Biblical

GOSPELS vs THE EPISTLES

The Bible teaches us many things. By it we understand the man’s downfall, in Adam, in Genesis chapter
one. We understand God’s covenant relationship with Israel. We understand Jesus’ walk and ministry
here on earth, his redemption of mankind from the fall by his crucifixion and resurrection and, yet, that
is as far as most Christians go. The scholars and clergy cannot reconcile the Gospels with the Pauline
Epistles and so they turn a blind eye to the new Gospel for the words of Jesus in the Gospels. This free
will choice to turn their back on the truth of God’s word relating the believer’s position, authority and
rights in Christ has left the Church powerless and vulnerable to the onslaught of the adversary, the Devil.
It has, also, left the soul and heart of sincere believers hungering for truth and power. There must be
something more than what the churches of today offer and, so, the Christians end up getting
hoodwinked and steered into the occult. Many Christians are openly practicing occultism in the church
or at home thinking that it is the Power of God. All of this could have been and could be rectified if
people would just come back to the integrity of God’s Word. It is either ALL God’s Word or none of it is.
The teachings of the Epistles must hold as much or more authority as the Gospels of Mathew, Mark,
Luke and John. For as it says in Romans the things that were written afore were written for our learning,
whereas, the Epistles were written to us.
Romans 15:4 (KJV)
4 For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through
patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope.
The reason that scholars and clergy cannot reconcile Gospels with the Epistles is manifold. In the
Gospels Jesus Christ said he will build his church. (Matthew 16:18) In the Epistles the Christian has that
responsibility.
2 Corinthians 5:20 (KJV)
20 Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ’s
stead, be ye reconciled to God.
2 Corinthians 6:1 (KJV)
1 We then, as workers together with him (God), beseech you also that ye receive not the grace of
God in vain.
In the Gospels Jesus Christ is the bridegroom.
Mark 2:19-20 (KJV)
19 And Jesus said unto them, Can the children of the bridechamber fast, while the bridegroom is with
them? as long as they have the bridegroom with them, they cannot fast.
20 But the days will come, when the bridegroom shall be taken away from them, and then shall they fast
in those days.
John 3:28-29 (KJV)
28 Ye yourselves bear me witness, that I (John the Baptist) said, I am not the Christ, but that I am sent
before him.29 He that hath the bride is the bridegroom: but the friend of the bridegroom, which standeth and
heareth him, rejoiceth greatly because of the bridegroom’s voice: this my joy therefore is fulfilled.
Revelation 21:9-10 (KJV)
9 And there came unto me one of the seven angels which had the seven vials full of the seven last
plagues, and talked with me, saying, Come hither, I will shew thee the bride, the Lamb’s wife.
10 And he carried me away in the spirit to a great and high mountain, and shewed me that great city, the
holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God,
In the Epistles the believers are part of the body of Christ.
Romans 12:5 (KJV)
5 So we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another.
1 Corinthians 12:27 (KJV)
27 Now ye are the body of Christ, and members in particular.
Ephesians 4:11-12 (KJV)
11 And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and
teachers;
12 For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:
In the Gospels they were servants or, at the best, friends.
John 15:14-15 (KJV)
14 Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you.
15 Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called
you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you.
Ezekiel 38:17 (KJV)
17 Thus saith the Lord GOD; Art thou he of whom I have spoken in old time by my servants the prophets
of Israel, which prophesied in those days many years that I would bring thee against them?
Daniel 3:26 (KJV)
26 Then Nebuchadnezzar came near to the mouth of the burning fiery furnace, and spake, and said,
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, ye servants of the most high God, come forth, and come hither. Then
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, came forth of the midst of the fire.
In the Epistles we are the sons of God joint heirs with Jesus Christ.
1 John 3:1-2 (KJV)
1 Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the
sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not.
2 Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know
that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.Romans 8:16-17 (KJV)
16 The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God:
17 And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer
with him, that we may be also glorified together.
In the Gospels Jesus Christ had the power to heal.
Luke 4:17-21 (KJV)
17 And there was delivered unto him the book of the prophet Esaias. And when he had opened the book,
he found the place where it was written,
18 The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he
hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to
the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised,
19 To preach the acceptable year of the Lord.
20 And he closed the book, and he gave it again to the minister, and sat down. And the eyes of all them
that were in the synagogue were fastened on him.
21 And he began to say unto them, This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears.
In The Epistles The born again Christian has that authority and right to wield the power.
John 14:12-14 (KJV)
12 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater
works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father.
13 And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.
14 If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it.
Ephesians 1:18-20 (KJV)
18 The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling,
and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints,
19 And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of
his mighty power,
20 Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in
the heavenly places,
The Gospels were the closing out of the Old Testament. Jesus Christ’s ministry was to the lost sheep of
the house of Israel.Acts is the transition from the Old Testament to the New and the Epistles give the knowledge of what
Christ accomplished not during his ministry here upon Earth. Not during his crucifixion. Not even at his
resurrection, but, when he had accomplished all and was seated on the right hand of God.
You will only find the authority, power and rights of the Christian in the Epistles. Turn your eyes away
from the World and superficial trappings of the Denominational churches and turn them into the Word
of God. For it is in the Epistles that you will find out who you truly are.

HEBREWS ELEVEN (part five)

