KEY SCRIPTURE: Rev 12:11 KJV” And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death.”

The Lord Jesus throughout his lifetime conquered every challenge that rose up against Him. In almost all of these encounters he had to use His mouth to address the situation to bring about a drastic change. The Lord spoke to blind eyes, and they were opened. He spoke to crippled legs and they were made straight. He commanded the storms to be at peace. He called four days dead, Lazarus from the grave, and he came back to life. He said my words are spirit and life. When Satan came tempting Jesus, he answered the devil with,” it is written’, and then quoted the scripture. The Lord showed us that by using our mouth we can release the power of God to various situations and win over them.

 God has established in His word that by believing Him for whatever He has said we are justified, and by boldly saying what we have believed, salvation is affected. (Romans 10:9&10) A closed mouth is a closed destiny. Your words reveal who you exalt in times of difficulty. The Lord shows us the essence of boldly confessing him to men in the following verse. Luke 12:8 & 9 KJV “Also I say unto you, whosoever shall confess me before men, him shall the Son of man also confess before the angels of God.  But he that denieth me before men shall be denied before the angels of God”. Whenever we declare before men the glory of God or testify about God’s ability to save, the angels are released to bring that word to pass. When you keep your mouth shut, the angels will have no instruction to come to your aid.

 In every contest you find yourself, you can always speak to the situation to comply. This is a very strong principle in the Spirit. David conquered Goliath by boldly stating to him what will happen to him. 1 Samuel 17:46. He said to him ‘God will deliver you into my hands, and I would slay you’. David did not have a sword, but was still speaking by faith. This is the way to speak to situations, trusting God to honour His word. Speak to any condition you want to see a change. Speak to your body, speak to your finances, speak to your marriage. Call for peace in your home.

CONFESSION

LIFE and death are in the power of the tongue. I choose life, by calling for good, blessings, health, peace, success in all I do. As the Lord defeated the devil by holding faith with God, I also win by declaring boldly God’s word in every situation.

FURTHER STUDIES

Proverbs 18:21 KJV “Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof.”

Psalms 8:2 KJV” Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings hast thou ordained strength because of thine enemies, that thou mightest still the enemy and the avenger”.

KEY SCRIPTURE: Proverbs 4:22 KJV. For they are life unto those that find them, and health(medicine) to all their flesh.

I believe many sense -ruled people would be asking how can you say God’s word is medicine?

 Please I wish to inform you that life as a whole is spiritual. There are supernatural beings that actually impact on our natural life. These supernatural powers are God and Satan. God expresses himself to and through men by manifesting peace, righteousness and soundness in the human body. Satan is a direct influence in everything evil, sinful, distressing or destructive. Our key scripture says God’s word is health or medicine to all our flesh. The Hebrew word used there, is’ Marpe’ which means medicine or health.

 God’s all-round medicine for man is His word. Pro 4:22 KJV “For they are life unto those that find them, and health to all their flesh.” The verse 20 says we must give attention to His word. It is this word that becomes life to those who find it and health or medicine to all their flesh. Psalm 107 :20 says the Lord sent His word and healed them. If you are sick in any part of your body, you can be healed by believing the word. Do you know the word is a living being, and not just written letters?  Hebrews 4:12 reveals the word is alive. Apostle John said in John 6:63 that the word is spirit and life. Faith in God’s word is reliance or confidence in the most potent power in the universe. The word according to John 1:14, became flesh and that is Jesus.

When you act on God’s word, you have permitted the Lord Jesus to come into the situation. A mother brought her baby to be prayed for. The mother’s blood genotype was SC, the baby’s father’s genotype was AS. I prayed with them and after they checked her genotype at the hospital, it was AA. The word of God changed what was biologically impossible. When you believe the word you have opened your heart to the Lord Jesus who is the living word. He comes to you as healing and the healer, and that condition must give way like Jesus walked the earth and healed many who were sick. He is the same yesterday, today and forever.

CONFESSION

Thank you, father, for your word. I receive your word of healing for my body today. Your Word is medicine to all my flesh. In the name of Jesus, I break the power of every disease over my body now.

FURTHER STUDIES

Exodus 15:26 KJV” And said, If thou wilt diligently hearken to the voice of the LORD thy God, and wilt do that which is right in his sight, and wilt give ear to his commandments, and keep all his statutes, I will put none of these diseases upon thee, which I have brought upon the Egyptians: for I am the LORD that healeth thee”.

