Category Archives: God the Father

On Earth As It Is In Heaven

29 Tuesday Dec 2020

Posted by in #HolySpirit, Christianity, God, God the Father, Jesus, Journey of Life, Keys to the Kingdom, Prayer, Prayer University, redemption, righteousness, Salvation, Tracy Gatewood Prayer

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Many Christians believe that the sole purpose of deploying the gospel message to an unbelieving world is to simply offer eternal life. Could there be more to what we accept as why Jesus returned to earth from Heaven? Most definitely yes. He returned to not only glorify His Father but to bring all people life and life to the full. (John 10:10 ) Eternal living begins at the point of acceptance of Jesus, not just at a person’s point of death. This is the game changing reality in which we live. The eternal life that Jesus came to give is to be walked out while here on the earth. What Jesus paid for holds significant benefit for the living and nothing for which He paid with His own body and blood should go un-utilized.

When we exercise the privilege to engage in prayer – we do so to attract the Kingdom of heaven on behalf of all on earth. We join hands with the Spirit that hovered over and formed the earth to partner with Him on behalf of the living to heal the sick, deliver the addicted, rescue the poor, rebuke and dismantle damaging negative emotions, and even pray to change the course of nations, directing these nations into their destinies and the divine will of God.

“Our Father, Who art in Heaven, hallowed by thy Name, thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in Heaven …….. ”

When I embarked on this journey to write Prayer University it was to reveal the primary attributes of Jesus as: Our Peace, Our High Priest, Our Righteousness, Our Savior, Our Healer and more – so that when we participate in the discipline of prayer, words could flow emboldened through the empowerment of the knowledge and understanding of Him. Communion, fellowship and intimacy in times of prayer with the Father release the dunamis power of what Jesus died to give through the delivery system of His Holy Spirit. Intimacy and knowledge of the holy can only be developed through a consistent time of prayer. In its simplest form, prayer is fellowship and communion with God. There are no shortcuts to intimacy with Him or anyone.

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One of the many benefits or attributes through Christ’s sacrifice that we possess while here is that God awarded us dominion over everything. In the garden, Adam lost dominion and authority for all but Jesus came to redeem them back from Satan’s hand. Jesus as The Redeemer, by His blood, exchanged our sin for His righteousness, redeeming everything lost and saving those that claim Him from eternal damnation. His sacrifice flung wide a gateway of access to health and healing, deliverance, provision, wholeness, peace and restoration. In fact, the word “salvation” in the Greek actually means: Material and temporal deliverance from danger and apprehension; preservation, pardon, restoration, healing, wholeness, and soundness. The acceptance of Jesus as Savior immediately unlocks access to kingdom life in the full. As Andrew Wommack states, “Its a present tense possession. ”

Dominion and Authority
Colossians 1:16
“For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. “

Genesis 1:28
“And God blessed them. And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”

Luke 10:19
“Behold, I have given you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall hurt you.”

It is challenging, perhaps impossible, to fully grasp the magnitude of all Jesus died to give. It would become one’s life work to comprehend and actually walk out what He has given. Few people take the time to explore and to plumb the depths of the mysterious treasury held within the sacrifice and resurrection of Christ or the gifts He offers from the permanent offices of the Divine. Make it your joyful duty to explore all that He has done. Accept the dominion and authority for which you have been rightly given. Use it to draw Heaven to earth, and to allow for the will and power of God in Christ Jesus to flow fully through you and for others.


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Session #12
Prayer University
On Earth as it is In Heaven

Tracy Gatewood
Sacred Ramblings
All Rights Reserved 2020
Sharing Link: On Earth As It is in Heaven – https://wp.me/p1zoxs-2R2




Jesus the Unlikely King

19 Monday Oct 2020

Posted by in Christianity, faith, God the Father, Gospel of Grace, How to find Peace ?, Jerusalem, Jesus Christ, Jesus, Blood of Jesus, New Covenant, redemption, Jew, Jewish, Leadership, Mercy, Nation, Prayer, Prayer University, Prophets, redemption, righteousness, Salvation, The Bible, Tracy Gatewood Prayer, Transformational Leadership, Wisdom

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As we continue our study of Jesus in Prayer University it is important to understand this time of history, and factors that were influencing the culture and decisions of the day.

During the time of Jesus’ life, the Jewish people were looking for their Messiah, the saviour of their people, that would liberate from the grip of the cruel Roman empire and its Kings. This Messiah was frequently referenced in the Torah and spoken of by the Prophet Moses and the Prophet Isaiah. The Jewish Messiah was to be the One to save the nation of Israel and establish it in its rightful position in the world – restoring Israel to its former glory and prominence as in the days of King David and King Solomon. The Messiah would come from the line of King David.

Then there was the issue of the Jewish Law. Chief Priests and temple priests were experts and masters of the Rabbinical Law and were held in high esteem. The attributes of this law abiding Messiah for which the Jews were seeking was reinforced by the temple priests and their teachings. There were 613 laws required for adherence to proper Judaism – laws that pertained to most every aspect of life. We are all familiar with the “Big 10” but there were 603 lesser known laws of the day. These laws were burdensome and oppressive, making Jewish life unnecessarily challenging. Jesus came to fulfill the Law.

