 This is the original copy by Dr. Jim Richards.
This is not a fundraising letter! You may have expressed interest in this project: Operation Influencer. Or, you may be a someone I know, trust, and believe you’ll at least want to be aware of this project. This will be a wakeup call for the church to stand up and fulfill our God-given purpose as well as our Constitutional responsibility. This letter is pretty long, but I’m asking you to read every word. If you want to make this happen and possibly save our nation from imminent destruction, we must have a plan, understand it, and work it meticulously. The thing that makes this so difficult is the fact that the church has lost its identity and purpose. The great majority of beliefs common to almost ever denomination or group is deeply corrupted by our American culture. Believe it or not, I’ve had people insist that were Christian because they were American! It had nothing to do with Jesus! Before you launch into this document, I want to very clearly address the core issue in the American church: The world and the church are totally deceived by socialism. Socialism promises a utopian world identical to what the Kingdom of God offers. The difference is socialism rejects all the morals, values, ethics, which is the basis for justice, presented in the Word of God. Moreover, it insists that we reject those values in order to have this utopia. Sadly, most Christians in America are so devoid of the Word of God, they don’t know the difference. The second great deception about socialism is people think it is different from communism. Socialism is the precursor, to communism. It is the deception that strips people of individual freedoms, eradicates the knowledge of God and conditions people to accept communism. But here is what even fewer people realize, communism is the precursor to Satanism, according to Carl Marx. The next election will be a vote to choose between Socialism and Freedom, Satanism and the Kingdom of God. Carl Marx so hated God and all who followed him, he was driven by the passion not to simply eradicate the knowledge of God, but to turn those who love and trust God, against Him. You see, unlike most Christian, true Satanist know the war has already been won; Satan lost. He will never win. The only way they can hurt God is by destroying what God love most: people. Marx said he knew he would go to hell, and his only joy was knowing how many people he could take with him! He also believed socialism is the only lie powerful enough to destroy the entire world! In November our county will make a decision that will not only determine the fate of America but of the entire world: our national elections. (When America is destroyed, there will be no nation powerful enough to stand up against the globalist, elitists.) No one in modern history has won the presidency without the support of the evangelical church, which is amazing considering the fragmentation of the body of Christ. Right now, our nation and the church in a state of extreme deception. Through the deceit and abuse of power by the IRS, the church believes it has no rightful voice in politics. We believe the unconstitutional lie of “separation of church and state.” I want you to consider these words from the Bill of Rights: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” The Bill of rights is the mother of the Constitution. That is to say: everything in the Constitution is based on the fact that God is our Creator and all rights of mankind are given by God, not the state. The state has one job: to protect our God-given rights! Since this is the case, it is our job to ensure that every politician upholds his or her oath to use their office to uphold, and protect the Constitution, in a way that is consistent with the Word of God! In our twisted understanding of the continuum of Christianity, politics and freedom, too many believers ignore the Scriptures, the Constitution and the Bill of Right. Too many believers and non-believer treat voting as if it is a popularity contest: they’ll vote for the personality they like. Millions of believers, vote based on party lines. In Galatians 5:20 among the works of the flesh is ‘heresies.” The Amplified Bibles translates this as a “party spirit.” This isn’t referring to a party in the sense of a celebration. Thayer’s lexicon describes it thus: a body of men (people) separating themselves from others and following their own tenets (a sect or party). Just consider this: voting just because you have a favorite party is classified in the same category as uncleanness, lewdness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like. Some who vote along party lines are doing so, because of their culture. Just as Jesus warned, “You reject the commandment of God, that you may keep your tradition (culture),” Mk 7:9. Some will ask, “What does my vote have to do with the commandments of God?” Eight of the ten commandments, which were later expanded in 513, provide a basis for walking in love, maintaining civil order, and provide a fair and just judicial system. Tis was to be Israel’s basis for national stability and personal peace. Justice is the key to national peace and security! Israel became weak as a nation because they no longer used God’s commandments as the basis for justice. This is why Israel went into captivity; it was not punishment from God, as much as it was the consequence perverting justice. Today, our country is on the verge of collapse because we have perverted justice. Nearly all of America’s social unrest is the result of the failure to follow a fair system of justice. Justice protects the innocent, the fatherless, the widow and the poor. Today, those who claim to be advocates for the poor, burn down the neighborhoods of the very people they claim to represent! The champions of civil rights, provoke division, another work of the flesh, because civil disorder is the only way they can make money and maintain control. The cities governed by those who talk about fighting for the poor, drive more and more poor into poverty and desperation every year. Desperation forces people to look to the government for help. The policies of the elitist-socialists promote families without fathers, and mothers without husbands, as a means of creating the codependent, welfare mindset. The list could go on and on. Our lawmakers, the same corrupt politicians we elect year-after-year, decade-after-decade have created laws