Beyond Positive Thinking

Jesus: Our Sacrifice

Jim Collins — Wed, 25 Aug 2010 21:04:19 +0000

Two of the most challenging areas in the lives of many people are finances and health. Ask the next 10 people you see “How are you?” and you will be surprised at how many answers are along the lines of health and money. If people are not complaining about their health, they are complaining about how broke they are. If they are not complaining about how broke they are, they are complaining about sick they are.

As someone who embraces the Christian faith, I believe God has taken an interest in our lives in the areas of prosperitiy and health. I believe Jesus Christ not only became the propitiation (substitutionary sacrifice) for our sins, but I believe God also sent Him to be the propitiation (substitutionary sacrifice) for our poverty and sickness as well.

1 John 4:10 (NKJV)

In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins.

1 John 4:10 (NLT)

This is real love. It is not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins.

Propitiation means sacrifice. Jesus became the sacrifice to take away our sins. He became the substitutionary sacrifice for our sins. He became sin so we could be righteous.

2 Corinthians 5:21 (NKJV)

For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.

Just as He became the substitutionary sacrifice for our sins so we could be right with God, He also became the substitutionary sacrifice for our poverty and sickness. He became the substitutionary sacrifice so that our poverty and sickness could be taken away just as our sin had been taken away.

If God loved us enough to give His only begotten Son as the sacrifice for our sins, doesn’t it just make sense that He would make a provision for our prosperity and health through Christ as well? The following Scripture outlines God’s will concerning prosperity and health for the believer.

3 John 2 (NKJV)

Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers.

The word “Beloved” refers to Christians, those who believe in Christ. The challenge is that many people have accepted Christ as their Redeemer from sin, but have rejected Him as their Redeemer from poverty and sickness. The Bible states that Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law.

Galatians 3:13 (NKJV)

Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us (for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree”).

The threefold curse of the law is poverty, sickness and spiritual death, which is outlined in Deuteronomy 28:15-68. Take some time and prayerfully read through that portion of Scripture.

The Bible also says that God gave Jesus Christ to be the propitiation (substitutionary sacrifice) for our poverty and sickness. Jesus actually became poor so that we could become rich. He became sick so we could be healthy.

2 Corinthians 8:9 (NKJV)

For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, that you through His poverty might become rich.

Matthew 8:17 (NKJV)

That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet, saying: “He Himself took our infirmities and bore our sicknesses.”

The objective of Beyond Positive Thinking Ministries is to help you fulfill the will of God in your life according to 3 John 2. You will prosper in your finances and in your physical body to the degree that you prosper in your mind. The way you think about money and health will determine the way you believe about them. If your thinking is wrong, your believing will be wrong. You will prosper financially and physically just as you are prospering mentally. It all starts with your thoughts and the way you think and believe about these two areas of your life.

Beyond Positive Thinking Ministries has resources available to you that will help you receive everything that Jesus Christ gave you 2000 years ago when He died on the cross at Calvary. Simply visit our On-Line Store!

The Love Factor

Jim Collins — Wed, 25 Aug 2010 20:12:21 +0000

The Love Factor

John 13:34 (NKJV)

“A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another.”

Jesus admonishes us to love one another, but what is the definition of the word “love?” Unless we know the definition of love, how can we pursue practicing it?

There are two primary definitions of love in the New Testament. One is the Greek word “phileo” and the other is the Greek word “agape.” Phileo is a natural human love, and it can be characterized by a tender affection between spouses or the love that friends share.

Agape love is the God-kind of love. Jesus was referring to the God-kind of love when He said “love one another as I have loved you.” The characteristics of agape love (the God-kind of love) are defined in First Corinthians chapter thirteen verses four to eight.

1 Corinthians 13:4-8a (NKJV)

4 Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up;

5 Does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil;

6 Does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth;

7 Bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
8 Love never fails.

1 Corinthians 13:4

(NKJV) Love suffers long and is kind.

(AMP) Love endures long and is patient and kind.

Love is Patient

Do you suffer from “hurry sickness” or impatience? How long does it take for you to honk your horn when you are sitting behind a driver who does not move after the light turns green? A truly patient person seldom honks, and if he does, it is usually with a gentle reminder tap. An impatient person is quick to lay on the horn.

Love is Kind

How quick are you to give a smile, your time, your money, and a listening ear to others? What this portion of this verse is really saying is that we are to be patient under trials. Not only are we to hang in there, but we are to be kind during the difficult times in our lives.

1 Corinthians 13:4

(NKJV) Love does not envy.

(AMP) Love never is envious nor boils over with jealousy.

Envy leads to Jealousy

Love is not disturbed at the prosperity of others. It does not seek to control or manipulate others. Are you willing to allow others to share friendship with your friends? Are you quick to volunteer your possessions or your home for something that benefits others? Are you quick to applaud others who succeed or who are promoted or receive rewards?

1 Corinthians 13:4

(NKJV) Love does not parade itself, is not puffed up.

(AMP) Love is not boastful or vainglorious, does not display itself haughtily; it is not conceited (arrogant and inflated with pride).

Love is not Proud or Boastful

Do you feel an overwhelming need to tell others about your achievements or possessions? Does the conversation always seem to come around to you-not because others ask, but because you feel a need to tell?

1 Corinthians 13:5

(NKJV) Love does not behave rudely.

(AMP) Love is not rude (unmannerly) and does not act unbecomingly.

Love is not Rude

One of the great manifestations of love is courtesy. Unloving people rarely care about manners and they don’t bother saying “please” or “thank you.” It’s been said that you can get around any country if you know two words: please and thank you. Has someone helped you out recently? Did you thank them properly?

1 Corinthians 13:5

(NKJV) Love does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil.

(AMP) Love (God’s love in us) does not insist on its own rights or its own way, for it is not self-seeking; it is not touchy or fretful or resentful; it takes no account of the evil done to it [it pays no attention to a suffered wrong].

Love is not Selfish

Being self-centered or selfish has little to do with hoarding possessions or keeping them away from another person. Selfish people are those who insist on having their way. They expect others to give in to their demands. They are “my way or the highway” people. Question: Are you quick to put the needs of others ahead of your needs?

Love is not Provoked

The word provoked means easily irritated. Sometimes we are irritated or angered by others and we don’t know why. Much irritability comes from a love of perfection, a deep desire that programs, meetings, and structures must run perfectly. A desire to run things perfectly can erupt into anger at events and people who get in the way or ruin that desire. Those who are easily irritated need to remember that perfection exists only in God. We need to love Him and love others, not the visions we have or perfection here on earth.

Love does not Keep Track of Wrongs

Loving people forgive quickly and easily and refuse to keep score against another person. Check your own heart here. Are you holding something against another person? Do you feel you need to settle a score with someone?

1 Corinthians 13:6

(NKJV) Love does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth.

(AMP) Love does not rejoice at injustice and unrighteousness, but rejoices when right and truth prevail.

Love Desires Justice

Those who are walking in love want to see justice prevail for those who are victims. They find no pleasure in hearing about crime or violence. They have hearts that desire to help the innocent. Is there anybody about whom you find yourself saying, “He deserves what he got?” Love covers another’s sin; it doesn’t expose it and gossip about it. Do you have a tendency to say, “Did you hear about so and so?”

1 Corinthians 13:7

(NKJV) Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

(AMP) Love bears up under anything and everything that comes, is ever ready to believe the best of every person, its hopes are fadeless under all circumstances, and it endures everything [without weakening].

