His honor and glory with the strong.
We will learn to overcome all temptation to sin through the power of the Holy Spirit that dwells in us. He will teach us all that we need to know to remain righteous and sin free. We will be strengthened in our spirit man, so that we can prevail over all wickedness and evil that comes against us. The Lord will deliver us from the powers of darkness and help us to trample them under our feet.
Hebrews 10:19-22 "Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus, By a new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh; And [having] an high priest over the house of God; Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water."
We can draw near to God now that we have been fully redeemed by the Blood of Jesus Christ. He serves as our high priest and continually makes intercession for the entire human race. He destroyed the enmity that formerly existed between God and man, and He has reconciled us once and for all time with His suffering and death on the cross.
Our part is to believe the truth and act on it. We must repent of all sins; have faith in Jesus as the Son of God who died for us and was resurrected from the dead; and accept Him as our personal Lord and Savior. We should, additionally, be baptized with water and the Holy Spirit in His name. When we do, we become re-created spirits in the very image and likeness of God once again.
Jesus was the full atonement that was required under the terms of the Law to pay the penalty for our sins. They are no longer held against us for any reason. We are new creatures in Christ and the slate has been wiped clean. It is as if we had never sinned at all. The Lord sees us in all the perfection of Jesus Christ and accepts us in the beloved as His own sons and daughters.
Hebrews 9:15 "And for this cause he is the mediator of the new testament, that by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions [that were] under the first testament, they which are called might receive the promise of eternal inheritance."
Jesus Christ accomplished the impossible with His perfect obedience on the cross. He served as the sacrificial substitute for the entire human race. Through Him, we have inherited the gift of eternal life. We will no longer die in our sins and go to hell. All of mankind can be born again and regenerated into fully mature sons and daughters - like Christ in every way.
Our minds will be renewed in the truth and our behavior transformed until it becomes holy and perfect. We will be able to walk just like Christ did, and take back the entire earth from the kingdom of darkness. We will usher in the Kingdom of almighty God as His saints, and gather all of humanity to Him as He so earnestly desires. We will impact the fate of every man, woman and child if we are willing to do so.
When Christ returns, He will find us hard at work preaching the Gospel, healing the sick, casting out demons and even raising the dead as He once did. He will share His very own honor and glory with us. We will be joint-heirs to the Kingdom of God and rule and reign with Him for all of eternity.
Crucified With Christ
Hebrews 2:9-11 "But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honour; that he by the grace of God should taste death for every man. For it became him, for whom [are] all things, and by whom [are] all things, in bringing many sons unto glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings. For both he that sanctifieth and they who are sanctified [are] all of one: for which cause he is not ashamed to call them brethren,"
Our faith is what saves us, not any of our works. Jesus did all that was necessary to redeem each and every one of us. He represented all of mankind when He laid down His life for us. He actually became sin and then bore its curse, so that we would no longer have to do that. All we must do is believe in Him, accept Him as our personal Lord and Savior, and be baptized in His name.
There is no greater miracle than that of the re-birth. When Jesus was crucified for us, He took on all our sins; paid the penalty of death for them; and made it possible for us to be reborn in our spirits, so that we could have favor and grace with almighty God. It is unfathomable that His perfect obedience could lead to such blessings for the human race, but that is exactly what occurred on Calvary.
We were crucified with Christ in all our sinfulness, and now we are new creatures in Him. We have become the actual sons and daughters of God, and we are joint- heirs with Jesus. Our minds are renewed in the truth and our behavior is gradually transformed until it becomes holy and perfect. If we imitate the laid down life of Christ, we will become fully mature in Him.
Romans 6:6-10 "Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with [him], that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin. For he that is dead is freed from sin. Now if we be dead with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him: Knowing that Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more; death hath no more dominion over him. For in that he died, he died unto sin once: but in that he liveth, he liveth unto God."
Our flesh was crucified vicariously two thousand years ago when Christ died on the cross. Nothing should be holding us in bondage to sin any longer. We have been set totally free. Now that we are dead to sin, we are alive to righteousness through our faith. It is possible for us to rule and reign with Christ in this life and in the everlasting Kingdom of God to come.
Death no longer hangs over us as a penalty for our sin. We have received the gift of eternal life with all its many benefits. We now live our lives very differently. Eternal values have more importance for us than worldly lusts and passions. We imitate Jesus Christ and walk like He did. If we pray and ask Him, He will fill us with His very own Holy Spirit.
The Holy Spirit will teach us all that we need to know and convict us of any sin our lives. We will have more peace, faith and joy. Our relationships with God and with others will improve. We will be meek, temperate and more patient in all of our interactions. We will bear long with others who are still lost in sin, so that we can lead and guide them into the truth.
1Peter 4:1-2 "Forasmuch then as Christ hath suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves likewise with the same mind: for he that hath suffered in the flesh hath ceased from sin; That he no longer should live the rest of [his] time in the flesh to the lusts of men, but to the will of God.
We should do the very same thing that Jesus did. He laid down His physical life for the benefit of all mankind. The least that we can do is keep our flesh and soul under control. That may cause us to suffer some pain and discomfort for awhile, but the long term results will be in our favor. We will be gradually changed so that we put our spirit man in ascendancy.
When we completely sanctify ourselves, we can appropriate divine power and authority and lead others out of their bondage to sin. We will become godly role models and be able to overcome the world, our flesh and the devil. We will walk in increased confidence, knowing that we are developing into fully mature sons and daughters of almighty God.
The Lord's will for us is to become holy and perfect, just as He is holy and perfect. Then we can be in intimate fellowship with Him for all of eternity, as He planned from the foundation of the world. Very soon now, Jesus Christ will return to gather all of the righteous into His everlasting Kingdom. We should prepare ourselves now. Nothing defiling can be in His awesome presence.
Galatians 2:20 "I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.
Although we have been crucified with Christ, we now enjoy life in abundance to the overflow through Him. Our faith enables us to be more than conquerors. We can actually prevail in this lifetime and in the Kingdom to come, because of all that Jesus did for us on the cross. He brought benefits for all of mankind, and there is nothing that the Lord will ever withhold from us now that we are born again. He wants to shower us with His blessings as a demonstration of His loving kindness.
We will have health and prosperity, peace of mind and strength to overcome all that is wicked and evil. Sin will no longer reign over us. We will become fully mature sons and daughters of almighty God who enjoy unlimited rights and privileges. He will imbue us with His very own power and authority, so that we can operate just like Jesus did. The kingdom of darkness will shudder as we take back the earth for our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, even before He returns to set up His millennial rule and reign.
Those who are born again will be invincible in the critical days to come. We will embrace our divine destinies and walk in all the fullness of God Himself. We will lead many others to the Lord through our godly example and free them to enjoy the life that we now have. We will preach the Gospel, heal the sick, cast out demons and even raise the dead. All of mankind will be impacted by our efforts to win souls for the Lord and overcome all evil with good.
Righteous by Faith
Romans 5:8-10 "But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him. For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life."
The first appearance of Jesus Christ on the earth marked the turning point for all of mankind. Up until then we were lost in our sins without hope for our future. Death reigned over us and we were all guilty of sin, transgression and the iniquity of our forefathers. There was no way that we could make peace with almighty God and enter into the fullness of His blessings.
Jesus changed all that for us. He willingly came to the earth and laid down His deity, so that He could be born of a woman, human in all respects. One man caused sin to enter the picture in the Garden of Eden, and it took another man to destroy the effects that sin brought with it. Christ served as our sacrifice in payment for the sin guilt of all mankind. He suffered and died in our place, so that we could be made the righteousness of God by our faith in Him.
Christ laid down His life so that ours could be redeemed. While we were still sinners, Jesus died for each and every one of us. His substitutionary work on the cross was the total atonement that was required for the sins of the entire human race. He bought us back from our condemnation to death and released blessings in abundance to us, so that we could live forever in His holy presence.
2Corinthians 5:21 "For he hath made him [to be] sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him."
There is nothing that we need to do in our own strength to be restored to right relationship with our Creator. Our original sin is forgiven, as well as all the transgressions that we have made since then. The slate is wiped clean and we are accepted in the beloved as His very own sons and daughters. All of heaven rejoices that we are born again, because we are an integral part of the Lord's eternal redemption plan.
We are new creatures in Christ. The old has passed away and we are now innocent of all sins - past, present and future. If we believe in Jesus and all that He accomplished on our behalf, we are made righteous in Him by our faith, and by that alone. The Lord looks at us and sees Jesus in all of His perfection. He no longer attributes our sin guilt to us in any way.
Believers are highly favored of God. He gives us unconditional grace in everything that we think, say and do. We prosper and are in good health, even as our souls prosper. We are protected from all evil, and the Lord fights our all of our battles for us. We develop in strength and grow in spiritual maturity until we reach the full stature of Jesus Christ Himself, and walk like He did on this earth.
Romans 5:17-19 "For if by one man's offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ.) Therefore as by the offence of one [judgment came] upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one [the free gift came] upon all men unto justification of life. For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous."
