How do you know? Part IV, “How do you know what marriage is and is not?” – Bible Study 2/23/11

Posted on March 15, 2011 by growintheword

How do you know? Part IV

How do you know what marriage is and is not?

Synopsis of Bible Study 2/23/11

Delivered by Bishop Walker III

 

Many people who want to get married. You discover early on that there are many marriages that are unsuccessful. One reason is because many people go in to marriage for all the wrong reasons. When we think of marriage, we have this idea of a happy family, it is important to know what marriage is, some of the myths surrounding marriage, and how to strengthen it.

 

I.                   Biblical perspective of marriage

1.     In the beginning, God made man male and female Genesis 1:27 says 27So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them. – When God made man, he spoke to both of Adam and Eve alike. He spoke word to them together.

2.     God has to prepare you. Genesis 2:18 says 18And the LORD God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him.- Why is this important? God has to make you or prepare you for the vessel you will be with (your mate). God is working on both of you (your prepared vessel) at the same time, until you are ready for each other, then he will create a situation to bring you together. Ex-Some women have been known to say, “He is a good guy; He needs a chance.” This idea makes you become practice material. You must realize that you can’t be practice material.

3.     They become one family. Genesis 2:24 says 24Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh. -You see God’s intent is when these prepared two come together, they are not influenced by other family members. They become one family (separate from the family they came from).

4.      God’s intent was never for a woman to advertise herself. Proverbs 31:10-31 says 10Who can find a virtuous woman? for her price is far above rubies. 11The heart of her husband doth safely trust in her, so that he shall have no need of spoil.  12She will do him good and not evil all the days of her life. 13She seeketh wool, and flax, and worketh willingly with her hands. 14She is like the merchants’ ships; she bringeth her food from afar. 15She riseth also while it is yet night, and giveth meat to her household, and a portion to her maidens. 16She considereth a field, and buyeth it: with the fruit of her hands she planteth a vineyard. 17She girdeth her loins with strength, and strengtheneth her arms. 18She perceiveth that her merchandise is good: her candle goeth not out by night. 19She layeth her hands to the spindle, and her hands hold the distaff. 20She stretcheth out her hand to the poor; yea, she reacheth forth her hands to the needy. 21She is not afraid of the snow for her household: for all her household are clothed with scarlet. 22She maketh herself coverings of tapestry; her clothing is silk and purple. 23Her husband is known in the gates, when he sitteth among the elders of the land. 24She maketh fine linen, and selleth it; and delivereth girdles unto the merchant.25Strength and honour are her clothing; and she shall rejoice in time to come. 26She openeth her mouth with wisdom; and in her tongue is the law of kindness. 27She looketh well to the ways of her household, and eateth not the bread of idleness. 28Her children arise up, and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praiseth her. 29Many daughters have done virtuously, but thou excellest them all. 30Favour is deceitful, and beauty is vain: but a woman that feareth the LORD, she shall be praised. 31Give her of the fruit of her hands; and let her own works praise her in the gates.

5.     It was never God’s intent for the woman to advertise. She was supposed to be a hidden treasure that is found, much like a diamond found in the dirt of the earth. If you too easy to get, you will never be appreciated or valued. Note: When you get a chance read Songs of Solomon.

6.     Marriage is a covenant. Malachi 2:14 says 14Yet ye say, Wherefore? Because the LORD hath been witness between thee and the wife of thy youth, against whom thou hast dealt treacherously: yet is she thy companion, and the wife of thy covenant. –A covenant, if you will remember, is an agreement. When marriage comes together, man must see his wife as a covenant. In other words, we ride or die!

7.      God hates divorce. Malachi 2:16 says 16For the LORD, the God of Israel, saith that he hateth putting away: for one covereth violence with his garment, saith the LORD of hosts: therefore take heed to your spirit, that ye deal not treacherously. Matthew 19:6 says 6Wherefore they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder.

8.      God instructs husbands to love their wives as God loves the church.- Ephesians 5:25 says 25Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; – Husbands ought to love their wives in the same manner as Christ loved the church. By this we mean he (the husband) ought to have so much love for his wife that he is willing to sacrifice for her just as Christ sacrificed for the church.

II.                The Foundation of marriage

1.     God created mankind (male and female), and later divided humanity into two sexes, male and female. Individually you have to see how that impacts the relationship.

2. Somebody has to be called to be with us. When we think about how we can be, we have to realize that there is a special anointing on the life of the individual that God chooses to be with us.

3.     It is important to understand that the woman was meant to be a compliment to the man. Genesis 2:18 says 18And the LORD God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him.- God wanted Adam to have a compliment. Eve became Adam’s compliment. In other words, when God made Eve for Adam, it was a perfect match.

4.     Marriage is a relational union of one male and one female joined as husband and wife. – No matter what local laws say, according to God’s law, marriage is the union of two persons (male and female) in a unit of one marriage.

5.     We come into a relationship sometimes with different ideas of what marriage is. You might be with somebody that comes from a different upbringing and culture. Ex- Bishop Walker explains that he is from Louisiana for example. At the zoo there, they talk about how different animals can be prepared as a meal. Here in Tennessee, we look an animals in a zoo and wonder what the animals habitat is. In the south everything is about food. Ex2- If a person comes from the North, they may not be in a habit of speaking to everyone that they pass. Down here in the South, everyone speaks when they pass each other. If you don’t know God’s idea of marriage, you will impose the expectations that you have about marriage, into your marriage. You have to decide what your marriage will be like.

6.      Marriage is a covenant-ally agreed arrangement of functional oneness. Everything we do, we see ourselves as one unit. No longer do we see ourselves as individuals. Malachi 2:14 says 14Yet ye say, Wherefore? Because the LORD hath been witness between thee and the wife of thy youth, against whom thou hast dealt treacherously: yet is she thy companion, and the wife of thy covenant.

7. Marriage is a symbiotic relationship. This means it is a mutually beneficial relationship of life and not just a relationship of authoritarian position. Marriage ought to be a mutually beneficial unit. It is not about authority and position. I get something out of it and my mate gets something out of it. Know that you have a right to expect what you are willing to give.

8.     The way God sees us in Christ is that the male and female are equal before him. Galatians 3:28 says 28There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus. –  God made both male and female alike in the beginning.

9.     Each gender has distinct differences. How many of you have discovered that there are many differences between male and female? Men don’t communicate well for example. We are wired to be visual. A woman, however, needs to talk. Intimacy is an all day thing for a woman. A man’s idea of intimacy is right now! Man has one goal in mind when it comes to intimacy. When he leaves Egypt, he is trying to get to the Promised Land. The woman on the other hand can stay in the wilderness forever.

10.  Women are emotional. Men want to know why women are so emotional. This is just how women are wired.

11. Learn to accept the mutual differences. We can’t compete with other in a marriage. This causes unhealthy marriage. We come in as to complete people that will not compete with each other for completion.