Love is Quick to Believe the Best

Love doesn’t gossip or look for flaws in other people. Love holds people in high regard and quickly overlooks a mistake. Do you find yourself jumping to the worst conclusions about people without giving them the benefit of the doubt? Love thinks no evil. Instead love believes the best

Love does not Quit

Love doesn’t give up. Love doesn’t throw the towel in when the going gets tough. Love will motivate you to make a commitment to your decision. You make a commitment to your decision of marriage by resolving to live the God-kind of love toward your spouse.

1 Corinthians 13:8a

(NKJV) Love never fails.

(AMP) Love never fails [never fades out or becomes obsolete or comes to an end].

Love Never Fails

Love is constant. The truly loving person just keeps on loving, no matter what happens-no matter what others say or do, regardless of the situation or circumstances. Love hangs in there. Have you given up on a person, convinced that he or she is destined for hard times or eternal punishment?

Walking in love is a choice. Acting on that choice takes effort. Walking in love starts by choosing to turn your thinking from the way the vast majority of people in the world think, and go radically against what many people perceive to be basic human nature, and pursue instead the nature of God, which is love.

Loving as God loves requires practice, practice, practice. Practice patience and kindness. Practice not being jealous, proud, rude, or selfish. Practice believing the best of every person. Practice loving as God loves, knowing that love always succeeds!

God’s Will is Prosperity and Health

Jim Collins — Fri, 25 Jun 2010 21:58:38 +0000

How can we know God’s perfect will for our lives? Where can we find the will of God? God’s Word contains His will. God’s will is found in His Word. The apostle Paul told us that we could know God’s perfect will by renewing our minds with the Word of God.

Romans 12:2 (NKJV)
And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.

The mission of Beyond Positive Thinking Ministries is to help people fulfill the will of God is their lives according to 3 John 2, they prosper in all things and live in health. The key to receiving the prosperity and health that God wants for you is found in the last part of the verse, “just as your soul prospers.”

3 John 2 (NKJV)
Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers.

Your soul refers to your mind, will, intellect and emotions. The soul is where your thinking takes place. You will prosper both financially and physically just as you are prospering mentally. It all starts with your thoughts and the way you think about these two areas of your life.

We are going to answer four questions in this article:
1. Who is “Beloved” referring to?
2. What does “prosper” mean?
3. What does “health” refer to?
4. What does it mean to prosper in your soul?

Who is “Beloved” referring to?
It is important to identify to whom this verse (3 John 2) is being written. At first glance, after reading verse one, it appears that John is writing this letter to Gaius only, but in verse two John uses the word “Beloved” to address the recipients of this letter. We will use the Word of God to answer this first question.

Ephesians 1:5-6 (NKJV)
v. 5 Having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will,
v. 6 To the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted IN THE BELOVED.

What is the definition of “Beloved” in verse six? We will define it with the New Living Translation of verse six.

Ephesians 1:6 (NLT)
So we praise God for the wonderful kindness he has poured out on us because we belong to his dearly loved Son.

“Beloved” refers to any person who belongs to God’s dearly loved Son, Jesus Christ. Do you belong to Jesus Christ today? Are you a child of God? Are you in the family of God? You are if you have placed your faith in Jesus Christ.

Galatians 3:26 (NLT)
So you are all children of God through faith in Christ Jesus.

Any person who has placed his or her faith in Jesus Christ has been accepted in the Beloved, and is a member of the family of God, and now God is his or her very own Father.

What does “prosper” mean?
The word “prosper” is only found once in the New Testament and the word “prosperity” is not found at all in the New Testament.

What is the first thing most people think of when “prosperity” is mentioned? Money and material possessions, right? However, prosperity is really much more than that. Let’s look at the biblical definition of prosperity. The first thing we know is that it is God’s will for us to prosper in ALL THINGS (Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things).

The Greek word for prosper is “euodoo” (yoo-od-o: Strong’s #2137). Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible gives this definition: “to help on the road; to succeed in reaching; to succeed in business affairs; to have a prosperous journey.” Certainly life is a journey, and God’s will is that it be a prosperous one!

Vine’s Complete Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words adds this to the definition of prosper: “in material things; the continuous tense suggests the successive circumstances of varying prosperity as week follows week; in 3 John 2 prosper also refers to the “prosperity” of physical and spritual health.”

Prosper and Prosperity are found well over 50 times in the Old Testament. One of the three Hebrew words for prosperity is “shalom” (Strong’s #7965). It means peace, prosperity and health.

Each individual must determine what prosperity means to them. Every person must find a definition that he or she can believe in. Do you know how many people do not believe that it is God’s will for them to prosper and be in health?

Many people equate prosperity with an amount on money or with material possessions. To one a prosperous person is a millionaire, to another a prosperous person is one who is financially free, and yet to another a prosperous person is one who lives in a spacious home, drives a luxury car, and wears designer clothes.

Is a person prosperous if he or she is continually challenged with a lack of physical wellness and their bodies continually filled with sickness and disease? Is a person prosperous if he or she is continually experiencing strife in their relationships? Is the prosperous person one who is continually filled with fear, worry and anxiety? According to our previous Bible definitions, a lack of peace and/or a lack of physical health would disqualify an individual from being defined as prosperous person.

My point is twofold. First, prosperity is not an amount. Second, prosperity is all encompassing, it not only includes financial well being, but it also includes physical well being and spiritual well being.

Here is my personal definition of prosperity: “Prosperity is having enough of God’s resources to fulfill my God-given dream.”

What does “health” refer to?
Prosperity does not only refer to financial and spiritual health, but it refers to physical health as well. It refers to your body keeping well. Let’s read the Amplified Translation of 3 John 2 in order to confirm our definition of the word “health.”

3 John 2 (AMP)
Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in every way AND [THAT YOUR BODY] MAY KEEP WELL, even as [I know] your soul keeps well and prospers.

God’s will is that your body gets well and stays healthy. After all, God called Himself Jehovah Rapha to His covenant people in Exodus 15:26, which means the Lord who heals you!

What does it mean to prosper in your soul?
What is a prosperous soul? We find the answer in 3 John 3-4.

3 John 3-4 (NKJV)
v. 3 For I rejoiced greatly when brethren came and testified of the truth that is in you, just as you walk in the truth.
v. 4 I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth.

A prosperous soul is a mind filled with the Truth. What is the Truth?

John 17:17 (NKJV)
Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth.

God’s Word is Truth! A prosperous soul is a mind filled with God’s Word. A prosperous soul is a renewed mind. Your soul prospering, which means your mental prosperity, is dependent on renewing your mind with the Word of God. “Just as your soul prospers” refers to the degree that your mind is renewed with the Word of God.

Your prosperity and health are dependent upon your soul prospering. Your soul prospering means renewing your mind with what the Word of God says about prosperity and health. You will prosper financially and physically just as you are prospering mentally. It all starts with your thoughts and the way you think about these two areas of your life.

God’s greatest joy is to hear that His children walk in the truth of His Word. Walking in the Truth means walking in the light of God’s Word. It means practicing the Word of God. It means living according to the success principles set forth in the Word of God.

7 Kingdom Success Principles

Jim Collins — Fri, 25 Jun 2010 21:57:39 +0000

Let’s look at seven Kingdom Success Principles that Jesus gave us from the Parable of the Talents. The Parable of the Talents is found in Matthew 25:14-29

Jesus starts by saying that the Kingdom of Heaven can be illustrated by the story of a man going on a trip. He called together his servants and gave them money to invest for him while he was gone.

Matthew 25:14 (NKJV)
For the kingdom of heaven is like a man traveling to a far country, who called his own servants and delivered his goods to them.

