Reigning In Life As A King (8 page)

Suppose you are afflicted with a weakness in your heart, and you begin to confess you are healed. You do not talk about the doctor's report, or about how long you may have to live. You do not confess all the things you cannot do because of that weak heart.

Instead your statements are, "God's Word says that by His stripes I am healed. My confession lines up with His Word. By the stripes of Jesus, my heart is healed. I rebuke fear in the Name of Jesus! I will not believe a lie of the devil!"

As you continue to confess God's Word in your conversation and in your mind, the day will come when the attack of Satan will have no effect on you because the issue was settled by the Word of God in your spirit.

Your spirit may not become strong overnight. The devil will contest every step you take.

The Word of God must grow in our hearts until it prevails, rules, and reigns over every doubt, every symptom, and every trouble that is aligned against us.

We are spoiled in America. We want instant potatoes, instant coffee, instant everything. We also want instant healing. It is wonderful to receive an instant solution for the problem we face. However, if it does not come instantly, we must stay with God's Word until that Word prevails in our lives.

We cannot drive the enemy away by sitting and gazing at the television. I own several television sets, but I do not change the situations in my life by sitting in front of them. The changes in my life cannot be produced there.

If there was ever a day in human history when we need to be hiding the Word of God in our hearts, this is the day! The conditions of Sodom and Gomorrah are developing around us. We should be sanctified people, set apart for God by His Word. We need to hear from God.

We must learn to look at God's Word and meditate on the scriptures until they become a part of us. We need to sit down with our Bibles, quietly meditate on God's Word, and allow God to speak to us. That is a visit with the Master. He will speak to our hearts and communicate with us through His Word.

It took me a long time to learn this. I thought my relationship with God was based on how much scripture I read and how many facts I knew.

We should read the Bible until we know it inside and out, but we must also learn to meditate upon God's Word until it becomes a part of us. God will then speak to our spirits and communicate with us through His Word.

I have thought about a verse of scripture and spoken in tongues over it until that particular passage became clear to my understanding. I was aglow with communication from God. That section of the Bible has now become a part of my spirit and nothing can shake that truth from me. I know when the great Creator has spoken a word to my heart.

God is a Spirit. God spoke in the beginning and said, "Let there be . . .", and He created the whole universe with words. When a spirit speaks, there is creative power.

I am a spirit. You are a spirit. Many times we do not speak from our spirits, but from our minds. If we allow the Word of God to become strong in our spirits, the words we speak will come from our spirits. They will be creative words.

There will come a day when you will say out of your spirit, "I know I am healed!" You will not have to pray about it anymore.

I want you to say:

GOD IS A SPIRIT.

I AM A SPIRIT.

We must take time to learn to speak God's Word. We have that Word recorded in the Bible.

We do not place the Word of God into our spirits overnight. We must hold fast to our confession until the Word of God reigns in our spirits. Then we will reign in life as kings.

We have not only been made kings, but we have been made PRIESTS.

And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.

Revelation 1:6

Jesus is our great HIGH PRIEST.

Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession (confession).

For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.

Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace

to help in time of need.

Hebrews 4:14-16

Jesus is indeed our great High Priest. He is our High Priest NOW. He has passed through the heavens and is seated at the right hand of our Father, waiting for our confession. When we confess the Word of God, Jesus, as our High Priest, will take it before the Father.

Jesus represents us before God. He is touched with our feelings and weaknesses. He knows every problem that we face as human beings. He understands, and He desires that we come boldly to His throne of grace. He wants to help us when we have a need.

Jesus was tempted in all areas as we are today. We tend to think of this passage of scripture as it relates to our failures and our weaknesses, but it has another meaning. Jesus suffered being tempted, nevertheless, He chose to obey the Father and fulfill God's plan for His life.

Jesus is our High Priest not only in times of weakness, but in our times of total commitment to what God has shown us to do. Many times it is at this point in our lives when Jesus becomes the most precious to us. Jesus, as our High Priest, brings us to God and into fellowship with our Heavenly Father.

There may be times when we feel utter despair; Jesus has been there, too. He is there with us NOW. We must hold fast to our confessions!

Jesus is our faithful High Priest, and He will take our words before the Father.

In order to reign in life we, too, must learn to minister as a priest by continually confessing the Word of God. As we confess the Word of God, we show forth His praise.

But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light.

I Peter 2:9

I had a friend who was a great pianist. Years before, he had been offered a position with a Hollywood personality, but he chose to do the work of the Lord. He became afflicted with arthritis. His knees became as big as grapefruits. His arms and wrists were knotted up, and his body was bent over. He could no longer play the piano.

Many people prayed for him. He studied the Word of God, and acted as a priest by continually confessing God's Word.

After months of seeking God and holding fast to his confession, he was flying in an airplane to preach in another city. He was meditating on the Word of God and quietly praising God that His Word was true, and suddenly, the scripture verse, "By His stripes ye were healed," went from his mind into his spirit. He spoke out boldly, "I AM HEALED!"

He walked off the airplane and his body was still twisted.

The person that picked him up at the airport asked how he was and he declared that he was healed. That night, as he stood in the pulpit for the evening service, he said, "Thank God I am healed!"

The Word of God had gotten down into his spirit and he KNEW he was healed.

By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name.