Jesus had grown up in Nazareth in a quiet, unassuming family, the son of a carpenter. At the age of 30 when Jesus was actively inviting men to become His disciples, He met and encouraged Phillip to “Come and see”. Philip then asked Nathanael to meet his friend Jesus who was from Nazareth. Nathanael stated, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth ?” (John 1:46) Jesus was seemingly a Man of no name from no where – certainly not a mighty political or military force or even perceived religious leader possessing qualities required to lead the nation of Israel out of bondage. Yet Jesus was the most powerful Man on the earth and no leader knew Him.

Jesus migrated quietly from city to city, “conquering” these cities through healing, delivering, prayer and teaching. He primarily taught through parables or stories illustrating truthful and righteous principles that He desired people to understand. As the Son of God, Jesus was a King and represented a powerful Kingdom. On earth, He had no authority to legislate or impose rules or laws. If people were instructed by law that they could not heal on a Sabbath day, the only way He could communicate that it was the Lord’s will was through demonstration, thereby raising the ire of the Rabbinic priests.

For 3 years, The Teacher taught openly in the temples, to large masses of people in the countryside, one on one to those in need and to the 12 disciples so they could spread His Good News. The only aggression was what emanated from city leaders that resisted His teachings. His disciples were flogged, beaten and imprisoned. Following Jesus’s crucifixion, they were all individually put to death, except John the Revelator, who was exiled to the Island of Patmos. There was no violence recorded for which they were involved with the exception of Peter slicing off the High Priest servant’s ear but Jesus’ immediately restored Malchus and rebuked Peter.

Jesus’ esteem and influence grew and grew as He taught the principles that God the Father instructed Him that would reveal His true heart. Without one military strategy or tactic or any political maneuvers – Jesus and the 12 humbly and without fanfare, walked, taught and saved thousands in their surrounding region, sparking a spiritual revolution that began a new way to consider God – a way that showed Him as a loving, caring Father, merciful and full of grace for His people.

Jesus’ lowly entrance on a donkey into Jerusalem must have confounded and enraged the priests even more as they heard the citizens yelling, “Hosanna ! Hosanna!” Hosanna means “Save us, Rescue Us, Deliver Us! “. Surely this could not be the Messiah that they have been waiting for, for centuries – coming in on a donkey ? What kind of liberator of a nation arrives to save on a donkey? And He is calling Himself the Son of God – how does He know to respond I AM ? This is heresy. We MUST get rid of Him – this is what the priests had to have been thinking.

And we surely know the rest of the story. Pontius Pilate gave the people a choice between Jesus and Barabbas and the priests were wildly yelling for Jesus to die. Pilate had Jesus severely flogged first, thinking that this would assuage the thirst for His death but it did not. What they could not know was that this was the plan from the beginning of time, and part of the final assignment. After Jesus was hung on the cross, He dismissed His own Spirit and announced to the world; “Tetelestai!” All is accomplished! The temple curtain tore from top to bottom signifying no more separation between God and man. And then they knew.

Christ Jesus, the true Messiah, as prophesied, came from the line of David. His father Joseph, was a descendant of King David however Jesus’ true bloodline, was the blood of deity; the blood of God. Jesus came to earth to fulfill God’s plan to redeem His people back to Himself. He is still today seen through the eyes of those that want Him, those eyes and hearts that are opened by His Spirit – the Spirit of Truth. If you have not prayed to receive Jesus as your Messiah, and personal Lord and Saviour – You can do so today.

Lord Jesus, please forgive me for my sins. I repent and turn from my sins and with your help, I will overcome them. You exchanged my sins for Your righteousness, and paid a debt on my behalf to God that I could never pay. I acknowledge that You are the Son of God and I receive You now as my Lord and Saviour. Amen

Prayer University
Session #9
Sharing link: https://wp.me/p1zoxs-2ND

Tracy Gatewood
Sacred Ramblings
All Rights Reserved

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Author: Doorways of Grace: My Uncommon Journey to Healing, Wholeness and Meeting Jesus









Christ Jesus Our Hedge

13 Sunday Sep 2020

Posted by in Blood of Jesus, Christianity, Emotions, Fear, God, God the Father, How God Answers Prayer, Jesus, Blood of Jesus, New Covenant, redemption, Keys to the Kingdom, New Covenant, Prayer University, righteousness, Sin, the Spirit, Tracy Gatewood Prayer

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As we continue to look at prayer through the understanding of Jesus the Master Teacher we must consider that now He has been installed into the office of High Priest, making constant supplication to the Father on behalf of the one’s that He has been given. Notice that I did not say, all of mankind. Jesus specifically intercedes for the people that God gave to Him as a gift (John 17:9 ). This does not just only refer to the disciples but in fact, God knows Who will come to His Son. Every believer is a precious and distinct gift given to Jesus. Isn’t it beautiful to consider that you are a gift to the Lord ?

In the story of Job, the writer initially portrays him as a successful man protected by God and goes onto state that Job was ‘blameless and upright, and one who reverently feared God and abstained from and shunned evil’. So why was Job allowed access by Satan – the Accuser ?

