NOT
“WHAT” YOU DO, BUT “WHO” DOES IT "THROUGH" YOU.
“…HOW MUCH MORE DO I NEED TO
SAY? It
would take too long to recount THE
STORIES OF FAITH of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel, and all
the prophets…” (Hebrews 11 NLT).
*
The first example of
the WORD ACTIVATING the Spirit of Faith is
creation. God demonstrates his absolute FAITH in the
POWER of his OWN WORD and work of his Holy Spirit from creation. “…Then God SAID, “Let there be light”; AND THERE WAS LIGHT…”
(Genesis 1:3 NASB).
“…Then God
SAID (God commanded with faith in his OWN word and OWN work of his Holy
Spirit), “Let there be light” (Jesus, the Word
SPOKE his command); AND THERE WAS LIGHT (The
Holy Spirit DID what was spoken and commanded)…” (Genesis 1:3 NASB).
God expresses his faith
in his OWN WORD and WORK of his HOLY SPIRIT. “So shall MY WORD be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it SHALL NOT return
unto me void, but it SHALL ACCOMPLISH that which I please, and it SHALL PROSPER in the thing whereto I sent
it…” (Isaiah 55:11 KJV). God says, I “…am WATCHING over my word to PERFORM it…” (Jeremiah
1:12 NASB).
The FATHER’s WORD is POWER. Every
journey of Spiritual Faith starts out with the Father’s WORD and concludes with
the activation or WORK of his powerful HOLY SPIRIT.
Let’s
examine the story of the dry bones: “…The hand of the Lord was on me, and he brought me out by the Spirit of the Lord and set me in the middle of a valley; it was full of bones. He
led me back and forth among them, and I saw a great many bones on the floor of
the valley, bones that were very dry. He asked me, “Son of man, can these bones live?” I said, “Sovereign Lord, you alone know.” Then he said to me,
“Prophesy to these bones and say to them, ‘Dry bones, hear the word of the Lord!
This is what the
Sovereign Lord says to these bones: I will
make breath enter you, and you will come to life. I will attach tendons to
you and make flesh come upon you and cover you with skin; I will put breath in
you, and you will come to life. Then you will know
that I am the Lord.’”
So I prophesied as I was commanded. And as I was prophesying, there was a
noise, a rattling sound, and the bones came together, bone to bone. I
looked, and tendons and flesh appeared on them and skin covered them, but there
was no breath in them. Then he said to me, “Prophesy to the breath; prophesy, son of man, and
say to it, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Come, breath, from the
four winds and breathe into these slain, that they may live.’” So I
prophesied as he commanded me, and breath entered them; they came to life and
stood up on their feet—a vast army. Then he said to me: “Son of man, these
bones are the people of Israel. They say, ‘Our bones are dried up and our hope
is gone; we are cut off.’ Therefore prophesy and say to them: ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: My people, I am going to open your graves and bring you up
from them; I will bring you back to the land of Israel. Then you, my people, will know that I am the Lord, when I open your graves and bring you up from them. I will put my Spirit in you and you will live, and
I will settle you in your own land. Then you will know that I the Lord have spoken, and I have done it, declares the Lord...’” (Ezekiel 37 NIV).
God gave a COMMAND to
Ezekiel. “…PROPHESY (SPEAK) to these bones and SAY to
them, ‘Dry bones, HEAR “THE WORD” of the Lord! This
is what the Sovereign Lord SAYS to these bones: I WILL make breath enter you, and YOU WILL
come to life. I WILL attach
tendons to you and make flesh come upon you and cover you with skin; I WILL put
breath in you, and YOU WILL come to life…” (Ezekiel
37 NIV).
God COMMANDS with
complete confidence and faith in his OWN WORD and the POWER of his OWN HOLY
SPIRIT. God has NO DOUBT that what his WORD says will happen; WILL HAPPEN. “…So shall MY WORD be that goeth forth out of my mouth: … it SHALL ACCOMPLISH [through the powerful
WORK of the Holy Spirit] that which I please…” (Isaiah 55:11
KJV).