that are in direct opposition to the civil laws in God Word. Therefore, they promote lawlessness. Lawlessness is more than simply breaking a law; it is a mindset that rejects God’s standard of morals, values, and ethics. it does so from the premise that the philosophies of man are more just, fair and ethical than God. The Book of Job is one of the most misquoted books of the Bible. It vilifies God, while exempting Job from his part in his life crisis. More bad doctrine is extrapolated from Job than possibly anywhere in all the scripture. Job’s struggle is summed up in 34:5 "For Job has said, 'I am righteous, But God has taken away my justice.” In verse 2 of the same chapter, one of his friends attempt to expose his twisted thinking. "Do you think this is right? Do you say, 'My righteousness is more than God's'”? Every time we support laws and lawmakers who pass laws that are in contradiction to God’s scripture for civil justice, we are creating and supporting lawlessness. Here is the great tragedy, it is this very lawlessness that facilitates the rise of the antichrist: the man of lawlessness, 2 Thess. 2:7-8. It is this lawlessness that destroy true justice. It is this lawlessness that makes our communities less and less safe! The church, the body of Christ, the most powerful voting bloc in America, has, for decades, elected those promote lawlessness, create racial conflict, destroy the economy and facilitates the rise of the antichrist. And, like Job, will believe they have been fair, and righteous, while blaming God for what befalls our nation, then there will be the great falling away! They will create the problem, then they will promise to solve the problem if you re-elect them! For the believer, no election is about a candidate or political party, it is always a referendum for God’s justice or lawlessness. This is not a party issue. There are wicked politicians on both sides of the aisle. The only way to know the tree is to look at the fruit. Know the voting record of the person for whom you vote. Make your decision is based on harmony with the Word of God. Deal with your own political biases, but more than that, together lets reveals God’s justice to the world. When Jesus returns, He will rule and reign one earth for one thousand years. He will show us how wonderful life could have been if we have applied His justice. We could have that now if the church would awaken to righteousness and use it influence in a godly manner! Sadly, after one thousand years of peace and prosperity the wicked will attempt another rebellion. Why? Simple! They hate righteousness, they are greedy; they want power; but mostly they want to fulfill the lusts of their flesh and they want absolute exemption from accountability to God! That’s what they want now! In early September we will release a short, free, e-book that explains these issues more in detail. The plan is to distribute it to everyone we know, every influencer who can pass it on to others, every believer who will use their influence. If we can put this in the hands of one million people, they can multiply it to one hundred million. Be making your plans to share this message through all your personal contacts and social media groups. Them ready to work with us to change the course of our nation! Jesus said, He who is not with Me is against Me, and he who does not gather with Me scatters abroad, Matt 12:30. When we vote for politicians who reject God Word and wisdom, we are scattering, our vote, is more about whether we are for or against God than whether we are for or against a particular candidate. I know this may be incredibly challenging. But it will not be nearly as challenging as the collapse of our economy, war in the streets, the loss of religious and civil freedom and a complete perversion of Justice. If we change the way the world sees God, we can change the way the world understands God justice! The following Documents outlines the current details of plan and what you can do! Operation Influencer - Overview Using the law of multiplication, we will launch a massive outreach with the short-term goal of influencing millions of believers in the way they understand the practical application of God’s word, especially as it applies to political decisions, first and foremost voting, i.e. saving our nation from sure destruction should we fall into the grips of elitist-socialism. The long term is teaching believers how to function in God’s Word, in the real world, and make practical Bible-based decisions, that result in a more peaceful nation. If we are successful in this endeavor, we can serve the body of Christ in biblical discipleship, by investing in their lives. While our efforts will be directed to any person or resources open to serving with us, we really seek to influence influencers. Influencers are people who have official or personal circles of influence and/or networks where they can effectively share the materials we will provide. This will not be a complex, long drawn-out project. It will be as simple as making a phone call to the key influencers in their group and sharing an email. By using what I call Multiplication Marketing we can influence millions with little effort, time or money! If we could influence 100,000 pastors who influence an average of 100 people each, that could influence 10,000,000 voters. Those 10,000,000 individuals who could then multiply this into every arena of social media and personal influence. If they shared with 10 people each, we will have influenced 100,000,000 people. If we changed the mind of only 10%, we will swing the vote by TEN MILLION! That could completely change the election. Then if we managed to influence media people (radio, bloggers, etc.) who spoke to a combined total of 20,000,000, that could turn into a tsunami of voters. We could also focus on parents, and ministries focused on biblical family values. No one in modern history has won the presidency without the vote of the church. That’s why they all get “religion” as they head into the general election. But sadly, the average Christian has so little awareness of the Scriptural responsibilities of voting, they ignorantly facilitate the worst of the worst. We will endeavor to open the eyes of the church to the imminent, self-destruction of the church and our nation if we are complicit in unscriptural, unconstitutional, anti-God, pro-elitist-socialist taking power. The Plan I am asking you to create inroads, for the purpose of networking into every sphere of religious and conservative thought in America. We will use these networks for marketing and outreach. But we must all act in a timely coordinated manner! The Timeline All of this has to happen in time to influence the election. I will release the free e-book the first week of September, unless my marketing advisors recommend otherwise. (Be sure and read the last paragraph so you will know how you can begin to take steps. The Process