We are going to take a look at the records spoken about in Hebrews chapter eleven verses twenty
through twenty-two. These three men were pillars of believing in their walk with God. We tend to think
of these men as so great that we could not attain in our lives what they were able to do in theirs. But,
this is not so! These men were great, but, the reason they were great was that they believed God and
walked on the revelation they received. We, too, can do this! We have more, spiritually than they did.
We have more promises to us than they did. We have the revelation of God’s Word to walk on AND we
can so develop the new man, the Christ within we can have a relationship with God, a relationship of a
child with a heavenly loving father. This is what Hebrews chapter eleven is showing us. It is a chapter
filled with people who believed and as we study them we, in turn, learn how they believed so that we
learn to believe as well.
Hebrews 11:20 (KJV)
20 By faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau concerning things to come.
Genesis 27:6-40 (KJV)
6 And Rebekah spake unto Jacob her son, saying, Behold, I heard thy father speak unto Esau thy
brother, saying,
7 Bring me venison, and make me savoury meat, that I may eat, and bless thee before the LORD
before my death.
8 Now therefore, my son, obey my voice according to that which I command thee.
9 Go now to the flock, and fetch me from thence two good kids of the goats; and I will make them
savoury meat for thy father, such as he loveth:
10 And thou shalt bring it to thy father, that he may eat, and that he may bless thee before his
death.
11 And Jacob said to Rebekah his mother, Behold, Esau my brother is a hairy man, and I am a
smooth man:
12 My father peradventure will feel me, and I shall seem to him as a deceiver; and I shall bring a
curse upon me, and not a blessing.
13 And his mother said unto him, Upon me be thy curse, my son: only obey my voice, and go
fetch me them.
14 And he went, and fetched, and brought them to his mother: and his mother made savoury
meat, such as his father loved.
15 And Rebekah took goodly raiment of her eldest son Esau, which were with her in the house,
and put them upon Jacob her younger son:
16 And she put the skins of the kids of the goats upon his hands, and upon the smooth of his neck:
17 And she gave the savoury meat and the bread, which she had prepared, into the hand of her
son Jacob.
18 And he came unto his father, and said, My father: and he said, Here am I; who art thou, my
son?
19 And Jacob said unto his father, I am Esau thy firstborn; I have done according as thou badest
me: arise, I pray thee, sit and eat of my venison, that thy soul may bless me.
20 And Isaac said unto his son, How is it that thou hast found it so quickly, my son? And he said,Because the LORD thy God brought it to me.
21 And Isaac said unto Jacob, Come near, I pray thee, that I may feel thee, my son, whether thou
be my very son Esau or not.
22 And Jacob went near unto Isaac his father; and he felt him, and said, The voice is Jacob’s
voice, but the hands are the hands of Esau.
23 And he discerned him not, because his hands were hairy, as his brother Esau’s hands: so he
blessed him.
24 And he said, Art thou my very son Esau? And he said, I am.
25 And he said, Bring it near to me, and I will eat of my son’s venison, that my soul may bless
thee. And he brought it near to him, and he did eat: and he brought him wine, and he drank.
26 And his father Isaac said unto him, Come near now, and kiss me, my son.
27 And he came near, and kissed him: and he smelled the smell of his raiment, and blessed him,
and said, See, the smell of my son is as the smell of a field which the LORD hath blessed:
28 Therefore God give thee of the dew of heaven, and the fatness of the earth, and plenty of corn
and wine:
29 Let people serve thee, and nations bow down to thee: be lord over thy brethren, and let thy
mother’s sons bow down to thee: cursed be every one that curseth thee, and blessed be he that
blesseth thee.
30 And it came to pass, as soon as Isaac had made an end of blessing Jacob, and Jacob was yet
scarce gone out from the presence of Isaac his father, that Esau his brother came in from his
hunting.
31 And he also had made savoury meat, and brought it unto his father, and said unto his father,
Let my father arise, and eat of his son’s venison, that thy soul may bless me.
32 And Isaac his father said unto him, Who art thou? And he said, I am thy son, thy firstborn
Esau.
33 And Isaac trembled very exceedingly, and said, Who? where is he that hath taken venison, and
brought it me, and I have eaten of all before thou camest, and have blessed him? yea, and he
shall be blessed.
34 And when Esau heard the words of his father, he cried with a great and exceeding bitter cry,
and said unto his father, Bless me, even me also, O my father.
35 And he said, Thy brother came with subtilty, and hath taken away thy blessing.
36 And he said, Is not he rightly named Jacob? for he hath supplanted me these two times: he
took away my birthright; and, behold, now he hath taken away my blessing. And he said, Hast
thou not reserved a blessing for me?
37 And Isaac answered and said unto Esau, Behold, I have made him thy lord, and all his
brethren have I given to him for servants; and with corn and wine have I sustained him: and
what shall I do now unto thee, my son?
38 And Esau said unto his father, Hast thou but one blessing, my father? bless me, even me also,
O my father. And Esau lifted up his voice, and wept.
39 And Isaac his father answered and said unto him, Behold, thy dwelling shall be the fatness of
the earth, and of the dew of heaven from above;
40 And by thy sword shalt thou live, and shalt serve thy brother; and it shall come to pass when
thou shalt have the dominion, that thou shalt break his yoke from off thy neck.The words “by faith” which we know by now is believing does not mean he “hoped” no, no, no. When it
says “by believing” it means “by believing!” Isaac believed that God had given him the authority to
confer on Jacob and on Esau not his own thought up blessing, but, the blessing of God by revelation!
Hebrews 11:21 (KJV)
21 By faith Jacob, when he was a dying, blessed both the sons of Joseph; and worshipped, leaning upon
the top of his staff.
Genesis 48:1-20 (KJV)
1 And it came to pass after these things, that one told Joseph, Behold, thy father is sick: and he
took with him his two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim.
2 And one told Jacob, and said, Behold, thy son Joseph cometh unto thee: and Israel
strengthened himself, and sat upon the bed.
3 And Jacob said unto Joseph, God Almighty appeared unto me at Luz in the land of Canaan,
and blessed me,
4 And said unto me, Behold, I will make thee fruitful, and multiply thee, and I will make of thee a
multitude of people; and will give this land to thy seed after thee for an everlasting possession.
5 And now thy two sons, Ephraim and Manasseh, which were born unto thee in the land of Egypt
before I came unto thee into Egypt, are mine; as Reuben and Simeon, they shall be mine.
6 And thy issue, which thou begettest after them, shall be thine, and shall be called after the
name of their brethren in their inheritance.
7 And as for me, when I came from Padan, Rachel died by me in the land of Canaan in the way,
when yet there was but a little way to come unto Ephrath: and I buried her there in the way of
Ephrath; the same is Bethlehem.
8 And Israel beheld Joseph’s sons, and said, Who are these?
9 And Joseph said unto his father, They are my sons, whom God hath given me in this place. And
he said, Bring them, I pray thee, unto me, and I will bless them.
10 Now the eyes of Israel were dim for age, so that he could not see. And he brought them near
unto him; and he kissed them, and embraced them.
11 And Israel said unto Joseph, I had not thought to see thy face: and, lo, God hath shewed me
also thy seed.
12 And Joseph brought them out from between his knees, and he bowed himself with his face to
the earth.
13 And Joseph took them both, Ephraim in his right hand toward Israel’s left hand, and
Manasseh in his left hand toward Israel’s right hand, and brought them near unto him.
14 And Israel stretched out his right hand, and laid it upon Ephraim’s head, who was the
younger, and his left hand upon Manasseh’s head, guiding his hands wittingly; for Manasseh
was the firstborn.
15 And he blessed Joseph, and said, God, before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac did walk,
the God which fed me all my life long unto this day,
16 The Angel which redeemed me from all evil, bless the lads; and let my name be named on
them, and the name of my fathers Abraham and Isaac; and let them grow into a multitude in the
midst of the earth.
17 And when Joseph saw that his father laid his right hand upon the head of Ephraim, it
displeased him: and he held up his father’s hand, to remove it from Ephraim’s head untoManasseh’s head.
18 And Joseph said unto his father, Not so, my father: for this is the firstborn; put thy right hand
upon his head.
19 And his father refused, and said, I know it, my son, I know it: he also shall become a people,
and he also shall be great: but truly his younger brother shall be greater than he, and his seed
shall become a multitude of nations.
20 And he blessed them that day, saying, In thee shall Israel bless, saying, God make thee as
Ephraim and as Manasseh: and he set Ephraim before Manasseh.
Hebrews 11:22 (KJV)
22 By faith Joseph, when he died, made mention of the departing of the children of Israel; and gave
commandment concerning his bones.
Genesis 50:22-26 (KJV)
22 And Joseph dwelt in Egypt, he, and his father’s house: and Joseph lived an hundred and ten
years.
23 And Joseph saw Ephraim’s children of the third generation: the children also of Machir the
son of Manasseh were brought up upon Joseph’s knees.
24 And Joseph said unto his brethren, I die: and God will surely visit you, and bring you out of
this land unto the land which he sware to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob.
25 And Joseph took an oath of the children of Israel, saying, God will surely visit you, and ye
shall carry up my bones from hence.
26 So Joseph died, being an hundred and ten years old: and they embalmed him, and he was put
in a coffin in Egypt.
How did Joseph know that the Children of Israel would leave Egypt? God told him by “revelation.” Isaac
had a relationship with God. Jacob had a relationship with God. Joseph had a relationship with God.
These men are examples for us. We are to have a relationship with God. They were servants of God we
are sons of God. They had a portion of spirit upon them. We have the spirit of God in Christ in us. The
works that Jesus Christ did and greater we can do because he accomplished our redemption and sat
down at the right hand of God. The key to this, the example of this, is right here in Hebrews chapter
eleven and that example is the example of believing.