Kingdom Success Principle #1
We are Stewards of the resources that God has entrusted to us while we’re on the earth.

We have got to embrace the attitude that God owns everything and we are simply Stewards of not only His money and His property, but we are Stewards of the talents and abilities He has chosen to bless us with. God wants us to be good Stewards with the jobs, businesses, and ministries He has entrusted us with. And it all begins by making the best use of the gifts, talents, and abilities He has bestowed on us.

Matthew 25:15
NKJV: And to one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one, to each according to his own ability; and immediately he went on a journey.

AMP: To one he gave five talents [probably about $5,000], to another two, to another one-to each in proportion to his own personal ability. Then he departed and left the country.

There are two phrases I want to draw your attention to: “to each according to his own ability” and “to each in proportion to his own personal ability.”

Did you know that God gave you talents and abilities that nobody else has? That’s right! God thinks you can do something better than anybody else on the planet.

Will you go to your grave with your music still in you? How will you answer when you’re face to face with God someday and He asks you how you did with the unique talents and abilities He gave to you and you alone? Don’t wait until you get to heaven to hear God say, “I gave you all that potential and you never took the time to develop it.”

God has given each person unique talents and abilities. It is not he amount that is important, but the uniqueness. Your ability to grow and develop your talents will be based on your desire to become excellent at them. If God gave you a dream, He also gave you the ability to realize it, but that ability though, in most cases, needs to be developed.

So many times we compare our talents and abilities to the talents and abilities of others. Notice that God gave different amounts of talents to each person. To one he gave five, to another two, and to another one. God distributes His gifts according to the ability of His people to use them. And the way you get more is to be faithful with what you have by becoming excellent with the gift, the talent, and the ability that God has already given you.

Kingdom Success Principle #2
Success isn’t measured by how talented you are compared to how talented someone else is; it’s measured by how talented you are compared to how talented you become. Success is measured by how determined you are to become excellent at what God has called you to do.

Only when you identify your God-given talents and abilities, can you then focus on becoming excellent at them. You will be rewarded in life to the extent that you become excellent at what God has called you to do.

Matthew 25:16 (NASB)
Immediately the one who had received the five talents went and traded with them, and gained five more talents.

Notice it says “immediately”. That means to take action. That means no procrastination. That means get on with it. The past is gone…we cannot continue to stay discouraged over missed opportunities. Do you know how many people are not doing what God wants them to do because they are still thinking about past failures?

Notice the phrase “traded with them”; that means making the best possible use of your opportunities.

Kingdom Success Principle #3
Take consistent action. Be persistent and consistent. Do what you know you need to do. The Ultimate Success Secret is to make the best use of the opportunities God gives you by taking consistent action.

Let’s see what happens when we make the best possible use of the opportunities that God gives us. The person with five talents acquired five more, meaning he took the time to become excellent at improving his ability to increase his value. The same happened to the person with two talents, he acquired two more. The person who received five talents now has 10, and the person that was given two talents now has four. That brings us to Kingdom Success Principle number four.

Kingdom Success Principle #4
All life asks us to do is make measurable progress in reasonable time.
Is it too much for God to ask us to increase our value by doubling our effectiveness? That is what the two people in the Parable of the Talents did; they increased their value by doubling their effectiveness. We are talking about producing results. We are talking about accomplishment, and we know that we are only really happy in life when we are in the process of accomplishing.

What is God’s response to the person who becomes excellent at what He has called them to do? What is God’s response to the person who develops their God-given potential? What is God’s response to the person who makes measurable progress in reasonable time? What is God’s response to increase? What is God’s response to the person who doubles their value and their effectiveness? We find the answer in the following verses:

Matthew 25:21, 23 (NLT)
The master was full of praise. “Well done, my good and faithful servant. You have been faithful in handling this small amount, so now I will give you many more responsibilities. Let’s celebrate together!”

Notice that the person with four talents receives the same commendation as the one with 10. Why? Because success is not measured by how well you do compared to how well someone else does. Success is measured by how well you do by how well God thinks you can do. The issue is not how much we have, but how well we use what we have.

God rewards faithfulness. Faithfulness leads to promotion. With promotion comes added responsibility. And those new responsibilities will require the development of new skills. Your ability to grow and develop those new skills will be based on your desire to become excellent at them.

Have you made a decision to become excellent at what God has called you to do? We are really talking about personal development here. One motivational speaker said that if you want to become a millionaire, all you have to do is become a million dollar person.

Now let’s look at what happened to the person who received one talent, but did not increase it.
Jesus called the person with one talent wicked and lazy because he did not increase his value at all. In other words, he never became excellent at developing his God-given talents and abilities.

Why didn’t the person with one talent increase his value? If we can identify the obstacles to success, then hopefully we can learn from them, or if we need to, eliminate them. In other words, we can learn from our failures.

Matthew 25:24 (NKJV)
Then he who had received the one talent came and said, “Lord, I knew you to be a hard man…”

The first reason this person never increased his value is because he had the wrong perception of God. He thought God was an ogre and a tyrant who would condemn him if he made a mistake. This man never knew God as his loving, heavenly Father. God made a way whereby we could know Him as our Father, and that way is through His Son, Jesus Christ. The Bible clearly tells us that a person knows God as their Father through a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.

Galatians 3:26 (NLT)
So you are all children of God through faith in Christ Jesus.

Let’s talk about prosperity and abundance for a moment. Do you know why so many people, including many well-meaning Christians, are broke? Because they do not really believe that it is God’s will for them to be rich. All rich means is abundantly supplied. Rich is not necessarily an amount. In its simplest definition, all rich means is to have more than you need.

Kingdom Success Principle #5
You must know AND believe that it is God’s will for you to be prosperous, rich, and abundantly supplied.

Jesus Christ gave us 38 parables, 16 of them deal with money management. More is said in the New Testament about money than heaven and hell combined. Five times more is said about money than prayer. There are 500 verses on both prayer and faith, yet there are over 2000 verses dealing with money and possessions.

God is not only interested in you having money, but He wants you to manage it wisely as a good Steward so He can give you more and more.

Deuteronomy 8:18 (NIV)
But remember the Lord your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth, and so confirms his covenant, which he swore to your forefathers, as it is today.

If God gave you the ability to produce wealth, does it make any sense that His will would be for you to be broke? You say, “Jim I’m not broke!” If you are in debt, you are broke according to Deuteronomy 28:12 and Proverbs 22:7

The ability to produce wealth is a seed that God has planted inside every human being, and many people never take the time to develop that gift from God.

We said earlier that your dreams are simply God seeking expression through you, and if God gave you a dream, then He also gave you the ability to realize it, but that ability, in most cases, needs to be developed.

Let me ask you a question: When will you be able to give $1 million dollars to missions? You say, “Jim, that’s too big a number for me to even think about.” Here’s the point: God’s going to give that ability to someone, why not you?

You know why your business needs to be superabundantly prosperous financially? So you can sow obscene amounts of money into the Kingdom of God! That is what Deuteronomy 8:18 is all about.

The second reason the person with one talent never increased his value was because of a four letter word that has caused more people to settle for mediocrity than any other thing; F-E-A-R.

At the beginning of verse 25, the man with one talent said, “I was afraid…”

Fear will prevent you from becoming all God wants you to be. The eternal battle on the earth is being waged between fear and faith.

We said earlier that success is measured by how determined you are to become excellent at what God has called you to do. Another word for that would be self-discipline.

Matthew 25:26 (NLT)
But the master replied, “You wicked and lazy and idle servant!”