The second phase of this pan will be to provide tools and resources for those who grasp the value of the message, and want to become permanent influencers and multipliers in their family, church, city or personal life. If America survives the election, we will create a movement that is not hostile, but not passive, not angry, but deeply convicted to actually do what the Bible has called us to do. Starting in the garden and continuing to this day: making disciples i.e. teaching people how to walk with God, and succeed influencing the world around us. If America does no survive the election, we can use this database to build a network to help believers across our country and around the world face the devastation that will soon follow. The Currently identified Six Tiers of Influences Tier 1 Influencers: a small but dedicated team of powerful government, media and marketing people, as well as donors, who not only have specialized skills, but unique circles of influence. They will reach out to the influencers in their network. Tier 2 Influencers: will be those who catch the vision and have wide spread influence in denominations, religious groups, organizations, political groups, and basically anyone with a network that would be compelled to listen to our message. Tier 3 Influencers: are talk-show hosts, bloggers, and media personalities who embrace of conservative and/or Biblically based causes. They don’t have to be Christians; they only need to be people who realize the power of the evangelical vote. Tier 4 Influencers: pastors, teachers, community group leaders, etc. who influence groups of 500 or less Tier 5 Influencers: Parenting, Family Groups and publications. Tier 6 Influencers: Every believer with a Facebook page or social media outlet If America is to survive, we only a small window of time to prepare the church for the next wave of lawless, Godless efforts to overthrow our country and the world! With all this data we can do incredible things to prepare and strengthen the Kingdom of God. The Primary Message of the Upcoming e-book
What Steps Should You Take Now?
Dr. Jim Richards
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 We are encouraged never to despise small beginnings (see Zechariah 4:10). Everything has its initial seed form of the growth process. In the unfolding picture of our life of rest, there is a simple understanding of the glimpse of creation. In the beginning, we see…
“Thus, the heavens and the earth, and all the host of them, were finished. And on the seventh day, God ended His work which He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done. Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it because, in it, He rested from all His work which God had created and made” (Genesis 2:1-4, emphasis mine). Then, in the book of Exodus…“Therefore the children of Israel shall keep the Sabbath and observe the Sabbath throughout their generations as a perpetual covenant. It is a sign between the children of Israel and Me forever; for in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, and on the seventh day He rested and was refreshed” (Exodus 31:16-17). Was God refreshed? Even before the giving of the Law, God blessed the seventh day. Therein lays this principle of rest introduced! Now, please don’t misunderstand me. In no way am I suggesting or promoting complete inactivity. God rested not because He was tired, but because He was finished. God sees the end from the beginning (see Isaiah 46:10). He’s working a plan! God works, then He rests. Again, He wasn’t tired, but He was finished. It’s so simple yet profound. Think of it: God works and then rests. Yet, He ordained mankind to rest, then work. For us, our work flows out of a relationship with Him! God loves our dependency on Him, not our self-sufficiency. It’s time for this ‘sign’ (this relationship) to show forth destiny of purpose in these wild times. God is working behind the scenes and also right out in front! Be refreshed. Excerpt from “For the Rest of Your Life” Written by Denise Capra  We have been in harvest time since Jesus walked the earth (John 4:35). It has never been about the harvest being ready but always the lack of laborers. Now, as churches have transitioned to online platforms, the people that have been on the outskirts of the world are popping into our broadcasts.
People who would have never stepped foot in our churches are streaming online and listening for truth and surrendering their lives to Christ. There have been more laborers willing to volunteer or become involved. The unity of believers is not limited to a church. It is also in cities ready to support one another during these difficult times. Christians will come out of quarantine as a mighty army! What a great time we get to live in! May I challenge you to change your vantage point. We are seeing ministry multiplying! Locally, we are increasing home group ministry to Zooms and new locations. Discipleship is the priority. There are warriors in the making! Take a stand for the gospel. Jesus said, "Now, remember, it is I who sends you out, even though you feel vulnerable as lambs going into a pack of wolves. So be as shrewd as snakes yet as harmless as doves." It's past time! Written by Denise Capra 7 min. read  Reflecting on the life of Noah from the book of beginnings has quite a story to tell that applies to us today. Developing our heart and life, to walk with God is the only solution for facing the future with any real help of overcoming. What if we made all of our decisions with intentions to yield to the Spirit no matter how he is guiding us? Noah's Life Teaches Us Grace is Found in Rest Noah's very name means "rest." Scripture teaches, "Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord" – Think of this, "REST found GRACE in the eyes of the Lord." During this biblical period, the condition of humanity was very bleak. But God…! Noah's story in the Bible was the very first mention of grace. That's