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"Owe no man
anything..."
-Romans 13:8
"...the borrower becomes the lender's
slave."
-Proverbs 22:7
"...the
righteous man shall live by faith."
-Romans 1:17
"...without
faith it is impossible to please Him."
-Hebrews 11:6
"No one can
serve two masters..."
-Matthew 6:24
"The Lord
will make you abound in prosperity..."
-Deuteronomy 25:11
"...God
loves a cheerful giver."
-2 Corinthians 9:7
"...the
Lord... is giving you power to make
wealth..."
-Deuteronomy 8:18
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Greetings in the name of Christ Jesus!
Biblical prosperity is the state of total well being where God
is meeting all your needs: spirit, soul and body.
There are a number of different points of view in the Body of
Christ about the subject of REDEMPTION. Some folks think it
has something to do with being holy and righteous and others
believe it's some other really spiritual condition, not clearly
defined, that we have to work real hard to achieve. Once in
awhile we hear it mentioned at church and it sounds like a nice
word; but MOST of us don't really know what it means. There's
a tendency to gloss over it when we hear it or see it written and
so we just block it out for a future date when we have more
time to think about it. In the meantime we're happy even
though we don't know too much because it doesn't seem that
important.
BUT, the word REDEMPTION or some form of it is mentioned
in the Word of God more than 150 times. That's enough times
that we should want to find out what it means especially since
REDEMPTION is directly linked to our finances as we'll see in
this article. If we know this then like everything else in the
Word, we can use our knowledge and understanding to attract
the Blessing and favor of God. The Bible says that God's
people PERISH for a lack of knowledge, i.e. for a lack of
revelation (Proverbs 29:18), and this is one of those areas
of "perishability." Let your understanding be expanded today
by the Holy Spirit as He ministers to us about REDEMPTION.
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Understanding Redemption |
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Even though people have tried to make it complicated, the
Word of God provides a relatively simple and straight-forward
definition of the word REDEMPTION. If the actual Word of God
contradicts our traditions, if the scriptures are different than
what we've been taught, are we willing to accept what the
Word actually says instead of insisting on our traditions?
Following are two scriptures that define REDEMPTION for us
very well:
Ephesians 1:7 = "In Him (Jesus Christ) we have
REDEMPTION through His blood, the forgiveness of our
trespasses, according to the riches of His grace."
Colossians 1:13-14 = "For He rescued us from the domain of
darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son,
in whom we have REDEMPTION, the forgiveness of sins."
According to Scripture then REDEMPTION is simply the
forgiveness of sins. When Believers first receive Jesus as Lord
and Savior, God forgives their sins and they receive the free
gift of eternal life (Romans 6:23). They have been saved by
God's grace (undeserved favor) through faith (Ephesians 2:8-9).
That forgiveness of sins is the act of REDEMPTION and it's a
free gift. It comes by grace through faith and there's no work or
righteous act we have to perform that makes it happen. The
Bible says it's the goodness of God that brings us to repentance
(Romans 2:4) and that He gives each of us a measure of faith
so we can believe (Romans 12:3). The ONLY thing we have to
do so that REDEMPTION can happen is make the decision to
accept Jesus.
The dictionary definition will help deepen our understanding.
Why does the Bible use this particular word to represent the act
of God's forgiveness? According to the dictionary, the word
REDEEM means to regain possession of something through the
payment of a specified amount. More precisely for the
Christian it means to rescue or liberate something through the
payment of a ransom. Friend, we need to understand precisely
what was lost, how it was regained and what the price was.
When the man and the woman sinned in the Garden of Eden,
they immediately became separated from the presence of
God. The Lord had clearly told them they would surely die on
the same day if they ever ate from the tree of the knowledge of
good and evil (Genesis 2:17). The Hebrew word
translated "die"
in this scripture means "separation." Physical death came to
them later as a further consequence of sin. So on the same day
their disobedience separated them from God and His Blessing
(Genesis 1:28) and through sin they became connected to
Satan and his Curse (Genesis 3:17). Instead of being friends of
God, they became His enemies (Romans 5:10). Instead of
being blessed with dominion over the entire earth, they
became cursed by the wages of their sin (Romans 6:23) and
they gave up their dominion to Satan. Instead of being a
servant to God, they came into bondage to sin and death and
the devil. Sin kidnapped them from the plan and purpose of
God and set them on a corrupted course that mankind
inherited from that time forward until Jesus came to REDEEM
us.
