Newness of Life in Jesus Christ

By Kesha Hardin

This devotional book is designed for people to have a close relationship with Jesus Christ and to cause a spiritual awakening in the spirit man so the eyes of the heart will be opened to spiritual truths and to enlighten the reader of their spiritual identity and spiritual inheritance in the kingdom of God. The book also aims to give insight of God’s will, purpose, plan, and destiny for their life. It wishes to help people come into the knowledge of the truth about the gospel of Jesus, so they can walk in present truth and in the fullness, the shalom, the prosperity, the wisdom, the wholeness, the fruitfulness, and the abundance of the new life that Father God has given them through his Son Jesus Christ. It also hopes to flood the hearts of the reader with the light of God’s Word, so they can be rooted and grounded in love and his Word. It hopes to strengthen with might the inner man with the peace of Christ ruling in their hearts and in the unity of the bond of peace. It aims for the eyes of their understanding to be enlightened, so they will know what the hope of his calling for them is in the newness of life in him and to know the riches of God’s glory for them with the saints in light. May this help them live a life worthy of the Lord and please him in every way—bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, and growing in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might, favor, and grace.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Jan 26, 2019
• ISBN: 9781984576989

Kesha Hardin

Kesha Latonya Walker Was Born November 25, 1968 On The Westside Of Chicago to Thelma and Melvin Walker. She gave her life to Christ at the age of twelve, She got married to her late husband Bernard Hardin in 1992 and they moved to North Carolina and joined COG and set under the leadership of Pastor Otis Lockett Sr. She has three beautiful children and six lovely grandchildren who she loves dearly. She and her family moved back to Chicago in 1997. In 1999 she received revelation from God that she was called into the five-fold ministry gifts. She set under various ministries gifts to get the teaching and training that she need to be an effective minister to edify, equip, and perfect the body of Christ. She became a member of Rivers Of Living Waters International Ministry and set under the Apostolic leadership of Apostle Stephen Garner who ordained her On March 6, 2011 to be a Teacher. Her passion and zeal is to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ. To see people turn from the power of Satan to the power of God, save, brought out of darkness into Jesus marvelous light, and to see the eyes of their understanding enlightened that they will come into the knowledge of the truth about God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit and for them to know the hope of their calling and their spiritual identity, inheritance, will, purpose and destiny in the kingdom of God.

Book preview

THE ABC’S OF SALVATION

A-ALL people are sinners.

For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.  Romans 3:23

B-The BIBLE is God’s word of love and eternal salvation.

…But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name.                   John 20:31

C-The CONDITION of sinners is destructive.

…That they all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness.            2 Thessalonians 2:12

D-Christ DIED to save sinners.

But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.      Romans 5:8

E-EVERYONE who believes will have EVERLASTING life.

…Whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.          John 3:16

F-We are all saved through FAITH in the gospel of Christ .

For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, The just shall live by faith.            Romans 1:17

G-GOOD WORKS will not save us.

For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest any man should boast.                  Ephesians 2:8-9

H-HELL, punishment, and gnashing of teeth awaits unbelievers.

…In flaming fire vengeance on those who do not know God, and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. These shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power…      2 Thessalonians 1:8-9

I-Nothing is IMPOSSIBLE with God.

For with God nothing will be impossible.            Luke 1:37

J-There is JOY in heaven over one sinner who repents and give his life to Christ.

Likewise, I say to you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.            Luke 15:10

K- God is able to KEEP us from sin.

Now to Him who is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy…

            Jude 24

L-God LOVES people and wants to save them.

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.

            John 3:16

M-God has MERCY on the unrighteous.

For God has committed them all to disobedience, that He might have mercy on all.            Romans 11:32

N-There is no NAME but Jesus by which we can be saved.

Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.       Acts 4:12

O-By OBEYING God’s commandments we are showing Him that we love Him.

For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome.      1 John 5:3

P-God is PATIENCE with sinners.

The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.      2 Peter 3:9

Q-Sinners should QUICKLY repent and take up their cross and follow Jesus.

Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.            2 Corinthians 6:2

R-Christians REJOICE with joy always.