Laziness is considered wicked. Refusing to work is called being an idle servant. You know what God is saying here? “Why didn’t you take advantage of the opportunities I gave you? Why didn’t you learn how to develop your potential? Why didn’t you increase your talents and abilities? Why didn’t you take the time to become excellent at what I called you to do?”

Kingdom Success Principle #6
Go to work on a regular basis, and start a personal development plan. Don’t just work on your job and in your business, work on yourself.

I heard one motivational speaker say that you work eight hours for survival, and everything after that is for success. We were talking about personal development earlier when we said that if you want to become a millionaire, all you have to do is become a million dollar person. I have a feeling that most millionaires worked extremely hard to get there.

Matthew 25:28 (NKJV)
So take the talent from him, and give it to him who has ten talents.

Doesn’t that sound terrible? Did you ever hear the expression “use it or lose it?” This is where it came from. Jesus called the person with one talent wicked and lazy because he did not increase his value at all. In other words, he never became excellent at developing his God-given talents and abilities. Because of this, his talent was given to the person with 10 talents.

Matthew 25:29 (NKJV)
For to everyone who has, more will be given, and he will have abundance; but from him who does not have, even what he has will be taken away.

Did you ever hear the expression: “The rich get richer and the poor get poorer?” It sounds harsh, but it is a biblical truth. The reason the rich get richer and the poor get poorer is because the rich take advantage of the opportunities God presents to them and the poor never do.

Let’s define abundance. The definition of abundance will tie all the Kingdom Success Principles together.
In Vines Dictionary, abundance is defined as the right use of what God has entrusted to us. That refers to stewardship. In Strong’s Concordance, it means to increase: to make more, have more, and be more. Abundance means superabundant in quantity and superior in quality. It means to excel (excellence). It is also defined as enough and to spare. We said earlier that “rich” means to have more than you need. Abundance is simply much more than you need.

Matthew 25:29 (NLT)
To those who use well what they are given, even more will be given, and they will have an abundance. But from those who are unfaithful, even what little they have will be taken away.

Kingdom Success Principle #7
God is a God of increase and abundance. Being faithful with what God has given you will bring increase and abundance into your life.

Faithfulness equals excellence. You receive the abundance God has for you by becoming a person of excellence. Excellence starts by adding value to your own life by increasing the talents and abilities that God has given you. The person who becomes excellent at what God has called them to do will have abundance in their life.

Your God-given dream will require you to become excellent at something. God gave you talents and abilities to achieve your God-given dream. It is up to you to stir up the gift that God has placed inside you by becoming excellent at what God has called you to do. When you adopt this attitude of excellence, when you adopt the mindset that God wants you to increase, and when you take consistent action on those two beliefs, you will receive the Kingdom result that Jesus spoke of in the Parable of the Talents, and that result is ABUNDANCE!

Realizing Your God-given Dream

Jim Collins — Fri, 25 Jun 2010 21:56:43 +0000

The foundation for realizing your God-given dream starts with 2 questions:

1. Why were you created?
2. What’s your purpose in life?

The purpose of your life here on the earth is to glorify God as you prepare for your eternal future. You were created to have fellowship with God through the process of realizing your God-given dream. With that foundation, let’s start in Ephesians chapter 2:

Ephesians 2:8-10 (NKJV)
8 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God,
9 Not of works, lest anyone should boast.
10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.

Verses 8 and 9 in Ephesians 2 intimate that you were born to be born-again. You were born physically to be born-again spiritually. Let me explain: Reality as we know it is the result of a God who created everything we see. God created the world because He wanted to be part of it; He wanted to infuse His life into it. As part of a means to this end, God created mankind to be able to represent His wisdom and ability within creation. God created people to be bearers of His life and nature, so He breathed into them His very breath.

Genesis 2:7 (AMP)
Then the Lord God formed man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath or spirit of life, and man became a living being.

God’s breath in mankind was the way God was entering His creation. God wanted His glory to be present in this world through the human experience. But in tragic irony the very beings God created for Him to have access into the world rebelled against His intention, and lost access to His breath – they lost access to His presence. The breath of God, the presence of God, the Spirit of God, no longer lived inside mankind; they lost God’s life and nature, the very thing they were created to possess. The human race died spiritually, and now every person in creation is separated from his or her Creator.

The good news it that not only is God a Creator, but He is also a Redeemer and a Restorer. God found a completely legal way to resolve the problem by finding a way to reconnect with the human race and bring His original intention to pass. Jesus Christ came to this planet to take on our spiritual death, and He found a way to re-“breath” into us – to cause us to be, in a spiritual sense, born-again.

John 20:22 (NLT)
Then he (Jesus) breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit.” (emphasis mine)

When a person places their faith in Christ and confesses Jesus as Lord, God’s life and nature once again indwell that person. The Spirit of God (the Holy Spirit) comes to live inside that person, in their born-again spirit. That person once again has access to the presence of God.

What is the gift of God referring to in Ephesians 2:8?

Ephesians 2:8 (NKJV)
For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the GIFT of God.

Romans 6:23 gives us the answer:

Romans 6:23 (NKJV)
For the wages of sin is death, but the GIFT of God is ETERNAL LIFE in Christ Jesus our Lord.

The gift of God refers to Eternal Life. Eternal Life is the life and nature of God that is imparted to a person’s spirit at the new birth making that person a New Creation, a person filled with the presence of God in the person of the Holy Spirit.

This experience is commonly referred to as salvation. Salvation puts a person back into the original relationship that God intended for each person to have with Him since the beginning of time. You were born to be born-again.

Establishing a relationship with God is the first step to realizing your God-given dream. Ephesians 2:8 and 9 deal with the “relationship” aspect of your life with God.

The second step to realizing your God-given dream is to maintain daily fellowship with the Holy Spirit. Ephesians 2:10 deals with the “fellowship” aspect of your life with God.

Ephesians 2:10 (NKJV)
For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.

Ephesians 2:10 refers to each individual’s God-given dream, which was prepared by God for each person to realize during his or her life here on the earth. The way you realize your God-given dream is to get saved (salvation establishes your relationship with God through Jesus Christ) and then by maintaining daily fellowship with the Holy Spirit through the process of realizing your God-given dream. Why were you created again? You were created to have fellowship with God through the process of realizing your God-given dream.

This two-step process is confirmed by Jesus in John 17:

John 17:3-4 (NKJV)
3 “And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.
4 I have glorified You on the earth. I have finished the work which You have given Me to do.”

Salvation refers to receiving Eternal Life, which establishes your relationship with God.
Finishing the work that God has given you to do refers to realizing Your God-given dream, which is only possible by maintaining daily fellowship with the Holy Spirit.

Now look at the first sentence in John 17:4, “I have glorified You on the earth.” Jesus said that He glorified God on the earth. What’s your purpose in life again? To glorify God as you prepare for your eternal future. Jesus glorified God on the earth by realizing His God-given dream; by completing the work that God had given Him to do. Your God-given dream includes the special work that God has given you to do while you’re on the earth. The realization of your God-given dream will glorify God on the earth.

Let’s compare and contrast relationship and fellowship for a moment:

Have you ever heard the phrase “Christianity isn’t a religion, it’s a relationship.” That’s only partially true, and here’s why: As a Christian, your relationship with God will never change. Because of Jesus’ death on the cross, you are and always will be a child of God. What can and will change is your fellowship with God, and your life will reflect the quality of your fellowship. Your relationship with God is never in jeopardy, but the quality of your fellowship with Him will determine what direction your life takes and where your focus will be.

