Good Afternoon Brothers in Christ,
We had a great Caleb’s Promise meeting this past Thursday. The format was different in that questions were asked about previous lessons or about Bible topics in general. We had some awesome discussion and conversation. To the Brothers that participated, seeing and hearing what you’ve learned and are applying in your walk with Christ is exhilarating for me. To hear the questions you are asking, the depth to which you are studying, and the inquisitiveness you are asking of the Holy Spirit fills me with the joy of Christ. Month by month we are being freed of denominational dogma, man’s traditions, and the rudiments of the world (Colossians 2:8) – freed of opinions and preferences, both of which stand against the truth of our Father and His Son, Jesus Christ.
The next meeting of Caleb’s Promise, which will be some time in April, yet to be set, the lesson will be on “prayer.” Simply put, there is an effective and ineffective way to pray. Effective means you see your prayers answered consistently. If we are honest with ourselves, most of us have more of our prayers go unanswered, than answered. Why is this? Our Father says “whatsoever we ask [Greek word is “demand”], we receive of Him, because we keep His commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in His sight” (I John 3:22). Our Father also says in III John 2, the following:
Beloved, I wish [will] above all things, that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth.
Well, shoot. I John 3:22 and III John 2 just put a crimp in the “it must not be God’s will crowd.” Ok, so if our Father’s will is we materially prosper in all areas of our life and physically are in great health, on this earth, why are we not seeing it come to pass in our lives? Both I John 3:22 and III John 2 give us the answer. It’s our “stinking thinking.” Is it God’s will that any man go to hell? No. John 3:16-17 gives us God’s will that all men come to know Jesus Christ as their Savior. Do all men accept Jesus Christ as their Savior? No, even though it is God’s will. So, this line of thinking then ask the same question of “are all Believers prospered and in good health?” The obvious answer, when we look around, is no. Why? For the same reason men die and go to hell – the Believer, who is saved and going to Heaven at death or the Rapture, whichever occurs first, rejects God’s Word willfully or through ignorance. Either way, this Believer will not live at the level God intends for him to live.
I John 3:22 says “we receive of Him because we keep His commandments and do those things pleasing in His sight.” Boiling this down, this verse is saying we keep His commandments because we are righteous through Jesus Christ, who kept all of the commandments, and we operate according to our Father’s spiritual laws/commandments. Doing those things pleasing in His sight is walking by faith and not by sight [physical senses](II Corinthians 5:7). A key part of this verse is “keep His commandments.” When we read this, we always think the Ten Commandments. This is not referring to the Ten Commandments. It is referring to a Believer keeping the spiritual laws/commandments our Father put in place, such as Faith, Sowing and Reaping, Confession, etc. In other words, God cannot do anything for you if it breaks His spiritual law/commandment.
Let’s look at III John 2. The ONLY way you’ll materially prosper and be in great physical health, in line with God’s will, is when your soul [spiritual] prospers. How does your soul prosper? Look at II Peter 1:2-3:
Grace [unmerited, unearned, underserved favor] and peace [Hebrew word “Shalom” meaning “peace, harmony, wholeness, completeness, prosperity, welfare, tranquility] be multiplied unto you through the knowledge [Hebrew word “yada” meaning “entered into a covenant relationship” such as marriage – we know our wives intimately – this is the way we are to know our Father and Jesus Christ – intimately] of God, and of Jesus our Lord.
In order for your soul to prosper, and, in turn, you materially and physically prosper, you must first come to know our Father and our Savior and elder Brother, Jesus Christ, intimately. We do this through our Father’s Word. This is where we become “intimate – come to know our Father and Brother – in the same way a husband comes to know his wife.” When you come to understand our Father’s Word, understand who you are in Christ, understand the power and authority given you, understand that EVERYTHING was prepared for and given to you, in the spiritual realm, before the creation of the earth, and understand how to decree our Father’s Word, in faith, to appropriate what we desire from the spiritual realm, then you will be prosperous and healthy – you and your generations. This is what God’s Word says. Black and white, yes and no.
II Corinthians 1:20 tells us, “For all the promises of God in Him [Christ] are yea, and in Him Amen, unto the glory of God by us. If God has promised something in His Word to us, we have every right to it through Jesus Christ.
So, to wrap up, “prayer” is vital to our walk with Christ. We will learn that prayer is more than what we’ve been taught in church – much more. There are many forms of prayer. We will learn that God cannot answer any prayer you ask of Him if He has already provided the answer to you before the foundation of the world. If the answer is already available to you in the spiritual realm (Ephesians 1:3), if what you need is already available to you in the spiritual realm, God will not provide it to you. He can’t because He has already provided it to you.
Blessings to all. I pray the Spirit of Wisdom and Revelation in the knowledge of our Father and Jesus Christ overwhelms you with the fruit of the Word.
Larry