Rejoice because your names are written in heaven.      Luke 10:20

S-The SCRIPTURES point us to Christ and teach us how to maintain salvation.

…From childhood you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.             2 Timothy 3:15

T-We should always give THANKS for this is the will of God for us in Christ.

Thanks be to God for His unspeakable gift!       2 Corinthians 9:15

U-The Holy Spirit gives us UNDERSTANDING of God’s word.

Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God.            1 Corinthians 2:12

V-Jesus has swallowed up death in VICTORY.

So when this corruptible has put on incorruption, and this mortal has put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written: Death is swallowed up in victory.      1 Corinthians15:54

W-WHOEVER calls on Christ will be saved.

…Whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved (rescue, heal, deliver).                  Acts 2:21

X-As believers we should be XTREME witnesses for Christ.

Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world.

                  Matthew 28:19-20

Y-God loves YOU that He adopted you as His very own child.

Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God! Therefore the world does not know us, because it did not know Him.       1 John 3:1

Z-As Christians we should be ZEALOUS for Christ, His word, and for good works.

…Be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.                  1 Corinthians 15:58

CHAPTER 1

WHO’S ON THE LORD SIDE

Who’s on the Lord side?…And if it seems evil to you to serve the Lord, choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.

Exodus 32:26; Joshua 24:15

Then Moses stood in the gate of the camp, and said, who is on the Lord’s side? Let him come unto me. And all the sons of Levi gathered themselves together unto him. This is a very powerful question and something to think about, who’s side are we on? God or the devil? Who’s kingdom are we in? Are we in the kingdom of light or the kingdom of darkness? We have to make up our minds who side we are on, who we are going to serve, who we are going to be committed to, who we are going to obey, who we are going to trust, rely on, depend on, lean on, and believe on. We cannot serve to masters because we will hate the one and love the other, we will be devoted to one and despise the other (Matthew 6:24). We will be committed to one and short change the other, we will be faithful to one and unfaithful to the other, we will be loyal to one and disloyal to the other. Our heart posture should be toward the Lord and Him only should we serve because we are created in His image and we was bought at a price (the precious blood of Christ), and because He is the True And Living God. We should not worship demons, idols of Gold, silver, bronze, stone and wood, they are all idols that cannot see or hear or walk (Revelation 9:20). The idols of the nations are silver and gold, made by human hands. They have mouths, but cannot speak, eyes, but cannot see. They have ears, but cannot hear, nor is there breath in their mouths. Those who make them will be like them, and so will all who trust in them (Psalm 135:15-18). We should have no other gods other than the True And Living God Jehovah. He is the real Supreme, Mighty, Powerful, Majestic, Awesome, Wonderful, Creator, and Sovereign God. He is the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. He is the real deal and He should be our only God and we should give Him glory and honor that is due to Him because He is faithful and true. Exodus 20:3-6 says, You shall have no other gods before Me. You shall not make for yourself an image in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation of those who hate Me, but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love Me and keep My commandments. All who make idols are nothing, and the things they treasure are worthless. Those who would speak up for them are blind (to the truth); they are ignorant (foolish), to their own shame. Who shapes a god and cast an idol, which can profit nothing? People who do that will be put to shame; such craftsmen are only human beings. Let them all come together and take their stand; they will be brought down to terror and shame. The blacksmith takes a tool and works with it in the coals; he shapes an idol with hammers, he forges it with the might of his arm (strength). He gets hungry and loses his strength; he drinks no water and grows faint. The carpenter measures with a line and makes an outline with a marker; he roughs it out with chisels and marks it with compasses. He shapes it in human form, human form in all its glory, that it may dwell in a shrine. He cut down cedars, or perhaps took a cypress or oak. He let it grow among the trees of the forest, or planted a pine, and the rain made it grow. It is used as fuel for burning; some of it he takes and warms himself, he kindles a fire and bakes bread. But he also fashions a god and worships it; he makes an idol and bows down to it. Half of the wood he burns in the fire; over it he prepares his meal, he roasts his meat and eats