We are successful in everything that we do, because God is on our side and Christ dwells in each and every one of us by faith. He faces each new day with us and equips us to be more than conquerors through Him. We learn to rule and reign in this life, and in the Kingdom to come, for all of eternity. We prevail over all of our enemies and embrace divine destinies.
Fully mature sons and daughters will impact the fate of the entire human race in the critical days to come. We will preach the Gospel as we have been commissioned to do. We will lay hands on the sick and they will all recover. We will cast out demons that hold others in bondage to sin and evil, and even raise the dead back to life once again, just as Jesus Christ once did.
Nothing will be impossible to us if we have faith. The Holy Spirit of almighty God Himself will work in us and through us to bring heaven to the earth realm in the Kingdom of God. Satan will be a defeated foe as we destroy all demonic strongholds that get in our way. We will overcome all evil with good, and teach all mankind to dwell in love, peace and unity.
Psalm 24:5 "He shall receive the blessing from the LORD, and righteousness from the God of his salvation."
We will confront all world governments and make certain that they employ righteous and godly principles in all their dealings with one another. There will be no more wars, violence or conflict in any of our affairs. Poverty and lack will finally be abolished from the earth. Men of affluence will share all of their material resources with those who are less fortunate.
All of creation is waiting for the sons and daughters of God to be revealed. We will speak harmony to all plants and animals and eliminate the predatory spirit. The climate will be regulated to be temperate and predictable. There will be no more environmental pollution, no more natural disasters that can cause death and destruction in their wake.
Very soon now the Lord will gather all of the righteous to Himself in the everlasting Kingdom of almighty God on this earth. We will be glorified with Jesus Christ and share in His honor. The Lord has crowns of righteousness stored up for all those who believe in Him and obediently serve Him. We will judge both men and angels and even rule and reign with Jesus over all the nations of this world.
The Kingdom of God will be a literal paradise for all those who are worthy to enter in. We will dwell with both men and angels in the very presence of our God. Nothing will ever separate us from Him ever again. No evil will harm us, and nothing will disturb our peace. We will live in a utopian environment where all of our needs are met in abundance, even before we ask.
Triumph Over the Devil
John 10:10-11 "The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have [it] more abundantly. I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep."
Satan, the enemy of our souls, is out to steal, kill and destroy all that has meaning to almighty God. He lies to get our attention and then attempts to alienate us from our Creator by tempting us to sin. His agenda is to destroy man because we are created in God's image and likeness to have dominion over all of creation. He is jealous of us and determined to steal our birthright.
Jesus came to bring us life in abundance to the overflow and destroy the works of the devil. He laid down His very own life for us - suffered, died and was buried. He then went to hell and made an open show of all principalities and powers. He took back all that the devil had stolen from us and returned dominion back to man where it belongs. The devil is a defeated foe and all we have to do is remind him of that.
Christ is the "Good Shepherd;" He laid down His life for His sheep. He will protect us from all harm and show us how to be victorious over anything that Satan may have planned. He fills us with His very own Holy Spirit, so that we can know all things and be strengthened in our spirit man. Through Him, we can be conquerors in this life and in the everlasting Kingdom of almighty God.
1John 3:8 "He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil."
The devil is the originator of all sin and rebellion and he taught man to disobey God, as well. He wanted us estranged from our Maker, and he was successful for a season. Jesus Christ came to destroy the works of the devil and redeem us of all our sin, transgression and iniquity. He restored man to right standing with God and then empowered us to take authority over the kingdom of darkness ourselves.
We are victorious through Jesus Christ. We need never succumb to demonic advances ever again. We can overcome all of our temptation to sin and be continually righteous in God's eyes. There is no reason why we should ever be separated from our heavenly Father and His Son, Jesus Christ. We are accepted in the beloved, the actual children of God by faith.
Our influence as sons and daughters of God will affect the whole world and everyone in it. We will lead others by our godly example and tell them all the good that the Lord has done for us. We will make salvation to eternal life available to all those who are receptive. We will advance the Kingdom of God in everything that we say and do until it covers the entire earth.
Colossians 2:13-15 "And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses; Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross; [And] having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it."
The devil stole dominion from man in the Garden of Eden when Adam sinned and disobeyed God, but Jesus defeated him once and for all on Calvary. If Satan had known what the crucifixion would do, he would not have permitted Jesus to die for our sins. That unleashed a chain reaction that would impact all of eternity. With death no longer hanging over us, man is able to assume his rightful place as a child of God.
We are fully dead to our sins. We have divine privileges that can never be stolen from us ever again. We are joint-heirs with Jesus to all the promises of God. We are even seated with Christ in heavenly places at the right hand of God Himself. Nothing will be impossible to us as we learn to walk in all of our divine authority as followers of Jesus Christ.
In the days to come, we will preach the Gospel to every man, woman and child in every race, tongue and nation, as we have been commissioned to do. We will heal the sick of all their diseases, cast out demons that hold others in bondage to their sins, and even raise the dead back to life again, just as Jesus once did. We will do the very works that He did, and even greater works, since He has now returned to the Father.
Revelation 12:10-11 "And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night. And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death."
The devil is a defeated foe for all time. We have overcome him by the Blood of the Lamb and the word of our testimony. He can no longer wreak havoc on the earth and estrange men from God. We will overpower him and take back all that he has stolen from us over the years. In the days to come, there will be a full restoration for God's people that will exceed all our expectations.
The Kingdom of God will be a literal paradise on this earth. All of creation will be beautiful and bountiful. There will be no more disease and death. The Lord will change our mortal bodies into new, glorious, resurrection forms. We will have peace and prosperity, safety and security, joy and freedom in His awesome presence. All men will dwell in love and unity and worship the Lord with one accord.
Our God will vindicate us before men and angels. He will boast of us to all of creation as His sons and daughters. Jesus will share His very own glory and honor with those of us who have served Him. We will receive crowns of righteousness for all the good that we have done on His behalf. We will assist Him with the judgment, and rule and reign with Christ Himself.
Reconciliation With God
Colossians 1:16-17 "For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether [they be] thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him: And he is before all things, and by him all things consist."
What the enemy intended for evil in the Garden of Eden, the Lord has turned for our good. He sent Jesus Christ to the earth to make certain that His masterpiece of creation was safe and protected from harm once again. The Lord could not bear to lose man's companionship for all eternity. He intervened on our behalf. Jesus was before all things and by Him all things consist.
He is the Word of God who came to dwell with men to save us from all our sin, transgression and iniquity. He taught us to love God and one another, and proved that His love was all that we need to be victorious in this life. Jesus loved mankind so much that He gave His very own life for ours. He suffered, died and was buried as the atonement for all our wrongdoing, so that we could receive blessings in abundance.
Because of His perfect obedience to almighty God, we are now reconciled to our Creator and all things become possible for us once again. We have become brand new creatures in Christ. The old is passed away and we have a bright and promising future. We have received the gift of eternal life with all its corresponding benefits.
Romans 5:10 "For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life."
The enmity that once existed between God and man because of Adam's sin and rebellion has been erased by the Blood of Christ. We are no longer estranged from our Maker. Our iniquity is no longer held against any of us for any reason. Jesus paid our sin debt in full and we can now live through Him. We have inherited many rights and privileges as believers in Jesus Christ.
The Lord will supply all of our needs in abundance and protect us from all harm. He will defend us against all of our enemies and deliver us from all evil. There will be nothing that occurs to steal our birthright from us ever again. We are heirs to eternal life with all its blessings. The Kingdom of almighty God is our legacy for righteousness and obedience.
Through Christ we can learn to rule and reign in this life and in the Kingdom to come. We can prevail over all wickedness and evil and overcome it with good. We can walk just like Jesus once did and appropriate His divine power and authority as our own. Nothing will be impossible to us as we serve the Lord and minister to His people in the days that lie ahead.
2Corinthians 5:18-21 "And all things [are] of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation; To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation. Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech [you] by us: we pray [you] in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to God. For he hath made him [to be] sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him."
The Lord now looks at us and sees Jesus in all of His perfection. We have been made the righteousness of God through our faith in Him. He no longer attributes any sin guilt to us for any reason. We are continually cleansed by His Blood and restored to our right standing with the Father. The Lord accepts us as His very own sons and daughters and boasts of us to all of creation.
We are Christ's personal representatives on this earth. We will reach out to those who are still lost in sin, darkness and deception and show them the truth. We will lead by godly example and gather them to God for all of eternity. We will share our faith with power and conviction and make certain that every man, woman and child has an equal opportunity to be redeemed to eternal life, just as we have been.
Believers have divine destinies that will impact the future of the entire human race. We will resume Christ's ministry where He left off and baptize many souls in the process. We will teach all of mankind to dwell in love, peace and unity and to worship the Lord in Spirit and in truth. We will usher in the Kingdom of God that lies dormant in each of us, so that the entire earth is renewed and restored.
Psalm 40:6-8 "Sacrifice and offering thou didst not desire; mine ears hast thou opened: burnt offering and sin offering hast thou not required. Then said I, Lo, I come: in the volume of the book [it is] written of me, I delight to do thy will, O my God: yea, thy law [is] within my heart."
