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Words, Thoughts, and Actions Series
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We have been teaching about good success for the past three weeks, beginning with foundations. Good success is God's own plan for you—no trade-offs, nothing else. The world tells you that if you reach a certain level in your career, your children will suffer. That is not God's plan.
Third John 2 says: "I wish above all things that you prosper and be in health, even as your soul prospers."
Prosperity is part of God's contract for you—not the way the world consumes it upon themselves, but prosperity without losing your health or your soul.
Every good success begins in God. Genesis 1:1 tells us: "In the beginning God created the heaven and earth." Heaven was without form and void, darkness was upon the face of the sea, and the spirit of God moved upon the face of the water. God said, "Let there be light," and there was light. Good success is formed by the Spirit and limited by the word.
You begin with the study of the word. This is foundational. The Holy Spirit taught us last week that your study of the word is not self-seeking. Life itself will set you in places to make you ashamed—unless you are prepared.
2 Timothy 2:15 says: "Study to show yourself approved unto God, a workman that need not be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth."
You need the right toolkit. When life meets you, you are not ashamed. You know the right things to say. You know how to operate the tools at your disposal as a child of God.
But here is something crucial: the letter itself will kill without the breath of the spirit. Jesus told His disciples, "I have many things to tell you, but you cannot bear them now." The depth you need to carry the word is in the spirit. The deeper you go in the spirit, the more you are able to bear it.
When the Spirit of truth comes, He will teach you all things.
Our text is from Joshua 1:8:
"This book of the law shall not depart out of your mouth, but you shall meditate therein day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written therein. Then you shall make your way prosperous, and then you shall have good success."
You study the word, but you must also meditate on it. Many of us study and then walk away. We are wasting resources. The depth of the word is not in the study; it is in the meditation.
Joshua said do it not just by day, but even by night. Meditation is where the word begins to permeate your mind and soul. When you merely study, you leave the word sitting there as text. You do not allow it to become flesh.
When the Bible says "the word became flesh," there is a process. God does not just make things instantly complete. There is a making—a seven-day making, like the Maker of heaven and earth. To bring the word from just text and impose it into the physical, it becomes flesh. The letter kills, but the Spirit gives it life.
Think of how a goat eats food, then later you hear it chewing—bringing back what it ate, pondering it. When you allow yourself to ponder, reminisce, and let the Spirit of God breathe over the word, making spiritual music, making spiritual songs, you start seeing it becoming flesh, becoming life in us.
We also talked about how the Holy Spirit enables an atmosphere. Singing in spiritual songs is one of those opportunities. It makes the atmosphere so intense that when you just lay your hand on a text, you start seeing different kinds of things.
The pivotal text is Psalm 91:2:
"I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress; my God, in Him will I trust."
You hardly can say something you have not thought of. The more you are saying things you have not thought of, something is wrong. As a matter of fact, the longer you think of things, you will start saying them—consciously or subconsciously.
This is why it was necessary for us to study the word and reminisce on it, so we can get into the place of confession. Everything you are as a person is set on belief. Whether you say your lineage is from monkeys or that you were made fearfully and wonderfully by God—both are beliefs. Know what you believe.
All things are first created in the mind, and then in confessions. When you think of it, then you speak it. You are giving it life.
Ephesians 3:20 says: "Now unto Him who is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we might ask or think."
The Holy Spirit told me He did not say "ask and think." I had to be careful about what I think about. Your thoughts and your confessions carry almost the same power. It first happens in the mind, then in confessions.
That is why the book of the law cannot stay only in your mind. It must not depart from your mouth. Even our existence as children of God: If you confess with your mouth and believe in your heart, then you become saved. It is not just ritual. When you give your life to Christ, you confess it.
When I was in university, I found something interesting. I did not have enough time to study everything because I supposedly was smart. But each time I did not understand something fully, I would go and teach people about it, and I knew it more. When you teach it—when you confess it—you force the supposed doubt in your mind to align to a certain level of understanding.
If someone says to you, "I am going to give you my car," the person's mind might say, "He is just joking." But the point where they are saying, "He is just joking, he is just joking," they do not want to say it out loud—because if they do, they might nullify the potential for it to happen. The moment you confess, you take your thoughts to another level of ratification.
It is possible to say things you do not believe. But it is difficult to say things you do not believe. You need to enter a level of active deception to do that. You cannot be passively deceiving yourself to say things you do not believe. Which is why confession is not a joke.