God also KNOWS his own HOLY
SPIRIT is the invisible PROOF that it “WILL” happen. “…Faith
is the substance (confidence, assurance, certainty, guarantee) of things hoped
for, the evidence (PROOF) of things not seen…”
(Hebrew 11:1 KJV).
God’s WORD is ALWAYS backed-up by the activation
or WORK of his POWERFUL Holy Spirit. “…So I (Ezekiel)
prophesied as I was commanded. And as I was prophesying, there was a noise, a
rattling sound, and the bones came together, bone to bone. I looked, and tendons and flesh appeared on them
and skin covered them, but there was no breath in them. Then ….breath entered them; they came to life
and stood up on their feet—a vast army…” (Ezekiel
37 NIV).
God was absolutely
confident that the dry bones would live by his WORD through the manifested WORK
of his Holy Spirit which PROVED it. Biblical examples of the WORK of God’s HOLY SPIRIT PROVES
that THE FATHER’S WORD IS POWER. “…MY WORD … SHALL NOT
return unto me void, but it SHALL ACCOMPLISH that which I please,
and it SHALL PROSPER in the thing
whereto I sent it…” (Isaiah 55:11 KJV).
The activation or WORK
of the indwelling Spirit of Faith
begins with HEARING the WORD of God. “…I will put my
Spirit in you and you will live, and I will
settle you in your own land. Then YOU WILL “KNOW” that
I the Lord have SPOKEN, AND I HAVE “DONE IT” declares the Lord...’”
(Ezekiel 37 NIV).
You can witness THE
FATHER’S WORD AS POWER through the activated WORK of the Holy Spirit which empowers the example of faith in Hebrews 11 through
Noah. “…It was BY FAITH that Noah ….” (Hebrews
11 NLT).
God commanded Noah to
build an ark, and promised to save his whole family. “…It was BY FAITH that Noah BUILT A LARGE BOAT
to save his
family from the flood. He obeyed God, who warned him about things
that had never happened before….” (Hebrews 11 NLT). “…Faith
is the substance (certainty) of things hoped
for…” (Hebrew 11:1 KJV). The RESULT
of what was HOPED FOR: “…Only Noah was left,
and those with him in the ark. The waters flooded the earth for a hundred and
fifty days…” (Genesis 7:17-24 NIV).
You can witness THE
FATHER’S WORD AS POWER through the activated WORK of the Holy Spirit in the empowered example of faith in Hebrews 11 with
Abraham. Abraham offered up Isaac as a sacrifice after being promised all his
descendants would come through him. “…It was BY FAITH that ABRAHAM OFFERED UP ISAAC as a sacrifice when God
was testing him. Abraham, who had received God’s promises, was ready to
sacrifice his only son, Isaac,
even though God had told him, “Isaac is the son through whom
your descendants will be counted.” Abraham reasoned that if
Isaac died, God was able to bring him back to life again. And in a sense,
Abraham did receive his son back from the dead…”
(Hebrews 11 NLT)
You can witness THE
FATHER’S WORD AS POWER through the activated WORK of the Holy Spirit in the empowered example of faith in Hebrews 11 with
Sarah. Sarah and her husband were promised a child in their nineties; way past
childbearing years. It was BY FAITH that
even SARAH WAS
ABLE TO HAVE A CHILD, though she was barren and was too old. She
believed that God would keep his promise.
And so a whole nation came from this one man
who was as good as dead—a nation with so many people that, like the stars in
the sky and the sand on the seashore, there is no way to count them…”
(Hebrews 11 NLT).
You can witness THE
FATHER’S WORD AS POWER through the activated WORK of the Holy Spirit in the empowered example of faith in Hebrews 11 with
the children of Israel. The children of Israel crossed the red sea and
miraculously escaped from their enemies. “…It was BY FAITH that the people of Israel WENT RIGHT THROUGH
THE RED SEA as though they were on dry ground. But when the
Egyptians tried to follow, they were all drowned…” (Hebrews 11 NLT).
