“He who rejects Me and does not receive My sayings, has one who judges him; the word I spoke is what will judge him at the last day. For I did not speak on My own initiative, but the Father Himself who sent Me has given Me a commandment as to what to say and what to speak. I know that His commandment is eternal life; therefore the things I speak, I speak just as the Father has told Me.” John 12:48-50.

Today your LORD (יהוה) God (אלהים) says:

I am with you always. And you will be with Me always. And when I am with you, who can be against you? I am the Most High. No weapon formed against you shall prosper and every tongue raised against you in judgment you will condemn, for such is the heritage of those who serve Me and their righteousness is from Me. Isaiah 54:17. Every weapon formed against you and every tongue raised against you in judgment originates with Satan though he uses people that he has taken captive to do his will and he would like you to be one of them. The devil and his demons seek to enter and oppress people because that is the way they can express themselves in the world. But Jesus came to undo the works of the devil, and as I sent Him, He sends you—to bring the Kingdom near you and give you days of Heaven on earth.

Today we are going to look at the next miracle in the gospel according to Matthew, and it also is in the gospels of Mark and Luke. It is the storm on the sea of Galilee when they were crossing from Capernaum over to the country of the Gadarenes on their way to take down a major stronghold of Satan. And he saw them headed that way and, being shrewd, he figured why Jesus was coming, and he intended to stop it. He tried to capsize the boat in the wind or sink it with the waves, or at least make them turn back in fear rather than crossing over. He stirred up a storm. All creation groans waiting for the children of God to take authority over this kind of torment and corruption caused by the activity of Satan that Adam authorized and released into the earth for the term of his leasehold. But in Jesus walking as a man on earth filled with My Word, speaking only My Words, the devil had met his match. And in each believer who will follow the example of Jesus as their teacher, he has met his match as well. I back up My Word, I watch over it to perform it. I, however, need someone with dominion authority on earth to say it and release Me to perform it. And I am counting on you who are My children and citizens of My Kingdom to do so.

Your words matter tremendously. Death and life are in the hand of your tongue. Most people do not realize this and do not curb their words. My Son, however, understood the power of words, He sustains all things with My Word of power, and He shows you how to live this. “He who rejects Me and does not receive My sayings, has one who judges him; the Word I spoke is what will judge him at the last day. For I did not speak of Myself (that is, on My own initiative, out of His own feelings), but the Father Himself who sent Me has given Me a commandment as to what to say and what to speak. I know that His commandment is eternal life; therefore the things I speak, I speak just as the Father has told Me.” John 12:48-50.

There are many things I tell you to say and many things I tell you not to say. If you want to live days of Heaven upon the earth, you would be wise to pay attention to these things. Your words frame your world.

First, to bring Heaven to earth in your life you must confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord.

“The Word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart”—that is, the word of faith which we are preaching, that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation.” Romans 10:8-10. Believing in your heart puts you right with Me but you must speak with your mouth to have salvation in any situation. And salvation is forgiveness, healing, provision, wholeness, and eternal life. The mouth speaks from the heart’s abundance but until you speak your faith is not released into the earth. Satan knows this too and that is why he tries to compel you to speak evil about things. Have you ever heard someone say, “I know I should not say this, but . . .” They feel like they just have to pass that bit of gossip or whatever on. Anger compels people to speak as well. I never force you to speak. The spirit of the prophet is in the prophet’s control for I am a God of peace and not of confusion and disorder. 1 Corinthians 14:32-33.

For protection and deliverance, I tell you to say to Me, “My refuge and my fortress, my God in whom I trust.” Psalm 91:2.

For strength, I tell you, “Let the weak say “I am strong (a mighty hero)!” Joel 3:10.

For health, healing and strength into old age (renewal of youth), I tell you, “It is good to give thanks to the LORD and to sing praises to Your name, O Most High; to declare Your lovingkindness in the morning and Your faithfulness by night.” Psalm 92:1-2.

I tell you not to worry saying “what shall we eat? or “what shall we drink?” or “what shall we wear?” In other words don’t be speaking worried “what if” phrases to yourself and others, live according to what I tell you and instead declare, “The LORD is my shepherd I shall not want.” If you are tithing I rebuke the devourer and open the windows of Heaven to you.

“Do not worry then, saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear for clothing?’ For the Gentiles eagerly seek all these things; for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” Matthew 6:31-33.

I tell you that if you desire long life and days filled with good to keep your tongue from evil and your lips from speaking lies and deceit, to depart from evil and do good, to seek peace and pursue it. Psalm 34:13-14,

I tell you to pray for all to be saved and come to know the truth. I tell you to pray that your leaders will act with wisdom so you may lead a tranquil life.

