Kenneth E. Hagin
Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations in this volume are from the King James Version of the Bible.
Fourth Printing 1991
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Contents
1 *hat s =oe>...............................................................................9 % *hat -appens *hen ?ou ;eceive =oe>..................................1 ) @et =oe Aominate ?ou.............................................................%& ( ;uling and ;eigning in Union with od................................) ;eigning 2hrough ;ighteousness...........................................1
Do not become discouraged because the truth does not dawn on your spirits all at once. But keep meditating on the facts of the Word. The more you meditate on that which is written, nd the more you meditate on that which is said as one shall speak under the anointing and the inspiration of the !pirit, then little by little it will become real to you. nd as on the inside of you, in your spirit, in your inner man, it takes shape and form, it will reshape your own spirit, until you"ll no longer be a weakling, spiritually, but you shall become strong, and be able to stand, and do the works the #ord has called you unto, and rule and reign and dominate in life, as a king by Jesus $hrist. !o do not turn away e%en because you do not fully understand or see. But let your mind be open and your spirit be recepti%e and say thou, &' blessed (oly !pirit, un%eil the truth unto my spirit, that ) may stand in the fullness of the pro%ision of my *ather, *or (e is my *ather. ) lo%e (im and (e lo%es me.& nd so you will become that which (e has ordained that you should become, and rise up to the le%el of the full pri%ileges, and rights, and authority, and dominion of a son of +od. e-oice and be glad, and speak forth the Word of *aith.
!peak unto those circumstances that ha%e you bound. nd command them to lea%e, and so you shall be loosed. !peak unto the storm that appears on the horion of your life, and say, &/eace be still,& and there will be calm. #earn what is yours, and act upon it. nd it shall become yours in reality. Thank you, #ord Jesus0 CProphec given b enneth <. -agin /ctober 19, 19$", ;-<7 Bible 4hurch, 2ulsa, /3lahoma
1
Chapter 1 What Is Zoe?
*h did Desus come> 2o found a church> 2o improve on humanit or to give us a code of conduct> !o, -e came for one purpose+ &) am come that they might ha%e life, and that they might ha%e it more abundantly& 5Dohn 1"+1"6. 2he ree3 word translated ElifeE in this verse is oe. 1oe is the od#3ind of life.
2he Bible sas &*or +od so lo%ed the world, that he ga%e his only begotten !on, that whosoe%er belie%eth in him should not perish, but ha%e e%erlasting life& 5Dohn )+1'6. 7nd, &*or the wages of sin is death2 but the gift of +od is eternal life through $hrist Jesus our #ord& 5;om. '+%)6. 2his eternal life -e came to give us is the nature of od. Dohn +%' sas, &*or as the *ather hath life in himself2 so hath he gi%en to the !on to ha%e life in himself.& n Dohn 1+( we get the first intimation of what this life will do for us+ &)n him was life2 and the life was the light of men.& @ight stands for development. n other words, En him was life and the life was the development of men.E /r, En him was oe2 and the oe was the development of men.E Dohn +%' could be translated, EFor as the Father hath oe in himself so hath he given to the Son to have oe in himself.E 2here are four different ree3 words translated ElifeE in the !ew 2estament. First, there is oe. 2hen there is psuche. 2hat means natural or human life. Bios means manner of life. 7nd anastrophee means confused behavior. t seems strange that the church has maGored on Emanner of lifeE or EbehaviorE rather than eternal life, which determines in a ver large wa the manner of life. 9
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!o matter what manner of life or behavior ou have, if ou donHt have eternal life, it wonHt amount to anthing anwa. ecei%ing eternal life is the most miraculous incident in life.
/ften we call it conversion or the new birth. Some call it Egetting religion,E but thatHs not what it is, reall. t is, in realit, od imparting -is ver nature, substance, and being to our human spirits. t is described b the 7postle Paul in Second 4orinthians. 2 CORINTHIANS 5:17,18 17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new reat!re: o"# thin$s are %asse# away& beho"#, a"" thin$s are beome new' 18 An# a"" thin$s are of (o#, who hath reoni"e# !s to himse"f by )es!s Christ, an# hath $i*en to !s the ministry of reoni"iation'
2his is the miraculous recreating of man. &Therefore if any man be in $hrist....7 ?ou understand Paul is not tal3ing about the bod, or the outward man, or the mind. -eHs tal3ing about the spiritCthe inward manCwho is in 4hrist. od is actuall giving birth to a new man. n the new birth, our spirits are born of od. ore than one of the prophets of the /ld 2estament prophesied that od would establish a !ew 4ovenant with the house of srael. 2his covenant is the !ew 2estament, as we 3now it. 4oncerning this new covenant,
*hat he is prophesing about is the new birth. 2he words EheartE and EspiritE are used interchangeabl. ?our heart is our spirit. *hen od is spea3ing of the heart of a man in -is *ord, -e is spea3ing of the real ou. 7 Scripture that is illuminating on the subGect is First Peter )+(+ &But let it be the hidden man
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of the heart, in that which is not corruptible, e%en the ornament of a meek and 9uiet spirit, which is in the sight of +od of great price.&
Peter, here, is tal3ing to 4hristian wives, and he mentions the outward adorning of the flesh. -e sas, in effect, EAonHt ta3e all our time on our hair and clothes. But see to it that the inward man, or hidden man of the heart, is adorned first with a quiet and mee3 spirit.E Paul, in First 4orinthians 9+%&, sas+ &But ) keep under my body, and bring it into sub-ection5 lest that by any means, when ) ha%e preached to others, ) myself should be a castaway.& !otice something. EE 3eep under m bod and EE bring it into subGection. *hat is he saing> EE donHt let m bod rule me. EE is the man on the inside. f our bod were ou, he would have said, E 3eep myself under.E -e calls the bod Eit.E *ho is EE> EE is the real ou. 2hat is, the inward man or hidden man of the heart. *ith most people, their bod rules their inward man. 2hat is what ma3es carnal 4hristians. 1 CORINTHIANS /:/ / 3or ye are yet arna": for whereas there is amon$ yo! en*yin$, an# strife, an# #i*isions, are ye not arna", an# wa" as men4
-ere Paul is telling the 4orinthians the are carnal or bab 4hristians. /ne translation sas Ebod ruledE instead of Ecarnal.E -e tells them the are living li3e people who have never been born againCmere men. Paul sas something else interesting in writing to the ;omans. ROANS 12:1,2 1 I beseeh yo! therefore, brethren, by the meries of (o#, that ye %resent yo!r bo#ies a "i*in$ sarifie, ho"y, ae%tab"e !nto (o#, whih is yo!r reasonab"e ser*ie' 2 An# be not onforme# to this wor"#: b!t be ye transforme# by the renewin$ of yo!r min#, that ye may %ro*e what is that $oo#, an# ae%tab"e, an# %erfet, wi"" of (o#'
Paul wasnHt writing to the world. -e was writing to the saints at ;ome. &To all that be in ome, belo%ed of +od, called
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to be saints& 5;om. 1+&6. -e said you do something with our bod. f ou donHt do anthing with it, nothing will ever be done.
n our church teachings we have cluttered up some of this until our minds are fuII and it is difficult to get the real truth over to people. -e didnHt sa, Epresent ourselvesE to od, because if ou are a child of od ou alread belong to -im. ?ou canHt ver well present to someone what alread belongs to him. 2here is not a word in the !ew 2estament about dedicating ourselves or giving ourselves in this sense. But ou find that if ou are born again, ou are -is. ;ou are. ;ou is that inward man who has become a new man in 4hrist. Second 4orinthians 5+1& sas, &Therefore if any man ....E *hat man is Paul tal3ing about> Aoes he mean the outward man> !o, it couldnHt be the outward man, because he said, &... if any man be in $hrist, he is a new creature.& t is the life and nature of od coming into our spirit that ma3es ou a new creature. t ma3es the inward man a new man. 2he bod is not new. 2han3 od, at the coming of the @ord, we will have a new bod. 2his new man, the hidden man of the heart, is to dominate the bod. 2he bod is not to dominate ou. Paul not onl tal3s about doing something with the bod, but in ;omans 1%+% he tal3s about renewing the mind. -e is writing to people who are born again and Spirit filled, et the need to do something with their bodies and minds. /ne of the greatest needs of church members toda is to have renewed minds. ?our mind becomes renewed with the *ord of od. *e 3now this, then+ an is a spirit. *e 3now he is in the same class with od, because od is a Spirit and because man was made to have fellowship with od. *eHve never maGored on this fact as we ought. 2herefore, weHve never been able to wal3 in the light of eternal life as we ought. Is the Spirit Perfect?