1Peter 2:24 KJV” Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed”

KEY SCRIPTURE: Galatians 3:5 KJV” He therefore that ministereth to you the Spirit, and worketh miracles among you, doeth he it by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?”

 A miracle by God is when the Spirit of God intervenes in the normal or natural occurrences to effect changes. Miracles are the normal activities in the Spirit realm. It is called a miracle when it happens in the natural. God’s dealing with man from the beginning of   creation of the world was on the supernatural plain. Man, at that time, did not relate with God from his intellect, but on faith, and so experienced a continuous stream of the miraculous. Our key scripture reveals that, through responding to the word of God by faith, man receives miracles from God. Every man craves for the miraculous. Every man at a moment in his or her life time, will need a miracle.

Are you in a condition that demands God’s intervention? God is saying to you, that, he is willing to answer you. ” Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning” James 1:17. There is no variableness with God, that is He does not change. He is ready to give you that good thing. The truth is through our Lord Jesus every promise is yes. It is now up to you to reach out in faith and take that miracle. It may be a healing, a financial provision, a deliverance from demonic harassment, or a solution to a marital problem. The Lord is ready to show up for you.

The question is how does one receive that miracle.? One thing you must not do is to ask, how is that miracle going to work out? What to do is to know what God has said concerning the particular condition, you want God to do something about. Accept or believe what God has said concerning that particular condition. Thank the Lord for your miracle, expecting to have whatever you have believed God about.

Focus on what He has said and keep thanking him. . Gal 3:5 KJV” He therefore that ministereth to you the Spirit, and worketh miracles among you, doeth he it by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?” He does His miracles in our lives by responding to His word.

CONFESSION

Thank you, Lord Jesus, for through your word I receive miracles. My health is renewed because, your word declares that, by your stripes I am healed. I believe it and so I experience my healing.

FURTHER STUDIES

2Corinth 1:20 KJV’ For all the promises of God in him are yea, and in him Amen, unto the glory of God by us.”

Isaiah 55:11 KJV” So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.”

KEY SCRIPTURE: Isaiah 8:18 KJV “Behold, I and the children whom the LORD hath given me are for signs and for wonders in Israel from the LORD of hosts, which dwelleth in mount Zion”.

Christianity is a life of supernatural occurrences. Christianity without the supernatural is another humanistic organization practicing moral virtues.  The birth of our Lord Jesus was a Miracle. His life was filled with outstanding miracles. Our birth into the faith, was a miraculous one. John 3:8 KJV” The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit”. We live by faith and not by sight (2 Corinth 5:7)

LIVING the miraculous life must be our natural way of living.  The Lord taught us in John 6:28, that the works of God is to believe in Him. He also said in John 14:12, that those who would believe in Him would do the works that He did, and even do greater works. From the two scriptures above, we deduce that, we must do everything believing the Lord who is always with us. The Lord also added in John 14:13, that, whatsoever we would ask in His name he would do it, to bring glory to the Father. Believe in the Lord and speak in His name. Jesus is always the miracle worker. Let’s take the following illustration. My son who was in school preparing for his WASSCE (WEST African SENIOR SECONDARY CERTIFICATE EXAMINATION) called me to inform me that he had not been feeling well for some time, and that the doctor says he had high blood pressure. I burst into anger and said you don’t have any high pressure, go back and check. That was the end of that condition. My action was out of faith in the Lord Jesus who sets us free. He intervened to restore the condition.

To lead the supernatural life, you must feed your heart with the word of God such that you would not easily yield to the   ordinary natural way of doing things.

Proverbs 4:23 KJV” Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life”. What fills your heart is that which would show up when the demand arises. Assure yourself that, the Lord Jesus is ever with you, and would always honour His word in your life. We are for signs and wonders and must renew our minds concerning working out the supernatural power of God. Jesus is our miracle worker, so your part is to believe in Him, and boldly speak in His name, expecting that, he would honour His part of the agreement. (John 14:14)

CONFESSION

I am in perfect union with my Lord Jesus. I am in Him and He is in me. We are in perfect partnership. As I speak in His name, He honors it, bringing glory to His own name

FURTHER STUDIES

Acts 3:16 KJV “And his name through faith in his name hath made this man strong, whom ye see and know: yea, the faith which is by him hath given him this perfect soundness in the presence of you all” .

