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Category Archives: Kingdom Principles
Yes We Can Be Holy
Yes, we can live holy lives. We ask God to forgive and He does; not only does he forgive, but He remembers our sin no more (Hebrews 8:12). The scripture says be ye holy for I am holy (1 Peter 1:16). If it wasn’t possible to be holy then God wouldn’t have commanded us to be holy as He is holy. It is possible. We often hear some people say, “I am a just sinner saved by grace.” There are two schools of thought at play here: (1) I am a sinner and (2) I am saved by grace. We are either one or the other, we cannot be both. Sweet and bitter water cannot come forth from the same fountain. If we are redeemed by the blood of Jesus after repenting of sin, we are under grace; we are no longer under the bondage of sin. Once we’re under grace, we remain under grace and we are told to remain under grace; for God has made us a new creature in Christ; behold, old things have passed away and now we are new (2 Corinthians 5:17).
It is “religion” that keeps people at the cross after accepting salvation. It is “religion” that keeps people in bondage to the past—in bondage to the old man. When we become born-again we are washed in the blood of the Lamb and the old man is cleansed, he is renewed. We are no longer under the bondage of the old—we are no longer just a sinner saved by grace; we become new men in Christ Jesus and therefore, we should walk as new men and women in God. Yes, before we accepted Jesus we were merely sinners; but now we are the redeemed of the Lord (1 Corinthians 6:20) and the law of sin and death no longer applies (Romans 8:2). We are no longer under the curse of sin (Galatians 3:13) for Christ has redeemed us from the curse, being made a curse for us; so now we have the privilege of grace and grace is where we are supposed to remain after we have received God’s precious gift of the cross. We are not to return to the cross every time we have a misstep. We are to go directly to the Father for restoration when we fall short of the glory.
So how do we live holy once we understand we are no longer slaves to sin but we are redeemed to grace? We live according to the instruction of the Word. We accept that we are no longer strangers to the great gospel of grace but now we are grafted into the Family of God (Romans 11:17); and we walk in our title as Children of the Most High. That’s the first step. The second step is to speak the Word. Our words are powerful, we must be careful about what we say—what we confess. We have to go from reading the Word to speaking the Word over our lives. Even medical science has taught us that positive confession has a definite impact on a person’s attitude and character. Positive confessions and positive affirmations foster an environment of victory, whether a person is saved or unsaved. If we hear something often enough it takes root in our soul and when we saturate ourselves in God’s information, then we begin to develop godly character; that information promotes an environment of confidence and we will naturally gravitate towards dispositions and attitudes that reflect godliness. Righteousness, joy and peace in the Holy Ghost are attributes of people who have developed holiness in their walk with God (Romans 14:17). The fruits of this holiness are love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control (Galatians 5:22-23). These fruits are the evidence of holy living.
If we are made in Their image (Genesis 1:26) and through the sacrifice of Jesus we are grafted into the family of God, then we do indeed possess the ability to live holy and thus we are no longer old sinners saved by grace. We are the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus (2 Corinthians 5:21); and if we are the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus, then His DNA runs through our veins and thus His disposition and attitude runs through our spirit. Glory! If a Believer can only see themselves as an ole sinner, they will struggle to accept this truth. It is only after we really understand who we are in Christ that we can begin to allow ourselves to see ourselves the way He sees us: as a holy people, a royal priesthood, (1 Peter 2:9), a member of The Family. Hallelujah! What wonderful news! What an amazing God we serve! This is such great news saints! So let’s not become weary in well-doing. Let’s continue to “work” the Word of God in our lives and see ourselves as He sees us. We are under grace and grace gives us the capacity to receive the finished work of Jesus Christ at the cross. Once we leave the cross, we are members of the Royal Family of God and membership has its privileges. We are indeed capable of being holy like Jesus, our sample Son. We can be holy and live holy because He has made us worthy to sit in high places with Him (Ephesians 2:6).
Let us get rid of the “religious” spirit that has held us in bondage, and take our rightful place as son’s and daughters of the Most High God and begin to speak holiness over our lives. Be persistent to do this and when the enemy tries to come against your thinking, remind him of who you really are—you are the righteousness of God through Christ Jesus, you are no longer a slave to sin. Some days it may not look like we’re the righteousness of God; after all, trials will come and we can sometimes fall into old thinking patterns, but we must bear in mind what HE says about us in the Word. In our own perspective, we may not see ourselves as a holy people and a royal priesthood, but from God’s perspective, we are the righteousness of God through Christ Jesus; and therefore, we can be holy.