I tell you to have faith in Me and speak to the mountains in your way to be cast into the sea. I tell you to cast out demons. I show you to rebuke storms and fevers.

Say what Jesus said when He encountered sickness, death, and storms, for He only said My Words, so be diligent to read My Word and see what I told Him to say and as He has done, so you are to do likewise.

In looking at the next recorded miracle in the gospel of Matthew to see Heaven coming near to earth, it has to do with what you say in a storm. On the last day it is what you did with My Word that will judge you. “He who rejects Me and does not receive My sayings, has one who judges him; the Word I spoke is what will judge him at the last day.” John 12:48. By YOUR words you are declared righteous and by YOUR words you are condemned. Matthew 12:38.

A new level of living comes only with a new level of talking and walking. I will give you a pure heart (remember David prayed, “create in me a clean heart” after he had fallen into sin, knowing he would not have with a pure heart) if you will keep your eyes continually on Me—not giving attention to the devil’s lies. A lie is not just something you immediately see for a lie; it is also a circumstance or symptom that appears to be true but can be judged as false by My Word and removed by the Word of truth. Like the fever that attacked Peter’s mother in law in the miracle we considered in the prior Life Lesson. And like the storm on the Sea of Galilee we are considering today. So let us take a closer look at this miracle.

In the gospel according to Matthew thus it begins: “Now when Jesus saw a crowd around Him, He gave orders to depart to the other side of the sea.” Matthew 8:18. In Mark’s gospel account, he writes, “On that day, when evening came, He said to them, “Let us go over to the other side.”’ Mark 4:35. And in Luke’s account, “Now on one of those days Jesus and His disciples got into a boat, and He said to them, “Let us go over to the other side of the lake.” So they launched out.” Luke 8:22. What I want you to take note of that in all three accounts it is very clear that Jesus told them that they were crossing over to the other side of the lake. In fact, He gave orders to do so. And recall, Jesus only spoke My Words and did the works I showed Him.

If I direct you to go somewhere or to do something, you must understand there is a Kingdom purpose of some sort involved. And all kingdom assignments, whether they be preaching, teaching, healing, praying, commanding things, casting out demons, inventing things that stop disease or make people’s lives better, to take a certain job in a business to bring My light there to draw others into My Kingdom or to save them from bankruptcy by your innovative ideas, introducing new technology to facilitate the dissemination of the good news of the salvation and of the Kingdom, composing songs, writing books, and a multitude of other creative things and great exploits I assign, I will back up and provide for. In Christ Jesus, you are My workmanship, created anew for a life of good deeds I prepared for you in advance that you should walk in them. And all will have to do with going about doing good and healing all those oppressed by the devil. All will have to do with saving people and setting them free.

So once My Word of command was to go to the other side, if they were willing to obey I would see it through. Which means no matter what storm or what mountain or what symptom the devil throws up in your way, you can rebuke it and tell it what to do.

And Jesus answered saying to them, “Have faith in God. Truly I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and cast into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says is going to happen, it will be granted him. Therefore I say to you, all things for which you pray and ask, believe that you have received them, and they will be granted you.” Mark 11:22-24.

You can judge and stop whatever Satan puts in your way as false. Isaiah 54:17.

So what happened once they got in the boat and I had told them to go to the other side of the lake. Not to turn back if something got in their way, but to go to the other side.

So Matthew’s account continues “When He got into the boat, His disciples followed Him. And behold, there arose a great storm on the sea, so that the boat was being covered with the waves; but Jesus Himself was asleep. And they came to Him and woke Him, saying, “Save us, Lord; we are perishing!” He said to them, “Why are you afraid, you men of little faith?” Then He got up and rebuked the winds and the sea, and it became perfectly calm. The men were amazed, and said, “What kind of a man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey Him?” Matthew 8:23-27.

And Mark and Luke fill in the details, “And there arose a fierce gale of wind, and the waves were breaking over the boat so much that the boat was already filling up. Jesus Himself was in the stern, asleep on the cushion; and they woke Him and said to Him, “Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?” And He got up and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, “Hush, be still.” And the wind died down and it became perfectly calm. And He said to them, “Why are you afraid? Do you still have no faith?” They became very much afraid and said to one another, “Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey Him?” Mark 4:37-41. “So they launched out. But as they were sailing along He fell asleep; and a fierce gale of wind descended on the lake, and they began to be swamped and to be in danger. They came to Jesus and woke Him up, saying, “Master, Master, we are perishing!” And He got up and rebuked the wind and the surging waves, and they stopped, and it became calm. And He said to them, “Where is your faith?” They were fearful and amazed, saying to one another, “Who then is this, that He commands even the winds and the water, and they obey Him?” Luke 8:22-25.