III.             Different ways marriage is viewed

1.     What we call religious legalism-Legalism is people that follow the course of law to the letter. They follow the rules of role of responsibility and hope that things will work out right. There is no room for swaying from this train of thought.

2.     Self-effort- performance “. Just do it! – The husband is ahead of the wife, but there has been over emphasized. The husband still values the opinion of his wife. Also, if a woman is working 60hrs a week and he is not, there might be an adjustment in roles in the house.

3.     Culture views cause you to develop your inherent personhood- The belief that you just be who you are and everything will work out. Ex- Bishop explains that he was watching the reality show, “Atlanta Housewives” and he saw where a woman says she was going to get married and just see how it works out. This is crazy! Culture has tried to teach us to go by what we feel.

4.     Culture over emphasizes equality. Galatians 3:28 says 28There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.- Between man and female, God sees us as one in a marriage. The biggest challenge for a powerful woman is allowing a godly man to lead them. When you have been in control, and accomplished what you have on your job, it is difficult to put that in a spiritual context and allow a man to lead you. When you operate in that authority and power, it can mess you up.

5.     What is the functional role of the husband? Jesus has the model for the husband. Ephesians 5:23 says 23For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body. Ephesians 5:25 says 25Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it;- A husband must love his wife in such a way, his life is lived to seek her highest good. We will not suppress her vision or oppress her dreams. We will not speak negative of what God speaks into her life. It is self denial or the giving up of something. Colossians 3:19 says 19Husbands, love your wives, and be not bitter against them.- Everything that God is going to do in the life of a man, can only happen if he brings the woman with him. Ex – Abraham took his wife with him to the place that God

6.     When you love God, you provide for your wife. 1 John 4:8 says 8He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love. – Because God is love, God’s love is giving. He gave us his son for us. It should be instinctive for a godly man to be a provider. Any man that wants a woman to take care of him, has something spiritual wrong with him.

7.     The husband provides directions and purpose for the relationship. He allows the woman to feel special, praises her, and feels here with joy. Proverbs 31:28 says 28Her children arise up, and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praiseth her. – Any man who God gives a wife too, ought to praise her daily. He should sense when her esteem is low. You got to keep affirming this to her. Verbal abuse is just as bad as physical abuse.

8.     Wives- Your response should be one modeled after Christ. Your response to your husband should be biblical. You can have all that you want to have and still submit to your husband. You have to support and encourage your husband. Men have big egos. It is nothing better than telling your man that you appreciate him holding it down. There are men that are attending a bible study every week, but they get lumped into the category of “Men don’t go to church” along with other men.

9.     Learn adaptability- One of the things wives need to learn is desirability. You have to learn what you husband desires and get a Masters Degree in it.

 

Dysfunctions of marriage:

How many of know marriages do you know that are dysfunctional? This leads to divorce which comes from the Latin word Divodium which means devert oro Here are some dysfunctions:

1.     Role regulations- They don’t function in their roles properly.

2.     Cultural differences – We have different believes as a result of our upbringing.

3.     Gender differences – We have allowed our gender views to affect our relationship.

4.     Vet-This means to integrate rigorously. You got to be sure of a person before conviction. You can’t move to that next level purely on emotion. There has to be a reason tied to your emotions. How many of you been in love more than once? You thought that was it. It is important to vet people. Look at every aspect of a person’s life.

5.      Selfishness-People come into relationship thinking about themselves. You got to come to a place of oneness. If God is in you and your spouse, then the character of God ought to come out. His word ought to be your primary reference, it ultimately leads to divorce.

6.     Divorce comes from the Latin word which means divert or go to the opposite direction. Malachi 2:16 says 16For the LORD, the God of Israel, saith that he hateth putting away: for one covereth violence with his garment, saith the LORD of hosts: therefore take heed to your spirit, that ye deal not treacherously. – God hates divorce. You ought to go into marriage so confident that you will divorce proof this marriage. In your marriage, you should have the same faith you would have fighting for your life.

7.     Marriage can only function through the grace of God. God’s grace is what makes people stay married for 50 and 60 yrs. God’s grace is received by faith.

8.     Our spouses ought to look like Christ. Remember God created man in his own image. If God made man and woman in his image, then what was the image we had in mind when we thought about marrying this person?

9.     Those who are married, what does that image look like now. If it doesn’t look like what you imagined, then you are a victim of expectations not met, and then Satan keeps providing images behind the curtain for you. If we clearly understand that we are created after the image of God, we know that when God blew into us, we became living. God is in all of us through his Holy Spirit. God was above us in Old Testament, and then he was with us, now he is in us.

IV.              7 things that determine if you are ready to be married:

1.     Are you a selfish individual? Is all about you?

2.     Are you ready for lifetime a commitment? Think about it, “Till death do you part”. When you feel prepared of God, you can get married. Just remember though, the younger you are, the longer forever is. How many of you can testify that you are different now (your goals, your outlook, and your interests) than they were 10 yrs ago?

3.     Are family and friends more important than your spouse? Ex- “I know it’s your birthday honey, but it is mom’s birthday too.”

4.     Are you and your future spouse on the same page (Spiritually, Financially, and etc…)? Are you reading the same book?

5.     What are your real motives for wanting to get married? Is it because you think your time clock ticking? Are you tired of being bride’s maid? Is it social pressure? Most guys grew up playing with GI Joe. Women grew up playing with Barbie and playing house. The made most women grow up with the idea of marriage and homemaking in mind. Most men were still immature in this area. Got to ask yourself what is your real motivation?

6.     If you are not viewing marriage as a fantasy, then you are ready. Some people will spending $20,000 to get married and won’t spend $2.00 for a book about how to stay married.

7.     Are you whole? Are you a whole person? You have to understand that God has great plans in store for your life. God brought together one man and one woman in garden. We saw how Satan comes in to disrupt it (in the garden). Through Jesus who came to redeem us back to God, it is about being Christ centered. In your relationship, dating doesn’t have a destination. Courting has a destination. When you are serious about somebody, you have the right to ask the serious questions trying to end up with the marriage that God desires for us.

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How do you know Part 3, “How do you know he or she is the right one?” , Bible Study 2.13.11

Posted on February 22, 2011 by growintheword

How do you know? Part 3

How do you know he or she is the right one?

 

Synopsis of Bible Study 2.13.11

Delivered by Bishop Walker III

 

First of all, let’s just start by saying this; if you are married and you don’t feel that person is the right one, we are just sorry. If you are single you don’t know how blessed you are. Some folks would say if they knew then what they know now; they would have gone another way. It is important to know that what God does in relationships is intentional. One thing that really stands out is what God did in the very first relationship, Adam & Eve. God said it is not good for the man to be alone. This however was a certain type of man. Now Adam had been given a job and God had set him up in the garden with everything he could ever need. Adam was in such a place that God said it was not good for this type of person to be alone. This type of person is ready for relationship. Every relationship that comes together is for a greater purpose. It is about the fruit that a relationship will produce. This is why you have to be with people connected to God. Without him, there with will be no fruit produced.