We must continue reading the Bible; confessing God’s Word over our lives; praying in the Holy Ghost; and making changes to our speech and to our understanding as God develops our faith from glory to glory. Yes, we can live a holy life, but it begins by understanding who we are in Jesus so Holy Spirit can be given full reign to shape and develop our character in a way that produces godly results. The Bible says, “He who is able to bridle his tongue and not offend in word and deed is perfect” (James 3:2). The scripture doesn’t say here that controlling the tongue is impossible; however, we must realize it takes time to develop Biblical thinking patterns that reflect God’s character in us. It will happen if we do not give up on the process. Controlling what comes out of our mouth is critical to having the victory over old mindsets. We must ask Holy Spirit to show us where we may be speaking words of negativity and death over our lives and He will correct us. It will take time to get the flesh “under” the obedience of the Word, but we cannot return to broken thinking. If we have a misstep, we must quickly repent and get back on track with what the Word of God says about us. The Bible says, “Let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.” (James 1:4). It’s doable saints; we can have whatsoever we desire when we pray if we believe (Mark 11:24) and we know Jesus desires that we walk like Him in ‘word’ and in ‘deed’. So praise God! With Him truly ALL things are possible! Let’s seek to be holy like Jesus and trust God with the process; we are no longer sinners; we are indeed saved by grace.
Are You Frozen?
Are you in a jam or going through a major battle? Is there heavy warfare? Does your situation look bleak but God is telling you to obey?
The end result may look bleak, but you know you have to trust God. You know it’s the only way to victory.
It can be hard to take a step forward, but when we freeze in fear and indecision, we block the blessing.
God cannot take over unless we relinquish control.
So how do you get unstuck?
Picture a friend, a family member or a colleague in the same situation. Now imagine that person has to make an immediate decision–there’s no room for delay.
What do you say to them?
Now, give yourself that same speech. Speak it out loud for your own ears to hear it.
Once you follow this simple instruction, you will become unstuck. You will be positioned to make a decision and God will move.
You will have peace and you’ll be on the way to victory!
Focus on Souls – Receiving Honor and Offerings the Kingdom Way
Who deserves the greatest honor above all else in this life and in that which is to come? It’s Jesus. Our Heavenly Father even said Himself that Jesus has been given the Name that is above every name (Philippians 2:8-11). There is no name in heaven or in the earth that is more glorious, more powerful, more prestigious and more perfect than the Name of Jesus and we here at What You Will™ know this to be true. But there is also an honor given to the children of men, those in the household of faith, who tread the grapes and pour out the new wine upon the Body of Christ through ministry and prayer and giving. Last night, What You Will™ received a letter from an individual about something they noticed at a Christian convention they recently attended. A teachable moment presented itself for this individual while asking Jesus for understanding about giving honor where honor is due, specifically, for a man of God who was preaching a session at this convention. Jesus used the opportunity to teach this individual about giving honor and about the difference between receiving an offering and receiving an “Offering”. What this individual learned through this lesson from Jesus was that when we seek to keep our focus on the word of God and the message of Jesus Christ, honor will come naturally. And offerings if any, though not always what we think they should be, to God those offerings may be the most significant to the kingdom.
This testimony encompasses two specific themes: one, giving honor to whom honor is due according to scripture; and secondly, understanding how the Favor of God was poured upon a preacher who made souls the focus of his message; and how God used both to bestow His glory on a preacher of the gospel for the benefit of an onlooker who thought the preacher was being slighted.
We believe the lesson learned by this precious believer succinctly ties in with one of the many kingdom principles taught at What You Will™ and we hope you will agree. We have been given the letter to share here with the author’s permission.
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A Lesson on Focus – Giving Honor to Whom Honor is Due
What Jesus showed me about an offering and an “Offering”
It is not uncommon in some church settings to see people walk up to the altar or to the steps of a church where a preacher is speaking and drop off an offering. You know, just lay it down on the steps while the preacher is preaching—no offering plate or bucket, you just lay it on the floor or at the altar near the preacher. I like churches that allow this.
