The Weapons of Our Warfare are Not Carnal

“The weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds.”—II Cor. 10:4.

In this chapter Paul is defending his apostleship. In order to understand what he said in this verse, you have to understand that people had said, ‘Well, this Paul is not a very imposing looking man. In fact, his speech is not very powerful. His letters are weighty and strong; but his presence is weak, and his voice is not so good.’ Paul is writing to them and saying, in defense of his apostleship, “The weapons of our warfare are not carnal.”

Notice four things that are most thought-provoking in this text.
 

I. There Is a War Going On

A lot of folks don’t seem to know that to be a Christian is to engage in a warfare. And the Bible describes that warfare. When Paul wrote to a young preacher named Timothy, he said, “This charge I commit unto thee, son Timothy… that thou by them mightest war a good warfare” (I Tim. 1:18). He was saying, “Young preacher, you are in a battle, in a warfare, and it is not going to be any picnic.” Paul wrote to this same young preacher, “Endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ” (II Tim. 2:3).

Now what are soldiers for? Soldiers are not just to be on parade. They are to carry a gun and fight. Soldiers are to engage in a warfare. Many of the Lord’s people don’t know that they are in a warfare. 

First, I read a verse that just absolutely amazes me. Revelation 12:7 says, “There was war in heaven.” We think about Heaven as a place of peace, but God talks about a war there.

Now doesn’t it stand to reason that on this earth Christians are going to be engaged in a warfare? Paul was always conscious of this warfare. At the end of his life’s journey, he said, “I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith” (II Tim. 4:7).

Notice Ephesians, chapter 6, verse 11: “Put on the whole armour of God….”

God says to every Christian, ‘Put on the armor.’ Why an armor? Because you are a soldier. Why armor? Because you are in a battle. A spiritual war is going on, God says. So, “Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.”

Now what I want you to see is verse 12: “For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.” This is not a battle against people. This is not a battle against mere human beings. We are in a warfare against supernatural forces. Do you feel that conflict? Do you realize you are in a spiritual conflict, a great agelong struggle?

What is it all about? It is about who shall have the supremacy, Christ or Satan. It is a struggle for the souls of men. It is a battle to keep people out of Hell. It is a struggle to get people saved. It is a warfare, a conflict until the final finish. And every one of us is engaged in it. Do you realize that you are in a warfare?

Some great Christians have entered into this warfare and have been so close to God that they knew they were in a conflict. Thank God for men like Martin Luther who have been willing to go against the tide and against tradition and against common opinion and go against the way that many other people were going.

One day Martin Luther felt such great conflict going on in his room, and he was the only one in it, visibly. But he began to wrestle and struggle with the Devil. The Devil became so real and his power so strong that Luther picked up an inkwell, threw it at the Devil, and it splattered against the wall on the other side of the room. He realized he was in a spiritual warfare, in a great conflict. No wonder God used Martin Luther as a Christian.

The average Christian is not a soldier. He doesn’t have on any armor. He is not really engaged in a spiritual struggle. He is not fighting anything, not really standing for anything. If we don’t stand for something, we are apt to die for nothing! 

If this Bible makes anything clear, it is that God’s people are in a spiritual struggle against the forces of evil. And they are supernatural forces that operate in the realm of darkness, and we are to penetrate them with the light of Christianity. 

 

We are in a warfare. That ought to keep us from folding our hands and taking it easy. That ought to make us sit up and take notice. “Woe to them that are at ease in Zion” (Amos 6:1).

And while the Christian church and the people of God are taking it easy, the forces of evil are at work as never before. Communism, Catholicism, liberalism, ritualism, legalism and intellectualism are at work, while the church is taking it easy.

God help us to realize we are in a warfare, in a battle.

“The weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds.”

That leads me to this second truth.

II. We Have the Weapons

The Lord didn’t leave us without something to fight with. He says a Christian can be dressed up in an armor. When I read about the seven great implements of that armor, I find only one place that we are undefended, and that is right in the small of our back. You don’t need anything there if you are facing in the right direction. If you are not running, you don’t need to worry about getting hit in that place.

Oh, with the weapons the Lord has given us, we have the weapons to win. I am going to say something this morning that you won’t believe. This year, 1964, I have been a Christian nearly thirty-two years. I have just come to the conclusion that the weapons of our warfare are not physical. According to the Bible, some of the things Christians think are important in serving God don’t mean one thing.

For instance, I have heard some folks say, “Did you ever hear So-and-so preach? My, the personality! He had the people laughing all the time. Such wit!”

That hasn’t a thing in the world to do with it. Let me ask you something. What kind of personality do you think Martin Luther had? What kind of personality do you think the apostle Paul had? Why, most of his friends couldn’t stay around him too long. Oh, we think that personality has something to do with it.

Now watch this. I have heard folks say, “Oh, she is such a talented Christian!”

Talent hasn’t one thing to do with serving the Lord. It is not even mentioned in the Bible. Talent in the Bible means a piece of money. And talent, as we know it, is never referred to in the Word of God.

People say, “Oh, that Christian is such a capable Christian.”

That has nothing to do with it. I am amazed that some of the people in this church who do the most, do it with the least. Do you know why? The weapons of our warfare are not physical. They are mighty through God. Personality hasn’t one thing in this world to do with it. Good looks don’t have anything to do with it. The weapons of our warfare are not physical.

Let me give you a Bible illustration of it.

We read in chapter 17 of Exodus where the children of Israel were fighting against the Amalekites. They were the descendants of Amalek. It was an Amalekite who killed King Saul because he would not destroy the flesh. Amalekites in the Bible stand for the flesh and its power. The children of Israel, in chapter 17 of the Book of Exodus, are gathering against the Amalekites. Here is a great picture. Moses said to Joshua, the general of the army, “I want you to go down yonder in the valley and fight against those Amalekites. Slay them. God has said that the Amalekites must be destroyed—men, women and children. Destroy them from the face of the earth. They represent the flesh.”

Moses, yonder on the mountaintop, lifts his hands toward God. He has no sword. He does not touch an Amalekite. He is not actually engaged physically in the conflict. He reaches his hands toward God; and when he does, down yonder in the valley, Joshua and the children of Israel literally put to flight and slay the Amalekites.

When his hands grow tired, they fall down to his side. When they fall, the Amalekites begin to win. God says to Aaron on one side and Hur on the other, “Hold up the hands of Moses toward Heaven, because when his hands are lifted toward God, the children of Israel win; and when they are not lifted toward God, the children of Israel lose.”

