THE WORD OF HIS COVENANT!

Isaiah 55:1-13 KJV  Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money; come ye, buy, and eat; yea, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price.  2 Wherefore do ye spend money for that which is not bread? and your labour for that which satisfieth not? hearken diligently unto me, and eat ye that which is good, and let your soul delight itself in fatness.  3 Incline your ear, and come unto me: hear, and your soul shall live; and I will make an everlasting covenant with you, even the sure mercies of David.  4 Behold, I have given him for a witness to the people, a leader and commander to the people.  5  Behold, thou shalt call a nation that thou knowest not, and nations that knew not thee shall run unto thee because of the LORD thy God, and for the Holy One of Israel; for he hath glorified thee.  6  Seek ye the LORD while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near:  7  Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the LORD, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.  8 For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD.  9 For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.  10  For as the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater:  11  So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.  12 For ye shall go out with joy, and be led forth with peace: the mountains and the hills shall break forth before you into singing, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands.  13 Instead of the thorn shall come up the fir tree, and instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle tree: and it shall be to the LORD for a name, for an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off.

We were born naturally into this world. We have grown and developed naturally and we have used our mind in an obvious natural manner because that's all we knew. Now the Word says that the natural man receiveth not the spiritual things neither can comprehend them. But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.  1 Corinthians 2:14 KJV

Nicodemus was given a crash course in what it means to perceive and understand things spiritually: John 3:1-6 KJV There was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews:  2 The same came to Jesus by night, and said unto him, Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God: for no man can do these miracles that thou doest, except God be with him.  3 Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.  4 Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother's womb, and be born?  5 Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.  6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.

Exactly! That which is born of the flesh is flesh and can never, ever be spirit. Only that which is born of the Spirit. When you are born of the Spirit then you are born again and ONLY then can you see the Kingdom of God, and begin to grasp the things of the spirit. Alas too many of us fit in with the church in Galatia who were asked: Are ye so foolish? having begun in the Spirit, are ye now made perfect by the flesh?  Galatians 3:3 KJV

Many times we reason and think things out in the natural mind and do not consider that the natural mind cannot receive the things of the Spirit of God. 

The natural mind sees the horses and chariots of Syria; the spiritual mind sees the horses and chariots of fire and the hosts of heaven

The natural mind sees the horses and chariots of the mighty Egyptian army; the spiritual m sees the salvation of God

The natural mind sees just blood applied to the door posts and lintel; the spiritual mind sees the protection of the Blood Covenant!

The natural mind sees a barren aged woman and a very old man; the spiritual mind sees the seed of promise born from them!

The natural man only sees the well watered plains of Sodom and is deceived; the spiritual mind sees the future kingdom of God and is not fooled!

The natural mind sees Goliath fearful and terrorizing; the spiritual mind sees Goliath on the ground and headless

The natural mind sees giants and feels like grasshoppers; the spiritual mind sees the giants as bread to eat!

The natural mind sees the ark as an exercise in futility and mocks; the spiritual man moves into the ark and is safe!

The natural mind sees the walls of Jericho as impregnable; the spiritual mind sees Jericho as a defeated foe.

The natural mind sees plain water in the jar; the spiritual mind sees wine

The natural mind sees only a little boy's lunch; the spiritual mind sees 5,000 plus fed!

The natural mind sees a four day dead man in a tomb; the spiritual mind sees the resurrection

Those who move from the spirit to the flesh are described as carnal and ... they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit.  6 For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.  7 Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. Romans 8:5-7 KJV 

There is something about the Word of God that we need to get right in our spirits. 

Remember! God DOES NOT lie! 

God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good?  Numbers 23:19 KJV

God CANNOT lie! In hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began; Titus 1:2 KJV

Remember the former things of old: for I am God, and there is none else; I am God, and there is none like me,  10  Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure:  11  Calling a ravenous bird from the east, the man that executeth my counsel from a far country: yea, I have spoken it, I will also bring it to pass; I have purposed it, I will also do it. Isaiah 46:9-11 KJV  

  

 God's children do not judge people, things and appearances with their natural minds but by the Word of God!

There is the general Word of God which will be fulfilled regardless of the efforts of man. The destiny of this world and the kingdoms of this world are in His hands. The will of God moves on irrevocably to His final conclusion of it all according to His prophetic Word regardless of whether we believe it or not, regardless of how we fight against it!