Job 1:9-11 AMP
” Then Satan answered the Lord, Does Job (reverently) fear God for nothing? Have you not put a hedge about him and his house and all that he has, on every side? You have conferred prosperity and happiness upon him in the work of his hands and his possessions have increased in the land. But put forth Your hand now and touch all that he has, and he will curse You to Your face. “

We know that Job constantly focused on the potential sins of his daughters and sons, making offerings for them to cover any sin in which they even might have been engaged.  Job’s incessant fear that his family had sinned could have been the very thing that brought down his hedge of protection. The spirit of fear and the emotion of fear is the rope on which the enemy uses to swing into the minds of God’s people. Fear (and unforgiveness) is the great key that unlocks demonic force.


Job 1:5 AMP
“And when the days of their feasting were over, Job sent for them to purify and hallow them, and rose up early in the morning and offered burnt offerings according to the number of them all. For Job said, It may be that my sons have sinned and cursed or disowned God in their hearts. Thus did Job at all times.”

Recently, I was listening to an audiobook of a highly respected evangelist who is now deceased. This is a man from whom I have learned much, particularly as it pertains to prayer and deliverance. He, too, addressed the passage on Job but his interpretation of the result of Job’s constant prayers on behalf of the sins of his family was completely different. His belief was that Job’s intercession was what brought him a multiplied blessing following the loss of everything he owned; children, livestock and money.  No mention was made of the negative consequences of the constant fear that potentially opened the initial door to the enemy’s oppression.

The Bible states that it was when Job turned to God in faith, acknowledging that the Lord “can do all things and that no thought or purpose of Yours can be restrained or thwarted”  (Job 42:2) was when Satan’s curse began to reverse.  God asked Job to pray for his doubting friends. It is then that He healed Job, blessing his latter days more than the former, living to 140 years.  God restored all that Job had lost and actually received double!

Our truth today is that we now walk in something else, a no longer new normal that was made permanent and ratified by the resurrection of Christ Jesus. Today we walk in a New Covenant or Agreement.

The cornerstone of this truth is to understand that Jesus paid for all of our sin and even guilt (condemnation) through His sacrifice. This means ALL sin from the beginning of mankind to the end of life. Christ Jesus ( Christ is an office meaning the Anointed One ) has made a covenant with God on our behalf and is now installed at the right hand of the Father as our High Priest, Mediator of this Eternal Covenant, Chief Shepherd as well as the Chief Intercessor. His sacrifice opened a way to a new and better covenant, one not built on the blood of bulls and goats, but one that was built on the Surety of Himself.

Hebrews 9:15 AMP
“[Christ the Messiah ] is therefore the Negotiator and Mediator of an [entirely] new agreement (testament, covenant) so that those who are called and offered it may receive the fulfillment of the promised everlasting inheritance – since a death has taken place which rescues and delivers and redeems them from the transgressions committed under the old first agreement. “

Hebrews 9:18-20 AMP 
“So even the (old) first covenant (God’s will) was not inaugurated  and ratified and put in force without the shedding of blood. For when every command of the Law had been read out by Moses to all the people, he took the blood of slain calves and goats, together with the water and scarlet wool and with a bunch of hyssop, and sprinkled both the Book (the roll of the Law and covenant) itself and all the people. Saying these words: This is the blood that seals and ratifies the agreement (the testament, the covenant) which God commanded me to deliver to you. ” 

The Law given to Moses was the Old Covenant. The Israelites wanted written rules to live by but this was not God’s best for them. The good was traded for the best which was for the laws to be engraved onto their hearts and minds, that they would know by the Spirit that they were engaging in right or wrong actions.

When we remain in right standing with God, we are secured in the ark of Jesus. We are given protection based on His righteousness and not through our works but through His perfect right standing to the Father. This is not of anything that we can boast or perform to attain, it is a gateway that was opened by the blood of Jesus.

II Corinthians 5:21 AMP
“For our sake He made Christ [virtually] to be sin Who knew no sin, so that in and through Him we might become the righteousness of God “[ what we ought to be, approved, and acceptable, and in right relationship with Him, by His goodness].

As we see ourselves established in faith that we are in right standing with God through the blood of Jesus, Jesus becomes our hedge. We become the righteousness of God in Christ.

So my friend, see Christ Jesus as your hedge paid for by His blood and give testimony today of what His blood has done for you. As you pray, do so knowing that your Lord Jesus has made the ultimate down payment to become your eternal hedge of protection.

Isaiah 54:14 “You shall be far from oppression, for you shall not fear; and from terror , for it shall not come near you.”


Tracy Gatewood
Sacred Ramblings
#PrayerUniversity
Session 8
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Author: Doorways of Grace: My Uncommon Journey to Healing, Wholeness and Meeting Jesus
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Christ, Healing, and the Power of Words

20 Monday Jul 2020

Posted by in #HolySpirit, Armor of God, Christianity, God the Father, Healing, Healing and the Armor of God, Jesus, Blood of Jesus, New Covenant, redemption, Law of First Mention, Leadership, Prayer, Prayer University, redemption, Sword of the Spirit, The Bible, the Spirit, Tracy Gatewood Prayer, Unity, Wisdom

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heritageofsaints

“In the beginning was the Word (Christ), and the Word was with God, and the Word was God Himself. He was present originally with God. All things were made and came into existence through Him; and without Him was not even one thing made that has come into being.”   John 1:1-3 AMP 

Words have Power. With no access to devices, medications, or advanced technology equipment, while moving from city to city, Jesus as The Word used His words to communicate a release of healing into the infirmed, the possessed and the diseased. The Greek word “Logos’ (lo-gaas) is translated ‘word, speech, principle or thought’. In Greek philosophy it is also translated into ‘the mind of God’ or ‘divine reason’.