We can never make amends for all that we have done to offend our God and estrange ourselves from Him. However, He has not even required sacrifice and offering on our part. The Blood sacrifice of Jesus Christ was the total propitiation for the sins of all mankind once and for all time. If we have faith in the efficacy of that, we are restored to our right standing with God forever more.
We are now ambassadors for Jesus Christ, created for good works. We will impact the fate of the entire world in the days to come. We will preach the Gospel, heal the sick, cast out demons and even raise the dead. The future of all humanity will be affected because of our efforts. We will bring heaven itself to this earth realm in the Kingdom of almighty God and overcome all evil with good.
There will finally be peace, order and stability in all of our lives. War and violence will not even be named among us. Poverty and lack will disappear as we share all the vast resources of the universe with one another. Men will learn to dwell in love and unity as the Lord expects us to do before He comes to this earth to take up residence with us in the Kingdom of God for all of eternity.
Nothing to Separate Us From God
Isaiah 53:4-6 "Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But he [was] wounded for our transgressions, [he was] bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace [was] upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all."
Jesus did all the work and we get all the benefits. He came to this earth, as only almighty God could do, and was born a mere man. That was necessary so that He could take on the sins of the entire human race and pay the penalty of death on our behalf. There was no other way for the Lord to redeem us. A perfect man had to shed his blood to satisfy the terms of the Law, so that all men could be set free.
Christ bore our infirmities and took on all of our sin guilt as if it were His very own. He was totally sinless, yet He became sin for us and then suffered and died, so that we would not have to endure the same fate. A transfer of guilt took place. Jesus took on all of the shame and responsibility for our sins and gave His life for them. He loved us so much that He paid the ultimate price for our salvation.
Had Christ not died on the cross as He did, we would all still be at enmity with almighty God despite all our best efforts to the contrary. His obedience unto death ensures that we are fully reconciled now. There is no more separation between man and God. We can be in intimate fellowship with our Creator, and inherit eternal life with all of its many blessings.
Romans 4:7-8 "[Saying], Blessed [are] they whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered. Blessed [is] the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin."
The Lord looks at us now and sees Jesus in all of His perfection. He does not impute our sin guilt to us for any reason. It is covered with the Blood of His beloved Son and washed clean for all of eternity. The Lord no longer even recalls our transgressions; they are blotted from His memory and He treats us as though we had never sinned at all. We can be in intimate fellowship with Him for all of eternity as He desires.
We are highly favored by almighty God and entitled to all of His promises for righteousness. He gives us grace in everything that we think, say and do. We can be continually prosperous and in good health. All of our relationships are blessed and we are at peace with all men. We have been given irrevocable rights and privileges as His sons and daughters. Nothing good will ever be withheld from us.
The Lord sees to it that we are delivered from all evil and protected from all harm. He defends us against all attacks by our enemies. No man or devil can prevail against us. We have angelic support for any need that we may have. God Himself goes before us and lights the path in everything that we undertake. He makes certain that His people are always successful.
Jeremiah 33:8 "And I will cleanse them from all their iniquity, whereby they have sinned against me; and I will pardon all their iniquities, whereby they have sinned, and whereby they have transgressed against me."
While we were once estranged from our God, sin, transgression and iniquity are far from us now. The Blood of Jesus continually cleanses us of all sin - past, present and future. We should no longer have a sin consciousness of any kind. We should abound in grace and be well aware of who we are in Christ. There is no shame, fear or condemnation for those who believe the truth and walk in it.
Our faith is what saves us from punishment for our past mistakes. It is also our protection for the present and the future. Although we may slip and fall from time to time, if we repent, the Lord is quick to forgive us and restore us to right standing with Him once again. He gives us mercy and grace in our time of need, and accepts us in the beloved as His very own sons and daughters.
He has a bright and promising future for us, plans for our welfare and not for evil. Very soon now, He will gather us to Himself for all eternity so that He can provide all of our needs in abundance. The everlasting Kingdom of God will be paradise on this earth and our legacy for righteousness and obedience. We will actually dwell on planet earth with our Creator and His Son, Jesus Christ.
Psalm 85:2-7 "Thou hast forgiven the iniquity of thy people, thou hast covered all their sin. Thou hast taken away all thy wrath: thou hast turned [thyself] from the fierceness of thine anger. Turn us, O God of our salvation, and cause thine anger toward us to cease. Wilt thou be angry with us for ever? wilt thou draw out thine anger to all generations? Wilt thou not revive us again: that thy people may rejoice in thee? Shew us thy mercy, O LORD, and grant us thy salvation."
The Lord will be a God to us and we will be the people who are called by His glorious name. He will boast of us to all of creation and vindicate all wrongs done to us. He will take vengeance on all of our enemies and restore all that has been taken from us. No man or devil will prevail against us ever again. We will be at peace and dwell together in love and unity.
The dead in Christ will be raised from the dead and we who are left will be given new, glorious, resurrection bodies that are impervious to disease and death. We will live long and strong to see our offspring for all generations to come. All of creation will be beautiful and bountiful. We will share in all of its vast resources to meet all our needs.
There will never be a separation between God and man again. We will have an intimate relationship with Him that pleases all of us. He will provide all that we require to be healthy and happy, even before we ask Him. We will have peace and prosperity, safety and security, health and longevity, joy and freedom forever more. The Kingdom of God will literally be heaven on this earth.
Chapter 4 - Blessings for Righteousness
Romans 8:31-32 "What shall we then say to these things? If God [be] for us, who [can be] against us? He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?"
The Lord knew that we could never be reconciled with Him through any efforts of our own. That is why He sent Jesus Christ to the earth to save us from destruction and draw us back to Him. Jesus paid our sin debt with His very own Blood, so that we could be made the righteousness of God by faith. While we were yet sinners, He died for us and proved how much almighty God loves us.
We are brand new creatures in Christ. The slate has been wiped clean and we are accepted in the beloved as the actual sons and daughters of God. Our minds are renewed in the truth and our behavior is gradually transformed until we become holy and perfect. We have received rights and privileges that we have not even imagined up until now.
With God on our side, what else could we possibly require? He will meet all of our temporal and spiritual needs according to His riches in glory. He will share all the vast resources of the universe with His people and shower us with untold blessings. We will have grace, or unmerited favor, in everything that we do. He will make certain that His people always prosper and remain healthy.
Acts 3:25-26 "Ye are the children of the prophets, and of the covenant which God made with our fathers, saying unto Abraham, And in thy seed shall all the kindreds of the earth be blessed. Unto you first God, having raised up his Son Jesus, sent him to bless you, in turning away every one of you from his iniquities."
We are blessed to be made righteous by the Blood of Jesus Christ. He visited this earth for the express purpose of redeeming all mankind from their iniquities. Those of us who believe in Him and all that He accomplished are privileged. We have no more sin consciousness at all. The Lord has removed that far from us with the atonement made by His beloved Son.
Jesus suffered and died so that we would not have to endure that same fate. He laid down His own life to provide life in abundance to the overflow for each and every one of us. Because of His obedience unto death, we are set free to enjoy all the many benefits of eternal life. The Lord will shower us with His blessings of provision and protection. We will have all our needs met, even before we ask.
Our enemies will scatter because the Lord Himself will be our vanguard and our rear guard. He will assign legions of ministering angels to assist us. He will deliver us from all evil and protect us from all harm. Our God will strengthen us through the power of His very own Holy Spirit, so that we can overcome all evil with good as we were destined to do from the very foundation of the world.
We are sons and daughters of almighty God with a high calling. All the nations of the earth will be blessed because of us. The Lord will see to it that we minister to all of humanity and share our faith with power and conviction. We will preach the Gospel; heal the sick of all their afflictions; cast out demons that hold men in bondage to sin and evil; and even raise the dead back to life once again.
Psalm 5:12 "For thou, LORD, wilt bless the righteous; with favour wilt thou compass him as [with] a shield."
The righteous will always be blessed. Provision and protection are guaranteed to us. Our God will see to it that we have all that we might ever require to be healthy and happy. He grants us divine favor in everything that we do, and arranges our circumstances so that we always prevail. God's people are extraordinarily endowed with all that they need to rule and reign in this life, and in the Kingdom to come, for all of eternity.
We will destroy all the works of darkness that get in our way. We will confront all wickedness and evil and overcome it with good. War, violence and conflict will be abolished. There will be no more poverty and lack, no oppression or exploitation of one man over another. Social injustice will never be named among us. We will bring peace, order and stability to all of our lives, and teach all of mankind to dwell in love and unity as brothers and sisters.
In return for all that, the Lord will bless us with divine protection. He will make even our enemies to be at peace with us. He will protect us from all harm and deliver us from all wickedness and evil. Nothing will ever threaten us or take us out. The Lord Himself stands guard over us and fights all of our battles. He will assign legions of angelic hosts to minister to all of our needs. He neither slumbers nor sleeps, and keeps all of His promises.
Proverbs 10:22 "The blessing of the LORD, it maketh rich, and he addeth no sorrow with it."