JOSEPH’S WALK WITH GOD

Before we go any further in our study of Hebrews chapter eleven I would like to share with you a
little bit about Joseph.
Joseph was one of the twelve sons of Jacob. Jacob was one of two sons of Isaac and Isaac was
the son of Abraham.
What so amazes me about this story is Joseph’s stand with God and how God stood with Joseph.
Joseph had it good living with his family, but, then, his brothers sold him into captivity. He was
taken to Egypt where the customs and language were completely different. A place where they
worshipped and served idols. A place stranger to Joseph than China would be to a young man
from the back woods of Kentucky.
Genesis 37:3-28 (KJV)
3 Now Israel (Jacob) loved Joseph more than all his children, because he was the son of his old
age: and he made him a coat of many colours.
4 And when his brethren saw that their father loved him more than all his brethren, they hated
him, and could not speak peaceably unto him.
5 And Joseph dreamed a dream, and he told it his brethren: and they hated him yet the more.
6 And he said unto them, Hear, I pray you, this dream which I have dreamed:
7 For, behold, we were binding sheaves in the field, and, lo, my sheaf arose, and also stood
upright; and, behold, your sheaves stood round about, and made obeisance to my sheaf.
8 And his brethren said to him, Shalt thou indeed reign over us? or shalt thou indeed have
dominion over us? And they hated him yet the more for his dreams, and for his words.
9 And he dreamed yet another dream, and told it his brethren, and said, Behold, I have dreamed
a dream more; and, behold, the sun and the moon and the eleven stars made obeisance to me.
10 And he told it to his father, and to his brethren: and his father rebuked him, and said unto
him, What is this dream that thou hast dreamed? Shall I and thy mother and thy brethren indeed
come to bow down ourselves to thee to the earth?
11 And his brethren envied him; but his father observed the saying.
12 And his brethren went to feed their father’s flock in Shechem.
13 And Israel said unto Joseph, Do not thy brethren feed the flock in Shechem? come, and I will
send thee unto them. And he said to him, Here am I.
14 And he said to him, Go, I pray thee, see whether it be well with thy brethren, and well with the
flocks; and bring me word again. So he sent him out of the vale of Hebron, and he came to
Shechem.
15 And a certain man found him, and, behold, he was wandering in the field: and the man asked
him, saying, What seekest thou?
16 And he said, I seek my brethren: tell me, I pray thee, where they feed their flocks.
17 And the man said, They are departed hence; for I heard them say, Let us go to Dothan. And
Joseph went after his brethren, and found them in Dothan.
18 And when they saw him afar off, even before he came near unto them, they conspired against
him to slay him.
19 And they said one to another, Behold, this dreamer cometh.
20 Come now therefore, and let us slay him, and cast him into some pit, and we will say, Some
evil beast hath devoured him: and we shall see what will become of his dreams.21 And Reuben heard it, and he delivered him out of their hands; and said, Let us not kill him.
22 And Reuben said unto them, Shed no blood, but cast him into this pit that is in the wilderness,
and lay no hand upon him; that he might rid him out of their hands, to deliver him to his father
again.
23 And it came to pass, when Joseph was come unto his brethren, that they stript Joseph out of
his coat, his coat of many colours that was on him;
24 And they took him, and cast him into a pit: and the pit was empty, there was no water in it.
25 And they sat down to eat bread: and they lifted up their eyes and looked, and, behold, a
company of Ishmeelites came from Gilead with their camels bearing spicery and balm and
myrrh, going to carry it down to Egypt.
26 And Judah said unto his brethren, What profit is it if we slay our brother, and conceal his
blood?
27 Come, and let us sell him to the Ishmeelites, and let not our hand be upon him; for he is our
brother and our flesh. And his brethren were content.
28 Then there passed by Midianites merchantmen; and they drew and lifted up Joseph out of the
pit, and sold Joseph to the Ishmeelites for twenty pieces of silver: and they brought Joseph into
Egypt.
Most Christians when faced with circumstances they don’t understand think God has forsaken them.
That was far from the truth with Joseph and it is even further from the truth with Christians. God
promises that He will never leave us or forsake us. He is our Father and He wants the best for each of us.
Circumstances are circumstances. But, circumstances change when you start walking with God.
Genesis 39:1-20 (KJV)
1 And Joseph was brought down to Egypt; and Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh, captain of the
guard, an Egyptian, bought him of the hands of the Ishmeelites, which had brought him down
thither.
2 And the LORD was with Joseph, and he was a prosperous man; and he was in the house of his
master the Egyptian.
3 And his master saw that the LORD was with him, and that the LORD made all that he did to
prosper in his hand.
Who made Joseph so prosperous? God did! Who will make us, the Christian, prosperous? God!
But, it is a two way street. God was helping Joseph, but, Joseph, even through adversity, was
walking with God. When I say “walking with God” I mean he was praying to God and keeping
the commandments that given to him and his fathers. Now I know that Joseph had the spirit of
God upon him, but, in that time in history the spirit was given on condition. If you screwed up
you could lose it. King Saul was such a man. But, Joseph stayed in fellowship with God.
4 And Joseph found grace in his sight, and he served him: and he made him overseer over his
house, and all that he had he put into his hand.
5 And it came to pass from the time that he had made him overseer in his house, and over all that
he had, that the LORD blessed the Egyptian’s house for Joseph’s sake; and the blessing of theLORD was upon all that he had in the house, and in the field.
6 And he left all that he had in Joseph’s hand; and he knew not ought he had, save the bread
which he did eat. And Joseph was a goodly person, and well favoured.
7 And it came to pass after these things, that his master’s wife cast her eyes upon Joseph; and
she said, Lie with me.
8 But he refused, and said unto his master’s wife, Behold, my master wotteth not what is with me
in the house, and he hath committed all that he hath to my hand;
9 There is none greater in this house than I; neither hath he kept back any thing from me but
thee, because thou art his wife: how then can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God?
10 And it came to pass, as she spake to Joseph day by day, that he hearkened not unto her, to lie
by her, or to be with her.
11 And it came to pass about this time, that Joseph went into the house to do his business; and
there was none of the men of the house there within.
12 And she caught him by his garment, saying, Lie with me: and he left his garment in her hand,
and fled, and got him out.
What an honorable man! How many men in our day and age would flee and how many would
stay? God sees all and remember Joseph CHOSE to walk with God.
13 And it came to pass, when she saw that he had left his garment in her hand, and was fled
forth,
14 That she called unto the men of her house, and spake unto them, saying, See, he hath brought
in an Hebrew unto us to mock us; he came in unto me to lie with me, and I cried with a loud
voice:
15 And it came to pass, when he heard that I lifted up my voice and cried, that he left his garment
with me, and fled, and got him out.
16 And she laid up his garment by her, until his lord came home.
17 And she spake unto him according to these words, saying, The Hebrew servant, which thou
hast brought unto us, came in unto me to mock me:
18 And it came to pass, as I lifted up my voice and cried, that he left his garment with me, and
fled out.
19 And it came to pass, when his master heard the words of his wife, which she spake unto him,
saying, After this manner did thy servant to me; that his wrath was kindled.
20 And Joseph’s master took him, and put him into the prison, a place where the king’s prisoners
were bound: and he was there in the prison.
Yes, Joseph walked with God, but, just because he walked with God doesn’t mean that he is
going to have it all roses in life. Prison is prison back then as well as today. It is a hard miserable
place to be. Instead of looking at the circumstances Joseph continued to look toward God and
because of that God continued to prosper Joseph in some of the harshest conditions on Earth.
Genesis 39:21-23 (KJV)
21 But the LORD was with Joseph, and shewed him mercy, and gave him favour in the sight of the keeper
of the prison.22 And the keeper of the prison committed to Joseph’s hand all the prisoners that were in the prison; and
whatsoever they did there, he was the doer of it.
23 The keeper of the prison looked not to any thing that was under his hand; because the LORD was with
him, and that which he did, the LORD made it to prosper.
Genesis 40:1-19 (KJV)
1 And it came to pass after these things, that the butler of the king of Egypt and his baker had
offended their lord the king of Egypt.
2 And Pharaoh was wroth against two of his officers, against the chief of the butlers, and against
the chief of the bakers.
3 And he put them in ward in the house of the captain of the guard, into the prison, the place
where Joseph was bound.
4 And the captain of the guard charged Joseph with them, and he served them: and they
continued a season in ward.
5 And they dreamed a dream both of them, each man his dream in one night, each man
according to the interpretation of his dream, the butler and the baker of the king of Egypt, which
were bound in the prison.
6 And Joseph came in unto them in the morning, and looked upon them, and, behold, they were
sad.
7 And he asked Pharaoh’s officers that were with him in the ward of his lord’s house, saying,
Wherefore look ye so sadly to day?
8 And they said unto him, We have dreamed a dream, and there is no interpreter of it. And
Joseph said unto them, Do not interpretations belong to God? tell me them, I pray you.
9 And the chief butler told his dream to Joseph, and said to him, In my dream, behold, a vine was
before me;
10 And in the vine were three branches: and it was as though it budded, and her blossoms shot
forth; and the clusters thereof brought forth ripe grapes:
11 And Pharaoh’s cup was in my hand: and I took the grapes, and pressed them into Pharaoh’s
cup, and I gave the cup into Pharaoh’s hand.
12 And Joseph said unto him, This is the interpretation of it: The three branches are three days:
13 Yet within three days shall Pharaoh lift up thine head, and restore thee unto thy place: and
thou shalt deliver Pharaoh’s cup into his hand, after the former manner when thou wast his
butler.
14 But think on me when it shall be well with thee, and shew kindness, I pray thee, unto me, and
make mention of me unto Pharaoh, and bring me out of this house:
15 For indeed I was stolen away out of the land of the Hebrews: and here also have I done
nothing that they should put me into the dungeon.
16 When the chief baker saw that the interpretation was good, he said unto Joseph, I also was in
my dream, and, behold, I had three white baskets on my head:
17 And in the uppermost basket there was of all manner of bakemeats for Pharaoh; and the birds
did eat them out of the basket upon my head.
18 And Joseph answered and said, This is the interpretation thereof: The three baskets are three
days:
19 Yet within three days shall Pharaoh lift up thy head from off thee, and shall hang thee on a
tree; and the birds shall eat thy flesh from off thee.Genesis 40:20-23 (KJV)
20 And it came to pass the third day, which was Pharaoh’s birthday, that he made a feast unto all
his servants: and he lifted up the head of the chief butler and of the chief baker among his
servants.
21 And he restored the chief butler unto his butlership again; and he gave the cup into Pharaoh’s
hand:
22 But he hanged the chief baker: as Joseph had interpreted to them.
23 Yet did not the chief butler remember Joseph, but forgat him.
Joseph didn’t know whether the chief butler was going to plead his case to Pharaoh or not. He
must have spent countless days hoping and anticipating the butlers help to get him out of prison,
but, nobody came. Still, Joseph kept his fellowship with God.
I want to explain something else here. Joseph didn’t necessarily hear from God every day. Days
weeks or months could go by without him hearing from God. Even though he didn’t hear from
Him every day, God was still with him and still prospering him.
Genesis 41:1 (KJV)
1 And it came to pass at the end of two full years, that Pharaoh dreamed: and, behold, he stood
by the river.
How long had Joseph been in prison before the butler showed up, I don’t know, but, it takes time
to get in the good graces of the warden. And then, for a prisoner to get full charge of the prison
takes even longer. I bet during all that time there was plenty of opportunity for Joseph to escape.
Why didn’t he? Maybe in his walk with God God told him not to. That is the only thing it could
be, otherwise, Joseph would have been long gone.
Genesis 41:9-43 (KJV)
9 Then spake the chief butler unto Pharaoh, saying, I do remember my faults this day:
10 Pharaoh was wroth with his servants, and put me in ward in the captain of the guard’s house,
both me and the chief baker:
11 And we dreamed a dream in one night, I and he; we dreamed each man according to the
interpretation of his dream.
12 And there was there with us a young man, an Hebrew, servant to the captain of the guard; and
we told him, and he interpreted to us our dreams; to each man according to his dream he did
interpret.
13 And it came to pass, as he interpreted to us, so it was; me he restored unto mine office, and
him he hanged.
14 Then Pharaoh sent and called Joseph, and they brought him hastily out of the dungeon: and
he shaved himself, and changed his raiment, and came in unto Pharaoh.
15 And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, I have dreamed a dream, and there is none that can interpret
it: and I have heard say of thee, that thou canst understand a dream to interpret it.
16 And Joseph answered Pharaoh, saying, It is not in me: God shall give Pharaoh an answer of
peace.17 And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, In my dream, behold, I stood upon the bank of the river:
18 And, behold, there came up out of the river seven kine, fatfleshed and well favoured; and they
fed in a meadow:
19 And, behold, seven other kine came up after them, poor and very ill favoured and leanfleshed,
such as I never saw in all the land of Egypt for badness:
20 And the lean and the ill favoured kine did eat up the first seven fat kine:
21 And when they had eaten them up, it could not be known that they had eaten them; but they
were still ill favoured, as at the beginning. So I awoke.
22 And I saw in my dream, and, behold, seven ears came up in one stalk, full and good:
23 And, behold, seven ears, withered, thin, and blasted with the east wind, sprung up after them:
24 And the thin ears devoured the seven good ears: and I told this unto the magicians; but there
was none that could declare it to me.
25 And Joseph said unto Pharaoh, The dream of Pharaoh is one: God hath shewed Pharaoh
what he is about to do.
26 The seven good kine are seven years; and the seven good ears are seven years: the dream is
one.
27 And the seven thin and ill favoured kine that came up after them are seven years; and the
seven empty ears blasted with the east wind shall be seven years of famine.
28 This is the thing which I have spoken unto Pharaoh: What God is about to do he sheweth unto
Pharaoh.
29 Behold, there come seven years of great plenty throughout all the land of Egypt:
30 And there shall arise after them seven years of famine; and all the plenty shall be forgotten in
the land of Egypt; and the famine shall consume the land;
31 And the plenty shall not be known in the land by reason of that famine following; for it shall
be very grievous.
32 And for that the dream was doubled unto Pharaoh twice; it is because the thing is established
by God, and God will shortly bring it to pass.
33 Now therefore let Pharaoh look out a man discreet and wise, and set him over the land of
Egypt.
34 Let Pharaoh do this, and let him appoint officers over the land, and take up the fifth part of
the land of Egypt in the seven plenteous years.
35 And let them gather all the food of those good years that come, and lay up corn under the
hand of Pharaoh, and let them keep food in the cities.
36 And that food shall be for store to the land against the seven years of famine, which shall be in
the land of Egypt; that the land perish not through the famine.
37 And the thing was good in the eyes of Pharaoh, and in the eyes of all his servants.
38 And Pharaoh said unto his servants, Can we find such a one as this is, a man in whom the
Spirit of God is?
39 And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, Forasmuch as God hath shewed thee all this, there is none so
discreet and wise as thou art:
40 Thou shalt be over my house, and according unto thy word shall all my people be ruled: only
in the throne will I be greater than thou.
41 And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, See, I have set thee over all the land of Egypt.
42 And Pharaoh took off his ring from his hand, and put it upon Joseph’s hand, and arrayed him
in vestures of fine linen, and put a gold chain about his neck;43 And he made him to ride in the second chariot which he had; and they cried before him, Bow
the knee: and he made him ruler over all the land of Egypt.
It took years upon years for Joseph to come to a place where he and God could save nations and one of
those nations was a little group of people called the twelve tribes of Israel, the family of Joseph.
Genesis 45:3-8 (KJV)
3 And Joseph said unto his brethren, I am Joseph; doth my father yet live? And his brethren could not
answer him; for they were troubled at his presence.
4 And Joseph said unto his brethren, Come near to me, I pray you. And they came near. And he said, I am
Joseph your brother, whom ye sold into Egypt.
5 Now therefore be not grieved, nor angry with yourselves, that ye sold me hither: for God did send me
before you to preserve life.
6 For these two years hath the famine been in the land: and yet there are five years, in the which there
shall neither be earing nor harvest.
7 And God sent me before you to preserve you a posterity in the earth, and to save your lives by a great
deliverance.
8 So now it was not you that sent me hither, but God: and he hath made me a father to Pharaoh, and
lord of all his house, and a ruler throughout all the land of Egypt.
Joseph’s walk, will, commitment and determination is so astounding that I marvel every time I read the
record. To be sold into slavery by your own family. To be put into prison undeservedly. To linger in
prison for years and through all of that to keep such a relationship with God that he could go directly
from prison to the presence of Pharaoh and get revelation from God is miraculous.
We don’t have to go through the things that Joseph did, but, sometimes our situations in life seem as
daunting as Joseph’s. Even so, we still have a God that loves us and is always there for us. We too can so
walk as to have answers from God.

