Jesus gave a Roman centurion—a man who had no covenant with God—a higher compliment than He gave to any of God’s covenant people. Jesus told His disciples that He had not seen greater faith in all of Israel than what He saw in this man (Matt. 8:10). What caused this centurion to receive such a compliment from God?  He had evaluated the similarity of authority that He and Jesus carried, and told Jesus to speak the Word only and his servant would be healed.

This soldier’s understanding of how his own word of authority operated in the natural realm gave him perfect understanding of how Jesus’ words operated in the spiritual realm. This centurion had a revelation that words controlled both realms! If that is the case—and Jesus has given us the keys of the kingdom of heaven (Matt. 16:19)—then what we say is the road map to our future. We are our own prophet; we declare our own future.

Can this power be abused? Yes. But it was intended to be used by people with a new, God-filled heart to bring about the desires of that heart.

I was once in the city of Ufa and had been preaching there for probably two weeks. At the end of one of my meetings a grandmother came marching up to the front of the platform. She was frustrated. “Pray for me,” she said bluntly. “I have pain in my legs; I’ve been coming to a lot of these meetings, and I still have pain. Pray for me!”

I smiled at her and said, “Babushka [that is grandmother in Russian], what will happen when I pray for you?”  She kind of shook her head and said, “Well, I don’t know. Whatever God wants.”

“Babushka, the question has already been decided.” I pointed to her neck. “What’s that hanging on your neck?” She lifted it up and said “A crucifix. A cross with Christ on it.” I said, “Do you see that cross behind me? Do you see that cross at the back of the platform? I walked all the way to the very back of the platform and said, “Babushka, do you see this cross? There is no one hanging on it. Do you know why?” Her eyes got real big and she looked at me.

I continued, “Jesus isn’t there anymore because He already paid the price two thousand years ago, and He has risen from the dead showing you that your sins, your sicknesses, and the devil have been defeated. Do you understand that it happened two thousand years ago?”

I walked back to the front of the platform and looked at her. As I got close to her I said, “Babushka, when were you healed?” She looked up at me with big eyes and said, “Two thousand years ago?”  “That’s right,” I replied, “Now do you want me to pray for you?”

Before I could pray a word, she lifted her hands to heaven and began dancing, saying “Oh, oh, I’m healed; two thousand years ago Jesus healed me. You don’t have to pray for me, the pain is gone; I’m healed!!”

Just who is Yahweh, our salvation? Listen to these titles for Yahweh, or Jehovah:

The first name is Jehovah Jireh, translated “the Lord will provide.” So even in man’s desperation and separation because of Satan’s deception, we see that God reveals Himself as the Lord who will provide. In other words, He wants us to remember that He is our source and that He provides a covenant sacrifice that will pay the atonement for our sins. He paints a picture of it for us. We have a hope, a future, and an expectation that God will do something for us.

Next we discover that He is Jehovah Nisi. This name means “the Lord our banner.” Remember this is in the context of those eight hundred pages where we are living under the power of Satan’s deception. And we do not yet have an encounter with the living Jesus, who brings us to the reality of this new life. But during this time when we are without God, He reveals Himself as our salvation, as our banner. He is our victory. Even when sin separated us, God had a plan, and this plan connects us to the victory He desires for our lives.

We also see Him as Jehovah Shalom. Jehovah Shalom means “the Lord is our peace.” This word shalom literally has the essence of nothing broken, everything fixed, everything being repaired. Shalom is total restoration and total peace for all that we need. So again, in those eight hundred pages of God reaching out to us, He reveals Himself as Jehovah Shalom, our peace. This is God extending Himself to humanity saying “I love you.”

Then we see Jehovah Shamah, or “the Lord who is present.” When sin entered in and mankind was banished from the garden (because of Adam and Eve’s original sin), we were also banished from the presence of God. Why? Because sin cannot stand in the presence of a holy God. Here again God reaches out to us and reveals Himself as the God who is among His people, the Lord who is there. As you read these words I want you to connect with the reality of how God has reached out to you. Even though sin created a wall of separation, God still had you on His heart. 