In order for mankind to have ever been reconnected to God, to
be reconciled and returned to fellowship with Him, at some
point all those sins had to be paid for. Indeed, people tried for
centuries to atone for their sins through the sacrifice of animals
but the Bible says it was impossible for that to have pleased
God (Hebrews 10:4). So Jesus the One who never sinned,
became the sacrifice on our behalf. He took all our sins on
Himself (Isaiah 53:6) and went to the Cross of Calvary where He
shed His blood in payment of the ransom to regain possession
of God's creation from the control of sin and the devil. The
Bible says Jesus entered the holy place just one time in order
to obtain eternal REDEMPTION for all Believers (Hebrews
9:12). By one offering He has perfected for all time those who
are sanctified (Hebrews 10:14). Since only one offering was
required, all our sins have been forgiven past, present and
future for all time. In fact, the Bible says God has
FORGOTTEN them (Hebrews 8:12)!
In sum REDEMPTION is the one-time forgiveness of sins that
God made because Jesus paid the price at Calvary and by
faith in Christ, Believers are once again restored to right
standing with the Father. We have been ransomed from sin
and the grave. We're no longer in bondage to sin and Satan
and we've regained dominion over the things God had wanted
us to oversee.
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Redemption and Your Finances |
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Now when many of us consider REDEMPTION, there's a
tendency to reverence it so highly we're reluctant to try to
connect it to our finances. Surely this REDEMPTION thing is
much too spiritual to be discussed in the same breath with
something as lowly as our finances. But friend there's definitely
a connection between the two and it's the Bible that makes
that connection. We just need to understand it so we can
steward our finances at a level that pleases God and helps
bring about His purposes in the Kingdom.
The Bible says we have been REDEEMED from the curse of
the Law (Galatians 3:13). In other words, as a key part of our
REDEMPTION, once we come to faith in Christ we're no longer
under the authority of the Law (Galatians 2:25). We have been
given a NEW covenant to live under with better promises than
the old one (Hebrews 8:6), a covenant based on grace and
faith and the Spirit instead of obedience and the Law and the
Flesh. The Law is not of faith (Galatians 3:12); in fact, it's
obsolete and ready to disappear (Hebrews 8:13).
But before Jesus came to earth to carry out His physical
ministry and establish the NEW covenant, the people of God
had to live under the Law. Whenever they disobeyed that Law
they were subject to the various consequences of the Curse
(Deuteronomy 27:26), the same Curse first mentioned in
Genesis 3:17. All of those consequences are clearly and vividly
spelled out in Deuteronomy 28:15-68 and a number of them,
in one form or another, are directly related to our FINANCES:
(17) Cursed shall be your basket and your kneading bowl (your
provision). (18) Cursed shall be the produce of your
ground, the increase of your herd and the young of your
flock. (29) You will not prosper. (31) Your livestock will
be slaughtered or taken from you. (33) People you do not
know will consume your production. (38) The seed you
plant will be greater than the seed you harvest. (39) Your
production will be destroyed. (42) Your production will be
destroyed. (44) You shall be a debtor to the alien (to the
world). (44) You shall be the tail and not the head (i.e. you
will be in bondage to the world). (48) You will be subject to
inadequacy and lack. (51) Foreign authority (the world) will
take over your production. (63) The Lord will prefer to see
you destroyed instead of prospering.
The purpose of the Law was (and still is) to point the way to
Jesus by revealing and defining man's sinfulness so we
would/will come under condemnation and realize our inability
to overcome our sinfulness on our own. In other words, the Law
was enacted to show us that we needed a Savior and that we
should look to Him for our deliverance and salvation instead of
continuing to try to rely on our own strength and works. And so,
once Jesus came and paid for our sins at the Cross, the Law
was no longer needed for those who turn to Him in faith
(Galatians 3:24-25).
When the Bible says we have been REDEEMED from the curse
of the Law, it's saying that because of the forgiveness of our
sins we have been rescued from the Curse. In other
words, if we live by faith we're no longer subject to the
consequences of the Curse. On the contrary we who believe
have been blessed with the Blessing of Abraham (Galatians
3:14). THEREFORE, A CHRISTIAN IS NOT SUBJECT TO THE
FINANCIAL CURSES FROM DEUTERONOMY 28 UNLESS
HE/SHE CHOOSES TO LIVE UNDER THE LAW INSTEAD OF
GRACE. By faith you have the right to speak to indebtedness,
to lack, to insufficiency, to poverty, to inadequacy, to failure, to
ruined projects and all other financial conditions under the
Curse and command them in the name of Jesus to get away
from you and never come back. If the Word is true, then this is
your right as a Believer and our enemy the devil does not have
the authority to prevail against the name of Jesus (Philippians
2:9).
