Category Archives: New Covenant

The Soul’s Response to Righteousness

07 Monday Aug 2017

Posted by in America, Jerusalem, Nation, New Covenant, redemption, Sin, soul, Tracy Gatewood

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Jerusalem
Luke 19:41 – 44 AMP
“And as He approached, He saw the city, and He wept [audibly] over it. Exclaiming, Would that you had known personally, even at least in this your day, the things that make for peace (for freedom from all the distresses that are experienced as the result of sin and upon which your peace – your security, safety, prosperity, and happiness – depends)! But now they are hidden from your eyes.
For a time is coming upon you when your enemies will throw up a bank (with pointed stakes) about you and surround you and shut you in on every side.
And they will dash you down to the ground, you [Jerusalem] and your children within you; and they will not leave in you one stone upon another, [all] because you did not come progressively to recognize and know and understand [from observation and experience] the time of your visitation [that is, when God was visiting you, the time in which God showed Himself gracious toward you and offered you salvation through Christ.]”

In this passage of scripture, Jesus grieved openly knowing what would be forthcoming for the people of Jerusalem. Despite what the people had personally witnessed, Jesus the Prince of Peace, Who had been presented to them as the living Son of God, would not be received into the hearts of the Jewish people.

What He knew for them: Know Jesus-Know Peace, No Jesus-No Peace

All Christians are commanded by God to pray for the peace of Jerusalem (PS122:6). The passage continues,”May they prosper who love you, May peace be within your walls, prosperity within your palaces”  To be a Christ-follower is to love and pray fervently, frequently for the entire nation of Israel. Although the peace of Jerusalem was not accomplished in Jesus’ earthly life, it has been left for us to cover His people in prayer and other means until His return. I fully believe that America’s first responsibility is to cover and protect Israel.

The following scripture describes the Peace that will come with God’s Reign:
Isaiah 32:15-18
“Until the Spirit is poured upon us from on high, and the wilderness becomes a fruitful field, and the fruitful field is valued as a forest. Then justice will dwell in the wilderness, and righteousness will abide in the fruitful field. And the effect of righteousness will be peace [internal and external], and the result of righteousness will be quietness and confident trust forever. My people shall dwell in a peaceable habitation, in safe dwellings, and in quiet resting places.”

 We can experience His Peace Prior to His Reign Through the Understanding of  Righteousness. Righteousness means in right-standing with God and in conformity to His will and purposes. We cannot be righteous, or in right standing with God without understanding and accepting the working power of the blood of Jesus. The Blood is Heaven’s Clorox, its only cleansing agent.

It is impossible to work or perform our way into right-standing with God. Churches may teach that by watching our words, making our vessels (our bodies) more holy [yet holiness is important to God], or praying lengthy prayers every.single.day, or confessing sin can put us in right standing. This is erroneous. True righteousness welcomed by God comes by complete acknowledgement that His Son’s sacrifice fully achieved everything necessary to remove the dividing wall between God and You. This puts the focus (and responsibility) totally on Jesus for this achievement, one that no mortal could ever accomplish. To assume that one could actually be made righteous by a person’s own merits, clearly illustrates a lack of understanding of the magnitude of the Cross. This positioning creates ‘self-righteousness’ There may be nothing more noxious to God.

The Book of Romans could easily be named ‘the Book of Righteousness’, providing more information on this subject than any other chapter in the Bible. Romans 4:3 refers to Abraham, the Father of our Faith –
“For what does the Scripture say? Abraham believed God and it was accounted to him for righteousness. Now to him who works, the wages are not counted as grace but as debt. But to him who does not work but believes on Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is accounted for righteousness.”

Have you ever exhibited ungodly behavior? Yes ____  No ____ Is it comforting to know that your behavior has already been justified by God through the blood of Jesus?  Yes_____ No _____Does this make you want to sin more? No ______  (of course not)

One cannot be justified by works – God imputes His righteousness ASIDE FROM OUR WORKS in exchange for our sin. This is called Grace – undeserved, unmerited favor which is freely given. We are only made righteous BY FAITH in Jesus and His sacrifice. His resurrection served as ratification for a New Covenant.  This is the only way pleasing to God. Does this soothe the soul (mind, will, emotions) bringing a quietness and a confident trust? (Isaiah 32:17).  That peace you may feel is the result of  Jesus’ righteousness and the acknowledgement, by resting in faith, that He (not you) has paid it all on your behalf.

Copyright 2017  All Rights Reserved Doorways of Grace ministries

Tracy Gatewood
#TheWriterWhomJesusLoves
Twitter: @TracyLGatewood
Facebook: Tracy Gatewood Writer Teacher

RELATED POSTS
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We Are Not Given A Spirit of Fear

04 Sunday Jun 2017

Posted by in Emotions, Fear, Mercy, New Covenant, TracyLGatewood

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[Author’s Note: I have studied physical and emotional healing for 20 years and the Lord continues to deliver new ah-ha’s!  The effects of extreme negative emotions on the body, in particular fear, are undeniable. This article addresses “inherited” generational physical conditions. This will be new information for many of you. ]

II Timothy 1:7 AMP   For God did not give us a spirit of timidity (of cowardice, of craven, cringing and fawning fear), but [ He has given us a spirit ] of power and of love and of calm and well-balanced mind and discipline and self-control. [ The 2nd letter of Paul to Timothy written while Paul was imprisoned in Rome. ]

In preparation of writing this article, I found these public definitions helpful :

Timidity – a lack of courage or confidence.

Fear – a painful emotion or passion excited by an expectation of evil, or the apprehension of impending danger. Fear expresses less apprehension than dread, and dread less than terror and fright. The force of this passion, beginning with the most moderate degree, may be thus expressed;  fear, dread, terror, fright. Fear is accompanied with a desire to avoid or ward off the expected evil. Fear is an uneasiness of mind, upon which the thought of future evil is likely to befall us. Fear is the passion of our nature which excites us to provide for our security, on the approach of evil. [ Definition from the KJV Bible ]

It is interesting that Fear as defined is more related to apprehension or expectation of evil  rather than the actual occurrence.  The damage of Fear occurs more in the build-up to the unknown and in the unexpected  where it blooms, builds, breeds and then bleeds. It is in this breeding that Fear seeps from the mind into the soul and then into the physical body.  Fear is the Red Carpet on which every single negative emotional spirit confidently strides into the realm of a person’s soul. Fear is the devil’s key that turns, unlocks then swings wide open the door into the soul of a person that buys into its effects.

The conditions that stem from fear, anxiety and stress are numerous.   [ The spiritual root cause of stress is fear; a lack of trust, and unbelief. ]  The following are just a few conditions that are medically proven to have a spiritual root cause based in a spirit of  fear:  angina, hypertension, arrhythmia, mitral valve prolapse, all number of cardiovascular issues, coronary artery disease,  strokes  (also related to anger and rage), IBS, Colitis.  < ref.  A More Excellent Way,  Dr. Henry Wright  >   The roots of fear and condemnation are typically at the base of practically every disease.

