By Chinedu Emmanuel

 1 Cor 2:12-14 “And we have received God’s Spirit (not the world’s spirit), so we can know the wonderful things God has freely given us.13 When we tell you these things, we do not use words that come from human wisdom. Instead, we speak words given to us by the Spirit, using the Spirit’s words to explain spiritual truths. 14 But people who aren’t spiritual can’t receive these truths from God’s Spirit. It all sounds foolish to them and they can’t understand it, for only those who are spiritual can understand what the Spirit means.”

The prior post explained three roadblocks that hinder Christians from experiencing or living out the complete blessings made available to all through Christ. The roadblocks previously discussed are Ignorance, lack of intimacy with Christ and not placing value on the word of God. This post will address other roadblocks that prevent Christians from living and basking in the blessings of God made available to us through Christ.

DEPENDENCE ON MAN AND THE FLESH

It is very important to know that Christianity is purely a spiritual experience. One can only get born again by believing the gospel. The life of God is received by believing God’s word. The life you received when you got born again wasn’t a natural experience even though your physical body remained the same. The reason many believers do not get answers to their prayers is that they think the basis of answering prayers has to be an emotion and they depend on their feelings and emotions to determine the move of God. Our feelings and emotions cannot reveal the move of God. IT IS ALL FLESH WHICH PROFITS NOTHING!

Some people also rely on their interpretation of the word of God. They use their own earthly wisdom to discern scriptures. This is very dangerous and leaves room for demons to operate. Our opinion and thoughts on the scriptures don’t matter. The opinions of others is also inconsequential. Only the undiluted TRUH in the Bible matters because ONLY THE TRUTH CAN SET US FREE.

1 Cor 2:12-14 “And we have received God’s Spirit (not the world’s spirit), so we can know the wonderful things God has freely given us.13 When we tell you these things, we do not use words that come from human wisdom. Instead, we speak words given to us by the Spirit, using the Spirit’s words to explain spiritual truths. 14 But people who aren’t spiritual can’t receive these truths from God’s Spirit. It all sounds foolish to them and they can’t understand it, for only those who are spiritual can understand what the Spirit means.”

We have no option but to learn the truth from the Lord Himself. Only the witness of the Holy Spirit within us can confirm the move of God in our lives. The Holy Spirit can only witness to our spirit, not our feelings or intellects.

Rom 8:16-17 “The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, 17 and if children, then heirs — heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together”.

NOT CONFESSING THE WORD

This is very, very important. I have realized that when I constantly affirm the word of God for myself and confess it to be true right in the face of contradictions, my faith is charged up and it activates the power of that word. I have also realized that if I keep that confession steady the challenge begins to fizzle away and then disappears completely. The power of the word is released when we affirm it verbally. Nobody has ever responded to what we have in mind until we tell them. Challenges will not respond until you say what you believe for yourself and draw the boundaries by declaring where you stand. Until then, you have no stand, no boundaries, and no shield of faith. We must learn to open our mouths and speak THE WORD like we mean it and with all the conviction and authority we can muster. It is our responsibility to allow or disallow things on earth. How will what we allow or disallow be known if we don’t speak?

• Psalms 107:2 “Let the redeemed of the Lord say so, whom he hath redeemed from the hand of the enemy;”
• Hebrews 10:23 “Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful.”
• Joshua 1:8 “This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.”

In Joshua 1:8, Joshua was given his first instruction which was to make sure that the book of the law (this was all Joshua had at that time) doesn’t depart from his mouth. This instruction also applies to us today. The difference is that we now have The New Testament and God’s will fulfilled in Christ Jesus. A testament can be defined as an act by which a person determines the disposition of his or her property after death. Jesus left us His will. He willed to us all He has. We are Heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ.

In other words, per Joshua 1:8, we can then say that this book of fulfilled promises willed to us cannot depart out of our mouths!

• Mark 11:23 “For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith.”

In conclusion, be sure that what you believe is the truth as confirmed by two or three witnesses of Scripture. Also, be sure that what you are saying agrees with what God is saying about you in Christ Jesus through the Scriptures and inward witnessing of His Spirit. Remember two cannot walk together unless they agree. Never agree with the devil and his own witness. Instead, agree with God and what He has done for you in Christ and you will win every single time.

Pastor Chinedu Emmanuel is the Senior Pastor at the Fountain of The Living Word Church, New Jersey.