During a convention I have been attending this week all the speakers have received offerings this way except for one and I was asking God about it. I said, “That’s kind of odd. There’s nothing wrong with this man’s preaching; he’s on fire!” Then the Lord said, “They don’t think he needs the money.” (This particular preacher is very rich. He has been greatly blessed and is famous for giving away as much as he gets.) I said, “Whatever, don’t these dummies realize that the offerings are going into the same pot to be evenly distributed among all the speakers at the end of the convention?” Then I said, “Lord, I don’t want him to be the only one who doesn’t receive offerings the same way as the others have; it doesn’t seem right.” So I began to loose offerings for him in the Name of Jesus. And the Lord said, “Those empty steps sitting behind him don’t faze him; he doesn’t care one way or the other” said to the Lord, “and I will show you.” I said, “OK.”
So the man of God delivered his sermon this evening, every bit as powerful as the last one and still, no offerings or cash lying on the steps behind him as he preached. It was getting late so as he was bringing his message to an end I was still wondering about the empty steps behind him, but just as he was closing, Holy Ghost power broke out and prophesy began flooding from his spirit. People were being called out from the audience and Holy Spirit was reading their mail in glorious ways! Holy Spirit was also healing people throughout the auditorium and I was like, “Wow! Look at that! Glory!” but God wasn’t done yet. After the dust settled a bit, the preacher gave an altar call and I was thinking, “Oh no he didn’t!” I had yet to see this at the end of any of the sessions from the other speakers. The people began to pour into the altar.
Over 100 people accepted Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior and I said, “Lord! He just received the greatest offering ever! Over 100 souls just received into the kingdom of heaven and it will be remembered for all of eternity!” And the Lord said to me, “In one service he received the greatest offering that could ever be received into the ministry; because for him, souls are the greatest offering he could ever receive, and that’s how I chose to honor him for his faithfulness to Me.”
I am blessed to have had the Lord’s ear for this personal spiritual teaching and I am blessed to have seen the hand of God at work during the sermon of this godly preacher who kept his eyes on Jesus and gave no thought to what was or wasn’t left on a few steps. That preacher was exalted by the Lord God Himself this evening and I witnessed it. That preacher was Jesse Duplantis.
C. Holloway
Nashville, Tennessee
8/2/2017
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What You Will™ seeks to give honor to whom honor is due (Romans 13:7; 1 Timothy 5:17) and we thank the author of the above testimony for sharing with us what is clearly a dynamic teaching from the Master Himself.
Seek ye FIRST the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you (Matthew 6:33). God’s Will is a full House of redeemed souls. Preach kingdom principles and get those souls for the Lord!
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Declare and Decree Your Way to Results
Someone said, “You can’t just make declarations over people and expect them to change?”
If this is a true statement then why do we bother to pray?
When God created the heavens and the earth was it not through decree? Genesis 1:3 –And God said, “Let there be light” and there was light. And God saw the light; that it was good, and God divided the light from the darkness. And God called the light Day and the darkness He called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day.
What is a decree? A decree is an official order issued by a legal authority.
Are we not officials in the kingdom of God? Don’t we represent Jesus Christ in this earth? Are we not sons and daughters of the most High God? We learn from the Bible that God Himself called Abraham a father of many nations. It is referenced for us again in the Book of Romans, 4:17 as it is written, “…a father of many nations have I made you in the presence of Him whom he believed, even God, who gives life to the dead and calls into being that which does not exist.” The scripture also teaches us to imitate Jesus. We are reminded in I John 4:17 to call those things that are not as though they were. If we are to be imitators of Jesus who only did what He saw the Father doing, and only said what He heard the Father saying, then wouldn’t this scripture also apply to us as believer’s today?
This revelation is needed to have a successful prayer life and it is necessary to receive dynamic results.
If you believe that a person cannot get an understanding of the spiritual without going through the school of hard knocks then you are misinformed—operating according to the standards of the world. God has always desired that we seek Him for ALL provision; this includes (and is frankly most important), our spiritual provision. Now I am not saying that we are to run all over town making a bunch of declarations and expect people do nothing on their own end to educate themselves in the Word; but what I am saying is it is here we begin to create a platform for change in people by calling those things that are not as though they were. If there wasn’t power available to do this then why would God put this statement in His Holy Word?