Emotional damage from specific external circumstances are detrimental to the human body:  the after effects from  abuse, shame, trauma, rejection, and abandonment are the most damaging to the human mind and soul, requiring immediate healing attention before their effects take root and flow through the body. Typically the damage comes from protracted, or consistent occurrences of  these negative emotions ( fear, abuse, shaming, trauma, rejection and abandonment). Exposure to these extreme occurrences must be dealt with through spiritual means;  spirits must be dealt with by The Spirit.

There are numerous references to evil spirits, foul and unclean spirits in scripture. The following are found in the New Testament –

Matthew 10:1 AMP  And Jesus summoned to Him  His twelve disciples and gave them power and authority over unclean spirits, to drive them out, and to cure all kinds of disease and all kinds of weakness and infirmity.
< Example of an unclean spirit today would be an STD  >

 We have authority and dominion over our own bodies, our emotions and our physical well being.

The Jews thought even Jesus was possessed by a demon ( which was a very bad move on their part ) – and recognized spirits and demons as harbingers of disease and mental illness: John 8:48 AMP  The Jews answered Him, Are we not right when we say You are a Samaritan and that You have a demon (that you are under the power of an evil spirit)?

Referring to actions of the Apostles – Acts 5:16 AMP  And the people gathered also from the towns and hamlets around Jerusalem, bringing the sick and those troubled with foul spirits, and they were all cured.

Acts 8:7 AMP  For foul spirits came out of many who were possessed by them, screaming and shouting with a loud voice, and many who were suffering from palsy or were crippled were restored to health.

These same evil, foul and unclean spirits are alive and moving with great intentionality on the earth today. Medical science has now simply given them a sophisticated name. If a person is not delivered from a spirit – that spirit can remain in them throughout life. What happens in the next generation to the child of that parent that comes into the same disease, condition or infirmity ? What we call “inherited”,  typically was simply legal access opened by a spirit of fear or traumatic event, a spirit that should have never gained entrance in the first place.

Scenario:  Your parent goes through a traumatic occurrence; divorce, car accident, extended job loss with no income, etc. There is tremendous fear, trauma and possibly shame and if divorce is involved then rejection. This parent then develops cancer. This parent then develops fibromyalgia or rheumatoid arthritis. This parent then suffers a stroke. Whatever the scenario – from that point forward – in the history of the child, it is assumed that they have an inherited “chip” for the disease that the parent developed due to their bodies response to an extreme emotional circumstance. They are now in fact considered predisposed to a disease, because an emotional spirit gained access causing a disease, infirmity or condition due to an extreme event that was not managed or delivered.

Do you see how important it is when Jesus exhorted us to ‘ Fear Not ‘?  What diseases are in your family line ?   Are you aware of the history leading to the onset of the disease ?

We do not have to live at the mercy of our ancestors emotions or external occurrences that opened doors to disease nor our own emotional wounds that turn into physical conditions.  As Christians we have been gifted with the Great Stabilizer,  the Son of God, Christ Jesus. When we walk in knowledge of Who He is and What He has done – it has an immediate affect on our bodies.

The following are focus points for all who believe –

1) Deep understanding of the authentic, infinite and immutable love of God and that His heart is always turned toward you  2) The Finished Work of Jesus through His sacrifice  3) A thorough knowledge of the New Covenant benefits, those promised to Abraham, Isaac,  and Jacob  in Genesis   4) When walking through seasons of lack, an unbending focus on Jesus who is ALL SUPPLY   5) Recognition of the advocacy and the leading of the Holy Spirit  6)  Understanding a lack of faith will block the flow of the favor of God.

Proverbs 1:32-33
For the backsliding of the simple shall slay them and the
careless ease of the (self-confident) fools shall destroy them

But whoso hearkens to me [ wisdom] shall dwell securely and in
confident trust and shall be quiet, without fear or dread of evil.

#stableandfixed

Tracy Gatewood
Sacred Ramblings
Sharing Link:  We Are Not Given A Spirit of Fear    http://wp.me/p1zoxs-1VW
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Related: Jesus the Bishop of Our Souls        http://wp.me/p1zoxs-vq
Related: Healing and the Armor of God      http://wp.me/p1zoxs-tg

Grace and the Law of First Mention

27 Monday Feb 2017

Posted by in Christianity, Grace, Jesus, Jesus Christ, Jesus, Blood of Jesus, New Covenant, redemption, Law of First Mention, Leadership, New Covenant, Tracy Gatewood Alabama

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heritageofsaints

The Law of First Mention is commonly looked upon by biblical scholars and teachers as the place that the word seen for the first time sets the standard for the remaining references throughout scripture. As we know, the Bible is penned through men by the Holy Spirit and in the unchanging mind of God – a word remains in context from the first time spoken or mentioned. The word Grace can act as both Noun and Verb. The first mention of Grace is found Genesis 6:8 in the story of Noah and his family. Gen.6:8  “But Noah found grace (favor) in the eyes of the Lord“.  (Verb Grace – a verb you may recall is an ACTION word)

GRACE IS A GIFT
Like Abraham, Noah was found by God to be a just and righteous man. Gen.6:9 Noah walked in intimate relationship with God. The Lord gave to Noah explicitly detailed instruction on how to build an ark that would house Noah’s own family and pairs of every animal species – saving them from a destruction designed to wipe out an entire generation for their wickedness. A holy re-set on all of humanity.

The most used definition for Grace is ‘undeserved, unmerited favor‘. It denotes a gift from God, only obtainable by His enduring mercy. Grace cannot be purchased or performed, it is purely an extension of His loving nature. God’s love for us is far reaching and immutable.

Romans 11:6 “ But if it is by grace (His unmerited favor and graciousness) it is no longer conditioned on works or anything men have done. Otherwise grace would no longer be grace [ it would be meaningless]”.

JESUS AS TRUTH AND GRACE  –  JESUS AS TRUTH AND FAVOR
Has God revised His context of Grace since it was ushered in by the Last Adam – Jesus ? Christ Jesus is the actual embodiment of Truth and Grace.  If Romans 11:6 is accurate, where grace is not conditioned on works – Noah’s righteousness (right standing) came through His close relationship with God Himself and God’s own knowledge of Noah’s heart. When given the option to choose, God knew that Noah would be the one to move forward on this critical mission. There was little margin for error on the assignment.

The first mention of grace refers to how God saw Noah – Noah found grace (favor) in the eyes of  God.  Jesus, Abraham, Moses and Noah all found favor with God and each were given world changing assignments. All of these men were seen as righteous and  possessing mature character traits.   If grace is ‘undeserved, unmerited’  (one cannot earn it)  would it be fair to say that to just be nominated for the Assignment we must still have our attention focused on Him, possessing mature character and be in very close relationship? Devotion would be an even  better word. Devotion prioritizing Him. This involves no striving or work – it is simply a completely yielded, love relationship with the Father resulting in continual restful responses of service and obedience out of love and respect for who He is and what He has done. Being in position for the Assignment definitely requires faith –

Hebrews 11:7  [ Prompted] by faith, Noah being forewarned  by God concerning events of which as yet there was no visible sign, took heed and diligently and reverently constructed and prepared an ark for the deliverance for his own family. By this [his faith which relied on God]  he passed judgement and sentence on the world’s unbelief and became an heir and possessor of righteousness (that possession of being right into which god puts the person who has faith).

