April 8, 2005

• Friday Bible study,

  We were blessed today to have a guest speaker, Darrell Copes – he spent 14 1/2 years studying under Kenneth Hagin, and gave a Bible Study that blessed our group.

  How to Bless Your Land

  God is raising up his church to shine, to bring glory. In these times it is possible that tribulation, trouble, and trials may come.

  When Rev. Hagin was a Baptist minister, his pastor told him to go easier on the faith aspect, but Kenneth Hagin told him that God wanted him to double up on faith.

  Numbers 33: 50-53

  God gave the Land to the Israelites to possess. He took the land away from those who were in the land that were worshipping images and idols because they did not serve God. So he removed them and gave the land to a people who would serve God. So we can say, Look what the Lord has done.

  The bigger the test, the bigger the testimony.

  In Isaiah it says the the commands of the Lord stand sure, and he will do all that is His pleasure. Everything He says He will do, He will accomplish.

  Deut. 34:9 Joshua was to take over the leadership of the people when Moses died.

  Joshua 1 – All of God’s people are supposed to be blessed. God did not reserve the blessings for just the priests and leaders, but for all the Israelites. (and we are in essence spiritual Israelites as we are the sons and daughters of God).

  We all have a land to possess. God is no respector of persons. Some people say that something is too good to be true. With humans it is sometimes too good to be true, but with God it is too good, and it is true.

  Joshua 1:4 God gave them everything. He is a big God. We sell ourselves short as Christians. You have not because you ask not, and you have to ask bigger.

  Joshua 1:5 – God will not fail or forsake us.

  It doesn’t make sense to get upset when someone persecutes us. He will not fail or forsake us. Sooner or later the persecuter will have to bow down to Jesus. We have to focus on the right Man, and that is God. His name is Jesus.

  Joshua 1:6 some good things are in the land. God wants this for us. God wants our mouths to drip from the abundance of the fruit of the land. You have to be strong and courageous. The weak can not possess.

  Joshua 1:7-8 You must obey the law. To possess means to seize, obtain, occupy, to have as a property.

  Ps. 23 – we should not want for any good thing.

  Deut. 1:21 The common thread in this scripture is that you have to go and possess it. The Lord gives us the ingredients, but we have to take action and possess it. (He gave the example of our luncheon table with the pot-luck dishes, we can look at it, we can say we are hungry, we can smell it, but our hunger will not be satiated until we go and take the food – we need to do the action. Watching another person eat the food will not help either).

  In these Bible verses there are verbs, or action words, look, go up, spoken.

  Deaut 1:39 promise to your children’s children. Does not matter what you say, it matters what God says. The goal is to try and possess everything that God intends you to possess. You do not want to stand before the throne of God, strike your forehead, and say, I didn’t know I could have that.

  Deut. 4:1 obedience, listen, go and possess (we were looking at key words in this and the next few verses).

  Deut. 8:1-3 man lives by every Word out of the mouth of God. If God said it, He is big enough to do it.

  Deut. 9:1 TODAY (in God’s timing). Possess, God’s vision is so big He had to put the Holy Ghost inside of you to help you see and grab hold of what He has for you. His ways are not our ways. We are to possess the land, and get into agreement with what God says. The time factor depends on how quickly we respond and obey God.

  Deut. 10:11 Arise, go in, possess, faith in action. the best way to grow in faith is to begin and do, not talk about it, debate about it, just do it.

  Deut. 11:8 Obey every commandment of God. It is far easier to obey God than to disobey him. God’s yoke is easy, his burden light, if we disobey we meet with difficulty, for we have to deal with the seeds of our disobedience. It zaps your strength and confidence when you disobey. If we obey we have the assurance that God will back us up.

  Gods Intention:

  He had a place for Israel to possess. He has a place for His people, physically, socially, mentally. Every area of our lives, God has a place for us.

  Ephesians 1:3 He has blessed us with every spiritual blessing.

  Joshua 18: 1-3 out of the 12 tribes of Israel, only 5 took possession of their land. 7 Tribes had not taken possession. God had the land for them, but they did not take the actions to claim it and Joshua was telling them that they needed to take the action.

  The How to:

  They did not possess because of their lack of faith, they did not mix their faith with what they heard. Faith without works is dead faith.

  Johsua 18:4 – RISE and  GO. They needed to take an action. They were sitting on their seats doing nothing. Joshua could not go in and possess the land for them, we have to go and do something.

  Everything God promised in the Word concerning our lives and well being is our land. God has provided for our wealth. We have to recondition our mind, Being in Christ gives us supernatural benefits, special favor that the world does not have. But you have to act. It is much easier for us Christians than for those in the world, for we have the presence of Him to help us.

  We need to be doers of the Word.

  The best way to follow the Holy Ghost is when He puts something in your heart, do it, and don’t think about it.

  If you wait until you need faith, you are way to late, but fortunately God is the God of catch up.

  Double up on sowing, double up on receiving, double up on believeing.

  You have to keep saying the scriptural promises outloud. They work best when you hear your own voice speak them, it is good to hear others speak, but you will do better to also speak them often and out loud to yourself. Here are a few to keep reminding yourself.

  You are the favorite of God, He likes you.

  John 3:16 For God so loved the world that He gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him will not perish, but will have everlasting life.

  1 Peter 2:9, we are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood.

  We have to celebrate who we are in Christ.

  Often we are timid in claiming who we are in Christ, but if we keep saying out loud, reminding ourselves, it will register, and we will begin to boldly proclaim it.

  When Christ chose us, he bestowed on us kindness, favor, love.

  Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God. The more you hear yourself say these things, you will shout it from the mountaintop.

  It is very important for your ears to hear your mouth speak these words.

  Philemon = acknowledging every good thing in Christ Jesus.

  Luke 1:30 You are highly favored of God (that word highly favored that was spoken over Mary is the same word as chosen in 1 Peter 2:9)

  You have to do it God’s way. Isaiah 1:19, Joshua 1:8, Deut 15:5, Deut. 28:45

  Remember that God is on our side, Joshua 1:5, Heb. 13:5, Romans 8:31

  If God is for you, it doesn’t matter who is opposed to you, for God will win.

  You have got to act on what you know. Faith without works is dead.

  2 Kings 7:4 Fear hinders us in life. to possess the land you have to go. The words what if, we have to get out of our vocabulary. What if it will fail (what if it succeeds). We limit ourselves through fear.

  When the opportunity comes your way, you must seize it. You cannot assume that it will always be there.

   

  This word that was taught today is a lot of things that I realize that I have to get doing. I need to be speaking more scripture, I need to trust more in God’s love (I know that God does not lie and His word does not lie, but my fear tends to keep me from fully believing God’s love). We are sorting out our finances, and there are many things that I keep holding back on dealing with.  How easily I tend to limit God, and I do not ask big of God, I just exist. I have much to work on.

  I hope that you are blessed by this, and if Daryl Copes ever comes to your area, he is an awesome, dynamic teacher with a love for God that radiates.

  Have a great weekend. For once it is not raining and there is a shiny object in the sky (I think it is called the sun).

  Heather

  • 5:24 pm
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