For example, when two people get married, a legal relationship is established, but that marriage will never become heaven on earth marital bliss unless daily fellowship takes place between the husband and wife. And so it is with God. The relationship has been established through Jesus Christ and anyone can enter into that relationship by placing their faith in Christ, but you will not know God intimately unless you spend time with Him by maintaining daily fellowship with the Holy Spirit, and one way you can do that is through the process of realizing your God-given dream.

Ephesians 2:10 (AMP)
For we are God’s [own] handiwork (His workmanship), recreated in Christ Jesus, [born anew] that we may do those good works which God predestined (planned beforehand) for us [taking paths which He prepared ahead of time], that we should walk in them [living the good life which He prearranged and made ready for us to live].

For we are God’s [own] handiwork (His workmanship), recreated in Christ Jesus, [born anew].

We were born to be born-again. Why? The second part of the verse gives us the answer:

That we may do those good works which God predestined (planned beforehand) for us [taking paths which He prepared ahead of time], that we should walk in them.

This part of the verse refers to realizing your God-given dream. Your dream is simply God seeking expression through you. What is the outcome when you get born-again and maintain daily fellowship with the Holy Spirit through the realization of your God-given dream?

(You’ll be) living the good life, which He prearranged and made ready for you to live.

When you are in the process of realizing your God-given dream, you will find yourself living the good life that God prearranged and made ready for you to live!

God’s purpose for your life lies in why you were created; namely, to realize your God-given dream. This means that your life matters to God. It also means that what you do and how you live matters, because your life is being defined from an eternal perspective. You are part of something bigger than yourself. You are a part of the story that God is telling the world. In this story, God picked you before time began, and your primary objective is to make room for God to inhabit the world through you during your life here on the earth, and one of the ways you do that is by realizing your God-given dream!

Keys to Effective Goal Setting

Jim Collins — Fri, 25 Jun 2010 21:56:04 +0000

Setting and achieving goals are the intermediate steps on the way to realizing your God-given dream. The process of setting and achieving goals will help you realize your God-given dream and allow you to complete the work that God has given you to do.

The Biblical account of an Old Testament Prophet named Habakkuk provides insight into setting and achieving goals.

Habakkuk 2:2 (NKJV)
Then the Lord answered me and said: “Write the vision and make it plain on tablets, that he may run who reads it.”

Have you written down your goals for this year yet? Any student of success will tell you that they have heard this question a hundred times before. But let me ask you again, “Do you have your goals written down?” When you write down your goals, you are acting on God’s Word as outlined in Habakkuk 2:2. There are three great reasons why God tells us to write our goals, or write the vision for our lives.

First, writing your goals forces you to decide what you want. Make a decision to identify three things: what you want to have, what you want to do and what you want to be. “To have” goals involve the material aspects of life, such as money and possessions. “To do” goals involve activities and events that provide satisfaction. Examples of to do goals include: performing a certain job, getting elected president of a community service organization, teaching less fortunate children, or climbing a mountain. “To be” goals include improving yourself through the books you read, the tapes you listen to, and the people you associate with.

Second, when you write your vision, God begins to move on your behalf. He will give you the ideas you need to make it happen. He will cause the people and material assistance to come your way.

H.M. Murray summed it up best in the following quote (paraphrased):
“Until one is committed there is a hesitancy, a chance to draw back. But the moment one definitely commits oneself, then God moves too and a whole stream of events erupts. All manner of unforeseen incidents; meetings, persons and material assistance which no man could have dreamed, come his way and begin to flow toward him.”

Third, writing your vision forces you to take action on the ideas God reveals to you. Take at least one action step every single day in each of your three goal areas, to have, to do, and to be. If your goal is to write a book, write something every day, even if it is just one paragraph. If your goal is improved physical fitness, do some type of exercise every day, even if it is just a short walk around the block.

Let’s review. God wants you to write your goals down for three reasons. First, to decide what you want, second, so He can move on your behalf, and third, so you can take action toward their accomplishment.

Have you ever written a goal down, made plans for its attainment, worked feverishly toward it, but it did not come to pass when you thought it should? Guess what? So did Habakkuk.

Habakkuk 2:3 (NKJV)
For the vision is yet for an appointed time; but at the end it will speak, and it will not lie. Though it tarries, wait for it; because it will surely come, it will not tarry.

God did not just tell Habakkuk to write down his goals. He told him to be patient because God’s plan for him would surely come to pass. The goal, or God-given dream, that God has put in your heart will also surely come to pass. God assures us of this in Habakkuk 2:3.

Your goal, or God-given dream, is for an appointed time. I wrote most of my first book, “Beyond Positive Thinking: Success and Motivation in the Scriptures” 14 years before it was published. Fourteen years passed before Paul went back to Jerusalem to preach. (Galatians 2:1) Your God-given dream will come to pass, but in the meantime, continue to speak it, and it will not lie. In other words, do not get discouraged or disappointed during your time of waiting. Read your goal (vision) every day, continue to speak it (at the end it will speak), stay encouraged (it will not lie), and God will bring it to pass at exactly the right time (because it will surely come, it will not tarry)!

Habakkuk 2:4 (NKJV)
Behold the proud, his soul is not upright in him; but the just shall live by faith.

How do we persevere when it looks like we are not going to achieve our goal or realize our God-given dream? We must focus on what God told Habakkuk when He said, “the just shall live by faith.” Why did Habakkuk need to learn to live by faith? So he could carry out the vision, or revelation, that God gave him in Habakkuk 2:2. Just like Habakkuk did, we need to learn to live by faith, so that we too can realize our God-given dream, the vision and revelation that God has given to us.

The phrase, “the just shall live by faith” is repeated three times in the New Testament, and all three references are found in the Epistles, which are the letters written to us, the modern day church (Romans 1:17, Galatians 3:11 and Hebrews 10:38). The “just” refers to those who are justified by the blood of Jesus. Every person who has received Jesus Christ as his or her personal Lord and Savior is considered to be “just”. Therefore, we are expected by God to live our lives by faith.

The ability to achieve your God-given dream is released by faith. Faith allows you to tap into the force that created the universe through your re-created human spirit. Faith says, “The God that spoke the universe into existence lives inside me and because I have His ability in me, I am full of joy unspeakable and full of glory.” Faith responds to the negative circumstances of life with triumphant exuberance and thanksgiving. Remember, you are the “just” and the just shall live by faith.

We have been talking about writing down our goals and being patient and persistent as God brings them to pass. But what do we do when negative circumstances occur and seemingly thwart our plans? It is not enough to just “not give up” and continue to press on toward the accomplishment of your dreams and goals. We have got to do one more thing.
Habakkuk 3:17-19 (NKJV)
v. 17 Though the fig tree may not blossom, nor fruit be on the vines; though the labor of the olive may fail, and the fields yield no food; though the flock be cut off from the fold, and there be no herd in the stalls-
v. 18 Yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the God of my salvation.
v. 19 The Lord God is my strength; He will make my feet like deer’s feet and he will make me walk on high hills.

Habakkuk did something in the face of negative circumstances. God told Habakkuk to write his goals (Habakkuk 2:2), He told him to be patient and persistent as God brings his vision to pass (Habakkuk 2:3), but what did Habakkuk do when negative circumstances challenged the vision God gave him? In verse 17, the situation looks bleak for Habakkuk. He wrote the vision, made plans for its attainment, persistently pursued it, but as verse 17 tells us, there were no results. What did Habakkuk do?