BEING SEEN WITH FAVOR BY GOD
Jesus as we know lived an irrefutably righteous life – much more so than Noah. When Noah “found favor in the eyes of God” he was not seeking it nor was God’s grace lost until it found Noah. The action of God’s grace was always there and still is. Jesus like Noah was favored by God and given an assignment that required complete focus, determination and rigorous discipline to complete. Jesus like Noah remained in very close communication and relationship with God – the Amplified states Noah walked in ‘habitual fellowship’ with God and we know Jesus did as well.  Jesus like Noah was honored by God with a Covenant (promise, pledge). Noah’s covenant covered him and his family’s safety and a very large zoo’s worth of animals.  God’s Covenant with Jesus served to save all of mankind from eternal damnation by exchanging our own sin for His sinless body and blood, retroactive from the beginning of time to the end of time.  Both assignments changing the course of mankind – one on earth the other for all eternity.

Should we consider Jesus as all Truth and Favor ? To have grace is to have favor and to know Jesus intimately is to have both of these. I could write a number of articles just on rounding out the favor in Jesus.  Interestingly,  Jesus never mentioned the word Grace (Charis in Greek) in His teachings however His actions of grace are abundantly evident throughout His teachings and interactions with people. He modeled grace and illustrated grace repeatedly in His spoken parables (prodigal son, woman at the well, the demoniac). Grace (Noun) was the word used liberally by the Apostle Paul to describe Christ Jesus and as Paul traveled he greeted people with Grace (Action) teaching people the meaning of God’s gospel of grace as embodied in His Son Jesus. Jesus was (and is) Grace and Paul had the responsibility to draw out the meaning of Grace.

His Grace is Active.

Acts 20:32
And now I commend you to God [placing you in His protective, loving care] and [I commend you] to the word of His grace [the counsel and promises of His unmerited favor]. His grace is able to build you up and to give you the [rightful] inheritance among all those who are sanctified [that is, among those who are set apart for God’s purpose—all believers].

Tracy Gatewood
Alabama

Twitter:  @TracyLGatewood
Facebook.com/TracyGatewoodChristianWriterTeacher
Author: Doorways of Grace, available on Amazon
Sharing ShortLink: http://wp.me/p1zoxs-198
Related Post:  The Assignment:  http://wp.me/p1zoxs-4C

The gift of salvation is a Grace gift – as one is drawn by the Holy Spirit to receive Jesus as Savior – there is no work or striving involved. It is simply a decision – an act of will, a surrender. Have you prayed to receive Jesus ?
Eph 2:8 For it is by grace [ God’s remarkable compassion and favor drawing you to Christ] that you have been saved [actually delivered from judgement and given eternal life] through faith. And this [salvation] is not of yourselves [not through your own efforts] but it is the [undeserved, gracious] gift of God.

Eternal Life Gives Eternal Living

04 Sunday Dec 2016

Posted by in Christianity, Healing, Jesus, Jesus Christ, Jesus, Blood of Jesus, New Covenant, redemption, New Covenant, Salvation, Tracy Gatewood

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Jesus
Do you need a bit of Good News today ? If so, I have something for you. If you have accepted Jesus as your Savior, you are already blessed with the experience Christians refer to as Eternal Life. Here is something to consider – you don’t have to wait until you have passed onto Glory to experience this gift, you have a gift card to use and redeem right now – your card was activated by Jesus when you became born again. There is no expiration and no black out dates ! You are now walking in Eternal Living!

John 17:3 AMP Now this is eternal life: that they may know You, the only true [supreme and sovereign] God, and [in the same manner know] Jesus [as the] Christ whom You have sent.

Eternal life is a reference to Eternal salvation. The word Salvation in the Greek is Sozo and is the same word used for Healing. God uses the same spiritual mechanism to save as He does to heal, and that is the acceptance of His Son and everything that Jesus died to give. When experiencing sickness, disease, or infirmity, make a decision to focus on the cross and the body of Christ and the physical aspects of His sacrifice. Thank Jesus for everything that He did on the cross to purchase your healing from ______  illness.  I can tell you from experience that the illness will quickly begin living on borrowed time.

Jesus has paid all sin debt – He was the only one that could. Your authentic acceptance of Jesus as the perfect sacrifice is what saves you from Eternal damnation, scooping you away from the edge of the cliff and placing you back onto firm standing on the rock.

John 3:36 AMP  “He who believes and trusts in the Son and accepts Him [as Savior] has eternal life [that is, already possesses it]; but he who does not believe the Son and chooses to reject Him, [disobeying Him and denying Him as Savior] will not see [eternal] life, but [instead] the wrath of God hangs over him continually.”

 

Tracy Gatewood
Twitter: @TracyLGatewood
Sharing Link: http://wp.me/p1zoxs-16E
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Author: Doorways of Grace: My Uncommon Journey to Healing, Wholeness and Meeting Jesus – available on Amazon.

My Name is Rose

29 Friday Jul 2016

Posted by in #HolySpirit, Emotions, Fear, Grace, Healing, Holy Spirit, Jesus, Jesus, Blood of Jesus, New Covenant, redemption, New Covenant

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Cameobrooch

“Hello my name is Rose”, said the elderly, kind-faced woman as she looked straight into my eyes. For a moment, I could not believe her words. I knew the point she was making, as it was impressed into my spirit. I received it with an emotional mixture of shock and extreme gratitude.

When Rose entered the store where I was working as a greeter that bleak Christmas season – she began to admire my cameo brooch.  “It is very unique – your brooch. A very fine example of a cameo. I collect cameos and I know them well”, she said. “This is a beautiful woman depicted on yours, rare, I have seen few like it”.   “It belonged to my grandmother, and I love it”,  I responded.  “One of my most cherished possessions,”.  “I can see why, ” she stated. As she began to walk away she turned, looking me straight in the eyes and said, “My name is Rose.  What is your name?”  My eyes widened, so startled I could barely speak, “My name is Tracy.  My grandmother’s name was Rose.” She smiled and then turned as she walked up the stairway and onto the selling floor.  I dropped my head so no one could see as a big tear rolled down my face. The times I had heard the name Rose used ever could be counted on one hand – less than 5 fingers even. I knew that she had been sent by God – an angel perhaps but certainly sent as one to deliver encouragement in the guise of my long deceased grandmother. He was letting me know that He was with me, and watching all that was happening in that extremely sad and difficult season of my life.

