Good Afternoon Brothers in Christ,
I pray and hope (earnest expectation) you are walking in the waves of God’s grace and experiencing all the fullness of redemption through Christ Jesus. I pray you are experiencing God’s will for you in III John 2:
III John 2
Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as they soul prospereth.
Dr. Bill Winston, a wonderful Man of God and Preacher in Chicago, told the following during one of his sermons. Imagine you are on a very busy sidewalk in a large city. Hundreds of people walking up and down the sidewalk in both directions. It is raining. The rain represents the curse that’s in the earth; the curse brought into the earth by sin. When you look around, you quickly note there are three groups of people: those with no umbrella; those with an umbrella, but it isn’t open; and those with an umbrella which is open. What does each of the three groups of people represent?
The group of people with no umbrella, who are being soaked by the rain, represent the unsaved of the earth. The unsaved are being soaked by the curse, and there’s no way they can avoid it. The group of people with the unopened umbrella are those that are saved by believing and confessing Jesus Christ is Lord and raised from the dead (Romans 10:9-10). However, they are still being soaked by the curse. The third group of people, with the opened umbrella covering them, are the saved who are being protected from the curse. Let’s examine this.
The unsaved have no hope, no protection from the curse. Their only hope and protection is Jesus Christ, if they will believe on Him. Until they do, the curse runs rampant in their lives and in their family’s lives. The saved with the unopened umbrella are the Believers who are also being subjected to the curse. The umbrella represents the Believer’s believed and confessed Word of God over their lives and the lives of their family. So, we can see these Believers with the unopened umbrella are either ignorant of God’s Word, or they have rejected parts of it (cherry pick what they believe). The Believers with the opened umbrella over them are the Believers who study God’s Word, are knowledgeable of it, believe what it says, and confess it over their lives and the lives of their family.
Dr. Winston provides a great word picture as an example of the state of people in this earth. It is sad to think of those with no umbrella, and how there is no hope whatsoever for them until they believe on our Lord and King Jesus Christ. However, I’m most saddened by those Believers who for a variety of reasons are ignorant of God’s Truth or they reject some or much of His Truth. Someone said to me, “well, you should be more concerned with those that aren’t saved and headed into the pit of hell. At least those Believers, regardless of whether they believe all of God’s Truth, are going to Heaven.” My reply, in love, was, “how short-sighted can you be and walk? You miss the whole point of what the opened umbrella represents.” Imagine this: all of the unopened umbrellas are opened, representing those Believers that believe all of God’s Word and obey it. Can you imagine how many people’s lives they could bless, how many unsaved they could share and demonstrate God’s love to, how much of the earth could be brought into the Kingdom of God. Let’s see what it means to have an “opened umbrella.”
An opened umbrella means we study God’s Word diligently, we believe all of God’s Word, and we confess, speak, His Word over our and our family’s lives. A Believer that does this is enjoying the fullness of redemption, of grace: protection, deliverance, healing, and prosperity. Redemption, or to be redeemed, means that we have been purchased or our debt paid by our kinsman [kinsman redeemer is another email and study], Jesus Christ.
Galatians 3:13-14
13Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is everyone that hangeth on a tree (the cross in this case):
14That the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles [heathen; unsaved] through Jesus Christ [our salvation]; that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.
Galatians 3:29
And if ye be Christ’s [saved], then are ye Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.
Romans 4:13
For the promise, that he should be the heir of the world, was not to Abraham, or to his seed, through the law, but through the righteousness of faith.
We can see from the above verses that we are redeemed from the curse (read Deuteronomy 28:15-68 for the curses) by our belief and confession of Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior. If you read the curses in Deuteronomy, and I highly suggest you do, then you can gain a real appreciation for what we’ve been delivered from in the curse. But, there’s more. Our redemption also means we have access to the blessing given to Abraham. Let’s quickly examine this.
Genesis 12:1-3
1Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from they father’s house, unto a land that I will shew thee:
2And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing:
3And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.
Genesis 12:1-3 represents the covenant, a blood covenant, between God and Abram (would later be named Abraham). A covenant is a contract, an agreement between two parties. God said if Abram would leave the world system, the world economy, and the things that would draw him away from God and would completely trust in God, let God lead him, God would set him and his seed above all people of the world [the unsaved], bless him, and make his name great. Abram was then to bless others with that which God blessed him with and do it constantly.
In Genesis 12:2, when God said, “I will bless thee,” you can find these blessings in Deuteronomy 28:1-14. And, the blessings are incredible and meant for us right now, this very minute and into the future. The Believers experiencing all the blessings are the Believers in Dr. Winston’s story that have their umbrella’s opened.
So, what about the Believers with the unopened umbrellas. Are they redeemed from the curse. Absolutely! The problem is due to their ignorance of God’s Word or their rejection of some or much of God’s Word, they expose themselves to the curse. You see, God’s Word is spiritual law. God cannot change His Word nor will He change it.
