Good Morning Sisters and Brothers in Christ,
Our Father God cares greatly for us. We are the apple of His eyes (Psalm 17:8). To this end, our Father God constantly commands us to cast our burdens upon Him and let Him carry our load in this earthly life. We won’t need this in Heaven because we’ll be exclusively in God’s economy with no curse, no sin, and no enemy.
As part of my 2023 Vision, in the Spiritual area, God put into my heart to memorize and learn 150 new verses this year. I’m learning verses 16-18 this week. Daily I recall each of the 18 verses I’ve committed to memory, thus far. What is wonderful about the daily repetition of the verses, and the many other verses I’ve learned through the years, is the meditation it brings with it.
Romans 10:17
So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by The Word of God.
Romans 10:17 tells us by meditating The Word of God, I will develop His Faith, which already resides in me as a fruit of His Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23). Development of God’s faith in me enables me to believe His Word – to speak it with absolute belief and with authority.
One of the verses I’ve learned is Psalm 145:18.
Psalm 145:18
The LORD is nigh unto all them that call upon Him, to all that call upon Him in Truth.
As I’ve meditated this verse over and over, The Word began to speak to me. Remember, it plainly tells us in Psalm 103:20 that God’s Word has a voice. When we meditate His Word, The Word begins to speak to our hearts. It has a voice.
What really began to illuminate, or reveal, Itself to me was the second part of the verse, “….to all that call upon Him in Truth.” When I read the Amplified Classic Version of the Bible, it further expounded on The Word “truth” to be that we call upon God with “no guile.” “Guile” means “insidious cunning, or deception, or duplicity.” Who do we know that fits this definition? Yes, Satan. He is the father of all liars! The Holy Spirit then said there is much more meaning to The Word “Truth.” Notice I capitalized it to show it is deity. Why would I do this? Hold that question.
When reading Psalm 34, The Holy Spirit illuminated Psalm 34:4. This is the verse God gave my wife Dianne seven years ago when He gave her the vision for the orphanage we’re to build on the 107.7 acres of land God is giving to us. The orphanage will be a subdivision of fine homes complete with a Christian School (for the orphanage and the surrounding community) and a Church and training center (for the orphanage and the surrounding community). As I meditated Psalm 34:4, The Father began to tie Psalm 145:18 and Psalm 34:4 together.
Psalm 34:4 (KJV)
I sought The LORD, and He heard me, and delivered me from all my fears.
Psalm 34:4 (AMP Classic)
I sought (inquired of) The Lord and required Him [of necessity and on the authority of His Word], and He heard me, and delivered me from all my fears.
Notice I provided the King James version (KJV) and the Amplified Classic (AMPC) version of the verse. Psalm 34:4 tells us if we inquire of the Lord based upon His Word, He will hear us, and answer us. His answer will deliver us from all our fears.
Now, what does Psalm 145:18 have to do with Psalm 34:4? I’m glad you asked. The clue is the first part of Psalm 34:4, “I sought (inquired of) The Lord…” and the second part of Psalm 145:18, “to all that call upon Him in Truth.” Remember I said I would explain why I ascribe deity to the word “Truth” in Psalm 145:18. When we call upon God, we are to call upon Him using His Word – The Truth. In other words, when we come to God, we are to come to Him standing on His Word.
Hebrews 4:16
Let us therefore come boldly unto The Throne of Grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find Grace to help in time of need.
When we come before God’s Throne of Grace, we are to come with Jesus Christ [Let us]. Why must we come with Jesus? Without Jesus, we have no legal standing before God’s Throne of Grace. Remember Isaiah 43:26.
Isaiah 43:26
Put Me in remembrance: let us plead together: declare thou, that thou mayest be justified.
Jesus pleads our case with us before The Throne of Grace. Jesus gives us standing that we may DECLARE our case and receive JUSTICE. What JUSTICE? What The Word of Almighty God says we should receive.
What is “legal standing?” I provide the following definition from the Alliance Defending Freedom for Faith, for Justice.
“To have standing, a party must show an “injury in fact” to their own legal interests. In other words, has the party itself “suffered” some sort of actual harm? (In constitutional law, this generally refers to one’s legally protected rights and freedoms.) If the party cannot show harm, the party does not have standing and is not the right party to be appearing before the court. Just because a party has standing does not mean that it will win the case; it just means that it has alleged a sufficient legal interest and injury to participate in the case.
Not every injury, or even a prospective injury, is an “injury in fact.”
“Injuries in fact” must be real and of some kind that the law recognizes. It’s usually not enough that an injury might occur, nor is it enough to be a citizen concerned about the case. A party must actually suffer the injury to have standing. But even if one has an actual “injury in fact,” the injury must be “redressable”; that is, it must be an injury for which the court is able by law to provide a remedy.”