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Some have wondered whether the reborn spirit, the new man in 4hrist, is perfect, or full developed after receiving eternal life. 2he spirit couldnHt be perfect, because Peter sas, &s newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the Word, that ye may grow thereby& 51 Peter %+%6. 7nd Paul sas, &) ha%e not yet reached perfection& 5Phil. )+1%, The =ew >nglish Bible5 =ew Testament translation?. 7ctuall, the ree3 word used there for perfection means Ereaching maturit.E Some people sa, EHm perfect and complete in 4hrist.E *ell, es, ouHre a complete person, but ouHre not full grown. 2here are alwas people who are promiscuous about permitting sin, and who want to e0cuse themselves b saing, Et was Gust m body that sinned it wasnHt m spirit.& But sin is a spiritual thing it isnHt a phsical thing. Paul said in writing to the 4hurch at 4orinth, &*lee fornication. >%ery sin that a man doeth is without the body2 but he that committeth fornication sinneth against his own body& 51 4or. '+1$6. So if itHs without the bod, it has to be a spiritual thing. -owever, even fornication originates in our spirit. ?our spirit has to give our bod permission to sin or our bod canHt do it. ?ouHre the custodian of our house. ;emember Paul said, &But ) keep under my body, and bring it into sub-ection& 51 4or. 9+%&6. ?ouHre responsible for what that bod does. t all starts in our spirit. 2hatHs what Paul meant when he said, .. let us cleanse oursel%es from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit& 5% 4or. &+16. AonHt let things start in our spirit. n ;omans '+' it sas, &Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not ser%e sin.& Some use that verse to sa we are alread redeemed, spirit, soul, and bod. *hat does that verse mean> 2he bod of sin Paul is tal3ing about is not the phsical bod heHs tal3ing about the spirit man. ?ou are a new creature. 2he old sin nature in our spirit is gone. 2he sin nature in our flesh is still there. 2he problem is that the flesh nature still wants to do
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things wrong. t wants to 3eep on doing the things it alwas did. )f your mind is not renewed with the Word of +od, it will side in with your flesh and dominate your spirit. But if ou get our mind renewed, our spirit, through our mind, will dominate our body. 2he old man is the old spiritual man. ?ouHve still got the same bod ou had and the same mind ou had. 2hat old spiritual man had the nature of the devil in him. 2hat is the nature thatHs gone, or the bod of sin thatHs gone. t is up to us to put on the new man on the outside. an as3 what the difference is between renewing our mind and training our spirit. 7ctuall, if ou follow those principles involved in training the human spirit 5 have a tape series on the subGect6, our mind will become renewed. *hat ou are doing in renewing our mind is training our mind to thin3 in line with odHs *ord.
2
Chapter 2 What Happens When You Receive Zoe?
1oe, then, means eternal life, or odHs life. 2his new 3ind of life is odHs nature. t produces certain changes in man. ?ou can see the effects of that life. 7lmost at once, ou can see it in a personHs habits. ?ou can see it in his speech. t changes conduct, corrects habits, and forms new ones.
remember the first church pastored. would wal3 out in the countr, because didnHt have a car, sta Saturda night with a famil, preach Sunda morning and Sunda night, and wal3 bac3 into town onda morning. wore out four pairs of shoes the first ear wal3ing to preach. /nce in a while would catch a ride, but would wal3 part of the wa ever time. staed in the home of one particular famil and thought this man was a 4hristian. never did as3 him, but Gust assumed he was a 4hristian. -e never missed church. -e brought his famil to ever service. -e was a good man. -e had famil praer at the table. -e even read the Bible and praed in the home, and he had no bad habits. -is two bos, both teenagers, said, E*eHve never heard our dadd and momma fuss.E thought he was saved. E7nd not onl that,E the said, EweHve never heard our dadd use foul language or curse.E -e wouldnHt even use slang. f he happened to be wor3ing and hit his finger, he wouldnHt even sa Eshoot.E So saw his life, his conduct and we Gudge b conduct a lot of times. thought he must be saved, but never too3 time to as3 him. /ne Sunda night we were having an open#air revival, 1
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and when the evangelist gave the altar call, this man came to the altar. couldnHt believe m ees. had thought he was the best man in the church. 2he ne0t da the communit was buIIing. People were saing, E2hat fellow went to the altar last night and heHs the best man around. -e lives a better life than anone else. *e thought he alread was saved.E But he said to me, E mother was old#time -oliness and she raised me that wa. alwas abided b her teaching, but never had been saved. never had been born again.E -e had adGusted his conduct, but there hadnHt been anthing on the inside of him. People in town wondered if the would see an change in him. 2he decided the didJ En the first place,E the said, Ehe loo3s different. 2here is a light on his face that never used to be there.E 5!otice the Bible sas this life is the light of men.6 Second, people heard a difference in his speech. -e was 3inder than ever.
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2his oung man said, E got our big blue boo3 on faith, and since Hve become a new creature, Hve been ma3ing m confession of faith. told all the guards and m fellow prisoners that was getting out 5it was time for m parole6. E2he said, H?ou donHt get out the first time ou come up for parole when ou 3illed a policeman.H 5Under the influence of dope he had shot and 3illed a policeman.6 E told them, H2he fellow who 3illed that man is gone. Hm a new man. havenHt 3illed anbod, donHt want to 3ill anbod, and am not going to 3ill anbod.H E -e got out on parole, blessed be odJ -e came here to school, graduated, and is out in the ministr toda. *e had him preach and ou could tell the anointing of od was on him. 2hatHs what the life of od will do for ou. -eHs no longer a criminal. remember a dear sister down in Beaumont, 2e0as. She was an ordained 7ssemblies of od minister and was alwas interested in those who were down and out. *hen she was Gust a oung woman in her )"Hs 5she is now with the @ord6, she would go down in a red light district and win those girls to Desus. SheHd get them saved. She would ta3e them home with her, dress them up, and get them Gobs. She told m wife and me about one of them, a lovel girl. 2his girl had spent two ears in a universit, but she got off on the wrong foot and ended up down there. 2his sister got her saved and filled with the Spirit got her a good Gob, and got her going to church. She was a beautiful girl. 7 businessman in the cit and in the church fell in love with her and wanted to marr her. But she was ashamed of her past, so she left Beaumont and went to another town in 2e0as. She said, EAonHt tell him where went. Hm ashamed to tell him m past.E -e came 3noc3ing on this sisterHs door, cring, and said, E*here did she go> Hm in love with her.E E4ome in,E she said. E want to tell ouCshe is ashamed of her past. dug her out of the red light district. She was a prostitute.E -e said, E2hat ma3es no difference. She is a beautiful child
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of od and a beautiful woman. love her. 2ell me where she is. Hll go get her. Hll sell m business here and weHll move somewhere else.E So he went and got her and married her. 2he sold his business and moved to another cit. 2his sister said, E
can remember when was born again as a Baptist bo on the bed of sic3ness, on 7pril %%, 19)), Saturda night at %" minutes until $ p.m. in the south bedroom of (" !orth 4ollege Street in the cit of cinne, 2e0as. Because had grown up sic3 and not able to ta3e care of mself, even the girls could whip me. f e0erted too much energ, m heart wouldnHt beat right and would pass out and fall on the ground. /ur home was bro3en because m dadd left. 7s a oungster, told everbod met, E*hen get grown Hm going to 3ill him.E 7nd, assuredl would have done Gust that. But something came into me that changed me. Something came into m spirit that made me a new man. t was the life and nature of od that changed me. 7fter spending 1' months on the bed of sic3ness, was healed 7ugust $, 19)( b the power of od b faith and praer. 2hen went bac3 to high school. had completed two ears before became bedfast. n September 19)(, went bac3 after missing a ear. But got hold of something. realiIe now that
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was unconsciousl led b the Spirit. 2here were two Scriptures that told the @ord about ever morning as wal3ed down the street to school, and sometimes would read them before went to school. First would read Dohn 1+(, &)n him was life2 and the life was the light of men.& 7nd Hd sa, EHve got the life of od in me. 2he nature of od is in me. 2he wisdom of od is in me.E didnHt 3now anthing about the confession of faith. never had heard anthing li3e that, but m spirit impelled me to sa it, so would sa it. Second 4orinthians +1& was also a favorite Scripture of mine+ &Therefore if any man be in $hrist, he is a new creature5 old things are passed away2 behold, all things are become new.& ) told everbod met was a new creature. Some of the bos would tal3 and laugh about certain things we used to do. 2he would sa, EAonHt ou remember that> ?ou were in on it.E would sa, E2he fellow who was with ou bos that night is dead. 2he real man is living on the inside of me now Hve been born again and Hm a new creatureJE
told everbod met, EHm a new creature.E would stop people on the street and tell them was a new creature. 2he would sa, E*hatHs that>E Hd start preaching and before ou 3new it Hd have a crowd right on the street. From the boo3 of Aaniel, either quoted or read this to the @ord and made m confession on it+ 6ANI+. 1:/2 / An# the in$ s%ae !nto Ash%ena9 the master of his e!n!hs, that he sho!"# brin$ ertain of the hi"#ren of Israe", an# of the in$s see#, an# of the %rines& ; Chi"#ren in whom was no b"emish, b!t we"" fa*o!re#, an# si"f!" in a"" wis#om, an# !nnin$ in now"e#$e, an# !n#erstan#in$ siene, an# s!h as ha# abi"ity in them to stan# in the in$s %a"ae, an# whom they mi$ht teah the "earnin$ an# the ton$!e of the Cha"#eans' 5 An# the in$ a%%ointe# them a #ai"y %ro*ision of the in$s meat, an# of the wine whih he #ran: so no!rishin$ them three years, that at the en# thereof they mi$ht stan# before the in$' 0 Now amon$ these were of the hi"#ren of )!#ah, 6anie", Hananiah, ishae", an# A9ariah: 7
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1oe5 The +od6Kind of #ife $a*e !nto 6anie" the name of =e"tesha99ar& an# to Hananiah, of Sha#rah& an# to ishae", of eshah& an# to A9ariah, of Abe#ne$o' 8 =!t 6anie" %!r%ose# in his heart that he wo!"# not #efi"e himse"f with the %ortion of the in$s meat, nor with the wine whih he #ran: therefore he re>!este# of the %rine of the e!n!hs that he mi$ht not #efi"e himse"f' ? Now (o# ha# bro!$ht 6anie" into fa*o!r an# ten#er "o*e with the %rine of the e!n!hs' 1 An# the %rine of the e!n!hs sai# !nto 6anie", I fear my "or# the in$, who hath a%%ointe# yo!r meat an# yo!r #rin: for why sho!"# he see yo!r faes worse "iin$ than the hi"#ren whih are of yo!r sort4 then sha"" ye mae me en#an$er my hea# to the in$' 11 Then sai# 6anie" to e"9ar, whom the %rine of the e!n!hs ha# set o*er 6anie", Hananiah, ishae", an# A9ariah, 12 @ro*e thy ser*ants, I beseeh thee, ten #ays& an# "et them $i*e !s %!"se to eat, an# water to #rin' 1/ Then "et o!r o!ntenanes be "ooe# !%on before thee, an# the o!ntenane of the hi"#ren that eat of the %ortion of the in$s meat: an# as tho! seest, #ea" with thy ser*ants' 1; So he onsente# to them in this matter, an# %ro*e# them ten #ays' 15 An# at the en# of ten #ays their o!ntenanes a%%eare# fairer an# fatter in f"esh than a"" the hi"#ren whih #i# eat the %ortion of the in$s meat' 10 Th!s e"9ar too away the %ortion of their meat, an# the wine that they sho!"# #rin& an# $a*e them %!"se' 17 As for these fo!r hi"#ren, (o# $a*e them now"e#$e an# si"" in a"" "earnin$ an# wis#om: an# 6anie" ha# !n#erstan#in$ in a"" *isions an# #reams' 18 Now at the en# of the #ays that the in$ ha# sai# he sho!"# brin$ them in, then the %rine of the e!n!hs bro!$ht them in before Neb!ha#ne99ar' 1? An# the in$ omm!ne# with them& an# amon$ them a"" was fo!n# none "ie 6anie", Hananiah, ishae", an# A9ariah: therefore stoo# they before the in$' 2 An# in a"" matters of wis#om an# !n#erstan#in$, that the in$ in>!ire# of them, he fo!n# them ten times better than a"" the ma$iians an# astro"o$ers that were in a"" his rea"m'
*ho did that> od did. od gave them wisdom. reminded od of what -e did bac3 there b giving that to them. 2hat od is in me.