“And Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the Good News (the Gospel) of the kingdom and curing all kinds of diseases and every weakness and infirmity.”  Matthew 9:35 AMP

Christ came to earth to reveal the will of the Father. It is interesting to note that two thirds of Jesus’ ministry involved healing. It was the perfect will of God for His Son to heal. When praying for healing, that oft used qualifying prayer phrase, “If it be thy will” can only be met with an emphatic “Yes!”

When learning to pray like Jesus – it is imperative to know the Word of God. Aside from the blood of Jesus and the Name of Jesus – the Word of God is power packed and the required dunamis or dynamite needed to move out negative circumstances and redeem, deliver, and heal. To pray effectively for oneself or for other’s in healing – there must be agreement with the Word of God.

The first mention of the word “prayer” was in relationship to healing when Abraham prayed to God on behalf of Abimelech, King of the Philistines so that God would forgive Abimelech for taking Sarah. His words, spoken in faith to God, produced a powerful result.

Canva - Abraham praying

“So Abraham prayed to God and God healed Abimelech and his wife and his female slaves, and they bore children, For the Lord had closed fast the wombs of all in Abimelech’s household because of Sarah, Abraham’s wife.”  Genesis 20: 17-18 AMP

We have no record of the actual words in Abraham’s prayer for Abimelech but Abraham operating as Priest released Abimelech of sin thereby restoring his entire household.

It is widely accepted by Christians that nothing occurs on the earth unless it is prayed into action by a Believer. God as Jehovah Rapha, is the God Who heals. It is in this knowledge of His desire and willingness to heal by covenant that we can pray boldly, and speak aloud with confident expectation. It is because of the eternal sacrifice of Jesus Christ Who defeated, death, hell and the grave – the One whom took lashes on His Body for our healing, and thereby allowing access to His Name. He has enabled us to take authority and dominion over every sickness, disease, infirmity, even accidents: “and with the stripes that wounded Him we are healed and made whole”.  Isaiah 54:5 AMP

There is power in every word of God.

“He sent forth His Word and heals them and rescues them from the pit and destruction. ” Psalm 107:20 AMP

It is important to note that there is a difference between power and authority. Power is the ability to exercise one’s will in the way needed to impact a situation and authority is exercised by someone holding a position or title. There is a legitimacy or at least perceived influence by a person that holds authority.  Because of the sacrifice of Christ Jesus, we have both power (dunamis) and authority to influence and alter negative behaviors, patterns and circumstances in order to bring heaven to earth. We use prayer and the Word of God to accomplish His will upon the earth.

Canva - Authority gavel

Lucas Pols, a contributor to Forbes, describes secular servant-led authority this way – “Authority is about who you are as a person, your character how you interact with others and the influence and empathy you build with people.”  While this is accurate, one has a God-given authority that comes with power; ratified by the sacrifice and resurrection of Jesus who was raised from the dead by the very Spirit that now lives in you.

“Behold! I have given you authority and power to trample upon snakes and scorpions, and (physical and mental strength and ability) over all the power that the enemy (possesses); and nothing shall in any way harm you.”  Luke 10:19 AMP

It is important to highlight that all confidence and power must be placed in the authority of God, Jesus and God’s Word and not in the actual pray-er. The Word of God is oiled with the Spirit of God and referred to as “the Sword of the Spirit” in Ephesians 6:17 AMP “And take the helmet of salvation and the sword that the Spirit wields, which is the Word of God.”

Luke 10 continues – “Nevertheless do not rejoice at this that the spirits are subject to you but rejoice that your names are enrolled in heaven.”  This confirms that we do have power over the spirits of the earth including virus’.  To be specific, the Covid-19 virus is a spirit of infirmity. Virus’ have an intelligence. Covid seeks to aggressively insert itself into cells in order to explode in growth and then mutate, thereby causing “infirmity”. In scripture “weakness and infirmity” are almost always used together. When praying for someone with Covid 19, pray in the authority that Christ has given you to dismantle and decree that this spirit of infirmity and all associated weakness must leave in Jesus’ Name.

