The Power of Proclamation Part 2

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1 The Power of Proclamation Part 2 We have been looking at the topic of Proclamation and so as we take up out tithes and offerings I am going to ask you to stand with me and make this declaration together; As we receive today s offering, we are believing You for: Heaven opened, Earth Invaded, Storehouses unlocked, And miracles created: Dreams and Visions, Angelic Visitations, Declarations, Impartations, and Divine Manifestations; Anointing s, Gifts, and calls, Positions, and Promotions; Provision and Resources to go to the nations; Souls and more souls from every generation, Saved and set free, carrying Kingdom revelation! Thank you, Father, that as I join my value system to Yours, You will show favour, blessing and increase Upon me so I have more than enough To co-labor with Heaven and see Jesus Honoured in this land. (adapted from Steve Backlund s book Declarations ) Jesus stood in the temple one day and made a proclamation to declare who He was and what He would do in the future. Quoting Isaiah 61:1 he said The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me, because the LORD has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the broken-hearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners That s a powerful proclamation! He was stating who He is in God and making a statement about what He was going to do into the future. As I mentioned last week Proclamation is a form of spiritual warfare, it s a way of smashing down the walls in our minds and in the spiritual realm to bring in a new reality. Far too often we Christians look at how unfair and hard life can be and we go woe is me that stinks, life is hard and what can we do about it. There is a huge amount that you and I can do about it. We are the head and not the tail. If you and I partner by faith with what God s will is mountainous problems and obstacles can be picked up and cast into the sea. Is life unfair? Obviously it is, but are we just to be whimpish victims carried along by predetermined events that we have no power over? Absolutely not! Just as God spoke His 1

2 Words in the power of the Holy Spirit and the world was created you and I have the power of life and death in our tongues. You and I can smash down walls; change the course of history in the lives of others, even nations, when we start proclaiming the truths of God, proclaiming a new reality. I want to encourage us all to start to use proclamations as a powerful tool in spiritual warfare. 2 Corinthians 10:3-5 (CEV) 3 We live in this world, but we don t act like its people 4 or fight our battles with the weapons of this world. Instead, we use God s power that can destroy fortresses. We destroy arguments 5 and every bit of pride that keeps anyone from knowing God. We capture people s thoughts and make them obey Christ. I want to give you some examples of how to capture your thoughts and turn them into Biblical Proclamations that will scare the life out of the enemy and change your mind and your world around you. I want to show you that you are not victims you are Christians, God s team with the Word of God and the Holy Spirit able to transform situations through your words. 4 STEPS TO FORMING PROCLAMATIONS THAT WILL CHANGE YOUR WORLD 1. Identify the thought patterns that disagree with God. 2. Find scriptures that challenge those patterns with His Truth. 3. Personalise those scriptures. 4. Repeatedly proclaim the Truth over your life and see Gods power and faith released. Let s get really practical with this. FEELING FLAT OR UNHAPPY Now you and I might be tempted to feel like that, in winter or when there is just too much happening in life. 1. Identify the patterns that disagree with God. Maybe you are believing that God doesn t care about your happiness a He is only concerned about your character. Maybe you are thinking I am just not a joyful person. That is not my character. These types of thought patterns disagree with what God says about the Christian life. So: 2. Challenge these patterns with Truth e.g. the joy of the LORD is your strength. Nehemiah 8:10 2

3 A cheerful heart is good medicine Proverbs 17:22 you will fill me with joy in your presence, Psalm 16:11 These scriptures suggest that for the believer we don t need to pretend to be happy the reality is that God intends us to be happy people as we live closely to him. 3. Personalize the Word. Ask God for a rhema word for how this applies to you. You might proclaim out loud something like: Because God is close to me and for me I reject cynicism and embrace God s hope and joy. Or God s joy is my strength. Or I am a carrier of infectious joy and release joy to others I have found that by speaking biblical truth out when I am flat or a bit sad about something genuine, Holy Spirit Joy is released into my spirit. I have found that in the midst of a really bad situation I can still feel genuine joy. I have always had difficulty answering the question how are you Russell? Because even if I have the flu or sinus are playing up again etc, the truth is I still usually feel happy. UNSURE WHAT TOMORROW WILL BRING 1. What are the patterns in my mind that disagree with God? Maybe I am thinking that I have no control over the events of tomorrow. That would be a lie. Maybe I am thinking. Today was a hard day, maybe tomorrow will be worse. That is really unchristian thinking. 2. So I need to challenge those patterns of thinking with Biblical thinking e.g. But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD. Joshua 24:15 What no eye has seen, what no ear has heard, and what no human mind has conceived the things God has prepared for those who love him 1 Corinthians 2:9 13 Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. Philippians 3:13 So if God s Word says that we are to look forward to the future and be confident that God has prepared good things for us and you or I are feeling negative about the future we could personalise the Word by proclaiming something like this over our lives. 3

