“He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all–how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?” (Rom.8:32 NIV)

The highest price paid

What God has made available for us for free wasn’t free for Him! In fact the price paid was the highest amount ever paid for anything that was ever purchased throughout all of history, and it is impossible for that fact to ever change, because the price that was paid was the precious blood of God’s only Son, Jesus! (Eph. 1:3-8)

Don’t waste it!

It is absolutely insane NOT to put to use that which was so highly paid for on your behalf!

What did it buy for you?

• You are God’s child (John 1:12) and Jesus’s sibling! It paid for you to be adopted into God’s family! You are now an heir to God! (Rom. 8:17).

• Instant access to God! You now can come boldly to God (your father) at any time of need! (Heb. 4:16-18).

• All ‘things’ belong to you! Because of what God has done, you have received ‘all things’ from Him! Everything that belongs to Him, also belongs to you! (Rom 8:32)

• All your needs are met! Every possible need you could EVER imagine is supplied somewhere in the Word of God in the form of Promises! (2 Peter 1:4 & 2 Cor. 1:20).

You just have to find them (search them out), mix faith with them (Heb. 4:2), and they are yours! 

Therefore…

“What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. Who is he that condemns? Christ Jesus, who died more than that, who was raised to life is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? As it is written:”For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughter”No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Rom. 8:38-39)

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“I sought the Lord, and he answered me; he delivered me from all my fears. Those who look to him are radiant; their faces are never covered with shame. This poor man called, and the Lord heard him; he saved him out of all his troubles.The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear him, and he delivers them. Taste and see that the Lord is good;blessed is the one who takes refuge in him.” (Psalms 34:4-8 NIV)

With great confidence!

I love the fact that we serve a personal and powerful God who we can approach with great confidence knowing that He hears us, answers us, and does something about what we ask! And I love that he frees me from ALL my fears and ALL my troubles.

Negative Feelings

As I was thinking about the part of this verse referring to “all of my fears,” I noticed that it was plural and not singular, meaning more than one fear was being talked about here. He didn’t explain what each fear was, but it was definitely more than one. Usually fearful people are fearful in many areas at the same time. Fear is really just negative feelings, and you can actually do something about your fearful feelings when you understand it is something you have the power to control. 

Recognize and take control!

The first step to overcoming a negative feeling is to recognize it and then take control of it. (Fear, anger, or some other negative thing). A helpful principle to understand: “A feeling named is a feeling tamed!” Explanation: An unidentified feeling can take control of you. But, you can take control of a named feeling once you have recognized it and then take control of it. Then ask God to help you knowing that He can and He will.

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“For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh: (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;) Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ.” (1 Cor. 10:3-5 KJV)

What is being said

There is so much in the above passage to meditate about, to claim for yourself, and to praise God for. It is powerful! As usual, it helps to look at each part of any passage of scripture, dissecting it, so to speak, to find out what is really being said.

Breaking it down and looking at it piece by piece closely (My comments are in parentheses) …

 “For though we walk in the flesh, (we do live in a human body, it’s a fact) we do not war after the flesh: (our battle is not fought physically using our fleshly body). For the weapons of our warfare (yes, it’s an actual war but we DO have weapons available to fight and win it!) are not carnal (carnal means “of the flesh” and of the “human senses” – of touch, taste, sight, hear and smell) but mighty through God (how mighty is this?!! Why would we ever give into worry?!) to the pulling down of strong holds; (for pulling down those gripping, insidious, sins/problems/any disease or sickness/the lack of any kind of need being met – the list goes on and on of serious things that have held onto you so strongly). Casting down (exactly what it says!) imaginations, (most of the fearful things attack your mind and make you “imagine” worse case scenarios) and every high thing that exalteth itself (anything that claims to be higher and more powerful than God! Which, of course, is a lie from the pit of hell!) against the knowledge of God, (notice that the attack is against “the knowledge” of God, what you know about Him) and bringing into captivity (captures it) every (every means, well, it means “every”!) thought (what you think) to the obedience of Christ.”

Therefore…

Know this, that your primary battle is fought and won within your mind! That’s because “as a man thinks in his heart, so is he.” (Prov 23:7 NKJV). You win every battle with the Word of God! In fact, it’s already won by what Jesus did on the cross for you. You have a multitude of God’s promises to cover every single need. And they are all “Yes” and promised by Jesus (2 Cor. 1:20). But, the devil tells you they won’t work for you! So you doubt the Word of God! And that makes faith not work! But understand this, the devil cannot do anything to you without your cooperation! Remember this huge promise, “Whom the Son sets free is free indeed!” (John 8:36). And, this one, too, “I can do all things through Christ Jesus who strengthens me.” (Phil. 4:13 NKJV).

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“Remember this: whosoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly.” (2 Cor. 9:6 NIV)

You will reap what you sow!

Everything you sow (good and bad) works like a seed in God’s kingdom way of doing things. And there are many, many verses in the Old and New Testament that clearly say this. Yes, it is very important to understand “seed, time, and harvest” principles (Gen. 8:22). And yes, you need to be planting good seeds into God’s kingdom. This is the main way God blesses his kids. In fact, this is something that God tells you to test Him about (Malachi 3:10), and He says the blessing will be so large you won’t be able to contain it.

