DO YOU SEE WHAT I’M SAYING?
There is so much stirring in our hearts as are seeking the Lord and praying the “Body of Christ.” I wanted to share what the Lord has been dealing with me on according to the time and reality we are living in. We continually ask the Lord for wisdom and divine direction in everything that we do, and that we remain in love and in the truth always.
There are two things I would like to share as the Lord has been dealing with me to take an inventory of them in my life:
1. What am I SAYING?
2. How am I LIVING?
Because we live in a time when mankind is being inundated with wrong information, it is to the utmost of importance that believers (the church) sound and operate differently than non-believers (the world). What we are saying and how we are living is a direct result of what we are seeing and hearing. They only way to keep from blending in with culture is to have a consistent daily spiritual diet of truth. How? See the Word – by reading it; Hear the Word – by listening to it being taught.
The local church should be our biggest part of this diet. Being part of a true bible teaching church is so vital because our pastors know and hear from the Holy Spirit what we need. Local church pastors hear specifically for the believers that God has called them to oversee. Each of us can learn, mature in our faith, and go out to reach the lost just as Jesus did. A church family gives us fellowship, accountability and keeps us safe and strong in the Lord. As you know, wolves (the devil) tend to go after isolated sheep.
That being said, there are also special ministries and anointings the Lord gave the church to help with specific duties and teachings for building the church and growing believers. Technology has enabled us to listen to the most anointed bible teachers in the world, every day if wanted! God ordained men and women that are anointed to teach us what the Word is actually saying. They teach us how to operate with the Word, which separates us from nonbelievers in order to reach the world. This also is a key ingredient to our Love walk, Faith walk, and Boldness to being adequately equipped do the work of the ministry. Remember, what Paul said in Ephesians 4,
11And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers,12for the equipping of the saints for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ.
The gifts mentioned in the verses above are all a part of equipping us to remain, full of faith and full of power in order to do the works of Jesus! I encourage all of us to be seeking God on behalf of the pastors that the Lord has placed us under. Praying that they would be strengthened in the faith and quick to see any ploy from the enemy that could creep into our congregations to steal and derail us from the truth. We, with a firm foundation in the faith, must hold up the arms of our pastors and all ministry gifts in prayer and in serving. We must be quick and diligent to protect the body of Christ from error which leads to unnecessary hurt and tragedy.
The Holy Spirit will lead us to be edified and equipped. He will also lead us to hear true instruction and correction when needed. Not every truth in the Bible is easy to receive or wrap our minds around, but it’s a part of spiritual growth and maturing in the Lord. Whoever loves instruction loves knowledge, but he who hates correction is stupid. – Proverbs 12:1 (NKJV). When we are being taught and equipped to live according to the Word, what we say and how we live is going to have a greater impact on our family, the world, and the kingdom. The Word is anointed and full of power! It’s so important for us to take inventory of our words. What are we saying? Let’s purpose to say what the Word says so that our living is an indicator of what we believe. Hebrews 10:23 says, let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for He is faithful that promised;) – (KJV).
Now, profession is something that an individual has already determined and is fully persuaded on for their life…and who we are is a result of it. Confession is what we are saying in accordance to what we have already professed. Confession is a powerful practice when it comes to God’s Word. Remember when the Lord told Joshua that His Word should not depart from Joshua’s mouth? *(See Joshua 1:8).It is vital that we continue to confess what we have already professed, but we have to keep the Word, in truth, before us.
I’ll leave you with this;
I love what our pastors, have spoken over their children for years and we have adopted it for ours.
“By the leading of your Spirit and the Power of your Grace, I thank you that, (NAME), will always be in the right place, at the right time, doing the right things, with the right people.”
We’ve been given stewardship of our children, so we are able to speak this for them and teach them how to speak it over themselves. We’ve given our pastors a voice and place in our lives, so they are able to speak this over us. We are partners, brothers and sisters in Christ Jesus, so when we pray for one another the Lord hears it as we are making a request for ourselves! This confession is SO POWERFUL because what we are saying is, at every moment we are declaring to be in the will of God, and the will of God is the most productive, fulfilling, and safest place to be! I am confident of this because one of The Holy Spirit’s jobs is to tell us if we get out of place. Amen!
Thank you for your continued prayers, love, and support! We are so thankful for you and are praying for you always.
With Love,
Chris and Courtney Jacobs