his fill. He also warms himself and says, Ah! I am warm; I see the fire. From the rest he makes a god, his idols; he bows down to it and worships. He prays to it and says, save me! You are my god! They know nothing, they understand nothing; their eyes are plastered over so they cannot see, and their minds closed so they cannot understand. No one stops to think, no one has the knowledge or understanding to say, half of it I used for fuel; I even baked bread over its coals, I roasted meat and I ate. Shall I make a detestable thing from what is left? Shall I bow down to a block of wood? Such a person feeds on ashes; a deluded heart misleads him; he cannot save himself, or say, Is not this in my right hand a lie? The heart is deceitful and desperately wicked, and if people don’t get their minds renewed and put on the mind of Christ Jesus, they can be deceive into thinking that idols that are made by the hands of men are gods, even though the idols doesn’t have a brain, or a mind to think, or a soul, the idol cannot even speak (demons hide behind statues, objects, etc. and they will speak supernaturally and the person who has the idol is deceived into thinking that the idol spoke when all the time it is evil spirits, wicked and satanic forces speaking through the idol), Isaiah 44:9-20. How can anyone have faith in, pray to and worship objects (idols) that was made with the hands of men when God has given mankind dominion and authority over everything? Idols are the works of man’s hands, he forms and carves idols in the images that he wants. The formed idol cannot even move unless someone carry them from place to place. How can humans expect for idols to save them, protect them, heal them, rescue them, deliver them, or help them in any way when idols need help from humans to pick them up and sit them down. They need humans to help them travel from places to place! When we engage in carnal and fleshly activities of the flesh, that is another form of Idolatry. Anything that we give the most attention to and allow it to pull us away from God is Idolatry. The works of the flesh are also forms of witchcraft. Galatians 5:19-21 says, The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; Idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, faction and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God. We need to crucify and die to our fleshly desires, appetite, Indulgence, feelings, cravings and lust. We need to stop feeding our flesh ungodly mess. We need to make up our minds that we are not going to be entangled again with the yoke of bondage, sin, lawlessness, treason, and ungodliness. God brought us out of the house of bondage and we are responsible for maintaining our liberty. And our confession should be like Joshua, as for me and my house we will serve the Lord. Paul said, Let a man examine himself to see if he’s in the faith! We cannot straddle the fence. We cannot have one foot in the kingdom of God and one foot in the kingdom of darkness. We need to make up our mind who side we are on. To be on someone’s side is to make a conscience decision to join their team. To be in agreement with their doctrine and obey it. To be willing to follow them and let them lead and guide. To trust and obey them. To have the same mindset as the person and to think like the person. One of the benefits of the kingdom is that we have the mind of Christ and we can think like Him through the power of His word. If we are on Jehovah God’s side we will hate what He hates (sin, lawlessness, evil, pride, witchcraft, sorcery, wickedness, lying, abortion, occult, clairvoyance, fornication, homosexuality, medium, demons, Idolatry, gangs, violence, rebellion, divination, darkness, lust, perversion, greed, corruption, promiscuous and immoral lifestyle, and the god of this world). And we should love what He loves (good works, righteousness, love, joy, peace, goodness, kindness, the word, compassion, justice, meekness, faithfulness, commitment, temperance, covenant, honor, respect, giving, helping, gentleness, patience, mercy, discipline and self-control). We are told in the Bible that their will be a great fallen away from the Truth (Jesus). 1 Timothy 4:1 says, Now the Spirit speaks expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils. Some of us have left our first love (relationship with God) because of the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life. We have allowed the seducing spirits to seduce us and deceive us. Some have left the path of righteousness for mammon, the devil have showed them all the kingdoms and splendor of the world and he has told them if you bow down and worship me, I will give you keys to the kingdom (power, fame, wealth, glory and authority in high places in the world). And some have sold their souls to the devil and have departed from the faith. The devil has used the works of the flesh, mammon, fame, power, wealth, riches, religion, secret society, heresies, platforms, divination, sorcery, sexual immorality, spotlight, pride, rebellion, and materialism to seduce the godly and the ungodly to bow down and worship him. The devil is so crafty and subtle that the Bible says In Matthew 24:24, For there shall arise false Christ, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect (God’s chosen ones). And we know that it is possible because the scripture says all things are possible to him that believe, if we listen to satan’s message we can fall prey into his kingdom, under his authority, control, and power. Satan is a master manipulator and he know how to manipulate people into believing his lies. If we hear the wrong message and let it in our hearts, we can be seduce from the truth and believe a lie (the devil is the father of lies). Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the words that we hear, rather they are true or false words. We need to be careful of what we hear and how we hear it. Jesus said in Mark 4:24, Then He said to them, Pay attention to what you hear. By your own standard of measurement [that is, to the extent that you study spiritual truth and apply godly wisdom] it will be measured to you [and you will be given even greater ability to respond] and more will be given to you beside. The more we hear something the more we believe it rather it is true or false. That’s why some people started believing their own lies because they kept hearing themselves over and over again lying and it eventually took root and now they are deceiving themselves. We have to be careful what we let in our ear gate (the kind of music that we are listening to). We have to be careful who and what we let entertain us, there is demonic spirits and demonic voices behind worldly entertainment (music). The devil has his musical prophets that speaks subliminal messages behind the music and songs they sing and they cast spells on people through their music and songs so the devil can gain ground and entrance into our souls. The devil is a hunter of souls and he is crafty and skillful on how to get people to worship and serve him. We have to be careful with what we see, what we watch on television and what we read, our eyes is the window to our souls and base on the things that we watch, see, or hear, demonic transformation can take place, and we can become brain washed into believing a lie, and let go of the truth. We have to be careful what and who we let into our homes. Remember in the Bible that the serpent (the devil) was the most subtle creature, he knows how to manipulate, deceive, trick, plot, scheme, and cause doubt and fear in hearts. He knows what weapons to use to cause our hearts to turn from God and doubt Him. Let’s look at Eve in the garden and how the devil tricked her. Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, did God really say, you must not eat from any tree in the garden? The woman said to the serpent, we may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, but God did say, you must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die. You will not certainly die, the serpent said to the woman (Genesis 3:1-4 NIV). The devil got Eve to doubt God, then he was able to trick her into believing him and she ate the forbidden fruit off the tree that God forbid them not to eat off. Eve’s first mistake was she allowed a strange voice to come in and communicate with her. While she dialogue with the serpent she was hearing what he was saying and she started believing him, and gave in to his lies, remember faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word (Romans 10:17). We should not let strange voices in our home through media, tv, radio, ungodly books, games, and magazines, etc.. The entertainment industry are pushing their gods on us and communicating to us their demonic doctrines in a sneaky underhanded way. They are sowing seed in our hearts from the kingdom of darkness and transferring spirits into our soul and minds. Then the next thing we know we are under a spell and we start believing the lies that they are spewing out of their mouth that is coming from seducing spirits and doctrine that demons teach. The entertainment of the world and hollywood is under the influence, spell, rule, manipulation, and guidance of the kingdom of darkness, the god of this world who blinds their minds and he works in the children of disobedience. The devil uses his musical prophets who are in the music industry to deceive the whole geographical world, nations, tribes, tongues, people, and kindreds, remember that Lucifer was a musical cherub, he has music built inside him, so he know how to make the music pleasurable, desirable, enjoyable, and pleasing to the soul to cast a spell on us and to pull us into his demonic kingdom and out of God’s kingdom of light and life. The devil is after our soul and he uses day time and night time soap opera (scandal, empire, power, haves and the have nots, Mary Jane, etc.), TV, social media, music and talk shows drama to seduce the world to fall under his prey, spell and control. We cannot give place to the devil, we have been commanded to shun evil, the very appearance of evil. If it looks like it is evil we are to stay away from it (people, places, and