You can witness THE
FATHER’S WORD AS POWER through the activated WORK of the Holy Spirit in the MANY examples of faith in Hebrews 11 in the Old
Testament. “…BY FAITH … people OVERTHREW kingdoms, RULED
with justice, and RECEIVED what God had promised them. They SHUT THE MOUTHS of
lions, QUENCHED THE
FLAMES of fire, and ESCAPED DEATH by the edge of the sword. Their WEAKNESS was
TURNED TO STRENGTH. They BECAME STRONG in battle and PUT whole ARMIES TO FLIGHT.
WOMEN RECEIVED their LOVED ONES BACK again FROM DEATH….”
(Hebrews 11:1-35 NLT).
“…Faith … worketh by
love…” (Galatians 5:6 KJV). “…God is LOVE…” (1
John 4:4-8 KJV). “…God … [ is FULFILLING]… THE WORK OF FAITH WITH POWER…”
(2 Thessalonians 1:11 KJV). “…This
is the WORK of God: that ye believe on him ...” (John
6:29 KJV). “…the Father that dwelleth in [you]… he
doeth the works…” (John 14:10 KJV).
Why are these stories of faith written and
recorded in the bible. “…Whatsoever
things were written aforetime were
written for our LEARNING, that we through patience and comfort of the
scriptures might have hope…” (Romans 15:4 KJV). “…Now all these things happened unto them for
ensamples: and they are written for our
admonition…” (1 Corinthians 10:11 KJV).
If you are a Believer you are an example
of the WORK of the Holy Spirit, which
has the power to SAVE. Are you saved? “…BY
GRACE have ye been saved through
[the Spirit of] FAITH;
and that NOT OF YOURSELVES, IT IS THE GIFT OF GOD; not of works, that no man should glory…” (Ephesians 2:8-9 ASV). It “…is
THE POWER of God (the WORK of the Holy Spirit) unto SALVATION
…” (Romans 1:16 KJV).
How were you saved? “….The gospel of Christ (the WORD) …. is THE [invisible]… POWER of God (the invisible
WORK of the HOLY SPIRIT) unto SALVATION TO EVERY ONE THAT BELIEVETH (accepts,
chooses, receives, etc.)…” (Romans 1:16 KJV). “…
[The] Good News about Christ. It is the POWER OF
GOD (the WORK of the Holy Spirit) at work, saving everyone who believes…”
(Romans 1:16 NLT). “… THE WORK OF FAITH
WITH POWER…” (2 Thessalonians 1:11 KJV). “…This is the WORK of God: that ye believe on him ...” (John
6:29 KJV). “…Faith … worketh by love…”
(Galatians 5:6 KJV). “…the Father … he
doeth the works…” (John 14:10 KJV).
You have witnessed THE
FATHER’S WORD AS POWER through the Holy
Spirit’s WORK of salvation. At God’s command, Jesus SPEAKS the WORD, and
the HOLY SPIRIT “DOES’ the WORK of SALVATION.
How were the dry bones
saved from death? “…The
Sovereign Lord [SAID
through Ezekiel]… to [those dead]… bones: I WILL make breath enter you, and YOU
WILL come to life. I
WILL attach tendons to you and make flesh come upon you and cover you with
skin; I WILL put breath in you, and YOU WILL come to life…” (Ezekiel 37 NIV).
“…Then [at God’s WORD] ….breath (SPIRIT) entered them; they came to life…” (Ezekiel
37 NIV).
Would you say the dry
bones were dead people? “…The hand of the
Lord was on me, and he brought me out by the
Spirit of the Lord and set me in the middle of a valley; it was full of
bones. He led me back and forth among them, and I
saw a great many bones on the floor of the valley, bones that were very dry…” (Ezekiel
37 NIV).
Were you dead before Jesus Christ saved
you? Yes, you were spiritual dead. “…YOU… were DEAD
in your transgressions and sins…” (Ephesians 2:1 NIV). “…YOU
were DEAD in your sins…” (Colossians 2:13 NIV). Like the prodigal son, “… [YOU were]…. DEAD … [and]…LOST…” (Luke
15:24 NIV). You were“…SEPARATED
from the LIFE of God…” (Ephesians 4:18 NIV).