An unusually fierce storm arose from seemingly nowhere. It was fierce enough to scare men whose profession had been fishing on that lake all their adult lives. They were professional boat people. You have to understand this was a supernatural force released by Satan as the “prince of the air.” But it was in the way of doing My Will. Once they had the word to cross over, and they were obeying, that is, walking in obedience, anything that came up could be judged, condemned and moved out of the way by them. It was subject to the rebuke of My Word. A curse without a cause cannot alight.

The disciples had two ways they could go at this point and it would be determined by what they said. They were fortunate to have a man of unwavering faith, the faithful and true witness, in the boat with them or you would not have heard much more about them for they spoke perishing and not prospering.

What they did not understand at that point, but would later in time after more revelation of My Word, was that when you are acting in obedience at My direction, as My servants, no weapon formed against you can prosper and you can take down every accusation Satan throws at you. You can judge and rebuke it. You have My authority to rebuke and stop the enemy’s traps, deceits, storms, symptoms, pains, and other dangers when you are walking in obedience to My Word. But if I have warned you not to go somewhere or not to do something, and if you go ahead and do it thinking you can just rebuke it and proceed in your determination, this will not work. Samson did this thinking that he could use the great gift of strength I gave him to defeat the enemies of Israel from taking the land of Israel for his own use to get himself out of going into their ranks and spending nights in the arms of a prostitute, which was open disobedience and had nothing to do with his assignment. He found, however, that once he had given his heart to the enemy for sinful sensual pleasure, the strength had left him. My Spirit had departed.

You will note that I warned Paul that there would be a terrible storm with a bad result if the ship that was taking him as a prisoner to Rome set sail, but those in charge would not take the warning and sailed anyway. When the storm I told them was coming hit, you will note Paul did not rebuke it but let it ride. He knew they had been warned and were in disobedience to My Word, but he was forced against his will to go so I protected him and as a favor to him I protected all on board as well, so long as they did not jump ship, and this time they listened to him and it all turned out as I promised him during the storm. And in fact, it all turned out in the end better for all of them, as they spent the winter in a much better place than they would have if they had not gone, saved a whole island of natives for eternal life and the crew as well, and got a better boat to sail on the rest of the journey. I make all things work together for good for those who love Me and are called according to My purpose. And you will also note that Paul never worried or spoke about perishing because he had My Word from some years before that he would appear before Caesar. So he knew the storm would not take him out. He had no fear at all.

To get to this level you must be careful to use your words with skill all the time. If part of the time you just say whatever you think without censoring it, the demons and created things pick up on this and defy your words when you want to cast them out. It is being double minded. It is what My servant James addresses when he writes by My Spirit about the control your tongue has over your body and your life, “with it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in the likeness of God; from the same mouth come both blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not to be this way. Does a fountain send out from the same opening both fresh and bitter water? Can a fig tree, my brethren, produce olives, or a vine produce figs? Nor can saltwater produce fresh.” James 3:9-12. And he tells you, “for we all stumble in many ways. If anyone does not stumble in what he says, he is a perfect man, able to bridle the whole body as well.” James 3:2.

I am now going to give you a lesson on how to tame your tongue, not on your own, but by the help of My grace and of the Spirit in you. But this requires commitment, diligence, and effort on your part, for the measure with which you do this will determine what is measured back to you.

1. Before you say anything, even to yourself, ask yourself the motive for why you are saying it and what it will accomplish for you and the hearer if you do say it.

2. If it is not to prophesy, do not say it. And by prophecy I mean to edify, exhort, and encourage.

To edify is to build up in truth, to say things that are helpful to fortify you in the faith and in good works. To build you on a strong foundation of truth, that is, My Word which is truth. To exhort is to correct with love a problem or weakness or sin that could cause the other to lose their reward, a life of blessing and peace, or even to lose eternal life. It is to guide them to wisdom to avoid a foolish action that will have repercussion down the years. Paul advised when you do this to let your speech be seasoned with salt so that you do not offend but give counsel that pierces the heart to change. To encourage is not to flatter but to move the other, or even yourself, to new heights of godly and victorious living. It is forgetting what lies behind and looking to press on to your high calling in Christ. It is comfort in sorrow as you speak of the new day that is dawning. I am the God of all comfort. You will find it in My Word, just read Psalm 103. Remember all My benefits and pull yourself and others out of despair.

“Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth, but only such a word as is good for edification according to the need of the moment, so that it will give grace to those who hear. Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you.” Ephesians 4:29-32.