The Lord will see to it that we have all of the temporal and spiritual advantages that we might ever require, with no downside whatsoever. We will be blessed in abundance so that we can be a blessing to others. God's people will be clearinghouses for all the wealth of the universe. We will minister to those who are less fortunate than us, and make certain that all men have their basic needs met.
We will demonstrate the Lord's infinite love, mercy and compassion for His people by feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, and sheltering the homeless. We will be godly role models and living examples of righteousness. We will share our faith with all men, women and children, so that everyone has an equal opportunity to be saved regardless of their past. We will tell all of mankind how very much God loves them and desires their companionship.
The Kingdom of God will be advanced all over this earth, even before Jesus Christ returns to us. God's way of doing things will ultimately prevail. We will publicly proclaim that He is still in control of this world, and that His Son, Jesus Christ, is the King of kings and Lord of lords. We will pave the way for heaven itself to come to this earth for all eyes to see.
Hebrews 4:9-11 "There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God. For he that is entered into his rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God [did] from his. Let us labour therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief."
The sons and daughters of almighty God have a very busy schedule in the critical days to come. We will rise and shine as lights in a darkened world. We will preach the Gospel; heal the sick; cast out demons; and raise the dead, as we are destined to do. We will prepare the hearts of all mankind to receive Christ as their King. We will usher in the Kingdom of God and destroy all the works of darkness that we encounter. Our enemies will scatter and be crushed beneath our feet.
We will restore all of creation to its original beauty and balance. All plants and animals will be commanded to be in total harmony with one another and subject to man once again. We will reverse the effects of all environmental pollution and eliminate all natural disasters that cause death and destruction in their wake. Even the climate itself will be regulated, so that it is always temperate and predictable.
Our God will never leave us or forsake us ever again. He will make certain that we are fully equipped to implement His eternal redemption plan to perfection. All that we need do is seek His guidance and direction. It will be critical that we learn to receive the greatest blessing for righteousness that is available to us - the peace of the Lord that passes all understanding. We should enter into His rest and have confidence that all of our efforts will be successful.
Blessings for the Righteous
2 Corinthians 8:9 "For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, that you through His poverty might become rich."
A divine exchange took place on Calvary two thousand years ago. Jesus Christ not only died to save us from all of our sins, transgression and iniquity, but He also brought us blessings in abundance to the overflow. He became poor and disenfranchised, so that we might be made rich. He bore all of our sicknesses and diseases, so that we would be healthy and strong. He laid down His very own life, so that we could live forever in the Kingdom of God.
Christ did it all just for us, so that we would be made the righteousness of almighty God and inherit all of His promises by our faith. He suffered, died and was buried to prove His love for us. Then He rose again from the dead as the firstborn of many sons and daughters. And Jesus now lives through each and every one of us who believe on His name.
We have become righteous through no efforts of our own. Our sins are no longer imputed to us for any reason. We have inherited blessings that we did not earn for ourselves. We now have all the vast resources of the universe at our disposal. The Lord will meet all of our needs according to His riches in glory. We can expect to receive peace and prosperity, health and longevity, joy and freedom, plus divine protection from all of our enemies.
Isaiah 48:17 "Thus saith the LORD, thy Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel; I [am] the LORD thy God which teacheth thee to profit, which leadeth thee by the way [that] thou shouldest go."
Everything that we touch will prosper and succeed because the Lord grants us grace, or unmerited favor, in everything that we do. He endows us with extraordinary talents and skills that help us to gain wealth. We have all the material and spiritual advantages that we could ever want available to us. Added to that are divine wisdom and supernatural insight that only those who are intimate with almighty God enjoy.
The Lord promises to provide everything that we require to meet both spiritual and temporal needs. We do not have to beg or grovel to have all of our prayers answered. We can approach the throne of grace without fear, shame, guilt or condemnation and He will honor all of our requests. We are highly privileged, and our God sees to it that we know who we are and what we can expect from Him.
We have rights and privileges that only the righteous enjoy. The Lord gives us guidance and direction and anoints us with His very own power and authority. We have been given dominion over all things on this earth. Nothing will in any way harm us or prevail against us. We can rule and reign as kings and priests in this lifetime, and in the Kingdom to come for all of eternity.
Proverbs 3:5-8 "Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths. Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the LORD, and depart from evil. It shall be health to thy navel, and marrow to thy bones."
The Lord wants us to trust Him implicitly for everything that we need and desire. He will neither leave us or forsake us at any time. He is our total source for provision and protection. He directs our paths so that we are always successful. He is our vanguard and our rear guard. No wickedness and evil comes near us. He causes us to be strong in the power of His might.
We are healthy and prosperous through no efforts of our own. It is the Holy Spirit of almighty God at work in us and through us that experiences such great success. He reveals hidden opportunities to us where none appear in the natural. He endows us with extraordinary abilities, so that we excel in everything that we attempt to do. Nothing is in any way impossible to those who rely on the Lord.
The righteous enjoy supernatural advantages. We are granted wisdom, knowledge and understanding to solve even the most complex problems. We have exceptional skills and talents that permit us to serve others and become wealthy in the process. We are courageous and endure even the most difficult hardships. We are the envy of all men because of the divine blessing on our lives.
Proverbs 16:7 "When a man's ways please the LORD, he maketh even his enemies to be at peace with him."
The Lord is proud of us and demonstrates His supernatural favor on our lives every opportunity that He gets. He provides for all our needs and protects us from all harm. He fights all of our battles, so that we prevail in everything that we say and do. He is diligent to guard us against Satan, and delivers us from all wickedness and evil that come against us. He makes even our enemies to be at peace with us.
We have respect and honor from others. All men look to us for guidance and direction. We lead them by the wisdom of the Lord and teach them how to dwell in love, peace and unity as brothers and sisters. We confront all world governments and encourage their leaders to embrace godly principles of fairness and justice in all their dealings with one another. We persuade men of affluence to share all of their resources with those who are less fortunate.
Wars, violence and conflict are eliminated due to our superior negotiation efforts. We abolish poverty and lack by our generous example. We come against all oppression and exploitation of others by encouraging equality for all men, regardless of race, nationality or creed. We embrace standards of divine righteousness and overcome all evil with what is good.
Psalm 121:7-8 "The LORD shall preserve thee from all evil: he shall preserve thy soul. The LORD shall preserve thy going out and thy coming in from this time forth, and even for evermore."
Our God defends us against all of our enemies and fights all of our battles for us, so that we always prevail in every situation and circumstance. He will never leave us or forsake us no matter what we encounter. He will be our vanguard and our rear guard in all the tests, trials and tribulation that we face. Legions of ministering angels will gather around us to do our bidding. There is no good thing that the Lord will ever withhold from the people who walk in His ways.
He always preserves us from harm and removes any resistance that we meet. We need never be afraid. The Lord strengthens us in the power of His might, so that we can prevail in everything that we set out to do. He makes certain that we are healthy and prosperous, regardless of the opposition we meet. We are the people who are called by His glorious name and He loves to provide for us and protect us from all harm.
We are highly blessed and favored of almighty God. He boasts of us to all of creation as His beloved sons and daughters. He gives us an inheritance through our faith in Jesus Christ that no man or devil can ever steal. We are future kings and priests who will usher in His everlasting Kingdom on this earth. It will be our eternal legacy for righteousness and obedience.
A Higher Calling
1Peter 1:2-5 "Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: Grace unto you, and peace, be multiplied. Blessed [be] the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you, Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time."
The Lord knew us from the foundation of the world and created us in His very image and likeness to be His constant companions. He saw us holy and perfect before Him, even though we were lost in our sin, transgression and iniquity. He predestined us to ultimately be redeemed, sanctified and glorified in Him. He had a long-term plan for our lives that transcends anything that we could ever think or imagine.
Sin temporarily interrupted our relationship with God, but He sent Jesus Christ to the earth to settle all accounts. Jesus laid down His deity and became one of us, so that He could serve as the sacrificial substitute for all of mankind. He suffered and died to pay for our sins, so that we would not have to endure the same fate. He then rose again from the dead as the firstborn of many sons and daughters.
Our God loves us so very much that He gave up His Son just for us. Jesus' Blood covers us for all of our sin - past, present and future. We are sanctified by our faith in Him and washed clean of all our sin guilt. We have grace, or unmerited favor, now that we are born again in our spirits. We are called to greatness, whether we realize it or not, and the best is yet to come.
Philippians 3:13 "Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but [this] one thing [I do], forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus."
We are highly favored by almighty God because of who we are in Christ. He looks at us and sees Jesus in all of His perfection. There is no good thing that the Lord will ever withhold from those of us who are born again in our spirits. We have been endowed with rights and privileges that are the envy of all mankind. We are intimate with our Creator and entitled to receive all of His blessings.
The Lord takes a personal interest in all the details of our lives. He showers us with all the vast resources of this universe. We have all of our needs met in abundance - whether they be spiritual or temporal. We never need to grovel or beg for what we might require. Our every prayer is heard, even before we speak it forth. The Lord is never stingy when it comes to His children.
We have divine destinies as the sons and daughters of God. He counts on us to represent Him to all of mankind and pursue peace, order and stability in this world. We exercise our dominion over all the works of darkness and overcome all evil with good. We are servants of our fellow man, and demonstrate the Lord's infinite love, mercy and kindness to everyone that we meet.