The conflict was not being won by what went on in the valley but by what went on upon the mountaintop.The weapons of our warfare are not physical but spiritual. Many a Christian is trying to fight a spiritual battle with carnal, fleshly, worldly weapons. You are not going to win that way.

When there is a conflict between two Christians, a lot of people set about to win it with physical weapons. It is not done that way. And the church, in its conflict against the forces of evil, is not going to win with physical weapons.

You know, you can have the finest buildings in the world, you can have the most beautiful church in the world, but that will not win the battle. It is a spiritual battle. So, ‘the weapons of our warfare are not physical, but are mighty through God.’

What are they? The Lord has given us something to fight with. It is amazing, astounding, pathetic and pitiful how little the average Christian uses the weapons the Lord has given him to fight this warfare.

First of all, there is the Word of God. There is absolutely nothing in this world like it. Chapter 6 of Ephesians tells us that one of our weapons is “the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.” Can you imagine a fellow going off to fight and not having a sword? He is to have it in his heart, in his life and in his mind. But the average Christian does not use the weapon of the Word of God. 

 

When the Devil came to tempt Jesus in the wilderness, three times from one Old Testament book, Jesus said, “It is written.… It is written.…It is written.” And when Jesus met the Devil, He unsheathed His sword and fought the Devil with the Word of God.There is no other way for the Christian to fight. That is why I have said all these years that a Christian who does not have the habit of daily reading the Word of God for his own benefit is not going to be a strong Christian

Years ago I learned what I believe to be one of the greatest, if not the greatest, lessons I have ever learned. I was reading my Bible the first day of January many years ago in the old building that used to stand here. I was reading the First Psalm:“Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.  “But his delight is in the law of the Lord; and in his law doth he meditate day and night.“And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water.…”—Vss. 1–3. Listen! A tree planted by a river is an evergreen. It reaches its roots down into the moist soil, draws food from that soil, and stands strong by the riverbank.

“…that bringeth forth his fruit in his season [he is a fruit-bearing Christian]; his leaf also shall not wither [He doesn’t turn one color one day and another color the next. Now listen to this]; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.”

I almost said to myself, Am I reading it right? God said, ‘The Christian who delights himself in this Book, whatsoever he doeth—whatsoever he doeth—shall prosper.’

If you will make this Bible the Book of your life, ‘whatsoever you do shall prosper.’

I made a covenant with God. In that crucial, glorious hour in my life, locked in that little room, I said, “O God, if You will help me, I will make the Bible the Book of my life. I will read it every day of my life until I hear from Heaven.” And by God’s grace and help, I have done it.

Listen! God has given you the weapon of His Word. Get out that old Bible, open it up every day, and read it for yourself. If you don’t do it, you are a soldier without a sword. ‘The weapons of our warfare are not physical, but are mighty through God.’

What else has He given us?

We have the Holy Spirit as a weapon in this spiritual warfare.

Think of the power of the Holy Spirit. And every Christian has the Holy Spirit. We are so scared that someone is going to think we are a little bit Pentecostal. I am scared to death that they are not going to think that we are! I don’t like to see anyone give vent to the flesh and act the fool, and I want it to be real. But, friend, if you are a Christian, you have the Holy Spirit of God in you. Paul, writing to the church at Corinth, said: “What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?

“For ye are bought with a price.”—I  Cor. 6:19,20.

You are the dwelling place of the Holy Ghost. The Spirit of God dwells not in temples made with hands. He dwells in saved people. And think how powerful He is!

I would like to read Acts 2:2: “Suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind.” You know, nothing in the world will destroy as much as a rushing wind. It will lick the face of the earth up. That is what we need in our church, the power of the Holy Ghost. That is what we need in our lives, the power of the Holy Ghost.

We have the weapons, and they are mighty.
 

III. These Weapons Are Mighty Through God

The Word of God says, “Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.” Notice it is in “his might,” not our strength but His, thank God. Notice again, “Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the Lord of hosts” (Zech. 4:6).

These are not ordinary days. Our enemy is not an ordinary foe. Just ordinary human weapons will never win the victory. We have the same powerful weapons and the same mighty God today that Moses had when he won the victory from the whole Egyptian nation. David slew Goliath with a slingshot and a smooth pebble from the brook, but God’s power was in it all. I had rather have a slingshot and God than the mighty sword of Goliath and have to depend on the power of the flesh.

God’s weapons in this warfare are sufficient for every test. The mighty power of God can melt the hardest hearts of men. His power can overcome the awful Goliath of liberalism abroad in the land today. We need not quake and fear in the presence of the enemy. God’s Word says, “Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us” (Rom. 8:37).

Dear friends, we are “more than conquerors.” No foe can stand against the church of Jesus Christ if the church is appareled in the armor of the Lord and fighting with His weapons.

IV. We Have Guaranteed Victory

This is what I really love about our text this morning.  “The weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds.” God is guaranteeing that if you use His weapons, you will win. They are “mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds.” Use them, and things will fall before you, is what He is saying. They are mighty through God. I am so glad that victory is guaranteed.

We read in Revelation 12:11, “They overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony.” All through the Bible you see that guarantee. Before Jesus died, He said He would rise again. He guaranteed He would come forth in victory. God guarantees victory if you will use spiritual weapons.

I talked with a man yesterday who told me a tragic story of his life. He is separated from his family, and the story of his life has been one of drink and alcoholism. He looked at me and with trembling lips said, “I heard about your ministry, and I wanted to talk to you.” (He had called me, and I had gone to see him). Then he said to me, “Preacher, is there any way? Is there any hope? Is there any way out?”

I said, “Yes, thank God, I can tell you a way out. I can tell you of a hope that fits any human being in this world.”

We bowed our heads and went to God in prayer and talked about the Gospel and how to believe. That dear man said, “As best as I know how, I am going to turn my life over to God, trust Him and be saved.”

My friends, I don’t care what the circumstances are. You might have made an attempt at being a Christian before. You may be what we call a backslider. Or you might never have been saved. But I say to you, in Jesus Christ there is victory for you.

“The weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds.”—II Cor. 10:4.

by Dr. Tom Malone, Sr

Benefits of God with you – Best place for victory – Part 3

Then all the people of Israel, the whole army, went up and came to Bethel and wept. They sat there before the Lord and fasted that day until evening, and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before the Lord. Judges 20:26

Many people don't love themselves and hence they find it difficult to love others. Selfishness is not love. You may be selfish and overly ambitious, but you may not love yourself. You may love yourself and not even be selfish. This is a very wonderful truth. If you love yourself, you will not condemn others. You will be quick to forgive and adjust with others, because you want others to adjust with you. You are quick to forgive others, because you are quick to forgive yourself.