I.            Must have a relationship with God

1.     There are people that desire a relationship with you, yet they don’t have a relationship with God. This ought to make you wonder what their motives are.

Evidence that a person has a relationship with God:

a.     Must be in Covenant – Corinthians 6:14 says 14Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness? – A relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ is always validated by covenant. As a result, a person with a relationship with God will not fall into relationship with a person that doesn’t have a walk with God. Don’t have that Messianic complex which is the idea of going into relationship thinking you were sent to save them. This is unhealthy; because the bible says don’t hook up with people that are not equally yoked with where you are. They must have a covenant relationship with God.

b. Must have Character – John 8:31-32 says 31Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; -You can’t connect with anybody who is not free. The issue is, if they have God’s word inside them, it is true and it liberates. We need to see what kind of character a person has before we leap. Ex – Who would walk into a prison just to be with a person they liked. All of us have issues, but God’s word liberates us and sets us free. Even though we still have issues, because we are working out our salvation, we are at least in the process of becoming free. This means we need to unite with people who are free. We are not permanent prisoners of our issues.

c.     They have Commitment – What are you willing to commit to? How can a person commit to you if they can’t commit to God? Their first commitment has to be with God. Hebrews 10:25 says 25Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching. – When I am committed, I come to church as it says in this scripture. I don’t care how you cut it, you will love coming to church when you are in a committed relationship with God. Ex- How can you be in a relationship with a person and want to stay at their house for 5hrs at a time and say you are in relationship with God and not want to stay at his house for 1hr? When you are in relationship with God, you want to be at his house (the church). If you got to force a person to come to church, that ought to be a red flag for you. If you are not under the same word then you won’t be equally yoked. This being unequally yoked means that you will speak different languages. Like Luke 9:23 says, 23And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me. – In other words, we can’t follow anyone who does not follow Christ. Did you know Jesus was the first person to have a Twitter account? The scripture says that Jesus told them to “Follow him” (Note: You might not get this if you don’t know anything about Twitter).

2.     Now just to recap, we discussed that one way to know that a person is the right one is that they must have a relationship with God and this will be evident, because they have a covenant with God, they have character, and they have commitment. Now let’s discuss what they must have next.

II.            They are goal oriented

1.     We need somebody aimed towards something. They must have goals. In other words, their life is centered on destiny.

2.     We are after somebody who has vision. –Proverbs 29:18 18Where there is no vision, the people perish: but he that keepeth the law, happy is he. – These type of people see beyond their right now. They see themselves debt free and they see themselves graduating. Imagine seeing all this and being with somebody that doesn’t have any vision. They would never see beyond their reality. This is why God gave us two eyes, two ears, and one mouth. This is so we wouldn’t talk so much, but instead listen and see more. The issue is, God gave us two eyes. This is called anthropomorphic grace in seminary. When you come to together, you represent one eye and your mate represents another eye. When you come together with vision, this is 20/20 vision meaning we see together.  We don’t have to see the same thing, but we ought to see something. Your visions might not be the same as mines, but they ought to line up. Imagine if one person is speaking life and another is speaking death. Ex- What are you going to do in the next 2 yrs is a question we ought to ask? In other words, the person we are in relationship with needs to be able to see beyond their right now. Because they see beyond right now, this vision ought to make you work.

3.      Must be willing to work–2 Thessalonians 3:10 says 10For even when we were with you, this we commanded you, that if any would not work, neither should he eat. – Vision in other words makes me work. You can’t have vision and not be willing to work. We need someone who has vision and knows the value of work. This is an issue of integrity. It is saying that should I lose my end, even if I have to work a job beneath me, I will work and work to make things happen. Ex- Bishop Walker explains that one reason he thinks he has a good work ethic is because there was never a day in his life that he didn’t see his Dad work. Bishop explains that his day is over 80yrs old and he just recently bought him a new truck so that he could have a reliable way to go to work. Now at 80yrs old, he is still willing to work.

4.     Not intimidated by your success – Genesis 1:28 says 28And 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. –This scripture opens up by saying, “He blessed them…” It existed on both Adam and Eve without intimidation of how it would affect either one. Ex- Bishop explains that he gets many questions, tweets, email, and etc… from around the world. He says one of the number one questions he gets is; why are men intimidated by a strong woman? Bishop explains that it is not about the woman’s strength. It is about the man’s weakness. Never allow yourself to feel guilty about being successful. If they are intimidated by your success it is about their insecurities.

a. It is really about self control. Often some men want to be put in a situation where they have do things for you. People that are insecure often use this to control you. People who are insecure want to be able to take stuff and make you think you can’t make it without them. Ex-Ever seen the movie “Color Purple”? Remember the scene where Celie had decided to leave. In the movie Mister told Celie “What you going to do? You poor, you ugly, you a woman… “Mister could only give Celie money. She had to depend on him for everything she needed. If you go into a relationship without your own stuff, you are backing into a controlling situation. 90% of people who walk and stay into abuse, is because they don’t have anywhere to go. Imagine now if you understood that your success would draw success. Your success should be so magnetic; you draw like people to yourself. When they go into a relationship without anything, you allow yourself to be controlled. A good way to know that a person is not intimidated by your success is to see if they can celebrate your success even though it does not involve them. They know that who you are doesn’t diminish who they are. They are willing to allow you to be the cup and they be the saucer, because they know that the saucer gets the overflow.

5.     They have financial integrity -Hard times come to everybody. If you don’t have but a $1.50, you ought to still have a budget for it.

How does this financial integrity play out?

a.     They must be a Tither-In your house, a person who is a tither causes your house to be covered. Malachi 3:7-9 says 7Even from the days of your fathers ye are gone away from mine ordinances, and have not kept them. Return unto me, and I will return unto you, saith the LORD of hosts. But ye said, Wherein shall we return? 8Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed me. But ye say, Wherein have we robbed thee? In tithes and offerings. -Who wants to go into a house that is set up to be cursed? Malachi 3:10-11 says 10Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the LORD of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it. 11And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, and he shall not destroy the fruits of your ground; neither shall your vine cast her fruit before the time in the field, saith the LORD of hosts.- In a tithing house hold, God covers you and keeps the enemy from your money. Ex- If you don’t tithe, sometimes your air conditioner will mysteriously break down. God will orchestrate it so that the company that fixes your air conditioner is owned by a tither, so in other words, God still gets the money that you were supposed to tithe.

b.      Must be a seed sower – When you are dealing with finances, you don’t want anyone who questions what you give in offerings. Luke 6:38 says 38Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again. –You will benefit from the seeds you have sown.