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life of od, and the wisdom of od in me.E f somebod as3ed me would tell them. 2he thought was a nut, but would tell them this as we wal3ed down the street to school. Sometimes a bunch of us too3 up a whole street there was not a lot of traffic. would tell them about it. would sa, EAaniel had favor with the prince of the eunuchs 5we would call him the dean of the college6. od, give me favor with ever teacher than3 ou for it. t is mine. !ow impart to me, because Hve got the life of od and the nature of od in me, more wisdom than all the rest of the class. @et me be ten times better off than the rest of the class.E wasnHt bragging on me was bragging on what -e gave me. stood at the head of the class. was the onl one who made a Estraight#7E report card. n fact, in one of our classes, was the onl one who made an E7E. !obod else made anthing higher than a E4E. could read a chapter of a histor boo3 5the tested me to see6, put the boo3 down, and get up and recite the chapter word for word. didnHt do that because had developed m memor. didnHt 3now a thing in the world about memoriIation. did that because loo3ed to m spirit. *e never have developed our human spirits. *e never have wal3ed in the light of what we have. /ne of the greatest miracles have ever seen along these lines happened in a church pastored. /ne of m Sunda School teachers told me, concerning her oldest child, E sent her to school seven ears in the first grade. She couldnHt even learn to write her name. 2he school authorities as3ed me if would ta3e her out of school. She never got out of the first grade.E She was a big 1(#ear#old girl plaing with little & ear olds, so the had to ta3e her out. 2he had no state school 5weHre tal3ing about the 19)"s, the Aepression das6. 2he had no special classes. 2he onl 3ind of school the had in 2e0as was one for feebleminded children. She didnHt even qualif for that. n church she acted li3e a ) or ( ear old she had about that 3ind of mentalit. f she happened not to be sitting with
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her mother, and wanted to get up where her mother was, she would actuall get down and scoot along on her stomach under the pews to get up front. *hen she would get there 5usuall there was no one on that pew e0cept her mother6, she would stretch out li3e a 3id and go to sleep. /ne night she went up to the altar 5nobod as3ed her to go? during a revival and 3nelt along with the others. 2here she received eternal life and the nature of od. nstantl there was a drastic changeJ Before, she wouldnHt bathe. f she got neglected 5li3e a % or ) ear old6, her appearance was pitiful. She would come to church loo3ing li3e she hadnHt combed her hair in a month it loo3ed li3e the rats had slept in it. 7nd what clothes she had were hanging on her. But overnight, the ver ne0t night, she came in, sat down, and acted as intelligent as an 1$#ear#old oung lad. -er hair was fi0ed, she was dressed up, and she loo3ed nice. ?ou could hardl believe what ou saw. t changed her. t increased the girlHs mentalit 9" percent overnightJ 2his was during the beginning of *orld *ar . She went awa to visit some relatives, and while she was there she acted so nice and loo3ed so nice that a neighboring farm bo as3ed her for a date. She had never had a date in her life. But he began to date her and li3e her and she began to li3e him. 2he did hurr it up a bit, because he got drafted, but he as3ed her to marr him. She too3 him up on it. -e eventuall was sent over to the
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much she loved him, and then tal3ed about some business. 2o tell the truth, it was better than some letters have read from college graduates. onl saw two words misspelled. t was a good letter. She told him, EHm saving our mone 5because she was getting an allotment6. Hm paing m tithes.E 7nd she was. ?ou could stop to ta3e up an offering on something and she had alread paid her tithes to the church. She would alwas sa, EBrother -agin, Hll give.E She would be the first one to give. ?ou get the nature of od in ou and it changes ou. She told her husband, EHm putting our mone in savings, drawing interest, so when ou get out mabe weHll have enough to bu a farm.E -e was a farm bo and onl had about a fifth grade education himself, so she thought mabe he would want to farm. *here did she get all that wisdom> From the life of od inside her. -er ounger sister was married to a bo in the !av. She had the highest .K. of anone in school, and she had gotten saved, too, but she didnHt wal3 in the light of what she had. 2he light is the life of man. ?ouHve got to wal3 in the light of life for it to benefit ou. She splurged her mone. -er husband was coming home on furlough and she said to her older sister, EAonHt ou tell him how much mone ouHve got.E She didnHt have a dime. *e left that church before the war was over and went into the evangelistic field. heard that the older sisterHs husband had come bac3 and decided he wanted to go into construction work instead of farming. -e used the mone his wife had saved to bu some gravel truc3s. 2he prospered in their business. 2hen heard he was 3illed in a truc3 accident. n the process of time, got bac3 there and was tal3ing to the church secretar. as3ed, E*hatever happened to that girl>E She too3 me b the arm and led me out on the front porch. She said, E?ou 3new that her husband was 3illed in that truc3 accident>E
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said, E?es.E She said, E*ell, because of the business, he was heavil insured, and she received several hundreds of thousands of dollars of insurance mone.E She pointed and said, ESee that addition>E could see a number of new houses. 2he secretar said, EShe is building that addition to the cit. She handles all her own mone she is her own financier her own contractor.E 7nd she said, E
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me.E There shouldn"t be any failures in us unless we while our time away, not knowing what we"%e got and not confessing it. Begin to confess, E2his life is mine, praise odJ t is in me and it is wor3ingJE 2han3 od, it will wor3. Wal#in! in the $i!ht of $ife
*e must learn how to wal3 in the light of eternal life to enGo the fullness and the realit of it. Sometimes we thin3 if we have something in the spiritual realm, it should wor3 automaticall. t doesnHt. n the natural thatHs even true. ?ou can have something in the natural and not 3now ou have it and it wonHt do ou an good. ?es, itHs in our possession, but if ou donHt 3now it, it wonHt do ou an good. Bac3 in 19(& was saving a little mone to bu m wife a 4hristmas present. started with a L%" bill. had a secret poc3et in m billfold, so put the bill bac3 there. 7nd, forgot about it. 2he last church pastored was in the oil fields of
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of it. ?ou can have eternal life and not 3now what it reall is. ?ou can 3now ou are saved and sa, E*ell, Hm a 4hristian. 2han3 od Hm saved.E 7nd ouHll go to heaven when ou die. But ou canHt enGo the realit of it in this life because ou donHt 3now what it is, or what it is supposed to do for ou. *e have never maGored on this as we should.
Chapter % $et Zoe &o'inate You %
lways bearing about in the body the dying of the #ord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body. *or we which li%e are alway deli%ered unto death for Jesus" sake, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our mortal flesh. G: $orinthians @534,33
2he 7postle Paul tal3s here about the life of od in our spirits being manifested in our bodies. -e is not tal3ing about the ;esurrection, but about something that happens in this life. )"m con%inced that if one learns how to walk in the light of life, and lets that life dominate him, he will li%e to a great age Hif Jesus tarries?. 3now the outward man is decaing, all right, but this life can be made manifest in our mortal flesh.