God doesn't want us to go judging others when we are living a miserably wicked life. Thats what the Israelites were doing. They want others to change while they never wanted to change. They thought that they have power backing and influence to help them, then why to change. The Israelites were depending on their man-power and skills to get them the victory. They said, "400,000 v/s 26,700, now its easy to win the battle. We don't need God to help. Why trouble God? We have all the strength so its ok even if we don't have to trouble God, we will fight our battles with our skills." Remember God is never troubled by what we ask, or if we constantly ask. Instead, He is happy, if we run to Him even with the smallest thing. Everytime we run to Him, He is happy. For God, no other thing in this world is more important than you. You are the First priority for God.

Many of us, depend on our skills and our contacts with influential people to see things through. Many of us also make money our strong support to see ourselves through. Its good if you know influential people, take their help if needed. But don't depend only on them. Bible says, "Horses are ready for the battle, but the victory belongs to God." When there is no one to help you in your situation then you are in the best place, because you will look to God for help. When there is no one to help you and you only have God with you, that is the best place, because your victory is sealed and there is 100% guarantee of victory. Don't be dejected or anxious, when you don't have anyone to help you, but God. Rejoice because you are surely going to be victorious. God bless you.

– Jimsen & Sneha

Benefits of God with you – Judging others – Part 2

Then all the people of Israel, the whole army, went up and came to Bethel and wept. They sat there before the Lord and fasted that day until evening, and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before the Lord. Judges 20:26

I was asking God, Lord the Benjamite's were wrong. "They had committed a great sin and they didn't want to get rid of it. Israelites were standing for you, then how come they were defeated twice?" Yes, you read it right. Israelites were defeated twice. First time they lost and their 22,000 soldiers were killed. Second time, 18,000 Israelites were killed. The bible says, "These people who were killed were not people who didn't know to fight, but, they were actually the strongest and skilled warriors.

Here, I realized, that the Israelites were going to pronounce judgement on others (tribe of Benjamin), while they themselves were living a wicked life. They themselves were under addictions and they themselves didn't live a life, honoring God. Thats why, God didn't go with them to fight their battle. If you are going to judge others, then you have to be clean yourself. You can't remove the speck from your brother's eyes when you have a log in your own eye. You will not be able to see clearly and be helpful. You will try to remove the speck, but the log of your eyes may prick him and trouble him. God going with you for your battle should be the most important thing for you. Otherwise the battle is lost even before you begin. God will be with you when you stop judging others and condemning them and treat with love.

During the time of Jesus, when the Pharisees, i.e. the people following the customs and traditions wanted to judge an adulterous woman, by stoning her to death, Jesus simply said, "If you have not sinned then you be the first to pick up the stone and kill this woman." Everyone left and the woman was saved. Here, I'm not supporting adultery, but I'm supporting people. Don't love sin, but love sinners. The reason is we all are sinners. Jesus taught us, "As a Human being, He loved everyone, so we should love everyone. God the Father is there to judge the people, and Holy Spirit is there to convict." We ought to stop judging and condemning others and ourselves and start loving others and even ourselves. God bless you.

– Jimsen & Sneha

Benefits of God with you – Part 1

Then all the people of Israel, the whole army, went up and came to Bethel and wept. They sat there before the Lord and fasted that day until evening, and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before the Lord. Judges 20:26

Here the Israelites are crying before the Lord about their second defeat. There is a reason for their crying. The 11 tribes of Israel 400,000 people were fighting against the people of Benjamin 26,700, that was only 1 tribe of Israel. 11 tribes against 1 was the battle against. There was a genuine reason for them to cry. The ratio is 15:1, means 15 Israelites fighting against 1 Benjamite and yet, the Israelites were defeated. Neither was I happy with the defeat of the Israelites. I was questioning, "How is this possible?" That time God spoke to me, the battle is not of the strong, and the race is not to the swift, but everything belongs to God. On whose side God is that person will win.

Remember this, and fix it in your mind and your life, you might be alone, but if you have God with you, you will end up winning. Thats God's guarantee. It doesn't depend on the number of people backing you, it doesn't depend on the number of skilled people backing you, it doesn't depend on the anointed people backing you up. It will help sometimes. It is good to be friendly and have friends. But if you are going to boast and depend on these people, giving them the most important place in your life and giving God the last place, then you are not going to always have victory. You may get sometimes. But if you want victory always, then you will have to depend on God and give God the importance. You have to boast about God's work and give glory to Him. God bless you.

– Jimsen & Sneha

Laminated to God

Have you ever wished you had a strong, caring friend to help you, one who would join his strength with yours, making up the difference where you are weak? Well, I have good news. God is that friend. He has the strength you need, and He is looking for an opportunity to be a vital part of your daily life.

The Bible says, "The eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward him" (II Chronicles 16:9). The word translated perfect there doesn't mean without a flaw. It simply means "faithful, loyal, dedicated and devoted."

So eager is God to find that person to whom He can show Himself strong that He will pass over a million people to find that one who is loyal to Him. He scans the earth looking for a person who will put Him first and let Him be God in their life.

For 4,000 years mankind was locked out of the presence of God by sin. But when Jesus went to the cross, all that changed. Jesus' sacrifice restored man's lost fellowship with God. Now as born-again believers, we "have full freedom and confidence to enter into the [Holy of] Holies [by the power and virtue] in the blood of Jesus" (Hebrews 10:19, The Amplified Bible). In effect, God has thrown open to us the door of fellowship.

Think of what that means. The Creator and Ruler of the entire universe has made Himself available to meet personally with you every day. You can commune with Him any time of the day or night.
"I'm here for you," He is saying. "Just draw near to Me and I'll draw near to you. I'll give you the wisdom you need. I'll strengthen and equip you and help you in every area of your life."

Although He has the solution for every problem, He won't chase you down to get your attention so He can give you those solutions. No, He will wait for you to do your part. What is your part? To draw near to Him. If you'll do that, He'll draw near to you in return. He gave us His Word on it (James 4:8).
The moment you turn to Him, He'll be there for you. But don't wait until hard times come to turn to Him. Develop a lifestyle of living contact.

Making living contact with God is simply fellowshiping with Him. It's talking to Him and listening to Him. It's setting aside the distractions and demands of life and taking time to commune with Him in His Word and in prayer. It's having fellowship with the Lord daily when things are going well so that when trouble comes, you'll be spiritually strong enough to overcome.

Jesus said in the world we will have tribulation (John 16:33). It doesn't matter who we are or how rich or well-educated, or even how much faith we have. In this life we will face some tests and trials. The difference is that when a Bible-believing, Spirit-filled child of God faces trouble, he doesn't face it alone.