I give comfort to My people and so must you, but never condone sin. Jesus told the woman caught in adultery that He did not condemn her but to avoid sin in the future. She had seen its disastrous effects. But she left comforted and filled with peace. She went out in joy and was then led forth by peace. There is no peace for the wicked, but great is the peace of those who love My law and keep their minds stayed on Me. I am an everlasting rock. And that is edification, exhortation and encouragement. I do not change.

“Pursue love, yet desire earnestly spiritual gifts, but especially that you may prophesy. For one who speaks in a tongue does not speak to men but to God; for no one understands, but in his spirit he speaks mysteries. But one who prophesies speaks to men for edification and exhortation and consolation.” 1 Corinthians 14:1-3.

3. Prayer is the same. Do not just come and vent your emotions in prayer. As long as Hannah did that, she remained barren. But once she believed she had received what she was begging for by one word of encouragement from the high priest Eli, she was no more sad and immediately had her miracle which she had vented about for years. All she would do was wail and cry she had no child, but now suddenly by one Word that all changed and she knew she had the baby she longed for, and as she believed in her heart, she spoke with her mouth, and so it turned out.

When you pray, pray using My Word, that is what petition is, reminding Me of My promises to you in My Word, and then you are returning My Word to Me and I can perform it. Remember that I tell you to take up the Sword of the Spirit, which is My Word, and through all prayer and petition to pray at all times in the Spirit. My Word is living and active, sharper than a two-edged sword (two-mouthed sword in the Greek language). Your mouth and the Word from My mouth. I have put My Words in your mouth and My Spirit upon you. That is Covenant. Isaiah 59:21.

But back to the disciples in the storm with Jesus sleeping in the boat. Jesus had a day filled with crowds and miracles. From the casting out of the demon in the synagogue in Capernaum, to the healing of Peter’s mother in law, to the whole town turning out with all their sick at his doorstep till late at night, rising early in the morning to go pray, and then delivering parable and teaching by the side of the lake until he embarked late in the evening to go to the other side, he was physically in need of rest. And He was not worried about getting to the other side. I had showed Him that is what I wanted Him to do and I had shown Him the work for the other side.

But the disciples were not so sure. When the storm arose and was beyond what they had ever experience before they cried out in fear and went into panic. This was just where Satan wanted them, too intimidated to go on. So the woke Jesus and said to Him, “Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?” This was not a good prayer of faith. It was a prayer of fear already declaring he dire result. They had just seen many miracles where the impossible had taken place and seen demons cast out. But now they were sure they were perishing. And if they had kept up those words and if they had gotten Jesus to join in with that kind of talk, they would have perished for sure. If your faith is not where it should be in a situation, get a person of faith to come into agreement with you so they can carry you forward to the desired faith result. But be careful who you choose. I told James to have the sick person who needed help with faith to call in the elders of the church to pray the prayer of faith over that person so he would have his sins forgiven and be raised up, but by elders I meant people well established in My Word, which is not just a matter of age but of maturity in My Word.

How did Jesus respond? Look carefully for you are learning how to respond from Him if you are hearing from Me. First look to the answer in Matthew’s account, “He said to them, “Why are you afraid, you men of little faith?” Then He got up and rebuked the winds and the sea, and it became perfectly calm.” And now Mark, “And He got up and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, “Hush, be still.” And the wind died down and it became perfectly calm. And He said to them, “Why are you afraid? Do you still have no faith?” It went from little faith and then to no faith. That was why they could not rebuke it without the man of faith. And now look at Luke’s account for more details, “And He got up and rebuked the wind and the surging waves, and they stopped, and it became calm. And He said to them, “Where is your faith?” There was at first little faith, went to no faith, and then went to lost faith. When you don’t use it or grow it, the little you have, you will lose when the going gets rough. And that was what happened to two kinds of the ground (hearts) in the parable of the sower.

So to imitate Jesus when a storm hits, what do you do? Rebuke it. You speak to it. You command it to hush and be still. You tell it to dissipate and disseminate. You speak peace to My creation. What you bind on earth is bound in the heavens and what you loose on earth is loosed in the heavens. In this context, I am speaking of weather, but it works in all areas. You can bind on earth what is bound in Heaven already and there are no storms there. Bring Heaven to the earth. Instead of a storm speak a gentle breeze and showers of blessing. Remind Me of the rainbow covenant.

I love you. This is a very important lesson to learn if you want to live days of Heaven on earth. Remember the steps for taming your tongue with My grace and Spirit and you will walk in a whole new level of Kingdom authority. Prophesy.