Romans 8:12-14 "Therefore, brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh. For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live. For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God."
We sanctify ourselves of all known sin, crucify our flesh and subdue our selfish soul ambitions. We imitate the laid down life of Jesus Christ Himself. No plot or scheme that is formed against us prospers because we are so intimate with our Savior. We listen for His guidance and direction, so that we can optimally serve Him and usher in the everlasting Kingdom of God as we are ordained to do.
The Lord baptizes us with His very own Holy Spirit that comes to dwell in each and every one of us who invite Him in. We are filled with the Holy Spirit of God to overflowing, and spiritual fruit manifest in our lives. We experience extraordinary faith, peace and joy. We have become meek, temperate, patient and longsuffering in all of our interpersonal relationships.
Believers are godly role models and living testimonies to the power of God that works in us and through us to benefit all of mankind. We preach the Gospel everywhere we go, so that all men, women and even children can hear the truth and be saved to eternal life. We make redemption available to all those who are receptive, so that they can also become the sons and daughters of almighty God by faith.
Isaiah 42:5-7 "Thus saith God the LORD, he that created the heavens, and stretched them out; he that spread forth the earth, and that which cometh out of it; he that giveth breath unto the people upon it, and spirit to them that walk therein: I the LORD have called thee in righteousness, and will hold thine hand, and will keep thee, and give thee for a covenant of the people, for a light of the Gentiles; To open the blind eyes, to bring out the prisoners from the prison, [and] them that sit in darkness out of the prison house."
The Lord has called us from the very foundation of the world. We are an integral part of His eternal redemption plan. We are His personal ambassadors for the Kingdom of God on this earth, and it is our job to gather in His people. We walk in love and reach out to all those we meet. We always intercede for those who are still lost in sin, darkness and deception.
We are anointed as kings and priests of almighty God. We demonstrate His infinite love, mercy and kindness to all of mankind. We preach the Gospel with power and conviction and baptize countless souls to eternal life. We heal the sick of all their afflictions and cast out demons that hold men in bondage to evil. We can even raise the dead back to life again, just as Christ Himself once did.
Nothing is in any way impossible to us. We have a supernatural ability to serve the Lord in any capacity that He deems beneficial. His very own Holy Spirit operates in us and through us to change the fate of the entire human race. We lead others by our godly example and prepare the hearts of all men, women and children to receive Christ as their King.
Genesis 12:2-3 "And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing: And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed."
Born again believers are in covenant with the Lord for all generations. We are called out and elect to serve the Lord and usher in His everlasting Kingdom to this earth. He endows us with supernatural abilities, so that we can accomplish mighty feats in His name. We have been given dominion over all things, and whatever we require is provided to us in abundance.
The Lord calls us His people, and we are blessed beyond our imaginations. He meets all of our spiritual and temporal needs according to His riches in glory, so that we can also be a blessing to others. We have a surplus of all good things to share. We spread our faith so that men can be redeemed to eternal life with all of its many benefits. We are financial clearinghouses for all of the world's wealth, and generous to give it to those who are less fortunate than we are.
Our God is ever faithful to us. He blesses those who bless us and defeats all of our enemies. He fights all of our battles, so that we never need fear anyone or anything. No plot or scheme formed against us prospers and succeeds. We have extraordinary advantages in every situation and circumstance that we encounter, so that we always prevail despite the resistance we meet.
Known by Our Fruit
Deuteronomy 7:9-11 "Know therefore that the LORD thy God, he [is] God, the faithful God, which keepeth covenant and mercy with them that love him and keep his commandments to a thousand generations; And repayeth them that hate him to their face, to destroy them: he will not be slack to him that hateth him, he will repay him to his face. Thou shalt therefore keep the commandments, and the statutes, and the judgments, which I command thee this day, to do them."
The people of God are known by our fruit. We do not just claim to be believers in the Lord, Jesus Christ; we back our faith up with our actions. Our righteousness and obedience are without compromise. We obey all the commandments and do whatever the Lord asks of us. In return, He showers us with His blessings and gives us grace in everything that we think, say and do.
If we ever fall short of the glory of God and miss the mark, we can always repent for our sin. He is quick to forgive us and restore us to right standing with Him once again. There is no longer a separation between God and man. We are accepted in the beloved as genuine sons and daughters.
We need not ever fear the wrath of almighty God that is coming on those who defy Him. The Blood of Jesus Christ covers us for all our sin guilt - past, present and future. We are righteous by our faith and highly favored by God and man. Everything that we do prospers and succeeds. We have supernatural advantage in all of our situations and circumstances.
Romans 6:17-22 "But God be thanked, that ye were the servants of sin, but ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you. Being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness. For when ye were the servants of sin, ye were free from righteousness. What fruit had ye then in those things whereof ye are now ashamed? for the end of those things [is] death. But now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life."
Believers are highly blessed for their faith in Jesus Christ and all that He accomplished on our behalf. We are brand new creatures in Him. The old man has passed away and our original innocence has been restored to us. The Lord will no longer impute our sins to us for any reason. The slate is wiped clean and we can have hope and confidence for our future.
Now that we are freed from our bondage to sin and evil, we have become servants of righteousness. We are imitators of Jesus, and we do anything and everything that the Lord asks of us. Our willingness to serve Him and His people is what marks us as true disciples. We are joint-heirs with Jesus Christ to all of the promises of God, including eternal life.
We share our faith with power and conviction and win many souls to the Lord. We break the chains that bind them to sin and evil, and set others free. We lead by godly example and make redemption available to every person that we meet. We do the very works that Jesus once did. We are able to heal the sick, cast out demons, and even raise the dead back to life again.
The kingdom of darkness doesn't stand a chance of prevailing over us. We know who we are and whom we serve. We destroy demonic strongholds everywhere we go. We preach the Gospel of the Kingdom of God and impact the fate of the entire human race. We overcome all evil with good and prepare the hearts of all mankind to receive Christ as their King.
Philippians 1:9-11 "And this I pray, that your love may abound yet more and more in knowledge and [in] all judgment; That ye may approve things that are excellent; that ye may be sincere and without offence till the day of Christ; Being filled with the fruits of righteousness, which are by Jesus Christ, unto the glory and praise of God."
We have been given a sacred charge. We are ushering in the Kingdom of God to this earth. We are righteous without compromise and follow godly principles of fairness, equality and justice. We confront all world leaders and introduce the government of almighty God to them. We bring peace, order and stability to all of our affairs and teach all men how to dwell in love and unity as brothers and sisters.
The very words that we speak are anointed to do good. We have divine power and authority that has been given to us as true believers in Jesus Christ. We abolish all wars, violence and conflict. We lead by righteous example and show men God's way of doing things. We share all the vast resources of the universe with those who are less fortunate in order to eliminate poverty and lack.
We command harmony to all of creation and restore it to its original beauty and balance. All plants and animals will soon be compatible with one another once again, and subject to man as they were in the Garden of Eden. There will be no more natural disasters or environmental pollution that cause death and destruction in their wake. Even the climate will be regulated to be temperate and predictable.
Hebrews 6:12-15 "That ye be not slothful, but followers of them who through faith and patience inherit the promises. For when God made promise to Abraham, because he could swear by no greater, he sware by himself, Saying, Surely blessing I will bless thee, and multiplying I will multiply thee. And so, after he had patiently endured, he obtained the promise."
We have strong faith, inexhaustible patience and endurance. We are obedient without fault. We do only what our Lord and Savior commands us to do. He is our Head and Commander-in-Chief and we are His army of saints, called the Body of Christ. We have extraordinary skills and talents, supernatural gifts and callings that enable us to accomplish might feats in Jesus' name.
We preach the Gospel of peace to all the nations of the world. We fulfill our divine commission to make disciples of all men. We heal the sick of all their afflictions, just like Jesus did. We cast out demons that hold men in bondage to sin and evil. We even raise the dead back to life once again through the operation of the Holy Spirit of almighty God that works in us and through us.
We are joint-heirs with Jesus Christ to all the promises of God for righteousness. He blesses us coming in and going out. Everything that we put our hands to prospers and succeeds. We are invincible, and the kingdom of darkness is destroyed at our hands. We are determined to serve the Lord with every thought, word and action, and we will not stop until Christ returns.
2Corinthians 9:8-11 "And God [is] able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all [things], may abound to every good work: (As it is written, He hath dispersed abroad; he hath given to the poor: his righteousness remaineth for ever. Now he that ministereth seed to the sower both minister bread for [your] food, and multiply your seed sown, and increase the fruits of your righteousness;) Being enriched in every thing to all bountifulness, which causeth through us thanksgiving to God."
The future of the entire human race will be impacted by our words and actions. We have been given the keys to the Kingdom of God and they are voice-activated. Whatever we bind on earth is bound in heaven, and whatever we loose on earth is also loosed in heaven. The Lord will back up our words as if they were His very own. We will see demonic strongholds topple by the very words that we speak.