Pruning is a gardening term that can be used to describe a spiritual season where God trims away the dead leaves and branches that are not bearing fruit. The word ‘pruning’ sounds like a gentle snip, snip depicting a peaceful, singing gardener carefully pulling down a branch in a beautifully manicured English garden. As he trims,  it is only the old, really dead leaves and branches that are cut away. Nothing green is considered. Yet in reality, the pruning experience can resemble more like napalm where just a tilted tree stalk remains, standing practically naked bearing only twiggy branches and a few scant leaves. This had been my season as a bud-less sprig, unknowingly ripe for the shears.  😦

John 15:2    Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit, He takes away; and every branch that continues to bear fruit, He [repeatedly] prunes, so that it will bear more fruit [even richer and finer fruit]. 

Isaiah 18:5    For before the harvest, when the blossom is over And the flower becomes a ripening grape, He will cut off the sprigs [without buds] with pruning knives, And [He will] remove and cut away the spreading branches.

A real pruning by a loving Father can only be considered good when seen from a rear view mirror advantage and at times even viewed only back through a multi-year lens. It is from this vantage point that I can provide a scope of work that begins to plumb the depths of any comprehension of  God’s goodness and His grace.  His unending, and infinite love – a love so deep and immutable,  that He would even see fit to tweak, this little speck of light down here on earth.

Below is an albeit incomplete collection of highlights on lessons learned through the cutting away –

Regarding the Godhead

God is all love. His love for each of us is so wide and deep. We can only truly understand this depth when we have lost everything (and perhaps everyone) then we can see that He is all we need.

Jesus the Son is the sole representation of our righteousness – not our works, striving or performance. When Jesus is acknowledged as the true source and supply – the benefits of the Covenant for which He died transpire supernaturally and with little human effort.

Jesus is all Truth and all Grace. Grace is a gift given by God to us – we do not earn grace. We are given grace because we are the righteousness of God by our faith in His son.

The Holy Spirit is our best friend and is an essential relationship to cultivate. He is the administrator and coordinator of the benefits of the Covenant. We more commonly know Him as the Comforter, Advocate, Teacher,  Healer.

The sacrifice of Jesus signaled  His finished work on earth. With this act began the Dispensation of Grace (the Church Age) which will end in the great taking away of the believers. He has paid for all sin from the beginning of time to the end of time – it was taken on His body for us. As Jesus’ dropped His head, declaring ‘It is Finished’ He dismissed His own spirit – told His spirit it was OK to leave Him. His life was not taken from Him. He left this earth of His own accord, and in His own natural timing.

Regarding Life

 Chance and Opportunity flow through Him and in His divine timing and the correct season. It is our responsibility to rest in Christ and allow His timing to unfold and His intersections of chance come to pass.

We are deemed righteous by God through Faith …. only. As we move forward in our faith, God moves forward to bring our desires (His desires ) to fruition.

Rejection, which can appear as a lack of opportunity,  is more often a redirection toward a promotion rather than a curse.

We as believers have dominion over evil and must take authority over circumstances through the name of Jesus and the blood of Jesus. We can ‘place a demand’  by prayer or through speaking on the New Covenant and what has been paid for through Jesus’ sacrifice.

Fear is a spirit and is as deadly as a fast growing cancer. Fear acts as a gateway for all of the dangerous emotional spirits to enter into a person’s soul.  Fear must be stopped in its tracks and bound up as quickly as it is discerned. Trauma, abuse, abandonment/ rejection, and shame are the most damaging emotions and all tie back to a fear root. These cannot be ignored and should be dealt with through emotional healing prayer.

Many of these points were discussed in depth in my book of testimony, Doorways of Grace.  If you are in a season of pruning, stay in the word and in prayer as God shapes a new and better you – mirrored more in the likeness and the understanding of His Son.

In Defense of Healing

15 Monday Feb 2016

Posted by in #HolySpirit, #Proverbs, Blood of Jesus, Christianity, Emotions, Fear, Gospel of Grace, Grace, Healing, Jesus, New Covenant, redemption, Sin, Tracy Gatewood, TracyLGatewood

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Romans: 8:32 AMP He who did not withhold or spare (even) His own Son but gave Him up for us all, will He not also with Him freely and graciously give us all (other ) things?

The theology of grace teaches we can walk healed and free because of the sacrifice of Jesus – as we contend through prayer to maintain the healing for which He has already purchased.  Recently I read a blog post on Prosperity Gospel written by a Texas seminary student that theorized  that the Atonement of Jesus’ sacrifice as detailed in Isaiah 53:5 referred to sin only and that His Stripes were not taken for the healing of Diseases. I vigorously disagree.

Matthew 8:17 AMP When evening came, they brought to Him many who were under the power of demons; and He cast out the evil spirits with a word, and restored to health all who were sick [exhibiting His authority as Messiah], 17 so that He fulfilled what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah: “HE HIMSELF TOOK OUR INFIRMITIES [upon Himself] AND CARRIED AWAY OUR DISEASES.”

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In Christ

 Isaiah 53:5 AMP 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. Vs 6 all we like Sheep have gone astray, we have turned everyone to His own way; and the Lord has made to light upon Him the guilt and iniquity of us all.

1 Peter 2:24 AMP He personally bore our sins in His (own) body on the tree (as on an altar and offered Himself on it), that we might die (cease to exist) to sin and live to righteousness. By His wounds, you have been healed. For you were going astray like (so many) sheep, but now you have come back to the Shepherd and Guardian (the Bishop) of your souls.

Every person on earth is made up of three components: Body, Soul and Spirit (the spirit is activated when a person accepts Jesus and the Holy Spirit is imparted). The Soul is comprised of the Mind, Will and the Emotions. Jesus is now the Bishop, or Overseer, of every soul given to Him by God. God has given as a gift to Jesus every person that believes in Him. John 17: 24

The Great News – Our Sins for His Righteousness

It is Christ that imputes His righteousness to us Romans 8:10 AMP – Christ’s righteousness cannot be earned but through His sacrifice on the Cross, this righteousness has been given to us in exchange for our sin. It is not that we now live to strive for righteousness, for of course if we could be righteous enough, Jesus would not have had to become our sacrifice. He became a propitiation for our sins – our substitute by assuming our obligation to maintain a sin free life because we cannot, thereby He alone reconciled us to God.  1 John 4:10

It is through recognizing that He paid for our righteousness and that we now look to Him for our transformation into His likeness. I cannot but He can…. Not only that – because our sin was redeemed (bought back) by Jesus, God remembers our sins No More. From the beginning of our life to the end of our life, Jesus’ blood constantly cleanses us from our own sin. We are no longer under condemnation – we have been saved once and for all by a once and for all sacrifice. Oh what a Savior!