Habakkuk sang a hymn of faith, and counted it all joy in the midst of his seemingly negative circumstances. No matter what happens in Habakkuk’s life, he says that he will count it all joy and rejoice in the Lord. He knows where his strength for the victory will come from. He goes on to say what God will do for him as a result of his response to his seemingly negative circumstances. In essence, he said God would make him successful, which means God will bring his vision to pass.

We see in Habakkuk 3:17-19 that Habakkuk had learned the lesson of faith, which was to trust in God’s providence regardless of circumstances. He declared that even if he should encounter suffering and loss, he would still rejoice in God. In other words, when it seems like all is lost, continue to praise and thank God.

God would not give you a dream if He did not also give you the ability to achieve it. Count it all joy in the midst of your seemingly negative circumstances, continually confess that you can do all things through Christ who strengthens you, and maintain an attitude of praise and thanksgiving to God. That is what Habakkuk did, and you can do it too!

Living a Life filled with Love

Jim Collins — Fri, 25 Jun 2010 21:55:28 +0000

When an individual receives Jesus Christ as his or her personal Lord and Savior, something miraculous happens. Their previous sin nature is replaced with the life and nature of God, and the hallmark characteristic of this new nature is love.

1 John 4:16b (AMP)
God is love, and he who dwells and continues in love dwells and continues in God, and God dwells and continues in him.

God’s nature is love. It is not something He has, it is something He is. Both the precept and the principle of love both point to the person of God Himself. The degree to which we dwell and continue in love is the degree to which we dwell and continue in God. Dwelling and continuing in God refer to walking in love. To walk in love is actually to live a life filled with God, who is love. God is love, and all who live in love live in God, and God lives in them.

Now we have to define the word “love.” The Greek word for the God-kind of love is Agape, which is unconditional and self sacrificial in nature, as opposed to natural human love which is selfish in nature. Agape is an unselfish love that is ready to serve. Natural human love has a tendency to only be concerned with “What’s in it for me?” It is by nature, selfish. There is a combat touching every human life. It is the war between love and selfishness. You see it everywhere you see people problems. God has a solution for it. It is the new kind of love called Agape.

Agape love is the solution to every human problem. Love is the key to every area concerning human relationships. When we walk in love, we release the power of God in our lives. God’s frequency is a love frequency. When we step out of love, we are off God’s frequency and His ability is of no avail to us.

The first step to putting the God-kind of love into practice in your life is to know what the characteristics of Agape are. When we know what the characteristics are, then we will be one step closer to doing them. The characteristics of this perfect God-kind of love are found in First Corinthians chapter 13, commonly known in the Bible as the love chapter. This love chapter is the interpretation of the new commandment of the new creation, and the following verses describe the characteristics of Agape, the God-kind of love.

1 Corinthians 13:4-8a (NKJV)
v. 4 Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up;
v. 5 Does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil;
v. 6 Does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in truth;
v. 7 Bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
v. 8 Love never fails.

These characteristics describe God because God is love. This is His attitude in relation to others, and He expects us to adopt this same attitude. This is who God is. This is how God acts. He expects us to act this way also. When we act this way, supernatural things begin to happen in our relationships and in our lives. When we adopt this attitude and act this way, we are living in God, and He is living through us.

The Amplified Translation gives us a beautiful description of the attributes of God’s love nature, the same nature that inhabits our re-created human spirits. It elaborates on how Agape, the God-kind of love, behaves in relation to others.

1 Corinthians 13:4-8a (AMP)
v. 4 Love endures long and is patient and kind; Love never is envious nor boils over with jealousy; is not boastful or vainglorious, does not display itself haughtily.
v. 5 It is not conceited (arrogant and inflated with pride); it is not rude (unmannerly), and does not act unbecomingly. Love (God’s love in us) does not insist on its own rights or its own way, for it is not self-seeking; it is not touchy or fretful or resentful; it takes no account of the evil done to it [it pays no attention to a suffered wrong].
v. 6 It does not rejoice at injustice and unrighteousness, but rejoices when right and truth prevail.
v. 7 Love bears up under anything and everything that comes, is ever ready to believe the best of every person, its hopes are fadeless under all circumstances and it endures everything [without weakening].
v. 8 Love never fails [never fades out or becomes obsolete or comes to an end].

How amazing is the above description of the God-kind of love? What is even more extraordinary is that we have the ability to live this way, but just like any ability, it needs to be cultivated and developed.

The first step to cultivating and developing this love nature is to say the love Scriptures in the first person. Substitute the word “I” for the word “love.” “I endure long and am patient and kind.” “I am never envious nor boil over with jealousy.” “I am ever ready to believe the best of every person.” “I pay no attention to a suffered wrong,” etc. For the next 30 days, say the love Scriptures first thing in the morning and last thing at night before you go to bed. You will begin to act on what you have been saying and when you act on God’s Word, He moves on your behalf and He moves in your relationships. You will be hooked up with the ultimate success in life because love never fails.

Jesus said that you will have whatever you say (See Mark 11:23). When you say the love Scriptures, you will have in your life what the love Scriptures say. What is the universal quest of mankind? To be loved. How many people reading this want to be loved? Everybody has a desire to be loved. Say the love Scriptures, act on them, and God will cause people to love you. When you apply the love Scriptures to your relationships, whether it be husband/wife, boyfriend/girlfriend, parent/child, employer/employee or any other relationship, God will move in that relationship. To believe that this can actually happen in your relationships is to believe the best of God because He is the one who is going to bring it to pass.

The next way to cultivate and develop the God-kind of love in your life is to meditate the thirteenth chapter of First Corinthians and the epistle of First John. This is where the majority of the love Scriptures can be found. The best known text on love in the Bible comes from the thirteenth chapter of First Corinthians, and the word “love” is mentioned some 43 times in the epistle of First John. Do you want to produce successful results in your life? If you answered yes, then meditate on the love Scriptures because love never fails. Let these Scriptures soak into your very inner being and you will be drenched with the power to live a life of success and victory.

Finally, practice living First Corinthians 13:4-8 in your daily life. You can say the love Scriptures and you can meditate the love Scriptures, but if you do not put them into practice, they will not do you any good. The word “abide” occurs in one form or another some 20 times in the epistle of First John. It means to live in fellowship, to practice, and to act. When you act on God’s Word by practicing the love Scriptures, God begins to move on your behalf and in your relationships. You are now in a position to receive your heart’s desire and realize your God-given dreams.

1 John 3:22 (NLT)
And we will receive whatever we request because we obey him and do the things that please him.

Practicing the love Scriptures is the ultimate test of your obedience to God. There is no pleasing God unless we obey Him. One way that love is known is from the actions it prompts. Obedience refers to acting on God’s Word as outlined in the love Scriptures, and walking in love (obedience) is how you confirm that you are in Christ. Being in Christ refers to our union with God-we are His children.

1 John 2:5 (NKJV)
But whoever keeps His word, truly the love of God is perfected in him. By this we know that we are in Him.

Perfection here means that God’s love had reached its fulfillment in our lives. When we habitually walk in love, we can have confidence that we will receive our heart’s desire and realize our God-given dreams.

1 John 3:24 (NLT)
Those who obey God’s commandments live in fellowship with him, and he with them. And we know he lives in us because the Holy Spirit lives in us.

Walking in love and fellowship are connected. Walking in love brings us into the deepest fellowship with God. Fellowship with the Holy Spirit brings both the desire and the ability to walk in love. The Holy Spirit verifies that we are living a life filled with love.