c.     Must pay their bills. – Romans 13:8 says 8Owe no man any thing, but to love one another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law. – You don’t want to go on a date and come back out of the restaurant to find that your car is gone. You must pay your bills. At least you can pay a little on it if you can’t pay it all.

d.     Must be willing to invest – We have to learn to put stuff back for a rainy day. Proverbs 6:6-11 says 6Go to the ant, thou sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise: 7Which having no guide, overseer, or ruler, 8Provideth her meat in the summer, and gathereth her food in the harvest. 9How long wilt thou sleep, O sluggard? when wilt thou arise out of thy sleep? 10Yet a little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to sleep: 11So shall thy poverty come as one that travelleth, and thy want as an armed man. – The ant stores up; because he knows that the seasons will change. You have to ask yourself, does this person live out of their front pocket or out of their bosom?

e.     Must leave an Inheritance– Vision always out lives you. Everything you do in this next scripture, should outlive you. Proverbs 13:22 says22A good man leaveth an inheritance to his children’s children: and the wealth of the sinner is laid up for the just. – We will not leave bills to our children and our grandchildren. We will leave blessings behind. And we can start a generational blessing. Today it might mean you have to get a pizza and microwave it as opposed to going out.

6.     They must have shared values, be family oriented, and exercise healthy lifestyles. Amos 3:3 says 3Can two walk together, except they be agreed? – Some people date people and don’t ask the tough questions such as:

a.     What is this person’s value system? Genesis 2:24 says 24Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh. –  Are they a Momma’s boy or Daddy’s girl? Look over their family and it will give you an idea of what their values are.

b.     What are your values as it relates to healthy life style? 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 says 19What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?  20For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s. –  Do they eat right or take care of themselves? Do they smoke weed all day? Do they order bathroom salt?

7.     They have cohesive communication – Can we sit down and talk or communicate? Proverbs 16:24 says 24Pleasant words are as an honeycomb, sweet to the soul, and health to the bones., Proverbs 25:11 says 11A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in pictures of silver. , Proverbs 27:6 says 6Faithful are the wounds of a friend; but the kisses of an enemy are deceitful., Proverbs 27:15 says 15A continual dropping in a very rainy day and a contentious woman are alike. Proverbs 15:1 says 1A soft answer turneth away wrath: but grievous words stir up anger. -.

It is important to understand the power of communication. You must:

a.     Be a ready listener and don’t answer until the other person has finished talking

b.     Be slow to speak. Think first. Don’t be hasty in your words.

c.     Speak the truth always, but do it in love. Do not exaggerate.

d.     Don’t use silence to frustrate your mate. Explain why you are hesitant to talk at this particular time.

e.     Do not quarrel. It is possible to disagree without quarreling.

f.      Do not respond in anger. Use a soft and kind response.

g.     When you are in the wrong, admit it and ask for forgiveness.

h.     Avoid nagging. No one will hear you if approach it with a nagging spirit.

i.      Don‘t blame or criticize the other. Instead, restore and encourage them. Try to under the other person’s opinion.

III.            They occupy mental and spiritual space. (You can picture yourself spending the rest of your life together).

1.     If you doubting it, then it probably wont happen. Genesis 2:23 says 23And Adam said, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man. – Adam carried Eve in his spirit. She was always with him. This is how you know a person is right for you. You carry this person in your spirit all the time.

2.      Proper application of masculinity and femininity-Women want men who have backbone. Ephesians 5:22-28 says 22Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord. 23For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body. 24Therefore as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in every thing. 25Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; 26That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, 27That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.28So ought men to love their wives as their own bodies. He that loveth his wife loveth himself. -. Men want women who exude their femininity. Make some decisions. A man wants a woman that when she steps out, it makes him proud. Femininity is such a gift from God, the devil tries to steal it and give it some men.

3.     Must have transparency and truth – You got to get to a point. Genesis 2:25 says 25And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed. – They were naked and not ashamed. If you can’t trust your mate, then there is no way you can have a good relationship. We do realize that trust has to be earned, but over a period of time, there ought to be some trust developed. The more you invest, the more you should have. You must be willing to give. There should be transparency and trusting. Ex- The problem is, when most people get together, their representative shows up. It’s never the real person that shows up. Give it to the person up front and not on the back end.

4.     They are selfless in their expressions of love- They love without expectations. Song of Solomon 2:3-6 says 3As the apple tree among the trees of the wood, so is my beloved among the sons. I sat down under his shadow with great delight, and his fruit was sweet to my taste. 4He brought me to the banqueting house, and his banner over me was love. 5Stay me with flagons, comfort me with apples: for I am sick of love. 6His left hand is under my head, and his right hand doth embrace me.

a.     Verse 3 says they should overcome me.

b.     Verse 3b says, we are fulfilled under this covering.

c.     Verse 4 says love took me to buffet and said you can have what you want. Everyone knew I was in a relationship, because it was all on me. The joy of the relationship was on them. You ought to look like joy when you are in a proper relationship.

d.     Verse 5 says Im being loved so much, I’m getting sick. In other words, I am so loved, I am spoiled.

e.     Verse 6 says Love wouldn’t let me go. What love really does is say, “I got you, regardless of circumstances, I won’t let you go”.

5.     Everyone wants to know if they mate got them. If I make a mistake, do you have me? When the preacher asks you if you agree to the vows, there want be a gun to your head? Be sure you really find that person that no matter what, “has your back”

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How do you know Part I, Bible Study 2.2.11

Posted on February 22, 2011 by growintheword

How do you know Part I

How do you know if you are not over the past?

Synopsis Bible study 2/2/11

 

It is important to know, a lot of us have become captive to our past. In fact, what causes most relationships to fail is not dealing with the past. The question is how do you know you are not over your past? The answer is your inability to identify emotional wounds. In other words, you walking around hurt and don’t even realize it.