HEBREWS CHAPTER ELEVEN part four

In this next installment of Hebrews chapter eleven we are going to look at just three verses,
seventeen,eighteen and nineteen. These three verses continue to cause confusion among the Christian
Churches. The idea that God would “tempt” Abraham.
Remember that we are looking at the Roll Call of Honor, those that believed God and wrought great
miracles. These three verses tell of an act that Abraham did that was so tremendous that it affects us
today.
Hebrews 11:17-19 (KJV)
17 By faith Abraham, when he was tried, offered up Isaac: and he that had received the promises offered
up his only begotten son,
18 Of whom it was said, That in Isaac shall thy seed be called:
19 Accounting that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead; from whence also he received him
in a figure.
Let’s read the record.
Genesis 22:1-19 (KJV)
1 And it came to pass after these things, that God did tempt Abraham, and said unto him,
Abraham: and he said, Behold, here I am.
2 And he said, Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee into the
land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I will
tell thee of.
3 And Abraham rose up early in the morning, and saddled his ass, and took two of his young
men with him, and Isaac his son, and clave the wood for the burnt offering, and rose up, and
went unto the place of which God had told him.
4 Then on the third day Abraham lifted up his eyes, and saw the place afar off.
5 And Abraham said unto his young men, Abide ye here with the ass; and I and the lad will go
yonder and worship, and come again to you.
6 And Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering, and laid it upon Isaac his son; and he took
the fire in his hand, and a knife; and they went both of them together.
7 And Isaac spake unto Abraham his father, and said, My father: and he said, Here am I, my son.
And he said, Behold the fire and the wood: but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?
8 And Abraham said, My son, God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering: so they went
both of them together.
9 And they came to the place which God had told him of; and Abraham built an altar there, and
laid the wood in order, and bound Isaac his son, and laid him on the altar upon the wood.
10 And Abraham stretched forth his hand, and took the knife to slay his son.
11 And the angel of the LORD called unto him out of heaven, and said, Abraham, Abraham: and
he said, Here am I.
12 And he said, Lay not thine hand upon the lad, neither do thou any thing unto him: for now I
know that thou fearest God, seeing thou hast not withheld thy son, thine only son from me.
13 And Abraham lifted up his eyes, and looked, and behold behind him a ram caught in a thicketby his horns: and Abraham went and took the ram, and offered him up for a burnt offering in the
stead of his son.
14 And Abraham called the name of that place Jehovahjireh: as it is said to this day, In the
mount of the LORD it shall be seen.
15 And the angel of the LORD called unto Abraham out of heaven the second time,
16 And said, By myself have I sworn, saith the LORD, for because thou hast done this thing, and
hast not withheld thy son, thine only son:
17 That in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the
heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea shore; and thy seed shall possess the gate of his
enemies;
18 And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast obeyed my
voice.
19 So Abraham returned unto his young men, and they rose up and went together to Beersheba;
and Abraham dwelt at Beersheba.
Some of the questions that we want to explore are:
1) Did God tempt Abraham?
2) What does “tempt” mean?
3) What is a burnt offering?
4) What did Abraham do that was so spectacular?
Did God tempt Abraham? The quick answer to this is “No.” Look at James 1:13.
James 1:13 (KJV)
13 Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil,
neither tempteth he any man:
So, if God can’t tempt then what exactly happened?
The problem mainly lays in translation. The Hebrew word for the word “tempt” in verse one is “Nacah.”
This word can be translated “prove” or “tempt.”
The definition of “prove” according to the American Dictionary of the English Language, is “ To ascertain
some unknown quality or truth by an experiment, or by a test or standard.” Whereas the definition for
“tempt” is “To incite or solicit to an evil act.”
These definitions in and of themselves don’t explain what happened because asking someone to offer
their son as a burnt offering seems a little bit on the evil side, doesn’t it? To more fully understand this
word let’s look at other verses that use this Hebrew word “nacah.”
Deuteronomy 8:2 (KJV)
2 And thou shalt remember all the way which the LORD thy God led thee these forty years in the
wilderness, to humble thee, and to prove (nacah) thee, to know what was in thine heart, whether thou
wouldest keep his commandments, or no.Exodus 20:20 (KJV)
20 And Moses said unto the people, Fear not: for God is come to prove (nacah) you, and that his fear may
be before your faces, that ye sin not.
Daniel 1:8-12 (KJV)
8 But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the king’s
meat, nor with the wine which he drank: therefore he requested of the prince of the eunuchs that
he might not defile himself.
9 Now God had brought Daniel into favour and tender love with the prince of the eunuchs.
10 And the prince of the eunuchs said unto Daniel, I fear my lord the king, who hath appointed
your meat and your drink: for why should he see your faces worse liking than the children which
are of your sort? then shall ye make me endanger my head to the king.
11 Then said Daniel to Melzar, whom the prince of the eunuchs had set over Daniel, Hananiah,
Mishael, and Azariah,
12 Prove (nacah) thy servants, I beseech thee, ten days; and let them give us pulse to eat, and
water to drink.
As you can see, in each of these verses the Hebrew word “nacah” should be translated “prove” or “to
prove.” Therefore, God did not tempt Abraham, but, ascertained some unknown quality or truth by an
experiment, or by a test or standard.
As we read this we have to understand God never wanted human sacrifice and the definition for “burnt
offering is completely different for people than it is for animals. In Judges chapter eleven is a record of a
human “burnt offering.”
Judges 11:30-40 (KJV)
30 And Jephthah vowed a vow unto the LORD, and said, If thou shalt without fail deliver the children of
Ammon into mine hands,
31 Then it shall be, that whatsoever cometh forth of the doors of my house to meet me, when I return in
peace from the children of Ammon, shall surely be the LORD’S, and I will offer it up for a burnt offering.
32 So Jephthah passed over unto the children of Ammon to fight against them; and the LORD delivered
them into his hands.
33 And he smote them from Aroer, even till thou come to Minnith, even twenty cities, and unto the plain
of the vineyards, with a very great slaughter. Thus the children of Ammon were subdued before the
children of Israel.
34 And Jephthah came to Mizpeh unto his house, and, behold, his daughter came out to meet him with
timbrels and with dances: and she was his only child; beside her he had neither son nor daughter.
35 And it came to pass, when he saw her, that he rent his clothes, and said, Alas, my daughter! thou hast
brought me very low, and thou art one of them that trouble me: for I have opened my mouth unto the
LORD, and I cannot go back.
36 And she said unto him, My father, if thou hast opened thy mouth unto the LORD, do to me according
to that which hath proceeded out of thy mouth; forasmuch as the LORD hath taken vengeance for thee
of thine enemies, even of the children of Ammon.
37 And she said unto her father, Let this thing be done for me: let me alone two months, that I may go up
and down upon the mountains, and bewail my virginity, I and my fellows.
38 And he said, Go. And he sent her away for two months: and she went with her companions, andbewailed her virginity upon the mountains.
39 And it came to pass at the end of two months, that she returned unto her father, who did with her
according to his vow which he had vowed: and she knew no man. And it was a custom in Israel,
40 That the daughters of Israel went yearly to lament the daughter of Jephthah the Gileadite four days in
a year.
Jephthah’s daughter didn’t die, but, she went into the service of the Lord. In those days every young
girl’s desire was to get married and have children. To not have children would be an extreme hardship
for Jephthah’s daughter.Her commitment was so respected by the daughters of Israel that each year
they would go see her, not to lament, but, to honor her and her commitment to God and her father.
There are arguments still on whether God told Abraham to literally slay Isaac and burn him or to offer
Isaac up as a burnt offering by dedicating him to God much as Jephthah did with his daughter. However,
there is one thing that is clear Abraham carried out what he believed to be the commandment of God.
This had to be a huge commitment for Abraham. His only son by his wife Sarah. The son that he had
when he and Sarah were well past child bearing age. The son God had promised him. But, Abraham
believed that God could raise Isaac from the dead. Because of Abraham’s unwavering allegiance to God,
never doubting God, he became the father of all who believe.
Romans 4:16 (KJV)
16 Therefore it is of faith, that it might be by grace; to the end the promise might be sure to all
the seed; not to that only which is of the law, but to that also which is of the faith of Abraham;
who is the father of us all,
Galatians 3:6-7 (KJV)
6 Even as Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.
7 Know ye therefore that they which are of faith, the same are the children of Abraham.