The Body of Christ, in the earth (you don’t need it in Heaven), has legal standing, through Jesus Christ, because Satan and the curse have caused injury to OUR own legal interests in the earth. Persecution, sickness, disease, infirmity, weakness, failing minds, poverty, financial struggles, broken marriages, job loss, material loss, spiritual bondage, strife, discontent, and the list goes on and on, are INJURIES to our legal interest in the earth since WE have ownership of the earth through the finished works of Jesus Christ. Do you have financial struggles? This is injury according to God’s Word. Do you suffer from sickness, disease, infirmity, weakness, etc. of the mind and the body? This is injury according to God’s Word. Is your marriage suffering? This is injury according to God’s Word. Do you have a wayward child? This is injury according to God’s Word. We can go on and on. ANYTHING in your life that is NOT according to God’s Word is an “injury in fact” to your own legal (God’s Word) interest. I hope you see and understand this.
When we stand before the Throne of Grace, with Jesus, we are to DECLARE (Isaiah 43:26) our case to The Judge, God. He is the Supreme Court of all Creation – The One and Final Authority. God, as The Judge, is bound by His Word as we learned last week in Psalm 138:2. God MUST answer to His Word. God ONLY rules ACCORDING to His Word. God DOES NOT recognize anything other than His Word. God’s Word is case law and precedent. Bringing opinions, begging, crying, whining, your wisdom, or the wisdom of this world before God will be thrown out of court. God will sustain His Word, but He will overrule anything else. Anything we present in our case to God other than His Word is considered “guile.” If it’s NOT GOD”S WORD, it is the word of the world, which is the word of Satan, which is guile. Anything other than God’s Word is a lie.
The Holy Spirit explained this is why the majority of Believers have poor prayer lives, why the scoreboard of their prayers has such low numbers. God loves us dearly, but He, like His angels, only reacts to the voice of His Word. Let’s look at Psalm 145:18 again based upon what we’ve learned.
Psalm 145:18
The Lord is near until all them that call upon Him, to all that call upon Him based upon His Word and with His Word. The bolded, italicized part is the wording I’ve added for explanation’s sake.
Notice, The Lord is ONLY near to them that call upon Him in Truth. If you’re not calling upon Him in Truth, He’s not hearing what you’re saying. I know this may upset some, but it is strictly done in love and for the purpose of helping many to have a successful prayer life. You should have a prayer scoreboard with a VERY HIGH SCORE.
Let me make sure to explain one thing before it is completely misunderstood. The Father is always near His children. He told us He would never leave us, never forsake us, never fail us. When it says the Lord is “near,” it means He is already with you. However, when we call upon Him, “in Truth,” He leans over with His ear near to our mouth, just as a mother or father does with their little child. We can visualize this. In other words, God is always with us, never, ever leaves us, but He only responds to His Word spoken in faith.
If we want a successful prayer life, we must bring God’s Word to Him for the mountain or the desire (Mark 11:23-25). Crying, moaning, groaning, pleading, begging, etc. doesn’t move God. God’s Word presented in faith moves God. Notice in Hebrews 4:16 it says we are to “come boldly.” Are we bold when we’re crying, moaning, groaning, complaining, pleading, begging, etc.? Of course not. We’re living in our sensual and physical emotions. These are not recognized at the Throne of Grace.
Job 22:28
Thou shalt also decree a thing, and it shall be established unto thee: and the light [of prosperity] shall shine upon thy ways.
Notice, like Isaiah 43:26, we are to DECREE, DECLARE a thing in faith, according to God’s Word, AND IT SHALL BE ESTABLISHED UNTO THEE.
When we boldly declare, with Jesus (in His Name), our petition before the Throne of Grace, according to what God’s Word has to say concerning our situation, whether a mountain or a desire, we receive justice – “it shall be established unto thee.”
The Holy Spirit has challenged us to examine our prayer life according to the guidelines of God’s Word. We should consistently receive the same results Jesus did, while on this earth. Quit glorifying the mountain in our prayers by spending a bunch of time speaking about it. Praise God for our solution by thanking Him and decreeing or declaring God’s Word against the mountain. Do it boldly because the solution, God’s promise, is ours in faith. YOU ALREADY HAVE IT.
In closing, I was speaking with a Brother in Christ the other day when these words came out of my mouth, “the closer we walk with God, the less sophisticated we become.” After I said it, I thought to myself, “what did I just say?” As I quickly mulled it over, The Holy Spirit explained it to me. “Larry, when you cast all your cares upon God, when you commit your works and your ways unto God, when you acknowledge Him in all your ways, when He becomes your wisdom, you become as a child. A child is not sophisticated. Sophistication is another word for guile. Remember, guile is anything that is NOT God’s Word. You make God your only supply for EVERYTHING in life.” As I’ve meditated this, I can clearly see The Truth in it. When I try to do things in my strength, in my or the world’s wisdom, it is sophistication, or better said, “a deception, a facade, a mirage.” Amazing the simplicity of God and His Word. It is not the least bit complicated. Religion and fools complicate it.
Walk with the heart of The Lamb and the attitude of The Lion.
In Christ,
Larry