4 3. Personalize the Word Right now I demolish double-mindedness and lack of enthusiasm I have about any activity, appointment, or meeting I have tomorrow. Or I will press on tomorrow for the things that God has prepared for me. As you make Proclamations about tomorrow, your faith for what God can do tomorrow will increase and God will do greater things tomorrow than He would have had you not spoken faith and life over tomorrow. If you believe that tomorrow will be filled with divine guidance and purpose your spiritual eyes will be wide open to it and expecting supernatural things to happen. WANTING TO SEE THE FAVOR OF GOD ON YOUR LIFE 1. Identify the thought patterns that you have that disagree with God. Maybe you mistakenly believe that God s favour is dependent upon your performance rather than His goodness. Maybe you have been thinking that life is all predetermined and that God treats everybody the same. 2. Challenge those thought patterns with Biblical truth. e.g. Surely, LORD, you bless the righteous; you surround them with your favour as with a shield. Psalm 5:12 52 And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favour with God and man. Luke 2:52 Years ago as I was praying the Aaronic prayer over a little baby; you know the one, May the Lord bless you and keep you, the Lord be gracious and merciful unto you, the Lord turn His face of favour towards you. Numbers 6:24-26 And as I prayed for this baby I got a real revelation that we are to pray for God s favour on our lives. I have had for years this strange experience of people, mostly non-christians giving me free stuff every day. Someone close to me the other day pointed out that was God s favour. Graham Davis has this strange ability to be in just the right place at the right time to speak to a critical politician or funder or service provider. These set ups by God happen to Graham in the most random of places. That is God s favour. God s favour is to show you practically His love for you in extra-ordinary ways. If you have had wrong thoughts about God not realising that he wants to show you favour because that is what He is like and you were thinking that His favour was based on your performance or that He treats everyone the same then try and personalise the previous two scriptures. 3. Personalise the Word e.g. The favour of God is s a shield in my life, keeping me from harm. Or Because I steward today s favour well, tomorrow I will be entrusted with more. Or People will be drawn to me and will instinctively like me 4

5 I effortlessly receive the favour of God through grace. One last example because this is Ranui Baptist Church where people matter. We deal with huge numbers of needy people in the community every week and some of them come with really bad attitudes, bad habits and bad breath. WANTING TO LOVE THE UNLOVELY 1. Identify the thought patterns that disagree with God. For example, if my discernment or my spiritual insight shows me this person is dodgy and I should hold back on helping them and talking about Jesus to them. Or it might be well this person has brought the mess they are in on themselves and their unwise decisions, why should I go the extra mile for them? 2. We need to challenge those thoughts with the Word. 12 No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us. 1 John 4:12 8 Love never fails. 1 Corinthians 13:8 3. So how might we personalize these truths to retrain our minds to transform out thinking? Maybe we could say: I am permanently tapped into Heaven s infinite supply of love. Or People s responses to me will not determine how I love them. Or I will choose to love everyone I see, and know that love will have an effect on them even if I don t recognise it straight away. I am going to give you some topics and scriptures to work through in your home groups or with your families but I wanted to share with you a proclamation that I have written for me to declare over my life and the church last week. You see we have had an unusually dry period for salvations in this church last month. I don t understand it. I have searched my heart and looked at the unity of the church. I know scripture says that every day is the day of salvation. I know that the primary purpose of the church on earth is to preach the gospel with words and signs and wonders and to make disciples. I have also been a bit concerned about finance to cover salaries of team members and yet I believe that God will supply all our needs, when God calls he supplies etc. I have sought the Lord re a big faith step that I think He is calling me to take some time soon. Am I skilled enough? Am I clever enough to do this? Will I be too blunt or practical for some folk to handle? This is my personal Proclamation at the moment. 5

6 Jesus, I believe that it s natural for the church to reach the lost. It s Your primary heart s desire. Every day is a day of salvation for some one. I declare sufficient labourers and a harvest for the mission station that is Ranui Baptist Church. You promise to supply all our needs According to your riches in glory, and Lord you own the sheep on a thousand hills, You cause kings to prosper and fail Your arm is not short. You are a generous God. I thank you for your faithful provision. I believe Lord Jesus that you who have called me are faithful. That You wouldn t ask me to do something that You wouldn t equip me for. You promise to use the humble who will trust in you. You have given me the words of eternal life. Surely goodness and mercy will follow me all the days of my life. I intend to declare those words out loud for a few weeks, in order to smash down thoughts and ideas that are in opposition to the Word of God and to release faith and God s supernatural favour into my own situation. This week before you get to your small group or your family bible time ask yourself, Where do you need to apply this weapon of spiritual warfare? Do you have any ideas or thoughts or feelings that disagree with the Word of God? What does scripture say is the Truth? Personalise the relevant scriptures into Proclamations, write them down, and speak them over your life or your family. Then come prepared to share your personal proclamation for breakthrough in your small group this week. 6