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Why Christians Experience the Curse |
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But, MOST Christians don't really understand that the New
Covenant of faith and the Spirit has set them free from the
Law. Why? The truth is most of us don't study the Word out for
ourselves. It would be easy (and unfair) to blame incorrect
teaching and doctrines from the past for our lack of
understanding. But the real problem is that we human beings
tend to be lazy where the Word of God is concerned and we
willingly/blindly accept corrupted teaching that has been
handed down for generations instead of searching for the Truth
through our own study. Consequently, our knowledge and
understanding is too shallow to produce victory in our finances.
Friend, what the Bible actually says is that Jesus obtained
eternal (for ALL time: past, present and future) REDEMPTION
for ALL Believers by shedding His blood only ONE time at the
Cross of Calvary (Hebrews 9:11-12). As a result, God is no
longer angry with you (Isaiah 54:9); you are no longer His
enemy. In fact, He has forgotten that you ever sinned in the
past (Isaiah 43:25 and Hebrews 8:13) and your new sins have
already been paid for so He doesn't take them into account
(Romans 4:8 from Psalm 32:2). So, if financial aspects of the
Curse manifest in the lives of Believers, they're not coming
from God. He will not punish you for sins that have already
been forgiven (Isaiah 54:9). Rather, God has initiated a
Covenant of peace (Isaiah 54:10) through the ministry of Jesus
Christ and that peace BY DEFINITION must include financial
prosperity and abundance.
No, manifestations of the Curse don't come from God; but
following are a few places they DO come from:
1. Our adversary the devil is the one who most
frequently uses the Curse. When we sin under the New
Covenant, we need to acknowledge that Jesus has already
paid for it and then be grateful instead trying to please God
with our suffering and self-chastisement. Sin DOES bring
consequences but according to scriptures on the subject of
REDEMPTION they don't come from God. What we need to do
in the face of sin is take authority over the enemy and his
consequences and kick them out of our lives in the name of
Jesus. Resist the devil and he must flee from you (James 4:7).
The sin that opened the door to the consequences has already
been paid for so once you've repented (changed directions)
those consequences are being sent against you illegally by the
enemy. Repent for your sin and then stand up to him with
praise to Christ for the shed blood that has set you free from the
Curse of the Law.
2. Another thing that can happen is that many
Christians believe they have to act holy and righteous in order
to attract the favor of God. And, they believe their sins can
separate them from God's favor, blessing and presence until
through holy acts they can restore the relationship. Or they
think they have to suffer for their sins a little while to impress
God. But friend those sins have already been paid for and God
will not withhold anything from you nor will He be impressed
with your self-imposed "suffering." No, if you try to start acting
holy in your own strength to attract God's favor, then you
dishonor the work of Christ at the Cross and YOU put
YOURSELF back under the Law. And by doing so YOU open
YOURSELF to the consequences of the Curse. Your
own "holiness" can do nothing for you and your attempts at it
only demonstrate a lack of faith for the REDEMPTION you've
already received through the substitutionary holiness and
righteousness of Jesus.
3. Thirdly, you may have overlooked a requirement
in the Word to speak out about your REDEMPTION. The Bible
says "let the REDEEMED of the Lord SAY so, whom
He
has REDEEMED from the hand of the adversary" (Psalm
107:2). We're supposed to confess our REDEMPTION
especially in the face of any attack by the enemy and in the
midst of our trials. When times are difficult you need to say out
loud that you're REDEEMED, delivered and protected from the
ability of the enemy to legally disrupt your life. When you
speak it out, your faith grows and victory comes from faith.
Praise God right in front of the enemy and then kick him out of
your way with the Word of God. And if you keep on confessing
your REDEMPTION, the consequences that have caused your
trial will have to depart soon enough. Just keep on confessing
your REDEMPTION!
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The Blessing of Abraham |
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Finally, we should not overlook today that through
REDEMPTION the Blessing of Abraham has come to the
Gentiles (Galatians 3:14). People who were born Jewish
already have had access to the Blessing through the Old
Covenant. But, with the once-and-for-all forgiveness of sins,
with the restoration of fellowship with Father God and with the
creation of a New Covenant, the Blessing of Abraham came to
ALL Believers who by faith are willing to receive the finished
work of Christ. Yes, anyone who receives Jesus as Lord and
Savior also receives the Blessing of Abraham with the right to
fully walk in it.
Many Believers don't really understand what this means and
tend to gloss over it and go on to other verses. But if the
Scripture says we've received the Blessing of Abraham and that
it comes through REDEMPTION, we need to understand it. Just
what is the Blessing of Abraham? Scripture says if you're a
Believer you've received it. What have you received and how
does it affect your life? If we don't understand what we've
received we can't fully use and enjoy it. If it's something
wonderful, we need to know about it so we can be grateful and
thankful to God for yet another free gift we haven't done
anything to receive.