THE HEART AND THE MOUTH

I wanted to interrupt the series on Hebrews chapter 11 to talk about confession. No I am not going to
talk about the thing the Roman Catholics do, but rather, something much more intimate and meaningful
for your life.
I have, in past articles, talked about what God has done for us, what we have in Christ Jesus and the
importance of believing the promises in God’s Word, the Bible. But, there is one aspect that needs to be
brought into the picture to continue to get consistent results to your prayers and that is confession.
When I say confession I am talking about the thoughts and the words that come out of your mouth.
Matthew 15:10-11 (KJV)
10 And he (Jesus) called the multitude, and said unto them, Hear, and understand:
11 Not that which goeth into the mouth defileth a man; but that which cometh out of the mouth,
this defileth a man.
As Christians we are sons and daughters of God, I John 3:1,2, but, to get to the place that we walk the
talk we have to confess who we really are. We are sons and daughters spiritually, but it doesn’t come
into manifestation until your confession lines up with the reality of God’s Word.
When God was commissioning Joshua to lead the Children of Israel into the Promised Land He set
parameters for Joshua’s leadership role.
Joshua 1:1-9 (KJV)
1 Now after the death of Moses the servant of the LORD it came to pass, that the LORD spake
unto Joshua the son of Nun, Moses’ minister, saying,
2 Moses my servant is dead; now therefore arise, go over this Jordan, thou, and all this people,
unto the land which I do give to them, even to the children of Israel.
3 Every place that the sole of your foot shall tread upon, that have I given unto you, as I said
unto Moses.
4 From the wilderness and this Lebanon even unto the great river, the river Euphrates, all the
land of the Hittites, and unto the great sea toward the going down of the sun, shall be your coast.
5 There shall not any man be able to stand before thee all the days of thy life: as I was with
Moses, so I will be with thee: I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.
6 Be strong and of a good courage: for unto this people shalt thou divide for an inheritance the
land, which I sware unto their fathers to give them.
7 Only be thou strong and very courageous, that thou mayest observe to do according to all the
law, which Moses my servant commanded thee: turn not from it to the right hand or to the left,
that thou mayest prosper whithersoever thou goest.
8 This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and
night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt
make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.
9 Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou
dismayed: for the LORD thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest.In verses five and nine God says that He will be with Joshua all the time 24/7/365 and that He
will not fail Joshua or forsake Joshua. Now, let me ask you, is God with you? Hebrews 13:5 says
that He is and that He is our helper.
Hebrews 13:5-6 (KJV)
5 Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath
said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.
6 So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me.
In addition God told Joshua to be strong and very courageous. But, to remember and do Joshua
had to do one thing “This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt
meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written
therein.” By doing this Joshua was guaranteed of success!
This World and the things of this World will lull you into complacency so that you think you don’t have
to thing about what comes out of your mouth. How many times in a day do you speak negatively? I bet
if you monitor what you say for a day you will be surprised how many negatives come out of your
mouth. Everything from disparaging remarks against others to negatives about yourself and the
situations that you are in. This shouldn’t be!
2 Corinthians 10:5 (KJV)
5 Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and
bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;
The words “casting down imaginations” is better translated “demolish your human logic.”
Did Jesus Christ ever lose? Did he ever screw up? Was he ever negative in his thoughts or approach to
life? NO! Jesus Christ was always positive, always right on and always victorious! We are to think AND
CONFESS the same!
Ephesians 4:29 (KJV)
29 Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of
edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers.
Philippians 4:8-9 (KJV)
8 Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are
just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if
there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.
9 Those things, which ye have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, do: and the God of
peace shall be with you.
Why did I just put Phillipians 4:8-9 into a discussion about confession? Because, out of the heart, the
innermost part of you, the mouth speaks! If you want to change your confession you have to dwell on
the positives long enough that they work themselves down into the innermost depths of your being and
then it becomes easy to confess positives.
Luke 6:45 (KJV)
45 A good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is good; and an evil manout of the evil treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is evil: for of the abundance of the heart his
mouth speaketh.
The heart and the mouth always go together! Below I have included a few verses about the mouth and
the heart. I especially like Psalm 19:14.
Psalm 19:14 (KJV)
14 Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O LORD, my
strength, and my redeemer.
Psalm 32:9-11 (KJV)
9 Be ye not as the horse, or as the mule, which have no understanding: whose mouth must be held in
with bit and bridle, lest they come near unto thee.
10 Many sorrows shall be to the wicked: but he that trusteth in the LORD, mercy shall compass him
about.
11 Be glad in the LORD, and rejoice, ye righteous: and shout for joy, all ye that are upright in heart.
Psalm 17:3 (KJV)
3 Thou hast proved mine heart; thou hast visited me in the night; thou hast tried me, and shalt find
nothing; I am purposed that my mouth shall not transgress.
Psalm 37:30-31 (KJV)
30 The mouth of the righteous speaketh wisdom, and his tongue talketh of judgment.
31 The law of his God is in his heart; none of his steps shall slide.
Psalm 49:3 (KJV)
3 My mouth shall speak of wisdom; and the meditation of my heart shall be of understanding.
Proverbs 4:23-24 (KJV)
23 Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.
24 Put away from thee a froward mouth, and perverse lips put far from thee.
Matthew 15:7-8 (KJV)
7 Ye hypocrites, well did Esaias prophesy of you, saying,
8 This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is
far from me.
Matthew 15:16-20 (KJV)
16 And Jesus said, Are ye also yet without understanding?
17 Do not ye yet understand, that whatsoever entereth in at the mouth goeth into the belly, and is cast
out into the draught?
18 But those things which proceed out of the mouth come forth from the heart; and they defile the man.
19 For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness,
blasphemies:
20 These are the things which defile a man: but to eat with unwashen hands defileth not a man.Romans 10:8-10 (KJV)
8 But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith,
which we preach;
9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath
raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.
10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto
salvation.
It is time for the Christians to grow up and walk on this Earth as the sons of God and super conquerors
that they were born to be! The only way to do this is to study the Bible day by day and consciously
confess the positives “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me,” “God shall supply all your
need according to His riches in glory,” “God will never leave you,” “you are beautiful in the eyes of God.”
Only you can bring, in your own mind, every thought to the obedience of Christ.When you do this, what
a wonderful change you will have in your life and the lives of those around you.