things). That’s why God told Abram to leave his father’s house. When He told Abram to leave He wasn’t just telling him to leave his family. He was telling Abram to leave his family lifestyle, to leave family idols, to leave family customs, to leave family culture, to leave family beliefs, to leave his family demonic altars and traditions of men that make the word of God none effect (Mark 7:13). Rather we know it or not we are all serving something. If we are not in the kingdom of light (truth), then we are in the kingdom of darkness (sin, devilish desires, sensual pleasures). We nullify the word of God by holding on to our family traditional teachings that was handed down to us by our ancestors. When we come to God we must tear down that old faulty generational foundation and build on the foundation that Jesus Christ has laid for us and we should build upon it. God tells us in His word, I am the Lord Your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. Thou shalt not have no other god’s before Me. Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for the Lord thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and the fourth generation of those who hate Me (Exodus 20:1-26). If God brought us out of Egypt (the world) and redeemed us out of slavery to sin with His Son’s blood, why would we turn around and go back into the world like Lot’s wife did. We think because we go to church and sit in a temple made with men hands that we are holy rollers, that we are saved, sanctified and got a mind to run on and that we are ok with the way we are living our life behind clothes doors (in secret). Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of Him to whom we must give account (Hebrews 4:13). God said that He know who are His, we can deceive ourselves but we cannot deceive God. James 1:21-22 says, Wherefore lay apart all filthiness and superfluity of naughtiness, and receive with meekness the engrafted word, which is able to save your souls. But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves. If we let pride get into our heart it will also deceive us and have us thinking that the wrong things that we do is ok. That’s why we need to keep a pure and humble heart and stay under the mighty hand of God and let Him exalt us. We need to dwell in the secret place of the Most High God and abide under the shadow of the Almighty. We need to stay under His shadow and not man’s shadow (admiring and trying to be like them). We have been created in God’s image and likeness and we have been miraculously and wonderfully made and we should imitate and walk in Jesus’s footsteps and no other. The Lord says: These people come near to Me with their mouth and they honor Me with their lips, but their hearts are far from Me. Their worship of Me is based on merely human rules they have been taught (Isaiah 29:13). Jesus said the people worship is nothing but man-made rules learned by rote, they are listening to other doctrine instead of My doctrine. How do we know if our hearts is with Jesus? If we keep His commandments, obey His sayings, and follow His voice and not the voice of a stranger. Jesus said in Matthew 7:22-23, Many will say to Me on that day, Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name and in Your name drive out demons and in Your name perform many miracles? Then I will tell them plainly, I never knew you. Away from Me, you evildoers! You who practice lawlessness! You that work iniquity! You lawbreakers! We need to beware of false prophets, which come to us in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. The Bible says, We will know them by their fruit. How do we know those who are not following Christ? By those who have their own doctrine, rules, and creed, and By those who do the works of the flesh in Galatians 5:19-21. Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, envyings, murders, drunkenness, revelings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you In time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God. If we are told in God’s word not to engage in such activity, why are we partaking of this kind of filth through the radio and television. Hollywood is overflowing with the works of the flesh (sexual immorality, clairvoyance, impurity, sensuality, Idolatry, divination, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, orgies). What we engage in, we become in covenant with it. When we listen to ungodly things and watch ungodly things,and partake in any ungodly activities it goes into the heart, and take root, and what we play into our souls has to eventually play out. Matthew 15:18 says, But those things which proceed out of the mouth come forth from the heart, and they defile the man. People are not defile by what they eat, they are defiled by what that take in their heart. For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander (Matthew 15:19). And as a man thinks in his heart so is he. That’s why Satan releases the power of suggestion (he release thoughts) in the mind because he know when we think about something we will eventually carry it out. A thought can