significant. The law of first reference says we must go to the first time something is mentioned in scripture to get a clear and concise understanding of what is being taught. To understand the end, we must understand the beginning! Matthew 24:37 states, "but as the days of Noah were so also will the coming of the Son of Man be." Uh-oh, here we go! In this New Testament passage, we see that Noah was directed by God to obey even in an unchartered path. Hebrews 11:7 says, "By faith Noah, being divinely warned of things not yet seen, moved with godly fear, prepared an ark for the saving of his household, by which he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness which is according to faith." Noah's Ark is the Picture of Jesus The Ark is a picture of Jesus! He is full of grace and full of rest, and so is Jesus. Noah found safety in the Ark. Remember, it had been prophesied in the garden (Genesis 3) that the Seed of man would be the one to destroy the works of the devil. If the bloodline of all mankind had been corrupted, Jesus could not have been born. The corruption of the human bloodline was a direct attack on God's plan of salvation. A key for us is to understand that every prophecy and promise in the Bible was a glimpse of the virgin birth to come. Cain and Abel's story was the start of the murderous campaign from the devil. Genesis 6 says, "(1) Now it came to pass when men began to multiply on the face of the earth, and daughters were born to them, (2) that the sons of God saw the daughters of men, that they were beautiful; and they took wives for themselves of all whom they chose. (3) And the Lord said, "My Spirit shall not strive with man forever, for he is indeed flesh; yet his days shall be one hundred and twenty years." (4) There were giants (Nephilim) on the earth in those days, and also afterward, when the sons of God came into the daughters of men, and they bore children to them." In Genesis 6:4, the reference to 'giants' comes from the Hebrew word 'Nephiyl,' which means 'fall' or 'fallen ones.' The Strongs says…. a feller, i.e., a bully or tyrant:—giant. Genesis and other books, the writings of Josephus the historical record and scientific documents, record the fact that Giants have lived on nearly every continent in the world at some point in history. We have somehow failed to link this factor when the Bible explains the origin in the activities of giants. (This reference to sons of God is referring to fallen angels according to the Septuagint) The devil was out to corrupt the women's Seed. In verse 4, the reference to 'in those days' was clearly speaking of before the flood. Additional eruptions after the flood were dealt with by Israel. "The Occult" (which just means secret or hidden) initiates and brainwashes. It leads its followers into degrees of deception until they totally reject God's revelation of himself given to all the world through his eternal word. (Excerpt from Apocalypse by Dr. Jim Richards.) In a very significant passage in the New Testament, you can glean more insight by the context of this passage, 2 Peter 2:4-5 says, "For if God did not spare the angels (Nephilim) who sinned, but cast them down to hell and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved for judgment; (5) and did not spare the ancient world, but saved Noah, one of eight people, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood on the world of the ungodly." Noah Found Grace in the Eyes of the Lord The first and most obvious factor which led to the flood of Noah's day was the corruption of man's bloodline. Genesis 6:5 Then [c]the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth and that every intent[d] of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. (6) And the Lord was sorry that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart. (7) So the Lord said, "I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth, both man and beast, creeping thing and birds of the air, for I am sorry that I have made them." (8) But Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord." Notice God's emotion was not raging anger, but sadness. The Ark was a place of safety and refuge, and it represents or foreshadows Jesus Christ. We are now 'in Him' as believers. Resting is believing. Noah's very name means 'Rest,' and he pleased God! Rest pleases God. It's a foreshadowing of our position in Christ's finished work. "Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord." Noah pleased God. "This is the genealogy of Noah. Noah was a just man, perfect in his generations. Noah walked with God. And Noah begot three sons: Shem, Ham, and Japheth. "The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence. So God looked upon the earth, and indeed it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted their way on the earth." Genesis 6:9-12 Noah Built the Ark God Designed Noah acted on what he believed. The Ark was prepared. It took faith and effort. All while he worked on this significant life project, Noah was a preacher of righteousness. Genesis 6:13-14 And God said to Noah, "The end of all flesh has come before Me, for the earth is filled with violence through them; and behold, I will destroy them with the earth. Make yourself an ark of gopher wood; make rooms in the ark, and cover it inside and outside with pitch. Even the 'pitch' used on the wood (symbolizing man) as a sealant represented the (more than) covering we have in Christ. The Hebrew word is "kapher," to make atonement. This symbolizes the blood of Jesus which cleanses us from all sin. The windows above had ventilation and light coming in from above and not the sides. These windows were designed by God for Noah to look up and look to Him and not for him to look out and around at the destruction coming upon the earth. There is much symbolism in Noah's story that can parallel our own life situations. God Prepared Noah Before the Flood Noah's Ark was a ginormous vessel (450 feet long) and habitation, almost the size of Titanic. In Genesis 7:16, "The Lord shut him in"—speaks of how God PREPARES people before a CRISIS. Here they were eternally secure! God closed the door! You are SAFE from the waters of JUDGMENT! Not only did God close the door, but when it was time, He told Noah to "come" into the Ark. He didn't say "go" into the Ark - He said "come" into the Ark, indicating that God was in there and was with them the whole time. Although waves may smash against "my ark" (life's circumstances), his pitch (Christ blood) still secures and covers me! God was merciful in this happening- He was preserving mankind. God Establishes a New Covenant In Genesis 8:1-5 expresses Noah's deliverance. Then God remembered Noah, and every living thing, and all the animals that were with him in the Ark. And God made a wind to pass over the earth, and the waters subsided. 