There is however the abundance of specific promises to His children that can only be activated by something called faith! As partners in His Blood Covenant we are heirs to these promises.   Wherein God, willing more abundantly to shew unto the heirs of promise the immutability of his counsel, confirmed it by an oath:  18  That by two immutable things, in which it was impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us: Hebrews 6:17-18 KJV 

 Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree:  14  That the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ; that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith. Galatians 3:13-14 KJV 

Remember! Faith is integral and important to the believer if they will profit from God's Word.

For God's promises to us to become effective in our lives we need to have it mixed with that mysterious ingredient called faith! 

For unto us was the gospel preached, as well as unto them: but the word preached did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in them that heard it.  Hebrews 4:2 KJV

So what is this thing called faith? The Bible gives a definitive statement on faith:

Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.  Hebrews 11:1 KJV

Faith is essential if we will please God! 

But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.  Hebrews 11:6 KJV

How do we get faith?

For unto us was the gospel preached, as well as unto them: but the word preached did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in them that heard it.  Hebrews 4:2 KJV For the Word to be profitable it must be mixed with faith. So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.  Romans 10:17 KJV

Yes! Faith comes by hearing but this kind of hearing is by the Word of God. So there is a hearing and a hearing. There is a certain way in which we need to hear that produces faith by the Word of God. Remember Jesus said many times "he that hath ears to hear let him hear!" Ears are obviously made for hearing with so Jesus is obviously trying to get a message to us.

So we can hear yet not hear. You can listen to the Word of God preached and yet it does not take effect in your life because it is not mixed with faith. It is not mixed with faith because you only heard with the natural ears. The only part of you that received the Word was the natural part which assimilated it and stored it as so much knowledge ...if it actually did that much! 

Moving backwards in the verse we observe that this special hearing comes by the Word of God. We therefore need to get into the Word by listening and believing it; by reading, studying meditating and memorizing. As the Word gets into our mind and as we meditate on it, we build up a storehouse in our mind. We get His promises into us and it is as if we create a pool of his Word. Then the Holy Spirit will take that Word and ignite it so that it explodes into our lives where it does exactly what it says! An illustration of this is found in John 5 at the pool Bethsesda. It’s an ordinary pool until an angel troubles the water when it becomes health to the one who gets in. We need to move past the natural reasoning of the mind and believe the Word just as God spoke it. It become a specific word to our spirit and becomes effective. The Word moves from the general to the specific, it moves from the impersonal to the personal, it moves from the passive to the active and God speaks into our heart and faith comes! Then whatsoever HE says unto you do it! For that is when the water is turned into wine. That is when 5 loaves and 2 fishes feed 5,000! That’s when the leprosy disappears! That’s when the impotent take up their bed and walk. That is when the blind wash and see! That is when the dead become alive!

The promises of His covenant with us are unshakeable, unfailing and forever! They become effective when we begin to move away from our natural feelings and sense of what’s normal. The sea holds us up when we step out at His command! We are going over to the other side and not under because HE said so!

About overcoming, the Word says: "And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death. Revelation 12:10-11

The work that Christ accomplished and their confession and belief in that work resulted in victory over the enemy. Their confession, witness and report testified to their absolute faith in the accomplished work of redemption through the Blood to the point where they were willingly staking their physical life on that confession of their faith in His Blood.

Habakuk’s confidence in God’s ability to perform what he has promised is made plain: And the LORD answered me, and said, Write the vision, and make it plain upon tables, that he may run that readeth it.  3 For the vision is yet for an appointed time, but at the end it shall speak, and not lie: though it tarry, wait for it; because it will surely come, it will not tarry.  4 Behold, his soul which is lifted up is not upright in him: but the just shall live by his faith. Habakkuk 2:2-4 KJV 

Although the fig tree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vines; the labour of the olive shall fail, and the fields shall yield no meat; the flock shall be cut off from the fold, and there shall be no herd in the stalls:  18  Yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will joy in the God of my salvation.  19 The LORD God is my strength, and he will make my feet like hinds' feet, and he will make me to walk upon mine high places. Habakkuk 3:17-19 KJV 

God promised that His word will not return void to Him but will accomplish what he sent it to do! For as the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater:  11  So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.  12 For ye shall go out with joy, and be led forth with peace: the mountains and the hills shall break forth before you into singing, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands.  13 Instead of the thorn shall come up the fir tree, and instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle tree: and it shall be to the LORD for a name, for an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off. Isaiah 55:10-13 KJV 

The Word of God like snow and rain that bring seed to the sower and bread to the eater will be fulfilled.But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.  Matthew 4:4 KJV

The enemy's words bring death and steal the life away when we give heed to them. The Word of God brings life to all who put their trust in them. Man lives by the Word of God.