/ne da a Dewish lawer came to Desus and said, +ood Faster, what good thing shall ) do, that ) may ha%e eternal life8& 5att. 19+1'6. 2his rich oung man who came to Desus represented the most Iealous branch of the famil of 7braham, the children of promise and of the covenant. ?et he 3new he did not have the one thing above all other things that made him right with od. /n the great Aa of 7tonement, when his sins were forgiven, he went awa with the consciousness of the fact that something had not been made right in his life. 2he hunger was still unsatisfied. 2he craving on the inside of him was still unmet. -e wanted, needed, and felt the lac3 of something in his nature that seemed to have been lost somewhere. t was something he 3new would round out and complete his Go and his longing. %&
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*hat was it> t was something greater than atonement. t was something greater than Gustification under the law. t was something greater than mere forgiveness. 2he thing he craved is maGored on in the ospel of Dohn. t is a single word, and this word is the 3e to the ospel of Dohn. t is the word that unloc3s the divine side of the plan of redemption. t is the biggest word of the ospel. t is the word that stands for the whole heart teaching of the ospel of the grace of od. t is the word Elife.E $hristianity is that di%ine act which changes a man from the family of !atan to the family of +od instantly.
4harles . Finne would go into a cit and sometimes the whole cit would be converted. an people said his conversions would not last because the were too quic3Ctoo instantaneous. But a greater percentage of FinneHs converts staed saved than an group since the das of the 7postle Paul. t is a historical fact that &" to $" percent of all the converts of Finne were 3ept. n no other revival is that true not even in the great Pentecostal revival. Finne taught an instant conversion, because thatHs what the *ord of od teaches. @etHs loo3 at the nature of eternal life. )OHN 5:20 20 3or as the 3ather hath "ife in himse"f& so hath he $i*en to the Son to ha*e "ife in himse"f'
;emember, the ree3 word for life is oe. EFor as the Father hath oe in himself so hath he given to the Son to have oe in himself.E 2hen eternal life is the nature of od. t is the being or substance of od. *e are told in Second Peter 1+(. &Whereby are gi%en unto us eIceeding great and precious promises5 that by these ye might be partakers of the di%ine nature,& 52hatHs odHs nature, isnHt it>6 &ha%ing escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.& 2he corruption from which we escaped is spiritual death the satanic nature. *e are made parta3ers of the divine nature, the nature of od the life of od.
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t is interesting to note how we can help others receive this life. )OHN 2:/,/1 / An# many other si$ns tr!"y #i# )es!s in the %resene of his #isi%"es, whih are not written in this boo: /1 =!t these are written, that ye mi$ht be"ie*e that )es!s is the Christ, the Son of (o#& an# that be"ie*in$ ye mi$ht ha*e "ife thro!$h his name'
Dohn said Desus did a great man things that are not recorded in the ospels. But he recorded these things for this purpose+ &that ye might belie%e that Jesus is the $hrist, the !on of +od2 and that belie%ing ye might ha%e life through his name.& 2he obGect, then, is that we might have eternal life. 2he first step is to read what is written in the ospels that we ma 3now that Desus is the Son of od. For if -e is the Son of od, then -e has made spiritual life available to spirituall dead
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men. n the
Until we 3now this, see3ing eternal life will be in vain. But having satisfied our intellects that Desus is the Son of od, that -e died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that -e rose again according to the ScripturesCthen we can ta3e the ne0t step. Dohn 1+1% sas, &But as many as recei%ed him, to them ga%e he power to become the sons of +od, e%en to them that belie%e on his name.& ;eceiving Desus is an act of the will of man, acting on the *ord. ?ou 3now that ouHre without a savior, without an approach to od, without eternal life and ou Gust loo3 up to od and sa, E 3now that.E But it is not enough Gust to ta3e Desus as our Savior. ?ou also must ac3nowledge -is lordship over our life. 2he reason for this is obvious. *e have been the servants of the devil. *e have belonged to the 3ingdom or the countr of the devil. !ow we want to leave that countr and come into odHs countr and become naturaliIed citiIens. But before we can do this, we must swear allegiance to the new fatherland, so to spea3, and ma3e our absolute, unconditional brea3 with the old fatherland. So we must confess Desus as @ord as the new ruler of our heart life as well as our intellectual life. /ne of the difficulties that confronts people is that the wish to have Desus as Savior, but not as @ord. an people want -im as their Savior from hell, but the donHt want -im as their ruler on earth. Hve heard ministers of the ospel, even Full ospel ministers, sa the were afraid to ma3e Desus @ord of their lives. heard one sa, E was afraid -e might send me off to be a
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missionar. preached for ears and Desus reall wasnHt m @ord.E 52hatHs a sad commentar, but it can be so.6 heard a well#3nown evangelist sa, E*hen made Desus @ord of m life 5and preached for ears before made -im @ord6, m life too3 on a supernatural aspect that it never had before.E an things have happened to 4hristians because the didnHt let Desus be @ord. an marriages have been entered into that were all wrong because fol3s didnHt ta3e time to see what Desus had to sa about it and let -im be @ord. /ne time heard a preacher telling about Desus on the Sea of alilee with -is disciples in the storm when Desus said, &/eace, be still& 5ar3 (+)96. 2he Bible sas there was a great calm. 2his preacher remar3ed, E!o matter what is going on in a church service, if ou want there to be a great calm, Gust start tal3ing about mone, peopleHs children, or the home and marriage, and there will be a great calm.E 2oo man times thatHs absolutel the truth. *e get into trouble in these areas because we donHt listen to what the @ord has to sa about them. 2he Bible sas, &The spirit of man is the candle of the #ord, searching all the inward parts of the belly.& 5Prov. %"+%&6. remember in one church pastored there was a beautiful 4hristian woman. She was one of the most spiritual persons have ever met. Hve been in the ministr and 3nown pastors and pastorsH wives, and evangelists and evangelistsH wives, and this woman was more spiritual than an preacher 3new. She 3new od. She 3new how to pra. She 3new how to touch od. She had the gifts of the Spirit operating in her life. But donHt care how spiritual ou are. donHt care how man gifts of the Spirit ou have operating in our life. donHt care how well ou 3now how to get hold of od. f ou donHt ma3e and 3eep Desus as @ord of our life, ou can get into trouble. -eHs the living *ord. od has given us the written *ord to unveil the living *ord to us. ive the *ord of od, the !ew 2estament, primaril, first place in our life. B so doing, ou are putting Desus first. @et this *ord govern our life. @et this *ord be the @ord
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of our life. @et the *ord have dominion over ou. B so doing, ou are letting Desus dominate ou. !ow, this dear woman was the finest 4hristian in the church. 2here was no one who was more dependable or a better praer warrior. *e pastored there, moved awa, and od sent us bac3 several ears later. *hen we returned we heard this woman had remarried, and we were glad about it. She was about ears of age and her first husband was dead. /ne of her grown, married daughters was in the church, and she came over to help us unpac3 and straighten up the parsonage. wife as3ed her about her motherHs marriage. 7 loo3 of concern came across the girlHs face. She said, EBrother and Sister -agin, thin3 omma missed od.E nstantl we were greatl concerned. *e 3new this woman was a precious woman of od. She said her mother had ta3en a Gob in another cit. She had started going with a certain gentleman, and brought him home for the children to meet. E could see she was serious with this fellow,E the girl e0plained. E as3ed, Homma, ouHre not about to marr that gu, are ou>H EShe said, H most certainl am.H said, H*e children donHt care if ou are married thatHs fine. But the Bible sas onl to be married in the @ord not to be unequall o3ed together with unbelievers.H EShe said he was a church member. But said, Homma, ouHve been around long enough ou 3now that ever church member is not saved. n fact, donHt want to be the Gudge, but there are some people who are members of our Full ospel church who are not saved. tHs not church membership that saves ouCit is being born againCreceiving eternal life. EHBesides that, donHt want to Gudge him. donHt want ou to thin3 Hm opposing this, and Hve never seen him until toda, but thereHs something about him thatHs not right. -e loo3s to me li3e an old beer guIIler.H Eomma said, H*ell, he does drin3 some. But he said he
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would quit if would marr him.HE ?ou 3now, these older girls are Gust as easil fooled as the oung ones are. *hether ouHre old, oung, or middle aged, if he wonHt quit before ou marr him, he wonHt quit after ou marr him. 2his dear woman was such a spiritual woman, a fine 4hristian, but donHt care how wonderful ou are, how spiritual ou are, how far advanced ou areCou are not immune to being misled if ou get awa from the Bible. So this girl said to her mother, E!ow, omma, ou 3now better than that.E -er mother said, E*ell, Hm going to fast and pra about it and Hm going to put out a fleece before the @ord.E -er daughter said, E2hereHs no use putting out a fleece. 2hereHs no need of fasting and praing. 2he Bible has alread said not to be unequall o3ed together with unbelievers. 2he Bible has alread said to be married onl in the @ord. *e donHt care if ou are married, but find somebod of equal spiritual e0perience to build a life with.E 2his woman fasted, praed, and put out a fleece. -er fleece said, Eo ahead and marr the fellow,E so she married him. Somewhere in there Desus ceased to dominate her life. 2he *ord was no longer dominant in her life. 7 da or so later m wife happened to loo3 down the street and sa to me, E2hat loo3s li3e Sister So#and#So.E said, E!o, it couldnHt be, because sheHs living in another cit ( miles from here.E *e watched, though, and as she got closer we recogniIed it was she. 7s she got to the edge of our ard, we could see something was wrong. -er ee was blac3. 7nd her nose was large and swollen. -er face was beaten up. B the time she hit the parsonage porch, she was squalling and bawling li3e a bab. She hugged m wife and me. *e got her into the parsonageCinto the living roomCand finall got her quieted down enough to find out what happened. She told us what her husband had done. /n the wa home from wor3 about 1" das before, he had stopped off for
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something to drin3, and b the time he got home he had been prett well Elit up.E She said something he didnHt particularl li3e, so he hit her right in the middle of her face, 3noc3ed her down, Gumped on top of her, and started beating her in the face. -e almost beat her to death. -e tore her clothes nearl off. She had to run out of the house half#clothed and catch a streetcar to go across the cit to her daughterHs house. She had been in bed for 1" das. EHll tell ou one thing,E she said. E*hen get up to heaven, Hve got something to as3 the @ord. Hm going to as3 -im wh -e put this off on me.E said, E!ow Sister, ou 3now meCHve pastored ou before, and Hm not tring to be a smart alec3Cbut ou wonHt have to wait until ou get to heaven. f ouHll Gust as3 me, Hll tell ou now. Eod didnHt put that off on ou. ?ou wanted that old rascal and ou got himJ ?ouHve got him on our hands now. *hat are ou going to do with him>E *ell, that poor woman had a hard time. Hm sureC 3now beond a shadow of a doubtCthat it shortened her life. She could have lived longer. 2han3 od she did get him saved and he died savedChe barel made it in. But Hm sure of this one thingCall the trouble and concern shortened her life. *e can ma3e some choices for ourselves in life, but it is alwas better to choose odHs best. t is alwas better to go with od. t is alwas better to wal3 in the light of life.