2 The fountains of the deep and the windows of heaven were also stopped, and the rain from heaven was restrained. 3 And the waters receded continually from the earth. At the end of the hundred and fifty days, the waters decreased. 4 Then the Ark rested in the seventh month, the seventeenth day of the month, on the mountains of Ararat. 5 And the waters decreased continually until the tenth month. In the tenth month, on the first day of the month, the tops of the mountains were seen.  Ararat means 'the curse is reversed.' The Ark rested the 7th month and 17th day of the month, actually on the mountains of Ararat. The 17th day represents the feast of firstfruits- judgment has passed. God is desiring to get the point across. Jesus took our judgment for us. "The religious concept of a curse is when God punishes us for ungodly deeds, but the biblical concept depicts as a curse as the result of pursuing that which is not harmonious with God. The curse is not a choice or action of God; it's the consequence of which God warned, but we ignore. Planet earth, under the authority of man, became cursed as a result of man becoming disharmonious with God.(Dr. Jim Richards) Now through the covenant of peace, God will never be angry with us again! Look at this profound passage from the prophet Isaiah 54:8-10: "For this is like the waters of Noah to Me; For as I have sworn That the waters of Noah would no longer cover the earth, So have I sworn that I would not be angry with you, nor rebuke you. For the mountains shall depart And the hills be removed, But My kindness shall not depart from you, Nor shall My covenant of peace be removed," says the LORD, who has mercy on you." In Genesis, God said, "Thus I establish My covenant with you: Never again shall all flesh be cut off by the waters of the flood; never again shall there be a flood to destroy the earth." And God said: "This is the sign of the covenant which I make between you and Me and every living creature that is with you, for perpetual generations: "I set My rainbow in the cloud, and it shall be for the sign of the covenant between Me and the earth." Genesis 9:11-13 And we have the rainbow as a sign. The good news of Jesus is the Gospel of Peace. Written by Denise Capra Artwork by Polly Lunetto
 Fashion for a girl is important. Girls love fashion. We love wearing the latest styles. Growing up, I started at a Catholic school. Daily, I had to wear the same uniform - a red and green navy jumper over a white blouse. Although it cut down on my parents’ monthly clothing expenses, it did nothing for my creativity.
The limited wardrobe laid the groundwork for me. In my later years, I took to nearly always costume dressing in public school. Costume kidding aside, I did feel a new expression of creativity by having the freedom to choose my own ensembles. I looked forward to it and to wear them well. The Masterpiece of Righteousness As fashion helped provide new freedom to self-expression and creativity, that same excitement I can equate to God’s creativity in his masterpiece of giving us righteousness through His Son, Jesus. We are given the freedom to choose righteousness by receiving what Jesus accomplished for us through His birth, death, burial, and resurrection. This is foundational for our understanding, “For God made the only one who did not know sin to become sin for us so that we who did not know righteousness might become the righteousness of God through our union with him.” The Greek word Paul uses is poieō, a verb that, when nominalized, is poiema (poem, or poetry). Christ is God’s poetic masterpiece, who became the glorious sacrifice for sin. Though disturbing to the eyes of man, God saw the work of redemption culminated in the masterful poetry of his Son suspended on a cross to give us heaven’s righteousness. In the Passion Translation, Brian Simmons’s commentary says, “This one verse is perhaps the greatest verse in the New Testament to describe our salvation through the sinless Savior and his substitutionary death on the cross. A wonderful divine exchange took place at the cross. All of our sins were left there, our guilt was removed and forever gone, and we walked away with all of God’s righteousness. What bliss is ours! Every believer today possesses the perfect and complete righteousness of Christ. We are seen by the Father as righteous as his Son.” Wearing the Masterpiece of Righteousness Well As I recently wrote in my new book, For the Rest of Your Life... Living Out Your Destiny Blueprint- in my chapter called Women in Wardrobe, I discuss the scripture references to wearing linen (John the Revelator refers to it as the ‘righteousness of the saints’ Revelation 19:8). Linen keeps us cool in high, hot temperatures. In the book, I lay out even more prophetic insights regarding linen in that chapter. Isaiah 64:6 graphically exposes our need. Hear this out of the Passion Translation, “We have all become contaminated with sin, and you see our self-righteousness as nothing better than a menstrual rag. We are all like fallen leaves, and our sin sweeps us away like the wind.” The implication is that we are whirled along by the wind of our sins. Thank God for our new robe! Understanding righteousness in Christ has been the demarcation point in our lives (which is fixing the boundary or limit of something). Everything hinges upon understanding the gift of righteousness in Him….where you will go, what you will do, what you believe about Him, and what you believe about yourself knowing He had gone before you and fulfilled it all. In Isaiah 61:10, “I will sing and rejoice in Yahweh. My whole being vibrates with shouts of joy in My God! For He has dressed me with salvation and wrapped me in the robe of his righteousness. I appear like a bridegroom on his wedding day, decked out with a beautiful sash, or like a radiant bride adorned with sparkling jewels.” Righteousness, wear it well. Written by Denise Capra Artwork by Polly Lunetto
People often misunderstand some things. Our belief system is foundational. What we really believe affects everything.