But what about habitual sin  1 John 3:9 AMP points out, No one who abides in Him engages in the habitual practice of sin. The key here is the word Abide – like Abiding in the Vine. This does not mean that a person that is sinning habitually is not saved (although it is entirely possible) – it means they are attempting to tackle this sin struggling by their own works or performance – there is no win in their sin. To ABIDE in the grace of our Lord Jesus, recognizing His love and the immutable Love of God despite failings has the capacity to extinguish condemnation and fear while offering the ability to break the cycle of sin. And thankfully –

Where sin increases, Grace increases much more Romans 5:20 AMP
For sin shall no longer be your Master because you are now no longer under Law but under Grace – Romans 6:14 AMP
Furthermore, if we are believers in Jesus, our flesh has now undergone a Spiritual Circumcision:

Colossians 2:11-15 In Him, you were also circumcised with a circumcision not made with hands, but by the [spiritual] circumcision of Christ in the stripping off of the body of the flesh [the sinful carnal nature], 12 having been buried with Him in baptism and raised with Him [to a new life] through [your] faith in the working of God, [as displayed] when He raised Christ from the dead. 13 When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your flesh (worldliness, manner of life), God made you alive together with Christ, having [freely] forgiven us all our sins, 14 having canceled out the [g]certificate of debt consisting of [h]legal demands [which were in force] against us and which were hostile to us. And this certificate He has set aside and completely removed by nailing it to the cross. [My note: Debt certificate is a reference to the over 600 Jewish Laws.]

So this verse tells us that we no longer live helplessly under the oppressive nature of sin but we have been permanently disconnected from that nature by a spiritual cutting away of our flesh – as we are now “In Christ”.

 THE PRESIDING BISHOP OF YOUR SOUL

For 18 years I have studied physical and emotional healing and with that have personally experienced a season of of divine healings; two were structural, and one was from an illness. I have witnessed healing miracles of others and attended numerous healing conferences. Like some people love to attend college football games, I love a good healing conference (and, I too, am a college football junkie). My remaining remarks on the subject of healing have come through my own personal journey as well as watching circumstances of others at close range. I will not comment or theorize why some people become ill, or even die, unless I have personally observed their situations. Even then I may not have an answer but this I know to be true: there is a direct and undeniable correlation between disease, and our emotions. How we walk through extremely difficult and especially traumatic situations has a profound impact on our health and opening the door to disease.

It is almost without exception that I meet a person struggling with disease or a condition that does not have a spiritual root cause of their disease based on one of the following: Fear, Condemnation, Shame, Anger / Rage, Bitterness, and Unforgiveness or have gone through a protracted experience of Trauma, Rejection / Abandonment, or Emotional or Physical Abuse.  Cancer is one very difficult disease to track but, many people battling Cancer have previously walked through a season of trauma, or protracted period of intense Fear (can be Stress but all Stress is based in Fear). So how does Fear cause cancer?  One way is by giving access to a powerful spirit that wreaks havoc from within the mind, impacting the body, down to its cellular level. You can believe Fear also causes heart conditions and heart attacks. You can also believe that Fear is the spiritual root cause of  forms of mental illness – people in extreme poverty live in constant Fear for their survival risking their minds being exposed to schizophrenia, bi-polarity, paranoia.

Jesus is the Overseer of our Souls and the soul is the seat of our emotions. When we maintain our focus and trust on Jesus as our Overseer allowing Him to maintain a reign over (or rein on) our soul, our minds are at rest and we experience peace, and that peace permeates throughout our body. We are trusting God through our valleys and a bi-product of that is health and wholeness. We focus on Jesus and remain in Him. Your Faith is the Positive Response and Acceptance of What God Has Already Provided by His Grace.

So if the work of Jesus is finished, why is understanding emotions important? When one can identify the offending emotion, and underlying cause of the illness, they can release the cause of the emotion to Jesus, resting in what He has done for them by Covenant as enough to guarantee their health, finances, protection and safety.  Petition, Pray, Rest, Focus – again – Petition, Pray, Rest, Focus

“Bless the Lord, O’ My soul and forget not all His benefits; He forgives our iniquities, He heals our diseases, He redeems our lives from the Pit and Crowns us with Love and Compassion and satisfies our desires with good things and renews our youth as the eagles”  Psalm 103

There is a very important reason, imperative to understand in fact, why God admonishes us to guard our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. A person impacted by deep emotional stress-ors for a protracted period can and must pray over their own mind and body, binding up their own emotions. Destructive emotions can be controlled and must leave because of the name of Jesus and must submit to the blood of Jesus.

1John1:2 NKJV  Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers.

I rest my case.

#healing   #emotionalhealing   #physicalhealing  #trauma   #fear    #faith

Tracy  Gatewood

Twitter: @TracyLGatewood
Website:  http://www.tracygatewood.com

 

 

The Heritage of the Saints

01 Sunday Nov 2015

Posted by in Armor of God, Blood of Jesus, Christianity, Gospel of Grace, Grace, Holy Spirit, Jesus, Jesus Christ, New Covenant

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When you become a Christian a birthright is inherited that is gifted to you by the grace (unearned, unmerited favor) of God. The totality of the inheritance of this birthright is so enormous, one cannot navigate its many benefits and Godly bequests. To be bequeathed this heritage through a risen Savior is a gift like none other that can ever be given – it brings with it re-birth and regeneration, a new beginning, and an impartation of God’s own Spirit. There is no price or finite value that can be placed on this privilege that the Creator of the Universe releases for an individual. Though no thing adequate, the only response must be one of perpetual thanks and praise for the goodness and mercy of the Father.

Psalm 33:12 AMP   Blessed (happy, fortunate, to be envied) is the nation whose God is the Lord, the people He has chosen as His heritage.

As Christians we are consecrated, holy and a set apart people; Citizen Ambassadors of Heaven – our churches acting as earthly Embassies and places of light for a dark world in need of comfort, hope and purpose. We are granted access to the Kingdom of God and its privileges, its legal systems that function supernaturally and separately than the world’s systems. In exchange we are asked to be “living memorials” to His faithfulness and promises.

In these times of unspeakable atrocities, we watch organizations violently come against this grace given to us by our Creator (and theirs) – all the while we hold the promise of the Heritage of the Saints, and in the end, will stand as the most protected.

Psalm 94:14 AMP  For the Lord will not cast off nor spurn His people neither will He abandon His heritage.

In a message dated 1904, Charles Haddon Spurgeon stated: “There has never been a time when a weapon has not been forged against the church of Christ. Yea, even at the present moment, as I stand here, and with the eye of fancy survey our world, I see a fire blazing — fierce is the flame and high its pile of fuel. I see a monarch forging a weapon; a crowned tyrant longs to bring forth chains of iron for the liberties of Europe, and smaller despots long to destroy the germ of all true liberty, the glorious gospel of the blessed God. I see the armies ready against the Lord of hosts, ready to do battle against the servants of God. Still here is the sweet comfort; they may forge the weapon; they may fashion the sword; they may shut the prison door; they may confine the prisoners, they may make their instruments of torture; but they can not prosper; for God hath said it: He “breaketh the bow; and cutteth the spear in sunder; he burneth the chariot in the fire.” “No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper. He will not let it do so.”