Don’t throw out the baby! 

So, don’t get put off by looking at people you are turned off personally by who tell you to send them your “seed faith” money. Just because there are people who may be using these principles in ways you don’t like don’t make God’s Word and promises of provision untrue. Don’t throw out “the baby with the bath”! The devil loves to get you to not do God’s principles (for any negative reason) so that you won’t benefit from them!

Check out the fruit

Yes, you MUST plant money as seed, but do what I do! I find ministries that I really trust and believe in and then I support them! I look at their fruit (you will know them by their fruit, Matt. 7:16). And I check them out in other ways too, through legitimate agencies who track non-profit’s money usage, so that I can make sure my money is being used as they claim it is and in ways which will bring the most increase. And I then give confidently to them.

Don’t eat your seed! 

By the way, when I first discovered these principles, I had very little. And I was tempted to eat my seed rather than to sow it! But God showed me something powerful about sowing seed in the following verse: “Be not deceived, God is not mocked! Whatsoever a man sows, that shall he also reap.” (Gal. 6:7). First, you always get the same thing you plant! If you plant a radish seed, you won’t get potatoes! If you plant discord you won’t get peace. It works the same way with everything in God’s created world, including money! Secondly, you get more than what you plant! If you plant just one corn seed, you don’t get back just one corn seed, you get a plant with lots and lots of corn! So, it doesn’t take much seed to get a great harvest! And then thirdly, it comes later (takes time). Seed not only must be planted in good soil, but it takes time for it to grow and produce a crop that you can harvest. That’s why it is important to be planting good seed of all kinds continuously.

Be a cheerful giver. God loves them! 

I give every way I can and I am very much blessed because of it! I am now able to sow much more than I used to, and I do so cheerfully. Praise God!!!!

Therefore…

“You must each decide in your heart how much to give. And don’t give reluctantly or in response to pressure. ‘For God loves a person who gives cheerfully.’” (2 Cor. 9:7 NLT)

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“Store your treasures in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal.” (Matt. 6:20 NLT)

We should never look to wealth and riches to find our happiness

In the gospel of Luke, verses 12:17-21, a rich man planned to build bigger barns to store up his excess grain, “but thinking to himself, he said, This will I do: I will pull down my barns, and build greater; and there will I bestow all my fruits and my goods. And I will say to my soul, Soul, you have much goods laid up for many years; take your ease, eat, drink, and be merry. And God said unto him, You fool, this night your soul shall be required of you: then whose shall those things be, which you have provided? So is he that lays up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.” Notice the last part here, that he “lays up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God”. The problem wasn’t that the man was wealthy. It was that he was selfish and he was storing up his wealth only for himself and not to be used “toward God”.

Have the same mind of Christ

And we should have the “same mind” of Christ (Phil. 2) to do what is needed according to the calling God has called us to. The Apostle Paul said it this way in 1 Cor. 9:19, “Although I am free from all men, I have made myself to be a slave to all that I might win the more…. and I do it all for the sake of the gospel that I may share the blessing therein.” And, keep in mind that what Jesus did on the cross paid for thousands of powerful promises found throughout the Bible to cover every possible need. And the main thing to understand is to use whatever you have been given by God to serve Him and others and to “establish His Covenant on earth.” By the way, I have been poor and also rich, and rich is far better! And I don’t apologize how God blesses me. 

Therefore…

“Blessed be the Lord who daily loads us with benefits.”
(Psalm 68:19)

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“The Lord is near to all who call upon Him,To all who call upon Him in truth.” (Psalm 145:18)

In God we live and move and have our being 

“…He is not far from each one of us; for in Him we live and move and have our being…” (Acts 17:27-28 NKJV)

“You are near, O Lord, And all Your commandments are truth.” (Psalm 119:151)

He’s near to the brokenhearted 

“The Lord is near to the brokenhearted

And saves those who are crushed in spirit.” (Psalm 34:18)

Therefore…

The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” (Phil. 4:5-7 ESV)

'"Therefore tell the people: This is what the Lord Almighty says: ‘Return to me,’ declares the Lord Almighty, ‘and I will return to you,’ says the Lord Almighty."' (Zech. 1:3 NIV)

“Yet even now,” declares the LORD, ‘return to me with all your heart…’” (Joel 2:12 ESV)

“Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded.” (Janes 4:8)

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“And you shall remember the LORD your God, for it is He who gives you power to get wealth, that He may establish His covenant which He swore to your fathers, as it is this day”. (Deut. 8:18 NKJV)

The devil has wrongly convinced many of God’s kids to have a poverty mentality to defund the work of God so that the covenant of God won’t be established! If you think you must be poor than that is what you will always be! If, on the other hand, you see yourself prospering and successful by God’s hand for the right reasons you will prosper!

Money Is Not the Problem!