We aren't endorsing abuses that feed greed and carnal reasoning. You would be pretending to be, "what you are not"! From the book of wisdom, Proverbs 17:15, it says, " He who justifies the wicked, and he who condemns the just, both of them alike are an abomination to the Lord ." Restoration & Identity If the truth be told, we now have a new nature. So we let the nature of God come out! We don't sin because it's NOT our nature. Just as, when ordering product online or booking a flight, we have to agree to the terms and conditions before finalizing the purchase! The same holds true to our "believing and trusting" in God. We need to not attempt to dictate the terms to God. We receive when we are operating on the terms and conditions of the new covenant! I want to see the reality of restoration come into hurting people's lives. In Galations 6:1-5, Paul taught us, " Brethren, even if a man be overtaken in any trespass, ye who are spiritual, restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness; looking to thyself, lest thou also be tempted. Bear ye one another's burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ. For if a man thinketh himself to be something when he is nothing, he deceiveth himself. But let each man prove his own work, and then shall he have his glorying in regard of himself alone, and not of his neighbor. For each man shall bear his own burden." We need this priority as our mode of operation in relating to others in their difficult times and issues. Unlikely Candidates Isn't it really interesting that Jesus chose men who lived and worked in the world and were so rough around the edges? In Mark 3:16-17 it tells that " And He appointed the twelve: Simon (to whom He gave the name Peter), and James, the son of Zebedee, and John the brother of James (to them He gave the name Boanerges, which means, "Sons of Thunder " His discipleship techniques were on-the-job training, as he lived and taught them. They were in dire need of knowing the truths about the kingdom. The good thing is they didn't have to unlearn religious traditions that would have bound them and restricted their grasp on the new way of living that He introduced to them. They were able to receive the goodness of God that was touching their lives. Righteousness Revealed Since we want the truth to be told, square one would surely need to be; Knowing that we are all in need of a Savior, we cannot save ourselves. No polish, self-promotion and identification with success through outward performance can really make it true for us on the inside! It must start there...from the inside out! God makes us righteous through the free gift. Why do we manifest self-righteousness? Here are a few possibilities: 1. "I need to be right to feel good about myself and my own mouth running has led me to self-deception" (see James 1:26) 2. "I have fallen in to religions trap of keeping all the perceived duties of "being Christian" to receive from God- and I can't get out!" 3. Then there's, "One-upmanship" on you. Comparing and competition dictates, "I cannot be perfect, but I'm better than you." The self-righteous measuring stick as depicted in Luke 18:9 with the tax collector and the Pharisee. You'll need to read that amazing story... "I thank God I am not like that guy!" Prophetic Insights and Fulfillment I love this prophetic voice from the prophet, Isaiah 64:6 " But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousness's are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away. What is our own righteousness? Notice this didn't say all our unrighteousness is as filthy rags. This is saying that all our righteousness, our goodness, is as filthy rags. The Hebrew word "ED," which was translated "filthy" in this verse, means the menstrual cycle. (From Strongs) This is saying all our great works are as a menstrual cloth. This is speaking of our self-righteousness. All that we do on our own to obtain right standing with the Lord is grossly inadequate. But when we come to Jesus and receive His salvation, we are given His righteousness ( 2 Corinthians 5:21 ). For us believers, it would be incorrect to say, that all our righteousness's are as filthy rags. Jesus has become our righteousness, Jesus is not a filthy rag. I'm not an old sinner, saved by grace. I WAS an old sinner, but I've been saved by grace and am now the righteousness of God in my spirit ( Eph 4:24 ). Because of Jesus, I am not just in the flesh, I am in the Spirit. I am in Christ. I might walk after the flesh at times, but I am in Christ Jesus and am now righteous in Him. Thank You, Jesus!-Andrew Wommack, Living Commentary. THE CHURCH~~~~the Woman We heard another ministry bring out this hidden gem share this impacting truth...The church is often TYPIFIED by a 'woman'. So very many truths are expressed in stories and symbolism! In Old Testament, the prophet Isaiah declared...chapter 64:6 "But we are all like an unclean thing and all our righteousness's are like filthy rags " - Sin wasn't the problem. Even from the Old Testament we see that our self-efforts are not what God is after. Our choices are important and determine what we are going to believe and put our trust in. Our general mode of operation has been behavior modification, proving ourselves righteous and holy. It's a total misrepresentation of the truth. We have been clothed with righteousness in Christ. In Isaiah 61:10, " I will greatly rejoice in the Lord, My soul shall be joyful in my God; forHe has clothed me with the garments of salvation , He has covered me with the robe of righteousness," This is a prophetic voice speaking what was to come in Christ. Do you have a robe? If you believe in the simplicity of this good news and receive it- You are wearing it now. The Number Twelve and the WOMAN In these New Testament accounts of two healings, we get the symbolic and prophetic picture of the churches restoration to a truth that will bring liberty and revelation through its fulfillment in our time. The body of Christ has been on a journey through time in this church age. In these last days we are experiencing a restoration of the simple revelation of Gods enabling and empowering grace, apart from our performance but a believing for Gods demonstration and power to be revealed to a crying