It is our responsibility to hold fast to the confession and profession of our faith without wavering as our heritage includes a High Priest – a holy Advocate – that has been installed into this office by His own blood. This heritage includes a blueprint, the Word of God, that has its own divine power when claimed as truth for an uncompromising hope and future despite what swirls about. Jesus is the High Priest of our Confession and when we confess aloud with our mouth what we have and who He is,  He is faithful to act upon it but we must speak. It is for us to lay hold of this heritage tightly, not with limp-wristed hands but with strong hands confident in the goodness of the heritage of our God. This same heritage in which we were grafted claims of a Red Sea that parted and then flowed back killing Pharaoh’s army, a plan to kill all Jews foiled by a young Jewish Queen, a victorious army of only 300 led by the least of his tribe, a bleeding woman of 12 years healed in an instant by faith,  a freed man that was possessed by a legion of demons.

I submit that the very future of our country and our world depends upon our stand for the Gospel of Jesus Christ, that from Him was borne liberty from which this very nation was birthed. With each assault on this Gospel message that is inextricably tied to the foundations of this place we so love and embrace, we watch as the life blood of the free world drips drips, drips from these wounds. Although we will never lose our heritage as Saints in God’s Kingdom, we appear to be losing the battle for our Promised Land that was so hard fought by our #FoundingFathers who always put its future and God first.

No people can be bound to acknowledge and adore the invisible hand which conducts the Affairs of men more than the People of the United States. Every step, by which they have advanced to the character of an independent nation seems to have been distinguished by some token of providential agency.
– George Washington, First Inaugural Address, April 30, 1789

Here is my Creed. I believe in one God, the Creator of the Universe. That He governs it by His Providence. That He ought to be worshiped. That the most acceptable service we render to Him is in doing good to His other Children. That the soul of Man is immortal, and will be treated with Justice in another Life respecting its conduct in this. These I take to be the fundamental points in all sound Religion, and I regard them as you do in whatever Sect I meet with them. As to Jesus of Nazareth, my Opinion of whom you particularly desire, I think the System of Morals and His Religion, as He left them to us, is the best the World ever saw, or is likely to see.
– Benjamin Franklin, letter to Ezra Stiles, March 9, 1790

We must remain intentionally cognizant daily of the heritage we have been given by God, and who we are as if the very future of the whole world depends upon our remembrance.

No weapon that is formed against you will succeed; And every tongue that rises against you in judgment you will condemn. This [peace, righteousness, security, and triumph over opposition] is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, And this is their vindication from Me,” says the Lord.


The Heritage of the Saints
Tracy Gatewood
Doorways of Grace
#hope  #KingdomofGod  #HighPriest  #Jesus  #ReligiousFreedom
#stableandfixed  #America   #FoundingFathers

Twitter:  @TracyLGatewood
Sharing Link: The Heritage of the Saints  http://wp.me/p1zoxs-vT
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Author:       Doorways of Grace –
My Uncommon Journey to Healing, Wholeness and Meeting Jesus

More Sacred Ramblings:
The Bishop of Our Soul    http://wp.me/p1zoxs-vq
Jesus the Constant             http://wp.me/p1zoxs-uI

The Tabernacle – a Place of Protection

28 Monday Sep 2015

Posted by in Christianity, Feast of Tabernacles, Jesus, Jesus Christ, Jew, Jewish, New Covenant, Tracy Gatewood

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I have lived all of my adult life not realizing that my birthday always fell within a time of great celebration and rejoicing! It always occurs within the 8 days of the Feast of Tabernacles.

September 28 marked the first day of Sukkot more commonly referred to as the Feast of Tabernacles (or Booths) The word Sukkot is the plural of the word Sukkah which means Tent (Hebrew). This feast traditionally ushers in the ingathering harvest at the end of the agricultural season as well as commemorated the Israelite’s and how they lived in the wilderness in booths or tents for 40 years. (Exodus 34:22). This is an 8 day celebration feast bearing witness to the goodness of God, and the will of God (Leviticus 23:42-43). This season always falls on the Jewish Sacred calendar in the 7th month of the year and in 2015 will run through October 5. Jesus was born during the Feast of Tabernacles. There are two recognized Jewish calendars: Sacred and Civil.

The September Feasts are the Lord’s fall feast days; Trumpets (Rosh Hashanah), Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur) and Tabernacles. The bible documents Jesus observing the Feast of Tabernacles during His ministry in John 7:1-52. The Feast of Tabernacles is observed as a season of great celebration and joy because God Himself protected the Israelite’s as they wandered in the wilderness. In addition to the celebration of Tabernacles, September 24, 2015 marked the beginning of a new seven year cycle and and the end of the Shmita, or Sabbatical or Sabbath year. Also beginning on Sept 24, Israel embarked into a Jubilee year recognized every 50 years. Please see more information here:
http://www.oasischristianchurch.org/jubilee/jubilee_calendar.pdf

Tabernacle is defined as both Noun and Verb: the latter, “to take up residence; especially: to inhabit a physical body”, and as Noun: “a place of worship, a tent used as a place of worship by the ancient Israelite’s during their wanderings in the wilderness with Moses “. We can take this beautiful word TABERNACLE and know that we can commune with the Godhead because, if one has accepted Jesus as Lord, the Holy Spirit of God has taken up residence within us. Technically, we are constantly “tabernacle-ing” with Christ because He lives within us as the Spirit.

A Psalm of King David – Psalm 15 AMP:
“Lord, who shall dwell (temporarily) in Your tabernacle? Who shall dwell (permanently) on Your holy hill? He who walks and lives uprightly and blamelessly, who works rightness and justice and speaks and thinks the truth in his heart, He does not slander with his tongue, nor does evil to his friend, nor takes up a reproach against his neighbor: In whose eyes a vile person is despised, but he who honors those who fear the Lord (revere and worship Him): who swears to his own hurt and does not change; (He who) does not put out his money for interest (to one of his own people) and who will not take a bribe against the innocent. He who does these things shall never be moved.”

The Book of Exodus introduces us to the concept of the Tabernacle. Moses was commissioned to establish by explicit instruction from God how to construct the original Tabernacle that would house the Ark of the Covenant. The Tabernacle of God protected the Israelite’s by showing the way through the wilderness with Fire by Night and Cloud (Shekinah Glory of God)  by Day. “And Moses was not able to enter the Tent of Meeting because the cloud remained upon it, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle. In all their journeys, whenever the cloud was taken up from over the tabernacle, the Israelite’s went onward; But if the cloud was not taken up, they did not journey on till the day that it was taken up. For throughout all their journeys the cloud of the Lord was upon the tabernacle by day, and fire was in it by night, in the sight of all the house of Israel.” Exodus 40: 35-38

The Old Testament Tabernacle built by the hands of man as described in Exodus was merely a type and shadow of the better things that have now been given to us by God through Jesus and the New Covenant.

Hebrews 9:11
“But (that appointed time came) when Christ ( the Messiah) appeared as the High Priest of the better things that have come and are to come. (Then) through the greater and more perfect Tabernacle not made with (human) hands that is, not a part of this material creation, He went once for all into the (Holy of) Holies of (heaven) not by virtue of the blood of goats and calves (by which to make reconciliation between God and man), but His own blood, having found and secured a complete redemption (an everlasting release for us). For if the mere sprinkling of unholy and defiled persons with blood of goats and bulls and with the ashes of a burnt heifer is sufficient for the purification of the body, How much more surely shall the blood of Christ, Who by virtue of (His) eternal Spirit (His own pre-existent divine personality) has offered Himself as an unblemished sacrifice to God, purify our consciences from dead works and lifeless observances to serve the (ever) living God?