Galatians 3:5 KJV “He therefore that ministereth to you the Spirit, and worketh miracles among you, doeth he it by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?”

KEY SCRIPTURE: Psalms 23:5 KJV” Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.”

Psalm 23 gives us a Biblical road map to encountering the anointing.

The first point is to make the Lord your shepherd and that you are His sheep. The sheep is a very vulnerable creature and needs perfect humility to survive in our world of countless predators.  The sheep must submit to the Lordship of Jesus Christ. As your shepherd He is the most important person in your life and the one you want to please. He is your bread winner.

A sheep must be submissive, so it could lie down in green pastures and be fed properly. God’s word must be the delight of the sheep. (Psalm 1:1-3) The word of God is food for nourishment, light for our path, life to create everything we need. The word is the armour that makes a sheep fully equipped to face terrible predators and overcome them. When the sheep humbly takes in God’s word the psalmist lists a number of stages of blessings that would lead to being anointed.

1.The sheep would be refreshed with the waters of life. Water is an indispensable requirement for the survival of life and cleanses the sheep from all filth

2.The soul, that is the will, intellect and emotions of the sheep is restored or strengthened. Anyone with an unstable intellect or mind becomes an easy prey for devils. Such a sheep would have very disturbed emotions. The word rightly received restores the soul.

3.The sheep would be led in the paths of righteousness. These are the path of the just that shines brighter and brighter unto the perfect day (Proverbs 4:18). Note that God imparts his special anointing as a trust of His glory, and that, it cannot be given to one who works the acts of iniquity. God’s name or glory is always at stake and so everyone who bears his name must depart from iniquity.

4The next step is standing or overcoming trials and challenges of life. The Bible said when the Lord fasted for forty days and nights he was in the wilderness with the wild animals (Mark 1:13) The man God anoints must learn to trust God with his very life. This is very vital for God to impart the anointing on an individual. It was after the Lord Jesus had gone through this that he came back in the fulness of the Spirit Luke 4:14

Submission and diligence to doing the word of God, is God’s prescribed path to the anointing.

CONFESSION

The Lord is my shepherd, and I have everything I need. I submit myself to doing his word. My life is elevated, making all blessings available to me.

FURTHER STUDIES

Psalms 23:1–6.-The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.  He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.  Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.  Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.  Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.

KEY SCRIPTURE:2 Kings 2:9 “And it came to pass, when they were gone over, that Elijah said unto Elisha, Ask what I shall do for thee, before I be taken away from thee. And Elisha said, I pray thee, let a double portion of thy spirit be upon me.”

The special anointing does not come on a silver platter. One must diligently pursue God for the anointing. The disciple Peter, followed Jesus diligently and so Jesus’ anointing came upon him, to continue with His work. Elisha pursued Elijah so diligently that the double portion, or the first-born portion (Deut 21:16&17) came upon him. One must always seek God for the anointing. In the days of our Lord Jesus Christ, he came in the power of the Spirit after fasting for forty days and forty nights.

To catch the anointing, one of the first criteria is a desire to be used by the Lord. Matthew 5:6 KJV ” Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.” It is the hunger to be used of God, that would drive you to make any sacrifices to receive the presence of the Spirit to do what God requires of you. We will now consider the cases of some brethren and how the anointing came upon their lives.

1.Bishop Dag Heward Mills: He said he had been an ardent listener of teaching tapes of Kenneth Hagin. On one occasion as he was listening, he said something jumped from the tape and entered him. He then heard “from now you can teach” This encounter ushered him into a new sphere of ministry.

2. Emmanuel Makandiwa: He said he had been fasting and praying on his father’s farms for about sixty days and over, when he had an encounter with the Spirit of God.

3.Bishop David Oyedepo. He said at one of Kenneth Hagin’s conferences., he sat in the meeting with a strong desire to encounter the anointing. Indeed, he had that encounter.

The above are only a few cases of how people got into the anointing. Dear child of God, you can likewise employ the following ways to receive God’s anointing to bless lives. Have a desire to bring glory to God by serving Him. Seek the anointing solely for God’s glory. You may do the following.

1. Fasting and Prayer.

Luke 4:14 KJV “And Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit into Galilee: and there went out a fame of him through all the region round about.