bring forth sin and brings forth a reaction (unrighteous action). Spoken words has the power to influence and make a person do something or become something. We can get caught up in the royalties, glamorous living, parties, drinking, drugs, social gatherings, and worldly goods and possessions and we can become Idolaters. Hosea 4:18 says, When their drinking has ended, they surely indulge in sexual orgies. They love lewdnees more than their glory. We can end up loving pleasures more than God and His glory. Loving sin for a season rather than being committed to Christ and dying to the lust of the flesh. Let us walk properly as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality (Hebrew 8:7-13). Drinking and getting high will cause us to make a fool out of ourselves, any form of fleshly intoxication. Moses saw that the people were running wild and that Aaron had let them get out of control and they became a laughingstock to their enemies. Practicing sins causes us to make a big fool out of ourselves and we become a laughingstock in the kingdom of darkness and the enemy of our soul is laughing at us. When we are impatient and don’t wait on the Lord, it can cause us to seek help from demonic entities and sources (sorcery, mediums, clairvoyance, divination). It can cause us to make wrong decisions and not have sound judgements. It can cause us to compromise our godly character and sexual character. It can cause us to make Idols and join occultist practice and engage in wrong activities. In Exodus 32:23, The people said to Aaron, make us gods who will go before us. As for this fellow Moses who brought us up out of Egypt, we don’t know what has happened to him. So I (Aaron) told them, whoever has any gold jewelry, take it off. Then they gave me the gold, and I threw it into the fire, and out came this calf! When Moses saw the people running wild, having orgies and parties and making graven images (god’s, Idols), he said who is on the Lord’s side. When we partake of the wicked things of the world, we become an enemy of God. James 4:4 says, Ye adulterers and adulteresses (unfaithful people), know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? Who therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God. We are told in 1 John 2:15 to Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. And if we become a friend of the world (conforming to their ways, patterns, customs, culture, traditions, rituals, doctrine, idols, lifestyle) we are against God and become His enemy. We cannot both partake of the table of the Lord, and of the table of demons. We cannot drink from both the Lord’s cup and of the cup of demons. We cannot share in both the Lord’s table and the table of demons. Whatever we do, we should do all for the glory of God (1 Corinthians 10:21). And we should only serve, trust and obey the true and living God, and not dead gods made by the hands of man. Whenever we engage in people, places, and things we should ask ourselves is this bringing glory to God? When we engage in entertainment what kind of glory is it giving God? Is it bringing honor or dishonor to His name. When we listen to music or watch TV does God approve of it. When we speak are we glorify God with our mouth. Whatever we do we should do it in the name of the Lord and for His glory. We should ask ourselves who is being glorified (the flesh, the devil, or God). Am I glorifying God. Am I glorifying the flesh. Am I glorifying the devil. Let the word of God judge who we are giving glory to. We should glorify God in our body, and in our spirit, they both belong to God (1 Corinthians 6:20). We also should not be eating and drinking from two tables that’s how we end up with a spirit of Babylon (mixture and confusion). God is not the Author of confusion but peace. Confusion comes from the kingdom of darkness and that’s why we shouldn’t eat or drink from the kingdom of darkness. It is so vital that we believe Christ doctrine and the report of the Lord. Let God word be true and everything else be a liar. Let the words of our mouth and the meditation of our hearts be acceptable in His sight, our strength and redeemer (Psalm 19:14). We should always do what is right and pleasing to God. Deuteronomy 13:4 NIV says, It is the Lord your God you must follow, and Him you must revere. Keep His commands and obey Him; serve Him and hold fast to Him. We need to Purge (cleanse) out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened. We should sanctify the Lord God in our hearts and let His word and perfect will, and peace rule our hearts and we should break up the fallow ground and be rooted and grounded in His love. And as the beloved of God we should flee (avoid) fornication and flee from Idolatry (1 Corinthians 6:18; 10:14). We are living in perilous times and there is spiritual warfare going on, and with so much evil and wickedness that is going on in the world, we cannot afford to be out of the ark of safety and we really need the Almighty Sovereign God protection. It is a blessing, honor, and privilege to be on the Lord’s side in the land of the living.