How did the dry bones come ALIVE with LIFE
again? “… [God’s]…breath
(SPIRIT) entered them; they came to LIFE…” (Ezekiel 37 NIV).
How did the first man Adam
come ALIVE? “….God formed man of the dust of the ground (BODY), and breathed into his nostrils the breath of LIFE (SPIRIT);
and man became a living soul (SOUL)…”
(Genesis 2:7 KJV).
How did you come ALIVE again? “…God MADE
you ALIVE
with Christ. He forgave [you]… all [your]… sins…” (Colossians
2:13 NIV). God “….MADE [you]… ALIVE
with Christ … …” (Ephesians 2:5 NIV). Like the prodigal son, “… [YOU were MADE]…. ALIVE AGAIN…” (Luke 15:24
NIV). “…God has sent
forth the Spirit of His Son (the WORD) “INTO” OUR HEARTS…”
(Galatians 4:6 NASB). “…The
Holy Spirit gives “BIRTH” to SPIRITUAL LIFE…” (John 3:6 NLT).
“…the Father that dwelleth in
[you]… he doeth the works…” (John 14:10 KJV).
How did the dry bones respond to the Father’s WORD?
“…They came to LIFE…” (Ezekiel
37 NIV). How did Adam respond to God’s WORD? “…Man became a LIVING soul (SOUL)…” (Genesis 2:7 KJV).
How did you respond to God’s WORD? God “….MADE [you]… ALIVE
with Christ … ” (Ephesians
2:5 NIV). “…God has sent
forth the Spirit of His Son (the WORD) “INTO” OUR HEARTS…”
(Galatians 4:6 NASB).
What actually MADE the dry bones, Adam, and
You ALIVE? “…THE WORDS THAT I
SPEAK unto you, they ARE SPIRIT, and they ARE LIFE…” (John 6:63 KJV). “…GOD IS SPIRIT…” (John 4:24 KJV). “…It is the
SPIRIT who gives LIFE…” (John 6:63 NASB). “…Jesus said… I am the LIFE…..” (John 11:25
KJV). “…God has sent forth the
Spirit
of His Son (the
WORD) “INTO” OUR HEARTS…”
(Galatians 4:6 NASB). “…The
Holy Spirit gives birth to SPIRITUAL LIFE…” (John 3:6 NLT). “…The Father
that dwelleth in [you]… he doeth the works…”
(John 14:10 KJV).
Ezekiel was uncertain
rather the dry bones could live but, he wasn’t uncertain of God’s WORD or the
ability of his HOLY SPIRIT. “…I am the Lord, the God of all flesh: is there any thing
too hard for me?”
(Jeremiah 32:27 KJV). “…[Ezekiel]…
said, “Sovereign Lord, you
alone know…” (Ezekiel 37 NIV).
God’s WORD activated
the WORK of the Holy Spirit in spite
of Ezekiel uncertainty? God’s WORD in Ezekiel’s mouth was the same as God’s WORD
in his own mouth. “…So [Ezekiel]… prophesied as [he]… was
commanded. And as [he]… was prophesying, there was a noise, a rattling sound,
and the bones came together, bone to bone. [he]… looked, and tendons and flesh appeared on
them and skin covered them, but there was no breath in them. Then ….breath entered them; they came to life
and stood up on their feet—a vast army…” (Ezekiel
37 NIV).
THE
FATHER’S WORD IS POWER. God’s
WORD WORKS. Ezekiel didn’t know,
personally, if the dry bones could live. However, He KNEW God’s WORD WORKED: “…I
will put my Spirit in [them]… and [they]…will live…Then
you will know that “I” the Lord have SPOKEN, and “I” have DONE it, declares the Lord...’”
(Ezekiel 37 NIV).
