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| WELCOME TO STUDY FOUR |
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| I spent three hours putting this lesson up only to find out that it had disappeared from the site today. Obviously, the lesson was not to be as it was written. So here goes another try at this. We are ultimately talking about the word of God being a weapon of spritual warfare. "It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery," Galatians 5:1. God may not always will for us to be healed physically or become materially wealthy, but He absolutely does not want us to live our lives bound by strongholds. His will is for us to be free of every barrier or stronghold that causes us to not have intimacy with Him. If intimacy is not happening, then strongholds are present. Intimacy is never achieved without conscious choice. I choose to have God examine every secret place of my heart that I might decrease and He might increase in me. Where there is light, no darkness can exist. God shed your light upon our hearts and our minds. "Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free," (John 8:32) (Remember faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God.) "He sent forth hiis word and healed them," (Psalms 107:20) (He healed by the word over our lives.) "I will walk about in freedom, for I have sought out your precepts," (Psalms 119:45) (Knowing the word brings freedom and release, because it allows us to focus on God and not ourselves.) (It causes us to take our thoughts captive.) "But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead. He has deliverd us from such a deadly peril, and He will deliver us. On Him we have set our hope that He will continue to deliver us, as you help us by your prayers. (II Cor. 1:9-11) (We are helped by the prayers of others, and we can pray for others as well. But don't get into the trap of spending your time praying only for others. Remember you can change no one but yourself. Rather pray that they see the Lord's will for their lives and pray the word over their own circumstances. We are all to quick to take the speck out of a brother's eye and do nothing of the moat in our own. This is a deadly trap of the enemy.) Praying in the Spirit is always a way of knowing you are praying God's will over them or quoting passages from the word. We must learn to incorporate the word into our pryers, because it is the basis of truth and ultimately healing. "So is my word that goes out from my mouth; it will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it. You will go out in joy and be lead forth in peace; the mountains and hills will burst into song before you, and all the trees of the field will clap their hands. (Isaiah 55:11-12.) The Word and the word were sent by God and revealed through God to reconcile us to Himself. He has always wanted intimacy with us. That is why He created us, to have fellowship with us. It is the revealed word (Word) that was established to lead us back to Him. Now lets take a look at the word as a weapon of warfare, 1. Warfare is demoslishing strongholds and taking our thoughts captive to Christ. What does it mean to take our thoughts captive, making them obedient to Christ? 2. We take our thoughts captive, making them obedient to Christ every time we make a conscious choice to think Christ's thoughts about any stronghold or situation instead of the evil ones' or our own. That sounds like a song. Who's report will you believe? We will believe the report of the Lord. Who's report will you belive? We will believe the report of the Lord. His report says I am healed! His report say I am filled! His report say I am free! His report says victory! When I looked up stronghold in the Bible, the first incidence of it was in reference to the inhabitants of the Promised Land. They dwelt in strongholds. There were ten spies who said they could not be taken, but Joshua and Caleb had the good report. When we take evry thought captive in obedience to Christ we are like Joshua and Caleb, we are saying, "Yes, Lord, with your help we will take the land of promise." 3. What are Christ's thoughts? This is a simple one...the word of God is revealed to us in the Bible. The words and promises are ours to have and to hold. Cont. |
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