Session 7
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Tracy Gatewood
Sacred Ramblings
All Rights Reserved 2020

Related Article:  https://sacredramblings.com/2015/06/07/healing-and-the-armor-of-god-prayer

Jesus as Savior

05 Sunday Jul 2020

Posted by in Blood of Jesus, Christianity, God, God the Father, Jesus, Jesus Christ, peace, Prayer, Prayer University, righteousness, Salvation, The Bible, Tracy Gatewood Prayer, Unity, Wisdom

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Canva - Crown

“But when the goodness and loving-kindness of God our Saviour appeared to man (as Man), He saved us, not because of any works of righteousness that we had done, but because of His own pity and mercy, by the (cleansing) [bath] of the new birth and renewing of the Holy Spirit, Which poured out so richly upon us through Jesus Christ our Savior. [ And He did it in order ] that we might be justified by His grace (by His favor, wholly undeserved ). and that we might become heirs of eternal life according to our hope.”  Titus 3:4 -7 AMP

Jesus, Who was with the Father from the beginning, (John 1: 1-3) was sent to earth to save all mankind through the bringing forth of the knowledge of the immutable love of God, the importance of the turning away from sin and the understanding that His own sacrifice would pay a sin debt for which no person could ever personally pay.

Most hearing the Gospel message are aware that Jesus made a way for their salvation, allowing them to spend life eternally with God the Father.  Most are unaware that the word ‘salvation’ has more benefit than re-birth and a punched ticket through the Pearly Gates. (Revelation 22:21)  To refer to someone that has accepted Jesus as Saviour as being “saved” is in fact accurate. A “saved person” receives the added special bonuses of deliverance from danger, access to the pathway of restoration, deliverance from shame for wrong decisions, divine healing and wholeness, and the right to possess a strong, stable (sound) mind. Canva - Drowning

A good working definition of Salvation: material and temporal deliverance from danger and apprehension; pardon, preservation, restoration, healing, wholeness and soundness.

In fact, until one requires, yes really needs a Saviour to pull their personal wagon from out of a ditch, then and only then can the fullness of the word SALVATION by a loving Saviour be fully appreciated by a “Save-ee”. The word salvation in the Greek is ‘Sozo’ which also means to heal, to rescue or save, to deliver.  Jesus has become our Savior by paying our debt of sin to God, by becoming our righteousness so that a perfect God could look upon us, hear our prayers and be gracious to us, thereby Jesus removed all separation between mankind and God. No study on prayer and how to pray would be complete without the full embrace of Jesus in His role as Savior.

“And [besides] we ourselves have seen (have deliberately and steadfastly contemplated) and bear witness that the Father has sent the Son (as the) Saviour of the world. Anyone who confesses (acknowledges, owns) that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides (lives, makes His home) in him and he (abides, lives makes his home) in God.”  1 John 4:14 AMP

Just as Jesus exhorted His followers to “eat His flesh and drink His blood” to be saved (John 6:56), a person that is His follower must be willing to confess that Jesus is the only Son of God and that it was only His broken body and spilt blood that paid for their debt of sin and nothing they accomplished in their own strength.

Canva - Holy Communion

“So when the Samaritans arrived, they asked Him to remain with them, and He did stay there two days. Then many more believed in and adhered to and relied on Him because of His personal message. And they told the woman, Now we no longer believe (trust, have faith) just because of what you said; for we have heard Him ourselves (personally) and we know that He truly is the Savior of the world, the Christ.”  John 4:40-42  AMP 

Although we are not told what Jesus said in those two days while with the Samaritans, we know that His words were compelling enough to persuade them that He was truly the Son of God. The word ‘Christ’ means Anointed One. Jesus used His anointing to heal, and to teach, and deliver. Two-thirds of Jesus recorded actions while on earth were of healing. He traveled from town to town, breaking off yokes of physical and mental illness and even raising the dead. (See Lazarus: John 11: 38-44) Jesus was a Healing Machine. 

It was through these healing miracles that were witnessed and testified that spread the Good News that the true Son of God was “in the house”. But it was His own personal  raised from the dead story that solidified His place as the Son of God in the minds of the Apostles and His inner circle. These first hand witnesses became messengers that took Jesus’s actions far and wide, even at the expense of their own personal safety and eventual horrific deaths. The only Apostle not murdered, the Apostle John, was exiled to the island of Patmos where he was left alone to die.  It was on Patmos that he wrote    1 John as well as the Book of the Revelation. Canva - Angel

” I, Jesus, have sent my messenger angel to you to witness and to give you assurance of these things for the churches (assemblies). I am the Root (the Source) and the Offspring of David, the radiant and brilliant Morning Star  (Isa.  11:1,10 AMP) 
The Holy Spirit and the bride (the true Christians) say Come! And let him who is listening say, Come! And let everyone come who is thirsty and whoever earnestly desires to do it, let him come, take, appropriate and drink from the water of Life without cost.”   (Revelation 22: 16 AMP)

Oh what a Savior!

Lesson #6
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Jesus as Savior
Sacred Ramblings
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Tracy Gatewood
Facebook:  Tracy Gatewood Sacred Ramblings
Author: Doorways of Grace: My Uncommon Journey to Healing, Wholeness and Meeting Jesus

 

Jesus Our Righteousness

12 Tuesday May 2020

Posted by in Blood of Jesus, Christianity, faith, God the Father, Prayer, Prayer University, righteousness, The Bible, Tracy Gatewood Prayer, Uncategorized

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Jesus on the Cross
To study the practice of New Covenant prayer, one must understand basic biblical principles which primarily surround Jesus Himself. One of these foundational principles is to understand what it means to be righteous and how righteousness is obtained.

The word “righteous” simply stated is ‘to be in right standing with God’.