CHAPTER 2

POWER OF THE TONGUE

Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof…You have been trapped by what you said, ensnared by the words of your mouth.

Proverbs 18:21; Proverbs 6:2

God tells us in His word that the tongue has incredible power. And Job said, How forceful are right words (Job 6:25), and where the word of a king is, there is power (Ecclesiastes 8:4). By our words we will be condemned or justified. We need to fill our mouth with right words (God’s word). God’s word is supernatural in nature, in His word contains the power to save, heal, deliver, free, transform, edify, encourage, comfort, renew minds, liberate, increase faith, counsel, direct, warn, and more. His words are alive, active, and energizing and full of tremendous power, it will accomplish what they are sent out to do. We should speak the word of faith into situations, circumstances, casualties, calamity, hardship, danger, trials, tribulations, and storms of life. Even when we are being attack by the enemy we should stand strong in the Lord and in the power of His might and continue to speak words of life and lift up a standard against the enemy onslaught. We should not make our faith ineffective by believing what we see in the natural and by speaking doubt and unbelief out of our mouth. We should always speak right words, faith filled words, words that encourages and builds up, words of victory and triumph, words that causes the window of heaven to open up and pour us out blessings, words that causes our cup to run over, words that causes goodness and mercy to follow us all the days of our life, words that anoint our heads with oil and causes yokes to be destroyed, words that empowers us from on high and brings deliverance, healing and restoration, words that open the floodgates of the supernatural and causes an overflow, words that causes us to overcome and bounce back. We should always be speaking God’s logos word, His incorruptible word, when we speak words of fear, doubt and unbelief we are corrupting the word of God and it causes us to have an evil heart. We will have what we say because life and death are in the power of the tongue. We need to be conscience of what we say, speak, and confess out of our mouth so we will not hinder or faith. We need to keep a watch over our mouth and keep the door of our lips (Psalm 141:3). We need to guard our conversations and be conscience of the things that we release out of our mouth. We should be quick to hear, slow to speak, and slow to anger (James 1:19). We should let the word of God be established and settled in our hearts so we can walk by faith and not by sight. We should always speak life giving words and life transforming words into the universe. We should speak words that promotes life and not death, words that will give God glory. When we continue to speak and confess God’s word we will believe and our faith will increase. Because faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God (Romans 10:17). And out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. What is in the heart is what people believe and they will speak what they believe. Faith is our servant and it is on standby waiting to serve us, it takes action when we speak it. Faith is our friend and it does supernatural wonders and miracles. Words spoken in faith can move mountains, cease storms, heal the sick, deliver the unclean, free from bondage and strongholds, cause giants to fall, cause faith to increase, and cause those things that be not as though they were (bring things into existence). The tongue can be used to bring death or life; deliverance or destruction, healing or sickness, life and peace, prosperity or poverty, sanity or insanity, stability or instability, the good life or curse life, and those who love to talk them, will reap the consequences of it, rather good or bad. We eat (take in) everything we say into the soil of our hearts, we are sowing seed and eventually we will reap a harvest either blessings or curses. The tongue is a force of life, it is a force to be reckoned with. The tongue can be used for evil or good, it can be used to bless or curse. We can use the tongue to help people or tear them down or we can use the tongue to edify people or hurt them. A foolish person will use the tongue to tear down, but a wise person will use it to give understanding, insight, illumination, enlightenment, revelation, wisdom and knowledge, to build up, comfort, and to encourage others. The tongue is a seed sower and you will reap what you have sown in the universe. There is a time for sowing and there is a time to harvest. As long as the earth remains there is seed (planting time) and harvest (a time to gather and collect what you have sown). The tongue is a power life force, it shapes the coarse of life, God spoke the world into existence, He brought forth light out of darkness when He said Let there be light and there was light (Genesis 1: 3). God used His tongue for good and not for evil. He created the world with it, and we also should use our tongue for good, not evil and to bring the abundant life. We should use it to bless, praise, exalt, magnify, and glorify God with it. We should use it to speak life over the hurt, the hopeless and despair, the dysfunctional, the unstable, the depress, the desperate, the weak and feeble, the wounded soul, the broken-hearted, and the suicidal. The tongue is a creative force, it is living and operative and should be used to give life in all its