If God had no intention of making Abraham a father of many nations then why did he tell Abraham while he was still Abram that he would indeed become a father of many nations (Genesis 17:4)? Was God in error? Was God making a mistake by calling Abram a father of many nations when he hadn’t even completely rid himself of the influence of Egypt? After all, Abram had to develop his own walk of faith with God after leaving Egypt for Canaan. I am sure after living in Egypt, Abram had mindsets that needed to be broken off of him before he could walk in his divine destiny with God. Can we surmise then that God was indeed making a declaration over Abram’s future? Wasn’t God Himself speaking a destiny into existence? Now, does God’s declaration over Abram totally seal the deal for Abram to become a father of many nations? No, it does not. Abram was still personally responsible for hearing the Word of God and doing it. Abram could have chosen to reject the will of God and God would have had no choice but to use someone else in this case, but fortunately for Abram, he stood on God’s declaration for his life and weathered some pretty dark storms. It wasn’t all peaches and cream for Abram. Remember he directly went against the words of God by taking Lot from Egypt into Canaan and he succumbed to Sarah’s insistence to sleep with her maid to give Abram a child. Here are great examples of seeing disobedience in action by a chosen man of God, but the skillful declaration of God’s word seized the day—thankfully, God watches over His word to perform it (Jeremiah 1:12). Eventually, Abram did indeed align himself with God’s will and manifest all he was supposed to manifest before leaving this earth for glory. Don’t you suppose much of Abraham’s compliance to the will of God came from the power of declaration spoken over him by God? I certainly do.
When I first met Jesus and had an encounter with Holy Spirit, several things were spoken over me by a prophet. The things said in that encounter were stepping stones to my ministry. I credit those declarations to my commitment to ministry today. Had the prophet of God pointed out all my faults and spoke of my weaknesses or berated me about my inability to comprehend the realm of the spirit or even the basics of Christianity (I was dumb about the life of the Christian) then those declarations would have set the ground work for my walk with God. This prophet saw my potential according to the Word of God and spoke those things that were not as though they were over me. That minister of God recognized her authority in the kingdom of God and for 20+ years continued to speak “life” over my situation even when I was backslidden. (That’s a story for another time). Had she not chosen to speak life into my circumstances, there is no telling where I would be today, perhaps still chasing the wind and in a grossly backslidden state.
Another fantastic example of declaration in action is in Acts 16:31 when Paul told the jailer that if he believed in the Lord Jesus not only would he be saved, but so also his whole household. That’s just powerful revelation right there saints! Was that a prayer request Paul was speaking over the jailer or was that a declaration? I don’t read that the jailer was required to beg, cry, wallow in self-pity, or plead with God to have mercy for the salvation of his family. I don’t read that salvation required a prayer-chain and hours of prayer and fasting with sackcloth and ashes for him to get the victory. A declaration was made and the jailer took that check to the bank and cashed it! Jesus doesn’t bounce checks people. It’s okay to cash them. This example powerfully displays the difference between plowing a territory and TAKING a territory. Brothers and sisters, we are called to take territory—the kingdom of God suffereth violence but the violent taketh by force (Matthew 11:12). Declaration and decree really is the way to powerful results. Glory!
My point is this: declaring and decreeing is an important part of setting up God’s agenda in people’s lives. It is Biblical. It is necessary and frankly, it is prayer in a nutshell. So going forward, please continue to speak declarations over your loved ones, your church group, your friends, your circumstances and then expect God to move based upon your confessions. Faith IS the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not yet seen (Hebrews 11:1) and whatsoever you ask for [decree: a formal or explicit statement or announcement, an official order issued by a legal authority] when you pray, believe that you receive it and you shall have it (Mark 11:24).
See brothers and sisters, the gospel is very clear. It is we who complicate the process. God keeps things simple because God is efficient. He doesn’t keep things simple because we are stupid. We are made in His image. Let’s not insult God. Clearly, we can see that decrees and declarations are indeed prayer, so let’s be encouraged to stand on the promises of God through His WORD and make those requests [demands] known unto God (Philippians 4:6) and watch the dynamic results pour in. Go ahead and be the authority—have what you will in Jesus.
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Increase Power – Live Holy
No one can walk in kingdom authority without first cleansing himself of sin that so easily besets (Hebrews 12:1). God is seeking a people who will worship Him in Spirit and in Truth (John 4:24). Those that are led by the Spirit of God are the sons of God (Romans 8:14). We must be in right-standing with God if we are to handle much power in the kingdom. If we are first faithful with little, then He will make us ruler over much (Matthew 25:23).