To begin, we must first understand that God Himself imputes righteousness, not because we adhere to a Law or a way of living, but because we believe that God’s Son paid a sin debt that could never be paid by anyone else. Jesus is the only One that could have made this sacrifice. As a person born into the Adamic line of sin, which we all have been, an unbelieving person, without Christ’s sacrifice, would otherwise hold a punched one-way ticket to Hell. Christ Jesus has taken our sin debt and imputed His own perfected righteousness into all that believe. Imputing means a transference – Jesus imputed or transferred His righteousness while simultaneously extracting OUR sin.

Can righteousness be attained through behavior, no – righteousness is a gift imputed to us by God for believing in His Son. When one accepts Jesus and understands that His righteousness required an obedient sacrifice that we could never pay, the result should impact a person’s behavior. Good behavior does not create righteousness however the knowledge that we cannot obtain righteousness through any other way should convince us to modify our behavior. It is impossible to work or perform one’s way into right-standing with God. There are teachings that by watching words, purifying our vessels (our bodies) or being set apart can make one righteous or in right standing. This is inaccurate.

True righteousness, accepted by God, comes through the understanding that His Son’s sacrifice fully achieved everything necessary to remove the dividing wall between God and You. This places all responsibility totally on Jesus for this achievement. To assume that one can be made righteous through his own behaviors or merits, illustrates a lack of understanding of the magnitude of the Cross. This position creates ‘self-righteousness’ which is dangerous and noxious to God.

To be clear, is there anything wrong with watching what we say, staying away from unclean food and actions, and practicing a more holy (set apart) lifestyle? No – of course not, however modifying one’s behavior does not make any person more righteous in the sight of God. These behaviors should be response – response being a heart level understanding that results in transformation. Christ Himself is Our Righteousness and the only pathway.

The Book of Romans could be considered the Epistle of Righteousness –

“ But now the righteousness of God has been revealed independently and altogether apart from the Law, although actually it is attested by the Law and the Prophets, Namely, the righteousness of God which comes by believing and personal trust and confident reliance on Jesus Christ. And it is meant for all who believe for there is no distinction.
Since all have sinned and are falling short of the honor and glory which God bestows and receives. (ALL) are justified and made upright and in right standing with God, freely and gratuitously by His grace (His unmerited favor and mercy) through the redemption , which is provided in Jesus Christ, Whom God put forward as a mercy seat and propitiation by His Blood (the cleansing and life giving sacrifice of atonement and reconciliation, to be received) through faith.
This was to show God’s righteousness, because in divine forbearance He had passed over and ignored former sins without punishment. It was to demonstrate and prove at present time that He Himself is righteous and that He justifies and accepts as righteous him who has true faith in Jesus.”      Romans 3:21-26

But this requires faith. Faith that you are righteous in Christ and that your sins have been atoned for – you must pray in faith.

The Amplified defines Faith as the practice of leaning your entire personality on God in absolute trust and confidence in His power, Wisdom and goodness.

How is your faith holding up during this pandemic?

Has God told you something that still requires faith on your part because that promise has not come to pass?

Remain in faith that you will have what He said that you will have.

When one remains in faith, that faith is being accounted to them as Righteousness by God and places that person in His right standing. Remember, righteousness is a grace gift and cannot be earned. Faith in His promises does not require one to watch words, or eat clean, refrain from alcohol, or any number of actions that are associated with being a righteous person. As people of God we should engage in these practices as they make us healthier, keep us out of trouble, and most importantly, keep doors closed to the demonic, but God does not recognize anything else as righteousness other than the acknowledgement and resulting actions based on the knowledge of 1) His Son’s righteous standing, 2) maintaining faith in His Son and 3) faith in the promises based in His Word.

In the Old Testament (testament means covenant), Abraham was considered righteous by God because of His faith. Abraham of course lived many hundreds of years before Jesus. Here is what the Apostle Paul writes about the Prophet Abraham in the New Testament book of Romans –

“No unbelief or distrust made him waver concerning the promises of God, but he grew strong and was empowered by faith as he gave praise and glory to God. Fully satisfied and assured that God was able and mighty to keep His word and to do what He had promised. That is why his faith was credited to him as righteousness. (boldface mine) But the words, It was credited to him, were written not for his sake alone, But (they were written) for our sakes too. [Righteousness, standing acceptable to God ] will be granted and credited to us also who believe in God, Who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead, Who was betrayed and put to death because of our misdeeds and was raised to secure our justification, making our account balance and absolving us from all guilt before God.” Romans 4:20–24 AMP

Last week we looked at the word ‘Tetelestai’ which means All is Accomplished. This is what Jesus said at the end of His life and on the Cross – it is typically interpreted as ‘It is Finished’.  ‘Tetelestai’  is an accounting term that denotes account reconciliation, that the debt has been paid. A person must acknowledge that Christ, through His sacrifice, has reconciled them back to God the Father, and that they, as a sinner, have no personal ability through their own works or acts to do the same. Once saved, you are in Christ, and clothed in His Righteousness.  When you pray, do so knowing that you are already in right standing with the Father, and there is nothing to earn.