Look at these other titles; it’s fascinating for us to discover this God who so loves us: Jehovah Tsidkenu, “the Lord our righteousness”; Jehovah Rohi, which means “the Lord our shepherd.” In Psalm 23 we discover that He leads us beside the still waters; He causes us to lie down in green pastures because He is our shepherd and He is with us. We know that He is Jehovah Rapha, or God our healer, the one who repairs that which is broken.

It’s exciting to think that when we were still separated from God because of sin, He still had you and me on His mind!

Libraries are full of books that are rarely read after the month of their printing.  But God’s Word carries His very life in it and speaks in a fresh way to every generation. He has given us something to say that we can believe in.

Our attitude toward His written Word really determines how much of Him we will experience in our everyday lives. His written Word is a treasure beyond all the riches of this earth. It is designed by God to take the place of Jesus in His absence. It connects us with His thought process. It never sleeps, nor does it ever change its message.

Laws are designed for good. They are intended to protect us. When an offender breaks the law, we want him in jail. There are laws in every area of creation, both seen and unseen. For example, there are laws that govern nature, such as the law of gravity. We build our science on laws that work. In physics, for instance, there are laws that dictate how electricity works. These laws have always existed. When men understood them, they could harness the power of electricity for good to bless mankind. But if these laws are broken, then what was meant for good can do evil to you. The same heat generated by electricity to cook eggs on your stove, will also cook you if you sit on it—even though you own the stove. The laws that govern electricity are not respecters of persons.

In the same way, the law of faith is a dynamic given for the good of mankind to bring the blessings of heaven to earth. It is the currency of heaven. It is the evidence of things not seen. It is the victory that overcomes the world. It is the answer to all things desired. It is what makes possible the things that look impossible. We can value it for our benefit, or it can easily be used for our destruction. Let us operate in the light of the faith revelation.

What is our future? If we really believed that what we plant today is what we will see tomorrow, then we would start planting what we want to see. What are the seeds that we have to plant? The law of sowing and reaping shows us that good and bad are the result of what we sow.

If we want good in our life, Jesus told us very clearly what the seeds are when He revealed the law of faith. Faith is designed to bring to pass good desires, or what you want. If you are not admiring your life right now, then change the seeds you are sowing!

There are laws that govern God’s “moral universe” just as we recognize the laws that govern the physical universe. Cause and effect is used to defend the creation of earth by God. Is there a cause and effect in the realm of faith where actions can predict results? If we have an unchangeable Christ, can we discover principles of His kingdom that are unchangeable?

In Galatians 6:7 Paul said, “Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap.”  God declared that seedtime and harvest would continue as long as the earth remained (Genesis 8:22).  He sowed the seed of His Son to reap the harvest of billions of sons and daughters. There are two overriding truths here: Seed produces after its own kind. And seed always produces more than the amount of seed sown.

These truths will work in every area of life. At my home I have terrible bushes that try to overpower my property, and they flourish. If these principles work for bad, corruptible seed like those undesirable bushes, just think how well they will work for an incorruptible seed like the words, thoughts, and actions motivated by your relationship with your Lord!

We are seed planters. Everything in my life; my world, my body, my ministry, my job, and my family begins with a seed.

How much do you want out of life? How high do you want to climb? How long do you want to live? How much power will you exercise? What goals do you want to reach?

You could say this: whatever you give yourself to will increase. Whatever you put your focus on will multiply. In your life, whatever you pay attention to will grow, and whatever you ignore will diminish. Seeds give back what you plant, and more.

Do you know the parts of a seed? There are three. First is an outer husk—a hard, permanent shell. Second is the inner meat. And third is the germ or life spark. Science has been able to duplicate the outer shell and the inner meat but not the germ.

It’s important to comprehend how the seed works in order to comprehend how faith works. The outer shell is for protection and permanence.  In the realm of faith, it represents the permanent parameter of truth.  It is the known will of God. Apart from the known will of God there is no Bible faith. This is like the boundary on a basketball court. The game will continue until the ball goes out of bounds and the referee blows the whistle. When the whistle is blown, all play stops. Like the game on the court, Bible faith cannot operate outside the bounds or the known will of God. And His will is revealed in the words, example, and finished redemptive work of Jesus Christ.

The inner matter, or meat, of the seed is what the germ feeds on. You could say that your spiritual life is feeding on the ideas, inspirations, concepts, and wisdom of Scripture that daily nurtures you or builds you up.

The third part of the seed, the germ, has the life force that is the creative power making it all happen. In science we would call this a dynamo, or self-starting and self-sustaining energy. In the spiritual realm, this is the same life that resurrected Jesus in the tomb. It is the new source of life not limited to the earthly realm. When we say yes to God’s plan, our ”yes” acts as a catalyst that sets in motion all the unmerited favor of the Creator for His creation. Our positive expectation mixes with truth and creates the desired result!

This is the eternal question asked by humanity all over the earth and especially in Westernized societies! Satan to this day is utilizing the only tool he has available…deception. He attempts to pervert the word that God has given us. Ephesians 6:11 tells us to be aware of the devil’s schemes. In fact, we are mistaken if we think we must fear the power of the devil! He has no power but that which we give him when we distrust God’s Word.

We are encouraged to take a stand against Satan’s schemes, strategies, deceits, wiles, and tricks. We are not encouraged to take our stand against his power. Satan has only one tool, and that is to pervert God’s truth and convince us not to believe what God has told us in His Word. Essentially the plan of evil has not changed from the first day until now!

God has given us all that pertains to life, and we have the answers (2 Peter 1:3). We have a source that cannot be controlled by other humans, economics, armies, or any powers.

People are excited when they hear the voice of God’s scriptures declaring that all things are theirs to enjoy. It is God telling them to enter the supermarket and fill up their basket as often as they like. They go into the store with joy, but they are dismayed when everything they want is packaged as bags of seeds. It’s not in the form they were looking for! God promises us apples, but He rarely, if ever, gives us orchards or even a single apple tree. He gives us apple seeds.

People want instant gratification. The seeds God gives will produce everything they want in life, but they must plant them. The seeds will produce the image they project. They will grow. They will multiply just like any other seeds. God’s words are self-fulfilling. Jesus’ words are pre-programmed to produce the images of you and your life that He bought and paid for. His words are self-fulfilling in your life.

A tomato seed is pre-programmed to produce tomatoes. It does not matter how much the tomato seed would like to produce potatoes or how long it tries to grow them. It can only produce what it was programmed for.

Whatever seeds from God’s storehouse we plant, we will have the same harvest as God Himself would receive if He planted them!

What is Jesus looking for?  When He returns will He find faith? (Luke 8:18)

Faith is what Jesus is looking for!

If we take scripture at face value, it is clear that faith is God’s expectation of humanity.  An active trust in God’s Word is based on the finished work that Jesus Himself accomplished. When a man with an epileptic son came to Jesus for a miracle, the man asked if Jesus could do anything.  Jesus immediately responded, “Everything is possible for one who believes”(Mark 9:23).

The problem is not with Jesus! He is able. He is willing, and He is ready, but He wants to know if you believe He will do it.

“For in Christ, neither our most conscientious religion nor disregard of religion amounts to anything. What matters is something far more interior: faith expressed in love” (Galatians 5:6, Message).

This faith works within the framework of love. Love is the foundation. GOD’S LOVE provides the motive for our confident belief. We trust God because we know He is a loving God.

Love was here long before contracts and covenants. Love is a selfless willingness to do good and right for all. The impossible can spring from this foundation!