HEBREWS CHAPTER 11 part three

(A little about Abraham)
Hebrews chapter eleven, verses eight through nineteen, talk about Abraham and Sarah, Abraham’s wife.
To really do a good job at explaining and expounding Abraham and Sarah would take a book, a very thick
book. Since, we don’t have that much room or time I will limit our discussion of Abraham and Sarah to
fit within the scope of these articles.
Hebrews 11:8-10 (KJV)
8 By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an
inheritance, obeyed; and he went out, not knowing whither he went.
9 By faith he sojourned in the land of promise, as in a strange country, dwelling in tabernacles with Isaac
and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise:
10 For he looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God..
Genesis 12:1-5 (KJV)
1 Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and
from thy father’s house, unto a land that I will shew thee:
2 And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and
thou shalt be a blessing:
3 And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all
families of the earth be blessed.
4 So Abram departed, as the LORD had spoken unto him; and Lot went with him: and Abram
was seventy and five years old when he departed out of Haran.
5 And Abram took Sarai his wife, and Lot his brother’s son, and all their substance that they had
gathered, and the souls that they had gotten in Haran; and they went forth to go into the land of
Canaan; and into the land of Canaan they came.
Abraham lived during the 1900’s B.C.. Back in that time you didn’t leave family and the area that you
lived in because it was dangerous to go away from the protections of alliances of family and friends.
Abram, he wasn’t re-named Abraham until he was ninety nine years old, chose to rely on God’s
protection and guidance rather than that of family and friends. This is believing, doing what God tells
you to do! Look at what Romans says about Abraham.
Romans 4:1-22 (KJV)
1 What shall we say then that Abraham our father, as pertaining to the flesh, hath found?
2 For if Abraham were justified by works, he hath whereof to glory; but not before God.
3 For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for
righteousness.
Believing is the key to deliverance. Believing is the key to power in your day by day walk.4 Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt.
What each and every one of us has to get straight in our minds is that we can’t save ourselves by
works. No matter what pew you are in on Sunday morning, no matter how much you give to the
poor, no matter how many good deeds you do you cannot, will not make yourself righteous
enough to get the blessings of God. You CAN’T go to Heaven on good works. The only way to
get to Heaven and the only way to please God is to believe! It is by grace that we are saved not
of works lest any man or woman boasts.
5 But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith
(believing) is counted for righteousness.
6 Even as David also describeth the blessedness of the man, unto whom God imputeth
righteousness without works,
7 Saying, Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered.
8 Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin.
9 Cometh this blessedness then upon the circumcision only, or upon the uncircumcision also? for
we say that faith was reckoned to Abraham for righteousness.
10 How was it then reckoned? when he was in circumcision, or in uncircumcision? Not in
circumcision, but in uncircumcision.
Abraham believed God and after he, Abraham, believed God made a covenant with him and the
sign of that covenant, that contract was for Abraham to circumcise himself and all his house (all
the males in his house.)
11 And he received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness of the faith which he had
yet being uncircumcised: that he might be the father of all them that believe, though they be not
circumcised; that righteousness might be imputed unto them also:
The circumcision refers to Israel. The uncircumcised are those outside the pail of Judaism. This
is referring to the opportunity that everyone has after the Day of Pentecost. Where the body of
Christ is one body taken out of both Jews and Gentiles.
12 And the father of circumcision to them who are not of the circumcision only, but who also
walk in the steps of that faith of our father Abraham, which he had being yet uncircumcised.
13 For the promise, that he should be the heir of the world, was not to Abraham, or to his seed,
through the law, but through the righteousness of faith (believing.)
14 For if they which are of the law be heirs, faith (believing) is made void, and the promise made
of none effect:
15 Because the law worketh wrath: for where no law is, there is no transgression.
16 Therefore it is of faith (believing), that it might be by grace; to the end the promise might be
sure to all the seed; not to that only which is of the law (Jews), but to that also which is of the
faith of Abraham (Jews and Gentiles who do Romans 10:9,10); who is the father of us all,
17 (As it is written, I have made thee a father of many nations,) before him whom he believed,
even God, who quickeneth the dead, and calleth those things which be not as though they were.18 Who against hope believed in hope, that he might become the father of many nations,
according to that which was spoken, So shall thy seed be.
This is interesting. At the age of ninety nine all hope of having a son where gone. Abraham AND
Sarah were both well past menopause. No longer did their reproductive organs function. So,
Abraham had to believe against hope! He had to forget about looking forward to having a son,
but rather, turn his eyes on God and His promise and take action. By this act of believing
Abraham became a father of many nations!
19 And being not weak in faith (believing), he considered not his own body now dead, when he
was about an hundred years old, neither yet the deadness of Sara’s womb:
20 He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith (believing),
giving glory to God;
21 And being fully persuaded that, what he had promised, he was able also to perform.
22 And therefore it was imputed to him for righteousness.
I have included, for your enjoyment, the conversation between Abraham, Sarah and the Angels of God
regarding Sarah’s pregnancy and the birth of their son.
Genesis 18:1-15 (KJV)
1 And the LORD appeared unto him, Abraham, in the plains of Mamre: and he sat in the tent
door in the heat of the day;
2 And he lift up his eyes and looked, and, lo, three men stood by him: and when he saw them, he
ran to meet them from the tent door, and bowed himself toward the ground,
Angels don’t have wings or halos. They look, like us.
3 And said, My Lord, if now I have found favour in thy sight, pass not away, I pray thee, from thy
servant:
4 Let a little water, I pray you, be fetched, and wash your feet, and rest yourselves under the
tree:
5 And I will fetch a morsel of bread, and comfort ye your hearts; after that ye shall pass on: for
therefore are ye come to your servant. And they said, So do, as thou hast said.
6 And Abraham hastened into the tent unto Sarah, and said, Make ready quickly three measures
of fine meal, knead it, and make cakes upon the hearth.
7 And Abraham ran unto the herd, and fetcht a calf tender and good, and gave it unto a young
man; and he hasted to dress it.
There was no such thing as fast food back then. This whole process took hours to accomplish.
8 And he took butter, and milk, and the calf which he had dressed, and set it before them; and he
stood by them under the tree, and they did eat.
9 And they said unto him, Where is Sarah thy wife? And he said, Behold, in the tent.
10 And he said, I will certainly return unto thee according to the time of life; and, lo, Sarah thy
wife shall have a son. And Sarah heard it in the tent door, which was behind him.
11 Now Abraham and Sarah were old and well stricken in age; and it ceased to be with Sarah
after the manner of women.12 Therefore Sarah laughed within herself, saying, After I am waxed old shall I have pleasure,
my lord being old also?
13 And the LORD said unto Abraham, Wherefore did Sarah laugh, saying, Shall I of a surety
bear a child, which am old?
14 Is any thing too hard for the LORD? At the time appointed I will return unto thee, according
to the time of life, and Sarah shall have a son.
15 Then Sarah denied, saying, I laughed not; for she was afraid. And he said, Nay; but thou didst
laugh.
After that the angels departed.
Genesis 21:1-3 (KJV)
1 And the LORD visited Sarah as he had said, and the LORD did unto Sarah as he had spoken.
2 For Sarah conceived, and bare Abraham a son in his old age, at the set time of which God had
spoken to him.
3 And Abraham called the name of his son that was born unto him, whom Sarah bare to him,
Isaac.
Hebrews 11:11-16 (KJV)
11 Through faith (believing) also Sara herself received strength to conceive seed, and was delivered of a
child when she was past age, because she judged him faithful who had promised.
Both Sarah and Abraham were well past menopause so BOTH had to believe. Abraham for his body and
Sarah for hers.
12 Therefore sprang there even of one, and him as good as dead, so many as the stars of the sky in
multitude, and as the sand which is by the sea shore innumerable.
13 These all died in faith (believing), not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and
were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on
the earth.
14 For they that say such things declare plainly that they seek a country.
15 And truly, if they had been mindful of that country from whence they came out, they might have had
opportunity to have returned.
16 But now they desire a better country, that is, an heavenly: wherefore God is not ashamed to be called
their God: for he hath prepared for them a city.
Abraham looked forward to a city who’s builder and maker is God. That’s why it is “heavenly.” God
builds it, but, puts it here on Earth.
This is absolutely accurate. Abraham was promised, by God, Paradise, here on Earth. A new Earth, but,
Earth. Christians are promised to go to Heaven.
Abraham was faithful to God his whole life. He walked with God and he talked with God and because of
his believing and the believing of Sarah they, both, made it into the roll call of honor of Hebrews chapter
eleven.

HEBREWS ELEVEN (part two)

We are studying the eleventh chapter of Hebrews and this week we are starting in verse four.
As we read these verses we have to keep in the forefront of our minds that this chapter is talking about
believing and not the faith of Jesus Christ.
Hebrews 11:4 (KJV)
4 By faith (believing) Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, by which he obtained
witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts: and by it he being dead yet speaketh.
There is a lot to discuss in this one verse so let’s get started. By believing- who or what did Abel believe?
God of course! But, didn’t both Cain and Abel bring sacrifice unto God? Then why was Abel’s “more
excellent” than Cain’s?
Some people say it was because Abel’s sacrifice was an animal while Cain’s vegetables or grains. That’s
not the case. Look at Genesis 4:3-5.
Genesis 4:3-5 (KJV)
3 And in process of time it came to pass, that Cain brought of the fruit of the ground an offering unto the
LORD.
4 And Abel, he also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of the fat thereof. And the LORD had respect
unto Abel and to his offering:
5 But unto Cain and to his offering he had not respect. And Cain was very wroth, and his countenance
fell.
Do you see what it says in verse four? Abel brought of the firstlings. Abel brought the best, he brought of
the firstlings, the fat juicy ones. Cain didn’t. He just brought some of what he had. Nothing said about
the first of the harvest or the best of the harvest. Cain didn’t bring anything special.
This is the fight that every person struggles with. The question isn’t “do I give and what do I give?” It is a
question that goes deep to the center of a person’s heart. That question is simple. “Who is God?” To
you, in your life, WHO IS GOD? Is He God almighty? Are you going to lean on Him for deliverance and
sufficiency? Is He the God that created the Heavens and the Earth the covenant God of Abraham, Isaac
and Jacob? Or is He a fictitious deity that, when you give, it is a waist, a waist in time and money.
God says in Malachi “prove me now here with.” God wants us to prove Him by tithing and abundantly
sharing for the movement of God’s Word. And, it says that there will not be room enough to receive
God’s blessings on your life.
Malachi 3:10 (KJV)
10 Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now
herewith, saith the LORD of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a
blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it.Abel BELIEVED God! He put God first because he gave of his firstlings. If you are giving God anything,
but, the firstlings your heart is not right with God. Let me ask you something. If you are going to see the
President of the United States or the Queen of England would you bring a gift that you had laying
around or would you make it the best gift you could afford? Would you buy it at Walmart or would you
go to Macy’s? This is not only the choice of two men, but, the clarion call for each and every one of us.
Are we going to give God our best or something less.
Hebrews 11:5 (KJV)
5 By faith (believing) Enoch was translated that he should not see death; and was not found, because
God had translated him: for before his translation he had this testimony, that he pleased God.
Many people take this verse to say that God liked Enoch so much that Enoch didn’t die because God
took him to Heaven. This simply is not true! If this were the case then God would have to have broken
almost every law He set in place. First of all, the only people going to Heaven are the Christians!
Everybody else, that is going to be rewarded for their stand here on Earth is promised Paradise on Earth.
Since, Christ hadn’t come, yet, then Enoch couldn’t be a Christian and couldn’t go to Heaven.
Also, in verse thirteen is says that Enoch died.
Hebrews 11:13 (KJV)
13 These all died in faith (believing), not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and
were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on
the earth.
“These all” includes Enoch! So, let’s read verse five again.
Hebrews 11:5 (KJV)
5 By faith (believing) Enoch was translated that he should not see death; and was not found, because
God had translated him: for before his translation he had this testimony, that he pleased God.
Another word for “translated” is transported or carried over. Enoch pleased God and because of that God
transported him from one place to another so that Enoch never saw anyone die.
Hebrews 11:6 (KJV)
6 But without faith (believing) it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that
he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.
If you want to please God you have to BELIEVE that He is. You know, most people stop right there.
They’ll say “Oh, yeah, I believe there is a God.” Does that please God? Not if my Bible is right! You have
to believe that He is AND, and, and, and believe that He is a rewarder, not a punisher, not a hellfire and
brimstone God, but, one who rewards those that diligently seek Him.
By the way, the way that you seek God is to study His Word and apply that which is addressed to you.
Hebrews 11:7 (KJV)
7 By faith (believing) Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an
ark to the saving of his house; by the which he condemned the world, and became heir of the
righteousness which is by faith (believing).Noah is an interesting man! He was five hundred years old when God told him to build the Ark. It took
Noah and his sons one hundred years to build the Ark. The focus and determination that man had was
incredible! Not only that, but the stand he had to take for God and against all the people was
phenomenal.
Genesis 6:5 (KJV)
5 And GOD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of
the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.
Genesis 6:11-12 (KJV)
11 The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence.
12 And God looked upon the earth, and, behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted his way upon
the earth.
Noah walked with and for God. To see the violence and debauchery of that time must have hurt Noah
deep in his heart. In II Peter God calls Noah a preacher of righteousness. For close to six hundred years,
Noah preached God and the things of God to the people. Time and time again, Noah preached, not just
taught, but, PREACHED to the people! I can hear him now “come back to God! God is a good God, God is
a loving God.” Noah did this for nearly six hundred years. You know how many people changed their
ways? NO ONE! Six hundred years and no one changed their evil violent ways. Noah is an excellent
example of standing firm on the things of God. It doesn’t matter if people believe what you say
regarding God, Jesus Christ and salvation. What matters is your walk with God and that you speak.
When you speak God’s Word, the Bible says, that it doesn’t go out void (to no profit.) you may not see
the benefit right then, but, it is there.