God gave a commanding
WORD to Ezekiel and he SPOKE it. “…PROPHESY (speak)
to these bones and SAY to them, ‘Dry bones, HEAR “THE WORD” of the Lord! This
is what the Sovereign Lord SAYS to these bones: I WILL make breath enter you, and YOU WILL
come to life. I WILL attach
tendons to you and make flesh come upon you and cover you with skin; I WILL put
breath in you, and YOU WILL come to life…” (Ezekiel
37 NIV).
“... [God]… asked [Ezekiel]… “Son of man, can these bones live?” [He]… said, “Sovereign Lord, you
alone know…” (Ezekiel 37:3 NIV). The
dead, dry bones “… came to LIFE…” (Ezekiel 37
NIV).
The question screams out to EVERY believer “…can these bones live?”…”
(Ezekiel 37:3 NIV). Many face
DEAD situations and circumstances in life and like Ezekiel we may answer “…Sovereign
Lord,
you alone know…” (Ezekiel 37:3 NIV).
Ezekiel didn’t really answer
the question. His lack of a direct answer looked like doubt, but it wasn’t. Usually
uncertainty and unbelief are similar, yet different. In Ezekiel’s case the uncertainty
or doubt was IN himself NOT God. “…But if
you have doubts about whether or not you should eat something [or answer
something, or do something,]… you are sinning if you go ahead and do it…”
(Romans 14:23 NLT).
When you are uncertain
about a matter; it is better not to answer or act on that uncertainty “… For
you are not following your convictions. If you do anything you believe is not right,
you are sinning…” (Romans 14:23 NLT).
Doing something with
uncertainty or doubt brings about condemnation because it didn’t come from
FAITH. “…And he that doubteth is damned
if he eat, because he eateth not of faith: for whatsoever is not of faith is sin.…”
(Romans 14:23 KJV).
Uncertainty or doubt
can be about YOU and not necessarily about God. Doubt or uncertainty can also
STEM from a man or woman’s turning their backs on relying upon God and returning
to relying upon their OWN oscillating human ability, human will, human
emotions, or human intellect. “….Don't put your confidence in … people (or self); there is no help for you there….”
(Psalms 146: 3 NLT).
However, in the cases
of doubt and uncertainty God is STILL merciful. “…And you must show MERCY to those whose faith is
wavering….” (Jude 22 NLT). “…Mercy
triumphs over judgement.”
(James 2:13 NASB).
God is “... RICH IN MERCY…” (Ephesians 2:1-5 KJV). “…because
HE DELIGHTETH IN
MERCY…”
(Micah 7:18 KJV). “...O
give thanks unto the LORD; for he is
GOOD; for his mercy endureth
for ever” (1
Chronicles…” 16:34 KJV).
“…he is good; for his mercy endureth for ever…” (2 Chronicles
5:13-14 KJV). “…The Lord is…plenteous in mercy…”
(Psalms 103:8 KJV). “…Great is his mercy toward them that fear him…”
(Psalms 103:11 KJV). “…The mercy of the Lord
is from everlasting to everlasting …” (Psalms 103:17 KJV). “…It is of the Lord's
MERCIES that we are not
CONSUMED, because his compassions FAIL NOT. They are NEW EVERY MORNING…”
(Lamentations 3:22-23 KJV). Therefore, “…you
must show MERCY
to those whose faith is wavering….” (Jude 22 NLT). “…Mercy triumphs over judgement.” (James 2:13 NASB).
God showed mercy to the
centurion while he struggle with faith. Struggling with faith is NOT always a
sign of doubt or uncertainty about God, but about YOU. The centurion expressed
he needed Jesus’ help with unbelief. The
Centurion said to Jesus (the WORD): “…I DO believe; HELP me overcome my unbelief!”
(Mark 9:24 NIV). “…Have MERCY upon me,
O God, according to thy lovingkindness: according unto the multitude of thy TENDER MERCIES…”
(Psalms 51:1-4 KJV).
God’s merciful kindness assures you, “…I will supply all your NEED…”
(John 12:32 KJV). Jesus’ disciples took pleasure in their inabilities. “I take pleasure in infirmities, in
reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ’s sake:
for when I am
weak, then am I strong” (2 Corinthians 12:10 KJV). In Hebrews 11 it says that BY FAITH “… [people]… OUT OF WEAKNESS WERE MADE STRONG….” (Hebrews
11:33-34 KJV).
