Neither give place to the devil. Ephesians 4:17.
Today your LORD (יהוה) God (אלהים) says:
Do not judge others so harshly. When you do not know the truth do not make assumptions. Be careful what you say of others, you do not know hearts and motives as I do. If you see another sinning, exhort them, rescue them, but do not see sin where there is none. The Pharisees told the man blind from birth to whom My Son gave new eyes so he could see that Jesus was a sinner because he had healed the man (made clay and placed it on his eyes) on the Sabbath day. The man replied that whether Jesus was a sinner or not he did not know, but he knew he was blind and now could see and it was the most beautiful, blessed, and best thing that ever happened to him—beyond price and beyond his wildest dreams. He knew that if Jesus was a sinner I would not have answered His prayers and healed him of his blindness.
Know and believe in My love for you and your gratitude for that love will grow and it will cause your love for others to grow. Ask Me to help you with this. You can love because you are loved beyond all you can ask or imagine. But your receiving the abundance of My love has to do with obeying My Word. My Son understood the blessings of obedience to My Word and would not veer from it no matter what things looked like. I told Joshua if he wanted to make his way successful, victorious and prosperous He must obey My Word and not turn from it to the right or the left.
Jesus understood that the only way the devil cannot in any way harm you is if he has no place in you. And the only way he has no place in you is if you give him no place.
“Now I have told you before it happens, so that when it happens, you may believe. I will not speak much more with you, for the ruler of the world is coming, and he has nothing in Me; but so that the world may know that I love the Father, I do exactly as the Father commanded Me.” John 14:29-31.
And the only way you give him NO place in you is if you obey My Words and do not tolerate his. He will try to put offended thoughts and feelings of hatred and resentment in your heart so that he has a stronghold and authority over you to take you captive to do his will because you are walking in his ways and agreeing with him. If, however, he has no place in you then he cannot put illness, depression, darkness, confusion, bitterness, poverty, pain, confusion, regret, shame, guilt, blame, and all the things that go with those on you. And that is the way you trump him, by obedience to Me and disobedience to him. That is the way Adam and Eve opened themselves to the curse and blocked out the Blessing. They were obedient to the devil’s word and disobedient to My Word. You choose whether you want blessing or cursing by whose word you obey. It is that simple.
You clean the devil’s trash out of your heart with My love. You pull out all the bitter roots that you have allowed the devil to plant and have joined with him in cultivating by flooding yourself with My Word and My Love which are one in the same, for I am My Word and I am Love. Otherwise, you will not experience the beautiful blessings and the freedom of My children. Not that I withhold things from you unless you obey perfectly, no, Jesus died because you don’t behave perfectly, but you are not able to receive the surpassing riches of My grace without being open to love. And you are only open to love when you have been purged, cleaned, pruned of evil.
And how are you purged, cleaned, and pruned of evil? My Son told you that you are cleansed by His Word. “You are already clean because of the Word which I have spoken to you.” John 15:3. And His Word is My Word for He only spoke My Words, in fact, He is My Word made flesh. In Him you see My Word in action and He went about doing good and healing all those oppressed by the devil. You see again that all illness, pain, lack, and disability is a result of obeying the devil and not Me. That is how death came into the world and blocked life. I set before you life and death, the blessing and the curse. Obedience to My Word is not a restriction, it is an essential to being free, healed and blessed. Obedience to My Word gives you dominion authority over your life and the works of My hands. Obedience puts you into a vast, peaceful, open, and wealthy place. How you treat My Word is a matter of life and death. My Words are not idle words, they are your very LIFE.
“Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her, so that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the Word, that He might present to Himself the church in all her glory, having no spot or wrinkle or any such thing; but that she would be holy and blameless.” Ephesians 5:25-27. You see it has to do with My love for you as manifested in Christ Jesus and the washing with My Word.
This is a matter of living Heaven or hell even now upon the earth and then for eternity. There are great rewards in your spirit, soul, and body by keeping My Word. Obedience is the key to blessing because obedience to My Word is living just as I live. It is living the divine life that makes Me the joyful, loving, master of all.
“For if by one man’s offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ.” Romans 5:17.