God says, "I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him, and honour him" (Psalms 91:15). That's important. In time of trouble, Who is with you makes a big difference. If your only help is your own natural strength and resources, you might come out of that trouble all right...and you might not. But if God is with you, you can be sure you'll come through just fine.

Jesus, our Champion and Savior, said, "I have overcome the world." When we stay in vital union with Him, we can have victory in the time of trouble.

Abide in the Vine

So, what does it mean to have a living connection with God? Jesus brought the reality and importance of our relationship with Him into clear focus when He said, "Abide in me..I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing" (John 15:4-5).

When Jesus said, "Abide in me," He wasn't saying, "Live in fellowship with Me one day and the world the next." He wasn't talking about a sporadic or temporary arrangement. The word abide refers to the place where you "remain and dwell continually." Jesus was instructing us to make that place of dependency and communion with Him our permanent home because that's where we bear fruit.
Maintaining a living connection with God supplies the power that enables us to lay hold of all the wonderful things He has provided for us through Jesus Christ. We may know all the right scriptures, but if we fail to stay in union with God, we won't be spiritually strong enough to do what we know to do!

It's amazing how many Christians don't realize that. They rush around trying to do things in their own strength. But because they don't maintain a living connection with God, they end up tired, frustrated and defeated.

The Bible plainly shows that we are not to rely on our own abilities. Ephesians 6:10 encourages us to ".be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might." And Philippians 4:13 says, "I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me."

One of the best pictures of what this will do for us is what we see when wood strips are laminated together for strength. Just as the beams in a house are made stronger by laminating several layers of wood together, your ultimate strength comes from living in vital contact with God-abiding in the Vine. No longer are you dependent on your strength alone. You are laminated to Almighty God!

Keep the Union

I Corinthians 6:17 says, "The person who is united to the Lord becomes one spirit with Him" (The Amplified Bible). The word united used there (or joined in the King James Version) means "laminated." It refers to something glued so tightly together that it becomes like one substance.
As we begin to spend time with the Lord, we begin to think like He thinks. We begin to act like He acts. We begin to hear from heaven moment by moment so that we can walk out the perfect will of God for our lives every day.

Once we understand the divine power that comes to us as we abide in Jesus, it is easy to see that if we want to live a victorious life, we must first and foremost maintain our union and communion with Him. That is without question our most important responsibility.
If we'll maintain that union, He'll take care of everything else.

Unfortunately, however, many Christians do just the opposite. They become so busy maintaining the other things in their lives that they don't have time to spend with God. They spend their lives maintaining their houses and their lawns, their cars and their jobs. They even find time to maintain their hair and their fingernails. Yet they neglect the one thing that is vital to their life and well-being. They neglect their union with God.

Often they don't even realize it. They think that because they love the Lord and believe His Word, their union with Him is intact. But that's not necessarily so.

To be in union means to be joined together with something or someone. It's the act or instance of joining two or more things into one. Romans 7:4 likens our union with God to marriage. It says we've been married to Him.

Our goal is to become so in tune with Him that when He tells us to do something, we hear Him and obey. We should aim to be so closely joined to Him that the desires of our heart, the thoughts of our mind, the words of our mouth and our every action become a reflection of the One with Whom we are united.

That is God's desire too. If He is to carry out His will in the earth, He must have people who will join themselves with Him in that way. As Rufus Moseley wrote, "God has to have branches of the same texture as Himself, the same sap, the same mind, the same spirit, before He can bring forth in fullness what He wants to bring forth....(So) keep the union. Put Him first and keep your mind stayed on Him in union and in love."

Perfect Union = Perfect Peace

How do you keep your mind stayed on God? By giving Him your attention. By putting His Word first place every day and focusing on it until it is the biggest thing in your life. The Living Bible says it this way: "Since you became alive again, so to speak, when Christ arose from the dead, now set your sights on the rich treasures and joys of heaven where he sits beside God in the place of honor and power. Let heaven fill your thoughts..."(Colossians 3:1-2).

Spiritually speaking, when you received Jesus as your Lord, you died to this world and became alive to God. So you should have as little desire for this world as a dead person does!

You don't have to spend your time worrying about worldly concerns. Instead, spend your time listening to what God has to say and keep your mind focused on Him. Isaiah 26:3 says, "Thou [God] wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee...." Jesus confirmed that when He said, "Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid" (John 14:27).

If you keep your mind on the world and stay in union with it, you won't have any peace. That's because the world doesn't have any peace. If you give the majority of your time and attention to worldly matters and secular entertainment, you will be carnally minded, and the Bible says, "To be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace" (Romans 8:6).

In other words, if you think like the world thinks, you'll receive the same results the world does. And instead of enjoying the healing power of God, you'll suffer with the sicknesses of the world. Instead of laying hold of heavenly prosperity, the depression, recession and poverty of the world will lay hold of you! You won't be full of good news, you'll be full of bad news.

Contact with the wrong thing gives you the wrong results, and there are plenty of opportunities to be in contact with the world's way of thinking. In the United States, it's possible to watch the news 24 hours a day. (It can be a terrible curse, but you can do it.) You can turn on the television any time of the day or night and hear about all the things the devil is doing.

"Well, Gloria," you say, "we can't stick our heads in the sand. We have to face the facts."
I'm not suggesting we stick our heads in the sand. I'm suggesting we keep them in the Word!
I am also suggesting that sometimes the news doesn't give us the facts. I watch the news, but I am aware of what I believe from the world's voice. And I keep God's voice as my authority.
Several years ago, for example, the media announced that the United States' economy was in recession. For about a year and a half, they talked about the recession. News of the recession influenced the elections that year. It influenced everything that happened because the media constantly broadcast it.

Sometime later a statistical report came out that revealed the recession had actually lasted only a few months. Why, then, had the news media kept on reporting about it? Because they didn't know it had ended. They were in the dark so they kept screaming, "Recession! Recession!" even though the recession had been over for more than a year.

Thank heaven that recession never got off the ground with us. When news of it first came out, the Lord spoke to Ken and said, Write your Partners and tell them not to join the recession. So we obeyed God and didn't get in on that recession. We just let it pass us by.

That may sound strange to you, but as citizens of heaven, you and I can do that kind of thing. If we stay in union with God, we don't have to be dependent on this world's economy. We can be connected to heaven's economy, and there's no recession, depression or inflation there. In God's economy there's no shortage or lack of any kind. He is our shepherd, we shall not want (Psalms 23:1)!