Many Christians believe that God wants them to be poor because they equate being poor to being godly. But, nothing could be further from the truth! Having money and being wealthy is not evil. It’s actually the “love of money” that the Bible says is the “root of all kinds of evil.” (1 Tim. 6:10). And you can look around you and see that that statement is certainly true! But you can biblically say the same fact about lots of other things because loving them could also lead you into evil. For instance, loving food can lead you into serious problems (gluttony) and hurt your body which is called “God’s temple”. Loving sleep, can lead you into serious problems (slothfulness) and into poverty. And loving wine can lead you to serious problems (alcoholism), but, Jesus turned the water into wine, so wine in itself isn’t bad.

It’s a Blessing to “Establish God’s Covenant” and much more! 

Having money, or anything else for that matter, is a blessing if you don’t love it more than you love God. Understand that money and everything else you have is a blessing from God and He blesses you so you can “establish His covenant” and so that you are able to be a blessing to others. The promise at the top says that God “gives you power to get wealth” in order to “establish His covenant… as it is to this day.” Knowing what wealth is for is the important thing to remember. 

Wealth is a great personal blessing and a great ministry tool

 “I will bless you so that you will be a blessing to others.” (Gen. 12:2)

“You will be enriched in all ways so that you will be able to be generous on all occasions.” (2 Cor. 9:11)

Just think what a wonderful blessing it is to be able to give generously to promote God’s Kingdom! 

But wait, there’s more!  

When I told someone this recently (someone who is very religious and always struggles financially, by the way), they said, “Jesus was poor!” And I pointed out to them that he was NOT in fact poor! Even as a baby, wealthy people sought Him out to give riches to Him (the wise men in chapter 2 of the gospel of Luke). He was in fact the “King of Kings and the Lord of Lords” but, He deliberately “lowered himself” in order to accomplish His specific mission to bring redemption. (Phil. 2:7). Even so, many wealthy people followed and supported Him. And the only people who criticized him were religious people. When a woman broke a bottle of very expensive perfume onto Jesus they complained about it! (Mark 14). And later, when He was crucified the soldiers nearby cast lots for his robe because it was valuable. And he was buried in a rich man’s tomb.

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“That the communication of thy faith may become effectual by the acknowledging of every good thing which is in you in Christ Jesus.” (Philemon 1:6 KJV)

Powerful resources

Have you given much thought about the many good things from Christ Jesus which are in you according to the Bible? Well, you have an amazing amount of powerful resources at your disposal. If you don’t know what they are and if you aren’t using them, you are really missing out!

The knowledge of what you have in Jesus is powerful 

“Acknowledging every good thing which is in you in Jesus” is a very powerful exercise to do, and it has the power to make “the communication of your faith effectual!” Just think about what you have as a Christian! If you have received Jesus Christ as your personal Savior, your list will begin with Jesus, Himself, (Christ in you – Col. 1:27). Then, you have the Holy Spirit – (Spirit-filled – John 14:16). And then there is the Spiritual fruit which He produces in your life (the fruit of the Spirit – Gal. 5:22-23). And, of course, there are His many gifts that He gives to believers – (Spiritual gifts – Rom. 12 & 1 Cor. 12). And, don’t forget the Word of God itself, that you have hidden in your heart – (Psalm 119:11).

The devil is a liar so don’t listen to him!

The devil deceives God’s people by telling them they are helpless and powerless! Nothing could be further from the truth! “His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to His own glory and excellence.” (2 Peter 1:3 ESV). Do a personal survey to discover who you are in Jesus and what you have according to what He says you have! That knowledge is empowering!

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“Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” (John 8:32 NIV)

What’s real and what’s fake?

Over the last few months the main stream media has been filled with much discussion and opinion on the topic of so called, “fake news.” And, every side of every issue is accusing the other side of being guilty of it. And, quite frankly, it's hard to tell the difference between what is real news and what is “fake news” because each side spins the “facts” to support their own opinions.

How can they do this with actual “facts” you may ask?

Wall Street Journal columnist, James Taranto, opined on Twitter: “Fact checking” is opinion journalism pretending to be some sort of heightened objectivity.” Simply put, “fact checkers” cherry-pick the statements to “fact-check” and then decide which data to back it up with. In short, statistics can be manipulated to come up with any conclusion wanted to promote.

This is nothing new

the enemies of Jesus took statements He had said and twisted them to use against Him. “Then some stood up and gave this false testimony against him: “We heard him say, ‘I will destroy this temple made with human hands and in three days will build another, not made with hands.’” (Mark 24:57-58)

What is truth?

According to the dictionary, truth is the quality or state of being true; truthfulness, honesty, accuracy, correctness, validity, factuality, and authenticity. The exact opposite of truth (antonyms) is falsehood, dishonesty, fiction, and lies.

Truth comes from God

• Jesus is the truth – “Jesus answered, ‘I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.’” (John 14:6 NIV)

• Jesus’s Word is truth - “Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth.” (John 17:17 NIV)

• Jesus is full of grace and truth - “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.” (John 1:14 NIV)

Therefore…

 “If we claim to have fellowship with him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live out the truth.”  (1 John 1:6 NIV)

 “He chose to give us birth through the word of truth, that we might be a kind of first fruits of all he created.” (James 1:18 NIV)

 “Guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long.” (Psalm 25:5 NIV)

“I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth.” (3 John 1:4 NIV)

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