What we decree and declare will eventually come to pass. Both heaven and earth will be merged into one as we go about serving the Lord and His people. The Kingdom of God will be ushered in with power and authority that surpasses anything that the world has ever seen. We will minister to men who are sick and troubled, poor and disenfranchised. We will bring peace and healing to their spirits, souls and bodies. We will show them how very much God loves them by our righteous example.
We will arise and shine and dispel all the sin and darkness that surround us. We need not fear that we will be unable to defeat disease and death, poverty and lack, war and violence, chaos and confusion. The Lord Himself fights all of our battles and takes delight in sharing His glory with His people. He will move in us and through us to implement His perfect will for all of mankind.
Rewards for Our Service
Deuteronomy 30:15-16 "See, I have set before thee this day life and good, and death and evil; In that I command thee this day to love the LORD thy God, to walk in his ways, and to keep his commandments and his statutes and his judgments, that thou mayest live and multiply: and the LORD thy God shall bless thee in the land whither thou goest to possess it."
If we truly love the Lord and keep all of His commandments to us, things will go well for us all of our days. We must purposely choose to do good and forsake all evil. We should embrace our divine destinies as His sons and daughters and represent Him to the entire human race. Our God wants us to gather His people into the everlasting Kingdom of God on this earth.
We should spread our faith, so that others can be set free just as we have been. We will baptize countless numbers of souls to eternal life. We are endowed with supernatural abilities to heal the sick of all their afflictions. The blind will see; the deaf will hear; and the lame will walk through our efforts. We will cast out demons that hold men in bondage to sin and evil, and even raise the dead back to life again.
Believers will change the future of all mankind. We will confront all evil that we see and overcome it with good. There will be no more wars, violence and conflict in this world. Oppression and exploitation of others will soon disappear. Poverty and lack will be abolished, as we learn to share all the vast resources of the universe with one another. There will be no more social injustice of any kind.
Very soon now, heaven itself will be brought to this earth realm. All things will be restored to us, so that we never experience any lack. Jesus Christ will return to judge all men and even angels. He will confer honor and glory on those of us who have served Him. We will be appointed as kings and priests to rule and reign with our benevolent King for all of eternity.
Exodus 23:25 "And ye shall serve the LORD your God, and he shall bless thy bread, and thy water; and I will take sickness away from the midst of thee."
If we serve the Lord and minister to His people as we are destined to do, we can expect inexhaustible blessings for our diligence. He will reward us with all good things. We will be strong and vibrant, so that we can be an example to others. We will show all men, women and children how God wants us to live. We will have wholesome life styles that reflect the glory of God that is resident within us.
The Lord will bless us with good health and longevity, as He has promised to do. We can anticipate the redemption of our souls and bodies in the near future. When Christ returns, He will change these mortal bodies that are susceptible to disease and death into new, glorious, resurrection forms like His very own. We will live forever in His awesome presence.
The Kingdom of God will be a literal paradise on this earth - the perfect environment for both God and man. Disease and death will no longer reign over us and cause us undue fear and distress. The Lord will make certain that we are always healthy and happy. We will be young and energetic once again, so that we can enjoy our offspring for all the many generations to come.
Deuteronomy 28:7-10 "The LORD shall cause thine enemies that rise up against thee to be smitten before thy face: they shall come out against thee one way, and flee before thee seven ways. The LORD shall command the blessing upon thee in thy storehouses, and in all that thou settest thine hand unto; and he shall bless thee in the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee. The LORD shall establish thee an holy people unto himself, as he hath sworn unto thee, if thou shalt keep the commandments of the LORD thy God, and walk in his ways. And all people of the earth shall see that thou art called by the name of the LORD; and they shall be afraid of thee."
The Lord will vindicate our cause, defend us against all of our enemies and fight all of our battles for us. No man or devil will prevail against God's people. Every creature will have a healthy respect for us. Almighty God will pave the way for us in all of our situations and circumstances. Everything that we do will succeed. We will be blessed in our coming in and going out.
We have the promise of a bright future ahead of us. We will soon enter into the Kingdom of God on this earth. It will be idyllic, and we will thrive in the presence of the Lord Himself for all of eternity. Christ will take vengeance on all of our enemies and cast Satan into the bottomless pit ,where he can do no more harm. No wickedness and evil will ever come near us again.
Peace and prosperity will be our birthright that no one can take from us. We will interact with both men and angels and walk in love and unity. We will dwell in beautiful houses and enjoy our children and our children's children. The Lord will provide all of our needs in abundance. There will be no disease and death, no wars and violence, no poverty and lack to disturb the serenity of our lives.
Joshua 24:13 "I have given you a land for which you did not labor, and cities which you did not build, and you dwell in them; you eat of the vineyards and olive groves which you did not plant."
We will soon enter into our promised land. The Kingdom of God will be our eternal legacy for righteousness and obedience. We will dwell in heaven on this earth and be blessed in abundance. The Lord will come and take up residence with us, as He has always desired. Soon there will be no more separation between God and man.
Our God will bind up all our wounds and blot out all of our painful memories. There is no good thing that He will ever deny His people. We will have all of our needs met, even before we ask Him. There will be no more wars and violence, no crime and poverty, no oppression and exploitation. All men will dwell together as brothers and sisters in love and unity. Peace and prosperity, health and longevity, safety and security, joy and freedom will be ours forever.
The Lord will boast of us to all of creation as His sons and daughters, and appoint us to be kings and priests. We will share in Christ's very own honor and glory and be respected by both men and angels. We will have the heathen in the uttermost parts of the earth given to us as our inheritance. We will even rule and reign forever with Jesus Christ Himself.
Numbers 6:24-26 "The LORD bless thee, and keep thee: The LORD make his face shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee: The LORD lift up his countenance upon thee, and give thee peace."
We have an eternal covenant of peace with our Creator, now that we have been born again to righteousness and served Him as we should. He will not forget the sacrifices that we have made on His behalf. We will have generous rewards for all that we have done to minister to His people. He will make certain that we are healthy and happy at all times.
The Kingdom of God will be our inheritance for righteousness and obedience. We will literally dwell in heaven on this earth for all of eternity. The Lord will come and take up permanent residence with mankind, so that we are never separated from Him ever again. He will take an intimate interest in all the minute details of our personal lives, and restore all that has been stolen from us over the years. Nothing good and beneficial will ever be withheld from us.
We will rule and reign as kings and priests. All men will know that we are called of God as we continue to minister to their needs. We will teach them how to walk in love and relate to one another as brothers and sisters. All of creation will worship the Lord in Spirit and in truth. He will be our God and we will be the people who are called by His glorious name.
The Heritage of the Servants of the Lord
1Kings 8:23 "And he said, LORD God of Israel, [there is] no God like thee, in heaven above, or on earth beneath, who keepest covenant and mercy with thy servants that walk before thee with all their heart:"
If we draw near to God, He will draw near to us. The more we open ourselves up to Him, the more He grants us grace or unmerited favor. If we have consecrated and dedicated our lives to His divine service, we will not be ashamed. He will shower us with blessings that are reserved only for the righteous. He will treat us as His sons and daughters and pay special attention to meeting all of our needs.
All men will soon know that we are called of God and they will have a healthy fear and respect for us. No enemy will prevail against us for any reason. We will enjoy supernatural advantage in everything that we attempt to do. All mankind will be blessed because of us. We will teach others how to dwell in love, peace and unity, and share all the vast resources of this universe with them.
If we serve almighty God with all of our hearts, He will generously reward us for our faithfulness. We will succeed in every situation and circumstance, and enjoy His peace and prosperity all the days of our lives. There is no good thing that the Lord will ever withhold from those who obey His commandments and minister to His people, as we are ordained to do.
Isaiah 54:17 "No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue [that] shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. This [is] the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and their righteousness [is] of me, saith the LORD."
We are righteous without compromise because of our faith. The Blood of Jesus Christ covers us for all our sins and washes away all of our guilt and shame. We are radically obedient, as well. We always do whatever the Lord asks of us. In return for that, we have certain rights and privileges that are bestowed on us. The Lord regards us as sons and daughters that are entitled to all of His blessings.
Nothing will ever happen in our lives that we cannot handle. Those who dare to speak against us will be confuted. The Lord fights all of our battles for us, so that we always prevail. Our enemies will be scattered and confounded because of who we are and whom we serve. No man or angel will overcome us for any reason. We will enjoy supernatural protection and favor with almighty God.
Our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, will strengthen us in the power of His might. We will become more than conquerors through Him who loved us and serve as our role model. We are promised that the Lord will exalt us in due season, despite the obstacles that we may meet. We will learn to rule and reign as kings, in this world now, and in the everlasting Kingdom to come.
Acts 3:25 "Ye are the children of the prophets, and of the covenant which God made with our fathers, saying unto Abraham, And in thy seed shall all the kindreds of the earth be blessed."
Divine covenant sets us apart from others. The Lord called us from the very foundation of the world to be His sons and daughters. We are predestined to greatness through all that we do for Jesus Christ. We have been groomed for that role and tested with fire. All that we have experienced has led us to this point, and we are about to claim all of our promises for righteousness and obedience.