If you unite with the world's voice, you'll always be in trouble because the world is always in trouble. But if you'll spend your time listening to what God says and maintain your union with Him-if you'll keep your mind stayed on the Word of God no matter what the news media says, and no matter what the circumstances say-God will deliver you from any trouble.

The Lord told my friend Lynne Hammond, If you'll give Me enough time (meaning spend enough time with Me), I can turn anything around for you. He'll meet your needs, not according to the government, not according to what happens in this natural economy, but according to His riches in glory!

The circumstances on this earth don't bother God. He's not bound by them or limited to them. He can prosper you any time, anywhere and in any way He wants.
God knows how to prosper people even when they're in slavery! Read the book of Exodus and you can see that for yourself. When He brought the Israelites out of slavery in Egypt, He brought them out with silver and gold. The Bible says they plundered the Egyptians because the Egyptians loaded them with treasure and sent them out of the country as rich people!

You're Connected!

It doesn't matter how bad things become out there in the world. You aren't in the world without a Savior! You are "connected to Christ, the Head to which all of us who are his body are joined" (Colossians 2:19, The Living Bible).

When someone has friends in high places, we sometimes say, "He's connected." Well if you're maintaining living contact with God, you're connected! You're connected with the highest ruler and authority in existence. You have a connection with the power above every other power, and you need to maintain an awareness of that connection. You ought to think about it all through the day.
If you'll do that, then the faith and power of God will rise up within you to deal with whatever comes your way. Even if it's danger of the worst kind, you'll be ready.

One of our Partners proved that fact in her own life a few years ago. She was traveling on a bus in a major city she was visiting, and some men aboard that bus began to rob people. They were going from one person to the next taking money, jewelry and other valuables.

But this lady had been maintaining her union with the Lord. She was strong on the inside and had His power flowing through her. So when the thieves came to her, something happened. Instead of cowering in fear and handing over her possessions, she looked those men straight in the eye and said, "In the Name of Jesus, you take your hands off me!"

Suddenly it didn't matter that those men were armed. It didn't matter that they were much bigger than she was. Whatever happened in the spirit realm when she spoke those faith words scared those men so badly, they not only left her alone-they ran off that bus!

You may be a 100-pound woman or a 250-pound man. Your physical stature is irrelevant. When you're connected to Jesus, you're unbeatable. If you'll maintain a living connection with Him, whatever you do, wherever you go, the power of God will be just one breath away.

Let's face it, we're living in the last of the last days. It's a day when you may need that power at any moment. Because there is danger all around us. When that danger strikes, we may not have time to go find our Bible and look up a scripture about protection. We need to have the Word in our heart. We need to have it dwelling in us so richly that it comes up from within us before we even have time to think.

In times of crisis, your mind usually goes blank, and whatever is in your heart comes out. If you've been fellowshiping with the world, fear will come out. But if you've been fellowshiping with God, faith will be your first response.

You need the ability to stay strong and steady both in your everyday life and when challenges arise. The good news is: When you are joined or laminated to God, that living connection will make all the difference. Instead of depending on yourself, you can truly say, "I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me!"

Laminated to God

Have you ever wished you had a strong, caring friend to help you, one who would join his strength with yours, making up the difference where you are weak? Well, I have good news. God is that friend. He has the strength you need, and He is looking for an opportunity to be a vital part of your daily life.

The Bible says, "The eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward him" (II Chronicles 16:9). The word translated perfect there doesn't mean without a flaw. It simply means "faithful, loyal, dedicated and devoted."

So eager is God to find that person to whom He can show Himself strong that He will pass over a million people to find that one who is loyal to Him. He scans the earth looking for a person who will put Him first and let Him be God in their life.

For 4,000 years mankind was locked out of the presence of God by sin. But when Jesus went to the cross, all that changed. Jesus' sacrifice restored man's lost fellowship with God. Now as born-again believers, we "have full freedom and confidence to enter into the [Holy of] Holies [by the power and virtue] in the blood of Jesus" (Hebrews 10:19, The Amplified Bible). In effect, God has thrown open to us the door of fellowship.

Think of what that means. The Creator and Ruler of the entire universe has made Himself available to meet personally with you every day. You can commune with Him any time of the day or night.
"I'm here for you," He is saying. "Just draw near to Me and I'll draw near to you. I'll give you the wisdom you need. I'll strengthen and equip you and help you in every area of your life."

Although He has the solution for every problem, He won't chase you down to get your attention so He can give you those solutions. No, He will wait for you to do your part. What is your part? To draw near to Him. If you'll do that, He'll draw near to you in return. He gave us His Word on it (James 4:8).
The moment you turn to Him, He'll be there for you. But don't wait until hard times come to turn to Him. Develop a lifestyle of living contact.

Making living contact with God is simply fellowshiping with Him. It's talking to Him and listening to Him. It's setting aside the distractions and demands of life and taking time to commune with Him in His Word and in prayer. It's having fellowship with the Lord daily when things are going well so that when trouble comes, you'll be spiritually strong enough to overcome.

Jesus said in the world we will have tribulation (John 16:33). It doesn't matter who we are or how rich or well-educated, or even how much faith we have. In this life we will face some tests and trials. The difference is that when a Bible-believing, Spirit-filled child of God faces trouble, he doesn't face it alone.

God says, "I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him, and honour him" (Psalms 91:15). That's important. In time of trouble, Who is with you makes a big difference. If your only help is your own natural strength and resources, you might come out of that trouble all right...and you might not. But if God is with you, you can be sure you'll come through just fine.

Jesus, our Champion and Savior, said, "I have overcome the world." When we stay in vital union with Him, we can have victory in the time of trouble.

Abide in the Vine

So, what does it mean to have a living connection with God? Jesus brought the reality and importance of our relationship with Him into clear focus when He said, "Abide in me..I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing" (John 15:4-5).

When Jesus said, "Abide in me," He wasn't saying, "Live in fellowship with Me one day and the world the next." He wasn't talking about a sporadic or temporary arrangement. The word abide refers to the place where you "remain and dwell continually." Jesus was instructing us to make that place of dependency and communion with Him our permanent home because that's where we bear fruit.
Maintaining a living connection with God supplies the power that enables us to lay hold of all the wonderful things He has provided for us through Jesus Christ. We may know all the right scriptures, but if we fail to stay in union with God, we won't be spiritually strong enough to do what we know to do!

It's amazing how many Christians don't realize that. They rush around trying to do things in their own strength. But because they don't maintain a living connection with God, they end up tired, frustrated and defeated.

The Bible plainly shows that we are not to rely on our own abilities. Ephesians 6:10 encourages us to ".be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might." And Philippians 4:13 says, "I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me."