2. Diligently follow an anointed man of God. Through listening to his messages and watching his videos, you can contact his anointing.

3. Sacrificial service of an anointed man of God. (Elijah and Elisha)

4. Sacrificial giving to an anointed man of God.

There are some people who just realize they are operating in a special grace without doing any of the above.

PRAYER

Dear father, I pray for as many who would be reading this study to be stirred in their hearts to walk in the anointing of the Spirit to bless the body of Christ.

FURTHER STUDIES

Joshua 1:2 KJV “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”.

Psalms 23:5 KJV “Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over”.

KEY SCRIPTURE: Judge 14:6 KJV “And the Spirit of the LORD came mightily upon him, and he rent him as he would have rent a kid, and he had nothing in his hand: but he told not his father or his mother what he had done”.

God throughout history have anointed various men to do great and incredible feats. Moses brought water from a very dry rock, Elisha made an axe head to suspend or float in water, Daniel survived the threats of devouring lions. In post Bible times the trend has not changed for the Lord God is the same yesterday today and forever. Men like St Patrick of Ireland survived the fires put on as a challenge between him and the king’s magician. The magician was consumed and he survived. Evangelist TL Osborne was used to perform incredible healings. E W Kenyon would just look at a cripple, and the leg would be straightened up. PS Chris Oyakhilome would point his finger to a completely possessed person and the demons would depart.

There are so many great servants of God who have been used in amazing ways that beat natural considerations. These men had specific anointings and not a general one. Such anointing do not come on a silver platter. Matthew 7:6 KJV” Give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast ye your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn again and rend you”. The Lord meant that, precious things as the anointing of the Holy Ghost, must not be given to wasters or a prodigal person. One must demonstrate that he will diligently preserve the anointing when it is given to him, and would effectively use it. To preserve it means, leading the kind of life, that befits, the anointing of God resting upon you.

In 2nd Kings 2:1–12 God’s word tells us about the departure of Elijah to heaven, and the transfer of his anointing to Elisha. Elijah tried to frustrate Elisha to give up the pursuit in following him, but he was determined not to give up. At the final moments before he received the anointing, Elijah told him that, if he could see him (Elijah) going to heaven then, the anointing could fall on him. There was a chariot of fire, there was a whirlwind, yet he focused his attention on Elijah and so he obtained the anointing. The anointing, that is the Spirit of God on a man, to do mighty works, comes on those who are ready, or better still those who would pay the price for it.

PRAYER

I pray o heavenly Father, for every child of God who desires to make a greater impact in this earth to commit his or her life to go for the anointing of God to affect changes in the lives of others.

FURTHER STUDIES

Matthew 7:7 KJV “Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: For everyone that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened”.

Jeremiah 29:13 KJV “And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart”.

KEY SCRIPTURE:

Judges 14:6 KJV” And the Spirit of the LORD came mightily upon him, and he rent him as he would have rent a kid, and he had nothing in his hand: but he told not his father or his mother what he had done.

The word anointing is a very significant word when it comes to life in the Spirit. From the Hebrew, the word anointing means, consecrated portion, unction, ointment, fat. Smear. The underlying essence of the anointing is a consecration for a special service through the endowment of the Holy Spirit. In the anointing the Holy Spirit comes upon an individual for a special role or function. In the old testament there were certain offices that were mainly or always anointed. This includes, The priest. (Exodus 40:15), the prophet (1st Kings 19:16) and the king. (1st Samuel 15:1). The Lord also anointed others at specific times to perform special duties. (Exodus 36:2)

Under the new covenant, every child of God has a general anointing. There are also special or specific anointing (This would be considered later). The Spirit of Christ is the anointing upon every Christian. The word ‘Christ’ means the anointed. The word Christians, means the anointed ones. 1 John 2:20 KJV” But ye have an unction(anointing) from the Holy One, and ye know all things”. Every child of God has an anointing and can operate in the Spirit to release the power of the Spirit to save, heal and bless lives. Mark 16:17 KJV” And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues”. Every Christian has an anointing and so long as he or she believes and acts in faith God would manifest His power to save any under satanic bondage.

 Please understand that one is anointed as a consecration unto a particular task for God. As Christians, what have we been anointed or consecrated to do? We have been anointed to stop the work of Satan in the lives of humanity. Act 26:18 KJV “To open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me”. There is enough ability in us to meet this demand. Believe that you have been anointed so don’t sit in your room, you would not see any power there. Get out to where the sinners are and you would see that power working through you.