HEBREWS ELEVEN (part one)

I am starting another series. This time on Hebrews chapter eleven. Hebrew eleven is a list, a roll call of
honor, of men and women that believed God and performed miracles, wrought righteousness and got
deliverance.
Before we begin, I have to explain the difference between believing and faith. In the Greek the word is
pistis. It is used for both believing and faith. It is only by the study of the Bible that we can differentiate
between the two. You see, there was a time that there was no “faith.”
Galatians 3:23 (KJV)
23 But before faith came, we were kept under the law, shut up unto the faith which should afterwards be
revealed.
It says clearly “before faith came.” So there was a time before there was any faith. That time, as we will
see, is before the Day of Pentecost, when for the first-time people were born again of God’s spirit.
Let’s look further at Galatians chapter three.
Galatians 3:22-29 (KJV)
22 But the scripture hath concluded all under sin, that the promise by faith of Jesus Christ might be given
to them that believe.
Here we see the usages of faith and believing being different. Same Greek word just translated different.
Faith is what we receive when we do Romans 10:9,10. The natural man can believe and receive the holy
spirit.
23 But before faith came, we were kept under the law, shut up unto the faith which should afterwards be
revealed.
Before the Day of Pentecost the only people with a covenant relationship with God were the Jews and
part of that covenant relationship was for them to obey the Law of Moses.
The words “shut up” mean to be shut off from. No one had access to that faith of Jesus Christ until it
was made available.
24 Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith.
The words “to bring us unto” are wrong. The Law couldn’t bring people to Christ. No, no, no! “To bring
us” are in italics in the King James Bible showing us that the translators added these words. They are
void of authority and we can delete them, as we should. The word “unto” is the word UNTIL! The Law
was our schoolmaster UNTIL Christ. Therefore, we no longer are justified by the blood of goats andBulls! Jesus Christ accomplished our justification once and for all by the shedding of his blood. When we
are clothed with that holy spirit of promise we are justified by the faith of Jesus Christ.
25 But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster.
That is absolutely right! We no longer have to do all the commandments contained in the Law because
we are freed from the Law!
26 For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus.
27 For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ.
28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye
are all one in Christ Jesus.
29 And if ye be Christ’s, then are ye Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.
The seed of Abraham that it is talking about here are those who believe. Abraham believed God and it
was imputed unto him for righteousness. (Romans chapter four)
Romans 4:13 (KJV)
13 For the promise, that he should be the heir of the world, was not to Abraham, or to his seed, through
the law, but through the righteousness of faith.
Romans 4:16 (KJV)
16 Therefore it is of faith, that it might be by grace; to the end the promise might be sure to all
the seed; not to that only which is of the law, but to that also which is of the faith of Abraham;
who is the father of us all,
Let me sum this up. No one before the Day of Pentecost had faith. They could believe, but, they couldn’t
have faith. After the Day of Pentecost the natural man of body and soul can believe and when a person
gets to the point that they believe and confess with their mouths Jesus as lord and believe in their heart
that God raised him from the dead then, in that instant, they receive faith. So, as we look at Hebrews
chapter eleven you will see that the word “faith” is used repeatedly. You will, also, see that all of these
people lived before the Day of Pentecost. Therefore, the Greek word “pistis” should be translated
“believing” and not “faith.”
Now let’s go to Hebrews chapter eleven.
Hebrews 11:1-7 (KJV)
1 Now faith (believing) is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.
The literal translation of this verse is “believing is the title deed to things prayed for, the
evidence that they are yours before they are seen.”
No one ever gets anything by hoping. Hoping is only for things not yet available. Believing
appropriates things that are available NOW. An analogy of this is two people standing in a trainstation one is a hoper and one is a believer. They are both waiting for the train to Boston. They
are both hopers to start because they are anticipating something that is not yet available.
However, when the train rolls in and then leaves the only one that got on is the believer because
believing appropriates things that are available NOW. Even though the train to Boston showed
up and allowed people to board the hoper stayed on the platform waiting, still anticipating, the
trains coming. Most people are hopers because they don’t know what is available from God
NOW, so, they hope God will help them. They hope for deliverance.
Deliverance is available. All we have to do is study the Bible to see what is available and get on
the train! BELIEVE and appropriate!
2 For by it (believing) the elders obtained a good report.
The word “obtained” is not in the Greek text and the words “good report” should be translated
“bear witness.” By believing the elders bear witness. Bear witness of what? They bear witness of
the power of God in the life of an individual that believes His promises!
3 Through faith (believing) we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so
that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear.
That’s right! God spoke the universe into being.
Genesis 1:3 (KJV)
3 And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.
Genesis 1:6 (KJV)
6 And God said, Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters
from the waters.
Genesis 1:9 (KJV)
9 And God said, Let the waters under the heaven be gathered together unto one place, and let the
dry land appear: and it was so.
Genesis 1:11 (KJV)
11 And God said, Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit
after his kind, whose seed is in itself, upon the earth: and it was so.
Genesis 1:14 (KJV)
14 And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the
night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years:
Genesis 1:20 (KJV)
20 And God said, Let the waters bring forth abundantly the moving creature that hath life, and
fowl that may fly above the earth in the open firmament of heaven.
Genesis 1:24 (KJV)
24 And God said, Let the earth bring forth the living creature after his kind, cattle, and creeping thing,
and beast of the earth after his kind: and it was so.People take the Bible for granted when it says it is a living word. The same God that spoke the
universe into being is the same God that had His living word written down for us! How
important and how powerful is that Word must be!