Psalms 89:34
My covenant will I not break, nor alter the thing that is gone out of My lips.
Once God speaks something, it is a spiritual law forever. So, if a Believer is ignorant of God’s spiritual laws, His Word, or he rejects some or much of God’s spiritual laws, he opens himself up to the very thing, the curse, that God’s Word, spiritual law, is designed to protect you from in this world.
Look, why do you think God said the following:
II Timothy 2:15
Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the Word of Truth.
As I constantly say, and will say over and over, you have to STUDY the Word of God. Else, you’re going to be spiritually ignorant. “I didn’t know” is no defense from the curse. And rejection of some or all of God’s Word because the denomination you attend doesn’t subscribe to it or you don’t believe it doesn’t excuse you from the curse. God cannot and will not alter His Word for you, me, or for anyone in the earth or Heaven. God is no respecter of persons, but He is under His Word (Psalm 138:2).
II Timothy 3:16-17
16All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:
17That the man of God may be perfect [godly maturity], thoroughly furnished unto all good works.
So, every single Word of God’s Truth is given by God Himself and “is profitable.” Profitable to whom? TO YOU!!! The man of God. Why? So you may walk in godly [spiritual] maturity and have the knowledge and power to do everything Christ did when He was on this earth AND MORE – the GREATER WORKS.
John 14:12
Verily, verily [truly], I [Jesus Christ] say unto you, he [you] that believeth on Me [Christ], the works that I do shall he [you] do also; and GREATER WORKS than these shall he [you] do; because I go unto My Father [send back the Holy Spirit to live inside us].
But my church said Jesus was talking to the disciples, not to others, and this power passed away with the disciples and apostles. Well, your church, your denomination is completely wrong. Tell them to STUDY the Greek to determine which tense this verse is written. Then they’ll get a clue to the fact what Jesus said in John 14:12 is still ongoing and will continue until His return. AND, that YOU have the power to do EVERYTHING Jesus Christ did on this earth plus the GREATER WORKS. The “greater works” will be for another email. We’ll be studying “Vengeance and Recompense” in a future lesson in Caleb’s Promise. We’ll really get into the “greater works.”
Our Father, God, is calling out to us, Believers, and looking for some godly men who are willing to stand up, as Believers of the Benjamin Generation, and go to war against Satan and his principalities, powers, rulers of darkness of this world, and spiritual wickedness in high places (Ephesians 6:12), taking back the land, wealth of the earth, kingdoms, and people. Christ defeated Satan at the cross and resurrection. The title deed to the dominion of this earth is back with man through the Son of man, Jesus Christ. As a Believer, He has given YOU the title deed of dominion. What are you doing with it? Getting your teeth kicked in by the squatter, and that is exactly what Satan is, a squatter, everyday, is not what God called us to do. We are more than conquerors through Christ. Yet many of us are living like the vanquished – those with their umbrella unopened.
Well Brothers, “as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord God Almighty.” God has called us to dominion (Genesis 1:26, 28), and I will dominate in the strength and power of the Lord.
Remember this when Satan comes to you to put you into fear and make you doubt God’s Word that you are BLESSED with the blessings given to Abraham (material) in Deuteronomy 28:1-4 and to Jesus Christ (spiritual) in Revelation 5:12:
F.E.A.R = False Evidence Appearing Real
You MUST BELIEVE that you are who God says you are, and you have what He says you have in His Word. You are a “Victor coming from a Victory and going to a Success.”
Proverbs 23:7
For as he [YOU] thinketh in his [YOUR] heart, so is he [YOU]:
Get your believing right by studying God’s Word. Don’t just accept what your preacher, priest, or any other man has to say. Do what you are commanded to do in I John 4:1, and try the word to make sure it lines up with God’s Truth. Believe me, because I lived it for years, “but my preacher or priest said,” is no defense against the curse. God makes it very clear to us that He has given us the knowledge and power to do His will on this earth.
Deuteronomy 30:19
I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live:
John 6:63
It is the Spirit that quickeneth [makes alive]; the flesh [natural, wisdom of the world] profiteth nothing: the Words that I [Christ] speak unto you, They are Spirit and They are life.
“Choose life.” The Word of God is “life.” Get in it, study it, believe it, confess it, and live the “exceedingly abundant” (Ephesians 3:20) life in Christ. “Exceedingly Abundant Life” is one of a great spiritual life, great health, great prosperity, great relationships, a great marriage, great businesses, great family, peace, love, joy, patience, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness [humbleness], and self control [temperance]. I want it, and I want ALL of God’s blessings for me and my family.
For those that can attend, the next meeting of Caleb’s Promise will be Thursday September 13, 2018, 1PM – 4:30PM, in the Ybor Room of the University Club of Tampa. There is no expense. Just come ready to study our Father’s Word and receive the multiplication of grace and peace (II Peter 1:2).
In Christ,
Larry