This is what it looks like.

a.     Inner rawness – This is a sense of hurt that does not go away.

b.     Irritability – This is where you become irritated with others even when they are not doing anything wrong.

c.     Little or no tolerance – This is having low patience with others.

d.     Feelings always rising up – This is hate, anger, and resentment that keep on rising up. Ex- A person might not call you at the appropriate time and you just go off.

e.     Overly sensitive about an event in your past-Still lashing out over things that resemble the area you were hurt in. Ex-Leroy hurt you, so now you don’t like anybody named Leroy.

f.      Hard to forgive – This makes it difficult for you to love.

g.     Hard to feel loved – You are surrounded by people who love you, but you push them away.

h.     Lashing out -Inner wounds are festered and it makes it easy to lash out. That particular area is still sensitive.

i.      Feeling of anger toward God – Now your vertical relationship is affected.

j.      Self-hate -If you keep getting hurt; you think something must be wrong with you.

k.     Easily frustrated -Angry even with your simple everyday chores.

l.      Escapism – Start getting into other things to escape your reality. This is how addictions come into our lives.

m.   Cutting– Person that ends up causing harm to themselves.

n.     Retaliation urges – Hate builds up anger and resentment that makes you want to get even.

o.     Irresponsible behavior -Since you have been hurt, you do what you want to do. This is a Moral compass effect.

p.     Irrational expectations of others -Now your expectations are so high as result of your hurt, you can’t possible find anyone.

q.     Perfectionism -You want others to be perfect as a result of your hurt. This can make you end up by yourself.

r.     Feelings of hopelessness – You feel like, “what’s the use.”

s.     Drive-ness-You can be driven to something you think causes happiness, but it might not be purpose driven.

t. Obsessive compulsive disorder. – You are out of control. You have excessive behavior. Put them in their career and they will knock it out of the park, but socially that can’t function.

u.     Hostility towards God, yourself, and others – Angry man syndrome. We have all gone through seasons where we were angry with others.

I.                   Be honest with yourself?

Questions:

1.     Who is it that you hate or blame? Why can’t you move forward?

2.     What did they do to you? What did they do to you that it takes this long to get over?

 

3.     What things have you done, that you deeply regret? You have to consider that you had some role in it.  All of this is about baggage.

4.     Is there anything in your past that you feel excessively embarrassed or ashamed of? Write it down and examine it.

II.                Keys to dealing with healing

Sorrow deals with pain or inflictions. Isaiah 53:4-5 says 4Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. 5But 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. – Christ came to take away the pain and afflictions that happen in our life.

1.     If you are not honest about where you are hurting, then the blood can’t be applied to your situation. Why is this? 1 Peter 5:7 says 7Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you. – Once identifying it, then I can release it to him that can do something with it. You think you can manage it, but you can’t. There is a reason we can’t go on. We are filtering everything through the lens of that pain we are carrying. How unfair is that to have to know a person through their pain?

2.     Learn to be thankful for what God has done for your life. No matter what has happened in our past, this day is a present. God took our mess, gave us a blank slate, and allowed us to start over. Learn at that moment to pause and not worry about what has happened to you and thank him for what he has done.

3.     The reason people can’t go on is they are tormented by their past issues and therefore are not at peace. Colossians 3:15 says 15And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful.-  If you are not at peace, God is not the author of confusion. Everywhere you go you will cause chaos.

4.      As a result of you not knowing God and giving him glory, you allow vain imaginations to interrupt your life. Romans 1:21 says 21Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened.- This is like living looking in the rear view mirror. Ever tried to drive forward while looking back?

5.     Are your pro-focused or solution focused? You can’t experience moving forward for worrying about what happened in the past. Get to a position where you stop listening to the devil. The devil will keep speaking negative things in your ear. Ex- Satan says things like, “Who are you?” Or “”what makes you think that applies to you?” Remember the Devil tries to isolate you so he can interrogate you.

6.     You have to get to a point where you stop blaming the person that done you wrong. Your reaction is what is keeping you in bondage, not what was done to you. Once you have dealt with this, you know that you can’t continue to react to this. The person that hurt us has moved on with their lives and we are still prisoners, because we won’t let go. Ex- Marriages are stifled because of some of these comparative issues.

7.     Lots of people bottle up their pain. These are the scariest type of people. There are implosive, not explosive. Players be careful. One day you may get this person and end up on Breaking News. This is why it is important to have accountability people. In some areas, it is good to be private. This is ok. You can’t go to everybody about everything. Those that are implosive need to know that it will affect your life eventually. James 5:16 says 16Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.-You got to have someone in your life that you can release this stuff to. This is why you have Intercessors, Pastors, and Counselors. Think about it like having a balloon filled with air. You want to release it a little at a time. You don’t want all the air to come at once causing the balloon to go everywhere and fly away. Ex- Bishop says he has this radio personality who is not only a friend; he is a comedian as well. Bishop says when he needs a release he will call and say he just needs about 15mins to laugh. The laughter allows him to have a release. We all need a “wheew moment”  If you don’t’ have people in your life that you can release to, ask to lord to send someone in your life.

III.             Steps to get past some stuff or healing

1.     You got to be willing to say “I got to get past some stuff.” Psalm 147:3 says 3He healeth the broken in heart, and bindeth up their wounds.- Relationships can break your heart. Ever had your heart broke?

2.      How do you release those that hurt you into the hands of Jesus? 1 Peter 5:7 says 7Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you. – If you keep hanging on to the pain, it keeps you from being healed. Luke 4:18 says 18The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, – If you know about a bruise, it can hurt worse than a wound does sometimes. Matthew 11:28-30 says 28Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. 30For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light. – A yoke is that which controls. You have the yoke of the past directing your life. Even though you are on assignment, you are being controlled by your past. God’s yoke is not like this. All this pain is making people make assumptions about you that are not true. There are people that have come and met you, because they didn’t have time to get to know you. Turn this pain over to God and know that you need to move forward.

3.     Realize the love of God for you. This will help you open up and receive healing. Romans 8:32 says 32He 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?- God says he has so many wonderful things that he wants to do for us. Romans 5:8 says 8But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.- While we was still in the world doing stuff, God still loved us. John 17:23 says 23I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me. – Let them know what love the Lord has to them Jesus says.

4.     When we understand how much he loves us, it becomes a model in which we use to measure love.  Ephesians 3:17-19 says 17That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, 18May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; 19And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God. – A lot of the pain of our past, we can acknowledge that we had some responsibility in it. If you think of how God loves you, use this to measure how much somebody should love you and how you should love others. Ex- Little girls grow up looking for someone to love her the way her Dad loves her.

5.      Realize Gods will for you mind. 2 Timothy 1:7 says 7For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.

6.     Example of fears

Psalm 23:3 says3He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. Lets look at verses 1 and 2 first. The Psalm 23:1-2 says 1The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. 2He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters. – We shared how important it is to know how much God loves you and who he is in our lives. We are sheep and the shepherd protects sheep from danger. Sheep are vulnerable. Though precious, and valuable, they are vulnerable. Like sheep, without the protection of the shepherd, we are subject to attack from the wolf, coyotes, and the mountain lions. There was an Author sometime ago that talked about the threats of the sheep. Some of them are:

a.     The mountain lion was master of intimidating sheep. Their roar seemed like 1000 mountain lions and it intimidated the sheep so bad, they couldn’t move. Ex- This is like the guy who says, “I know you ain’t trying to leave me.” Or “You know I love you to death.”

b.     The Wolf -Master of deception. Beware of wolves in sheep’s clothing. They will come to church with you, but eventually the nature of the wolf will come out.