When we inhabit our Secret Place to dwell with and Tabernacle with the Godhead, it puts into motion a list of things on our behalf by God as stated in Psalm 91: makes us stable and fixed under His shadow, makes Him our refuge and fortress, He delivers us from the snare of the fowler and deadly pestilence, also from destruction and sudden death. A thousand may fall but none shall come near you. No evil will befall, nor any plague or calamity come near your tent. He will give His angels especial charge in all your ways of obedience and service. You will be enabled to trample on snakes and scorpions ( demons). You will be inaccessible in the Secret Place – tabernacle-ing with the Most High, because you have made the Lord your refuge and your dwelling place. Glory! What more could you ask for during these end times. Supreme protection lies in the secret place. Remain close to God and read your bible – read, know and allow the word of God to be established in your heart and mind.

You yourself are now the Tabernacle of God having been cleansed and purified by the blood of Jesus once and for all to house His eternal Spirit.

Hebrews 10:14
“For by a single offering He has forever completely cleansed and perfected those who are consecrated and made holy.”

Twitter: @TracyLGatewood
Website: http://www.tracygatewood.com
Sharing link:  http://wp.me/p1zoxs-uW

Jesus The Constant

22 Tuesday Sep 2015

Posted by in Blood of Jesus, Christianity, Emotions, Fear, Gospel of Grace, Grace, Healing, Holy Spirit, Jesus, Jesus Christ, Jesus, Blood of Jesus, New Covenant, redemption, New Covenant, redemption, Sin, Tracy Gatewood

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Proverbs 15:4 AMP  “The Lord has made everything (to accommodate itself and contribute) to its own end and His own purpose – even the wicked (are fitted for their role) for the day of calamity and evil.”

In these apparent end of time days, it does provide comfort to understand that God has His hand on all things. When Judas betrayed Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane, this set the stage for the final days culminating by setting into motion the redemptive agreement that was struck before the beginning of the Earth. God does have a Plan and He uses the good and the evil to bring about His own purposes. As undeniably wrong as it was for Judas to betray the Son of God over a few pieces of silver (or over anything), had Judas walked away from the high priests remaining with Jesus, the Plan of God and the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus to redeem all of mankind from the sin that separates would have at the very least been postponed. These acts of betrayal and sacrifice had to occur and did so in their correct time and season.

Proverbs 16:33 AMP ” The lot is cast into the lap, but the decision is wholly of the Lord (even the events that seem accidental are really ordered by Him)”.

In these days of common unrest, rebellion and lawlessness where the entire world is boiling over and at breaking point, I must conclude that this is the way of the season and part of the Plan. And if that is so in this great unrest, I am even more glad that I know Jesus who is The Constant in this story, being with us from the beginning – even before people inhabited the Earth. He draws us to Himself as the Great Shepherd, knowing that His sheep hear His voice finding profound comfort, peace, safety and stability in and through Him. Those who know Him, The Constant, also understand Him as the great High Priest. He rose from the dead as High Priest. Interestingly, His grave clothes were linen – as were also the garments of the Levitical high priests of His day – as if those who buried Him in the tomb foreknew His Destiny.

Hebrews 6:5-6 AMP “So too Christ (the Messiah) did not exalt Himself to be made a high priest, but was appointed and exalted by Him Who said to Him, You are My Son: today I have begotten You. As He says also in another place, You are a Priest (appointed) forever after the order (with the rank) of Melchizedek.

Hebrews 4:16 – 15 AMP “Inasmuch then as we have a great High Priest who has (already) ascended and passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession (of faith in Him). For we do not have a High Priest Who is unable to understand and sympathize and have a shared feeling with our weaknesses and infirmities and liability to the assaults of temptation, but Who has been tempted in every respect as we are yet without sinning.”

But now in these days when God is using both good and evil to accomplish His purposes, we must be strong and not despair through the journey, understanding that He will bring all things together for good that know and love Him. As stated by the Apostle Paul: Romans 8:28 AMP We are assured and know that ( God being a Partner in their labor) all things work together and are (fitting into a Plan) for good to and for those who love God and are called according to (His design) and purpose.

The players in the Plan, both good and evil, have been set.  We must remember that we are the Citizens of Heaven, representatives of the Kingdom of God and worldwide Ambassadors in His Embassy, the Church.  This is not our home – our home is with Him.

#HOPE   #GRACE   #LOVE

Tracy Gatewood
Twitter: @TracyLGatewood
Website: http://www.tracygatewood.com
Author: Doorways of Grace
Amazon Author bio: http://www.amazon.com/Tracy-Gatewood/e/B00Y8Q4UT4

 

 

 

Healing and the Armor of God prayer

07 Sunday Jun 2015

Posted by in Armor of God, Blood of Jesus, Bride of Christ, Christianity, Emotions, Fear, Gospel of Grace, Grace, Healing, Healing and the Armor of God, Holy Spirit, Jesus, Jesus Christ, Leadership, New Covenant, redemption, Tracy Gatewood

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Few of us live with the reality that there is a spirit realm that has an ability to impact our minds through thoughts, ideas and suggestions. All thoughts, good and bad, right and wrong are not all completely generated from within our minds. Because our flesh has actually been circumcised – cut away, made separate from us [ Colossians 2:11]  we can, through the power of the Holy Spirit and because of Christ’s sacrifice take dominion and authority over our flesh and this disruptive spirit realm.

The Apostle Paul instructed the Church at Ephesus to put on the complete Armor of God as a primary source of resistance in combat against “spirit forces of wickedness in the heavenly (supernatural) spheres” v6:12 AMP. “ Therefore put on God’s complete armor, that you may be able to stand your ground on the evil day (of danger) and having done all ( the crisis demands), to stand ( firmly in place). v6:13 AMP  Notice the Apostle Paul says here to stand, so we must be able to do it. We must stand rooted from a position of victory, not pleading from a defeated stance. Our victory has already been won by Jesus.

A little known truth is that most disease begins from within the mind and travels through the body wrecking health – either through emotional spirits (ie fear, bitterness, condemnation, anxiety, trauma, shame, abuse)  or generational spirits that repeat patterns of disease from prior generations. Through prayer, we can take authority over spirits of disease and infirmity and the Spirit of God will move forward to do His work [ Matthew 12:28 ]. Like prayer, the partaking of the Lord’s Supper should become a daily part of times of devotion; properly discerning the Body and expressing gratitude and appreciation to Jesus for the lashes that He took, to purchase health and healing. The blood spilled from His head by the crown of thorns purchased healing, and restoration for our minds to enable rest. Prayer and the Lord’s Supper are readily available and much easier than driving to a pharmacy.