We are a people who are surrounded with divine blessings that include every spiritual and material advantage. We never lack for any good thing. We have all of our needs met according to the Lord's riches in glory. He answers all our prayers even before they are fully uttered. We have supernatural provision and protection given to us in every area of our lives.
In addition, we have a bright and promising future that we can expect. Our God will grant us more than we could ever ask, think or imagine. He has extravagant surprises in store for us that will materialize in the days to come. The Kingdom of God will literally be heaven on this earth, and we will inherit it as His children. All the nations of the earth will be blessed because of us.
Psalm 29:11 "The LORD will give strength unto his people; the LORD will bless his people with peace."
The Lord will confer special rewards on us for our faithfulness. He will not be stingy or hold any good thing back from us. All of creation will be subject to us. Jesus Christ will share His very own honor and glory with His disciples. Instead of our former shame, scorn and ridicule, we will be admired and respected everywhere. All men will soon look to us for guidance and direction. We will be righteous role models and teach them how to lead godly lives.
When Christ returns, He will make certain that we are glorified with Him because of our faithfulness. We will be appointed kings and priests who judge both men and angels. We will be given the heathen in the uttermost parts of the earth for our inheritance. We will introduce the government of almighty God and His justice system. All men will learn to be righteous; God's laws will be written in their minds and hearts.
Believers will rule and reign with Jesus Christ Himself. We will have an intimate relationship with the Creator of the universe that includes extraordinary rights and privileges that only a select few will be given.
We will be able to enter into the presence of almighty God at any time and for any reason. The Lord will boast of us to all creation as His beloved sons and daughters, and shower us with unimaginable blessings. We will have generous rewards for all that we have done to serve Him.
Isaiah 41:9-11 "[Thou] whom I have taken from the ends of the earth, and called thee from the chief men thereof, and said unto thee, Thou [art] my servant; I have chosen thee, and not cast thee away. Fear thou not; for I [am] with thee: be not dismayed; for I [am] thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness. Behold, all they that were incensed against thee shall be ashamed and confounded: they shall be as nothing; and they that strive with thee shall perish."
We have been called and chosen to be servants of the Lord from the very onset. Although we were once lost in sin, we are now righteous by faith. We may have had tests, trials and tribulation over the years, but that is all about to change. When Christ returns, He will settle all scores and level all playing fields. He will be the champion of His people and a loving, benevolent King.
He will vindicate our cause and release untold blessings to those who have been faithful to Him. Although we may have been criticized in the past, we will have honor and glory conferred on us to offset that. We will experience admiration and respect from those who formerly scorned us. Men will no longer ridicule us for our faith. The Lord Himself will exalt us and give us supernatural favor. He will boast of us to all of creation as His beloved sons and daughters.
The Kingdom of almighty God will be our eternal inheritance that no man or devil will ever be able to take from us. The Lord will take vengeance on all of our enemies and restore all that we have lost or had stolen over the years. We will see increase in our lives and never lack for any good thing. Peace and prosperity, health and longevity, safety and security, joy and freedom will follow and overtake us.
Chapter 5 - Seated With Christ
Ephesians 2:5-8 "Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) And hath raised [us] up together, and made [us] sit together in heavenly [places] in Christ Jesus: That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in [his] kindness toward us through Christ Jesus. For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: [it is] the gift of God:"
Almighty God had a master plan in place for our lives from the very beginning. He created us in His image and likeness to spend all of eternity with Him. However, sin and death entered the equation in the Garden of Eden and it has not been the same since. It was necessary that the Lord intervene for us or we would be forever doomed. He actually visited this earth in the person of Jesus Christ, for the express purpose of buying back what the devil had stolen from us.
Christ laid down all His deity and came here as a mere man so that He could become one of us. He experienced all the same things that we did, yet He did not sin. He, who was perfect in every way, actually became sin for us and then suffered its penalty of death on the cross. Jesus served as our sacrificial substitute, so that we could be made the righteousness of God by our faith.
When He rose from the dead, Jesus Christ became the firstborn of many sons and daughters who are born again in their spirits to eternal life. We are reconciled by His Blood forever more. Our sins are no longer imputed to us for any reason. If we believe the truth, we are now seated with Him in heavenly places at the right hand of God Himself. All the promises of God belong to us.
Galatians 3:26 "For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ."
All things become new for us. We put on Christ and all of His righteousness through faith. We have rights and privileges that only the redeemed enjoy. The Lord provides all of our needs and protects us from all harm. We are granted supernatural favor in everything that we think, say and do. We imitate the laid down life of our Lord and Savior and are baptized with His very own Holy Spirit.
The Hold Spirit convicts us of any sin in our lives, and teaches us everything that we need to know to operate just as Jesus Himself once did. We have faith, hope and joy as never before. We are good and gentle at all times. We are meek, temperate and long suffering in all of our interpersonal relationships. We walk in love, and are patient, humble servants of both God and man.
Our divine destinies are eventually revealed to us. The Lord has selected us to be His personal ambassadors for the Kingdom of God on this earth. We demonstrate His infinite love, mercy and compassion to all those we meet. We share our faith and see many souls baptized to eternal life as a result. We heal the sick of all their afflictions, cast out demons that hold others in bondage to sin and evil, and even raise the dead back to life once again.
1Corinthians 1:26-30 "For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, [are called]: But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty; And base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, [yea], and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are: That no flesh should glory in his presence. But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption:"
We may not be anything special in and of ourselves, but Christ in us is a winning combination. If we have faith in Him and all that He accomplished, we become new creatures. Our minds are renewed in the truth and our behavior is gradually transformed until it becomes holy and perfect. We sanctify ourselves of all known sin, walk in love, and treat others as we wish to be treated.
We present our bodies as living sacrifices to almighty God and consecrate ourselves to His divine service. We have God given power and authority that is conferred on us. We preach the Gospel and urge others to repent and be saved just as we have been. We make redemption to eternal life available to every man, woman and child in every race, tongue and nation of this world.
We confront all evil that we see and overcome it with good. We destroy demonic strongholds that get in our way or interfere with our work. We eliminate all wars, violence and conflict from our affairs. Poverty and lack are not even named among us. We share all that we have with those who are less fortunate than ourselves. We teach all men to dwell in love and unity as brothers and sisters.
Colossians 1:27-28 "To whom God would make known what [is] the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory: Whom we preach, warning every man, and teaching every man in all wisdom; that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus:"
Christ in us is our hope of glory. He is our Head and we are His Body on this earth. We will represent Him in everything that we say and do. He continues to operate through our hands, feet and voice. All of mankind will be impacted by our efforts. We will bring peace, order and stability to a sick and dying world, and give men real hope and confidence for their future.
We do whatever our Lord and Savior asks of us. He has given us a divine commission to do the works that He did and even greater works. We are to make disciples of all nations and teach them to walk in love as we were taught to do. We will eliminate all chaos and confusion, war and violence, disease and death and usher in the everlasting Kingdom of God to this earth. The kingdom of darkness will not stand a chance.
The very words that we speak will be powerful for destroying demonic strongholds. We will confront all world governments and persuade them to adhere to godly principles of fairness, equality and justice in all their dealings with one another. There will be no more strife and division in any of our affairs. Poverty and lack will be abolished, as we share all the vast resources of the universe with one another.
Ephesians 3:14-19 "For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, Of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man; That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, May be able to comprehend with all saints what [is] the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God"
If we have consecrated and dedicated our lives to divine service, we will be filled with all the fullness of God. Nothing will in any way be impossible to us. The Holy Spirit of almighty God Himself will work in and through us to accomplish mighty feats in Jesus' name. We will demonstrate the Lord's goodness and kindness, mercy and compassion to all of mankind.
We will preach the Gospel, heal the sick, cast out demons and raise the dead, just as Jesus Christ once did. All men will look to us for guidance and direction. We will teach them how to walk in love with one another and dwell together as brothers and sisters in peace and unity. Wars and violence will be things of the past; poverty and lack will be abolished. There will be no more social injustice of any kind.
All of creation will be changed to line up with the Word and the will of God. We will command harmony to all living creatures so that there is no more predatory spirit. Even the climate will be regulated to be temperate and predictable. We will reverse the effects of all environmental pollution and eliminate all natural disasters that cause death and destruction.
New Creatures in Christ
1John 5:20 "And we know that the Son of God is come, and hath given us an understanding, that we may know him that is true, and we are in him that is true, [even] in his Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God, and eternal life."
Jesus Christ came to this earth to redeem us of all our sins, transgression and iniquity and to provide us with life in abundance to the overflow. He died for each and every one of us, so that we could be made righteous and inherit the gift of eternal life through Him. He dwells in us if we have made Him our personal Lord and Savior, and we dwell in Him by faith.
Our Redeemer wants us to know Him intimately, so that we can imitate Him. He was meek and humble, generous and kind, merciful and compassionate to all those whom He met. He loved the Father and held Him in the highest esteem. As His followers, we should love God and one another without compromise. We are to emulate Christ in everything that we think, say and do.