and dying world. In the gospel of Mark in chapter 5: 21 Now when Jesus had crossed over again by boat to the other side, a great multitude gathered to Him; and He was by the sea. And behold, one of the rulers of the synagogue came, Jairus by name. And when he saw Him, he fell at His feet and begged Him earnestly, saying, "My little daughter lies at the point of death. Come and lay Your hands on her, that she may be healed, and she will live." So Jesus went with him, and a great multitude followed Him and thronged Him. Now a certain woman had a flow of blood for twelve years, and had suffered many things from many physicians. She had spent all that she had and was no better, but rather grew worse. Reaching this Generation Righteousness Revealed This story is mentioned simultaneously with the healing of Jairus' daughter. They are forever linked! A girl restored to life and a woman healed- THESE TWO WOMEN TYPIFY THE CHURCH. In this chapter the woman (older) bleeding is a picture of the CHURCH not being FRUITFUL. Do you see WE HAVE A PROBLEM WITH REPRODUCTION? We have felt ineffective and we don't have the results we want to see. The church is bleeding because of SELF RIGHTEOUSNESS...not individual sin acts! Our sin is unbelief in what was accomplished through Jesus. The world needs a savior, not more religious trappings and strivings to prove who we are. Our true identity comes forth by believing who God says we are. See in this passage both the scope of the older generation and the younger generation. There is a fulfillment of a prophetic picture. The number twelve is a key in this chapter also. It represents 'governmental foundation' and Gods authority. The context of the story and the miracle in Mark 5 depicts the woman touching the hem of Jesus' garment with assurance of receiving healing and restoration. Jesus knew immediately power was released and said to her, "Daughter, your faith has made you well. Go in peace, and be healed of your affliction." (GO INTO PEACE and be healed) "While He was still speaking, some came from the ruler of the synagogue's house who said, "Your daughter is dead. Why trouble the Teacher any further?" One miracle was interrupted by the other one! Then Mark 5:36 says, "As soon as Jesus heard the word that was spoken, He said to the ruler of the synagogue, "Do not be afraid; only believe." He then told them, "The child is not dead, but sleeping." A few verses later it reads, "And they ridiculed Him. But when He had put them all outside.....Then He took the child by the hand, and said to her, "Talitha, cumi," which is translated, "Little girl, I say to you, arise." Immediately the girl arose and walked, for she was twelve years of age. And they were overcome with great amazement. The symbolism here expresses the idea that until we are RESTORED and believe the truth about our righteousness we will not see the youth (next generation) rise from dead religion. Do you get the picture of THE OLDER WOMAN as 'the CHURCH' being HEALED and restored with a new assurance to then see new life rise up in the NEXT GENERATION to fulfill purpose and destiny!? This IS the greatest time to be alive! Church there is resurrection for YOUTH in the release from performance and self- salvation in Jesus healing love and power.
Colossians 2:6 says the simplest way to walk free. “So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness.”
This is HOW we got started and its how we maintain our freedom. I am living life to the fullest and renewing my mind constantly to the fact that I am a new creation. “Old things are passed away and behold all things are become new.” I am in rightstanding with God and through His grace I can live by His ability that works from the heart. When I say, “walk by faith” I am referring to a daily walk choosing to believe what God has said about me already. When it seems like everything including my own actions aren’t lining up with the process, I begin daily acknowledging every good thing that is in me in Christ Jesus. Not everything I see in the natural realm would get me a gold star. There are some things that are not good about me on the outside….but God isn’t finished with me yet! I am not excusing my shortcomings. I am realistically trusting in God to enable me to change. Our life was not to be focused to be on right or wrong or about good or evil. The devil is the ultimate legalist. He will nitpik us all to death. God gives us His directive on how to overcome in Galatians 5:16 “ So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature.” Or to paraphrase it, if we are walking by the Spirit we won’t fulfill the desires or lust of the flesh. Am I yielding to Gods ability that made me righteous? Am I living free in my heart following what the Spirit says daily? Here’s kind of how it works with me. I wake up sensitive to the promptings of the Holy Spirit trying to recognize my first emotions of my heart. Are they thoughts of fear or guilt or pressure? If so, bringing them in captivity or trying to determine the root or origin. If I’m feeling guilty because I haven’t accomplished what I set out to do this week or if I have a problem with some bad thoughts or a bad dream, then I look to the Spirit of God who helps my infirmities and prays and makes intercession for me. I pray in the Spirit with peace that is already there because the Spirit lives in me and His solutions surface and I release that emotion that is trying to keep me bound up all day. I sometimes have to go much further in dealing with the beliefs of my heart. But I have a commitment to allow the Holy Spirit permission to work in my life and heart. I am not smarter than God. I know He has the best plan. You see everything in your life is determined by belief of your heart. Proverbs says, “As a man thinketh, in his heart so is he” I must get real and deal with the beliefs in my heart. When I think on a promise in Gods Word, what are the emotions in my heart saying. What do I really believe about that? You might say we’re not to be led by our emotions and that is true. But to deny them altogether is another mistake. Our emotions can really be an indicator to us of what is going on inside and what I believe at heart level. We were designed from creation to live in God’s presence