Fear is enemy #1. The spirit of fear is the red carpet on which the enemy makes a grand entrance to walk out onto the stage of a person’s mind. Fear is like heavenly oxygen to the enemy, an atmosphere in which he thrives. Both fear and condemnation open portals from hell, allowing the raw sewage of paranoia, bitterness, anger, malice, mistrust, confusion and even lust, and addictions to pour forth into a person.  It is for these reasons, Jesus commands us not to fear. If we remain free of fear, the enemy has nothing on which to grab hold to move us into poor decisions, and life altering reactions, or to damage our emotional or physical health.

The following is Ephesians 6:14 -18 from the Amplified version which highlights the key components of armor as described by Paul:

Eph v6:14
Stand therefore, (hold your ground), having tightened the belt of truth around your loins and having put the breastplate of integrity, and of moral rectitude and right standing with God.
The belt of Truth is Jesus who is the Truth and the One who holds the armor together, keeping it securely in place. The breastplate of righteousness guards the heart and chest cavity.  For those who have accepted Jesus as Savior, we are the righteousness of God by faith in Christ Jesus, so therefore in right standing with God. Righteousness is a free gift that cannot be earned, nor can it be lost. Guarding the heart, which is the gateway to the soul (the soul is comprised of the mind, will and emotions), could be second in importance only to the direct protection of the mind.

Eph v6:15
And having shod your feet in preparation (to face the enemy firm-footed stability, the promptness and the readiness produced by the good news) of the Gospel of peace.

Shalom is the Hebrew word for peace. This rich Jewish word also means wholeness, safety, completeness, perfection, prosperity. Strong’s Concordance further states that shalom means rest and the absence of agitation or discord.  Jesus is Shar Shalom, the Prince of Peace and the Prince of Rest. Jesus bequeathed peace to His followers [John 14:7]. We possess it and own it by right as a gift from Him. When you are prepared you can be at peace – in peace there is no fear, and without fear, the enemy has nothing on which to grasp.

For many of us, it takes more than just the knowledge that Jesus gave us peace to actually be peaceful. Enter God’s Holy Spirit to bring a person into rest as the comforter. I love Philipians 4:6-7 AMP Do not fret or have anxiety about anything, but in every circumstance and in everything, by prayer and petition (definite requests), with thanksgiving, continue to make your wants known to God. And God’s peace (shall be yours, that tranquil state of a soul assured of its salvation through Christ, and so fearing nothing from God and being content with its earthly lot of whatever sort is, that peace) which transcends all understanding shall garrison and mount guard over your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.

Eph v6:16
Lift up over all the {covering} shield of saving faith, upon which you can quench all the flaming missiles of the wicked (one).
As previously mentioned, our minds can become mine fields of thoughts, ideas and suggestions that are not our own nor are they from God. It is our responsibility to fix our focus on Jesus, keeping minds focused on things above and not beneath while standing on faith in His finished work. Faith defined in the Amplified is the leaning of the entire human personality on Him in absolute trust and confidence in His power.

Have you ever put out a candle with a wet paper napkin and heard that quick sizzle sound when the candle snuffs? That is a quench. Your faith acts as a shield around your mind, extinguishing harmful effects of negative thoughts, keeping them from penetrating further into your soul. Ask the Holy Spirit to apprehend every spirit that is not from the spirit of God out of your mind. This works.

Eph v6:17
And take the helmet of salvation and the sword that the Spirit wields, which is the Word of God.
Like Hebrew word Peace (Shalom), the word Salvation (Sozo) has multiple meanings translated from the Greek: healed, made whole, forgiven from sin, saved, deliverance, financial prosperity. It is a beautiful word of hope. We are seated in heavenly places and free in Christ Jesus, holding all hope; a confident expectation of good throughout any  circumstance. When the Holy Spirit revealed to you the truth about Jesus and you asked Him into your heart, that same revealed truth and acceptance of your willingness to be healed can through that same action provides your healing. The word Sozo means salvation and healing. Your mind is made whole, and healed by putting on the helmet of knowledge that Jesus’ death and resurrection was all that is required for your restoration, and that the blood of Jesus will re calibrate your mind and emotions to a state of rest and freedom if it is applied.

The Sword of the spirit is the Word of God and one of the two offensive weapons in the Armor of God prayer.  Reading the word of God provokes a cleansing action over your mind, rinsing away dust, debris and toxic thinking that collects on a daily basis. Reading the Word aloud allows not only you to hear it but you-know-who hears it as well. Significant power is released into the atmosphere when speaking God’s Word aloud. In God’s Word there is Spirit and life! The Word, and the Blood and Name of  Jesus are the most powerful tools of weaponry for a Believer. No foe or circumstance can withstand these three sources of Holy Spirit packed dynamite.

Eph v6:18
Pray at all times (on every occasion and in every season) in the Spirit, with all manner of prayer and entreaty. To that end, keep alert and watch with strong purpose and perseverance, interceding on behalf of all the Saints (God’s consecrated people).
Praying in the Spirit refers to a heavenly language, or a prayer language, that is only revealed to God and unlocks great mysteries in and by the Spirit. We are exhorted by the Apostle Paul to use our prayer language at every opportunity and to intercede for fellow Believers. To intercede means to stand in the gap for a person, nation, or organization. We are to be very intentional with our prayer habits and intercession. We live now under the Eternal Covenant of Grace, leaning with full confidence into Jesus and the blessed assurances that have been purchased for us.

Here are the verses in sequence without my comments:  Ephesians 6:10-18 AMP

10 In conclusion, be strong in the Lord [be empowered through your union with Him]; draw your strength from Him [that strength which His boundless might provides].

11 Put on God’s whole armor [the armor of a heavy-armed soldier which God supplies], that you may be able successfully to stand up against [all] the strategies and the deceits of the devil.

12 For we are not wrestling with flesh and blood [contending only with physical opponents], but against the despotisms, against the powers, against [the master spirits who are] the world rulers of this present darkness, against the spirit forces of wickedness in the heavenly (supernatural) sphere.

13 Therefore put on God’s complete armor, that you may be able to resist and stand your ground on the evil day [of danger], and, having done all [the crisis demands], to stand [firmly in your place].

14 Stand therefore [hold your ground], having tightened the belt of truth around your loins and having put on the breastplate of integrity and of moral rectitude and right standing with God,

15 And having shod your feet in preparation [to face the enemy with the [a]firm-footed stability, the promptness, and the readiness [b]produced by the good news] of the Gospel of peace.

16 Lift up over all the [covering] shield of [c]saving faith, upon which you can quench all the flaming missiles of the wicked [one].

17 And take the helmet of salvation and the sword that the Spirit [d]wields, which is the Word of God.

18 Pray at all times (on every occasion, in every season) in the Spirit, with all [manner of] prayer and entreaty. To that end keep alert and watch with strong purpose and perseverance, interceding in behalf of all the saints (God’s consecrated people).

Tracy Gatewood  Alabama
TWITTER: @TracyLGatewood
FACEBOOK: Tracy Gatewood Christian Writer and Teacher
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