Chapter ( Rulin! an Rei!nin! in )nion with Go (
*or if by one man"s offence death reigned by one2 much more they which recei%e abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus $hrist. Gomans E53
*hat does this verse mean> t means that ever one of us who has been born again and has received the life of od has come into a 3ingl state. *e are accepted b od to reign as 3ings in the realm of life. *e are no longer servants in the realm of spiritual death, but we have passed out of death, SatanHs realm, into the realm of the supernatural or the heavenlies. an was never made to be a slave. -e was made to reign as a 3ing under od. 2hat 3ingl being was created in the image and li3eness of od. -e was created on terms of equalit with od, and he could stand in odHs presence without an consciousness of inferiorit. !otice Psalm $+(,+ EWhat is man, that thou art mindful of him8 and the son of man, that thou %isitest him8 *or thou hast made him a little lower than the angels, and hast crowned him with glory and honour.& n some translations there is a number or letter b the word EangelsE in this te0t. f ou loo3 in the margin ouHll find that the -ebrew word here is >lohimGthe same *ord or name for od. 2he -ebrew Bible actuall sas 5tal3ing about man6, &Thou hast made him a little lower than +od.& 2hat means od has made us as much li3e -imself as possible. -e made us in -is image. -e made us in -is li3eness. -e made us the same class of being that -e is -imself. -e made 7dam with an intellect of such caliber that he could name ever animal, )
1oe5 The +od6Kind of #ife
vegetable, and fruit, and give them names that would describe their characteristics. *hen od could do that with man, man belonged to the realm of od. n the first five chapters of enesis, >lohim is the name for od. an, then, was made in the li3eness of >lohim. -e was made with the life of od in him. od made manHs bod out of the dust of the ground, and breathed into manHs nostrils the breath of life. 2he -ebrew word translated EbreathE is the same word translated EspiritE all through the /ld 2estament. od too3 something of -imself, which was spirit, the life of od, and put it into man. ?ou see that life manifested in man. ?ou see it in his spirit and soul. ?ou see it in his bod, even after he had died spirituall. od made man -is understud. -e made him 3ing, to rule over everthing that had life. an was master. an lived in the realm of od. -e lived on terms of equalit with od. od is a faith od. 7ll -e had to do was simpl sa, &#et there be light& 5en. 1+)6, and there was light. od created everthing e0cept man b spea3ing it into e0istence. -eHs a faith od. !ow, od made man a faith man, because man belongs to odHs class. 7 faith man lives in the creative realm of od. 2his is the end of the wea3ness messageJ an lost his place b high treason against od. -e lost his dominion over all the wor3s of odHs hands. -e lost his dominion in the fall. *ith the fall went his dominion over his spirit and soul. But, m friends, if one is a thin3er or a student of histor, one 3nows universal man has ever earned for the return of his lost dominion. -ereHs one of the most tremendous facts we have to face+ 2here never has been a primitive people found upon the face of the earth who have not et earned for dominion. !ot a single primitive people has been found who did not have a golden past where the had dominion, and a golden future where dominion was going to be restored. 2hat is the tradition of universal man. 2he reason for that is, man was created to have dominion.
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an has shrun3 from bondage. an has rebelled against it. an has earned to gain master over phsical loss, over mind loss, and over the loss of the spirit. 2his long#ago desire to gain the lost dominion is seen in his offerings, in his drin3ing blood, and in the priesthoods he has appointed. f ou stud histor, ouHll find that human blood was never actuall desirable to an people. *h did the drin3 it> 2he dran3 it to be li3e od. 2he dran3 it that the might become eternal or immortal. 2he desire for immortalit in the phsical realm lies in the heart of universal man. 7nd for that reason, men dran3 it. 2he would ta3e an animal or another man, and ma3e a sacrifice upon the altar of their god or gods. 7nd when the did, the believed that the offering became identified with od. 2he said, Ef we drin3 the blood of the man or the animal, we drin3 the blood of od. 7nd if we drin3 enough of it, weHll be od.E 7ctuall, thatHs not too far removed from the 4ommunion table. *h do ou suppose that 3ind of thin3ing is in the hearts and minds of even primitive people the world around> ?ou see, it all dates bac3 to the beginning. ;emember the first two offspring of 7dam and ;emember that the both brought an offering to od and one was reGected while the other was received> 2he offering that was receivedC 7belHsCwas an offering of blood, while the one that was reGectedC4ainHsCwas an offering of fruits and vegetables. So ou see, this 3ind of thin3ing has filtered down even through primitive people, that blood has something to do with regaining master and dominion upon the earth. 7nd than3 od it doesJ *ithout the shedding of blood there is no remission of sins. *hen Desus instituted the @ordHs Supper -e said+ ATTH+ 20:2028 20 Tae, eat& this is my bo#y' 27 An# he too the !%, an# $a*e thans, an# $a*e it to them, sayin$, 6rin ye a"" of it& 28 3or this is my b"oo# of the new testament, whih is she# for many for the remission of sins'
1oe5 The +od6Kind of #ife
-e signified that when we eat that bread and drin3 that cup, we parta3e of -im. *e are identified with od. *e are actuall one with -im. an ancients became cannibals, not because the loved human blood, but because the believed if the could eat flesh and drin3 blood the would be li3e od. 2his faith of universal man, reaching od#ward, cried out to od to ma3e union with -im a possibilit. an believed union with od would give him dominion. 7nd it will. an hates defeat. -e wants to conquer death. -e dreams of immortalit and fears death and disease. an believed that somehow od would give him this lost dominion. !ow ou can understand it was this universal 3nowledge, the universal cr of man for union with Aeit, that caused the ncarnation. 7nd so the @ord Desus 4hrist came into this world. -e was od incarnated in the flesh. Desus was od and man in union. -e was first a divine being. )OHN 1:1 1 In the be$innin$ was the or#, an# the or# was with (o#, an# the or# was (o#'
But -e came and dwelt among us. )OHN 1:1; 1; An# the or# was ma#e f"esh, an# #we"t amon$ !s'
-e was od incarnate in the flesh. So Desus was a divine# human being. !ow on the grounds of what the @ord Desus 4hrist did 5that is, -is substitutionar sacrifice6, od is able to redeem us from our sins. -e is able to redeem us from spiritual death. -e is able to impart to us -is ver nature. -e is able to give us eternal life -is ver own life. -e is able to ta3e us into -is own famil, so that we can call -im Father. Paul said, &) bow my knees unto the *ather of our #ord Jesus $hrist, of whom the whole family in hea%en and earth is named& 5
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to the world, but -eHs EFatherE to meJ n the new birth, we are brought into vital union with Desus 4hrist. 7ll that most people thin3 the have in the new birth is forgiveness of sins. 2he donHt 3now about being in union with od.