When you say you do not have money but then you say, "I am rich," you are forcing a certain understanding that might or might not be there. Sometimes you are saying things to quench the things that are not yet looking like they will happen in your mind.
Somebody asks you: "Do you think you can handle this?" How many interviews have people gone to and did not get the job because they did not think they could? At the same time, some people who did not think they could entered those same interviews and said, "Oh, that is a very simple one." In their mind, they positioned themselves differently.
I went for an interview once. I looked at everybody, and in my mind I was saying, "God, is this job really for me? Can I really do this job?" They asked me a question, and I asked the Holy Spirit what the answer was. I went ahead and said the answer while the person was still listening. I was still asking myself: What other answer can I add? And the man said, "Oh, that is absolutely correct." I shut my mouth at that point. But imagine if the first thing I did was to process verbally the fact that I might not know it. That is how some of us are. You allow the inconsistencies of your thoughts where the devil is still trying to afflict the sentency of your mind.
The devil attacks you in your thoughts most. He knows that when he seizes full control of your thought, you will confess things that are right or wrong. Paul said:
"Casting down all mindsets, all imaginations."
You want to take control where it starts first so that you can easily confess. It is easier to confess when you understand God's word, but you cannot allow doubt to be the one in control. You need to cast down the doubt.
The word that I speak is spirit and life. You cannot afford not to confess something that you have reminisced upon in God's word. When you believe in your heart and confess with your mouth, you are saved.
Do you believe that you were made in God's image? We have something connected to God—in the place of the mind, the ability to think. This draws itself from God's creative power.
God spoke creation into being. Why did God have to confess, "Let there be light"? As you speak, a hundred million galaxies are born. That is the God you are connected to. God said, "Let there be light." God said, "Let the firmament be separated." You cannot just leave it in your mind. You have to speak it.
It does not have to look like it. You have to let your confession override the doubts of your thoughts by speaking it. It is tough. The devil will present you with facts and evidences to prevent you from taking a choice. But confess what God says.
End your affirmations with God's report. End your confessions with God's report. Do not end by saying something God has not said about you. Start today.
David said in Psalm 91:2: "I will say of the Lord." These are not just verses; they are our toolkits for good success. Some of us come from backgrounds where we exalted the powers of others—witches, wizards, family aballistis—not realizing that we had counterpowers.
One person would stand around at 1:00 a.m. and say different kinds of things to the atmosphere, but you think you would not speak your own to counter theirs? David probably sat on his night shift and said, "God, You are my refuge and my fortress."
"I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress. My God shall supply all my need according to His riches in glory. I can do all things through Christ that strengthens me. Everything is going to be okay."
It might not look like it, but say of the Lord. The world happens in seven days, and God said what He said. Say of the Lord, not of yourself, not of your emotions.
When the devil is waiting to accuse you before God's throne, Jesus is your Great Mediator. He is looking at you and saying, "Why can you not just shut your mouth for once? I am trying to plead your case here. You keep adding to what God said." The devil is called the accuser of the brethren. He will say to God, "Look, you said in your word that such a thing would not happen to them, but here it is happening." But when you stand up and confess God's word, Jesus says to God, "Just have mercy. God, You said Your word would not pass away. Your word is here, and he said it again. He has spoken what You said."
But when you are done speaking negatively, you say, "You know what? I do not know that church. I need to find a very good church. I think I need to change my church." And you have now reversed what God was doing on your behalf.
The principles of good success are nothing more than this: I will say of the Lord is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.
God will do to you that very thing you heard yourself say. The devil uses this to accuse you. God uses this to bless you. Moses asked God, "What will I tell them? Who sent me?" God's answer was: "I AM. Say of the Lord. I will say that God is the I AM."
Yes, you might not know anybody in that company, but you will say, "Because He is the I AM." Any situation that fails and attempts to ask you, say of the Lord. Life will attempt to force you to answer. Situations will force you to answer. Say of the Lord.
Make a commitment today: Your confession will be of the Lord.
Joshua 1:8 continues: "Observe to do according to all that is written therein."
You study the word, you reminisce on the word, you confess the word. Now you do the word.
James 1:22 talks about doers and listeners.
Isaiah 1:19 says: "If you are willing and obedient, you shall eat the good of the land."