CONFESSION

I am the anointed of the Lord. The same spirit in Jesus is the very Spirit living in me. By the Lord’s grace I turn the lost from darkness into the light, and I bring healing to those bound by sicknesses and diseases.

FURTHER STUDIES

Colossians 1:27 KJV” To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory:”

Galatians 3:27 KJV. For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ.”

KEY SCRIPTURE: Hebrews 4:10 KJV” For he that is entered into his rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from his.”

In our previous study we realised that worrying places us out of the Spirit. We now continue with some of the principles we’ve got to be established in, so that in the day of crises, we would not be plunged into worrying. We learnt earlier that, firstly, one has to believe that God is and He is a rewarder of them that that diligently seek Him.

2. Know without doubt that Jesus is ever present with you, and will never leave you under any situation: so never be moved. Hebrews 13:5b KJV”…. I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee”. Please take some moments to meditate on this till your heart is fully settled on it. You can meditatively say it over and over again. (Daily practice His presence, i.e., imagine He is presently with you)

3.Know also that it is impossible for God to lie. Hebrews 6:18 KJV” That by two immutable things, in which it was impossible for God to lie…. “These statements are anchor scriptures that would make you very ready to confront any difficulty and not be moved.

4.He has asked us to cast every care on Him, because He cares for us.1 Peter 5:7 KJV” Casting all your care upon him; for the careth for you”. These are scriptures that should not just be committed to memory but should be life dependent principles that continuously fill your heart.

In times of difficulties or challenges one’s emotions can be carried away such that the condition can overwhelm you. Always remember to boldly speak out these scriptures. Tell yourself, I have committed them into God’s hands. Say again my Lord is too mighty to handle this matter, and I refuse to be worried about it. The scene may play back to your mind again. Say to yourself Phil 4:6, commands me to be anxious for nothing, and I will never be anxious about anything. Maintain your grounds and make these declarations.

CONFESSION

Thank you, father, for you have called me to a life of rest, and I have every provision to be at peace all the time. I refuse to let any situation put me down. I choose to rejoice and celebrate my victorious king all the days of my life.

FURTHER STUDIES

Philippians 4:6 KJV “Be careful for nothing; but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus”.

Isaiah 43:2 KJV” When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee”.

KEY SCRIPTURE: Heb 4:10 KJV “For he that is entered into his rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from his”.

‘ To live in the Spirit is also to live a life of peace or to be at rest. Resting is a state of repose from labour. There is a kind of labour that is not physical but mental. It is more distressing than the one doing physical labour. The man at rest is exempted from this mental labour. Another word for this kind of labour is anxiety or worry. Any Christian who gets into worrying, has left the life of the Spirit. Worrying is a sin, for worrying is not of faith. Rom 14:23b KJV”…… for whatsoever is not of faith is sin”. The Christian according to the word of God, must have a 24/7(that is, around the clock) life of rest.

Unfortunately, many of us have very turbulent emotions. They worry from their hair to their toe. Life is filled with an abundance of issues that we may not have answers to. In spite of all these the Lord says, we must not be anxious. Mat 6:31 KJV” Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed?” The Lord says, no amount of worrying would add any good thing to you. You would rather be destroyed if you do not stop it.

What is the answer to these states of emotional unrest? Faith in God is the answer. Heb 4:3a KJV” For we which have believed do enter into rest, as he said….. “. These are issues that most of us know very well, yet, a number of people find themselves worrying about the turbulence of life troubles. There are some principles for faith that are so fundamental, yet many have not gotten a hold of them.

1. Believe that God is and He rewards those who diligently seek Him. (Heb 11:6). Please this is a very important point. In the days of deep crises, what makes people tough or break under the challenge is whether this point is firmly settled in them or not. Believing that God is there, is not settled by convincing yourself about it, but a decision to accept it as the truth and keep to it.

CONFESSION

I live in the Spirit by living a life of rest. I cast every care on the Lord who is always with me and takes care of all that concerns me. I always conquer by the power of the Spirit who works through me.

FURTHER STUDIES

Psalms 23:1 KJV” A Psalm of David. The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want”.

1Peter 5:7 KJV “Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you”.