and to live in the peace that rules in our heart. I often ask myself, “Is my heart in peace?” What are the beliefs that are ruling in my heart? God through His Spirit is there to show you the hidden motivations of the heart so you can rewrite on your heart God’s truths until peace rules in that area. In the Amplified translation it reads, “And let the peace (soul harmony which comes) from Christ rule (act as umpire continually) in your hearts [deciding and settling with finality all questions that arise in your minds, in that peaceful state] to which as [members of Christ's] one body you were also called [to live].” For example, most recently I felt our church growth was an an impasse. I tried to figure it out. Was it the worship service, my preaching or the people? I went to God to get wisdom and he showed me a belief I had that was limiting the growth. One was the way that I saw myself. The other was about not believing that I had the systems and structure in place to facilitate the growth numerically. Every time I thought about growth my heart would feel inadequate. This contradicted that fact that I knew it was Gods will for us to grow. I was more in tune with my feelings of inadequacy rather than what God’s Spirit was saying. So I decided to deal with the beliefs. God has raised up some systems people to help organize our ministry departments. After dealing with these aspects we have seen an immediate and progressive growth. We cannot deny how we feel in our heart if we want lasting change. We all have pain in the past to some degree. We often anticipate future pain. We don’t reflect and consult with God in our heart. That’s where He has told us to have a guard. God said out of it flow the issues of life. God lives in the heart. So are you going to do whatever it takes to rewrite on your heart? New beliefs are yours for the living out. These new beliefs replace old ones that have only kept you in the pain and limited you. In Philippians Paul says: 4:9, “Those things, which ye have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, do: and the God of peace shall be with you. We can learn also from Paul’s ways. The Berkeley Version of the New Testament translates a verse out of Timothy with the phrase by saying Timothy “will remind you of my principles of BEHAVIOR IN CHRIST JESUS,” or as the KJV states, “shall bring you into remembrance of MY WAYS WHICH BE IN CHRIST.” Paul does not send the new covenant believer back to the Law of Moses for New Covenant ethics; rather he argues and reasons Christian ethics from the truth of the believer’s identification with Christ in his death and resurrection. God’s belief system is that ALL things are possible to him who believes. First, you must believe that Jesus has made you righteous and qualified you for all the promises. Paul tells us in Colossians 1:12 “giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light”. Our time investment now is renewing our minds to this and persuading our hearts to be settled in it. When that happens the transformation we desire is effortless. Instead of focusing on making the outside look good—lets work on the inside. Our labor is to rest in what God says is true – is exactly that. When I feel like I am walking free of sins dominion is when I understood that I had the freedom to choose. I am no longer a slave to sin. I am not under law, but under grace. What do I really want? I get the choice. I can live by what I was designed for, the Spirit life of abundance. If I sow to the flesh I will reap corruption. (Gal 6 ) God picks us up when we fall. Or as it says in His Word in Proverbs 24, “for though a righteous man falls seven times, he rises again…” He is such a good Father and He guides me into truth. It is my decision to follow His leading. The Holy Spirit is a gentleman. He doesn’t operate by force in our relationship. He is leading his children into His best. If you feel like the description in my book, you may have read, as a ‘dung beetle’ caught up in a performance trap. Freedom is yours already. It’s a choice to believe you are free. It’s a choice to persuade my heart that I am holy, blameless, and above reproach in his sight. Paul told us that very thing in the letter to the Ephesians in chapter one, verse 4 “For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love 5he[3] predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will-- 6to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves.” Its amazing to think that is how God really sees us. Paul trusted God to reveal to him anything that needed to be changed. He sought God with all his heart. He was not INTROSPECTIVE. He depended on GOD to keep him walking the straight and narrow. Being self-analytical can be a big inroad of Satan into our lives. Those who are not seeking God have no other choicel. They have to evaluate themselves. For those who are seeking God, He will take responsibility for pointing out the things that need to be dealt with in our lives. We can leave it up to Him. Allow him to bring about the change. As you have this sense of acceptance, He can work the transformation from the inside out. --Phil 3:15 says, “Let us therefore as many as be perfect, be thus minded; and if in anything ye be otherwise minded, God shall reveal even this unto you. Will you be real with God and understand He knows what you believe in your heart anyway? Do you have such a value for God’s view and opinion that you are willing to give up your own? Then you are free to live your dreams. Dreams to help Gods people know the truth about His goodness will manifest in reality. We must have a revelation of Gods passionate love for us not based on what we do but based on what He’s done. If my identity is established on what God says about me and not what others may think. I do not have to perform well for acceptance by God. I do not have to be right to be justified that I am ok. I don’t have to have a quota of production on a daily basis to feel worthy or valuable. I am now walking in the simple knowledge and revelation of being pleasing to God because I am His son. Sons are accepted because of our inheritance in the family and not our performance. I pray you’ll live in this freedom too. |
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