Hebrews 13:15

He held fast to his confession until the Word of God traveled from his mind to his spirit. He no longer asked for healing, he thanked God that it was already done. After the experience on the plane, he began to improve. The Word of God grew so mightily that it prevailed over his physical condition. Today he is enjoying a normal physical body!

If we want to reign in life, we must learn to speak the Word of God. We must give Jesus, our High Priest, something with which to work. We cannot speak like a beggar and live like a king.

Make this confession:

I AM A KING!

We must confess the Word of God until it prevails over our normal thinking processes. It must be confessed until it prevails over our natural five senses. When Jesus confessed, "My Father is greater than all," He knew exactly what He was doing. He was holding fast to His confession.

How do you speak to God? What is your confession? I want you to say:

MY FATHER IS GREATER THAN ALL!

As young children, we talked as if our daddy could whip any other daddy alive. If our fathers had known how we boasted of their great strength, it would have worried them! That is the way we should speak of our Heavenly Father.

We should say, "My Father can whip your father!" We could even say, "My Father has already whipped you, devil, and I can whip you in the Name of Jesus!" We must not limit God. He is a big God. All things are possible with Him. (Mark 10:27)

Jesus continually confessed:

"My Father is greater than all."

"My Father and I are one."

"My Father loves me."

"The Father, in me, doeth the works."

"He that has seen me has seen the Father."

This Word in Jesus prevailed over the laws of nature. It was contrary to natural human thinking.

The Word of God prevailed over Abraham's natural senses when he looked at his body. God promised him that he and Sarah would have a son. Abraham considered not his own body, but believed God. (Romans 4:17-22)

Boldness is necessary in a healthy Christian life. We must come boldly to the throne of grace in order to obtain mercy and find the help we need!

The life story of Lillian B. Yeomans is beautiful. She was a physician who had become addicted to drugs. She was dying, but God healed her and completely delivered her from drug addiction. She was so touched by God that she left her medical practice and followed the Lord into a ministry of healing.

She developed a home where she could nurse dying, hopeless people. She taught them the Word of God. One day a lady, who was in the last stage of tuberculosis, arrived for help. Dr. Yeomans read to the woman from the twenty-eighth chapter of Deuteronomy about the curse of the law.

The Lord shall smite thee with a consumption, and with a fever, and with an inflammation, and with an extreme burning, and with the sword, and with blasting, and with mildew; and they shall pursue thee until thou perish.

Deuteronomy 28:22

The lady understood that consumption was a curse of the law. Then, Dr. Yeomans read another verse of scripture to her.

Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree.

Galatians 3:13

She learned that she was redeemed from the curse of the law through Jesus Christ. Dr. Yeomans gave her a prescription. The woman was to say over and over every day:

According to Deuteronomy 28:22, this consumption is a curse of the law.

According to Galatians 3:13, Christ has redeemed me from the curse of the law.

Therefore, I do not have consumption in my body.

The woman followed these instructions for days, confessing the Word of God.

Finally, the lady said, "This is not doing any good. I am making no progress. It is just a bunch of words, and I am like a parrot going on and on with no results."

The doctor insisted she continue.

Days later, the woman burst into the kitchen, saying, "Dr. Yeomans, did you know that according to Deuteronomy 28:22, consumption is a curse of the law? Did you know that I am redeemed from the curse of the law? Christ has redeemed me from the curse of the law!" She began to get better from that day until she was completely healed.

Let the Word of God prevail in you until you see that God has told you the truth. Act as a priest, knowing that Jesus is your High Priest. One day that Word will drop from your head into your spirit, creating the perfect answer for which you have been believing!

Do not spend your time saying what the devil has done or what he is doing. Instead say what you have in Christ. Confess what you can do through Christ. Talk about what God has done and is doing for you. Say it boldly!

There are four steps you can take that will help you to reign in life.

Step One:
Confess the Word of God and the promises of God until they become a reality in your spirit. Do not get discouraged.

Step Two:
Make your plans as though the promise in which you are believing for has already manifested itself.

Step Three:
Keep the visual image of its reality before you.

Step Four:
Continually rejoice from your heart as you would at the very moment the promise is actually manifested.

I have the following ten facts written in the back of my Bible in green ink. I boldly confess them.

I am a new creature in Christ Jesus.

I am the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus.

I am more than a conqueror.

I am strong in the Lord and in the power of His might.

I am healed by the stripes of Jesus.

I am delivered from the power of darkness.

I am translated into the kingdom of His dear Son.

I am redeemed from the curse of the law.

I am a prosperous person because Jesus became poor that I might be rich.

We are priests. Jesus is our faithful High Priest.

WE REIGN IN LIFE AS KINGS BY OUR
CONTINUAL CONFESSION OF GOD'S WORD.

Chapter Seven
Reigning In Life
Through Forgiveness

One day I was talking to the Lord about healing. I was thinking of the healings Jesus had performed while He was on earth. I said, "Lord, I know You must have been a great healing preacher. I wish I could have been there to hear some of Your healing sermons."

The Lord said to me, "You have them in the Bible. Read Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. That is what I taught. If the people believed and acted on it, then they were healed. If they listened to Me and refused to believe what I taught, then I could not heal them even though I was there in person."

I realized that in the Gospels, I had the healing sermons of Jesus. I am sure those are not all of His sermons, but they are the ones that God felt we needed.