2he incarnation that od has given through the new birth has bestowed upon us the lost authorit we had in the arden of
Paul probabl realiIed the didnHt understand what he was saing, so he wrote a second letter to them 5Second
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4orinthians6 and went into a little more detail. n Second 4orinthians '+1( he said, &Be ye not une9ually yoked together with unbelie%ers5 for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness8 and what communion hath light with darkness8& ?ou see, the believer is called ErighteousnessE and the unbeliever is called Eunrighteousness.E &nd what communion hath light with darkness8& -ere the believer is called ElightE and the unbeliever is called Edar3ness.E 2 CORINTHIANS 0:15 15 An# what onor# hath Christ with =e"ia"4
*inally, the belie%er is called &$hrist& and the unbelie%er is called &Belial.& That*s who we are+ we*re Christ,
Desus is the -ead and we are the Bod of 4hrist. ?our head doesnHt go b one name and our bod b another, does it> ?ou donHt call our bod -enr Dones and our little finger @ouise Simpson, do ou> ?our little finger has the same name as the rest of our bod because it belongs to that bod. /aul calls the indi%idual member of the Body of $hrist, &$hrist.& nd he calls the unbelie%er &Belial.& 2 CORINTHIANS 0:10 10 An# what a$reement hath the tem%"e of (o# with i#o"s4
;emember that Paul alread said in First 4orinthians )+1', &Know ye not that ye are the temple of +od, and that the !pirit of +od dwelleth in you8& -ere he sas it again. -e wants to get that point across. Hve got od the Father, od the Son, and od the -ol Spirit living in me. *eHve never even maGored on that subGect before. *e have been too bus fighting over minor things. Some of these great Bible truths that will release us, ma3e us masters, and enable us to dominate and reign in life have been left untouched. *hen ou begin to preach on them, man people in 4hristendom will sit and loo3 at ou in amaIement. wouldnHt have dared suggest these things if hadnHt had Scriptures to bac3 me up. (e"s in me. (e"s in you. There is a real incarnation in the new birth0 )"%e come into %ital union with +od0
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*e are the temple of the living od. !ow, letHs get a picture of the living od. @etHs go bac3 to the /ld 2estament and see -im. 2he presence of od 5the Dews called it the !hekinah? was onl in the -ol of -olies. 7t least once a ear, ever male in srael had to present himself at the 2emple that od had Solomon build. od wasnHt dwelling in them, so the had to go to where od was. 2hatHs the reason weHve got a better covenant established on better promises 5-eb. $+'6. !o one dared approach the -ol of -olies e0cept the -igh Priest. /thers who tried would fall dead on the spot. /nl the -igh Priest, after the blood of innocent animals was shed for the atonement of sin, could enter in. an have thought that when Desus said on the cross, Et is finishedE -e was tal3ing about our salvation. !oJ !oJ !oJ /ur salvation wasnHt finished when Desus died. ;emember -e said to ar, &Touch me not2 for ) am not yet ascended to my *ather5 but go to my brethren, and say unto them, ) ascend unto my *ather, and your *ather2 and to my +od, and your +od& 5Dohn %"+1&6. Soon afterwards -e appeared to the disciples, who were afraid, thin3ing the had seen a ghost or spirit. -e said, &Why are ye troubled8 and why do thoughts arise in your hearts8 Behold my hands and my feet, that it is ) myself5 handle me, and see2 for a spirit hath not flesh and bones, as ye see me ha%e& 5@u3e %(+)$,)96. *h did Desus tell ar not to touch -im, and the disciples to touch -im> -e told ar wh+ &) am not yet ascended to my *ather& 5Dohn %"+1&6. So, salvation wasnHt complete until -e ascended into the heavenl -ol of -olies to obtain eternal redemption for us. *hen Desus said Et is finishedE on the cross, -e was tal3ing about the /ld 4ovenantHs being finished. 7nd when -e said those words, the curtain that sealed off the -ol of -olies in the 2emple was rent in twainCor torn in halfCfrom top to bottom. Flavius Dosephus, the Dewish historian, tells us that the curtain was %" feet high, (" feet across and ( inches thic3. Aid ou notice the Scripture didnHt sa the curtain was rent in twain from bottom to top> t said from top to bottom. Up there %" feet in the air, an angel of od, or some heavenl
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somebod, got hold of the thing and ripped it apart. That signified that the way into the (oly of (olies, blessed be +od, is now open to e%erybody through the blood of Jesus0 od moved out of an earth#made, man#made -ol of -olies and -e dwells in usJ (e li%es in us0 ;ou are the temple where the holy !hekinah presence of +od dwells. *eHve never mastered that et. *eHve thought it sounded li3e it could not be true. But, than3 od, it is trueJ Second 4orinthians '+1' sas, &nd what agreement hath the temple of +od with idols8 for ye are the temple of the li%ing +od2 as +od hath said, ) will dwell in them, and walk in them2 and ) will be their +od, and they shall be my people.& -ere are some further facts. 1 )OHN ;:1; 1 =e"o*e#, be"ie*e not e*ery s%irit, b!t try the s%irits whether they are of (o#: bea!se many fa"se %ro%hets are $one o!t into the wor"#' 2 Hereby now ye the S%irit of (o#: +*ery s%irit that onfesseth that )es!s Christ is ome in the f"esh is of (o#: / An# e*ery s%irit that onfesseth not that )es!s Christ is ome in the f"esh is not of (o#: an# this is that s%irit of antihrist, whereof ye ha*e hear# that it sho!"# ome& an# e*en now a"rea#y is it in the wor"#' ; Be are of (o#, "itt"e hi"#ren' ' ' '
Because we are of od, because we are born of od, we are sons of od. 1 )OHN /:1,2 1 =eho"#, what manner of "o*e the 3ather hath bestowe# !%on !s, that we sho!"# be a""e# the sons of (o#: therefore the wor"# noweth !s not, bea!se it new him not' 2 =e"o*e#, now are we the sons of (o#, an# it #oth not yet a%%ear what we sha"" be: b!t we now that, when he sha"" a%%ear, we sha"" be "ie him& for we sha"" see him as he is' 1 )OHN 5:1,2 1 hosoe*er be"ie*eth that )es!s is the Christ is born of (o#: an# e*ery one that "o*eth him that be$at "o*eth him a"so that is be$otten of him' 2 =y this we now that we "o*e the hi"#ren of (o#, when we "o*e (o#, an# ee% his omman#ments'
Friends, we are sons of od. *e are children of od. *e
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are born of od. *e are in the famil of od. We are in union with +od. 1 )OHN ;:; ; Be are of (o#, "itt"e hi"#ren, an# ha*e o*erome them: bea!se $reater is he that is in yo!, than he that is in the wor"#'
t doesnHt sa going to overcome them 5the forces of evil6, but ha%e overcome them. f weHve overcome one of them, weHve overcome all of them. *e sa, Ef Hve overcome them, wh am having so much trouble with them>E Because you don"t know who you are in $hrist0 Because ou donHt 3now that ou are supposed to rule over themJ ;emember, weHre tal3ing about reigning as 3ings in life. Satan has been defeated. -eHs not going to be he has been defeated. *hen Desus wal3ed the earth, -e won ever battle with the enem. 2hen, after -e had satisfied the claims of Gustice on the cross, -e met the devil in his own throne room, stripped him of his authorit and dominion, and rose from the dead. n ;evelation 1+1$ Desus said, &) am he that li%eth, and was dead2 and, behold, ) am ali%e for e%ermore, men2 and ha%e the keys of hell and of death.& *here did -e get them> -e got them from Satan -e too3 the dominion and authorit that had been given Satan in the arden of
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1oe5 The +od6Kind of #ife / Amon$ whom a"so we a"" ha# o!r on*ersation in times %ast in the "!sts of o!r f"esh, f!"fi""in$ the #esires of the f"esh an# of the min#& an# were by nat!re the hi"#ren of wrath, e*en as others' ; =!t (o#, who is rih in mery, for his $reat "o*e wherewith he "o*e# !s, 5 +*en when we were #ea# in sins, hath >!iene# !s to$ether with Christ, by $rae ye are sa*e#&D EF!iene# means Gma#e a"i*e'G hen He was ma#e a"i*e ba there, we were ma#e a"i*e' 0 An# hath raise# !s !% to$ether, an# ma#e !s sit to$ether in hea*en"y %"aes in Christ )es!s'
?ouHre identified with 4hrist in what -e did. So when are we to reign as 3ings> Auring the illennium> n Ethe sweet b and bE> =o, in life0 2he potential is there, and it belongs to ou. Hm going to live up to the full potential of what belongs to me in 4hrist Desus. ?ouHre the one who has authorit in our life. donHt have authorit in our life. 2hatHs the problemCweHre running around tring to find someone else to be 3ing. Hm not to be 3ingCouHre to be 3ing in our own life. *e have failed to realiIe what Desus did. *e have failed to realiIe who we are. *e have failed to ta3e advantage of what belongs to us. 7nd so, when trouble comes, we become fearful. But no, blessed be od, hereHs wh weHve overcome+ &+reater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world& 51 Dohn (+(6. *ho is it that is in this world> Satan is the god of this world. Second 4orinthians (+( sas he is called the god of this world heHs here. 7dam was the god of this world, but he sold out to Satan and Satan became god. Desus, however, stripped Satan of that authorit. -e gave it bac3 to us. *eHve sat around begging for authorit and we had it all the timeJ *eHve sat around waiting for od to do something, et -eHs waiting for us to do something. will never forget when the @ord appeared to me in a vision in 19% in the state of /3lahoma. -e said, EHm going to tal3 to ou about the devil, demons, and demon possession.E 2he whole thing lasted about an hour and a half. Desus