We are new creatures in Christ. The old has passed away and we now have a fresh start given to us. We can renounce all of our sin and be sanctified in body, soul and spirit just as Jesus was. As we grow and mature in the Lord, we will become more and more like Him until we are eventually holy and perfect. Our divine destinies will be revealed to us and will begin to operate just as Jesus did.
2Corinthians 5:17-18 "Therefore if any man [be] in Christ, [he is] a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. And all things [are] of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation;"
Once we are born again in our spirit man, everything changes for us. We begin a slow but sure regeneration process where we are altered from the inside out. Our minds are renewed in the truth and our behavior is gradually transformed until we become godly. We are more focused on eternal values that endure, rather than the things of this world.
If we are sincere believers, we eventually become more Christ-like. We imitate our Lord and Savior and develop gentle, peaceful spirits. We sanctify ourselves of all carnal desires and selfish ambitions of the soul. We lay down our lives, just as Jesus did, in service to our fellow man. We become meek and temperate, humble and patient in all of our dealings with one another.
We are role models for righteousness and zealous for the things of God. We share our faith with power and conviction and see many souls redeemed to eternal life in the process. We make salvation available to every man, woman and child who is receptive. We make certain that everyone we meet has an equal opportunity to be reconciled with almighty God.
Colossians 3:10 "And have put on the new [man], which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him:"
We are changed from the inside out when we are born again. We become more like Jesus Christ day by day. We think differently, embrace more wholesome values and change our behavior to reflect our new found faith. We become more determined to do good and avoid evil. We study the Word of God, pray and meditate, so that we have divine wisdom and revelation given to us.
We embrace our divine destinies and operate like our Lord and Savior did. We preach the Gospel of peace with fervor and zeal, and baptize many souls to eternal life. We heal the sick of all their afflictions and raise the dead back to life once again. We cast out demons that hold men in bondage to sin and evil, and set them free to embrace the truth. The Holy Spirit of almighty God Himself works in us and through us to accomplish might feats in Jesus' name.
We bring peace, order and stability to a sick and dying world. We shine as beacons of light for all those who are fearful and confused. We tell them the truth and make certain that they know that God loves them. We lead men by godly example and minister to all of their needs with mercy and compassion. We teach them to walk in love and dwell together as brothers and sisters.
Ephesians 2:10 "For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them."
When we are born again and filled with the Holy Spirit, our spiritual regeneration is gradual but certain. Our minds are renewed in the truth and our behavior is eventually transformed until it becomes godly. We imitate our Lord and Savior and cultivate His personal attributes as our own. We grow and mature in our faith and embrace our divine destinies as the sons and daughters of almighty God.
We are an integral part of the Lord's eternal redemption plan for all of mankind. We were called and chosen from the very foundation of the world to be the first fruits of His redemptive process. Just as Christ has called and redeemed each and every one of us who believe in Him, we are to call and convert others to our faith. We have a sacred charge; the fate of the entire human race rests with us.
Good works and sharing our faith become our focus. We are servants of all men and at peace with others wherever possible. We have zeal and enthusiasm for the things of God and are always willing to help others as we can. We lead by godly example and never criticize or judge. We know that all men can be changed by the grace and mercy of almighty God, just as we have been.
1John 4:17-18 "Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world. There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love."
We are righteous and obedient without compromise. We walk in love as we have been taught to do. We love God with all of our heart, mind, soul and strength and we love our neighbors as we love ourselves. We follow all of the Lord's commandments to us and pursue peace, order and stability as a way of life. We have a keen awareness that God loves us and always has our best interest in mind.
The things of this world no longer have as strong an allure for us. We overcome all evil with good and operate from a position of strength in Christ. We learn to rule and reign in this life, just as Jesus did, and we take dominion over all of our affairs as we are destined to do.
We grow and mature in the deep things of God and share what we learn with others. We mirror the personal qualities of Jesus Christ Himself and minister to His people as we should. All men look to us for godly example and we lead them to righteousness through faith in Christ. We preach the Gospel and make disciples of all those we meet, so that they can receive the gift of eternal life
Sons and Daughters
Galatians 4:4-7 "But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons. And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father. Wherefore thou art no more a servant, but a son; and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ.
The Lord had a plan for the redemption of all mankind that dates back to the fall itself. He saw us lost in our sin and He could not abide that. He sent Jesus Christ to this earth so that through Him, we might all be saved to eternal life. A divine exchange took place on Calvary. Jesus became sin and bore all of its curse. He suffered and died so that we would not have to endure the same fate.
There is no longer a sin debt to be paid by any of us who are born again in our spirits. Christ saw to it that our redemption is final and complete. We are accepted in the beloved now, bona fide sons and daughters of God by our faith. When the Lord looks at us, He sees Jesus in all of His perfection and He loves us just as He loves His very own Son.
We are all one in His eyes, His very own divine family. There is no differentiation made between any of us. We are joint-heirs with Jesus Christ, seated with Him in heavenly places at the very right hand of almighty God Himself. There is no good thing that will ever be withheld from us. We will receive all the promises of God for righteousness, to include the everlasting Kingdom of God.
John 1:12-13 "But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, [even] to them that believe on his name: Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God."
The offer of faith in Jesus Christ has been made to each and every one of us. No one is excluded in this. It doesn't matter how much we may have sinned in the past. Every human being on the face of this earth has an opportunity to be born again in their spirits. When we do, we become sons and daughters of God. We become heirs to eternal life with all of its many benefits.
We are not born by any will of the flesh this time, but of the perfect will of almighty God Himself. It is the Lord's heartfelt desire to communicate with us on an intimate basis. If we have received Jesus as our personal Lord and Savior, we are then sanctified in His eyes and entitled to enter into His holy presence. We can actually abide with our God and experience the fullness of joy.
The Creator of the universe will take a personal interest in all the minute details of our lives. He will shower us with both temporal and spiritual blessings. We will lack no good thing. He will provide all of our needs and protect us from all harm. The Lord will share all the deep mysteries of our faith with us, so that we have extraordinary insight and wisdom granted to us.
Philippians 2:12-15 "Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of [his] good pleasure. Do all things without murmurings and disputings: That ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world;"
We will grow and mature in the things of God as we are destined to do. His Holy Spirit will come and dwell in each and every one of us who invite Him into our lives. We will acquire characteristics and attributes that are like His very own. If we are fully sanctified and purified, we will be endowed with divine power and authority to act on His behalf.
The Gospel of the Kingdom of God will be preached throughout the entire earth, as we have been commissioned to do. We will make salvation available to everyone without exception. We will baptize countless souls to eternal life. We will also heal the sick of all their afflictions; cast out demons that hold men in bondage to sin and evil; and even raise the dead back to life once again.
The sons and daughters of almighty God will accomplish mighty feats in Jesus' name in the critical days that lie ahead before His return. Even though the world is lost in sin and darkness, we will shine with His glorious light. We will walk in love and lead all men, women and children to the truth. We will teach them how to dwell together in peace and unity as brothers and sisters.
Ephesians 1:3-6 "Blessed [be] the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly [places] in Christ: According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love: Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved."
The sons and daughters of almighty God are accepted in the beloved and endowed with His very own power and authority. We will be His personal ambassadors to the entire human race. Everything that He asks of us will be accomplished in His holy name. We will bring peace, order and stability to all of our affairs. We will walk in love and demonstrate the Lord's mercy and kindness to all of mankind.
We will lead by godly example and do our best to eliminate all social injustice. We will confront all world governments and challenge them to establish principles of fairness, equality and justice in all of their dealings with one another. We will abolish poverty and lack by sharing all of the vast resources of this universe with those who are less fortunate than ourselves.
The everlasting Kingdom of God will be advanced everywhere we go, even before Jesus Christ returns to us to set up His millennial rule and reign. It will literally be heaven on this earth for all those who are righteous and obedient. Men will learn to dwell together in harmony as brothers and sisters and give God all the praise and glory. We will glorify our God in everything that we do.
Isaiah 45:11-13 "Thus saith the LORD, the Holy One of Israel, and his Maker, Ask me of things to come concerning my sons, and concerning the work of my hands command ye me. I have made the earth, and created man upon it: I, [even] my hands, have stretched out the heavens, and all their host have I commanded. I have raised him up in righteousness, and I will direct all his ways: he shall build my city, and he shall let go my captives, not for price nor reward, saith the LORD of hosts."
All men will soon know the Lord and the power of His might. They will see His sons and daughters excel in every area of expertise. We will shine in a dark and dismal world and give men guidance and direction. We will share our faith with power and conviction and see many saved to eternal life as a result. The blind will see; the deaf will hear; and the lame will walk through our efforts.
Our future is bright; we can have hope and confidence that almighty God will bless us with all good things. He wants us to take dominion over all matters on this earth and usher heaven in for all eyes to see. Our faith will bring extraordinary results. We will speak the very words that God speaks and see miracles, signs and wonders follow. Nothing will be impossible to us.
We will command that all of creation be restored to its original beauty and balance. Plants and animals will all be compatible with one another and subject to man. The climate will be regulated to be temperate and predictable. There will be no more environmental pollution, no natural disasters that cause death and destruction in their wake. The entire universe will be peaceful, stable and orderly once again.
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