These truths aren’t posted here to fill up space on a blog thread, they are placed here to pierce the soul and bring us to further understanding about the operation of the kingdom and how to walk in faith with authority.
It is okay to make a few mistakes as we learn to grow in our authority. We simply repent for error and then go forward with God, but we create a real problem for ourselves when we place concepts and ideologies before the Word of God and then try to rule and reign with Christ on this earth. We are indeed ambassadors of Jesus, called to set the captive free, deliver the sick from oppression and to be a place of refuge for those seeking release from spiritual bondage; but we cannot in good conscience help anyone nor further the gospel of the kingdom of Jesus Christ by allowing false doctrines and uncleanliness into our own lives. The scripture says, “Be ye holy as I am holy” (I Peter 1:16). This should be a part of daily living for the heirs of God. Every day we need to place ourselves under the authority of the Holy Spirit and set our own house in order before we share with others how to do the same for themselves. Holy Spirit will not tolerate sloppy kingdom work and neither should we.
Let us be faithful to Him first so we do not grieve His precious Spirit and then we will be useful to the kingdom. 2 Timothy 2:20-21 says, “Now in a large house there are not only gold and silver vessels, but also vessels of wood and of earthenware, and some to honor and some to dishonor. Therefore, if anyone cleanses himself from these things, he will be a vessel for honor, sanctified, useful to the Master, prepared for every good work.”
Let us examine ourselves today dear brethren and lay aside every weight so we may continue to pursue godliness and take territory for the kingdom with a pure conscience. We at What You Will™ are agreeing with you to exalt the Name of the Lord in both word and deed.
Now, go occupy and destroy the unfruitful works of the enemy in Jesus’ Name!
To God be the glory!
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Faith – the ultimate kingdom principle
Faith without works is dead. James 2:26
Without faith, the desire to understand kingdom principles doesn’t hold much value. Kingdom principles are principles from heaven; they are not man-made principles founded on man’s natural thinking. They are not tangible principles. You cannot see them with your natural eyes. They are spiritually discerned and spiritually understood (I Corinthians 2:14).
Jesus spoke of kingdom principles as He spoke the oracles of God in the synagogue at the age of thirteen and throughout His entire ministry traveling with His disciples. The whole principle of being born-again is a heavenly concept. Like everything Jesus taught, Salvation itself is a kingdom principle. Jesus said to inherit eternal life a man has to be born-again (John 3:7); Nicodemus said to Jesus, “How can a man be born-again? How can he return to his mother’s womb a second time?” (John 3:4) Jesus was speaking of a spiritual birth–a rebirth–fleeing sin and corruption for repentance and new life in Him. It takes faith to believe that having eternal life is as simple as asking to be born-again. It’s a simple confession from the mouth that grants us eternity with the Creator. Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved. (Acts 16:31) It’s so simple to inherit eternal life some people struggle with the validity of such an easy prayer of faith, but the Heavenly Father has designed Salvation just this way for a reason. It takes faith to believe in the Creator and it is supposed to be easy to receive Salvation. Jesus said His yoke is easy and His burden is light (Matthew 11:30).
So, what does this have to do with James 2:26; faith without works is dead? Faith is more than just a spiritual concept; it is also an action word in the kingdom of God. Nothing in the kingdom of heaven is spoken, breathed, transferred, orchestrated or conceived without faith. Nothing. God Himself used faith to create the heavens and the earth. He used faith to form Adam and breathe life into his nostrils. God used faith when He gave Adam and Eve dominion over the earth, to dominate it and subdue it. God used faith to raise up Abraham, Moses, King David, the land of Israel, His very own Son Jesus and the billions who have chosen to accept Jesus as Lord and Savior. So, if God Himself is a doer of faith who operates in faith and speaks in faith, then how much more should we? We cannot be about the Father’s business without the operation of faith.
What You Will™ is a faith-based ministry teaching believers kingdom principles that deliver dynamic results. We are specifically committed to these essential concepts for victory in Christian living: equipping the believer with kingdom principles that produce spiritual growth; teaching the child of God how to occupy in his or her sphere of influence; and encouraging God’s people to demonstrate their faith in the written Word of God with supernatural evidence.
Our lives should resemble the life of Jesus Christ, who walked in power and kingdom authority; taught his disciples how to dominate and destroy the works of darkness; and also bore the fruits of authority: success over struggles, victory over sickness and disease, and rescuing souls from the kingdom of darkness.
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