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stood before me as 3nelt. Suddenl an evil spirit that loo3ed li3e a mon3e Gumped up between us and caused a blac3 cloud to appear. couldnHt see Desus, but could hear -im. -e 3ept right on tal3ing. eanwhile, the spirit threw his arms and legs out and hollered in a shrill voice, E?a3et#a3, a3et#a3, a3et#a3.E -e 3ept on acting that wa and thoughts ran through m mind faster than machine gun bullets could fire. thought, Dear #ord0 )"m missing what Jesus is saying 5instruction -e was giving me about dealing with the devil6. heard the sound of -is voice, but couldnHt distinguish the words because of this Ea3et#a3E business. couldnHt see Desus because the cloud was there. 2hen thought, Doesn"t Jesus know8 Doesn"t (e know )"m not hearing (im8 Why doesn"t Jesus do something about it8 Why does (e allow it8 7renHt those the 3inds of questions as3ed all the time> E*h did od allow it> *h doesnHt od do something about it>E Finall, in desperation, spo3e to the spirit. said, E command ou to shut up in the !ame of Desus.E *hen said that, he hit the floor li3e a sac3 of salt+ E3erplop.E 2he dar3 cloud disappeared, and could see Desus. 2hen Desus said something that absolutel astonished me something that upended m theolog. 5*e get so concerned about theolog that we miss the Bible.6 Desus pointed to that little fellow ling there 5and not onl ling thereChe was sha3ing all overCtrembling from head to foot and whining6. Desus pointed to him and said, Ef ou hadnHt done something about that, couldnHt have.E #isten and reign0 #et it slip by you, and be in sla%ery0
n m astonishment, said, E@ordJ 3now misunderstood ?ou. Hm sure did. ?ou didnHt sa ?ou couldn"tGand pointed to that little fellow ling there still whimpering and sha3ing all overC?ou said ?ou wouldn"t, didnHt ?ou>E Desus said, E said 5and -e pointed to him6 if ou hadnHt done something about that, couldn"t.&
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!ow understand EthatE doesnHt Gust include the demon it included the dar3 cloud that shut off the vision of Desus and heaven. t included communication that didnHt get throughC praers, or whatever. said, E@ord, 3now something happened to me. ?ou didnHt sa ?ou couldn"t2 ?ou said ?ou wouldn"t, didnHt ?ou>E 7nd ver emphaticall -e said, E!oJ didnHt sa wouldn"t2 said couldn"t.& E/h, dear @ord,E said. E canHt accept that. tHs against everthing ever believedJ tHs against everthing ever preachedJE said, E wonHt accept an vision unless ?ou can prove it to me from the Bible particularl the !ew 2estament. ?ou said in ?our *ord, H)n the mouth of two or three witnesses e%ery word may be established" E 5att. 1$+1'6. Ao ou thin3 -e got angr with me> !o, -e smiled so sweetl and said, EHll go ou one better Hll give ou four.E -e said, E2hereHs no place in the !ew 2estament where the 4hurch or 4hristian believers are told to pra against the devil. 2o pra against the devil is to waste our time.E *hen -e said that to me said, EAear @ordJ Hve wasted so much timeJE -e said, E2he !ew 2estament tells believers themselves to do something about the devil. 7nd if the donHt, there wonHt be anthing done. Hve done all Hm ever going to do about the devil.E 2hat came as a real shoc3 to me. E!ow,E -e said, EHll give ou the four references which proved that. First of all, in atthew %$, when arose from the dead, said, ll power is gi%en unto me in hea%en and in earth" 5att. %$+1$6. 2he word HpowerH means authorit.E f ou stopped reading right here ouHd sa, E*h, dear @ord Desus, ?ou do have authorit here on the earth.E But -e said, E immediatel delegated authorit on earth to the 4hurch.E AR- 10:1518 15 (o ye into a"" the wor"#, an# %reah the $os%e" to e*ery
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reat!re' 10 He that be"ie*eth an# is ba%ti9e# sha"" be sa*e#& b!t he that be"ie*eth not sha"" be #amne#' 17 An# these si$ns sha"" fo""ow them that be"ie*e& In my name sha"" they ast o!t #e*i"s& they sha"" s%ea with new ton$!es& 18 They sha"" tae !% ser%ents& an# if they #rin any #ea#"y thin$, it sha"" not h!rt them& they sha"" "ay han#s on the si, an# they sha"" reo*er'
?ou see, you"re authoriIed to do that. 2hen Desus said to me, E!ot one single time does an !ew 2estament writer tell ou to pra to od or to e, the @ord Desus 4hrist, to do anthing about the devil. E 2hat dar3ness, ou see, can be an illustration of man thingsCsic3ness, problems, an circumstance. *e sa, E*h did od send this> *h doesnHt od do something about it>E 4an ou understand it> ;ou"re the one who"s supposed to do something about it0 -uthorit. in the $ife of S'ith Wi!!lesworth
Smith *igglesworth once received a telegram urging him to visit a oung woman %"" miles from his home. -e went there and found her mother and father bro3enhearted because their daughter had lost her mind. 2he said the devil had
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gotten hold of her. Silentl the led him down a hall and up two flights of stairs. Finall the reached a closed door. 2he girlHs father opened it, swung it bac3, and pushed *igglesworth inside. -e said, E loo3ed in the room and there was a frail little girl, Gust in her twenties, ling on the floor held down b five grown men.E *hen the girl saw him, the strength in that frail bod was so great 5she was empowered b the devil6 that she overcame the five men. 2he couldnHt hold her. She tore loose from them, faced *igglesworth with blaIing ees, and said, E?ou canHt cast me outJ ?ou canHt cast me outJE *igglesworth said, EDesus can, and -eHs in me.E 5-e remembered First Dohn (+(+ &+reater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.&? *igglesworth 3new something about being in union with od. -e 3new something about having the living od in him 4hrist in ou. EDesus can,E he said, Eand come out in the !ame of DesusJE 2hirt#four of them came out and gave their names. 2he girlHs mind was restored and she wal3ed down the steps and sat down and ate the evening meal. Praise odJ 2he !ame of Desus is greater than the forces of evil. 7nd the reater /ne is living in ou. /nce was preaching some of these truths in another state. remember that a Full ospel Business enHs chapter president said to me, EBrother -agin, hearing this ma3es me feel li3e could do anthing.E said, E?ou can go out and do itJE 7 da or two later, a man flew in who was going to spea3 at several chapters, including this manHs. 2he two of them were driving to a brea3fast meeting in another cit, and the were traveling quite fast. 52he speed limit was about & miles per hour then.6 t was not e0actl dar3 and not e0actl lightCthe couldnHt see too well. Suddenl a woman appeared in front of that big @incoln automobile. 2he chapter president couldnHt possibl stopChe
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hit herCand her bod flew up over the windshield, over the car, and landed bac3 down the highwa. -e quic3l pulled over to the side of the road. t sounded li3e the had run into a truc3. 2he 3new ever bone in her bod had to be bro3en. 2his chapter president told me, E Gust sat there in shoc3. 7 motorist going the other wa said he would notif the authorities. 2he man who was with me ran bac3 to the woman. 7 nurse in one of the other cars that stopped said, H canHt find a pulse beatCsheHs dead. 2hereHs no life in her.H 2he ambulance came, and all at once could hear ou preaching, "+reater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world." Before 3new what was doing, climbed out of the car, ran bac3 to the woman, laid hands on her, and commanded her to live in the !ame of Desus.E 7fter the ambulance left for the hospital, the chapter president went on and drove his guest to the spea3ing engagement. 7fterwards the came bac3 through the same little town where the woman had been ta3en to the hospital. -er doctors told the men, E*eHre going to dismiss her we canHt find a thing wrong with her. She doesnHt have a bro3en bone in her bod.E lor to odJ -ow big is od>
Chapter / Rei!nin! Throu!h Ri!hteousness /
Some have said, E donHt see anone reigning.E 2he reason is, reigning hasnHt been proclaimed. od said in the /ld 2estament, &Fy people are destroyed for lack of knowledge& 5-osea (+'6. -e is inferring that if -is people possess 3nowledge of who the are and who od isCif the 3now their rights, their privileges, and their dominionCthe wonHt be destroed. 2he reason Satan is often able to reign in the lives of 4hristians is because man times 4hristians do not realiIe the have a part to pla. 2he Bible doesnHt sa Desus 4hrist will reign through ou it sas ou &shall reign in life by one, Jesus $hrist& 5;om. +1&6. an people thin3, EHve left it up to the @ord. -e is going to do it.E 2he real truth of the matter is, -eHs left it up to us. *hat are we supposed to do> @etHs find out our Gob. @etHs find out our position. ;omans +1& also sas we have received Eabundance of graceE and the Egift of righteousness.E *e 3now a great deal about grace 5weHve heard that preached6 and weHve sung E7maIing race.E 7nd than3 od for the grace of od. But weHve also received Ethe gift of righteousness.E donHt thin3 the 4hurch as a whole 3nows what Paul is tal3ing about when he sas that. *eHve heard ver little teaching on the subGect. tHs receiving the abundance of grace and the gift of righteousness that enable one to reign. f ou donHt 3now what ouHve received, ouHll be hindered in reigning. *hat does Ethe gift of righteousnessE mean> First, it means ouHre made right with od. t means right# 1
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standing with od. *e used to sing a song, E!othing Between Soul and the Savior.E ?ou see, if thereHs nothing between, thatHs what made it nothing between. t wasnHt something did it was m accepting -is provision. f Hm in right#standing with od, then canHt ever be in an better standing with od. 2hatHs something we need to get into our spirits. 2he Bible tal3s about growing in faith, but not about growing in righteousness. Paul wrote to the 4hurch at 2hessalonica, &;our faith groweth eIceedingly 5% 2hess. 1+)6. First Peter %+% sas, &Desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby.& *e could quote other Scriptures. But nowhere does the Bible tal3 about growing in righteousness it alwas calls righteousness a gift. ;ou"ll not ha%e any better standing with +od when you get to hea%en than you do now. Aid ou 3now that the newborn babe in the 3ingdom of od has the same standing as an old saint whoHs been living a separated, hol, sanctified life for $" ears> tHs all done through Desus in the new birth.