Now let us return to where we left off in the adventures of the apostles and the early community of believers in our last Life Lesson. Paul and Barnabas entered into Iconium and, as was their custom, they entered the synagogue of the Jews together. They spoke in such a manner that a large number of people believed, both of Jews and of Greeks. But the Jews who disbelieved stirred up the minds of the Gentiles and embittered them against the brethren. Satan was at his work of trying to steal My Word before it implanted and grew and he found a place to land in the Jews who disbelieved. But Paul and Barnabas spent a long time there speaking boldly with reliance upon Me testifying to the word of His grace, and I gave them miracles, signs and wonders by their hands. But the people of the city were divided; and some sided with the Jews, and some with the apostles. When an attempt was made by both the Gentiles and the Jews with their rulers, to mistreat and to stone them, they became aware of it and fled to the cities of Lycaonia, Lystra and Derbe, and the surrounding region; and there they continued to preach the gospel. Acts 14:1-7. Never give in to the devil and never give up in sharing the good news of salvation and of My Kingdom.
Now at Lystra a man was sitting who had no strength in his feet, lame from his mother’s womb, who had never walked. This man was listening to Paul as he spoke, who, when he had fixed his gaze on him and had seen that he had faith to be made well, for faith comes by hearing My Word, and here Paul was teaching on healing, Paul said with a loud voice, “Stand upright on your feet.” And he leaped up and began to walk. Acts 14:8-10.
You do not need long prayers when you know My Will. My Will is to heal all and undo the works of the devil. And this man was listening as Paul spoke and he received this message into his heart and mixed it with his faith. Paul could see that when the man’s eyes lit up with expectation for healing and all he needed was the command of faith to his crippled legs: “Stand upright on your feet.” And he did not say he could not do it, he obeyed.
When the crowds saw what Paul had done, they raised their voice, saying in the Lycaonian language, “The gods have become like men and have come down to us.” And they began calling Barnabas, Zeus, and Paul, Hermes, because he was the chief speaker. The priest of Zeus, whose temple was just outside the city, brought oxen and garlands to the gates, and wanted to offer sacrifice with the crowds. But when the apostles Barnabas and Paul heard of it, they tore their robes and rushed out into the crowd, crying out 1and saying, “Men, why are you doing these things? We are also men of the same nature as you, and preach the gospel to you that you should turn from these vain things to a living God, who made the heaven and the earth and the sea and all that is in them. In the generations gone by He permitted all the nations to go their own ways; and yet He did not leave Himself without witness, in that He did good and gave you rains from heaven and fruitful seasons, satisfying your hearts with food and gladness.” Even saying these things, with difficulty they restrained the crowds from offering sacrifice to them. Acts 14:11-18.
Paul and Barnabas wanted no glory or fame for themselves, they knew where the power was from and they had the great joy of setting this man free from the works of the devil so he could walk and live an independent and fruitful life of love. They loved Me and they loved to share My love. What they received as a gift they freely gave as a gift.
But Satan does not give up easily. He got some Jews from Antioch and Iconium to come down once they heard about the wonders going on there, and having won over the crowds, they stoned Paul and dragged him out of the city, supposing him to be dead. Paul had witnessed this once before with Stephen but this time he was the one being stoned. But contrary to Stephen asking Me to receive his spirit and bring him to Heaven, Paul was determined to stay on and rescue more people from the devil. So while the disciples stood around him, he got up and entered the city. He had learned about healing and he told you that he made sure to keep My Word so that he did not preach to others but himself not experience and obey what he preached. He could truly say, “Imitate me as I imitate Christ and the God of peace will be with you.”
The next day he went away with Barnabas to Derbe. After they had preached the gospel to that city and had made many disciples, they returned to Lystra and to Iconium and to Antioch, strengthening the souls of the disciples, encouraging them to continue in the faith, and saying, “Through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God.” Jesus had told you that, “These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.” John 16:33. And you have all it takes to be an overcomer as well. “Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 8:37-39.
And Paul, who I showed Heaven to in a vision, would also write, “For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.” Romans 8:18.
And as Paul and Barnabas continued their missionary journey, they appointed elders in every church, having prayed with fasting, they commended them to Jesus in whom they had believed. Then they passed through Pisidia and came into Pamphylia. When they had spoken the word in Perga, they went down to Attalia. From there they sailed to Antioch, from which they had been commended to My grace for the work that they had accomplished. The Holy Spirit had told them to go and they had followed wherever He led them. When they had arrived and gathered the church together, they began to report all things that I had done with them and how I had opened a door of faith to the Gentiles. And they spent a long time with the disciples. Acts 14:24-28. Mission accomplished and well done. My grace is sufficient for you in every circumstance. You can rest in that.
I love you. Obedience to My Word will make your life into Heaven on earth and open all the floodgates of Heaven. But Jesus already opened those it is obedience to My Word that opens your gate, with no holds barred, to receive every good thing and every perfect gift. A blessing you cannot contain. Overflow comes rushing in and My blessings chase you down. Obedience is the most beautiful way to live because it grows the tree of life in you and its fruit is sweet.