You see, Abraham was blessed because by the strength of his
faith (Hebrews 11:17-19) he obeyed God's voice when he was
tested (Genesis 22:17-18). That Blessing is summarized in
Romans 4:13 as this: it was promised that Abraham and his
SEED would inherit the world. According to scripture that
SEED is Jesus Christ (Galatians 4:16) and so those who belong
to Christ have become Abraham's descendants and heirs to the
Promise God made to him (Galatians 3:29). Indeed, we are
joint-heirs with Christ (Romans 8:17) and have received the
entire world as our inheritance. And as a part of the Promise
we're to be a blessing to the nations (Genesis 22:18) which is
occurring NOW because Christ has already been given ALL
power and authority (Matthew 28:18 and Ephesians 1:21).
What that means for the Believer is that we're already
authorized to begin taking possession of the wealth of the
world by faith as our inheritance so we can use it to bless
others. You see friend, the focus of the so-called "Faith
Message" is not really about accumulating wealth to be
consumed on our own wants; it's about using wealth to be a
blessing to others. The measure of success in the Kingdom of
God is not about how much money or possessions you have; it's
about how much God can trust you to give away and bless
others with. Your inheritance is to be a Blessing and in return
God will bless you and your family in every way. Change your
priorities to put the Kingdom of God first in your life and you'll
see the blessings and favor of God pour into your life so the
Promise of the Spirit can be fulfilled.
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Some Final Thoughts |
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Did you ever think about the fact that Christianity is the only
religion that offers forgiveness of sins as a free gift? All
religions teach that sin separates people from God. But the
other religions teach that the people have to do something to
please God in order to obtain their forgiveness. Grace is
unique to Christianity and so is eternal substitutionary
REDEMPTION. The Believer in Christ has been REDEEMED
from sin, from the Curse and from death and all we have to do
is accept and believe Jesus by faith. He has done all the rest
that needs to be done.
Because of your REDEMPTION you have been set free from all
the financial problems contained in the Curse but you have to
receive your deliverance by faith just like you received your
salvation. If you have been born again you have inherited
financial victory and no matter what your circumstances look
like, no matter what your check book says, you have the right to
debt freedom and you have inherited the abundance of Christ
(John 10:10) to replace the poverty and lack you suffered from
under the Curse.
Now let the REDEEMED say so and by your confession your
inherited victory will come to be fully manifested in your life
because of what Jesus did at the Cross. Resist the temptation to
confess what your Flesh tells you that reality is and instead
confess your agreement with the Word of God. Reality is not
what you can only reason through the five physical senses.
Reality is the Truth of God's Word and ONLY His Word.
Thanks for reading PLN today. We hope this message has
blessed you and opened your understanding to the subject of
REDEMPTION. We'll be looking for you again in three weeks
on May 2. God bless you.
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Sinners' Prayer |
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If you have never invited Jesus to become the Lord of your life,
you can do so today by saying the following simple prayer:
Jesus I believe in you. I believe that you are the Son of
God and that He raised you from the dead. I receive you as my
Lord and Savior. Please forgive me for my sins and come into
my life today.
If you were sincere as you prayed, God has already come into
your life and you are a new creation. Now ask the Lord to lead
you to a good faith based bible teaching church where you can
be developed to fulfill your potential in the Kingdom of God. If
you're unable to find a church, give us a call and we'll help
you find a good one.
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Prayer Requests |
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Please e-mail your prayer requests to:
[email protected]. We'll be honored to
bring them before the Lord each Tuesday morning at 10:00
AM, Eastern Time.
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Donations |
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If you have been blessed and edified by Prosperous Life
Newsletter, please pray about making a Spirit-led love
offering to support the work of the Ministry (Galatians 6:6-7).
PLN is a non profit [501(c) (3)] gift to the Body of Christ
so your financial gifts should be tax deductible (please consult
your tax advisor). You may mail your check or money order to
Cornerstone Consulting Ministries to 10621 N. Kendall Drive,
Suite 113, Miami, Florida 33176 or click on the donation tab
for other payment options. May God bless you with His
abundant harvest in return for sowing your precious seed into
this Ministry.
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Questions and Suggestions |
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It would bless us to have an opportunity to answer your
questions concerning any of the areas covered by the ministry
of PLN. We would also be happy to consider your
comments and suggestions. Please feel free to e-mail them to
us or give us a call anytime during normal business hours at
our toll free number 1-800-357-4223.
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