Session #3
#PrayerUniversity

Tracy Gatewood
Sacred Ramblings
Jesus Our Righteousness
All Rights Reserved  2020

Author: Doorways of Grace: My Uncommon Journey to Healing, Wholeness and Meeting Jesus
Facebook:  Tracy Gatewood  Sacred Ramblings

The Father That Answers Prayer

01 Friday May 2020

Posted by in #HolySpirit, Blood of Jesus, Christianity, Emotions, God, God the Father, Grace, Holy Spirit, How God Answers Prayer, Isaiah 54, Jesus, Jesus, Blood of Jesus, New Covenant, redemption, Prayer, The Bible, the Spirit, Tracy Gatewood Prayer

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Canva - Child praying

“When the disciples saw it, they marveled greatly and asked, “How is it that the fig tree withered all at once”? And Jesus answered them, Truly I say to you, if you have faith (a firm relying trust) and do not doubt, you will not only do what has been done to the fig tree but even if you say to this mountain, Be taken up and cast into the sea, it will be done. And whatever you ask for in prayer, having faith and (really) believing you will receive. ” Matthew 21:20- 22 AMP

“Ask, and it will be given to you, seek and you will find, knock and it will open. For everyone who asks, receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. Or what man is there among you who, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent? If you then being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!” Matthew 7:7-11

“If you live in Me [ abide vitally united in Me } and my words remain in you, and continue to live in your hearts,  ask, whatever you will and it shall be done for you. When you bear (produce) much fruit, My Father is honored and glorified, and you show and prove yourselves to be true followers of Mine”.  John 15:7-8

The first recorded prayer teaching of Jesus was the Lord’s Prayer. Recently, I spent a great deal of time reading various books or chapters on the Lord’s Prayer. There is an almost dizzying amount of information.  In case you need a reminder of the Lord’s Prayer, please read further:

vs 8″ Therefore, do not be like them. For your Father knows the things that you have need of before you ask Him. In this manner  (boldface mine) therefore pray …….. ”
” Our Father Who art in Heaven, Hallowed be thy Name, Thy Kingdom Come, Thy Will be Done, on earth as it is in Heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil, for thine is the Kingdom and the Power and the Glory for ever and ever AMEN. ”  Matthew 6:9-13

Canva- Lord's Prayer

My emphasis on the word ‘manner’ above is to illustrate that the intention of the Lord’s Prayer was to be used as a guide or template on prayer, and not a substitute for one’s own personalized prayer while communing with God. The Lord’s Prayer, as a guide, begins with praise and honor to the Father, asking that things that are in heaven will also be available to us here on the earth. The prayer acknowledges that God is Holy – uncommon, set apart and separate from the world. “Give us this day our daily bread” acknowledges that provision comes from His hand, followed by a request of forgiveness from God as we forgive those who have sinned against us. We ask to be protected from being lead into temptation (Pls note: God will never lead us to be tempted – Jesus was lead into the wilderness to negotiate with Satan but that was prior to His death and resurrection) and we are to ask to be delivered from all evil.

I greatly admire the works of several theologians and have numerous books written by Andrew Murray in my personal library. Here is an short excerpt on what Andrew Murray says on the Lord’s Prayer:

Give us this day our daily bread – When the child has yielded himself to the Father in the care for His name, His kingdom, and His will he has full liberty to ask for his bread. 
The Father in heaven will care for the child who has given himself up in prayer to His interests. Consecration to God and His will gives wonderful liberty in prayer for temporal things. The whole earthly life is given over to the Father’s care.

You may note that Andrew Murray believes that there are conditions to having your prayer needs met – 

The following is another assessment of the Lord’s prayer – an excerpt from another Andrew, this time Andrew Wommack:

Notice that verse 11 is not a question, because there is no question mark. It’s not saying “Oh God, I know I don’t deserve it, but would you please give me a crumb so I won’t starve and perish today”?  No. This is a demand. Its not an arrogant demand in the vein of “God I’m forcing you!” but more like a child who comes into the kitchen asking his mother for something to eat. Give us this day our daily bread –

God wants His will to be done here on earth as it is in Heaven – His desire is for no sickness, disease, poverty, despair. God does not cause bad things to come upon His people – we have an enemy, the devil, that is the root cause of evil.  God wants His believers to be so bold that they just reach out and take their request by faith! He is a Father of love, a family man that seeks good for His family. When life does become challenging, we have His presence to walk us through it.

If I knew unequivocally how to have God answer all prayer, every one – I would be the most famous Christian leader of all time. I do not have that answer but I do know how to move the needle closer on the “acceptance” spectrum.
FBsizePraise
1) Change the focus of your prayer from primarily petitioning for your personal needs over to praise and loving God. He knows your needs. If you do incorporate personal petitions, do so confidently and declaratively, showing God that you understand that His Son has paid the ultimate price. You may be dying but praise God that He is healing you, because His Son has paid for it and thank Him.

2)  You must have a Sonship perspective on prayer rather than a servant perspective. With Sonship, you are an Heir with Christ (Romans 8:17) and the Father has made spiritual promises that He will not deny. You approach the Father’s throne of grace surrounded by and clothed in Christ Jesus and His righteousness. The Holy Spirit is within so you are approaching the throne accompanied by two of the Deity; one surrounding, and one within. This should build faith and provide encouragement in your prayer time. You are not praying alone.