We must let Agape, the God-kind of love, gain the ascendancy and have dominion in our lives. When we make a commitment to develop this love nature, we are ensuring our success in life because love never fails! What better admonition from God do we have than this: If you want to be successful in every area of your life, meditate on and say the love Scriptures, practice them, and you will see amazing positive changes in your relationships and in your life. When you receive God’s love at the new birth, you are receiving the ability of God. When you walk in love, you are releasing the ability of God in your life and in your relationships. Jesus said it this way:

John 14:23 (NKJV)
Jesus answered and said to him, “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him.”

Can you imagine the Father and Jesus coming to make their residence in your home? Imagine being able to start every day with the counsel of the Creator of the universe. When you act on God’s Word by walking in love, that is exactly what becomes your reality.

How to Keep Your Healing?

Jim Collins — Fri, 25 Jun 2010 21:54:31 +0000

Question: How do you keep your healing? First, you must know that healing belongs to you, and second, you must know that it is God’s will to heal you personally.

What does God’s Word say about healing?

1. The prophecy of healing was given.

Isaiah 53:5 (NKJV)
But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement for our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed.

This prophecy promises that God would provide a complete redemption for the entire threefold makeup of your being; spirit, soul, and body.

In Isaiah 53:4 from the New Living Translation, the prophecy specifically refers to being redeemed from sickness and disease.

Isaiah 53:4 (NLT)
Yet it was our weaknesses he carried; it was our sorrows* that weighed him down. And we thought his troubles were a punishment from God, a punishment for his own sins!

*Yet it was our sicknesses he carried; / it was our diseases.

2. Jesus fulfills the prophecy.

Matthew 8:16-17 (NKJV)
16 When evening had come, they brought to Him many who were demon-possessed. And He cast out the spirits with a word, and healed all who were sick,
17 That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet, saying: “He Himself took our infirmities and bore our sicknesses.”*

*Isaiah 53:4

Matthew 8:17 (NLT)
This fulfilled the word of the Lord through the prophet Isaiah, who said, “He took our sicknesses and removed our diseases.”*

*Isaiah 53:4

3. Now divine health belongs to the children of God!

1 Peter 2:24 (NKJV)
Who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness—by whose stripes you were healed.

Just like salvation is one of your new covenant benefits, divine health is also one of your new covenant benefits. It is part of your inheritance in Christ. Hopefully, you now know 3 things: First, healing belongs to you. Second, it is God’s will to heal you personally. Third, it is God’s will for you to live in divine health.

So the question we want to answer is: “How do you keep your healing?” In other words, how do you live in divine health?

Hebrews 3:1 (NKJV)
Therefore, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling, consider the Apostle and HIGH PRIEST of OUR CONFESSION, Christ Jesus.

Hebrews 4:14 (NKJV)
Seeing then that we have a great HIGH PRIEST who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast OUR CONFESSION.

Notice the two phrases in these two verses: “Our Confession” and “High Priest”. Jesus is the High Priest of our confession.

Confession comes from the Greek word “Homologeo” which means “to speak the same thing.” It also means “to agree with.”

Key Point #1:
If you want to keep your healing, if you want to live in divine health, you must develop the habit of saying the same thing about your health that God says about it. You must develop the habit of agreeing with God concerning the subject of your personal health. You can agree with God by saying the same thing that He says about any given matter, including living in divine health.

You will never enjoy the promises in God’s Word until you confess them. The Bible will never become a living thing in your life until you confess what it says, and then put it into practice. Until you confess God’s Word, until you practice God’s Word for yourself personally, you will never receive what God thinks already belongs to you. God thinks healing already belongs to you!

Confessing God’s Word is one way you can act on it. Confession leads to action. You release the power of God into your life by confessing God’s Word – by speaking God’s Word. You will then find yourself acting on God’s Word.

Christianity is called the Great Confession. The Bible is God’s confession. Healing follows confession just as salvation follows confession (See Romans 10:10). Confession precedes possession concerning all the promises of God.

Your High Priest, Jesus, is doing something with your words. Jesus Christ is doing something right now with the words you speak. He is saying to God, “Father, make that person’s words good in their life.” Whether you speak positive words or negative words, Jesus has no choice because He is bound to His own word, which He stated in Mark 11:23.

Mark 11:23 (NKJV)
“For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be removed and be cast into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says.”

You are having in your life today that which you have spoken in your past. Whatever you have been saying is gong to show up in your life. Many people are not having what they say because they are saying what they have. They are walking by sight. The goal of your life is to make your confession, the words you say, harmonize with the Word of God, with what God says.

Hebrews 4:14 (NKJV)
Seeing then that we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us HOLD FAST our confession.

Hebrews 10:23 (NKJV)
Let us HOLD FAST the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful.

The phrase “hold fast” means to seize, retain, and keep. You keep your healing by holding fast to your confession of God’s Word. You keep your healing by continually speaking what God’s Word says about your health and healing. Key point number two, if you want to keep your healing, comes in the form of a question:

Key Point #2:
Where is your tenacity? Where’s your tenacity to hold fast to your confession of God’s Word concerning your healing?

The motivation and the inspiration to hold fast to your confession lies in your ability to honor Jesus as your High Priest. Where is your tenacity to honor Jesus as your High Priest? Your confession is your estimation of the value of the Word of God in your life.

Hebrews 10:23 (AMP)
So let us seize and HOLD FAST and retain without wavering the hope we cherish and confess and our acknowledgement of it, for He Who promised is reliable (sure) and faithful to His word.

Jesus is the One who promised you complete and eternal redemption, and now He is faithful to make that promise good in every area of your life. All God’s promises are found in the Holy Bible, which is God’s Word. The challenge is whether the One who made the promises is faithful to His word. We know that Jesus is reliable, sure, and faithful to His word, but you will never enjoy the promises in God’s Word until you confess them and act like you have them.

Your confession, the words you say, will either honor Jesus or dishonor Jesus. Jesus Christ is the Guarantor of every word from Matthew 1:1 to Revelation 22:21. Jesus has become the guarantee of God’s Word.

You can say the following affirmation based on 1 Peter 2:24 to confirm God’s thoughts about your health and healing. Making this affirmation will also help you practice “holding fast” to your confession of living in divine health.

1 Peter 2:24 (NKJV)
Who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness—by whose stripes you were healed.

Confession:
Jesus Christ bore my sins in His own body on the cross. I am now living right with God. He also bore my sicknesses and removed my diseases. Jesus has already obtained healing for me. His wounds healed me. I believe it. I accept it. I have it now. I was healed by the stripes of Jesus, and now I can live in divine health.

Continue to make this life-changing affirmation and expect the life, health, and strength of the risen Christ to infuse your entire body with life, health, and strength!

Is Jesus Lord of Your Time, Talent, and Treasure?

Jim Collins — Fri, 25 Jun 2010 21:53:30 +0000

In this article, I want to challenge you with the question: “Is Jesus Lord of your time, your talent, and your treasure?”

Romans 10:9 (NLT)
If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.

I want to draw your attention to the phrases, “Jesus is Lord” and “you will be saved” in the above verse, and I want to challenge you with the contrast of being saved with making Jesus your Lord.

Many have made a decision to receive Jesus Christ as their Savior, but they have never made the commitment to make Him the Lord of every area of their lives. A true believer is one who has made Jesus Christ the Lord of every area of their life.

Salvation is a decision made with the mind that leads a person into a relationship with God. Lordship is a commitment made with the heart that is sustained through daily fellowship with the Holy Spirit. Salvation is a product of a decision made with the mind; Lordship is a product of a commitment made with the heart.

Believing in your heart means acting on the Word of God, and practicing the Word refers to where you invest your time, what you do with your talent, and how you spend your money (treasure). At the believer’s judgment, Jesus will look at how we handled gifts, opportunities, and responsibilities in order to determine our heavenly rewards. In other words, He is going to ask us to give an account of how we managed our time, talent, and treasure while we were on the earth.