c.     The Coyote -Master of setting traps. Remember the RoadRunner show that had the coyote that would set the ACME traps. What relationships have you been in that ended up being just a big trap. They just wanted something. The Lord says he understands you will be under these attacks and therefore he shepherds us. David says I shall not want. Someone that is shepherded by God is not needy. Without a proper alignment and relationship with God, you go through life vulnerable. When you know who you are in him, you shall not want. God says now there is a season called time out. You won’t volunteer, because when you have been wounded, you run from relationship to relationship. This run to run relationship manifests in different ways such as:

a.     “We are just kicking it.”

b.     “This is my partner.”

c.     “This is my boo” and there are more…

Because we keep doing this, the Lord says we are not ready yet, so God says he has to make us lie down in green pastures (verse 2). He has to fix it so he can put a monkey wrench in your relationship programs. When the Lord makes you sit down, there is a social stigma tied to it. People wonder why at your age you still aren’t dating. This stigma causes people to move to please a nation that is not spiritual. If we sit down like God wants, he restores us! He will restore the years the locust have eaten up. You don’t know how, because there should have been wounds, but he restores us. He won’t leave you there. He will lead you through the paths of righteousness (verse 3). The next person that you meet and the next relationship you are will be right, because it will be in God’s will. If he leads us, it won’t be wrong. He will navigate circumstances to work on your behalf and he will allow you and somebody else to cross paths. It will be a providential hookup and it will be perfect. You will be two restored people set up to compliment each other.

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Believe God for your healing Part IV

Posted on February 22, 2011 by growintheword

Believe God for your healing Part IV

The covenant of healing

Synopsis of Bible Study 1/26/11

Delivered by Bishop Walker III

 

It is important for us to understand that those of us who are saved are truly under a covenant. By this we mean you don’t have to accept anything beneath what God has promised you. Now what is a covenant? It is an agreement between two parties. It is always dependent upon two and it is not unilateral, which means there is a responsibility on the part of each party in the covenant. For example one person says I will do this and the other says I will do that and as a result things manifest. It is no doubt that God keeps his end of the bargain. He always keeps his covenant with us. It is never in question. What is in question however; is our willingness to keep covenant with God. Our lack of covenant is what often times prevents us from seeing full manifestation of what God has for our lives.

 

When we look at the covenant of healing, we have to recognize that we are dealing with two different ways in which God spoke. We are talking about the Old and the New. When we refer to the Old Testament we are talking about the Old Covenant and when we talk about the New Testament, we talk about the New Covenant. Israel was God’s chosen people as you know and God told Moses to tell Pharaoh to let his people (his chosen people) go.

 

Healing under the Old Covenant

  • Exodus 15:26 says 26And said, If thou wilt diligently hearken to the voice of the LORD thy God, and wilt do that which is right in his sight, and wilt give ear to his commandments, and keep all his statutes, I will put none of these diseases upon thee, which I have brought upon the Egyptians: for I am the LORD that healeth thee. – The children of Israel were under the task master of Egypt (under Pharaoh) and as a result, when God prepares to bring them out of bondage, God declares,”I am the one who heals you…:” This basically says if they did what God commands them to do (obey the commandments), then God says that none of the diseases that came upon their oppressors (the Egyptians) would come upon them.

Healing in the New Testament

Matthew 8:16-17 says 16When the even was come, they brought unto him many that were possessed with devils: and he cast out the spirits with his word, and healed all that were sick: 17That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the prophet, saying, Himself took our infirmities, and bare our sicknesses. – God’s desire or will for those of us who are in relationship with him, is that we will walk under this covenant of healing. Somebody declare this over your life, “I live, under a covenant of healing”. Why is this important? Remember we make a declaration “I am not the sick trying to get well, but I am the healed resisting sickness and disease.”

  • How then do we walk in this covenant? We walk in this covenant, because we believe by faith. Hebrews 11:6 says 6But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.-  What we are dealing with is that we don’t go to God accept we believe that God is.
  • The idea that “he is” is not about the existence of God. We know God exists, but do we really understand the totality of what God has once we approach him? The fact that we approach God suggests that God has what we need and he is who we need at the same time.
  • What does that mean? This means that we believe that God is what he is and is the rewarder of those who diligently seek him.
  • When I know God’s word on healing, it provides a solid foundation for my faith, so I receive the healing based on that particular word of faith.

Historical example of the Passover, the exodus, and the healing

Passover

  • Remember in Exodus, we are dealing with one of the most prolific stories told among the children of Israel. This scripture tells us that every man of a household, on the 10th day of the month, was supposed to take a lamb for every man of the house. – Exodus 12:3-4 says 3Speak ye unto all the congregation of Israel, saying, In the tenth day of this month they shall take to them every man a lamb, according to the house of their fathers, a lamb for an house: 4And if the household be too little for the lamb, let him and his neighbour next unto his house take it according to the number of the souls; every man according to his eating shall make your count for the lamb.
  • This lamb must be without spot or blemish. They were supposed to take a lamb in and on the 14th day, kill it at twilight. –Exodus 12:5-6 says 5Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male of the first year: ye shall take it out from the sheep, or from the goats: 6And ye shall keep it up until the fourteenth day of the same month: and the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill it in the evening.

The covenant of healing

  • 1 Corinthians 5:7says 7Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened. For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us: – Paul shares that he forgot about the old. You are supposed to become something new.
  • Remember the night that Israel came out of Israel? They were supposed to take the lamb without blemish, kill it at twilight, and spread the blood on the door posts. God declared that the death angel was going to ride through Egypt that night. This was the last plague that was placed on the Egyptians. God was going to let the death angel kill the first born son of every family in this plague. The death angel was released and comes through Egypt that night. Wherever the death angel saw the blood over the door post, guess what the death angel did? He passed over it.
  • So Israel was supposed to take a lamb, kill it at twilight and spread the blood over the door post. When the death angel comes, the death angel bypasses over where the blood is. God sent his son who was Jesus Christ. Jesus became the Lamb of God. Jesus goes to the cross and sheds his blood on behalf of us. You and I then came into relationship by his blood. Now by being relationship with Him, and now that we are recovered in the blood (Jesus’ blood), we have eternal life, which means the death angel must Passover us. The same covenant that they were under in the Old Testament, we are under in the New Testament which means we can declare to sickness and death that they have to Passover us, because of the blood.
  • The children of Israel were given specific instructions on even how to eat it. In Exodus 12:11 says 11And thus shall ye eat it; with your loins girded, your shoes on your feet, and your staff in your hand; and ye shall eat it in haste: it is the LORD’s passover. – When they took that lamb in, it was for the nation of Israel. The Passover lamb was for the healing of the nation of Israel.

