Yes!

2 Corinthians 1:20-22 ²⁰ For all the promises of God in Him are Yes, and in Him Amen, to the glory of God through us. ²¹ Now He who establishes us with you in Christ and has anointed us is God, ²² who also has sealed us and given us the Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee.

I love this scripture even more in the Message version-

Whatever God has promised gets stamped with the Yes of Jesus. In him, this is what we preach and pray, the great Amen, God’s Yes and our Yes together, gloriously evident. God affirms us, making us a sure thing in Christ, putting his Yes within us. By his Spirit he has stamped us with his eternal pledge—a sure beginning of what he is destined to complete.

What a cool phrase- The YES of Jesus!

Every promise of God that you can find in the Word is stamped with the YES of Jesus.

That promise found in Deuteronomy 28:13?- ³ And the Lord will make you the head and not the tail; you shall be above only, and not be beneath, if you heed the commandments of the Lord your God, which I command you today, and are careful to observe them.- YES!

Jeremiah 30:17 which says For I will restore health to you
And heal you of your wounds,’ says the Lord– YES!

Philippians 4:19? And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.- YES!

How about Deuteronomy 31:6- ⁶ Be strong and of good courage, do not fear nor be afraid of them; for the Lord your God, He is the One who goes with you. He will not leave you nor forsake you.- YES!

What promise are you standing on? Whatever it is, don’t lose heart. It has been stamped wit the YES of Jesus!

He Will Guide You

Psalm 23:1 THE LORD is my Shepherd [to feed, guide, and shield me], I shall not lack.
Yesterday we talked about the Lord being our Shepherd, and how as the One responsible for our well-being, He feeds us. The next responsibility of the shepherd is to guide. Again we can look to the Word to see instances of God guiding those who will listen to Him. Abraham was guided by Go and so prospered. In Genesis 12:1-3 1NOW [in Haran] the Lord said to Abram, Go for yourself [for your own advantage] away from your country, from your relatives and your father’s house, to the land that I will show you. 2And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you [with abundant increase of favors] and make your name famous and distinguished, and you will be a blessing [dispensing good to others].  3And I will bless those who bless you [who confer prosperity or happiness upon you] and curse him who curses or uses insolent language toward you; in you will all the families and kindred of the earth be blessed [and by you they will bless themselves].
God spoke to him and said, “it’s time for you to move to another place.” Abraham obeyed and was blessed throughout his life. In Genesis 26:1-3 Abraham’s son Isaac was guided by God.  1AND THERE was a famine in the land… And Isaac went to Gerar…..    2And the Lord appeared to him and said, Do not go down to Egypt; live in the land of which I will tell you. 3Dwell temporarily in this land, and I will be with you and will favor you with blessings; for to you and to your descendants I will give all these lands, and I will perform the oath which I swore to Abraham your father.  Just like his father, Isaac obeyed the leading of God and was indeed blessed.
God is always there to guide us but if we don’t follow His direction, we may not receive the benefits of His leading.  What if Isaac had said, “I know you said not to go to Egypt, but I want to live there. It doesn’t make sense so I think I’ll do what I want to do.” He wouldn’t have received the prosperity and provision that he got by being obedient to God’s voice.  He would have struggled through the famine like everyone else. Instead he followed God’s guidance and it tells us in Genesis 26:12-14 12Then Isaac sowed seed in that land and received in the same year a hundred times as much as he had planted, and the Lord favored him with blessings.  13And the man became great and gained more and more until he became very wealthy and distinguished;   14He owned flocks, herds, and a great supply of servants, and the Philistines envied him. Even in the midst of a famine he prospered!
God’s guidance can be found in His word. Proverbs 6:20-23 20My son, keep your father’s [God-given] commandment and forsake not the law of [God] your mother [taught you]. 21Bind them continually upon your heart and tie them about your neck.  22When you go, they [the words of your parents’ God] shall lead you; when you sleep, they shall keep you; and when you waken, they shall talk with you. 23For the commandment is a lamp, and the whole teaching [of the law] is light, and reproofs of discipline are the way of life. As your Shepherd, the Lord will lead you, guide you, and set you on the right path for your life. Follow His leading and you will reap all of His benefits.

Take The Gloves Off

‘ve interrupted our study of the Lord’s prayer for this very important inspiration. Let’s just be honest, if you look at the things going on around us in the natural, you might be feeling a little discouraged. The economy is wacked, financial institutions are going bankrupt, unemployment is up, gas is $4 a gallon, the stock market doesn’t look too great etc, etc, etc….. Guess what? I’ve looked around me, and decided I don’t really care!  Let me explain myself. I do care that people I know and love are struggling to pay their bills.  I do care that I have dear friends who have lost everything they have. I do care that we have members in our church who are wondering what to do next. What I don’t care about is what it looks like. My Bible tells me in Philippians 4:19 19And my God will liberally supply (fill to the full) your every need according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus. My Bible tells me in Matthew 14 that Jesus took five loaves of bread and two fish and fed thousands of people, not only supplying their immediate need, but leaving them with an abundance of twelve basketfuls left over. My Bible tells me that the lilies of the field and the birds of the air take no thought of what they will wear and what they will eat, our Heavenly Father has taken care of them and doesn’t He love us more?  My Bible tells me in Genesis 22 that He is Jehovah Jireh- The Lord who provides. My Bible tells me a lot, but your Bible tells you the exact same things. The question is, will you choose to believe what the Word says, or will you continue to look at the circumstances of life to tell you what you believe?
In Ephesians 6:12-13 it says  12For we are not wrestling with flesh and blood [contending only with physical opponents], but against the despotisms, against the powers, against [the master spirits who are] the world rulers of this present darkness, against the spirit forces of wickedness in the heavenly (supernatural) sphere.  13Therefore put on God’s complete armor, that you may be able to resist and stand your ground on the evil day [of danger], and, having done all [the crisis demands], to stand [firmly in your place]. Once we understand that our fight is not in the natural it’s in the spirit we will be better equipped to stand our ground. Sometimes we have to fight with everything we have, but the great news is-He always causes us to triumph. I am going to include an excerpt from an email I received yesterday from one of our ministry directors- We can’t control the economy or the powers that be but we can control the prayers, worship and intercession that goes up. The devil can’t stop that although he is desperately trying. It feels like the devil has us in a chokehold anxiously awaiting us to “Tapout” but I am tired of living without. I have been blessed , I have overcome, I am an heir to the throne of God , I am a royal priesthood , I am a peculiar people , I am more than a conqueror, I could go on but you get the picture. I am fighter, I am a warrior for the kingdom of God and if we are in the ring with the devil I say lets ” take the gloves off ” he is not going to fight fair so why should we? Let’s encourage each other thru this time. Let’s fight with one hand and build with the other. Nehemiah did it so can we. Now is not a time to hide but to rise up and fight. I know it is not easy but we still have to believe in the promise of God. He is our source. God is faithful and he has proven faithful. The fight is on don’t “Tapout” God is about to give us a second wind. Take the gloves off and stand your ground.
I would like to invite you to join us next week, beginning Sunday, September 21 at the International Miracle Center Church in Daytona Beach, as we wage war on lack. We will be meeting nightly at 7:00pm. If you can’t be there in person you can still be a part via our webcast at imcchurch.org. Keep standing strong. You are more than a conqueror!