You thought about it, you confessed it, but you would only do it if you obey. Put it in action. Then you feast on the blessings of the land.
How do you do the word? I can do all things through Jesus Christ. There is strength. The Holy Spirit can strengthen you—not of your own power. You can do the word.
How can you wake up and still say this thing when you know there is a struggle? You can do it. Just do it because Christ strengthens you. You can do the word. You can act on the word.
Have you not applied for jobs you do not qualify for on paper? Jobs where you think, "This guy must not be okay." Yes, you are not normal. Yes, you are a child of God. You cannot be doing the things you are doing now, but if the job is with the board of NHS England—that is what you are applying for. What experience do you have in NHS England? That is your part. Your part is to finish.
How can you say you are a child of faith but when it is time to do faith, you do not want to do? You would think about it, you would confess it, but then you would say, "Let me just... it is not me. Thank you. It is not my type." The people who are there are giants. When it was time to do, they said, "No, I do not look like them." Most of them went through what you are going through. They just did the faith. They did the word.
The most difficult part of our faith as children of God is the part where we do the word. We have dedicated ourselves to thinking and confessing, but not to doing. Not even beyond the things we have studied and confessed. Do the word.
This week I ask you to walk in faith. Are there things that you have taught in your life that you could never do? This is the time. Speak it up. Walk in the boldness of the faith that the word has said concerning you. You believe it, confess it, and do it.
Are there situations that you know are beyond your control? Things that you know God is laying on your heart to do something about, but fear is holding you back? This week I ask you to take a step of faith.
"Good success is on the other side of what you do in obedience to God. If you are willing and obedient, you will feast on the blessings of the Lord."
We wrap up today with this formula for good success:
"This book of the law will not depart out of my mouth. I will meditate on it day and night. I study. I observe to make sure I am doing what is written therein. Then God makes my way prosperous, and I have good success."
That is the formula. Study. Meditate. Confess. Do. That equals good success.
I strongly believe there is so much God has in store for us if only we step into it. The man by the pool of Bethesda sat there for 38 years. His answer was not that he could not enter. He said there was nobody to push him. He was waiting for someone to come and push him.
Do not wait for someone to push you. If you have to sit on the water so that when the angel drops in you are already inside, do it. This week I am telling you that there are enough excuses the devil has set before you to keep you there. Do not let the devil's excuse hold you from the good success God has planned for you.
Step into it. God does not send His word and it does not bring perfection. The word about good success has gone out. You will start finding things that are very much out of your league. Step into it. The devil will be waiting to make sure you do not have that good success. Determine that you will see to the good success God has designed for you.
The doors are set open. Step into it. Study the word. Breathe on the word. And when it comes forth, step into it.
I do not know if you are here today and you think this word is not for you because you still need to make your ways right with God. Everything I have just said means nothing. If you would raise your hand where you are, let us pray with you.
I want you to say after me: Jesus, I believe You died on the cross for me to set me free today. I declare You my Lord, my friend, and my Savior. Change my life, make me new, and help me to live for You.
Let us all declare together: Dear Jesus, I believe You died on the cross for me to set me free. Today I declare You my Lord and my friend and my Savior. Change my life, make me new, and help me to live for You. I decree over you: because whom the Son has set free is freed indeed. You are free. You have become a new person in Christ in the name of Jesus. From now on, the Holy Spirit becomes your companion, and you see the evidence of sonship in the name of Jesus.
Let us stand up and pray together. I sense that there are some of you who know that where you are is not where you are supposed to be. You have passed by a thousand opportunities because you have thought of yourselves as small as grasshoppers.
Let us say: Father, I receive mercy this morning. I receive mercy and the grace to step into all the possibilities You have designed for me. I receive mercy and grace to step into everything You have designed for me in the name of Jesus. Everything that the devil has held me back from, I receive Your mercy. For everything that I have passed on, I receive the grace to step into it.
We decree liberation for every foot that has been tied, in walking into everything that You have designed for us in the name of Jesus. Thank You for answering our prayer, Lord. We decree that all of us here today begin to walk in God's good success for our lives in the name of Jesus. No more holds back. Lift up your heads, O ye gates, and be lifted up, everlasting doors, for the King of glory has come. We decree freedom in the name of Jesus. By virtue of the results upon our lives, even the heathen will look at us and ask, "Who do you serve?" in the name of Jesus.