God says. “…My grace is sufficient for
you, for MY
POWER IS MADE PERFECT IN WEAKNESS…”
(2 Corinthians 12:9 NIV). “…NOT
that we are sufficient OF
OURSELVES to think any thing as
of ourselves; but our sufficiency is of God…” (2 Corinthians 3:5
KJV). That’s why Ezekiel said, “…Sovereign Lord, you alone know…” (Ezekiel 37:3 NIV).
After the Centurion asked
Jesus to help him with his doubt and uncertainty; he was empowered to receive what he asked God for. “…Jesus said unto the centurion, Go thy way; and
as thou hast believed, so be it done unto thee. And his
servant was healed in the selfsame hour…” (Matthew 8:13 KJV). “…[You]… can do all
things THROUGH Christ (the WORD) which strengtheneth [you]…”
(Philippians 4:13 KJV).
God’s HOLY, loving
nature is gloriously merciful toward Ezekiel. God does not condemn Ezekiel, or
reprimand him, or judge him, or lose patience with him, or get angry in regard
to his uncertainty or doubt. Ezekiel’s answer stemmed from being aware of his OWN
limitations, but NOT God’s. “…Sovereign Lord, YOU ALONE KNOW…” (Ezekiel
37:3 NIV).
God in his merciful
love told Ezekiel to do something. “…PROPHESY (speak)
to these bones and SAY to them, ‘Dry bones, HEAR “THE WORD” of the Lord! …” (Ezekiel
37 NIV).
Why did God do that? “…FAITH
COMETH BY HEARING, and HEARING BY THE WORD OF GOD…” (Romans
10:17 KJV). “…Now FAITH IS the substance (certainty) of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen…”
(Hebrews 11:1 KJV).
I used the Ezekiel
example to demonstrate HOW God addresses areas of doubt or uncertainty. “…THE WORDS THAT I SPEAK unto you, they ARE SPIRIT,
and they ARE LIFE…” (John 6:63 KJV).
Not only did the dry bones HEAR the words
of the Lord, but so DID Ezekiel.
“…FAITH COMETH BY HEARING, and HEARING BY THE WORD OF GOD…”
(Romans 10:17 KJV).
The
centurion also came to Jesus, the WORD. “…Jesus was entered into Capernaum, there came unto him
a centurion, beseeching him,
And saying, Lord, my servant lieth at home sick of the palsy,
grievously tormented. And Jesus saith unto him, I will
come and heal him. The centurion
answered and said, Lord, I am not worthy that thou shouldest come under my
roof: but SPEAK
THE WORD ONLY, and my servant shall be healed. For I am a man under AUTHORITY, having
soldiers under me: and I say to this man, Go, and he goeth; and to another,
Come, and he cometh; and to my servant, Do this, and he doeth it. When
Jesus heard it, he marvelled, and said to them that followed, Verily I say unto
you, I have not found so GREAT FAITH, no, not in Israel…”
(Matthew 8:5-9 KJV).
Though the centurion
questioned his OWN faith Jesus didn’t. “…When Jesus heard it, he marvelled, and said to them that followed,
Verily I say unto you, I have not found so GREAT FAITH”
(Matthew 8:5-9 KJV). However, the centurion said, “…I believe; HELP thou mine unbelief!”
(Mark 9:24 KJV). Later, “…Jesus said unto
the centurion …as
thou hast believed, so be it done unto thee…” (Matthew 8:13
KJV).
In both examples of
faith, Ezekiel and the centurion showed signs of doubt and uncertainty within themselves.
Yet Ezekiel acknowledged God’s sovereignty and the centurion acknowledged his
authority.
The situations seemed humanly
impossible, yet Ezekiel and the centurion both KNEW “…the things which are impossible with men are POSSIBLE with God…”
(Luke 18:27 KJV).
“…He replied, “What is impossible for people is POSSIBLE with
God...” (Luke 18:27 NLT). They DEPENDED UPON God and his WORD.