*eHre held bac3 b traditional teaching and church#ianit. n the denomination was raised in, we were famous for saing, EHm so wea3 and unworth.E *e thought we were being humbleCwe didnHt 3now we were being ignorantJ *e thought having a low opinion of oneself was reall being humble. *eHd sa, EHll never amount to anthing ... Hm Gust a worm of the dust... poor olH me ... Gust a sinner saved b grace.E 2hatHs partl wrongJ am saved b grace and was a sinner, but Hm no longer a sinnerCnow Hm a saintJ Sometimes ou hear 4hristians sa, EHm going to be a saint.E f ouHre born again, ou are one alread. *e thought we were being humble. 7nd, of course, when we came to pra, we alwas told od how wretched and miserable we were. *e didnHt have enough faith to believe od for anthing. 2hen got the baptism of the -ol Spirit and spo3e with other tongues, got e0communicated b the Baptists, and came over among the Pentecostals. 2he did 3now more about the -ol Spirit, but the didnHt 3now some other things.
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Sometimes the were bound b the same traditions. t was a custom before ever revival to have a wee3 of praer and fasting. donHt mean we fasted all wee3, but weHd fast some and go to church and pra ever night. /ne time listened to some of our praingCand started laughing. found out wh things didnHt wor3. *e thought weHd tell od all wee3 how unworth we were. B the time we started revival, we had tal3ed ourselves out of everthing. f anbod did come to the altar, we didnHt have enough power left to blow the hat off his headJ *eHd sa, E@ord, Gust get everthing out of the wa, so ?ou can bless me.E *e didnHt have sense enough to 3now that we were in the wa all the time. *hen was a bo on the bed of sic3ness, read+ )A+S 5:1;,15 1; Is any si amon$ yo!4 "et him a"" for the e"#ers of the h!rh& an# "et them %ray o*er him, anointin$ him with oi" in the name of the .or#: 15 An# the %rayer of faith sha"" sa*e the si, an# the .or# sha"" raise him !%& an# if he ha*e ommitte# sins, they sha"" be for$i*en him'
2he devil said to me, Ef ou were righteous, ou could pra that praer of faith.E didnHt 3now what a righteous man was an more than the man in the moon, so began to stud the Scriptures. saw that
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>li-ah 9ualify as an eIample of a righteous man8
2hen began to e0amine the /ld 2estament on the subGect. 2he )%nd Psalm sas, &Blessed is the man whose sin is co%ered2 blessed is the man to whom the #ord imputeth not ini9uity.& saw that the blood of the animals of the /ld 2estament covered menHs sin it made an atonement for them. od didnHt attribute the sin to men -e gave them righteousness. got into the !ew 2estament and found that the blood of Desus does not co%er sins. 2he !ew 2estament sas, &nto him that lo%ed us, and W!(>D us from our sins in his own blood& 5;ev. 1+6. found in Second 4orinthians +1&, &Therefore if any man be in $hrist, he is a new creature.& 3new immediatel od didnHt ma3e an unrighteous new creature. 3new od didnHt ma3e a new creature who could not stand in -is presence. *e had felt when we came into the presence of od we should get down and crawl on our stomachs. /r, we felt we should hang around the front door of heaven, or sit on the curbstone in front of our mansion and cr until od opened the door and invited us in. /r, we felt we should come up to the bac3 door of heaven li3e a tramp and tr to tal3 od into giving us a handout. *e would sing, E-ere wander li3e a beggar through the heat and cold... poor olH me.E But read -ebrews (+1'+ &#et us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.& got rid of m Espiritual inferiorit comple0,E as call it. /f course the devil was right there to tr to stop m faith from wor3ing. -e said, E?eah, od made ou a righteous creature all right, but remember when ou got mad and 3noc3ed our food tra off our bed> t was after ou were born again that ou did wrong.E got bac3 in the *ord. got hold of that verse in First Dohn %+1 that sas, &Fy little children, these things write ) unto you, that ye sin not. nd if any man sin, we ha%e an ad%ocate with the *ather, Jesus $hrist the righteous.& 7n advocate is a lawer, one who pleads our case. Desus 4hrist the ;ighteous is m standing, even if Hve erred. Hve got
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/ne up there whoHs going to plead. -eHs the sinning 4hristianHs 7dvocate. Somebod said, E donHt li3e to hear ou sa that. believe in living above sin.E *ell, do, too. Hve never seen anbod do it, but still believe in it. !ow loo3 at First Dohn %+%, &nd he MDesus 4hrist the ;ighteousN is the propitiation for our sins5 and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.& !otice Dohn is writing about 4hristians and their sin, but he is not encouraging them to sin. -e alread said,E... write ) unto you, that ye sin not.& Hve had people tell me that this 3ind of preaching will give people a license to sin. But tell them, E!o, Hm not going to give them a license to sin theHll do enough sinning without a license.E f ouHre reall born again, ou donHt want to sin anwa. f ou want to sin, thereHs something wrong with ou. A. @. ood gave this illustration in one of his sermons. 7 oung lad in 4hicago said to him, Er. ood, want to be saved, but canHt give up dancing.E r. ood preached against worldl dancing. 57n 4hristian is against it.6 r. ood, being wise, said, E*ell, little lad, ou Gust come right into the inquir room 5weHd call it a praer room6 and give our heart and life to the @ord Desus 4hrist, and then ou can dance all ou want to.E She too3 him at his word, went into the room, and got saved. Four or five das later she met him on the street. She stopped, smiled, shoo3 hands with him and said, Er. ood, see what ouHre tal3ing about now. 2he Hwant#toH is gone.E donHt 3now about ou, but Hm ElingE all want to Hm EstealingE all want to Hm EcussingE all want to. Hm EhatingE all want to Hm EhatingE everbod want to hate. !o, Hm not hating anbod there is no hate in me. 2he Ewant#toE is gone. f ouHre reall born again, the man on the inside doesnHt want to do wrong. remember the first time missed it after was born again. t wasnHt something serious, but it was wrong, and m conscience smote me. felt so bad. hadnHt wanted to do wrong.
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hadnHt wanted to miss it or to fail. But, than3 od, provision has been made for us. f sin and lose m sense of righteousness, blessed be od, -eHs up there and -eHs righteous. Desus goes into the throne room of od and sas, E too3 his place shed m blood.E /ne time when was ounger, read the verse, &The effectual fer%ent prayer of a righteous man a%aileth much& 5Dames +1'6. wrote in red in3 beside the verse, Ef ever get to be righteous, then when it comes to praing, Hll be a whiI.E *hen found out who was in 4hristCthat was the righteousness of od in 4hristC wrote in red in3 beside that verse, EHm a whiI when it comes to praing.E 7nd Hve been a whiI ever since then. ?ouHre a whiI, too, if ou onl 3new it. ?es, Hm a whiI when it comes to praing. !ow what do mean b that> mean Hm effective. mean Hm beyond effective. Hve arri%ed0 praers wor3. 7nd ours will, too, when ou begin to reign. ?ou have received the gift of righteousness. First of all, righteousness means right standing with od. have right standing with -im have fellowship with -im have communion with -im have union with -im and have oneness with -im. But it also means something else. f have right standing with od, then nobod else can have an better standing. !ot even Desus 4hrist has an better standing with od than ou and do. Some sa, E/h, ouHre ta3ing something awa from DesusJE !o, -eHs still got the same thing -eHs alwas had Hm Gust giving ou somethingJ 2hese are things that lift us and 3eep our faith wor3ing. *hen we 3now what Ethe gift of righteousnessE means, we can stand in the presence of the devil and reign. *e can rule over opposition, persecution, tests, trials, circumstances, povert, sic3ness, demons, or anthing else that would cause us to be a failure. ost of the time, people have a little god about an inch and a half high. 7nd the devil, to them, is about two and a half feet high. The de%il is not bigger than +od0 Confession
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The de%il is not bigger than +od. $ircumstances are not bigger than +od. Disease is not bigger than +od. Fy *ather is greater than all. (e is my *ather, and (e li%es in me. (e"ll put me o%er. (e"ll make me a success. )"m not afraid of anything. The +reater 'ne is in me. (e"s greater than tests and trials. (e"s greater than any other power ) face. (e"s greater than any force that could come against me. ) eIpect (im, in e%ery crisis of life, to rise up within me. ) eIpect (im to gi%e illumination to my mind. ) eIpect (im to gi%e strength to my body. ) eIpect (im to gi%e direction unto my spirit. (e li%es in me. The +reater 'ne li%es in me0 ) cannot be defeated. ) cannot fail. Fy faith is in (im. Fy confidence is in (im. ) am strong in (is power. 'h, glory0
AonHt forget who ou are. AonHt forget who -e is. AonHt forget what -e has done. AonHt forget who and what -e has made ouJ