The Exodus:

  • When they came out of Egypt, Psalm 105:37 says 37He brought them forth also with silver and gold: and there was not one feeble person among their tribes. – The children of Israel were under a Pharaoh who did not know Joseph. In Genesis it was Joseph, one of the Israelites who saved Egypt from famine. Because of this, he got favorable with the current Pharaoh and received favor as a result of it. Now that this Pharaoh died (Ramesses II) a new Pharaoh rose up next and this Pharaoh did not know Joseph. The children of Israel who came in as welcomed guest were now subject to a life of servitude and bondage meaning they were taken into slavery. This Pharaoh saw how they were multiplying and was threatened by it. He was afraid that they were going to overtake them. For 400 yrs, they were in bondage. They were forced to make brick without straw (necessary to make a stronger brick). This Pharaoh tried to make it hard as possible.
  • When God allowed them to come out, he brought them out with the silver and the gold and none of them were feeble. They were slaves and they worked in harsh conditions, but when they came out, they did not come out empty handed and no one came out sick. Doesn’t that sound like 3 John 1:2 where it says 2Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth? – In other words God’s desire is when he brings us out; we will better than when you went in and the covenant on your life is that God won’t allow what they did to us cause us to come out feeble. We are coming out stronger than you went in!
  • If you think the Old Covenant was something, look at what you got in the New Covenant. Hebrews 8:6 says 6But now hath he obtained a more excellent ministry, by how much also he is the mediator of a better covenant, which was established upon better promises. – God made a covenant with them in the Old Testament saying he was the Lord thou God that heals them. Exodus 15:26 says 26And said, If thou wilt diligently hearken to the voice of the LORD thy God, and wilt do that which is right in his sight, and wilt give ear to his commandments, and keep all his statutes, I will put none of these diseases upon thee, which I have brought upon the Egyptians: for I am the LORD that healeth thee.- The word Lord here means JEHOVAH-ROPHE: “The Lord Who Heals” or the Lord our physician.
  • In Hebrews 11:6 says 6But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him. –  He is… The “he is” is God being Jehovah Jireh our provider orJehovah Rophe our physician and our healer. This means that now we must apply who he is when we go to God. When we go to a Physician, we believe that they can somehow help us with our situation. In other words we wouldn’t go to the doctor, unless we had faith to believe that when we left, we would leave with a pill, advice, or something to help heal our situation. Why else would we go unless we thought they could help? You go because you have faith that they are going to make it better? Ex- Bishop explains he was on a plane one day and he states that when he travels, he does so as Dr. Joseph Walker. He says somebody got sick on the plane. The flight attendant came to him and said Doctor we have somebody in the back sick. Bishop told her, “no maam, you need a physian.” You got to know where to go, so if you understand that God is a healer, then when you go to him, you can claim who he is over your situation. The reason you are going to him is because you know he is bigger than our problem. We don’t go to God wondering if he can do it. We go to God knowing that he can do it and when we get through praying, we find that he is a rewarder, because we came to him. He is like our physician who says, “I am so glad you came to see me. “This is the same thing God says. He is so glad we came to him.
  • The name of God reveals the redemptive privileges that are necessary to be healed. When we say his name, all of his redemptive names are tied into his name. His names that deliver such as JEHOVAH-JIREH: “The Lord will Provide.” and EL SHADDAI: God Almighty or “God All Sufficient.”shows it is all in his name. Peter and John in Acts 3, were on their way to a gate called beautiful and they see a man that had been lame since his mother’s womb and the man is asking for alms. As a result, they say look on us. They say silver and gold have they none, but such as they had, in the name of Jesus of Nazareth, rise up and walk. And the man got up and walked and left leaping. He got up in the name of Jesus. In Jesus’ name were all the redemptive names. In his name is packaged neatly every redemptive name that you need. That is why when you say his name; there is power in his name. That’s why demons tremble at the name of Jesus. Every strong hold and every sickness the devil tries to put on you, demons know they got to let go, when you declare his name. They can’t control where his name is.
  • The covenant of God was made with the children of Israel crossing the Red Sea. The same idea or word for salvation is the same word for healing or deliverance. It is a Greek word 4982. sozo sode’-zo and 4991. soteria so-tay-ree’-ah where we get the word soteriology which is the study of salvation history or the understanding of salvation. These are words for salvation. Part of their salvation deliverance from the Passover lamb was healing which means if I believe God for healing or for salvation and then I also believe God for healing. God doesn’t just save us from sin, he saves us from sickness. He doesn’t just save us from sin, he saves us from sickness.
  • Remember the Passover lamb? Now what did they do? They took the Passover lamb, they killed it, and they ate the flesh, and put the blood over the door post. Well let’s look at communion. Matthew 26:26-28 says 26And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and blessed it, and brake it, and gave it to the disciples, and said, Take, eat; this is my body. 27And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, Drink ye all of it; 28For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.– Jesus took the cup and gave thanks. Remember in the Old Testament, when they ate of the lamb they were supposed to put on a belt, put on sandals, and supposed to have their staff and all of this right?
  • Look at the conditions and promise of healing in the covenant

Remember we said underline he is. Now let’s see who He is

Communion

o   When you take communion, it is not just a ritualistic thing that you do. – Corinthians 11:29-30 says 29For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord’s body. 30For this cause many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep.

o   What is communion? When we take communion, we remember the price that Jesus paid for us. Jesus sat with his disciples, but remember that this was a remembrance supper. It was a Passover supper. Jesus said this is my body that was given for you. Now who was he? He was the Lamb of God. They ate the body of the lamb in the Old Testament and that lamb was for the healing of the Nation of Israel. Jesus said, “If you are eating of my body, guess what I am doing? I am giving you healing. And when you remember the blood, the blood is giving you covering. Healing and covering. This is why you can’t take communion with envy and bitterness and jealousy and hatred in your heart. You have to examine yourself and take communion right, because if you don’t, you will eat and drink judgment or damnation unto yourself. This is why so many people are sick and sleep among you (according to scripture), because we don’t come to that moment of understanding the totality of what Jesus did at Calvary. This was all tied to a New Covenant. This is why sometimes we sing, “Now behold the Lamb” when we have communion. It is because he is the Lamb of God. So we don’t just rush through communion. It really is an insult to miss communion. Who would bypass, healing and covering? We should never be too busy for healing and covering.

o   It was so amazing that David stood between both covenants. Not that he lived in the New Testament, but David understood something. Jesus came from the lineage of David. It is almost like a prophetic word in the Psalms. In Psalm 103:2 says 2Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits: – The reason I praise him like I do is because I got benefits. Benefits are a result of covenant. Where there is no covenant, there can be no benefits. Ex- When you go on a full time job, you sign a contract. It says you work this many hours (that’s what you will do) and we will pay you (that’s what the employer will do). This is covenant. As a result of this being fulltime employment, you then are entitled to benefits. If it is not full time, they can’t promise you, but if it is fulltime, they are obligated to give you benefits. Likewise God said he can’t handle us part-time believers. This is why you have to be all the way with him, if you want benefits. You got to be all the way in this thing if you are expecting benefits.

o   God forgives all of our iniquities. We are not perfect, we are just forgiven.

o   Benefits of forgiveness:

a. He heals all of our diseases

b.      He redeems our life from destruction – We should have been dead, but got saved us.

c.       He crowns us with love – You don’t have to love me, because God loves me

d.      He gives us grace and mercy – He holds back what should have gotten us. Why would you pass all of this up? With a relationship with God, you have benefits.