The centurion said, “…SPEAK THE WORD ONLY…” (Matthew
8 KJV). Ezekiel
said, “…YOU ALONE KNOW…”
(Ezekiel 37:3 NIV).
The centurion and
Ezekiel recognized, acknowledged, and humbled themselves under the ALMIGHTY
sovereignty and authority of God. “..Humble yourselves
in the sight of the Lord...” (James 4:10 KJV). “Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God…”(1 Peter 5:6
KJV).
The Christian journey takes you through
difficult places or into situations with impossible human solutions, or in the
middle of a valley of very dry, DEAD bones. God may ask you “…Can these bones live?”…” (Ezekiel 37:3 NIV).
In John chapter 11 Jesus shows up AFTER
Lazarus is DEAD. After something or someone DIES there is sadness, pain,
disappointment, hopelessness, and a looming sense of pending resignation.
When situations and circumstances appear
dead, this is usually the time and place where many people “give up.” They may
have even accused God of not working things out for GOOD the way HE claimed it
would (Romans 8:28).
Martha, Lazarus’s sister, said, “… as soon as she heard that
Jesus was coming … Lord, if thou hadst been here, my brother had not died… ” (John 11:20-22 KJV).
Martha had concluded
Lazarus was long dead and it was TOO LATE for Jesus, the WORD, to do anything
about it. She told him Jesus: “… Lord, by this time,
he stinketh: for he hath been dead for four days …” (John 11:39
KJV). “…the things which are impossible with men are possible with God…” (Luke
18:27 KJV).
Jesus responded: “…..Said I not unto thee, that, if thou wouldest
believe, thou shouldest
see the glory of God?” (John 11:40
KJV). “…Jesus said…I am the
resurrection and I am the life…..” (John 11:25 KJV).
“…THE WORDS THAT I SPEAK
unto you, they ARE SPIRIT, and they ARE LIFE…” (John 6:63 KJV). LIFE. LIFE. LIFE.
God has“…dealt to every man the measure
of faith...” (Romans 12:3 KJV). “…For
verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye
shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall
remove; and nothing
shall be impossible unto you…” (Matthew 17:20 KJV). “…Believest thou this?” (John 8:51 KJV).
What did the POWERFUL
WORD of God SAY to Mary and Martha? Jesus asked Mary and Martha, “…Jesus said…I am the resurrection
and I am the life…..”
(John 11:25 KJV). “…where have ye laid him?..’
(John 11:34 KJV).
What did the POWERFUL
WORD activate the HOLY SPIRIT to do
for the Mary and Martha? “And he that WAS DEAD came forth, bound hand
and foot with graveclothes: and his face was bound about with a napkin. Jesus
saith unto them, Loose him, and let him go...” (John
11:43-44 KJV).
What did the POWERFUL
WORD activate the HOLY SPIRIT to do
for the centurion? “… And
Jesus said to the centurion, “Go; it shall be done for you as you have believed.” And the servant WAS HEALED that very
moment…” (Matthew 8:13 NLT).
What did the POWERFUL
WORD activate the HOLY SPIRIT to do
for Ezekiel? “…So [Ezekiel]… prophesied as [he]… was
commanded. And as [he]… was prophesying, there was a noise, a rattling sound,
and THE BONES CAME TOGETHER, bone to bone. [he]… looked, and tendons and flesh appeared on
them and skin covered them, but there was no breath in them. Then ….BREATH ENTERED THEM; they came to LIFE
and STOOD UP on their feet—a vast army…” (Ezekiel
37 NIV).
What did the POWERFUL
WORD activate the HOLY SPIRIT to do
for YOU? “…God MADE you ALIVE with Christ. He forgave [you]…
all [your]… sins…” (Colossians 2:13 NIV). “…God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son (the WORD) “INTO”
OUR HEARTS…” (Galatians 4:6 NASB).
In these examples of the
WORK of the Holy Spirit, the bottom
line is: THE FATHER’S WORD ACTIVATES the HOLY SPIRIT'S POWER, which is NOW IN YOU!!
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