One of the best pictures of what this will do for us is what we see when wood strips are laminated together for strength. Just as the beams in a house are made stronger by laminating several layers of wood together, your ultimate strength comes from living in vital contact with God-abiding in the Vine. No longer are you dependent on your strength alone. You are laminated to Almighty God!

Keep the Union

I Corinthians 6:17 says, "The person who is united to the Lord becomes one spirit with Him" (The Amplified Bible). The word united used there (or joined in the King James Version) means "laminated." It refers to something glued so tightly together that it becomes like one substance.
As we begin to spend time with the Lord, we begin to think like He thinks. We begin to act like He acts. We begin to hear from heaven moment by moment so that we can walk out the perfect will of God for our lives every day.

Once we understand the divine power that comes to us as we abide in Jesus, it is easy to see that if we want to live a victorious life, we must first and foremost maintain our union and communion with Him. That is without question our most important responsibility.
If we'll maintain that union, He'll take care of everything else.

Unfortunately, however, many Christians do just the opposite. They become so busy maintaining the other things in their lives that they don't have time to spend with God. They spend their lives maintaining their houses and their lawns, their cars and their jobs. They even find time to maintain their hair and their fingernails. Yet they neglect the one thing that is vital to their life and well-being. They neglect their union with God.

Often they don't even realize it. They think that because they love the Lord and believe His Word, their union with Him is intact. But that's not necessarily so.

To be in union means to be joined together with something or someone. It's the act or instance of joining two or more things into one. Romans 7:4 likens our union with God to marriage. It says we've been married to Him.

Our goal is to become so in tune with Him that when He tells us to do something, we hear Him and obey. We should aim to be so closely joined to Him that the desires of our heart, the thoughts of our mind, the words of our mouth and our every action become a reflection of the One with Whom we are united.

That is God's desire too. If He is to carry out His will in the earth, He must have people who will join themselves with Him in that way. As Rufus Moseley wrote, "God has to have branches of the same texture as Himself, the same sap, the same mind, the same spirit, before He can bring forth in fullness what He wants to bring forth....(So) keep the union. Put Him first and keep your mind stayed on Him in union and in love."

Perfect Union = Perfect Peace

How do you keep your mind stayed on God? By giving Him your attention. By putting His Word first place every day and focusing on it until it is the biggest thing in your life. The Living Bible says it this way: "Since you became alive again, so to speak, when Christ arose from the dead, now set your sights on the rich treasures and joys of heaven where he sits beside God in the place of honor and power. Let heaven fill your thoughts..."(Colossians 3:1-2).

Spiritually speaking, when you received Jesus as your Lord, you died to this world and became alive to God. So you should have as little desire for this world as a dead person does!

You don't have to spend your time worrying about worldly concerns. Instead, spend your time listening to what God has to say and keep your mind focused on Him. Isaiah 26:3 says, "Thou [God] wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee...." Jesus confirmed that when He said, "Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid" (John 14:27).

If you keep your mind on the world and stay in union with it, you won't have any peace. That's because the world doesn't have any peace. If you give the majority of your time and attention to worldly matters and secular entertainment, you will be carnally minded, and the Bible says, "To be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace" (Romans 8:6).

In other words, if you think like the world thinks, you'll receive the same results the world does. And instead of enjoying the healing power of God, you'll suffer with the sicknesses of the world. Instead of laying hold of heavenly prosperity, the depression, recession and poverty of the world will lay hold of you! You won't be full of good news, you'll be full of bad news.

Contact with the wrong thing gives you the wrong results, and there are plenty of opportunities to be in contact with the world's way of thinking. In the United States, it's possible to watch the news 24 hours a day. (It can be a terrible curse, but you can do it.) You can turn on the television any time of the day or night and hear about all the things the devil is doing.

"Well, Gloria," you say, "we can't stick our heads in the sand. We have to face the facts."
I'm not suggesting we stick our heads in the sand. I'm suggesting we keep them in the Word!
I am also suggesting that sometimes the news doesn't give us the facts. I watch the news, but I am aware of what I believe from the world's voice. And I keep God's voice as my authority.
Several years ago, for example, the media announced that the United States' economy was in recession. For about a year and a half, they talked about the recession. News of the recession influenced the elections that year. It influenced everything that happened because the media constantly broadcast it.

Sometime later a statistical report came out that revealed the recession had actually lasted only a few months. Why, then, had the news media kept on reporting about it? Because they didn't know it had ended. They were in the dark so they kept screaming, "Recession! Recession!" even though the recession had been over for more than a year.

Thank heaven that recession never got off the ground with us. When news of it first came out, the Lord spoke to Ken and said, Write your Partners and tell them not to join the recession. So we obeyed God and didn't get in on that recession. We just let it pass us by.

That may sound strange to you, but as citizens of heaven, you and I can do that kind of thing. If we stay in union with God, we don't have to be dependent on this world's economy. We can be connected to heaven's economy, and there's no recession, depression or inflation there. In God's economy there's no shortage or lack of any kind. He is our shepherd, we shall not want (Psalms 23:1)!

If you unite with the world's voice, you'll always be in trouble because the world is always in trouble. But if you'll spend your time listening to what God says and maintain your union with Him-if you'll keep your mind stayed on the Word of God no matter what the news media says, and no matter what the circumstances say-God will deliver you from any trouble.

The Lord told my friend Lynne Hammond, If you'll give Me enough time (meaning spend enough time with Me), I can turn anything around for you. He'll meet your needs, not according to the government, not according to what happens in this natural economy, but according to His riches in glory!

The circumstances on this earth don't bother God. He's not bound by them or limited to them. He can prosper you any time, anywhere and in any way He wants.
God knows how to prosper people even when they're in slavery! Read the book of Exodus and you can see that for yourself. When He brought the Israelites out of slavery in Egypt, He brought them out with silver and gold. The Bible says they plundered the Egyptians because the Egyptians loaded them with treasure and sent them out of the country as rich people!

You're Connected!

It doesn't matter how bad things become out there in the world. You aren't in the world without a Savior! You are "connected to Christ, the Head to which all of us who are his body are joined" (Colossians 2:19, The Living Bible).

When someone has friends in high places, we sometimes say, "He's connected." Well if you're maintaining living contact with God, you're connected! You're connected with the highest ruler and authority in existence. You have a connection with the power above every other power, and you need to maintain an awareness of that connection. You ought to think about it all through the day.
If you'll do that, then the faith and power of God will rise up within you to deal with whatever comes your way. Even if it's danger of the worst kind, you'll be ready.