9 reasons why people don’t receive their healing

1.       Lack of faith– It takes faith to receive healing. Your faith has to not be fickle like described in Acts 14:9-10 where it says 9The same heard Paul speak: who stedfastly beholding him, and perceiving that he had faith to be healed, 10Said with a loud voice, Stand upright on thy feet. And he leaped and walked. – Paul saw his faith. People ought to see faith on us just as they can see fear on us. Even if you are going to the Doctor for a checkup, you ought to go in declaring “I am not the sick trying to get well. I am the healed resisting sickness and disease.

2.       Unconfessed and unrepeated sin – Walking around not confessing and not repenting our sins can prevent healing. Isaiah 59:2 says 2But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear. – This scripture declares sin will separate us from God. Psalm 66:18 says 18If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me:-If you think you can’t pray or don’t know how to pray, you can start with your repentance. This can be 30 minutes of prayer right there.

3.       Being double minded or doubting– This is simply not being not convinced. James 1:6-8 says 6But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed. 7For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord. 8A double minded man is unstable in all his ways. – This scripture says a double-minded man is unstable in all his ways. You won’t get anything from God when you are unstable.

4.       Self indulgent – This is selfish prayers. James 4:3 says 3Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts. – Your motivation for asking is so that you can enjoy yourself in it. This is like preemptive prayer. You know you about to do something wrong and you pray for the Lord’s forgiveness before you do it.

5.       Having indifference towards God and his purpose – God has purpose and plan for life, but you have that whatever spirit. Proverbs 1:28-30 says 28Then shall they call upon me, but I will not answer; they shall seek me early, but they shall not find me: 29For that they hated knowledge, and did not choose the fear of the LORD: 30They would none of my counsel: they despised all my reproof.- These are those who can’t handle wise counsel. The Word of God comes forth and tells them what they ought to do, but they totally rebel against it.

6.       Disobedience spirit– This is when you have a disobedient sprit towards God and established authority. 1 Samuel 15:22 says 22And Samuel said, Hath the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams., 1 John 3:22 says 22And whatsoever we ask, we receive of him, because we keep his commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in his sight.- When we do what is pleasing in his sight, you have to live this stuff out.

7.       Build your faith on experience and circumstance rather than the Word of God– You have more faith in your doubt and more faith in your fear. Romans 10:17 says 17So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. – Faith comes by hearing over and over again. You got to have the faith that says “I am standing on God’s word and what he has for my life.”

8.       Having a pattern of negative confessions that are not in agreement with the word of God– 2 Corinthians 4:13 says 13We having the same spirit of faith, according as it is written, I believed, and therefore have I spoken; we also believe, and therefore speak; – This is when you have negative confessions like, “My grandmother had this, so I guess it is my turn” or You get the flu and you start planning your funeral.

9.       Not happy or committed to healthy lifestyle – 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 says 19What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? 20For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s. – Some people come and believe God for something. You come to your Pastor and ask them to pray for you and you believe God is going to heal you. Then after they pray for you and your clogged arteries or high blood pressure, you go home that same night and you invite the family over to eat fried pork chops, mac and cheese, lemon cake, blueberry ice-cream, and sweet tea. The problem is this, as a spiritual leader, we try to help people understand practical things as well as spiritual things. Sometimes we can over spiritualize things. For example, we say “I am claiming my weight to be lost” and mean while you gain 30 more pounds. Well you don’t have to claim it, because it is claiming you.

Conclusion:

  • Bishop explains how he is fascinated by bible code books. As a result, when he reads scripture, he often finds himself trying to get the hidden messages between the verses. There are things that God is saying to us in scripture and if we really pay attention, there are subliminal codes in scripture. If you exhaustingly look at scripture, you would see these hidden things even if they are not saying it out loud. For example, the Old Covenant was a lamb. The lamb was slain and blood was on the door post. Jesus was our lamb under the New Covenant.
  • Now let’s illustrate Jerusalem and Calvary. Let’s give you a concept of the distance. Imagine that we are at Mt Zion on Old Hickory Blvd (represents Jerusalem). Imagine that we are going from Mt Zion (Old Hickory Blvd) to Briley Pkwy off of 24 walking. Imagine at the age of 33, we had been beaten 39 times at Mt Zion. Our backs looks like ground beef. Imagine that we have been beaten with whips laced with nails a metal and it has torn or back 39 times. We have a crown of thorns on our head and those thorns have punctured our temple and. It is not just in our skin, it has penetrated our skull. Now the cross has been given to us at Mt Zion at Old Hickory and we’ve got to go to Briley Pkwy and this cross is 2 or 3 times of or weight. We have to carry it uphill. We finally make it to Briley (Calvary) and they lay us down and they put nails in our hands and our feet and they raise us up. Now we are in a position where we die slowly. After all that journey and exhaustion, we are put on a cross in a way where we can’t even exhale. All we can really do is inhale. In the position we are in, our lungs won’t expand and in the midst of that we have the energy to say 7 words loud enough for all to hear it. What was the subliminal message at that Jesus teaches us at the cross at this age of 33? The subliminal message is that there was no way we could have finished this assignment, if we weren’t in shape. Some of us couldn’t even have taken the cross down the aisle of our church without wheezing. Nobody thinks about this. God said if any many desires to follow me, let him deny himself, take up his cross and follow me. Your cross is your assignment. Jesus’ assignment was to take up that cross and die on it. Your assignement might be the fulfillment of you purpose and you will never fulfill the totally of that purpose if you don’t have the health and energy to do it. Do you think Bishop Walker can preach 4 times on Sunday and 3 times on Wednesday in my assignment if he wasn’t healthy or in shape? We ask God to enlarge our territory and God says, “I don’t’ know if you got the energy to do what I am ready for you to do.” So don’t just glorify God in your spirit. Glorify him in your body. You can’ just do your assignment in your spirit. Whatever assignment you have to do, you have to do it in your body, just like Jesus had to come down in a body. We go to work in a body and we have to fulfill our assignment in our body. You can’t glorify God in your body if you have this stuff tainting your body, because it is holding up your assignment. All this stuff you doing is holding up your assignment. You got to learn that a healthy lifestyle is helping yourself get away. How many of you reading this would ever commit suicide? When you don’t eat right, you are committing suicide on the installment plan. Your commitment is not just believing God for a healing; It is what you are willing to do. Faith without exercise or works is dead.
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