3) We must come boldly and bravely to God’s throne of grace (Hebrews 4:16) to obtain mercy and find grace during every time of need. A confident expectation at the throne of God is a major condition for answered prayer.

1 John 19 – 23 AMP 
“By this we will know [without any doubt] that we are of the truth, and will assure our heart and quiet our conscience before Him 20 whenever our heart convicts us [in guilt]; for God is greater than our heart and He knows all things [nothing is hidden from Him because we are in His hands]. 21 Beloved, if our heart does not convict us [of guilt], we have confidence [complete assurance and boldness] before God; 22 and we receive from Him whatever we ask because we [carefully and consistently] keep His commandments and do the things that are pleasing in His sight [habitually seeking to follow His plan for us].23 This is His commandment, that we believe [with personal faith and confident trust] in the name of His Son Jesus Christ, and [that we unselfishly] love and seek the best for one another, just as He commanded us. ”

We are not to be weighed down by guilt and shame and were never designed to carry these emotions. All guilt and iniquity (iniquity means to go your own way – and presumably in a direction that was out of the will of God) was taken on the body of Jesus while on the cross. Shame and guilt strike at our identity, keeping us from believing that God will answer our prayers. This is a performance-based perspective and not a grace based perspective. Jesus has paid for your sin. Your flaws and sin have been washed and cleansed by the blood of Jesus.

Isaiah 54:5  “But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our guilt and iniquities; the chastisement needful to obtain peace and well-being for us was upon Him, and with the stripes (that wounded) Him we are healed and made whole”

“For as many as the promises of God , they all find their Yes (answer) in Him (Christ). For this reason we also utter the Amen (so be it) to God through Him (in His Person and by His agency) to the Glory of God. ” 2 Corinthians 1:20 

All the promises that God has given us pertaining to healing, health, provision, peace, purpose and power are found in Christ. Our responsibility is to say AMEN to Him and walk boldly as Sons and Daughters that will declare with Him in Agreement that He has given us everything that we need. We are to rest and live in the knowledge that Jesus has paid for us to have what is needed in our lives.

At the end of His life Jesus cried, Tetelestai – ALL IS ACCOMPLISHED – Tetelestai means the account has been reconciled. The debt has been paid.

Canvas - Christ Crucified

So if Christ has paid the way for your healing, your health, provision, peace, purpose and supplied the power – we now pray from a position of victory and never  from a defeated, begging, pleading stance.  We also must pray God’s Word, phrasing our petitions regarding our circumstances to align with His promise then allowing time for the manifestation of the promise.

After consuming volumes of information on this subject, I believe that God answers all prayer that is within His will. Why would God give us prayer to use if not to our full benefit? There are however times that our prayers are not in His will.  When Jesus prayed in the garden to have “this cup pass from Me” – the cup did not pass from Jesus, as it was not the will of His Father to stop what was going to happen involving His scourging and the crucifixion. If anyone had the power to have any prayer answered, it would be Jesus Himself. He submitted to the will of His Father which was to allow the crucifixion process to continue. The fact that Jesus prayed and even asked His Father, rather than command a legion of angels down to rescue Him, speaks volumes about His heart attitude toward God.

In this dark hour, Jesus could not stride boldly to the throne of grace because there was no throne of grace as it did not exist without Him. Jesus is ALL truth and ALL grace. (John 1:17) There was no grace until Grace Himself gave Himself – Tetelestai!

Doorways of Grace
Personal Testimony  and excerpt from Doorways of Grace: My Uncommon Journey to Healing, Wholeness and Meeting Jesus

 “I was in the living room of my friend’s condominium and simply walking across the room when suddenly and with no warning, an explosive impartation dropped into my spirit. I stopped in my tracks and watched as if a scene on a movie reel, a Technicolor Jesus, hanging from a cross, His head dropping. A saw His spirit leave His body. I somehow knew that He had released His spirit of His own will and that His life had not been taken from Him. No one person or culture of people had killed Jesus. It then began to be revealed to me by the Spirit that we had been given everything we all need in this life because it had been purchased for us at the Cross. This came to me like an impression in my spirit. God was unlocking His rich treasury and showing me a very great mystery on a divine movie screen.

The understanding that we already own our healing, our provision, our peace, and our sanctification, all through Him, that His body and His blood has paid for everything that we need was coming to me for the first time.  I later learned how He became our righteousness and made us to be righteous in the sight of God (Romans 3:22-26). We need only walk with expectation in receiving these benefits. Our only requirement is to pray, be diligent, rest and have faith in Him. I could not believe what I was seeing in the spirit and had never heard this taught before nor thought that I had read this in the bible. I had never been reading the bible through the lens of grace!”   (excerpt page 85 )

Prayer University
Session #2

Tracy Gatewood
Sacred Ramblings
All Rights Reserved  2020
Sharing Link: https://wp.me/p1zoxs-2I9

Facebook:  Tracy Gatewood Sacred Ramblings
Author: Doorways of Grace: My Uncommon Journey to Healing, Wholeness and Meeting Jesus  (2015) 
Twitter:  Tracy L Gatewood