One of our Partners proved that fact in her own life a few years ago. She was traveling on a bus in a major city she was visiting, and some men aboard that bus began to rob people. They were going from one person to the next taking money, jewelry and other valuables.

But this lady had been maintaining her union with the Lord. She was strong on the inside and had His power flowing through her. So when the thieves came to her, something happened. Instead of cowering in fear and handing over her possessions, she looked those men straight in the eye and said, "In the Name of Jesus, you take your hands off me!"

Suddenly it didn't matter that those men were armed. It didn't matter that they were much bigger than she was. Whatever happened in the spirit realm when she spoke those faith words scared those men so badly, they not only left her alone-they ran off that bus!

You may be a 100-pound woman or a 250-pound man. Your physical stature is irrelevant. When you're connected to Jesus, you're unbeatable. If you'll maintain a living connection with Him, whatever you do, wherever you go, the power of God will be just one breath away.

Let's face it, we're living in the last of the last days. It's a day when you may need that power at any moment. Because there is danger all around us. When that danger strikes, we may not have time to go find our Bible and look up a scripture about protection. We need to have the Word in our heart. We need to have it dwelling in us so richly that it comes up from within us before we even have time to think.

In times of crisis, your mind usually goes blank, and whatever is in your heart comes out. If you've been fellowshiping with the world, fear will come out. But if you've been fellowshiping with God, faith will be your first response.

You need the ability to stay strong and steady both in your everyday life and when challenges arise. The good news is: When you are joined or laminated to God, that living connection will make all the difference. Instead of depending on yourself, you can truly say, "I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me!"

Laminated to God

Have you ever wished you had a strong, caring friend to help you, one who would join his strength with yours, making up the difference where you are weak? Well, I have good news. God is that friend. He has the strength you need, and He is looking for an opportunity to be a vital part of your daily life.

The Bible says, "The eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward him" (II Chronicles 16:9). The word translated perfect there doesn't mean without a flaw. It simply means "faithful, loyal, dedicated and devoted."

So eager is God to find that person to whom He can show Himself strong that He will pass over a million people to find that one who is loyal to Him. He scans the earth looking for a person who will put Him first and let Him be God in their life.

For 4,000 years mankind was locked out of the presence of God by sin. But when Jesus went to the cross, all that changed. Jesus' sacrifice restored man's lost fellowship with God. Now as born-again believers, we "have full freedom and confidence to enter into the [Holy of] Holies [by the power and virtue] in the blood of Jesus" (Hebrews 10:19, The Amplified Bible). In effect, God has thrown open to us the door of fellowship.

Think of what that means. The Creator and Ruler of the entire universe has made Himself available to meet personally with you every day. You can commune with Him any time of the day or night.
"I'm here for you," He is saying. "Just draw near to Me and I'll draw near to you. I'll give you the wisdom you need. I'll strengthen and equip you and help you in every area of your life."

Although He has the solution for every problem, He won't chase you down to get your attention so He can give you those solutions. No, He will wait for you to do your part. What is your part? To draw near to Him. If you'll do that, He'll draw near to you in return. He gave us His Word on it (James 4:8).
The moment you turn to Him, He'll be there for you. But don't wait until hard times come to turn to Him. Develop a lifestyle of living contact.

Making living contact with God is simply fellowshiping with Him. It's talking to Him and listening to Him. It's setting aside the distractions and demands of life and taking time to commune with Him in His Word and in prayer. It's having fellowship with the Lord daily when things are going well so that when trouble comes, you'll be spiritually strong enough to overcome.

Jesus said in the world we will have tribulation (John 16:33). It doesn't matter who we are or how rich or well-educated, or even how much faith we have. In this life we will face some tests and trials. The difference is that when a Bible-believing, Spirit-filled child of God faces trouble, he doesn't face it alone.

God says, "I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him, and honour him" (Psalms 91:15). That's important. In time of trouble, Who is with you makes a big difference. If your only help is your own natural strength and resources, you might come out of that trouble all right...and you might not. But if God is with you, you can be sure you'll come through just fine.

Jesus, our Champion and Savior, said, "I have overcome the world." When we stay in vital union with Him, we can have victory in the time of trouble.

Abide in the Vine

So, what does it mean to have a living connection with God? Jesus brought the reality and importance of our relationship with Him into clear focus when He said, "Abide in me..I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing" (John 15:4-5).

When Jesus said, "Abide in me," He wasn't saying, "Live in fellowship with Me one day and the world the next." He wasn't talking about a sporadic or temporary arrangement. The word abide refers to the place where you "remain and dwell continually." Jesus was instructing us to make that place of dependency and communion with Him our permanent home because that's where we bear fruit.
Maintaining a living connection with God supplies the power that enables us to lay hold of all the wonderful things He has provided for us through Jesus Christ. We may know all the right scriptures, but if we fail to stay in union with God, we won't be spiritually strong enough to do what we know to do!

It's amazing how many Christians don't realize that. They rush around trying to do things in their own strength. But because they don't maintain a living connection with God, they end up tired, frustrated and defeated.

The Bible plainly shows that we are not to rely on our own abilities. Ephesians 6:10 encourages us to ".be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might." And Philippians 4:13 says, "I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me."

One of the best pictures of what this will do for us is what we see when wood strips are laminated together for strength. Just as the beams in a house are made stronger by laminating several layers of wood together, your ultimate strength comes from living in vital contact with God-abiding in the Vine. No longer are you dependent on your strength alone. You are laminated to Almighty God!

Keep the Union

I Corinthians 6:17 says, "The person who is united to the Lord becomes one spirit with Him" (The Amplified Bible). The word united used there (or joined in the King James Version) means "laminated." It refers to something glued so tightly together that it becomes like one substance.
As we begin to spend time with the Lord, we begin to think like He thinks. We begin to act like He acts. We begin to hear from heaven moment by moment so that we can walk out the perfect will of God for our lives every day.

Once we understand the divine power that comes to us as we abide in Jesus, it is easy to see that if we want to live a victorious life, we must first and foremost maintain our union and communion with Him. That is without question our most important responsibility.
If we'll maintain that union, He'll take care of everything else.

Unfortunately, however, many Christians do just the opposite. They become so busy maintaining the other things in their lives that they don't have time to spend with God. They spend their lives maintaining their houses and their lawns, their cars and their jobs. They even find time to maintain their hair and their fingernails. Yet they neglect the one thing that is vital to their life and well-being. They neglect their union with God.

Often they don't even realize it. They think that because they love the Lord and believe His Word, their union with Him is intact. But that's not necessarily so.

To be in union means to be joined together with something or someone. It's the act or instance of joining two or more things into one. Romans 7:4 likens our union with God to marriage. It says we've been married to Him.

Our goal is to become so in tune with Him that when He tells us to do something, we hear Him and obey. We should aim to be so closely joined to Him that the desires of our heart, the thoughts of our mind, the words of our mouth and our every action become a reflection of the One with Whom we are united.

That is God's desire too. If He is to carry out His will in the earth, He must have people who will join themselves with Him in that way. As Rufus Moseley wrote, "God has to have branches of the same texture as Himself, the same sap, the same mind, the same spirit, before He can bring forth in fullness what He wants to bring forth....(So) keep the union. Put Him first and keep your mind stayed on Him in union and in love."

Perfect Union = Perfect Peace

How do you keep your mind stayed on God? By giving Him your attention. By putting His Word first place every day and focusing on it until it is the biggest thing in your life. The Living Bible says it this way: "Since you became alive again, so to speak, when Christ arose from the dead, now set your sights on the rich treasures and joys of heaven where he sits beside God in the place of honor and power. Let heaven fill your thoughts..."(Colossians 3:1-2).

Spiritually speaking, when you received Jesus as your Lord, you died to this world and became alive to God. So you should have as little desire for this world as a dead person does!

You don't have to spend your time worrying about worldly concerns. Instead, spend your time listening to what God has to say and keep your mind focused on Him. Isaiah 26:3 says, "Thou [God] wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee...." Jesus confirmed that when He said, "Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid" (John 14:27).

If you keep your mind on the world and stay in union with it, you won't have any peace. That's because the world doesn't have any peace. If you give the majority of your time and attention to worldly matters and secular entertainment, you will be carnally minded, and the Bible says, "To be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace" (Romans 8:6).

In other words, if you think like the world thinks, you'll receive the same results the world does. And instead of enjoying the healing power of God, you'll suffer with the sicknesses of the world. Instead of laying hold of heavenly prosperity, the depression, recession and poverty of the world will lay hold of you! You won't be full of good news, you'll be full of bad news.

Contact with the wrong thing gives you the wrong results, and there are plenty of opportunities to be in contact with the world's way of thinking. In the United States, it's possible to watch the news 24 hours a day. (It can be a terrible curse, but you can do it.) You can turn on the television any time of the day or night and hear about all the things the devil is doing.

"Well, Gloria," you say, "we can't stick our heads in the sand. We have to face the facts."
I'm not suggesting we stick our heads in the sand. I'm suggesting we keep them in the Word!
I am also suggesting that sometimes the news doesn't give us the facts. I watch the news, but I am aware of what I believe from the world's voice. And I keep God's voice as my authority.
Several years ago, for example, the media announced that the United States' economy was in recession. For about a year and a half, they talked about the recession. News of the recession influenced the elections that year. It influenced everything that happened because the media constantly broadcast it.

Sometime later a statistical report came out that revealed the recession had actually lasted only a few months. Why, then, had the news media kept on reporting about it? Because they didn't know it had ended. They were in the dark so they kept screaming, "Recession! Recession!" even though the recession had been over for more than a year.

Thank heaven that recession never got off the ground with us. When news of it first came out, the Lord spoke to Ken and said, Write your Partners and tell them not to join the recession. So we obeyed God and didn't get in on that recession. We just let it pass us by.

That may sound strange to you, but as citizens of heaven, you and I can do that kind of thing. If we stay in union with God, we don't have to be dependent on this world's economy. We can be connected to heaven's economy, and there's no recession, depression or inflation there. In God's economy there's no shortage or lack of any kind. He is our shepherd, we shall not want (Psalms 23:1)!

If you unite with the world's voice, you'll always be in trouble because the world is always in trouble. But if you'll spend your time listening to what God says and maintain your union with Him-if you'll keep your mind stayed on the Word of God no matter what the news media says, and no matter what the circumstances say-God will deliver you from any trouble.

The Lord told my friend Lynne Hammond, If you'll give Me enough time (meaning spend enough time with Me), I can turn anything around for you. He'll meet your needs, not according to the government, not according to what happens in this natural economy, but according to His riches in glory!

The circumstances on this earth don't bother God. He's not bound by them or limited to them. He can prosper you any time, anywhere and in any way He wants.
God knows how to prosper people even when they're in slavery! Read the book of Exodus and you can see that for yourself. When He brought the Israelites out of slavery in Egypt, He brought them out with silver and gold. The Bible says they plundered the Egyptians because the Egyptians loaded them with treasure and sent them out of the country as rich people!

You're Connected!

It doesn't matter how bad things become out there in the world. You aren't in the world without a Savior! You are "connected to Christ, the Head to which all of us who are his body are joined" (Colossians 2:19, The Living Bible).

When someone has friends in high places, we sometimes say, "He's connected." Well if you're maintaining living contact with God, you're connected! You're connected with the highest ruler and authority in existence. You have a connection with the power above every other power, and you need to maintain an awareness of that connection. You ought to think about it all through the day.
If you'll do that, then the faith and power of God will rise up within you to deal with whatever comes your way. Even if it's danger of the worst kind, you'll be ready.

One of our Partners proved that fact in her own life a few years ago. She was traveling on a bus in a major city she was visiting, and some men aboard that bus began to rob people. They were going from one person to the next taking money, jewelry and other valuables.

But this lady had been maintaining her union with the Lord. She was strong on the inside and had His power flowing through her. So when the thieves came to her, something happened. Instead of cowering in fear and handing over her possessions, she looked those men straight in the eye and said, "In the Name of Jesus, you take your hands off me!"

Suddenly it didn't matter that those men were armed. It didn't matter that they were much bigger than she was. Whatever happened in the spirit realm when she spoke those faith words scared those men so badly, they not only left her alone-they ran off that bus!

You may be a 100-pound woman or a 250-pound man. Your physical stature is irrelevant. When you're connected to Jesus, you're unbeatable. If you'll maintain a living connection with Him, whatever you do, wherever you go, the power of God will be just one breath away.

Let's face it, we're living in the last of the last days. It's a day when you may need that power at any moment. Because there is danger all around us. When that danger strikes, we may not have time to go find our Bible and look up a scripture about protection. We need to have the Word in our heart. We need to have it dwelling in us so richly that it comes up from within us before we even have time to think.

In times of crisis, your mind usually goes blank, and whatever is in your heart comes out. If you've been fellowshiping with the world, fear will come out. But if you've been fellowshiping with God, faith will be your first response.

You need the ability to stay strong and steady both in your everyday life and when challenges arise. The good news is: When you are joined or laminated to God, that living connection will make all the difference. Instead of depending on yourself, you can truly say, "I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me!"