WHAT YOU LOOK AT YOU BECOME

People, for the most part and I am talking about believers as well as unbelievers, don’t understand how
important it is to choose not only what they watch, listen to and read, but who they associate with. For,
what you look at you become.
That is right! You can try to deny it, but, it is the truth! When I was young my mother didn’t allow me to
watch the Three Stooges on TV because she thought that I and my friends would try some of their
antics. Sounds ridiculous, right? Well, unbeknownst to her my friends did watch it and they taught me all
the moves including the eye gouging and forehead slapping!
Let me ask you, and be honest, how many of you have watched TV or a movie and then tried to act the
way the actors on screen did. Come on, let’s see a show of hands. That’s what I thought. All of us have
done this at one time or another.
You see our minds are designed to learn by seeing, hearing, tasting, smelling and touching. Those are
the only inlets, the only avenues, of learning we have unless we are born again of God’s spirit (Romans
10:9,10) and I am not talking about learning by the spirit of God for two reasons. First, 99% of the
people on Earth don’t know how to hear from God and second, God gave you the five senses so you can
learn. What you can know by your five senses God expects you to know.
Our minds are more powerful, hold more memory than any computer as well as have the ability to
learn, feel emotions such as love, happiness and joy as well as a myriad of other emotions. The thing
that is all the rage right now is AI (artificial intelligence) big deal! We are still so far ahead of computers
that is not funny. Why then don’t we as individuals take charge of our lives and control our destinies,
here on Earth, by controlling the input to our brains?
I will, also, tell you that who you hang around with will determine how far you go in life. If you hang
around people that are motivated and are striving to be good at something you’ll end up getting good
too. This works in all avenues of life whether it be sports, business or learning to walk with and for God.
Unfortunately, it works on the negative side as well. If you hang around people that steal, cheat, lie do
drugs etc. you will end up doing the same. So, why doesn’t someone teach us this stuff?
1 Corinthians 15:33 (KJV)
33 Be not deceived: evil communications corrupt good manners.
There is One, God, that teaches us these things via His Word! The problem is that the leadership of the
so called Christian Churches today would rather teach current events or what they think rather than the
beauty and accuracy of God’s Word, the Bible. The Bible isn’t outdated it is as alive and vibrant and
pertinent today as it was when it was first written down! Look at Hebrews chapter four.
Hebrews 4:12 (KJV)
12 For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to
the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts
and intents of the heart.It is a medical impossibility to separate the bones from the marrow and it is an impossibility to separate
the soul life from the spirit, whether holy or not. BUT, God’s Word can!
I want to share with you some of Psalm one and Proverbs one. These are only a tidbit on the buffet table
of God’s Word
Psalm 1:1-3 (KJV)
1 Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of
sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.
Blessed means happy! Happy is the man (or woman, it is an inclusive noun) that doesn’t hang
around the ungodly or sinners or those that mock God and His Word.
2 But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night.
Meditate does mean sitting in a lotus position chanting! It means you study God’s Word and you
endeavor to apply it in every aspect of your life. Because of this…
3 And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his
season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.
You will be like a tree that is not only big and strong and healthy, BUT, you will be successful
even in the hard times whether economic or other. You will not be a bush, but a tree, that gives
shade to others.
Proverbs 1:1-33 (KJV)
1 The proverbs of Solomon the son of David, king of Israel;
2 To know wisdom and instruction; to perceive the words of understanding;
3 To receive the instruction of wisdom, justice, and judgment, and equity;
4 To give subtilty to the simple, to the young man knowledge and discretion.
5 A wise man will hear, and will increase learning; and a man of understanding shall attain unto
wise counsels:
6 To understand a proverb, and the interpretation; the words of the wise, and their dark sayings.
7 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and
instruction.
8 My son, hear the instruction of thy father, and forsake not the law of thy mother:
The presumption here is that they are teaching their children the Word of God.
9 For they shall be an ornament of grace unto thy head, and chains about thy neck.
Not chains of bondage, but, chains of adornment, jewelry, BLING.
10 My son, if sinners entice thee, consent thou not.
11 If they say, Come with us, let us lay wait for blood, let us lurk privily for the innocent without
cause:
12 Let us swallow them up alive as the grave; and whole, as those that go down into the pit:13 We shall find all precious substance, we shall fill our houses with spoil:
14 Cast in thy lot among us; let us all have one purse:
15 My son, walk not thou in the way with them; refrain thy foot from their path:
This sounds like Psalm One doesn’t it?
16 For their feet run to evil, and make haste to shed blood.
17 Surely in vain the net is spread in the sight of any bird.
18 And they lay wait for their own blood; they lurk privily for their own lives.
19 So are the ways of every one that is greedy of gain; which taketh away the life of the owners
thereof.
20 Wisdom crieth without; she uttereth her voice in the streets:
21 She crieth in the chief place of concourse, in the openings of the gates: in the city she uttereth
her words, saying,
God doesn’t hide His Word. There may be secret orders of this or that that supposedly has
knowledge and wisdom, but, it is all so secondary. There is none wiser than God and God is not
secretive. What He does he does for everyone to see.
22 How long, ye simple ones, will ye love simplicity? and the scorners delight in their scorning,
and fools hate knowledge?
23 Turn you at my reproof: behold, I will pour out my spirit unto you, I will make known my
words unto you.
The words “pour out” means to utter. This is Old Testament the outpouring of holy spirit wasn’t
available. What this is saying is similar to when someone is trying to communicate something so
earnestly, so intently we say that person is “pouring out his soul.”
24 Because I have called, and ye refused; I have stretched out my hand, and no man regarded;
25 But ye have set at nought all my counsel, and would have none of my reproof:
Again, who’s reproof? Wisdom’s! The kind you can only find in the Bible.
26 I also will laugh at your calamity; I will mock when your fear cometh;
This is still “wisdom” talking. God set His Word for us to learn and the scorners, fools and
ignorant ones have turned their backs to wisdom, to God’s Word.
27 When your fear cometh as desolation, and your destruction cometh as a whirlwind; when
distress and anguish cometh upon you.
28 Then shall they call upon me (wisdom), but I will not answer; they shall seek me early, but
they shall not find me:
Why can’t they find wisdom? Wisdom is knowledge applied. It’s a way of life! You don’t learn
it in a day.29 For that they hated knowledge, and did not choose the fear (reverence and respect) of the
LORD:
30 They would none of my counsel: they despised all my reproof.
They wouldn’t feast at the table of knowledge and wisdom. They wouldn’t change their ways
even when they heard the Word of God.
31 Therefore shall they eat of the fruit of their own way, and be filled with their own devices.
32 For the turning away of the simple shall slay them, and the prosperity of fools shall destroy
them.
33 But whoso hearkeneth unto me (the wisdom of God’s Word) shall dwell safely, and shall be
quiet from fear of evil.
Your friends, your favorite TV shows, the news, your favorite music, art and literature are all leading you
in a direct. They are all teaching you something. BUT, is it where YOU want to go? Are they teaching you
to be the person you know you can be? Or, is it time to change your life by changing what you are
allowing to program your mind.
The wisdom and knowledge of God’s Word are calling. Answer the call and be the best you can be.

HOW TO PRAY

The other day I was visiting friends, they were husband and wife, and she only speaks Spanish. So, I was
sharing the Word of God with them in Spanish, I call what I speak Spanglish ‘cause I am not the most
fluent Spanish speaker around. We got on the subject of prayer and the wife told me that in Spanish
there are two words for prayer, rezar and orar. They have different meanings. Rezar means to pray in
repetition as in Matt. 6:7.
Matthew 6:7-8 (KJV)
7 But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard
for their much speaking.
The other Spanish word, orar, means to talk with God.
So I have been thinking about that conversation for days and tonight I would like to share on HOW to
pray (orar.)
I have listed seven steps to effectual prayer. There are others, but, these are the main characteristics of
a Christian’s prayer life.
Number One: Know who you are in Christ Jesus.
What this means is that you have to know that you are a son of God, that God loves you and you, as a
child of God you have legal sonship rights. This all starts with Romans 10:9,10
Romans 10:9-11 (KJV)
9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath
raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.
10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto
salvation.
11 For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed.
You have to know that God loves you and wants the best for you.
1 John 3:1-2 (KJV)
1 Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the
sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not.
2 Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know
that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.
Luke 11:11-13 (KJV)
11 If a son shall ask bread of any of you that is a father, will he give him a stone? or if he ask a fish, will he
for a fish give him a serpent?
12 Or if he shall ask an egg, will he offer him a scorpion?
13 If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your
heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him?In that culture the women would make flat bread, much like a tortilla today, outside. They would stack
them and put a flat stone on them to hold them down. Soon the stone would take on the oils of the
bread and the dusting of flour so that it looked like a piece of flat bread. In the near east they have
serpents and fish that look alike much like we have eels and snakes that look similar. There is a type of
scorpion in the near east that can roll up in a ball and it looks like an egg.
The point of this is that God is a loving God. He is a caring father. He is faithful to His Word. He will only
give you the best.
Number Two: Know what is available
There are hundreds of promises in the Bible to us as Christians, how many do you know? By going to
God’s Word and finding those promises relating to your needs and deliverance you can lay those
promises before God. “God, you said it and I know you are faithful to your Word. So, I thank you for
giving me this need and desire. Thank you in the name of Jesus Christ.”
1 John 5:14-15 (KJV)
14 And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will,
he heareth us:
15 And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that
we desired of him.
Promises of God supplying all of your needs in Philippians
Healing in Psalms
Prosperity in Deuteronomy
Anything according to God’s Word in Mark
Philippians 4:19 (KJV)
19 But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.
Mark 11:24 (KJV)
24 Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them,
and ye shall have them.
You can’t pray for things contrary to God and His Word, but, you can pray for deliverance, freedom,
love, health, children, prosperity and much more.
Number three: Know the power in the name of Jesus Christ
It is in the name of Jesus Christ that we are saved.Acts 4:12 (KJV)
12 Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men,
whereby we must be saved.
In the name of Jesus Christ every knee must bow.
Philippians 2:9-10 (KJV)
9 Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name:
10 That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things
under the earth;
And it is in the name of Jesus Christ that we go to God with our petitions.
John 16:23 (KJV)
23 And in that day ye shall ask me nothing. Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall ask
the Father in my name, he will give it you.
THIS IS THAT DAY!
Number Four: Cast your cares on Him
1 Peter 5:7 (KJV)
7 Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.
You have to learn to give ALL of your cares and concerns to God and leave them there.
Philippians 4:6 (KJV)
6 Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests
be made known unto God.
The word “careful” is the word anxious. Don’t be anxious, but in everything pray to God!
Number Five: Be Thankful
Philippians 4:6 (KJV)
6 Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your
requests be made known unto God.
The reason we are to be thankful is that when we were born again (Romans 10;9,10) He gave us all
spiritual blessings. It is no longer going to God hoping for a handout. We are God’s children, we have all
spiritual blessings so it is now a matter of thanking God for what we have and that it is manifested in the
senses realm.
Ephesians 1:3 (KJV)
3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual
blessings in heavenly places in Christ:Number Six: Believe
First, you have to believe that God is and that He hears you.
1 Peter 3:12 (KJV)
12 For the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, and his ears are open unto their prayers: but the face
of the Lord is against them that do evil.
Mark 11:24 (KJV)
24 Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them,
and ye shall have them.
When you pray do what? Believe! You have to believe that God is and that he is a rewarder of them that
diligently seek Him. Believe that God will give you the desires of your heart. God’s heart yearns to give
you the petitions of your heart more than you desire to receive them.
Number Seven: Be fervent in your prayers
When I say fervent I mean more than boldness. Fervency brings an attitude of continuance until you get
your deliverance. The world wants you to quit praying. It doesn’t want you to know that prayer works,
so, it will try to discourage you. Don’t let that happen! God’s promises are yea and amen! God knows
what you need and He knows when you need it and God is never late.
James 5:16b (KJV)
16 The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.
Hebrews 4:15-16 (KJV)
15 For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in
all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.
16 Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to
help in time of need.
Prayer works because we have a loving father God and when you apply the principles set forth in this
article you will see great deliverance in your life and the lives of those you pray for.