fullness. But instead we use it to bless God and then the next minute we are using it to cuss people out or we are gossiping and speaking all manner of evil with it, child of God this ought not be. Our language should be the same as Jesus, it should be a language of blessing, shalom, love and life. Our lifestyle should reflect the fruit of the spirit in Galatians 5:22-23 and the culture of the kingdom, the Beatitudes in Matthew 5:3-11. The tongue produces what we spew out of our mouth. Jesus said in Revelation 3:16 of the church Sardis, So then because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spue you out of my mouth. There is supernatural power in the tongue, and we can speak those things which be not as though they were (Romans 4:17). We can speak things into existence with our tongue. We can use our tongue to pull out of the invisible realm and create life or death in the natural realm. I believe that a lot of people are in bondage and has a stronghold or strongman over their life because of the things that they have spoken over their life. I believe some people have died prematurely because of the things they have spoken out of their month and because of the vows they have made out of their mouth, and because of the covenant that they have made with demonic forces. Proverbs 6:2 says, You have been trapped by what you said, ensnared by the words of your mouth. We are snared and taken captive by the wrong words and the unwholesome things that we have spoken out of our mouth. We can prophesy our life destiny with our tongue. We can use our tongue as a deadly sword to harm, kill, hurt, and destroy people with it, or we can use it to renew, restore, and revive people and bring life to them by praying for them and speaking refreshing and right words (healing, health, prosperity, shalom, deliverance, revival, renunciation, reconciliation, restoration) over them. The choice is ours, we need to choose if we are going to bless or curse people and not be double minded, a double minded person is unstable in all his ways and cannot be trusted. I believe that double mindedness open the soul to demonic influences and causes people to have abnormal behavior, strange speech, and decrease their ability to understand reality, along with false beliefs and unclear or confused thinking. Bitter and sweet do not flow from the same fountain. James 3:10-11 says, out of the same mouth proceeds blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not so be. Does a fountain send forth at the same place sweet and bitter? Can the fig tree bear olive berries? Either a vine, figs? So can no fountain both yield salt and fresh. Either we produce good fresh fruit or corrupt evil fruit. Matthew 7:16-20 says, You will know them by their fruit…every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. We have to make up our mind which kingdom we are in, the kingdom of light or the kingdom of darkness. Who are we going to serve God or Belial (the devil). We shouldn’t be like Balaam and allow ourselves to be influenced by an evil spirit to curse our neighbors. Numbers 23:7 NIV says, Then Balaam spoke his message: Balak brought me from Aram, the king of Moab from the eastern mountains. Come, he said, curse Jacob for me; come, denounce Israel. We should not listen to the voice of a stranger (anger, hatred, rage, outburst, bitterness, demons, unforgiveness) and curse others. Jesus said, My sheep know my voice and the voice of a stranger they will not follow. If we belong to Jesus we will not listen to other voices (malice, contention, strife, jealousy, tale bearer, backbiting, gossip, seducing spirits, doctrine of demons). Proverbs 10:20 says, The tongue of the just is as choice silver. And his mouth brings forth wisdom, and he know what is acceptable, and blessings are upon his head (Proverbs 10:6, 31-32). An hypocrite with his mouth destroys his neighbour (Proverbs 11:9). He will defame and slander his name and character, and testify against him falsely. This is a religious spirit, the same spirit that accused Jesus and made false accusation against Him. Luke 23:2-3 says, And they began to accuse Him, saying, We found this fellow perverting the nation, and forbidding to give tribute to Caesar, saying that He Himself is Christ a King. A lying tongue is evil and wicked because it can have someone sentence to death, it can cause a person to loose their job, it can break up a marriage, it can destroy a family, relationships, friendship, a church and a home, it can cause someone to get hurt real bad to the point of death. And those who make accusations are under God’s judgement (Psalm 5:6). We can expect people of the world to sometimes make false accusations against others, because they are sinners and that is what sinners do, they sin, but it should not be named among us as being saints. Jesus said in John 15:18, If the world hated me, they will hate you also. But falsehood shouldn’t be named among us as believers. If we love our life and want to be bless and see good days ahead we should refrain our mouth from speaking evil. 1 Peter 3:10 NIV tells us, For, whoever would love life and see good days must keep their tongue from evil and their lips from deceitful speech. We are going to be judge and held accountable for every idle, empty, worthless, vain, and careless words that we speak out of our mouth and thoughts. Jesus said in Matthew 12:36-37, But I say unto you, that every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgement.