Freedom From Bondage Is Your Choice!

Dr. Betty R. Price

Many Christians wait on the Lord to drop the answer to their prayers out of the sky, and when it doesn't happen, they say God has forgotten them. But that is not the case. For the truth about God's love for us, we have to look at our choices.

God gave us free will. It is our choice to follow God's commandments, and when we do, we prosper and live under God's protection. Proverbs 10:22 tells us that, The blessings of the Lord makes one rich, and He adds no sorrow with it. On the other hand, it is our own choice to follow Satan, who tempts us with evil, then rewards us by killing, stealing and destroying us.

How do we choose to follow the commandments of the Lord? We must first accept Christ as Savior and Lord. Then, we are Christians. That is when the spirit man in us becomes a new creature. Second Corinthians 5:17 tells us:

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.

Even though our spirit man has become a new creature in Christ Jesus, it is only the correct choices of our soul that keep us from sinning and displeasing God. When Paul speaks of all things having become new, he is talking about the spirit man, not the natural man or the physical body. This lets us that we have to allow the spirit of God and the Word of God to rule our bodies because our bodies are not redeemed and cannot be trusted.

The flesh is ruled by the soul-our intellect, our mind. The flesh will do anything we allow it to do because it has not been changed. There can be outward changes in physical habits when we accept Christ as Lord-people do stop drinking, cursing, smoking, chasing women or men, and lying-but only the inner man takes on the nature of Christ by being born again.

The true man is the spirit man, the one who takes on Christ's nature when we accept Jesus as Savior and Lord. We have to use our free will to accept Him and have the righteousness of Christ operate in our lives.

The soul man is our mind, will, emotions and intellect. Satan tries to tempt us by suggesting to our mind to yield to our carnal man, which has not been changed. Our soul man stands between our spirit man and our carnal man, and whichever man is stronger that is the one we yield to. That is why the Word tells us in Romans 12:2 to renew our minds with the Word of God, then we will yield to the spirit and not to the flesh.

Renewing our minds come by hearing the Word of God, practicing the Word of God, memorizing the Word of God and speaking the Word of God. Understanding the makeup of man may better help us understand the part man's will plays in freeing him from Satan's bondage.

The physical man is made up of our senses-seeing, hearing, touching, tasting and smelling. Our goal must be to have the physical man come in line with the spirit man, which means we have to submit our ways to the ways of God. The soul makes the choices and tells the body what to do-rightly or wrongly. That is why we must constantly renew our minds so that the soul makes the right choices, being able to say, "No, I will not steal, kill, fornicate, commit adultery. My body is the temple of the living God. I cannot sleep with that woman's husband. I will not load my plate with that pie because my body does not need it. Sexual intimacy must wait for marriage."

The body only comes in line with the Word of God when the soul has been trained to obey the teachings of Christ through the spirit man.

So what must we do to bring ourselves in line with God's Word? We must recognize that Satan constantly brings temptation, because he is waging war to keep us in bondage. To break that bondage, we have to see ourselves as God sees us according to His Word. God sees us as the righteousness of Christ. He views us as more than conquerors. That means that through Him we have conquered disease, poverty, fear, strife and all the evil that Satan tries to bring against us.

Once we see ourselves according to God's Word, Satan can no longer whip us, or defeat us. But even when we are speaking the Word, we have to keep our eyes on the flesh. Paul had to discipline his body, and he was always speaking God's Word. He writes in 1 Corinthians 9:27:

"But I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified."

Discipline takes time and effort. It is an every-hour, every-minute, every-second job to ward off the temptations of the evil one. However, the great rewards of doing so is truly freedom unspeakable and full of glory!

Dr. Betty R. Price plays a vital role in her husband Dr. Frederick K.C. Price's ministry, as well as in the operation of the Crenshaw Christian Center as well as the Fellowship of Inner-City Word of Faith Ministries. She and Dr. Fred Price travel extensively all over the world, ministering the uncompromising Word of God. Dr. Betty also shares her personal testimony, along with the Word, with women’s groups and organizations. Her love and concern for others have led to the establishment of numerous programs and groups. Click here to read more about her.

The Need to Control

1 Samuel 13:13 - "You acted foolishly," Samuel said....

The prophet Samuel had anointed Saul the first king of Israel. Saul was now 30 years old and was leading the nation in battle against the Philistines. The Philistines had gathered at Micmash to come against Saul and his army. The Lord was directing Saul through the prophet Samuel. Samuel instructed Saul to go ahead of him to Micmash, and he would follow in seven days. He would then offer a burnt offering on behalf of the people of Israel.

The pressure began to build as the Philistines gathered around Micmash preparing for battle. The people of Israel grew fearful and began to scatter throughout the countryside. Saul was also afraid. Samuel did not show up on the morning of the seventh day. Finally, Saul, fearing the impending attack, took it upon himself to offer the burnt offering. After he had done this, Samuel showed up.

..."You have not kept the command the Lord your God gave you; if you hhad, He would have established your kingdom over Israel for all time. But now your kingdom will not endure; the Lord has sought out a man after His own heart and appointed him leader of His people, because you have not kept the Lord's command" (1 Samuel 13:13-14).

Saul believed he needed to take control of the situation. Whenever we try to take control of a situation out of God's will, we demonstrate that we are led by fear. Many a boss is so driven by fear that he attempts to manage by overcontrolling his people. This results in codependent relationships in which the employees are fearful of making the wrong decisions, and are driven to please the manager at all costs. This results in loss of respect for the manager. Many times the employees make poor choices just to please their manager; as a result, resentment begins to build among the employees due to the manager's overcontrol.

Do you see any signs of overcontrol in how you relate to others? Can you allow others the freedom to fail? Do you find yourself changing directions in midstream when you see something you don't like? Are you fearful of failure? These are all symptoms of a Saul-control spirit. Pray that God will allow you to walk in the freedom of trusting in Him and those around you.

Character: Take It Seriously

John Maxwell

Leviticus 10:1-12:8

God takes seriously the issue of character: We see His concern repeatedly in Leviticus, from the sin of Aaron's sons - to His detailed instructions about clean and unclean food - to the purification of a woman after childbirth.

While today we recognize some obvious medical and biological reasons for His precise directions, we can assume God intended through these texts to teach His leaders and His people an important lesson: Put "being" before "doing." Get yourself right before you work on anything else.

Far too often we jump to mechanics, methods, and techniques. We put style ahead of substance. We focus on charisma but neglect character. The following axioms beckon us to put our character first:

1. We are given our gifts, but we must develop our character.
2. Our character earns the trust of others.
3. Only good character gives lasting success with people.
4. Sound character communicates credibility and consistency.
5. Our character colors our perspective.
6. Ability may get you to the top, but it takes character to keep you there.
7. We cannot rise above the limitations of our character.
   

Isaiah 1:19

If you are willing and obedient,
you will eat the best from the land

Be Willing!

Gloria Copeland

"If ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat the good of the land." (Isaiah 1:19)

A healthy body. Enough money to pay all your bills and extra to invest in the work of the gospel. A godly marriage and happy, healthy children. Peace of mind. God has prepared a banquet full of blessings for you.

But those blessings are not just going to fall in your lap. You must be willing as well as obedient if you're going to eat the best from God's table.

So, be willing!

Don't be willing for Satan to put sickness on your body. Be willing, instead, to be well! In honor of Jesus' sacrifice at Calvary, refuse to accept anything less than divine health.

Don't be willing to live in lack, but be willing instead to live in divine prosperity and abundance. Refuse to allow Satan to stop the flow of God's financial blessings to you.

Be willing to receive God's best plan for your marriage and your children. Don't settle for the "norm" in the world. Live above it in a home full of love and harmony, a home that is what God meant it to be.

Don't allow Satan to substitute anxiety and ulcers for the peace and undisturbedness that Jesus bought for you. Be willing and obedient to cast all your cares on Him, for He cares for you.

Refuse to be robbed of the banquet of blessings that have belonged to you since you became a believer. Be willing to eat the good of the land!

Scripture Study: Deuteronomy 8:5-20

Changing Our Paradigm of Experience

Exodus 3:3 - So Moses thought, "I will go over and see this strange sight-why the bush does not burn up."

Have you ever heard someone say, "God doesn't work that way? He would never do that." Well, there are times when God chooses to confound the foolish in order to change our paradigm of experience. Moses had never seen a bush that burned but did not burn up. It got his attention and it drew him to God.

When Jesus appeared on the water in the middle of the night during a storm, the disciples exclaimed, "It's a ghost!" They had never seen a man walk on water. This led to a great miracle-Peter walked on the water, too. When Jesus asked Peter to catch a fish and get the coin from its mouth to pay their taxes, you can imagine what Peter must have thought about those instructions. When Moses got to the Red Sea, he ran out of options. God had an unexpected solution to the Israelites' problem-He parted the Red Sea to demonstrate His power and allow the people of Israel to cross over to flee the Egyptian army.

Each of these new paradigms was a stepping-stone of an encounter with God so that the individual would experience God in a new way. God used these times to enforce the principle that His ways are not our ways. Whenever we try to predict that God will act in a certain way, He changes the paradigm to keep us from becoming our own little gods.

Have you ever been guilty of judging someone for an experience they've had that you've never had? Did you dismiss it as extreme or something not of God? God is in the business of changing our paradigm from no personal experiences to God-experiences. However, if you operate on a level of rigid logic, you may never have the privilege of having the God-experiences. Keep your heart free to experience new paradigms with God today.

Proverbs 10:4

⁴ Lazy hands make a man poor,
but diligent hands bring wealth.

Proverbs 21:5

:

⁵ The plans of the diligent lead to profit
as surely as haste leads to poverty.

The Price Tag Of Success: Diligence!

Dr. Robb Thompson

"He who has a slack hand becomes poor, but the hand of the diligent makes rich."Proverbs 10:4 (NKJV) "The plans of the diligent lead surely to plenty, but those of everyone who is hasty, surely to poverty." Proverbs 21:5 (NKJV)

The Price Tag Of Success Is Stamped With The Price Of "Diligence." Diligence requires discipline, hard work, and time. In other words, it requires effort. In order for us to delight in the promises of God, we must continually apply diligence to our efforts. God's system is not set up in such a way that a one-time action produces lasting results. God's way of progress requires diligence, faithfulness, and patience.

The same principle applies to any endeavor. We cannot expect to be physically fit by exercising one week out of the year. To see positive results we must continue for several months, and for lasting results, we must make exercise a part of our daily lifestyle! All of us want to achieve more and do great things, but we will only experience true greatness by diligently applying God's principles to our lives.

Diligence bridges the gap between discipline and reward. Anyone can discipline himself for a day, but only discipline coupled with diligence causes us to lay hold of Heaven's reward.

Father, I thank You for the wisdom of Your Word. I refuse to have a slack hand knowing it leads to poverty. I walk in plenty and not in lack because I diligently apply Your principles to my life.

Author of more than eighteen compelling books and countless audio and video resources, Dr. Robb Thompson is a skilled relational and leadership strategist. With over twenty years of experience in the arena of human resource management, Dr. Thompson travels the globe, training business executives and mentoring government leaders, including heads of State, cabinet ministers, and royalty. His television program, Winning in Life, is viewed by millions in the United States and around the world. Dr. Thompson is the senior pastor of Family Harvest Church, one of America's most influential and productive churches. He has been happily married to Linda for over thirty years. They live in the Chicagoland area in the United States.

Ecclesiastes 4:9-12

⁹ Two are better than one,
because they have a good return for their work:

¹⁰ If one falls down,
his friend can help him up.
But pity the man who falls
and has no one to help him up!

¹¹ Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm.
But how can one keep warm alone?

¹² Though one may be overpowered,
two can defend themselves.
A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.

Viva la Difference

Kenneth Copeland

"If one prevail against him, two shall withstand him; and a threefold cord is not quickly broken." (Ecclesiastes 4:12)

There's power in unity. The devil knows that. That's why he's continually fighting it. He takes the differences between us, differences God put there to make us stronger, and tries to use them as a wedge to drive us apart.

Take men and women, for example. He's deceived us into fighting about which one is superior over the other. But I can settle that argument right now. Women are superior to men. If you don't believe that, you boys try having a baby. But then, men are superior to women. If you don't believe that, you women try having one without us.

It's the differences combined that make us strong!

People have even argued about whether God is male or female. But the Bible itself tells us that. He's both! That's right. In the Hebrew language, all words have gender. They're either male or female. But the Hebrew word "Jehovah" is both masculine and feminine. He's as much female as He is male and as much male as He is female.

Originally, mankind was that way too. When God first made "man," he was as much female as he was male. Then God separated the female part out and made "woman" or, "the man with the womb." After that, man and woman had to come together to be perfectly whole.

That's still true today. For example, when He puts together husband and wife teams, He often puts people together who have major personality differences. Where one is weak, the other is strong, and vice versa. So, when they become one, they're more powerful than they ever were apart.

There was a time when I didn't understand that. I got aggravated with God for calling me a wife who didn't care for so many things that I liked. But I finally realized God knew what He was doing. If He'd given me a woman who was as nuts about flying as I am, we would have spent the rest of our lives in the clouds. We wouldn't be preaching the Word. We'd be in some silly airshow flying upside down. "The Copeland Team!" or something.

Do you have people in your life who are irritatingly different from you? Don't let the devil use those differences to drive you apart. Thank God for them! Let Him teach you how to appreciate them. Let Him show you just how powerful you can be... together!

Scripture Study: Ecclesiastes 4:9-12

Acts 2:17

¹⁷" 'In the last days, God says,
I will pour out my Spirit on all people.
Your sons and daughters will prophesy,
your young men will see visions,
your old men will dream dreams.

Visions and Dreams

Acts 2:17 - In the last days, God says, I will pour out My Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams.

"I need to meet with you," said the man from England during a break at a conference overseas. We walked outside to have a coffee break and sat down. "God wants you to know that He removed your finances in order to reserve His reward for you in Heaven. He has done you a great service."

I was shocked. I'd never met this gentleman before. How would he have known I had lost a half million dollars in the previous few years, virtually all of my financial net worth, to some unusual calamities? We shared for the next several minutes.

That week, during our lunch and dinner times, I had been enjoying wonderful, juicy oranges from this island in the Mediterranean Sea. It came time for the gentleman and I to conclude our coffee break. We bowed in prayer. As we prayed, the man began to describe a picture he was seeing in his mind.

"I see a picture of a large orange tree. The tree is full of large, ripened oranges. They are beginning to fall to the ground. You are the tree!"

Again, I looked at the man with shock and amazement, and now tears in my eyes.

"You are the third person in three years that has had a similar vision during a prayer time like this. The first two people were also strangers to me."

I went back into the meeting rejoicing that God could be so personal in my life. He used a servant who had gone through similar trials to supernaturally speak a word of encouragement in a way that I would know it was God who was speaking.

There are times when God supernaturally speaks into our lives. He does this to demonstrate His power, His love, and His intimacy with us. Do not be surprised if God sends one of His messengers to speak into your life when you need it most. Be open to how God might want to speak into your life today.

He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever he does prospers (Psalm 1:3).

Isaiah 43:2

² When you pass through the waters,
I will be with you;
and when you pass through the rivers,
they will not sweep over you.
When you walk through the fire,
you will not be burned;
the flames will not set you ablaze

Guard Against Bitterness

Joel Osteen

Today's Scripture

“When you go through deep waters and great trouble, I will be with you. When you go through rivers of difficulty, you will not drown” Isaiah 43:2 (TLB).

Have you ever experienced something that truly tested your faith, your joy and your convictions? We're not talking about just having a bad day or having to deal with difficult people - but enduring an intense situation that rocks you to your very core. When many people face such soul-searching they let their happiness and joy turn into bitterness and anger. Make sure this doesn't happen to you. Don't give the evil one the victory by becoming an ineffective Christian due to lingering bitterness. Even if you're being tested, God has promised to remain faithful. He is all-powerful, and He can pull you out of your troubles at any moment. Choose to remain faithful and joyous despite your present circumstances.

A Prayer for Today: God, please help me to trust You and not give in to bitterness or anger, even in the middle of my trials. Thank You for the promise of Your never-failing love. In Jesus' Name. Amen.

Proverbs 4:22

²² for they are life to those who find them
and health to a man's whole body.

John 6:63

⁶³The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing. The words I have spoken to you are spirit and they are life.

God's Medicine

Gloria Copeland

"The words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life." (John 6:63)

We've seen some tremendous medical breakthroughs in our generation. We've seen "miracle drugs" developed that can conquer many kinds of sickness and disease.

But, you know, in the 20-plus years I've been a believer, I've discovered another, much more effective kind of medicine: the Word of God. There's never been a miracle drug that could equal it. God's medicine is the answer to every need. It is life. It is health. It is the power of God. And if you put it in your heart and act on it, you will be healed.

Sometimes people ask, "If God's medicine works every time, why are there so many believers who are still sick?" There are two reasons. Number one, because they don't take the time to plant the Word concerning healing deeply into their heart. And number two, because they don't do what that Word tells them to do.

Think of it like this: If a doctor prescribes medicine for you to swallow daily and you decide to rub it on your chest instead, that medicine isn't going to work for you. You have to follow the instructions and use it properly if you expect to get well, don't you? In the same way, if you read God's prescription for health and don't act on it, you won't reap any of its benefits.

Proverbs 4:22 says God's Words are life and health to you. So don't wait until you get sick to start using them. Start now. Begin to put God's Word in your heart in abundance and it will be hard for you to get sick. That Word within you will constantly be keeping God's healing power at work in you.

And don't worry. There's no limit to the amount of God's medicine you can take. You can't get an overdose. The more you take, the stronger you get.

Start growing strong today.

Scripture Study: Proverbs 4:20-27

Deuteronomy 8:11,19

¹¹ Be careful that you do not forget the LORD your God, failing to observe his commands, his laws and his decrees that I am giving you this day.

¹⁹ If you ever forget the LORD your God and follow other gods and worship and bow down to them, I testify against you today that you will surely be destroyed.

The Danger of Amnesia

Bishop Edward Earl Jenkins

"Beware that in your plenty you do not forget the Lord." Deuteronomy 8:11 NLT

A spider dropped a single strand down from the rafter of an old barn and began to weave his web. Months went by and the web grew. Its elaborate maze caught flies, mosquitoes and other small insects, providing the spider with a rich diet. Eventually it became the envy of all the other spiders. Then one day the spider noticed a single strand stretching up into the rafters. "I wonder why it's there? It doesn't catch me any dinner." Concluding it was unnecessary, he climbed as high as he could and severed it. In that moment the entire web began to fall in upon itself, tumbling to the floor, taking the spider with it.

Could we as a people make that same mistake? Can a country spin a great web, then sever it? Can we grow so successful, so smug, so self-sufficient that we forget the strong strand that supports us? Could we look at our prosperity and respond not with gratitude, but with arrogance?

Recent actions make us wonder. A movement to remove God from all public life is gaining momentum. An emboldened portion of our population stares at the strand of faith upon which our country hangs and asks: "Why is that there?"

Are we forgetting the hand that holds us? We're not the first nation to suffer from amnesia. Israel did it too, and Moses warned them:

"Beware that in your plenty you do not forget the Lord your God and disobey his commands... I assure you of this: if you ever forget the Lord your God...you will certainly be destroyed" (Dt 8:11 & 19 NLT).

Bishop Edward Earl Jenkins is the senior pastor and founder of the True Servant Worship & Praise Church located in Trenton, New Jersey. Bishop Jenkins earned his Bachelor of Theology degree from Eastern Bible College and has been preaching the unadulterated gospel for over twenty years. His unique method of preaching and teaching has opened many doors to allow him to touch the hearts of many lives near and far. Bishop Jenkins is the proud husband of Lady Sheila Jenkins and father of Travis, Jamal, Clarrisa and Dionna.