Question: Have you made Jesus the Lord of your time, your talent, and your treasure? What you do with your time, talent, and treasure here on the earth will determine how, not where, you spend your eternity.

We know that the person who has never placed his or her faith in the substitutionary sacrifice of Jesus Christ will spend their eternity separated from the presence of God, but the person who has placed his or her faith in the substitutionary sacrifice of Jesus Christ will spend their eternity in the presence of God, but they will determine how they spend their eternity by what they do with their time, talent, and treasure during their lifetime here on the earth.

Matthew 7:21 (NKJV)
“Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven.

Question: What does it mean to make Jesus Lord? Lordship means ownership. When you make Jesus your Lord, He now owns your time, your talent, and your treasure. God has told us in His Word where He wants us to invest our time. He has told us in His Word what He wants us to do with our talent. He has told us in His Word how He wants us to spend our treasure, which refers to our money. Ask yourself these three questions: “Where does God want me to invest my time?” “What does God want me to do with my talent?” “How does God want me to spend my money?”

What we do with our time, talent, and treasure here on the earth will prepare us for our eternal future, and this preparation takes place in three areas:

1. First, it takes place in the personal area of your life. This includes your character, your integrity, and your faithfulness. Is what you are doing with your time, talent, and treasure helping you prepare for your eternal future?

2. Second, preparing for your eternal future takes place in the area of building the Kingdom of God (through the local church). Are you using your time, talent, and treasure to help build the Kingdom of God through the local church?

3. Third, preparing for your eternal future takes place in the area of your personal influence in the lives of other people. Are you using your time, talent, and treasure to help other people prepare for their eternal future?

All Christians will stand before the judgment seat of Christ to give an account of their lives here on earth.

2 Corinthians 5:9-10 (NIV)
9 So we make it our goal to please him…
10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive what is due him for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad.

Many Christians have the erroneous idea that all future judgment is eradicated by their salvation, but remember this: where we spend our eternity is determined by what we do with the cross of Jesus and His saving grace, but how we live for eternity in His Kingdom is determined by the way we lived here on earth as believers.

I want you to think about three questions in light of 2 Corinthians 5:9 – “We make it our goal to please God.” Our primary ambition in this life should be to please God no matter where we are or what we are doing. Remember, what we do with our time, talent, and treasure has eternal ramifications. So let’s answer the following three questions:

1. Is where I invest my time pleasing to God?
Are you spending some time each day finding out what God wants you to do with your time, talent, and treasure?

2. Is what I do with my talent pleasing to God?
Did you know that God has given you enormous potential? Potential is what God thinks you can do with your life. God thinks you can do something enormous (great and wonderful) with your life.

3. Is how I spend my money pleasing to God?
Did you know that Jesus spent more time talking about money and managing material possessions than any other thing? Did you know that the New Testament talks about money and managing material possessions three times as much as any other subject? Did you know that Jesus said in Luke 16:11 that if you can’t be faithful with your money, you can’t be trusted with heavenly riches?

Final Question: How do I know if what I’m doing with my time, talent, and treasure is pleasing God? You will know by how you answer this question: “Is what I do with my time, talent, and treasure geared toward the world and its pursuits, or is what I do with my time, talent, and treasure focused on God and His agenda?”

1 John 2:15, 17 (NLT)
15 Do not love this world nor the things it offers you, for when you love the world, you do not have the love of the Father in you.
17 And this world is fading away, along with everything that people crave. But anyone who does what pleases God will live forever.

The apostle John is talking to believers here, not unsaved people, when he says, “Anyone who does what pleases God will live forever.” He is talking about the believer making Jesus Lord of his or her time, talent, and treasure.

All believers will stand before Christ and receive rewards based on how they lived their lives here on the earth. Many people will be shocked to learn that the majority of their time was spent on things that do not count for eternal rewards.

Do You Know God as Father?

Jim Collins — Fri, 25 Jun 2010 21:52:42 +0000

Question: Do You Know God as Father? Answer: Only if you are God’s child. The reason for that is because the thing that qualifies you as a child is that you have a father. If you are a child, then you have a father. If you are a child of God, then God is your heavenly Father.

Is God your heavenly Father today or is He just God to you?

Galatians 3:26 (NLT)
So you are all children of God through faith in Christ Jesus.

Notice it doesn’t say that you are a child of God because you are a human being born in a physical body living on planet earth. In other words, being a child of God is not a universal status into which everyone enters by natural (physical) birth. Becoming a child of God is a supernatural gift one receives through faith in Jesus Christ.

Jesus came to introduce us to God as Father. Jesus called God “Father” over 200 times in the Gospels alone. “Father” is the Christian name for God. True believers are children of God through faith in Jesus Christ, and not because they are a part of some religious organization or a member of a particular church or denomination.

You may be asking yourself, “Pastor Jim, how do I actually become a child of God?” We find the answer in John Chapter 1 and Romans Chapter 10:

John 1:12-13 (NLT)
12 But to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God.
13 They are reborn! This is not a physical birth resulting from human passion or plan – this rebirth comes from God.

The phrase “believe Him” refers to believing in what Jesus did for you when He died on the cross. The phrase “accept Him” refers to receiving Jesus as your personal Lord and Savior. Believe in what Jesus did for you and become a child of God. Receive Jesus and become a child of God. Romans chapter 10 tells us how to do it:

Romans 10:9-10 (NLT)
9 For if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.
10 For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by confessing with your mouth that you are saved.

Before we talk about the benefits of being a child of God, say this: “I confess Jesus as my Lord and Savior. I believe God raised Him from the dead so I could be right with God. I’ve placed my faith in Christ and now I’m saved. God is my Father and I am His child. Amen.”

When you place your faith in Christ and confess Jesus as your Lord, you gain all the benefits of a child in God’s family. Two of those benefits include God’s protection and provision. God the Father now has the responsibility to protect you and provide for you because you are His very own child.

If you have received Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Savior, the work of the Holy Spirit will confirm that God is your Father and you are His child, and when the love of the Father begins to manifest in your life, God’s protection and provision will become a reality in your life.

When you are born physically, you take on the life and nature of your earthly father. When you are reborn spiritually, you take on the life and nature of your heavenly Father.

When you became a child of God, you become a partaker of the divine nature, which is called eternal life. Eternal life is the life and nature of God imparted to you at the new birth making you a new creation. A child of God is one who has received eternal life through Jesus Christ.
Jesus was talking to His Father (and our Father) in John 17:3 when He said:

John 17:3 (NLT)
“And this is the way to have eternal life-to know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, the one you sent to earth.”

Jesus came to earth to introduce us to God as our Father, and the hallmark characteristic of God’s nature is love. Jesus came to earth so that we could both receive and enjoy the Father’s love. When you receive the Father’s love for you personally, His protection and provision become a reality in your life.

The love of God becomes real to you when you understand that God loves you as much as He loves Jesus. As Jesus was praying to His (and our) heavenly Father in John 17:23, He said:

John 17:23 (NLT)
“I in them and you in me, all being perfected into one. Then the world will know that you sent me and will understand that you love them as much as you love me.”

Jesus is saying that the world will know God as Father when they understand that God loves them as much as He loves Jesus.

Say this: “God loves me as much as He loves Jesus.” Now say this: “God’s protection and provision belong to me.”

See yourself as God’s child! See yourself as a child in God’s royal family! See yourself receiving good things from your heavenly Father!